Alola readers! Brav is here with another chapter of AHHK! This one had a complete overhaul and looks close to nothing like it did in the original draft.
Hope everyone's doing okay. With the current state of the world and the COVID-19 sickness that's going around, nothing is certain...especially the future. I'm still at work in one of the businesses that's considered essential, so it's both comforting I'm still able to get money and terrifying that I have to go to work where I could potentially be exposed.
You probably don't need to hear it from me, but do so anyway. Take all the necessary precautions and stay indoors. Seriously, the amount of people ignoring the stay-at-home order where I'm at is irritating. Don't be those people.
You would think that with so much downtime, I'd be able to get chapters out quicker. Instead, I've had all of these other ideas not story-related crop up and I've been busy cramming them into a sandbox for later use. Whether or not they do end up being used I'm not sure.
Anyway, enough rambling. Enjoy the chapter and wash your damn hands.
I hope Elio's ready for that rough terrain on Ula'ula Island. Luckily there's several outfitting stores in Malie City that can gear up someone with nothing into someone ready to take on the trails that go around the southern tip. Of course there are roads, but he's taking the trainer route, straight through the badlands where there's a lot of diverse pokemon to be found!
Somewhere in there is the Haina Desert. It's not really a desert in terms of something sandy like the Lumiose Plateau in Kalos or the Great Hoenn Desert in the middle of the region. They say that in the Great Hoenn Desert that the pokemon flygon whip up blinding sandstorms strong enough to seriously impair vision and get it inside your clothes. That would feel really nasty.
So I actually ended up getting to experience something I've kind of wondered about with pokemon leagues. It took Elio a little bit of convincing, but I kind of knew he was up for it! And of course he goes through it like it's nothing! Well...almost nothing.
"I don't know." Elio said. "It feels like my toes are cramped in this one."
"That's definitely not good."
"No."
Lillie watched as Elio slid the hiking boot off his left foot and returned it to the salesman in the outfitting outlet. They were in the Wo Fat district where Sun had made it a priority to go to an actual store specializing in hiking and backpacking. He had already gotten warnings from the staff and other trainers that the trainer paths that circled the island at the south were harsh, rugged and unforgiving.
Hence why he was here.
"Let me see what else I can find." The salesman was a young alolan man in the olive drab shirt with the store's logo embroidered on his breast pocket. His nametag read "Junior"
"Ripper." An eager canine pokemon bounded up to his side. It had dark fur with a copper brown muzzle and belly. Silver rib-like ridges lined its back and anklets on its legs. Despite its rather intimidating appearance, it glanced at its trainer obediently.
"Take these back." Ripper grabbed the shoebox in his mouth and bounded down the aisle of the store.
"And it'zzz my queue again! Bzzt! New pokemon detected! Houndour. Dark pokemon. It cooperates with others skillfully. When it becomes your partner, it's very loyal to you as a trainer and will fervently obey your orders. Houndour is a dark type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
As Ripper came back, he went right to Lillie who happened to have some of Elio's extra poke beans. The dog sat down, sticking his tongue out lazily and as soon as she pet the top of its head, he immediately rolled over to demand an obligatory belly rub.
Elio and Junior chuckled before they went back to trying out more boots. Each one felt different and set to a different part of the terrain. While his own shoes had been sufficient for the short trip through Mauna Hokulani and Mountaintop, this trek was going to be much longer. Rotom Dex had estimated the average trip around the southern coast at a consistent walking speed would take them seven to nine hours to the closest rest stop pokemon center. The online maps showed that there were some shelters and a motel that was a half mile to the west of the trail at one point, but the remoteness of it meant that hikers could make the stop there at a slower pace or attempt to finish it in one go.
Elio was choosing the latter, but he was not opposed to actually setting up a small campsite and sleeping under the stars. He had also bought a silken liner along with paracord to hold up so he could tie it around posts in a hammock of sorts. Junior had showed him how to tie the falconer's hitch; one of the best knots that would hold his liner in place. In case he forgot, Rotom had recorded and stowed it away for later.
Other items he was in need of were some good hiking socks. Junior suggested those made from a polyester of cotton and dubwool coat. They were thin, easily breathable and wicked moisture to keep his feet dry.
"If there's anything I can advise anyone backpacking or hiking anywhere, the worst thing you want to have is wet feet. It sucks." Junior said. "I was an apprentice pokemon ranger for two years and have been a fully certified ranger based in Alola for four. Trust me. These socks will dry up fast especially in these dry conditions."
That too was added into his things to buy. Next on the list was a couple of meals, one breakfast and one dinner. Unlike the food he had seen taken from the back trunks of cars while camping close to a parking lot; these were light in weight, vacuum sealed and freeze dried. Elio had gotten a ceramic cup where he could boil some water, pour it into the thermal pouch and allow it to rehydrate into a scrumptious hot meal within just a few minutes. Junior had warned him about some of the freshwater streams containing harmful strains of naturally occurring bacteria, citing for him to find a water source that came from a filtered pump.
If nothing was available; then he could get a water filter.
Junior was quite impressed when Elio showed him the one already bought at the Thrifty Megamart along with a packet of purifying tablets as backup.
"You're a prepared man. I like it."
He finally found a pair of boots that fit him, walking carefully up and down the slanted stool that was designed to help emulate some of the steeper conditions he would be encountering out there. Gloves were another thing that would help, but not a necessity. While the hike had some treacherous terrain, the trails were busy paths and also in close proximity to the highway that encircled the entire island.
It's not like I'm going to go completely off the grid.
But the thing that people often misjudged Ula'ula was for its size. Much of it was open, so one could easily see the towering peaks of the mountains at its center, but they were tall enough to seem so close...yet they were so far away in reality.
All in between, it was very easy to get lost or disappear. And wild pokemon found on the island were definitely stronger than those impacted by the more developed Melemele and Akala.
"Looks like I got everything." Elio adjusted the laces on the boots, wiggling his toes around to make sure he was comfortable. "How much is all of this?"
The two teens waved goodbye to Junior as they exited the store. Elio had already put on most of the gear, slathering his arms, legs and face with clear sunscreen. Unlike Malie City, much of Ula'ula was harsh sunlight with little cloud coverage during the daytime.
Blistered feet, sunburned skin, taste of dust in your mouth. All unpleasant stuff I really don't want to experience on the way over there. The last thing he wanted was to go there unprepared and have something uncomfortable dog him all the way.
Acerola had informed him that the next trial was located on the southern tip of Ula'ula Island at a sacred ground. She didn't give him exact directions, but said to meet her at the Aether House that sat by the Tapu Village.
Aether House? I'm guessing it's related to the Aether Foundation somehow.
"So I guess you're off gallivanting to your adventures again?" Lillie asked as they reached the lobby of the hotel they stayed at. It was close to midday, so the traffic on the streets and sidewalks was starting to grow as many people who worked downtown were let off in time for the lunch rush. Restaurants and a couple of food vendors who lined the streets had lines already of hungry people.
