Pokémon Radiant Sun
So I have officially gotten past the initial phase of meeting with an Air Force recruiter and am starting to get stuff together for this next week. Hopefully my next meeting goes well, so I'll keep you all posted on that.
So here we are. The chapter people have been waiting for. Hopefully it delivers. I sure enjoyed it, that's for sure. Keep in mind that this is just the introduction of Team Skull, and that they'll be showing up quite a bit more in the story than they did in the game.
Also, I've got a little something special happening at the end of this chapter. But we'll get to that in a bit.
Shoutout to those who reviewed since the last update, which includes Sai Og Sus, Wings of an Eternal Blaze, DriveByGhoti, Cottonmouth25, Raikou927, danlagunas14, and three new reviewers known as xPuppeteer, Technetium2, and Aud10-Writer. Thank you so much for the feedback and support.
Enjoy.
Chapter 16: Bad to the Bone
Sun nearly cracked up laughing at the shocked expressions on the two delinquent's faces, but continued the conversation with Ilima like it was never interrupted.
"Like I said, I'm more of a pancake guy myself. That doesn't mean I can't appreciate waffles though. The way the syrup gets stuck in the grooves up on top…Yum." Sun grinned at the Captain, who barked out a laugh.
"Yes, we're absolutely going to have to do brunch sometime. This restaurant is famous for their pancakes and waffles, and it's always nice seeing an outside perspective on some of Hau'oli's most well-known spots." Captain Ilima remarked cheerfully.
"Wait, what?!" Both of the Team Skull members sprinted over to them, both of them waving their arms about for some reason. Sun wondered if they were really itchy or something because he couldn't understand why they were doing that.
"Why do you try to act hard when we're already hard as a bone out here, homie? Not cool at all, you feel me? Getting ignored over a waffle!? That…that's a new low, man." Grunt A said, sounding indignant as he crossed his arms.
"Yo, let's check these fools!" Team Skull Grunt B yelled, drawing a Poké Ball from his belt. Captain Ilima sighed, shaking his head slowly to show how absolutely done with this situation he was. Sun just stared forward, watching Team Skull continue to wave their arms about as if they were trying to dance the dance of life or something.
"What on earth is going on here? It's like they're trying to communicate with us…But they're not quite using any coherent language I've ever heard of." Sun wondered before Ilima finally spoke up.
"Yes…the dreaded Team Skull...How terrifying…" Ilima responded in the most deadpan voice Sun had ever heard. The young boy burst out laughing, doubling over with mirth at the unexpected response while the two Team Skull members sagged slightly.
"Seriously, what are you both supposed to be? Team Rocket wannabees?" Sun panted, trying to catch his breath, tears forming in his eyes.
"Psh. We're way better than those tools. We're the always hard group of rogues known as Team Skull! Check it, homie!" Grunt B replied, striking a pose with his partner as they stood back to back, facing them.
"You're both a complete waste of time." Ilima replied, his voice and expression about as dull as a butter-knife. Sun began giggling again, making both of the teenagers step forward.
"Yo, don't be hating on us like that, Cap. You know that your Trial thing is the real waste of time. Team Skull's gonna wreck you and your little friend and take your Pokémon like that, yo!" B said as he took a step forward, looking Ilima in the eye.
"That's about as likely as grape jelly raining down from the sky. Everyone knows you all are nothing but hot air. Outcasts and nothing more. You aren't even worth the energy it would take to release one of my Pokémon to defeat you both with." Ilima responded, a surprising note of harshness in his voice.
"Come on, man! We're a threat! No bones about it! We'll prove it by taking you both out and taking your Pokémon for the glory of Team Skull!" Team Skull Grunt A declared, pulling out a Poké Ball of his own.
"Only thieves steal people's Pokémon. As much as it pains me to even humor you, I will not stand for behavior like this." Ilima said coldly, a sharp glint coming to his eyes. The Captain looked over at Sun, nodding to him.
"Sun. I'll ask you to take care of that one. I'll get rid of this one, and we can return to our delightful conversation about pancakes and waffles." Ilima said as he pulled out a Poké Ball of his own.
