"Machop: Karate Chop, Revenge, Focus Energy. Makuhita: Arm Thrust… uh… Sand Attack? Hmm. Fake Out. Stufful–"

My fingers pinched a little too hard and the flashcard creased and slipped from my fingers, fluttering to the ground between my shoes.

A week had passed.

In the wooden waiting room of the Mahala Arena, Hau, Lilliane and I were sitting waiting for our Grand Trial to start. Two other groups had gone before us for the morning, and we were the last to pass before noon– outside, the sounds of the crowd were faintly heard, cheers and hoots from locals and families. My pokeballs rested heavy on my belt, cool weight and faint wiggling from the Pokemons inside.

Time was taken to prepare for the Trial as much as possible. Afternoons were spent honing my Pokemons' skills; evenings spent looking over the Hakuna's previous trials, what Pokemon he employed and what tactics he used; late night discussions were had with Hau and Lilliane to figure out the optimal strategy. The last week had been spent preparing, studying and training, and now here we were.

Ready. Nothing more to be done.

To my left, Hau balanced and bounced his leg on his other knee. He'd reclined back on his chair, arms spread and hands folded behind his head, looking up at the ceiling. 'Oddly calm for one about to take their first Grand Trial', one might guess, but the unbroken silence that permeated the room betrayed his true feelings.

To my right, Lilliane held her pokeballs and stared at them intently. In one, Stella the Cleffa, her starter; in the other, Toku the Ledyba– we had only planned for her to use the latter. She had been spending the last few hours doing her nails and hair and makeup like a calming ritual, and now she had run out of parts of herself to fuss over.

I had taken out my flashcards one last time– the strategy was fresh in my head but the Pokemon that Hala could use weren't. It didn't help that the Pokemon he employed often changed from year to year, volunteers from the training club that his Hariyama ran.

I pinched the flashcard too hard and it creased again. The microphone on my collar made my neck itch.

I wish Petal was there.

'No Pokemon in the waiting room.'

Why, though? There was no way for me to cheat or anything; how could I give my Pokemon some advantage at the last minute?

I lifted my feet and hugged my knees just a little tighter. No fair.

The scarier truth was that this Grand Trial wouldn't even be something like a private test – nothing like the privacy of myself and my pen sitting at a desk; we had been outfitted and powdered, there was a crowd and there would be cameras, and our performance was to be recorded for all to see. If we failed there, people could rewind and watch our failure over and over and over. Witness the fool trainer and her Oddish trying to put to sleep a Mankey, notoriously known for their high levels of adrenaline and cortisol.

If we failed, I'm sure that all my mistakes would be made into a compilation on the internet somewhere.

"...Are you okay?" Lilliane asked.

She had paused her own contemplation, piercing green eyes staring so deep into me I couldn't help but let out a shiver. There has been a real restlessness in her lately.

"Ah, uh. Mhmm." I stammered. "The anticipation is just bad, you know."

Hau's head slid in at the corner of my vision, bending so far on his chair that he was almost hanging from it. "We seriously got this. And I'm not saying this just to cheer you up – we're so ready." At his waist, his Torracat's ball wiggled in earnest. "Loa wants to prove herself since her fight with Rui's Rattata, too."

"I believe you," I returned. I was growing used to Hau's Hau-isms, but this wasn't anything that he could help me with. "I'm just not, you know…"

I shrunk into my seat a little more.

"I'm not usually separated from Petal when I'm stressed like this." I squeezed my body a little tighter, feeling like a child. "Sorry. It's dumb."

Lilliane's head tilted to the side, and she shared a look with Hau I couldn't discern.

"It's okay," she whispered. She took my hand in hers then, and my mind blanked. "Even if Petal isn't here, we are, okay? We're doing this together."

I looked at her with wide eyes, a great heat warming up my face– she blushed too, a small uneasy smile on her. Her fingers clenched my hand a little tighter.

Uh.

I tightened my fingers around Lilliane's hand and somehow,

Impossibly,

I felt just a bit better.

----------------------------------------

Seven days earlier.

Entering the apartment complex, through the small courtyard, through the damp corridor, up a creaky flight of stairs, my Pokemon and I finally got to my family's flat.

Getting there with my Dunsparce out of his ball had been a jarring experience, for him and I both – I hadn't realized how spooked the little snake would be by practically everything on sight in Hau'oli.

'That's just cars, OJ, they're not going to leap out the road to eat you.'

'So you see, we can move across when the light turns green– no no no, don't tunnel there–'

'Oran Juice– I know it smells good this way, but that's someone else's home and that poke door is really not made for you; Petal, can you help me tug him out?'

Even getting up the stairs had been an ordeal. It was no surprise that the Dunsparce would have trouble climbing up the steps with his pudgy snake body, so I had elected to just carry him up as my Oddish cheered me on. It had been fine up until we had reached the first floor, after which I found him trembling and twitching in my hold, spooked by the rising elevation.

But we had finally made it, and he seemed to be calm as long as I held him in my arms.

"Alola, my little flower! I'm so happy to see you!"

Mom welcomed us in with a warm smile and a tight hug, with OJ squeezed in between the two of us and Petal hugging our legs.

"And is that your new team-member that I see? Alola to you too, little guy." She lowered her face to OJ's with a gentle smile. "Do you need me to explain how things work in the house, or are you going to be okay?"

"...He's a little scared of the elevation, mom, so I'll probably keep carrying him for now." I adjusted my grip on my Dunsparce, feeling him turn his head to and fro to look at all corners of the room. I tapped his body with my finger and addressed him directly. "Uh– you let me know if you need anything, okay? Even if it's to poop and stuff. Petal will show you how the poke door works, so you're free to go outside any time."

There's nowhere like home.

'Here are my books; here's the TV and the couch; this is my bed– you can climb if you promise to not tear a hole through it, okay? This is Petal's pot of dirt– you're not allowed on, that's theirs, unless they say it's okay.'

'Have you ever had a warm bath, Oran Juice?'

Bundled in fresh towels and laid out on the couch, an utterly blissed out Dunsparce snored faintly. His scales practically glowed; a lifetime of grime and dirt scrubbed out by his diligent trainer. My Oddish had planted themself in their favorite pot and splayed out their leaves to catch rays from the afternoon sun. After sprinkling them with a little bit of water, I put on their favorite music and joined my mom at the table.

