Alola readers! Brav is back with another chapter of A Hui Hou Kakou!
I've settled into my new home in Las Vegas and it's been interesting. There's a lot to see here besides the Strip and the climate isn't much different than my old home in California.
I'll try and get the next update out before Christmas hits since I'll be going back to the Golden State on a week long vacation from work to spend time with family. In the meantime, we'll get to the kahuna battle and even more fun stuff down the road!
Enjoy the chapter everyone. Happy Holidays.
The weather people already say that it is going to get unbearably hot for these next few days. I hope it's not too bad because if it's hot by Alolan standards…
Should I meet Elio and Hau by the beach when they go see Leilani compete? I'll look out of place unless I'm in a swimsuit or something. I did think one time about asking Professor Burnet to take me bikini shopping.
Olivia accepted Elio's challenge for the grand trial! Unlike Hala's, which was in front of a crowd, I was the only one to witness it and they both put on a show! She specialized in rock types, but I know Elio is resourceful, he will find a way to win!
I can't believe if he wins he's halfway done through the island challenge! You can do it Sun! Nebby and I believe in you!
The Ruins of Life was a rather unspectacular big mouth of a cave that was carved into the side of an even larger plateau. The only indication of the place's significance was a pattern of ornate carvings around the lip that looked like wooden trim on a house that was pink at the top and their bases.
It was more of the atmosphere added to the vibe that this was a holy, sacred place. Elio felt as if his presence was somehow desecrating it, but he couldn't help but wonder that if the kahuna gave him permission to enter that it would spare his forced removal.
It was the first Ruins he had actually stepped foot on. Lillie had told him that there was one on each of the four islands, home to the guardian deity that watched over and sustained it.
"Elio!"
He turned around at yet another woman's voice and to his relief, found both Professor Burnet and Lillie coming up at the top of the hill behind him. Next to the blonde; Nebby trailed behind, looking up in awe at the totems, offerings and artifacts that glorified Tapu Lele. For a moment, he thought that it was Plumeria again or some other Skull grunt trying to pick him into another battle.
I hope neither of them ran into her while coming this way.
Lillie paused just at the two totem entrance before hesitantly stepping forward. As soon as she passed through those gates, she almost took off on a sprint headed right for him.
Without even thinking, Elio opened his arms and she ran right into them, throwing her own around his back and softly humming in content at his touch. His hands lowered to the middle of her back and he felt her warm skin that was amazingly silky smooth through the strands of her luscious hair. She lowered her head until it rested on his left shoulder, closing her eyes.
This just feels…right. I love this feeling of hugging, embracing or just having her in my arms. We're friends, but I can't help but feel like we could be so much more.
"I missed you." Lillie softly whispered.
"I missed you too Lillie." I never want this moment to end.
"Can…can we do that thing you did back at the lab?"
Oh that thing.
"Sure." He gently pulled her head close and their hats aside, leaning forward to that their foreheads and noses made gentle contact. At the same time, both breathed in softly, as if feeling the currents of life flow between them from within.
So many strange and wild emotions swirled inside Lillie's head. Her imagination took off like a running arcanine using extremespeed, seeing herself sitting at the end of a sandy beach with soft white hands of foam washing against the shore in front. A strong and powerful presence kept a feeling of protectiveness and safety. Looking up, she could see Elio carefully leaning his head on hers as they watched the sunset on the beach together.
"Pew!"
"My my," Burnet chuckled from behind them, putting a hand to her mouth to hide a smirk threatening to take over. "You two haven't even been apart for a day and now you're squeezing the living daylights out of each other!"
"Heh." Fighting the embarrassment and heat rising out of their cheeks, the two teens parted. Elio knelt down to scoop up Nebby at his feet and cradled him in his arms while stroking the top to its delight.
"Lillie got lost again, so I brought her here to you. She couldn't even find her way to the Tide Song Hotel on her own! She said she saw Team Skull and tried to avoid them, which is why she had gotten lost and I escorted her through Diglett's Tunnel here!"
"I hate to be so needy all the time." She gave a sigh, inwardly cursing her own fantasy that caused her to space off.
"There's sometimes I have no clue where I'm going either." Sun reassured her, glad to see them again, "The Team Skull part I get, but you'll eventually learn to find your way about."
"Anyways, I gotta go. Take care of these two." Burnet jerked a thumb back towards Memorial Hill. "The Masked Royal has a match tonight and there's no way I'm missing it!"
"Awesome!" Sun had encountered the famous Alolan ring fighter at the Battle Royale dome where he took on Hau, Hala and a reluctant Gladion in a four-way free for all match. The man was also known for his boxing prowess and many compared him to the Sinnohan favorite Crasher Wake.
"That Masked Royal…what do you think he looks like under that mask?"
There was Elio's other speculation…the Royal also looked and talked a lot like Professor Kukui. Sun didn't see his face and couldn't make a confirmation, but the resemblance was undeniable. Back at the dome; he even blurted out "Professor?" when they first met, only to be swatted aside with a repeat of the famous fighter's name.
It helped his case that the fact his wife seemed to be quite the fan.
Why don't you ask Professor Kukui?
"It's good to see you again Elio." Lillie said, rather timidly after Burnet had left. "I came here for Nebby."
"You did say we should meet up at the Ruins of Life." Sun said, "And I'm psyched for our snorkeling trip we're going to do together! From what the weathermen said; it's going to get super hot around the time of the surfing competition!"
"Yeah. I thought the best way of staying cool is to go swimming with the pokemon at the beach or on the professor's boat."
"Sadly I have no boating license and the only pokemon that can swim really good is Nani. But it's definitely great that you still managed to come here!" His smile made her heart flutter again.
Stop it. He's so handsome and brave. We've already established that.
"As you saw…I didn't come here myself so much as I was brought here with the professor's help. She certainly knows how to deal with Diglett!"
"Yeah. They're different all right!" The boy scratched the back of his head. "Did you know that those strange sounds in the tunnel were all caused by a distraught noibat? It's a tiny little pokemon, but it makes a ton of noise! Hau actually managed to calm it down and ended up catching it! Although I ran into a couple of Aether guys in the cave. They said it was a lot worse before I went though. They seemed nice guys…maybe I can try and see if I can work for them one day…that'd be awesome."
Lillie's smile faded and she nodded. Normally, she was quite ecstatic at one of his ambitions, but he found it just a tad atypical for some reason that she didn't radiate any positivity on that note.
"Oh…look at your pokemon. They worked so hard and got so hurt. How about I heal them up for you?"
"You'd do that?" Elio handed over his entire party pokemon, which she got to work completing the recovery process in just a few seconds. He watched her use the medicine slots as if she had done it many times before.
Figures since she can't stand pokemon being hurt. Best way to be around them in that is to help them recover from illnesses and injuries.
Lillie let out a cute gasp as she handed them all back to him. Through the process, their hands and fingers briefly touched and intertwined. When he looked at her for an explanation, she only looked away averting her gaze.
"Within these ruins waits the guardian deity of Akala Island. This is where Tapu Lele lives."
"Pew!"
"Oh Nebby," Both her and Sun's gazes drifted down to the cosmog, "I know you tried to drag me along to the Ruins of Conflict on Melemele Island and I don't mind it and all. But…why? Why are these ruins important to you? What do the guardians mean to you?"
