Pokémon Radiant Sun
Greetings, my peeps. Let's steamroll through another Elite Four battle, shall we?
Apologies once again for the delay. I've got no excuse rather than being generally busy this past month and getting my attention divided once more by Destiny since the new Episode doesn't suck. But once again, I'm getting sidetracked as per usual.
Shoutout to the fantastic folks who reviewed since the last update, which includes GeneralC200, Anasazi Darkmoon, Oragonking and two new reviewers known as TheMysticalFlame and CasualShowoff. Thank so much for your support!
Special shoutout to FlowerFoxified for helping me figure out both the title for this chapter and moniker for the E4 member that Sun's battling in this chapter. I was wracking my brain for weeks coming up with something snazzy, so thanks for the help!
Enjoy!
Chapter 187: Dueling the Dazzling Diamond!
Sun took about a half hour to recuperate from Acerola's challenge, reviewing his strategies and checking with Rotom Dex about different moves his team was capable of using. It was with this review that he noticed that Alastor already knew Stone Edge (due to learning it naturally after growing stronger) and no longer needed the TM slot dedicated to the move, so Sun replaced that move with Brick Break.
Finally, the young Trainer hopped to his feet and began to make his way over to the door with an orange gem-like sigil adorning the entryway. Sun walked through the door, which shut behind him, and found himself in a massive chamber not unlike the others. Orange gemstones seemed to glow brightly from the walls, bathing the room in a warm light. As Sun walked up the stairs and onto the battlefield, he was greeted by another familiar face.
A dark-skinned woman with a charming smile stood across from Sun, wearing the same pink shirt and shorts she had been wearing the last time he had seen her. Gemstones, beads and jewelry adorned the limbs of the Kahuna, who wore her Z-Ring on her left wrist. Sun smiled at the woman, but recognized the fact that this was going to be one hell of a rematch for him.
"Welcome to the Chamber of Stones." Olivia said with an amused smile, putting a hand on her hip. Behind her small metallic devices erupted out of the League sigil. Earth-like stones made of light sprouted out of the statue, slowly forming a large series of mountains. The mountains then surrounded the entirety of the battlefield, forming a barrier around them all.
Olivia put a hand to her chin, still smiling fondly at Sun as a referee walked out of the teleporter and assumed his position in the middle of the battlefield off to the side. "No introduction needed here. Time to battle me, Olivia!"
"Trainers! Please call out the Pokémon that will be standing beside you in battle!" the referee called to both Trainers.
"Mercury, you sit this one out. Keep me company, sweetheart." Olivia said as she called out a Gigalith, a crag-like Pokémon who hummed softly beside his Trainer. Sun considered it for a moment before sending out Brago, with the Arcanine glancing at Sun in confusion.
"Wanna help me cheer on the others? You don't have a great matchup against Olivia, so you can use this as a chance to rest." Sun said to Brago, who nodded and sat down on the ground beside Sun.
"A chance to observe our comrades fighting. Interesting." Brago said as he smiled at his Alpha, who smiled back at his Arcanine. It was then that their attention went to the ref, who had begun to speak.
"This is an official contest against Olivia Ailani of the Elite Four versus the challenger, Sunshine Smiles! Both sides are allotted five Pokémon each and substitutions are allowed. The winner will be declared upon forfeit or if one Trainer loses all five Pokémon!" The referee declared to both Trainers before pulling out a coin and holding it out. "We shall now choose which one of you start the battle first. Please choose a side for the coin toss."
"Tails." Sun said quickly, with Olivia shrugging her shoulders. The referee nodded and flipped the coin, slapping it down on his wrist.
"Tails! Kahuna Olivia will send out her Pokémon first!" the referee called, with Sun doing a small fist-pump while Olivia just shrugged again. "Trainers, prepare for battle!"
"This is our rubber match, Sun." Olivia said as her pleasant smile washed away, and it was then that Sun knew that the Kahuna meant business. "You and I have both won and lost against each other. Both those were during the Grand Trial, where a Kahuna must test their challenger's growth."
"Here at the Pokémon League I serve a different role. The Dazzling Diamond of the Elite Four stands before you as an obstacle. And this battle will decide whether or not you have what it takes to stand atop the mountain and lead our region as Champion!" Olivia boomed as she primed an Ultra Ball, her expression fierce. "You face the full might this Kahuna possesses! Brace yourself!"
"Hit me with everything you've got!" Sun challenged the Kahuna, grinning as the screen overhead flickered to life and showed both Trainers. The intense music began to play throughout the chamber as Olivia pulled back her hand.
"Presley, give me your strength!" Olivia shouted as she sent out her first Pokémon, which was an ancient brown fish with countless faded scars across its body. Rotom Dex chose that moment to pop out of Sun's backpack, pulling up the entry for the new Pokémon.
"Relicanth. The Longevity Pokémon. It was fortuitously discovered during a deep sea expedition. Its teeth have atrophied, so it now survives on microscopic organisms it sucks up. Its form has remained the same for one hundred million years. Its body is filled with fat, so it can withstand the water pressure of the deep sea." Rotom Dex informed the young Trainer, who nodded as he considered his options.
"Finn, you're up!" Sun shouted as he readied a Poké Ball and sent out his Poliwrath first yet again, with the Tadpole Pokémon flexing as he appeared in a flash of light.
I've got three Pokémon that should have a really good matchup against Olivia's team. But I can't get overconfident. She's a Kahuna and knows how to hold her own even with a disadvantage like typing. Sun thought as he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, smiling to himself.
"Let the battle begin!"
"Finn, use Brick Break!" Sun shouted, punching forward as Finn let out a laugh and sprinted forward, winding up a fist before delivering a mighty punch that knocked the ancient fish backwards.
"Hydro Pump! Blast that him away!" Olivia barked as her Relicanth recovered, swiftly turning around and unleashing a mighty torrent of water that blasted Finn back, even as the Poliwrath threw up his hands to block the flow of water. "Now use Ancient Power!"
"Block with Psychic!" Sun countered as Finn's stomach glowed a harsh blue color, even as Presley lobbed a series of shimmering boulders at the Poliwrath. Finn's attack struck the other, and for a few moments nothing happened. But Finn let out a shout of effort and tossed aside the boulders with Olivia smirking at Sun.
"Stone Edge." Olivia said calmly, with Presley letting out a small hum of sorts before slapping the ground with his tail. Sun called for Finn to do a backflip, which to Olivia's surprise was enough for the Poliwrath to dodge the massive pillar of blue stone that erupted out of the battlefield.
"Brick Break again!" Sun commanded as Finn landed on the ground and then launched himself forward with an impressive leap and delivered a haymaker to the ancient fish, earning a cry of pain.
"Yawn." Olivia ordered, smirking as Sun's expression darkened with annoyance. The Relicanth opened his mouth and released a pink bubble that popped in Finn's face, forcing the Poliwrath to stagger backwards and yawn tiredly.
"Brick Break! Keep attacking!" Sun called to Finn, with the Poliwrath smacking himself in the face before winding up another punch and striking Presley with another Brick Break. Olivia fired back with a Hydro Pump, and Finn was blasted away from the Relicanth right in time for him to fall asleep mid-battle.
"Maybe I should just teach all of my team status moves once I'm Champ. Really throw everyone for a loop." Sun grumbled with some annoyance as Finn snored loudly. Meanwhile Presley the Relicanth took that chance to pummel Finn with Stone Edge, though to Sun's delight that woke the Poliwrath immediately.
"Finn, Blizzard!" Sun shouted as the Poliwrath groggily got to his foot, lashing out with a whirling blast of ice that made the Relicanth hiss with irritation.
"Calm Mind. Center yourself, Presley." Olivia ordered her Pokémon, who bobbed his head and closed its eyes. White light enveloped the Pokémon, boosting the Relicanth's Special Attack and Special Defense.
"I'll calm your mind even more. Hypnosis!" Sun shouted as Finn chuckled, his stomach glowing bright blue as he aimed it at his opponent. Presley shuddered, trying to look awake from the attack, but unfortunately for the Relicanth he fell asleep and drifted onto the ground.
"Tch. Your Poliwrath has developed into quite the fighter. But we've weathered greater storms than this." Olivia said with a calm smile, crossing her arms. Much like with Kahili, Sun recognized that his opponent was adept in keeping calm in a battle battle. Olivia was a Kahuna, chosen by Tapu Lele to protect Akala Island, and one of the best Trainers in the region.
