Like yesterday, Poni Beach was fairly quiet save for the Mantine surfers hitting the waves. Grimsley had found Mina doing several sketches, her clothes and face still smattered with paint. She greeted him with a warm smile, and after talking about some of the sketches she did, they started training.
Mina's Granbull, Morgan, was able to stand against Queen well. Morgan liked to go for close combat, forcing Queen to go more defensive and block off her crunches. After several more blows like that, Mina had Morgan back away and give more distance.
"Great, buddy! Now go for Stone Edge!"
"Jump and then dive down at him!" Grimsley ordered.
Morgan howled and slammed her fist into the hot sand. Queen backed away as each stone pillar popped up, and she jumped up before the last pillar appeared. Her forehead lit up a metallic shine, and she launched straight at Morgan. Morgan crashed on the ground, but she picked herself up and shook the sands off of her.
"You ready to get your Z on now?" Mina asked, her voice upbeat.
"I'm ready when you are."
"Great! Alright Morgan, let's go!"
She and Morgan started their Z-Pose first, in which their fingers and paws formed a heart and they lifted one of their legs up. A golden aura surrounded them both, and glittering pink mist covered the battlefield.
Grimsley and Queen also struck their Z-Pose. Their arms formed a shape like a circle, and then their left arms straight and right arms upward. They had practiced that pose numerous times yesterday, so Grimsley hoped that this would work. A bright light engulfed them.
Morgan circled around Queen like an orbit. She launched herself straight at her, but then Queen unleashed large amounts of white silk and wrapped Morgan in a cocoon. Queen slammed the cocoon on the ground, tossed it in the air, and sliced it with her blades. The cocoon exploded, and Morgan popped out from it.
Another Z-Move completed.
Queen and Morgan let out deep breaths and glared at each other. Grimsley stood there, his chest heaving and heart racing. Mina looked just as exhausted. Seconds passed, and the Pokémon collapsed on the sands. Both Grimsley and Mina rushed to their Pokémon's sides and helped pick them up.
"Oh hey, you just did your second Z-Move!" Mina said with a small smile. Behind her, Morgan barked.
A pleased smile formed on Grimsley's lips. He put a supportive hand on Queen's shoulder.
"Queen was able to do that thanks to you. Your help has been very appreciated."
"Nah, don't mention it." After she and Grimsley returned their Pokémon, Mina said, "Battling full Z-powered has been fun!"
Grimsley hummed, agreeing with her. He was surprised how much he enjoyed using them. Using Z-Moves seemed to be helping his Pokémon to their full potential.
Loud claps rang through Grimsley's ears. He turned around to see Colress grinning at them.
His face was twisted in a grimace.
"Marvelous! Just marvelous! Seeing you two bonded with your Pokémon through Z-Moves is a sight to behold!"
"Alola, alola!" Mina greeted, giving him the Alola rainbow sign. "I'm Mina, Captain of Poni Island, and this is Grimsley."
"Dr. Colress, scientist extraordinaire." He and Mina shook hands. Colress then walked up to Grimsley. "Fancy seeing you again, Grimsley."
Mina tilted her head. "Oh? You two met before?"
"We actually came from the same region," Grimsley said, folding his arms against his chest. "Old acquaintances, to put simply."
"I see, I see," Mina said as she bobbed her head. "So you're a scientist, huh? You research all sorts of stuff?"
"You can say that. My main research though is to bring out a Pokémon's true potential! The Z-Moves used often in this region is a perfect example of that."
"Oh? How so?"
A wide grin stretched across Colress's face. "I can now see with my own eyes the invisible power between Trainers and Pokémon... Z-Moves give it form! The Z-Ring and Z-Crystals… Their unknown energy will open doors to new worlds!"
Mina left her mouth wide open. "Huh, really? That's cool, actually."
"Glad you think so! I've been in Alola for a while now, but this region is proving to be full of surprises!"
Mina hummed and bobbed her head once more. A vibrating sound was heard, and Mina pulled out her phone. She looked at it for a minute and faced back at Colress and Grimsley.
"Oh, I got some urgent business to take care of. It was great talking with you, Dr. Colress!"
"It's my pleasure. If you ever want to talk again, here's my card."
Colress handed her a card, which she put it inside her pant's pockets.
