He was ready, so damn ready you wouldn't even know just how ready he was, I'm serious. He was ready to go up into that ring, send out Deagle, and whomp all of Hala's Pokemon. Kahuna, sure, obviously a skilled trainer, sure, but Jacky was on a hot streak and he was so… ready. Hoo boy, was it getting hot in here, or was it just our slightly nerve-wracked protagonist imagining things? No, no, no, what did he have to worry about for the grand trial?
This was the first grand trial, after only one regular trial, right? They wouldn't hit new trial-goers with challenges that they weren't prepared for, right? Of course, they wouldn't! After all, how else would anyone possibly be able to complete the island challenge if they did go at them too hard, that just wouldn't make sense! He just needed to think of it as a gym battle, that's it! It was basically the same, fighting a specialist in one type and gaining an item of interest that marked his progress!
"Um, are you okay, Jacky?" The boy Lillie gave her concern to had left Hau's house with the rest of them, ready for a battle, ready to put his first grand trial behind him. Then he slowed down and seemed to spiral into deep thought, and then full-on stopped in place. He's been like that for a few minutes now, in fact.
"What are you waiting for, man? This should be a piece of cake for you, right?" Hau, devoid of any sense of mood, smacked Jacky hard on the back, piledriving him out of his rampant thoughts. "You even got the advantage, too! You know exactly what Pokemon my old-old man is going to use and everything! You know what moves they can use too!"
Jacky looked Hau's way, levitied a touch by his friend's boundless enthusiasm as Hala waited on his end of the ring. "I suppose that's true, I did get to see a lot from your grand trial." He calmed down significantly as he took a second to consider all the knowledge he's been given by watching Hau's battle.
"Yeah, there ya go! You've got nothing to worry about, so you get up there and show my tutu what you can do!" It really meant something to Jacky to have them here, how quickly they eased his nerves. It was something to ponder, just how willing he would've been to continue this challenge if Hau and Lillie weren't here.
"Right, I'll have him out of this ring in no time." Jacky stepped up to stage, readying a pokeball for the battle. Fighting types meant that Deagle would be the best fit for the fight, so he selected her for the battle. The Trumbeak flapped her wings after a gleeful hop into the air, eager to lead a fight this time.
Hala smiled at the trainer's choice, seeing his preparedness and will to fight, coupled charmingly by his partner's want to throw down. "I see you're taking as much advantage as you can over me. As expected of one chosen by our guardian, you've stepped up to complete your final trial here on Melemele Island. Your courage won't be in vain, I promise, for I will give you a fitting battle for your grand trial. Old Hala is going all-out for this bout, come join me, Mankey!" He let out his first Pokemon, the aforementioned Mankey, who glared viciously the moment he saw the eager flying-type across the ring.
Deagle seemed unperturbed by the infuriated opponent, even shaking her tail feathers his way to taunt it. She knew she had this in the bag no problem and she had no issues shoving that fact into the Mankey's face. Of course, it didn't take long for Deagle's opponent to throw a fit and make a leap at her without a single word from Hala, taking a hard fall when Deagle flapped her wings and fluttered out of the way.
The Mankey continued to chase Deagle around as she continued to make rude and taunting japes at her opponent. Pounce after pounce after pounce she dodged, until one such evasion left her stumbling, leaving her open to a Karate chop. "Hmhmhm," Hala laughed spiritedly, "are you quite done or shall we give you a moment?" Old man was being cheeky about it, but something felt off about him. Jacky was sure he saw a glimmer of irritation, even if for just a second.
Deagle hopped over to Jacky's side, ready to begin the fight in earnest, looking up at him with a grumpy face. "Hey, don't look at me, you deserved that one, now get in there and use Pluck!" The huffy Trumbeak swallowed her pride for the time being and hopped up into the air, flapping her wings for height before using them to swoop in and jab Mankey out of the ring with her beak, the force knocking it out in one shot. "Nice job, you show-off!" He laughed as Deagle proved herself worthy of the title by doing a few aerial moves above the ring before coming in for a landing, awaiting her next prey.
"Excellent, your Trumbeak's power is nothing to sneeze at, Jacky!" Hala clapped his hands bluntly, his hand reaching for his next ball after the fact and tossing out a Makuhita. "But we're not through just yet, show old Hala what you can really do!"
