How is She a Teacher? - ResiRess - Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (2024)

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

“Ah, Gary. There you are.” Professor Oak swiveled in his old and worn-down chair. The old thing squeaked under his weight, but the constant hum of fans subdued it. Not that it helped Gary much. He was far too used to the fans and was beginning to ignore it, even if he would rather listen to it over whatever was happening in the pasture.

Nevertheless, he had answered his grandfather's call. “What's up, Gramps?” The young man sauntered through the main room of the admittedly small lab. “This ain't a social call, is it? ‘Cause that excavation site was really nice. Found a good piece of amber while I was there.”

“Itching for another Aerodactyl?” The old man grinned as he took in his grandson. Nearing eighteen, the brunet sported his usual black jacket and a pair of tan cargo pants. On the right side of his belt were six pokéballs, each at the ready.

“Well, fossil pokémon's breeding habits could need a few more articles,” quipped the younger researcher as he propped a hand on his hip. “Not really looking to care for a baby right now though.”

“Busy?” The professor threw out as a guess.

Gary nodded. “Rowan’s been good to me, but I’ve been bouncing between sites too much recently to add a beginner to the team. Especially not a baby.” That was about what Samuel expected. The few times Gary had exchanged his team out over the past year, he had mostly been using his veteran battlers. “But that's not why you called me here. So, what's going on? Ashy meet another Legendary?”

“Not since Kalos.” Professor Oak shook his head while smiling fondly. “At least, I hope not. You never know with that one.” Chuckling, he reached into the pocket of his lab coat and pulled out an envelope. It was plain save for the postcard sticking out of it, smushed inside next to a bundle of letters. “I know it's not your usual job, but I need someone to deliver this to Ash.”

Taking the envelope, Gary spotted a long-necked Exeggcutor on the postcard. “Alola? What's Ashy-boy got to do with Alola?”

The older Oak winced at the nickname, but Gary was too busy inspecting the bright postcard to notice. “Well.” Samuel cleared his throat. “Professor Kukui—you know him, right? He's the one with that study on Swift's homing technique.”

“And he proposed that Swift could have other type variants, like the pledge moves,” Gary added without missing a beat. When his grandfather looked momentarily surprised, Gary grinned mischievously. “What? I had to inherit something from you.”

The professor recovered quickly and shot back, “And it certainly isn't my humility.”

“Says The Pokémon Professor.” The two barked out a laugh, each wearing wide smiles. It'd been much too long since they've talked like this. Both missed it, but they were busy individuals.

Between Samuel's responsibilities as a regional professor, caring for the many in the ranch, and his research, the old man barely had any time to just chat like this. Business calls were easy, they fit well into his usual schedule. Banter like this was relaxing and few individuals could fire back at him without backtracking in order to respect his position. Or some other nonsense like that.

His grandson was in the perfect position there. Unconditional love and support went both ways for the two, only helped by their common interests. It was a shame that Gary worked in Sinnoh most of the time, but at least it wasn't that far. He could've worked in Paldea and never been available from across the globe.

Still, as much fun as this was, it wasn't a social visit. Gary waved the envelope up and asked, “So, what's Professor Abs want with Ash?”

“He's looking to found a league actually. The first new one in two decades.” Since the Orange Islands was established, though most didn't treat the islands as anything more than a vacation spot.

Gary stared befuddled at the letters. “Sorry, what does Ashy have to do with making a League? He's a good battler, don't get me wrong. But making a new League? Yeah no. Ashy wouldn't know where to start if he was given a manual.”

That, Professor Oak couldn't really refute. Ash never had the mind for politics, and really, that's what Kukui should be looking for. However, Kukui and the Island Kahunas—whoever those were—had it handled. “Actually, Ash is being offered a teaching position.”

“You're kidding.” The two stared at each other. Samuel kept his best poker face, trained over years of dealing with new trainers. Gary tried to find any hint that this was a joke. “Please tell me you're kidding.”

“Ash is being offered a teaching position,” he repeated with a straight face.

“Okay, you have to be kidding.” Gary looked around the lab and grabbed a pokéball off his belt. “Any second now a Zorua is going to pop out and end this prank. Any second now. C'mon.”

Professor Oak burst into another round of laughter. “Oh, that's good.” He wiped a tear from his eye. “Ash was right, that would be hilarious.”

Gary blinked. He took out the postcard and flipped it over. The handwriting was nothing like his grandfather or Ash's. It could be real. Whoever signed it did so as a Samson Oak and Gary vaguely remembered having a relative by that name.

Still, it was entirely possible that a lab assistant wrote it. Maybe even Delia if Ash had been good lately. “Okay, so is this a prank?” he asked tentatively.

“No, no. Far from it actually.” Samuel shook his head. “Ash and I were looking for something new. The goal was something far from Kalos, but I tried to look for a new experience. Paldea and Galar were options, but Ash wouldn't be able to take part in the league proper without me pulling a few strings. I haven’t spoken much with the regional professors over there, so it was a no-go. Then we discussed just adventuring through a region, but Ash and wandering have never been a good combination.”

Yeah, that was usually how up-and-coming professors found their latest article. Gary would know. Ash was a great source of information when it came to encountering rare species and getting caught up in whatever they do for a habitat. Sending the determined trainer out in the world without a proper destination would probably end up with a new one-of-a-kind pokémon being uncovered.

Not that it was a bad thing. It just so happened that Ash kept getting between maniacs and rare species to protect the latter.

But if the alternative was held in a tiny envelope… well, Gary wasn’t sure it was the right choice. “So teaching? You think Ashy-boy’s got what it takes?”

Professor Oak sighed. “We’ve talked it over. As much as Ash leaves much to be desired when it comes to traditional learning, I can’t deny that she has a way with pokémon. For a trainer school, she’s probably the best person anyone could ask for.”

“Can’t argue with that.” Gary grabbed Aerodactyl’s pokéball off his belt and tossed it in the air. “Alright. Where’s Ash heading?”

“Cerulean last I heard.” Samuel’s shoulders tensed as he waited with bated breath.

“Visiting Misty then.” The brunet spun on his heel and shoved the envelope inside an inner pocket of his jacket. “Take care, Gramps!”

A piercing cry followed and large, strong wing flaps echoed outside the lab. On the back of a prehistoric pokémon, Gary was long gone in the blink of an eye.

And Professor Oak could finally relax. “Can't wait to hear how he reacts.” He smiled at the inside joke. Well, inside to his grandson. Either way, his reaction would be priceless. That boy had missed way too much these last few years.

Chapter 2

Chapter Text

Riding on the back of Aerodactyl, it only took two hours to make it from Pallet to Cerulean. Without proper riding gear, it was difficult but not impossible. Gary really regretted it though and the chaffing between his thighs was going to keep reminding him of his rash choice. Of course it had to happen in Cerulean too, one of Kanto’s two major cities near the coast. Three if Cinnabar counted, but that was an island.

Nevertheless, he made it to Cerulean City and the envelope was completely intact. Now all he had to do was find Ash. Well, if he was a betting man—and he wasn't anymore, not after he lost twenty thousand poké—he'd start looking at the gym first. His former rival may not be taking the gym challenge, but where Misty was, Ash ought to be.

Getting Aerodactyl to drop him off in front of the building was a bit tricky since he was already breaking some flying laws going so fast without contacting any rangers. It shouldn’t be that big of a deal since he hadn’t run into any flocks, but one never knew when rangers were watching or not. For all he knew, one of them had been tailing him and that was why Aerodactyl was so unnerved.

It could also have been because they were stopping in front of a water-type gym. For most rock-types, that was usually a no-go. Especially one that had been trained with a veteran of a Blastoise.

Or it could have been the sound of thunder repeatedly echoing through the city. Yeah, that could definitely make an Aerodactyl nervous.

And if Ash wasn’t somehow responsible for that, Gary would eat his shoe. That had a ridiculously jumped-up electric rodent written all over it. So for peace of mind, he returned Aerodactyl and grabbed a different pokéball off his belt.

Releasing Umbreon, Gary entered the gym with a wary gaze. “Umbreon, make sure to use Protect if anything’s coming our way.” The Moonlight pokémon yipped and strode side-by-side his trainer, slipping inside the gym quietly.

The reception desk was empty save for a large sign declaring the gym wasn’t taking challengers today. That only added to his suspicion that Ash was there. First thunder claps on a sunny day and now a gym being closed? Yeah, that had to be Ketchum nonsense.

Without anyone to ask for directions, Gary could only follow the sounds of battle to find his quarry. Granted, that wasn’t difficult. The cries of “Pika!” followed by uproars of thunder weren’t exactly quiet. Still, it was weird to traverse a gym without a guide of any sort. He hadn’t taken any gym challenge since his stint through Johto, but usually there were gym trainers to guide you through a challenge, if not the leader themself.

“Starmie, use Protect!” cried a shrill voice. Gary heard rather than saw a lightning bolt bounce off the barrier. He rounded a corner to the largest pool of the gym just in time to see a flurry of stars chase down a small yellow mouse. Each star came increasingly close, only to be slammed into each other by a metal-covered tail.

“Let’s finish this, Pikachu!” shouted the trainer closest to him. She threw her hand out, pointing at her opponent. The motion caused her long black hair to bounce behind her. “Volt Tackle!”

Her Pikachu landed on one of the gym’s floating platforms, only to blitz forward in the blink of an eye. Engulfed in a golden aura of pure electricity, Pikachu slammed into Starmie, sending the Mysterious pokémon careening into the wall.

“Alright!” cheered the Pikachu’s trainer as he flipped backward onto one of the many jetties in the pool. The rodent only seemed winded from the attack, barely showing any damage from the recoil the signature move was supposed to have. “Guess you’ll just have to try next time, Misty!”

Misty, the redhead gym leader of Cerulean, returned her Starmie. “Don’t be too proud of yourself. In a full battle, you wouldn’t have a chance.”

“Oh yeah? Then bring it on!” The black-haired girl and her Pikachu shouted at the same time, practically copying each other in real time. It was eerie to see, and oddly enough, Gary wanted to see how that battle would go.

However, he also had a job to do and he really wanted to go back to his last dig site. He cleared his throat and stepped forward, drawing the attention of both women.

The black-haired girl practically beamed upon seeing him. “Oh, hi Gary!” She bounded over with her pokémon not far behind. Pikachu climbed up her back, only for his paws to get caught in her long hair and yank her back. “Ow!” With her stumble came lengths of hair, ripping away in one large clump.

“Pika?” The rodent fell back onto the ground with a hair extension in his clutches. He raised it to his trainer and she reached behind her, patting the back of her red sweater. “Chu…”

She sighed, “They still lasted longer than I thought they would.” With one hand, she picked up the extensions. With the other, she lifted Pikachu onto her shoulder, creating a rather familiar image. Between her messy black hair and the Pikachu, she looked strikingly similar to Ash.

“Seriously?” Misty hurried over and fussed with the other girl’s hair. Unfortunately, the messy locks barely tamed themselves now that they weren’t being weighed down. The girl was left with a bob of tangled hair hanging over her shoulders. “One day. You couldn’t even make them last for one day.”

“Hey, blame Pikachu, not me!” The girl gestured up to the offender.

“Cha!” cried the Electric Mouse pokémon in protest.

“No, this is definitely your fault,” she barked back.

Gary wasn’t quite sure if the mouse actually said anything that made sense for that reply, but he wouldn’t doubt it. Plus, given the brightness of that Volt Tackle earlier, the two had to have been training together for a while. Especially if a Pikachu could do that much damage before evolving.

“Not that this isn’t amusing, but I’m here on business.” Gary reached into his jacket and pulled out the bulky envelope.

“Playing mailman?” Misty offered a hand out to him. Meanwhile, the black-haired girl and her Pikachu bickered in a way that made it really hard to tell if she was fluent or not.

Gary shrugged and gave the envelope to her. “Pretty much. Ash still doesn’t have a phone, so Gramps needed someone to do it.”

“Why didn’t he just get Tracey to do it?” The gym leader flipped the envelope over and ran her thumb over the half-dozen stamps in the corner.

“Didn’t see him at the lab, so he’s probably on another assignment. That or he’s taking his vacation.” Which kind of sounded nice. A week in Alola or the Orange Islands sounded great right about now. “Anyway, you know where Ash is?”

“Yeah.” Without looking, Misty slapped the thick bundle of letters into the other girl’s face.

“Ow!” she said in reflex. “Oh, sweet.” As if she wasn’t just in an argument with her pokémon, she opened the envelope with gusto.

Gary blinked. “I’m sorry, is she supposed to help me find Ash or…?”

Misty snapped over to the black-haired girl. “Did you seriously not tell him you transitioned? I thought you told everyone already.”

“Huh? Did I not?” She looked at her Pikachu as if he would know any better. “I know I’ve told Mom, Professor Oak, Brock, you, Tracey, May, Max, and Dawn.” She counted them off on one hand, despite already going over five people. “Iris and Cilan knew ‘cause they had to put up with the first year of it. Then Clement, Bonnie, and Serena mostly knew me after I transitioned. Or is that still during it?”

“You opted for the ditto cells, right?” The girl nodded. “Then you were done like one or two months into Kalos.”

“Well, I haven’t really told anyone since Serena asked about it. Or was that Bonnie?” She stuck her tongue out of the side of her mouth. “No, it was definitely Bonnie. Clement made me explain the whole thing to her and I called Dawn about it since she knows more about all the LGBT stuff than I do.”

Gary vaguely recognized the name Dawn, but a lot of people knew the coordinator. The other names also rang bells, at least the first few. Those were definitely the people Ash traveled with while Gary was still a competitive battler. That still didn’t help him. “Can we step back a bit? How is this supposed to help me find Ash?”

“Oh!” The black-haired girl extended her hand out to Gary. “My name is Aislynn Ketchum, but you can just call me Lynn or Ash.”

Gary rubbed his eyes, but the girl in front of him was still there. Her messy black hair framed tanned cheeks with familiar lightning bolts running across them. But her red sweater still covered two mounds that the Ash he knew definitely didn’t have. Plus her jean shorts—which looked identical to Misty’s own—revealed slim legs that lacked the muscle Gary knew Ash hid under pants. She wasn’t even wearing a hat! How could she claim the name Ash

“Ash? Really?” He said after a moment of just staring at her.

She bobbed her head, hand still offered up. “Yep! Well, technically?” Her face scrunched up. “I’m fine with people still calling me Ash, but Serena read somewhere that trans people usually change their names. So she and Bonnie suggested names for a week until Clement got frustrated with them and threw out Aislynn before he went to sleep. After that, it just kinda stuck.”

“Cool, cool.” Gary then turned his gaze down. “So who let you out of the house like that? Seriously, a sweater and shorts? Are you hot or are you cold?”

Chapter 3

Chapter Text

“Okay, so let me get this straight,” Gary began, only for Misty to snicker. “You decided to transition after the Lily of the Valley conference?”

Aislynn nodded, her hair bobbing as she walked alongside the other two. Now that they had left the gym, they strolled through Cerulean City in the vague direction of the pokémon center. “I asked Dawn about it since she taught me about the different flags.”

“And by flags, you mean pride flags, right?” Gary watched his Umbreon drift over to Aislynn—which he was still getting used to, but it wasn’t the weirdest part of today. Umbreon sniffed at Aislynn’s heels and looked back up at her, surprised.

“Yeah, she taught me all about them.” Aislynn reached down to pet Umbreon, but didn’t even have to bend down far to do so. Just one of many other weird things that Gary was coming to terms with. He could’ve sworn that Ash had grown above the five foot mark back when they met in Sinnoh. Now she was barely taller than when they were ten.

“Bre. Umbre,” purred the Moonlight pokémon as he leaned into Aislynn’s scratches.

For her part, the black-haired girl handed off her envelope to Pikachu and grabbed the Eeveelution up. With one arm supporting the mammal’s weight and the other stroking down his spine, Umbreon practically melted into her touch. Sure, it was still Ash at the end of the day, but Umbreon was never that comfortable with people. Not even Gary got that reaction out of his own pokémon.

He turned to Misty, who was walking on the other side of Aislynn. “So is that normal?”

“She did the same thing to Violet’s Marill and Lily’s Swanna.” The redhead seemed unimpressed with the small feat. “Pretty sure it’s unrelated to all that,” she gestured to Aislynn’s person, “but no clue.”

“About what?” asked the person in question. Her hands still carded through Umbreon’s sleek fur, much to Pikachu’s jealousy. As such, he grabbed the postcard from the envelope and shoved it in front of his trainer’s face to stop her from scratching the Moonlight pokémon. “Oh, right. Forgot about that.” Aislynn flipped over the card and skimmed through the message. “Cool. Looks like I’m heading to Alola.”

“Alola?” Misty repeated. “What are you going to Alola for?”

“I’m going to teach!” replied the shortest of the three.

Misty blinked twice, shook her head, then blinked again. “I’m sorry, come again?”

“I’m gonna be a teacher?” Aislynn and Pikachu looked at her as if that was completely normal. Umbreon bumped his head into the girl’s hand and she did her best to keep scratching him with the arm carrying him. Easier said than done, but the ‘mon seemed satisfied.

The redhead looked at Gary. “Okay, am I hallucinating or did Ash just say she was gonna teach?”

“I wish it was a hallucination.” Gary reached over and ruffled Aislynn’s hair. “But nope. Someone thought it was a brilliant idea to hire Ashy to teach some kids.”

“Hey!” Aislynn pushed away Gary’s hand. “I’m not that bad. I could teach.” Her two friends shot each other a disbelieving look, one that may have literally gone over her head but not metaphorically. “I’m serious! I’ve learned a lot on my journeys. You guys just haven’t spent a lot of time with me in a while.”

“I get that,” Gary said lightly. His tone made it clear he didn’t really believe her. “But knowing things and being teacher material are two very different things. You can’t tell me that you’re that good at explaining things.”

She couldn’t. She wasn’t great with articulating herself, but she wasn’t the worst at speaking. “It’s a pokémon school. I can explain plenty of things about pokémon,” she huffed.

Misty shrugged. “Maybe so, but I still can’t see the kid I traveled with being a teacher.”

“I’m seventeen! I’m almost an adult!” Aislynn cried.

“Really? You’ve barely grown.” Misty compared their height, where she was a head taller than her friend. Aislynn slapped her hand away with a pout.

“Blame the hormones,” grumbled the trans girl. “I wasn’t even supposed to shrink. I was already short!”

Gary winced. “How about we just talk about your job?” Misty rolled her eyes at the weak diversion. “What are you teaching? Battling?”

Aislynn let out a huff. She looked to Pikachu, who picked through the handful of letters and handed her the one she needed. “Officially? I’m supposed to be teaching people how to live with pokémon.” She squinted and brought the paper closer to her face. “So I’m going over general pokémon care, species-specific care, and the handling of wild pokémon.”

“That sounds oddly reasonable,” admitted Gary. He had expected something about battling or legendaries. Aislynn was pretty much the most knowledgeable about legendaries as a whole, even considering regional professors. She was a good source of knowledge, even if she didn’t have a researcher’s mindset.

“But what are you actually teaching?” asked Misty. What was official was obviously just what would be done on paper. She knew that better than anyone after dealing with her sisters for a decade.

“Probably all of that plus like training?” The black-haired girl handed the letter back to Pikachu, who neatly put it away. “The principal told me I’d be helping out with a small class, so I should be focusing on their personal goals. No idea what they are, but it probably won’t be much different from what I normally do on my journeys.”

“Like solving cases that local officers should be doing and taking care of other people’s family issues?” suggested the redhead as she recalled a handful of the many weird problems they had encountered on their adventures. Between a Hypno accidentally hypnotizing dozens of children and the older brothers pressuring their younger brother to make a life-changing decision, they had dealt with some things the average trainer would never have heard of.

So it was completely reasonable for Aislynn, the wandering problem solver, to be hired by someone. Though Misty figured it would have been Lance recruiting her into the G-Men, not being some school teacher.

Aislynn was pretty ambivalent about the job title though. She’d end up doing the same thing, just in a different place. “Probably, yeah. I’ll learn more about it when I get there, but I think schools start in the fall.”

“You think?” Gary teased with a knowing smirk.

She shot a glance over to the brunet. “What? Do you remember school schedules?”

“No, but shouldn’t a teacher know?”

“I haven’t started yet! I’m allowed to not know.” She cleared her throat before she raised her voice even more. “Besides, I haven’t been to school in years.”

“Wait,” Misty said, “how old are your students?”

Now that was a good question. Aislynn looked to her partner on her shoulder. “Chuu.”

“Around twelve.” Gary raised a finger. “And before you ask, less than twenty people go on pokémon journeys in Alola every year. Most of them go to school for a few years, then work in local businesses.”

“That’s not what I was going to ask,” denied Gary. Though the question was definitely on his mind.

Aislynn scrunched up her face. “Then what?”

“Are they taller than you?”

“You are so lucky I’m carrying Umbreon right now.” The Moonlight pokémon nuzzled into her arms, begging for more scratching. She obliged since the ‘mon hadn’t done anything wrong. Unlike his trainer.

“Oh hey, we’re here!” Misty pointed to the red roof of the pokémon center. “Aislynn, go get your ride home. I’ll take Pikachu to get a quick check-up.”

Begrudgingly, the black-haired girl handed off her partner to one of her oldest friends. Then she glared at Gary and hissed, “This isn’t over.” She stalked off into the center, heading straight to the video-phones.

That left Gary outside the center. And Aislynn still had Umbreon.

Traitor.

Chapter 4

Chapter Text

“Coward!” shouted Aislynn at Gary’s retreating form. His Aerodactyl sped off into the distance with his trainer on his back.

Her own flying pokémon twisted his neck to look at her. “Zar,” rumbled the beast’s deep voice.

Aislynn patted his neck. “I know you could.” The two looked below them in unison. Pallet Town was just a few minutes out of reach, or just a couple if Charizard wanted to push it. “Next time, big guy.” The Flame pokémon huffed smoke from his nostrils, but acquiesced anyway.

He dove toward their home and his tail left a blazing trail behind him. Aislynn clung to his back as best she could with Pikachu pressed between her and Charizard. Her hair whipped into a wild mess, flapping behind her as her fire-type tore through the skies. Then his wings opened up, catching the currents before he turned his dive into a swoop. It was by no means the smoothest of landings, but it was safer for her and Pikachu, who were not built for flight.

Charizard shook off his trainer and teammate. Aislynn rolled off easily and found her footing on Pallet Town’s soil. A breath of fresh air later and she was all smiles. “Thanks for the ride.” The great lizard spat a puff of smoke into her face. “Pah! C’mon, not when my mouth’s open!”

“Cha-Char,” chortled the Flame pokémon. Pikachu snickered at his partner’s expense while he hopped onto her shoulders.

Spitting out what she could, Aislynn was none too pleased. “Fine, keep laughing. I’ll just bring you over to Alola last.”

All laughter came to a sharp halt. “Zar!” Charizard pointed to himself. “Char Charizard.”

“I can totally make it without you. I’ve gone through entire regions without needing you.” She had gone through Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Kalos without ever calling upon Charizard’s help. Alola wouldn’t be that different.

The Flame pokémon squinted. “Zard.”

“It was one tower!” And that Blaziken guy saved her. So even if she climbed another tower—not that she would—Charizard wasn’t absolutely required. Any of her flying-types could have saved her. Even Hawlucha could glide her to safety. Probably.

She didn’t exactly want to test that, even if she was light enough for him to carry. But the lizard wasn’t one to back down. He shot a Flamethrower into the sky, heating up the surrounding area in an instant. “Char!” roared the powerful starter. The gout of fire only lasted seconds, but being a few paces away from it, Aislynn would be sweating if it lasted any longer.

As such, she made an effort not to wipe her brow. That would be showing weakness. Charizards may not biologically be dragon-types but they sure as hell acted like it. “If we run into a legendary, Pikachu can handle it. Right, buddy?”

“Chu?” The Mouse pokémon made a show of thinking about the potential battle. “Cha!” He finally decided.

“See, perfectly safe.” Aislynn puffed out her chest. “Besides, it’ll be just like a new journey. A fresh start and a brand new team!” And if she worked hard enough, she’d have another powerhouse like Charizard or Greninja. It may be a bit difficult between teaching classes, but she was only an assistant. She should have more than enough time for some training.

“Char. Za Zard,” he said to Pikachu before looking back at his trainer. “Charizard.” He wasn’t changing her mind on this. None of her pokémon would. Despite what had happened before, her being a teacher was much safer than going on another journey.

“Don’t worry so much.” She rolled her eyes. “If you really need to get your mind off stuff, fly over to the Charicific Valley. I’m sure Charla could use some company.” Aislynn winked before making a mad dash for Professor Oak’s lab.

Charizard gaped at his retreating trainer and the Pikachu sticking his tongue out at him. Since when did someone tell his trainer about relationships like that? Who would dare teach her about this? He needed to find out as soon as possible, lest his other teammates finally find their mates and their trainer start to embarrass them.

With a determined set to his jaw, Charizard flapped his wings and headed to the ranch. He’d get there much faster than his trainer would, even with whatever special human abilities she had. First, he had to find Bulbasaur. Then, he had to make sure the kids were out of earshot. Easier said than done given that Noivern had very large ears. Well, he still ought to try.

Meanwhile, Aislynn and Pikachu arrived at Professor Oak’s lab as the sun was setting. Having called the researcher earlier, he was more than ready to welcome her into his lab. The hum of machinery still made the air warm, but the open-air plan made it bearable.

Sitting at his desk, Professor Oak skimmed through an article on his computer. “Just one moment please,” he said over his shoulder.

“Take your time.” Aislynn strolled over to the regional professor’s desk and looked over at what he was reading. She could point out a few familiar pokémon names, but other than that, she couldn’t find any keywords to give her any hint about the article. About par for the course when it came to whatever Professor Oak started reading. She knew she could keep up if she wasn’t reading it and was being demonstrated instead.

Wait, was she going to have to read textbooks? Teachers did that, right? She couldn’t do that. At least, not without falling asleep or forgetting whatever she read by the next morning. That didn’t seem like great teacher behavior. It wasn’t even good role model behavior. She needed to be a role model to a bunch of kids that would actually get to know her.

Oh, man, that was not happening. She could barely get a handle on her own life. If Pikachu wasn’t constantly with her, she’d sleep in till noon everyday! Thankfully he rarely left her side, but the times he did, she was practically lost without him. Reasonable people would say that she was too dependent on her partner pokémon. Naturally, she was not a reasonable person and Pikachu was not a reasonable pokémon. They weren’t parting.

And that was a terrible example for impressionable children.

She and Pikachu would have to talk about that later. For now, they needed to talk to Professor Oak. “So, about the job…”

Oak scanned the last few paragraphs concluding the article. “You were accepted. Congratulations. Not many get the honor of teaching the next generation.” He minimized the article, returning to a background of rolling green hills. Satisfied for now, he spun in his chair to face Aislynn. “How does it feel?”

“Like I’m definitely not the best person for the job,” chuckled the trainer. She had grown a lot since she had shown up to Oak’s lab in her pajamas—metaphorically speaking mostly. However, her latest concerns were most definitely something that needed to be addressed. “I’m not backing down though. Professor Kukui and Principal Oak trust me to teach, so I won’t let them down!”

“Pika!” agreed her partner dutifully.

Professor Oak smiled fondly at the trainer. She had changed so much over the years, particularly the past two. “Ah, that reminds me. I meant to give you a little gift before you set off for Alola.” With a soft groan, the professor ambled over to the room reserved for check-ups. “When’s your flight?” he shouted from across the lab.

“Oh, I haven’t booked it yet. Hopefully soon, but I have to find a place to stay and stuff.” She looked at her partner. “You wouldn’t know how to do that, would you?”

“Cha.” Figures. Neither of them had needed to look for something more permanent than hotels or pokémon centers before, so they wouldn’t know where to start with actual housing.

“Guess I’ll ask Mom then.” Maybe she’d get a house or something. That sounded nice, especially if she could get some space for her pokémon. Probably not as big as the Oak Ranch but her savings were still good enough for something small.

“Well, I’m sure Samson knows someone.” Professor Oak waddled back into the room with an incubator cradled in his arms. Within, a brown egg sat, its red swirls gleaming against the overhead lights. “Hopefully you’ll have more than enough room for this little one.”

“An egg? Professor, are you sure?” Aislynn took a wary step away from the old man as he set down the incubator.

“Of course. Consider them a gift.” He gestured to the still egg as if it wasn’t a huge deal.

It was literally a baby though. They weren’t born yet, but they were still an impressionable, young pokémon. “I’m not sure if I really should. This egg looks like it’s pretty young.”

Professor Oak patted the side of the incubator. “Don’t worry, I’ve already set up the settings, so all you’ll have to do is watch over it.”

“That’s kind of the issue.” She and Pikachu looked at the egg apprehensively. While they would love to take them along, well, they didn’t know what their new job would be like. “Am I really going to have enough time to watch over it?”

“Hm, that is quite the pickle.” The researcher glanced out the window as if he would suddenly land on a solution. It was rare that it happened, but sometimes the pasture had the answer to a problem. Not always the current problem, of course.

However, the gathering of Ash’s many team members was a good start to solving the dilemma. Bulbasaur was a natural leader although his presence was highly required to coral the rowdier ‘mons around the lab. Yet many of the ‘mons gathered had experience with watching over an egg in some capacity.

After a moment of processing her options, he finally decided, “Take one—no two—more pokémon with you.”

“What?”

“Pika?”

“With two more pokémon around, the egg will always have someone to look after it. That should assuage any of your worries about its wellbeing.” He wasn’t wrong there. She didn’t want to break tradition though, not really anyway. “Plus, then you have no excuse to jump off buildings.”

“It was one time!”

Chapter 5

Chapter Text

Two more pokémon, huh?

It was such a simple thing. Two more teammates to protect her and the egg. Later, she could swap them out for her other friends. Maybe she could get lucky and get a place with enough space for all of her friends and bring them to Alola. It would be wonderful to have her entire team together in a new region.

Yet she was still stumped at only picking two. Obviously there were some team members she couldn’t take away from the ranch no matter how much she may want to. Bulbasaur was essential to rounding up her team, so taking him was out of the question. Snorlax was too big of an investment without the latest in pokéblock or chow making tech, even if he was one of her strongest. Then the Taurus herd wasn't a great option either. They were pack animals and she liked to keep it that way.

That still left a lot of her team. She had thought about it for two whole days so far and still hadn’t come much closer to deciding on her own. Pikachu offered some input, but that only narrowed it down to at least one flying-type. The other was still up in the air, but if she chose Talonflame or Unfezant, then they might be maternal enough for the other choice to be unrestricted.

“Ugh! Why is this so hard?” It was just one decision. She ought to be able to make it on her own!

“Pikapi,” yawned Pikachu from across the couch. He curled up on top of Aislynn’s legs, keeping her laid across the seats.

He had a point. She could just ask her team and they could decide amongst themselves. They should have a say in it too anyway. It wasn’t like a conference, where she needed them to fight with her. This time, she needed them to live with her and support her. “We still haven’t figured out where we're gonna stay. I can’t just live in a hotel or pokémon center forever.”

The price for the former would rack up too high for that to be sustainable. Meanwhile, most centers had limits for anyone who didn’t have injured pokémon with them. She’d probably have a week in one while her team remained whole and healthy. After that, it was back to square one.

There was always the option of camping out, but being a homeless teacher didn’t seem like the best idea for someone who was supposed to be a role model. It might even make her students wary of being traveling trainers. Not many were strong enough to stay afloat without doing odd jobs in cities with whatever pokémon they had. Even fewer could live entirely off battling once they settled down.

“Man, why is this so hard?” sighed the girl. She almost wanted to just pack it up and start another journey instead of figuring everything out. But backing down wasn’t her style. She was committed to this job. One way or another, she would pull through.

“Mime?” Mimey yawned as he went down the stairs.

“Oh, sorry.” A small flush of heat pooled in Aislynn’s cheeks. “I didn’t think I was that loud.”

He waved his hand, dismissing her worries. “Mi-mime. Me?” He gestured around her and the incubator on the coffee table. What was the racket all about? At least, she thought that was what he was asking.

“I told you about the teaching thing, right?” Mimey nodded while he took a seat. “Well, Professor Oak told me to take two more pokémon with me for safety.” Aislynn looked at the vulnerable egg that was kept warm inside its glass case. “I’m trying to figure out who to take, but I think I’ll just have to ask my team about it. Then I also need to find some place to stay since I’ll be living in one place. No clue where to start with that. Though I should really get started on that.”

Being the understanding pokémon he was, Mimey waved his hand and created a barrier to grab a notepad and pencil for him. “Mime mime. Mimi Mister,” he said as he wrote.

“A real estate agent? Are those a new trainer type?” Mimey ripped a page from his notepad and handed it over to the young woman. “Oh. They sell houses and stuff. Why are they called real estate agents then? Are there fake estates out there?”

“Mister mime. Miss miss.” He shook his head, disappointed by the question. After answering it, he continued to write something or other on the notepad. It was a tad hard for Aislynn to see when she didn’t want to wake up the rodent on her legs. “Mime.”

The Barrier pokémon handed her a completed list of steps, each one with a note about some of the terms written underneath them. It was honestly impressive. Not only could Mimey write—and much neater than Aislynn could—he did it really fast. “Wait, when did you learn how to buy a house?”

“Mime.” He gestured to the small stack of magazines on the coffee table.

“Oh yeah, you do read a lot of those. Should I start reading those?” Aislynn reached over and grabbed one. She flipped through the first few pages which were filled with all sorts of garden and home decorations. “Do you really read this stuff?”

Mimey used Psychic to steal the magazine from Aislynn’s hands for himself. “Mime mime.”

She grimaced and went back to the list. It seemed the first thing she should really do was take stock of her own finances. After the Kalos league, she had a pretty high balance. Not that she really spent much besides the occasional restaurant for her and Pikachu. Either way, that year had given her better winnings than previous leagues thanks to being a finalist. It was a bit of a weird thing since Lumiose City was a mess, but she accepted it and tried to help where she could with her team.

Plus, Greninja’s services around the region netted her some small income. Even Primeape’s winnings were still attributed to her and she got a small profit from that. It was pretty decent to have that stable flow of poké dollars into her account.

So she should have enough money for wherever she ends up staying. Unless she bought some really expensive place but hopefully she didn’t have to. She rather liked being able to eat at nice restaurants with Pikachu. Especially since Cilan and Brock hadn’t traveled with her in a while.

Anyway, the next point on Mimey’s list was to find a reputable real estate agent. The small note under it said something about looking for them online.

Aislynn looked at the sleeping electric-type on her legs. Then, she looked up at Mimey. “Do you mind, uh, you know?”

He waved her off. “Mime.” Taking his notepad, he walked over to the family computer and begun his work.

“Thanks, Mimey. I’ll give you a massage or something later.”

The Barrier pokémon shot her a thumbs up over his shoulder before scrolling through a quick list. He scribbled a few things on his notepad before continuing his search.

So Aislynn was on the couch and back to square one. Which two pokémon was she taking with her? She needed someone swift as a coursing river, as forceful as a typhoon, as strong as a raging fire, and as mysterious as a mew.

Or she needed to get some sleep.

Chapter 6

Chapter Text

Aislynn basked in the morning sun. It would be noon in just a couple of hours, but this was her normal for now. An early morning courtesy of her electric alarm, which was followed by attending to her pokémon. Bathing, feeding, and some minor healthcare took hours of her time for so many beasts, but it was worth it each and every time. Any amount of time spent with her team was time well spent and a few days worth of it gave her plenty of time to think about her options going forward.

Now, she sat cross-legged in the middle of Oak Ranch. The incubator was nestled atop her lap, its warmth flowing through her bare legs. The heat was up high and the red swirls dotting the shell clearly indicated a fire-type of some sort. That or a dragon-type she hadn’t met before, but her gut said her little one was a fire-type.

Despite whatever notions of type she had, Bulbasaur dutifully observed the egg with vines hovering over the incubator. Ever the parental ‘mon, he warded off some of her more daring team members, forcing them to return back into the circle surrounding her. It was nice, but everyone was understandably curious. Outside of her journeys, Aislynn didn’t get new team members, much less eggs. The last egg had been Noivern and the Sound Wave pokémon was doing his best to steal glances where he could.

She did like the attention, it showed that most of them cared. There was the obvious exception in Snorlax, but he had a one-track mind most of the time. Otherwise, everyone was curious about the egg and what this meant for the team. Understandably, there were a whole host of risks in just having Pikachu to protect herself and a baby in a new region. Especially since her last two didn’t have the best of starts.

Zekrom had sought out Pikachu when they arrived in Unova and put the Mouse pokémon’s electric sacks all out of whack. It had taken till somewhere during Kalos where Pikachu was confident his reserves were back to where they were. Between that and Aislynn’s second puberty—which had been much more notable than the first—well, Unova wasn’t much to write home about. Save for their new friends, Aislynn and Pikachu didn’t have many stories to really share about it.

Then Kalos started with that Mega Garchomp debacle. No matter what her friends and family said, Aislynn didn’t regret being there in the slightest! Garchomp needed someone there and Aislynn could be that person. Just because she jumped off Lumiose Tower to catch Pikachu didn’t mean that she needed to take more of her team.

Now that she had a baby though, well, she probably should. “Okay, everyone, let’s all sit down.” Immediately, Aislynn felt the ground rumble as thirty-some pokémon sat down around her. She wrapped her arms around the incubator and a pair of vines laced around her arms. “Thanks, buddy.” Bulbasaur nodded and loosened his vines so they hovered around the egg.

“Bulba,” he warned her. Though she already knew to be careful, he didn’t need to reinforce it. She wasn’t clumsy or careless enough that she would drop the incubator by accident. At least, she hoped not.

“I know you’re all curious about the egg, but we need to talk about Alola first, alright?” Some shoulders sagged at the mention of that. New regions naturally came with goodbyes for her and her friends. “So, a few days ago, I got my official acceptance. I’ll be a teaching assistant.”

“Don?” Donphan raised his trunk in lieu of having an arm. Aislynn gestured to the ground-type. “Phan phan. Don?” He pointed toward the egg, asking the question that was on the minds of most of her team.

“No, the egg isn’t part of the job. They’re a gift from Professor Oak.” The ground-type nodded, satisfied with that answer for now. “Anyway, where was I? Right, teaching.” She took a deep breath. It was time to see how poorly this would go. “Since I’ll have a job, I won’t be able to watch the egg all the time. Plus, all that stuff that happened in Kalos,” she trailed off as she scratched her cheek. “So Professor Oak told me to take two more pokémon with me.

Immediately, pokémon swarmed the lone trainer. Charizard and Swellow flapped their wings to gain some height before diving toward her, only to collide with one another. Donphan and Torkoal rushed over as fast as their legs could carry them. Buizel and Totodile hopped on top of others to leap over to Aislynn.

If it weren’t for Bulbasaur wrapping the incubator in a cocoon of vines, something terrible might have happened. Thank goodness one of her pokémon had the sense to protect the baby first. Between Torterra and Muk both trying to reach her, something disastrous could have occurred.

“Everyone, settle down!” Aislynn commanded. She held her hands out to the side, pushing back the snouts of her more eager friends. “Let’s all just calm down and talk this through, alright? Eventually, I’ll bring all of you to Alola. I promise.

That seemed to pacify the most rowdy of the bunch, but did little to assuage the cautious Bulbasaur. His worries were sound, though his vines were stretched to their limits to encase the incubator. With its current heat settings, that couldn’t be good in the long-term.

Aislynn reached up to grab the egg, but Bulbasaur raised it higher. “Seriously?” She stood up, only for it to be lifted out of reach once more. Then she tried jumping for it, but the Seed pokémon was adamant in keeping it away from her. “Oh, c’mon!

“Bulba-bul.” Vines receded to bring the egg closer, but Bulbasaur still remained stubbornly out of reach. “Saur.” A few others snickered at the plight befalling their trainer.

“Fine. But I’m taking them back when I leave.” Aislynn sat back down with Pikachu taking the spot in her lap, still left warm from where the incubator was.

“Bul,” conceded the grass-type.

That was fair. Bulbasaur definitely had more parental instincts than his trainer did. Letting him watch over the egg while she was at Oak Ranch was a small concession. Now letting her team decide who should go, well, that was a larger problem.

“Alright, before we start, I have some rules.” She held a finger. “First, one of the two coming with me has to be able to fly.” All nine of Aislynn’s flying-types stepped forward. “Second, Charizard is coming last.

“Char!” The shocked fire-type gaped at the young woman.

“I said you were coming last.” She puffed up her chest and smirked. “Did you think I was bluffing?”

The proud lizard crossed his arms. “Char.”

Aislynn, being the mature trainer that she was, stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry at him. “Next time, don’t spit ash in my mouth! The pun barely works anymore!” Charizard turned his back to her and left his tail tauntingly close. The flame hovered just out of reach of her, but radiated heat better than any heater. In the summer sun, it was a massive annoyance. “Ass.”

“Char.”

“Hey! Don’t say that kinda stuff around the egg,” she scolded before turning to the rest of her pokémon. She cleared her throat, but whatever dignity she had was unrecoverable. “Anyway, the third and final rule is that you can’t be going with me expecting a battle.” More than half of her pokémon wilted at the rule. Aislynn couldn’t blame them; she was as battle-thirsty as the rest of them. “Look, I want to see how strong Alolan trainers are too, but there’s no League yet. If we run into trainers, it’ll be rare, so I don’t want to take you guys away from your training partners yet.”

Her core battlers nodded in understanding, though they were definitely put out by the news. Some like Buizel and Swellow backed off from the pickings. Despite that, many still wanted to go, much to Aislynn’s delight.

“We have all of today to decide, guys! So let’s get going!”

Chapter 7

Chapter Text

Aislynn stretched out, eliciting several satisfying pops from her back. Professor Oak stepped out of his old car followed by Delia from the passenger’s seat. Seldom used as it was, the beat-up vehicle was still good for some trips. Going to the airport via pokémon flying was hazardous and had a whole heap of legalities surrounding it. None of which Aislynn had to deal with today, but they did drive her to riding in a cramped metal cube for an hour before she rode in a cramped metal tube.

Professor Oak sent Delia a meaningful look. “Let me grab your suitcase.”

“Oh thanks, Professor.” Aislynn stretched out her arms while Pikachu sat on the roof of the car. The electric mouse wasn’t quite as cramped as his trainer, but he still stretched himself out. It didn’t do much considering his small and stocky stature. Still, it was nice to move the muscles a bit before going through the terror that was airport security.

That was only made worse by the incubator. Aislynn hefted it out of the backseat and cradled it in her arms. The heat was a bit much for summer weather though would come in handy once she stepped into the air conditioned airport.

Delia sighed, catching her daughter’s attention. “Something wrong, Mom?”

She shook her head. “You’ve just grown so much.” While Delia had hardly changed over the years save a few wardrobe changes, it was hard to tell sometimes that her baby was still the excitable trainer that set out with a Pikachu seven years ago.

That wasn’t just the transition speaking, although that did help a lot. Aislynn’s body had begun filling out despite her diminutive stature, even when compared to her mother. Delia wasn’t sure where the short genes came from, but the doctors attributed it to too much heavy lifting during Aislynn’s youth. She looked like a normal teenage girl. Well, except for her hair. It seemed only growing it out would help tame it, but the girl’s active lifestyle seemed to keep her hair short one way or another. Sometimes it was a stray pokémon move, other times it was a Flamethrower to the face.

Aislynn’s fashion sense hadn’t changed much over the years. Function over form as was the habit of career trainers. Jean shorts and a pair of trainers were obvious picks, both fueled by Misty’s assistance. Meanwhile the blue-and-white striped loose tank top was definitely the young woman’s own choice. The stripes were large, and while it fit Alola’s general year-round summer aesthetic, it wasn’t the best look. Especially when combined with Aislynn’s usual red and white ball cap.

Still, changed as she had, Aislynn was still Delia’s baby. No matter what happened, that would remain true. So now that Aislynn was getting a job and her own house, it was really sinking in that her baby was growing up. Sure, the encounters with legendaries made Delia fear for Aislynn’s life, but this made her tear up for a different reason.

All those years ago when her child had set out for a pokémon journey, Delia knew that Aislynn—Ash at the time—wouldn’t be able to survive on her own. She could barely remember to wake up on time. Then came Misty and Brock, who helped and guided Aislynn to becoming who she was today. After those two amazing friends came others who molded Aislynn to even greater heights.

Today, Delia’s daughter was a fighter to the end and a hero whose feats were only recently brought to the limelight. To think the child that once chased after Pidgey would now teach children how to live alongside pokémon was incredulous to her.

Where had the time gone?

“Mom?” Delia reached over the incubator and hugged her daughter. “This is nice and all, but I can’t hug you back without dropping the egg.”

Delia let out a wet chuckle. “Sorry, sorry.” With a handkerchief, she dabbed at her eyes. “I’m just so proud of you.” The confusion on Aislynn’s face showed some inexperience with what Delia was feeling. At least her child hadn’t grown up in every area, but it was only a matter of time. “I’m going to miss you.”

“It’s just like any of my other journeys, Mom,” Aislynn tried to verbally wave off as her mother.

Delia pulled back from the hug. “I suppose it is.” She stuffed her handkerchief away and took a deep breath. Reaching into the car, she pulled out a small gift bag. “But it’s still different. You’ll be a teacher.”

“A little. Maybe a lot. Actually, it’s probably super different.” Aislynn cast her gaze down for a second, only to muster up a bright smile. “ But that’s okay! I’ll figure it out.”

“I know you will.” Delia reached into the gift bag. “And I know you’ll get busy, so just try to call once and a while.”

Offering the gift to her daughter, Delia held out a phone. It wasn’t the newest Rotom-integrated models, but it was a phone nonetheless. With its bulky red case, it fit well in Delia’s hand, but when Aislynn took it, it was too big of a fit. After she had gotten over her initial shock, Aislynn stammered out, “You didn’t have to.”

“It’s a gift,” insisted Delia. Aislynn handed the phone over to Pikachu to hold as she regained a proper grip on the incubator. “I’ve already put in the numbers of myself and your friends, so you won’t have any excuse not to keep in contact when you’re not working.”

“Wait, how’d you get their numbers? I didn’t know they had phones.” Most of the time, she just called their home phone and talked to their parents if they weren’t there. Johanna and Grace were both regular contacts for Aislynn, even when their daughters were traveling. It helped that they were keenly interested or aware of Aislynn’s life.

That or Johanna was just worried about her daughter’s transgender friend. Still it was the thought that counted. And a lot of thought had to have gone into getting the numbers of Aislynn’s friends, whether it was everyone that she had met over the years or just her traveling companions.

“Thanks, Mom. This means a lot,” she decided to say. Pikachu chipped in his agreement as he fiddled with turning on the device. “I don’t know if I can pay you back for this.”

“Just remember to call once in a while.” Delia sighed when her daughter and her partner nodded.

“And call the lab too!” Professor Oak pitched in. He closed his car’s trunk and rolled Aislynn’s luggage around to her. “It’d be nice to hear from you a bit more often. Never know when you’ve met a new legendary until I bring them up.”

Aislynn guffawed. “I don’t meet that many legendaries!”

“You’ve brought up the average legendary encounters per trainer to whole percentages,” he recalled. “I believe Juniper had to add a note about you in her last article. What was it? ‘The statistics that every trainer meets a legendary is false. Most trainers meet no legendaries. Aislynn Ketchum, who travels the world and meets every legendary, is an outlier and should not be counted.’ Or something to that effect.”

“She didn’t!” Aislynn yelped in disbelief while Pikachu laughed. “I haven’t met every legendary yet.”

“Yet,” Delia repeated in equal disbelief. “Please don’t go out looking for the Tapus. I’m not sure my heart can take it.”

“I don’t go out looking for them,” grumbled the young woman. “They just happen to be in the same place I am when something bad happens.”

Professor Oak handed her a plane ticket and patted her on the back. “We’ll see if the Tapus have anything to say about that. Good luck, dear girl.”

Delia mustered up a shaky smile. “Bye, baby. Make sure to call.”

“I’ll call as soon as I land. Love you, Mom!” Grabbing her suitcase, Aislynn let Pikachu scramble up onto her shoulder before she headed off into Viridian airport.

Chapter 8

Chapter Text

“And you have everything? Is the egg okay?”

“Pikachu, is the egg okay?” Aislynn grabbed her suitcase off the carousel and dragged it over to a nearby seat. The electric-type glanced at the incubator in the seat next to him. There were a few light scratches on the glass from Pikachu and a few smudges from Aislynn. Other than that, the egg was as still as it was when it had been first gifted to her. “Yeah, they’re okay. All my stuff still seems to be here too.”

“Oh thank goodness. You have enough on your plate as is.” Delia yawned over the phone. “Make sure to call Emily and get a copy of anything she makes you sign. Never know when those will come in handy.”

“Should I do that before or after buying some poké chow?” Aislynn sat down on the other side of the incubator and placed her suitcase in front of Pikachu. Even if it was almost twice as big as him, he could still roll it around. Hopefully. “Wait, I should find some place to eat. What do you say, Pikachu?”

“Chaa.” He rubbed his belly, clearly just as hungry as his partner after their flight.

“Grab something you and your pokémon can eat on the go. The sooner you take care of your new home, the better.” That seemed like sound advice. Aislynn had no idea how long it would take to finish things up with her real estate agent. Mimey took three whole days to get things settled, even with Delia’s help.

Still, she looked around for the time. “It’s seven in the morning here. I think it can wait a bit.”

“And it’s two in the morning over here,” retorted Delia, though it only served to make Aislynn feel bad. Had her mom stayed up the entire time to hear back from her? That had been hours that she should have been sleeping. “Just make sure you have a place to sleep tonight, okay?”

“I will, Mom. Thanks for everything.” Aislynn rubbed her legs, her hand combing over a wave of goosebumps from the constant air conditioning.

“Love you, baby. Take care.” Aislynn took a deep, shuddering breath. She was off in another region and she had already said her goodbyes. This was no different, she told herself.

“Love you too.” The call ended with a blaring beep. She dropped her phone in her lap, watching the screen fade to black. It was a convenient thing, but it made her yearn to call her friends too. They were across the world though. With her new timezone, it would be rude to call most of her friends.

Those in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh should be sleeping right now. Iris was always in the wilderness or training somewhere else so it was hard to stay in contact with her. Cilan had his restaurant and gym to take care of, especially since his brothers followed in his footsteps and took adventures of their own. Last she heard Cress had left sometime while Aislynn was in Kalos and she wasn’t sure if he had returned yet. Still, Chili and Cilan had a busy restaurant and were a few hours ahead of her.

Then Clement and Bonnie were usually easy to keep in contact with. Well, somewhat. Clement regularly left his gym to help out around Lumiose City. If Bonnie wasn’t with him, she was either at home or at school. Maybe she could call and see if Bonnie was available. The girl was always a delight to talk to even when Aislynn struggled to keep up sometimes.

It would probably be better if she had more to say than just landing in Alola. Bonnie would love to hear about what kind of pokémon were around. Aislynn wouldn’t want to disappoint her when she hadn’t even stepped foot outside of the airport yet.

“Pika?” Pikachu hopped on top of Aislynn’s suitcase and used his momentum to ride it over to his trainer. Kicking her foot out, Aislynn stopped it from rolling too far. “Chu?”

“You have someone to call? Who?” Had her mom put in numbers for pokémon? The ranch could have had a phone installed but that seemed unlikely.

In lieu of answering, Pikachu grabbed the phone off Aislynn’s lap and opened up her contacts. He didn’t even need to scroll down with the one he was looking far already favorited. The screen was pressed against his fur, hiding the caller ID from his trainer.

“Hello, Lynn?” said a familiar, groggy voice.

“Pikachu, you didn’t,” hissed Aislynn. The electric-type snickered before turning the phone around and revealing a honey blond woman laying on her side in bed. “I’m so sorry, Serena! Pikachu called you, not me. I swear.”

“It’s fine. I couldn’t sleep anyway.” The blonde girl gave Aislynn a tired smile. “So where are you?”

“Oh, right, I forgot to tell you.” Pikachu did his best to mute his laughter while he was holding up the camera. “Well, I’m in Alola. In a few weeks, I’ll be teaching at a pokémon school, so there’s that.”

“Oh that sounds fun.” The reply was a little absentminded, but as soon as it registered, Serena’s eyes widened. “Wait? You’re teaching? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up.” Aislynn smiled to shove off the sliver of guilt that built up. “Besides, I didn’t even know you had a phone. How was I supposed to call you?”

“Oh, right.” Serena looked off to the side, a slight pink hue coating her cheeks. “My mom sent me one when your mom started collecting numbers. Guess they wanted us to stay in contact.” The awkward chuckle that echoed over the phone was enough to unnerve Aislynn.

“That was nice of them.” Aislynn shifted her palms below her legs, firmly keeping them in place. “So, have you caught any new pokémon?” Wow, way to be obvious about changing the conversation, Ketchum. Nice going there.

“Just one.” The honey blond grabbed a pokéball with a sticker of the moon on it. “Made friends with an Absol after my second ribbon. Have you met any?”

“A few, but they seem to be one of the species that I can never quite get along with.” Something about their danger sense if Aislynn remembered correctly. She never had much time to really figure out why though.

Serena laughed, piecing it together on her own. “Yeah, I’m not surprised. Miss chaos magnet doesn’t get along with the chaos detector?”

“It’s not usually my fault,” grumbled the black-haired woman.

“I know, but you can’t deny it.” Their conversation lulled into silence when Serena’s laughter petered out. Aislynn, while getting the joke, wasn’t particularly a fan of the latest spree of teasing. Most of them may have been true, but it was getting overused.

At another time, Aislynn would have probably laughed at it. Yet instead she was looking around the airport, which dredged up its own heap of memories. For her, it was a place of farewells between friends and family.

Absentmindedly, two fingers traced her lips. “Hey, Serena, do you still feel that way about me?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Serena pushed her hair behind her ear.

“Oh.” Her hand fell onto her lap. “It’s just been a while, so I didn’t know if you—”

“I still like you that way. Don’t try to put words in my mouth, Lynn.” The honey blonde stared at her screen, committing Aislynn’s current appearance to memory. “Why? Have you figured out how you feel?”

“I…” Whatever words she had died in her throat. She had barely given the subject any thought since they had parted. It just hadn’t come up over the summer between her caring for her team and visiting old friends. At least, the topic didn’t last long enough for her to really think about it. “I still don’t really know.”

A sigh came over the phone call. “Guess I should’ve expected that. Maybe I’ll drop by Alola and we can figure it out together.”

A weird knot filled up Aislynn’s stomach. “That sounds nice. Though isn’t the contest circuit starting up soon?”

“The Grand Festival is in a month.” Reaching behind her phone, the blonde picked up a golden badge with a pink bow attached to it. “Guess who got all her ribbons already?”

“It’s only been two months! You’ve gotten them all already?”

She nodded. “Got this one earlier today, or uh, yesterday actually. Didn’t realize it was three AM already.” The ribbon went back into its case alongside the four others Serena had earned. “Contests are really fun though. I took a few taxis to get to them to make sure I could make it in time, but I’m not too sure I’ll win.”

“What? But you’re beautiful!” shouted Aislynn, bringing out a blush on both their faces. “I-I mean, you’re very skilled and really good with your team. The judges would be blind not to pick you.”

“Thanks, Lynn,” whispered Serena. “I think you’re really pretty too.” The call ended then and there, leaving Aislynn to stare at a dim reflection of her bright red face.

She really wished she could call Uxie to wipe this moment from her mind.

Chapter 9

Chapter Text

Aislynn scribbled her signature for the hundredth time today before handing off the clipboard to her real estate agent. She winced when she caught a glimpse of the red bump that had built up against her ring finger. It would only get worse if she left it on its own, especially with however much writing she had to do as a teacher.

“That should be it, Miss Ketchum.” Emily handed off the paperwork to her pokémon companion, who dutifully carried a satchel filled with the rest of the paperwork Aislynn had to fill out today. Aislynn hadn’t quite recognized this one yet so she wasn’t sure if he was native to Alola or not.

“Deedee.” The pokémon bowed to Aislynn. He had a navy pear-shaped body with well-groomed fur. On the side of his head were two up-turned horns, lighter than the rest of its dark fur. That combined with the rest of his appearance reminded her somewhat of a butler.

Emily nodded, avoiding any creases in her navy pantsuit. How she managed to wear that under the Alolan sun, Aislynn had no clue. “Enjoy your new home, Miss Ketchum, and apologies for the construction delay.”

“It’s alright, it happens.” The young woman waved off. She was just glad that she was done with all the paperwork, even if she was mostly just having things explained to her and signing where she was told to. It was still draining and hurt her brain to think about all that went into owning a home. “Thanks for all your hard work, you two.”

A smile graced the real estate agent’s face, which was probably the only expression that Aislynn had seen from her besides single-minded focus. “Of course. Have a nice day.”

“Indee,” agreed her companion. With their business settled, the agent and her pokémon left the new homeowner with her latest purchase.

And what a purchase it was. Half of her savings vanished to buy the property entirely and rush the renovations. While it wasn’t completely pokémon-proof, it had been upgraded to endure enough that most training accidents wouldn’t need much more than a quick patch-job. As a bonus, the overall look of the two-story building didn’t change much.

Aislynn turned to face her new home. The baby blue beach house wasn’t far from the road and the beach was practically her backyard. The original structure was already large enough to fit most pokémon in its rooms. When that was combined with the barn being built nearby, she had plenty of room for her team to live. Her nearest neighbor was over a ten-minute walk away too, so her pokémon shouldn’t be a bother.

It was even furnished! Well, some of it was. She had the basics for most of the rooms, but it lacked any personalization. Even then, she had more appliances than she knew how to use and had a bed! A whole bed! She loved camping and being on the road, but nothing beat a nice, soft bed at the end of a long day.

She climbed the staircase to get to her porch, which was already such an odd feeling. Pikachu hopped onto the wooden railing and ran over to the other end. Overhead, the sun beamed down on them, halfway through its arc. They had spent hours just trying to finish up the home owning process. For this kind of view every day, it was worth it.

“We’re finally here, Pikachu,” Aislynn said wistfully. The incubator in her arms provided a warm, constant presence. “What do you think?”

“Pika.” The ocean breeze blew past them. It was cool and refreshing. As far from the city as they were, it felt like they were adventuring through Hoenn and trailing alongside one of its many coasts. “Chaa.” The sensation was relaxing and nostalgic, yet was being brought through new means.

Alola was another fresh start for them. Hopefully the start of an adventure without legendaries and life-threatening danger, but who knew what the life of a teacher would be like? All they could do was hope.

“Yeah, I like it too, buddy.” Aislynn took one last breath of the ocean air before heading inside her new home. The first floor was as open as she hoped it was. She could see the entire kitchen from the front door and the middle of the space was left open so her larger pokémon could easily walk through. Then there were the doors to the back of her porch, which could open up wide enough for Torterra.

Aislynn set the incubator down on the small bar counter that divided the kitchen from everything else. With all the boring stuff settled, it was about time that she let her current team get familiar with their new home.

“Alright, Bayleef and Noivern. Come on out!” She tossed two pokéballs into the air. From one came a yellow quadruped with stubby legs and a long neck. Around said neck, a frill of rounded leaves flared out while a single leaf stemmed from the top of the Bayleef’s head.

Meanwhile, the other pokémon flared their zubat-like wings out, stretching out their body for the first time in hours. Noivern, while draconic in nature, had leathery skin and a tuft of white fur around his neck. Two large ears resembling speakers extended from his head, enhancing an already superb hearing to even greater heights.

“Bay?” For once, Bayleef didn’t immediately tackle Aislynn to the ground for a hug. Instead, she took stock of her new surroundings until her eyes landed on the brown egg sitting on the counter. “Leaf!” Twin vines reached out and pulled Aislynn over to Bayleef so the grass-type could nuzzle against her trainer.

“I missed you too,” Aislynn slid her hands down Bayleef’s neck, which only served to encourage further nuzzling. Noivern waddled over to the two carefully before craning his neck down to look at his trainer. “Course, I missed you too, buddy.” With her other hand, Aislynn reached up into the scruff around the dragon’s neck and scratched him greedily. Like puddy, he melted under her touch. “Just a few minutes of this, alright?”

The two pokémon may have agreed in their petting-induced haze, but they still insisted for more once Aislynn stopped using her magic hands on them. Even when she backed up, they whined for more.

With a sigh, Aislynn brought out the tried and true threat. “We’ve got things to do, you two. Don’t make me use your pokéballs.” The red and white ball was held high, ready to recall the two pokémon should they step out of line.

They pouted but acquiesced. The leaf of Bayleef’s head lowered slightly and Noivern’s arms clung to his sides, bringing his wings close. Now that they were suitably chastised though, Aislynn could focus on her long to-do list.

“Alright, we’ve got about two weeks before school starts, which means we have two weeks to make sure we’re ready.” There were a whole bunch of things that needed to get done in that time. Aislynn needed to meet with her boss and get her home together so she could actually live in it. For now, she ought to stick to something simple and enjoy the day. “Bayleef, you remember your job?”

“Bay.” The Leaf pokémon nodded and trotted over to the incubator, vines at the ready. Between the two chosen for the team, she was the more maternal and protective one. Although she didn’t come solely to watch over an egg, it was a small price to pay if she got to spend more time with her trainer.

