Chapter 173 (Patreon)

When Hala asked if he could invite a few guests to watch, I didn’t think he meant most of Hau’oli’s outskirts. I mostly attributed the miscommunication to cultural differences, as Alola seemed far more community-oriented than what I was used to. While the number of people that arrived wasn’t comparable to the number of people at the start-of-season festival, there were still enough around to form a small crowd full of parents and their children that would watch our impending match.

As our battle was between two high-ranked teams, we would require more space to fight than average. As a result, we met up on the beach south of Hau'oli's outskirts, not too far away from Professor Kukui's home and lab. After all, the wooden stage Hala usually used was too small and fragile.

This battlefield was a rectangle of clear, white sand that lacked the usual painted lines to outline the area. Instead, four flags had been planted in its corners. To protect the audience and set the boundary, both Carbink and Gardevoir would be on "screen" duty. Forms I submitted allowed for them to take on this temporary role and not count against the overall carrying limit of the team. It helped that Kukui was here to serve as the judge, and he was the primary representative of the League for Alola.

The only people I recognized in the audience were Kukui, Hope, and Ilima. Neither Hau, Elio, nor Lillie showed up, and Professor Oak had responsibilities as the principal of the Pokémon school. Though, as usual for our battles in this region, there was a camera set up off the side to record this, and Hope had a notebook out to record observations that would help her prepare for her future match and for our report on Hala for the Alola Pokémon League.

Speaking of Hope, she had been a huge help for this battle. We spent all night on an in depth discussion regarding potential strategies, where we went over concepts like the necessity of entry hazards, the viability of setting up a sweeper, and even the question of if I should avoid using Psychic Types, as Hala definitely had a counter for Pokémon of a Type his team was weak to.

Hope quickly shut down that line of thought; I was overthinking.

Off to the side, Eevee and Cutiefly sat next to Hope, already cheering in excitement for this upcoming match. As the two newest members of my team, I wanted this match to inspire them to reach new heights. Gardevoir seemed to think the same, as he lingered nearby and hyped them up, smirking at how easily they reacted.

We would live up to their expectations and even surpass them. After everything, no one on my team wanted to lose here.

Across from us, a mountain of a man, a Fighting Type master, stood on the edge of his half of the field. Hala wore a loose fitting Hawaiian (Alolan?) shirt, as always, and he had on a pair of baggy shorts that went just past his knees.

"Are you ready, Alex?" his deep voice boomed.

My hand swept over the five Pokéballs at my waist to double check.

"I am. We're ready when you are."

Hala sent a nod Kukui's way, and the Professor stepped up as Gardevoir and Carbink formed the screens over the field. No stray attacks would be getting out with them on the job, and this was good practice for their defenses, too.

"This will be a six on six, full battle between Kahuna Hala and Wandering Elite Alex,” Kukui announced. “Both trainers will send out one Pokémon at a time, and five switches will be permitted each. Mega Evolution and Z-Moves are allowed. Trainers, please send out your Pokémon.”

"Ninetales."

"Hariyama."

Hariyama wasn't like other Hariyama I had seen before. It had the same basic, sumo wrestler-like body structure, but it was larger and rippling with muscle. With a keen eye, it seemed to analyze Ninetales. She stared right back, taking in her foe.

As our Pokémon stared off at one another as per usual, Kukui nodded once, then he shouted "Begin!"

The match started.

Immediately, snow overtook the field. Ninetales's Snow Warning set up the weather as Hariyama brought up a hand.

"Fire Punch!"

"Aurora Veil!"

Ice hardened into a floating, iridescent screen to defend against Hairyama's attack. However, the opposing Pokémon didn't strike with that flaming hand right away. Instead, it took its raised palm, caressed by fire, and struck itself in the center of its own stomach.

I hadn’t planned to leave Ninetales out after setting up Aurora Screen, but her presence on the field lasted longer than it should have since Hariyama’s strange self-inflicted injury caused me to hesitate.

"What?" I mumbled.

I might have asked the question, but I already knew the answer.

Hariyama pulled back its palm and revealed a large burn mark it inflicted on itself thanks to Fire Punch. Its Thick Fat helped minimize the damage it took, but now that it was burned, its other ability, Guts, kicked in to practically double its physical attack.

It was like a weaker version of Belly Drum, but done in a much more controlled manner. In exchange for a slight injury, Hairyama was now a bastion of strength. Fueled by adrenaline, the Pokémon would serve as a threat to anyone that faced it. The wrong move, and one strike could take them out.

Good thing I'm planning to go big right away.

"Ninetales, return," I said. "Mawile!"

Mawile hit the field, and her jaws curved up into a cruel grin, allowing her Mega Stone to glint from within her teeth. The moment Kukui called for us to resume, before Hariyama even got the chance to attack, Mawile was already glowing with the light of Mega Evolution.

"Low Sweep," Hala ordered.

The rushing light broke right when Hariyama reached her. Two gnarled jaws grinned, and Hariyama stuck out a stumpy leg in an attempt to trip her.

Except, it didn’t quite work. The Aurora Veil from Ninetales was still present. Floating, hardened ice took the blow for Mawile and made it so the sweep of a leg didn't even cause her to stumble. She braced herself with Iron Defense after, and I readied myself to await what Hala would do next.

"Brick Break," he ordered.

I felt a bit of tension leave my body. The move had been lured out as expected, which was a huge relief.

When a Pokémon used Brick Break, the move tended to be one solid punch or jab to destroy anything in its way. It had the capability to break through defensive screens—literally shattering them, Aurora Veil included—meaning that unless Hala wanted to deal with an impossibly sturdy Mawile, he needed to break the barrier now rather than later.

A flat, thick hand shot forward, forcing Hariyama to extend its arm. Years of experience meant Hala's Pokémon had no normal openings, so in order to win, we had to make our own.

"Vice Grip," I said. "Play Rough into a throw."

The sounds of shattering ice filled the air, and Mawile used that to announce her attack. Her jaws snapped down on the extended appendage, and she used the surprise of the attack to yank the larger Pokémon back.

