Alola readers! Brav here with the final grand trial which hits the big milestone of the main journey complete! There's only a handful of chapters left in the journey part, which has me thinking about how I'd like to finish this story off now that we are on the final lap of this story that's been 6 years going on 7 in the making. My guess is that we'll probably have 7-8 more chapters remaining until the epilogue of sorts which might be 2-3. Crazy that it's finally here.
The Moon Flute was ours as was the Sun Flute. Now all we had to do was cross the Vast Poni Canyon to the Altar of the Moone to summon the legendary pokemon. We were so close.
Along the way, Elio and I stopped at Hapu's house for a breakfast…after we ran into some more Team Skull. Seems like they weren't just ready to let off yet. Elio took care of them like usual, but it was actually Plumeria that eventually made them stop. I was surprised at how much she wanted our help and apologized for her own role in everything from my kidnapping to sending Team Skull after us. Maybe when things are done for, we can all turn over a new leaf for all of us.
Elio had one final battle and showdown with the last kahuna. If he won, his island challenge would be finished.
"Look guys, as much as I love our reunions, we're kind of busy right now."
Elio stood in front of Lillie protectively, just finishing to command Nani in battle as she swiftly defeated a large toxapex and awaited her next challenger.
Across from them were six team skull grunts, all of them squatting down and scrutinizing the teens as they were making their way towards Hapu's house and the trail that would eventually lead to the Vast Poni Canyon.
After getting back to the halemai late in the evening, Elio got another pair of bento boxes while they washed up and prepared for the long journey the next day.
Lillie was a bit surprised to see how little he knew about playing a flute, so as they ate and drank, she had given him a rough lesson. Turns out that learning how to do a pokemon battle versus playing a musical instrument made him a bit out of his element. His awkwardness in gripping it did not go unnoticed as she tried her best not to laugh.
"I'm trying my damndest here okay?!"
Eventually, she had to help him out. Starting with his posture.
Apparently it was easier said than done. As Elio held the pose, she moved next to him to check his arm placement and fingers. He had turned his head, staring at her zoned in concentration. Her own hand brushed against the shoulder that her mother had knifed up and she ran her thumb across the dark red markings that were still quite visible.
I wonder if it still hurts him?
Any work and progress was stubbornly slowed or halted as they often caught the other staring. Thoughts wandered amok, going right back to that kiss they shared earlier on that desolate island. Thinking what it could be.
It took a couple of painstaking hours until he got the posture right and was able to form basic musical notes with the flute.
"Sun. Moon. Together in the sky." They had sung and hummed softly, followed by them mimicking the posture of their fingers on the instruments. Together they played in sync, making the necessary adjustments.
Not too long after, Lillie felt satisfied that he was able to play it well enough that it could complete the summoning ritual that would call the legendary pokemon to their side.
They had fallen asleep much like the same way in all the other nights. Lillie on her stomach leaning onto his side with her head resting right in the crook of his neck and her arm draped over his chest. Elio had moved so that his chin was atop her head, appreciative of her body's warmth.
All the next morning, they had laid out all their gear to take into the Vast Poni Canyon. Boots, high socks, medicine for his pokemon and water bottles with an ultraviolet light in the cap. They were going into a backwater part of the island where drinking straight from a stream could give them a rather nasty surprise thanks to the microbes. It was something he would prefer to avoid if he could. Elio also had a set of spare batteries for the filters, but also packed extra calorie dense fish pemmican and sealed packets of special water infused with electrolytes. Neither of them knew the state of Lusamine and Guzma in Ultra Space, but it had been nearly three days since they had disappeared into the wormhole, almost to the point where they would perish without water in non extreme conditions.
They had to hurry.
"S-say what? Ya think ya crazyyy enough to go to space and rescue big bad Guzma?!" The largest grunt, most likely the leader who had the toxapex defeated by Nani.
"We can make ya talk, even if we have to cut ya to the bone!" This came from the lone girl in the group, sauntering next to their leader. "I hope ya like pain!"
Elio let out an aggravated sigh. "Guys, I really don't want to fight you all. We're on a time crunch here, so every moment we spend trying to swing our dicks around is one more moment Guzma remains stranded in wherever he's at. If that's a fate you want us to rescue him from, you'll merrily move your asses aside and let me and Lillie finish."
This brought some murmurs from the rest of the grunts behind them who exchanged puzzled looks.
He could see that he was getting to them, but trying to talk common sense might as well have been a solid inanimate wall compared to the human barricade they formed in front of the Vast Poni Canyon.
"We heard all about ya exploits at Aether! We ain't afraid of ya and we ain't yieldin' either!"
Once again, Elio resisted the urge to groan out loud and he could tell that Lillie had the same thought. She rubbed the bridge of her nose, leaning over to him.
"Do these guys ever understand what we're saying?"
You're overestimating their vocabulary.
"We can fight if you're so inclined." Elio took out two more poke balls, throwing out Strongside and Hakamo'o. The former wagged his fingers as if daring them to challenge him while the latter brought up his armored gauntlets, ready to spring into action.
"Uh…uh."
"While you take your time to decide, why don't we talk terms too?" Lillie stared at Elio, who suddenly had a smirk on his face. He's messing with them. "I beat all your asses, bring back your boss and you all stop harassing me and anyone else on the island challenge? Sound like a deal?"
"Not a chance you twerpy little shit!" The girl grunt glared at them. "I know you're here tryin' to trick us into some terms we have no intention of agreein' to!"
"Yeah! Once the boss is back in our lovin' hands, we're goin' straight back to bein' bad as a mofo! Woo! Get ready for more spankins!"
Ungrateful bunch of shits aren't they?
"I'm surprised at how much effort you guys want to put into causing trouble wherever I see you go. If you had put that much effort in the island challenge or maybe even being honest work, you might not have been misfits or rejects like you claim everyone else to call you."
The two big grunts blinked at him. "What?!"
"Yeah you heard me right, bro." Elio continued. "I don't know your stories or the circumstances of your upbringing. But you all miss the silver lining of failing the island challenge. If you're really castoffs; then you've got all the freedom of doing what you want. As long as you set some realistic goals for yourself, there isn't a person in the world that can tell you no."
More murmurs from the group in the back. Elio could tell he was getting to them.
The two in front didn't seem as convinced. "Are ya tryin' to say you're sorry for us?! Well excuuuuuse me for not knowing how much of a chushy lifestyle you got brought into with parents that cared."
"What if I told you that I had a shitty dad that I hadn't spoken with for years?" It had been just a few months ago that Cal had called him, but they didn't need to know that. "What if I told you that my life growing up wasn't all rainbows and sunshine like you think? Mine certainly wasn't," he jerked a thumb to Lillie next to him. "And her's wasn't either. If anything, hers was worse."
"Man…kid's got some deep thoughts," one of the grunts said in the back. Elio took a more detailed glance and he almost gasped in surprise, they were barely older than him. "It's been hard for me. When ya dad's the mayor of Hau'oli City and all he ever did was look at ya like ya were some sort of disappointment."
Hold on, this is Mayor Onizuka's son?
