Shortly after Nanu and his friends had left, it was time for the coronation. Grimsley moved in pace with Akoni, Hala, and Olivia while the children followed behind. The two kahunas and seafolk chief were having a conversation, which he wasn't paying attention to.
It wasn't hard for him to notice that there were some tensions going on with the Interpol group. Nanu coming back late a couple of nights ago and Anabel missing were signs of that. A part of him was curious about what went on between them, but Grimsley decided it was none of his business.
The group journeyed through the Poni Break Coast, the geysers sprouting out the water and stream every so often. Once they made it to the Ruins of Life, there was no pool of water there. Mina and Eli stood in front of the entrance.
"Alola, alola!" Mina greeted and did the Alolan rainbow sign as Hala did earlier. "Glad you guys can make it to the ceremony!" She paused, her smile disappearing. "Where's old man Nanu?"
"He had to take care of something last minute," Grimsley said.
"Oh?" Mina tilted her head and blinked. Her smile returned. "His friend just returned, right?"
Grimsley hummed. "Seems the two have a lot of talking to do."
"Ah. Well, that's more important, I guess. Come on, we shouldn't keep little Hapu waiting!"
Everyone followed Mina and Eli inside the temple. While they moved from one room to the next, Grimsley looked over his shoulder to see Hala and Eli talking.
"It's been a long while, Hala. Two years, has it?"
"Mhmm. I'm unable to visit due to being the kahuna and all. I heard your granddaughter traveled all over Alola to prepare herself for this."
"She has, and I'm very proud of her."
"Haha, no doubt you do!"
Their conversation ended once everyone made it to the second room. Hapu was on top of the altar, donning a short-sleeved blue and white dress. She wore a headdress shaped like Tapu Fini's fins, and her hair was in a straight-wavy style this time. A large pendant was hung on her neck and another smaller one on her forehead. Grimsley thought she looked cute like that. While everyone else stopped in the middle, Eli made a few more steps forward and turned around.
"Welcome everyone to the crowning of our new Kahuna of Poni Island," she said aloud with her arms spread wide. "Today we bare witness to an Alolan tradition that has been passed down through generations. And now, the ancient dance of the kahunas."
As Eli joined back with the others, Hapu took a deep breath and started her dance. Her bare footsteps hit the wooden platform like drums, and her claps echoed through the walls. Everyone kept silent and watched as she continued her dance. Grimsley glanced over his shoulder to see Hala and Olivia grinning, as if they were reminiscing.
It wasn't long until Tapu Fini appeared.
The guardian deity emerged from a pool of water from the back of the room and rose over the altar. They joined in with Hapu, showering her with sparkling dust. Grimsley held his breath as he witnessed this ancient tradition.
After a moment, both Hapu and Tapu Fini stopped. The new kahuna unwrapped the Z-Ring from her wrist and held it to Tapu Fini.
"Bestow upon me the role of watching over Poni Island and the waters surrounding it."
Still holding her Z-Ring, Hapu closed her eyes as Tapu Fini twirled around her. The deity then stopped in front of her, sprinkled the Z-Ring with glittering dust, and took it by lifting it into the air. A small pool of water swirled around the bracelet, and then it returned back on Hapu's palms. The new kahuna smiled and thanked them for blessing her Z-Ring.
When the dance was done everyone clapped, though Grimsley didn't smile. The ceremony was nice, but seeing Tapu Fini ran chills down his spine. Hapu went down the stairs, joining with the others.
"All right, now there's one last thing that Hapu needs to do to complete the ceremony, and it's to use the Tapuinum-Z," Hala said.
"Tapuinum-Z?" Grimsley asked, blinking.
"Each kahuna gets a special z-crystal called the Tapuinum-Z," Hapu said. She pulled out a small tan crystal with the symbol of the tapu. "It's a way to show a bond between the kahuna and tapu."
"Oh yeah, Lillie and I saw Tapu Fini giving it to you after that battle," Selene said. "Looks so cool."
"Really? I take it there's a special Z-Move for that?"
"Yup, and I'll be performing it right now!"
"Okay folks, let's head outside now so Hapu can do that Z-Move," Mina said, and everyone followed her out of the altar.
xxx
Grimsley assumed that Hapu needed to be outside to perform her final act because the Ruins of Life didn't have enough space for that. He was curious how the Z-Move looked, and how it went Nanu did it. Either way, doing it outside was better than accidentally setting a sacred location on fire.
Once outside, Hapu and Tapu Fini stood in the middle of the open space while everyone else stayed on the sidelines. She slipped the Tapinium-Z crystal inside her bracelet and faced Tapu Fini.
