Alola again! By the time I've started writing this chapter, I'll have already heard about the new Pokémon: Diamond & Pearl remakes and the Legends: Arceus games! Really excited for the future of the Pokémon series and I look forward to what's ahead.
In the meantime, this marks the end of the April releases in terms of chapters. I know… it's pretty bittersweet, but I'd rather start off fresh in May. BTW, I'm only going to be releasing chapters once a week from now on due to constraints. Work's gotten busier for me since I've started working full-time. So I hope that you'll respect my wishes to dedicate as much time as I can to chapters from here on out.
So without any further delay, it's time to be 40% done with this story! Welcome back to "The Challenge of a Lifetime"!
POKÉMON SUN & MOON
THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME
As the Pokémon Center jingle went off, the doors to the back room opened up. Being rolled out upon a cart while bandaged up from their battles were both Primarina and Incineroar. Erika and Calvin immediately ran over to greet them, while the others stood off from afar.
"Nurse Joy, are they okay?" the former of the twins asked worriedly.
"Don't worry, they're fine!" the lead practitioner assured in response to their relief, "They might've had a tough time, but they'll pull through all the same," she promised.
"Preema!" the Soloist Pokémon yipped as she leapt happily off of the cart into her trainer's arms, falling onto the floor with her.
"Ahahaha!" she laughed happily, hugging her with tears of relief in her eyes. Meanwhile, Incineroar stepped off of her cart and gently embraced her trainer in a gentler hug. He gladly returned it, wrapping his arms around her.
"Glad you two are alright," Kukui remarked as he walked over to the Ketchum twins and their Pokémon, getting their attentions, "What about Toucannon, Calvin?" he inquired curiously.
"Oh, he was healed up a while ago," the capped boy responded, "Apparently, evolution's a good fixer upper!" he mentioned with a chuckle. However, he stopped upon noticing how his twin sister's lips were quivering. "Hey, professor…" he began, making Kukui perk up as he blinked, "how do you know Guzma?" he inquired curiously to him. He let off a sigh, glancing off to the side for a moment.
"That's a long story, cuz…" he replied, "But I'd be glad to tell it," he assured.
"Mind telling us, too?" another voice chimed in, catching his attention along with the others as they looked over to see Trent and Paige there, with the latter holding her Stufful in her arms.
"P-Paige?" Calvin stuttered in surprise.
"You're not the first one that guy battled, Cal…" she pointed out to him, "And I bet you're gonna have to fight him again someday…" she mentioned, "You beat him, after all," she noted.
"How did you—?"
"Lillie told us," Trent interjected before the Ketchum boy could ask, "And we both got our asses handed to us by that mob boss…" he admitted, giving off a frustrated look as he balled his hands into fists.
"Trent…" Erika uttered out, sounding surprised. He had been defeated by Guzma, too?
"All right, everybody…" Kukui began as he sat himself on the couch nearby, "It's time for a story," he decided. The others ventured over to the lounge. Moments later, they all had bottles of milk laid out before them as they let the professor begin his tale. "Back in the day, I used to be a student who trained under Hala," he said to the group as they blinked in surprise, "Guzma was the same," he mentioned.
"Does… Hau know about that?" Calvin wondered aloud.
"I don't think so…" Kukui replied with a shake of his head, "Guess it doesn't really matter though…" he realized, "Anyways, we were training in the effort to become trial captains like he said earlier," he told them. Erika remembered, trembling a little. "But… I started to have a different dream than to be a part of Alola's sacred traditions," he admitted, "I wanted to understand more about Pokémon and their moves, I wanted to see trainers from different worlds…" he listed off in recollection, "Guzma… on the other hand, was having trouble trying to succeed Hala and become worthy of the trial captain title… at least in his eyes…" he mentioned thoroughly, "At some point, both of us became too old to be captains, and we went our separate ways," he finished.
"So… why'd he make Team Skull?" Calvin inquired.
"It's the other way around, Calvin," Kukui answered, "Team Skull made him," he confirmed to his surprise, along with those of the others.
"Pew…" Nebby squeaked out of fright from Lillie's bag, getting her attention as she held it close.
"Guzma didn't really see the point in the island challenge if there was nothing else to come of it," the professor noted, "After a while, he came to Ula'ula and wound up in Po Town at the other end of the island," he recalled, "From there, he started getting stronger with his Pokémon," he pointed out, "And he was actually strong…" he added grimly as the group kept listening, "Eventually, a following formed around him from a group of other failed trainers… and became Team Skull," he told the trial-goers, "From that point on, Guzma wasn't the same person I remembered training with all those years ago…" he admitted, lowering his head ashamedly.
"Professor…" Erika uttered out.
"What happened to that… Po Town?" Trent inquired curiously, arching an eyebrow.
"It's all Team Skull territory from now on," Kukui responded, "They're not really monitored much on the islands because the kahuna here hasn't done much about it," he told them. Calvin blinked in surprise. Now that he thought about it… he and his friends weren't greeted by the kahuna like Olivia did back on Akala. Why was that?
"Erika, you okay?" Paige asked, catching his attention as he looked over to see his twin sister trembling as tears were streaking down her cheeks. The mocking laughs of Team Skull were echoing in her head. She hadn't been that scared in a long time.
"Reee…" Primarina yipped worriedly, nuzzling her head against her trainer's to try and calm her down.
"In any case, I'd recommend you kids try not to get too involved with whatever Team Skull's up to," Kukui advised of the trial-goers, "They're just a bunch of thugs trying to get their way in the world," he pointed out with a shake of his head. Everyone looked down for a moment in thought.
"Professor?" Calvin said, getting his attention, "If they attack my friends again, then I'm going to get involved," he declared firmly.
"Rawr!" Incineroar huffed in agreement.
"Calvin…" Erika uttered out with a sniffle.
"Then in that case, you should try to stay safe," he insisted seriously. The Ketchum boy just nodded. He wanted to fight for his friends. And for the people that inspired him to grow along with his Pokémon. With them, he'd do whatever it took to make sure Team Skull wasn't a problem again…
OPENING
Insert "Koko" by Beverly
Opens with the rising sun over the ocean horizon as a boat is sailing towards Ula'ula Island. Upon its bow are Calvin and Erika Ketchum, standing alongside their Pokémon as the wind rushes through their hair. They're about to embark on the next stage of their island challenge, smiling with excitement.
As the music picks up, the Pokémon logo appears in bright green letters, followed by "The Challenge of a Lifetime" appearing in bright yellow underneath it. The brightness of the logo envelops the screen before we transition to the Ketchum twins disembarking from the boat onto the island.
We cut to Calvin fishing in Maile Garden as Steenee and Incineroar are bickering in the background. Once Calvin sees his lure go underwater, he pulls the line hard to reel in a Poliwag. Watching from afar, Paige smiles while holding onto his egg, which shakes a little in her arms.
The scene then changes to Erika trudging tiredly up Mount Hokulani. She's about to fall backwards, but Primarina and Lycanroc are there to help push her up. She smiles gratefully, continuing the trek up the mountain.
We then see several new faces around the island, including Samson Oak, Acerola, Molayne, Sophocles, Grimsley, and Nanu. We also get a shot of Guzma, sitting upon his chair in the Shady House of Po Town. He grins deviously at the screen.
As the music picks back up, we see Calvin swing his left arm out as his Incineroar and Marowak charge in with a Flamethrower/Flame Wheel combination to take down a Skarmory. Meanwhile, we cut over to Erika as she orders for Fomantis to use Leaf Blade on an Alolan Geodude. Drifblim then floats in and sprays out a Gust to blow away a flock of Fearow. Afterwards, he floats over Fomantis to her chagrin as she seethes in frustration.
