Hey everyone. Sorry about the two month hiatus. It was unplanned and unintentional (I've posted updates to my profile page). I've had to deal with long work weeks over the holidays in addition to important RL circumstances that required me to go out of town and see my family. On top of that, my laptop broke. The screen is pretty much taken over by MissingNo. At least, that's what it looks like.
I've encountered setbacks yet had every intention to continue. As our protagonists' motto goes: "All the way!" Without any further delays, here is the next chapter and the final one centered around Richland Port. Enjoy!
"Any trainers who plan on challenging Aria in Fort Lexing within the next couple days will have to postpone their battle," an anchorwoman addressed in a local news segment.
Jason and Kristine managed to catch the bit of information as they were heading out of the pokemon center. Aria's facial portrait alone on the screen lured them in, curious as to why she was featured on local television.
"Aria, the Inventum Chapter Leader of Team Mystic and the Gym Leader of Fort Lexing, is set to make a visit here in Richland Port this afternoon. She is scheduled to meet Secretary of Interior Micah Dowry along with other ICC officials, where she is expected to be awarded the Medal of Courage, the highest honor in Inventum."
"Aria's coming here?" Kristine seemed surprised, yet happy for Aria. "Maybe we can see her before we leave!"
"That'd be cool," Jason replied. "We can congratulate her."
"Aria has been well recognized for her leadership and response to the wildfire that raged in Cheron Forest," the anchorwoman continued. "Experts have claimed that her actions have saved the lives of many people and pokemon alike. As of now, the fires are 98 percent contained. But with the crisis over, the long path to restoration begins."
"It would take years for Cheron Forest to fully recover," Jason mentioned.
"I'm glad the worst is over," Kristine added.
"In related news for Aria, Blanche Dubois, the head of Team Mystic and all of its worldwide chapters, is set to fly into Richland Port from Lumiose City, Kalos later today. This will be Blanche's second visit to Inventum."
"No doubt she's coming to congratulate Aria," Kristine smiled.
"I still wonder what kind of pokemon Blanche has," Jason rubbed his chin.
"Not an articuno." Kristine smirked.
"How do you know?"
"Well, one, it's internationally illegal to capture legendary pokemon, and two, her team is on the extranet. So are her battles."
"Wait, she battles?"
"She used to battle competitively, and still does, to an extent. She's super tough, and she has a glaceon."
"I would like to challenge her."
"Maybe someday, dear brother. Of course, after I challenge her first."
The twins walked away from the television screen as soon as the news took a commercial break.
"So who's representing the festival?" Jason asked.
"Well, everyone," Kristine replied. "I looked it up last night. Pretty much all of Kalos' neighbors, as well as Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. Then there's Unova, Alola, and more."
The twins proceeded outside of the pokemon center.
"Oh, one more thing," Kristine said. "Battles."
"Battles?" Jason seemed intrigued.
"Mmhmm. Trainers like to get together and battle during the festival. More often than not, a local battles someone from another part of the world. It's become somewhat of a tradition."
"Could two locals just battle for the heck of it?"
"I don't see why not."
"We should definitely get our pokemon primed up for the journey south," Jason suggested.
"Sure," Kristine agreed. "And, there's food. Lots of food."
"Food, eh?"
"Good food from all over the world."
"I like the sound of that."
"And artwork. And books. And other souvenirs."
"But food from around the world!"
Kristine smiled, yet sighed. "Of course food is all you think about."
"Not true," Jason defended.
"Okay. Food and battles."
"Accurate."
Both twins laughed from the light bantering.
Aria, Summer, and Don arrived at the airport within Richland Port. Getting off of a pristine white jumbo jet with blue letters on each side that spelled out "Inventum Airways", they entered a terminal, bustling with people and the occasional pet pokemon.
"I hear the weather's much warmer here," Summer spoke.
"Yep," Don nodded. "Not as humid as Viceport too, so that makes it perfect."
"Why is it called Viceport anyways?" Summer asked. "Kinda sounds scummy if you ask me."
"It wasn't the intention," Aria said. "Vice also means serving as next in rank, or second in command. Viceport was founded to be the second major port and biggest government body next to Richland Port. But we're going back centuries here."
"Maybe we should consider a name change? Just saying," Summer mentioned.
Don laughed. "Tell that to Spark."
The three proceeded down the terminal, and then an escalator that led them to baggage claims.
A man in a black suit and tie greeted the three. "Aria, welcome," he approached them.
"Ah, you must be here to pick us up," Aria said.
"Yep. Here to take you to Micah."
"No time to waste, huh?" Aria chuckled. "We're ready to make our presentation."
"Good. Micah wants the investigation to be expedited as much as possible."
"No time to lose," Aria agreed. "I've sent one of my rangers out west."
"You can explain that to her as well."
"Awe, no time to check out the festival!" Summer playfully pouted.
"Oh, I'm sure there's time for that," the man smiled.
"Look at this place," Jason observed. "It wasn't anything like it was a couple days ago."
