Alola, Foreigner! (Pokemon SI)

Welcome to my new story on Questionable Questing: Alola, Foreigner! I've been wanting to do a Pokemon SI fic for a while, so here it is. I'm gonna take my time with this fic so I flesh it out to the best of my ability. Also, this fic is being cross-posted on Spacebattles under an account with the same name as this one.

One more thing, any imagery/art used in this fic does not belong to me and shall be credited to the original artist if I can find them. Be sure to check these artists out cause they're really talented.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy it. Let me know what you think. Also, apologies if it's a bit wordy for some of you.

Summary: A young orphan and loyal Pokemon fan from our world finds himself abducted from his orphanage and offered a chance to journey into the world of Pokemon. What else is there to say but yes? "Become a Pokemon Trainer!? Where do I sign up!?"

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(Iki Town, General POV)
“For all life on our islands!” roared the elderly but powerful voice of Hala, Melemele’s Kahuna. “And for those who undertake the island challenge with joy in their hearts! We pray for your protection…for them and all Melemele! May today’s Pokemon battles be an offering to our island’s guardian: Tapu Koko!”

The crowd full of Iki Town’s people and Melemele citizens roared out cheers and praise as they celebrated their Guardian Pokemon. From the crowd, four unique people each had their own opinions about today’s events.

There was Professor Kukui, a battle enthusiast who was excited to see all the great moves today’s battles would hold. Next was his assistant Lillie, a quiet girl who enjoyed the people’s enthusiasm, even if it was a bit loud for her tastes. Her sentiments weren’t shared by the energetic boy hopping on his feet next to her. This was Hau, grandson of Kahuna Hala and well known malasada fien.

The cheers and laughter of his hometown filled the boy with joy, making him all the more excited for his battle and eventual participation in the Island Challenge. A battle that would be held against our final unique face, a foreign boy from Sinnoh who was starting to think it was a mistake coming here, mulling over the fact that his brother had forced him to “take a vacation” from Pokemon League battles.

“What am I even doing here?” the boy thought to himself as surveyed the people of the crowd, feeling out of place in such an environment. “I came here to participate in the Island Challenge since it seemed like the only interesting thing on these islands. I didn’t expect to have to join a party. Seriously, what was Reggie even thinking, sending me to Alola? I should be participating in the Unova League, not relaxing.”

“Well don’t you look uncomfortable,” spoke an amused voice coming from the boy’s right, causing him to shift his attention from the festivities. Sporting a humorous grin was a boy that was a few inches shorter than him with dark red eyes, light tan skin, black hair with gray highlights, and black clothes with light-colored sneakers. “Not the festive type, are ya?”

“Not really. I’m starting to think this was a bad idea,” the taller boy replied, his expression remaining stoic as he gave the shorter child a once over. “What about you?”

“Eh, I’m enjoying it well enough. Though I’m looking forward to the battles and starting the island challenge as well,” the shorter boy answered as he adjusted his bright red backpack before offering a hand to the taller boy. “I’m Kuro, by the way. And I’m guessing you came here for the same reasons as well.”

Spoiler: MC: Kuro

Source: Project Divider Wiki

The taller boy contemplated it for a bit before shaking the now-named Brutus’s hand, “I’m Paul. And yeah, I’m here for the battle and to join the Island Challenge. I just wish they’d hurry up,” Kuro chuckled at Paul’s impatience, while the purple-haired boy took notice of the familiar thick black bracelet on the short boy’s wrist. “Hey, do you mind explaining what that bracelet is? I noticed the Kahuna and the Professor wearing similar ones.”

Spoiler: Paul

Source: Pinterest/Instagram (animeartist_yoshi)

Spoiler: Z-Power Ring

Source: Bulbapedia

“Ah, this? This is a Z-Ring, well mine is called a Z-Power Ring since it’s an updated version,” Kuro answered, putting his Z-Power Ring on display. “There are a select few trainers on each island that have these and they allow us to use Z-Moves. Think of them like Super-Moves that your pokemon can use. Z-Moves are powered by these crystals called Z-Crystals,” the short boy pointed to the empty socket in the center of his bracelet. “There’s one for each Pokemon-typing, along with a few exclusive ones for certain pokemon. Oh, and you can only use one per battle, so you have to be wise when you use it.”

Now, that caught Paul’s attention, as he leaned in closer to Kuro. “Huh, that’s pretty interesting. How do you get access to the Z-Rings anyway?” The chance to have access to the super moves was too tempting to pass up.

“Well, join the Island Challenge for one. Since part of the challenge requires us to collect Z-Crystals,” Kuro answered as he did a little stretching, getting himself psyched up for his battle. “You could also be provided one by one of the Island Guardians like I did, though I hear that it’s rare.”

Now Paul was really interested since it’s not every day you hear about some random trainer receiving favor from a legendary pokemon. And this kid was talking so nonchalantly about it like it wasn’t a big deal. It seems like he was wrong about Alola, and he looked forward to what this region would throw at him.

“Hmm,” Kuro hummed, dragging Paul out of his inner musings as he realized the shorter boy had a focused gaze on him. “Aha! Now I know why you look so familiar! You’re that Paul who finished in the Top 8 of the Lily Of The Valley Conference. Your final battle against Ash Ketchum was awesome man!”

“Yeah, I guess. Didn’t feel like it though,” Paul grumbled, not liking the reminder of his loss at the Sinnoh League.

He was upset that he lost, but he had to admit that he understood why. Ash Ketchum was simply the better trainer and had raised his pokemon well, despite his previous opinions about the trainer. Ash had even taken the Chimchar that Paul deemed worthless and turned it into a force of nature as an Infernape. It was a…humbling defeat to say the least.

“Hey, don’t be too down on yourself. You did really well,” Kuro praised, patting his new companion on the back. “Besides, you fell victim to the Power of Friendship. And if there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that the Power of Friendship is bullshit. Useful, but bullshit.”

Paul found himself smirking at his companion’s crass, but fitting explanation of his loss, “I wouldn’t word it like that, but true. Honestly, I always thought that acting all friendly and goody-goody with your pokemon would make them weak. But my battle with Ash it…it showed me that maybe I need to make some adjustments to my ideology.” He had even procured a new fire-type starter to try to make up for his failure with Chimchar.

“And that’s what being a Pokemon trainer is all about,” Kuro advised with an encouraging grin and thumbs up, something Paul found himself appreciating despite only knowing the boy for a short while. “It lets you grow as a person and discover paths you previously thought impossible. Now eyes up, it looks like things are getting started.” Both boys shifted their attention back towards the battle stage, as it seems like Hala was getting ready to make another announcement.

“My fellow islanders, it is time for battles you’ve been waiting for!” Hala roared to the crowd, who roared back with equal excitement. “Yes, yes. I know you all are excited, so let me introduce the first two out of our four battlers. On my right, we have fresh blood to the art of Pokemon battling, Lillie!”

Said girl shyly ascended the steps with a nervous smile, taking her position on the battle stage. She clutched a Love Ball in her right hand while giving a small wave to the crowd with her left. If both boys had to guess, she probably didn’t have a lot of confidence or battle experience, hinting at her rookie trainer status.

“And on my left, my dearest grandson and one of the most skilled trainers on this island, Hau!”

Contrasting Lillie’s entrance, Hau dashed up the left side of the stage with great haste, letting out an enthusiastic roar like Hala as he pumped both his fists in the air. And the crowd ate it up as they roared back in cheers and laughter. It seemed the people had a favorite battler already.

“This will be a one-on-one battle! The winner will be decided when one of the opposing Pokemon can’t continue to battle! Trainers, send out your Pokemon!”

“Alright, Dartrix! Let’s give them a show!” roared Hau as he threw his Pokeball into the air, which released a beam of blue light that revealed his Dartrix.

“Daarrr~” cooed the stylish starter pokemon as it fiddled with its hair and bowtie, before taking a battle-ready stance. “Trix!”

“S-Snowy, let’s do our best!” Lillie nervously exclaimed as she tossed her Pokeball, releasing her starter pokemon.

“Vuuul~” yipped the Alolan Vulpix that revealed itself to the world. It paused and blinked, scouring its surroundings before its eyes landed on its trainer. “Piiix~” The small fox happily scampered over to Lily, rubbing its head against her ankle.

“It’s nice to see you too, Snowy,” Lillie greeted as she crouched to Snowy’s level and scratched under her chin, getting a few happy yips out of the fox. “This is going to be our first official battle, so let’s do our best, okay?”

