Track 40 - The Well
After Leinani's battle with Kala, she and Kaiko returned to Malie City. Their parents were waiting for them at home, and they celebrated together. Instead of going to the restaurant, they instead brought sushi home where they could party with loud music and laughs.
"I'm so proud of you," Leinani's father said while he hugged her. His hugs were weak, and Leinani was scared to hug back with full force, fearing that she might snap her thin dad like a twig.
"I didn't doubt you," her mother said. "I know that you're a little bit hot-headed, but it seems like you've done quite a bit of growing over the past few months."
"How long do you have until the actual conference?" her father asked while looking at the calendar on the kitchen wall. "We have to reserve tickets in advance."
"You haven't reserved tickets yet?!" Leinani asked. She pulled away and then put her hands on her hips. "How much faith do you really have in me?"
"We've been busy," her dad said with a nervous laugh.
"We have a little over three months. That leaves plenty of time for you to get your tickets and plenty of time for me to train," Leinani exclaimed.
"Cheers!" Kaiko said while holding up his fifth can of Alola Cola.
The next day, Leinani immediately started her training. While there were many routes around Malie City where she could battle with wild Pokémon, it was Malie City's gym where she knew she could get in the most training.
Uhuli gladly gave the battlefield to Leinani whenever he wasn't using it to take on challengers. And since it was getting closer to the Manalo Conference, challengers were far and few between. He even occasionally battled with her, giving his pupils a chance to watch live battles.
"Boombox, use Thunderbolt!" Leinani ordered.
Vikavolt screeched as it unleashed electricity from its stingers.
"Weavile, dodge and use Night Slash!" Uhuli commanded.
Uhuli's Pokémon moved around the electricity before he leaped into the air. His long claws were engulfed in dark energy, and he slashed. However, Vikavolt was much too fast, even for Weavile.
"X-Scissor!"
As Weavile came forward, Vikavolt unhinged his pincers. When the Dark-type was within range, Vikavolt clamped down, and an explosion of energy followed. Both Pokémon hit the ground, and neither of them got back up.
"Both Vikavolt and Weavile are unable to battle!" Kaiko declared. He then lowered his hands and looked at both Leinani. "Is this sparring match over?"
Leinani withdrew Vikavolt and then looked at the Poké Ball. "It looks like I have to rethink my strategy. Maybe I have to look at my TRs again."
Uhuli returned Weavile and then tucked the Poké Ball in the inside of his thick tan coat. "Don't think too much about different moves. You can always change moves, of course. However, I think it's best to master what your Pokémon already know. Figure out what your Pokémon are comfortable with and master those techniques."
"That's a good point," Leinani muttered.
"I say that, but I want to ask something. Did you ever evolve your Sandshrew?" Uhuli asked.
Leinani scratched the back of her head. "Um. No. Why?"
"Maybe you should?" Uhuli suggested. "Sandshrew isn't a bad Pokémon, but if you end up fighting one Fire-type, you're gonna want all of the strength that you can get."
Leinani released Sandshrew from his Poké Ball and then pulled the Ice Stone from her bag. She had thought about evolving Sandshrew a few times, especially before her battle with Kala. However, she wanted to keep the Ice Stone as a keepsake. Any gift from Uhuli was special to her, and as soon as she used the Ice Stone, it'd disappear. She still had the gym badge, Icium-Z, and even Uhuli's Z-Ring, but she considered them all a collection.
"Shure, do you want to evolve? You don't have to. No pressure," Leinani said while she held her Ice Stone.
Sandshrew looked at the Ice Stone and then back at Leinani. He cocked his head, unsure if Leinani was trying to secretly tell him something. However, he wasn't good at reading her facial expressions. She was smiling, but her eyes looked like she was trying to tell him something. Maybe there was pressure.
Then, Sandshrew decided. He leaped up and touched the Ice Stone. It suddenly melted upon contact, and Sandshrew started to glow. His form changed and grew until he was much larger. Spikes now protruded from his shoulders and back, and his claws were longer.
Leinani sighed and looked at her now empty hand. "Well, if it means that we're closer to winning, then I guess it's okay."
Uhuli smiled. "Let's call that a day. Kaiko, you think you can stay behind and help me clean up the gym?"
Kaiko nodded. "Yes sir!"
"I'm gonna go for a walk," Leinani said. She let the red light from her Poké Ball retrieve her new Sandslash. "There are a few things that I need to think about."
"Don't think too hard!" Uhuli said.
Leinani's brown eyes caught Uhuli's, and she felt like her legs were about to give out. She quickly turned around and put on her red headphones. "Peace."
With that, Leinani left the gym, and started to walk in the direction of the gardens. With every day that passed, she started to feel more pressure to train harder for the conference. She knew that her rivals were strong, but what made her nervous were the trainers that she didn't know about. Anyone of them could be a threat.
She came to the small red pavilion where her journey first started. DJ smiled as she waddled in next to her.
