Track 21 - Pavlove


"The following battle between the challenger, Leinani, and gym leader, Plumeria will now begin. It'll be a three on three single battle, and only the challenger can make substitutions," Clark said. He held up one pink and one black flag. "Begin!"

It had been two weeks since Leinani last challenged Plumeria. Enoka left after a couple of days of training, and Leinani could only assume that he had already defeated Plumeria. She didn't want to wait any longer. Every second that she didn't advance, her rivals were only getting stronger.

"You look nervous," Plumeria said. "Are you sure you want to battle again?"

"Of course!" Leinani exclaimed. She stretched her fingers out and thought over her plan.

"Okay, then. I'll start," Plumeria exclaimed while throwing her Poke Ball forward. Once again, Muk took to the field. His jelly-like body bobbed up and down before he became still and eyed Leinani.

"If that's the case, then we'll start off the same way too," Leinani said. She threw her Dive Ball into the air, and it exploded open. Wishiwashi dove into one of the pools and then surged with energy, quickly taking his larger form.

"If you've trained, then this battle will be different," Plumeria said. "Show me what you got!"

"Mix, use Brine!" Leinani ordered.

While he was waiting for his orders, Wishiwashi moved to the other side. Muk, not expecting for the Water-type to emerge from the pool behind him, was startled with the water erupted into the air. Wishiwashi blasted the strong stream of water from his mouth, forcing Muk's body to drag across the ground.

"Toxic!" Plumeria shouted.

But it was too late. Wishiwashi retreated into the water and disappeared. Muk heaved and tossed stringy goop from his body. The goop hit the field with a hard thud before slowly eating itself alive.

"Use Dive!" Leinani shouted.

Wishiwashi rocketed out of one of the pools and then pointed his massive body at Muk. He quickly fell back to the ground, ready to force all of his weight onto the blob-like creature.

"Toxic again!" Plumeria commanded.

Muk held out his arms, and just like in their last battle, took Wishiwashi's attack. He successfully was able to badly poison the Water-type though, who now struggled to get back to one of the bodies of water.

Plumeria laughed. "You haven't learned a thing! Muk, use Venoshock!"

"Oh yeah?! U-Turn!" Leinani directed.

Before Muk could send the electric wave of poison through Wishiwashi's body, the Water-type dove forward, engulfed with dark green power. He slammed himself into Muk, and then before the Poison-type could strike back, Wishiwashi was absorbed by Leinani's Poke Ball, disappearing from the field.

Plumeria glared. "You can't be serious? Running away like a child."

Leinani wanted to backtalk so badly, but she had to contain herself and focus on the battle. She quickly threw out her next Poke Ball, and Sandshrew appeared.

Plumeria sighed and put her hands on her hips. "I guess that you have learned a bit. Sandshrew can't be poisoned by Muk. What a nuisance."

Leinani nodded. "And since Mr. Mix gets a little bit of a break in his Poke Ball, he's no longer badly poisoned! We did a lot of strategizing!"

"No need to brag," Plumeria said with a groan. She then grinned. "We're still gonna beat ya down. Muk, use Brick Break!"

"Fight back with Swift!"

Sandshrew started to spin his body around, generating the energy necessary for his attack. Muk slowly trudged across the field, his body taking a long time to pick up any speed, and as he was pelted with Sandshrew's attack, he found it hard to focus.

"Good, Shure!" Leinani exclaimed. "Now, let's use Metal Claw!"

"Keep using Brick Break!" Plumeria ordered, adamant in her original direction.

Muk continued down the field, and now Sandshrew charged towards him. Both of them waved their arms in the air before meeting in the middle. They swung their hands and clashed. Brick Break was super-effective against Sandshrew, but he was still fresh and persisted on, driving his iron-hard claws into Muk. It was too much for the Poison-type, who ended up sliding back across the field. When he came to a stop, he sank into himself, unconscious.

"Muk is unable to battle!" Clark declared. "Shure is the winner!"

"Yes!" Leinani exclaimed happily. It took both Mix and Shure to get the job done, but we're gonna win this! I can feel it!

Plumeria withdrew Muk and then tucked her Poke Ball away. She began to laugh to herself while drawing out her next Poke Ball. "How much did you study?"

This took Leinani by surprise. "A-a lot. Why?"

"When I'm faced with a rematch, I never choose the same Pokemon in the same order. That wouldn't be testing you very well. So, here you go. C'mon out, Salazzle!"

