Mimikyu was a ghostly specter when he appeared on the battlefield. Sure, he didn’t do much outside of landing with a bounce and nodding respectfully to Shiinotic, but his innate capabilities and powers as a Ghost Type made him the perfect opponent to test Lillie.

See, I had no doubts Lillie had planned out ways to fight against my team. After all, brainstorming hypothetical strategies against a much stronger trainer was a good way to develop better tactics. With how fervently she wrote and read through her journal sometimes, and with how she sometimes stared at my Pokémon while taking notes, there was no way Lillie didn’t have at least some strategy to defeat my Pokémon. Togekiss might have recently evolved so she had little there, but Mimikyu would be even worse for her, as he was new and more importantly, he was strong.

"Sh-Shiinotic!” Lillie called out, panicked. “G-go for—"

"Shadow Sneak," I ordered.

Mimikyu dropped into the floor like a rock falling into a pond, and Shiinotic’s empty eyes widened as it took a shaky step back. Shadows stretched out like an amorphous hand reaching out from the earth, and Lillie’s Pokémon wasn’t able to do anything before a claw silently extended out from the floor and tore across its undefended back.

When Shiinotic jumped to turn around, the claw was gone. It could not see where Mimikyu was within the dark shapes moving across the floor. While the sight did make my heart race and caused goosebumps to go up my arm, I was at least satisfied my nightmares could inspire such a strong technique from the Ghost Type in question.

“Spread your spores out!”

Lillie’s orders were ultimately useless. See, Sleep Powder had already been flung into the air back when Shiinotic drained Togekiss. By sinking into the earth, Mimikyu’s Shadow Sneak let him slip under where that dust would have otherwise knocked him out. Not only that, but as he only ever exposed his claw when attacking, there was no opportunity for Shiinotic to inflict any of its moves against Mimikyu.

Another Shadow Claw swiped across Shiinotic’s body, and the mushroom Pokémon was a panting, nervous wreck. Mimikyu could strike from any side—any angle—and Shiinotic didn’t have a good way to defend.

“Dazzling Gleam!”

Well, except for that.

Pink light burst out of Shiinotic, searing away the shadows around it. The wide mushroom cap on its head had a natural glow to it, and that glow was briefly turned all the way up to eleven. For all the cover this expansive Shadow Sneak provided Mimikyu, it was more of a protection against physical attacks than Type-energy-rich special attacks. Light-based moves were effectively this strategy’s weakness, and the light from Dazzling Gleam pushed back the shadows until they were only a sparse ring.

With no more avenue to approach, Mimikyu brought himself out of the ground. He purposefully used his claw to grasp at the floor, dragging himself to the surface like a zombie leaving its grave. Of course, he didn’t actually need to do that, but I did talk to him about making everything he did as creepy as possible. He might not have had the abilities Unnerve or Intimidate, but anything he could do to frighten his opponents would give him opportunities to move in for an easy attack.

“He’s finally vulnerable! You can get him!”

Mimikyu twitched to cause his disguise’s fake head to flop to the side, as if annoyed. In response to Lillie’s shout, I held my tongue. ...I kind of wanted to see what Mimikyu would decide to do on his own.

He already had more strength than I expected, and it had been primarily strategy we’d worked on these past few days. In a way, me not saying anything served as a test for him, too. It was time to see if he’d learned anything during our time together.

So, spores spread out from between Shiinotic’s hands. The mushroom Pokémon didn’t bother with a Leech Seed—he instead just caused the cloud to drift forward. It moved faster than it should have, and keeping it in the air ensured it covered a wider range than with Leech Seed. However, Mimikyu just hopped and leaped. All around Shiinotic, illusory duplicates from Double Team appeared in place. The Sleep Powder hit some of them, but since the Double Team wasn’t really there, the attack just passed through.

“Again!” Lillie shouted.

It was pointless; Mimikyu just casually walked forward.

There was nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. Images of Mimikyu surrounded Shiinotic at all angles around its sides. It tried to attack once more, using Dazzling Gleam, but the duplicates simultaneously leaned forward to let their fake heads take the brunt of the light.

The Disguise was damaged, but it successfully blocked most of the attack. Mimikyu used that opportunity to lunge forward.

