Track 8 - "8 Steps to Perfection"
"We're now arriving at our final stop, the Hokulani Observatory. All passengers must disembark. Please watch your step," the gentle woman's voice rang over the speakers of the bus. "Please enjoy your visit to Mount Hokulani!"
Leinani's eyes were closed tightly, and she appeared peaceful. She had put her headphones on and turned on older hip hop music, which lulled her into a relaxing sleep.
Kaiko smiled at his sister. He looked at all of the people who were getting off. He enjoyed seeing Leinani in such a state of peace, and he worried that as soon as he woke her up, she'd scream about him interrupting her music.
"Leilei," he whispered while lightly nudging her. "It's time to wake up."
Leinani's eyes shot open, and she immediately looked at Kaiko, freezing him at the core of his soul. He waited, knowing that a storm was coming his way.
Then, she yawned while stretching her arms out above her head. She looked around the bus, noticing that everyone else was getting off. She shrugged, stood up, grabbed her bag from the rack, and pushed herself past Kaiko.
"C'mon, dude," she said when she realized that Kaiko didn't move an inch. "Don't got all day."
The Koa siblings had gone to Mount Hokulani and the observatory countless times. Since it was near Malie City, they would go with the school once a year to learn information about Electric-type Pokémon. But in addition to that, their father worked at the observatory, and they frequently were tasked with bringing him dinner when he was asked to work late shifts.
"You're home, buddy!" Kaiko exclaimed as he got off of the bus. He held Togedemaru into the air, and the two giggled.
Leinani took a look around the peak of the mountain, and she sighed. It wasn't as impressive at the peak as the base made it seem. Because of the electromagnetic energy that surged through the area, there was no sign of grass or any other kind of foliage. The road was made up of dark brown dirt, and everything else was a lighter brown. It wasn't a beautiful sight to see, but it was a sight that she loved.
The two entered the power plant, which was bustling with tourists and workers alike. The receptionist, who was familiar with the two, greeted them.
"Where's pop at?" Leinani asked.
"He's in the back preparing for tonight. There's supposed to be a Minior shower, and he wants to make sure he captures all of their activity on video," she explained.
"Dope, let's go say hi."
"Yay!"
Their father was a fair-skinned man in his late 40's. His hair was curly, thinning, and grey. And he was tall and lanky. He had thick goggles over his eyes as he observed the small brown Pokémon in front of him.
The Pokémon was spherical with what appeared to be a shell made of rock. It floated in the air slowly, its movements barely visible.
"Minior, the Meteor Pokémon. It lives in the ozone layer, where it becomes food for stronger Pokémon. When it tries to run away, it falls to the ground," Leinani's Pokédex chimed.
"Well, that sucks," she muttered.
Mr. Koa smiled upon seeing his children. "Leilei, Kai. It's good to see you two. How has your adventure been so far?"
Leinani held out her Pest Badge. "I beat the Po Town Gym Leader a couple of days ago. Now we're chillin' and seein' the sights!"
"Next up is Uhuli!" Kaiko exclaimed excitedly.
"Ah, your boyfriend!" Mr. Koa said with a laugh. He pulled his goggles from his head, revealing his light blue eyes. "I hope you can win!"
"He's not my boyfriend!"
"You're right. He's not your boyfriend. You have just had a huge crush on him since you were seven," he said as he pulled his two kids into a hug. "Thanks for coming today! I'm sorry that I didn't get to say a proper goodbye. Work has kept me busy, and I'm always so tired when I get home. I gotta admit though, it's been a lot quieter with the two of you gone. I've gotten a lot more sleep than usual."
"That's because Leilei isn't playing her music over the loudspeakers anymore!"
"Nah. It's your dumb cartoons."
Mr. Koa laughed. "It's only been a week, but I have sort of missed it. I'm glad you two are getting along though."
Leinani looked at the Minior closer. "A Minior shower?"
"Yeah. This Minior and many others like it that have arrived on Mount Hokulani will shed their shells tonight and then take off into the sky. It'll be a beautiful sight to see." He changed his attention back to Leinani, trying to get a closer look at the badge. "I'm proud of you Leilei. I always knew that you had something deep within you. I want you to keep doing your best."
"Of course."
"And, thank you. I'm glad that you could bring Kaiko with you on your adventure through Ula'ula. It's good to bond with your siblings when you're young. You lose touch when you get older. Enjoy these times while you can."