"Oh? A battle against those Team Numbskullzz here at the Marina? Count me in, Sun! I've got your back! Zzzt!" Rotom declared, flying free from Sun's backpack as the boy unclipped a Poké Ball from his belt.
"Yo! Uncool, homie! Who you calling a numbskull you…you…Dude, I've got no idea what the heck that thing is, not gonna lie." Team Skull Grunt B stated, pointing at Rotom.
"Rotom, Team Skull Grunt B. Team Skull Grunt B, Rotom." Sun said, introducing the two of them.
"If I said it wasn't a pleasure to meet you, would that be considered rude?" Rotom asked.
"Nah, I feel you homie. Don't sweat it." Grunt B replied with a shrug as he tossed his Poké Ball up and down into the air.
"Uh…Do you two need a moment? I feel like you two are bonding." Sun asked the two of them, raising an eyebrow. Rotom responded by flying back into Sun's backpack.
"Zzzt…Well, I do like his hair. The rest of him? Not so much."
"Cold man…that's real cold."
"I'm quite warm actually. Comes with living inside of a computer thingy." Rotom said from within the backpack. After a moment Sun realized that the Pokédex Pokémon had gone back to sleep. So much for having his back…
"Yo! Check out how much I change the game with my mad Pokémon skills!" Grunt B called out, grinning underneath his bandanna, tossing his green and orange Poké Ball forward. A blue bat with purple wings fluttered forth, letting out a screech. Sun recognized this Pokémon for Kanto and sighed internally.
"Zubat, huh?…Penny! Let's go!" Sun called out, releasing his bird. Penny let out a tweet before landing on the ground, calmly staring down the Team Skull Grunt and his Zubat.
"Use Peck!" Sun called to his little bird. Penny nodded and shot forward into the air with several rapid flaps of her wings, tweeting as she quickly built up speed and flew towards the Zubat.
"Heh. Supersonic!" Grunt B shouted, a laugh escaping the teen.
"What?" Sun watched as Penny's beak began glowing bright white as she soared towards the Zubat. The bat Pokémon let out a screech as several visible sound-waves erupted from its mouth and flew towards Penny, hitting the bird Pokémon in mid-flight. The Pikipek slammed into the Zubat, knocking it out of the air, but by the time that she had readjusted herself in midair she was shaking her head in confusion.
"Shake it off, Penny! Use Echoed Voice!" Sun yelled out to his bird. Penny let out a chirp before screeching loudly, releasing a series of sound-waves of her own, though much smaller than the Supersonic. However, the attacks were wildly aimed and missed the Zubat completely, and the confused Pikipek even ended up hurting herself by aiming an attack to close to the ground by her, making the air around her explode.
"Now we got them right where we want them! Hit them with a mad Absorb attack!" Grunt B called to his Zubat as it neared Penny. Penny let out a cry of pain as the attack hit her, feeling her energy get siphoned by the Zubat only for it to gain her life force in exchange.
Sun growled in annoyance, cursing himself for falling for such a trick. However, he had been reading his books and knew that just because a Pokémon was confused didn't mean it still couldn't win. The Zubat hit Penny with another Absorb while she fluttered through the air, shaking her head frantically.
"Use Peck again!" Sun called to the bird. Penny nodded and shot off towards the Zubat, though she missed wildly and slammed into a light-post with a cry.
"This is too easy. Absorb again, little homie!" Penny was hit with another Absorb attack, but seemed to gain a bit of awareness in her eyes as the attack hit her.
"Come on Penny! Use Peck and hit that Zubat!" Sun called out to her. Penny nodded and propelled herself forward, surprising the Zubat and managing to ram her beak into the bat Pokémon again.
"There we go! Keep it up! Peck again!" Sun commanded. Penny soared back through the air and hit the Zubat once again, though she was hit with another Absorb attack in exchange. Both Pokémon were showing signs of fatigue, but Sun wasn't planning on letting his Pikipek lose this fight. After getting hit with another Absorb, Sun ordered Penny to use Echoed Voice once again.
