Jacky had to shove Hau back to get out of the dirt, as the enthusiastic young man had completely collapsed over him when they collided. "For Zekrom's sake, Hau, you think you're going fast enough?" He patted his clothes down to shake the dirt off while his klutzy friend got up and neglected his own. "What's the rush that you had to go at mach speed?"
"Yeah, sorry about that, bud. I just finished my trial and wanted to let you guys know. Thankfully I passed by Professor Kukui on the way and he told me you'd be here." He laughed off Jacky's grumbles, scratching his head half-nervously. Afterwards, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the Normalium-Z to show off the proof of his accomplishment. "See that! I'm right on your tail, buddy!"
Cinnamon grumbled in response, glancing from Hau's chipper grin all the way down to his legs, where, standing right by them, was the yet-to-be-evolved Rowlet, Robin. As their two trainers chatted it up, towering over them, the starters had a moment to interact at least a little. The Torracat looked Robin up and down, making a show of it before he gave as smug a grin as a cat possibly could. Cinnamon made his way towards Robin, stopping a foot away and trotting in a full circle, emphasizing his freshly achieved evolution.
This didn't sit well with Robin in the slightest, hooting bitterly at Cinnamon and flapping his wings aggressively the cat's way. It was obvious from the get-go, he couldn't stand his attitude one bit, and he was itching to wipe the smirk of this cheshire's face. As the two Pokemon had their little tiff, their trainers finally took note of them.
"Oh hey, I see Cinnamon evolved into a Torracat! Congratulations, Jacky, I bet that really made the Totem fight easier, huh?" Hau didn't know one-hundred percent how much the new trainer relied on his starter, but he did know that a lot of fresh faces use their starters very often, even more than the rest of the team. His words seemed to affect both Robin and Cinnamon, as Robin jabbed one of his wings at Cinnamon, as if driving home a counterargument. "It was rough for me and Robin to try and take it down without a leg up like that, you know?"
"Oh no, Cinnamon didn't fight it directly, really." Jacky seemed not to notice his starter getting a little annoyed with Robin as he furthered his conversation with Hau. "He actually helped draw the Totem's attention while another member of the team one-shot the Totem." While it helped to make special mention of Cinnamon's contribution to the challenge, it still didn't stop Robin from teasing him about not even fighting the Totem. Robin contended with that same opponent without an evolution and without assistance from Misa.
"No way, you managed to take down the Totem in one shot?" Hau was in awe at the thought, nailing such a beast with one choice attack.
Jacky simply waved off whatever admiration Hau had for him, though he did feel a bit prideful at least. "It wasn't anything too spectacular, really. The Totem was a Dark/Normal type, so hitting it with a Fighting type move just made sense, you know?" He, of course, wasn't going to knock the efforts of the rest of his Pokemon either. "Still, it was a pretty monstrous Raticate, so it was a pretty bad situation if we couldn't keep up. I had the rest of the team distract it and drop its guard first, so I do gotta thank them too."
While Hau was impressed by Jacky's method, it only further fueled Robin's birdy equivalent of smack talk, leading Cinnamon to start yowling at him, the bell around his neck flaring with burning cinders. This managed to catch the trainers' attention this time and they exchanged a quick look with each other. "Our Pokemon look pretty fired up, huh? Wanna have another go at it?"
"Why not? Seems like Cinnamon's got some energy to burn through anyways." Jacky and Hau got their Pokemon ready, completely overlooking the puns they made. The former, of course, chose Cinnamon to lead the battle, calling the cat to his side as Hau recalled Robin and sent out Misa instead, who'd actually evolved from the adorable pink-cheeked baby she used to be and into the more iconic form of a Pikachu. The coal-haired young man gave a whistle and added, "Damn, Hau, it looks like Cinnamon's not the only one. Why didn't you use Misa for the Totem battle?"
