The first rays of the morning sun beamed through the gaps of the palm trees. From east to west, the Alolan Exeggutor that were sleeping instantly awoken when the sunlight radiated their faces. Like flowers after winter, they sprung back to life with smiles on their faces.
With light shuffling thanks to the swaying Exeggutor, the offending rays were what aroused Erza from her slumber. She meekly opened her eyes and lifted herself to see out of the cave. The sky had a bright yellow radiance with the palm trees shifting about energetically.
"It's morning..." Realizing the time, she turned to look down at Nic, who was beneath her. The look of his sleeping face made it seem like it was a crime to wake him up, but she knew they had things to do. "Nic, time to get up." She said softly.
Hearing the soft tune of his wife, Nic's eyes winced as he was awakening from his slumber. He was lying on a bed of makeshift flowers summoned by his Meadow Form for some measure of comfort for him and Erza. He rolled his head along the flower bed, seeing Erza's stare directed at him. "Mmm...Erza?"
"Good morning, sleepy head." She chimed softly.
Nic smiled. "Morning." Erza bent down to plant a soft kiss on his forehead. It sent a ticklish sensation through his nervous system, even as she pulled up. "Guess we better get ready then."
"Yes, a real shame. But if they're able to track us, we better keep on moving. Staying in one place too long isn't your style anyway, isn't it?"
Nic sat up, brushing off some of the soft pink petals that were stuck to his back. "You know me all too well. I'm starting to worry that I should be careful with what I do around you."
"You just might." She teased, before pulling out one of the power bars that Joey had packed them. The one with Erza's face on it was a strawberry flavoring, with Nic's own bars facing a minty flavor to them. They were both initially shocked at how Joey figured out their preferred tastes, but despite their earlier judgements, even Erza was impressed with how tasty it was. It wasn't too firm, and the wrapping helped contain the moisture inside. It was like a chocolate brownie inside with a strawberry jam filling, if anything. Nic's was of similar context with a mint-like cream in the center of his. It wasn't much, but the massive amount of protein each of the bars carried was sustainable for them.
Nic reached into his pocket, pulling out a Sitrus Berry. He looked back at his sleeping Greninja. When he tossed the berry at him, the deception was proven when a flippered hand snagged the berry while the eyes were still closed. Greninja opened an eye and smirked beneath his tongue.
"Glad to see you're not getting rusty." Nic said. "Let's get ready. From what I remember yesterday, we passed an island that was larger than this one, right? That's the only island left on the map we haven't checked."
"Yes. We may have missed a few landmarks on the past few islands, but it looks like Poni Island must have something to offer." Erza responded. "It looked to be a lot of canyon as well. That should be ample cover for us to blend in."
"Guess we know where to go then." He stood up, along with Greninja. "Let's see if we can find a port town and scope out anything that we might find useful."
Erza nodded. "Right. Let's hurry and gather our things."
Deep within the eastern coast of Poni Island, there was a passage past a geyser field that sat on the southern coastline. If one were lucky enough to make it through the geyser field, there was a passage that took them to a descending trail to a cavern sitting above a tidal pool.
At the entrance and throughout the interiors were water lilies and coral that sat off to the side. Beyond the maze with cemented rocks making the path all but impossible to cross, there was the backroom, where there was a shrine made of vines and sticks.
Tapu Fini was perched atop her tiki, surrounded by gray stones with blue lines running across their rims. She had her eyes closed as she concentrated on her water controlling powers, hearing the constant dripping of the water clock that sat beneath her. From the sounds of the tides that were running beneath her ruins, it must have become morning. She opened her eyes, dispelling the water clock by evaporating it. She absorbed its moisture into her shell, which caused any dry skin to smooth over with a fresh moist coating.
She took a long breath and sighed. "(Looks like it's morning. I had a feeling that staying up this late wouldn't be good for myself.)" She let out a loud yawn, yet when she did, the water inside the ruins vibrated. "(Pardon me. I suppose this is how Tapu Bulu usually feels. A little rest sounds fairly well right about now...)"
Though the idea truly was tempting, she had to remain vigilant. She promised her fellow island guardians that she would be there to safeguard Poni Island if they drew too close. Now was not the time to slack off. But she also wasn't going to waste precious energy to go and hunt down Nic and Erza like Tapu Koko and Tapu Lele did. But she also couldn't let them get to her like Tapu Bulu did. She had to measure this just right.
'(Why do I have to tamper myself with human affairs yet again? It would be much better for all of us if they were gone...)' Her head drooped down to the floor, memories of the countless humans who would hunt her down for her unique abilities rose up from the depths of her mind. '(It's been ages since I've met another human with good intentions. So many are corrupted these days that it's impossible to even bear a single one's breath. Many who have come to me, they came for my purifying water.)' She looked down at her ruins' bordering, showing clear water sprouting coral discs.
The water subconsciously went stale as her thoughts ran so deep in her mind. Still waters run deep, as they would say.
For as long as she could remember, since the creation of the islands, Tapu Fini has been wary of humans. While she holds no ill-will, she's seen enough blunder by them to know that they'll only build themselves up until one mistake brings it all crashing down. But when push comes to shove, she would have figured they'd learn not to build like that again, but boy was she wrong.
She was nice about allowing a few humans with good intentions having some of her purifying water, but even that was once in a blue moon. Every other time was a different story. She's learned so much from the mistakes of others, that included her own kind, too. The fellow island guardians, especially with what happened with Tapu Bulu with Tapu Village. The last Kahuna and the people were so twisted that he had to put a stop to it. It was a long-winded story, and she didn't bother thinking too highly of it, but she knew enough of the situation to know that whatever intentions humans had, she wanted no part of it.
But this time was different. For once, she actually had to be cautious around humans, these two in particular. With their power, who knows what could happen to the island?
'(I just hope they aren't as much trouble as perceived in person. If my mist doesn't stop them, then it'll be up to me for certain.)'
Suddenly, her eyes widened. She started sensing something that got her to face the entrance to her ruins. It was strange, but extremely faint. At the same time, her scales stiffened at this extremely abnormal energy. There was no mistaking it.
'(This feeling...it's them!)'
Seafolk Village was a very humble township on the southern end of Poni Island. It wasn't built on the actual land per se, but it was something similar to Hoenn's very own Pacifidlog Town. Everything was built on a very large wooden dock that was built into the sea. Instead of actual buildings, it was bunch of ships and yachts with merchants and fishermen gathering around to make the collective community.
Walking along the docks, Erza made sure to keep herself as ill-distinguished as possible. Knowing that she was possibly also a felon would make for a bad image for her as well as the guild. Her hair was tied into a bud beneath her sunhat, which matched her strapless cream sundress that was modestly covering her body. With a pair of sunglasses also covering her body, she should be able to get by just fine.
While she was confident that her disguise will conceal her from view, she still had to be cautious. She scoped around the village, seeing all the numerous boats that were afloat. 'They even have a restaurant out at sea?' At first she was genuinely piqued at how such a thing was possible, but considering Joey's health bars were filling enough, she would have to fight the urge to scope out any of their desserts...at least for now.
She glanced to her side. "So, this is the plan?"
Beside her was her husband, but Nic seemed vastly different. He adorned a short-sleeved black, buttoned shirt with khakis and flip-flops. His skin tone was much tanner than what it usually was, and he had slicked back, white hair with dark eyes.
"Yeah, this should conceal us for now. At least until we get away from the people." Nic's voice was different in coordination to him using Transform. His tone sounded deeper, sounding like a man in his 30's.
"I'm curious, who exactly did you transform into again?"
"Just someone who was part of a Dark Guild I took out a long while back. It was just the first face that I thought would be most convenient." In truth, he wasn't lying. Then again, he's taken out many of the now extinct Dark Guilds in the past, and much of the faces back then he paid little attention towards. But he had to be more flexible now. He had to start paying more attention to people if he was going to start using their identities for his benefits.
The two walked across the docks that comprised the village, making their destination to the Pokémon Center that was the left pier from the mainland. The two had to look as casual as possible while posing as tourists. At least, that was the plan. They needed to get as much intel as possible so they didn't go running around like headless chickens.
