Hey everyone! Back for another update.
We're up to the totem battle! This one was kind of tricky for me to write and I'm unsure of how it's going to end up going. Had the rough draft completed last Sunday and was ready to actually put it out last Monday...that surge of reviews did give me a boost to try and finish a chapter sooner.
Speaking of which, thanks for all the amazing feedback last chapter. That was something I was anticipating for quite a while and I'm very glad it was an enjoyable read. Now if I see a lot of good reviews...I will go that extra mile and try to see if I can get a chapter released within the next week. Not going to say it's happening all the time, but just wanted to let you all know that it does not go unnoticed and I'd like to hold up my own end.
But seeing how I missed the deadline with the edits last week, it turns out that this one was going to end up going out at the two weeks deadline. Much of this ended up being taken out since some parts didn't sit well with me and the revisions took all until yesterday evening to complete. Was tired like crazy when I reported for work, but I hope the new iteration is worth it.
So enjoy everyone.
Wow. It's amazing that the dance Elio did was to wake up the totem pokemon. It was hiding in the lava pit at the end of the ring and he had to battle it!
I don't like pokemon getting hurt, but Nebby and I did our best to cheer him on from here in the hotel. I just want to see him again. He looks like he's grown so much stronger as a trainer and maybe even a person! Who would've thought he would be dancing like a crazy person for a lizard woman? He scores a total one hundred and ten on looking good doing it!
It was such a thrilling battle and even I was excited! The totem pokemon nearly defeated him!
Elio's own eyes went wide as the totem pokemon finally unlimbered itself in front of him.
The creature was slender in appearance, rising on its hind legs to tower over him by a full foot. Its features were arguably reptilian with dark gray scales covering its entire body. The stomach was a light purple with pink linings. Both of its long arms ended in five digit hands and it used them to deftly move around while crawling on all fours.
"Rotom? For some reason that looks like a really big salandit."
"ALERT! BZZT! TOTEM Pokemon approaching! Bzzt! Well yezzz!" The haunted 'Dex buzzed, shuddering a little at the sight of the giant across from them. "That izzz a totem salazzle! I have a new pokemon detected and urge to releazzzze itzzz data! But I'm too terrified to do anything! Bzzt!"
"Rotom!"
"Oh zorry! I'm just scared shBZZZTless!" He shakily brought up the image after the timely buzzing censor had cut off his word. "Salazzle. Toxic lizard pokemon. It is the evolved form of a female salandit. A salazzle lives in caves and lava pits, luring attracted salandit to serve it with pheromones. This pokemon will create a reverse harem of male salandit and forces them to bring it food. Salazzle is a poison and fire type and a female only species. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
"Sounds like she's going to be a dangerous foe." Elio murmured to himself. What IS a reverse harem? What IS a harem to begin with?
"Trial goer in the name of Kamalono'a!" Kiawe's voice cut through the marowak's drumbeats. "You are challenged by the mo'owahine if you are wishing to proceed to your love! Back down now and she will not pursue or harm you!"
Again part of the script.
"I'm not backing down!" Elio said defiantly. He glared right at the massive lizard, which hissed and narrowed her eyes at him as she approached.
"Yeah?" He asked with a bit of bravado. "You wanna dance? C'mon!"
The totem let out a loud gurgling wail, raising herself up to full height. Just like with the totem raticate and totem wishiwashi, a familiar mysterious orange aura summoned itself out of thin air, surrounding her and flaring right to life.
"ALERT! Be advizzed!" Rotom buzzed again. "The totem'zzz aura hazzz activated! Her zpecial defenzzze hazzz increazed!"
Noted.
"Rufflet!" Elio summoned his first choice onto the field. His small eaglet pokemon let out a caw eager for battle and he swooped down to land opposite the giant lizard.
Totem salazzle made the first move, arcing her tail over as if like a scorpion. She flicked it forward, allowing a fine glob of noxious looking purple liquid shoot forward with incredible speed.
Elio was in the middle of shouting for Rufflet to avoid, which the bird had already done, spreading his wings and flapping them twice to easily get clear of the incoming sludge bomb.
"Move in Rufflet!" Sun commanded. "Wing attack!"
He changed directions, soaring forward and stretching out his wings. The appendages were iron hard as he slashed through her right side. The totem let out a grunt of pain as his attack sent her staggering back, however it remained upright on both feet. Just as he had predicted, he had done little damage. Salazzle's smaller front limbs swatted at him to no avail. Rufflet had pitched up and done a barrel roll to avoid them.
Sun had him dive at another fury attack and he obeyed, sharply jabbing at the massive totem repeatedly. The salazzle finally managed to stop him when she had opened her mouth to fire a ball of flame that exploded on contact.
Rufflet screeched, flying away and landing a bit harshly for Elio's tastes right in front of him.
"You okay buddy?" He got an affirmed caw in reply. "Let's keep up the pressure!"
The bird spread his wings for another attack. At the same time, the totem had spun around, readying a glowing ball of dragon rage.
Rufflet rolled again as it fired. The audience right in its path had instinctively flinched as the attack headed their way. Luckily the shield systems had come to life, having it impact harmlessly on the barrier. Although invisible, it flashed green as the dragon rage struck before fading again.
He had honed on his target, set to strike right in the same place where his previous wing attack had hit. Salazzle bellowed in fury as this time it produced enough of an effect to knock her over. Her fall onto the rocky ground was brief as she was quick to roll back onto all four legs again and back up.
