We are near the homestretch of the main plot, so strap in! This might take some time so there might be breaks in between. I'll let you know if there is one though. Enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 27-Passing On and the Road to Victory
Collin opened his eyes to see that he was on the ground. He looked up and the bright Alolan sun lit up and shined bright. They made it home, back to Alola. He looked around him to see Lillie and Guzma just walking up too, with Lusamine still knocked out and Nebby sitting down.
"Collin!" cried Lillie, slowly walking up to him. "...we did it. I can't believe we did it!" She helped him up from the ground and gave him a hug, making him wince.
"Lillie...you're hugging me too hard." he said, struggling.
"Oh! Sorry." She let go of him and let out a giggle. They heard the sound of footsteps of someone coming up the stairs. "Hapu!" shouted Lillie.
"Holy..." said Hapu, looking over the sight before her. "You know when I woke up this morning, the last thing I expected was seeing the Legendary Pokemon AND another hole in the sky!" She walked up to the small group and checked them. "Everyone okay?"
"A few scratches here and there but I think we are fine." said Collin, looking over himself. "Lusamine however is out like a light." Hapu took note of this and walked over to the unconscious woman and checked over her.
"Hmm...she's going to be alright, but judging by these small holes across her arms and neck," she said, pointing at them. "she'll need medical attention."
"The Aether Foundation will be able to help her, I'm sure of it." said Lillie, looking over her mother.
"Alright. Hey big guy!" yelled Hapu at Guzma. "Help me put the lady on Mudsdale!"
"O-Okay!" said Guzma as he gently lift her up from the ground and placed her onto Hapu's Mudsdale. After that, he walked to where Lillie and Collin was standing, scratching the back of his neck. "Listen...thanks for getting me out of there. You didn't have to."
"Of course we had to." said Collin. "Look, make this be a lesson for yourself. Look before you leap." Guzma grunted in response and walked down the stairs.
"He's certainly a character." said Hapu, watching him. She turned to face Lillie and Collin with a bright smile across her face. "Collin, you've done well looking after Lillie, even if she's not a Trainer."
"Well I can't take all the credit. She's done amazing things herself." he said, bringing Lillie close to his side.
"I bet she has. Lillie, when you are done with business here, come down and find me." With that, Hapu left the couple, with Lusamine on her Mudsdale by her side. It was now just Collin, Lillie and Nebby on their own.
"Thank you Collin." she said, kissing his check. "And thank you too Nebby." She walked over to the Legendary Pokemon and began to pet his head. "All I ever wanted to do is send you back home. But instead, you've been helping me time and time again. I guess you can go home now yourself."
"Lana-lunna" roared Nebby and began to rub his face on Lillie. Collin walks over to the two and starts to pet him.
"I think he wants to stay here Lillie." he said, looking at the Pokemon.
"Do you?" asked Lillie. With a simple nod, Nebby gave his answer. "Heh, Collin is so right. We are a family. I feel the same, I want you to stay here. You've met so many people along our travels. Professor Kukui, Professor Burnet, Kahuna Hala, Hau..." she said, then turned to Collin with a warm smile. "And of course, the hero who saved you on that bridge, and your dada, Collin." Collin laughed at her comment.
"Don't forget mama." he said, causing her to giggle. "Honestly though, you really have become apart of a family and I couldn't be happier for you to stay."
"Yeah. Alola is wonderful! You'll get to see it all soon enough!" she said, but her smile seemed to fade slightly. "But not with me. I'm no Trainer."
"What?! You can be a Trainer Lillie!" said Collin, looking shocked.
"I know that know but I won't be able to handle a Pokemon like Nebby at my current state. I can't take you on the adventures you want. But Collin," she said turning to him. "he can. Please Collin, catch Nebby and give it a ball it can call home." She handed him an Ultra Ball, before kissing it. "I know that's what Nebby wants." Collin took the ball and looked at it. He looked at Nebby and he nodded.
