AN: Hey everyone, I have the next chapter here. We continued with the LYN team as reach their destination. This chapter was a lot of fun and I liked a lot of its aspects. Still, I think the reveal at the end is the part I am excited for the most. I also change the cover to one of Neo and Hatenna. This one was slightly edited to make the Pokemon even more adorable in her trainer's hands. Hope you enjoy this chapter, leave a review with your comments and questions, and have a nice day.
See the most recent Save State Chapter for Cover Art details.
Chapter 22 – More than Meets the Isle
After a couple of days of travel aboard the S.S. Anne, the three girls lounge on the sundeck. Each laid in a chair with black sunglasses on, though the blond brawler's were orange. Yang sipped from a colorful red drink, "Wow, this Razz Berry Sunrise is great!" She said before looking to Neo, how had a pink concoction, "How's that Pecha Smoothie taste?" Yang asked with Neo smiling before sipping more. Leaf did not have a drink, rather her hands were a sun reflector to soak up more rays.
Suddenly, a voice was heard over the intercom, "Attention, this is your captain speaking." The voice spoke, "We will be arriving at the Isle of Armor shorty."
"Well, that's our cue to get ready to go." Leaf said as she folded the sun reflector.
"Right," Yang said before downing the rest of her drink, "Can't wait to find that jerk who abandoned Tyrogue and show them the Hitmonlee he is now."
"Well, you did raise him well." Leaf responded, "And thanks to our training, he now has a full move set to use in battle." She said before crossing her arms, "But don't go looking for a fight, I don't want us to get kicked off this island." The shrewd trainer said before looking at Neo, "You should at least catch one Pokemon to catch up to Yang's roaster size."
"…" Neo responded with a nod before she finished off the rest of her smoothie.
"Great, let's get going then." Leaf said before the three all got up, returned to their cabins, and packed their items before the end of the cruise.
Upon the S.S. Anne docking at the shoreline, a crowd of people exited the ship through a stairway to the sand. While most made their way to the nearby station, the three girls went to their right. Waiting for them was a woman with short brown hair and steely blue eyes. She wore a green sweater that matched her heels, as well as white dress pants, "How nice to meet you three." The woman said with a bow, "I'm Honey, the owner of the Isle of Armor."
"Nice to meet you too, my name is Leaf. The two are Yang and Neo." Leaf introduced.
"Ah, you're the two participating in the Pokemon World League," Honey responded.
"Yep, we're here to get a bit of training before challenging the next gym," Yang answered.
"…" Neo nodded.
"You've come to the right place," Honey responded pivoting her body, "Follow me to the dojo, and we can get you settled with our uniform." The sweet lady said before smiling at Neo, "Though I must say, I rather like your outfit a lot." She said with a slight giggle before walking away.
The girls followed Honey, who lead them down a short path. As they crossed a bridge, something rustled in the grass behind them. "Zehehehe." A snickering was heard before the Pokemon pursued them.
Upon reaching the orange roofed dojo, the group entered into a near-silent building, "Where is everyone?" Yang asked.
"Oh, they are on a field trip with my husband, the headteacher of this dojo." Honey responded as she went over to a box, "They should be back shortly, but I thought we could get a slight jump start on your lessons." She said before taking out two uniforms, "Frist thing's first, here is your training gear." The sweet lady said before handing Yang and Neo each one, "I do apologize but these are our last two."
"No problem," Leaf said before turning to the others, "Go ahead and try them on." She said before Yang and Neo walked over to a changing room.
After a couple of minutes, the blond brawler walked out first. She now wore a yellow half open jacket over a black shirt and shorts, each having the brand of the dojo on it. The blond brawler also had on yellow kneepads and black and white sneakers, "Okay, not gonna lie," Yang said before hitting her fist to get her, which now had on white gloves, "I think I might keep this."
"It suits you well," Leaf commented, "Yellow is your color." She said before seeing Neo walkout. The mute girl had on a near-matching attire to Yang's. However, the yellows of her uniform were pink.
