"Hey, buddy, took you long enough to get here!" Hau ran down the path to meet Jacky halfway, the two boys greeting each other with a smile. Robin was fluttering close behind the tan young man, already irked to see Cinnamon following Jacky's heels closely. Seems a night, or in Jacky's case, day of sleep didn't quite mend the bird's pride.
"Yeah, sorry, I was just taking my time. Besides, I figured since you fought your grandpa that I wasn't going to keep anyone waiting so-!"
"What are you talking about?"
Jacky paused and stared at Hau, who seemed completely serious, his smile vacant from his face. He wasn't upset or angry, but he wasn't quite happy with the assumption, as if Jacky just said something really odd. "Well, didn't you take your grand trial after I went home? You had plenty of time, after all."
"No. I wanted to put it off for a little bit until you were ready to go again." As if the statement had served him a reminder, his lips turned up into that passionate smile again. "I want you to see me take my old Tutu down! This is our first grand trial, after all, so what fun is it if we don't see each other take our first big steps?"
Now that he said it like that, he supposed it wasn't too surprising that Hau put the grand trial off too. "Alright then, would you like to do the honors and go first?" He felt himself brighten up as he saw Hau tremble excitedly, a shine in his eyes. It was like seeing a child being given a really nice gift.
"Of course! You watch my grand trial closely and I'll show you just how strong I really am!" Robin cooed with a glare at Cinnamon, who seemed to be ignoring her, licking at a paw. "I'm gonna sweep the floor with tutu!"
He rushed back towards the arena at the edge of Iki Town, overwhelmed with excitement now. Jacky followed him, climbing the steps in the town's center to the ring, joining his buddy's side. "Sweep the floor with him, huh? Alright, then show me what you've got." That vibrance he maintained all the time, how could Jacky have anything close to that…
"So I see you two are finally ready to challenge me and mark your first great push in your island trials!" Hala emerged from his home in the distance, approaching the opposing end of the ring. "Hau had put off the challenge all night, it was quite a surprise. It was amusing though, seeing him jitter like that." After getting a chuckle out of Jacky from the image, Hala pulled out one of his ultra balls and threw it out, calling on a Mankey first. "Now then, Hau, shall we begin your grand trial?"
Jacky gave him a slap on the back, offering him encouragement before Hau stood on the ring proper. "Alright Tutu, I'm ready!" With a toss, he sent out Misa's pokeball, letting the electric mouse free to face Hala's Mankey. "Misa, remember to Play Nice with Tutu's Pokemon!" The smaller-than-average Pikachu nodded and rushed her opponent, making the Mankey go on the defensive instinctively before… nothing happened. It slowly lowered its arms, as Misa stood awfully close and nuzzled the monkey Pokemon before bounding back to Hau's side of the ring.
"Trying to confuse my Mankey is smart, but you won't win with playtime! Mankey, strike that Pikachu down with Karate Chop!" Hala's Pokemon shook off the puzzled feeling it had as it leaped towards Misa, raising a firm hand up to strike her down. Just as its attack hits, Misa manages to leap out of the way, even playfully spinning through the air once before landing on her feet lightly.
"Good job, Misa, now keep that speed up and nail it with a Quick Attack!" Giving another bound through the air, Misa jubilantly hops and flips around the ring with a burst of dizzying speed, managing to evade Mankey's eyes long enough to bash it in the back. "Good job!"
Jacky was pretty impressed with Hau's start, seeing a side he didn't get to see during their own battles. He had Cinnamon take Misa out quickly during their fight, so she didn't get a chance to show him what she could do, but now, looking at her toy with that Mankey. Well, she certainly wasn't going to be a pushover once she evolved.
"Mankey, Focus Energy and wait for your next opportunity," Hala commanded, his lip curving into a smirk. Mankey closed its eyes and went quiet holding a wide stance as it stood in wait. While it was awaiting its chance, Misa was lively and constantly moving around, even hopping up to give Hau a high five with her tail. The difference between the two trainers in the ring was almost as polar opposite as night and day.
"Alright Misa, let's nail it with another Quick Attack, and really take him down!"
