Track 30 - Us and Them
After what had been a couple of weeks on Melemele Island, the siblings had finally arrived on Poni Island. From afar, it appeared to be mostly a forested island with the middle caverns and mountains sticking out from a lush green jungle. It would be hard to tell that anyone actually lived on the island, but Leinani and Kaiko knew better.
"One more gym badge left!" Kaiko exclaimed excitedly as the two walked onto the docks. "Then, we can go back home!"
"If you're so eager to go back home, I'm not stopping you," Leinani said.
"We have to help Marshadow," Kaiko responded, getting a glare from Leinani. "Uh, what do you recommend we do first? Do you want to battle Kala right away?"
Leinani folded her arms. "I don't want to embarrass myself when we battle. I need a few more days to train, I think."
"You've put a lot of thought into this!"
"Yeah. I'm pretty smart."
Poni Island was much louder than any of the other islands that they had gone to. Ula'ula was wide and the sounds of the city resonated through the air. Akala was a relatively peaceful island with wide farmlands. Melemele was mostly outdoor shops and it was considered a good place for beginning trainers to get their footing.
Poni Island was a place for advanced-level trainers to go to war. Upon entering the Poni Wilds, Leinani and Kaiko were met with the sounds of battle. Trainers that appeared strong sparred with one another, and the wild Pokémon in the area had a threatening aura to them. It was a battlezone; it was perfect for Leinani.
"Boombox, use X-Scissor!" Leinani commanded. She took the opportunity given to her and battled with everyone that she could find on the island. Although there were many strong trainers, she didn't let it intimidate her, and she started a small winning streak.
"Passimian, watch-" Leinani's opponent started to warn, but it was too late.
Charjarbug raced down the field, her front pincers extending with dark green energy. They crossed and then she slashed, getting a direct hit on Passimian. The Fighting-type flew backward, landing hard on the ground, not bothering to get back up.
"That's another win for us!" Leinani exclaimed excitedly.
Passimian's trainer sighed, withdrew their Pokémon, thanked Leinani for the battle, and then ran towards the docks where they could get healed.
"I'm on a roll!" Leinani yelled loudly.
Kaiko sat on a stump and had been studying Leinani's Pokédex. She was going through so many battles that it all started to blur. Kaiko wanted to use that time to study the Pokémon that they had encountered so far and look at the pictures that they had taken. His Togedemaru sat next to him, and next to Togedemaru was Wishiwashi in his small fishbowl.
He looked at the pictures of the flowers he took on Ula'ula Island. At the time, he didn't know that he'd still be traveling with Leinani. He appreciated that she let him tag along.
He looked at the pictures that he took of the Minior shower. He believed that it was going to be the last night with his sister before she was off on her own. It was also the night that she caught Grubbin.
And then there were the pictures of her battle against Xerxes. The gym leader was flamboyant and flirtatious. Leinani hated him, but Kaiko sort of enjoyed his overall aura. He also enjoyed the all-you-can buffet that the hotel offered.
He looked at the pictures that they took on Wela Volcano when Leinani failed to capture not only a Salandit and Fletchling but also Magby and Kangaskhan. It was probably the most embarrassed that she had felt on her journey.
And there were pictures of her first battle and rematch against Plumeria. Leinani was proud of her comeback battle, and Kaiko was happy for her. He could tell that she worked hard for the victory.
He looked at the pictures that they took on Melemele Island. It was a short adventure, but in only a couple of weeks, she met the retiring Island Kahuna, defeated Tanium, and helped Ulani train and gain some confidence.
Kaiko could feel tears beginning to well up. Sure enough, Poni Island was their last destination for their journey. Leinani had been clearing through the gyms relatively quickly, and once she defeated Kala, they'd go back home, and she'd begin her intense training for the Manalo Conference. He'd go back to school, and everything would return to normal.
"What's up, nerd?" Leinani asked. She had snuck up on Kaiko, who had drifted off into his own world.
He sniffled. "Nothing, Leilei. I'm just happy that you've gotten so strong."
Leinani took a moment, shifted her eyebrows, and then shrugged. "Yeah. I'm pretty strong now. So, what's going on with Marshadow? Shouldn't we get it back to its family or something? It's from Poni Island, right?"
Kaiko nodded. "That's what it's saying. But, it's also saying that it lives on the dark side of the island."
"Dark side of the island? Sounds like a dope album name," Leinani muttered. "Well, why don't we go now? It's light out, so why not?"