“Perfect.” Aislynn smiled at the grass-type, much to her pleasure. Then she turned to her dragon-type. Or for her current purposes, her flying-type. “Noivern, you remember what to do?”

“Noi!” He reared back and flapped his wings. Among the assorted flying-types in Aislynn’s team, he wasn’t the biggest or the fastest, but he was more than capable of carrying his trainer.

“That’s right. How about a quick flight to Hau’oli City to keep a lay of the land?” Her other two pokémon shouted in protest, but the youngest of her current trio happily agreed. “Awesome!” She skipped over to the backdoor, swinging it wide open. “Pikachu, you’re in charge! We’ll be right back!”

“Pika!” Her partner scolded her and scampered across the room to grab the back of Aislynn’s top. He barely grabbed a pawful before the young woman was on the move.

Jumping on Noivern’s back, Aislynn clung on as he clumsily picked up altitude from the porch of their new home. The Sound Wave pokémon eased into an easy glide once they reached the right height. With the sun at their backs, the two turned toward the largest settlement on Melemele Island, ready to take in the new sights and see what Alola had in store for them.

Chapter 10

Chapter Text

Noivern soared over Melemele Island at an easy glide. The route below him breezed past, though he refused to accelerate to the speeds that would make it become a blur. Especially not when his trainer was riding on his back. Instead, he was just taking a nice, simple pace that allowed him to take in his surroundings.

Their new home was a bit off the beaten path. Small pokémon had made the area their home and the most they saw of people were those riding on Tauros and some Rapidash-shaped pokémon. Those made up less than a handful of people. It wasn’t until they flew past a motel that they saw more people, most of which were enjoying the beach in one way or another. Some were tanning under the Alolan sun, others were surfing on the back of Sharpedo.

“That looks fun,” Aislynn absentmindedly said when she spotted the local surfers. The furthest one out was on the back of a Mantine and rode halfway up waves.

“Chu,” her partner agreed. He might even see if they had a Mantine his size and try his paw at surfing.

“Noi?” asked the dragon.

Aislynn laughed at the mere thought. “I think you’re a bit big for them, buddy.” The Sound Wave pokémon wasn’t even a year old yet and was already big enough for Aislynn to ride comfortably on his back. He wouldn’t fit on a Mantine unless they were a giant. “Why don’t I teach you to swim next week?”

“Vern.” That sounded nice. Hawlucha and Talonflame weren’t ones for swimming. While Hawlucha knew how to do it and just didn’t care for it, Talonflame was strongly averse to it. She had become part fire-type and developed a natural aversion, though the most Noiverrn had to worry about was particularly bad clogging in his ears. Nothing that Aislynn couldn’t help out with though. Especially after she had trained him alongside Greninja.

Of course, that would all have to wait until next week. Aislynn needed to get ready for her job and meet with the regional professor, then she would have to do whatever they had in mind for her. It shouldn’t be too bad. She was only an assistant. However, she couldn’t guarantee that anything else wouldn’t come up during their first week in Alola.

She could worry about those possible problems when they arose. At the moment, they were nearing Hau’oli City, the largest city in Alola. Between the beachfront and the shopping mall, it was the perfect place for tourists to stay. Today, Aislynn steered in the direction of the shopping mall.

A long strip of stores lined both sides of a street along with stalls for food and various knick-knacks. People walked to and fro stores, leaving little room for Noivern to land safely. Even at the tail-end of summer, tourists and teenagers filled the place. That meant they needed to fly off to an open space so the dragon-type could land properly.

Well, he didn’t necessarily need to land.

Aislynn grabbed his pokéball in one hand while the other held onto his neck-scruff. “Noivern, glide low for me, okay?” Pikachu’s eyes widened at what his partner was suggesting. The electric-type wrapped his arms around his trainer’s neck and dug his heels into her back to maintain whatever grip he could.“Verr?” The Sound Wave pokémon didn’t grasp what his trainer was doing, but did as instructed anyway. He swung around into a turn and glided toward the street. Aislynn threw her legs over one of Noivern’s shoulders and kept her arm hooked around his neck.

“And fly up!” Just as Noivern was about to coast over the tops of stalls, he swung back up, flapping his wings as hard as he could. When he leveled out above the stores to either side, he looked over his shoulder. Yet where his trainer was supposed to be, there was no one. “Down here!” He craned his neck down, spotting Aislynn and Pikachu on the ground, waving up at him.

Had he dropped his trainer? Everyone had trusted him to safely fly her around and catch her. Did he fail on his first day? Oh, and he couldn’t even land and check if she was okay. There were people next to her who were staring at both of them. Where was he supposed to go? What was he supposed to do?

Everyone should have just tried to talk Aislynn into taking Charizard. He wouldn’t have dropped her by accident.

“Noivern, return!” A beam of red light shot into the air, absorbing the Sound Wave pokémon into his pokéball with ease. Pikachu pointed toward an open spot between stalls and Aislynn tossed Noivern’s pokéball in that direction. “And come back out!”

The quick return and release made the dragon dizzy, but saved the trio a heap of trouble with landing. “Vern? Noi oi!” Two leathery wings wrapped around Aislynn and Pikachu, holding them tight. The two covered their ears to save themselves from the dragon’s whining. At the very least, he wasn’t using Boomburst to rupture their eardrums, but the toddler of a dragon was already loud enough.

“It’s okay. Everything’s okay, baby.” Aislynn risked taking one hand off her ear to cup Noivern’s chin. “I’m alright, see? I knew what I was doing. I promise.” She stroked the dragon’s chin, scratching at the corner of his jawbone. His whines simmered down into canine-like whimpers. “There we go. That’s it. Just take some deep breaths for me.”

Those breaths blew into her face, mussing up the hair poking out from her hat. Once Noivern had taken his fifth deep breath, he released his grasp on Aislynn and Pikachu. “Noi,” he whispered an apology. His gaze dropped to the ground.

“It’s okay. It’s not your fault, baby.” Aislynn used both hands to cup the dragon’s head and pressed her forehead against his. “You could never hurt me. You know that, right?”

He leaned into the touch and crooned. His worries may not have vanished, but his trainer’s presence radiated the care and kindness she expressed. Just a gentle touch seemed to convey that to the dragon. Part of him wanted to bask in that serene presence forever. Another part, one much more primal, wanted to claim his trainer for himself and never let her out of his sight.

“Pika.” Pikachu brought the two out of their moment. They were in the middle of a shopping center with people looking at them. This was neither the time nor place for a heart-to-heart.

Aislynn pulled herself away from Noivern, eliciting a small whimper at the loss of contact. “Sorry everyone!” She waved at those who stopped to watch her. “Just carry on with what you guys were doing. We’ll be on our way.” Then she turned back to Noivern. “You wanna go back in your pokéball or walk with us?”

“Verr.” He shook his head. Walking it was then. Hopefully Alolans didn’t think it was weird to have pokémon follow their trainer. Aislynn didn’t let that thought stop her though.

With Pikachu on her shoulder and Noivern following her at the heel, she was going to get her grocery shopping done. Even if people were already staring at them for their outburst. People had looked at her weird for tons of other things. They thought it was weird that Pikachu never stayed in his pokéball or that she insisted on traveling while she was transitioning.

This was just another day for her, Aislynn Ketchum, current teaching assistant and future pokémon master.

Chapter 11

Chapter Text

It turned out that having an emotional toddler of a dragon was both a boon and a burden for a shopping trip. On one hand, Noivern was quite insistent on carrying whatever bags he could, much to the amusem*nt of local shopkeepers and Aislynn herself. For whatever perceived mistake he had made, he really wanted to make up for it. To be fair, it was helpful to have someone else carry some of her groceries, even if she was strong enough to carry a Larvitar.

On the other hand, Alolans still weren’t completely comfortable with a five-foot tall dragon walking around a shopping center. Granted, they had seen all manner of smaller pokémon walking around with their trainers, most situated more like pets than anything else. There were gray Meowth, a rock-type Poochyena look-alike, and even a Munchlax.

So obviously they were as comfortable as most regions regarding pokémon walking around. Either Noivern being large—relative to other species, not other Noivern—or Noivern being a dragon was the problem. That said problem gave them a large berth from other shoppers and also unnerved cashiers. Her baby wasn’t that intimidating, was he? Her perception of him was quite skewed given she had taken care of him since he first hatched, but she didn’t think she was that out of touch. Sure, being a traveling trainer didn’t set her up for being a well-equipped member of society, but she didn’t think it was that bad.

Aislynn blinked. Maybe seven years traveling the globe and solving others’ problems wasn’t exactly a good example of civilian life. Most people thought she was weird for some reason or another, even other trainers on the road did. Plus, professors called her a statistical anomaly, whatever that meant.

“Hey, Pikachu, am I weird?” she asked her ever-present partner.

The electric-type nibbled on a tomato they had bought earlier. “Pi?” He tilted his head. “Kaa Pika. Chu.”

“Which part? The ditto cells, the Aura stuff, or something else?” There was a very high chance that she had forgotten something life-changing she had experienced. Though would that still make it life-changing if she had forgotten about it?

“Noi?” The dragon-type leaned over Aislynn’s free shoulder. Around his neck were two bags they had managed to stretch around his ears. “Noi oi?”

Right, Noivern was still a relatively recent addition to her team. “I’ll explain that part later.” He crooned, shelving his curiosity for now. “I guess I am kinda weird. Huh.”

“Pika?” Pikachu took a large bite of his tomato, smearing juices over his red cheeks.

“Nah, it’s more fun to be weird. Pretty sure I wouldn’t have caught half our team if I was normal.” Some of her teammates even stayed because she was special. Speaking of which, she had a problem. “So how mad is Bayleef going to be when we get back?”

“Verr.” Yeah, she would probably be pissed to have been let out and ditched. But hey, at least they got some food! They even got these pastries called malasadas, which were really tasty. A bit too sweet for Pikachu, but Bayleef ought to love a sweet treat.

Aislynn already had one herself and they were pretty good. Definitely more of the occasional treat if she didn’t want Brock scolding her ear off about proper nutrition for herself and her team the next time they called. She wouldn’t mind buying one every now and then though. Maybe on the weekends after she was done teaching.

If Bayleef was appeased by a malasada offering, it may just be Aislynn’s go-to payment for babysitting. She was pretty sure half the grass-type’s motivation to go was just to be around Aislynn. Unfortunately, unless Noivern got a harness to carry the incubator, that wasn’t happening most of the time. Their home was simply too far away from Hau’oli City. The Pokémon School was close enough that it shouldn’t take more than forty-five minutes to walk the distance. Plus her students would probably appreciate learning about baby pokémon care.

Still, just grocery shopping was difficult. Her backpack could only hold so much before she had to carry stuff in her arms. With a week’s worth of food, Noivern wasn’t going to be able to fly anywhere close to his top speed without the risk of dropping their groceries.

And given that Aislynn was carrying several bags in her arms, it was hard to see some of the smaller pokémon walking around at her feet. Thankfully, Pikachu and Noivern were both trained battlers and had developed a keen eye.

“Pika!” shouted her partner. Aislynn followed his warning and stepped back, avoiding the claws of a black and red pokémon. “Chu.” The electric-type on her shoulder dared the opposing pokémon to try that again. Personally, Aislynn was against that taunt, but she wasn’t usually the one fighting anyway.

Noivern stepped forward, his wings fanned out to either side. He nearly blocked out her entire view of their attacker with his wide wingspan. It certainly gave him the impression of being larger, but their foe couldn't have been larger than Pikachu. Their strength couldn't ever compare to her partner unless they were a legendary themselves.

She didn't really think a tiny black feline was enough to be considered a legendary. Especially not one whose back was arched up in fear with red fur poking out as cute little spikes. Though even with the few glimpses she got of their attacker, she could see how skinny they were. Not “Misty's sisters on a weight-loss diet” skinny, but definitely skinny enough to cause concern for the local Nurse Joy upon seeing them.

“Noivern, Pikachu. Stand down,” Aislynn ordered as she stepped around her dragon. Leather wings folded in on themselves and the static on her shoulder seemed to dissipate. “Sorry for the scare.” She bent down into a crouch and looked the skinny feline in the eye.

Their large yellow eyes still held thin, fearful pupils. They took a few steps away from the young woman and their red hackles shrank back under their black outer fur. It was obvious that they didn't trust her. Messy fur and the outline of ribs spoke of a street rat's lifestyle. Either they were desperate for food or they were confident in going after Aislynn. Of the two, she leaned toward the former for rather dragon-related reasons.

“Are you hungry?” she offered, hoping it would get the feline pokémon talking. “I'm sure we can spare a few berries, right guys?”

Pikachu remained on her shoulder and went back to munching on his tomato. He was non-threatening, just minding his own business. Yet the feline pokémon couldn't forget the static that charged the air when his trainer had been nearly attacked. The small electric-type was unassuming and that had nearly been the feline's downfall.

Noivern didn't step down. Instead, he began to growl and used his specialized ears to make it reverberate through the area. Combined with him towering over his squatting trainer, he looked like a monster held back only by Aislynn's calm presence.

“Lit,” growled the feline in return. Licks of flames curled around his lips.

“Noivern,” Aislynn ordered. The dragon-type ceased his growling for now, but didn't budge from his spot. If anything, he prepared himself to leap over his trainer should the need arise. “Look, now's not a good time for a battle.” She set down her bag of malasadas and the bags full of fruits and vegetables. Then she reached into her backpack, pulling out a couple of oran berries. “Here. Is this what you wanted?”

The black and red pokémon sniffed at her offering. Oran berries were a bit dry, but were healthy and easy even for the most ill of pokémon to eat. The two berries were each enough to fill up Aislynn’s palm, which should be more than enough to fill the feline’s belly.

They sank their teeth into one of them, oozing juices over red fur. Yellow eyes peered up at Aislynn as the pokémon slowly backed away. As soon as they were out of arm’s reach, they bolted out of the street.

“Pika?” Her partner could catch up with a short burst of Quick Attack. He wasn’t wrong about that.

“Nah, it’s okay.” Collecting her groceries, Aislynn stood back up. “I have a feeling that won’t be the last time we see them.”

Chapter 12

Chapter Text

Noivern’s loud wing flaps erased any potential for Aislynn to sneak back home without Bayleef’s notice. Not that there was any chance of that in the first place.

By the time that Aislynn, Pikachu, and Noivern had gotten home, the sun was beginning to set. Flying had definitely saved them some time, but their pace was much more cautious than when they had flown to Hau’oli City. As such, when Aislynn had stepped foot on the porch, a vine whipped the door open.

“Bay!” cried the enraged grass-type. Two vines waved around her neck, restrained only by the sight of groceries in her trainer’s arms. “Bayleef lee! Lee leef!”

“Sorry, sorry. It just would’ve taken too long if we all walked there.” Aislynn tried to walk past Bayleef, but the grass-type stepped in the way. “We got enough food for the rest of the week though. At least, I hope it’s enough.”

Bayleef was still stubbornly blocking the way. Unfortunately, she wasn’t one of the many pokémon that could be bribed with food. At least, not store bought food. “Leef.” She stomped her foot down, demanding more than excuses.

Aislynn sighed. “Bayleef, I told you that you’d be babysitting the egg when I had to leave the house. You knew that when you agreed to come.” The reminder still brought a pout on the grass-type’s face. She had argued for three hours to be the one who came to Alola. Convincing the likes of Talonflame and Torterra had been hard, especially since both were more powerful than her. “I know you want to spend time with me, but that means bringing the egg with us.”

“Pika!” Reminded of the gift entrusted to them, Pikachu leapt off Aislynn’s shoulder and dashed inside the house. “Chupi!” shouted the electric-type once he ensured the egg was safe.

Neither had expected something to happen on the first day of their stay, but they were glad nothing happened nonetheless. Had Bayleef run into any trouble, Aislynn would probably be singing a different tune entirely. Unless it was Team Rocket. They were only a mild annoyance, although there was that time in Unova when they had those black uniforms.

“Bay bay,” insisted Bayleef. She was more than capable of just sitting around and watching a fresh egg for hours.

“Thank you for watching the egg, Bayleef.” Aislynn was tempted to roll her eyes. “I promise to take you and the egg to school, alright?”

“Lee.” The grass-type smiled and stepped aside, finally letting her trainer into her own home. Which was somewhat ridiculous. It was her money that bought the house, she shouldn’t be allowed to be kept out of it by her own pokémon. That was like if she kept her mom out of the home she had bought before she was even born.

She sure was glad she didn’t have any human kids. It’d be a whole lot more annoying than her pokémon. At least pokémon were easy to understand. Their needs were simple and Aislynn knew what she needed to do to meet them. With human children, even after they could talk, it was weird. Sometimes they didn’t mean exactly what they said and just hoped you understood what they really meant instead of clarifying. Meanwhile, Pikachu always told her bluntly what was on his mind.

Although she was pretty sure he did that because only she understood him fluently. Huh. Why didn’t more people understand him? He spoke the same as any other Pikachu and plenty of people had them as pets. Maybe she could figure it out while she worked at school.

“Noi?” Noivern had to hunch down to fit through the front door. His head hung so low that the bags around his neck brushed against the wooden floorboards.

“Ah! Almost forgot!” Aislynn set down the groceries she was carrying and did her best to extricate the ones around Noivern. “Okay, so we have enough pokéchow to last a week or two. It’s the same brand Professor Oak had at the ranch, so hopefully you guys aren’t tired of it.”

“Bay.” Another pout rested on the grass-type’s face as she sniffed the sealed bags of kibble. Yeah, they weren’t the best, no matter what flavor they got. Still, they were nutritious enough that it was a good placeholder until a better option came up.

“Yeah, I miss Brock’s cooking too.” Nothing would really compare to Brock’s cooking. Even her mom’s cooking was a different kind of special. Both were good, but just a taste and Aislynn could tell which one of them cooked it. “I wonder…”

Taking off her backpack, Aislynn took out the groceries and searched for her phone. Unsurprisingly, it was at the bottom of her bag underneath her emergency supply of potions. She flicked her finger across the screen and went to her contacts. Serena was stuck at the top for some reason as was her mom and Professor Oak, so she had to scroll down a bit to find the person she was looking for.

After two rings, a tanned face appeared on the screen. Brock’s mouth hung upon for a few seconds as he stared at Aislynn. “Brock? You okay?”

Her friend rapidly shook his head, shaking away whatever thoughts were in his head. “Aislynn! Your phone’s in one piece?” On his end, Brock shuffled around, placing the camera on a shelf about eye-level with him.

“I’ve only had it for one day.” She rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help the smile on her face. “How’s it going in Paldea?”

“It’s… going.” Brock glanced over his shoulder to something out of frame. “I think your craziness rubbed off on me.”

Before Aislynn could ask what happened, a purple-haired woman popped her head over Brock’s shoulder. “Oh, you must be Brock’s friend. Aislynn, right? My name is Miriam.” She placed a hand over her generous bosom, which answered the young teaching assistant’s unspoken question. It figured the person that was terrible with women would end up working under one.

“Hi, Miriam!” Aislynn waved while she walked over to her kitchen. She set the phone against the wall, hoping that angle was good enough to have a video call over. “Are you the doctor Brock’s studying under?”

Brock stepped aside, giving Miriam more room to occupy the video. She smiled at his gesture. “Studying under makes it seem like I have a lot to teach him. He was already quite learned by the time he came to Naranja Academy.”

“I have Aislynn to thank for that,” Brock chipped in, surprising the two of them. “Without her, I wouldn’t have met half the pokémon I know. Patching up her and her pokémon taught me quite a lot.”

“It did?” blurted out the youngest of the three.

The former gym-leader smirked. “It did. I still can’t believe half the stuff that happened to us.”

“From what I’ve heard, I hope it’s not all true.” Oh, did Miriam read the articles professors wrote about their adventures? How watered down were those? Hopefully all the scientific mumbo-jumbo hid the danger enough. “I suppose you have my thanks, Aislynn.”

“It’s no problem! I loved traveling with Brock.” At the mention of their former companion, a vine snaked its way up to her wrist. “Ah, almost forgot! I know I usually call you just to talk about stuff, but I kinda need help.”

“Help? Is Pikachu hurt?” Concern driving him forward, Brock leaned close to the phone. In doing so, he brushed against Miriam, though worry seemed to override any thoughts he may have had of his supervisor. “He doesn’t look hurt. Did something happen with his electricity sacks again? Zekrom shouldn’t have followed you out of Unova, but after that whole Vale business, who knows where they went.”

Aislynn and Pikachu exchanged a glance with each other. “I’m pretty sure Zekrom isn’t around. He’s pretty hard to miss. Although Professor Oak told me about the Tapus a bit so I know what they look like. Apparently, Tapu Koko is the guardian of Melemele Island and they’re an electric-type. No sign of them yet.”

“Yet. Sooner or later, something will happen.”

“Something always happens,” mocked the black-haired woman. “But until it has, there’s nothing to worry about. I haven’t even seen Team Rocket since I left Kalos. Maybe all that Zygarde stuff scared off anyone who thought they could stand up to me and Pikachu.”

“You know,” Miriam stage-whispered, “there’s a thing called the calm before a storm.”

“There’s also such a thing as worrying too much.” Aislynn grabbed her groceries and slid them into view. She took out the first few things, which turned out to be a bunch of vegetables. What they exactly were for, she had no idea, but they looked familiar. “And the only thing I’m worrying about is dinner. So, Brock, you down to teach me to cook?”

Why did Brock’s forehead look extra glossy? “Didn’t you start a fire last time?”

“That was last time. This time, I’ll get it right!”

Her friend sighed. “Alright, let’s see what you can do.”

Chapter 13

Chapter Text

So it turns out Aislynn was still not a good cook.

Anyone she’s traveled with could have guessed that, but she did better than last time! She just kept the eggs on the stove for a bit too long. At least the rice was okay, though Bayleef did turn down the heat when she forgot. Maybe she should try cooking with Bayleef? That sounded like a decent bonding activity and the grass-type had fairly dexterous vines.

Something for later today then. For now, she would make do with a breakfast of rice and crispy eggs. Her pokémon had their kibble, nutritious but bland as was most name-brand varieties. Once she was proficient enough to cook by herself, she’d look into making pokéchow with Brock’s recipe.

Hopefully the food they had in the meantime was filling enough to get them through the day. The walk to the Pokémon School wasn’t the longest walk she had to do—not by a longshot—but her light breakfast was already coming back to bite her.

It was only made worse when she actually arrived at the school. The sun was still rising over the horizon, but she could make out all the buildings well enough. The classrooms were in rising hut-like buildings in the middle of the large plaza. A river ran through the property, twisting between the classrooms and what appeared to be a large barn.

Everything looked well-maintained but Aislynn couldn’t help but imagine what the place would look like with kids and pokémon running around. Though just the thought of running around made her stomach growl.

“How do you guys feel about ordering a bunch of pizza?” Aislynn asked her current companions. Pikachu was on her shoulder and chose to be on her right today. Bayleef stuck close to Aislynn’s left, a vine curled around the woman’s wrist. Noivern covered their backs, trotting along as best as he could. Her final companion—which was somewhat debatable—was the egg in her arms. It was still kept unbelievably warm and remained as still as stone.

“Pikapi,” agreed her partner. Leave it to him to enjoy something slathered in tomato sauce.

“Leef.” The grass-type would obviously get her own with no meat on it. Though Aislynn wouldn’t mind stealing a slice of that.

“Verr.” Then lots of meat for Noivern. A growing dragon-type needed their protein and stuff. That or the meat just tasted good to him since dragons were usually carnivorous.

“Cool. Let’s see if any places deliver.” Aislynn sauntered through the gates of the Pokémon School as she took out her phone. She tapped in a quick search and handed the rest over to Pikachu. “Make sure mine has a little bit of everything.”

“Pi.” The electric-type nodded and got to work making their order. It was both faster and safer for them. Oddly enough, Pikachu was the better one at using the phone, although he wasn’t the best at texting. Plus Pikachu got far less distracted than she did and wouldn’t add an extra two orders of breadsticks.

Damn, now she wanted breadsticks.

Saving money. She needed to save money. Purchasing an entire house cleaved through her bank account. Until she got in a non-recreational trainer battle, she needed to conserve everything for the arrival of her other pokémon.

At least, that’s what she told herself to prevent the addition of a life-size Snorlax plush to her new home.

“Alola!” A shirtless man in a lab coat waved to her from the school building. She and her pokémon jogged over to him. “You must be Aislynn Ketchum.” He smiled down at her.

“And you must be Professor Kukui.” She smiled back while shifting around the incubator in her arms. From what Professor Oak told her, she shouldn’t be surprised that the man went around shirtless, but seeing the abs in person was another thing entirely. “It’s good to meet you.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet my new TA in person. Though I can’t say I expected Noivern and Bayleef.” Oh, he recognized her team. She should’ve figured that. He was the regional professor, after all.

“Is it okay if I keep them out? They’ve been pretty cooped up for the last couple months, so I figured that they may as well stay out.” The vine around her wrist was also quite tight when she mentioned keeping her team out.

Professor Kukui waved away the concern and pulled out a pokéball from his belt. “Only if you don’t mind.”

Curiosity overcoming her, Aislynn shook her head. The shirtless professor tossed up the ball, releasing a bipedal cat that bulged with muscle. His red and black fur were in thick stripes, though scars trailed all over the pokémon’s arms, breaking up the otherwise neat fur. He looked down at his trainer, perplexed. “Cin?”

Kukui gestured to Aislynn. “We’re just walking around today, Incineroar.” The pokémon’s shoulders sagged and he crossed his arms. “What? If you’re bored, you can talk to Pikachu.”

The electric-type glanced up from his trainer’s phone. “Pi!” He waved to the larger fighter, much to their amusem*nt.

“Oar. Incin?” At their request, Pikachu turned the phone around, showing a rather large order of six different pizzas. Incineroar looked back at his trainer. “Cin?”

“I think he wants some pizza,” translated Aislynn.

“Incin.”

“Sorry, he wants some cheesy breadsticks. Hey, Pikachu, add two of those to the order.” Her partner dutifully did so, not even questioning it.

Professor Kukui objected though. “Ah, you don’t have to buy me anything. I can buy my own.”

“Oh, the second one’s for me.” Pikachu rolled his eyes at his glutton of a trainer. “But if you want anything too, I don’t think Pikachu’s placed the order yet.”

“Maybe a few more breadsticks for lunch. Here.” Professor Kukui reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. “This should cover me and Incineroar.” A bill for a thousand poké dollars was offered to her.

“Thanks.” She didn’t really expect to be paid back for it. It was almost instinct to pay for it on her own. Back when she was traveling, they’d usually rotate who was footing the bill since most of her companions got some money from the things they were doing. “So, what are we doing today?”

“There’s some paperwork in my office I need to go over with you. After that, how about a quick tour before lunch?” Lunch sounded good! Paperwork didn’t sound good though.

“I don’t have to sign a bunch of things again, do I?” Her hand still remembered the hour of signing she had to do for her home.

Professor Kukui shook his head. “Just going over the syllabus for the semester. I’ve already allotted a few classes I want you to lead since you have more recent experience than I do, but it’s just review.” And a syllabus was the outline of what he would be teaching. At least, she thought that was what it was. She hadn’t heard the word actually used in years.

“Okay, cool. So, where do we start?” The professor pulled open the door. “Right. In the office.”

He chuckled. “Second door down the left hallway. That’s my office. Grab a seat and we’ll get started.” Aislynn followed his instructions with her pokémon following her. Although Noivern had to squeeze a bit to get his wings through the doorway. Incineroar had to lean down to walk through too, so it wasn’t like she was the only one with somewhat large pokémon.

Although it did make Kukui’s office a bit more cramped. Aislynn wasn’t bothered by it and Noivern was being a bit stubborn about following her since he proved he could fit inside. If he was going to keep up his weird streak of sticking close to her, she hoped the classrooms were big.

Pikachu and Bayleef staying out were one thing. Noivern was a bit of a bigger issue.

Chapter 14

Chapter Text

Aislynn, Professor Kukui, and their respective teams sat around the cafeteria. Each devoured their respective orders. Noivern and Incineroar were sharing two pizzas and an order of breadsticks at their own table while the rest of them were sitting at another.

“So,” Kukui swallowed down a particularly stringy breadstick. “What do you think of the school?”

Aislynn glanced between the windows and the box of pizza in front of her. “It looks really nice. Lots of open space for pokémon, but I don’t really know.” She grabbed a slice and took a large bite from it. Chewing rapidly, she swallowed and backtracked. “It doesn’t really feel like a school without kids around. I think that’s the best way to put it?”

“I get it.” Kukui leaned forward, his forearms resting on the table. “It always feels a bit empty during the summer. No kids, no games, and maybe one or two teachers.” He looked off into the distance behind his teaching assistant. At least, that’s what he appeared to be doing. It was a bit hard to tell with his sunglasses. “In two weeks, the kids will be back and it’ll never be quiet around here.”

“Are there that many kids?” Kids were usually loud. Pallet Town was small and there were only a handful of kids in the same age group, however, the summer camps Aislynn stayed at were definitely loud.

“Not that many.” Professor Kukui reached out for his water bottle. “There’s maybe a hundred kids attending at a time. Most only ever have one or two pokémon, so it’s not that bad.”

“But isn’t that kind of small for a school?” Aislynn bit down to the crust of her current slice.

Kukui made a so-so gesture with his hand. “Alola’s a small place. I’m pretty sure Lumiose City had a larger population than all of Alola before the Aether Foundation started expanding their hiring process.” Really? Alola was that small? Lumiose City was a huge city, larger than even Jubilife or Goldenrod. It made some sense, but Alola still had a lot of space across all the islands.

“Wait, so how big is your class? Is it like, ten kids?” Not that there was anything wrong with that. Aislynn wasn’t exactly prepared for either a small or large class. Really, she wasn’t prepared to teach yet.

The professor chuckled. “A little less than that.”

“Less?” Aislynn shouted. “But you’re the regional professor! Shouldn’t you be teaching a bunch of students?”

He shook his head with a wistful smile. “If only.” He grabbed another breadstick and waved it around idly. “Not everyone wants to know everything about pokémon. I just teach the students who have gone the extra mile.” Aislynn and Pikachu titled their heads in unison, much to the teacher’s amusem*nt. “Our class this year has our best battler and our smartest kids.”

“Your best battler?” The trainer and her partner leaned forward when they heard the news. If Kukui didn’t know any better, he would have said the two had actual stars in their eyes.

“Probably not League level, but he’s definitely good enough to get a few badges.” That was still pretty good! A bunch of people had to train a bunch before even getting their third or fourth badge. Lt. Surge had made Aislynn and Pikachu fight with all they had for that third badge.

“Can I train with him? Please?” She widened her eyes, but the light betrayed her and shrank her pupils instead of making them adorably large. “I haven’t gotten to battle in weeks. Pretty please?”

Twisting around in his seat, Incineroar raised a bushy eyebrow. “Cin?”

Aislynn gasped. “I’d love to battle you, Incineroar!” She snapped her neck to look at the electric-type on her shoulder. “Pikachu, do you want to battle him? Or maybe I should go get Infernape. Incineroar looks like a fire-type and until Pignite evolves, Infernape won’t really get to fight another fire-type on an even playing field.”

“Woah, woah, woah.” Professor Kukui raised his hands to motion surrender. “Let’s slow down a bit.” Incineroar huffed at the interruption. “Look, battles can be fun, but there’s not exactly great places to battle around here.”

“What about the school yard? It seemed pretty open and no one’s around. It’d totally work for a one on one.” Aislynn’s knee bounced under the table, shaking the bench she and Pikachu were on.

“First of all, Pikachu and Incineroar are too strong to fight anywhere near the school.” The two mentioned pokémon rolled their eyes. That was hardly an excuse even if that was true. “Second, I don’t want Officer Jenny coming to the school because we get too into the battle.” Okay, that was fair. Alolans might not be as used to battles as, say, Kantonians. “And third, you have an egg.”

He gestured to the incubator sitting on the table. It was both impressionable and fragile. If a battle got too hectic and hit the incubator, it’d be tremendously bad for the baby’s health. “Those are very fair points.” She raised a finger. “But I propose that we do it anyway.”

Kukui deadpanned. “You are going to be a terrible role model.”

“I’m going to be a role model though.” For better or worse. She definitely wasn’t the best person to aspire to be, but surely she wasn’t the worst. “Alongside you. So they can just pick to be more like you.”

“That’s not how that works at all,” mumbled Kukui. He shook his head and jumped to the next topic. “So, how are you liking Alola?”

Aislynn hummed. “It’s bright?”

“Bright? Well, the Alolan sun makes it feel like summer all-year round. Although Kalos in summer is probably a bit warmer.” He munched on a breadstick, punctuating his thought process.

“Not bright as in actually bright.” Aislynn looked over to Pikachu, but her partner was looking back at her curiously. It was just a her-thing then. “I don’t really know how to describe it. Everything just feels brighter than other places.”

Pikachu stretched out his face into a long snout and used his hands to imitate some form of hair behind his head. “Pi?”

“It could be an Aura thing, but I’m not trying to use it.” She brought one hand to her chin, stroking her jawline. Her other hand hovered over her pizza box and the two slices left in it. “It shouldn’t be that, but I have no idea what else it would be.”

Her partner shook his head, doing away with his imitation. Then, he pulled his cheeks out to either side and folded his ears back. His tongue stuck out and plastered itself against the side of his mouth. “Kaa,” he drawled in an attempt to sound cool and mysterious.

“Nah, nothing from Greninja either.” Aislynn tugged apart the last two slices of pizza. The cheese between them stretched the entire time until she picked a slice up.

“I’m sorry, what does Greninja have to do with this?” Kukui asked.

“Oh, sometimes he needs to a little extra power, so I just go” —Aislynn closed her eyes and took a deep breath— “Pow!” Blue eyes shot open, startling Kukui.

“How did you… I’ve never seen that in the recordings.” Kukui pulled off his glasses and leaned forward. He looked right into Aislynn’s eyes, trying to pick apart their near hue.

The young woman grinned. “Yeah, cameras aren’t great at picking up Aura. At least, not super concentrated bits.” She blinked a few times and the glow dissipated, leaving just her usual brown eyes. “It’s easier to see in person, but big stuff like an Aura Sphere will still show up pretty well.”

“I see.” Kukui’s gaze wandered over to Incineroar. The bipedal feline gestured to the dwindling pile of food between him and Noivern. “Maybe another time then.”

“You haff a Loucario?” Aislynn asked through a mouthful of pizza. She quickly chewed and swallowed. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine. I’ve seen worse eaters.” That didn’t really make it better, though Aislynn could barely imagine a worse eater than her. She didn’t want to see a messier eater either. “But yeah, I have a Lucario. He’s usually at home when I’m at school.”

“Aww. I love Lucario.” Her shoulders slumped as she recalled the more notable ones she’s met. “Some of them don’t like me though.”

“Pikapi,” explained Pikachu with a side-eye toward his trainer.

“Hey, Sir Aaron’s Lucario was fine! Well, after he got over the resemblance.” She still wasn’t sure how that coincidence happened and it’s not like she could ask Dialga or Celebi to find out if she was related to Sir Aaron in some way. “Riley’s Lucario was fine. So was Cameron’s.”

“Chu.”

“I say his counts,” grumbled the trainer.

Kukui sighed. “How about we talk about something else?”

Chapter 15

Chapter Text

“Delivery!”

Aislynn groaned into her pillow. “Pikachu, get the door,” she groggily ordered her partner. In her peripheral, the electric-type stretched out his back.

“Chaaa.” A satisfying set of pops echoed through the large bedroom. “Chupi.” He nuzzled his cheek against his trainer’s head, making her hair flare out from the static passing through it. After his customary morning greeting, he hopped off the bed and scampered down the stairs.

“Thanks,” mumbled Aislynn. She pressed her face further into her pillow and clamped her arms around the soft cushion. It was heavenly. Soft bed sheets, a cloud-like mattress, and an entire spread of pillows for her to cuddle against. She could stay in her bed forever. Ten out of ten, would buy again.

There was nothing that she had to do, at least not immediately, so she didn’t need to get up until she wanted to. It was a wonderful day to have no responsibilities.

“Bay!” Bayleef popped open the curtains, casting the entire room in the early morning sunlight.

“Bayleef!” groaned the lazy trainer. She reached out for one of her extra pillows and threw it toward the windows. It slumped against the wall, missing its target by a long shot. “Close it.”

“Leef.” The grass-type refused, much to the consternation of the young woman.

“Just go outside if you want some sun.” Or downstairs. Or on the balcony. Or on the porch. Anywhere that wasn’t Aislynn’s bedroom really.

“Bah.” Bayleef huffed at her trainer’s laziness. Seven years on the road with a Pikachu who shocked her awake and she still couldn’t wake up on time. Aislynn couldn’t be blamed for that. She just wasn’t a morning person, that was all. Never was and never will be. Unless there’s some divine intervention happening, but legendaries rarely involved themselves in her life for such trivial things.

Pikachu on the other hand was always involved with trivial things. It was the unfortunate consequence of choosing to stay out of his ball. So when he scampered back up the stairs and jumped onto the bed, Aislynn groaned yet again.

“Pikapi,” he told her.

So what if the person at the door was here to see her? Didn’t most sales people leave after being given the cold shoulder? “Do I have to?”

“Chupi.” Tiny sparks bounced off his red cheeks, backing up his threat.

“Fine, fine. Just let me get changed.” Aislynn tossed off her soft sheets and repressed the shiver that came over her when her bare legs were exposed to the cold morning air. She tugged on her shirt and gave it a whiff. “Nope.” The plain tee was tossed toward the foot of her bed.

After a quick run through some stretches, Aislynn pulled on a pair of sweats and trudged down the stairs. She was presentable enough that no one would bat an eye at her. Plus she didn’t intend to do anything yet. Maybe go out and grab some food later, but she could throw on something else if cooking went poorly today.

Pikachu and Bayleef trotted along after her, each flanking one side of her. Noivern, who was napping in the living room, was drooling over a pile of pillows that Aislynn had bought the day after she met with Professor Kukui. Despite his excellent hearing, the dragon had yet to stir.

She pulled the door open. A dark-skinned boy with red streaks in his wavy brown hair stood on her porch. He was leaning back against the railing and had two pokéballs clipped onto his red shorts. Above his shirtless chest was a necklace with a few gemstones and a medallion.

“Do all guys walk around shirtless here?” blurted out Aislynn in her half-asleep state.

“No?” The boy looked down at his chest, but didn’t even seem ashamed of his current state of dress or lack thereof. A pair of shorts and sandals was completely acceptable for him.

Aislynn kind of envied him. Though she also liked how good her clothes felt, so it balanced out. “Huh. Weird.” Kukui and this boy walking around shirtless was probably just a coincidence then. “So, what’s up?”

“Right.” He took a deep breath. “I’m Kiawe from Akkala Island. My family owns Paniola Ranch and delivers Moomoo Milk all over Alola.” His pitch sounded well-practiced despite his age. “Since you’re renting out this place, I flew by to ask if you’d like some milk. It’s only three hundred poké for a fresh bottle.”

“Wait, so you just deliver Moomoo Milk to a bunch of people? Isn't it easier to sell it at a store or something so you’re flying around less?” That would make much more sense to her, but she didn’t know anything about running a business.

He smiled as if he had heard the question a hundred times. “People appreciate freshly squeezed milk. It’s much nicer to have some delivered to your doorstep, don’t you think?”

That did sound nice and convenient. Although AIslynn would still have to go all the way to Hau’oli to get the rest of her groceries. “Does your family just deliver milk?”

Putting on a plastic smile, Kiawe planted his hands on his waist. “We don’t just have Moomoo Milk. We also sell meat and eggs to local businesses in Akkala. If you’d like, I can recommend a nice spot that tourists love. It has a great view of Wela Volcano, though it’s nothing like walking around it for yourself.”

“I think I’ve had my fill of volcanoes.” Where there were volcanoes, there were Heatran. And if there wasn’t a Heatran, then she didn’t want to know what species was going unchecked.

“Yeah, they’re not for everyone,” chuckled Kiawe. His vaguely fire-shaped hair and penchant for red spoke of his disposition for volcanoes. “But it makes for quite the view. You should take a ferry there before your vacation’s over. You won’t regret it.”

“Oh, I’m not a tourist.” Aislynn waved her hands in front of her. “I moved here for a job actually.”

“Ah.” His smile faltered as he hastily said, “Sorry. I just assumed you were renting out a beach house. That’s my mistake.”

She waved his worry away. “It’s alright. It’s not everyday that you see someone move from Kanto to Alola.”

“Kanto,” repeated the boy under his breath. “Kanto’s pretty well-known for its battling scene, right?”

“Yep! We have one of the largest battling scenes!” Between the League and the Battle Frontier, there were tons of places to battle and train with other people. She loved Kanto for that, especially now that she had gone to other regions. “I went through the gym challenge years ago, but I’ve always had a little itch to do it again. Guess that’ll have to wait though. Maybe in a few years.”

“Years ago?” He stepped forward, which only served to emphasize how he was over a foot taller than her. “You don’t seem that much older than me.”

Aislynn did her best to laugh at herself. “I’m seventeen.”

“What? But—you—huh?” He brought his hand up to the top of her head and she didn’t even meet her shoulders. “I’m twelve! How are you seventeen?”

“Because I was born seventeen years ago?” It wasn’t that hard to believe was it? Plenty of people older than her were around her height. It wasn’t common, but it wasn’t weird.

He dropped his hand and stared blankly at her. “You got me there.”

“Char!” growled a pokémon from below Aislynn’s porch.

“Oh right. Did you want to buy some—Woah!”

Aislynn ran past Kiawe and leaned over the railing. “Oh my gosh! You have a Charizard!” He was even decked out in a saddle made for carrying milk. It was adorable! “He looks strong!” She leapt off her porch onto the sand below and ran up to the Flame pokémon. “And he’s big! Definitely older than my Charizard though your tail flame is much calmer. I bet you’re really experienced, aren’t you, big guy?”

The Charizard puffed up his chest with pride. “Char.” He swept his tail over, though Aislynn wasn’t surprised by its warmth. A steady flame resided at the tip of the long tail, much longer than her own Charizard’s proportions, but not quite the same heat or intensity.

Nevertheless, she waved her hands near it to feel just how strong this one’s fire was. “You’ve definitely had a lot of battles. Though it doesn’t feel like you’ve been in a tough spot recently.”

“Zarr,” crooned the fire lizard. He nodded solemnly as Kiawe walked down to witness the two interacting.

The young woman reached up and scratched the underside of Charizard’s chin. The fire-type leaned into the touch. Before long, his foot began thumping against the sand and Aislynn started to scratch him with two hands. “You like that, don’t you?” she cooed at the dragon over a foot taller than her. “Let’s see if you like this spot.”

Her hand trailed down along his throat and snaked around to the spot where his wings meet his back. Straps were in the way, but she fumbled around until she could feel a patch of tense muscles. A deep breath later and a small drop of aura filled each of her fingers.

“There.” Charizard flopped forward as relief watched over his entire body. Kiawe rushed forward to help, but Aislynn supported the fire-type’s weight with ease. “I haven’t even gotten your other wing.” She didn’t even sound winded from carrying the pokémon and his cargo.

“How are you…” Kiawe shook his head. “Never mind.”

Chapter 16

Chapter Text

Today in Aislynn’s cooking attempts: watered-down miso soup.

It went better than she expected for her first try at cooking on her own. Or well, mostly on her own. Pikachu and Bayleef still helped her. Pikachu was better at managing time than she was and told her when to lower the heat. Bayleef was also much better at sorting through ingredients, so the grass-type ended up handing over the necessary ingredients whenever her trainer needed them.

Overall, it wasn’t that bad. A bit too bland, but it turned out much better than expected. Although she definitely needed to buy a measuring cup or something. How Brock managed to get by without one amazed her.

After a successful—if somewhat late—breakfast, Aislynn decided to wander in the vague direction of Hau’oli City. Meeting Kiawe and setting up weekly milk deliveries was nice. Seeing his Charizard got her blood pumping. That fire-type was so much older than the ones she had seen recently. Between her and Alain’s Charizard, Kiawe’s was probably older than the two of them combined. The only older Charizard that Aislynn had met belonged to Professor Oak, whose starter was almost as old as he was!

There was no way she was laying around the house after seeing such a strong pokémon. The urge to get into a battle was strong, but the urge to move around was stronger. Getting her energy out was good for her anyway.

The three hour walk to Hau’oli City may be overdoing it a bit. Bayleef was the only one who complained though and her whines didn’t last long when she was reminded that it was either she walked with the rest of them or went into her pokéball. Was it a bit cruel to weaponize her affection for her trainer? A little bit, but Aislynn didn’t want the egg to hear too much complaining and grow up to complain a bunch.

With that on her mind, Aislynn looked toward her team and asked, “When do you think the egg will hatch?”

“Noi?” suggested the dragon-type trotting along at the back of the group.

“A month makes sense. I still haven’t seen them shake at all.” She raised up the incubator to get a good look at the egg. Nope, no conveniently timed shake.

“Pi?” Pikachu pulled his ears back into a single point, creating the illusion of a crest at the back of his head. “Chupi?”

“Would Talonflame speed it up? We already have an incubator.” One that was really hot too, so Talonflame’s natural body heat felt like a moot point. Although it would be nice to have her around. “Maybe if the barn was ready, but that’ll take a while.”

“Bay,” Bayleef said sadly from Aislynn’s left. It was kind of hard to be around the house when a fleet of Machoke and Passimian were trying to build a giant barn right outside. It’d be worth it, but wow, it was hard to take a nap.

Until then, they didn’t really have the space to house too many pokémon. So Aislynn was stalling on bringing more over. If she picked one, then the others would want to be coming along too and she couldn’t house more than one more small pokémon.

“Pi?”

“Yeah, I’m a bit thirsty too. Maybe we can try something new around here.” Hau’oli City was filled with locals and tourists alike, both of which gave Aislynn a wide berth as soon as she stepped into the city. Pikachu clambered up on her right shoulder while Bayleef snaked a vine around her trainer’s left elbow. “Let’s try… Aina’s Kitchen.”

Aislynn darted toward the first restaurant she saw. Everything appeared to be nice and wooden, though she could spot metal tables and chairs through the window. There were even two sets of tables outside beneath the windows, one of which was being used by a chef and some person in a two-piece suit.

As soon as Aislynn reached for the door, the chef shot out of his chair. “Woah, miss. We don’t serve pokémon here.” He gestured toward her three team members, all of which were surprised at hearing that. An establishment that didn’t serve pokémon? Even Pikachu was allowed into fancy restaurants with Aislynn!

That put a little damper on her plans. “I guess, stay out here for a bit?” Pikachu jumped off her shoulder and onto the unoccupied table. Bayleef reluctantly released her grip on her trainer and settled around Pikachu’s table while Noivern sat on the nearby sidewalk. “And watch the baby.” Aislynn placed the incubator down next to Pikachu.

Pikachu saluted her, absolving some of the guilt at having to leave her pokémon behind. It was just a short trip to a restaurant though. Only a few minutes and they wouldn’t be that far.

The chef that had interrupted her looked befuddled at her response, but didn’t kick up a fuss. It seemed he just cared about pokémon inside his restaurant. Which was still a bit rude to Aislynn, but not everyone was so attached to their partner that they didn’t go anywhere without them.

Soldiering onward, Aislynn entered Aina’s Kitchen and passed by the filled tables to reach the unmanned register. Well, there certainly wasn’t a human there. However, a pinkish-purple grass-type was sitting on the counter. They were enough to fill up Aislynn’s palm, though still a touch smaller than her head.

“Hello there, are you in charge of the register today?” She smiled down at the pokémon.

They bounced on the counter in front of her. “Boun boun!”

“Just watching over, huh? You haven’t taken any orders?” It made sense since this little grass-type was the only pokémon in the restaurant. There were two groups of people relaxing with drinks, both of which kept any pokémon in the balls on their belts.

“Swee?” Rather than answer her questions, the grass-type asked one of her own.

“Guess I’m just a really good listener,” Aislynn cheekily answered. They bounced excitedly with the confirmation. “Should I just wait here with you or can you get someone?”

The bulbous pokémon looked toward the window, where the chef from earlier was sitting and chatting. Oh, he wasn’t just a chef on break then. “Boun,” said the grass-type solemnly. Ah, a parent flaking on some of their responsibilities. Truly, a tale as old as time.

“Is he your trainer?” The grass-type shook their body vehemently. “That’s good. I’d hate for such a dedicated ‘mon like you to be saddled with someone like that.” Aislynn reached out and stroked the side of the pokémon’s peel.

“Swee.” They nuzzled against Aislynn’s hand, relishing in the touch. The two only had a brief moment to themselves before a girl with green pigtails ran out of the kitchen carrying a tray of tropical drinks.

She scurried past Aislynn toward a busy table and shouted, “Be with you in a minute!”

“Take your time,” Aislynn called back.

The green-haired girl bowed to a group of patrons who tried to tell it was okay. Which probably meant that that green-haired chef guy leaving the register unattended wasn’t a first-time occurrence.

Aislynn looked back at the grass-type she was petting. Did she get herself involved in this situation? Maybe offer to be a waitress or something until that man comes back to work? That shouldn’t even be a question. The girl obviously needed help.

So when the green-haired girl swung around the counter and stepped behind the register, Aislynn raised her hand. “Do you need some help?”

She blinked. “Help?”

“You know, take orders and serve customers. It looks like you could use a hand around here, at least for a little while.” So long as it had nothing to do with cooking, Aislynn would be able to help out.

“Oh, it’s okay. This isn’t the first time, I’m used to it.” That didn’t sit right with the young woman at all. She could see the stress that running a restaurant was putting on the girl. Helping where she wasn’t wanted would only create more problems though. “What can I get for you today?”

Maybe another day. At the very least, Aislynn would keep an eye on this place and see what happened. “Two Pinaps, a Mago, and a large Yache juice to-go.” She pulled out her debit card. “And take your time with it.”

Chapter 17

Chapter Text

“Aislynn, you made it!” Kukui waved her down from his front door. Aislynn waved back, but couldn’t help marveling at the strong pokémon assembled around the man’s laboratory.

There were two Ninetales wrapped around one another, their tails intertwined into a mess of yellow and blue fur. Two canine pokémon, one beige quadruped and one red biped, were wrestling each other. A Venusaur was even basking in the sun beside the small building.

It was nowhere close to Professor Oak’s Ranch, but it was a little slice of it just for Kukui’s team. At least, Aislynn assumed this was Kukui’s team. Given the two Ninetales, she wouldn’t be surprised if they were part of some research project that Kukui was doing. One was the Kanto variant she was familiar with, but the other had to be the Alolan variant she had only heard about. It even looked like a different type, maybe a water- or ice-type.

“Hi, Professor!” Aislynn would have waved back, but she didn’t trust herself doing that with an incubator in her arms. Thankfully, Pikachu waved for her from his perch on her shoulder. As per usual nowadays, Noivern and Bayleef trotted along beside her, keeping up thanks mostly to the incubator slowing their trainer down.

Kukui met his assistant halfway and following along at his heels were four small pokémon. A very round bird with a green bowtie flapped quickly, struggling to stay in the air. A black and red feline slunk behind in the professor’s shadow and did their best to hide behind Kukui’s legs. A blue pokémon hopped along with its tail and two flippers. The last one was a young puppy who excitedly ran ahead of the professor and sniffed Aislynn’s legs.

“Hi there.” She crouched down until the bottom of the incubator rested on top of her legs. With that stability, she reached out and let the pup sniff her hand. “What’s your name?”

“Ruff!” they barked before licking Aislynn’s palm.

She giggled as her team moved closer. “Well, hello Rockruff. I’m Aislynn and this is my partner, Pikachu.”

“Pika!” The electric-type leapt off her shoulder to stand next to her. Rockruff was up and sniffing him in an instant, absorbing his scent into his memory.

Bayleef stepped forward with her curious gaze dying a quick death. The four new pokémon didn’t interest her nor did Kukui’s larger pokémon that were further away. “Bay,” she whispered as she nuzzled against her trainer’s left side.

“Bayleef, don’t be rude.” Just for that, Aislynn didn’t pet her. Instead she scratched Rockruff around his chest until he flopped onto his side, at which point she began rubbing his belly. One of his hindlegs started to kick the air. If that wasn’t a sign that she had found the sweet spot, she didn’t know what was.

Professor Kukui adjusted his cap. “Do I want to know?” The three other pokémon stopped around him. The beige one landed on his head, the black one hid behind his legs, and the blue one sat between the two humans.

“Probably not.” Bayleef was clingy and had quite peculiar tastes when it came to others. She could be friendly to new pokémon, but not when Aislynn was around, much to the trainer’s disappointment. “Who are these three?”

Utterly unphased by the bird on his head, Kukui gestured to the two at his feet. “These three make up Alola’s starter trio. Rowlet’s grass and flying but can evolve into the grass and ghost Decidueye.” The bird let out a soft hoot, eyes trained on the egg in Aislynn’s lap. “Then this is the fire-type Litten, who may evolve into the fire and dark Incineroar.”

“Woah, this little guy could be like your Incineroar?” Aislynn craned her neck to look at the red and black feline. To think, this little kitten could become a fearsome foe like Kukui’s partner. She had thought they were as ordinary as a Meowth, but they were actually starters. “Huh, are Litten common?”

The professor raised an eyebrow. “Not particularly. We don’t have a reserve like the Charicific Valley, but they’re mostly found with breeders or dedicated trainers.” Like most starters in other regions then.

Still, Aislynn had definitely seen another Litten before. Where had she seen them before though? It definitely wasn’t before she arrived in Alola. “Oh, there’s a stray Litten in Hau’oli City!”

“A stray? Are you sure it was a Litten you saw?” The young Litten behind Kukui shivered at the idea of being out on the streets. She couldn’t blame them. This one was certainly more well-fed than the other one she had met.

“Yeah. I remember giving him an oran berry the first day I was here.” It was kind of weird how he only took one when she offered two. That could probably be chalked up to him being skittish though. “I’m guessing something happened with a previous trainer?”

“It’s possible.” Kukui stroked his chin in thought. “There have been some cases of wild Litten, usually because of them running away from breeders. But most people know how hard breeding starters is and would’ve tried to locate a nearby breeder.”

“Is it that hard? I feel like I’ve seen hundreds of Charizard.” From Lance’s fire-type she had seen on TV all the way to Alain’s Mega Charizard, there were at least dozens. It seemed like they were common enough, even outside the valley.

Kukui sighed in that tired way that meant he had explained it before. Considering he was the regional professor, he probably had. “Breeding specific pokémon can already be difficult, especially in mixed nurseries like the ones around Alola. The Incineroar line doesn’t make it much easier.” Litten’s whiskers twitched and they peered around the professor’s leg to see Aislynn. “Before they evolve, they’re physically somewhat childish. It would take a few years before two Litten had an egg. If they’ve both evolved into Torracat, it’s a bit easier but breeders aren’t likely to have two Torracat.”

Which made some sense. The middle stage was like a teenage form to some pokémon. Plus, two starters in that stage would have needed training in order to evolve. It wasn’t just a matter of age, but skill and experience. A full-time breeder wouldn’t be able to provide that kind of training. “What about Incineroar?”

“That’s a tough one.” The two humans glanced around for Kukui’s partner, but he wasn’t anywhere in sight. “Two Incineroar are more likely to wrestle than mate. After that, they have to acknowledge each other as equals before they even consider mating with each other.” The Litten behind him shied away at the mention of their evolution’s behavior. “Their pride makes it almost impossible for them to mate with other species.”

“Even Ditto?”

“A copy is automatically deemed lesser to most of them.” Shoot, that did make it hard. And worrying. What happened to the Litten in Hau’oli City that made him a stray on the streets?

Hopefully they weren’t released or abandoned by a bad trainer. Aislynn had met a surplus of those already. Meeting another would be the last thing on her to-do list if she had one of those. But if someone was suffering, her gut told her to help them.

“Should I try and find him?” she asked as her hand continued to scratch Rockruff’s belly. The rock-type was practically in a daze from her ministrations and she hadn’t even started using her aura yet.

“Maybe keep an eye out?” Kukui shoved his hands into the pockets of his shorts. “Alolans are pretty good about finding homes for strays, so unless you see him again, he might have just been a little turned around.”

Aislynn nodded, feeling a bit numbed by the topic. She wished that was the case but didn’t want to jinx it. It was better to focus on other things. “And who’s this one?” With her chin, she gestured to the water-type of the starter trio, who had patiently sat between the two humans.

“Pop!” The water-type balanced on its tail and clapped with its flippers. “Pop pop!”

“This is Popplio. She’s a pure water-type but when she evolves all the way to Primarina, she’ll be water and fairy.” There was a hint of pride in Kukui’s voice there. Just a touch more than he had when he introduced the other two. “She’s been with me since last year’s trainers set off on journeys. Safe to say she’s made the most of her time with my pokémon.”

“Plio!” From Popplio’s nose, a bubble ballooned out and grew large enough to encase Pikachu. “Pop!” With a clap of her flippers, the bubble burst.

“I think that’s the biggest bubble I’ve seen a pokémon make,” commended Aislynn, earning more applause from the water-type. “I bet any trainer would be lucky to have you.”

“Hopefully. Hala told me he only had two new trainers,” Kukui grumbled. He cleared his throat, destroying that train of thought before it could get too far. “So, are you excited to see the trainers off on Friday?”

“Of course I am! It’s a once in a lifetime moment for them.” She didn’t even know who the two kids were, but she wanted to see them anyway. There was no telling how far one trainer would get in terms of skill or prestige. Anyone could do anything if they put their minds to it and worked hard.

At least, that’s what Aislynn believed.

Chapter 18

Chapter Text

After learning about the Alolan starter trio and talking about different pokédex models for much longer than intended, Aislynn decided to relax for the rest of the week. Well, up until Friday night when she was going to see off trainers. Apparently it was a much bigger deal in Alola since it was more of a rite of passage rather than something kids just did when they were old enough. It made sense, what with having trials and grand trials instead of gym challenges.

Either way, she still wanted to see how it differed from other regions. She also wanted to see her future competition. The league in Alola may be a slow work in progress, but she’d love to see some familiar faces in competitions like the World Coronation Series.

In the meantime, she wanted to relax. Her home was a bit small and she wasn’t really one to sit still when she could be out and about, especially with the construction crew still in her yard. They were finishing up, but the Smeargles brought in to paint over the barn made the area smell.

Which meant that Aislynn’s little group went down to the beach. Not the beach around their home, of course. They walked down the road toward Hau’oli City and found a spot far enough away from the hotel that they could see it and hear the children shouting still. Thankfully, no one had really gone out very far from the hotel and the public areas of the beach.

So it was the perfect time to teach Noivern to swim!

Or get as close to swimming as he could. His body wasn’t really built for fast swimming, but he could at least learn to float and drift around with his head above water.

Pikachu knew how to do it after one too many times where he fell into a river. He was a decent swimmer, but his short limbs held him back. Bayleef was in a similar situation and didn’t have the range of motion to really swim properly. She knew how to get upright, but she had a bit of trouble staying afloat in deeper waters.

It was left to Aislynn to teach him. She had already donned a swimsuit just for this occasion. “Bayleef, give us a shout if we go too far.” The grass-type nodded from her blanket on the sand. She had already situated herself with the egg on one side and her trainer’s backpack on the other.

“Chupi!” Pikachu ran off from their group first, darting off further away from the busier side of the beach.

“Stay safe!” Aislynn yelled after him before turning toward Noivern. Pikachu could take care of himself, he was strong. “Alright, so what do you know about swimming?”

The dragon-type glanced at the ocean. Rearing back on his legs, he swung his arms ahead of him in a cycle of motion. “Noi?” He paused, seeking the approval of his trainer.

“That’s how humans swim, buddy. It’s going to work a bit differently for you.” Aislynn popped out her hip to the side and placed a hand on it. “Remember to use your tail. Swing it side to side and you’ll be swimming in no time!” The trainer smiled at her youngest pokémon as he waved his tail curiously.

Most dragons had a tail, even Gible had a small one. Noivern, being a fully-evolved dragon, had a much longer tail than unevolved ones. His tail was as long as his torso and ended in a barbed tip. If it was stronger or if Noivern had tougher hide, it could have easily been a weapon to be scared of. Unfortunately, it was more for balance between his wings than for fighting.

“Verr!” With his tail wagging from side-to-side behind him, Noivern hurried toward the shore. He waddled into the water, his wings raised to either side. Before long, his waist was submerged and his tail was brewing up a wave of bubbles behind him. “Noi?” The dragon twisted around, watching the array of bubbles blowing behind him.

Aislynn walked over and tugged at the one-piece swimsuit covering her torso. She hadn’t swum much since she started transitioning, nothing more than she had to at least. Recreational swimming just wasn’t great for her. Part of it was her own mental image of herself, but it mostly had to do with others. In Unova, she hadn’t gone under the knife yet and was growing. In Kalos, people shied away from her once they saw her scars.

Here with her pokémon, she was in a safe space. They were always her safe space. Now and forever. There was nothing for her to hide from them when they had given her so much, be it in battles or in their travels.

