Alice sat cross-legged where Sam had stood for his battle, her belt laid flat along the ground with her six Poké Balls sitting neatly in a row above it. With her hand on her chin, she stared at her balls with complete dread, uncertain if she had chosen the right order for her team. Sam stood with his back against the southernmost rampart, occasionally glancing through the gap in the wall to look down on Hapu’s progress with the healing of her Pokémon.
He kept his eye on her as she fastened the last of her Ultra Balls to her belt before placing a small flat device inside of a safe dug into the ground beside the mountain. Closing the grass-patched lid down to remain flush with the rest of the greenery, she turned the key inside the keyhole to lock it before leaving it to make her way back up.
Sam turned to his sister and began to walk toward her. “Hope you figured it out, because she’s on her way now.”
Alice hummed uncomfortably before she began to place her Poké Balls back into her belt where she had found them. “Okay, okay, I’m ready!”
“Just relax. You got this.”
Alice struggled to feed her belt though the loops on her waistband. “Easy for you to say now that you’ve cleared her trial!”
Sam stepped up to her and grabbed her wrist with one hand to stop her and pulled the clip holding her Poké Balls off the belt with the other. “There, now it should be easier.”
Alice took a moment to realize what Sam had done for her. She hung her head low as she began to pull her belt without issue.
“Seriously,” Sam curtly asked, “are you scared or something?”
Alice blew out a huff. “It really sucks having to admit that to you of all people.”
“I get that, but what the hell for?”
Alice jerked the end of her belt through the buckle before getting it into the tightest rung. “She’s a lot stronger than she lets on, but I shouldn’t need to tell you that. In terms of type and move advantages, I’m fighting her on the same level as you did, and even then, you barely beat her…”
“Hey, hey, listen!” Sam knelt down to her and grabbed both of her arms, keeping her still and silent. “You’re Alice fucking Brier.”
“Sam–”
“Sorry, but look, I may be older and taller than you, but I’ve always been looking up to you ever since you came back from that camping trip to Mount Terminus. Believe me when I say if I can beat Hapu in one try, than you will too.”
“Uh… am I interrupting something here?” Sam and Alice turned over to the top of the ramp to the plateau, seeing Hapu standing there mildly threatened and confused.
Sam let go of his sister and hopped backward out of his kneel, removing himself from his awkward position. “Nah, just giving my sister a little pep talk before her battle.”
“Do you need me to give you more time, or… there’s really no rush here–”
“No,” Alice said with a wave of her hand, “I think I’m ready.”
“You think you’re ready, or are you actually ready, because from what I heard you and your brother saying–”
“No, no, I’m ready. For real. Let’s do this.”
Hapu let out a breath, unwilling to fight her any longer on the issue. “Okay then, let’s just see how ready you actually are.”
As Hapu began making her way to her side of the plateau to stand, Alice took a deep breath herself, hoping it would help her move her feet off the ground.
Sam walked up to Alice and gently slapped her on the side of the shoulder. “You’re going to do fine. Trust me.”
Sam walked over to the other corner of the plateau, standing directly beside the end of the wall with the downward winding path. Alice glanced over to Hapu, who finally reached her spot and began to turn around to where her opponent would be. Alice jogged over to stand directly in front of Hapu on the opposite end of the plateau, squeezing and flexing her fists as she awaited the Kahuna to start the battle.
“You still look a little nervous, Alice,” Hapu shouted out once again. “I’m only asking this out of formality, but are you–”
“YES!” Alice screamed. “Yes, for the very last time, I’m ready! Bring it on, Hapu!”
“Hoo…” Hapu softly whooped as she pulled her first Ultra Ball from her belt. “I guess you really are. Go, Dugtrio!”
With a throw of her ball, it opened up and spat out its white energy straight at the ground, digging another hole for her three long-haired moles to poke their heads out from.
Alice nodded at her situation as she threw a Poké Ball straight from her belt. “You’re on, Lycanroc!”
Alice’s ball opened and brought out her stony light-brown wolf, who growled at Dugtrio upon its paws landing upon the ground.
Hapu let out a chuckle. “You and your brother seem to have a knack for pitting my Dugtrio against Pokémon that are weaker than it.”
“Why don’t you attack him and see how weak it really is!” Alice tucked chin over her neck, trying to hide her nervous gulp.
Hapu’s mouth parted open before she caught herself, closing it back up with a smile. “Alright, challenge accepted. Dugtrio, attack Lycanroc with Earthquake!”
Dugtrio rose out of its hole for a brief moment before it pulled itself back down, a seismic pulse spanning across the battlefield. Large cracks in the ground began to spread out toward Lycanroc, and as Lycanroc sidestepped to avoid them as they appeared beneath it, Dugtrio pushed through the ground, shooting large chunks of rock and dirt at Alice’s Pokémon that struck multiple points of its body.
Lycanroc rolled to a limp stop, Alice breathing in a hissy breath through her teeth. “Lycanroc, are you alright?”
With a moan, Lycanroc picked its body up to lay on its stomach upright, Alice gasping in joy.
“Yes, that’s it!” Hearing Alice’s voice, Lycanroc pulled itself up to all fours, awaiting Alice’s next order. “Now, finish Dugtrio off with Counter!”
Lycanroc bared its fangs and loudly snarled at Dugtrio as it dug its claws into the ground. Pulling off, Lycanroc bounded at Dugtrio, who was frozen in fear as the wolf came at it faster than it could ever expect. With a final leap, Lycanroc dove at Dugtrio, driving its balled-up paws into its two smaller heads while it tucked its head in and smashed the top of it into Dugrtrio’s larger third head. Dugtrio was swept back several feet before coming to a hard stop, its heads leaning out as they failed to keep them up.
