Ready for another exciting chapter of Sun & Moon? I know things are gonna be slow going into the next semester of college, so please forgive me for holding back on this story until now.
Anyways, the Sun & Moon anime itself has actually been pretty fun to watch. It won't be canon for this series, but there'll be some references here and there from time to time.
Now it's time to get back into the action with episode two! Let's get our Z on!
POKÉMON SUN & MOON
THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME
The blazing sun overhead never seemed to leave the sky over the next three months. The Ketchum family had taken their family vacation for the summer to the Alola region, which was a beautiful array of four different islands, making it the perfect destination for tourists and other vacationers. The very idea of the trip sounded exciting, but the twins weren't exactly thrilled. They were shocked to know that they'd be staying in the region for practically the whole summer, constantly complaining about the heat they felt, the sand that stuck to their skin, and the overall home they stayed in as they felt very out of place compared to the actual residents of Melemele Island.
Their older sister tried to convince them to enjoy the time they had together, but even she was uneasy about it as she could feel the presence of men glancing over at her wherever she went. It was not as if she was unappreciative about her good fortune of having large breasts, but she loathed the attention she was suddenly getting. When she was at the beach, she normally stayed underneath the shade of an umbrella with a towel covering her form, preventing anyone from seeing her completely. Her mother and father worried about her behavior, much to the chagrin of their younger daughter as she felt that she was being ignored.
When she tried going out to practice her ninja skills in her suit, she always came up sweating madly from how hot it was outside. She was never able to make too many friends during the entire stay, always remaining focused on trying to better herself physically. Her brother was practically the same, but he found it more interesting to watch mystery movies and television shows each night, staying up late and waking up even later to the point that it was already the afternoon. Both parents were concerned greatly for each of their children, knowing that they needed a solution quickly. Fortunately for them, a certain event would be coming up later that evening.
"Samson Oak?" a confused Calvin uttered with an arched eyebrow in the afternoon, rubbing his tired eyes as he yawned.
"Mm-hmm," Mirajane responded as she nodded, standing in the kitchen and washing dishes in the sink, "He's Professor Oak's cousin and the one who recommended this home to us," she explained, glancing around at the spacious area they had within the one-story home.
"So?" Erika questioned in a bored tone, lying down on the couch and waving her feet around, "What does that old fart have to do with anything?" she asked on, much to her older sister's annoyance as she seemed very disinterested.
"He told us about a festival that's happening in Iki Town tonight," Ash answered as he was putting a few glasses away into their cabinets, "It's to honor the sacred guardian of the island and to pay tribute by having Pokémon battles," he explained.
"In fact," his wife continued for him, "it's also a celebration for the coming of age of new trainers," she mentioned, giggling a little.
"New trainers?" her son said, completely perplexed as he blinked.
"That's right," his father replied while nodding, "Like with all other regions, trainers get to choose between three Pokémon to start their journeys with," he told him, getting a small cup of coffee before sitting down on the couch beside his younger daughter, "And it just so happens that your cousin is going to be one of those trainers," he pointed out, causing both of the twins to perk up.
"Hau?" they guessed simultaneously.
"Yep!" their mother responded, twisting the faucet to stop the water from running into the sink anymore, "Your cousin's going to be a trainer and a pretty good one with your Uncle Sawyer and Aunt Lisanna leading him along!" she noted happily.
"Aw, I thought he was gonna try and be a wizard like Mom…" the kunoichi in training complained, puffing out her cheeks, "Being a trainer sounds so boring…" she added in a frustrated manner.
"Hm…" Leslie hummed worriedly at her sister's behavior.
"Sawyer's father happens to be the Melemele Island Kahuna," Ash chimed in, catching their attentions as the glanced over at him, "On each island, the guardian deity chooses a trainer worthy of being named the strongest of the island to watch over their sacred grounds," he explained to everyone, "They're called the Tapu, who watch over the people and Pokémon of Alola," he finished.
"Well, aren't you the smart one…" the take-over mage joked, going over and kissing him on the cheek, making him blush a little.
"Pika, pika," Pikachu squeaked happily as he smiled.
