Track 34 - The Definition of Not-Leaving
After Leinani's loss to Kala, she wasn't quite sure what to do with herself immediately. She wanted to dive straight back into training, but it seemed as though Kala wanted her to do more than just train. Instead, she spent one day without giving a single command.
And the two traveled through the rest of Poni Island, finding themselves in the Poni Gauntlet.
"So, we're getting close to Marshadow's home, right?" Leinani asked.
Kaiko had followed Leinani through the jungle. He held Wishiwashi's bowl in his arms and Togedemaru ran next to Marshadow, who was comfortable being out of Kaiko's shadow as long as they were away from other humans.
"Marshadow says that it can feel the energy of its home. Maybe we're getting close. It says that we'll know it when we see it," Kaiko exclaimed.
"How very vague of it," Leinani said. She looked back at Marshadow, who she had started to grow to like. After their battle against the Ultra Beast, she felt a sense of respect for the Pokémon. And the feeling was mutual. She knew that she was sad to see it go, but she knew that Kaiko was going to feel worse about it.
They continued through the Gauntlet, and Leinani avoided any battle with wild Pokémon and rejected any challenge from other trainers. Her focus was on enjoying the weather of the jungle and taking in the sights of Poni Island. Now that she took some time to reflect on her surroundings, she could appreciate the beauty and lushness of the jungle.
"There!" Kaiko said while jutting his chin forward.
Leinani stopped walking and looked in the same direction. Her eyes widened as she took in the view of the largest tree that she had ever seen, larger than her house back in Malie City. It was a different color from the trees, almost black. As far as Leinani could see, it was dead, but when she looked up, she found leaves sprouting from its branches, which indicated life.
The group slowly walked to the tree while Marshadow lead the way. It looked back to the duo and smiled.
"It says that this tree has been around for thousands of years. It doesn't remember a time without the tree, and it has lived here as its guardian for its whole life," Kaiko explained. "Amazing."
"Well, you're home now," Leinani said, her hands on her hips. "You should probably get going before Kaiko starts crying."
"Leilei," Kaiko muttered. But then, he could feel a lump in his throat. He looked at Marshadow, who stared back at him with his eyes wide. "Marshadow."
"Stop right there!" a voice shouted, making the two quickly turn around. The three teenagers dressed as members of Team Skull stood behind them, Poké Balls in hand.
"These are the people who were trying to catch Marshadow!" Kaiko explained.
"And we would have succeeded if it weren't for you!" the leader shouted. He had dirty blonde hair that was slicked back. The black bandana on his face hid any other distinctive features.
"You sound like a cartoon character," Leinani retorted with a laugh.
"You don't wanna make fun of our boss! He's really strong!" the girl with brown hair pulled into pigtails snapped.
Leinani glared at her. "If you guys got punked out by Kaiko, then there's no way you're strong."
"Well, you've insulted all of us now, Leilei," Kaiko muttered.
The third member of the group had spiky black hair. He stepped forward and held out his Poké Ball. "That Marshadow belongs to the new Team Skull."
Kaiko observed them. Besides their clothing, nothing else reminded him of the stories of Team Skull that he had heard. Their hairstyles were normal, and they didn't speak in bad rhyming schemes or odd patterns. If this was Team Skull, it wasn't Guzma's doing.
"If you think you're going to step up to me and walk away without a limp, you're not thinking with your brain," Leinani snapped. Rowlet flew from the top of her hat and landed in front of her before trilling angrily.
"Crabominable, go!" the leader yelled while throwing his ball into the air. A large Pokémon with white fur materialized. He waved his arms around angrily while looking for his target.
"And Mudsdale!" the boy with the spiky hair shouted. His Pokémon was even larger. He neighed and then stomped, shaking their battlefield slightly.
"So, a two on two battle?" Leinani wondered. She pulled her next Poké Ball and threw it forward. Sandshrew appeared and slashed out the air. Once he realized the size disparity between the two teams, his desire to evolve only increased.
"We're Team Skull, so we don't fight fair! Isn't that right, Shiinotic?" the female with the pigtails exclaimed as though it were part of a script. Her Pokémon materialized and bobbed back and forth, looking at Leinani's Pokémon with a deadpan expression.
Three Pokémon? I don't even know if I can manage a double battle. I really wish that Kai knew how to fight with Togedemaru, Leinani thought.
Then, Marshadow came from the ground and took a position next to Rowlet. It stuck its arms out, mimicking the poses that Kaiko would practice in the mornings.