Thanks to her Huge Power, granted to her by her Mega Evolution, Mawile actually had comparable strength to her current foe. As a result, Hariyama was brought off balance, and then Mawile heaved. The Fighting Type was pulled through the air, over her head, then unceremoniously slammed onto its back.

It hadn't fainted yet, so Mawile of course jumped up to start wailing on its stomach.

"Reversal!" Hala shouted.

Reversal increased in power the weaker a Pokémon was, which meant this order was mixed news. Calling it out now meant Hariyama was likely already on low health, but with its normal intense strength and with Guts activated, the move was likely to deal a lot of damage.

The impact of the move flung Mawile, but she didn't go far thanks to her Vice Grip. A smack brought her into the air, and a snap made sure her jaws locked her in place. Like a Meowth given a piece of string, she refused to let go. No matter how much Hariyama squirmed, Mawile clenched tighter and tighter.

"Play Rough again," I ordered.

Continuing her assault, Mawile did end up taking a powerful Fire Punch as Hariyama managed to get up from the ground. Her Iron Defense from before helped reduce the damage, but the increase in power Hariyama was experiencing meant she was brought low. It was a slugfest that they experienced, but, thankfully, Mawile didn't need to do much else. Her own attacks were strong thanks to her Mega Evolution, and the continuing damage of Fire Punch’s burn meant that Hariyama was soon knocked out.

I breathed out seeing the heavy Pokémon fall, and the small crowd off to the side clapped. Eevee and Cutiefly were absolutely ecstatic. Only one true matchup had occurred, and it had been ripe with complicated tricks and strategies.

I admit, I didn’t expect that kind of strategy from Hala, but I’m glad we managed to have a near-perfect counter. That was a strong win to start the match. Let’s see how the rest goes.

Hala returned his Hariyama and clipped its Ultra Ball back to his belt.

"I didn't expect you to use Mega Evolution so early," the man called out.

"You told me yesterday that every one of your Pokémon is the equivalent of an ace. There was no way we were going to risk spending the time to test the waters."

Hala let out an amused hum as he selected his next Pokémon. This time, he sent out a Primeape.

(Honestly, seeing a Primeape here was a HUGE relief. I’d been doing my research on species of Pokémon previously unknown to me, and my team would have little chance to win if that thing had evolved into an Annihilape.)

"Stomping Tantrum," Hala ordered.

"Stone Edge."

Primeape was fast, but it wasn't fast enough. One foot stomped down, sending up sand moistened by the last bits of falling snow into the air. A second stomp did the same, sending up even more.

Then, a pause, and Primeape rushed forward, causing a veritable dust cloud to follow in its wake. Mawile used this moment to form shards of rock on her jaws and flick them forward, but a punch from Primeape shattered them in front of its face.

Primeape got to Mawile just in time for her to be returned. For all the power Mega Evolution granted her, Mawile wasn't a good matchup for the speed and fervor of Hala's current Pokémon.

Three switches left and I've already used my Mega Evolution. Hala has five almost perfectly healthy members of his team.

Don't get cocky, Alex. The real fight begins now.

"Rapidash."

The majestic unicorn took to the field in a canter, heading down the side of the field in a brisk jog. Primeape spun on a foot to change directions, still maintaining the Stomping Tantrum it already started.

"Bulk Up," Hala ordered.

Primeape howled, and the ape's arm swung in a circle to allow it to use its buffing move. In an incredible show of its own control, Primeape used both moves at once as it charged, increasing its physical capabilities while continuing its Ground Type charge.

I waited for just the right moment before shouting for "Agility!" Unfortunately, Hala expected this.

"Pursuit."

Stomping Tantrum ended just in time for Primeape to yank Rapidash's leg. He was completely caught off guard—Pursuit was specialized to prevent escape, and its Dark Type meant Rapdiash didn't psychically detect it.

With his leg captured, Rapidash tried for a Psychic, but Primeape flexed its body to easily break through. Raw power shattered Rapidash's technique, stunning him. To my horror, Hala called out for a Dark Type Punishment next.

To use the move, Primeape hopped on Rapidash's back and began to beat on his spine.

"Fairy Wind!" I desperately called out.

I knew Fairy Wind came from Rapidash's mane, but he had never tried to attack something on his back like this. It was an obvious weakness that had somehow slipped everyone's mind. How were we supposed to know his enemies would try to ride him in battle?

The mist puffed back weakly, and it crackled against Primeape's thick fur. Despite the Fairy Type move dealing super effective damage to the monkey, it only served to make it even more angry. Its rips and tears got even stronger, and each time a punch hit his side, Rapidash buckled from the pain.

"Return," I sighed.

Primeape fell to the ground as its mount disappeared. It looked around enraged, using the sudden, momentary disappearance to bring its anger even higher than before.

I went over my remaining team members, focusing greatly on who could match Hala’s second Pokémon. Then, I managed to recall a piece of advice from a friend.

Laura was a Fighting Type specialist, and we still kept in touch. From her, I was able to get a general sense of how a match against a Fighting Type trainer worked.

Essentially, Fighting Type specialists battled as if they were personally engaged in a fight. Pokémon were about checks and balances—techniques and moves to counter one other's attacks. A powerhouse like Hariyama was great to overwhelm most strategies, and an agile Pokémon like Primeape was great to counter an opponent's speed. Each Pokémon was trained to its peak, capable of using a specific fighting style that matched their trainer's purpose. Switches only happened when a Pokémon wouldn’t be able to properly fight back.

I didn't want to give Hala a reason to return Primeape, so I needed to send out a Pokémon he thought he could beat. After going over my options, I came to a decision and sent out my choice.

"Ninetales, full defense. Stay back and analyze."

"Settle down and focus, Primeape. Get ready to attack."

As Ninetales slunk into her newly refreshed snow, Primeape breathed out, and it let all the anger leave its form. It used Focus Energy to compress those embers of rage into a pin-sized inferno. That tension infused its form, readying its next attack. If it managed to aim it properly, Primeape was all but guaranteed to land a devastating critical hit.

