So let's drag another month by before I scrape enough time to write the next chapter huh? It's a lot of things that happened, causing me to miss a huge chunk of time before updating, but I wasn't happy with the flow of this one. Almost the entire first half was reshaped, which took me an extra week. Add a surprise business trip to Arizona and this comes out a week later than what I had expected.
I am now hyper excited for Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon. The most recent trailer squashed my belief that it was just a slightly redone Sun & Moon. It looks WAY different.
This story has now hit the milestones of 75 faves and 100 follows! I know I overemphasize this often, but you guys floor me every time a review, favorite or follow drops in. I'm extremely glad to see that my writing has continued to entertain everyone here and I'm maybe a third of the way done with the standard story part. Thank you guys so much! I seriously look forward of what's to come!
With all the hugs out of the way, we can get to the chapter. This one has a tidbit on...pokemon breeding. I have no idea if this is a good way to introduce it into the story or how it works, but chances are that it'll be mentioned only a couple of times, so I'm not particularly worried.
It will either be like; Oh...that's okay/pretty good. Or it will blow up in my face like an exploding cigar.
Alright...enjoy the chapter everyone. I likely won't get a chapter out until sometime November, so Happy Halloween everyone.
It's always sooo cute when Elio says that he loves getting letters from me! Not only are they fun to read, but I do really love writing back to him!
Dear Elio,
Paniola Town looks like a place I'd love to go see! I watched the Lone Ranger series too when I was younger and could totally see you in that outfit, hat and slinging your revolver like a maverick! All you'd need is a mudsdale or rapidash at your side and a lovely lass for you to carry and ride into the sunset!
Anyway; the Tide Song Hotel is wayyy bigger than I thought! All these cool long hallways with elegant art, so many restaurants from regular bars to a place that serves five star food! Did you know that you can order this cool thing called room service? You basically call someone, asking for it; say what you want and then they bring it right up to your room! I don't even have to go away from my book and it was wheeled in on a fancy cloth cart!
The pools are super nice and cool. Sometimes I'll go for a swim when Nebby is asleep, but I'm always afraid it might panic when it finds out I'm not there and escape! Hahaha! So I try and wait until it sleeps in the evening before I go swimming and do exploring around the city. The two Kalosians Sina and Dexio usually come around with me to different places and it's nice to have more friends who look out for you right? I was very surprised when they were talking about their encounter with a promising young trainer but I couldn't believe it was you! Elio, you make impressions wherever you go huh?!
I hope things are going well with your journey. Professor Kukui's research is taking him over to the central part of the island and I might accompany him over there tomorrow or something. I have no idea how long we're going to stay there, but I'm seriously hoping you could be done with your trial so that we can meet up!
Please be careful. I miss you.
Sincerely,
Lillie
Dear Lillie,
So my new cowboy friend Dallas Kahananui's family owns the biggest ranch in central Akala and saying its big size is an understatement! It's apparently the same size as like thirty football fields! The Kahananui family is apparently a long line of generation ranchers that have been on Akala since pretty much the beginning of time!
Anyway, Dallas' family ranch is so big compared to the others, that they have a whole bunch of staff that they need to keep the place running! There's a lot of livestock they take care of here and it's for various purposes from food sources to becoming ride pokemon!
There's a lot of college people here too. They do a lot of field work with students from Melemele State University and I happened to be there when a class was going on. There are lots of things to be learned from the science of pokemon caregiving and I never knew stuff like this took so much time and work, but all of them were very enthusiastic about their opportunities and eager to listen. Now if some of my less than motivated classmates back in Kanto had this kind of drive…
You know, their school colors of dark gray and gold really remind me of my hometown Poliwraths and 'Canes even though they're blue instead! But seriously…who thought it was a good idea to make their mascot as "Rainbow Warriors"? Not only do the colors not even match for a rainbow; that's pretty much saying a tyranitar is cuddly!
Anyway, the Kahananui family does have parts of their land open for trial-going trainers to temporarily leave their pokemon on the premises. What's neat is that the student volunteers will get a lot of experience in working with all these different species while they get nurtured! And sometimes you can get pokemon offspring too! I declined the "talk" and all the students snickering about it when I first went in. College people are so mature.
I'm glad the Tide Song Hotel is treating you right like a proper lady! Will you still be there when I'm done? I am so down for sleeping all day and then having someone bring me food! It must be the life! Enjoy yourself! I have to admit that getting letters from you while I'm gone is awesome!
I miss you.
Sincerely,
Elio
The day was in the mid-afternoon when Elio exited the pokemon center. He was relieved to hear that the injuries suffered on his team had been quickly healed by the special machine constantly running and they were ready for their next battle.
With his pokemon secure and revitalized; Elio set out to explore the west side of Paniola Town, although much of it was wooden, two story houses lining either side of the dirt road. Each one looked almost the same; two windows on the upper and lower floors each, a single door that led inside, flanked by a pair of lights. An oblique angled slate roof covered the deck, sheltering it from when the rain downpoured onto the streets. During those times, Elio learned from one of the families that some pokemon that didn't have any form of shelter would often come and lie down on the decks until the rain subsided. Families on occasion brought them some food, which really surprised him. If there were rattata or raticate found outside the porch, usually an exterminator would be called to either drive them out or kill them on the spot.
The Iokua family also lived in Paniola Town, having their own smaller ranch in their backyard and they had introduced themselves to him as he was passing by. According to them; their son was one of the three trial captains on Akala Island. Elio pried further, but it seemed that they didn't want to disclose anything to him since being a surprise and adapting quickly were part of the island challenge's main strengths.
As the Mister Iokua and his wife were continuing to dust the porch with their young daughter; Elio was approached by a pokemon that radiated a considerable amount of warmth. In the Alolan heat, it was an unwelcome addition, but he figured that it was a good natural way to heat up someone's house when the temperatures got cooler.
Does it even get cold in Alola at all?
Turning around, he saw a blazing red, orange and yellow bipedal pokemon by his side. The edges of its skin shimmered with incredible hotness as a few fingers of yellow flames licked away from its body. A long slender tail had a slight bit of fanning fire clinging to it, similar to a charmander. It had large two toed feet and a mouth that reminded him of a bill.