"Brick Break! Keep punching and don't let up!" Sun kept up the attack, with Finn delivering another powerful blow to the fish. Finn dropped to the ground and spun around, delivering a right hook to the jaw of Presley before delivering a third Brick Break in the form of a powerful chop. After three super-effective hits in quick succession, Presley the Relicanth was starting to look rather haggard. However, to Finn's surprise, the fish finally snapped awake with a pained gasp.
"Toxic!" Olivia suddenly shouted, with Sun's eyes widening in horror as the Relicanth fired off a stream of purple fluid that struck Finn dead-on. The Poliwrath coughed violently, shuddering as the poison slowly sapped his strength.
"Finn, push through it! Brick Break!" Sun called to his Poliwrath, who shook his head a few times before slapping his hands together.
"You're going down!" Finn boomed as he charged forward, drawing back a hand and slugging Presley, knocking the fish backwards and earning a pained groan from the ancient Pokémon.
"Head Smash!" Olivia commanded as Presley's body became wreathed in a whitish-blue aura of pure power. The Relicanth's eyes narrowed as it drew its head back before slamming it into Finn, who had braced himself for impact. A raw explosion of pure force erupted across the battlefield as Presley struck, with Finn remaining where he stood, standing tall despite the strength of the move he had been hit with.
The Relicanth then tried to put some distance between himself and Finn, but a white hand snatched the tail of the ancient fish and prevented it from moving any further. Presley glanced back and saw an annoyed Poliwrath staring him down.
"Submission!" Sun shouted as Finn leapt into the air, dragging the Relicanth with him as Olivia gasped in surprise. The Poliwrath then spun several times in the air, building up momentum and swinging Presley as he did so. Finally Finn fell towards the battlefield, slamming down his opponent with a tremendous crash. Presley twitched for a moment before fainting, with Finn releasing the fish and grimacing as the recoil from using Submission struck him.
"Relicanth is unable to battle! Poliwrath is the winner! Sun is up five-to-four!" the referee called as Olivia returned her fish, quietly thanking him for his hard work. As she readied her next Pokémon, Olivia chuckled softly.
"I remember so fondly our past two battles, Sun. What a joy to see you fighting at a level where I don't have to hold back anymore." Olivia said to the younger Trainer, who just grinned at her.
"Me and my team have been through way too much to stop now. We're heading straight for the top!" Sun shot back at the Kahuna, who's smile twisted into something fierce.
"Hendrix! Let us stand together!" Olivia cried out as she sent out a large floating rock-like Pokémon with gemstones sticking out of it. Sun recognized it as the Carbink he battled during his rematch with Olivia months ago. Rotom Dex was more than happy to provide the Pokédex entry anyways.
"Carbink. The Jewel Pokémon. Although this Pokémon is not especially rare, its glittering, jewel-draped body draws attention from people. Born from the high temperatures and pressures deep underground, it defends itself by firing beams from the jewel part of its body." Rotom Dex recited as Sun considered how to approach battling it.
"If I remember right, this one is Rock/Fairy. Which means Fighting-type moves will be worthless against it. But Finn's got Water-type moves too, so he'll be able to do a lot of damage. But can I take this one out before Finn's knocked out thanks to that Toxic?" Sun muttered under his breath, glancing at the Poliwrath as he coughed violently. The referee gestured with his flags, and the battle continued.
"Rain Dance!" Sun called as Finn charged up a sphere of misty energy and fired it into the sky. As rain fell onto the battlefield, Olivia smirked at her challenger.
"Well, well, well. I guess this'll make certain viewers happy." Olivia remarked, causing Sun to give her a confused look. "Oh wow, that went right over your head, huh?"
"I've got a battle to focus on. Anything else doesn't matter." Sun remarked with a shrug, causing the Kahuna to nod in response. The boy was completely correct, after all.
Olivia called for Reflect, causing a shimmering wall of glass-like energy to form in front of the Carbink that faded, but not before surrounding Hendrix. It didn't do much to stop the Scald that Finn attacked with next, and the cries of the Carbink soon filled the battlefield.
"Power Gem!" Olivia commanded, with Hendrix firing off a pink and white beam of energy that blasted Finn directly in the face. The Poliwrath tumbled backwards, but rolled to his feet with an audible gasp of effort as the poison continued to sap his strength.
"Scald!" Sun shouted to Finn as he let out a furious shout, unleashing a torrent of boiling hot water that struck the Carbink and caused it to shriek in pain. Olivia frowned, but didn't seem particularly annoyed.
"Stone Edge!" Hendrix the Carbink let out a shout, with a massive pillar of rock knocking Finn into the air. As the Poliwrath flailed, Sun issued the command.
"Bubble Beam!" Sun shouted to his battered Poliwrath, who inhaled deeply and unleashed a barrage of glowing bubbles towards Hendrix as he fell down to earth. The Carbink cried out as it tried to retreat, but it was a futile effort as the bubbles popped against the sides of the Jewel Pokémon.
"End this, Hendrix. Moonblast!" Olivia called to the Jewel Pokémon, earning a hum in response from Hendrix. An illusionary moon flickered into existence behind the Carbink, which caused Hendrix to glow bright pink as a sphere of raw energy formed at the top of the Carbink's head.
Hendrix lowered its body and fired off the massive sphere of energy at Finn right as he landed on the ground, causing an explosion to erupt across the battlefield and throw Finn to the ground with an agonized scream. Hendrix floated backwards as the smoking form of Finn twitched on the ground.
"I can't…I c-can't…give…" Finn wheezed, slowly pushing himself up off of the ground with a ragged gasp. Finn's body suddenly seized up, with the Poliwrath's eyes rolling into the back of his head before he finally collapsed senseless onto the ground. Sun returned his Poliwrath as the ref gestured in Olivia's direction with his flags.
"Poliwrath is unable to battle! Carbink is the winner! The battle is currently tied at four Pokémon each!" the referee shouted as the two Trainers stared each other down. Olivia was smiling at Sun, patiently waiting for him as he considered how to proceed.
"Tetra, let's go!" Sun hurled the Luxury Ball forth, sending out his Garchomp. Tetra appeared in a flash of light, beaming at both Hendrix and Olivia. The Kahuna couldn't help but smile at the dragon's big grin of joy. As the referee waved down both flags, Sun made the first move.
"Use Sandstorm!" Sun shouted as Tetra's eyes flashed brown, and within moments a whirlwind of sand enveloped the battlefield. Olivia called for Moonblast, but unfortunately for Olivia, the dragon was easily able to dodge the move. "Shadow Claw!"
"Hmm. Stone Edge, Hendrix!" Olivia shouted as the Carbink tried to float away from the Garchomp as she launched herself forward. A series of stone pillars rose up to block the way of the dragon, but her claws were wreathed in shadows and Tetra slashed her way through them before delivering a brutal slash to Hendrix. Tetra then flew to the side to avoid another glowing pillar, causing the Kahuna commanding the Carbink to tilt her head.
"I'm going to assume your Garchomp has the Ability Sand Veil. This is annoying, but thankfully it's something I have a solution for." Olivia then gave Sun a mean grin before snapping her fingers. "Skill Swap!"
"Shadow Claw!" Sun called to Tetra as the Garchomp flew towards the Carbink, her claws glowing with shadowy power. Hendrix hummed as it spun around, charging up a purple sphere of wisp-like energy before firing it towards Tetra as she lunged towards it. The beam seemed to strike Tetra harmlessly, with a purple wisp bouncing off of the Garchomp and returning to hit Hendrix right before the Carbink was struck again with Shadow Claw. However, Tetra landed on the ground and let out a confused growl, shaking her head as if trying to clear it.
"Tetra, are you alright?" Brago called to the dazed Garchomp, who nodded and growled softly.
"Yeah! Let's get 'em!" Tetra shouted as Sun nodded, wondering what was going on.
"Sand Tomb!" Sun called to his dragon, who's eyes flashed a light brown color before she swung her arms apart. A tornado of sand erupted beneath the Carbink, but Hendrix suddenly moved far quicker than it had been before and dodged the attack with ease. Olivia had Hendrix attack with a Moonblast, knocking Tetra to the ground with the powerful Fairy-type move.
"Huh? How'd it move so quick?" Sun muttered, confused as to what was going on. And then he remembered the move that Olivia had instructed her Carbink to use.