"I'm sorry, that uniform was accidentally dyed when I was doing the laundry." Honey commented, "I hope you don't mind."
"…" Neo smiled, taking out her whiteboard to write a message, "I like it a lot!"
"Well, I'm glad to hear that." Honey said with a giggle, "Now, I would recommend styling your hair a bit." The sweet lady asked, "Long locks are a bit harder to move around within this training."
"I'm sort of used to it," Yang responded, "But I guess I could rock a ponytail for a bit." She said before getting ready to style her hair, but then felt a tug on her sleeve, "Hm?" she turned to see it was Neo, who was pointing at her own pink and brown hair, "You want me to help style yours too?" she interpreted with Neo nodded, causing Yang to smile, "Sure."
After a few minutes, Yang's volumed hair was condensed into a ponytail. The blond brawler had finished work on Neo's new style, then was handed a mirror by Honey, "…" The mute girl gasped as the reflection, see her front retaining the same, but the back was tied up. The pink and brown mixing into a swirled shape.
"What do you think?" Yang asked with a grin, "I know a thing or two about styling hair, right?" She said with Neo looked back at her, a smile and a slight giggle as her answer.
"You both look lovely," Honey answered, "Now, the last thing before I send you out on a mission is to gift you a Pokemon."
"Oh?" Leaf responded.
"Yes," Honey added on, "A Kanto starter."
"Oh!" Leaf said in excitement.
"Yes," Honey said before sighing, "However, I have no more to give out."
"Oh…" Leaf said in a deflated voice, "Why were you getting their hopes up like that?"
"It's what I do," Honey said with a slight giggle, then looked back to the trio, "Now for your first mission." She said with her arms crossed, "Please go into the forest and find us some max mushrooms." The sweet lady said with a smile, "It's almost dinner time."
"Are you kidding?" Leaf responded, "How under supplied do you have it here?"
"I run a tight shift," Honey responded, "You should be happy, I am having you skip a bit ahead in the normal training protocol." She said with a giggle, "The forest is just past the marsh, which is on you right upon exiting. Good lu-" Honey was saying but then was cut off by a ring noise.
The group turned to the origin of the noise, discovering it was a standing computer with a telephone icon. Honey walked over to answer the call, seeing a man in green and brown hiking gear, "Help, it's an emergency!"
"Please calm down sir," Honey responded.
The three girls looked over at the monitor, with Leaf squinting at the person, "Wait, I think I saw this man boarding the S.S. Anne when we were getting off."
"Yes, I am on my way back to Alola." The hiker responded, tears in his eyes, "But it's terrible, I left one of my Digletts behind!" he begged with his hands clasped, "Please, find my lost Pokemon and send her back to me."
"Don't worry," Honey responded, "I will take care of it."
"Thank you!" he said with tears, "I know that Diglett really liked the forest, she must be there!"
"Understood, we will call you back shortly." Honey said before hanging up on the man in mid cry. She then looked back to the trio with a smile, "Well, looks like there is a bonus objective to your mission." She said with all three girls looking back at her with half-open eyes.
The trio quickly made it through the marsh and to the edge of the forest, "Well, how do we do this?" Yang asked while seeing two paths.
"We split up," Leaf offered, "Neo and I can go straight."
"Fine, I can take the right one on my own." Yang responded, "But what does this Diglett look like?"
Leaf then took out her Pokedex, which showed a small brown creature in the ground with a red nose, "Diglett, the Mole Pokemon. It burrows through the ground at a shallow depth. It leaves raised earth in its wake, making it easy to spot."
"Cool, this shouldn't take long then." Yang responded, "What does it look like under the soil?"
"Some questions have no answers." Leaf responded, putting her Pokedex away, "If we find something, Neo will double back to let you know." She then reached into her bag, taking out a handful of pokeballs, "If you find something you want to catch, use these."
"Thanks, sounds like we got a plan," Yang responded as she took the pokeballs, then waved with a wink, "Good luck." She said before walking down the right path. Neo waved back before she and Leaf walked down the straight path across a bridge.