As Misa charged at the Mankey, it opened its eyes, ready to meet Misa head on. Or so it seemed, because seconds before Misa's body could make an impact, the Mankey hopped to the side. "Karate Chop!" Its response to Hala's order was fast like lightning, raising its hand up and bringing it down on Misa's back.
"Misa, bounce back before he can hit you again!" Hau seemed to panic for a moment there as his Pikachu scrambled to her feet and rejoined her trainer. They started to focus on avoiding attacks, while they dodged and swerved away from most attacks, Hau seemed lost in thought. A look of stress and concern melted into one of his usual exuberant smiles. "Misa, keep up the dodges and ready an Electro Ball!"
His Pikachu obliged and avoided the oncoming strikes Mankey brought on her, flitting to the sides and hopping back every which way. Every second, a new string of electricity flashed through her fur up to her tail, generating an orb of plasma at the end. Once it got large enough it was Hau's moment. "Now smack that Electro Ball right in Mankey's face!" With a speedy charge and a hop and a flourish, Misa whipped her tail towards Hala's Pokemon. The moment the ball of lightning made impact, it burst with an electric explosion, sending the poor thing flying back at Hala's feet unconscious.
"Excellent, Hau! That was quite the performance you displayed there!" Hala returned the Mankey to its ball before retrieving another and calling forth a Makuhita. "Let us see if you can keep it up and earn your Fightinium-Z!"
Hau grinned as he prepared to battle his grandfather's next Pokemon, keeping Misa in the ring for now. "I'll keep up and more, Tutu!"
As the next round of the battle began, Jacky noticed Lillie had arrived, short of breath and late to the party, but eyes already glued to the ring. A certain interest on some level, surely, in spite of her lack of fondness for battle. "I'm so sorry I'm late, Jacky. The professor got caught up watching two Makuhita fighting over territory. What have I missed?"
Jacky snickered a little at her reason for tardiness, but held off on jesting over it. "It's okay, you only missed one round, really. Hau just kicked one of Kahuna Hala's Pokemon to next week." He watched the battle unfold as Misa kept up with Makuhita, though he noted that the Pikachu had begun to slow down quite a bit. No, that wasn't right at all…
"She's getting run ragged…" He alternated his gaze between Hau and Misa with every command issued over the course of the fight. "Hau doesn't seem to have noticed, but Misa's moves are getting sluggish."
Lillie seemed completely clueless as well and tried to pay closer attention, only realizing the truth when Misa's attempt at a dodge resulted in a stumble. A quick evasive maneuver meant to end with her front paws helping her safely land back on all fours led to a lack of balance followed by a rough fall onto her side. It was at this moment that Hau, too, realized how exhausted Misa had become.
The blonde-haired girl turned back to her friend next to her, only to note his eyes were locked entirely on Hau now. "Jacky…? Are you okay?"
He blinked for a moment before coming back to reality, turning back to Lillie. "Oh, sorry about that, I was just thinking about something." There was something he had noted about Hau, even as he panicked, he still had that glimmer of childish whimsy in his eyes.
"Down one Pokemon, Hau. Best be cautious here on out, or you might just be crushed by our furious attacks." Hala stomped his foot down against the ring floor to emphasize his words. "Bring out your Rowlet and let's put an end to this battle!"
Jacky watched as Hau called on Robin, somewhat upset by his first loss, his face holding a firm look of determination. "Yeah, let's do this! Robin, knock its block off with Peck!" His partner fluttered into the air and swooped down, bashing it over onto its rump. Swooping up back into the air, high above the Makuhita where it couldn't reach, Robin eventually stopped her ascent. "And one more time!" With that, she dive-bombed towards Hala's Pokemon, furling her wings to give her a speedy descent.
Too fast for the fighting-type to get up and dodge, Robin's beak dug into its belly, drawing blood. It was only after Robin was fluttering a good distance away from the opponent that Hau noticed. To say that it was unexpected would be a grievous understatement, and it was apparent to all that he didn't like that turn-out.
Hala returned Makuhita to its ball, quietly staring at Hau from across the ring. No, not Hau, he was staring at Robin, actually. Jacky tore his eyes away to try and figure out what Hala was so focused on, before spotting a very faint silvery light flickering throughout the Rowlet's feathers. "Ah, that explains it! Your Rowlet's preparing to evolve soon, so it's no wonder such a simple Peck could hurt my Makuhita like that." He smiled and waved his hand at Hau, dismissing the accident.
