Believe it or not this chapter was kinda hard to write, not really sure why I just wasn't really sure how I wanted the evolution scene between Rose and Maple to go, but once I got that figured out and wrote it the rest of the chapter came pretty easy. I also really like how it turned out!
Once again, thanks to Tim the Vocalist for being my beta reader, and thanks to pokemonking0924 for the review! Additionally, I want to thank everyone that has read, favorited or got alerts enabled for this story as well!
Enjoy!
Wes:
Nayru the Gardevoir (Friend Ball, shiny)
Faye the Ribombee (Level Ball)
Zero the Type: Null (Luxury Ball)
Sakura the Milotic (Lure Ball)
Inigo the Combusken (Permier Ball, shiny)
Blake the Eevee (Moon Ball, shiny)
Rose:
Shelgon (Great Ball)
Brionne (Poke Ball)
Opal the Lycanroc (Fast Ball, Dusk Form)
Maple the Pikachu (Love Ball)
Lucario (Ultra Ball)
Salandit (Luxury Ball)
Silver light emitted into Rose's room as she sat on her dresser in a white pajama shirt with blue, long pajama pants, staring out the window at the full moon that was hanging in the sky, shining down upon them and making the night seem not so dark. Maple was at her feet, staring up at her trainer with an expression of interest and confusion. In Rose's right hand, she was twirling around the Thunderstone that she had received from the Aether Foundation, and occasionally she would stop twirling it to grip it for a moment before going back to playing with the stone. Finally, she held it up to the moon, and the stone seemed to admit a glow as it came between her eyes and the orb that hung in the sky.
"Pokemon Evolution", Rose muttered to herself, her eyes shinning at the reflection the stone cast upon them. "A process in which a Pokemon changes into a different species of Pokemon. This change is not merely visual, as Pokemon of a higher evolutionary stage are usually more powerful than their predecessors, may have different moves that can be learned, and sometimes change their types... Even the Pokemon's ability can change when this happens… I can say the definition all I want, but it doesn't change the fact that it's not so simple, especially for the Pokemon that evolves."
Rose turned back to look at Maple, who now seemed to understand the dilemma she was facing. Her tail twitched a bit as she stepped forward, looking directly into her trainer's green eyes with her own blue ones. Rose stared back for a few moments before holding the stone up again, sighing. "Most Pokemon do not evolve through human interaction, and I thought that providing that evolution to my Pokemon would be simpler then this… When I helped Wes evolve Sakura, it was different feeling then this… she was his Pokemon, and he wanted to evolve her, thus I provided the trigger for the evolution. Now, on the other hand, it's my own Pokemon that can evolve through a trigger, but… does she want to?"
Maple looked at the stone for a moment, thinking hard to herself for a few moments before stepping forward again, and giving a nod, staring directly at the Thunderstone with determination.
Rose blinked in surprise, having heard rumors that several Pikachu, including even the one owned by the legendary Pokemon Trainer Red, hated the idea of evolving into Raichu, though it might have been different in this case since Maple was an Alolan Pikachu, and would evolve into the Electric Psychic type Alolan Raichu. Rose gave a smile before gently lowering the Thunderstone and placing it on Maple's head, who did not flinch as the stone made contact with her forehead. At once, the stone vanished, being absorbed into Maple's body.
And if anyone was to be outside at that moment, the silver glow of the moon would not be the only glow that they saw that night.
XxXxXxX
"This is where Rose said she wanted to meet up to learn Mega Evolution", Wes sighed, setting his backpack down and stretching a bit. He did not need to walk far from Malie City to reach the Malie Garden, though he frowned a bit as he noticed that Rose was not there yet, and scratched his head in confused. "That's odd… thought she would be the first one here."
"Perhaps she is just running a little late", Jason yawned, setting his own backpack down next to Wes' at the tree. "Give her a bit of time."
