Track 3 - "Time of the Season"


Because of the duo's encounter with Tapu Bulu, they walked at a slower pace. No matter how fast they wanted to move, the sight of the beast had terrified them. By the time they arrived at the meadows, it was already night time, so they chose to stay at the Pokémon Center nearby and start over in the morning.

Leinani took the time to get both Rowlet and Sandshrew healed up. She also checked her Pokédex, which informed her that Sandshrew was a male. And from what she gathered, he was roughly around the same level of experience as Rowlet.

The next morning, Kaiko woke up early and showered. By the time that he had finished getting ready, Leinani was leisurely getting out of bed. She groaned as he came into the room, already dressed and prepared to go. Her usually lightly curled hair looked like a mess of wires, and she moved like a zombie.

"Alola!"

"Shut up," she mumbled while she put her headphones on. She lugged past Kaiko so she could go to the shower room and get ready.

Kaiko laughed once she left the room, and he looked at the three Pokémon. Rowlet was perched on top of Sandshrew's head. The Flying-type was light enough to where it was no problem.

"She must have not got a good night's sleep!"

"Toge!"

"Shrew?"

"Row."

Since the Pokémon Center was right outside the meadows, it only took them as long as it took for Leinani to get ready to actually arrive. Leinani had been to Ula'ula Meadow once before on a class field trip, so the hundreds of bright red flowers didn't surprise her.

Kaiko was taken aback. Upon entering, he could feel the air change, almost becoming pure. He bent over on the wooden bridge and smelled at the flowers, only to be surprised when a small Pokémon came out to greet him.

"I know I said that we're on a tight schedule, but I was wondering if I can use your Pokédex to collect data on the Pokémon?" he asked with pleading eyes and his hands held out.

Leinani rolled her eyes before handing over the Pokédex. "Let's split up for now. I'm still not fully awake yet. You do you. Meet me by the exit for Route 17 in an hour, okay?"

"Okay, Leilei!" Kaiko exclaimed while jumping into the flowers with excitement.

Leinani put her headphones over her head and then continued to walk on the bridge. She had no interest in the flowers, so she had no idea what she'd do for the next hour. But near the exit for Route 17 was a separate road. They didn't go there when she came here with her classmates, so out of sheer curiosity, she decided that's where she'd spend her time.

"Lake of the Sunne and Moon," she read out loud as she walked past the sign. "Cool."

Sure enough, she entered into a lake area. In the middle of the lake were rundown ruins, appearing to be untouched by humans for many years. Grass had grown all over the place, and even Pokémon seemingly chose to not live there. Sun shone through the cracked ceiling, giving it enough light for vegetation to thrive.

Although Leinani had always put music before anything else, she felt that blaring her 60's rock would be disrespectful in such an ancient area. She pushed the button on her head phones repeatedly, turning down her tunes to where she could barely hear them.

Leinani had a personal rule of never walking on grass if a path was given, and since there had been a stone path laid out, she chose to walk along it, leading her to a large round platform. In the middle was a small statue, made to look like some kind of ancient podium. Leinani walked closer to observe it, finding nothing there.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" a voice asked.

Leinani shot around and put her arms up, ready to start throwing hands if whoever it was was dangerous. But to her surprise, she knew the person. In his usual black shirt with golden flower print, skinny light blue jeans held up with a leather white belt, and white travel backpack was her classmate, Enoka.

"Alola."

"It's just you," she said with relief as she removed her headphones. "Don't scare me like that."

"You're jumpy."

"Well, I've had quite the adventure already."

"How did your battle with Uhuli go?" he asked. He already knew the answer, but he wanted to see what she'd say.

She folded her arms. "He wants to battle me when I'm stronger, so we're postponing it."

Enoka smiled. "So, you gotta go back to him? Ain't that romantic?"

"What are you doing here?"

Enoka walked up the cement steps and looked at the podium. "I don't know. I felt like it was calling me, so I just came here. When I saw you, I was really surprised."

"Well, there's nothing to see," Leinani said as she shifted her backpack. "I think I'll be off then."

"How about we battle?"

"Huh?" Leinani stopped in place.

"I still haven't had my first battle, and I imagine that you haven't had yours either. How about we battle each other? There's no better opponent, and this is the perfect location," he explained.

Leinani shook her head. "I don't want to waste my time battling you. My first battle needs to be legendary." She started to walk away once more, making sure to avoid stepping on the grass.

