Track 25 - WAP
Leinani and Kaiko had been on Melemele Island for a few days. They circled around the entirety in only a day, and then Leinani spent some of her time training against local trainers. However, the training wasn't as intense or challenging as it was on Akala Island. Leinani went without losing a single battle. Any time that she would come across a Pokémon that she had an interest in, she'd defeat it with one strike, and it'd find a way to run away.
"They're all weak," Leinani muttered after beating a Rockruff with one blow. She didn't even bother to catch it, as she wasn't interested in training a Pokémon that was at such a low level. She still had months to train, just in case she did end up catching something, but her current team was at a relatively high level, and she didn't want any new team members to be forced to play catch-up.
"Let's head back to the Pokémon Center," Kaiko suggested. "I don't know if there's any point in continuing to battle wild Pokémon. And there aren't a lot of trainers here to battle against."
Leinani shrugged. "It looks like our journey on Melemele Island is gonna be a short one. It can't be bothered, I guess."
The two returned to the Pokémon Center in Hau'oli City, where they were spending most of their time. The center was quiet in comparison to the ones on Akala Island, which made sitting in the lobby and cafe tolerable for Leinani.
When they arrived, Kaiko ran to the telephone machine and bounced up and down. "We haven't called mom in awhile! I miss her cooking!"
"What about my cooking?" Leinani asked.
"No comment," Kaiko responded while dialing his mother's phone number. Since it was during the day, she was bound to be working at the barbershop. And sure enough, within a few rings, she picked up. Kaiko and Leinani could see her co-workers and clients in the background.
"Kaiko! Leinani!" their mother exclaimed. "It's so good to hear from you! How have you been?"
"Are those your daughters?" an elderly lady called from behind. "They're adorable."
"Actually, Kaiko is a boy," their mother answered.
"Oh," the elderly lady muttered. "Well, his Rowlet is cute."
"That's Leinani."
"Get your glasses checked, Agnes," Leinani said. "Call me boyish again, and I'll break your hip."
"Leilei," Kaiko groaned. "Rude."
"What? She called you a girl and then called me a boy? Isn't that rude?"
"I took it as a compliment. She thinks I'm cute," he answered. "Anyways, mom! We wanted to call and say hi!"
"Hi! How have both of you been? Are you eating properly, doing your laundry, and staying out of fights?"
Kaiko nodded. "Yeah! Leilei's food is healthy, and I do laundry every time we come to a Pokémon Center!"
"And fights?"
Leinani cocked her head. "I have maybe flipped a guy or two. We had a run-in with Enoka a couple of weeks ago, and he spoke out of turn, so I tossed him around."
"Be nice to your friend," their mother said with a sigh. "Speaking of Mr. Wahilani, he called the other day."
"He called you? That's weird," Leinani commented. "You're not telling him any of my secrets, right?"
"What secrets?" their mother wondered. "He just wanted to chat. He's a friendly boy, is all. He said that he's on a small winning streak. He got his fourth and fifth badges with ease!"
"Fifth?" Leinani asked. "As in, five?"
Kaiko cocked his head. "What else would it be referring to?"
"Yeah! He said he's going to Poni Island to train for a bit before challenging the last gym leader. He's got a little bit more time before his challenge, but I'm proud of how well he's done. How about you, Leinani? How's the gym challenge?"
"Pfft! So easy! I'm awesome! So awesome," Leinani answered. "I'm practically finished!"
"Oh really? Wow! I expect nothing less from you! Six badges already?"
Leinani didn't answer.
"Five?"
Leinani looked away and ran her tongue along the inside of her cheek.
Their mother sighed. "Leilei, you don't have to be ashamed. I don't care if you've only won two badges or six or four or whatever. Jealousy isn't a good trait to have. Be proud of what you've done."
Leinani nodded. "I just don't want to get left behind. A while back, Enoka and I were on level-footing. But now he has one more badge than me, and that just means that I'm slow."
Kaiko smiled. "Then why not challenge the gym leader tomorrow?"
Leinani's eyes opened. "T-tomorrow?"
"Yeah! Get it out of the way! Catch up to Enoka and go to Poni Island! Win your sixth badge before he can!" Kaiko exclaimed. "You can do it!"