That didn't feel right… "Hey, Rotom, is Robin really about to evolve?" Answering his call was the droopy-eyed RotomDex, apparently having just woken up. He didn't even think it was possible for fake eyelids to feel heavy.
"Zttztt! Yep, it seems that way, kid. That sparkling is pretty telling to me, and besides the Kahuna said so, right?" Rotom didn't seem to really read the mood, though to be fair he was asleep until now. "If that's all you needed, then I'm gonna count some more electric Mareeps, if you don't mind…"
After Rotom hovered back into his backpack, Jacky noticed Hau had been listening. He didn't seem to read Jacky very well either, so hearing RotomDex basically confirm Hala's explanation made him feel at least a little better. It was only then did he let the final round of the trial commence.
"Well, I hope it doesn't happen again," Lillie sighed woefully, a hand hovering over her bag gently. The accident had apparently shaken her much more than it did Hau, a slight tremble in her body. Thinking of it, it wouldn't be surprising if it reminded her of Nebby being attacked by those Spearow.
"I'm sure it'll be fine. Hau's a good trainer, after all, so I'm sure he won't let it happen again, especially now that he knows the cause." Jacky wasn't too sure, though, but it was best to keep his concerns to himself. For now, he should just watch the rest of the battle and figure things out later.
Hala's final Pokemon was a Crabrawler, which seemed to have an immediate issue with Robin for some reason. "Oh ho, don't mind him, he doesn't like birds very much." The Pokemon snapped its big claw at Robin, accompanied by a few wet clicking sounds. Immediately Robin's face became angry and it hooted furiously back at it. The hell did that crustacean say to Robin that made her so pissed?
"That crab's gonna wish he didn't say that to my buddy!" Eh? How the hell does he know what that Crabrawler said? "Peck it like you wouldn't believe, Robin!" As the bird started fluttering into the air to start the battle, a glimmer of light caught in Hau's eyes.
It was reflecting off of the Z-Crystal firmly locked into Hala's ring as he moved his body in a small dance. This was the Fighting-type Z-Move, he knew that for sure, so Jacky's eyes locked onto Hala first, examining his movements. Better to learn the moves sooner rather than later, after all, but after he'd seen that, he then looked at the Crabrawler as light from the crystal shot towards it and enveloped it. This would actually be his first time seeing a Z-Move, since he never really got the Normal-type's movements down well enough to use it in battle.
"Ready, Crabrawler?" The Kahuna and his partner looked determined as the latter launched towards Robin.
"Robin, get out of the way, now!" Hau watched as the Crabrawler nailed the Rowlet with an uppercut, launching it up and speedily leaping into the air before slamming it back into the ring. Just before impact, and any more strikes from the Z-Move could land, a bright flash of light burst from Robin's body. When the light settled, the Rowlet was gone, and in her place a Dartrix. The rest of the attacks on her seemed to affect her much less, making Hala laugh.
"No more fortuitous a time to evolve than this. Crabrawler, use Power-Up Punch!"
"Robin, use Peck!" Hau's Dartrix took off back into the air, flying over Crabrawler's attack and pecked it in the face, sending it stumbling back a bit. "And again!" Robin didn't need any more encouragement than that, and rushed Crabrawler again, throwing it out of the ring completely, and also straight to dreamland.
"Looks like your partner became too fast for my Crabrawler, Hau." Hala returned his final Pokemon back to its ball and approached his grandson from across the ring. Taking Hau's hand, Hala placed two things into it, a Fightinium Z and a tiny token that Jacky realized was meant to slot into their trial charm. A sign that they'd made a great leap in their challenge, surely.
Hau felt him brighten and his chest swell as he burst into excitement. "Yes! Did you see that, guys! I beat the first Grand Trial!" He leaped off the ring, fumbling with his landing as he made a hopping approach towards Jacky and Lillie, trying to maintain his balance. "And look at Robin! She evolved, and isn't she just a handsome birdy!"
Lillie approached Robin cautiously and crouched down to get a closer look at her new form. "She looks amazing, Hau. I'm glad she's not too hurt, but I hope Misa's okay."
