Who I Am - Lightning99
Chapter 8:
Normality
"Infernape, Flare Blitz!"
"Nape!" Infernape's body ignited in a flaming, sizzling blue inferno. He pushed off the ground and dashed towards Staraptor, the fire around him spitting embers onto the dusty battlefield.
"Aerial Ace to dodge!"
Staraptor crouched, wings aglow. He swiftly swooped around Infernape and into the air – the tips of his grey feathers briefly caught fire but were quickly extinguished by the gust he generated.
The battlers stopped. They faced one another, Infernape on the ground, Starator in the air, and jockeyed around in a tight circle, scanning for even the slightest opening. Infernape leaned forward, suggesting he found one but then leaned back. Staraptor leaned in, then retreated, returning to their stalemate. Ash watched closely, too, and after seeing them so close to one another, he knew what he had to do. The previous day, he discovered that Infernape had learned the move since he had last seen him, and he could not wait to let them spar with it.
At the sidelines of the drawn-out battlefield, Rockruff carefully watched the battle. His wide, curious blue orbs sparkled with amazed reverence, which only deepened upon Ash's next call.
"Now, both use Close Combat!"
Infernape's fists glowed a fierce red while Staraptor's talons shone white, and they quickly thrust punches and kicks back and forth, each strike equalling one another, ricocheting in recoil. Then they thrust their limbs back into the fray, and each rapid punch or kick sparked like metal grinding metal as they clashed.
Infernape was nimbler in mind and body. He stamped his large feet firmly onto the ground, driving his hands so fast they blurred, forcing Staraptor to use his wings as shields. Staraptor batted the fists away as best he could, but against Infernape's speciality, he was at a clear disadvantage. Infernape's speed seemed to reach Mach, and Staraptor could no longer match him.
But he didn't concede. Staraptor leaned to the right, coaxing Infernape's assault to change course, then he quickly curved left, making Infernape punch the air that remained in his dust.
Finally spotting an opening, Staraptor tapped his talons to the ground and sprung back into the air. He gyrated and kicked the back of Infernape's head with as much force as he could. The blow knocked Infernape off balance, so he jumped away to a safe distance, balancing himself. They both turned to face each other again, poised for Ash's next command.
"Woah! Nice feint, Staraptor! That was almost like the actual move," Ash called, cupping his mouth like a megaphone. Staraptor chirped back powerfully, his gaze on Infernape unwavering. "Alright, let's call it a night! Well done, everyone!"
The two Pokémon dropped their competitive stares. They shouted respectfully across the battlefield and retreated to the side where they welcomed drinks and snacks Nurse Joy had graciously provided.
Ash delivered a short analysis of their session to his team while enjoying some delicious food that his exhaustion seemed only to make tastier. He found that talking over their sessions afterwards had become significantly easier now he could understand them properly. But that wasn't all. He was no longer interpreting while he spoke to them. He was talking to them as he would anybody else, any human. It made him feel significantly closer to them than ever before.
Rockruff, however, Ash still couldn't decipher, and he had no idea why. He tried to think of why that might be as he headed back to his room.
For a few days following the official inauguration of his Island Challenge, Ash rode the Rhyhorn last. While the rookies to Pokémon training – Hau, the twins Hala mentioned – studied the basics at the local Pokémon school and shared their essential first days of bonding with their starters, Ash decided to familiarise himself with Melemele's city. Lillie, Hau, Kukui, and Hala had acted as his tour guides for the three days, showing him where everything was and how to get around, for which Ash was very appreciative. But now, he was ready to storm the forests and routes and return to adventuring. To his changeable normality.
As he had been touring the city, Ash had naturally filled the silence by chatting to his guides, and as a result, he had learned more about them. Lillie told him she was staying in Kukui's attic room for undisclosed reasons; Hau announced his biggest goal was to defeat his grandfather in an all-out battle. Kukui explained his research topic as a professor was Pokémon Moves and Z-Moves.