One image moved—the real Mimikyu, located just behind Shiinotic’s back. Lillie screamed, trying to warn Shiinotic where Mimikyu was, but it was too slow to respond.

A cry, and a weave beneath a swipe of a hand. Mimikyu’s Feint Attack let him strike after misleading Shiinotic, giving him an attack that hit without any problems at all. The mushroom stumbled back as the Double Team duplicates faded, and Mimikyu’s claw was raised for a final Shadow Claw to finish off this match while Shiinotic was still reeling from his previous strike.

It was then when a red light sailed over the field, and Shiinotic was returned before it could faint. Lillie stood there, panting from nerves.

"Who's next?" I asked, playing up the image of a cocky opponent.

She responded with a grin, but it came out a little more forced than usual.

Whatever momentum Lillie might have had from knocking out Togekiss had vanished with Mimikyu’s presence. With Shadow Sneak, Double Team, and his various, powerful attacks, he’d be a tough opponent to beat. Not only that, but Disguise was a good defensive ability that made it hard to actually affect him. Unfortunately, he’d already effectively “triggered” it to get close to Shiinotic. Sure, he might have blocked a part of the Dazzling Gleam, but I was pretty sure he could have won without damaging his costume.

We’d work on that later.

Lillie recognized how difficult it would be to win against Mimikyu, and it almost seemed like she didn't know who to send out. In a way, Shiinotic was her "trump card," as his sleep-inducing moves were enough to render even the toughest foes unconscious.

Interestingly enough, I didn't expect who she sent out next.

"Nebby!"

A Beast Ball flew through the air, and a certain ball of cosmic fluff bounced in place over the field.

"Interesting," I said. Mimikyu used Shadow Sneak to shift backwards and make some distance between he and his foe.

With Nebby on the field, Lillie chewed on her thumb before calling out, "Dodge strats!" I personally gave no immediate orders as the Cosmog started to bounce around.

A few flashes of light signified Teleports, and I could hear people watching this match mumble to themselves about the unfamiliar species on the field. Sure, Nebby was technically publicly revealing his capabilities here, but it was kind of hard not to considering he only had two moves.

Another flash, and Nebby appeared right next to Mimikyu. He stuck his tongue out and sent a raspberry right at the Ghost Type. I could see one of Mimikyu’s eyes twitch as he started to draw out his claw.

“Wait! Do nothing,” I ordered.

Nebby teleported backwards then looked at me, disappointed. Lillie let out a sigh.

"...Really, Alex?" Lillie groaned.

"Sorry, Lillie, but I did say I wasn't holding back. With Nebby... Well, he has an easy counter."

Nebby had no damaging moves. His entire strategy revolved around exhausting his opponents. Against a foe that knew that, his perfect counter existed in the form of, well, not doing anything.

If Mimikyu didn’t attack, he wouldn’t get tired, and Nebby would have no way to take him out. As our observers mumbled in utter confusion (they had no context for what was going on), Lillie called Nebby back, telling me she was permanently withdrawing him from the battle.

"Sorry, Nebby. Alex is right. Do you want to watch next to me on the side?"

I felt a little bad with how sad Nebby looked, but the way he nodded to Lillie’s question did seem to cheer him up a bit. For a moment, he shot both Mimikyu and me a sour glare that made even Mimikyu take a step back before returning to his usual, happy demeanor.

“Sorry,” I mumbled towards the Legendary Pokémon.

He shrugged his two puffballs. I took that as him saying he’d get over it eventually.

"So, Lillie, how are you going to counter Mimikyu?"

She bit her lip in thought as she realized she needed to send another Pokémon out. Technically, no member of her team had fainted so far, but both Snowy and Shiinotic were critically injured. With Nebby withdrawn, she only had Clefable and Brionne for her options, and in the end, she sent out Clefable.

"I think I got it. The perfect counter. Clefable!"

Her large, pink Fairy Type appeared.

"Use Metronome!"

The sound of my hand hitting my face probably could have been heard from miles away. I couldn’t blame her for this plan, though. If she couldn’t think of a strategy, why not leave it up to chance? I would have done the same.

Clefable wiggled her arms as Mimikyu braced himself for Metronome's effect. The Ghost Type buckled down as the Fairy Type pressed her hands as if in prayer.

She glowed; silver energy suffused her. Mimikyu cringed for some reason, but then nothing happened at all.

