//------------------------------// // Chapter 7- Midnight. // Story: Pokémon Ultra Luna. // by Lieral //------------------------------// "OKAY, NOW ROCKRUFF, MY BODY IS READY, WOO!" I woke up with a phrase I definitely did not expect to hear so early in the morning, followed by the sound of a really loud bump. "What the hell?" I lift half of my body from my improvised bed, knocking over Moon that was sleeping on my lap. "Huh? Is already that time?" Lillie woke up and used her hand to scratch her eye to make the remaining slumber fade away, Nebby woke up right at her side. She did not seem impressed or surprised by this strange phenomenon, actually, she seems more bored than even frustrated. "What is happening?" I asked as Moon yawned and scratched her eyes too. "Rockruff is attacking the professor," She sat on the couch she uses to sleep and stretched herself, her pajama was pink, what is not a real surprise considering her personality. "Is that common?" I asked as the loud bump happened again, followed by a slightly louder 'WOW'. "Why do I think we will have to fix the walls again? You know professor Kukui is a move researcher, right?" I nodded in agreement. Unlike me, Moon seems a little numb yet, since a small water ball was being filled and emptied in front of her nose. "Well, he says the best way to understand a pokemon move, is by being hit by it!" She said and walked toward her already prepared usual cloches, just waiting for her. "So, he is basically being hit by Ruckruff's tackle because he wants to learn from it?" "We're lucky! There's one time I woke up with he being hit by a Water Cannon!" She yawned again. "That sounds painful... How do I teach this move to Moon?" Truth being said, that sounds like a really powerful move. "I don't know if a Popplio can learn it, maybe you will need to wait until she evolves," "Great..." I commented and stood up, stretching my now healed back. This world's medicine is really impressive, to heal all those wounds in a single night. "I will be waiting for you down there. Okay, Moon, back to the Pokeball." I went down the stairs to the first floor of the house so she could change her clothes in peace, and when I reached the floor I saw Kukui ready to take another hit, and the Rockruff seems glad to give one. "Oh, Luna, already awake?" He asked turning his head toward me with a really big grin. "It is a little hard to sleep in this situation," I answered and leaned against the wall crossing my arms. "Don't be so serious," He said laughing. "But it is good to see you awake, I wanted to give you some presents yesterday, but I didn't expect you to be hurt." "Neither do I," I said and turned my head to face Rockruff that was growling to me. "Good morning to you too." "Don't worry with that little guy, yeah, he is not that bad," "Oh, really?" I asked pointing the destroyed couch. "Hahaha!" He laughed and walked toward me, his prominent muscles were red, where Rockruff's head had hit him. "Don't take as personal. He had a bad experience with a trainer before, that's why he doesn't like new people here!" "Bad experience?" Now I am listening. "Yeah..." He adopted a serious expression. "He had a trainer some time ago, but one day that trainer simply decided that this little guy here was not good enough for him, and abandoned him in front of my lab." Rockruff growled even more. Maybe he does not want to remember it or does not want anyone to know about it. I walked toward him that took a step back. "Hum, Luna, what do you want to do?" Lillie asked as she finished her descend from her small loft already with her white dress, hat, and bag, but Nebby was not inside it yet. "I know we had a bad start," I said and trowed my only Pokeball toward Kukui that took it effortlessly, but he seemed a little surprised. "But what do you say about letting everything a little more interesting?" "L-Luna?" Kukui called my name as if I was crazy for doing what I am doing now, but unlike him, Rockruff seemed a lot more interested in my offer. He howled once as a sign for me to continue. "You will attack me," I said looking into his eyes. "WHAT?" Both Kukui and Lillie yelled at the same time. They were surprised, but not as half as the small dog in front of me. "You will use the strongest tackle against me. I will not dodge or run away, instead, I will take your attack fairly, and if I give a single step behind, it is your won!" "WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO? GET HURT AGAIN?" Kukui yelled from behind me. A really strange question from someone that has done exactly the same thing a few minutes ago. Rockruff growled with a mischievous smile. "BUT, if I manage to stay in place and get you immobilized, you will become one of my partners!" I finished with a serious expression. Rockruff definitely did not expect that and gave a step back again. "Luna, if you want to capture him you should have a POKEMON battle, not get into one yourself!" Kukui said trying to make me give up from my idea. "And letting them have all the fun?" I asked sarcastically and walked toward the door, where I stopped and assumed a prepared position, one of my legs a little behind me with my foot turned a little for better support, and one a little ahead, both of my knees a little folded and I planted my feet firmly on the ground. "Kukui, you will be the judge! Now Rockruff, think about me as your old trainer, and attack me with you have to offer!" Maybe I should not have said that... Suddenly he looked at me more like a pray than a challenger. Lillie was covering her mouth and looking at us with horror, while Kukui seemed like this is the first time he does not know what to do, even Nebby stared us as if we... Or better I am crazy. He started to run toward my direction without a second invitation, using even more strength than when he broke the wall yesterday. For a single second, my adrenaline went so high that everything around me seemed to be in slow motion, from Lillie covering her eyes to the dog coming in my direction with bloodthirst. A second after that, his head finally made contact with my body and I felt as if I would vomit at any second, but I clenched