"So Hau's getting his first Pokémon," Calvin muttered, sitting down on the couch, "Cool, I guess," he admitted, placing his hand onto his right cheek in a bored fashion. Both he and his twin sister seemed incredibly uninterested by the idea of the festival, much to the concern of the rest of their family as they glanced at each other, wondering what they could do.
A Ketchum Conundrum
"Mmm..." Erika groaned upon seeing herself in the mirror later that evening as the sunset rolled in. While she knew that she needed to sport a comfortable look for the regional weather, she hated the fact that her outfit was so colorful. Her shirt was a yellowish-white with floral patterns all over it, tied down at her green shorts. "This is stupid..." she muttered as a drop of sweat rolled down from her head, which tilted down.
"Now, now..." her mother repeated, placing something onto her head, making her perk up, "You'll need to look nice for when we meet everyone later," she told her, while she cringed upon seeing the red hat upon her, shaped like a red flower in bloom.
"What the heck is this?!" she screamed frightfully, stuttering at the sight of the headwear.
"It looks cute, doesn't it?" Mirajane inquired with a giggle, heading off, "Leslie, are you ready?" she asked her eldest daughter, who came down the stairs while donning a long-sleeved blue jacket over her form.
"Yep," she replied as she smiled, while her parent looked at her worriedly.
"You're going to sweat to death in that thing..." she noted, placing her hand upon her cheek out of concern, causing her to fold her arms over her chest in a defiant manner.
"Better that than seeing everyone staring at me..." she mentioned, causing the take-over wizard to sigh. In the meantime, the short haired girl listened on, looking back at the mirror with a frustrated look in her eyes. Elsewhere on the house's second floor, Ash was repeatedly banging his left fist against the locked door, with Pikachu standing beside him.
"Calvin, open up!" he called out to his son, who was inside and dressed in a white and blue striped t-shirt, black cargo shorts, and a black cap on his head, "We're gonna get going soon!" his father mentioned, while he just lied down upon the plush surface of his bed.
"What's the point?" he asked rhetorically, turning away from the door, "Just tell your friends I said hi," he advised, much to the surprise of the raven haired man, "I got other things to do," he pointed out, folding his arms behind his head in a bored manner.
"Come on, Cal..." the Pokémon trainer pleaded with a worried expression, "Your cousin's gonna be there..." he mentioned. However, he didn't receive a reply as the ten year old boy was just lying despondently against the divan. "Huh..." he sighed deeply.
"Pika pi..." the Electric type squeaked in concern. Back downstairs, Leslie had been gifted with a new outfit for the occasion, being an olive green dress that had a skirt that went down until was just above her ankles. While it revealed just a little bit of her cleavage, she smiled upon looking in the mirror.
"This... is nice," she admitted sheepishly to her mother, who smiled brightly.
"All that's left is for your brother to get ready," she noted, about to head upstairs until she saw her husband and the Mouse Pokémon coming down with upset looks on their faces, much to her surprise, "Hey..." she uttered, catching their attentions, "where's Calvin?" she asked with a tilt of her head.
"He's not coming," Ash replied as the two white haired women blinked in confusion, "He said he'd rather stay here and have us say hi for him..." he added in a frustrated tone.
"Oh, jeez..." his eldest daughter muttered with a sigh.
"Well, I guess that means it's just the four of-" Mirajane halted her remark the moment she realized that Erika had vanished. "Erika? Erika?!" she cried out repeatedly, while the others began looking around upon noticing that the ten year old girl had disappeared, "Where did she go?" she asked worriedly. The kunoichi in question had snuck out of the house through the kitchen window, racing off into town while clenching her teeth.
"Stupid mom, stupid Leslie…" she muttered to herself as she trekked onwards, while her eyes started welling up with tears, "I didn't even wanna go on this stupid vacation…" she mentioned out of frustration, continuing into the streets of the city before making her way onto the beachfront. Meanwhile, a small figure watched her from afar, tilting its head in confusion at her behavior.
X
Music reverberated through the air of the small village known as Iki Town as the festival had begun. People were laughing, eating, and overall enjoying the celebration as the wooden stage at the center of town remained untouched. The Ketchum family had arrived somewhat later since they spent a good portion of their evening in search of the dark haired girl.
"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed excitedly as he dashed out off of his master's shoulder, making him perk up as he saw him running toward a few familiar faces in the crowd.
