AUTHOR'S NOTES: Long time no see!

So, I recently (six months ago) started my new job, and I haven't had too much time to actually sit down and write. When I do have time, I'm just so exhausted. But! I've really missed writing, and I miss the characters that I developed. But also, I really miss talking with all of you on this site! This is going to kind of be a test chapter. I have some writing rust to work out, so bare with me!

A quick Summary/Reminder of the story so far:

Leinani Koa and her brother Kaiko have traveled through all of the Alolan Islands, and she has challenged all of the gyms. She has managed to win all of the gym badges except for the last one. She has now decided to take a small break and train. Recently, Kaiko has said goodbye to Marshadow, and the siblings have met with Kalosian native, Charlotte, who has come to Alola to take on the Island Challenge. Kaiko has decided to go back to school while Kala goes through the islands one more time with Charlotte to serve as her guide. Okay! Let's try to get back into this!

Leinani Koa - Rowlet (DJ), Sandshrew (Shure), Vikavolt (Boombox), Sandygast (Vinyl), Wishiwashi (Mixtape), and Tyrantrum (Rexillius)

Charlotte Vernier - Greninja and Turtonator (Mosh)


Track 36 - La Vie en Rose

It had been two weeks since Charlotte triumphed over her first Island Challenge on Melemele Island. And with her experience in battling, she managed a swift victory over Island Kahuna Hala. The signs were there that the kahuna was losing a step when it came to battling, but Leinani could tell that Charlotte wasn't going to be a pushover.

When it came to all of her rivals and friends, Charlotte was the person who intimidated her the most. In her own selfish way, she saw Charlotte as someone that she could learn a lot from. It made holding out on battling Kala worth it.

Charlotte was keen to continue her challenge, which brought the two to Brooklet Hill, the same location where Leinani captured Mix. In what seemed like a mirrored image of her original visit, as soon as they arrived and talked with the Trial Captain, a timid teenager with thick blue hair, handed Charlotte a fishing rod and told her to find the 'biggest fish' in the pond.

"This is not fantastic!" Charlotte yelled as she pulled in another low-level Wishiwashi.

"Maybe we have to go out more into the pond?" Leinani suggested. Up until that point, Charlotte spent all of her time on the shore, casting her line as far out as she could.

Charlotte's back stiffened. "Like, on the small wooden boat?"

"Unless you have a large Pokémon to ride out on?" Leinani said. She had only seen Charlotte's Greninja so far.

Charlotte shook her head. "I do not. But, I am afraid that I cannot swim. What if something goes wrong?"

Leinani sighed. "Let's be reasonable. The water isn't that deep. Even if you fall in, I'll pull you back up within a few seconds, a minute at max. And if I didn't, Amphinobi should be able to maneuver through the water and save your butt. And if that failed, then Mix would save you." Leinani looked out into the small pond, finding Mix who had been playing with his old friends.

"It is scary, no?"

"No."

"How can you be sure?"

"How can you come to a region made up of islands and be afraid of water?!"

"You do not have to yell."

Leinani could tell that Charlotte was uncomfortable with going further into the water, but the Kalosian knew that her chances of completing the challenge hinged on them going in deeper. Leinani didn't press on the issue anymore, allowing for Charlotte to come to her own decision. And within an hour, they rented a small boat and were on their way. Leinani rowed the boat while Charlotte kept an anxious eye on the shore.

"It'll be okay. To my knowledge, no one has died in a few years doing any of the challenges," Leinani half-heartedly joked.

It didn't help, but Leinani could tell that Charlotte was now committed. She waved her hand, asking Leinani to stop, and then she cast her bob into the water.

"Now we wait," Leinani said. "You mind if we turn on some music? Fishing can be a drag sometimes."

"Okay, but try not to play any of your rap music. It's going to scare away the Pokémon, yeah?"

"Do you have any recommendations? Anything you liked listening to back in Kalos will do," Leinani asked as she pulled out her Pokédex.

"There is a song that my mom used to sing to me. I don't think it is your style."

"Music is music. What should I look up?"

"It is called 'La Vie en Rose'. It is almost eighty years old," Charlotte explained.

"I like older music, and if it's going to calm you down before your battle, then I'm all for it," Leinani said as she searched for the song.