"Skill Swap…if that does what the move implies, then I'm guessing that it swaps the abilities of two Pokémon that are battling each other." Sun remarked, frowning as he considered the issue.
"Bzzzt! Correct! Tetra now has the Clear Body Ability while Olivia's Carbink has Sand Veil! Which means that it'll be a lot harder to hit it during this sandstorm!" Rotom Dex explained to Sun, who grinned at Olivia through the storm.
"Tetra! Use Dig!" Sun called as Tetra nodded sharply, diving into the battlefield and digging through it.
Olivia nodded, as if expecting the move. "Reflect."
Hendrix let out a loud hum, summoning another wall of light underneath itself right before Tetra emerged. The Garchomp burst through the barrier and lashed out at the Carbink with a furious growl, but Sun noticed that the Carbink had managed to dodge the move again.
"Power Gem!" Olivia called to Hendrix, who spun around and fired off several beams at Tetra as the Garchomp flew into the air, with one of the beams striking her in the back.
"Flamethrower!" Sun called to the dragon as she spun around, releasing a white-hot torrent of flames down at the Carbink that it wasn't able to dodge. "Now use Shadow Claw!"
"We're not going to take that from you! Moonblast!" Olivia commanded her Carbink, with Hendrix aiming its body upwards and firing off another massive sphere of pink energy that Tetra tore straight through with a snarl of pain, slashing Hendrix deeply and causing a white flash of light to erupt from the blow.
"Tch. Crits are always annoying. Stone Edge!" Olivia barked as Hendrix let out a loud humming sound. Tetra was knocked back by a large pillar of glowing stone before being knocked high into the air by a second pillar as Olivia laughed.
"Come on, Sun! I thought you were better than this." Olivia teased the boy, shaking her head in disappointment. That was when the sandstorm billowing around them finally began to fade away, with Olivia blinking in surprise.
"Tetra, use Dig!" Sun shouted as his Garchomp nodded, flying straight down and digging into the battlefield.
"Damn. Hendrix, use Harden!" Olivia called to her Carbink, who began to glow brightly as its considerable defenses were bolstered further. Unfortunately, it didn't matter for the Jewel Pokémon, as Tetra erupted from the ground beneath it and knocked it high into the air. Tetra landed on the ground with an annoyed huff, with Hendrix crashing down hard onto the battlefield several long seconds later completely unconscious.
"Carbink is unable to battle! Garchomp is the winner! Sun is up four-to-three!" the referee called, gesturing a flag in Sun's direction.
"Very good! You really got me between a rock and a hard place…no pun intended." Olivia remarked, returning her Carbink and winking at Sun, who just grinned at the Kahuna.
"I wasn't expecting you to turn Tetra's Ability against her like that. You're really pulling out all the stops. We have a really big advantage against your team and you're really making us sweat." Sun said to the Kahuna, who let out a bark-like laugh.
"Indeed! You've built yourself a powerful team that I simply don't match up well against. As you very well know, sometimes you combat an opponent that has several advantages against you. Whether that's a strong team, a more advantageous matchup, clearer battle instincts or they're simply having a better day than you are." Olivia said to Sun, who's smile faded as he realized what she was referring to.
"The first time we battled I had the shadow of my father's crimes hanging over me. I wasn't in a good headspace for our battle and lost because me and my team weren't focused." Sun recalled, crossing his arms. "Our rematch at the Festival of Celestial Lights ended with me beating you, since I had a bit more time to come to terms with everything and I had support from my friends and my team."
"Watching you mature and grow into your power has been wonderful to watch, my young friend. Your struggles and pain have polished your skills into something truly amazing. A lump of coal that, with enough pressure and support in equal measures, has become a wonderful diamond of talent. But…I think we should skip right to the really fun part and test those skills of yours." Olivia said as she primed an Ultra Ball, a fiery glint leaping into her eyes. "Because who says I have to save my strongest Pokémon for last?"
"Tetra, get ready!" Sun shouted, knowing full-well who the Kahuna was sending out next.
"Bowie, show these kids who's the top dog!" Olivia shouted as she hurled the ball forward, sending out a bipedal wolf-like Pokémon. Sun recognized it as the same Lycanroc he had battled twice before, and the Pokémon that served as Olivia's ace.
"This time, we won't be holding back." Olivia warned Sun as Bowie the Lycanroc locked eyes with Tetra and flashed a menacing grin. Tetra matched it, smiling back at the wolf gleefully. Sun glanced at Rotom Dex, who already had the entry loaded.
"Lycanroc. The Wolf Pokémon and the final evolved form of Rockruff. Midnight Form. It goads its enemies into attacking, withstands the hits, and in return, delivers a headbutt, crushing their bones with its rocky mane. The more intimidating the opponent it faces, the more this Pokémon's blood boils. It will attack with no regard for its own safety." Rotom Dex recited as the Lycanroc slowly walked forward, staring down Tetra without fear. The Garchomp walked forward as well, meeting her opponent in the middle of the battlefield and glared each other down.
Tetra then smiled, showing off her teeth. "Give it your best, alright? I want to see just how strong you are!"
Bowie responded with a wide grin, nodding before suddenly kicking off of the ground and flipping backwards in the air, landing in a crouch as Tetra fell into a fighting stance. The referee waved down both flags and the battle continued.
"Dragon Claw!"
"Rock Climb!"
Both Trainers shouted orders to their Pokémon, with Tetra holding out her claws as they erupted into emerald flames and Bowie's four limbs glowing a harsh white color. The Lycanroc punched the ground, causing a small rock spire to form in front of Tetra before he charged forward, quickly crossing the distance between himself and his opponent. The Lycanroc ran up the rocky spire, leaping forward and punching Tetra in the snout. The Garchomp's claws lashed out even as she staggered back, knocking away the Lycanroc as Tetra snarled in pain. Bowie flew through the air but flipped a single time, landing on his feet.
"Use Dragon Rage!" Sun shouted to Tetra, who inhaled deeply and charged up a draconic fireball. Olivia snapped her fingers, causing Bowie to stomp down on the ground and call forth a massive stone spire that easily blocked Tetra's Dragon Rage.
"We can't mess around here…that Lycanroc is the biggest threat on her team." Sun said as he raised his Z-Ring, causing Olivia to smile at him. "Tetra, let's get ready for a Z-Move!"
"Ready when you are, Sunny!" Tetra happily called back, flying back over to her Trainer while Bowie dismissed his Stone Edge. Sun and Tetra began to make several motions in sync with one another, with the Z-Power flowing from Sun's Z-Ring into Tetra, causing a fiery orange aura to erupt around the Garchomp.
"Channel Dig…and use Tectonic Rage!" Sun shouted as Tetra roared at Bowie, stomping down hard onto the battlefield and sending a large ripple through the ground that caused the battlefield underneath Bowie to open up. The Lycanroc let out a yelp as he fell into the crevice, with Tetra diving into the battlefield herself with a savage growl. Several moments passed before an explosion rang out, with raw energy erupting out of the hole Bowie had been pulled into. The Lycanroc came flying out of the hole, landing in a crumpled heap a few feet away from an impressed Olivia.
Tetra clawed her way out of the earth a few moments later, looking tired but pleased with herself. Bowie was slow to get up from a hit like that, but Sun could tell that even such a powerful and super-effective hit like that wouldn't keep Olivia's ace down for long.
"That was a good shot, Sun. Truly. However, if you think we'll take that lying down then you're sadly mistaken." Olivia's smile became fierce as she held up her Z-Ring. Bowie let out a fierce howl as he and Olivia struck a series of powerful poses, with Z-Power rushing from the Kahuna's Z-Ring into the Wolf Pokémon.
"Channel Stone Edge…and use Continental Crush!" Olivia screamed as Bowie roared in unison with his Trainer, the Z-Power engulfing the Lycanroc before he leapt high into the air. Bowie thrust out his limbs with a snarl as small boulders slowly ripped out of the walls and slowly congealed around the Lycanroc, growing and growing with each new boulder. Soon an enormous rock loomed over Tetra's head, much to the horror of the Garchomp.
And then it began to fall.
Tetra screamed right as the boulder landed on her with a tremendous boom, exploding into shards of energy a few moments later. Bowie landed lightly on the ground, panting slightly as an unmoving Tetra lay still on the ground. The referee seemed ready to call the round, but Tetra's body twitched suddenly and the Garchomp's eyes snapped open.