"I'm ready," Hapu said, her face showing firm conviction. Tapu Fini hummed and nodded. As she chanted her next words,, her bracelet lit up. "Oh Guardian of Alola, lend me your strength to help watch over everyone here!"
She struck her z-pose by having her fingers form a heart and lifting one of her legs up, which Grimsley recognized as the same pose Mina did when they battled a few days ago. A golden aura engulfed them both, and the earth shook.
Grimsley and several others wobbled and almost lost their balance. A big chasm opened, rocks and dust flying. Two large hands reached out, and then a giant muscular being climbed out of the hole and stood up. It had no head until Tapu Fini floated up, closed their shell, and attached themself onto the giant.
"So that's the Guardian of Alola I heard so much about," Hau said in awe. He and everyone else were unable to tear their gazes off from it.
Hapu finished off the Z-Move by lifting her fist and slamming it on her palm like a hammer. The Guardian of Alola did the same, slamming one fist onto the chasm and making it wider. Another cloud of dust popped up, which caused Grimsley and the others to cough. Tapu Fini, as the giant being, lifted their head, punched their chest with their fist, and cried out their name to the heavens. After that, the golden being disappeared and Tapu Fini turned back to normal. Exhausted, Hapu fell on her knees and her body slumped. Her grandmother rushed to help pick her up.
"We now officially have our new kahuna!" Akoni declared with a grin. Selene and Hau cheered while everyone else clapped.
"Your grandfather would be very proud," Eli said, smiling down at her and squeezing her hand.
"I believe so too, Grandma," Hapu said and grinned back.
Grimsley pressed his lips and crossed his arms. Guardian of Alola was a Z-Move unlike any other. The tapus were just as powerful as the legendary Pokémon of other regions, if not more so. Distracted by his thoughts, he didn't notice Tapu Fini was in front of him until they let out a soft, "Tapuuu." That made him flinch and drew his head back.
"Urgh, what do you want?" he asked.
Tapu Fini responded by repeating "tapu" several more times. Unable to understand, Grimsley raised a brow at them.
"I think Tapu Fini's apologizing for what happened yesterday," Hapu said.
"Huh?" Grimsley's eyes grew wide when he realized Hapu was talking about Tapu Fini's special powers and his father visiting from the afterlife. He chuckled. "I'm actually glad to have that opportunity to meet my father one last time. Thank you."
Tapu Fini gave out a pleased hum and floated back to Hapu's side. Selene and Hau stared at him.
"Meet your father one last time?" Selene asked. "Does that mean you were in Tapu Fini's mist yesterday?"
Grimsley's heart jumped in his throat. Before he could respond, Eli spoke first.
"Tapu Fini's fog was deep yesterday, so it's not surprising that some folks got caught in it. It's good then that my granddaughter saved you there."
Unsure how to react to that, Grimsley cleared his throat and gave an awkward smile. "Yes, I'm glad of that."
"Say, Grimsley, are you up for a Pokémon battle?" Olivia asked as she approached him. "Kahili and Molayne told me how they battled you, and that made me want to see how powerful you are."
"Oh, I'm that inspiring, hm?" Grimsley rubbed his chin, considering Olivia's offer a moment. "Sure, no harm in that."
Olivia flashed him a grin and put her hands on her hips. "Great! I think you'll like my Pokémon. They're as tough as they come."
After eavesdropping on their conversation, Tapu Fini let out an agitated cry and glared at them. Grimsley swallowed hard, their stare piercing through his heart.
"Tapu Fini says to have the battle elsewhere," Hapu said. "They did enough damage when they were doing Guardian of Alola."
"I totally get it. Wouldn't want to cause trouble here." Olivia faced back at Grimsley. "Want to do our battle outside the Pokémon Center, instead?"
"Sounds good to me," Grimsley said.
"An Elite Four trainer and kahuna having a battle?" Hau jumped and raised his fist in the air. "This is gonna be great!"
Selene beamed. "Also can't wait to eat! I'm starving!"
With the coronation ceremony finally over, everyone headed back to the Seafolk Village Pokémon Center. Smiling a little, Grimsley actually looked forward to his battle with Olivia.
xxx
As soon as Grimsley and the group made it back outside of the Pokémon Center, he and Olivia immediately started their battle. He sent out Queen up against Olivia's Tyrantrum, a Pokémon that was extinct thousands of years ago. Even though Grimsley was aware of advanced technology that could revive fossilized Pokémon, seeing her with one was a pleasant surprise. She had nicknamed the Tyrantum Rexy.
