Alola readers! I'm back!
Woohoo! USUM is finally out! I've already gotten my copies and have begun the Alola adventure all over again! This time around, I'm going to do Ultra Sun first since I started Sun & Moon on the latter.
So that being said, now with the new 'Dex spewing a bunch of information on current and new pokemon to Alola, I'm going to start working them in. It also required a bit of change to a few characters' teams, both already introduced and who have yet to make their formal debut. Elio's is not going to be altered, although I'd love to put a couple new additions on his core team. Not going to rule out some as "bench" mons however.
So some of the elements from these new games will be inputted into the story and others won't.
Next chapter is already in the works and one of the partially done ones when I originally planned to have this story wayyy shortened, but I'll be playing USUM in the timespan between now and the next update!
Anyways, happy Thanksgiving to all the 'Muricans reading! Enjoy the chapter guys.
I can't believe what happened with Elio the next day! He made a brand new friend! It was amazing on how he decided to go and help Rockruff after he found out it was missing!
I was also in the lobby when I saw a bunch of these people in wetsuits and giant surfboards heading down to the hotel's private beach. Apparently the Kumu Reef Triple Crown Surfing is being held very soon here on Akala! It is the most popular surfing competition event in Alola and it supposedly attracts surfers from all over the world! Professor Kukui says that he thinks Leilani might be competing in the women's!
Dear Elio,
It sounds like your steak dinner was amazing! I bet it's nice when you know where your food is coming from and prepared fresh! Now while I love the room service and buffets they have here, there's just something about having a home cooked meal that really stands out.
Can't complain about all the tamato pasta, rindo salad and vanillite parfaits with fresh fruit though. I don't think I should tell you about my weakness for chocolate covered macadamias…hahaha! It's also Nebby's favorite!
Speaking of Nebby, I was thinking about you and it seems like it knows that. I had to calm it down after it was flying around the room all excited because it wanted to see if you were coming back. And then it tried to jump into my arms! You can already see me shrieking in horror too. I'm still too nervous to touch a pokemon!
Thankfully it calmed down, but it was really sad when it realized we couldn't come and see you. I'd love to, but I'm no trainer. I suppose I could've asked professor Kukui to escort me along, but I'm not sure where he is. I'm assuming Hau is somewhere near you because I haven't seen him either.
No matter, we'll see each other again and maybe Nebby will stop being so hyperactive. It tends to get that way whenever I'm thinking of you…which is a lot.
Oops! I'm sorry! Forget I said that!
Anyways, good luck on your trials! Do you best Elio, I'll always be pulling for you!
Please be careful. I miss you.
Sincerely,
Lillie
Dear Lillie,
Things have been quite interesting around the ranch. I nearly got flattened by a tauros and then had to battle it to calm it down. Kind of strange twist having to use Torracat against a soon-to-be ride pokemon that was moments ago about to plow itself into my side. Anyway, the rockruff I told you about earlier ran too close when it was fighting others and I pulled it out. There isn't a scratch on me and at least it's safe! No big deal!
Things did get a little out of hand when we heard about the salandit again. To top that off, we found out little Rockruff had wandered away on its own. You're not going to believe how and where we found it.
I miss you.
Sincerely,
Elio
Sniffing vigorously at the ground, Rockruff renewed its determination at following the scent.
When he had bounded inside the massive egg house, the sweet odor continued to increase in intensity until he felt as if he had gotten disoriented with it.
Glancing around, it gave a huff of relief that every egg inside the nursery was safe with their incubation chamber seals intact. Now to check on it.
Rockruff's eyes widened as he set his gaze on the lone incubator that had been wrenched open and the lid tossed aside as if it were a worthless fishbone. With the scent still fresh in his nose as a means to track where the thieves had taken it, he took off into the night.
Hopefully he wasn't too late. There was no way he was going to lose it a second time.
Even though the little puppy had made quite an impression on him, Sun had been so fixated with the Kahananui family that he was now paying little attention to them as the night wore on.
He had declined their offer for evening coffee, knowing that its caffeine would keep him from sleeping especially at this hour. Georgia offered him some dessert, which was eggy bread custard that had a sweet tasting white chocolate sauce ladled over it. The inside had some of the islands' specialty macadamia nuts that tasted almost like the cookie of the same combination.
Elio had no idea that bread could be made into a dessert this good and Georgia Kahananui just laughed when she handed over a second helping.
Okay, try not to indulge in dessert. But bread pudding is really really good!
Dallas introduced him to the family's game room located in their basement, where a rich oak wooden table with green velvet sitting in the center. Six big pocket holes were situated at the corners with two halfway in between lining the edges. A T-shaped holder held a series of cues that were varying length with tiny tablets of bluish chalk.
"Pool!" Elio's eyes widened in excitement. "No way!"
Dallas laughed just as Jerry and Georgia were coming down the stairs after taking care of the dishes.
"When ya work out there that hard, ya gotta find a way to unwind somehow. We ain't gonna spare any expense in havin' as much fun as laborin'."
"This is so awesome!" Sun looked up to see a shuffleboard nearby, along with a dartboard and a nice finished table that could be configured for a variety of card games for two or eight players.
"Ya like the pool table though!"
"Oh yes! You bet!"
"That's awesome. Ya up for a game of eight-ball?"
Dallas fully admitted that he was a good player. He was also not afraid to say that his father did have more years of experience to beat him from time to time.
He should've figured the young trainer was quite proficient at playing eight-ball when he expressed the excitement at seeing the pool table.
Elio had quickly established himself a good lead when he pocketed the solid blue and green. Dallas countered with two of his own in a successive shot, but then came to realize that he was being corralled into making difficult angled shots in order to avoid hitting the solid balls.
Behind them, both Jerry and Georgia were watching the game with amused interest sipping on a freshly brewed pot of tea.
"Kid's good."
"And so is Dallas." She sipped her tea. "But ah see ya itchin' to play with him."
"Ah haven't had a visitor this good fer a long time."
From his position, Elio lined up his cue, using the closed bridge as the preferred hand position. From here, he had a straight shot, but it was looking like he was planning to hit the black 8 ball. It was a risky move.
Holding his breath, the boy let it forward, gently tapping the cue ball ever so slightly. It slid like oil over water before it collided with the 8 just off to its left side.
From its position, the black sphere moved at an angle towards the final solid; the orange 5. Elio's kiss shot was spot on, pocketing the 5 in the top left corner.
"And that's the game!" He raised the cue, almost hitting Georgia's temple in excitement. "Woohoo! I still got it!"
"Tor!"
"Ruff! Rufflet!"
"Grime!"
Dallas merely shook his head before he felt Troy nudge him reassuringly.