"Appreciate it, man. And thanks again for that battle, Grimsley!"
Mina waved them goodbye and headed out. As soon as she was out of sight, Grimsley glared at him.
"What are you doing here?" he asked in a bitter tone.
"I'm conducting some research here. According to the Ultra Recon Squad, there's an abundance of Z-Aura in Vast Poni Canyon and the Poni Wilds. I plan to head up there soon."
"Speaking of the Ultra Recon Squad, I saw you with them in Lake of the Moone. What were you doing?"
Colress's face fell, and his eyes fluttered. He shifted away from Grimsley for a second.
"I already told you, I'm building a machine for them to deal with Necrozma." His frown deepened. "However, the Aether's president had taken that machine with her, so I'm making another one."
Grimsley's throat ran dry. He remembered Selene and Lillie mentioning that while being interviewed by the Interpol agents. So she really was trying to become Alola's savior.
"How about Lunala? I noticed the way you looked at them with great interest."
Colress raised a confused brow, and then he sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"You're right that I was mesmerized by them. I asked Dulse if it's possible Lunala and Solgaleo could be fused with Necrozma, and he said yes. After a long discussion, he approved of me making the Colress Machines 1198 and 1199."
Grimsley's jaws clenched. "So you're making a machine to fuse the Legendary Pokémon and Necrozma together?"
"Not exactly. The machine is to be used to separate them from Necrozma when that happens. That was why the Ultra Recon Squad had Lunala as far away from Necrozma as possible."
Grimsley gave him a cold stare, not certain if he completely bought it. Memories of seeing footage of Black Kyurem, fusion of Kyurem and Zekrom, on the news flooded back to him.
It was time for that conversation.
"Why did you join Team Plasma? Why the experiment on Kyurem and Zekrom?"
Colress's face turned pale. He bit his lips and lowered his gaze to the ground, his shoulders hanging down.
"When Team Plasma first approached me, I didn't care about their new agenda. I only accepted their invitation for my own gain."
"What about Ghetsis? Did he make you fuse those legendary dragons?"
Colress flattened his lips and furrowed his brow.
"Fusing Kyurem and Zekrom was his initial idea. It's true that I went with it, but I didn't like his purpose for that. I actually despised him!"
His breath caught in his throat, Grimsley admitted he didn't expect Colress to have strong feelings against Ghetsis. He was just as responsible for what happened in Unova, though.
"Even so, you still let Team Plasma run wild." Grimsley raised his arms and shouted, "Almost all of Opleuid City was frozen, for instance!"
Colress's mouth fell, his fingers touching his lips. He hung his head down.
"Back then, I only cared about my goal of bringing out a Pokémon's true power. After some reflection, the damage Team Plasma did was terrible and I'm deeply sorry."
Grimsley swallowed hard and furrowed his brow. From the way Colress's frown deepened, he was serious. Perhaps he cared about helping the Ultra Recon Squad with Necrozma also. His stare towards Colress wavered, and he gazed upwards at the sky.
"I was battling against a rockstar trainer named Ryuki, and he had a Mega Garchomp. During that battle, I thought about our conversation on Mega Evolution."
"I gave you Roulette's Megastone and Keystone because I thought those would bring out Roulette's full potential," Colress said, grinning.
"Roulette doesn't like Mega Evolving unless necessary. She would growl and swipe her paw at you whenever you were near her."
Colress chuckled and threw his head back. "Maybe I was a little forceful there. Can't help myself with a beautiful Mega form like hers." He paused. "She held herself well against my Mega Metagross."
A reminiscent smile pulled on his lips. He and Colress would have Roulette and Mercury, Colress's Metagross, battle on occasion. Mercury was stronger and tough to break through their defenses when Mega Evolved, but Grimsley made use of Roulette's type advantage and speed.
"Mercury was quite the powerhouse, though. It took several attempts until Roulette was able to beat them."
Colress hummed and nodded. "I gave you Roulette's Mega Stone during that big dinner party with all the leading scientists in it. You were bored out of your mind."
Grimsley snorted. "My parents and their friends can throw better dinner parties than them. It was still a lovely evening overall."
Another awkward silence stretched between them. Several Wingull from above cawed. The ocean waves crashed onto the shore, making Grimsley and Colress' shoes wet. Colress's frown returned.