The park was anything but what it was just days ago. The open fields temporarily gave way to tents and stalls, as thousands of locals strolled all over to visit shops and eateries originating from all over the world.
"Talk about a festival, all right," Kristine looked amazed.
"So much going on," Jason seemed rather intimidated.
The two approached closer to the tents, walking alongside a massive crowd of people heading into the festival. The tents seemed to encircle the lake in the center, giving the twins two directions to choose from. Without thinking, they went clockwise.
"Get your castelia cones straight from Castelia City!" one man shouted, advertising from behind the counter within his tent.
"Hey, that's Unova," Kristine seemed interested, walking right over.
"Lava cookies from halfway around the world in Hoenn!" shouted a woman from an adjacent tent.
"That sounds good!" Jason walked right over.
The twins found each other a moment after they each received their sweet treats.
"Rage candy bars! Get your rage candy bars here!" A man walked towards the twins, carrying a large tray of wrapped candy bars with both hands, while a teenage boy was collecting the money. Their appearance was obvious they were from the far east.
"Rage candy bars! We have to get some!" Jason walked over.
"Jason, if we eat too much sweets, we're gonna get sick," Kristine cautioned.
"I'm not talking about eating them now," Jason laughed. "Let's pack some up for the road ahead."
"Oh right. Good idea."
Jason purchased six candy bars from the man.
"So are you a fan of the Rage Gyarados?" the man asked.
"I'm a fan of the Crimson Gyarados from Lake Sol," Jason replied.
"You know, they say Crimson Gyarados is a direct spawn of Rage Gyarados, and someone put him there."
"But we don't know if it really exists," Kristine added.
"If Regal Milotic is real, anything can happen," Jason said.
"Ah, so Regal Milotic is real, huh?" the man and the teenage boy both seemed intrigued.
"Seen it with my own eyes," Jason wasn't sure if they would believe him.
"Maybe we should start making more candy bars named after rare lake pokemon," the man contemplated. "Like sol bites, or harmony squares."
"Ugh, dad," the teenage boy rolled his eyes.
"Just brainstorming!" the man laughed.
The twins continued down a little bit further.
"Lovely kimonos from Kanto!" a woman wearing a white and red kimono caught Kristine's attention.
"Wow, so pretty," Kristine approached her.
"We have all sorts of kimonos that fit everyone's unique personality," the woman continued.
"Sis, we're trainers," Jason tried to talk sense into her. "I don't think it's wise to wear a kimono on our travels when you can easily get it dirty or worse."
"You can always request to ship it to your home," the woman smiled.
"I like that compromise," Kristine headed inside the tent.
"But…" Jason was going to tell her it was going to be a very long time before they head home, but he smiled and decided not to do so.
A short while later, Kristine picked an elegant white kimono with green flowers drawn throughout.
"Get your rancher hats all the way from Arston!" an elderly man advertised.
"Arston?" Kristine said to Jason. "But that's still Inventum."
"Inventum's frontier," Jason replied. "I guess they still feel the need to represent themselves."
"Take the waves of Inventum's coast with style with surfboards from Casifora!" a woman shouted, standing next to a long light blue surfboard with an artistic display of a golduck painted onto it.
"The west coast!" Kristine approached the surfboard tent. "Oh, they look so cool."
"Yeah they do," Jason walked alongside her. "Maybe once we –"
"Rare antiques and souvenirs from Alola!", a well-fed, older gentleman caught Jason's attention. He had white buzzed hair and wore a light green shirt with, to Jason, what seemed to be several really long necked exeggutor embedded throughout, to go along with his white shorts. This gentleman didn't have a tent, but rather a wooden stall he perhaps built himself. There were two tables adjacent to him, each one with rare items spaced out.
"Alola, eh?" Jason walked over.
"Hey there, lad!" the man greeted.
"Hey," Jason waved. "What do you have?"
"All sorts of stuff!" the man began to elaborate. "Maps and books of Alola, not to mention our famous malasadas!"
"Malasadas?"
"Reason why I have a big stomach!" the man laughed.
"I think I'll try one. They sound good!"
"Careful now!" the man warned. "Pokemon love 'em too!"
"I'll keep that in mind! In that case, can I have five more?"
"Sure thing!"
As Jason packed the wrapped malasadas into his bag, he noticed a wooden rectangular box on the counter where the man stood behind.
"What's that?" he asked.
"Oh," the man chuckled. He removed the top of the box, revealing three pokeballs. "These are the most expensive of my rarities. Each one of these is a starter pokemon new trainers in Alola can choose from."
"Awesome!" Jason seemed interested.
"We have a rowlet, poppilo, and litten," the man explained. "Let me show them to you."
The man released all three pokemon. Rowlet, Poppilo, and Litten all greeted Jason.
"Man, I've never seen these pokemon before!" Jason pulled out his pokedex. From left to right, he scanned the pokemon, the pokedex explaining the basic details of each one.