"How do you ever expect to become a champion with that attitude?" Enoka smiled. "But I guess you're right. I probably wouldn't gain any experience from battling with you. After all, my Litten would crush your Rowlet with no problem."

She stopped. "Alright then. But rules!"

"Rules?"

"Two on two; no substitutions. And my Rowlet's name is DJ. Put some respect on it."

Enoka pulled a Poké Ball from his white belt. "You got it, cousin."


Kaiko slowly sifted through the flowers, making sure that he and Togedemaru were careful not to step on any. He took pictures of the flowers at all angles, trying to make sure he could study them thoroughly.

"I think these flowers would look great as Leilei's background image," Kaiko suggested. He pulled up the saved pictures on Leinani's Pokédex and gasped. Besides the pictures that Kaiko took himself, there was only one other. It was of Leinani and Kaiko when they were younger. They were dressed in martial arts gi and posing with their old sensei. It appeared like the picture had been scanned before they left Malie City.

"Toge?" Togedemaru wondered as he noticed that his trainer became silent.

"It's nothing."


"C'mon out, Pikipek!" Enoka yelled while throwing his Poké Ball forward. It exploded open and a small bird Pokémon with a large head and pointed beak appeared. It landed on the ground before preening at its feathers.

My first battle. I have to strategize as much as possible on the fly. He's chosen a Flying-type, and I know that he has Litten on reserve, she thought while pulling out her Poké Ball. "Go, Shure!"

Leinani's newest Pokémon emerged in front of her. He looked up at Pikipek before lowering his head.

"Doesn't really look like a fighter," Enoka said.

"You'll see! Shure, use Scratch!" Leinani commanded.

"Shrew!" her Pokémon called out as he ran across the cement with his arms extended outwards. He was rather slow with his movements, but determined nonetheless.

"Use Echoed Voice!"

Pikipek jumped back a few feet before opening her mouth and screeching. Her loud voice reverberated off of the stone walls, and it was so loud, putting Sandshrew to a stop.

"And now Peck!"

Pikipek took into the air, and her beak started to lightly glow with energy as she raced across the ruins.

"Ice Shard!" Leinani yelled.

Sandshrew opened his mouth before howling softly. A cool wind blasted from within, carrying with it a collection of ice.

"Dodge!"

Pikipek was much faster than Sandshrew or Leinani had assumed. She twisted her body and was able to move under the blast of wind before continuing forward. She jabbed her beak into Sandshrew's belly, forcing him backwards a few feet.

"One more time!" Enoka called.

Pikipek returned to the air before spinning around and diving once again.

"Alright, so we gotta be defensive! Defense Curl!" Leinani commanded.

Sandshrew was relieved to hear it, and he curled his body up into a ball. Pikipek collided with his back before she bounced off. She squawked as she panicked from the self inflicted pain.

"That's no problem, Pikipek!" Enoka said. "Let's do our ultimate attack!"

"Ultimate attack?!"

"Rock Smash!"

"That's gonna hurt a lot!" Leinani yelled. She looked at Sandshrew, who remained curled in his ball. It reminded her of her battle with him, and she got an idea. "Alright. Bide!"

Pikipek flew high into the air before pointing downwards once again. Her beak began to glow a brighter white, and she started to come down in a spiraling motion. Within seconds, she crashed into Sandshrew, causing a small explosion of dust to kick up, cloaking the two momentarily.

"Did it work?" Enoka wondered.

Leinani looked closely at the dust, trying to get an idea of the condition of her Pokémon. But instead of seeing Sandshrew, she caught a glimpse of the familiar red aura from before.

"Perfect!" she shouted. "Now!"

The red glow took over Sandshrew completely, and Pikipek watched on in horror. Sandshrew let out a howl as his body surged. The energy exploded off of him, blasting Pikipek into the air. Once the energy all faded away, Pikipek came crashing down, her body limp.

"That's one for me!" Leinani said with a grin.

Enoka returned Pikipek and then pulled his next Poké Ball out from his belt. "We're just getting warmed up."


It had been roughly half an hour since Kaiko split with Leinani. He and Togedemaru were sitting on the wooden bridge and drinking from two juice boxes. Kaiko looked up at the sky, which was plastered with clouds, allowing for it to be a cool day with lots of shade.

"I'm excited," Kaiko said.

"Toge?"