Kaiko looked down at his shadow, finding the two red eyes.
"Marshadow says that you're not strong enough to battle the wild Pokémon over there. They'll squash you."
"It said what?!"
"I added the squashing part for dramatic effect."
Leinani lifted her leg, prepared to stomp on Kaiko's shadow, but then she came to a sudden stop. A loud scraping noise filled the area, and the light over Poni Island dimmed. Leinani and Kaiko looked up, finding a wormhole, similar to the ones that they had already seen, ripping itself into existence above them.
A lanky creature with sparks coming off of it came from the whole and dropped to the ground, crashing behind the siblings. It slowly stood up, standing well over ten feet tall.
"An Ultra Beast?" Kaiko wondered.
"Get back!" Leinani shouted. Her heart was pounding, and her muscles had become stiff, but the only thing that she could think about was keeping Kaiko safe. "Boombox, use X-Scissor! DJ, hit it with Steel Wing!"
Charjabug scuttled forward while Rowlet took off from Leinani's hat. The two aimed their attacks for the Ultra Beast, but once they got close, it howled, discharging sparks from all around its body. Rowlet stood no chance against the attack and was blasted backward. Charjabug was safe, but she was forced to stop X-Scissor, finding herself vulnerable at the Ultra Beast's feet.
"Get out of there, Boombox!"
The Ultra Beast's arm started to spark and convulse. It looked down at Charjabug and then swung, smashing its fist into the smaller Pokémon. Charjabug flew backward, but Leinani was fast. She leaped into the air and caught her Pokémon, quickly withdrawing her back into her ball.
"I'm still trying to figure out these things, but it looks like they do have typings," Leinani muttered.
"Xurkitree, the Glowing Pokémon. One of the mysterious life-forms known as Ultra Beasts. Astonishing electric shocks emanate from its entire body, according to witnesses. Some of them stand unmoving, like trees, with their arms and legs stuck into the ground," Leinani's Pokédex chimed.
Kaiko stood still with the Pokédex, his eyes wide with shock. "It has data, Leinani! Why does it have data?!"
Leinani looked at the beast. "It must be one of the creatures that attacked years ago." She remembered that the attack was a deadly one, and the image of Kaiko being struck by the beast flashed in her mind. "Run, Kaiko! Run and don't look back!"
"But-"
"Run, you nerd!"
Kaiko picked up Wishiwashi's fishbowl and then turned around. He wanted to look back at Leinani one more time, but he was afraid that she'd yell at him again. So instead, he started to run as fast as he could, his Togedemaru following closely.
Leinani looked at the beast and then drew out her Great Ball. "You're an Electric-type. And no matter how strong you are, it won't matter if you can't hurt us! Go, Vinyl!"
The black sand Sandygast materialized and started to howl. She looked up at the creature, who appeared unconcerned with her.
And then, appearing right next to Sandygast, Marshadow emerged from its shadow, quickly taking a battle pose.
The beast didn't care though. It turned and then started to step away.
"I don't think so! You're staying put!" Leinani shouted. "Use Bulldoze!"
"Gast!" the Ghost-type howled while attaching herself to the ground. She started to shake up the area, and Xurkitree was forced to stop.
"Shadow," Marshadow muttered quietly. It lunged into the air and swung one of its fists, carrying dark energy with it. It jabbed into the middle of Xurkitree, barely doing any damage.
Now, the Ultra Beast was going to fight back. It unleashed sparks into the air before directing them back down.
"Get in the way!" Leinani shouted.
Sandygast quickly slid across the ground and then manipulated her body so that she formed a bridge over Marshadow. She took the entirety of Xurkitree's attack, which did nothing to her.
"Good," Leinani said. She could feel her heart beating rapidly, as though it wanted to rip out of her chest and escape alongside Kaiko.
Xurkitree examined the two Pokémon. It looked as though it were calculating a kind of strategy against them. Then, it started to glow with magnetic energy, which allowed it to float into the air.
Magnet Rise, which means that Sandygast can't hit Bulldoze again! Leinani thought.
Marshadow then sunk into its shadow once more and raced across the field. It quickly emerged and then lunged, striking Xurkitree's leg. But once again, it was as though Marshadow barely did any real damage.
Xurkitree clasped its arms together, and a bright green glow took over its body. It swung and whipped its arms down, crashing them into both Marshadow and Sandygast. The two Pokémon flew backward, landing in a heap next to Leinani.