"Passin' the island challenge wasn't meant to be for failure's like us. Once our parents found out we couldn't do it, that immediately said we were for them streets."
Elio swallowed, starting to see the cracks and faults. Though the people of Alola were known for their warm hospitality, it irked him that anyone who came up short in this centuries old rite of passage immediately made them less of a person in the eyes of their peers. It didn't matter if someone quit from the get-go or they were one trial away from finishing it all.
At least I'll have finished it all by today. I hope.
"I agree with you." His next words caught the younger grunts off guard. "Funny how it comes from me, but I actually agree with what you say. The island challenge system is flawed to those that can't pass and you guys are living proof of it."
He took a deep breath. "Are you going to sulk around because of it? Or are you going to do something to make it better for the people who have yet to start?"
"Bro, I don't wanna think about it anymore. I just wanna live my life how I want."
"And that's okay." One of the other grunts assured him. "We can."
I'm hoping this pokemon league that Professor Kukui is about to start running will do something about people like these. Some of them deserve that second chance after getting dealt a bad hand.
"You've all got a chance now that there's no island challenge to fail. Use that."
"Hey yo, what's with this dumb shit?" The older grunt waved his hands in front of the teens to shatter the moment. "You all thinkin' you all high and mighty with that old people wisdom when you cruisin' through the island challenge like it's nothin' I swear!"
Lillie stepped forward, a surprising look of anger on her face. "What? Elio's put so much work into his pokemon and island challenge! How dare you say he's breezed through this!"
"Ooh, are ya defendin' ya little boyfriend?" Lillie's face flushed red, but she glared back with equal intensity, something she never would've done earlier. "Ya barely even the type of a trainer!" Elio sensed the tension starting to boil over from the tender moment just before and gestured to his pokemon. They tensed, remaining ready to step in and intervene if necessary.
"Okay that's enough. Nobody likes a sore loser."
The new voice was familiar, but it came from one of the slopes above. All pairs of eyes turned to see the familiar figure of Plumeria sitting on the edge of a rock wall, having observed the entire exchange from her perch.
How long was she sitting there?
She dropped down with the grace of her salazzle and strode over to them, staring at the grunts specifically. "I already know how the battle was going to go if you decided to throw that first punch. You can thank me later for saving your asses."
"Wha-Plumes…we didn't need no savin' I swear!" The confidence and swagger left the oldest grunt immediately. "We were doin' just fine!"
"I think it's time for you to go, especially if you're not going to pay attention to what the Skullbane had to say." She got a glare from them upon saying that, but they didn't protest further. The four younger grunts stood up, following their leader a bit more cautiously as they walked down the trail.
Plumeria turned back to the teens, seeing Elio and his three pokemon still at the ready for any sign of hostility.
"Those other ones you talked to; the younger ones. About reshaping their lives." She started, closing her eyes with a sigh. "About reshaping Alola for the future. They were listening to you. I really hope you'll keep your word on something like that."
Elio shook his head. "I didn't promise them anything. I just said that what they choose to do for themselves for better or worse is up to them. IF they want to do right, then there's people and friends they can make that will be more than willing to help."
"Hmph." Plumeria's face twisted into a scowl. "I see."
They heard a growl from Strongside as he leaned down in a crouched stance, ready to strike at sensing the growing hostility.
"So are you here to battle?" Elio stared at her with the same suspicion as before, but he waved for his pokemon to stand down. "As much as I'd like to, we're in a bit of a hurry to rescue Lusamine and your boss."
"No." She shook her head. "I'm here to confront you."
Lillie stopped as the Team Skull admin's eyes flickered to her. "You there…girlie. Lillie, right? You really ready to do this finally?"
"Uh…yeah." From the look on her face, Elio saw that she was just as surprised they were talking somewhat civilly. "That's me."
Plumeria gave a heavy sigh and turned away. "I'll be straight honest with you."
Neither of them could tell whether that was meant to sound sincere or condescending. The woman shook her head and remained silent as she gathered her words.
"To be honest…I've treated you pretty badly. When I came for you at the Aether House and endangered everyone. Even if I was doing the work the president and Guzma ordered me to. If I apologize now, I know it's probably too late for you to forgive me."
Her frown faded and he could see remorse etched on her features. So far she had sounded genuine, coming from probably the most reasonable in the gang.
"See Guzma, he really likes the president." That was a given with how he had seen his behavior back when they were confronting Lusamine in her inner sanctum. He just couldn't tell if it was a physical attraction or something else.
"She's the only person in so long of a time that had even given him the light of day. The only adult who actually saw how strong he was."
"The president," Lillie started. "My mother is…she's selfish. She…lavishes her love and attention only to people she deems whether it's wanted or not. Either that or if they're some use to her."
"Guzma will find out eventually." Plumeria had the same thoughts. "If he hasn't already, it's going to crush him and make him even more bitter."
"My mother used to be a good person. Someone that loved people unconditionally. I know I can make her that person again. That's why I have to go and rescue her! I don't want our family to suffer any more!"
The older girl looked to consider this for a moment. "You know, you're kind of like the president. While you've gone in a different direction; you have the same strength in your convictions."
She sighed again. "It's a big ask from me and the rest of Skull, who've wronged you so many times. But...please bring Guzma back if you can. He may be rough, but all those people in Team Skull looked up to him. The good ones especially. I know you've got no reason to help, but no one can make up for what they've done if they're gone. He's our ohana too, just like the president is yours."
Lillie nodded in a silent thanks.
He's our ohana too. Why did that stick so much?
"And you Elio." Plumeria focused on him. "Looks like I was wrong about you too. You were special after all. You didn't just stand up to Team Skull. You even took on the darkness inside Aether Paradise. The real deal. Maybe even the realest pokemon trainer I've seen around. Take care of our little princess here."
"I will." And that was a promise he fully intended to keep.
"This is my way of saying sorry…so I'd like you to take it." She reached into her pocket and tossed him a small purple object. Elio caught it with his free hand and turned it over.
A zenith crystal. Just like the ones he had found on his journey. This one had an iridescent coloring of green and red over a bright violet hue. In the hot sunlight he could see that it shimmered and flowed as if some sort of noxious oily film was trapped underneath.
"It's Poisonium Z." He already knew what it was. "I'll show you the pose."
Plumeria formed an X, spinning around and finishing with a low crouch. Like many of the others, the stance was intuitive and could be executed quickly. Elio didn't have a poison type pokemon anymore after Grimer had gone to his new job at the Malie City garbage dump. That didn't mean that he couldn't teach a poison type move to one of his existing pokemon.
"Oh and you got your first stone directly from Tapu Koko, didn't you? You better take care of it. That's one special Z-ring you've got there. A trainer is only a trainer because of the pokemon with them. Forget that and you'll bring the wrath of the tapu down upon yourself."
Always.
"Anyways, I'm outta here."
Plumeria turned around and started to follow the path of where the grunts had gone.
"Hey." Elio called after her. "You're a bigger influence on those people than you think."
She stopped, turning to face him once more. He couldn't read her expression.