"Seems like she's got just a little bit of fight left. Not many can withstood Bowie's strongest move. Be proud, little dragon." Olivia said to Tetra, who growled softly as she tried to get back on her feet, only for them to give out under herself.
"Tetra, use Dig!" Sun called to the Garchomp, who's eyes widened before she frantically dug into the battlefield. Olivia and Bowie looked stunned at the sudden move, with Olivia smirking at Sun's audacity.
"That dragon was having trouble standing, so Sun used a move that didn't require her to. Not bad, kid." Olivia muttered as Bowie glanced around the battlefield with his head on a swivel. "Bowie, use Bulk Up!"
Bowie inhaled deeply and let out a snarl, flexing his arms as a harsh red glow exploded around the Midnight Form Lycanroc. Bowie had about three seconds to enjoy his new strength before the ground beneath him exploded and a Garchomp burst out of the battlefield and took them both into the air. Tetra grinned as she stopped moving, hovering in midair as Bowie soared upwards, only to slowly start falling downwards as gravity took effect.
However, that was when Olivia played her trump card.
"COUNTER!" Olivia bellowed, taking a step forward and punching outwards. Bowie's eyes snapped open as a harsh orange glow ignited around the Lycanroc.
"Oh no…" Tetra had time to say before the hound dove downwards at a breakneck speed and punched her in the face, sending her hurtling towards the ground below. The Garchomp cried out before impact, hitting the platform so hard the entire chamber trembled from the force of the impact. Bowie fell to the ground lightly, shaking himself but clearly feeling the effects of his brutal fight with Tetra. Unfortunately for the Garchomp, she was lying in a crumpled heap unconscious with blood trickling down her chin.
"Holy shit…" Sun whispered as the referee gestured with his flags towards Olivia. He knew that the Lycanroc had been holding back in their previous battles, but he had no idea just how strong Olivia's ace Pokémon truly was.
"Garchomp is unable to battle. Lycanroc is the winner! The battle is currently tied at three-to-three!" the referee called, with Sun still staring at the unconscious Garchomp lying in a crumpled heap at his feet. Meanwhile, Bowie the Lycanroc was cackling maniacally as he swayed from side to side.
Meanwhile…
Paldea Region, Pokémon League HQ
"Kid's good, I gotta admit." Rika commented from her slouched position on the couch, watching the showdown alongside her colleagues and fellow Elite Four members.
"His Garchomp was exceptional. I could see the strength of the bond between her and Sun…ah…oh…" Hassel coughed a few times, his eyes watering as he turned towards them. "It's so moving! Such a small boy has grown into a Champion of his new home!"
"It's a shame he moved to Alola and not Paldea. But maybe it's better that way, considering his baggage." Top Champion Geeta remarked sardonically, watching the battle closely and not taking her golden eyes away from the showdown between Sunshine Smiles and Olivia Ailani. She wasn't one to impress easily, but Borlath's son was taking the fight to the best Alola had to offer and making a good showing.
"James, your thoughts?" Rika asked, looking towards a man sitting on the sofa opposite of her. The man in question was rather tall with tanned skin, his steel gray hair and handlebar mustache immaculately trimmed. He wore a suit similar to Rika save for the two sigils on his collar that marked him as an Admiral within the Paldean Navy.
"So far so good. I am concerned that he's so young and fighting for the mantle of Champion, but we've seen younger kids than him take on the throne and do fine." James commented, leaning back in his chair. The Elite Four member glanced at his wife, a rather pale woman with luxurious black hair and shiny black eyes who was entertaining the little girl sitting on her lap that was the spitting image of her mother.
"Maria, what do you think? As a non-Trainer, you might see what myself and my coworkers here at the League can't." James remarked, causing Maria to glance at her husband.
"You're right about him being young, but that just means that he'll have a fresh set of eyes on a world filled with problems. He took down his own father for the sake of the world. I don't think we need to worry about Alola if that young man is keeping an eye on things." Maria said with a smile, earning a grin from James.
"Perhaps. But the kid still has to win this battle and the next one." Larry remarked dully, taking a sip from his black coffee. "Forget his father for now and focus on Sunshine Smiles and how he's holding his own against Trainers who can battle us on even footing. Even if he doesn't become Champion, he's someone to keep an eye on."
"Very observant, Larry. I agree, though perhaps we are getting ahead of ourselves. Sun does have two battles left to go…" Hassel trailed off, his expression thoughtful.
"His team is varied and he's not letting himself get rattled despite the barrage of tactics being thrown at him by people far more experienced than him. It's quite impressive." James said to Hassel before turning towards the little girl sitting on his wife's lap. "Don't you think so, Poppy?"
"I like the big puppy, Daddy! The Arcanine looks so cute!" Poppy said excitedly, pointing at the Arcanine on the screen sitting beside Sun. The adults in the room laughed at the little girl's declaration, though of course Geeta's calculating gaze never left the television.
"Do we have any Champion-ranked Trainers we can send over to Alola for a short while? I'd like to have someone on hand to greet Sun on our behalf. Make a good first impression on the possible new Alola League Champion." Geeta asked the others, earning a shrug from Rika and James. Larry considered the matter for a few moments before nodding.
"We can probably pull Diego Caballero out of Galar for it. He's not going to like it since it'll take him away from his family, but he's used to handling stuff like this. He's good with people, better than most of us." Larry commented, earning a nod from Geeta.
"Be cautious of relying on our Champions working abroad too much. It's hard for Champion Caballero to spy on Theodore Rose if we're relying on him to handle diplomatic matters." James warned Top Champion Geeta, who considered the matter.
"Keeping an eye on Chairman Rose is important…but leaving a good impression on the new Alolan Champion is more important. I'll reach out to Champion Caballero personally. Maybe he can be our representative to go to the Battle Tree in a few weeks and then we'll leave him alone for a while. Family time is important and I want to keep my Champions happy." Geeta mused, leaning back in her chair and letting out a soft sigh. "After Sun wins this battle, I'll give Diego a phone call and let him know about his next assignment."
"How can you tell Sun'll win? He's good, but it's not a sure thing." Rika said with a raised eyebrow, causing La Primera to chuckle.
"I have an eye for talent, and this kid's the real deal. He's battling at a Champion level and thriving. There's no way he won't get the Championship." Geeta said confidently, causing Larry to chuckle softly from the other side of the couch at the Top Champion's assessment.
"Maybe we should watch the kid kick butt first before we start making diplomatic moves." The Exceptional Everyman remarked, with the others in the room nodding in agreement as they turned their full attention back to the TV.
"I might be young by Kahuna standards, but don't forget I've been a Pokémon Trainer for longer than you've been alive. Don't you dare underestimate me." Olivia chided the younger Trainer, who frowned as he returned Tetra and clipped her ball to his belt.
"Fair enough. Then I'll send out the big guns. Oliver, it's your turn!" Sun shouted as he sent out his ace, with Oliver appearing in a flash of light. The Decidueye narrowed his eyes upon seeing a familiar Kahuna and a familiar Lycanroc standing before them.
"Her again? At this rate we'll have to fight the Master Kahuna or the grumpy jerk again too. Maybe we'll have a rematch with Hau again?" Oliver grumbled under his breath as Bowie the Lycanroc snickered at him.
"Hey, at least we're on even footing this time." Sun said bracingly to his Decidueye, but Olivia had other ideas.
"Not quite. Bowie, return." Olivia said as she held out an Ultra Ball and returned his Lycanroc, swapping to another Ultra Ball. "Turner, let's go to work!"
Olivia hurled an Ultra Ball forward, sending out her trusty Probopass. Sun had seen Pokémon many times floating about Konikoni City, but he had never been tested by the Pokémon before now. Rotom Dex pulled up the Pokédex entry after a few moments.
"Probopass. The Compass Pokémon and the final evolved form of Nosepass. The main body controls three mobile units called Mini-Noses, which it maneuvers to catch prey. It radiates such a powerful magnetic field that nearby electrical appliances become unusable." Rotom Dex explained to Sun, who smiled despite himself. Much like with Acerola and Kahili, the idea of facing down Trainers and Pokémon that seemed like such unattainable goals in the past felt immensely satisfying.