"While we can't go back to the things they were, I hope that someday we can at least be friends again."
Grimsley's heart sank, and he swallowed hard. To be friends again… could he accept that? He sighed and shook his head.
"I'm not sure if that's possible."
A pained expression crossed Colress's face, and he dropped his head. "I guess this is goodbye then."
"I guess so," Grimsley said in a low voice, his lips twitching.
Colress lifted his head back, and their gazes met.
"Before I go, I want to make a request. One last kiss from you."
Eyes wide open, Grimsley was taken aback by that request. After some consideration, he believed Colress harbor no ill intentions when he said that. He nodded his approval.
Colress approached him, his palm touching Grimsley's cheek. Their lips touched, and Grimsley's heart raced. Colress's lips were warm like the Alolan sun, and salty like the ocean breeze. They let go and exchanged sad gazes.
"I'll never forget our time together, Grimsley." Colress patted his shoulder and flashed him one last grin.
Grimsley frowned as Colress headed off. After a moment, he turned and gazed at the long stretch of the ocean. A small smile formed on his lips.
He didn't expect their goodbyes to be this bittersweet but was glad that they finally had this conversation.
xxx
The SS Magikarp felt crammed inside with five people, Nanu mused. He and his group stayed in the seats while Akoni steered his boat towards Exeggutor Island. Nanu gripped on the seat handles as the waves crashed and rocked the boat.
"I forgot to ask back in Poni Island, where are Hau and Gladion?" he asked.
"Gladion is taking care of some business in Aether Paradise," Charlotte said. "I have him keep an eye on things while I'm away."
"And Hau wants to do some training back home before going against you," Selene said, beaming.
"Huh, is that so." Nanu scratched his cheek, thinking some training would do the boy good.
"Um, Ms. Wicke," Lillie started, her hands grabbing on the hem of her skirt. She gazed up at Charlotte. "I want to thank you for watching over me and Gladion when our mother wasn't there for us."
Charlotte gasped, and her face softened. "After your father's disappearance, your mother went through a tough time. I get why she grew distant towards everyone, but that doesn't excuse any of her behavior."
Lillie nodded and hummed in agreement. "Gladion told me the same thing." Lillie dropped her gaze on her lap. "There's… a lot that Mother and I need to talk about."
As Nanu listened in on their conversation, he remembered Gladion telling him how he and Null needed to get stronger. He wanted to know more about that boy's partner.
"Charlotte, can you tell me everything you know about Type: Null? Anabel and Looker told me that Interpol has been keeping an eye on them."
"Of course," Charlotte said, and told him what she knew. Branch Chief Faba Leroy and his team created three specimens they dubbed "Type: Full." They were meant to be used to combat the Ultra Beasts, but after some mishaps with the RKS System they were deemed unfit and put into permanent cryogenic stasis. Eventually though, Gladion ran off with one of them.
"Oh yeah, I remember reading that on Faba's computer," Selene said. "His blog entries reeks 'I'm better than you underlings'."
"So Aether's been figuring out ways to kill Ultra Beasts?" Nanu grunted. "I bet Interpol wants their hands on those for a while now."
"They do, but Anabel, Looker, and I convinced the higher ups to not take them yet and have me monitor Aether instead."
Nanu crossed his arms and pressed his lips. Nothing good would come out if Interpol had them.
"I battled against the kid's pup, and they were quite strong. Don't know how he managed to take care of them."
"I know, right?" Selene chimed in. "You should've seen Gladion and Null at the Battle Royal, they're even more wild there!"
Another grunt escaped from Nanu. The boat rocked once more, and he kept himself steady.
"We're almost at Exeggutor Island, everyone!" Akoni announced, and everyone looked through the windows. The island was just on the horizon, the shapes of the long necked Exeggutor sticking out. Dark clouds started to form above.
"Oh, I hope it doesn't rain too hard…" Lillie said in a small voice, her palm resting on the window glass.
"Yeah, I noticed it too," Akoni said. "After I drop you guys, I'll move the boat to safer ground but I'll come back not long after."
It was another several minutes until they reached the island. The moment Nanu stepped out a whiff of the flowers and ocean breeze slipped inside his nose. Several Exeggutor moved around and swung their heads like hammers. The last time he visited the island the ground was bone dry, but now there was green grass everywhere. The winds began to pick up.