Jacky raised his voice to order another Pluck attack, only for Hala to command a Fake Out, his Makuhita pouncing close to Deagle and slamming its hands together to create a powerful sound, making the bird flinch and stinging her something fierce. "Cute move, Hala, but I know those things only work once. Deagle, get it together and take it down!" With the Fake Out completely peeving her, Jacky's Trumbeak was more than happy to pay it back for the attack, returning to the air and sweeping around the ring before slamming her beak against the Makuhita's side, throwing it onto the floor and knocking it out.
"Truly powerful, you've trained her well, but this is the final stretch. Let us see if you can keep this winning streak going!" He launched his final ball, unleashing a Crabrawler onto the ring, swinging its mitts through the air, raring to go. Hala crossed his arms and watched and the boy considered his next move.
Jacky looked over Deagle, sure that she must be tired after those two attacks against her. Even if the first wasn't effective, it still did a good amount of damage, and then the Fake Out as well. "Alright, Deagle, you did great, now it's time to switch out." After recalling his Trumbeak, Jacky tossed up Nirvana's ball, releasing the Slowpoke onto the ring. For now, Hala had Crabrawler use Leer, aiming to take Nirvana down with a couple quick blows. "Alright, a Confusion ought to do the trick!" Jacky's partner let loose a lethargic and drowsy yawn, waves of psychic energy washing over the crab Pokemon and stinging its head with a blunt, dizzying pain, all while ignoring the tension of a foreboding Leer.
"Things don't seem good for us, Crabrawler, but stay strong!" Hala declared to his final partner as it gave another glaring Leer at Nirvana, starting to make even the lazy and relaxed Slowpoke nervous. After that guard-lowering staredown, Jacky caught sight of Hala seeming to steal a glance at his Z-Ring. Was he planning to use All-Out Pummeling on Nirvana next? No, with its defenses being lowered down, even with resistance to the fighting type, Jacky wasn't confident in his Slowpoke's chances of tanking it.
"Confusion, Nirvana, right now!" he called, eliciting another blunt and disorienting sting in Crabrawler's head before Hala could follow through on his next move. Crabrawler fell to the arena floor like a sack of bricks after a few seemingly over-extended seconds. It was down and out before Hala could even strike a pose, marking the end of the Grand Trial. The silence Jacky fell into after his last attack was immense, but once he'd finally processed his achievement, excitement welled up inside him. He jumped, throwing a tightly balled up fist through the air, eyes closed, grin wide, and his voice loud as he shouted out a great and proud, "We did it!"
He wouldn't celebrate his victory alone, feeling that giddy young friend of his throw his arm around his shoulder and pull him into a half hug. Shortly after he felt a normally gentle hand press against his back with a bit more force than he'd have expected from her, but he didn't care and in fact he welcomed it. What surprised him more was the inclusion of a third party laughing boisterously, complimenting the moves he showed off and the power behind them.
Hau, Lillie, Kukui, these three propped him up when he was unsure of himself, and now were joining in the elation as much as if they were the ones who'd claimed victory. The final contributor to the moment belonged only to the man Jacky had taken down in battle, the Kahuna himself. "That was astounding, Jacky, the choices you made and the training it took for your Pokemon to be able to beat my own so swiftly. There truly is no doubt that you are deserving of this, the Fightinium Z-Crystal."
Opening his eyes to the sight of the crystal in question, an earthy shade of orange gleaming in the moonlight. He took the crystal delicately from old man Hala's hand and pocketed it. "Thank you, oh and don't worry about teaching me the moves for it, I caught enough of it from Hau's battle." Jacky wouldn't have thought he would be such if you'd asked him at the start of his journey or even just before the Grand Trial, but he was proud of himself in this moment. Proud of defeating each Pokemon in one or two hits, proud of recognizing when a Pokemon needed to swap, and proud of stopping Hala from using his Z-Move.
Breaking through the moment, the familiar sound of Tapu Koko's cry roared through the air, sounding out approval of the battle that had transpired. "Hmph, ever since you've moved here, young Jacky, our guardian has been quite satisfied. Perhaps…" Hala brushed a hand across his chin in thought, a firm smile on his lips. "Yes, I think one day you could be strong enough to challenge him."
Jacky gave a chuckle as he brushed the thought away from his mind, not wanting to ruin the mood with the Tapu's expectations. "Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves, I've barely started this challenge." It wasn't some grand purpose from a high power that got him all hyped up like this. He owed thanks for that to the people around him, and nothing was going to change that anytime soon.