Leinani nodded. "Sweet. This is your last warning, dorks. If you're not careful, you'll get hurt."
"We'll be fine," the boy with the spiky hair said. "Use Earthquake, Mudsdale!"
"Moonblast, Shiinotic!"
"Crabominable, use Power-Up Punch!"
"DJ, into the air! Shure, use Iron Defense!"
Mudsdale crashed his two front legs into the ground, which started to shake the Poni Gauntlet. Leinani wasn't quite ready for the power that the Pokémon was capable of, and she stumbled over as the rest of the Pokémon started their attacks.
Shiinotic raised her arms, and an orb of pink light formed over her head. She launched the ball towards the group, but Marshadow slid out of the way and Rowlet flew into the air. Sandshrew curled his body and took the entirety of the attack, but it seemingly did nothing.
Crabominable continued down the field while waving his arms into the air. He swung for Sandshrew, which was sure to do heavy damage. However, he was put to a sudden stop, and he couldn't move his arm. He looked up, finding Rowlet with a death grip on his fist. Before he or his trainer could respond, Marshadow appeared from the shadows and uppercut, making Crabominable stumble backward.
"Steel Wing and Iron Head! Get it!" Leinani ordered while punching the air.
Rowlet let go of Crabominable's arm and then swooped low, hitting the Ice-type on the top of the head with her wings. Sandshrew followed by running forward and then leaping, crashing his head into the middle of Crabominable's body. The Ice-type stumbled back, now appearing angrier than before. He looked down at Sandshrew and then decided to finish his attack. He swung his massive fist, and although Marshadow got in front of Sandshrew to defend, Crabominable's fist went straight through its ghostly body, still managing to clobber Leinani's Pokémon. The attack was too strong for Sandshrew, who instantly slumped over once he landed in front of Leinani's feet. Crabominable roared as energy coursed through his body.
"Return," Leinani said before she quickly drew out her next Poké Ball. "Go, Vinyl!"
Sandygast howled and shook when she materialized.
"Moonblast again!"
"Mega Kick, Mudsdale!"
"Ice Punch! Knock that bird out!"
"Weave and dodge, DJ! Slice that blast in half with Steel Wing! Vinyl, use Bulldoze!"
Rowlet easily got out of the way from the slow-moving Crabominable's attack. She then put her wings together and sliced through the faerie energy that Shiinotic had created. Meanwhile, as Mudsdale ran forward, Sandygast shook the ground, making it difficult for the Ground-type to run. Marshadow took its chance and charged electric sparks in its fist. It ran and then jabbed at Mudsdale, but its attack did nothing. When it came back to the ground, it looked to Leinani with a confused look on its face.
"Thunder Punch isn't going to do anything against a Ground-type like Mudsdale! I thought you were supposed to be smart or something," Leinani snapped.
"Giga Drain!" the female member yelled.
Shiinotic stuck her long fingers into the soil, and the grass around the field started to glow. Vines emerged from the ground and wrapped around Marshadow's feet before they started to suck away its energy.
"And Earthquake! Crush it!" the boy with spiky hair yelled.
Mudsdale looked down at Marshadow and sneered. He lifted himself up on his hind legs and prepared to crash down onto the helpless mythical Pokémon.
"Razor Leaf!" Leinani ordered.
Rowlet spun around in the air, generating sharp, blade-like leaves around her body. She launched them at Mudsdale, and although they weren't strong enough to stop the Ground-type from attacking, they were enough to knock him off balance. He hit the ground, and the battlefield shook once more, leaving most of the Pokémon stunned.
"Vinyl, get in there! Use Shadow Ball!"
Sandygast howled and then focused a ball of concentrated ghostly energy in front of her gaping mouth. She prepared to send it directly for Mudsdale, but the leader of the group was quick.
"Ice Punch!" he shouted.
Crabominable was still in range and still enraged. He hammered down his fist next to Sandygast, breaking her concentration. He then followed with a sweeping blow, ripping the Ghost-type from the ground and into the air. Sandygast hit the ground hard and slumped into herself, immediately fainting from the attack.
"No way," Leinani muttered as she let the red light from her Poké Ball gather her shiny Pokémon. "Marshadow, we have to take care of that Crabominable while we can! DJ, get in close and use Steel Wing!"
Marshadow had been rattled by the Earthquake attack, but when he heard Leinani's instructions, he changed his attention to the rampaging Ice-type. He raced forward once again, his arms sparking with electricity.