"She'll be fine. Nothing a little bit of rest can't help!" Hau came off very chipper about his victory to say the least, and his worries during the battle seemed to have washed away. "Did you see me out there, bud?" He turned his attention to Jacky now, eyes bright and smile wide.
"I'd have to be blind not to, with you showing off all the time." Jacky laughed and pushed Hau's face back a bit. "But if you keep getting so close like that, that'll be just as bad as being blind. Good job out there, buddy, you really showed your grandpa how Hau does things."
Hala approached the trio laughing at their vigor with three ultra balls in his hands. "Quite the celebration, but it's not quite over yet. Jacky, you still have to face me as well, remember?" He tucked his ultra balls away. "But you'll need to wait a little while, as they're all tired and injured from Hau's trial, so I'll need to take them to the center."
Hau seemed disappointed for a moment, as if he completely forgot that he'd just beaten up all three of his grandfather's Pokemon just minutes ago. However, he returned to that Hau brand of enthusiasm when he brewed an idea in that head of his. "Hey, why don't you two come to my house while we wait? I've been to you guys' places, but you've never been to mine yet, right?"
Jacky and Lillie exchanged glances between each other, neither one against the idea, before looking to Hala. The old man seemed welcome to the idea and gave his immediate okay to go while he headed for Hau'oli. "Yeah, alright, I'm sure it won't be boring at least." He laughed as Lillie elbowed him a bit.
"Alright then hurry up and follow me!" Hau led them past the ring in Iki towards his home, the largest house in the town without a doubt. The interior was clean and well-furnished, with waves carved into the wood of the walls and a door leading out onto a patio in the far end of the main room that overlooked the sea. Hau led them through one of the doors to a bedroom, very obviously his. As a clear contrast to the cleanly kept living room before, Hau's was more evidently lived-in, with belongings and personal trappings awkwardly grouped together on top of his side table, dresser and bookcase.
The latter piece of furniture had, on the lowest shelf, a small variety of books that lent proof of a rather scattershot set of interests - Dance, Pokemon, baking, etc. All of which there was only really one or two books for each before it transitioned unceremoniously into nothing but comic books. The middle shelf held a collection of games for a Switch, something Jacky felt a bit personally envious about, seeing as he only had a Wii U at home. On the sidetable were a few figurines of characters from various video games, overlooked by a huge Pikachu plushie behind them.
On the floor, surrounding a full basket of clothes, were more clothes that he clearly could no longer fit in the aforementioned hamper. His bed was a messy pile of a big, plush blanket, a number of pillows, and a number of items such as a game controller, tv remote, and a 3DS. Lillie took a seat on the edge of the bed hesitantly, likely wondering if it was okay to, but after hanging in an inbetween pose of standing and moving to a sitting position, she figured he was fine with it.
Jacky merely stood around, surveying the room and all its finer pieces of context into how Hau treats his personal living space. The boy was wondering whether he should or shouldn't be surprised that this was the way Hau's room was, considering they were both sixteen years of age at the time. Much older than the irresponsible runts they used to be in their younger years, so there was less leeway to be so messy, but when he got down to it, he didn't really care. It didn't smell, it wasn't really a disgusting mess or anything, just a touch untidy and disorganized.
"So, what do you guys want to do first?" Hau asked them with barely held back enthusiasm. "I've got some video games and books, I even got a few boxed sets of Legend of the Gallade!" He waltzed right over to his closet and pulled it open, the bi-fold door, well, folding into itself. Turning on the light for his closest and reach out to the side, he seemed to be grabbing at something, and a quick lean to the side gave Jacky and Lillie just the angle they needed to see the built-in shelf on the side of his closet, just below where his clothes hung.
Hau emerged from his closet with a few big cases in his hands, each with a different printing on the front, but all of them had the same title. The aforementioned Legend of the Gallade tv show, collectively contained into however many DVDs were tucked away into each boxed set. Jacky was a fan of the series himself, but he unfortunately never got any of the DVDs himself, since they were so damn expensive. "Sounds like a good way to kill time for me. We starting from the beginning or what?" Jacky approached Hau and took a couple cases to glance them over.