"Mag…magmar."
"A magmar." Elio muttered.
"New pokemon detected! Bzzt!" Rotom buzzed, opening the flap on Sun's backpack. "Magmar. Spitfire pokemon. It is the evolved form of magby. A tired magmar will nonchalantly jump into the mouth of a volcano to soak its body in magma to ease its weariness. When it is angered; it will refuse to stop attacking until it has incinerated its foe into fine ash. Magmar is a fire type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
"Oh don't mind Magmar there." Mister Iokua said. "He likes to greet visitors warmly…if you know what I mean."
"Yeah I do." Elio almost had to stagger back from the sheer amount of heat waves that were emitted by this pokemon. "How do you guys stand that?"
"Oh he's more than capable of controlling the output. If he's used to you, then his body can be just slightly warm. If you want to pet him or something, make sure you avoid the head or outer extremities.
"Mag." Magmar cried again.
Elio glanced over to see the pokemon reach…well deep into its own armpit. Its face was contorted between concentration and discomfort before suddenly turning to relief.
"Magmar!" The boy's eyes widened as it held a blue and poke ball with a series of X patterns out towards him.
"Heh, you're full of surprises Magmar." Mister Iokua said. "Go ahead. It looks like he wants you to have it."
Elio gingerly took the ball and as soon as his hands made contact with the metal, he nearly yanked it back in complete shock. "Ah!"
It passed it off to another hand before going to the other in a quick succession before it finally had seemed to cool enough for him to touch without suffering a burn on his hands.
What were you expecting it to be room temperature or something?
"Thanks."
"Mag!"
"You're welcome trial-goer! Good luck on your island challenge!"
Elio bade him goodbye and continued down the path towards Kahananui Ranch.
"So Rotom, what kind of ball is this?"
"Itzz a quick ball! Bzzt! Itz capturing zystem workzz the bezzt when you throw it at the beginning of a battle! Bzzt!"
Another question I have is where exactly did the Magmar have the quick ball?
I better wash it when I have a chance.
As he headed further north towards Haleakala peak; the town began to thin out to the more rural countryside. Houses and the wood buildings gave way to long pastures that were surprisingly flat compared to the rest of what Elio had experienced of Alola, winding, hilly and jagged. Many large field pokemon grazed in the fields as busy townsfolk tended to the tedious work needed to be done every day.
Even though it was straight out of a western movie; Paniola Town and its population of around six thousand still had many reminders it was still in Alola. The people were no less friendly than anywhere else, waving their arms with a very enthusiastic "Alola!" in which the teeneger couldn't help but return the gesture. As much as he had to admit it; the greeting was beginning to grow on him.
I haven't even explored all of Alola yet and it just kind of already feels like home. Parts of it really do feel like paradise…like a dream.
Towering palm trees lined in between the houses, providing underappreciated shade to people and pokemon alike, culminating into many that populated the four way intersection. From there; the streets would divide off into smaller parts to condominiums and the uniform houses. The plaza at the center was the location of the majority of the public facilities including a community center, post office where the Fearow Postal Service came for pickups and drop-offs, the lone grade school and a couple of grocery stores. For visitors, there was a tourist bulletin offering tours of ranches and souvenir shops inside the small hotel at the square's southwest corner.
Sun figured that with an abundance of food that came fresh from the farms here every day, the need to refine other things wasn't as heavy.
That also didn't mean there were hardly any restaurants. Among other café's, tea houses and snack shops; Elio easily spotted the familiar orange and white logo of a Cutter's towards the outskirts.
Hau had introduced the popular Alolan chain restaurant to him while they were out on the Hale'iwa; a popular surfing hangout on Melemele Island due to its larger and more challenging waves than the mild ones from the south by Hau'oli City's tourist spot. Cutter's had been on the islands since its founding multiple decades ago and it had gained significant popularity as Alola began to modernize and boom in their growth due to the fact that it had remained open for late hours and many workers leaving or going on the night shift would stop in for a meal. Due to it being the focal point of their peak successes; all Cutter's locations would remain open until three in the morning and close for four hours before repeating the cycle seven days a week.
The chain today had sixteen locations across five of Alola's six inhabited islands and continues to be one of the Alolan people's most popular restaurants to date. While he was a bit hesitant on trying something completely brand new; he found that their menu was incredibly diverse; serving traditional Alolan dishes to some of the more familiar things like burgers and katsu…the latter of which he particularly enjoyed while in Kanto. Many of the items were static, but there were also many other dishes served and rotated almost daily as specials. Their main special was their signature tamato berry chili.
During busy mealtime hours, Elio had found out that trainers going on the island challenge could present their passport whilst paying for their meal and they'd receive both a small discount and their meal's soft drink beverage would be free of charge.
And it's a fountain machine…which would mean infinite refills!
Although eating at Cutter's didn't sound like a bad idea, Elio felt he needed to get to the Kahananui Ranch, with Dallas' request taking priority. He did have more snacks to munch on as well as enough food to last him until he got to the next registered pokemon center situated at Brooklet Hill's front. Judging by Rotom's map, he'd get there in the evening of the next day if he went nonstop.
Eh…I'm sure this isn't the only other Cutter's I'll find here on Akala. Besides, I'd actually like to see what Dallas' ranch looks like!
As Elio headed on the roads north, taking a pathway next to where an occasional car passed by, he noticed the buildings of the town become more sparse, giving way to huge lush green pastures teeming with all sorts of different pokemon.
Some were behind the fence, milling about while others were being tended to by ranchers busy scrubbing at their dirty hides. Large wooden fences bordered each of the properties, but they all maintained a pristine, rural appearance.
Dallas' description of Kahananui Ranch was spot on. A massive sprawling house sat at the front of the road where it straightened out to provide a long driving view of the largest property on the island.
The entrance to the place was a massive dark metal gate that arched over a concrete road that was big enough to fit two trucks through on either side. Lining the edge of the driveway up to the house were neatly trimmed bushes that preceded the fence around the property.
Elio saw the familiar figure of Dallas underneath and he waved after seeing the boy approach on the road.