The Pokemon that Sandshrew feared the most emerged onto the field and blew fire from her back. She crouched over and grinned at the Ice-type, making him take a step back.

Leinani observed the situation and lifted her Poke Ball to let the red light withdraw her Pokemon, much to Plumeria's displeasure. She grabbed her Dive Ball once more and threw it over one of the pools, letting Wishiwashi return to the battle. He dove into the water and then disappeared into the dark, leaving Plumeria exasperated.

"Wishiwashi is no longer badly poisoned," Plumeria said. "That's unfortunate for me, but even the slightest of poison will eventually show its effects. Don't get comfortable."

We're gonna have to finish this fast, Leinani thought. "Use Brine!"

Wishiwashi poked his large head out of the pool and prepared to unleash his strong attack.

"Sludge Bomb!" Plumeria shouted as soon as she locked eyes with the Water-type.

Salazzle's body lurched, and she shot out a pile of sludge from her mouth. When it connected with the water, it exploded, and both attacks were effectively canceled.

"Now, Venoshock!" Plumeria directed.

Salazzle slithered into the smoke and emerged out the other end before Wishiwashi could figure out what was happening. She sparked with what looked like purple lightning, sending a shockwave out from her body. Wishiwashi screeched as the poisonous sparks entered his massive body, and then he retreated back into the pool.

That must have done a lot. Mix won't be able to battle on much longer, but if we can get a direct hit, we can still do this, Leinani thought while she looked around at the surface of the pools, searching for Wishiwashi's silhouette.

"Use Aqua Tail!"

Wishiwashi exploded from one of the back pools. He twisted his body around and slammed his tail into the unsuspecting Salazzle. The force was enough to throw Salazzle onto her face, but she managed to quickly get back to her feet, now furious.

"Dragon Pulse!" Plumeria commanded, now fueled by mutual anger.

"Fight back with Brine!" Leinani yelled.

Sensing that his attack had done a lot of damage to Salazzle, Wishiwashi knew that he could finish it as long as he put all he had into one more attack. He sucked in air before unleashing a strong stream from his mouth. Salazzle responded by launching a ball of arcane energy forward. The two attacks struck like before, causing yet another explosion.

"Finish this!" Leinani shouted. "Dive! You can do it!"

Wishiwashi bounced and then took into the air. He pointed his giant body downward, targeting Salazzle directly.

"Venoshock!" Plumeria commanded, knowing that she couldn't win a battle with the colossal Pokemon like Wishiwashi.

The Water-type came down onto Salazzle as she sparked with electrictrified poison. Upon taking Salazzle's attack, Wishiwashi reverted back to his original form, but to Leinani's joy, Dive had done its job. Both Pokemon laid out on the field; both Pokemon had fainted.

Clark raised his pink and black flags. "Both Salazzle and Mr. Mixtape are unable to battle!"

Leinani withdrew Wishiwashi and then smiled at his Poke Ball. "You did a great job, Mix. Let everyone else handle the rest."

Plumeria retrieved Salazzle and without a word, tossed her next Poke Ball onto the field. Leinani was prepared for it to be Crobat like before, but that was not the case. Instead, a small Pokemon with twelve blue legs emerged. It used its legs as a shell of sorts, lifting only the two front legs to reveal its yellow eyes.

"Toxapex, the Brutal Star Pokemon. With its 12 legs, it creates a dome to shelter within. The flow of the tides doesn't affect Toxapex in there, so it's very comfortable," Leinani's Pokedex chimed.

"We weren't expecting that," Leinani muttered before drawing out her Poke Ball. "But we'll still manage to win! Come back out, Shure!"

When Sandshrew reappeared, he clutched at his stomach and took a few deep breaths. The Brick Break that he took from Muk had done quite a bit of damage, but he knew that he was Leinani's best bet against a Poison-type. Since he wasn't faced with Salazzle, he felt a sense of relief. But Toxapex didn't appear afraid.

"We'll start! Shure, use Ice Punch!"

"Toxapex, hit them with Liquidation!"

The Pokemon both raced down the beach-like field. Toxapex was much faster, but Sandshrew still had enough time to generate enough ice around his claw. They swung and collided, finding that their raw strength was relatively even, but it did look like Sandshrew would give in first.

"Metal Claw!" Leinani shouted.

With his free arm, Sandshrew prepared to strike, but Plumeria was ready for Leinani's quick thinking.