The Exeggutor were more irritated than when he last saw them. As if another Pokémon spooked them...
"Oh wow, so many Alolan Exeggutors!" Selene shouted in excitement. "They're way different than the ones back in Kanto!"
"Indeed," Charlotte said with a small smile. "They're taller than the Exeggutor there, and are part Dragon-type instead of Psychic!"
"I read they grew that tall due to the abundance of sunlight in this region," Lillie said.
Akoni hummed and had his hand on his sides. "Alright you guys, I'll be heading out now. If the weather gets bad, take shelter and wait it out. Got it?"
"Got it!" both Lillie and Selene said together, and Akoni chuckled.
"Great to hear! I wish you all luck in getting that flute!" Akoni waved them goodbye and stepped inside his ship.
"Okay!" Selene slammed her fist into her palm. "Let's get that flute!"
Selene took a few steps, only for Nanu to grab her wrist and stop her.
"Hold up there, kid. Before going forward, do you see how irritated the Exeggutor are?"
Indeed the Exeggutor's stomps were harder, and they twirled their heads like a helicopter. Three Pinsir gathered around them, pinching them with their pincers.
"Oh my, looks like the Pinsir are bothering them," Charlotte said with her hand close to her mouth.
Nanu looked down at Lillie. "Do you have any Pokémon with you?"
Lillie gasped, and she shifted her gaze away from him for a second. "Well, I do have one besides Nebby. I haven't trained her much for battles, though."
"That's fine. Just stick close with us," Nanu said, and Lilie hummed in agreement.
Everyone released their Pokémon: Nanu his Krookodile; Selene a Lurnatis; Charlotte a Persian but with white fur and a smaller head than his that she named Princess; Lillie a Comfey.
Nanu, Selene, and Charlotte commanded their Pokémon to take care of the Pinsir. Krookodile used his tail and jaws to slam and grab onto them. Franziska often blocked the Pinsir's assaults with her arms that glowed and shaped like a blade. Princess used her claws when they were near her and her gem to fire off glowing rocks at them.
While the three were busy with the Pinsir, Lillie had Comfey try to calm the Exeggutor down. The lei Pokémon sprouted off pink mist that smelled like flowers at them, and the Exeggutor stopped their tantrum.
Light rain started to pour while everyone was busy.
It didn't take long for Nanu, Selene, and Charlotte to finish off the Pinsir. Krookodile rammed the first Pinsir onto a palm tree, and the bug Pokémon collapsed. Franziska slashed the second one with her arm and he crashed on the ground. Princess pinned the last one down, and when the Pinsir asked to be let go she jumped off from him. All three Pinsir ran off.
"All right, we did it!" Selene cheered, raising her arm up in the air. Franziska did the same thing, micking her trainer's reaction.
Nanu looked up at Krookodile and grinned. "Great work there, buddy," he said, and Krookodile growled. He faced Lillie. "Has the Exeggutor calmed down?"
"Yes they have, thanks to Comfey!" Lillie said, grinning. Her Pokémon floated next to her and squealed.
Indeed the Exeggutor were happier now, swaying their heads and not stomping anymore.
"Awesome, you have a Kantonian Persian!" Selene said as she approached Charlotte and Princess. "My mom and I have a Kantonian Meowth at home."
"Aw, how lovely!" Charlotte said with a pleased smile. She scratched Princess's neck, who let out a satisfied purr. "She's been my main partner for a while now."
"Nice." Selene bounced off her feet and asked, "Oh, oh, can I pet her?"
"Sure, but be gentle!"
Selene kneeled down and scratched Princess's cheek. Princess purred against her palm.
"Who's a good girl?" she cooed. "Yes you are! Yes you are!"
More rain cascaded down on the island, and the palm trees and grass swayed as the winds grew more aggressive. Nanu clenched his teeth, the cold raindrops stinging his and Charlotte seemed to not be bothered petting Princess despite this. He was tempted to pet her too, but now was not the good time.
"We need to take shelter. There's a cave up ahead, let's go."
Everyone returned their Pokémon and followed Nanu to the cave, which was a short distance from them. It was dark when they stepped inside, almost no light seeping through. Nanu and Charlotte stood up while the girls sat down.