"She's the one who was all happy to learn about Mega Evolution, so I just thought she would be rushing over here is all", Wes muttered, giving Jason a look that practically said "and why are you here anyway?" A few moments passed before Rose came into view, waving at them and being followed by a very wobbly Pokemon. Wes and Jason both had to do a double take to see that following behind Rose was an Alolan Raichu, attempting and somehow failing to ride her tail like a surf board, which was rounded unlike the traditional Kanto Raichu which had a jagged, lightning bolt tail. Wes also noticed that the Alolan Raichu had a lighter orange coloring then the Kanto counterpart, along with rounded ears and white stripes on the back.
"Sorry we look so long", Rose breathed out in exhaustion, putting her bag down next to Wes and Jason's own. "I evolved Maple yesterday as you can see, and I don't think she's quite figured out her new Psychic powers."
"I can see that", Wes muttered, watching as Maple fell off her tail, though was still in the air hanging upside down as the tail end remained where it was when she fell off it. "Nayru, do you mind?"
"Yeah, I can assist her while you two practice", Nayru smiled, stepping forward and pulling Maple back onto her tail, holding her tightly as she regained her balance and walking off with her.
"Hope they'll be ok", Rose whispered, looking after the two with worry.
"Eh, they'll be fine", Jason stated, turning to the two of them. "Alright, so you two might be wondering why I am here, and that is simple… Wes, how did you plan on teaching Rose Mega Evolution without providing her a key stone and a mega stone?" Wes blinked at that before letting out an "er", scratching his cheek in embarrassment. Jason gave a huff, unable to keep himself from giving a small smile as he realized that his student still hasn't changed. "Thought so… thankfully for you two, I took the liberty of obtaining these." Jason reached into his pocket and pulled out a keystone identical to Wes' own, as well as a grey stone with a red and blue curved diamond shaped design.
"Wow, what is this stone called?" Rose asked, holding the grey stone up in wonder.
"That is a Salamencite", Jason explained. "Yours to keep! Figured that since you got a Shelgon and all you might as well get that one as well."
"This… didn't cost you a lot, did it?" Wes asked, still a bit embarrassed that he had completely forgotten about the keystone and the mega stone.
"Don't worry about price", Jason waved his hand in dismissal. "I have connections that assisted in making sure I got them… however, since you still have a Shelgon and not a Salamence yet, you're going to need a different Pokemon to practice on, and thankfully, you already got one."
"I do?" Rose questioned, tilting her head in confusion for a moment before suddenly realizing. "Oh, Lucario!"
"Bingo", Jason smirked, pulling out a second mega stone, this one was orange in color, and while it had a blue and red curved diamond like the first mega stone did, the colors on this one were inverted. "The Lucarionite… however, I am only lending this one to you. I am going to need it back once you are done practicing. I got that in Kalos from a good friend of mine named Korrina, and she'd kill me if something happened to it."
"No worries, I'll be careful with it", Rose nodded, pulling out her Ultra Ball and sending out her Lucario, who looked at the stone in confusion as Rose handed it to him. "This is Jason's, so be careful with it, ok? I need to practice Mega Evolution and you are the going to help me."
Lucario nodded, though he seemed to look a bit uneasy still. As Jason assisted Rose in fastening the mega stone to Lucario, Wes pulled out his Premier Ball and sent out Inigo, who gave a big yawn as he rejoiced in freedom. "Hey Inigo, we're going to do some training with Rose. She's practicing Mega Evolution, so don't get discouraged if your opponent suddenly gets stronger, ok?"
Inigo nodded, before stepping forward and facing off against Lucario, who now had the mega stone fastened to his waist by a belt like object. One smirk from the both of them caused Jason to chuckle, remembering that they hatched on the same day, and were likely thinking of one another as rivals due to that. "I get the feeling this isn't ordinary training to those two…"
"Inigo, Flame Charge!" Wes commanded.
"Lucario, Aura Sphere!" Rose called out. The two Pokemon charged at each other at once, with Lucario forming a ball of light blue energy and firing it at Inigo, who was surrounded by flames as he rushed forward, slamming into the ball of energy. At first, it looked like he wouldn't emerge from the smoke, but he shot out of the dust and dirt still covered in flames, slamming into Lucario.
"Use Peck!"