However, unbeknownst to them, a snickering Pokemon gained an idea, "Zehehehe."
Yang walked with her arms crossed, "Wonder how Ruby and the others are doing?" She said to herself, "Hope they're safe and didn't get eaten too." She said before moving her hands behind her head, "If they did, are they in the same situation Neo and I are in?" the blond brawler said before sighing, "No way to know until we get more clues about how we got to this world." She said before clapping her hands, "Okay, time to focus on the now." Yang said before looking around, "I need to find a little mole Pokemon and some mush-" she was saying until something caught her eye. It was a large pink mushroom with a flat top, "Well, that was easy." The blond brawler said before walking over to the max mushroom, "These things are huge!" she said before grinning, "Bet I could make a good soup out of this."
Suddenly, one of her pokeballs opened, causing the big eater Pokemon to emerge, "Munch?" Munchlax said towards his trainer.
"You're a hungry one today," Yang responded with a giggle, then turned back to mushroom, "Let me pick this first, and see if I find an extra one to cook later." She said before kneeling to uproot the plant, "Don't even know what will happen if you eat one of these things raw."
"Munch," Munchlax said with a sigh, then noticed something. In looking at his trainer's new hairstyle, the yellow ponytail now looked like something else. To the big eater Pokemon, this was now a ripped banana, "Lax!" Munchlax yelled before leaping towards the hair, biting down on it in one chomp.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Yang screamed at her hair being chewed again.
Meanwhile.
Neo and Leaf walked down their path, each looking at the ground, "This soil is too compact, I can't make out anything that would look like Diglett's trails." Leaf said before turning to the mute girl looking down at a few pokeballs in her hand, "Almost forgot to give you some. And if you see something you want to catch, let me know and I scan it."
"…" Neo nodded with a smile, putting away the pokeballs. She looked around at the nearby Pokemon, but nothing catching her eyes.
"Well, you don't need to catch anything this moment," Leaf spoke, then crossed her arms, "Still I'm a little annoyed Honey didn't give you a starter from Kanto." She said before grinning, taking out a Pokeball, "I could have told you which one is the best." The shrewd trainer said before tossing up the ball, "Come on out."
The Pokeball opened with a massive blue turtle with a brown shell emerged and standing on its back legs, "Blastoise." The blue tortoise spoke with its shell to slightly open near the arms, causing two large canons to emerge.
"…!" Neo looked back in shock.
"Yeah, pretty cool." Leaf spoke, "And this big boy is going to help us find that Diglett quicker." She said before turning to the massive blue turtle Pokemon, "Blastoise, use Rain Dance."
"Blast!" Blastoise responded before aiming his cannons, firing condensed water into the sky.
"…" Neo did not say a word but felt a droplet on her head. Leaf guided the mute girl back before more drops came down. Soon after, a torrent of rain fell over the forest.
"Now, most of the grass and bug types get a refresher." Leaf said, seeing a Tangela dancing in the rain, "But for a ground type like Diglett, this might make it pop up." She said with a wink to the mute girl, "Now it should be a lot easier to find what we're looking for."
"…" Neo nodded before she and Leaf continued their search. As the rain started to die down, the group moved forward to search for a new section.
Meanwhile.
Munchlax laid asleep against a tree with a full bell. Yang sighed before recalling her Pokemon to its ball, "Thank goodness they had a berry tree right here." She said to herself, seeing leftovers of what the big eater Pokemon was devouring. The blond brawler then smiled while looking at her right hand, holding the max mushroom, "Plus side, at least I didn't have to bribe him with this."
Suddenly, Yang heard someone approach from behind. She turned to discover it was the mute girl, "…" Neo did not say a word but smirked.
"Hey," Yang responded, showing off the max mushroom, "I found this."
"…" Neo smiled, looking at the item, "Zehehe." She snickered.
"…Uh, right?" Yang responded, "Did you two find the Diglett?"
Suddenly, the two heard a Pokemon cry from the tree, "Pikachu." They turned to see a yellow rodent with red checks in the tree, nibbling on an Oran berry.