"It's alright boy." He said. "Just a friendly game." Glancing back at Elio, he gave a nod and smile of respect. "Ya are very good. Where did ya learn to play pool like that?"
"Heh. Well my mother brought me to the fire station where my father and his co-workers used to watch over me when she went to school. There wasn't a lot to do for a ten year old, so I took up in their game room a lot. Learned how to play pool, darts, basketball and a bunch of other things. Dad's coworkers were all really friendly and I loved challenging them to games."
"That's quite a story."
"Just another thing I really enjoyed doing."
"Ah agree." Jerry stood up and set his tea down and gently picked up one of the cues, swabbing some of the blue chalk on its tip. "Now why don't ya play with someone who'll give ya a real challenge?"
Rockruff wasn't sure what time it was or how long it had been tracking the salandit. The scents continued to lead north towards the towering peak of Haleakala, whose growing slopes began to reach into the closing distance and thickets of trees that lined its base.
The paths had no sign of any life on them, neither human nor pokemon. He wasn't even able to pick up any signatures of the nocturnal zubat that flew overhead on occasion to seek a new victim to bite.
His tracking continued for another few minutes before realizing how exactly far it had wandered from home. Sure, there were times when everyone had been asleep and he would venture into the night to help train itself and grow stronger, but those were when home was just as easily to travere in good time.
Now he had almost no idea where exactly he was, only following the salandit because they stole something very valuable to him. There was no way he was going to return to the ranch empty handed.
When Rockruff saw the young boy trainer battling the other with unbridled enthusiasm, it was just the lucky break he had been searching for. Many were after what it was trying to guard, both people and pokemon. The salandit were one example.
And the other still had some nerve-racking memories to boot.
The typhoon had been intense, striking Alola several hours earlier than expected. Winds kicking up to seventy knots slammed into the island region as it reached its full strength.
It was that time of the year where the warm ocean water and high humidity levels and the late summer period. As many as up to a hundred and twenty storms developed each year.
Thankfully, Alola was further south than the normal routes that the typhoons took and thus seldom got hit hard, but it seemed that this particular one had decided on its own that the chain of islands was not going to be spared from its fury.
Shipping traffic diverted away or canceled and the residents began to board up their windows as well as take other measures to fortify their properties.
However even the inter-island ferries were experiencing a rough time in traversing the violent seas in between.
That was all Rockruff could digress from that night where his trainer…some white uniformed man working for an organization that concerned pokemon conservation, had disappeared. He never saw them again.
Their assignment was to escort multiple eggs back to the company's headquarters under direct orders from the president herself. Rockruff accompanied him and kept a watchful eye on the egg secured in the ferry's cargo hold.
Rain was pelting the deck and he could see rolling waves towering over the ferry, yet despite it crashing down in a foamy white spray, his trainer reassured him that the advances in technology and seafaring made sinking a boat extremely rare.
Everything changed in a fraction of a heartbeat.
The monster wave had crashed through the windows without warning, tugging away at his trainer with unimaginable force. No time to scream or react before Rockruff's trainer vanished in the blink of an eye.
The egg would've been lost as well, had it not been for his thinking to pin it between himself and a crate, but even his own tenacity was outmatched by the sea's mighty power. Its egg incubator got swept out, along with the young puppy, who had no choice but to keep itself and the unborn pokemon alive.
It was impossible to figure out how much time had passed since the separation, but everything had been so confusing anyway. There was a vague memory of a large pink fish pokemon approaching it, wrapping its fins around them and swimming towards the shoreline.
Rockruff glanced around nervously. He had been lying down on a beach with the night sky perfectly clear and no sign of the raging storm that separated him from his former trainer. Wave after wave gently lapped on the smooth sand of the beach's shore. There was no sound other than that.
Yet, Rockruff still sensed something amiss.
Glancing furtively at the thicket of trees, movement had caught its eye.
A small dark and gray reptile emerged from the base of a tree joined by another just moments later. It had a thin body, with small limbs and a pair of appendages that fluttered just behind its head. A long red pattern went down the length of their tails.
The salandit chattered excitedly to one another before moving to Rockruff's right. They climbed over the clear incubator with the egg curiously, trying to see if there was a way to open it.
They both stopped when they heard a threatening growl and turned around to see the little puppy sprinting right over to defend it.
Rockruff led with a tackle, slamming into the first one and sending it flying away. No sooner had it finished dealing with the first one; its partner grabbed it with its jaws and dragged them away towards the brush again.
As much as he wanted to give chase, the salandit retreating so suddenly had the possibility to try and lure him away from the egg, leaving it defenseless against someone...or something else. There wasn't a chance that he had planned to take that risk.
Rockruff spent the next twenty minutes using its front paws to dig a hole in the sand. With luck, the lizards would return and find just him with no sign of the egg that was actually buried underneath their feet.
He had just finished crafting the hole that was roughly a foot deep when more rustling in the brush put him right back on high alert.
It was the two salandit again, this time accompanied by a third one that was slightly larger.
The big one hissed threateningly, flicking its long scaly tail from side to side as its two minions stood beside it.
Rockruff bared his teeth, continuing to have the will to fight even with the few wounds that shot up lances of pain through his body. Sooner or later they would be too great to be ignored. The salandit trio seemed to be unconcerned with the egg that was nowhere in sight. They seemed to be satisfied with hurting the tiny pokemon that had foiled their previous attempt. Once he was dealt with, then they would be able to find the egg much easier.
The large salandit opened its mouth, sending a big orb of fire arcing into the air before hitting Rockruff dead center. The heat scorched his open wounds, knocking him backwards in a plume of acrid smoke.
With a growl, he flicked his tail and his collar began to glow. Whipping it forward, several fast moving rock projectiles raced towards them. The large salandit jumped out of the way, however its two lackeys weren't as lucky. Standing no chance against the super effective attack; they were shown to be knocked right out when the dust and sand cleared where they stood.
Another hiss caught Rockruff's attention and he turned to face an incoming cloud of sweet smelling gas that quickly enveloped him inside.
The air found itself drained from his lungs and he sputtered, stumbling about, but still trying its hardest to persist. Vapors of the smog attack latched onto his fur and he began to shiver from his induced poisoning.
By now, the smog was beginning to dissipate and he struggled back to his feet. Standing opposite him in a semi-circle; the salandit that had attacked him earlier were joined by a half dozen more. They gave malevolent smirking hisses with tiny puffs of their sweet smelling fumes that already were trying to overload Rockruff's own sense of smell.
As the big salandit opened its mouth for another spray of fire, a big flash darted right in front, colliding with it in midair. Whatever it was, the attack was enough to knock it out immediately.