"Lucario, Force Palm!" Lucario slammed his palm into Inigo's stomach just as he was pecking the canine Pokemon, sending him flying into the air, before he was surrounded by his signature speed boosting green glow. Rose gasped at that, before looking down at the keystone and smirking. "Ok… Lucario, Mega Evolve!" Surges of energy shot from the keystone, startling Rose for a second, as energy shot forth from the Lucarioite as well. The two energies collided in midair, but as quickly as they came they vanished, leaving both trainer and Pokemon looking confused. "Huh?"
"Time!" Jason called out, stepping forward and waving his hands to signal a time out. "That wasn't a bad first attempt… heck, you at least produced the mega evolution energy. Not even I did that on my first try."
"Or me", Wes pointed out, nodding at Jason's words. "I don't think I did it until my third try, and even then Nayru didn't Mega Evolve."
"This is harder then I thought it would be", Rose sighed, looking down at the key stone for a moment before looking at Wes. "Any tips?"
Jason, knowing that it was technically Wes' lesson, remained silent as he watched his student scratch his cheek again in deep thought before speaking. "Well… Mega Evolution requires three things, two of which you already have. It's the third element that is the most important though, and despite everything Nayru and I went through before we attempted to achieve Mega Evolution, we still struggled. You and Lucario need to become more synchronized, that's all."
Rose nodded, standing up straighter and looking over at Wes as Jason stepped backwards to give them room. "Alright, then let's try again! Lucario, Bone Rush!"
Lucario held out his hand and what looked like a glowing, green bone appeared in his palm, before he gripped it tightly and rushed forward, before twirling the bone like a staff and hitting Inigo twice, who hissed and retaliated automatically with a Double Kick, sending Lucario into the air. The canine Pokemon growled, as the bone disappeared from his hand and suddenly, he clenched his fist, a swirl of blue power coming from his hand, though unlike Aura Sphere it was contracted into his fist. As he charged forward, what looked like a trail of stardust shooting from his fist as it made contact, sending Inigo flying back in pain.
"W-what was that?" Rose asked, baffled at the move.
"That… was Meteor Mash!" Jason gasped, looking shocked as well. "It makes sense since Riolu can only have that move if a female Lucario is being bred with a Smergle who knows the same move, but I never thought Rose's would be one of those."
"Meteor Mash…" Rose whispered to herself, before looking up at Lucario determined. "Ok, Meteor Mash!" Lucario charged and once again punched at Inigo, who this time blocked the move and leapt out of the way, however the discovery of Lucario's new move caused Rose to feel like she understood her Pokemon a little better, as she held up the key stone again. "Ok! Let's do this, Mega Evolve!" This time, the energy that came from both stones remained connected for longer and even surrounded Lucario, but like before soon it dispelled, leaving a normal Lucario standing there, this time huffing a little due to the energy entering his body.
"Almost", Wes commented, looking shocked that Rose was grasping this so quickly. "That time was definitely closer then the first attempt… heck, I think you actually morphed him for a second there…"
"Almost isn't there, though…" Rose sighed, looking down at the key stone before looking back up as Wes. "Come on, there has to be at least one more hint you can give me!"
Wes thought again, before looking at Lucario, then to Rose. "You never nicknamed him… It makes the Pokemon feel more special to you, at least that's what I think anyway. I tend to find that trainers that nickname their Pokemon form a deeper bond with them, so maybe that is worth a try… to both Lucario and Shelgon?"
Unlike the last time Wes suggested nicknaming her Pokemon, Rose actually blinked a bit and gave it some thought. She felt closer to Maple then most of her other Pokemon, even her Shelgon, despite Wes nicknaming her himself. Additionally, she did nickname Opal and certainly felt like her connection to the rock type had deepened afterwards. She looked at Lucario, who was looking at her in anticipation. "Hmm… how about Reiki?"
"Reiki?" Wes asked.
"It sounds cool", Rose commented. "It's a technique to promote healing, often called palm healing or hands-on healing. I think it fits, don't you, even if he isn't much of a healer, though I guess I'm called Rose and there's not a lot you can compare on me to the flower of the same name."