We get shots of Hau with his Alolan Raichu and Decidueye, Trent with his Mightyena and Greninja, Paige alongside her Combusken and Medicham, and Pyrrha alongside her Quilava and Ariados. Each of them are in their own battles, with Hau's Decidueye using Spirit Shackle on a Haunter, Trent's Mightyena blasting back a Kadabra with Snarl, Paige's Combusken using Flame Charge to ram into a Shieldon, and Pyrrha's Ariados landing a Cross Poison on a Sylveon.
The song continues from back on Melemele at the Ketchum vacation home. There, Leslie gets herself dressed and throws on her visor, heading out of her room alongside her Lopunny and shiny Gabite. As she heads outside onto the front porch, she smirks upon seeing Asta Sutarria there alongside Shiki Granbell and Tanjiro Kamado, as all three of them are looking to train Pokémon with her guidance for them.
Asta commands an Aegislash as he takes on his sword form and slashes at Leslie's Magmortar, who jumps back before firing off a Flamethrower. Meanwhile, Tanjiro's Croconaw attempts to land an Ice Fang onto Gabite, who uses Dig to get away before popping up from the ground and chomping down on his foe's tail, causing him to scream in agony. Watching from afar are Shiki and his Bronzor, who both giggle.
We cut back to Ula'ula Island as we see Erika commanding her Lycanroc to use Rock Slide against the Totem Vikavolt inside the Hokulani Observatory. The Stag Beetle Pokémon dodges the attack and lets electricity surge around his body before zipping down at his foe, who prepares to use Counter. Afterwards, we get a scene of Calvin and Incineroar facing down the Totem Mimikyu inside the abandoned Thrifty Megamart. As the Heel Pokémon lands a Darkest Lariat, a smaller Mimikyu watches from afar in awe.
There are several shots of a Cleffa poking out from a sleeping bag, a Togedemaru near a power plant, and an Alolan Sandshrew wandering about the cold area at the base of Mount Lanakila. We see Professor Kukui staring at the peak from Hokulani, hoping to host a Pokémon League there someday. However, we also see him glaring down Guzma in the Maile Garden as his Golisopod appears behind him. We get shots of Plumeria with her Salazzle and Gladion with Null and his Zoroark.
To end the opening, we see an anxious Lillie looking out over the horizon, concerned for the future. However, Calvin and Erika come to her, both giving her reassuring smiles. She grins, thankful for their presence as they all trek onward through the island…
END OPENING
Blush Rush!
The loud, combined snoring of Asta and Shiki annoyed Leslie, but not entirely. She was out in the living room watching the muted highlights of the Aether Tournament inside Kukui's household as the two men were asleep on the couch. The only person still up with her was Tanjiro.
"Those are your brother and sister?" he asked as they were now seeing the final match between Calvin and Erika.
"Yeah," Leslie replied with a nod, "I still can't believe just how far they've both gotten…" she admitted, "It's barely only been a month since they started their journeys…" she pointed out.
"I see…" the former Demon Slayer replied, "You know… I wonder if someone like my sister would want to try something like this," he said as he glanced up at the ceiling in thought for a moment.
"Nezuko?" Leslie guessed, "Hey, how's she doing by the way?" she asked curiously with a grin.
"Great!" Tanjiro replied, "I'm not sure how she's handling Zenitsu's repeated marriage proposals…" he noted as he scratched at his right cheek, "but I know that she's doing everything she can to become stronger," he told her, "especially with the latent power she gained from the time she was still a demon," he mentioned.
"Next time, you should bring her along," Leslie suggested to him as he blinked in surprise, "I think she'd have a lot of fun around here!" she added confidently while chuckling.
"Yeah, I will," he promised in response as he nodded. Just then, the PC in the corner of the room flashed on.
"Huh?" the Ketchum girl uttered in surprise. She quickly grabbed the remote to pause the highlights on the TV before venturing over.
"Is someone calling you?" Tanjiro guessed from afar quietly. Leslie touched the answer icon upon the screen, bringing up a buffering image before displaying her twin siblings in front of her.
"Cal? Eri?" she said, shocked to see them up this late, "What's going on?" she inquired curiously, arching an eyebrow.
"Hey Leslie…" the capped boy greeted through the communication line, "We both kinda got wiped out from a battle today… so we wanted to send a couple of our Pokémon your way to relax a little…" he explained to her.
"Okay…" his older sister responded, somewhat confused and… surprised, "You need me to exchange some Pokémon or—?"
"No," Erika suddenly interrupted, "We… might end up catching new Pokémon that we'll want on our teams," she pointed out, "So we don't wanna go through that whole mess with having to rely on you for help again…" she mentioned sheepishly. By the tone of her voice, Leslie could tell something had happened to her twin siblings.
"Are you guys okay?" she asked worriedly, making them perk up. They looked over to each other ashamedly.
"It's… just been a long day…" Calvin replied, letting out a heavy breath. Their older sister decided to drop the issue, exhaling a sigh.
"Okay, send over whoever you need to…" she said. Moments later, both of the trial-goers had transported a Poké Ball each to Leslie, who held them in her hands. "I'll make sure they're ready to train with you guys again soon," she promised to her siblings.
"Thanks, Leslie," Calvin replied with a nod.
"We'll talk again soon!" Erika vowed as she waved goodbye. The video then shut off. Afterwards, the Unova Champion Master frowned with worry. Just who did her siblings send to her? Tanjiro came over as she opened both Poké Balls, aiming them forward as their lights came out onto the ground and formed. Once they dissipated, Leslie gasped. Before her were both Incineroar and Primarina.
"Rrrr…" the Heel Pokémon growled in frustration as she sat down. Meanwhile, the Soloist Pokémon whimpered into her front fins. Leslie was baffled. Just what was the reason Calvin and Erika sent their starter Pokémon to her?
"She just learned a new move today, too…" the capped girl recalled from the Malie City Pokémon Center, glancing down ashamedly.
"Hey, you're the one who came up with the idea," her brother pointed out, putting her left hand onto her shoulder reassuringly, "Besides, they've earned a break from battling for a while," he noted firmly.
"Hmm…" Erika hummed out. She remembered how sad Primarina was about being sent back to rest at the professor's laboratory. But… she had been through plenty of battles lately. After everything, she deserved the chance to rest.
"So what's gonna happen now?" Trent inquired curiously. With a heavy sigh, Kukui stood up from the couch.
"I'm gonna head back to Melemele to sort things out with a few friends and let them know about Guzma," he answered, putting his hands onto his hips, "In the meantime, you kids can keep going on your island challenge," he assured to the trial-goers as the Ketchum twins ventured back over, "Acerola's trial is just by Tapu Village," he mentioned, looking over at the trial captain.
"Yep!" she responded, hopping onto her feet, "And I'll make sure to be there for anyone who wants to come!" she added as a promise.
"I was on my way…" Trent pointed out, "until that Guzma guy took me and my team down…" he recalled, narrowing his eyes in frustration.
"I was just training when he came after me…" Paige mentioned.
"Was he… going after trial-goers specifically?" Lillie wondered aloud.
"I wouldn't put it past Team Skull…" Calvin chimed in, crossing his arms over his chest, "They like messing with the trial sites and everything…" he pointed out, recalling when the group had ambushed his first trial in Verdant Cavern.
"Well, in that case…" Acerola chimed in, "why don't the four of you travel together?" she suggested to him, Erika, Trent, and Paige.
"…Huh?" they all uttered out simultaneously.
