"Mmm… Morning, everyone." Meitenkun said as his group woke up inside of a small hotel in the city of Medali.
"Morning, Meiten. I hope everyone slept well after our excursion last night." Shun'ei said.
"Oh yes, the beds were quite comfortable." E. Constance said.
"This city was very welcoming when we arrived. I love Medali's atmosphere." Perfuma said.
"It's very…normal to say the least." Mari said.
"Probably a hint at the Gym Leader here." Shun'ei said. "I heard he is a Normal-type specialist, after all."
"Then let's get Shun'ei to his Gym Test, so we can find out who they are." Frosta said.
"We're not even gonna eat first?" Flamberge said.
"It's totally fine. This town's got a great restaurant that serves some of the best food around." Frosta said. "We can eat there after Shun'ei wins."
"Right but first we gotta go to the Gym and…" Shun'ei started.
"I SAID I'LL BE HIS RIVAL!" a voice called outside.
"Wonder what's going on?" Mari said as they went outside to see two girls talking.
Cue: Silver Encounter Theme - HeartGold/SoulSilver OST
Standing on one side of the conversation was Rinkah, in full on Flame Warlord state as she was back in her black styled clothing with the lavish red hair coming from her oni mask, as she folded her arms with a frown.
"And I don't recall you ever earned the right to be called his rival. Have you even proven yourself worthy of such a thing?" Rinkah asked in a surprisingly calm tone, compared to before.
Who Rinkah was talking to was a young girl in a school uniform with black hair with a green streak.
"I am a champion ranked battler. He's fighting in the gym challenge. It's only right we become fated rivals so we can have explosive battles!" she said.
"Wait… Are these two fighting…over Shun?" Meitenkun asked.
"Never took you for a ladies' man." Mari said.
It was then the black haired girl noticed the group and smiled. "Look! He's here! I've been watching you ever since Mezagoza. My name is Nemona and we're fated rivals. I bet you really wanna battle right now. Come on, let's go at it!" she said excitedly.
"Uhm… No." Rinkah would rebuttal as she immediately got her attention by stepping between Nemona and Shun'ei. "I just battled him not long ago before he completed the fourth gym. I'm certain he would like instead to take the Gym Challenge without interference. So for the last time, I challenged him first, and unless you prove otherwise, he is my rival, not yours."
"Oh, c'mon! You just said you've battled him!" Nemona protested.
"First off, I think I am allowed to have multiple rivals, as David can attest. Heck, I even have one back home with Isla." Shun'ei said.
Rinkah shot a look back at him that read. "I really don't think you want this battle crazed nutjob." But that was all in just the look. Thankfully for her, Shun'ei shared that look, especially when Nemona sounded more like a stalker than a rival.
"Now is that any way to treat these girls?" a voice said as a dark skinned woman with black hair that had gold higlights in various spots walked up. "My…you and this leader…you just like leading women on."
"I…I don't…what?" Shun'ei said in stunned shock.
"La Primera?" Nemona said in surprise.
"No way…it's this woman. Why is she here?" Meitenkun asked.
"Who is she?" Perfuma asked.
"She's Geeta. Head of the Academy Schoolboard, chairwoman of the Paldea Pokemon League and the highest ranked Champion in Paldea." he said.
"You girls shouldn't be having an argument like this. If you want to settle the matter…let your Pokémon do the speaking." Geeta said.
"That's a splendid idea." Rinkah said with a smile as she looked at Nemona. "Alright, I'll make you a deal, Nemona, if you prove yourself worthy in a Pokémon Battle, I will consider allowing you to also be Shun'ei's rival." Rinkah challenged with a growing smile. "You up to the task?"
"You're on." Nemona said.
Cue: Team Rainbow Rocket Theme - Pokémon Sun/Moon
RINKAH
VS
NEMONA
Rinkah has challenged Pokémon Trainer Nemona!
Both girls took their places as they stood in the court in the city.
"All right…let's get things started! Go, Lycanroc!" Nemona said, sending out a Midday Lycanroc.
"Coalossal, let's go!" Rinkah said as she sent out the Rock/Fire type colossus. "Show me that fiery spirit of yours! Show me you can break through my indomitable spirit!"