"Awe, that looks so cute!" Yang commented, then remember seeing a smiler Pokemon back in the electric gym, "This must be the unevolved Pokemon of that Raichu." She said before grinning, "Which means, I know who I need to catch for my team." The blond brawler then reached for her pokeballs.
However, nothing was in Yang's pockets, "Zehehehe." She heard snicking, then turned to discover it was Neo who held all the blond brawler's pokeballs.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Yang rose her voice, "Those are mine."
"Zehehe," Neo responded.
"I'm warning you," Yang spoke, pointing with the max mushroom, "You better hand back those or I'll-"
In the middle of Yang's demand, Neo spin kicked Yang, sending the blond brawler into the berry tree. Yang fell to a sitting position, then felt the yellow rodent Pokemon fall on her head, "Pika," it said while the cheeks sparked, "CHU!"
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" Yang screamed as she was electrocuted for a few seconds. The yellow rodent Pokemon hopped off Yang's head and fled into the woods. The blond brawler's body was slightly singed, but it was her rage that was boiling. She glared over at Neo, who still snickered.
"Zehehehe," Neo said while holding the pokeballs and max mushroom.
"That's it," Yang said as she stood up, "This truce is off!" She said before hitting her fist together, "I'm going to beat you to a bloody pulp!" the blond brawler shouted before running in her first swing.
However, Neo dodged each punch with ease, "Zehehehe." She snickered.
"Hold still you little brat!" Yang said in between her punches, "You can't dodge forever, and when I land a hit," the blond brawler said as she reeled back her right arm, "It's going to be a knock-out blow!" She declared before unleashing the punch, but Neo dodged again, her face moving closer to the blond brawler's face. Yang gasped as Neo smirk, then the mute girl moved slightly closer, quickly kissing the blond brawler on the right cheek, "AH!?" Yang said as her face went slightly red, "W-What was tha-"
While in mid-sentence, Neo spin kicked Yang again. This time, the blond brawler was launched over a small hill and into the river. Yang quickly emerged, coughing up water, "Zehehehe." Neo snickered at the sight, causing the blond brawler to flare her fangs in rage. The mute girl waved before running off with the items in hand.
"I swear," Yang said before punching the water, "YOU'RE DEAD!" she shouted before running out of the water and after Neo.
Meanwhile.
Neo and Leaf continued their search while Blastoise fired another Rain Dance. As the droplets fell, the girls saw something rustling in the bushes. The mute girl walked over first, pulling away from the leaves, and saw the mole Pokemon, "Diglett de." It spoke with a smile.
"…" Neo smiled back but then realized something. This Diglett's body tone was slightly darker. As well, top its head were three strands of yellow hair, "…?" Neo tilted her head in confusion.
Leaf walked over and saw the same sight, then took out her Pokedex, "The Alolan version of Diglett. Its three hairs change shape depending on Diglett's mood. They're a useful communication tool among these Pokémon." The Pokedex informed. "Oh, I should have guessed it was an Alolan Diglett we needed to find. That is where the hiker was said to be going." She said before looking back to Neo, "I'll get this little one going, you go back to inform Yang. Maybe she had better luck finding the mushroom we need."
"…" Neo nodded before walking away, doubling back the way they came. As she started to walk down Yang's path, she heard a rustling in the bushes. The mute girl tried to focus in on what it was that caused the sound but then heard someone approaching her. She looked ahead to discover it was Yang, "…" Neo smiled with a wave, but soon gasped as Yang tried to punch her, "…!"
"I'm not letting you get away!" Yang screamed as she tried another punch, which Neo dodged again in panic. The mute girl tried to reach her pokeballs with her left hand, "No you don't!" Yang said before she grabbed Neo's left wrist, forcing her to drop the pokeballs, "I got you!" the blond brawler said before grabbing Neo's neck, pinning her to a nearby tree.
"…!" Neo gasped for air, kicking as her feet were no longer on the ground.
"I am done with you and your two-faced backstabbing mind games!" Yang shouted louder, "You kick me, mock me, then you kick me again! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!" she screamed a few inched from Neo's face.
