Track 12 - "Who Can It Be Now?"
The two were now in Konikoni City, a place famous for being home to not only the island kahuna but also two of the trial captains. Leinani and Kaiko didn't intend to stay here for very long, but they knew that they had to visit while they were on Akala Island.
It appeared to be an expensive place to live in comparison to Malie City. All of the houses were huge and made of marble. They had plenty of outside space too, including full front and backyards. Leinani felt a sense of jealousy when she saw a family of four having a barbeque with their neighbors. It had only been a little over a week since they left Ula'ula Island, but she was already feeling homesick. Having Kaiko around helped to alleviate some of it though.
The two wandered the streets and through the markets. They came to a small elderly lady. She wore a white and purple shall over her shoulders. Behind her sat a simian Pokémon with a similar look. It was smoking from a cigarette, something that Leinani had never seen a Pokémon do before.
"It's because Oranguru's intelligence is so high that it is able to smoke!" the old lady said. "They're known to even be able to battle like they're Pokémon trainers! Isn't that interesting?"
Leinani shrugged. "Smoking is bad for you, and if its intelligence was so high, then you'd think it'd know that, and it'd stop smoking."
The Oranguru paused before billowing some smoke towards Leinani. The young trainer became red in the face, but before she could lash out, Kaiko grabbed her and held her back.
"What is it that you sell, pretty lady?" Kaiko asked, his voice strained.
The old lady tried to muffle her laughter. "Very smooth, young man. I'm a friendship guru! I can tell you how strong your bond with your Pokémon is!"
Kaiko's eyes lit up. "Really!" He held Togedemaru to his chest. "Can you examine me and Togedemaru?"
"Let me see," she said while holding her glasses closer to her eyes and looking at the two. There was a glaze to her eyes that Leinani had never seen before. "You and your Togedemaru sure have been together for quite a while, eh?"
"Yeah! Since I was really young! He was originally my dad's but my dad wasn't around enough to properly take care of him, so now I do!"
"I see! Well, it looks like your bond is as strong as it can be! You and Togedemaru are like family!"
"Awesome!"
"And how about you and your Rowlet?" the old lady asked. She motioned towards Leinani. Rowlet had been sitting on her head, but she was so light, that Leinani stopped noticing after a few awhile. "Let me see!"
She leaned over her small table and looked at Leinani in the eyes and then up at Rowlet.
"Well?"
"Eh. Not great."
"Not great?!" Leinani snapped. She tried to lunge forward again, but Kaiko stopped her.
"You two need some work on your bonding. It seems that Rowlet really likes you but maybe doesn't trust you just yet. And as for you, you don't truly love your Rowlet. You just see her as a strong asset to your team. So, not great."
Leinani stopped. She looked away from the old lady. "Who asked you anyway?"
"Would you like to buy some cigarettes?"
"Old lady!"
The siblings' next destination was the jewelry shop. Neither one of them was interested in jewelry, but their mother was, and Kaiko wanted to get her something for allowing him to go on an adventure early.
"What do you think of these?" he asked while holding up two emerald earrings.
"Those are called dusk eyes," the shopkeeper said. She was a woman in her early 20's. Her skin was tanned and she wore a tight pink top and short shorts. Around her neck was a necklace with dozens of stones hanging off it.
"Why?" Kaiko asked.
"Why? Kaiko, don't ask dumb questions."
"There's actually an interesting story to them," the shopkeeper said.
"Kaiko, keep asking dumb questions. Maybe we'll get a discount," Leinani said in a hushed tone.
"A few years ago, I battled with a boy. During that battle, his Rockruff evolved, becoming the Dusk Form Lycanroc."
"Dusk Form?" Leinani wondered. She knew plenty about the Midday and Midnight Forms, but nothing about a Dusk Form.
"It's a rare form that Rockruff can take only when special conditions are met. This boy was in the right place at the right time. The Dusk Form Lycanroc has bright green eyes, just like these. I was inspired to find the proper jewelry to remind me of that battle."
Kaiko looked closer at the earrings. "We gotta buy them now, Leilei!"
"You're a trainer?" Leinani asked.
The shopkeeper nodded. "I'm Olivia, the island kahuna!"
Kaiko stood up on his tiptoes. He appeared like he was about to begin drooling. "That's so cool! I've never met an island kahuna before! Our island kahuna is lazy!"
"Lazy?" Olivia wondered. "Nanu?"
"Yeah," the siblings said in unison.
"Ah, so you're from Ula'ula Island. Interesting. Are you taking on the island challenge?"
Leinani shifted her bag slightly to show the two badges that she had pinned to its straps. "Nah. I'm a gym challenger."
Olivia appeared slightly disappointed. "I see. I wish more of Alola's locals would take on the island challenge. It's incomparable, but it can't be helped, I guess. With the league, Alola's economy has been bustling. My shop sells out like crazy."
"Don't worry!" Kaiko said. He blushed. "When I'm allowed to go on my own journey, I'll be sure to take on the island challenge! You have to promise to stay the island kahuna for at least two more years though!"