"Oh I am so there! Lycanroc, use Accelrock!" Nemona said as Lycanroc charged into Coalossal with full force.
"Bulldoze!" Rinkah ordered as Coalossal stomped the ground again and again, as it charged at Lycanroc with hefty footsteps.
Both Pokémon collided with each other, Coalossal coming away with lesser damage, being the sturdier one.
"Now use Bite!" Nemona said as Lycanroc bit into Coalossal's arm.
"Shake it off with Dig!" Rinkah exclaimed as Coalossal leapt into the air and hit the ground so hard, it and Lycanroc both went under the ground, leaving a massive hole where Coalossal landed, as both Coalossal and Lycanroc were now underground.
It wasn't long before both emerged from a new hole, as Lycanroc took the brunt of resurfacing as it crashed through the ground first, before Coalossal headbutted Lycanroc, sending it back to the feet of Nemona.
"Return!" Nemona said, recalling Lycanroc. "Time to cool you down! Go, Goomy!" Nemona said as she sent out Goomy.
Rinkah's eye raised at this choice, before she looked to Coalossal. "Be on guard with this one." Rinkah said as Coalossal nodded. "Alright, test things out with Heat Crash!" Rinkah said, knowing that even if it wasn't very effective, the move had a lot of power behind it considering Coalossal's weight compared to Goomy's, as Coalossal threw its entire body weight at Goomy in bright flames.
Goomy held on but barely as it looked dizzy.
"Hang in there! Use Water Pulse!" Nemona said as Goomy hit the large mountain of coal with a water blast.
"Oh…she should not have done that." Mari said. "Here comes Steam Engine!"
Everyone was expecting Coalossal's speed to be increased, but nothing happened. The Coalossal Rinkah caught didn't have the Steam Engine ability, but the Flash Fire Ability, even worse, it was a critical hit!
"Rinkah's already down one!" Meitenkun exclaimed from the sidelines as Rinkah smirked.
"Leave a parting gift. Stealth Rock now." Rinkah smiled as the response shocked the entire group, watching as Coalossal buried many tiny but very sharp rocks in Nemona's side of the field just before it fainted, as Rinkah recalled Coalossal.
"Uh… did I hear that right, or did Rinkah just call out Stealth Rock?" Frosta asked.
"Tricky. Setting up a long lasting ambush for any newcomers." Nemona said.
"Isn't it great?" Rinkah asked. "Knowing this, it should push you harder. Your Pokémon may be weaker but their spirit must never waver!"
"But Rinkah, I thought you hated Trap Moves like Stealth Rock." Perfuma remembered.
"True, I hated the move. And to a degree, I still do. But when it comes to battles like these… perhaps I was a bit too serious in my reaction. Pokémon Battles are about giving all you have, not just in physical combat, but with every skill you have to your disposal! And if you are caught in a trap, don't allow it to anger you! Power through with indomitable will and spirit, and any obstacle can be overcome! Let's show them, Salazzle!" Rinkah yelled, sending out her next t
Pokémon.
"Wow, you're giving me a run for my money, and I'm pretty passionate!" Nemona said enthusiastically.
"Salazzle, let's start things off interesting. DRAGON CLAW!" Rinkah ordered as Salazzle nodded, rushing down Goomy with blue draconic flames surrounding her claws, hitting Goomy full force.
"NIce! I see you've done some homework, Dragon will always triumph over Dragon. No changing that." Nemona said as she recalled Goomy. "But…let's change things up! Go, Pawmo!" she said sending out a small rodent on two legs as it took some damage from Stealth Rock.
"Hey, Rutega had one of those." Rinkah mused. "You both share a similar love for that little guy."
"Let's see… Pawmo, the Mouse Pokémon and the evolved form of Pawmi. An Electric and Fighting Type! Pawmo uses a unique fighting technique in which it uses its forepaws to strike foes and zap them with electricity from its paw pads simultaneously." Mari said, looking it up.
"Let's see if we can slow her down! Use Arm Thrust!" Nemona said as Pawmo was moving its arms back and forth as it went to attack Salazzle.
