Track 16 - "Smithereens (Stop Cryin')"


Leinani wanted Wishiwashi to see the land as much as possible, so she bought a fishbowl, which she kept the Pokémon in. Although Wishiwashi couldn't battle, he still enjoyed seeing the sights.

The two had continued through the island and were now in the famous Royal Avenue. It was a popular place for trainers to mingle and exchange stories. Leinani wasn't interested in that though, finding something else more intriguing.

The Battle Royal Dome had been a staple of Akala Island for many years. When the Manalo Conference was developed, the first round took inspiration from the Battle Royal Dome's battle royal battle format. It was an all-out brawl between hundreds of competitors to decide the top 64. While the Battle Royal Dome's battle royal battle format maxed out at four participants, Leinani was interested in giving it a try. She needed to be as well equipped for the Manalo Conference as possible.

The Battle Royal Dome was packed with people, participants, and viewers alike. It had grown in popularity because of the Manalo Conference, but in recent years, there was a star that had found a lot of success at the dome. He was the Masked Royal, who fought alongside his trusty Incineroar. He'd enter random bouts, and up until this point, he was undefeated. Leinani knew that there was a one in one hundred chance that she'd get put in a battle royal with him, but she was willing to take that chance. Had they been paired off, she saw a technique on television that was sure to get Incineroar eliminated.

"You find a good seat," Leinani said. "I'm going to sign up for my battle."

Kaiko grinned and held up a banner that he had made. It had a crude drawing of Leinani and DJ's faces on it. In between their faces, Go Leilei! was written in red marker. "I'll scream from the top of my lungs! You have my support!"

Leinani waved him off and then waited in line to get signed up. It took roughly half an hour, but she eventually made it to the front.

"Name please?" the exhausted woman at the register asked.

"Leinani Koa."

"Pokémon you plan on using?"

Leinani pointed to Rowlet, who sat on her hat. "DJ the Rowlet."

"DJ the Rowlet," the woman repeated while typing. "Where are you from?"

"Malie City on Ula'ula Island."

"Great. I can get you in. Your match will start in roughly an hour. Regular battle royal with regular rules. No items or illegal weapons. This isn't a backyard battle royal," she explained. She printed out a small receipt and handed it over. "Wait in the locker room. When they call your number, you'll be asked to make your entrance."

"Got it," Leinani said while taking the ticket. She moved past the gate and walked to the locker room. She could hear the rumble of the crowd as they roared for the current battle. She hadn't seen the Masked Royal yet, which meant that her chances of an encounter kept increasing.

She sat in the back room and watched others as they prepared. A lot of other competitors had made the Battle Royal Dome their place to perform. These folks generally had big personalities, but none of them matched the sheer popularity of the Masked Royal.

"Hey, is this seat taken?" a soft voice asked. Leinani looked up, finding the girl who had chosen Popplio as her partner, Ulani. Her long black hair was pulled into a ponytail except for the singular thick braid that fell down the right side of her face. Her skirt was white, and her spaghetti strap top was pink.

Leinani couldn't help but smile slightly. She wanted to thank Ulani for helping her out, but she didn't think that that'd be very cool of her. Instead, she simply shrugged and let Ulani sit down next to her.

"How's your gym challenge going so far?" Leinani asked.

Ulani smiled. "I've already managed to earn both of the gym badges on Akala Island."

Leinani's shoulders slumped. "You have four badges already? You're so fast."

Ulani put her finger to her lips. "Well, it's just been kind of easy so far, don't you think?"

Leinani blew a raspberry. "Pssh. Of course! It's-so-easy."

"And you? How many badges have you earned?"

"You've asked too many questions today, Ulani," Leinani said. She examined the necklace with the 'S' shaped pendant. "So, if it ain't rude for me to wonder, but what's up with the Team Skull emblem? You don't strike me as the kind of girl to be involved with those hoodlums."

Ulani was confused. Leinani just told her that she had asked too many questions, but then she immediately followed up that statement with a question of her own. She didn't want to push back though. "Guzma gives one of these to all of his students. We're a reformed Team Skull! We fight for what's right!"

"That's chill," Leinani muttered.

"Number 619! Can I get the participants for Battle Royal 619 to the hallway please?" a voice called.

Leinani held out her ticket. "That's me!"

Ulani nervously did the same. "Me too. It looks like we'll be battling! If we're rivals, this is a good thing, right?"

Leinani remembered that she had declined Ulani's offer to be friends, rather opting to go for the 'friendly rivals' route. She hated it, but she shrugged anyway. "Yeah. Let's knock 'em dead."