"Yeah, but I can really use a puka dog right now." Elio rolled his head, causing something inside him to pop. "I've had a craving."
"Me too." Lillie tried to eat as health conscious as she could, but couldn't deny that the popular hot dog variation sounded pretty heavenly.
"We can grab lunch before I head out. My treat."
Lillie smiled at him before taking his outstretched hand and entwining their fingers together.
It's happening again. Subconsciously, she had drifted right to Elio's side as they walked, headed straight for the corner street where he spotted a corner stand earlier. He had seemed to sense her apprehension and gave her hand a subtle squeeze to help relax her.
"You know," he started as they approached and joined in line already forming around the block. "You've never really told me about your family."
Oh no. The blonde felt her blood run cold and she almost stammered out loud. "I...uh. Professor Kukui and Burnet are my family."
"Yeah right." Elio rolled his eyes and gave her a mischievous grin. "And maybe a monferno will fly out of my butt at lightspeed."
"No really!" She was trying to hold back a bit of laughter at his random abstract claim. "They're the closest thing to a mother and father I really have!"
"Well what about your immediate family? Like an actual mother, father? Any siblings?"
Lillie looked down somberly. Should I tell him? I can't keep these secrets forever.
"Lillie, you okay?"
Oh tapu, bless his heart for being so caring. I don't deserve someone like him.
"I'm fine Sun. It's just...my family's a hard thing for me to talk about."
"If it's something you don't want to talk about, that's fine. I'm sorry I pried."
"I haven't seen my mother in months...and my father. It's been years."
Did she lose them?
"I'm sorry. Maybe one day you can see them again."
"Thank you."
There it is again. I gave her an out and she took that really fast. She's still hiding something about her parents and not willing to talk about it. I feel kind of bad for badgering her though. Do I keep pressing another time? Or do I just let it go for good? I want to help her...any way I can.
"Listen. You know I had a crappy dad when I grew up. If you ever want to talk about it, you know...about abusive parents if you had them. I'm here."
Lillie smiled tenderly at him. "Thank you." Maybe one day I will tell you.
They were interrupted by the attendant at the corner stand calling them up. After apologizing, they placed their orders and had their food delivered almost immediately. A table was open close to the back, so they settled on bottled water and a bag of chips each. Unlike the traditional dog Elio had on Melemele Island, he opted for the Unova style which had spicy tamato ketchup, mustard and a sweet pickle relish. The bun was a little more greasy and overall messier than the stand they went to back in Hau'oli City, but he enjoyed it nonetheless.
They quickly finished their food and wandered along the streets, heading towards the southern part of the city, where Elio would begin his long hike around the island to the next trial site. It was going to be the longest distance between two trial grounds due to Ula'ula's size and how spread out everything was. Rotom had the map and route ready to go once he hit the road.
As they walked down the street, something caught Elio's eye. Both of them had passed by a building that had a familiar sign to him at least.
"Oh look, I thought I'd never see one out here."
"What?"
Elio pointed up, showing a silhouette of a winged creature in a jade green background. "This is a Kantoan Gym." He scanned the side, spotting a descriptive sign next to the entrance.
"You mean the places where trainers who want to enter the pokemon league go to challenge?" Lillie had read all about gyms and it kind of got her a little excited seeing one in person right here in Alola.
"Yeah. Strange how it's a Kantoan Gym when the city is modeled after a Johtoan one. Eh," he shrugged indifferently. "They're still part of the Indigo League. So I guess it counts."
"Want to go challenge it?"
"Huh?"
"You know. Don't you issue a challenge and win a badge if you beat the gym leader?"
"Yeah, but this badge is kind of a souvenir...it's not going to get me any closer to being a champion."
C'mon Elio. I'm trying to give you a hint here. Ugh, Professor Burnet was right. Boys can be so dense sometimes.
"What, you want me to challenge the gym?" Elio really wanted to get going so that he could be at the next trial site as soon as he could. Even though it seemed like it would likely happen a week out, his own competitive fire was already pumping blood through his veins just thinking about triumphing over the trial.
But at the same time…
It had always been part of his childhood dream to finally challenge the gyms of the Indigo League. There were sixteen gyms in total, but it was a minimum requirement of eight earned to challenge. Due to the high fee of going through the dividing mountains that separated both regions, it was common for trainers to go after the gym circuit in their home region they start from.
Elio had to admit that despite being whisked away to Alola, he had never really given much of a thought about challenging gyms. The trials and grand trials were a unique deviation from the traditional settings that were everywhere else in the world.
That's Alola's claim to fame I guess. They don't have gyms, but this measures a trainer's progression all the same. Plus, it's been something I've wanted to do my whole life. Maybe I'll go challenge them once I'm done. And not bring only one unevolved pokemon to start over from scratch like some idiot.
"C'mon Elio." Lillie walked in front, giving him her best pleading look.
Okay...just pretend like you're still resistant.
"It'll be fun! I...kinda like watching you battle."
"What happened to you not liking pokemon get hurt?"
"This is different. Battling is like a place where you compete against someone else or settle differences. I've decided that I wasn't as averse to pokemon battling as I originally thought. I have you to thank for that. And I'd like to maybe try it for myself someday."
That immediately brightened Elio's day and he lunged forward, enveloping her in his arms in a joyous hug. Lillie made a muffled squeak, but couldn't help laughing at the boy's impulsiveness.
"Lillie that's great!" He exclaimed happily. "Maybe when we get Nebby back home, you can apply for a trainer's license!"
The thought of it had oddly brought a rush of excitement, causing her heart to flutter. He was finally giving her the courage that she had lacked to maybe have pokemon of her own.
"I'd like that Sun." She playfully shoved him off her. "But I want to see how YOU do as a trainer in the gyms! After all, if I'm going to be one. I have to learn from the best trainer in Alola."
"I don't know if I'm the best."
"But you said it yourself. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
She got me there.
"Okay. Fine." Lillie resisted the urge to cheer loudly and beamed at him, confident that she had won him over. "Just remember you got me into this."
"I know." She swished her hair around, turning away while giving him a flirtatious look. "You know you can't resist."
Elio shook his head as he opened the gym doors for her. "I've said it time and time again and I'll say it here again too. You've come a long way from the shy girl I met on Melemele Island all those months ago."
Like he had seen in trainers' magazines, the interior reminded him of the authentic ones in Kanto. Unseen speakers were playing that challenging tune that he knew so well, Elio found himself humming it under his breath.
"Wow." Lillie said, looking at the three lighted gates that partially obscured what was beyond. "This is amazing."
"You're amazing!" A voice brought them back to reality as a uniformed man appeared from one of the doors. "Please take these fresh waters!"
Both teens reached out and caught the bottles thrown to them. However unlike Kanto, it was a local Alolan brand that bottled it directly at its natural source with enhancing minerals for taste.