"Rowlet, the Grass Quill Pokemon. It sends its feathers, which are as sharp as blades, flying in attack. Its legs are strong, so its kicks are also formidable."
"Rowlet!" Rowlet chirped.
Jason scanned Poppilo.
"Poppilo, the Sea Lion Pokemon. This Pokémon can control water bubbles. It practices diligently so it can learn to make big bubbles."
"Poppilo!" Poppilo clapped.
"And now, Litten," Jason scanned Litten.
"Litten, the Fire Cat Pokemon. If you try too hard to get close to it, it won't open up to you. Even if you do grow close, giving it too much affection is still a no-no."
"Fair warning," Jason muttered.
Rowlet approached Jason.
"Hey there!" Jason kneeled down to pet Rowlet.
"Rowlet!" Rowlet seemed to really like Jason.
"I see she has already grown affectionate," the man smiled. "Pokemon have that sixth sense, you know."
"I know," Jason replied, thinking of Swellow.
"For you, I got you a discount, young trainer," the man began to make an offer. "$4,000 and Rowlet is yours."
"Wait, what?" Jason thought the man was joking.
"Yep. $4,000. "I'm taking an entire thousand off!"
"But that's how much the prize money was for winning the Power Duo," Jason mentioned. "And you're selling these pokemon?"
"These pokemon are virtually non-existent in Inventum," the man defended. "They fetch high prices. Besides, I normally sell to pet owners, not trainers, which is why I'm giving you a discount."
At that moment, Kristine walked over.
"Wow, are these the Alola starters?" she seemed amazed. "I've seen a poppilo the other day!"
"Yep!" the man was proud to admit. "You a trainer too?"
"Yes sir," Kristine nodded. "So is my brother here."
"Ah yes. He and Rowlet here seem to get along pretty fast. So I'm trying to sell her to him."
"$4,000," Jason mentioned to her.
"What?" Kristine was in disbelief.
"Either way, Rowlet will go to some responsible folks," the man continued. "Rare pokemon will fetch high prices."
"Well well, hey there," the twins heard Liz, approaching right next to them from behind.
"Hey Liz!" Kristine greeted.
"I'll come back later today," Jason had a lot to think through. He wanted to spend more time with Rowlet, and on the other hand, a sixth pokemon would mean Swellow has been officially replaced, in theory and on paper.
"I'll be here all day," the man stated.
"So I've been thinking," Liz said as she stepped in front of the twins.
"Yeah?" Kristine seemed curious.
"I want a full battle over there," Liz pointed towards the nearby battlefield. "And I want to challenge you, Jason."
"Me? Why?" Jason wasn't expecting Liz to challenge him out of the blue like that.
"Because, I want to fight someone like you. No offense, Kristine. I want to fight someone who only relies on tactics and not strategy, and I know you're going to put up a fight."
"Liz I –," Jason tried to explain his team situation, only to be interrupted by Liz.
"So I challenge you to a six on six battle," Liz declared.
"Liz," Jason spoke firmly.
"What, is this not a good time or something?" Liz crossed her arms. "You seem like you always want a good challenge."
"I only have five pokemon," Jason sighed.
"Wait. I thought Pandy told me you have a growlithe."
"Huh?" Jason seemed confused. "That's true, but who told her that?"
"Julian," Liz and Kristine both said at the same time. Liz was puzzled to see Jason acting so dense. However, that did not surprise Kristine one bit.
"So that makes six, right?" Liz asked.
"Swellow left the team," Jason replied. "So I have five for the moment."
"Ah, so Swellow moved on, huh?" Liz was intrigued, yet she felt for Jason. "I'd hate for anyone of my pokemon to do that, but it's their choice at the end of the day."
"He's still trying to cope from it," Kristine stated. "Give Jason some time. Once he has a full team he'll definitely –"
"I'll battle you now," Jason accepted Liz's challenge. "But it'll have to be five versus five."
"Deal!" Liz compromised. "All right, let's battle it out!"
"I got this," Jason assured his sister as he walked by her towards the nearby field.
"If he wants to purchase Rowlet, he can have a full team!" the man added, speaking to Kristine.
"Is there a way for you to lower the price?" Kristine asked.
The man shook his head. "Rarities demand high prices."
"But this is a trainer and a pokemon we're talking about here. If you can see those two kick it off pretty well, can we come to some sort of other agreement?"
"I see where you're coming from," the man rubbed his chin. "Give me time to think. I'll watch him battle from afar."
"Thank you," Kristine smiled.
She approached the nearby field, where Jason and Liz took to opposite sides.
"I'll ref," Kristine stated.
"You ready, Jason?" Liz primed her first pokeball.
"Ready!" Jason gave a determined nod.
"Let's go, Phanpy!" Liz threw the pokeball, summoning Phanpy.
"Phanpy!" Phanpy greeted.
"All right, Riolu! Let's do it!" Jason threw out his first pokeball.
"Rio!" Riolu howled.
The battle began to draw a small crowd of around a dozen people.
"Riolu, charge Phanpy with Brick Break!" Jason commanded.