Once they entered the building, they passed through to find that it was like any of the other Pokémon Centers in Alola, with a shop on the right and a café on the left. They both walked up to Nurse Joy, who seemed free at the moment.
"Good morning, and welcome to the Pokémon Center. Would you like for me to bring your Pokémon back to good health?" Nurse Joy asked.
"Yes, please." She stepped forward, presenting a Net Ball and regular Poke Ball, containing Scizor and Slurpuff respectively after their battling on Ula'ula.
Nurse Joy accepted the Pokémon with a smile. "Of course. And you, sir?"
Nic reached for his khakis and pulled out a single Poke Ball containing his Garchomp. He figured it would have been a good idea after his aid through the desert yesterday that he got back up to speed. He handed it to Nurse Joy without so much as a complaint. "Here you go."
Nurse Joy happily smiled. "Alright, we'll be sure to treat them back to full health!" She turned away to head to the machine that would heal the three Pokémon.
With a little time to kill, Nic and Erza decided to trot over to the café area, where Nic decided to take a seat on a stool at a round wooden table. Once he sat down, he turned to Erza, who remained standing.
"I'm going to see what specials they have." She insisted. "You want me to bring you back something?"
Nic shook his head. "Don't worry about me." Of course that was easier said than done. The look on Erza's face told him otherwise. He scrunched a brow and leaned into his crossed arms. "...fine, guess a cold drink is fine."
Erza smiled. She whipped around and made way towards the café with a humble stride in her steps.
Nic watched her go, mentally groaning. 'Geez, when she wants something, she's still not afraid to be pushy about it...' He was quick to disregard that stubborn quirk as he felt a small poke on his shoulder. He turned towards the side, seeing nothing there. But he was very much aware that he wasn't alone. "Kecleon...what did you find?" he whispered.
A faint red stripe moved underneath the table, where many eyes were aloof to the scene. A sticky tongue curled out of thin air, passing a rolled-up newspaper drenched in salvia. Nic was easy to dismiss it and pulled up the newspaper onto the table for him to look at. Meanwhile, the faint red stripe took the seat between Nic and Erza's placements, remaining cloaked from everyone.
"(Found some good stuff...)" she spoke in her monotone softly, smacking her lips. "(But the stuff tastes like bad news...)"
"Thanks." He took the time to unroll the drenched newspaper to let it air out. He evenly spread the paper's front page, where he saw the main storyline.
"ALOLA FACES TROUBLE:
As of 5:55 P.M. yesterday afternoon, The CEO of Aether Foundation had administered a national warrant for suspects that have been responsible for the victims of recent attacks.
Over the course of four days, there have been three incidents resulting in six people hospitalized. Two victims on Melemele Island, and four on Ula'ula Island. The details of how they were hospitalized remain current unknown. However, International Police forces have confirmed that the suspects have been deciphered.
There were two pictures, showing a snapshot photo of Nic taken by locals, along with Erza. It looked to have been on Melemele's beach back when they first arrived. He saw there was information of the time of day it was taken, but not by whom. Nic noted that and continued scrolling.
Suspects have been pointed out to be Nic Pularis, 22-years-old. Under the guise of a vacation, he found his way to Alola, along with his wife, Erza Pularis, age unknown. Under the span of four days, three locals and three tourists have been assaulted and put into medically induced comas. Their most recent sighting was located in the Ruins of Abundance, north of the Haina Desert. The two victims were taken captive and brought to the island guardian's domain, where former International Police/Island Kahuna Nanu, and current elite International Policeman Looker, have cornered the two culprits. However, they had gotten away, leaving the bodies of the two surfers behind. Before leaving, Nic Pularis had also assaulted Looker, leaving him with a notable concussion.
When fellow police spoke with Nanu of Ula'ula, he was unable to give any further disclosure regarding the details of the incident: "Can't say anything too drastic. It's a mess, but somebody's gonna have to clean it up."
The Kahuna has established a warning to the other islands' authorities and Kahunas. Citizens and tourists are advised to be on the lookout for any of these two individuals. The suspects are considered extremely lethal.
If you come in contact or have any indication, inform local authorities or your nearest Island Kahuna."
Nic sighed out his nostrils. 'Figures they would take it this far. This is going to make getting around the more populated areas more tedious.' He was brought back to reality when he heard footsteps head his way, belonging to Erza as she walked up with two Styrofoam cups.
"Here, I got you a Lemonade." She handed Nic a cup that had a half-lemon printed on the front. She took her own beverage, which was a Roserade Tea with an imprint of the same Pokémon on the opposite chair.
"Thanks." Nic accepted the lemonade cup, which had a plastic lid and straw that he drank from. It was a very strong taste that it had. It wasn't too sweet, but it wasn't too sour like how Vanessa would have preferred hers. He briefly thought about his sister and what she would have thought about this drink until his lips parted from the straw.
"So, what did you find?" Erza inquired.
Nic used two fingers to pivot the news article around its base and made it face Erza. He slid it towards her, where she noticed the front page...as well as a little drenched it was. As she was sipping her fresh tea, her shades held up well to conceal her slightly stunned look. "So it happened so soon. Word gets around fast here it seems."
"You can say that again. Odds are the International Police are going to be corralling here for backup. If that happens, moving around in the urban areas is going to be even harder than it was before." Nic said, before taking another strong sip of his lemonade.
"Perhaps we should look inland then. We can hide out there while we try and scope out anything the creature may have left behind." She sat her cup down, taking a momentary pause. "It couldn't have been just on Melemele and Ula'ula, could it? For all we know, we may have missed tracks on Akala because we were only on the southern ends upon our visit."
Nic glanced out the window, silently drinking his lemonade as he pondered the many possibilities. With his powers, there was a good chance he could recap where the Ultra Beast may have come from, but even then, he could only get a certain area and range. He wasn't omniscient, and most certainly not omnipotent.
Subconsciously, he ceased his sipping from the straw and passed the lemonade over to the seat between. If anyone looked, they would have seen lemonade sapped through it, yet nothing drank it. Almost like a ghost.
"Did you seriously try to go through there?"
The seats nearby, two girls had just sat down with two identical cups of steaming Komala Coffee. Nic, Erza, and Kecleon stayed quiet and kept their eyes down as they heard them talk.
"Yeah, I tried to get through there to check out that site on the Altar of the Sunne, but it was tougher than I expected getting through that canyon. Especially with that rumored Totem Pokémon guarding the drop-off point." The other girl responded. "And I barely got far enough with my team as I did."
"You mean you tried to get through Vast Poni Canyon on foot? That place is a serious maze!" the other girl quipped. "How far in did you get?"
"Hm, maybe halfway? I don't really remember. I got lost after a little while. And I realized that I was out of Max Repels, too." The girl looked down. "On the bright side, I was able to catch myself a cute little Jangmo-o before I called it quits. So it wasn't a total loss for me. Still, going back through those canyons takes a lot out of you."
"That certainly sounds dangerous. Getting lost in that canyon is the same as getting lost in the Haina Desert. Bet you were pretty lucky that the Pager Charizard was able to find you."
"Well, I'm just glad these Ride Pagers have built-in GPS for them to find us." The girl leaned back in her seat as she was looking over her smartphone for any messages she's missed while out of service range. "Now if they were able to take me directly to that altar, that would have saved me so much time."
"Didn't you hear? They established warnings out in that area. I'm sure the Page Rider services have trained the Charizard to obey and stay up-to-date on caution zones. Maybe you should wait a couple days and maybe check if those warnings are away."
"Yeah, guess you're right." She sighed dejectedly. "And here I was wanting to see if the rumors were true about the Legendary Solgaleo and Lunala."
'Lunala?' The name instantly rung a bell in Nic's head. He remembered seeing the Pokémon back when he was in Glacidia. Immediately he started getting some pieces put together inside his head.
"Well, how about this..." the other girl said. "Next time, be sure to bring me along. If you're going to go through a place like that, at least bring along someone to take some pretty good pics!"
The girl winked. "Heh...tempting offer. But I've already used up a lot of my phone's memory."
"Then it's a good thing I have my own." The other woman waved her own phone, smirking. "I'll be sure to get some really good shots up along the cliffs. And Drifblim will make sure of that."
The two ladies shared a giggle, while Nic and Erza overheard from the seats beside them.