Mr. Koa had to get back to work, which meant that Leinani and Kaiko had to leave his laboratory. Kaiko ate in the cafeteria while Leinani roamed around the outside, observing the different canyons that Mount Hokulani had to offer.
A herd of Geodude, led by a Golem marched in the distance, making sure to stay off of the roads and away from people. Skarmory and Fearow flew overhead, looking for prey to hunt on.
This was the perfect time for her to listen to music alone and consider her next steps on her journey. It was cooler at the peak of the mountain, and she enjoyed the breeze on her skin.
Mount Lanakila was taller than Hokulani, and she could see it off in the distance. It appeared to be a much colder mountain with snow covering its upper half. She couldn't see the peak, where the Elite Four resided, as it was hidden in the clouds.
"One day," she muttered. She took a seat on a bench and continued to look at Mount Lanakila.
"You okay?" Kaiko asked. He had finished his lunch and grabbed something to-go for Leinani. He set it on her lap and smiled.
"I won't be coming back here for a while," she said as she pulled her headphones down to her neck. "Won't lie, I'm kind of bummed out. My life is changing because of this journey, and I don't know when I'll be back."
"I know."
"You know?"
"Yeah. I know when you'll be back."
Leinani was confused. "Okay. When?"
"This time next year, Leilei! You'll be battling against the Elite Four and the champion, and when you win, you'll be the new champion, so you'll be here-er-there!" he pointed towards Mount Lanakila.
"Thanks for believing in me," she said quietly.
"You know what you should do?"
"What?"
"Catch a Pokémon while we're here! That way, if you ever feel like you're forgetting Ula'ula or Hokulani or even Malie City, you'll have a Pokémon to help you remember! DJ will help you remember Malie City, and Shure is there to help you remember Mount Lanakila and your goal, and whatever you catch here will help you to remember your life before you became the coolest trainer ever!"
Leinani laughed. "Alright. So, what do I catch?"
"How about one of those Geodude?"
"Nah. Not really my style."
"What about that?" Kaiko said while pointing. There was a small yellow creature making its way slowly through some of the rocks.
Leinani flipped her Pokédex between her fingers and then scanned the Pokémon. "Grubbin, the Larva Pokémon. They often gather near places frequented by electric Pokémon in order to avoid being attacked by bird Pokémon."
"It's not really my type either," she said. "But, you never know until you catch it, and it's here, so why not?"
"That's the spirit!" Kaiko exclaimed. "Kind of!"
Leinani stood up and cupped her hands around her mouth. "Hey, Grubbin!"
"Gru?" the Pokémon wondered as it slowly turned around. Its eyes widened when it realized that it was a trainer calling.
"I'm gonna catch you now. Don't freak out," she said. She considered her two options before throwing her ball forward. Sandshrew appeared. He lowered his head while looking at Grubbin, unsure of what kind of battle he was getting into.
Leinani was sure that Grubbin was going to try to run, but it instead turned towards Sandshrew and then lunged. Its jaws started to glow with green energy and snapped them down onto Sandshrew's arms, making the Ice-type screech.
"Shure, use Rapid Spin!"
Sandshrew lifted his arms into the air and held the small Pokémon above his head. Leinani furrowed her brow.
Then, Sandshrew began to spin around quickly, flinging the bug Pokémon to the side. Sandshrew followed by ramming his body into Grubbin. The Bug-type's body hit the ground, but it was quick to recover. It shook its head before focusing on Sandshrew and then unleashing a thick web from its mouth. The web wrapped around Sandshrew, putting his spinning to a stop.
"A Z-Move?!" Leinani yelled.
Kaiko laughed. "It's just a String Shot."
"I knew that!" she said, embarrassed. "I was just testing you!"
Grubbin seemed confused by the exchange, but it took the opportunity to strike. It dug its pincers into the ground before flinging some mud into the air. The attack hit Sandshrew directly, knocking him onto his back. Grubbin roared before bounding forward, ready to strike once more.
"Shure, use Defense Curl!"
Sandshrew couldn't move much because of the web, but he managed to roll up into a ball. Grubbin then clamped his jaws down onto Sandshrew, but it seemingly did nothing. It squeezed harder and harder, aggravated that its attack appeared so weak.
