Track 4 - Don't Let the Devil
Leinani sat down at the Pokémon Center's cafe. She pulled her headphones over her ears and pressed play on her Pokédex. Her favorite rapper had released a new song when she got to Unova, and she was obsessing over it. Her journey from Nuvema to Accumula Town was a long walk with the same song on repeat for a few hours. When she was outside, she had no issue with playing her music out of her Pokédex's speakers, but she felt like it was rude to blast her music when she was in a public place like the Pokémon Center.
She set down a magazine in front of her. It was filled with information on the gym leaders found throughout Unova. It was mostly just pictures of the gym leaders with a few interviews that offered no real information.
"I don't care about their hobbies," Leinani muttered as she flipped the page that featured an interview with a Ground-type gym leader. She knew the magazine wouldn't be entirely helpful, because even if she knew what type of Pokémon she'd be coming up against, the gym leader's battling style would always be unpredictable. Not only did gym leaders specialize in a specific typing, but they also utilized a particular strategy or attack.
She continued to sift through the magazine, finding nothing useful. Eventually, she returned the magazine to the rack and sat back down, now with a basket of fries and a small burger. The pizza she ate at Juniper's house had felt so heavy with grease, and she wanted to be careful with everything she ate. She felt tempted to order a double cheeseburger, but she instead went with a child-sized burger and fries set. Even then, she felt like it was too much.
After lunch, her body felt heavy. She didn't like how it made her feel. She wanted to move to Striaton City, but even if she did, the grease in the food made her thoughts fuzzy. Although all that she had done was wake up, read a magazine, and eat food, she became exhausted.
"This won't do," she said while forcing herself to stand up. Rowlet was woken up from her daze. She quickly hopped onto Leinani's shoulder, pretending that she wasn't in her version of a food coma. "We're taking a walk!"
Accumula Town was a smaller place than Leinani was used to. Similar to Nuvema, it was quiet, but Leinani knew that she was getting closer to the big city by the amount of trainers she saw walking the streets. She passed by dozens of row houses made with bricks, all painted different colors. She liked looking at the houses and imagining all the different families from different backgrounds that lived in them. It was stereotypical, but it was one of the positive images that she had of Unova.
She continued down the street, finding a massive park. It appeared to be some sort of salt marsh, which Leinani wasn't interested in. But there were a few small battlefields where trainers practiced and battled. She even saw a giant playground, but since it was a weekday, none of the preschool children were around.
Seeing the battlefields sent chills down her spine. She slowly walked onto one of them, dragging her feet against the ground. It was a green battlefield with grass cut so short that Leinani wasn't even sure of its purpose. The lines were marked by ovular rocks that protruded from the ground. She took in the view until someone caught her eye.
Standing on the opposite end of the field was a girl who appeared to be of similar age to Leinani. She was a girl with fair skin and stunning blue eyes. She had short brown hair that stuck out of a black knit cap. She wore black jeans that fit her thin body and a baggy blue cardigan over a black shirt. She smiled at Leinani.
"You know, when two trainers' eyes meet, they battle?" the girl said. She spoke with a Galarian accent. It was the first time that Leinani had heard the accent outside of movies. "The name is Poppy. And you?"
"I'm Leinani Koa, from Alola. You challengin' me to a battle?"
"Alola? That's nice. I've never battled anyone from Alola," Poppy said. She put her hand to her chin. "Does a two-on-two battle work for you?"
"No problem. DJ, you're up!" Leinani exclaimed.
DJ took in a deep breath. It was going to be her first battle since she started her greasy diet. She leaped off Leinani's shoulder and darted to her half of the battlefield.
Poppy eyed the Pokémon and then pulled out her Pokédex. It was similar to Leinani's, but the design looked sleeker. She scanned Leinani's Rowlet and then tucked the Pokédex away. Without a word, she threw a Poké Ball into the air. A short but very long Pokémon materialized on the field. It had a fiery body and dozens of small legs. It looked at DJ and snorted. The controlled flames on its face gave it a mustache and a serious look.
However, Leinani couldn't help but laugh at it. She pulled out her own Pokédex and scanned it for information.
"Centiskorch, the Radiator Pokémon. While its burning body is already dangerous on its own, this excessively hostile Pokémon also has large and very sharp fangs," her Pokédex chimed.
"Noted," Leinani mumbled.
"We'll start! Flame Wheel!" Poppy commanded.
"DJ, get into the air! Dodge it!"
Centiskorch barreled forward, and his body was set aflame. He rolled down the field, burning the thinly cut grass. However, Rowlet was much quicker. With one strong beat of her wings, she took into the air, soaring well above Centiskorch's reach.
"And now, Leaf Blade!" Leinani ordered.