Hala, on the other hand, was more questioning of Ash himself, as if knowing everything about him was a necessity. He was especially curious about his journey so far. Ash explained as much as he felt he could. He kept it simple, focusing on his travels and vaguely detailing his Gym and League challenges rather than the extraordinary events that always seemed to transpire around him. He didn't know how to talk about such events with people that hadn't been there. He always wondered if they would believe him or even understand, so he chose to keep it to himself.
Naturally, sightseeing and gossiping weren't all Ash accomplished that week. He trained with all his Pokémon during the nights, accompanied relentlessly by the energetic Rockruff. He had initially wondered why Rockruff was following him, but now it didn't matter. Catching the small pup had frequently wandered in his bubble of thoughts.
As a result of his guides' efforts over the past few days, Ash was finally feeling somewhat content again. His training sessions reclaimed their dynamic and enthusiastic nature, and he enjoyed chatting and sometimes joking with Hau and Lillie. A shadow from the events earlier in the week still lingered, but it was only a patch around his heart. The joy he had re-acquired while battling and the Alolan peoples' kind actions seemed to cast away most of the darkness. He still had nightmares, near-perfect replicas of his first one that made him just as annoyed and panicked, but they were tolerable.
Before Ash drifted to sleep that night, he heard the floorboards creak and the door's hinges squeak as it slid open. It clicked closed a few seconds after.
Every day so far, he had heard somebody leave around the same time. Ash wanted to know who it was, but they were sneaking around, meaning they didn't want to be seen. It definitely wasn't Pikachu, though. He was too far immersed in his sleep to get up and leave. And Ash was glad he was. It was a significant improvement from earlier in the week.
On Saturday morning at dawn, while waiting in the Poké-Center for Lillie and tousling his messy hair that dropped handsomely across his face, Ash watched a report of a failed break-in attempt last night on the large TV.
According to the report, a group known as Team Skull attempted to infiltrate Hau'oli's shopping arcade. They nearly escaped with some jewellery but were stopped just in time. They weren't apprehended, however.
An officer claimed that the Alolan Police department could not apprehend the suspects because they were understaffed. He said several officers quit under the pretence that nothing police worthy ever occurred on Alola's shores. While that attitude wasn't good, Ash imagined it wasn't wrong either. It seemed the region forever rested in an idyll state.
Lillie arrived a few minutes later, greeting him much too formally. Ash lightly teased said greeting, and she smiled, shyly diverting her gaze as a noticeable flush reddened her fair cheeks. Ash grabbed his bag, and they headed out of the door just as his room neighbours clambered down the stairs – he had still yet to see their faces.
Ash and Lillie had planned the previous evening to have breakfast with her friends from the festival, the to-be trial captains, to introduce Ash to more people and maybe gain some insight into the challenge. Meeting new people was a big part of his journeys, and he thought it would be nice to have some more acquaintances, maybe even friends. But if the latter were to happen, Ash knew he would have to ensure that events would not repeat themselves.
Lillie stopped outside an establishment branded as 'Melemele's Malasadas' with an imposing headshot of a Slurpuff grinning enticingly on a sign above the door. Customers were lining up out the door; there were more people there than Ash had seen anywhere else in Alola, except maybe the café he previously visited with Samson.
They entered the shop and headed towards an, in Ash's opinion, overcrowded booth. Everybody introduced themselves in a friendly manner, and Ash slid into the booth opposite Lillie.
When introductions were over, Kiawe wasted no time before claiming what a spectacle his and Hau's battle at the festival had been and the raw skill he had witnessed. He spoke with a seriousness that Ash could tell came from his passion, and Kiawe's eyes projected some sort of brotherly pride Ash could compare to Brock's.
After being degraded so heavily, Ash could not deny the gratification the compliments gave him. It was nice to hear, even if the Alolan peoples' fast friendliness was a little overwhelming.
Mallow explained next how she made all the food for the festival by hand. She asked what he thought of it, which he praised without a second thought, and the table soon became one friendly chat where everyone chipped in. Lana was the quietest of the group, though she did make a funny joke about catching Kyogre that left everybody but him reeling in their child-like ignorance.