But, it didn't move due to its current focus. At the same time, Ninetales didn't reveal herself to her foe. The air was thick with building pressure as we waited and waited and waited...

Ninetales moved first. A Confuse Ray shot out.

Primeape ducked and weaved, closing its eyes to not be put under the illusory effects. Then, it gave chase while using Pursuit. Ninetales might not have been switching, but she was still running away. The sheer accuracy of Primeape's tracking capability was honestly terrifying.

Within moments, Primeape was right there, despite the snow hiding Ninetales’s form. A fist was brought back to wind up an attack, and Primeape prepared itself to make use of that Focus Energy from before.

"Poison Jab!"

"Dazzling Gleam!"

A purple coated fist struck Ninetales across the face.

She stumbled, taking the super effective damage, and she burst in searing light.

The only reason Ninetales stayed conscious was a reflexive, half-formed Aurora Veil she used to block the attack. It had shattered upon impact, unable to maintain even a basic structure, but it was enough to keep her conscious.

Primeape, however, experienced the opposite effect. The moments of waiting while it focused had provided Ninetales ample time to set up several Calm Minds. The Dazzling Gleam was accurate and focused; Primeape didn't have a chance to resist the attack.

Just like Hariyama before it, the ape fell to the ground, completely unconscious.

Two down, I noted. None of my Pokémon had fainted yet, though three were close.

Rapidash suffered greatly from Primeape's attack, and Mawile had taken intense damage from the heavily-boosted Hariyama. As for Ninetales, that Poison Jab was super effective, and based on the way she was stumbling, she was suffering from poison as well.

I hurriedly weighed the pros and cons of returning Ninetales here. Sure, I could have Florges heal her with Aromatherapy, but then she would lose the boosts from Calm Mind. Considering a specific TM move she recently learned, I decided to take a risk.

Ninetales would stay out.

"Ninetales, we'll give your next opponent a quick KO before you can rest."

She bared her teeth and growled towards Hala. Her determination spoke of agreement.

Hala, however, kept a neutral expression on his face and wordlessly returned Primeape. Appearing after it was a four-armed behemoth, a Machamp, which flexed its arms rippling with muscles in an implied threat.

When the battle resumed, I wasted no time. I called out for Ninetales to the attack that would undoubtedly faint her foe.

"Stored Power!"

Not only was Stored Power boosted by Calm Mind, but the move itself gained an inherent boost for every enhancement Ninetales had undergone. A burst of released energy coated the field, and the barriers at the edge flashed under the sheer amount of power that was just released.

Unfortunately, Hala had an answer: Protect—the move almost mandatory for high level battles. When Ninetales released her attack, Machamp simply crossed its arms, and the wave of pure energy she had sent out burst harmlessly against Machamp’s skin.

Ninetales tried to ready herself for a repeat attack, but the poison caused her to stumble. Machamp might have been a slow Pokémon, but here, it drew back all four arms and used the momentum of its quadruple punch to carry it forward.

The Bullet Punch brought it to Ninetales, but she blocked it with a hurried Protect. She then scrambled to go underground, pushing through her poison to hide with Dig. That should have given her time to recover, given her time to pop up elsewhere and release another attack, but Hala proved that he wouldn’t let that be the case. He gave a simple command, and Machamp attacked.

The bane of all underground Pokémon, Earthquake, was used. Machamp shook the field.

At that sight, my heart dropped. The four arms impacted the sand, causing a wave of earth to bounce into the sky. Off to the side, where the audience was watching the battle, Gardevoir’s expression dropped, and he signaled Kukui to pause the match.

Ninetales was quickly recovered thanks to Gardevoir's telekinesis, but her body was limp and rather unconscious. Dig might have let her avoid the Bullet Punch, but it meant the Earthquake had completely surrounded her and dealt that much extra damage. She didn’t have a way to resist while also suffering from poison, and the move easily finished her off.

"You planned for that, didn't you?" I accused Hala.

His mustache made it hard to see his mouth, but a twitch implied a smile, and he replied soon enough.

"Yes," he replied, bringing his hands together behind his back. "Many people assume Fighting Type specialists are just simple bruisers. We are bruisers, of course, but that does not mean we are simple. You aren’t the only one able to lure out an attack for a specific response. We have ample strategies of our own.”

I frowned as I returned Ninetales. Her Premier Ball would keep her in stasis until she could get healed of her poison.

Deciding to take a step back and focus on Machamp’s weakness, I hesitantly chose Florges to come out next. We would need to be careful, as though Florges was great at range, Machamp's Bullet Punch could bring it in close. Unfortunately, Mawile wasn't an option thanks to the super effective Earthquake, and the rest of my team was likely to fall too easily under the force of Machamp’s multiple arms.

"Florges, Ninetales is out, and I need you to prepare yourself for the strategy we discussed last night. Set up Grassy Terrain, use whatever offense, but most importantly, survive."

Florges nodded. Opposite to us, Hala was giving Machamp his own advice. Both Pokémon took up positions across from each other, the impromptu pause ended, and the battle properly resumed.

To my surprise, Florges didn't use Grassy Terrain.

The very first thing Florges did was send out a wide cloud of Fairy Wind. Machamp pulled its arms back for another round of Bullet Punch, but it hesitated in the face of the damage it would take when it traveled through the cloud.

Florges took advantage of that delay to unleash a Grass Knot, another unexpected move. Machamp’s legs were tied up and yanked into the sand, where what looked to be aged seaweed tied itself into braids around Machamp’s calves.

With its legs pinned, Machamp’s arms flailed around in an attempt to move forward. Grunting, it leaned over to grip the plant and tear it away, only to receive a Moonblast straight to its face.

“Focus Blast. Charge,” Hala said.

Machamp punched through the next incoming Moonblast before leaning back and focusing. Energy sparked and coalesced between four hands, and it grabbed that light to manually shape it into a sphere. Like molding clay, it shaped it into a powerful attack. It knocked aside another Moonblast with the back of its hand then pitched its attack forward.