When she finally found what she thought she was looking for, she clicked it, and a soft tune reverberated from her device. The sound quality was old, and the band was live. It started off strong, introducing the main melody before slowing down, allowing for the Kalosian singer to make her introduction. She had a high-pitched voice, but she sang very clearly, and Leinani could see the effect it had on Charlotte. Her friend had relaxed.

Leinani enjoyed the song as well. She couldn't understand any of the words being sung, but it sounded romantic and slightly sad to her. It reminded her of her own feelings towards romance, but she tried not to dwell on it too much. She just tried to enjoy the song at that moment.

And then, the small boat that they were on rocked, and Charlotte's bob disappeared into the water.

"What's happe-" Charlotte started to say before there was a sudden explosion. A massive insectoid Pokémon with a bobblehead appeared and roared above them.

"That thing is huge!" Leinani yelled. She directed her Pokédex at the new creature and scanned its information.

"Araquanid, the Water Bubble Pokémon. It has a habit of storing things it values in its water bubble. If its Trainer doesn't watch out, Araquanid will try to put them in its bubble!" her Pokédex warned.

"Amphinobi, let's go!" Charlotte called while throwing her Poké Ball into the air. Her starter Pokémon emerged and then landed on the bow of the boat. He balanced himself with ease while he observed the massive Pokémon. Even though he was at a disadvantage because of his size, he didn't fear the beast.

Araquanid roared and unhinged his massive pincers. Dark energy collected around his jaws before snapped forward, ready to crunch down onto the Water-type.

"Deflect with Night Slash!"

Greninja stayed in place, but he crossed his arms, forming the same dark energy. The two Pokémon collided, and the boat was pushed backward. However, the trainers were safe. Leinani held onto DJ tightly even though the Rowlet could just as easily escape into the air.

"Fantastic! Now, use Smokescreen!"

Greninja clapped his two hands together and created a ball. Within a second, he tossed it forward, and it exploded against Araquanid's massive head. He then leaped into the air, understanding that it was time to strike.

"Downward Night Slash!" Charlotte ordered.

Greninja crossed his arms yet again and then started to spin, creating a black tornado of energy that plummeted toward the water. He slammed and slashed into Araquanid as soon as he was in striking distance, and the Totem Pokémon was knocked back, skidding against the river. When Araquanid recovered, he let out a loud shriek.

At first, Charlotte and Leinani were confused by the shriek, believing it only to be a battle cry. However, a noise radiated through the air, drowning out Leinani's music. They looked up, finding two Pokémon dashing towards them in the sky.

"Masquerain, the Eyeball Pokémon. Masquerain intimidates enemies with the eyelike patterns of its eyespots. If that doesn't work, it deftly makes its escape on its set of four wings," Leinani's Pokédex buzzed.

"Would you put that thing away? It's distracting!" Charlotte yelled.

"No!"

"Fine then! Amphinobi, use Water Shuriken!"

"Phobi!" the Water-type called back. He held his arms out to his sides, and water from the small pond floated into both of his palms, taking the shapes of shuriken. He flung them into the air, directly for both of the Masquerain, but they easily avoided it before they started their own attacks.

Dark green energy formed around their bodies, creating a set of artificial jaws. They both rammed into Greninja and bit, making the Water-type howl with pain. Greninja was tossed back, landing in the water and sinking immediately.

"Amphinobi! No!" Charlotte yelled, a look of terror coming over her face.

"Now would be a good time to use a different Pokémon, Charlotte! This isn't a traditional battle, so you can use something else!" Leinani coached.

"Something else?" Charlotte wondered.

"Not Mosh! He'll drown!" Leinani exclaimed, worried for her former Pokémon's safety.

"I wasn't thinking of him! But, I do have a good Pokémon! Go, Prismillon!" Charlotte called while throwing another Poké Ball into the air. Her own Bug-type Pokémon emerged and took to the sky. Its small body was different shades of grey, which was contrasted by its large pink wings. Leinani would have scanned the Pokémon, but she didn't want to be scolded for using her Pokédex yet again.

"Use Hurricane!"

Her Pokémon cooed and then flew even higher. She started to swirl, creating wind around her body which quickly became violent. It suddenly dawned on Leinani just how strong Charlotte's Pokémon were.