Nebby's expression didn't change, even as both humans in front stared at it even more closely; prying for an answer that wouldn't come soon enough.
"Just think what would've happened if Sun hadn't been there back then."
"Yeah." He replied, "You would've lost Nebby to those spearow and I wouldn't be able to meet either it or the beautiful girl accompanying."
Sun's face immediately went red as both of the teens began to process what he had said. Before either of them could utter anything else to diffuse or make the situation worse; little Nebby's cry alerted them to someone else approaching.
"Pew!"
Nebby's cry made Elio's senses immediately snap on guard as Lillie squeaked; moving close to the boy and grabbing his hand for comfort. As he squeezed it to let her know she was going to be alright; Charjabug's pokeball was in the other hand, ready to protect both of his companions.
Both humans let out a sigh of relief when they saw the familiar shapely figure of Olivia emerging from the cave's entrance. She was carrying a small lillipup in her hands and set it down on the ground just as she reached the clearing. Whispering a few words in its ear, the small dog happily took off into the brush to return back to its old home.
"Alola Elio!" She saved with both her arms. "Thanks for meeting me here!"
Elio beamed at the gratitude. "Thanks for making time for me Kahuna Rios."
"I will make time for all trial-goers. And please call me Olivia. We are ohana right?"
"Right."
"Oh," She looked over and addressed Lillie next to him. "Hello there. Haven't I seen you with Kukui before?"
"Oh!" The blonde suddenly saw the kahuna glancing at the pair holding hands and quickly retracted hers. Sun felt a little sad from that, but remained silent, listening intently. "Yes! My name's Lillie. I stay with Professor Kukui and help him out best I can! And this is Sun, but he likes to be called Elio!"
"Oh how rude of me!" Olivia said, "I was too busy noticing your hands entwined with one another that I neglected to even ask your name! You two are so incredibly cute you know!" At the mention of that, Sun and Lillie blushed again, quickly letting go and stared back at the ground while refusing to look at any other eyes.
"I'm sorry I took so long Sun. Tapu Lele summoned me here to help clean up the ruins." Her expression turned serious. "The protecting goddess of Akala Island is mysterious in her own ways. Each island of Alola celebrates something about life and the way we live. All life is sacred in some way or another and here, Akala Island teaches us to remember our beginnings and cherish the priceless gift of life that we are given."
Neither of them said anything, but knew the meaning behind it.
"So I uh, got some of the famous Akala curry." She lifted up a bag that had two plastic cups as well as empty dishes and disposable spoons. "Are you hungry?"
Curry sounds divine right about now. "Starving! Thanks for getting it."
"All right! Let's eat!" He took the two disposable bowls, gave her one along with a spoon in the bag. Elio was about to open one of the cups when he stopped short.
Lillie noticed his hesitation. "What's wrong?"
"Don't you think it's a little disrespectful to eat on sacred grounds?"
"Maybe."
She stopped short when she saw the takeout logo of a restaurant in the plastic bag that he had in his hands. "Is that the Dragonbreath from Ke Komo?"
"Um yes." Elio looked at the curried goodness in the large cups. He was hungry for sure, but the two of them would likely not be able to finish it all. One of the containers had the curry while the other had steamed rice. He had a spare titanium spork, a lightweight spoon and fork hybrid. "You are more than welcome to have some as well. I just don't have another bowl."
"Yes that would be great. I'm ravenously hungry."
"Sounds good." Elio remembered their hesitancy from earlier. "But will Tapu Lele be angry if we eat at the Ruins?"
"Don't worry about it. It is always important to spend time with your friends and family. Meals do that, wherever it may be."
And so the three of them spent part of their evening, enjoying a meal under the stars and keeping the conversation fresh as they talked. Elio was a big fan of Kantoan curry and found out that Ke Komo was a famous curry house in Konikoni City for its iconic Akala style of slightly savory and spicy flavor. People called it the Dragonbreath. A meat or vegetarian option could be picked and then it was cooked and infused with a medley of sauces, spices and simmered down for explosions of flavor. The bland fluffy rice counteracted its intense flavor and he had to force himself from eating it all at once.
Elio had a rather sensitive tongue when it came to spicy stuff, so he had to occasionally stop eating so the heat would cool down. Looking over, he was surprised that Lillie didn't seem to be affected by its burning at all and kept eating away as if eating any other mild food.
Fantastic. I might as well learn how to use flamethrower since my mouth is burning. He reached up and touched his brow that was slick with sweat.
They later stuffed the empty trash into the bag, putting it aside to be taken away when they vacated the vicinity.
"That certainly hit the spot." Olivia said, sated from the meal and stood up. "Now I believe you know what is about to happen yes?"
"I do." Elio followed her cue and rolled back onto his feet as well.
"All right then!" As if on cue, the kahuna put her hands on her hips again as Lillie pulled Nebby aside. She knew that this was going to be Sun's toughest trial yet, but wanted to see him through it all. Rotom was activated out of Elio's bag, floating between the two of them and playing a soft island tune.
Don't sweat it. The young boy told himself. You've got this.
"You've completed all the trials here on Akala Island! Now you are about to face the grand trail of the kahuna…AKA me! Get ready for the hardest pokemon battle yet on this island and prove to me you're worthy to clear it!" She paused, letting her words sink into the boy. "Are you ready?"
"I'm ready." Sun said, focusing again. He had subconsciously straightened his posture as he said that.
"Great! We're gonna give you guys everything we got! My partners are all adorable, rugged little rock types! Elio! Your grand trial starts now!"
"And that'zzz my cue to act azzz your rezident referee! Bzzt!"
"Wait, you can be a referee?" Lillie asked. "I never knew a Rotom 'Dex could do that."
"You were never here when I uzzed that feature. Zubmit a complaint to the editorzzz for that one! Now! Each participant can uze up to zix pokemon in the battle and it will conclude when one zide hazzz no more able to continue! There will be no time limit and both zidez will be able to switch pokemon at any given time! Bzzt! Kahuna Olivia, do you accept theze termzzz?"
"I accept."
"Elio, do you accept theze termz?"
"Yes."
"That izzz juzzzt zplendid! Bzzt!" Rotom buzzed, shuffling his main screen off to the side and replacing it with six dotted slots and a headshot picture of both trainers. "Then zend out your pokemon and battle begin! Bzzt! Elio! Let'zzz show the kahuna what we've learned! Bzzt!"
"I'm afraid I can't go easy on you just because you are ohana. You'll get the same treatment as any other challenger for the grand trial!" Olivia pulled a pokeball from her side and threw her first battler onto the field. Sun was expecting something along the lines of a geodude, which seemed to be a staple for rock type specialists due to its commonsight and sturdy defensive attributes. "You're up first Amaura!"
Instead, the creature was bigger, a quadruped with scaly light blue reptilian skin. Two large eyes looked around with curiosity atop a lengthened neck. On either of its side were flared finlike features that waved lazily in the light breeze.
At a distance, both Elio, Lillie and Nebby felt a frosted chill permeate the humid Alolan air.
"Wow," she softly whispered. "That's cold."
"Pew." Nebby gave off a shiver and burrowed itself closer to her in order to seek warmth.
