"R-Radish thief…?!
Goh struggled to free himself from his backpack and land on the ground but found the struggling difficult, so he was still suspended in the air. Grookey, however, easily leapt from Goh's shoulder forward, brandishing his stick like a club, though rather than being able to smack the girl's Golurk, the titanic Pokémon merely grabbed the small chimp out of the air and held him tightly.

"G-Grooki…!"

"We're no thieves! We've just come here to meet the Kahuna of Poni Island! It's important!"

Goh's words got a snort from the girl. "So you're a liar as well as a fool, then!" she boasted. "To your misfortune, you have found the Kahuna of Poni Island! She stands right before you!"

"Seriously…?" Chloe groaned, putting a hand to her forehead. "This little girl is the kahuna we heard about?"

"L-Little?!" Hapu, the kahuna, shouted, turning her attention from Goh's floating form to Chloe's snarking one. "I am fourteen years old! It's not my fault I haven't hit my growth spurt yet!"

"She is younger than us…"

Goh chuckled from where he was being held. "Well, at least she's not that much younger, right?"

It was at this point that Ash stepped forward and drew the kahuna's attention away from the others. Goh heard Hapu audibly gasp. "Ash! It's great to see you again!"

Ash laughed, rubbing the back of his head with a cheeky grin. "It's great to see you again, too, Hapu!" he said. "But can you let Goh down? He really isn't here to steal your radishes…"

"Oh!"

Hapu turned around to her Golurk. "You can let the boy down, please. Release his Pokémon as well."

With the order given, Golurk released Grookey from his closed palm and the poltergeisting effect on Goh's backpack ended as well. While Grookey landed with grace, though, Goh fell face-first into the dirt with a comedic thud.

Chloe rushed to his side and helped him up into a sitting position. "Are you alright, Goh?" she asked, letting her worry show.

Goh, who's pride was more wounded than his face was, whined. "Why did you take Ash's word over mine?"

Hapu put her hands on her hips. "What do you expect? He's a member of the Masters Eight, as well as the Champion of Alola, after all!"

"Does being Champion make him instantly trustworthy to you?" Chloe asked, rolling her eyes.

Hapu snorted a laugh. "Of course not! But Ash and his friends showed me how close their bonds are with their Pokémon, and anyone who is that close with their Pokémon is instantly trustworthy."

"She's saying you don't look trustworthy," Chloe said, smirking at her boyfriend.

Goh laughed it off. "I do cut a roguishly handsome figure, don't I?"

She pushed a finger against his forehead teasingly. "Don't push your luck, please."

It was at this point that Quillon loudly cleared his throat and approached the edge of the garden. "Kahuna Hapu, we have business to discuss with you. Could we please have this discussion inside? This isn't the sort of discussion we should be having outside."

Hapu's eyes turned to the Chaser. "I see. And I can tell from the look on your face that this is a grave matter, indeed." She sighed, looking around at her garden. "I suppose I will simply have to harvest these later. Work before pleasure, after all."

"She likes harvesting radishes…?" Chloe muttered under her breath. Goh chuckled quietly to himself and stood up from the dirt as Hapu guided everyone to her house.

"I see… so that is what brings you all here."

The inside of Kahuna Hapu's home was small and relatively sparsely furnished. There were some pictures that Goh caught a glimpse of that showed Hapu even younger than she currently was standing side-by-side with an old man, as well as her Golurk and a Pokémon he hadn't seen before that looked pretty much like what he would imagine a Ground-type Rapidash to look like.

The home was mostly stocked with farming implements and a stock of what Goh assumed were more of the radishes growing outside. He shuddered, looking away from them. In his research on Poni Island, one of the details that came up was the export of its famous crop, the Poni Radish, which was just as famous for its length as it was for its heat; while it resembled the mild-mannered daikon radish that grew in Kanto, Poni Radishes were known for their spicy temperament that many chefs found a challenge to control.

The four travelers sat around a table with Hapu at its head, nodding as Goh and Quillon took turns filling her in on the reason for their visit, with Ash vouching for the fantastical elements and coincidences as fact.

"It would really help us out if you knew anything about the legend or where we could find this island," Goh said.

Hapu crossed her arms and frowned. "Unfortunately, Goh, I have never heard of this faraway island that's supposedly home to a mythical god. It's nothing my grandfather ever heard of, either, as he kept very detailed diaries that I have been referencing to assist me in my duties as Poni Island's Kahuna.

Goh crossed his own arms. "I guess that means this is a dead end, huh?"