"I'm your gym guide for the Malie City Kantoan Gym! Where Alolans can get a real experience of the Indigo League without having to leave home...or Kantoans can experience a sense of nostalgia."
Lillie's the former, I'm the latter.
"Our challenge is for you to solve all three puzzle orbs and defeat all the trainers before you can face the gym leader. The puzzle orb is simple, slide it until the aligning shapes match and unlock it to obtain the gemstone required to pass into the next gate! Good luck!"
"What about the gym leader?"
"Our gym leader is the famous Ryuki! He hails from far away to spread his fame and the power of hard rock music! He's also an aspiring businessman, self-proclaimed superstar...oh and he's a master of dragons, partially thanks to the wonderful Festivus the other day! Make sure you have some fairy or steel type pokemon on your team to stop his attacks and then strike back with freezing ice moves to do massive damage. Dragon types also work, but it's a double edged sword because dragon pokemon are weak to themselves. Good luck trainer!"
"So...what was that?" She asked as the guide disappeared back into the door. Up ahead by the light door, a cavity in the wall slid open to reveal the puzzle orb and a triangular key that resembled the head of an ice pick. It was about the size of a poke ball and had various irregular shapes holed into its surface. As Elio picked it up and slid it around, he noticed there were others underneath its thin layer.
So it's like an onion mixed with a rubik's cube. Finish one layer and it unlocks the next.
"That's the eccentric gym guide you encounter when you challenge each one." Elio explained. "In addition to the actual gym leader, you have to face junior trainers who work there. It's usually a good indication of whether or not you're actually ready to face the gym leader. If you struggle, there's no shame in dropping out to go train again."
"I see." She pointed to the orb. "Then what's that?"
"That's another thing too; each gym has sort of a puzzle you have to complete in the meantime. Some of them can get really wacky, but this one seems straightforward. Solve the orb and use the gem as the key to get into the next area. As we go on, we'll face a trainer and the next puzzle will be more difficult." Elio finally spotted the pattern and twisted the top layer of the orb, causing it to click and lock into place. The next one took him even less time and he grabbed the stake-key, inserting it into the opening and removing the gem.
"Here we go. At least it's not like some douche who hides one switch among eighteen trash cans." He set it on the pedestal, causing the light barrier to blink away. Stepping forward, he was halted in place by a trainer that awaited comically around the wall, completely unseen. As soon as he crossed into the other person's line of sight, he was halted immediately and challenged to a battle.
Elio sent out Charjabug while the junior trainer had a single pokemon of his own. It was a small bipedal reptilian that had features akin to sharks. Blue grey skin with an orange belly and stubby arms. Two circular horns that almost resembled aircraft missiles were on its head and it had a small wagging tail as it jumped about rather eagerly.
Lillie almost thought it was cute, until it opened its mouth to reveal multiple lines of razor sharp teeth.
"Thiz izzzz my turn to shine! Bzzt! And we've already had another dragon pokemon zince the Feztivuzzzz! Gible. Land shark pokemon. It skulks in caves and when prey or enemy passes by, it leaps out and chomps them in an ambush. The force of its attack sometimes chips its teeth, however they quickly grow back. Gible is a dragon and ground type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
Elio and Charjabug dove right into battle. Despite the limitation of his electric attacks being obsolete, he was able to overcome the gible's strong attacks and counter effectively with mud shot and signal beam. Almost as quickly as the battle had started, it was over. The trainer headed off in defeat and Elio got to work on another puzzle orb. This one was much harder and had an extra layer that had to be peeled.
"What's your favorite gym?" Lillie asked, watching with renewed interest as he worked the orb.
"Cerulean City duh. Say what you want about all the different gyms, but Misty is special. There's nobody like her."
"Is it because she's good at battling or because she's good at her looks."
"I'm not going to answer that." Elio did know that Misty Waterflower had gained a lot of attention as she joined her sisters in a modeling career as well as being a well-known swimmer. And of course she had made the list of the ten hottest female gym leaders.
Elio finally unlocked the center part of the orb and pried the gemstone free, placing it in the center and advancing. Like the first time, there was a trainer hiding out of sight that approached to challenge him to a battle as soon as he came within glancing distance.
The second trainer was a little tougher, starting with a noibat which Charjabug took care of. Her second pokemon was a gray, four legged pokemon that had piercing yellow eyes and a large white shell encased around its body. As usual, Rotom did its entry as they engaged in battle. Elio gave Charjabug a break and instead used Rufflet.
"Shelgon. Endurance pokemon. It is the evolved form of bagon. These pokemon sit in the depths of caves as the cells within its body change at a bewildering pace in preparation for evolution. Its shell is made of the same material and hardness as bone and it cracks the moment it is ready to evolve. Shelgon is a dragon type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
The shelgon proved to be a difficult opponent to defeat. It was slow moving, but it merely waited for Rufflet to close the gap when it attacked. Thankfully, he noticed a weak point close to its face, which put him at risk of being right in the ready for a biting attack or a zen headbutt, but using a fast undodgeable aerial ace to stun and follow up with a fury attack had brought it down for good.
With the second junior trainer defeated, Elio was allowed to move to the final puzzle orb. Instead of it being harder, there were two of them that he had to solve. The first one was done quickly, but he began to struggle with the second one.
C'mon it can't be this hard.
But every time he thought he figured out the alignment, there was no good way to put the key in there to unlock the orb. Lillie could tell by his furrowed brow that the constant failure was starting to irritate him.
Am I allowed to help? Is that a violation of the league rules?
"Damn it!" He growled. "How are we supposed to figure this out when nothing matches even remotely close! It's like I should've done this one first!"
Wait.
Elio stopped, suddenly looking as if he realized the same thing.
Get it done first.
He looked at Lillie. "Go and get the first gem and put it back into the orb."
"Okay." She nodded, heading over. The stone fit easily in her palm and she dropped it down into the center. As soon as she did that, the orb clicked and the surface of the underlayer rotated with a whirring sound of a motor.
That same noise came from Elio's own orb he was working on and he got right to work.
"What? How could it have gotten so easy like that? Ah well." He unlocked the gem in the center and fished it out. "Now for the easy one."
He accepted it from Lillie and smoothed his hands over it, rapidly twisting the parts together while staring intently.
Shouldn't it be easy?
"Now this one's hard!" Elio growled, "How am I supposed to solve it when the first one I do goes smooth, but the second one's impossible?"
"Um Elio. I have an idea." Lillie said.
He shrugged, still a little peeved at himself for getting this frustrated, but nodded at her to continue.
"Put the gem back inside. Leave it solved though."
"How does that work?"
"Just a hunch," Lillie shrugged back at him. "I have no idea if it's going to work. But try solving both of them without removing the gems. Maybe this puzzle wants us to finish the same like tasks before we move on to the next."
I don't know if it works that way...but I'll try it.
He placed the gem back into the orb and took the second one. To his surprise, the device whirred and he saw the inner shapes reimaging themselves. It took just a couple of twists and rotations until he got access to the gem. Both of them came out of their internal housing with no difficulty from the key.