I couldn't help but wonder – life with humans must seem like a luxury to pokemon, right? In the wild, OJ had to fight or barter for food or a place to sleep. Here, he had yummy food and warm shelter and he'd been pampered and made pretty.

Absent-mindedly, I began petting Meowy the Meowth who had jumped into my lap and curled into a ball. His purring reverberated through my arm and my legs like the world's fluffiest radiator.

In her hands, I watched mom diligently clean and polish my Challenge amulet. "It's been hectic at the shop lately, but that's to be expected. This is close to the busiest time of year. People are taking time off at the office to watch the Grand Trials, which means your father has a little bit more free time. Oh, if I didn't have to work, how I would have loved to accompany you on your journey!"

"Mom!! You– you can't do that. That'd be so embarrassing."

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding." She paused, turned my amulet around and her fingers traced along the grooves left by the Mankey's claws. "Oh honey, how did that happen?"

"Um." What could I say? "...Wild pokemon?"

"You have to be more careful than that, honey. Did you get scratched anywhere? Bitten? What do I always tell you, twenty feet away–"

" –twenty feet away, ten feet behind my 'mon. I know, mom, I know." I shrinked a little but suppressed the panic in my voice – it wasn't often I purposefully kept secrets from mom. If I could avoid having to explain my ordeals during the challenge, that would only be for the best. "I've been nothing but careful, mom."

"Pokemon are good at taking hits, but we aren't, always keep that in mind." She looked wistful then, and my eyes traced a line on her covered arm that held an old scar. "Looks like Meowy's luck did rub off on you, though, if you've come out with nothing but scratches on your charm."

That got a smile out of me, at least. How strange was it that kantoan Meowth were seen as symbols of luck when alolan Meowth were not. "I'd like more of that luck for the Grand Trial, please."

"How do you feel about it, Selene? Do you think you and Petal are ready?"

"...You know. I just need to study the Kahuna's fights, I guess," I mumbled. How would I even know I'm ready?

Mom hummed. For a minute, only Meowy's purring filled the silence.

"...Did I ever tell you how my first Grand Trial went?"

I shook my head.

"I was a very brave girl," and her smile, warm as it may be, hid something more sour. "But a very silly one, too. You've seen photos of Misha, the Slowbro – a Slowpoke, at the time – and I was convinced that she was the smartest Slowpoke in town. The little thing followed me faster than any other Slowpoke her age, and I truly thought she could read my mind."

I could see the picture right there on the counter – a younger woman of olive skin, traits familiar yet strange, kneeled on the sand and smiling at the camera. To her side is the upright figure of Misha the Slowbro, gaze vacant. Perched on her shoulder, a Wingull is grooming her hair diligently. Somewhere to her side, a Bunnelby distractedly dug in the sand.

They had a true bond, she'd assured me, but they weren't made for city life in the end.

"Grand Trials weren't anything like group fights like what you do now. They were duels with the Kahuna, and while my friends were here to cheer me on, it fell to me and Misha to pull our weight." She rested her head on her hand, elbow on the table, and rolled her eyes. "I started bawling my eyes out just five minutes into the match."

"...Wait, really? You did?"

"Loudly, in front of all my friends and family, dripping snot and all." She smiled wistfully, recalling the moment like a fond memory. "Misha was fighting a– a Machop, I think, and I was so intimidated by Kahuna Hala – this wasn't anything like exploring a cave or traveling and fighting wild Pokemon, this was a big man, a trainer with a trained Pokemon shouting moves like they were orders.

"And he stopped the match five minutes in! He got to the center of the field and motioned for me to get closer, and I really thought here and there that I had disappointed everyone and failed the Trial entirely. But he put a hand on my shoulder, spoke to me low so only I could hear. And… Hmm…

"...After your Trial, I'll tell you," she mused after a pause. "The important part is that he helped me think about battling differently – and that we weren't going to cancel the match or anything then. So I wiped my snot with the back of my shirt, we got back to our places and we restarted the match from scratch. And I passed!

"I know you're preparing it like it's a test, but it's not just a test, Selene. It's a trial, it's a test, it's a lesson."

----------------------------------------

The crowd roared and applauded as we entered the arena.

My parents had brought me to Grand Trials before; teams of Trial-goers that one half-remembered from places in town. Here, that teen girl we'd cross paths with at the grocery store; there, that boy was this person's older brother; and over there, this one fed used batteries to wild Magnemites when they thought no one was looking.

You'd go to the first Grand Trial to offer your support to the Trial-goer – to someone who is family, who is your friend, who is your neighbor or just the person you wait for the bus with.

So now our turn had come. A kaleidoscope of people sat on the rafters, shouting and singing the hymn, waving colorful fabric like rallying flags. The ground shook with stomps and the air vibrated with anticipation. There must have been hundreds of people in the stands, of all colors and walks of life; parents and older adults (Where are mom and dad? I don't see them), other teens our age (Some from our class, probably) and all of their accompanying Pokemon.

…And there were cameras, as well.

I swayed on my feet, stunned.

I had seen what this was like from the outside, but still– this was–

I felt a tug on my sleeve.

One foot after the other, as the crowd chattered, we walked to one end of the arena.

Our field of battle would be simple: a wide, rectangular expanse of flattened dirt. A Pa'u Oricorio swayed on the sides, providing a rudimentary psychic barrier. I had seen videos where Kahunas – or in other regions, Gym Leaders or Elite Fours – set up artificial fields that would reflect their typing preferences; this opponent would face us in battle with no tricks and no artifice.

This opponent: on the other end of the arena, the Kahuna.

There is a presence to powerful trainers.

Here is an older man like any other; his skin is sallow and pockmarked, his face creases with the ravages of time, his hair turns white and brittle with age. And yet, his stance is wide and firm, feet spread, legs bent and one hand solidly on the ground. His body is healthy and stout. He wears garments of gold and white and blue like the ones his ancestors and his ancestors' ancestors wore, clad in tradition like armor. This is an old man whose discipline radiates through every limb and who makes it through his old age with diligence and spirit.

Kahuna Hala was somehow familiar yet frightening.

The Kahuna stood, held a hand and made it into a fist–

All sounds from the audience stopped.

"...Today, we welcome three into the rungs of adulthood. The Tapus see you."

"The Tapus see you," echoed the crowd.