Florges was quick to respond, but the relative inaccuracy of Focus Blast was offset by the sheer force Machamp threw the ball at. The speed meant it didn’t hit her straight on, but it did end up clipping her in the side. The impact caused her to spin where she floated in the air, and not only that, but it blew back a tunnel through the cloud of Fairy Wind, too.

This moment was when Machamp struck. It threw its set of Bullet Punches forward, properly freeing it, and Florges finally used Grassy Terrain. She tried to hide with a Camouflage in time, but Machamp’s momentum made it too quick. All four fists impacted her face.

When her head was snapped back, Florges sent me a purposeful look. It was a sign that it was time to actually return her to her ball.

“Wish, Florges,” I said.

A star appeared in the sky, and Florges was finally returned.

With the field set up in our favor, I sent Mawile back out once more. A quick Iron Defense helped her withstand an Earthquake when the battle resumed, and the grass from Grassy Terrain helped hold the field together to have the move deal even less damage.

After that momentary delay as she resisted the attack, one of her two jaws snapped out to grab the falling light and bring the Wish into her body. The healing energies suffused throughout her, curing what wounds she had from Hariyama and bringing her back to near perfect health. The passive healing provided by Grassy Terrain helped, too.

Her wounds healed, Mawile was ready to properly reenter this fight. Combining her with Florges like this almost made it seem like Hala now had a second Mega Evolution to face down.

“Fire Punch,” he said, not even blinking at the sight of one of my toughest Pokémon being near full.

Four fists of flaming heat seared the air around Machamp’s body. Just like Hariyama before, it punched itself for a burn to activate Guts, then it charged.

“Protect,” I ordered.

Mawile’s jaws were brought forward to stop the super effective damage, but, unfortunately, her Vice Grip trap didn’t work a second time. Instead, Mawile was forced to get in underneath Machamp via positioning granted to her by a Sucker Punch, and a Psychic Fangs let her swing a super effective move right into Machamp’s stomach.

“Counter!”

The Fighting Type sucked in its gut and somehow transferred the force of the impact into its arms. Twice as powerful as Mawile’s hit, two of its four hands hit her in her side. She stumbled, falling back, but she held true.

Then, Machamp fell over. It seemed that after everything else, that Psychic Fangs had been enough to take it out. It used the last of its energy to release that reactive hit. Florges’s attacks had done their work, and the sheer power Mawile had at her disposal in her Mega Form was no joke. It was no wonder Machamp fainted here.

I released a breath I didn’t even know I was holding when Machamp fainted. I still had half of Hala’s team to go through, but Machamp had threatened us the most. With its Bullet Punch, it was great at chasing down foes. Most of my team’s strategy generally involved staying away or relying on their ability to dodge.

Mawile was panting, but she still had a bit of fight left in her. As for me, I felt a drain on me from her Mega Evolution, but it was far weaker than it had been in the past. With all our practice and battles together, it hardly took any energy to keep her control up.

If Mega Evolution is getting easier, is it worth using a Z-Move next to go for an easy knockout?

No, I can’t risk losing my focus for this match. There’s no point combining them right now and exhausting myself when there’s still half the match.

Hala didn’t spend long before sending out his next Pokémon. A Bewear appeared on the field. I honestly could see why he chose it—its ability, Fluffy, made it a physical tank.

Between all of Mawile’s moves, only Fire Fang would truly be effective here. Fluffy might double a Pokémon’s effective defense, but it made them vulnerable to fire. Even more, if Mawile landed the attack in just the right way, a burn would cut Bewear’s attack in half, too.

“Are you ready, Mawile?”

I didn’t need to ask that, I could literally feel she was. In unison, we bent forward, and when the match resumed, I screamed out her next attack.

“Fire Fang!”

Mawile launched forward, not moving especially fast, but still pushing herself to the limit. She used every last bit of speed she could squeeze out of her dwindling energy reserves to rush right at the Bewear.

Her jaws were literally set on fire. She leaped into the air and spun. In an attack not too dissimilar from a Flame Wheel, fire circled her body as she swung her jaws down to hit Bewear like a spinning, flaming hammer.

Throughout all of this, Bewear stayed still. The hulking, bipedal bear stood in one place and stared with only a casual interest. A blank look, a shift of its paw, and Mawile’s Mega-enhanced attack was stopped with a single grab.

The force pushed Bewear into the ground, but it still hardly responded. That same wave of force caused a shockwave to blast out around them, but neither of them moved.

“Good, Bewear. Now, it’s time to take it out,” Hala commented.

He stomped a foot out, and my eyes went wide. A bracelet on the man’s thick wrist gleamed in the midday sun.

“ALL-OUT PUMMELING!” he howled.

This “dance” for the Z-Move was less of a dance and more of a form for some kind of martial art. With a low and stable stance, Hala furiously punched forward. Rapidfire punches shook the air, and Bewear glowed in a fiery light.

This Z-Move wasn’t a single attack; it turned out to be an entire, furious assault. Even though Mawile braced herself with both Protect and Iron Defense, she couldn’t block them all.

Bewear punched, then it punched and it punched and it punched and it punched and so on and so forth. The force of each impact caused its fist to bounce off of Mawile’s steel body, but Bewear used those reactions to help it bring back its arms for even more swings. It was silent where any other attacker would have likely used some kind of repetitive battle cry. A crater formed as Bewear pummeled Mawile into the ground, and soon enough, Hala’s Pokémon stepped back.

Sand trickled back into the small pit, filling it up with the fine grains. In the center of it, there was a flash, and Mawile’s Mega Form faded away.

The Z-Move had taken her out. Mawile fainted under the sheer power Bewear unleashed. As I returned her to her Heavy Ball, I eyed the unfazed Bewear, who stared ahead without a single sign of emotion in its button-like eyes.

"I applaud your use of Mega Evolution,” Hala said. “It took more than I wished to faint Mawile in the end."