"Iron Defense!" the leader yelled. He looked to his two subordinates. "Don't just stand there like fools! Help me!"
"Right! Use Mega Kick!"
"Giga Drain!"
Crabominable tucked in his arms, and his body started to glow with a silver tint. The sound of Rowlet's wings ricocheted off of Crabominable as though they did nothing. And then Marshadow followed with a jab and was met with no reaction.
"That one's not your fault! He's just really strong!" Leinani exclaimed. She considered her remaining options. She couldn't use Wishiwashi, and the chances of Turtonator listening to her were slim. She only had one other Pokémon that she knew she could count on. "Go, Boombox! Use X-Scissor!"
Vikavolt exploded from her Poké Ball and then zoomed forward with her pincers crossed. She met with Mudsdale in the middle of their battlefield, and they stalled out momentarily, testing each other's power. However, Mudsdale quickly spun around and kicked out his legs, hitting Vikavolt straight into the air.
Then, the grass around Marshadow started to glow, and it was bound once more, some of its energy sapped away. It looked back at Shiinotic, who was laughing maniacally with her fingers stuck in the ground.
"Power-Up Punch!" the leader shouted.
Leinani had been too focused on Marshadow and Vikavolt to take note of Rowlet's position. She jutted around and watched as Crabominable hit Rowlet with a cheap shot from below. The damage was minimal, but Crabominable once more surged with power, and a red aura came over his body.
"Ice Punch!"
Neither Leinani nor Rowlet had time to react, and in an instant, the Grass-type was hammered into the ground. Leinani watched with wide eyes as Rowlet was hit across the field, directly into her arms. Rowlet's body was still, and Leinani knew that she had lost the battle.
"Boombox, it's on you! Light up this field with Thunderbolt!" she ordered while withdrawing Rowlet into the safety of a Poké Ball.
Vikavolt unleashed her attack, raining electric sparks down onto the field. Shiinotic and Crabominable hated it, and they were forced back, but Mudsdale wasn't bothered. He snorted and waited for his trainer's command, but then he felt a sudden dull pain in his chest, and he was tossed into the air after Marshadow hit it with a punch, its arms covered in the same kind of ice that Crabominable had been forming.
How have they not fainted yet? I thought that Team Skull were supposed to be push-overs, but these Pokémon are almost on elite levels, Leinani thought as she watched her opponent's Pokémon regroup.
The leader laughed. "My Crabominable has been charging his powers, and I dare you to test him!"
I don't want to punk out, especially in front of Kaiko, and I want to keep Marshadow safe, but if we can't win, we're gonna have to run. These three, all at once, are too much, Leinani thought. She hesitantly pulled her last Poké Ball from her belt and held it out. "I'll take that challenge! Go, Mosh!"
Turtonator emerged and snorted, blasting fire from his snout. He glared at Leinani and then turned his attention to the three Pokémon around him. He looked at Vikavolt and then Marshadow, and he started to understand the situation.
"Mosh, we haven't known each other for a while, and I know that you don't respect me. That's chill. I get it. I ripped you from your habitat and then asked you to battle for me. I disrespected you first," Leinani said. "But I'm asking that you listen to me now. If you do so, then I promise that you'll never have to listen to another command of mine ever again. I promise."
He shot her another look and then nodded, agreeing to her proposition.
"Good! Boombox, X-Scissor! Mosh, use Dragon Pulse!" Leinani commanded.
Then, Kaiko stepped forward and took a position next to his sister. "Marshadow, target Crabominable, and use Spectral Thief!"
"What? What are you doing? What's Spectral Thief?!" Leinani wondered.
Kaiko focused on the field. "I don't know. I don't know what's coming over me, but I can't let my friend be bothered by these dorks anymore! I think that being attached to Marshadow for so long has caused some of its fighting spirit to rub off on me! I can feel the warrior in me being born! Go, go Marshadow!"
"Whoa."
"Moonblast!"
"High Horsepower!"
"Ice Punch!"
Shiinotic released her attack forward, but Vikavolt barreled through. The two Pokémon collided, and there was an explosion of faerie and dark green energy that followed.
Turtonator unleashed a ball of arcane flames from his snout, but Mudsdale wasn't afraid. He ran straight for it, causing an explosion to engulf him in smoke. He continued through as aura emitted from his body, and then he crashed into Turtonator with his relentless charge.