Leinani and Ulani made their way to the hallway where they were instructed to go to their gates. They separated, and Leinani ended up in a dark hallway. She could see the ring from behind the curtain, but she couldn't make out the size of the audience just yet.

"Can I get a ring name for ya?" a voice asked from behind. It was a man who spoke with a thick Castelia City accent.

"Ring name?"

"Yeah, something cool for you and your Pokémon. Gotta make it cool."

"Leinani the Savage! And, DJ," she paused, "-the Rowlet?"

The man winced and then shook his head. "Is there anything distinctive about your Rowlet, something about your Rowlet that is cool?"

Leinani pulled DJ from the top of her hat and then looked her over. She had the leaf shaped like a heart on her chest, but other than that, nothing stuck out. "Um. She's got the hidden ability Long Reach?"

"Great. I'll come up with something. I'm also gonna change Leinani the Savage to literally anything else. Sound good?"

"I guess so."

"Also, we need a theme song," he said.

"Theme song?!" Leinani yelled. She put her hand to her chin and thought. All of her life had led up to this moment. She always dreamed of walking out onto a stage to either some gangster rap or heavy metal. She snapped her fingers once she thought of the perfect song.

"Let's get ready for the next match!" the announcer's voice boomed. "Introducing first, from the red corner! She comes from Po Town! It's the dazzling Ulani Alo and her partner, Brionne the great!"

Ulani's music started to play, and it wasn't the kind of music that Leinani had expected. It was soft Elvin Pretzley, and Leinani felt a secondhand embarrassment as her rival came out to the most uncool tune that she possibly could have. Leinani peeked through the curtain, finding Ulani with her newly evolved Brionne. She pursed her lips together, wondering why her Rowlet had yet to go to the next level.

"Moving onto the blue corner! He's from the faraway land of Galar! Everyone give it up for Super Noah and his partner, the terrifying Runerigus!"

Leinani immediately recognized Noah's theme song as being from the band The Obstagoons. She wasn't a fan of their style of music, but she thought that it was very Galarian of Noah to choose them.

"Now for the green corner! Coming from Malie City! It's Leinani, the Rap Fiend, and her partner, DJ, Trick Shot, Rowlet!"

"Rap fiend? Trick shot?" Leinani wondered. "Not bad, I guess." Her thoughts were then cut off by her music. Her song started with deep bass, leading into alarms, which took a lot of the crowd by surprise.

Kaiko bounced up and down in his seat. He held his sign up high and then looked down, finding Marshadow's red eyes looking back at him. "This'll be really fun, buddy! Make sure to watch closely!"

When Leinani's song got to the opening verse, she decided to finally take her first steps onto the walkway, coming through the curtain. She kept her eyes focused in front of her, but she could now sense the crowd, all staring down at her. Some of them cheered for her, sending her heartbeat into a frenzy. She took a breath and then walked down the runway, keeping in rhythm with the beat. Her Rowlet remained on her hat, bobbing up and down to the beat of the rap tune.

Leinani reached her corner of the ring and allowed for DJ to perch on the top turnbuckle. The lights in the arena went down before shining a spotlight on the yellow corner.

"And now, for the yellow corner!" the announcer said, making the crowd hush. Ulani, Noah, and Leinani didn't receive the spotlight treatment, making everyone curious as to who it could be. "Everyone clap your hands together! Making a surprise appearance, it's the Masked Royal and his partner, Incineroar!"

The crowd was almost a thousand times louder for the next entrance than they were for Leinani's. So much so that she couldn't hear the music. The curtain in the yellow corner opened, revealing the masked man and his large Pokémon. They walked down the ramp as people cheered and shot streamers into the air. When they reached their corner of the ring, Incineroar leaped over the ropes and then glared at his three opponents.

Leinani glanced over to the other side of the ring, catching Ulani's eye. If her rival was on the same page, then that would mean that they would stand a chance against Incineroar. To Leinani's surprise and delight, Ulani grinned and then nodded.

We might actually make good friends, Leinani thought.

The referee took the middle of the field and raised his arms. "I want a clean fight out of all of you! No shots below the belt! No weapons! Is that clear?"

Everyone nodded.

"Ring the bell!"

Ding ding!

The crowd started to get louder now, as soon everyone would leap into action.

Alright, we just gotta team up on Incineroar, and we get through-

"Runerigus, use Shadow Claw on Rowlet!"

"What?!"

Leinani had completely forgotten about Noah. She looked at the boy. He was plump and only a couple of years older than her. He had slight stubble on his chin and a mischievous look on his face.

"Brionne, defend with Aqua Jet!" Ulani commanded.

