Chapter 9

The Festival

After a short break, followed by a short walk, Mikey and friends soon came up to the entrance to Iki Town again, but there were two people standing by the entrance that caused the turtle and cat to pause.

They worse strange clothes that looked like some form of spacesuits, sporting a white and dark teal colour scheme. Their open helmets revealed pale teal skin on humanoid faces, but their upper halves were obscured by a white mask with a thin black visor.

The first one looked to be an adult male, a thick lock of purple hair hanging down between where his eyes would have been, while the second seemed to be a young girl, with a small lock of orange hair hanging on the side of her mask, and a long, thick braid hung over her right shoulder.

The two looked at the town.

"So this… is what they call a festival!" said the man. "It does look like the people are having fun… not that they should! As though this was any time to celebrate…"

"You don't have to try so hard to act like you're not interested, you know?" said the girl in a half teasing tone. "Maybe a festival isn't so bad sometimes. The aura measurements are pretty high, too!"

"Are they? It is only thanks to the Blinding One that Alola is overflowing with such brilliance. Though the Blinding One is left in such a state now, so dark and enfeebled…"

"We've just gotta make sure the Blinding One can shine like it used to again, right! So let's get started by having a look around!"

The man nodded, then he spotted Mikey.

"You… are likewise new to the shores of Alola." the man mused as they walked up to Mikey and Jun. "A fellow traveller from a distant land…"

After that, the exotic duo walked off on their own.

"That was… weird." said Mikey.

"As we haven't had enough weirdos." Jun mutters. But the two ultimately shrugged and walked into town.

As the sun was halfway below the horizon, Iki Town was illuminated by lit torches, and there were plenty of people and Pokémon around, similar in numbers to Mutopia. They were all happy and excited over what was about to happen.

Shortly after he entered the town, Mikey was met by Hala.

"The Alola region is made up of our four islands." the kahuna said. "And each island has its own guardian Pokémon. Our festival today is held to express out thanks to these great Pokémon guardian deities for always remaining by our sides."

He chuckled heartily.

"Well, we may call it a festival, but it's just this little thing you see here. There may not be many of us, but at least every last one of us here goes all out."

"I can see that. Looks fun!"

"Ho! Howzit, Mikey?" he heard Hau shout, and shortly after the young boy rushed up, greeting him.

"I'm good! You?" Mikey said back.

"Just great! But, man, I thought you'd never make it! Me and Rowlet've been waiting for ages!"

"Impatient, this one. We weren't given a set time." said Jun.

"Yeah." Mikey said to Jun, then turned to Hau. "Sorry, got a bit caught up on the road. So, what's up?"

"Hold on… Didn't anyone explain to you about tonight?!"

"Not really, no." Mikey shrugged.

"Oh yeah, right on time!" they heard Kukui say, as he and Lillie joined them.

"But to what exactly?" Lillie asked. Nebby squeaked from her bag, opting her to pat the bag to calm down Nebby.

"A full-powered festival for Pokémon battling!" Kukui said excitedly. "We battle in the name of Tapu Koko, pitting our best moves against one another in friendly competition to please our guardian. Woo!"

"That… actually sounds like a good time." said Jun, thinking for a bit. "Maybe we could start that in Mutopia as well."

"So, you two will be taking part in the battle?" Lillie ask Mikey and Hau. "I don't like seeing Pokémon fight one another, since they so often end up getting hurt. But… I'll be sure to watch you both."

At that point, Hala joined the group as well.

"Your Pokémon have fought for you, so show them the same care in return, Mikey." he said.

"Of course! They are my trusted friends!" Mikey stated proudly, making Hala smile.

"Allow me to heal them for you this time." He said, and took out some of the same kinds of medicine that Lillie had used a while back.

"I'll head on ahead! Don't keep us waiting too long this time!" said Hau, before he hurried onwards.

Letting Chloe out of her Poké Ball, Mikey let Hala spray both Jun and Chloe, getting them back to full strength again.

"Are you ready for this Pokémon battle?" Hala asked.

"Just… give me a minute."

"Very well. When you feel that you're ready, come back and tell me."

Mikey walked over to the side and talked things over with Jun and Chloe.

"Alright, here's the plan. I'll start with you, Chloe, as you still need more training, then I'll swap to Jun for the last stretch."

"Sounds like a plan, such as it is." said Jun.