Rinkah allowed it, as Salazzle ate the blows as it smiled, looking at Pawmo with a sinister smile. "Looks like someone skipped a day perhaps. Did you know Fighting isn't very effective against Poison types?" Rinkah asked Nemona. "Salazzle, punish her mistake with Fire Lash!"
Salazzle whipped its flaming tail, hitting Pawmo dead on with it.
"Oh no!" Nemona said as Pawmo was patting itself down to put out the flames. "Now that was a good hit! But let's see if we can hit back harder! Use Spark!" Nemona called out as Pawmo coated itself with electricity.
"Not bad!" Rinkah said as Salazzle was hit. "Incinerate!"
Pawmo was then hit with a very intense flame as it was sent flying.
"Return!" Nemona said recalling Pawmo. "Oh man…I'M GETTING REALLY HEATED NOW!" Nemona said with stars in her eyes. "So exciting!" she said. "But…I still have one left! Let's go, Skeledirge!" she said as she sent out a large crocodile creature with a firebird on its head .
"Let's see…Skeledirge, the Singer Pokémon and the evolved form of Crocalor! A Fire and Ghost Type! The fiery bird changes shape when Skeledirge sings. Rumor has it that the bird was born when the fireball on Skeledirge's head gained a soul." Mari said.
"So that's what the final evolution of Fuecoco looks like." Perfuma said.
"It's appearance is a bit frightening, but its fire burns bright." D. Constance said.
"Hoh, down to your last already?" Rinkah asked Nemona as she smiled. "Then let's make this one hell of a finish!" Rinkah smiled, returning Salazzle. "GO, CERULEDGE!" Rinkah called out, as it was a Fire/Ghost Showdown!
"Hang on. I didn't get a chance to read its entry last time." Meitenkun said. "Ceruledge, the Fire Blades Pokémon and the evolved form of Charadet. A Fire and Ghost type! An old set of armor steeped in grudges caused this Pokémon's evolution. Ceruledge cuts its enemies to pieces without mercy."
"So this is Noa's other possible evolution?" D. Constance asked.
"Now this is gonna be a match between fire and ghost." Frosta said.
"Fraid not…just fire." Nemona smiled as she took out a Tera Orb.
"She's gonna Terastallize it?" Mari asked.
"Against an opponent like this, you gotta give your all!" Nemona said, as she gathered energy into the orb before tossing it. Appearing on Skeledirge's head was a candelabra as it let out a loud roar.
"That's smart, Ghost types can hurt each other like Dragon Types can, Terastallizing into a Fire Tera type gets rid of that weakness." Frosta said.
"And in Skeledirge's case, boost any fire type moves it has." Mari said in thought. "This could be another thing about the Terestal Phenomenon to keep in mind too. I mean sure, using it to change your Pokémon into a different type is a good defense, but also changing it into the same type is a good boost to the moves of the same type, and yes like Frosta said, removing any kind of weakness it has as a dual type."
"The way we have seen it, Terastalization is a bit of a double-edged sword." Shun'ei said. "For one, it changes a Pokemon's type to work around some of the Pokemon's original weaknesses, but it also makes them gain the weaknesses of the type it changes to."
"In other words, it's not something you can throw out willy nilly." Alkal said.
"Exactly. You need to strategize with it and decide for yourself the best opportunity to use it." Shun'ei said.
"Heh. So you're bringing out your all, eh?" Rinkah asked.
"Yup! And I already know your team is all Fire types. So you have no way of hitting me hard, but I can certainly hit YOU hard! Skeledirge, use Torch Song!" Nemona said.
Skeledirge sang, or rather roared, into a flaming microphone stand as the firebird on its head charged at Rinkah's Ceruledge, the move having extra power to it via Terastallization. The attack hit, as smoke covered over Ceruledge…
Before it gained an aura of blue flames, as it seemed unscathed, as Rinkah smirked, gaining her own blue flames. "Let me show you something stronger than Terastallization! LET'S GO!" Rinkah yelled as she suddenly powered up to her Azure Warlord variant, the hair now blue as Ceruledge gained a brighter color to it, as its flames shifted from ghostly purple to an almost draconic blue as Rinkah and Ceruledge roared in sync.
Rinkah-Ceruledge
"The true test awaits you now, Nemona. Can you bust through the combined will of myself and Ceruledge, linked together as one?" Rinkah asked as Ceruledge crossed its flaming blades in an X pattern, which was it assuming standby pose.
