Just so it's known, the phrase "streak(s) of motion" is how I describe the smear-based movement often used in comedy scenes when characters zip between hiding places or recover from slapstick-y falls.
It's another beautiful Alolan morning, the start of a new chapter in three young Trainers' lives.
"Zzzz...Zzzz..."
But what's this? It looks like one of our heroes isn't very energetic just yet! Luckily, their faithful partners know the very best ways to share energy.
"CHUUUUUU!"
"GYAJAJAJA!"
THUD
In a streak of motion, Shane leapt to his feet from his place on the floor, facing the electric mouse who'd chosen the worst way to start his day. "Sparkle, what the heck was that for?!"
The Pikachu simply held up an Umbreon-themed clock. "Chu!"
The Unovan Trainer took the clock, examining it closely before his brain clicked and he snapped his fingers. "Oh, that's right! We start Pokémon School today!" He remembered, pulling out Sparkle's Poké Ball.
"Pika!" She protested, but he simply glared at her.
"No, you don't get walking privileges after zapping me like that. There are better ways to wake me up than Thunderbolt."
"Pika..." The mouse grumbled, crossing her arms and sulking as the red light withdrew her.
"Let's go, Altius, Blade!" Shane called, releasing his Pidgeot and Servine, the latter of whom landed on his shoulder. Both Trainer and Pokémon were freshly bathed, and Shane wore a new outfit. A simple white Poké Ball T-shirt with black edges, light blue jeans, a brown belt, white sneakers, a black baseball cap with the same design as Ash's, and a black Poké Ball-themed backpack defined his look now, though he naturally still wore his Xtransceiver on his left wrist and his Mega Ring on his right.
"Vine!"
"Geot!"
"Calm down, you two." Shane said, smiling. "Altius, you still okay with flying us?"
The Pidgeot nodded, turning around and spreading his wings. Once his Trainer was safely on board, Altius took off without difficulty, and settled into a relaxed glide.
It wasn't long before they arrived at the Pokémon School, where Ash and Professor Kukui were just arriving themselves. Ash was quick to notice his slightly older friend's arrival as the Pidgeot landed just before the gate.
"Alola, Shane!" Ash greeted naturally.
Shane quietly thanked his Pokémon before withdrawing it. "Alola, Ash, Professor."
"Alola!" Kukui replied. "So, ready to Ingrain yourselves in our class?"
"You bet!"
"Pikachu!"
"As ready as I can be."
"Servine!"
"By the way, Professor..." Shane said. "Did Sai do anything... uh, extra, to set us up in the same class?"
Kukui shook his head. "Nah, it was no problem. The principal had planned as much from the moment he offered Sai the job."
Shane nodded, and the three made their way to the classroom.
In said classroom, newly-hired Assistant Teacher Sai casually leaned against the blackboard wall, watching the students until Kukui's arrival.
"Popplio, make a balloon!" Lana commanded, crouching in front of her partner a few inches from the classroom's railing.
The little blue Pokémon blew a bubble of water out of its nose, inflating it until it was a little bigger than the sea lion's head, at which point it popped. Lana shielded her face as Popplio shook its head dry.
At his desk, Sophocles typed rapidly on a red keyboard, staring at a holographic computer screen emitted from a Pikachu-shaped device attached to a generator in front of his desk. "Togedemaru, Charge Program...execute!" he commanded. The round Electric-type complied, jumping into a red wheel Sophocles had somehow attached to the side of his desk and starting to run on it to charge the generator.
"Hey, Mallow?" Lillie called, walking up to the taller girl and handing her a tablet. "The recipe you came up with? If you add a Mago berry or Aguav berry, the Pokémon food will be better balanced."
"Lillie, you're just the best! I'll try it now. Thank you!" Mallow replied.
"I'm happy to help!"
"Bounsweet!" Mallow's Pokémon exclaimed, jumping towards Lillie...and eliciting a scream.
Mallow quickly retrieved the berry-like Pokémon. "It's such a shame." she said, putting Bounsweet back on her shoulder. "You know so much about Pokémon, but you can't touch them..."
"I can too touch them!" Lillie replied, tilting her head up slightly. "I theorize it's only a matter of if I want to touch them or not."
Sai, who had been watching the students go about their pre-class activities, couldn't help but chuckle at the way Lana and Sophocles interacted with their Pokémon, but then frowned at Lillie's apparent fear of Pokémon. "Afraid of Pokémon, huh? We'll have to fix that at some point," he said quietly to himself.
Before the girls could continue their conversation, they noticed Kiawe walking in through the door behind them.
"Alola!" Mallow greeted cheerfully. "Did you have a delivery this morning?"
"Yeah, to Ula'ula Island." Kiawe replied, walking to his desk.
"Ula'ula Island?" Sophocles repeated as the older boy sat down. "That's far away!"
"With my Charizard, it takes no time at all."
"Alola!" Kukui's voice greeted the class.
"Alola!" Several voices replied, though not all.
As Professor Kukui walked in through the door Kiawe hadn't taken, Ash and Shane followed. Kiawe immediately noticed Ash's new Z-Ring, and quietly gasped in surprise.
"Alola!" The two new students greeted, to separate volumes and degrees of cheerfulness.
"Starting today, Ash and Shane will be joining the Pokémon School. If they have any questions, please don't hesitate to help them out." Kukui said.
"See, I really wanna become a Pokémon Master, so I want to learn everything about this place. Glad to be here!" Ash said.
"Pika!"
"I just adore Pokémon, and I want to make sure every single one that joins me reaches their full potential, be it in contests or battles! So I'm happy to be here, learning with you all," Shane stated, petting Blade.
"Ser!"
"And also as you may have heard, we have a Legendary new assistant teacher here, Professor Sai Blade!" Kukui announced.