Elio noticed this too. The totem had been constantly firing different attacks, a sludge bomb, dragon rage and flame burst all from a considerable distance. Since Rufflet's attacks required him to get up and close and personal, he would have to avoid most incoming to land successful hits. Salazzle had held her fire when he was close, using that flame burst as a last resort since he was at such a point blank range.
That's it! The eureka moment hit him. Salazzle can't fight very well up close. That's why she moves away…to maximize the distance so that she won't have to worry about close combat. That's where I gotta do the most of it.
Salazzle made another gurgling sound before launching her tail in another bullet sludge bomb. Rufflet automatically flapped his wings to gain altitude.
And then she opened her mouth to spit a stream of noxious looking purple liquid that was brighter in color than the sludge bomb. Rufflet had flown right into its path and let out a screech of pain. As he steadied himself up high, Elio could see the similar filmy effects of a poison condition coating his feathers.
Except it looks even worse than before.
Oh no. That was toxic wasn't it…
"Alert!" Rotom buzzed and flew around worriedly at Elio's side. "Salazzle hazzz uzed toxic! That izzz a move that gradually increazez in wearing down itz foe!"
Great. Rufflet's got a limited lifespan. Let's make the most of it. You may go down, but we're all in this together as a team.
"Rufflet, we're gonna go down swinging!" Elio called out to him. "Why don't we make things a little harder for our totem friend?"
The eaglet gave him an affirming caw and nodded eagerly.
"Alright, let's give our new move a try! Use roost!"
Salazzle hissed furiously and started gathering energy in her mouth while his bird landed on the ground, flexing his wings. There was a brief green glow around him as some of his worn energy returned from the recovery move. Roost didn't cure his poisoning, but his regained strength meant he was able to fight for just a little longer.
"Fury attack!"
The totem now opened her mouth, spouting a lot more poisonous liquid. This one had a nasty acrid smell that immediately hit his nose once it splashed onto the floor. In the lights of the surrounding flames, Elio could see thin noxious vapors trailing up from the puddles.
Rufflet was hit with a full drench and even the regained energy from the roost move hadn't been enough to keep him in the fight. He stiffened and fell over limply.
Elio felt a rush of frustration of losing him so handily, but concern had also set in on how quickly he had been defeated, even with using a recovery move like roost.
Rotom seemed to have another timely answer to that. "Be advizzed! Bzzt! That move wazzz venoshock! It dealz increazzed damage if itz target izz already poisoned! Bzzt!"
Now I'm down to four. And this is going to be a short fight if that totem keeps on using the toxic venoshock tandem.
"Buddy," Elio gave a small smile as he pulled out the great ball. "You were great out there. We'll finish this as a team. I promise."
So what do I do? Salazzle wants to poison my entire team and that's a death sentence right there.
Wait…poison types can't be poisoned. I have one.
"Grimer, you're up!" Sun called out, throwing the sludge pokemon.
"Grime!"
Salazzle hissed again, opening up her attacking ability with another flame burst.
"Minimize to dodge and bite it when you come back up!" He had obeyed, immediately shrinking his own size down to avoid the ball of fire. As soon as it passed overhead, his amorphous body expanded once more, biting down right on the totem's leg. She shrieked and wriggled it in an attempt to dislodge him, however his form made it difficult with the viscous and malleable surface. His fangs sunk into her lower leg area with another bite before she fired a point blank dragon rage that gave enough opportunity for her to escape.
Predictably, she had backed into one side of the ring, although this time instead of readying another long range attack immediately; the totem raised its head high up and emitted a screeching roar that made the hairs on everyone's skin stand on end.
Moments later, movement caught both trainer and pokemon's eye as two small salandits crawled from the lava pit and rushed frantically towards the larger reptile. In comparison to the two salandit he had faced earlier, these ones had a frenzied expression on their face. Jaws open and tongue hanging lazily out like some dog. Their gazes were fixated on the salazzle.
She hissed threateningly at the two lackeys and they had seemed to obey, turning around to face the trainer and his own poison type.
"So you got some help huh?" Elio asked aloud. "That's not going to help you! Grimer! Use pound!"
"Grime!" He had raised his arms up as the salandit rushed forward at their totem's orders. Instead of bringing them down however; they turned dark with some power brimming about. He swung them in a hammering strike that was strong enough to knock both salandit back right towards the salazzle totem.
"Woah amazing! Bzzt!" 'Dex exclaimed. "Grimer juzzt learned brutal swing!"
Brutal swing looks more powerful.
"Again!"
"Grime!" His arm had stretched to nearly double its length and he swept it at the three lizards. One of the salandit was unlucky enough to catch the brunt of the attack and instantly knocked out. The totem salazzle and salandit had survived, but he had knocked them down onto their backs.
A whirl of motion and the totem was back on her feet. Elio now noticed that she was just a little slower in getting up. That meant it was starting to wear out.
Before Grimer could attack again, the totem unleashed another toxic attack. Because he was too slow, Elio's sludge pokemon wasn't able to avoid it in time and he glanced about at his arms and body before suddenly flinching.
"What?!" Sun saw that the similar poison filmy coating was now all over Grimer's body. The pokemon let out a low grunt at the pain, retaliating with another brutal swing attack that knocked out the second salandit lackey. That filmy toxin continued to whittle down his health and the totem salazzle knew it. She fired a dragon rage that Grimer deflected with a brutal swing, however he had once again flinched from its continuous damage.
How in the world did Grimer get poisoned? He's a poison type!
"Rotom?" A thought made its way into his head and he was pretty sure he now knew how it was possible. "How did salazzle manage to poison grimer? He's poison type…so therefore, can't."