"Yeah,” I replied with a sigh. “Thanks for the compliment, I guess. Your Pokémon are crazy strong. Without Mawile to fall back on, I don't think I would have been able to get this far.”

At my words, the corner of Hala's mustache twitched up into a much more obvious smile. I smiled back as well.

"My thanks to you as well," he said. "Now shall we continue?"

"Let’s.”

Florges appeared on the field, but, contrary to what I expected, Hala didn't have Bewear attack. Instead, it was immediately returned, and a red flag was raised in my mind.

If he's returning Bewear here, it must not be able to handle Florges well in battle.

Poliwrath replaced it, which raised a second red flag in my mind.

Wait, why send out a Water Type against a Pokémon with incredible Grass Type moves?

Guarded against any tricks, I had Florges set up Grassy Terrain, and then called for sun.

"Sunny Day!"

"Rain Dance!"

Both Pokémon moved at once. Rather than any weather coming up, the two opposite effects canceled one another out. The sky above the field gained a few misty clouds, but no water fell, and no fiery sun appeared over the sand.

"Sunny Day," I repeated.

"Rain Dance," Hala replied.

Once more, both weather effects failed to take hold, and Hala looked extremely amused.

"I won't let you set up that easily," he said.

I said "Solar Beam" in reply.

Hala sputtered in response, quickly calling for Poliwrath to counter. This act revealed exactly why he sent out a Water Type here: snow started to spiral around Poliwrath’s form. With all my practice with Ninetales, I could clearly see that Poliwrath was creating a Blizzard. Right when the Solar Beam was released, it sent its attack forward.

The Grass Type light burned through the incoming snow, except the Ice Type energy significantly weakened the attack. Poliwrath swung its arm in a fisted slap, parrying the beam and sending it crashing off to the side.

At the same time, Poliwrath ran forward, and it was quickly approaching Florges’s position, ready to attack. A gloved fist was brought up, it aimed its fist, and—

"Return."

Florges disappeared. Poliwrath’s fist hit the sand as it let out an annoyed grunt in exchange.

That was my last switch. I've managed to push for an advantage here, but now anyone I send out has to stay for the full battle. That gives Hala an advantage: he can switch to a team member with the highest chance to win. I have to hope that the previous faints have narrowed down his options enough. It’ll be a match solely based on our skill from here.

Gritting my teeth, I had limited options, but I ended up deciding on one rather quickly.

While Poliwrath likely had the Water Absorb ability trained, it still wasn't very mobile. I hoped Azumarill's Splash meant her maneuverability was enough to eke out a win.

Azumarill hit the field running, except that wasn't true for long. Poliwrath was on our side of the field, next to where Florges had just been returned, which meant Azumarill didn’t need to travel far to approach it. She ran towards it automatically, but as she took in what Pokémon Poliwrath was, she paused and skidded to a halt. Like normal, both Pokémon stood still and stared off at one another while they waited for the match to resume. Except this time...

They both blushed and looked away?

"Azumarill?" I asked.

She slapped her cheeks to snap out of whatever came over her before rushing forward when Kukui called for the match to be resumed. Poliwrath did the same, and I could hear Hala let out an exasperated sigh.

Both Pokémon began to attack right off the bat, much to the amusement of the audience. Rather than demonstrate any specific moves, they were competing in a series of completely mundane, power-only blows.

Azumarill threw unattuned punches while Poliwrath went through a series of guards and parries. Then, they switched off, and Poliwrath attacked while Azumarill defended.

No... I realized. They're testing one another’s power.

The exchange was furious, but neither were dealing that much damage.

"Enough,” Hala interrupted. “Use Circle Throw.”

"Let it hit you,” I quickly replied, “then use Splash to bounce back."

Poliwrath grabbed Azumarill's hands—both Pokémon’s faces turned red—then it spun her in a circle to build the speed needed to toss her. Rather than being launched across the field, Azumarill yanked Poliwrath’s hands down at the last moment to be thrown towards the floor instead. Her spherical tail softened the blow, and its bouncy surface let her hop back to her feet.

Then, a fist glowed pink for Play Rough, and Azumarill landed a solid punch across Poliwrath's face.

In response, Poliwrath paused, blinked, then it blushed again.

"You know what, Azumarill? Do whatever you want to impress it," I said.

Azumarill gained a malicious grin. Poliwrath, though constantly wet due to its Water Type anatomy, began to visibly sweat.

The resulting exchange was both brutal while also perfectly matched. It was just like their initial fight, but now both Pokémon were using moves. Azumarill demonstrated Slams, Play Roughs, and Superpowers, and Poliwrath demonstrated Dynamic Punches, Poison Jabs, and even a single Double Slap.

The flurry of blows continued for a full minute, and Hala even took out a small device to check the time. The pair on the field were giving it all, and not once did Hala or I give them a command.

Eventually, both Pokémon started to huff and puff. They constantly stared into one another’s eyes. Grunts echoed out, and I could hear them shout their name occasionally in what almost seemed like a compliment.

For some reason, a mother in the crowd covered her child’s eyes.

It took a while, but Azumarill and Poliwrath seemed to come to some kind of agreement, and they hopped back to spam Work Up. Their bodies were pumped to their limits as they charged up their final attack, and they then threw one more punch that landed a synchronized blow on one another’s cheek.

Azumarill tch'd.

Poliwrath gave an approving grunt.

With their arms extended, pushing against their opponent’s face, it was clear that the pair of Water Types had reached their limit. Eyes rolling up into their heads, the Pokémon fell back, and both of them fell into unconsciousness at the exact same instant.

I could tell Kukui was trying to stay serious, but he was having trouble holding back his laughs. Off to the side, Hope was looking away, Gardevoir looked disappointed, and Carbink was focused on managing the (currently) useless screens.

Cutiefly and Eevee just looked confused.

"Well, that was an exchange," Hala mumbled.

"Certainly one of the fights of all time," I replied.