"Riolu!" Riolu ran at Phanpy.
"Rollout!" Liz responded.
"Phanpy!" Phapny rolled into the shape of a ball, barreling towards Riolu.
Jason, knowing Riolu would likely not get a hit off, had to think fast. "Riolu, dodge and use Shadow Claw!"
"Riolu!" Riolu narrowly dodged Phanpy's Rollout. Using both hands, he managed to project a ghostly claw from a short distance, swiping Phanpy and sending him tumbling over on his side.
The attack sent chills down Jason's spine. He was clearly not comfortable.
"Was that Shadow Claw?" Liz asked. "I'm impressed."
"Yep!" Jason replied. "Riolu, Brick Break one more time!"
"Phanpy, get back up and use Slam!" Liz called.
"Phanpy!" Phanpy sprung back into action.
Phanpy then quickly leaped into the air, hitting Riolu in the chest before he could subject Phanpy to Brick Break, therefore driving Riolu against the ground. Riolu fell hard on his back, but he was quick to get up.
"Now we attack!" Liz yelled. "Phanpy, Rollout!"
"Phanpy!" Phanpy rolled into a ball and bolted towards Riolu once more.
"Brick Break!" Jason commanded.
Both attacks made contact, as both Riolu and Phanpy tumbled in opposite directions.
"Shadow Claw! Now!" Jason yelled.
"Rio!" Riolu got back up, with Jason hoping to strike a quick mid-range attack.
"Dodge!" Liz responded.
Phanpy jumped, narrowly avoiding the ghostly claw that manifested from thin air.
"Take him to the ground with Slam!" Liz followed up.
Phanpy charged at Riolu once more.
"Riolu, use Reversal!" Jason responded.
Phanpy seemed to collide into Riolu head-on, but at the last second, the weary Riolu side stepped, and with one direct chop with his arm, he struck Phanpy's back, sending him crashing to the ground and rolling over several times.
"The more damage Riolu takes, the more damage Reversal does," Liz muttered to herself.
Phanpy was on the ground, unable to get up.
"Phanpy is unable to battle!" Kristine declared. "Riolu wins!"
"Rio!" Riolu howled.
"Good job, Riolu!" Jason cheered.
"Heh," Liz smirked, recalling Phanpy. "Well played, Jason."
She pulled out a second pokeball from her belt, priming it. "Let's go, Mankey!"
"Mankey!" Mankey greeted.
"You good, Riolu?" Jason asked.
"Rio!" Riolu replied with confidence.
"Let's use Focus Energy, Mankey!" Liz commanded.
"Mankey!" Mankey jumped up and down while pounding his chest.
"Riolu, use Reversal!" Jason responded.
"Rio!" Riolu charged at Mankey.
"Jump, and use Cross Chop!" Liz reacted.
Mankey jumped over Riolu before Riolu could land a strike. Facing down, Mankey crosses his hands, preparing to land a devastating blow.
"Dodge and Brick Break!" Jason yelled.
"Rio!" Riolu rolled backwards to avoid Cross Chop, before lunging back at Mankey with a glowing fist.
"Jump to the side and use Karate Chop!" Liz called.
"Mankey!" Mankey jumped to avoid Brick Break, and landed a hit to Riolu's side with Karate Chop.
"Rio!" Riolu tumbled over a few times, struggling to get back up.
"Finish this with Cross Chop!" Liz followed up.
"Riolu, Endure!" Jason called.
Riolu braced himself for the attack, with a blue glow outlining his body. Mankey was in position to strike.
"Halt!" Liz yelled.
"Man!" Mankey complied, standing still just a few feet away from Riolu. He was well within striking distance, but for some reason, Liz called off the attack.
"What?" Jason seemed puzzled.
Then, the blue glow vanished.
"Thunder Punch! Now!" Liz commanded.
"Mankey!" Mankey projected powerful electric energy through his fist, striking Riolu across the face. Riolu fell flat on his stomach, unable to get up.
"Holy –" Kristine muttered, stunned by Liz's call and the turn of events. She then faced Liz's side of the field. "Riolu is unable to battle! Mankey wins!"
"Mankey knows Thunder Punch?" Jason remained confused. "How-"
"You remember my ordeal with In Your Element? " Liz smirked. "About that."
"So you did come around."
"I went there before you guys did. I can be a bit deceptive at times. Can't have my rivals know everything I'm doing, right?"
"Heh," Jason smirked back. "You got us good, Liz."
"Thanks. I try."
Jason recalled Riolu. "Good work, buddy."
He then primed his second pokeball. "Let's go, Kirlia!"
"Kirlia!" Kirlia took a bow as soon as she was summoned.
"Kirlia, eh?" Liz pulled out Mankey's pokeball. "Return, Mankey!"
"Playing to strengths, huh?" Jason noticed.
"Taking risks, actually," Liz corrected. As soon as Mankey was safely recalled, Liz pulled out her third pokeball.
"Go, Haunter!" she summoned.