"I think that's a good idea," Kukui agreed, "At least until you get to Tapu Village, you should definitely travel as a group," he insisted of the four trial-goers. An awkward look was shared between Calvin and Paige. They hadn't really gotten over the kiss that occurred just a few days ago. In the meantime, Trent blushed a little as he looked over at Erika. He had developed a little crush on the Ketchum girl, so traveling with her was going to be especially nerve-wracking.
"Yeah, we should travel together!" she suddenly exclaimed, much to the surprise of her fellow trial-goers.
"You can't just make decisionzzz on the fly, Erika…" Rotom buzzed as it floated over.
"No… she's got a good point," Calvin admitted, getting its attention along with those of the others, "After everything that's happened, we should spend some more time trying to make each other stronger," he advised.
"Yeah… I think he's right," Trent agreed, standing up from his seat, "Besides, Team Skull's no match for four trial-goers altogether," he noted confidently with a chuckle.
"I-I guess I'll go along with you guys then…" Paige decided as she stuttered, blushing a little.
"Then it's settled!" Erika yelled excitedly, "We'll all go to the next trial site together!" she proclaimed, pumping her right fist up. Her brother looked over to her and smiled, thinking that she had overcome her traumatic experience when facing Guzma. Deep down though, she was still scared. And she wanted to have friends around during these troubling times.
X
"Koree~!" Oricorio chirped gleefully the next morning as she and Starbright ran ahead of the group of trial-goers heading out onto Route 11.
"Your team's looking pretty pink, Erika…" Paige noted curiously as she blinked. The Ketchum girl chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head with her right hand.
"I guess so…" she admitted in response. The two of them, along with Calvin and Trent, had just begun their trek to Tapu Village. Lillie and Acerola had already left ahead of time, while Kukui was returning to Melemele via boat.
"So far did you get before Guzma and his grunts found you?" the Ketchum boy asked his male rival.
"I just reached Blush Mountain off of Route Twelve," he replied, "The road's pretty rough up ahead," he pointed out to the others, "Took me almost an hour to get anywhere…" he mentioned out of concern.
"Well… that might be a problem…" Erika remarked upon overhearing.
"Speaking of which…" Paige began nervously, "can I even get onto Route Twelve?" she asked of her fellow trial-goers, "I don't even have the Electrium Z all of you got from the observatory's trial…" she pointed out.
"No worries!" the Ketchum girl assured as a response, "As long as you're with a trial-goer who's cleared that trial, you'll be allowed through," she explained, remembering how Acerola had mentioned that Lillie wouldn't be able to trek through the Haina Desert without being alongside a trial-goer who had cleared the captain's trial.
"Anyways, I'm pretty sure we'll make it to the village by nightfall," Trent noted to the group.
"How come the road on Route Twelve's so long?" Calvin inquired, shocked by how long it was supposed to take from what his rival said. The moment they arrived at the mountain road, he understood why. It was rocky and rugged ahead, evidently difficult to trek across.
"Now I get it…" Erika muttered out.
"Couldn't we just use one of Cal's Ride Pokémon?" Paige suggested to the others, getting their attentions.
"No, that wouldn't work…" Trent responded with a shake of his head, "I mean, which Pokémon do you have?" he asked of the capped boy.
"Uh… Tauros, Mantine, Stoutland… Lapras… and Charizard," he listed off as an answer.
"It'd be boring to just fly all the way to Tapu Village…" Erika grumbled.
"But it'zzz more efficient, zzt!" Rotom argued. Just then, Paige snapped her fingers in realization.
"I know how we can get across!" she exclaimed, reaching down to her belt and pulling off a Poké Ball. Enlarging it with the press of its center button, she opened it up as its light took form upon the ground, dissipating to reveal a Mudsdale.
"Wh-What the?!" Calvin stuttered in surprise.
"Your Mudbray evolved?!" Erika guessed out of shock.
"Mm-hmm," Paige responded with a nod, "I know he's a real tough customer when it comes to climbing around these parts," she mentioned, petting the Draft Horse Pokémon's head gently with her right hand, "so I figured he could get us through here," she noted.
"That's a great idea…" Trent replied, "except we're not all gonna fit on him…" he said bluntly.
"Yeah, that might not be good for him…" Erika admitted in agreement.
"Well, fancy that!" a familiar voice suddenly exclaimed, catching her attention as she blinked in surprise, turning around to see Hapu and her Mudsdale approaching, "I thought I saw you up ahead, Erika!" she noted with a chuckle upon coming to a stop.
"Brrff!" her Draft Horse Pokémon neighed in greeting.
"Hapu!" the Ketchum girl exclaimed, laughing as she walked over to the short farmer, "What are you doing out here?" she wondered curiously.
"Traveling like the rest of you, it seems!" she replied, putting her hands onto her hips, "This route's really rocky, isn't it?" she inquired as she looked ahead.
"Yeah…" Erika agreed while sheepishly rubbing the back of her head, "Our friend's Mudsdale can get a few of us through, but—"
"Oh, is that what's stopping you?" Hapu interjected in question, "Well, fret not!" she assured to her surprise, "My Mudsdale here's sturdy enough to carry three passengers!" she pointed out proudly.
"Brrrrfff!" her Draft Horse Pokémon neighed proudly. Moments later, after returning Oricorio and Starbright to their respective Poké Balls, Erika boarded Paige's Mudsdale with her. Meanwhile, Calvin and Trent went aboard Hapu's. With a mere nod, both of the Draft Horse Pokémon trotted off along the rocky pathway.
"So where're you from, Miss Hapu?" the Ketchum boy asked of the short farmer, getting her attention.
"Oh, I'm from Poni," she replied, "Small island, but lots o' trainers show up there for the sights and such," she told them, "The Vast Poni Canyon's one of the hugest in the world, even for the whole island," she mentioned with a chuckle.
"And what do you do there?" Trent questioned on.
"Farm, o' course!" Hapu answered, "I might not look spry, but I'm mighty strong for my size," she remarked, "Ain't that right, Mudsdale?" she inquired of her partner.
"Dayyy!" he neighed happily in response. Meanwhile, Erika hummed contently as she and Paige continued their trek upon the latter's Draft Horse Pokémon.
"So how'd Guzma's Golisopod take you down?" the Ketchum girl asked of her rival.
"Swords Dance and Razor Shell," she replied simply, "Guy might be the worst, but he's smart," she noted, "If any of us ever have to face him again, we've gotta be prepared," she insisted.
"Yeah…" Erika agreed with a nod. She was still reeling inwardly from her battle against the Team Skull boss. The laughter that followed echoed in her head again and again.
"You doing okay?" Paige asked, snapping her away from her thoughts.
"Kind of…" she admitted in response, "I'll admit, I haven't been that scared in a long time…" she noted honestly, "So… I kinda don't wanna see that Guzma guy again…" she confessed as her lips quivered slightly.
"Erika…" Rotom buzzed worriedly.
"I'm just glad Calvin was there to help back then," she said, letting off a smile, "It's thanks to him that I'm even on the island challenge at all!" she mentioned with a giggle. Paige blinked in surprise to hear that. She looked over at the Ketchum boy, seeing him chuckle at something Hapu was telling him. A light blush came upon her cheeks.
"Yeah… he's amazing…" she pointed out, nervously looking away. Erika took notice of her sudden change in behavior, arching an eyebrow. And she had a feeling that she knew why…
"Hey… so I heard something weird recently…" she pointed out, "About my brother…" she added.
"O-Oh…" Paige stuttered out, "What… was it?" she asked. She had a feeling she knew what the Ketchum girl was going to tell her. The blush on her face grew.