"Okay. Nebby, you ready?" he asked. Nebby pressed its nose on the button and the Ultra Ball opened, catching Nebby. Within three shakes, Nebby was caught. "Wow...the first time I've ever caught a Legendary Pokemon." he said before shaking his head. "No, he more like a son than a Legendary." Lillie giggled at him and kissed him on the lips.
"Thank you so much Collin. And Nebby," she said looking at the ball. "I may not have done much for you, but I'm so glad I took you away from Aether that day. Go with Collin, he'll give you the battles that you want, the adventure you want."
"I'll be sure to do that." said Collin before strapping the ball to his belt. "So what are you going to do now?"
"I'm going to go see my mother. I need to make sure she's okay." She looked at Collin's belt to see Nebby's ball. "Now Nebby, don't try to get out of the ball unless Collin lets you. And be careful with your power when you are near people. And don't go running off!" she said before Collin kissed her to basically shut her up.
"I think I can handle a giant Legendary Lion Lillie." he said, laughing.
"I know. Okay, I'm off. I'll see you later Collin." she said, giving him another kiss. "Thanks for everything. I love you."
"Love you too." Lillie waved and walked down the stairs, leaving Collin alone on the Altar. Unsure what to do next, he got a text message on his phone from Kukui.
Hey Collin! Pokemon League is now up and ready to go! Come to Tapu Village on Ula Ula and head on up here to challenge it whenever you are ready! Make sure to wear something warm though. Collin looked at the phone and sighed.
"No time like the present." He used his Pager to summon Charizard and he flew to Ula Ula, ready to face Victory Road.
Landing in Tapu Village, he healed his Pokemon at the Pokemon Center and took out a jacket from his bag, and showed the men at the entrance his passport for entry. They allowed him into the pathway and he walked up it. Already the weather started to get chilly and there was some patches of snow long the way. He climbed up the path till he came across what looked like an elevator. The sound of the machine going down caught Collin off guard. But what really caught him off guard was who was on it.
"I've been waiting for you Collin." said Gladion, walking off the elevator.
"What for?" asked Collin.
"To thank you. For everything. For helping Lillie and for getting my mother back. I really appreciate it. More than you think." he said, with half smile across his face.
"It was nothing really. I couldn't just stand back and watch." said Collin, walking up to him. "Listen, sorry for judging you and yelling at you."
"No, you were right." said Gladion. "I thought what I was doing was right. Clearly I was wrong."
"Still though, don't start feeling guilty about it, I should be the one feeling guilty."
"Heh, you're a strong Trainer. A great Trainer even. Lillie told me that you and her are a...thing." he said, wincing. "It's going to take a while for me to get use to it, but she picked a great man. She said you are the greatest Trainer ever."
"Heh, of course she'd say that." he smiled, thinking about Lillie.
"Hau's working on getting stronger too." said Gladion, catching Collin off guard. "I had a battle with him not that long ago and he beat me." he said, slightly blushing.
"That's great. I was hoping he'd get stronger. Can't wait to face him again."
"Hmph, if you two keep getting stronger, I can't let my guard down." he said. "I know we aren't friends..." he started to smile. "...I'm just kidding myself, we are friends. Keep winning and I'll hopefully get to beat you one day."
"I'll look forward to it." said Collin, shaking Gladion's hand and letting him go down the path. Collin made his way towards the elevator that Gladion came from and continued his way up Victory Road. Along the way, Collin came across an ice cave in his way. Sighing, he entered the cave which of course almost froze him. He came across only Pokemon on his way, which made everything a lot more easier to travel through. Along the way, he trained up some of his Pokemon. After fighting with Crabrawler, something amazing happened. She began to glow white and her size increased. When the light faded, Crabrawler evolved.
"WOW! I didn't think you evolved! Rotom, give me the low down." he said and the Pokedex came out of the bag.
"Crabominable. The Woolly Crab Pokemon. Fighting Ice. It aimed for the top but got lost and ended up on a snowy mountain. Being forced to endure the cold, this Pokémon evolved and grew fur." Rotom went back into the bag and Collin returned Crabominable to her ball. He then spotted something strange in the corner of his eye. A completely white Vulpix, sitting on it's own in one little hole. It looked like it was crying. Collin couldn't help but take pity on the poor thing.