Snowy yipped in response, scampering back to its place on the battlefield and staring down the opposing Datrix with a fire in its eyes. Lillie herself took a moment to breathe before psyching herself up for the battle, matching Snowy’s fiery gaze. Excited by their opponents’ determination, Hau and Dartrix both responded with the “come hither” gesture, inviting the challenge.

“Let The Battle Begin!”

---

(POV Switch: Kuro)
“Let’s go, Lillie! Show’em what I taught you!” I cheered as Hau started with Leafage, to which Lillie commanded Snowy to dodge and counter with Powder Snow. Though it was promptly dodged thanks to Dartrix’s superior speed.

“You taught her?” Paul questioned with a look of disbelief as Dartix countered back with another Leafage, hitting Snowy dead center. “She barely looks like she has any skill in battle. Honestly, she is likely to lose this battle.”

“Well, it was more of me giving her a few practice battles,” I revealed, watching as Dartrix dived at Snowy with a Peck. The move connected, knocking the ice fox back a bit before it recovered and countered with a successful Powder Snow, staggering Dartrix as it struggled to fly with its now frosted wings. “I couldn’t teach her for long since she got her Vulpix only five days ago, but both she and Lillie picked things up pretty quickly. She even learned a trick or two. For example…”

“Use Growth to shake it off, Dartrix. Then hit it with Aerial Ace!” roared Hau as Dartrix screeched, glowing bright green as it shook off the ice dust in its wings and dived at Snowy now covered in a mix of white streaks and a green aura.

“Oh no, you don’t! Snowy, meet it head-on with Agility and Moonblast!” Lillie called as Dartrix closed in on Snowy. Heeding its trainer’s call, Snowy glowed blue and shot off into the air as an orb of pink energy coalesced near its mouth. Both opponents met each other dead center, with their clash resulting in a small explosion that left behind a large cloud of smoke that blinded their trainers and the crowd.

“Huh, she lessened the damage her Vulpix would take and most likely did some considerable damage to her opponent,” Paul summarized as he with a stoic expression, but you tell he was impressed. “It was a good tactic. Now we have to see if she’ll take advantage of the opportunity that just presented itself.”

“She has a chance at winning this, however small that may be. Just wait and see…” I replied with the utmost faith in her. Lillie had great potential as a trainer as evidenced by the anime. So I decided to invest in said potential, convincing her that becoming a trainer would help her better protect Nebby from her cuckoo-for-coco puffs mother.

“Dartrix, clear the field with Gust!” Hau commanded with his Dartrix screeching in response.

“Snowy, use Hail!” Lillie called out from within the smoke cloud, with her Vulpix howling back.

Both Pokemon cried out as the smoke cloud was cleared by a gust of wind, revealing a slightly worn-out Dartrix flapping its wings a bit slower than it previously had. Across from him was an equally worn-out, but glowing Snowy, who howled into the sky. The sky answered her cries as two thick white clouds appeared over the entirety of the battle stage and rained down snowflakes along with pellets of hail.

Said hail began to pelt Hau’s Dartirx, who found itself annoyed by the constant pestering of the weather above. It was doing barely noticeable damage since the caster was so young, but it was annoying nonetheless. Meanwhile, Lillie smiled as her tactic was going into effect, watching as Snowy’s body began to be surrounded by a thick white mist that spread throughout the battlefield, signifying the activation of Snowy’s Snow Cloak.

“Now Snowy, get moving with Agility! Don’t stay in one place!” Lillie commanded, her Snowy heeding the command and taking off with Agility, using the mist to hide her movements.

“Trying to play hide and seek, huh? Well, we won’t let you. Dartrix, Aerial Ace into those clouds!” Hau shouted, catching Lillie off guard with such a bold command. Trusting its trainer, Dartrix blasted off into the sky covered with white streaks and disappeared into the Hail clouds. “Now spin and use Gust to clear them away!”

“Daarrrrtriiiix~” screeched Dartrix as it followed Hau’s command, spinning and flapping its wings to launch out spiraling gusts of wind to dissipate the clouds.

“It’s now or never, Snowy! Double Team, then Counter Vortex!” Lillie ordered as Snowy howled in agreement, said howl multiplying in volume and quantity.

The Hail cleared, with the Snow Cloak following in tow, revealing a pack of six glowing Snowys running in a circle. Said circle having Hau’s Dartrix at the epi-center. Before the boy could utter a command, the pack all unleashed their Powder Snow attacks. This action combined with their constant circling maneuver created a vortex of snowy winds, which trapped Dartrix in the air and sent it spiraling out of control while getting consistently damaged.

Meanwhile, Paul found himself staring in shock, his mouth agape at the sight of the familiar maneuver.

“That…that looks similar to the Counter Shield!” he exclaimed, ignoring the looks he got from people in the crowd as he shifted his stunned gaze towards me. “How did you learn the Counter Shield!? Actually, how long have you been a trainer?”

“Well, for your second question, I’ve been a trainer for a month and a half,” I responded, focusing my attention on the battle. Dartrix was slowly taking more significant damage, though Snowy wouldn’t be able to keep this up forever. “As for learning the Counter Shield, you do know there is an archive of recordings for Pokemon League matches, right? I found the latest Sinnoh League the most appealing. You and Ash Ketchum were my favorite participants and I was lucky to get to view your battles repeatedly.” Well, less luck and more me having metaknowledge on the entire series of Pokemon. The benefits of being a devoted Pokemon fan that got isekai’d to this world.

Paul paused for a bit, most likely contemplating what he just heard. He then nodded and replied, “So you used the battles as study material and even managed to replicate the Counter Shield, which you then taught to that girl. That takes some serious skill for a trainer who’s only two weeks in. I look forward to battling you.” Oh my gosh, Paul-Senpai acknowledged me!

“Oh don’t worry, I plan on winning,” I replied with a challenging gaze, which Paul responded with his own. “I may be a rookie, but don’t think my lack of experience means you won’t get a challenge.” Paul nodded before we shifted our attention back to the battle, which was reaching its climax.

As I had guessed, Snowy’s clones began to slow down as Agility was wearing off and soon enough the number of clones began to diminish. Six clones became four and four clones eventually became one panting Snowy, while the vortex of snow disappeared with the clones, freeing Dartrix. Though this freedom was more a curse than a blessing as it left the frosted Dartrix to fall from its suspended position.

“Snowy, finish it with Moonblast!” Lillie yelled, seeing the opportunity to win. Not wanting to disappoint its trainer, Snowy took a deep breath before manifesting another pink orb and firing it off. The attack connected just as Dartrix would’ve crashed onto the battle stage, resulting in a minuscule pink explosion that sent Dartix tumbling until it landed in front of Hau, showing no signs of getting up.

Observing Dartrix’s position, Hala gazed at it for a few more moments before announcing, “Dartrix is unable to contin-”

“Dar!”

“Hmm!?”

The entire audience, including myself and Paul, watched in awe as Hau’s Dartrix forced itself to its feet. Almost immediately after standing up, Dartrix became enveloped by a vibrant green aura that seemed to paint its entire body.

“It activated its Overgrow ability in an effort to continue battling,” spoke Paul with a neutral tone as he kept his gaze on the battlefield. “Now its grass moves are going to pack way more of a punch.”

“Yeah, Hau trained that Dartrix well. But I don’t think this battle is going to last any longer,” I replied, receiving a confused look from Paul. In response to this, I pointed specifically at Dartrix to aim Paul’s focus. “As you probably know, Overgrow only activates when a grass type is on its last legs. And Dartrix, while powered up, is still considerably drained,” Datrix was showing signs of visible exhaustion, panting and sweating a bit. Lillie's Snowy also shared these signs, hinting that it was close to fainting. “Even Snowy looks like it's going to drop. This battle is most likely going to be over with the next move.”

Lillie wore a conflicted expression as she gazed at Hau’s Dartrix, before looking at Snowy. After a few more moments of gazing, she steeled herself and exclaimed, “I forfeit!” The crowd gasped at this sudden declaration, with Hau, Hala, Paul, and Kukui being the most surprised. I, on the other hand, smiled at Lillie’s decision. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to force our Pokemon to battle any further. Since they're both so worn out, it would feel cruel to make them continue. Don’t you agree, Hau?”

Hau’s shock shifted into understanding as he smirked, chuckling, “Totally! I think Dartrix has fought hard enough for now. I forfeit as well!” The crowd murmured, unsure of how to react to this outcome, while Hala gazed back and forth between Lillie and Hau.

He then smiled as he bellowed out, “Both trainers have declared a forfeit, meaning this battle is a tie! And with this first battle, our Guardian Tapu Koko…”

“Ko-Ko Ko-Koooooo!!!!!”