Their mother cocked her head and then smiled gently. "Don't overdo yourself. Take your time. But, don't take too much time."
They continued their conversation and caught up with one another. Leinani was given tips on cooking, and Kaiko chatted with some of his mother's clients. He was popular with elderly women. When they finally finished, it was after lunchtime. Despite the fact that Leinani learned a few more things from her mother, she instead opted to eat at the Pokémon Center cafe.
"What do we do for the rest of the day?" she asked while partaking in a pineapple parfait. "I think your suggestion on taking on the gym leader tomorrow isn't a bad idea. It can't hurt to try. If I happen to lose, then I'll just come back stronger."
"You should let your Pokémon rest in that case. Tanium uses Steel-types, so you might have trouble doing real damage," Kaiko said while rubbing his chin and thinking. "Tonight, can we go to the trainer's school?"
Leinani sat back and shot Kaiko a confused look. "Why? You wanna meet that pervert, don't you?"
"He's not a pervert!" he yelled. "You just so happen to be in a swimsuit when he was examining your-"
"My what?!"
"Your Pokémon!"
"Oh, yeah."
"I just want to thank him for taking the time out of his day to talk with us. I don't think that it would hurt to be polite. We can pop in, say hello, and then leave. And afterward, you can pump up your Pokémon for tomorrow!"
"You got a point. It can't hurt. But if he looks at me weird, I'm breaking his arm!"
Kaiko knew the way to the trainer's school. He had actually been eager to give it a visit and remembered where it was when they passed it on their first day on Melemele Island.
Although it was a school, it appeared to be some kind of massive clubhouse. Around the building were pools and different fields for sparring. The classrooms for the oldest students had no walls, which was meant to connect them with nature at all times. The weather in Alola never got cold enough to where walls and such would be necessary. On top of the building was a bell, which rang when classes started and finished.
"It's so cool! It's so much better than the one in Malie City!" Kaiko exclaimed.
Leinani folded her arms while she examined the totem gates. "It's not bad, but it doesn't look serious. There can't be any trainers from Melemele that are strong if they come from a hippie school like this."
"Leilei, be careful what you say," Kaiko warned. "You never know who's listening."
The two entered the main doors of the school and walked into the hallway. Kaiko told the secretary that they were trainers who were just visiting. Most of the classes had been finished, and the students were out practicing, so it was fine if they wanted to roam around or talk with the teachers.
"Principal Oak?" the secretary wondered. "He's up near the top floor usually, but actually-" She looked out the window and then pointed.
Oak was outside, riding on the back of a Pokémon taller than any that Leinani or Kaiko had ever seen. Had it not been moving, it would have been easy to mistake it for a tree. Kaiko ran out of the school and into the garden where Oak was. Leinani slowly followed behind, keeping her arms folded.
"Principal Oak!" he exclaimed.
Oak continued to ride the Pokémon at the base of its neck. He peeked around and at Kaiko before smiling. "Oh, it's the Koa siblings! One moment! I'm just giving this Exeggutor a shoulder rub!"
"It has shoulders?" Leinani wondered.
They waited for Oak to finish with Exeggutor. When he was done, he removed himself and then approached the two with a smile on his face.
"So, how has your journey been going? Are you raising your Sandshrew well?"
"Of course," Leinani said. "He seems pretty happy."
"Leinani battled a Kantonian Exeggutor awhile back! It was really cool!" Kaiko exclaimed excitedly. "But, it wasn't nearly as cool as this Exeggutor!"
Oak chuckled and looked back at the Pokémon. "Well, it's good to have pride in the Pokémon that come from Alola, but make no mistake, all Pokémon from all lands are equal."
"Even something like a Basculin?" Leinani wondered.
Oak smiled. "Of course. All Pokémon. I specialize in studying the differences between regional variants, but all Pokémon fascinate me. I guess it's in my blood."
"We wanted to thank you for before!" Kaiko said. "Meeting you was really cool! I feel like I learned something about Alola. I'd love to study with you someday!" Kaiko bowed.
Leinani recoiled slightly. "Kai, you're embarrassing me."
"You're welcome to study here anytime," Oak said. "Oh?" His eyebrow perked up slightly as he looked past Leinani. They turned to find a person dressed in a sweater vest and nice white clothes. "Ilima!"