"Actually that'zzz wrong! Bzzt! Salandit and salazzle have the ability corrosion! Bzzt! Corrosion allowz them to produzzze ztronger poizonz that can affect both poizon and zteel type pokemon! Bzzt!"
Fantastic. Now my entire team is vulnerable to that. "So there's nothing that can counter that?"
"Wrong again! Bzzt!" Rotom chuckled just slightly, enjoying the fact that his writer kept on teasing his trainer. "A pokemon with the ability immunity cannot be poizoned! Pokemon with the ability magic guard can be poizoned, however it prevents them from being damaged continuouzly by itz effectz! Bzzt! There are wayz around it! Bzzt!"
"Then there's no way around it." He would have to make do.
Salazzle made to open her mouth with venoshock and then reeled back suddenly as a blue line suddenly wrapped itself around her. She coughed again and again, but no toxic liquid had come forth.
"Yes!" Elio pumped a fist. "The disable worked!"
"Grime!" His pokemon took advantage of the totem's surprise with a toothy smirk.
She was undeterred, instead crawling back to another corner and roaring into the sky again. Moments later, another pair of smaller salandit burst from the ground and stood protectively at her side.
Oh come on! More?!
"Brutal swing! Aim for the totem first!"
"Grime!" The poison continued gnawing away at his energy, but he mustered both of his arms, expanding them and clearing the entire space. The totem reflexively ducked under the swinging boom of an arm; however both salandit lackeys were caught once again and tossed away like toys. They tumbled to the ground and ended upright, charging back into the fray.
Grimer's next move was a second brutal swing that caught onto a quickly fired dragon rage, deflecting it away into the sky. He let out a cry of persistence, showing the larger foe that he was not intimidated in the least.
The first salandit attacked, summoning an ember. Sludge shrank rapidly in size, avoiding the fiery ball before re-sizing and clamping down on the small lizard's tail in a vicious bite. It collapsed to the floor when he released his grip and turned to face the second one.
Grimer suddenly shook again from the poisoning effects and slumped over.
The toxic had done a number on him. Elio knew it worsened every time and this turn around, it had erased the final bits of his energy and he succumbed.
He felt the frustration start to build. Three pokemon down and this totem seemed to have an infinite number of salandit allies to call upon. Salazzle could poison virtually anything with her toxic and corrosion ability which meant that if his entire party was stricken with the condition, his entire team would be whittled and worn down until he had nothing left.
So what happens in a show like this? Would that mean I have to fight the totem myself?
"Grimer return." He recalled his next defeated pokemon and stared back out at his newest adversary. If there was anything he could be optimistic about, it was that his damaging efforts hadn't gone to waste. The totem salazzle had crouched low to the ground, sporting many fresh wounds and bruises. The aura that boosted her special defense was still there flickering in bright orange to indicate its presence.
How do I win against this? It's going to be poisoning my entire team, which means I'll have to take it down fast.
Fast. Both Rockruff and Torracat are fast, but do I use him as a trump card? I could end this quick if she's weakened. If she's not and Rockruff gets poisoned and knocked out by a couple venoshocks, I would've played my ace and lost it.
Let's see what happens.
Elio spun out the next poke ball, this one containing his starter. "Okay Torracat, let's go!"
"Tor!"
The salandit didn't hesitate and lunged to attack. Torracat jumped at it as well, lashing out with its forelegs in a twin successive strike. The double kick was enough to bring it down.
Kiawe walked along the battle's perimeter to continue the story as the second minion fell. He kept an eye on the ongoing conflict as to make sure he wouldn't be in the fray of it.
"Kamalono'a battled scores of the mo'owahine's enthralled, all until he reached the summit of Mauna Wela here at this very point and confronted the mythical creature herself."
Salazzle gurgled again, flinging her tail forward to fire a series of sludge bombs. She followed up those attacks with streams of venoshocks. It was a deadly maze of attacks and her shrill screeches when attacking made it clear that she was angry and had enough of this long game.
Torracat had been patient, just as Elio had reminded him. He used his strong legs to nimbly dodge each poison move that was shot his way. He managed to retaliate with an ember that briefly disoriented the totem, but otherwise did little in terms of damage.
It all heated up to the point where salazzle crouched down on all fours once again and she fired a rather large flame burst that arced high up into the air before teetering and beginning a long plummet down to the ground.
Elio first thought that it was just another one of those distractions. Since it was nighttime, people and pokemon's perceptions tended to react strongly to contrasting things of motion. It was similar to the common two-piece technique that he had applied often to become an ace at dodgeball. The concept was simple in terms of the most popular sport at his school; one would throw a ball higher into the air that was easily catchable. The victim would react to that, temporarily become distracted and end up as an easy target for a more linear second shot.
This isn't dodgeball though. And Torracat doesn't even have to move in order to avoid that.
Wait.
The sludge bombs. The venoshocks.
Elio's eyes widened at the revelation.
"TORRACAT! GET OUT OF THERE NOW!"
The flame hit in the center of where the majority of the sludge bombs and venoshock attacks had puddled out. Most of their toxic effects were neutralized as soon as they missed and hit the ground, however it did leave lingering pools of their volatile fumes. Elio saw them as sickly wisps of vapors that dissipated for the most part when they were higher than a foot off the ground.
As if the entire area had been doused in gasoline, the ground ignited in a massive inferno that shocked the hell out of everyone. Even presiding trial captain Kiawe couldn't hide the surprise. He was aware of the fumes trap that salazzle employed, although this time it was nearly twice as large as she had normally executed. Elio put his arms in front and staggered from the sudden explosion. His attempts to shield himself from its scorching heat were futile.
