Davis succeeded in winning his sixth gym battle, but just after he earned it, our heroes have a surprise visit from Jason. He too has came here for a gym battle, but something else will be in the works.

"It's been a while, Jason." Davis said, but Jason just simply ignored him.

"Who is that?" Mallow questioned.

"His name is Jason. He's Davis' rival, but they don't have a friendly rivalry." Terra informed. "Jason has an attitude."

"I'm sorry, but I just got done having a battle with Davis, and my pokemon are in no condition to battle right now." Kaze said.

"That's fine. I can wait a little longer so that your pokemon will be ready." Jason said as he just left things at that and was just going to walk away.

"Jason, wait." Fauna said. Jason turned to face her, but he didn't even seem amazed or anything being faced with the champion. "You're just going to walkaway without saying hello? We... We haven't seen each other in a long time." They already know each other? How can that be?

"Hi...Mom." Jason said. It took a moment for what he said to hit Davis and the others. When they did, they all couldn't believe what he just called her.

"No way! She's your mother?!" Davis said as this had to have been the biggest shock they've ever heard.

Through the water, forest, and up in the sky

In the fire, thunder, and right in your heart

There are so many, many, many to find

And I know I can do it

(I can do it)

I know I can catch them all-all-all

(Gotta catch'em all)

So let's go

(Come on)

Oh

Watch me, here I go

Pokemon, here I come

It's destiny calling

I'll give it my all

It's all I can do

(Davis' voice): Unus Union: Jason vs. Kukui

"Crazy..." Cletus sighed. After things were done at the gym, everyone went to the Pokemon Center to relax. They all couldn't forget what they just learned.

"I never would have thought Jason was actually Fauna's son." Terra said. "It didn't seem like they were on good terms. That apple clearly fell far from the tree."

"What do you mean?" Lana asked.

"Jason hasn't really been a nice guy." Terra said. "Fauna focus on connecting with pokemon, but Jason focuses more on power. If a pokemon doesn't seem to reach his standards, he just lets them go. It's like...he doesn't care." None of the Alola students like how that sounded. They couldn't understand how a trainer couldn't care about their pokemon. Cletus was also curious about the relation between Jason and Fauna. He looked down to the side to see Fauna sitting alone, but she didn't seem so happy. What could be going on between Jason and Fauna?

"Wait. Where's Davis?" Kiawe said. All of them noticed that Davis wasn't around. Meanwhile, Jason was outside and was working for his upcoming battle. He trained with Sculice and they were working on power rather well.

"Good. Keep that up." Jason said as he seemed pleased with Sculice's results. Then, he could feel someone watching them. He turned around and saw Davis, and all of his pokemon were with him.

"Hey, Jason." Davis said.

"What do you want?" Jason said. The two of them weren't really sure what to say to each other. Everyone was able to find him and saw the two of them staring down at each other.

"I knew he would be here." Cletus said.

"I smell trouble." Terra said. All of them watched to see how things would unfold. Kukui and Fauna joined in and watched carefully, ready to step in if needed.

"I just thought you would like to look at my pokemon now." Davis said as he showed them. "Some of them have evolved, and got a lot stronger. I even caught me a Tazzvil." He was hoping to show Jason how much stronger he's gotten by showing how much his pokemon have improved.

"So what?" Jason said as he wasn't impressed. "It doesn't change the fact that you're a lame trainer."

"What?! I managed to win six badges thanks to these guys!" Davis said.

"Must not have been much competition." Jason said. The only thing this is accomplishing is making Davis angry.

"How about you come over here and say that." Imperialdramon said as he stepped forward, but Sculice got in the way. There was a strong rivalry between those two as well just like their trainers.

"Forget it, Sculice. They aren't worth the effort." Jason said.

"Hold it!" Kiawe called as he came out. "You're being disrespectful to Davis, his pokemon, and the gym leaders he defeated. I saw Davis battle, and he's a good trainer."

"Kiawe's right. Why do you have to sound so mean?" Mallow said.

"Because it's the truth." Jason claimed. "I don't even know who you people are, so just mind your own business."

"Jason, stop it!" Fauna called as she came out. "That's not how I raised you or taught you. You have to be respectable to trainers and pokemon. You have to try and build connections with them."

"Just because that works for you doesn't mean it will work for me, Mom. I don't need your help because I've been doing find my way." Jason claimed.

"Hey, your mother is right. You should be a little more respectful." Kukui said. Just then, Jason realized who he was talking to.