"That's amazing." The blond whispered in awe, almost squealing in excitement as it emanated a wailing coo that sounded incredibly cute. "And it's so cute!"
"Taking a break from the uzual writing for more entriezz of pokemon! Courtezzy of yourzzz truly! Bzzt! New pokemon detected! Amaura. Tundra pokemon. It lived in cold areas during ancient times. It is said whenever Amaura whinnies, auroras will appear in the night sky. Amaura is a rock and ice type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
"You were expecting a geodude or onix?" Olivia enjoyed the brief look of surprise on Elio's face, chuckling. "Sorry to disappoint."
"I'm not disappointed at all." Elio said. "I'll take down whatever you throw at me."
He fingered Charjabug's poke ball and threw her out. "Charjabug let's go girl!"
Elio's battery pokemon sprang out in front and readied herself for the battle. A few sparks danced across her sleek body.
Starting off with a disadvantage again. This time it's going to be even more difficult. I have three pokemon weak to rock types.
"Suppose we'll start this off. Use charge beam!"
She hissed in compliance, gathering a stream of electrical energy to build up. After a few moments, it accelerated downrange towards the foe.
Amaura seemed to react quickly, shaking its head from side to side. The fins on its head glowed bright yellow before they flashed like a camera. A small series of arc electricity came right to life, leaping gracefully towards the oncoming attack. The two lances connected, quickly reaching a stalemate and shattering. Both canceled attacks showered bright sparks all over the place.
Charjabug wasn't finished. She powered up herself and fired a nasty mud shot that hit home. Knowing ground type moves were super effective against rocks, he had elected to use her first to give that sort of surprise despite the bug type being horribly disadvantageous.
Amaura didn't seem to take much damage from the strong move as it shook off the excess mud coating its body. Elio watched closer as the moisture mixed with the dirt rapidly crystallized when it hit the creature's subzero body, flaking off as if it were shedding scales.
"Ancientpower."
With another otherworldly wail, the creature formed a series of glowing rocks in front before hurling them at Charjabug. She nimbly jumped about, managing to evade a handful, but one had homed in on her general location and adjusted its trajectory. It struck her, shattering into tiny fragments followed by the rest of the volley.
Elio was definitely surprised to see how much damage she had taken from it. Even worse was that he saw a faint orange aura flicker around the amaura just briefly.
Ancientpower is also a move that can boost a pokemon's stats. The more it's used, the more of a chance all of its stats can grow. Attacks, defense, special stats, speed…things could get out of hand quickly.
Amaura already had shown that it was capable of defending itself from Charjabug's main electric attacks with some of its own. All Olivia really had to do was keep him at bay and retaliate with ancientpower, potentially boosting its stats even more.
It's not necessarily a fast pokemon. We could try to paralyze it, but that means using spark and I don't want to risk her getting close. Not if it has close range rock moves.
Ah screw it. We're doing that.
"Get up close and use spark!"
Hissing in compliance again, Charjabug covered herself in electrical energy, launching skyward. Amaura attempted another ancientpower attack just a moment too late and was knocked down with a loud crash. As they separated, the prehistoric pokemon twitched when a couple of electrical arcs surged on its side. They faded quickly however when it slowly got back to its feet. He did some damage, but had failed to paralyze it.
"We're not out of this yet!" Olivia smirked. "Powder snow!"
Her pokemon launched a flurry of frigid energy from its mouth. The moist air quickly added to the increased mass, blowing harshly against Charjabug. She grunted in protest, barely hearing Elio's shout to retaliate with a charge beam to give it off. That arc of electricity went against the strong current of the oce, but hit the amaura, halting the attack enough for her to fire off another odd rainbow ray of light. Olivia was ready for it like last time; having her pokemon jump out of its way.
"That iz awezome! Bzzt! Charjabug learned signal beam!"
"Anything helps girl. Signal beam it again!"
Charjabug fired another as the amaura countered with an ancientpower. To his surprise, the front of the ray blasted right through some of the rocks, though it missed others.
The two attacks continued their way towards both combatants, smashing into their targets at nearly the same exact moment. Everyone watching had to shield their eyes from the bright exploding displays that threw up a considerable amount of dust.
Elio held his breath and covered his nose and mouth with his hands until he could feel that the fallout was beginning to settle. As it did clear up, he saw that Charjabug had fallen. She was unable to endure two super effective attacks, one of increasing power than the previous.
But there was some good news out of her defeat too. Olivia's amaura laid on its side, unmoving.
It felt like an eternity before Rotom-ref spoke up. "Both pokemon are unable to continue battling! Bzzt! Thiz match izzz a draw!"
Elio pulled out Charjabug's nest ball and returned her inside, slipping it on the clips attached to his left side. One defeated and five still battle ready. "You did amazing girl. I'm sorry I have to keep using you as a sacrifice pawn. There's gonna be a time where you'll kill this."
"You're doing great Elio!" Lillie raised a fist and smiled his way. "Charjabug did amazing too!"
"Thanks." Elio beamed at her. Unseen to him across the field, Olivia's closed mouth twitched upward in a knowing smirk.
"That was impressive Elio. I still have three pokemon left." Olivia returned her defeated amaura and slipped it back on her thigh holster. She reached down and pulled out another. "Let's see how what you'll do against Tyrunt!"
Olivia's second pokemon was smaller than Amaura. It was brown and white in color with a saurian appearance, hunching over on two strong legs. The arms were quite stubby, but its most defining feature was the large head. Its snout was elongated and it growled almost cutely.
Elio was about to crack a joke at its attempt at being tough, but quickly stowed it once he saw the rows of razor sharp teeth that lined its mouth.
"Another new pokemon detected! Bzzt! Tyrunt. Royal Heir pokemon. Its jaws have incredible destructive power. Some theories suggest that its restored form is different from its form of long ago. Tyrunt is a rock and dragon type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
"A rock and dragon type huh?" Elio examined it closely. "I'll choose Nani!"
Olivia was very surprised to see his milotic uncoil herself and slide up, towering over the smaller tyrunt and glaring down at it.
"Wow." She said after just a moment of admiration. "I'm assuming this is the same one you used to beat Kiawe's totem salazzle?"
Sun nodded with pride at her recognition. "She's special. And it was purely by luck."
"Luck?" The kahuna chuckled softly. "Makemake au e hoʻokaʻawale. Shall we see how much you've grown since?"
"Of course." Elio straightened his hat and pointed at the tyrunt. "Start this with dragon pulse!"
As Nani gathered energy together, Olivia made her own move. "Counter with zen headbutt!"
Tyrunt's eyes narrowed and it jumped forward, running on its two legs with astounding speed. Lowering its head, it charged straight into the oncoming orb of greenish energy, smashing through without even flinching.
Oh no.
It kept its sprinting pace and despite Elio's efforts to fire off a water pulse to keep it away, the dinosaur smashed into Nani's side with incredible force and enough to knock her down.
"We're not out of this girl!" Elio encouraged. "Iron tail!"
Nani's four tail fins locked together, glowing white and made the metallic sound akin to a blade being unsheathed. She swung it the moment it was complete, catching the tyrunt in the head and sending it tumbling to the ground. She swung again, but this time her opponent was ready for it.
Tyrunt's big jaws clamped down in a bite attack just as her bladed tail struck. Surprisingly, it held on with remarkable tenacity. Nani narrowed her eyes as she tried to shake it off to no avail.