"Not necessarily."

Ash frowned. "What do you mean, Hapu?"

"While I nor my grandfather might not have ever heard of this weapon used to destroy a city, there are beings who have been alive in Alola since time immemorial. Ones who have been watching over and protecting these islands since long ago, who might have had an encounter with one who knows more about this."

Now it was Chloe's turn to frown. "Who could possibly be alive longer than even your grandfather..?"

Ash, however, nodded with confidence. "You mean the Tapu, right?"

"The Tapu?" Goh asked, raising an eyebrow. "You mean the guardian gods of the Alola Region?"

Hapu chuckled to herself. "Unlike the skittish gods of other far away lands, the Tapu have made themselves present and known to the people of Alola for generations. Of course here on Poni Island we venerate Tapu Fini, Keeper of the Abyss, the holy land spirit who guides souls on their course down the river to the afterlife."

"So our plan is to ask a ghost?" Chloe asked, completely deadpan.

"Not a ghost," Hapu corrected her. "Tapu Fini. As the Kahuna, I have been anointed by Tapu Fini to carry out their will on the island, and I often find myself turning to their wisdom."

Ash had an excited grin on his face. "Do you really think we can ask Tapu Fini for help with this?"

"As long as we all approach Tapu Fini with the appropriate reverence and respect, it should be a trifling matter," Hapu said. "We should be able to make contact from the Ruins of Hope. That is, as long as the young girl there shows proper respect."

Chloe blanched. "I-I can show respect! I've met Arceus before, you know!"

"What is an Arceus?" Hapu asked, raising an eyebrow. "I suppose they are a legendary Pokémon more tied to your native land…?"

While Chloe and Hapu bantered, Goh shot a glance to Quillon, who was sitting with his arms crossed, looking deeply in thought. He wondered for a moment if the young man wasn't getting annoyed by all the silliness going on. At least, he seemed to be sitting respectfully for the kahuna.

Goh stood up.

"We need to get to the Ruins of Hope, then. We don't really have time to waste here."

Quillon looked up at Goh from where he was seated and nodded quietly. "I agree. Please lead the way, Kahuna Hapu."

Hapu turned away from Chloe and shot them both a grin. "It would be my pleasure!"

"Mudsdale," said Chloe's Rotomphone as the five of them walked to the ruins not too far from Hapu's home, "the Draft Horse Pokémon. A Ground-type. Mud that hardens around a Mudsdale's legs sets harder than stone. It's so hard that it allows this Pokémon to scrap a truck with a single kick."

Mudsdale snorted at the statement but otherwise said nothing. On his back was Hapu and sitting on Mudsdale's head was Grookey, cheerfully glancing around the rocky coastline that his phone's map identified as Poni Breaker Coast. The coastline was bereft of plants but the dark stone pathway gave it a character all of its own.

Hapu looked over towards the ocean and nodded. "Yes, good. The tide appears to be quite low right now."

"Is that a problem?" Goh asked, looking up at her as he walked beside Mudsdale.

"The Ruins of Hope are only fully accessible during low tide. The rest of the time, the area is filled with seawater," Hapu explained. "It makes sense for this to be the case when you consider that Tapu Fini is a Water-type as well as a Fairy-type."

"So we're in luck today, aren't we, Goh?" Ash asked with a wide grin on his face.

He answered with a nod. "Right! Once we get Tapu Fini out here, we'll be able to ask them if they know where this island is!"

"Pika pikachu!" Ash's partner cheered along.

"Once we arrive," Hapu said, "we will need to present Tapu Fini with a proper offering in return for their assistance. Have you all brought something worthy of being presented in return for this information?"

"An offering?" Chloe asked.

"Tapu Fini, like their brethren, are capricious and fickle gods who demand tribute before they'll come forth and answer our questions," Hapu explained. "We will need to present a tribute to get their attention if we want to ask about your map predicament, after all."

"What do we have that we could even offer them?" Chloe asked out loud.

Goh had an idea, but he didn't want to offer up either the ancient Mew card or his Goh's Special Ball up, so he kept his mouth shut and tried to think of something else.

Ash chuckled. "Well, I know what all the Tapu liked when they watched the Alola Pokémon League. A red-hot battle!"

"Pikapika!"

"A battle…?" Quillon asked, looking in Ash's direction for once.

"Yup!" Ash said with a wide grin. "I bet if we have a super-awesome battle right outside the Ruins of Hope, Tapu Fini'll come right out and we'll be able to talk to 'em!"

