A/N: I apologize for the slight delay, but I had a tough time writing this chapter. I just could not get it to flow right. Hopefully, I'll be able to finish the sixth chapter by Friday. I have a number of chapters I want to finish before I move to college next week. Anyhow, thank you to Subject 666 for beta reading this chapter and to all my readers! I apologize if these chapters seem like a novelization of the games, but the story will take a different direction really soon.

Fantasysword92375: Okay! And thank you so much for your suggestions! I'll keep your suggestions in mind as I try to decide what Pokémon Moon should catch.


Ch. 5: The Ceremonial Battle

Moon stared anxiously at the sky taking in all of the rich, warm colors that seemed to accentuate the beautiful setting sun. The only sound audible were the torches that crackled around her. All the inhabitants of the town had grown silent when Hala had walked onto the stage. Moon had tried to pay attention to Hala, but her hazy thoughts had drawn all of her attention towards the sky.

She was nervous. She had never battled in front of a large crowd of people. Even though she wished that Sun would have told her that the whole town would be watching, she doubted that would have made any difference. The fear of messing up was all she could think about now. Moon did not want to think about what everyone in the crowd would think of her if she did perhaps mess up this important battle.

Finding that the sky was not helping her calm down one bit, Moon switched her gaze to Hau, who was standing at the other side of the stage at the steps and not looking nervous at all. He had a large, eager smile as his eyes twinkled with excitement. She wished she could be excited as he was for this battle.

"For all life on our islands..." Moon heard Hala say. She had not noticed that he had been speaking the whole time to the townsfolk that stood all around the stage.

"And for those who undertake the island challenge with joy in their hearts," Hala continued speaking, his voice echoing loud and clear. "We pray for your protection, for them and all of Melemele... May today's Pokémon battle be an offering to our island's guardian deity, Tapu Koko!"

Moon closed her eyes, hoping that would help. She could barely hold in the anxiousness that was pulsating inside of her. Her hands were becoming clammy as she realized she could barely focus. She tried to take deep breaths as her thoughts went back to the conversation she had with Sun and Hau earlier that day.


"Ceremonial battle?" Moon asked with uncertainty.

"Yeah!" Hau said with eagerness. "There's a Pokémon battle at the end of every Full Force Festival, done in the honor of Tapu Koko! Gramps chose me and you to participate in the battle tonight!"

Moon stopped chewing on the chocolate covered candy she had been eating and looked at Hau in shock.

She and the boys were currently sitting on a bench taking a break, while eating sweets Hau had gotten for them. Since arriving in Iki Town that morning, she and the boys had participated in many of the festival's games and competitions. They had also participated in a few Pokémon battles with the other townsfolk. While Moon had won some, she had also lost some, but she didn't seem to care the more she battled with her Pokémon. The thought that she lost some battles was little in comparison to the sheer amount of fun she was having with Sun and Hau. And yet, the idea of participating in a ceremonial battle done in the honor of Tapu Koko seemed too much for her to take in.

"I.. I don't know if I should. I... I mean shouldn't Hala have chosen someone else?" Moon said, after swallowing her food slowly, hoping that maybe Hala had made a mistake and would pick another person.

"Tapu Koko saved you, Moon! Gramps had to choose you! Besides, it's just going to be like any other battle we've had, only it's going to be in front of more people than usual." Hau said with excitement, trying his best to reassure her only to find it made Moon's face go even paler.

"Hau!" Sun scolded. He sighed and looked back at Moon.

"Moon, you're going to be fine. Like Hau said, it's like any normal battle we've had. Just don't try to pay attention to the crowd that will be watching you two."

"B-but what if I'm not ready for this?" She asked hesitantly.

Sun smiled and spoke gently: "Trust me, Moon, you are ready."


Moon opened her eyes and shook her thoughts away. Despite what Sun said, she did not feel like she was ready for this. In fact, she felt that she still shouldn't have been chosen for this. She still was completely new to the concept of Pokémon battles.

"Before you stands Hau, grandson to the Kahuna." Moon heard Hala say with a trace of pride barely noticeable in his voice. She looked up from the ground to see him gesturing towards Hau as he slowly made his way up the steps. Once Hau reached the stage, he stopped and smiled at Moon as he awaited for her to be introduced onto the stage.

"And before him stands Moon, the one who has met with Tapu Koko."