"Perfect." Olivia said. "Now use poison fang!"
The milotic let out a sharp cry of pain as the smaller creature bit down again on her tail. Its teeth were infused with a noxious venom that spread the moment it had hit her scaly skin. With another thrash, she was able to get it off and was subsequently battered by a rock tomb attack. As the fragments cleared away, Elio could tell that this battle wasn't really going in his favor. Milotic was his only pokemon with a direct advantage over rock types and he'd already be in a bit of trouble if he lost her.
Just as he reached over her poke ball to switch out his pokemon, she turned her head towards him and stared at her trainer with narrowed eyes. Elio got the message loud and clear; she wanted to continue battling.
Nani cooed softly before she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Sun saw her entire serpentine body glow a vivid emerald green. She pulsed multiple times with the aura seeming to rapidly erase any visible body damage she may have suffered.
"Amazing." Elio whispered. "Did she?"
"That'zzz correct! Bzzt! Nani has learned recover, a zzzelf healing move that restorezzz energy! Bzzt!"
"How deliciously unexpected." Olivia too, was clearly moved by the tender pokemon's raw beauty as she performed her latest trick. "You're most certainly a fool if you think that's going to save your hide. Tyrunt, use rock tomb!"
With another growl, the little dinosaur pokemon hurled another barrage of large boulders. Nani made to dodge, but the previous rock tomb had reduced her speed enough that even more this time hit their mark and sent her tumbling. Elio also realized that they were deliberately thrown to funnel her into a narrow choke point. She got up, but moved even slower.
"Get up top and use poison fang!"
The tyrunt was much smaller than its opponent and was able to squeeze through the rocky formation with little trouble as he closed the gap, sinking his venom-infused teeth into her scaly hide. Elio countered with an iron tail that flung the royal heir pokemon up into the air.
"Use dragon pulse!"
Nani formed the orb of raw energy and fired quickly, hitting in midair to cause the signature triple explosion that lit up the night sky with brilliant light.
All three humans and Nebby shielded their eyes from the harshness, hearing a loud thud as Tyrunt impacted the field and landed in a heap of limbs.
Rotom flew over to examine what was clearly obvious. However he was already sure of the outcome.
"Tyrunt izzz incapable of battling further! Bzzt! Nani iz the winner!"
"Yes!" Elio made a fist and jumped into the air. "Way to go Nani!" He stopped when he didn't hear her normal coo of approval. Glancing back, he saw that the blue scales close to the end of her tail looked flaky and fell off as if they were some sort of shedding dandruff.
Nani winced as she felt a familiar filmy substance spread across her skin.
"Oh no." Elio was too into defeating Tyrunt to notice that Olivia had used her second poison fang and successfully inflicted the respective status condition.
But something's wrong. This poison, it seems like it's even worse than normal. Is it severe?
Whatever it was, Elio knew that it was only a matter of time before she got her own defeat.
I have to maximize her use.
"You're two pokemon down Sun." Olivia called from across the field. "But this isn't over. Not yet. I have two of my most trusted partners left and they're not going to go as quietly."
She returned Tyrunt and threw out a third pokemon.
This one was even smaller than the other two, having a pair of flat feet and a rounded body of dark stone. Elio couldn't tell if the massive eye in the center was actually its eye…
"New pokemon detected! Bzzt! Roggenrola. Mantle pokemon. Born deep within the ground, it compares itself with similar species, such as Geodude and Carbink, to settle which has the hardest body. Roggenrola is a rock type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
"He may be small and slow." The kahuna smirked, "But he's definitely a fighter."
"Time to test that out." Elio ordered a scald attack.
"Protect." Just moments before the blast of hot water struck; Roggenrola stamped its feet on the ground to form a green bubble field around its entire body. The entirety of her scald hadn't even come close to penetrating the barrier, leaving the rock type completely undamaged. As Nani's eyes widened at her attacks having no effect; she visibly flinched from another bit of the poison whittling away at her energy.
We're not out of this yet. I can't keep her in there much longer.
"Iron tail!"
Elio should've been a bit worried when Olivia smirked upon hearing that. Nani lunged forward, swiping her sharpened scaly sword downwards.
And he didn't expect the Roggenrola to jump up. It was a display of disbelief since the pokemon didn't exactly look light for such an acrobatic display. As it vaulted through the air, it flung a spray of mud that Nani had literally no time to evade. It splashed over her poisoned skin and her trainer could tell from a protesting hiss of pain that her vision was impaired.
Another scald attack was easily evaded by another vault. She could only shoot it in the general direction unless her eyes were cleansed.
"Rock blast."
Roggenrola jumped up again, forming a rock in its eye core and firing it at incredible velocity. Nani was stuck in her midsection with enough force to send her tumbling to the ground. As she slithered up to a ready position, it fired again.
The third time, she was ready though. Her fins came together and glowed in another iron tail to slash upwards, shattering the third and fourth shots.
"Now use-"
"Nani return!" Olivia's eyebrow arched in surprise as Elio suddenly recalled his water type from the field. He slipped her back onto his right side and took out a substitute. "Go Rockruff!"
Her curiosity increased even more as the normally mellow Rockruff landed crouched on all fours and growled with unbridled tenacity.
Elio knew this was a bad idea thanks to the puppy's recent volatile behavior, but there was nobody else he had to seriously counter such a hardened pokemon. Torracat had double kick, but he was worried that one misstep from the faster speed could leave him vulnerable to super effective rock blasts. He had no doubt that Nani had survived that one thanks to his quick thinking of using iron tail to deflect the last of it.
"The aggressive one I see?" Olivia mused to herself. It was definitely an advantage she was going to exploit.
"Rockruff use-" Elio was cut off as he charged forward, fangs open for a bite attack.
Roggenrola effortlessly moved out of the way, spraying another mud-slap attack. While dealing increased damage against rock types, the real viability was in impairing vision and reducing the pokemon's overall accuracy.
Rockruff shook himself free and growled again.
"Rockruff will you just listen for once! We're so close right now!" Elio shouted, but his cries went on deaf ears. His normally playful and helpful pokemon was just being far too headstrong, cutting out his trainer's orders for his own primal instincts of fighting.
Olivia had Roggenrola use another mud-slap as Rockruff rushed it again. Elio was glad this time around when he obeyed a rock throw attack that struck home. The mantle pokemon came out relatively unscathed, but suddenly its entire body pulsed white to illuminate the entire field. It glowed a second time before the harshness of its glare caused everyone to shield their eyes again.
Everyone heard the heavy sound of rocks cracking and breaking apart, it was almost as if the ground shook as three pointed limbs planted into the soil.
Elio and Lillie gasped as the glow began to fade, revealing a different pokemon from where Roggenrola once stood.
The new sight was more squat and tripedal in appearance. That single eye was gone and replaced by two small gold ones at the center. All along the top and sides of its body were fist-sized orange crystals that glowed with a warm aura.
"That thing continues to surprise." Elio whispered to himself. First it jumps like a spoink and now it evolves into something more powerful. "Rotom, you're up!"