"Hey there." he said, bending down to the small hole. "You okay?"
"Vi..." it cried. Collin couldn't understand it, until the Pokedex came out of his bag.
"Masterz...I'm afraidz she mother passed away notz that long agoz." said the Rotom. Collin felt so bad for the Vulpix.
"Aw, come here girl." Collin gently scooped the Vulpix from the hole and carried it out of the cave. During this time, the Vulpix began to rub her head against Collin's, still crying. When they got out of the other side of the cave, Collin had to think about what to do. "I can't have you on the team, I already have six Pokemon." he said. This made the Vulpix cry even more, and hugged him tighter. He couldn't help but feel guilty about it. But then, an idea came into his head. "I may not be able to help you...but I know someone who can!" he said.
"VI?" cried the Vulpix.
"If you let me catch you, later on I can give you to someone who I know will take care of you. Sound fair?" he asked.
"Vi!" cried the Vulpix and nuzzled her nose up to Collin.
"Okay. Give me a sec." he said, taking out a Poke Ball from his bag and lightly tapping it on her head, catching the Vulpix. "You have a rest in here, I'll give you to your new mama later, okay?" He placed the ball in his bag carefully and set off to finish the rest of Victory Road. After going through a bigger cave, Collin made it to the other side of Victory Road, greeted by a Pokemon Center. Figured he'd heal his Pokemon, he decided to leave the Vulpix in the care of Nurse Joy just in case there was any problems with her. When he exited the Center, there was the sound of footsteps behind him.
"HOLD UP FOR ME!" shouted the voice. Collin turned around to see Hau spiriting up the hill towards him.
"Hey Hau! How's it going?" asked Collin.
"It's going great! After we split up at Aether, I finished all the Trials and beaten all the Kahunas. I even went back home and trained with Grandpa for a bit." he was breathing heavily, more than likely because he ran. "I figured it was about time to get here. When Gladion told me you'd be here, I rushed over as fast as I could. Like I mean I ran faster than I thought I could ever run."
"Why did you run? Take your time man and breath!" said Collin, patting Hau's back as he began to cough.
"Well first, Gladion told me that you got with Lillie!" said Hau and he began to hug him. "That's so cool man! You two are perfect for each other."
"Thanks Hau, I still can't believe it." he said.
"And the second reason is, I want to battle you!" he said, breaking the hug and going to one end of the hill. "This battle will determine who will challenge the Elite Four first! You up for it?"
"Of course." said Collin, getting his Pokemon ready. "Let's see how well your training has gone!"
"GO RAICHU!"
"GO MIMIKYU!" The two Pokemon faced each other with fighting spirit shown. "Let's kick this off the right way, Shadow Claw!" shouted Collin. A shadow hand came out from under Mimikyu and it scratched at Raichu. Raichu was knocked back hard but didn't look phased.
"Use Thunderbolt!" A bolt of lightning shot from the sky and down onto Mimikyu, but due to it's Disguise, it felt nothing. "Thunderbolt again!" shouted Hau, before Collin could get a word in. Another bolt of lightning shot from the sky, this time damaging Mimikyu hard.
"Shake it off Mimikyu! Shadow Claw again!" shouted Collin.
"One more Thunderbolt!" Mimikyu managed to hit Raichu just as the bolt of lightning hit it, knocking them both out at once.
"Return" said Collin and Hau followed. "Heh, I guess the Ghost Trial helped you how to deal with Mimikyu huh?"
"Yep! Go Komala!" said Hau, throwing out a Pokemon with its eyes closed, holding a log. Collin decided to take a shot in the dark.
"Go Crabominable!" The large Pokemon crashed down onto the ground, her giant fists punching the air.
"Use Earthquake!" shouted Hau. The ground began to shake violently, causing the large Pokemon to loose her balance and fall. While it weakened her a lot, she got back onto her feet, ready to attack.