“Ho! You’ve all heard it yourselves! Tapu Koko’s song of approval! Now let us applaud these skillful trainers!”

The crowd needed no further convincing as they roared out in applause and cheers, showering the trainers in affection. Lillie looked like the world’s brightest tomato as she tried to hide with her hat. Meanwhile, Hau was just eating up the attention, pumping his fists into the air as he “whooped” to the crowd.

“A fine battle indeed! It truly warms this old man’s heart to see such passionate trainers,” Hala with a hearty laugh, patting both Lillie and Hau on the back. “But now, it’s time to get to our second and final battle of this grand festival. Would our next contestants please make their way to the battlefield!?”

Needing no further call, I started making my way to the right side of the battle stage while Paul made his way towards the left side. As we passed Lillie and Hau, Lillie muttered a small “thank you and good luck” to me, while Hau patted Paul on the back and gave him a thumbs-up, with the purple-haired boy responding with an awkward nod. Both I and Paul smirked, nodding to the encouragement before continuing our pace until we both stood at opposite steps of the battlefield.

“Introducing the trainers for our final battle. On my left, a new face moving here from the Sinnoh region, Paul!” Hala announced, getting an assortment of “oohs” and “Aahs” from the crowd as Paul ascended the steps with his signature battle face. “He is new to our region and our ways, so let's all make sure he feels welcome. And now, on my right, we have the one who has gained the favor of Akala’s Tapu Lele, Kuro!”

I ascended the steps, taking a deep breath before sporting a confident smirk as I listened to the awed murmurs of the crowd. But that didn’t matter now, for I was going to battle Paul, one of the best rivals from the Pokemon anime, and I had to be ready for whatever he threw at me.

“This shall also be a one-on-one battle! Now trainers, send out your Pokemon!”

“Quilava, standby for battle!” Paul commanded as he threw an Ultra Ball, releasing his Quilava.

“Quilava!” it cried with a high-pitched voice, before crouching into a battle-ready stance.

“Tsuki, show em’ what-” “Wait/Hold on!” I and everyone else paused at the sudden interruption, turning towards the entrance gate of Iki Town. Two sets of footsteps were heard scampering up the steps to the main festival area, revealing two familiar faces: Paul‘s brother Reggie, who was carrying two duffel bags, and Olivia, Kahuna of Akala Island.

Spoiler: Reggie

Source: Bulbapedia

Spoiler: Olivia

Source: Bulbapedia

“Oh thank goodness, we’re not late! I thought I’d miss my brother’s battle,” said Reggie with a sigh of relief before he waved to Paul. “Heya there, Paul.” Paul nodded to his brother before turning back to face me.

“Kuro, my little darling!” Olivia cried as she dashed up to my side of the battlefield, pulling me into a tight hug. “You made me worried sick! How could you leave me behind like that!?”

“H-Hey, Olivia. How are do-bwuh!” I started, before Olivia shushed me and gave me a stern look.

“Uh-uh-uh, you know that’s what I want you to call me~” Olivia teased as she poked my cheek, urging me to give her what she wanted. “Come on, you know what I’m talking about~ Say it, say it, say it, say it…”

Is she seriously doing this right now? In front of all these people?

“You’re not going to let me battle unless I say it, aren’t you?” I questioned, dragging my hand down my face with a sigh as Olivia nodded furiously. “Ugh, fine. Sigh, I’m sorry for leaving two weeks early without telling you…Mom.”

“Squeeeee~ Apology accepted, sweetie!” Olivia cooed and crushed me into another loving hug, planting a few kisses on my head. I struggled in her grasp a bit, embarrassed by the giggles of the crowd and my opponent before she finally let me go. “Now, I’ll leave you to your battle. Knock em’ dead, sweetie.” With that, she made her way off the battlefield, only to trip on a small stone and land face-first into the dirt. “Owie~”

“I see you’re still as clumsy as ever,” I mocked with a smirk as Olivia pouted before I approached her and offered her my hand, which she took. “You should really work on that. How are you going to find a boyfriend if you’re tripping over everything in front of him.” It was now my turn to laugh along with the crowd as Olivia’s face went beet red.

“W-What are you saying!? D-Don’t you have a battle to get to!?” she whined as she pulled herself up and scurried into the crowd, trying her best to hide in the sea of people.

“Heh, payback is sweet~” I joked with an amused smirk as I made my way back onto the battlefield, giving Paul a nod. “Sorry about that. Olivia can be a bit…eccentric. She’s new to this whole guardianship (Olivia: Mother!) role.”

“Eh, I don’t really care. Reggie has similar moments where he likes to embarrass me,” Paul responded with a shrug and a nod. “Now can we get this battle started? Unless you plan on forfeiting and giving me a free win?”

“Oh, you wish! Get ready to lose!” I shot back as I pulled out a Cherish Ball, deciding to go with a different Pokemon than what I originally planned, and chucked it. “Hiccup, I’m counting on you bud!”

“Goo!” cried Hiccup, my Goomy, as he appeared on the battlefield. He swerved his head back to share a nod with me, before facing down Paul’s Quilava with a determined/adorable glare.

“That’s quite a rare one. Though don’t think a rare Pokemon will be enough to beat me,” spoke Paul as he readied himself for battle.

“Oh don’t worry, Hiccup here is more than enough to handle your little fire rat,” I shot back with a teasing grin, with Paul’s Quilava growling at the insult.

“Trainers, are you ready!?” Hala questioned with a roar as he raised his hand into the air. At the sight of my and Paul’s nods, there was only one thing left to say…

“BATTLE BEGIN!!!!”

“Hiccup! Give him the Succ!”

(END)

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So this was my first time writing a Pokemon battle, so I'm a little nervous about how it came out. Hopefully, it was okay for the first time. Next, some things to expect in this story:

1. Shinies! Shinies for Everyone!
2. You Get A Mega! You Get A Mega! We All Get Megas!
3. ???

As I mentioned in the beginning, I'm gonna take my time writing this fic. Anyways, thank you for taking the time to read my story and I hope you can leave some creative reviews for me. Anything to help me improve my writing.

 

And we're back with another chapter. Sorry for the wait, but again, I want to take my time with these fics.

Anyways, enjoy.

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Dead silence reigned over the entire crowd at my declaration. Some of them were even red in the face as they understood the deeper meaning of my innuendo, but were too shocked to speak.

“Goo!” cried Hiccup as he recognized the command we had practiced. A red orb of light gathered in its open maw before he fired the Absorb straight into Quilava. The red energy enshrouded Quilava like roots and began draining its energy through a continuous blast.

“W-Who even starts off a battle like that!?” Paul roared in a mix of anger and embarrassment, his face painted crimson. “Quilava, use Flame Wheel to burn through the beam!” With a cry, the Volcano Pokemon curled into a ball and erupted into flames, barreling through Hiccup’s absorb.

“Hiccup, endure it!” I commanded, with the Soft Tissue Pokemon ceasing its attack and taking the Flame Wheel head-on. He flashed white for a second before pushing Quilava back. “Now Water Gun while it's close!”

Hiccup’s cheeks bulged while Paul cursed, calling for Quilava to dodge. But the command came too late as Quilava was sent tumbling by a blast of water, though it quickly recovered and bared its fangs, a testament to its resilience. In response, Hiccup tried to make an intimidating face, but honestly, it just made him look adorable.

“Quick Attack then Crush Claw!”

“Endure it again!”

Quilava blitzed Hiccup in a burst of lightspeed, slamming into him with all its strength while the gooey dragon took it like a champ. The Volcano Pokemon followed up with a powerful slash from a red claw-like attack, this time sending Hiccup skidding back a few inches, but looking no worse for wear as he flashed white two more times.

“You’ll have to do better than that. Hiccup is a tough little gooball,” I taunted with a wiggle of my finger.

“Its defensive power is impressive, though that can technically be chalked up to its type resistance,” Paul uttered as he observed Hiccup with an analytic gaze, wondering what those white flashes were. “It's still impressive. My Quilava has been trained for months against my older, stronger pokemon, so its power is nothing to scoff at. Now let’s see how you handle, Fire Pledge!” My eyes widen as Quilava cries and slams its palm onto the stage, causing multiple pillars of fire to sprout and approach Hiccup.

“Crap! Hiccup, use a water gun to soar!” I roared with haste, not willing to risk whether Hiccup could tank such a move.
Hiccup’s expression hardened as the pillars closed in on him, his cheeks bulging before shooting the strongest Water Gun he had straight into the ground. The force of the move shot him into the air just as the pillars of fire finished encircling him, though he didn’t escape unscathed as the following explosion singed his underbelly a bit.