"I promise! Feel free to look around. I'll make sure to give you a small discount since you're so cute."
"She called me cute, Leilei!"
"No need to yell," Leinani muttered. She walked through the small shop until she reached the other side. She had no interest in jewelry or rocks, but that was all that was on the shelf. She picked up a small stone, pretended to observe it, and then put it back. She came to a glass case with larger stones on the other side. Under each stone was a label, indicating that they were fossils.
"Are you interested in fossils, young lady?" a quiet voice asked from the side.
Leinani glanced, finding an old lady. She looked like she could have been Olivia's grandmother. "Not necessarily."
"But you are a Pokémon trainer, right? I can sense it!"
"Yeah," Leinani answered. She pulled Rowlet from the top of her head and held her to her chest.
"Well, these fossils can be revived, you know! You can walk alongside ancient Pokémon!"
"Sounds interesting."
"But even more to your taste, you can battle with them! Some fossil Pokémon are really strong. For example, Aerodactyl! It was commonly found in areas like Kanto and Johto, but we had its old amber imported!"
"Aerodactyl? Sounds wicked. I think I'd love to battle alongside a fossil Pokémon, now that you mention it. My team is already pretty dope, and a fossil Pokémon would only make it doper."
"Doper?"
"It's a young people word. So, where do I go to get a fossil Pokémon rejuvenated?"
"Revived!"
"That."
"The Aether Foundation will do it for you! But first, you need a fossil! I'll sell you one!"
Leinani peered over the various fossils. She put her finger to one and read its label out loud, "Jaw Fossil. How about this one?"
"Ah! The Jaw Fossil! It's a good one! Yes, I'll sell it to you for 100,000 poké!"
Leinani froze. "How much?"
"100,000!"
"You crazy!"
"It's a discount because you're cute!"
"Kaiko, we're leaving!"
After buying the jewelry for their mom, their small adventure in Konikoni City was beginning to wrap up. They went to the far end of Konikoni to a hill which allowed them to see the ocean. The sun was starting to set, and Kaiko held up the earrings, which glittered.
"So pretty!" Kaiko said.
"This is it, Kai!"
"This is it?"
"This is the perfect place to perform my first ever Z-Move! The waves of the ocean are like music and the sun setting gives me a perfect backdrop!" she explained. She pulled a Poké Ball from her belt. "C'mon out, Boombox!"
Grubbin emerged from her ball before snapping her pincers closed repeatedly. When she realized that she wasn't in a battle, she turned back towards Leinani, giving her a look of confusion.
Leinani clicked her Z-Ring on her wrist before fastening in the small Buginium Z. "Let's give this a whirl, eh?"
Grubbin jumped up and down and then faced out towards the ocean.
Leinani held her wrist up high, and it began to surge with power.
"Olivia!" Kaiko yelled, breaking Leinani's flow and stopping her from using the attack.
Over by the edge of the cliff stood Olivia. She looked out towards the sunset, her hands over her heart. She didn't appear phased by Kaiko's outburst, but she wasn't at a distance where she wouldn't be able to hear Kaiko.
"Hey, Olivia!" Kaiko shouted once more. He ran towards her, but she still didn't react. When he finally reached her, he tugged on her arm slightly. She turned, revealing that her face was not the same as before. Her eyes were simply two dots and her smile was incredibly thin but long. Kaiko screeched before falling on his backside. "Aliens!"
Leinani rushed towards Kaiko and took her position in front of him. She crouched, ready to strike if she had to, but the fake Olivia didn't seem hostile. It started to glow with a bright blue light before morphing and shrinking down, becoming a small pink blob.
"Alien?" Kaiko wondered.
Leinani sighed. "Nah. It's a Ditto, ya nerd."
Kaiko stood up and removed Leinani's Pokédex from her back pocket, scanning the creature. "Ditto, the Transform Pokémon. It can reorganize its cells to make itself into a duplicate of anything it sees. The quality of the duplicate depends on the individual."
"Looks like this one doesn't know how to make a beautiful face," Kaiko said.
"Hey, kids!" a deep voice bellowed. The two turned to find a portly man shining a flashlight at them. He was dressed like a police officer, but with the current situation, Leinani wasn't sure if he was also a Ditto. "What you got there?"
"It's just a Ditto, sir. Sorry for the ladylike scream. It was my brother."
"Leilei."
The officer shone the light down on the Pokémon. "Looks like you've found one of the infamous Ditto Five! They like to transform into the locals and harass people. I've been looking to wrangle them all, but it's impossible to tell who's a Ditto and who's a human."
"Have you tried looking at their faces?" Leinani asked.
The officer laughed. "You're funny!"
Nighttime came, and Leinani forgot about doing the Z-Move. It wouldn't have mattered. The sun had already set, so she wasn't in the mood.
Instead of eating at the Pokémon Center, the two opted to go to a restaurant. It was a small place, but it was rather famous. Kaiko had seen it on television, so he demanded that the two go.
