Alola, everyone! I know it's been quite a while since a chapter for this has come out, so I'm glad to get it out now. When last we left off, Erika and Calvin had each caught their first Pokémon! Now the challenge becomes getting them into school for a little more education…
Enjoy!
POKÉMON SUN & MOON
THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Erika yelled angrily at the dinner table toward her parents, causing everyone else to flinch in surprise, "You guys thought we should go to school?!" she questioned, sounding quite frustrated as she stood up and slammed her hands upon the tabletop. Her mother merely stood up and glared back at her in a somewhat menacing fashion, causing her to immediately grimace and silence herself as she slumped back down into her seat.
"I'm kinda confused about all this, too…" Calvin admitted to get everyone's attention, "I mean, we were homeschooled in Pallet for pretty much most of our lives," he mentioned, scratching his right cheek.
"I was in the Trainer's School in Aspertia City before getting on with my journey," Leslie pointed out before taking a bite of broccoli on her plate, "And I was older than you guys back then," she added.
"That doesn't mean we wanna go on a journey!" her little sister retorted, puffing out her cheeks. From afar, Popplio, Litten, Yungoos, and Rockruff were enjoying their own dinner of Pokémon food in bowls alongside Pikachu, overhearing the family's conversation.
"Hey, Erika…" her twin brother chimed in, catching her attention, "I'm… not exactly against this to be honest…" he admitted, much to her surprise as her eyes widened, "I feel like learning a lot more in order to be better than I was back at the festival," he stated, clenching his fists tightly over his knees.
"Cal…" his father uttered, surprised by his demeanor, but smiled at his willingness to move forward.
"Litten, Yungoos," he said, causing his two teammates to perk up, "let's do our best from now on!" he advised to them with a pump of his fist. Both of them nodded in agreement with smiles on their faces, going back to eating their food moments later. The aspiring kunoichi was stunned by her sibling's behavior, standing up from her seat and heading outside onto the side porch.
"Erika?" Mirajane uttered in confusion, seeing her shut the door behind her on her way out.
"I'll go talk to her," her eldest daughter declared, getting onto her feet and trotting outside to see the short haired girl staring up at the starry night sky.
"When I ran off the night of the festival, I remember thinking about how beautiful this place is sometimes…" she told her, leaning up against the wood railing, "Huh…" she sighed deeply, "I never imagined that those sights would be the reason I'm still around…" she confessed, causing Leslie to laugh as she went up to her and wrapped her right arm over her shoulders.
"Sometimes there's beauty in things you'd least expect," she responded, making her perk up and look over at her, "It's a big world out there, and you've only gotten to barely scratch the surface," she pointed out as she stared up at the crescent moon, "When you take that first step into that world," she kept going, "you're gonna love it," she stated to her, smiling brightly.
"Yeah, whatever…" Erika replied, looking away as rested her head against the railing in boredom. Both Popplio and Rockruff watched on from afar, worried for their trainer as they saw her stay outside as Leslie went back in. She stared back up at the night sky in wonder, thinking about the potential of her time in Alola if it was to be dedicated to becoming a trainer. She took off her flower-like hat, looking at it for a moment.
'Is this something I even want anymore?' she asked herself.
"Koh, koh!" a familiar voice screeched from afar, causing her to instantly widen her eyes as she noticed Tapu Koko flying about, soaring across the skyline. She clenched her fists, developing a serious expression upon her face as she was ready to affirm herself.
Get Schooled!
"Let's go!" Calvin exclaimed the next morning, bursting through the front door and rushing off down the steps from heading right. Litten and Yungoos chased after him, while his twin sister slowly trotted out, holding her bag over her left shoulder and letting out a long yawn.
"Ar?" the Sea Lion Pokémon barked, getting her attention as she saw her waddle up to her, hopping into her arms.
"Are you gonna make me carry you every time we go somewhere?" she asked her out of annoyance, only to receive a begging expression in response from the Water type, "Ugh…" she groaned with a roll of her eyes, reluctantly holding her as she trotted down the steps. The dog-like creature also followed her down, walking with her on the pathway after her brother.
"Erika, wait!" her sister's voice cried out, making her puff out her cheeks angrily as she stopped, seeing her approach in a denim jacket over a black tank top with a pair of cargo shorts.
"What now, balloon boobs?" she questioned, turning around to face her as she blushed madly, trembling a little.
"Your brother forgot his backpack…" she replied, holding the bag in her right hand, "Plus, Mom and Dad thought you might not know the exact way to the school…" she mentioned to the short haired girl's own embarrassment as she blushed a little. A while passed before the lightning mage arrived at the gateway to the academy, which was a three-story building surrounded by a stone wall, except the opening that other students were heading through. As his teammates arrived, he marveled the sights of the gardens where Pokémon were playing and other trainers were having small battles on the dirt fields beside the building.
"Wow…" he uttered, smiling a little out of excitement at the prospect of joining.
"Mraw?" Litten purred in confusion, having noticed something, "Li, lit en!" she cried out, catching her master's attention.
"What's wrong?" he asked, turning his head. He then saw that his backpack was missing, causing him to gasp in surprise. "Oh, darn it!" he muttered aloud, "I got so pumped about knowing more that I-!"
"Cal!" his older sister's voice cried out, catching their attentions as he saw her jog up to him with Erika and her partners, "Glad to see that you're ready to be a better trainer," she pointed out, handing his bag off to him.
"Thanks, Leslie," he replied in gratitude as he put the straps over his shoulders, "Once we're done here, we'll finally be able to give Hau the battle he deserves," he declared, looking up at the building, "and we'll win!" he added.
"Yung!" Yungoos hissed excitedly in agreement.