Sai chuckled at this. "Thank you, Professor Kukui, but I'm no legend. I just catch the Legendaries." He said, before turning to the class. "Alola, everyone. Like the professor said, I'll be an assisting him teach all of you and, on occasion, I may even give a special lecture about the Legendaries. Legends sometimes miss out on some of the facts, so it's my job to get those fact across. Oh, but you don't have to call me Professor or anything. Just Sai is fine. If you need any help, I'll be happy to assist you." He explained.
"Wow! Lessons on Legendaries?!" Sophocles asked with eyes gleaming.
"And will you have the Legendaries with you so we can see them?!" Lana asked hopefully, praying she'd get the chance to see Kyogre.
"Of course. Learning is always better with visual aid." Sai confirmed.
A little later, the other students were talking to Ash and Shane as Kiawe, Kukui and Sai watched from further back.
"Whoa, Ash! That's so cool!" Sophocles said.
"Is that a Z-Crystal on your wrist?!" Mallow asked in awe.
"Yeah. It's an Electrium Z." Kiawe explained as he walked up. "Where did you get that? Not the Island Challenge. You didn't participate and pass the trials that I know of." He questioned.
Ash smiled and looked at his Z-Ring before looking back up at Kiawe. "Tapu Koko gave it to me," he explained, shocking the rest of the class.
"Tapu Koko?" Kiawe asked.
"No way! You saw it again?!" Mallow asked.
"Uh-huh. Pikachu and I heard Tapu Koko's voice, so we took off after it. Shane and Sai saw us and followed too. And when we found Tapu Koko, this thing just came floating down to us. Yep, right out of the sky." Ash said.
"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.
"Well, it wasn't quite like that..." Shane said.
"Tapu Koko was holding it in its claw, it didn't just fall from the sky. It did float it down to you, though," Sai corrected.
Shane nodded. "And then hovered in place until Ash grabbed it."
"Tapu Koko... How could it have gotten a Z-Ring?" Kiawe asked.
"And then?" Mallow asked.
"It felt like... Tapu Koko was telling me that the ring was for me!" Ash explained, putting his hand over the ring.
"Plus," Shane added, "it shined brightly when he gripped it, and even brighter once he slipped it on."
"And that's how it all happened," Ash finished, leaving the rest of the class, minus Shane and Sai, in awe.
Lillie was the first to return to her senses. "I've read about Tapu Koko before. Tapu Koko's very well known... As the guardian who likes to help islanders, but it also likes to play tricks on people. And if it thinks it's necessary, it can sometimes even punish them! I also read that on rare occasions, it will also give mysterious gifts to people it likes." She explained.
Mallow leaned forward. "That's great! That must mean Tapu Koko really likes Ash!" She said.
"Well, he's a pretty likable person, he's definitely got that going for him. And most people that don't either are huge jerks, or definitely come across that way." Sai threw in.
"Hold on! Kiawe, you got your Z-Ring from the Akkala Island kahuna, right?" Sophocles asked the taller boy.
"That's right. By successfully passing the grand trial." Kiawe said, looking at his own Z-Ring.
"That's awesome! Does this mean I can use Z-Moves just like you and Sai, Kiawe?" Ash asked.
"Using Z-Moves should not be taken lightly!" Kiawe snapped, catching Ash off-guard. The older boy closed his eyes, visualizing Melemele Island and recalling the feeling of using his Z-Move with Turtonator. "Only when a Pokémon and trainer's hearts become one will the Z-Ring turn their feelings into power. But those feelings must be about something greater than themselves... Like..."
"Like what?" Ash asked.
"Helping the islands. Helping Pokémon. Or helping others. Only those who care about all living things in our world are permitted to use Z-Moves." Kiawe finished his explanation with his arms crossed, looking at the new Z-Ring owner. "I'm not exactly sure what Tapu Koko saw in you, but now that you're a Z-Ring owner, you need to realize your responsibility." He warned, before turning to Sai. "Professor Sai, you can also use Z-Moves, I'm sure you must agree." He said.
Sai jolted up at this, both in surprise... and the fact he uses Z-Moves on a whim because they look awesome or can wrap up a fight simpler and easier. "What? Uh- yes! Z-Moves are sacred and very important. And should only be used when the situation ABSOLUTELY calls for it. NEVER just to look cool or because they make battles easier." He said, failing to hide the guilt in his voice.
"...I'm not sure I believe you, but in fairness, the ones from yesterday were pretty necessary," Shane stated. "I mean, both Sparkle and Bewear pushed you pretty hard. I still can't believe that thing shrugged off both that and a super-effective attack from a Mega Evolution..."
"Well, anyway, I don't understand much of that complicated stuff, Kiawe," Ash admitted, hold up his Z-Ring. "But I know how special the Z-Moves are. For sure! You can count on me," he said, before his expression turned a bit sheepish. "And that's about all I can say."
"...That's good enough." Kiawe said, smiling.
"So, we have a clash between a Thunderbolt and a Flamethrower... very nice," Kukui muttered, before speaking up to address the students. "Alright class, it's almost time for Pokémon Science. Today's teacher is Principal Oak."
Outside, Principal Oak's Komala let out a yawn at the top of a palm tree. Inside, Principal Oak was dressed as an Exeggutor as he stood along with its Alolan form. "I immediately regret taking this job." Sai sighed with a facepalm.
"Like this Exeggutor and Alolan Exeggutor, there are many Pokémon that look different in the Alola region and who are of a different type as well." The principal explained, standing next to an Alolan Exeggutor, who had to have its incredibly long neck stretched out of the side of the classroom.
"Wow. Their heights are totally different." Sophocles noted.
"Their faces look the same." Lana pointed out.
"The reason Alolan Exeggutor have grown taller is Alola's climate. Alola is warm and sunny all year round, so it's the perfect climate for Exeggcute and Exeggutor to thrive. As a matter of fact, it can be stated that an Alolan Exeggutor looks exactly the way it's supposed to. Of course, this is the result of living in an ideal environment." Principal Oak explained.