"Oh, well, I kinda was hoping that maybe… Robin would evolve after beating the Totem?" He seemed a touch self-conscious about the decision now, since he took a risk and it didn't really give the payoff he wanted. "But it's fine, Robin can always evolve later down the line, right? And maybe, just maybe, this fight will be what we need!"
Jacky's mouth opened into a toothy grin as he stared down his friend, their Pokemon ready and raring to go just between them. "You know you gotta win to get that to happen, right man?"
"Just because you've beaten me so far, that doesn't mean you should be getting cocky, Jacky! I did beat the Totem with just Robin, after all!" Hau returned Jacky's jab with some gloating, sending the both of them into a very competitive mindset. Quite frankly, Lillie was surprised the two weren't set aflame with blazing infernos from how fierce they and their Pokemon seemed to get.
The two finally got their battle going, Cinnamon pouncing quickly towards Misa, but the spry Pikachu wasn't going to let her newfound speed go to waste and leaped out of the way. The Torracat pursued Misa further, chasing it around the area as static began to build up in her tail, taking shape and size as a sphere of pure lightning slowly appeared. "Alright, Misa, keep it up and use that Electro Ball fast!"
Just a few more seconds and she'd zap the hell out of Cinnamon, maybe even take the win. That optimism disappeared in the blink of an eye as one final pounce allowed her opponent to sink his fangs deeply into her body, sharp pain shooting across where she'd been bitten. She lost focus and the electricity disappeared into some small static before even that vanished.
Cinnamon backed away, taking a deep breath, and unleashing a fireball onto Misa, the fur on his back flaring up into a bright red from the output of a searing Ember, impacting Misa and putting her down for the count. Jacky's precious Torracat ran over to his trainer and rubbed his furry body against his leg, earning a well-earned scratch behind the ear. "Good job, Cinnamon!"
"Well crap, I was really hoping Misa would've taken out your partner. It really would've made things easier for me." Hau recalled Misa to her pokeball, calling Robin out to contend with the fiery feline. "Still, we're not gonna just lie down and take it!"
Jacky couldn't help feeling elated at Hau's determination to at least go down swinging hard. "Alright, buddy, just know we're not going to take it easy on you! Cinnamon, have fun!"
The black and red cat pounced at Robin, having to make a wobbly landing as the owl flew out of the way, jabbing Cinnamon with his beak and immediately rising back into the air to avoid the oncoming fangs coming for him. Robin seemed to be taunting Cinnamon as he flew higher into the air, shooting a few hard leaves at him.
Though Cinnamon avoided Robin's assault, he was still getting quite peeved at this overconfident birdy. He needed to be reminded of why he hasn't and never will win and singing some feathers seemed a satisfying enough method. The Torracat's back flared red again as he sent a volley of inevitable first-degree burns the Rowlet's way. Cinnamon was a pretty good shot, making it hard to avoid for Robin, but that wasn't the end of the bird's trouble. With Cinnamon sending several searing embers at him, he had little opportunity to counterattack, and even when he could, most of the leaves sent at Cinnamon were burned up by the fires, the rest being dodged with ease.
Eventually, Cinnamon was able to connect a hit, nailing Robin close to his wing. Though the burns seemed effective, it looked as though Robin was hanging in there just barely, but in an effort to lure Cinnamon into a more even battle, the owl descended to the ground. He took the invitation, ceasing his flaring assault and making another pounce. Robin responded to this rush to try and attack with a startlingly sharp cry, swinging his wing out in an upward motion.
Unfortunately for the birdy, he barely missed as Cinnamon smacked his tail into the ground to push him ever so slightly to the side. It wasn't much of a change in position, but it was enough to avoid the thin, feathery appendage as his paws touched solid ground again, allowing him to close in for the final strike.
His tongue protruded out, a dark, sinister aura emanating from it - I can't believe I just wrote that - and this cocky little Torracat dragged a ghostly lick across Robin's belly, making his burns agitate and sting like hell. With this, Robin jolted away from the fight, ringing victory for Cinnamon and his trainer. "Well, that was certainly a unique way to win."