"An altar?" Erza whispered.
Nic shot her a serious glance. "Yeah, I'm reading your mail."
Erza took another sip from her Roserade Tea, the warm liquid once again having a very sharp but equally very soothing aloe running down her throat. "If it's closed off, then we might actually find something there."
"Only one way to find out." Nic moved to take a sip from his lemonade, but felt how light the cup was compared to when Erza gave it to him. Curious, he popped open the plastic lid and looked inside. He only saw ice cubes at the bottom.
A cute little hiccup made him turn with a despondent brow raised at the invisible culprit. He sighed tiredly and chose to let it go. His frown turned to a small grin as he pat Kecleon's camouflaged head. "Hey now, don't be so greedy the next time."
"(Sorry...)" Kecleon whispered, tilting her invisible head.
Nic chose to stand up and threw his cup into the nearest trash can. Erza followed behind, drinking the last of the tea she needed before discarding it. "Let's get our Pokémon from Nurse Joy and get moving." He insisted.
"Right." Erza agreed.
As they walked towards the front desk, the invisible Kecleon tilted her head, her lips smacking lightly at the taste of the lemonade. "(Citrusy...very fruit punchy to my taste buds.)"
On a trail just outside of Magnolia, Vanessa was walking up the small incline, her Delphox in tow. They were making way until they saw Nic and Erza's vacant wooden cottage in sight beyond the trees aligning alongside the trail.
"Thank you both again for accompanying me, even if it wasn't a necessity." She spoke.
Right behind her, Joey took a sudden leap forward, with Trubbish hurrying right beside him. "'Not a necessity'?" He smiled. "This is a dream come true! When Sophie told me you'd be busy helping out clean Nic-senpai and Erza-senpai's home while they were away, my brain was all like 'hit the brakes!'." He strode with his chest puffed out. "Besides, it's a little rude to have the ladies do all the work. Speaking of ladies..." Joey looked over his shoulder. "Pick up the slack back there, Dereece! We're burning daylight, and all those supplies aren't just gonna carry themselves!"
"C-coming, Captain Joey..." Struggling behind them, moving at a turtle's pace, Dereece was wobbling left to right, his arms covered in rubber gloves that held a box full of heavy cleaning materials. It felt like carrying heavy lead in his case. "This..." He nearly stammered off balance again. "...would be a lot easier if somebody hadn't had their hands full at the moment!" He looked back over his shoulder, gesturing to Heracross as he was eating a jar of fresh Combee Honey.
Realizing he was spoken to, Heracross perked up. "Mm? Oh, shorry." He muffled.
Dereece eyerolled back towards Joey. "Is all this stuff really necessary?"
"Nothing's too short of spick n'span when it comes to our superiors. We're gonna make sure they come to a home that's as spotless as the glass on a Honey jar Heracross finishes!" Joey declared.
"Mmm...well if you mean this one, then yeah, it will be." Heracross chimed, holding up the jar with his Honey-coated claws.
"Well be sure to wash your hands before touching anything." Vanessa nonchalantly noted, looking back at them before facing forward. "We'll start with the inside for now. With your extra help, it might give me a chance to make more lemonade."
Joey's heart thumped at the idea of drinking some more of Vanessa's refined, sour lemonade. It was enough of a motivation to make him sent thunderbolts through his spine. "Vanessa-senpai's exquisite, fresh lemonade...?" he inhaled a squeal. "Trubbish! We are gonna earn that lemonade!"
Trubbish let out a gaseous belch. She didn't have much care for anything fresh. She was helping out because of two reasons. Firstly, it was a smorgasbord of germs and grime for her to snack on. She could already see what was behind the oven and refrigerator. She had to hold herself back from salivating acid, though a few drops were seeping from the corners of her mouth. And secondly, Joey told her to. And she was more than willing to pick up the slack when it counted.
"I don't suppose that Nic and Erza just so happen to leave a spare key under a doormat or something, right?" Dereece questioned, still straining from hauling the supplies.
"That won't be necessary." Vanessa responded. "After their house was reconstructed, they gave me a spare key in case of an emergency."
"That's our Vanessa-senpai!" Joey chimed. "Man, Duncan's so sore for missing out on this."
"Knowing Duncan, playing housemaid really isn't his style. He's probably training out in the East Forest like you instructed. Odds are he'll be there until we finish up, if not longer." He nearly stumbled again, but the box's weight was starting to make him tip forward. Using his magic, he pressed his heel against the air to use his thigh as a perch for the box.
"That was close..." He sighed. He heard slurping behind as Heracross drew closer. "Will you stop eating your Honey and help me here?!"
They made way up to the porch, where Vanessa was still leading the pack. She paid no heed to Dereece's complaints as she reached for the spare housekey looped around her neon green belt. She inserted the key and turned it to make the locks undo themselves. She opened the door and made way inside, with Delphox in tow. "Shall we get started?"
"Of course." Delphox diligently noted.
Joey skipped up the steps next into the open door, with Trubbish in tow. Dragging behind was poor Dereece as he was wheezing from hauling his load. Heracross followed behind, looking inside absent-mindedly for anymore Honey residue along the jar's walls. Once they were all in, the door went shut.
Meanwhile, off closer to the woodlands beyond the cottage, there was a shuffling sound before a camouflaged coat shifted within its confines. Underneath the hood appeared to be Shiin as his blue-green eyes were hidden by the camouflaged hood.
'I see. So this is Nic Pularis' household.' As he scanned the domain, his brow furrowed with disappointment. 'I never would have imagined such a place would be so...humble.' He'd be the first to admit that he expected something grander than something like a wooden cottage, like maybe a three-story house, or a mansion given their statuses as mages.
Before he digressed, he shook his head and pulled out his camera. 'Right. Worry about their accommodations later. I'll start by getting around the outside.'
He brought the lens up to his face and looked through it. With it connected to his optical lens, it zoomed out to get a good view of the battlefield and the trees bordering the trail. He took a snapshot and documented it before moving onto the side of the house. He was making sure to be extra careful. Even though he had the Magic Disabling Cloak on now, he still could not afford to waste any expenses given to him. He was safe from being detected by Vanessa's aura and his magic signature exposed, but he'd still rather not seem like a pushover. With his camouflage on, he skulked along the underbrush as he was getting more panel shots along the backyard's open fields. He took pictures of the waterfall and pond, and the far open few acres that was the clearing beyond that. It took a few minutes to get by every spot for a proper full view of each angle, but he made sure that every shot was worth it.
Once he had taken the necessary shots needed for the exterior parts of the house, he had to get whatever interior shots he could from the outside. 'I have to get closer.' Using his camouflaged robe, he kept his head tucked as he moved against the wall of the house. He crept his way along the side of the house until he was blended with the bushes underneath a window. He readied his camera and calmed himself. He needed to get whatever shots he could without being noticed.
Finally mustering the courage, he lifted himself from the shrubs and held the camera to the window. Inside, he got a view of what looked like the kitchen area, where he caught Delphox using her Psychic to move a mop across the floor, while Vanessa was using lemon-scented disinfectant wipes on the sink.
He hit the clicker, catching a perfect shot.
'Alright, that looked like their kitchen. Now I'll see what I can get from the living room.' He tucked in his head again and skulked around the house's porch. He was sure to be extra careful when he crawled beneath the railing so that his feet wouldn't tamper the wood. He snuck up to the window and positioned himself for the scene unfolding.
"C'mon Captain~. You almost ready?" Dereece chimed against the hallway bathroom door.
"Just one...more...second!" Joey miffed grunts inside, sounding to be doing something serious. "Man! I forgot how tight it is around the waist!"
Shiin's eyes narrowed. 'What is he doing in there?' He pondered. 'Perhaps...he is trying on a special magic gear that is in the restroom area?'
With that hunch in mind, he took a quick picture of the living room area before heading into the bathroom area on the other side of the house. He circled around and ducked into the shrubs beneath the windowsill that was where he heard Joey's voice. On many occasions and modern levels of privacy, this would have been a really serious offense. However, if it was for a historical or scientific purpose to the magic world, he had to swallow this pill of shame and get the job done.
'Right, here we go!' Mustering his fortitude, he peeked into the bathroom's window...where he almost immediately took back his courage.