"Nuts… this is some crazy power you're giving off!" Nemona exclaimed.
"Go. BITTER PHANTOM FORCE!" Rinkah exclaimed, as in a wisp of blue flames, Ceruledge vanished, before blue slashes from all sides hit Skeledirge, before Rinkah-Ceruledge slashed through Skeledirge, a Ghostly Flame exploding right on top of it. A Ghost Type move to the core, ignoring the Fire Resistance Skeledirge had.
Skeledirge's crystal coating shattered upon the impact before it let out a song like cry before collapsing.
Theme End
"Well…guess that's that. But…that was…SUPER INCREDIBLY AMAZING! WE GOTTA DO IT AGAIN! I'LL GO WITH A WHOLE OTHER TEAM!" Nemona said in excitement.
Rinkah only laughed, her and Ceruledge reverting, as Rinkah was back in Flame Warlord. "Sure, any time. But I think you've forgotten the whole point of why you were here to begin with." Rinkah said, gesturing at Shun'ei with a smile. "You wanna be his rival, right? You've pushed me to showing you my new linkage, I think that more than qualifies as a pass for you to be a rival to him too."
"Yes! Definitely. Same with you." Nemona said. "Shun'ei…let's battle soon…when you reach my rank! Champion vs Champion!"
"I'll be seeing you then." Shun'ei said.
As Nemona left, the others went up to Rinkah.
"Wow, Rinkah. You were really having fun battling Nemona back there." Frosta said.
"Well, Rutega and I seemed to both meet up with a similar issue during the down time you guys had." Rinkah said, her eyes drifting up to one of the taller mountains of the region. "We both messed up, we deduced. Pretty badly. For her, she went a little too aggressive on someone, a kid, even, who tricked her harmlessly, really." Rinkah said. "As for me… I was taking battles like this a little too seriously, as you heard me say. But through Rutega and my new friend Coalossal, along with my linkage with Ceruledge, I've learned that battles… they're not meant to be downright serious. They're meant to be enjoyed, to be fun. When the joy of the fight is gone, it's not a good fight at all. So I had to find my own version of joy, and Rutega helped me find it, just as I helped her find a way in and out to get herself a new friend to help her as well… in the end, we've both understood our mistakes. Mistakes we'll never make again." Rinkah smiled before a small bead of sweat appeared on her head. "Just don't expect me to use Stealth Rock again, I really do dislike that move." Rinkah added with a small chuckle.
"Yeah. Moves like that shouldn't really be relied on all that often." Shun'ei said.
"I agree." Rinkah said as she turned to Shun'ei. "And hey, good luck on your next Gym Challenge."
"We were actually just on our way to have shun'ei take the Gym Test." Frosta said. "His 5th Gym Battle is here in Medali."
"I wish you guys luck then." Rinkah said with a smile. "Until our next bout, Shun'ei." Rinkah said as she turned to walk away. "I'm off to train. Now I got Nemona as a rival to worry about." Rinkah chuckled.
Rinkah soon left, leaving the Gym Challenge Team with their next destination, the Medali Gym.
At the Gym a bit later….
"To pass the test…you need to figure out the secret menu of the Treasure Eatery." the attendant at the gym said.
"The secret menu?" Shun'ei asked.
"How do we do that?" Mari asked.
"All you have to do is place a very specific order." the attendant said. "You should get hints of it from the people in town."
"Got it. Hope our memory is good." Shun'ei said.
"I can take notes to help us keep track." Mari said.
"Is it okay if we all pitch in to help Shun'ei with this one?" Frosta asked the receptionist.
"If it's okay with the Challenger." the attendant said.
"I suppose it's okay. I probably wouldn't figure this out on my own anyway." Shun'ei said.
"Then it's settled. When you think you have the order figured out, go to Treasure Eatery and place the order you think is the Secret Menu. Order correctly, and the challenger has the right to face our Gym Leader." the receptionist said.
"Alright, our first Gym Test as a team! Let's do this!" Frosta said.
"First thing is first, let's go around town for some hints." Shun'ei said.