"Oh right! Bzzt! New pokemon detected! Boldore. Ore pokemon. The orange crystals on its body are full of powerful energy. Just one of those can provide enough fuel for a hundred dump trucks. Boldore is a rock type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
"I'm not giving up!" Elio yelled at Olivia. Fist clenched and Rockruff ready again, he wanted to show that just because her pokemon had evolved didn't give her an advantage. He wasn't going to give the advantage of thinking he was beat from this. "This changes nothing!"
"Such an incredible fiery uhane you have!" She exclaimed while smiling. "I can see why Lillie is drawn to you."
Neither of them noticed since they resumed the battle. But Lillie had heard the statement loud and clear, turning immediately away to hide the redness creeping up her cheeks. In her arms, little Nebby looked up at the human, curious to know why she had decided to look away from the action going on.
"Pew."
She giggled as it squirmed in her grip to get comfortable again. "No I'm okay Nebby. It's just….just…Olivia is right! Elio has a fiery spirit for sure!"
"Pew."
Boldore made it tough for Rockruff to find an opening to attack as Olivia used a move called iron defense to pump up its strength to withstand physical moves. Offensively, it launched more volleys of rock blasts that countered his own rock throws and any time he attempted to get in close for a bite, it fired a mud-slap that was barely dodged in time.
"Sucker punch!" He had discovered it was a rare instance of him learning it as a child, passed down from one of its parents. The dark-type move allowed him to get an attack in quickly before its opponent could make its own move.
Rockruff dashed right in between Boldore's two front legs and rammed it while cloaked in dark energy. Again it did some damage.
But not enough! That iron defense is making it even tougher and tougher!
"Sucker punch it again! Let's find its weak point!"
Olivia shook her head. "That wasn't much of a wise move Sun. Boldore, use mud-slap!"
With a growl of compliance, the ore pokemon flung another wave of muddy earth that caught Rockruff in mid-charge. The mud was sticky and heavy, weighing him down in addition to reducing his accuracy.
No!
"You're not the first trainer to have a rowdy Rockruff by the time you get to me." Olivia said. "And you won't be the last. Now it's time to end this. Boldore, headbutt!"
Rockruff had only picked himself back up when the larger pokemon jammed its head forward, easily hurling him back onto the ground. His body shook as he struggled to get up. The eyes were determined, blazing with fury and the tenacious resolve. However exhaustion was beginning to catch up with him.
She followed it up with a rock blast, each one smashing itself to powder on impact. Each one making Elio more and more nervous.
He was about to substitute Grimer when Rockruff let out a high-pitched howl that pierced the tranquil night. The howling stopped after what seemed like an eternity as the dog paused to catch his breath before staggering slowly back to his feet, wobbling a couple of times.
"Rockruff!"
Rockruff turned to look back at him before he walked calmly over, standing up on his hind legs and licking Elio's face as he knelt down.
Olivia's heart began to melt as she watched the young trial-goer embrace his pokemon. Boldore rumbled, readying another rock blast attack; however she raised her hand with a simple, "Wait."
Her pokemon stood down with that simple command.
Rockruff yipped happily as he nuzzled Elio's side again. The boy glanced at his eyes, now seeing his posture as one of playful and happy once again.
Did he overcome those…feral instincts that he had? Does this mean he's back to normal?
"How are you doing buddy?" He hugged his pokemon again. "You look good."
Rockruff barked happily and wagged his tail.
"See, I told you we'd get through this. Just time, patience and practice."
He was about to nudge him back to resume the battle when Rockruff pulsed white.
Wait.
The pulse came again before he was enveloped in the same brilliant white light that Boldore had when it began as a roggenrola. He felt waves of heat on his exposed skin and took a step back, almost feeling like he was beside a campfire.
"Rockruff! You're evolving!" He was pretty sure that the noise from the radiance drowned out his shouts of excitement. Light washed over everything, overpowering the orange flames of the lit torches and bathing the completely dark sky for just a few seconds before fading away.
Elio opened his eyes, still with rushes of adrenaline pumping through his blood, finding Rockruff staring right back at him at eye level.
What? Rockruff isn't this tall!
Blinking to clear the tears away from his eyes, he saw that the lupine creature in front stood on its hind legs. Its fur was a reddish maroon color with patches of white and a large mane flowed up the back of its head that almost resembled a Mohawk. Its claws were dark gray colored and the forelegs moved as if they were actual arms of a normal bipedal pokemon.
Rockruff's evolved form bared its teeth; larger fangs and he saw that same ferocity and desire to fight in its reddish eyes. This time it was controlled, focused, but also holding a passion of a thrill of the battle.
"Lycanroc." Lillie whispered from the sideline.
"Wowee Bzzt!" Rotom flew over. "Rockruff evolved into Lycanroc! Bzzt! Time for the new dex entry! Lycanroc. Wolf pokemon. Midnight form. It goads its enemies into attacking, withstands the hits and then strikes back a knockout blow with its rocky mane! The Midnight form is a rock type! Yourz has the movezzz sucker punch, rock throw, bite and reversal! Bzzt!"
"Reversal?"
"A fighting type move! Bzzt! It izzz an all out attack that gainzzz more power the lezzz energy the pokemon haz! Bzzt!"
Lycanroc growled at Elio, giving a slow nod of confidence.
Now he has control over himself. We can finally go back to being best friends and best battlers!
"Well congratulations Elio." Olivia spoke up. "I guess I'm not the only one lucky to have an evolution in this battle. The midnight form is among the most difficult to tame and control in battle since they seek the thrill of it, however yours respects you so much that I don't see you two having a problem in the slightest."
"Thanks kahuna. It was a hard road for sure, but we'll make it there."
"Indeed you will. And I'll reiterate your own words, just because you have an evolution on your team doesn't necessarily give you the edge."
Elio looked back at Lycanroc. Like most other evolutions that occurred mid-battle, exerting so much energy to change its form had taxed him. He still sported some wounds and injuries as Rockruff from their previous fight, but the raw power and determination he had told him that there was no way he was going to lose.
"It could go both ways." With a nod, both sides made to resume the battle.
"Use reversal!" Elio wanted to try out the move first, but still didn't waste an opportunity to exploit a type advantage from the start.
Instead of all fours; Lycanroc sprinted on his hind legs to close the gap within seconds. Olivia looked just a little concerned at the speed differential, but ordered a mud-slap. Lycanroc saw it coming, deftly planting his feet on the ground and spinning mid-run. His paw closed into a fist with white wisps of energy coalescing around and he slammed it straight into Boldore's center with a loud clang.
The ore pokemon had to weigh multiple times that of its predecessor, but Elio was surprised to see that Lycanroc's reversal attack knocked it back almost right in front of Olivia. It dug its front legs into the ground, carving twin cuts into the earth to slow its motion.
"WHAT?!" Elio's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw that the creature was still standing, albeit weakly. "Even through iron defense, how did it survive that?!"
"That'zzz becauzzze boldore hazzz an ability called sturdy! It allowzzz it to endure ztrong one hit movezzz!"
"Well that's lame."
Lycanroc moved for another reversal as Olivia called another mud-slap. However as the two sides prepared to converge, Elio's made a little bit of a mistake.
The wolf pokemon was ready for the mud again and spun to avoid it.
Except Boldore never did. At least not immediately.
Moments after he had tried to evade, Boldore calmly aimed to where he would be in a moment and sprayed the mud in that direction.