"No!" she shouted. She had no time to check on the two Pokémon, as a shadow quickly loomed over her. She looked up, finding the Ultra Beast looking down at her. She stuck her arms out and made her hands into fists. "I'm not afraid of you, punk!"
Xurkitree sparked.
But then suddenly, something tackled into the large beast, knocking it backward. The new creature was fast as light, and it quickly got in front of Leinani, kneeled, and growled at Xurkitree.
Leinani vaguely recognized the Pokémon. It looked like a Lycanroc, but it was orange in color. She couldn't tell if it was possibly a shiny variant or if, maybe, this was the Dusk form that she had heard of a while back.
Whatever the Pokémon had done was enough to knock Xurkitree off balance. Leinani couldn't tell if the Ultra Beast could feel fear, but she knew that if there was anything that could cause it, it would be this Lycanroc.
Xurkitree continued to spark. It raised its arm into the air and swung for another Thunder Punch.
But then, the Lycanroc leaped into the air, and the ground below her rumbled. Five stone pillars emerged and then shot forward. The first stone met with Xurkitree's arm, forcing it to stop its attack. And the four other stones followed, barraging into the lanky Pokémon. Xurkitree crashed into the ground, the smoke surrounding it.
Leinani took the chance, and she knelt to withdraw Sandygast. She put her hand on the back of Marshadow's head to comfort it. She looked up at the smoke, waiting for it to clear and reveal the fate of the Ultra Beast.
Then suddenly, one of Xurkitree's long arms came from the smoke, grabbing Lycanroc by the throat and lifting her into the air.
"No!" Leinani shouted.
Lycanroc was quick. She unhinged her jaws, and black energy formed around her. She clamped down onto Xurkitree's arm, and the Ultra Beast let go. Lycanroc hit the ground, snarled once more, and then began her next attack.
She whipped around, and the sun reflected off of her tail. She slammed it into Xurkitree's midsection, making the Ultra Beast double over. Now, Xurkitree was weak and it struggled to get back to its feet.
Lycanroc howled, and more pillars of stone emerged from the ground before piling onto the Ultra Beast. There was a loud explosion as the stones crumbled into one another, shooting dust and smoke into the air. Xurkitree went limp, its arms and legs falling to the ground.
Leinani waited momentarily. She slowly stood up, never taking her eyes off of the Ultra Beast. "Did we wi-"
But then, Xurkitree began to spark, and Lycanroc took another battle position. The wormhole opened above them once more, and Xurkitree was pulled upward. Its lifeless body disappeared into the portal before it closed, as though it was never there to begin with.
Leinani was still. She breathed deeply and watched Lycanroc. The Rock-type looked back to her, barked, and then ran off, quickly disappearing into the jungle. It took Leinani a few seconds to gather herself. She pulled her knees to her chest and made sure to softly pet Rowlet on the head. Marshadow sat next to her, staring off into the distance.
"We should probably get back to the Pokémon Center before Kaiko calls my parents and tells them I'm dead," Leinani said before slowly standing up. Marshadow looked up at her and cocked its head.
"Shadow?"
Leinani ddn't have the energy to argue or bad mouth the creature. "You want into my shadow now? Go ahead. It's probably safest there."
Marshadow nodded and then sunk into the ground and into Leinani's shadow. It looked up at Leinani with its red eyes before the light from them slowly faded away.
Leinani took a step but then paused. She looked up at the sky where the portal was once more.
Something doesn't feel right.
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
I wanted to take a small moment in this chapter to remind people (and myself) of some of the events in this story. Since I took a couple of months away from writing, I kind of needed that jolt in my memory.
Anyways, Leinani has come across a Xurkitree! There was no way that she was going to catch or defeat it, so she's lucky that she was saved! This chapter kind of took a darker route than I had intended, but I'm overall happy with it.
Next chapter, Leinani will do a little bit more training! Who knows what kind of Pokémon she'll find! (I do)
REVIEWS:
wisdom-jewel - "I'm sure Gladion would make her journey a bit of a pain, more so than what it already is. I want to see her and Marshadow develop some friendship since they are connected to Kaiko. Like they still don't like each other, they are on friendly terms, but Kaiko sees it as friendship." - Well, it looks like that's beginning now! They seem to sort of respect one another.
CrescentApple - "I'm digging the relationship between Gladion and Leinani. They're annoyed with one another, she tries to be aggressive and he shoots it back at her." - I like them too! I didn't think I would. We'll see more of their relationship/rivalry after awhile.