"Huh," I said. There continued to be no effect. "Move in for Shadow Claw. Stay on alert."

Another Shadow Sneak, and Lillie paled.

"Drop your defenses! Bring him closer for a kiss when he attacks!"

In a similar strategy to what he used against Shiinotic, shadows stretched out around Clefable. A claw extended upwards, behind Clefable’s attack, but the second he was ready to swipe, she turned around and grabbed the dark limb.

Mimikyu literally squeaked in surprise as she suddenly pulled him right out of the shadow. Unfortunately, Mimikyu wasn’t one of the Ghost Types that could phase through the physical too well, so he didn’t have a way to break free. Then, without warning, Clefable pulled him closer. She planted her lips right on the fabric on top of Mimikyu’s face.

He was released after that and stood there, eyes spinning at the sudden, surprise move. The Fairy-Type-laced Sweet Kiss sent him reeling, and he wobbled in place, his eyes spinning in his head.

Clefable’s giggle sounded more like a snicker than anything else.

“It worked!” Lillie squeaked. “Now, let yourself be hit!”

Mimikyu’s claw extended out as he spun wildly, trying to use Shadow Claw while stuck under the effects of confusion. He hit, of course, but little effort was behind the attack. I wasn’t sure what Lillie was playing at before I saw ghostly darkness form on Clefable’s hand.

Copycat. Of course.

She’d been able to mimic Shadow Claw to gain a quick, super effective attack of her own.

“Get back! Hide with Shadow—”

A bang.

A whine.

Everyone cranked their heads up.

High in the sky above us, a searing light was rocketing towards earth. What looked to be a meteor formed of pure light was hurtling right at the battlefield.

I was able to put two and two together. That "useless" move Clefable had used earlier?

"Doom Desire," I whispered. No other moves fit the bill. "Clefable somehow called up the signature move of Jirachi itself. Metronome really is wild."

There were gasps from the audience from that revelation. Clefable's copycatted Shadow Claw winked out as even she looked up in surprise.

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As for Mimikyu, though, he was still under the effects of confusion. Not only that, but even though I called for a defensive Shadow Sneak, all he ended up doing was looking to Clefable and gaining a deep purple blush.

"...Of course. Cute Charm."

Seemed like Lillie had gone all in on her debilitating strategies. When Mimikyu had swiped Clefable earlier, he didn't just grant her the inspiration for Copycat, but he also ended up being inflicted by Fairy Type energy that forced him into a state of temporary infatuation.

What a combo. This could make even the toughest of opponents stutter in a match.

Seeing both the Doom Desire rapidly home in on Mimikyu's position and Mimikyu himself twirling in a single spot, Lillie didn't hesitate to capitalize on this opportunity.

"Meteor Mash!" she shouted.

I blinked.

Clefable can learn that move? I thought—

My brief confusion was meaningless in the face of the punch that slammed into Mimikyu and sent him slamming into the ground.

I could have returned him here. Heck, I could have returned Mimikyu the moment after he was confused and torn Lillie's strategy apart. But, like how a Gym Leader tested their challenges, I held back from doing that, letting Lillie's hard work pay off in a victory right here.

The meteor wasn't a meteor, but a powerful flash of light. It struck Mimikyu where he was pushing up from the ground, and the Steel Type energy ended up a super effective attack.

After everything he'd gone through, that was enough. He might have been a strong Pokémon, but two super effective strikes from a Pokémon honestly not too much weaker than him was plenty to take him out.

He disappeared into his Dusk Ball right after that.

Lillie was outright cheering at this point, and she deserved to. She'd earned that win. Sure, she might have been lucky enough to call down a Legendary-equivalent strike, but her strategy would have been effective without it.

"That was a good plan," I said, eyeing where her Clefable stood on the field, smiling.

"Thank you!" Lillie giggled. "I thought of it to counter Azumarill, but it worked here, too!"

She had a bright smile on her face, and, seeing that, I couldn't help but to smile, too. I was proud of just how well she'd performed and also satisfied with how Mimikyu had fought. This was shaping up to be a good battle overall, so I didn't hesitate to send out the last Pokémon Lillie would need to defeat.