"Mrow!" Litten concurred with a nod. The aspiring kunoichi was still uneasy about her brother's easygoing behavior, holding Popplio close to her as she took a deep breath.
"Huh…" she exhaled, causing Rockruff to stare up at her worriedly.
"Rah…" he uttered, tilting his head to the side.
"Come on, I'll walk you two in," the white haired girl offered, gesturing for the twins to follow her into the school area. Moments after they had entered the building, they noticed several people already inside, chatting about. The lightning mage of the trio took notice of Hau there with Lisanna, smiling excitedly.
"Huh?" the ponytailed boy uttered, turning to see the group of his cousins, "Cal!" he cried out, catching his mother's attention as she saw him head off towards them, making her smile as well, "So your folks got you goin' here for a few days too, huh?" he inquired, confusing the twins as they blinked in astonishment.
"A few days…?" the male of the two questioned, evidently perplexed.
"You're only gonna be here for a week, you two," their older sister pointed out, causing them to widen their eyes in absolute shock.
"SO WHY'D YOU MAKE IT SOUND IT'D BE FOR A WHOLE YEAR?!" Erika shouted angrily, causing several adults and other students to glance over at them in confusion, seeing the Unova Champion Master put her hand over the girl's mouth and chuckling sheepishly from embarrassment.
"Dad wanted me to brush up on some things before I start the trials," Hau admitted, placing his hands at his hips, "After this, it's onto beating Tutu!" he declared with a pump of his right fist.
"Your grandpa?" Calvin uttered in confusion, getting a nod in response from him.
"In order for me to clear the Island Challenge here on Melemele, I need to beat the Kahuna, who happens to be Tutu!" he explained excitedly, "After that, I can head onto the next island!" he mentioned.
"The next island?" the lightning mage uttered as he arched an eyebrow, very overwhelmed by all the information he was being bombarded with from his cousin. The aspiring kunoichi just ignored them, seemingly uninterested by the prospect.
"Well if it isn't Leslie Ketchum!" a feminine voice cried out, catching the entire group's attention as they looked to see a young woman with short black hair and oval-framed glasses approaching them. She wore a short-sleeved, white buttoned-down shirt with brown dress pants and a red necktie. "It's been too long!" she noted as she came up to the group.
"Kids, this is Miss Emily," the take-over wizard introduced, gesturing towards her, "She's going to be your teacher for the week you're all here," she told them.
"I'm looking forward to getting you all in tip-top shape for the trials ahead!" the teacher stated proudly as she bowed to the children.
"Yeah, we're ready!" the ponytailed boy declared, while his male cousin merely nodded.
"Incidentally, I hope you all don't mind returning your Pokémon to their Poké Balls for class," the spectacled woman advised, adjusting her glasses, "You'll be allowed to bring them out during the recess period," she reassured.
"Okay," Calvin replied, taking out both of his spherical containments and aiming them towards his partners, "See you soon," he promised, returning them in beams of red light to the containers, shrinking them by pressing their center buttons afterwards. His twin sister did the same before they trotted off with their teacher, heading towards the door to their classroom.
"Huh…" the Unova Champion Master sighed, folding her arms underneath her chest as her aunt stood beside her, "You know, I can't help but get worried for those kids sometimes…" she admitted, starting to smile a little, "but I also get the feeling they're gonna end up being greater than we are," she added, causing her relative to giggle in agreement. Inside the classroom itself, there were thirteen other students seated at their desks, chatting with each other as their new classmates walked in. The boys marveled at the decorative setting of the area, while the lone girl just yawned loudly.
"Okay class!" Emily called out, catching everyone's attention as they silenced themselves, turning to see head up to the front of the room, clapping her hands together as the students all sat down, including the ones that had just arrived, "Are all of you ready to embark on this week long journey to become Island Challengers?!" she asked loudly with an excited pump of her fist.
"YEEAAAAHHH!" most of her class cheered, with only Calvin, Erika, and a few others remaining silent.
"Of course, this whole week may be a refresher for the most of you that are here," the teacher pointed out, "That said, this week-long course is designed to make sure that you're all ready for the trials here in the Alola region," she explained to them as they all listened on, "Now does anyone wish to tell me how other regions conduct their challenges?" she asked the class. One student raised her hand immediately, being a dark skinned girl with bright blue eyes and was fairy muscular in her arms and legs without losing her femininity. She wore a red headband, an orange and brown sleeveless t-shirt, a pair of jean short shorts, black fingerless gloves, and purple sneakers. Her most distinct feature was her short salt-and-pepper colored hair spiked to the right.
"Trainers have to get eight gym badges by challenging different gym leaders in order to be applicable for the Pokémon League!" she answered, cheekily chuckling.
"That is correct," the spectacled woman replied. Upon hearing her, Calvin immediately unzipped his backpack and pulled out a notebook, setting it onto his desk and opening it while readying a pen.
"C-Cal?" his sister stuttered in confusion, seeing him quickly start taking down notes.
"Here in Alola, there is no Pokémon League," Emily said, causing some people to perk up in shock, "We hold the Island Challenge instead of the usual gyms to test trainers' abilities to think outside of the box and encourage them to take risks," she told the students, "It's a longstanding tradition that's valued on each of the four islands," she mentioned.
"What are the names of the other three?" the capped boy at the back of the room questioned, raising his right hand.
"Can anyone answer his question?" the teacher offered.
"I can!" Hau exclaimed as he extended his arm up, "They're Akala, Ula'ula, and Poni!" he listed off while grinning.
"Right on, Hau!" she replied with a wink.
"Thanks for that, cuz," the lightning mage whispered to the ponytailed boy, who smiled.