Jacky's eyes turned away from his Pokemon after giving him another petting and a couple Pokebeans for his victory and noticed Hau's eyes. They were narrowing a little bit, showing some frustration as he pulled out a potion and spritzed its contents onto Robin's burns. "Hey, Hau, are you okay?"
Hau seemed to jolt a little, waving his hand dismissively for a brief moment before it fell to his side. "Well, it's just that we've both beaten our first trial. I even defeated the Totem with only Robin, so why can't I beat you?"
Of course that's what was wrong. Anyone would get frustrated if they just couldn't seem to get a leg up on someone else, even if they had gotten stronger. What's worse is Jacky still wasn't one-hundred percent certain he even wants to undergo this journey in full yet, and he's damn certain that Hau knows that. That someone so half-hearted is able to beat Hau with such ease despite how passionate he is about this must feel like a complete insult.
"Hau, I-"
"Yeah, I finally caught up with you guys!" Kukui had arrived, waving his arm at the trio, his lab coat as open to the unwilling public as ever. "Hey, you found Lillie too, thanks a whole ton, Jacky!" He noticed that Cinnamon was a bit scuffed and Robin notably moreso, pointing to a battle he just narrowly missed. "Getting in a last-minute scuffle before your grand trial, boys? That's some spirit you two have right there, yeah! This is your first major step in your island challenge and, boy, is it gonna be a great one!"
"They have to battle Kahuna Hala, right? Isn't he supposed to be a really strong trainer?" Lillie seemed a touch concerned by this sudden jump from a simple trial to fighting the leading representative of the whole island.
"It's true he's really skilled, but there's nothing to worry about at all. Hala knows these two just started, so he'll probably limit himself so these two can have a reasonable chance to win." Kukui looked between the two boys from behind his shades, a gleam in his eyes and his mouth curved into an excited smirk. "Besides, these boys have beaten one of the Totem Pokemon and none of their teams look any worse for wear. Hau, I know your grandpa is going to be really proud to see you march right up to that ring to challenge him."
As if a magic switch had been flipped, Hau's moping disappeared in the blink of an eye, his usual grin and casual stance in place of it. "Aw, it was nothing at all, really! If it stands in my way, I'll knock it down, no issue!" Hau shot a very momentary look at Jacky, making his declaration into a clear message.
"And Jacky!" The young man's attention flew back to Kukui at the mention of his name. "I gotta admit, I was a little worried about you, but from what I heard from Ilima, you took care of your trial and the Totem like a pro. Keep it up from there and I know you'll be just fine."
"Thanks, Professor, I definitely felt nervous when I saw how big the Totem was, but I'm just glad none of my team got hurt." He stroked his Torracat's back, eliciting a faint purr from Cinnamon. "I think I'll be fine for the grand trial, but I think I'll take a break from the island challenge until tomorrow." He was exhausted from running around everywhere pretty much all night and he needed to get some sleep anyways. Besides, he had some things he needed to think on and he'd rather do it somewhere comfortable like home.
Hau groaned in disappointment at Jacky's statement, probably wanting to face Hala at the same time. Knowing him, he surely intends to tackle Hala as quickly as he possibly can, but without his precious rival there to see it happen, it likely lost some emotional weight. Jacky was certain Hau would still challenge Hala regardless, though, so he simply wished Hau luck.
As he gave his goodbyes and good nights, and his friends returned the farewells, Jacky's eyes shot towards the sky. As the morning sun started to peak over the horizon, casting the night away to the opposite end of the earth, he saw a brief flash of yellow zip through the brightening colors in the distant air. No one else seemed to notice him, but Jacky was certain of what he saw, even if it was only a small trace. Tapu Koko was keeping a close eye on him.
...WELP! So much for the hope of full privacy!