A large canine pokemon landed in the sand on all fours beside Rockruff. It had an elongated snout with pointed ears and scruffy hair that looked to be rock solid and sharp. Piercing blue eyes gazed warily at the group of salandit, who seemed to be caught off guard by the newcomer.
He growled, showing off the multiple incisors in his mouth that were razor sharp. And he wasn't afraid to use them.
Three more salandit launched off their powerful hind legs, mouths open again to show that they were readying another suffocating smog attack.
Rockruff moved to intercept…only to be beaten by the wolf pokemon. It raised its own forelegs to slam on the ground, causing a pile of large glowing brown boulders to erupt right out of the ground and tumble straight on top of the attacking trio, knocking them out swiftly.
"Troy!" He heard a voice.
The lycanroc turned to see a man in his twenties sprint down to the beach. He looked like he was ready to question what was going on, but held it back considering that there were more salandit to deal with.
"These bastards again." He sighed, shaking his head. "Figured they'd be back to pick on da weak."
Part of his sleeve was rolled up, showing a rather expensive looking band clamped around his wrist.
"All right Troy…let's show 'em what the power that has been bestowed upon us by the Tapu!" Hitting the dark brown crystal that sat in the band's center, it glowed a brilliant white, emitting four strong rays that weaved through the air.
Both Rockruff and the salandit were staring in awe at the atmospheric display that contrasted with the inky night blackness.
"The Z-Power that has been passed to me from my Ma and Pa and will continue my legacy for Alola!" He flexed his arms before bending his knees and turning his entire body to his right while maintaining his gaze downfield.
"Go Troy!" He shouted, his voice now seemed more felt than heard. "Channel your rock tomb into Continental Crush!"
With an animalistic howl from all the crackling energy, Troy jumped up into the air. Rockruff looked around in amazement as bits of light began to generate seemingly out of thin air, drawing itself towards the wolf. Parts began to form into solid rock, building up and doubling in size within a second. It continued to grow, massing up as if it were a snowball before the shadow zeroed in on the group of salandit. Each of the thieving lizards looked too scared to move.
The giant slab of rock plummeted down, slamming into the opposition with tremendous force and splintering upon impact with fragments flying everywhere. Troy jumped out, landing in front of Rockruff and standing alert at attention.
On the other side, the salandit group looked to be severely battered from the attack and letting out agonizing hisses. The conscious ones began to grab their fallen comrades and they made their way back towards the treeline.
"Heh, they not gonna be comin' back." The man said before kneeling down to address the lycanroc. "Nice work there Troy."
Troy gave a bark of acknowledgement. Then both of them turned to the Rockruff, who stood on all fours, ready to fight again.
"Easy." He said, holding up his hands to show that he wasn't a threat. "It's okay. Ahm a friend. Not gonna hurt ya okay?"
Either way, Rockruff was too helpless to protest. The poison continued to gnaw away at his body in a stinging pain that hurt to breathe.
"Eat this alright?" The man held a fruit the size of his paw up to the dog's mouth. Upon taking a gentle bite, he enjoyed its sweet flavor. Within a couple moments, he began to feel the poison's irritating effects begin to thin out slightly.
"Ya seem to be a long way from home." He continued while taking out a medicine bottle. "And it looks like our favorite band of thieves have taken a likin' to ya already."
Rockruff whimpered as he was being tended to, but he gave them both a slight nod of thanks.
It did not go unnoticed.
"So friend." The man began, "What brings ya here? Why ya defending the beach?"
The small puppy pokemon paused at the edge of a large depressed pit where the scent was continuing to linger. Beyond, a handful of trees made it hard to discern how far away, but the moonlight was glistening off the shell of the egg incubator that sat right in the pit's lowest point.
A brief flash of light caught his attention. Now something else was watching him.
Rockruff's tail was raised in the stance to start a rock throw when the spark of electricity returned, flying forward towards him.
Elio shook his head at the thought of his mother packing something as ridiculous as the tool in his hand.
Staring right into the clear mirror, he was examining his chin and trying to find where…or when the hairs on his face would be growing.
The credit for that would have to go to his mother. Even before he left Melemele for Akala Island, Elaine was ecstatic on one day being able to call her son as a man. She slowly, but steadily had begun to tell him about the changes that would be happening, both in his body and mind.
And then came the trumbeak and ribombee talk.
Nothing about it was particularly new to Elio anyway. Many of his friends were already talking about it like sports. Ed seemed fairly well educated when he first began to hear him actively talking. For him, he wasn't particularly looking forward to puberty when it arrived and he figured he'd just deal with those problems when they come.
Remember what Mom said. As I'm adjusting to the changes in my body, I'm going to start looking at girls my age differently. So what does a razorblade have to do with that?
And shouldn't a razor be used with shaving cream? I don't even have any facial hair…yet.
Elio's thoughts were interrupted when he heard buzzing from behind him.
"Well lookie at you! Bzzt!" Rotom buzzed happily. "Zyztemz are firing at one hundred perzent! Bzzt! That'zz three outta three! Five outta five! Ya get the point!"
"Good morning to you too Rotom."
"What are ya doing? Bzzt!"
"Oh," Elio quickly stuffed the hand razorblade back into his bag. "Washing my face. Gotta keep the acne away and my face looking good!"
"Analyzed by your medical recordz, I calculate that you have a point zero three zeven perzent chance of contracting zevere acne! You have a low rizk!"
"Wow." Elio was impressed, both at such a precise statistic and his health. "That's amazing!"
"Izn't it?" Rotom replied. "Cauze I just made it up! Or are you trying to see if the hair on you faze hazz grown into a beard. Bzzt! It haz only grown point zero zero two five nine inchezz compared to the lazt time you left Melemele Island! Not enough hotshot! That meanz you're thinking about it too much! Remember you want to get ahead of Hau right? Bzzt! Get going! We're gonna flame charge right into another adventure! Bzzt!"
"Rotom you're taking after Professor Kukui too much with those move puns."
"That'zz not a bad thing. After all, who doez all the updatez for yours truly? Hmm?" Rotom leaned closer. "Hmm? Bzzt!"
"You're funny. Now get out so I can change."
"Can I at leazt take a picture of you like that so I can show your mother what a ztrong and healthy boy she hazz going on hizz island challenge? Maybe I'll zend one to Kukui and tell him zomeone is copying hiz ztyle!"
Elio briefly glanced down at his shirtless torso. "No."
"How about Mizz Lillie? Bzzt!"
"GET OUT!"
Rotom only laughed to itself as it flew through the opened door. As he did, the camera feature was activated and he managed to get one clean shot that was absolutely priceless.
Elio was standing in the front of the mirror, flexing his left bicep and trying to see again if he had any facial hair and noticing with a bit of bulging eyes at the larger size of his shoulders. "Whoo. Pretty good lookin' there."
