Track 6 - "Get It Right"


"Okay, so I think it's wise to remember that Pinsir is naturally afraid of the cold," Kaiko said. The two were walking towards the gym for Leinani's rematch. After Leinani allowed her Pokémon to rest for a day because of the intense training, she was eager to finally get her first victory.

"Yeah, I know."

"But, it might be wise for you to save DJ for last since you've been training with her so much," Kaiko said, now talking himself in circles. "I don't know what you should do, and I'm freaking out, Leilei!"

Leinani stopped and took in a deep breath. She tightened her red belt around her waist and then shrugged. "Let me handle it. I'm the trainer."


"So, you're back," Guzma asked as Leinani took her position at the trainer's box. "I hope you're not going to waste my time again. I have little tolerance for pipsqueaks who repeatedly fail."

"I've been training with Ulani. I think I'm ready."

"Ulani?" Guzma wondered. He seemed to soften slightly. "Interesting."

The man with the greying mustache that refereed their first match held up one white and one black flag in either hand. "The following battle will be between the gym leader, Guzma, and the challenger, Leinani Koa. It will be a single, two on two battle, and only the challenger is allowed to make substitutions. Begin!"

"It wouldn't be very gym leader-esque of me to be predictable," Guzma said. He pulled a Poké Ball from his belt and then tossed it forward. It wasn't Pinsir that appeared, but rather a small grey and purple Pokémon with bulbous yellow eyes.

Leinani paused momentarily before she pulled her Pokédex from her back pocket and scanned the Pokémon. She thought that it would have infuriated Guzma, but he instead looked impressed.

"Wimpod, the Turn Tail Pokémon. It's habitat varies from beaches to seabeds. A natural scavenger, it will gleefully chow down on anything edible, no matter how rotten," it chimed.

"A'ight," she said while tucking the Pokédex in. Do I save DJ for his stronger Pokémon or do I try to do a clean sweep? If DJ is injured early on, then that won't be good.

"Make your damn move, kid!" Guzma yelled, finally letting his emotions get to him.

She nodded and then drew out her Poké Ball. "Go, Shure!"

Sandshrew emerged from his Poké Ball before slightly bowing his head. He looked at Wimpod, who scowled back at him, making the Ice-type slightly nervous.

"Shure, use Powder Snow!"

"Shrew!" he cried out while releasing a soft wind from his mouth. It carried along bits of snow, which were damaging if they were touched.

"Aqua Jet!" Guzma commanded.

Moments before the wind would have wafted over Wimpod, he suddenly darted forward, encased in aquatic energy. He moved around the snow and then tackled directly into Sandshrew, knocking him backwards. The Ice-type rolled before finding his balance, but Guzma was relentless.

"Bug Buzz!"

"Defense Curl!" Leinani ordered.

Wimpod lifted his tail into the air and charged up energy, in a flash, he unleashed dark green energy from his body, and it blasted Sandshrew. Luckily, the Ice-type was fast enough to curl into a ball, and he safely rolled away.

"Get him out of that ball!" Guzma yelled. "Struggle Bug!"

"Bide!"

Before Guzma could tell Wimpod to stop, the Pokémon began to violently shake. It let out an evil cackle before it started to pound away at Sandhrew's shell. Dark green energy exploded off of its limbs with every strike, and the red hue around Sandshrew's body started to get brighter and brighter.

"Get out of there, Wimpod!" Guzma demanded.

"Shure, let 'em have it!"

The energy had built up enough, and the flash of light took over Sandshrew's body. What followed was an explosion, which engulfed both Pokémon, keeping them both out of sight from the trainers and referee.

"Is Shure okay?" Kaiko wondered. He held Togedemaru closely.

Finally, the red light faded away, revealing now that both Pokémon were rolled into balls. Sandshrew uncurled and then approached Wimpod closely. He slightly budged the smaller Pokémon, but there was no response.

"He's using his own Defense Curl! Watch out!" Kaiko warned.

"What?"

"Aqua Jet!" Guzma ordered with a sneer on his face.

Once again, Wimpod was engulfed in aquatic energy. Now at close range, it only took a second to connect with Sandshrew.

