NegaiFreak: Welcome back, everyone! I've been catching up on the league battles for the Sun & Moon series, so I've got plenty of motivation to get back to writing!
Erika Ketchum: Last time we left off, Cal finally completed his first trial!
Calvin Ketchum: And now we're gonna see if I can beat Hala, too!
NegaiFreak: So let's go right ahead and find out!
POKÉMON SUN & MOON
THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME
Wingulls soared by the Ketchum household as the morning sun shined high in the sky. The front door opened as Calvin stepped outside, stretching his arms up. Today was the day.
"Mraaaahhh…!" Litten yawned loudly as she stretched her body out beside him. Today was the day.
"You ready to beat Hala and catch up to Erika, little girl?" Calvin asked of the Fire Cat Pokémon.
"Mrow!" she responded excitedly with a nod.
"Think you're ready?" a familiar voice asked, being Ash's as he stepped outside with Pikachu perched upon his shoulder.
"Totally!" Calvin replied as he turned around to face his father, "Hala uses Fighting types, right?" he inquired, "So Trumbeak's the perfect match for him!" he exclaimed, not giving Ash the chance to respond.
"Whoa, hey…" he began pleadingly to his son, "I wouldn't get too cocky…" he advised, "Hala's stronger than you think…" he pointed out.
"I know, I know…" Calvin repeated in reply, "I'm just psyched to get a chance to win today!" he proclaimed with a pump of his fist.
"Mraaahhh!" Litten roared in agreement. Ash smiled. After hearing about what Calvin had gone through from Mirajane, it was nice to see him in such high spirits. Still, he was acting a bit overconfident… Did Erika's victory make him think his battle against Hala would be easier?
"Hey, we just got a call from Hala!" Leslie's voice cried out, catching their attentions as they turned to see her sitting at the counter with her breakfast beside her, "Cal's match is gonna be tonight!" she told them.
"Tonight?" Calvin uttered with an arched eyebrow.
"Guess that gives you plenty of time to train a little more…" Ash pointed out.
"I guess…" Calvin muttered, sounding a little disappointed as he crossed his arms over his chest. Ash could understand his impatience. Calvin wanted to catch up to Erika after all.
"Hey, why don't we train together?!" the girl herself suggested excitedly as she ran out the front door and jumped down to the ground, "I haven't gotten the chance to test out our new Z-Move yet!" she mentioned, showing off her Z-Ring with the Flyinium Z fitted into it.
"Sounds like a great idea!" Ash agreed with a smile.
"Pika pi!" Pikachu concurred. Calvin shrugged after a moment.
"Well… I wanted the chance to battle Erika anyways, so…" he started to say, pulling out a Poké Ball from his belt, "you're on!" he exclaimed excitedly. Erika smirked. Looking at how his two kids were starting to get competitive with each other, Ash smiled wider. He was proud of both of them, through and through. Moments later, blue and white light spilled out into the sky, forming before dissipating to reveal Trumbeak.
"Trrrummm!" he squawked, gliding down and perching himself atop his trainer's head.
"So that's Pikipek's evolved form?" Erika guessed as she stood at the other side of the backyard with Brionne, Rockruff, Oricorio, and Rotom beside her. The latter of the group had an image of the Bugle Beak Pokémon appear on its screen.
"Trumbeak, the Bugle Beak Pokémon, and the evolved form of Pikipek," it began, "By bending his beak, he can produce a variety of calls and brand himself a noisy nuisance for his neighbors. From his mouth, he fires the seeds of berries he has eaten. The scattered seeds give rise to new plants," it explained.
"Well, let's see if he's got what it takes against you, Oricorio!" Erika proclaimed.
"Koree!" the Dancing Pokémon chirped, hopping out in front of her trainer.
"A battle between two Flying types, zzt!" Rotom buzzed excitedly, "Let's begin!" it declared, raising its right arm.
"Trumbeak, Supersonic!" Calvin called out. Flying off of his trainer's cap, Trumbeak bent his beak slightly before unleashing a powerful screech towards Oricorio.
"Dodge and use Air Cutter!" Erika commanded. Quickly flying up to avoid the sound waves, Oricorio's pom-pom-like feathers glowed a bright blue before she swung them out, firing off several crescent-shaped blades of air. Trumbeak evaded the first couple of blades, but was subsequently struck by the others, being sent hurdling towards the ground, much to Calvin's surprise.
"Okay, use Pluck!" he ordered quickly. Regaining his balance, Trumbeak made his beak glow a bright blue as it extended and sharpened, zooming towards the airborne Oricorio.
"Double Slap!" Erika yelled, enticing Oricorio to soar down with her feathers shining a bright white. Before Trumbeak could even strike her, she smacked him multiple times in the head with her pom-pom-like feathers, causing him to fall onto the ground in a heap.
"Ah!" Calvin gasped.
"Breahh, bree!" Brionne cheered as she clapped her flippers, while Rockruff was jumping up and down happily. Calvin was admittedly feeling embarrassed. His cheeks flushed a bright red.
"Everything okay, zzt?" Rotom asked, having noticed the boy's reddening face.
"Uh… let's call it for now…" he recommended in reply, much to everyone's surprise.
"Huh?" Erika uttered, blinking in confusion.
"Trum bee…" Trumbeak chirped in an upset tone as he stood up. He felt humiliated. Especially since he was now in his newly evolved form.
"Cal, are you sure you're ready for Hala?" Erika asked as she approached her twin brother worriedly.
"…I dunno…" he admitted in reply, returning Trumbeak to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light, "I mean, I felt really confident after we beat that Totem Raticate and Pikipek evolved…" he pointed out, seating himself on the grass as Leslie walked out onto the porch, "Now I'm just… worried I'm not gonna live up to what dad's expecting from us…" he admitted. Erika tilted her head.
"What do you mean by 'expecting from us'?" she asked, "I don't think dad's got high hopes for us for follow in his footsteps…" she noted with a shrug. Calvin seemed genuinely surprised by her response. She wasn't concerned at all? "I guess I know where you're coming from with the whole… 'pressure' thing…" she added, crossing her arms, "That's how I was feeling when I had to take Miss Emily's test and beat her in a double battle," she told him. Calvin blinked in surprise. He almost forgot how intuitive his twin sister was. "Listen…" she continued, "we might've not gotten the results the way we wanted, but we both have our amulets and Z-Rings," she said, showing off her trinket on her wrist, "That's something everyone's proud of, right?" she guessed with a bright smile. Calvin blinked. Erika was right for once. He had been so focused on wanting to look cool and confident in front of everyone, he forgot that he needed to look out for himself and his Pokémon.
"Yeah, you're right…" he agreed. He sounded embarrassed, but why wouldn't he? His twin sister was lagging behind him days ago. And now she was already one or two steps ahead of him. She smiled.
"You're gonna do great tonight, Cal," she promised, "Just don't go overthinking or… underthinking things," she advised, earning a chuckle out of him.
"Sure thing, Erika," he agreed, standing up and holding his hand out to her, "Let's… battle for real next time," he suggested. His twin sister quickly took his hand and shook it.