Mary hummed an even-paced tune, off-note by a little bit from her intent, but she didn't mind in the slightest. The house was completely empty, save for herself and Purr-chase, at the moment and she couldn't help but feel a little bittersweet about that. Her son was an official trainer now, with a pokedex and everything. He probably even had a full team by now, one he could trust and care for at his discretion, one he could travel the whole region with if he wanted to.
It was a nice thought, that he was really that age now, yet it conversely hurt that he could leave the island at any time now, if he chose to, and she had no doubts that such a time was closing in fast. First her old flame, then her daughter, and now even her son was going to leave her behind for his own intentions, his journey. As much as Jacky would hesitate and fret inside about what could go wrong, she was his mother and knew him too well to believe he'd back down from this. He'd find a reason to go forward, to make the push. After that, every step he takes will be a reason to keep going until the very end, for better or for worse.
In spite of the melancholy lingering inside, Mary couldn't help but smile and ponder as she stared down into her coffee mug. Is this how Bianca's mother felt when her daughter left? How Cheren's father felt? Hell, what about her own mother, did she have thoughts like this while her own daughter was out travelling, battling, and seeing the rest that her home had to offer?
The doorknob made a clacking sound as it turned, making way for the door itself to creak as it opened wide. "Hey, mom, I'm back home." Her son came waltzing right through the door, dumping his backpack off to the side and giving his arms a stretch and moving his shoulders around to loosen them up.
"Welcome back, sweetie! I heard from Kukui that you went to take on that island trial, how did it go?"
Jacky sighed as he strolled over to the fridge to grab a cup of milk, thirsty from his long stroll back to the house. "Well, let me ask you something, mom. Do you like the idea of chasing around a bunch of Rattata as a required task and then fighting a gigantic Raticate almost three times your size?"
"Excuse me?" Giant Raticate? Did she hear that correctly or did she hit her head on the table? And what, he had to run around after Rattatas for this trial thing? Those things were a complete pain in the ass to catch when they don't want you to catch them. "H-Hold on, start from the beginning, I need a little bit more context."
So Jacky explained to his mother how the trials were structured, with one challenge before having to fight the Totem Pokemon, a beefed up Pokemon that was much larger than the normal variety. He told her about his fight with the Totem Raticate and of the strategy he used to take it down, and the prize of a Z-crystal. He even mentioned Team Skull, bursting in with their meager efforts to seem tough and cool before they went down like chumps.
"Oh wow," Mary laughed jubilantly, "they sound pretty fun. I kinda wish I had them instead of Plasma back home, my journey would've gone so much more smoothly if I did." She couldn't even begin to think of how brutal Cheren would've been to mooks like that, and she could hardly imagine even Bianca letting guys like that steal her Pokemon.
"Yeah, it was pretty easy knocking them down, but they are pretty persistent, I'll give them that." He figured if he had to admire Team Skull for anything, it might as well be that much, if nothing else. "Anyways, I'm just glad we got through it without anyone getting hurt." He looked at his Z-ring, the Normalium Z fit firmly into the slot, shining in the light of the kitchen.
"Since we're on the topic, how about that new friend of yours, Hau?"
"Hau? Oh yeah, he finished the trial too, and did it with only one Pokemon too." To do something like that, without outside interference, must've been pretty impressive and without Robin even evolving to boot. Yet, Hau lost pretty hard to him all over again, as if nothing had changed at all. Jacky was certain that he should feel proud to be undefeated, he knew that anyone else probably would.
"What's wrong, Jacky, you look so gloomy, I figured you would've been happy after everything you pulled off." Mary stared at him expectantly, waiting for his response patiently. A satisfactory response at that, as Jacky's mother was never one to accept anything less than that. She had a knack for seeing through him somehow, so it was hard dancing around it. Jacky and his sister would often have no choice but the truth when they realized how sharp their mom truly was.