So she tugged at the hem on the leg holes and embraced the patches of pale flesh that would never quite tan as well as the rest of her. They were parts of her that made her whole, but were utterly foreign. She wouldn’t trade it for the world though.

“Noivern, slither your whole body!” she called out as the dragon began treading into deeper waters. His legs were off the ground by mere inches, skimming the sand beneath him. Aislynn slunk through the shallow waters and shivered as the cold surrounded her body. “You gotta wiggle your hips like a snake!” For emphasis, she tucked her legs together and tried to swim by swinging it side-by-side.

It… wasn’t great. She had to hurriedly paddle with her arms to get her head back over, but it was an effort. She shook her head and looked over to Noivern. Her young dragon snapped his wings and legs against his body and slithered around Aislynn. He managed a full lap around her before fanning out his wings to help him float in place.

“You’re a natural!” she cheered. “Come here!” Drifting over to him, Aislynn grabbed his chin and laced her fingers with aura. Happiness and pride seeped into Noivern, both swelling inside the dragon.

“Noi, noi!” He wrapped his wings around his trainer, engulfing her in a wet hug. Water droplets rolled off his hide like a gentle rain. Not a drop clung to him or his fur.

“How about you get some practice in, buddy?” The dragon tilted his head, still cupped by his trainer. “Can you do five laps for me? From the shore to as far as you feel safe going.” Noivern nodded eagerly and brought his wings back toward his body. “And make sure you’re going only as far as you feel safe. You don’t have to impress me.”

Even without him vocalizing it, she could tell Noivern intended to go farther than he felt safe. A dragon’s pride wouldn’t have any less, especially not one that had something to prove. Nevertheless, she drew away and let him start his laps. If the worst came to pass, well his pokéball was in her bag and Bayleef had a pretty good aim.

So while Noivern practiced his newfound ability to swim, Aislynn dragged herself out of the water. Once she was on dry land, she pressed down against her hips. There was a little give that shouldn’t have been there. A few pieces of lean muscle that weren't quite as tight as the rest of her body. Combined with their lighter skin tone, she felt a bit subconscious of where the ditto cells were.

It was good for her and gave her the body she wanted. That didn’t stop it from feeling a foreign and for it to lag behind the rest of her body.

Still, she was who she wanted to be. She couldn’t be happier about that.

Chapter 19

Chapter Text

Aislynn entered the Pokémon Center for the first time since she had stepped foot in Alola. Which was somewhat weird. Usually, it was one of the first places she would visit when reaching a new region yet she waited nearly two weeks before even seeking one out. She supposed that was the difference between journeying and not.

Although given the sheer amount of people, she could have still mistaken it for a center in another region. Most of the people here were a bit on the older side rather than the younger trainers she expected in regions with leagues. Combined with the rather small lobby, twenty people felt like a lot.

A few were getting a drink from the complementary coffee brewers, though most were waiting in the lounge area reading magazines or on their phones. They had been waiting on their larger pokémon getting groomed, such as an Alolan Exeggutor. Which were incredibly tall. Aislynn was surprised they fit in the building. Even with her view on the second floor, the grass-type towered over her.

Between watching pokémon getting groomed and general people watching, Aislynn was a bit bored. Though that was on her for forgetting the five-hour time difference between Kanto and Alola. Professor Oak had picked up the phone a few hours ago, but passed out at his desk after a few minutes. Figures that would happen when he decided to stay up till three in the morning to research regional differences.

So three hours later—and one visit to Aina’s Kitchen—she and Pikachu were dialing the lab again on one of the center’s computers. She would have used her phone, but her partner dutifully pointed out that her phone couldn’t transport pokéballs. It was an excellent point and she considered buying a newer model… until Pikachu pointed out she barely knew how to use her phone. How would she set up a new one?

“Hello? Ash, that you?” The computer monitor blinked to life as a man with black ponytail and green camo jacket answered her call.

“Hi, Tracey!” She and Pikachu waved at the tiny camera above the screen. “How was your vacation?”

Her old friend grabbed a chair and winced when his arm touched a wet spot on the table. “Johto was good. I got to see a play about Ho-Oh and Lugia, which was pretty cool. Didn’t really have time to sketch out the Eeveelutions that the actors have.”

“How’d they use them in a play?” Did an Espeon lift around props or something?

“Well, their Jolteon and Flareon helped with lighting and played the roles of Entei and Raikou.” Tracey reached across the table and grabbed a towel to wipe down the table. “It was pretty neat. The actors groomed their pokémon well, but they were definitely trained more for appeals.”

Oh, so they were trained more like contest pokémon. Maybe Serena would like to see that then. “You also went to the safari zone, right? How was that?”

“It was a good place to draw, but it felt like I was back at work.” He nervously chuckled. “I visited it for one day before visiting more of the cultural places. But enough about me, how’s Alola?”

“It’s great!” Pikachu happily agreed with her, nodding from his usual perch on her shoulder. “There’s so many cool pokémon here and people are always walking around with them. Well, except for a few stores and restaurants. I went to buy some fish for Noivern yesterday and they had a huge no pokémon rule because they sold some Magikarp meat and stuff.”

It was honestly pretty gross, especially as someone who… stayed away from eating pokémon meat. She was fine with eating byproducts like Chansey eggs or Miltank milk, those weren’t hurting the pokémon. Eating an actual living creature she could’ve been friends with didn’t really sit right with her. Even if her own pokémon occasionally went out to hunt.

“Pika,” reminded her partner. She was getting sidetracked. Again.

“Right, sorry Tracey. This isn’t a social call.” She scratched the back of her head, ruffling the messy hair.

“It’s alright.” He waved it off, far too used to her antics. “What’s up?”

“My barn is done,” she giddily announced. “I should be ready to bring everyone over. I bought enough food for a week and Brock started teaching me to make my own pokéchow! It’s not great, but Bayleef and Pikachu are learning how to make some too. So they can help me a bit with that.” Heck, Bayleef was better than her at cooking and the grass-type couldn’t even read.

“That’s good, that’s good. I’ll get the transporter ready.” Tracey got up from his chair and left the camera’s view. Two seconds later he zipped back over. “Did you say everyone?”

“Uh, yeah? Is that a problem?” She didn’t have that many pokémon. Most of the time, she had a full team for the entire year and no more than that. By her estimate, that was a little more than thirty.

“So you want all of your Taurus?” Oh crap. She had thirty Taurus.

“I may need to buy more food.” They would fit in the barn. It was built to house a hundred pokémon of varying sizes. She did not have that much food though. “I might also need to get a fence or something too. Maybe I can do that on my own. Are those hard to make?”

“A sturdy one, yeah. Your Taurus are well trained, so it shouldn’t be that bad.” Tracey looked off to the side, staring at a window. “Unless you have neighbors.”

“I don’t have any close neighbors,” she stressed, thinking back to her general location. Her closest neighbor was either the hotel or the pokémon center on the other end of the route. Her light training with her current team hadn’t been too loud and she did it in the mornings before lunch. But sixty pokémon might be pushing her boundaries.

“Well, you have a bag?” She twisted around to show off the backpack she used in Kalos. It was a little worn from being in a life-threatening incident or two but was still good to go. “I guess I’ll go team by team. Should I start with your Kalos team?”

Wasn’t that just two pokémon? Noivern was with her, Goodra went back to his marsh, and Greninja was technically under the purview of Professor Sycamore. Which just left Talonflame and Hawlucha to bring over. “That sounds good. I’ll go order some more food.”

“Be back in a few.” Tracey got up for the first of many times to retrieve Aislynn’s pokémon. It should be easy since word seemed to travel fast on Oak’s Ranch, so once a few ‘mons started talking about Aislynn bringing over her whole team, all of her friends would be ready to go. At least, she hoped it was easy. She never had to take care of all her pokémon by herself. There was always Professor Oak, Tracey and the other lab assistants.

She knew how to care for each pokémon individually. That was part and parcel with being a traveling trainer. So grooming and feeding each one was something she could do. Doing all of that everyday would be the challenge. Well, grooming and general checkups could be either a weekly or monthly thing depending on her duties as a teacher. Feeding and ensuring everyone was in their pen was something she might have to coordinate with Bulbasaur and others.

“Pika?” Pikachu snapped her out of her thoughts. “Chu chu.”

“Right. Here.” She handed the electric-type her phone, trusting him with it more than herself. “Make sure to buy enough for a week. You and Bayleef can teach Leavanny and Bulbasaur to make some pokéchow.” Those two seemed like the ones who might be interested among those who could work in her kitchen.

“Pi?” He leaned against the side of her head and static bounced between his cheeks and her hair. Aislynn couldn’t help but reach up and scratch his head.

“Course I’ll pitch in where I can. Making your guys’ food is way easier than making mine.” She grinned as Tracey came back with two pokéballs. “The real problem is deciding which five I’ll take with me everyday.”

“That’s your problem,” quipped Tracey while he booted up the transfer machine. “Alright, sending over Talonflame.”

Chapter 20

Chapter Text

“Let’s see, we have enough food, bowls, and hay for beds.” Aislynn checked off as she walked over to the barn with a sack of chow in her arms. Noivern flew overhead and dropped off one sack by the barn doors.

“Bay,” chirped her faithful grass-type from her side. Bayleef held the incubator in place on her back using her vines, keeping the egg constantly exposed to her future caretaker. Being constantly close to her trainer was just a bonus for her.

“They told me the pond needed to be filled up, but we don’t have any water-locked teammates. If someone wants to soak, they can do it in the ocean.” She glanced over her shoulder toward the beach. It was practically their lawn, just a few steps away from the barn doors. “And the lofts should be fine unless Talonflame starts burning up in her sleep.”

Aislynn dropped her sack of chow among the rest of the bags. They should be placed in the closet branching off the barn, but she’d need to feed her team soon anyway. Noivern flew back to the house and snatched another bag with his claws. That should be the last one, which meant it was almost time to show everyone around.

Once Noivern landed—and kicked up a large cloud of sand—Aislynn swung her backpack around to hang over her chest. She looked at her current team of three, who each nodded. Looks like it was finally time to bring the team back together.

“But first.” Aislynn smiled mischievously as she pulled out one pokéball and handed it to Pikachu. The mouse wore a matching grin, absolutely enjoying the tiny bit of mischief. “Alright everyone, welcome home!” Grabbing her bag, she flung it upward, sending every single ball inside flying high into the air.

One by one, her pokémon released themselves from their tiny capsules. Open balls slammed into another, propelled by the forceful release her pokémon had trained themselves to do. They all landed on the sand, some shaking the ground more than others as they stretched out and looked around.

Before she knew it, a dozen different pokémon ran toward her, trampling through the sand and dirt to nuzzle against their trainer. “Ah, guys!” she squealed as Donphan and Pignite squeezed her from either side. “I need to breathe!” Her large team snuggled into her for a few more seconds before pulling away.

Aislynn brushed down her shirt, though the new slobber stain was begging to be washed sooner rather than later. Eh, it’d come out eventually. Unless her clothes actually tore, they were always good to go after a thorough washing. For now, she needed to pay attention to her pokémon.

“Bulba?” Of course, the most responsible of the bunch stepped forward. He looked toward the barn and its closed doors. Two vines snaked out from the sides of the bulb on his back. “Saur?”

Aislynn nodded. “Go ahead. Make yourselves at home.”

The Seed pokémon did just that and pulled open the large doors of the barn. Just from the doors, they could see dozens of pens and the lofts built above them. Each pen was large enough for Snorlax to fit, allowing for a small group of other pokémon to rest inside on top of a bed of hay. At the back, there was even a stone outcropping that could be filled with water for non-terrestrial pokémon. It wasn’t the largest, but it was safer than keeping them in the ocean and still had enough room for a Wailmer to stretch out.

Her team was thoroughly enthused by the accommodations, small as they were. Compared to the open grassy hills and patchy forests of Oak’s Ranch, it was nice and cozy. Bulbasaur whipped his vines and deemed the structure safe. Noctowl found a nice perch up in the loft where he blended in with the unpainted wood. Sceptile scoped out a nice support column to lean against. Gliscor hopped up and grabbed the edge of the loft with his tail so he could hang upside-down. Oshawott hopped over to the pond and jumped in, only to fall on his face against the cold stone. Hawlucha jumped up on top of the pens, walking along the thick barriers.

And of course, Snorlax picked out the closest pen to sleep in. Which was very fair and would probably be reserved for him from now on. The rest of the pens could probably just be first-come first-serve. None of her pokémon were super messy and everything was built to be durable. It should survive for at least a day.

“You all like it?” A cacophony of cries roared out in a loose form of agreement. “I’m glad! I own this plot of land, so feel free to get comfy.”

“Pika.” Her partner held up the last pokéball. He had been keeping it clamped shut with his paws, but the little contraption was shaking. The creature within was struggling to pop out and be free. “Pi…”

“Fine, I need him for this next part anyway.” Pikachu released the worn pokéball and Charizard unleashed himself in the middle of the barn.

“Char!” He announced his release with a flamethrower, coating the roof with fire. Gliscor yelped as the stream blew past him and clung to the underside of the loft. She was so glad that she bought the construction company’s best fireproofing. Along with pokémon reinforced materials.

Honestly, she could have sprung for a full metal building to serve as her team’s habitat if she wanted to have the most durable option available to her. But that would A, be expensive as heck to do and 2, look pretty out of place next to a beach house. The first reason was much more compelling than the first to her, though Mimey said something about property value being lowered. She didn’t really understand how an expensive property could lower something’s value instead of raise it, but she trusted Mimey when it came to that stuff.

Anyway, important things! Yes, she had to stay on track. No more distractions for her. “Listen up everyone! We’ve got some business to go over!” Aislynn announced with her palms cupping the sides of her mouth. Immediately, the attention of all her pokémon turned to her. “Tomorrow, two new trainers are setting out on their very first journey and we need a strong showing.”

“Pika!” Pikachu let out a few sparks into the air above him. He was naturally part of the showing as her partner and her strongest pokémon. “Cha!” The pecking order after him was a bit debatable and placements were constantly changing.

“Which means I need a team of five! Only the best of the best!” Aislynn pointed to the back of the crowd. “So regroup with your regions and decide who’s the strongest. But one group will need to step back.” She looked toward Hawlucha and Talonflame. “You two mind sitting back?”

“Hawl cha cha?” Hawlucha crossed his wings, questioning the implied message his trainer was giving him. Talonflame clipped him in the back of the head as she dropped down to the same fence he was on. “Luu!” He snapped his head over to his teammate, but didn’t strike back, much to her amusem*nt.

Aislynn swallowed back her snicker. “Sorry, Hawlucha. You’re really strong, but when it comes to our team in Kalos, you gotta admit Greninja was a bit stronger.” The water-type also had the advantage of that Battle Bond phenomenon. A very unfair advantage since Aislynn hadn’t figured out how to do the same with anyone else—not even Pikachu. “And he isn’t here, so process of elimination?”

The fighting-type huffed while his fire-type companion shrugged. It would probably bug Hawlucha a bit until he found something else to do. Hopefully Talonflame would be able to occupy his time. Given how she was whispering something to him, she had it handled.

“Okay, the rest of you. Go!” Aislynn walked backward and watched as birds flew overhead and reptiles slithered through the crowd to group up with each other. Even as the groups were forming, she could hear some large competitors demanding the spot as strongest.

Charizard had to argue with Kingler and Bulbasaur. The latter wasn’t the strongest, but for team diversity and showing a strong front, he argued it was better for someone less hot-headed to be there. Kingler could be that person. Especially since he was the only evolved water-type besides Palpitoad.

Bayleef knew she wasn’t the strongest, but decided to fight for the place anyway. Noctowl, ever the mischievous bastard, voted for Heracross and tried to bribe him with local nectar. The bug-type was none the wiser that Noctowl didn’t know where nectar could be found on the island.

Sceptile quipped with Glalie and Swellow about what they had to offer. All three knew who it would come down to, the Lily of the Valley conference had shown that pretty well. Though that didn’t mean that they couldn’t have a little fun chatting while the other teams made their choice.

Gliscor, Torterra, and Buizel looked at each other and nodded before suggesting Infernape should be their representative. The fire-type was surprised that his team was so unified in their choice. Nevertheless, he put his hand over his chest and vowed to make them proud if a fight broke out.

Then there was the Unova team. Krookodile tried to play it cool when Pignite and Oshawott volunteered as tribute. As the usual mediator, Leavanny tried to stop Pignite and Oshawott from arguing about their choice, yet his kind words didn’t do much. Snivy scoffed at their reasoning and threw her metaphorical hat in the ring, claiming she could beat both of them with ease so that made her stronger.

Aislynn could point out who she was taking already, but where was the fun in that? She finally got her team all together in Alola. She may as well toss a little chaos in her life before she gets busy.

Chapter 21

Chapter Text

Going from riding on Noivern’s back to Charizard’s back was definitely bizarre. The fire-type was faster and knew his body well enough that he wasn’t scared to pick up speed even in an unfamiliar place. Granted, a flight around Melemele island could be done in an hour. Maybe even less for Charizard since he’s been training to match Aislynn’s preferred battle style of hard and fast hits.

So making it to Iki Town for a festival was pretty easy. She pointed the not-dragon in the general direction and they were off, sailing through the evening with Charizard’s tail shining brighter than the sun. Hau’oli City was a beacon of light, still beaming in the fading sunlight as cities tended to do.

In comparison, Iki Town was a dim bulb. It was the size of Pallet Town and nestled itself around nature. If it weren’t for the torches and lanterns brought out for tonight’s festival, Aislynn would have missed it. Nearing their destination, she and Charizard tilted before spinning into a dive toward the little town. The blazing flame behind them was the only warning citizens got before an orange blur swooped overhead.

“Aislynn! Over here!” Kukui waved his arms in the air. With a sharp turn, Charizard flew toward the man and flicked up to lose some momentum. A few calculated flaps later and he planted two feet on the ground. The shirtless professor ran up to the hulking fire-type who was nearing the man’s height. “Bringing out the big guns?”

Aislynn swung herself off Charizard and Pikachu leapt onto her shoulder with practiced ease. “Yep. Brought a team of my strongest.” She turned around, showing the pokéballs clipped onto the back of her shorts. Naturally, the two most banged up belonged to Pikachu and Charizard.

Kukui whistled. “Seems like a bit much for a little security,” he quipped while tugging on his lab coat. Doing so revealed his own belt with three pristine pokéballs next to one that had seen far better days. “Definitely a lot more than I brought.

“Ooo, Incineroar?” Aislynn bounced on the balls of her feet with excitement. Despite only having seen the ball once—and only for the fire-type’s release—Aislynn had recognized the ball immediately. “Who are the others?”

“The starters.” Oh she didn’t miss the ceremony then. That was great. Between feeding Snorlax and stopping Swellow and Staraptor from racing around the island, she wasn’t sure if she would miss it or not. “That reminds me, do you mind being part of the ceremony?”

“Course not,” Aislynn agreed immediately. “Wait, what do I need to do?”

Pikachu snickered at his trainer’s oversight while Charizard rolled his eyes. Leave it to Aislynn to agree to something that she knew nothing about. Kukui was amused as well, but appreciated the enthusiasm nonetheless.

“I just need a little translating.” He gestured to the young woman. “It's not everyday that you can have a full-fledged conversation with your own pokémon.”

Aislynn tilted her head. “But I do do that everyday.”

“You know what I mean.” She really didn't. “Most people don't understand pokémon like you do. All we hear are syllables taken from their species name.”

Well, she had started like that too. It had taken her years, but she learned how to listen carefully. Not that she brought it up since it likely wouldn't be better than the time she tried to explain it to Professor Oak and he asked Alakazam to act as a lie detector. That had been a very odd afternoon.

“Since you're here, Selene and Hau have the unique opportunity to ask their starters if they'd like to go with them.” The professor looked over his shoulder at a pair of kids wearing leis and drinking fruit punch with each other. “It'd be nice if they could get started on the right foot, you know?”

Aislynn and Pikachu shared a knowing look. Yeah, they probably knew that better than anyone. “I'd love to help!”

She followed her boss's gaze to the two new trainers. Both were young, maybe eleven at most but eager as a Poochyena with a bone.

Selene was a black-haired girl with two braided pigtails under a straw hat. Her orange top was stitched with red flowers. That combined with light skin tone and smaller eye shape made it clear she wasn't an Alolan native. Nevertheless, she was all smiles and looked like she was brimming with excitement.

On the other hand, Hau was using his smile to hide the anxious glances he sent a heavy-set man across town. The man—who was definitely some sort of family member—had the same tan skin as Hau, though the boy's dark green hair was tied back in a short ponytail. His black shirt and Alola-print shorts let him blend right in with a crowd who seemed to love the flower print their region was known for.

The boy could definitely use a little help to find the right partner. That much was obvious, though the girl would still find something worthwhile in Aislynn’s translations. Even without the stress of living up to someone’s expectations, finding the right partner could make the difference between Aislynn’s Pikachu and Charizard. Well, that was a poor comparison. Both had become amazing, but Charizard’s original trainer—whose name she had long forgotten—was nowhere in the picture to see his starter’s greatness.

“Yeah, I’d be happy to help,” Aislynn said again. Honestly, she wished she could’ve helped her friends in the past pick the right starts. It usually worked out for them in the end, but what if Dawn had a less prideful starter? Actually, it was pretty hard to imagine her without a Piplup.

“By the way,” Kukui began as he stroked his chin in thought, “is the understanding pokémon thing part of your Aura abilities or is it a learned skill?”

“Uh, I think Professor Oak said it was an acquired skill?” She hadn’t really heard him talk about that particular skill of hers in a long time. After more recent events, he had dedicated more time to figuring out why she and Greninja had a special connection when she had bonded as much—if not more—with other pokémon. “As far as I know, it has nothing to do with Aura.”

So definitely not something she could try and purposely teach someone. Maybe it would develop naturally over time, but that was a highly unlikely occurrence. Still, there had to be more to this young woman than just her papers. “What can you do with Aura then?”

Aislynn raised her hand and started to count on her fingers. “Well, I can channel it pretty well. Been practicing that and figured out I can soothe pokémon pretty well.” That was one. “And I can make an Aura Sphere. Haven't done that in ages, so I have no idea if it would even be a sphere. Would it still be called an Aura Sphere if it was like, a donut of aura?”

Kukui blinked, rubbed his eyes, and blinked again. “You can make an Aura Sphere?”

“Probably?” She shrugged in lieu of a proper explanation. “That makes two things. Does me and Greninja’s bond count as a third or just another part of channeling?”

“Pika.” Her partner shook his head and raised one digit.

“Yeah, it’s like long-ranged channeling. Greninja does most of the work when we sync up anyway.” Aislynn looked at her two fingers and hummed. Were there any other weird things she had done with aura? “I think that’s it. Just those two things.”

Kukui was still staring at her in disbelief. “Can we go back to the part about an Aura Sphere?”

Chapter 22

Chapter Text

Kahuna Hala was a heavy-set man and wore a blue shirt and white shorts under a free-hanging kimono top. Despite this relaxed appearance, he moved with a calm strength as he left his small home. Every step carried a weight that seemed to whisper importance to those willing to pay attention. Combined with the six ultra balls on his belt, few would dare to challenge him.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, every person in Iki Town regarded him with a passive reverence. Even Aislynn’s Charizard cast a wary gaze toward the man. Hala stood firm and raised his hands to either side. “Everyone, we are here today to honor the beginning of two island challenges! Selene, Hau, please step forward.”

The two children walked out from the small crowd spread throughout town. Hau gulped as he stopped in front of Kahuna Hala while Selene shook the worry out of her shoulders. Each put on a brave face, mindful of all the eyes watching them.

“The island challenge is no easy task. Every trial has its dangers and each grand trial may seem insurmountable.” Hala placed a hand on the shoulders of Selene and Hau. He held them close and looked at both of them. “But I believe you two can do it. You will conquer any challenge that comes your way. Thus, the both of you may go with my blessing.”

That was their cue. Professor Kukui and Aislynn joined Hala with three pokéballs at the ready. “But first,” Kukui began, “you need your first partner.”

Tossing the three pokéballs in the air, the three Alolan starters popped out. Rowlet fluttered down with the natural grace of a flying-type. Litten landed on his paws, crouching down as he felt the impact of his small drop. Popplio emerged and flipped before touching down on her tail and presenting herself to the two new trainers. All three were in a line before the two children just as they had been asked to do.

“Woah,” Hau said under his breath. Given the circ*mstances, Aislynn couldn't blame him. Alolans certainly knew how to put on a show.

“So, we can choose between these three, right?” Selene asked, looking toward Aislynn and the Pikachu on her shoulder.

“That's right,” answered Kukui. “There's Rowlet the grass and flying-type, Litten the fire-type, and Popplio the water-type. Any of these three can be your starter, but I'm sure they'll just be the first of many.”

“Pop pop!” said the water-type helpfully.

Aislynn cleared her throat, gaining the two kids’ attention. “Popplio wants you to remember that they've been raised to help you along your journey. Whatever you choose to do after your island challenge, they'll be by your side.”

Selene looked between Popplio and Aislynn. “You got all that from ‘pop pop’?”

“Well,” she chuckled, “pokémon have a way with words.” Her own partner snickered from his perch up on her shoulder.

They also had a way with people. Since Hau had first looked over them, his gaze had been locked onto Rowlet. It was like something was drawing him to pick the grass-type over the other two choices. Aislynn couldn't say what exactly told him to, but if his gut said that Rowlet was the one, then hopefully he would be.

Once he snapped back to reality, Hau patted Selene on the back. “Ladies first.” it must have hurt something fierce to even chance letting his immediate favorite get picked by someone else.

However, it seemed Rowlet was off the table for Selene. He twisted his head around and refused to look at her when she tried to inspect him. Looking back at her friend, she made the connection. “Making deals, already?” She grinned when Hau's tanned cheeks flushed. “Then I'll pick you!”

She grabbed Litten by the armpits and the rest of his body fell limp, hanging straight down. The feline wasn’t exactly pleased, but he didn’t put up a fuss either. Nevertheless, Aislynn was asked to help. “Litten, any objections?”

“Ten,” whispered the Fire Cat pokémon.

“Well, no objections. He’s just a bit tired is all.” Litten gave Aislynn a small mewl of thanks for the translation while Professor Kukui handed Selene the fire-type’s pokéball. With that, the girl was set to start her journey. “So it’s between Rowlet and Popplio, Hau. Who are you gonna pick?” The answer was obvious just based on the brief interactions that had taken place between the starters and the new trainers.

Nevertheless, Popplio hopped on the back of her tail and tried to catch Hau’s attention by showing off her Bubble attack. The stream of large bubbles burst in the air, which caught the attention of their local fire-types. However, Hau and Rowlet locked eyes with each other and didn’t deviate. The decision may as well have already been made.

Hau extended his hand to the Grass Quill pokémon. “How about it? You and me against the world?” Rowlet chirped happily and hopped onto Hau’s arm, which he used as a springboard onto the boy’s head. “Looks like we have a deal.” Balancing his new partner, Hau turned to face Selene. “So, how about a battle?”

“Sounds fun! Let’s do it!” The two kids ran over to the battlefield in the middle of town. Professor Kukui and Kahuna Hala followed them, amused by their enthusiasm. That left Aislynn with Popplio.

She bent down and picked up the water-type. Popplio had tears in her eyes from being left behind for the second year in a row. Aislynn tried to wipe them away, but it seemed like the sea lion had an infinite supply ready to be unleashed. The sounds of Litten and Rowlet battling didn’t help Popplio at all. If anything, hearing the younger starters being led through a fight by their trainers made it worse.

“It’s alright. It just takes a while to find the right trainer sometimes,” Aislynn whispered to her. “I remember the stories Greninja told me about how many trainers he went through. None of them were good enough for him. Eventually, he wasn’t even offered to new trainers because he was too good for them. Too strong and too smart for a regular trainer, but more than I deserved.” The young woman sighed and wiped away at her own eyes. “One day, you’ll find the right trainer. They’ll make the wait worth it, I promise.”

Popplio snuggled into Aislynn, staining her shirt with tears. She meant each and every word that she had said. Greninja’s story wasn’t one of not being chosen, but it was similar enough that Aislynn felt it fit. Selene seemed like a capable trainer, but nothing had yet to make her stand out. Her choice in Litten had more to do with Hau’s instant connection with Rowlet than anything against Popplio.

And Hau? Well, he had a way with Rowlet already. Working with three dimensions of movement was difficult for most beginning trainers, but Hau took to Rowlet’s abilities like a fish to water. Litten’s type advantage meant nothing when Selene couldn’t anticipate how Hau commanded his partner.

“Pika?” Pikachu tapped Aislynn’s head, tearing her attention away from the ongoing battle. He pointed toward the sky and her eyes followed.

Among the earliest stars, a bright ball of electricity flared out, brightening the sky like a sun. It grew closer and closer, rocketing straight toward Iki Town.

“Pikachu!” Her partner leapt off her shoulder and cocooned himself in a veil of lightning. “Thunderbolt!” Every volt he had built up shot toward the oncoming threat. Two bolts of lightning clashed with each other, echoing throughout the small town. The clash exploded into a giant cloud of smoke that blocked Aislynn’s view of their foe.

Pikachu landed on all-fours in front of his trainer with his cheeks sparking. “Pika!” he called out.

“Char!” Charizard soared into the cloud of dust and grabbed onto their foe. With it in his clutches, he climbed into the sky, where the yellow shell could be seen in plain view. “Zard!” The Lizard pokémon flipped around, turning his ascension into a spinning dive. He sped toward the ground and threw the shell straight into the ground, where it created a crater.

It was a picture-perfect Seismic Toss, but their foe rose up into the air without being shaken. The shell unfolded, revealing a black and orange body. A large orange plume rose from the attacker’s head while its lower body levitated with four orange feathers acting like a skirt.

Between the markings on the shell and the orange plume, any citizen on Melemele Island recognized the pokémon. Aislynn stood behind her two pokémon and reached for the other pokéballs on her waist. “Tapu Koko, what do you want?” she barked out, much to the horror of the onlookers.

Chapter 23

Chapter Text

“Watch how you speak to a Guardian Deity!” shouted Kahuna Hala from across the town center. Between him and Aislynn, his Guardian Deity had been thrown into a crater that fell right in the middle of Selene and Hau’s battle. The two children stumbled back and their starters retreated to hide behind them.

Aislynn couldn’t blame them. Professor Oak had told her that Alola had perhaps the most actively involved legendaries, even going so far as to have written records of interactions. The Tapu were still a group of legendary pokémon though. Their very presence emanated power and mystique that the average trainer could never match up to, much less a beginner.

She wasn’t a beginner though. Neither were Hala or Kukui, both of which had a hand over their pokéballs and were ready to intervene.

Tapu Koko stared at the trainer whose pokémon had struck him. Its shell, or mask rather, had been covered in dirt from Charizard’s Seismic Toss yet was otherwise unblemished. “Tako pu. Kotau?” he asked the young woman.

With a hesitant nod, Aislynn answered, “Yeah, I can understand you.”

The Guardian Deity raised one half of its mask and pointed to Pikachu. “Kopu pu.” Given that only one human could understand the deity fluently, only Aislynn really had the full message. Its intent was clear though, it wished to challenge Pikachu and Aislynn. Not her Charizard or the rest of her team. “Ko?”

“What do you say, buddy? Wanna add another legendary to your list of wins?” Aislynn’s confidence could be the end of her, but she wouldn’t back down from a pokémon battle. Especially not one issued by a Tapu.

Her partner shared the same sentiment. “Pika!” Sparks popped out of his red cheeks and his tail gleamed against the torchlight for a split second. Then her partner stared down their foe. “Chu,” he dared the Guardian Deity. Take the first shot.

Tapu Koko closed its eyes. “KOOO!” Screaming into the heavens, the Land Spirit pokémon unleashed a dome of electricity that enveloped the entirety of Iki Town. The very air itself was charged and Aislynn’s hair stood up on end. Her partner was thrilled by the sudden field change though. Electricity sank into his cheek pouches, a feeling not dissimilar to a sated stomach. With one clawed shell, the Tapu made a “come here” gesture at his chosen foe. “Ko.”

Let the battle begin.

“Thunderbolt!” Starting it off simple, Pikachu charged up a Thunderbolt and sent it flying with twice as much force for half the charge time. The bolt was brighter than any torch, but wasn’t fast enough. “Left!”

With the glow of a Quick Attack, Pikachu leapt to his left and narrowly avoided a collision with a Steel Wing. His quick burst of speed meant little to his foe though. A Dazzling Gleam from point-blank hit true, sending Pikachu flying toward Hala’s home. The mouse took control of his flight and used Hala’s roof as a springboard into the air high above.

“He’s faster than you. Slow him down with Electroweb!” Pikachu spun and built up energy around his tail. Flicking his tail outward, a giant web shot toward Tapu Koko, ready to encase the deity.

Aislynn wasn’t wrong though. Tapu Koko was faster than Pikachu. Electro Web was a swing-and-a-miss when the Guardian Deity flew out of its path and straight toward Pikachu. Its shell gained a metallic sheen just as Pikachu’s tail did the same. Twisting to face each other, a shell collided with a tail. Sparks flew down from the clash and the two flung each other back.

Pikachu landed back in front of his trainer, no worse for wear after taking a Dazzling Gleam. Tapu Koko was in the same boat and hovered over the crater Charizard had made with it.

“Good job, buddy.” Aislynn’s eyes darted between her partner and her foe. The speed difference created a sizable gap although Pikachu could hit just as hard. “I might call out some older moves, so stay on your toes.”

“Pika!” Tapu Koko veiled itself in a crackling cocoon of electricity and surged forward. Pikachu zoomed forward with a Volt Tackle, creating a controlled lightning bolt with himself at the head. Both electric-types collided head-to-head, stubbornly rubbing their skulls together.

Then the Guardian Deity clamped his shell together, trapping his foe between his claws. The wild veil of energy turned into a discharge with Pikachu at the center of its explosion. He wasn’t going to be outdone when it came to electric-type attacks however.

“Thunder! Now!” Grabbing onto Tapu Koko’s shell, Pikachu smirked.

“Pi,” he taunted as he tapped into the well of power residing in his cheeks. “CHU!”

The entire battlefield was blinded as thunder roared throughout the town. Aislynn twisted her upper body away and brought up an arm to shield her eyes, but only lessened the problem. She still had stars in her eyes as she assessed the state of the battle.

Tapu Koko had dropped Pikachu and its plumage lost the slick, jagged form it took. Now, its plumage and orange tail feathers were frayed and scorched. Had it not been for its black body, Aislynn would have said Pikachu had sundered that too, but it was too difficult to tell.

Pikachu was thoroughly worn out by the exchange of blows. His fur was mussed up and the feeble sparks emanating from his cheeks were in no way on purpose, just uncontrolled bursts fuelled by adrenaline. Standing just a few paces away, he planted himself on all-fours and got ready to move again should Tapu Koko continue to fight.

“While you can, use Agility!” The order caught Pikachu off-guard and it took him a few seconds to remember how to use the move. When he did, he blurred into motion, quickly building distance between him and his opponent.

The Guardian Deity rose back up and shook itself. “Ko!” Enough.

Trainer and partner stopped dead in their tracks. “Does that mean you concede?” Aislynn heralded the question. Pikachu could keep going. He should be able to take a few more hits, so they were good to go. If Tapu Koko ended the battle, that would be their victory by default.

Yet the Land Spirit pokémon shook its head. From somewhere in its shell, it pulled out a small yellow crystal. “Taako?”

“A what ring? Is that like a mega ring?”

Tapu Koko turned to its island’s kahuna. Without a word, it zoomed over to Hala and grabbed the man’s wrist. The sleeve of Hala’s kimono top fell down to his elbow, revealing a deep green bracelet notched with an orange gem. Before the guardian could take the ring, Hala slapped his hand around it.

“You can’t be serious.” His tone was more shocked than disbelieving. “How would she even know how to use it? I doubt she’s even seen a Z-Move being used.”

“Koo,” responded the deity. And well, she couldn’t argue with that. She could always be taught how to do it. Was she going to say that? Not really. “Ko,” demanded the deity with an extended claw.

The kahuna sighed as he unlatched his bracelet. “As you wish.” He handed over the dark green Z-Power Ring to the deity. Zooming across the town, Tapu Koko grabbed Aislynn’s arm and clipped the bracelet around her wrist. Tucked away in her other arm, Popplio recognized the item from Kukui’s laboratory and leapt down to the ground to stay out of the way. “Have you heard of Z-Moves?”

“Only in passing.” Tapu Koko then tossed the yellow crystal at Aislynn, hitting her on the forehead. “Ow. Seriously?” The guardian deity giggled before returning to its side of the battlefield.

“Slot the Electrium Z into the ring and copy my movements.” Hala demonstrated an odd set of three poses, each flowing into one another. It seemed a little odd to her after seeing how simple Mega Evolution was. Nevertheless, she committed it to memory. “Now, show Tapu Koko your potential.”

“Uh, okay?” She looked between her team and Tapu Koko. Considering that the crystal was called Electrium Z, she figured it had something to do with an electric-type Z-Move. Now, she only had one electric-type and didn’t intend to get another one. So it was only natural what came next. “You ready, buddy?”

“Pika!” Pikachu stood back on his hindlegs and extended his paws forward until one crossed over the other.

Aislynn matched his pose and the crystal began to vibrate, shaking the bracelet on her wrist. It practically thrummed with power and felt vaguely familiar. The crystal itself felt like it was calling upon her aura, just as Greninja had done months ago.

Ignoring that sensation, she swung her arms back and snapped them together at the elbow with her arms to form a lightning bolt with her arms. Pikachu did the same and became shrouded by his own electricity. Then the bracelet glowed, enveloping Aislynn in a similar light to her partner. Her aura sang in harmony with Pikachu’s and flowed into his attack.

A spear of lightning, a pylon of power, formed before Pikachu. The sheer power crackled and created a cacophony of zaps in the air. Where her aura was singing alongside Pikachu’s inner storm, the attack they had created together was chaos mangled together by their wills alone.

“Here goes nothing! Thunderbolt!” Aislynn and Pikachu reared their arms back in unison before punching forward. The spear of lightning lanced forward, striking Tapu Koko in the blink of an eye. Even the deity was surprised when the bolt exploded against his chest and sent him flying back until he wasn’t even in view.

The trees and dirt left in his wake were ripped asunder. Roots had scorched to cinders, a crater was left where Tapu Koko was struck, and both trainer and pokémon were left panting.

“That was…” She didn’t really know how to describe it. It felt like Greninja’s largest Water Shuriken, a wave captured in the palm of her hands. But this was different. It was a storm bottled up in a tiny mouse. “Wow.”

Clack!

Hala’s dark green Z-Power Ring clattered to the ground, its face shattered into a dozen pieces. Next to it were yellow shards that once made up an Electrium Z. She hadn’t even felt it fall from her wrist or burst apart.

“Uh, whoops?”

Chapter 24

Chapter Text

Aislynn yawned as she walked the last stretch to the Pokémon School. Getting up so early was not one of her skills, nor would it ever be. Pikachu had to shock her awake and would probably have to every weekday from here on out.

“Pika?” asked her ever present partner. Unlike her, he was wide awake for the day, even after she had spent a good chunk of time just grooming him so he felt professional. She didn’t really understand why he wanted to look nice for their class, it wasn’t like he was a showcase or a contest pokémon. He already looked nice, but she supposed it had something to do with making a good first impression. They never really made good ones though. “Pika?”

“Right, sorry. Got lost in my head.” Aislynn would have waved at him, but the incubator in her arms made any gestures limited. “I guess that Z-Move still has me screwed up.” Her mornings weren’t terrible once she got moving. Getting the blood flowing usually woke her right up. “What about you?”

The electric-type looked down at his body. Combing out his fur had gotten rid of some of the fluffiness and two combs worth of loose fur. “Cha,” he replied. For good measure, he let out a few volts from his cheeks.

“It’s not any worse than what happened with Zekrom, is it?” He shook his head. The attack had drained his reserves, but fighting legendaries tended to do that anyway. “Good. I’d rather not have a repeat of Unova.”

“Chu chu,” he snickered, reminding her of some less than stellar decisions she had made.

Which, to be fair, she was basically a pre-teen again and had the decision-making skills of an even younger child back then. It eventually got better, but the people she met didn’t exactly help. “Hey, you didn’t stop me from doing that stuff. You know I’d listen to you over Iris, don’t you?”

“Cha.” What about Cilan?

“Well, uh, I’d listen to him too. He just didn’t really speak up, ya know?” He also knew less about transitioning than she did and took a step back to learn about stuff first. Really, most of her friends just stepped back when it came to talk about transitioning and pride stuff.

Those who didn’t were curious and probably needed to find the right flag. Aislynn still wasn’t quite sure whether Serena was in the bisexual or lesbian camp. Maybe even the pansexual camp, but she might’ve missed out on whatever Serena’s type was.

Although there was also the one friend who knew way more about that stuff: Dawn. Truly, she had been a godsend. And possibly the cause of Aislynn’s egg crumbling to pieces. Metaphorical egg of course. The pokémon egg in her arms wasn’t at risk of crumbling. It was a risk of shaking every so often, but those were still too infrequent to be close to hatching.

“C’mon, just a few bucks. Yeah, give us a few bucks.”

“Stay away!”

Aislynn’s attention snapped up to the school gates. A blonde in a white dress was being harassed by two young men in matching outfits. Their caps and bandanas gave the impression of a skull, but it was their necklaces that caught Aislynn’s gaze. At the end of a chain, each grunt had identical symbols in the shape of a stylized “S” made to look like a skull.

They looked young and energetic, far more than a Plasma or Flare grunt. Even the younger folk involved with Aqua and Magma seemed to be more serious than these two guys with Alolan Rattata as their pokémon of choice. There was a decent chance that they weren't a real threat, but even the trio of Rocket grunts Aislynn had grown accustomed to could be a danger to civilians.

She shifted the incubator until it was nestled into the crook of one elbow and reached behind her. Her fingers traced over the dents and scratches of three shrunk pokéballs. “Pikachu.” She looked to her partner and saw that he had come to the same conclusions as her. “Give them a warning shot.”

He nodded and leapt off her shoulder. He soared over the blonde girl and used Quick Attack to shot back to the ground. With a flip, he smacked the ground between them with an Iron Tail, blowing up a large cloud of dust.

“Cha!” A Thunderbolt aimed straight into the air blasted the dust away, revealing Pikachu on all-fours and ready to throw down. “Pika,” he warned the two Mouse pokémon in front of him.

“Ratta!” they cried as they ran behind the legs of their trainers. Given how large the rodents were, it wasn’t the best of hiding places for them.

“Hey, back off, man,” one of the grunts shakily shouted. “You think we’re scared of a rat with some fancy moves?” With the extra octaves added to his voice, he certainly seemed so. “Cause we’re not!”

“Yeah, you tell em, bro!” His fellow grunt backed him up, likely only keeping his nerve because of his ally being there.

Although, the usual evil team would have threatened Pikachu in some form. Unless these were the lowest of the low grunts, they wouldn’t be worried about a supposedly common species of electric-type. Even Team Rocket, which should have had the most extensive record of how powerful a Pikachu could be, would still resort to threatening them. Which was fair, her Pikachu was the once in a century prodigy among his species. Perhaps even once in a millennia if she was so bold.

However, if they weren’t going to take his Thunderbolt as enough of a threat, she’d have to step it up. So she grabbed a ball off her belt and enlarged it while propping her incubator on her hip. “If Pikachu ain’t enough to scare ya, should I bring out the rest?” Aislynn stepped up until she was right behind her partner.

“There’s two of us, lady. We’ve got the advantage here, so you may as well scram.” His voice was still wobbly. He was unsure about sticking around, but was just putting up a brave front.

His friend wasn’t quite so brave. “Yo, bro, I think that’s the chick who fought Tapu Koko.” Oh, had someone blabbed about that? Melemele was a small close-knit island, so word-of-mouth was bound to travel farther than it did in a larger region. “Yeah, she’s got a Pikachu and that red hat.”

“You’re right!” yelped the previously brave grunt. Recalling his pokémon he turned on his heel and started running.

“Hey, wait for me!” The other grunt scooped up his Rattata and ran after his comrade.

Aislynn shrank the pokéball in her hand and clipped it back onto her belt. “Huh, has that happened before, buddy?”

Pikachu scampered up onto his partner’s shoulder, returning to his usual perch. “Chaa.” He shook his head. First time someone’s been scared of them. At least, just from seeing them. “Chu chu.”

The trainer and partner turned around to get a proper look at the girl they had saved. She was a blonde not much taller than Aislynn, though markedly younger. Her hair hung down to her waist save for two large braids that framed her green eyes. Those looks combined with her white wide-brimmed hat and summer dress made her look… rich? She was definitely on the paler side for someone who lived in the ever-sunny Alola, but she didn’t exactly look foreign either

Well, it didn’t really matter where she came from. All that mattered was that she was okay after being attacked like that. “You alright?” Aislynn asked as she shifted her incubator from one arm to both her arms. “Those guys didn’t do anything to you, did they?”

“N-No.” The girl stepped back, eyes trained on Pikachu rather than Aislynn. To be fair, Aislynn would agree that Pikachu was the cuter one of them, but usually people looked at the people they were talking to. “Is what they said true?”

Trainer and pokémon looked at each other then back to the blonde. “About Tapu Koko?” The girl nodded hurriedly. “Well, yeah. It wasn’t really a big deal though. Pikachu and I treated it like any other battle.”

“Buh-But Tapu Koko is a Guardian Deity,” she stressed that title as if it meant much more to Aislynn than the term “rare pokémon.” Of course, the trainer recognized it as an important figure, however, when someone challenged her to a battle, the result itself is the only truth.

So Aislynn shrugged it off. “How about you come find me later if you’re still curious? You’ve got class soon, don’tcha?”

“Ah, I suppose I should get going.” The blonde pursed her lips before bowing her head to Aislynn. “Thank you for helping me.” She raised her head back up. “Good luck with your studies.” With that final message, she speed-walked over to the school building.

“Huh, polite kid.” Aislynn began her sedate walk to her own classroom as the girl’s words sank in. “Wait, did she think I was a student?”

Pikachu burst into laughter and clung onto Aislynn’s hat for support.

Chapter 25

Chapter Text

“Only two minutes late,” Kukui snarked as Aislynn walked into the classroom. Two minutes was pretty good for her first day, especially when she forgot where the class was.

“I’m still here though.” She readjusted her grip on the incubator as she walked over to where Kukui was. The professor stood between the chalkboard on the wall and a long desk, nearly four times as long as the ones the students were sitting at. It had more than enough room for her to set down the incubator and she could still look over it to see her students.

Speaking of which, there were five students, three sitting in the first row and two in the second. Of them, she expected to recognize none of them. Maybe vaguely recognize one student in passing.

Instead, she saw Kiawe sitting in the back, still shirtless. That girl who ran Aina’s Kitchen was sitting in the front row farthest from the door, looking no worse for wear from running a restaurant. Then front and center was the blonde that Aislynn had helped out less than ten minutes ago.

“Hey guys.” She waved to them, thoroughly enjoying their looks of disbelief.

The green-haired girl twisted around in her chair. She pointed at the blue-haired girl and Kiawe who were sitting in the back, counting up the desks. “There’s only five,” she tried to whisper to her classmates. “Are we missing a desk?”

“I don’t think so?” The blonde said with her hand over her mouth.

Kiawe shook her head and addressed Aislynn herself. “This is the job you moved here for?”

“Yep!” Pikachu hopped down from her shoulder and onto the desk. “I’m Professor Kukui’s TA this year. So I’ll be helping teach you guys about pokémon care.” She turned to her boss. “Is that right?”

“That’s the gist of it.” With a hand on his hip, Kukui pulled out a pokéball and tossed it to the side. From it, a blue jackal appeared, ready to strike down anyone. When no threat made itself known, he lowered his paws and clasped them behind his back. He deferred to his trainer, who gestured to his class. “Welcome everyone to your second year at the Pokémon School. My name is Professor Kukui and I’m Alola’s regional professor, but I’m also your teacher.”

He then looked toward his assistant who stared at him until he cleared his throat. “Oh, right. My turn.” She grabbed her three pokéballs and turned to the class. “My name is Aislynn Ketchum and I’ll be your TA for the year. I’m just an ordinary trainer, so I probably can’t help with much unless it’s more hands-on. But I’m really good with pokémon.”

Three pokéballs were tossed up. One by one emerged Bulbasaur, Charizard, and Squirtle. The grass-type shook away the grogginess of being cooped up in a pokémon before taking in the students and their pokémon. Charizard huffed when he realized he wasn’t on a battlefield, but once he laid eyes on Kukui’s Lucario, he waddled over to him to size him up properly. Meanwhile Squirtle stretched out and put on his sunglasses.

Where he kept those, Aislynn didn’t really know. Nor did she want to.

“These are three of the first pokémon I ever caught and they’re the Kanto starters. There’s Bulbasaur, Charizard, and Squirtle.” She pointed to each one as she called them out. “They’re some of my strongest and most trusted pokémon. But I swear if you start picking a fight, you’re going back in the ball, Charizard!”

“Char,” the fire-type scoffed but walked away from Lucario anyway. He made his way to a sufficiently empty area of the classroom and plopped himself down on his side to lay down.

“Don’t worry, that’s normal. He’s a bit of a battle nut, but so am I.” Along with most of the pokémon she had trained. That battle lust may have been contagious.

The blue-haired girl raised her hand. “Is that normal for your Squirtle?”

Everyone’s attention turned to the sunglasses-wearing Squirtle by the window. He was rocking on his shell with a box of juice in his hand, calmly sipping on it as if it was a coconut and he was sunbathing on the beach.

Aislynn turned around and showed the class her open bag. “You know that was for lunch, right?”

Squirtle adjusted his glasses, making them glint in the sunlight. “Squirt.”

“Yeah, he’s just kinda like that.” She deadpanned as she zipped up her backpack. The rest of their lunch was still there, filling the bag to the brim. “But yeah, I’ve been training and caring for these three since I caught them… uh, seven years ago? Is that right?”

“Bulba.” The dutiful grass-type nodded. Wow, it had actually been seven years. The time really flew by.

That about summed up her background. She didn’t have any amazing positions unless being a trainer sponsored by Professor Oak counted, but he sponsored three new trainers every year. It couldn’t have been that impressive compared to whatever Gary or Alain were doing.

After a few seconds of silence, Kukui cleared his throat. “Alright.” He turned to face the class. “Who would like to introduce themselves next?”

“I’ll go!” The green-haired girl shot out of her chair. “My name is Mallow and this is my partner Bounsweet!” She held up a pinkish-purple grass-type who wiggled since she couldn’t wave properly. “My family runs Aina’s Kitchen down in Hau’oli City, so if you guys are ever in the area, feel free to drop by.”

Well, Aislynn would stop by for food anyway on her lazy days. Feeding sixty pokémon was tiring most days. A nice restaurant was nice for everything but her budget.

Once Mallow sat down, the blonde hesitantly stood up. “Hi, everyone. My name is Lillie.” She twisted her gaze between Kukui and Aislynn, unsure which she should be looking at. “I, uh, don’t have a partner pokémon, but I still want to learn as much as I can about them. If that’s alright.”

“Of course that’s okay.” Kukui smiled at the girl as she hurriedly sat down. “Not everyone is quite so attached to pokémon and that’s alright. I’m pretty sure Professor Elm over in Johto only caught his first pokémon when he was in his twenties.”

“Yeah, his Corsola!” Aislynn added. It’d be years since she thought about how Johto went and it was kind of a blur. “She was super nice. Helped me and friends out when we got stuck in a whirlpool.”

“A whirlpool?” The redhead boy stood up next. “When did you” —Kukui cleared his throat.— “Sorry, Professor,” he said as an aside. “My name’s Sophocles and my partner’s Togedemaru!” Making squeaks from the floor, a gray ball-shaped pokémon waved her stubby arms at the larger assembly of pokémon. Sophocles scooped her up to his chest. “Together, we’re gonna be famous and then we’re gonna go to space and colonize the moon!”

“Those two things don’t seem related.”

“Aislynn.” Professor Kukui shot her a stern look.

“Right, sorry. Mouth moves faster than my brain, you know?” A vine snapped against her calf, stinging like hell and back with her bare legs. “I did it again. My bad.”

“I guess it’s my turn then?” Kiawe rose from his desk. “Name’s Kiawe. I’d show off my team, but they’re a bit big for this room.” Oh right, he had a Charizard too. A pretty big one at that. “My family runs a ranch on Akkala Island, so I’m pretty good with handling pokémon. Couldn’t hurt to learn more though, right?”

“A great attitude to have,” commended the professor. “There’s always more to learn out there.”

Finally, the last student got to introduce herself and the Popplio on her desk. “Name’s Lana and this is Popplio.” She gestured to the water-type next to her. “We’re going to fish up Kyogre and capture him.”

Sophocles leaned his head back until he was looking at Lana. “Didn’t you say the same thing about Lugia last year?”

“I’ll catch them too,” she declared in a rather monotone voice.

“That’s probably not the best idea. Lugia is pretty necessary to control ocean currents and there aren’t that many extra Lugia to replace them. Well, there’s probably some, but Lugia are already pretty strong and even if they’re captured, they might not listen to you because you’ve taken them out of their home for hundreds of years.”

“Aislynn.” Oh, she just blurted that out. Whoops. “As she said, it’s very dangerous to take a legendary pokémon out of their environment. There are some exceptions, but for the safety of everyone, please don’t go out challenging legendaries.” Kukui directed that last part to both Lana and Aislynn, though really it was somewhat inaccurate. She didn’t go out of her way to see legendaries. Usually. “Now, let’s go over our syllabus for the year.”

Wonderful. No one would mind if she spaced out for a while, would they?

Chapter 26

Chapter Text

Lunch was an odd affair. Most of the students had some form of their own lunch but still congregated in the cafeteria where students from other classes were getting lunch from a vendor. Even Kukui left the classroom to eat elsewhere despite having a paper bag packing food for him and his Lucario.

Did she do that too back when she was in school? That seemed like decades ago and she wasn’t even sure what she learned back then. No use dwelling on it though. Those times were long past her.

Nevertheless, she also left the classroom with an incubator in her arms, a Pikachu on her shoulder, and a starter trio walking behind her. Charizard was getting cranky and Bulbasaur ought to get some sunlight anyway, so her little group meandered over to the courtyard. Most of it was covered in dirt and footprints from people and pokémon alike, but a few nice long stretches were covered in grass.

Aislynn plopped herself down on one of those stretches and watched as her pokémon surrounded her. Pikachu jumped off his human taxi and took his spot as her right hand pokémon. Bulbasaur flanked her other side and laid down in the sun. Charizard laid down behind them, covering their rear. Squirtle rocked back on his shell with his legs withdrawn. They were in the perfect protective circle for their trainer.

“Let’s see. We have all our sandwiches and almost all of our berry juice.” Squirtle averted all eye contact with his trainer. “Well, everyone but Squirtle gets some juice. Bulbasaur gets the pickles, Charizard gets the chorizo, Squirtle gets the bell peppers, and Pikachu gets the tomatoes.” Aislynn handed out everyone’s respective sandwich before taking out two of her own.

They weren’t perfect by any means. Brock could undoubtedly make better sandwiches than her, but food was food and sandwiches were pretty easy to make. So while Leavanny and the birds made sure everyone got fed back at home, she could relax and just enjoy this afternoon.

The sun was bright and just hitting its peak, but her hat gave her just the shade she needed. Her most trusted pokémon were here with her. The rest of her team was just a short walk away. Her class didn’t seem that bad either. No big troublemakers or potentially abusive trainers. Not even a case like Paul who needed the stick to be knocked out of their butt.

All in all, it seemed pretty good. She had no idea how the rest of the year would pan out, but it couldn’t go that poorly. Even the worst starts to her journeys turned out… okay. She started off jumping off a tower in Kalos but made it to the finals.

“So Miss Ketchum, did you really fight Tapu Koko?”

Lana and Popplio stood right next to Bulbasaur, who was already baffled how someone had snuck up on him, much less a girl and her pokémon. “How did you do that?” asked Aislynn.

“Doesn’t matter.” Well she thought it mattered. “Answer the question.” Lana sat down on the other side of Bulbasaur and Popplio crawled into her lap. Neither had lunch, so they had either finished their lunch quickly or skipped out on it.

Were teachers supposed to meddle with that sort of stuff? Brock probably would, but Serena would call it someone’s bodily autonomy or something. Eh, if it happens again, Aislynn would mention it. “Yeah, I fought em.”

“Did your Pikachu really shock the Tapu so hard it forfeited the match?” Was she talking about Pikachu’s Thunder attack? That didn’t even really seem like the strongest attack Pikachu had ever pulled off.

“Nah, Koko didn’t forfeit. Least not officially.” Aislynn contemplated taking another bite of her sandwich but decided against making Lana wait for her to swallow. “It was an informal match, so technically he did forfeit. Hey, Pikachu, do you think Koko uses he/him or she/her pronouns?”

Pikachu nibbled on a tomato slice that he plucked from between his bread slices. “Pi? Chupi.”

“Koko could still like to be called by specific pronouns. Like Squishy! His cells didn’t have any form of gender expression but he still liked being called a him when he was by himself.” Course, it was a different story when the cells came together in a bigger form. Squishy was still in control, but they preferred they/them pronouns when they were part of a collective. “Lana, do you know?”

“Oh, Tapu Koko’s definitely a he/him kinda mon.” The blue-haired girl nodded, not missing a beat.

A vine tapped Aislynn’s knee. “Bulba.” Yeah, Lana’s tone made it pretty clear she was just bluffing. Maybe she hadn’t ever met Tapu Koko. It would certainly track with Aislynn’s usual record.

“So you beat him?” Lana asked again.

“Pika,” Pikachu whimpered as he opened up his sandwich. He lifted the leaves of lettuce, but couldn’t find another tomato slice.

“I gave you four slices. If you ate all of them already, that’s your fault.” Four slices was already being generous enough. He usually had no tomatoes to eat on the road even when they were traveling with Brock.

He bunched up his lips up into a pout. “Kapi…” He looked at Bulbasaur and Squirtle, but both of them shook their heads. Neither of their sandwiches had tomatoes and for good reason too. If they didn’t have any, they couldn’t give any to Pikachu. Just as Aislynn planned.

“But did you beat him?”

“Gah!” Aislynn jumped as Sophocles slid over to their little group. Squirtle spun around on his shell to face the newcomer and his tiny electric-type. “Aren’t you guys supposed to be eating?”

“Doesn’t matter.” Sophocles leaned toward her. “Answer the question.”

Aislynn rolled her eyes. “I only beat him by technicality.” She would still count it as a victory for Pikachu, but it was a real victory. “If it weren’t for that Z-Move, it wouldn’t be as decisive. We probably could have won it in the end, but it was pretty even.”

The two students looked at each other. Lana smiled cheekily and said, “See, I told you.”

“I still don’t believe any of it. There’s no way that an ordinary Pikachu is that strong.” Wow, rude. Her partner was anything but ordinary. “None of the League records I’ve seen even point toward her Pikachu being that strong.”

Oh, he had looked through those old videos. He probably hadn’t seen the ones from Kalos then since the entire city had been torn up by those roots. Which would mean that the last battles he had seen were from her journey through Unova over a year ago. The same one in which her underprepared team had fallen to Cameron’s team because her heavier hitters had been too tuckered out from their last battle.

Shame, she thought Pikachu and Greninja did really well against Alain. The rest of her team too, though Noivern and Goodra could’ve definitely used a few more weeks of training to get up to par with the others. Not that she blamed them. It was her choice to use them instead of her previous teammates, even if she knew Alain would be bringing his best. She had no regrets except that they had to get involved in the crisis that followed.

“Sophocles, have you checked out my Battle Frontier recordings? They should still be archived on their site.” The redhead boy whipped out his phone and started tapping away at it. “It’s been a few years, so they might’ve taken them down.”

“Ketchum, Ketchum,” muttered Sophocles. “There’s Ash Ketchum. Fourth person to complete the Kanto Battle Frontier. Before them was Anabel, no last name.” He scrolled down to the bottom of the page with a scrunched up face.

“Seriously, they haven’t changed it?” Aislynn pouted and pulled out her own phone. She scrolled through the contacts, hoping to find Scott’s number, but it was nowhere to be found. “It took me two months to get my name changed and for what?” The young woman tossed her phone back into her bag. She wasn’t even that miffed about being called by her deadname, but she didn’t go to a judge just so people would still call her Ash. “Wait, has the League updated my name?”

“Uh…” Sophocles turned his phone to the teacher assistant. “You’re the Ash Ketchum?” On his device was a still image from her match against Tobias. That double knockout with his Latios and her Pikachu had made her heart stop back then. Now, it just left a bitter taste in her mouth.

“Yep, that’s me.” The sandwich in her hands seemed a lot less appealing now. “Or, it was. I started transitioning a month after that. Got my name changed after my last league, but had to do it in Kalos and Kanto since Kalos was a mess.”

“Wait.” Lana snatched up the phone from her teacher, looking between the old image of her and the actual her. “You’ve defeated legendaries before?”