Joey was standing in front of the mirror, wearing a feminine-style maid costume. He turns his shoulders to see the white puffs in place, before looking down at the black girdle around his waist. He had a frilly white skirt on with high white stocking and fancy black shoes. But what crept Shiin out the most about it all was how proud Joey looked at his theme.
The crossdresser turned his back to the mirror, taking strides with a sway in his hips and swung to the side, looking back over his shoulder into the mirror. "Like what you see? Cuz I can take care of all your problems, baby." He swooned. "Just sit back senpai and let me handle the...dirty parts for ya."
Trubbish expelled another belch as she sat on the toilet seat.
"I know, good stuff, right?" Joey turned to her excitedly. "And Dereece called me a nutjob thinking blowing my expenses budget on this. He doesn't know what he's talking about, I mean look at this figure." He struck another pose into the mirror, waving his brows, then changing to a schoolgirl pose with a girlish giggle.
Trubbish burped again, raising her trash flippers beside her.
"Oh, so you like it, too?" Joey turned around, raising a leg and craning his head back. "I'm rockin' it. Remind me to wear this on cleaning days at the bachelor pad, would ya?" Trubbish hiccupped a reply, which Joey took with a smile. "Now...!" He swung the door open, striding out with that same sexy sway. "Did somebody call room service~?"
As soon as Joey left the vacant space, Shiin was left with an image that he thought would be engraved into his nightmares. He's never seen something so...odd. So weird. Then again, this Pokémon Trainer was known for being a party animal. Still, despite all the quirks he's been exposed to, this had to rank rather highly.
Getting over his initial shock, he took a snapshot of the bathroom while he still had a vacancy available. He ducked into the shrubs below and hunched down to keep his disguise from exposing so much.
'That looks to be all the available rooms that I was able to get.' He thought. 'Still, just to be certain, I'll get one more of the living area from the side.'
He moved himself along the house, stalking the nearest window that would give him a view inside the living room. He looked inside, getting yet another awful view of Joey humming as he brushed a feather duster around Nic and Erza's picture frames. Dereece and Heracross came back from the kitchen with washed hands and were going for brooms. Shiin readied his camera for another shot.
A soft yet familiar chirping sound made him immediately duck. Sensing an enemy behind, he looked over his shoulder, but yet again, a scowl crossed his face when it turned out to be Butterfree. "You again?" he hissed, but sighed angrily. "How many times does it take for the same message to cross a simple-minded insect? I believe that I have made it very clear after yesterday to let me have my closure."
The Butterfree hummed again, fluttering even closer.
"Are you incapable of listening to me, you..." He saw him flutter directly in front of the window. "Hey, get down from there this instant!" He gnashed his teeth angrily. 'My cover is going to be blown again at this rate!'
A muffled chirp was heard from inside, drawing Joey away from feather dusting. "Hm? Dereece, did you hear something?"
"It sounded like it came from over there...look!" He pointed at the window, to which Joey's gaze widened at the sight of a Butterfree prodding his beak in the glass.
Joey went over, unlocking the window to get fresh air and closer to the Butterfree. "Hello...a visitor perhaps? What you need, little guy?"
Trubbish jumped onto the windowsill beside Joey, waving at the Butterfree with a belch. The Butterfree chirped back with his own greeting, kicking up his feet like he was excited about something.
"Wonder what a Butterfree is doing all the way out here?" Dereece pondered, raising a brow. "Maybe it got lost or wandered too far."
"Probably...or maybe it realized that I look like a supermodel in this getup." Joey smirked, cocking a brow at the Butterfree.
"Please..." Dereece eyerolled.
Butterfree squealed as he was looking at Joey and Dereece, before chirping down beneath him. The two members of The Freaks didn't understand at first until they realized he was gesturing something beneath. They peered over the window, looking down at the many bushes that lined up against the house. As far as what they could tell, they didn't see anything out of the ordinary, unless they were overlooking something that was otherwise green.
"Wondering what he wants?" Dereece pondered, raising a brow at Joey. "Maybe it's hungry?"
Joey shamefully shook his head. "Sorry, Dereece. Left my change for berries in my coat. And I do believe somebody in this house has a little too much greed in them to spare some Honey..." He, Trubbish, and Dereece slowly turned around to look at Heracross. His eyes widened and nervously stepped away.
"Um, s-sorry! It's just so sweet that sometimes I just...space out?" he tried to make up an excuse, but his antennae stiffened with his poor character.
"Ooooi..." Dereece eyerolled before facepalming himself. He turned towards Joey. "Captain, we'd better hurry up. Vanessa and Delphox are almost done with the kitchen. We ain't finished with our part, well...I'd hate to see her angry at us."
"Right you are, Dereece." He said matter-of-factly, before turning towards Butterfree. "So sorry, little guy, but you caught us at a bad time. Perhaps later." His gaze fell towards Trubbish. "Trubbish, get to finding whatever junk you find and stuff it in ya like an all-you-can-eat buffet! Can ya do that?"
Trubbish's ears stiffened. She hiccupped with a big smile at Joey's command. A belch expelled from her gut, before a loud gurgling rippled in her stomach.
Joey and Dereece recoiled in fear of what's to come.
"Oh no, she's gonna barf again!" Dereece panicked.
"Not if I have a say in this!" Joey declared. He rushed for Trubbish, quickly picking her up with his hands. "No, Trubbish! If you're going to spew your excitable acids, at least do it outside! You'll stain the rugs, girl!"
He held her over the bushes upside-down, where the trash bag opened wide and expelled gunk-like acid that splattered all over the grass beneath them. The bushes, even the dirt itself, wasn't safe from her acidic gastric acid expulsion. By the time she was all done, she hiccupped and sighed with a smile.
Joey looked over the windowsill once more, a more cautious expression plastered as he saw some of the acid eating away at the yellowing grass. "Yeesh, guess it was a bad call to feed her that mold we found on the kitchen wall..."
"Next time we're calling the landlord...just like I said we should." Dereece backlashed.
"Well hey, Trubbish eats trash and garbage, too, right? Figured it was worth a shot at least. Lesson learned." As Joey walked away from the windowsill, his voice got out of range. The Butterfree that was left at the windowsill fluttered to the ground, where Shiin was covered in his special concealment robe that had a very repulsive, acidic smell on it. He tilted his head in confusion as Shiin stayed hunched over, his left eye twitching beneath the sizzling hood.
When Butterfree chirped worriedly, Shiin shuffled beneath his robe, trying to keep himself from yelling how ridiculous it was that it was tarnished by foul, acidic barf by a Pokémon. He sighed heavily out his nose, but as he inhaled, he had to hold the urge to barf.
'Captain In-Sue...I hope you can forgive me for this...but it looks like I'll be ordering a replacement coat tonight.' He sighed out again, immediately activating his gag reflexes. His vision blurred at how repulsive in odor this stuff was. 'Ugh! And these trainers have to live with something so unsanitary? Could that even be considered a Pokémon?!'
Despite his disgusted appearance, Shiin was able to muster up enough stamina to fight this stench and saunter away from the house. He got enough evidence for now. He would have to come back later on for a few more shots when nobody was around.
"These Pokémon...truly are disgusting creatures." Shiin mumbled, furrowing his brow as he ducked back into the forest.
Butterfree watched him go, but rather than pursue him and his lofty odor, he looked back at the cleaned house, then back at Shiin. His wings fluttered faster as he chirped with ideas stirring. But for now, he'd rather not deal with such an unpleasant smell and flew back into the forest to find some berries to nibble on.
The sky was getting brighter as the Alolan sun beamed down on the dry ground. Yet where it seemed that life bound to dry up here, there were still those who were able to survive and make a living. The island was known for being the smallest and the least populated. So with plenty of space, people were able to keep to themselves.
And it was here that a teenager was minding her own business, merrily trotting along with her trusty Mudsdale. Her head was protected by a large purple cap that was tied around her neck. She had grayish-purple eyes that matched her purple accessory and patches that were on her baggy brown overalls. While short in stature she was, it was made up by her long black hair on twin tails, having balls of hair separated by purple bands.