He arrived to the kitchen twenty minutes later, changed into the white wicking Hurricanes shirt that he bought when he went to see the game along with a pair of red basketball shorts. It was a mix of black, blue and gray that swirled around a single circle that resembled an eye. In an ironic twist, the storm was called a typhoon in this part of the world. Hurricanes were their designation in the area where the Unova region was based.
"Good mornin'." Georgia Kahananui had busied herself over the stovetop, flicking a large heavy-looking skillet as if it weighed nothing. A single browned pancake spun in the air before landing perfectly center to make a heavenly sizzling sound. "Did ya sleep well?"
"I certainly did Missus Kahananui." Elio said. "That bed might have been one of the best I've ever slept in my life."
"All parts of the blanket come from cottonee, whose cotton can be sheared to make the best blankets, pillows and clothes. It's like sleepin' on a cloud." She turned with the pan. "Ya must be hungry. Eat up and I'm not takin' no for an answer."
With her skill again in showing off; she flipped the pancake onto a white plate and seamlessly slid a square of butter to spread out.
A fork and knife was handed to him.
"Ya like moomoo milk?"
"Yeah." A glass was slid his way similar to that of a bartender.
Elio held the knife and fork in his hand, cutting off an edge. Georgia watched him intently.
His first bite produced an explosion of flavor, complimented by the light fluffiness of the pancake. Something tasted like vanilla and he found something crunchy…like a nut.
"Ya like?" Georgia chuckled. "It's a family recipe. White chocolate and macadamia pancakes. Ah've heard that the Noa Pancake House in Hau'oli makes the best kinds, but Ah tend to disagree."
"I've never had Noa's before." Elio admitted. "But if you're saying that, I think I got spoiled."
"When ya are a promisin' trainer like ya are," Jerry added as he walked in, a white and green striped coffee mug in hand. "Georgia's gonna spoil ya rotten." He tilted his head back and grabbed a second cup out of a drawer, instead being larger and with a lid. "Ah gotta head back into town and make sure all our deliveries are scheduled."
"Then ya better get movin'" Georgia filled up his cup with fresh coffee from the pot. "We've got lots of work to do again today."
"Thanks," The older couple exchanged a brief kiss before Jerry turned back to Elio. "Ya are welcome to stay for as long as ya like."
"I appreciate it." He said. "But I'm planning to head up to the trial site today and see if I can get it done."
"Best of luck to ya." Jerry said, using a knife to cut off a chunk of butter before sliding it into his coffee.
Sun watched in amazement and disbelief. Did he just put butter in coffee?
The older man chuckled at his expression. "Trust me. It tastes way better than it sounds. Can't beat grass fed butter. Then again, ya are still quite young for somethin' strong like coffee. Ah will be seein' ya 'round trial-goer. We're all pullin' here for ya."
"Thanks for everything Mister Kahananui!" Elio gratefully called back as Jerry disappeared through the house's front.
"We are up for a busy day." Georgia said, finishing on cooking a couple of pancakes for herself and taking a seat opposite him. "If ya aren't busy anytime soon, we can always use some more hands 'round here."
"I appreciate that Missus Kahananui."
"What did Ah say about callin' me that?"
"Georgia."
"That's better."
The bowls of poke food were distributed out as Torracat, Rufflet, Grimer, Troy, Emmitt and Michael all came to the dining room for their breakfast. Much of the air around them was filled with the subtle sounds of munching and nobody was looking up from their meal.
Torracat's here, so is Rufflet and Grimer. Same with Dallas' dogs…wait, someone's missing.
"That's strange." Even Georgia was catching onto the anomaly. "Normally I hear Rockruff yippin' about, but it's strangely silent today."
He is missing. That's definitely odd. I haven't seen him since dinner last night.
"Wonder where the little guy went?" Even as she said that, her phone began to buzz. "Alola!"
Elio watched as her expression turned from confusion to concerned. "Oh? When? Okay. Ah will be right down there."
She hung up the phone. "That was Dallas. He wants us to come down to the egg nursery."
"Okay." A hand grabbed his three poke balls and he returned them back. "Let's get going."
At his command, his pokemon and the dogs quickly finished their food before following close behind.
Dallas' expression was grim as he surveyed the extent of the damage.
Sure enough, it had salandit marked all over it. There was that faint sweet smell of their oils lingering in the air as well as burn marks alongside acid splatters.
It was incredibly rare for salandit to steal eggs from a guarded nursery, as much of the barriers around the ranch and inside the building itself were able to defend from such invaders. But there were times where some of the barns and shelters had small holes where even a rattata scout could locate and then give the owners another headache of an infestation.
And a rattata and raticate infestation was difficult to get rid of.
"And considerin' what the salandit took that means that Rockruff-" Dallas stopped before cursing under his breath. "He could be anywhere by now."
"What?" Elio asked. "What's going on? Where's Rockruff?"
Dallas sighed, but remained silent.
"Dallas?" Georgia asked concerned.
"Rockruff…likely went out to go and search for the egg."
"What egg?"
Dallas turned around, adjusting his hat and giving another defeated sigh.
"Ah found Rockruff a few months ago. He was washed up on the Kuloi Beach by Heahea City. The only thin' he was doin' was fightin' a bunch of salandit that were attackin' him."
He paused. "Ah was takin' Troy out to help on a delivery that day when we jumped into action. Troy and Ah defeated all the attackin' salandit and he told me he had buried somethin' in the sand that he was tryin' to protect."
"And that was the egg." Elio concluded. "So Rockruff comes ashore with this egg that the salandit were trying to attack and steal." He pointed towards the empty slot where the egg had once been resting. "Now we just happen to have more salandit who were scaring the tauros last night and then attack the nursery."
"That zoundzz like a likely cauzze! Bzzt!" Rotom said. "You're quite the detective Elio!"
The boy glanced over at the missing case again. "I think that the salandit are the same ones from last time and scared the tauros to draw all of us away so they could steal the egg."
"But there'z zo many eggz here!" Rotom added, taking a glance around. "Why go through all the trouble and only take one? Bzzt!"
Probably why Rockruff was determined to stick by the egg when Dallas found him.
"Not much of it's goin' to matter if the egg winds up getting destroyed or eaten and Rockruff gets badly wounded." Dallas said. "We're gonna have to go and find 'em."
"I'll help." Elio volunteered, stepping up adamantly. "Two pairs of eyes are better than one."
"Alright. Take Troy with you. And Rotom?" At the mention of it, the haunted pokedex flew over. "Ahm gonna add my contact information so that we can keep in touch if anythin' goes wrong."