"Well, I mean, that's a little arrogant. Assuming one version's better than the other because of their region, or one is how it's supposed to look, meaning the other one doesn't look right." Sai criticized.
"Exegg!" The Exeggutor said happily.
Principal Oak scratched his head at Sai's interruption. "Oh, well, nothing against non-Alolan Exeggutor, of course! It was merely one opinion." He assured, before continuing. "The phenomenon of Pokémon developing their distinct appearance based on the region in which they live is called Regional Variants. For example, Exeggutor is normally a Grass and Psychic-type." He explained.
"Psychic-type?" Lillie asked, surprised.
"But can anyone tell me what type Alolan Exeggutor is? Like a Machamp!" He asked, posing and making the face of a Machamp.
With a flash of light, an Ultra Ball in Sai's hand opened to reveal a Regice. "Regice, ice beam on my feet, keep me from beating that old coot." Sai instructed, barely restraining himself from attacking the Principal.
"Reg?" It asked, titling its head in confusion, but complied and froze its master's feet to the ground.
Everyone was shocked at this, but Lillie was the first to shake it off, raising her hand. "Alolan Exeggutor is a Grass and Dragon-Type." She answered.
"Grass and Dragon?!" Ash asked in shock, getting up and walking over to Exeggutor. "Wow, so Exeggutor's a Dragon-Type, too! It's so cool you even have a tail." He said, petting said tail, shocking everyone.
"There's something about its tail you should know!" Lillie cried out.
Ash turned his attention to her and as he was distracted, the green head on the tail looked at him and became furious as he looked back, pulling back and swinging at him. "Regice! Get him out of there!" Sai ordered.
"Reg!" It complied, rushing forward, grabbing Ash and leaping back just before the tail could connect with them.
"Oh, brother..." Kiawe muttered.
"The tail of Alolan Exeggutor has a mind of its own. You need to be careful in case it decides to attack you, which is what I was trying to say before." Lillie explained as Regice set Ash down on his feet.
"Piiika..." Pikachu whispered, relieved.
"Next time, get to the point a little sooner, 'kay?" Ash requested.
Principal Oak laughed. "Y'see, learning here is like a wild Tauros. Have the patience of a Conkeldurr!" He joked, all three of his heads imitating Tauros and Conkeldurr. He even held up a pair of logs like Conkeldurr's concrete pillars.
Ash slumped, forcing a weak laugh.
Shane sighed. "Long as everyone's okay..." he muttered.
"I am going to hurt this man..." Sai growled, Regice quickly freezing Sai's hands together as he tried to grab at the professor.
After class, as everyone walked out the front gate, Shane was petting Altius as he prepared to take flight again.
"Shane! Hold on a sec!"
Shane turned around to see Ash run up to him with Professor Kukui not far behind. "What's up?"
"You up for a battle today?" Ash asked, pumping a fist.
"That could be fun," Kukui said. "I can referee, if you'd like."
"Pika!" Pikachu added energetically, sparking his cheeks.
"Servine!" Blade agreed, jumping off his Trainer and readying his vines.
"I don't that's a good idea right now," Shane said, causing Ash to deflate and the Pokémon to lose their balance.
"But why not?" Ash asked.
"We only got here yesterday, Ash," Shane replied as he picked up his sulking Servine. "Neither of us has a single Alolan Pokémon yet, and you've only got Pikachu on you."
"Well...yeah..."
"We can always battle later, though. How about...we battle once we each have three Alolan Pokémon and I have my own Z-Ring?" Shane offered.
"Hmm... that does seem like a better idea," Kukui commented thoughtfully. "It would probably be more fun, and a good way to measure your progress as Trainers."
"Alright!" Ash agreed, re-energized. "It's a promise!"
"In the meantime, I was wondering something, Shane," Kukui said. "You probably had your Rest at the Pokémon Center last night, right? You could always stay at my place, like Ash."
"Thank you, but I actually already payed for a motel on Akala." Shane replied.
"On Akala?!" Kukui parroted, baffled. "There's a motel on Route Two right here on Melemele!"
All color drained from Shane as he stared blankly for a moment, before face-faulting. Blade, having foreseen his Trainer's pratfall, leapt weightlessly onto Ash's hat, joining the Kantonian and Kukui in staring at the faceplanted teen.
"How'd you wind up on a different island?!" Ash asked. "Even if you got lost, it's across the ocean!"
"I DID get lost..." Shane replied, suddenly sulking under Altius' wing as he hugged his knees, still colorless. "It was late, I was tired, I decided I'd try to explore a bit. I got stuck in the forest, and I started panicking, and I called out Altius to fly away because I didn't want to risk running into that Bewear. Next thing I knew, we were on a different island, so I called Cheren because he would know this kinda stuff and he's always up at that hour, and he recommended the motel after I explained everything."
There was a beat of silence as Altius awkward patted his Trainer's head while Ash and Kukui blinked. Eventually, Kukui found his words. "…Well, anyway, I wanted to ask you to stay at my place for at least tonight." He said. "You were pretty chatty yesterday, but after your introduction today you were rather quiet, especially once Principal Oak's lesson started. I'd like to get to know you better, and I'm sure Ash would enjoy having a friend over."
"You bet!" Ash agreed. "And Professor Kukui's place is awesome! There's a training room in the basement!"
"And a loft for student boarding," Kukui added.
"Alright," Shane said, regaining color as he stood up and faced them. "Sounds like fun."
As the sun set, dinner began in Kukui's household. The humble abode notably featured an aquarium that housed two Luvdisc, a section in a corner with a couch, coffee table, and TV. Said TV was up against a wooden divider that separated the living area with a small Pokémon play area, beyond which was a ladder leading to the loft the professor mentioned. Behind the aquarium, a set of stairs led down to the basement. Our heroes were seated at the coffee table in the living area as they awaited their food.
Professor Kukui placed the final of three plates before Ash and walked back to retrieve the bowl he'd prepared for Rockruff, Pikachu, and Blade.