"…!" Neo panicked slightly gasping for air.
"What got nothing to say!?" Yang asked, "No more smirks, no more giggles," She said before letting go of the wrist, then reeled back her left hand with a fist clenched, "No more snickering!"
"…!?" Neo looked back in confusion, only one of her eyes open as she struggled.
"…Wait," Yang asked as she realized the same thing, "You don't snicker."
The two then heard a voice from behind, "Zehehehe." Yang turned and gasped, seeing a second Neo standing near a tree, "Zehehe!" she snickered before revealing a puffy black tail. Suddenly, this Neo's body flashed purple, shrinking into the shape of a small black fox Pokemon. Its mane was a dark black than the rest of its body, but the paws and tuft of fur in the head were crimson, "Zehehehe!"
"A-a Pokemon did that?" Yang said in shock.
"Zehehe." It snickered before running away.
"W-wait!" Yang reached out, but then remembered. She looked back to see Neo, who barely had an eye open and was faintly breathing. Yang quickly let go of the mute girl, who fell back against the tree and gasped for air, "I-I'm so sorry," She pleaded, reaching out her left hand, "I didn't know-"
Suddenly, Neo batted away Yang's hand with her right hand, then slapped her across the face with her left. The blond brawler held her right cheek, but looked back to the mute girl, "…!" Neo did not say a word, her teeth grit, but tears in her eyes.
"…" Yang did not say a word but lowered her head in shame.
A short while later, Leaf walked up with the two with Diglett beside her, "Uh, hey?" She asked, "Is everything okay?"
"No, it's not." Yang responded, lowering her hand as she looked back to Leaf, "I got fooled by a Pokemon that disguised itself as Neo." She said while clenching her fist, "It not only stole the mushroom I found, but all my Pokemon." The blond brawler said with Neo slightly gasping, causing the mute girl to look back to her pokeballs she had dropped.
"Yep, that's really bad." Leaf commented, then took out her Pokedex, "What did it look like?"
"A black fox with some red fur and-" Yang was saying, but then saw Neo with sketching the Pokemon culprit on her whiteboard, "Yeah, it looked like this." She said as the mute girl showed Leaf what was drawn.
"Okay, I found it." Leaf said before the Pokedex spoke, "Zorua, the tricky fox Pokemon. Zorua sometimes transforms into a person and goes into cities to search for food." It said with Leaf then reading more of the details to herself, "Yeah, this Pokemon has the unique ability Illusion." She then crossed her arms, "I could understand if it was trying to steal the mushroom, but why your pokeballs too?"
"I need to get them back," Yang said before she started to walk away.
"Yes, but you can't do so if this Pokemon will just fool you again with an Illusion." Leaf said, causing Yang to stop and look back, "So, why don't we give this Zorua a taste of its own medicine." She said with a grin as Yang and Neo had a look of confusion.
A short time later.
Inside a small space made in a hollow tree, Zorua nibbled on the massive mushroom, "Zehehe." It snickered while looking back to a pile of trinkets and items, including Yang's pokeballs, "Zehehehe." The tricky fox Pokemon continued to laugh at its successful plot, but then noticed something, "…Zehehehe…" it spoke, but no one was around to hear the snickers.
However, Zorua's ears flinched as it heard someone walking by. In looking through the bushed, the tricky fox Pokemon saw Leaf walking around. Zorua smiled before changing form again, turning into the mute girl like before, "Zehehehe." She snicked her walking up to Leaf, "…" the mute girl waved, gaining Leaf's attention.
"…" Leaf did not respond but did smirk.
"Ze?" The mute girl responded, then saw Leaf blink with the eye colors changing to one pink and one brown, "Ze!" the mute girl said before seeing the look of the shrewd trainer melt away, revealing the real Neo underneath.
"…" Neo smirked before readying a Pokeball, tossing it to let Cubone out.
"Cubone." The lonely Pokemon said before tossing its Bonemerang into the illusion of Neo, striking the side of the head.