"One day, you and I will get to go on some grand adventure! I don't know if I'll take on gyms or the island challenge, but I do know that I'm excited to do it with you by my side!"

"Toge!"

"Tomorrow, we'll get to see just how gym battles work!" he exclaimed. "And I'm so excited because it'll be Leilei's first ever battle!"


"Litten, let's do this!" Enoka yelled as he threw his Poké Ball forward. Litten emerged and then hissed, causing embers to emit from his back.

Sandshrew won't be able to take a single Fire-type attack. Whatever we do, we have to make our move count, Leinani thought as she looked at Sandshrew. The Ice-type was exhausted, and he looked back at Leinani for some reassurance.

"You can save your Sandshrew the pain of defeat by returning him and choosing your next Pokémon," Enoka said.

Leinani shook her head. "We're fighting until the end."

"Litten, start with Scratch!"

"Ice Shard! Don't give up!"

Litten's claws started to glow with energy, and he bounded forward quickly. Sandshrew responded by once again blowing the cool wind from his mouth. But Litten was too fast, finding it easy to duck and weave around it. When he reached Sandshrew, he struck, making Sandshrew spin around and face his trainer.

"Ember!"

The hair on Litten's back stood up before he blasted a small spout of fire. The fire exploded once it connected with Sandshrew, sending him flying towards Leinani. She reached out and caught him, realizing now how heavy he was. She then looked at him in the eyes as he fell unconscious.

"I told you," Enoka said.

Leinani, staying silent, allowed the red light from her ball to withdraw Sandshrew. She then pulled out Rowlet's Poké Ball and tossed it forward. Rowlet emerged and trilled happily before she found her foe. She landed on the cement path and the two Pokémon stared at each other.

"This is a legendary battle!" Enoka said, fire in his eyes. "A battle between two of Alola's starter Pokémon at the Lake of the Sunne and Moone! And one day, one of us is going to be the champion! What's not to love?"

Leinani smiled. While she did want to have her first battle be with a gym leader, she did like how Enoka romanticised their bout.

"Litten, use Fury Swipes!"

"Try Astonish!"

Litten repeated his motions from before, but now with the intention to slash wildly. Rowlet was prepared though, and she snapped forward, jabbing her beak directly into Litten's midsection. The Fire-type was barely damaged, but he was still surprised, leaving him stunned momentarily.

"Peck with full force!"

Rowlet trilled as she took off into the air. She spun around and then drove her beak into Litten once more, knocking him across the stone path.

"Not bad," Enoka said. Litten got back up on all fours, and the two grinned. "But not good enough!"

"We'll show you! Leafage!"

"Fire back with Ember!"

The two Pokémon released their attacks forward, and they collided. It was a mix of green energy and small gouts of flames that didn't match chemically. To Leinani's dismay, the fire attack overpowered Leafage and then continued on its path straight for Rowlet.

"Dodge, and then use Peck!"

Rowlet trilled and then smoothly took off into the air. She easily avoided the blasts of flames, flew straight through the smoke caused by the combination of the attacks, and then jabbed herself into Litten once again. Litten's body scraped against the stone path, but he was determined and back on his feet within seconds.

"How about we test their pure strength?" Enoka asked.

"We'll win! Tackle!"

"Scratch!"

The two Pokémon bounded straight towards one another. Rowlet shifted her body and stuck out her talons while Litten's paw lit up with white energy. When they were close enough, they both struck, but their power was even, and they held against each over momentarily.

"Break it off and use Fury Swipes!"

Litten's other paw lit up with energy, and he swiped upward, knocking Rowlet directly in the face. She flew into the air, but then the Fire-type continued his assault. He slashed a few times before Rowlet could recover and retreat to gain some relief.

"We'll finish this now!" Enoka said while striking a pose. "Litten, hit 'em with Ember!"

"Dodge, and use Peck!" Leinani ordered once more

Litten unleashed the small spurts of flames once more, and Rowlet followed by weaving around the attack, her beak glowing with a white hue.

"Jump with Ember!"

"Huh?!"

Before Rowlet could reach him, Litten changed the direction of his attack, blasting it at the ground. The force of the blast rocketed Litten into the air, and he leapt over Rowlet, landing directly behind her.

"Now, one more Ember!"

With Rowlet's back turned to Litten, there was nowhere for her to run. Litten hissed before unleashing the flames yet again, and they pelted into Rowlet repeatedly. When Rowlet fell to the ground limp, Litten ceased his attack.