The woman took on a long breath as she finally reached Seafolk Village. "I reckon we be here." She spoke in such a thick southern accent, before bringing up a heel and dropping to the ground. She took another deep breath in, smelling the seawater that the city was built off of. "Ah, sweet ole' ocean air. Same as ever I see."
"(Yes, I suppose so, Hapu.)" Mudsdale neighed.
Hapu blinked. "Hm? Shoot, I suppose we better put y'all in your Ultra Ball so the pier don't get up and wring us dry like last time." She held up the Ultra Ball and withdrew her Mudsdale into the capsule. She turned back towards the pier and looked forward. "Hm, a lot of 'dem folks out and about today. Better see what fresh crops they brought out of Akala."
She made way south towards the lower harbor area, passing by many of folk that were coming in and out of the boats that were stationed on the end of the docks. She was always so familiar with where each boat was and what good they would have, but even so, talking to the people was never a strong point.
As she was approaching the boat that had the fresh crops that she wanted, she noticed a Pager Charizard flying in. She looked up and saw it come down as someone was seemingly pointing at her. It honestly spooked her.
"Who might that be?" She backpedaled nervously for precaution as the Pager Charizard glided down in front of her. Once the Charizard landed on the ground, she noticed the person on his page. "Uh...beg yer pardon?"
"Good morning to you, Ma'am." Hopping off the Pager Charizard, Looker planted his feet on the ground and patted the rider Pokémon's back. "Thank you for your services."
The Pager Charizard nodded indifferently and flapped his wings off the ground. He gradually gained altitude as Looker and Hapu watched him take off towards his next destination. Hapu turned towards him with a heavy frown. "Howdy there. You nearly gave me quite the little scare there." She admitted.
Looker straightened himself up and cleared his throat. "My apologies for the sudden alarm raised. I understand that you are not too familiar with being referred to directly, right?"
Hapu blinked. "Er...yes? Who handed you dat tip?"
"A fellow acquaintance of mine. Might you perhaps be this island's Kahuna?"
Hapu's eyes widened, a small shock overcoming her. She nodded slowly. "Yes, that'd be me. Who might be asking?"
Looker reached into his coat pocket, pulling out his badge to show his authority to her. "Name's Looker, International Police. I've come here to instigate an investigation regarding the recent incidents befalling the Alola Region."
"'An incident'?" Hapu parroted, putting her hands to her hips. "Gosh, you make it sound like you're here for me. What did I do wrong?"
Looker waved his hands nervously back and forth. "I assure you, Ma'am, you had nothing to do with this incident, I can promise you that." He frowned. "But, as selfish as this may seem, I do require your cooperation for this matter."
"What do you need ma help for, officer?"
Looker reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a copy of the primary article that had Nic and Erza on the front. He showed it to Hapu, who leaned in closer to get a clue of what it was. "This was this morning's news. There was an alert as of yesterday that all primary personnel within Alola should have received. There are two culprits that have been responsible for these actions taken place. Look familiar?"
Hapu leaned as close as she could to get a good look at what the article read about these two people. She squinted as thoughts stirred inside of her head. When it clicked, her eyes widened. "Oh! I see it now! Yeah, I remember a warning like that being distributed. Yer lucky I was in dis here area when I got service. We ain't got a lot of dem technology on dis here island."
"I see, that's still fortunate to here nonetheless." He frowned. "But as I said before, I could really use your help. These two are considered extraordinarily dangerous. They've been accountable for assaulting people and Pokémon alike. We're still trying to find the incentives why, but if you've seen anyone that may look like these two, please let me know."
"I see." Hapu nodded, looking determined. "So you reckon they be on dis here island?"
"Affirmative. I'm being fed intel from Akala Island's Dimension Research Facility about their whereabouts right now." He put two fingers against his ear, showing an earpiece that enabled Professor Burnet to relay said information to him. "We'll know where they're at. Their trail was last seen on Exeggutor Island just earlier. The International Police sent a dispatch team to that island and found evidence that they were there recently. And their trail has led to Poni Island." He showed her the picture again. "So does this seem familiar to you?"
Hapu looked at the picture once more, shaking her head. "Sorry, fella. But I just recently came to town. I know if something is out of place, but I hadn't seen anyone looking like dem."
Looker put the article away. "I see. Thank you for your cooperation. If you see them, be very careful."
Hapu beamed, showing Looker her prideful smile. "I reckon I'll be fine. After all, I've got ma Mudsdale by ma side. He never be lettin' me down even if he tried."
"I see. Still, I'll be on their trail. I will keep you informed if I find anything." He started walking down the pier, but immediately felt a lightheaded wake take over. He nearly stumbled over before catching himself. "Gngh!"
"Sir? You be alright?!" Hapu gasped.
Looker gradually regained his composure and smiled. "I'm quite alright, thank you Miss. I just had a small dizzy spell there for a moment." He straightened his back and nodded to her. "Remember to take care of yourself. If you or I find anything, I'll be within range." He sauntered off for the mainland, whereas Hapu watched him go off his own way to leave her much to process.
'Dis definitely sound like trouble. I've been having a strange feelin' dat Tapu Fini was riled up about something. I can feel her stirring about something...' She looked out towards the eastern coast, beyond the blaring sun's radiance brightening her face. 'Reckon I be on the lookout as he say. I may still be new to all dis Kahuna stuff, but I sure not be lettin' the people of Poni Island down!'
The dirt road that Nic and Erza treaded on could have easily been mistaken for another town of decrepit ruins. Just one look was an indication to tell how old the place was. If it weren't for the sea directly beside them, they would have mistaken this for Victory Road back in Kalos.
"Just look at all these buildings." Erza commented. She was still wearing her disguise, as was Nic. "Was all of this a township from before?"
Nic looked around, seeing a lot of walls and buildings broken down. The stone itself looked so old that it could have been fossilized. Beyond those walls, he could have sworn he saw tall grass where wild Pokémon might be lurking. "Looks like it. Can't say there's a lot here now."
"What do you think happened here?"
"Who knows? We know that Victory Road was once a castle fortress that turned to ruins. Can't say much would be different here." he responded. "Wasn't there a town back on Ula'ula that was destroyed because the island guardian got angry?"
"Yes, I think I've read up on that before. You think that this island guardian may have done the same thing?"
"That's hard to say. But that isn't our priority right now. We need to head to focus on getting through this canyon that's up ahead...I'd rather we take our chances with the canyons and getting this problem solved. No more detours, right?"
Erza nodded. "Right." She smiled with pride. "And trouble does find us..."
"...then so be it." Nic finished, glaring at the road that forked ahead of them. A path led straight eastward, with the other going north. As they got closer, they came to a stop to read the slightly faded text on the pointed markers.
Vast Poni Canyon
Ruins of Hope
"Looks like we're on the right trail after all." Erza stated, looking towards the path leading to Vast Poni Canyon. She could already see where much of the ruins and greenery came to a stopping point where rock was bordering far-distant lands.
"Can't argue with you there." Nic jested. "Alright then..." As they were about to make their way towards the road, they stopped and looked down at their feet, noticing a light fog fading into view.
"Hm, what's this?" Erza looked all around, noticing the surroundings around them beginning to gradually fade into a fog.
The fog was eerily cool to the touch against their ankles. They furrowed their brows as they watched everything around them completely fade into a misty background. It rolled in so fast that it seemed unnatural for them. They had an inkling that such cases were evident within some routes in some regions. From what Nic remembered, the Sinnoh region might have been known for having a dense fog before Celestic Town, at least from what he's researched. Could this be a familiar case?
Rather than indulge on the small stuff, Nic narrowed his eyes and stood completely still. He glanced left, then right, but in both corners of his eyes he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. But something in the pit of his gut was telling him that something about this didn't seem right.
"Nic..."
Nic focused on their bogging sights ahead of them. "Let's go. Something tells me we better keep our eyes open."
Erza nodded. She grabbed Nic's hand and walked with him as they started into the fog.
As they walked northwards, they kept their eyes on the trail to make sure that it didn't go anywhere. If it faded completely into a white blanket, they would know. Nic would look down, as to where Erza was scouting their directions. So far, nothing seemed to be diving down to attack them from out of the blue, so that was a good thing. But better too safe than too sorry.