"I meant every word I said. The island challenge system is flawed, especially to those that tried their damndest and still didn't succeed. I meant it when I said it's on us, the youth and the next generation to make sure we show Alola that everyone has a choice and they matter, no matter how high or low they are in their life. We all have our struggles, but that doesn't mean we have to face them alone."
"You want to help. Be in a place where you can do something and make a difference."
Elio nodded. "And maybe one day…you can too."
"That apology felt so weird coming from her." Lillie said as they started walking down the path once again. Hapu's house was in sight and beyond it; the entrance to the Vast Poni Canyon.
"I suppose Team Skull is not all bad."
Elio thought about the one grunt he had attacked that was assaulting her back on Ula'ula Island. There were definitely some bad eggs, but most of them he felt were all just people down on their luck or had nowhere else to go. None of them all had the one same central problem, just that they found solace and friendship with one another when nobody else would.
"Elio," she started. "Do you really think…that you can help those people?"
"I can't. Not now. They have to help themselves. What I can do is provide guidance and support so that they can accomplish something they believe in. It's all a choice and something you have to choose every day."
They didn't see Hapu in the fields at work, but could hear someone inside the house upon approach. Elio rapped his knuckles on the door panel, also noticing the cover to the right where several pairs of shoes were stored.
A few seconds later, Lola Encarnación opened the door with a beaming smile.
"Ah, keiki Elio and Lillie! Please! Please come on in!" Elio and Lillie nearly did when he stopped her, seeing that she had been barefoot inside. It would have been rude to step into the home with their boots on, which still had some dirt from Exeggutor Island caked on their soles despite their best efforts to rinse them off. They shucked their boots and socks, placing them next to the other pairs before going through.
The house was modest, with cream colored walls and dark brown wooden furniture. Slightly warmer than the outside that was being cooled by a slight breeze of overhanging fans. Lola had bustled her way straight to the kitchen on their left where she stood vigilantly over a large wide brimmed wok that was sizzling with oil and food. Though the house was in a rural area, the granite countertops and stainless steel appliances gave the kitchen a rustic and modern vibe. He liked the contrast.
The aromatic scent of garlic hit Elio's nose and his stomach immediately gurgled in hunger. It had been a couple of hours since they'd last eaten and he was also instantly reminded of his mother's garlic bread.
"Hapu should be back at any minute now." Lola turned off the flame and set the wok on the table next to a heaping plate of steaming meat and a bowl of a thickish light brown substance. "Poni coffee?"
"Yes, yes please." Elio was ready to jump at the chance of trying pure Poni coffee, from a known producer nonetheless.
He watched as Lola gestured for them to sit, moving around to set mugs. She poured water from a boiling kettle into an oval shaped carafe that had a narrow funnel and a filter with a heap of grounds inside.
It's a dripper. His mother had wanted the kind that came from Kalos. Coffee grounds inside a near-solid mesh filter would be coarse enough to keep them the size of salt grains out while straining the brewed liquid though. One would pour just enough to wet and not overflow before repeating the process. However slower, it was commonly looked as having a superior and richer flavor compared to a traditional electronic makers he knew dominated the urban population's demand for the beverage. Once the lower carafe was full, it would be poured from the spout into the stoneware mugs.
Elio quietly waited until she was done before helping himself to the carton of half and half and three teaspoons of brown coconut sugar. He let it cool for a couple of minutes before stirring and taking a sip.
Wow. Not a big coffee drinker himself, but the idea of having a cup of fresh Poni coffee every morning was definitely something he'd enjoy getting used to. It's so smooth and rich. None of that bitter acidicness that some coffee shops back in Kanto served.
Next to him, Lillie looked just as pleasantly surprised.
"Please eat." Lola had sat down next to Elio and passed around the few dishes. One had filets of some salted smoked fish, another two had sunny side up eggs and a bowl of thick brown gravy substance. The gigantic wok that he could now see contained perfectly browned garlic over heaps of salt/pepper seasoned rice and thinly sliced negi.
As they helped themselves, the entrance door was heard being opened and Hapu strode in, smiling at seeing her grandmother and them seated at the table.
"Alola! Just in time for breakfast!"
"Thank goodness because I'm starving!" Hapu pat Elio on the shoulder and gave Lillie a hug. "I'm glad you two made it okay. Did everything go well?"
"It did!" Lillie reached behind her chair to show the crystal blue moon flute. Elio held the sun flute in his hands. "It rained, so we stayed there a lot longer than we needed. But we…heh, it was something."
Yeah…yeah it was.
"Excellent. I'm glad that my directions as new kahuna to this island didn't steer you in the wrong!"
The conversation was lively as they enjoyed breakfast. Elio found the flavors and heartiness of it all to be perfect for the long day they had ahead of them. Since the journey though the canyon was expected to take virtually the entire day; they had to carry the essentials and as little else as they could. There were enough protein bars and jerky for them to stop and eat in the midafternoon, but the other survival food and water such as the pemmican had to be saved for when they found Lusamine and Guzma if they were famished.
Assuming they didn't find something to eat while in that other dimension.
He particularly loved the sinangag, going for seconds to finish off the daing salted wishiwashi. Fried eggs called tosilog were eaten alongside the sinangag and the gravy was a thick pudding called champorado which provided a sweetness that counteracted the intense saltier flavors of the other savory breakfast dishes. They listened intently to how the dishes were made and their history dating back to the regions of the colonial islands where their ancestors had migrated from. Elio was fascinated how delicate the garlic had to be cooked as to not turn rancid, but enough to where it was significantly softened. Even the rice had to be done a specific way.
As everyone was starting to slow down from eating, Hapu wiped her mouth with a napkin. "So Elio, are you ready for that grand trial now?"
"Yes. I am." He felt the adrenaline and excitement building up again. It was finally time.
"Very good. I knew there was something about you ever since we first met by the Battle Royal Dome. I'd like to see this battling skill of yours that makes Lillie smile so."
Elio and Lillie helped Lola clean up the table, using glass containers to store the leftover breakfast foods in their fridge. Hapu led him outside to an empty part next to the fields that her family owned, choosing an area next to a patch of barren soil that had just yielded the most recent crop.
"I'd rather us not damage the harvest if we can." He couldn't help but agree. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lillie and Lola emerge from the house and cross over to watch.
"Good luck Elio!" The blonde cheered and raised her fists in encouragement.
Lola stepped forward to be the referee for the match. "Oh it's my first time doing this, so bear with me." She cleared her throat. "This will be a four on four match?" Nods from both sides.
"A four on four battle between island kahuna Hapu and challenger Elio. Both sides are permitted to switch pokemon at any time and the battle will conclude when one side no longer has pokemon able to continue battling. Terms seem good?"
"Yes."
"Yes."
"Send out your pokemon and let the battle begin!"
I'll start with my reliable partner. Elio thumbed out Strongside's poke ball, throwing him out onto the field. "I need your help, Strongside!"
"Oh very curious," there was a competitive gleam in Hapu's eyes. "I shall choose…Luwad!"
The pokemon that emerged from her pokeball was tall and thin, floating just above the ground with no apparent means of lift. Its body was a dark gray with multiple pinkish eyes on the wide brimmed top. Two stubby limbs were on either side that resembled cannons.