“Quick Attack to reach it, then Counter Wheel to keep on the pressure!”

Wait, what!?

Quilava appeared above Goomy in a burst of lightspeed before it curled and spun into a ball of blazing heat. But that wasn’t the end of it, as Quilava cried and whips of flame began to lash out from his Flame Wheel. This combined force slammed into Hiccup, driving him back down to the battlefield, where Quilava continued its assault on Hiccup’s head, while the flame whips lashed out at his sides.

“You got this, bud! You just have to endure it for a bit longer and the win is ours!” I called out as Hiccup continued to flash white as the hits kept coming, while Paul scoffed at my claim. “Got something to say?”

“This is disappointing. I was expecting more from you since you seemed to have some decent skill,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders and a disappointed shake of his head. “But here you are using tricks and just relying on your Goomy’s type resistance and “hoping” that will be enough. But what was I thinking, you’re just some lucky rookie. Quilava, Work Up then finish it with dual Crush Claw!”

Quilava’s fiery assault ceased as he landed a few feet away. It takes a stance, flexing its arms and hind legs before it becomes surrounded by a reddish aura as its attack power increases. Its front paws then became shrouded in the same red claw-like energy as before as it leaped straight for Hiccup. Time seemed to slow down as the attack closed in on him, but Paul's words were all I could think about.

“Just a lucky rookie, huh? Let’s prove him wrong, bud! Acid Armor!” I roared as Hiccup heard my call, shifting its cellular structure into water and letting Quilava’s attack pass right through it. “Now gobble Quilava, and don’t let it go!”

In a bold move that surprised Paul, Hiccup’s maw expanded to impossible lengths as it turned solid again, gobbling Quilava whole. His maw clamped down, trapping the Volcano Pokemon, who flailed inside Hiccup’s mouth, trying to escape and failing.

“Now, Bided Dragonbreath!” I roared with a fist pump, revealing the trump card I had in place while Paul wore a confused expression.

“Googg!” Hiccup gurgled as his body exploded with a vibrant white aura. Said aura gradually shifted into a pale, purple flame-like aura that coalesced inside Hiccup’s mouth, causing Paul’s eyes to widen as he began to understand the implication of my command.

Cursing, he called out, “Quilava! Flamethrower, full blast!” A bright orange glow came from inside Hiccup's maw as Quilava's tail flame blazed.

Ah, he’s going for mutually assured destruction.

“Light em' up, bud!” I countered as Hiccup opened his maw and let go of its control of the Bided Dragonbreath.

The resulting explosion was nothing short of beautiful as a large tornado of purple and orange flames erupted while a wave of heat blanketed the battlefield. It reminded me of that scene in Avatar: The Last Airbender, where Zuko and Aang had proven their worth to the twin dragons and were rewarded with a beautiful fire show.

Soon enough, the blazing tornado died down and the heat receded, revealing a worn-out Quilava and Hiccup standing across from each other. Both were covered in small burns, while Hiccup looked like it had been melted a bit. But despite their injuries, both glared defiantly at each other, as if trying to intimidate the other into giving up.

…

A great silence befell the area as everyone watched with bated breath for who the victor was.

“Lava…” moaned Quilava as it was the first to fall, collapsing with the signature knocked-out swirls in its eyes.

Hala was quick to react, raising his hand to declare the winner only for…

“Gooo…” Hiccup gurgled as he collapsed, almost resembling a puddle as he sported the same knocked-out swirls in its eyes.

Huh, well look at that.

“Both Pokemon are unable to battle, meaning a double knockout. This battle is a tie!” Hala roared with both his hands raised. “And what a great battle it was! Wouldn’t you agree, Guardian Tapu Koko!? Let's hear it for our last set of trialgoers!” Immediately the crowd began to roar in approval, cheering for the both of us. Though it didn't last long...

“Ko-Ko Ko-Koooooo!!!!!”
“Lelelele~”
“Buuuluuuu~”
“Fiiiiiniiii~”

Everyone, even myself, was shocked as not only Tapu Koko, but Tapu Lele, Tapu Bulu, and Tapu Fini descended onto the town. Each appeared in a different but nearby location: Koko was with Hau, Lele was with me, Bulu took to Paul, and Fini with Lillie. Lele was the first to act as it shined with pink light, blasting both Hiccup and Quilava. We all watched in amazement as she restored both of them to full health, before stopping and semi-glomping me.

“Lelele~” she chirped as she cuddled her face against mine, the crowd swooning at the adorable scene.

“It’s nice to see you too, Lele,” I responded, enjoying the affection while shifting my gaze to see what the other Tapus were doing.

Koko was healing Hau’s Dartrix while the boy was gushing at the fact he was meeting one of the Island Guardians. Fini was doing the same for Lillie’s Snowy, with the white-clad girl bowing her head in thanks while wrestling with her jumping duffel bag, Nebby most likely getting excited again. Meanwhile, Bulu was just staring at Paul, with the stoic boy meeting its gaze as if they were staring into each other's souls.

Turning my attention back to Lele, I asked, “Sooo, is there a reason you and your siblings have decided to grace us all with your presence? Also, thanks for healing Hiccup,” Said gooey dragon chirped as it slipped over to me and climbed my body, taking residence in my hoodie as I sighed at the sight of its clear, but noticeable slime on my clothes. “Bud, you know that doesn’t wash out easily.” Hiccup had the decency to look sheepish as it buried itself in my hood.

Lele let go of my face and started waving her arms like she was dancing, while chirping, “Lelele! Leeeee~ Lele~ Lelele~”

“Hmmm, interesting. I guess that is reason enough to visit. Is there anything else?”

“Leee~ Leee~ Lelelelele~”

“Fascinating! You’ve got me excited just thinking about it!”

“Lelelelelelele~”

“Stop. Don’t spoil me any further. I want to experience it for myself.”

“Lele~”

“I’m sorry, are you actually communicating with one of our sacred guardians?” questioned Hala with widened gray eyes, not believing what he was seeing. Most of the spectators mimicked his expression, while Olivia looked exasperated while mumbling “not this again…”, and Paul was still having his staring contest with Bulu.

“Hmmm? Maybe I am, maybe I’m not? I could just be trolling all of you,” I replied with a wry smile, bringing a single finger to my lips. “I think I’ll leave you to speculate by yourselves.”

“Lelelele~” Lele giggled as if she understood me, adding to everyone’s disbelief.

“Kokoko!” chirped Tapu Koko as it approached Lele with three standard Z-Rings floating between its hands, Tapu Fini following closely behind. “Ko! Ko!”

“Fi~ Finiiii~” Fini chirped, calling and gesturing for Tapu Bulu to come closer, which the bull-like Land Spirit did after giving Paul one last stare.

“Buulu~ Bu!” it cried as it joined its siblings, with all four of them surrounding the three Z-Rings.

“Koko!” cried Koko as he assumed his closed mask state, taking the Z-rings within him and beginning what appeared to be a dance. “Koko kokoko, koko kokoko, koko!” Electricity sparked through its body as it zigzagged horizontally and vertically before twirling and shooting the Z-Rings toward Lele.

Lele caught them, assumed her closed mask state, and began her dance, shimmying side to side as pink sparkles were exuded from her body. After a few more moments, she spat the Z-Rings out to Bulu, who mimicked his siblings’ actions, doing a set of twirls as green leaves came out of his body. He then passed the rings to Fini, who followed suit with a flowing, fish-like dance as water splashed around it.

Spoiler: Tapu Dance

All of this was watched with awed silence from all the spectators, no one willing to interrupt this legendary moment. After a few more moments of dancing and chanting, the process was completed as the rings were revealed to no longer be standard Z-Rings, but three unique Z-Power Rings bathed in rainbow light. Grabbing one of each ring, Bulu, Koko, and Fini presented the rings to Paul, Hau, and Lillie respectively.

Spoiler: Paul's Z-Power Ring

Source: Bulbapedia

Spoiler: Hau's Z-Power Ring

Source: Template Pulled From Deviantart

Spoiler: Lillie's Z-Power Ring

Source: Template Pulled From Deviantart

With a bit of apprehension at the presence of the three guardians, each trainer stuck their arms out and allowed the rings to slide onto their arms. All three then bowed their heads in respect to the Tapus, with said guardians doing the same before reconvening at the center of the battlefield, though not before Bulu patted Paul on the head a bit.

“Ko-Ko Ko-Koooooo!!!!!”
“Lelelele~”
“Buuuluuuu~”
“Fiiiiiniiii~”

The Tapu Squad let out fierce cries as they took to the skies, looking down towards us, or in Lele’s case, wildly waving goodbye. They then took off in the direction of their respective islands, or in Koko’s case, his personal home/shrine.