"Trainers, I will face all three of you in single combat. Each of you may use one Pokemon of your choosing, and you will face three of mine." His low voice bounced off the walls of the arena– we heard him just as well as if he was next to us. Unlike us, he did not need a microphone. "You may go in the order you choose, and there will be no switching. Fight until you prevail or surrender."

The Kahuna retrieved a ball from his pocket, and his gaze drifted through the three of us–

I couldn't help the shudder going through my body. There it was– the deep fear that I was so familiar with, rearing its ugly head, the unfortunate instinct that told me that to be perceived is to be scrutinized. My hand instinctively went to my pokeball for support, while the other hand tightly clenched my arm.

Lilianne adjusted her posture. Head high, back straightened. While her stoic mask had been applied with care, I could see from here the clench of her fingers in one hand and knew that she was more scared than she let on. The other hand slipped into her bag, she masked her trembling as much as she could.

Hau took a deep, shuddering breath and reeled in his enthusiasm. He grabbed Loa's ball from his belt and took a few steps forward.

The Kahuna gave a small, terse nod to his grandson, then addressed us one last time. "Are you ready?"

We nodded.

Hau and the Kahuna threw their pokeballs and we held our breaths.

Loa stepped onto the field. She landed with a thump, her newfound weight pushing onto the dirt below – and immediately she arched her back and hissed, the sound halfway into a roar. On her leg, the earth-coloured armband that denoted her as a mature member of her kind. She had proven herself as an adult, and it was now our turn.

On the other side of the arena, a crab came into being.

It's easy to look at crustacean Pokemon and assume that they are purely Water type. Most (if not all) of them possess the ability to produce water or manipulate it, and they often have the associated aversions and affinities of the type. A majority of them have gills on their underside to breathe oxygen in water– this was not the time to reminisce all of this–

The Crabrawler line is a small exception to that rule.

Four rear legs clacked with erratic precision, firm on the field. Two upright antennas were pointed to the sky in defiance. It raised its front legs and adjusted its massive pincers, taking on a boxer's stance, its eyes locked on Loa and narrowing.

"Hiya, Crabrawler!" Hau shouted. "Let's have a good one!"

In one lumbering movement, Loa pounced on her assailant. She crossed the distance in great leaps of her powerful legs, and clashed clawfirst with the crustacean– three sudden strikes of her claws raked across its pincers, and–

"Rock Smash!"

The Kahuna's voice boomed over the arena and I found myself stunned, clutching onto Lilliane for support– the Crabrawler's left pincer shot forward with a sound like a cannon, and an explosion of dirt rained around the fighters for a moment.

A shape shot out or the cloud– the Torracat, fur raised over her back but unharmed, stunned but in control still. As the smoke cleared, the shape of the Crabrawler gradually came into view, retracting its powerful pincer from the crater it had just made in the ground.

"Phew," Hau whistled. "Strong. Aight, Loa, lesson learned." Hau rubbed the tip of his nose, eyes focused. "Keep your distance. Test out his range."

Her head lowered to the ground, back arched, prowling around the crustacean. Though I couldn't see her Leer from there, I saw the shudder that went through her opponent as its stance lowered.

In three bursts of light and three ringing sounds of her flame sac, three embers shot out towards the– "Bubble Beam!"

Another loud voice burst that echoed throughout the arena– I was wondering if the Kahuna was using a badly tuned microphone not unlike the ones we wore; but no, his voice could just be this loud.

The Crabrawler moved, its legs skidding on the dirt field. It shot a faint line of glowing bubbles at the incoming projectiles, arching faintly like a whip being thrown. And like a whip, the line cracked as it collided with the projectiles in a burst of mist – not with enough strength to dissipate the Embers but with enough force for it to slow and sidestep around them.

Three bursts of fire crashed into the ground behind it. The Crabrawler wasn't fast by any means but it was reactive, and it seemed like it could just keep up with Loa's attacks.

"Loa, shoot him up! Don't let up!"

And so it continued. The two fighters fell into the dance; the feline weaved in and out of range with swift leaps, bursts of Ember and strong paw strikes; the crustacean moved in erratic spurts, blocking Loa's attacks and looking for an opportunity. Here, Loa's claws raked across one of its pincers and only narrowly nicked one antenna; there, a terribly strong punch missed Loa by inches and crashed into the earth.

Both trainers were focused intensely in the battle, shouting out orders like Loa shooting out her Embers.

Each fighter could only make scratches on the other's hide, this battle starting to turn into a war of attrition.

This wasn't sustainable for our plan– Loa was getting tired by the minute.

"Hau," I whispered, mindful not to break his concentration. "I don't think you can beat it in stamina."

Hau's eyes did not leave the field, focused on the action. Before I could repeat myself, he gave me a grin and a quiet response without glancing back: "Like I told you, cuz. He's trying to teach me something. I got him."

Once more, both fighters threw an exchange of attacks. Blunt pincers came shockingly close to Loa's head; cat claws raked across hard carapace.

Hau's grin grew suddenly, and swiftly he shouted: "There! Sand Attack!"

The Kahuna's expression steeled–

Loa sidestepped one of the Crabrawler's strikes and in the same motion she spun on her axis, raking her paw across the ground– at the same time, the Crabrawler recognized the move being called, and instinctively guarded its eyes with its claws.

What should have been a spray of dirt turned into a twist of the paw as Loa sprung to the side then behind the Crabrawler entirely in one continuous motion – a feint! – which she followed with two devastating kicks into the crustacean's back.

Crack, crack– the Crabrawler was thrown forward and traced a line into the wet ground, dirt smearing across its pincers as it found its footing once more– then turning on the dime to narrowly block another set of Fury Swipes.

Silence. The crowd quieted and the fighters stopped.

Wind blew on the arena. The Kahuna's jacket fluttered with a rustle; stern stoic gaze locked on his grandson.

"Hm." An eyebrow raised as he mulled it over; the first sign of concrete emotion we'd seen from the older man. His arm swept in an arcing motion, pointing at his Pokemon. "You see that, Crabrawler? My grandson ain't being challenged. What do you have to say for yourself?"

The crustacean turned, the carapace over its back sporting a visible crack– if it had visible veins, I could have seen them bulging right now as froth bubbled from its mouth and it practically vibrated in anger.

"Grandson," the Kahuna continued, "Crabrawler and I have been playing nice so far, and maybe that ain't too fair to your comrades. This is a Trial, not a game, and I want you to take it seriously. Now go!"