"Very true, your island challenge has only just begun, my Grand Trial serving merely as a warmup. I'd prepare if I were you, for it will only continue to increase in difficulty as you go further and further down this road. Just promise me, when you're on your journey, try to think of what it is that makes up the people and Pokemon you'll meet." Hala placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, offering these words to him in hopes that it will help him somewhere down the line, how far depended solely on him, though.
The ground rumbled a bit, drawing attention away from Jacky and towards the back of the arena, watching as the Tauros from earlier arrived up the path. "My, it seems this Tauros is quite attached to you, young child. Whatever are we going to do with it?" The old man approached the bull Pokemon with zero concern for any notion of danger. "Well, I suppose if you're going to continue to follow around our prospective challenger, we could put you to good use."
Jacky stopped for a moment, confused by Hala's words as he tried to imagine what he could do with a Tauros. Was Hala trying to offer the Tauros up to him as a new team member or what? However, before he could really think about it further, a familiar pinkette arrived at the Iki Town, waving to those gathered. "Ah, it looks as though I've missed out on your Grand Trial. Such a shame, I would've loved to see you in action after our bout before. Well, enough of that for now, I assume you were successful?"
Jacky flashed the Z-Crystal he received from the Kahuna, happy to prove the battle addict correct. He was free to proceed with the challenge and now had a new Z-Move to take advantage of. "Honestly, it wasn't very long… or eventful," the raven-haired boy admitted, looking around to check people's reactions, but no one seemed put off. "Deagle made quick work of the first two Pokemon and Nirvana knocked out the last one with two hits."
"I'd say that's an impressive spectacle in and of itself, Jacky." Ilima pulled a small item from his pocket and approached Jacky. It seemed like it had some significance, as Hala laughed and joined the Trial Captain. "Jacky, this is a Ride Pager, myself and a good friend of mine worked on it together for the people of Alola. You can register Pokemon to it and call on them from a PC Storage System variation we created if you ever need a mount, or maybe even more than that."
"Impeccable timing, Ilima, I was just thinking of putting this curious Tauros to work!" Hala ignored Jacky's hesitance with what they just told him as he took the Pager and started fiddling with it by Tauros's side. While he was doing that, Ilima handed Jacky what looked to be safety equipment, likely for riding registered Pokemon. "And there we have it, this Tauros is now registered to your Pager!"
After Jacky received the device from Hala, he pocketed it, not quite mentally ready to go riding a Tauros just yet. "Thanks, I'll have to give it a whirl later, I suppose. Oh and Ilima, don't sweat missing my battle, I can make it up to you with a rematch sometime." The princely little battle addict seemed to love that answer, a vibrant smile spreading across his cheeks.
"Will you now? Well I'll have to keep myself properly prepared, in that case! I'll be holding you to that promise of yours." He waved to Jacky and his friends before excusing himself and taking off, slowing only to give Jacky's Ride Tauros a gentle stroke along its side. "I can't wait to see what challenge you bring me next time."
After Ilima left, Hala excused himself as well, heading off to heal his Pokemon again and go home. "Well, now that you two have completed your Grand Trials, I guess I'd better prepare our ride to Akala." Kukui stepped up and pat Jacky and Hau on the shoulders, as he made his own way out. "Be sure to get everything you need ready and sorted you two!"
"Oh yeah, I need to grab my things, I left them all in my bedroom!" Hau panicked at the reminder he had belongings to keep an eye on. "Sorry guys, I'll be back in a bit, don't sail off without me!" And just like that, Hau was blitzing off as fast as his legs could take him to his house, leaving Jacky and Lillie alone by the ring.
There was silence for a moment as Jacky considered what to do next, knowing he wasn't going anywhere without saying goodbye to his mom. "I should probably get-." However just as he was moving to leave town too, he felt a hand on his arm, tugging a bit at it. Lillie needed to ask him something, but the moment he looked her way, she retracted her hand, worried that maybe that was rude. "Lillie? What's up, do you need something?"
"W-Well, yes, actually," the girl answered quietly, her hand hovering over her bag, where Nebby rested. "I actually wanted to ask you a favor, if that's okay."
"We're friends, Lillie, of course you can."
That snappy response from the black-haired boy brought a smile to her face, prompting her to continue with her request. "I'm sure you've probably wondered about Nebby from time to time, well he's actually from somewhere very far away. I don't know exactly how he wound up in Alola, but I wanted to do something for him. I want to help him return home, wherever that is!" Her eyes gave a glint of determination for a moment, showing a scarce side to herself. However, after the moment passed, that determination became a look of shame and guilt. "Unfortunately, I'm not a trainer, not even close. So I can't protect Nebby on my own, and so I was hoping that maybe… You could help me?"
