As the two looked for Hau as they lost sight of him, Misty and Ash soon found a small building and went into it. Misty asked the counter attendant,
"Excuse me, but have you seen a boy chasing a white Vulpix running about?"
"No. I'd remember something like that." She replied. The teenagers sighed in exasperation.
"So, what's this place?" Ash asked.
"This is part of Paniola's ranch. I heard these other regions have these 'Pokemon Day Care' places. Apparently you can leave Pokemon there and they'll raise your Pokemon for you." Misty perked up.
"Yeah. There's actually one right outside of my hometown, Cerulean City. Is this Alola's?"
"Well, we've got nurseries here, but all we do is hold onto your Pokemon. We don't help them get stronger or learn any moves, but I'd guess we're easier on your wallet." The woman laughed awkwardly.
"I guess that is better."
"Although we do let two Pokemon who are compatible have eggs together. Actually, would you like to have an egg? A trainer left two Pokemon here and never came back. It's been years already."
"Oh, that's so sad." Misty expressed sympathetically. "Of course I'll take an egg."
"Thank you. Here you are." The other ranch worker gave Misty a brown egg with a cream colored zigzag in the middle. "Thanks for taking it off our hands. Don't let it crack."
"Zzzt, what'zzz in the egg? I'd like to help zzzomehow. I'm to curiouzzz to wait!" Rotom exclaimed as it flew out of Ash's bag.
"Don't get too close!" Misty objected as she held her new egg close in her arms protectively. "I don't want anything happening to it!"
"Hehe, who knew you'd be such a protective mother already?" Ash chuckled. Misty blushed as she started putting the egg in her bag.
"Well... I just know how hard it is to raise Pokemon eggs. And that's all you need to know."
"Alright, alright." Ash raised his hands in surrender. "No need to also snap at me. Let's just go find Hau again."
"Sure." The redhead agreed as the two left the nursury and headed North, and wouldn't you know it, they do find Hau! And he apparently lost to some emo teen.
"Hahaha, man I lost again!" The native boy laughed.
"Are you even taking this seriously?" The unimpressed blonde questioned.
"I am! So seriously! I'm seriously enjoying this!" Hau answered.
"Enjoying it?" The blonde said as he closed his left eye, his right covered by his long bangs covering that side of his face. "You can enjoy Pokemon battling when you put everything you have into it, which clearly you haven't." That gave Hau pause as he seemed unnerved by that. That is until his friends caught up to him. Hau shook his head before turning to them. "Oh, hey guys! Ash, Misty, this guy is plenty scary!" The emo was a bit insulted by that, but let it slide.
"Ash? So you're Ash?" The teen asked the male trainer.
"Yeah, I'm Ash Ketchum."
"Hmph, I've heard you're not very cautious. Sticking your nose in business you have no reason to. I'm Gladion. My partner and I are training to get stronger. We have to get stronger! Though most of our time these days goes to working for Team Skull as their muscle."
"Wait, you're with Team Skull?!" Hau gasped. "No wonder you're scary!"
"How I am and Team Skull have no relation to each other!" Gladion retorted with anger before realizing his outburst and calmed down. "I mean... that's besides the point. Battle me. I won't take no for an answer."
"Ash's Pokemon haven't had a chance to completely recover yet." Misty pointed out. Gladion sighed as he pointed to a Pokemon Center behind him.
"Get them healed up first then. There's no point beating someone who isn't at their best."
"Umm, thanks... I guess." As the three headed to the Pokemon Center, Ash remarked, "Well he doesn't seem very nice. So Hau, what happened with the Vulpix?"
"Oh right! Well, I lost sight of it, then Gladion spotted and challenged me. He beat all my Pokemon with just two."
"Wow, he must be strong then." Misty said as her eyes widened.
"Yea-wait! Is that a Pokemon egg?!" Hau spotted the top of the egg sticking out of the redhead's bag. "So cool! Where did you get it?!"