Queen was able to cut through Rexy's rough skin with her blades and avoid the hurl of rocks being thrown at her. The Tyranrtum was faster than Grimsley had expected as he managed to bite through Queen's armor a few times earlier. Dragon-type Pokémon were never easy to take down, but Grimsley learned to overcome that from his battles with Iris and Drayden.
Olivia ordered Rexy to use Dragon Claw, so Grimsley had Queen counter that with X-Scissor. Both Pokémon charged at each other with claws and blades forming a green light. Everyone in the audience watched with anticipation, their gazes following their every movement.
After exchanging several blows, Rexy and Queen stopped to catch their breaths and glare at each other.
"All right, Rexy, are you ready for our Z-Move?" Olivia asked, and Rexy responded with a roar. She grinned, and the Z-Ring on her wrist glowed. "Great, then let's do this! Devastating Drake!"
She did her pose by crossing her arms together, having them shaped like large jaws, and thrusting her hands forward. A purple aura bathed both Olivia and Rexy, and an orb formed in front of the Tyrantrum.
Grimsley grunted, pursing his lips. He and Queen immediately did their pose for Savage Spin Out, and a golden light surrounded them.
Rexy fired off the orb, which then changed into the shape of a dragon flying at fast speed. Queen shot out a string of white silk at the dragon, but it cut through that and slammed into her. An explosion of purple flames occurred, and after the smoke disappeared Queen dropped to one knee, barely opening her eyes. Rexy's pants had gotten deeper.
Due to the effects of the Z-Move, Grimsley took deep breaths. Olivia grinned with no signs of exhaustion on her face. She likely had done the pose several times before.
"Looks like our Pokémon are exhausted," she said. "I think that's enough."
"I agree." Grimsley approached Olivia, and they shook hands. Their Pokémon joined them. "That was a good battle. No wonder Professor Kukui chose you as one of the best Alola trainers."
"I can see why you're an Elite Four trainer myself." Olivia scratched Rexy's belly, which the Pokémon responded with a pleased grunt. "You know how to get through Rexy's rough skin."
Grimsley chuckled and touched Queen's shoulder. "Queen's blades are sharp enough to cut through even the toughest boulders. I'm rather impressed with that Z-Move of yours."
"Me too!" Hau said cheerfully. "This is the first time I've seen it."
"I mostly save Rexy for the Final Grand Trials. You might see him again in the Pokémon League," Olivia said with a wink.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" When he heard that, Grimsley turned around to see Nanu and his friends joining with the crowd. Olivia glared at Nanu.
"Of course! Why wouldn't it be?"
"I mean, it's a Tyrantrum. They're not your typical cuddly Pokémon."
"True, but Rexy is a sweetheart that wouldn't even hurt a bug Pokémon. Right, big boy?" Olivia gazed up at him, grinning. As if understanding her, Rexy lowered his head down and let Olivia scratch his cheeks.
"He does look cuddly!" Selene said, beaming. Grimsley gave her a blank stare, not expecting her to say that.
Olivia gave her a satisfied grin and returned Rexy. "See, even Selene agrees!"
"Right," Nanu said in a drawled out voice and rolled his eyes. He then said to Olivia and Hala, "I need to speak with you two in private."
Grimsley watched as the three kahunas moved away from the crowd and towards the edge of the cliff. He turned around to see everyone else already dispersed into their own groups. The children, Akoni, and Mina were next to the table where the food was. Anabel and Looker grabbed themselves a drink and talked to one another. Wicke was alone, gazing at the Interpol agents. He went up to her.
"I take it the talk with you guys went fine?" Grimsley asked, and Wicke smiled.
"You can say that. Anabel plans to make some changes in Interpol and we'll be helping her with that."
"Is that so? Well, I wish you all luck on that."
"Thank you so much. We're going to need it!"
With a grunt and a nod, Grimsley wondered if Wicke and her friends would be able to accomplish that. That would be as if he wanted to change how the Pokémon League functioned. He then recalled that she and Nanu were once co-workers and he was curious about that.
"You and Nanu used to work together. What was that like?"
Wicke flinched and pressed her lips in a fine line. She gazed up at the sky with her finger tapping her chin.
"It was...interesting. He was blunt, but cared deeply for us. I couldn't ask for a better superior."
"Huh, I see." Grimsley tried to imagine him being an Interpol agent. He could see him acting similarly to Anabel. "Nanu told me about how the Aether Foundation has been doing their research on the Ultra Wormholes."
Wicke's eyes blinked rapidly, and then she frowned.
"They are. As you can tell from Lillie and Selene's story, it's a big problem now. All we can hope for now is them bringing that legendary Pokémon and saving Madame Lusamine."