Luckily the Ward of Dawn shielding had flared to life, holding strong against a rolling wall of flame that was snuffed out just moments later from running out of fuel. The shields had not however prevented the heat from escaping, so thus standing inside the ring felt momentarily as if he had been in the inside of an industrial oven.
It was perhaps she had seen this trainer to be far more dangerous than her previous challengers. If that were the case, it added to the foregone conclusion that he was truly indeed Tapu Koko's waeia kekahi.
Torracat's strong limbs were enough that he escaped the majority of the cluster explosions, however its rapid growth and rush of air knocked him off balance and send him tumbling to the ground.
The totem salazzle pounced on her downed prey before Torracat could roll back onto his feet. He glared at her on top of him and let out a feral snarl.
She had been a little too gloating of her victory to sense him charging an ember attack through his flame bell. He spat it out, smoking her eyes and mouth and causing her to shriek and scramble off him.
Elio's starter wasn't about to let her get away that easily. He used his front paws to pin her leg down to the ground. When she opened her mouth to shoot out another ranged attack, the fire cat had used his hind ones to lash out in a devastating double kick to her side.
"Don't let up!" Elio cried. "Bite its tail and fling it down!"
With a nod and purr of compliance, his fangs had glowed a brilliant white as he found and clamped down on the creature's whiplike tail. The totem did not like this at all as she screeched shrilly and thrashed about in a vain attempt to dislodge him.
I might have an idea. What if we can use that explosion trap against it? I'll just have to make a tempting target. Someone maybe a little slower.
"Torracat. I'm taking you back."
"Tor!" His head whipped around in protest.
"I've got a plan, but it needs rockruff right now. You'll get your chance."
"Tor!"
"Thanks buddy." Elio used his poke ball to suck him back into his micro-home while at the same time, using his other hand to toss Rockruff out into the fight.
Rockruff's my ace here. He's just a little slower than Torracat, so maybe we can do that dodging dance again to see if the totem decides to lay out an explodey trap like last time.
Salazzle gave off an unimpressed hiss and folded her arms before opening her jaws once again to fire. Elio had Rockruff act much faster. As soon as he knew that it was getting ready to attack, Rockruff's sucker punch went off as he threw his entire body weight into the attack and knocked the much larger foe back down.
"Rock throw!" Elio commanded with a wave of his arm. He fully intended to use his advantageous type matchup as much as he could. "Let's bring this thing down."
Rockruff growled and flicked his tail forward. Instantly, a barrage of rocks shot out.
Salazzle was ready and she deftly dodged the attack before perching herself beside the lava pit and doing that same shrill cry again.
"And here comes her fan club again." Elio was tempted to roll his eyes when three salandit crawled out from the pit, hissing lowly at Rockruff. The puppy growled back, but his inexperience still had him glancing behind him at Elio for guidance. His trainer stared curiously at the smirking expression.
Ever since they had commenced the battle, he had noticed the totem had many little deceptions that he had to counter. The timely arrival of salandit minions, the venoshock and sludge flammable traps. He was beginning to wonder if she wasn't done dipping into her bag and was getting ready to deceive him again. It was no secret that she was continuing to call her enthralled salandit to her aid because she knew that losing imminently was very much a possibility.
Elio instructed Rockruff to take care of the incoming salandit as they charged forth, firing embers and clouds of smog. However he kept his own focus on the totem in seeing what she would do.
Sun did have to give her credit for another deception. While Rockruff was preoccupied with battling the four salandit on his right, she had spent the bought time in spraying sludge bomb and venoshock fluid onto the left side of the ring. A good patch of ground was covered in the sickly substance and he immediately knew it by the intoxicating smell that hit his nostils.
She's setting another trap.
Rockruff managed to knock out one of the salandit with a well-placed rock throw. However there was little he could do to prevent himself from taking damage in a three on one scenario…especially considering the smaller lizards were bloody fast. One of their rushing smog attacks had gotten lucky and his puppy was now shivering constantly from the poison coating on his body.
In the middle of their fight, Rockruff was ready to use bite on another one of the salandit when the totem salazzle had stepped in. She winked one of her eyes, causing a small pink heart to fly out and hit Rockruff smack dab on the nose.
"Do not be afraid koa!" Kiawe shouted in the middle of the action. "Bring down the beast and fulfill the promise you had made to Pelei and your pokemon!"
He waved his arms around to the crowd and soon enough, chants of the same thing he had urged at Elio began to echo from every side.
"Alert!" Rotom screeched, although Elio had to strain to listen since the spectators were starting to shout. "The totem salazzle hazzz uzed attract! Rockruff izzz in love! Not a good time to zeeek zoulmatezzz! Bzzt! Noize levelzzz increazzzing!"
"Yeah I know!" Elio snapped, feeling the pressure starting to build up. He had lost three pokemon already to the totem and its battle beforehand and now it seemed that he was going to lose his fourth.
Rockruff's mouth remained open and his tongue was hanging lazily out as his eyes seemed to sparkle with infatuation at the female pokemon opposite him. The totem brushed its dainty hand against the side of its head as if it were a woman smoothing out her hair in an attempt to appeal herself.
With him immobilized, she gurgled again, firing another stream of venoshock liquid that splashed over Rockruff's fur. He let out a sharp cry of pain as one of the salandit readied and fired a successive dragon rage attack. The impact blew Rockruff down to the ground where he tumbled to a stop closer to Elio's side of the field.
"Rockruff!" Just at that moment, the chants had stopped as a collective gasp rose amongst the crowd.