"Wait. I know you. You're Professor Kukui. Back in Alola, you called yourself the Masked Royal, and were considered the strongest trainer in all of Alola." Jason said.

"So you heard of me?" Kukui said. "I see news travels fast outside of Alola."

"Yes. My gym battle can wait. I'm hoping you will battle me." Jason bluntly said. "I want to be the strongest trainer there is. In order to be the strongest, I have to face the strongest. I need to battle you to see how strong I am, and to see how strong I need to be. What do you say?" Challenging Kukui out of the blue to test himself is quite direct of Jason. It sounded like he was determined to go through with this.

"Very well. Maybe this battle will also teach you some manners." Kukui said. "We'll have our battle tomorrow." Kukui vs. Jason. This is going to be interesting to say the least. Later that night, Davis was hoping he would get to battle Jason, but this upcoming battle sounded just as good. However, he wasn't getting much sleep. He couldn't shake the feeling that something big was going to come out of this.

"Jason..." Davis mumbled. Even though Jason and Davis don't agree, he has come to recognize Jason's power. If Jason is already rather strong, why is he looking to get even stronger?

...

The Next Day

When the next day came, everyone met up at the battlefield for this match. This was one they didn't want to miss. Kukui and Jason stood facing each other, but what kind of battle is this going to come out of.

"Professor Kukui, I can be the referee." Cletus offered.

"There's no need." Jason said. "We can use six pokemon, and substitution is allowed. The battle will be over when all six of one side's pokemon are unable to battle. It's as simple as that."

"Fine. I'll agree to that." Kukui said. "Now, let's see if you're as strong as your mother." This battle was beginning to feel different than other battles. It was feeling a little more tense. "Okay! Let's get this battle going! Incineroar!" Kukui made his first choice and brought out his best pokemon.

"Incineroar!"

"There it is! That's Professor Kukui's partner!" Lillie said. Davis brought out his pokedex to learn more about it.

"Incineroar, the Heel Pokemon. A fire and dark-type, and the evolve form of Torracat. The flames around it's waste burn intensely when it's fighting spirit is ignited."

"Rhydon, time for battle!" Jason called as he made his choice.

"Rhydon!"

"He's going with Rhydon!" Kiawe said. "That's going to be a problem. Rhydon is a rock-type, as well as a ground-type. Incineroar is at one big disadvantage." Jason already seems to have the advantage, but Fauna is still rather worried how this is going to go for her son.

"Let's get pumped, Incineroar! Let's use Bulk Up!" Kukui said. Incineroar caused it's muscles to grow and gained even more power. "Your mother battles by getting into her pokemon's head and understanding what they want to do. Do you battle the same way?"

"You'll see that I'm very different from my mother." Jason said. "Rhydon, Horn Drill!" Rhydon had energy surge into its horn and it started spinning like a drill. It charged right at Incineroar, but Incineroar didn't even look concerned.

"Use Throat Chop!" Kukui called. Incineroar gathered dark power into its claw and attacked Rhydon. Rhydon tried to strike Incineroar with it's horn, but Incineroar ducked down and then smashed its claw right into Rhydon's throat. Rhydon took some damage, but tried to shake it off.

"Now use Stone Edge!" Jason called.

"Darkest Lariat!" Kukui called. Rhydon smashed the ground and caused rocks to rise out of the ground, but Incineroar spun around with energy surging in its claws. Incineroar broke through the stones to Jason's surprise. Incineroar kept going and smashed it's attack against Rhydon with it being knocked out.

"Professor Kukui got the first win." Lana said.

"Yeah, but it's not over." Terra said as she and others know Jason won't back down so easily.

"Sculice, time for battle!" Jason called.

"Sculice!" Seeing Sculice in battle, Imperialdramon paid close attention.

"Sculice is an ice-type. Why would he use that against a fire-type?" Lillie questioned.

"I know why." Imperialdramon said as he knew what to expect.

"Now use Throat Chop!" Kukui said. Incineroar gathered its power into an attack and went right at Sculice.

"Now use Protect!" Jason called. Sculice formed a barrier around it and was able to block the attack. "Now use Focus Punch!" Once the attack was stopped, Sculice focused its power into its fist and smashed it against Incineroar with massive damage being dealt.

"That's why. He was planning to use Protect. After that, use an attack that has the type advantage." Imperialdramon said. That was a rather clever move.

"Ice Beam!" Jason called.