The crustacean scrambled– its movement turning sudden and confusing, it rushed in Loa's direction, zig-zagging its way at full speed across the field. The Torracat looked to and fro, at a complete loss of where to focus– until a wide blast of water threw her off her feet.

"Loa!" Fear gripped my heart as Hau shouted in surprise.

She tumbled a few feet to the side, then rose on her feet with a slight tremble to her legs. She wasn't out for the count, but the damage had been done. Still, she jumped away from another attack once more.

The dynamic of battle shifted – the Crabrawler advanced onto the Torracat with renewed fury, shooting daggers out of its eyes while Hau guided Loa back, on the defensive, unsure on how to retaliate. The Crabrawler rushed at the feline by moving on an arc on its side, only stopping at the last second to try and land a brutal strike of its pincer or a sudden shotgun blast of water.

Hau's eyes darted around, concentrating intensely on the fighters' movements. "Hey, Selene– a buncha mud is good for Petal, right?" He addressed me once more, talking without taking his eyes off the action.

"Uh–" The Crabrawler shot a wide spray of water once more and turned dirt over as it brutally overshot its attack. It almost slipped in the movement but corrected itself, its leg sinking into the damp watered field with a bloop. "Oh! Yes! Yes, that helps a lot!"

"Coolio." Hau straightened suddenly, and he cleared his throat before shouting. "Get in! Now!"

Loa's paws skidded on the field as she suddenly stopped in her tracks. In the same movement, her body bent and she pounced, dashing towards her opponent at full speed. The Crabrawler saw her offense and squared itself, raising a fist in preparation to attack–

Only for the Torracat to dive and slide on the slippery mud beneath.

In one motion, she twisted herself and stopped her momentum with a paw wreathed in flames, drying the ground and stopping her in her tracks. In another motion, she leapt on the crustacean's back and sunk her glowing maw onto its injured back, fire crackling at her lips–

Boom!

----------------------------------------

Four days until the Grand Trial.

Hau was still grounded. Our group convo had been flooded with training videos of our respective 'mons and appreciative comments from each of us.

And a flood it truly was– what had begun with haphazard scans of Loa's performance chart had been followed by a selfie of Hau and Loa exhausted after a training session; photos of Lilliane's Cleffa and Ledyba is cute costumes; a snapshot of my Dunsparce being introduced to the dishwasher; an unbelievable picture of Loa being petted and returning the affection. We had begun to make a separate conversation for us to send stupid things to one another and soon enough it had been filled with Detective Pikachu memes.

The topic often circled back to training– and training was often a frustrating endeavor. Hau had sent us lots of recordings of previous Grand Trials to look at. I suppose I had sat down and studied them, but– what was I supposed to see, here? I could list the Pokemon and Moves that the Kahuna used, but he seemed like a very straightforward trainer – he showed little emotion and just stoically shouted out his Pokemon's moves each and every time.

I wasn't any good at reading trainers' tells– so instead, I poured all my focus into my Pokemons' progress.

First, I consulted the local Pokemon center for information about my Oddish's powder moves. There are, as it turns out, laws on the usage of poison in battle, especially at higher levels of competitive battling. Low rank Pokemon don't spew poisons that have long-term effects, but hey, better safe than sorry!

A few medical tests later and I was given (almost) all the answers to my questions: Petal's Stun Spore needs to get in the bloodstream, basically makes blood flow slower and gives really bad muscle cramps. Painful, but ultimately benign. Their Sleep Spore is apparently a mild anesthetic– it causes some kind of chemical reaction that makes people faint, and I wouldn't be able to understand it unless I studied medicine for a while. Bummer. Anyway, it would take a solid minute of breathing it in to make a ´mon their size faint; probably a lot longer for bigger creatures. Not a serious threat to anyone in the long term.

Now, Poison Powder. This is the problem.

I watched the nurse's face make all sorts of expressions, landing somewhere between ´resigned' and ´exasperated', which ended with her sitting me in front of the pokecenter PC and leading me to read stuff on an ancient-looking League website.

I started to understand the nurse's frustration a little bit better.

Sigh.

Ahem. Type Energy is a barely perceptible form of particle that is present in the atmosphere of our world. 'TE' sticks and congregates around sentient lifeforms in varying amounts, and can be consciously or unconsciously interacted with to perform supernatural feats– namely, break fundamental laws of physics. One common example is how Water-type Pokemon are able to 'conjure' water effectively out of thin air, which eventually returns to nothingness.

There is a point in Pokemon study where it is no longer science – it's magic.

It seemed Petal's use of Poison Powder (and their Leech Seed, for that matter) fell under pure Type manipulation, which means that conventional physics stop making sense– or rather, I would have to look at it through the lense of Type Energy philosophy, esoterica and mysticism. Sigh.

'Poison is the aspect of intrusion and subversion. Poison is an insidious force that slips through the cracks and defenses, that peels back the layers and exposes the secrets within. Poison is the intruder which–' EUGH! It's so awful. The flowery wording immediately went above my head and I decided here and there that we could figure this out another time.

My Dunsparce was ultimately a much easier Pokemon to train, by comparison – no need to figure out the physics behind supernatural abilities and ways to make them more efficient. Not that I wasn't having fun helping Petal reach their full potential, but it certainly was a lot simpler to set an exercise course for the little normal type.

Runs, jumps, pounces and headbutts, switching in and out of Rollout, popping in and out of the ground; record his performance and slowly push the goal posts. My little snake steadily increased in stamina and speed, fueled by an endless appetite for human-made food that I could narrowly meet. I suppose it wasn't the healthiest diet but I could hardly stop it!

That said, I didn't know if OJ wanted to grow strong in the way that Petal wants to become a Vileplume; he seemed content being his small little snake self. Did he even want to evolve?

One question asked later; a shrug was his only answer. I'll mark it down as a yes.

Sitting late at night at my desk, I absentmindedly twirled the cords of my earbuds, pooled onto my journal.

Right down from the window, I could see the dimly lit courtyard where my Pokemon were playing. Petal, OJ, and a few Trubbish from the neighborhood chased after one another, as my Oddish attempted to catch the others within grasp of their plant control with Leech Seed.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Notes scribbled over and over as we had experimented many times on their use of the move and how it worked – how did they make plants grow, really? What was the physics of it, and at what point did Type Energy fill in the blanks? The answer wasn't yet clear.