Are you kidding, like a rose you are beautiful but can be a pain due to the thorns, Wes thought, blushing a little at the thought that Rose was beautiful, but he shook the thought off and smiled at her. "I like it, and I think he does too! Alright, why don't we give it another try?"
"Sound good to me! Ok, Reiki?" the newly dubbed Reiki nodded, facing his opponent again, this time radiating more confidence then last time. Rose smirked, before holding out her hand and giving her command. "Reiki, Meteor Mash!"
"Inigo, Flame Charge!"
The two pokemon smirked, charging at one another and initiating their attacks, with Reiki slamming his fist into Inigo's forehead just as the flaming chicken met him in the middle of the arena. The two struggled there, neither one wanting to give into the other's attack. Rose saw her moment and took it, holding the keystone high and shouting out to Reiki, who was surrounded by the energy, only this time the glow remained longer, and he seemed to morph under the glow. Suddenly, Inigo's eyes went wide, as he found himself being pushed back by the glowing canine pokemon, before he was sent flying back, injured. Reiki, however lost the glow and returned to normal, huffing and puffing deeply.
"That… was actually Mega Lucario", Jason commented, stepping forward again. "It wasn't a complete mega evolution, but he achieved the form, even if just for a moment. I think that's enough practice for now, but you made so much progress in just a short amount of time."
"Yeah, you were amazing Rose", Wes commented, stepping forward. "Reiki was too!" Inigo suddenly clicked his beak, and Wes had to laugh before petting the Fowl Pokemon. "Of course, you were great as well, Inigo!"
Jason walked up to Reiki and received his mega stone, as well as the strap used to keep it on him. "Alright, why don't you two explore the park? Classes start back up again tomorrow, so use this time to rest and relax, especially after that midterm… which you did very well on Rose, so don't give me that look." Jason added to the paling of Rose's face, before he shook his head and walked off.
"Top student is nervous about her midterm score?" Wes asked, baffled that she seemed so nervous.
"Give me a break", Rose shot at him, glaring a little. "You didn't have to take it, Mr. I had to insult a very powerful trainer."
"C-Cut me some slack, ok?" the teenager replied as he paled, the laughter of the insane old man echoing in his ears. "How was I supposed to know… hey, isn't that Professor Kukui?"
At first, Rose thought that Wes was just trying to distract her from talking about the midterm and Kanto-sensei, but sure enough she looked over to where he was pointing, and the Professor in question was clearly visible from where they were standing, only he was not alone. Two Team Skull members were standing in front of them, clearly looking pissed off. Wes and Rose looked at one another, before taking off into a full sprint towards the Professor, Inigo and Reiki following after them as well.
"Hold up, yo!" the first Skull grunt was saying to the Professor as they came into ear shot.
"You say you want to make a Pokemon League?" the second grunt said, angry. "You got rocks in your skull?"
"Make a Pokemon League?" Wes asked, confused, but Rose only shrugged in response, not knowing what they were talking about.
"Four turns!" Kukui said, holding out his hand with all fingers except for his thumb extended.
"Huh?" the Skull grunts asked, confused.
"Bring it on, the both of you!" Kukui grinned, his hands on his hips. "I've been researching Pokemon moves, yeah, so I'm always ready, oh yeah! I'll take you both on in a Battle Royal, and you'll be down with just a Swift and Incinerate or two! You gotta beat the man to be the man, boys!"
"…Kukui is the Masked Royal", Wes muttered to Rose with a deadpan expression, recalling the same attitude coming from the same man they faced in a Battle Royal those many days ago.
"I had a feeling he was familiar when we fought him, but now it's like I was slapped in the face with the 'no duh' stick", Rose replied.
"F-fine, you asked for it!" the second grunt replied to Kukui's declaration, though he was suddenly not as confident as before, practically sensing that Kukui would destroy him if he tried to fight against him.