"Looks like we'll be stuck here for a bit," Nanu said as he crossed his arms.
"Remember when the four of us were in Johto and got stuck in a snowstorm?" Charlotte said, grinning. "We huddled together for warmth and waited until morning."
A nostalgic smile pulled on Nanu's lips. He, Looker, Charlotte, and Sana were in Johto for one of their assignments and ended up getting lost in the mountains near Blackthorn City. They stayed in a cave until help arrived.
"We were fortunate the Dragon Clan found us and let us stay with them for a few days."
"No way, you guys met the Blackthorn City Dragon Clan?" Selene asked in excitement. "Many of Kanto and Johto's best Dragon-type trainers come from there, like Lance and Clair!"
Nanu snorted. "Funny you should mention Clair. She chewed us out for getting lost in the mountains, which we probably deserved."
Quiet the whole conversation, Lillie gazed outside towards the rain. She smiled a little and faced everyone.
"This rain also reminds me of this one time when I was little," she said. Lillie continued on, talking about how she danced in the rain because of a movie she saw. Her mother was shocked at first, but she danced with her and the two ended up getting sick. That was the happiest she was with her mother.
"So you and your mother were dancing in the rain and then got sick?" Nanu said and chuckled. "I personally wouldn't do that."
"Oh yeah, I remember that," Charlotte said, smiling also. "While you and Madame Lusamine were sick, I took care of the both of you."
"You were so worried about us, you checked up on us almost every hour," Lillie said with a giggle. Her smile faded and she lowered her head. "We already talked about how she had changed earlier. I hope a heart-to-heart with her will clear up some things."
Charlotte frowned for a bit, and then her smile returned. "If you need any support, I'll be there for you."
"I'll support you also!" Selene grabbed and squeezed Lillie's hands. Lillie was taken aback by Selene's gesture, but then she offered her an appreciative smile.
"Thanks, you two. That means a lot."
Nanu narrowed his eyes at them, pressing his lips in a thin line. After a moment, he glanced outside to see that the rain had stopped.
"I think it's safe to go outside now," he said, and everyone stepped outside.
They were welcomed with clear blue skies and white clouds floating by. The grass was wet with dew, and the ocean sparkled against the sun's light. A large and vibrant rainbow stretched across the horizon.
Everyone gazed at the rainbow with large grins. Lillie and Selene gasped and held hands.
"A rainbow!" Selene said. "How cool is that!"
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Lillie said.
Nanu clicked his tongue. "All right you two, that's enough rainbow watching there. You got a flute to find, yeah?"
"Right," Selene said, her expression changing to one of determination. She looked up at the peak above her. "Um, how are we gonna get up there?"
"Easy, you ask one of the Exeggutor." Nanu whistled, which grabbed one of the Exeggutor's attention. He marched to where Nanu and his group were. "Hey, Exeggutor! These girls here want to get to the top. Can you help with that?"
The Exeggutor bellowed out an "Exegggg" and lowered his head. Selene and Lillie looked at each other, and then they climbed on his head. With slow and heavy steps, the Exeggutor took them to the peak.
"These girls reminded me of Sana and I when we were younger," Charlotte said when she and Nanu were alone.
Nanu raised a suspicious brow. "Really? I don't see it."
Charlotte pouted. "Come on, don't tell me you don't see a resemblance between Sana and Selene."
Now that Nanu thought about it, Selene did look like a younger version of Sana. Dark skin and hair, big eyes, very upbeat and energetic. It was almost uncanny.
"Okay, maybe a little." He gazed at the rainbow once more, and his heart dropped. "She would've loved that rainbow."
"She would." Charlotte walked closer to him and held his hand. That startled Nanu for a second, but then he squeezed her hand back and didn't let go.
While waiting for Lillie and Selene to get the Sun Flute, they gazed at the rainbow together.
Author's Notes:
Lillie has a few Pokemon when she battles with you during USUM's Rainbow Rocket sidequest and in the Battle Tree.
I'm still doing the advertising campaign for Foul Play! Comments and spreading the word would be appreciated:
Sorry for the slight delay, the pandemic threw things off for me. As always, thanks to bobandbill for betaing. I'll try to have the chapter a bit faster, around early May at the latest. See you then!