“Holy damn…” Hapu whispered.
“Hah!” Alice cheered. “Nice one, boy!”
Lycanroc looked back at Alice and let out a short, appreciative howl. Upon hearing Hapu’s Ultra Ball shoot its red beam at her fainted Pokémon, Lycanroc scuttled back toward Alice, awaiting their opponent’s next Pokémon.
Upon her ball’s beam returning to the center button, Hapu dropped her arm by her side, still winded by the quick takedown her Dugtrio endured. “Well, it already looks like you’re in a much better place than your brother at this point.”
“I guess we just both underestimate me,” Alice huffed with a cheeky grin.
“I suppose we do, but now I’m wondering if any of your other Pokémon will be as well equipped to face my next Pokémon as your brother’s Lurantis was.” Alice’s unconfident grimace told Hapu all she needed to know. “Oh, I guess not.” Hapu put Dugtrio’s ball back onto her belt and took out another before throwing it forward. “Alright! Your turn, Gastrodon!”
Hapu’s ball opened up, the energy inside seeming to turn gelatinous as it streamed down to the ground and formed into her blue and green slug. Lycanroc reared back, visibly anxious about fighting it.
“It’s okay, Lycanroc,” Alice encouraged, “you can still do this! Attack Gastrodon with Stone Edge!”
Forcing out a threatening façade, Lycanroc dug its front two paws into the earth, which trembled ever so slightly with the attack it was about to summon. It then pulled its claws out from the ground and swung them upward hard enough to make it stand upright.
“Gastrodon, dodge it!” Gastrodon slid to the right on its trainer’s command.
Just before Lycanroc’s pointed stone pillar could shoot up from the ground, Gastrodon squeezed the left side of its body in, the pillar missing Hapu’s Pokémon as it curved its body around it. Lycanroc’s eyes sunk as it realized its attack failed, Alice trying her best to not have her aura of anger and disappointment radiate toward her Pokémon.
“Nice job, Gastrodon,” Hapu exclaimed, “now finish Lycanroc off with Muddy Water!”
Gastrodon breathed in as its body and neck began to inflate with liquid. It then spat out a dense, wide spray of brown, murky water that pelted into Lycanroc’s face and brought it low to the ground. Hapu’s Pokémon refused to let up, keeping up its relentless torrent until it finally saw Lycanroc’s body tip onto its side out of exhaustion. Though Lycanroc was half-caked in patches of mud and dirt, Alice could see that her Pokémon had fainted.
Sam glowered, uncertain how Alice would react to this. With a distraught sigh, Alice detached Lycanroc’s ball from her belt and aimed it at her Pokémon, the red beam connecting with it and receding back in with it.
Alice looked at her Poké Ball, able to maintain a stoic frown. “It’s okay. You were a huge help. Thank you, Lycanroc.”
Sam nodded and smiled, happy to see Alice remain cool. Neither Hapu nor her Gastrodon seemed to care, only concerned about which Pokémon she’d send out next. Upon putting her Lycanroc’s ball back onto her belt, she placed her hand over three balls, her fingers trembling over which one she would eventually send out.
“Come on! The suspense it killing us!” Hapu’s bark was met with a loud, squeaky cry by Gastrodon, who also shared her sentiments.
“Hey, give me a break here!” Alice then lowered her voice as she looked between her three Poké Balls. “I’m already set on saving Raichu for the end, so which one of you…” With a meditative breath out, Alice finally plucked a Poké Ball off her belt with her fingers and tossed it out before she could change her mind. “Alright, Mimikyu, your turn!”
With her ball shooting open and pouring its energy out, Mimikyu plopped onto the field and stared at Hapu’s Pokémon with its slightly lopsided fake head.
“A Mimikyu?” Hapu carefully surveyed it. “Interesting choice.”
“You and I both know that your Gastrodon's going to be one of the hardest for me to take out,” Alice responded, “and this little guy may just be the powerhouse I need to do so!”
“You can certainly try, Alice, but Gastrodon is still fully healthy, and if Mimikyu defeating it is what it’s going to take to help you win, I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen!”
“But what if I did this?” Alice removed the Fairium Z from the side of her Z-Ring and placed it into its face, quickly moving to cross her arms up.
Both Sam and Hapu gasped as Alice’s Z-Ring lit up, her Mimikyu suddenly standing more alert. Alice put her arms down and then crossed them back out, Mimikyu’s shadow arms sliding out from underneath its disguise. Both trainer and Pokémon formed a heart with their hands before standing on one leg and folding their arms into small fairy wings.
Hapu shielded her face as Alice’s bright Z-Power shot from her back and swirled about into her Pokémon’s body. “Already using your Z-Move? With the Fairium-Z Mina just gave you, no less?”
“Whatever works, right?” Alice forcefully swung her arm forward, pointing in Gastrodon’s directon. “Mimikyu, attack Gastrodon with Twinkle Tackle!”
With the aura emanating off of Mimikyu turning pink and glittery, Mimikyu ran forward at Gastrodon, a bright comet tail trailing off behind it. Jumping up ever so slightly, Mimikyu collided the entire front of its body into Gastrodon’s chest and face, the force scrunching it in. Finally, a bright pink firework explosion blasted between the two, hurling Hapu’s Pokémon into the back wall of the rampart, Hapu leaping back to the left to avoid it from hitting her.
Some of its body spread out along the wall as the force splattered it into the barrier. Like a single large blob, it slowly rolled down into a weak pile before slowly rolling onto its stomach like normal. Once Mimikyu ran back to its trainer’s side, it looked back to see Gastrodon crawling back to its original spot, making it slump over unhappily.