“Well, that was something. Guess you don’t see something like this every day, huh Hala?” I questioned with a smile, snapping the elderly Kahuna out of his daze.

“Hmm? Oh, ah yes. It was quite a sight to behold,” Hala replied as a reminiscent smile found its way onto his face. “Now, would all four participants come and stand before me!”

Taking that cue, I adjusted my position, with my back facing the crowd as I gave Hala my full attention. Soon enough I was joined by Paul and the other two, while Kukui approached with a plaque holding four familiar amulets.

“I congratulate you four on such wonderful battles,” Hala started as he glanced at each of us before giving an approving nod. “You performed admirably and even gained the attention of not just Tapu Koko, but all four island guardians. I look forward to seeing how you four develop and now I shall present you with these Trial Amulets to signify you as official trialgoers.” Paul’s hand rose at that statement, his expression one of slight confusion. “Yes, Paul?”

“I’ve gotten a small gist of the Island challenge from Kuro, but could you explain in more detail?” Paul questioned, wanting to get a better understanding of what he was getting into.

“Oh, I can handle that. I’ll tell you during the celebration part of the festival,” I offered, to which Paul paused for a bit before nodding in acceptance. “Good. You can continue Hala.”

“Thank you, Kuro. Now, take these amulets in recognition of you accepting the Island Challenge,” spoke Hala as Kukui stood in front of us with the amulets, letting us each pick one at a time. “Let us cheer for our new trial goers and their wonderful display of battling!”

The crowd roared in cheer and applauded us as we finished attaching our amulets to our bags. I gave the crowd a polite bow and Lillie gave an awkward wave while trying to hide her nervousness. Hau was repeatedly pumping his fist into the air while grinning like a loon and Paul just stood there with his arm crossed and eyes closed with a small smirk on his face.

Soon enough, the festivities began and I immediately made a break for the food, making sure to drag Paul with me so I could give him the full rundown on the Island Challenge. Hau followed soon after, remembering that someone had ordered a massive amount of malasadas, the greatest food in the world in his opinion. Lillie sighed and trekked after us, not wanting to be left behind.

(30 Minutes Later)

“An’ thash how the Island Challene’ works,” I finished, having given Paul the full details of the challenge ahead as finished swallowing my malasada.
“Any questions?”

“Only one: can we catch these Totem Pokemon?”

“No dude. They’re considered sacred figures that serve under the Tapus. Catching them is akin to a sacrilegious act.” Also, the totem sticker campaign from the games wasn’t a thing here.

“Dang, I was looking forward to adding one to my roster,” grumbled Paul before immediately shrugging off his disappointment. “But it's not that much of a loss. I want to backtrack to our battle. That last move you used to cause the tie, mind explaining it to me? I have a general idea but I'd like to hear it all from you.”

“Oh, mind if I join in on this talk, cousin? That final move of yours got my blood pumping,” called the voice of Kukui as I and Paul turned to see him and Lillie making their way over to us.

“Eh, I don’t mind. It’s not like it was all that complicated,” I replied with a shrug as I took a small bite of another malasada. “All I did was train Hiccup to convert the accumulated energy from Bide towards another move like Dragonbreath or Water Gun. Thus amping up said move to higher than normal levels. I also had to train him to keep Bide suppressed since it becomes super obvious after taking too many hits. As proved by my battle with Paul, I’m still working on it.”

“Huh, that’s a pretty good idea. Most trainers usually ignore using Bide altogether since it's slow and only does normal type damage,” Paul mused as mulled over what I just said, the gears in his head beginning to turn. “But finding a way to pass all that stored-up energy onto another move is pretty ingenious.”

“He’s right, Kuro. This seems way more complicated than you’re making it out to be,” added Kukui, to which I just shrugged. “How'd you even come up with such an idea in the first place?”

“Well, it’s because of Hiccup. You see his evolutionary line severely lacks in mobility and speed,” I started, jabbing my thumb in the direction of the now sleeping gooball in my hoodie. “But they’re basically preprogrammed to be battle tanks, so I thought I’d take advantage of that. Bide is a move that Goomys learn early on and is perfect for tank-like pokemon that want to deal massive damage while taking hits in battle. I just had to find a way to make it more effective, while also training up Hiccup’s defensive capabilities.”

“Hmm, sound reasoning. I’m guessing you’ve thought up training ideas for your other pokemon as well?” questioned Kukui, to which I nodded in affirmation.

“Oh, definitely. I’ve analyzed all my pokemon and their evolution lines, so I have plenty of ideas,” I assured with a prideful smirk, confidence dripping from my tone. “By the end of this Island Challenge, my team is gonna be at least Pokemon League level. Then I’m gonna travel to other regions and participate in their Gym circuits. I’m thinking I’ll start with the Kalos region.”

Kukui hummed in agreement with my goal, giving me a thumbs up, “I totally recommend traveling outside of Alola. It’s a whole different ballpark out there. Reminds me of my time participating in the Kanto circuit and fighting that Wataru guy.”

NANI!?

“You fought Lance!?” Paul exclaimed, grabbing the attention of some of the crowd, though they soon turned back to what they were doing seeing as the conversation was private. “What Pokemon did he use? What was fighting him like!? Did you win!?”

“Paul, Paul chill bro. Let the man decide on what he wants to say.” Ah, what am I saying, I want details! I don’t remember this being mentioned in the anime or games. I knew he was the strongest trainer in Alola, but not this strong!

“Oh no, he won in the end. But, I made him work for it,” Kukui proclaimed as he proudly puffed his meatgrinder of a chest with a glorious smile. “I took down two-thirds of his team before he brought out his strongest Dragonite and wrecked the rest of mine.”

“Holy shit…”

*WHAP!*

“Language!” Olivia admonished, appearing out of nowhere to deliver a reprimanding smack on my head.

“Ow, dang it! When the heck did you get here!?”

“Just now. I wanted to check up on you, but here you are being a potty mouth! And call me Mom!”

“Oh my gosh, please stop. You’re embarrassing me.”

“Good, that’s my job. Now, what were you guys talking about?”

“Ah, Kuro mentioned wanting to participate in a gym circuit once he completes his Island Challenge. I thought I’d offer my expertise.”

“Oh yeah, you did participate in the Indigo League! Aw, little Kuro is already making big plans. I’m so proud!”

“Ugggh, why me?” I groaned, trying to think of anything that could shift Olivia’s attention off of me. Thankfully, Reggie had come to my rescue as he stood on the battle stage, clapping his hands loud enough to attract everyone’s attention.

“May I have your attention, please!?” he announced, waiting for everyone to quiet before continuing. “Thank you. Now, I first want to thank you all for accepting me and my brother into your community. Moving here wasn’t an easy decision, but I feel like it was worth it after today. Now, to offer my contribution to today’s event, I’ve used my connections as a Pokemon Breeder to procure these,” He kneeled and unzipped the duffel bags, revealing two pokemon eggs in each bag, all of them in a protective casing with small Pokeballs resting on the top. “I’d like to present these eggs to our new trial goers. I think raising a Pokemon from infancy into a powerful ally will be a good side challenge for them.”

“Hmm, yes. I can see where you are coming from,” Hala mused as he made his way over to Reggie. He then let out a hearty laugh, while clapping the younger man in the back. “A fine gift, young Reggie! Trainers, make their way to the stage once more!”

Huh, neat. And I can’t even tell what the eggs are going to hatch into, even though they’re usually obvious. I never understood how the people in the anime couldn’t tell the difference when most of the time they’re literally colored exactly like the Pokemon they’ll hatch into. At least the games tried to make it more mysterious by making all the eggs look the same.

Soon enough, all four of us reconvened onto the battle stage with the four eggs lined up in front of us. Reggie gives us all a surveying glance before smiling, “Now, I was originally going to let you guys pick which egg you want. But after seeing your battles, I’ve decided to assign you each an egg based on what I can ascertain from you. Starting with Lillie,” Said white-themed girl squeaked at being put on the spot before straightening herself as Reggie presented the first egg to her. “This pokemon will surely serve as a loyal and powerful companion. Raise it well.”

“Of course, sir,” Lillie answered, bowing in thanks before taking the egg into her arms, clutching it carefully. “I won’t let you down.”

“I have no doubts you won’t,” Reggie replied, nodding to the girl who went to join Kukui in the crowd. Now, he brought his attention to Hau, grabbing and presenting the second egg to the boy. “Now Hau, I believe this Pokemon will suit you the best. A bruiser to complement your speedy Dartrix, while also covering one of its main weaknesses. Raise it well.”