"I think Toku is really getting there." Lilliane's elegant voice spoke in my ears, carrying a twinge of frustration and echoing with the static of long-distance communication. "He's motivated, truly, but I think he needs a little bit more time."

Hau was quick on the draw, part of the same conversation. "Bummer. Honestly, maybe have him focus on his flying instead, then."

This was our third group call in the last few days – as we trained on our own, we made an effort to keep touch with one another on our phones. We couldn't exactly meet up as a full group with one of us confined to their home.

Absent-mindedly, I scrolled through notifications as we spoke. Missed call and a few unread messages from Tuula– I could– I could call her at another time.

"Oh!" I heard Hau snap his fingers over the receiver. "I wanted to check with yall– did you check the videos on my grandpa I sent you?"

"Uh– I did," I responded, and Lilliane acquiesced in turn. "I'm not sure what you want us to see. The Kahuna is an impressive fighter, but, uh, Lilliane and I aren't exactly the best at reading fights."

"Eheh, yeah, he's pretty badass." I could hear the widening of his smile in his voice. "But yeah– that's fine if you didn't get it at first. I just wanted you two to have them as an example. The way he runs the whole Grand Trial shebang is nothing too complicated; the gist is this: all of his mons are stronger than they appear." He paused. "They're basically holding back at his request. They can go harder or hold back and let you win– and it all depends on whether he thinks you learned something. He looooves to teach."

That doesn't sound too bad– I do like to learn.

"But like, teaching in battle basically means he's gonna find your Pokemon's weakness and poke it with a stick. If you surpass, he lets you get a win, and he can move on to the next member of the team– which often means beating you black and blue with the next 'mon he throws in."

Okay. Scratch that, that doesn't sound good.

Hau continued. "So! The important part is that you should expect to be tested on what you struggle with. You two are goin' with Petal and Toku, yeah?" A chorus of 'hmm-hmm' was our response. "Okay. So, your Oddish is a stalling machine, and Toku's a living shield and that's nice and all, but I think my granddad knows how to deal with that."

What had he said about Petal? "Petal is a what..?"

"Like– Petal's strategy is all about playing keep-away. You got a bunch of stuff that hurts over time, like poison, and then a bunch of tools to box yourself in and keep the opponent away, like Petal's plant growing trick. That's stalling."

Down in the courtyard, my Oddish had made the game a little bit more complicated by adding Sweet Scent to the mix. Faint clouds of ineffective gas cluttered the courtyard and boxed the players in as they scampered and giggled.

I focused on the conversation once more. "I– I know what stalling is." Hmph! "So, do you think that… hmm… Kahuna Hala might try to block their Leech Seed or Poison Powder in some way?"

"I don't think he'll send a Pokemon that's immune to that kinda stuff, if that's what you're worried about. I think you just gotta expect to face a real slippery opponent– honestly, train up on Petal's reaction speed and physical attacks and you should be set. But yeah– Lilliane, what do you think? You know what could be Toku's weaknesses?"

She hummed, then tentatively responded with "He still struggles with Light Screen. But to be honest, there is a bigger problem, I think. His attacks are just… not very strong. No offense, honey." In the distance, the sad squeak of her Bug type could be heard.

"Yeah, that's what I expected. Firepower comes with practice and time, so he'll get there, but we don't exactly have a lot of time left right now…"

I considered it, and thinking about the format of the fights, I couldn't help but wonder… "Say – if all three of us fight the Kahuna's Pokemon in order – is it possible to soften up someone else's pokemon for them?"

"Oh, yeah, totally!" Hau exclaimed. "Honestly, that might be our best option at the moment. Get momentum, put the hurt on the next fighter and leave the next fight as easy as it can be."

Lilliane sighed loudly. "Augh. So sorry for dragging you down with this."

"It's all good! Selene and I, we gotta go far in this challenge, so that's just more experience, yeah?" Hau was quick to bring the mood up. "OK– Let's say Loa and I face gramps first. Knock out his first Pokemon and push hard to put the hurt on his second; that gives Selene and Petal a lot of leeway to carry on that advantage. Makes Petal's poison more potent, lets Petal breathe a little easier, and gives you more space to do the same on the opponent Toku will face."

The plan was starting to form, but there was something seriously nagging my brain still. Something that Hau had said had warning bells ringing in my brain–

Lilliane beat me to the punch. "Are you going to be fine fighting the Hakuna, though?"

"Oh, a hundo percent. my grandpa and I we fought a bunch in the past! I've seen all of gramps' matches of the past few years. I got him analyzed– solved. Like math." I could practically visualize Hau tapping the side of his temple with a finger. "Downloaded."

"...How often did you have practice matches against your grandfather?" Lilianne asked, unconvinced.

"Like. Once a week for the past– forever, I guess."

"You do realize he must have you 'downloaded' as well?"

"Yeah, yeah–."

I got up from my chair and gripped the cord of my earbuds a little too tight. It– it didn't feel right. I liked Hau and I respected him, but I don't know if I could accept him constantly making jokes about it. The words left my mouth before I could stop them–

"...Can you take it seriously? Please? This isn't a game."

Silence.

Hau's voice returned, uncharacteristically small– small, but driven.

"I– I am taking it seriously, Selene. Battling is a game. It's fun.

"My grand-dad makes a big deal out of it but– he's lookin' at it wrong. He's real solemn about it. He says things like 'battling is how you talk to people and find solutions' but that's kinda dumb, you know? Talking is how you solve problems.

"Battling is– it's fun. It's putting your body to the test, connectin' with your Pokemon, puttin' on a show– reverence to the Tapus an' all that." He cleared his throat, emotion weighing on his words. "That's what battling is. To me. Maybe I'm lookin' at it wrong. But you gotta believe me to be going at it 100%. Please."

I thought back to all that Hau had showed us the past few days –

A messy graph of him and Loa's performances.

Hau hyping up his Torracat as she unlocked new techniques.

A Loa unlike we had ever seen her before, showing affection.

"...Okay. I trust you, Hau."

----------------------------------------

The blast of fire sent both fighters rocketing to opposite sides of the arena.

On one side, Hau's Torracat tumbled across the ground, covering her already dirty fur with another coating of mud. She stopped her momentum with a foot then awkwardly stabilized herself, raising a glowering stare to her opponent. Though her footing was faltering and her fur plastered against her skin, she sent a look of defiance at the Kahuna.