She sighed, letting the guilt weigh her down even further, ashamed of herself for asking this of him. For weighing him down with her own problems, problems she should resolve on her own. She knew he had his own problems to contend with, so she wouldn't have been the least bit surprised if he turned her down. "I know it's just my own wish and it has nothing to do with you-"
"What are you talking about? This does have something to do with me, Lillie." Jacky grinned, offering her some levity in hopes to help lift that weight. "It's like I said, we're friends, and I care about you and Nebby, even if it's only been for a little while." He sighed as crossed his arms, not out of impatience, but a sense of nerves as he delved into something a bit more personal. "And besides that, you have a clear goal set for yourself to follow. That's way more than I can really say for myself, you know?"
His finger tapped against his arm as his eyes looked over his Z-ring, recollecting how this whole journey got started in the first place. "This Island Challenge thing… I just don't know what I'm going to do if I can even finish it in the first place. Just doing this in the first place wasn't really my idea to begin with." He shook off the jitters, not willing to bring down the mood even further. "But you have your end goal and if I can help push that along, then why the hell not?" His melancholy mood was quickly replaced by a jubilant smirk.
Lillie was ecstatic at his acceptance to help her and Nebby, a smile even more joyous than his appearing on her face. "You really mean it, Jacky? Well, I guess I'll be going to Akala with you and Hau, in that case!" And in that moment, he noticed it once again, the way she seemed to almost glow in the cool light of the moon. He was thankful it was such a cool night tonight, because if his face was flushed, he could blame it on the cold winds.
The blonde-haired girl seemed to remember something as she straightened her bag and got ready to go. "I should probably go check on Kukui and make sure he's not "researching" on our ride." She waved goodbye as she took off, clearly elated by Jacky's decision to help her with Nebby.
Once Lillie was gone, he felt like he could relax a little, not realizing he was tensed up until just now. Lord, that girl always seemed to hit some kind of nerve, never in a bad way, but she never failed to affect him in some way. Moving on from that, Jacky still had to go home and say goodbye to his mother. Getting his bum into high gear, he went off on a jog down the hill of Route 1, making a straight shot for home.
He didn't bother with the Ride Tauros, seeing as how it wouldn't take him long to get there, nor was he willing to try that right now. As he caught sight of the house in the distance, he could faintly smell something coming from the house. Something smokey and with a faint and recognizable sweetness that made him nearly drool. Arriving at the front door, he opened it without hesitation and caught a blast of the smell of very obviously barbecue ribs. "Mom, when did you have time for that?"
His nose hadn't lied to him, as he saw the meaty dish in plain sight on the table as he entered the house. His mother was just in the middle of wiping her hands down with a rag, the apron she'd used already tossed haphazardly into the left kitchen sink. "I got right to work on this soon after you left to do your Grand Trial, kiddo! You were gone long enough for me to get this done and a bit more." She pulled up a bowl of mashed potatoes and some garlic bread, setting them both on the table before seating herself.
Jacky followed suit after getting some food ready in dishes on the floor and letting his Pokemon out to eat too. "I guess I was gone longer than I expected," he admitted, serving himself a bit of each item all the while. "So now that I'm done with all the trials on this island, I'll be moving on to Akala soon with Hau and Lillie. Oh and Kukui's apparently giving us a ride there, so that's good."
"It'll be weird to imagine you're on an entirely different bit of land, like I'm here in Alola and you're in Kanto, know what I mean?" She took a bite of a rib she plucked up from the set, getting sauce on her face. She was as messy as she ever was, growing older didn't ever seem to change that. "Well, putting that aside, remember to be careful and to always call me once in a while, okay? I have faith you'll show this Island Challenge who's boss, and not just because I have a bias as your mother."
Jacky gave a small snort before breaking into snickering, but Mary continued as if she didn't hear that. "You're a smart kid, Jacky, and if my own journey has taught me anything, it's that as long as you can always be persistent and do your best, you can make it." She shot her son a sly glare with the cheekiest grin she could manage before adding, "And before you ask, I did not get that off of a fortune cookie!"
"Heh, thanks, mom." As the two talked and ate their food, time passed and the moon shifted, with some time dedicated to just laying down for a nap. It's been a good night, all things considered, having won his first big step, having some time spent with new friends, and even finding reasons to help keep himself going. He was even getting a ride from Kukui to the next island over, to top it off. He really was given a lot already, and as he drifted off to sleep, he had one thought:
"What did I do to deserve them?"