"Whoa! This looks so awesome!" Ash exclaimed, drooling a bit as he admired the food. Shane nodded in agreement.
"It's called an 'Alola Plate', and it's a popular dish in this region." Kukui explained, putting down the Pokémon food as the Trainers started eating. "You like it?"
"I love it!" Ash replied.
"Mm-hm!" Shane agreed, nodding.
"Really? Love at first bite! Glad to hear it." Kukui said, chuckling.
The Pokémon were quick to get to work on their own treats, rather noisily chatting with each other as they dug in.
"Look at that! Rockruff and your partners are already friends!" Kukui observed, walking up to the table.
"'Cause Rockruff is friendly too. Thank you!" Ash said, putting his now empty plate down. Shane's also-empty plate joined it a moment later.
"Yes, thank you."
"You're both done?" Kukui asked, surprised. He looked over to the Pokémon trio to find... "Wow, you guys too!"
As Kukui walked around the table to his own seat and began eating, the new students stood up, seeing to the Pokémon.
"C'mere, Rockruff!" Ash beckoned, getting on his knees with his arms spread. The rock-puppy excitedly ran over, jumping into his arms and nuzzling the Kanto Trainer with its collar as it wagged its tail. Ash hugged it for a brief moment, before Rockruff decided to jump out of his arms and nuzzle Pikachu, then Blade, and then finally, Shane.
Kukui didn't miss their brief uncomfortable expressions, putting down his spoon for a moment to explain. "Y'see, the way that Rockruff greet one another is by rubbing the rocks on their necks against each other. It's obvious that Rockruff really likes you guys!"
"Yeah, Rockruff? You do?" Ash asked, turning back to it and receiving another rocky nuzzle.
"Rockruff is such a sweet little cutie!" Shane said, scratching it behind its ears, only to get another nuzzle-hug from the puppy Pokémon.
"Speaking of sweet Pokémon, I can't help noticing that Servine of yours is quite friendly too." Kukui said. "Most of the Servine I see are confident and aloof."
"Yeah, Blade's a total sweetheart." Shane replied as Rockruff nuzzled the other Pokémon again. "I raised him from an egg, so I'm not sure if it's just his personality, or if I had something to do with it."
"You named him Blade?" Kukui asked. "Isn't 'Blade' also Sai's last name? Doesn't that get confusing?"
"Maybe." Shane replied. "I've considered changing it, but I could never think of anything better, and just calling him 'Servine' feels odd now. He hatched before I met Sai, and it's never really been an issue. At least, Sai hasn't said anything that I remember."
"If you say so," Kukui said. Suddenly, the professor's phone started ringing, prompting him to stand up as he answered, walking away from the kids and Pokémon. "Kukui here, what's up? ...Huh...Uh, yeah..."
Ash and Shane looked up the professor for a moment, but as he walked behind the aquarium, decided it wasn't their business and simply started chatting, occasionally letting the Pokémon steal their attention.
Kukui came to a stop with a small smile. "I see. Alright then."
Mallow's smile grew as the conversation ended, and she turned around as she hung up to address those seated behind her. "Alright! Listen up! The professor says it's okay!"
"So it's program 'go'!"
"Great!"
"Alright!"
"Got it, Mallow!"
Mallow giggled as Bounsweet hopped onto her shoulder. "I can't wait! So tomorrow's party is ON!"
"Nice. Ash will definitely love it and it will be a great way to help Shane break out of his shell." Sai said encouragingly.
"YEAH!" The five students cheered together.
The next morning found Ash and Shane running at full speed towards the school.
"We're late! We're late!" Ash cried. "No, we might make it if we really push! Hurry, guys!"
The two dashed through the front gate, only to stumble in surprise as they tripped a pair of confetti cannons just out of sight. They had barely slowed to a stop before Popplio jumped at them, blowing a balloon right in their faces. The water balloon popped, knocking Ash on his rear and nearly causing Shane to fall over on top of Blade, but the Servine pushed his Trainer back on his feet with his vines before he could get squashed. Pikachu, the lucky mouse, was clear of any danger of getting squashed, and simply stared at his Trainer in concern.
"That got a bigger reaction than I was expecting," Sai admitted, chuckling.
"What was that?" Ash asked, Shane and Blade helping him to his feet as their smiling classmates appeared from behind the school gate.
"Alola Surprise!" The girls exclaimed in unison.
"Hey, guys." Ash greeted.
"Did we surprise you?" Kiawe asked.
"You bet!" Ash replied. "But why? What's up?"
"Well," Mallow said, "first off, we decided today would be the perfect day to have a surprise welcome party for you."
"Wow, thanks! But what about Sai? He didn't get any cool surprise?" Ash asked, looking at his older rival sympathetically.
"Hey, I'm getting paid to be an assistant teacher, that's the only gift I need." Sai explained.
"And that was just your first surprise!" Mallow said.
"First one?" Ash asked.
"Next," Sophocles replied, dramatically pointing at the foreign Trainers while holding his spherical partner. "Togedemaru and I want to challenge you! I'm sure you must know what I mean by that."
"Challenge? You mean a Pokémon battle, right?" Ash clarified, getting excited. Shane remained silent, simply staring at the shorter boy in confusion, even as Ash spoke. "Alright, Sophocles, I accept your challenge! Right, Pikachu?"
"Pika!" Pikachu declared excitedly.
Upon seeing the truth, however, he and Ash deflated. Sophocles and Togedemaru stood proudly by a large pile of party balloons, with two other piles set up in a line next to them. The young tech wizard had his arms crossed, smiling confidently.
"Pika...?"
"Balloons...?" Ash asked, baffled.
"Right! Balloons!" Mallow excitedly explained, gesturing with her arm. "Whichever team pops all the balloons first wins the game!"
Ash and Pikachu held flat expressions, utterly put out. Shane raised a skeptical brow, tilting his head slightly.