"Ze!" Zorua said as the illusion faded, causing it to land back on the ground. Neo smirked while crossing her arms while Cubone caught his rebound Bonemerang, "Zehehehe." Zorua snickered as it readied for a battle to begin.
Meanwhile, the smile that melted off Neo slithered away, going to one of the bushes. Hidden in the same location, Yang and the real Leaf knelt. They looked back at the slime reshape into a pinkish blob with a smile and dotted eyes, "Ditto." The smile Pokemon spoke.
"Nice job as always, my little imposter." Leaf said as she recalled her Pokemon back to its ball, then look through the bushes, "While Neo is taking on Zorua, we can get your Pokemon back. We can move in once she gets the battle far enough away." She said before looking back at Yang, who looked down in sorrow, "What's wrong?"
"I… lost my temper again, worse than I ever have before." Yang responded, remember the look of dread as she chocked the mute girl, "I just…I feel like-"
"A raging psychopath." Leaf finished.
"I was gonna say awful." Yang said, then remembered the slap and expression of hate Neo gave her, "But to her, that is what I look like now."
Leaf sighed, "Okay, I don't ask a lot about either of your pasts in the world you came from. Mainly because I feel a lot of it would go over my head anyway," the shrewd trainer responded, "But, why are you so on edge around her?" she said with Yang looking back at her, "Don't think you can hide it from me."
"It's…complicated," Yang responded, "I don't really want to go into it, but the two of us are on opposite sides." She said, seeing Neo taking the battle further and further away, "We made a compromise to work together until we get back home. And then, we're back to enemies."
"Is that really what you still want?" Leaf asked.
"…" Yang did not say a word.
"…You know, the more you hang around someone you dislike," Leaf said with a smile, "The more you start to realize you might like them. Otherwise, you would have left by now and never look backed." She said with Yang remaining silent, "Trust me, I have been in this situation a couple of times myself."
"Then, what am I supposed to do now?" Yang asked.
"First, apologize in a method that shows you mean it." Leaf offered, "And just talk with Neo. The two of you can learn more about one another so you don't have to keep assuming the worse all the time." She said with a wink, "Neo may not look it, but she can be a chatty girl at times."
"… I'll think about it." Yang said before sighing, "First, I need to get my Pokemon back. Then, we can ta-" Yang was saying until turning to see Diglett looking up at her, "Uh?"
"Diglett de!" Diglett spoke with eyes of joy, "Diglett de Diglett de!"
"I think she likes you." Leaf responded.
"Awe, that's sweet." Yang said while reaching down with her left hand, petting the side of its head, "I like your hair, you must take good care of it."
"Dig," Diglett said with a look of joy in her eyes.
"Let's get going," Left said as she stood up, walking towards the tree. Yang and Diglett followed, walking up as Left knelt to pick up the max mushroom. "Well, that was easy." She commented.
"Heh, I said the same th-" Yang said before gasping, "Leaf, behind you!"
"Huh?" Leaf said while turning her head but was soon stuck in the back of the skull. She fell unconscious, while Yang glared at the attacker.
It was a large crawfish Pokemon with a star above its glaring eyes, "Crawdaunt." The crawfish Pokemon said while spinning its pincers.
"You're going to pay for that you overgrown shrimp," Yang said as she held up her fists, then rushed in.
"Craw," Crawdaunt dodged the punch, then opened its pincers, unleashing a beam of bubbles.
"You think those are going to hurt-" Yang said while making no attempt to dodge that attack. However, as the bubbled collided with her body, they exploded and launched the blond brawler back into a tree, "…I really miss my aura." Yang groan in pain as she tried to push herself up but could not move from a sitting stance. She then looked in dread as Crawdaunt approach, menacingly snipping its pincers, "Damnit."
Suddenly, Diglett emerged between the two, "Diglett de," she spoke with a scowl towards Crawdaunt.
"Craw!" Crawdaunt said before firing a beam bubble again, but Diglett burrowed underground to dodge, "Daunt?"