As they kept going, Nic couldn't shake the feeling that something was behind their backs, looming like some ghost that was haunting them. He had the urge to look over his shoulder, but the hand that held his kept him secured. He looked over at Erza, briefly exchanging glances before mildly warm smiles crossed their faces.
'It'll be fine. I'm sure about that now.' Nic wasn't going to overthink this again. They were going to have to do what Nic does best: Improvise.
They kept walking, but with as much length as their heels carried, the trail kept going. They then noticed something up ahead along the trail's corner.
"I see something." Erza noted. She walked closer towards the sign, but the closer she got, the uncannier it seemed. "Hm? Wait, is this...?"
Vast Poni Canyon
Ruins of Hope
This wasn't some illusionary trick. Nic and Erza's eyes would know in an instant and render it useless if that were the case. They know they just passed this sign previously. That bad feeling that was in their stomachs increased tenfold with this epiphany.
"We just came to this point not too long ago, didn't we?" Erza figured. She took another glance around to see if anything was stalking them, but nothing was showing. "Have you had that feeling that we've been watched?"
"You too, huh? Yeah, figured as much." Nic looked around with her, but also found everything covered in a dense fog. He could have taken a step into the white mist, but he'd rather not take that gamble.
'Guess it's worth figuring out.' Nic glowed, completely throwing away his transformation guise. With a pivot of his heels across the ground, he revealed himself to have a blend of his Meadow and Sky Form. He folded his wings as he leaned forward.
"Defog!"
He flapped his wings, sending an expansive gust around the vicinity that rushed deep into the surroundings. The wind swept across the grass, but the surroundings refused to fade away. The gusts of wind faded into the thick white sheet until it dissipated entirely.
"The fog didn't lift?" Erza gasped, furrowing her brow. She knew that Defog would dispel any kind of fog out there, that was a fact. 'Which means this fog isn't natural by any means. Someone is out there doing this to throw us in circles.'
Nic glared ahead. If Defog, a move that lives up to its name, didn't work, this was without a doubt an anomaly. His hunches directed him towards the sign that read the Ruins of Hope. 'Is this the island guardian's doing?' he thought. "Erza, you think it's...?"
"Let me see." She reached back and pulled out her trusty PokeDex. She held up the device as it picked up on the surroundings, scanning the fog's origin.
"Tapu Fini, the Land Spirit Pokémon. The dense fog it creates brings the downfall and destruction of its confused enemies. Ocean currents are the source of its energy."
The PokeDex shut off on its own, but left Erza with a solid answer to her and Nic's speculations. "So it is as we thought. Looks like this island's guardian found us after all." She scanned the dense white fog around her. "She's able to trap us in a fog, and keep us in here like it's some kind of imprisonment."
'So that's how she wants to play it. She can hide herself in this fog as much as she wants, but...' Nic closed his eyes, concentrating intensely with the Meadow Form's life essence detection.
The scope inside of his mind was spreading far out, towards the coastline in fact. It reached deep within the fog, where in the very corner, there was a strong essence keeping its distance behind some rocks.
Nic's eyes widened back up again. '...you can't hide your essence from me!'
He raised his hand high, before glowing and turning his Sky Form's half into his Earth Form. He brought his hand down into the ground, causing an explosion of dust and rock that erupted everywhere.
Along the shorelines to the ruins, there was a loud eruption from the distance. Tapu Fini was patiently hiding within the dense fog, where everything was so thick that it seemed like a solid white sheet, save for the shaded ground. When she heard this rupture, she whipped around and looked out towards the sound's wake. "(What was that?)" she gasped.
Taking a moment to collect herself, she closed her eyes and concentrated. She zoned out for her conscience to sense what was happening inside the fog. After a minute of searching, she gasped.
"(Impossible...where did they-!)"
There was a small spurt of ground beneath her, getting her attention. Gasping, she backpedaled moments before an explosion of dirt and rock erupted into the atmosphere. Tapu Fini closed her shell to shield herself from the debris that rained down around her. After the wave of dirt diminished, she opened a little...only to see two silhouettes landing on the ground in the passing dust.
"Thought you could hide from me like that?"
The dust as well as Tapu Fini's signature fog had started fading away, revealing the craggy coastline on the edge of the island. When it did, it revealed Nic and Erza, both glaring daggers at the bewildered island guardian.
Tapu Fini tried her best to regain her composure, despite the surprise taken up on her. "(It's you...)"
"So you know about us then." Nic answered.
"(Yes. I am very much aware as to whom you are, given my fellow brethren's examples and primary source. Then I take it that you must know me as well.)" She paused, floating a little higher to show her superior stature. "(I am Tapu Fini, the island guardian of Poni Island. She who gets her strength from the ocean that is always within reach...and you happening to be upon my land, it is a curse.)"
"I see, so the fog really was created by her." Erza stated.
Nic glared at the deity. "Tell me something, were you testing us with that fog just now?"
Tapu Fini scoffed. "(I should have known better then to have figured such a trick wouldn't contain you. Whatever you have in comparison to the many of humans before, clearly isn't of the norm. Those who enter my fog are forever bound by them until they have met their destruction.)"
'So she isn't fond of dealing with people either.' Nic thought to himself. However, as many comparisons as he would have loved to show between them to try and achieve common ground, he had a feeling that she wouldn't want to understand. "I don't suppose that you'll be letting us go our way, will you?"
"(My apologies, but I cannot abide to that.)" She waved her arms up beside her, summoning two geysers from beneath the ground on either side of her. The sprays drizzled down around her, causing the ground to get wet. "(For the sanctum that is Alola, you outsiders will not be allowed to desecrate our lands with such impure strength. If you dare to seek any further, then first you must override my judgement!)"
Nic furrowed his brow. "Figures she wouldn't hear us out. Erza!"
"Don't worry, I'm here." She declared, stepping up beside him with a Poke Ball. "Aegislash, I need your assistance!"
The Poke Ball was thrown into the air, bringing out her Aegislash. The sword and shield combo floated down by Erza's side, fastening her arms behind her bladed body. "(At once, Erza! I am ready at your call!)" she declared.
Nic pulled out a Poke Ball of his own. He tossed it skywards as well. "Charizard!" At his call, the capsule popped open, summoning energy in midair that turned into Charizard.
Charizard craned his head around, expelling a loud, violent roar that caused airwaves to ripple throughout the atmosphere. The ground around Tapu Fini shuddered as she covered from the powerful roar. He flapped his wings, hovering a few feet over the ground.
"I'm counting on you, Charizard." Nic said.
"(Right, back at you, Nic.)" Charizard replied.
Erza looked over at Nic, giving him a raised brow. "Nic, Tapu Fini is a Water-type. Are you positive about this?"
"Yeah, I'm positive. I have a plan." He glanced back at her, smirking. "You won't mind, will you?"
Erza's frown gradually turned into a smirk as she chuckled. "Of course you would. Very well then." She requipped a sword, taking a battle stance with the tip pointed ahead. "If you won't allow us to move as we please, Tapu Fini, then we'll have no choice but to strike you down!"
Aegislash and Charizard growled at Tapu Fini.
"(Hmph...then it seems that we have reached an impasse.)" She gradually lowered herself to the ground. "(Then let me make one thing clear before I bring judgment for bringing your cursed powers onto this land...)"
A mist started spreading from her entire body, gradually enveloping the entire coastal area into a bright pink background. The atmosphere twinkled like starlight that dazzled around the Pokémon and trainers alike.
"(You have brought this upon yourselves. I am Tapu Fini, and seeing as how you had the gull to lay waste to the other deities, I dare not take chances with the likes of you! I shall drown you myself!)"
"No wasting time here, Charizard." Nic said.
"(Don't worry...)" His wings gradually spread apart. "(This is...as far as many miles that she'll get!)" He suddenly jettisoned over the ground, breaking the ground beneath and sending it flying as he bolted after Tapu Fini.
Tapu Fini went wide-eyed. '(Such speed!)'
"Aegislash!" Erza shouted.
"(Yes, Erza!)" Aegislash went flying across the domain behind Charizard.
Tapu Fini was flabbergasted, but she was quick enough to come up with a solution. She summoned a mirror of water and reached out, projecting a Hydro Pump that streamed for Charizard.
"Dragon Claw!" Nic countered.