Only two people and a single Pokémon were working in the entire restaurant. The waitress was a girl in her late teens. She had green hair pulled into ponytails and wore an apron over her denim overalls. Her Pokémon assisted her with bringing food to tables, but the small creature appeared a bit clumsy. Leinani wasn't positive if they'd get their food safely or not.
Luckily enough, they did.
They had ordered a potato soup that the waitress recommended which went well with some of the local bread. Kaiko took a bite from the bread and thought that it was sweet, mixing well with the taste of the soup. Leinani took a bite from the bread and thought that it was spicy, leading her to violent thoughts towards the green-haired waitress.
"There's no way that it's that spicy," Kaiko said. He took a little bit from Leinani's bread and stuck it into his mouth. "It's sweet! Stop complaining!"
"It's hotter than Wela Volcano's core!" Leinani screeched.
The waitress giggled. "Everyone has a different reaction to our bread. It's what makes it so special!"
"Bite me," Leinani whispered violently.
Leinani moved her glare from the waitress, not wanting to make a scene. She looked past her and towards the television. It appeared to be a newscast, showing off a resort of some kind. The newscaster was interviewing guests at the hotel. They had nothing interesting to say, but then the newscaster moved to a boy in his late teens with slicked back blonde hair. Leinani recognized him, but she couldn't remember from where.
"I'm here with the Hano Grand Resort Gym Leader, Xerxes, who has a special announcement to make!" the newscaster said. She put her microphone to the boy's face.
Xerxes smiled and then winked at the camera. "Yes, as some of you may know, I'm not only the gym leader of the fantastic Hano Grand Resort, but I'm also the son of the owners of this magnificent hotel. For a limited time, we're offering free one night stays to gym challengers who can best me in battle!"
Leinani stood up and pointed at the television. "I'm gonna crush you and then go to a sauna!"
The waitress sighed. "Is this an attempt to increase gym challengers? There's no need, right? They've already taken away most of our trial goers."
Kaiko perked up. "Trial goers? Wait up, are you a captain?"
The waitress smiled. "Yeah. My name's Mallow. I'm the captain for the Lush Jungle trial."
"Don't worry, Mallow!" Kaiko exclaimed. "When I'm old enough, I'll take on your trial! I promise!"
Mallow giggled again. "You're cute. I'll get you some more bread!"
Leinani sat down. She never took her eyes off of Xerxes and his perfect white teeth, which she saw as a target. "You just wait, buddy. You've never fought anyone like me."
Rowlet happily trilled.
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
This chapter was fun to write. If I did conventional chapter titles, this one would be called Konikoni City Adventures or something like that. I got the idea of a smoking Oranguru from reading Royal Karma's Pokémon: Noir while tired. He had a character smoking a cigarette as an Oranguru sat in the background, and I thought that the Oranguru was smoking and talking. Next chapter is the Hano Grand Resort gym battle!
If you haven't had a chance yet, please check out the newest chronicles chapter! It's a three-parter, which I'll be posting for the next two weeks. Because of this, you'll be getting five chapters this week and the next. (Sorry for so many notifications, but I have so much free time).
REVIEWS:
CrescentApple - "That poor professor. He looked so confused and scared someone so small was y4lling at him XD. I assumed it was a Gastly covered in sand when it said Gast... Sandshrew appears to have an excellent perception of human conception. But I am just basing this off one interaction ue has with Samson Oak. Haha. Vinyl... didnt expect it, but cool." - I wanted to see if I'd convince anyone that it was a Gastly. Also, Vinyl is the best name!
wisdom-jewel - "She got another Pokemon. A Ghost/Ground type. This would be interesting indeed. I would like how this new Pokemon would react with her other Pokemon." - Just realized I haven't had too many chances to write scenes with her Pokemon interacting with one another. I'll try to do better at that.
UKEagleClaw - "Cool opening to the chapter. Nice to reference the end of Awakening Alola. The beginning of that Kaiko-Samson Oak (good way to introduce him) exchange made me laugh with the kung fu. Oh my God. Jeez. That was only the prelude. That next bit made me laugh A LOT. I liked that she reacted like that, though. You set the scene so that her and Kaiko were cautious of the other people and, not being used to anywhere but her home island, Leinani was alarmed by a stranger suddenly approaching. Oh, that Nurse Joy interaction made me laugh. Even just Comfrey cheering was amusing." - I wasn't sure if I should have included that opening, as it's like (People died. Also, here's the funniest chapter yet!)
"This was a fantastic chapter, humorous and really, really, really strong dialogue. So much fun to read. Hard to say, but this might be my favourite chapter of the story so far. Leinani is a lot of fun to read, dialogue-wise and, as she puts it, with her 'band of misfits'. I'm glad you did nickname the Pokémon as that really reinforces that. Awesome stuff, dude! (Dare I say, I think this might be your best story yet?)" - Thanks! I'm not sure what my best story is right now. I know that KiiK is my most popular, but I wonder what people think is my most well written.