"Pi! Pi! Pikipek!" Penny cried out, shaking its head sharply as complete awareness returned to her. The small bird shot forward, releasing a small sound-wave filled with energy into the Zubat, knocking it dangerously close to the ground as Penny raced by it.
"Go in for the last hit! Peck!" Sun shouted to his Pikipek, grinning now as Penny dropped in altitude and soared towards the Zubat as it slowly turned towards her. Penny slammed into the Zubat one final time and knocked it to the ground, where it rested for a few moments before fainting.
"No…No fair, yo! I was playing a different game!" Grunt B yelped, taking a step back as he returned his Zubat.
"Is it the one where you lose and get out of here? Because that's the one I was playing." Sun replied with a chuckle as Penny fluttered over to his arm. Penny chirped happily as Sun patted her on the head, muttering, "You did amazing out there."
"Pi piki!"
Sun turned his attention forward again, where the two Team Skull Grunts were backing up down the path. Grunt A called over to his partner, "Let's get up out of this port, B! Nobody has to know about this!" The Grunt that had lost to the Captain turned his attention to Ilima and said, "We don't need your wack Pokémon anyway, Ilima!"
"Oh, my heart bleeds." Ilima replied with a deep sigh, putting a hand on his cheek while Sun and Penny both cracked up behind him.
"Stop laughing at us! You'll both regret this, you feel me?" Grunt B called back to them, even as they were leaving.
"I'm sure we will. Farewell for now!" Ilima waited until they both were far enough away before muttering, "Imbeciles."
"So that was a thing." Sun stated as he watched the two Team Skull members sprint out of sight. While they weren't all that threatening, the one that he had fought was surprisingly competent as a battler. He'd have to find out a bit more about those guys in the future, Sun decided. He'd probably ask Hau or Lillie, in all honesty.
"I know…Weren't the two of them the absolute picture of terror?" Ilima remarked, sarcasm again dripping from his voice. Sun giggled at that and the Captain gave him a smile, turning to him.
"My apologies for getting you roped into that nonsense, and my thanks to the both of you for your help. Why don't I heal your Pikipek…Penny, wasn't it?" Sun nodded, and Ilima continued. "I'll heal her as thanks for your assistance, and then the fun can get underway."
Penny was given a Super Potion for her injuries as well as two Ethers, completely revitalizing her. Ilima grinned as Sun returned his Pikipek, saying, "I'll admit, I've been wondering about you since I saw you at the Trainer's School. Professor Kukui has shown great interest in you, my friend, and after watching you defeat the other students and a teacher so effortlessly? I can see why. Your bond with your Pokémon is strong and you have a knack for battling I can honestly say I admire."
"Thanks." Sun replied to the Captain, his grin widening.
"Alright then. If you would, please allow me to see if you're ready for my Trial!" Ilima pulled out one of his Poké Balls with a wider smile. Both Trainers stepped apart and prepared themselves for another battle. By that point, the two of them had amassed a small crowd of people to watch them both.
Sun faced down the Captain with a wide smile. The pink-haired teen chuckled as he brushed his hair out of his face and said, "Behold, my friend…the magnificent Pokémon of the one and only Captain Ilima!"
"Looking forward to it!" Sun called over to the Captain.
"I'll go first, then. Yungoos, I require your assistance!" Ilima released the mongoose Pokémon, which crouched low on the ground and hissed at Sun.
"Penny might have been healed, but I'd rather not waste her right now on Pokémon I know are more experienced and stronger than her. That being the case…" Sun thought, holding up a Poké Ball.
"Oliver, let's go!" Sun released his starter, receiving a cheerful hoot from the Rowlet.
"Yungoos, use Tackle!" Ilima called out, throwing out a hand as a fierce grin leapt to his face. He seemed to lose all sense of poise and restraint, becoming completely engrossed in what was happening before him.
