Track 35 - Kick avec mes Nike


"So, you are a gym challenger, ya?" Charlotte wondered as the three ate their dinner at the Pokémon Center. Although Kaiko had offered to make sandwiches, Charlotte insisted on eating Alolan cuisine from the center's diner. She believed it to be genuine Alolan food while the siblings tried their best to avoid it at all cost.

Leinani nodded. "I'm currently training to compete for my last badge."

"Oh? You must be strong? Fantastic!"

Kaiko eyed the lanky dark blue Pokémon that remained outside of Charlotte's Poké Ball. He had never seen one like it before, and his curiosity was getting the best of him. Leinani noticed this and handed over her Pokédex.

"Thanks."

"Greninja, the Ninja Pokémon. It creates throwing stars out of compressed water. When it spins them and throws them at high speed, these stars can split metal in two," the tiny machine informed him.

"Greninja?" Charlotte wondered. "Interesting. It must be its English name. I'm from Kalos, and we call this Pokémon Amphinobi in our native language."

"It never even occurred to me that other regions would have different names for Pokémon," Leinani said. "Wait, does Kalosian hip hop exist? I have so much studying to do!"

Charlotte muffled her laughter. "You are an interesting girl, Leinani."

"What are you doing on Alola? Did you come to challenge the gyms as well?" Kaiko asked while Leinani furiously used her Pokédex to try to find new hip hop.

Charlotte sat up straight, balled her hands into fists, and pretended to shadow box in her booth. "Actually, I am here to participate in the Island Challenge. Fantastic, right?"

Kaiko's eyes lit up, and he slammed his hands down onto the table. "That is fantastic! I'm so glad to hear that! Keep the tradition alive, Charlotte!"

"Actually, this is now my third adventure, ya know? I started from Ambrette Town in Kalos!"

"I've never heard of it," Kaiko said. He looked over at Leinani, who wasn't paying attention.

"It's a very liveable town!" Charlotte exclaimed. "I left with Amphinobi almost two years ago. We're now on our third journey."

"Did you compete in the Kalos Pokémon League?" Kaiko asked.

"Of course! I got to the Top 8 in my first year!"

"And your second year?"

Charlotte appeared as though she didn't want to answer. She sighed and then scratched her cheek. "Uh. Well, actually, I went to Galar. It wasn't too far from Kalos, ya? But the gyms were much harder than I thought. I was unable to get all of the badges in time for the Champion Cup. Now, I'm here! And I couldn't be happier!"

Leinani hit download on the music that she found, and then she looked up at Charlotte. "You said you're doing the Island Challenge? If you're on Poni Island, then that means that you're nearly done, right?"

Charlotte paused and then slowly shook her head. "Um. Not yet."

"How many trials have you completed?" Kaiko asked.

"Um. Zero, actually."

The siblings exchanged looks momentarily.

"But, I have so many months to complete the Island Challenge! I will start here and then go to the next island. I'm very excited!"

Leinani shook her head. "Charlotte, I hate to break it to ya, but they're kind of strict with the order that you do the Island Challenge. With gyms, you can challenge them in any order, technically. But the trials have a specific order that they want you to do them in."

"It's tradition!" Kaiko said excitedly.

"Oh? If that is the case, then I'm lost," she muttered.

Leinani crossed her arms while she examined the girl. She thought about what Kala had told her about enjoying her journey. Up until this point, Leinani had focused so much on training and winning badge after badge.

"How about this, I'll show you around the islands. We've been around them once already, so I can help you. We may have a few months until the Manalo Conference, but if you're this lost right now, there's a chance you'll need help on your way," Leinani said. She then realized how rude she may have sounded. "Uh, and I also want to enjoy some more traveling."

"Fantastic!" Charlotte exclaimed excitedly, unphased by Leinani's bluntness. "I would really appreciate that, Leinani! Not only are you interesting, but you are also so kind!"

"Yeah I am," Leinani said with a smirk.

"Where does that leave me?" Kaiko wondered. "I want to stick around to see your full adventure, but if you're not going to challenge Kala soon, then should I go back to school?"