Hala gestured towards Moon. She took a deep breath, struggling to make peace with her nervousness, and quietly made her way up the steps. Each step she took felt heavy and wobbly as if she was learning how to walk. It felt like years until she finally made her way onto the stage and stopped. Once she did, she immediately felt the full weight of everyone's gazes on her. She tried to ignore these gazes as she began to hear people all around her begin to murmur things about her.

"Who is she? I've never seen her before."

"What?! A child meeting Tapu Koko?"

"What a curious little thing Tapu Koko is! That's just about what we'd expect from it!"

Moon was surprised by these comments as a new sense of fear sprouted inside of her. She was new to the town. The townsfolk did not know her, so of course they were going to talk more about her and the fact she had met Tapu Koko. And yet, just as quickly as this new sense of fear had appeared, it was quickly washed away by two familiar voices she could hear from the crowd.

"Moon! Just take deep breaths and do your best! You got this!"

"Mikio, take care of Moon! You two can do it!"

Moon immediately felt a wave of calmness wash through her at hearing the two voices that yelled out words of encouragement to her. Sun and Nashima must have saw how nervous she was. She was happy that they took action and helped her relax a bit by encouraging her. As long as they were there among the crowd watching, she knew it would be a little easier to battle with her Pokémon without feeling like her heart was going to burst out of her ribcage.

"Moon, are you feeling alright?" Moon heard Hau say once the crowd became silent.

She looked up at him and nodded, smiling a bit.

"I think I'm fine now."

Hau smiled widely and spoke once more with excitement.

"That's the spirit! As long as we both have a good time, then I think we can call this a great battle, eh?"

Moon nodded, agreeing with Hau. As long as she had great friends like Sun and Hau, she would definitely be fine. Sun and Hau believed in her. Now it was time to show everyone in the town what she had learned from her friends.

"Moon! Hau! Bring forth the power of your Pokémon!" Hala declared as he waved his hand down to signal the battle to begin.

Both Moon and Hau took out their Pokéballs and tossed them into the air. Both Pokéballs opened, releasing Moon's and Hau's Pokémon onto the stage.

"I'll go first! Azura, use growl!" Hau yelled out.

His Popplio barked and released a soft growl at Mikio making him shudder.

"Mikio, take to the sky and use tackle!" Moon commanded to her Rowlet.

Mikio hooted in reply and spread out his wings, taking off into the sky. He flew around Azura in circles and dove straight down at her. Azura let out a sound of surprise as Mikio rammed into her side causing her to be pushed hard to the right.

"Don't let that stop you, Azura! Use water gun!" Hau commanded, smiling as Azura got back her bearings and looked back up at the Rowlet that was still in flight above her.

Azura moved her head slightly back as a torrent was released from her mouth directed at Mikio. Moon opened her mouth to tell Mikio to dodge the water attack, but she had no time to. Before she could say anything, the attack hit Mikio dead on and knocked him out of the sky, sending him crashing onto the stage.

Moon winced as her Pokémon made contact with the stage and looked back at Hau and his Pokémon, slightly confused. She did not remember Azura's water gun being that strong to the point that it could send Mikio back to the ground from midair. She wondered if Hau had been training Azura on his own time.

"Now Azura! Finish it with pound!" Hau called out, excitedly.

Azura barked cheerfully at Hau's command and moved towards the still down Rowlet.

Seeing that Azura was getting ready to hit Mikio with her tail, Moon quickly shook her thoughts away and directed her attention back towards the battle. There would be time later to think about Azura's strong water gun. She needed to tell Mikio to dodge the incoming attack now.

"Mikio, dodge it!" She called out with urgency.

Mikio struggled to get up from the ground, but was able to narrowly dodge the tail that almost made contact with his body. He took off to the sky and once again, began to circle Azura.

"Use leafage!" Moon yelled out.

Mikio responded and released a barrage of leaves from his feathers and sent the attack at Azura. Azura howled in pain as the bright green leaves hit her rapidly, but she still stayed up.

"Use water gun once more, Azura!" Hau called out.

Once again, Azura released a torrent of water from her mouth at Mikio.

"Dodge it and use peck!" Moon commanded.

Mikio narrowed his eyes and shot down at Azura as the blast of water gushed at him. He narrowly dodged the water gun attack and tilted his beak at Azura ready to hit her with a peck attack, but Hau was quick to give another command to his Pokémon.

"Use pound!"

Azura lifted her tail and slammed her tail into Mikio just before he could peck her, sending him crashing back onto the stage. Moon stared shocked at her injured Pokémon now wondering what she could do. Her strategy was not working. Azura was able to send Mikio back to the ground hard after every attack.

"Use water gun one last time, Azura!" Hau called out to Azura.