"Wow...you were right." Elio said. "Thanks. I could've just given up if it weren't for you."
"You're welcome Elio. Now reward me with an awesome battle."
The door faded, revealing a basic gym field with a slender figure standing opposite. His attire definitely spoke gym leader with a large red and white spiky headdress that covered his eyes. He wore a matching blood red jacket and pants with the lapel open, exposing part of a pale chest. There was a gold pattern that jagged down his shirt and pants. Next to him was a large guitar case.
"Well well, if it isn't a challenger!" The gym leader stood up to his full height and stared back at Elio, who could now see that his eyes were concealed by some opaque white colored lenses that were attached to his...head thingy…"Congratulations on getting to the gym leader! Which is me! The great Ryuki! I'm what you might call a star! I mean...how can you not be a star with partners like my pokemon? This is some awesome part time gig! Being a gym leader in an unofficial Kantoan gym! I dig this!"
Lillie seemed a little more than flustered at the man...or boy's eccentric appearance and attitude. "Are all gym leaders like this?" She whispered.
"I hope not." Still, he's quite the character. I like him.
"Hey trainer, since you solved my awesome puzzle, why don't you have a battle with Ryuki! The master of dragons and rock who works as a part time gym leader."
I guess they didn't have the full time position available. Elio thought dryly to himself before nodding and taking one side of the field. "Sure. I'm down for it."
"Then we do a three on three! No substitutions! Ready to rock baby! Ryuki's gonna give ya a show!"
He snapped his fingers, causing a board to flicker to life, showing the trainers and their three pokemon. At the same time, a familiar overtune began to play from the speakers overhead, laced with elements from an electric guitar. They had to be Ryuki's handiwork.
"Let's do this! Woo! Dragonair!"
Ryuki's first pokemon materialized in a flash of light, a long serpentine pokemon that had a baby blue color with a white ventral section. Its tail had two dark beads lining the end with a similar one along its neck. On the top of its head were two tiny wings.
A dragonair. Elio recognized it right away. "Wow. That's a rare pokemon back in Kanto."
"Dragonair's from there! Caught him in the Seafoam Islands."
"And it'zzz time for me to fill you in on this new pokemon I've juzzzt detected!" Rotom did his thing, interrupting at the perfect time. "Dragonair. Dragon pokemon. It is the evolved form of dratini. Lakes where dragonair live often have offerings left by people who believe the crystalline orbs on its body give it the power to control the weather. Dragonair is a dragon type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
"I guess we'll fight your serpent pokemon with one of mine!" Elio felt his own blood pumping. "Let's go Nani!"
Ryuki's expression turned to awe as Elio's milotic stared cooly at her opponent. "Wow. Dragonair is rare, but I'll admit a milotic like that isn't one I see all the time!"
Elio nodded in thanks and both trainers synced to the battle. The time for subtle talk was over.
"Use scald!" Nani reared her head back before shooting out a stream of boiling liquid. Dragonair swiftly moved out of the way, keeping its head and body low to the ground. He had closed the gap, cloaking himself in rushing water as he slammed into her side with a powerful waterfall attack. Nani slithered back, coiling her own body up close to keep her head covered.
She wasn't done though. Her tail sharpened itself into her signature sword and she swung it dangerously close as Dragonair rushed forward in another waterfall. She had struck his midsection and he toppled right over, aided by the momentum of his own attack.
Nani jumped to the offensive, rising on her tail and standing as tall as possible as her fins flayed outward. She formed a powerful dragon pulse, firing it down. Again, dragonair narrowly dodged it, irritating Nani slightly.
However it worked in her favor as Ryuki's pokemon had stayed right next to the impact zone. As it prepared for an attack of its own, the aftershock explosion of Nani's special technique kicked into effect, throwing him around in the center of the singularity. He managed to break free moments later, emerging with his scaly hide singed with green energy.
"We're just gettin' started!" Ryuki claimed. "Thunderbolt!"
The gem on Dragonair's neck glowed before it fired a lancing bolt of devastating electrical energy towards Nani. Thankfully, she had been quick enough to jump out of its way.
Ryuki wasn't done either. Dragonair shot more thunderbolt attacks, one finally grazing her tail and coursing through her slender body quicker than she realized. Nani grunted in protest before she opened her mouth and fired a scald attack, hoping that it hit home.
It did. Dragonair shrieked in agony as it burned its entire front, leaving one in scorched marks all across his belly.
"Thunderbolt again!"
"Use iron tail! Drive it to the ground!"
Elio hoped that the same manner of Rufflet using it to divert electrical energy away with his steel wing, she could do with her iron tail. Nani formed her blade as it created the same sound as a sword unsheathing before she rammed it into the ground as the thunderbolt hit its base. She made a face of discomfort, but stared on with fierce determination to endure it out.
It's burned too. So we keep at it and press our advantage.
Elio had thought that too soon.
Dragonair jerked from side to side at the other end as Sun heard what sounded like a peeling wrapper off a piece of food. To his amazement, the creature had wiggled out of a limp skin shell and slithered back into position. The burn damage was completely gone.
Shed skin. I should've known.
Dragonair retaliated with a twister, spinning its gem tails that kicked up a whirlwind of sharp projectiles. Nani had been tossed up inside, regurgitated out the bottom and falling limply.
I could take a chance and let her recover.
"Bzzt! Nani has learned a new move! Bzzt!" Rotom Dex piped up beside his trainer. "She hazzz asked to demonzzztrate it for you! Bzzt!"
"Demonstrate?"
Dragonair was gathering energy for another twister after Ryuki seemed to really enjoy how disruptive it had been compared to his previous attacks. Nani remained disinterested and bowed her head. When she looked back up sharply, Elio saw that the outline of her face had been laced with reddish pink light. It coalesced into a heart shape and flew straight at Dragonair, hitting him squarely in the face.
"Zurprizzze! Nani hazzz learned attract!"
Despite Ryuki's orders for Dragonair to snap out of its daydreaming, the pokemon's eyes had widened and it stared at Nani, completely enamored with her.
"Wow." Lillie whispered. "Attract falls under the situational class of moves that Professor Kukui described. That must mean Ryuki's Dragonair is male and he's in love with her!"
As she said that, her gaze rested on Elio, who looked just a little bit delayed in pressing his own advantage. As if fate intervened, he had turned to look directly at her. She swore he could wink and the same move might happen to splash over her forehead.
Go Elio!'
"Dragon pulse Nani! Let's end this!"
She nodded, thinking just the same thing while spiraling up and launching another rod of green energy that flew out with the velocity of a cannon. Dragonair was struck directly and swallowed in the explosion in both a harsh glow of light and pained screech.
The secondary submunitions explosions occurred, doubtlessly throwing the victim around not unlike Nani had in the twister before it settled and faded, leaving Dragonair limp in its aftermath. The screen winked out the defeated pokemon's status, now showing it was a three on two matchup, with it going in Elio's favor.
