Chapter 27: Harper versus Hau

For the next few days, Brandon hid inside Professor Kutui’s basement. Harper reassured him he wouldn’t come across Jayden again, and even if he did the other kid did have jurisdiction to force Brandon to brush his toilet with a toothbrush. Still, Brandon wasn’t too keen on leaving. Although he had lost battles before – in fact, he had lost more battles than he won – losing to Jayden felt worst. The guy was so smug and arrogant, that the kid probably thought he was untouchable. And everyone seemed to love him, even though most of his book was stolen from Brandon’s works, nonetheless.

While Kutui’s house didn’t stand out from the outside, besides looking like it was cobbled together with random wood planks, the inside was a different story. The main floor of the house was quite cosy. There was a kitchen area, where people could make themselves a meal. There was a lounge area, where people could sit down and relax, or talk to each other. There was even a giant fish tank, where Goldeen was swimming about. The Goldeen was one of Kutui’s Pokémon, a fish-like Pokémon with a white and pinkish red body. The Goldeen had a horn on its forehead, which it could use to attack if in danger. While the professor never used it for battle, he kept good care of the Pokémon, feeding it all sorts of treats.

Downstairs was different. The basement had a gym area, where the professor liked to weightlift. There were a few computers on which Kutui did his research, and one wall was full of bookshelves. Brandon had never seen so many books before outside of a bookstore. He was quite impressed by the professor’s collection. Kutui permitted him to look through his books. So that was what Brandon had been doing for most of the day. He thought about posting what he had learnt from these books on Poképedia but decided against it. He was afraid Jayden would steal his ideas again.

“You sure you don’t want to go explore?” the professor asked Brandon as the boy scanned through yet another tome. “You can learn as much as you can from reading books, but true knowledge comes from going out and exploring the world.”

“Nah, I’ll be fine,” Brandon replied.

Although he had told Harper about losing the battle, he hadn’t told the professor yet. He was somewhat embarrassed. Kutui had brought the two to Alola for an important mission. He did want the professor to find out he had lost yet another battle. Kutui would be having second thoughts about Brandon if he found out, the boy thought. For now, Brandon decided to keep his reasonings for staying inside to himself.

“Hey, I’ll be going out for a bit,” Kutui explained. “Lillie is in the loft area.”

Brandon hadn’t spoken to the girl yet. She was living in the professor’s place, sleeping upstairs in the loft area that was above Kutui’s room and the guest room. Honestly, Brandon was too scared to even talk to Lillie. He wasn’t the best when it came to girls – he barely understood them. While it was easy to talk to Harper, since he had known her since they were very young, that was different since Brandon saw his friend more like a sister than anything else. Lillie was different. He was scared she wouldn’t have the same interest that he did. Furthermore, what if she hated how he would get obsessed about something, and yap about it for hours? A lot of people found that annoying about Brandon. Harper was probably the only person who tolerated him.

Brandon decided he would be safe if he stayed in the basement. He allowed his Alolan Sandshrew to roam the room. Occasionally he would have to get up whenever the Sandshrew got too close to Kutui’s bookshelves or computer. Besides that, Brandon sat there transfixed in his book.

While Brandon was hiding in the professor’s basement, Harper was exploring the Island. She had heard there were plenty of caves and hideaways where Pokémon could hide. She had already caught a Pokémon – a Grubbin – and was determined to catch something else. She returned to Ike Town, hoping to find maybe another Pokémon to add to her team. According to the professor, occasionally there were Pichu near the village. A Pichu could evolve into a Pikachu, so Harper was eager to get one on her team.

She gazed around the field just outside the village, hoping to spot any Pokémon. She even picked up a few berries to attract any wild Pokémon. But for some strange unknown reason, no Pokémon poked their head out. It was as if they knew she would be there waiting. She didn’t blame them, however. Most Pokémon weren’t too keen on being caught. She wouldn’t want to be caught either if she was a Pokémon.

As she was in mid-thought, someone tapped her shoulder. The suddenness came as a surprise. She turned around expecting to see her friend Brandon, or even Professor Kutui. But instead, she was standing beside a tanned-skin kid around her age.

“Hi,” he said, waving. “I’m Hau. I heard some new kids were arriving. I guess you’re one of them.”

“I am,” Harper replied. “My friend Brandon and I have come to these islands on an important mission.”

“Brandon?”

“Sorry,” she apologised. “Brandon is the other kid. He lost a battle the other day, and still hasn’t recovered.”