"Well…" Erika began, "apparently there was this girl who… kissed him…" she pointed out. Steam was threatening to hiss out from the silvery-haired girl's ears.
"R-R-Really?!" she stammered out in question, "B-Boy…" she stuttered, "Cal must really be quite a ladies' man…" she noted with a nervous chuckle.
"…Was it you, Paige?" the Ketchum girl asked rather bluntly.
"KYAH!" her rival squeaked out cutely in embarrassment, "D-Don't ask so loud!" she stuttered in a whisper. Meanwhile, Trent looked over to them with a raised eyebrow.
"What the heck are they talking about?" he wondered aloud.
"Girls gossip, you kiddos," Hapu pointed out in response, getting his attention, "Even farm girls like me have interesting news every now and again…" she remarked with a smirk. A while later, both Mudsdale had finished their trek across the rocky terrain as their passengers disembarked from them. Paige returned hers to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light, breathing out an embarrassed sigh. She turned around to see Erika crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes.
"Well?" she inquired, arching an eyebrow. The silvery-haired girl pursed her lips, approaching her rival cautiously.
"Okay, I did…" she admitted in response quietly, "But it was a spur of the moment thing!" she claimed, "He let me have the Stufful he just hatched and—"
"Wait, he gave you the Pokémon that came from his egg?!" Erika interjected loudly in question, causing Paige to grimace in fright as she blushed madly, looking over towards Calvin. He was red in the face as well, letting out a deep sigh. Clearly, his twin sister lacked tact.
"Anyways, here we are!" Hapu exclaimed as she looked towards the fork in the road, with the right path leading up a hill, "That up there leads to the power plant on the island," she noted while pointing to the right path.
"And the left leads to Tapu Village?" Trent guessed.
"Mm-hmm," Hapu responded with a nod, "There's an oasis before you reach the village, so you might wanna stop there to regroup yourselves," she suggested to the trial-goers, "In the meantime…" she continued, boarding her Mudsdale, "I gotta get myself back home by the way of that fancy ferry back in Malie," she pointed out.
"Thanks for your help, Hapu!" Erika exclaimed with gratitude, "I hope we get to see each other again!" she added happily.
"Me too, Erika!" she replied, waving goodbye before traveling off in the other direction, with the trial-goers waving back.
"So what do we do now?" Calvin inquired curiously, raising an eyebrow.
"Head to Tapu Village, what else?" Trent responded in question, putting his hands onto his hips, "Once we all get there, I can get moving to that second trial," he pointed out somewhat impatiently.
"Don't you think we should all train a bit more?" Paige asked, chiming into the conversation.
"I already trained enough…" the dark green-haired boy claimed as a reply, "That Guzma just caught me off guard the other day…" he grumbled out.
"Trent…" Erika uttered worriedly. Suddenly, she and the others heard rocks shift nearby, noticing something emerging from what looked like some rubble. They all looked in surprise to see a Geodude there, though he looked vastly different from the ones they remembered. For one, he had a silvery appearance. There were parts of his body that had lumps of iron sand upon them, creating what looked like thick eyebrows and small strands of hair atop his head. His fingers were fused together, leaving only the indexes and thumbs free.
"Duuude!" he exclaimed upon emerging.
"An Alolan Geodude?" Calvin guessed, blinking in surprise. At that moment, Rotom floated over and brought up an image of the Alolan Rock Pokémon upon its screen.
"Geodude, the Rock Pokémon, Alolan Form," it began, "Geodude's body is a magnetic stone. Iron sand attaches firmly to the portions of his body that are particularly magnetic. If you mistake Geodude for a rock and step on him, he will headbutt you in anger. In addition to the pain, he will also zap you with a shock," it explained thoroughly.
"Wait…" Erika uttered out, starting to realize something, "He's part-Electric-type, right?" she guessed as an excited smile formed upon her face.
"That he izzz, Erika!" Rotom responded with a nod.
"Then I gotta catch him!" she declared firmly, "And then I can finally get started on training with that new Z-Crystal I got!" she pointed out excitedly, heading towards the Geodude.
"H-Hey!" her brother stuttered out. The Alolan Rock Pokémon took notice of her coming, quickly hurrying off in fright as he started floating away.
"Oh no you don't!" she yelled, chasing after him.
"Huh…" Trent sighed deeply, "I'll keep an eye on her…" he promised before jogging in pursuit of the Ketchum girl.
"Wait for me, zzt…" Rotom insisted, floating behind him as they left.
"Erika's just as spunky as ever…" Paige pointed out.
"Yeah," Calvin agreed while nodding, "But that's what makes her… her," he noted with a chuckle. The silvery-haired girl blinked in surprise. And she realized something else. They were alone. Together. Her blush was returning.
'Dang it, Erika!' she yelled inwardly, 'You had to bring up that stupid kiss…' she muttered through her thoughts, clapping her hands onto her cheeks to try and regain some semblance of herself, 'It's okay… just calm down…' she insisted of herself, taking a deep breath and exhaling.
"So… do you wanna head up to that power plant Hapu was telling us about?" the Ketchum boy inquired, getting her attention.
"Uh… sure!" she replied nervously, walking alongside him up the hilly path. It was becoming abundantly clear that her relationship with Calvin had changed. In her eyes, he wasn't just a rival… He was becoming a crush…
X
"They both sent their starter Pokémon back to you last night?!" Mirajane questioned, completely shocked as she, Ash and Pikachu were in the Kukui household with their eldest daughter, who had just told them about the situation with Incineroar and Primarina being sent to her. The latter of the two moaned dejectedly as she lied upon the couch. The former wasn't present.
"What did they tell you, Leslie?" the Pokémon Master asked.
"That they were tired and needed a break," his daughter replied, "That's all I got from them," she pointed out.
"Hmmm…" Ash hummed in thought, putting his left hand onto his chin.
"They're both still in Malie City, right?" his wife guessed, "Maybe it was something that happened there?" she suggested in question.
"Maybe…" her husband agreed, folding his arms over his chest.
"Preee…" Primarina whimpered as tears were in her eyes. She hated having to be sent away from her trainer for the time being. Even if she deserved a break, she didn't want to leave Erika behind at all.
"Pee, peekah?" Pikachu inquired, approaching the Soloist Pokémon as she wept, burying her face into a pillow.
"Huh…" Leslie sighed out sadly, "I should go see what's going on," she insisted to her parents.
"No," her father said firmly to her surprise, "No one knows the twins' Pokémon better than you, so you're the best one to look after them," he pointed out to her.
"Besides… we're still worried that you need time to relax after everything you went through recently…" Mirajane mentioned out of concern. Their eldest daughter growled a little.
"What, because I got a little burned?" she guessed.
"Leslie—"
"You know I can take care of myself!" the Unova Champion Master shouted to her parents, interrupting her mother, "I've basically been on my own ever since I started traveling, ever since high school even!" she noted in frustration, clenching her teeth together as tears were building in her eyes, "Fighting alongside friends back then was probably the best thing that could've happened for me…" she admitted as she clenched her eyes shut, "so of course I'm fine!" she echoed out, "I'm not that same little girl anymore!" she added emphatically. Neither of her parents responded, quite shocked by their eldest daughter's resilience. And then…
"Pikachu, come on," Ash beckoned, getting his partner's attention.
"Peekah," he squeaked in farewell to Primarina, hopping off of the couch and hurrying over to crawl up onto his trainer's shoulder.