"Deal!" she exclaimed excitedly.
"Hey, don't you wanna at least try to use the Flying type Z-Move?" Rotom inquired as it floated over to its owner.
"Oh, right!" Erika remembered, "Oricorio, you ready?" she asked of the Dancing Pokémon.
"Ree!" she chirped in reply. She stood in front of her master as crossed her arms in front of her herself, making sure her Z-Ring was over her right wrist.
"Let's do this!" she exclaimed, swinging her arms around before sticking them out in front of herself, all while the Flyinium Z glowed a bright sky blue. Oricorio copied her movements as she then squatted down, flapping her arms like a bird before raising her left fist high. A sky blue colored aura shrouded Erika's body, followed by it transferring over to Oricorio. But then suddenly, it dissipated into thin air.
"Koree?" the Dancing Pokémon squawked in confusion.
"I guess you two weren't in sync during the dance…" Rotom implied curiously. To its surprise, Erika just giggled.
"See, Cal?" she said, catching her brother's attention, "We're both trying to figure things out," she noted. He blinked in surprise, then smiled in agreement. They were still pretty new to this. But they would do their best to get better.
"Huh…" Leslie sighed contently as she leaned against the side porch's wood railing, "Reminds me of the good old days…" she muttered to herself.
Fight Fighting With Fire!
After a long day's worth of training, Calvin had finally perfected the Breakneck Blitz. With Rotom's instruction and Erika's examples of the Z-Move, he was able to use it with Trumbeak. He decided against practicing with Litten and Yungoos since one, Rotom advised him that trainers could only use one Z-Move per battle. And two, he didn't think it was necessary to try it again. All he really needed to make sure of was getting the pose down correctly. Dawn turned to dusk rather quickly afterwards. By sunset, he and the rest of his family had arrived in Iki Town.
"Oh boy…" he uttered with a gulp. There were plenty of people there in the crowd gathered around the wood stage.
"Hey, cuz!" Hau cried out, catching Calvin's attention as he saw his cousin run up to him, "Congrats on beating Ilima's trial!" he complimented, holding his right hand up for a high five. Calvin returned it after a moment.
"Thanks, cuz…" he responded in gratitude, "How've you been lately?" he asked curiously.
"Awesome!" Hau exclaimed, "I just beat Tutu yesterday and got my Z-Ring!" he told him, showing off the new trinket upon his left wrist, "See?" he pointed out.
"Wow, that is awesome…" Calvin replied. He sounded a little nervous.
'So now Hau and Trent beat Hala…' he inwardly realized, clenching his fists as they shook, 'I have to try and catch up to them, too…' he noted to himself.
"Oh, and check this out!" Hau suddenly yelled, reaching down to his belt and pulling out a Poké Ball. After enlarging it, he threw the ball up into the air, letting it pop open as the light from it poured down and dissipated, revealing a Pikachu.
"Pika!" he squeaked happily. Calvin widened his eyes in surprise.
"Your Pichu evolved?" he asked, getting a nod in reply from his cousin.
"He really helped out when we had to deal with Tutu's Makuhita!" he mentioned, letting the Mouse Pokémon hop onto his left shoulder, "Rowlet and Noibat did a lot, too!" he added happily.
"W-Wow…" Calvin stuttered. Now he was really nervous.
"Hey Hau!" Erika greeted as she jogged over with Rotom floating beside her, "So you already beat your grandpa?" she guessed, having noticed the Z-Ring on her cousin's wrist. He just smiled widely.
"Sawyer!" Ash called out as he approached with Mirajane and Leslie. The three trial-goers looked over to see Sawyer and Lisanna approach the Ketchum family, appearing to exchange greetings as the sisters embraced, as did their husbands.
"Congrats again to Erika," Sawyer complimented, "She really pulled through against my dad," he mentioned.
"I heard!" Ash replied, looking back at his youngest daughter, "And she was the one acting like a problem child a few days ago…" he added as he scratched at his cheek sheepishly.
"HEY! DAD!" Erika screamed, having overheard the conversation as her cheeks flushed a bright red. Her brother and Hau laughed, while Leslie giggled.
"It is true though, zzt," Rotom mentioned, causing Erika to turn even redder with anger and embarrassment.
"Ah, there you are!" a booming voice exclaimed, catching everyone's attention as they saw Hala trotting towards them, "So sorry for the delay this morning, Calvin…" he apologized while rubbing the back of his head, "I had a matter to attend on Mahalo Trail," he explained.
"About the new bridge, right?" Lisanna guessed, chiming into the conversation. Hala nodded.
"Wait, you're rebuilding the bridge to the ruins?" Erika asked, blinking out of surprise.
"Of course, young Erika," Hala replied, "The townspeople all want to make sure they can honor Tapu Koko at its sacred ground," he mentioned.
"Everyone's been chipping in to help out lately," another voice added, causing the group to turn and see Kukui approach with Lillie and Ilima beside him, "And a lot more people wanna do what they can," he said to the group.
"Professor! Lillie! Ilima!" Calvin exclaimed as he ran up to them.
"Congrats on passing the retrial, Calvin!" Kukui complimented while crossing his arms, "So you think you're ready to take on Hala?" he asked.
"Um… well…" Calvin stuttered, rubbing the back of his head, "I'm about as ready as I'll ever be…" he sheepishly admitted.
"He's fine," Ilima assured, causing him to perk up in surprise, "After all, he was able to master my trial with ease," he mentioned. Calvin blinked, but then grinned sheepishly out of flattery.
"Calvin…" Lillie uttered, catching his attention, "do your best!" she assured. He blinked again. And then nodded. Moments later, the torches around the wooden stage were lit, with both Hala and Calvin taking their places.
"Pika! Pika!" both Ash and Hau's Pikachus cheered as they hopped up and down excitedly. The townspeople of the crowd all began cheering as well. Kukui then took the stage on the sideline, acting as the referee.
"Tonight's grand trial match will be between Melemele's Island Kahuna, Hala," he began, gesturing towards the burly man, "versus the island challenger, Calvin!" he exclaimed, gesturing towards the boy, who couldn't help but gulp, "Each trainer will use three Pokémon and may make any substitutions at any time!" he mentioned.
"Hey, isn't that the kid who lost to Hala's grandson at the festival?" one woman asked in a whisper, pointing towards Calvin.
"Bet he really toughed up if he's taking on Hala now…" a man mentioned with a smirk.
"But our kahuna's no pushover!" another man pointed out, "Good luck, Hala!" he shouted. Calvin pulled out a Poké Ball from his belt, enlarging it by pressing its center button.
"Calvin!" Hala suddenly yelled, catching the boy's attention, "I just want you to know that I'm looking forward to our battle tonight," he said, "No matter the outcome, let us both show our best efforts!" he declared fiercely as he clenched his right fist. Calvin blinked in surprise, but then smiled and nodded.
"You got it, Hala!" he shouted back, throwing up the Poké Ball, "Trumbeak, I choose you!" he called out. The ball popped open, and the light that spilled out from it formed in midair, dissipating to reveal the Bugle Beak Pokémon.