Marshadow and Crabominable raced down the field, and they set themselves for a crash collision. Shadowy energy flowed across the grass and connected itself to Crabominable. The red and silver aura that he had created for himself was sucked away, and then the two swung their strikes. They held out momentarily in the air, but then, the same red and silver aura came over Marshadow's body, and Crabominable was blasted back. The Ice-type hit the ground hard, leaving the Team Skull members in silence.
"Spectral Thief is an attack that steals our opponent's boosts. It lets us throwback all of that energy right back at them," Kaiko said. He cocked his head. "I have no idea how I know that."
Leinani examined the field. Both Vikavolt and Mudsdale had fainted from their respective collisions, but Shiinotic, Crabominable, Turtonator, and Marshadow were still standing, although most of them were heavily weakened.
"Mosh, use a strong Flamethrower! We can end this now!" Leinani commanded.
Turtonator nodded and then took a deep breath. He unleashed the heavy blast of flames from his snout, which ended up taking most of the field. Leinani and Turtonator were convinced that their opponents were fried and that the battle was over, but then their confidence was quickly dashed as Shiinotic and Crabominable appeared unphased from fire. Shiinotic held out her arms, revealing that she had created a blue forcefield around their bodies.
"And now Moonblast!" the female member commanded.
Shiinotic raised her arms into the air and formed the ball once more. She quickly launched it down the field, causing it to explode before it could hit either Turtonator or Marshadow. However, they did feel some of the debris.
But before Leinani could give an order to try to finally finish the battle, Crabominable came through the pink smoke. He swung his icy fist directly into the middle of Turtonator's chest, surprising the large Pokémon. Turtonator remained still, letting the pain take over the entirety of his body. Then, he slumped forward and hit the ground.
"No," Leinani muttered. "We failed."
The leader of the group laughed maniacally as the pink smoke faded away completely.
"We win! We win! We'll capture Marshadow and take it back to base with us! We win!" he exclaimed. "They'll be so proud!"
Kaiko looked at Leinani and then handed over Wishiwashi's fishbowl. Leinani was downtrodden, but she had no time to sulk, as Kaiko immediately leaped into action.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"I don't know!" Kaiko exclaimed as he held his right wrist into the air. His arm became enveloped with black energy that came from the old tree, and then suddenly, a purple Z-Ring complete with a cyan-colored diamond appeared around his wrist. "I'm letting my warrior's instinct take over! Marshadow, let's end this!"
"Shadow!" the mythical Pokémon exclaimed as it took its first pose. Kaiko and Marshadow struck their warrior poses in synchronization as Z-Energy swirled around the Poni Gauntlet.
Leinani had never seen the level of Z-Energy that the two were able to create. She was simultaneously impressed and furious by her brother's natural ability. She cracked most of it up to Marshadow's powers though.
"Soul-Stealing Seven-Star Strike!" Kaiko shouted.
Marshadow suddenly changed colors as its powers were focused. Its head and fists became green, and a red aura came from its eyes. It took into the air and put all of its chi into an orb three times the size of its body. It looked down at the Team Skull members and then launched the attack. The orb broke off into seven smaller orbs, which rained down onto Crabominable and Shiinotic. Marshadow came back to the ground and waited for the attack to finish. It couldn't take much more though, and it collapsed from the power it exuded. All that it could do now was hope that it was enough.
When the smoke cleared, the siblings and Marshadow were relieved to find that Shiinotic had fainted. However, Crabominable remained standing, and he flailed his arms above his head, snapping his pincers shut wildly.
"Even a Z-Move that powerful wasn't enough," Leinani muttered.
The leader nervously laughed. "You survived? Great! Now let's finish this off and get Marshadow! We have to repay you for flipping me before!"
"You flipped someone?" Leinani asked.
Kaiko shrugged. "They deserved it."
"Clearly."
Crabominable pounded the ground and then slowly scuttled forward. He was beaten up, but he was fueled by his bloodthirst, and he was more than prepared to attack the siblings directly.
But then suddenly, a voice called out.
"Amphinobi, use Water Shuriken!"
Aquatic energy exploded from the bushes and blasted Crabominable in the side. The Ice-type was knocked into the air and then hit the ground limply, and to the relief of the siblings, he finally fainted.
A new Pokémon appeared in the middle of the field. It was thin and stood up straight on two legs before slowly crouching to observe the knocked-out Crabominable. It was dark blue and had what appeared to be a long tongue wrapped around its neck.