Lycanroc saw it coming too late and was caught in another one. It coated his fur again and he lost his balance, slipping right beside his foe.
"Quick!" Elio immediately said the first thing in mind. "Akela sucker punch it!"
Olivia was in the middle of shouting headbutt when Lycanroc used the slide as momentum. He lunged forward, striking at the closest of the three of Boldore's forelegs with a fistful of dark energy. Without that third one to keep his balance, the large rock buckled, toppling over to its side. Its rumbling ceased upon fainting.
"Bzzt! Boldore iz unable to continue battling! Akela iz the winner!"
Did Elio just call his lycanroc Akela?
"Yeah!" Elio made a fist and jumped into the air. "That's how we do it!"
"Boldore, return." Olivia kept smiling as she recalled her fallen pokemon. "Well done. We will have to work on other strategies now that you've evolved."
"That was a great job Akela!" Elio reached out, wrapping his arms around his newly evolved lycanroc. "You did amazing out there and learned a new move in reversal! You bet we're gonna use that a lot!"
Lillie timidly stepped out. "Wow, it's amazing such a wild looking lycanroc still remains loyal to you! Did you call it Akela or something?"
He nodded, stroking his mane. "Yeah. I think it was associated with someone or something wise, cunning, strong and honorable."
"I like that name."
"Me too." As if to agree, the wolf howled in reply. "How about we figure out a handshake? Something about honor."
Elio reached out with a fist. "A fist bump?"
Akela cocked his head, slowly reaching out with his own right arm. They touched at the wrists before the wolf snapped it back, pounding the left side of his chest.
"That's it! Again!" Both pokemon and trainer gently bumped one another at their wrists and struck their own left breast with their enclosed fists. "You are already an amazing pokemon. You know that? I agree right?"
"Me too." Both teens looked over at Olivia who was casually tossing another poke ball in her free hand. "You've shown an incredible amount of progress since you came over to my island Elio. Ambitious, eager and open-minded. Maybe even a little timid. I'm sure being away from home a lot makes you miss what family you left behind. Nevertheless, they are all wonderful traits of what I see in a trial goer. Your grand trial is nearly over and the only thing that stands in between you and triumph is my longtime partner pokemon."
As Elio and Akela moved back to the main field; Olivia tossed her final pokemon. With a flash of light,
Another lycanroc?!
"Meet Fenris." The other midnight lycanroc stood a full head taller than Akela, staring back with an equally fierce gaze. Both wolves growled lowly at one another. "He's my strongest pokemon."
That doesn't mean we're going to give in.
"Then we'll have to bring our strongest too." Elio knew that Akela wanted to battle and prove that he could defeat the other lycanroc. No way was he going to deny him that chance.
Fenris snarled again, throwing his arms upward and launching a volley of large rock tomb attacks. Akela's eyes narrowed and he stood his ground, evading two, but taking a hit from the third one.
"Close in and use reversal!"
Akela's suffered even more damage, let's see if we can knock Fenris out in one go!
He grinned and rushed forward, scaling one of the larger rocks to attack from above.
It was a plan and open advantage that any battler worth their salt would jump at. Elio liked to think that he was starting to become more seasoned and experienced now that winning this battle would be the halfway mark of his island challenge.
Sometimes the advantageous opportunities were real. Some of them however, were ruses that made more reckless trainers and their pokemon pay a grave price. Elio and Akela were so focused on taking his energy down further to increase the power of reversal that neither paid attention to Olivia's gambit.
Despite her confident smirk in suckering both of them, she did feel a sense of pity that it would end this way. At least for Akela. He may be a the type of lycanroc who gets excited to face stronger opponents in a battle, but Fenris had been a midnight form for much longer and knew his strengths…and his weaknesses.
You may be an experienced trainer, but there is a lot you still have to learn. I still am learning new things about battling each and every day. Some we learn the easy way. Others the more difficult.
"Counter." The moment Akela threw his fist in a strike; Fenris had brought his own arms up to guard himself. In a drastic comparison to Boldore, his opponent merely staggered back two paces. Strangely, Akela remained in his position.
Elio saw something like a wave of energy travel along Fenris' free arm down to his front paw. His eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen.
"Akela get out of-"
With a loud bang, Fenris' other paw lashed forward, almost looking as if he merely slapped Akela. All the energy he had been struck with in the reversal was rechanneled towards the counter-strike, which the move derived its name from. It was done with such a powerful amount of force that the smaller wolf was sent flying back, smashing into the ground and bouncing up again to land with a crunching sound that sent all three humans' teeth on edge.
Elio felt a pang of fear spike into his body. "Akela!"
"Akela izzz incapable of battling! Bzzt! Fenris izz the winner!"
Without evening thinking that he could get himself hurt, Elio sprinted out onto the field of where Akela lay prone. He weakly stirred, unable to overcome his protesting body.
"Are you alright buddy?" He pet the wolf's mane in concern.
He got a growl in reply as it tried in vain to stand up again. But the competitive look in its eyes was replaced by disappointment. For some reason, Sun knew that it wasn't directed at him, rather towards himself.
"You did awesome out there Akela. I'm proud of your efforts."
Akela tilted his head and looked away.
"Hey, don't worry about it. Remember we win and we lose as a team. You've still got teammates who are going to finish the job." Elio smiled, knowing this would perk him up from being so down about losing. "Take it easy. You deserve it."
"Counter?" Lillie asked on the sideline. "That's the move that deals double damage against a physical move!"
She squeezed Nebby tighter, wondering how her crush was going to get past this obstacle.
Now I have to worry about that counter move. Elio picked himself up off the ground after slipping Akela's poke ball onto his left side. Nani's back up.
"I was wondering when I'd see her again." Olivia called when he threw his water type again onto the field. "Smart move saving her for Fenris, but he's dealt with water types before."
"We'll see about that." Elio pointed. "Use iron tail!"
Nani cooed before sharping her fins into the sword and swinging it.
Olivia stared at his concentrated face, trying to understand what he was up to. What kind of game are you playing Elio? You know about counter, yet you go for a physical move right off the start. You're unpredictable, that's for sure.
Deciding to test his skill, she had Fenris counter him again. However at the last moment; she fired a water pulse. Fenris saw it coming just in time, rolling out of the way onto all fours, snarling at the surprise attack and hurling a rock tomb to cover its tracks. Nani slithered right in between two, using the slight elevation to give her an edge. She had coiled right around a couple stones to aid in traction.
Elio saw her wince from the poison again. "Don't worry about it girl. Use recover!"
She bathed herself in the familiar healing green, looking just a bit better.
However he still saw the oily toxins present on her scaly hide.
Recover doesn't cure poisoning! Gah!
He didn't have much time to waste since Fenris used the brief recovery period to perch itself among the remaining rock tomb boulders. An exploding dragon pulse destroyed the cover he had used before Nani blasted a scald attack. Although she missed again, it slicked the side of the final intact rock and as the wolf climbed it to retaliate with a brick break, he lost his footing and fell back down.
"Scald one more time!"
Nani again fired the stream of steaming hot water.
Elio had anticipated that Fenris would be a little bit exhausted from their earlier battle. He suffered some damage from Akela's reversal attack, but he couldn't help but gasp in surprise seeing it already back to its feet.
Olivia's smirk grew.