"Mom, when you started your journey, with Uncle Cheren and Aunt Bianca, why did you go? Did you want to be the Champion of Unova or something?" It was a hollowing sensation, reminding himself of his lack of direction. There was no deeper purpose for doing this whole island challenge ordeal outside of everyone's expectations, especially Tapu Koko's. Hau, on the other hand, he did have a goal: to completely surpass his grandfather. Maybe, if he knew what his mother's reasons were, he'd find something to pursue himself.
Maybe then wouldn't feel so guilty, beating Hau all the time…
"I wanted to see the world with my friends!" Mary grinned humorously as her son looked up at her skeptically, as if expecting her to tell him what she really set out to do. "Wipe that look off your face, kiddo! I'm being completely serious with you right now."
"But wouldn't you already travel Unova if you wanted to do something else? Beat the League, be an actor, maybe be a professor like Aunt Bianca?" He couldn't really fully believe her at first, the motivation just seemed so basic.
"Oh, trust me, tackling the Unova League was heaps of fun, Jacky. It was one heck of a bonus to beat up the gym leaders and Elite Four, but all of it was just that, a bonus. The cherry on top of the cake of seeing new sights and getting my first real taste of the world." She traced a finger across the table, a serene look on her face as she recalled her first day. "Cheren and Bianca were so eager to come with me. Bianca and her mom went behind her dad's back so she could get a Pokemon and come along, and Cheren was the one who practically begged Professor Juniper to give them Pokemon."
Jacky had to do a quick double take, searching his mother's face again for any signs that she was pulling his leg, but nothing. "Uncle Cheren, begging? Are you absolutely sure, mom, because that doesn't sound like him at all!"
"Better believe it, hon, and even more than that! Cheren might have been the 'super serious type', but that didn't stop him from doing some amazing things for what he wanted." She had so many stories she wanted to tell her son now that this much was up in the air. Hell, the notion of keeping the spilt beans a secret between the two of them was oh-so temptingly ironic. However, if there's one thing she could rely on so unfortunately, it was the fact that no matter how hard she tried, Cheren would find out. She wouldn't know how, she wouldn't know when, but he would find out and he would chew her out about it at his soonest convenience.
Cheren took great pleasure in Mary's lack of knowing, too, that part was just as sure. The fact that she told Jacky as much as Cheren's begging for Pokemon was probably enough to get her into some deep shit as is, if she were really unlucky. Smug little four-eyed know-it-all…
"Anyways, what I'm trying to say is that you don't need some really grand motivation to go travelling around. Anything will work as long as it's something you really want to do, no matter the reasons. If you find a new goal along the way, that's a really great thing, and you'll have plenty of time, and ground, to figure it out."
Jacky took some time to think about that, wondering if it was really true. Hau wants to become strong so he can surpass his grandfather. Hell, Lillie's not even a trainer, but even she has a big reason to be running around like that, using nothing but repels and her own two legs. Comparing his uncertainty to that was like comparing a car running on a full tank to a car running on fumes. One is expected to go the distance, while another is expected to sputter to a stop before it can even hope to finish the trip.
Cutting through his thoughts like a knife came a big yawn, signifying that he should probably get the big sleep he needs after all that running around. "Sounds like you had a really busy day, sweetie. Go get some sleep, you've earned it, I'm sure," Mary told him, getting up and hugging him. "Good night, Jacky."
Jacky returned her hug briefly before returning her good night wishes and slumping off drowsily to his room. Once inside, he plopped down bluntly onto his mattress, face-first. The tip of his shoe sluggishly pushed against the back rim of the other shoe, tugging it off and dumping it onto the floor, before his socky foot did the same for the remaining shoe. With his shoes off, he turned over into a more comfortable position in bed, slipping more easily into slumber, not bothering with any of his other attire.
Soon after his departure to dreamland, Cinnamon and the rest of his team emerged from their pokeballs, the Torracat laying by his trainer's side and readily going sleep. Following their example was Nirvana, slowly trotting over to the foot of the bed and laying down, drifting swiftly to sleep. Fionn was scurrying about the room curiously while Deagle flew to the top of a chest of drawers to keep an eye on everyone. Wattson and Po, meanwhile, seemed to be picking places to sleep and both chose a desk chair with a fairly soft cushion.