"Oh yeah, Pokémon or Trainer, it doesn't matter who pops the balloons." Mallow added.
"Balloons...pop them first..." Ash muttered, as Pikachu cracked a small, but terrifying narrow-eyed grin. Suddenly, Ash pumped his fist in the air, re-energized. "That'll be a piece of cake!"
Shane looked at the grass snake on his shoulder. "Shouldn't be hard for us, right?"
"Vine, servine." Blade replied, shrugging.
With that settled, the three teams took their positions several feet away from their balloon piles.
"Ready!" Kiawe announced, raising a hand as the competitors tensed. "GO!"
On cue, the duos dashed to their respective piles, getting to work immediately. Ash and Shane quickly found a problem though, as both tried to simply squash the balloons between their hands, which proved difficult. Pikachu and Blade tried their teeth, with about as much success. After a few seconds, they each popped their balloons, but a much quicker set of pops caught their attention.
Sophocles was simply pressing his balloons against Togedemaru's extended spikes. "Here! Okay, next!" The boy encouraged, continuously popping the balloons at a casual pace that nonetheless left the foreign trainers in the dust.
"You can do it, Ash and Pikachu!" Lana cheered.
"Go for it, Shane and Blade!" Mallow encouraged.
"Maybe you didn't know? You can use Pokémon moves!" Lillie said.
"Really?" Ash asked. "That's cool. 'Kay, Pikachu, let's pop all the balloons with Thunderbolt!"
"Pika!" The mouse confirmed, giving up on a balloon he held.
Sophocles silently smirked.
"Alright then, time to shine! Let's steal the show with Leaf Blade!" Shane commanded, standing back as Blade's tail began to glow green. The Servine promptly jumped forward, flipping backwards to burst several balloons with a rising slash, before curling up and somersaulting forward to pop several more, leaving a full line of empty space dividing their balloon pile.
As Blade rose with his first slash, Pikachu was in the air firing off his Thunderbolt.
"Alright, this is our chance!" Sophocles exclaimed, turning towards Team Ash. Togedemaru readied itself, extending its spikes and straightening its tail-needle. Ash and Pikachu were naturally surprised when their Thunderbolt swerved off-course, crashing into Togedemaru instead. With the Alolan native charged up, Sophocles made his next command. "Togedemaru, Zing Zap! Let's go!"
"Ma-RUUUUUUU!" It complied, jumping into the balloon pit and spinning rapidly to burst through its balloons.
At the same time as Sophocles, Shane made his own command. "Blade, vine spin, go!"
"Vine!" He confirmed, balancing on one foot with his still-glowing tail extended and using his vines to spin around, slicing through the balloons rapidly in a long, speedy pirouette.
"Hey, what's all that about?" Ash asked Sophocles.
"Here's the deal: Togedemaru's ability is Lightning Rod!" Sophocles explained. "It absorbs all Electric-type attacks, then it releases that stored electricity as its move. Isn't that great, Ash?"
"Wow, Togedemaru really rocks!"
"'Scuse me!" Kiawe said. "This is no time to be impressed."
"YES!" Shane suddenly cheered, getting the group's attention. The students were shocked to see Shane's pit was empty of balloons, a still-spinning Servine leaping out and landing on his Trainer's shoulder as the glow on his tail faded. Blade bowed triumphantly just as Togedemaru popped its own final balloon.
"What?!" Sophocles exclaimed. "No way!"
"The surprise game winners are Blade and Shane!" Mallow announced cheerfully.
"Not bad, Shane. Putting those coordinator skills of yours to good work." Sai complimented.
"Toge?" Togedemaru looked up in confusion.
Sophocles stared for a moment, but recovered, smiling at Togedemaru as he picked it up. "You were great! We didn't win, but at least we finished."
"We didn't even finish." Ash admitted, smiling sheepishly.
"Pika..." Pikachu added, hopping on Ash's shoulder.
"Ash, Shane?" Lana called, getting their attention as she walked up with Popplio in her arms. "Ready for your third surprise? It's a challenge against us!"
The group cheerfully moved on to next event, unaware of a stalker in a distant tree. Tapu Koko watched the students prepare for their competition, focused intently on Ash.
"A Pokémon Aquathlon is a competitive sport where you run and then swim!" Mallow explained. "Now let's see who wins it!"
And with that, the race began. Immediately, Pikachu took the lead with Blade on his tail, Popplio lagging behind.
"Pikachu! Win it, buddy!" Ash cheered.
"You can do it, Blade!" Shane encouraged.
"Good luck to all of you! Pikachu, Popplio, and Blade!" Sophocles yelled.
Until they hit the water, Blade had started to lose distance between himself and Pikachu, but soon after Pikachu hit the water, Blade caught up, overtaking the mouse with surprising speed as their Trainers ran along the bank beside them.
"That's great! Head for the finish line!" Ash instructed.
"You've got this now, Blade! You can do it!" Shane cheered.
"Let's see how easy it is." Kiawe quietly commented with a smirk, just as Popplio dove into the water. In a matter of seconds, the sea lion Pokémon overtook its competition completely, much to their surprise.
"You're almost there, Popplio!" Lana cheered, running past Ash and Shane only seconds before Popplio burst out of the water, landing directly on the finish line with style. The blue Water-type clapped its flippers in happiness as Lana crouched by it. "I'm proud of you! Great, Popplio! You're amazing."
Ash and Shane stared as Lana began petting Popplio.
"Popplio can swim at speeds of up to twenty-five miles per hour." Lillie explained, walking up behind the awestruck students. "Quite impressive."
"Yeah, you were always in the middle ground for this one, buddy," Sai told Shane. "Snakes are slower than mice on land, but faster than sea lions, but in the water, it's the reverse, but the snake stays in second place. Still, you hung in there. Definitely a good try."
"Thanks. I actually didn't know that. I thought we'd come in last for sure," Shane admitted.
Pikachu and Blade climbed out of the water, Pikachu shaking himself off. Both found towels draped over them, causing them to look up in surprise.