“That’s alright, Mimikyu! Just another hit or so and we got this!” Mimikyu sprung back up, instantly encouraged by Alice’s words.
“‘Or so’s’ just about right,” Hapu purred. “Gastrodon, attack Mimikyu with Mud Bomb!”
With a puffing up of its cheeks, Gastrodon spat out a large ball of mud like a cannon, its shot hitting the neck of Mimikyu’s disguise and snapping the head backward, its drawn-on eyes now staring back at Alice. Sam breathed out in annoyance as he folded the lobes of her ears over the holes of them and held them down. As Sam predicted, Mimikyu began to tremble violently before it let out a piercing screech that Hapu was completely unprepared for, slamming the palms of her gloved hands over the sides of her head.
“That’s it, Mimikyu,” Alice shouted, “get angry! Now, hit Gastrodon with Shadow Claw!”
Mimikyu darted out as its scream began to peter out, its head comically bouncing and twisting about on the ground. With its arms sliding back out from underneath it, it wound them to the right and kept its glare on Gastrodon, who tensed up as it prepared to weather the attack for the sake of its trainer. With a dual swing of its arms, Mimikyu slashed its jagged shadow fingers into Gastrodon’s chest, sending it back, the whiplash jerking its head forward, nearly hitting the ground. Mimikyu hopped back toward Alice, struggling to keep the head from spinning and twist the neck into a tighter chord.
Hapu lightly stamped the ground as her Pokémon failed to pick its head up. “Gastrodon, get up! You can still do this!” Gastrodon picked its head up just an inch, a sign of its consciousness that Hapu was more than happy to accept. “That’s it! Now, attack Mimikyu with Ice Beam!”
With its head seemingly unable to move any higher, both Alice and Mimikyu relaxed themselves, waiting for the inevitable moment that Hapu would have to return her Pokémon back into its ball. At the very same moment, Gastrodon swung its head up, instantly firing its frigid beam straight and true at Mimikyu’s body. Just as Mimikyu could spring back into attention, its disguise was blasted by the attack, a thick, cold mist billowing out around it and into Alice, who hugged onto herself to keep warm.
Once Gastrodon was finished, Hapu, Sam, and Alice leaned in to look into the cloud as it began to evaporate. Even before the air had fully cleared, Alice and Sam were both agonizingly awestruck to see Mimikyu standing still as a statue, almost the entirety of its disguise frosted over.
Hapu felt a wide grin come across her face. “Gastrodon, you lucky mother…”
“Mimikyu!” Alice called to her Pokémon. “Come on, you can’t stay frozen now! We’re still in this! Come on, attack Gastrodon with Play Rough!”
Mimikyu grunted as it twisted to the right a couple of inches, the only movement it was capable of. One of its shivering arms then slithered out from under its disguise and began to scratch and scrape away at the ice on its body as well as its near-petrified body could allow.
“Looks like this isn’t your Mimikyu’s lucky day,” Hapu breathed out, an air of sympathy filling her voice. “Okay, Gastrodon, see if you can finish Mimikyu off with Muddy Water!”
Gastrodon began to fill its body up once again, Mimikyu beginning to scratch itself faster and more desperately. Once its body held as much as it could take, Gastrodon let its mouth open, letting out a torrent of brown water that swept into Mimikyu hard enough to knock it on its back as if it were a mere chess piece. The waters sloshed up onto it as it continued to be pushed and rolled back to its trainer. Once the waters had drained away, most of the ice covering Mimikyu had melted off, its body began to deflate as the form inside its disguse could no longer muster the will to fight on.
Sam looked to Alice, whose arms and fists were trembling in fear as the battle began to slip away from her. “Don’t let it get to you! Just send your next Pokémon out and finish it off!”
Alice, hearing her brother loud and clear, tore Mimikyu’s ball off her belt and aimed it down at her fainted Mimikyu. As the red beam shot down onto her Pokémon and converted it to red energy, she took another ball off her belt by the time the red beam of Mimikyu’s ball shot back in through the center button. After putting Mimikyu’s ball back onto her belt, she lobbed her other Poké Ball behind her back and caught it in her other hand.
“You got this now?” Hapu asked genuinely.
“I think I will after this.” Alice sent her ball flying with a wide swing of her arm. “Go, Noivern!”
Alice’s ball burst open as the energy inside spread out wide, forming into Noivern’s wings as the rest of its body came to be. Noivern roared a high-pitch roar at Hapu and her Pokémon, neither of whom seemed to be too stunned by its volume or power.
“So you send a Dragon and Flying-type to finish off the job?” Hapu wondered, her patience fading. “Looks like you need a reminder. Gastrodon, attack Noivern with Ice Beam!”
Gastrodon’s mouth began to turn cold as an orb of white formed inside of it.
Alice was able to work up a smirk. “No reminder necessary! Noivern, finish off Gastrodon off with Boomburst!”
The air in Noivern’s ears began to rumble, becoming more and more impossible to see its features with each passing moment. Gastrodon and Noivern launched their attacks at the same time, Noivern’s sonic explosion ready to meet Gastrodon’s chilly beam. To Hapu’s shock, Noivern’s Boomburst completely eradicated Gastrodon’s Ice Beam, suppressing it with ease as it made its way unimpeded to Hapu’s Pokémon.
Gastrodon and Hapu were caught in the blast, slammed by the wall of noise that Noivern had created. The strength was enough to fling Gastrodon and its trainer off its stomach and her feet, both of them tumbling to a stop into the wall. Hapu took several deep breaths as she regained the wind that was knocked out of her. Glancing over to her Gastrodon, she found it laying unconscious in an uncomfortable slump where it had managed to rest.