"I've got your back!" he responded, gifting him with a fist bump. Seeing their interaction caused Erika to turn away in frustration, clenching her fists. As the class went on, she saw her brother continuously take notes on how to catch a Pokémon, the eighteen different types, and even the regional variants of Pokémon originally known in Kanto. While all of this seemed to go over her head out of boredom, he was vigorously writing down almost everything he heard, hoping that the knowledge would make him a better trainer.
X
As time passed and everyone took a quick break for lunch, the Ketchum twins both ate silently next to each other, with the male looking over all of the notes he had taken during the lecture.
"So Litten's weak to Water and Rock types like Popplio and Rockruff…" he muttered aloud, flipping the pages, "and Yungoos doesn't have any advantages as a Normal type…" he noted, letting out a tired breath.
"Boy, you were really into it back there!" Hau whispered, catching his attention as he looked over to see him offering a piece of a malasada to him.
"Oh, thanks," he replied, taking the piece into his hand and eating it, "Hey, didn't you say that the Island Challenge couldn't be taken by your dad when he was your age?" he questioned to him, causing him to perk up as he was chewing on his food.
"Well, yeah," he responded as he swallowed, "but now Tutu's making it so that anyone qualified to be a trainer can take the challenge!" he told him, "This class is just to determine who gets the amulets or not," he mentioned with a cheeky grin.
"A-Amulets?" his cousin stuttered in confusion. As the two continued to talk, the aspiring kunoichi just drank her water in silence, ignoring them as she rested her head against the desk.
'I knew this was gonna be so boring… even if it is only a week…' she grumbled inwardly, staring ahead at the blackboard that had a lot of writing upon it, 'How come he's having so much fun with this?' she wondered, looking back at her brother, 'Is it because he's learning about this world more?' she questioned to herself. She halted her thoughts as she kept eating her sandwich, ignoring everyone else conversing around her. All of a sudden, a bell rung, catching everyone's attention as they looked over to see Emily standing up at the front of the room.
"The recess period has begun!" she declared, causing most of them to immediately stand up and rush out the door, yelling excitedly all the while.
"This must be when we can finally have battles!" Calvin realized, pushing himself away from the desk to stand up and take his notebook and Poké Balls, "Hau, let's go!" he beckoned to his cousin, running out with him excitedly. His sister got up herself, grabbing her two spherical containments from her bags and holding them in the palm of her right hand.
'Cal… what changed you?' she wondered, walking off after him. Outside on the dirt battlefields, several students from different classes were already having matches, as a Caterpie landed a strong head-butt onto a Magnemite, while a Growlithe shot out balls of fire from its mouth, aimed for a Noibat that was easily evading them. The Ketchum twins and their cousin made their way out, seeing that the four battlefields were already taken by other trainers.
"Hey!" a voice cried out to them, catching their attentions as they looked over to see the girl from before waving them over, enticing them to walk up to her, "I called dibs on the next battle, so I'm lookin' for someone to throw down with," she stated, placing her hands at her hips, "You wanna dance, kid?" she guessed to the capped boy.
"Of course!" he replied with an eager pump of his fist, "My name's Calvin," he introduced, holding his right hand out to her politely, "What's yours?" he asked.
"Paige," the girl responded, taking his extremity into her own and shaking it firmly, "I'm from Oldale Town back in the Hoenn region," she mentioned, gesturing towards herself, "From the looks of it, you're not from around here either," she noted.
"Heh, yeah…" the lightning mage laughed as she sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "Me and my sister here are from Kanto," he admitted, gesticulating towards his sibling.
"Cool!" the eccentric girl responded. Just then, they heard a loud thud, glancing over to see a Roggenrola lying upon the ground on his back, while a Machop loomed over him.
"MAAAAHHH!" he yelled in victory, flexing his biceps.
"Field three's battle has ended!" the referee standing at the sidelines shouted, raising his right hand, "Now who's next?" he questioned out to the crowd around him.
"That'd be us!" the salt-and-pepper haired girl replied loudly, catching his attention as he saw her grab her future foe's right hand and raise it up.
"All right, take your positions!" the official declared, enticing the two to quickly rush over. The female took the side furthest away from the building, while her opponent stood at the other.
'Hau…' he uttered inwardly, enlarging one of the two Poké Balls he had by pressing its center button, 'I'm ready to show you that I'm not the same as I was last time!' he declared through thought, reeling his arm back.
"Yungoos, let's go!" he called out, throwing the container up into the air. It popped open, and the light spilled forth from it formed into the Loitering Pokémon as it dissipated.
"Yung, yung goo!" he yelled excitedly.
"A Yungoos, huh?" Paige inquired, readying her own container, "Well say hello to my best fighter, Torchic!" she bellowed, tossing it up and letting it open. The luminosity that came out went onto the ground, forming and then dissipating to reveal the Chick Pokémon.
"Tor!" he chirped, kicking about rather excitedly to the confusion of his opponent as he tilted his head slightly.
"A Torchic…" Hau uttered in surprise, "That's a Fire type, too…" he mentioned, rubbing his chin.
"Like Litten, huh?" Calvin inquired upon hearing, closing his hands into fists, "Yungoos, we can do this!" he stated confidently.
"Oh, I like that!" the Hoenn native said, punching the air around her excitedly, "But don't think we'll be kickin' the bucket today!" she exclaimed, "Torchic, Scratch!" she commanded to her partner.
"Tor!" he responded, letting his sharp toes on both of his feet shine a bright white as he charged at his enemy.
"Dodge it!" the lightning mage cried out, seeing the chick-like creature lunge at his teammate. The Normal type managed to hop to the side in order to evade him, getting into a ready stance. "Now Tackle!" his trainer demanded, enticing him to quickly head-butt his adversary at his left hip, causing him to tumble across the dirt.