As Runerigus raced forward to slash at Rowlet, Brionne became engulfed with aquatic energy. She rocketed across the ring, slamming her body into Runerigus and knocking the Ghost-type for a loop.

"Alright! DJ, hit 'em with Razor Leaf!"

Rowlet flew into the air and spun her body around. She unleashed the green leaves from her wings, sending them downwards at Runerigus. They sliced into the Galarian Pokémon, making it screech. Rowlet then came back to the ground, finding a position next to Brionne.

"What is this? It seems as though Brionne and Rowlet are working as a tag team! Are we seeing the beginning of a new faction at the Battle Royal Dome?!" the commentator yelled into his microphone.

"Incineroar," the Masked Royal's voice called, "use Darkest Lariat!"

Rowlet and Brionne turned their heads towards the yellow corner. Incineroar laughed and then extended his arms. Dark energy exploded from his body, and he dashed forward.

"Dodge!" Leinani and Ulani yelled in unison. Their Pokémon both jumped backward, creating a path for Incineroar. The Fire-type continued through, finding a target in Runerigus. He smashed his arms into the Ghost-type flinging him from the ring to the outside. He crashed into the mat below, and the referee came over to the ropes to check on his status.

"Runerigus is unable to battle! He has been eliminated!"

"Oh! It looks like the combination of three super-effective strikes was too much for Runerigus!" the commentator yelled.

The crowd cheered, as Incineroar claimed his first victim. Noah withdrew Runerigus and held his head down low while walking back up the ramp.

Incineroar turned around and eyed both of his opponents. They glared back at him, prepared to fight with everything that they could.

"The two on one strategy has never worked on me and Incineroar!" the Masked Royal said in his gravelly voice. "You won't be able to pull yourselves together fast enough to defeat me!"

Leinani shrugged. "Watch us!"

"Incineroar, use Cross Chop!" the Masked Royal ordered.

"DJ, go for Shadow Sneak!"

As Incineroar crossed his arms and prepared to lunge, Rowlet dashed forward. Her body became enveloped with ghostly energy, and then she disappeared from thin air, confusing Incineroar. However, he knew what kind of technique Shadow Sneak was, and he quickly turned around.

"Bubblebeam!" Ulani's voice called.

Brionne was quick. She unleashed the rapid succession of bubbles from her mouth, shooting them across the ring. They pelted into Incineroar's back, making him roar with anger. He turned back to Brionne and prepared to charge.

But then, DJ emerged from the shadows. Her wings covered in black energy, she lunged, tackling Incineroar and sending him into the ropes.

"We've got him!" Leinani yelled.

"Brionne, use Aqua Jet!" Ulani ordered.

"Quickly! Brutal Swing!"

Brionne rocketed across the ring, but before she could connect with her fast attack, Incineroar stuck out his arms and caught the smaller Pokémon. He started to spin his body, swinging the Water-type throughout the air. When Brionne was good and dizzy, Incineroar let her go, flinging her straight into Rowlet. The two fell over one another and tried to get back up, but Brionne had lost all balance.

Leinani looked around the ring, taking note of the referee's position. If there was any time to try out her secret technique, now would be it.

"Incineroar, use Flare Blitz!"

"Dodge!" Leinani and Ulani yelled together.

"DJ, close your eyes and make a hard left!" Leinani added.

The two Pokémon divided once again and let Incineroar run the ropes, missing his attack completely. Rowlet did as she was told, and closed her eyes, flying to the left of the ring, and to everyone's surprise, tackling into the back of the unexpecting referee. He crumpled to the mat as though he didn't have a single muscle or bone in his body, and the crowd was shocked into silence.

Leinani snapped her fingers together and grinned. "Ref bump!"

"The referee has been knocked down!" the commenter screeched. "What will happen next! All chaos will ensue, surely!"

Leinani grinned. As much as she felt bad for the weak referee, she knew that this was her chance. She quickly tossed her backpack to the floor and opened up her items pocket. She pulled out a long claw and then held it high.

"What is this?! Is Leinani introducing a weapon to the match?! With the referee down, no one can enforce the rules!"

The crowd started to boo, but Leinani knew that she could change their minds.

Leinani looked at the referee, who was beginning to stir. He was weak, but he would soon be standing, and now was her chance.

"Hey, catch!"

She threw the claw across the ring, but it wasn't towards Rowlet. Instead, Incineroar caught the claw, appearing baffled by Leinani's decision to give him an item that could potentially help him move faster.

"DJ, play dead!" Leinani ordered.

DJ grinned before falling to the ground. She started to pretend to cough, keeping one eye open to not get removed from the match.