Down to my last Pokémon, I didn't need to pause to consider when I'd send out for this. Eevee wouldn't be a challenge against what Pokémon Lillie had left, and as for Ribombee, even after this past week of training, he didn't have down the ace in the hole that was Quiver Dance.

"Tinkatuff. Time to debut."

It wasn't technically her debut, but it was her first serious match in quite a while, and she had something incredible to show off.

Gleaming in the midday sun was Tinkatuff's latest creation. Her hammer had been tinkered to perfection, and it was now over three times her height. The handle was sleek, ergonomic, and provided the perfect leverage for swinging. The hammer head? Massive—the size of an anvil. Not only that, but Tinkatuff hadn't stopped there. Around her hammer's edges, discarded teeth from Mawile pointed out of its sides.

It was a spiked menace, to put it lightly. Tinkatuff had used every resource at her disposal to make it. Practically everything we had bought in Malie City had gone into it, and I had even downloaded engineering diagrams from online to give her inspiration and more advanced techniques. Just looking at that hammer was threatening enough, and I knew Lillie was aware of the intense danger it posed—after all, after testing, Tinkatuff had actually managed to push Mawile back.

And that was after an Iron Defense.

"Ah," Lillie said. "You know, this actually makes sense."

"Tinkatuff, Metal Claw," I ordered.

Lillie froze as Tinkatuff ran three steps forward, but the little Pokémon was just as quickly yanked back when her hammer didn't move. It was too heavy for her tiny body.

The crowd watching the match laughed at the sight. Considering Tinkatuff looked like an animated doll, the moment was almost something straight out of a cartoon.

She huffed, though, annoyed at the reaction, and I couldn't help but to feel indignant on her behalf.

"You won't be laughing for long," I said.

A few chuckles continued as Tinkatuff tried and failed to move ahead. Soon, though, those chuckles quickly faded away to a series of nervous murmurs. Her arms shook from the strain it took to make her weapon of choice budge. It didn't look possible, but with enough body-shaking effort, Tinkatuff was somehow able to bring her hammer sky-high.

Tinkatuff grinned, extremely pleased with herself. Someone along the side clapped.

"Metal Claw!" I yelled again.

That shout was enough to snap Lillie back into focus.

"Metronome, Clefable!"

Unfortunately for her, Lillie had fallen into the trap of over relying on an unreliable move.

This time, when Clefable wiggled her arms, her wings vibrated and a burst of dark-tinged air rushed forward. The Ominous Wind wasn't very strong, and it certainly didn't carry its secondary enhancement with it. All it did was ensure Clefable stayed in one place while Tinkatuff ran forward.

"TiiiiinkAAAAAATUUUUUUFF!"

She couldn't directly carry her hammer. Instead, she tipped forward and ran with it, angling it for a perpetual fall. The massive weapon lowered with Steel Type energy as she moved over the field with much more ease than she should have.

"Move to the side, quick!" Lillie shouted.

But Clefable winced as her wounds from Mimikyu's Shadow Claw acted up.

The Steel Type-infused hammer ended up falling right into Clefable's face, and after everything else, the super effective damage was enough to knock her out.

A few people off to the side cheered for Tinkatuff now that she'd demonstrated her strength. A thud marked her hammer hitting the floor, and the little Pokémon puffed up her chest.

Clefable vanished. Tinkatuff made a show of stroking her hammer's head out of mischievous pride.

Lillie might have only had one opponent left, but the power Tinkatuff's weapon contained wouldn't make that easy. Weighing her options, a moment later , Lillie's sole healthy Pokémon hit the field.

"Brionne," she said.

Brionne was Lillie's starter-but-not-a-starter. Outside of Nebby, the Water Type seal was the Pokémon that’d been with her the longest. Brionne was capable of powerful moves, but at this point, so was Tinkatuff.

Honestly, considering just these two, the battle was still anyone's game.

"Brionne. We have to be clever if we're going to win,” Lillie said.

"Bri. Onne," her Pokémon replied.

"So, if we're going to win, we have to be smart. For this, we’ll rely on—"

A gasp, and Lillie’s orders were interrupted. Off to the side, people started to point up towards the sky. I was immediately on edge as the match was interrupted, and everyone here froze to crane their necks up to the sky.

“Hah. Of course.” I shook my head, amused.

Two dots were growing larger by the second, one green and one red. Before long enough, who they were was made clear.