I'm sorry. I'm so sorry buddy. Elio shook his head in frustration. Now the embers of anger were beginning to smolder in his mind. Every strategy he tried to get around was effectively countered by the totem's corrosion ability and toxic which left his entire team vulnerable to its biting effects. If it wasn't the poison that got him, it was the attract move. All of Elio's pokemon on his team were male, making it a sure weapon in disabling his ability.
So this is it? Down to just Torracat? He's already spent a lot of his own energy and we still have to contend with all of her salandit who are all smitten with her?
Wait…the salandit. Another idea came to his head.
I still haven't used my Z-move yet, but maybe if I can get a breakneck blitz in there, this should be enough to end it once and for all. Maybe even take down the others while I'm at it.
"Okay Torracat!" Elio was starting to feel uncertain if he was going to be able to win this. At least he was planning to put on a show, even if he was going to end up losing.
Just like what coach said. If you're going down in the spotlight, go down swinging and end it with no regrets. That's what we're going to do. Put everything we got into this and be ready to try again when we're ready.
The chants had returned, continuing to grow in volume until Sun had to almost shout in order to give Torracat instructions. It was clear that his own pokemon was having difficulty hearing as well, since he had to shout at least twice each time and his own combatant barely heard him.
I have to trust him if we're gonna win.
Crouching low to the ground, Torracat pounced up, powering up a fire fang that bit down onto the totem's neck. Although the attack did little damage, he used her own weight to his advantage, tossing the massive beast away.
Just as he had predicted; the battle and sudden attack on her had clearly angered her enough. She made that similar gurgling sound and flicked her tail about.
Torracat was ready, being able to see and partially hear that queue that she was ready to fire off a sludge bomb.
Elio glanced back at the salandits. They were all gathering in the trio cluster to attack again.
His starter saw them too and all it took was a glance back to his trainer and a nod. Since their main means of communication were hindered by the loudened chants, they had battled together long enough to generally know what the other was thinking. Back on the other side, totem salazzle winked again.
Here it comes.
All three salandit leapt up to attack.
That was where he made his move. Torracat powered up his bell and shot forward, but instead of going for the totem itself, he was targeting the minions.
Each toxic lizard felt their eyes widen as a pair of iron hard forelegs rapidly beat them in their stomachs and hurled them in front.
Salazzle released her attract attack and Sun decided to use that opportunity to throw her a taunting grin as she had realized he was now using her charm against her.
The heart splashed itself over the three salandit in the pile just in front. They quickly got back up on their feet and faced their totem ally.
No longer did they have that same sly gleam in their eyes when they attacked. Jaws open with bits of clear saliva oozing out from in between their teeth and tongues hanging halfway down lazily. With their gazes turned towards their enthrall, the salandit advanced rapidly and moved away from a recovering Torracat.
That bought me some time. Now I just have to do this Z-move dance right. Scratch won't do here, but we can probably power up double kick to at least do us some good even though it's not going to be very effective.
Salazzle shrieked, firing a flame burst that scattered the approaching salandit, however it did little good. Her lackeys were now free of what little restraint they had in their adoration.
Elio was already powering up his Z-Ring while rotating to the Fightinium Z crystal in his bracelet. He felt an awesome surge of power as it crackled with brilliant light.
Time for the pose.
"Torracat!" He wasn't sure if he could be heard over the crowd's roar, but Torracat had gotten the order by standing in front and allowing the Z-Power to envelope his lithe body and briefly gather superpowered strength. "Unleash the full potential of your Z-Power!"
It had been some time since he had practiced the fighting type dance, but Hala's example made it look easy. Crossed arms with chambered fists. He unleashed a barrage of punches, bent his hips and struck out with his right fist. The stored power in his bracelet feeding his pokemon had ceased having reached maximum power.
"Z-Move unleash! Channeling double kick into ALL-OUT PUMMELING!"
"Torr!" In a much shocking display, his exhausted pokemon growled lowly before rising up on his hind legs. The forelegs lashed out, but they didn't fire just two kicks.
A flurry of reddish orange fists fusilladed as the salandits all piled upon the larger salazzle with frenzied abandon, hissing loudly with savor. They had been so fixated with the object of their adoration; none were ready to avoid Elio's oncoming Z-move.
He heard a series of loud protesting screeches from the tangle of salandit and totem salazzle. Torracat kept thrusting his paws forward, lancing out blows. The noise from the move was beginning to overpower the crowd's roar.
By now, the punches had knocked out the three salandits garnering for the totem's attention and his pokemon sent one final big blow that sent the totem flying right up in the air towards the bleachers on the far side of the ring.
Everyone had gasped and those right in its path were already up and scrambling for cover. Luckily for them; the shield barrier had activated, deflecting the large scaly body with a muted hiss, averting all potential injury.
Elio was surprised to see her stir after just a moment and rise to her feet, albeit slowly and sporting many new wounds and scuffs.
"Torracat." He gasped.
His own starter pokemon weakly swayed on all fours, slowly turning his head around. Elio couldn't read his eyes in time before they slid closed and he collapsed onto the dirt.
That Z-Move took everything he had.
Elio felt his face fall and he stared at the ground as the weight of the entire battle was now beginning to settle in once more.
I failed it. This trial is too much.
The first emotion that went through his mind was anger. Anger at coming in unprepared and giving all of what he had into this battle and still coming up short. There had been so many things he could count off the top of his head that he could've done in preventative measures in avoiding such a loss. He knew that the crowd's chants behind him were part of the noise factor in hindering a key cog in a trainer-pokemon battle relationship, but now he realized that more than ever did he have to instruct his combatants into thinking for themselves instead of following his commands to a t.