"Just in time ma friend. Ya sure got a good sense of it too." He drawled, stroking Troy who stood at his master's side and looked up eagerly. "One of the captain's here right now, why don't ya stop by an' say hello?"
The inside of Kahananui Ranch was even more impressive than Elio had imagined. Its open space provided an amazing view of Haleakala summit. All around them; pokemon of different species were herded together, grazing in pastures or being tended to by volunteer college workers.
Dallas had given him nearly an entire tour; showing that many of those working here came from Melemele State University's agricultural science colleges to help fill their long amount of volunteer hours in order to earn both experience and the prerequisites. They took care of multiple species, all herded off into different sections.
Elio wasn't sure he would be able to pay attention to everything being explained to him, since he was being showered with playful affection from Emmitt the growlithe and the little rockruff who was more than eager to have the boy close by.
"So here's the mudbray pen." Dallas gestured to yet another section of the pasture where several quadruped donkey pokemon were frolicking about in a designated puddle of mud. Some had already made their way over to many volunteers, who waited to scrub away at the mud caking their bodies with soapy sponges and pails of water.
"New pokemon detected! Bzzt!" Rotom flew out of his pack. "Mudbray. Donkey pokemon. This pokemon used to live all over the world in old times, however overhunting almost to the point of extinction led to the belief it can only be found wild in Alola. Mudbray are capable of pulling more than fifty times their weight. Mudbray is a ground type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon." He snapped out of his catalogue phase. "Literal workhorze right? Bzzt!"
"Yeah." Elio glanced over at the mud pile where the remaining four were continuing to jump around and enjoy themselves. "Shouldn't you guys be cleaning them?"
"We do." Dallas answered. "Mudbray are finicky creatures and part of its daily routine involve it playing around in mud. Not only does it find enjoyment in that, but it also serves to keep it cool since they can't sweat. And ya need to stay cool considering yer this close to the equator. They can get very moody if denied an opportunity to do that." He gestured to the boy. "Here, let's finish up. Grab a bucket and ah will show ya how to wash."
Elio did as instructed, following him. He immediately sensed a very foul smell emanating from the field.
"Watch yer step too." Dallas gestured to a dark pile and he could see many more scattered on the ground. "There's manure landmines everywhere."
"No offense," Elio started. "But how can you stand the smell?"
"Ya get used to it after a while."
Dallas gave a quick demonstration to him and two other students before calling over the final four mudbray.
Elio's let out a soft neigh and eyed him curiously before gently pressing its long nose next to his cheek and sniffing intently. He stifled a laugh.
"I like you too buddy."
Grabbing the brush in soapy water, he firmly, but gently applied pressure and began to scrub at mudbray's hide. For a young pokemon, it remained remarkably still, closing its eyes and enjoying the feeling of the caretaking.
It took Elio about five minutes from the sides to the chest, legs and back before Dallas' inspection proved that he had done a good job.
Good thing too. Because my hands are about raw. He thought while flexing his reddened palms.
"It's a good thing yer not doing this." The cowboy chuckled, seeing it as well. "'Cause you'd have to be scrubbing a dozen more. Takes me 'bout an hour to finish it all."
He looked at his watch. "Now where were we? Oh yes, the captain!"
"Hey, thanks for stopping by!" Further down another field, they spotted her. Mallow waved in the distance to them, giving him one of her contagious energetic grins before jogging over. Spotting Elio and Dallas approaching the next area, a primp in her step gave away that something was going on.
"Well hello there Miss Mallow!" Dallas tipped his hat towards her. "Always nice seein' ya 'round these parts! Can ah introduce you to Elio here? He's a trial-goer on the island challenge!"
Mallow nodded. "Of course! It's good to see you again Elio!" She extended a hand out.
"Likewise ma'am." He shook it gingerly.
"Ma'am?" The trial captain was taken aback, trying to stifle a laugh. "Oh I must say that you are quite the polite young man."
"Quite paʻahana too. Ah might add, both in and out of a battle."
"Sure," Elio glanced back at Dallas before petting rockruff who was now once more begging for attention. "Whatever that means."
"Don't worry 'bout it!" He chuckled. "It's ah good thing. Oh Miss Mallow…did you come by for yer delivery today?"
"Yup." She closed her eyes. "Excellent as always! I can't wait to get started!"
"Started?" Elio asked.
Mallow nodded. "Right. Part of running Aina's kitchen means that I have to go get our supply shipments for the next day from around the island! Dallas here provides a good amount of that stuff including milk. I've tried almost all the milk from the ranches here on the island, but none are as good as Kahananui Ranch!"
"All from the finest pure grass fed cattle." Dallas drawled. "In comparison to the farms from other regions, Alola has completely outlawed the use of growth hormones and antibiotics in their products originatin' from here. Less artificial junk means they can be raised more naturally and promote higher quality products."
"Huh interesting." Even though Elio had little idea of what they were talking about, he figured that much of Kanto's industrialization in the grocery store meant that products would be mass produced in quantity rather than quality.
At least I know Tanaka's is good. I remember Mom saying they follow a similar policy.
"And the farmer's market in Paniola is always a great place to go and pick up some locally grown vegetables and meat with all the kind. Ya happen to come by and see what we've got and ah promise ya that ya will be walkin' out with enough to feed yer ohana for weeks!"
"But yes!" Mallow gushed. "Kahananui Ranch is super famous for its moomoo milk! Used in everything from yogurt, ice cream and even more! It's super rich and creamy when you use it in white sauce like Béchamel and Hollandaise! Mmm…Ah! The taste can't even be described because it's sooo good!" She had shut her eyes, almost as if tasting whatever she was describing.
I don't think I've ever heard of white sauce named like that. Only one I know is alfredo and cheese…if that counts.
"So Elio," She began. "You like to cook?"
"No." I burn water. Only I can mess something like that up.
"You want to learn?"
"Uhhh, maybe another time." Should I even learn how to cook while I'm on the island challenge?
"Fantastic!" Mallow clapped her hands together. "I shall get you an apron from Kalos. How does the words; kiss the cook sound on its front?"
I know someone who would jump on that right away. But I already have an idea if that happens.
"I'll do you one better Mallow." Sun said, a smile spreading on his face. "Will grill for sex."