Jacky woke up when his face suddenly felt much warmer than ever, making him jolt upwards from his bed. After reconstituting his eyesight, he looked down as saw Cinnamon blowing hot air up into his face, making him close his eyes after the next breath. "Okay, I'm awake, Cinn, you can stop doing that now." The Torracat seemed proud of himself as he hopped off the bed towards his mom, who stood at the door. "How long was I out?"
"Hmm… about long enough for Lillie and Kukui to ready the boat you'll be going to Akala on." Mary was crouched down, stroke a hand delicately along Cinnamon's back, Purr-chase nowhere in sight. Probably shut up in her room to keep the two cat Pokemon from getting into a tiff again. "Which was about a half an hour ago! You're a very heavy sleeper when you really get into it, you know?"
Jacky yawned as he threw his legs off the side of the bed, still weighed down by drowsiness as he went off to get things ready. You could easily call him what he was, and that was a procrastinator. As he readied clothes and other things into a pack to take with him cross-island, things he'd neglected to do before he decided to dunk himself down in bed for a nap. Once he'd gotten everything set, he set himself towards the door out of the house, his mother following close behind.
Stopping at the door, he turned to his mom and hugged her tight, something she didn't hesitate to return. "Love you, mom, I'll be sure to call and visit from time to time."
Mary gave her son a momentary squeeze, and a kiss on the cheek on top of that, before letting him walk out the door. "You'd better, or I'll sic Thanatos on you," she joked, waving to him as he left out of sight to Hau'oli. After a minute of time, she shut the door and sat at the table, reaching to her belt and holding up a distinct purple pokeball. "You see that, Thanatos. He's already on his way, so now we just have to wait."
She gave a quivering laugh as her vision swam from a combination of emotions. "Now both of them are out in the world, growing up. If only he could be here to see it too…"
Arriving in Hau'oli city, it didn't take Jacky long to find Hau just hanging around the restaurant where they got malasadas from. And just as he'd expected, the boy had two of the aforementioned cinnamony delicacies in his hands. If those were anything but a fried, sugary good, Jacky would be concerned about this apparent addiction, but he decided to move on from that silly train of thought. "Hey, Hau! You killing time stuffing that face of yours?"
"Actually I already had my share, thank you very much!" Hau very plainly feigned offense at the blunt comment his friend shot him. "These two are for you and Lillie, buuuut if you don't want yours, I guess I'll just…" He took one of the fried balls of delightful dough and hung it over his open mouth, pinched between his index finger and thumb.
Jacky walked over and swiped it from Hau with a bemused grin, taking a bite out of his Malasada. "No, I'll happily take your sugary sentiments, Hau, thank you for the food." He could certainly understand his love for the treats, a nice bunch of cinnamon and sugar over a crisp exterior with nice, soft bread underneath. Truly, this is what heaven must taste like to a guy like Hau.
"Speaking of Lillie, we should probably get going, Lillie got back to me about the boat a little while ago and said we're set to go to Akala." Hau kept a firm grasp on the malasada that remained in his hand and ran towards the marina. "Come on, Jacky, let's get going!"
Jacky followed him soon after, keeping pace and curious about the kind of boat they'd be sailing to Akala Island on. As a professor researching something as practical and widespread as Pokemon moves and combat, it made sense that he'd have the money to afford a boat. In fact, the boy wouldn't be surprised if it was supplied to the guy for work purposes, to travel from island to island and stuff like that. Something sturdy and reliable, likely, so that it can withstand some rougher tides from time to time.
All of those thoughts came crashing down once the boys arrived at the docks and spotted what would be their ride to Akala. He hoped that he was wrong, that the shirtless wonder wasn't standing on it, waving his arm at them like nothing was wrong, that maybe he'd gotten the wrong boat. However, his conscience knew that he wasn't wrong, and that the ramshackle approximation of a sea vessel in front of him and Hau was, indeed, Professor Kukui's boat. Where to even begin…
The metal was dented and the wood looked rickety, not to mention the sail looked like it was busted and patched over a dozen times. It perfectly matched Kukui's house in every possible way that Lillie's implication that Kukui would sometimes perform his research on the deck of it felt so much less like a joke at this point. Looking at it now, he started to wonder if the boat was actually less patched up than Kukui's house, which was a very worrying thought. Jacky and Lillie exchanged looks from the docks to the boat itself and she knew very well what was going through his mind, and he knew she knew.