We'll try again sometime. I just need to analyze what information I've gotten.
In the front of the ring, Makoa held up a hand causing both the crowds to quiet down immediately and the ceremonial marowak to halt their drumming cadence. "I did say that our Kamalono'a here was going to fall." A few short chuckles from the crowd caused Elio's cheeks to heat up from embarrassment.
However he swore that a smile flickered across the orthodox Ka Malama's face. "So koa, what will you do to stand up once again? The Mo'owahine is not yet defeated."
"But I am."
"If my memory serves me right. You still have one pokemon left to battle."
Do I? Sun reached down to his right side clips. Ever since starting on his island challenge, he had developed a habit of placing his able-battlers on his right since he was respectively handed and shifting his defeated pokemon into the left side of his harness.
Only one poke ball remained. His heart suddenly skipped a beat when he noticed the dark netting pattern over its top.
Oh no. Oh no. Crapcrapcrapcrap.
"You must send out your final pokemon trialgoer." Kiawe softly said. "Otherwise this will count as a forfeit."
I'm not forfeiting. I never forfeit anything!
But can I still send Feebas into a no-win situation? She's battled the least out of my team and I can't rely on her right now.
The thoughts of forfeit still did cross his mind though as he did not want his last defenseless pokemon to get unnecessarily hurt and with no water around, she was out of her element in a possibly life threatening environment.
Lack of water mixed with fire and poisons do not bode well for fish.
Across from him the totem gave off another one of her cunning smirks.
And it was enough for him to snap out of his contemplative stupor.
I'm not giving into that!
"I choose to continue Kiawe." Sun said, tossing the net ball in his hand. "However I will remove her and forfeit the challenge if it means that her health and safety is endangered."
"Very well." The captain nodded. "Hiki iāʻoe ke hele."
The brief Alolan phrase spurred the totem right back into action as Elio threw out his final pokemon.
Here goes nothing.
Murmurs rang out across the crowds as Feebas flopped about on the ground before finally finding a point where she could balance herself without laying on her side like a magikarp.
Elio felt his stomach do another flip as Salazzle lunged again. She raised her tail again, gurgling in that familiar queue. He thought that since she was out of water, her maneuverability was severely limited.
And he was proven wrong.
He wasn't sure about how good a fish could splash in an area with no water, but Feebas suddenly lurched on her side before smacking the ground with her tail hard enough to launch her entire body into the air.
A green orb of energy formulated in front of her jaws and she hastily fired it to meet the oncoming sludge bomb. The two attacks collided in a giant explosion.
As she fell back onto her fins at the ground, the fish's beady eyes had glanced at him. He interpreted it as full of trust and understanding, going all the way back to his indecision of releasing her.
What are you trying to tell me?
It was then when he noticed a pinprick of white light coming from his backpack. He had set it away at the edge of the ring when he had first started so that it wouldn't trip him during the middle of his dance routine.
"Keep it distracted." And then he was off.
"Bzzt! Elio! What are you doing? You have a battle to win! Bzzt!"
Elio ignored 'Dex and dashed right to the bag, immediately drawing everyone's attention. His hands frantically unzipped the side pocket and snagged the small object.
It was the prism scale, the one he had gotten from the Alola Sunrise accessory boutique when tagging along with Lillie on her own shopping excursion. The lady who had given it to him had mentioned something about using it to evolve a pokemon found at Brooklet Hill.
That was also the place where he had captured her.
Could this be how she evolves? Into what though?
One way to find out.
"Catch!"
Elio slid the scale between two of his fingers and flicked it as if tossing a card. It sliced perfectly through the air before landing smoothly on the ground and sliding over.
Salazzle must've figured that this would give him another fighting chance and sprung up after it. She stretched a scaly arm out, just finding it within her grasp.
This fish continues to surprise me. Elio thought to himself as he and the entire crowd bore witness to an impossible move.
Feebas had seen the scale being slid towards her as well as the totem bearing down on it from behind her. She did the same move again, planting her fins down on the ground and using the upwards motion of a splash to propel herself right on top of the scale and slide effortlessly away from salazzle.
The lizard had hastily judged her trajectory and she crashed into a heap onto the ground having missed her target.
Elio had to take his eyes away from everything because now there was a harsh white glow coming from the ring's center. A big collective gasp rose from the entire audience in unison. Even Kiawe and Makoa looked to be a little surprised at the untimely evolution.
All right Feebas! This is just what we needed!
The glare had lasted for just a few seconds and Sun glanced back to recoil in shock.
Feebas was no longer there.
The pokemon standing opposite the totem was vastly different than the small mottled fish he once had. Instead, she had taken a lithe serpentine appearance with a primarily cream colored body. Long reddish fins draped on her sides and she fixed her foe with an unnerving gaze with her changed eye color; a dark crimson.
Elio saw her tail swishing from side to side idly. It had several noticeable blue and black colored scales that ended in four long tips that looked like fan blades.
What captivated him most was that.
She is incredibly beautiful. He thought to himself. The way Feebas now poises herself is confident, calm and elegant.
Everyone had seemed to come to a similar conclusion and another round of murmurs were beginning to surface at the new sight.
Even the totem salazzle was in a little bit of a shock.
"Here'z the bezt place to interrupt!" 'Dex said chiming in and flying right over to Elio's side. "New pokemon detected! Bzzt! Milotic. Tender pokemon. It is the evolved form of feebas. It is often referred to as the most beautiful and elegant pokemon of all. Those that behold its loveliness are said to have their hearts purified. Milotic is a water type. Your Milotic has the ability Competitive, which will strongly raise its special attack power if another one of her statuses have been lowered."