On the other side, the crab Pokemon collided with the watered ground with a splash that sent out mud in all directions. It tumbled for a few feet then finally laid prone on its side, one leg twitching. Smoke rose from its blackened carapace.

Hau gasped, breathless. His face was split with a wide grin, pride in his eyes, as he looked toward his grandfather and waited for a response.

The Kahuna had frozen. His eyes blinked, he beheld the battlefield and his defeated fighter. Tension grew, until–

"Hah!" Kahuna Hala released a single, bellowing laugh. "You little trickster! You were never challenged, were you?" A tired smile blossomed on his face, and he seemed like a kind old man once more. "Fooled me twice, even."

"Sorry, old man!" Hau shouted, cupping his hands in front of his face. "We've got other Trials to do– can't afford to waste time now!"

The Kahuna rose an eyebrow at his grandson's gall, recalling the Crabrawler with a flick of the pokeball. He grabbed another from his pocket but refrained from throwing it just yet, eyes searching and expectant.

"...What now, then? Your companions have a tough act to follow." The Kahuna said. The kind old man was gone, and the disciplined master had returned.

Could he– could he make the Trial harder because Hau and Loa had proven themselves in such a way?

"You shouldn't count us out just yet, old man! My Pokemon still stands!" He pointed out his Torracat, who rose the hairs off her back and hissed. He swept his palm upward and cocked his fingers toward himself in a taunting motion. "Bring it!"

The Kahuna's mask broke for a second, a small smile returned to his face– then he threw his second Pokeball and the fighting resumed.

Light coalesced and materialized into a running figure– small feet crashing on the ground with surprising weight, a pudgy body betrayed by its speed, topknot of fur flapping in the wind. The newly-released Makuhita rushed toward Loa with increasing speed–

With a loud clap, its hands crashed against the Torracat's cheeks in a stunning blow. She flinched back, suddenly weak on her feet. Hau choked on his own spit in surprise, narrowly managing to send out a split second in response. "Guh, cough– Counter!"

While she had been weakened by the previous fight and taken by complete surprise, her limbs still tensed and energy coalesced around her– the wave of force from the Makuhita's Fake Out snapped back toward her and she bounced back toward the Makuhita, shoulder checking it brutally with a blast of orange energy.

Her opponent grunted and took the attack head on.

Loa crashed into it and the Makuhita caught her in its meaty grasp. It winced, its feet digging into the mud and sliding back a few inches, but just as quickly drove a few brutal Arm Thrusts into her side.

She yelped, attempting to retaliate with a Scratch that it parried with a slap of its hand. A second later, she jumped just as the Fighting-type's foot crashed into the ground and the field rumbled and shook with the force of a Bulldoze.

This wasn't an opponent that Hau could beat with fire– we had gone over it together. The Makuhita's fur and flesh have a strong insulating property, while their strong constitution made them especially resistant to poisons and burns, which meant that it was time for Hau to set up the third part of his strategy–

"Kicking things into high-gear, Loa! Come on, hop hop hop!"

The Torracat narrowly avoided another fast thrust from her opponent and jumped back a dozen of feet away. She seemed to be on her last legs, losing steam and losing speed, which was something we could not afford.

She thrust her snout into the pocket of her armband– because this is what the armband was for, ultimately. It was a pouch to hold something for emergencies.

We weren't given any time, though. She'd already had to jump back to avoid another attack, but this time her snout was stained with the juices and bits of a berry that she quickly finished off.

Hau had suggested this, inspired by his last fight with Rui.

Her breathing quickened, and for a second I could see her pupils dilate slightly. She jumped once more but with more pep in her step. Dashing at a much greater speed, she began running circles around her opponent, the colors on Loa's armband shining through her dirt-caked fur like a beacon for our eyes to follow.

The Makuhita moved to attack with a powerful backhand but she narrowly stepped around it and into its blind spot, drew blood into its side with a single Scratch, and jumped away from the following blow in one continuous motion.

Now the pace of battle shifted, because this wasn't just the effect of the salac berry's adrenaline coursing through her system– this was a complete change of battling that Hau had prepared and that the Kahuna had to adapt to.

The dance continued. The Makuhita at the center found itself helpless at the mercy of a thousand cuts, each Scratch and Swipe tracing more and more lines of red into its body, until–

"Finish her," ordered Kahuna Hala.

The Makuhita focused, faint energy seeming to gather around its head and its eyes as it stepped around Loa's next attack, grabbed her by the scruff and suplexed her into the ground.

"Oh," stuttered Hau.

Kahuna Hala's wounded Pokemon stepped away, revealing Loa laid on her back, fur caked in mud, one paw wriggling weakly in the air. Finally, she gave up and went still.

"...That's an impressive trick, Hau, but I'd like to see what your companions have to offer now."

Hau shook off the shock from his system and chuckled mareepishly, recalling Loa into her pokeball. "Thanks gramps– that was a real good fight."

The Kahuna gave him a nod. Hau turned around to give me the space to step up, patting me on the shoulder and shout-whispering to me, "A little close at the end, but hey! You got this!"

I gave him a small nod in return. It was a difficult act to follow, but the vote of confidence was nice.

Phooey. No pressure.

Remember mom's words, Selene.

Trial, test, lesson.

Stepping up to the trainer's dais, I unlatched Petal's ball from my belt. The murmurs of the crowd seemed to quieten, the Kahuna's attention finally set on myself. In front of me, a wasted field of dirt and mud. The water from the previous fight with the Crabrawler had all but evaporated or seeped into the turned earth.

The cold metal of Petal's ball made my fingers tingle. I felt a faint wiggle from within.

"I didn't get a good look at you, the other day," said the Kahuna. "Now we can properly meet one another."

Gosh– my arms and legs were trembling. I couldn't look him in the eye proper, as hundreds of eyes locked in on us. I just gave the Kahuna an awkward nod and threw Petal's ball in.

With a burst of light and a triumphant squeak, my Oddish materialized into the field. They shook their leaves and spread out their legs, planting themself in the earth.

Their opponent smashed a fist into the other, brushed off some of the blood from their wounds, then moved forward to attack.

Okay. Makuhita, the Guts Pokemon. Strong, hardy, traditional. They're known to be prideful and resilient, with a tough constitution that handles toxin and temperature very nicely, so Poison Powder was out of the question here– Selene, Selene, do something, act–

"S-Spread out, Petal! Set up!"