"Oliver, hit him with a Tackle of your own!" Sun responded. Oliver took off and darted towards the charging Yungoos, colliding with it and creating a small shockwave of force before Oliver shoved the Yungoos onto the ground, making it out cry out in pain.
"Leafage, Oliver!" Sun called out. Oliver hooted and rose into the air, twirling around and unleashing a torrent of glowing leaves that raced past the mongoose Pokémon on the ground, making it snarl as it fought to remain standing against the attack.
"Fight through it and hit it with a Tackle!" llima called out, both hands curled into fists and bouncing up and down on his feet. His Yungoos grit its teeth before leaping through the whirlwind of leaves and tackling Oliver right out of the air.
"He's not budging at all…This guy is good." Sun muttered as Oliver flew past him, hooting loudly.
"Peck! Hit him hard and fast before it has a chance to hit you again!" Sun said to Oliver, receiving a sharp nod in response before Oliver soared towards the Yungoos, which was panting hard in exhaustion.
"Tackle again, Yungoos! Meet it head-on!" Ilima called out. The Yungoos nodded and charged forward, leaping into the air to meet Oliver directly. However, the Rowlet managed to duck low and avoid the attack, instead looping around and ramming his beak directly into the Yungoos's back. It felt to the ground with a yelp and remained still.
"Incredible! Simply fantastic!" Ilima said with a laugh, returning his Yungoos and addressing the Pokémon within it. "You did well, my friend. Rest easy."
"That wasn't easy, Captain. So, ready for round 2?" Sun asked as Oliver flew over to him, landing on his hat.
"Of course! Smeargle, let's go!" Ilima called forth his second Pokémon, a strange beagle-looking Pokémon that Sun actually decided to use Rotom to get more info on.
"Bzzt! Alrighty, let's see what I can find…Smeargle, the Painter Pokémon. The unique creations produced by each Smeargle are painted using the fluid that oozes from its tail. This is how it marks its territory…Huh. That's pretty neat!" Rotom chirped as he floated around Sun.
"Thanks for the info. Feel free to hang out or just go back to sleep in the bag." Sun said to the Rotom. The Pokémon let out a giggle but remained outside.
"Oliver, let's go for another win! Use Peck!" Sun said as Oliver took flight once again. Oliver rocketed off towards the Smeargle and slammed into it, making the Pokémon let out a cry.
"Use Ember, now!" Ilima cried out, grinning widely.
"Wait, what?" Sun thought as the tip of Smeargle's tail glowed bright orange. Oliver began flying away from the Pokémon just in time to get a face-full of flames. Oliver shrieked in pain, eyes shut tight as the flames slammed into the Grass-type Pokémon, causing serious damage to the already worn down Rowlet.
"Oliver get away from it! Use Leafage!" Sun called to his starter. Oliver hooted in alarm, flying away from the steady waves of fire erupting from the tail of the Painter Pokémon. Oliver unleashed a swarm of leaves, making the Smeargle back off.
"Use Peck and get away before it can hit you with fire again!" Sun called to Oliver. With a hoot the owl Pokémon dove towards his opponent.
"Smeargle, intercept it with Tackle!" Ilima yelled out. Smeargle crouched low and leapt into the air, meeting Oliver in midair. Oliver rammed his beak into the ribs of the Smeargle, but was smacked away by the Pokémon with a snarl. Oliver teetered in the air for a moment, shaking his head with a pained expression.
"Dang…Ilima's good. Really, really good. Leafage again! Keep your distance!" Sun shouted to Oliver, but Ilima wouldn't be denied.
"Tackle, Smeargle! Finish off that Rowlet with the next attack!" Ilima shouted to Smeargle, receiving a small nod before the Pokémon sprinted towards the Oliver. The Rowlet landed on the ground, panting heavily and shuddering now as a green aura began envelop the owl.
"That's Overgrow…Now's my chance to end this!" Sun thought with a grin. Ilima looked alarmed as his eyes lit up in realization, but before he could say anything Sun yelled out, "Oliver, use Leafage!"