It didn't take long for Dallas and Troy's information to be transferred into Rotom's database. From there, Elio was able to call of screenshow the paniolo at any time.
Since the lycanroc was only going to be temporarily Elio's pokemon, everything had a small timer on it to both save data and relinquish the pokemon's "custody" back to Dallas once Rockruff and the egg were retrieved.
They left as soon as possible. Dallas would go to search Mauna Wela, the massive active volcano situated on the east side of Akala Island while Elio headed north to the vicinity of where Brooklet Hill sat.
The trial site also served as one of Alola's most popular fishing spots. Multiple cascading falls of water provided both a quaint place to escape the business of life and the draw of eager fishermen who seek to gain that perfect bite in inciting a thrill of the match in fishing.
And it was home to another trial, where Sun was certain that he would be facing an even stronger Totem pokemon than the raticate he defeated in Verdant Cavern.
"And we're all zet! Bzzt!" Rotom declared happily. "Troy izzz now a member of your party at leazzzt briefly! Bzzt! He izz male of course! Zpecial ability izz zand rush; which allowz him to have increazed zpeed in zandztormzzz! Hiz movez are quick attack, odor zleuth, accelerock, bite and rock tomb! Bzzt!"
"Thanks for your help Troy." Elio knelt down and stroked his snout. "You're awesome."
The lycanroc let out a bark of approval before rubbing his mane affectionately.
As he did; Sun felt the rocks that lined its mane brush harshly against his side. It was similar to rubbing long bristled sandpaper across his sensitive skin. Even though none of it drew any blood, Elio was surprised by the feeling, finding it strange and a little uncomfortable.
Kinda felt like the time I always like to brush Dad's stubble when I was a kid.
The little group set off, with the young trainer wondering to himself if his soon-to-be-growing facial hair would end up like Troy's prickly mane.
Rufflet let out a happy screech as he soared overhead, swooping around the dirt path. Elio had him help in their search for Rockruff since the little eaglet had been dying to fly for some time and he needed an eye in the sky.
For the most part, Troy got along with all three of his pokemon. Torracat refused to leave his side, trotting eagerly beside the larger pokemon and his trainer. Grimer found himself unable to keep up with his sluggish movements, causing Sun to keep him inside his poke ball for the time being. And Rufflet took the occasion to try and swoop again down and see if either Torracat or Troy could lunge up and grab him playfully.
The sun had reached its peak by noon and the notorious heat began to boil down on the island once more. Elio was again very cautious about being exposed for prolonged periods, so he stopped to apply another layer while they took a lunch break underneath a large shaded tree.
Can't go wrong with peanut butter and rawst berry jam sandwiches. He thought as he took another bite. I'm also nearly out of sunscreen, so I better grab some more when I get to the pokemon center. Thank goodness I haven't had to use the aloe gel…yet.
The rest of his party was released to relax and he handed out several poke beans. Everyone quickly ate again, eager to get back to work.
Nearby as they were eating, Elio heard a brief commotion and saw a rather large four winged pokemon emerge from the grass. It had a small purple body with red eyes, long cyan feet and a pair of black antennae.
"Free!"
A butterfree.
Elio knew that this was the final evolution of the caterpie family. Since the green caterpillar was a popular starting pokemon for new trainers, many of them would have a butterfree as an early member of their team. They had significantly shorter lifespans than normal pokemon, but a positive was that many butterfree left lasting impressions on their trainers and they did seem to evolve quickly from the earlier members of their family.
"Hey there." He reached into his refresh kit and pulled out a blue poke bean. "Nice to see you up close. Never had much of a detailed look at you before."
"Free!" It fluttered closer, eyeing the treat in his hand.
Elio completely understood that it didn't trust him completely. He also noticed a small black mark on the lower part of each wing. Pokemon study in school had taught him that this was a female.
Troy looked up at the newcomer before giving off a curt huff and sliding over one of his beans. Seeing him do that prompted Torracat to do the same, even when he was about to enjoy his last one.
"Free!" Butterfree gathered all three of them in her tiny hands before flying right back to the taller part of the grass. A long shelled pokemon sat there with a pair of tiny caterpie.
"Pie!" The younger ones bounded over to the newly found food.
"Free!" Butterfree disappeared behind the next layer of blades before returning right back to Elio's front. In its hands was a bright golden disc.
He looked at the pokemon. "Is this for me?"
"Free." The mother butterfree lowered herself down and pressed the object into his outstretched hand.
"Thanks butterfree."
"Free!" It circled around happily as the rest of Elio's party let out similar cries of farewell before moving right back into the brush.
"That'z zo touching of ya Elio!" Rotom chimed. "Azz a reward, you've logged two pokemon'z data! New pokemon detected! Bzzt! Metapod. Cocoon pokemon. A metapod's shell is filled with its soft innards and if it moves too much, they are susceptible to spilling out carelessly. Metapod is a bug type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
"Butterfree. Butterfly pokemon. Although it is seen having two large eyes, they are actually a myriad of several hundred if examined closely. This pokemon protects its young by scattering highly poisonous scale powder before spreading it around with intense gusts of wind. Fierce fights can occur against cutiefly whenever it encounters them sipping nectar from its territory. Butterfree is a bug and flying type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
"That's awesome." Elio said, still looking at the disc. Clearly the same size and shape as the other TMs he had in a case, it was obvious this was one itself. "Rotom is this a TM?"
"What do you think? Bzzt! Ah I kid…Analyzing! Bzzt!" He made a humming sound. "That izz TM number five seven! It containzz charge beam! An electric type zpecial move that shootz a beam of electricity at the opponent! Bzzt!"
Rotom's display screen gave way to a view and example of the move. A trainer was commanding his pikachu to use the move. The little mouse jumped into the air, firing a thin stream of glowing blue energy at the opposing trainer's pikipek, eliminating it instantly.
"Charge beam hazz a chance to boozt the power of zpecial movez!"
"Interesting." Sun examined the TM again. I'm sure I can put every TM I find to good use. "That can come as an advantage in battle."
"Agreed! But by analyziz; none of the pokemon in your party are able to learn thiz move. You zhould definitely try and catch more pokemon so that you can diverzify your optionzz and abilitiez! Bzzt!"
"Good plan."
Brooklet Hill was still a ways down the path, which began to narrow as he headed north. To Elio's right, the peak of Haleakala had now been obscured by several lower hanging clouds that congregated around in spite of the otherwise sunny day.
Known locally as a public kapu site, Brooklet Hill's native name, ʻehiku punawai kapu were among the purest of water that flowed on Akala Island free of bacteria and other harmful invaders that posed a threat whenever ingested. Some had explored the Hill to its fullest, navigating the streams and pools of varying levels and spouting water. They would be treated to a view beyond belief. While sharing the amazing azure glow of the caverns and inlets, there was just nothing compared to seeing it in the flesh.