"Leslie…" Mirajane uttered out, "please don't push us away…" she requested pleadingly to her daughter, "I know you felt alone for a long time after what happened at CHS, but…" she tried to say, but rescinded from speaking any further as she let out a sigh, "We'll be at home if you need us," she promised, heading out with her husband. The Unova Champion Master trembled a little. If there was anything worse for her than what she endured during her mission, it was feeling alone. She didn't make any friends in high school… because the ones she had went on their separate ways.
"Preemah?" Primarina yipped worriedly as she approached the white-haired woman, getting her attention. She wiped her teary eyes.
"Don't worry, I'll be okay…" she vowed, crouching down and embracing the Soloist Pokémon gently, "And you don't need to worry about Erika, either," she assured, making her blink in surprise, "She just wants you to have a well-deserved break for a little bit," she pointed out.
"Mahh…" Primarina moaned out, still feeling a bit dejected. Leslie let out a small sigh.
"You're not the only one who needs a break…" she mentioned, petting her gently.
"Sacred Sword!" Asta yelled in command out on the Melemele beach. His Aegislash hopped out from his shield, grasping it in his sash-like arm before making his blade glow a bright blue and lengthen. He was facing down Incineroar, who gnashed her teeth together as she took on a ready stance. As he lunged forward and slashed, she hopped back quickly to evade him. She was carefully watching his movements, trying to get a good read on how he moved. Once he narrowly missed striking her again, her hands ignited with dark reddish flames.
"SERAWRRR!" she roared, spinning forward and striking him over and over, sending him flying back before he slowed to a stop.
"Geee…" he growled out with a narrowed eye.
"Man, you're really something!" Asta complimented as he let off a big grin. The Heel Pokémon kept herself in a ready stance, preparing for anything her opponent was planning to throw her way. Meanwhile, Leslie opened the doors out onto the front porch, where she saw Gumshoos and Lurantis basking in the sunlight while sleeping. Meanwhile, Magmar was playfully breathing out fireballs from his mouth whilst seated on the sand nearby.
The Unova Champion Master giggled a little, looking out onto the horizon to see Shiki and Bronzor training as the both of them were lifting rocks with their respective powers. Tanjiro was having Tomi practice his newly learned Hydro Pump by blasting apart rocks on the water with its power. The Ketchum girl was glad her comrades were getting some much needed time to spend with their partners. The only thing weighing on her mind to make her worry were her twin siblings. How were they doing?
"Get back here!" Erika yelled, still on Route 13 and chasing after the Alolan Geodude she had spotted earlier.
"Wait for uzzz, Erika!" Rotom cried out, following her alongside Trent. She pulled out a Poké Ball, enlarging it with the press of its center button.
"If you're just gonna run, that'll make you easier to catch!" she pointed out, rearing her arm back, "HIYAH!" she yelled, flinging the spherical container forward. However, the Alolan Rock Pokémon took notice as he came to a stop and whipped himself around. He closed his right hand into a fist as an orb of electricity sparked around.
"He'zzz using Thunder Punch, zzt!" Rotom buzzed in exclamation. In an instant, Geodude punched the incoming Poké Ball, sending it flying back.
"Huh?" Erika uttered out… right before the spherical container smacked her square in the face, "Ugh…" she groaned as she fell backwards onto the ground.
"Erika!" Trent screamed in surprise. As he and Rotom went over to make sure she was okay, the Alolan Rock Pokémon floated off into the distance.
"Ow…" the Ketchum girl moaned as she sat up, wincing as she could feel the blood coming out from her nose.
"Here," Trent offered, holding out a handkerchief to her that he took out from his jacket. A blush formed on his cheeks. "J-Just take it already…" he insisted in a stutter, nervously glancing away.
"Thanks, Trent…" Erika replied, gladly taking the handkerchief and putting it over her nose.
"Why the heck did you wanna catch that Geodude anyway?" he inquired curiously as he sat down next to her.
"She wantzzz an Electric-type to use the Electrium Z with, zzt," Rotom answered for its user, who sheepishly chuckled.
"Yeah…" she said, taking off her hat as she looked off into the distance, "I figured I might as well have an Alolan Form Pokémon like my brother…" she pointed out, "But I guess I'll have to wait until the next one shows up…" she realized as she leaned back.
"Guess so…" Trent concluded, leaning back beside her. The wind then rushed by, blowing through their hair. Trent glanced over to see Erika's sway with the calming breeze, widening his eyes. Never did he realize how… pretty she really was. Even with the tomboyish outfit she had on at the moment, she was still a girl.
"Huh…" she sighed out, causing him to snap out of his stupor as he blushed, "Well, I think we better get back to training a little more!" she insisted while standing back up, putting her hands onto her hips, "You wanna have a battle, Trent?" she asked of her rival, who blinked in surprise.
"Uh, sure!" he replied, getting onto his feet, "It'd be good to get some more training in," he pointed out with a grin. Erika giggled in response.
X
"Wow, it's huge!" Paige exclaimed as she and Calvin approached the geothermal power plant Hapu had told them about.
"So this is where the island gets all its power from?" the latter of the two inquired while walking towards the entrance with her.
"Supposedly," she replied, shrugging her shoulders, "This is one of the biggest islands of Alola, so one place of electricity wouldn't be able to supply the whole island," she pointed out to him.
"Huh," he uttered out, adjusting his cap, "Hey…" he began, getting his rival's attention, "what were you and my sister talking about?" he asked, arching an eyebrow. Instantaneously, Paige went red in the face.
"N-N-Nothing!" she stuttered in claim.
"It was about you kissing me, wasn't it?" he guessed, putting his hands onto his hips.
"Huh…" the silvery-haired girl sighed, slouching forward in defeat, "I don't know how she found out, but she pretty much caught me off guard…" she confessed, letting a moan escape her lips.
"I'm betting our older sister mentioned it to her…" Calvin concluded, folding his arms over his chest, "She's always been the curious one…" he pointed out.
"I'm really sorry, Calvin…" Paige apologized, causing him to blink in surprise, "If I hadn't kissed you that day… I…" she tried to say, looking away ashamedly.
"Hey, you were just really happy…" the Ketchum boy noted, grabbing her left hand with his, "I know you're strong, Paige," he mentioned as she looked at him with astonishment in her eyes, "That's why I trusted you with Stufful!" he added with a chuckle.
"Calvin…" his rival uttered out.
"A kiss is just a kiss," the capped boy pointed out to her, "It doesn't mean we're boyfriend and girlfriend," he added, "We're still trial-goers!" he exclaimed, letting off a wide grin. After a moment, Paige smiled.
"Yeah… you're right," she agreed. For now, she'd bottle up these strange feelings. Just as the two of them were about to head inside the power plant, they heard rustling nearby. They looked over to see a familiar pair of horns peeking out from the side of the building, followed by…
"Beebee…" a voice from there buzzed out, causing Calvin to blink in surprise. He recognized it immediately.
"An Elekid?" he said, making Paige perk up. They veered around the corner to see the Electric Pokémon. He appeared to be fiddling with the wires in the side of the building, appearing to be absorbing electricity from them.
"Hey!" the silvery-haired girl shouted, causing the Elekid to reel in surprise, "What do you think you're doing?!" she yelled in question.
"B-Beebee!" the Electric Pokémon stuttered out, waving his arms frantically.
"Toh geh!" another voice squeaked, getting their attentions as they saw a figure leap out from the nearby grass. It was a Togedemaru, who had electricity spark all around his body before firing off several bolts towards the two trial-goers.
"A Togedemaru?!" Calvin yelped out.
"Watch out!" Paige yelled, tackling him aside to evade the bolts sent towards them. Elekid jumped back to evade the ones sent his way.