"If you think that's best." said Chloe, and returned to her ball.

"Okay, I'm ready." Mikey told Hala as he walked back up to him.

"Then let's begin!" Hala laughed.

Mikey was brought to the centre of village, specifically the wooden stage. While he waited by the side of the stage, Hala stood in the centre as people and Pokémon gathered around, waiting for Hala's speech.

"For all life on our islands…" he began. "And for those who undertake the island challenge with joy in their hearts… we pray for your protection… for them and all Melemele. May this Pokémon battle be an offering to our island's guardian deity – Tapu Koko!"

He pointed to the east side of the stage.

"Before you stands Hau – grandson to the kahuna."

Upon that declaration, Hau stepped onto the stage with a big smile.

"Let's have fun with this, Rowlet!"

Then Hala pointed to the east side of the stage.

"Before him stands Mikey – one who has met with Tapu Koko."

Now, Mikey stepped onto his side of the stage, feeling bit nervous at being in front of so many people, specifically humans, at once.

And it didn't help that the townsfolk looked at him with curious eyes, not because he was a humanoid turtle, but because he was an outsider chosen by their deity.

"What?!" someone exclaimed.

"What a curious little thing Tapu Koko is! Hah, that's just typical of it!" someone else laughed.

Among the people, Mikey's mother waved at him and Jun.

"Litten! Take care of my little Mikey!" she called out.

"Still won't use my name…" Jun moaned.

Hau stood opposite of Mikey, a Poké Ball in hand.

"As long as we both have a good time, then I think we can call it a great battle, eh?" he said.

"Yeah, for sure." Mikey answered, trying to swallow his nervousness. This wasn't his first battle, but it was the first with a crowd. Shaking his head, he pulled out his Pokédex to keep track of his team's status throughout the coming battle.

Taking his position on the north edge of the stage, Hala, taking the role of referee, called for the battle to begin.

"Mikey! Hau! Bring forth the power of your Pokémon!"

On that mark, both Trainers sent out their respective Pokémon. Mikey sent out Chloe, while Hau sent out something that looked a bit like Pikachu. It was small with a pale yellow body, short black tail, black collar, and the outer edges of its large spade shaped ears were black as well, while its cheeks were round and pink.

"What? Is that a knock-off Pikachu?" Jun wondered upon seeing the rodent.

"No, it's a Pichu." said Mikey. "They are related."

"Come on, Pichu! Use Charm!" Hau called out, and the little rodent pulled off its cutest face and pose.

"Oh my gosh! So cute!" Chloe squealed.

Mikey scratched his head, wondering what that move had done other than melt Chloe's heart.

'Chloe's Attack harshly fell.' a text message said as it popped up on the screen of his Pokédex for a few seconds, and a marker appeared on Chloe's picture. He quickly pressed it and saw that her physical attack had indeed been lowered. Even though it was only temporarily, that still put her at a disadvantage.

"So that's how it is. Well, two can play that game. Chloe! String Shot!"

Coming to her senses, Chloe followed Mikey's command and sprayed Pichu with a layer of sticky silk threads, and the rodent was quickly tangled up in them, its speed dropping as a result.

"Great! Now, Tackle! And keep it up until it falls!" Mikey shouted.

Chloe rushed at Pichu as fast as her tiny, stubby legs allowed her, ramming her foe with all her might, but because of the earlier Charm, she didn't hit as hard as she should have.

"Thunder Shock!" Hau shouted, and Pichu's body started to spark and crackle with yellow electricity, which soon after shot out like a small lightning bolt, striking Chloe and knocking her backwards.

"You okay?!" Mikey cried out in worry.

"I'm fine." Chloe growled, and rushed back to deliver another Tackle at Pichu.

This time, however, as soon as she made contact, yellow electricity sparked around Pichu's body again. It was not as much as earlier, as it was not an attack, but rather its passive ability, Static, and upon making physical contact, Chloe ran a risk of becoming paralysed, and that was just what happened as she hit it.

Small arcs of electricity crackled over her body every now and then, and she felt sluggish, having difficulties to both move and react, and at times when she tried to attack, her body would not respond at all, letting Pichu score a few free hits with its Thunder Shock.

"Not good! She's not gonna last much longer!" said Jun.

"I know! I know!" said Mikey, wracking his brain to think of a solution. Then it hit him.