The water that flowed there was filtered through layer upon layer of volcanic rocks and pure enough for anyone to dip their mouths and drink freely.
In fact, a small local bottling company known as Puna used some of the springs for their product. Their water was claimed to have been bottled at the source that has been only touched by man once since it was discovered. Electrolytes and minerals added a slightly sweet taste that was unlike any other that Elio had drank.
And people say water doesn't have taste. Liars.
He took another swig before pouring some in his hand to offer to Troy. The lycanroc lapped at it, panting in excitement. He sniffed the air and suddenly lowered his head, growling lowly at something ahead on the path.
The motion alerted Torracat as well and his own tail stood up. The two quadruped pokemon prowled around the area, scanning for threats.
"What's wrong?" Elio was about to offer some to his starter, but both seemed to be aware of something he wasn't.
A caw from above caused all three to look up. Rufflet had returned from flying and was descending to his trainer. Sun automatically reached his arm up, allowing the bird to land on his forearm, careful not to scratch his trainer with his sharp talons.
"Did you find Rockruff?"
"Rufflet! Ruff! Ruff! Rufflet!" The little eagle cawed, raising his wings in excitement.
"Alright lead the way!"
Torracat spotted him first. As Rufflet flew overhead circling a clearing in the trees just off to the path's right side, he bounded over to the center.
Elio's heart dropped.
Rockruff lay in the grass, sporting several nasty bite wounds all over his body. Fur was tousled, fraying in dark burn marks and the occasional crackle of faint electrical charges arced across his body.
"Rockruff!" The boy cried out, sprinting forward with his pokemon hot on his heels. He skidded to a halt in front of the battered puppy and instantly felt around his neck and forehead.
Warm and a pulse. Good.
A tiny whimper caught his attention and he saw that his head was trying to move, albeit slowly and weakly.
"Easy there. Stay still buddy." Sun said quietly, using one hand to calm him down while the other rummaged through his backpack. He quickly found what he was looking for; a pair of medicine bottles. Both were disposables, purchased at the pokemon center.
The safety cap of the first one was removed and he gently began to mist it out over Rockruff's prone form. The liquid was a stimulant that counteracted the impeding of movement that paralysis induced, which Elio had diagnosed almost immediately with the stiff limbs and tiny little flares of electricity coursing through his body. Thankfully with the advances in modern medicine, the status condition was cured in a matter of seconds with no lasting side effects.
Still; Rockruff was too weak to get up. That was what the potion Sun had brought with him was for.
He took off the safety cap again and aimed it over the puppy. "Sorry buddy. I'm not going to lie to you, but this is going to hurt."
He pulled the trigger, spraying the worst of the wounds he suffered. Remarkably, Rockruff gritted his teeth in frustration and let out a low whine, but otherwise remained cooperative.
Elio didn't miss it. "I know it hurts buddy, but that's right. You sure are a tough guy."
"Ruff!"
A bark startled him and he was almost overpowered by Troy, who was jumping forward to forcefully nuzzle his longtime companion. The little guy was showered with a long slobbery tongue of affection that was incredibly touching.
"Rufflet!"
A flash of electricity arced Rufflet's way, who was flying a little to their right over a large trench or pit.
"Ruff!" He screeched again, avoiding something that lunged right at him, cloaked in electricity. Its brightness overwhelmed the shadows of the growth, giving off eerie flashes right in the middle of the day.
Wait a second. Electricity…paralysis.
"Rockruff, is the egg over there?" Elio pointed to the trench.
He let out an affirmative bark, glancing right back over as if he wanted to get back into the action.
Why wouldn't the salandit eat the egg? Dallas said they were notorious raiders and taking stuff like that was commonplace. Elio wasn't sure what to think, but he crouched low and snaked his way around to the edge of the brush to look at the clearing.
It was hard to describe, other than a huge gap in the ground with the roots of a few trees that lined its surface edges visible. They snaked further into the dark soil, which was alive with movement.
Small pokemon were crawling about inside. The whole thing reminded Elio of the Unovan documentaries of heatmor searching for their favorite durant food. They'd use their fiery blasts to burn it from the inside out or rip the nests, forcing its occupants to flee into the open where it would gobble them up multiple at a time.
These pokemon weren't durant however.
They were smaller, white and brown in color with elongated mandibles that were nearly the length of their bodies. Elio saw that parts of the trees around the area were dripping thick streams of amber sap, in which there were many of the pokemon gathered around to feed.
"Rotom?"
"Reporting for duty! Bzzt! Tezting! Tezting! Can ya hear me?"
He pointed to the pit before them. "I got an unidentified pokemon species down there. Can you help me out?"
"By all meanz! Bzzt! And you are certainly right in a new pokemon being detected! Bzzt!" The 'Dex's screen shuffled to a small ovoid pokemon that had a brown face with a white body and tiny stubby legs. The strong mandibles, he could see now where jagged and imagined they would be sharp as the perfect tool for cutting away at the tree bark to eat that sap stored underneath.
"Grubbin. Larva pokemon. Grubbin's large jaws allow it to scrape up the sides of trees to get its sap for food. They are able to briefly use electric energy stored in their bodies to avoid being preyed upon by bird pokemon. Avoid sticking your hands inside their nests, as they can get irritated and bite back. Grubbin is a bug type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
That's why they were so aggressive towards Rufflet.
Elio glanced back at the egg. None of the grubbin in their nest paid the egg any attention and he was relieved that it seemed unharmed from his view at the distance. It lay atop one of the small mounds that dotted the trench's bottom on the far side. Its entire span was wide enough that he could use his legs to steady himself over the crack.
The entire part widened as it went out further, going to a diameter roughly the boy's height and several feet down. In order to get out quickly on the edge, Elio would have to grab ahold of the few mottled roots that were sticking out of the side of the soil. There was no telling how strong they'd be to support his weight.
Basically one had to be fairly athletic with a bit of parkour involved. Although Elio did participate in that kind of physical activity while in school, he knew the basics, but everything flashy was considered way above his skill level.
With no way to quickly drop in, snatch the egg and get out, the only thing Sun could do was approach it from the crevice.
He had no idea how grubbin were going to react if he were to invade their nest. There was an urban legend that a fraternity at the University of Kanagawa, Viridian used the theft of a weedle egg as a rite of passage into their chapter. The objective was just as it sounded, successfully retrieve an egg of a beedrill and make it back without getting caught by the hive.
Initiates would go into the nearby Viridian Forest at midnight, locate a nest full of sleeping beedrill and then be as quiet as possible since the eggs would be located far back in the place where they would make their nest.