"Hope!" Lillie shouted. Her lips were curved up into the widest of smiles.

I could just barely make out the form of our resident Grass Type specialist mounted on her Tropius's back. The bulky dinosaur sailed through the blue sky, its rear tails trailing behind it. Next to her, a red thing moved through the sky. With its horns and mimicry of a bull’s head, it was soon made clear that Tapu Bulu itself was moving along by her side.

The area was downright silent as Hope and Tropius touched down with Tapu Bulu moving to float above the ground. Everyone’s focus was on the Legendary Pokémon, with some people even going as far as to kneel. The Island Guardian didn't do anything, though, it simply floated there and existed. Hope hopped off her Tropius without blinking an eye. She approached where Lillie and I stood across from one another on the Pokémon Center battlefield.

"A battle, huh? And without me?"

Hope was actively grinning.

"How did your training go?" Lillie asked excitedly.

"Terrible. I asked this guy three times to join my team and he turned me down every time.”

Some people gasped, thinking Hope was referring to Tapu Bulu. After all, asking an Island Guardian to forsake its role was practically heretical to put it lightly enough. No, when she gestured over her shoulder with her thumb, Hope wasn’t referring to that Legendary but a different Pokémon floating behind her back.

I blinked. Kartana was still there. It was closer to her than before, and it looked exactly the same. If anything, though, it moved with even more control than before, anchoring itself behind Hope’s back and looking like something that was almost attached to her shoulder.

Even the smallest of Hope’s movements caused Kartana to move alongside her. It was perfectly silent and looked completely mundane, making it seem like it was just a piece of origami attached to her back. It was easy to overlook, which caused most people to not recognize it for what it was. Still, the Ultra Beast was with her, and it was likely even more powerful than before.

That’s kind of a nightmare.

“I have a Beast Ball and everything, and Kartana just didn’t even respond. It’s a shame, we really could have done a lot together, but...”

Hope blinked, freezing slightly at the stares from the strangers nearby. Putting the clues together, she finally turned around, facing Tapu Bulu head on.

"Alright! Sorry about that! You can go now! You don't have to escort us any longer!"

I imagined Tapu Bulu was here to help Hope more easily escape the Flygon and harsh winds that patrolled the skies above its home desert. But, when Hope so casually dismissed it like that...

"Bulu," the Legendary Pokémon grunted.

It slumped, and I couldn't explain it. If anything, it was behaving almost like a sad dog.

"Oh, come here, you," Hope said.

She threw out her arms and took a step forward. Tapu Bulu rushed forward and brought her into a hug.

The sheer bewilderment of the crowd around us was a sight to behold. No one—and I mean no one—would have ever expected to witness something like this in their life.

"I'll miss you," Hope said.

The Legendary Pokémon looked to be on the verge of tears.

They split, and Tapu Bulu closed itself back off into its totem form. For a second, I almost heard a sob. It opened itself up a second later, looking much better than before, then it nodded to both Hope and Kartana respectfully before rocketing back off into the sky and off into the distance.

"So." Hope clapped her hands. "I noticed you don't have a ref—"

"What was that?!" someone in the crowd shouted.

Hope politely ignored them.

"I mean, I was just about to defeat Alex's last Pokémon...” Lillie offered.

I smirked at that, regaining my posture as a confident opponent for Lillie to beat.

"Defeat Tinkatuff? Hah! She's going to take out the rest of your team!"

My and Lillie’s banter brought out a response in both our Pokémon; Tinkatuff's hands tightened around her mallet, and Brionne pushed up to tower over Tinkatuff by balancing over her tail.

"Well, I'll step in anyway to keep everything fair," Hope said as she moved to the edge of the field. As she did, Tropius groaned at her and she returned him to his Pokéball. Apparently, he wanted to rest in there and not out here.

"What are you waiting for? Begin!" Hope called out.

The abrupt resume caught me off guard. Lillie managed to give an order first.

"Attack!"

It was a generic command, but it was as effective as it was nonspecific. Brionne let loose a Water Pulse, and since Tinkatuff was right there after knocking out Clefable, the attack clipped her in her side. While she didn't have much time to dodge, she did have the state of mind to use that impact to bring herself into a spin. With that spin came momentum, and with that momentum came an attack of her own.