Po and Wattson seemed to argue with each other, grabbing Deagle's attention. After watching them go at each other for a moment, she flew down from her perch and fluttered to a landing atop the chair cushion. With a trill from her beak she interrupted the two's feuding and made them realize the seat was already taken. As Po and Wattson grouchily stalked away, she made sure to continue her watch for just a little while longer.
Fionn had already found herself a place in a sock drawer that had just barely been open, eliciting a snarky gnash of her fangs at the Makuhita and Magnemite before curling up and falling asleep. Po frowned and walked off to the far corner of the room where he belly flopped onto the carpet, while Wattson gave an exceptionally apparent eye roll and hovered under the bed and drifting to the floor, the two closing their eyes to sleep. It was only after everyone else vacationed to dreamland that Deagle finally followed suit.
"-cky! Jacky, wake up!"
He slowly opened his eyes to the faint glow of moonlight breaching the blinds over his window. He felt a notable sensation in his side - something warm, soft, and distinctly fluffy - and propping himself up on his elbows, he looked down and saw Cinnamon curled up snuggling next to him on the bed. Littered around in different places, he could faintly recognize through the tired fog of freshly awakened eyes the figures of his team sleeping outside their balls peacefully. The only ones who'd woken up at his mother's call so far were Deagle and Cinnamon who just now allowed himself to sluggishly get up on his paws.
The Torracat hopped off the bedside before extending his limbs, getting in a good morning stretch. After finishing, it trotted over to the side of the room, waiting for Jacky to get out of bed himself. As Jacky's feet hit the floor, it woke up Wattson, who literally jolted himself awake and hovered out from under the bed. Po and Fionn were the next to awaken, the former given a very small and harmless electric zap by Wattson, while Fionn was brought to the waking world by the steadily increasing amount of noises the other were making. The last Pokemon to be awoken was Nirvana, still sleeping heavily in spite of the commotion that multiple dingles emit when they're groggy and disoriented. Deagle had to fly over to Nirvana and peck his head a few times before he would open his eyes.
After having shaken some of the lingering sleep from his still-dopey brain, Jacky finally stumbled out of his bedroom while his Pokemon lingered behind. His mother was making breakfast for him, though nothing too special, just some scrambled eggs. "Finally awake, sweetie? If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were a Snorlax."
Jacky mumbled a series of near-incomprehensible noises from his mouth as he sat down at the kitchen table awaiting his breakfast. Something along a close approximation to the phrase, "Better than a Loudred…"
"Hm? You say something, Jacky?" Mary slowly turned up the heat on the stove to max, impishly smiling at her sleepy son as she jokingly threatened to burn his breakfast, turning the heat back down to normal seconds before his grumpy reply of "Nothing". "So, you're going to be battling Hala today, right? That big ol' grand trial and everything?"
"Yeah, and I'm hoping nothing goes wrong. I'm not worried too much, but this island challenge is just different enough from what I know, you know?" He took a fork and scooped up his eggs the second the plate hit the table. Having hot food in his mouth helped shoo away the last bits of exhaustion away. "Hau's probably already gotten it done, so I'd better get it over with too, before he comes barreling through our door over it."
Jacky noted along the way to his first trial and even before that they were actually several other trainers carrying those little charms trial-goers carried to signify their status, though so far he's only ever fought them himself, rather than seeing them tackle Ilima's trial. It was a touch odd, but maybe it was a coincidence or a matter of timing. Or maybe it was the huge differentiation in his and others sleep schedules. Or maybe it was because the author didn't even think about that until now!
"Well, I'm sure you'll do just fine, especially now that you actually have a full team! Besides, taking down a giant Raticate in one hit sounds like proof enough that you can pull it off." Mary gave him an assuring smile as she seated herself at the table across from him with some eggs of her own, dumping a little too much ketchup on top. "I mean, I didn't exactly have it easy when I was your age. Some of the Pokemon me, Cheren, and Bianca had to work with back in Unova weren't the easiest to raise up at first."