"Trrrummm!" he squawked, gliding over the wooden stage.
"Oh…" Hala uttered. The last time he saw Calvin, he didn't have a Trumbeak. This was definitely a surprise. "Then in that case…" he continued, pulling out a Poké Ball from the sleeve of his jacket, "I call upon you, Crabrawler!" he declared, tossing it out. As the Poké Ball popped open, the light from it went onto the wooden stage and dissipated to reveal the Boxing Pokémon.
"Crah!" he exclaimed, punching at the air. Calvin's eyes widened. That wasn't what he was expecting either.
"Hala's using his Crabrawler first?!" Erika exclaimed out of shock.
"I guess Tutu's mixing things up for this battle…" Hau realized, placing his left hand onto his chin in thought. Kukui raised his right arm.
"Let the battle… BEGIN!" he shouted, swinging his arm down. Calvin had no time to worry about who Hala chose to fight first. A battle was still a battle.
"Trumbeak, Pluck!" he ordered.
"Trum!" the Bugle Beak Pokémon squawked as his beak shined a bright blue before lengthening out. He dove down at Crabrawler, who kept his pincers up.
"Iron Defense!" Hala exclaimed. A light blue outline shrouded Crabrawler's form before he became coated in metal. He crossed his pincers before getting struck by Trumbeak's beak, sliding back a few yards.
"Crah…" he muttered out as the coating disappeared.
"Darn…" Calvin mumbled in frustration, "Use Supersonic!" he cried out.
"Trum…" Trumbeak began as he bent his beak out, "BEEEEEEEEEEEK!" he screeched, unleashing a sound wave down towards Crabrawler.
"Dodge with Pursuit!" Hala commanded. A dark aura shrouded the Boxing Pokémon before he suddenly vanished into thin air, evading the sound wave. Without even a moment to react, Trumbeak was struck in the back by Crabrawler's right pincer as he had reappeared behind him in midair.
"Whoa, no way!" Erika yelped.
"That's like how my Rowlet fights!" Hau added as he blinked in amazement. The fathers of the two kids could only smile at their enthusiasm. In the meantime, Trumbeak shook his head as he managed to stay airborne. He glared hard at Crabrawler.
"Now Bubble Beam!" Hala shouted. Opening his pincers, Crabrawler fired off a rapid stream of bubbles up towards Trumbeak.
"Dodge and use Echoed Voice!" Calvin called out. As he glided out of the way from the oncoming bubbles, Trumbeak bent his beak as it glowed white.
"BEEEEEEEEEKKKK!" he shrieked again, this time unleashing a pulsating sound wave that struck the Boxing Pokémon and sent him tumbling back a few feet.
"Cruh…" he muttered angrily, raising his pincers like a boxer ready to fight.
"So that's how it is…" Hala uttered in understanding, cracking a smirk, "Crabrawler, Bubble Beam!" he commanded again. Crabrawler threw out his open pincers and fired off more bubbles towards Trumbeak.
"Counter with Echoed Voice!" Calvin cried out quickly. Trumbeak's beak glowed a bright white as he bent it out again.
"BEEEEEEEEKK!" he screeched, making a stronger sound wave blast apart the bubbles in an explosion of smoke.
"Now use Pluck!" Calvin ordered, swinging his arm to the side. Trumbeak made his beak glow a bright blue again as it lengthened. He dove into the smoke rapidly. Crabrawler had no time to react as he was repeatedly pecked at by Trumbeak. Even with his boosted defense from earlier, the attack still stung as he tumbled out from the smoke.
"Crah, bruh…" he muttered out as his legs were shaking. Hala appeared to grimace.
"All right, Cal!" Erika cheered as she pumped her fist.
"I can't believe Tutu's Crabrawler's already getting so pushed around…" Hau noted as his Pikachu hopped up onto his shoulder.
"Hmm…" Kukui hummed from the sidelines, seeing Trumbeak fly out from the dissipating smoke.
'Looks like Calvin's got Hala figured out so far…' the professor inwardly noted with a sly grin, 'Question is, how long will Hala let that stick?' he wondered.
"Crabrawler, Power-Up Punch!" Hala commanded.
"Trumbeak, Rock Smash!" Calvin ordered. Crabrawler's right pincer became shrouded in a reddish-orange light, while Trumbeak's beak glowed in a similar color. Crabrawler jumped, and Trumbeak dove. They collided with each other, creating another fierce blast that blew both of them back. A reddish aura flowed up the Boxing Pokémon's body just as he landed back onto the stage.
"Now Crabrawler's raising his attack power…" Lisanna realized as she put her hand up to her chin.
"Calvin'll need to beat him quickly at this rate…" Mirajane mentioned worriedly.
"Trumm…" Trumbeak chirped as he shook his head while still flapping his wings. He was getting annoyed that Crabrawler had yet to go down. If it wasn't for that Iron Defense, he would've won the match for Calvin.
"Stay cool, Trumbeak!" his trainer called out reassuringly, "We'll finish this soon!" he promised.
"Trum!" Trumbeak squawked back with a nod. Though in all honesty, Calvin was growing nervous. With increased attack power now, Crabrawler was likely to be more of a threat going forward. He needed this battle to end quickly.
"Use Pluck!" he commanded as he threw out his right hand. Trumbeak made his beak glow bright blue again, extending it before diving towards Crabrawler.
"I see…" Hala uttered in understanding, "Crabrawler, Bubble Beam!" he ordered. Crabrawler opened his pincers and fired off another rapid stream of bubbles; all striking Trumbeak in a burst of white smoke.
"Ah!" Calvin gasped. Though his shock appeared to come too soon… Hala crossed his arms over his chest, making the Fightinium Z on his Z-Ring glow.
"Crabrawler, let us end this!" he declared, moving his arms around and crossing them in front of himself as an orange aura shrouded his form. Calvin grimaced as he recognized the stance.
"Trumbeak, Pluck!" he commanded quickly. Flying out from the smoke, the Bugle Beak Pokémon's beak remained shining as he dove down at Crabrawler, who was copying Hala's poses as he started to punch at the air.
"Trum beeeeek!" Trumbeak screeched as he pecked rapidly at the Boxing Pokémon, causing him to stumble back along the wooden stage. Unfortunately, that didn't appear to stop Hala from completing the dance, throwing one last punch to the air.
"Show them your dormant strength and win this battle!" he called out to Crabrawler as the orange aura that had been shrouding him shot out in separate streaks to the Boxing Pokémon.
"Crah!" he shouted back, letting the energy coarse through his body before a z-shaped symbol appeared in front of him.
"Uh oh…" Erika muttered in realization. She wasn't ready for the Z-Move the last time, so she hoped her brother would be instead.
"Trumbeak, finish him with Pluck!" Calvin commanded suddenly. Trumbeak dove in with his beak still extended and glowing, prepared to peck at Crabrawler one last time.
"He's attacking head on?!" Hau exclaimed out of disbelief, "That's not gonna work against Tutu!" he pointed out hysterically as his eyes bulged open.
