Chapter 35: Return to Alola Part 2

It wasn't long until they reached the school where Illima was teaching. Not sure what room he was in, they approached the receptionist at the front desk.

"Excuse me?"

"Just a moment."

After hanging up the phone and filing away some papers, the woman finally turned her full attention towards the trio. When she saw Ash, her eyes went wide with shock.

"Yo-you're…"

"Hi, we're looking for Illima's classroom. Could you point us in the right direction, please?"

The receptionist, mouth still agape, pointed down the hallway to the left.

"Room 113, can't miss it."

"Thanks."

As the three headed off in the direction she pointed, Goh couldn't help but take notice of her reaction.

"Hey, that receptionist lady recognized you. What was that about?"

"Oh, that? Well, you see- Oh look, here we are!"

Before Goh could prod As further, they were already walking through the door. Ilima was at the front, teaching the class about different status conditions.

"Now you see class, status conditions can affect a battle in many different ways. For example, Burn and Poison weaken a Pokemon overtime, while Sleep and Paralysis may make the Pokemon unable to- hmm?"

His lecture got cut off when he heard the door open. When he saw who had interrupted his lecture, he smiled, and walked over to greet them.

"Ash, Lillie, what a surprise! It's been ages."

"It's great to see you, Ilima!"

"And you must be Goh. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine."

Meanwhile, Pikachu, Eevee and Snowy had a little reunion of their own, running circles around their trainer's legs in a game of tag. After the pleasantries had been exchanged, Ilima turned towards his class to introduce his guests.

"Class, these are my friends Ash and Lillie. I traveled with them last year before I became a teacher, and this is their friend Goh."

All of the children waved, though their jaws dropped when they laid eyes on Ash, something Goh took note of but kept quiet about.

"So Ash, what brings you to Alola on such short notice?"

"I'm competing in the World Coronation Series and I'm itching for a battle! What'd you say, care to be my next opponent?"

Ilima thought for a minute. He was in the middle of class, but it had been a long time since his Pokemon had a good battle, and he did mean to have a demonstration battle tomorrow…

Deciding to let his class decide, he turned to them for an answer.

"What do you say, kids? Want to see a Pokemon Battle between two professionals?"

The response was very loud, almost ear shattering yes.

"Alright, but I'll need to get permission from the principal to take the kids on a field trip. The battlefield here is far too small for a proper battle."

The principal was more than happy to agree, so long as they returned before school let out. So Ilima led them to his house, which sat just on the edge of Hau'oli City. Ash whistled impressively at how large it was.

"You know, I don't think I've ever been to your house before."
"First time for everything, I suppose. Come on, I have a private battlefield outback."

Once they reached the backyard, Ilima and Ash took their positions while Goh, Lillie, and the class sat off to the side. Within minutes, a Rotom Drone flew into the area.

"What's Thizzz? Another technology I'm compatible with? Aw man, I'm really missing out!"

"Greetings! A World Coronation Series battle is about to begin! This battle between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, ranked 930, and Ilima of Hau'oli City, ranked 765, is about to begin! This will be a 2-on-2 battle with no time limit, substitutions allowed! Ready? Battle Start!"

"Go, Pikachu!"

"Kangaskhan, I choose you!"

Pikachu was ready for battle at first, but when he saw Kangaskhan he faltered. Even if it wasn't the same one, he couldn't fight the Pokemon that raised him and ran back to Ash and tugged at his leg.

"Hmm? What's wrong, buddy?"

"Pika, Pikachu."
Although Ash couldn't fully understand Pikachu, he quickly got the idea and returned him to his shoulder.

"Alright buddy, you can sit this one out, but I'll need you if things go South, ok?"

Pikachu nodded, and sighed in content. He was just happy to have such an understanding trainer.

"Go, Riolu!"

Riolu was more than eager to battle, punching the air to try and intimidate his foe.

"Kangaskhan, start by using Earthquake!"

"Riolu, use the shockwaves to gain height and use Iron Tail!"

Kangaskhan roared and began hitting the ground hard with her tail, creating shockwaves that ran throughout the entire arena. Riolu, focusing hard, time it just right and jumped right as one ran underneath him, gaining tremendous height before landing right on Kangaskhan, dealing a powerful blow between the eyes with his tail, making her cry out in pain.

"Counter, Kangaskhan!"

"Hit her with a Vacuum Wave!"

Kangaskhan swiped at the baby Pokemon, making him cry out in pain as he fell to the ground. Snarling, he retaliated with a quick blast to her face, propelling him back to Ash's side of the field before touching the ground. Both Pokemon panted heavily, but were too stubborn to back down.

"Rock Slide, Kangaskhan!"

"Break them apart with Rock Smash, Riolu!"

Riolu had just caught his breath when he saw a group of large rocks falling towards him. Not wanting to be hit, he gathered up energy in his fistts and began punching at them, breaking them apart into smaller, more manageable sized rocks. A few still managed to graze him, but overall he managed to get out of it relatively unscathed.

"Alright Kangaskhan, finish this with Solar Beam!"

"Charge up an Aura Sphere and hold it until I give the signal!"