The fight was already progressing too fast for me to focus. The Makuhita had gotten to my Oddish in no time and attempted a series of Arm Thrusts with no order from the Kahuna. While one did land and squeezed out a cry from Petal, my Oddish soon put into practice our mobility training with swift Tackles to dodge each attack.

This was a little slower from the previous fight still– either the Fighting-type had grown tired from Loa's cuts, or Kahuna Hala was testing out the waters.

What little time we had from this volley, we made sure to capitalize it– between every dodge, a faint wave of green spread out from Petal's landing on the ground, like the echoing steps of a dancer.

Hau's work certainly hadn't been for naught– this muddy field was the perfect place for Petal to perform their craft, and the influx of energy in the earth was just the fuel and trigger for flora to sprout in abundance.

It began with little green dots on the ground; a constellation of little stems and blades of grass peppering the field with growing patches of color.

"Petal! Sweet Scent!"

My Oddish Tackled one more time– not away, but into Makuhita's space, releasing a cloud of acrid gas directly at the Fighting-type's face. It recoiled up and away, pained expression on its face, with enough reflex to kick away my Grass-type and push them away.

Still right on their feet, they released a large cloud of Sweet Scent over their position– if the Makuhita wanted to get to them, it would have to enter the cloud.

Okay Selene, you have time, think– this wasn't an opponent that Petal could beat with physical strength, even if they grew their bulk with Growth. We couldn't rely on poison either; this line of Pokemon were known for their endurance and we wouldn't beat them in a fight of stamina. What else was there? How do we beat an opponent defined by discipline and tradition?

…Tradition?

"These are all neat tricks." The Kahuna shook his head. "But this doesn't help in defeating me. Whirlwind!"

The Makuhita stopped its advance and took a wide stance. Its arms spread out, it started to gyrate its hands in front of itself as the wind started to pick up. At the same time, Petal continued to focus everything they had in keeping up their Leech Seed. Dots of green had begun to grow into longer proper tallgrass that surrounded and spread out around the Oddish.

Makuhitas have deep, deep roots in Hoenn. They are at the center of an ancient martial art that is still practiced in Dewford, where Pokemon and humans alike face another in a circular ring– an ancient art created by the Makuhita themselves and adapted to modern use.

This– this could work. We just needed to find some way to make it lose its balance.

The Fighting-type continued its motion, pushing air as though it were waves off a pool, and the forming Whirlwind sent out gusts of wind that blew away all Sweet Scent from the battlefield. The tall grass and the leaves on top of Petal's head flapped violently as they tried to stay in place.

Could we 'defeat' this Makuhita by beating it in its own sport?

"Petal! Uh– we're doing the 'sting'! The 'sting'!"

The Hakuna raised an eyebrow. My Oddish stopped holding on from the buffeting and stumbled deeper in the den of tall grass they had created for themselves, faint waves of green shooting through the blades.

The Whirlwind abated. The Fighting-type rolled its sore shoulders, cuts from its previous fight still apparent through its short fur. It began to advance with great steps through the undergrowth that Petal had made, grabbing fistfuls of grass and tearing it off as it got through.

My Oddish's eyes and leaves barely peeked through the grass as the Fighting-type advanced, one step and one fistful at a time. It meticulously tore through the field, slowly moving to my Pokemon until it could reach its paw into their den of tall grass and finally grab a hold of them–

Petal jumped back and pulled. Grass all around the Makuhita circled around its arm, its legs and ankles and pulled it in and through, and the Fighting made a loud series of yelps as it realized the mistake it had made.

My Oddish had had a breakthrough over the week with Leech Seed– what we wanted was to be able to form different types of plants as needed, no just grass or moss or weeds but plants that have their own defense mechanisms;

Thorny plants like roses or nettles.

The Makuhita came out the other end of the tall grass with all manners of needles and prickles sticking out of its arms and legs, exacerbating its existing wounds, its face in a rictus of pure pain. It looked at my Oddish with a look of fury then lumbered forward with a stumble in its step, readying itself to clobber my Grass-type over the head–

Its muscles suddenly jerked, tensed and locked it in place.

In this case, it hadn't been the previous thorns that stopped it in its tracks but the Stun Powder that Petal had spread all over them, with all these thorns digging into its body just a few seconds prior and getting the chemical deep into its bloodstream. Its muscular body had locked up all at once, limbs occasionally animated with painful twitches and jerks.

"Grab it, Petal! Pull it down!"

My Oddish physically grabbed the slowed Makuhita with their leaves, hefted themself over its back and pulled one of its legs back– and with a faint thump, it fell to the ground.

"I– I call kimarite!" Winning technique in ancient Hoennan, announced when a fighter has touched the ground with anything but their feet.

The Makuhita grew still.

With Petal still on the Makuhita's back, and still overtaken by twitches, it acknowledged the call to end the match and rose a hand in surrender.

The Kahuna blinked, momentarily stunned– this was, ultimately, a completely stupid idea from my part, but I hoped that that would still count as a legitimate victory.

"...You don't talk much, but you think lots, don't you? It's been a long time since a Trial-goer pulled that one on me." Kahuna Hala shook off the surprise.

Tapus watch me, that had worked.

He chuckled once, then returned the downed Makuhita to its ball. "You win this one. I don't think he would continue fighting even if I ordered him to do so, so that's a win for you. You be careful in the future; that trick won't work in other Grand Trials, you hear?"

My hands trembling from the relief – I'd done it! I'd done my part! – I could only nod.

"Good. Now, for the third and final part of this trial."

Oh. Not quite, no, this wasn't quite over.

He lobbed one last pokeball onto the field.

The ball arched as though in slow-motion and light caught into its metallic exterior. I considered the state of the battle: Petal wasn't very injured but they had depleted their reserves quite a bit; the field was partially covered in plants, especially closest to our side.

Lilliane had brought a trembling fist to her mouth, looking out at the arena in worry. It had been a series of tense battles, and no wonder that the Kahuna wouldn't hold anything back against her either.

The ball was still in our court. If Petal could injure or poison the next opponent, this would guarantee the highest chances of success for Lilliane's Ledyba.

The Hakuna's pokeball hit the field.

A Torchic materialized into being.

----------------------------------------

The day before the Trial.