"New pokemon detected! Bzzt!" Rotom Dex flew over to Elio's side and opened up to scan Hapu's pokemon. "Claydol. Clay Doll pokemon. It is the final evolved form of baltoy. It is apparently modeled after something that appeared in the sky during ancient times. It uses psychic power to keep its soft body intact and from melting in rain. Claydol is a ground and psychic type. Additional information is available upon capturing this pokemon."
No sense in waiting around to see who's gonna make the first move. "Overheat!"
Strongside snarled, throwing his hips out to shoot an intense blast of fire. The claydol seemed to barely react visibly until it floated backwards, shifting from side to side as it executed a double team causing his attack to miss.
"Again!"
Elio wasn't expecting much of a different result as Luwad did yet another double team. This time there were a lot more clones and when they all disappeared; the real one was nowhere close to where Strongside had shot. The fire cat wasn't about to let that stand, already sprinting ahead on all fours and engulfing himself in more flames. He lunged, about to hit before he abruptly planted his foot on the ground and changed his entire direction, now striking to his right.
Luwad had moved again on its boosted elusiveness and spun around from the slight bit of damage. His pokemon had plenty of energy left raring to go, but the possibility of Hapu wearing him down was very real. She hadn't really done anything offensive yet.
"Earth power."
There it was. Luwad quickly folded its cannon arms inward and dropped to the ground as if it had lost all its lift. Elio saw the bottom section glowed a bright orange when it struck the soil, causing a spreading fan of seismic energy to erupt from underneath. Strongside was hit on all sides from the earth power, tumbling backwards before his claws dug into the earth to stop his momentum. As he began to pick himself up, Elio saw Luwad's body glow again with a cosmic purple and a stat flare.
Cosmic power. Increasing both defense and special defense. Now hitting it is going to be even more paramount that damage won't be as much. IF we can hit it.
That thought suddenly gave him an idea. He didn't want to belay the strategy forming in his head though. What he did have to do was keep Strongside as fast as he could get.
"You good?!" He called out to his pokemon. He got a nod, though he had taken quite a bit more damage from that earth power.
"Use flamethrower and flame charge ahead!"
"I wonder what you're up to," Hapu murmured. "Hyper beam!"
Luwad's cannons unfolded and they slew around to target Strongside as he finished firing his flamethrower and raced forward, gathering more to start his charge. The muzzle glowed brightly as it accumulated enough power to shoot its own attack in seconds.
Thanks to Strongside's increased speed, he was able to strafe to his left, forcing Luwad to adjust its aim. Eventually he stopped, crouching low so that the attack passed over his head and finally closed into striking distance.
"Now darkest lariat!" Elio shouted. This was his chance.
Luwad's hyper beam finally ran out despite its hyperflexing over a regular pokemon. It summoned more of its reserve energy in an attempt to retain its attack.
However hyper beam was one of the attacks that seriously drained enough power that it left the user more exhausted than usual. While still capable of movement, it was much more sluggish as a tradeoff for converting that extra power behind a high damage attack like hyper beam or giga impact.
Strongside's arms glowed with a sinister purple energy and he launched forward, arcing down from his lunge. He struck Luwad in a glancing blow, sending the claydol spinning on the ground as if it were a top. Just the nest moment, it had regained flight and slammed the ground once again in another earth power. Elio had on idea it was able to recover that quickly from the exhaustion.
Strongisde saw it coming, jumping over the erupting plumes underneath and gathering his strength for another darkest lariat. He spun around, hammering the side in another crushing blow that toppled it into the brown soil.
Lola waved a hand to Elio's side. "Luwad is unable to battle! Strongside is the winner. Four on three!"
"Good job partner." Sun said to his first pokemon. Strongside nodded to accept the praise and pounded his chest with a fist, but he remained focused. Their battle was far from over.
"Magaling Luwad." Hapu returned her defeated pokemon, giving the casing a gentle kiss on its smooth surface. "You fought the best you could."
Her eyes flickered over to Elio on the other side. "That was some fine strategy you had there with darkest lariat. A move that ignores the stat changes of its target. All that I had done to start Luwad up was completely undone by you."
Elio smiled at the compliment. "Thank you. He and I have been longtime partners and we're more than ready for whatever you can throw at us."
That smirk was back on Hapu's face as she took out another poke ball. "Good. I hope you're ready for Bantay!"
The familiar winged insect pokemon known as a flygon slithered in the sky and cooly eyed his opponent. Strongside growled lowly and bared his teeth, trying to bait it into prematurely attacking. It had been a decent attempt, though Elio knew that Hapu's pokemon were disciplined enough to not fall for such a taunt.
Bantay didn't wait for an introduction and flapped his wings, summoning dirt from the ground into massive pillars of swirling twisters. The sandstorm spread out and covered the entire field. Strongside growled in protest as the fine grains buffeted his fur. Even worse was the sandstorm completely obscuring Bantay as he flew in place on his side of the field.
Flygon doesn't have sand veil and it's going to be just as fast as Strongside.
"Return." He flipped Strongside's poke ball and recalled his pokemon.
I could use Bravo. He'd definitely be faster, but it won't be much of an edge in this soup. Plus those natural goggles that the flygon has means it can spot us easily and attack out of nowhere with no warning.
"Akela, come on out!"
The werewolf pokemon didn't feel fazed by the sandstorm in the slightest, but he could clearly tell it was time for a battle. Hapu wasted no time herself as Bantay let out another shrill cry. Akela had closed his eyes, listening carefully before he suddenly pivoted on his hind legs to avoid a dragonbreath attack that jetted out from his left. He dodged another, slamming his paws into the ground and causing a wave rockslide in that direction. Elio couldn't see what was going on and had to rely on his pokemon's instincts.
Bantay was smart, using the sandstorm as cover and its specialized eye lenses allowed it to keep track of Akela's position. However without the bother of the blowing sand in his face, Elio's own pokemon stood somewhat of a chance.
Elio noted how this was very much like how the totem ribombee he faced just days ago was using the same strategy. Another dragonbreath lanced out from the billowing sands that hit its mark. Akela growled in protest, blasted backwards and landing in a heap. Elio felt his hopes diminish as he saw flashes of small jolts of electricity causing his pokemon to convulse.
Dammit. The dragonbreath caused a paralysis.
Bantay saw his advantage and dove down, streaking through the sandstorm like a fierce comet. The dragonbreath from earlier didn't seem to do much damage, but the paralysis meant he'd be fighting from behind.
"Counter!" Elio shouted. It was just in time.
The dragon rush nearly took the wind right out of Akela as he got up, but he had absorbed most of the hit on his rocky mane and fought through the painful paralysis to deliver a backhanded strike with his paw. Bantay was hit in the stomach and careened off course, crashing into the ground and leaving a wide gash in the messy field.
"At least this field hasn't been plowed yet." Hapu said with a nervous laugh. "I'll have to pick another spot for future grand trials."
Both pokemon struggled to their feet. Akela trying to tough out the aggravating paralysis as Bantay shook his head.
Without wasting another moment, they launched back into the fight.