Grimsley looked away, his finger rubbing the back of his ear. He was conflicted about having the weight of the world on those girls' shoulders. When Hilda had saved Unova and then Nate two years after, they went from excited trainers with potential to ones that lost their innocence. He hoped that wouldn't be the same for Lilie and Selene.
Xxx
Nanu brought Olivia and Hala at the edge of the cliff, the ocean waves raging down below. He glanced at the crowd enjoying the festivities before facing back at his fellow kahunas.
"The Aether Foundation's president had stolen the Moon Flute from Lake of the Moone. And right now she's gone missing," he said. Olivia and Hala let out stunned gasps.
"Really?" Hala asked. "How do you know?
"Lillie and Selene went to Aether Paradise earlier. They're planning to use the flutes to summon the legendary Pokémon to bring her back."
Olivia raised a brow. "Is that a good idea? Will they get help at least?"
"Mina and Hapu will take them to Vast Poni Canyon. My friends from Interpol will also help."
Both kahunas gave him apprehensive looks. After a moment, Olivia sighed with her shoulders slumped.
"It's good that they won't be alone then," she said. "I just hope they're ready for the task."
Nanu grunted in agreement and fixed his gaze at Lillie and Selene within the crowd. They were talking with Hau, Captain Akoni, and Mina, eating and laughing together. The faith of Alola in the hands of two children. He frowned at that thought as he would rather they live out normal lives than go through this.
"You're also worried about them, huh Nanu?" Hala asked with a smile, causing Nanu to flinch.
"Huh? What makes you think that?"
"The way you're gazing at the girls there, I haven't seen that from you in a long time."
Nanu mentally slapped himself for making himself look vulnerable there.
"I just think they should enjoy just being kids, you know? They don't need such pressure this early in their lives."
"I think so too," Olivia said with a sympathetic smile. 'Can't help but admire their spirit, though."
Nanu snorted. "Maybe a little too much spirit."
Hala laughed, putting his hands on his stomach. "Why don't we go to eat and join with the others?"
"Good idea," Olivia said. "I'm actually kinda starving now!"
"Sure. Not exactly hungry yet, but I'm here, so might as well." Nanu followed Olivia and Hala behind as they moved to join in with the others.
xxx
The festivities continued for the rest of the evening. Several more people joined in, which Grimsley assumed to be residents of the village. After his conversation with Wicke, he went to a table with Selene, Hau, and Mina. He listened as Selene told him and Hau what happened during Hapu's battle with Tapu Fini. From what the girl described, Tapu Fini's battle prowess wasn't to be underestimated. Hau then asked if they could play a game, which led Grimsley to propose an idea.
"I have some cards that we can play with. Be careful though, they're expensive and hard to come by."
For the next half hour, they played a kids-friendly version of blackjack, basically with no monetary bets, and slapjack. The latter Hau and Selene were the last two standing as they kept piling their cards together on the table until a jack card was turned. Both of them slapped it at the same time, Hau being the faster one.
"I slapped that jack card first, so I won!" Hau declared with a wide grin on his face.
"Nah-ah! I slapped it first!" Selene narrowed her eyes and faced Grimsley. "Who slapped it first, Grimsley?"
"Hau slapped it first just by a hair," Grimsley said, a smirk forming on his lips.
"Hah!" A smug expression crossed Hau's face. "See, I told you!"
Selene pouted and crossed her arms. "Fine, I'll let you have the win. But I'll win next time!"
Mina chuckled. "At least you did well at blackjack."
A proud grin formed on Selene's lips. "That's true! Maybe I'll be good at the real thing, too."
Furrowing his brow at her, Grimsley said, "I would wait until a few more years before attempting to do that seriously."
"Are you actually teaching kids how to gamble?" Nanu asked as he approached the group. He pressed his lips and had both hands on his sides.
"I'm not," Grimsley said, frowning. "We were only playing a couple of card games. No wagers whatsoever."
"Unlike some regions, gambling isn't legal here. I could say your coin-tossing tendencies are borderline to that."
Grimsley narrowed his eyes at him at first, and then he snorted. "Well, I would be bored otherwise."
Nanu glared at him, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Just don't have me catch you betting for real or else."
That caused Grimsley to flinch and laugh sheepishly. Behind him, Mina, Hau, and Selene gave him funny looks. He opened his mouth to respond but then stopped when Eli spoke.
"Thank you everyone for joining in to celebrate Hapu's coronation as the kahuna of Poni Island." Eli gazed down at Hapu, who was beside her. "This means a lot to both of us."
"It's about time that this island has a new kahuna," Akoni said with a grin. He cleared his throat and raised his plastic cup up. "A toast: may Tapu Fini watch and guide my granddaughter to be a wise and fair kahuna."