Set volumes one and two, the first having a Gallade baring a grin befitting a scoundrel, while the second had a Gardevoir with a very focused gaze, silver light shaped in the form of a thin sword in one hand. When he really thought about it, Jacky couldn't quite remember the last time he'd watched the show since it stopped airing. He wouldn't mind seeing the adventures of Ares and Aria again. Hau was suggesting starting points, seeing as the both of them had clearly seen the whole show. "Maybe the Tornadus arc or the Everfall Grand Tournament?"
"Those both sound good, but I don't think anything really beats the Shadowheart saga." Jacky grinned at Hau, seeing the boy nod his head in some level of agreement.
"Yeah, that's a good one, alright. It was so cool when Ares finally-!"
Lillie was completely lost as she'd practically been shut out of the conversation by accident. She had no idea what either of them was talking about, nor did she recognize the program they were gushing over. Should she tell them, or should she just leave them to it? If she let them pick some random place in the middle of the show, she'd be totally confused though. "Um, I've never really seen it before…" It was not surprising that when Hau turned to look at her like she had two heads that Lillie pondered if she had unleashed a monster.
"You've never seen it?" Even louder than ever in his stark disbelief that anyone could possibly never have seen it, Hau approached Lillie, one of the cases held up as if shaking it in her face might jog loose some lost memory of watching it on a droll saturday afternoon.
"No, I didn't watch much television, to be honest, so I wouldn't know about very many shows." As those words had left Lillie's mouth, it was as if a ballista bolt had just jammed itself right into his core. "I'm sorry, I wasn't very interested when I was younger." And that was like the second volley, crushing him even more. Desperate to salvage his mood, Lillie panicked and shot up from the bed walking over to Jacky and taking the volume one case. "It's not so bad, Hau! Look, we can still watch it, it'll be my first time too!"
"She's got a point, you complete and total drama queen." Jacky chuckled and took the case back, popping it open and grabbing the first disc to put into Hau's player. "You have the whole series, dude. We'll just watch it from the beginning, okay? Problem completely solved."
Hau put an abrupt halt to his overblown reaction and laughed with a touch of embarrassment. "Right, sorry about that." He sat down on the side of his bed as the swell of music rolled in from his TV, filling the room with the show's theme as Jacky hit play just before going to sit down on the bed by Lillie.
"It's okay, Hau. It is pretty funny, though." Lillie had a laugh, not minding as Nebby popped out of her bag and plopped itself right onto the bed next to her. "You should be fine right here, Nebby, just as long as you don't leave the room." She watched the screen as the show's first episode cold-opened with a Gardevoir being chased through the alleys of a mundane medieval city by a pair of thuggish and scarred Pokemon, Houndoom and Conkeldurr respectively.
As the three watched the show together, Jacky heard Hau whisper excitedly to Lillie about everything going down on the TV screen. Lillie quietly watched, seemingly ignoring Hau, giving minimal response. Looked like she was already hooked for now, so that was good. He looked down towards the diminutive little Nebby between him and Lillie and wondered.
As the first few episodes ended, Hau got up from his bed and went straight for the door, making a quick mention of the bathroom. With the show on pause, there wasn't much to do, so Lillie took the opportunity to start a conversation. "I'm enjoying the show so far…"
"That's a relief, I was wondering how you might respond to it. The effects aren't as fancy as what we've got these days and it can get a bit corny here and there, and-!" He had to stop himself, or he might just sound like he hated it. "Ah, sorry about that, I swear I like this show." He sighed as Lillie gave a soft laugh, feeling a touch embarrassed.
"Don't worry, I believe you." She pat Nebby as the tiny thing continued to watch the screen, even if it wasn't moving anymore. "I think it's charming, personally. When they make really high jumps, it looks kinda funny though."
"Oh yeah, a lot of people like to call that 'Wire Fu', for obvious reasons." Pokemon can be pretty acrobatic, but sometimes the production staff just can't help themselves, it seems. "We've gone through five episodes so far, do you have any favorite characters yet?"
Lillie smiled enthusiastically and gave a firm nod as she recalled what she'd just finished viewing. "I like Queen Tethys a lot, she's so good to everyone, especially Ares and Aria. I wish she'd stop sending them on quests so much though, can't the kingdom wait ten minutes?"
Jacky couldn't help but laugh as Lillie pouted and complained about the repeated missions and quests so far. "I see where you're coming from, it's like the kingdom is constantly under threat for one reason or another. Like, what are the knights of Everfall for, just standing around and looking cool?"