"ALL-OUT… PUMMELING!" Hala bellowed. The orange aura flared up around Crabrawler as he punched at the air rapidly, making energy constructs in the shape of his pincers shoot out towards Trumbeak. The Bugle Beak Pokémon managed to avoid the first couple of blows, but was quickly struck over and over by each pincer construct. The crowd gasped. They didn't think a Flying type would lose to a Fighting type like last time. And two, they were shocked Hala used his Z-Move as early as he did. An orange energy entirely shrouded Crabrawler as he lunged out in an instant, ramming into Trumbeak before he even had a chance to react.
"TRUMBEAK!" Calvin screamed. The two Pokémon slammed into the wooden stage, causing a burst of dust to shoot out from their impact. It took a moment for it to subside as Kukui jogged over. Crabrawler hopped out from the cloud, landing upon the stage. He was riddled with bruises and breathed heavily, but was otherwise fine as he kept his pincers up. When the dust finally did settle, it revealed Trumbeak lying in a small crater of semi-splintered wood, having swirls in his eyes as his wings were spread out.
"Trrrruhhh…" he weakly uttered. Kukui raised his right arm.
"Trumbeak is unable to battle!" he declared, "Crabrawler wins!" he exclaimed. The crowd started to cheer out of excitement.
"Crah, brah!" Crabrawler exclaimed happily. Meanwhile, a slack-jawed Calvin could only stare wide-eyed at the scene.
"…What just happened?" he wondered aloud.
X
"Trumbeak lost?!" Erika exclaimed in disbelief, blinking rapidly. She was instantly reminded of how Oricorio lost in the same way just the other day.
"I can't believe Cal made Tutu use the Z-Move that early…" Hau noted as he blinked as well.
"Your dad's as strong as ever, huh Sawyer?" Ash inquired to his old rival, who was staring ahead at Crabrawler. He looked evidently exhausted from the bout, especially with the marks and bruises along his body.
"You notice how Crabrawler didn't take Trumbeak offstage like he did with Oricorio?" Leslie pointed out in question, catching her father's attention.
"Yeah, you're right…" he recalled as a response, "Looks to me like Trumbeak managed to get one last shot in…" he noted, letting off a grin. The Bugle Beak Pokémon was returned to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light by Calvin, who let off a forced grin.
"Thanks for the hard work, Trumbeak," he said to the Poké Ball in gratitude, "I promise I won't let your effort go to waste," he declared calmly, putting the container back onto his belt before pulling out another one.
"Crabrawler, return," Hala requested, suddenly returning the Boxing Pokémon to his Poké Ball in the same red light. Calvin blinked in surprise.
'He's subbing Crabrawler? Why?' he wondered.
"I guess dad knew Crabrawler took some big hits in that battle…" Sawyer realized, folding his arms over his chest, "If it wasn't for that Iron Defense earlier, maybe he'd have lost…" he noted, narrowing his eyes as he saw Hala pull out and enlarge a new Poké Ball.
"I call upon you, Machop!" he bellowed, tossing the ball into the air. It popped open, and the light that came out from it spilled onto the ground. It shaped into form before dissipating to reveal the Superpower Pokémon.
"Mah, chop!" he shouted, flexing his arms.
"A Machop?" Calvin uttered in surprise. Hala hadn't used that one yet…
"I didn't know your grandpa had a Machop…" Erika noted as she blinked. Rotom had an image of the Superpower Pokémon appear on its screen.
"Machop, the Superpower Pokémon," it began, "With his superhuman strength, he's able to throw a hundred people all at the same time. His strength comes from lifting Graveler every day. He likes food that's highly nutritious because his instincts drive him to build muscle efficiently," it explained thoroughly.
"IT CAN LIFT A HUNDRED PEOPLE?!" Erika exclaimed out of utter shock. Hau chuckled. Meanwhile, Calvin was a bit taken aback by the substitution of Hala's Machop. Did he have other Pokémon he had yet to see?
'It doesn't matter…' Calvin muttered inwardly, enlarging his Poké Ball, 'We're going to win!' he declared through his thoughts.
"Litten, go!" he called out, throwing the ball. It popped open, and the light that spilled out formed upon the stage, dissipating to reveal the Fire Cat Pokémon.
"Mrowr!" she roared, letting off a puff of fire from her mouth.
"Ah, young Litten…" Hala uttered with a smirk. He had been looking forward to seeing how the Pokémon he once raised fared in a battle against him. Litten remained stoic however, glaring down her opponent, who glared right back.
"Litten, start things off with Ember!" Calvin commanded. The red tufts on the Fire Cat Pokémon's back spiked up as she launched a fireball from her mouth towards Machop.
"Karate Chop!" Hala ordered. Machop made his right hand glow a bright white before swinging it down to chop the fireball in half, making it dissipate into thin air.
"Tennn…" Litten growled in frustration.
"Use Fire Fang!" Calvin shouted.
"Karate Chop, again!" Hala bellowed. With his right hand still glowing, Machop charged forward towards his foe. Litten's tufts remained spiked and shining a bright fiery red as her mouth billowed with flames. As Machop chopped down at her, she bit his hand.
"Mah…!" he grunted out in pain. Litten then started spinning him around, much to his surprise as he yelled before being flung away, landing hard upon the wood stage.
"Whoa!" Hau yelped in surprise.
"Mah… cha…" Machop grunted as he stood up, holding his right arm in agony.
"Machop, Low Kick!" Hala commanded. However, Machop didn't do anything. In fact, he was still flinching from being bit.
"Not bad, cousin…" Kukui complimented quietly with a grin towards Calvin.
"Ember!" he ordered quickly.
"MRAWR!" Litten roared as she fired off another fireball. Machop didn't even try to evade as he was struck, being sent careening back as he tumbled across the stage. All of a sudden, he was enveloped in a plume of flames.
"MAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" he screamed.
"Ah!" Hala gasped.
"Litten's Ember gave Machop the burn effect, zzt!" Rotom buzzed, catching Erika and Hau's attentions.
"The burn effect?" the former of the two uttered in confusion.
"When a Pokémon gets burned, he or she slowly loses energy along with decreased attack power," Hau explained, "That's one of the first things my dad taught me!" he mentioned with a big grin.
"So that means Cal's got this in the bag!" Erika exclaimed delightedly. However, Leslie narrowed her eyes onto the battlefield. She had a feeling things weren't as they seemed…
"Litten, Fire Fang!" Calvin bellowed. With her tufts still sticking up, a reddish aura shrouded Litten as flames billowed in her mouth. She charged towards Machop, leaping up and biting down at his chest, creating another blast of smoke.
"Mah…" the Superpower Pokémon grunted as he stood firm despite the flickering embers appearing along his body.
"Stand your ground, Machop!" Hala called out, "Revenge!" he ordered while swinging his arm. Leslie widened her eyes in realization. A fiery orange aura built up around Machop's right hand as he clenched it into a fist, swinging it out and striking Litten in the face with it before she could react properly. She was sent flying back, hitting the stage hard and tumbling across it before coming to a stop just beside Calvin.