Moon gritted her teeth and watched as Azura opened her mouth and released another torrent of water at Mikio. Despite the type disadvantage, it was obvious that Azura was stronger. But Moon was not going to let that stop her.

"Mikio, circle behind Azura and use peck!"

Mikio flapped his wings, and for the third time took up to the sky, just barely getting hit from the attack of rushing water. He quickly flew behind Azura and dove down at her hitting her full force with a peck attack causing the Popplio to be pushed to the ground with a cry. As Azura tried to get back up, Moon wasted no time to tell Mikio to attack Azura again.

"Use leafage, Mikio!"

"Hoot!" Mikio cried as he released another barrage of leaves at Azura.

Azura cried out in pain as the attack of leaves hit her rapidly, causing her to fall back onto the ground. She made no more movement to get back up.

"Azura is unable to battle. The winner of this ceremonial battle is Moon!" Hala declared gesturing towards Moon with his hand. Upon his declaration, the crowd erupted into applause. They cheered at both Moon and Hau congratulating them both on their battle.

"What? It's already over?" Hau said as he returned Azura back into her pokéball. He chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head.

"That was really awesome, Moon! I had a blast fighting you!"

Moon smiled. Even though Hau had lost, he was being cheerful. He was smiling energetically at Moon and speaking positively about the battle. She often wondered how Hau would always smile after losing a battle. She wished she could do the same.

"I... I had fun battling you too." Moon said shyly, her smile growing wider as Mikio landed on her shoulder and snuggled his head onto her cheek.

"It was a great battle."

Both Moon and Hau blinked and looked at Hala, who was smiling at them fondly.

"While both of you have just started as trainers, you both have developed a strong bond with your Pokémon. I would imagine even Tapu Koko-"

"Ko-ko-kooo!" A loud cry echoed throughout the town, cutting Hala off. Hala looked up at the sky and chuckled.

"Ho! You heard it yourself!" He said looking back at Moon and Hau with a smile full of pride, "Tapu Koko's song of approval."

Hala then widened his eyes as he remembered something and walked forward towards Moon.

"Oh, I nearly forgot! I believe it is time I returned this back to you, Moon."

Moon stared at Hala confused as he dug into the pocket of his jacket and took out a grey armband. He handed it to Moon, who took it transfixed on the small object. While she knew she had never seen the armband before, it was oddly familiar to Moon.

"What is this?" She asked shyly, looking up at Hala.

Hala smiled and motioned for Moon to slip the armband on her left wrist. Once she did, he began to explain to her what he gave her.

"That on your wrist is a Z-ring, a mysterious armband that can draw out the power that lies deep within Pokémon. It can bring forth their Z-Power. We kahunas can make them by refining stones like the sparkling stone you received from Tapu Koko. Please do take care of it, my child."

"I-I will. Thank you..." Moon said softly as she looked down at the gift on her wrist. She could sense the power that was overflowing in it. It was warm and welcoming.

"Although until you collect more Z-crystals during your island challenge, you will not be able to draw out the Z-Power of your Pokémon," Hala remarked, smiling thoughtfully. "And yet, you have already received that sparkling stone... It seems as though Tapu Koko has taken a liking to you. Or perhaps, it has a mission for you. Tapu Koko may see something unique in you."

"In other words, it's time for you to get out there and start your Island challenge!" A familiar voice exclaimed near them.

Moon, Hau, and Hala turned to where the voice came from to see Kukui grinning at them. Moon gazed at him confused at what he had said.

"Island Challenge?" she asked.

"You'll travel to each of the four islands here in the Alola region. The Island Challenge is all about aiming to be the strongest Trainer- the Island Challenge Champion! I'm sure if you visit every island, you'll figure out what this mission from Tapu Koko is." Kukui explained with enough excitement to rivals Hau's energy.

Moon nodded hesitantly. She did not know what to think about going to the other islands and participating in this challenge. She liked Iki Town and staying with Sun and his mother. She had no idea if she wanted to leave so soon when she had only just arrived.

"Professor, I believe you will have to discuss this at a later time. It is time I conclude the festival." Hala said to Kukui.

"You got it, Kahuna!" Kukui replied as he looked back at Moon, "I'll explain more about the Island Challenge later, so just keep it in your thoughts for now."

Moon slightly nodded as Hala gestured for her and Hau to make their way off the stage. Once they did, he began to speak and thanked the townsfolk for coming and Tapu Koko for its protection. When he was finished, everyone erupted into applause cheering for their Guardian Deity with gratitude.