The group headed out into town and searched around the town for anyone who might have clues about the Secret Menu item. While searching herself, Frosta walked past a young girl who spotted her.
"Hey, miss! Are you with that guy with the green hair?" the young girl asked.
"Uh, yeah, I am, if you mean Shun'ei. I'm trying to help figure out Treacure Eatery's secret menu item." Frosta said.
"Well, me and two others are trying to figure it out, but we just can't figure out our clues!" the girl siad. "The one I got was to look for something that's the odd one out at one of the ice cream stands."
Frosta looked around and saw two ice cream stands close by. She went to the one on the right and looked through the flavors in stock.
"Let's see…Mint, Fizzy-pop, Strawberry, Mango, Nacli Salt, Teriyaki… wait, who puts teriyaki sauce on ice cream?" Frosta wondered aloud. Then she found something not really expected in an ice cream stand. A pair of rice balls, grilled, with two lemon slices on each one. "Rice balls? Sold at an ice cream stand? That's gotta be it!"
Clue #1 Found!
Grilled Rice Balls
Meanwhile, CP made his way around the city, looking for any signs of clues, until he was called out by an Academy Student with a ponytail.
"Excuse me, but if you're looking for clues for the secret menu, I have a clue." the student named Gisela said. "I was told to look for a dark spot surrounded by stairs. I don't remember seeing any dark spots in this town…"
"Hmm…" CP hummed as he looked around, before seeing a peristyle below them surrounded by stairs which held a round gate covering a doorway, what lay beyond it hidden by shadows. "Ah-ha! Darkness!" he said, heading down there and peering within the doorway. "Now let's see here…. Fire Blast. That is the name for one of the more powerful moves Fire-types can learn. Oh! But if I remember right, it also represents the levels of heat used for grilling, Fire Blast being extra hot! Therefore…it must be part of the secret menu item! Huzzah!"
"(Wow, he's almost as enthusiastic as the Student Prez…)" Gisela thought to herself.
Clue #2 Found!
Fire Blast
For the third clue, Mari and Constance, the latter in her Depressed personality, walked right by a young man who was also a student.
"Hey, you two are helping someone take this town's gym test, right? I can tell!" he said. "Here's the clue I was given. Listen to the blue bird Pokémon. I'm still puzzling over the word it said."
"Blue bird Pokémon…?" D. Constance asked. "Fortune does not favor us, I do not see any blue bird Pokémon."
"Mari, Constance, over here!" Perfuma called, nex to to a flying Taximan with a parrot like Pokémon that had blue feathers and a weird hairstyle. "This could be it!"
"What… is that?" D. Constance asked.
"Lemme see. Squakabilly, the Parrot Pokémon. A Normal and Flying Type. The largest of their flocks can contain more than 50 individuals. They fly around towns and forests, searching for food and making a racket." Mari said. "They're the ones tasked with carrying the Flying Taxis here in Paldea, and they come in a variety of Plumage colors. Green, Yellow, White… and Blue! The description I read is for the blue ones."
The two headed over to the Taximan.
"Listen to this! My Squakabilly can talk!" he said.
The Parrot Pokémon brawked. "Tawk-a-billy, Tawk-a-Billy! No-think, No-think! Meedyum, Meedyum!"
"Meedyum? Hmm.. Meedyum, Meedyum…" Perfuma then gasped. "Medium! It's trying to say Medium!"
"Like how well food is cooked up to?" Mari asked.
"No, I believe it's referring to medium as in size." D. Constance said.
Clue #3 Found!
Medium Size
After these three clues were found, everybody then met up outside the Treasure Eatery and pooled the clues together.
"Hmm… I think we got this with everything together." Shun'ei said.
"Then let's go in and order." Perfuma said as they went inside, the indoor setting causing Constance to revert back.
In the Japanese style restaurant, the group found the one they had to order from.
"Welcome to Treasure Eatery. You guys must be here for the Gym Test. So… what will you be ordering?" the waiter asked.
"Hmm… We'll take the medium grilled rice balls, Fire Blast style, with a touch of lemon." Shun'ei said.
At this order, the main straw mat dining area suddenly shook. All the patrons then vacated as the floor gave way and opened to reveal…. A battle court!