"Torch…" he growled as he stood back up, shaking his head.
"Not bad…" the salt-and-pepper haired girl commented, folding her arms over her chest.
"Yung, yung!" the Loitering Pokémon chanted excitedly, hopping up and down.
"All right Torchic, use Peck!" Paige called out, flexing her right arm. A light orange, bird-shaped aura surrounded the front of her partner's body as he ran towards his enemy, with his beak aimed at him.
"Tackle again!" the capped boy ordered.
"Yung goo!" the mongoose-like creature responded, meeting his foe head on as they came to a standstill upon contact, growling angrily at each other. Many students around from different classes smiled excitedly as the battle continued, with the Chick Pokémon unleashing round balls of fire from his mouth towards his foe, who narrowly evaded them before using his tail to kick up some dirt, sending it flying into the eyes of his opponent.
"That was Yungoos' Sand Attack!" Hau realized as his eyes sparkled, "Cal's really giving that girl a run for her money!" he noted, evidently excited as Erika glanced over at him for a moment before looking away.
'Why am I the only one not excited about this?' she asked herself, clenching her left fist as it trembled in frustration.
"Excuse me…" a feminine voice chimed in, catching her attention and her cousin's as they turned and widened their eyes at who they saw. It was a girl with blonde hair styled in waves, wearing a white blouse over a black, strapless top, a long white skirt with black leggings, and white shoes. "Would either of you wanna have a battle?" she offered, "Another field just opened up…" she pointed out, gesturing towards it.
"P-Pyrrha?!" the aspiring kunoichi stammered in shock, "What are you doing here?!" she asked, starting to smile a little, "Weren't you supposed to learning about Dragon Slayer magic back home?!" she continued rather excitedly, "Are you a wizard yet?!" she kept asking as her eyes sparkled.
"S-Slow down, Erika…" the Eucliffe girl stuttered pleadingly as she held up her hands, "I'm here to take part in the Island Challenge like everyone else," she pointed out as she fidgeted with her fingers, twirling them over each other.
"Oh," the short haired girl responded, somewhat disappointed as she turned away slightly.
"In all seriousness though, do you wanna have a battle?" her friend questioned, clasping her hands together in a begging manner.
"Huh…" the Ketchum girl sighed in realization, "Guess it can't be helped…" she muttered, causing the white dragon slayer to beam gleefully.
"All right!" she exclaimed, skipping on over to the open field with her trotting slowly behind.
'Guess Eri's still not used to the whole trainer thing yet…' Hau realized, letting off a little grin.
"Hey, Hau!" a familiar voice cried out, causing him to glance over and see Kukui approaching with Lillie, "Seems like some great moves are bein' shown out here today!" he pointed out, looking over at each of the battlefields.
"Yeah!" the ponytailed boy agreed, "And Cal was really into it back in the class!" he mentioned, causing the professor to blink in surprise.
"Was he now?" he wondered, folding his arms over his chest.
"Hm…" his assistant hummed worriedly, seeing the battles rage about on the fields, "I normally don't like seeing Pokémon get themselves hurt over and over from these battles…" she admitted, clutching the strap of her duffel bag tightly.
"Yungoos, Bite!" the capped boy yelled to his teammate.
"Yung!" he responded, letting his sharp teeth glow a bright white before he lunged out at the Chick Pokémon, who had no time to react as he raced by and chomped down fiercely.
"Tor…" he uttered before falling over to his left, having swirls in his eyes.
"Torchic!" Paige cried out, rushing over to him.
"Torchic is unable to battle!" the referee announced with his left arm raised, "Yungoos wins!" he declared, gesturing towards the Normal type.
"Way to go, Yungoos!" Calvin complimented, enticing his partner to jump into his arms, nibbling on his left happily, "Thanks for the battle, Paige," he said in gratitude to the dark skinned girl, who chuckled as she returned her partner to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light.
"No prob, Cal!" she replied, standing up, "You got the stuff to go pretty far, I'd bet!" she added, making him blink in surprise before smiling.
"Sweet moves there, cuz!" Kukui complimented as the Ketchum boy came over to them, with the Loitering Pokémon still nibbling on his ear, "Though it looks like Yungoos there could really use a snack…" he pointed out as he scratched his cheek.
"Yeah…" the capped boy responded sheepishly with a chuckle, "My parents already had to go through a whole bag of Pokémon food for him alone!" he mentioned, sounding surprised.
"Yungoos are known to be always hungry and have big appetites," Lillie explained, catching his attention.
"For you to be raising one is a testament to your courage in itself," the professor chimed in as he placed his hand upon the mongoose-like creature's head, petting it gently to make him stop nibbling.
"Gooh…" he cooed, resting his eyes for the moment.
"Seems like he could use some rest for a bit," the spectacled man noted.
"Yeah," the lightning mage agreed, taking out his Poké Ball and returning his teammate to it in a beam of red light, "By the way, where'd Erika go?" he asked, glancing around. Just then, he took notice of another battle happening at the field closest to the entrance, being his sister and the white dragon slayer as the former's Rockruff was facing off against a Spinarak.
"String Shot!" the latter trainer called out. The String Spit Pokémon fired a white string from his mouth, which was aimed for his target as he quickly hopped back to avoid it and others that came his way. He then let the stones around his neck glow a bright white, jumping up as a multicolored orb of energy shrouded his tail. The orb itself then dissolved into multiple sparkles before turning into several rocks that shot out and struck the spider-like creature in a smoky blast.
"Rah, rah!" the Puppy Pokémon barked excitedly, prepared for more. However, when the veil cleared, it revealed his foe lying on the ground in a daze, knocked out completely.
"Ah, Spinner!" Pyrrha cried out, hurrying onto the field to pick him up.