"Great, Pikachu! You rocked it!" Ash complimented, rubbing Pikachu's head.
"C'mere, Blade. You did well." Shane said as he set about drying the Servine off.
"You're so fast, Popplio!" Mallow complimented.
"Yeah, I can't believe how fast Popplio can move!" Ash said, holding a freshly-dried Pikachu.
"Popplio, pop pop pop!" The little sea lion replied happily, waving a flipper as Kiawe walked over.
"Your fourth surprise is competing against me." He stated. "What do you say?"
A short time later, Ash, Kiawe, and Shane were riding Tauros in a race around a simple track, coincidentally the same place both of the new students first entered the school grounds. Kiawe and Ash virtually neck-and-neck, Kiawe having a slight but notable lead on the Kantonian with Shane lagging a few feet behind them.
As the students, Sai, and their Pokémon cheered the racers on, Professor Kukui watched from above in the classroom balcony, holding Rockruff gently in one arm. Rockruff barked happily as Principal Oak joined Kukui in watching the students race.
"Wow, look at them Rapidash!" The principal said.
"Everyone decided to have a welcoming surprise party for Ash, Pikachu, Shane, and Servine." Kukui explained.
"Music to my ears, Eevee-dently!" Oak replied, imitating Eevee. "Buizely! Xerneastic!"
"The Cross Chop of friendship is always a critical hit, don't you think?"
A beat of silence passed before Principal Oak spoke again.
"Professor, you are going to take part in the festivities, right?" He asked.
"For sure. Very soon. Right, Rockruff?" Kukui replied.
"Rockruff!" The puppy Pokémon happily confirmed.
"The truth of it is, I'm the fifth surprise." Kukui said.
"You are? Now I see!"
Back on the track, the students were in the final stretch, with Ash pulling ahead of Kiawe by a small margin, only for the older boy to overtake him again, just in time to cross the finish line.
"It was a tight race, but Kiawe wins!" Mallow announced, the two Tauros slowing down to a walk as Shane crossed the finish line.
"Man, and to think I was so close!" Ash said as his Tauros stopped.
"You rode pretty well." Kiawe admitted as Ash dismounted.
"Thanks, Tauros. You're awesome." Ash complimented, petting the bull. It mooed gratefully.
"Pika!" Pikachu called, getting Ash's attention as Shane stepped off his own Tauros.
"Thanks for cheering me on, buddy." Ash said.
"Sorry we didn't win." Shane apologized, petting the Tauros he'd ridden. It was indifferent.
"Don't worry, Shane. If you'd like, I could train you to ride a Tauros and soon enough, you'll make them look like amateurs." Sai offered.
"I could definitely use the help." Shane replied gratefully.
"Ser!" Blade called, jumping on his Trainer's shoulder. Shane chuckled softly, petting the Servine's head with a finger until he noticed Kukui walking up behind Ash with Rockruff held gently in one arm. Pikachu noticed the professor as well, alerting Ash to his presence.
"Professor Kukui! Hey, Rockruff." Ash greeted.
"You're now looking at your fifth surprise!" Kukui said. "If Pikachu agrees, let's have a Pokémon Battle!"
"Whoa!" Ash whispered as Pikachu leapt onto his shoulder. "A Pokémon Battle? And against Professor Kukui?! All right! This is the best surprise of all!" He excitedly declared.
"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.
"And Shane." Kukui added, looking at the Unovan as he walked up next to Ash. "If Blade's up for it, I'd like you to show me your moves in a Contest Battle!"
"You bet!" Shane replied, adjusting his hat with a grin.
"Vine!" The grass snake agreed.
"Before that," Mallow said, putting her hand up in front of the foreign students. "I'm the poster girl for my family's restaurant, so that means that I'm gonna prepare us all a little lunch!"
"Lunch time?" Ash asked softly. "Come to think of it, I'm starving..."
Suddenly, everyone else also became acutely aware of how hungry they were.
"Yeah…" Kiawe added as the other Alolans moaned.
"We kinda skipped breakfast this morning..." Shane admitted, slumping.
"You should never battle on an empty stomach. You don't think straight when you're hungry," Sai informed the class.
Elsewhere on campus, a few minutes later...
"Lunch is served!" Mallow cheerfully announced, holding two enormous plates of food in one hand each. The green-haired girl set one upon the table for her human classmates, and placed the other on the floor for their Pokémon partners. "Here. Eat up, everyone!"
"Yummy?" Lana asked Popplio as the Pokémon dug into the food. Popplio barked happily in reply, causing Lana to smile. "I'm glad."
"You know what?" Mallow said as she took her seat between Lillie and Lana. "I followed your Pokémon food recipe to a T!" She informed Lillie.
"It's very tasty, but it's also healthy Pokémon food," Lillie stated.
"It's hard to balance those two, but you did an awesome job," Sai complimented as he ate.
"Delish!" Ash remarked, chowing down.
"Yeah, it's good," Kiawe said.
"Mallow's restaurant's good," Sophocles added. "I don't like to eat anyplace else!"
Ash turned back the food, but before he could take another bite, a loud, familiar screech rang out across the school campus. Shane and Sai exchanged looks. They'd only heard it briefly, but the voice was unmistakable. "Well, looks like it isn't done with Ash just yet," Sai noted.
"A little over twelve hours." Shane quietly remarked. "That's a new record."
"Hear that, guys?" Ash asked, standing up and turning around. He took a few steps away from the table, only for Tapu Koko to drop down nearly nose-to-nose with the Kantonian.
Ash blinked rapidly for a second. Then, startled, he cried out, stepping backwards as the guardian's sudden appearance registered. All present were awed, save the two Unovans.
"Melemele's Island Guardian, Tapu Koko!" Lillie exclaimed.
"What a sight!" Mallow commented.
"Beautiful!" Lana added.
Ash, meanwhile, blinked once more before approaching the deity.