"That's it girl! Use Close Combat!" Crabominable rushed to the small Pokemon and used a fury of rapid punches on it, sending it flying into the air.
"Return!" cried Hau and caught the Pokemon in midair. "Woo that thing is massive."
"Yeah but she's a glass cannon. Return girl." said Collin, and the massive Pokemon returned to the ball. "Still, Komala must be strong to make an Earthquake like that."
"Hehe, okay next Pokemon. Go Flareon!" shouted Hau and out came the Fire Type Eevee.
"Wow, wasn't expecting that. Go Empoleon!" Out came the Pokemon, sharpening it's wings. "Use Hydro Pump!" shouted Collin.
"Quick Attack!" Flareon charged forward and crashed into Empoleon before it could let out the Hydro Pump, sending it back quite a distance. "Yes!"
"Oh it's a speed game you want huh?" said Collin, chuckling. "Fine, Aqua Jet!"
"Quick Attack again!" shouted Hau. The two Pokemon, one covered in water, charged at each other and managed to hit one another. Despite being strong, Empoleon was knocked back hard, as well as Flareon, making them both faint at the same time.
"Nicely done Hau!" said Collin, returning Empoleon to his ball. "I can feel the strength coming off you already."
"Thanks, but I'm not done yet! Go Primarina!" shouted Hau and out came his starter Pokemon.
"Okay, Go Decidueye!" shouted Collin. Both their starters were out in the field, ready for their commands. "Use Spirit Shackle!" said Collin. Decidueye shot an arrow right at Primarina, with a direct hit on it's chest. However, Primarina didn't seem phased.
"Now's our chance! UNLEASH Z-MOVE!" How preformed the dance of the Water Z-Move and the aura surrounded Primarina. However, he looked a little different compared to how Collin used the Waterium Z. Then he noticed the Z-Crystal Hau was using, it wasn't the Waterium Z. "NOW USE OCEANIC OPERETTA!" he shouted. Primarina sung a heavenly tune and summoned a giant water ball, forcing it over to Decidueye and trapping it in the ball. He sang another tune, this time bursting the ball and causing damaged to Decidueye. While it was devastating, Decidueye barely managed to hang on.
"Okay, let's attack back! UNLEASH Z-MOVE!" cried Collin, twisting the Z-Crystal and preforming the grass dance, powering up Decidueye. "NOW USE BLOOM DOOM!" The entire battlefield was covered in flowers as far as the eye could see, when suddenly a massive laser came down from the sky and hit Primarina directly. When the flowers cleared and the smoke was gone, Primarina was on the ground, knocked out.
"Return!" said Hau followed by Collin returning Decidueye to his ball. Hau was looking rather upset. "Ugh, I really wanted my Pokemon to know how it feels to beat your team this time!" Collin walked over to Hau and place a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey man, I know what it feels like." said Collin, showing a warm smile. "You really have improved though, so keep it up."
"Yeah! I'll keep training until I'll be able to beat you one day! So you better become Champion so I can beat you then!" said Hau, finally perking back up.
"I look forward to it." smiled Collin. "Wait before you go, what was that Z-Crystal you used?" he asked. Hau was confused at first before he realized.
"Oh yeah, that was a Primarium Z. Only Primaria can use it to use it's own Z-Move." he said, holding up his Z-Ring. "Ask Professor Kukui about it, I'm sure he has one for Decidueye as well." he said before stretching. "Well, I better get back to training. Good luck Collin, I'll be rooting for you."
"Thanks Hau. Take care." Just as Collin was about to head back into the Pokemon Center to heal his team, Hau gave him a friendly hug.
"I'm so glad the person that moved to Alola was you Collin." he said, before letting go and heading down the mountain. Collin felt warm inside, knowing that he had his girlfriend AND a close friend wishing him the best of luck in his final battles.
Woah boy this was a struggle to write for some reason. And I bet the next few chapters will be like that as well. If I don't upload a chapter tomorrow, it will be the next day for sure. So keep an eye open. Anyway, reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!