The Masquerain were swept up into the storm and blown away, and during the commotion, Charlotte looked to the water, quickly finding Greninja who weakly came back to the surface. He was still healthy enough to fight, which put a smile on Charlotte's face.

"Now for us to focus on the Totem Pokémon! Fantastic!" she exclaimed.

But, before she could give any of her orders, Araquanid let out another battle cry. His pincers became light blue, and he launched a multi-colored beam in the air at Charlotte's Pokémon. It hit directly, and the Bug-type let out a screech as one of her wings was frozen. Araquanid opened up his jaws and prepared to catch Charlotte's Pokémon in a powerful crunch.

However, Greninja was fast. He dashed across the water and leaped into the air, catching his partner in a blink of an eye. When the two were a safe distance away from the Totem Pokémon, Greninja struck the ice and freed the Bug-type's wing. They then glared at Araquanid and awaited their orders.

Araquanid roared, and the water started to stir. Dozens of smaller Pokémon with similar appearances to their leader came to the surface, ready to go to war with Charlotte and her team.

"That doesn't seem fair," Leinani mumbled. "An army going up against one trainer."

"All is fair in love and war, yeah? Amphinobi, use a barrage of Water Shuriken! Prismillon, hit them with a Hurricane!" Charlotte directed.

Some of the smaller Pokémon all cried out as they charged across the water, their jaws taking on dark green energy. The others unleashed a flurry of weak bubbles. However, Charlotte's Pokémon were too fast. The Bug-type's violent winds picked up the charging Pokémon and tossed them easily to the side while Greninja's shurikens ripped through the bubbles and then sent the remaining Pokémon into a retreat.

All that was left was the large Araquanid. It growled and then released a stream of violent bubbles down the water.

"Night Slash!" Charlotte ordered.

Greninja got in front of his partner and then charged. He crossed his arms and took the brunt of Araquanid's attack. However, the dark energy that he formed easily sliced through each of the bubbles, making the Totem's Pokémon attack seem weak.

"Fantastic! Finish this with a combination attack! Bug Buzz and Water Shuriken!"

Charlotte's Bug-type Pokémon flew overhead and rapidly flapped her wings, releasing dark energy downward. It exploded onto Araquanid, forcing him back into the water, leaving only his head poking out.

Greninja then followed. He put both of his hands over his head, and a single massive shuriken formed from the water around him. He smirked and then did an overhead throw, sending it as quickly as he could to his opponent. It exploded once it reached the pond, sending water and steam into the air.

Charlotte eyed where Araquanid once was, waiting for a follow-up attack. But it never came.

Instead, she heard a slow clap from the distance. She warily looked over, finding on the shore the once timid Trial Captain with a wide smile on her face.

Leinani and Charlotte, with the help of Greninja, rowed the boat to the shore, and the Kalosian finally felt relief as she stepped onto land. Her legs gave out, and her two Pokémon crowded her to help her stand up. Leinani watched on with a smile on her face.

"Congratulations, Charlotte," Lana said. "You're a lot stronger than the typical trainer that comes to take on my trial. I can see a bright future for you!" She reached out her hand and revealed a blue Z-Crystal. "This is for you! With this, you'll be able to do Hydro Vortex with any Water-type attack."

Charlotte happily took the Z-Crystal and then looked at it. She was yet to receive a Z-Ring, but she knew that she'd get one with time. She peered back at Leinani and held out the crystal.

"Fantastic!"


AUTHOR'S NOTES:

I intended to come back with this chapter, but I found it a bit difficult to work on. However, here I am! I'm back, baby! Now to work on Logan's story…

In the next chapter, I'm gonna try to delve a bit more into what these two's relationship is like. Leinani is definitely a lot softer around her, but I think it comes out of respect.

REVIEWS:

CrescentApple - "Completely forgot Leilani was going to get rid of Turtinator. And she ends up getting a Tyrantrum. That is so cool. Ans Charlotte is one of my favorite new characters. Such a bubbly personality. Reminds me of why I like the pokemon franchise. Always new characters, new pokemon." - Turtonator is still in the family! Yeah, I'm trying to do a small arc, but Kaiko will be back in a couple of chapters.

pokestets23 - "Love the dialect of Charlotte. And a freaking Tyrantrum! That's crazy. Interested to see what you do with." - I just know that Leinani working with a t-rex sounds... awesome.