“Thanks, Reggie! This is really cool of you to give us these eggs for free, Mr. Reggie,” thanked Hau as he grinned at the egg in his hands. “I’ll make sure to take good care of it!” With that, the cheery boy walked off the stage and joined his grandfather in the crowd.

“Now for you, Kuro,'' Reggie said as he scooped up the third egg and presented it to me. “From what I could ascertain from your battle, you’re kinda like my brother. You’re both ambitious and want to constantly improve yourselves. Though you seem to have a tenderness with your pokemon that my brother lacks,” He gestured toward the now awake Hiccup smacking its gums, while Paul flinched slightly. “So I believe this pokemon will suit you the best. I’m honestly not sure what it’ll hatch into, but I have a feeling it’ll serve as a powerful ally. Raise it well.”

I nodded at his mini-assessment and took the offered egg into my hands with a smile. Hiccup slithers onto my shoulder and observes the egg, offering small chirps of happiness at the prospect of a new family member. I gave him a little tickle as I shifted my bag off my back, opening it up to place the egg inside.

Gotta love these Silph Co. bags. Apparently, they’re made with the similar tech that’s used in pokeballs, though in this case, whatever we put in gets shrunk down and put in a semi-stasis instead of being converted into energy like Pokemon are with pokeballs. So basically, these things are portable pocket dimensions, which certainly explains how trainers in the anime can fit all the items they get in a single bag.

“Now Paul,” Oh, he’s moving on. Better scoot over a bit. “This Pokemon is a rare one and one that I’ve chosen specifically for you due to the way it needs to be raised. It’ll take more than your traditional way of training for it to grow, but if you can do it, you’ll unlock a new form of power. This is a test to see how you grow as a trainer during your time in Alola.”

Paul stared at the egg in his brother’s hands with…fear? No, hesitation. His brother’s words weighed on his mind before he steeled himself and took the egg into his arms. He offered a silent nod and a bow before walking off the stage, with me following after him as we took a spot near Olivia, who offered us both a thumbs up.

“Let’s have a round of applause for Melemele’s new Pokemon Breeder,” roared the Hala as he put his arm around Reggie’s shoulder, the crowd exploding with cheers and applause. “Let it be known that we wholeheartedly accept you along with your brother into our community and respect the work you do.”

“Hehe, thanks. I just really wanted to make a good impression on you guys,” Reggie answered with a nervous chuckle, before clapping his hands. “But enough about that, let the festival continue!”

“YEEAAAH!!!” we all roared joyfully, kicking off the festivities again.

---

(Route One, 2 Hours Later, Evening)
“Huuuu~ That was a fun festival, especially the battles and food,” I yawned, stretching my arms a bit before turning to my group, which consisted of Olivia, the Professor, Lillie, Paul, and Reggie. “What about you guys? Was the festival as good for you as it was for me?” We had just finished saying goodbye to Hau & Hala and were now making our way home.

“I had fun. Though I’m usually not into parties, seeing everyone enjoying themselves made it worth it,” spoke Lillie with a content smile, her Snowy yipping in agreement as it trotted alongside her.

“Agreed. Alola’s communities seem way more close-knit and familial compared to Sinnoh,” added Reggie with a smile as he shifted his attention to his brother. “What about you, Paul? Enjoying Alola so far?”

“It’s okay. Everyone seems nice…” Paul muttered with a thoughtful expression, almost as if something was weighing heavy on his mind. “Hey, Professor?”

“Hmm? Yeah, Paul?” Kukui responded with a raised eyebrow.

“Battle me.”

…

“Why am I not surprised?” grumbled Reggie, shaking his head at his brother’s battle-hungry gaze. “Can’t we go one day without you challenging our new neighbor?”

“Sorry, but I need to do this. He battled against Lance, Reggie. Lance,” Paul replied with a tone of near-desperation as he focused on the Professor. “And he took out four of Lance’s pokemon before losing. And he’s probably only gotten stronger at this age. I have to see how I measure up against him.”

“Sure, cousin. Why don’t you swing by tomorrow morning and we can have a match?” Kukui offered with a smile, to which Paul nodded in agreement.

“Thank you, Professor. I ask that you don’t hold back on me,” Paul responded before pulling out a purple Rotom Phone as he turned to me. “Kuro, I’d like to trade numbers with you. I want to battle you again. That tie doesn’t sit right with me and you’ve proven that you have a unique intellect when it comes to battling.”

Oh my gosh, Paul-senpai noticed me a second time!

“O-Oh, um, sure. Let me just grab my phone,” I responded as I pulled out my black Rotom Phone and tapped the pointed top of it against Paul’s. A small “ping” went off, signaling that the AirDrop function had been successful as Paul’s information appeared on my screen. “Hey, how about we battle at the Pokemon Center on Route 2 in six days?"

“Sure. It’ll be a two-on-two battle,” Paul agreed as he pocketed his device and offered me his hand, which I shook. “The winner will be whoever has the most pokemon left standing. You better give me your all, 'cause I’m going to use one of my more experienced Pokemon,” Releasing my hand, he then bowed to everyone else. “Thank you for the wonderful evening. I hope you all have a nice rest of your day. Let’s go, Reggie.” With that he rose and turned away, walking to his home, which turns out to be the house location of the usual Sun & Moon protagonists.

“What the? Paul, hold up,” gasped Reggie as he quickly offered us a bow and a small wave. “It was nice to meet and speak with you all. Have a nice rest of your day.” With that, he dashed ahead to catch up with his brother, who had already made it inside their home.

Once he disappeared from view, we continued our trek to Kukui’s house, with Lillie adding, “Those two are nice. I look forward to interacting with them more.”

“Yeah. Though, Kuro, you better be careful when you battle Paul. He looked like he had a “Nasty Plot” in mind for your battle,” joked Kukui, getting a groan out of Lillie and Olivia, while I chuckled. “What? Come on, that was a good one!”

“Well if he’s cooking a Nasty Plot, I guess I’ll just have to Work Up a strategy to beat him,” I responded with my own pun, getting a massive grin from Kukui, which I matched. Meanwhile, the females of our group groaned a second time. “I’ll probably need a Helping Hand to get into shape. Mind Coaching me, Professor?”

“Oh no, there’s two of them~” groaned both Olivia and Lillie as they hugged each other, comical tears spilling from their eyes.

“You guys are being Outrageous.”
“Yeah, girls. No need to get Worked Up.”
“Yeah, it’s not like we’re trying to Intimidate you.”
“On the Contrary, we’re trying to-”

“Heeey! Now that I think about it,” interrupted Olivia as she and Lillie clamped mine and Kukui’s mouths shut. “Kuro sweetie, have you let Diana out of her ball at all today?”

I froze at that reminder, cursing to myself as I unhooked another Cherish Ball from my belt and let her out. Blue light died down to reveal a downtrodden, shiny Eevee with tears in its eyes.

“Veeeee~ Veeeeeee~” she cried while looking at me with those big, teary eyes.

Spoiler: Sad Eevee

Source: Pinterest/Twitter

“Ah man, sorry about that, Diana,” I spoke as I took her into my arms and began scratching her neck floof, though she continued to cry.

Before I could even continue, there was another flash of blue light, revealing a golden Pikachu that gave me a disappointed look and a growl of “Pikaa~” as it tapped its foot.

“Okay, before you shock me Laxus, let me just say that it was an honest mistake,” I hastily answered, only for a shiver to travel up my spine as Laxus’ cheeks began to spark. “Okay, okay! I got so caught up in the excitement of the Festival battles, but that’s no excuse. Let me make it up to Diana before you start throwing lightning.” Yeesh, talk about an overprotective onii-chan.

Dropping my bag to the ground, I undid the latch and began sifting through the contents before finally pulling out Diana’s favorite treat, Sitrus paste. The effect was immediate as Diana’s ears perked even before I opened the lid, her nose picking up the scent of her favored treat.

“Vee? Veeee!” she yipped, her tiny paws reaching out to the small container. Heeding her request, I let her down and placed the opened container in front of her. “Veee! Veee! Veee!” She immediately dug in, lapping up the sweet and sour treat like no tomorrow.

“You like that, don’t you? I knew you would,” I chuckled as I tried scratching her neck floof, this time being more successful as she leaned into it while eating, before turning to Laxus. “Am I off the hook now?”

“Pikaaa…” Laxus chirped as he held his gaze with mine for only a few more moments before throwing me an “I’m watching you” gesture before returning himself.