Charizard beelined through the tidal blast heading his way, energy claws lengthening and slashed through it. In a green spritz, several slash marks gashed through the water as a wave of water erupted into a mist behind him. Knowing that she was a Fairy-type, the attack wouldn't do anything. However, to Tapu Fini's shock, Charizard twisted himself in the air and plunged his claws into the ground, causing several fissures to erupt before rocks sprouted into midair.
"Night Slash!" Erza commanded.
Cutting through the mist cloud behind Charizard, Aegislash was in her Blade Forme, with her ridged blades glowing dark purple. She cried out as she sent a slash wave that cut the rocks. With many more of them in midair, this gave Charizard the chance to swing his tail, creating a force strong enough to send the rocks flying at bullet speed into Tapu Fini.
Startled, she closed her shell at the last second to avoid taking any direct pummeling. The rocks crashed and pummeled her shell, forcing her back through the air unable to attack.
With her guard down, Nic beelined past Charizard while transforming into what seemed to be a cross between his Flame Form and Meadow Form. The Meadow Form was accented around the primary use of his Flame Form. He cut ahead with arms crossed for Leaf Blade, and once Tapu Fini opened her shell again, she was blindsided when green slash waves gouged into her main body, causing her to be sent hurdling overhead in a hectic, painful cry.
"Erza!"
A bright glint in the sky shot down, revealing Erza adorning her Black Wing Armor. With her blade out, she was ready to strike Tapu Fini. "Moon Flash!" She crossed her sword in a cross formation, sending it at her.
Tapu Fini regained a leveled head and saw the attack head her way. She swiped her arm skywards, summoning a geyser of water directed from the sea below as a guard. The result was water being cut into and making a mist pressure that exploded, pushing Tapu Fini through the air away. However, Charizard was already behind her, and when she got too close, he stamped his heel into her shell, sending her back down towards Aegislash as she glided skywards.
"Night Slash!" Erza commanded.
Aegislash's eye reaffirmed herself and glared daggers. Her rimming glowed bright purple and she swung upwards. This time, it was a direct hit that cut into Tapu Fini, sending her flying straight across the coast in several fumbles before ending up closing her shell and twirling herself. Her fin-like hair jutted from the sides and she expelled water in a drill-like manner behind to slow herself down to a stop.
Tapu Fini opened again, looking fatigued. But she definitely seemed on edge for a good reason.
"She's using her natural properties to slow us down." Erza said.
"Very well then..." Nic reached skywards, a bright orb showing. "Sunny Day!" Rings jutted from his hand that faded into the sky. As they projected, the sunlight exploded into a bright heat wave. Immediately, the brightness and excess heat made the humidity steam up the coast.
"Aegislash, Swords Dance!" Erza shouted. Aegislash ascended and twirled about until she summoned illusionary swords that crossed in front of her. As they faded away, a dense red aura beamed around her, intensifying her Attack power.
Tapu Fini grunted. She closed her shell again and twirled in place. A ring of water formed around her and ascended with her into the high altitude. They immediately recognized it as Aqua Ring.
Nic's feet exploded with fire that jettisoned him after Tapu Fini. Charizard flapped his wings and bolted up with him. Together, they got closer to Tapu Fini at the exact same speed. Tapu Fini opened her shell again and readied another mirror of water for Hydro Pump.
Seeing this incoming, Nic extended his arm out for Charizard to grab and spun around, tossing him with great momentum just as Nic reached sonic speeds in a flame-coated Flame Charge. He bridged the gap in less than a second, with the flames dissipating and him cutting through the mirror with another Leaf Blade, leaving Tapu Fini exposed.
Completely shocked again, Nic used the chance to deliver a harsh horizontal swipe, but he was a hair short when Tapu Fini backpedaled by jetting water from her hair. This forced her lower to the ground, where Erza was rushing for her in her Flame Empress Armor.
"(Tch! Nature's Madness!)"
In desperation, she slammed her hands to the ground, sending shockwaves beneath that caused pinkish, bright shockwaves to ripple with crackling energy after Erza. However, she maintained her course with her sword pulled back.
"King's Shield!"
Suddenly, Aegislash flew past her, retreating to her Shield Forme. She held firm as a hexagonal energy barrier appeared in front of her before the shockwaves hit. They fanned everywhere across the ground, leveling it entirely into diced shrapnel with rainbow static lurking here and there. Yet it didn't reach Aegislsh with her shield up.
Erza grabbed Aegislash's head, using it as a pole vault and twisted overhead. "HRAH!" She came down with her flame sword, which was glowing bright red with heat. She carved into the ground, sending a heated slash wave empowered by the Sunny Day. A linear fire fissure beamed clean through the ground at Tapu Fini, who raised her hands again, summoning a thick wall of water that the flame slash struck. A massive misty explosion surged and expelled in all directions, leaving everything obscure for the moment.
That didn't stop Nic from scoping around the misty obscurity. Realizing Tapu Fini was out of sight, he closed his eyes to focus on her energy signature. Her natural energy trail was drifting towards the sea. His eyes widened back up when he knew what was coming.
He turned in her direction. "There!"
The mist suddenly broke apart when an angled Hydro Pump aimed for him shot from Tapu Fini. Nic backpedaled to dodge the attack thanks to the Flame Charge's Speed increase. With room to spare, he saw Tapu Fini's focus intensify as she angled more, dragging the Hydro Pump's jet across the ground for him. He summoned a ball of sunlight that he concentrated and raised overhead.
"Solar Blade!"
The massive blade of solar energy was gathered at a record-breaking time, coming down in a straight green light into the Hydro Pump's projection and into the coast. The sunbeam sword's impact caused a massive shockwave of sunlight to explode everywhere, immediately vaporizing Tapu Fini's water and the mist cover she was using. Even more so, rock and earth defied gravity thanks to that move.
Using Aegislash's shield as a springboard, Erza ricocheted into a rock, using that to jump around towards Tapu Fini. She closed the gap, swinging her sword again, this time with a close enough range that Tapu Fini couldn't escape easily from. She slashed again, a wave of fire exploding in Tapu Fini's face. She went flying backwards out towards the sea. Charizard beamed past Erza to ensure she didn't get a chance to follow up.
"Heat Wave!" Nic ordered.
Charizard brought his wings back channeling a loud roar to alarm Tapu Fini. Just as his wings gained momentum, he unleashed a massive gust that was on fire as Tapu Fini jutted her arms out, summoning a Muddy Water wave to meet as a counter. The brown muddy wave crashed into Charizard's superheated wave, but the friction between the two attacks didn't last long, as Tapu Fini realized. Seeing her attack was about to be broken, she closed her shell and dropped into the ocean, milliseconds before the brown tsunami was broken through and a large-scale inferno whirlwind expanded across Poni Island's coastline.
The tops of waves where many of Pokémon were minding themselves were buffered, followed by an intense, heated sensation. Steam expelled from the sea's top as rocks chipped off into the air.
As the Heat Wave diffused, they all took a momentary breather. Charizard pulled away, as did Aegislash. The misty background around them began dissipating, allowing a standard hued coastline with a very bright sun beaming down upon beam.
For a moment, Erza eased herself. "Her Misty Terrain just ended, but even so...compared to the other island guardians, she's not pulling any punches, is she..."
"(Do you think we wore her off?)" Aegislash asked.
Nic kept his cool as he was sensing Tapu Lele's essence. Even within the water, he could sense the many Water-types with anxiety, and even more trying to stay away. However, he was picking up on Tapu Fini without a hitch.
With a small gasp, he looked down. "She's right underneath us!"
Erza gasped as well.
Suddenly, pink shockwaves started rippling outwards beneath them. Rainbow static flared that was arching around them to close them in.
'She traveled under the coast to send her attack through the earth?' Erza realized.
Acting as fast as he could, Nic glowed, switching to his Sky Form. He grabbed Erza's hand and pressed a heel on the ground. An explosion of rainbow energy traveled across the coast again, but the Nature's Madness diffused as Nic sailed over the ground, his wings folded as Erza was on his back piggyback style. She held on tightly as he jetted so fast thanks to the earlier speed increase from Flame Charge getting him out of range in time.