Everyone including Grimsley raised their own cups with several people cheering, "Here, here." Grimsley gulped his punch, which was warm and sticky inside his throat.
"We have one last thing we want to show you guys," Mina said. "All four kahunas will perform Z-Moves with their Pokémon!"
The majority of the crowd also cheered upon hearing that. Grimsley glanced at Nanu, who winced.
"Not a fan of crowds, eh?" Grimsley asked with a smirk.
"That much is obvious, isn't it?" Nanu sighed and shook his head. "Let's get this over with."
Nanu stood in front of the crowd along with Olivia, Hala, and Hapu. Nanu sent out his Persian, Hapu her Golurk, Hala his Hariyama, and Olivia a wolf-like creature that looked to be similar to Selene's Lycanroc but with red fur and standing on two legs.
"Is Olivia's Pokémon there a Lycanroc?" he asked Selene in a whisper.
"Ah huh. Lycanroc has three forms. Olivia's is the Midnight form and is very strong. My own Lycanroc barely was able to beat him."
"I recall Lillie mentioning that. He does look menacing."
Already all four kahunas began their Z-Pose. Nanu did this for the Dark-type, Hapu the Ghost-type, and Olivia Lycanroc's special Z-Move Splintered Stormshards. Hala's Z-Pose had him and his Pokémon make two big steps and thrust their arms several times.
Olivia's Lycanroc howled and several shards of rock flew up, which were pointing at Hariyama. That was similar to when Selene's Lycanroc did the Z-Move several days ago. As the shards flew straight at Hariyama, the heavy-set fighting type punched every one of them into smaller pieces, making the dust glittered in the air.
After Persian threw her head up and growled, a black hole appeared. Golurk made several shadows and tendrils appear that then eventually got sucked inside the black hole, which caused an explosion to occur. All four z-moves combined together created a fireworks display.
Everyone looked up in awe at the spectacle and clapped. Grimsley couldn't tear his gaze off the sky as he was being reminded of the Minior shower back outside the Hokulani Observatory. He glanced around to see Hau excitedly pointing the fireworks with Mina, Lillie and Selene holding hands, and Nanu's Interpol friends besides one another. Once the fireworks died down, the crowd cheered at the kahunas and their Pokémon.
"That was great, huh?" Mina asked, grinning.
"It was impressive, I must say."
"Glad to hear! Now I'm all pumped up to create several drawings tonight."
"I'm not surprised to hear that." Grimsley looked up at the sky once more, thinking his last night in Poni Island ended with a literal bang.
xxx
The next morning while he and Nanu were having breakfast, the kahuna told him that they had been in Poni Island long enough and that it was time for them to leave. After eating and packing up their things, they went to the port and met up with everyone except Akoni, Hapu, and Eli there.
"You sure you don't want to stay and help us summon the legendary Pokémon, Hau?" Selene asked him, who shook his head.
"I still don't think I'm strong enough for that yet. I think you and Lillie will be able to pull it off, though!"
"We'll do our very best," Lillie said, smiling.
Hala approached Nanu and put his hand on his shoulder. He said in a low voice, "If Olivia and I see any other threats, we'll let you know."
"I appreciate it."
Hala offered him a small nod. He turned back to Hau and they held hands. They climbed aboard the ferry, and everyone waved goodbye to them as it set off. Grimsley felt a tap on his shoulder and looked over to see Olivia grinning at him.
"I would love another battle with you sometime."
Grimsley blinked at first and then smiled. "Depends if I come to visit Alola again. But yes, I wouldn't mind that, too."
He and Olivia shook hands. After that, she said goodbye to everyone and hopped on top of the Charizard used as her PokéRide. They took off into the skies.
"We'll be heading back to Aether Paradise later today and discuss with Gladion our next plan of action," Anabel said.
"If you guys need help, don't hesitate to contact me," Nanu said.
"We shall do that if that is the case," Looker said. Behind him, Charlotte and Anabel nodded in agreement.
Approaching Mina, Grimsley told her, "I want to thank you again for helping me with mastering Z-Moves."
"No problem at all! Hope you two visit Poni Island again!" she said with an easy-going smile.
Grimsley responded with a grunt. He and Nanu exchanged small nods, and they headed towards their boat. Before coming inside, he turned to see Mina, the girls, and the Interpol agents waving and saying their goodbyes. He gazed at Poni Island one last time before joining with Nanu inside the boat.
Author's Note:
So that ends the Poni Island arc and now we're heading towards the final arc, the Ultra Beast invasion arc. I'll be having a short hiatus as my backlog is shrinking and focusing on other projects. Hopefully I'll have the last arc ready to post by December or sometime after that. See ya!