"Bee, beebee!" he buzzed out as the Roly-Poly Pokémon rolled up to him.
"Toh, toh geh!" he instructed quickly, pointing towards the grid section of the power plant beyond the chain link fence. They both nodded to each other before taking off through the gap in the fence.
"Where the heck are they going?" Paige wondered aloud as she and Calvin got back up. They went over to inspect the damage done to the building, seeing that none of the wires appeared to have been snapped. "That's weird…" the silvery-haired girl noted, arching an eyebrow, "I wonder what those two were doing here…" she said curiously.
"Maybe we'll find out inside," the Ketchum boy suggested in response. They went over to the entrance, pushing the doors open and heading inside.
"Readings are still pretty low today…" one worker in a lab coat noted from afar.
"Yeah…" a bald, dark-skinned man agreed as he nodded, putting his hand onto his chin as he narrowed his eyes underneath a pair of glasses he had on, "I'm wondering if it might be them again…" he grumbled out.
"Excuse me…" Paige chimed in, catching their attentions, "What seems to be the problem?" she asked curiously out of concern.
"Oh, welcome!" the bald man greeted, adjusting his glasses, "Sorry, we're having some issues with the power grid and aren't offering tours right now—"
"No, that's okay," Calvin assured, chiming into the conversation as he interjected the researcher, "We just wanna know what's causing those issues and see if we can help," he told him.
"Really?" he questioned in response, arching an eyebrow. He then took notice of the amulets upon the bags of the two trial-goers. A grin came across his face. "Well, how can I be so rude as to refuse something like that?" he inquired rhetorically. Moments later, he was showing them a holographic image of the entire electrical grid behind the building. "This plant's power goes out to most of Ula'ula, with some exceptions," he explained to the group, "However, we've been having trouble with electricity being blocked off lately, whether wires are tampered with or even rerouted," he mentioned.
"We think it has to do with the Pokémon that live around here," his colleague noted, getting their attentions, "Charjabug are well-known for feeding on electricity, so they might have a hand in this," he pointed out.
"Well… how do the wires themselves look?" Paige asked. The head of the power plant brought up another image upon the screen, displaying the current state of the wires. They actually appeared to not be damaged.
"I guess that must mean the Charjabug are only absorbing the electricity in the plant," Calvin concluded, narrowing his eyes.
"Or it could mean someone else is behind it," Paige suggested in response, "We did see that Elekid and Togedemaru by the plant, remember?" she pointed out in question.
"Hmm…" the head of the plant hummed, "Shane, let's take these two with us to the grid," he advised, "Maybe they can help us get to the root of the problem," he suggested as both trial-goers blinked in surprise.
"Sure thing, Darius," his colleague replied. Moments later, the four of them were outside at the back of the building, heading towards the grid. Calvin and Paige had protective gloves and goggles on for safety.
"You said you saw a Togedemaru and an Elekid, right?" Darius asked of the trial-goers, getting their attentions, "I know that the former has a limited amount of electricity he can store up in his body," he recalled, "And the latter's not one to take electricity from man-made places such as this…" he mentioned in explanation.
"Then what were they doing?" the silvery-haired girl questioned.
"Maybe there was something else they were trying to do…" Calvin suggested in response, putting his gloved left hand onto his chin.
"Hey, over there!" Shane called out, getting their attentions as they looked to see what looked like a group of rock-based Pokémon gathered around one of the cell towers. They looked like Graveler, but with a silvery sheen to their bodies instead of light brown. They lacked defined digits on their upper limbs and had two toes on each foot rather than three. There were several small, yellowish crystals scattered across their bodies and iron sand attracted by magnetism. The black sand created crystal-like formations above their eyes, across the tops of the upper pair of arms, and on the sides of their faces.
"Those are Alolan Graveler, right?" Calvin guessed, arching an eyebrow curiously.
"Yeah…" Darius replied, "But they usually feed off of dravite for energy…" he noted, narrowing his eyes curiously, "Why would they come here?" he wondered aloud. All of a sudden…
"Beebee!" a familiar voice buzzed out, causing both trial-goers to perk up as they recognized it. The Elekid they ran into earlier was kicking back some of the Graveler, appearing to be defending the energy station from them.
"Gravah!" one of them yelled, cloaking his upper right hand in an orb of yellow electricity, closing it into a fist. He punched at the Electric Pokémon, who crossed his arms to block the attack as he grimaced a little. Another of the Rock Pokémon punched him, making him clench his teeth even more as he slid back.
"What the heck are they doing?" Calvin inquired as he blinked in surprise.
"Is Elekid… protecting the plant from those Graveler?" Paige guessed. Both Darius and Shane looked to each other in confusion, not sure of what the answer was. Just then…
"Tohgeh!" Togedemaru yipped, making its triangular-shaped markings spike up as he jumped in. They glowed a bright blue before he started spinning around, knocking back the Rock Pokémon attacking his ally.
"Graahhhh…" they growled angrily.
"Mah, ruu!" the Roly-Poly Pokémon yelled defiantly, standing alongside Elekid as electricity sparked around them. Meanwhile, Calvin and Paige looked to each other and nodded. They finally understood what was really going on.
"You think this might a turf war for electricity?" Shane guessed curiously, arching an eyebrow.
"Whatever the case, we've got to do something about it!" Darius insisted.
"We're way ahead of you!" Paige exclaimed, getting their attentions as they saw her and Calvin step forward. Both of them had Poké Balls readied in their hands. They threw them forward, letting them pop open as their lights spilled out onto the ground, shaping into form and dissipating to reveal Mudsdale and Steenee respectively.
"Muhhhh!" the Draft Horse Pokémon neighed out, causing some of the Graveler to perk up and notice him there.
"Nee!" Steenee squeaked, putting her hands onto her hips in a huff.
"Grah, grava!" one of the Rock Pokémon ordered, making a trio of them roll off towards their new foes.
"Steenee, Magical Leaf!" Calvin commanded quickly.
"Nee!" the Fruit Pokémon responded, leaping up and forming an orb of green light upon her hands. From it, she fired off several glowing green leaves, all of which struck the incoming Graveler, knocking them away.
"Toh?" Togedemaru squeaked in surprise, seeing the two people they met earlier commanding their respective Pokémon against their foes.
"Use High Horsepower!" Paige ordered, pumping her left fist out. An orange aura shrouded Mudsdale as he galloped forward, ramming through some of the Graveler that had already been knocked down. He then kicked away those surrounding the electrical grid and the two small Electric-types.
"Beebee!" Elekid buzzed in gratitude.
"Brrrfff!" the Draft Horse Pokémon responded, letting off a grin. The opposing group of Graveler didn't seem to be willing to leave quietly however. Calvin went deep in thought, trying to think of a quick solution. And then it hit him as his eyes jolted open.
"Steenee, use Sweet Scent!" he instructed quickly, causing her to blink in surprise.
"Nee?" she squeaked in confusion.
"We need to lure the Graveler away from the power grid!" her trainer pointed out in response, "I think that'll do it!" he assured.
"Stee!" the Fruit Pokémon responded, running off and expelling a pinkish powder from the leaves upon her head. Its aroma reached the group of Rock Pokémon causing them to all perk up in surprise before they gave off relaxed smiles. They followed the scent, leaving Mudsdale and the others alone in the process. Once they were led away…
"Now Bulldoze!" Paige commanded. The Draft Horse Pokémon stood up on his hind legs as an orange aura shrouded his body. He then stomped down, causing the ground to pulsate and surge towards the Graveler. It struck them, causing them to roll off down the rocky hill as they yelled frantically.