"Battle Royal, huh?" a new voice suddenly said. "Nice idea there, Kukui. You can beat down three Pokemon at once, huh?" Wes blinked and looked towards the bridge to see a man standing on it. Jagged, white hair adored the top of his head, unkept in appearance, with yellow sunglasses separating it from his forehead. He wore a golden chain necklace, with a golden S medallion resting on his chest. A black, hooded short sleeved hoodie with a white S on the back of it blew in the wind, ruffing his white undershirt and his baggy, black pants. He stepped forward, his worn out white sneakers looking like they could break at any moment with each step he took, before he was right up in Kukui's face.
"Guzma", Kukui greeted him, his confidence still radiating off him.
"The boss has graced us with his presence!" the first grunt cheered, looking relieved.
"The hated boss who beats you down, and beats you down, and never lets up… Yeah! Big bad Guzma is here!" Guzma taunted, before crossing his arms and laughing. "Greetings, cowering public! We have an exciting bout for you today! In the opposing corner, the Pokemon Professor Kukui! And in this corner, the boss of Team Skull and the hardest guy around, Guzma!"
Wes and Rose looked at one another for a moment, and while they were confident that Kukui could probably take Guzma on, they still nodded at one another and stepped forward, standing just off to the side. No one seemed to notice them at the moment, as the folks who gathered were focused on the conflict between Guzma and Kukui, and the two grunts of Team Skull were watching in awe as their boss stared down Kukui.
"Here we are, Kukui", Guzma snarled a little. "Fellow rejects who never could become captains. We've got all these moldy old traditions in Alola – the kahunas, the captains… it's about time we cut out all that silly garbage and make something new for ourselves. Trust me, I get that. Don't get me wrong, though, Kukui. We've got no need for a Pokemon League. After all, everyone already knows who the strongest trainer is on these islands!"
"Speak for yourself, Guzma", Kukui replied, still smirking in confidence. "It's not like I couldn't become a captain. I chose not to, because I had other dreams. I wanted to figure out which moves would be strong enough to beat old Hala…" Kukui turned and took a few steps back as he spoke. "…and I finally found what I was looking for. The strongest moves you can use are the ones a Trainer and their Pokemon choose together, in the heat of the moment, when it really counts." Kukui sharply turned to face Guzma again at that. "That's when I knew I had to make a Pokemon League, yeah? To give everybody a chance to be pushed to the limit with their team and find that perfect move! Let's see it, Guzma! Show me your moves and prove you aren't just all talk! If you really can, that is…" He turned to face Wes and Rose at that moment. "Don't you two agree?"
"Uh… yeah!" Wes commented, grinning a bit sheepishly.
Guzma turned to glare at Wes, stepping forward. "So, you're two of the kids on the island challenge… hmm, you two don't look like you're from around here."
"This is Wes, and Rose", Kukui explained, gesturing to each of them in turn. "Wes came here just recently from Hoenn, and Rose has been here for a few years now. Discovery, new experiences, adventure! They're loving every minute of it!"
"As well as boring lectures and tests, but hey I take what I can get", Wes snickered, before being elbowed by Rose.
"If you think you're the strongest trainer on these islands, Guzma, why don't you battle one of them?" Kukui suddenly said, shocking all in the vicinity.
"W-what!?" Rose gasped, looking scared.
Wes looked from Kukui to Guzma, before finally he smirked and stepped forward. "Alright, sure, why not?"
"Wes, what are you doing!?" Rose shouted, staring at him in shock. "That's the boss of Team Skull himself! You can't take him on as you are right now!" Either Wes didn't seem to hear her, or he didn't seem to care. Wes and Guzma had locked eyes at that moment, and it seemed set in stone that they would indeed battle on another.
"Tch! This move fanatic is getting me all riled up!" Guzma declared, frowning a little as he stared at Wes, his eyes trailing until they landed on his Z-Ring. "Why even bother with the island challenge? What's the point of it?"