Once he was high enough, he spread his wings and looked down with Charizard and Aegislash, who reconvened and evaded the attack's grounded range. They all looked down, watching the dust dissipate to see what Tapu Fini would do.
"She's using the Aqua Ring to restore her health while she hides underwater." Erza evaluated. "We need to smoke her out."
"(Yes, but how will we do that?)" Aegislash pondered.
Nic looked down at the ground, frowning heavily as he was trying to think. He had to remember to use whatever assets he had available, that included Sunny Day. He knew it wasn't going to last long either. They needed a plan.
Suddenly, an idea sprang to his mind. 'Yeah...that might do it.' He turned towards Charizard. "Ready?"
Charizard glared downwards. "(I'm always ready!)"
Nic hitched in the air, signaling for Erza to be passed over to Charizard. She mounted him as Nic suddenly flapped his wings, bolting at sonic speeds towards the ground. As he sailed, his body glowed for him to revert to his Flame Form once more. He pulled back his fist as he generated an orb of orange flames with a red, flaming outline. Once concentrated, he gave the ground a fierce look as he drew near.
Parts of the ground cracked apart, expelling more water geysers at him. He maneuvered around them all and grunted as loudly as possible.
"BLAST BURN!"
Faster than the speed of sound, the fist made impact with the ground, sending an orange ripple running through a large area and faded outwards. It took a moment, but orange beams started gleaming where he punched, and then they started expanding and imploding beneath the surface. The ground got wavy and melted in an instant as a volcanic shockwave incinerated the undersides of rocks that defied gravity in a split second. The shockwave's fissures traveled beneath the surface, deep into the water at miraculous rates. The entire coast suddenly exploded, causing a magnitude with a volcanic explosion rushing skywards. The impact rippled into the ocean, pushing superheated rock that forced waves to rock towards the ocean.
As Hapu was walking through Seafolk Village, she was humming to herself while carrying a large crate of fresh vegetables and berries. She noticed that along the eastern parts of the village port, there were a lot of folks looking out at something that caught their eye.
"Hm? What'd be all the hullabaloo about?" Hapu asked a nearby fisherman.
"Kahuna Hapu! There's something big out there across the island! It's huge!" He warned.
Hapu shifted past him to see what he was talking about. She walked towards the edge of the water, where she looked out and noticed what appeared to be an explosion in the distance. They all saw the breakwater ripple and waves rocking beneath them only once. Not only that, but the sun was brighter than usual.
"I think that's over by the ruins!" another local worried.
"Kahuna, what's happening?!" Another person panicked.
Hapu didn't get it, but somewhere in the pit of her gut, she was getting a bad feeling. She frowned heavily as she had to get to the bottom of this. She dropped her produce crate and started for the mainland.
"Kahuna Hapu!" Coming from the direction of the Pokémon Center, Hapu turned and saw Looker catching up with her.
"Mister Looker!"
"I heard what's been going on. I got notified by Professor Burnet of a spatial energy off to the east. If that's the case, I believe that must be what the explosion is about! Please, allow me to accompany you for this investigation!"
Hapu nodded. "Understood. Best be hanging on now!" She pulled out her Ultra Ball, throwing it into the sky. "Mudsdale, saddle up now!"
The capsule reached a high point before energy arched over the wooden dock, materializing her Mudsdale with heavy hooves engraving into the dirt. "(At your service as ever, Hapu.)" He stated.
Hapu quickly jumped onto his back, with Looker hanging on as well. "Hiya!" She kicked his side, causing him to neigh loudly and turn away from the pier to race for the noise.
Within those waves, molten rock and exploding flares were jetting out Tapu Fini as she was trying to get away from the range of the attack, but apart of her body was shown to be excessively scorched, especially her shell. Even as health kept returning with her Aqua Ring, she was starting to wear down too soon to her liking.
'(These human...these Pokémon...they're even more terrifying in action...!)' As she winced at the pain, she felt herself stammer.
Though unable to move due to Blast Burn's effects, the steam and hardened rock layer surrounding him gave him ample room. 'Now she has no ground for Nature's Madness or to make geysers!' He swiped his arm. "Charizard, Flamethrower!"
"Aegislash, Sacred Sword!" Erza shouted.
Charizard opened his maw wide as flames generated within them. At the same time, Aegislash transformed into her Blade Forme, creating a bright blue energy blade that extended. Charizard expelled a bolstering flame blast that pierced the coastal atmosphere, while Aegislash ran her blade alongside it. They closed in on Tapu Fini, and as they were, Aegislash's eye gleamed brightly. She went vertical and swept her blade into the broiling flames right beside her. The energy blade caught on fire as she dragged it closer towards Tapu Fini.
In an act of desperation, Tapu Fini lifted her arms up, summoning a Muddy Water wave to block off Aegislash. The tidal wave gushed everywhere, yet as it seemingly engulfed Aegislash, a straight line cut diagonally across.
Time slowed down to an even further extent as Tapu Fini watched with shock and disbelief at her waves suddenly bisecting. With nowhere else to turn to, Aegislash roared out as she circled her blade around again, slashing herself into Tapu Fini just as she closed her shell. The island guardian was shot into by her searing heat blade, running a molten gash right over her protective shell. Aegislash turned away as the flames dissipated around her sheath. She stood motionless until a second passed, and a molten explosion of energy engulfed her surroundings. A shockwave of smoke and flames brewed into the sea, streaming a smoke bullet that was Tapu Fini into the sea with a loud splash.
Waves from the excessive battle caused the destroyed coast to get crashed into by many of harsh water. Formations of rock Nic unearthed began eroding away into the sea, leaving the branch between Tapu Fini's ruins and the Ancient Poni Trail.
As Nic regained feeling in his body again to move, he flapped his wings and reverted to himself in midair. He landed on the dirt ground with Erza dismounting Charizard. Aegislash levitated to her side as they looked out at the rough waves rocking.
A short silence fell amongst the four as they continued looking out at the terraformed coastline. It wasn't even a coastline anymore, but a large drop-off point that disconnected from the ruins that were landmarked along the edge of the crags. A serious look painted Nic and Erza's faces as they didn't see any sign of Tapu Fini in the water.
"Think we overdid it a little?" Nic asked, a brow raising at how obvious the damage was.
"It couldn't be helped. She was fortunate we weren't holding back as much as we tried with her fellow island guardians. If that doesn't get the message across, then we'll know if we see them again."
"Yeah." As Nic looked out, he was getting mixed emotions about what they had just done. Yes, they may have gotten just a little overzealous, but the adrenaline was still kicking. Maybe he wanted more, to teach Tapu Fini and the other guardians what it means to take a hint. But he knew better than to rub salt into the wound. This was no time to feel pity if they were literally asking for this.
"(I do pardon for the intrusion, but I fear that battle may have alerted some of the locals.)" Aegislash warned, gesturing towards the direction of the township.
"We should get going as fast as possible." Erza replied. "If we hurry, we can lose any oncoming surveillance in the Vast Poni Canyon."
Nic glanced over his shoulder. "Charizard, mind lending us a hand?"
Charizard nodded. "(I'm all over it. Get on, everyone!)"
Nic was quick to grab on and hoist himself onto his back. Erza turned and recalled Aegislash back onto her Poke Ball before jumping behind Nic. Once her arms were fastened around his waist, Nic gave a grunt and nod to signal Charizard. He flapped as hard as he could, speeding off the ground like a fighter jet into the direction of the canyons.
Happy St. Patrick's Day people! Decided ending right here on an abrupt note would settle just fine for the time being. I think I covered enough ground this time around, but next chapter, I'll compensate by making it a greater length and read than this one!
I know that maybe I had the fight with a little too much dynamic with Nic. Knowing his strength, he could have easily defeated Tapu Fini in a few good blows, but at the same time, I actually was on an adrenaline rush after seeing the Asta and Yami VS Dante fight in Black Clover. I wanted to get a dynamic fight, which in hindsight that maybe I should have simplified so it's a lot less work. Maybe I should have added some status moves, but through it all, I think this was suitable enough for everyone to get adequate battle time. But I need to remember Nic learning to 'fight smarter, not harder' development. If this didn't feel right up his alley, I'll be sure to make note of that.
At any rate, hope you liked this chapter's pacing all around! XD