"While Bowie has become my strongest Pokémon, Turner has been with me ever since I was a little girl. I expect you to pull out all of the stops to take us down, Sun." Olivia said sternly as she crossed her arms yet again. The referee waved down his flags, and the battle was on.
"Spirit Shackle!" Sun called to Oliver, who swiftly notched an arrow and fired it right at Turner the Probopass, who had time to let out a small cry of surprise before the arrow exploded in her face. The shadow of the Probopass latched onto the Compass Pokémon, preventing it from being switched out.
Olivia snapped her fingers, causing Turner to hum softly as her eyes flashed orange for a brief moment. Within seconds, a fierce sandy wind kicked up and a sandstorm was once again howling around the battlefield.
"Swords Dance!" Sun called to Oliver, who winced at the sandstorm as it whipped by. A series of glowing swords materialized around the Decidueye, boosting his attack heavily.
"Blast him with Magnet Bomb!" Olivia barked as Turner the Probopass hummed loudly, hovering higher into the air and firing off a silvery orb towards Oliver. The Decidueye tried to fly away, but the attack exploded before he could dodge and was thrown onto the ground. Oliver got back to his feet with an annoyed grunt, flaring his wings and summoning two Leaf Blades.
"Get her!" Sun shouted to Oliver as the Decidueye grinned, soaring towards Turner with a savage screech and delivering a brutal slash to the Probopass.
"Thunder Wave!" Olivia called to Turner as she floated away from Oliver, lashing out with a blue electrical wave of energy. Oliver surprised both Turner and Oliver by slashing at the Thunder Wave and completely disrupting it, causing the attack to dissipate entirely.
"Swords Dance again!" Sun said to Oliver as the Decidueye flapped his wings, flying back towards Sun and landing lightly on the ground. As spectral swords once again surrounded Oliver, the Kahuna of Akala Island smirked to herself.
"Lock-On." Olivia said quietly to Turner, who stared at Oliver intently. A deep red glow began to burn from the eyes of the Probopass, drawing the attention of Sun.
"Oliver, go for Leaf Blade! But be careful, she's up to something!" Sun warned his Decidueye, who grinned wildly and soared forward again with a maniacal screech. Turner the Probopass once again tried to get away, but Oliver swept his blades through the air and earned a pained groan from the Probopass who had withstood two boosted Leaf Blades now…and also had her opponent exactly where she wanted it.
"Zap Cannon! Fire!" Olivia shouted with authority as Turner's Mini-Heads began to spin around in a circle in front of her. The large nose of the Probopass began to glow a bright yellow color, with an orb of raw yellow-colored electricity with a red core swiftly generating in front of it. Oliver took to the skies as Turner fired the attack, trying to soar away.
However, to his horror, the powerful Electric-type attack continued to track him through the air. Oliver dove to the ground to try and lose it, but to his horror, the orb was gaining on him and finally touched his back.
The orb detonated, releasing an enormous blast of electricity that surged outwards as Oliver screamed in pain and collapsed onto the battlefield. Sun watched as the crackle of paralysis flickered around his Decidueye, and it was then he realized what Olivia had done.
"Lock-On makes sure that the next attack you use doesn't miss. And if I remember right, Zap Cannon hits hard and paralyzes an opponent, but it's unreliable." Sun's eyes widened in surprise, but he found himself smiling. "It doesn't matter if Oliver resists the attack, she just wanted to make sure Oliver has a harder time against her Probopass."
"I-I'm not done yet." Oliver hooted as he got back to his feet, glaring at Turner the Probopass as she hummed softly.
"We can work with this. Grass Knot!" Sun shouted as Oliver slowly lifted a talon that began to glow green before he stomped down onto the ground. An enormous vine erupted out of the ground and wrapped around the bottom of Turner, who let out a surprised cry before being lifted high into the air and then dragged into the battlefield with a swift yank. A shockwave of green energy erupted as the Probopass hit the ground, with Olivia nodding slowly as she considered the fact that paralyzing Sun's Starter wasn't enough to swing this battle to her favor.
"Power Gem." Olivia instructed Turner as she shook off the vines and floated into the air again with an annoyed glare. Turner's mini-heads glowed brightly and began to fire several smaller beams at Oliver, causing the Decidueye to hiss in pain and stagger back, fruitlessly raising his wings and trying to shield himself from the attacks.
"Razor Leaf!" Sun called as Oliver swept his wings aside, releasing a massive wave of spinning sharpened leaves. Turner the Probopass groaned as the attacks slashed against her sides, but she still managed to retaliate by firing off a Flash Cannon at Oliver, who was forced to simply tank the attack. Sun tried to have Oliver use Leaf Blade, but before he could get the words out he noticed that his Partner was struggling to move, visibly shaking as the paralysis took hold of him and immobilized his limbs.
"About time. Dazzling Gleam!" Olivia boomed as Turner's nose shined a gorgeous rainbow color before firing off a massive beam of similarly-colored energy right at Oliver. The Decidueye screeched in pain as he was blasted, but to Olivia's annoyance he continued to stand.
"Razor Leaf!" Sun called to Oliver, with the Decidueye giving Olivia and Turner a shaky grin before sweeping out his wings and releasing a massive wave of spinning leaves at Turner, who cried out and floated lower to the ground.
"Earth Power!" Olivia commanded, uncrossing her arms and punching forward. Turner groaned and suddenly dropped her body onto the ground, sending several glowing orange cracks towards Oliver that exploded underneath him, sending the Decidueye flying into the air. Olivia smirked with amusement, but noticed that the Decidueye had spread his wings in midair and was gliding towards Turner.
"Turner, watch out!" Olivia shouted to her Probopass, who looked up in surprise and saw that the Decidueye was smiling viciously down at them both.
"Drop and use Leaf Blade!" Sun shouted as Oliver summoned two glowing green blades of energy, swooping downwards as Olivia gave a command for Power Gem. However, Oliver flew past Turner and slashed her deeply in the side before landing onto the battlefield, his momentum forcing him to skid past the Probopass for a few moments before he stood tall.
Turner groaned softly for a few moments before slowly floating towards the ground, hitting it awkwardly and then tipping off onto the battlefield. The swirls in her eyes showed everyone present that she was no longer in the fight.
"Probopass is unable to battle! Decidueye is the winner!" the referee shouted, gesturing towards Sun while a genuinely surprised Olivia returned her very first Pokémon.
"Few have defeated Turner at full-power…" Olivia muttered, her eyes wide with surprise as she looked down at the Ultra Ball in her hands. She then looked up at Sun and Oliver, and her mind flashed back to their very first battle. Both of them had been so inexperienced back then and had yet to come into their own strength.
Now the Trainer and Pokémon stood proudly before them, pushing her to the absolute limit. As a Kahuna, Olivia felt a fierce rush of pride for the boy and his Partner. But she also knew she had her duty to test them with every bit of power she could muster.
"Well done, Sun and Oliver. But we're not done yet. Joplin, let's rock their worlds!" Olivia shouted as she sent out her next Pokémon, an Alolan Golem that was significantly larger than Alastor was. She smirked at her opponents, flexing her claws as electricity crackled between her claws.
"Bzzzt! Entry time!" Rotom Dex beeped happily, but before Sun could stop it, the device had the entry loaded already.
"Golem. The Megaton Pokémon and the final evolved form of Geodude. Alolan Regional Variant. It fires rocks charged with electricity. Even if the rock isn't fired that accurately, just grazing an opponent will cause numbness and fainting. Because it can't fire boulders at a rapid pace, it's been known to seize nearby Geodude and fire them from its back." Rotom Dex merrily said to Sun, who slowly raised an eyebrow at the device.
"I've had my own Alolan Golem for months. I know what it can do." Sun said dryly, causing the device to giggle at him. Sun rolled his eyes, but decided to shift his focus to the Alolan Golem calmly staring him and Oliver down.
"This feels weird." Oliver remarked, shaking his head before grimacing at the paralysis that still had him in its firm grip. The referee waved his flags down, and the battle continued.
"Rock Blast!" Olivia shouted as Joplin took aim and fired, blasting him directly and causing him to screech in pain as he staggered backwards. Oliver remained standing upright, glaring down the Alolan Golem as she smirked at him.
"Joke's on you. I deal with one of your kind every day and he's far more of a challenge than you'll ever be." Oliver said to Joplin, who growled softly in anger as Olivia raised a single eyebrow.