"It's great to see you," Ash greeted. The Kantonian raised his arm, showing Tapu Koko the Z-Ring. "I didn't get a chance to say 'thank you' for the ring. So thank you!"
Tapu Koko tilted its head with a lengthy chirp, then suddenly vanished, startling. In a blur of motion behind Ash, it swiped the boy's hat, then repeatedly blurred in and out of existence. No one present, not even the Pokémon, could track the guardian as it zipped about. The deity briefly dropped Ash's hat upon Pikachu's head, blinding and disturbing the mouse, before retrieving it and circling the humans whilst wearing the boy's hat upon its own crest.
"It's so fast, I can't see it!" Ash exclaimed, voicing everyone's thoughts.
Tapu Koko then ceased its vanishing act, appearing in front of Ash for a moment, and slowly- at least for the guardian- heading towards the forest.
"Hey! My hat!" Ash called out, chasing after the divine hat thief with Pikachu at his side, the rest of the class following shortly as they shook off their shock.
They followed Tapu Koko into the woods, barely keeping track of Ash and Pikachu. For some reason, Tapu Koko never strayed from the main path of the forest, and despite its speed, did not take advantage of the slight hurdle of a large fallen tree to lose Ash and Pikachu, who athletically hopped over it with determination. Following just behind them were Blade and Sai, who somersaulted over wooden obstacle, followed quite quickly by Shane, who settled for simply vaulting over it.
"Hey! Wait up!" Ash called out to the guardian.
"Ash, slow down!" Shane yelled after the younger Trainer, taking a moment to glance back at the others and see that they were keeping up before continuing on.
"You can't just run off like that! That crazy Bewear might still be around here!" Sai shouted after the boy.
Kiawe and Popplio hopped atop the fallen tree with little issue, followed by the slightly slower Mallow and Lana, the latter of whom Popplio waited for. Once Lana cleared the tree, Popplio hopped into her arms. Though Kukui had no issue with the tree himself, Sophocles was another story.
"Just a...little...farther!" Kukui encouraged, trying to pull the boy over as Togedemaru pushed its Trainer from the back, with Lillie sitting daintily off to the side. Finally, Sophocles made it over the tree, nearly squishing Rockruff, though the puppy hopped aside. Kukui took a moment to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
Finally, further ahead, Ash stopped. Tapu Koko had completely vanished from sight.
"Where is it?" He asked, looking around as Sai, Shane, and Blade caught up. "Where'd it go?"
Suddenly, Tapu Koko dropped down in front of Ash again, dropping his hat upon its rightful wearer's head before zipping back a few feet in a zig-zag pattern. The guardian raised an arm, positioning it as if it were a shield.
"Hey, what's going on?" Ash asked it as the rest of the class caught up. "I think you mean you want to have a battle with me?"
"A battle?" Kiawe asked.
"So his fifth surprise isn't me. Guess it's Tapu Koko instead." Kukui remarked.
"I've read about this sort of thing once before." Lillie stated, catching Kukui's interest. "It said Tapu Koko is a very curious Pokémon. Long ago, it would challenge the Islanders to a Pokémon Battle, and Alolan Sumo too!"
"Alright, you've got yourself a deal!" Ash said. "Let's have a battle now!"
"A battle with a Legendary. Impressive. That's a big deal, even for me," Sai stated.
Tapu Koko screeched as rings of electricity traveled from its body to the surrounding forest, turning the land yellow.
"That's Electric Terrain..." Kukui noted.
"Hey, Ash!" Lillie yelled, drawing Ash's attention. "Electric-type moves become more powerful while Electric Terrain is in effect!"
"That's lucky for us, alright!" Ash said, grinning as he turned back to the divine Pokémon. "We're ready!"
Tapu Koko began by rushing at Pikachu, tackling the mouse with speed neither he nor Ash could react to and sending him rolling. Pikachu got up with a bit of trouble, shakily standing on all fours as he looked up at his Legendary foe. The guardian surrounded itself with a dazzling glow before rushing Pikachu again.
"Down, Pikachu!" Ash commanded.
At the last second, Pikachu ducked under the guardian's attack, evading it by mere centimeters. Despite missing, the divine Pokémon's move tore up the ground, continuing onward for several feet before ending. As Tapu Koko looked back at Pikachu, Ash decided to take the offensive.
"Now, let's show them all what we can do! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu leapt into the air, his tail covered in electricity and his cheeks sparking, before he fired his signature move at Tapu Koko. It seemingly landed a direct hit, causing an orb of light and wind it to appear around the Legendary Pokémon.
"Awesome!" Ash commented as Pikachu landed, both confident the attack dealt damage.
But then the orb around Tapu Koko vanished to reveal the guardian unharmed. The only sign the attack landed at all was the vapor around the Pokémon's body, which dissipated. Tapu Koko simply stared down at Ash and Pikachu.
"Pika?!"
"It didn't do a thing!" Ash exclaimed, surprised.
"Tapu Koko's just too strong," Kiawe stated, sweating a bit.
"It must be an Electric-Type," Sai deduced.
Suddenly, Tapu Koko rushed directly at Ash. Panicking, the Kantonian crossed his arms in front of his face. Shane took a step forward, but didn't go any further as Tapu Koko abruptly stopped in front of Ash, then touched the Electrium Z with a claw. Just like the previous night, the Z-Crystal began to glow. Ash opened his eyes, his posture relaxing as he realized Tapu Koko wasn't trying to hurt him, then looked at the ring on his wrist.
"You mean..." Ash whispered, staring at the guardian. "You want me to use it? The Z-Ring...and Electrium Z?"
"Tapu Kokoooooooo!"
"I have no idea how to do it, but I'll try!" Ash said, dramatically swinging his arm back before lowering it. "'Kay Pikachu, let's show our Z-Move!"
"Pika!" The mouse affirmed excitedly.
"Oh, Ash..." Mallow muttered in concern.