"Now, Powder Snow!"
While Grubbin focused on getting its jaws around Sandshrew's back, the Ice-type slowly peeked his head out. He took in a deep breath and then blasted a cold wind from his mouth, sending Grubbin into the air. The Bug-type once more smacked against the ground with a solid thud. This time, it didn't get back up.
"Yes! I did it!" Leinani exclaimed.
"You still need to catch it," Kaiko reminded her.
"Oh yeah." Leinani drew out a shiny new Poké Ball and then threw it forward. It connected with Grubbin before drawing it in with a flash of red light. The ball hit the ground and began to roll around as the Pokémon fought back. Then, it went still.
"Yes! Now I did it!"
Then, the ball started to move again, and the two siblings froze as they watched intently.
Then, it went still.
"Yes?"
Ding.
"Yes!" Leinani shouted as she ran forward. She picked up the ball and held it into the air. "I caught a Grubbin!"
"Shrew!"
Leinani put her Pokédex against the Poké Ball, allowing it to thoroughly scan the inside contents and get Grubbin's detailed information.
"Female!" she exclaimed. "Mud-Slap, String Shot, Bug Bite, and Bite!"
"What are you gonna name it?" Kaiko asked. He walked closer and tried to look at the Pokédex.
"Believe it or not, I actually thought about this during the battle. When Shure held Grubbin over his head, I got an idea. I think I'll name her Boombox!"
"Boombox?"
"You don't like it?"
"No! No! I love it!" he said nervously, sweat dripping down his cheeks.
"Today was fun, Leilei," Kaiko said quietly as the two watched the night sky. "When you're finished and you become the champion, do you think you'll have time to make it up here?"
Leinani unplugged her headphones and let her device play from its small speakers. The music was slower hip hop, but the lyrics were still as aggressive as ever. She put her hand on Kaiko's shoulder and shook him slightly.
"You give me a call, and I'll be here, Kai."
Kaiko slightly shifted his body away from Leinani. He had started to cry, and he didn't want her to make fun of him. In only a few days, their journey together on Ula'ula Island would be over and then his sister would be on her own.
"It's starting!" Leinani exclaimed. She pointed at the sky. Streaks of various colors blasted from Mount Hokulani and into the air. As they got higher, they started to dissipate, turning into small sparkles that then rained back down to the earth.
"Places where Minior fall from the night sky are few and far between, with Alola being one of the precious few," Leinani's Pokédex chimed.
"I guess that's one thing that makes Alola special."
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
In my most recent playthrough of Ultra Sun, I ended up using a team that I normally wouldn't have, and it made me appreciate those Pokémon. One of those Pokémon was Grubbin, so I figured I'd give it to Leinani for her to raise. She'll get one more Pokémon from my last team, but I'll keep it a secret for now.
What is your Alola team?
REVIEWS:
UKEagleClaw - "I really enjoyed this chapter. Leinani's character has been fun to read, and has worked well with Kaiko's. I particularly liked the paragraph which mentions the Thrifty Megamart. Nice character development with Leinani no longer wanting to go there because of her encounter with Tapu Bulu earlier. Leinani's reaction to the Luvdisc was very interesting. Again, I'm thinking that's hinting towards her having a crush on the Ice gym leader. The sky siphon thing was intriguing and so was the Aether Foundation showing up. On reflection, I presume it might have been a wormhole." - I'm glad you caught he Thrifty Megamart mention. I intended for it to be a reflection of her small growth as a character.
CrescentApple - "Hmm, I vaguely recall you did mention Aether foundation would be more frequent at some point. I would have been okay if Logan was part of it or not. Oooooh, I wonder if Leinani and Kaiko will see Type Null! I chuckled when Leinani shouted at the scientists standing near her bags, they just shrugged and walked away." - Her yelling at people is going to be a recurring thing.
wisdom-jewel - "It would be interesting to see if Kaiko sees the strange thing. And I wonder what it is. Maybe a legendary or what. And I think it is a good idea for Kaiko to keep quiet since Aether Foundation might try to rope them in." - There were certain Pokemon that I didn't properly do justice in Awaking Alola. I'm hoping to do them justice now.
pokestets23 - "Cool chapter. I was hoping she would catch a water-based Pokemon and pull off some magic during battles!" - This is going to be a problem that I'll deal with later on. Dont you fret!