"From a small building that belongs to the ranch. Some Pokemon were abandoned and they offered me this egg."
"Sweet. I can't wait to see what it'll hatch into." Hau laughed. Once Ash's Pokemon were healed, the battle commenced. Holding his left hand over his face stylishly, Gladion drew out his first pokeball menacingly, momentarily forming a plus with his arms before sending out a Zubat without a word. "Wing Attack."
"Use Headbutt!" Ash retaliated. Jeaping with all its strength, Bagon rammed himself into the glowing wing of the bat Pokemon so hard, it sent the Pokemon flying way out of what was the unofficial field and landed in the bushes.
("It's strong") Gladion noted as Zubat was barely able to crawl out of the bushes. Returning his first Pokemon, he then sent out a Zorua, a little black fox like creature with a maroon red tuft on its head and maroon feet. "Use Feint Attack." Dashing towards the Rock Head Pokemon, the dark type disappeared, confusing both Bagon and Ash.
"Where did it go?" He asked. From the side, Zorua reappeared just as it rammed itself into Bagon. However, while caught off guard and pushed to the side, the attack didn't seem all that strong as he looked more surprised than annoyed then hurt. "Headbutt, again!" With speed almost the same as Zorua, the dragon type bashed his head against into the Tricky Fox Pokemon with such force, the dark type gasped in pain as it was sent flying into a small cliff. Coughing, Zorua tried to stand up but was withdrawn thanks to Gladion. The emo trainer then sent his final Pokemon, which all the others were shocked to see, was Type: Null. It was unlike any Pokemon they've seen. It's a quadrupedal, chimeric Pokémon with traits from a variety of creatures. Its head is enclosed in a brown helmet with green markings. The helmet has a large jaw piece that wraps around the front with large, round hinges on the side. Each hinge is covered by a green X-shaped marking. Small gray eyes can be seen from within rectangular black holes on the front, and there are two pointed ears on the top. Around the base is a collar with four protruding vanes that are tipped with a three-way spike. This collar has a thin green line between the vanes, and each vane has a green hexagon near the end. An axe-like blade with a band around the middle extends backward from the top of the helmet. The front tip of the blade has a small, silver spike that hooks downward.
A mane of gray fur hangs from below Type: Null's helmet and covers its shoulders and chest. Most of its torso and legs is covered in short black fur. The lower half of each front leg is insectoid and green with spikes along the back, while the rear legs have thick purple scales on the flanks, shins, and on the top of the foot. All four of its feet have three toes, but in the front two toes face forward and one backward. Additionally, the hind paws have a short, gray claw on the back of the ankle. Its fishlike tail consists of two dark blue spines with a light blue fin stretched between them. The top spine has a line of short, gray spikes.
"Zzzt, a new Pokemon?!" Rotom asked as it floated out of Ash's bag. "No recordzzz! No data! How bizzzare!"
"Well, new Pokemon or not, we'll still win this! Use Headbutt, once more!"
"Tackle." The two Pokemon charged at each other, but unlike the last two times, Type: Null for once had the superior power as it bashed Bagon back, sending the dragon type tumbling into the dirt.
"Are you okay?!" Ash asked. The Rock Head Pokemon got up, and nodded. "Yeah! Use Rage!"
"Tackle, again." Gladion spoke, and with the same powerful charge as before, it rammed itself into Bagon. The plan was to use its power against it, but its strength proved to be too much to take as the Rock Head Pokemon cried out from the impact as he was sent crashing onto his back at Ash's feet, defeated.
"Bagon, return!" Once his Pokemon was safe he said, "Good job Bagon. You had a good start before that Pokemon came out. Take a good rest. Looks like we can't hold back! Hawlucha, I choose you!" Sending out his Wrestling Pokemon, Ash ordered, "Use Karate Chop!"
"Tackle." The upcoming clash turned out to be a surprise in that despite using a super effective move with his glowing hand, all it did was stalemate the opposing Pokemon, neither one showing signs of being overpowered as they grunted from the effort of pushing with all their might. Eventually, the two Pokemon broke away by leaping back.