Lillie had brought out Kalua, who stood eagerly by her side in watching the battle. The small snow fox was so transfixed, seeing both trainers on either side issuing commands and the fray of it all within the sandstorm that swirled and spun in all different directions.
"That's amazing," the blonde breathed out. "Elio's come so far and he can do this!"
"Yes." Lola had stuck to her referee job, but she couldn't help watching the younger girl's curiosity. "I've seen my Hapu battle many times when she was younger and I can assure you that it will be a fight worthwhile for the young man. He's a lot smarter than he lets on."
"Oh?"
"The switch to his lycanroc was what gave it away. I'm sure he'd be fine using his starter, which I am going to guess was that incineroar of his. Rather than trust, Elio seems to have more of a strategic mind unless something tells him otherwise."
Lola gestured back to the battle. Bantay had gotten two more dragonbreath attacks thanks to Akela's significantly slowed movements. It wasn't without a cost as the sandstorm had briefly subsided with the werewolf using it to his advantage to strike a reversal. "While both rock and fire are weak to ground, Akela's ability of keen eye allows it to have a better sense of Bantay's location."
"But it doesn't have sand veil."
"No, it doesn't. But I think that Elio is using it for more reflexive purposes. Keen Eye ignores a foe's evasiveness, but in this case; it's like a secondary sensor since it's hard to find a flygon in a sandstorm that it's whipped up. You can't see it any better, but you'll be able to spot attacks or anything out of the usual."
A sharp crack cut into their conversation. Kalua flinched. Bantay flapped his wings after getting hit by a crunch attack and soared high above before beating them towards Akela to cast another sandstorm. Just as things had settled, it was back to the cat and mouse game they had been playing earlier.
"There's another reason why I believe that Elio chose his lycanroc." Lola said.
"I think I know why too." Lillie couldn't help her smile as she started to understand her lo…friend's logic. "Rock types are one of the three that don't suffer from a sandstorm's abrasiveness. I read it in a book once too. But of those three, only rock gets an extra bonus in that their defense against special moves is increased."
Elio basically made it so that dragonbreath doesn't do much while the sandstorm is up. If Hapu wants to take advantage of that sandstorm, she'll have to go in close…so that he can use counter and reversal.
"Fine game you're playing over there, but it's time to wrap this up. Bantay, earthquake if you would."
Elio had no sense this time of where the earthquake would come from. All he heard was the flygon's shrilling cry as it slammed its long green tail on the ground and sent a huge tremor shaking the entire field. Akela was hit full force, yet remained standing and on the brink of fainting.
"Come on Akela! It's just a scratch!" The boy's encouragement looked like it was working as Akela stabilized himself. "Counter!"
He raised his paw, now fueled by barely surviving the previous super effective hit. The sandstorm was beginning to lessen and he could barely make out the silhouette of the mystic pokemon. Lunging forward, he was ready to deliver the final blow.
Then the paralysis kicked in. Akela yelped in protest as his muscles spasmed and stiffened to cause him to stop just short. Even worse was his position right in front of Bantay, who was already getting ready to take advantage of the opportunity by readying a dragonbreath.
"Duck and hit it with reversal!" Elio shouted.
Akela only had a split second and the paralysis gave him a lucky break. He flattened himself against the ground to narrowly dodge a point blank dragonbreath before using his legs to spring back up and deliver an uppercut reversal to Bantay's sternum. The flygon cried out in surprise and was knocked backwards with a loud crunching noise, stiffening as his wings stopped beating and he collapsed into the dirt.
"Holy shi…it worked!" Elio was cheering as Lola gestured to his side, declaring Akela the victor. The werewolf was battered and bruised, giving his trainer a lopsided grin.
And then he joined Bantay in sprawling out on the ground.
"Gah!" Elio hadn't expected his own pokemon to be out of the fight too, hanging on by sheer will. But his pokemon had given it all, powering through the annoying status condition to snatch a win from the jaws of defeat.
"Magaling Bantay." Hapu recalled her pokemon, whispering something as she held it close to her chest.
"Return Akela." Elio did the same, quietly thanking his pokemon for his efforts. "The rest of the team has it from here."
Two down. Two to go.
"I'm surprised at your ingenuity Elio," Hapu called from the other end. At the same time, the sandstorm began to die down and he could see her shorter figure standing firmly at attention and focused on him, her opponent. "Then again, with someone like you…I know nothing is outside the possibility. No ordinary trainer makes it this far."
"I…uh thanks."
"Don't thank me yet." That familiar smirk was on her face yet again. "You're still two pokemon away from winning, mind you."
Right. Let's not get cocky.
"Okay Nani!" Elio tossed his milotic's ball out on the field. The gorgeous serpent uncoiled herself, eyeing Hapu cooly and awaiting orders.
"I shall choose Lolong!" The kahuna threw a pokeball, opening to reveal the a tall and muscled crocodilian pokemon with burgundy skin and black stripes. It had a long snout and a dark membrane over its eyes.
A krookodile.
"New pokemon detected! Bzzt!" Rotom Dex floated over to his trainer and brought up a krookodile's dossier. "Krookodile. Intimidation pokemon. It is the evolved form of krokorok and the final form of sandile. It can spot prey up to thirty miles away and swims through desert sands as if it were water. After clamping its jaws around prey with enough force to puncture iron, it twists itself around in a spiral to rip them in half. Krookodile is a ground and dark type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
He watched as a sudden stat flare surrounded Nani. Krookodile's ability of intimidate had slightly dropped her attack power. It wasn't a problem since the only physical attack she knew was iron tail.
At least Elio had the type advantage. Or so he had thought. That was then interrupted by an even larger stat flare for Nani, this one on the rise.
Nani's own ability activated. Competitive. Sharply raises special attack power if a stat is lowered. Thanks for the power up!
Lola waved her hand for them to begin and this time, both trainers took the initiative.
Elio wanted to finish this quickly and had Nani send off an attract. At the same time, Lolong's arms went out, covered in purplish draconic energy as she charged forward with incredible speed. Nani winked her eyes, sending off a thin glowing pink heart that struck Lolong dead center.
Rather than get afflicted, Lolong continued charging. Nani shook off her surprise as the krookodile swung her dragon claws, knocking her back.
Dammit it's female. Ah well it was worth a try.
Nani fired a dragon pulse at close enough of a range that there wasn't much room to dodge. Lolong parried a hit with one of her dragon claws, swatting the orb away as Nani went on the offense again. She gathered enough water and expelled it in a massive hydro pump that nearly completely engulfed the other pokemon whole. However as the stream slowed to a trickle, Elio and Nani gasped seeing Lolong completely out of sight and the only indication of her activity was a gaping hole in the ground.
She used dig to escape that hydro pump.
"Now Lolong! Dig!"
The ground trembled as Lolong emerged right underneath, hitting Nani and sending her coiling backwards. She was quick to react, firing a scald that managed to hit its mark and temporarily deter the desert croc from attacking again.
"Recover quick!"
"Don't let him do that!" Hapu shouted. "Use thunder fang!"
So that was her ace card. Also why she wasn't fazed by me using Nani.