Quickly, he reached into his backpack and pulled out a potion, then he rushed over and sprayed Chloe with it, healing her wounds, with exception of her paralysis.

"Is that allowed?!" Jun asked in shock as Mikey took his place again.

"Yup." the turtle said quickly. "Now, let's finish this!"

While she had recovered most of her strength, she still had problems moving, her body seizing up again and again while Pichu kept firing off shocks at her.

But Chloe pushed through all that and when she got within range, and her body responded, she used all the power she could muster and launched herself at Pichu, her Tackle hitting her foe square on the for head, scoring a critical hit, and knocking the rodent out.

"Awesome work, Chloe!" Mikey cheered. A small ding came from his Pokédex, and it showed that Chloe had reached level 7.

At the same time, Hau recalled his Pichu and thanked it for its hard work, and swapped its ball for another.

When he saw this, Mikey followed suite and called Chloe back to her ball.

"Looks like you're up, dude." he said to Jun.

"Finally!"

As Jun took the field, Hau threw his last Poké Ball, releasing Rowlet to fight.

Being more used to his new body, and working somewhat better with Mikey, Jun quickly proved the superior Pokémon. While Rowlet did score a few glancing hits with its Leafage attack, the leaves did very little to the Fire-type cat, and Jun's Ember attacks quickly finished off the Grass-type owl in a repeat of their first battle.

"And that's how it's done." Jun said proudly.

Again, Mikey's Pokédex gave of a ding, the message telling him that Jun had reached level 8, and learned the move Lick.

"What? It's already over?!" Hau asked in mild shock as Rowlet went down.

"We did it! We won! Great work, guys!" Mikey cheered, jumping up and down like the child form he had.

But suddenly, Chloe emerged from her Poké Ball, and she was clearly greatly anxious.

"Chloe? What's wrong?" Mikey asked.

"I don't know." she whimpered. "I feel strange, like something's wrong with me." A strong blue glow enveloped her body, covering it completely and illuminated the stage as the sun lowered itself even further beyond the horizon.

"What is happening?!" she cried out in shock and horror, but before Mikey could answer, her body began to morph and change, taking on a new shape, and seconds later, the light faded, revealing her new form.

Somewhat larger than before, she was now a green, crescent shaped chrysalis, with the front and bottom being segmented in various ways. A pair of heavy-lidded eyes frantically scanned their surroundings.

"What happened!? I can't move!" Chloe's voice was heard, slightly muffled by the shell that now encompassed her.

"Whoa! You evolved! That is so cool!" Mikey exclaimed, not at all sharing Chloe's worry and fear.

"She evolved?! That's how it happens?!" Jun exclaimed, not at all sharing Mikey's excitement.

"That it does. Now she is a… um… wow, this is embarrassing, I can't remember, and I mentioned it only half an hour ago. Oh, wait, I'll check my Pokédex.

In short order, Mikey found and read the entry for the evolved form of Caterpie.

"'Metapod. The Cocoon Pokémon.

Its shell is filled with a thick liquid. All of the cells throughout its body are being rebuilt in preparation for evolution.' That's pretty cool, and you should evolve again soon."

"You're sure about that? Because I don't like this at all! I feel trapped in here! I'm scared!"

Tears began forming in Chloe's eyes.

"Hey, it's okay." Mikey said softly, taking Chloe in his arms and held her close to his chest. "I get that it's freaky right now, but we're here for you. And you won't stay for this for very long, as long as we keep training you. I promise we will get you out this."

As Mikey tended to Chloe, he failed to fully notice the cheers and applauses from the crowd around him.

"Hoo-ee! Another great battle this year."

"I bet Tapu Koko liked it, too."

"Phew… That was awesome, Mikey!" said Hau as he walked over to his opponent. "That was a really great battle! I had a blast fighting you!" he said, shaking Mikey's hand and gave him some money, as was the custom.

"It was a good battle." said Hala as he too joined them in the middle of the stage. "With this, even Tapu Koko…

"Ko-ko-kooo!" a dark but shrill cry echoed through the air, people looked to the sky with happy expressions, knowing it well.

"Ho! You heard it yourself! Tapu Koko's song of approval." said Hala, looking up. "Oh, I nearly forgot! I think it is time you take this, Mikey."

He gave Mikey a black stone bracelet with white details. It had a Z shaped white middle with a small socket, and larger white wide arrow tip pointing at hand.