Ash didn't mention he had actually met Kyogre. More than once. How could he? It was just as hard to do as explaining his adventures to Hala had been. He didn't want to live incognito, but what would they say when they found out? What would their reactions be? Would they treat him the same? He didn't know why he was thinking so much.
Hau dashed into the shop after a while, his Rowlet hovering by his shoulder, shouting about the Malasadas, and ran out without noticing them. And that was when Ash confirmed that, yes, Hau was acting exactly as he had on his first adventure.
The conversation continued, and Ash found himself smiling, his chest warmed to feel so easily welcomed. He found himself absently twisting his Z-Ring, the sensation of the Z-Crystal warming his palm as he held it. Somehow, the crystal's physical warmth matched the current emotion in his chest, as if the essence of his feelings were embedded into the stone. It was indescribable, an almost physical manifestation of euphoria. It sounded so bizarre, childish even.
Ash wondered if that was what Kukui meant when he said he needed a close bond to pull off a Z-Move. He had said bonds were Alola's speciality, so was that what it felt like?
"So, Ash, you've begun the Island Challenge?" Kiawe asked, and Ash nodded, returning from his reverie to put down the remaining half of his delicious delicacy.
"Officially, but I'm just training at the moment," Ash said.
"Is there anything you would like to know? See, I have done it too."
"Oh, really? Did you complete it?"
"I did. It was tough, but I finally got there."
"And we've never heard the end of it," Mallow said, causing a round of laughs.
"Anyway, is there anything you'd like to know?" Kiawe asked, ignoring Mallow.
Ash thought for a moment.
"Lillie explained a lot of it to me, but I guess – what do Z-Moves feel like? And I'm from Kanto, which is famous for its gyms, so is it anything different to Gym Challenges?"
"Good questions! Firstly, as weird as it sounds, Z-Moves are like a surge of determination you share with your Pokémon, something that overtakes both of you and allows you to perform something spectacular. And let me tell you, Z-Moves are very spectacular. Burning like the mountain of Akala, Inferno Overdrive is my favourite!"
"Oh, yeah, Ash, Kiawe is in love with a volcano," Lana said in a deadpan voice, causing Ash to laugh again with the rest of the table. Kiawe quickly berated Lana for misinterpreting things, and then his focus returned to Ash's questions.
"That's just for me, however. Other people have said they feel differently, such as Professor Kukui saying that he can only use them when he feels a tremendous closeness with his partner. Z-Moves rely on the Pokémon's bond with the trainer, so they feel different to each person that uses them."
"Uh-huh. So, just as an example, if the trainer and their partner Pokémon were to feel selfish, they could still pull off a Z-Move?" Ash asked.
"I assume they could," Kiawe said, thinking afterwards.
"I-I've read somewhere that they would be able to, yes," Lillie added. "They could pull off the move because that is the basis of their relationship and bond. That selfishness is what makes them close. Bonds between humans can be all different things – loving, spiteful – and it is the same with people and Pokémon. Therefore, you don't have to be the happiest and most excitable friends to pull the moves off. T-That's what I read, anyway. You are just required to be very close with your Pokémon."
Kiawe clicked his fingers.
"That's right. Thank you, Lillie," Kiawe said. "Now, along with the normal Z-Moves, some Z-Moves are unique to specific species of Pokémon. For example, it's rumoured that the Mythical Pokémon Mew has its own Z-Move. But, of course, nobody has ever seen Mew. It is only known of in mythology: only people who lived years ago have seen it."
Ash sat there awkwardly, flicking his eyes to his food. He decided not to say anything.
"The more common unique Z-Moves are used by the Alolan starter Pokémon's final evolutions. But, for every Z-Move, you must perform a couple of actions, like a dance. To me, they're quite empowering," Kiawe resumed. The mention of the actions got Ash thinking back to his image of Hala hula dancing.
"Ahh, that's in my mind now," Ash muttered, clenching his eyes, sighing. Pikachu's ears flopped over his eyes, and he held them there as if he shared Ash's thoughts.
"What is?" Sophocles asked.
"Ah, nothing. That honestly sounds amazing!"