“A few, yeah. Some trained, some wild. S’pretty fun.” Aislynn took a bite of her sandwich, unwilling to let it go to waste even if she wasn’t savoring the taste. Not that there was much. She was only a cook by necessity after all. “Wouldn’t recommend it but Charizard and Pikachu have a pretty good record against legends.”

The fire-type smirked as he looked down at the two children. He didn’t have the record that Pikachu did, few pokémon could match the highs of the electric-types battle history really, but Charizard was still proud of himself. That battle with Articuno wasn’t one he’d ever be forgetting.

Lana took in the lithe Charizard. “Cool,” she muttered under her breath.

With all the grace of his species, Charizard gobbled down his sandwich with a smile on his face.

Chapter 27

Chapter Text

“So.” Professor Kukui leaned back against his desk with his arms crossed. He frowned as he looked at two students in particular among the five assembled. “You wanted to know more about our new TA.” Said TA was standing near the blackboard and trying to not space out. “And rather than wait for class to resume, you decided to bother her during lunch.”

“It wasn’t that much of a bother really.” Kukui raised a hand, stopping Aislynn from defending the two kids.

“There’s a time and place for these things. Lunch time is a break for everyone, including your teachers.” Lana and Sophocles squirmed in their seats. The disappointed look pinning them to their seats didn’t go away, no matter how much shame they felt. “It’s inappropriate to ask about a teacher’s personal life, especially in Miss Ketchum’s case.” Oh, he was calling her that too.

“I’m pretty sure that my League records are part of my professional life.” She was a career trainer after all. So looking up her battle history wasn’t meant to be an invasion of privacy since she signed up for the tournaments anyway.

Kukui looked over his shoulder. “And your transition?”

“I mean.” Aislynn looked down at her chest. “I think it’s pretty obvious.”

The professor sighed and wiped his face with his palm. He pushed off the desk and spun on his heel to face his assistant. “You still don’t have to talk about that stuff if you don’t want to. School is a safe place for everyone, so no one has to talk about any topics that they feel uncomfortable about. That goes for teachers and students,” he stressed.

“But I’m not uncomfortable talking about it?” Aislynn leaned to the side to look past Kukui. “You kids are fine. Ask me anything.”

Lana raised her hand, throwing away all sense of shame. “Did you and Pikachu kill that Kodai guy?”

“Lana,” groaned the professor. A deep breath later, he looked at his assistant. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

She smiled up at him. She almost had to tilt back to do so with their height difference, but she was used to tension around her neck. “Yep. Don’t worry about me, I know my boundaries.” And she knew how to tough things out, so it wouldn’t be a problem if someone found a way to test her limits.

“Alright then.” Professor Kukui turned back to his small class. Lana was still waiting for her answer and Sophocles was frantically looking up who Kodai was. Mallow and Kiawe were morbidly curious while Lillie was repulsed by the very idea. Kukui himself sided with the blonde on this matter. “How about this? For the rest of the afternoon, you all can take turns asking either Aislynn or myself questions.” He raised a hand as Lana went to blurt out something. “But we reserve the right to not answer.”

“And I didn’t kill Kodai. Or anyone else. Any human I beat up went to jail after I wrecked all their stuff.” She was quite proud of that, even if Brock usually had concerns about damaging personal property. In life or death scenarios, property damage was a meager concern.

Kukui pointed to Mallow, not bothering to touch on that topic. “Mallow, any questions?”

The green-haired girl flinched. “Oh, uh, who’s your favorite pokémon?”

“Incineroar,” answered Kukui. It was an obvious one, especially since he hailed from Alola. Litten had probably been his starter way back when he first started.

Aislynn pointed to the pokémon on her shoulder. “Pikachu.” He was her strongest and most trusted pokémon. There was no contest for her favorite.

“Pi!” Her partner rubbed his bright red cheek against her cheek. Reciprocating the affection, she flooded her fingers with aura and rubbed Pikachu’s other cheek.

Sophocles raised his hand. “Who’s the toughest person you fought?”

Kukui stroked the short facial hair on his chin. “That’d probably have to be Lance.”

“You fought Lance? When?” Aislynn and Pikachu looked at Kukui, studying him like he was completely new to them. He had fought Lance? The Champion of both Kanto and Johto? His team had looked strong across the board, but champion contenders were a whole lot more than they had first guessed.

“It was a while ago. Back before I become a professor.” He waved his hand in the air before gesturing toward his assistant. “What about you? What was your toughest battle?”

“Oh, that’s a toughie. It’s either gotta be the one against Tobias or Alain.” She rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. “Tobias had a Darkrai and a Latios plus four other pokémon I never got to see. Even after I brought some of my veteran battlers, I couldn’t beat him. But Alain felt so much more tense. It came down to just his Charizard against Greninja, his mega evolution against my bond phenomenon. I was exhilarated.” A pulse of aura flowed through her body at the thought of Greninja’s special transformation. “But I still lost,” she chuckled.

It was heartbreaking in the moment, well, until she passed out. After that, everything happened so fast that she didn’t remember the right order of events.

“A Greninja?” Sophocles scrolled through his phone’s browser. Kukui looked to his assistant, a question on the tip of his tongue. Fortunately or not, the ginger presented an image of a Greninja with black and red accents around his face. “Is this that bond phenomenon?”

Aislynn skipped over and grabbed the phone. “Yep, that’s him. One of the best pokémon I’ve trained over the years.” A tiny jolt zapped her cheek. “Oh, don’t be jealous. You know you'll always be my number one.”

“Cha.” He better be. He hadn’t stuck around for years to be tossed aside as soon as some water-type showed up with his fancy tricks.

“Lillie, any questions?”

The blonde flinched, jumping in her seat. She looked between her teachers with her hands fidgeting in her lap. “Well,” she gulped, “Professor Kukui wants to further our understanding of pokémon moves. What do you want to do in the future, Miss Ketchum?”

“That’s easy.” She handed Sophocles’ phone back and smiled at Lillie. “I want to be a pokémon master!”

“What?”

“Huh?”

Lillie blinked. “I’m sorry. How does one, um, do that?”

“Well first, I need to learn everything I can about pokémon. Then I want to befriend as many as I can.” Aislynn tapped her chin. “After that, I guess I can train them too. That’s usually fun.” She should probably think harder about how to become a pokémon master.

Meh, she can do that later.

It seemed the students thought so too. Kiawe raised his hand. “I’ve been wondering, why did Hala’s Z-Ring shatter when you used it?”

Aislynn wandered back over to the teachers’ desk, humming. She honestly had no idea why that happened. Would the same thing happen if she used a mega ring? It was entirely possible. It felt like a ton of her aura was being sucked out by the Z-Power Ring and funneled into the crystal. After that, she was too busy watching Pikachu power up the strongest attack she’s ever seen him do and didn’t pay attention to the ring or the crystal in it.

Thankfully, Kukui was there to save that day. “There could be any number of reasons, but I personally believe it’s a combination of the sheer power of their Z-Move and their lack of a trial.” The five kids nodded along, but Aislynn was a bit lost. Why would a trial have anything to do with this? “Tapu Koko may have deemed her worthy, but the Totem pokémon hasn’t, so Alola probably rejected the influx of power, creating an unstable attack.”

Unstable? Yeah, it seemed a bit less controlled compared to Pikachu’s usual electric attacks, but that was the nature of electricity. It could be directed and controlled, but no matter how fine-tuned and focused it was, it would always be trying to revolt and move.

“I see.” Kiawe eyed the teacher assistant, comprehending something he didn’t before. Aislynn would like a proper explanation, but she wasn’t likely to stumble upon another z-crystal again. It could wait for when it mattered again. Or so she told herself.

Lana was the last to raise her hand. “Are you two dating anyone?”

Kukui coughed into his fist. “That is an incredibly inappropriate question.” He looked at his wrist, where a white Z-Ring was wrapped around. “And it’s almost time for school to end. Make sure to read up on your syllabus and get it signed by your parents. See you tomorrow!”

The professor bolted out of the classroom, waiting for no one. Aislynn glanced between the blue-haired girl sitting at the back of the class and the door.

“I’m not dating anyone.” She waved to the class before she grabbed the incubator on the desk. “I’ll see you guys later!”

Chapter 28

Chapter Text

“What’s going on here?” Aislynn barely stepped into her home before she witnessed utter chaos.

Bayleef and Leavanny were stuck in the kitchen trying to shove berries back into their containers, though their respective limbs made that difficult. Heracross and Palpitoad were trying to assemble something on the living room floor. Meanwhile Noivern and Infernape were pinning a Rowlet down on her back patio.

There was definitely an order to how alarmed she was by most of those. The grass-types in the kitchen were just cleaning up a mess and were likely innocent. Heracross and Palpitoad had opened a package and started to assemble whatever came in, so she was a little miffed though would forgive them. However, she had no idea how the three on the patio had even gotten tangled into the mess they were. How did a Rowlet even get here? Was someone’s pokémon wandering around where it shouldn’t? Or did they somehow stumble upon a wild one?

“Cross cross,” muttered the big bug as he connected parts of a blender to whatever machine he had in his clutches.

“Okay, so the kibble machine came in. But how did that” —she gestured to the pile of parts— “end up with all this?”

“Lee leave.” Leavanny pointed toward the Rowlett trapped inside Infernape’s grip. “Van lee.”

“Bayleef opened the berry box and a bunch of birds tried to steal it, which Infernape and Noivern stopped.” The two mentioned beamed at their trainer, proud of their capture. “So you guys just decided to hold onto the thief, that right?”

“Nape.” The fire-type nodded. His captive hadn’t even squirmed since Aislynn had arrived. All they had done was look at the trainer with tired eyes. “Ferr?” What do we do with him? Now that was quite the question.

Aislynn had seen plenty of starters over the years and most were either from colonies or abandoned by trainers who couldn’t bring out their full potential. Of course, some were happily living in the wild or with professors. However, it still seemed odd to find a Rowlet, especially after seeing a stray Litten. Her best option would probably to contact Professor Kukui and see if he knew anything about this Rowlet in particular.

Or she could ask the pokémon about his life directly.

“Pikachu, can you go help out in the kitchen?” Her partner leapt off her shoulder and onto the counter. His arms weren’t much better than Bayleef’s vines or Leavanny’s forelegs, but another pair of hands was always nice. Meanwhile, Aislynn set the incubator down on the coffee table and meandered over to her team’s captive. “So, you and your flock were looking for food?” She crouched down until she was eye-level with the owl trapped in Infernape’s arm.

He twisted his head around until his face was upside-down. “Row,” whimpered the grass-type. He was a little food thief, something her team never forgave. “Let let. Rowl.” Ah, so his flock got away with some food but he was too slow and got caught.

“Did anyone chase after the flock?” she asked to her team.

Noivern nodded. “Noi oi!” Talonflame and Swellow? Well, it was doubtful that the flock would be trying to steal from her home again then. Between the flying fireball that was Talonflame and her most stubborn flying-type, no thief would risk it.

Although if Snorlax had known someone was trying to steal from his food provider, he’d probably Mega Punch them out of Alola. Charizard wasn’t even home, which meant that their nest wasn’t going to be scorched earth when the fire-type got his claws on them. So these birds definitely got off lucky.

“Alright, here’s what’s gonna happen.” Aislynn popped back up to her full height and looked toward the mess that was her kitchen. Every kind of berry was still in a mess, mixed together in a pile that stacked up to Aislynn’s knees. “Can I get two oran berries?”

“Lee?” Leavanny grabbed two of the blue berries, one that was quite small and a large one that had been bruised by its tumble.

“Yeah, those are fine.” Once she caught the two berries, Aislynn held them out before Rowlet. “This is all you’re getting from us, okay? Make sure you and your flock stay away for your guys’ safety.” Infernape took the cue and let go of the grass starter.

Surprised by his sudden freedom, he dropped to the ground and landed on the top of his head. He flapped his wings frantically to get back on his two feet. Once he was, it took him a moment to fly up and grab Aislynn’s offerings in each of his talons. Eventually he got there and was free to leave with the lingering threat of Aislynn’s team in his mind.

Well, that was one problem solved. Now, could she help assemble a kibble machine? Actually, better question, could she help better than Heracross and Palpitoad?

Probably not. The directions had pictures, so her pokémon should be fine on their own. Hopefully.

So she moved over to her kitchen and the pile of berries. Setting aside her backpack, she got on her knees and began sorting alongside Bayleef. “We have a whole lot of berries,” she mused as she tried to sift through the bruised and non-bruised fruits.

“Bay,” muttered the grass-type at her side. She had a rather large pile of berries that weren’t usable. Those that were heavily bruised and the ones that had splat against the kitchen floor. Thankfully, there weren’t many. Aislynn would still have to go grocery shopping earlier than she planned to, but it wasn’t that bad.

Though she did wonder if she would encounter that Litten in the market again. He was a tiny thing and looked like he was in dire need of more meals. Living on the street couldn’t be good for his growth. Alola was a small place, so even in the big cities, scraps weren’t large enough for one tiny pokémon. At least, not to sustain himself for long. He could probably keep going until he gets involved in a battle. After that, it would be a rough few days until someone brought him to Nurse Joy.

Another fire-type starter with a tragic backstory. How many did that make? Five? Charmander was abandoned, Cyndaquil felt useless until igniting his inner fire, Chimchar was verbally abused by Paul, and Tepig was tied up so he couldn’t follow his trainer. Now, Litten was a homeless pokémon that stole to get by.

Aislynn almost wanted to track him down and take him home. She wouldn’t though, not when he could survive on his own and had the freedom to choose who he went to. If he wanted her to, she would. Until then, well, she’d just keep going.

That thought did spring to mind the other two starters she had seen. Rowlet had his own flock, but if he was being left behind, then they weren’t the most close-knit. Perhaps he was an outsider among the rest or his species were naturally cutthroat. She didn’t know, but pitied him either way.

Then there was Popplio. She had been left behind for two years, not because there was something wrong with the trainers, but because there weren’t enough. The very thought seemed extraterrestrial to Aislynn. In other regions, the starter trio were some of the most coveted pokémon for their potential strength and general versatility.

She had no idea what the Popplio line was capable of. Yet it didn’t seem right for a starter to be left behind while their juniors got to explore the world.

If she could grab all three and take them around Alola, she would. Something about it just didn’t feel right. Litten had his own life and lived in a city. There was no way he didn’t know about trainers and breeders. Rowlet had his flock to return to. Being separated from family was heartbreaking and Aislynn would never do that to someone. Popplio deserved to travel. She was a starter and that was what she expected for her life. If Aislynn took her in, she’d be chained down between the Pokémon School and the beach house.

No matter how experienced Aislynn was with raising starters, it felt like there had to be someone better for them out there. There was always someone better, someone stronger. She had learned that time and time again thanks to the League.

Chapter 29

Chapter Text

“Morning everyone!” Aislynn ran into the classroom with a basket of berries in her arms and a rodent on her shoulder. Behind her were three starters, this time hailing from the Johto region. Bayleef, Quilava, and Totodile trotted into the class and sat together in a small cluster next to the teacher’s desk.

Aislynn set her basket down on the desk, where Professor Kukui did a quick scan of it. Almost every different kind of berry was present in varying forms. A few were somewhat bruised, but still good for consumption. Now that Aislynn was here though, class could officially begin.“This year, we’ll be focusing on pokémon care with plenty of examples thanks to Miss Ketchum.” Kukui gestured to the three pokémon sitting nearby. “Today, we’ll be starting on a very important topic for any trainer: nutrition.” He raised up a red berry with a long stem. “Can anyone tell me the name and use of this berry?”

Five hands shot up at varying speeds. The first of which was Mallow, but the others were slowly by fractions of a second. Kukui pointed at the green-haired girl.

“That’s a cheri berry and it’s primarily used as a paralyze heal.” After the textbook answer, Mallow continued, “It’s good as a base for spicy dishes, but isn’t great on its own.”

“Well, let’s test that.” Grabbing another cheri berry, Kukui looked at the gaggle of starters. “Quilava, heads up!” He tossed the red berry and the Volcano pokémon leapt up, catching it midair. The fire-type munched on it happily as he snuggled back up against Bayleef’s side. “So, how does it taste?”

“Qui,” he hummed around a mouthful of berry. After he swallowed, he decided on, “Quill.”

The professor looked toward his assistant. “He says it’s a bit spicy, but that’s just how he likes it.” She should probably make note of that for later. Food like that would have to be made in large batches so she wouldn’t be spending hours every single day making everyone’s preferred flavors. Hopefully some of her team had overlapping palettes.

Professor Kukui nodded and raised his cheri berry. “Now, these are only a bit spicy, right?” The class nodded. Kukui bit the berry off its stem and started chewing. “Wow, that’s” —he swallowed— “nice and spicy.” He coughed into his fist. “But that’s a bit too spicy. Lillie?”

The girl lowered her hand. “Is this an example of human biology versus pokémon biology?”

“It is,” he coughed. Kukui reached under his desk and gulped down a bottle of water. “Humans are pretty good at eating spicy things even if we’re not supposed to. However, a lot of berries are designed specifically for pokémon to eat them, even going so far as to have beneficial effects.” Kukui took a few more large gulps from his water bottle, draining it completely. “In the wild, pokémon know that cheri berries will cure paralysis, so they’ll seek them out.”

Pikachu leapt off Aislynn’s shoulder and padded over to his comrades. Since Quilava had already gotten a berry today, he decided to rub against Totodile until his Static ability triggered. Once the Big Jaw pokémon’s limbs were seizing up, Aislynn grabbed the basket of berries and set it on the ground.

Although his legs occasionally failed him, Totodile still dragged himself over to the basket and fished out a red berry with a long stem. He tossed the entire thing in his mouth, barely taking time to chew on it. Within seconds, the faint sparks running down his body ceased.

“The cheri berry has adapted itself to help solve paralysis in order to spread its seeds.” While Kukui continued his lecture, Aislynn plucked the basket and put it back on the desk so it was out of reach of her pokémon. “Pokémon that get paralyzed are more likely to eat them and their waste will plant seeds and provide fertilizer for more berry trees.”

Totodile looked down at his stomach and patted it. “Toto?” Aislynn kneeled down and assured him he wouldn’t be planting trees the next time he went to the bathroom. At least, she hoped not. They never stayed long enough in one camp to see what happened.

Ignorant of the water-type’s plight, Kukui went onward with today’s lesson. “Every berry here has adapted for different uses and attracts different pokémon. Cheri is for paralysis, chesto is for drowsiness, pecha is for poison, and rawst is for burns. There’s a whole lot more for even more specific uses like reducing damage from certain types.”

They could do that? She’s been eating things that could have helped during battles? Well, she was barely one to use held items in battle anyway. She tended to forget that she could use them at all. Frequent trainers and wild battles on the road didn’t instill great habits in here. Especially with Brock to cover her blind spots.

“Any questions so far?” Of all the students, only Lillie and Mallow raised their hands. So far, it was pretty easy to pick up that Lillie was the most studious of them. Aislynn would make a pretty safe bet that the blonde knew a fair bit more than Aislynn herself. On the other hand, food was Mallow’s area of expertise. Or it should be since she ran her family’s restaurant. “Lillie.”

“Are these berries the same ones used in healing items?”

“Indeed they are.” Picking a random berry from the pile, Kukui raised a pink one with leaves wrapping the base. “While these berries are still good. You’d need a whole berry to cure most status conditions.” Reaching under the teacher’s desk, the professor pulled out a transparent yellow bottle with a spray nozzle for a cap. “However, an antidote like this is useful for multiple cases of poison. Except for a case of Toxic. You’d need a full bottle for that, but only one or two pecha berries.”

It was a bit of a weird ratio. Though getting badly poisoned was pretty rare except in high-level battles. Not that it usually happened to Aislynn. She and her opponents usually rammed their heads against each other.

Lillie pressed on with a follow-up question. “Where do pokémon centers get all the materials to care for pokémon? Do they have their own supply of berries?”

“Oh, I can answer that one!” Aislynn popped up and raised her hand. “Centers have a steady supply of antidotes and stuff, but they only use their status cures and keep potions for priority patients. So you usually have to be part of a tournament to get priority treatment.”

Kiawe raised his hand. “But isn’t that a liability for some pokémon? Some wounds need to be urgently treated and healed. Wouldn’t they have priority?”

“Yes and no.” The teacher assistant looked at her partner, who snuggled together with the starters. He stayed mindful of his cheeks to make sure he didn’t shock anyone. “If a pokémon is in dire need of care, they’ll do everything they can, but there’s only so many nurses in a center. Sometimes, a pokémon will just have to wait until someone’s ready to help them. Usually, they get put to sleep though. That way they won’t feel the pain.”

That seemed to satisfy him for now, but he clearly didn’t like that. Career trainers were used to that stuff. Poison and burns were stuff they had to prepare for as trainers. Expecting an already free service to do more wasn’t really sustainable, especially in areas where poison and grass pokémon lived. Which was why trainers could buy antidotes and other status healing items at pokémarts.

“Mallow.” Kukui pointed to the girl, though she had lowered her hand while Kiawe asked his question. “You had something you wanted to ask?”

“I was just wondering why it tastes so different for humans.”

“There’s multiple theories about that. Most researchers say that berries adapted to repulse humans since we wouldn’t spread seeds far.” The professor stroked his beard. “A few think that pokémon have universally evolved so they could eat them, just like how they can all be shrunk inside pokéballs. I personally agree with the former.”

“Well, we’ve been living in towns and villages for thousands of years,” added Aislynn. How long had it been since she had to travel back in time to see Arceus? Two, going on three years? “Seeds want to be spread out as far as possible.”

“Precisely.” The bell rang, echoing through every classroom inside the building. “Ah, seems like it’s time for lunch. When we get back, we’ll go over flavor palettes. That sound good?”

Chapter 30

Chapter Text

Kukui let out a sigh as he leaned against the railing along the outside of the school building. He turned his head to face his assistant and asked, “So, how do you feel about your second day teaching?”

Beside him, Aislynn teetered back and forth on the balls of her feet, playing a balance game with her partner on her shoulders. There weren’t many thoughts she had about the day so far. “Feels like the summer camps I helped out with. Kinda fun, but it might get old after a while.”

“That so?” The professor looked back toward the courtyard, where students were milling about. Most were chatting with each other as they left campus including their class. “I’ll try to keep lessons interesting, but feel free to call me if you want a day off. I’ve got plenty of lesson plans I can do on my own.”

Pikachu swapped over to Aislynn’s other shoulder, making the woman topple until she planted a hand on the nearest wall. She flicked her partner’s forehead before both laughed at the end of their little game. “Pika!” Pikachu jumped over to the railing, sitting next to Kukui’s arms.

Aislynn leaned forward on the other side of the electric-type and rested her head on top of her arms. “Doesn’t that kinda defeat the point of my job?”

“A bit,” chuckled Kukui. “But you’ve got your own life, don’t you? It’d be a shame if you had to cancel plans because you have to teach the next day.” That would be a problem if she actually knew people. Or if she had friends in Alola.

“I mean, I don’t have much to do besides a bit of training. Can’t get too rusty, even if I’m not competing anywhere.” She smiled faintly. It had been a long time since she had worked with some of her pokémon and she kinda missed it. She even missed training the Tauros herd.

“No friends?” asked Kukui. Below them, Lillie hurried out of the courtyard to get into a limousine. Figured that she came from money when she had looks like that.

“Not here.” Pikachu scampered over to Aislynn’s backpack and pulled out her phone. With his paws, he flipped through the contacts and shook his head. None of the people they knew were in Alola, at least as far as they knew. “I know dozens of people around the world, but it’s like everyone’s busy. Well, they were always busy. Guess that I’m just realizing it now that I’m not doing anything.”

“It must feel weird. Traveling around, there’s always something to be doing. Especially when you’re doing the gym challenge.” There was a fond smile on his face. His days as a trainer must have been pretty fun back in the day.

Aislynn wondered how long it had been since Professor Kukui had been a career trainer. He wasn’t that old, but she probably started her journey after he had stopped his. Although his pokémon didn’t seem like slouches. Even when she saw them relaxing around, they all exuded power. Kind of like her Charizard or Gary’s Blastoise. Just by existing, she could tell that they were strong.

“It was always training, traveling, or fighting.” Plus the occasional random person that would sidetrack them along the way. Putting it that way made it seem a lot more simple than it felt.

“You’ve got a record fighting evil teams, right?” Aislynn nodded hesitantly. “Have you run into Team Rocket yet?”

Right, they always seemed to somehow follow her to a new region. “Not yet. Things already feel a bit out of order anyway though.” Kukui squinted at her, furrowing his brows together. Aislynn laughed, “Tapu Koko, remember?”

“How could I forget?” Well, she doubted that anyone who was there would forget about it. That Z-Move had wiped the floor with the local deity. “I still need to figure out how your Pikachu is so strong.” Yeah, a lot of people were still trying to figure that out and explain it with their big and complicated words.

She didn’t really care to define his strength. Pikachu was her partner, it just seemed natural that he was her strongest pokémon. Like how Togedemaru and Bounsweet were probably their trainer’s strongest. Well, Aislynn wasn’t sure if Mallow or Sophocles had more than one pokémon. They didn’t need to have a full team.

At least, not against a threat like Team Skull.

Two grunts waltzed through the open gates of the Pokémon School, uncaring about the fearful looks they got from the students. One of them had dirty brown hair while her companion had a shock of bright pink poking out of her bandana. Their pokémon were stowed away inside basic pokéballs, so their strength was a mystery. However, the confidence in their stride definitely placed them a bit higher than the average student.

Before Aislynn could leap off the second-story of the school building and fight the two grunts, Kukui held his arm out in front of her. With his other hand, he pointed toward Mallow and Lana. “Just watch.” She held her tongue and clenched her fists around the railing of the deck.

“Hey, you.” The brunette grunt pointed at a boy no older than ten. “Hand over your pokémon.”

“No way,” stuttered the student. He only had one pokéball on his belt, a nice and shiny one too.

“Yes way,” said the pink-haired grunt. “You wanna get on our bad side? We’ve each got twice the ‘mons you do.”

A cacophony of a song bellowed out through the courtyard. Every student and grunt cupped their ears, giving Lana and her Popplio the perfect chance to step between Team Skull and their target. “Get lost,” Lana ordered with a brave face. Her tone was calm, but one of her hands was hovering over her lone pokéball. At a moment’s notice, she was ready to recall her Popplio.

“Hey,” yelped the brunette grunt. “What’s the big idea?” Her answer was a stream of bubbles to the face, each smaller than the last.

“What’s the big idea?” Lana parroted. “You’re trying to steal someone’s pokémon.”

Aislynn grabbed Quilava’s pokéball, ready to sling it as far as she could. She thought these Team Skull grunts were petty thieves. If they were after pokémon, they were presenting a similar threat to most Team Rocket members.

Kukui grabbed her arm and stopped her from interfering. Part of her wanted to shove the man away and charge into the upcoming battle. The logical part of her knew that the situation would be handled one way or another if Kukui nor herself were heading in to help. It didn’t sit right with her though.

“And what? Ya think we’re scared of your little mutt?” taunted the pink-haired grunt as she threw out her first pokémon. A brown mammal snaked his way onto the battlefield with its stripe of yellow fur standing on end.

Popplio hopped in front of the grunt’s pokémon, ready to battle. Before she could issue an order, Mallow ran through and shouted, “But you’re scared of Pikachu!” The green-haired girl pointed to the balcony where Aislynn and Kukui were watching from. “There’s no way you two can stand up to the person who beat Tapu Koko.”

“Huh?” Both the grunts squinted at the teacher assistant. The brunette turned toward her partner in crime. “I thought you said this was an easy job!”

“It was last year,” barked back the pink-haired grunt. “How was I supposed to know that she’d be here?”

“I don’t know, maybe you should’ve checked?” shouted the brunette. She reached for her pokéballs, but shook her head instead. “Nah, I’m out!”

The other grunt grit her teeth. “Fine. You win this time, brats!” She returned her pokémon and ran after her ally.

That was easy. Way too easy for Aislynn’s liking.

“Conflict management,” said Kukui as he let go of his assistant.

“What?”

“One of our first-year lessons is peaceful conflict management.” And they were teaching a second-year class, so she still had no clue what those lessons entailed. “Every student should know how to stop a battle before it happens. It’s a good skill to nurture.”

So basically what Pikachu had done when they helped out Lillie the other day. Aislynn let her shoulders relax and took a deep breath. “Hopefully it stays that easy.”

Chapter 31

Chapter Text

Aislynn plucked a cheri berry from the slanted plastic box. It glistened under the light, freshly watered by the store’s sprinklers. The berry was nice and firm, but she didn’t trust just her opinion. So first, she raised it up to her shoulder so Pikachu could take a whiff.

He tilted his head and picked up the red fruit. “Pika?” Yeah, he had a good point. It needed to sit for a few days before it was good enough to use in a proper meal.

Then she kneeled down and handed it to a bright red claw. “What do you say? Is it a keeper, Kingler?” The Pincer pokémon pinched the berry carefully and twisted it around in his smaller, right claw.

He pressed the berry against his larger claw and ran it along the side. After that, he tapped it against the claw a few times. “Ler,” growled the water-type as he shook his head. He tossed it back into the store’s display, rejecting it completely.

“Too thin? Is that really something that we have to look out for?” She and Pikachu thought it was pretty good. Just the right color and smell, but its skin wasn’t thick enough. “How does that even affect kibble?”

Kingler shook his head again. “Kiki.” He pointed at their shopping cart, where the rest of their groceries were sitting. The crustacean scuttled around his trainer and tapped the side closest to their bag of rice. “King.”

“I mean, I’m not against a cheri curry, but would everyone even like that?” She looked at her partner, who shrugged. She had next to no idea what kind of food everyone preferred. That was Brock’s job, then Cilan’s, and after that it was split between Serena and Clemont. Wow, Aislynn should have really learned how to cook earlier. Eh, hindsight is 40/40 or whatever they say.

“Lerk, lin.” Kingler nodded. Of course their family would appreciate a good curry. They were raised and trained by a glutton of a trainer, so any food was appreciated but good food was even better.

“Which ones do you want then?” She picked Kingler up until he could reach into the display. Surprised by the sudden altitude change, Kingler looked at his large left claw. Oh right, usually those were too heavy for his species to lift consistently. “Here, lemme just move around a bit.” Shifting him to rest on her waist, she grabbed his heavy pincer and held it up for him. “There, all good now.”

Kingler glanced up at Pikachu, who shook his head. Was she not supposed to do this? Kingler wasn’t even that heavy. He was nowhere near that baby Larvitar in terms of weight. She could carry Kingler around all day if she had to.

“Kin.” The water-type decided not to worry about the logistics of his trainer’s boundless strength. There were far more important matters to take care of, such as getting the ingredients for tomorrow’s dinner.

Throughout the entire store, there were a lot of berries to sort through. Their stock had been dented by Rowlet and his flock stealing from their kitchen, but combined with the lesson on berries, Aislynn would appreciate having a bit more for emergencies. And to cover her laziness. The less she had to make grocery runs, the better.

Once Kingler had picked out around twenty of each berry, they made their way over to the cashier. Unfortunately, the three cashiers all had people in line. It made sense, it was after school and she vaguely recognized some students with their parents. Still, she hated waiting.

Darting over to the shortest line, Aislynn let her mind wander a bit. Shopping and cooking weren’t things she usually did, even back home in Pallet. She kind of missed splitting up duties. She usually enjoyed refilling their potion and status cure supply before she picked up everyone’s pokémon.

Maybe she could give a few of her pokémon a shopping list and they could do grocery shopping for her. That felt like a very bad idea. Some of her pokémon would eat the groceries before they got back home. Not that she could blame them. She was tempted to snack on them too.

“Next,” called the cashier. He took one look at her cart and boggled at the sheer amount of food she was buying. “You preparing for the apocalypse?” he quipped as he finished ringing her up.

“Should I be?” asked Aislynn. She hadn’t usually prepared to be assailed by untold horrors and pokémon more common in myths than real life. Although she could start trying to be prepared.

“I dunno. You’ve already got rat god, so I think you’re good.” Rat god? Oh, right, Pikachu. Wasn’t Pikachu classified as the Mouse pokémon?

Wait a minute. “How do so many people know about Pikachu?” There weren’t that many people who were in Iki Town when they fought Tapu Koko. At least, not that she recalled. She was a bit preoccupied with other things.

“You’re joking, right?” He smiled and scrunched up his brow. “You’re all over PokéTube! That fight has like three million views.” Three million! Aislynn could barely imagine a million different people. Were there even that many people in the world? “Girl, you’re practically internet famous.”

“Oh. Uh, that’s cool?” It sounded like something people would think was cool. There were definitely things about it that she didn’t grasp, but Diantha was famous and she was super strong.

“It’s more than cool.” Scanning items with one hand, he pulled out his phone with his other. “Holy ‘doof! It’s gone up to ten million.” He turned the phone to face Aislynn. Sure enough, there it was. Grainy camera footage captured Charizard slamming Tapu Koko into the ground. And just a little ways down the screen was a pinned comment.

“Good to see Aislynn hasn’t lost her touch,” she read. “Hey! It hasn’t been that long since I’ve seen Cynthia. I bet I could give her a good match.” Not win. Specifically not win. She wasn’t champion material yet.

One day though. One day.

“Wait, Cynthia?” The cashier nearly pressed his face against his phone. His eyes scanned the comment over and over, but it didn’t change. It remained there, eternalized on the internet for all to see. “You know Cynthia?” He looked at Aislynn with wide eyes.

“Yep.” She met his eyes then looked down at her groceries, which he had finished scanning. “She’s pretty cool. Good taste in ice cream.” Reaching for her food, Aislynn started bagging them while the cashier stared at her. Pikachu hopped down and provided a small barrier between the two humans.

“That’s so cool,” he whisper-shouted. He didn’t even seem to notice her bagging her own belongings. He only had eyes for her. “Ha-have you battled her?”

“Nope.” Aislynn gathered up her groceries and handed a few bags to Kingler while she handled the rest. With those, she had no reason to stick around. So with an arm draped with reusable bags, she waved at him. “See ya.”

He didn’t even say it back, too busy gaping at her retreating form. But that was fine. She’d just let him do whatever he did. There wasn’t much to say about her previous encounters with the Sinnoh champion.

Being internet famous was another matter, one she would have to look into. Or not. She could just let the consequences of her actions hit her in the face. That would work too.

Either way, she left the supermarket with a new sense of urgency. Kingler struggled to keep up, but Aislynn couldn’t exactly pick him up when there were groceries in her hands. Unless she just shuffled the bags down her arms and carried him once her hands for free.

“Hey Kingler, should I carry you while you carry the bags?” she asked as they started making their way home.

“Kii ki?” Raising his smaller claw, Kingler plucked a pokéball off her belt. “Ling.”

“I didn’t forget,” Aislynn lied. “I was just… exploring other options. I’m sure I could walk all the way home.” She grabbed Staraptor’s pokéball from Kingler. Using Staraptor and Unfezant to fly back did sound much more convenient. It’d be way faster too. “Let’s walk out of the city first. I’d rather not scare anyone with two really fast birds.”

Kingler decided that was agreeable and followed her lead. He hadn’t been to Hau’oli and neither had most of her pokémon. Of all of them, Pikachu and Noivern had the best mental layout. It was helpful, but she would hope that most of her pokémon were familiar with the area. The island was already somewhat small, just a few days of walking to cover the circumference.

Honestly, it was kind of surprising that no one had found her if she was supposedly famous. Sure, she now knew that she didn’t really have her previous league winnings attached to her name, but if people were recognizing her based on one blurry video, then they ought to stop her in the street or something. Unless they were scared of Pikachu. Every Team Skull grunt had been cowed by his mere presence so far. Maybe people were intimidated by him or something.

“Mimi!”

Except for that pokémon apparently.

A beige doll in the shape of a Pikachu ran towards her, leaping off lampposts and using pokémon as stepping stones. From the bottom of the doll’s cloth exterior, a black hand whipped out. Each digit sharpened into claws and two holes in the doll’s body gleamed red.

Shadow Claw swung out, aimed right for Aislynn’s head.

Chapter 32

Chapter Text

“Pika!” Her partner leapt off her shoulder, his jagged tail coated in metal. Dark tendrils clashed against the metallic bolt, but Pikachu emerged the victor. The Shadow Claw was knocked into the ground, tearing through the asphalt. “Chu!”

Aislynn reached around and pulled two pokéballs off her belt. “Staraptor, Unfezant, I choose you!” The gray birds emerged in flashes of blue light.

Immediately, Staraptor swooped over to Pikachu, diving at their attacker in the veil of Aerial Ace. Before the cloth-wearing pokémon could try and hit Pikachu with Shadow Claw, Staraptor slammed into them. The battle-loving bird drove their attacker into the pavement and flew back to Pikachu’s side. Both pokémon nodded to each other, ready to battle in tandem.

Together, they could handle their new foe without Aislynn’s lead. Their opponent had no trainer in sight; they were likely a rampaging wild pokémon. Aislynn had no idea why they were rampaging, but that would make it even easier for her trained pokémon to take them down. Besides, she trusted them to fight on their own. She raised them to be some of the best.

Now, about her groceries. “Unfezant, you think you can take a bag or two?” The gray and brown bird eyed her comrades’ choice in violence. Staraptor and Pikachu plunged toward their new foe with two Quick Attacks, only to slam into each other instead. “They can handle it. One ghost-type won’t do them in.”

“Fez.” The flying-type’s distaste for confrontation was met with an eye-roll. Aislynn loved her, but how else would they have dealt with someone who attacked them out of nowhere. “Un,” she curtly answered her trainer’s previous question.

Aislynn offered up one arm and Unfezant snagged her talons around two bags. “Take them home and come back for more. I’ll make sure Staraptor and Pikachu don’t cause too much trouble.” There was still an arm and a half full of groceries, plus the ones that Kingler had in his claws. If Unfezant didn’t want to help out during the battle, she could always help out in other ways.

“Fez.” Unfezant highly doubted her trouble magnet of a trainer would be the one preventing more trouble. Nevertheless, she accepted her role with pride and flew off toward their beach house home.

“Kyu!” The ghost-type phased through Staraptor and lunged toward Pikachu. Out of nowhere, a cloud of white smoke surrounded the two, echoing with the sounds of a scuffle.

And, well, Aislynn had no idea what move that was. It was a physical move and the groans of her starter ensured it was a painful one. Though, he was usually a glass cannon anyway. “Try Iron Tail!” she shouted with her hands cupped around her mouth.

Clang!

Pikachu slammed his tail against something, clearly. The cloud persisted and Pikachu was still being roughed up until he smacked his foe away with a second Iron Tail. “Mimi!” They didn’t waste a second and fired off a Shadow Ball as they were flying back.

Scuffed up, Pikachu planted his feet on the ground and unleashed a Thunderbolt, exploding the Shadow Ball before it could make contact. Keeping up the pressure, Staraptor swung into the ghost-type with another Aerial Ace. His wing slammed into the cloth disguise. Cutting straight through the neck.

The doll’s head was lopped off, leaving only a writhing mass of shadows underneath what remained. Purple eyes glared at the bird through the new hole in their costume. “Kyu kyu!” They swore to kill Staraptor.

Aislynn didn’t doubt that they would try, but she did doubt that they would succeed. “Pikachu, send them blasting off!”

“Pi!” Her partner began charging up, engulfing himself in an aura of electricity. “Ka!” The ghost swung around to face Aislynn’s partner, eyes gleaming. “Chu!” A Thunderbolt flashed through the street, striking the cloth body and its wearer. Electricity coursed through the pokémon’s body, causing them to crumple in the middle of the street.

“Weird,” Aislynn mumbled. “Usually they get sent flying after that.” Well, they weren’t moving, which meant they were unconscious. That’s still a win in her book.

“Mimikyu! There you are!” a shrill voice shouted as three familiar faces ran into the street. A redhead scooped up the fallen pokémon, snuggling the knocked out pokémon against her chest. “You can’t just run off like that. You could get seriously hurt.”

“Uh, Jess?” Meowth pointed toward Aislynn and the trio of pokémon with her.

“What?” barked the redhead, annoyed at having her little moment interrupted. Her two companions stared at Aislynn with wide eyes. Jessie slowly turned her head around. “Oh.” She snapped back to her ever-present teammates. “Why didn’t you two warn me the twerp was here! This is supposed to be our vacation!”

“Is it really a vacation if we’re still nabbin’ pokémon?” Meowth answered with a question.

James raised up the pokémon in her arms, holding it by the scruff of its neck. “What does it say about us that we’re more successful on vacation?” In his hand was a battered and wounded Litten, one that Aislynn recognized. They weren’t Selene’s Litten, no, they were much too long and skinny for that.

“Kingler, put down your bags.” The Pincer pokémon did as he was told without question. Team Rocket had been, well, they were always a bit of a joke when compared to the larger threats that Aislynn had to deal with. But she had seen them be serious back in Unova. She knew what they and their pokémon were capable of. “James, hand over Litten,” demanded Aislynn, her voice just loud enough to be audible to the blue-haired grunt.

“What? We worked hard to capture this runt! There’s no way I’m just going to hand him over.” James grabbed onto Litten with two hands wrapping around the feline’s chest. He held Litten close to him, guarding the pokémon who barely stirred under the sudden movement.

“Well, I gave you a chance.” Aislynn crouched down and set down her armfuls of groceries. She then planted two hands around Kingler’s wide shell. “Sorry about this,” she whispered to her seldom-used water-type.

“Twerp?” Jessie walked backward over to her teammates. With ease, Aislynn lifted Kingler over her head and held him there. “James, give her the cat.”

“But it took us two hours to capture him,” he whined.

Aislynn rocked back slightly and Kingler brought his claws close to his body. Jessie clutched onto her Mimikyu and hissed, “Pikachu is right there. Give her the cat.”

At the reminder of the everlasting thorn in their side, James sighed and put Litten down on the ground. The trio of Rocket grunts scuttled away from their offering. “There.” He motioned his hands to calm down the currently crab-wielding twerp. “Now, let’s just calm down and we’ll be on our way.”

“Pikachu?” At his trainer’s call, the electric-type let sparks crackle around his cheeks.

“Hey! We gave you the kitten!” Meowth shouted at her, though his legs still shook at the threat of blasting off.

“You did.” Aislynnn lowered Kingler until he was cradled in her arms and sitting around her hips. Even with her small stature, a woman handling a heavy crustacean with ease was as intimidating as Jessie threatening to throw down with Seviper. With only Meowth and an unconscious Mimikyu to rely on, the trio were filling up the Seviper role quite well in that metaphor. “Scram.”

The three grunts looked at each other, confused. James blinked and decided, “You know, I’ll take not blasting off today. See you around, twerp!” He dashed away with his tail between his legs.

“Hey, wait for us!” Meowth shouted, taking the metaphor a bit more literally.

“Don’t you dare leave without me!” Jessie ran after her coworker, hot on his heels.

Aislynn chuckled at their antics. Making them blast off was fun and all, but this change of pace was still entertaining. Maybe she should stick to it if she ran into them again. Well, if they had an injured pokémon, she’d threaten them. If they did their usual thing and had pokémon in a giant net, then she’d let Pikachu send them flying into the sunset.

For now though, she had more important things to take care of. She hurried over to the wounded Litten, whose fur had been slashed through and caked with blood.

The slashes ran across his back, perfectly in line with the shape of Mimikyu’s Shadow Claw. Such a strong pokémon attacking a weak one had left its mark. Litten didn’t even have his eyes open. Aislynn pressed her ear against his chest and heard his heartbeat, which put to rest some worries. However, his left foreleg was bent at an awkward angle and there was no way a simple potion would fix that.

“Staraptor,” she called. The flying-type flew over with the head of Mimikyu’s disguise tucked in his talons. Aislynn pointedly ignored that. If he wanted a trophy to take home, he could have it. “Take whatever groceries you can and get them home.”

“Stara?” he trilled.

Aislynn put Kingler down. “What? Can’t handle them all?” There were certainly a lot of bags left, even after Unfezant had taken a few.

“Rap,” huffed the flying-type. Of course he could handle it. However, he was more curious about the injured pokémon before them.

“I’ll take him to a center. Nurse Joy will be able to fix this.” She always seemed to be able to, no matter which family member answered the call to action. “You just worry about tonight’s dinner, alright? Litten will be fine.”

Having full trust in his trainer, Staraptor nodded and flapped over to their pile of food. Meanwhile, Aislynn gingerly took Litten into her hands and tried her best to cradle him. She had to support his neck, but she also had to watch out for the slashes on his back. The blood around them had dried up, but the wound was still recent. Nothing that Nurse Joy couldn’t fix though.

Nothing that couldn’t be fixed. Right.

Chapter 33

Chapter Text

How many times had she been on the other side of this glass?

Litten had been hooked up to a myriad of machines, each one working overtime to heal the damage all over his body. Bandages were wrapped around his body and a cast had covered the entirety of his left foreleg. He was laid on his right side to relieve his wounded limb. That position also served to show off his wounds.

Nurse Joy had already done her best to clean the wounds and the fur around them. She had dressed the wounds and an IV was pumping Litten full of the nutrients he had missed out on. It had only been thirty minutes since the fire-type had been released from the operating room, stable and whole.

As soon as he was out, Aislynn wandered over to the window, watching Litten for any stirring. She didn’t have a chair, but she and Pikachu were content to just stand in the hallway and observe. Litten was the only pokémon tucked away in one of the pokémon center’s beds. He was the only one in Hau’oli City that needed such care.

The nurse’s flats clacked against the ground, announcing her presence as she rounded the corner. “Oh, Miss Ketchum.” Joy approached the veteran trainer, joining her side. “Have you had Litten long?”

Aislynn shook her head. “He’s not mine,” she whispered as if Litten would wake if she spoke too loud. “He got caught by some bad people.” Team Rocket must have been desperate this time. They had roughed up pokémon plenty of times before capturing them, that was simply what ordinary trainers did.

Except Litten had been too weak to put up much of a fight against Mimikyu. Meowth, maybe. That Mimikyu was ready to help win a fourth or fifth gym badge. It was an unfair fight to pit a starter with no training against any of Jessie’s pokémon. Team Rocket or not, she wasn’t a bad trainer. Aislynn didn’t know how strong Litten was on his own, but he was malnourished and that would only work against him.

Nurse Joy put a hand on Aislynn’s open shoulder. “He’ll be out of commission for a few weeks, but he’ll make a full recovery.” That was good, great even. It was more than she could have asked for. “Thank you for bringing him here. I’m sure he’d be grateful to know someone was looking out for him.”

“I was just doing the right thing.” Joy’s hand clenched, halfway stuck trying to be comforting and tense. Was her family trained in human care and comfort? Aislynn couldn’t say they were, at least not this nurse in particular. The usual Joy family members were either experienced in any situation that arose or utterly inexperienced with some areas.

So while the callused hand around her shoulder tried and failed to provide comfort, Aislynn reached behind her and fingered Kingler’s pokéball. The other two on her belt were empty. Her birds of choice for the afternoon had perched themselves outside, keeping an eye out for Team Rocket. They didn’t expect to see the usual trio again. They weren’t cowards, but they had spent years being foiled by Aislynn and Pikachu, there was no way they would be staying in Hau’oli City for long now that they knew she was here.

Although Team Rocket weren’t the only ones on Melemele Island that were trying to steal pokémon. Aislynn yanked her gaze away from Litten to face Nurse Joy. “Has Team Skull caused any trouble around here? Any rough-housing or theft?”

“Team Skull?” Nurse Joy’s fingers loosened, yet still clasped around Aislynn’s shoulder. “I can’t say we see them much. Joanne usually scares them out of the city any time they try and cause trouble.”

“Joanne?” Was that a trainer that lived around here?

“Oh.” A flush spread throughout Nurse Joy’s cheeks. “That’s the local Officer Jenny’s first name. I’m not supposed to use it with other people, so if you don’t mind…”

Right, every Joy and Jenny had a given name that Aislynn never kept up with. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.” She would probably mess up their names if she knew them. Most of those families looked too much like each other anyway. “Team Skull isn’t a problem though?”

Nurse Joy shook her head. “Not one you need to involve yourself with, Miss Ketchum.” Aislynn co*cked an eyebrow up, questioning the nurse. “I don’t doubt that you could drive away Team Skull on your own. However, Officer Jenny has it handled.”

Aislynn looked back over to Litten. Team Rocket had either worked fast or were better than Team Skull was at evading the authorities. Given how that particular trio had evaded prison for years, Aislynn was inclined to go with the latter. If they had a giant robot, they could definitely work fast though. Could Aislynn work fast enough to catch them was the question.

Now that she had a job, her time table was locked in place. If Jessie, James, and Meowth suddenly decided to work at night—or figured out that Aislynn wouldn’t be around during the morning—there was little she could do. She’d feel guilty about skipping a lesson just to stake out Hau’oli City or Iki Town.

“Oh, it seems he’s waking up.” Joy dithered as she took her hand away from the veteran trainer. “Do you want to step inside for a bit?”

Her? “Are you sure?” Aislynn had only brought Litten in. She had no connection that should allow her inside. Being in this hallway was already more than she should be allowed in any pokémon center.

“Professor Kukui told me you were quite good at handling pokémon.” The nurse smiled down at the trainer. There was so much trust in that smile and Aislynn couldn’t comprehend why. “Litten could use a friendly face when he wakes up.”

Yeah, he probably could. A friendly face after an operation was always appreciated. “Just for a little bit,” Aislynn conceded.

Nurse Joy’s smile softened and she led the trainer into Litten’s room. The smell of disinfectant permeated throughout the room, stinging against Aislynn and Pikachu’s nostrils. The two drifted around the edge of the bed while Nurse Joy tended to the machines attached to Litten.

The Fire Cat pokémon wiggled on his bed. With his leg stuck in a cast, he could only glare at it. There was only so much he could do with the heavy limb, especially with how he was probably doped up on medication so he couldn’t feel it.

Bending down so she was eye-level with the fire-type, Nurse Joy said, “Good evening Litten. How are you feeling?” Litten looked between the nurse and Aislynn. His yellow eyes were glazed over, barely recognizing what he was seeing. Joy waved a hand in front of Litten’s face. “Oh, that’s no good. Can you hear me?”

“Ten,” he rasped, voice cracking even with the single syllable.

“He says that he’s dizzy.” Joy twisted around while Litten continued to stare at her. “I can understand pokémon. Mostly. Some of the bigger words trip me up with species I don’t really know.”

“Good at handling pokémon and multilingual. Quite the catch, I see,” Joy giggled.

“I guess?” Aislynn shrugged. She hadn’t really thought about it. Well, she had. Serena had made sure of that several times. Aislynn shook her head. “I’ll go and get Litten a bowl of water.”

“No, I can do it.” Nurse Joy got up and grabbed Aislynn’s backpack, holding her in place. “You’d likely have a much better conversation with Litten than I would anyway.” That was probably true.

Aislynn allowed Nurse Joy to pass and drifted over to the foot of Litten’s bed. With just the three of them in the room, Pikachu jumped down onto the bed and approached Litten. The Fire Cat pokémon shifted his gaze over to the electric-type, but those yellow eyes could barely focus on Pikachu’s face. With pity etched across her face, Aislynn reached over and put her hand over his eyes.

“You should rest,” she advised. “Nurse Joy said it’ll be a few weeks before you’re completely healed up. The more you sleep, the sooner you’ll feel better.”

Litten tilted his head back and nibbled her palm, but Aislynn didn’t even flinch. A lifetime of being hit with pokémon attacks made the tiny bite feel like a tickle. Nevertheless, she got the message and lowered her head. “Lit litten.”

“A favor?” she repeated. Her first instinct was to agree immediately, but she held her tongue. “What is it?”

“Lit tenten.” A Stoutland, huh? They must have been another wild pokémon, though for them to be fully-evolved spoke of great strength. “Ten len.”

“You want me to feed them?” That couldn’t mean well for Stoutland, especially if a pokémon of Litten’s strength was asking for such a favor. When she put those pieces together, her worry worked in tandem with her desire to help. “Alright. I’ll make sure to feed Stoutland for you. So don’t worry about them, just make sure to rest up.”

She smiled down at the bleary-eyed Litten. She may not have known him very well, but she’d still follow through on the favor. Over the years, there were things she had done for less. To help out a pokémon? She didn’t need anything in return for that.

Chapter 34

Chapter Text

The sun was setting by the time that Aislynn had finally found the right place. There were only a couple bridges in Hau’oli City and both went over the same river running through the city. Looking out for a hideout near water in a coastal city was rough, but Staraptor and Unfezant were a great help.

The two birds stayed out of their pokéballs, looping over the area. Aislynn couldn’t blame them. Team Rocket and Team Skull weren’t major threats, at least not yet. Jessie and James didn’t have Gourgeist or Inkay anymore, so they needed to catch and train a new pair of pokémon. Until then, most of her pokémon could take down Meowth and Mimikyu.

Still, better safe than sorry. Pikachu was on constant vigilance from his perch on Aislynn’s shoulder. Staraptor patrolled the city in wide arcs, keeping an eye out for any potential threat. Unfezant circled her trainer to get a bird’s eye view of their surroundings. Last but not least, Kingler was in his pokéball, ready to be flung at whoever Aislynn chose. She hoped she didn’t have to do that. Stoutland’s hideout didn’t pose a threat, at least it didn’t look like one.

Walking along the canal, Aislynn approached the small encampment with deliberate and heavy footsteps. Crates blocked her view, but she heard someone shuffling around. Stopping a few paces outside the camp, she leaned to the side until she spotted a large clump of brown fur hanging off a ratty sofa. It was half of a Stoutland’s signature mustache—or was it a beard? Either way, it was stained by dirt and dust, turning a usually light tan stretch of fur into a dirty brown mess.

“Stoutland, you awake?” she said just loud enough that most canine pokémon could hear her. She wasn’t an expert with the Stoutland species, so she had no idea how old this one was. For that matter, all she knew from seeing their mustache was that they were in dire need of a bath.

A low woof echoed out from under the bridge. It was deep and spoke of exhausting years. A feeling she could relate to, but she was an oddity. For Stoutland, it spoke of experience and age that only years of living could provide.

“Do you mind if I come in?” She leaned forward with her hands on her knees to try and get a peek at the old fighter that was bound to be hiding under the bridge.

“Stou.” A warm welcome, that was a surprise. Usually stray pokémon were a bit more wary of humans. Though if this Stoutland was as strong as she expected, then he may not need to be cautious.

Either way, Aislynn walked around the crates blocking the hideout from the rest of the canal. Once inside, she could plainly see the large canine and his thick layers of fur draped over a couch that had seen better days. She wasn’t even sure that she could reach through and find the skin underneath. That couldn’t be comfortable in Alola, even for a pokémon that was used to it.

Stoutland squinted at her, staring at her face but not quite meeting her eyes. Aislynn kneeled in front of him, making it so she looked up at the canine instead of the other way around. “Hi. You’re Litten’s friend, right?” A smile graced her features, bringing forth the kindness she wanted Stoutland to see.

“Lou?” The normal-type tried to sit up, but his forelegs buckled and he dropped back onto the couch. Slowly, he tried again and sat up with his weight resting against the back of his ratty seat. His eyes still refused to lock onto hers, but didn’t have the glassy look of drowsiness.

“No, he’s not in trouble. At least, not anymore.” Stoutland’s face scrunched up as he registered her words. “I meant to say that he’s in the pokémon center right now and getting some rest.”

“Stou!?” That only made him more worried. Wow, she really needed to phrase this better. Maybe she should start from the beginning? No, that’d be even worse.

“He’s fine. He has a broken leg, but Nurse Joy said he’ll be a-okay in a few weeks.” He still looked worried with those bushy brows scrunched up close to his already squinting eyes. Okay, she should just move and get to the important bits. “Since he’s healing up and can’t move around, he asked me to feed you. I have some berries and juice boxes in my bag. Brought a bunch of flavors too.”

Pikachu hopped off her shoulder as Aislynn took off her backpack. She pulled out a generic box of apple juice and some oran berries, a very bland but still healthy meal. Although saying it was a meal was a bit of a stretch. For active battlers, it was more like a post-workout snack.

Offering the berries to Stoutland, Aislynn scooted closer to his ratty old couch. The cushions had lost their covers and the bare seat had fur sticking out of the stitching. Out of both respect and concern, Aislynn held up the food next to Stoutland’s face so he didn’t have to shift his already precarious balance.

He didn’t even give the oran berries a whiff.

“Lan,” he huffed. Ducking below Aislynn’s hand, he padded off the couch. Three steps out, his forelegs buckled once more and Aislynn hurried to his side. “Lan,” he groaned in frustration.

“You alright?” She held off on pumping aura through her fingers. The foreign feelings would more than likely scare off the normal-type. Still, she grabbed Stoutland by the shoulders and eased him down until he was laying beside the canal.

“Stou.” I’ll be fine. Such a tough guy answer. One that usually led to more problems than solutions in her experience.

When Stoutland tried to get up again, Aislynn held him down, a feat she shouldn’t be able to do against most fully-evolved pokémon. However, Stoutland’s age was showing in too many ways. “You’re in no shape to walk all the way to the pokémon center.”

The normal-type whined, knowing that fact all too well. He still wanted to go. “Lou.” For Litten. To see Litten, he said.

“You don’t have much time left, do you?” He shook his head. Old age was catching up to him, but he still wanted to see his student. Aislynn couldn’t carry him all the way there, she couldn’t risk anything happening along the way. She glanced at her backpack just steps away. “Let me catch you.”

“Pika?” asked her partner. Stoutland shared his confusion as he tried to look at her but couldn’t quite find her eyes.

“A pokéball will hold you in stasis. You won’t strain yourself at all and I can hand you off to Nurse Joy.” It’d be quick too. Staraptor could carry Aislynn’s weight no problem and Stoutland wouldn’t even feel a bump from the flying-type’s swift flight. “Litten’s important to you, right? Me and my team can get you there in a couple minutes.”

Stoutland averted his gaze over to the flowing water next to his home. “Stout stoutland.” Litten was his last student. The Fire Cat was but a child under Stoutland’s care and Stoutland wouldn’t see the fighter that Litten grew up to be.

That told Aislynn far more than she needed to know. She hopped to her feet and dug an empty pokéball from her bag. “You’ll see him soon. I promise.”

“Stou.” Thank you.

The elderly canine was absorbed by a beam of red light. With three small shakes, the ball clicked. She clipped it to her belt next to her team. “C’mon, bud,” she told Pikachu. “Let’s go see Nurse Joy.”

Pikachu climbed back up to her shoulder and nuzzled against the side of her face, staining his red cheeks with his trainer’s tears.

Chapter 35

Chapter Text

The third day at the Pokémon School had a surprise for all the students. While they were still going over berries, Professor Kukui had decided to cut his lecture short after lunch. Kiawe’s attention had waned and Mallow’s initial interest had petered out until she was only driven by the desire to do well in class. So rather than keep up that pace, Kukui directed the class of five out to the courtyard.

“Now, we’ve gone over a lot of berries today, so let’s see if you guys remember how to use them.” The students turned their gaze over to Aislynn, who held up a different basket from yesterday. Instead of the status-curing items, she was carrying stat-boosting ones. Each one had been gone over during the earlier lecture, but Aislynn was still a bit lost identifying each one. She had seen them in stores and magazines, but never actually in battle.

If nothing else, she was learning something today alongside her students. Although she wasn’t likely to ever use them in a battle. Maybe a League match if she really needed the edge, but these berries didn’t come cheap and her pokémon weren’t used to eating berries in the middle of battle. Really, the only one who used a held item was Krookodile with his glasses.

“Kiawe, how do you feel about a pokémon battle?” asked Professor Kukui as he picked up an orange scaled fruit from Aislynn’s basket.

“A battle? I’m game!” With renewed vigor, Kiawe grabbed a pokéball off his belt, worn and dulled in color. “Bring it on, teach!”

Kukui and Aislynn turned to each other. Either of them were more than enough to battle Kiawe, especially with their varied teams. “I’d like a nice battle,” Aislynn eventually decided. Her last battle had ended on a sour note anyway. A peaceful spar to cleanse the palette would be nice.

“Kiawe, catch!” Kukui tossed the petaya berry to the local fire-type specialist. “If you beat Aislynn, I’ll cancel Friday’s quiz.”

“We have a quiz?” shouted Sophocles in horror. He rushed over to Kiawe, grabbing him by the arms. “You have to win! You have to!” The redhead shook Kiawe vigorously with his other classmates right behind him, ready to do the same. Even the ever studious Lillie was rooting for his victory.

Well, Aislynn could just let them win. Maybe give one of her weaker pokémon less experience along the way. Since she brought her Hoenn team for the day, there were two pokémon who wouldn’t allow themselves to lose, Sceptile and Swellow. Torkoal would be a good matchup with his resistance to fire and brilliant defenses. Corphish had a favorable matchup but he hadn’t evolved and would be at a natural disadvantage. Meanwhile, Glalie had the type disadvantage, but he and Aislynn could work around that.

Wow, she was thinking too hard about this. She wasn’t fighting for a trophy or the freedom of pokémon right now. This was just a friendly sparring match with her student. Trying to map out a somewhat competitive strategy right now wasn’t the point of the lesson. She needed to show him how to use berries effectively.