"Haunter!" Haunter greeted.
Jason had goosebumps as soon as Haunter came out. He had no idea Liz had one.
"How did you –" he began to ask.
"The Nappalchan Mountains," Liz simply replied.
Jason looked on at Haunter. He was still haunted by the incident with the wild gastly back in Cheron Forest. And here, he stood before an evolution of gastly. He looked upon Kirlia, and to his surprise, she also expressed the same feeling and body language.
The eyes, we've seen the eyes before, Jason heard Kirlia's voice in his head. I've seen them, in my visions.
What? Your visions? Jason responded.
"Hey," Liz waved. "Hi. Jason? It's your turn."
"Right," Jason snapped out of it. Kirlia, we can do this. One perfect Confusion attack will get us through this.
"Use Confusion!" Jason commanded.
"Kirlia!" Kirlia waved her hands at Haunter.
"Confuse Ray!" Liz quickly responded.
"Haunter!" Haunter's eyes glowed bright white, mesmerizing Kirlia.
"Kirlia!" Kirlia looked away, her eyes closed. This broke off her attack, since she lost her focus.
"Kirlia, move around and use Future Sight!" Jason followed up.
"Kir…" Kirlia trembled. She seemed frightened by Haunter, and let it get to her.
"Haunter!" Haunter laughed.
"Seems she's afraid of ghosts," Liz smirked. "Fine. Let's make it quick and painless. Haunter, use Shadow Ball!"
"Haunter!" Haunter projected a ghostly energy ball, hurling it at Kirlia.
"Ugh!" Jason looked away, scared for Kirlia and scared of Haunter. He wanted all of this to be over as soon as possible.
"Jason! Recall!" Kristine shouted.
"Hey, no helping your twin when you're the ref!" Liz snapped.
Jason didn't react. Shadowball struck Kirlia head on, the resulting explosion covering her entire body. As the smoke cleared, Kirlia stood up, but collapsed on the floor seconds later.
"Kirlia is unable to battle," Kristine sighed. "Haunter wins."
Jason recalled Kirlia. "I'm sorry, Kirlia."
No, I'm sorry, Jason heard Kirlia's voice in his head. I let my fears get to me, and I let you down.
I let my fears get to me, too, Jason replied.
"Geez, afraid of ghosts much?" Liz crossed her arms.
"Go easy, Liz," Kristine said. "That's a touchy subject."
"But it's a battle," Liz argued. "Fine, fine. We will revisit this later."
She then pulled out her pokeball. "Return, Haunter!"
Jason primed his next pokeball. "Get ready, Liz."
"That's my middle name," Liz smirked as she primed her next pokeball as well.
"Let's go, Jolteon!" Jason called out his starting companion.
"Jolt!" Jolteon barked.
"Go, Charmeleon!" Liz summoned her starting companion.
"Char! Charmeleon!" Charmeleon roared.
"Jolteon, use Thunder Shock!" Jason commanded.
"Jolteon!" Jolteon harnessed electric energy, hurling it towards Charmeleon.
"Dragon Rage! Evaporate it!" Liz followed up.
Charmeleon emitted a burst of draconic energy, stricking Jolteon's Thundershock. A small explosion ensued, resulting in light smoke at the center of the field.
"Use the smoke as cover and use Fire Fang!" Liz commanded.
"Char!" Charmeleon charged.
"Jolteon, use Wild Charge!" Jason responded.
"Jolt!" Jolteon harnessed electricy, with currents rippling throughout his body. Then, he powered forward, charging towards Charmeleon.
Jolteon struck Charmeleon head on before Charmeleon could clamp down on his opponent. The impact sent Charmeleon tumbling over and over before stopping right before Liz.
"Charmeleon, you got this!" Liz encouraged. "Hit 'em back twice as hard!"
"Char!" Charmeleon was slow to get up, but he remained confident.
"Jolt!" Jolteon barked.
"That's what I want to see!" Liz seemed impressed. "That's what I want to fight!"
"It won't be easy stopping us!" Jason replied.
"Yeah, well, same with us!" Liz then faced Charmeleon. "Smoke Screen!"
"Charmeleon!" Charmeleon unleashed thick black smoke, covering himself.
"Flush him out with Pin Missile!" Jason responded.
"Jolteon!" Jolteon unleashed a volley of pins aimed at the smoke.
"Dodge, and use Dragon Rage!" Liz called.
"Char!" Charmeleon jumped out towards Jolteon's left flank, and unleashed a red energy ball. The energy strike hit Jolteon's side.
"Jolteon!" Jolteon embraced the attack, and quickly faced Charmeleon.
"Nice recovery," Liz commended.
"Agility, go!" Jason ordered. "Don't let him hit you again!"
"Jolt!" Jolteon began running around the field, picking up speed by the second.
"Use Dragon Rage to knock him down!" Liz yelled.
"Char!" Charmeleon launched another energy ball at Jolteon.
The energy ball whizzed by Jolteon, with Jason making no effort to instruct Jolteon to dodge it. He was that confident Jolteon was too fast to be hit like that.