"This is so cool!" Mikey said as he slipped it onto his left wrist. "Um...what is it?"

"Your Z-Power Ring, a mysterious armband that can draw out the power that lies deep within Pokémon… It can bring forth their Z-Power!"

"Now I got even more questions." say Jun, and Mikey nodded in agreement, repeating the question.

"We kahunas can make Z-Power Rings using stones like the Sparkling Stone that you received from Tapu Koko. Though you will need to undergo the island challenge and collect Z-Crystals for yourself, if you wish to draw forth Pokémon's Z-Power! And yet you have already received that Sparkling Stone… It seems Tapu Koko took quite a liking to you… or perhaps it has a mission for you."

"Well, it's time for you to get out there and start your island challenge!" Kukui cut in. "If you visit every island, maybe you'll figure out what that mission is."

"Don't mind if I do, but what is this island challenge?"

"Four islands!" Kukui said, and held up four fingers for emphasis. "You'll travel to each of the four islands here in the Alola region. The island challenge is about aiming to be the strongest Trainer – the island challenge champion. Woo!"

"Sounds great, right?" said Hau. "I can't wait to have a real adventure!"

"But I'll let Kahuna Hala explain the details!" said Kukui.

"The island challenge Kukui spoke of… It is a journey to overcome your own limitations, as you travel the far corners of Alola and meet with others along the path. It is the great adventure that children in the Alola region embark upon, along with their Pokémon, one they reach eleven years of age! Allow me to give you both the island challenge amulets you will need."

"Awesome! Thanks, Tutu!" said Hau as he accepted his amulet. "I'm gonna make it through the island challenge to try to become an island challenge champion!"

"There is one for you as well, Mikey. Please do give the island challenge a try."

In Mikey's hand, Hala placed a wooden charm with four beads on a leather noose at the top, two on each side of the lock. The body was square with two triangles on the sides sporting a couple of brown leather flaps, giving it a rough impression of a jet plane missing the front. Engraved in the triangles, and the square body, were coloured triangles, from left to right being yellow, red, pink, and blue, matching the colours of the beads.

Smiling from ear to ear, or at least as much, Mikey quickly attached the amulet to the top left of his backpack, so that it was clear for all to see.

Kukui grinned.

"Yeah, doing the island challenge is the best way to really get to know Alola!" he said, remembering his own adventures in his childhood.

The festival would last a bit longer into the night, with dancing and food, but eventually, people and Pokémon alike started to disperse, heading back to their homes for the night.

Hala and Hau both said their good byes before heading to their family home, while Mikey joined Kukui and Lillie leaving the town, as they were heading in the same direction, and his 'mother' had already left a little while earlier.

"Tapu Koko is amazing, isn't it?" Lillie asked as they walked towards the edge of Iki Town. "I hope I can meet it again someday and thank it for saving Nebby…"

"Pew!" Nebby squeaked, shaking the entire bag it was hiding in.

"Yeah, me too." Mikey agreed.

"It saved you as well, didn't it? And left you with that Sparkling Stone… even though you're a stranger to this place."

"That it did." said Kukui. "Suppose it's time we get you kids home, yeah?"

As they walked, Lillie spoke to Nebby in low voice.

"Nebby… Alola is full of all kinds of wonders, isn't it?"

When the group had left the town, they were unaware that they were being watched by the mysterious duo that Mikey had met earlier in the evening.

"That was a most mysterious event…" said man, the two of them having observed the event. "A festival to celebrate drawing forth one's full power…"

"You looked like you were enjoying the show. Did you want to take part in the battles, too?" the girl said with a grin.

"Don't be silly…" he scoffed. "We are here to investigate and learn. Even with all of our technology, we cannot control the Blinding One's light… Thus we are left with no choice but to try to stop it by force! And yet it seems that the humans of this Alola can wield powerful auras."

"Yeah, what'd they call that thing? A Z-Power Ring? Its aura readings were off the chart!" she said energetically. "Do you think that's why they can control auras like that? Alola is definitely an amazing place! Let's go check the next site!"

Quite a lot that happened this time. Mikey won the festival battle, Chloe evolved, and a couple of strange people are watching things with their own agendas. What's next, you wonder, well, you shall see.

Also, these chapters are freaking out my poor spell checking program. It just don't know what to make of some names. Lol!