“You wanna take a crack at this, bud?” she asked the pokémon on her shoulder. Her partner nodded, always ready for a battle. “Alright, speed or attack then?” Aislynn grabbed a bumpy green berry and a white one with orange pockets of juice. He pointed to the salac berry, choosing to boost his already staggering speed rather than his surprising physical strength.

Her foe for the day was a large fire-type with a spiked shell. There was a crevice in their chest, right over where their heart should be. Aislynn was tempted to reach into it, but that angular nose was ready to spew a flamethrower out at the drop of a hat. This particular ball cap was fairly new, but Aislynn still didn’t want it to get scorched a couple weeks into her stay in Alola.

“Kiawe, you can have the first move,” Aislynn declared as she and her chosen partner moved across the courtyard. There weren’t official lines marking the boundaries of their battlefield, so Pikachu was free to move about as he pleased.

Kiawe moved to stand between his classmates and his opponent. His pokémon waddled in front of him, each step shaking the ground beneath him. In his palm, he held the petaya berry that Kukui had given Kiawe. “Alright, Turtonator, eat up and use Flamethrower!”

Turtonator tossed the orange fruit into his mouth, chewing the fruit as his snout ignited. From his nose, a cone of fire fanned out across the field, bathing the courtyard in heat. Yet not a single hair on Pikachu was singed.

In fact, the Mouse pokémon hadn’t even felt a lick of heat against his fur. He had leapt all the way over to the second floor of the school building, all while munching on his berry. Combined with a brief Quick Attack, Pikachu’s speed boost propelled him until he was difficult to track with just eyes alone. Eating the rest of the fruit, Pikachu smirked at the Turtonator. There was no way his enhanced attacks would catch Pikachu.

“Iron Tail!” Aislynn called out a not very effective move, but Pikachu’s momentum still meant the slab of iron that hit Turtonator in the chest sent him flying to the ground. Pressing his advantage, the Mouse pokémon gathered the energy for a Thunderbolt to finish off the fire-type. “Hold,” Aislynn ordered.

Pikachu drained the energy back into the recesses of his cheek pouches. He looked at his partner and asked, “Pi?”

“They’re here to learn,” she reminded him. Even if their team’s sparring usually ended up with one side pushing the advantage, their teammates could train their defenses and resilience. Turtonator wasn’t here for that. “Kiawe, can Turtonator continue?”

“Course we can!” shouted the boy. His partner struggled back onto his feet, revealing the crack in his shell. It ran down from his collarbone to the hole in his chest. “Get ready, Turtonator!” Kiawe flexed his arms by side, already pumped up.

“Pikachu, you know what to do.” In a flash of white energy, a Quick Attack flew across the courtyard. Turtonator, unable to dodge, turned his back to his foe. Rather than striking the wound already being carved into the fire-type, Pikachu slammed into the spines on Turtonator’s back. On contact, the spines began to glow. “Quick! Counter Shield!”

Pikachu bounced off Turtonator as the fire-type’s spikes shot off like rockets. Before they could explode, Pikachu started spinning and wrapped himself in a cocoon of electricity. That cocoon widened into a cage and each spine blew up far from their intended target.

“What’s that move?” shouted Kiawe. Turtonator huffed as his shell sprouted a new set of spines just as sharp as the last.

Pikachu landed back on his feet and stopped fueling the Counter Shield. “It’s a move we came up with years ago. The perfect blend of offense and defense.” Although, Pikachu had cut the technique off before it could spread out and shock Turtonator. Still, the point remained. “You like it?”

“It’s pretty cool.” Kiawe smiled before swinging his arms straight down to his side. The red and black bracelet on his wrist flared with energy. It wasn’t the blue of aura or the blazing red of fire, instead it was a pure golden energy. “Let’s see how you like this. Turtonator!”

The fire-type matched his trainer’s pose. The two thrust their arms with one wrist over the other, then they spread their arms out to the side. Rising to the sky, their fists pointed to the sun. Finally, they thrust one arm out toward their opponent with their other bracing it. Golden energy connected Kiawe and Turtonator, creating a giant ball of fire as large as the school building.

Aislynn didn’t remain idle while Kiawe performed his dance. She may not have had a Z-Ring to pull off a cataclysmic move, but she knew the feeling. Just like channeling her aura into Greninja, she called forth the sea of power that swelled in her heart. She couldn’t feel a bridge to Pikachu like she could to Greninja. All her power stayed under her skin, surging through her muscles.

No crystal. No Z-Ring. Just the energy behind Alola’s signature techniques.

“Thunderbolt!” Aislynn called out. All the energy welling up inside her was released in a single sigh, lost and unused.

Instead, Pikachu planted his feet and stared down at the miniature sun. Sparks crackled around his cheeks, echoing the sounds of a storm. “Pi!”

“Inferno!” Kiawe and Turtonator opened their fists, reaching out to grab the victory before them.

Lightning branched out from Pikachu, scorching the ground around him. Swaths of ash made trails around the courtyard. “Ka!”

“Overdrive!” The Z-Move blasted toward Pikachu with waves of heat blowing out throughout the school.

“Chu!” Pikachu saw this miniature sun and met it with a lightning bolt. It tore through the air in a flash, clashing with the combined might of a trainer and his pokémon. The two attacks pushed against each other, neither willing to give any ground.

“C’mon, Turtonator!” groaned Kiawe. He thrusted his hand forward as if the movement would push more power into the Z-Move. “We can do this!”

Perhaps he could have. The willpower and stubbornness shared between trainer and pokémon might be able to empower a Z-Move after it was used.

However, Pikachu on his own was stubborn enough to electrocute ground-types. When his Thunderbolt wasn’t enough in one stream of power, Pikachu launched two more lightning bolts at the Inferno Overdrive. With three attacks clashing against the Z-Move, there was no way it would strike Pikachu.

The miniature sun was pushed back by the Thunderbolts and Kiawe realized what was happening too late. Every move collided with Turtonator, exploding in plumes of smoke that rose high enough to eclipse the school building.

“Swellow, clear the smoke!” Aislynn’s most stubborn bird emerged from his pokéball and blew all the debris in the air away with two flaps of his wings. When all was revealed, Turtonator was flat on his back and knocked out. Pikachu, tired but nowhere near finished, scampered back over to Aislynn and jumped into her arms. “You did great, bud.” She rubbed the electric-type’s cheeks, digging her thumbs deep to massage his energy stores.

Kiawe and his peers ran over to Turtonator, none of them quite believing what they had just witnessed. A whole Z-Move was repelled by one pokémon? Without using a Z-Move of their own? Even Kukui was impressed, whistling his praise.

Aislynn meandered over to her students. “You did pretty well. That Z-Move spooked the heck out of me.” Swellow swooped down and landed on her vacant shoulders. He scanned over the children, eyeing them with an air of superiority.

Her opponent looked at the damage done to his pokémon. Cracks riddled Turtonator’s shell, only broken up by the charred keratin left by their own Z-Move. “I never thought someone could beat a Z-Move like that,” he mumbled as he returned his pokémon.

“First time for everything,” she said despite not even knowing that Pikachu could do that in the first place. “How about we all go to the pokémon center?”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Kukui chipped in. “And how about this? I’ll cancel Friday’s quiz anyway.”

Kiawe’s classmates cheered at the news, but the boy couldn’t take his eyes off of Aislynn. She saw his look of absolute befuddlement and couldn’t help but smile.

Chapter 36

Chapter Text

“I still don’t get it.” Kiawe stared at his phone. The screen replayed Aislynn’s battle with Tapu Koko for the tenth time since he had sat down in the pokémon center’s lobby. He glanced over to the veteran trainer, still struggling to come to terms with how strong her partner was.

Aislynn wasn’t at the same table as him, instead she and Lillie were sitting at a separate table. Pikachu was the only pokémon with the two and was firmly enjoying his massage in his trainer’s lap, so he was mostly out of sight for the blonde student. Out of sight meant slightly more out of mind. Much more than the rest of the class hanging around one table with their pokémon. Togedemaru and Bounsweet were small enough that none of the kids minded them being on the table. Lillie minded, and thus, she was sitting across from one of her teachers.

Sophocles pushed his phone in front of Kiawe’s, showing off a brand new video. “Here, it finally finished uploading.” Without waiting for his friend’s response, Sophocles hit play and started a recording of Kiawe’s recent bout. The whole thing took place in less than five minutes, most of which had been idle time or for the Z-Move’s dance.

Frankly, Aislynn was tempted to sneak over and snatch it so Kiawe couldn’t focus on whatever perceived mistakes he made. It was never good to just stew in a loss. Massaging her partner was a bit of a commitment though, especially since she didn’t want to bring a massive amount of static over to her students’ table.

Eventually, once the video had concluded and Turtonator was shown to be defeated, Kiawe looked at his redhead friend. “How did you record this without me noticing?”

“It’s definitely not phone-camera quality,” added Lana from her seat on Kiawe’s right. Mallow, who sat on his left, nodded along.

Sophocles grabbed his phone and stuffed it into his pocket. “Well, while you battle-nuts were getting started, I set up my camera.” Reaching into his small school bag, the ginger pulled out a camera. It was small enough to just fill up one hand and even had a strap to make carrying easier. On the side of it, “4K” was printed next to the Silph Co logo. “I’m surprised you two didn’t notice my setup.”

Lana cast her gaze toward the teacher assistant in the same room. “There were more interesting things happening,” was her cold reply. Well, cold to Sophocles. Pikachu smiled smugly at the indirect praise. He really didn’t need more people stroking his ego, his victories did that enough.

“I was worried about Turtonator.” Mallow rubbed her forearm and looked at the empty counter where Nurse Joy should be. The nurse hadn’t returned to her post since she had taken Turtonator to get healed up.

Aislynn glanced over to Lillie. “I saw it,” she whispered so only her teacher could hear. “Should I have stopped him?”

“Nah.” Aislynn didn’t moderate her voice. If she wanted to be secretive about how strong Pikachu was, she wouldn’t have competed with him. Really, she saw no real reason to be shy about how strong her pokémon were. “Pikachu’s been on camera plenty of times. Ain’t that right, buddy?”

“Cha,” he happily sighed as Aislynn fed a little aura into her fingers. He wiggled in her lap, ending up on his back while his trainer ran her hands over his belly.

“That reminds me.” Lillie shifted around so she was facing her teacher rather than her friends just a few steps away. With a conversation going on at the other table, there was little need for the blonde to whisper since her friends weren’t paying much attention to anyone else besides themselves. “Just how strong is Pikachu?” Aislynn scrunched up her face. “I mean, I’ve seen what Pikachu is capable of, but those are just examples. Is there any qualitative way to interpret his strength?”

Well, that was a hard one. She wasn’t really into the facts and numbers stuff, so much as she just did things and saw if they worked out. “Well, he’s at least as strong as a Regice. You know what those are, right?” The squinting Lillie was doing seemed to say no.

“I think I’ve read up on them.” She reached for her school bag but stopped halfway. “Oh-er, is it okay if I use my phone?” Aislynn waved her hand, granting her nonverbal permission. “Regice… Regice… Its body is made of ice from the ice age. It controls frigid ice of negative three-hundred and fifty-eight degrees Fahrenheit.”

Was that a pokédex entry? It sure sounded like it. “Does your phone have a pokédex installed into it?”

“Does yours not?” Lillie asked in return. Aislynn didn’t even know where her phone was half the time, much less know what it could do.

“Kiawe, please come to the front desk,” Nurse Joy said over the building’s intercom. “I repeat: Kiawe, please come to the front desk.”

Aislynn pointedly ignored the announcement. Kiawe didn’t have the same liberty and hurried his way down. “I don’t think I have that feature?” Aislynn took one hand off of Pikachu’s belly so she could dig into her backpack for her phone. It was more difficult than she expected with the bag still being worn, but she eventually fished out the device. “Do I?”

She handed the phone over to her student, who hesitated before taking it. Lillie set hers down, its screen blinking away with a single click of a button. “Are you sure?” she asked with the red-cased phone in her hands.

“It’s just a phone.” If Aislynn really needed one, she could just get a computer installed into her new home. Or buy a new mobile phone with her savings. Although she had no idea how to get her contacts back and her mom was the one who arranged that. “Just don’t drop it.”

“I wouldn’t dare entertain the thought. What’s your—oh, you don’t have a password.” Were phones supposed to have a secret password? That seemed so inconvenient. “That’s really dangerous, you know. If someone stole your phone, they’d be able to access everything in here. They could destroy your entire life.”

“They could?” asked Aislynn. Pikachu echoed her sentiment, popping up from her lap for a brief moment before his trainer’s scratching lulled him back into her lap.

“Yes! All of your personal information is connected in some way or another. If someone steals your phone, they could easily steal your identity. Half the work would already be done for them.” When she said it like that, it seemed pretty dangerous.

But if someone really wanted to steal her identity, it shouldn't be that hard. Before she transitioned, she looked almost identical to that Ritchie guy. She heard that he ran into Celebi just like she did. Professor Oak said that Ritchie had roughly the same amount of Celebi encounters to her Mew encounters. That wasn’t a large amount, but it was weird that those numbers were comparable.

Lillie sighed as she set her teacher’s phone down. There were numerous icons that Aislynn didn’t recognize on the screen, most of which were dulled down to show a circle. Either that or a little creature trying to catch its own tail. “What’s all this?”

“This one is a pokédex app.” Lillie pointed to the one with a circle slowly filling up. “It has compilations of confirmed research from regional professors, but lacks a lot of the more sensitive details like habitats and migration patterns. Those are usually saved for physical pokédexes.”

Yeah, that made sense. Aislynn had her pokédex from Kalos somewhere sitting around her house. Just using that was tremendously helpful for learning about her team.

The blonde student pointed to the next few apps. “I also installed a few news apps that I use. I hope you don’t mind.” Keeping up with the news was important and Aislynn needed to be more self-sufficient. Being able to keep up with what was going on instead of stumbling upon it randomly.

“Show me how to use them?”

“It’d be my pleasure.” Lillie smiled at the opportunity given to her. “Most of these are global news networks, but Daily Luau is one based in Alola. They’re mostly focused on recording festivals and events happening on every island, but their articles are still good enough to keep up with events.”

“Right, right.” She was totally going to remember all of that later. Yep. “So how do I use all of that?”

“That’s quite simple. You just need to open up the app.” Lillie tapped the icon, but none of the apps she had begun downloading had finished yet. “Oh.”

The two stared at the phone. A tiny fraction of progress had been made on the downloads and they showed no sign of speeding up. They likely wouldn’t even see them finish before the students had to go home for the day.

“Miss Ketchum?”

Kiawe approached their table with two pokéballs on his belt. Turtonator’s healing was complete then. “What happened?” Aislynn got out of her seat and held Pikachu in her arms, ready to throw him at whatever problem arose.

“Nurse Joy wants to talk to you.” The boy didn’t look any more knowledgeable than her about whatever conversation awaited Aislynn.

“Alright. Thanks, Kiawe.” Aislynn plopped Pikachu on her shoulders and started making her way over to the front desk.

“Ah, Miss Ketchum! Your phone!” Lillie jumped up with the red-cased phone in her hand. She handed it over to the teacher assistant.

“Thanks.” The phone got shoved back into its prison somewhere in Aislynn’s backpack. If it was in the medicine pocket or stuck with her tupperware from lunch, she didn’t know or care.

She left her students to their own devices and meandered across the center. It wasn’t a big lobby by any means, unless one included the second floor but that was still fairly small. Nevertheless, there was still enough space between the front desk and the tables that Aislynn had time to notice Nurse Joy’s fidgeting.

Nurse Joy and her partner Chansey were standing behind the desk, the former of which was twisting the hem of her dress between her fingers. Her gaze was locked to the small screen in front of her. Chansey waited on her trainer dutifully, but was fidgeting at her post too. She rubbed the egg in her pouch almost obsessively as if it would disappear if she stopped.

“Everything okay?” Aislynn asked in a hushed tone. “I have a full team with me. If there’s any trouble, just say the word and I’ll take care of it.”

Nurse Joy grabbed her skirt in two clenched fists. Her knuckles grew white as words spilled from her mouth. “I’m sorry. I made sure that Stoutland and Litten had all the accommodations they needed, but the pokémon on night shift allowed Stoutland out of his room and then I found him in Litten’s room and he wasn’t moving or breathing and I tried my best to resuscitate him but—but I—”

Inhale. Hold for five seconds.

Exhale. Process.

Aislynn walked around the counter and grabbed Nurse Joy by the shoulders. “I know.” Her voice still shuddered. “He knew too.”

“But-but…” Aislynn brought Nurse Joy in for a hug. She really was new to this job. “Then why did you bring him?” Although the question was accusatory in nature, the tears threatening to spill removed any such connotation.

The answer was quite simple to Aislynn. “He wanted to see Litten.”

Chapter 37

Chapter Text

Fire-type pokémon could be notoriously hard to control. When they were young, they were ordinary, excitable creatures. Yet as they grew older and evolved, the common trainer would run into problems. Should their flame burn too bright, a trainer may be burned and lose control of their pokémon. Said pokémon would run rampant until they fled into the wilderness and took their freedom back. However, some would see their trained injured and instead shut down and hold back so they do not harm their trainer any further.

This behavior seemed the most common in the fire-type pokémon given out as starters. While strong, they grew attached to their humans from a young age. This attachment gave them the fuel for their flames yet could also be what stops it. Most professors agreed that the Fennekin line was the most sensitive to their trainer’s well-being thanks to their innate psychic talents. However, the other fire starters still took care of their trainers, they just expressed it in different ways.

Aislynn was well aware of how different starters and species showed their affection. Charizard was a fancy rock away from being a dragon, as such, he showed off his care by being strong enough to protect what he deemed was his. It took time, but Aislynn became one of his lounge. She was close enough to him that he cared little when she laid against his belly and used it as a pillow.

Quilava had yet to evolve and assume his full potential. One day, he might but until then, he took advantage of his smaller size and laid across his trainer’s lap. He was always warm even without igniting the flames on his back and always cuddled with his trainer to share that warmth.

Infernape’s natural strength meant he was always doing his best to be gentle with Aislynn. Without a move, he could still break a person’s bones. So when they were all in a cuddle pile, he tended to just lean against his trainer or another pokémon. Although he would love to hold onto Aislynn or throw his arm around her, the flame blazing on his head was already heating up the area. Combined with Charizard’s tail and the other fire-type pokémon with them, Infernape was mindful not to overheat his trainer.

Pignite was in a similar boat. Although he didn’t have an open flame, his body still ran as warm as any other fire-type. Combined with his latest bulking, he decided to sit on the other side of his trainer, sandwiching her between Infernape and Pignite. It wasn’t uncomfortable for him and he hoped it wasn’t for his trainer. If it was, he’d be fine scooting away. Charizard’s tail still made a good pillow if that was his only option.

Despite having four fire-type starters, Aislynn couldn’t help but wonder about Litten’s species. They grew up to be dark-types, so would they be standoffish? Professor Kukui had told her that they were competitive to a fault, so maybe Litten would try and pick a fight with some of her other pokémon. It’d be quite hard to pick a fight while in a cast.

Of course when she was pondering about a fire starter with a sad past, she surrounded herself with four other examples. Here she was trying to drag in another. It almost sounded selfish. Sure she succeeded with the four she had, but they each had different backgrounds unique to them.

Charizard came from an abusive trainer who deemed him worthless after seeing him try so hard and fail. A little nurturing and he could brighten the sky with a flamethrower as a Charmander. A little motivation and he would soar through those very same skies.

Wait, Pignite was also abandoned by an abusive trainer. Albeit, he was tied up and left in front of a building whereas Charmander had been commanded to sit on a rock. It was still weird that they had such similar stories though. They were fundamentally different pokémon, but as Cilan would say, they had the same flavor despite appearances.

At least Quilava was a bit different. He was perhaps her first pokémon that struggled to be what their species was. Not quite like her gender identity since she changed teams in that regard. Rather, he couldn’t do what other Cyndaquil could and needed to take a different route than them. In the end, he reached his goal and she couldn’t be happier with him.

Then Infernape. Oh, boy. That Blaze ability was both the most troublesome and the best thing that ever happened to him. It almost felt like it wasn’t Blaze and some other power up entirely, but that fierce flame was all Infernape. When he truly ignited, he was an embodiment of rage and fury that was only tempered by experience and his own drive. Honestly, Aislynn wondered if his Blaze would be strong enough to overpower a Battle Bond. If a Blast Burn could do it, why not a Flare Blitz from her hottest fighter?

What would Litten’s signature move be then? Charizard had his Flamethrower and Seismic Toss. Quilava had a Flame Wheel that could match the speed of a Quick Attack. Infernape had his Flare Blitz. Pignite had an Arm Thrust ready to hammer down his foes.

“Are there any fire-type moves that Stoutland knows?” she asked out of the blue. Her cuddle pile stirred. Breaking their comfortable silence wasn’t ideal, but Aislynn just had so many thoughts going on in her head. “Do they learn Flare Blitz? Maybe Infernape could teach Litten how to do one when he’s all healed up.”

“Ferr?” Infernape wouldn’t be opposed, but that was a move for experts of their bodies. “Na nape.” Using a Flare Blitz could damage the user’s body more than their opponent’s. Infernape wasn’t confident a rookie off the streets could do it.

“But you could teach him! You’re super experienced.” It’d be so cool if her team had that kind of dynamic. Hawlucha and Noivern were kind of master and student, but that eventually turned into a weird parenting thing that roped in Talonflame as the surrogate mother. “Actually, would that be too soon? His last teacher just passed away, it might be inappropriate to try and make that happen.”

“Pig nite pite.” Okay, he also had a point. Litten could be taught by a bunch of pokémon instead of just one. That would probably be much more helpful since even members of the same species fought and moved differently.

“Quilava?” asked her lap pokémon. Should they even try and take in Litten?

“Well, maybe not now. He’s grieving and that takes a while.” That took a super long time sometimes. So who knew when Litten would be done grieving. Or if he’d ever really be done. “It’d be good for him to have a friendly face around though, right?”

“Infer.” Infernape nodded. It certainly helped him to have a friendly face after Paul had kicked him to the curb. “Nape nape,” he offered.

“Maybe we could all see him over the weekend. Nurse Joy’s still trying to figure out what to do but visitors should be fine.” This seemed like the first pokémon death that Hau’oli City’s Joy had experienced. Aislynn trying to squeeze herself in to see Litten might throw her off whatever procedure that her family was taught to follow if she went too early.

Quilava sagged down and became puddy laying across Aislynn’s lap. “Lava.”

“Oh, right.” Aislynn twisted to look at her biggest and oldest fire-type. “What do you think about all this, Charizard?”

The not-dragon huffed with his head laying on the ground. “Char char.” If Litten wanted to be strong, he would never be as strong as Charizard.

Well, that wasn’t fair. Charizard hadn’t even met Litten yet. Aislynn was sure that Litten could become a big strong Incineroar, and unlike Infernape, he wouldn’t have an innate type disadvantage to Charizard. With a bunch of training, he could probably give Charizard a run for his money.

Pikachu though? Definitely not. Pikachu was a monster and should not be counted.

“Row! Row!”

The lounge—herd? Pack? Cuddle pile. The cuddle pile looked up at a tiredly flapping Rowlet. The grass-type landed on the grass in front of them and panted for as much air as his lungs could handle. “What’s wrong?”

“Rowlet!” He pointed one wing to the forest. “Let let!” His flock was in trouble and they needed help.

Well, Aislynn didn’t have any plans today. “Boys, find your pokéballs. Charizard, get directions from Rowlett. I’ll go get Pikachu.” Quilava scurried off his trainer’s lap. Infernape and Pignite hopped to their feet and stretched out their backs. Charizard kept laying on the ground and took his sweet time. “We’ve got some bad guys to catch.”

Chapter 38

Chapter Text

Charizard landed under where Rowlet’s nest should have been. Unfortunately, their entire tree had been uprooted with a singed base. There wasn’t smoke, but when Aislynn touched the remnants, ashes coated her fingers and stained the tips.

“Rowlet,” Aislynn asked one of the two passengers in her arms. While the bird occupied the crook of her left arm, Pikachu was cradled in the right. “Do you recognize what attack did this?” She stepped back from the wreckage, looking at the wider damage.

With the tree uprooted, the nest that had once nestled itself inside of its branches had been thrown out and scattered into pieces across the forest floor. The tree’s roots were cracked and torn apart. She wasn’t sure if that had happened before or after they were torn out of the ground. Though given the chunks taken out of neighboring trees, she reckoned the battle raged on after their home had been upheaved.

“Row,” crooned the grass-type. Beak Blast. Aislynn wasn’t aware of that move, but it sounded like a flying-type one. Perhaps a signature move to an Alolan native pokémon. “Rowlet.”

She patted him on the head, caressing the brown feathers on his head. It was a small comfort, but her worry would bleed through her aura, so she dared not risk using that to comfort Rowlet. “Don’t worry, we’ll save your family. I promise.”

“Pika.” And they kept their promises. No matter who this was, be it Team Rocket or even Team Galactic, they would stop them.

“Pikachu, we’ll split up from here.” Her partner jumped down to the ground and Aislynn reached into her backpack. She sifted through the pile of pokéballs inside, grabbing each one to find which dents were on which pokéball. Once she found one with a set of talon scratches, she released Swellow.

The stubborn bird tilted his head. “Swell?”

“Swellow, can you and Pikachu scout around? We’re looking for a large group of local birds that got captured.” The flying-type nodded and Pikachu climbed onto his back. While unfit for transporting Aislynn, Pikachu was the perfect size to ride on Swellow.

The two set off in a blur, leaving Rowlet winded just from watching them. Meanwhile, Aislynn scanned over the debris again. There weren’t any man-made paths this far into the forest, not that it would help much. All of the scuffle had torn up the neighboring trees and grass, digging into the dirt. So just the immediate surroundings couldn’t be relied on.

“Char.” Charizard pointed toward a gap in the trees. Scratches had dug a path between the trees and marked semblances of a trail. Torn up bits of dirt and glass were a better indicator, but it would still be tough to follow. “Zarr.”

Aislynn nodded. “We can follow the trail, but could you even see it through the trees?” Charizard huffed, not even entertaining the idea that such an obstacle would stop him. She decided that she’d rather not test that. Her own propensity to get lost was more than enough. “Buizel! Quilava! I choose you!”

Popping out of their pokéballs the two pokémon were immediately on guard for any sign of danger. When none arose, they looked questioningly at their trainer.

“You two see the trail?” Both of her pokémon nodded. “Follow it and see where it leads. Whoever finds the culprits first will shoot out a signal.” Pikachu already knew to do that. Though even if he didn’t, well, a lightning bolt is hard to miss and the thunder that followed was loud enough of a sign.

“Quil!”

“Bui!”

Both lithe pokémon saluted and raced each other down the trail, following the hints of struggle faster than Aislynn would have even been able to on her own. However, she had her own plan of attack.

Hopping on Charizard’s back, she held Rowlet close to her chest with one arm while the other hooked around the base of Charizard’s neck. The fire-type shot off into the sky in the vague direction that Quilava and Buizel had gone. Pikachu and Swellow had been looking in another direction and were just a dot in the sky. Such speed must have rubbed Charizard the wrong way.

With a puff of smoke trailing from his mouth, he kicked it into gear and launched into speeds that made Aislynn’s stomach tremble. The treeline below rustled from the sheer force of his wings. Pokémon quivered in their nests and dens from the behemoth that announced his presence just by moving. Leaving a trail of smoke only served to make those wandering around retreat into their homes so they didn’t gain the ire of the largest fire-type in the area.

None of that stopped the Thunderbolt that struck true. “Char,” complained the prideful fire-type. He obviously wanted to be the first to get his hands on whoever was behind this. It had been years since he had really gotten his hands on crooks and allowed to let loose. Well, mostly. Just because they were criminals and made morally incorrect decisions did not mean that they could be burnt down to a crispy skeleton.

Aislynn patted her boy’s neck. “If you get there fast enough, you might be able to still battle.” In an instant, Charizard was zooming off toward the signs of battle. Pikachu and Swellow were sure to make quick work of whoever dared to steal Rowlet’s family, but Charizard was still fast.

Of course, the battle would continue to rage on. Pikachu let loose another Thunderbolt, which roared throughout Melemele Island. Seconds later, a golden bird soared through the sky and crashed into the ground at the edge of the forest. Figured that those two would try their unique combination attack as soon as they got the chance to work with each other.

“Row?” Her passenger peeked out from her hold. He squinted, struggling to keep his eyes open with the speeds that Charizard flew at.

Soothing over some feathers, Aislynn shouted, “Don’t worry! My team knows how to control their attacks! Your family should be fine!” Speaking of control, Charizard dove toward the battle. “Hold on tight!” Tiny talons dug into her shirt and she hoped that was enough. She let her legs loosen up, resting against Charizard’s back.

When the fire-type swooped down, he twisted around to grab one of the many pokémon fighting Pikachu and Swellow. As he did so, Aislynn threw herself off his back and rolled across the grass, tumbling until her feet were planted back onto solid ground. With a glance down, she saw that Rowlet was safe, if a little shaken. Which was good. Second time she had done this and she hadn’t even signaled Charizard any hints of her plan.

Now, time to deal with bad guys. “Alright, release all the… oh.” A flock of Pikipek used Peck on the fallen Team Skull grunts, jabbing through their flesh and nicking them all over. “That is not good. Uh, hold on. I’ll call Officer Jenny.”

Rowlet fluttered over to his flock and surrogate mother, a Toucannon. She squinted at Aislynn while the trainer fished out her phone from her backpack, but praised Rowlet for seeking help. So at least he got something out of this.

Pikachu and Swellow also got to have fun, although their opponents weren’t very tough. At least, the Yungoos and Salandit didn’t seem too tough. They were smaller than the average Rattata but that could just be their natural size. Either way, all of them had been rounded up and put into a pile by her currently-golden Swellow and his partner in crime.

“Hello, this is Officer Jenny. What’s your emergency?” Oh good, she wasn’t being put on hold.

“Hi, so my pokémon defeated some Team Skull guys who were trying to steal a bunch of Pikipek. They’re super defeated, but the Pikipek decided to take revenge and they probably need a hospital.” Was that everything? She felt like she needed to include something else.

“Char!” Diving down, Charizard tossed a chunky Raticate into the ground. In its new crater, the Raticate whined out the last bit of air left in their lungs.

“Also they have a lot of pokémon too. About nine of them and they all need medical attention.” Charizard stalked over to Pikachu and Swellow, giving them the stink eye. Getting to Seismic Toss one rat wasn’t nearly enough for him, but he knew that challenging Pikachu was the equivalent of standing under a Rock Slide. Swellow wasn’t that much of a threat to him, but he had that Thunder Armor power-up still.

Officer Jenny sighed. “How many grunts?”

“Let’s see… One. Two. Three. Four. Four grunts. Nine pokémon.” Aislynn walked over and tugged at the bandanas every grunt seemed to wear. Each one looked the same save for the dirt and cuts. “Hey, is there a way to tell which one of them is in charge?”

“There’s only two bosses, Plumeria and Guzma. Check the back of their pendants. If they aren’t engraved with a name, those aren’t them.” The trainer did as she was told, although she did have to avoid a dozen angry beaks.

All four had names written in permanent marker, most of them with sloppy penmanship that rivaled Aislynn’s own. “Nope. Just regular grunts.”

“Good. What’s your location?”

She looked around. “At the edge of the forest?”

“Any landmarks? Buildings?” Officer Jenny’s voice didn’t seem annoyed per say. She definitely seemed tired though. “Can you see the beach from where you are?”

“Well, I think I see a cemetery. Is that north?” Pikachu shook his head and pointed down. “There’s a cemetery south of me.”

“Ma’am, stay where you are. I’ll be sending a van to the cemetery. Keep a lookout for sirens and stay safe.” Officer Jenny hung up the call, making Aislynn’s phone beep loudly in her ear. She tossed it back into her bag, never to be seen until Pikachu dug it out. Or until she got a call. Or needed to call someone. There were a lot of reasons why she might need it.

To help the time pass was not one of them. At least, not for her. She had seen plenty of students use their phones during lunch to whittle away the time. Rather than do whatever she could with the apps Lillie had installed, Aislynn watched her pokémon bicker.

Charizard was still peeved about not being a part of the “raiding party” or whatever he wanted to call it, especially when Rowlet had approached him and the other fire-types first. Pikachu and Swellow were brought along for their speed and efficiency. Although so were Quilava and Buizel, the latter of which was recruited by Infernape to help. Unfortunately, everyone else she brought didn’t get the chance to even step out of their pokéballs.

That was a shame, but also probably a good thing. Having all of her pokémon fight one—already very lopsided—battle was overkill and was more likely to start a forest fire before all the Pikipek were saved. Maybe she should bring less than a whole backpack full of pokéballs. Everyone but Snorlax and the Tauros herd weren’t necessary for a small group of grunts.

“Row?” Rowlet broke Aislynn’s latest train of thoughts before she could think about bringing the entire Tauros herd somewhere. He landed at her feet in lieu of any better locations to stand. “Row row!”

“You sure?” The tiny owl nodded vigorously. When Aislynn looked over at Toucannon, she turned her back to the trainer and flapped away with the remainder of her flock. “Well, I guess welcome to the team, Rowlet! We’re happy to have you!” Aislynn grabbed her backpack and unzipped it. The mountain of pokéballs inside spilled out, releasing a dozen pokémon in an instant. “Wait! Guys! Calm down!”

“Infer!” Infernape ran toward the pile of beaten pokémon with fire surrounding every lick of his body.

“Not the Flare Blitz! Don’t you dare!”

Chapter 39

Chapter Text

For some reason, Aislynn expected Thursday and Friday to be a bit more engaging. She really shouldn’t have. Even if she wasn’t the one who was learning—at least not the one that was supposed to be—most of Kukui’s lecture went in one ear and out the other.

Seriously, she didn’t remember a single time people used berries as held items in a League tournament. If there was, she either lost to a different pokémon or she beat them and moved on with her life. Granted, berries were still enormously helpful as natural remedies when potions and antidotes didn’t make the cut. It was rare for her to be stuck in the wilderness for that long though. Not impossible given her poor sense of direction, but still unlikely when her pokémon were around.

At the very least, the past two school days went by in a flash. Aislynn didn’t have to do anything but bring her pokémon for demonstrations. After that, she just hung around and watched the students eat and play with their partners.

She and Pikachu were relaxing in the courtyard for lunch, sitting in the grass while two first-years had a mock battle. With a Rockruff and a Cutiefly facing off against each other, it provided a pleasant but slow show. Neither were trained for battle and their attacks missed more often than not. That was the average skill level around Alola so far.

Of course, Aislynn and Kukui were notable exceptions to that. The Island Kahunas were also supposed to be strong trainers, but Aislynn doubted that they battled much outside of their Grand Trials. Maybe she’d get to see Hau and Selene battle Kahuna Hala when they got strong enough. That sounded like a fun match to see.

“Pika?” Pikachu handed Aislynn an empty juice box and she shoved stuffed inside a piece of empty tupperware. “Pi chupi?” He glanced at the incubator in her lap. She hadn’t brought it to class since Monday since flying with a basket full of berries and an incubator was impractical. Now that she had it, she wrapped her legs around the base.

The egg itself shook every once in a while and Pikachu managed to catch one of those few times. Aislynn had missed it yet again. She hadn’t even felt it rock. The egg was so far from hatching when it shook only three or four times a day.

“So, how do you like teaching, Pikachu?” she asked while resting her cheek against the top of the incubator. Her arms wrapped around it, making it look like Principal Oak’s Komala.

The electric-type rubbed his chin. “Chu.” Mentally draining. Yeah, even just five kids every day felt like wrangling around a nursery of pokémon. And unlike the pokémon, these kids had opposable thumbs. “Pi pika.” But not very physically draining. They weren’t as active as they were when they were traveling every hour that the sun was out.

“What about that battle on Wednesday? That didn’t tucker you out?” Breaking through a Z-Move had to have tuckered him out at least a little. It wasn’t a long battle and he wasn’t throwing around moves with all the power he could. It still had to mean something.

Pikachu shrugged with his tiny shoulders. “Pi chupi.” Of course, one day wouldn’t tire him out for a week. The plight of being a traveling trainer and settling down: getting adjusted to the (relatively) quiet life.

“Well,” Aislynn hummed, “what if you battle Charizard when we get home? I’m pretty sure he’s still salty about not getting a fight back when we saved Rowlet. So that’s like a two-for-one deal. You get to let out some energy, he gets to let out his frustration. Everyone wins.”

Her partner rolled his eyes. “Pi,” he said. “Chu chu. Kapi.” Those words just made him seem like a smug bastard. A cute one, but still smugness didn’t look good on anyone.

Aislynn sighed. Well, she’d figure out some way to get Pikachu’s extra energy out. She might be able to devise some kind of training regimen that would help. That or they could start running around the beach before their usual bedtime. It might not be the most efficient way to burn energy, but it would be good for both of them.

Working with someone who showed off his abs all day didn’t make Aislynn jealous per say. She was content with her body and spent years getting to that point. Having abs though sounded nice. Even with all her travels, she never developed them. Her stomach had been flat for years, but never toned. Maybe she’d like being toned.

“Miss Ketchum?” Kiawe, Lana, and Sophocles walked over to her little patch of grass. As was their normal, Popplio followed at Lana’s heels and Sophocles carried Togedemaru in his arms.

“Yo, what’s up?” The teacher assistant didn’t bother to lift her head off her incubator. She rolled off her cheek and onto her chin, but that was the only courtesy she would give them.

Kiawe bowed at the hip with his arms flat against his sides. “Please make me your student and teach me your ways!”

Aislynn blinked. She turned to Pikachu and her partner turned to her at the same time. Then they looked at the boy again. “Say what?”

“I wish to become your student and learn how you gained your strength. If you will have me.” He didn’t even look her in the eye. He was still bowed and staring face-down at the ground. “I admire the strength you and Pikachu have. Seeing it for myself has shown me that I have a long way to go in my training. So please, train me.”

“Um, sure?” Aislynn scrunched up her face. Kiawe straightened back up with a smile from ear-to-ear. “But I’m pretty sure that I’ll be teaching you guys how to train pokémon later anyway. It’s kind of my expertise, you know. Seven whole years training pokémon around the world has to mean something.”

“The sooner the better!” he shouted. “Training takes time, right?” Well, yeah. Pikachu didn’t go from electrocuting an Onix with a sprinkler to going head-to-head with Tapu Koko.

“Yeah, that makes sense. We can start next week after class if you want.” Her weekend was busy anyway with visiting Professor Kukui and taking trips to see Litten. “What about you two?”

Lana waved at the teacher assistant. “I also want to train.”

So two personal students. Would that be similar to traveling with May and Max? Probably not since she wasn’t traveling with them. “We definitely should start next week then. Oh, you guys can come to my house and train there! My pokémon need to let out their energy anyway.”

“Cool.” Lana plopped herself down beside Aislynn and Popplio crawled into his trainer’s lap.

“What about you?” Aislynn asked Sophocles. “Do you wanna train too?”

“No way!” He rapidly shook his head. “I mean, training is cool but it’s not for me.” Togedemaru squeaked, agreeing with her trainer. Then, the ginger’s shoulders sagged. “My parents told me to apologize for recording you and Kiawe without asking for permission.”

Aislynn blinked three times before bursting into laughter. Pikachu followed suit, unable to contain himself. “Sorry, sorry.” She wheezed between laughs. “It’s fine. You can record me. It’ll probably get more of my friends to call me.” Did Cynthia count as a friend? Aislynn thought of her as a friend. “Just keep it to battles and normal things, I guess?”

Sophocles gave her two thumbs-up. “I can do that.” He shuffled over and sat on the opposite side of Aislynn from Lana. “How do you want to be credited? I couldn’t find any Chatter accounts with your name. Well, real ones anyway. There were a few fake ones but they only had random Pikachu pictures or were dedicated to conspiracy theories.”

“Chatter? Like Chatot’s signature move?” Was that more than a move? It was definitely a word.

“Our teacher is tech-illiterate,” Lana blurted out.

Sophocles moaned, “Ah man.”

“What?” Aislynn swiveled her head between her students. “What am I missing?”

Chapter 40

Chapter Text

“Remember that visiting hours end in three hours,” Nurse Joy reminded her from the door of the center’s many long-term care rooms. She smiled at the trainer and pokémon who were visiting. Both of them waved at her, more than familiar with the rules. “If you need anything, I’ll just be down the hall. Feel free to come get me or press the button over there.” She pointed over to a large red button next to the room’s only bed.

Litten glanced down at the button. It was just a bit out of reach for him, especially with his cast still limiting his mobility. Aislynn hummed and internally hoped she wouldn’t need to use that feature. “We’ll be okay. Don’t worry about us.”

“Hearing that makes me worry,” quipped the nurse. She sauntered away with her flats clacking against the floor. Enough for the long-term patients to hear where she was, but not loud enough that they would rattle inside the heads of most people.

Once Aislynn and Pikachu were left alone with Litten, they took stock of the room properly. Litten was in the same bed that she had seen him on Wednesday but with new sheets. His cast now had a few nicks in the outer layers that had yet to be replaced. The machines had been reduced. All that remained was an IV drip and a heart monitor.

“Can we?” Aislynn gestured to the foot of the bed. Litten nodded sluggishly and the trainer tried to sit down as gently as she could. Her weight still made Litten’s side of the bed puff up, lifting up the feline. “So, you’ve been sleeping a lot, huh?”

Litten didn’t bother with a response. He laid back on his side and let his eyes sit on the trainer. Those yellow eyes remained glazed over, not blind but still lacking recognition.

She should have expected that. Stoutland must have meant a lot to him and a day and a half was nowhere near enough to process that kind of loss. “Nurse Joy told me that you haven’t been eating.” Aislynn grabbed Pikachu off her shoulder and settled him in her lap, where she wrapped both her arms around him. “We brought some food if you’d like to eat. Just some plain oran and sitrus-flavored stuff, but it should help you get back on your feet. I know that center food ain’t exactly great with all the pokémon coming in and out.”

Litten blinked at her. It was slow and full of more meaning than words. He was tired and wanted to rest. He would rather be sleeping so he wouldn’t have to think about life without Stoutland, about life without someone to come back home to.

“No food then. That’s okay. Maybe later.” Aislynn slid off one strap of her backpack and pulled out two rectangular pieces of tupperware. Inside, a yellow curry filled up one box while the other was full of rice safe for pokémon to eat. She placed both on a small rolling cabinet next to a lone pokéball.

The button faced the wall and four incisions dug into the metal shell. Each one was shallow, whoever bit into the ball struggled to make any deep marks. That or they chose not to, but Aislynn doubted that. She reached out for it, but stopped before she touched the shiny surface.

Something about it felt wrong. There was just a weird sensation around it, clinging to the pokéball’s shell. It had to belong to Stoutland, there was no other ‘mon that it could belong to. He must have grabbed it in his mouth and brought it over when he moved to Litten’s room. Nurse Joy must have left it with Litten out of some form of respect. Aislynn supposed that she ought to leave it there too.

She sat back down at the edge of the bed with Pikachu sitting in her lap. “Pika?” Her partner looked up at her with those slightly too big eyes. Words piled onto her tongue but she bit it before they could spill from her mouth. Instead, she cupped his cheek and flooded her palm with aura. Her worries and grief flowed from her core—her metaphorical heart—to her partner’s cheeks. He may not have a deep or innate understanding of aura, but he could feel the raw emotions that hers carried.

It wasn’t a perfect form of silent communication by any means, but she had to learn what PIkachu meant off of his tone and gestures alone for a few years. It was only right that he had to have some communication barriers too.

When understanding dawned on the Mouse pokémon, he stared at the pokéball on the table. He may not like his own, but he could sympathize with others. That device was one of the few material objects that Stoutland left behind. His hideout still held his stuff for the time being yet that was all out of reach. This item was technically still out of reach. Litten could always drag his cast around, although he seemed too mentally drained to do that.

“You know, Professor Oak once told me that pokéballs can’t tell if their registered pokémon is still around. If a pokémon leaves for another region or if they pass away, the pokéball can’t tell. It just sits and waits for them to come back.” Aislynn didn’t really know where she was going with that train of thought. The words bounced off her tongue like a well-practiced contest performance. “Until the pokéball manually releases Stoutland, that ball will always be his. I guess that’s a bit sad. Probably shouldn’t have brought it up.”

Litten rolled his head so he could see the aforementioned ball. His eyes focused for the first time since Aislynn had stepped foot into the room. Her rambling meant something, even if it felt a bit like nonsense to her. “Lit,” he said quietly. He liked the sentiment, even if it had to be fabricated after Stoutland’s passing.

“I’ll make sure that Nurse Joy leaves the pokéball here then.” Pikachu nuzzled into her hand, directing her attention down to him. He pointed at her palm then at Litten. “Worth a shot, I guess.” She scooted closer to the Fire Cat pokémon. “Litten, can I pet you?” The feline remained transfixed on the pokéball. “Well, I’m going to pet you. If you feel anything weird, just yowl or something. I’ll stop immediately.”

Aislynn carded a hand against Litten’s side and danced her fingers across her ribs. With a single palm, she could feel most of the curved bones thanks to the feline’s small size. When he didn’t jolt or make a sound, she moved onto step two of her very impromptu plan.

Focus on the happy emotions. The good times spent with pokémon she had let go and the ones she would never see again. Butterfree was off with his family and the rest of his swarm. He could be anywhere in Kanto or Johto, but he had done so much for her in the short time they knew each other. Saying goodbye had been so hard, but when they meet again, she would welcome him with open arms and tears of joy.

Aipom had been with her for such a short time before he was traded for Buizel. They didn’t quite click, but Aislynn still valued his companionship. Now he was with Dawn, traveling the world to compete in contests that Aislynn might not ever get to see for herself. She knew that he was happy with what happened. Ambipom wouldn’t go back to change a thing.

Greninja had been inside her heart and she had been in his. He was half a world away right now and fighting for what they believed in: making the world a better place one step at a time. After all the hardship they had tackled head on together, they had parted so he could fight the good fight. Yet when they reunited, she didn’t doubt for a second that their Battle Bond would be as strong as ever.

Saying goodbye may hurt, but that bond would always be there. She didn’t know how to put that into her aura, but she tried her damn best to do so.

Under her fingers, Litten purred and closed his eyes. “Stoutland will always be there,” Aislynn whispered as the rise and fall of Litten’s chest began to slow. “He’ll always be with you, Litten.”

It wasn’t long before those soft words and magic fingers lulled Litten to sleep. Once he had drifted off, Aislynn picked Pikachu up into her arms. The fire-type would be okay. He just needed some time and care.

Chapter 41

Chapter Text

“Aislynn, can you move your phone?” Serena’s voice echoed from the phone on the edge of the porch. Somewhere between Aislynn answering the call and her sitting down against the wall, her phone had dropped flat onto the floorboards.

“One sec.” Too lazy to stand all the way back up, Aislynn leaned over and grabbed her phone. When she did so, she was able to see Serena’s flashing face as she propped the device back up. “What’s up?”

“Why are you wearing sweats? When did you even get those?” Serena ducked out of view of the camera for a second before reappearing slightly less flushed. Her cheeks were still tinged with pink and even her tan from Kalos did little to hide it.

Aislynn tugged on the large sweatshirt she was wearing. It was just gray and somewhat thick, perfect for keeping her warm but also very simple. “This thing? Misty told me to buy it. She said that they were quintessential day-off clothes.” She was right too! They were comfy and fairly cheap compared to all the expensive travel wear that she bought every year. Not quite as durable or stain resistant, but such was the price she had to pay.

Along with the actual price. That was barely a drop in her bank account back then. These days, it might actually make a dent. Being a competitive trainer paid a lot more than being a teacher, albeit through inconsistent tournament winnings and trainer battles.

“Misty told you to buy,” Serena gulped, “oversized sweats? It’s like she’s trying to kill me.”

“Kill you? How would clothes kill you?” There wasn’t a pokémon that possessed clothing, was there? Actually a psychic-type could just manipulate the clothing a person was wearing if they had good enough control.

Serena shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. Just keep your sleeves rolled up, alright?” Aislynn raised her hands. Both of her sleeves were bunched up toward the wrist, but the elastic kept the extra fabric from swallowing her hand. “Yeah, like that. That’s good.” Serena coughed into her fist.

This felt like some weird romantic thing that Aislynn didn’t really understand. Some part of her felt like it wasn’t something she should talk about. At least, not across the phone. “So, how’s your pokémon?” Aislynn asked, defaulting to the most basic question she could come up with.

“Braa?” Braixen poked her head out from behind her trainer. Her fur was steaming, evaporating whatever water had clung to her body.

Serena twisted around, about to scold her partner for walking out of the bathroom without any warning, but Aislynn beat her to it. “Hi, Braixen! Did you get groomed recently? Your fur looks great.” It was cut short and tamed. Not even a shower messed up the yellow and white coat.

The fire-type nodded and preened under the praise. She moved over and stood beside her trainer. “Xen. Xen?”

“Oh, Pikachu?” Aislynn craned her neck and tried to peek over the porch’s railing. Her pokémon dashed through Route 2 with Donphan trying to catch them by rolling around. It ripped up grass and dirt everywhere. The team was too fast to leave the area untouched, but they were having fun. “He’s playing tag right now. I can call him down if you want.”

“No, that’s okay!” Serena pushed Braixen back out of frame. “Can you go check on Sylveon? The groomer should be done with her.” Braixen rolled her eyes and nodded.

Before she left the hotel room, she waved at the phone. “Braixen!” Aislynn giggled at the fire-type’s send-off and Serena’s ignorance of it. The veteran trainer waved back at the Fox pokémon.

Once she had left, Serena let out a sigh. “Are your pokémon like this?”

“Yes and no.” Aislynn crossed her legs and watched her flying-types start another race with each other. She’d have to go inside if she wanted to have a decent conversation without the sound of jet engines and angry birds squawking at each other. “Most of them have too much energy and make up games to pass the time. So they don’t really bother me unless it’s their grooming day.”

“Ugh, that reminds me. Groomers are expensive.” Serena wiped her face with her hands. Aislynn couldn’t help but chuckle. “How did you afford that many pokémon care products? It’s like you had one for each of your pokémon.”

Well for her Kalos team, she used different products for everyone. In Unova, it was a bit easier. Snivy and Leavanny used the same products. Pignite and Krookodile also used the same products but didn’t like being groomed as often. It really depends on the pokémon. Although it did get quite expensive, especially when Aislynn got back from her journey and the entire Tauros herd had gotten mud stuck in their fur.

“I mean, I had a lot of savings and only really spent money on food, so it wasn’t that hard.” Seeing her paycheck for teaching after all her earnings from Kalos was a bit of a sour point. Aislynn would make up for it later though. “Plus, Brock showed me where you can skimp out on shampooing so it’s more efficient!” She smiled, still proud of herself for picking that up and sticking to it.

“Braixen and Sylveon definitely miss your grooming.” Serena cast a snide glance toward the door as if her partner would pop out of the door at the mention of her name. “Braixen already washed out their tropical scents. I swear, if Sylveon starts rolling around in the dirt…”

“You know, they say tropical, but Alola doesn’t really smell like that. It kinda just smells like the beach.” Unless she was in the forest, then it smelled like a forest. Wait, that was dumb. Of course a forest smelled like a forest. Well, her point still stood. Alola didn’t smell like those tropical scents that people kept trying to sell.

Serena sighed. “You know, I never thought I’d miss being outdoors. It was so much easier to practice in the middle of a field.” The blonde cast a glance out her hotel window. “Did you have to train much in cities?”

“Not really.” Aislynn watched Noctowl soar over the beach house. Each flap of his wings was silent even when he kept a faster pace than Noivern in their race. “Pokémon centers usually have a field to train, but you have your Grand Festival next week, right? It’d probably be better to practice out of town on a nearby route so your competition doesn’t see what new tricks you’re coming up with. At least, that’s what May and Dawn did.”

“Absol doesn’t want to step foot out of the city right now.” Oh that meant there was danger. Wait, why was there danger? “I don’t know either,” Serena answered Aislynn’s unspoken question. “He’s been wary of something ever since we got here.”

Aislynn stood up and grabbed her phone. She leaned against the railing of her home and held her phone vaguely toward her face. “Are there any patterns? Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary?” The veteran trainer scanned the nearby route, spotting her partner immediately. Pikachu hid between the small grass as he snuck up behind Oshawott. “I can get a plane ticket to Hoenn if Absol’s getting migraines.”

“No, no. It’s okay.” Serena leaned back in her stiff chair. “It’d be really nice if you came over, but you’ve got work. You shouldn’t buy a plane ticket just because I’m a little nervous.” Laying an arm across her face, the blonde obscured her expression. Unfortunately, the pink flush that captured her cheeks had also conquered her ears.

“I’ve still got enough in my account that I wouldn’t wince too hard,” quipped the trainer. She locked eyes with Pikachu and he came bounding over with a Quick Attack. Jumping on the railing, he took one look at Serena and snickered. Aislynn bopped him on the head. “Seriously though, I can head over and get some people to help. I’m not sure how many of them will recognize me, but I’m pretty sure Norman would help me fight against any danger.”

“It’s fine! I swear!” yelped Serena as the door to her hotel room creaked open. She snapped her head away from it, doing her best to hide the heat pooling up around her face. “I shouldn’t be in Hoenn long anyway. So if there’s any danger before then, well, Wallace will be around until the Grand Festival is over. I’ll be fine.”

Aislynn couldn’t help but pout. Wallace was strong but she was pretty sure he had lost his champion title to Steven Stone, a trainer that Wallace had to defeat for the title. She wanted to believe that Steven just learned from his defeat and improved, but it was equally likely that Wallace had been focusing too much on his contest skills. Nevertheless, he was a formidable trainer, one that she couldn’t just wave off.

“Just make sure to listen to Absol,” sighed Aislynn. “I’ll be a phone call away if you need me to send someone over.” Pokémon centers weren’t that far away, and if the worst came to pass, Kukui had to have a PC system connected to his lab.

“Who do you have to send? Pikachu might be willing to fight with me, but he’s still not okay with pokéballs.” In response, Aislynn simply turned her phone around, showing off all the pokémon in her backyard. “Woah! Are those all yours?”

“Yep. Most of them are battle-ready too.” A fleet of flying-types sped past, ruffling up Aislynn’s hair. If she had been wearing her hat, she was sure that it would be flying off toward the beach. “Just give me the call.”

“Hopefully I don’t have to take you up on that offer.” Serena was sandwiched by Braixen and Sylveon, each trying to squeeze into frame. Aislynn turned her phone back around, showing off her and Pikachu. “Absol’s been staring at the moon though, so who knows.”

The moon, huh? Well ain’t that something.

Chapter 42

Chapter Text

Everything that Aislynn had picked up about grooming and caring for pokémon had come from Brock and Misty. While Misty had only traveled with Ash for two years, she knew how to keep her pokémon fit and healthy thanks to being a gym leader. Her sisters had also pushed her to beautify her pokémon, so she had picked up a few things there even if she hardly used them.

Brock was a more obvious case. From Kanto to Hoenn, Aislynn had learned how to care for nearly all of the pokémon she had encountered. There were some exceptions such as Goodra and their unique anatomy. Otherwise, Aislynn could groom any of her teammates and use more esoteric healing methods. Suzie had taught Brock the beginnings of massaging pokémon and everything he learned about it, he taught to Aislynn.

So on her days off from training, Aislynn used to take care of her team. Pikachu was most familiar with it and it helped soothe his cheek pouches back when Zekrom had short-circuited his stores. No massage was instant relief, but it helped in the long-run. If there was anything that Aislynn had learned throughout the years, it was that pokémon training was a long game. Any shortcuts came with their downsides, even if it seemed to help more than the tried and true methods.

Today, to enjoy her Saturday afternoon, Aislynn had decided to start the grooming rotations. With over sixty pokémon to take care of, she started with the ones she had first caught. Pikachu had taken his time with her affections, cuddling up in her lap as she combed through his fur. Once he was done though, Bulbasaur was next.

“No one’s caused too much trouble, have they?” she asked while brushing down Bulbasaur’s scales with a damp cloth. The cloth wiped away some of the gunk building up against the scales, but also helped reveal a few chipped or loose scales.

Bulbasaur stretched out in his trainer’s lap, soaking up as much of the Alolan sun as he could. “Bul bul,” he answered lazily. The Tauros herd had caused their usual ruckus whenever they decided to stampede around Aislynn’s property and the rest of the route. Wrangling all thirty of them in was a bit of a hassle, but they usually returned back to their pens in the barn once they ran out of energy.

“Any other troublemakers I should know about?” Aislynn knew of most of the dynamics around Oak Ranch, but now that her team was on their own, they only had each other to mingle with. “The race this morning was a bit louder than I expected. It was a bit hard to hear Serena over two Brave Bird attacks.”

The grass-type grumbled. “Bulba bul. Saur.” Right, there wasn’t any way that Bulbasaur could really stop them from doing that. He could yell all he wanted, but when the flying-types started racing and used attacks, only Pikachu could stop them.

Aislynn set her washcloth inside a bowl, letting it soak in water again. Running a hand over Bulbasaur’s scales, she stopped when she found a chipped scale. “Do you want me to pluck the damaged ones?” He shook his head and she left it alone. None of the ones she saw were particularly bad, just a few chips. “Alright, let’s file your nails down.”

Reaching over to grab a small travel bag, Aislynn pulled out a nail file. Bulbasaur never had exceptionally sharp claws, but years of battling and handling other pokémon made his claws uneven. So it was up to his trainer to even them out and prevent them from becoming ingrown.

“Pika!” shouted Pikachu from upstairs.

“Just bring it down!” Aislynn shouted back. Her partner scampered down the stairs with her phone in his mouth. He hopped onto the kitchen table and showed off the caller ID. “Mom?” She swiped and answered the call. “Hey, Mom!”

Delia Ketchum waved at her daughter. She was sitting at home in front of the family computer with Mimey sweeping in the background. “Hello, dear. How was your first week of teaching?”

Since she was still filing down Bulbasaur’s claws, Aislynn didn’t face the camera. “It was alright,” she decided to say. “About as slow as I expected, but the class has some standouts.”

“Oh?” Delia urged her daughter to go on.

“Well, each of them have their own thing going on.” Aislynn moved from one foot to the next. “Kiawe and Lana want to be battlers and learn from me. Although I’m pretty sure Lana wants it to stop bullies and stuff while Kiawe just wants to be as strong as he can.”

“Both are quite admirable,” commented Delia. “Do you think they have what it takes?” The woman wasn’t the most well-versed with battling, but Aislynn appreciated her interest.

To keep up the conversation, Aislynn kept it short and simple.. “They both need more pokémon, especially Lana. Otherwise, it just comes down to how dedicated they are to keep up.” Pikachu propped up the phone against the travel bag, angling it just right so Aislynn’s upper body was caught by the camera. “Everyone else has their own interests that Professor Kukui is trying to encourage. It’s really nice of him, but the lesson plans all seem out of order.”

“I’m sure he has a plan for all of it. He’s been teaching for years, so there must be a method to it.” Mimey stopped his sweeping and raised an empty glass. “Just some water for now. Thank you.” The Mr. Mime nodded and delivered a glass of water to Delia.

“Hi Mimey!” Aislynn waved her hand while Bulbasaur waved a vine toward the camera.

“Where were we?” Delia set the glass away from her computer. “You were saying something about Kukui’s teaching, right?”

“Oh, right! I don’t really get it. Like, this week he was teaching about berries, but then he’s going to teach about career paths next week. How are those related?” Frankly, the syllabus baffled Aislynn with how much it jumped around each week. She asked about it once but didn’t contest it since she was just the assistant. Kukui was the teacher and it was his classroom.

“Maybe he’s trying to keep the students on their toes. Not knowing the next lesson certainly keeps it exciting.” Delia smiled at the thought. “And it’s much safer than traveling.” The woman’s insinuating tone was not lost on Aislynn. Her journeys may have taught her more than any school did, but she wasn’t exactly safe all the time. “Just trust the process. I’m sure Kukui knows what he’s doing.”

Aislynn took a look at Bulbasaur’s claws. All nice, even, and clean. She tossed the file onto the table and scratched the grass-type around his neck. “Yeah, Kukui seems really smart. Really strong too.” While she scratched Bulbasaur absentmindedly, Aislynn looked at her phone and gave her mother her whole attention. “Oh, that reminds me, I really want to see him use a Z-Move. Kiawe did it but Pikachu could overpower it with regular attacks, but when Pikachu and I did one, it blew away Tapu Koko!”

“The same Tapu Koko you didn’t tell me about?” She didn’t? Well, it had been a while since they had talked to each other. “Don’t worry, I’m used to it. Although I didn’t expect this kind of news to get so far. I thought Alola’s legendaries were a more common sight than ours.”

“That’s what Professor Oak told me, but everyone made a big deal of it!” Aislynn flung her hands up in the air in frustration. Two vines snaked up and reeled the hands back around Bulbasaur’s neck. “Bossy.” She poked her tongue out at the grass-type. “I get that Alola has less trainers than most regions, but I feel like it shouldn’t be that unexpected for someone walking around with a Pikachu and a Charizard to be strong.”

Delia giggled. “I can’t say you’ve ever looked that strong, dear.” Hey, she could look plenty strong! People in the Kalos League were scared to face her in the opening rounds. “Pikachu don’t seem very common either. Even Raichu is rare, aren’t they?”