"Hey, Professor," Hau called from the docks, his voice losing a bit of his usual enthusiasm, but it was apparent he was maintaining his optimism as best he could. "You sure she's seaworthy? The boat looks like I could toss a pebble onto deck and it'd collapse under the pressure." Hau meant it as a joke, but Jacky had half a mind to test that jestful little theory of his.
"Hey, don't go doubting her now, boys. Just think of the boat as experienced and well-seasoned when you climb onboard." Kukui got a look from Lillie before he went off to ready the boat to take off.
"I'd think it's more accurate to say it has 'history'," Lillie sighed exhaustively, setting her bag down under the sail. She looked up at the boys, still staring at the condition the boat was in, clearly hesitant to put one toe on deck. "Don't worry, it'll hold during the trip, guys. I've been on enough trips on this boat with Kukui to know that much. I don't know how it manages, but it just does, despite how it looks."
Jacky was still reluctant, but he was definitely more hopeful when Lillie reassured them. And hey, if this really was their only way to Akala Island, than he might as well just step on and get it over with. The deck creaked under his steps, but they showed no signs of caving in, thankfully, so his confidence in his own safety heightened a bit. "I'll be damned."
Hau only climbed on once he'd seen Jacky do it first, having saluted Jacky for the very brave risk he took. That just got him an elbow in his side when it all came down to it. Still, everyone was onboard and ready to leave. After confirming that first, Kukui started up the motor and moved the ship away from the docks onto the open sea.
The wind rushed by them as the boat picked up speed, giving Hau a rush of adrenaline as he made his way to the front of the boat. He gave out a loud cheer towards the salted seas that split the Alolan Islands, his prior concerns being swiftly replaced with an adventurous spirit. Seemed like Lillie wasn't quite there with him as she called to Kukui over the wind. "Make sure not to push the boat too hard, Professor!"
Hau laughed at Lillie's caution, turning around with that trademark toothy grin of his. "You said yourself the boat would be fine. I think you're just worried about losing that hat of yours!"
Jacky grinned as he snarked back at the dark-skinned young man. "Says the last one to step on the boat. Or did you forget about my 'brave risk' from earlier?"
Hau exploded with hearty laughs, just like his grandpa, as he turned fully around and leaned against the side of the boat. "That was before I actually got to ride a boat for the first time! Come on, Jacky, have a sense of adventure. You can't tell me that travelling like this isn't just the best thing ever, can you?"
"That all depends on if we make it in one piece, Hau," Jacky joked with a grin of his own as he looked ahead to the islands on the horizon. This was the next step in his journey, in boosting up Hau when he needs it, in helping Lillie send Nebby home, and maybe in finding out what he really wants to do with himself. Whatever may come, he would see it through for his friends…
Because that's how he'd pay them back for everything they've done for him.
Author's Notes:
And Part 1 of Moonlit Nights is finally complete! I hope I succeeded in making Melemele less tedious than it is in-game. I'm happy to have made so much progress and making some improvements here and there! Akala's up next, plot's gonna kick in soon everyone, so get your serious pants ready, let's FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
I'd love to thank DarkHeroAxel and MaycontestDrew on , as they were my biggest inspirations getting this far. Axel has checked over every chapter doc before uploading to give me his thoughts and ideas on how to tweak them to make them better, and May has commented on every single chapter I've put out so far on with such sweet words and desire to read more. They've helped motivate me to keep going and I wish them both luck in their own writing projects in the future.
May is actually the author of an incredibly high-quality Nuzlocke story of their own called The Iron Knight, set in a medieval Sinnoh where trainers are gladiators that have to do combat against each other alongside their Pokemon. There's blood and tragedy and lies and secrets and humor and so much to love. I'd even say it's officially published book quality.
Axel is planning to reboot a Nuzlocke fic of his own in the future and he's another author I aspire to be equal to one day, so I want him to get as much motivation and fortune as possible, especially in these trying times. That guy needs a whole good year, he's been such a sweetheart.
And lastly, I'd like to thank you all who stop to read my own story, even if you don't comment, the fact that you were interested enough to give this fic a look is already well-appreciated. Thank you all!
In addition, I have a profile on Archive of Our Own now, where all chapters have been uploaded, so if y'all prefer a spiffier look, organization and format, my username over there is JoshtheOverlander. See y'all for Part 2!