"Big sis!" someone called out, catching the attentions of the family as they smiled. The Electric type had gone up to Sawyer and Lisanna Hughes, who were both nicely dressed while waving to the arrivals.
"Lisanna!" the Satan Soul user yelled delightedly, going up to her and giving her a warm embrace, "Oh, it's been too long…" she noted.
"Yeah, I know," her fellow take-over wizard agreed, "Elf has barely kept in touch since he got married to Evergreen…" she mentioned with a cheeky giggle, causing her sibling to do the same.
"How ya doing, Sawyer?" Ash asked as he took his rival and brother in-law's hand and shook it.
"Pretty good, all things considered," he replied as he nodded, "I'm still gunning for the Champion's League back in Kalos, but it's tough going with Alain being at the top…" he pointed out, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.
"I heard that even Diantha's trying to reclaim the Champion Master title," the raven haired man added, causing him to chuckle.
"So where's that bright ray of sunshine?" Mirajane asked, searching around curiously for a certain figure.
"Right here, Aunt Mira!" another voice chimed in, making her perk up as she turned around. She looked and smiled to see a young boy standing there with dark green hair tied up into a spiky ponytail. He was wearing a black shirt with a white collar, yellow shorts with orange and yellow flowers upon them, and orange sandals on his feet.
"Hau!" his female relative greeted, going over and embracing him warmly, "Are you excited for tonight?" she asked him, pulling herself away.
"Excited as I'll ever be!" he replied happily, folding his arms behind his head, "I've been waiting for this day ever since I turned ten!" he exclaimed.
"You still have to wait a while before you can do the Island Challenge though…" the green haired Omni Force member pointed out as he glanced off to the side.
"Tutu always said that you left the island because you didn't want to wait another year to do the challenge…" his son added in a disgruntled fashion, placing his hands onto his fashion as he grimaced in realization, sighing. His wife patted him on the back reassuringly, while the others laughed. Leslie was glad that her family was interacting and having fun with their conversations, but she still wished that her twin siblings could have accompanied them. Just then, she took notice of something in the background, widening her eyes and blushing out of fright and embarrassment.
"M-M-Mom?" she stuttered, catching the Satan Soul user's attention as she saw her start to hide behind her, "You didn't mention that they were going to be here!" she pointed out, shaking all the while. Approaching the group were Alain and Fluttershy Regulus, causing them to all perk up and smile. Along with them was their son, who was donning a white, button-up shirt over a black t-shirt and jeans.
"Hi everyone!" the animal whisperer greeted as she jogged over, "Bet this is unexpected, isn't it?" she inquired to everyone.
"Yeah, I didn't know you guys were gonna be here…" Ash noted as he rubbed the back of his head, "So what's going on?" he questioned with an arched eyebrow.
"I got an offer to come here to take part in the Festival Battle Royal to honor Tapu Koko," the Kalos Champion Master responded after a moment, letting off a grin, "We figured that it'd be a waste to just come and go, so we decided to hang out here for a while," he told them.
"The Battle Royal?" Sawyer uttered in surprise as he blinked, "My dad told me I was gonna do that, too!" he pointed out.
"Yeah, same here," the raven haired trainer beside him added.
"Well, it looks like we'll all be battling again," the older Mega Evolution user mentioned, causing the other two to let off large grins.
"Pika…" Pikachu squeaked in anticipation as his cheeks sparked out of excitement.
"Leslie?" Dylan uttered as he approached the white haired woman hiding behind her mother, "Is that really you?" he asked while starting to grin. She blushed a bright crimson before walking out to reveal herself, glancing away out of reluctance.
"Y-Yeah, it's me…" she stuttered as a response, folding her arms over her chest, "Just… don't stare like everyone else…" she pleaded to him, causing him to blink in confusion.
"What do you mean?" he questioned, arching an eyebrow. Suddenly, he took notice of several people looking over at them, with plenty of men eyeing the Unova Champion Master in particular. Seeing their somewhat perverted expressions, he scowled and placed his right hand onto her shoulder while glaring out at them. They immediately walked off without a word, not wanting to start a confrontation with the man.
"Dylan…" the Ketchum woman uttered in astonishment, stunned by his chivalry as he turned to face her.