"Li… tenn…" she groaned, slowly managing to stand back up.
"No way…" Erika uttered out of shock from afar, "Rotodex, what was that?" she asked of her Pokédex.
"Revenge is a move that does double the damage to a Pokémon if the user's been attacked first, zzt," it explained in reply, "That Machop can really put up a good fight…" it noted curiously.
"Don't forget that Tutu's Pokémon have similar abilities," Hau mentioned, catching their attentions, "I know that Machop's got Guts," he pointed out. Erika tilted her head in confusion.
"Uh… Guts?" she uttered out, "Of course I know he's tough, but-"
"He's talking about his ability, zzt!" Rotom suddenly buzzed, causing her to yelp in surprise, "When affected by a status ailment like a burn, Machop's attack power increases!" it told her. She widened her eyes.
"So then… the burn meant nothing?" she wondered aloud with a concerned expression.
"Mrraahh…" Litten growled weakly, gnashing her teeth together. Machop was in a similar state, but kept his arms raised, awaiting his trainer's next command.
"Focus Energy!" Hala called out. An orange aura flowed around Machop's body. His muscles appeared to tighten as his eyes narrowed onto Litten.
"That's the same move his Mankey used…" Erika remembered.
"Litten, can you keep going?" Calvin asked. After taking that Revenge, Litten didn't appear to be in the best of shape. If she were to lose, Calvin would be left with just Yungoos to battle with. And a Normal type like him wouldn't be able to handle three battles against Hala's Pokémon…
"MRRRRAAAAAHHH!" Litten roared angrily, jumping out in front of her trainer to his surprise. She stared back at him with a determined look on her face. He blinked before maintaining his composure.
'We have to beat Machop if we wanna stand a chance!' he realized, clenching his fists.
"Machop, Karate Chop!" Hala commanded. Both of the Superpower Pokémon's hands glowed white as he charged towards Litten once more.
"Block it with Double Kick!" Calvin shouted. Swinging herself around, Litten reared up her hind legs and parried both of Machop's hands, causing him to stumble back.
"Nice one!" Ash complimented.
"Now blow him back with Ember!" Calvin ordered. Litten made the red tufts on her back spike up in an instant, firing off consecutive fireballs. Machop managed to chop through each of them with his hands, but found himself having to step back. With that, fire plumed up around his form from the burn he received earlier, causing him to fall down onto his right knee.
"All right, Calvin!" Mirajane cheered, proud of her son and Litten for managing to fight back as they did.
"Stay strong, Machop!" Hala cried out, almost sounding desperate. That was what Calvin needed.
"Use Ember one more time!" he commanded again. Litten shot out a bigger fireball from her mouth as it exploded right in Machop's face. When the smoke from the blast cleared, it revealed the dazed look on his now sooty face.
"Maaahh…" he moaned before falling backwards onto the stage. Swirls were in his eyes.
"Machop is unable to battle!" Kukui assessed after a moment, raising his left arm, "Litten wins!" he declared, gesturing towards the Fire Cat Pokémon.
"Mrawh…" she sighed in relief, as did her trainer.
"Way to go, Cal!" Erika cheered delightedly. The crowd clapped. They were admittedly impressed by the trial-goer's thinking to hold off Machop long enough for his burn to deplete his energy. Nevertheless, Calvin knew he still had two more obstacles to overcome…
X
Turning into red light, the fainted Machop was recalled to his Poké Ball by Hala.
"I appreciate your efforts, Machop," he said in gratitude to the container, "Thank you," he added before putting the Poké Ball away.
"Mrah…" Litten groaned as her legs shook a little. Calvin noticed. Though Litten did win her previous battle, he didn't want to risk losing her in the next one. Besides, he knew that he'd need her later on… He took out the Fire Cat Pokémon's Poké Ball.
"Litten, come back," he requested, catching her attention as he aimed the ball at her, "You need some rest after all that…" he pointed out seriously. Litten appeared to groan inwardly from his words, but knew they rang true. She needed a break.
"Mrah…" she concurred with a simple nod, allowing her trainer to return her to the Poké Ball in a beam of red light.
"So Cal's switching Litten out, huh…" Erika noted, placing her hand onto her chin.
"He must want to save Litten for last since Trumbeak's not around to help him out, zzt…" Rotom added curiously.
"But that means his only option is…" Hau started to realize. Calvin pulled out another Poké Ball after placing Litten's back onto his belt. He enlarged it, reeling his arm back.
"Yungoos, I choose you!" he exclaimed, throwing the ball up into the air. It popped open, and the light that sprung out of it formed upon the ground, dissipating to reveal the Loitering Pokémon.
"Yunnngg!" he growled fiercely.
"A Yungoos, hm?" Hala uttered as he took out another Poké Ball from his sleeve, "Then I'll call upon you, Makuhita!" he declared, backhanding the container as it popped open. The blue and white light that came out of it formed upon the stage and dissipated to reveal the Guts Pokémon.
"Mah koo!" he shouted as he thrusted his fists at the air.
"So Makuhita's still on his team, too…" Erika pointed out, narrowing her eyes nervously.
"This isn't gonna be easy for Cal…" Hau added with a worried look on his face.
"Quite an interesting fight so far, wouldn't you say?" Ilima chimed in, catching their attentions as they turned to see him here.
"Hey Ilima!" Hau greeted, "Yeah, this battle's really givin' me chicken skin!" he mentioned as he shivered a little.
'Chicken skin?' Erika inwardly uttered in confusion.
"I'll admit, I wasn't expecting Calvin's Trumbeak to push Crabrawler so far…" Ilima confessed as he placed his hand onto his chin, "He's definitely gotten stronger than he realizes," he mentioned.
"It's too bad that Crabrawler used Iron Defense earlier…" Lillie mentioned, "Trumbeak probably would've won for him…" she added. Calvin took a deep breath as he steeled himself. This was a stressful situation after all. With only Yungoos and Litten left, there was no room for any mistakes. He had to make these next few battles count.
"Yungoos, Sand Attack!" he commanded quickly. The Loitering Pokémon prepared himself, ready to swing himself around and kick up dust when…
"Fake Out!" Hala ordered. To Yungoos' surprise, Makuhita suddenly zipped up to him, clapping his hands together to create a shockwave that blew his foe back in an instant.
"Yungg…" he groaned, shaking his head. Calvin grimaced.
'Ah, why didn't I remember that?!' he yelled inwardly, berating himself for forgetting.
"Now Force Palm!" Hala commanded. Makuhita rushed forward again, readying his right arm.
"Yungoos, dodge it!" Calvin cried out. Reacting quickly, the Loitering Pokémon hopped to the side to avoid being struck. "Now use Tackle!" his trainer shouted, enticing him to lunge out and slam himself into Makuhita head first.
"Come on, Cal! Come on, Yungoos!" Erika cheered, "You got this!" she encouraged.
"Makuhita, Arm Thrust!" Hala bellowed. With his hands glowing a bright orange, the Guts Pokémon thrusted them at Yungoos, who evaded each blow before scurrying off.