"We did it!" Enoka cheered. He ran onto the field and caught Litten in his arms. "You were amazing."

Leinani slowly walked onto the field, Poké Ball in hand. She looked down at Rowlet, who gazed up weakly at her. "We have work to do." The red light then latched onto Rowlet before taking her in.

"It wasn't a bad battle for our first!" Enoka said before holding his hand out. "I'm looking forward to next time!"

Leinani looked at his hand, and she sighed. She hated how positive he was, especially since he won, but she didn't want to look like a sore loser.

She reached out her hand, but then suddenly stopped as something large splashed at the lake. The two looked at each other and then ran along the path before they found the edge of the lake. The water was rippling, and Leinani thought she saw something take off into the sky, but she wasn't positive.

"Maybe just a Magikarp," Enoka muttered.

"Maybe."

"Or maybe!"

"Maybe?"

"Maybe it was Tapu Bulu giving us its blessing!"

Leinani looked to the sky. "Maybe."

Enoka decided to stay around at the lake, so Leinani left without him. Standing by the entrance to Route 17 were Kaiko and Togedemaru, who were playing with a small, yellow Bug-type Pokémon.

"How was looking at flowers?" she asked.

Kaiko smiled upon seeing his sister. "It was so fun! I'm sorry if it irritated you that we took a small break, but I took a lot of pictures! They're on your Pokédex." He handed back the small tablet.

"It's no problem," she replied while tucking the dex into her back pocket. "How about we get to Po Town now?"

"Yes! Yes!" Kaiko yelled. He looked up at his big sister. "I'm so excited! I'll get to see your first gym battle live and in person! And not only that, but it's going to be your first battle ever!"

Leinani paused, and her eyes widened. "Oh."

"Oh?"

"Oh, it's nothing! I'm also excited! Let's go!"


AUTHOR'S NOTES:

This was a fun chapter to work on. I wanted to build more on Leinani's relationships with Kaiko, Enoka, and even Malie City's gym leader (just a small hint). And just so it's clear, Leinani and Enoka aren't cousins. It's just popular to refer to people you're close with as "cousin" in Hawaii.

Next chapter is Leinani's first gym battle! Any prediction on what type of Pokémon she'll be facing off against?

REVIEWS:

wisdom-jewel - "I do like Leinani. Now that she has two Pokemon, I wonder how they would interact with each other. This would be fun indeed." - I've gone through the chapters I've already written to add in a few more interactions between the two Pokemon. I honestly haven't put much thought into their relationship, so I'll have to consider it.

pokestets23 - "I love the decision for her second Pokemon! I like that Tapu Bulu has appeared for her. I feel that they would connect more. But we shall see!" - I do intend for Tapu Bulu to come back a couple of times. It'll be rooting for Enoka and Leinani to become strong trainers.

CrescentApple - "Huh, didn't expect Tapu Bulu to show up when it did. Its cool she gives her pokemkn nicknames, but I also like the idea you put in these stories. Characters make mistakes, but it doesn't always mean they fail right then and there. Leilani made a mistake attacking Sandshrew with bide, when she could have waited and then attacked, but she still defeated it regardless. I love the dynamic between Kaiko and Leilani. They couldn't act any different but clearly care for one another. I feel there's more chemistry here." - The main focus for this story (besides Pokemon battles and such) will be family relationships. Leinani and Kaiko will have a similar to relationship to myself and my younger brother.

UKEagleClaw - "Cool chapter. Liked the second paragraph early on: nice little bit of build towards strengthening Leinani and Rowlet's chemistry. And it's easy to picture Rowlet standing beside her, listening quietly—and perhaps bobbing his head back and forth down the line! Really liked the Rowlet-Sandshrew battle and how Sandshrew tried rolled itself into a ball to defend itself from Rowlet's attacks. Very nice, distinctive to Sandshrew, and also logical Leinani wanted an Ice-type w/her admiration for Uhuli. Nice surprise appearance from the Tapu and I like how he stared them off, haha. Good humour too. The sudden and snappy 'Shut up' towards the end made me laugh. Kaiko's working well as a companion currently, so I'm interested to see how her future travelling companions compare." - Although Leinani has a small disdain for Rowlet (because she's not Litten), I hope that they two will grow into a good team. Also, I'm gonna try to end each chapter with a snappy, humorous ending.