Beedrill were notoriously territorial and often would attack in furious swarms, extending their twin stingers to mercilessly jab their victims with toxic venom. Often times, those that were subjected to dozens of stings had maybe a couple of hours of excruciating pain before succumbing.
Elio didn't know of any success stories coming out of it since the practice had been outlawed well before his parents were born.
I'm gonna need everyone's help on this.
He looked down at Torracat and Troy, who sat next to him awaiting orders. He was fairly sure there wasn't any way to get out of it unscathed, but he was going to try nonetheless.
"Okay here's the plan."
Rufflet screeched loudly as he made another low pass over the grubbin nest. At first, he thought he would've made it off easy, but then there were a fluttering of electric yellow lights as the weak fields began to expand. A few of them jumped up, sparking their entire bodies with energy, lancing like antiaircraft artillery.
Not wanting to risk the fate of being paralyzed, he broke off the approach, climbing back up.
Elio saw him accelerate again and circle overhead. From his position, he was watching his little eaglet act as a scout to see how many of the aggressive grubbin he would have to deal with.
When entering the pit, they paid him scant attention, save for a curious glance before going about whatever buggy business. It seemed that they weren't openly hostile and only reacted aggressively when they were attacked or they spotted a bird.
I just don't want to get bitten. Those jaws look like they're painful.
At the wide section, it seemed like he was going to have to face a half dozen grubbin, judging by the attacks that were fired as a warning to Rufflet.
With Grimer watching Rockruff as he was slowly healing, Elio moved in with Torracat and Troy close behind.
There were more dirt mounds surrounding them as he proceeded forward, careful not to stop on top of them as if they were traps.
A low growl put Elio on alert and he turned around to see Troy warily eyeing one of the curious grubbin that seemed to be a little on the tensile side. The tiny bug quickly realized that taking on the much larger wolf was not a worthwhile decision and quickly burrowed itself into the ground.
Let's hope they don't attack in swarms like the beedrill.
The lycanroc loped ahead, taking heed of the mounds before finally reaching the egg. His expression turned to relief as it seemed to apparently be unharmed.
"Alright let's go."
If the stereotype of taking something from a dangerous place too, Elio now believed it.
It could've possibly been that the one that Troy had scared off went down to get all of its little grubbin buddies to back it up on an aggressive foe. Either way, it seemed that there were plenty more of the little larvae pokemon than before.
They emerged out of the holes in the side of the ground like a colony, some of the larger ones crackling like electricity.
Elio's eyes widened at the growing mass.
"Don't sweat it." He said as if they could understand him. "We were just leaving."
The expressions on the larva pokemon told him he wasn't convinced.
"Tor!" Torracat decided to take the matter into his own hands, by firing an ember at their feet. The flames puffed out, casting a flickering orange glow in the pit before dying out. Nearby, Troy growled low again in his threatening voice.
With strange clicks coming from their long mandibles, the grubbin did the same as they did earlier. Many of them simply accepted the fact that he wasn't there to disturb them other than coming for the strange egg that mysteriously was placed there by a pokemon emitting some sort of sweet smelling gas. The grubbin were drawn up initially from their underground lairs, thinking that there was some new sap that was waiting to be enjoyed from the trees above. All they had found instead was a mysterious egg sitting atop their own mounds concealing buried eggs.
As the majority of the colony began to disappear again, he handed the egg to Troy, who began to leave with Torracat.
"Rufflet!" Elio shouted up to his bird still looking overhead. "It's time to go!"
"Ruf!" He descended back down on his way.
A clicking noise distracted Elio for a moment. He looked down to see one final grubbin, trying to move up a slope on the side of the wall.
It was a little smaller than some of the others, but when they had managed to easily cling to the sides of the dirt to burrow again, this one has having a little bit of difficulty.
Elio walked over.
"Here. Let me help."
He scooped it up in his hands, raising it to one of the holes. It looked at him apprehensively before clamping the tip of its jaws on his thumb.
"Ah!" The boy hissed, jerking his hand away, but the tiny little big was hanging on with incredible tenacity.
"Ruf!"
At the sound of the bird approaching, the grubbin immediately let go of his hand, dropping back onto the ground and scurrying about.
Elio looked at his thumb. Some of the skin on it had been torn, but there were thankfully no fragments of the jaw or any blood drawn.
Holy...those things can bite!
Rufflet had cornered the little grubbin, hopping curiously about and staying just in the air for a few moments before resting on his feet again. His beak glowed from just having pecked the insect that dared to hurt his trainer. He was ready for another fight.
The little larva was far from it however. It shook in sheer terror, trying to bunch itself in the corner and present as small of a target as possible. It all came to him at once, he saw a battle and a weakened pokemon.
Grubbin is usually eaten by bird pokemon. That's why! This thing's scared of Rufflet!
Elio's hands moved before his mind could and he didn't even realize he had thrown a poke ball until it sucked in the tiny creature, settling down to the ground with a thud, bouncing up and down thrice. This specific ball was colored slightly different than the traditional red and white, instead having a hybrid of tan and bright green lines that curved on its upside.
This was a nest ball, adept at catching weaker pokemon.
It wobbled, wobbled again and then a third time before stopping upright with an audible snap of the button to indicate a successful capture.
"Ruf!"
"Nize catch hotshot!" Rotom piped up from behind the boy. "You caught a new pokemon! Bzzt! How about we take a look at your new pal? Bzzt?"
Elio glanced back at his hand, still not believing how such a tiny pokemon could've hurt his hand so much. Nevertheless, it wasn't something he was fighting and intending to capture, instead trying to get it back to its habitat and it led to a brief battle, ending with him catching his fourth pokemon.
He was now aware that this was the first time where Rotom's monotonous saying of additional information being available upon catching a newly detected pokemon actually came true. It was basically all the information being currently spewed out by the haunted machine.
"Analyzing! Bzzt! Grubbin in your party is a female and knows the moves; mud shot, bug bite, spark and bite. Its ability is swarm, which increases the power of bug moves whenever it is in a pinch."
A female huh? I wonder who are stronger…male or female pokemon?
Guess it depends on the species too.
Elio turned back to his pokemon. "Thanks for your help everyone. You too Troy."
He got a bark in reply. Looking down at the nest ball in his hand, he clicked the release button, allowing the tiny pokemon to appear in a flash of light.
Grubbin clicked her mandibles and glanced at her surroundings curiously before setting her gaze on her new trainer.
"It was an instinct." Elio said, walking over to one of the trees by the pit. He pried off a part of the bark and used it to scrape up some tree sap that continued to pool around its trunk.
The tiny bug watched eagerly as he worked, finally clicking her jaws again and shaking with excitement at the presentation of more food.