"Grab!" Leinani instructed.

Before Sandshrew could roll backwards, he reached out and grabbed ahold of Wimpod's tail. The smaller Pokémon began to panic and shake. He looked towards his trainer for instructions, but even if Guzma would have said anything, Wimpod's noisy screeches would have drowned it out.

"Powder Snow! Hit 'em hard!"

Now with a firm grip on his opponent, Sandshrew used his attack. The wind blew over Wimpod's body, and his screeches got even louder, piercing Leinani's ears like Driftveil's music. Eventually, the screeches did die down, but it was only because Wimpod was losing his voice. Before Guzma could give another order though, Wimpod was engulfed in a blue light, and he retreated back to the Poké Ball that was connected to his trainer's belt.

"Wait, what?" Leinani wondered. She slowly removed her hands from her ears.

The referee raised the black flag. "Because of Wimpod's ability, Wimp Out, Wimpod has retreated from the battle. The winner of this bout is Sandshrew!"

"Coward," Guzma muttered before spitting on the floor. "If it weren't for what you become, I wouldn't waste my time with you."

Wait, that means that I'm ahead. I still have two Pokémon left, and he's only got one! I can actually win this! Leinani thought.

"Don't you dare try to convince yourself that I'm down and out," Guzma said. He pulled his next Poké Ball from his belt. "I can see it on your face. Remember what happened the last time that you got cocky."

"How could I forget?"

"Pinsir, beat 'em up!" Guzma called while throwing his Poké Ball into the air. Pinsir materialized onto the field and snapped his horns together repeatedly. Sandshrew appeared slightly intimidated by the appearance of the Pokémon, and the effects of Bide were wearing down on him slightly.

"We won't back down!" Leinani said.

"Neither will we! Use X-Scissor!"

Pinsir snapped his horns closed and then ran forward. His horns began to glow with the dark green energy, and he prepared to clamp them down onto Sandshrew.

"Shure, use Defense Curl once more!"

"Shrew!" he responded while curling into a ball. Pinsir then came within striking distance and snapped his horns shut on Sandshrew's body. The Ice-type didn't go limp though, indicating that there was still fight left in him.

Leinani smiled. "Rapid Spin!"

While maintaining his balled up form, Sandshrew started to spin around. The sound of his shell scraped against Pinsir's sharp horns, creating even more of a chaotic noise. The Bug-type was forced to let go of his grip though, and he backed up a few feet.

"And now Powder Snow!"

Sandshrew stopped spinning and then slid his feet across the floor before facing Pinsir. He took in a deep breath and unleashed the cold wind onto the field once again. It washed over Pinsir, who let out a pained cry.

"Keep it going with one more Rapid Spin!"

"Vital Throw!"

Sandshrew attempted to strike once more with the rolling attack, but Pinsir caught him and used the inertia of his attack to throw him to the ground. Sandshrew hit with a sickening thud, and when the smoke cleared, he remained still.

"Sandshrew is unable to battle! Pinsir wins!"

Leinani sighed before returning Sandshrew back to his ball. "We were just finding a rhythm too." She looked at Pinsir who glared back at her with bloodshot eyes. "We won't lose again! DJ, go!"

Rowlet exploded from the Poké Ball, trilled, and then found a spot to stand on her side of the field. There was no hint of fear in her eyes as Pinsir tried to stare her down.

"Just by looking at your Rowlet, I can see improvement. Training for a bit did you good, kid."

"Rowlet's name is DJ. I'm gonna ask that you remember it," Leinani said sternly, making Guzma laugh. "DJ, attack with Peck!"

"Row!" the Grass-type cried out before taking off into the air. Her beak started to glow with energy, and she prepared to jab it into Pinsir's midsection.

"Vital Throw!"

"To the right!"

Pinsir reached out and attempted to grab Rowlet, but she was too fast. With one swift motion, she ducked under Pinsir's arms and then flew to the right before spinning around. Before Guzma or Pinsir could respond, Rowlet jabbed her beak into the Bug-type's side, forcing him to fly back slightly.