Lolong was even quicker on the surface as she was underground. She used her powerful hind legs as primary locomotion and her arms easily parted anything rough or jagged out of her way as she lunged forward. Her narrow snout was filled with rows of deadly sharp teeth and he could see bolts of powerful electricity coursing through them.
Nani was quick to react, sharpening her tail as she was still in the phase of recovery. Her thrust was a little off to the right and Lolong instinctually clamped her jaws on the scaly blade. The milotic winced from the pain, fighting off the super effective damage as best she could.
"Roll it!"
Elio gasped as Lolong had one foot on the ground and spun her body as if she was using rapid spin. Firmly grasping her tail, Nani was spun as if in the cycle of a washing machine. While it didn't do any damage, she was disoriented and out of position.
Though it wasn't all bad. The iron tail had acted as a lightning rod to somewhat reduce the damage that thunder fang had inflicted. She had good reflexes, but he knew that Hapu would probably try something like blindside her with a dig and then try for another.
First he had to get Lolong away.
"Nani scald!"
She obeyed, taking just a split second to launch a blast of boiling hot water that hit Lolong. She shrieked in protest, finally letting go of her tail as the pressure and heat from the attack was enough for her to open her jaws. Lolong tumbled back, using her feet to regain her balance and burrowed into the ground again.
This is it.
"Not this time." Elio had a grin on his face, betraying his confidence. "Hydro pump down the hole! We'll flood it out!"
Nani slithered quickly to the hole that Lolong had made in the soil and blasted a massive volume of water through the diameter. She got a reaction almost instantly and just off to her right, a mix of dry and saturated dirt plumed up as Lolong emerged, locking her gaze on her serpentine opponent.
"Now's your chance! Let's finish it off with ice beam!"
Hapu called for a thunder fang as Nani blasted forth a swirling focused shot of blue and white energy. Lolong was still fast enough to swiftly evade, the miss forming rough misshapen ice crystals three feet in height. She closed in on Nani, her jaws open for another super effective electric attack.
Elio saw Lolong's tail start to glow and his heart stopped when he realized what it was. Nani was already forming a blade with her own tail to once again counteract the thunder fang.
"Nani! No!"
Instead of Lolong biting down on Nani's iron tail, she lunged past her and the draconic burgundy tail swatted the tender pokemon. She crumpled to the ground before being covered in the convergent resonance to be retracted back into Elio's poke ball. The dragon tail had been executed perfectly and he had no control over his next pokemon that was sent out.
Arclight buzzed as she had been dragged out involuntarily.
"What, no!" Elio cursed to himself quietly.
Dammit! Electric moves are no good. Bug moves are against Lolong. But the biggest loss from having that switch in was that Nani's special attack boost from her competitive ability would be erased upon returning to her poke ball. Unless he found a way to get Hapu to re-send out Lolong with Nani. Somehow he figured she was too smart to do that again.
I don't have a move that can do that or really put her in a situation like that.
He just had to let the battle develop.
"Stone edge!"
Lolong wasn't done dipping into her bag of trump cards either. She slammed her fists into the ground, sending a shockwave that stopped at Arclight's position and a barrage of sharp stones emerged from underground. Her nimble flight allowed her to weave through as she beat her wings at a higher frequency. The sound waves from the bug buzz closed in on all sides to hit Lolong. She took one step forward and then gave out, fainting in the dirt.
"Lolong is unable to continue battling!" Lola waved to Elio's side. "Arclight is the winner of the round! Three on one!"
"Yes! Go Elio!" He heard Lillie cheering next to their referee.
And I'm back to thinking about that kiss. Not gonna lie, I want more of them. A lot more.
"Magaling Lolong." Hapu's smile never diminished as she recalled her defeated pokemon. "I'm very impressed, given how it's no surprise you're unpredictable. You've done well to make it this far. Nobody wants you to pass more than me."
She put Lolong's away and took out another. Elio still had Nani, Arclight and Strongside, yet he knew who was going to be her final choice and had yet to enter the battle.
"However, we both know that I can't pass you unless you defeat me at my full strength. Miles and I are here to make sure that happens one way or another!"
With a growling snort, the gigantic mudsdale hit the ground with a loud thud coming out of her ball. She stamped her hooves impatiently in a display that Elio hadn't seen before when she was docile and easygoing outside of a battle.
"Miles won't go easy just because she likes you." Hapu smirked at him. "And neither will I."
There wasn't a need to go on. Elio jumped right into the action.
"Bug buzz!"
Arclight vibrated her wings, creating more damaging sound waves as Miles charged forth, starting at a trot and then into a full on gallop with her gigantic hooves. In a brazen display far unlike her other pokemon, Miles had moved straight on through the buzz waves, barely slowing as if the attack did no damage. As wisps of energy formed around her front in a double-edge attack, Elio saw a stat flare rise. Her defense had grown from being struck by an attack.
Ah crap. The more I hit it, the tougher it gets.
Arclight flew up, easily out of the range of anything Miles was able to do. All Elio could do now was stay away from her and deal bug buzz attacks at will.
But something told him that Hapu and her longtime partner weren't so easily out of the game just yet. They had to have something up their sleeve to equalize the odds.
Miles stopped her charge, slowly turning around so that she faced Arclight from the opposite direction.
"Bug buzz again!" He was just gonna have to figure out what it was.
"Miles, stone edge!" The large equine huffed loudly, slamming her front hooves into the ground and causing larger splinters of rock to erupt and fan out, shooting out of the soil with little to no warning. Arclight weaved and dodged through the barrage, spinning her slender chitinous frame and fired a zap cannon that destroyed four close stones to powder that would've hit her.
"Alright, we got her right where we want her!" Hapu pointed. "Smack down!"
Miles stomped the ground, causing another one of the large stones to surface. As it stayed in the air for a moment, she quickly spun around, using her hind hooves to kick the stone upward where Arclight was flying. Unlike the stone edge, the smack down rock went way quicker, colliding with her. Elio saw her wings stop beating as she retracted them into her shell to protect them from further damage.
Arclight spun down like a crashing helicopter, making an uncontrolled landing in the dirt. Though she got up, Elio realized the attack that crippled her flying ability.
That was going to be a problem. She was now grounded and vulnerable to ground type attacks.
"High horsepower!"
"Arclight get up! Dig, it's your only way out!"
She was able to roll onto her legs and quickly burrowed underground just as Miles rushed overhead. The horse was once again slower and made a wide turn, glancing at the ground to see where his pokemon was going to emerge.
She burst out a moment later, hitting Miles on her right flank. However her wings weren't active again and Elio knew that it would take longer until the effects of the smack down were going to wear off.
Miles staggered, but didn't fall, seemingly able to brush off that attack. Another stat flare came to life, raising her defense yet again.
"Stone edge."
There was no escaping this one. Without her flight, Arclight was a sitting ducklett. Miles hit the ground and her rocks lanced out from the flat surface, hitting his pokemon almost instantly and taking her out of the fight.
"Arclight is unable to continue battling. Winner is Miles. Two on one!"