As if preparing a throw, she spun her hammer right towards Brionne, channeling Dark Type energy to unleash a Brutal Swing that threatened to knock Brionne straight out of the arena if it hit.

"Jump back!" Lillie called out.

Brionne did exactly that then released a Water Gun.

"Do the same!" I shouted out.

Tinkatuff jumped back as well and blocked that Water Gun with a heavy swing of her hammer’s head.

The block meant the quick Water Gun only hit Tinkatuff with a harmless splash, but a Disarming Voice then tore through her body. She resisted it, though, and landed on the ground a second later. Brionne did the same, a bit further away.

Then, both Pokémon faced off. Arguably, Tinkatuff was at a disadvantage with the damage she’d taken and the range she was currently at, but I knew a single, solid hit would take Brionne out.

"Your Pokémon have been strong so far, Lillie," I said.

She blushed from the praise.

"Y-yours too, Alex!"

I smiled.

"I know."

Tinkatuff was supported by her fully-built hammer. Metal Claw might not have been that strong of a move, but infusing her weapon made it that much more devastating. As for Brionne, a well-timed and well-placed Hydro Pump could set up Tinkatuff’s defeat, so both Lillie and I had to be careful about how to continue this match.

In far simpler terms, whoever managed to land a single, solid hit would end up winning, and both Lillie and I knew that.

"Are you ready for this?"

"I am."

Both of us threw our arms forward to point, shouting orders as we did. However, what we said didn’t end up mattering. Tinkatuff and Brionne locked eyes, both of them smirked, and then two pairs of blinding light covered the field.

They both began to evolve.

Tinkatuff's hammer was already big enough to support this shift, so the changes she went through were more about beefing up her forn. She gained stockier limbs, natural gloves on her hands to better grip her hammer, and more hair for some reason, too.

(Improved balance, maybe?)

As for Brionne, her size exploded outwards, going from a seal not even half Lillie's size to one that was twice the length of her body. She gained a long ponytail, arms longer than usual, and a blue tail even sleeker than before. The upper half of her body was now white, and her arms were significantly longer, too.

When the light broke, Tinkaton didn't even need to expend effort to lift and carry her hammer, and Primarina's long, blue hair flowed behind her as if she was underwater. Both Pokémon faced one another in a dramatic fashion, and Hope couldn't resist making a comment.

"So we now have a full set of fully evolved Alolan starters between us," she mused.

"But none of us have an Incineroar?” Lillie asked.

Hope held up a hand and made a show of counting three fingers.

"Tinkaton, Primarina, Decidueye... No, I'm pretty sure we have them all."

“You just wanted to brag that Decidueye evolved, didn’t you?” I said, shaking my head out of exasperation.

Hope’s cheeky grin told me I was right.

"Maybe," she said.

"Resume the match!" I shouted.

Lillie went along with my usurpation of Hope's role, ignoring the sputtering and upset cries that came from the side of the field. Both Lillie and I repeated our orders, except mine was slightly different. After all, our pair of Pokémon had absolute behemoths of moves they were able to use.

"Hydro Pump!"

"Gigaton Hammer!"

Lillie made a few choking sounds when she heard what I said.

With the excess energies of evolution, the long Primarina had no problems at all conjuring the pressured blast of water. However, the move I had called for was never practiced, yet the newly evolved Tinkaton used it with ease.

Her gloved hands gripped the haft of her hammer as if it were a bat, and she lowered her stance and eyed the incoming blast. The hammer shone in the clear sky’s light from the sheer amount of Steel Type energy being poured into it.

The Hydro Pump roared towards her, and Tinkaton ensured she was ready to take the blast. A second later, she swung, and water from the attack went everywhere.

To be clear about this exchange, Tinkaton wasn't actually that strong of a species. Heck, Primarina technically had the same amount of physical power, but Tinkaton was specialized in one thing and one thing in specific:

She could not be beat when it came to wielding a hammer.

Putting it simply, Tinkaton pulled off the impossible by deflecting the attack. She hit the Hydro Pump and disrupted the move to cause it to ricochet off to the side. The impact of the Gigaton hammer sent water exploding out everywhere. A wide puddle was all that was left of the powerful Water Type move, and Lillie looked exceptionally pale.

"Move in," I ordered.