"Well done! You got the order right, so that means you passed!" the waiter said. "Your gym leader will be right with you. Larry! You got a challenger!"
"Of course…" murmured a man at the bar as he got up. He had glazed eyes and was dressed in business attire as he looked relatively normal as he entered the court.
The Exceptional Everyman
Larry
"I didn't even notice he was the Gym Leader." Meitenkun said.
"Well, this Gym specializes in Normal Type Pokémon, so… makes sense for the Gym Leader to be a normal and average guy, I guess." Frosta said.
"It looks like you're going to be battling him inside the restaurant, Shun'ei. Are you okay with that?" Perfuma asked.
"No problem. Wouldn't be the first time." Shun'ei said.
Shun'ei then got onto the battle court and faced down Larry.
"Look…let's make this quick. I gotta start my next shift soon. My job is never ending." Larry said as he put down his suitcase.
"Don't worry. This match will be over in just a few minutes." Shun'ei said.
"Really? That should be manageable I suppose. Well then, let's get this over with." Larry said as he fixed up his tie and focused up. "Thank you for doing business with us today. I, Larry, will be at your service."
(Cue: How about a trip to PaoPao Cafe?- King of Fighters XV)
Larry pulled at his gloves and adjusted his tie once more before tossing a Pokéball. "Go." he said as out of the ball came a Komala.
"Whoa! That Komala seems just like me." Meitenkun said.
"Unlike you though, they practically sleep all the time." Perfuma noted.
"First up to bat is Lurantis!" Shun'ei said as he sent out Lurantis. "Let's start things off with an X-Scissor!"
Lurantis unleashed the Bug type attack, cross cutting Komala and doing a bit of damage.
"So full of spirit. You're gonna lose that when you enter the real world. Komala, Yawn." Larry said as Komala yawned as Lurantis started to get drowsy.
"Man, that move will put Lurantis to sleep after her next attack." Shun'ei said. "May as well make the most of it, Trailblaze!"
Lurantis knew that she was headed to sleep, so she might as well hit Komala hard with everything she had before that. She used the fast paced grass type attack and hit the Koala Pokemon hard, knocking it out before she nodded off.
Larry returned his KOd Komala.
"Perfuma, I'll leave Lurantis with you." Shun'ei said, having Perfuma tend to the sleeping Lurantis.
"Guess that means you're technically switching out. Not that I mind…" Larry said, taking out his next Pokéball. "You're next."
Larry's next pokemon appeared to be Dunsparce, however, it was way larger and longer than it originally looked like.
"The heck?" Meitenkun said as he checked it out. "Dudunsparce, the Land Snake Pokémon and the evolved form of Dunsparce! A Normal Type! This Pokémon uses its hard tail to make its nest by boring holes into bedrock deep underground. The nest can reach lengths of over six miles."
"Dunsparce can evolve now?" Mari asked.
"Apparently. Guess in Paldea, they grow that big." Frosta said.
"You're up, Quaxwell." Shun'ei said as he sent out Quaxwell.
"Okay then… let's see how you deal with this." Larry said. "Use Hyper Drill."
Dudunsparce flipped around to its backside and spun up like a drill very fast and bore right at Quaxwell.
The attack was very powerful, with Quaxwell taking a big hit as he soon glowed.
"Evolving after taking a big hit again? And this soon?!" Perfuma asked.
"You don't hear me complaining." Frosta said in anticipation of what Quaxly's final form was going to look like.
Standing there was a large bird-like creature whose feathers flew out behind it as it danced to its own rhythm.
"Let's see…" Mari said. "Quaquaval, the Dancer Pokémon and the evolved form of Quaxwell. A Water and Fighting Type. Dancing in ways that evoke far-away places, this Pokémon mesmerizes all that see it. Flourishes of its decorative water feathers slice into its foes."
"Fighting type, hm? Well, let's see where this goes. Low Sweep!" Shun'ei said.
Quaquaval hit Dudunsparce low, garnering a super effective hit and sent the large snake tumbling down with one hit.
"Return." Larry said. "All right…looks like we're really going into crunch time now. Let's finish this. Go." he said as he sent out a Staraptor.
"Well…this is not looking good." Shun'ei said as Quaquaval didn't seem too worried as it continued to dance.