Quillon nodded. "Sounds good. I'll battle, then."

Chloe frowned at the Chaser. "What, you're just volunteering yourself?"

"As a Chaser assigned with this important work, it's my responsibility to battle to draw out Tapu Fini." He turned to Hapu. "As the Kahuna, battling against you should draw out Tapu Fini, shouldn't it?"

"Hey, what about me?" Goh said, stepping closer to Quillon as the group continued to walk.

"You're not a Chaser," he replied, shaking his head.

"But Professor Amaranth said-"

"Professor Amaranth only said that you could come along, not that I have bend the success of our operation around whether or not you have the skills you purport to have," Quillon replied. "The battle has to be one that would draw even a god's gaze. Do you really think you have what it takes, Challenger Goh?"

The way he announced Goh's relative rank gave him pause, but he quickly wound up his courage and went to speak.

"Of course he does!"

Only someone else got to speak first. Chloe stopped right in front of Quillon, scowling at him with a look that would reduce even the most frightening Pokémon into scraping for an apology.

"You keep hammering in that Goh isn't a Chaser or that you don't think he can hack it, but he's the reason you guys even know about this weapon in the first place! He's done the research and gone hopping all across Kanto, Johto, and even Kalos to track down each little clue that was needed to piece together this mystery, and now that he's stumbled into something big, you just want to take it from him and send him home?! You all didn't even know what kind of temple it was at first!"

Goh's heart pounded in his chest. "Chloe…"

"Goh is an amazing research fellow and Pokémon Trainer and just because you don't think he measures up to whatever standard you have doesn't make it true or make you right! He's always trying his hardest to help out, whether it be helping me or Ash or anyone else and his Pokémon know and respect that in him! So stop being a big bully about it and treat him with the respect he deserves instead of writing him off just because you don't like him for a stupid reason!"

He felt tears in the corners of his eyes. Chloe really believed in him this much? Even looking at her here, now stopped on the Poni Breaker Coast, Chloe looked more beautiful and dazzling than he had ever seen her. If it wouldn't ruin her perfect poise, he would have walked over and kissed her right now.

But Quillon turned his nose up at her. "You don't get it. Not that I'd expect you to."

Chloe didn't back down. "What don't I get? What is so hard to explain that you haven't done it so far?"

His sharp red eyes seemed to flicker in the Alolan sunshine. "The location the Chasers will be tasked with investigating is covered in a dense fog for 51 weeks out of the year and because of that, it's completely uncharted. That means what waits on the other side of that fog is a complete mystery and completely dangerous. We don't know what we'll find there, and we'll need a highly skilled and coordinated team to not only cover the ground we need to cover across that week, but we'll also need them to collaborate and coordinate with each other like a well-oiled machine. That's why we only want the best of the best. The smartest, the fastest, the strongest. Whoever can rise to the top and show the traits of cooperation and coordination with others is who deserves to be a Chaser, and based on his performances recently, he doesn't have what it takes."

Goh felt his confidence in himself waver. He knew that everything Quillon was saying was true, and he knew there was a good reason why the young man doubted his skills. He had botched the mission against Articuno as well as failed to defeat Horace. Even the two tokens he got for his work on this particular project weren't enough to close the gap and raise him into the top three challengers. And though Quillon wouldn't say it, Goh knew, based on what had been said in the past, that the window of opportunity to recruit a Chaser was closing, and he still wasn't measuring up.

"He does have what it takes! I know!"

Chloe's rebuttal drew Goh out of his thoughts and back to reality.

"I've known Goh for practically my entire life! We met when we were only little kids, and so I know what his strengths and weaknesses are. And if you had asked me back last fall, maybe I would have said he struggled with cooperation and coordination and all that stuff. But you haven't seen what I've seen. Goh has really grown, chasing after the answer to this question! He's become a great leader and worked with us when things have gotten tough. His sharp thinking got us through the temple in Stone Town, he helped save the homes of a lot of Pokémon, he saved an entire town that was under attack by Team Rocket, and he's saved me over and over and over again! Maybe Goh isn't perfect, but he's definitely got what it takes to draw the attention of anybody, and he's only going to keep getting better and better! I know it! You guys just need to stop treating him with kid-gloves and give him a chance!"

Goh found himself transfixed by her. Chloe's words resonated with his heart, and his wavering confidence steadied. He saw the confidence she held in her eyes for him, that unfaltering courage that she could always seemingly call upon when times were tough.