"If anyone bugs you, I'll help ya out," he promised with a smile, "You look great by the way," he complimented as he chuckled. She blushed even redder before pulling off her own grin, glancing away in embarrassment.
"Th-Thanks…" she stammered out of gratitude, "But don't think you can start staring, too…" she advised to him seriously, confusing him completely as he tilted his head to the side.
"What the heck are you talking about?" he asked. Their families looked on at them conversing and smiled, glad that they were interacting well after all the years of pointless bickering over simple compliments taken out of context.
"Hey, where are Cal and Erika?" Hau asked, chiming in as he caught the attentions of the parents. Both Ash and Mirajane shared a nervous glance with each other, much to the concern of those among them.
"Is everything all right, sis?" Lisanna questioned worriedly, seeing her put her hands together in front of herself.
"Calvin's adamant on just having us say hi for him," she told everyone as they blinked in surprise, "And I think Erika's the same…" she added with an upset sigh.
"What do you mean?" Alain asked as he stepped forward.
"She ran off," Leslie chimed in, causing the others to gasp in surprise, "I just don't think she likes the idea of taking it easy and having fun our way…" she noted while looking down at the ground, "She's always liked getting attention and moving around from place to place, but…" she tried to continue, letting off a sigh.
"Sounds to me like the twins aren't taking advantage of the whole vacation…" the younger take-over wizard pointed out worriedly.
"I know," her sister agreed with a nervous smile, "They're still young and have a lot to learn though," she mentioned, frowning a little.
"Have they turned ten yet?" Sawyer questioned, folding his arms over his chest.
"Yeah," Ash answered immediately, "but I don't either of them are interested in starting a journey…" he admitted as he too let out a deep sigh, "I just wish they would at least take a chance and try…" he stated, closing his hands into fists.
"Pika…" Pikachu squeaked, jumping up onto his master's shoulder in order to make him grin a little.
"Ah, there you all are!" a deep, resounding voice called out, catching everyone's attention. The green haired man of the group tensed up as he recognized who it was, turning around to see the tan skinned man approaching them. He was a rather stocky individual, having his grey hair tied in a ponytail similar to that of Hau's. He wore a blue shirt under his yellow jacket with a flower pattern, a shirt tied in a knot over a red and white fan tucked away, and white shorts including blue sandals.
"Hala, hi!" Lisanna greeted warmly, while her husband glanced away, "It's been too long!" she exclaimed before embracing him.
"Ha, ha," he chuckled, "It certainly has," he concurred, letting go of her as he went up to his son.
"H-Hi, Dad…" he stuttered in greeting, unsure of what else to say after so long. He was suddenly brought into an immediate hug from the man, shocking him a little as he felt his arms wrap around him completely.
"It's good to see you after so long, son," he said, smiling happily as he pulled himself away, "You've become a fine man," he mentioned proudly, making him grin a little.
"Tutu!" the ponytailed boy chimed in as he rushed over, "Are you gonna be the one to take on Dad and the others in the Battle Royal tonight?" he asked excitedly.
"If Tapu Koko wishes that Melemele's strongest should fight," he replied as he laughed, "But our guardian deity may have other plans for this festival…" he admitted, glancing back at the forest that was beyond the stage and the lit torches, "Anyways, I came here to ask for your help," he confessed as he started to sweat a little, much to the surprise of the others as they blinked, "We have somewhat of an issue…" he said, scratching his cheek sheepishly.
X
A stone rapidly skipped across the ocean water of the Hau'oli City beachfront, where Erika was seated upon the barren sand, glancing over at the umbrellas and lawn chairs left for guests to the area. She was confused and frustrated by the entire premise of the trip to the region her family was in, curling up into a ball as she tucked her legs in. She didn't bother to try and take off her silly-looking hat or brightly colored clothes because it wouldn't matter. Nothing she would do to try and leave the island would make a difference to what was happening. She was on vacation and was going to have to deal with the change of being in Alola compared to Kanto. But now, she didn't know what to do. She stretched out her legs while looking at the water ahead of her, seeing the waves crash softly onto the shore. The stars reflected upon its surface, giving it a beautiful appearance. Even she had to smile at that for a moment as she started to wonder what it would be like to see such sights.