Without any further comments, Hala and I sent out our next Pokémon, and Florges and Bewear appeared on the field.

The same matchup as before. It's like that last fight didn't even matter.

We were quick to continue.

As it stood, Hala had two Pokémon left, giving me a slight advantage if my gambit at the end was successfully pulled off. Florges had taken some damage, but Rapidash was near fainting. Though, after Bewear demonstrated its raw physical might by eliminating the Mega Evolved Mawile, there was no way I was going to give it a chance.

I had a bracelet on my arm. It was positioned at the base of my Key Stone bracer. Their combined presence made that appendage have a rather extravagant look thanks to the two separate, fancy jewelry. However, the bracelet wasn’t just for show—it was for proper, Pokémon battle use.

I held up my arm, focusing on the Z-Ring, then took a deep breath.

We’ve hardly practiced this, but better now than never.

"Florges, Twinkle Tackle!"

I screamed for a Z-Move, but the onus of its start was on me rather than her. Using the Fairy Type Z-Crystal given to me by Professor Oak, I began the dance to start the move.

Immediately, upon bringing my arms out with intent, I felt something inside of me begin to drain. While I hadn't personally lost too much energy from Mega Evolution, it was enough that I momentarily swayed.

I pushed past that, and I went over the movements necessary to continue. My hands were brought together in front of my chest, and I then brought them to my side and gave them a single flap.

Then, my face reddened as I brought up a single leg. The pose was ridiculous and surely looked out of place on me. Sure, even with all my public showings in the past, I shouldn’t let a necessary phenomenon to start a Z-Move get to me, but it still felt a little weird to be using a dance to start such a powerful move like this.

Thankfully, no one laughed. Instead, the audience looked impressed. On the field, Florges glowed in a brilliant light, and I knew our Z-move attempt was successful.

In the case of Twinkle Tackle, it wasn't actually a physical attack, despite its name. However, Florges still needed to get close.

Cloaked by sparkling energy, Florges rushed forward, and Bewear stood still like it had done before. Hala called out some kind of move I didn’t hear, but he was seconds too late. Florges stopped in front of her target, held out her arms, and all of the energy I had provided her for this attack was released in a burst.

Bewear was caught in the chest by the attack and was immediately blasted back. Its arms and legs were dragged out in front of it as its spine hit the boundary of the field. A bright glow signified the strain the barrier underwent, and both Carbink and Gardevoir’s eyes glowed a brilliant blue as they strove to maintain it. I would have liked to see what the end result looked like, but then everything suddenly swayed, and my vision went blurry.

I was familiar with the drain of Mega Evolution, but the drain of a Z-Move was truly something else. Florges had torn energy from me for the attack, and while I didn’t notice it at first, it quickly caught up to me. I didn’t fall, but it still took a few moments to blink and get my vision back. I wasn’t too worried—that Z-Move was strong—and I doubted that Bewear had a way to withstand that attack.

"...Alex. Alex!"

Professor Kukui was yelling at me.

A few seconds later, my vision returned, and blurriness sharpened back to reality. I was excited for only a single second before I saw the field. My gut churned at the sight.

"Florges is unable to battle. Please send out your next Pokémon."

"...What?”

Florges had somehow fainted. She was sitting in a pit in the ground, her head pulled back. Above her, a smoking Bewear held up a fist. Its chest had been burned from the Fairy Type energy.

It was conscious, but every so often, a foot moved to its side to catch itself before it stumbled. Florges’s attack brought Bewear to a near faint, but, somehow, it had stayed up.

“Endure,” Hala suddenly said. “A great fallback when Protect isn’t fast enough.”

I blankly nodded my head.

I should have known. Dedenne frequently uses that move as well.

I decided to appreciate the victory of pulling off a successful Z-Move regardless of the matchup’s end, and I returned Florges to her Heal Ball. I stared at it for several long seconds, feeling as though I let her down, before I clipped it back to my belt, promising I’d make it up to her later.

I did my best to not look to Cutiefly. He looked honestly crushed. Eevee’s eyes were locked on the field, and Hope had her jaw firmly closed.

One Pokémon left on me, and that’s the extremely injured Rapidash. Still, that’s only five. If they don’t get here in time...

I shook my head. I couldn’t let myself get into a losing mindset before the battle was over.

Rapidash was sent out, Kukui resumed the match, and Hala and I both called out our moves.

"Psychic."

"Hammer Arm."

Bewear glowed blue before it could move at all, and while Endure meant it withstood the Twinkle Tackle, it had far too little energy left to even think about withstanding Rapidash’s Psychic.

It collapsed into a pink, fluffy pile on the ground. Thankfully, it fainted.

Hala had one Pokémon left, so he didn’t need to think. Bewear was returned to its ball, and the next and final of Hala’s Pokémon was finally sent out.

"Crabominable."

Thankfully, I knew the species was slow. It was a point in our favor that the Pokémon he sent out couldn’t move very fast. However, an abominable yeti crab would still be a threat no matter what. Crabominable’s claws were the meatiest claws I'd ever seen; not only were they thick, they were covered in dense, white fur.

“Mystical Fire,” I said.

“Avalanche,” Hala replied.

Crabominable was a dual Ice and Fighting Type. I hoped a Mystical Fire would do its job. Unfortunately, it turned out this Pokémon’s Avalanche was far greater than what I would have normally expected.

The move was like a Surf in that it created a wave, just made out of ice and snow. The Mystical Fire was snuffed out in an instant, and a good portion of the field was filled with the incoming attack. Rapidash tried to escape with Agility, but the Avalanche was too well aimed to leave him any chance to escape.

Within moments, the Avalanche caught up with Rapidash and crushed him against the wall of screens. If he wasn’t injured from Primeape, he might have had a chance to escape, but he was too utterly wounded from Primeape to have the energy to do so.

I returned him to his Dream Ball. I clipped it to my waist with a sigh. Our battle’s watchers clapped for their Kahuna’s victory, and I didn’t have anyone else on me to send out.

I was waiting on my sixth.