"Get ready!" Jason followed up. "Jolteon, Wild Charge!"
"Jolt!" Jolteon began to charge at Charmeleon head on.
"Use Brick Break and stop him!" Liz responded.
"Charmeleon!" Charmeleon primed his claws, ready to strike at Jolteon.
"Jolt!" Jolteon made a leap towards Charmeleon.
Jolteon struck Charmeleon with intense electric energy. Charmeleon managed to hold his ground through Brick Break, knocking Jolteon back effectively. But this was not without Jolteon transferring his energy, sending currents rippling throughout Charmeleon's body.
"Char!" Charmeleon fell on his knees.
"Jolt," Jolteon panted. It was clear he had taken considerable damage from Charmeleon's Dragon Rage and Brick Break, on top of self-inflicted damage from Wild Charge's reckless repurcussions.
"Char…" Charmeleon fell flat on his stomach.
"Charmeleon is unable to battle!" Kristine declared. "Jolteon wins!"
"Good job, Jolteon!" Jason cheered.
"Return, Charmeleon," Liz recalled her pokemon. She then faced Jason. "It's not everyday Charmeleon loses. Well done."
With a smirk on her face, she primed her next pokeball. "Liepard, you're up!"
"Liepard!" Liepard growled as soon as she was summoned.
"Congratulations on the evolution," Jason said. "Standby, Jolteon!"
"Jolt!" Jolteon barked in compliance.
Meanwhile, Rowlet watched the battle from a distance. She seemed intrigued by Jason and Jolteon, and their fierce determination to turn the tide and win this battle. Both Liz and Jason had three pokemon remaining, and for Jason to win this, he would have to overcome Haunter.
"Quite the intense battle, eh?" the trader oberseved, his arms crossed.
Rowlet lightly let out a hoot. She began to have desire in battling, or at the very least, showing support for Jason.
"Liepard, use Hone Claws!" Liz called.
"Lie!" Liepard's claws glowed white, increasing her attack and precision.
"Agility, let's go!" Jason responded.
"Jolt!" Jolteon sprinted around the field once more.
"Wait for it," Liz remained patient.
Liz was waiting for Jason to go in with an all out devastating attack. Even Kristine saw it coming.
"Hit her with everything you have! Wild Charge!" Jason fully committed to a risky attack. If he could knock out Liepard, he would have considered it a major victory, having taken out perhaps two of Liz's strongest pokemon with just Jolteon.
"Snarl! Now!" Liz countered.
"Lie!" Liepard emitted a dark purple sphere, quickly lunging it at Jolteon.
"Jolt!" Jolteon yelped, with Snarl tumbling him back.
"Go in and Fury Swipes!" Liz began her attack.
"Liepard!" Liepard pounced on Jolteon.
"Jolteon! Thunder Shock!" Jason yelled.
"Jolteon!" Jolteon unleashed electric energy aimed at Liepard.
"Snarl again!" Liz quickly reacted.
"Liepard!" Liepard countered Jolteon's Thunder Shock with Snarl. The two attacks collided, resulting in an explosion.
"Run through and continue with Fury Swipes!" Liz followed up.
Liepard pounced through the resulting smoke, and struck at Jolteon with her claws. She kept striking him with her front claws. After she was done, she jumped a few feet back. Jolteon fell on his side, unable to continue.
"Jolteon!" Jason began to recall Jolteon.
"Jolteon is unable to battle!" Kristine declared. "Liepard wins!"
"You did great, buddy," Jason commended after recalling his faithful companion.
"Your Jolteon is powerful," Liz complimented. "Any unsuspecting trainer can find themselves swept by just you and him in a three versus three."
"I have to say, you're not so bad yourself," Jason smirked. "I'm not done yet."
He primed his fourth pokeball. "Okay Growlithe, here's your first shot at battling. Let's go!"
He threw out his pokeball, bringing out Growlithe.
"Growl!" Growlithe barked. The distinct look from his black eye patch brought a lot of interest from the nearby crowd spectating the battle.
"A tough, rugged pokemon, eh?" Liz seemed intrigued. "Get ready, Liepard!"
"Lie!" Liepard held her ground.
"Growlithe, use –" Jason began to give a command.
"Growlithe!" Growlithe charged at Liepard head on, with no sign of using a move.
"Growlithe, wait for my command!" Jason yelled.
"Oh goody, a delinquient," Liz sighed, slightly disappointed. "And here I thought Jason stepped up his game." She faced Liepard. "Snarl!"
"Lie!" Liepard fired a dark purple sphere at Growlithe, striking him head on.
"Growlithe!" Growlithe was knocked to the ground, but quickly got back up.
"Growlithe, good job enduring that!" Jason said. "Now you need to listen to me! We need to work together in order to –"
"Growlithe!" Growlithe charged at Liepard again. This drew some light laughter from the small crowd.
Liz crossed her arms. "Thunder Wave."