"Sand Attack, again!" Calvin ordered quickly. Yungoos swung his hind legs against the wooden surface of the stage, kicking up dust that was aimed towards Makuhita.
"Stop it with your Sand Attack!" Hala yelled, much to Calvin's surprise. Makuhita pressed his extremities against the stage before swinging them forward, causing dust to build up and collide with that sent by Yungoos. A cloud of dust came about from the collision, shrouding both Pokémon on stage.
"Yung goo?" Yungoos called out, looking around for his trainer.
"Yungoos, stay calm!" Calvin advised. He gritted his teeth in frustration. He was nowhere near calm. The whole battle felt like Hala just toying with him. And so far, it seemed like dumb luck had gotten him as far as he was.
"Force Palm!" Hala bellowed, catching his attention as his eyes widened in fright.
"Yungoos, Bide!" he quickly shouted. Just as a reddish aura started to build around the Loitering Pokémon's body, Makuhita suddenly came out through the dust cloud and slammed his right hand against his target's head, blowing him away in an instant. The cloud was blown apart as a result of the attack, which left Yungoos barely standing as he shakily stepped forward.
"Yunnngg…" he groaned. He was obviously wincing from the Force Palm he took. But even so, Calvin saw the red aura around him growing.
"Hang in there, Yungoos!" he called out, "Just a little longer and you'll win this battle!" he promised in declaration.
"You think so?" Hala wondered aloud, "Makuhita, Arm Thrust!" he commanded.
"Kooh!" the Guts Pokémon as he rushed forward with his hands glowing orange again. Yungoos stood his ground as he then got pummeled with palm strikes from Makuhita. Each blow felt worse than the last.
"Oh no…" Mirajane uttered out in worry.
"Is Yungoos even gonna last that long?" Hau wondered, while Lillie grimaced and turned away.
"Come on, Yungoos…" Erika pleaded as she clenched her fists. With one final thrust, Makuhita pushed Yungoos to the edge of the stage. He was bruised all over, barely managing to stand. But the red aura that was building around him had grown to such an exponential state… Hala grimaced in realization.
"Quick, Force Palm!" he yelled.
"Yungoos, free the Bide!" Calvin cried out. As Makuhita attempted to strike the Loitering Pokémon with his right hand again, he opened his mouth and fired off a sudden beam of white light directly into the Guts Pokémon's face. An explosion of smoke enveloped the both of them afterwards, veiling them from view for anyone in the crowd.
"Hm…" Hala hummed nervously. Calvin just gritted his teeth. Who won this round? When the smoke finally did clear, it revealed a surprising sight. Makuhita was flat on his back with swirls in his eyes, indicating that he was unable to battle as Yungoos still stood. But at that moment, the Loitering Pokémon's legs buckled on him as he fell down with swirls in his own eyes as bruises were all over his body.
"Both Makuhita and Yungoos are unable to continue!" Kukui announced after taking a moment to assess the result, "Therefore, the match is a draw!" he declared, raising both of his arms. The crowd murmured in shock. Not only did Yungoos put up a good fight with a Pokémon he had a clear disadvantage against, he actually managed to battle Makuhita to a draw. Regardless of what happened, Calvin still seemed frustrated.
"Yungoos, return…" he grumbled, recalling the Loitering Pokémon to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light.
"Why's he so mad?" Erika asked, "Now all Hala has left is Crabrawler!" she pointed out with a confident smile.
"I guess Cal wanted to have Yungoos whittle down Crabrawler for Litten to finish off later…" Hau suggested with a shrug of his shoulder, "But he's still a chance to use his Z-Move to win, right?" he inquired, folding his arms behind his head. Erika grimaced in realization, glancing off to the side.
"Yeah… about that…" she began nervously, catching her cousin's attention as he blinked, "Cal only practiced the Z-Move with Trumbeak…" she noted. Hau gasped in surprise. "I guess he thought Trumbeak would last long enough to use the Z-Move when Crabrawler came out…" she suggested as she narrowed her eyes. Hala returned Makuhita to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light.
"But since Crabrawler was Hala's first Pokémon, he had to improvise, zzt," Rotom realized.
"Yeah…" Erika agreed with a nod. She had the feeling her brother was overthinking things like she warned him about.
"Calvin…" Lillie uttered worriedly. The trial-goer on stage pulled out Litten's Poké Ball. He stared at it before looking over at his family. His father, mother, and sisters all seemed to be looking at him expectantly. They expected great things from him, but could he really live up to them? In his mind, tonight was a disaster. Nothing had gone as planned for him. And yet… his family still had encouraging looks for him.
"All right…" he muttered, deciding to drop his thoughts for later, "Litten, come on out!" he beckoned, tossing the Poké Ball up into the air. The ball popped open as the light from it formed and dissipated into Litten, who landed upon the stage.
"Mraw!" she roared, despite the pain she was in from her last battle. Hala grinned.
"So it comes down to the young one you've started this journey with…" he noted, pulling out his last Poké Ball from his sleeve and enlarging it, "Let's see that fire I've been hearing so much about!" he requested while tossing up his Poké Ball. It popped open, with the light spilling out onto the stage as it formed and dissipated into Crabrawler.
"Crah, brah!" he shouted, though still pained from earlier. Both he and Litten growled at each other.
"This is gonna be it…" Leslie realized, crossing her arms over her chest. Would Calvin be able to succeed? Or would he still be stuck lagging behind Erika?
X
Litten took a ready stance, while Crabrawler raised his pincers. Despite their earlier injuries, they were still ready to fight. Beads of sweat rolled down Calvin's head.
'What do I do?' he wondered as his hands shook, 'I don't have Trumbeak… I can't use my Z-Move…' he listed off inwardly, not noticing Litten looking back at him, 'Is there even anything I can-?!'
"MRRRAAAAAAHHH!" Litten suddenly roared, snapping him away from his thoughts as he looked at her. She had a determined expression in her eyes. Win or lose, she wanted to see this battle through to the end. Calvin blinked as he realized it, too. He clenched his right fist.
'Right… we've gotta keep going!' he inwardly declared.
"Litten, use Ember!" he commanded.
"Crabrawler, Bubble Beam!" Hala ordered. Litten's red tufts spiked up as she fired off a fireball from her mouth. In the meantime, Crabrawler opened his pincers and shot out a steady stream of bubbles that struck the oncoming fireball, creating a burst of white smoke. Many bubbles stayed on course, heading towards the Fire Cat Pokémon.
"Dodge it!" Calvin cried out quickly. Litten ran off to the side, evading the bubbles as she gnashed her teeth in frustration.
"A Water type move like Bubble Beam is gonna be really hard for Litten to counter, zzt…" Rotom realized from afar.
"Power-Up Punch!" Hala commanded, enticing Crabrawler to have a reddish-orange light shroud his right pincer as he then lunged out at Litten.
"Dodge it!" Calvin yelled. The Fire Cat Pokémon took notice of Crabrawler just in time to jump away from getting struck. "Now Double Kick!" her trainer ordered. As Litten landed on the stage, she lunged out and swung herself around, aiming her hind legs out to kick her target. Crabrawler quickly crossed his pincers, taking the two small kicks as he slid back just a few steps.