Alice leapt off the ground with a kick of her legs and a punch into the air. “Hell yeah, Noivern! Give me some!”
Holding her hand out, Noivern reached its right wing back and slapped the tip of it against her palm. Hapu couldn’t help but smile warmly at the sight, seeing the clear love and friendship Alice and her Pokémon shared between each other. Looking over to her fainted Gastrodon, she pet it around its face.
“Took out a Mimikyu all by yourself,” she said to it. “Not too shabby, girl.”
Standing up to her feet, she detached Gastrodon’s ball from her belt and returned her Pokémon into it. Stepping forward, Alice and Noivern both noticed her approach and stood to attention for her.
“So now I’m half-finished again.” Hapu shook her head, realizing something. “In fact, you’re in the same exact spot now that your brother was. I can’t exactly say if that’s because you two are so equally strong, or if it’s just how luck ordained it, but I can tell you that the end of your Alolan journeys are going to be intense.”
“And we each have five more trainers to face off against!” Sam commented. “And they’re supposedly even harder than you!”
Hapu let out a chuckle. “You’ll just have to see about that for yourselves when you get there.”
“Until then…” Alice patted her hand upon Noivern’s knee, getting it to step forward for Hapu’s next Pokémon. “We still have to finish this battle before then, so send out your next Pokémon, Hapu! We’re dying to face him!”
“Hah, very well!” Hapu replaced Gastrodon’s ball and her next Pokémon’s ball with a single motion of her hand before throwing it out toward Alice’s Pokémon. “Let’s go, Flygon!”
The Ultra Ball came open and spat its energy to fly past Noivern’s head before it expanded out and took the shape of Hapu’s green dragon. Sam, Alice, and Noivern watched as Flygon soared gracefully around the mountain before swinging around to behind Hapu before aerially vaulting itself above the wall of the rampart and landing in front of its trainer, bouncing up and down on the tips of its toes as it stared at Noivern.
“Looks like Flygon’s really looking forward to this next battle,” Hapu mused.
“Frankly, so am I.” Alice pointed her finger forward at Hapu’s dragon. “Noivern, attack Flygon with Dragon Pulse!”
Noivern’s mouth filled up with blue-and-purple energy, which escaped from the sides of its mouth like fire. With a fast opening of its mouth, Noivern fired its draconic aura like a cannon, striking Noivern hard in the chest, sliding it back several feet and into its trainer.
“That’s okay, Flygon,” she encouraged, rubbing up and down his back. “It’s just one attack. You’ll hit her back harder!” Flygon stepped back into its original spot, the side of its tail affectionately running against Hapu’s face. “Alright Flygon, attack Noivern back with Dragon Rush!”
Bending down and tucking its legs in, Flygon pushed off the ground with tremendous force, its wings helping it pick up speed as a blue cone of light formed around its head. Noivern was not ready to defend itself as Flygon tackled itself into it, flinging it off of its feet. Alice dove out of the way as the two Pokémon passed by her and into the back of the rampart wall, shattering a twenty-foot-wide part of it off and blasting hundreds of pieces of it toward the ocean.
“Holy shit!” Sam couldn’t help but shout.
Flygon tilted upward and toward the sky, leaving Noivern to fall toward the water with the rest of the debris. Hugging its wings to its chest, it managed to roll around to face the water before spreading them back out, gliding safely over the sea before it brought itself higher with a flap of its wings. As it spiraled upward to reach Flygon’s altitude, Alice hopped up off the ground and looked up to the sky, watching as her dragon deftly rose to meet its opponent.
Alice pumped her fist, happy to see her Pokémon recover so quickly. “Good job, Noivern! Now, let’s see how well that Flygon will take a Hurricane attack!”
Noivern finally reached Flygon several stories above the mountain. Fanning its arms in rapid succession, gusts of winds began to pick up and spread out to where Flygon hovered. A vortex was formed, and Flygon began to get itself pulled into it. Flygon sqinted determinably, twisting its body away from the tornado and wrapping its backside around it, flying around it and picking up speed.
“Ah, shit…” Alice hissed.
“Smart thinking, Flygon!” Hapu shouted. “Now, hit ‘er again with Dragon Rush whenever you’re ready!”
Flygon continued to ride around Alice’s attack, groaning as each turn became tighter and tighter with each revolution increasing its speed. Noivern also kept its distance, watching as a cone of blue light streamed violently down Flygon’s head. Unable to withhold a roar of strained effort, Flygon pulled itself away from the Hurricane, its speeds only serving to slingshot it at Noivern. Noivern leaned back to let Flygon pass over it, but Flygon managed to pull itself downward, torpedoing into Noivern’s gut as its body completely folded around Flygon’s head.
“No, Noivern!” Alice cried.
Flygon let its wings out to slow itself to a fast halt, shooting Noivern off its body and letting it fall unconsciously toward the sea.
“Crap!” Alice tore her hat off her head and spun back around and sprinted toward the edge of the plateau, running through the gap in the wall Flygon’s first attack created.
“Alice?!” Sam ran out to the center of the battlefield, watching as his sister leapt off with all her might.
Alice pulled a Poké Ball off her belt and held it close to her chest. “Gyarados!”
With the ball opening up and the energy spreading out wide and long beneath her, Alice’s red, shimmering serpentine fish appeared, Alice grabbing hold of one of its fins and pulling herself down to mount it. As they came low to the water, Alice tucked her body in and took a breath as she held onto Gyarados’s fin for dear life. Gyardados dove into the water, submerging the two of them. Alice kept holding on as her Pokémon curved its body upward and leapt out from the water, now flying upon the magnetic plates attached to its stomach.