She leaned a little to the side, her hair draping straight down as she watched Jacky's Pokemon finally emerge from his bedroom. "Look at your Pokemon and you try telling me you'll lose. You've already evolved two of your team, but it took me forever to evolve some of my first Pokemon." As she straightened back up in her seat, she looked at Jacky's plate only to realize he'd, once again, cleaned his plate lightning fast. "You eat so fast in the morning…"
Jacky didn't bother with a response and simply got up from his seat, taking his dishes and dumping them in the sink before going to grab the Pokebeans. He'd need to purchase some proper Pokemon food sometime soon so his team wouldn't have to subsist on these things, but for now, they'd have to do. "That reminds me, Sabrina should be awake right now, right?"
Mary stopped her fork at her daughter's name being spoken and gave it some thought. "I think it's about 7:33 in the afternoon over there, so I think so. You going to give her a quick call on your way to your big match?"
"Something like that…" Jacky had just finished distributing beans to each of his team members when he reached into his pocket and pulled out an Xtransceiver, having neglected to really use it since arriving in Alola. He wanted to give everyone else a call too, but while it was way past noon in Kanto right now, it was way before noon in Unova and everyone was most likely still sleeping right now. Well, everyone except possibly Juniper and Aunt Bianca, given the occasional all-nighters and such.
"Well, you can always give everyone else a call later anyways. Well, everyone except Cheren, he'll be especially busy today." Mary couldn't help but pin an obscenely long dunce cap atop Cheren's head in her mind for deciding to be both a gym leader and a teacher at the same time. That pompous little dingle always had a penchant for trying to prove himself way too much. Seriously, he couldn't have just picked one career or the other!?
"I'll keep that in mind, but I need to get going soon." Jacky walked back to his room to grab his shoes before heading out for the front door. "Feel free to come by and watch the match if you want to." He picked up his backpack from the side of the entryway and opened the door to leave. "Love you, mom!"
"Love you too, Jacky, I'll stop by in a little while and try to catch the fight. Give that old fart hell, okay!" She waved him off until he'd left the house before considering making a few calls of her own.
Back into the cool and somewhat salted air of Alola's outdoors, Jacky took in the nightly atmosphere for a moment. He took his first big step just yesterday and now, here he is, ready to make his next big step the day after. It was a touch surreal, to be perfectly frank, but he knew it was honest-to-Palkia reality. From the moment his hands reached for his team's pokeballs to return the bulk of them, it was clear to him that he really was a trainer on a journey. He still didn't feel like one, not completely, but it was more than he'd ever felt before he completed Ilima's trial, despite the numerous trainers he'd already battled beforehand.
He extended a hand to his Xtransceiver to put out a call for his sister, awaiting her answer as he heard a faint ringing noise emerge from the device. After a few seconds, Sabrina's image appeared on the screen, that bright smile plastered on her face as always. She was a touch different looking from Jacky, appearing more like their mother, but with black hair, instead of red and with a slightly more tan shade to her skin, and round, jade green eyes. "Hey bro, what's up? Did you and mom make it to that Alola place okay?"
"Nah, our flight got struck down by Lugia and we're stranded on a deserted island, barely scraping by."
Sabrina giggled a little and decided to play along for a little bit. "Oh really? Now that I look a little closer, your hair looks really funky, and that face! Dearest brother, whatever has happened to you?"
"Very funny. How are things going over in Kanto? Last I heard, you gave Brock a run for his money." His sister, Sabrina, had been taking a journey in the Kanto region since before Jacky and their mother left for Alola. It's actually the reason she stayed behind in the first place, wanting to see her adventure through to the end. Mary even took Sabrina to Pallet Town herself so Sabrina could meet the local professor in person and receive her starter. She'd keep them up to date every month or so on her progress since she left home, and especially after Jacky and Mary moved away, but sometimes when Jacky talks to her, he'd ask her himself.