"Diglett!" the mole Pokemon said before emerging below Crawdaunt, send it backward in the air and into a tree.
"Nice work," Yang complimented with Diglett turning back in glee. However, the blond brawler gasped again, "Lookout."
"Dig?" Diglett said before seeing the Crawdaunt had gotten back up and was now rushing with its right claw reeled back.
"Crawdaunt!" it said before swiping its razor shell at the mole Pokemon. With Diglett's quick reflexes, she dodged almost all of the hit. However, the shell grazed one of the hairs on her head, shaving off around an inch. Diglett watched in dread as the hair fell, then her eyes engulfed in rage, "Crawdaunt?"
"DIGLETT!" Diglett screamed before her body pulsate in the ground. Suddenly, Yang and Crawdaunt felt the forest breaking as a fissure opened, which Crawdaunt fell into.
"Craw!" Crawdaunt cried in panic before its body encased in water. It then shot out of the fissure like a jet, then dove right in the nearby water to flee from this battle.
"W-wow," Yang commented, "So that's what it looks like from the outside." She said before Diglett looked back to her in sadness, "Hey, don't worry." The blond brawler said she stood up, moving towards the mole Pokemon, "You still look amazing." She said while petting Diglett.
"Diglett de," Diglett responded with a smile, enjoying the pet.
Meanwhile.
Cubone tried to land a good hit on Zorua, but the tricky fox Pokemon continued dodged swing. Zorua tried to counter with a fury of swipes from its claws. While attacks landed multiple times, Cubone withstood the onslaught, "Cu," The lonely Pokemon said before Neo pointed, causing Cubone to erupt in a brown aura, "CUBONE!" he charged in with a Stomping Tantrum, slamming into Zorua.
"Ze!" Zorua cried while getting flung into the bushes.
"…" Neo did not say a word but looked back at Cubone. The two went into the bushes as they started their pursuit.
"Cu…Cubone..." Cubone spoke as he searched but did not find anything. Suddenly, the lonely Pokemon lost sight of his trainer, "Cubone?" He said before seeing Neo come out behind a tree.
"…" Neo smiled with a wave.
"Cu," Cubone said with a narrowed gaze, then heard someone else approach.
Walking out from behind another tree, another Neo emerged, "…" She did not say a word, but gasped at her other self, "…!" the mute girl pointed.
"…!" Neo pointed back at the other Neo, causing both to look back to Cubone.
"Cubone," Cubone said, knowing one of these was his trainer, and the other was his enemy masking in an illusion, "Cu!" Cubone said as he made his choice, reeling back the bone club, "Cubone!" he said before tossing the Bonemerang to the Neo on the right.
"…!" that Neo gasped while ducking to avoid the hit.
However, the other Neo started to snicker, "Zehehe," she said before position for a spin kick to the other mute girl's head.
However, the other Neo looked up at the illusion and smirked, "…" As the Bonemerang flew by the trees and vines, its return trip was aimed towards the opposite target now.
Before the kick could even go off, the snickering Neo was hit across the head, breaking the illusion, "Ze!" Zorua said before falling to the ground, while Cubone caught his bone club again.
"…" Neo smirked while Zorua was out of strength. She took out a Pokeball given to her by Leaf and tossed it at the tricky fox Pokemon. The ball bounced off Zorua before opening and ensnaring its target inside. Upon closing and hitting the ground, three shakes were seen, followed by a slight click. Neo sighed as she walked over, picking up the ball, and smiling at her new capture.
A short while later.
Back at the dojo, Honey and Yang stood at the PC during a call with the hiker, "Thank you so much for returning my darling Diglett!" he said with tears in his eyes, nuzzling the mole Pokemon.
"You're welcome." Honey responded with a smile, "But please, do keep a better eye on her."
"I will, thank you so much." The hiker responded, "I am so happy I do not have to separate her from my other one-hundred and fifty Digletts."
"Well, that's a big family." Yang commented, then looked to see Diglett looking back at her with tearful eyes, "Don't worry, I'll be fine. You got to look out for all your brothers and sisters now." She said before winking, "And keep that hair well kept, okay?"