'Do Mom and Dad… want me to be a trainer?' she asked herself, folding her arms over her chest again as she reminisced. Her older sister would always tell her how fun she found being a trainer, yet did try to open the possibility of being something more. She was surprised to know that she had failed to be as adept as she was when battling, but she always stayed positive because she had tried to become something different. The dark haired girl was the same, but she felt as if she was being forced to take a path she wasn't ready for.
"Ergh…" she growled, picking up another stone in the ground, "Stupid!" she yelled, tossing it out towards the water. However, when she didn't hear the sound of a splash and instead heard a thud, she immediately perked up to see that the rock had struck a toy shovel that was apparently lodged in the sand. "Huh?" she uttered in confusion, standing up and trotting over to it, "That's a little weird…" she admitted while arching an eyebrow, "I don't remember seeing a shovel in front of me…" she noted as she took another step. All of a sudden, the object moved back, surprising her as she went back. "Uh… what?" she muttered, narrowing her eyes onto it. The sand around the toy began to gather and build up at that moment, causing her to widen her eyes and have her mouth gape open. Before her was a creature that was a complete mound of sand dotted with gray pebbles. A tunnel through the being's center acted as a mouth, and a small depression above that had two pebbles for eyes. The red shovel with the white handle was stuck blade first into the top of his head. On either side of his main body was a smaller mound that was reminiscent of a stubby arm.
"Gasss…?" he moaned out in confusion, blinking in sync with the girl before him.
"Are you a… Pokémon?" she asked, looking him over closely with curiosity in her eyes, "You seem kinda lame…" she admitted, folding her arms over chest.
"Suh, sand! Sa gast!" he yelled angrily, waving his stubby arms around somewhat comically.
"Okay, I'm sorry!" Erika apologized as she held out her hands in a placating manner, "I must've hit your little shovel with that rock…" she realized, glancing over to see it sitting on the sand, "I didn't mean to-" Her sentence was interjected at the moment she saw several more of the same creatures coming up from the ground, all glaring at her angrily. "Wh-Wh-What?!" she stuttered, stepping back nervously and gritting her teeth.
"Gas…" they growled simultaneously, letting their eyes glow a bright orange. Reacting quickly, the kunoichi jumped away right before she could get sucked into a large pit of sand.
"I said I was sorry!" she cried out to them as a few approached her in a menacing manner, "I didn't know that hitting your shovel was that bad of a thing…" she pleaded as a drop of sweat , about to reach into her holster to grab something.
"Pua!" a voice suddenly barked, causing them to all perk up in surprise as a figure dove down towards them. It landed right before the girl, being a pinniped creature that was primarily blue. She had large eyes, a long, white snout with black whiskers, and round, pink nose. There was a small, rounded earflap on each side of her head. Around her neck was a light blue ruff, which extended past her shoulders. She had four flippers. The front flippers were larger than the hind and had white markings separating her toes. "Pa, pa!" she yelped angrily at the opposing horde of sandy monsters.
"Another one?" the Ketchum girl questioned, blinking in surprise. Suddenly, the seal-like being before her unleashed a gush of water from her nostrils, striking a few of the foes that were slowly approaching them.
"Brrrraaahh!" she barked, firing an even stronger blast that blew most of the creatures back.
"Whoa…" the aspiring kunoichi uttered, amazed by the tenacity of the ball-nosed being. However, her attacks didn't seem to help as some of the sandy monstrosities began to glow in a bright red light, seeming all the more enraged.
"Ar…?" the one who was fighting them said, evidently frightened that her efforts had led to nothing.
"Gas…" they growled simultaneously again, readying themselves to attack.
"I don't think so!" Erika cried out, hopping over and picking up the sea lion-like creature into her arms while holding a pellet in her right hand, "Sorry about this!" she apologized in advance, tossing it down to set off a burst of smoke that shrouded them from view, much to the shock of the enemies as they all rushed back and retreated into the sandy earth, with their shovels sticking out of the sand. In the meantime, the girl and the creature had gone back up to the streets, as the former sighed in relief.
"Arf! Arf!" the one she was holding happily exclaimed, clapping her flippers in applause.
"You're a weird little one…" the Ketchum girl pointed out, setting her down onto the sidewalk, "but thanks for trying to help me back there," she said in gratitude while placing her hands onto her knees, "So what's your name?" she asked her.