Z-Moves sounded similar to Mega-Evolution in the bond viewpoint, but it was obtainable for any Pokémon. Ash couldn't wait to get started and figure them out.
"As for your other question, I don't know a lot about Gym Challenges, but I do know that the Island Challenge is a lot more relaxed on the moves you can use. From what I know, it's customary in Gym Challenges to only have your Pokémon recall four specific moves throughout unless they learn new ones to override it. Here in Alola, you can change your movesets between battles to develop different strategies at different times. That's the freeing aspect of it I really liked.
"As always, you are only allowed to use four moves in a battle, but you could change all your moves between them if you wanted. You can probably do that with Gym Challenges, but it's more lenient here. Encouraged even," Kiawe concluded.
"Wow. In that case, you could go up against a completely different Pokémon if you battle somebody twice on different days," Ash said, pondering just how much that would influence his journey. With Pikachu, he could implement Volt Tackle during his more serious battles but then return to Quick Attack for less-serious ones. That certainly did sound freeing.
However, Ash frowned.
"There's an issue with that, isn't there? If somebody were to change their moveset immediately and give their Pokémon new moves all of a sudden, they would be at a disadvantage. I mean, a Pokémon's moves become stronger and more effective with training. If you changed all your moves at the last minute, they wouldn't be as good at using them. You'd have to swap between moves the Pokémon already knows to utilise it."
"Exactly!" Kiawe said, jumping up. He knocked against the table but didn't even notice. "That's an impressive pick-up so quickly! That's the kind of way professional Trainers out here in Alola use it."
"I see, so it gives you freedom, but you've gotta be careful with it. I like it! Thanks for letting me know, Kiawe. I'm looking forward to this a lot now!"
"Pikachu!" And Pikachu was too.
"See ya later!" Ash called to Lillie and Mallow, the last two to leave him at the threshold to the route a few hours later. Ash had enjoyed their breakfast so much it had seemingly become mid-day as quick as it took to blink.
"Bye!" Mallow called back, skipping along the road with Lillie, who waved at him. They were heading to the café Mallow worked at – he found out it was her family's earlier. Lillie had kindly offered to taste some of Mallow's new dishes, and her excitement was evident.
Finally, with Pikachu and Rockruff perched on either shoulder, he ran out onto the route and began what he did every year: exploring.
It turned out that a day spent back in his life of adventuring was something he desperately needed. He walked along paths between groves of green, encountered wild Pokémon on his every side, and even battled trainers every so often who provided him with some much-needed money. He trounced them one after the other, leaving little room for a true battling experience, but it made him feel like himself again, even if it would only last a few hours.
Amongst the wild, Ash discovered Alola's local bird Pokémon, Pikipek, a small Bug Type called Grubbin – he checked them with Rotom – and several Caterpie and Metapod. Rockruff rejoiced in fighting them while Pikachu watched from the sidelines, unchallenged at their low levels. He unbathed instead.
At about mid-day, Ash found a Growlithe stealthily circling a pile of berries, specifically two large blue ones that seemed much too large to be berries.
The route was shaped like a boomerang's curve and trailed along a dusty path up and around the large mountain centring Melemele. But Ash was never one for sticking to the path forever. He followed the trail beyond a house with a small farm of Oran and Sitrus berries, from which he heard yelling, then he checked out a small bay beside a motel. He wandered off the dusty track when he saw a group of people clustered around and chatting by a Poké-Center lodge towards the end of the trail.
Late into the afternoon, after a few hours of clambering through the vines and bushes, acquiring countless berries, and battling wild Pokémon, he found a stray trainer deep in the forest.
The boy had a black Ratatta, something that immediately intrigued Ash. That must have been Ratatta's Alolan variant, as Lillie had called it. It was interesting to see the differences and how Pokémon changed depending on the environment. This Ratatta was a Dark-Type, something which Ash found incredible. It was as if he was in a different world.