His proclamation put all three of them still for just a moment before everyone burst out into a fit of laughter. Elio bent down, clutching his sides and still not believing the reaction.
I totally expected that to go wrong…
"Why would ya say somethin' like that?" Dallas asked.
A shrug. "Well it's the one my dad used to wear when we had cookouts."
"That's a good one!" Mallow said. "Well, when you're ready to learn, let me know and I can order that for you in a jiffy!"
"Look at ya go! Ya got plenty of things to do right after ya finish the island challenge! Even cooking! And ah must say ya gonna get a good teacher in the lovely Miss Mallow Lokelani!""
Sun smiled, finding the prospect of figuring out on how to cook wasn't exactly a bad thing.
It's not a bad thing at all. I better start learning when I'm on my own.
"Mil! Mil! Miltank!" Everyone's attention turned to a pair of bovine pokemon that headed up to Mallow's side, allowing her to gently pat their sides.
"And it's all thanks to the miltank here!"
"Miltank?" Elio's thoughts went back to the moomoo milk, available in the refrigerated section of the grocery stores.
"Did zomeone zay miltank?" Rotom piped up, flying right back out of Sun's backpack again. "Then that meanz that there'z a new pokemon detected! Bzzt! Thiz iz always fun to do! Even if it'z annoying to zomeone to put new 'Dex info out every time we come acrozz a new dizcovery! Bzzt!" He made a buzzing laugh. "Anywayz…Miltank. Milk cow pokemon. Despite being known for its dairy production, Miltank's hide is tough enough to repel strong attacks. The milk it produces contains a lot of calories, fat and essential nutrients. An average miltank can produce up to five gallons of milk a day, a number that can be increased if it is around babies of any kind. Miltank is a normal type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
"Oh and that reminds me." Mallow said. "Elio? You got your ride pager?"
"Uh yeah."
"Can I see it?"
"Sure." He held it in his hands and handed it over.
Mallow hit a few buttons and Elio quickly noticed movement from the side of one of the barns in a massive thing that he could only describe that resembled a mass of fur.
"Uh, what's that?" He pointed towards it. "It looks like a walking carpet."
The trial captain laughed. "That's an interesting way to put it. It's a ride pokemon! Stoutland to be exact!"
With a gruff bark, the stoutland trotted forward to stand next to Mallow.
"A new pokemon haz been detected! Bzzt!" Rotom said, presenting itself just as it was about to dive right back into the backpack. "Stoutland. Big-hearted pokemon. It is the evolved form of herdier and lillipup's final evolution. Stoutland's sense of smell allows it to discover items buried and hidden years prior. Its gentle nature and bravery make it a favorite for first responders and many adult trainers entrust it to babysit their children while they are away. Stoutland is a normal type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
"Your pokedex did a good job in explaining it." Mallow said. Next to his trainer's side, Rotom gave a curt bow before diving right back into the small pocket of his backpack. "See a stoutland here has a very acute sense of smell. You're used to a ride pokemon rig-" She stopped abruptly when Elio already had his sleek pads on his shoulders, understanding where this was headed. A blue and gold reflecting polarized helmet was in his hand and about to be set atop his head. Earlier, he had managed to connect with Alola Transit and have the newly refurbished helmet sent to the center in Paniola Town, where a quick tryout for a perfect fit had completed his order.
I hope this suit was worth the three hundred and seventy five I paid for it.
"Yeah. I think I've done this before." He gave a sheepish grin. "So is it like a tauros?"
"Yes and no." Mallow walked to stand beside the stoutland. "Unlike tauros, who are used primarily to go fast, a ride stoutland is trained to sniff for items that are buried in the ground or hidden out of sight. The concept actually originated from an old kahuna's effort to reduce the amount of things lost. But now in a trainer's world, any lost items are fair game."
"Valuables?"
"Of course they get returned if their owner can be found, but things like medicine and poke balls are free to claim by whoever finds it. But you are going to definitely need a stoutland's help for my trial when you take it! Here!" She patted the enormous dog's side. "Give it a try. She's incredibly gentle!"
Elio nodded, approaching the pokemon. Although he could tell that it had a much more calm demeanor than the tauros he had ridden back on Melemele Island, it was always a precaution of his for personal safety to utilize a pokemon's abilities when he deemed it safe.
Never use a pokemon you don't trust and doesn't trust you. That had been a big rule he had seen for the general bylaws concerning ride pokemon back at the Bureau.
"Hi Stoutland." He greeted gently, extending his exposed palm out to her nose. She gazed at him gently before gently leaning forward and giving it a sniff. Elio felt something warm and wet on his hand and looked over, seeing a long slobbery tongue happily licking away at something.
Dallas chuckled. "She likes ya. There's a lot of salt licks out on the ranch and she can always find it tasty. Ya probably picked some residue on ya while workin'."
Elio laughed gently, feeling the tongue send strange ticklish sensations through his arm. "Haha! Okay…easy girl." A slow shove away caused her to back off and he circled around, finally getting a chance to admire her carefully groomed shined pelt and majestic lines of fur. In a way, he found it to be quite beautiful.
"Okay." He quickly found a stepping slot, setting his foot inside and grabbing the handlebar to pull himself over atop the single seat. In a contrast to the tauros where he leaned forward slightly, he could now sit completely upright, gripping the handlebars as if on a bicycle. There were certain models of harnesses where the pager could fit on the pokemon in front of the user, but another purchase he had picked up along with the helmet allowed him to mount it upon either one of his wrists. Even though Sun was right handed, the Z-ring had already taken up his left, forcing him to affix it otherwise.
Typing in a few commands to link it and using the basic ride signals. He had already tuned himself to the stoutland's controls.
"Okay," He started. "Let's see if the ranchers left anything behind here."
At his command, the stoutland lowered her head towards the ground and sniffed intently. She kept tugging towards one section and let out a loud snort.
"That's a good sign!" Dallas encouraged. "That means she's gotta scent on somethin' hidden!"
"Let's go." Elio said and the two of them slowly moved forward and to their left. Stoutland continued to sniff the ground, weaving to the left some and to the right. To an untrained eye, the pattern was erratic and random.
A few paces forward later and stoutland stopped, sniffing intensively once more before finally barking. She bobbed her head vigorously, pawing directly in front.