"I'm sorry I had to catch you. Kinda freaked out." he chuckled. "But since I did and all; I'm looking for some more pokemon on my island challenge. Wanna come along?"
"Ssk." He heard her gently hiss and click her jaws together.
"We'll get to see all kinds of awesome pokemon and there's lots of Alola to visit!" He lowered the slab of sap-covered bark down to her level. "I promise it'll be fun, but if that's not your thing, I respect that too."
Her gaze went up towards him as she slowly eased forward, a tiny mouth feeding on the beloved food. There was another click of her mandibles before she moved again, crawling onto his arm and closing her eyes.
"It lookz like she wantz to come with you on your island challenge!" Rotom buzzed happily. "Ho'omaikai'ana! Elio! Ya caught yourzelf a new pokemon pal!"
"Ssk!" Grubbin jumped off his arm back to the sap.
"Tor!" His starter bounded forward, giving his new teammate an affectionate rub on his face. From where he stood, it looked as if his new addition was enjoying the company.
Elio heard a bark from behind and saw Rockruff running up. His face turned into immediate excitement upon seeing that the egg was safe and sound.
"Rockruff!"
"Ruff!" The little puppy rubbed his face on its smooth gray surface before looking at Elio. "Ruff!"
"Thank you Rockruff." His face turned to confusion when he heard the human's voice. "You're an incredibly brave and protective pokemon. One of the bravest I've ever known. I'm glad to see you're okay again."
"Grime."
"And thank you too Grimer. You're the best."
"Grime."
"Oh yeah." He gestured to the little larva pokemon beside him. "Meet Grubbin. My newest pokemon and your guys' newest teammate." Smiling down at her, he added. "Welcome to the family...I mean ohana."
"Ssk!"
"Grime!" He waved his hands.
"Ruff! Rufflet!"
Grubbin's eyes went wide as she heard the familiar caw. In a flash, it seemed like she had disappeared from sight when Elio's little eagle descended down from the sky to see the action.
"Grubbin?" Where'd she go?
Rotom buzzed, circling around the group. "Where did Grubbin go? Bzzt! She'z very zcared of birdiezz!"
"That's strange."
"Ruff!"
"I guess we're going to have to separate you two for the time being. Aha!" Elio was about to burst out in laughter when he finally located his bird-fearing bug clinging to the back of Troy's rocky mane.
"C'mon." He gently tried to pull her off, but she was stubbornly hanging on with both her jaws. The lycanroc made a face at the commotion, but his lip was curled upwards slightly, showing that it appeared to be amusing him.
"Ssk!"
"Yes, I'll keep you away from Rufflet!" He sighed before calling her back into her nest ball. I honestly hope you two get along. Having one pokemon scared of another because she thinks he'll eat her is the last thing I need on my team.
I better call Dallas.
"Alola!"
"Alola Dallas!"
"Elio!" The paniolo drawled. "Good to hear from ya! How's the search goin'?"
"Good! I found both Rockruff and the egg!"
"Well that's somethin'!" he exclaimed, "Ah knew ya could do it."
"Yeah. Uh Rockruff was paralyzed and badly wounded when I found him."
The thought of him being paralyzed brought an area of familiarity to his mind. "Paralyzed eh? Ah bet ya found the egg in a dirt pit!"
Elio was a little surprised at how accurate the brief description was. "Yeah…it was right in the middle."
"And there's grubbin crawlin' 'round in there?"
"Uh huh."
"Then ya found 'em at Ka Uku Grove. It's a place where grubbin frequent and congregate 'cause of bandin' together to keep birds away. Ah am sure Rufflet got a warm welcome."
Elio thought back to the time where electric attacks were being shot at his little eaglet from the ground. "Yeah. Okay. So I'll be coming back."
Back at the ranch's egg nursery, Dallas cast an apprehensive look back at the entrance. From there, he heard Jerry calmly talking to the new visitor that had arrived.
Normally their family was very welcome to visitors and they'd be the center of attention from Troy, Emmitt and Michael. Jerry and his mother Georgia would provide a copious amount of refreshments and entertainment to anyone willing to share the gift of life.
However he had been with his dog partners for so long, their incessant barking immediately set off all alarms. The man's insistence to see the egg nursery had continued to set off alarms in the paniolo's head. Only by the insistence of Jerry had they calmed down and returned to his son's side. He noticed the apprehensiveness in their aggressive stances and teeth slightly bared.
He hadn't even met the person, yet there was something about this visitor that he didn't like. The dialogue between him and his father sounded like he was aware of the Alolan hospitality rituals and knew the best ways to exploit their generosity.
If there was something Dallas Kahananui absolutely hated; it was being taken advantage of.
"Ya might wanna hold off on that." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "We got some visitors right now."
"Oh." Elio was surprised. "Everything okay?"
"Just keep goin' towards your next trial at Brooklet Hill kid." Dallas said adamantly. "Leave Troy, Rockruff and the egg at the Hillcrest pokemon center and ah will come and get them once it's safe. Just a precaution."
"What's going on?"
"Ah don't know. Just do as ah say okay?" The voices grew louder as they neared the nursery. "Trust me. The nurse will look after everyone."
"Got it." Elio's voice turned serious. "Alola."
"Alola." Dallas ended the call and slipped his phone back into his pocket just as Jerry and the newcomer entered.
"And here's the nursery ya are dyin' to see apparently." His father drawled, extending a hand to everything. Thankfully by now, he and Georgia were able to patch up most of the damage the salandit raiders had done. Even all the damaged incubators had now been replaced, save for the missing one.
A laminated ID badge was affixed to the visitor's left breast and a pair of white rimmed sunglasses that had connecting lenses was placed atop a pale shaved head. His dark eyes seemed to put weight on whatever they stared at. He seemed very strong, yet there was again something about him that Dallas didn't like.
No wonder Emmitt and Michael went ballistic. This person was clearly trouble.
"And this is my son Dallas. He does lotta work 'round the nursery."
"Ah." Even though it seemed like this man was making an effort to sound pleasant, he could still detect a slight hint of nonchalance in the tone and remained unsmiling. "It's a pleasure to meet you Dallas." He extended his hand for a firm shake. "Von Kaiser; Aether Foundation Internal Affairs. I'm here to see if you are in possession of a very specific pokemon egg that the Foundation has reported to have quite an interest in recently."
Alright, that'll do it! I'm off to continue playing Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon! Hope everyone liked everything. We're getting closer to the water trial and all the other crazy stuff that's going to happen too!
Translations:
ʻehiku punawai kapu - Seven springs of water
Ho'omaikai'ana - Congratulations
Ohana - Family
Mahalo everyone for reading and reviewing, you give my writing purpose. See you guys next time.
Brav