"Aerial Ace!" Both of them gave the same command. The two once again went to attack one another this time with streams of white energy surrounding them. However, the Synthetic Pokemon's offense was much greater this time around as Hawlucha was sent flying with a yell of pained surprise. He crashed into a cliff strong enough to crack the rock, and fell onto his front unconscious.
"Ah! Hawlucha, return!" Ash called back his fighting/flying type, and looked down at the great ball he held. "That sure was surprising. Thanks for doing your best. Rest now." Thinking about what to do next, he nodded. "Alright. Mudbray, I choose you!" Sending out his Donkey Pokemon, Gladion scoffed.
"Please. Aerial Ace." Using the same attack, it seemed like the ground type was going to lose as well when Ash moved his arms around before doing a Z-pose. Both he and Mudbray began to glow with power. "Use Breakneck Blitz!" Imbued with incredible power, even with her lack of speed, Mudbray galloped at a speed even Type: Null was unprepared for. When the two collided, it created a shock wave from the impact and energy rippled across the air. And yet, even with this, Mudbray was only able to stop the Synthetic Pokemon's momentum due to Type: Null's greater weight and power, and while a groan from the normal type sounded like it was hurt by the Z-Move, it was by no means down and out.
"Headbutt it!" Gladion demanded, his emotion getting past his stoic appearance. The normal type slammed its helmet covered head against the ground type, and the Donkey Pokemon brayed in pain. "Keep using Aerial Ace!" Building up momentum again, the Synthetic Pokemon pushed Mudbray into the same cliff Hawlucha slammed two, raining rocks down on them.
"Use Bulldoze!" Even when pinned against the cliff, Mudbray stamped her feet which caused ripples of yellow-golden energy, and it caused the cliff above them to completely crash onto the two Pokemon. Everyone was silent with anticipation before Mudbray pushed the unconscious Type: Null out of the earthly debris, showing she had won.
"Gah! How annoying!" Gladion gasped.
"Wow! That was tense!" Hau jumped up and down. "It almost seemed like that Pokemon was going to nab three wins in a row! A hat trick!"
"Yeah, talk about a strong Pokemon." Misty sighed.
"It's not like me to slip up like that." Gladion scolded himself as he returned Type: Null. "I've got to keep fighting stronger opponents. Looks like I'm still not ready."
"What do... you mean?" Ash asked while panting, before proceeding to sit down hard on the ground, sort of collapsing in fact.
"Your friend there, his Pokemon aren't weak. And sure, it's fine to enjoy battling... but this simple trainer... he's just using that as an excuse to hide his feelings." Hau froze stiff with a strained face, trying to look like that didn't get under his skin, and it didn't go unnoticed by his friends. "Hmph, whatever. I have business elsewhere." And with that, Gladion left. Misty and Ash turned their attention to Hau, whom gulped.
"Is everything okay?" Misty asked. Hau simply laughed, which almost sounded forced.
"Ah, guess some people just don't know how to have fun! Even though I lost, it didn't look like he had fun so he's the real loser, especially after literally losing to Ash! That was so cool! You sure gave it your all!"
"That was certainly taxing, that's for sure." Ash sighed. "Now I see what Professor Kukui meant about only doing it every so often."
"I guess we both need to train if we want to win the trial at Brooklet Hill next! But don't worry, we'll beat this challenge for sure! Let's get our Pokemon back in tip top shape!"
A/N: Hmm, interesting. Another female companion in one of my Ash stories getting an egg. No doubt Misty would evolve Eevee into Vaporeon when it gets strong enough to become be worth evolving. And wow, that Type: Null is tough. I may have slightly cheated by bumping its level to 20 instead of keeping it at 18, but that sure did make for a cool battle. It nearly wiped out half of Ash's team by itself while tanking a Z-Move to boot! If just barely at the moment. Awesome.