"Woah! Holy-"Elio was not expecting such a sudden motion and had it not been for his quick reflexes to grab back onto the handlebars with a death grip, he might have been thrown right off.
"That's good!" Mallow said, almost having to shout from the combination of the distance and the stoutland's sharp barking. "That means she's found something hidden right in front!"
"That's good?" Elio repeated, glancing back in question. "She almost threw me out of the saddle!"
"Then there's nothin' wrong!" Dallas shouted, cupping his mouth to shout. "Stoutland get excited when they find somethin'! Get off and check it out!"
I almost flew off like a ragdoll. This is why I have trust issues.
His limbs still a little shaky, but he dismounted, moving over to inspect. The dog was staring directly at a dirt covered fruit that had a wide body and narrowed up to a small nub at its stem.
"Looks like ya found a leftover sitrus berry!" Dallas said, walking up beside Elio. "Berries grow a lot around here and they're a big part of a pokemon's diet. Lots of times we try not to let any go to waste, so we have some ride pokemon like stoutland come and seek them out! But at least ya know how to use it!"
"Sounds neat." Elio pocketed the fruit in his pack after brushing a bit of the dirt off its surface. "So it looks like a really good functioning ranch that gives a lot of food and trains ride pokemon. I can see why your other obligations made you have to quit the island challenge."
"Who said I quit?" Dallas smirked, a slight glint in his eyes.
"Well you're older than twenty one."
"Ah," He chuckled. "Ya got me there. Twenty six and countin'! Thing is that ma family was gonna need me to help run things around here since we've acquired land in a trade with the Fontera family next door to start our new project."
"New project?"
"Yup. Since Alola's gonna be expandin' a lot in the trainer biz thanks to a fella named Kukui, we're just opened a breedin' facility here as part of the partnership between us and Melemele State University!"
He gestured back to the house. "C'mon, I'll show ya what it's all about!"
I'm down to see what this new thing is all about! Elio glanced back at Mallow. "Uh…I'll see ya soon captain Mallow!"
"Alola Elio!" She waved happily. "Keep heading up north towards Kuda Coast. The cliffs will be too steep for you to climb over to get there, but there's a halemai right in front of Brooklet Hill where the trial will be held. My friend Lana runs it, so be sure to say hi for me when you see her! Good luck!"
"I will do just that. And mahalo."
"Fantastic! Well then. A hui hou! Alola!"
"Alola!" Dallas and Elio said back, watching her bound away with a skip in her step as she exited the ranch.
"I'd be careful of that one if I were ya." The paniolo said when she had left, trying to hide the amusement on his face. "She surprised me, especially since she didn't do a honi. If ya let her though; Mallow can be a big flirt. Ya certainly made an impression on her if she wants to teach ya how to cook."
"Really?"
"Yup. Just good luck on her trial too kid. It's gonna be the hardest one yet. Say, how about we see to the breedin' facility I was gonna show you?"
"Lead the way."
They moved to the ranch's east side where there were newer metal wire fences enclosing a smaller, but much more updated pastures. In a wide contrast to the farmlike creatures he had seen on the other side; this one had a more diverse population with a lot of varying species.
"Wow." Elio's eyes widened in amazement at all the diversity of pokemon playing about. "I see abra, caterpie, rowlet, litten, popplio, bonsly! A whole lot of new species!"
"Did zomeone zay new zpeciez?!" Rotom chimed from inside the backpack. "Goodnezz me Elio! I'm gonna have a field day today! Bzzt!"
"Rotom-"
"Zave it! It really bringzzz out the creativity no? Pluz we haven't logged all theze, thankz to a zertain zomeone forgetting!" He shuffled to his screen. "Rowlet. Grass Owl pokemon. It flies silently through the air, launching powerful kicks with its legs. In battle, a younger one will often glance back at its trainer with uncertainty, but is actually seeking guidance. Rowlet is a grass and flying type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
"Popplio. Sea Lion pokemon. A popplio blows bubbles from its nose and is known for being a hard worker to push itself and its trainer. Practicing bubbles constantly is part of its routine of training. Popplio is a water type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
"Abra. Psi pokemon. Abra sleeps for nearly three fourths of the day, however it is capable of sensing others approaching and teleports itself out of danger even while asleep. Waking up in an unknown location is common, making it panic. Abra is a psychic type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
"Caterpie. Worm pokemon. Caterpie can emit a strong odor whenever it is threatened, however this rarely deters bird pokemon who are its natural predators. The abundance of this pokemon combined with its ease of catching and training make this a popular first pokemon for novice trainers. Caterpie is a bug type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
"Bonsly. Bonsai pokemon. They resemble the crafted bonsai trees of Kanto and Johto. Although a bonsly are usually young and juvenile, the frequent crying is a method it uses to expel moisture, which it particularly dislikes. Bonsly is a rock type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
"That'z all for now!" Rotom saluted before diving right back into Sun's backpack. "I'll be back when you've got new pokemon detected! Bzzt!"
Dallas nodded. "So this is our breedin' pens. We started on collaboration with Melemele State University to help their pokemon breedin' program and build this section off the new land we acquired. Their job is to ensure that young pokemon are nurtured into healthy adults. Some breed and raise pokemon to be competitive in battle while others groom them for performance or as household companions! The job's always going to be in high demand, which is why Melemele State is pushin' it as one of their top programs."
Elio took a good long glance over at the pens. "Not to be shortsighted or anything, but isn't breeding just matching a male and female pokemon?"
"Not exactly. A lot of it is way too sophisticated to write out a pamphlet about, but it's not just all reproducin' for offspring. It's also about raisin' them to become healthy adults with the proper nutrition and care and makin' sure they're acclimated to the new environments they get introduced into."
As they crossed into a massive building situated on the other side of the breeding pens; he passed an older man dressed similarly in red and blue plaid clothing giving off a short lecture to the group of a dozen or so students. They all looked to be in their early twenties and many of the boys had snickered about something recently.
I can only imagine what they're thinking about.
"Hello Pa." Dallas said, causing all heads to turn their way. "Sorry for interruptin' ya talk and all, but this is the trainer Ah was talkin' to ya about back in town."