Kukui noticed my hesitation and called for me to send out my last member, but I could not. Murmurs broke out throughout the audience, which stopped when I looked up.

We weren't alone. Something was in the air. Some of our watchers gasped; our guest was revealed. I smiled seeing that everything had paid off.

Floating above the field was a yellow and black speck that was undoubtedly the guardian of Melemele Island. Tapu Koko made itself known with a clap of thunder, and it shot downwards, electricity crackling in its wake. Before it crashed into the ground, it stopped inches above the sand. Once it pulled apart the two halves of its bird-head, Dedenne hopped down.

Hala hummed.

"Ah. Tapu Koko. Here to test your apprentice against the Pokémon on my team?"

While Tapu Koko's mouth was indistinguishable from the dark skin on its head, I could still tell it smirked at Hala's comment. The Island Guardian moved back up in the air, where it floated above the field as a more obvious observer this time around.

"I'm glad you got my message, Dedenne. This is our last opponent left. Are you ready to win?" I asked.

Dedenne responded with a smirk of his own. From his time with Tapu Koko, he was undeniably confident. He looked ready to go, ready to win, and also, he almost looked... bigger?

"The battle will resume on the count of three," Kukui announced.

Dedenne leaned down. His opponent snapped its claws.

"One," Kukui said.

"Two." Dedenne's cheeks sparked.

"Three!" Crabominable aimed its claws.

And then both Pokémon were off.

Dedenne started by exploding with electricity—but not in a Discharge he would normally do. Instead, it was as if a wave of sparks coated the field, demonstrating a new move taught to him by a Legendary: Electric Terrain.

The terrain would supercharge his Electric Type attacks and give him more power to use in his moves. Against Crabominable, who had no special resistance to the Electric Type, it was an effective fifty-percent boost to his attacks.

He ran straight at Crabominable, who didn’t move from its place. Instead, its fur solidified with solid ice that it enhanced further with Iron Defense. Then, when Dedenne closed it, it swung a pincer down for a powerful Ice Punch.

Dedenne easily jumped to the side to dodge.

"Nuzzle!" I yelled.

Dedenne's cheeks sparked, and Crabominable stiffened. By rubbing against it, he filled it with static electricity, causing it to have trouble when it moved.

"Earthquake," Hala responded.

Crabominable was stuck by paralysis, but it was still able to slam its claws into the ground. The sand shook, and Dedenne was thrown into the air, but he used this opportunity to launch a Parabolic Charge.

While the draining attack allowed Dedenne to heal after the super effective move, his position in the air left him vulnerable. A claw struck out to pinch him in its grip, and Dedenne was left doomed to Crabominable’s next move.

"Gunk Shot,” Hala said.

That Poison Type attack would be too much; I already didn’t understand how Dedenne withstood the Earthquake. Not only did Gunk Shot have a decent chance to faint Dedenne right here, if it poisoned him, this match would be as good as done. However, Dedenne proved me wrong by doing something I didn't expect:

He used Seed Bomb right in Crabominable's face.

The crab had been opening its mouth to launch the attack, but rather than a clump of poison being launched out, several large seeds were sent past its jaw. The seeds popped between its teeth, causing the giant blue crab to let out a pained gasp.

While Dedenne wasn’t directly released, the pain gave him enough leeway to squirm from the Pokémon’s grip.

"Now! Use—"

Dedenne was struck from behind before I could finish my order. Crabominable's claw practically exploded through the air. Caught by a chain of explosions created by a Dynamic Punch, Dedenne was launched far, far away from Crabominable before falling straight into the sand.

Dedenne bounced once, then twice, then a final, third time. Above, Tapu Koko winced at its apprentice’s sudden, apparent defeat. On the ground, Dedenne didn’t move to get up.

(Notably, Kukui didn’t call the match.  I was too panicked to notice.)

"Please, Dedenne! I know your training hasn't been for nothing! Prove that you're the strongest Dedenne in the world!"

When he didn't respond, I felt defeat sink its claws into my chest. Kukui looked like he was finally going to call the end of the battle, but then Dedenne stirred.

It started with a soft chuckle, but then that chuckle broke out into a giggle fit. Dedenne sat up and clutched his stomach, laughing to himself furiously.

“Don’t fake a faint like that!” I yelled, frustrated.

Dedenne waved me off, and he moved his cheeks around to clench something in his teeth. As Tapu Koko rolled its eyes in the air above, Dedenne bit down on the berry he had stored for this match in particular.

That was his Petaya Berry. Dedenne's special attack has been boosted.

Once more flush with energy, Dedenne leaped up from his seated position to take off in a dash. He circled around the relatively immobile Crabominable, whose paralysis made it hard to shift in place to maintain a line of sight. That gave Dedenne enough time to glow with a Recycle that recovered the part of his berry he had just lost.

Hala called for an Avalanche, and I called for a Parabolic charge. The resulting exchange wasn’t what either of us expected.

Dedenne jumped high up in the air, clearly intending to finish this here and now. Enhanced by a number of effects—his Petaya berry, the latent electricity of the Electric Terrain, and a Charge he hid while laying down—all the energy in Dedenne’s body was collected and compressed for this one attack.

The field turned white. Hala called for a Protect. Crabominable stiffened from the paralysis, failing to use the move, and the Thunder went on, and on, and on.

Tapu Koko really knows how to improve Electric Type moves, it seems.

"You can do it, Dedenne!" I yelled.

He was practically being held aloft in the air by the force of the attack, but the supercharge he provided himself was rapidly fading away. I thought he would pull it off, but it seemed Dedenne just didn’t have the energy in his small form. Even after all this time, he was held back by his species.

Except, that wasn’t true, was it?

Someone sighed, and it seemed the field almost shook. Everyone’s gaze shot up towards its source, where Tapu Koko looked down, appearing somewhat disappointed.

It said its name once, and I remembered something crucially important.

The Pokémon there was a Legendary Pokémon. It wasn’t just a one of a kind species, it was an individual with the power to back up its name.