Now back up in the air, Alice looked up to find her Noivern plummeting due east. With a tight turn right, Gyarados aimed itself to where Alice’s Pokémon would fall, slithering as it picked up speed. On the plateau, Hapu and Sam rushed to a window in the eastern wall, Flygon descending down to join them in observing Alice’s daring rescue. Alice readied Noivern’s Poké Ball as they came closer to it less than ten stories above the water. Once it got to about five stories closer, Alice held her ball out and shouted, the red beam shooting out as it prepared to meet Noivern just above the point of crashing.
Upon the beam hitting it, Alice’s wyvern turned red and translucent, the energy it became splashing and spreading out along the ocean’s surface before it was gathered back into to a single straight line that was sucked back inside the ball. Sam and Hapu breathed a sigh of relief as they stepped away from the window, returning to their spots to await Alice’s return. Alice looked down at Noivern’s Poké Ball and also permitted herself to breathe out in respite.
Alice patted Gyarados’s back and gave it a couple of firm strokes. “Good work, Gyarados. Knew I could count on you.”
Gyarados let out a loud, thankful purr as it circled back toward the flat mountain of Exeggutor Island. As it made its way, Gyarados swung around to the north end of the plateau, slowly passing the broken wall and shifted ever so closely to it. Once she found an opening, she slipped off her Pokémon’s back and landed right in the center of the gap. Walking back to her original spot, she picked up her discarded hat and affixed it to the top of her head, turning the brim to face behind her. Gyarados circled back around to fit its body between the broken wall, holding its head up above its trainer.
“That was a nice save you made there,” Hapu complimented, “though I’m going to guess that you didn’t just send out your Gyarados to rescue your Noivern.”
Alice smirked, Hapu’s uncanny intuition tickling her. “It just seemed like the right time.”
“Well, alright then!” Hapu threw her pointed finger out. “Flygon, attack her Gyarados with Stone Edge!”
“Just you hold on there, Hapu! Sam’s not the only one with Kalosian tricks!” Holding up her Z-Ring, she pressed her fingers into the Key Stone held inside, both it and the Gyaradosite clasped to the center prong of its trident horn glowing brightly.
“No way! You can Mega Evolve too?”
“Respond to my heart, Key Stone! Beyond evolution! Mega Evolve!”
As bands of DNA-shaped light began bursting out of Alice’s Z-Ring, Flygon swung its lower body back, raising its tail up. The strands of light looped around on both sides of Gyarados’s neck before they entered into its Mega Stone at once. Flygon swung its tail out. Gyarados shivered immensely as the Key Stone’s energy began to spread out from its head down the length of its body, making its tail wring out like a whip.
As a small trail of rocks rose from the ground in a straight line toward Gyarados, its metamorphosis continued, its chest expanding, its horn elongating, and two large fins spreading out along the sides of its back. Though the light of the Key Stone till surrounded Gyarados’s body, Flygon’s Stone Edge attack jutted off from the corner of the plateau, jabbing Gyarados in the stomach and shattering the energy off of it. Though the force of the attack pushed it back, Mega Gyarados didn’t look hurt enough by the attack to give Hapu or her Pokémon any sense of hope.
“Now it’s no longer a Flying-type,” Hapu mused. “Alice, you crafty…”
“I have to imagine Noivern’s Dragon Pulse still hit your Flygon hard,” Alice called back, “but I can’t imagine how well it’s going to fare against an Ice-type move from a Mega-Evolved Pokémon!”
“Ice… don’t tell me…”
“Mega Gyarados! Finish off Flygon with Ice Fang!”
Mega Gyarados let out an intimidating roar that left Flygon trembling as it still fluttered about in the air. Alice’s Pokémon then dove forward with its maw wide open, each one of its fangs crystalizing with frost. With Flygon too frightened to avoid the attack, Mega Gyarados gripped the dragon tightly in its frozen teeth before swinging its head down, slamming Flygon into the ground. A strong, single gust of wind blew into Hapu upon her Pokémon’s body hitting the floor, though it didn’t take her long to realize from her Pokémon’s sprawled position on the ground that it had fainted.
Blowing a disappointed sigh, Hapu pulled Flygon’s Ultra Ball from her belt and returned her Pokémon into it. Mega Gyarados then floated outside the plateau before going around it and stopping above Alice to face Hapu and her next Pokémon.
“That should have been expected…” Hapu opened her eyes back up and looked her opponent in hers. “Well, Alice, looks like you only have one more Pokémon to deal with, and already, you and your Mega Gyarados are ahead of the curve as far as your types are concerned. Although, my Mudsdale has already taken out one Mega Evolved Pokémon today, so let’s see if we can defeat another!”
Alice clenched her fist at Hapu in support. “Go for it, Hapu! We’re looking forward to it!”
Mega Gyarados roared at Hapu, only serving to make Hapu’s pulling her Mudsdale’s ball off her belt all the more exhilarating.
With a purposeful throw, she sent her ball out straight and true. “You got this, Mudsdale!”
The Ultra Ball burst open, a massive stream of energy shooting out from it until it took the form of Hapu’s stocky horse of dirt, who whinnied in preparation to carry the rest of the battle for its trainer.
“Alright, Mega Gyarados,” Alice shouted, “it’s Water vs. Ground; you got this in the bag! Now, hit him with Aqua Tail!”
Mega Gyarados arched upward toward the sky while holding its tail back, which began to sweat profusely with moisture. It then swung it forward, the water now pouring out the sides of its fin as it prepared to slap the Mudsdale with all its might.