"Baneful Bunker!" Plumeria yelled.

Toxapex slammed his two front legs down, protecting himself from Sandshrew's attack. Some of the spikes from Toxapex's body broke off and hit Sandshrew, but they did no damage to the Steel-type.

Kaiko sat up straight. He pulled Togedemaru close as he rocked back and forth. He wanted to warn Leinani about Baneful Bunker's secondary ability, but he was afraid that Plumeria would throw him into the ocean. Surely with Sandshrew, Leinani would be safe.

"Liquidation!"

"Use Defense Curl!"

Toxapex slowly raised one of his legs and began to laugh maniacally. Sandshrew would have curled into a ball, but he had used too much energy, and he couldn't muster up the core strength to do the defensive maneuver. Toxapex struck, sending Sandshrew rolling backward.

"And now, Pin Missile!" Plumeria ordered.

All of the remaining thorns on Toxapex's legs started to glow dark green. They shot off the energy that they built, taking into the air like rockets. Sandshrew looked on helplessly before they rained down onto him. When the dust and smoke faded away, Sandshrew was left as limp as he could be.

"Shure is unable to battle!" Clark exclaimed.

And just like that, the battle became even. Leinani had heard of Toxapex and Mareanie before, but she had never seen them in action. She wasn't sure how she could beat this one easily, but she knew that if she believed in her strategies, she could still win. She pulled the Great Ball from her belt and then threw it onto the field, letting Vinyl the shiny Sandygast materialize.

Plumeria crossed her arms. "You have an interesting group of Pokemon. A black sand Sandygast wasn't something that I thought I'd be seeing today."

"Vinyl, use Bulldoze!" Leinani ordered.

Sandygast howled while attaching herself to the field. She became one with the ground and began to stir it around, making it hard to maneuver on. It appeared like Toxapex was bothered, but the attack wasn't strong enough to finish him off.

"Now, Energy Ball!" Leinani commanded, hoping to get a quick win.

"Pin Missile!" Plumeria ordered. She didn't want to give Leinani any more chances.

Sandygast continued to howl, now forming a ball of green energy in front of her mouth. She launched it down the field, but Toxapex was still fast enough to strike back. He launched some of his thorns from his legs, which pierced into the Energy Ball, making it explode like a bomb.

"And use Poison Jab!" Plumeria shouted.

Toxapex lifted his massive legs and began to climb over the now destroyed field. He lunged through the smoke and stuck one of the legs out, kicking Sandygast directly in her face. She was ripped from the field and landed like a sack of potatoes, but she was quick to recover.

"Liquidation!" Plumeria shouted, continuing her onslaught of commands.

Toxapex spun around and drove another one of his legs into Sandygast. This time, his leg was engulfed with aquatic energy, making the attack super-effective.

But Leinani and Sandygast both shared a smile, much to Plumeria's confusion.

"It looks like you need to do some studying yourself!" Leinani exclaimed. "If a Sandygast is hit with a Water-type attack, it is super-effective, but because of Water Compaction, my Vinyl's defensive properties increase sharply."

"You're too cocky."

"Use Sand Tomb!" Leinani ordered.

Sandygast whipped up a storm from her body, blasting it at Toxapex. The Poison-type was encircled by the sand, taking damage from it, but it was still minimal.

"Let's finish this battle with Bulldoze!" Leinani directed.

Sandygast attached herself to the ground once more and prepared to stir up her surroundings.

"Baneful Bunker!" Plumeria commanded with a sinister smile.

As Sandygast shook up the field, Toxapex lowered all of his legs and started to glow with purple energy. He defended himself from the Ground-type attack, but in doing so, some of his thorns broke off and pierced into the ground. Sandygast yelped, as she had suffered the secondhand effect of Baneful Bunker. She detached herself from the ground and backed up a few inches, a purple aura slowly wafting from her body.

"What the- poisoned?!" Leinani yelled.

Kaiko cringed and rocked back and forth. Originally, he was afraid of Plumeria yelling at him, but now he was scared that Leinani would be angry for not warning her. He'd have to play ignorance when the battle finally finished.

Plumeria smiled. "And with that, this battle is over! When its target is poisoned, Toxapex's attacks do critical damage! You're finished!"

"I don't think so!" Leinani exclaimed while raising her wrist. A green Z-Crystal had been put in place before the battle.

"Did you steal a Grassium Z?!" Kaiko screeched.