Tapu Koko didn’t release anything, all it said was a single, serious word. I could see several members of the audience pale, but Dedenne was motivated beyond belief.

The slow fade of his energy disappeared. The energy leaving Dedenne’s body increased tenfold.

Crabominable couldn’t withstand it any longer. It failed its attempts to defend itself, then it screamed. The Thunder coursed straight through it, turning the sand underneath its legs into a spiderweb of glass. The tips of its white fur burned, and Crabominable fell to the ground.

Something crunched.

Dedenne cheekily bit down on his Petaya berry again, having a bit of a celebratory bite. The field remained silent as he chewed, needlessly restoring his health.

"Ice Beam," Hala said.

Turns out, Crabombinable was still conscious, but only just barely. It released a weak Ice Beam that Dedenne easily dodged. I yelled for another Parabolic Charge, which Dedenne actually followed through, and the final, brief spark of electricity was enough to finally end the match.

With a thud, the Crabominable’s beefy claws hit the ground as it fell into a complete and utter unconsciousness. With its faint, somehow, just barely, Hala's experienced twelve-star team had been defeated.

After what felt like minutes of pure silence, Hope was the first to react. She stood up and screamed loudly in a cheer. On the field itself, Dedenne squeaked to announce his victory, too. That was enough to get the audience to start yelling as well, and Cutiefly and Eevee went absolutely wild where they had watched.

"That was incredible," I breathed.

Hala took this opportunity to clap.

As Crabominable was returned, I walked forward to pick up Dedenne. Unsurprisingly, it felt as though he had gained some weight.

"Your power has to have increased several full tiers," I said. "Your training with Tapu Koko is really paying off."

Almost as if summoned, the Legendary in question floated down to reach the field. It moved to hover a few feet away, where it wordlessly held out an arm.

Dedenee gave me a somewhat sad squeak then hopped back to his temporary master. I gave him a smile that felt just as bittersweet.

"Thank you, Tapu Koko. You didn't have to do this,” I said.

The Legendary stared for a long time, its expression unreadable. Then, it turned away and coughed into its hand, attempting to hide a blush.

Hala stepped up behind it.

"Oh, don't mind Tapu Koko. They have an extra vulnerability: praise!" he cheered.

The Kahuna of Melemele laughed as the Tapu shot him a withering glare before taking off into the sky. It hovered over the field, out of range from where Hala could taunt it, and Dedenne took this chance to brag, pointing to spots where he had just fought, as if Tapu Koko hadn't just seen it all.

I shook Hala’s hand to mark the end of the match. It was the second most satisfying handshake in my life.

"I must be getting old,” he said with a laugh. “Perhaps my experience has been lost to age? Tell me, Alex, that was still a good fight, yes?"

"More than a good fight. That was... That was—"

It was hard to put into words how I was feeling. My team gave it their all to win. Strategy, power, and luck were all thrown together into a mixture that somehow pulled us through. I think my biggest surprise was how Hala’s Pokémon took somewhat less effort to faint than I expected. Then again, few Pokémon have had a chance to train the power of their moves as much as my team had.

I mean, seriously, we’ve trained with multiple Legendary Pokémon in the past.

"Can't believe we managed to squeak out a win," I mumbled.

Hala laughed a deep, booming laugh once more.

"Seems like I owe you a Pokémon after all," he said. "Ah, but we can discuss that later. For now, as for your reward for beating the Kahuna... here."

A copper red crystal was dumped into my hand.

"I imagine Azumarill might get a kick out of this one," he said with a wink.

The Fighting Type Z-Crystal would enable All-Out Assault for my Pokémon. Not only that, but if anyone learned any Fighting Type utility moves, they could gain a more powerful effect, too. Truly, only Azumarill would really be interested in it, since it would turn her Superpower into an even stronger attack.

That, and with the memories of this battle she had...

I shook my head.

I didn't want to think about that in the slightest.

"Hala, before you go," I said, seconds before he turned around.

"Yes?"

"My team. I have to fight the Sinnoh League soon. Based on what you've seen here, what would you say about our chances of success?"

Hala hummed and rubbed his chin, one eye open as he looked me up and down.

"What would I say? Why, I'd call you a liar!" he said cheerfully.

"Excuse me?"

"Alex, you told me your team was rated at only ten stars. After what I saw here today, I'd say they're firmly rated at eleven stars when following a clever strategy."

I blinked.

That was still less than what Sinnoh’s Elite Four were rated at, but it still meant I had less of a gap than I thought.

Overall, from Hala’s words, I gave myself even odds.

Huh.

That lit a fire in my chest. My Sinnoh Elite Four challenge was coming up. Hala was strong, but the Sinnoh Elite Four were more active when it came to battles at higher levels. Hala spent his time mostly taking on lower-level challengers, only rarely giving his team the proper exercise. He might have had several decades experience as a trainer, but the Sinnoh Elite Four were more firmly in their prime.

I couldn't wait to see how well we would do.

With that, Hala moved off, mostly to talk to Hope about a potential new team member in the form of a Rowlet. As for myself, I gazed up at Dedenne and the local Tapu.

The pair were slowly moving off, not really in a rush, but still heading out away from the match. I waved to say goodbye, and Dedenne waved as he was slowly enclosed by the bird-head shield on Tapu Koko’s arms. Eevee and Cutiefly rushed to my side to interact with me after that battle, with Cutiefly bumping his face against Florges’s Heal Ball.

It’d be a while until I’d be able to see Dedenne again—not until I challenged the Sinnoh Elite Four, at least. As for what we had left on this island, Hope still had to have her match with Hala, and then that’d be it.

After that, we’d move on, and our journey through Alola would continue. We planned to head to another island next. Akala was rapidly approaching on the horizon, and with it, a new set of trainers to test and another Kahuna to defeat.

====================================================
Author Note:

Pokémon mentioned in this chapter:
Bewear
Crabominable
Hariyama
Machamp
Poliwrath
Primeape
Tapu Koko

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