Without missing a beat, Rowlet reeled around. Her wings became encased in green energy, and they extended, giving her a wingspan double her regular size. She swung her wings, battering them against Centiskorch. However, Poppy's Pokémon didn't appear to be phased by the strike.
Poppy smiled and then put her hands on her hips. "Leaf Blade? That's not going to do much against a Fire and Bug-type Pokémon."
"That's all I needed to know. Brave Bird!" Leinani exclaimed.
Rowlet immediately turned her body and then rocketed into the air. When she felt she was at a good distance, she spun and pointed herself at Centiskorch. White energy exploded off of her body, shooting her downward.
"Fight back with Fire Lash!"
Centiskorch quickly snapped his body forward, releasing flames that took the form of a whip. He glared at Rowlet and then frantically moved around his body, flailing the whip around. Rowlet suddenly stopped and batted her wings at the smoke and flames.
"And now, Bug Bite!" Poppy commanded.
Centiskorch thrust his body into the air and through the smoke. He came barreling through the flames with dark green energy surrounding his body.
"Iron Claw!"
The dark green energy around Centiskorch formed a pair of jaws. Usually, Poppy would expect to hear the sound of a small explosion after Bug Bite was hit, but this time, all that reverberated through the air was that of clanking metal.
The smoke quickly cleared, and both Pokémon were at a standstill in the middle of the air. Slowly, they descended, but they refused to let one another loose from their attacks.
"We're both playing too evenly. Something needs to happen if I'm going to get an opening," Leinani thought.
"Flame Wheel!" Poppy shouted.
Centiskorch kept his grip on Rowlet while flames encircled his body. The lower half of his body curled, and he crashed it into the Grass-type. The two Pokémon finally released their grips, and Centiskorch began to fall from the air.
"There it is," Leinani muttered. "Don't let it hit the ground! Shadow Claw!"
Rowlet winced as she worked through the pain. Her talons became absorbed with ghostly power, and she quickly flew over to the helpless Centiskorch. She swung her body and then used her talons to grab ahold of Centiskorch. The Bug-type let out a squeal, but not from pain. The Pokémon was simply startled by the sudden attack.
"Brave Bird! Take it for a ride!"
"Centi!"
White energy exploded out from under Rowlet's wings. She was carried into the air by the power. She dragged along Centiskorch, who was seemingly injured by simply coming into contact with the white energy. With a quick toss, she threw Centiskorch back toward the ground. However, Rowlet did not stop. She targeted Centiskorch and then shot straight downward. She rammed her beak into the middle of Centiskorch's body, forcing him into the ground. The two were covered by an explosion of grass, dirt, and aerial energy.
But when the dust faded, only one Pokémon remained able to continue.
Poppy examined her Centiskorch and then quickly withdrew him with her Poké Ball. She took no time drawing out her next ball and then throwing it into the air. A small, dark blue Pokémon appeared on the field. It stood on two legs, but its posture appeared cautious. It was reptilian, and it eyed Leinani and DJ with an empathetic expression.
"Another Galarian Pokémon?" Leinani wondered while she scanned it with her Pokédex.
"Drizzile, the Water Lizard Pokémon. Highly intelligent but also very lazy, it keeps enemies out of its territory by laying traps everywhere," the Pokédex buzzed.
"Anything that cautious should be taken seriously," Leinani mumbled.
"Drizzile is my starter Pokémon. Don't let his demeanor fool you. He's quite the battler," Poppy said.
"DJ is my starter Pokémon. Don't let her size fool you. She's quite strong," Leinani replied, trying her hardest not to slip into a fake Galarian accent. "Leaf Blade!"
DJ had to heave her body into the air with some effort. She took in a deep breath and looked at Drizzile. Without wasting any more time, she raced down the field, her wings increasing in size from green energy.
"Protect!" Poppy ordered.
Drizzile stuck out both of his hands and a blue barrier materialized around his body. Rowlet swung her wings, but even though she hit the barrier as hard as she could, it did absolutely nothing.
"Liquidation!" Poppy shouted.
Drizzile lowered his body, and aquatic energy formed around his arm. He quickly uppercut, tossing Rowlet backward. The Grass-type hit the ground hard, and her body was unmoving.
"Damn," Leinani thought while she used her Poké Ball to withdraw DJ. She hadn't used Rowlet's Poké Ball in so long. It almost felt unnatural to use the ball.
"Don't worry. Your Rowlet was worn out from the battle with Centiskorch. It only makes sense," Poppy exclaimed.
Leinani cocked her head. She was unsure if Poppy was taunting her or genuinely trying to say words of encouragement. Either way, she found herself bottling anger. She gripped tightly at Poipole's. It was going to be the first time the two fought in any official capacity. Until the point, they only trained privately with Rowlet.
"Go, Torque!" she yelled while throwing the Beast Ball. It exploded, and Poipole materialized. It immediately floated into an upside-down position and started to spin.