“Oh, thank god. I thought I was toast for a second,” I breathed out in relief, letting my body relax as the danger passed. “I need to be more careful to avoid that in the future. Hmm, you know what, Diana?” Said Eevee paused her eating to look at me with a confused expression. “Starting tomorrow, you’ll be staying out of your ball. I realize that you need a lot more attention since you’re way younger than any of my other mons. Are you okay with that?” I received a cheerful “Veee~” in approval, to which I nodded in acceptance. “Good, good. Huh, that reminds me, how’s Nebby been doing, Lillie?”

“Oh, yes! He’s still asleep,” Lille responded as she shifted her duffel bag around and unzipped it, revealing a sleeping, snoring Nebby. “Your suggestion of lightly spiking his food with Lilo’s Sleep Powder worked like a charm.” Olivia and Kukui looked at me in surprise at the mention of my idea. “It’s nice to be able to relax without having to worry about him running off or teleporting to random places.”

“Huh, never thought of using Sleep Powder that way,” murmured Kukui before giving me a smile and a thumbs up. “You’re just full of ideas, aren’t you Kuro?”

“That’s my little Kuro! Always thinking up new strategies and ideas,” cooed Olivia as she pulled me into another hug. “Oh, I can’t wait for you to finally reach me for your Island Challenge! Our battle is gonna be so much fun. Which reminds me,” Letting me go, Olivia fishes an Ultra Ball off of her belt and presents it to me. “Here. It’s a little present from me to you, to congratulate you on starting your Island Challenge.”

“O-Oh, um, thank you,” I mumbled with a nod as I gently took the ball into my hands. “Come on out, newbie!” I pressed the button, releasing the stored pokemon in a flash of blue light.

“Awooo~ Ruff! Ruff! Ruff!” barked the Rockruff that now stood before me, a fierce grin on its face as it crouched and wagged its tail. “Grrrrr~ Ruff! Ruff! Ruff!”

“Huh, you’re a feisty doggo, aren’t you? I’m guessing you’re…female?” I questioned as I knelt in front of Rockruff, who shook its head in denial. “Ah, a male then. Hmm, now for a name…What about Fenrir?” That got puzzled expressions from everyone except for Diana, who was now licking the deep corners of the sorbet bowl.

“Huh, I’m not familiar with that name,” spoke Kukui with a pondering expression as he focused his gaze on me. “Something from your homeworld, Kuro? You came up with that one pretty quickly.”

“Actually yeah, it’s from a mythological legend in my world,” I responded as I started scratching under Roc-no, Fenrir’s neck stones, who enjoyed the attention very much. “The story mentions a mythical beast known as Fenrir, whose fangs were so powerful that they could pierce even deities. It was so revered that said deities were hesitant to fight the beast. And it shares a similar body type to the Lycanroc species, so I’ve decided Fenrir is a good choice,” Fenrir was now staring into my eyes, having been captivated by my story. “It also speaks for my belief in your potential. One day you’ll be known as the Lycanroc whose fangs can pierce even legends! How does that sound?”

“Ruff! Ruff! Ruff! Ruff!” Fenrir happily barked as it pounced onto me and began rubbing against the crevice of my neck with the rocks on its neck. “Grrrg~ Ruff! Ruff!”

“Hahaha, yeowch! Hey, Hey, I get it! You like the name,” I chuckled as my new family member continued to nuzzle me. “Oi, Diana! Come say hi to your new little brother.”

“Vee?” yipped the small fox as she finished her sorbet, finally noticing the Rockruff that was nuzzling into my neck. “Vee! Veeeee! Vee! Vee!”
Fenrir paused its nuzzling at the sound of Diana's cries, removing itself from my neck as it pranced over to his new sibling. He took a few paces around her, taking in her appearance while sniffing her as well. After a few more moments he immediately pounces on Diana, giving her the nuzzle treatment.

“Grrrgh! Grrrgh! Ruff!” he yipped as he showered his new sibling with affection.

“Veee~ Vee! Veeee~” laughed Diana, who enjoyed being tickled by her new companion.

“Good, good. It’s nice that you two are getting along already,” I spoke as I used both my hands to scratch each pup around their necks, something they both enjoyed. “I’ll introduce you to the rest of the gang tomorrow morning, Fenrir,” I then shifted my attention to Kukui and Lillie, jabbing my thumb towards the direction of the Professor’s home. “Do you guys mind going on ahead? I need to speak with Oliv-er, Mom.”

“Oh, ok. We’ll leave you to it, cousin. Come on, Lillie,” Kukui responded as he gestured to Lillie to follow him. “We’ll see you in a bit, Kuro.” Lillie offered me a smile and a wave as she followed after him, leaving me and Olivia by ourselves.

“Diana, Fenrir, return,” I commanded as both pups nodded, allowing the red light to consume them. Taking a deep breath, I turned to face Olivia, who was patiently waiting for me to speak. “Okay, first I wanna say thank you for Fenrir. I’m guessing you bred your two Lycanrocs and hatched him yourself?”

“Yep! I wanted to give you a present to commemorate you starting the Island Challenge,” she replied with a laugh as she patted me on the back. “I wanted you to know that I’m rooting for you to make it to the top.”

“Thank you for that,” I replied nervously as I bowed to her in an effort to hide my shame. “Look, I’m sorry. I know that I’ve been…cold, to you. When I arrived in this world, you took me in before anyone of the other Kahunas could offer and was so nice to me the entire time. Which makes me leaving you a few weeks without notice even worse,” Rising from my bow, I take another deep breath as I ready myself to be vulnerable. “Look, the reason I’ve been acting this wa-bwuh!?”

Whatever I was going to say was interrupted by Olivia silencing me with a single finger, a cheeky smile adorning her face. Before I could argue she pulled me into a warm embrace, my face resting in her bosom as she massaged my hair.

“Um, this is nice and all, but I need to tell yo-”

“It’s okay, Kuro. You don’t have to explain anything to me. Well, not yet,” Olivia interrupted as she pulled back, looking me in the eyes while her hands rested on my shoulders. “I realize that I’ve been coming on strong with the whole “Mom” thing and I haven’t been considerate of your age and all the circumstances regarding your arrival here. So, I won’t force you to acknowledge me as your mother if you’re not comfortable with it. And I forgive you for running off.”

Damn, I kinda wanna cry right now. And she’s being so sincere about this. Damn it~

“Your Grand Trial,” I spoke as Olivia fixed me with a confused look, releasing my shoulders from her grasp. “When I beat your Grand Trial, I wanna tell you some things. And we can also talk about how our relationship will be going forward from that point on. Is that okay with you?”

Olivia immediately nodded while grabbing another Ultra Ball from her belt, replying, “Of course, it’s okay with me. I now understand that you may need some space to properly acclimate to all this and grow into your own person,” Pressing the button on the ball in her hands, blue light erupted from it to reveal Olivia’s Aerodactyl, who screeched into the night sky. “I know we’ve only truly known each other for a little more than a month, but I do consider you as part of my family now,” Before I could even react, she planted a small smooch on my forehead, causing me to jump a bit. She then hops on Aerodactyl’s back, who with one last might screech begins to ascend into the air. “Bye, Kuro! I’ll see you in a few weeks! You better be ready, because I won’t go easy on you!”

Her last sentence snapped me out of my stupor, as my lips morphed into a fierce grin and I responded, “You better not, or else it wouldn’t be fun. I’m gonna Rock Smash my way through your defenses and claim victory.” The sound of Olivia’s annoyed groan made me laugh while she saw this as her cue to leave, her Aerodactyl taking off into the distance of the setting sun.

I kept waving until she was finally out of view, letting my hand rest at my side. With a calming breath, I began making my way toward Kukui’s abode, the thought of my future talk with Olivia now at the back of my mind.

---

(Kukui Residence, 3 Hours Later, Nighttime)
It was nighttime and a chilling moon now replaced the previous warm sun. I find myself sitting on the sandy beach with my legs crossed and my eyes closed, Diana resting peacefully in my lap. It’s only us, the sound of the waves and the cool breeze being our only company at the moment.

“Still trying to unlock your aura, Foreign One?”

Oh, and Arceus apparently.

“Sup, Heavenly Llama. Didn’t expect you to come to visit me so soon.”

“It’s been more than a month since I’ve granted thou passage and residency into my world. I just wanted to make sure thou art’ adjusting properly.”

“Huh, well thanks. I’ve been adjusting well. I’ve already got the makings of a great team. I'm excited for the Island Challenge, though I’m worried about what’s coming near the end.”

“Ah, yes, the advent of the Blinding One and the infestation of those Beasts. Your “canon” knowledge is quite alarming. But I have faith that thou and thy companions will be able to combat such a threat.”