The referee stood up and turned around while holding onto his head. He observed the three remaining Pokémon. He looked at Rowlet, who appeared to have suffered an attack, and then he turned his attention to Incineroar, who was still holding onto the Quick Claw.

"No items or weapons allowed!" the referee declared.

The Masked Royal had never been put into such a position before. He started to plead. "But wait! It's not our-"

The referee raised his arm. "Due to the use of a Quick Claw, Incineroar and the Masked Royal have been disqualified!"

"What?!" the Masked Royal yelled.

"I can't believe it! This is the first time that the Masked Royal has ever suffered an elimination! Albeit, it's by odd means, but still! This is legendary, folks! Leinani is living up to her moniker of the fiend!" the commentator yelled.

The audience was split. The Masked Royal was the most popular competitor that the Battle Royal Dome had ever seen, so many people were upset that their favorite was eliminated. However, everyone loves an underdog story, so seeing Leinani manage to find a way to eliminate the top contender in such a cunning way earned her some respect from the crowd. She did it with a giddy smile on her face, which a lot of the crowd found charming. Others found it cocky and irritating.

"This leaves me and you!" Leinani said while pointing out towards Ulani. "A battle between rivals!"

"Rivals?" Ulani wondered before smiling. She was blushing, but she tried to hide it. "Okay! Let's do this!"

The crowd roared with excitement. Some wanted to see what other tricks Leinani would manage to do while others wanted to watch her get her comeuppance and lose in humiliating fashion.

Brionne has taken some damage from Incineroar's strikes, and I have the type advantage. We can do this! We just have to stay focused! Leinani thought. "Use Razor Leaf!"

"Brionne, respond with Bubblebeam!" Ulani shouted.

The two unleashed their long-ranged attacks. Rowlet had the type advantage, but Brionne was more powerful, so the attacks canceled one another out, causing an explosion.

"Use Steel Wing!" Leinani ordered.

Rowlet flew through the smoke, but Ulani was prepared.

"Baby-Doll Eyes!"

Rowlet stopped in mid-air when she locked eyes with Brionne. The Water-type changed her expression, making herself look sad and vulnerable. Rowlet hadn't realized the trick immediately and was concerned for the Pokémon, putting a pause to her attack.

Ulani grinned. "Icy Wind!"

Brionne's eyes changed before she howled, unleashing a strong blast of wind from her mouth. The wind caught Rowlet directly, sending her into the air. The ice froze over her wings and she twirled before smacking into the ground with a hard thud.

The referee waited momentarily and then made his call. "Rowlet is unable to battle! The winners of the Battle Royal are Ulani and Brionne!"

"Oh! What a turn of events!" the announcer yelled. "It was Leinani who managed to eliminate the Masked Royal, but when it counted, it was Ulani who came out on top!"

Leinani entered the ring from the bottom rope and then walked over to her Rowlet. She knelt and petted the Pokémon on the head softly before withdrawing her to her Poké Ball. She looked up at Ulani who was having her hand raised by the referee. The rivals that she had from Ula'ula Island sure weren't to be messed with.


AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Seeing as how the Battle Royal is so inspired by pro wrestling, I decided to have this chapter be full of pro wrestling references. I tried not to go over and use too much, as there's a lot of pro wrestling terminology that I'm not sure everyone would get. The main reference was how Leinani managed to get Incineroar removed from the match. She knew that she couldn't beat him, so she pulled a classic Eddie Guerrero. If you have two minutes, look up 'eddie guerrero very funny trick' on YouTube, and you'll see the inspiration.

Anyways! Ulani is pretty strong, so Leinani won't be able to get past her too easily.

Next chapter, Leinani and Kaiko will be heading off for Wela Volcano. I'm interested to see what kind of adventures they'll get up to when they're there.

REVIEWS:

UKEagleClaw - "Nice humourous start to the chapter. Dialogue awesome throughout, and cool interactions at the end. Wishiwashi's another interesting addition to Leinani's team. Great work!" - I'm very excited for Leinani's Wishiwashi.

CrescentApple - "That whole pikachu thing, never seen that. Leilani doesn't like being told what to do. Huh. Short temper." - I think it was mostly because she thought it was dumb.

pokestets23 - "Yes! Water-based Pokemon. You are going to rock it!" - I hope so! It's going to be a challenge!

ThePhantomKingZacian - "Pokemon Ultra Moon was my first game, and so I have a big soft spot for the alola reigon. You don't see many stories set here since most people like to write the smart Ash stories that are always set in Kanto, so this is a nice change of pace." - I don't read a lot of other fanfiction, mostly because a lot of it takes place in Kanto or is an Ash story. That said, this is technically my second Alola story, so if you haven't read Awakening Alola yet, I recommend it.