Leinani thought about it for a moment. She didn't want to see him go, as she got so used to having him around for the entirety of her journey. However, there would be no point in him staying if she wasn't going to do her rematch in the near future. Also, if she was alone with Charlotte, it'd give the two a chance to train one on one, which she could never do with Kaiko.

"I do kind of miss my friends at school," Kaiko muttered. "Maybe I should go back?

Leinani clicked her tongue and then nodded. "I think that's a good idea, Kai. You'll have some interesting stories to tell your friends. If you stuck around, you'd get to see the trials. That's something to also consider."

He shook his head. "The first time I experience it, I want it to be a surprise!"

She nodded slowly. "So, I guess this is the end of our journey together? That's-" She paused. "-sudden."

"It's not over! It's just on standby!" Kaiko exclaimed excitedly. "When you're ready for Kala, call me, and I'll be here in a flash! And of course, I'm gonna be your coach during the Manalo Conference!"

"My coach?"

"Someone has to keep you level-headed," he said quietly, afraid he'd get hit.

"You two are magnificent! I am an only child. I wish I had something like what you two share," Charlotte exclaimed. "You also have the nicknames for each other! It is cute! It is beautiful!"

The siblings giggled.

"You can call me Kai too, Charlotte," Kaiko said. "We're cousins now! Friends!"

"Cousins?" Charlotte wondered. "Well, okay."

"With Kai going back home, that leaves you and I to go to Melemele Island, Charlotte. Do you think we can head out tomorrow morning?"

"Of course!"

Leinani smiled and then pulled a Poké Ball from her belt and placed it on the table. "That leaves only one more thing to take care of. I promised Mosh that I'd never give him anymore orders after he helped us against those fake Team Skull nerds. I guess that I should release him before we leave."

"You are not going to release a Pokémon, no?" Charlotte asked.

"My Turtonator won't listen to me. He did in my last battle, but it was only after I promised that I'd never give him another command," Leinani explained. "I stick to my word."

Charlotte raised her eyebrows and then looked at the Poké Ball. "Well, what if you never gave him another command, but instead, we traded, yes? Technically, you're not breaking a promise. I have a lot of gym badges, so Turtonator will trust me, I believe. And I can give you a rare Pokémon from Kalos in return. What do you think?"

Leinani thought over it momentarily. "I guess that Turtonator would be staying in the family. And, if anything, maybe I'd get a rematch with him in the Manalo Conference. You know what? Deal! But you have to put up with his attitude!"

"Fantastic! It will be no problem! In fact, the Pokémon that I will trade you was once a grumpy soul!"

"What Pokémon are you going to trade me?"

The group finished their dinner, and then they told Nurse Joy that they'd need the trading room. She was quick to prepare it for them, and she led them into a dark room with two massive computers in the center. The room was lit up with ultraviolet lights, which made Charlotte's bright t-shirt and Leinani's red headphones glow.

"Are you ready?" Charlotte asked. "Just put your Poké Ball in the machine, and I'll do the same."

Leinani nodded and then held Turtonator's ball tightly. She looked at it, unsure if she was making the right decision. But she knew that if there was anyone that could tame Turtonator, it'd be Charlotte. She set the ball down in its slot, and the machine started to buzz. The glass case closed and filled with smoke, which cloaked the two Poké Balls. Suddenly, all of the smoke was sucked away, and the ball was absorbed into the machine. The data and ownership of the two Poké Balls shifted, and Leinani's knew Poké Ball came out on her side. The glass case opened up, and the machine became quiet.

Charlotte grabbed her new Poké Ball first. "I got myself a Turtonator!"

"His name is Mosh," Kaiko said. "Make sure that you put some respect on it."

"Kai, ease up," Leinani said before she took her knew Poké Ball in her hands. "Welcome to the team."

The three went to the Pokémon Center courtyard, and Leinani released all of her Pokémon from their balls. She wanted to introduce the newest team member to them. She was nervous though, as she hadn't even met the Pokémon yet.

"You guys ready?" she asked. Rowlet, Sandshrew, Vikavolt, Sandygast, and Wishiwashi all cheered. "Alright, here we go! C'mon out!"