After the ceremony was concluded, Moon found her way back to Sun and Nashima, who were both surprising close to the stage. She smiled at both of them and found herself enveloped in a hug by Nashima. She flinched at this affectionate contact, but quickly gave in to the warmth it gave to her. It was as welcoming and reassuring as the smiles that Nashima would always give her.

"You did amazing, Moon," Moon heard Nashima say as she found herself gazing again at her warm dark eyes. "You and Mikio fought wonderfully."

"Mom's right, Moon. For a battle that was fought in front of so many people for the first time, you and Mikio did well." Sun said by Moon as he rubbed Mikio's head, causing the Pokémon to coo at his touch.

Moon stared at the two now beginning to feel her eyes well up with tears. Her lips formed a soft smile as she moved back into Nashima's warm arms, burrowing herself into her chest.

"Thank you..." she said softly. "Thank you for believing in me."

Moon felt Nashima wrap her arms tightly around her. Moon knew that there did not have to be any words exchanged to understand what the action meant. She instantly understood what it meant. She would always be welcomed by Nashima and her love.

"Now let's get home, you two," Moon heard Nashima say as she slightly pulled away from Nashima, so that she could look at her, "I think it's about time we get some rest."

Mikio cooed softly at that statement causing everyone to laugh. The three then began to make their way out of Iki Town and onto the trail that led back to the house. Once they arrived back home, Nashima made Sun and Moon get ready for bed. As Moon prepared to go to her room, Sun stopped her.

"Moon, do you want to participate in the Island Challenge?"

Moon looked back at Sun in surprise at his question and felt her gaze go at the ground deep in thought.

"I-I don't know... I mean, I only just got here and I..." she trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

"I know," Sun said causing Moon to look back up at him, "but I think it would be a good idea for you to try it. You'll be able to see and experience new things."

"Besides," Sun added with a smile, "me and Hau will be with you every step of the way."

"I-I'll think about it. Thank you, Sun," Moon said.

"No problem. Goodnight!" Sun turned and walked over towards his room and entered it. He closed the door behind him and left Moon alone. She remained standing silently by her room, thinking about what Sun had told her.

Moon knew Sun was not pushing her to do the Island Challenge, but was giving her an idea of how the challenge could help her grow as a trainer. He was right in the fact she would experience new things. She would be able to see the other islands and see new Pokémon as well as meet new people.

Moon widened her eyes, realizing something. If she visited the other islands, it could also mean there was a chance she would find her, the blonde-haired girl that had saved her. Moon's mouth quickly formed into a smile at this thought. While she was not comfortable at the idea of participating in the Island Challenge, she knew it would be her best chance of finding the blonde-haired girl. She had to find her. She needed to, so she could thank her.

Moon yawned sleepily. For now, it was time to go to sleep. She opened her door and entered it, shutting the door behind her. She quietly moved to her bed as the sleeping Rowlet on her windowsill cooed softly in his sleep. As she laid down and closed her eyes, Moon found herself engulfed in a dream full of strange sounds, one of which she could scarcely remember coming from the bag the blonde-haired girl had with her upon their escape.


A lone girl stood on a cliff as she watched the receding waves. She stared at them in silence quietly thinking to herself what she should do now, when she felt her bag began to shake. She hastily placed her hands on the bag and kindly told the Pokémon in it to not come out.

"No, Nebby, you can't come out! We'll get in trouble if anyone sees you."

The Pokémon in her bag listened and stopped moving. The girl sighed in relief and continued looking at the dark blue sea. She had no idea where she was. When Nebby had separated her and the dark-haired girl she tried to help escape, she woke up alone in an unfamiliar place. She was afraid for the dark-haired girl. The dark-haired girl and Nebby were both important to her mother, but for dangerous reasons. That's why she had to get them out. She could not take it any longer watching her mother use them as if they were tools.

"I hope she is okay..." the girl quietly thought to herself as she gazed at the white moon that glowed in the starry night sky.

"I have to find her before Mother does."

And with that thought in mind, the girl turned and continued walking on the trail towards the glowing city that was visible in the distance. She was never going to let her mother use Nebby and the dark-haired girl for her dark purposes ever again.


A/N: Hmm, now I do wonder who was that at the end of the chapter. Hehe! As always, thank you for your patience and please leave suggestions on the Pokémon Moon, Sun, or Hau should catch. Thank you!

Current Teams:

Moon: Mikio (Rowlet)

Sun: Kuro (Litten)

Hau: Azura (Popplio)