Wes looked at the Z-Ring for a moment, before looking back at Guzma and sighing. "To be honest… I thought the same thing at first. I couldn't care less if I either took the Island Challenge or got kicked out for stealing my amulet and be sent back to Hoenn where I could participate in their Pokemon League." The fact that Wes had stolen his amulet seemed to shock Guzma, who looked back at Wes with wide eyes. "But I realized that this challenge, it's going to make me stronger then I could've been before! So, don't you dare insult those that take the Island Challenge, or dream of becoming a Pokemon Master at a Pokemon League… just because you aren't strong enough to do it yourself!"
"Wes", Rose muttered in shock, as Kukui smiled down at Wes with pride.
Guzma snarled at that, pulling out a Ultra Ball. "You just said the wrong thing, kid… watch closely, Kukui. Someday I'm going to destroy you, but first, I'll destroy everything you care about! Wanna see what destruction looks like? Here it is in human form – it's your boy, Guzma! Go, Golisopod!" Out of the ball appeared a Pokemon that Wes knew very well, as Jason also had one himself.
"Go, Sakura!" Wes called, throwing the Lure Ball and sending out his water type, who cooed and stared down his opponent.
"You're going to regret ever mouthing off to me, kid!" Guzma declared. "First Impression!"
Before Wes could even issue a command, Golisopod charged and slammed into Sakura, and to the surprise of them all she seemed very injured by the attack, practically shaking as she tried to regain her senses from being knocked so hard she began to see stars.
"W-what was that move?" Wes asked, stunned by the power.
"Rotom?" Rose asked, pulling the device out of her purse.
"First Impression is a move that is unique to Golisopod", Rotom yawned, having been awoken from his nap. "It is a priority move, so it's super fast even if the Pokemon doesn't have great natural speed. Additionally, it's very powerful, but can only be used in the first few moments that a Pokemon is in battle… however…"
"Sakura, Ice Beam!" Wes commanded. Sakura inhaled and sent out a bolt of light blue energy, which struck the bug water type and sent it skidding back. At first, it looked like the attack wasn't that successful, but suddenly a beam of red light shot from the ball that was now on Guzma's belt, recalling Golisopod into it.
"Uh, you need to declare you are switching, you know?" Wes asked.
"Not if it's related to the ability of my Pokemon!" Guzma declared.
"Pardon?"
"Emergency Exit", Rotom explained, flying forward towards Wes' side. "When Golisopd's health is reduced in a battle, it can retreat into it's PokeBall one time… and since he did that, it means…"
"That the next time he sends it out, it can use First Impression again", Wes growled, facing down Guzma. "At first, I thought you were just some punk leader of a bunch of other punks, but you aren't actually that bad."
"It's just getting started, kid", Guzma stated, pulling out another Ultra Ball. "Go, Masquerain!" Out of the ball emerged a light blue Pokémon with two pairs of rhombus-shaped wings on each side of its body, a tear dropped shaped head with two small black eyes, and two smaller wings on the lower side of it's body.
Wes blinked at that, before tilting his head. "Those were all over Hoenn… and are bug flying… alright then, Sakura Ice Beam!" Sakura breathed in again and sent out the Ice Beam, and the super effective move did a lot of damage to the bug type, however it still was flying in the air afterwards.
"Masquerain, use Air Slash!" Guzma commanded. The bug type flew into the air and send out a few jets of air which slammed into Sakura, who shook off the attack like it was nothing.
"Ice Beam again!" Wes commanded, and this time the attack did a lot more damage to Masquerain, who fell to the ground fainted. Guzma recalled his Pokemon, but the smirk on his face reminded Wes of what was to come, and he knew that Guzma had not only expected Wes to knock out his second Pokemon, he had counted on it.
"First Impression!" Guzma commanded, sending out his Golisopod again. The gaint bug wasted no time, and slammed into Sakura, sending her flying back into a tree and knocking her out cold.
"Sakura, return!" Wes called out, recalling her into the Lure Ball.
"You see, kid?" Guzma taunted, laughing. "You can't beat me!"