my teeth and used almost all my strength to stay in place. Rockruff's head was harder than any stone that had hit me in my life (And I was hit by a lot more than I would like to admit). But I stood firmly, actually, so firmly that the wooden floor could not resist and broke with the pressure I was doing on it with my feet, and I used my free arms to hold Rockruff and with a final effort I pressed him on the ground that also broke upon the impact of his body. The time turned back to its own pace, the dust that covered us finally disappeared and the remaining result was that Rockruff was trying to break free from my firm grasp, but failed. I looked at Kukui that was staring me open-mouthed with his glasses almost falling from his face. Lillie finally opened her eyes and looked at me without believing, while Nebby was cheering me up. "T-The winner is Luna!" He said slowly yet without really believing in his own words. But as soon as his brain seemed to process what just happened, he smiles and putting his hands on his hips he said: "That means Rockruff is your new pokemon, YEAH!" "I can't believe!" Lillie was looking at me in complete amazement. The Rockruff howled bellow me and tried to bite me. I let him go and stoop up cleaning my new shirt, but he does not seem even a little happy with that. "Rockruff," I called and the small dog turned to face me, but with his head down in humiliation, I could not see his eyes. "I know you agreed with that gamble, but I will not force into being in my team." He looked at me surprised, and so does Kukui and Lillie. "Pew?" "I will not force into my team, but if you want to, there is still place for you!" I said offering my hand. "That's very honorable," Kukui entered the conversation and walked toward me. "But brings me back to our last conversation." "What conversation?" I asked looking at his face. "Those gifts I should give you, yeah!" He took something from both of his pockets. "This is a Pokedex, you may use it to discover a pokemon's type just by looking, but to gather more information you'll need those Pokeball." I took the small and red machine he was offering me, but when I was going to take the pokeballs, Rockruff jumped and used his paw to press one of them and was swallowed to inside it. "Welcome on board, Midnight!" I said smiling. If I have to say what is the worst part of being a pokemon trainer, I would say it is this stupid rule that 'A trainer can not refuse a pokemon battle.' Seriously, I had to beat five trainers just to climb my way toward Iki Town, and the only good part is that both Moon and Midnight are getting really good at this, they even learned a new move each, Moon learned an attack called 'Baby doll eyes, which is great to deal with grass type since their attack will lose some power, and Midnight learned sand attack, which really help a lot when dealing with a strong opponent... Not that I had seen any. "Where is she?" I wandered while finishing my way to the Town, the main stairs are almost in view right now. Kukui was the first one to leave the lab, and not long after that, I came leaving Lillie behind since she said she wanted to be sure that Nebby will not break free from her beg this time (Which I really doubt). But I had been stopped a lot of times and she was not even close to my sight. I looked at the setting sun, actually the only thing in my sight are two people dressed in a REALLY strange way, I mean, it is literally blue everywhere with a strange machinery pattern. "Measuring the number of auras here... The numbers seem a bit high. What do you think captain?" A feminine but serious voice asked the person at her side. "Hm! What was that? Did you say something? I was... Well, I was certainly not distracted by this foolish display of festivity!" Seriously man? "So there are aura readings in this place... Maybe it is the influence from the one they call the island Kahuna..." I wonder what do they want to say with 'auras', and what does Hala have to do with all of that. "But everything is so bright here in Alola... Far brighter than we had been told it would be. I find it loathsome. this awful brightness." "Even though this is the light we have sought for so long?" The woman asked back. "Y-Yes, I suppose you are right..." The man answered a little bewildered. "We must carry our investigations to return the light to our own world as well before the Blinding one awaken..." 'OUR WORLD?' They turned away from Iki Town and started to walk toward somewhere else, but I will not let they escape from my grasp so easily. I stepped from behind the tree I was hiding and stopped exactly where they will have to walk. "YOU- You are not a native of Alola either, are you?" The woman asked me with a surprised expression, while the 'Captain' just stared me while playing with his mustache. "Great," I said and started to walk toward them. "That saves me from giving explanations, but you two still have to talk." "Well, looks like we have an interesting character in our midst, did not we?" The man said looking at me. "But you should not have all that anger when requesting something from someone else." "Well, excuse me if being taken away from my home letting my sister behind was not in my plans for my Saturday!" I answered feeling my veins throbbing inside me. "But looks like you two had a different approaching in this situation." "Huh?" The man looked surprised at me. "Captain, do you think?" "Indeed... Looks like she came from an Ultra-wormhole without intention," "Believe me, I guessed that much," I responded aggressively. "What I am really interested is in the fact that you two DID NOT seem to be here against your will." "Well, of course, this is because..." "THERE YOU ARE!" A very familiar voice yelled from behind me. "C'MON, WE'RE ALREADY LATE!" Before I could react, and with way more strength than I thought she would be able to muster, Lillie came from apparently nowhere and held my hand within her grasp and simply dragged me toward Iki Town with impressive speed. "WAIT, LILLIE, I HAVE TO..." I looked to where I had been just a second before and I saw that both of those two had already disappeared. Just my luck...