“Yeah, but that’s because a lot of people gravitate for the big strong pokémon. Like, uh,” Aislynn stammered as she tried to think. “Tyranitar, Bisharp, Garchomp, and Charizard. Yeah, people love to use those pokémon in tournaments.”

“Don’t you have a Charizard?” Said pokémon poked his head through the double-doors connected to the living room. He huffed at the sight of Bulbasaur relaxing after his grooming time. “Is that him? I can’t see that far.”

“Yeah, that’s him. But that’s different. He’s not my ace.” Charizard certainly didn’t like Aislynn saying that, but he couldn’t refute it when he still lost nine times out of ten to Pikachu. “Honestly, if I wasn’t so tunnel-visioned with Greninja, Pikachu would have probably done a lot more in Kalos.”

“Hindsight is twenty-twenty.” Aislynn moved Bulbasaur onto the couch and brushed off her pants. “Oh, do you need to get going?”

“Nah, I’m just grooming everyone today.” Picking up her phone, Aislynn grabbed her supplies and moved over to the porch. Charizard, now that he had his trainer’s attention, laid down, ready for his turn. “So how’s Kanto? Has Dawn started her contest run over there?”

Delia tapped her chin, trying to recall which of Aislynn’s friends that was. “She’s the one with the blue hair and the long bacon, right?”

“Yeah. She’s still wearing that?” Aislynn grinned at the image of Dawn’s clashing colors. The multi-colored scarf went at complete odds with her old traveling outfit, but it was so fitting that Aislynn couldn’t help but get it for her.

“You don’t give out gifts often, dear. Each one should be cherished.” As if on cue, Mimey waddled behind Delia and returned to his sweeping. “I think she’s done a contest already, but I had the restaurant’s TV tuned onto the Battle Frontier at the time.”

“I’ll have to call her later and see how she did.” Aislynn set down the travel bag with her grooming supplies and propped her phone against it, showing off Charizard in all his lazy glory. “Alright, big guy. Wings first.” He rolled over so Aislynn could reach the base of his wings. “Oh, Mom, you haven’t met Serena in-person, right?”

“Not since that summer camp. Why?”

“Her first Grand Festival is next week. I was thinking about surprising her and visiting, but I wasn’t too sure about it. But if you go, I can probably send a ticket over to Serena’s mom and we can all surprise her!” Aislynn began kneading Charizard’s back with aura coating her hands. “Doesn’t it sound fun? It’d be like when you and Professor Oak watched my first League!”

“That does sound like a nice surprise.” Pulling her chair up close to the computer, Delia opened up her browser. “Let’s see, what’s the layover like for Alola? It looks like you would stop by Johto then Hoenn.”

“I’ll bring Talonflame. She can fly me over to Hoenn with just a few stops.” Aislynn pushed the butt of her palm deep into Charizard’s back. With a groan, she felt something snap into place. “That didn’t hurt, did it?”

“Char.” The fire-type melted under her touch, thoroughly enjoying the massage.

“Well, I’ll call Grace and see if she’s up for it. You want to buy all the tickets?”

Aislynn shoved a thumbs-up toward her phone. “I have enough money for it. No idea about hotels yet.”

“I’ll go ahead and figure that out.” With a click, Delia opened another tab and got ready to start budgeting. “See you next week then, dear. Love you.”

“Love you too, Mom!”

Chapter 43

Chapter Text

Aislynn opened the door and her legs were swarmed by a Rockruff and Popplio. “Oh, hi you two!” She leaned down and started scratching both of them. Rockruff’s hind leg began thumping against the floorboards while Popplio leaned into the small showing of affection.

At her door was Professor Kukui and Kahuna Hala, neither of which she had really expected. To be fair, she hadn’t expected anyone to knock on her door during her Sunday lunch. At all. Thankfully she was still decent and wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt with the three Kanto starters. Although her home was less than welcoming for guests.

Kingler was on her kitchen counter, doing his best to make a porridge. Her Johto team was lounging across her couches and the throw pillows that should be on the couch were being used as seats. Pikachu, Snivy, and Oshawott were sipping juice from boxes at the kitchen bar. Last but not least, five flying-types were perched on the porch leading out from the back door. Thankfully, their chatter was muted by the closed doors, but the backdoor was mostly glass so anyone could see them discussing Rowlet, even if they couldn’t understand them.

Hala appraised her home and seemed to like how lively it was. At least, she hoped he liked it. Following his eyes was about as easy as following Brock’s, so he could have drawn any conclusion. “You know.” He dropped a hand on Kukui’s shoulders. “When you said she had a lot of pokémon, I expected a group like yours. But I guess these pokémon match the trainer much more.”

“I can’t tell if that’s a compliment or an insult,” Aislynn blurted out. She presumed it was a friendly jab, but she barely knew the man. His laughter bellowed out when he heard her reply.

“It’s hard to believe you were the one to beat Tapu Koko.” Kahuna Hala let his laughter peter out. He locked eyes with Aislynn and she stared back. “I can see it though. You radiate strength, little lady.”

“That might be the pokémon.” Aislynn gestured toward her living room. “Believe it or not, all my pokémon are League-ready. Bayleef, Kingler, Oshawott. All of them could hold their own in a battle.” She didn’t have to turn around to tell that her pokémon weren’t putting up the image of League competitors. Oshawott was probably puffing up his chest with pride, but about to fall off his stool.

“Based on that Pikachu of ours, I wouldn’t doubt it.” The kahuna reached behind his kimono top and retrieved a white bracelet. There were three notches for crystals in it, one in the middle for the active one and two on each side. At the face of it was a white arrowhead that pointed outward. “A gift for you if you’ll allow us in for a chat.”

Stepping aside, Aislynn allowed her two guests through. “Take a seat where you can find one.” Heracross vacated one of the two couches and scuttled over to the kitchen. Unfortunately, Kingler shooed him out.

Hala and Kukui brushed off the couch and sat down with only half a seat between them. It was enough room, but still felt cramped with all the pokémon in the building. Aislynn wasn’t quite so fortunate with her seat. Bayleef tried to snuggle up against Aislynn, Quilava leaned against her on the opposite side, and Totodile plopped down in her lap. Her seat wasn’t uncomfortable per say, but it certainly didn’t feel comfy when all her pillows were on the floor.

“So.” Aislynn lifted Totodile up so she could cross her legs. “You had a Z-Power Ring you wanted to give me?” Hala put the white bracelet on the coffee table. “So why white? Wasn’t yours green?” Aislynn was tempted to snatch up the ring like a child with a new toy. However, she was better than that.

Okay, she totally would have grabbed it and started playing around with it if she wasn’t in a pokémon sandwich. That was besides the point though. It did make her seem more mature than she really was, so that was a bonus.

“It was green,” Hala grumbled. Rolling up his sleeve, he revealed an identical bracelet to the one on the table. “And for the record, these are Z-Rings. They’re handed out to anyone who can find a Sparkling Stone. Judging by your expression, you have no idea what those are.”

Aislynn blinked. “Are they like Key Stones?” The Z-Ring didn’t look anything like the tiny marble that enabled Mega Evolution. It wasn’t shiny and looked much more like the bracelets that held the keystones. Those weren’t anything special though, they were just what held the fancy rocks people needed.

Kukui raised his hand, showing off another Z-ring with a white base and black accents. “Well, in function, yes. Key Stones and Z-Rings bridge pokémon and trainer together to achieve seemingly impossible levels of strength. However, Z-Rings are supposed to be pieces of a pokémon that roams the universe.”

“And Key Stones come from Yveltal and Xerneas playing around with rocks,” continued Aislynn, much to the exasperation of the professor.

“Evolution stones,” he clarified. “At least, so we believe based on conversations with Squishy the Zygarde. I’m sure you’ve gleaned a lot from that particular source.”

“Yeah, Squishy’s super smart.” Aislynn rubbed Totodile’s neck absentmindedly. The water-type leaned into it until he toppled onto his belly. “I guess you kinda just pick up a bunch of stuff after living for thousands of years. It’d be a shame not to. Although pokémon like Jirachi definitely don’t get to learn as much as Squishy does.”

Hala looked over to Kukui and wordlessly asked if she was being serious. It was a bit rude since she was right there and said those things. Aislynn wasn’t a liar, she wouldn’t just make up stuff about legendary pokémon, especially not one that she considered a friend. Kukui shrugged with an amused grin on his face. At least he appreciated her eccentricities.

“Anyway, Sparkling Stones are remnants of a pokémon and each kahuna knows how to shape them into a usable form.” Professor Kukui gestured to the white bracelet on the table. “Using these, we can perform Z-Moves that can turn the tide of battle or ensure a landslide victory. I have tried looking into other means of using them, but that requires much more finesse that most pokémon aren’t capable of doing.”

When he said that, Aislynn locked eyes with Pikachu. Their first attempt wasn’t spectacular by any means save power but Pikachu had that in spades. If they had some practice, they could definitely refine their technique into something worthy of a contest.

Hala grabbed the bracelet off the table and tossed it toward Aislynn, who the bracelet hit on the head. “Ow! That’s sharp,” she groaned as she massaged her forehead. “Why’d you have to do that?”

“Because I need you to pay attention.” The kahuna leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. His near-squinting eyes stared at brown eyes. “I’m trusting you not to use this Z-Ring carelessly. It’s a great boon in a battle, but not something to rely upon. One wrong move and you could set the island on fire or destroy someone’s home.”

“It’s not a toy, I get it. And I won’t rely on a fancy trick. I learned that in Kalos.” Aislynn picked up the Z-Ring and found the latch. She attached it to her left wrist and felt a pinprick of her aura reacting to it. For just a second, her wrist felt like it was being stabbed from all sides. Then it was fine. The ring was just another accessory. “These things tap into aura, right?”

“Aura as in a Lucario’s aura?” Hala tilted his head, causing his hair to sway to the side.

“No, like the aura of all living things. Lucario are super good at using it but some humans can do it too.” For emphasis, Aislynn called upon the energy in her core. The brown of her eyes bled away for a blazing blue, illuminating the curves of her face.

Hala hummed, observing the trick. Kukui placed a hand on the older man’s shoulder. “Aura’s a bit of a foreign thing. Most Alolans prefer to just refer to the energy of Alola as the key to Z-Moves.”

“Ah, the energy of Alola.” The kahuna smiled at the familiar term. “It’s the lifeblood of our region. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to use Z-Moves at all.” That sounded much more loose than the already hand-wavy science of aura. Aislynn wouldn’t dismiss it, but none of the regions she had been to had referred to an energy of the region. “We channel the light of Alola through ourselves and our Z-Crystal to create Z-Power. Thus, our pokémon have the strength to use Z-Moves.”

Did everything have to begin with Z? Aislynn shook the question out of her head and let her aura recede back into her core. “When I used that Z-Move against Tapu Koko, it felt like I was funneling my aura into Pikachu. Kinda like when me and Greninja fought together.” Hala quirked up an eyebrow. “Oh, we had something kind of similar to Mega Evolution. It felt similar, but Pikachu needed a different, uh form of power?” When she looked to her partner for assistance, he shrugged. “Whatever it was, it felt different from Mega Evolution but I still made the connection.”

“So there might be something to look into there,” mused Kukui. He stroked his beard in thought and glanced toward the Pikachu across the room. “Aislynn, why don’t we run an experiment next weekend? My Lucario can try to see if Z-Power feels like aura. If it works, we might just have a new breakthrough on our hands.”

“Next weekend?” She winced and curled her toes. “I’m flying over to Hoenn next weekend. Sorry.” Looking at her team outside, she pointed toward Talonflame. “But maybe my pokémon could still help. Talonflame and Hawlucha can’t really use aura, but they know what it feels like from training with Greninja.” It was a second-hand experience but still useful hopefully.

“Ah, it’s fine. I can move it back. We have plenty of time to experiment.” At least a full year if Aislynn didn’t get fired or involved in a world-ending threat. Although she might just come back to school and act like nothing happened after helping save the world.

Hala cleared his throat. “Kukui, if you start throwing around Inferno Overdrives, I’m kicking you off the island.”

Chapter 44

Chapter Text

As class began on Monday morning, Aislynn sat off to the side with her pokémon. Pikachu was in her lap, Rowlet was on her head, and Noivern was hugging her from behind. Each of them were content and feeling extra cuddly today. Plus, Pikachu was at the perfect height to fiddle with the new Z-Ring on Aislynn’s wrist.

Today, Professor Kukui didn’t have anything for her to do. His entire lesson plan was about things that Aislynn was still learning, that being the Island Challenge. She knew bits and pieces from conversation with the professor and the local kahuna, but those mostly pertained to Z-Crystals and how it started. Selene and Hau were doing the challenge to both learn about the community they lived in and to prove their strength. That was about all that Aislynn knew.

“The Island Challenge is unique to Alola. Z-Crystals and the Totem pokémon that guard them are unique to Alola, although anyone is free to take on that challenge.” Professor Kukui slid forward a wooden box. Unclasping the latch, he revealed a set of eighteen crystals. Each was identical in size but ranged in color and their symbol. “These are all the Z-Crystals available. There’s one for each type and they’re guarded by a Totem pokémon of that type.”

Kiawe raised his left hand, the one with his red and brown Z-Ring. Notched in its face was a red crystal. “Aren’t some of those only handed out during Grand Trials?”

“They’re not exclusive to Grand Trials, but kahunas can hand them out.” Out of the set, Kukui pulled out an orange crystal with a tiny fist symbol inside of it. “Kahuna Hala will hand out a fighting-type Z-Crystal to anyone who has completed his Grand Trial. But before we get to that, what can you tell me about the Island Trials?”

As Kukui placed his Z-Crystal back into its spot, five hands rose in the air. Given that Kiawe had his time to ask a question already and Lillie was likely prepared with the textbook answer, Kukui pointed over toward Mallow.

“Island Trials are challenges to a Totem pokémon. To earn their crystal, you have to show off mastery of their type.” Mastery? Aislynn looked down at her partner. He could definitely show off mastery of the electric-type.

“Good job, Mallow.” Kukui shut the box of crystals and slid across the table toward him. “Even if you can beat the Totem in battle, they won’t be giving you a Z-Crystal unless you show off type mastery. Although mastery is a bit of a loose word.”

Tossing a pokéball in the air, Kukui called upon Incineroar. The Heel pokémon landed in a three-pointed crouch and snarled at the kids in front of him. Aislynn, tucked away in the wings of Noivern, heard a growl rumble inside her dragon’s throat. She patted his neck, hoping that would settle him.

“Incineroar earned me three different Z-Crystals.” The fire-type stood up and puffed out his chest. “Can anyone guess which ones?”

“Fire!” blurted out Sophocles.

“Dark,” added Lana.

The rest of the students pulled their hands down. Incineroar huffed and crossed his arms, flexing his biceps. Lillie pursed her lips and raised her hand. “Fighting?”

Professor Kukui applauded. “Three for three.” The teacher rounded his desk and slung an arm around his partner pokémon’s shoulders. “When I was a trial-goer, Incineroar beat down the Totem Raticate here on Melemele Island as a tiny Litten. But we didn’t get the Z-Crystal on the first try.”

“Cin,” grumbled the Heel pokémon. He was still upset by that, but Aislynn didn’t doubt that the failure helped Incineroar get as strong as he was now.

“To earn it, Incineroar had to master Bite and Taunt. When we got back to Raticate, we had a real Nasty plot in store for him, didn’t we?” Incineroar pushed Professor Kukui to the ground. The man, far too used to it, got up and brushed himself off. “Fair, fair. I’ve definitely used that one before. Anyway, once we earned the Darkium Z, we could challenge the Melemele’s Grand Trial.”

Despite not being a student herself, Aislynn raised her hand. “Wait, so you just challenge the Grand Trial after one Island Trial?” If her math was right—and it probably wasn’t—then a trial-goer would only need to do eight trials in total. “Oh, are you done when you’ve completed eight trials?”

Professor Kukui smiled at his assistant. “The Island Trial is a bit different from the Gym Challenge you’re familiar with. We’ll go over the Gym Challenge tomorrow. Perhaps you can handle the lecture?”

“Uh… Maybe?” Aislynn was experienced but she wasn’t sure if she could explain it very well. “What about the Island Trials though?”

“Well, technically, you can take as many as you wish. There are eighteen Totems that anyone can battle, whether or not you’re undergoing the formal challenge.” The case of Z-Crystals was pushed around the teacher’s desk. “However, Grand Trials are held by an island’s kahuna. They’re challenges of strength, to show one’s growth since they started the challenge. Once you’ve defeated the kahuna, you can extend your trial to another island.

“At every island, a trial-goer must complete at least one Island Trial before they can ask for a Grand Trial. That battle is a formal battle with switching allowed on both sides, but no items besides held items. The challenger gets to decide how many pokémon to each side. No matter how many, it will be challenging.”

Aislynn rubbed Pikachu’s belly and thought about the challenge. Eighteen totems and four kahunas. She could take on twenty-two battles, most of which seemed like excellent chances to refine some of her pokémon’s techniques. She had plenty of fire-types to use and Quilava could use a final push to evolve. If he wanted to, of course.

“Kiawe, you look like you have something to say.” Professor Kukui and Incineroar leaned back against the teacher’s desk. The fire-type kept his arms crossed while the trainer planted his hands on the edge of the desk.

The dark-skinned boy shook his head. “No, it’s fine.”

“If you need to talk to someone, I’m free during lunch.” Kiawe nodded and shifted in his chair. “Now, are there any questions? Lillie, yes.”

“The textbook said that there are spiritual meanings behind the Island Challenge. I don’t think you’ve gone over those yet.” To the blonde’s right, Sophocles winced at the words.

Kukui sighed and rounded back to the blackboard on the wall. He drew a line down the middle. To the left, he wrote science. To the right, he wrote spiritual. For the next two minutes, he wrote down cliff notes of his lecture so far on the left side.

Then he turned around. “When I did the trial, I was taught that each trial was another stage of growth. Kahuna Hala told me that and taught me to be a trial captain.” Raising his arms to the side, he made his lab coat flutter. “As you can see, Hala’s Future Sight was a bit off the mark. I wanted to learn how Z-Power made Totem pokémon as large and powerful as they are. I wanted to know why some people had stronger Z-Moves than others.”

“But you haven’t,” Lana blurted out with a straight-face.

The teacher pointed toward her. “Yet. I haven’t yet.” He tapped the right side of the chalkboard. “Everything spiritual about the trials: Z-Power, Totems, even the Tapu themselves.” He wrote down each item as he said them. “I want to know how they work together. Everything spiritual has some kind of scientific explanation. Magic is just a science we don’t understand yet.”

Before anyone could follow up that statement, the bell rang for lunch.

Magic was just a science that we don’t understand. Aislynn wondered if Kukui could explain potions that turned people into pokémon or Xatu could see into the future. Could he explain Battle Bond and how to replicate it?

Questions for later. Food came now.

Chapter 45

Chapter Text

“Miss Ketchum?” Kiawe and Lana stayed after class to speak with her. Professor Kukui raised an eyebrow, but Aislynn waved him off. Accepting that dismissal, her boss gathered his things and walked out with his partner, Incineroar.

Aislynn, still cocooned in the wings of Noivern, looked up at the two students. “What’s up?” Pikachu matched her movement, craning his head up from his position in her lap. However, Rowlet remained on her head, oblivious to the world around him as he slept.

Both students had two pokéballs on their person. Each had a polished pokéball and one that was dented. Lana was one step behind Kiawe, hiding halfway behind him. With his hands on his hips, Kiawe asked, “Can we start our training today?”

“Oh, right that.” Aislynn blinked. “Huh, I didn’t figure out how we’re doing that.”

Lana furrowed her brow. “Aren’t teachers supposed to be prepared?” Well, technically she wasn’t a proper teacher. She was just an assistant that did what she was asked to do.

So how would she train these two students? First, she would need to know what their pokémon were capable of around the board. Turtonator and Popplio had battled before but that was only one time. Plus, Turtonator had eaten a petaya berry that enhanced his attacks. Judging his performance based on that was unfair to him.

Looks like the first order of business would be physical assessments! Wait, they couldn’t do that in a classroom. Maybe she could bring them to her home? There was plenty of space there between the beach and Route 2, most of which was barren of people. Quite a few pokémon lived in the area though. Hopefully they wouldn’t disrupt the ecosystem too much. Aislynn had avoided the attention of pokémon rangers for three weeks and she didn’t intend to draw their attention now.

“Okay, I’ve got a plan!” announced Aislynn. She shot up to her feet, startling Noivern to back up a few steps. Rowlet remained content and balanced on top of her head.

Lana tugged on Kiawe’s shorts. “Should we trust that plan? I’m pretty sure she came up with it in the last ten seconds.”

“She’s the teacher.” Kiawe shrugged and gestured to Aislynn. “What’s the plan, Teach?”

“First, we’re going to head to my place. Then we’re going to test how strong your pokémon are!” Pumped up, Aislynn put her hands on her hip while Pikachu climbed up onto her shoulder. The electric-type looked at the grass-type on his trainer’s head. Pikachu poked Rowlet but he didn’t even stir.

“Is that going to be a long walk?” asked Lana. “I don’t have a pokémon that can fly. Sorry.” Noivern chortled an apology that echoed through the room. Then Lana looked over to Kiawe. “Sorry to you too.”

He waved it off. “It’s fine. There’s always another day.” With his arm hanging around his waist, Kiawe fiddled with the less-damaged pokéball on his belt. “Miss Ketchum, is it okay if we do that another day? I need to help out my family.”

Lana jabbed the boy’s side with two fingers. “Liar. You just wanna see Mimo.”

“Hey!” He slapped her hand away with a flush on his face. “Not in front of Teach!” he hissed.

Aislynn reached around for Rowlet’s pokéball and tapped it against the snoozing ‘mon. Once he was sucked inside, she said, “That’s fine. I could probably use some time to get my training back to snuff anyway.” She hadn’t even had a proper training session since she brought all her pokémon over! She needed to do that as soon as possible. “Oh, do you have to go now?”

With a wary eye toward the clock in the room, Kiawe shrugged. “I should be able to spare half an hour or so. Why?”

“Let’s walk and talk!” Aislynn ran over to the door with Noivern scuttling after her on all-fours. “Come on! I wanna hear about your pokémon.”

The two students glanced at each other. They clearly thought it was a bit weird, but they just weren’t used to it. Aislynn had met plenty of friendly people on the road and hung out with them for the day. Compared to those days, this should have been completely fine. She was just a teacher five years older than them. That wasn’t that big of a difference. She and Brock were only four years apart and they were best friends.

After a moment of negotiations through facial expressions, the two students followed Aislynn out of the classroom. Although she was tempted to jump off the second-story and see if her aura would cushion her fall, she led them down to the courtyard the normal way. Students they passed by whispered to each other, speaking Aislynn’s last name.

She and Pikachu ignored them. It reminded her of the times after her League matches. People loved to point out trainers they recognized, whether they won or lost. It had been most prominent after her Sinnoh and Kalos matches. Taking down two legendaries in one match had been a feat unheard of until Tobias challenged the Elite Four and her Battle Bond was inscribed into history when she fought against Zygarde. Uncommon as those times were, she was used to hearing her name and blocking it out.

Once they had left the school grounds, Aislynn directed them vaguely toward Hau’oli City. That seemed like a decent place to lead them since most of the school’s students lived there. The few notable exceptions include Kiawe, but he had a Charizard for transport.

Aislynn turned on her heel and began walking backwards. “So, I know you have a Charizard and a Turtonator.” She pointed to Kiawe then to Lana. “And you have a Popplio. Who’s in that second ball?”

“A Lugia.” Kiawe coughed into his fist when Lana answered. On the other hand, Aislynn grinned.

“Must’ve been a helluva battle to get one of those in a regular ol’ pokéball. Although I guess you might have an easier time squeezing a young Lugia into a regular pokéball.” She hadn’t tried to catch Silver or the Lugia hanging around the Orange Islands. The thought hadn’t crossed her mind back then even when they had some downtime.

“My mom gave them to me.” Kiawe erupted into a coughing fit and hid the bottom half of his face with his hand. Aislynn raised her brow. “Yeah, she gave her to me for my tenth birthday. She’s my first pokémon.”

Aislynn was half-tempted to tap on the pokéball’s button and see what was really hiding in there. Sure, there were some people who had managed to tame legendaries, but a twelve-year-old? They’d have to be a really good trainer to do so.

Lana was a schoolgirl with one other pokémon. “I caught Popplio after I saved him from some Team Skull guys. Scared them right off with my Lapras and her Ice Beam.”

“Oh, your Lapras, huh?” Kiawe burst into a fit of laughter beside the two, unable to hold it back any longer.

“I mean my Lugia!” Before the girl could formulate any other lie, Aislynn bumped her shoulder against Lana’s shoulder.

“Lapras are really cool too. I traveled with one back when I was hopping through the Orange Islands.” Man, how far were the Orange Islands from Hoenn? Maybe she could catch a plane or boat and see if she could find the pod her Lapras belonged to and say hi. “She was really beautiful. Not much of a battler, but I bet she would have done wonderful in contests.”

Kiawe wheezed as his laughter petered out. He wiped a tear from the side of his eye as Lana strode closer to Aislynn. “Do you battle a lot with water-types?”

“Well, yeah. I’ve always caught a water-type on each of my journeys.” All the way from Squirtle in Kanto to Greninja in Kalos. Although both of those two had chosen her first. Just like most of her pokémon. “But I’ve only had to train one aquatic pokémon before. It was a bit weird fighting with Lapras, at least in full battles.”

“Was she strong at least?” asked Lana. Well, Lapras was definitely strong. Last Aislynn had seen of her, she had become the leader of her pod.

“She helped me beat the Orange League champion. What do you think?” Lana’s mouth hung open as she gasped. “Yeah, she’s amazing. Training aquatic pokémon is a bit tricky though. My friend Misty showed me her trick of making puddles and using Aqua Ring to make them more mobile.”

“Can Lapras learn Aqua Ring?” Aislynn’s eyes crossed for a moment.

“I don’t think so. But you can make puddles or cover some ground in ice so Lapras can slide around.” Changing the field like that was a great strategy. It usually turned the tables and made opponents lose their footing—literally!

Kiawe cleared his throat, having finally regained his ability to talk after his laughing fit. “So if Lana is going to practice making ice fields, what can I do?”

Well, Aislynn didn’t explicitly say that Lana should be doing that as training, but it was definitely good if she intended to battle with Lapras. Now, she had no idea how to train with a Turtonator. He might be similar to Torkoal but bipedal. That meant he would excel with controlling the field and maximizing his defenses.

Wait, he also had a Charizard! Aislynn had a Charizard! They should meet and see what would happen. She missed the opportunity to do that with Alain with all the disasters happening in Kalos. She also missed the opportunity with Trevor! Ah, she had to make it up with Kiawe soon.

“Okay, your Charizard. Is he more of an up-close fighter or a long-ranged one?” Aislynn practically bounced on the balls of her feet. “Actually, he should be working on his speed anyway. Charizard are pretty heavy for flying-types and can use that to drop down on their opponents. My Charizard uses it for his Seismic Toss a lot to speed up his descent. You’ve gotta master that kind of movement if you’re gonna dodge attacks and keep up with faster opponents.”

“Ah, about that… My grandfather trained Charizard when he was a kahuna.” He looked at the ground they were walking on, avoiding eye contact. Grabbing Turtonator’s pokéball, he raised it up and stared at the partner he caught. “Do you have any tips for Turtonator?”

Guess they could get back to his Charizard. Unless Kiawe caught enough pokémon that Charizard wasn’t needed. “Turtonator,” hummed Aislynn. “Maybe teach him Iron Defense? He seems like a really bulky pokémon and leaning into that bulk can really help him wear down opponents.”

“That sounds good.” Kiawe nodded, satisfied.

Woo! Mission accomplished!

She hoped.

Chapter 46

Chapter Text

A golden streak of light blitzed through Route 2 with a green and white blur chasing after it. Pikachu scorched a path through the tall grass with every leap. Sceptile stayed on his tail, pursuing him with Quick Attack’s veil of energy engulfing him and streaking off his body. Each time he neared to tag Pikachu, the electric-type taunted him and used his own Quick Attack to pull away.

Charizard and Noivern spun through the air with the larger of them avoiding the bursts of sound and draconic energy being flung at him. When Noivern’s attacks grazed Charizard, the fire-type shot out a Flamethrower straight toward the dragon’s face. Unable to dodge the seamless retaliation, Noivern had ended up with soot all over his face.

Buizel flew in and out of the ocean propelled by his Aqua Jet technique. He twisted and managed to do loops through the air as if he was performing for a context. After each trick of his, Oshawott tried to do the same with his own Aqua Jet. Yet instead of replicating Buizel’s tricks, the Sea Otter pokémon was too fast to do the loops or left the water at the wrong angle to reach the highest arcs.

Aislynn watched all of this from her porch. It shouldn’t have surprised her that after talking to Kiawe and Lana about training, she would end up training. It somewhat saddened her that not all of her pokémon were willing to jump right into training again, but they had been on-and-off for months. Plus, in the two weeks they had been here, she hadn’t asked them to train at all. Her team needed to acclimate back to it.

Having a goal would also help. Sure, some of her pokémon were self-motivated to get stronger. The ones training right now wanted to improve for one reason or another. Others definitely needed a reason. The Gym Challenge was fundamental to most of her team’s strength and pushed them to greater heights. Competing in a League was an even better motivator.

Now she was a bit aimless. There wasn’t a League here yet, although she knew Kukui was working on establishing one. Until that was up and running, she didn’t have a goal set in sight. Instead, she had a vague notion of strength she wanted her team to achieve.

“I wonder,” mumbled Aislynn. She fiddled with the white bracelet on her wrist. Its face had a divot fit for any of the Z-Crystals but she owned none. If she tried to do the Island Challenge, she could earn those crystals and that could be her goal for this pseudo-journey.

Part of her wanted to rush over to find a Totem pokémon and challenge them. Another part of her wanted to focus on teaching and helping others get strong instead. Kiawe and Lana wanted to train and better their teams. Trying to help with that would slow down her team’s training or give them too much unsupervised time. Which would mean that her progress would be slowed.

Combined with teaching three other students, her pseudo-journey would be going at a snail’s pace. “Ugh, why is planning things so hard,” she groaned while putting her head in her hands.

“No?” With the silent flapping of his wings, Noctowl perched beside his trainer. He twisted his head until it was upside-down. “Noct?”

Her sole shiny pokémon was as curious as he was vain. His feathers still sheened from the last time he was groomed. Aislynn rested her chin on the butts of her palms and her elbows on the railing of the porch. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just having trouble thinking about stuff.”

“Noct,” he hooted haughtily. His trainer rolled her eyes at the quip. Thinking was hard, thank you very much. He didn’t need to insult her for not usually thinking things through. He should be grateful that she was considering things at all. Especially with respect to her pokémons’ desires.

“Well, do you want to do the Island Challenge?” she shot back. Noctowl continued to twist his head around until he ended upright again. “Right, you don’t know what that is.” How could she explain it? “It’s like the Gym Challenge, but instead of other trainers, we have to beat a Totem pokémon and prove we’ve mastered a certain type.”

Noctowl’s eyes glowed blue and a food bowl floated over in front of him. Right, Aislynn would feed them soon. “Noctowl ow?” Well, that was a good question. Noctowl wasn’t a psychic-type but he could use Extrasensory, Confusion, and Hypnosis quite well.

“Yeah, you could probably do a psychic trial.” Along with a flying-type trial, Noctowl could definitely handle two of the eighteen. Although she had a lot of pokémon that could take care of the flying-type trial. “You might be the only one who could do the psychic-type trial actually. I haven’t trained Mimey ever since I gave him to Mom. No one else knows a psychic move either, so if we do it, I’d be relying on you.”

“Owl?” Did that mean more training? Noctowl’s tone didn’t suggest any repulsion to the idea. Although that might have been colored by the fact that she just fed his ego. “Noct.” Noctowl released his telekinetic hold on one of the many food bowls in their home.

“Yeah, we’d probably want to train a bunch to make sure we’re ready. I’m just not sure if I can do the Island Challenge and be a teacher.” Both of those sounded time-consuming and there was only so much time in the day to do things. This week alone, she would only have a couple hours of daylight with her pokémon and she needed that time to feed them.

“Swell!” Swooping in beside Noctowl, Swellow tilted his head a few degrees to the right. “Swellow?” Aislynn huffed at the nosy flying-type. Though among the many birds, she was glad to not be flocked by all of them.

“Nothing exciting yet, Swellow. I’m still figuring out if I want to try the Island Challenge.” Swellow perked up at the mention of a challenge. “Not yet. Not yet. I don’t even know what Totems are around here.”

“Swell swee!” His trainer should start knowing! If they were going to have any fun battles, they needed to know when and where they would be happening.

Aislynn shook her head. “Okay, okay. I’ll start looking into it, alright?” It did sound like a fun challenge. Mastering an entire type was the goal of many people, but Aislynn hadn’t really tried to master one. “Maybe we can do a Trial after I come back from Hoenn. That sound good?”

Swellow and Noctowl leaned closer. “Swell?”

“Serena? Yeah, she’ll be in Hoenn.” Aislynn turned her gaze over to the ocean and Buizel’s beautiful flips and turns. “I wanna see her first Grand Festival. It oughta be good after so much practice with showcases and stuff.”

“Noct?” Was she sure that was the only reason? Of course she was!

“Why else would I be going? I can’t exactly do the entire gym challenge in a weekend. That’d be so rude.” It would make for a terrible surprise. She was going there to see Serena perform, not show off. All her efforts should be to support Serena and cheer her on.

Swellow turned to his fellow flying-type. “Swell, low low.”

“Hey! I’m not dense, you two are just reading too far into things!” She batted at her pokémon, but the two fluttered away out of reach.

“Swell,” taunted the stubborn bird. “Swee swell!”

“Ugh! That’s ridiculous!” Aislynn craned her head back to look at them. “Why would people sit in a tree to kiss? Just kiss under the tree!”

Chapter 47

Chapter Text

“So.” Aislynn rolled back and forth on the balls of her feet. Each student was in their seat, she had a slew of pokémon from Kanto sitting on either side of the blackboard, and Pikachu was sitting on the teacher’s desk.

Lillie raised her head. “Is Professor Kukui not coming today?” It was about two minutes past the class’s starting time. Sue her, it took a long time to get everyone to promise to behave while Bulbasaur was away. She still doubted that Oshawott would actually stay home.

Aislynn clasped her hands behind her back, her arms bumping up against the shrunken pokéballs on her belt. “Well, he’s got a few meetings today. Some really important stuff, so I’m in charge of today’s lesson.” Now, how did she begin today’s lesson? She knew a ton about the actual content. She could do this. “So being a trainer is hard. Well, it’s not that hard, if I can do it, anyone can. Although there’s definitely some danger involved.”

As thoughts of legendaries and their hunters, poachers, evil teams, and ancient evils came to mind, Aislynn rocked backward and stumbled back. She grabbed onto the teacher’s desk for support. Leaning back on it, she cleared her throat.

“Miss Ketchum?” Mallow raised her hand and stood up at her desk. “Do you, uh, need a tissue?” The green-haired girl nabbed a small bunch of tissues from her backpack.

Bringing a hand up to her face, Aislynn palmed a dry face. She blinked a few times, banishing the tears on her lashes. “That’s not normal. Sorry.” Guess it had been a while since she had thought of her adventures in full. “Well, I’m supposed to talk about career trainers. Battlers for life.”

Pikachu waddled over to his trainer and nuzzled against her side. The barest amount of static stuck to Aislynn’s top. It was the largest comfort, a sign that her partner since the start was still with her. Through thick and thin, Pikachu was her partner.

The students waited with their notebooks and writing utensils. Sophocles had taken out his phone and tried to hide that it was recording using his notebook. Mallow sat down with a pack of tissues on her desk. The others were somewhere between waiting to take notes and just listening to her.

“I’m a career trainer since I get most of my money from battling. Most of that comes from League winnings but also a handful of battles outside of them.” Aislynn kicked her legs, swinging them back and forth. “Even if I’m a teacher, I’m still considered a career trainer until I go a year without entering a tournament or participating in a formal trainer battle.”

Lillie shot out one hand while the other took notes. “What differentiates a formal and informal battle?” Oh, had they not covered that information yet? She supposed it didn’t matter to anyone who was a casual trainer.

“Well, a formal battle is for some kind of wager. Usually, that’s money. Sometimes it’s for a favor. It can be anything so long as both trainers agree before the battle.” When had she last had a formal battle? Oh, was that the Kalos League? Bleh. “On the other hand, informal battles don’t. They’re just battles for fun or training. Nothing’s at stake unless you can’t get to a pokémon center.”

Not taking any notes, Kiawe raised his hand. “So our battle last week was informal?”

“Yeah! Any battle to demonstrate stuff is informal.” Aislynn flicked out a finger and began counting. “Battles with evil teams, wild pokémon, friends if it’s for fun, other people’s pokémon when they’re out of control, pokémon under the influence of a capture styler, and legendary pokémon.” She continued to kick her legs back and forth while students scribbled words in their notebooks. “Wait, most legendary pokémon are wild too. Forget that.”

“Which part?” Lillie stared down at her notes, where her notes had maintained a neat organization throughout the lecture so far. She had even launched into a bulleted list of examples and hesitated crossing out the last item.

“The legendaries. Professor Juniper said I was an outlier and a bunch of other professors I know agreed, so it must be true.” If a bunch of internationally recognized smart people said so, it had to be true. That made sense to her. “Most people never see one in their life, even if they live in Altomare. Which is really weird. Latias can go invisible, but she’s really good friends with Bianca. I’m surprised more people haven’t reported sightings of her.”

Sophocles began typing away at his phone, not even attempting to hide it. “Altomare’s in Johto! There’s a Latias in Johto?”

“I’m pretty sure that you’re supposed to raise your hand when you ask a question.” Aislynn pointed a finger at the ginger student. “But yeah, there’s a Latias there. She’s pretty nice.” Lana leaned forward and tapped Sophocles on the shoulder. He showed her whatever was on her phone. Aislynn should probably stop that and get back to the lesson. “Wait, where was I? Before the Latias stuff?”

Mallow twirled her pencil. “You were going over what counts as an informal battle.”

“Thank you.” Now what? “So I went over career trainers. I guess I should talk about competitive and casual trainers too.”

Kiawe raised his hand but didn’t wait to be called upon. “What’s different about a competitive trainer?”

“Well, they’re gym leaders and trainers, members of the Elite Four, and regional champions.” She listed those off her fingers again. Although she went back and forth between three and four since she wasn’t sure if gym leaders should’ve been a different classification from gym trainers. “Yes, Lillie?”

“I’ve heard of those in passing and know they’re strong trainers.” Some of the strongest in the world but chained down to a region’s League most of the time. “But what do they do?”

“Their job is to give trainers a challenge. Actually, I’m supposed to talk about the Gym Challenge anyway.” Pushing herself off the desk, Aislynn grabbed Pikachu with one arm and picked up a piece of chalk with the other. On the blackboard, she wrote “Gym Challenge” as high as she could. “So one of the million things that trainers can set off on journeys for is the Gym Challenge. You collect eight badges around the region so you can earn the right to compete in a big tournament. If you win the tournament, you earn the right to challenge the Elite Four. Beating them means you can challenge the champion for their title.”

Aislynn wrote each of those three categories on the board and drew lines to divide them as best she could. The lines were a bit crooked, but the message was received. There were three different categories of competitive trainers. Wait.

Bisecting the section for champions, Aislynn made a space for Frontier Brains. “Someone remind me to get back to that one. It’s a special category.” The students nodded and readied their pens. “Okay, the most common ones are gym leaders. Each of them are supposed to form some kind of challenge to trainers and get paid by their cities and towns. But when you defeat them in battle, you earn their gym badge.”

If she had one of her badge cases, Aislynn would have shown them an example. Unfortunately, those along with all of her trophies were at home in Pallet Town. She really should have planned for that.

“Once you defeat eight gym leaders, you have enough badges to enter the League. That’s a tournament at the end of the season and it’s a huge tournament. It’s usually pretty simple, but your opponents are always the trickiest part of it.” She thought back to her last League. It felt like each of her opponents had an ace up their sleeve. “Last time I was competing, it felt like everyone had a Mega pokémon. I had Greninja, so it was still pretty fair but in any other League, that would have been insane.”

Lillie glanced between her notebook and the chalkboard. Oh, right. Aislynn had written all of that in the gym leader space. She grabbed the eraser but set it down, and instead, drew another line between that information. Hopefully that fixed it up.

“If you win the tournament, you win a lot of money and get to challenge the Elite Four.” She tapped her piece of chalk to the title and the stick broke in half. Grabbing it, Aislynn began writing down what little she knew. “Elite Four members are like the best versions of gym leaders. They both have type specialties but the Elite Four have been chosen by the champion to defend their champion title. Also, they can challenge the champion for the title without going through the Gym Challenge!”

She would love to be able to do that, but she wasn’t sure she was good enough to put up a full challenge to most champions. Back in Kalos, her Greninja and Diantha’s Gardevoir were on pretty even terms, but the rest of Aislynn’s team couldn’t keep up that speed. Both literally and figuratively.

“Finally, champions are the best trainers in the region! They’re the first ones called when there’s danger and they’re role models for the rest of their region.”

Lana raised her hand. “So would you be the champion here?”

Aislynn tilted her head. “I’m not the strongest trainer here. Professor Kukui’s probably stronger than me.” She hadn’t even seen any of the man’s pokémon in action, but that was still obvious to her. “You’ve seen his Incineroar, right? He could probably give Pikachu a run for his money.”

“Pika!” her partner shouted defiantly.

She rubbed his head. “I said run for your money. I’d still bet money on you.”

Chapter 48

Chapter Text

Aislynn leaned back in her chair while kicking her legs under the table. “So how were the meetings?”

Professor Kukui stared at the cup of coffee in his hand. The steaming cup wasn’t going anywhere, but he had barely sipped from it. “Why are people so hard to deal with?” Taking off his sunglasses, he revealed dark rings around his eyes.

“That bad?” Digging into her backpack, Aislynn offered Pikachu an oblong rice ball with sesame seeds poking out of it. She took one out for herself and set another on the table for her boss.

“Thank you. I missed lunch and,” he sighed, “wasted two hours just waiting for Alder to show up.” He took a bite out of the rice ball. “This is good. Did you make this?”

Aislynn shook her head. She was learning, but her rice balls always ended up plain even if they were better shaped. “Kingler and Corphish made a bunch today for lunch. I think they’re making soup for dinner today. Hopefully there’s some left for me.”

Kukui nodded along as he finished up the offered snack. “Wait, a crab and a lobster made that?”

“Yep. They’ve been really getting into it.” They were way better than their trainer at cooking and she had no idea why. Neither of them had thumbs, just pincers. Although they could have easily asked someone with more opposable limbs to do the delicate work.

“That’s interesting,” Kukui said slowly. He took a sip of his coffee. “Plenty of pokémon have done more menial labor. Construction, postal services, and transportation. That’s normal. Never thought about cooking.”

“I didn’t either until Kingler started judging my porridge. I told him to do better and he did.” She was still amazed how he did all of that while scuttling on the counter. “I’ve kinda left him in charge of meals and he enlisted Corphish to help him. He isn’t quite as good with it, but Kingler seems to be a good teacher.”

Gesturing with his coffee mug, Kukui asked, “Is that safe?”

“They’re water-types.” Aislynn shrugged. She didn’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be safe for them. All they had to be wary about was the heat.

“I should’ve seen that coming.” The professor stood up and went over to his kitchen. Once he refilled his cup, he looked outside at his pokémon. A dozen different species were eating kibble from variously-sized bowls. “How was class today?”

Aislynn grabbed a paper towel and wiped away flakes of rice off Pikachu’s face. “I think it went well. Got sidetracked a few times and forgot to talk about Frontier Brains, but I went over all the important stuff.”

“And?” The teacher assistant tilted her head. “Any students want to start a pokémon journey?”

Finishing up her rice ball, Aislynn tried to remember the impressions she made. “Kiawe might want to do a Gym Challenge just to see if he can. The others don’t seem super enthused by it.” Lillie and Mallow were more concerned with taking notes than anything else. “Oh, and Lana wants to visit Altomare.”

“Altomare? Why would she ever want to—there’s a legendary pokémon there.” He deadpanned at the window. “So which legendary is there?”

“Just Latias.” Latios didn’t really count since he was in a Soul Dew. “What makes a legendary legendary though? I’ve seen a couple of Latias and Latios, so are they really legendary?”

The professor looked tired. It must have been a long day and she wasn’t making it any shorter. “It’s an odd classification. I’m not really involved in recording pokémon, so you’d be better off asking Professor Oak that question.”

She wisely didn’t bring up the fact that she had asked that. Namely after seeing a hundred Celebi descend upon one another and seeing the past version of Professor Oak. That was neither here nor there. Kukui would probably be walking straight to his bed if she brought that up.

“I’ll do that.” While Pikachu nuzzled against Aislynn’s hand, the door flew open. Running into the house, Popplio chased after Rockruff as well as she could. Unfortunately, her flippers weren’t desirable for chasing a quadruped mammal, especially not on land.

Rockruff ran under the table and Popplio bounced after him. She bumped into the leg of a chair and whined. Professor Kukui reached down and scooped up Rockruff as he ran past, oblivious to the water-type’s plight. Matching her boss, Aislynn ducked under the table and took Popplio into her lap. There was no mark left on the Sea Lion’s forehead, but there was some pain there.

“I think I have half a potion somewhere. Pikachu, can you get it?” Her partner jumped over to her backpack on the floor, happily digging through it and grabbing another rice ball for himself. Aislynn lifted Popplio’s flippers up. “It doesn’t look that bad.”

“Pop,” whimpered the water-type. It still hurt even if it didn’t look like it did.

“You know you’ll take a lot of harder hits if you get picked by a trainer.” Aislynn grabbed a half-full potion from Pikachu and squirted it twice over Popplio’s head. It wouldn’t be much healing but it was more than enough to heal what little damage the Sea Lion had taken. “There. All better.”

“Pop pop!” Popplio hugged Aislynn around the waist. “Popplio!”

“And you, Rockruff.” Professor Kukui held the pup up at arm’s length. “You know that it’s hard for Popplio to keep up with you.”

“Plio!” protested the water-type. Even if it was an unfair game, she wanted to give it her best shot.

If it was a game of tag that Popplio wanted to win, Aislynn was more than familiar with so-called priority attacks. Aqua Jet was fairly standard for water-type pokémon. Buizel and Oshawott had made good use of it to keep up or pull ahead of opponents.

The young woman twisted around in her chair. “Hey Kukui, mind if I teach Popplio Aqua Jet?” Popplio pumped up her flippers, psyched at the idea.

Kukui raised Rockruff higher in the air so he could look past him. “I’ve already given her the advantage and taught her Disarming Voice. Any more and she’d practically be twice as strong as the next two starters.”

Oh right, he would need to raise a Litten and Rowlet for the next group of kids who set out. Aislynn had no idea when that would be considering Alola’s small populace. Maybe someone from outside the region would come to take on the Island Challenge and choose Popplio as their starter.

“That reminds me, do you think I could take on the Island Challenge while I’m teaching?” asked Aislynn, sparking another burst of excitement in Popplio.

“I’m sorry, how did training Popplio remind you of the Island Challenge?” Kukui asked, baffled before he blinked a few times. “Actually, never mind. I can see the connection. Popplio is supposed to be given to people starting the Island Challenge.”

“Pop?” Even without understanding the pokémon language, Kukui could easily infer what the water-type wanted.

“I suppose you could do it on the weekends and the afternoons. The only hard part would be training your pokémon to be ready for the trials, but you’ve already got your fair share of pokémon.” She did! And they were all very well-trained in battle. “So I don’t see why not. Although maybe we can make a few lessons around it and give our students a chance to do the trials too.”

“Ooo, that sounds fun! Can we?” Aislynn scooped up Popplio and both made their pupils as big as they could. The combined puppy-eyes procedure made Kukui look away.

“I’ll look into it.” Professor Kukui set Rockruff down and the pup looked between the two trainers. “It might not be immediate, but I’ll see what I can do.”

Chapter 49

Chapter Text

After Aislynn had decided to take on the Island Challenge, Kukui led her down to his lab. She had been down there once before when she had been introduced to the starter trio. It was only for a short time as the professor set up two Rotom Dex models for Selene and Hau to use.

This evening, she was watching Kukui register her for the Island Challenge. He had to thumb through a lot more information and copy it into a different file. She vaguely recalled that this was more of a personal database than a regionally recognized one that he was updating. Until he had a formal League set up for Alola, the region didn’t need an archive of information for trainers. So this one was for him and his own record-keeping.

Naturally, cataloging Aislynn’s information was difficult thanks to the sheer amount of achievements and pokémon she had. While he did that, she raked her hands through Popplio’s short, coarse fur. Her fingers were laced with aura that brushed against the sheer excitement of Popplio’s minimal aura. There wasn’t much in the little Sea Lion, still more than most humans but Aislynn had larger reserves.

“Where did you place in Unova’s tournament?” Kukui asked once he finished cataloging information about Aislynn’s team from Unova. He had the most bare of listings of them. Just gender and their species for the time being since going through each one’s move pool would take far too much time.

“Top eight.” The answer stung a bit especially when looking at her entire record. She had made the mistake of training too many pokémon on top of transitioning. If she had a phone, maybe Brock would have talked some sense into her. Iris certainly didn’t. That girl made Aislynn’s common sense flee toward the hills.

Cataloging that bit of information, Kukui took a break to sip his coffee. He spun around in his chair to face his assistant. “So,” he groaned as he stretched out his back. “Do you want a new pokédex or an update to one of your old ones?”

Well, she quite liked how her Kalosian pokédex expanded and had holograms. A Rotom Dex wasn’t something she was opposed to, but she wasn’t comfortable having a pokémon solely for the services they could provide. Sure, she might become their friend later, but there was no guarantee of that. “I’ll think I’ll stick to my old one.”

“Alright, bring it over the next time you swing by.” He set down his mug and returned to his self-assigned work. With her Kalos team, Kukui didn’t even need to ask about it, far too familiar thanks to how infamous Aislynn had become in that particular region.

It was nice to be recognized for being strong and doing the right thing. It felt good. Even if she lost, people were happy to see her and even wanted her signature. Although she was glad that behavior only existed in Kalos. Being famous wasn’t something she wanted for herself no matter what happened along her journeys. When she became a pokémon master, it would be a happy consequence and nothing more.

“Alright, there’s just a few things I should let you know about the Island Challenge. You were paying attention during my lecture yesterday, right?” Aislynn nodded. Of course she paid attention, it was a whole new set of battles and challenges she could take on. “So you can take them on in any order, but right now, there’s a weird spread of Totems.”

“They’re usually evenly distributed?” If there was one of each type at all times, then that would be eighteen different Totems. “I’m bad at math, but wouldn’t it always be a weird spread?”

Kukui made a so-so motion with his hand. “Melemele has four Totems right now, but the Totem Oricorio likely won’t last long. She drinks too much nectar for the meadows to support her for more than another couple of years.” Aislynn didn’t intend to take nearly that long to challenge a local Totem. She was never the type to wait for a gym battle, so why would Island Trials be any different?

“I can challenge them at any point, right?” Aislynn leaned forward slightly, mindful of the Popplio resting in her lap and the Pikachu sitting on top of her backpack. Her partner peeked over her right shoulder with his arms wrapped around his trainer’s neck.

“You can.” Professor Kukui finished up the most extensive pokémon file he had done so far. Greninja was recorded, all of his accolades and abilities on display. “Just remember to show off mastery of the type and its associated moves. So for Oricorio’s flying-type trial, you’ll need to not only show off mastery of the skies, but an array of moves too.”

“Swellow knows Air Slash and Aerial Ace,” pondered Aislynn. “He might need to pick up Roost or something, but he’d probably reject it to learn something more offensive instead. I’m not sure if I want to encourage him to learn Brave Bird though. That’s a lot of recoil damage.”

Without even needing to look at any information for the Swellow species, Professor Kukui suggested, “How about Pluck? It’s still offensive and a move that requires quite a bit of skill to pull off properly.”

“Ooh, that’s a good one. I’ll bring it up to him later.” Since she had that trip to Hoenn this weekend, she could probably get him started on the technique with a practice partner. If she promised to take him for the trial once he learned it, she’d probably get back to Alola and have her food snatched from her hands.

“Popplio?” asked the water-type. That was a good question.

“Are there trials here that Popplio would be good at?” Definitely not the flying-type trial, Popplio was bound to the land and sea. Although if she would eventually become part fairy-type, maybe she could do that one.

Kukui spun back around, abandoning the sparsely filled profile of Goodra. He raised four fingers up. “On Melemele, we currently have the flying, normal, ground, and bug Totems. Popplio doesn’t get any ground-type or bug-type moves, even after she evolves.” Aww… “However, she can be taught Acrobatics through a TM or rigorous training.”

Aislynn hummed and raked her hand through Popplio’s coarse fur. “Sorry, girl. Guess you’ll have to wait until the fairy trial.” The Sea Lion pokémon pouted and curled up in Aislynn’s lap.

“A good choice. You have a lot of experienced water-types in your roster.” Yeah, she had seven right now but nine if she asked for Lapras and Greninja to rejoin the team. “The Ribombee on Poni Island is still getting used to her size and metabolism, so you have plenty of time to train up Popplio.” Reaching over across his desk, Professor Kukui procured a pokéball with a sticker of bubbles above the button. “That is, if you’re taking her.”

The choice wasn’t really hers. Aislynn raised the water-type with her hands under flippers. “What do you say? Wanna join the team, Popplio?”

“Pop! Pop!” She should have expected that answer. With a smile, Aislynn accepted the offered pokéball and clipped it onto her belt alongside the full set already there. “Popplio!” The Sea Lion leapt from Aislynn’s arms to hug her around the waist.

Once again, the Ketchum catching method worked. That made Aislynn’s second capture in Alola and it was another starter pokémon.

Wait, was she going to get the entire starter trio here? She thought she kicked that habit off after Kalos. Back then, she hadn’t even gone after a starter. Now she was here, gathering them up.

Oh well. Aislynn hugged Popplio back. “Welcome to the team.”

Chapter 50

Chapter Text

Aislynn snapped awake as her incubator shook. She bit her tongue and the drool trailing out the side of her mouth flicked up with the sharp jerking motion of waking up. Wiping her face clean, she looked down at the incubator in her lap.

The brown egg inside shook again, practically hopping up in the small space it was confined in. When it settled, the egg returned to its upright resting position, sitting on the small cushion fitted into the incubator. It may have been a trick of the light, but Aislynn swore that the orange swirls glowed. They went back to the dull orange that told her which fire-type her baby was. Hopefully she wasn’t going crazy and seeing things.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she registered the lesson Kukui was giving on pokémon breeders. She had met dozens of breeders over the years and learned about what they did. Falling asleep was inevitable with this kind of lesson, especially without a physical portion to it. As such, she only brought Pikachu, Staraptor, and the baby egg.

Her bird of the day was doing laps outside of the school, circling it with lazy wing flaps. Rather than focus on her boss’s words, she shifted around and rested her cheek on the incubator. Her baby would be hatching soon. Maybe within the next two weeks.

What would she need? Probably some baby formula to make up for not having some form of wet nurse. At least, she hoped that she didn’t miss that detail. Aislynn had a handful of female pokémon but neither had given birth. Although Talonflame and Hawlucha will probably be expecting a nest of eggs sooner or later. Oh goodness, a flock of Fetchling sounded both amazing and terrible.

“Pikapi.” Her partner nuzzled against her side, waking up from his own nap. She lazily dropped a hand on his head and rubbed him. Whatever he said, she couldn’t quite pick it up through her own haze of drowsiness.

Her baby was probably imprinted onto Pikachu to some degree by now. With all the time she and Pikachu had spent with the egg, it was nigh impossible for the baby not to be attached. Among her many other teammates, Bayleef and Noivern might have been imprinted upon too. The rest spent too much time in-and-out of the house to really form that close attachment. It didn’t help that there were so many either.

Hopefully this baby will grow up fast like Noivern. The dragon still had plenty of room to grow—both literally and metaphorically—though he was nowhere as slow as Misty’s Togepi. It felt like Togepi had the maturity of a baby for years. Now that Togepi had evolved, that issue had vanished into thin air. Togetic was as mature as most pokémon and took after Misty’s personality quite a bit.

Whoever Aislynn’s egg turned out to be, she wished that they were small and didn’t set things on fire. Her other fire-types did that enough and she still had things to clean up when she got back home today.

Brrrngg!

The class closed up their notebooks and headed out for lunch. Aislynn lifted her head and looked at her partner. He seemed quite content to just nap through their break. She let her cheek rest back on the incubator. Another nap sounded nice.

“Aislynn?” Professor Kukui crouched down next to her. “You know, if you needed to catch up on some rest, you could’ve just canceled for today.”

“Didn’t wanna miss,” she yawned, “the kids’ project.”

Kukui smiled and grabbed Aislynn’s shoulder. With a firm shake, he made her eyes shoot open. “Thank you, but if you really need to, take a nap.” She nodded minutely, her cheek stuck to the lid of the incubator. “Your pokémon must’ve really wrecked the place yesterday.”

“There’s a hole in my roof,” she replied with a bitter tone. How the hole even happened was beyond her. All she knew was that someone fell through the top of the roof, so at least they weren’t getting thrown through it from her bedroom. “Never taking Bulbasaur again.”

“Seems a bit harsh. Bulbasaur seems like quite the battler for his size.” Kukui got up and retrieved a paper bag with his lunch inside. With nowhere better to be, he sat beside Aislynn and began munching on a sandwich.

While her eyes closed slowly, Aislynn asked, “No pokémon.”

“Didn’t think I’d need any today.” It felt like a slow day anyway. Plus, Pikachu would always be with Aislynn, so there was always that blanket of security. “You?” She hummed, wondering what he was referring to. “Why Staraptor today? Any reason in particular?”

“Swellow’s too energetic. Can’t ride him though.” She could try, but even with her diminutive height, the Swallow pokémon was too small. So when he was too excited about the Island Trials, she took Staraptor away before he used Close Combat on the other bird.

“Must be rough with all those pokémon.” Chewing, Kukui grabbed a napkin from his lunch bag and wiped the bread crumbs off the side of his mouth. “Couldn’t imagine taking care of that many.”

Aislynn wrapped her arms around the incubator, taking in its heat. “Still got lots.”

Kukui shrugged. “They’ve all mellowed out over the years. ‘Cept Incineroar, but I got him an outlet until he finds a mate to keep up with him.”

Huh, would Charizard and Swellow be less battle-happy if she got them mates? Probably not. A female wouldn’t be able to wrangle them down unless they were just as battle-happy, if not more so. Although Pikachu being able to knock them down a peg never stopped them from wanting to fight more.

“You gonna be alright getting home?” Kukui’s sandwich was down to half of its former length. “I can drive you home if you need.”

“Staraptor’s smart,” she mumbled. She felt a hand pat her back as she drifted off further into the realm of Darkrai and Cresselia.

Her left wrist felt stiff. It felt like a weight was attached to her arm, dragging her down. Plunging through the sky of a dream, her bracelet led her toward the ocean. The mighty waves swallowed her whole and continued to rage onward. They pushed and pulled her back-and-forth. Yet as she fell down to the bottom, a webbed hand dove down and grabbed her wrist.

Familiar digits fiddled with the clasp of her bracelet. Raging waves poured out around her, stirring the energy within her. Something tugged at her heart, yanking it against her ribs. Nothing came from it, instead everything went to her wrist.

A torrent of water swirled around her and her friend. Webbed hands continued to tug at her wrist to no avail. They crashed against the bottom of the ocean, where the only light was the aura bleeding through their eyes. Aislynn clasped her hand over Greninja’s. The bracelet was fine. Her aura was fine. She was okay.

Those familiar red eyes stared at the offending object. It was a shackle on her aura, pricking at her soul and trying to open it up. Greninja let go of his trainer, letting her rest at the bottom of their dream.

Everything would be okay. She would figure out why her Z-Ring was tapping into her aura. It was only a matter of time before she had a Z-Crystal and could master Alola’s techniques.

Maybe one day, she could combine it with Greninja’s largest Water Shuriken.

“Oh my gosh! It’s an egg!”

Aislynn shot awake from her dream.

Chapter 51

Chapter Text

“Oh my gosh! It’s an egg!”

Aislynn shook away her grogginess. That definitely hadn’t been the weirdest dream she had throughout her entire life. That dream about a very aggressive Mewtwo and his cloning machine stuck out quite vividly among all the weird stuff her brain had conjured. Being dragged to the bottom of the ocean was nearing that level of weirdness though.

Dreams with Greninja weren’t common either. Not completely unique after their Battle Bond had blossomed in the heat of battle, but rare nowadays. Hopefully he was doing alright. She would hate if he was stressing over whatever Z-Rings did with aura.

“It’s not just an egg. It’s a class project.” Professor Kukui rested his hand on top of a purple and white incubator. Inside was a white egg with beige and teal clouds littered over the shell. “For our first class project, you all will be hatching and raising a pokémon from the start.”