"Hello, principal," the person said. "Sorry to disrupt your meeting. I'm meeting with someone today to have a sparring match. We were hoping to use one of your battlefields."
"Feel free to do so!" Oak exclaimed. "Kaiko, Leinani, this is Ilima. He's the trial captain on Melemele Island and a former student from this school. He also sometimes serves as a guest lecturer."
Ilima had pink hair and a small face. Although Leinani could tell that he was in his late teens, he still appeared relatively youthful. It probably had something to do with his skincare routine.
"Nice to meet you," Leinani said. "Leinani Koa. I'm the best trainer from Malie City and soon-to-be champion of Alola."
"Oh? Are you trying to enter the Manalo Conference?"
"Of course! I'll make sure to sign something for you. I'm sure it'll be worth a lot of money in a couple of years."
"Can I expect you to be challenging my trial?"
Leinani shook her head. "I'm a gym challenger, and I'm kind of good at it. Only two more badges to go!"
"Oh?"
Kaiko stepped forward. "But rest assured! I'll be challenging you in two years!"
Ilima laughed. "I see. You're both interesting. I'm looking forward to your victory at the Manalo Conference, but an autograph won't be necessary."
"Who are you waiting for?" Oak asked.
But before Ilima could answer, another figure appeared in the garden, and the group turned. Oak then understood. Ilima's sparring partner was thin with neatly cut black hair with one single strike of blonde. They wore thick-rimmed black glasses and a red t-shirt. Underneath was a collared shirt that was untucked, and they had athletic tape around their left arm. Their skin was fair, and the look in their eyes was cold.
"The future champion, huh?" the person wondered. "You have a lot of confidence."
Leinani put her hands on her hips and then shrugged. "If I've said it once, I've said it a million times, I'm kind of a badass."
Kaiko's eyes widened. "Leilei, watch your mouth."
"What does it matter?" Leinani snapped.
The person cracked their fingers and sighed. "I really don't like people with nasty attitudes. Those who don't know how to hold their tongue are just the worst. You're very uncivilized. Even in front of adults, you use that kind of language."
"Leilei, I think you should know that this is-"
"Yeah? Uncivilized? Who are you to call me uncivilized?" Leinani snapped.
The person finished cracking their fingers before putting their left hand at their chest. They slightly bowed. "My name is Tanium, the Melemele Island Gym Leader."
Leinani paused. "You-you're who?"
Kaiko lowered his head, remembering what Kala said about Tanium and taking on challengers with badmouths. He was now filled with doubt as to whether or not Leinani would be allowed to earn her gym badge. Would their two-month journey suddenly be coming to an end?
Tanium grinned. "You look like you've seen a ghost. What was that about being a badass?"
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Short and easy chapter, but something to build some of the tension. I'm excited for what comes next. I like the idea of building on Tanium's character a bit. They actually made an appearance (very small) in Awakening Alola in Chapters 37 and 38 (which I ended up re-writing a couple of months back). I haven't written the next chapter yet, and I'm not sure when/if I will this week. I may end up taking a week off so then I can focus on my mood.
REVIEWS:
wisdom-jewel - "I'm guessing that Leinani is a big fan of Kala. Or a Kala fangirl if you will. I'm guessing Leinani looking up Kala and wants nothing more than to become something worthy of her attention. Or beat her in becoming champion." - Pretty much right on the nose.
SceptileBlade - "Nice cameos from Cyan's Oranguru and his mother. Really building Kala up as a major boss fight, so hopefully you'll deliver on that. Tanium not giving out gym badges to the "potty-mouthed" sounds funny from over here, but I would have probably have been pretty pissed about that if I was denied a badge because of that lol." - I liked adding in Oranguru and Cyan's mother. And yeah. I'm trying to build up tension for Leinani's eventual battle with Kala (if it ever happens).
CrescentApple - "It was startling to read how polite and a little gush Leilani acted with Kala. It was like reading a different character! And she was so polite to Hala, I was thrown for a loop. But Kaiko didn't seem phased by this, so I guess its nothing new with him haha" - In an effort to write fully-developed characters, I have to throw in complications like this. Haha