Guzma looked onto the field with his sunken eyes. He was surprised, but it looked as though he was having fun with the battle. "You got spunk, kid. Respect. But we're gonna end this one quickly." He held his hand into the air. Guzma's wrist was glowing brightly with a dark green energy. He stuck his arms out forward, and the energy in the room suddenly shifted.

"Savage Spin-Out," Leinani mumbled.

"You got that right!" Guzma yelled while striking his poses, building energy with each move. The air in the building suddenly stopped moving, making it seemingly impossible to breath. "Savage Spin-Out!"

The energy engulfed Pinsir like before. The Bug-type howled and then glared at Rowlet with a devilish look in his eyes. He released a thick string from his mouth, and it quickly surrounded Rowlet completely, who let out a muffled cry from her new cocoon.

"DJ!" Leinani and Kaiko screamed.

Pinsir grabbed a hold of the string and then pulled as hard as he could, yanking it from Rowlet's body. It constricted quickly and exploded into a shadowy smoke, but when it faded, Rowlet was nowhere to be found.

"Now!" Leinani yelled.

Rowlet trilled and then suddenly appeared behind Pinsir. She stuck out her talons, covered in a dark energy, and then kicked Pinsir in the back. The Bug-type was thrown forward, landing on his face with a hard thud. He slowly pushed himself back up, now shaking with anger.

"I was hoping that would have done it," Leinani whispered.

"We're not close to finished," Guzma said.

Leinani started to bob her head slightly and tap her thumb against her upper thigh. "Let's go, DJ! Peck!"

"Row-let!" the Pokémon hooted as she flew across the field with her glowing beak.

"Double Hit! Watch your surroundings!"

We can't do the same strategy twice in one battle. He's too smart for that, Leinani thought. "Straightforward! Don't hold back!"

The two Pokémon clashed, sending a shockwave of energy pulsating across the field. Rowlet pushed back as much as she could, but then Pinsir ducked and struck her with his other horn, spinning her around.

"Seismic Toss!" he yelled.

Pinsir snapped forward and grabbed a hold of Rowlet from behind. He held her close to his chest, and she squealed while looking towards Leinani with fear in her eyes. Pinsir jumped into the air while performing a multitude of flips. He stopped flipping and then held a now dizzied Rowlet into the air. With one quick toss, he threw the Grass-type at the ground. She crashed hard, kicking up smoke which hid her body.

"DJ!" Leinani yelled. She wanted to run on the field to check her Pokémon, but that'd be an immediate forfeit. "DJ, are you okay?!"

Everyone waited patiently, and then Leinani's heart sank into her chest as she heard a familiar trill. Slowly, Rowlet emerged from the smoke, bobbing back and forth and tapping her talons against the ground to match the rhythm that Leinani had created with her own tapping.

"They're insync," Kaiko muttered.

"Togede?"

"Keep fighting?" Leinani asked.

"Rowlet!"

"Dope! Shadow Sneak!" she instructed.

"Go, DJ!" Kaiko cheered.

Rowlet built up energy under her feathers before taking off into the air. Her body was enveloped in a shadowy energy, and she suddenly disappeared.

"Not again," Guzma said. "X-Scissor!"

As Rowlet appeared behind Pinsir, he turned around. His horns were once again surrounded by the dark green energy, and he snapped them shut, stopping Rowlet. The attack didn't hit directly, but it did knock Rowlet off of her rhythm momentarily.

"Another Seismic Toss!" Guzma yelled at the top of his lungs.

Pinsir snickered before reaching out and grabbing Rowlet yet again. This time, the two were face to face, and Pinsir could see the terror in Rowlet's eyes, only fueling his ego. He jumped into the air and began to flip before holding Rowlet in the air once again.

"Shadow Sneak!"

Before Pinsir could throw her at the ground, Rowlet used her shadowy energy and disappeared, leaving the Bug-type in shock. She then reappeared in front of Pinsir and knocked him down, forcing him to crash into the ground, but he was quick to emerge from the smoke.

"Don't let up! Don't lose your flow!" Leinani ordered. "Leafage!"