"Hit that Rowlet with Ember, Smeargle!" Ilima shouted as the Smeargle drew closer to Oliver, even as the bird launched itself into the air once again. Smeargle nodded and launched the flames at the owl as the bird twirled in midair, launching a maelstrom of leaves towards it. Fire met leaves in midair, but the Leafage consumed the flames and merged with them as they swirled towards the wide-eyed Painter Pokémon, slamming into it with authority. Smeargle howled in pain as it tumbled through the air and crashed onto the ground a far distance away, completely knocked out.
"Incredible…Simply marvelous!" Ilima yelled out, grinning widely as he returned his Smeargle. Sun ran forward to scoop up Oliver, hugging him tightly.
"We did it. We beat him!" Sun yelled out gleefully as Ilima walked forward, chuckling. Oliver let out an exhausted hoot as he closed his eyes.
"You – or should I say you and your Pokémon – make quite an interesting team. Both of your Pokémon are quite adept in combat, as are you." Ilima remarked as he put a hand on his hip.
"So, am I worthy to take on the Normal Trial?" Sun asked the Captain, receiving a nod in response.
"Yes, yes you are. I do hope you'll come to the Verdant Cavern and attempt the trial soon. It's a fairly easy path to take to get there. Just follow Route 2 until you get to the Pokémon Center. From there, it's a short walk down the path you would be taking to the entrance of the cavern. A few signs can be found along the way, just in case, and if you need any further help, I'm sure your Rotom Dex will be able to assist." Ilima instructed the Kanto-native, who nodded.
"Absolutely! We're on our way to be the very best! Like no one ever was!" Rotom declared.
"To catch them is my real test. To train them-" Sun was cut off by Ilima, who said, "That's your cause, isn't it?"
"Yep. So, any chance we can do that breakfast thing?" Sun asked the Trial Captain.
"Sadly no. While Team Skull is mostly harmless, just annoying, I do have to notify the local authorities that they are active within the city. And by the time I'm done with that, I'll have to supervise a Trial attempt happening late this afternoon. I'm afraid we'll have to reschedule another time. But…" Ilima pulled out a notepad from his pocket and scribbled something down on it.
"Feel free to contact me if you need anything. When you get to the Trial Site, I'll likely be waiting there for you already, since I have to be there to administer the Trial each time it is required." Ilima explained as he released his fainted Smeargle. Ilima dug out a small yellow crystal from his pocket and knelt down to his Pokémon, pressing the object against its head. The crystal glowed faintly before losing all of its color, but as that happened the Smeargle's eyes snapped open.
"There we go. Smeargle, how are you feeling?" Ilima asked as he helped his Pokémon to its feet. Smeragle let out a cry before Ilima turned to Sun.
"Thanks again for everything, Sun. I look forward to seeing more of your style and skill when you attempt the Trial. Until then, my friend!" Ilima said, giving Sun a small wave as he placed a hand on top of his Smeargle's head. "Let's go to the Pokemon Center, shall we?"
The two of them vanished into thin air.
"Wait, his Smeargle can learn Teleport?" Sun asked Rotom as the Dex chuckled in reply.
"Yep! Smeragle is able to learn, at least through its special powers, any move there is…Well, as far as my data-banks show, anyway." Rotom shrugged before adding, "Bzzt! Makes sense when you think about it. As busy as the Captain is, being able to teleport has to be really helpful."
"Good point. So…what now?" Sun wondered aloud. He looked over at the restaurant that he and Ilima were discussing, but decided to go there another time, preferably with the Captain himself. Sun actually found he liked the older Trainer quite a bit. He nodded slightly and decided that the teen was now a friend to him.
That made sense, right?
Sun and Rotom made their way back into the city, after Sun healed Oliver back to tip-top shape. He was surprised, however, that when he was passing an incredibly colorful restaurant that Hau walked right out of it, patting his belly. The boy grinned when he caught sight of Sun and walked over to him.
"Howzit going, Sun?" Hau greeted the boy with his typical wide grin.
"Not too bad. I battled some Team Skull dorks and the Captain. Had a pretty good time with that." Sun said to the boy, shooting a grin back at him.