"Now use Blast Burn!" Kukui called. Sculice used its own attack, but it didn't even slow Incineroar down. Incineroar smashed its fist against the ground and that caused the ground right under Sculice to combust. That one attack was all it took for it to end for Sculice.

"His pokemon are going down rather easily." Lana said.

"Yeah. I thought he would do a better job than this." Mallow said.

"Seismitoad, get ready for battle!" Jason called.

"Seismitoad!"

"And now he's using Seismitoad, another pokemon with the type advantage." Cletus said.

"Hydro Pump!" Jason called. Seismitoad unleashed a powerful blast of water and it smashed into Incineroar with it looking like it was doing a lot of damage. "Now use Mud Shot!" Seismitoad kept the attacks going as it fired mud and blasted Incineroar with tons of damage being dealt.

"Incineroar, return!" Kukui called with Incineroar being brought back to it's pokeball.

"He's switching?" Terra said.

"Smart move. Incineroar is burning through a lot of it's power." Cletus said.

"Lucario, let's go!" Kukui called as he chose his next pokemon.

"Lu!"

"Wow! He's got a Lucario!" Davis said.

"But Lucario is part steel-type. It's at a pretty big disadvantage against Seismitoad since it's a ground-type." Cletus said.

"Mud Shot!" Jason called.

"Lucario, Extreme Speed!" Kukui said. Seismitoad fired the mud at Lucario, but Lucario had power flow through it and was moving incredible fast. Lucario avoided every attack shot at it until it reached Seismitoad and smashed itself against Seismitoad. "Good! Now use Dragon Pulse!" Lucario unleashed the dragon blast and managed to hit Seimitoad once again with Seismitoad being taken out.

"That's his third pokemon, and Kukui hasn't even lost one." Sophocles said. This battle was looking rather one-sided, but that's the problem.

'There's something off about Jason battling.' Davis thought as he could just tell. Jason isn't battling like his usual self. It's more reckless and direct.

"What's wrong?" Kukui said as he could see the same thing. "I thought you could do better than that, but you don't even seem concerned about your pokemon. You aren't even trying to connect with them. You're just attacking blindly and recklessly." Jason brought Seismitoad back to its pokeball, but it seemed like he was getting annoyed.

"Caring for my pokemon... Battling like I'm one with them... Connecting with what they desire... All of that is something my mother would do!" Jason called. "But I'm not my mother! I am my own person! Who my mother is has nothing to do with me!" When he said that, it made Davis realize something about him.

"That's it!" Davis said as he began to feel a sense of sympathy for him. "It must not be easy being the son of someone like Fauna. He probably feels like he's trapped in her shadow."

"I see..." Cletus said. "That's why Jason battles the way he does. Being the son of a champion probably comes with a lot of expectations, but that means Jason isn't getting the credit he really deserves. He probably wants to prove he's more than just his mother's son." This is giving the others a brand new insight into Jason.

"So, you want to be different from your mother, but from where I'm standing, you've got a long way to go." Kukui said, but that only made Jason more irritated.

"Gyarados, time for battle!" Jason called.

"RRARRRAGGGGHHH!"

"Gyarados, Aqua Tail!" Jason called. Gyarados gathered water around it's tail and tried to smash it against Lucario.

"Dodge it and use Close Combat!" Kukui called. Lucario jumped right over the attack. When it did, it ran across Gyarados' body until it jumped up to Gyarados face and unleashed a series of strikes against it.

"Push it away and use Dragon Rage!" Jason called.

"Dragon Pulse!" Kukui called. Gyarado knocked Lucario away, and then it fired a blast of raw dragon power. However, Lucario fought back with it's own dragon power. The two attacks collided, but Lucario's ended up being stronger with it pushing through Gyarados attack. Gyarados got blasted and suffered even more damage.

"Use Aqua Tail!" Jason called.

"Extreme Speed!" Kukui called. Gyarados kept battling at it swung its water tail at Lucario, but Lucario avoided the attack again and managed to smash itself against Gyarados right in the jaw. That last strike managed to knock Gyarados out of the battle as well. Jason was getting furious that he was losing so badly, but he refused to be beaten.

"Gabite, time for battle!" Jason called.

"Gabite!" His next pokemon was a male Gabite, but it wasn't looking good for him.

"Dragon Claw!" Jason called. Gabite had Dragon Energy flow into it's claws and tried to attack. He slashed its claws against Lucario, but Lucario was blocking every attack thrown at it. "Now use Bulldoze!" Gabite gathered power to use that attack, but Kukui was just a second faster.