"Spinnaaahh…" he groaned.
"Spinarak is unable to continue!" the referee announced with his right arm raised into the air, "Rockruff wins!" he declared, gesturing towards the victor.
"Ruff, rah!" the Rock type yipped in glee, panting afterwards.
"Cool, I guess…" Erika grumbled with a shrug of her shoulders, while her teammate skipped over to her.
"Guess she's still the same as ever," Kukui realized as he shook his head.
"I didn't know Pyrrha was going to try for the Island Challenge, too…" Calvin admitted, blinking in surprise.
"The more friends, the merrier, right?!" his cousin inquired as he wrapped his arm around his shoulders. They both laughed in agreement, catching the attention of the aspiring kunoichi as she frowned. As the recess period went on, almost everyone had gone through at least one battle.
"Rowlet, Leafage!" Hau yelled, enticing the Grass Quill Pokémon to make his wings glow a bright green before spinning around and sending out a torrent of leaves that struck a Wingull head-on, knocking her onto the ground in a flurry of dust.
"Gull…" she squawked in agony afterwards, having swirls in her eyes.
"Yes!" the ponytailed boy exclaimed with a pump of his fist.
"Rooh!" his partner chirped, flying over and perching himself onto his master's shoulder. Almost all of the students clapped at the efforts of their classmates, including the guests and the teachers.
"The recess period isn't over yet, kids!" Emily called out, catching their attentions, "If your Pokémon need healing, we have our school's very own Nurse Joy to tend to them," she explained, gesturing towards the professional beside her, who simply waved to the crowd.
"All right, we get to have more battles!" the lightning mage yelled excitedly, "Maybe I should have Litten go up against a type she has a disadvantage to…" he suggested, muttering aloud ideas he had.
"Heh, heh!" Kukui laughed, "Glad you're challenging yourself and your team, cousin!" he complimented, folding his arms over his chest. Listening on from afar was a boy with short, dark green hair, orange eyes, and light skin. All he wore was a long, buttoned-down black vest over a white shirt with jeans. He seemed distant from everyone else in the area as the battles were going on, but he could not help but overhear the Ketchum boy rattle on about his plans for battle like he was an expert, while his sister yawned out of boredom. Clenching his fist in frustration, he trotted over.
"A sham like you shouldn't even be battling at all…" he muttered, catching the capped boy's attention.
"What did you say?" Calvin questioned, turning around to face the boy as a Froakie was standing beside him.
"I said you're nothing but a sham," he responded with his hands delved into his pockets, "I saw the battle at the festival," he pointed out to his surprise, "Your Litten had a type advantage and you still lost," he noted, causing him to grit his teeth angrily, "I don't know what makes you so special to think you can get an amulet from here, but I don't think you even deserve it," he finished. The Ketchum boy had heard enough, clenching his fists tightly as he started to trot up to his classmate.
"Cal, stop it!" Erika shouted, rushing over and grasping him by his left arm in order to halt him, "This guy's not worth our time," she advised, making him frown ashamedly in realization as he took a slow breath to try and calm himself.
"You're one to talk," the dark green haired boy chimed in again, catching their attentions, "You were even more pathetic than your nitwit of a brother at the festival," he mentioned as the aspiring kunoichi started to growl angrily, "Were you even trying to win then?" he asked mockingly. She was about to reach down to her holster to pull out a kunai, but suddenly noticed another figure come in front of them, being her cousin. He had a somewhat upset look on his face at first, but it quickly faded into an innocent smile.
"So you're strong, huh?" he inquired to the bullying boy curiously.
"Who are you supposed to be?" he questioned back with an arched eyebrow.
"I'm their cousin, Hau!" he replied brightly, "And I know they're still pretty new to being trainers, so that's okay," he pointed out.
"You're the Kahuna's grandson, right?" the opposing boy asked, taking his hands out from his pockets.
"Yep!" the ponytailed boy answered with a nod, as his Rowlet flew over and perched himself upon his shoulder, "What's your name?" he asked.
"Trent," he replied, smirking a little, "If you're really the guy who beat those two, then it might be worth my while to fight you myself..." he admitted.
"Fro!" Froakie croaked in agreement as he stepped forward with a serious expression upon his face.
"I like the sound of that!" the dark skinned boy concurred, looking back over at his relatives, "And you should take on my cousins, too!" he recommended, gesturing towards them as they blinked in surprise, "They might not seem like much to you, but they're both really something!" he stated proudly.
"Hau..." Calvin uttered with widened eyes. The rest of the classmates watched on in anticipation, while Lillie nervously clutched the shoulder strap of her bag.
"Fine," the dark green haired boy finally agreed. The Grass Quill Pokémon floated down from his master's shoulder, staring down his future opponent as he was getting into a ready stance.
X
As the other battles continued, the two trainers stood at opposite ends of the dirt field, with their partners standing beside them. The Ketchum twins, Paige, Pyrrha, Lillie, and Kukui watched on from afar, awaiting the first command from either side.
"Rowlet, you okay with sitting this one out?" the ponytailed boy inquired to his partner, who perked up.
"Koo!" he replied with a simple nod, allowing him to pull out a Poké Ball from his shorts, enlarging it by pressing its center button. Trent did the same, gesturing for the Water type near him to stay back.
"So we're gonna see something new, huh?" the professor inquired, placing his right hand onto his chin.
"Pichu, let's go!" the grandson of the kahuna exclaimed, tossing the container into the air. It popped open, and the light that spilled forth from it formed upon the dirt, dissipating to reveal the small Electric type.
"Pi chu!" he squeaked as he hopped up and down.
"A Pichu!" the Eucliffe girl squealed excitedly, letting her eyes sparkle, "He's so cute!" she exclaimed, causing Erika to cringe.