"Nice! Well, if you're looking for some good post-battle eats, then you've found 'em!" Hau gestured to the building behind him with a wacky-looking Pokémon on the sign with its tongue hanging out.
"This is a Malasada Shop. One of the best places in the entire city. No, the entire island!" Hau declared, putting both of his hands behind his head.
"Malasada…I keep hearing you and Lillie mentioning that word, but I still have no idea what it is. So…what is it?" Sun asked the boy, receiving a horrified look in response.
"You…I…wat." Hau looked broken, giving Sun an indescribable look of horror and shock. Sun then spotted Lillie walking towards them down the street, carrying another small bag on her shoulder. Professor Kukui was a bit behind her, strolling leisurely with Rockruff yapping at its feet.
"Lillie, I think I broke Hau." Sun said as he poked the other boy in the forehead. Lillie bent down and looked at Hau's face with a small smile, amused. Sun took that moment to look over at the Professor, who was grinning down at him.
"Hey Professor. How's it going? And more importantly, how did you find us? Seems a bit weird that you stumbled on me and Hau," Sun asked.
Kukui waved at Sun before saying, "I'm doing well! And I found you both using the Mind-Lock my Starmie has on Hau. We just teleported near you both just a ways down the road. Now, uh…What's wrong with him, anyway?"
"Oh boy. You told him you hadn't ever had a malasada before, didn't you?" Lillie asked Sun.
"Yeah, I told him I didn't know what it was. Not really, anyway. How'd you know?"
"He did the exact same thing when I told him that. The only way to fix him is go inside the store and eat some malasadas and explain to him how delicious they are." Lillie said to Sun, looking over at him.
"Well, breakfast was a while ago and Ilima had to bail on lunch. May as well." Sun prodded Hau again and said, "Hey. Let's get something to eat."
Hau jerked out of his trance and grinned at Sun, saying, "So yeah. Malasadas are amazing and they can even make your Pokémon more affectionate towards you, you know? I mean, who could resist giving their Pokémon a few malasadas, right? They're just so amazing!"
"Wow, you just snapped right out of that trance…Not going to lie, that's kinda neat. Could you do that again?" Sun asked Hau as Kukui and Lillie laughed.
"I could…But it's much more fun to keep you on your toes." Hau laughed as he put his hands behind his head.
"Well, let's go eat then. I'm sure our Pokémon would appreciate the snack and Sun can get his first true taste of Alola." Kukui said to the children, making Sun snicker at the pun. With that, the newly formed quartet entered the store. They found there to be a bit of a line ahead of them, but they decided to wait anyway, since the wait wasn't too bad and Hau seemed very excited for Sun to try his favorite food for the first time.
"So what happened at the Marina, Sun?" Hau asked the other boy. Sun briefly explained his encounter with Ilima and Team Skull, to Hau's surprise and Lillie's horror. Kukui seemed thoughtful, however.
"Team Skull huh? They're being much more active lately…I wonder if bug-brain has something to do with that." Kukui mused quietly, closing his eyes.
"Are you OK?" Lillie asked Sun, worried.
"Never better. Those dorks didn't stand a chance." Sun grinned back at her, making Lillie sigh with relief.
"That's good. I was tempted to go down to the Marina myself and watch the ocean a bit with Nebby, but if Team Skull is around, I think I'll reconsider." Lillie muttered, scratching Nebby's head from within its bag and making the Pokémon coo with contentment.
"Heh. I think I kinda just want to run down to the Marina and look out at the ocean and just scream 'Look at me, Tutu!'…No, actually… 'Watch me, world! I'm gonna beat my old gramps someday!'" Sun and Lillie smiled at the young boy's remark before all of them were startled by a woman in front of them speaking up.
"It's the miraculous munchy born in Alola! Welcome to your neighborhood Malasada Shop!" the woman at the counter declared with a wide smile. "What can I get for you today?"
"Malasadas, of course! What else can you get here, Miss Karen?" Hau asked with a laugh, stepping in front of Sun and Lillie.