"Nice!" Calvin exclaimed. He and his rival exchanged a high five, laughing happily at their success.
"Nee!" Steenee huffed proudly.
"Toh, tohgeh!" Togedemaru chimed in gratefully as he waddled over to the Fruit Pokémon, getting her attention, "Mahru!" he happily squeaked. A blush crossed Steenee's cheeks as she glanced away in embarrassment.
"Steee neee…" she claimed, appearing to act modest for once.
"Beebee, bee!" Elekid buzzed happily with his arms raised.
"Muhhh!" Mudsdale neighed.
"Huh…" Paige exhaled in relief, "Glad that turned out okay…" she remarked while putting her hands onto her hips.
"So why were those Graveler around this part of the power plant?" Calvin wondered, rubbing the back of his head in confusion. Darius and Shane had gone over to inspect the area.
"I see…" the power plant head noted as he adjusted his spectacles, "Looks like there's a significant amount of dravite in this area," he concluded, seeing the black rock that had been dug up by the Alolan Rock Pokémon.
"I'm sure the Graveler didn't mean to start this much of a fuss…" his colleague pointed out, "We can get a team together to help mine this out," he assured, "But in the meantime…" he continued, looking over to Elekid and Togedemaru, "thanks to those two, a lot of Ula'ula's still got power!" he mentioned with a chuckle.
"Bee!" the Electric Pokémon buzzed in response.
"Maruu!" the Roly-Poly Pokémon squeaked happily.
"I think I get it now…" Paige concluded, catching Calvin's attention, "Elekid and Togedemaru must've been gathering electricity to try and fight off those Graveler," she told him.
"And we interrupted them…" he realized in addition, "We're sorry…" he apologized, getting the Roly-Poly Pokémon's attention.
"Tohgeh…" he reassured with a shake of his head, "Mahru, mah!" he mentioned, smiling at Steenee again. She blushed, turning away.
"St-Stee nee…" she stammered out in embarrassment. Calvin laughed, glad that the situation had been resolved. But now… what would happen Togedemaru and Elekid?
X
"Rykannn!" Lycanroc yelled as he punched at some rocks in the immediate area, shattering them to pieces. It was dusk as he was training alongside Greninja and Mightyena. A Vikavolt was gliding about the air alongside Skarmory and Drifblim, while Starbright was mimicking the dancing of Oricorio, who was swaying about in a carefree manner.
"Sandygast, Shadow Ball!" Erika commanded with a swing of her right arm.
"Gassuu!" the Sand Heap Pokémon responded, having his mouth open wide before forming a black-and-purple ball of energy in front of it with purple sparks. He fired it forward, having it strike Trent's Growlithe in a fierce explosion.
"Ghrrowww!" he yelped out, falling onto his side. He tried to pick himself up, but fell down seconds later with swirls in his eyes. Rotom floated over to assess the result.
"Growlithe is unable to battle, zzt!" it buzzed in exclamation, raising its right arm up, "Sandygast winzzz!" it declared, gesturing over to the Sand Heap Pokémon.
"Way to go, Sandygast!" Erika cheered happily.
"Gassuuu!" he responded with delight.
"Huh…" Trent sighed out, returning the Puppy Pokémon to his Great Ball in a beam of red light. He looked… frustrated.
"That was a good battle, Trent!" Erika noted, getting his attention as he saw her smile his way. He glanced away ashamedly.
"I wish I could say the same to myself…" he admitted.
"Huh?" the Ketchum girl uttered in confusion, tilting her head to the side.
"I don't know…" the dark green-haired teen muttered out, sitting down upon the ground, "I just feel like that every time I've run into one of those Team Skull guys like Gladion or Guzma, I'm always taking a lot of steps back…" he told her.
"Trent…" she uttered out, walking over to him.
"Even during our battle in the Aether Tournament, I took a risk that didn't pay off… and you beat me," he noted, letting off a grin, "That's what makes you so amazing, Erika," he pointed out, "You always find a way, just like your dad would," he said.
"It's not just me though," Erika mentioned, causing him to blink in surprise as he looked over at her, "It's all my Pokémon, too," she added, "Lycanroc and the others have as much faith in me to try my best as I do with them," she told him, "And I'm sure your Pokémon feel the same way," she assured, giving him a soft smile. He blushed a little again.
"You really are a great person, Erika…" he admitted while standing up, "Somehow, you always know just what to say to people," he noted, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
"Believe me, I had to learn to know what to say…" she responded, remembering her incident with Tapu Koko back in the Ruins of Conflict. If it wasn't for Leslie, she'd probably still be the self-centered brat today that she was back then.
"Faye, fayye!" Starbright cried out, getting their attentions as they looked over to see her waving to them frantically.
"What's up, Starbright?" her trainer asked in concern, arching an eyebrow.
"Kleh fair!" the Fairy Pokémon responded, pointing towards Oricorio. As she was still swaying about in a carefree manner, a pinkish aura was shrouding her body, with the feathers at the tips of her wings glowing a bright pink. She then brought them together to form an orb of energy in between her wings, taking on a serious expression.
"KOREEEE!" she screeched as she launched the orb forward, letting it shatter a nearby boulder into pieces upon impact.
"Whoa!" Erika yelped in surprise.
"What the heck was that?" Trent inquired, arching an eyebrow.
"Analyzing… analyzing…" Rotom buzzed as a loading wheel appeared upon its screen, "That wazzz Revelation Dance, zzt!" it exclaimed after obtaining the information.
"You mean Oricorio's signature move?" Erika guessed, letting off an excited smile, "Wow!" she yelled, "So you finally learned it!" she realized.
"Koree~!" the Dancing Pokémon squawked proudly. She hadn't spent all the time she was at Kukui's household just prancing about. Meanwhile, Starbright's eyes were sparkling excitedly.
"Kleh, kleh faye!" she exclaimed, wagging her right pointer finger as her trainer glanced over.
"She'zzz using Metronome again, zzt…" Rotom noted as it floated over.
"I wonder what move she's gonna end up using this time…" Erika said curiously as her eyes narrowed. As the Fairy Pokémon stopped wagging her pointer finger, a bluish aura shrouded her body. Droplets of water came together in front of her mouth, forming a glowing ball. She then released a giant stream of water from it that crashed into the mountainside beside Lycanroc, Greninja, and Mightyena. They were surprised, as was everyone else.
"That wazzz Hydro Cannon!" Rotom exclaimed, evidently shocked.
"Kleh faye!" Starbright squeaked happily at the success of her random move. Erika went over and cautiously picked her up into her arms.
"Okay, maybe let's save that for an actual battle…" she sheepishly suggested, causing the Clefairy to blink in confusion.
"Hey!" a familiar voice called out, getting their attentions along with those of the others as they looked over to see Calvin and Paige arriving, with Steenee seated upon Mudsdale as they trotted towards the group.
"There you are!" Erika responded with a laugh, "What happened up at that place?" she wondered, knowing that it had been a while since her brother and their rival had gone off to the geothermal power plant.
"There were some issues we had to help out with up there," the silvery-haired girl replied as she placed her right hand onto her Mudsdale, "Apparently, some Graveler were causing some sort of… electrical interference, so Cal and I took 'em down," she told them.
"Alolan Graveler, right?" the Ketchum girl guessed.
"Yep," Calvin answered with a nod. As if on cue, Rotom pulled up an image of the Alolan Rock Pokémon upon its screen.
"Graveler, the Rock Pokémon, Alolan Form," it began, "They eat rocks and often get into a scrap over them. The shock of Graveler smashing together causes a flash of light and a booming noise. Graveler's entire body is tinged with electricity due to the stones they like to eat. They're very quick-tempered," it explained thoroughly.
"So… did you catch that Geodude you found?" Paige wondered curiously. Erika blushed a little, glancing away.
"N-No…" she stuttered in response, sounding very embarrassed.
"But it lookzzz like you caught zzzomeone, Calvin!" Rotom noted curiously.
"Huh?" the Ketchum boy uttered out of confusion. He turned around and lightly gasped to see that both Togedemaru and Elekid were there.
"Tohgeh!" the former squeaked as he approached the capped boy.
"Hey there!" he greeted in response, "Did you follow us?" he guessed, arching an eyebrow.
"Mah!" the Roly-Poly Pokémon replied with a nod.
"Beebee, bee!" Elekid buzzed, pointing towards Paige.
"You wanna come with us?" she guessed as she tilted her head to the side.
"Bee!" the Electric Pokémon responded while nodding.
"Tohgeh!" Togedemaru squeaked eagerly. Both Calvin and Paige looked at each other with surprised expressions. The two Electric-types wanted to come with them? The Ketchum boy then grinned, crouching down in front of the Roly-Poly Pokémon.
"If you wanna come with us, I promise that you'll have lots of fun!" he declared, letting off a bright smile.
"Mah!" Togedemaru replied with a big grin. A moment later, both trial-goers readied Poké Balls in their hands, enlarging them by pressing their center buttons. With a mere toss of them, they bounced off of the two Electric-types. They opened up, causing both Pokémon to turn into red light as they zoomed into the Poké Balls, allowing them to close up. They landed upon the ground, both shaking as their buttons blinked a bright red. After a few more moments, both of them stopped with a click as their buttons shined a bright green.
"Alright!" Paige exclaimed in delight. She and Calvin went over to pick up their respective Poké Balls, letting off a laugh with each other.
"Guess I'm not the only one who has easy catches sometimes…" Erika remarked with a smirk over to Rotom.
"Huh…" it sighed out. After all four trial-goers returned their Pokémon and gathered their belongings, they headed off towards Route 13.
"Can't believe it's already so late…" Paige admitted as she glanced around.
"I know…" Erika agreed, "We might wanna camp out for the night if that's the case…" she pointed out to the group.
"No need," Trent assured, getting their attentions. They looked to see that ahead was a small motel nearby an oasis.
"Wow, talk about luck!" Paige remarked as she blinked in surprise.
"Yeah, no kidding…" Calvin concurred.
"Guess we'll all room up like we did back at Aether Paradise!" Erika suggested with a giggle.
"Let's just hope that there's two rooms available…" Trent muttered out.
"HEYYYYY!" a familiar voice called out, getting their attentions as the group turned to see Hau running towards them, while Decidueye glided beside him, "I thought I recognized those faces!" he yelled, waving his right arm.
"Hau!" his twin cousins exclaimed simultaneously as he approached.
"What are you doing all the way out here?" Calvin asked, recalling the last time he had seen his ponytailed cousin.
"Keeping on my island challenge trek of course!" he replied, reaching his left hand into his pocket and rummaging through it to grab something, "Look!" he insisted, taking out an Electrium Z to show his fellow trial-goers, "Guess who cleared the observatory trial?" he inquired, flashing a wide grin.
"Wow, that's great!" the Ketchum boy complimented in response.
"And is that Dartrix?" Erika wondered, looking over at Decidueye.
"Sidge!" he chirped with a nod, landing down beside his trainer. On cue, Rotom pulled up an image of the Arrow Quill Pokémon upon its screen.
"Decidueye, the Arrow Quill Pokémon, and the final evolved form of Rowlet," it began, "Although basically cool and cautious, when he's caught by surprise, he's seized by panic. Decidueye can nock and fire an arrow at an enemy in a tenth of a second, so his battles are decided in the blink of an eye," it explained thoroughly.
"Wow…" Erika uttered in amazement.
"Man, everyone's got that trial down…" Paige noted, "Guess I'm gonna have to head back soon or I'll be left in the dust…" she remarked, letting off a chuckle.
"By the way, I heard about what happened with Team Skull in Malie," Hau mentioned, taking on a serious expression as the others blinked in surprise, "You pulled through once again, Cal," he pointed out with a chuckle.
"Well, it was a close call…" his male cousin admitted in response, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "But the next time Team Skull shows up, we'll be ready," he vowed firmly.
"Yeah!" his twin sister agreed, closing her right hand into a fist.
"Jeez, all you do is yammer on, huh?" a familiar voice inquired, "Hasn't anyone ever told you that silence is golden?" he asked on. Everyone turned in surprise to see none other than Gladion standing at the motel porch.
"Gah, Team Skull!" Hau yelped in surprise, while Decidueye widened his eyes out of shock.
"What are you doing here?!" Erika asked, blinking rapidly. The answer she and the others would receive would be one of the mysteries they'd come across next…
ENDING
Insert "Fushigina Fushigina Ikimono" by Tortoise Matsumoto
Opens in a hospital, with the newborn Calvin and Erika lying in separate cribs as they snooze soundly. Watching from outside the window to the nursery is Leslie, who's excited about having both a little brother and sister. Her father comes up behind her and puts his right hand onto her shoulder, giving her a warm smile.
We cut to the Ketchum family returning home. Leslie spends a lot of time with the infant twins, helping her parents feed, bathe, and put them to sleep. As the years go by, we see that she struggles to keep up with trying to take care of the rambunctious twins. At one point, Erika actually refuses her baby bottle and tries getting her milk from her sister's breast, much to her shock and embarrassment.
We cut to when the family started vacationing in Alola, with Leslie having drifted somewhat apart from her twin siblings. It saddens her that most of the good memories she had with them are now fleeting. We see her put on her new dress as she goes to the Iki Town festival, where she witnesses Calvin and Erika attempt to battle for the first time. Though they both lose, she's happy that they tried.
From Ash and Mirajane's point of view, they've had a wonderful life with their three children. Ash and Pikachu had helped teach Calvin how to walk, while Mirajane showed Erika how to garden as they water plants together. There's another scene of the twins getting to see their sister in a tournament as her Krookodile goes up against Benga's Garchomp, countering a Dragon Claw with his own.
We cut to the present day, where Leslie contently watches the highlights of the Aether Tournament. As she sees the final match between her twin siblings, she doesn't even realize that she's crying happily for getting the chance to witness it at all. Her parents take notice of her emotional state and venture over to give her a comforting hug.
As the ending slowly winds down, we cut to the twins camping together on Ula'ula. They both glance up at the stars and smile. They're grateful to be on a journey that they never thought they would enjoy in the first place.
END ENDING
And that does it for that! I'm really glad things are going smoothly with the story thus far through 40 chapters. PSA, I have to shout out to ImmaSupa Stargirl, who gave me the idea for the chapter a long time ago. So make sure to thank her as well!
It's going to be interesting to head into the next few chapters. As of now, we're looking at weekly updates from now on because I'm getting more involved in work. There may come a point where you don't get to see content from me at all at some point, so please be advised as my job will be the reason behind that.
Anyways, here's a summary of what's ahead for next time!
SUMMARY
Upon running into Gladion, Trent demands for a rematch, wanting to defeat the Team Skull Enforcer as payback for what happened on Akala Island! In this 3-on-3 matchup, who will win?!
And back on Melemele Island, Leslie reminisces about the old days where she wasn't always a Pokémon trainer… What were her school years like?
END SUMMARY
Gonna be going into some awesome battle action and some angst in the next chapter! I hope you're looking forward to it!