"Lucario, return!" Kukui brought Lucario back to its pokeball and that caused Gabite to miss, much to Jason's annoyance. "Braviary, let's go!"

"Brav!"

"Braviary?" Terra said.

"That's going to make Gabite's ground-type attacks useless." Cletus said.

"Now use Steel Wing!" Kukui called.

"Gabite, Dragon Claw!" Jason called. Both of their pokemon went at each other and attacked. Both of their attacks managed to hit at the same time, but now Braviary is in the right position.

"Sky Drop!" Kukui called. Braviary was able to grab Gabite with its talons and began flying up to the sky. Braviary kept going up and up, and Gabite couldn't get itself free from Braviary's grip. When Braviary was high enough, it dropped Gabite straight down and plummeted into the ground. When the dust cleared away, Gabite was knocked out of the battle.

"And now Gabite has been taken out. I doubt that his last pokemon will help him win." Cletus said. Davis and Fauna felt rather bad for Jason, but he's trying to hard to prove he's not his mother and wishes to surpass her.

"Kendomen, time for battle!" Jason called.

"Kendomen!"

"Kendomen is his last pokemon, but it's at a big disadvantage. This battle is almost over." Terra said.

"Now use Brutal Swing!" Jason called. Kendomen tried to attack, but Braviary flew up into the air and was able to avoid the attack.

"Braviary, return!" Kukui said as he made a surprising choice. "Incineroar, let's go!"

"Incineroar!"

"I thought it was only best to finish this with my best pokemon. I do think you put up a good effort, so consider it a reward." Kukui claimed. "Incineroar, Darkest Lariat!"

"Use Rock Smash!" Jason called. The two attacks collided and tried to overwhelm each other, but they both ended up being pushed back.

"Now use Blast Burn!" Kukui called. Incineroar smashed the ground with its fist and caused the ground underneath Kendomen to combust. Kendomen was consumed by the flames and was greatly weakened from the attack. Kendomon may have endured the attack, but Jason apparently has given up and won't even give a command. "Nothing? Well, there's only one thing left to do. You wanted my best, and I'll give it." Kukui held up his Z-crystal to unleash all of his power. He and his partner were in sync as they got their final attack ready, but just didn't have the emotion for it. "Use Malicious Moonsault." Incineroar jumped up in the air and came down in a body slam. Upon contact, it caused an explosion of flames and darkness. When the dust cleared away, Kendomen was defeated. This battle was clearly over. "I guess we're done."

"Jason..." Davis said as he's wondering what he's thinking now.

"Thank you for the battle." Jason said once Kendomen was brought back. "I still got a long way to go before I can reach the level of a champion." Jason wanted to leave it at that as he tried to leave.

"Jason!" Fauna called. "I thought you did well!" She said as she tried to be a mother, but Jason didn't even reacted and just kept moving. It would seem that there's still some tension between them, but this whole experience gave Davis a new insight as to how Jason is. Being the son of Fauna must not be easy, and that's why Jason acts the way he does.

...

The Airport

As fun and interesting as everything was, it was time for Kukui and his students to go back home. That's what they were doing as they were all going their separate ways.

"Well, it's time we headed back to Alola. Thanks for acting as guides." Kukui said.

"Be sure to come and visit Alola." Lana said.

"I'll cook all of you your favorite meals at my family restaurant." Mallow said.

"It was nice to meet all of you." Lillie said.

"Same here." Terra said.

"It was a lot of fun. I'm glad we got see so many interesting things." Sophocles said.

"We'll be sure to come by Alola when we get the chance." Cletus said.

"Davis, it was great meeting you. You better not lose because you can't call yourself Ash's rival if you get beaten so easily." Kiawe said.

"I'll keep that in mind." Davis said.

"One other thing, don't lose to Jason." Kiawe said. "I might understand his reasons, but I don't like the way he does things. The only person you can lose to is me the next time we battle." Davis appreciated that for it seems he's got the respect of a new friend and possible rival. The two of them even bumped fists as a sign of that respect. Once it was all done, Kukui and his students got on their plane and was heading off back to Alola with Davis and his friends seeing their plane off.

And so, our heroes say goodbye to their new friends. They certainly had a fun time in Unus City, but it's now time to move on to meet with new friends and rivals. The journey continues.

To Be Continued...