"Your Golisopod is weakened, and I still have Pokemon left!" Wes shouted back, but as he stared down Golisopod he racked his brain on who he could use. Nayru was off with Maple, so she was out… and he did not want to chance using Zero at the moment. That left him with Inigo, Blake and Faye. Faye and Bake did not seem powerful enough to take on Golisopod, but at the same time Inigo would take heavy damage from Golisopod's water type moves. Sighing, he turned to Inigo, who was standing off to the side with Rose and Reiki. "Can I count on you?"
Inigo clicked his beak and stepped forward, looking at Golisopod with confidence. Guzma blinked once at this, before bursting out into a fit of laughter. "You gotta be kidding me? You're choosing a fire type to face off against my Golisopod? You're dumber then I thought you were, kid!"
"We'll just have to see how it goes, don't we?" Wes shouted, glaring at the large man.
"I'll make this quick!" Guzma snarled, snapping his fingers. "Use Razor Shell!"
"Protect!" Wes commanded. Golisopod charged forward, his hand surrounded by water as he slammed his palm into the green barrier that Inigo had called forward, shielding him entirely from the attack before he too was surrounded by the green glow, signaling that he had achieved speed boost.
"W-what was that?" Guzma gasped, looking shocked.
"Use Flame Charge!" Wes commanded. Inigo shot forward and slammed into Golisopod with his body surrounded by fire, covering the bug type in flames. Despite the water typing, his bug typing made him vulnerable to the fire, and the creature hissed in pain.
"Use Sucker Punch!" Guzma shouted, seeming to realize that Inigo was too fast now to hit with a non-priority move. Golisopod's fist was surrounded by darkness as he punched Inigo right in the stomach, and despite the move doing heavy damage, the fire type was able to stand back up and face his opponent down.
"Inigo, use Peck!" Wes shouted, and the fighting chicken obeyed instantly, charging forward so fast that Guzma almost missed it, and pecking Golisopod with his sharp beak. For a moment, nothing else happened, before Golisopod suddenly fell backwards, unable to battle anymore.
Guzma stared down at the scene in shock, before recalling Golisopod into his ball. He suddenly threw up his hands, shaking his body wildly. "Guzma, what is wrong with you!? Now's the time for your vaunted team to let loose and destroy everything!" Guzma panted, glaring at Wes. "Wes, is it? I'll remember this, kid… you just made a dangerous enemy today! Next time, I'll beat you down!"
"Next time, you're facing me instead, Guzma!" Jason's voice suddenly said, as the Kalos Champion stepped forward, glaring at the leader of Team Skull. Guzma snarled back at him, stepping forward and glaring at Jason in the same way that he was glaring at Kukui just moments before Wes battled him. The two grunts ran forward, nervously gathering behind their boss and hoping that nothing more would happen.
"Move", Guzma snarled. Jason huffed in his face, before moving out of the way and letting Guzma stop past him, his grunts following afterwards and shaking as they saw the glare that Jason was giving them.
"Wes… that was…" Rose commented, stepping forward and looking at Wes in awe.
"Stupid… that was stupid!" Jason snarled, rounding on them all, and pointing his finger directly at Kukui. "You! What were you thinking letting him battle Guzma? He could've been seriously hurt!"
Kukui smiled and shook his head. "Jason, even you cannot deny how strong Wes has become, can you? I knew that letting him battle Guzma was the right move… defeated by a teenager who is participating in the Island Challenge… that'll really give him something to think about."
"Wait, what did we miss!?" Nayru said, hovering over with Maple in tow, who was perfectly in control of her newfound powers. "You did what, master!?"
"Er, battled the leader of Team Skull… sorry you weren't there."
Nayru huffed and crossed her arms. "Way to not invite me to the party…"
Maple giggled a bit and flew over to Rose, who began to pet her. Jason, meanwhile, had not seemed to calm down despite the explanation, and only crossed his arms before looking over at Wes. "Next time, do NOT get involved with Team Skull… you let me know instantly and I will face them, understood?"
"Uh, okay?" Wes asked confused, not really sure why Jason was so hellbent on facing Guzma all of the sudden.
"Either way, Wes defeated him, and all's well that ends well", Kukui chucked. "Now, let's get back to the school and enjoy the rest of the time we have off before lessons begin once again."