"Yeah!" Elio pumped a fist as Nani glanced back at him. "Way to go girl! That was some sweet timing with that attract. Oh man, we're gonna have all sorts of new plays with a move like that!"
The tender pokemon narrowed her eyes and Lillie almost had to laugh after it sounded. It was like Elio was going to use her feminine charms to his advantage to disrupt his enemies. The way it seemed; Nani didn't look particularly thrilled with the idea, but she softly cooed and happily accepted her trainer's praise all the same.
"Ah well, ya got me." Ryuki returned Dragonair to its poke ball. "Attract's definitely one of those moves that can make or break them battles in a heartbeat! Now let's get this show on the road again!"
He flicked another poke ball onto the battlefield, materializing a purple and orange bipedal pokemon. It had a pointed snout with teeth sticking out from inside. Long angular fins lined its arms and back with its front ending in single digit pointed claws.
This must be gible's evolved form.
"New pokemon detected! Bzzt! Gabite. Cave pokemon. It is the evolved form of gible. In rare cases, it molts and sheds its scales. Medicine that contain these scales can make a body feel refreshed and invigorated. Gabite is a dragon and ground type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
"Alright, be on your guard Nani." Elio cautioned his milotic. "I don't know what kind of new strategy he has planned."
She nodded, taking the initiative to start a recover move. While it regained a good portion of her health energy, the process was agonizingly slow regardless of them both trying to find ways to improve its speed. She was also left immobile for the most part during it all, leaving her open for attacks.
Gabite growled, slamming its two scythelike claws together and then whipping them out again. Almost immediately, Elio saw the field begin to turn a tannish brown as fine particles of sand began to blow up around the area.
Elio almost jumped in surprise when he saw Gabite literally vanish into the sandstorm. Nani saw it too, she narrowed her eyes, flinching just slightly as its abrasive effect pelted her scaly body.
"You're going to have to figure it out quick. Or this is going to turn into a long battle!" Ryuki declared from the other end.
"Gabite'zzz ability izzz sand veil! Bzzt! It allowzzz it to blend in easier with itzz zurroudingzzz when a zandztorm izzz active! Bzzt!"
I can clearly see that. I know Nani can take at least one direct hit thanks to that recover, but we're fighting a losing battle if that sandstorm continues to whittle away at her.
Nani's eyes searched and she finally locked her gaze on a figure barely visible.
She lunged, brandishing her iron tail and swinging hard. However it met nothing. Gabite had disappeared.
Where did it go?
Something shifted underground and it suddenly erupted from below, slamming into Nani's underside in a shower of dirt. She landed, springing back up and shooting a scald. However the sand particles seemed to condense together in the stream, the added weight suddenly making her attack go to roughly a third of its effective range.
Gabite disappeared again and Nani took her own initiative to slam her iron tail into the ground. The sudden disturbance caused it to surface early, just in front of her. She quickly pulled out and speared her blade forward, catching Gabite in the shoulder.
Elio shouted for her to finish it off, but again he had neglected the distracting capabilities of the sandstorm still raging. Nani struggled to maintain her focus and by the time she gathered energy for a dragon pulse, Gabite had freed himself with a slash and attempted to escape.
"Don't let him get away! Use attract again!"
Nani nodded, sending out the heart shape of light, however Gabite was already burrowing another hole into the ground, causing it to miss its mark.
The creature surfaced moments later attacking from behind, but Nani was ready. She had her iron tail out swinging.
But Gabite rolled forward and his position made moving the blade awkward and gave him enough time to slam both of his claws into her scaly hide with a slash attack. Nani spasmed before she collapsed in front of Elio and the buzzer sounded to indicate she was out of the fight.
Damn. Elio thought to himself. I never really took that sandstorm into that much of a factor like he did. Guess I still have to learn that not everything should be an oversight.
"You did excellent Nani." He whispered quietly to her ball. "We'll take it from here. Right Akela?"
Lillie was surprised he chose his rock type. She watched him land on both feet and howl as a sign of dominance. Gabite on the other side ignored it and slid his scythelike claws together to hone them.
The cave pokemon wasted no time jumping up and then burrowing into the ground with another dig. Akela glanced around before he was struck blindsided by Gabite. However this time he was ready, powering up a paw in the back and striking with a counter. He immediately went on the offensive, lunging forward with a bite and a sucker punch before being hit with a slash.
Lillie was impressed, seeing that the werewolf had almost no trouble finding and hitting Gabite unlike Nani.
"Rotom?"
"Yez Mizzz Lillie? Bzzt!"
"Elio chose Akela because of his ability?"
"It izzz a good choice! Bzzt! Akela'zzz ability izzz keen eye which preventzzz accuracy loss and it alzo letzzzz it see through evasion boozzztz like double team and minimizzzze! Bzzt!"
So that's why. Keen eye, allows him to see perfectly through the sandstorm.
Gabite seemed undeterred and slid his claws together again. He charged forward, brandishing two dragon claws. Akela moved to counter.
Just before the two of them collided; Gabite launched himself into the air and hit the ground, burrowing under again.
Ah come on! Dig again! Sooner or later, he's going to get lucky.
"Akela!" Elio shouted. "Try to find where he's coming from!"
He wasn't sure how he was going to do it, but it was their best shot. Gabite's quicker speed and the advantages of hiding with a dig along with its type trump meant Ryuki could use that to initiate a guerilla type of hit and run. With Akela weak to ground moves, his keen eye ability wouldn't matter much if his attacker didn't come from inside the sandstorm.
Akela planted his feet into the ground and remained still. Like his pokemon; Elio could feel subtle vibrations as Gabite tunneled underneath.
It's going to be hard to sense it. But I trust Akela. He'd tell me if this is a bad plan.
Of course it's a bad plan. There could also be much worse.
He stopped moving and snarled, indicating he knew when and where Gabite was going to burst from underground.
"Ready?"
Not a moment later, the cave pokemon emerged with another plume of dirt that threw chunks into the air. The abrasive sand particles eroded away at them, causing it all to dissolve into the dust. The midnight form lycanroc was thrown backwards, but his preparedness helped in that he managed to lightly land on the balls of his feet.
"Excellent, now bite it!"
Akela sprang up, closing the gap between them as quickly as Gabite had emerged. With it being out in the open and vulnerable again, he was no match as the werewolf's sharp fangs glowed white and champed down on his body. With the damage done, he grabbed his foe to grapple in mid-air.
"And now it's time for the coup-de-gracie!" Elio made a fist. "Reversal!"
Wow! So that's what Elio was waiting for! Akela to get hit and take damage so reversal's power was increased!
Akela snarled, releasing Gabite and powering up his paw to impact straight atop the smaller pokemon's head. Ryuki's pokemon crashed to the ground with a solid crunching sound and laid limply. Up above, the screen dimmed and the buzzer sounded on Gabite's status, officially marking it out of the fight.