"Bleh…" she uttered, sticking out her tongue.
"Poochyena!" the dark green haired boy bellowed, throwing out his own Poké Ball that opened up quickly. The luminosity that came out formed and dissipated, revealing the Bite Pokémon as he growled, much to his opponent's surprise as he blinked.
"Oh dear…" Lillie uttered worriedly, holding her bag close to herself. Both creatures on the field got into ready stances, glaring each other down.
"Begin!" the referee standing at the side of the field exclaimed, throwing his right arm down.
"Pichu, Thunder Shock!" Hau commanded as he pumped his right fist. The Tiny Mouse Pokémon had electricity build up around his body before unleashing a small bolt of lightning towards his foe.
"Dodge it!" Trent shouted. His teammate did so in response, charging forwards. "Tackle!" he ordered.
"Rraah!" the Dark type roared, ramming into the mouse-like creature head first and sending tumbling across the dirt in an instant.
"You okay, bud?" his trainer asked, seeing him stand back up and shake his head.
"Pi, pi chu!" he exclaimed as his cheeks sparked wildly. The dog-like creature charged at him again, enticing him to get into a ready stance.
"Hit 'im with a Charm, Pichu!" the ponytailed boy called out.
"Pi… chu!" the Electric type responded, taking a cute pose and winking towards his opponent. A blue light shrouded his body, appearing to flow downwards as he growled angrily. However, his master was not as annoyed, just clenching his right fist.
"Sand Attack!" he demanded. Digging his front paws into the dirt, Poochyena kicked it up and sent it right into his adversary's face.
"P-Pi… Pi chu!" he stammered, coughing as he could not see. Everyone was shocked by the move, especially Calvin as he remembered his Yungoos doing the same in their earlier battle.
"Now use Bite!" the vested boy yelled. Having his teeth shine a bright white, the Bite Pokémon ran in and bit on his foe's pointy left ear, flailing him around wildly as he shrieked.
"Hang in there, Pichu!" his master cried out, "Hit him with another Thunder Shock!" he commanded. Steeling himself, the Electric type let his cheeks spark before firing another jolt of electricity onto his enemy, who grimaced in agony upon taking the attack.
"Toss him!" Trent shouted quickly. The dog-like creature reacted instantly and threw the Tiny Mouse Pokémon away, letting him land on the opposite side of the field.
"Come on, Hau!" the capped boy cheered, "Show him what you've got!" he called out. His cousin let off a little grin at his words, clenching his fists tightly.
"Pichu, give 'im one more Thunder Shock!" he ordered. Standing back up and shaking his head to rid himself of the dirt in his eyes, the mouse-like creature enveloped himself within electricity once more, firing off several small bolts of lightning towards his foe.
"Dodge and use Tackle!" the dark green haired boy yelled, enticing his partner to immediately run towards his opponent, avoiding each of the bolts as they struck the ground, ramming hard into him. He was sent flying into the stone wall past the boy, slamming against it before falling to the ground with swirls in his eyes.
"Pi…" he muttered out.
"Pichu is unable to battle!" the referee announced, raising his left arm up, "Poochyena is the winner!" he declared, gesturing towards the Bite Pokémon.
"Rah!" he barked, heading back over to his master.
"Pichu!" the ponytailed boy cried out, immediately running over to his teammate along with Emily, Joy, and Kukui.
"That Poochyena was no slouch…" Paige whispered from afar, crossing her arms, "Even Pichu's Charm didn't seem to faze it…" she mentioned.
"Yeah, I know…" Pyrrha agreed. Lillie had a very concerned expression upon her face, while Erika seemed disinterested by the whole affair. However, her brother was the opposite, evidently frustrated that even though his relative had defended him earlier, he had been defeated by the bully in battle.
'I've got your back, cuz,' he told himself, taking a sharp inhale before stomping towards the field.
"Trent!" he cried out, getting his attention, "Are you up for one more battle?" he inquired, readying a Poké Ball in his right hand as he enlarged it by pressing its center button.
"I'd normally pass…" he started to reply, returning the Dark type to his containment in a beam of red light, "but I guess you might have some potential to be worth my while," he admitted, causing him to grit his teeth angrily, "Let's do it," he declared with an anticipated grin. His Froakie did the same, hopping out onto the dirt field.
X
Calvin took his place on the opposite side of his foe, standing within the chalk boundary as he readied his Poké Ball. His cousin had trotted back over to his sister with Pichu asleep in his arms, grinning excitedly out of anticipation for his efforts.
"I'm counting on you…" the lightning mage whispered to the container in his hand, tossing it up. It popped open, and the light that spilled forth from it poured out onto the ground, forming and then dissipating to reveal Litten.
"Mrrowwww!" she hissed as the spines on her back stood up.
"A Fire type, huh?" Trent inquired, placing his hands at his hips, "Bet your Yungoos wouldn't be having a tough time…" he implied. His words brought looks of ire onto the faces of both the opposing trainer and his teammate, while everyone watched on.
"I can tell that those two are ready to unleash an Overheat of passion…" Kukui noted, letting off a grin.
"Begin!" the referee exclaimed from the sideline, throwing down his right arm.
"Litten, Ember!" Calvin commanded immediately. Letting the red spines on her back stick up once more, the Fire Cat Pokémon unleashed a fireball from her mouth, heading towards her opponent.
"Dodge and use Quick Attack!" the dark green haired boy yelled as he swung his right arm out. Shrouding himself in a white outline, Froakie dashed out, evading the fireball as it struck the ground behind him while continuing to charge at his adversary.
"Block it with Scratch!" the capped boy called out quickly. Extending the claws on her front paws as they shined a bright white, the kitten-like creature threw her right out as a means to counter her foe's collision with her. However, she was sent sliding back in an instant, gritting her teeth angrily.