"Wow!" Was all he could muster before salazzle jumped right back into the fight. I swear I've seen this pokemon before somewhere.
Milotic reacted, springing her body low and dodging a dragon rage attack with relative ease.
"Alright let's go girl!" Elio pumped a fist, his confidence igniting a return at his new evolution. "Show me what you got!"
Salazzle snarled, gurgling again and raising her tail.
"Here comes another sludge bomb!"
To his own surprise; Milotic's own tail went right into action. Her two outermost scales were short and curved inward while the two in the center were longer. She straightened them with a metallic sliding sound akin to a blade unsheathing before all four scales seemed to glow and interlock together and form a solid blade.
"Woah! Bzzt! That'zzz iron tail!" Rotom exclaimed. "It'zzz a very ztrong zteel move! Bzzt! And it lookz like Milotic izzz taking it up another notch! Bzzt!"
She struck her tail in a forward stab, knocking the large totem off balance. Salazzle misfired out of reflex.
So you got a super cool sword iron tail huh? Let's see what else you can do!
Milotic let out a soft coo before opening her mouth and shooting out a small orb of water. The supereffective attack struck again before salazzle had a chance to counterattack and she had tumbled to the ground and struggled to get back up.
"That'zzz water pulse!"
"Now's our chance Milotic!" Elio shouted. "Let's finish this! Use dragon pulse!"
She spun around with captivating elegance and let out another coo; this one sounding fiercer than the last. Her old attack had now gotten an increase of power and she launched it with an incredible velocity and accuracy at her target.
Salazzle disappeared into the pulse as it exploded with tremendous force. Energy dissipated before suddenly gathering together once again and exploding a second time just a split second after the first.
Elio stared in confusion as it coagulated to detonate a third and final explosion right behind the second before finally subsiding with a good amount of dust kicked into the air.
Everyone, trial captain, guide, trainer and spectator alike held their breath as it began to settle.
Salazzle lay in a tangle of limbs and wounds. Her body occasionally twitched reflexively, however it was evident that she was not going to be able to battle any further.
Kiawe stepped forward to examine the defeated totem pokemon. When he stepped back, there was an ear to ear grin spread across his face.
"And so Kamalono'a finally triumphed over the mo'owahine! He slayed the beast and finally rescued Pelei! Our fine warrior faced everything from adversity, frustration and of course…heat. However as he had been knocked down before, he stood up and persisted until the very end for the thing he loved the most! Kamalono'a and Pelei were reunited at last, finally bringing an end to the hostilities of their tribes and married soon after…living happily ever after!"
Now it was the crowd's turn to cheer loudly and Elio felt his face go warm with a long round of applause.
He could see Makoa feeding the totem some sort of root before she hissed again softly and rolled to her feet. As her reptilian eyes looked around the crowds, she had spotted Elio and gave a slight nod of her head before crawling on all fours to herd the salandit minions back into the pit at the ring's end.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Kiawe called out. "Mahalo for each and every one of you for coming and witnessing one of Alola's oldest traditions! We hope you enjoyed the spectacle tonight and wish Elio the best of luck on his island challenge!"
"I must admit that as prejudiced as I was," Makoa said when the ring was devoid of all spectators except for Ed. "You have proven to me that malihini are more than capable of taking on the island challenge and passing."
It was half an hour later when everyone watching had taken the buses down the trails and others mounted various types of ride pokemon to leave the area. Kiawe and his marowak kept their fire staffs ready and provided some more lighting so that it wasn't straining dim.
"Thank you sir." Elio said. "That means a lot."
"It should. I do not give praise lightly."
"Well I have to give credit where credit is due." The boy gestured behind him to his recovered party of pokemon, who were looking at him with admiration and respect. "My pokemon have met and exceeded all my expectations and I'm proud of every single one of them for the roles they played tonight."
"Needless to say you were spectacular!" Kiawe exclaimed as he stood up and walked to stand beside the older man. "With your keen observations, skills in battle and perseverance, you were able to successfully put on a fantastic show for people all around Alola! And you defeated the totem pokemon with such ease."
"More luck than anything." Elio said as Milotic slid up next to him and gave him a slight nudge with her nose. "We're headed back as soon as we're done for some rest. They've earned it."
"A Firium Z is awarded to each trainer who completes the trial here at Mauna Wela. It is yours now."
Sun held out his hand and shook from barely concealing his excitement.
His new crystal had the pattern of a swirling flame that seemed to shimmer from the torches surrounding the ring. Although inconclusive, he swore that it was glowing a very dull amber.
"Firum Z! Acquired!" The boy crouched low to the ground, kneeling down and holding the gem close to himself, spinning around in a circle and thrusting it up in the air, striking his celebration pose; right hand in a victory fist and left hand with the crystal. "Yes! Trial is complete!"
When he didn't hear a corresponding cheer from his party, he had glanced behind. Just like him, they were extremely eager to let out some bottled up excitement.
"Yes. You can celebrate. You don't need my permission for something like this."
His pokemon all went wild.
Makoa chuckled. "This is how you use the fire-type Z-power!"
He stepped forward and made an "X" shape with his arms, but stopped short as if something had come to his mind.
"Ah I'm sorry Kiawe. You're the captain here and should be doing the honors."
The trial captain smiled. "My pleasure. Just follow my movements."
He crossed his arms, spreading them back out akimbo before holding them out in fists down to his waist. They were then spread out again waving upwards to imitate a climbing blaze before snapping his right arm fully outstretched and crossing his left just at the crook of his elbow.