"All right…let's get this over with." Larry said as he Terastalized Staraptor as an ordinary jewel appeared on its head.
"Right…you learned a new move when you evolved." Shun'ei said. "Let's do it. Use Aqua Step!" he said as Quaquaval danced all around as its feathers moved with it, slashing and hitting Staraptor rapidly before it collapsed to the ground.
(end song)
"Hm. That was over pretty quickly." Larry said as he returned Staraptor. "Well, guess that's that. You're rather strong, aren't you? Enough to bring out my poker face, even. I lost, so that means I have to give you the Normal Badge now, but...that battle made me a bit hungry. Care to join me for a meal?"
"If my Pokémon can join in too." Shun'ei said.
"Don't forget about us, we haven't eaten yet!" Frosta said.
And so, the entire group sat down to eat Brunch with Larry.
"Oooh! Exquisite! This is exactly the meal I've been craving." E. Constance said.
Charcadet seems to enjoy his meal too as something within him felt different.
"Hm? I see your Charcadet has noticed." the chef pointed out. "The sushi here allows a Pokémon to change its Tera Type."
"Wait, you can do that here?" Frosta asked.
"Sure you can. If you or any friends of yours bring me Tera Shards of a specific type, I can whip up a sushi dish that will let any Pokémon you've got change their Tera type to the one you want them to have." the chef said.
"It's the Eatery's speciality. You should try it." Larry said.
"Speaking of Charcadet, I've been wanting to give it something." Shun'ei said as he took out a sort of dark purple armor.
"Oooh, it's finally time!" Perfuma realized. "Constance, do you have the Auspicious Armor you acquired at Zapapico?"
"Why yes!" E. Constance said, bringing out the yellow armor.
"Are you ready, Charcadet?" Shun'ei asked. The fire child Pokémon nodded as Shun'ei hands him the Malicious Armor.
"Noa, are you ready to ascend as well?" E. Constance asked as Noa nodded as Constance handed her the Auspicious Armor. The two Charcadets snugged themselves inside their respective armors. And soon enough… the magic began.
(Cue: Spirit of the Flame- Street Fighter 6)
The two Fire Child Pokémon glowed the respective colors they were going to be accustomed to and started to change, literally growing into their armors until they were both finished, now in their desired evolved forms.
Noa became Armarouge, the Fire Warrior Pokémon. She looked over herself and nodded her head. She then slammed her fists together as crimson flames surged from her.
"(Now I can fully protect Lady Constance with my full potential.)" Noa said.
Meanwhile, Shun'ei's Charcadet became Ceruledge, the Fire Blades Pokémon. He was looking over his new form, remembering how cool Rinkah's Ceruledge looked when he first saw him. Needless to say, he is quite amazed at how he looks. He took a few practice swings with his new blade arms, which blazed with indigo ghostly fire.
"(Heh. I can get used to this.)" Ceruledge said in Pokemon speak.
"You two look amazing!" Frosta said. "Shun'ei, with that, I think your Perfect Link trio is complete. Quaquaval, Ceruledge, and Isla!"
"Looks like it. These three are quite the dynamic team. Heh. Three Perfect Links. I guess there is some nostalgia there." Shun'ei said.
"Yep. They look just like a real KOF Team, Shun!" Meitenkun said.
"Now that you have Armarouge, you're nearly set yourself, Constance. All you need is an Ice type, don't you?" Perfuma asked.
"Yes. With Noa and my recently acquisitioned Pawmi, a companion that uses ice is all that remains." E. Constance said.
"(We can get one over by the Glasedo Mountains. It's quite cold there.)" Ceruledge said in Pokémon speak.
"(And ironically, that's where two of the last three Gyms are at. Right next to each other, at that.)" Quaquaval said.
"Finally, we're headed to Glaseado Mountain! I've been meaning to catch new Ice types for my team ever since we started adventuring here!" Frosta said. "Hey, we should figure out which Gym you wanna challenge since they're so close to each other, Shun'ei. We're either going to Glaseado or Montenevera first."
"Hmm… I think it'll be a better bet to try Montenevera." Shun'ei said. "Either way, pack your snow gear. Because we're going mountain climbing."