Rowlet flew down at an angle, forming leaves of green energy around her body. She spun her body around before unleashing the leaves, making them rain down onto Pinsir. However, none of them hit.

"What?" Guzma asked, puzzled. Pinsir's expression reflected his trainer's.

"Now!"

From the shadows, Rowlet emerged again.

"Peck!"

Rowlet let out her battle cry before jabbing her beak into Pinsir's back as hard as she could. She didn't let up and dragged Pinsir along the ground for a few moments before she took off into the air, leaving Pinsir's body laid out. The Bug-type was limp and didn't bother to get back up. Rowlet, knowing that the battle was over, flew over to Leinani and landed on her hat.

"Pinsir is unable to battle! DJ the Rowlet and Leinani are the victors!" the referee declared while holding his black flag up.

Leinani, Kaiko, and Rowlet could now all breathe and they all let out nervous laughter while Guzma returned Pinsir and walked to the middle of the field to meet with Leinani.

"I can't believe you beat me," Guzma said. "Either I'm going soft or you worked real hard the past couple of days."

Leinani bowed her head. Usually, she'd try to smack talk for fun, but she didn't want to risk a lecture from the Insect Kingpin. Now that they were closer to each other, she was able to actually get a decent read on him. Ulani was correct. He appeared more gentle up close. She glanced at the golden chain he had around his neck, noticing that the 'S' was the same design as Ulani's pendant.

"Here," he said while holding out his hand, revealing the dark green Z-Crystal and the same badge that Ulani had earned. "This is the Pest Badge. It's yours."

Leinani slowly took the two items, and she couldn't help but contain her smile. She held them into the air with both of her hands and watched as what little light was in the room reflected off of their surfaces.

"They're beautiful," she muttered.

"With that Buginium Z you'll be able to use Savage Spin-Out. You'll have to earn a Z-Ring first," he said.

"Wait, what? You're not going to give me one?" Leinani asked, suddenly lowering the two items. "Why not?"

"That's Uhuli's job. He's your mentor, so you'll get a Z-Ring when you beat him-er-if you can beat him," Guzma said with a hint of angst in his voice. "As much as I hate to admit it, he's strong, and in your current condition, you're no match for him."

"I see," she muttered quietly.

"Look, kid. I want you to know that it's my job to test you. When you get good, and I mean real good, I want a rematch," Guzma exclaimed. He looked away from Leinani and held his head up high. "You did good today."


AUTHOR'S NOTES:

This was such a fun battle to write. Leinani still has a lot of growing to go, but I think she deserved this win, at least. Next chapter, it's time to introduce some vital characters!

Also, I got the idea to start up my own Wiki from UKEagleClaw. If you look up Kokoro Echo's Pokemon Universe, you may be able to find it. I haven't had much time, so I've only written a few entries, but still. I'll keep it updated from time to time when I'm feeling burnt out on battles and such.

REVIEWS:

UKEagleClaw - "Nice character-building chapter for Leinani. The music-related humour was very funny, enjoyable to read. Ulani appearing helped unearth more about Leinani, case in point the 'Leinani always studied independently' paragraph. Had a look back at Ulani's appearance. Considering she seems to have a Team Skull pendant, and she's from Po Town, I'm guessing she may be related to a Team Skull member. Also, I liked the name (typically Guzma) and look of the Pest Badge too! Interested to see whether Leinani can win it in the next chapter!" - So, Ulani is kind of apart of Guzma's new and reformed Team Skull. They're not bad guys or disruptive of the peace anymore though.

wisdom-jewel - "I like to think that Leinani and Ulani would be friendly rivals or do becomes friends. It would be interesting to see it happen." - We'll have to see down the line!

CrescentApple - "I've been reading Ulani's description, and I can't figure out where her appearance comes from. There is a major difference between how each trainers handle their pokemon, and its cool music is helpful in training. The only time I remember music involved in the anime was during one of the orange islands challenges. I'm curious if Guzma will go out again, because I can't see Leilani winning at all unless he holds back." - She has the Team Skull 'S' pendant on her necklace! Nothing nefarious. Yeah, Guzma had to hold back as part of his job as a gym leader. He just wasn't very nice about it in the first battle.