Okay. Easy enough.
"And your red petal."
Oh the trial flower. That's right.
"Thank you both. Mahalo."
"A'ole pilikia." Both Kiawe and Makoa had said in unison.
"It is late." The older man said. "You two best be getting back to town for some rest."
"Yeah we best get going bro." Ed scooped up Elio's backpack and handed it over to him. "We got a long walk ahead of us."
"Hope you brought your flashlight. I ain't using Torracat's bell as a light. Maybe talk that cubone you met earlier into evolving."
"What about your fire staff?"
"What you kidding? This is trial property. No way they're going to let me take this!"
"Perhaps I can help reduce the time to a fraction." Kiawe interrupted. "Elio, your ride pager?"
Wordlessly, he handed it over. Kiawe hit a few buttons and it was just moments later that a large pokemon dropped from the sky to land just a few feet away from them.
"Woah."
"Woah is right."
The pokemon in question was draconic in appearance with an orange and yellow body with long green wings and small wiry arms that ended in three digit claws. His neck stretched up so he towered over the two teens by several heads. His lizard tail had a small crackling flame burning at its tip.
"And thizz izz a new pokemon detected! Bzzt! Charizard. Flame pokemon. A charizard's fire burns hotter as it experiences harsh battles. This pokemon flies about in search of powerful opponents and is reluctant to use its fiery breath on anything weaker than itself. Charizard is a fire and flying type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
"I've always wanted to have a charizard." Elio said. "Always wanted to ride on its back and see the world from high up top."
"That's what you are about to do. Charizard here will lend you his strength and can take you to nearly any location you have previously visited in record of your Rotom 'Dex. You could fly home if you want to."
"You know what? That's actually a good idea. What do you say Ed? Wanna see my house?"
"Yeah sure. But you sure we have to fly on that?"
"Unless you prefer walking. What's the matter?" He lightly punched the basketball player's arm. "You're totally fine when you're flying on a plane?"
"Yeah but we're on a pokemon who doesn't even know us."
Sun sighed. "Just don't piss it off and you'll be fine. You and I know what happens when one gets riled up."
"Yeah sure. Whatever you say."
Kiawe and Makoa suggested that they take a few pictures to add to the scrapbook in which Elio, Ed and his pokemon were more than happy to oblige. Milotic was currently the center of his attention as she calmly continued to nuzzle the boy's face with her own.
Elio found her skin to be incredibly smooth and dry, with no trace of anything slimy or sticky on her skin. Her red eyes seemed to just erase any tension or anxiety he had and the nirvana of being just calm felt really…really good.
"You're a very pretty pokemon. I just wish I had a nickname for you that would stick."
Let's see here….Gorgeous? Not really fitting. Ikora? Too fiction-y. What about Lil…okay that's just weird and creepy if she found out. That's a no-go. Hmm…what to do? Wait…now I know where I saw this! The ex-champion of Hoenn…crap what was his name? He used one in his battle against Brendan Maple in that amazing battle broadcasted worldwide! Her name…was….um…Minerva! That's it! Wish I could use that though, Minerva sounds fitting for Milotic.
"Nani."
Unsurprisingly the suggestion had come from Makoa. "It means pretty in Alolan. Milotic are very rare in these parts, but they always capture the attention of others due to their incredible beauty and elegance. It's not just rare either. Some coordinator that visited Mauna Wela had once told me that milotic are not just difficult to find, but difficult to attain as an evolution. Nani fits her pretty well."
"I agree." Elio looked at her. "What do you say Nani? Want to go home?"
"And show that Firium Z to the guide at the beginning to the Dividing Peak Tunnel. As for us, it is time to return to our dance! We shall convey the feelings of our people, our pokemon and the true nature of Z-Power! Answers will lie in our dance and we will dance on to bid you farewell!"
"Quite an interesting duo those two." Kiawe said as he sat at the foot of one of the bleachers in the ring just after Elio and Ed had departed. The marowak had finally taken down the torches and gathered to sit beside them, chatting amongst themselves.
"That Elio keiki truly has something special about him." Makoa said. "Had he been kama'aina, I may have had a different approach to him. It has truly been a spectacular night, even if he is a haole. You may be right in that the way we carry and uphold our culture as a people must not be forgotten…but also shared with malihini."
"You were raised that way Makoa." Kiawe softly replied. "The feeling is something that's not going to disappear overnight."
"It is not. There are those haoles that ignore and disrespect our culture and land…and those that seek to honor it. Elio was one of those people that I can consider kama'aina."
"I think your daughter is making you go soft old man."
"Perhaps." Makoa chuckled. "She is carving her own path as well. And perhaps winning the Kumu Reef Triple Crown is her first step into becoming the first Alolan to become the Champion of the Surf Association."
Whew...all done with that one. Elio enjoys his first final form pokemon and it's one of my personal favorites! Milotic is a fantastic battler and I hope everyone enjoys what I have in store for Nani in the coming arcs.
Translations:
Ka Malama - Keeper/Caretaker
Hiki iāʻoe ke hele - You may proceed
Koa - Warrior
Malihini - Visitor
Kama'aina - Refers to a native resident regardless of race of ethnicity. Anyone born in Hawaii/Alola is considered kama'aina and on occasion given to foreigners who have lived there for a long time or done something heroic to be deemed in that manner. To be considered kama'aina is a very special honor.
Waeia kekahi - Chosen one
Nani - Pretty
A'ole pilikia - You are welcome/no problem
Mahalo for reading and reviewing, you give my writing purpose.
Brav