"Would… would you like to shop around after?"

Lilliane's eyes widened in shock, caught in the act. She looked away from the shop windows she had been ogling for the past minute, taking a too-big pull of her bubble tea in the process, nearly choking on her drink. She coughed once, then responded with an embarrassed smile, "I– I should not. But thank you."

We'd decided to eat out, having found a fancy coffee shop where we had a nice view of the Hau'oli shopfronts and harbor. Seated on a table of our own, with nice pillows and couches for our Pokemon to rest on, we'd treated ourselves to mago-filled mochi and other Alolan pastries that Lilliane was unfamiliar with.

Oran Juice had been happily eating malasadas (I had to wipe off his powdered-sugar covered mouth every few minutes) while Stella the Cleffa instructed Toku the Ledyba in how to properly eat an iapapa bar with a spoon (which was a little silly, honestly, they could have eaten it with their paws and nobody would have batted an eye). Petal had been happy to simply rest under a sunbeam and doze off.

My friend could hardly seem to enjoy her own snacks, however, she only seemed to have eyes for the view of the shopfronts on the other side of the street.

"Why not, though?" I insisted.

Her eyes flickered back to the shops, a rainbow of styles showcased through the windows. "These… these wouldn't be proper." She could try to hide it from me, but I could hear it as obligation colored her response. She straightened her white sundress; designer, expensive.

I wrung my hands beneath the table. "Says who?"

"I don't know. Everyone, I guess." She pulled a strand of hair behind her ear, distractedly.

"Um. I don't know much about fashion or whatever." I am a little out of my depth here, and I don't want to push it, but– "But I think you'd look nice in the pink open jacket, here."

"...Oh, I would?" Her face pressed against the window eagerly as her eyes searched around the window fronts. Stella stopped her lesson to Toku then, getting off her seat to jump on the table and search with Lilliane. "Where?"

"Yeah, uh–" I pointed out, "It's at the Appasho store, on the left. Do you see it?"

"Ohhhh… it is nice!" Stella squeaked out in approval, and Lilliane rested her head on her palm, elbow on the table, looking out wistfully. A real, genuine smile blossomed on her face.

That's when she looks her happiest.

"We, uh, we don't have to go inside if you want to," I stammered. "But that'd be nice to know what you like."

She inched away from the window, mulled my question over as she thumbed the straw of her drink. It was strange, ultimately, to be this distraught over just clothes, but clothes was just one of many things that Lilliane wasn't allowed to make choices about.

If she wanted to go after her mother, eventually – What a scary thought! – she would have to make her own choices, wouldn't she?

"What do you like, Selene?"

The change of spotlight suddenly took me by surprise "...That's. Um. You promise not to laugh?"

She chuckled reflexively and moved to cover her mouth with her hand. "Yes! Yes, I promise."

"I– I don't think that's stuff I can wear right now, you know, just being young and all, but–" Maybe? Yeah, no, no way I could pull it off. "I like, uh, professional clothes? Serious stuff that makes you look mature. And, uh, also flower patterns."

My voice had gone higher and faster in cadence as I revealed my embarrassing tastes and Lilliane only grew a wider grin in response. "And flower patterns? Selene, that's adorable! Oh, we should shop around for a dress!"

"Lillie!" I whined loudly, covering my face with my hands. "I haven't worn a dress since I was, like, ten."

She paused, and blinked for a second, then took a deep breath. Stella the Cleffa took notice and stared.

"Can you…" she paused, suddenly unsure, then gathered her courage once more. "Can you call me that again?"

"Oh? …You mean, call you Lillie?"

"Yeah." She smiled a little smile. "Call me Lillie."

----------------------------------------

Fire raged around the arena. My Oddish fell, leaves scorched black.

This was carnage.

The Torchic had been a complete surprise– there had been a few non-Fighting types in the list of Pokemon I researched in preparation for the Trial – Shroomish, Poliwhirl, Buneary – all Pokemon that had serious Fighting-type potential, but how could I have not accounted for Torchic?

The Fire-type had shown itself to be a ruthless, meticulous fighter that could zip around the arena with ease, shooting out Embers with higher speed and precision than Loa even had earlier. If Petal stayed away and attempted to stop them with Leech Seed, it would simply burn away their plants with overwhelming fire-power – my Grass-type could hardly control flora that had been burned to a crisp. If Petal tried to close in and coat it in spores, it would overwhelm them with brutal kick attacks and vicious Aerial Aces.

In what seemed like barely a minute or two, my Oddish had been completely neutralized with nary a scratch on the Fire-type. What grass we had spread around the arena had now caught aflame, painting the field in oppressing orange light and dark smoke clouds.

What advantage we had gathered for Lillie's Ledyba had been completely negated.

This was the worst outcome.

"Your little song and dance has been pretty interestin' to witness, but I've been eager to face you," he said, pointing at Lillie. "Selene, recall your partner. You Athier girl, come up."

I complied. Hau looked back at the arena, grimacing, actual worry on his face. Risking a glance at Lillie, I could see her putting on a brave front– but the clenched fingers around the hem of her dress betrayed her true feelings.

Still, she stepped on the trainer's dais.

"You have experience in the Gym Challenge, I hear. Not too different here, in the end," the Kahuna began. Flames rolled over the battlefield, the Kahuna's Pokemon casting shadows in all directions. "But. I do not see a girl with a badge here today– I see a girl who has dimmed her light."

Lillie shuddered, her hand slipped into her bag to grab her Pokeball.

The Kahuna spoke in a low voice as the wind made flames dance and flicker. "There is a fire in you, girl. There is a fire in you and I see it choked. You draped a veil over it and now it suffocates– but the light wants to be free, girl. How long can you keep this up? How long till the fire dies down, or till the veil catches flame?"

Lillie's eyes searched, desperately, for an answer. Tears glittered at the corner of her eyes. Feeling my fingers flex, I wanted to reach out to hold her hand– but couldn't find the courage.

"What will you do, Lilliane Athier? Will you choke, or will you shine?"

Lillie closed her eyes. Tears spilling out, she grabbed the Pokeball in her bag and threw.

The ball bounced off the field.

Stella the Cleffa materialized. She blinked in surprise, gasped, and turned to face her trainer.

"We," Lillie cried, "We will shine! Stella, we fight!"

Surprise and emotion overtook her Pokemon, and her Cleffa evolved with a triumphant light.