"Razor Leaf! Keep your distance!" Sun said to Oliver, who nodded and swept aside his wings to send out another wave of spinning leaves. Joplin hissed as the attack slashed against her rocky body, but the considerable defenses of the Golem wouldn't be bypassed that easily.
"Grrrr…let me move, blast it!" Oliver hissed loudly, flapping his wings back and forth and struggling with it. To both Sun and Olivia's surprise, a particularly large flap of his wings released a small shockwave of electricity. Oliver sighed with relief as he finally broke through the paralysis, rolling his shoulders and flaring his wings aside. "That's better."
"How rude to so casually dismiss all my hard work. Oh well." Olivia shrugged, smiling despite the setback. "Defense Curl."
"Spirit Shackle!" Sun called to Oliver as he swiftly took aim and fired, sending a ghostly arrow towards Joplin and blasting her directly. Joplin shuddered as her shadow seemed to latch onto herself, serving to trap her in combat. Despite that, Joplin curled inward, her body glowing brightly as her defenses were boosted.
"Now, use Rollout!" Olivia commanded, punching a fist forward as the Golem roared, tucking into her body and rolling swiftly towards Oliver.
"Feather Dance!" Sun shouted to Oliver, who flapped his wings hard as a wave of glowing blue feathers erupted outwards. Joplin rammed right through the feathery barrier and collided with Oliver, knocking him to the ground as the Golem sped away. "Hit her with Razor Leaf!"
Oliver staggered upright, panting hard as Overgrow took effect and an emerald glow enveloped the Decidueye. The massive owl hissed and swiped his wings apart, releasing a massive wave of spinning leaves that slashed deeply into Joplin as she sped back towards him with Rollout. With a pained cry, the Golem veered slightly off-course and gave Oliver enough time to dodge her attack by leaping into the air.
"Synthesis!" Sun called out as Oliver landed onto the ground once more. The Decidueye spread his wings as white sparkles enveloped him, with a bright white glow shining throughout his body moments later. His injuries began to heal before their eyes, with the glow of Overgrow fading away.
Joplin emerged from her ball and spun around as Olivia gave the order for Rock Blast, taking aim and blasting the Decidueye with three waves of rock-like bullets and forcing a shriek from the mighty owl. Oliver took to the sky, growling in annoyance as he swooped towards Joplin who aimed upwards.
"Leaf Blade!" Sun shouted as Oliver soared into Joplin, summoning two glowing green blades and slashing her in the back as he flew away.
"Hit him with a Steamroller!" Olivia boomed as Joplin tucked in her limbs and then jumped into the air. The Alolan Golem began to spin rapidly, remaining in the air somehow and catching both Sun and Oliver off-guard. Before the two could process how this was happening, Joplin glowed white and shot towards Oliver, slamming into him and knocking him out of the sky. Oliver screeched in pain as he hit the ground, but the owl managed to stumble to his feet, panting hard as Overgrow re-activated due to the damage he had taken.
This is a tough one…if Oliver gets knocked out, then I won't have anything with an advantage when dealing with Bowie, and he's the biggest threat. Sun thought as he looked over at the Joplin. The Alolan Golem was moving a little slower from the damage she had withstood so far, but Sun knew the limits of Alastor. And what he could tell from the Alolan Golem that he was facing down that she probably had enough gas in the tank to finish off Oliver.
So with that being said, Sun decided to get creative. "Oliver, use U-Turn!"
Oliver smirked and flew right at Joplin, glowing a bright yellow color before he reached the surprised Alolan Golem. Oliver lashed out with a kick right to the face of Joplin, laughing with delight before suddenly being enveloped in a right light and returning to his Poké Ball. The Ultra Ball at Sun's waist opened, calling out Alastor onto the battlefield.
"Oh hey, it's my second mirror-match." Sun remarked with a grin, causing Olivia to raise an eyebrow. However, she was smiling at Sun and Alastor with amusement. Joplin, however, was less than excited about fighting another of her kind.
"Goooool!" Joplin roared, stomping a fist down and pointing a single claw at Alastor. The smaller and younger of the Alolan Golem's offered the other a smirk.
"I tend to respect my elders, but if you're going to resort to such crass language, I'll have to teach you some respect. Human, give the command!" Alastor called as he crouched, preparing himself for battle.
"Show them who's the better Golem!" Brago barked, his tail wagging in excitement. Sun had to admit it was kinda adorable, but he also had to focus on the match.
"Gyro Ball!" Olivia commanded as Joplin quickly spun around, becoming a spinning ball that zoomed towards Alastor that glowed a bright silver color.
"Rock Blast!" Sun shouted as Alastor took aim and fired, hitting Joplin with five rounds of Rock Blast before the Alolan Golem slammed into him with a mighty boom and began shoving him backwards. "Bulldoze!"
Alastor snarled sharply before stomping down hard onto the ground, both stopping Joplin's efforts to forcibly move him and also sending a yellow shockwave of force rippling outwards, knocking away the other Alolan Golem with a scream of pain. Sun smiled, knowing that the Ground-type move was double super-effective against the other Golem.
"Tch! Clever, but we won't be deterred! Focus Blast!" Olivia shouted as Joplin took aim with her cannon and charged up a sphere of orange-colored energy and fired it off at Alastor, who braced himself and tanked the hit dead-on. The resulting explosion rocked the battlefield, but as the smoke cleared Alastor was revealed to be standing tall. Despite that, he let out a harsh breath, trying not to show how much damage a high-powered attack like that did to him.
"Heavy Slam!" Sun called to Alastor, who nodded and charged right at Joplin, who attacked with another Focus Blast. Shockingly, Alastor managed to dodge the attack completely with a roll before throwing himself forward and slamming into Joplin. "Now use Brick Break!"
"Fall already!" Alastor growled as he delivered a punch to the chest of Joplin, knocking her to the ground several yards away. The female Alolan Golem got to her feet, an effort that seemed to take all of her willpower to manage it, with Olivia's Pokémon panting hard but still smirking at the younger male Alolan Golem.
"Earthquake!" Olivia proclaimed, thrusting a hand forward as Joplin faced Alastor and leapt into the air, landing down hard on the battlefield and causing it to tremble violently. Alastor let out a yelp as the quake reached him, knocking him to the ground and opening a new crack on his side as blackish blood oozed out.
"Aaaaaghh…that's not enough…to stop me!" Alastor hissed as he rolled onto his stomach, glaring at the barely-standing Golem and pushing himself upright. Olivia smirked and snapped her fingers, causing Joplin to slowly nod…before rushing right at Alastor!
Sun didn't waste any time. "Iron Defense!"
Alastor planted his foot and focused, causing a shining silver light to envelop the Alolan Golem. Meanwhile, Joplin had finally reached Alastor and once she was no more than a few feet away, her body glowed a bright white color.
"Explosion!" Olivia bellowed as Joplin's body suddenly detonated, with a massive explosion rippling outwards from the Megaton Pokémon and blasting Alastor directly. Sun was thrown backwards into Brago, who growled at the force of the attack that had just been unleashed upon their comrade. Sun looked at the thick cloud of smoke, wondering if his Pokémon was able to withstood that intense blast.
He didn't have to wait long to find out. The smoke began to thin out, and the form of a standing Alolan Golem and a fallen one were soon visible. After a few more moments, the sight of a wobbly Alastor standing above an unconscious Joplin was visible to all of them.
"Heh…not bad." Alastor weakly laughed as Jopplin was returned by her Trainer, who quietly thanked her before clipping the Ultra Ball to her belt.
"Olivia's Golem is unable to battle! The winner is Sun's Golem! Sun is still up three-to-one!" the referee shouted, gesturing towards Sun as Olivia smirked. It was hard for the Kahuna to deny that she was enjoying this rematch. The battle reminded Olivia of how far she had come as a Trainer, and the fateful night everything changed.
Several Years Ago…
Konikoni City
Olivia hurried through the forest as fast she could, following the sound of screaming and roaring as her feet pounded across the grass and dirt. Turner floated beside her while Bowie furiously sniffed the air, sensing danger within the woods.
It had all started with a tearful plea from a passing woman as Olivia closed her shop for the night. Apparently some kids had gotten lost in the forest and had been missing for hours. Olivia didn't hesitate to volunteer to help find them, and now the woman was on the hunt.