"Pua pa!" she barked in response, causing her to let a drop of sweat roll down from her head.
"Right…" she uttered in realization with a nervous smile, "You can't talk…" she noted. Without warning, the sea lion-like creature began to race off into the distance, making her gasp in surprise. "Hey, wait up!" she cried out, chasing after her, "Where the heck are you going?!" she asked loudly, only to receive no reply as the stars shined brightly overhead.
X
Back at the household, Calvin yawned as he continued to watch the mystery series on his laptop. His demeanor to stay behind had diminished greatly since he had started viewing, as he always seemed to get bored rather quickly. Ironically enough, his cousin had always found a way to keep him entertained when they met up, whether it was playing with toys, trying to solve a mystery their parents made up for them, or even going out to have fun in a new way.
"Maybe I should've just gone…" he admitted, clicking out of the video and closing his device, setting it back onto his desk. However, he sat back down upon his bed, placing his hands onto his cheeks as he looked out the window, seeing nothing but the night sky, the trees, and the beach beyond. All of a sudden though, he noticed a Murkrow fly by, almost as if it was heading towards the roof of the house. As he walked up to the opening out of curiosity, he noticed an odd flash of orange light coming from above. He immediately opened the window and looked up, gasping upon what he saw on the roof. Shooting fireballs from her mouth at the Dark/Flying type was a quadruped, feline Pokémon covered with primarily black fur. She had a short muzzle with a tiny, black nose, red eyes with yellow sclera, and short, pointed ears with pale gray insides. There were two red stripes around each of her legs and two horizontal stripes with a vertical stripe across them on her forehead. The lower part of her face was also red, and there was a large tuft of fur on each cheek. A tuft of fur sits at the end of her long tail, as three pointed ones stuck out of her back as she spat more fiery attacks.
"Kroh!" her foe squawked as he evaded the fire, diving towards her. She jumped out of the way, but then found the she was falling towards the ground.
"MRRRROOOWWWWW!" she yelped in a panic, flailing about.
"I gotcha'!" the dark haired boy said as he caught the cat-like creature in his arms.
"Mur, krow!" the Darkness Pokémon chirped angrily, catching their attentions as the saw him coming again, having his beak glow a bright blue. Becoming annoyed at him, Calvin let his right hand spark with electricity before he threw it out, shooting out a bolt of lightning and letting it strike the oncoming enemy, zapping him completely.
"Li…?" the being in his arms uttered out of surprise as her eyes trembled at the sight, seeing the Murkrow immediately fly off in fright.
"Phew…" the lightning mage breathed out afterwards, putting the feline onto the floor, "So what were up to on my roof, little guy?" he asked, squatting down to reach her eye level.
"Mrow!" she growled back angrily, making him blink in astonishment.
"Sorry, girl…" he apologized in realization, scratching his cheek sheepishly, "Did that Murkrow chase you here?" he inquired.
"Lit…" she responded with a nod, perking up as she recalled something, racing towards the window again and jumping onto the sill.
"Hey, where are you going?" the Ketchum boy asked, grabbing his cap and putting on his shoes quickly.
"Lit, lit en!" she replied before leaping away, running off into the distance. Hurriedly rushing outside and locking the front door and windows, her rescuer followed her while panting, wondering where she was trying to lead him.
END
And just like that, the plot thickens. Where are Litten and Popplio taking the twins? Are some anime references going to be spotted? The answers and more are to come! Here's the summary for the next episode!
SUMMARY
Upon meeting Popplio and Litten respectively, Erika and Calvin head to the Melemele Island Festival to meet their cousin Hau, who was to receive his starter Pokémon! It turns out that both Popplio and Litten had run off after a disagreement, leading to Rowlet being the only selection for him. Fortunately, he wanted Rowlet from the start, so no worries! But afterwards, he challenges Erika and Calvin to a battle?! A bout that'll lead to a new adventure begins!
END SUMMARY
I'm so sorry for the wait, everyone! I was hoping to get some other things done before I put up a new chapter, and July's going to be a very hectic month with an exam I'm studying for and even more to worry about. But now that this is set, I can relax a little. Up next will be my adaptations of the recently released Equestria Girls shorts. I hope you'll enjoy them!