"I just beat that Surge guy from Vermillion City just yesterday, actually! His Voltorb gave us a scare when it self-destructed, but the real heart attack was his Raichu. Even a grass-type like Rafflesia was having a tough time against it." As if on cue, Sabrina's starter, now an Ivysaur, poked her head into the picture, wanting attention. "Calm down, Raffy, I won't be long."
After giving her Ivysaur a few pets, she returned her to her pokeball and resumed the conversation. "So, what's going on with you over in your little island paradise, Jacks?"
He couldn't help but snicker at the moniker, as if it was a complete joke. "'Island paradise' my ass, my first night here and I fall off a bridge! Now I'm fighting giant-ass Raticate, busting my ass catching Rattatas, and-!"
"That's a lot of ass going around, Jacks." Always the smartass… "Let's roll back a bit though. Go back down the list and you explain to me what the heck you've been doing up there."
"I nearly fell into a ravine my first night here, I have Pokemon now, and things are incredibly different here in Alola than in Kanto." He wasn't going to go full-blown essay mode like with his mother again, he just didn't have the energy nor the care to do it. Nevertheless, it was at least a tiny bit clearer when he said it like that. "Alola doesn't have gyms or badges, they have trials. They're like tasks you have to complete, and mine just so happened to end with me on the business end of a giant Raticate's buck teeth."
"Oh wow, that's… incredibly hard to believe." She certainly looked skeptical, though he didn't blame her at all. He never would've believed it himself if it weren't for his battle with it. Still, he had proof, or at least someone he knew had proof.
Jacky pulled out RotomDex and opened up the PokeFinder gallery, scrolling through the pictures taken. While he, personally, didn't have time to snap shots of the Totem Raticate, he was certain that Rotom was. A few more swipes later, and voila, there they were: Fairly decent quality photos of the Totem, along with his team making their collective distraction. Rotom was oddly despondent at the moment, but Jacky didn't pay it any mind outside of a passive observation as he pulled up that specific photo and showed it to his sister.
It was obviously a little hard for her to see what was on-screen for a minute, but eventually she got a clear enough look to see the proof. "Wow, that's incredible! Wait, hold on a second and roll back again… You're a trainer now?"
"I did mention I was planning to get a Pokemon before the move, didn't I?"
"Well yeah, but you never said anything about being a full trainer, never mind doing stuff like this!" She wasn't upset at all with him, and as a matter of fact it was quite the opposite. She seemed fairly pleased to hear the news, though there was a slight concern. "So, will you be okay doing this then, or…?"
"I've been doing fine so far, so I think I can keep it going for at least a little while longer." He himself wasn't as thrilled as Sabrina was, but he wasn't apprehensive about it anymore, at least not as much. "Which reminds me, next time you see Kin and Orianna, tell them I said hello."
"Oh, sure thing! Kin actually made it all the way to Fuchsia City, but Ori's only staying at Lavender Town right now, so I can at least catch up with her."
"Sounds good to m-!" Jacky was interrupted by a particularly loud and distinctly familiar voice, calling out to him and no doubt disrupting quite a few people's sleep.
"Hey, it's about time you got here, Slowpoke! I've been waiting here for ages!" There he was, in all his deafening glory. One had to wonder at Hau's words just how long he'd been waiting for Jacky. Considering he probably lives in Iki Town, he probably waited for a while, though the real mystery was in if he'd made any attempts to occupy himself at all, or if he simply stood rooted to that spot waiting.
"Sorry, sis, I'll have to talk to you later." He cut the call after a quick farewell and closed the rest of the distance from Iki Town. He was finally here, and it wouldn't be long now before this whole grand trial thing began. He's somewhat curious about the Kahuna, but also a slight bit anxious about it as well, yet a fair deal confident it wouldn't be too rough. "Sorry to keep you waiting."