"Dig," Diglett said before nodding, have a happy expression come on her face, "Diglett de." She said before the feed cut out.
"You and your friends did very well," Honey responded, "I'll make sure to let Mustard know you're already flying through the training." She said before giggling, "Keep this up, and I may pull some strings a special reward at the end."
"Thanks," Yang said before turning back, "I am going to check on the others." She said before walking away, making it towards the kitchen area. There, Neo finished wrapping bandaged around Leaf's head, "How are you feeling?"
"Like I took a Crabhammer to the back of the skull." Leaf responded with a groan, slightly flinching as she put her hat back on, "But, I should feel better in the morning."
"That's good to hear," Yang said, then turned to Neo.
"…" The mute girl pouted as she refused to make eye contact.
"Again, I'm really sorry for what I did." Yang responded, "And… I want to make an addition to our truce, but this applies even after it's over." She said with Neo slightly looking over, "I promise, I will never hurt you again." The blond brawler said with Neo looking back at her, "Not in this world, nor even back in Remnant." She said with the mute girl having a shocked expression at the serious response, "I can't promise about losing my temper, but you don't have to worry about me ever doing something like that to you again." Yang said while placing her right hand on her heart, "I swear on everything I hold dear; my family, my friends, and my Pokemon."
"…!" Neo slight gasped at the claim.
"Well, that's one way to show you mean it." Leaf commented before turning to Neo, "What do you say?"
"…" Neo was speechless, but soon focused her gaze on the blond brawler. Eventually, she nodded while looking Yang in the eyes.
"I take that as an agreement to the terms." Leaf certified, then smirked, "Still, I think someone else needs to apologize."
"…" Neo nodded before taking out a Pokeball, opening it to causing Zorua to emerge.
"Ze…" Zorua spoke in shame, bowing her head towards the blond brawler.
"So, you did catch that Pokemon," Yang said to Neo, "Why?"
"…" Neo went for her whiteboard, writing a message, "Roman told me this." The message read, "Sometimes, you need to show who's the boss."
"Heh, I sort of get that." Yang responded with a grin, then looked back to Zorua, "Just don't do that again, okay?"
"Ze!" Zorua said with a smile, causing Neo to scratch her new tricky fox Pokemon in the back of the head, "Zehehehe." She snickered in glee.
Yang smiled back, but then heard the doors to the dojo opened and the march of a small group, "Looks like they're back from the field trip." She said before standing up.
"What are you going to do?" Leaf asked.
"See if I can point out the jerk," Yang said before leaving the kitchen.
Yang watched the crowd, seeing an elderly man in a teal track jacket and white pants, his long eyebrows almost framing his whole head. Following him were multiple people with the same uniform as the blond brawler. However, one did not have such a uniform. He was a young boy with red hair that ran past the back of his neck. He wore a navy jacket with red lining and blue pants. Feeling someone staring at him, the boy turned to Yang. While the blond brawler glared with her lilac eyes, the boy glared back with his silver ones.
AN: There you go, welcome to Galar DLC. Our trio makes it and is greeted by the lovely Honey, who allows Yang and Neo to get a costume change. With Yang, this uniform is almost a perfect fit for her. And Neo gets her own with a pink coloring and some ice cream swirl hair to boot. While neither gets a Kanto starter, Neo catches a Zorua. This Pokemon was requested a lot for character like Blake and Ruby, but I had to give the Pokemon with the Illusion ability to a girl with an Overactive Imagination. (Ditto would have also worked, but I have Leaf own one, she also had one in the manga along with a Blastoise) Zorua may have been bad this chapter, but the little girl just needs people are to teach her what's right. Yang also meets her spirit Pokemon in the form of an Alolan Diglett. She had to return to the owner, but you may see this little one come back down the line. And while Yang did mess up bigtime with Neo this chapter, she is committed to not hurting her again in the future. But now, the blond brawler sees a new enemy. The notorious gen two rival is here, Silver. That is all for now, thanks for reading, and hope to see you in the next chapter.