"Liepard!" Liepard emitted a thunderous wave, stopping Growlithe in his tracks.
"Growl!" Growlithe barked, unable to move due to paralysis.
"Growlithe!" Jason yelled. "You have an attack you can fire from range! Use Flame Burst!"
"Growlithe!" Growlithe didn't listen to Jason. Instead, he attempted to approach Liepard, only to succumb to paralysis.
"Very well," Liz sighed again. "Liepard, Fury Swipes until he falls down and doesn't get back up."
"Liepard!" Liepard pounced on Growlithe, striking him relentlessly with her claws.
"Growlithe, no!" Jason yelled.
Liepard kept the attack until Growlithe fell down. It became clear Growlithe was unable to continue.
"Growlithe is unable to fight!" Kristine declared, before letting out a sigh. "Liepard wins!"
Jason recalled Growlithe. "Looks like we have a lot of work to do, bud."
He recalled Growlithe, and readied his last pokeball.
"Would be a heck of a feat if you can take out three powerful pokemon by yourself, huh?" he looked at Magikarp's pokeball. "Let's do our best!"
"Let's go, Magikarp!" he summoned Magikarp.
"Karp karp!" the determined Magikarp flopped on the ground.
The crowd began laughing. Even Liz chuckled.
"That's right, you have a magikarp," she said. "Well, a battle's a battle. Let's finish this, Liepard!"
"Lie!" Liepard stood ready to fight Magikarp.
Rowlet watched on, seeing Jolteon and Growlithe both going down to Liepard, and a seemingly helpless pokemon was all that stood between Jason and defeat. Seeing an opportunity, Rowlet acted on impulse, and began hopping towards the field.
"Rowlet, where are you going?" the trader asked, trying to get the pokemon's attention. "Hey! Rowlet!"
"Okay Magikarp, the only way we are going to win this is if we strike Liepard at close range!" Jason said. "Let's use Splash so we can get you moving around!"
"Karp karp!" Magikarp began flopping around at different spots. If anything, it enabled him to move around instead of just flopping in a fixed position.
"Get Magikarp to stop flopping around," Liz instructed to Liepard. "Use Thunder Wave!"
"Liepard!" Liepard unleashed a thunderous wave at Magikarp.
"Do everything you can to dodge that and use Bounce!" Jason called.
As Thunder Wave closed in on Magikarp, a volley of leaves came from nowhere, and neutralized the wave. This came as a shock to everyone.
"What in the world?" Liz looked around.
Just then, Magikarp saw the opportunity to bounce high into the air.
Liz glanced into the sky. "Watch out for him!"
Suddenly, what appeared to be a violet gust of wind struck Liepard. Though Ominous Wind was not very effective, the attack still startled Liepard.
"Rowlet!" Rowlet entered the field, quickly unleashing another Razor Leaf attack.
"Liepard!" Liepard embraced the more powerful attack, being struck by sharp leaf after sharp leaf.
"Jason, what on earth is going on?" Liz demanded answers.
"I don't know!" Jason defended.
Liz faced Kristine. "Call it! This is interference!"
"You're right," Kristine agreed. "Sorry Jason, but since we're trying to be official, I'm gonna have to call this a no contest."
"You mean he forfeits, right?" Liz crossed her arms. "Not like he was gonna win, anyways."
Kristine only sighed.
As the Razor Leaf barrage ended, Liepard hissed menacingly, aggravated by Rowlet's interference.
Then, just as everyone forgot, Magikarp aimed and timed his landing with absolute perfection, striking Liepard's side. The blindside attack was a critical hit, knocking Liepard over. She was unable to get up.
"Karp karp karp!" Magikarp cheered.
"Rowlet!" Rowlet did the same.
Kristine smirked. "Liepard is unable to battle."
The small crowd had a good laugh of the ordeal before dispersing.
Liz rolled her eyes, but even admitted to herself that was funny. "Return, Liepard. Good job out there."
She faced Jason. "Is Rowlet your pokemon now?"
"Well, only if Rowlet wants to be," Jason replied. "And even then…"
"Three thousand," the trader walked into the field, making a small compromise. He approached Rowlet, facing Jason. "Rowlet is yours for three thousand."
"Sir, you don't understand," Jason replied. "Even if I have that kind of –"
"Wait, why would you sell pokemon like that?" Liz asked.
"Just making a profit," the trader defended. "Do you see alolan pokemon here everyday?"
"Are alolans financial opportunists?" Kristine asked, approaching the trader. "I thought you all value tradition, bonds with pokemon, and above all, generousity. Look at my brother, and look at Rowlet."
"Rowlet!" Rowlet hopped over to Jason.
"Come back, Magikarp," Jason recalled Magikarp at that moment. "Great job out there."
"Hey there," Jason kneeled down to Rowlet. "My name's Jason. Inventum's a far place away from where you're from, and it's massive. I like the way you battled out there, and if you want to join us, I can help you get even better. We have a lot of ground to cover. I have three badges but I need twelve in order for us to compete in the Inventum Cup. We have a chance to be among the best in the world. No, we can be the best! What do you say? Would you like to join us?"