Fenris coated his fist in sparks of electrifying energy and he threw it out in a haymaker at the same time he lunged for Nani's side. She was completely exposed and flinched from the poison, giving him just the moment he needed to avoid being struck by the water type attack.
The thunderpunch collided with her side, harshly shoving her lithe serpentine body against another boulder from the rock tomb, shattering it and kicking up dust everywhere.
Elio covered his eyes while Lillie turned away as the front approached, crouching low while doing her best to shield Nebby.
Nani was gone.
"Nani izzz unable to continue battling! Bzzt! Fenris izzz the winner!"
Well…what do I do now? He had Rufflet, Torracat and Grimer, none of them sound and optimal choices against a rock type. Plus Fenris seemed to have multiple tricks up his sleeve.
I guess that's why Olivia stated he dealt with water types before. The fact he knows thunderpunch already puts them in danger of losing.
"Rest easy Nani." He whispered as he recalled her back into her ball and slipping it onto a hook at his left side. "We've got this."
"The Shirona Effect." Olivia simply said. "Yes, I'm well aware of it."
There had been often times in battle where many pokemon learned a multitude of moves that weren't the same type as the pokemon itself. The practice of teaching moves to cover the respective type's weaknesses was not a new thing.
However it was popularized by the former champion of Sinnoh, Cynthia Shirona who often taught her pokemon moves that would cause type advantage damage if her opponent was using a pokemon with advantages over her own. Her signature ace pokemon was a garchomp, probably the most powerful of its entire species as a whole. Garchomp's ground and dragon typing had three weaknesses; dragon, ice and fairy. In a battle, if one were to use one of those three types while facing garchomp, she could unleash a dragon rush, brick break or iron head at will for whatever the situation demanded in the adversary's type.
Cynthia had used this to her advantage over many other overconfident trainers who felt they had the edge with one of such pokemon. This was also one of the reasons why she had been able to hold her title as Champion of the Sinnoh region for more than a decade.
It was only recently that she actually lost the position to the trainer prodigy and incumbent champion Lucas Drake in one of the most intense battles ever televised.
The effectiveness of her strategy became popular during her lengthy tenure at the top and it didn't take long for other trainers to see the benefits and put them to use.
Which gave rise to the principle known as the Shirona Effect.
I've got one too. Torracat knows double kick that's strong against rock, but I have to worry about that counter.
He fingered the fightinium Z on his ring.
Maybe….
"Torracat, let's go!"
"Tor!"
"I'm gonna need all the toughness you can bring outta you for this one!" Elio pumped a fist. "You ready partner?"
"Tor!"
I've got a plan…and it might just be crazy enough to work.
"Your partner?" Olivia asked. "I can see the strong bond you two have together. It's just like Fenris and myself."
The wolf growled in agreement. His eyes began to glow with a strong intensity, knowing that he was facing a tough opponent. Similarly, Torracat's bell at his chest heated up. Both of them knew the stakes and what was at risk here.
Elio knew that at this current rate, Torracat was slower than Fenris. He had him flame charge up, which was subsequently countered by a brick break. The flame charge staggered the werewolf back several paces. Even though he had defeated two other pokemon, the exhaustion from the battles was beginning to catch up. Olivia seemed aware of it too.
"Use overheat!"
"Don't let it get that chance Fenris!" He shot forward with a thunderpunch.
Torracat saw him coming, using his increased speed in another flame charge to dodge the swing. In the process, his trainer saw that the bell at his chest had now changed from an orange-yellow to a shimmering white hot.
Fire's not good against rock, but we're about to show that it doesn't matter.
She placed a finger on the Z-ring at her wrist. "I'm sorry Elio, but this is where I'm going to wrap this up."
Elio cursed to himself. He had to wrap it up himself before she could.
"Oh no you're not! Double kick!"
Torracat exploded forward, a few sparking embers flowing off his fur as he rushed. Fenris made to dodge just a little too early as both strong legs delivered a super effective kick to his chest. Sure enough, Fenris' paw lashed out again in a counter that sent Torracat flying back onto the ground, tumbling like a ragdoll.
"And this is where it ends. Fenris!" The kahuna twisted her Z-ring and activated it in a flash. "Bring forth the potential of your Z-power through those that walked before you, walk with you and walk after you!"
She's charging it up!
"Come one Torracat! Get up! We can do this!" Elio yelled, suddenly finding his throat raw from shouting commands this entire time. The feline groaned in protest from the rather strong counter it received, but he slowly and surely rose up on all fours. Across the way, he could see the Z-power beginning its final manifestation. Olivia bent down, raising her arms up before twisting to the side and performing a half crouch. If Fenris managed to unleash it, Torracat would be done and he wasn't sure of a plan after that.
Come on Elio. Lillie began to feel even more nervous now. You can win this! I believe in you!
"Quite the resilient one!" Olivia said. "Z-move unleash! Now channel Rock Tomb into CONTINENTAL CRUSH!"
The wolf howled, jumping up as waves of Z-power formed into massive rocks that slowly began pulling themselves up to his body.
Torracat looked up at the raw display of power before him. As he did, another aura of fiery orange surrounded him.
Yes! Just what we needed! Blaze ability! We only have one shot at this!
"Okay partner, use overheat! Full power! Hold nothing back!"
"TORRRR!" He opened his mouth, firing a huge wide blast of searing hot fire that accelerated rapidly upwards towards Fenris.
His own eyes widened in surprise upon seeing the powerful move coming his way as both him and his trainer attempted to cancel out the Z-move in a vain attempt to avoid it.
Elio clenched a fist, eyes intent on hoping that he could score the knockout and win the match right here. His hand drifted down to finger the pendant around his neck.
"Boom." He softly whispered.
Fenris was enveloped in the white beam which stuck him head on. Sheer heat waves struck all three of them and they could smell the smoky acrid scent of something being singed to a crisp. Some of the rocks surrounding Fenris were starting to soften and break off, falling down to the ground in fiery embers.
The lycanroc's exhaustion caused it to ready the Z-move at a slower rate and Elio saw the opportunity to score massive damage, augmented further by using its counter move to bring Torracat down enough to activate his blaze for an extra kick.
Smoke billowed out of the center as he fell to the ground. Elio and his pokemon waited with baited breath and hoping for the best. Torracat's energy had been sapped and he was visibly panting while leaning against the ground.
Dust began to clear, showing Fenris sprawled on the ground unmoving.
"Bzzt! Fenris izzz unable to continue battling!" Rotom waved a hand towards Elio's side. "Torracat izz the winner and the grand trial victor izzz Elio Northstar! Bzzt!"
"YEEEEAAAAH!" Sun let out a loud whoop and cheer as he ran down the battlefield, nearly tackling his starter pokemon in a gigantic hug. "We did it! Woohoo!"
"Tor!"
"I know, it's crazy, but we did it!" Laughter came from the center. "What? You don't like the praise I give you? You're acting spoiled right now!"
"Tor!"
"Hell yeah we'll enjoy this victory. The battle was anything but easy!"
He purred again before nuzzling his face.
His trainer stifled another laugh. "I know you want to rest up buddy. No arguments here." He took out his ball and sucked him back inside. "Take a good rest. You've earned every bit of it."
"How lovely."