The Trainer had burst into the clearing to see a single large Bewear with blood coating its fur, growling menacingly. A dead Toracat and a Pikachu lay at its feet while two children huddled amongst a series of rocks, trying not to further anger the Bewear while a third and older girl was standing protectively over them.
As soon as Olivia entered the clearing, the Bewear charged at her and Olivia was forced to battle it. Soon the Bewear had been beaten with relative ease and captured, with Olivia intending to hand it over to the authorities later. The woman then set about making sure that the three children were alright.
"I'm so sorry…are you hurt anywhere?" Olivia asked the children, glancing over them for injuries. The young woman looked shell-shocked, and pulled out two Poké Balls and returned the dead Pokémon. She then broke down into tears, with the two boys hugging her tightly.
Olivia quickly managed to piece together what happened. The girl had taken the two boys out to help them catch their first Pokémon, only to get lost within the woods and chased by a Bewear after wandering into its territory. Her Pokémon had been killed protecting them, not strong enough to withstand the Pokémon's fury.
"We'll…we'll be okay. I think." The younger of the two boy said quietly, moving out from the rocks with a grimace.
"You were so cool Miss Olivia!" the older of the boys shouted, punching his fists excitedly. "You saved us!"
"I did what I had to. I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner." Olivia apologized, glancing at the girl who had finally looked towards the rest of them. Her eyes were red and soaked with tears, but she shook her head.
"You're a hero. You did save us. You…I wish I was half as strong as you." The young woman said shakily, glancing down at the blood on her hands. Olivia walked over to the girl and took her hands into her own, staring into her eyes.
"Don't say that. You protected these boys from a monster until help could come. Yes, it was a tragedy, but your strength and your Pokémon's strength prevented this from getting any worse. You're plenty strong…and you'll get through this." Olivia said to the girl, who stared up at Olivia with an amazed expression even as more tears fell from the girl's face.
Olivia nodded to the girl, seeing the respect in the eyes of the children. It had been this way for years. Olivia had opened her shop in Konikoni City and acted as a role model for younger Trainers in the city. Whether it be handling problems in the community or helping the Kahuna with island matters, the woman was a name and face everyone on the island knew could be relied on for help. She was as strong as she was kind, and Olivia was respected for this. And after the recent death of the Kahuna, Olivia had become the strongest Trainer on the island.
Little did the woman know that this act of heroism would attract…attention.
Olivia and her Pokémon stiffened as the wind began to howl. A terrible presence could be felt, and the Trainer whirled around and held her arms out to shield the children from a possible threat as Bowie and Turner prepared to attack. However, it was unnecessary, as a whirlwind of pink scales revealed the new arrival as it flickered into existence in the middle of the clearing above the treetops.
"Tapu Lele…" Olivia whispered as the God of Life descended from the sky. The children watched on with equal amounts of terror and awe. Tapu Lele drifted closer to them all, but its eyes never left Olivia.
The Tapu held out a glowing hand, turning it over and then opening it to reveal a Sparkling Stone that pulsed with power. As the Legendary Pokémon did this, a whirlwind of scales erupted from its body and floated forward, with a single scale landing on each of the children and healing them of all their injuries. Even Olivia, who hadn't been harmed, had been given a scale.
"Your strength of heart has been recognized, Olivia Ailani. From this day forth, you will act as my Chosen." Tapu Lele intoned within Olivia's mind as the scale touched Olivia's heart, sending a burst of energy through her entire body. The woman fell to her knees, trembling at the power of the Guardian Deity as the Sparkling Stone slowly floated towards the woman. Olivia extended a shaking hand outwards and grabbed the stone, sealing her fate as the new Kahuna of Akala Island and seizing her destiny.
"Now all that's left is to overcome Bowie. But can you finally claim your spot atop the mountain?" Olivia asked as she sent out her Lycanroc, who flashed Alastor a wicked grin before barking out towards his opponent.
Alastor chuckled as he stared down Bowie the Lycanroc, flexing his claws for a moment as the referee gave the signal for the battle to resume. "Give it your best shot."
"Brick Break!" Olivia barked as Bowie crouched low and kicked hard off of the ground, lunging at Alastor and delivered a brutal punch that sent the Megaton Pokémon flying backwards. Alastor hit the ground and rolled backwards back onto his feet with a feral grin.
"Thunder!" Sun shouted as Alastor lowered his cannon, swiftly charging up a sparking sphere of electricity before firing off an enormous bolt, throwing Bowie into the air with a howl of pain.
"Stone Edge!" Olivia shouted as Bowie's eyes flashed and the Wolf Pokémon thrust a fist skyward, summoning several spears of rock from the battlefield and knocking over Alastor. At the same time, Bowie summoned a pillar directly beneath himself to land on. The move was so smoothly executed that Sun just stared at the Lycanroc for several seconds in genuine surprise.
"He's got style." Brago remarked with a smile, snapping Sun out of his thoughts. He took a moment to smirk for a moment, looking up at the Lycanroc posed up on the spire of stone. Despite Bowie looking pretty damn cool, Sun realized he needed to keep attacking, and so he did.
"Thunder!" Sun shouted as Alastor took aim and fired, with Bowie ducking under the bolt and laughing at Alastor, earning an annoyed scowl from the Golem.
"Double Team!" Olivia called to her Pokémon, who nodded sharply before running towards his opponent, with a dozen afterimages appearing around Alastor. That amount soon doubled, completely surrounding the Megaton Pokémon.
"Gyro Ball!" Sun shouted as Bowie's wave of clones began to growl at them. Alastor inhaled sharply and then rapidly began to spin, glowing brightly before whirling into a crowd of the clones, tearing through them with ease until one of them suddenly went flying in the opposite direction with a whine of pain. Bowie flipped in midair and landed unsteadily on his feet, falling to all fours and snarling as Alastor spun out of the move and regained his footing, smirking at him.
"Brick Break!" Olivia shouted as Bowie roared furiously, charging right at Alastor as the Alolan Golem planted his feet and stood his ground. The Midnight Form Lycanroc swung a fist at Alastor's face, punching him directly with a glowing fist. Alastor hissed in pain from the super-effective move, only to suddenly punch Bowie right back with a Brick Break of his own and sending the Lycanroc stumbling away with a whine.
That was when Olivia sprang her trap.
"COUNTER!" Olivia boomed as Bowie staggered back, blood dripping from his mouth as he slowly regained his footing with a sinister growl. The Lycanroc snarled as he suddenly glowed a harsh orange color and took a step back, throwing a shining fist at Alastor and delivering a harsh uppercut to the Golem's chin.
Alastor flew upwards into the air and flipped twice before landing flat on his back halfway across the battlefield. The Golem was out cold, his foot twitching slightly before the referee raised a flag towards Olivia and Bowie.
"Golem is unable to battle. Lycanroc is the winner! Sun still has the advantage, two-to-one!" the referee called out as Bowie raised a single fist into the air and growled softly. Mercury the Gigalith cried out as Olivia nodded, smiling at her ace as he stood tall.
"Alright then…" Sun returned Alastor, thanking him for his help before sending Oliver back out. He had Penny in reserve, but he was hoping she wasn't necessary. The Decidueye appeared in a flash of light, green energy pouring off of him thanks to Overgrow. The referee then flung down his flags, signaling that the fight could continue.
"Use Howl!" Olivia commanded Bowie, with the Lycanroc letting out a blood-curdling howl of fury as Oliver soared into the air.
"Razor Leaf!" Sun called to his Partner, who flapped his wings hard and released a deluge of spinning leaves at the Wolf Pokémon and earned a snarl of pain as he tried to leapt away. Bowie stumbled as he landed back on the ground, but he crouched low as he glared up at Oliver.
"Crunch!" Olivia shouted as Bowie sprang into the air and bit down hard onto Oliver's leg, earning a shriek from the bird at the super-effective move as blood dripped down his leg.
"Leaf Blade!" Sun shouted as Oliver summoned a single glowing sword of energy and stabbed Bowie with it, knocking away the Midnight Form Lycanroc. Bowie landed in a crumpled heap on the ground but slowly got back up, panting hard as Oliver hovered a few feet off of the ground.
"Stone Edge!" Olivia called to Bowie, who snarled softly before pulling up a fist and punching the ground as hard as he could. A massive stone pillar erupted out of the ground, knocking Oliver out of the air and causing him to tumble towards the ground. Oliver flared his wings at the last minute, landing awkwardly onto the ground due to his injured leg.