"Can they do it?" Sophocles quietly wondered.
"It's Ash," Shane replied. "My only concern is that forest might not be intact after this."
"I'll have to get Virizion and Celebi to fix the damage later," Sai said, groaning.
Ash crossed his arms again, with Pikachu flawlessly mimicking the motion as the crystal's glow intensified. Imitating Tapu Koko, Ash and Pikachu waved their arms in a circular motion, then held them out in front, left over right as Sai had done for his own moves. Deviating from Sai's poses, Ash and Pikachu slid their left feet back, shifting dirt as they lowered their arms, then swung their left arms to the right before swinging them back, and finally shifting their arms into a pose that imitated a lightning bolt, with their left arms as the top and right as the bottom tips of the bolt.
"Go, Pikachu!" Ash yelled.
"Pika..." Pikachu quietly responded, repeating the syllable as he instinctively guided his electricity into a ball of lightning in front of him.
"Here we go!" Ash said as he and Pikachu, in perfect synchronization, pulled back their right fists. "Full...power...NOW!"
With a final shout from both of the Kantonians, Pikachu's fist connected with the ball of lightning. Gritting his teeth, the electric mouse launched it at Tapu Koko, to the surprise and awe of the Alolan natives.
"The Electric-type Z-Move!" Kiawe exclaimed.
"That's Gigavolt Havoc! Wow!" Kukui added.
"Good-bye, forest!" Shane quietly quipped.
"Brace for impact!" Sai warned, releasing a Steelix and taking cover behind it.
Gigavolt Havoc tore across the ground, barreling towards Tapu Koko. Unseen to all others, just a moment before impact, Tapu Koko's eyes widened ever so slightly. Upon connecting with the guardian, the Z-Move detonated, causing incredible winds that nearly tossed away Ash, Pikachu, and the spectators. Everyone shielded their faces, struggling to keep themselves anchored. Besides Ash, all those with partner Pokémon clung to them protectively. A beam of lightning shot into the sky, visible across the entire island, and when it dissipated, a massive dust cloud followed, though the latter didn't reach the same height. At long last, the storm of the Z-Move subsided.
"That's a Z-Move?!" Ash muttered, opening one eye. "Oh man..."
Suddenly, Ash heard a shattering sound as the Electrium Z disintegrated. On the ground, Pikachu panted from exhaustion, though neither the mouse nor anyone else could tell if it was the Z-Move itself or the storm upon impact that drained him so much. The dust in the eye of storm settled, revealing Tapu Koko's enclosed form levitating over a massive crater. The guardian parted its mask, revealing that it had shielded itself, and was unharmed.
"What's going on?" Ash asked as Tapu Koko non-aggressively floated out of the crater.
With a final screech, Melemele's guardian vanished into the sky.
"Tapu Koko...wow." Ash commented.
"Ash!" Mallow called out, getting Ash's attention as she ran up to him. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah." He replied.
"That's incredible!" Mallow said. "I can't believe how strong you and Pikachu are!"
"Well, uh..." Ash muttered, rubbing his head with his left hand as Kiawe walked up. The older boy couldn't help noticing an oddity with Ash's Z-Ring.
"What happened to your Z-Crystal?" He asked, causing Ash and Mallow to look at the crystal slot. "It...it disintegrated," Kiawe deduced. At Ash's confused look, he clarified, "That means it's too soon for you to use Z-Moves. You haven't had an Island Challenge Trial yet."
Ash's gaze fell to the ground for a moment. Then, he looked back up at Kiawe.
"Alright, I'll take the Island Challenge Trial!" The Kantonian declared, to the surprise of most of the party. "I'll pass the trial, then I'll get another Z-Crystal, and then I'll be able to use Z-Moves the right way!"
"That makes sense," Kukui said, smiling.
"Sounds perfect!" Mallow cheerfully commented. "We'll all be cheering for you! Right gang?"
"Okay!" Lana replied, Popplio cheerfully agreeing.
"Of course we will!" Lillie added.
"Togedemaru and I know lots about Electric types! Yeah, tons of stuff!" Sophocles stated.
Ash and Mallow looked at Kiawe expectantly, though the boy said nothing.
"Please?" Ash pleaded.
"Come on!" Mallow said.
Kiawe sighed. "I have to. After all, I'm the only student with a Z-Ring."
"And I am a teacher now, I guess I should teach you what you need to learn," Sai added.
Pikachu squeaked, getting Ash's attention before hopping up on his Trainer's shoulder.
"Don't forget me." Shane said, walking over to Ash with Blade on his shoulder. "I don't have a Z-Ring yet, and I doubt an Island Guardian will just give me one, but I can still take the trials, right?"
"I remember you saying something like that yesterday." Kukui replied. "You want to get a Z-Ring too?"
"As long as it's not an issue for foreigners." Shane said. "You know, besides the ones literally chosen by Legendary Pokémon."
"As far as I know, it's fine." Kukui stated.
"Yeah. That won't be a problem." Sai confirmed.
"Then I hope you'll all cheer me on, too," Shane said.
"Of course!" The three girls replied in unison.
"Always," Sai agreed.
"It's only fair," Kiawe added.
"That's awesome!" Ash exclaimed. "Thanks, guys!"
Ash, Shane, and their partners have found a new goal in the Alola region while Sai settles into his new role as an assistant teacher. Along with getting to know their new Pokémon School friends, our heroes have taken a big step forward on their new adventure as the journey continues.
To be continued...
Late, as usual. Entirely on me, but hey, at least it only took three months instead, say, a year or so. Consider this a somewhat belated holiday present. Happy New Year, everybody!
My New Year's resolution is getting the next two chapters out in less than a month. It won't be easy, but I shall do my best. Eventually, I'll have to reach such speeds. One day, I will be worthy...
Once again, very special thanks to Sai Kunai Blade. While there is significantly less of him in this chapter, he still contributed a great deal, and, once again, this story would not exist without him.