Elio tried to mask his frustration as he returned his pokemon. Thank you Arclight. You did your best. Miles still had to defeat both Nani and Strongside for him to lose, but he lost one of the biggest advantages he had from that smack down, the flight and ability to avoid the ground moves. It wouldn't be until later that Hapu had primarily used it to impede her flight rather than nullify her levitate ability.
That's why she didn't lose confidence. I should've known she'd do something like this.
He couldn't lose. Not with Lillie watching.
"Okay Nani," Elio threw her back out onto the field. "Let's do this!"
Hapu nodded with admiration as Nani cooed softly, uncoiling herself. "Your milotic is a very beautiful pokemon. And a veteran to boot. You've raised her well."
"Thank you." It felt a little odd to have such a civil conversation in the middle of battle. Then again, it had been a long time since he'd spent a long time trying to stop or shut someone up in a battle.
I can't even remember the last time.
"Show me what you can do."
"Right on." Elio thrust a hand out. "Hydro pump!"
Hapu nodded. "Even more impressive. So is Miles' stone edge!"
Miles created yet another barrage of stones, this time none of them shot out of the ground. They sprouted up at an outward angle, perfect for splitting the tension that kept the jet of water together., spraying up and over to rain down harmlessly.
Attract is off the table since Miles is female too.
Nani readied and fired an ice beam, piercing through the makeshift barricade and quickly covering the stones. When that shielded Miles from further attacks, she slithered to the right, hoping to flank.
"High horsepower!"
Miles charged forth again, exploding out of the cover in a shower of ice and rock, already headed towards Nani's position. The milotic kept her cool, instead shooting another ice beam at the ground to slicken the smooth surface.
Weighing more than two thousand pounds, the mudsdale had trouble slowing herself as she stepped onto the long sheet of ice that covered the soil. She straightened her legs out to her sides and leaned forward to try and get a better center of gravity to prevent her from falling over. However she still had quite a bit of momentum. Nani quickly sharpened her rear fins into an iron tail, slashing down as Miles skidded by.
The mudsdale staggered, but again didn't fall and took virtually no visible damage. Elio watched another stat flare activate to boost her defense from the hit and any other physical attack would do close to nothing.
He'd have to stick to special attacks.
"Let's end this, shall we Miles?" Hapu heard her pokemon huff in agreement and she assumed the Z-move stance, inserting a copper brown crystal into her ring.
"Be immovable like the earth and mountains." She formed an X before flexing her arms out and spinning to touch the ground. The ring's power activated in a flash of light, coalescing around her pokemon as the zenith energy powered it up.
"Channel high horsepower into tectonic rage!"
"Nani, scald!"
Miles let out a loud neigh as she stamped the ground furiously and caused a massive fissure to widen. Nani was caught right in the middle and plummeted down without warning. She had launched a spray of steaming hot water, but he couldn't tell whether or not it had hit its mark.
Shit!
As she fell down, Miles galloped up and down the crevice, burrowing to the bottom within seconds and causing a huge explosion that tossed both pokemon out. Miles deftly landed on her feet, surprisingly agile for a pokemon of her weight and bulk.
Nani was less fortunate. She lay twisted and battered, knocked out from the powerful Z-move.
"Nani is unable to continue battling!" Lola announced. "Miles is the winner! It is now one on one. The winner of the next matchup clinches the grand trial in their favor!"
Dammit…dammit. I HAD this. Elio found himself clenching his teeth and his nails dug into his palms. Having no conscious memory of doing either one surprised him. Being on the ropes was starting to get into his head.
He swore under his breath again. The situation looked bleak. The only pokemon he had left was Strongside, who was weak to Miles' rock and ground type moves with nothing super effective against ground anymore.
But this is different. I've always had to fight with some air that I'd somehow find a way to win comfortably. Can't do that here. We're at a disadvantage, our back is to the wall and I can't find a way around this damn stamina ability.
"Nani, return." Lillie's heart dropped as she saw Elio reach for his final pokemon. For a moment she had thought he was looking to give it up.
The Elio I know wouldn't do such a thing. He'll win this. I know it. Kalua cooed worriedly in her arms, also aware of the situation.
"He'll win. He has to."
"So it's down to this," Hapu put a hand on her hip and stared at him. "Our first partners against one another. This must be your first time in a while you've faced some adversity like this."
Elio said nothing to that. Just focus on the battle. Though he did feel a bit of regret in not engaging in conversation. It may be just another battle for Hapu, but his island challenge was riding on this final bout, riding on everything he had worked for in the months past.
Then he saw the burn marks on Miles' front. Nani had scored a burn from her scald in taking the fall. Nice work. He could outlast, but the burn also suppressed attack power, something he was going to need to be able to survive any ground or rock moves.
"I'm going to do the best I can." He returned Nani to her ball slipping it onto his left side, holding Strongside's in his right. "We'll fight to the last."
With a grunt, he heaved it up, activating and releasing his final pokemon. The large incineroar snarled and stretched his body to unlimber. Elio saw that the damage from the battle against Luwad was still there with some fatigue, but he nodded at his trainer with the same determination.
"You and me buddy."
Lola waved her hand down to start the battle.
"Taunt it!" Elio didn't want to waste a moment. Strongside growled and flexed his fingers in a provocative gesture. Hapu was in the middle of commanding an attack herself when Miles slammed the ground with her hooves in a stone edge attack. Unlike Nani before, Strongside was a lot quicker to scat around the soil and flexed the claws in his hands and feet to maintain a firm grip on the slowly melting ice floor to evade the barrage. Miles pawed the ground and rushed forward in another high horsepower.
Strongside met her, gathering flames around his body as the two attacks collided. He was the lighter of the two, able to hit and easily dance around the larger and slower pokemon. Both of them had stat flares rise, his speed and hers defense. Superior speed wouldn't be a huge factor if he couldn't put as much as a dent in her.
"Still a problem." Elio had overheat in case he had to go to special moves, which could bypass the defensive buildup stamina had done. He would only have one shot, as the next overheat would be significantly weaker.
"I think it's time we tried out that new move of yours." Hapu pointed at Strongside. "Use body press!"
Body press?
Miles pawed the ground and she jumped up, using a surprising amount of strength despite her weight and she fell down right as Strongside attempted to roll and evade. The attack caused him to cry out and he smashed into the ground, his head snapping back in whiplash.
"Shit!"
"Body press is a move that uses Miles' defensive statistics as its offense." Hapu smirked at him. "So while you were dishing out that small damage to her, stamina ability was powering this move up. Not to mention it bypasses the attack reduction that a burn inflicts."
Wow, talk about a curveball. Elio gaped, hardly believing that Hapu kept that in reserve to outplay him.
Strongside staggered to his feet, wobbling and visibly battered. Body press had been a fighting type move and Elio knew that he wouldn't be able to take another.
And then a fiery aura began to form around him. Incineroar's ability. Blaze.
"We're gonna have to attack." He said. "Use darkest lariat!"
Over on the side, Lillie gasped in surprise.
A physical move? Doesn't he know that Miles' defense is already pumped up?
Strongside looked just as puzzled, but gathered dark energy anyway. He used his quicker agility to avoid another one of Miles' incoming high horsepower before spinning to hit the equine in the side.