“I feel sooo reassured by your faith in me. But, I think I’m gonna cash in my last boon earlier than I expected. Do you think you could unlock my Aura for me? I’ve been trying but I’ve come up with diddly squat. I was never really the meditation type back home.”

“Is that truly what thou wants? You could save thy last boon and procure a Key Stone or a rare Pokemon with it.”

“Nah, I’m good. I’ll find those on my own time. Besides, I feel like I’m already asking for too much since you gave me that Shiny Charm. I kinda feel like I'm cheating when Shiny Hunting with that thing.”

“Hmm, I can see that thou art sincere and serious. Very well, prepare thyself. It's your first time, so I'll be gentle. Now relax as I reach DEEP inside thou and grab hold of thy essence!”

“Ummm…I need an adult?”

“I AM AN ADUUUUUUUULLLLLLLLLLT!!!!!!”

“Huh, I feel kinda war-OH MY GOD!”

Almost immediately, a blue aura erupts from my body with a miasma-like flow, invigorating my very being. It’s so hard to describe, though if I were to put it into words, I’d say it like I’ve been injected with liquid sugar and dopamine.

“Wow...this is…unreal...my gosh…THIS IS AMAZING! I FEEL INCREDIBLE! YES. YES. YES! YES! I CAN WIN! I FEEL GREAT! I! CAN! DO! THIS! AAAAAGH-”

“What is thou doing?”

“Holy, I uhh-uhh...I mean…nothing.”

“Truly? Because it looked to me like thou was chanting to thyself.”

…

“Okay, yes, I was chanting to myself. But come on! It was any little kid from my world’s dream to get superpowers. Let me enjoy this!”

“Vee?” Diana suddenly yipped, pulling me from my mental conversation. I soon realized that I had jumped to my feet from the rush of my aura awakening, causing her to fall to the ground.

“Geez, sorry girl! I guess I got a little too excited,” I exclaimed as I swept her up into my arms and began scratching behind her ear. “But look! I’m finally getting somewhere, even though I had to get some help from Arceus.”

“Veee~” Diana purred as she nuzzled herself into my chest, enjoying the warmth from my Aura.

“Yeah, it feels good. Like I could run a marathon and still have some energy to spare,” I muttered with a grin as I clenched my aura-coated fist, watching the glow fade. Though unlike before, I could feel my aura now, I just needed to practice with it. “Thanks again, Arceus.”

“Thou art welcome, Foreign One. I bid thee farewell and wish you luck against the Blinding One and its agents.” With that, I feel Arceus’ presence in my mind disappear, leaving me alone with Diana, who gazes at me in wonder.

I gently place her on the ground before reaching for the rest of the Cherish Balls and my one Ultra Ball from my belt, releasing the rest of my tea-no, my new family. Laxus, Hiccup, Fenrir, and finally…Tsuki. The shiny Froakie that I spent an entire week and two days shiny hunting and chasing for. But it was all worth it because Greninja is the best water type in existence and no one can convince me otherwise. Let alone a shiny Greninja, though it probably would’ve taken me longer without the Shiny Charm.

As soon as she emerged from her ball, she was on edge, taking in her surroundings with a couple of glances. After realizing that there was no danger, she faced me and bowed, offering a small “Froa~” before joining the others, who were familiarizing themselves with Fenrir. I let them be for a bit, before clapping my hands to get their attention.

“Alright guys, gather around. Time to for a family meeting,” I announced, watching as they all ceased playing around and began to crowd around me. “Right. So tomorrow, we officially start our Island Challenge,” Immediately I was met with cries and yips of cheer, each member of my group excited for the upcoming challenges. “Yeah, I’m excited too. Though that means we’ll have to up our training regimen. And don’t worry Fenrir, we’ll help you catch up with the others. I'll also transfer you to your new Cherish Ball before we go to bed,” Said rock doggo yipped in understanding, his tail wagging like crazy at the thought of getting stronger. “I’ll say this now: it will be difficult and sometimes we won’t win. But we’ll rise above our losses and conquer the Island Challenge. Then, we’ll go international and take on the Pokemon Leagues for each region. And we’ll have fun doing it! Now let’s show the world who we are!”

I put my hand forth, inviting my team to stack their own on mine. One by one, a single paw from each of them joined with mine, with Diana’s paw being the last to touch our pile.

“Cheer on three. One, two, three!”

“Yeeeaaah!/Veeeee!/Ruff!/Pikaaaa!/Gooo~/Froa!”

“Wooo! Looks like you’re all roaring and ready to go!” exclaimed the voice of Kukui from behind.

I turned around to see both him and Lillie making their way toward us, both clad in their pajamas. Walking alongside Lillie was Snowy and her Petilil, Lilo, while Kukui was joined by his jacked Incineroar. Seriously, he almost looks like that guy in the Giga chad meme.

“Oh, hey guys. What are you doing up?” I questioned as I had believed they had already gone to bed.

“Well, I was planning on retiring for the night. But the Professor said he had something planned for us before we go to bed tonight,” Lillie tiredly responded, glowering at the Professor a bit since she wanted to be asleep now.

“Mah, it’s alright Lillie. You’ll be able to sleep in all you like tomorrow,” Kukui joked as he waved her off before he adopted a more serious expression.

“Now, I thought I’d give you kids some battle experience to truly show you what you’ll be up against for the Island Challenge. That’s what Incineroar here is for,” At his mention, the Heel Pokemon let out an enthusiastic growl as it flexed its muscles. “So it’ll be all of your teams against him if you think you could handle it.”

“Is that a challenge, old man? Because we’re ready if you are, right guys?” I challenged as my team all cried in agreement, taking their battle stances. “What about you, Lillie?”

“I suppose that I could participate as well. Is that okay with you, Lilo, Snowy?” she answered, directing her attention to her partners, who cried in agreement with her request. “Ugh, I was hoping you’d say no. Okay, let’s do this Professor.”

The professor nodded in acceptance and began to take a position a few feet away from us, with Incineroar doing the same. I and Lillie positioned ourselves side by side, while our teams grouped up in front of us.

“This will be a seven-on-one with the battle being over when I win. Are you ready to lose, cousins?”

“You’ll be singing a different tune once we win.”

“I agree. You shouldn't write us off so quickly, Professor.”

“Alright, alright. It’s nice that you two have confidence, but here’s my rebuttal: BURASTO BAAN!!!!/ROARRRR!!!”

“Wait, wait, wai-”

But it was too late as the night sky burned red.
(END)

---

Spoiler: Kuro's Team

1. Diana (Shiny Eevee) (Female)
2. Laxus (Shiny Pikachu) (Male)
3. Tsuki (Shiny Froakie) (Female)
4. Hiccup (Goomy) (Male)
5. Fenrir (Rockruff) (Male)
6. Egg

Spoiler: Lillie's Team

1. Snowy (Alolan Vulpix) (Female)
2. Lilo (Petilil) (Female)
3. Egg

Spoiler: Paul's Team

1. Quilava (Female)
2. ??? (Male)
3. Electivire (Male)
4. Egg

Spoiler: Hau's Team

1. Dartrix (Male)
2. Pichu (Female)
3. Egg

Okay, the second chapter is complete. What do you guys think? (Seriously, I need you guys to critique me. Especially on the battle scenes. It helps me know what I'm doing wrong.)

Now before you whip out your pitchforks and yell "Giblenator, why does he already have 3 shinies when we've spent weeks, even months, shiny hunting for our own! This is injustice!", I did it because I want to. Though I can realize I may seem a bit Gary-stu-ish. As I mentioned in my last chapter, I plan for the main cast and a few side characters to obtain shinies, a least one or two.

As for my MC, he won't be seeing any more shinies for a while in this story, though he will obtain a few more. As for the ones he already has, the Eevee and Pikachu were a package deal that I will expand upon in later chapters.

And the Froakie, I already explained that. #GreninjaForLife #BestWaterType

Moving on, the Eggs. I've already planned what each egg is going to hatch into. I'm very excited about Paul's egg especially since it will play into his character development. Remember, that this is Paul a few months after he participates in the Sinnoh League. He still hasn't reached his Journeys-self in character, so he's still a bit rough around the edges. Though I plan to go a bit deeper than what was shown in the anime.

Anyways, thank you for taking the time to read my story and I hope you can leave some creative reviews for me. Anything to help me improve my writing.

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So I'm writing this to say that I've decided to stop posting/using QQ from here on out. In the next few hours, I'll be deleting my account. It's just been a hassle to post on multiple sites and I don't really read alot of fics on this site either and most of the ones I do I can find on Spacebattles. So, yeah, I'm dropping this account. You'll still be able to read my stories on Spacebattles under my account with the same name.