A girl with fair skin and curly brown hair came from the bushes. She had a wide smile on her face. She wore a loose-fitting white blouse that was tucked into baggy beige pants. She pointed at the three Team Skull members and then spoke with a Kalosian accent. "Evildoers beware! Charlotte is here!"
The three Team Skull members looked at one another. They had spent all of their time training one Pokémon each, so with all three of them fainted, they were outmatched by this newcomer.
"Oh?" the new girl known as Charlotte said. "Have you finished already?"
The leader with slicked-back brown hair balled his fist. "We have to retreat for now. Marshadow was only meant to be an experiment for our leader, but I'm sure that we'll find the energy that we need somewhere else."
"Energy?" Kaiko wondered. "What are you talking about? Who's your leader?"
"It's definitely not Guzma, right?" Leinani asked.
The three exchanged looks, and without a word, they turned and then ran off, leaving Leinani, Kaiko, and Charlotte alone.
Leinani took in a deep breath and looked down at Wishiwashi. "Mixtape, I love ya, but I wish that you could fight on land." She looked at Charlotte, who stood awkwardly to the side. "Thanks. I'm not sure we could have finished the job."
Charlotte put her hands on her hips and continued to smile. "It was my pleasure!"
Kaiko knelt to Marshadow and put his hand on the Pokémon's back to help it stand back up. "We did it, buddy. You can go home now."
"Shadow," the Pokémon muttered quietly. It gazed at the tree and then up at Kaiko. The Pokémon wasn't capable of crying, but it did feel an immeasurable sadness.
However, Kaiko was very much capable of crying, and tears immediately made their way down his cheeks once he realized that it was time to say goodbye. He put his hand on his newly acquired Z-Ring. "I'll cherish this forever."
Leinani put her hand on his shoulder. "You know, some cultures believe that gods rest in old places like this tree here. Maybe, you have a guardian angel, and they wanted to thank you for taking care of Marshadow, and that's why you were given the Z-Ring. No matter where you go, you'll always be caring a part of it with you."
Kaiko nodded and then rubbed Marshadow on the head, as he wasn't sure if the Pokémon was capable of giving a hug. When he felt okay, he stood up, and stepped out of the way, giving Marshadow a path back to his home.
"What kind of Pokémon is this?" Charlotte asked. Her accent was thick, and Leinani almost couldn't understand her.
"Um, a mythical Pokémon," Leinani said. "You helped us out, so there's no point in lying."
Charlotte's blue eyes widened and her mouth gaped open from surprise. "A mythical Pokémon? Wonderful! And you've befriended it? Fantastic!"
"I'll never forget you, Marshadow," Kaiko said.
"Marsh-shadow," the Pokémon muttered as it slowly limped to the tree. A black portal opened up on the surface of its trunk, and Marshadow looked back one last time. It nodded to thank Leinani and then stared at Kaiko, sadness deep in its heart. When it couldn't take anymore, and it knew that the image of Kaiko would forever remain, it turned and disappeared into the portal.
Then, the color of the tree changed, and more leaves started to grow, giving it more life. The bark became dark brown, and besides its massive size, it was no longer distinguishable from the other trees.
"Goodbye, Marshadow," Kaiko said as one more tear streaked down his cheek.
Leinani hugged him tightly and patted him on the head. "You're a good kid."
"Oh! You two are siblings?" Charlotte asked. "You are so cute!"
Kaiko couldn't help but smile because of Charlotte's positive attitude. "We should get back to the Pokémon Center. I'll make us dinner!"
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
So, we say goodbye to Marshadow. A bit emotional for Kaiko, but it'll make him stronger!
Also, we are now introduced to Charlotte! We'll learn more about her in the next chapter. I'm excited to see what kind of character she turns out to be.
REVIEWS:
wisdom-jewel - "I think Leilani figures out how to beat Kala, but it would take some time and planning. Maybe an outsider could give her some idea on how to beat Kala. I loved the battle as always. This is a great chapter, and I can't wait to see more." - Well, Charlotte is a literal outsider, so you may have guessed 100% what I'm gonna do.
CrescentApple - "Hoo boy, Leilani did a lot better then I thought against Kala. Sandshrew vs Exeggutor was my favorite, just because of his reactions to fighting such a tall. Pokemon haha. I didn't expect Leilani to win, but if Turtonator had payed attention to her... I could see her face at least the last pokemon before losing." - I love that no one thought she would win. I have to work hard to make her work hard!