Everyone gaped in surprise as the seemingly ordinary physical blow had done enough damage that Miles staggered much more visibly. She shook her mane and huffed in annoyance as another defense stat flare cascaded up.
Holy shit! I didn't even think that would work!
"Bzzt! Amazzzzing! Darkest lariat izzzz a move that ignorezzzz defenzzzze ztat boostzzzz!"
Hold on, I had that ace up my sleeve this whole time? Hapu did...she told me right after I defeated Luwad and I completely ignored it!
"Ho! Well this is quite the surprise!" Hapu shouted. "But I'm afraid it's too late for you to take advantage of that a second time!"
"We'll see! Darkest lariat again!"
Miles went for another high horsepower, but Strongside's better agility was starting to be an even bigger advantage allowed him to gracefully evade despite her best efforts. He easily outflanked and struck her on the side where she was less defended. He sent her sprawling to the ground where she was a lot slower in getting up. Though the hit was vicious; she was still defiantly standing as yet another stat flare activated. Since he started the battle, her defense had to have risen five or six times to the point where any other physical attack might as well be tickling.
Not darkest lariat.
Hapu sensed that she needed to end the battle quickly. "Miles, one last body press! Finish this off!"
"Oh no you don't!" Elio had the firium z in hand, slapping it into his new ring. It glowed to life like embers and grew until it was a gorgeous velvet flame color. He executed the dance, waving his arms up like a growing blaze and finishing with quickness and precision of many practices.
"Channel overheat!" He shouted as Miles rushed forward again, just meters away. "Into Inferno Overdrive!"
The zenith energy reached its peak. Strongside had gathered enough fire and launched it towards Miles, who had no choice but to charge straight in with enough endurance. Both pokemon were giving it all to deliver the final blow to end the heated battle.
Hapu narrowed her eyes as her pokemon disappeared into the blast before it became too unstable and caused a massive explosion loud enough for everyone nearby to instinctively cover their ears. Smoke wafted out, drifting up and over the fields as everyone waited with held breath to see the end result.
Strongside was the first to be seen, on his knees and a hand supporting him. He was worn and battered, but very much conscious.
Miles had fallen mere feet away, covered in dirt and scorch marks. It had looked as if her charge had persevered enough to withstand the raw power of a zenith move for seconds longer than usual.
Lola shook her head to quickly regain her composure. "Miles is unable to continue battling! Strongside is the winner and the winner of the grand trial is Elio!"
We won. We fucking won!
"Yessss baby!" He pounded his chest with a fist and ran out, nearly tackling his starter pokemon. "You did it!"
Strongside growled, smiling in spite of his exhaustion. He looked like he was ready to pass out at any moment.
"I'm so proud of you buddy! For a moment, I thought we might not make it." Elio was just glad that he indirectly found a move that could get around that stamina ability. The fact that it was very nearly a loss without the strategy told him there was still a lot to pokemon battling that he had yet to learn about.
As long as I keep learning and keep adapting, there's no limit.
"You've earned the rest." Elio took out his poke ball and returned him. "Hundred percent."
A squeal brought him out of his next thoughts as Lillie nearly barreled into him, throwing her arms around in a crushing bear hug. Sun quickly hugged her back, both teens giggling happily.
"Yes you did it Elio! You finished your last grand trial!"
"I know!" He was practically gasping for air, still surprised at the amount of strength she exerted. "It's such a good feeling."
The familiar warm feeling returned as did the urge to grab her head in his arms and pull her in for a kiss. He wanted to...but he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Dammit this seems like such a worst time ever to do something like that.
"And that's the sound of your strength rocking me to my core!" Hapu had returned Miles to her ball and walked up to meet them. "Magaling to you. You sure showed me. I held nothing back in that battle and it's taught me a few things."
She reached into her pocket. "That was very much a worthy final grand trial for you Elio! I believe this groundium Z is yours!"
He handed her his trainer passport, where she applied the fourth…and final stamp on as proof.
Lillie saw him grin at her. "One last time huh?" He caught the copper-browinish crystal in his hand, spinning around and holding it up in his fist. "Grand trial is complete!"
"Eyes here," Hapu told him. "I shall teach you the pose."
She formed another cross with her arms, opening her stand to spin around and lean over, touching the ground with her right hand.
Easy enough.
"This test of your strength, I believe you are more than ready to face the challenge of the Vast Poni Canyon. I must applaud you too Lillie for having befriended a prodigious trainer to have by your side! Head straight on through to the Altar!"
"I think that's a splendid idea." Lola said. "But how about we refresh all the pokemon and have something else to eat before you two head off?"
They all agreed and started to make their way back to the house. Elio's stomach grumbling at him just thinking about another plate of sinangag.
May my love for garlic stuff never die.
And chapter done! The last kahuna battle is in the books as we look to take on the Vast Poni Canyon and beyond! I got a handful of translations and explanations in this one.
Hawaiian Translations:
Keiki - Child/Children
Negi - Scallions, also known as green onions
Tagalog Translations:
Daing - Filipino word for dried fish. Wishiwashi was about the closest I could find as a pokemon equivalent in this matter with milkfish. Often considered a humble food for the lower class, it has gained popularity for its quick preparation and cheap costs. Daing are commonly eaten at any meal of the day, but most popular during breakfast with the common cooking method is to liberally salt and smoke them.
Tosilog - Fried eggs, most commonly eaten in the Philippines as sunny side up.
Sinangag - Garlic fried rice. The main staple for any traditional Filipino breakfast. Typically preparation starts the day before mainly for two purposes. One is that it is frowned upon in Filipino culture to make sinangag out of a fresh pot. Two is that stale, day old rice is firmer and drier so that frying it the next morning does not keep the grains clumped together, allowing for a better infused flavor. As such, households will typically make more rice than needed for the dinner the night before so that the leftovers can go to breakfast the next day. It's tossed in a wok or french skillet over oil with a lot of toasted garlic, salt, pepper, thinly sliced negi and served alongside proteins such as pork, daing, tosilog or corned beef.
Champorado - Chocolate rice pudding. Champorado is derived from the sweet rice puddings commonly made in the Philippines with rice and milk. During the colonial periods when Spain occupied the islands, Mexican traders brought over chocolate and knowledge of champurrado (A warm and thick sweet Mexican beverage that used masa) and over time, the local Filipinos substituted sticky rice since masa wasn't commonly available and turned it into a breakfast and dessert instead of a drink.
Magaling - Well done/Good job
Luwad - Clay
Bantay - Sentry/Guardian
Lolong - Lolong is named after a famous suspected man-eater male crocodile that was captured and held in the Philippines who was in turn named after the crocodile hunter that led the three week long attempt to capture him. He was captured in Bunawan city in 2011 and quickly became a major attraction, notably taking over 100 people to bring him on dry land and aggressively resisting capture, having broken out of his restraints a couple of times to his captivity exhibit. Lolong died in 2013. Both his taxidermied remains and skeleton are on display at the Philippine Museum of Natural History in Manila.
As always, mahalo for reading and reviewing. You give my writing purpose. I'll see you next time.
Brav