“Mudsdale!” Hapu’s Pokémon leapt to the right on her cry, the left tip of its tail fin lightly grazing it.
“Hah!” Alice gasped. “Dammit!”
“Great work, Mudsdale! Now get her with Double Kick.”
Mega Gyarados’s back faced Hapu’s Mudsdale from up above, exposing it to it. The Mudsdale then leapt up on its strong, powerful legs and flipped back, its momentum driving both hooves into the center of Mega Gyarados’s back and sending it higher upward. As Mega Gyarados screeched in agony, it uncomfortably rolled back upright as quickly as its suddenly sore spine would allow, Hapu’s Mudsdale landing firmly on all fours again.
Alice looked up at her Pokémon, who kept its distance up in the air. “Don’t worry about it, you got this one! Now try again with another Aqua Tail!”
Mega Gyarados descended headfirst, picking up speed. Snaking down the center of the plateau, it leaned itself to the right and began to curl its tail in, swinging it to the left.
“Mudsdale,” Hapu shouted, “dodge it again!”
With its water-coated tail coming at it from the side, Hapu’s Mudsdale leapt upward. Before the tail could pass underneath the Mudsdale, Mega Gyarados picked its tail up as hard and fast as it could, this time managing to connect its attack on the horse’s upper left side. The Mudsdale let out a loud squeal as it was knocked hard into the right side of the rampart wall, which caught it from falling over the plateau’s edge. The bricks could not hold in place, and the portion of the wall that the Mudsdale hit began to crumble on top of it.
“Ah!” Hapu took a couple quick steps toward her Pokémon. “Mudsdale, are you–”
The bricks began to shift as Hapu’s Mudsdale’s head poked up out from them, the rest of its body appearing as it stood out and slowly walked out from the wreckage toward the awaiting Mega Gyarados. Hapu let out a relieved breath that slowly evolved into cheeky giggling.
Alice picked up her head, intrigued. “What’s so funny, Hapu?”
“Oh, I just realized something, is all,” she answered back. “When you Mega Evolved your Gyarados, it went from a Flying-type to a Dark-type right before Flygon’s Stone Edge could have hit it. Truth be told, if you had kept your Gyarados as it was, that Stone Edge would have dealt a lot of damage, but now that it’s in its Mega form, my Mudsdale will absolutely defeat it now!”
“What are you–”
“Mudsdale! Finish off Mega Gyarados with Counter!”
Alice and Sam both gasped as Hapu’s Mudsdale broke into a fast, strong gallop. As Mega Gyarados tried to shirk away, exposing its underside, the Mudsdale leapt up at it, the ground it pushed off of pulsing with a reddish-brown energy. With its speed increased by its jump, the Mudsdale tucked its head in and bashed the top of it into Mega Gyarados’s chest. A visible blast of dust burst out in all directions as Mega Gyarados was thrown off to the west outside the mountain. Alice ran to the path at the top of the mountain as her Pokémon floated downward, its body turning bright before the Key Stone’s energy broke away from it, returning her Gyarados to normal.
“Gyarados!” Standing and stretching out with only the ball of her right foot on the ledge, Alice reached her Poké Ball out as far as she could as the red beam shot out far away and managed to connect with her fainted serpent.
Falling back onto her bottom in the center of the path, Alice kept her free hand on the ground as the rest of the Poké Ball’s beam receded back into it. Alice didn’t even wait to put the ball back on her belt, instead placing it upon her chest over her heart, breathing in heavily as she waited to no longer hear her heartbeat.
Sam swung around the exit to the plateau and rushed to his sister, kneeling beside her. “Alice! You alright?”
Alice continued panting, glancing up at her brother. “Other than nearly falling off another cliff… wonderful.”
“Okay, you’re alright now. Come on, you have to finish this.”
Offering his hand, Alice reached up and grabbed hold of Sam’s wrist as they helped pull her up onto her feet. As Sam casually walked back to continue observing the match, Alice jogged back to her own spot, placing Gyarados’s ball onto her belt and taking out the next one she intended to use. Once Sam spun around the corner of the entrance to the plateau and leaned against the wall to relax, Alice turned to him and nodded, thanking him for his support.
“Alright, Hapu,” Alice said, turning back forward, “your Mudsdale already a took hard hit from my Mega Gyarados, and I still have one Pokémon left with a move strong enough to possibly guarantee my victory next turn. Are you both ready to face him?”
Hapu and her Mudsdale glowered, prepared to take on Alice’s next Pokémon.
“Him?” Sam muttered to himself, suddenly easing back down upon realizing it. “Oh yeah, that might do it…”
Alice sent her ball out. “Let’s do this, Raichu!”
With her ball coming open, Alice’s large orange rat soared out from its energy, standing on its tail as it playfully looped once around Hapu and her Mudsdale before returning to Alice’s side.
Hapu still couldn’t help but look nervous. “So you sent out an Electric-type to face a Ground-type… just what move does your Raichu know…?”
“The anticipation’s killing me too,” Alice shouted, “so let’s get on with it! Raichu, attack Mudsdale with Grass Knot!”
“Grass Knot?!”
A green glow began to cover Raichu’s body, and it strained to concentrate all its power into this hopefully final attack. As Mudsdale’s hooves lightly tapped the ground in anxiousness, six thick vines jutted out from the ground, four of which held its limbs in place while the other two wrapped around its neck and over and around its back and waist.
Hapu’s Mudsdale screamed out for its trainer as the vines then began to pull downward. The horse tried to hold itself up with all its might, but the pull only continued to get stronger. Finally, Mudsdale could no longer stand, and the vines force ultimately slammed the side of Mudsdale’s body into the floor, cracking the ground and throwing a cloud of dirt upward. The green light covering Raichu’s body sunk back into its fur as it looked into the dust to see if it had indeed gotten the job done.