"Mrrraaaww!" she roared as the spines on her back started to stick up again.
"Now Bubble!" the opposing trainer ordered, pumping his right fist. Arching his head back, the Water type suddenly unleashed a flurry of bubbles from his mouth, colliding with his target in an instant before she could react.
"Lit…" she growled, sliding out of the white veil of smoke that followed from the attack.
"Hang in there, Litten!" her master cheered, clenching his own extremities tightly.
"Froakie, Pound!" Trent demanded. Suddenly, the Bubble Frog Pokémon leapt out, having his hands glow a bright white before smacking the Fire type on the head with his right.
"Oh no…" Lillie uttered in a panicked tone, seeing the struck being grimace in agony as she fell down. Her trainer gritted his teeth in frustration, but then blinked as he noticed the close proximity the frog-like creature was to his teammate.
"Use Lick!" he cried out, causing her to perk up instantly. She narrowly evaded getting struck by his left hand by ducking, readying her tongue and licking his left arm. He shivered in shock, jumping back towards his owner.
"Lick, huh?" he inquired, arching an eyebrow before pulling off a grin, "Not bad…" he uttered, "Froakie, Bubble!" he commanded.
"Fro!" his teammate responded, preparing to arch his head back. Suddenly though, electricity sparked around his body, preventing him from moving as he keeled over slightly.
"Wh-What happened?" Paige stuttered in question, evidently shocked.
"So he remembered Lick's added effect…" Kukui noted with a chuckle, "Guess that means Froakie's now in a tough spot," he pointed out, placing his hands at his hips.
"Ember!" Calvin shouted. Letting the red spikes on her back stand up, Litten unleashed another fireball, striking her foe in a smoke-filled explosion before he could even react properly, getting blown back as he tumbled across the dirt. Trent was a bit stunned by what happened, blinking in surprise to see the serious expression that remained on his adversary's face.
"Quick Attack!" he called out, enticing the Bubble Frog Pokémon to race out as a white outline shrouded his form again.
"Use Scratch!" the capped boy commanded with a swing of his right arm. Extending her claws once more, the Fire type lunged out at her foe, meeting him head on in another collision that blew the both of them back along the dirt.
"MRRRRAAAAWWW!" she roared angrily after, having a puff of flames emit from her mouth.
"Fro, kee!" her opponent retorted, standing up firmly.
"This is getting more intense than the battle at the festival…" Hau mentioned, gaining a nervous expression, "You can do it, Cal!" he cheered, making him perk up slightly as he smiled.
"Scratch, one more time!" he ordered to his partner, who readied her claws again as she lunged out.
"Stop him with Bubble!" the dark green haired boy cried out quickly. Puffing out his cheeks, the Water type shot off another flurry of bubbles towards his oncoming foe, but she slashed her way past them, striking him fiercely as he tumbled across the dirt onto his back. "Froakie!" his master yelped, having a concerned expression upon his face as he was slow to get up onto his feet. As he did though, a blue aura began shrouding his form, much to everyone's surprise.
'That light…' the lightning mage started to realize, 'It's like what happened with Litten at the festival!' he recalled, recognizing how a similar luminosity was upon his partner during her last attack.
"So Froakie's Torrent is active…" Kukui noted, scratching at his chin.
"Torrent?" Erika uttered in confusion.
"It's an ability that powers up a Pokémon's Water type moves when they're down to the last of their available health in battle," Lillie explained in response, "This doesn't look good for Calvin…" she mentioned, evidently worried.
"Fro…" the Bubble Frog Pokémon growled, creating a blue of sphere of energy in between his hands, having it grow to the size of his own head as everyone widened their eyes, including his trainer.
"Froakie…" he uttered in disbelief, regaining his composure seconds later, "This is it, Calvin!" he declared, catching his adversary's attention as he pointed at him, "Your Litten's finished after this next move!" he shouted, closing his hand into a fist, "Water Pulse!" he bellowed.
"Kee!" the frog-like creature exclaimed as he launched the sphere from his hands towards his opponent.
"Stop it with Ember!" the Ketchum boy cried out quickly. His teammate fired off another fireball, but it was instantaneously blown apart by the oncoming orb of energy, which collided with her in a fierce explosion of water and steam. "Litten!" her owner screamed in shock, while everyone watched on with widened eyes. As the smoke finally cleared, it revealed the Fire Cat Pokémon lying upon her side, groaning in agony. However, she slowly managed to rise up onto her feet again, as people were stunned to see the reddish-orange aura building around her.
"There's that burning heart again…" the professor realized, chuckling, "That Litten's Blaze is gonna take Cal there to new heights…" he mentioned, while the aspiring kunoichi blinked in confusion from his words.
"MRRROOOOWWWW!" the Fire type roared as the aura flared up all over her body.
"Fro…" her adversary muttered with a smirk. His trainer grinned as well, impressed by the tenacity of their opponent.
"Froakie, Water Pulse!" he commanded. The Water type readied another blue sphere of energy in between his hands, leaping up and diving down towards his foe. She, on the other hand, had a light red aura envelop her body before flames billowed within her mouth, flickering wildly as she jumped towards him.
"That's Fire Fang!" Hau exclaimed in surprise, while her trainer was just as stunned. The two battlers collided, creating a large explosion in midair that made wind rush about wildly from the force of it. Two streams of black smoke came down and crashed onto the field afterwards, as both students looked on nervously to see what the result was. As the smoke cleared, it revealed the kitten-like creature of the two lying upon her stomach, groaning in agony, while her adversary breathed heavily as he still stood with plenty of scrapes and bruises along his body.