"You remember this place?" Leinani asked. "Of course you do. You know, I wasn't expecting to get a Rowelt that day."
"Row?"
"No offense. But, I'm glad that I didn't get to pick first. DJ, you're awesome. I'm glad that you're my partner."
DJ trilled happily and rubbed her body against Leinani's legs.
Then, suddenly something zoomed passed them. Leinani looked down as some of her black curly hair fell to the ground.
"What the-"
"Kar," something cooed from the side. It was a small white creature, seemingly made of paper.
"What's that thing?" Leinani asked as she drew out her Pokédex.
"No data," the small machine chimed.
"It-it is a Pokémon, right?" Leinani wondered. She looked up, and the creature started to swiftly float away. "Let's go!"
Leinani took off, and DJ followed. DJ took the lead, chasing after the small creature. Her wings started to glow as she charged up an attack, but before she could strike, the creature took a sharp turn and dove into the forest.
Leinani stopped, as there was no way to go into the forest without first diving into the garden's water. She held up her hand, and Rowlet flew back to her. The Flying-type landed on her shoulder as Leinani clicked her tongue.
"How odd," she muttered. "If you mess with us again, we won't go easy on you!"
The creature did not respond.
Leinani put her headphones on Rowlet's head and then turned around. She slowly walked back to the pavilion, looking at the night sky. The moon was bright, and it calmed her. But, she felt an uneasiness because of the creature from before. She had enough weird encounters over her journey, and if the creature was not a Pokémon from this world, then it'd only cause more problems for Leinani.
Then, as she came back to the pavilion, her eyes widened. A woman with dark skin and a long yellow skirt now stood in the pavilion. She observed the small ponds of water, not noticing Leinani. However, Leinani knew who she was. She was a celebrity throughout Alola, possibly the whole world. She didn't know how to handle herself.
"Excuse me," Leinani managed to squeak out.
The woman turned around and smiled. She had dark brown hair that fell to the middle of her back and wore a small black shirt that showed off her belly button. She regarded Leinani momentarily, but she wanted to give the young trainer a chance to speak first.
"Are you Kaarina?" Leinani asked. She already knew the answer. "Kaarina Māhoe?"
The woman nodded. "Yes. And who might you be?"
"My name is Leinani Koa. I'm a big fan. But, also I'm a Pokémon trainer. Are you enjoying Malie City?" Leinani wasn't sure how to talk to someone whom she had admired for years.
"It's nice to meet you, Leinani. I actually heard about a girl that fits your description down to the headphones and the Rowlet with a heart-shaped leaf. You left an impression on my daughter," Kaarina said.
"Kala talked about me?"
"She did. She had positive things to say. Also, it's my job to know about the trainers in Alola. Your story is interesting, Leinani," Kaarina exclaimed. She looked at the small ponds once more. "Malie Garden is beautiful. This is where Nanu gives out starter Pokémon, right? It's a wonderful place to start your adventure."
Leinani couldn't help but smile. "I was literally thinking about that a few minutes ago. What brings you here?"
"It's quiet," Kaarina said while looking down at the water.
"Can I say something? Sorry, I know that you came here to relax, but it's not every day that you meet the champion."
Kaarina laughed to herself. "Yeah, go for it."
"You're my inspiration! You and Kala both! I like strong trainers, and you're as strong as they come! I'm happy that you're the Alola Champion!" Leinani exclaimed excitedly. "I'm going to be competing in the Manalo Conference, and if you have any advice for a young trainer, please share it with me! I'm all ears!" She took her headphones off of DJ and held them at her side.
Kaarina smiled gently. "The genuine best advice that I can give you is to enjoy yourself. You can only enter a conference so many times, so you need to have fun every time that you do it. If you have fun, then you're Pokémon will also share those feelings. Winning and losing won't matter anymore."
Leinani nodded. "I see. I see. But, what if we really don't want to lose? What kind of advice do you have then?"
Kaarina laughed. "There's always someone stronger. Believing that you can win will only get you so far. You have to train harder and smarter than everyone else around you. That's the only way that you can guarantee a victory."
"I see."
"You have a few months. Do what you can, and train every day. However, don't overwork your Pokémon. You won't even make it past the preliminaries if your Pokémon are already exhausted," Kaarina said. "I guess that's most the advice that I can give to you."
"Outwork everyone?" Leinani wondered. "I can do that!"
Kaarina laughed. "I look forward to watching your battles, then."
Author's Notes: I wanted to write a chapter with a few random goals in mind. I wanted to evolve Sandshrew, show off the mysterious creature (who appeared in Chapter 9 or 10 (can't remember)), and introduce Kaarina to the story. I have figured out a small Magearna story (something cute), and I'll try to write that and post it in Chronicles before I go to the next chapter.
Next chapter, I want to show off some serious training (and an interesting battle). Then, we'll start the Manalo Conference!