Hugging her own incubator, Aislynn picked it up as she stood up and drifted over toward the teacher’s desk. Her incubator was smaller than the one Kukui had and rather than the purple and white, her incubator was orange and white. She vaguely recalled something about different types of incubators and how fast they worked.

“Now, before we all head home for the day, I’m going to entrust this egg to one of you.” The professor leveled a stern gaze across the classroom. Each of his students shuffled in their seats, their excitement being pinched off before it could boil over. “This is a huge responsibility. Whoever takes the egg today will be taking care of it until it hatches. As such, I’ll be giving out ten points of extra credit.”

Ten points didn’t seem like that much, but for an assignment only worth fifty points, it was a sizable amount. Even Aislynn could tell that was true. Plus, there weren’t that many projects planned for the year. Something about the students having too many varied interests and wanting to give them equal opportunities to succeed. That was also the reason that Kukui told Aislynn she would have to wait weeks before the entire class did a trial together.

Among all of the students, there were plenty who would want to take the extra credit opportunity. Mallow and Lana looked excited to have a baby, Sophocles already had his phone out and took pictures, Lillie was curious about the egg but wary of it, and Kiawe had a simmering curiosity surrounding the egg.

“Before we begin, would anyone like to not take care of the egg?” Oh, that was an important question. This was a huge responsibility even if there was an incubator. “Kiawe?” The dark-skinned boy had his hand raised.

“Sorry, but I’ll be too busy with my family’s farm and my own training.” He bowed his head toward the two teachers. “I’ll try to help where I can still.”

“Understanding your limits is good,” said Aislynn. “How’s training going by the way? Any luck with Iron Defense?”

Kukui nudged his assistant. “Not the time.”

“Right, sorry.” With the incubators side by side, Aislynn could see that the eggs were roughly the same size. Their patterns differed but the swirls and clouds were of similar size. “Is this one close to hatching?”

“Not quite.” Professor Kukui gave the purple and white incubator a pat. “This incubator should speed up the hatching process from a couple months to a few weeks. So unless something happens to the incubator, we’ll be moving onto childcare lessons next month.”

Lana raised her hand. “I vote for Mallow.”

Sophocles twisted around to face the blue-haired girl. “No fair! I want the egg.”

Mallow stood up and motioned for the ginger to calm down. “If you want the egg, you can have it. I’m okay with just helping out once it hatches.”

Ignoring her friend, Lana leaned toward Sophocles. “Don’t you have enough pictures already?” she taunted. “I bet they’re already on your Pictagram.”

Pictagram? Was that like Chatter? Aislynn shook her head. If those were important to have, one of her friends would have told her to do so. Neither Brock nor Serena thought to mention it during any of their calls, so it was probably fine.

“So what if they are?” barked back Sophocles. “I’d be a great parent for the egg. I’d make sure to clean up after it, feed it, and even walk it!”

Aislynn cupped the side of her mouth and whispered to her boss. “Do they know anything about caring for eggs?” Kukui made a so-so motion with his hand. “Should I tell them?” With the same hand, Kukui gestured for her to go ahead.

“You say that, but you’re going to be too busy playing games on your computer,” Lana hissed out just inches away from Sophocles’ face.

“And you’ll be too busy out fishing to care for the egg!” Sophocles balled up his fists and shook them.

Lana leaned back and rolled her eyes. “I didn’t volunteer, idiot.”

“Idiot!? I’m not an idiot!” Sophocles leaped out of his seat, only to get yanked back by the collar of his shirt.

With one hand, Aislynn held up the ginger boy. All of the students stared at the rather diminutive woman and the way her biceps flexed with the new weight. Any further argument died a swift death in the face of the veteran trainer.

“You shouldn’t argue in front of an egg, it might make the baby prone to violence.” Carefully, Aislynn lowered Sophocles back into his seat. His mouth was left agape as he was forced to sit properly and face the front of the class. “Every pokémon egg imprints upon their primary caretaker. If you’re too loud around the egg, you’ll have a loud baby.”

The teacher assistant moved back over to the teacher’s desk, resuming her place by the professor’s side. She may not have had one of the many pokémon she had raised from eggs with her, but the Pikachu on her shoulder ensured her students listened.

“Kiawe had the right idea. If you’re too busy or if you’re very active, you pose an active risk to the egg.” She put her hands on her hips and continued, “Since Lana wants to train up her pokémon, she shouldn’t have the egg. Maybe if you were more experienced, but I’m not sure if you can prevent any accidents from happening.”

The blue-haired student squirmed in her seat. “Understood.” Lana didn’t seem majorly upset by the declaration, just disappointed that her flaw had been pointed out.

Aislynn then pointed over to Sophocles. “Your priority isn’t the egg. I wouldn’t be opposed to you taking the egg but they’ll likely end up more of a pet than anything.” Judging by the scrunched up look on the boy’s face, she had hit the mark. “Each egg has unlimited potential and it should go to someone that can offer it a lot of opportunities.”

That left two students who could take the egg. Mallow raised her hand. “Lillie can take it.”

“What?” shrieked the blonde. “I-I can’t!”

“Why not?” asked Aislynn. Before the girl could stammer out an answer, the teacher assistant said, “I’ve only known you for a week, but you’ve got your priorities in order. I’d trust you to look after this egg.” She made sure to pat the container with the white egg and not the one with the brown egg.

“And you have us,” added Kiawe. “My mom has hatched a ton of eggs, so I know a few things. Plus, Charizard wouldn’t mind flying around more often.”

“My dad can handle the restaurant for an hour or two if you want me to come over,” offered Mallow. It wasn’t as firm as Kiawe’s offer, but from the short experience with Mallow’s father, Aislynn would have shaky confidence too.

Neither Lana nor Sophocles made suggestions of their own. Instead, they nodded along to their friends’ words. A bit of silent support now that they were definitely out of the running.

Professor Kukui picked up the purple and white incubator. “Looks like we’re decided then.” He set it down on Lillie’s desk and winked at the girl. “For what it’s worth, I trust you too.” Flushed to the ears, Lillie didn’t trust her words, so she nodded and accepted her new charge.

Chapter 52

Chapter Text

Visits to the pokémon center were common for Aislynn, but she never thought that they would be mostly for a pokémon she didn’t own. Of course, she would visit to care for a friend’s pokémon and provide moral support where she could. She couldn’t recall the last time she had spent this much time visiting a wild pokémon.

“Sorry I’m late.” Aislynn meandered into the hospital room with three pokémon in her company. Pikachu was on her shoulder as always, but Rowlet slept in her arms while Popplio hopped around at her heels. “It’s been a hectic couple of days.”

The veteran trainer sat at the foot of Litten’s bed and Popplio jumped up after her. At the other end, Litten took in the new pokémon. They were plans being formed behind those half-lidded eyes, both to escape and to confront the newcomers. Aislynn pulled Popplio against her side, giving the Fire Cat as much breathing room as he needed.

“There’s a hole in my roof, so I’m praying to Rayquaza that it doesn’t rain. You don’t know who that is. Don’t worry about it.” Litten blinked at the spew of words. “I was going to call someone to fix the roof, but Noctowl and Heracross wanted to try patching it up on their own. Hopefully it goes well. Heracross is only absentminded when it involves sweets and Noctowl likes puzzles, so it shouldn’t go horribly. You never know though. Charizard might just decide he wants to practice Seismic Toss and create a new hole.”

“Lit?” The Fire Cat gestured toward the other Alola starters with his uninjured forepaw. The injured one remained in a cast, thick and burdensome. “Litten.”

“Right, I haven’t introduced these two.” Aislynn looked down at her lap where the grass-type was still snoozing away. “This sleepy guy is Rowlet. I helped his family get away from some Team Skull grunts and his mom said he’d be safer with me.” Pursing her lips, an intrusive thought pushed its way to the forefront of her mind. “I’m still not sure if that’s because she didn’t know how to care for him or if it’s because I would keep him fed.”

“Pika,” snickered Pikachu. Of course he would assume it’s because it was for the food. The owl had just eaten and slept whenever Aislynn was around.

The trainer poked her starter’s red cheeks. “Hey, maybe he’s nocturnal or something. Then we just don’t see him doing anything because we’re sleeping.”

That got the electric-type giggling. “Pikapi. Pi pi.”

“Or he’s just that lazy. That could also be true.” Aislynn smoothed over the feathers on Rowlet’s head. The owl didn’t even stir.

“Pop pio pli!” That wasn’t how a starter should act, Popplio was right. However, Rowlet was about sixty captures too late to be Aislynn’s starter pokémon. Pikachu had taken up that spot and started in an arguably worse position.

“Leave him be.” Aislynn bopped Popplio on the head, making the Sea Lion squeak. “Rowlet can do whatever he wants.”

“Plio!” But what about the Island Challenge?

The trainer rolled her eyes. “You’ve seen how many flying-types and grass-types I have. Rowlet’s fine.” Any of her grass-types could take on the grass Totem, wherever they were. From Bulbasaur all the way to Leavanny, she had quite a few options.

Litten, somewhat lost among the conversation, picked his head up and took notice of the new bracelet around Aislynn’s wrist. “Lit?”

Aislynn raised her left arm and jangled the loose Z-Ring. It slid up and down her arm yet the face always remained in contact to some degree. “This thing? I got it last weekend, but I’ve got a while before I have the time for trials. That’s plenty of time to train you up, ain’t that right, Popplio?”

“Pop pop!” The Sea Lion pokémon clapped her flippers, excited to get started with whatever Aislynn had in store for her. Then she looked at Alola’s fire starter. “Pop?”

Tilting his head, Litten considered that option. “Lit,” he nodded.

“Really?” Aislynn held out hope to capture Litten, but she didn’t expect it. Although that was true for any pokémon she had met. Heck, if she could, she would’ve tried to capture a Pipipek had the context been any different.

“Lit lit.” He kicked up his cast as best he could. It only lifted a few inches off the bed.

“Well, Nurse Joy said you should be good to go next week.” Give or take a few days, of course. Litten had been healing up quite well thanks to all of the bedrest he got. He didn’t have the energy to do anything but rest with the recent passing of his mentor. “Oh! That’s perfect actually. I’m going to Hoenn this weekend and I promised Bulbasaur that I wouldn’t start training the entire team until I got back.”

“Pop?” Did that include Popplio? Aislynn snaked a hand under the water-type and scratched her chin. Her tail thumped against the bedding in a steady rhythm.

“Next week, we’ll start. Promise.” The trainer looked over to the fire-type. “If you really want to come with me, I can do something when I get back. Whether you want to be a fighter or do something else, that’s completely fine with me.”

Litten opened his jaws and his teeth glowed with dark-type energy. With his mouth still open, he coughed up a small ember. On instinct, Popplio blew a bubble from her nose and caught the tiny fire. “Litten.”

“Fire Fang, huh? Gliscor knows that attack, so he could definitely give you pointers.” She reached over and took the hand combing through Rowlet’s feathers to stroke Litten’s jaw. It was warm to the touch, reminiscent of a campfire. “Any reason why that move in particular?”

While the kitten leaned into Aislynn’s touch, he flicked his tail over toward the bedside table. Next to a small bowl of water was a pokéball with four small indents on it. The same one that Stoutland had been captured in just two weeks ago.

“Ah. A homage to your mentor then?” Satisfied purring was her answer. “I’ll make sure you master Fire Fang if it’s the last thing we do together. That sound good?”

“Lit.” He pulled away from the scratching to consider that. He licked his fangs with sparks licking at his lips. “Litten ten.” He had the beginnings of the technique, but incorporating the flames eluded him. She could work with him on that. Next week.

“I’ll train you up nice and strong.” Popplio, still being scratched under the chin, whined about her own training. Well, lack thereof. “Don’t worry, I won’t forget you either.” She’s made that mistake before. Noivern had suffered for it when he should have had more of her attention.

“Pop.” You better not. The water-type snuggled into Aislynn’s waist with her coarse fur brushing against the young woman’s shirt.

“Guess I’ve got two little fighters now.” She couldn’t help the smile that blossomed on her face. Two starters with the drive to become stronger and one that wanted nothing more than a pleasant life. Just a few more additions to her big and beautiful family.

Picking up the pokémon around her, Aislynn shuffled closer to Litten and moved Popplio over to the opposite side. The Fire Cat nuzzled against her, purring from the depths of his throat. The Sea Lion snuggled into her side, vying for her attention. The Grass Quill pokémon snoozed in her lap, unaware of the attention the others were receiving. And naturally, the Mouse rubbed his cheeks with his trainer’s, coating in her static electricity.

Chapter 53

Chapter Text

Kukui set down a projector and connected it to a laptop on the teacher’s desk. While he kept the projector closed, he flashed a thumbs-up at the laptop. “Good morning, class!”

“Good morning,” chorused the five students.

“For today’s lesson, we have a special guest.” Flicking open the projector, a teenage girl with dark blue hair appeared on the screen. Two yellow clips held her hair back on the sides and a white beret sat on top of her head. At the bottom of the projection, her bare shoulders were shown off although her neck was swallowed up by a pink turtleneck. “Please welcome, Dawn!”

As Kukui turned the laptop around, the class waved at their guest speaker. Dawn waved back in her limited capacity. “Hi, Dawn.” The kids greeted her with about as much enthusiasm they could muster in the morning.

Compared to them, Aislynn was the Energizer Buneary when she popped in front of the laptop’s camera and shook both hands excitedly. “Hi, Dawn!”

“Oh, Aislynn!” The younger teenager smiled at the sight of her old friend. That smile was swallowed up by a grimace. “What in the world are you wearing?”

The slightly older teen took a step back from the camera and looked down at her outfit. She was in her usual striped top and jean shorts. Neither of those screamed bad fashion to her, plus her trainers and backpack were plain so they shouldn’t clash either. Was it Pikachu that offset her outfit?

“Girl, take off your hat.” Grabbing the rim of her ball cap, Aislynn’s spiky black hair fell around and brushed over the tops of her shoulders. Was her hair that bad today? She had tried to brush it a bit since there would be a guest speaker. “Have you considered getting a sunhat? Maybe like a straw one?”

Aislynn looked at her ball cap. It was mostly red with a white bill and white symbol stitched into the front. She thought the white was good enough to match her blue and white outfit. “I like my ball caps though,” she pouted.

“And they look good on you. Hats are great.” Dawn pointed up to her white beret. Twisting her head, she showed off a pink pokéball symbol on the side of it. “But—and hear me out on this—you should lean into the beach look. You’ve got the shorts, but trade out the trainers for some sandals and get a sun hat. It’ll be a good look, trust me.”

Aislynn lifted her leg and tugged on the back of her shoe. It had taken it a while to break this pair in, would a pair of sandals be comfortable to walk in every day? Probably, but she had worn trainers for years. “I dunno. Seems like a pretty drastic change.” Scuffing her shoe against the hardwood floor, she tugged on the rest of her outfit. “Is the shirt bad?”

Dawn pursed her lips and made a so-so gesture on the screen. “I wouldn’t say it’s bad, but you could pull off a lot of tops. You’ve got the shape.” Aislynn’s current top didn’t show it off with how loose it was. “You should show it off. Your arms are a snack, but you’ve got a tight stomach too. I’d eat that right up if you’d let me.”

Rolling her eyes, Aislynn pulled her hair back and slipped her hat back on. It nestled around her head nice and snug, ready for everything but a harsh wind. Then she put her hands on her hips and pouted at her friend. “What would Zoey say if she heard you saying that?”

“Are you kidding?” Dawn burst out into laughter. “She’d be agreeing with me. One hundred percent. You know she would eat you up if she met you after your transition.” With her hand, Dawn mimed a mouth opening and closing. She leaned out of frame and the class could distantly hear her shout, “Babe, would you bang Aislynn?”

“Who?” asked a faint echo in the video call.

“Ash! Remember, she transitioned!” A series of thumping passed through the microphone. In just a few moments, a young woman with vermillion hair poked her head into view. A pair of sunglasses sat on her head and a maroon long-sleeve covered her frame.

Zoey whistled at the sight on the other side of the screen. She turned back to her partner. “You’re pulling my leg. That ain’t Ash.”

“It is!” Dawn grabbed her phone and flicked through her gallery. Once she found a picture of Aislynn before her transition, she held it up next to her end of the screen. “See? Just look at those cheeks.”

“Talk about a glow-up,” muttered Zoey as she stroked her chin. The young woman licked her lips. “Look at those legs. I’d tap that in a heartbeat.”

“Zoey!” shrieked Aislynn. Behind her, the class of five giggled at the teacher assistant’s predicament.

“What? You’re showing off those legs. You have to know that they look good. Don’t they look good?”

Dawn nodded. “They look delicious.”

“Guys! Please!” Aislynn tried to cover legs with her hands, an impossible task given her choice in shorts.

Professor Kukui cleared his throat. “Ladies, I’m always happy to reunite friends, but we’re on a schedule today. If you wouldn’t mind, Dawn?”

Pantomiming a phone with her hand, Dawn nudged Zoey to leave the room. Instead, the older woman picked Dawn up and took her seat while pulling the blue-haired girl into her lap. “Seriously? Ugh, fine.” Settling inside her partner’s lap, Dawn moved on with her prepared lesson. “Hello, class. If you don’t know already, my name is Dawn and I’m a coordinator and model. For the past few days you’ve been going over careers, right?”

“That’s right.” Kukui adjusted the projector to ensure both Zoey and Dawn could be seen on the wall behind him. “We’ve gone over competitive and casual trainers as well as breeders. Today, it’s your time to shine.”

Dawn clapped her hands together. “Perfect! Coordinators are a subset of trainers. I assume Aislynn went over the Gym Challenge and all that?” The class nodded. “Well, us coordinators are focused on bringing out a pokémon’s beauty. We compete in contests to show off techniques. Here, I prepared a few clips.”

Sharing her screen, Dawn brought up a video of Piplup using Bubblebeam. Unlike the usual flurry of violent pops, each bubble burst into sparkles that rained down around the small water-type. Out of instinct, Aislynn applauded at the showcase. Her students watched in awe of the video.

“Coordinators train their pokémon to do performances like this.” Dawn slapped a wandering hand that was snaking up from her waist to her chest. “The goal changes depending on the judge of a contest, so sometimes we’ll be trying to make the most beautiful performance we can or…”

Another video was selected, this time with a Mamoswine swallowing her own Ice Shard attack. Shining with ice-type energy, Mamoswine was covered in spikes and a shell across her back.

“How tough our pokémon are.” At the end of the video, Mamoswine sneezed on the camera, blowing back whoever was holding it. “It’s the job of a coordinator to scout out not just the competition, but the judges they need to appeal to.”

“Just like trainers scouting out their opponents!” Aislynn chipped in.

Zoey leaned over her partner’s shoulder. “I’d say we have to do a bit more research. Coordinators are always innovating new techniques or picking up ones from other people.”

“You know, give her a week and I think Aislynn could beat you in a contest battle.” Dawn snuggled back against Zoey, their chair squeaking under both of their weight. “Oh, right. There are two parts to a contest. First is the performance, so those two techniques would qualify—they’d definitely need a bit more than that though. A bit of choreography goes a long way.”

Resting her head on Dawn’s bare shoulder, Zoey continued, “The second part is the battle portion, but it’s not a regular battle. You’ve gotta make it pretty and any attacks that land drop your points. If your points drop to zero or are lower than your opponents after ten minutes, you lose the battle.”

“And the better coordinators are still appealing to the judges. Most don’t focus on that and rely on their more experienced contest pokémon for the battle.” Dawn’s tone was bitter when she said that as if the idea itself had wronged her. “You in the front. You have a question?”

Lillie lowered her hand. “Is there a circuit for contests like there are for gyms?”

“Yes there is.” Dawn minimized the videos and brought up a map of Sinnoh. Various towns and cities had been circled while a star surrounded Lake Valor. “Coordinators compete in contests to collect ribbons. Once we have five, we qualify for the Grand Festival, which always happens at one of the great lakes of Sinnoh.”

Brrrrng!

“Ah, sorry!” Aislynn dug into her backpack and pulled out her phone. Clicking her tongue, she grimaced at the alarm currently going off. “Sorry, everyone. I have to go catch a plane!”

“Take care, Aislynn!” Dawn yelled back as Aislynn dashed out of the room.

“Damn. Wish I coulda seen her go.” Dawn smacked Zoey.

Chapter 54

Chapter Text

Aislynn grabbed her suitcase off the conveyor belt and scooted over to a nearby chair. Putting her incubator next to her, she zipped her suitcase open, scanning through a weekend’s supply of clothes and her travel-size hygiene products. When she confirmed everything was there, she looked at her partner on her shoulder. “So, where to first, bud?”

“Pika?” Pikachu pulled out her phone from her backpack. “Pikapi? Chupi.” He opened the text messages, where three different people had filled her inbox. The most recent was her mom, followed by Grace who was confirming she had the right number. Third was Professor Kukui, who had taken a picture with her pokémon.

“Hopefully Bulbasaur and Kukui can keep everyone in line,” muttered the trainer. She rushed a text to her mother, affirming that she had landed safely and there wasn’t a sign of a legendary pokémon yet. “Hotel or food? I can probably go an hour or two before food.”

Her partner scrunched his furry face. “Pika.” Food it was then. Where in all of Sootopolis would they eat though? Maybe they could pick up some seafood? The rest of the team she brought liked seafood enough, although they would probably be missing all the nutrients they needed.

Tugging along her luggage with one hand and holding her baby egg in the other, Aislynn meandered out of the airport. Cabs and cars of all sorts were entering and leaving the nearby road. People from all over Hoenn were congregating over to Sootopolis to see the Grand Festival tomorrow. On a Friday afternoon, it was bound to be busy everywhere. The same would probably be true of the next morning too with the Grand Festival starting early in the day and ending in the afternoon.

Mindful of the limited space, Aislynn walked away from the busy airport until she found a relatively open space. Pulling two pokéballs off her belt, she sent out Talonflame and Noivern. Talonflame circled the area in a swift circle to stretch out her wings before landing on her trainer’s outstretched arm. Meanwhile, Noivern yawned and opened up his wingspan as far as it was wide.

“Talonflame.” The large Scorching pokémon was over half the size of her trainer with her wings folded against her side. Sitting on the shoulder opposite of Pikachu, the bird crooned. “Mind carrying my luggage for me?” With her other hand, she lifted the small wheeled case.

Two careful flaps and Talonflame landed on the handle of the suitcase. “Flame.” Although she didn’t have any sort of brow, she gave off the impression of it. Pikachu leapt onto her back, ready to fly.

“Alright, stay close, you two.” Aislynn slid onto the back of Noivern. “Call out if you see a place you’d like to eat. If we can’t find a place, Pikachu can order something.”

Once his trainer had wrapped an arm around his neck, Noivern took off into the sky. He soared over the tops of buildings, remaining lower than any of the other trainers flying around the city. There weren’t many of those but the few who kept their Pelipper and Tropius high above any building.

She wondered if this was a common sight in other regions. Back in Alola, she seemed to be the only one who traveled via flying pokémon. Everyone walked through Hau’oli City and there were a few buses around Melemele Island. In total, she had perhaps seen two personal vehicles, one of which belonged to Professor Kukui.

“Flame!” Aislynn snapped back, twisting Noivern’s head around. Talonflame narrowly avoided the swift ascent of a Gyarados, who slithered through the sky. “Tal!” snapped the Scorching pokémon.

“Aislynn Ketchum, what a surprise to see you here.” Standing atop the head of the Gyarados, a man with flowing green ribbons hanging off his shoulders looked down at her. His green vest connected to his white pants, showing off his hips and the middle of his chest. Atop his head was a wide-brimmed white hat.

“And it’s a surprise to be recognized!” she called back. Talonflame and Pikachu hovered by her side, ready to launch an attack if the call was made. On the back of Noivern, Aislynn felt more than safe. Yet as the idea of a battle came across her mind, a dozen different sensations spread out across her left wrist.

Beneath the face of the Z-Ring, the flow of her aura erupted and focused on that sole point. A spark came first, followed by a rush of heat. A flood extinguished that heat until her wrist felt frozen. Her arm quaked for a brief second before becoming stiff as steel.

Clutching the scruff around Noivern’s neck, Aislynn hoped that the man flying above her didn’t notice her short spasm. Gyarados slithered through the air, their tail whipping back and forth to keep them afloat. The green-haired man bowed with one hand holding onto his pokémon’s crest. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Aislynn. How long has it been now, three years?”

Three years? So at the beginning of her journey through Sinnoh or the tail-end of her adventure through Hoenn. Yeah, that didn’t ring any bells. “I’ve met a lot of people over the years,” she said in lieu of saying she had forgotten him.

He put a hand over his heart. “Ah, after all we’ve been through. Forgotten to the annals of time!”

“Sorry!” Had she been through something with this man? She had been in a lot of harrowing adventures with strangers. Usually nice strangers, but very few people that she had ever met again. After a while, the names just started to mix together.

Gyarados swam through the air, circling Noivern so his trainer could be in arm’s reach of Aislynn. Flapping above them, Talonflame let licks of fire flash over her feathers. “Fear not. The life of one such as yourself is fraught with dangers of all sorts. It’s only natural that you have forgotten the tame adventures.”

“I don’t suppose you’d tell me who you are then?” she asked while retrieving her left arm from the depths of Noiverrn’s fur. The green-haired man leaned down and scooped up Aislynn’s right arm. He delivered a deft kiss to her knuckles.

“The name is Wallace, former champion and current top coordinator.” He swung around Gyarados’s head with the crest as his anchor. “It’s quite a surprise to see you so far from Alola.”

“I guess you’ve seen the video.” First Cynthia and now Wallace. How many legendary trainers had seen that small battle with Tapu Koko at this point?

“Videos, my dear,” he corrected with a smile. “I must say, your Pikachu has grown in leaps and bounds since I had last seen him in battle. One must wonder when you’ll steal a champion title with that kind of strength.

“I dunno. Maybe I’ll go take one of Lance’s titles.” Another run through the Kanto or Johto gym challenge sounded like a good time. Last she heard, Kanto’s gyms had gone through some remodeling.

“I’m sure he’d be happy to hand off a title.” Wallace moved to sit next to one of Gyarados’s frills. “But may I ask what brings you over to Hoenn today?”

Well, that was easy. Aislynn gestured toward the Sootopolis Amphitheatre, where people were already gathering and setting up for the Grand Festival tomorrow. “My friend’s competing tomorrow.”

“And you flew all the way from Alola?” asked a scandalized Wallace.

“Course! It’s her first Grand Festival. I wouldn’t miss it unless the world was in danger.” An unfortunately very possible circ*mstance considering her lifestyle.

“Truly a momentous occasion.” Bringing a hand to his chin, Wallace eyed the young woman’s outfit. “Perhaps this deserves a special get-up?”

Her outfit wasn’t that bad! Coordinators were just picky, she swore. “I’m fine with what I have.”

“Oh, but I insist. I’ll even pay for it, dear. Consider it a gift for all you’ve done for Hoenn.” Well, when he put it like that, it was hard to refuse.

“Fine, but I’m paying for food. I am starving,” she stressed that last word.

Chapter 55

Chapter Text

Aislynn clutched her incubator as Wallace guided her into a boutique. Beautiful dresses were on display in the windows, none of which Aislynn could see herself wearing. They weren’t bad per say. She just didn’t feel comfortable in a bright collage of colors, especially one that would go down near her ankles. She liked her range of movement in shorts and most pants. A dress could be stepped on in the middle of running and trip her up.

Wallace didn’t seem to have any of those concerns. After all, he had those long flowing green ribbons hanging off his shoulders. His outfit was very much for show rather than any sort of practical purpose. Hopefully he didn’t force that outlook on her.

“Let’s see what we can do, darling.” Letting go of her arm, Wallace rushed over to one of the many racks around the room. He flung an orange floral-patterned dress at her, quickly followed by a dark green one with sunflowers stitched into it.

“Uh, Wallace?” Aislynn draped both dresses over her incubator in lieu of any free hands. Pikachu leaned over from his perch on her shoulder, grimacing at the sight of the patterns.

The green-haired man grabbed a beige jumpsuit from a rack. “Yes?” His eyes sparkled as comprehension dawned upon him in an instant. “I see. Well, rest assured, you’ll look beautiful in them. Try them on before you cast them aside.”

“Okay, but if I don’t like how they feel, I’m not wearing any more dresses today.” He tossed the jumpsuit onto the pile of dresses before darting back and forth through the boutique. The owner watched the coordinator go to work, completely in awe of the fact he was in her store.

For good measure, Wallace dropped off one more dress, one that was still flowy but solid in color this time. It didn’t seem bad from the looks of it. None of the dresses were too long, just ending around her knees and loose enough around her waist that her lacking figure wasn’t pointed out. Wallace was thoughtful enough to hide some sore spots.

“And this one should do it.” The last addition to the pile was a black romper with an orange tropical design. Wallace nudged Aislynn toward the back of the boutique. “Try them on, dear. You may be surprised by how you look.”

Well, she wouldn’t be surprised per say. Serena had made her try plenty of outfits before and after various surgeries. Aislynn was mostly comfortable with what she wore anyway. She had a feminine enough body since she transitioned in the midst of puberty, but with her active lifestyle, she would never be as dainty as a coordinator. There was just a bit too much muscle built up through wrangling pokémon herself.

Either way, she would try the outfits. Wallace was offering to pay for her, so she owed it to him to try. Aislynn set the egg and Pikachu down on a bench outside the changing room. With a deep breath, she went in and laid out her choices

There were three dresses, one jumpsuit, and one romper. The jumpsuit had some give to it but the legs would have to be rolled up to account for Aislynn’s diminutive height. The dresses were loose as well, but their flowy nature didn’t sit well with her. Even if she didn’t plan to do anything athletic while she was in Hoenn, the world didn’t revolve around her plans. Last but not least was the romper, which wasn’t much different than what she was already sporting, albeit more time-consuming to take off.

“Straight into the deep-end,” decided Aislynn. Shucking off her clothes, she grabbed the green dress with sunflowers on it. Once she slipped it on, she knew it was a definite nope.

The pattern was pretty, there was nothing wrong with that. The most eye-catching part were the straps. With the dress being sleeveless, the straps had to hold it up. These straps were thick, but being straps, they still highlighted Aislynn’s shoulders. Shoulders that she didn’t think should be highlighted.

Not unless she got them reshaped with ditto cells or something like that. Maybe next year. She had her bottom and top surgery in the last year, she should wait a while before getting another change done

For now though, it was a definite no. She flung it out of the changing room. “Straps are a no-go.”

Wallace caught the dress and laid it out on the bench. “Shame. I quite liked that one.”

The next one was an earthy orange with a smaller floral pattern spread throughout. Unlike the last dress, this one had shaggy sleeves that went down to her elbows. It hid her shoulders quite nicely, but its skirt started right under her bust. That wasn’t bad. It was certainly an interesting feeling and hid her lacking figure better than the first dress.

Unfortunately, she had no idea whether to button it up or not. For some reason, this dress could be buttoned up between her bust, but those buttons stopped there. Did she button it all the way up or let it hang loose?

Aislynn stuck her head out from behind the curtain of the changing room. “Hey, Wallace? Do I button this one up?”

Wallace stroked his chin as Aislynn stepped out. He circled her, taking in her figure from head to toe. “Leave it unbuttoned. You aren’t gifted as much as some people, but you don’t strike me as the conservative type.”

The only things she was conservative about were her surgery scars. Even those were going to fade over time. Well, unless she started to tan. Ditto cells took forever to tan and they were never quite as toned as natural muscle.

“I’m not sure.” Aislynn twirled around and watched the hem of the dress flutter around her. The same movement made it fly up around her waist. “Okay, that might be fun. But also, I run around too much to not give someone a peek by accident.”

“Maybe not for casual wear then.” Wallace grabbed her shoulders and spun her around. “It never hurts to have a few nice outfits though.”

“Yeah, guess so.” It was a keeper then. Probably not something she’d pull out of the closet often, but maybe if she had to do those parent-teacher conferences. Oh, also Open House. She needed a nice outfit for that next month.

Wiggling out of the orange dress, she dove back into the changing room. The next two dresses were certainly interesting. The wrap dress looked fine. It was nice and loose, created the illusion of a cinched waist, and was a rich green. It looked almost formal.

With a sigh, she threw it on. “Not bad,” she muttered while twisted around. “Let’s keep it!” She threw it out the room, hoping that her temporary benefactor would catch it.

“Let’s see the jumpsuit,” Wallace called out.

The beige one? Sure, it looked fine. Pulling it on, Aislynn buttoned it up to her collarbone, where she kept her skin exposed. It went midway down her calves and she evened that out by rolling the sleeves up to her elbows. Yet there was still something missing.

Was it her hat? No, Dawn would say that clashed horribly. She looked like a middle-aged soccer mom without the wrinkles. Definitely keeping the hat off then.

“Hey, Wallace?” Aislynn stepped out, fiddling with her collar. “It feels like something is missing. Is there something missing?”

Wallace hummed. With a snap of his fingers, he turned to the shop owner. “A bandana, if you would.” The woman handed him a blue and white piece of cloth. Folding it up, Wallace tied it around Aislynn’s neck and fastened the bow to show off the front. “Perfect.”

“Really?” Wandering over to a mirror, Aislynn inspected the new tie. It looked cute and definitely filled that void. Although there was one glaring issue. “I look like a summer camp counselor.”

“Well, you are a teacher now.” Wallace grinned behind her with his hands around her shoulders. “It’s quite a good look for you. Perhaps you should wear it out.”

Aislynn hummed. “Let’s try the other ones.”

Chapter 56

Chapter Text

With several bags in her arms and a few more in the talons of Talonflame and Noivern, Aislynn was feeling quite uncomfortable with how much Wallace had spent on her. The man had kept piling on more clothes and pushing her into different stores. By the time her stomach was rumbling, she had doubled her wardrobe back in Alola.

Which means she would need another suitcase or two if she wanted to bring everyone home with her. Damn it, Wallace!

“That lunch doesn’t feel like enough,” she grumbled as she walked toward her hotel.

Wallace raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. “Hungry for a third full course?” His teasing tone didn’t make her feel any better. She had definitely spent more on her food than his.

“Buying lunch is nowhere close to all the clothes you bought for me.” She raised up arms filled with bags. “Seriously, some of those are trainer-grade clothes too!”

“Any less would be insufficient.” It would, but they were super expensive! It was one thing for him to buy her nice clothing fit for formal events and another thing when he bought clothes that could hold up to pokémon attacks.

“Yeah, but there’s so much. I would have been happy with just the first store. That was more than enough for me.” Everything that came after would be cherished. They were nice clothes, after all. She just didn’t know if she would really be using all of them. “Not that I’m not happy you bought all of this. It’s just a lot.”

“Every girl deserves a large wardrobe.” He reached over Pikachu and ruffled her hair. Now that her partner was wearing her hat, her spiky hair was free to point in every direction it wished. “Besides, if it truly troubles you, consider this thanks for all the hard work you do.”

“Hard work?” Aislynn scrunched up her brow. “I mean, I’ve done a few things here and there to help out. I’m pretty sure any trainer would have done the same if they had the time.”

Wallace smiled down at her. His eyes taunted her, like he knew something that she didn’t. “You’ve still gone above and beyond to help the world. I would love to have done more for you, but I have a meeting to attend in a few hours.”

Well, he wasn’t wrong. Aislynn had done quite a bit to help the world. Some things she had done were unthinkable by some and fairy tales to others. Yet when all was said and done, she didn’t ask for anything. Her mother raised a good kid. She wouldn’t ask someone to give her anything when they needed all they had.

“Although, if you must make it up to me, a battle would do.” Immediately, Aislynn reached to her belt and retrieved Hawlucha’s pokéball. Wallace held up a hand. “Not here. How about tomorrow?”

“But tomorrow is the Grand Festival,” rebutted Aislynn, utterly confused.

“Indeed it is.” There was that knowing look again. It was almost frustrating to see it, but Aislynn knew she had much to learn about many things. Even when it came to battles, she was no expert. “Every finale deserves an exhibition, does it not? A battle to open up the contest would prime the audience quite well, especially between the two of us.”

“A former champion and a League finalist? Feels a bit unfair if you ask me.” On her shoulder, Pikachu nodded with Aislynn’s cap bobbing over his eyes.

“Ah, but you forget, this is a contest. A normal brawl won’t do to lead into the magnificent performances this year’s coordinators have in store.” Aislynn flashed through her many memories of contest battles. Duels and team fights featuring stylized moves that never did as much damage as she knew they could.

The thought of May’s previous double battles reminded her of an important advantage. “Don’t you have the most prestigious contest in the world named after you?”

Reminded of his own prestige, Wallace flung his arms out to the side. “Don’t tell me you aren’t up to the challenge. I thought the great Aislynn Ketchum would wholeheartedly take me up on a contest battle.”

“I never said I wouldn’t.” She smirked at the man. A contest battle may not be her forté, but a challenge was a challenge. So long as her pokémon were in good health, she wouldn’t back down. “So don’t hold back, you hear me?”

Wallace glanced over to Pikachu. “I wouldn’t dare to hold back against such a strong opponent.”

“You better not.” Reaching behind her back, Aislynn tugged off Noivern’s pokéball. “Well, looks like I have some training to do today then.”

“Time waits for no one,” agreed Wallace. “I should squeeze in a few rehearsals of my own. So it seems this is where we part ways.”

“Till tomorrow.”

Wallace nodded. “Till tomorrow.” He bowed to her, one hand over his chest and one behind his back. “Farewell, dear. I cannot wait to see how you shine on the stage.”

“I can’t wait either.” Tossing Noivern’s pokéball in the air, Aislynn made to leave. Noivern was hardly burdened by the load of a wardrobe’s worth of clothing. “And thanks. Shopping with you was fun.”

She could barely make out the man’s smile before Noivern was up and into the air. Talonflame followed them, still clutching a few bags of her own but with far less of a burden than her younger teammate. Both knew that their flight would be requested far more than expected today. The training that Aislynn needed to do would require more space than Sootopolis had to offer.

Although that brought up the question of which two pokémon Aislynn would use. A contest battle required two pokémon that could work with each other to some degree. If Wallace was her opponent, she would need two teammates in perfect sync.

Pikachu was an easy option and the most expected. He was her starter and most trusted partner. If there was ever a choice, he would be the first. Besides, he had so many old techniques to use again and many of them were more than flashy enough for a contest. So someone needed to match his tempo or complement his speed and power.

Of the pokémon she had on hand, Hawlucha was the best showman. He was a wrestler through and through. Perhaps he would earn her points there, but his limited moveset didn’t allow for much synergy with her partner. If she tried to divide the double battle into two separate duels, Wallace would capitalize on that and single out Hawlucha until her points were diminished beyond repair.

Charizard had a wide array of moves, each prioritizing power. A ballad of fire and electricity against a beautiful whirlpool may be the call she needed. Unfortunately, a day of training would not finetune Charizard’s abilities enough to make them sparkle rather than explode.

She needed someone with some experience. A pokémon who knew what contests were and could keep up with Pikachu. She had two teams worth of pokémon that fit that category. Maybe Gliscor or Torterra since they wouldn’t be affected by Pikachu’s larger electric attacks? No, they were tough and Wallace would land too many easy attacks. If this was a competitive battle, she could use them no problem.

Perhaps Glalie or Swellow. They could control the speed of the battle quite well. Although when it came to speed, she had plenty of options. Wallace would be bringing water-types that could specialize in speed as well. His Gyarados would be fast if he chose to use them. She knew he had a Milotic, which was yet another powerhouse and would be able to provide covering fire for Gyarados.

No matter what happened, she couldn’t stop getting hit. Even a Counter Shield would only deflect so much before it lost her points for over reliance. So she should use a pokémon that could not only take a few attacks, but benefited from it.

That’s it! “Pikachu, I’ve got your partner in mind. Let’s hit up a pokémon center and get warmed up, yeah?”

Chapter 57

Chapter Text

A fist knocked three times at the door. “Miss Ketchum, you have five minutes.”

Aislynn cringed as she went over her preparations. The two pokémon she had selected were ready and Nurse Joy had given her the okay to battle even after her long training session last night. Pikachu was even wearing her hat, which she had adjusted in the back to stay snug on his head.

Her makeup and dress were probably good. She was no expert, but her outfit was just the solid green wrap dress that Wallace bought her the other day. It was far more simple than the outfits that she had seen May and Dawn sporting during their contests years ago. Still, she was comfortable even if her face had a few extra layers on it than usual.

There were no accessories either. Not a necklace or a bracelet to weigh her down. The weight of her aura was balanced throughout her body, pumping out in time with her heartbeat. She was ready for a battle. She was ready to win.

All that was left was for her to step out and wait for her call. But first, Aislynn turned to the only other person in the room with her. “How do I look, Mom?”

Delia smiled at her daughter with a hand pressed to her cheek. “You look wonderful.” Reaching over, Delia tucked some of her daughter’s hair behind her ear. It had taken twenty minutes just to tame it and curl it. It would have been a shame to ruin such beautiful work. “You’ll leave them speechless.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Aislynn turned her head to the side and hugged Delia. The two squeezed each other nice and tight, both using strength that would leave anyone else gasping for air.

“Miss Ketchum!”

“I’ll be right there!” Slipping out of the embrace, Aislynn stretched out an arm and Pikachu climbed up it until he was on his usual perch on her shoulder. “Guess this is it. First contest battle in what? Three years now?” She sighed. At least this one promised to be exciting whether or not she stuck to the principles of a contest. “Let’s do our best, bud.”

“You’ll do great, sweetie!” Delia shouted as Aislynn charged out of the door. Her flats clacked against the ground. The hallway was empty with every coordinator in the building still getting dressed or watching in one of the small common areas backstage. No one caught sight of her or Pikachu.

Aislynn arrived at the edge of the stage across from Wallace. The chatter and murmurs of the crowd filled her ear, all unintelligible even for her trained senses. So she looked to her opponent, who garbed himself in a blue number that flowed around him. In his hand was a luxury ball outfitted with seals she hadn’t seen since her days traveling with Dawn.

Her own pokéball—and lack of one in Pikachu’s case—were dented and scorched so badly that even the best of cleaners couldn’t get back that shiny red. A seal or two would have been a small balm to the damage, but it was ultimately a minor problem. Her performance would not be judged by the equipment she brought, only the techniques she could do with them. Although that thought saddened her somewhat. If she wanted to win, she couldn’t just care about the results of the bout.

“Welcome one and all to the Grand Festival!” The familiar voice of Mr. Goodshow echoed throughout the amphitheater. “My name is Mr. Goodshow and I’ll be one of your judges today. Let me tell you, it will be a difficult job. We’ve got a whole host of amazing coordinators this year and I can’t wait to see what performances they have ready for us today. But first, we have a special surprise for you all!”

While Aislynn listened to Goodshow’s opening speech, a stagehand tapped her shoulder. In his hand was a tiny clip-on microphone and a battery pack. “Sorry,” he mumbled. She waved him off and let him do his job. The battery pack clipped onto the sash that cinched her dress around her waist while the microphone snaked around to stick onto her collar.

“For those of you at home, Sootopolis City is playing host to this year’s Grand Festival. Some of you may have already guessed, but our guest judge for the evening is none other than Wallace!” The green-haired man strutted out onto stage and waved to the adoring fans filling up the stands. “And he has a special surprise for us this evening.”

“Indeed, I do.” Wallace bowed to the audience, his own voice reverberating over every speaker. “It’s quite unorthodox, but I have arranged an exhibition match to open up our festival today. Now, keen viewers may realize that there is little unorthodox about that.” Standing tall, Wallace gestured over to the other end of the stage. Aislynn sauntered as best she could to join him. “Rather than another coordinator, I have invited none other than Aislynn Ketchum, hero of Kalos.”

She put on a smile, unsure of where the cameras were but unwilling to look bad. “And it’s a pleasure to be here. I never expected to be part of a contest battle again, but this one’s special.” Grabbing the pokéball of her chosen partner for today, she pointed it at Wallace. “Ready to lose, former champion?”

Smirking, Wallace matched her stance with a luxury ball. “Let’s see if this will be the end of your journey, hero!” Spinning on his heel, Wallace released his first pokémon. Emerging in a cascade of snowflakes and sparkles, Milotic took to the stage. She slithered around her trainer, wrapping around him. “You remember the rules?”

“A double battle decided by beauty and technique, not power. The classic contest battle format.” Pikachu, cap still on his head, made sparks from his cheeks. He stared down the elegant Milotic yet the water-type didn’t even flinch at his challenge. “One hundred points to each side. The winner is decided by whoever lowers the other’s points to zero or knocks out both of their pokémon.”

Wallace winked at a camera crew set up in front of the audience. “Which means no time limits for this battle. It should be a treat to see two premier trainers go all out with every technique in their arsenal.” Placing a hand on Milotic, he wordlessly directed the Tender pokémon to snake away from him. She glided across the stage to stand between the trainer and coordinator. “Now, let us all take our places so the show can begin!”

Pikachu hopped off Aislynn’s shoulder to stand in front of Milotic while his partner took her place at one side of the stage. Wallace mirrored her and took out another luxury ball with a different seal stamped onto the front.

“You know my first choice,” Aislynn declared. “Now, let’s heat things up! Infernape, I choose you!” The Flame pokémon erupted out from his pokéball, landing on stage right behind his teammate. He slammed his fists against his chest, banging against the golden armor adorning his body.

“A fire-type against a water-type trainer? How bold.” With a splash beneath him, Swampert was called to the stage. He crouched low to the ground, showing off the mega stone that adorned his left bicep. “I can’t wait to see what surprise you have for me.”

“And I can’t wait to see how far you can push my team!” Aislynn stood firm as her heartbeat sped up. Three beats echoed out of sync, ringing in her ears.

“Hold onto your seats, folks! The battle begins now!”

Chapter 58

Chapter Text

“Hold onto your seats, folks! The battle begins now!”

Pikachu stood on all-fours in front of Infernape, who leaned forward and was ready to leap into battle. Milotic and Swampert stood side-by-side, beauty next to brawn. Wallace gestured to his opponent. “I believe the saying is: Ladies first.”

“You better not regret that later,” Aislynn taunted in return. “Priority!” In an instant, Pikachu and Infernape flashed forward. Engulfed by a white glow, Pikachu sped over to Milotic and jumped upward, slamming an Iron Tail into the underside of Milotic’s chin. Following the electric-type’s lead, Infernape rushed forward with a Mach Punch. Rather than hit his opponents directly, he grabbed Milotic by the neck and threw her toward Swampert.

“Wrap!” Before she could fly far, Milotic snapped her tail around Infernape’s arm. Pulling herself around the fire-type, she wrapped around his body from head to toe, pinning his arms to his side. “Now, rising Whirlpool!” Water spilled out from Milotic’s scales, coalescing into a spiral around both her and Infernape. All that water began to swirl around them in a tornado of water, trapping Infernape within and chipping away at him.

“Wallace has turned Aislynn’s quick start against her!” While Wallace's points dropped by three, Aislynn had lost five. Right, there was no sense of doing damage if it wasn’t going to be flashy. Even better if she could turn an attack against her opponent.

High up above the amphitheater, Pikachu hung in the air. He looked over to his partner. Aislynn raised a single finger into the air. “Ring!” Combining Quick Attack and Thunderbolt, Pikachu whipped his tail toward the Whirlpool trapping his teammate and sent a crackling ring of electricity toward it.

Before it could touch the swirling waters, a blob of mud made the ring fizzle out. “And yet another counter by Wallace! Not as elegant as the last, but no less effective.” Aislynn’s points ticked down by another two.

“Always remember that you’re in a double battle,” Wallace smirked as Swampert flexed his biceps, straining the band on his left arm. Then, the Mud Fish pokémon filled his cheeks with water and shot a geyser of water into the air, aimed straight for Pikachu. Every drop of water managed to sparkle and burst into mist when it broke off from the stream.

“And remember that Pikachu always has more tricks. Electroweb!” Falling down toward the geyser, Pikachu generated a web and flung it out to catch the entire Hydro Pump attack. The water splashed against his barrier, fizzling into a shower of sparks. Now unimpeded, Pikachu landed back on the ground. Swampert stood as a sentinel between Pikachu and Infernape, and by proxy, Milotic.

“That’s ten points from Wallace.” She had a small lead by a mere six points, but there was a lot more to go. Wallace had yet to use Swampert’s stone, which could turn the tide of battle in an instant. Likewise, she had Infernape’s trump card ready in a few more hits.

Struggling against the serpent binding him, Infernape ignited in a fury. Flare Blitz evaporated the entire Whirlpool. Still, his opponent constricted around him and shined with the glow of Coil, enhancing her natural bulk. The tension made Flare Blitz fizzle out and Infernape screeched from the surge of pain. Wallace was preparing to drag this out then.

“Infernape, hold onto a Flare Blitz!” The Flame pokémon erupted into an aura of fire with the bonfire on his head whipping around. Milotic’s yellow scales burned off, turning to ash. As soon as her wrap loosened, Infernape grabbed her by the end of her tail. “Up and crash!” Infernape threw Milotic into the air far above the stage and used his Flare Blitz to charge at Swampert. The Mud Fish pokémon blocked Infernape’s fists with open palms, catching the fire-type but that didn’t stop him from being pushed back.

Meanwhile, Pikachu took back to the sides in a streak of lightning. Milotic coiled into a ball to increase her defenses once more and Pikachu struck true. The Tender pokémon went flying through the air and hit the walls of the theater. She dropped to the ground faster than Pikachu, far less energetic and with the sparks of paralysis dancing down her body.

“Keep up the heat, Infernape!” The Hoenn and Sinnoh starter pushed against each other with their hands intertwined. Surrounded by an aura of fire, Infernape continued to push Swampert back until the band on the water-type’s arm erupted with light.

“It seems we can’t hold back any longer.” Wallace held onto a keystone attached to a contest ribbon. It glowed, matching the shine of Swampert’s mega stone. In a flash of light, Swampert gained mass in his chest and arms, allowing him to loom over Infernape. “Don’t hold back, Swampert!” Now mega evolved, Swampert clamped down on Infernape’s arm with one hand and pulled the other back. A beam of ice shot at him, coating his arm with layers of ice.

And then he swung. Every chunk of ice shattered against Infernape’s chest before the force of a Hammer Arm made his ribs shake against the muscle trapping them inside his body. The fire-type spat on Swampert’s face, still trapped in his grasp.

“A huge upset as Wallace turns the tables with Mega Evolution! Combined with a team attack, Aislynn’s still in the lead, but that may not be the case for long.” Whatever lead she had taken had been reduced to just a handful of points.

“Infernape, flip out with Flame Wheel!” While his arm was trapped, Infernape flipped over Swampert. When the water-type refused to let go, Infernape lifted him and threw him into the ground, completing a full flip for both of them. “Build distance!” Both of her pokémon jumped back, finally regrouping with each other.

“Running won’t save you. Sweep the field!” Swampert and Milotic backed up to the edge of the stage before they called upon a surge of water. A wave flooded out over the stage, ready to consume Aislynn and her pokémon.

Either they got dodged and she got drenched or they countered the attack and took the brute force of two Surf attacks. She was more than fine with getting drenched, but the other option was much more flashy. It would be perfect for a contest battle.

“Boys.” The two pokémon looked over their shoulders. “It’s time to blitz them down.” Both of them grinned and faced the oncoming wave. Swampert and Milotic rode atop it, steering it toward their opponents.

“Pika!” Cocooned in lightning, Pikachu pierced through the wave with a single Volt Tackle. Electricity surged through the waters, but only tingled the two water-types.

Still standing before his trainer, Infernape called upon his inner fire. The bonfire raging on his head flashed. It was brighter than the light of Mega Evolution. Surging to the heavens, the flame on Infernape’s head raged with the ignition of his ability. The remnants of Surf evaporated before they could touch him or his trainer.

“Woah! What’s going on with Infernape?” Mr. Goodshow held onto his seat, scared of flying away. Aislynn couldn’t blame him. The waves of heat billowing off her fire-type made her dress and hair fly back. If Pikachu wasn’t wearing her hat, she’d have lost it.

When the Blaze settled, Infernape grinned like a madman as blue flames blew out from his head. “Let’s finish this!” Flames swelled around Infernape, encasing him in a blue Flare Blitz. On the other side of their opponents, Pikachu summoned the power of a storm to empower his Volt Tackle.

“Muddy Water! Dilute the attacks!” Wallace panicked as both of his pokémon did their best to summon enough water to defend themselves. Whatever they could muster wasn’t enough. Even with Milotic veiling herself, her opponents made up for their rough technique with monumental power.

Pikachu surged across the battlefield, piercing through Milotic’s veil and making her crash into her ally. Just a few seconds later, Infernape slammed into Swampert. Any water near him evaporated into steam. Any semblance of protection melted away as blue flames boiled Swampert’s skin and pushed him against Milotic. The electricity passing through his ally may not have affected him, but the flames kept scorching his underside until his bulging muscles faded away.

“That’s a wrap!” Aislynn shouted as she ran over to the pile of pokémon. Wallace matched her as he recalled his two pokémon. “Let’s back up, Infernape. You’re still steaming hot,” she chided. A bead of sweat went down her brow even a few feet away from him. That blue Blaze was doing no one any favors on a warm autumn day.

“With a double knockout, Aislynn is the winner!” announced Mr. Goodshow. The audience erupted into applause, cheering her name.

Wallace walked over to her, dignity intact but still wounded. “Well met, Aislynn.” He offered out his hand and Aislynn shook it. “I can’t say I expected to be on the backfoot, but it’s been quite some time since I battled against a champion-class trainer.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” she laughed off the exaggeration. “It was a good match though. Infernape hasn’t had to use his ability like that for years.” The still-blue fire-type nodded. He hadn’t gone that hard in a battle since fighting Paul’s Electivire.

“I don’t say champion-class lightly, but if you insist.” Wallace turned his head to the audience and cameras around them. With a smile, he asked, “Any words for those at home?”

Words? Was she supposed to prepare some sort of speech? Shoot, uh… “You all better watch out for Serena!” She said the first thing that came to mind. “She’ll be the star of the show!”

Chapter 59

Chapter Text

Sylveon jumped in front of Braixen, tanking a stream of purple flames. Hidden behind the purple flames were orange flames, scorching the fairy-type’s fur. “Sylveon!” Her trainer shouted. The fairy landed on her feet and hobbled before collapsing. Serena grimaced and returned Sylveon. Holding the pokéball, she kissed it just above the button. “You did wonderful.”

“And with a concealed Flamethrower, Lisia’s Altaria takes out Serena’s Sylveon!” announced Mr. Goodshow as Serena’s points ticked down below Lisia’s own total

Although fueled by his bias, Wallace mused about the attack. “A simple but effective feint. It’s perfect for both competitive battling and contest battling, especially with less than a minute on the clock.”

Serena clenched her fists. Braixen was her only pokémon left on the field against Lisia’s Altaria. It was even, but the other girl had many more tricks up her sleeve. The blonde was backed into a corner here and she was trembling.

Stuffed in the front row of the audience, Aislynn stood up from her seat. “You got this! Just one more attack!”

A faint smile formed on Serena’s face. “Braixen, it’s now or never, Fire Blast!” Drawing a symbol with her stick, Braixen jabbed the air and summoned a symbol drawn in fire. It blasted forward, screaming across the stage straight toward Altaria.

“Blast it away with Dragon Pulse!” called Lisia. Altaria reared her head back before spewing a dragon-shaped beam of energy.

“Heart!” Waving her stick, the Fire Blast expanded and reformed into a heart. Altaria’s Dragon Pulse flew through the new opening and struck true, blasting Braixen to the floor. With its new shape, the Fire Blast streaked through the sky and engulfed the dragon-type, burning away at her wings and antenna.

“And that’s time!” Everyone turned to the scoreboard with bated breath. “Even with that magnificent Fire Blast, taking that hit ticked a few points off Serena. That means the winner of this year’s Grand Festival is Lisia!”

The crowd erupted into applause and cheers for the new top coordinator. Lisia soaked in the praise, posing for the various cameras all around the amphitheater. Meanwhile, Serena ran over to Braixen, cradling the fire-type’s head in one arm while the other stroked a white-furred arm. The points were less than ten apart. That Fire Blast was an amazing gambit and a brilliant showcase of skill with such a powerful attack. It almost closed the gap between the two coordinators.

Against her better judgment, Aislynn leaped over the barrier and onto the stage. She hurried over to Serena, meeting her on the other side of Braixen. Around the stage, members of security readied pokéballs but lowered them just as fast when they realized just who had stepped onto stage.

“You did amazing,” said Aislynn. Braixen whined about some kind of birds, but the trainer couldn’t catch much of it from the low volume. “You and Braixen really stepped up your training to control such a strong attack. I don’t even think my pokémon could control a Fire Blast that well. Most of them can’t even change the size of their Flamethrower.”

Serena wiped her face, cleaning up the few tears that rolled down her cheeks. “Thanks. That means a lot coming from you.” Tapping a pokéball against Braixen’s chest, Serena tucked her partner away.

“You know, there’s always next year. If you can do all this after a couple of months, I bet you’d win the whole thing the next time.” Aislynn shuffled over and looped her arm around Serena. Although she could do it with ease, Aislynn still slowly lifted Serena until she stood on her own. “And hey, I’d be happy to fly out again to see how you do.”

Shaking her head, Serena laughed under her breath. “You’re too good for me.” With the audience occupied by Lisia, Aislynn guided Serena backstage. Her arm drifted down around Serena’s waist, far more comfortable there than hooked under the taller girl’s arms.

“Hey, don’t talk about yourself like that.” Other coordinators that they passed by congratulated Serena for her efforts. Some were less than cheerful, having lost to the rookie coordinator despite their own experience. All of it went in one ear and out the other for the blonde. “Take it from me, dwelling on your loss after a close match like that won’t do you any good. You’ve gotta look at the future. There’s so many opportunities for you to grow if you just reach out for them.”

The pair of girls stumbled into the dressing room Aislynn used that morning. “Thank you,” mumbled Serena. “It just feels weird, you know? Not like losing against Aria.” She shook her head as Aislynn sat her down on a stool. “I don’t know how to describe it.”

Aislynn stood beside her old friend, and with her hand holding Serena’s, she rubbed the back of the blonde’s hand with her thumb. “That’s kinda like how Unova went for me. I knew I could do better with some training, but there were just so many things for me to do.” She laughed with a small smile. “Cilan had to drag me to my next appointment back then because me and Pikachu were training so much.”

“Pi.” Her partner scratched the back of his head, ashamed of how tunnel-visioned he had gotten back then. “Pi pika.”

“And then we met Alexa. Without her, I would’ve never gone to Kalos.” Nostalgia washed over Aislynn. It had been over a year since that happened but felt like it was ages ago. “After that, well, you know the rest.” Shrugging, Aislynn let the two descend into silence. Her thumb continued to rub Serena’s hand.

The blonde rested her head on Aislynn’s shoulder. With the shorter girl standing up, it was comfortable for both of them to just bask in silence and stare in the mirror. Neither looked at their own reflections, but the other’s. Aislynn hadn’t thought much of Serena’s outfit from a distance. She was good at spotting changes and movements thanks to years of battling, yet the finer details of the blonde’s outfit were lost to her.

Underneath a black frock, Serena was wearing a black turtleneck. Around the neck and the wrist were frills while Serena’s biceps were exposed and patterned with ribbons. The more eye-catching part was the hem of the frock itself. Instead of the solid-color style of Aislynn’s wrap dress, the frock had three segments of maroon fabric shaped like droplets extending from the hem to the waist.

It was an interesting look for Serena, at least, to Aislynn. It was nowhere as colorful as the outfit she had donned for her showcases, but that was partially the point. A contest was to highlight the beauty a coordinator could bring out in their pokémon, not a runway for their pokémon to walk alongside them.

“Miss Ketchum?” a muffled voice came through the door. “Is Serena with you?”

Aislynn looked down at Serena. “You think you’re up to seeing people?”

“I’ll be fine,” she muttered against the older girl’s shoulder.

“If you’re sure.” Looking over her shoulder, Ailynn shouted, “She’s here! Come in.”

A member of security dressed in black opened the door. From behind him, Wallace sauntered into the room still in the blue robes of his contest outfit. “Pardon for the intrusion, but I have an offer to make should you be willing.”

Since Serena was on a swiveling stool, Aislynn clutched onto her and walked in a circle until both teenagers were facing the former champion. “What’s up?”

Wallace bowed his head. “My niece, Lisia, wishes to form an idol group. After your spectacular performance today, I am extending an invitation to you on her behalf.” He looked the blonde in the eye, amusem*nt all over his face. “Although I understand if you have other things,” he stifled a laugh, “to be doing.”

Serena lifted her head off Aislynn’s shoulder. “I think I need to know more before joining an idol group. I haven’t exactly heard great things about them. Well, except for their music.”

“Of course. I’ll have some more information sent to your business email.” He spun on his heel and moved back over to the door. “I must take my leave now. You two enjoy your time in Sootopolis.”

Chapter 60

Chapter Text

After the short ceremony where Lisia accepted her trophy, every coordinator in the city collectively decided to hunt down food. Of course, not everyone went to the same place. That would be ludicrous. Nevertheless, the sheer amount of family and friends looking for food nearby meant that Aislynn ended up calling upon her pokémon to help find a place for her, Serena, and their mothers.