“Mu…” Hapu reached out toward the cloud. “Mudsdale?”
Sam tightly crossed his arms and kept his eyes focused on where Hapu’s Mudsdale was pinned. Finally, the silhouette of a Mudsdale began to stir inside the haze of dirt, Sam, Alice, and her Raichu seizing up at the instant awareness that Hapu’s Pokémon had survived.
“Mudsdale?!” Hapu’s horse stepped out from the cloud, its body scuffed and mildly bruised, but still in fair enough health. “Oh my god, Mudsdale!”
“Dammit!” Alice growled. “Raichu, just get ready!”
Raichu held out its paws like fists, preparing for Hapu’s Mudsdale’s retaliation. Hapu, despite the sudden upturn in her situation, appeared calm and complacent, smiling warmly at Alice and her Pokémon.
“You know I have to be the luckiest trainer alive to have their Mudsdale survive an Aqua Tail from a Mega Evolved Pokémon as well as a Grass Knot. In any case, I gotta’ take my victories where I can, and make full use of them!”
Hapu crossed her arms in front of her chest, her Z-Ring flaring up and her Mudsdale shooting to attention. After putting her arms back down and crossing them back out, she spun around to the right before falling into a lunge and reaching her left arm up. Hapu’s Z-Power erupted from her arm like a volcano, raining back down at once onto her Mudsdale as it soaked in through its skin. Raichu clenched its teeth as it saw the Mudsdale’s aura begin to flare up all around its body.
“Alice!” Hapu shouted out. “I know you still have one last Pokémon left to fight for you, and I know that there’s hardly any point in using this Z-Move knowing Mudsdale still has to face it after this, but even in the face of defeat, I’ll still give you my all! Mudsdale, attack her Raichu with Tectonic Rage!”
Hapu’s Mudsdale whinnied as it jumped off its front hooves, its Z-Power channeling itself to them. Stomping both hooves onto the ground, it began to split open, the crack running its way toward Raichu before passing underneath it, heading toward the edge of the plateau. Raichu looked underneath itself as the space between the broken rock turned hot and red.
With another whinny now sounding off above it, Raichu and Alice looked up as Hapu’s Mudsdale went airborne, already making its way back down toward the rat. With a wince, Raichu spun toward Alice and swung its arm out, throwing Alice out of the way with its psychic powers. Raichu then looked back up at the approaching Mudsdale and shut its eyes.
The Mudsdale slammed its full weight onto Raichu, splitting the ground even wider as both Pokémon were wedged inside. With a boom vibrating from deep in the earth, a bright, warm light began to shine up through the fissure where Raichu and Hapu’s Mudsdale were. Alice sprung onto her knees just as a wall of molten rock rose out from the crack, her and Sam looking up it as they saw Raichu and the Mudsdale’s bodies inside of it.
Mudsdale leapt out from the lava and landed on the ground beside Hapu, its body billowing with steam and smoke. Raichu fell from the fires and onto the ground beside the ruptured floor as the lava fell back into it and quickly hardened, fixing the plateau once again. Alice blew a breath out her nose as she saw her Pokémon lie completely motionless save for its slow, steady breathing. Pulling its Poké Ball from her belt, Alice returned Raichu into it before standing up on her feet.
Hapu smiled as she watched Alice very quickly and confidently pull her last ball from her belt. “That’s it, Alice. You’ve got this now! Send out your last Pokémon and let’s finish this!”
Alice took one last look at her Poké Ball and smiled, admiring the circumstances before she threw it forward. “You’re on, Mudsdale!”
With the Poké Ball opening, a large mass of white energy burst out from it and formed upon the ground to form Alice’s Mudsdale, both Hapu and her own Mudsdale’s mouths going open in surprise.
Hapu grinned wide and let out a short laugh. “I couldn’t have asked for a better finish! Mudsdale, attack Alice’s Mudsdale with Heavy Slam!”
Alice smiled as Hapu’s Mudsdale galloped forward, a light sheen appearing on its body. “Couldn’t agree more. Mudsdale, attack Hapu’s Mudsdale with Superpower!”
Mudsdale galloped hard toward Hapu’s Mudsdale, its gaits stronger and faster. As Mudsdale fast approached, Hapu’s Mudsdale spun around and tucked its back legs in, ready for Mudsdale’s face to meet them. Hapu’s Mudsdale kicked out, and Mudsdale let out a loud, long whinny as it continued running without reservation. With its force, Mudsdale managed to wedge its snout between Hapu’s Mudsdale’s hooves as its attack went past both sides of Mudsdale’s head.
With Hapu’s Mudsdale’s stomach now exposed, Mudsdale tucked its head down and battered into it, Hapu’s Mudsdale folding around Mudsdale’s head as its front hooves were forced out from underneath it. Stamping to a hard stop, Mudsdale flung Hapu’s Mudsdale off its snout before it landed on its head and flipped all the way over onto its side, its landing shaking the ground hard enough to bounce Sam, Alice, and Hapu off their feet. As Hapu regained her balance, her Mudsdale slid to her backside first, its body lying still on the ground.
Hapu let out a breath as she walked around her Mudsdale’s body and knelt beside it, resting her body onto the side its stomach as she pet it. “I hardly deserve you. Thank you so much, Mudsdale!”
She then stood back up and pulled her Mudsdale’s Ultra Ball off her belt, pointing it down at it as the red beam returned it back inside. Alice approached her Mudsdale as she awaited Hapu to finally say the word.