“To whom?”

“Some kid named Jayden.”

“Oh, that guy,” Hau laughed. “He’s a bit of a douche. Tell your friend not to fret much. Jayden cheats all the time. The Pokémon League is onto him, anyway, and it’s a matter of time before he’s arrested.”

“I’m sure to inform Brandon that,” Harper replied. “I’m sure he’ll be glad to hear that.”

“I noticed you’ve got a few Pokémon,” Hau remarked. “Up for a Pokémon battle? I need as much practise as I can if I’m to take on the grand trial?”

“Grand trial?” Harper wasn’t sure what he meant.

“Oh, you’re not from around here,” Hau apologised. “Instead of gyms, we do grand trials. We fight a powerfully strong Pokémon together as a group. Then we get a stamp.”

“That sounds fun,” Harper responded.

“So, you’re up for a battle?”

“You bet.”

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The battle was done on the same raised platform Harper had used to battle Brandon a few days earlier. A small crowd gathered to watch them battle. Because Hau’s Pokémon followed him around wherever he went – it was a Popplio, a blue seal-like Pokémon – Harper could prepare beforehand which Pokémon she would use. While she could use her Litten, who she had trained a bit by now, she decided to use her Grubbin. Popplio was a water-type and would easily defeat her Litten.

“Grubbin,” she said, holding her balls, “I choose you.”

Out of the Pokéball leapt her bug-like Pokémon.

“Go get them,” Hau instructed his Popplio.

Although usually, a Grubbin would dig underground before ascending to the surface to attack, because the battle was on a raised wooden platform, Harper’s Grubbin couldn’t do that. The Pokémon couldn’t leave the platform or else be disqualified. Harper was comfortable, however, knowing her Grubbin could sustain a hit if possible.

“I know you’re effective against it,” she yelled to her Pokémon, “but try and dodge the attacks. When there’s an opening, that’s when you strike!”

The Popplio shot out bubbles, which slowly moved towards the Grubbin. Even if Harper had used her Litten, she was sure her cat-like Pokémon would’ve easily leapt out of the way. The Grubbin was able to avoid the attacks easily.

“Don’t just use Bubble!” Hau yelled. “Try and slow her Pokémon down!”

The Popplio started to glow, as wind surrounded it. With one swoosh, a cold breeze covered the battlefield. Since they were in a tropical region, Harper was only wearing a t-shirt. She was starting to regret not bringing along her jumper.

The wooden platform became frozen, with a layer of ice covering the planks. The terrain seemed very slippery and would make it difficult to move around the battlefield. The Popplio glided around the Grubbin naturally, shooting out balls of water. The Grubbin dodged each attack, but the Popplio affront began speeding up. Harper’s Pokémon was spending most of the time dodging the attack, unable to perform a strike of its own.

Suddenly, the bug-like Pokémon started to glow. Harper was unsure what was going on. Was it evolving, she wondered? Harper had only recently caught the Pokémon and had barely had time to train it. Sparks started to shoot out of the Grubbin. Soon, the thing was almost engulfed in a field of electricity. Suddenly the shield burst, and shot in all directions, hitting the Popplio and knocking it out.

Harper stood there in amazement. She knew her Pokémon was bug-type, but she was unaware the Grubbin could perform electric moves. For a moment there, she thought Hau was going to win the battle. At the last moment, she was able to triumph.

“Well,” Hau remarked, “that was sure something. Well, I’m going to the Pokémon Centre to get my Pokémon healed. Want to come with me? I can show you around town.”

“Sure,” Harper replied, “that sounds fine.”

Meanwhile, Brandon was still in the basement. He had finished one of the professor’s books and was looking through the bookshelf for something else to read when someone tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned around, he expected to see Harper or even the professor. Instead, it was Kutui’s assistant. Brandon was unsure what to say.

“Oh, hi,” he said simply. “You’re Lillie, right?”

He wasn’t the best at talking to girls. He was eager to get this awkward moment to end as soon as possible. Yet, the girl insisted on continuing to talk to Brandon.

“I’m going out to Route 2 to look for some herbs,” she explained. “I don’t have a Pokémon myself, so I was wondering if you wanted to come with me for protection.”

Brandon wasn’t sure what to say. Because he took too long to answer, the girl took his silence as an answer.

“Good!” she said happily. “We’ll go as soon as possible.”