He could feel her faith in him. A faith born of love, of that he had no doubt.

Quillon stood stunned into silence by her words, but he nodded. "...Understood." He turned to Hapu. "Please forgive me. I'll be battling Goh instead.

At that, Hapu just laughed. "Well, truth be told, I wanted to have a match against Ash! But watching his friend and a trainer as confident as you go head to head should be its own kind of fun, shouldn't it?"

Ash nodded and pumped his fist. "Yeah, definitely! I can't wait to see what you've got, Goh!"

"Pika, Pikachu Chu!"

"Grooki!"

"Eievui!"

"..sdale…"

The Pokémon all chimed in, with even Hapu's Mudsdale snorting out a confirmation.

With the tide at its low ebb, Goh and the others headed to the battlefield Hapu used for her Grand Trials, one that was also usually submerged beneath the waves during high tide. Nearby, carved into some rocks, were steps for spectators to watch from, and that's where Chloe and Ash took their seats with Eevee and Pikachu. Hapu stood at the side to act as a referee.

Goh took a moment to check the arena out. It looked like an ancient ruin, itself, though the ground beneath them looked worn and crushed through the battles that undoubtedly were fought here by the kahuna and her challengers.

At least, there wasn't any danger of falling in the water unless one was knocked very far out of bounds.

"What kind of battle would you two like to have?" Hapu asked.

Goh and Quillon stared across the battlefield at each other. Goh smirked. "I think we should have a Double Battle."

"Two on two?" Quillon asked, steely and cool. "Sounds good to me."

Hapu raised both her hands into the air. "This Double Battle between Chaser Quillon and Challenger Goh is now underway! Both Trainers must use two Pokémon at once and the battle is over when both of a trainer's Pokémon are unable to continue battling!"

Goh had only seen Quillon battle a few times, and using this information, he began to construct a strategy to work around what would inevitably be a large gap in sheer power. But he was already accustomed to overcoming tough walls.

"Alright, Cinderace and Argent, go!"

"Urshifu and Weavile, let's battle!"

Both trainers threw their Poké Balls into the middle, and the four balls snapped open. Appearing on Goh's side in a flash of light was his reliable first partner, the Fire-type Striker Pokémon Cinderace who immediately took a posture that showed he was ready to battle. Next to Cinderace appeared Goh's slate-black Umbreon with the sparklingly glossy fur and the glowing blue rings around his ears and on his head. Argent, named for the silvery-coat of fur he had as an Eevee, stood side by side with Cinderace, his watchful yellow eyes turned towards Quillon's Pokémon.

Appearing were two bipedal Pokémon Goh had seen before. First was a bear-like Pokémon who's long black and white fur resembled a martial arts uniform. He stood with a solid, powerful stance with both his fists ready to strike. Next to him was a much shorter but still vicious Pokémon with an impressive head of long red feathers and sharp claws coated in ice.

Goh had seen them both before, but he figured that a scan of his Pokédex wasn't a terrible idea. Using his phone, he held his phone up to the first Pokémon. A picture of it appeared on screen. "Urshifu, Single Strike Style. The Wushu Pokémon. A Fighting- and Dark-type, and the evolved form of Kubfu. Its goal is to win with one strike. It charges at its opponent's chest and strikes with its highly trained fists."

Goh made a mental note of Urshifu's fighting style and scanned Weavile for good measure. "Weavile, the Sharp Claw Pokémon. A Dark- and Ice-type. Weavile live in cold regions, forming groups of four or five that hunt prey with impressive coordination. Prey as large as Mamoswine easily fall to the teamwork of a group of Weavile."

"So, one of them strikes hard and the other strikes fast…" Goh said to himself. Quillon seemed to be all about offense, which meant that a more balanced strategy might be able to overcome him.

"Now," shouted Hapu, "let the battle begin!"

"Let's start things off fast! Cinderace, use Quick Attack!"

"Derace!"

Goh's striker cloaked himself with pure speed and leapt forward, charging towards Urshifu and Weavile.

Quillon pointed towards the approaching rabbit. "Weavile, slow it down with Ice Shard! Urshifu, when it stops, go in with Wicked Blow!"

Forming a small blade of ice in his claws, the weasley Weavile attacked by throwing the small shard of ice at Cinderace. The Fire-type held up his arms to block the attack, deflecting the blow by snapping his arms against it as he drew closer, but the small moment where Cinderace focused on defense was the moment that Urshifu was counting on. With a powerful leap forward, the ursine fighter cloaked himself in a wicked, whipping aura of darkness and channeled it all into his fists, aiming to land a haymaker blow against Cinderace.

"Argent, cover Cinderace with Hyper Voice!"

"BRE!"

With an explosive shout that belied his smaller frame, Argent blasted out a wave of sound that knocked Weavile off his feet and slowed Urshifu's approach, so when the Wushu Pokémon swung his fist, the blow missed Cinderace by the range of about a fist. Though, the shockwave from the power behind the blow still blew Goh's Pokémon back, there didn't seem to be much appreciable damage. Still, as he skidded back on his large feet, Cinderace looked wide-eyed at Urshifu.

Goh felt the same feeling that his partner did; Urshifu was incredibly strong. This wouldn't be an easy battle to win.

"Let's keep our distance for now. Cinderace, use Pyro Ball on Urshifu! Argent, use Dig!"

Argent leapt up and dove into the cracked and smashed battlefield, leaving a small hole where he used to be. Kicking up a small piece of dirt from where Argent had left, Cinderace began forming a Pyro Ball by bouncing it between his feet and chest, causing it to glow with a burning heat as it was knocked around before finally kicking it forward.

"Knock it out with Thunder Punch," Quillon said. "Weavile, while Umbreon is gone, get in close and use Night Slash on Cinderace."

Urshifu's fists became cloaked in crackling electricity as the Pyro Ball drew near, and with a vicious snap, his fist lashed out, smashing the Pyro Ball into a few harmless embers.

"Keep it up, Cinderace!" Goh shouted. "Keep Urshifu pinned down!"

As Cinderace began making another Pyro Ball, Weavile drew near, his claws glowing with cruel, vicious energy that matched the smile on the Dark-type's lips. Weavile leapt up, looking to rake his black claws across Cinderace's white fur, but Goh gestured upwards.

"Now, Argent!"

The ground between Cinderace and Weavile buckled and broke with Argent leaping out of the ground and tackling Weavile to the ground, stopping his attack and protecting Cinderace as he sent another Pyro Ball Urshifu's way. Argent landed on Weavile, pinning his arms under his paws and snarling in the Ice-type's face. Urshifu blocked the blow with another Thunder Punch, but the look in Quillon's eyes was one of irritation.

"Weavile, hold Umbreon still!"

The order came as a surprise to Goh, but Weavile twisted his arms up to grab onto the very legs keeping him pinned down.

"Argent!" Goh panicked.

"Urshifu, use Close Combat on Umbreon!"

Urshifu leapt forward, stepping in close to where Weavile held Argent in place and began delivering a rapid series of blows to Argent's face and body as Weavile held him in place, delivering strike after strike to Goh's Pokémon.

Goh noticed Urshifu glow blue for only a moment, but he had more pressing issues than to focus on that. "Cinderace, use Quick Attack! Argent, use Wish!"

"Cinder!"

"Bre…!"

Argent called to the skies as he was beaten, and a few sparkling stars began to shimmer over his head. Cinderace rushed in as quickly as he could, crashing into the side of Urshifu and disrupting the attacks.

"Use Thunder Punch!"

"Argent, use Hyper Voice!"

Before Cinderace could retreat back towards Goh, Urshifu twisted his body and delivered another sparking Thunder Punch towards Goh's rabbit. Cinderace blocked the blow with his arms, but Goh could see the damage slowly mounting across both of his Pokémon.

Before Urshifu could follow up again, though, Argent unleashed another explosive shout across both the Weavile who was holding him down and the now distracted Urshifu.

"Take down Umbreon with Ice Punch! Finish it!"

Through the explosive noise, Weavile's claws began to emanate a frigid power that caused frost to grow down the Ice-type Pokémon arm. He swung into Argent's stomach, launching him into the air with a blow that surely to Goh looked to be the end of his Pokémon's fight. But as he sailed through the air, the sparkling stars Argent had called over his head dripped down a sparkling drop of light that, when it touched him, caused his fur to sparkle and glow as the damage dealt was being healed. Though he was still clearly not at 100%, Argent landed next to Cinderace on his feet and ready to continue the match.

Goh felt Argent's tenacity and Cinderace's passion rushing through him. This was what a Pokémon battle could be. But this wasn't all it was. Looking across at Quillon, he smirked. Watching the Chaser handle the moves he sent at him was intimidating to be sure, but there was always a method that he seemed to fall back and rely on.

"You know, I think I understand how you battle now, Quillon."

Quillon locked his red eyes on Goh. "Do you now?" he asked.

"I do," he said. "Your battling's just like your Urshifu. You go in for strong, battle ending blows to end things with overwhelming power. And honestly, I can see why it's worked for you so far. Your Pokémon are really strong and hit really hard!"

"What point are you trying to make?" Quillon said.

"You're all offense," he said. "And maybe that'd work if I was all offense, too, since the only thing you'd need is the stronger attacks. The sharper sword." Goh gestured to his Pokémon, feeling the same confidence Chloe showed in him rushing through him.

"But my Pokémon and I? We're more varied and flexible from all the experiences we've had and all the Pokémon we've seen. Rather than coming at you with all offense, I've got a bit of defense up my sleeve. Rather than going with just a sword, I have both a sword in Cinderace and a shield in Argent. And using them both will let me deflect your blows and wear you down!"

Quillon looked back at the Pokémon on the battlefield and his eyes went wide. Goh knew that the Chaser was now seeing what he already did.

Goh's Pokémon had taken heavy damage, that was true, but both Cinderace and Argent were still raring to go. But Urshifu was looking winded from the repeated deflecting of blows, not to mention the strikes from Quick Attack and Hyper Voice. Weavile looked even worse, like one more solid hit would knock it out.

For his part, though, Quillon seemed unimpressed. "Then my Pokémon and I will simply break your shield."

"He'll do what?!"

"Watch out, Goh!"

Goh heard Ash and Chloe's shouts from the sidelines, but he kept his eyes focused on the battle.

"Urshifu, Bulk Up. Weavile, use Swords Dance!"

Urshifu began focusing his energy into his body, and Goh saw the fighting bear's muscles all tense up and grow for a moment as Urshifu increased both his offensive and defensive powers. Next to him, Weavile, shouted out, and two spectral swords clashed all around him, showering Weavile with sparks that made his body glow red as his attack power increased.

"We're not going to let you do that for free! Cinderace and Argent, combine Pyro Ball with Dark Pulse!"

Cinderace kicked up another pebble, turning it into a flaming sphere before launching it over Argent's head. The Umbreon fired a wave of slicing blades of pure darkness that wrapped themselves around the Pyro Ball, turning it into a blazing sphere coated in wicked, slicing blades of shadow that crashed into Quillon's side of the battlefield, catching both of his Pokémon in the explosion, knocking up dust over the Chaser's Pokémon.

"Must have been all talk about taking down Argent, huh?" Goh taunted, feeling confidence bordering on arrogance.

He heard Quillon's shout before he saw him.

"Ice Shard on Cinderace!"

From the dust and smoke, a sharpened blade of ice shot out towards Cinderace, but it wasn't faster than Goh's reaction.

"Block it with Double Kick!"

"Cin! Der!"

Cinderace brought his large feet to bear against the ice shard, smashing it into tiny droplets of water. But as he was in the middle of the move, Urshifu emerged from the smoke, looming over Argent before Quillon's words rang out over the battlefield.

"Close Combat!"

At his trainer's command, Urshifu moved in closer to Argent and began pummeling him with another rapid barrage of fists. Argent cried out in pain as he was knocked away, rolling across the ground before stopping.

"A-Argent..?!"

At Goh's word, Argent strained and struggled to his feet, glaring back at Urshifu and Weavile.

"Argent, use Wish! Cinderace, move to protect Argent while he gets healed up!"

Cinderace moved in front of Argent and stared down Quillon's Pokémon, daring them to approach. While he stood to defend, Argent called out to the sky again, and the sparkling stars once more appeared over his head.

"You're not going to get that again. Ushifu, Wicked Blow! Weavile, Ice Punch!"

"Cinderace, block with Double Kick!"

Urshifu surrounded himself with the aura of darkness and lunged forward at Cinderace and Argent. Goh's Striker leapt up and kicked at Urshifu's fists with his large feet, but the powerful bear struggled only momentarily before the force of the punch blasted Cinderace backwards, sending him spinning over the ground.

"CINDERACE!" Goh cried. "Are you alright!?"

"Cin… Cinderace…" he replied, struggling to his feet, looking much worse for the wear now.

With no Pokémon blocking the way, Weavile descended on Argent and with punched at him with a frozen claw, knocking the Moonlight Pokémon back to where Cinderace was struggling to stand now.

Quillon was using his overwhelming power and attempting to crush them with it. Goh looked around, trying to think of something that he could use to turn the tables.

His eyes caught Chloe looking on, and he saw the worry and concern in her emerald eyes. She still believed. She still had faith.

And Goh knew from the bottom of his heart that faith would win this day.

"I just have to believe, too," he said. "I believe in Cinderace and Argent. I know we can do this!"

"Cinder!"

"Breon!"

They were with him. And with them by his side, he wasn't afraid of anyone against him.

"Cinderace, use Quick Attack!"

Cinderace nodded and leapt forward, rushing ahead and leaving scorched footprints as he ran, charging for Weavile. Weavile saw the rabbit coming, but he wasn't able to dodge before Cinderace knocked him back with the charging tackle.

But that's when Urshifu approached.

"Finish Cinderace off! Close Combat!"

"Cinderace, get out of the way!"

"Derace?!"

Cinderace turned to see Urshifu looming, and the bear was already swinging his fists.

"Bre!"

But Argent leapt between them with all the speed he could muster.

With Urshifu's rapid blows striking all over his body, Argent called out in pain before falling to the ground.

"Argent, no!" Goh called.

"Cinderace!"

Hapu raised an arm. "Umbreon is unable to battle!"

Goh's partner kneeled down and picked Argent up, hoisting him on his shoulder. The Dark-type whimpered limply as Cinderace walked back towards Goh and set Argent down at his side to rest.

Goh gave them both a sad smile. With everything as it was, now Goh would be at a huge disadvantage. "You did great work, Argent. Thank you."

Even as injured as he was, Argent looked up at him and communicated something to him. Goh felt his breath catch in his chest as Argent communicated with him wordlessly.

The look seemed to say 'this isn't over yet'.

At that moment, the stars above Cinderace's head dripped down into him and began restoring his energy and strength as his wounds healed from the gentle light that was cast upon him.

"Cin…Cinderace!"

"Argent's wish… healed Cinderace…!"

"You're still in it! Goh! Cinderace!"

"Don't give up, guys! Go for it!"

Chloe and Ash's cheers felt just as refreshing and restorative as the move that healed Cinderace's wounds. Goh looked down at his Umbreon and smiled. "Thanks, Argent. We won't let it be for nothing. We'll carry on!"

"Cinderace!"

"Cinderace, use Pyro Ball!"

Cinderace kicked up another sphere of flames before smashing it in Urshfu's direction.

"Thunder Punch! Destroy it! Weavile, Ice Shard and pin him down!"

With a sparkling fist, Urshifu destroyed the Pyro Ball in a single blow as Weavile formed another shard of ice in his hands before flinging it out towards Cinderace.

The shard gave Goh an idea, and if Ash was cheering for him, he might as well do an Ash-like move.

"Cinderace, turn that Ice Shard into a Pyro Ball!"

Quillon gasped. "What?!"

Cinderace, though, understood entirely. The Ice Shard flew directly towards him, and he kicked it up into the air before leaping up after it. The Ice Shard spun rapidly, like a deflected frisbee, but Cinderace only had one use for it. With a swing of his leg, the piece of ice burst into flames and was shot straight down at Weavile, who only watched in awe as the Pyro Ball exploded, sending him flying back on the ground, groaning.

Hapu threw up her other arm.

"Weavile is unable to battle!"

Chloe and Ash both stood from their seats. "Awesome work, Goh!"

"Great going, Cinderace!"

"Pika, Pikachu!"

"Eievui!"

"Grooki!"

Cinderace landed and shot a glance back at Urshifu, brimming with the same confidence that Goh had now as Quillon recalled Weavile into his Poké Ball. "Let's wrap this up, Cinderace! Use Quick Attack!"

Cinderace leapt forward and rushed down Urshifu, who held up his arms to block. Cinderace crashed into Ushifu's arms, and the Fighting-type's block was broken.

This wasn't lost on Goh, but the current opening was more significant. "Blaze Kick!"

With his feet becoming cloaked in fire, Cinderace kicked at Urshifu, delivering a critical blow to the Pokémon's gut.

"Close Combat! Knock him away!"

Urshifu complied with his trainer's order, even as Cinderace's burning foot was colliding with him. He pummeled Cinderace in the midsection before a final hook sent the rabbit back again.

Goh saw that both Cinderace and Urshifu were at their limits, but Urshifu's body glowed a faint shade of blue for only a moment, and his mind quickly assembled the puzzle pieces that he had been viewing in the battle up until now.

"We've had a long battle now but now it's time to end it!"

Quillon looked over at him. "You're ending the battle?"

Goh smirked back. "Right. With one last attack. How about it? Do you think you can end this in one more blow?"

Quillon grinned back, bearing his teeth. "That's our battling style, isn't it? This next attack will end it all!"

Goh clenched his fists. This battle would end, one way or the other. All he could do now is trust in Cinderace.

"Alright, let's end this! Use Blaze Kick!"

"Urshifu, Wicked Blow!"

Cinderace leapt high into the air, and his feet both became engulfed in flame. As he did, Urshifu surrounded himself in his malevolent aura and focused it into his fists.

"GO!" "GO!"

Both trainers shouted at once, and Cinderace flipped in the air, rocketing down towards Urshifu with his blazing kick as Urshifu punched upwards at Cinderace with all the force of his body behind the blow. Cinderace's foot connected with Urshifu's neck as the Wicked Blow glanced Cinderace's side. The force of the blows knocked both Pokémon back away from each other with their bodies crashing into the ground with a thud.

There was a moment of quiet as everyone watched to see if the battle truly ended in a draw.

"Cin… der…"

But with a heave, Cinderace threw his paw into the air and very shakily stood up.

Urshifu didn't move, laying sprawled out on his back until Hapu approached him. She then threw her arm up on Goh's side.

"Urshifu is unable to battle! Since both of Chaser Quillon's Pokémon are unable to battle, the match goes to Challenger Goh!"

"Cinderace, you did it!"

Goh ran out across the battlefield and threw his arms around his Pokémon who did the same. "You were awesome, Cinderace!"

"Dace, Cin cinder aceace!"

"Argent helped out a lot, too!" Goh said, gesturing towards the Umbreon who had tucked his legs underneath his body. "C'mon, buddy! You've earned it!"

If Goh didn't know better, he could swear he saw Argent smile as he stood and trotted over to where Goh and Cinderace were. But he wasn't the only one approaching.

Quillon recalled Urshifu with his ball and approached Goh. There was a look of satisfaction on his face. "Great work, Challenger Goh," he said, offering him a handshake. "I suppose there is something to your more balanced fighting style, after all."

Goh felt confident, but he didn't want to seem arrogant, so he shook Quillon's hand. "Thanks, but you guys didn't make it easy for us. I think the only reason I won was because of Close Combat's side effect."

"Side effect?" Chloe asked. She and Ash approached the two of them, with her holding Eevee and with Grookey and Pikachu on both their shoulders. Grookey leapt from Chloe to land on Goh's head before climbing down to his shoulder.

Quillon nodded. "Close Combat is an incredibly powerful move, but it puts the user in danger by lowering their defensive power. If you can win in a single strike, that counter attack never comes."

"But with Argent's toughness helping us, we were able to land a decisive blow by making the most of that weakness!" Goh pumped his fist confidently.

"You guys were awesome," Chloe said, smiling widely. "The best battle I've ever seen!"

Ash nodded emphatically. "Watching how awesome that battle was makes me wanna have a battle right now!"

Hapu approached with her own wide grin. "But you remember that this battle happened for a reason, correct?" She pointed a gloved hand up in the air.

Floating in the air was a strange shape that almost looked like a fish floating there. The 'fish' opened up, revealing the small body of a Pokémon within. Goh took out his phone and pointed it at the strange Pokémon.

A picture of them appeared on screen. "Tapu Fini, the Land Spirit Pokémon. A Water- and Fairy-type. The Guardian of Poni Island, Tapu Fini creates and controls water that washes away anything unclean. It rarely appears in front of humans."

"Tapuuuu Finiiii," she said, waving down at the humans.

Hapu waved the deity down. "Tapu Fini, we require your assistance. If you could-"

Before Hapu could finish, Tapu Fini closed their shell again and fired a stream of water over not just her but Goh, Chloe, Ash, Quillon, and their Pokémon as well.

Everyone laughed and shook off the water after a few moments. "What was that about…?" Goh asked.

"No idea…" Chloe said.

Hapu waved at the god again. "Tapu Fini, please! We need-"

Suddenly, Chloe began to scream as though she was in great pain and fell to the ground.

Goh's eyes went wide with worry. "C-Chloe?! What's going on?!"

Her teeth were clenched in pain and she held herself tightly in her arms. Goh couldn't see what it was that was causing her so much pain.

At least, at first. But after Tapu Fini moved to cover the sun with their body and grant them some shade, it became clear not just to him, but to everyone else.

He heard everyone but Chloe herself gasp.

Her body was glowing with waves of red flames, yellow sparks, and blue bubbles.