“Thank you both for such a wonderful pair of battles!” Hapu exclaimed. “Alice, it gives me great pleasure to declare that you have now cleared your Grand Trial.”
Mudsdale turned around to face Alice, surprised to already find her standing her. With excited snuffles, Mudsdale scooped the length of its face into Alice’s stomach, lifting her up and forcing her to hug on tight. Once Mudsdale let her back down, Alice rubbed her hands up and down Mudsdale’s neck, her Pokémon resting its chin along her back.
Sam approached Alice and firmly planted the palm of his hand on his sister’s shoulder. “Did I not tell you, or what?”
Alice turned away from Mudsdale and leapt onto her brother, hugging him tight. Mudsdale stepped toward them and pushed on Sam’s back with its chin, sandwiching the siblings between it and its chest. Hapu put her hands to her hips as she admired the sight, elated to see the two trainers make it this far.
At the Seafolk Village, Hapu stood outside the carp-shaped boat in front of Sam and Alice.
“Before you guys go, be sure you get these.” Hapu reached her gloved hand out and presented the two with two Groundium Zs. “I figured that both of you would defeat me straight away, so I just held onto them until the end.”
Sam and Alice both took their awarded Z-Crystals, Alice holding hers up to the sun to appreciate its luster. “Thank you so much again, Hapu.”
“And just to remind you how to activate it…” Hapu crossed her wrists in front of her face, put her arms down, and then crossed them back out before performing the same ritualistic dance that she had already shown both of them. “You think you got it?”
“I think by now, yeah,” Sam replied with a shrug.
Hapu blew out a sigh, hardly able to believe she would be bringing up this subject. “So, what are your guys' plans for tackling the League? You already ready to go, going to take a couple days, or–”
“Oh! Oh yeah!” Sam held his hands up, overwhelmed. “Yeah, we’re probably going to rest up for a few days.”
“That sounds like a fine idea. Though, I mean, like, when you say a few days, is that…”
“Why are you so interested?” Alice asked playfully. “You want to come watch us or something?”
Hapu shrugged, her coyness matching Alice’s mischievousness. “Maybe. I mean, it’s not like I have any more trainers lined up to take me on. Besides, maybe the other captains and Kahunas will also want to be an audience to the first Alolan championship battle in years. Gotta’ make sure our schedules are clear, you know?”
Sam chuckled. “I was thinking we take the rest of today and tomorrow to rest up or do a little bit of training, and then we may take it on later the next morning.” He then turned to Alice, who looked up to him. “That sound good, Alice?”
Alice reached up and gripped Sam’s shoulder. “Sounds good to me, bro!”
Hapu nodded. “Alright. I’ll be sure to let the others know. Oh, this is so exciting!”
“You’re telling us!” Sam responded. “We’re the ones fighting for the championship.”
“And I’m certain you’ll do just fine. Until then…” Hapu reached her hand forward between Sam and Alice.
Alice took Hapu’s hand first, giving it a firm, respecting shake before the Kahuna swung her hand to Sam, who grabbed hold and shook it with equal reverence.
“Thank you again, Hapu,” Sam said. “We’ll see you around.”
“And best of luck to both of you,” Hapu replied. “Take it easy now.”
Alice let out a canned laugh as she snapped both fingers and pointed them at Hapu, seeming to catch her joke.
“Come on, Alice.” Sam began to walk to the south end of the town. “The more time we can spend at home now, the better.”
“Coming!” Alice spun around and jogged to walk by Sam’s side.
Hapu watched them as the two siblings stopped within ten feet from the end of the southernmost pier and called their Ride Charizards. She kept all but her head still as she traced her head and eyes onto them as they climbed up and mounted their draconic steeds. With an unfurling of their wings, both Charizards climbed up to the sky, Hapu now feeling safe to reach into her pocket and pull out a small, dirty phone.
Once she had shaken her right glove off her hand, her uncovered fingers were able to unlock the device and tap on its screen until she reached the contacts list. Scrolling down near the bottom, she finally found Sun’s number and tapped it. As she put the phone to her ear, she looked back up at the sky, finding Sam and Alice’s Charizards already far away east of town.
Sun came on after only two dial tones. “Hapu? What’s up?”
“Hey, Sun!” Hapu was very happy to hear his voice. “I just finished battling Sam and Alice.”
“Oh? So they’re already back on their Island Trials.”
“Dude, they already finished them.”
“Finished? So they did–”
“Apparently, Burnet forced them to clear the Dragon trial on their way to the Altar of the Sunne. And Mina actually managed to put a trial of her own together. It went really well.”
“Oh, that’s… that’s great!” Sun’s voice began to turn nervous. “Are they already on their way to Ula’ula?”
“Mnmn. Sam told me they’re going to spend today and tomorrow resting up and training and then head to the League that morning. You think you and your team will be ready by then?”
“I think…” Hapu pursed her lips in annoyance as the line went silent for several moments. “Yes, that should be plenty of time. I’ll be sure to let our other friends know.”
“I don’t mind reaching out to the other captains and Kahunas. Or, when you say ‘friends,’ you mean–”
“Yes, I mean those friends.”
“Ah… Sounds like you got things covered on your end.”
“And you got things covered on yours. Thanks again, Hapu. This is going to be spectacular if this works.”
“When it works.” Both Sun and Hapu chuckled. “Alright, I’ll let you get to it then.”
“Thanks. See ya’.”
“Bye.”
Sun ended the call before Hapu could, and she put the phone back into her pocket. Looking up at the sky, she took a deep breath and let all the air out at once from her mouth.
She was certain this would all be worth it.