Brandon wasn’t too keen on going, but Lillie insisted. He didn’t look all too enthusiastic as they slowly walked to Route 2 via Route 3. Lillie wanted to travel to Route 3 via walking through Hau'oli City. Brandon was very insistent on avoiding the town, in case he came across Jayden again. He tried to explain to Lillie why he wanted to avoid Hau'oli City, but she didn’t understand. She said he had a Pokémon and could easily protect both of them. It wasn’t that easy, Brandon thought.

Even though Brandon wanted to get this task over and done with, Lillie walked a lot slower than he would have liked. She would occasionally stop now and then to look around at her surroundings. Lillie wanted to make sure she didn’t miss any berries. Every time they came across a tree, she would stop. Under the trees was a pile of berries, which she would approach and pick up. She placed them in her shoulder bag, which kept wiggly about as if something alive was in there. Brandon asked if she had anything in there, but Lillie said it was only berries.

“Come on Brandon, look happier,” Lillie said as she skipped to one of the many piles of berries.

“If Jayden finds me, it’s going to be your fault,” Brandon complained. “But it’s going to be me that going to get the beating.”

“Jayden?” Lillie asked. She sounded as if she knew the guy. She laughed without giving a response.

“What’s so funny?” Brandon cracked. “It’s going to me that’s on the line, not you.”

“Jayden couldn’t even tie his shoelaces,” she said, still mid-laughter. “He only knows how to cheat.”

“He cheated?” Brandon wasn’t sure what she meant. “Like in a Pokémon battle.”

“He does it all the time,” she explained. “Jayden always teaches his Pokémon illegal moves. Moves that certain Pokémon aren’t meant to know.”

“Damn!” Brandon said, feeling disgusted. “No wonder the kid walked all over me. I was sure I should’ve won that battle.”

“Knowing Jayden and the dishonest trick he does,” Lille continued explaining, “you definitely should have won that battle.”

“His Sandshrew knowing a fire-type move did seem fishy,” Brandon said. Even during the battle, he thought something was wrong. “I wonder if I can get a rematch with Jayden. This time without cheating.”

“Don’t bother,” Lillie replied. “He’ll refuse anyway. That kid doesn’t know how to battle honest, even if he wanted to. Heck, most of his ‘writings’ are plagiarized.”

“Yeah, I’m well aware of that,” Brandon said. “He stole my Poképedia articles.”

“I always thought the stuff he stole was far better written,” Lillie commented. “His writing is terrible. There are so many grammatical mistakes that it’s difficult to read. How people still read his stuff, only Arceus knows.”

They eventually got to the place where Lillie wanted to go. A local farmer had set up a field where berries were grown. There were at least six patches of open soil where trainers would plant berries.

“We’ll take a few,” Lillie explained. “We don’t want to be greedy.”

As she approached one of the patches of soil, which contain berries of all different colours, some leapt toward Lillie to attack her. The girl screamed as Brandon ran to her rescue. Brandon recognised the rodent-like Pokémon. It was a Rattata. Unlike the rat-like Pokémon Brandon was familiar with back in Kanta where they had purple fur, the Rattata here had a dark grey fur. Bizarrely, Brandon had been reading about these creatures back in the lab. According to the book, Rattata’s aren’t native to Alola and have evolved to become night-time predators. What was strange was this Rattata was out during the day.

“Stay back,” Brandon warned Lillie, as he grabbed hold of his balls. “I’m going to catch this thing.”

Out of his ball came Brandon’s Sandshrew, ready for a battle. Brandon’s Pokémon crawled into a ball and began rolling around the Rattata. This confused the Rattata, who kept turning around trying to keep track of the Sandshrew. The Rattata tried to take a swipe at the Sandshrew, but because Brandon’s Pokémon was too quick and dodged the attacks. The Sandshrew then leapt into the air before slamming down onto the Alolan Rattata. This caused the Rattata to be knocked out, giving Brandon the chance to capture the Pokémon out. He had to be quick before the Rattata regained consciousness. Readying one of his balls, he threw it at the fainted Pokémon. The Rattata was absorbed into the ball. Brandon leapt into the air trying to punch the air.

“Yes!” he said. “I don’t think I’ve ever caught a dark-type Pokémon before. Harper is so going to be jealous.”

Lillie picked up the berries, placing them in her bag. Having collected enough, they began to walk back to the lab. Lillie pointed out a cave. She explained that was where trials occurred on this island. Brandon wasn’t sure what she meant by that. Nonetheless, he was excited to share the news of his new Pokémon.