"Whooo!" Elio pumped a fist. "That wasn't an easy thing, but we pulled it off! Great job Akela!"
The wolf glanced back, growling his appreciation, but he remained serious with a simple nod.
"That was some high flying moves ya got there bro!" Ryuki said from the other side. "Still got that fiery spirit! I might be on my last pokemon, but don't you go thinking it's gonna mean you've got me in a corner! Let's go Dennis!"
He spun the poke ball, revealing a large draconic creature that sprawled out on the field, almost three times Akela's size.
Its body was a light green with varying patches of white fur sprouted across its head and lower body. A thin elongated neck supported its large head that featured pink pupil less eyes and a pale green snout. Despite its rather fearsome appearance; Elio felt strangely calm with its presence.
"New pokemon detected! Look at me! Bzzt! You didn't even have to tell me twice about having to do my job! Bzzt! I am a geniuzzz! Drampa. Placid pokemon. This pokemon lives deep in the mountains of Alola's Ula'ula Island and occasionally descends to play with children in the towns surrounding. It becomes enraged if a child that it cares for becomes hurt, using its powerful breath in battle with the strength to destroy buildings. Drampa is a normal and dragon type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
"Dennis here's been one of my longest partners." Ryuki said proudly. The drampa growled in agreement, staring back at Akela with a determined glance. "Show me what ya got."
"I'll be more than happy to oblige." Elio started out with a rock tomb, which Akela had no trouble doing. The boulders struck Dennis' hide quickly and he buckled, but didn't fall. He retaliated with a powerful twister that cut right through the sandstorm. Akela had more than enough time to dodge, but it was significantly off course.
Wait, he's being hindered by the sandstorm! This is our chance!
Without Gabite in his own element, Dennis was having a harder time adapting and Elio had to seize his moment.
Akela dove forward, staying low so that it reduced his chances of being spotted. He lunged up, ready to strike in a reversal.
However Dennis seemed to figure out his location and unleashed another twister from the small wings on his side. Aided by the sandstorm's power, it was enough to toss Akela right back to Elio's side of the field.
I'm surprised he isn't out yet.
Dennis opened his mouth and shot an orb of blue water.
Oh no.
Akela was able to get on his feet and roll out of the way in time, but he was clearly fatigued from the battle against Gabite. Elio wasn't sure how much more he could take, however as he moved to return him; he had looked back at his trainer as if to say that he would only finish the battle once he or his foe was defeated.
Elio agreed to the request.
The water pulse exploded, showering the immediate area with wet sand and the winds began to slowly die down as the field became more visible.
Akela tossed another rock tomb as Dennis shot another pair of twisters. Both attacks collided, finally pushing through after just a bit of resistance. The rocks caved around Dennis, briefly trapping him before he climbed free while Akela was again buffeted by the intense cyclone.
"Reversal!"
Wait, don't charge straight at him!
It was too late; Akela dashed forward, albeit a shorter distance than before, but he also didn't have the sandstorm concealing his movement. He had also forgot to crouch lower to shorten his profile and present a smaller target.
Dennis turned, eyes already locking on target and he quickly shot a water pulse that came so fast, it was virtually unavoidable. Akela was hit and thrown backwards, tumbling across the field where he finally came to a stop lying on his back.
Elio didn't hear the buzzer, but already had his poke ball out to return him.
"Thanks buddy. You did wonderful."
Guess I'm down to my last pokemon. Elio thought to himself, also glad that the sandstorm was finally dying out for good. Now both sides had clear visibility and no particles buffeting either side.
He felt a poke ball stir at his belt, but as he moved to brush it aside and grab his actual choice; Torracat, he had jostled it free.
Oh no.
His hand automatically reached out, touching the activation mechanism and releasing the pokemon inside.
Ryuki was definitely surprised to see little Jangmo'o stretch out in front of him and he squeaked with excitement, finally spotting Dennis and growling to size him up.
"Jangmo'o!" Elio shouted. "Get back here!"
The little dragon seemed to not have heard him, as he refused to back down. His teeth were bared as he growled, it coming out as a muffled squeak that was mixed with a grating sound. Dennis was unamused and clearly not threatened, which only served to anger Jangmo'o even more.
"Torracat, get Jangmo'o off the field!" Elio threw his starter pokemon to join, but actually intended for him to be the primary battler.
I have to watch out for that water pulse. Torracat's speed should get him out of the way, but it could just take one hit to stop us!
Torracat slowly walked over, gently grabbing Jangmo'o by the base of his neck with his jaws and carried him back to Elio's side. The little dragon did not like this, growling in protest and flailing his limbs in a futile attempt to break free. As he set him down in front, Jangmo'o looked a bit angry and haughtily turned away when he tried to offer a consoling hand.
"Buddy, this battle is a bit above your level." He tried to explain, crouching down so that he didn't seem like he was so condescending. "When you're stronger, I'll be using you in battle."
Jangmo'o squeaked, looking dejected, but didn't protest further. Elio felt bad for chastising his pokemon.
"Tell you what. You can watch Torracat."
"You ready buddy?"
Torracat growled, taking his battle-ready stance. Elio could tell by the fire blazing at his throat that he was still not over that humiliating loss to Cicindel and was ready to get stronger and eventually return the favor.
"Let's start us up with flame charge!" Torracat let out his normal battle cry and rushed forward, covering himself in orange fire. Dennis tried to move out of the way, however he wasn't a particularly fast pokemon. Torracat's own attack staggered, but didn't fell him.
That's okay. We're getting ourselves faster. We'll wear him down.
"Again!" He stopped after passing, turning around and jetting forward in another fast moving fireball. Going even faster, he easily avoided Dennis' retaliatory twister and hit home once again. Still doing little damage, as fire moves weren't the best to use against a dragon type.
We're fast enough to do enough double kicks to put this thing down.
Torracat did just that; continuing to speed around quicker than Dennis was able to track before he jumped off course and struck the drampa's side with a double kick. The fighting type move was much more effective, actually knocking Dennis down. The larger pokemon was still not out yet.
"Go Elio!" Lillie jumped up and down in excitement. Nebby bounced around in its bag as well, sensing its "mother's" enthusiasm.
Elio heard her cheering and it seemed to really light a fire inside him. "Let's get this done! Another double kick whenever you're ready!"
Dennis was still too slow. Torracat raced circles around him and then lunged to strike.
Ryuki's smirk grew, something Elio noticed too late.
"Use glare."
Dennis' eyes narrowed, turning the normally friendly looking pokemon into something much more malevolent. Torracat just happened to look at it right in the eye and came to a stop, prudently backing away. Flashes of electrical energy ran down his body, causing him to involuntarily twitch and spasm. He was paralyzed.
Oh no! All that speed boosting was for nothing?!
Dennis knew the momentum had shifted and he went on the offensive, opening his mouth to fire a devastating hyper beam. Torracat was on all fours, moving to dodge, but the paralysis prevented him from moving quick enough, causing him to be caught in the blast and thrown backwards. He struggled back to his feet, still growling defiantly.