"Mrrr…" Litten growled in frustration. Crabrawler wasn't only tough offensively, but defensively as well. Calvin knew they'd need to do something big soon. He glanced at the Normalium-Z embedded into his Z-Ring.
"Power-Up Punch!" Hala suddenly yelled, causing him to perk up. A reddish-orange light shrouded Crabrawler's right pincer as he threw it out towards Litten.
"Quick, Fire Fang!" Calvin exclaimed. Litten's red tufts spiked up on her back as her mouth billowed with flames, followed by her biting down on Crabrawler's pincer. An explosion of smoke and flames came from the point of contact, veiling both Pokémon from view as their trainers braced themselves. The black veil spread to their sides as the crowd looked on in concern.
"Oh man… that was too close…" Hau admitted, sounding a bit shaken. Erika quivered nervously.
"Come on, Cal…" she uttered, clenching her shaking fists. The smoke slowly began to dissipate, first revealing the two trainers, and then the two Pokémon.
"Li… tenn…" Litten managed to utter out as she was barely standing. Her legs looked like they were about to buckle.
"Oh dear…" Mirajane uttered worriedly, while Ash gritted his teeth.
"Pika pi…" his Pikachu squeaked in concern. Meanwhile, Crabrawler was still standing as well, raising his pincers again. Calvin gnashed his teeth in frustration.
'Dammit!' he cursed inwardly, 'Are we still not strong enough to catch up?' he wondered through his thoughts, shutting his eyes out of frustration.
"Crah, bruh…!" Crabrawler suddenly grunted, catching Calvin's attention. The Boxing Pokémon appeared to be in pain as his right pincer was mostly blackened with burn marks. The realization hit Calvin like a freight train.
"He flinched!" Hau exclaimed as he blinked.
"Now's your chance, Cal!" Erika cried out quickly. She was right. It was his chance. But… what could he do? Litten's Blaze didn't appear to activate, and she was likely one attack away from being defeated. The only thing Calvin could think to try was… He looked at his Z-Ring.
"Mrawr!" Litten suddenly yelled, causing him to look over at her, "Mrah, mrow!" she exclaimed with a determined nod. Calvin blinked before regaining a serious look in his eyes, matching Litten's.
"All right, let's do it!" he declared, crossing his arms over his chest, making the Normalium Z glow.
"Mrah!" Litten responded, turning to face her target as she took a ready stance.
"Hey, is he using a Z-Move?!" one man in the crowd asked out of shock.
"No way!" another exclaimed, "He's gonna try and beat Hala like that?!" he shouted. As murmurs of anticipation continued amongst the crowd, Ash grinned. The determination in his son's eyes reminded him of himself back in the day.
'Erika… Hau… Trent…' Calvin listed off inwardly, swinging his arms around in front of himself before extending them forward, 'We're going to catch up with you!' he declared through his thoughts, moving his arms around to make the correct poses before finishing with a z-like formation. An orange aura suddenly began shooting out from him in separate streaks, all merging with Litten before a z-like, yellow symbol flashed in front of her. Hala grimaced in realization.
"Stand your ground, Crabrawler!" he cried out desperately.
"Cruh…" the Boxing Pokémon grunted, still flinching.
"Go for it, Litten!" Calvin exclaimed, throwing out his right fist.
"MRRRRAAAAAAAWWWHHH!" the Fire Cat Pokémon roared fiercely as she dashed forward in an instant. Her full speed was almost blinding to the crowd as they all widened their eyes.
"Breakneck… BLITZ!" Calvin bellowed. Just as Crabrawler finally regained himself, Litten slammed into him head on. An explosion of dust enveloped the both of them as the crowd braced themselves from the burst of wind that followed.
"Oh my…" Lillie uttered, absolutely stunned.
"He did it!" Erika exclaimed excitedly.
"But was it enough, zzt?" Rotom wondered aloud. Everyone looked on nervously in anticipation. The white smoke finally faded, revealing that Litten was still standing… and Crabrawler was down.
"Craaah…" he moaned with swirls in his eyes. Kukui grinned upon seeing the result.
"Crabrawler is unable to battle! Litten wins!" he declared, raising up his left arm, "And therefore…" he continued as he gestured to his left, "the victory goes to Calvin!" he announced. The whole crowd erupted into cheers and applause.
"Way to go, Calvin!" Mirajane cried out happily.
"Well done!" Ilima added while clapping. Calvin looked around, awed by all the applause. He then saw his twin sister, who was smiling the brightest of all. She was happy her brother achieved the same accomplishment she did. Now it was time to celebrate.
"Mrow!" Litten cried out, jumping into Calvin's arms to his surprise.
"L-Litten?" he stammered, "W…We won… right?" he inquired, thinking that it was all a dream.
"Mrah!" she responded, nuzzling her left cheek against his face. He chuckled. It wasn't a dream. They won.
"Thank you for the hard work," Hala said in gratitude, returning Crabrawler to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light. As he placed the container into his sleeve, he walked over to Calvin. "Congratulations, boy!" he yelled, causing him and Litten to perk up in surprise, "You've shown that you have the strength of a challenger worthy of the Tapu's approval," he noted, reaching into his left sleeve, "Now then, I should reward you with something for such a challenger like yourself," he mentioned. He pulled out a Fightinium Z, showing it to the trial-goer. "Take it, son," he requested, "You've earned it," he added with a big smile. Calvin smiled as well, taking the Z-Crystal into his hand.
"Thank you, Hala," he responded with gratitude, glancing back at Litten, "We won, little girl," he finally realized.
"Mraw!" she agreed happily.
X
After getting his Trainer Passport stamped, Calvin went ahead and received his praises from his friends and family. Hau and Erika were especially excited about his victory, knowing how anxious he had been about catching up for so long. While he was elated about his victory, he was still disappointed that it had been so hard for him. Not to mention, Litten hadn't evolved after the battle like Erika's Brionne had.
"Mrrr…" she growled, scowling at the Pop Star Pokémon as she was teasingly sticking her tongue out at her.
"Hey, come on, Brionne…" Erika reprimanded as she was carrying her, "Litten did an awesome job out there for Cal today," she pointed out. Both the Ketchum and the Hughes families were walking down the dirt road of Route 1 back towards the vacation house. Mirajane mentioned that she had a special surprise for the young trial-goers after they all completed their grand trials. When Sawyer asked how she knew all three would win their grand trials, she merely said she had woman's intuition and faith in both her children and nephew.
"Well, we're home!" she exclaimed as she opened the door. The house was dark as the entire family entered, with the three trial-goers heading in last. The lights then turned on.
"SURPRISE!" everyone else aside from the kids exclaimed. The three of them widened their eyes to see a large cake on the dinner table with all sorts of assorted treats on the placemats.
"Whoa!" Hau exclaimed, drooling excitedly at the sight of malasadas on the table. Before he could go and grab any though…
"MANLY HUG!" a brawny deep voice bellowed as the three kids were all suddenly wrapped into a huge bear hug. Fortunately, Brionne and Litten jumped out of their trainers' arms before they could get wrapped up in it.