"Didn't you just finish off three plates of malasadas a few minutes ago, Hau?" Karen asked the young boy.
"Yup! Now I'm back for seconds with my friends!"
"Well, what kind of malasadas would you all like today?" Karen asked the group.
"Five plates of Sweet Malasadas, please!" Hau replied with an even wider, more excited grin.
"Alrighty. Why don't you all find yourselves a seat? I'll bring you some malasadas fresh from the fryer!" Karen said to the group, who went to the back of the store and sat down. Hau released Cassy and Duke from their Poké Balls, where both Pokémon hopped into their Trainer's lap. Kukui allowed Rockruff to hop into his lap, probably because he couldn't release the full team he had on him and expect them all to fit inside of the restaurant.
"These two are still full, so I'm just going to let them chill here. Let your Pokémon out, Sun, so that they can have some malasadas too!" Hau advised the Kanto-native. Sun did as the other boy said, releasing Penny and Oliver. Both birds fluttered into Sun's lap, looking around the colorful shop with interest. To their surprise, Lillie let Nebby out of its bag. The Cosmog let out a happy cry and flew into Lillie's lap, where Lillie began petting the Pokémon with a small smile. Sun wondered why she had done this, since she wanted to keep the Cosmog a secret from people, before he realized that their position in the store shielded them from view from the other customers nearby. Plus, Professor Kukui was around as well to keep an eye on things, so they were pretty safe.
The group chatted with one another for a few minutes before their food came out. Sun breathed in the scent of freshly cooked pastries and after a minute of waiting for them to cool, after being advised by Hau, Sun sank his teeth into his malasada. The boy was surprised by the sweetness of the pastry, savoring the taste of it for a few seconds before swallowing. Sun split his second malasada in half and gave it to Penny and Oliver, eating the third and fourth one by himself before calling it quits and giving the remainder to Kukui's Rockruff.
The group chatted in the Malasada Shop, eating their lunch of sweet pastries, unaware that they were being watched from the outside by familiar duo with bright blue hair and dressed with black. With two smirks, the duo crept away, eager to put their plan into motion.
Team Skull Grunt A pulled out a radio and pressed the button on the side of it, saying, "Calling all bones. Get the crew together. We got three fools to lay the smack-down on and one of them has a Pokémon that isn't like anything I've ever seen. Hop to it!"
Alrighty folks, so we'll be seeing some more of Team Skull next chapter. As well as some new and old faces as well. Next chapter will be the last chapter in Hau'Oli City (for now), and then we can begin on the path to the Normal Trial!
But first…What's to come. See, when I began this story, I decided to expand on quite a few things. Backstories, roles, and so on. Along the way, I decided to indulge in some wishful thinking and decided to throw in a few choice characters from other games into this story for one reason or another.
Next chapter will feature the first appearance of a character that wasn't in Sun and Moon but was a main character in another Pokémon game. They will be an important character in this fic and have a recurring role within the story.
And I want you all to guess who that character is. Think of it as a mini-contest of sorts, but the stakes are just the knowledge that you guessed right in a fanfic.
A few quick rules. You participate by dropping your guess/answer in the review section below. One guess per person, and you have until next weekend to guess. If you guess right, I'll PM you personally, give you a special shout-out next chapter, and send you a snippet of the next chapter via PM. If multiple people guess the same correct person, then I'll extend the "reward" to the others who chose correctly as well.
So here are your clues.
This character has only appeared in one Pokémon game before. It was a mainstream title and that was their only appearance.
And this character is NOT a type-specialist.
Good luck. I'm looking forward to seeing who you think this new arrival is. Actually, if you all want to drop some suggestions in general on who you would like to see appear down the road in this story, feel free to let me know in the section below. Just make sure to differentiate between what's your actual answer and what is just you giving me feedback. As crazy as it sounds, I do absolutely take suggestions and advice to heart and have even had a few ideas influence the story.
I'll see you all in a week or so. Thanks again for all of the feedback and support.
Until next time, FlygonNick out!