Unfortunately, the battle ended too quickly, as they all did. Consecutive hits with Rockruff's Tackle-Sand Attack combo and the boy's black Ratatta had fainted. It appeared Melemele was not a hive for experienced trainers but those less skilled or only beginning. Ash could see himself taking on the first trial relatively quickly, even if he currently only had Pikachu with him on the Alolan team. He couldn't make his older, stronger Pokémon fight at such a low level just to preserve their opponent's pride. He didn't want Pikachu to fight below his level, either, but Pikachu was different. He was his partner.
Thinking back to his sparse team, catching Rockruff slipped into his thoughts again while he tried to tell the young boy he didn't need the reward money. The boy thanked him, Ash gave him a stack of berries, and he ran gleefully back through the trees.
Ash brushed his arm against his forehead to wipe the sweat away. The sun had been punishing all day, so he welcomed a bit of shade under the trees.
While Rockruff played in the shade, barking and chatting with Pikachu, Ash started thinking about why his ability to understand Pokémon wasn't working with Rockruff. Incidentally, it didn't work with any of the wild Pokémon or other trainers' Pokémon. It wasn't faulty: he understood Pikachu's every cry. That just meant there was something more to it.
But Brock wasn't there, and he couldn't tell a stranger about it. Hala and Kukui seemed to be good options, but Ash didn't want to tell them. Hala's continuous probing into his adventures was slightly concerning, even though he knew the man had a large heart. That much was evident. Tapu Koko's actions must have meant something significant to the old Kahuna, or he wouldn't have been so curious.
Ultimately, Ash decided to keep it to himself. Besides, the ability was so unheard of he doubted anybody had heard of it outside the Ninja Village in Kalos.
He decided to sleep on it. He gathered Pikachu and Rockruff and headed back to the city.
The silver peak dividing Kanto and Johto opened into a long stretch of stone at the apex, shimmering with a sheet of crystal snow. Not a footprint nor pawprint could be seen.
A timid snow flurry with whooshing, whistling wind encircled the mountain tops, generating a briskness in the air that was barely tolerable to the man in red who stood at the end of the highest peak. He peered far across the white-wonderland night with such brown eyes that, if glimpsed at an angle, could have been a hot red. He silently watched the world beyond the snow, the bright city lights so far below that could have been stars fallen to the earth, and the blurred forests and roads and seas, a blended miscellany of grey and green and blue. He readjusted his red cap, his open short-sleeved coat flapping behind him.
Time was nothing up there. An hour could pass in a minute. He didn't know how long he had been there when his attuned ears heard the crunch of feet beyond the wind. He peered over his shoulder and saw the man who ruined everything. He even ruined the beautiful snow, his pointed black shoes lifting and layering clumps atop each other, digging long holes into the smooth surface. The crunching stopped a meter to his side, and with a flick of his eyes, he acknowledged the black hat and the snow-covered black coat pulled warm against the man.
The man lodged his hands into his coat pockets as he, too, watched the world breeze by.
"It's beautiful," the man quietly said after a few minutes, without faux awe, his eyes solidified forwards, his lips a myth smile.
The man in red didn't reply.
"Quite an excellent location you decided to retire to. If it were me, I'd have come here too. Out of sight, out of reach, out of life. It took me a while to find you, and this was all but an adept guess." The man in black glanced at the other's unimpressed expression. "Hmm, don't give me that look. I'm here because I have news. Hah, now your expression says: how long will this go on? Until I'm done, until it's complete, this long, convoluted story we're intertwined in."
The man in red stared.
"Yes, of course, I'll get to the point. It's the boy."
The man in red tensed.
"He's supposedly dead."
Faster than Extreme Speed, the man in red dashed in front of his associate, kicking the snow into a frenzy. He clenched his fists tightly, physically shaking.
"Anger is entirely acceptable," the news-bringer calmly said, "but no, it wasn't anybody involved. Nobody knows how. Not even I. It was on the news, confirmed by Samuel."
The man in red stepped back. The man in black readjusted his jacket and hat and turned away, beginning back down the trail. He disappeared into the blizzard with a parting word. "But if it were me, I wouldn't be so certain."
The remaining, solitary man in red stood for a few minutes, thinking. Then he turned and descended the trail too, in an amble.