Nodding, the two opposing Pokemon began charging up their attacks. Kangaskhan stood firm and collected sunlight, while Riolu began charging up his Aura Sphere attack. Both stood still for several minutes, building up their attacks until…

"Now!"

All at once, the two Pokemon released their charged up energy, the attacks hitting their targets at the same time and creating a large cloud of smoke that covered the field. When the dust had settled, both Pokemon were lying on their backs unconscious.

"Both Pokemon are unable to battle! This round ends in a draw!"

Ash and Ilima returned their Pokemon to their Pokeballs, exhilarated by the intense battle so far.

"You did good, Kangaskhan."
"You too, Riolu. Get a nice long rest."

After that, they both turned to their partners currently resting on their shoulders.

"You ready, Eevee?"

"Evoi!"

"Alright buddy, I'm counting on you!"

"Pika Pika Chu!"

"Alright, Pikachu, I choose you!"

"Eevee, front and center!"

"Pikachu vs Eevee, begin!"

"Iron Tail, Pikachu!"

"You too, Eevee!"

The two began to clash, almost as if they were having a sword fight. The crowd oohed and awed as the two fought back and forth.

"Electro Ball, Pikachu!"

During a small break in the fighting, Pikachu launched an energy ball from his tail, sending it straight towards Ilima's Eevee. The attack landed, but Eevee was far from finished.

"Agility, then use Double Kick!""

Eevee grinned, then ran up quickly towards Pikachu, ready to strike Pikachu. However…

"Electro Web, Pikachu!"

Just as Eevee got halfway across the arena, he got tangled up in a web of electricity, stopping him dead in his tracks. By the time he had managed to tear his way out, the speed boost he had gained was gone.

"Thunderbolt, Pikachu!"

"Eevee, use Dig!"

Moving quickly, Eevee managed to burrow under the ground just in time, the bolt of lightning just barely missing him. Ash, however, wasn't done.

"Thunderbolt right into the hole!"

"PikaCHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

Pikachu sent a massive bolt right into the hole, keeping up the electricity while he waited for his enemy to resurface. He did, sending Pikachu flying as he reemerged right underneath him. But the damage had been done, as he was panting heavily while sparks flew all over his body. Seeing this, Ilima knew he would have to bring out his secret weapon, and raised his Z-Ring.

"Alright Eevee, time to finish this! Use your Extreme Evoboost!"

"Don't count us out just yet! Pikachu, use 10,000 Volt Thunderbolt!"

Apparitions of Eevee's evolutions briefly appeared before flowing into Eevee, giving him energy as he charged forward to attack Pikachu. Pikachu, now sporting Ash's hat, built up electricity in his body before unleashing it as a massive bolt, striking Eevee just as he struck Pikachu. A massive cloud of dust covered the area, making it impossible to see what was going on. But when the dust settled, Eevee was out cold while Pikachu stood proud and tall.

"Eevee is unable to battle! Pikachu wins, and the battle goes to Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!"

"Alright, way to go buddy!"

"Pika!"

Ilima smiled kindly, and gently picked up his partner.

"You did well, Eevee."

"Vee."

"As a result of today's battle, there has been a change in the World Coronation Series' rankings! Please stay tuned for more updates!"

The crowd cheered, thrilled by the exciting battle as Ash and Ilima shook hands.

"Thanks for the battle, Ash. Looks like you still have it after all."

"Thanks, Ilima. You had some great moves yourself."

Ilima then turned to his class to conclude the lesson.

"Now, I hope you all enjoyed our little demonstration. Now, let's get back to school and get you kids home!"

The children moaned, but followed them back to school.

A while later, the quartet were eating dinner at the Battle Buffet in the mall when Ash and Ilima got their notifications from the World Coronation Series.

"Alright! 790, sweet!"

"Hmm, 800. At least I didn't drop too far."
"Congratulations, Ash! At this rate you'll be in the Ultra Class in no time!"

"Yep, and after that it'll be right to the Master Class and Leon! Look out Leon, because that title will be mine!"

Goh, who had been sitting rather quietly, finally spoke his mind.

"Hey, guys? What were those moves that you guys used at the end of your battle? I've never seen anything like those before."

"Oh, those? Those are Z- Moves."

"Z Moves?"

Ash nodded, and held up his Z-Ring.

"See these little Crystals in my bracelet here? Those are Z-Crystals, and when you have a Z-Ring like Ilima and I have you can use them to unlock super powerful moves in your Pokemon!"

"Yes, but there's more. You see Goh, there are many different types of Z-Crystals. There are ones for each of the 18 main types, but there are also special ones for certain Pokemon, like Eevee and Pikachu that give them access to exclusive Z-Moves."

Hearing this explanation, Goh stood up in excitement, nearly sending his tray flying.

"That sounds awesome! I want to give it a try! How do I get a Z-Ring?"

"Well, it's not that easy. But if you're serious about this, then I'd suggest talking to the Kahuna."

"Great! I'll go talk to him now!"

And before anyone can stop him, Goh ran out of the mall, leaving his friends staring at him in disbelief.

"Does he realize…"

"Give him a minute."

Sure enough, Goh returned not a minute later, looking very flustered.

"Um…where is the kahuna?"

His friends just sighed wearily. It was going to be a long vacation.