The Poké Ball exploded, and a Pokémon even larger than Turtonator slowly emerged from the light. It roared, shaking the trees around the courtyard and striking fear in the hearts of the Pokémon. When it stopped roaring, it huffed and then looked at the group before gently smiling.

It was a reptilian Pokémon with maroon scales. On its forehead was a crown-like golden horn, and he had white feathers protruding from his shoulders.

"Meet Rexillius!" Charlotte exclaimed. "I'm sure he'll be a great addition to your team!"

"Tyrantrum, the Despot Pokémon. Complete restoration is impossible, allowing room for theories that its entire body was once covered in a feather-like coat," Leinani's Pokédex chimed.

"That is awesome!" Kaiko yelled. "It's so big!"

With this team, we're going to win the Manalo Conference. Charlotte and I can get in some intense training, and I'm sure I can learn a lot from her. It's time for us to get serious, even if getting serious means going on a small detour, Leinani thought. She smiled at Charlotte and Kaiko.

"What?" Kaiko wondered.

"I'm just excited for what's to come next. Kai, you better study hard! The next time you see your sister, she's going to be strong enough to defeat an Elite Four member!" Leinani said. "And, Charlotte."

"Yes?"

"Let's get started!"

Two Days Later - Melemele Island

"Watch out, Charlotte! It's coming!" Leinani warned.

"We'll be fine," Charlotte said as she watched the incoming totem Gumshoos. Her Greninja was strong enough to take on the multiple Yungoos by himself, and she had faith that the battle against the totem Pokémon would be no different. "Smokescreen!"

Moments before the large Pokémon could strike, Greninja lifted one of his arms into the air and then tossed a black ball at the ground. It exploded, sending smoke across the field.

"And now, Amphinobi, use Bubblebeam!"

Greninja leaped from the smoke and spun his body around rapidly. He swung his tongue around in circles and then unleashed the furious bubbles in rapid succession. The bubbles pelted against Gumbshoos repeatedly until he finally relented and then collapsed to the ground. Greninja landed and swung his hand, wafting the remaining black smoke away.

Gumshoos looked up at Greninja and Charlotte through one eye before. He slowly adjusted his body and pushed himself back up. He gazed at the two and then ran away, disappearing into the jungle.

All was quiet.

"Did we do it?" Charlotte asked.

"Look!" Leinani said while pointing at the large stone that the Gumshoos had been protecting. It started to glow with an intense white light. "I think that means you did it!"

Charlotte was too excited. She ran past her exhausted Greninja and then walked to the stone. She reached inside and grabbed the source of the light, pulling out a white Z-Crystal.

"What is it?" she asked.

"A Z-Crystal!" Leinani said. "It'll let you do a Z-Move, like the ones I've used."

Charlotte couldn't help but smile as she examined the crystal. "Fantastic!"


AUTHOR'S NOTES:

And that's Charlotte! She's gonna be around for a few chapters to give Leinani and Kaiko a bit of a breather. I'm thinking that Kaiko will be away for those chapters. It'll be interesting to see Leinani with a different person. I also want to show you guys how the trials have changed, so I'll go into that for a bit.

Also, as for Charlotte's speaking patterns, I'm taking a lot from my experience with my French friends that I met during my time at university in Japan. One of them in particular had a very distinct accent and dialect when he spoke English. I'm trying to replicate that as much as possible.

QUICK LIFE UPDATE:

I started a new job (the one I was after), and it's been kicking my butt the past two weeks. I'm still going to try to find time to write at night, but updates may slow down and chapters might get a bit shorter. I hope this is okay.

REVIEWS:

CrescentApple - "I was expecting more of a beatdown with these team Skull members. But they did really really good. And Leilani was... kind! But thats probably because she understands the delicacy of Kaiko and Marshadow parting ways. So thats pretty cool she can be kind when it's necessary! And Charlotte... that name sounds so familiar. I'm not sure if she was referenced earlier in the story or... I'm overthinking it. Either way. I liked this ending. It wasn't over exaggerated or long. They did their thing, and moved on." - Charlotte is a brand new character!