Elio could see this was already starting to wear him out. Paralysis really did a number.
Okay, stop overthinking and just concentrate on the battle. The last thing I need to do is lose focus.
Elio thought about the battle against Guzma. Torracat particularly enjoyed fighting larger opponents and Dennis was no exception. He had to use his size against it.
But it was a difficult task, given that both Ruyki and Dennis were smart enough to avoid close fighting after Torracat's paralysis. That was his strength.
Then we'll fight that way too.
At his command, Torracat unleashed an overheat. His most powerful fire type attack leapt out at an unexpected speed that Dennis narrowly dodged. The dragon had gone so complacent in expecting Torracat to try and get close, he did not expect Elio to be in possession of a ranged attack either.
Dennis' dodging of the overheat had put it just slightly closer and Torracat took off, making the most of his unhindered mobility before the paralysis kicked in again. He struck him with a flame charge, ducking low to avoid a retaliatory twister and attacking up again on the drampa's midsection with two perfectly placed double kicks. Dennis growled lowly as he collapsed.
Torracat moved to finish him off with another, but the electric bands flashed over his body, causing him to stiffen and stop short.
Not again!
Dennis' mouth flashed as well, forming a water pulse and Elio thought it was over.
Until he saw Jangmo'o move by his side and charge into the middle of the field with a warring battle cry.
"Jangmo'o!" He cried, "Get back here!"
His pokemon ignored his request, still sprinting ahead. He lowered the crown until the scale was at the forefront and jumped up, smashing right into Dennis' side. Again caught off guard, the drampa reeled back from the blow and glanced down at the smaller pokemon.
This isn't how it's supposed to go!
"Oh so the little dragon here wants a two on one? Let's gooooooo!" Ryuki pumped his fists. "Glare!"
Jangmo'o was already nervously backing up as Dennis' eyes narrowed once more, immediately regretful that he had made such a hasty move. Before he could be subject to its paralyzing leer, Torracat took advantage of the distraction to lunge up and sink his fangs into the scaly side with a bite attack. Just like how he did with Cicindel, he activated flame charge, using a huge boost in speed to knock the larger pokemon onto the ground.
If you're going to be in this battle Jangmo'o, you do as I say!
"Headbutt again! To the underbelly!"
Jangmo'o nodded, running and keeping his head down. While the first one was more effective; Dennis had rolled back onto his feet, feeling something bump into his side. He glanced down to see little Jangmo'o bounce off as the attack did nearly nothing at all.
The little dragon was not about to let that stop him. He smashed his head again into the drampa's side without a different effect.
Jangmo'o squeaked, shaking his head in annoyance that he didn't do anything and tried again with a similar effect. Dennis was still a little shocked to see the young pokemon continue to stubbornly ram away with its head repeatedly.
In fact, it was so distracted that it never saw Torracat closing in with a flame charge.
Until it was too late.
With a bloodcurdling cry, the fire cat smashed into Dennis' side with all his might, aiming for the upper body. His much stronger kinetic force was enough to topple the drampa, almost right on top of Jangmo'o. The little dragon growled, jumping up and slamming his feet down into the ground, causing a shockwave to ripple out. Both attacks stuck with such an immense force that Dennis was whipped to the ground. Torracat and Jangmo'o proudly landed in front of the larger dragon tried to rumble up before collapsing as the fatigue took the best of it.
"We're not out of this yet!"
Elio's heart raced as he saw his pokemon both team up against the larger and more powerful foe. He had tried to emphasize teamwork, but didn't realize it was this good.
The growls didn't cease as Elio glanced back to see both of his pokemon glaring daggers at one another. Torracat turned around and stalked right up to Jangmo'o, getting right in the smaller pokemon's face.
Sun didn't understand pokemon language, but it was clear Torracat was upset about Jangmo'o interrupting the battle.
To his surprise; the little lizard flinched initially before his own eyes narrowed and he growled right back. However it still remained that timid squeak as opposed to the fierceness of Torracat's.
Over on the side, Lillie was definitely surprised.
Most of the time, Elio's pokemon all got along. Why are they like this?
Jangmo'o growled, lowering his front. Elio had been around him long enough to know that it was his stance to pounce or lunge at something.
Everything fell apart...right as Elio was about to praise both his pokemon for working in tandem so well.
Jangmo'o rushed forward, slamming into Torracat with a tackle that barely fazed him, only to get knocked down by the other pokemon's double kick. He was back on his feet instantly, jumping down on the ground and creating a shockwave that stunned Torracat and did a lot of damage.
"Hey!" Elio snapped, using his authoritative voice. "Knock if off both of you!"
Torracat actually stopped, glancing back at his trainer. However Jangmo'o used the opportunity to land an unobstructed headbutt in a cheap shot. After giving Elio a dirty glance for allowing him to be hit like that; Torracat turned back to Jangmo'o to continue the fight.
Neither of them noticed Dennis beginning to stir and slowly get back on his feet.
Elio just stood there, still trying to get over the fact that his pokemon were infighting. Why haven't I reached for my poke balls yet?
Torracat unleashed an overheat attack, but it was abruptly blocked by a protect Jangmo'o had thrown up. He dashed forward to deliver another headbutt and was met with a fire fang. The two pokemon struggled in a deadlock as they tried to overpower the other. Neither one could gain anything and neither one was willing to give in.
Despite his pokemon turning on one another; Elio was already impressed that Jangmo'o had caught onto the curve of fast paced battling.
"Use water pulse Dennis!"
Both pokemon glanced up to see the drampa already back on its feet and firing a bright blue orb of water.
Jangmo'o screeched loudly in alarm and rushed forward. As he did, another protect barrier covered and blocked it from reaching him. The pulse exploded on the smooth surface, throwing a fine mist everywhere and Jangmo'o used it to further his momentum to deliver another headbutt. Aided by the hard shield in front of him, he was able to knock aside Dennis.
Torracat rushed forward with a flame charge as Dennis quickly recovered, opening his mouth and unleashing something far more devastating.
Torracat's maneuverability wasn't very good when he charged in a straight line and he ended up rushing straight into the hyper beam, causing it to quickly burst and ripple across the field in a loud banging explosion. The buzzer sounded before the dust cleared and Elio knew that Torracat was out. However he didn't expect to see Jangmo'o's icon still on the board.
The little dragon cried out somewhere in the haze and all of a sudden, Elio felt a spiking pain in the front of his forehead, strong enough to make him visibly wince and clutch it.
Not this again!
It was unlike the one where he had faced the ultra beast, but felt more like the sensation he had experienced at the Festivus when Jangmo'o's armored skin was being pelted with the sharp swift stars.
That's strange.
But it was no time to contemplate. He had a battle to win, already yelling commands as he returned Torracat to his poke ball.
"Bulldoze!"