"Litten is unable to battle!" the referee declared after a moment, raising his right arm up, "Froakie wins!" he stated, gesturing towards the Bubble Frog Pokémon as he keeled over onto his right knee.
"Froakie!" his trainer yelped, hurrying over to his side as he kneeled down next to him, "Are you all right?" he asked in concern, picking him up into his arms.
"Kee…" he croaked in response with a grin.
"Litten, hang in there!" Calvin cried out as he helped get his partner back up onto her feet.
"Mraw?" she purred in confusion, looking to see him there.
"You did your best back there…" he complimented, scratching her chin, "I'm proud of you," he added, making her smile happily before jumping into his arms and nuzzling her head against his affectionately.
"Hey," Trent's voice chimed in, catching their attentions as they saw him walk over, "I had you pegged all wrong," he admitted with a grin, much to their surprise as they blinked, "You really are a good trainer," he added as he stuck out his right hand in offering of a handshake to him, "Definitely someone worth anyone's time if he can almost beat my Froakie with a Fire type…" he mentioned as he lightly chuckled.
"Thanks," the capped boy replied, taking his extremity and firmly grasping it. Everyone clapped happily for the efforts of the two trainers, but Erika remained strangely quiet, clenching her left fist out of frustration.
"Rah?" Rockruff yipped in confusion upon noticing.
X
After the recess period had ended, only a few more lessons followed before the school bell rang in dismissal, with everyone racing out of the doors. The lightning mage's new friends eagerly talked with him about their battles after class, chatting about excitedly over what was to come from the rest of the week. However, his sister trotted along behind them, delving her hands into her pockets as she was deep in thought; something that she never believed she would even do. Her brother had made a multitude of friends on just the first day, but while Pyrrha was the only person she interacted with, she had turned her away after their battle.
"See you all tomorrow!" Calvin cried out in farewell to his classmates, with Hau waving back with the Eucliffe girl before they headed off.
"I wonder where Pyrrha's staying if her parents are around…" the aspiring kunoichi muttered, folding her arms behind her head.
"She's living in a Hau'oli condo until she gets her amulet for the Island Challenge," her sibling replied, getting her attention, "Her parents usually go there for getaways," he mentioned.
"Not like I needed to know…" Erika muttered, walking off ahead of him to his surprise.
"So… did Popplio or Rockruff learn any new moves like Litten did?" he asked, catching up to her.
"Not that I know of…" she grumbled in response, glancing away as they reached their home, trotting up the steps.
"Well, do you wanna have a battle and see?" Calvin asked, causing her to take a sharp inhale, "I took a lot of notes in class, so maybe I can-"
"I'm good, Cal," she interrupted, "You can play with Hau and all your other friends for all I care," she mentioned, sounding frustrated to his surprise.
"What's your deal?" he questioned, arching an eyebrow, "Mom and dad just want us to enjoy all this while we still can," he pointed out, "Who knows if we'll be heading back to Kanto…" he grumbled with a heavy sigh.
"I still wanna go back!" his sister declared, "Don't you?" she asked him. He merely glanced back at her for a moment before twisting the knob to the front door, opening it.
"We're home!" he yelled as he walked in, stopping as he took immediate notice of someone else there.
"Ah, if it isn't the twins!" Hala exclaimed, sitting at the couches with Leslie and Ash, "How was your first day at the school?" he asked, standing up and trotting over to them.
"Great!" the male of the two replied, while the female nervously stood behind him, "I'm learning so many things I never thought I'd even like!" he added excitedly.
"Ha, ha!" the kahuna laughed, "That's great to hear, my boy!" he declared, putting his left hand onto the boy's shoulder.
"Um… what are you doing here anyways?" Erika asked in confusion, chiming into the conversation.
"Ah," the old man uttered in realization, reaching into his coat, "I have something special for your brother here," he said, causing the lightning mage to blink in surprise, "You remember when Tapu Koko saved you from the bridge as you tried to rescue Cosmog, correct?" he inquired to him.
"Yeah," he responded, "After that, I found the stone it had left behind…" he remembered, narrowing his eyes slightly in thought.
"Well, it's now time for you to accept its gift," Hala stated, pulling out a white-colored bracelet with several indentations, along with the z-shaped marking that Calvin had originally seen. The strongest trainer of the island put it into his right hand, allowing him to stare at it in wonder. "This is now your Z-Ring, Calvin," he told him, "Tapu Koko has deemed you worthy of it," he mentioned. Members of the Ketchum family aside from Erika all smiled, while the boy with the new gift grinned excitedly.
'Thank you… Tapu Koko…' he inwardly said out of gratitude.
END
And so Calvin has his Z-Ring! Boy, what a great way to get back into things after the bombshell that was the tenth chapter of "Omni Force: WAR". Hopefully, all of you go check that out as well…
Anyways, as you've probably seen from my recent updates to both my profile and my forum, I'm restarting the threads. It may have been a rash decision, but it was done to clean things out and bring about a fresh, constructive start. So hopefully you can all ask plenty of questions in those new threads. The forum link has been provided from my profile page.
I'd also like to give a quick shout-out to TerrorKing10 and ImmaSupa Stargirl as their characters, Trent and Paige respectively, were OCs made up by them to be rivals in this story. There were many more OCs offered to me, but I don't want to jumble too many characters when there's bound to be plenty around the corner.
So with all that said, let's get into the summary for the next chapter!
SUMMARY
The final day of classes is fast approaching, and the scheduled event is a tournament challenge! With Trial Captain Ilima, Professor Kukui, and Kahuna Hala observing, each trainer will be judged based on testing done in the classroom and in the field! Only eight of the sixteen can get their amulets to move onto the Island Challenge! Will Calvin and Erika get theirs?!
END SUMMARY