Elio glanced back as Olivia whispered something into Fenris' poke ball and strode towards him. "That was a battle truly befitting of a trial-goer in the presence of the tapu's sacred grounds.
She stopped short in front of him. "Diamonds only sparkle their brightest after the coal is pushed to its absolute limit. You know…you guys are the best! You definitely gave me a fun and intense battle! The first one in a long time!"
"Thank you kahuna." Sun said. "My team did the hard worked their tails off."
"They may have done the laboring part, but you have the innate qualities of an alaka'i. I can see that you have all of their full loyalty as both friends and partners." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a dark brown crystal in the same shape as the others that he had gathered so far on his island challenge. "Here. The rock-type Z-crystal. This Rockium Z is all yours now!"
"Aww yeah!" Elio let it fall into his hands before spinning around, holding it close to his chest and striking a pose with a fist pumped skyward, "Grand trial….complete!"
On such normal circumstances, he would have kept his enthusiasm in check, but suspected that being around Hau so much, it had started to rub off on him. Plus he found that the island challenge had been just as enjoyable as it was difficult.
"Now the rock type Z-Power…you have to pose like this to draw it out. Watch carefully, because the hip movement is crucial!"
It doesn't help that she has a model's body. Elio dryly thought, but kept his attention on her intently.
Olivia formed the standard "X" with her arms before crouching down and springing back up with her arms flexed upwards. She then turned to her right, maintaining the pose, but now facing sideways, bending both her knees.
"Wow," He said, rather amazed. "That has to be the most complicated pose I've seen."
Olivia chuckled, "It does take some practice yes…but I trust you will use it well. The rock type is hard…it's sturdy…rugged and quite strong. So it's nothing like me at all!" She gave a warm smile at him, "I suppose opposites really do attract!"
"In some cases yes," Sun agreed, "Thank you again Kahuna Rios."
"You are most welcome."
Lillie stepped forward with a warm smile of her own, proud that the boy she had guided through Hau'oli City on the basics of battling had just finished his second grand trial. "Congratulations Elio! You were awesome and amazing out there!"
"Thanks Lillie." Elio's returned smile made her blush slightly again and look away.
She glanced down at Nebby instead, "You look very pleased…don't you?"
"By the way Lillie," The kahuna continued. "This may come as a strange question but, why would you come to the Ruins of Life if you're not a trainer yourself?"
"Oh…well it's because of Nebby." All three of them drifted their gazes down to the tiny pokemon floating between them, "It's not originally from here and I want to help it get back to its own home. I don't have any idea how to do that. It seems fond of the ruins for some reason, so I keep visiting them and hoping that maybe I will find a clue that could help it."
Olivia nodded, seeming relatively satisfied with the answer. "You certainly don't see a pokemon like that every day. Tapu Lele may be the guardian of our island, but it can also run wild at times to do whatever it pleases. Most regular pokemon prefer to avoid their attention at all costs, unless they are strong enough to face the tapu themselves and even those that can, usually still avoid them."
As she said that, something must've been put together in the kahuna's mind because her eyes briefly widened and she shook her head. Lillie never noticed it…but Sun did.
"Wait a moment…a'ole hiki. That can't be right."
Before either teen could ask further, she decided to change the subject, the kind smile returning to her petite youthful features. "I think your journey will hold many surprises down the road and I hope it holds many joys. How about I take you back to town Lillie? You're doing everything you can for your partner, despite not being a trainer yourself. I like that kind of person and would be more than happy to lend you a hand wherever needed!"
"Sounds good!" Lillie cheerfully said, "C'mon Elio!"
The three exited the Ruins' grounds just in time for a familiar brown shirted boy to come bounding up the hill. He stopped just in front of them, resting his hands on his knees and panting heavily. Most likely because he was out of breath.
"Hey! Alola! If it isn't Elio and Lillie!" Hau greeted after a few moments with his hand held up to keep them from saying anything.
"Hey Hau," Sun playfully bumped fists with his friend, "What's up?"
"I'm here to battle kahuna Olivia! I'm Hau from Iki Town!" He stopped, suddenly remembering something as well and perked up. "Oh yeah Sun! Guess what? There was this weird green glasses guy from the Aether Foundation who told me to come to Hano Grand Resort when I finish my grand trial! I think he said he'd be back after the Triple Crown!"
You're wanting to battle this late?
"You got an invitation too? That's awesome."
"Yeah! We should go and see it together if we both got invited! I can't wait to see this special Aether place!"
"The Aether Foundation?" Olivia asked, clearly intrigued by the news. "I'm not sure what they want with you two, but why not go find out? They're good people! If he comes back tomorrow night after the tournament is done! The Hano Grand Resort lies just over the Alahaka Bridge on the east side of Heahea City. Rest up good and stay cool because I'm pretty sure the heat wave is going to hit Alola tomorrow!"
"Sounds like a good idea," Sun said. Now that he had visited Konikoni City; a ride charizard would be able to take him back whenever he wanted. Flying out to Heahea would only take about ten minutes.
He turned to Lillie, figuring an invitation might be extended to her as well since she was guarding cosmog. Maybe the Foundation would be able to help her get Nebby back home.
"Lillie, you want to come with me to meet this guy?"
She visibly paled at the question. "The…Aether Foundation…well…um," Emerald green eyes looked down nervously at her feet, looking a bit wanting to avoid the matter. "I…I think I'll stay…stay here. I'd like to see how Hau's battle goes too."
"You sure?" Sun asked, oblivious to her uneasiness, "They're pretty awesome people who help pokemon!"
"No, but thank you again Sun," She felt really bad at turning down an opportunity to spend more time with him, "But I promise to catch up to you when you get back!"
"Okay, sure." He didn't really want to leave Lillie, but his limbs were heavy, he felt the seductive pull of sleep on his eyelids. "I need a shower and sleep though. So I'll see you both at the resort tomorrow?"
"Yeah!"
Hau looked back at Olivia, "I may not be as strong as my gramps Hala, but I can still raise up Dartrix and my awesome team to do their best!"
The dark-skinned lady nodded and closed her eyes. "You're just Hau right? What's wrong with that? Who cares if you're the grandson of Melemele's great kahuna Hala? Show me what Hau can do!"
"Yeah!" As Elio left them to their battle, everyone waved farewell to him, "Alola Sun!"
"Alola guys! We'll catch up later!"
And we'll stop it there! Elio has defeated Olivia in his second grand trial! We've got more things on the way including the surfing competition with things heating up in a literal heat wave! A scuba expedition with Lillie and the Aether Foundation inviting him to a special place! The Akala arc is almost over.
It's almost over...
Wow...I've been working on this island for what seems like forever. Funny how I used to do weekly updates, which turned into biweekly, which turned into monthly...now it's whenever the hell I finish it; if it be a week, month, or half a year XD
Translations:
Makemake au e hoʻokaʻawale - I beg to differ
Uhane - Spirit
Alaka'i - Leader
A'ole hiki - Impossible
The name Akela (meaning solitary in Hindi) is derived from the leader of the wolfpack that raises Mowgli in the Jungle Book. Akela is his surrogate father and mentor. It is also a title in Scouting, used to denote the leader or Cubmaster of the pack.
Mahalo for reading and reviewing everyone. You give my writing purpose. I'll see you all for the next chapter.
Brav