Leinani chose to not answer Kaiko and instead struck her first pose, making the air shift and stop moving. Sandygast waved around with Leinani, and the two built up energy.

"Bring it on," Plumeria muttered with a grin.

"Sandygast, use Bloom Doom!"

The energy that they had built up exploded from Sandygast. It swirled around the field before taking physical form and creating grass and bushes from out of thin air. When all of the shrubberies had taken to the field, there was a pause before they all imploded, sending a shock wave throughout Route 8. When the smoke and dust finally cleared, Leinani and Sandygast expected to find an unconscious Toxapex. But instead, surprise came over their faces, as Toxapex was fine. Seconds before the attack detonated, he withdrew into his bunker once more, protecting himself from any damage. He slowly lifted his two front legs and started to laugh.

"No way," Leinani said with a groan. "Did we-did we fail?"

Plumeria snickered and then showed off her own Z-Ring. "You did. Now it's our turn!"

Purple mist surrounded Plumeria and Toxapex as they started their movements. It only took them a few seconds, but they managed to generate the energy necessary for the attacks. And then, there was nothing that Leinani could do.

"Acid Downpour!" Plumeria shouted while pointing to the sky.

Toxapex heaved before blasting a ball of gunk into the air. It exploded into a purple cloud, and then as the attack's name implied, it started to rain acid. With every droplet, it caused a small explosion, creating a purple haze.

"Vinyl!" Leinani shouted as her visibility of the field was taken away from her. When the rain stopped, she had no choice but to wait, her heartbeat increasing wildly with every second.

But when the mist faded away, Sandygast was nowhere to be found.

"Huh?" Leinani and Plumeria wondered in unison.

Then, one of the many pools of water exploded, and Sandygast flew into the air.

"She used the water to defend herself!" Leinani exclaimed before looking at the field and noticing that Toxapex was worn down from the battle. "You're a genius! Finish this with Energy Ball!"

Sandygast let out her battle howl and generated a green orb in her mouth. As she came down from the sky, she launched the ball forward, blasting it directly into Toxapex's small body. The Poison-type doubled over before his legs finally gave way, and he collapsed to the ground, finished.

Clark raised his flag one last time. "Toxapex is unable to battle! Vinyl and Leinani are the victors!"

"I did it! I did it!" Leinani said while jumping up and down. She ran onto the field and tried to hug Sandygast, but she simply slipped through her arms.

"It seems like the two weeks that you used to train was well spent. You and your Pokemon are on a completely different level," Plumeria said. "I'm not sure if you're strong enough to defeat Tanium or Kala, but you've managed to defeat me, and that's all that matters today."

Plumeria walked forward and held out a purple badge that was in the shape of a fang.

"This is the Venom Badge. It's yours," she said.

Leinani took the badge and then examined it before a wide smile came across her face. "We did it!" she exclaimed while she, Sandygast, and Rowlet all posed.

"What island do you intend on going to next?"

Leinani looked back at Kaiko, who simply shrugged. He didn't care where they went. He was just glad to be traveling with his sister. "I guess Melemele Island."

"That means your next battle will be with Tanium. They specialize in Steel-type Pokemon. Good luck," Plumeria said. "You're now fighting an uphill battle, Miss Koa."


AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Decided to post up a regular chapter this week instead of the movie chapter. Doing this mostly because Chapter 22 has a slight connection to the movie. I think it works better. Also, I really enjoy writing for Leinani/Kaiko.

She's off to Melemele Island now to face off against Tanium! Won't reveal too much about Tanium right now, but I'm excited to write for them!

REVIEWS:

wisdom-jewel - "I would like to see more interaction with the trio. It would be fun and I'm sure you can find several ideas on how to do it. I think working those three will write itself." - They will have more interactions in the future. I'm planning a small arc between Leinani and Enoka later on. For now, it's just the Koa siblings though.

CrescentApple - "Hey, Leilani can fight good too. That flip was unexpected haha. Enoka brought a lot of comedy to this chapter, together with Kaiko. And there is s cool bit of exposition about this legendary Pikachu trainer. It was fun just reading about the characters having fun and spending time with each other in small moments. The only part that bothered me about this chapter was referring to Marshadow as "they." I kept kept thinking there were multiple versions in the same room looking at the sandwich." - I'll eventually dive into why Leinani and Kaiko are able to fight. Also, I'm not sure how to handle legendary Pokemon. Should I stick with it or they? No idea.