His father had an impressive bearlike physique, with weathered features, tanned skin and chocolate brown eyes that glinted with youth.
"Well alola cousin!" His voice had less of a country twang than Dallas', but it was still present nonetheless. He stuck out his hand. "I'm Jerry. Jerry Kahananui and the head of Kahananui Ranch. Ya must be Elio Northstar."
"Yes but-"
"Or do ya prefer Sun? From what my own tells me, ya fine with either."
"Yes." Wow, sure beat me to that kind of greeting.
"I'm more than happy to extend Dallas' offer for you as a malihini." Jerry said. "All trial-goers are more than welcome here. Now my wife says that dinner will be ready soon, so Ah hope ya worked up quite an appetite for your ka'opu."
"I sure have."
"Excellent."
Dallas pulled Elio away from the group and continued the tour through a large hallway in a separate building at the back where there were lines of glass rooms. In a wide contrast to the rest of the ranch's wooden openings, this building had a slight bit of warmth from heat lamps situated on a low power above and a warm gold lighting to keep its unborn occupants as comfortable as possible. Hundreds of small cylindrical chambers were housed here in specific slots all lined up neatly, each holding a single egg. They were a wide range of different colors from black and red to yellow and brown.
"Wow." He looked around in amazement. "So this is where all the eggs are kept?"
"Most of them yes."
"Find it kind of strange that mammal pokemon are also in eggs. I mean humans are mammals."
"Ah find it strange too." Dallas agreed. "But only the premature ones come out in eggs. Most of them will give birth to live young."
"Out of curiosity, what do you do with all the baby pokemon that get hatched here?"
"Most occasions, they'll go to a variety of roles. Professor Kukui's starter pokemon usually hatch here, like your torracat and your friend Hau's dartrix. Others get reintroduced into the wild and some get picked up by traveling trainers."
Elio looked about to ask another question when they heard a sharp bark and a series of growls from outside. This was followed by some shouting, causing a look of concern on Dallas' face that told him that it was going to be urgent and possibly dangerous.
Back out in the tauros' pasture, Troy, Emmitt and Michael snarled and barked furiously as they raced along the fence.
There were at least a half dozen miltank, all huddled and scared at the far end, close to the gate that separated their own section. Jerry had already unlocked it by the time Elio, Dallas and Rockruff arrived, allowing them to fearfully escape the confrontation going on out in the field.
"Wesley," The paniolo addressed a sandy brown-haired college student dressed in dirt smeared clothes. "What's going on?"
"Something startled the tauros." He said, gesturing out to where everyone gathered around were looking. "And now they've taken out their anger on each other."
Many of the big normal types had also headed towards them. As Michael took care of the miltank, Troy and Emmitt were keeping watch over the rest of the herd.
In the center of the action; Elio could hear the strangled cries of at least three different massive bovines. They moved quickly, smashing their thick horns and skulls against one another with untamed ferocity.
From everything he had been told; the tauros native to Alola were extremely tame.
"Rotom," At the mention of his name, the talking pokedex tucked itself out of the pocket. "What can you tell me about tauros?"
"Tauroz? Bzzt! I'll open itz file. It'zz not a new pokemon, but here'z the entry! Tauros. Wild bull pokemon. Widely known for its wild temper, a tauros native to Alola are more noticeably tame and calm. Tauros were believed to be the first of the ride pokemon, owing the origins of the practice right on the islands despite being ridden by people all around the world. Tauros is a normal type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
Another yelp of barking came from rockruff, who had been set down at Elio's side. Before he could say anything to it, the tiny dog took off running across the field towards Troy.
"Rockruff!"
Two of the tauros smashed the third one, which was slightly bigger than his other foes. Troy ran beside them, growling sternly, but his warnings fell on deaf ears as the bulls continued to fight. They didn't even seem to acknowledge his presence. One of them had been thrown off his charge and smashed right into the wolf, sending it sprawling into the ground and kicking up a cloud of dirt.
Rockruff barked concerned and tucked his head next to Troy's as he struggled to get up. The bigger wolf pokemon gently nudged him away before he was suddenly hit again by the enormous force of yet another one charging straight into him.
The furry collar around Rockruff's neck glowed and he flicked his tail forward, sending down several fast-moving rock projectiles. Some of them hit their mark, but most had been shrugged off their thick hides and their fixation on trying to take one another down.
"This is bad." Dallas said. Acting quickly, he turned back to the student. "Get Heather to bring in the mistress."
The mistress?
"Who's the mistress?"
"She's a miltank. The mistress of Kahananui Ranch can get even the most unruly tauros snapped right into line." He answered, gesturing for him to come along and together they jogged onto the field. "Tauros can be known as very spirited pokemon, but that bigger one is particularly feisty. Not really surprisin', since we got him from Landa Ranch just a week ago."
"Why did you get him if he's so rough and tough?"
"Well we often train them to be ride pokemon here. Can't really put him through the paces if he bucks at every little thing or picks fights with the others."
Reaching the area around the confrontation, Dallas checked over Troy, who seemed to be a little hurt, but still raring to go. Rockruff continued to face them, still undeterred by the ineffectiveness of his move.
"Rockruff you need to move away!" Elio yelled. "It's too dangerous!"
He got a bark of protest in reply as another rock throw attack was fired. The big tauros' horn lashed out, striking Rockruff right across the belly. He let out a sharp cry of pain, landing pretty hard on the gravel with a solid crunch.
"Rockruff!" Elio cried, running over with his body already acting before his head.
"Elio wait!" Dallas held out a hand to try and stop the boy.
This is going to be the worst decision ever made. He thought to himself as he edged closer to Rockruff's limp form. One of the tauros had finally been corralled by Emmitt, who had just returned from caring of the miltank. Unfortunately the other two were still locked in an intense struggle that didn't show any signs of ceasing on its own.
He decided to bide his time, standing crouched low to the ground on the balls of his feet and unaware of the shouts by everyone else to move away. Once he would see an opportunity, all that was left to prevent even more injury to Rockruff was to jump out, snatch it up in his arms and get back to a safe distance.
Hopefully these two will be so focused on each other that I won't be noticed.
Elio kept his eyes on the larger tauros. That one was going to be the more aggressive and agitated one than his fighting partner.
It finally had its back to him.
Perfect.
Sun dashed forward, extending his arms and trying not to focus on the horn-locking match being fought no less than six feet away. Just one stray horn to come in his direction and he'd be spurting blood everywhere.
Okay try not to think about that.
Rockruff was almost snatched up in his arms and he got back to his feet.
At that moment, the smaller tauros had found an opportunity to push his partner forward. A collective of gasps and Dallas' horrified expression followed as Elio dove right for the ground while running backwards with nowhere else to go. The massive beasts landed right behind him, still snorting loudly.
Elio continued to hold Rockruff in his arms, intent on protecting the little puppy until the very end.
He felt a strap on his backpack get tugged sharply and then found himself pulled across the ground just a couple meters. Glancing back, he saw that Troy had grabbed and used it to pull him away from the danger.
Leaping back into action, the lycanroc's tail swished to the side, glowing white and hurling several large boulders. They crashed violently against the tauros' hides effectively separating them.
Elio struggled to keep his breathing under control…as well as the enormous surge of adrenaline going through his body.
Wow…holy crap. I almost died right there.
"I got the mistress!" He heard a woman's voice. "Oh by the tapus! Is he okay?"
"Yeah." Dallas' voice said, out of his sight. "He did a very reckless thing, but saved little Rockruff there."
A pair of strong hands went under his armpits and pulled him back up. "You alright kid?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I think so." Glancing over at the miltank, he could tell by her larger frame and calmness that this was nothing out of the ordinary for her. "I owe Troy one. That the mistress?"
"Yup!" The girl replied. "Just one roar from a motherly miltank can make even the most wild tauros instantly quiet as a litten!"
"Mil! Mil! Miltank!"
The mistress trotted forward and her presence was almost immediately felt by the two male pokemon, who for a start halted their intense fight.
"Mil! Miltank!" At the sound of her soothing moos, the smaller tauros gave a huffed reply and trotted off to do his own thing. The bigger and newer one still stared back with a bit of agitation in his eyes. He remained hunched down, hooves striking the red dirt feverishly as if he still wanted to burn off some energy.
"Moooar!"
"Mil!" The miltank glanced back, her expression a bit less confident and assertive.
"Huh. Ua hopohopo wau." Dallas muttered under his breath. "Ya know what they always say. A stronger tauros is more difficult to control. Even the mistress isn't able to handle this one."
Elio stood back up, limbs still shaking a bit as he set Rockruff next to Troy. "So maybe if he burns off some more of that energy, he might calm down right?"
"Perhaps. Are ya sure ya want to take tauros on in a battle?"
"I don't mind." He unclipped Torracat's poke ball from his belt. The adrenaline continued to pump into his body and maybe it would rub off on a thrilling battle. "We're always ready for a good fight!"
The ball got a toss up into the air. "Let's go buddy!"
A flash of light erupted from its split section, forming right into his strongest pokemon. It purred happily before setting its eyes on the bovine across from him. The fiery bell at his throat blazed with intensity knowing that he was facing a powerful opponent.
Tauros galloped forward, lowering its pointed horns straight at Torracat. The clatter of hooves across the dirt began to join together in a rapid pace.
The fire cat didn't miss a beat when he sprang back on his hind legs, swiftly jumping aside and causing the attack to miss entirely. Elio watched intently as he pounced again, jumping onto the bigger pokemon's back and opening its mouth to deliver a powerful bite.
This seemed to enrage tauros quite a bit as he thrashed his body about, throwing him off and jabbing him with one of the horns. Caught off guard; Torracat let out a yelp of pain, examining its foreleg that was bleeding just slightly before shaking it off.
"You good?" Elio asked, clenching a fist.
"Tor!"
"Okay, let's go on the offensive. Ember!"
"Tor!" He opened his mouth, spitting another tiny ball of flame. It struck the tauros in the chest, singing its fur. The fire quickly died out and it looked ready to charge again.
I can see you're eager to go in close again. Hold onto that. We're trying to wear it down.
Tauros charged again, slamming its hooves into the ground and creating a shockwave that startled both pokemon and trainer.
"What the-"
That was bulldoze!
"Tor…" He looked to be just a little dazed and let out a startled scream when the bull crashed itself right into him again in another horn attack. Elio saw that he had tried to dodge it again, but it seemed as if his reaction was slow enough to prevent an escape.
Does bulldoze make him slower?
If it did, then he needed to take it out quickly.
Back on the offense we go.
"Change of plans buddy. Go with fire fang."
The tauros was in the midst of readying another charge, but Torracat had beat him to it when he rushed forward, teeth bared and infused with hot flames. In reflex, it swiped its head to the side in an attempt to defend itself with the horns. His swift agility allowed him to avoid getting jabbed by them a second time and he dove for the exposed brown haired chest area, biting down on it as fiercely as his jaws would allow.
"Moooar!" Tauros weakly cried out, fainting as the collision of both body mass and teeth were simply too much for it to take. Despite its toughness in the battle, Elio had worn it down enough.
"Tor! Torracat!" His starter landed again, stretching his legs and head held high.
"Phew." Sun wiped a bead of sweat off his brow. "Nice job buddy." He took the ball back out. "Return."
"Tor!"
Everyone watching let out a loud cheer and burst into a thunderous applause. A couple of whistles were heard from the impressed mass at seeing his battling prowess. Even Rockruff was jumping up and down, yipping excitedly with the same sentiment.
"You go brah!"
"That's some serious battling skills kid!"
"Only a trial-goer could do something like that!"
"I think I speak for everyone." Dallas said, glancing back at the crowd behind him. "Ho'omaikai'ana Elio!"
A great big "Ho'omaikai'ana!" rang out from many of the others as the normal chatter volume was resuming and the audience started dispersing back out to resume their prior duties. Chatter was now just a little more upbeat as they talked about the new exciting events that happened today.
"Mil!"
"Moooar!"
"It looks like the tauros has calmed down now." Heather said. "Thanks to both efforts of you and the mistress, I think that now we can start working in on his ride pokemon training!"
"It's been quite a day for ya hasn't it Sun?" Dallas asked. "Now I imagine ya-" He stopped speaking.
"Imagine what?" He got a hand held up in response.
"Ya smell that?"
Elio took a gentle whiff, now suddenly picking up a faint distinguished scent. It was hard to describe, almost as if he had smelled it before in some perfume. Even though it hadn't been particularly strong, there was no denying that it lingered in the air around them. He shook his head, trying to clear the dizzying odd sensation that seemed to pool in his body. At the same time, he heard Troy and Emmitt growing fiercely at something unseen around them. Rockruff joined them just a moment later and all three dogs prowled the grass, sniffing eagerly.
"I smell it too." Heather nodded, brushing a stray strand of hair out of her eyes. "That means that-"
"Salandit."
"Salandit?" Elio asked.
"Yeah. Salandit is a pokemon that feeds on eggs and weakened babies. They emit oils and flames that have a sweet smellin' odor to it and can be disorientin'. Normally, they live in the mountains of Haleakala and Mauna Wela, but on occasion they like to raid the ranches for food." He gestured to Troy and Emmitt. "Another one of the reasons to have these guard pokemon around, but it unfortunately doesn't discourage them much."
"Could that be what startled the tauros into fighting?"
"Possibly. I hope that scarin' them was enough to discourage any of their thievin' tricks. We've lost more than a few eggs and babies to them over the years."
It wasn't an hour later after cleaning themselves up from all the dirt outside when Dallas' father called out to announce that dinner had been ready. He led him to the front of the house, where a slanted slate roof painted dark brown sheltered a stone porch that had a couple of tables and chairs with colorful cushions.
Stepping inside to glance at the interior; Elio was blown away at something he did not expect at all.
From what he had gathered on these ranch style homes, they were spacious but made of old wooden furniture and covered in a layer of dust that made it impossible to see the original finish.
There was a beautiful checkered copper rug in front of the foyer's coffee table where a smooth stone hearth sat beside a modern looking television and fireplace. The walls had a cream coloring to them with the occasional hanging of a painting. Some were of the island of Akala with the majestic Haleakala peak while another one depicted a faceless paniolo in the midst of tossing a lasso at a herd of tauros from the side.
"Ah there ya two are." Jerry said, walking in beside a pale woman with dark hair who looked to be in her mid-fifties. She wore a similar plaid shirt, but unlike Jerry's hers had a turquoise pattern that had a design of birds stitched on its edges. A long dark apron hung around her neck and tied neatly around her waist. Everything about her radiated warmth and hospitality.
"Alola to you trial goer." Her accent was more pronounced than either of the boys'. "Ya the Elio Northstar who helped out my son with his work. Thank ya so much for yer time, even though ya could have very well gone on about with all the trials."
"Thank you Missus Kahananui." Elio bowed slightly. "It's been real fun."
And real life threatening too after I almost got flattened by a tauros.
"Oh ya are too kind." She smiled, extending a hand out. "Ahm Georgia. Ya probably know already but Jerry here is my husband and Dallas is my son."
Elio let out a chuckle of surprise when he shook it and saw her clasp both of her gentle, slightly wrinkled hands over his and put her forehead against it.
"Come! Come! Ah have made plenty of food for all of us to enjoy. Ya like ribeye steak?"
The dining room just close by the fireplace was abuzz with excited chatter and laughter as Elio shared his hair-raising story that afternoon. Knives clattered on the plate as the family savored the perfectly cooked medium rare cuts of beef that were apparently called ribeye.
"And before we start eatin'." Dallas said. "We shall offer a prayer of thanks to the goddess of Akala Island."
At his queue, everyone at the table bowed their heads.
"Tapu Lele. Mahalo makou iaʻoe no keiaʻai."
And then with a simple nod, the conversations resumed as the meal started.
"I have no idea about cooking." Elio said, looking at his food and again being very impressed with the cooking. "But this ribeye is among some of the best things I've ever eaten."
"All our cattle here are grass fed and have no antibiotics or growth hormones. Just like it has been for generations."
Beneath them at the side of the table, Elio had allowed Rufflet, Torracat and Grimer out to enjoy a bowl of homemade poke food alongside Troy, Emmitt and Michael. Rockruff soon came over as well, which Elio's starter pokemon was more than happy to share.
As he ate, the young puppy pokemon couldn't help but sneak glances of admiration at the young boy who sat at the table with its surrogate owners.
For the longest time, he tried chance and chance again to prove that he could be a worthy pokemon to become accepted as another guard dog for the ranch. Mentored by the other three, he had always been their "little brother" and would be charged with guarding the ranch from raider pokemon as well as being another one of Dallas' loyal friends.
Ever since the paniolo had come across him lying battered and bruised on a street guarding it with his life, he felt like he owed a great debt since its previous owners had left it behind. It saddened him to think that they didn't even bother to come back and search. Having them take him up was an amazing feeling to have a new home, but he wasn't satisfied. He wanted to start battling and explore Alola in hopes of finding the person he belonged to in the first place.
Now seeing the young trainer that had seriously impressed him when he battled his friend, he saw that an opportunity was presenting itself to leave the ranch.
And he wasn't going to miss it. If he could go; then he would do all he could to have it come with them as well. Elio's bag would have more than enough room to fit it along.
Rockruff's nose suddenly picked up a faint scent and he paused from his meal to sniff into the air. So far, none of the other pokemon had detected it either, but there was just some intuition inside his head that told him something was very wrong.
Sensing that it might be in trouble, he gently pushed the bowl back to Torracat's side and followed the sweet smelling trail that only got stronger as he neared the egg nursery building.
Translations:
Paʻahana - Hard working
Malihini - Visitor
A Hui Hou - See you later
Ua hopohopo wau - I'm shocked
Ho'omaikai'ana - Congratulations
ka'opu - Stomach
Tapu Lele, mahalo makou iaʻoe no keiaʻai. - We thank Tapu Lele for the food it has given us
Paniolo - Cowboy/Rancher
Whew, that's a wrap. This took me a wayyy longer time than I expected to write out, but I'm hoping everyone enjoyed it nonetheless!
A big thanks to everyone reading and reviewing, you give my writing purpose. See everyone next time.
Brav