They skipped over a few places that didn’t serve enough food for Aislynn’s diet, not that she could blame the restaurants. Sootopolis was a beautiful city, but it was quite contained. Hoenn culture leaned toward fish as the most common base for a dish and Aislynn was already uncomfortable buying Magikarp meat for her pokémon. She’d rather box a Hitmonchan than actually eat a pokémon.

So they ended up hiding away in a noodle restaurant. The portions were filling and the staring was minimal compared to most other places. Although Aislynn wasn’t sure if the stares their group was getting was because of how they were dressed or because someone recognized them. Until someone came up and made it clear, she’d say it was because most people didn’t go to a humble noodle shack in a somewhat formal dress.

Halfway through their meal, Grace nudged her daughter. “So, Wallace himself asked you to join a little idol group? How was he? Is he even more handsome than in the magazines?”

“I wasn’t really paying attention to that.” Serena chewed on her udon, avoiding the eyes of her mother. “I asked for some time to think about the offer though. I’m not sure if I want to continue being a coordinator.” With her head bowed, she glanced up across the table at Aislynn.

“Eh, you’ve got plenty of time to decide what to do.” Aislynn twirled her noodles around in her bowl. Idly, she wondered if her egg would develop a taste for certain foods because of the restaurants she had been to. “I know Dawn said coordinating isn’t really a career. You can make a name for yourself before you pursue something else.”

Delia sipped at her broth, taking her time while her daughter continued to dig into her food. “I think that’s wise. You should be sure you want to be a coordinator before you accept an offer like that.” Pikachu ate a spring roll, munching down on it with gusto. He had a small platter of them while his trainer had the largest bowl of noodles at the table. “Aislynn, do you remember the Battle Frontier?”

“Yeah,” she mumbled around a mouthful of rice noodles. Chewing for an oddly long amount of time, she swallowed her food and asked, “What about it?”

“Scott offered you a position as a Frontier Brain, right? What was that like?” Aislynn scrunched her brow. It had been years since she even thought about the offer, especially when most regions had facilities similar but of different names. That slight difference kept it from thinking about the Frontier specifically.

“I take it that the Battle Frontier is a cultural thing?” Grace guessed, speaking for herself and Serena. “I haven’t heard of it in Kalos. Definitely don’t remember it when I lived back in Kanto.”

“It started a few years ago in Kanto.” Aislynn slowed down her eating as she tried to find the right words. “Scott went around and invited promising trainers to challenge a bunch of facilities around the region. Each one has a separate leader and challenge. Greta had me spin a wheel to determine the size of the battle and we had to have our pokémon out of their pokéballs so we both knew our opponents. After beating all the facilities and their leaders, Scott invites that person to be a Frontier Brain and establish their own facility.”

Serena looked between the pensive face of Aislynn and the proud smile on Delia’s face. Was it that weird that Aislynn was being pensive? Sure, she didn’t usually think too hard unless there was a battle coming up, but Serena seemed worried.

“I still have that offer open, I think. So if the teaching thing doesn’t work out, I can be a Frontier Brain.” Relief washed over the blonde’s face. Secure, Aislynn slurped up another mouthful of noodles. “It’s neat,” she mumbled while chewing. “Having a flying pyramid would be cool, but it wouldn’t be the same.”

“I’m sorry, a flying pyramid?” Grace blanked at the very idea. “Where do you even park something like that?”

“In the middle of the woods. At least, that’s where Brandon parked.” Shrugging, Aislynn didn’t have a much better answer than that. Kanto had a fair amount of open space, but a flatland wide enough for a pyramid was hard to come by.

Serena leaned forward and propped her head up on her hand. “Why didn’t you take him up on the offer?”

Tapping her chopsticks on the edge of her bowl, Aislynn stared at the half-finished bowl. “It just didn’t feel right, you know? I like pokémon battles, but if I chose to be a Frontier Brain, then I’d be giving up on my journey. I like being able to explore and meet new people. I love meeting new pokémon and growing my little family. It wouldn’t be the same if I had to be ready to accept challengers all the time.”

“Pika,” her partner pointed out.

“Well, my family isn’t little any more, but you get the point.” Sixty pokémon and counting was far from a small amount. Especially with a baby close a couple weeks from hatching. “I like exploring and seeing new things. That’s who I am. Not just a battler, but an explorer.”

Delia grabbed her daughter’s shoulder and rubbed circles with her thumb. “Even as a teacher, she’s still meeting new pokémon and expanding our family.” Three whole new members and it hadn’t even been a month.

“It’s almost easier with how structured everything is.” She chuckled lightly. It was a little ironic. Even shackled to a job, she still got to do the things she loved. “Wait, why are we talking about this again?”

“Wallace’s offer.” Serena poked at the thick noodles in her bowl. Her grip on her chopsticks was loose, unpracticed even after months of being in Hoenn. “I don’t think I’ll take it.”

Grace put her hand on her daughter’s forearm. Though a sleeve stopped the skin contact, Serena smiled nonetheless. “Are you sure? You could have a future in coordinating if you really want it. I know I haven’t exactly been” —Grave pursed her lips— “supportive of everything you’ve done. Still trying to figure out how you ended up being bisexual, but that’s besides the point. I’m going to support you and whatever you choose to do. I just want you to know that.”

“Thanks, mom.” Serena leaned into her mother, resting her head on the woman’s shoulder. “But I don’t think I really enjoy coordinating. At least, not as much as” —she cleared her throat— “other things. I liked the attention and making moments with the audience, but it felt like doing showcases with extra steps.”

Delia smiled with that familiar knowing smile. “What changed, dear?”

“The audience, I guess.” A light dusting of pink covered her cheeks. “I, um, I liked having Aislynn in the audience. I really liked having her attention and support.”

Slurping up more noodles, Aislynn tilted her head. “If you want that, you could’ve just asked.” Serena groaned as the two mothers giggled. “What? Is there—Oh.” A flush swam up Aislynn’s face. “Oh.”

“It’s like you want people to tease you,” Delia joked as her daughter shoved her face into her food. “Serena, just so you know, you have my blessing if you want to,” she gestured to Aislynn, “pursue your interests.”

With a bright red face, Serena said, “Thank you, Miss Ketchum.”

Chapter 61

Chapter Text

“Sorry about my mom.” Aislynn opened the door to her hotel room. She stepped aside to let Serena in first and the girl hurried through, refusing to make eye contact. “I swear, sometimes she’s more embarrassing than my pokémon about all this stuff.”

“Your pokémon talk about it too?” Serena drifted over to the small desk provided by the hotel. There wasn’t much to the room, but it had a chair at least. “Are they that interested in your, um, romantic life?”

Aislynn sat on her bed with her incubator. The incubator sank down into the plush sheets. “Well, kinda. Talonflame and Hawlucha are definitely an item now, so some of my team teases me about getting my own mate.” A sprinkling of pink appeared on both girl’s faces. “Their words, not mine. They definitely know the human words by now. No idea why they don’t use them when they’re talking to me.”

“I wonder if Braixen and Sylveon talk like that.” Serena stared out the large window, gaze locked on the pokémon center in the distance. Aislynn followed her gaze.

“We can always ask them when we pick them up tonight.” Pikachu and Infernape were doing a quick check-up too. Although unlike Serena, Aislynn still had the rest of her team ready to go. Even in the contest format, Pancham and Absol had been worn down to the point that their stay in the center would last a few hours.

“About tonight.” Humming out her curiosity, Aislynn’s eyes got caught on the nervous tangling of Serena’s fingers. “You know how there’s going to be a fireworks show?”

Yeah, there was one after every League Conference and Grand Festival. It was a long-standing tradition for as long as Aislynn could remember. “Do you want to see them together?”

The blonde’s hands pressed against the front of her frock. “Yeah,” she mumbled. “But can we just spend the night together?” Serena slapped her reddening cheeks. “Not like that! Just like with each other!”

What other way could she be implying? Eh, probably best not to worry about it if it wasn’t happening. “Sure. We can pick up our pokémon and just watch the fireworks from here.” Aislynn got up and walked over to the window. She had a pretty good view of the sky and the bay. That should do for the fireworks. “Does your hotel have a better view? If it does, we could totally move over there. Unless it’s smaller. I brought Noivern with me and he’s grown a few inches since you last saw him.”

“Really? Wasn’t he already taller than you back in Kalos?” Dragon physiology wasn’t fair in that regard. He’d be growing for years and Aislynn didn’t have much luck in that department anymore.

“Wait one second.” Aislynn whipped out three pokéballs, releasing Noivern, Talonflame, and Hawlucha. The two bird-adjacent pokémon nestled together at the head of the bed with Hawlucha leaning into the larger Talonflame. On the other hand, Noivern rushed over to Serena, wrapping her up in his wings.

“Ah! Hi, Noivern!” Serena giggled as the dragon licked her face. The leathery tongue swiped over the blonde’s makeup, picking up swathes of it off her face and smearing it all over the place. “Oh, you’ve grown so much!” His head was almost completely above Serena’s head by now and that was when he was slouching to stand on all-fours.

Good food and plenty of exercise was doing the dragon a lot of favors. Just chasing around the other members of the Kalos team between training wasn’t the most helpful for the dragon’s growth. Having dozens of other pokémon to play with seemed to have promoted a growth spurt for him. He was bigger, a bit stronger, and definitely needed a resize for any accessories or gear. Right now, battles should be fun for him though. Anything with bigger stakes could be reserved for the older members of their family.

Serena eventually managed to push off Noivern and he tried to mimic Talonflame’s position on the floor between the bed and the window. It wasn’t a great imitation since he was more akin to a Swoobat than any of the avian pokémon out there. Still, there was something endearing about it, like a child copying a parent.

“So, what’s the plan for you?” Aislynn asked as she sat down on the aim of Serena’s chair. The blonde drew away from her, leaning on the other arm. “Serena, you’ve seen me naked. You can touch me if you want to.”

“But this is different!” Serena practically jumped out of her chair, but Aislynn grabbed her wrist, pulling her back into the chair. That skin contact only seemed to make the blonde’s face redder. “You were sick and you couldn’t stay in your sweaty clothes. Someone had to do it!” And wrapping an arm around Aislynn’s waist or something was barely anything compared to changing her clothes.

Rolling her eyes, Aislynn grabbed Serena’s arm and wrapped it around her waist. Her dress covered enough that there was no skin contact. “See? It’s fine.” Okay, maybe letting Serena’s face get that red wasn’t fine, but she was the one who said that she wanted Aislynn’s company and attention in front of their parents. How was this more embarrassing for her?

“I think I’m going to pass out.” Well, if that was the case. Aislynn lifted away the arm around her waist. “Nope!” Serena clamped down on her grip and pulled Aislynn off the arm of the chair. She landed in the blonde’s lap and another arm latched around her abdomen to hold her against the taller girl.

It would’ve taken a miracle to stop any sort of blush. At the very least, Aislynn only felt it in her cheeks and ears instead of her entire face. “Serena?” Aislynn tried to twist around, but Serena pressed her head into the shorter girl’s back.

“Can we just stay like this for a bit?” she mumbled into Aislynn’s shoulder blade.

“Only if I get to keep talking.” Anything to keep her mind off of how possessive the grip was. Not that she minded, but the rush of heat going to her face wasn’t going away any time soon.

“Please.” Serena’s breath against Aislynn’s back made chills go down her spine. It was so warm and she wanted more than that. More than just the brush of Serena’s breath. “I like hearing you talk.”

She couldn’t help leaning back into the embrace. “Did you really mean what you said earlier?” Serena hummed, curious. “About liking my attention and support. I know you probably did mean it, but like, how much does it really mean to you? I’ve always supported my friends in what they do. I went to all of Dawn’s and May’s contests even when I didn’t really understand the appeal. I’m always cheering on Brock these days and Max is starting his journey in January.” She huffed, stopping herself from providing more examples. “What I’m trying to say is that I’m not sure if this is really different from what I do for other people.”

“You’re so kind,” whispered Serena. Aislynn couldn’t see her face, but she knew that the blonde was smiling. She hoped it was a fond smile and not a teasing one. “You’re kind and thoughtful. You care so much. That’s what I love about you.”

“Love!? I don’t—I’m not sure that—” She pursed her lips. Focus. She couldn’t screw this up. This was important and getting this right had to happen. “What makes you so sure you like me?” What kind of question was that? That’s not what she should be saying!

“I thought I’d move on after we kissed. I thought being apart would make me forget about you.” Oh. That didn’t make her feel good. At all. “But every time I was preparing for a contest, I just kept thinking about what would impress you. What stunning trick would Aislynn do? How would Aislynn train her pokémon?”

“Did that stuff help?”

Serena nodded, her hair brushing against the back of Aislynn’s neck. “I got all the way to the Grand Festival, didn’t I? That Fire Blast trick wasn’t directly inspired by you, but I’ve seen it used in so many shapes. If we changed the shape halfway, no one could defend against it.”

That certainly sounded like a tactic Aislynn would use. Be unpredictable. Put everyone else off-kilter so control was in her hands. That’s how she won a fair amount of her battles. Although her recent victory against Wallace was thanks to speed-control rather than being unpredictable. Should she try to be more unpredictable?

“Every contest, I imagined you were in the audience cheering me on. It gave me the confidence to keep going.” The arms around Aislynn’s waist loosened. “Guess having you there didn’t help as much as I thought.”

Aislynn spun around, twisting her torso so she could face Serena. She cupped the blonde’s face. “You did amazing. I loved your appeal and your battles. It was stunning seeing you on stage.”

Serena smiled. “You make it so hard not to love you.”

“I,” stammered Aislynn. “I don’t know if I love you.” The smile on Serena’s face faded. “But I can learn! I can learn to love you.”

“I’d be happy to teach you.” Oh, was that a play on words about her being sort-of a teacher? “Here’s your first lesson.” Leaning forward, Serena pressed her lips to Aislynn’s.

Chapter 62

Chapter Text

Thanks to Serena’s lesson—if it could even be called that—they had to grab a change of clothes before they could go pick up the rest of their pokémon. Aislynn wasn’t particularly mad at her. As soon as the words left her mouth, it was like a flip had been switched in Serena. The floodgates had been unleashed and Aislynn never knew that someone sucking on her neck could create welts.

Were these even welts? They were much darker and weren’t raised. Either way, Aislynn grabbed a white turtleneck and some nice flowy pants to replace her dress. Serena had donned a more subdued version of her usual outfit, consisting of grays and a plaid skirt.

Wait, did Serena even wait for her pokémon to go back into their pokéballs? They definitely weren’t in the room when Serena had finally relented, but they had their kinda-sorta confession while Aislynn’s pokémon were there. Probably for the best that they had all hid away in the relative privacy of their pokéballs.

The egg wasn’t so lucky and hopefully this didn’t imprint on the baby in any weird way. Aislynn was fairly sure that she was the only who could be imprinted on as a parent. Besides maybe Pikachu since he was always with her. So unless Aislynn wasn’t there when the baby hatched, then there wouldn’t be a chance of another Togepi situation. That turned out well for all parties involved. This was her baby though and she had waited weeks already.

“Aislynn, are the fireworks starting?” Serena asked from the bathroom. Right, it was getting dark outside.

“Not yet! They should be starting soon though.” Toweling off her hair, Serena stepped out of the bathroom. Ditching her daily outfit, she was wearing a pair of red pajamas with fire-types embroidered all over. “Oh, new pajamas?”

“Yeah.” There was a tinge of disappointment in the blonde’s voice. “Maybe I should start buying skimpier stuff,” she muttered as she sat next to Aislynn on the bed.

“Why would you need skimpy stuff? Wouldn’t it get cold if you wore that stuff?” Her current pajamas were still a bit thin, but they looked nice and soft. Skimpy stuff wouldn’t cover nearly as much.

Serena wrapped her arms around Aislynn, snuggling into her back. “On second thought, never mind.” Lifting her partner, Aislynn scooted them against the headboard so she could lean back into Serena somewhat comfortably. “So, how’s Alola?”

Being the little spoon, the trainer had no idea what to do with her hands. She motioned toward Pikachu, who crawled into her lap. “Well, it’s really sunny. Also really small. Like, if you just wanted to walk from one end to the other, it would take like a week for Melemele Island. Although the other islands are a lot bigger since they have some active volcanoes.”

“Pika pichu pi?” Oh, that was a good question. A purely hypothetical situation, but not out of the realm of possibility for their lives.

“Groudon is a no-go, he’d make all of Alola into one big region. Alola’s whole thing is being four different islands.” It’d also invite the wrath of Kyogre and then Rayquaza would be fighting them too. “Volcanion and Heatran would be good to have around though. They seem pretty calm when it comes to legendaries.”

“Should you really be inviting legendaries to Alola? Didn’t you already fight one?” Serena asked while she wrapped her legs around the smaller girl.

“Yeah,” mumbled Aislynn. She wasn’t exactly proud that she had stirred trouble with a legendary. She was proud that Pikachu could keep pace with one though. Until that Z-Move anyway. “Hey, Pikachu, where’s my Z-Ring?”

The electric-type looked around the hotel room. “Pika,” he pointed to her backpack filled with her usual pokémon and traveling supplies.

“Z-Ring?”

“Yeah, it allows people to use super special, powerful moves. Pikachu, mind getting it?” Her partner leaped from her arms and started digging through the mess that was Aislynn’s belongings. He fished out the white bracelet and jumped back onto the bed with it in his mouth. “I’m missing the crystals, but it looks like this.”

Serena nestled her head into the crook of Aislynn’s neck. From there, it was easy for both of them to look at the Z-Ring. It had been unclasped so one side of the face had the entire bracelet hanging off it while the other had a small stub. The bracelet was just a blocky elastic substance that Aislynn didn’t know the name of. It wasn’t comfortable either, but it hung around her wrist like a bangle.

The actual face of the Z-Ring was where the interesting details were. Besides the divet for a Z-Crystal, there was an arrow carved from white stone meant to point outward. Around the divet, those white chunks of stone had been sanded down but were still visible. At the back was a black chunk of stone that remained more or less untouched in comparison. If Aislynn had to guess, some sort of power was kept in the back while the front was used to channel said power to a pokémon.

Reaching up to grab it, Serena laid her hands on top of Aislynn’s. “It’s very plain.” Yeah, it was. It was just white and a little bit of black. Aislynn wasn’t really bothered by it. Unless the design mattered for its effectiveness, she would be fine leaving it as is. “Can you customize this at all?”

“Well, Hala and Kiawe had some neat ones. Hala had a green one that felt very comfy. Nice strap, very worn-in. The face wasn’t much different.” It seemed like an upgrade of the one she had right now. Considering he had probably made both, that wasn’t much of a stretch. “Kiawe’s had a fancy bracelet. A bunch of colorful rocks.”

“So what’s important here?” Serena’s hands caressed the callused fingers of the smaller woman. “We could commission someone to make a new band.”

“Eh, it’s fine how it is.” Clasping it in her wrist, Aislynn felt a now-familiar tingle of her aura being tapped into. It was still a foreign sensation, one that was only brought about by these rings. “It doesn’t need to be anything fancy if it might break any time I use it.”

Serena whined a bit at the missed opportunity and let her hands fall around Aislynn’s waist. “Is that another aura thing? I didn’t see anything break in that second video I saw.” That must have been the one with Kiawe. “Well, besides his ego,” giggled Serena.

“I don’t think Kiawe has aura. Or anyone on Alola for that matter.” She frowned. It would have been really nice to have someone as a reliable source on the matter. “But it’s definitely something with aura. When I got to use one, it felt like everything was being drained out of me. Then it was jammed into Pikachu.”

What she had later learned was a Gigavolt Havoc drained both trainer and pokémon for an entire weekend. Both had long since recovered from that ordeal, but Z-Moves were more taxing than Aislynn expected. It was like taking all the energy she would expend keeping up Greninja’s Battle Bond and using it all at once. Frankly, it felt horrible. Ten out of ten, would not recommend.

“I’ll get you something else then. Maybe a real ring,” Serena whispered into Aislynn’s ear. Her hot breath sent shivers down Aislynn’s spine.

“Yeah,” stammered the trainer. “A ring sounds nice.”

Chapter 63

Chapter Text

“Well, this vacation was nice while it lasted,” mused Delia. All four women walked through the airport after sending off their respective luggage. While the two mothers didn’t have much to send ahead of them, the two daughters had an extra suitcase that they couldn’t bring as their carry-on.

Serena, thanks to traveling for three months, had built up a decent amount of souvenirs from all the cities she had passed by. Although even with all that time, Wallace had bought Aislynn a full wardrobe worth of clothing. Not that either teenager minded. Aislynn appreciated any gift and Serena was more than happy to pick out her now-girlfriend’s outfit for the day with the new selection.

Instead of her usual striped top and shorts, Aislynn had been shoved into a plain white top and red flannel to go with her usual ball cap. Pikachu mourned the loss of his cap, but was appeased by being allowed on his trainer’s shoulder again. As for her bottoms, Serena had tossed a pair of jeans at Aislynn’s face and told her to cover up. That might have had something to do with Aislynn changing in the middle of the room though.

Either way, they were in the airport with a ticket in each of their hands. The first flight was Delia’s, a straight shot back to Kanto and landing in Viridian City. Then it was Grace over to Lumiose City. Finally, Aislynn’s flight to Alola would leave at noon. Everything was in order so far, but all of them knew that was subject to change since Aislynn was there.

“So, Delia, excited to be back at the restaurant?” Grace nudged the other woman as their daughters walked ahead of them. Aislynn kept trying to find the right sign, but between her squinting and asking Pikachu to read them for her, that wasn’t going well.

“A little bit,” Delia chuckled. “It’s only been a couple days, but I’m already itching for something to do. I suppose Aislynn gets that from me.” When she sighed, her daughter turned around.

“Get what?”

“Just your sense to keep going, dear. Neither of us could really sit still for long.” Aislynn would argue that she had done a lot of sitting around yesterday, but she wisely kept her mouth shut. “What about you, Grace? Any plans when you get home?”

Grace huffed. “I’m not too sure actually. Rhyhorn racing has kinda lost its audience after Aislynn here showed up all the trainers with a Pikachu and a Greninja.” Reaching over to the shortest of their group, Grace flicked the girl’s forehead. “It’s like half the people in Vaniville started their own journey after the last conference.”

“Really?” Aislynn asked excitedly. The flick barely registered to her or left a mark. “Maybe I should take a trip back to Kalos. Ya think they’ll let me do the gym challenge there again?”

“I don’t see why not. You haven’t done anything bad to ban yourself from Kalos, have you?” Delia raised her free hand over her mouth.

Serena raised an eyebrow. “Does breaking the known theories of pokémon evolution count?”

“It’s better than beating up the local legendary,” quipped Grace. “Seriously, barely two weeks in and your little rat god is staking his territory?”

“Pika!” Pikachu put his hands on his hips, proud of the title. His trainer bopped him on the head. Dealing with egotistical trainers was bad enough, she was not dealing with an egotistical pokémon. Charizard had done that enough for a lifetime

“Why does everyone think it’s my fault? Tapu Koko literally told me to use a Z-Move.” Wrapping her arms around her egg’s incubator, Aislynn pouted. Every time she spoke with other people, it was like they just had to bring up that fight. “Can’t we just talk about Grace? There has to be something you can do back home.”

“Maybe. Now that Serena’s off on her own, I can probably go on a little journey of my own. Maybe get a friend or two to keep Rhyhorn occupied.” Oh, right. Grace had been part of the Rhyhorn Racing circuit.

“A new pokémon is always nice to have around.” Delia threw in her own two cents. “Ever since Aislynn took her team all the way to Alola, I’ve just had Mr. Mime and the local Pidgey flock around. Oh, that reminds me, Pidgeot says hello, dear. She’s a bit sad that you didn’t find her and say goodbye but she understands.”

“Can you tell her hi the next time you see her? And maybe offer to send her to Alola if she wants. I know she has her flock to take care of, but it’d be nice to have her around again.” Aislynn shifted her attention from her mother to her girlfriend’s mother. “Hey, maybe you can start a Rhyhorn nursery! I bet you know all about raising them.”

“It’d definitely help with the empty nest syndrome,” Delia remarked. Grace huffed from her nose, amused by the thought. “Has that not kicked in yet?”

“I think I’m past it?” Shrugging, Grace adjusted the strap of her bag. “Serena’s been in good hands and I’ve been busy with the racing circuit. Well, I was. Every big city around Kalos is offering to help rebuild Lumiose City, so big competitions are being held off for a while.”

Aislynn bounced on the balls of her feet. “So it’s the perfect chance to try something new!” Serena put her hand on Aislynn’s shoulder, stopping the shorter girl from bouncing before the egg hit the sides of the incubator. “If people are starting their journeys again, they need some place to send their pokémon. What better place than back home in Vaniville?”

“You don’t have to do that though, Mom. Taking care of a single team is already a lot of work.” Serena only had four pokémon, but they sounded like a hassle from over the phone. Aislynn also had dozens of pokémon and only made it through every day because they had become a somewhat autonomous group.

“We’ll see what happens.” Now that was a choice that Aislynn could get behind. “So, what do you plan to do, Serena?”

“Ah, well,” the blonde gulped. “We’ll see what happens.”

“Really?” Grace arched up a messy eyebrow. “I hope you don’t expect to live on Aislynn’s dime. You don’t have the excuse of traveling now, so you should try to pitch in a bit.”

“It’s fine. I have enough money to spare for a while.” Aislynn took one hand off her incubator to wave away their concerns. It wasn’t that big of a deal to her anyway. Although she could see how it would be for other people. She turned to Serena. “Take your time getting settled in. You can find out what you wanna do later.”

With a smug look toward her mother, Serena said, “Thank you, Aislynn.”

Grace elbowed Delia. “So, now that our daughters are getting together, I guess we can start dating people now.”

“Oh, if you’re suggesting that, then you’d have to move to Kanto.” Giggling, Delia allowed Grace to wrap her arm around her shoulders.

“I wouldn’t be against that.” Grace leaned closer to the other woman. “Might be nice to see what’s changed. Mind showing me around?”

“Mom!” Serena shouted. The blonde hurried over to the two women and pulled them apart. “No way! I won’t let that happen.” She looked over to her girlfriend for support. “Aislynn, tell your mom that she can’t date my mom.”

“Huh?” Aislynn tilted her head. “Why can’t she? She’s an adult.”

“It’s weird!”

The trainer shrugged. “I guess. It could be way worse though. Mom could date someone like Jessie.”

“See?” Grace grinned in the same smug way her daughter had a moment ago. “Aislynn supports it. Lemme have my own piece of the Ketchum family. I’ll treat her right.”

“Oh?” Going along with it, Delia smiled at the other woman. “Well now, I might have to take you up on that offer.”

“Absolutely not!”

Chapter 64

Chapter Text

“So.” Kukui twisted around in the driver seat of his jeep. In the backseat, Aislynn and Serena were flush against each other, allowing Pikachu to take up one of the seats next to the door. “You leave for a weekend and come back with your girlfriend from Kalos. That sounds like something out of a novel. Maybe even a fanfic.”

“A what?” Aislynn asked.

Kukui blinked, face going blank. “Forget I said that. It’s better that you don’t know.” He twisted back around and pulled out of his parking spot. The airport didn’t have a large lot since the people of Alola weren’t big on importing cars. Most didn’t need it anyway when they could call a cab or walk around.

Wrapping her arm around Aislynn’s waist, Serena watched the buildings and people of Hau’oli City. Under the twilight sky, Alola was wreathed in wonderful hues of orange and purple. Children ran back home followed by Rockruff and Meowth as their parents called them back in. Couples strolled through the streets, holding onto each other. Lamp posts illuminated the fronts of restaurants and entire streets to guide the way.

Through it all, Kukui drove along the coast. On one side, they had a quaint city to enjoy looking at. On the other side, they could watch the pokémon wading through the waters. From the tiniest Remoraid and the largest Lapras, Alola was home to all of them. With each swimming together in peace, it was a beautiful ecosystem. A tiny bit of natural harmony.

Serena leaned into Aislynn’s side. “I could get used to this,” she whispered. Above them, Noivern and Talonflame kept pace with Kukui’s keep. The two stretched out their wings with loops and dives through the twilight sky.

“Alola’s great.” Aislynn snuggled into her taller girlfriend. There were so many things to like about Alola and Aislynn had barely scratched the surface. “I bet you’d love the beaches. I have a bit of beach space to myself but there’s a hotel not that far from my place.”

“Oh? I get to see you in a bikini?” Tugging down Aislynn’s top, Serena nibbled on the other girl’s neck. “Don’t mind if I do.”

“Hey, settle down back there!” Kukui adjusted the rearview mirror so he could pin down the two girls with his gaze. “No funny business in my jeep. Save it for the bed, you two.”

“Fine.” Serena pouted and pulled Aislynn’s top to cover the base of her neck. “Tell me about this place then. What’s Alola like?”

“Where do I start?” Kukui asked, more to himself than his passengers. “Well, Melemele Island is home to quite a few festivals. Most of them are feasts but we’ve got a few races too. I think there’s a pancake race coming up soon, so if either of you want to do that, you can sign up next week.”

“A pancake race?” Aislynn looked down at Pikachu, but he didn’t have a clue either. “Is that like a food eating competition?” If it was, well, she had a Snorlax. Nuff said.

“Nah, it’s a race to deliver pancakes actually. Me and my Lycanroc did it when I was doing the Island Challenge and it was pretty fun. Not something I would do again, but maybe you two would like to give it a shot?”

“It sounds fun.” Aislynn considered doing it. She had a lot of pokémon who liked racing each other. Although next week she also planned to be training for the Island Trials. “Maybe one of the kids would like it.”

“None of their partners are particularly fast,” mused Kukui. “Speaking of which, your Swellow and Staraptor have been causing a ruckus around your place.”

Well, those two were quite competitive. Definitely two of the more battle-thirsty pokémon she had on her teams. Evolution had cooled their heads quite a bit, but they would still be one of the first to volunteer to fight.

“Pika pi.” Her partner offered to shock them back in line. Aislynn waved him off. She could handle two hot headed birds on her own.

Serena poked her girlfriend in the arm. “I never asked, how many pokémon do you have?” From the driver’s seat, Kukui winced.“Uh, without counting the thirty Tauros, I only have thirty-eight.” The blonde gaped at the numbers. There were a lot of pokémon, yeah. But Gary had caught way more in just Kanto, so it wasn’t that bad in comparison. “Most of them are pretty small though. I’ve even got a barn for all of them!”

Kukui shook his head. “That doesn’t stop them from barging into the house. Let me tell you, Bulbasaur was not enough to wrangle them all together. Once Kingler started cooking, it was like twenty pokémon were trying to squeeze into the living room.”

“Sorry about that.” Aislynn scratched the back of her head. “I didn’t mean to cause you trouble. Usually, they’re a bit better behaved than that.”

“Maybe when you’re around,” sighed the professor. “I had to bring Venusaur and Incineroar to wrangle them together. Once I got them out of the house, the next thing I know, Charizard and Incineroar are wrestling in the sand.” Yeah, that sounded like her Charizard, alright.

“Who won?”

“It was a double knockout.” Kukui pursed his lips, unsatisfied with that outcome.

On the other hand, Aislynn grinned and pumped her fist in the air. “Take that, Incineroar! A whole decade older and you’re still getting beat by Charizard.” Beside her, Pikachu cheered for one of his oldest teammates.

“Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up while you can.” He took one hand off the steering wheel and shook it at her. “I’ll just have to start training again.”

Serena rolled her eyes at the two trainers. “You know, I could help out a little with training.” Now, she had Aislynn’s full attention. “I picked up a few things being a coordinator.”

“Oh right.” Kukui snapped his fingers. “You did that neat Fire Blast trick. I never knew it could be manipulated after being fired. Most techniques of that caliber are unimaginable to alter, although I’ve seen quite a few coordinators manage to change the initial shape. Would you mind if I studied that technique in-person?”

“Uh, no?” Serena blinked, processing the request. “Sure, Braixen and I can do that. Aislynn wanted to see it anyway.”

The tiny trainer nodded. “Charizard and Quilava would be great with that technique.”

“Not Infernape?” asked Serena.

Aislynn shrugged. “Infernape could definitely pull it off, but he’s a close-ranged fighter. If he used Fire Blast, he’d be close enough that it would hit anyway.” Oh, Pignite and Torkoal could learn it too, but she’d rather hold off of those two. Pignite needed to work on a lot of things if he planned to evolve while Torkoal was supposedly capable of learning Eruption.

While Aislynn didn’t usually curate movesets that much, she was working with a professor researching pokémon moves. It would be a waste not to focus on those when she had the prime opportunity to do so.

“Don’t forget we need to work on Z-Moves. If you plan to use Charizard against Oricorio, then Fire Blast won’t do much for you.” Spying their confused looks in the rearview mirror, Kukui explained, “Oricorio can change to a fire-type form. It’s also got an electric, ghost, and psychic form.”

“You’re going to fight an Oricorio?” asked Serena. “What kind of pokémon is that?”

With gusto, Professor Kukui dug into his large wealth of knowledge and launched into an explanation on the wonders of the Dancing pokémon.

Chapter 65

Chapter Text

“Ow!”

Aislynn woke up and rubbed her forehead. Perched on the edge of her bed, Noctowl blinked at her. He was the perfect picture of innocence, but the red dot on Aislynn’s forehead said otherwise. With a calculated use of Confusion, Noctowl raised up a phone and turned it on to reveal the time.

“Shoot!” The trainer scrambled out of bed, only for her foot to get tangled up between someone’s legs. Hanging half of the bed, Aislynn groaned, “Stupid jet lag.” Wrenching her foot out from between Serena’s legs, Aislynn grabbed a striped top and a pair of shorts before rushing into the shower. “Pikachu, go wake up some of the Tauros!”

“Pi,” whined her partner. He didn’t want to get out of bed either. A weekend in Hoenn wasn’t much, but with the curtains drawn, waking up with the sun wasn’t the easiest thing to do. Especially when he got sandwiched between two cuddly women.

Noctowl hooted in amusem*nt before flying down the stairs. The door downstairs remained unlocked and it was a simple matter for him to pull it open with his mind. He landed on the guardrails of the porch, his shiny feathers gleaming in the dawn’s light.

Kingler was already in the kitchen, putting together a nice soup with the help of Bayleef and Leavanny. The two grass-types were his hands while he manned the stove. Four big pots was nowhere near enough to feed everyone, even for one meal. There were simply too many mouths to feed. Nevertheless, as soon as the first batch was ready, Kingler set a bowl aside for his trainer and got back to getting the rest ready.

Pikachu scrambled through the house and over to the stables. He had to rally Staraptor and a couple of Tauros for today’s lesson. Noctowl was already awake and should be ready. If he wasn’t and decided to preen his shiny feathers, then Pikachu would shock him until he fainted.

Serena woke up just as groggy as her girlfriend. The honey blonde patted the empty side of the bed. “Lynn?” she called out to the bedroom. “Lynn, are you here?”

“In the bathroom!” shouted a muffled voice. The showerhead cut off, shutting down any thoughts Serena had about slinking into the bathroom. Just the idea made her cheeks heat up.

“Sol!” Serena’s Absol burst out of his pokéball and jumped onto Serena’s lap. With the weight of the dark-type, she couldn’t stand up. “Absol.” He tucked his legs under his body, becoming a white loaf of disaster.

“This better be important,” grumbled Serena.

Seconds later, Aislynn ran out of the bathroom completely bottomless. Her shorts were halfway up one leg as the veteran trainer scrambled to dig out a pair of undergarments from her closet. The pair that Aislynn grabbed was mismatched, but she tugged on her shorts with a little hop anyway. Barefoot, she ran down the stairs, only to run back up to grab her hat.

The entire time, Serena couldn’t help but stare. When Aislynn had come back to grab her backpack of emergency supplies, Absol got off her lap and shook his coat. Three red dots were on his back and he grimaced at the sight of them. Serena wiped her hand over her mouth. Blood coated her fingers.

“Thanks for the show,” she mumbled to herself. Part of her wished that she could chase down Aislynn and spend the rest of the day with her. The logical and dry sliver of her mind didn’t want to hang around a school.

“Sol.” With his hind paws, Absol scratched at the droplets of blood. His white fur had soaked it up like a sponge and simply scratching at it would do nothing. “Sol so.”

“I’ll bathe you later.” Serena waved him off as she got ready on her own. For what, she had no idea.

Meanwhile, Aislynn scarfed down her breakfast and hopped on the back of a Tauros. Putting her pokémon in their pokéballs didn’t even cross her mind. Instead, three Tauros charged through Route 2 with a Noctowl and Staraptor on their flanks. The two birds plucked up students unlucky enough to be caught in Aislynn’s path. Even with Quick Attack in his repertoire, Staraptor had trouble out-pacing the constant Take Down stampede.

She wasn’t even on the fastest Tauros in the pack. Pikachu had managed to get some of the early risers while the rest refused to budge until Kingler finished with breakfast. Still, the entire herd loved running around and doing exercise in any way. These three were no slackers and got her to the Pokémon School just as fast as her flying-types would.

With a few exceptions, of course. Swellow was too small to carry her and Noctowl could carry her but he was still on the small side for his species. Charizard would and Staraptor would bump up the speed regardless of whether she was almost late or not. If she needed to get somewhere fast, those were the ‘mons for the job.

“Watch out!” she shouted as her Tauros charged through the school gates. Yanking on her mount’s mane, she pulled him off his forelegs and brought him to a stop. The three Wild Bulls stamped their hooves against the ground while their trainer hopped off. “Thanks, fellas. Feel free to trot around for a bit.”

“Taur.” The three Tauros butt their heads against their trainer before heading off toward the school’s stables. Her two flying-types perched on the highest roof of the school, watching the students and staff alike.

“Miss Ketchum!” Five kids ran up to Aislynn, each clamoring for her attention.

“Hey, everyone!” She and Pikachu waved, unconcerned that they were now surrounded by all sides. “How was your weekend?”

“Our weekend?” exclaimed Sophocles as if he had been betrayed. “Why didn’t you tell us you’d be fighting Wallace?”

“Ignore him. We like the surprise,” Lana butted in. Her Popplio had stars in his eyes and stared at Pikachu.

“Ah well, I didn’t know it was happening until the day before the contest.” Aislynn chuckled as she began walking toward the classroom. Her students flanked her on either side, with Lillie flitting behind the others.

Kiawe had a large grin on his face. He was directly on Aislynn’s left, right next to Mallow. “How did you train Infernape to do that? Is that something I can teach Turtonator?”

Lillie hurried over to the fire-type trainer. In her arms, she had a purple-and-white incubator. “I’m pretty sure that was Infernape’s ability. Although I’m not sure if it was Blaze or a unique ability. Based on Miss Ketchum’s previous records, it could be either.”

“You looked into my records?” Seeing Lillie reminded Aislynn that she had forgotten her own incubator at home. Swinging her backpack around, she dug out her phone and sent a quick text to Serena.

“Sorry, I should have asked first.” The blonde lowered her head, chin resting on her incubator.

“Nah, it’s okay. That stuff is public anyway.” Aislynn stepped onto the second floor of the main school building. Very few students were in class at the moment, but she could spy some teachers setting up for the day. “Just feels weird for people to know what I’ve done.”

Mallow scrunched her brow. “Wasn’t that Grand Festival broadcasted internationally?”

“Yeah. I stayed up to watch the whole thing live.” Against any sense of self-preservation, Sophocles poked the woman with the strongest Pikachu in the world on her shoulder. “Hey, what was up with you and that Serena person? She posted a bunch about a new girlfriend recently.” He squinted at her, already suspecting her answer. “It took ages to scroll down to her stuff from before all the pictures of her being lovey-dovey.”

When did Serena even take pictures of them? Aislynn shook her head as Pikachu took her phone. “That,” she emphasized, “is not something I can talk about without risking my career.” Yep, that was what she was going with. “How about we continue this conversation at lunch?” Picking up the pace, Aislynn hurried toward the classroom with her students at her heels.

That hardly distracted them. And for good reason. Sophocles showed a curious Lana what he meant at the same time that Pikachu found Serena’s Chatter page.

Seriously, when did she take so many pictures? And why were half of them just Aislynn sleeping?

Chapter 66

Chapter Text

“Alright, that’ll be all for today. Please make sure to read up on normal-types for tomorrow’s class. That should be chapter four in your textbooks.” Professor Kukui packed up his books and planner. His assistant carded her hands through Pikachu’s fur to hide her nervousness. “I believe some of you have questions for Miss Ketchum?” Three students nodded. “Then I’m sure that she’d be happy to stay behind for a moment and answer them.”

Thank you so much, professor. Aislynn already went through hell during lunch when Lana and Sophocles kept trying to ask about her romantic life. She was pretty sure that was meant to be private! She hadn’t even called her friends to tell them the news yet, why did children barely hitting puberty want to know?

Wait, stupid question. They were hitting puberty, of course they would want to know. Well, she could always excuse herself. Three of her Tauros were still walking around the courtyard, not stampeding but still cantering to get their nigh-limitless energy out.

As Professor Kukui made to leave, he approached his assistant and whispered, “Good luck.” Aislynn pursed her lips, despising the fact that he even had to say that. Before she could even throw in a quip, Kukui was gone and she was the only staff member left in the room.

The students packed up their things with Kiawe and Lana being the first to leave their seats. Lana leaned back against the wall while the fire-type trainer walked over to Aislynn. “You never answered my question earlier,” he began. Aislynn didn’t recall which question he asked. There had been a lot over the course of the day. “Is it possible to train my pokémon to do what Infernape did?”

“Well, yes and no.” The veteran trainer scratched behind Pikachu’s ears, making them flop down. “Infernape has a natural talent for his Blaze ability, but we’ve been able to hone it until he has the blue fire stuff going on. It all stems from Blaze though, so any pokémon with that ability should be able to do it. Although not everyone is willing to do that.”

“Because it requires wounding your pokémon first?” Kiawe guessed. “Charizard probably won’t like that much. He’s been slowing down a bit already.” The boy grimaced at the thought.

“That’s your grandpa’s Charizard, right?” Kiawe nodded. “That definitely makes it a bit of a problem. You should probably just try to keep Charizard in-shape since he’s on the older side. His species lives long, but I don’t think he has more than a decade of fighting years.” She had no idea how long Kiawe’s grandpa had trained Charizard, but she reckoned that he was at least a handful of decades old. At least thirty if Kiawe’s parents had him when they reached adulthood. Possibly more.

Grabbing an old and dented pokéball, Kiawe raised it between the two of them. “My grandfather raised Charizard to be a ride pokémon.” The boy frowned, uncertain what he should say next. “I’ve been focusing on training Turtonator with your advice, but I’m not sure if I should train Charizard. I,” he gulped, “I want to be strong.”

“But you don’t want to let Charizard go.” Now that was quite the pickle. There were only a few pokémon that Aislynn had to let go while she was training them. Butterfree wanted to start a family with his mate. Lapras wanted to return to her pod. Aipom had been traded for Buizel. “If you both want to stay together, you can figure something out. After all, he doesn’t need to be a battler.”

“Then I’d only have five pokémon with me. Isn’t that a problem?” Kiawe twisted his hips around, showing off the empty slots for future teammates. He had four more spots ready and the two occupied spots weren’t going to be changing any time soon.

Aislynn put a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Look, I’ve been switching out my team for years. The only one who’s stayed consistent is Pikachu and I don’t need to constantly train him. Your Charizard can do the same. He can remain on the team with any training, but still be reliable.” After all, Pikachu couldn’t defeat every single enemy for her or solve every problem she had. Yet when she needed him, he was always ready to do his best.

“I see.” Kiawe glanced at his old pokéball. Slowly, he stashed it away. “I’ll talk to Charizard about it. Thank you.”

“No problem!” Aislynn waved as Kiawe left the classroom. Lana glanced over at the other students, who had packed up while Aislynn was talking. With Sophocles, the blue-haired girl went home.

That left Lillie and Mallow with their own questions. Plus an incubator. Can’t forget Lillie's baby.

Mallow motioned for Lillie to go first. “Sorry for keeping you, but I just had a quick question. When do I know the egg is supposed to hatch? Because the care guide Professor Kukui gave me told me that I’m supposed to take it out of the incubator when it’s in the last stage of hatching. This incubator doesn’t match any of the tables or examples the guide gave though, so I’m a little unsure of when I’m actually supposed to take out the egg. Maybe I don’t even need to with this model. I have no idea.”

It took all of Aislynn’s brain power to process that information. For a quick question, she had to think way more about this one than Kiawe’s question. “Okay, so I don’t usually use an incubator, but usually, you can leave the pokémon in there to hatch. Just make sure to take them out right away or take out the egg when it’s hatching, alright?”

“When it’s hatching. Got it.” Lillie could have bore a hole in the incubator with just her gaze. Now that she thought about it, Aislynn was somewhat surprised that Lillie was okay with carrying the incubator around. Not because it was heavy, but because of the proximity of the soon-to-be-pokémon.

Considering that she had Pikachu in her arms, Aislynn helped back from touching Lillie. “You’ll be okay when the baby hatches, right?”

“Um, that may be difficult.” The blonde shook her head. “I’ll figure it out. Don’t worry about me.” Before Aislynn could get a word in, Lillie hurried out. Hopefully it won't be a big problem. There were a few weeks for Lillie to get a handle on her phobia at least.

The last student walked up to Aislynn. Mallow has a surety to her gait that Lillie lacked. Yet her hands were fidgeting and clenching at her sides. “Sorry to keep you so long.”

“It’s alright. My pokémon can take care of themselves.” But not their surroundings. Maybe she should see if any of her pokémon liked construction.

Mallow looked at the ground. “Does it feel like everyone else has a thing?”

“Doesn’t everyone have a thing? Wait, what kind of thing are we talking about?”

“Like a thing with pokémon?” Mallow clasped her hands behind her back. “Like, Lana and Kiawe both want to be good trainers, Sophocles is trying to be famous, and Lillie is going to raise that baby. I don’t have anything going on.”

Surely that wasn’t true. “What about your family’s restaurant?”

“Dad’s still against serving pokémon,” she answered glumly. “There’s nothing wrong with that, but most people will go somewhere else. People love their pokémon.”

They did. Even if they were just pets, people loved their monster companions. “Have you talked to your dad about this?”

The green-haired girl nodded. “He’s pretty adamant about it. Said I could change how things work when I inherit the business, but that’s not going to happen.”

“Why not? You seem like a good chef. You’d just need to learn how to handle all the money stuff, right?” There were probably other things that the girl would need to learn. A restaurant wasn’t just making food, but Aislynn didn’t know squat about running any business.

“My brother is set to inherit the place.” Ah, that did put a wrench in any plans the girl might have. “He’s in culinary school right now since he and Dad wanna make mom’s restaurant this big and booming business. But then what about the pokémon? Fancy restaurants only ever have pokémon in fish tanks and stuff.”

“Pika pi kapi.” The ever-present electric-type didn’t have much professional advice, but his words were always a comfort to hear.

“He’s right. You could always try and change that.” Although Aislynn wasn’t sure she had been in a fancy restaurant before. The best she could remember was Cilan’s place and that doubled as a gym, so pokémon were served and were servers. “It’ll take a lot of time, but I’m sure you can find a way to balance things out. Just work hard. And if you ever need anything, I’ll try to help where I can.”

Mallow nodded, although she was brimming with uncertainty. Her hands said it all with how they shook and fidgeted. “Thank you, Miss Ketchum. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Chapter 67

Chapter Text

“Ah, sorry I’m late!” Aislynn ran into the Hau’oli pokémon center with Pikachu on her shoulder. All of the pokémon she had on hand were returned to their pokéballs, which were firmly attached to her belt. “Sorry. My pokémon had this weird bet going on and decided that they would bet their food of all things. A bunch of them started fighting over who bet on what and now there’s a hole in my yard. Whoopie.”

Nurse Joy blinked, taking in that information. “Is everything alright? Your pokémon are still getting the portions that they need, right?”

Catching her breath, Aislynn nodded. “It took a bit, but I got everything sorted out. Some people just got extra portions today, but I’ll make sure they burn off the calories soon.” Hopefully training didn’t create more craters in the yard. That seemed highly unlikely considering who she was dealing with.

“Good, good.” Nurse Joy looked over to her partner on duty, Blissey. “Can you hold the fort for a little while? It shouldn’t take more than half an hour.”

The Happiness pokémon nodded and ran into the hallway. She swiftly returned with a stepstool, allowing her to stand where the nurse just did and look over the front desk. “Bliss!” Reaching over to the computer, Blissey found her arms weren’t much help with the tiny keys of the keyboard. “Bliss,” she pouted.

“Well, you’ve got the spirit.” Nurse Joy rubbed the top of her partner’s head along the curls that covered her ears. Then she turned to the veteran trainer. “I need to grab a bit of equipment. I’ll meet you in the hospital room, okay?”

“Fine by me.” Aislynn waved as Nurse Joy headed down a different hallway than her. The passage toward the long-term care patients was quiet. The sound of Aislynn’s trainers was occupied only by the hum of machinery.

Litten’s room was the first one on the left, which left it across from a young Lycanroc mother that had trouble delivering her eggs. Aislynn’s heart reached out for the Lycanroc, but she had no idea how to help. Nurse Joy was helping her heal though. That was her job. Meanwhile, Aislynn’s job was to train and teach.

Cracking open the door to Litten’s room, Aislynn peeked in on the sleeping feline. He was curled up in a crescent of black fur. His cast was poking straight out, laying on the bed just as it had every other time she had visited. Aislynn slunk over to the end of the bed and stood nearby. If she sat on it in any place, then Litten would wake up.

“Pika,” whispered her partner. Pikachu pointed toward the bedside table, where Stoutland’s pokéball still remained.

She slipped over to it and picked up the ball. The dents where Stoutland’s fangs had sunk into the metal weren’t the deepest she had ever felt but were definitive. They were practically just parts of the device now. Considering that, she didn’t know if the device would work.

Heck, she didn’t even know if Pikachu’s pokéball would work after all these years. It wasn’t like he needed it. Despite his species, he could take quite the number of hits and keep trucking. Still, after six whole years of not using that pokéball, she doubted that it would function as it should. Having the option in the future would be nice. Especially if they got into a fight that they couldn’t handle.

“Lit?” Aislynn turned around to meet the dead half-lidded stare of the Fire Cat pokémon. His gaze slipped off from her face and latched onto Stoutland’s pokéball. “Litten?” Why?

“Curiosity, I guess. I’ve never encountered a pokéball belonging to a” —she pursed her lips— “pokémon who’s passed away.” Setting the ball back down, she sat on the edge of the bed. Pikachu hopped down into her lap and her hands automatically wrapped around him. “Sorry. I should have just respected it from a distance.”

“Lit tennet.” Yes, she should have. That much was obvious to the both of them. Litten let his head drop back down on the bed and rested on his cheek. “Ten ten?” he asked with vague interest. It was probably hard for him to really care about it, but she appreciated him asking anyway.

“Hoenn was nice, although the people were better. Met up with my old friend Serena—well, she’s my girlfriend now. So I should probably introduce her as that first.” The feline’s eyes squinted, uncomprehending of the words falling out of her mouth. “Girlfriend is a term for a mate that you’re courting. Although it’s more like she’s courting me.” She looked over to Pikachu and he nodded. “In pokémon terms, she’s courting me so I mate with her. That’s pretty much the simplest way to put it.”

Litten lowered his gaze and took in that information. “Litten? Lit ten ten lit. Li?”

“Well, it’s not super common for humans, but it’s fairly normal for two women.” She had met a fair amount of queer people. Heck, she was convinced that the two humans of the Team Rocket trio were both queer in some way. “It’s a bit rarer in pokémon, so I’m not surprised that you’re asking.”

Some pokémon were quite queer-coded, as Dawn would say. Aislynn vaguely recalled Dawn talking about Lopunny, but that might have had something to do with training her Buneary. Eh, if she didn’t remember it, it probably wasn’t important.

Two raps echoed from the door. “Evening,” Joy greeted as she pushed through a metal cart. On top of it were various two large tools, a bottle of oil, and a couple of towels. Aislynn stood up and moved out of the way so Nurse Joy could set the cart close to the bed. “How are you today, Litten?”

“Lit,” the cat yawned. He blinked slowly, eyes focused on the cart of tools.

“He’s a bit bored,” Aislynn translated. The nurse could have probably understood that just based on her personal experience.

“Well, I hope you’re excited to take that cast off.” Picking up a vibrating saw, she pressed the blade against her bare palm. “Now this is perfectly safe. This only cuts the cast, see?” She flicked the tool on and the blade vibrated against her hand. The skin rippled and bounced, but not even a flake was cut off. “Perfectly safe!”

Litten nodded and flopped the cast closer to the nurse. He was eager to get the offending object off as soon as possible. Two weeks cooped up was bad enough, especially when he was projected to stay longer.

Nurse Joy went to work, scoring a line through the cast with practiced ease. Then she grabbed her next tool, a pair of shears. WIth them, she cleaved through the cast and shucked it off. Once removed, Litten’s leg was revealed and exposed to the fresh air for the first time in weeks. It didn’t last long as Nurse Joy grabbed a towel and coated it in oil.

“Ah, actually, Aislynn?” Nurse Joy offered the towel to the veteran trainer. “I heard a rumor about aura massages. Would you mind showing me an example?”

A rumor? As far as Aislynn was aware, she was the only one who did those. The only people who knew about it should have been Kiawe and Kukui. She hadn’t done it in front of anyone else. So unless her pokémon learned how to write, it didn’t make sense for Nurse Joy to have heard of it.

Now, Aislynn wouldn’t shut down the offer. Taking up the towel, she wrapped it around Litten’s leg. “Okay, it’s not a lot of aura, so you might not be able to see it.” Clenching her hand around the feline’s leg, Aislynn massaged the muscles. She stroked the towel all over his leg, ensuring that the oils soaked through his fur and to his skin. “Massages like this don’t take too long, maybe five minutes. Since Litten is small, his muscles aren’t as far apart as other pokémon. That means I have to be a bit more careful.”

Dutifully paying attention, Nurse Joy watched as Aislynn went to work. Once the oil had thoroughly been applied, Aislynn kept pressing her thumb into the back of Litten’s knee, encouraging him to bend his leg over and over again. Litten nuzzled against Aislynn’s nearest arm as her ministrations slowed down. Slow and steady, move the muscles.

“If only I had the time to use these techniques,” bemoaned the nurse. She gathered up all her tools back on her cart. With a sigh, she said, “Thank you for demonstrating that for me. Perhaps you can teach me a few things some time?”

“I’m not sure if I can teach things pertaining to aura.” Subtle as it was, her aura did her relax the muscle. At least, when she was relaxed as well. If she was tense, then she’d just be tensing up the muscles and that was no good. “But if you want to learn some basic massage stuff, I can try.”

Pikachu, who was hanging on to Aislynn’s free arm, swung over to her backpack. Digging into it, he dug out his trainer’s phone and offered it to the nurse. “Oh, I’ll give you my personal number. My phone is in my locker when I’m on the clock, so if you have an emergency, use the center’s number, alright?” Joy added her contact into the rather bare phone and sent off a text.

“Of course.” Aislynn wasn’t the type to abuse privilege anyway. She could imagine that being friends with a Nurse Joy would be nice. Everyone from that family seemed to be raised as upstanding examples.

Nurse Joy handed the phone back to Pikachu. “Now, I have to get back to work. You two enjoy your night.” She looked over to Litten, who had curled up around Aislynn’s arm while they were talking. “And I hope you enjoy your new home, Litten.”

“Lit,” purred the cat in response. He was practically acting as a second bracelet for Aislynn. Satisfied, Nurse Joy left the room.

Aislynn stroked Litten’s back, watching as flecks of red poked out of his black fur. “So, what do you say, Litten?” Dutiful as ever, Pikachu took out an empty pokéball. “Want to join the team?”

“Lit.” He looked at Stoutland’s pokéball on the bedside table. “Litten tin.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t ever leave that behind.” She couldn’t reach out for it now, but she’d grab it on the way out. Maybe she’d even buy a shelf and commission someone to paint Stoutland.

“Litten.” The Fire Cat let Pikachi tap him on the head with the pokéball, sucking him in. Held between Pikachu’s paws, the ball didn’t even rock before it rang out with the fanfare of a successful capture.

Chapter 68

Chapter Text

“I’m home!” Aislynn shouted as she kicked the door behind her. With a Litten in her arms and a Pikachu on her shoulder, she shucked off her shoes onto a rack.

“Aislynn!” Rushing out from the kitchen, Serena threw herself at her girlfriend. Knowing better, the two pokémon using Aislynn as a human taxi leaped out. Litten gingerly walked on his left forepaw and watched as a honey blonde woman engulfed his new trainer in her arms.

Now Serena was of average height for a woman from Kalos. Compared to Alolans, she stuck out thanks to her hair and a lighter tan, but was otherwise just that new lady down the road. Who just so happened to be rooming with the other new lady. Aislynn, being from the Kanto area, was naturally predisposed to being shorter than her girlfriend. When they were both barefoot, Aislynn’s eyes lined up with Serena’s shoulders.

Of course, that didn’t stop the honey blonde from leaning down and peppering her girlfriend with kisses. They were official and she didn’t have to hide any of the affection she held for the older woman. After a day of Aislynn being out of the house and Serena having little to do, it was inevitable for Serena to end up thinking about her girlfriend. Now that they were reunited, that came back in the form of kisses.

“Ah! Serena!” squealed Aislynn as she held onto the blonde. She didn’t push her away, though if she wanted the kisses to stop, she more than had the strength to make that happen.

Once she did stop, Serena embraced her girlfriend and nestled her head into Aislynn’s shoulder. “I missed you,” she mumbled. Her hot breath blew back some of Aislynn’s hair and added heat to the flush that was swimming up Aislynn’s face.

“I wasn’t gone that long.” Well, she’d been gone since the morning and only stayed at home to settle the disaster of a bet her pokémon had going. But that had plenty of time in the future! “And I brought home a cat! Say hi, Litten.”

With his weight leaning toward his right side, the Fire Cat tilted his head. “Litten?” Serena smiled but quickly looked at her girlfriend.

“Oh, he’s just asking if you’re my mate.” The blonde relinquished one arm but kept the other securely around Aislynn’s shoulders. “I said a little about you to him earlier. Basically just that you exist and same-sex relationships are a thing.”

“Well then, hello there. My name is Serena and I don’t understand pokémon, sorry about that.” She put her hand up to her mouth to stage-whisper. “Aislynn’s the weird one who can do that. I’m just the weird one who’s in love with her.”

Litten blinked. Aislynn stood on the tips of her toes. “Does loving me really make you weird? I don’t think you’re weird.” She dropped back on her heels. “Wait, but if I’m weird and I consider you normal, would that make you weird or normal?”

Serena flicked the bill of Aislynn’s hat. It remained snug around her head thanks to being built to stay on during fierce pokémon battles. If being twenty-feet from a Hurricane didn’t dislodge the hat, a simple flick never would. “I think that means I’m normal. Not that it means much since I plan to be with you for the rest of my life and you’re a chaos magnet, but that’s besides the point.”

Grabbing Aislynn’s hand, Serena led the girl over to the kitchen counter. The blonde went to the oven while the trainer sat on a stool. Her partner hopped up on the counter while she picked up Litten so he could do the same. Each of them watched as Serena grabbed a wad of paper towels and pulled something out of the oven.

“The point,” she huffed, “is that I baked you a pie.” Quite the pie too. The golden crust was baked to perfection and had a heart outlined in the middle to vent out the air. That, alongside a few smaller cuts, revealed the apple filling beneath the golden goodness.

When Serena grabbed three plates from the cupboard, Aislynn couldn’t help but ask, “What’s the occasion?”

“Ah, well.” Serena gave a side-eye toward the backdoor, where Kingler was eating on the porch. He threw clumps of rice into his mouth. “Kingler kept pinching me when I tried to make you dinner. So by the time I could step into the kitchen, I couldn’t really justify making more. So I thought you might enjoy a little dessert.” Both of them looked down at the pie. “Okay, maybe not small, but if we split it, that’s way less calories.”

“And we’re splitting it four ways, so we’ll only have two slices!” Aislynn hurried around the counter to grab a knife. Serena grabbed two forks for the humans and set plates out on the counter. “Wait, shouldn’t we be eating dinner first?”

Serena smiled as she sat down. “Are you really complaining about eating dessert first?”

“Yes?” Dessert was great, but it was a treat that came after dinner. At least, according to Brock and Cilan. Both were way better chefs than her, so she trusted their word. “Look, I may be an adult, but I have a barn full of children. They are not getting dessert early.”

“Litten?” The cat looked at Serena despite knowing she wouldn’t know what he said. So he pawed at the nearest plate. “Lit lit.”

“See, even Litten wants dinner first.” He nodded even as Aislynn sliced up the pie and put a serving on Serena’s plate. “But if you insist, I won’t argue. This thing looks delicious.” Despite how hungry Aislynn was, Brock had instilled some good habits. Before serving herself, she put a slice in front of Litten and Pikachu each.

Rolling her eyes, Serena grabbed a bite with her fork. Aislynn did the same, savoring the taste. It was sweet, every apple chunk was lathered in gooey goodness. