Chapter 43 - Wham

"Leilei, you were awesome!" Kaiko exclaimed while Leinani came back down from her room in the hotel. "And, you didn't even have to cheat this time!"

"Cheat?" Leinani's father wondered. He adjusted his glasses. "What's this about cheating?"

"It's nothing!" Leinani said, quickly hugging Kaiko in an effort to make him be quiet.

"Yo," Enoka called from behind. "We're going out tonight, or what?" He stood with Ulani and Charlotte. All of them had gotten through their battles, and they were going to eat to celebrate.

Leinani looked at her family and her friends, unsure of what to say or do.

"The more the merrier!" Ulani exclaimed. She looked at Leinani's father, slightly confused. He was tall, lanky, and had pale skin; Leinani and Kaiko both did not resemble him. Their skin tone was darker, like their mother's.

Enoka shrugged. "We'll get you some free food. Join us."

Kaiko escaped from Leinani's grip and took in a deep breath. "You're trying to kill me! I couldn't breathe!"

"You have a big mouth. You'll be fine," Leinani said. "Let's eat."

There were many different restaurants to choose from, but because of Charlotte's weak stomach, they decided to go with food that would be easy for anyone to eat. This lead them to a loco moco restaurant.

Charlotte looked at her plate of food as it was put down in front of her. It was a plate full of white rice with a hamburger with some gravy topped with a fried egg.

"It's not raw fish. Fantastic! I like it," Charlotte said before she could even take a bite.

"So, you think it's gonna get harder from now on?" Enoka asked. "Today was pretty intense. Taking on three other trainers at once wasn't my ideal setting. I'm gonna have a lot more ease with one on one battles."

Ulani nodded. "Well, it'll be nice to rely on the strategies that I've made for one on one battles. But, I think that the trainers from now on are going to be much more challenging. There's a reason why it's called the Top 64."

Enoka shrugged and then looked at Leinani with a sneer on his face. "Leinani made it through, so I'm not sure if the first round was too much of a challenge!"

"I'll break your nose," Leinani muttered.

"Leinani, we don't threaten people," her mom scolded without looking up from her food. "I could make this better. I should have brought a bunch of boxed lunches with me."

"It's free though!" Leinani's father cheered.

"Leilei, it looks like the bracket was released for the rest of the tournament!" Kaiko said while he fumbled with Leinani's Pokédex.

Leinani's heart jumped and she quickly snatched her Pokédex from his hands. She looked at her opponent for the next round, a girl from Unova in her second year as a trainer.

"Alright, let's do this! I'll crush her!" Leinani said.

Her mom looked up from her food and frowned. "Not sure if that's a threat or not."

"It's a promise!"

"Who am I battling?" Enoka said while holding his hand out. His words were muffled by rice and hamburger.

"Use your own Pokédex!" Leinani snapped.

"If you'll excuse me," Charlotte said while she stood up. She pushed in her chair and wiped her mouth. "I think that I should go back to the hotel and prepare. You all, enjoy your meal. It was fantastic."

With that, Charlotte was gone. Ulani looked at the Kalosian girl's food, noticing that she had eaten it all before anyone else could get halfway through theirs.

"She's taking this seriously," Leinani said.

"She has experience. Maybe the pressure is getting to her?" Enoka suggested.

Ulani put her hands together. "The pressure? I didn't even think about the pressure! If I lose in the next round, Guzma is gonna make me mop the floors of the gym for a year!"

"Don't think about it too much," Leinani said. She looked out the door, hoping to find that Charlotte would still be within sight. She knew how much her friend felt that she needed to win.

"The following battle will be between Leinani Koa and Bethany Shroop! It will be a one-on-one, single knock-out battle! Substitutions are not allowed!" the referee said while she held up her flags.

Leinani came onto the field and looked around the stadium. She couldn't find her family in the mess of people.

The field had changed from the day before. It was now a standard dirt field with white chalk outlining the perimeters. It was what she was more used to when it came to regular battling.

Her battle was set to take place before any of her rivals, and the word 'pressure' kept ringing in her ears. She wanted to win to move on to the next round, but she felt even more motivated to not be the first of her small group to lose.

Leinani's opponent was the same age as her. However, trainers in Unova started at the age of ten rather than eleven. Bethany was sure to have more experience than Leinani, which intimidated her slightly.

She appeared taller and more confident. She wore a black tank top and baggy sweatpants. With messy black hair, she appeared as though she could have just gotten out of bed, but the alert expression on her face told Leinani otherwise.

"Begin!"

"Braviary, this is your battle! Let's go!" Bethany called while throwing her Poké Ball into the air. It exploded open, and a large bird Pokémon with black and maroon feathers materialized.

Leinani looked at DJ, who was eager to battle. She liked the idea of a battle in the sky, but she didn't want to risk the type disadvantage. She clicked her tongue and then drew out a Poké Ball. "Shure, you can do this!"

Leinani's Sandslash appeared on the field and shuddered. He scraped his claws against one another while eyeing the flying Pokémon.

"Braviary, let the wind be your guide! Use Tailwind!"

"Tail-what?" Leinani wondered.

Braviary flapped his wings once, and the wind picked up behind him. Leinani couldn't feel any wind on her side of the field, but the palm trees on the other side shook.

"Now, Aerial Ace!" Bethany commanded.

"Oh boy. Shure, use Iron Head!"

Braviary let the wind carry him while he darted down the field. White energy exploded off of his beak. However, Shure lowered his body, and his head became hard as iron. The bird Pokémon crashed into Shure, but he was met with perfect resistance.

"Aqua Tail!" Leinani ordered.

Shure spun, and aquatic energy formed around his body. He tried to lash out, but Braviary was much too fast. He flew into the air, blasting some of the wind directly at Leinani. She put her hand on her hat, preventing it from flying away.

"Crush Claw!" Bethany called.

Braviary moved his body and stuck out his talons. He let himself fall back to the ground while he charged up energy. He came down directly onto Sandslash, causing a small explosion. When the wind blew away the smoke, Leinani made her next command.

"Icicle Crash!"

Shure held up his large claws and launched icicles into the air. He had aimed close for himself in hopes to make escaping the attack difficult. However, without needing a command, Braviary moved through the falling icicles, easily getting back to his side of the field.

"All we needed was one of those to hit," Leinani thought.

"Braviary, let's finish this! Use Superpower!" Bethany ordered.

Leinani's eyes widened. She knew that Shure could take a lot of different attacks, but a Fighting-type attack was not one of them.

"Block with Aqua Tail!"

Braviary started to glow with chi. He flew downward and blasted the orange chi from his body, sending the energy down the field. Sandslash spun in place, surrounding himself with water. He launched it toward the chi blast, slowing down the attack drastically. However, Superpower did not stop completely, instead hitting Sandslash relatively weakly.

The Ice-type took in a breath of relief once he realized that he was still conscious.

"We can't let that happen again!" Leinani yelled. "Icicle Crash!"

Sandslash shook his head, put his claws up, and took aim. He launched the icicles into the air, this time aiming directly for Braviary. The Flying-type had used up energy after his attack, and he couldn't move as fast as he could before. Instead, he took a few of the strong shards of ice, and he was forced to the ground.

"We can do this! Night Slash!" Leinani instructed.

"Fight back with Crush Claw!" Bethany commanded.

Both Pokémon made their way down the field. Sandslash's claws extended and were engulfed by a black aura. Meanwhile, Braviary's talons collected white energy. They collided on Leinani's side of the field, as Braviary was still much faster, and they both slashed. Their claws connected, causing a small explosion of energy. However, neither Pokémon were knocked back or injured by the strikes.

"We're too close," Leinani muttered. She looked at the palm trees on Bethany's side of the field. They had gone still.

"Braviary, hit 'em with your strongest Superpower!"

"Here's our chance! Don't be afraid! Icicle Crash!" Leinani ordered.

Braviary charged up chi once again. However, he was much slower than before. Shure raised his claws and then fired his attack into the air. The icicles connected with and exploded upon impact with Braviary. Before he could launch his chi blast, he hit the ground, his body limp.

The referee raised up a dark blue flag. "Braviary is unable to battle! Shure and Leinani are the winners!"

The crowd cheered for their hometown girl.

Leinani withdrew Sandslash. She wanted to say something to Bethany, but the Unovan girl was off the field before she had the chance. Leinani shrugged and put her Poké Ball onto her red belt.

"Good job," Enoka said as Leinani came back through the locker room door.

"Your Pokémon have gotten so strong!" Ulani cheered.

"Thank you!" Leinani said. "Where's Charlotte?"

"I haven't seen her yet," Enoka said. "Maybe she's in the bathroom or something? Girl stuff, ya know?"

"What do you know about girls?" Leinani snapped.

The rest of the Top 64 battles went by relatively quickly. Enoka won. Ulani won. Gladion won. And Leinani even caught Charlotte's match, but the girl never returned to the locker room to celebrate.

Before they knew it, night had come.

"Shure is so good now! It's so funny to think about how far the shy little Pokémon has come!" Kaiko said loudly at the poke restaurant their family was eating at. There were no sushi places to celebrate at, so they went with the closest thing.

This time, it was only Leinani and her family. Her rivals had all opted to stay at the hotel to study their opponents for the next battle.

"I have to say, you've developed into quite the trainer, Leilei," their father said. "I'm glad to see it. After all, I knew you wouldn't ever be a scientist."

"Why's that?" Leinani wondered. She wasn't in the mood to have her feelings hurt.

"You don't like studying," Kaiko interjected. He adjusted his glasses and then smirked. Leinani would have loved to break his glasses, but her mom would probably kill her.

"Not most trainers can get this far," her mother said. "A lot of trainers go through months of training, but no one is guaranteed a spot in the Top 32. Leinani, you're doing great. Be proud of how far you've gotten."

"You think I'm gonna lose already?" Leinani asked. "Why the sudden serious conversation?"

Her mother laughed. "Your father never beat all of the gyms in Unova when he traveled as a young boy. And I could barely make it through the island challenge. All that we're saying is that you've done a great job."

"Yeah!" Kaiko exclaimed. "Keep it up!"

"The following battle between Keola Mahi'ai vs. Leinani Koa will now commence!' the referee announced while both Leinani and her opponent came to their respective sides of the field. It was the same standard dirt field that she had battled on yesterday.

Her opponent was a boy her age. He had black hair that was neatly combed back, and he wore a red flower-print shirt and jean shorts. Leinani didn't know much about many of the other competitors, but she knew by the boy's age and name, he had probably started and competed in Alola at the same time she did. They were equals in that matter.

"Begin!"

Leinani stuck out her arm, and DJ took off from her shoulder. The Grass-type trilled, landed on the field, and looked out at the boy.

"So, you couldn't evolve your little Rowlet? It's a shame. Rowlet isn't a bad Pokémon, but you're leaving so much potential behind," Keola said as he pulled his Poké Ball from his belt. "I'll show you! Go, Decidueye!"

DJ puffed out her chest, showing off her heart-shaped leaf. However, Decidueye didn't even bother to make eye contact with the little bird.

"Leaf Blade!" Keola ordered.

"You too! Leaf Blade!"

Both of the Pokémon flew down the field. Their wings started to glow green, and they slashed outward, connecting the middle of the field. They held out momentarily, but Decidueye simply had more power. He pushed, and DJ was forced backward.

"Alright! Alright! Steel Wing!" Leinani yelled.

Keola grinned. "Sucker Punch!"

Rowlet stuck out her wings, which immediately turned silver. Before she could spin and start her attack though, Decidueye flew forward and smacked her down with one of his wings. Rowlet hit the ground, and her silver energy faded away.

"And one more Leaf Blade!" Keola commanded.

Decidueye moved faster than Leinani could give commands. In the blink of an eye, he hit the ground and then struck, sending Rowlet flying back into the air. The Flying-type hit the ground but then quickly recovered. She trilled angrily, but Decidueye still refused to look at her.

"This is not good," Leinani mumbled. "Don't get frustrated!"

"I'm sure your Rowlet is now very frustrated. After all, she now gets a taste of what her power would be like if she had been trained properly!" Keola taunted.

"Oh, I'm gonna enjoy beating you," Leinani muttered.

"Spirit Shackle!"

"Dodge it!"

Decidueye shot a straight arrow of black energy from his wings. It flew directly for Rowlet, but before it could connect, the Flying-type maneuvered through the air and avoided the strike.

"Ha! We're too fast!" Leinani exclaimed.

However, the arrow then pointed downward, landing directly in the middle of Rowlet's shadow. She froze in the middle of the air, unable to move a muscle.

"What's happening?" Leinani wondered.

"Now!" Keola shouted.

The air exploded, and dark energy shot from Rowlet's shadow all the way into the air. The energy engulfed Rowlet, who let out a terrified screech. Once completely engulfed, the energy imploded, and Rowlet was left to fall to the battlefield helplessly.

"DJ!" Leinani shouted.

Back in the locker room, Enoka and Ulani watched the battle.

"It looks like this one is over," Enoka said. "Poor Leinani. I didn't actually think that she'd be the first one of us to lose."

Ulani held her hands together and watched the screen while Charlotte simply waited in the hallway and watched the battle on her Pokédex.

The referee looked over Rowlet and gave her a few seconds. She then held up her flag. "Rowlet is-"

"Row!" the Pokémon trilled while she forced herself to stand back up. She angrily took into the air and started to badmouth Decidueye. Keola's Pokémon's eyes widened as he listened to the obscenities the little Pokémon used.

"Pulling through!" Leinani shouted. "But this ain't the end!"

"Don't think you're in the clear!" Keola snapped. "Use Brave Bird!"

"Dodge it!"

White energy exploded off of Decidueye's back. He propelled forward, ready to put his body on the line for the battle. However, Rowlet was fueled by anger, and she easily moved around the attack. She took into the air and stuck her tongue out at the larger Pokémon.

Leinani took in a deep breath and started to snap her fingers. "Follow the rhythm! Let's win this!"

"This isn't a musical," Keola yelled. "Spirit Shackle!"

"Fly low and block with Shadow Claw!"

Decidueye set up his attack and launched the arrow down the field. He had no intention of fooling Rowlet. This time, he aimed directly for her shadow.

However, Rowlet descended, bobbing her head back and forth in rhythm with Leinani's snaps. She stuck out her talons, which began to glow with the same energy as Decidueye's arrow. And when she hit the ground, she slashed, slicing the arrow into small pieces.

Leinani stuck out her hand and continued to snap. "Yeah! Yeah! Now Steel Wing!"

Without missing a beat, Rowlet flew forward. Her wings took on the metallic energy, and she started to spin. She quickly connected with Decidueye, driving him back a few feet. Decidueye keeled over, but he refused to lose his balance.

"Leaf Blade!" the trainers ordered in unison.

Decidueye swung his wing high and then downward. However, Rowlett quickly snapped back, and using her long reach, she jabbed, getting another direct hit, this time on Decidueye's lower beak. Decidueye was lifted off the ground and using the momentum, he took into the air.

"DJ, Brave Bird! You have the advantage!" Leinani instructed.

"I'll show you the advantage! We have the sky! Brave Bird!" Keola commanded.

Both Pokémon began to collect white energy. Decidueye descended while DJ flew up. They charged at speeds that the crowd couldn't comprehend, but Leinani was prepared.

"Go low!" Leinani suddenly shouted.

On the exact beat that Leinani gave her command, DJ tucked in her head and flew down. Decidueye was not prepared, and he ended up continuing his attack. He crashed into the ground, covering himself with dust and dirt.

Leinani continued to snap. "Time for the breakdown! Steel Wing!"

DJ put a stop to her previous attack but kept the momentum. She started to spin, and her entire body took on the form of a violent metal top. She connected with Decidueye, driving her iron-hard wings into his chest. The larger Pokémon was sent backward, landing weakly on the ground. DJ stopped spinning and trilled one last time.

"Decidueye is unable to battle!" the referee declared while holding up a yellow flag. "DJ and Leinani are the winners!"

The crowd cheered while Leinani ran out onto the field to meet with her Pokémon. DJ weakly flew into her arms, and Leinani hugged tightly.

"You did awesome! You can overcome anything! I'm so proud of you!" Leinani said.

Leinani came to the backroom and took in a deep sigh of relief. She had made it through the first three days of battling, and she was in the Top 16. She looked up at the bracket, and her heart suddenly sank to her stomach.

"Tomorrow," Charlotte muttered. "Let's do our best, Leinani! I can't lose! Not again!"

Leinani looked away from Charlotte and back to the screen. She couldn't believe it. She was finally set to battle one of her friends.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

And just like that, Leinani is in the Top 16! However, she's going up against Charlotte, who is the rival with the most experience? Is Leinani's journey in Alola going to end right here?