He cried, slamming his front two paws into the ground to create that ripple shockwave to knock around an unstable Dennis.
"Use twister!"
Get ready buddy!
Dennis fired two spouting whirlwinds that crosscrossed in front. Jangmo'o hesitated just for a moment and then dove forward towards them just as they intersected a second time. Now harmlessly past the super effective attack, he threw himself into a tackle, knocking Dennis on his back.
He jumped up again, now letting out another war cry as he slammed his front paws into the drampa's belly, creating another bulldoze shockwave and another dust cloud that kicked up around them.
Elio brushed a bit of it from his eyes and stared in to see Jangmo'o standing proudly atop a defeated Dennis...clearly knocked out this time with the buzzer confirming and the drampa icon blacking out.
"And that'zzz the match! Bzzt!" Rotom happily declared. "Gym leader Ryuki izzz out of uzzzeable pokemon! Therefore the greatezzzt trainer to ever walk the island hazzz won! Bzzt!"
Sun felt a surge of pride at Rotom's titling and the win definitely made him happy.
"I actually did it. I beat a gym leader."
An unofficial gym leader, but it feels the same whenever you've finally beaten one of the trials or an island kahuna.
Jangmo'o sauntered up to him, stopping at his feet and then sitting down, glancing up at him as if an obedient growlithe.
"Great job Jangmo'o."
He squeaked in response, but still stared at him.
What?
"What do you want buddy? You did a great job out there! I'm proud of you."
And you need to learn that some battles aren't for you to just jump in on. I'll be teaching you a lot about that.
Jangmo'o haughtily turned his head away.
Not sure what his deal is. I'm worried now that him and Torracat can't work together.
He had heard of it before; two pokemon not getting along and their petty rivalries often messed up a team's integrity. Obviously they had their differences, but it would have to be something he needed to sort out as well as both parties.
I guess we'll figure it out once I get on my way. In the meantime, let's celebrate ourselves a win!
"Thank you Dennis." Ryuki said as he returned his pokemon and walked across the field with a thin smile.
"Well I dig ya kid. You've got a lot of heart and maybe the beginnings of a little family feud. It may not have been by the official rules, but this isn't an official gym. So it doesn't count."
He reached into his shirt pocket and presented a small disc-like object. "Here's the Island Gym Badge!"
"Huh oh nice!" Elio took it and struck his signature pose, holding it skyward with three fingers. "It may not be an official one, but it sure looks cool!"
"And I've got something else for you too." Ryuki looked at the premier ball in Elio's hand. "Them dragon types are a special kind. He's definitely one of the hot blooded ones, so use these and make him even stronger.
He handed him two thin disks that resembled TMs, but instead, they had two distinct bands circling the center. One was the dark red of a fighting, the other a combination of blue and orange...an indication of a dragon type.
"Those are technical records." Ryuki explained as Elio pocketed them. "They're the new series of technical machines coming out...but they're back to the single use ability. I'm not sure why...since it's games ahead... but I have a feeling both of those moves will be useful to that Jangmo'o of yours. Just make sure he picks his battles and doesn't jump into anything foolhardy."
"I will. Thanks."
"Of course. I dig ya kid." The "gym leader" shook his hand. "And I expect to battle you in the future where you'll be much much stronger."
"Wow!" Lillie said as they exited the gym. "Whether you wanted it or not."
We've stepped into a war...no...wait...what? That is totally random.
"I actually got a gym badge." Elio breathed, turning it over. "Yeah it was a pretty remarkable one. Ryuki definitely wasn't easy to beat either."
"So what else did he give you?"
"Something called a technical record. Whatever that means."
"Oh they're like old TMs." Lillie explained. "They're able to teach stronger and more powerful moves, but they're used up only once. This way they can give trainers access to a bigger movepool that's cheaper."
Elio stared at her, perplexed at the explanation. "Since when did you become an expert on moves and machines?"
She giggled. "I...lived in the loft of a professor that takes pokemon moves on himself for a living. Don't you remember?"
"Oh yeah." He looked away sheepishly. "I kind of forgot about that."
Neither of them spoke for a couple of minutes as they walked towards the southern end. They both knew that their time together again was going to be coming to a close.
"Soooo," she started. "Are you up for hiking halfway around an island?"
"Maybe." Elio said, also deep in thought. "What if you came with me?"
"What? H-how would we do that?"
"Just like it said. You come with me as we hike around Ula'ula Island. See the sights, take on the trial." He smiled at her. "I'd love nothing more than for you to tag along."
"But I'm not outfitted right."
"Nonsense. You see Junior in there get me all squared away? That place can provide everything you need if you walk in bare."
"Thank you Elio," Lillie said. "But I have my own plans too. Acerola said she would be meeting up with me after you left. Said that we have some serious shopping to do."
"Oh," His expression fell and he gave a mock pout. "So you'd rather spend time looking at clothes than with me?"
"Don't be silly, it's not like I'd be much of a help with you anyway. If anything...I'd slow you down."
"Nonsense again. I'm not in a hurry to beat anyone or anything. What good is a journey if you can't enjoy it with the people you care about?" The boy stared right into her green eyes. "Besides, I think I'd go mad if I had to go that whole way by myself."
"Thank you Elio." Lillie held her hands close to her chest. "I really want to come with you, but I do have other obligations to fulfill. We will have plenty of other times to spend together and do something fun. Maybe we do end up taking a hike outside or actually going to the ruins in the desert?"
"Y-yeah." He stammered. "I'd like that. Here." He fumbled around in his bag and gingerly gave her the badge he just earned. "Hold onto this for me."
"What? But you just earned that!"
"It's just a badge. Maybe you can use it as your good luck charm when you're a trainer."
"Thank you Elio. You're such a sweetheart. You best get going! I'll be pulling for you!" Lillie said. "The sooner you get those trials done, the sooner we can meet together again!"
"Don't get Nebby into too much trouble!" Elio waved before he turned around, heading towards the path that led towards the taller grass, away from the paved roads and highways.
As he walked down, he glanced up to give Lillie one last wave before disappearing down the hill. She gave him that signature smile and waved right back.
I swear to the tapu that once this is all done, I'm asking her out on a date.
As much as he wanted to think about the cheerful blonde that encouraged him on his journey, he had to get serious. The hike to the next trial site wasn't going to be easy.
More concerning to him was Torracat and Jangmo'o at odds with one another. He never anticipated having a feud between his pokemon while being a trainer, yet the oldest and youngest on his team were already poised to tussle at it again.
Maybe it was just a one-time thing.
Something told him it wasn't.
I better figure it out. Sooner rather than later.
And that's a wrap. We've got some dissonance in the ranks of Elio's team! That's not good! Will he have what it takes to get those two to stop fighting each other and focus on the real enemy?! We'll see. And in an ironic twist; this has more dragon-type pokemon entries than the actual Draconid Festivus. How does that work?
As always; mahalo for reading and reviewing. You give my writing purpose.
Brav