Poppy scanned the Pokémon with her Pokédex, but then a shocked expression came over her face.
"No data? What kind of Pokémon is this?" she wondered.
"Something from out of this world! It's called Poipole, but I've named mine Torque!" Leinani explained.
"Poipole? Torque? Why Torque?" Poppy wondered.
"Because when you join my band, you get a cool nickname! Torque, use Sludge Bomb!" Leinani ordered.
Poipole stopped spinning. It pointed the top of its head toward Drizzile, and without warning, launched a pile of sludge forward.
"Protect!"
Once again, Drizzile got his hands up in time. The barrier, now slightly thinner than before, emerged, and it took the entirety of the attack. The sludge connected and then slid down slowly, falling to the ground.
"Drizzile, Mud Shot!"
"Dodge!"
Drizzile lurched his body, and he aimed. He closed his eyes and then belched, blasting a smooth rocket of mud from his stomach. However, Poipole was too quick. It easily avoided the strike and prepared for Leinani's follow-up command.
"Poison Jab!"
Poipole spun its body once again, but this time, it started to get closer to Drizzile. Purple energy formed at the top of Poipole's head, and it darted down the field toward Drizzile.
"Fight back with Liquidation!" Poppy commanded.
The aquatic energy swirled around Drizzile's arm once again. He stood his ground as Poipole made its way over. When the two were in reach, they struck, but their power was relatively even.
"Time for us to go on the offensive! Ice Shard!" Poppy ordered.
Drizzile placed his palms together, and without wasting a second, jutted them forward. Small shards of ice blasted from his hands, ripping through the air.
"Iron Tail!"
Poipole started to spin around; this time, his tail glowed with metallic power. He batted away the shards, destroying them all with ease. In no time, all of the ice was fended off, and Poipole stopped spinning.
"Fell Stinger!" Leinani commanded. She could feel herself getting heated from the battle. Not only was her first battle in Unova, but it was also Poipole's first battle overall. They both needed the win.
The tip of Poipole's head started to glow dark green.
"Protect!"
Drizzile put up his arms and Poipole jabbed. The thin barrier appeared, and Poipole made contact. However, this time, the barrier immediately shattered, and Poipole made its way through.
"Mud Shot!"
Drizzile immediately belched, unleashing an onslaught of mud onto Poipole. The Poison-type was battered with the attack and forced back. The weight of the mud kept it from quickly retreating.
"Now, Liquidation!"
Drizzile clapped his hands together and then bounded forward. His eyes now had a look of determination in them. He swung his arms and smacked Poipole further back. The Poison-type violently spun around in the air but quickly recovered.
"Torque, don't give up! Use Poison Jab! End this!"
"Drizzile, Liquidation! Let's go!" Poppy shouted.
The two Pokémon prepared their respective attacks. Drizzile swung his aquatic fist while Poipole jutted her head forward. The two collided, and their energy swirled and mixed. The attacks stalled momentarily until the chemicals could no longer co-exist. They exploded, sending both Pokémon spiraling backward.
Leinani held out her hands to protect herself from any potential flying debris while Poppy remained calm. When Leinani lowered her hands, her shoulders slumped at the sight of the result. Poipole was left on the ground while Drizzile still stood tall. The Pokémon returned to his lackadaisical posture before looking back at Poppy. The trainer returned her Pokémon and smiled.
"Thanks for the battle!" Poppy exclaimed.
Leinani ran to the field. She knelt and put her hand on Poipole. Without a word, she withdrew the Ultra Beast.
"Yeah."
"Are you here to challenge gyms?" Poppy asked.
Leinani slowly stood up. "Yeah."
"Me too! I hope that we can battle again sometime. I think since we're both from different regions, we have something in common," Poppy said. She paused and put her fingers to her chin. She continued, "I didn't do too great in the Galar League, but I'm looking to go all the way in Unova! You down to go all the way with me?"
Leinani furrowed her brow. She had listened to too much hip hop, and the way that she perceived Poppy's words was possibly misconstrued. "What do you mean?"
"As a rival! I need someone to battle in the finals! I can tell that you got some fire! I usually don't see that from someone who chose a Grass-type as their starter."
Leinani was furious about her loss. But, the way that Poppy spoke to her made her feel slightly at ease. She wasn't condescending like other rivals that she had had before. She couldn't help but smile.
"Alright, yeah. Rivals. Next time, I ain't losing," she said.
"I look forward to it! Now, let me heal your Pokémon!"
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
And, I've finally been able to continue Leinani's story. I just hope that I can continue this momentum. I really liked playing through Sword and Shield, and I wanted to give Leinani a rival from Galar. I'm excited to bring her to life as well. However, I imagined that I was going to write this so many years ago, even before Scarlet and Violet.