"Agh!" Calvin grunted, feeling very squished. It turned out to be Elfman, who grinned widely as he held onto his nephews and nieces.
"It's so good to see you all again like this!" he exclaimed happily.
"Can't… breathe…" Erika managed to utter out as her face was turning blue. Calvin and Hau had similar looks.
"Elf, put them down before you break their bones!" Lisanna shouted out of concern.
"Ah, right…" her brother realized sheepishly, letting go of the three trial-goers as they took quick, deep breaths.
"Breeah?" Brionne uttered in confusion, wondering who this Elfman was. Litten had a similar perplexed expression.
"Well, that's one way to start a celebration…" another voice noted, being rather feminine. It turned out to be Evergreen, who was standing next to Mirajane and Leslie.
"I'm glad you two could make it," the barmaid said, grateful to see her brother and his wife, "Although… I'm still wondering when I'm going to get a nephew or niece…" she mentioned jokingly, causing Evergreen to blush in embarrassment.
"Say, has Leslie gotten bigger?" she questioned as a snarky reply. The girl in question had a tick mark appear upon her head.
"AUNT EVER…" she growled angrily, much to her fright. Mirajane just giggled. The whole family celebrated around the table, enjoying the food and giving their congratulations to the trial-goers.
"So the next island's Akala, right?" Calvin asked during the midst of the celebration, catching his father's attention.
"Yeah, that's where I went when I did the challenge," he responded as he swallowed down a piece of a malasada, "That island's pretty tough though…" he mentioned out of concern, "Are you sure you're up for it?" he questioned to his son.
"Absolutely!" he replied, sharply standing up from his seat, "I gotta catch up with Trent and the others!" he pointed out seriously, clenching his fist.
"Same here!" Hau agreed.
"Mrow!" Litten lightly roared.
"Pika!" Hau's Pikachu concurred as his cheeks sparked.
"Hey, you better not leave me out of this!" Erika suddenly yelled as she got up, "Me, Brionne, and the others are gonna beat this whole island challenge before any of you," she confidently declared.
"Bree, breeeon!" Brionne agreed, clapping her front flippers happily.
"Well, if you kids are so determined to see that through…" Mirajane began, "then why don't you go outside and train for a bit?" she recommended.
"Good idea!" Hau concurred with a nod, "Maybe Cal's Litten can evolve…" he suggested, "…and my Rowlet, too!" he mentioned excitedly as he ran towards the door to the side porch.
"Hey, wait up!" Erika cried out as she chased after him with Calvin. Their Pokémon followed them outside as the door closed behind them. The atmosphere in the house suddenly changed as Mirajane gave off a sigh.
"How are Natsu and the others?" she asked Elfman and Evergreen, who glanced at each other with sympathetic expressions.
"They're fine… but pissed…" the former of the two replied, folding his arms over his chest.
"They said they were close to getting the stone…" Evergreen mentioned, "but then Eon took it right out from under their noses…" she told them.
"At least they're okay…" Lisanna pointed out reassuringly.
"Still… to think they went through so much just to fail in the end…" Mirajane noted, evidently saddened by the news.
"There's still one stone left, right?" Sawyer inquired.
"Yeah," Ash replied, "And I got word that we found out where it is," he mentioned, drawing a collective gasp from the others at the table.
"Are you serious?! Where?!" Elfman asked frantically. Ash raised his right hand, enticing him to calm down.
"For one, it's in the past of another universe," he explained.
"What difference does that make?" Evergreen asked, arching an eyebrow, "Doesn't that Paradox person fix everything in the end when it involves the past?" she inquired.
"It's not that simple, Evergreen," Ash replied with a shake of his head, "Paradox might be able to fix everything, but that's only if he's allowed to," he mentioned, "Besides… Ben's told me that he's losing his powers," he noted, much to the others' surprise. It took a moment for them to take all of the information in.
"So then… who goes to get the stone?" Elfman asked.
"Hm…" Ash hummed, "I think it's gonna have to be the kids who go…" he realized with a nervous expression, "If Paradox isn't able to change the past back to normal, at least the people that'll be remembered won't be mentioned for… sixty years or something…" he explained, placing his hand onto his head. This was a lot to explain. And a lot for everyone else to take in. His wife placed a comforting hand onto his shoulder.
"So you need me to help, right?" Leslie guessed, chiming into the conversation to everyone's surprise, "After all, I'm an Omni Force member, too," she added with a smirk, crossing her arms. Her father grinned. As the three trial-goers trained outside with their Pokémon, the stars shined brightly in the night sky…
Elsewhere, a Zubat hung upside down a tree observing a battle taking place between a Zorua and another Pokémon. It was a quadruped, chimeric Pokémon with traits from a variety of creatures. Its head was enclosed in a brown helmet with green markings. The helmet had a large jaw piece that wrapped around the front with large, round hinges on the side. Each hinge was covered by a green X-shaped marking. Small gray eyes could be seen from within rectangular black holes on the front, and there were two pointed ears on the top. Around the base was a collar with four protruding vanes that were tipped with a three-way spike. The collar had a thin green line between the vanes, and each vane had a green hexagon near the end. An axe-like blade with a band around the middle extended backward from the top of the helmet. The front tip of the blade had a small, silver spike that hooked downward. A mane of gray fur hung from below the creature's helmet and covered its shoulders and chest. Most of its torso and legs were covered in short black fur. The lower half of each front leg was insectoid-like and green with spikes along the back, while the rear legs had thick purple scales on the flanks, shins, and on the top of the foot. All four of its feet had three toes, but in the front two toes faced forward and one backward. Additionally, the hind paws had a short, purple claw on the back of the ankle. Its fish-like tail consisted of two dark blue spines with a light blue fin stretched between them. The top spine has a line of short, gray spikes. As it charged out at the Zorua, a young boy watched them from afar.
His skin was pale and his hair was blonde, as bangs covered his right eye and one strand stuck up. His eyes were green, reflecting off the moonlight above. Clothing-wise, he wore a black hoodie and black pants that barely reached his ankles, along with red sneakers and a red belt that bore a holster upon it. His hoodie had a red, cut-like marking in the front, and several protrusions on the hood itself. He also had silver piercings on his left ear. The most notable thing about his clothes were the rips in them, mostly on the sleeves. As the Pokémon near him continued to battle, he looked out at the vast ocean.
"Guess I'll be seeing you soon…" he muttered out, narrowing his eyes.
END
NegaiFreak: And there you have it! Our island challengers will be heading off to Akala Island in the next chapter, which will be a while since I have two chapters of "Omni Force: GUARDIANS" to get through before then.
Erika Ketchum: But until then, yay us! Here's a summary to keep you guys posted for next time!
SUMMARY
To Akala We Go!
The Ketchum twins are headed off to Akala Island next on their island challenge! How they get there, who they'll meet, and what they'll do first will all be explored! But for the moment, what's going on with Leslie Ketchum? Tune in next chapter to find out!
END SUMMARY