"Didn't Queen Tethys say all knights were well-trained, why can't they catch a common thief in the town market?" This conversation went back and forth for a little while, long enough for Hau to return from his rest stop.
"Hey, What are you guys talking about?" he asked quite loudly, getting in very close to Jacky, obviously having heard enough to know the general vibe of what they were saying. The boy had to push him back a touch for some of that good ol' personal space.
"Oh nothing, nothing at all!" Jacky grinned devilishly as he grabbed the boy and pulled him down, tapping the top of his head with his knuckles. "We were just debating how hollow your skull really is, nothing special."
"Oh that sticks it! I'm gonna knock you around silly, lolo!" He called Robin over, heated and anxious for a battle. Looks like showing Lillie his favorite show wasn't the only thing that got him excited, he must've been especially proud of winning his battle against Hala.
"Wait, he can't just do that, he's still got his Grand Trial!" Lillie had cut in, fairly upset, probably for a few reasons, not the least of which was the sudden bout of conflict. Then again, she could also be upset that they were distracting from what they were originally spending their time doing, i.e. watching the show.
Her point seemed to remind Hau of something important as he pulled away from Jacky and cleared his throat. "Right, that actually reminds me! I just got word that Tutu finished getting his Pokemon treated and he'll be back in a few minutes."
"Looks like my turn's finally coming up then, great," he sighed melodramatically as he swings his legs over the edge of Hau's bed. "Well, I guess I'll be giving Deagle a good workout then. After seeing your battle, Hau, I don't wanna take any chances. The sooner I beat Hala, the better, you know what I mean?" Now that he thought about it, this really was the last of his trials on the island, wasn't it? He had to make a decision soon on what he was going to do next, whether he'd pull out or keep going. "Hey, Hau, you're going to be continuing the island challenge, right?"
Hau's smile shrank a bit at the question, knowing just a bit where this question was coming from. "Yeah, of course I will, buddy. After all, that fight with Tutu was just a taste of his real strength, and if I want to surpass him, I'm gonna need to get way stronger than this. The Island Challenge just feels pretty practical in that way, you know?"
"Yeah, I understand." Jacky turned his attention to Lillie now, the girl holding Nebby in her arms delicately. Her eyes were looking his way with some quiet concern, giving him a semblance of that girl he met on his first night here. "And what about you, Lillie? You going to stick around on this island or what?"
"Actually, I was hoping to go with Hau, check out the other shrines for Nebby's sake. Besides, there's a few people on Akala Island I wanna see while I'm there too." She looked like she wanted to say something else, but kept quiet about it, likely out of second guessing. Hau cut in, not hesitating at all to speak his mind.
"Look, Jacky, if you decide you want to stop here, we'll totally understand. It'll be real disappointing to not have you there so I can kick your can, but like the prof said, it's all your choice." Hau dropped his smile altogether, looking quite serious for once, as he delivered his next words. "Even if it'll be less fun without you, don't you go letting us tell you what you should or shouldn't do."
"Hau's right, Jacky! It would be sad if you weren't there with us, but if it makes you happier to be at home, then I'll definitely support your choice!" Even Lillie, seemingly motivated by Hau's own little speech, seemed to pluck up some resolve out of her usual timidity. "Don't let anyone, not even Tapu Koko, force you to go unless you want to."
There was a pressure in his chest, a tight sensation as he listened to their encouragement. From their willingness to let him be, to their wholehearted support, right down to Lillie basically saying screw Tapu Koko, he couldn't help but really feel a real sense of gratitude for these two. "Thanks, you guys. That all really means a lot, I swear."
He had quite a bit of pressure on whether or not to do this, but never from these two, not even from the professor, and certainly not his former champion of a mother. During his whole run through the trials on this island, their support's been a constant comfort. He didn't have to do any of this, but they always understood that and never tried to force or guilt him staying. Despite Tapu Koko itself clearly wanting him to do this, they still told him it was his choice.
How could he say no to all of that?
"Well, I'm sure I'll know for sure what I'm doing after my grand trial, right?" He swiped the remote off of the bed and clicked play on the DVD player. "And besides, what better time to make a decision than the climax, right?"