"Rowlet!" Rowlet jumped up and down.
"It's funny," Liz snickered. "They barely even know eachother and here they go, ready to go on an adventure together.
She approached Jason, bypassing Kristine and the trader. "I think Rowlet likes your personality and fighting spirit, and wants to help."
"Rowlet!" Rowlet agreed.
"Just look at them," Kristine pleaded to the trader. "They share an instant bond with one another, and if there's one thing I've learned so far, it's that bonds are priceless. Can you just cut your losses or something, and let Rowlet join Jason?"
The trader rubbed his chin, contemplating what to do. At that moment, Jason stood up to face him.
"Okay," the trader seemed to come to a compromise. "I will give you Rowlet, free of charge!"
Jason breathed a sigh of relief, as did Kristine.
"Thank you, sir," Kristine replied happily.
"On one condition," the trader continued.
"So, what's the catch?" Liz asked.
"Think of it as a cultural exchange," the trader said. "I'll give you Rowlet, a native of Alola, in exchange for something exclusive of Inventum. So when I return home, my people can learn the culture and customs of your people."
"Well," Jason seemed disappointed. "I don't know what we could possibly have that can be exclusive to Inventum. We have Inventum money, but that's about it."
"Wait," Kristine had a bright idea, but one that could be costly. She took her bag off her back and reached inside to grab the Inventum trainer's guide, presenting it to the trader. "It's been used. I've marked some key areas and whatnot. But it shows every city, every route, and every preserve, and has geographical and historical information. Better yet, this is the latest edition, and therefore not for sale at local bookstores. Have a look."
Kristine handed the trader the guide. He gazed through some of the pages, and moments later, he let out a grin. "Deal."
The trader placed the book in his bag, and approached Jason, pulling out Rowlet's pokeball. "Here's Rowlet's home, lad. All yours."
"Thanks!" Jason received the pokeball. Kristine made note as to where Jason was going to put it, and what he was going to do with Swellow's former pokeball.
Jason, having a clear conscience as to what he was doing, placed Rowlet's pokeball in between Riolu's and Swellow's on his belt. Swellow will always be a part of the team, he thought.
"Well, I'd best get back to work," the trader gave a nod before heading off.
"Thanks again!" Kristine waved goodbye.
"Yeah, thanks!" Jason smiled.
"Well, Jason," Liz faced him. "Now that you have a full team, I'd like another match sometime, and please bring your A-game."
"I didn't bring my A-game?" Jason asked.
"You have a pokemon who is scared of ghosts, a pokemon who doesn't listen at all, and a magikarp."
"A magikarp that knocked out Liepard."
"Okay, I'll give you that one. Geez, what if that was a flying gyarados? I gotta get ready for that."
"I'll be ready," Jason assured her. "We'll be ready."
"Good," Liz smiled.
As Liz departed, Kristine caught up to her.
"Hey Liz?" she asked.
"What's up?" Liz turned around.
"Why did you wanna fight my brother so much and expect a serious battle?"
"Because I've been thinking, and for a while, I seriously thought he was the best one out of all of us. So to be the best, you need to beat the best."
"And you don't think he is anymore?"
"Not right now, at least. He needs a lot of work on his pokemon."
"True, but cut him some slack. He just let Swellow go, and it's been rough. Not to mention he has pokemon who aren't quite battle ready yet.
"Now that you put it that way, I really need to show empathy now and again, huh?" Liz felt guilty.
"Yeah, it's never a bad thing to express that," Kristine smiled. "Besides, give Jason a month or two. He'll give you a run for your money. Or snag all of it."
"Noted," Liz gave a nod. "I'm gonna go check out the rest of the festival."
"Have fun!" Kristine waved goodbye.
She walked back to Jason and Rowlet. "Shall we continue?"
"Kristine," Jason responded. "Thank you so much for helping me, but are you okay with handing off our most reliable source of information?"
"We'll make do, bro, just as you would say if you were in my shoes," Kristine put her hand on Jason's shoulder. "Besides, there's other ways to grab info we need. I just couldn't let you and Rowlet depart from each other like that. Neither of you deserve that."
"Appreciate it," Jason smiled. "Let's move on. Might as well continue enjoying our last day here."
The twins continued to enjoy the international festival at Richland Port, preparing to leave Inventum's capital the next day. The next location: Raley City, just less than two weeks away by foot.
Liz's Team:
Charmeleon (Blaze): Fire Fang, Dragon Rage, Smokescreen, Brick Break
Liepard (Limber): Hone Claws, Fury Swipes, Thunder Wave, Snarl
Mankey (Anger Point): Cross Chop, Thunder Punch, Karate Chop, Focus Energy
Phanpy (Sand Veil): Sandstorm, Rollout, Slam, Endure
Haunter (Levitate): Confuse Ray, Shadow Ball, Shadow Punch, Toxic
Sixth Pokemon Unknown