Tinkaton tried to take a step forward, but the power contained within Gigaton Hammer meant she started to spin. The heavy swing of the weapon was as unwieldy as it was powerful. It didn’t necessarily have a recovery time, but even with her specialty, her small body meant she didn’t have the mass to support herself and use the attack twice in quick succession. Lillie, of course, took advantage of that.

"Surf! I know you can do that now!"

Primarina smiled and held up her arms.

Tinkaton was barely able to recover her balance in time. From Primarina, a hum—a melody formed from the Pokémon's voice. There was an ethereal quality to her song that made it sound like an impossible instrument. What Type energy Primarina could bring to bear was transformed into a towering wave.

"Protect!" I quickly ordered.

Having recovered from her swing, Tinkaton had at least enough training to manage that.

Her hammer hit the ground with a thump as she ran forward to brace herself against its head. It served as a shield supported with protective energy as Primarina rode the wave and caused it to crash down around Tinkaton on the field. Without any screens set up around the sides, many people became drenched with water, letting out noises of complaints. Hope shouted for them to not interrupt the battle. Lillie and I were too focused. We gave out orders again.

"Gigaton!" I shouted, not wanting to take too long to call for a move.

“Water Pulse!” Lillie shouted, calling for an attack that came out more quickly than Surf.

Primarina didn’t use Water Pulse but her own signature move that came with her evolution, continuing her song to send strange, vibrating bubbles that were sent forward. It almost looked like a Bubble Beam, except each of those bubbles contained a song. The Sparkling Aria popped against Tinkaton and sent her recoiling back, but she was able to still use the weight of her hammer and swing down.

Both Pokémon were hit. Both Pokémon were knocked back. They let loose cries of pain and fell to the ground.

"Water Pulse!"

"Metal Claw!"

We wanted our Pokémon to be the one to deal a quick, final blow, but both of them pushed up only to fall back to the ground. It seemed that those final attacks were enough to finish both Pokémon off.

(I was pretty sure Lillie forgot that Primarina gained the Fairy Type on evolution, and Gigaton Hammer became a neutral, Steel Type move rather than one resisted by Brionne’s pure Water Type.)

"Tie!" Hope shouted.

I felt bad that Tinkaton wasn't able to win her hammer’s debut battle.

As for Lillie, she looked utterly downcast.

"After everything we did..."

I held back a laugh.

"Actually..." I started.

Hope sent me an annoyed look as if she thought my laughter was taunting Lillie.

"Hope came in late. She only saw our last two Pokémon," I said. “She might have called a tie, but...”

I could see Lillie's eyes widen as the realization settled in.

"I... I still have team members left," she whispered. “But you’re out of Pokémon.”

Mimikyu knocked out Clefable and forced Lillie to withdraw Nebby. Tinkaton knocked out Primarina in the last matchup of this fight. As for the rest of Lillie’s team, Snowy the Vulpix and Shiinotic were both heavily injured but technically conscious. With them still up, their presence on Lillie’s team had granted her the win.

“We won,” she said quietly. “We won!”

Lillie laughed and swept Nebby up into a hug. She hopped in place while squeezing him tightly before rushing onto the field. From her pack, she retrieved a Super Potion to apply to Primarina, and the second the Water Type woke up she hugged the Pokémon as tight as she could.

Nebby was stuck between them and let out a squeak of pain from the pressure. He wasn’t fighting back too hard, though.

"Congratulations," I said. I returned Tinkaton to give her time to rest before we’d enter the Pokémon Center nearby.

"I must have missed more than I thought,” Hope mumbled. “Anyone else evolve?”

“Clefable, technically, since she evolved back when we had first entered the desert. Oh! And you need to meet Mimikyu, too.”

Hope tilted her head slightly at that and chuckled, putting together the fact there was a Ghost Type, of all Types, currently a member of my team. I was a little annoyed that she remembered Mimikyu’s Type significantly faster than I had when I first met him, but she had a better outside perspective to draw on than me.

As Lillie continued to celebrate, there was a lot I could have done here. I could have moved up to her and interrupted her celebrations to congratulate her. I could have taken Hope aside to talk about what I’d learned about Lusamine. Alternatively, I could have brought up our plans to head to the Lake of the Sun and Moon next, but I did none of that. Lillie deserved to celebrate her victory with her Pokémon for as long as she wished.