"Razor Leaf!" Sun called to Oliver, with the Decidueye glaring angrily at the Lycanroc before releasing another massive wave of leaves at Bowie. The Lycanroc punched the ground and summoned a pillar of stone to block the attack, but to the shock of Bowie the leaves sliced right through Stone Edge and slashed him repeatedly. Bowie snarled as he dove to the side, chest heaving as he struggled to remaining standing upright due to the damage he had taken from knocking out two of Sun's Pokémon.
"Let's shift the stone beneath our feet. Double Team!" Olivia said as Bowie's body flashed white, with a dozen afterimages appearing around the Lycanroc and making it impossible to distinguish which was the real one. Sun thought quickly for several moments, thinking about what Olivia was trying to do. He then decided to take a risk.
"Synthesis." Sun called to Oliver, who looked at him in surprise for a moment before nodding and closing his eyes, exhaling softly as white sparkles surrounded him, with a bright white glow shining from him a few moments later.
"Double Team again!" Olivia called to Bowie, who's afterimages suddenly began to multiply again and again.
"Swords Dance!" Sun called to Oliver, who summoned a wave of spectral swords to boost his power. As he did so, Sun looked over at Olivia and gestured to the squad of Lycanroc around them. "Do you think you have enough dogs?"
"It doesn't matter how many she has, I'm the best one." Brago remarked, but Sun ignored his Arcanine as Olivia laughed and pointed forward.
"What's wrong with stacking the odds in your favor? Double Team, one more time!" Olivia called to Bowie, who responded with more afterimages. Soon, no less than sixty Lycanroc surrounded Oliver. Olivia chuckled at the sight, but as she turned to look at Sun, she was surprised to see that the boy no longer looked annoyed. Indeed, his expression had become almost smug.
And soon the Kahuna would find out why.
"Foresight!" Sun called to Oliver, who's eyes suddenly glowed a harsh red color. Olivia scowled at the move, realizing that Sun had allowed her to waste time setting up Double Team to recover and set up himself.
"Crunch!" Olivia shouted to Bowie, with one of the Lycanroc dashing towards Oliver from behind, but Sun was ready with his favorite counter.
"Protect!" Sun shouted to Oliver, who flared his wings and summoned a green barrier from all-around himself. Bowie slammed into the shield with a pained howl, bouncing off of it and landing roughly on the ground. The Lycanroc looked up at Oliver as the shield faded, with the Decidueye smirking down at him.
"You're done." Oliver chirped, summoning a Leaf Blade. Bowie growled softly and thrust his paws forward, summoning a massive pillar of blue stone directly underneath Oliver.
Oliver kicked off of the ground the moment the stone sprang upwards, moving with the pillar and dodging it by mere inches. He twisted in midair and fell towards Bowie, ramming his blade into the chest of the Lycanroc with a savage screech. The Lycanroc howled in pain, thrashing for a moment…before finally going limp and falling back onto the ground. Oliver slowly rose to his feet, panting from exhaustion but triumphant as Sun grinned at his Partner.
"Really lovely…both you and your Pokémon." Olivia said as she crossed her arms, smiling warmly at Sun as the referee raised both of his flags.
"Lycanroc is unable to battle! The winner is Sun and his Decidueye!" the referee shouted, gesturing in Sun's direction as the Decidueye nodded with satisfaction before turning towards his Trainer.
"Consider that my apology for messing up our very first battle with her." Oliver panted, smiling at Sun. Sun walked forward, hugging Oliver as the owl wrapped his wings around his Trainer. The teleporter behind Olivia turned on, but the woman paid little attention to that. Instead she walked towards Sun and Oliver with her head held high. The Kahuna eyes regarded the boy with open respect, and her smile became something more serious.
"I don't see the same look in your eyes that I saw when we first met on Akala Island." Olivia said to the young Trainer, who held the Kahuna's gaze without flinching. "Have you had some experiences that you'll carry with you in your heart forever?"
"Of course. The trials we faced and the friends I've made…I wouldn't trade them for anything. For better or worse, they made me what I am and it's why I'm here now." Sun answered, earning a wide grin from the Elite Four member who extended a hand towards Sun. The young man shook Olivia's hand, knowing that it was a sign of respect from the Kahuna of Akala Island.
"Well, it's time for you to move on." Olivia said as she gestured behind her to the teleporter with a little smirk as Sun returned Brago and Oliver. "I'll stay here and wonder why you left me waiting so long for your challenge…"
"Someone had to be third, ma'am. Catch you later!" Sun said to the Kahuna before stepping into the teleporter. The boy staggered out of it, only to be caught and steadied by Professor Kukui.
"That was something else. You're really wrecking shop, aren't you cousin?" Kukui said with a laugh, with Sun ignoring the comment for the moment as his stomach lurched.
"Okay…I need an actual break." Sun coughed as he sat down on the platform, letting out a hard sigh.
Kukui muttered something into his earpiece and leaned down to Sun. "I can bring you something to eat if you want. Those teleporters aren't for everyone, and them making you sick might be-"
"It's fine. You can't always battle at your best. And I've got one more fight. One more battle…and I'm the Champion." Sun laughed, grinning at himself and his team. How far that they had come.
Sun's head turned towards the door that he had yet to walk through yet. It was emblazoned with a single fist, and Sun found himself smiling as he tried to speculate who awaited him behind the door. He wouldn't have to wait long to find out.
NEXT TIME: Sun's fourth and final Elite Four battle!
Three battles down, one to go. Hopefully y'all aren't tired of longer battle chapters yet!
Q & A
From: GeneralC200
Why do I have the sneaking suspicion I know what that mystery ghost Pokemon is...? And why is it only now that I'm thinking of Alola's Mythical Pokemon? Shoot, am I even on the right track here?
I'm a bit confused here about a mystery ghost Pokemon that I mentioned. The only thing I can think of was Acerola's Gengar popping out of her shadow at the beginning of the chapter. If you're talking about Marshadow, I don't have any plans to include it in the story as of right now.
From: Anasazi Darkmoon
Are you gonna tell us why her Braviary was named Bubba, though? I have one on Violet, but I named him Murica.
Much like what my buddy BraviaryScout did in his depiction of the same battle, Kahili's team was named after famous golfers. I named her Braviary Bubba after Gerry Lester "Bubba" Watson Jr, a famous American golfer. I try to have a theme with names to some extent, and the opportunity for this one was too good not to do.
See if you can spot the theme with Olivia's team! I had fun with this one.
From: Oragonking
What kind of Ghost Type Pokémon attacked Akastor's clan?
It was a Golurk. I wracked my brain trying to figure out where and when this information would come into play, because I've known exactly what happened to cause Alastor's clan to be terrified of both ghosts and humans for years now, but I haven't been able to find a spot in the story where I could reveal the information.
But yeah, a Trainer with a mean-streak and a Golurk killed a bunch of the Alolan Golem tribe several decades before in the story and that essentially led to their present-day attitude. Alastor is absolutely a product of his raising, even though he's mostly grown out of it.
From: TheMysticalFlame
That being said, did you know that once Radiant Sun is completed, it'll officially become the longest completed Pokemon fanfiction of all time? It's already the third longest Pokemon fanfic ever written, and of those two, second place is canceled and first is probably never going to be finished given its current state.
First off, thanks for your support! And to answer the question, I've been keeping an eye on that for about ten chapters now. It's pretty insane to realize that's how long this story has gotten, but hey, it's a pretty cool achievement.
Also, your earlier review about my statement regarding the story's word count made me cackle, because not only was I wrong about what this fic would end up being like...I made a similar statement with Ancient Scarlet and that ended up being wrong too. I'm a long-winded bastard.
That's all for now, my homies. Thanks as always for your support and feedback. If you haven't done so, favorite and/or follow the story for my nonsense.
And if you want more Pokémon stuff, go check out Radiant Sun's sister story, "Pokémon Nuzlocke Novels: Ancient Scarlet". I've got some fun cross-over stuff going on with these two stories and it'd be great if the newer fic got a little love too. If you've read AS, the little scene with the Paldea Elite Four should've caught your interest.
I also have a poll up on my profile about what kind of fic I should do next after RS, because I'm a psychopath who doesn't know when to stop. Except for now, with this chapter!
Take care and stay awesome!
Until next time, FlygonNick out!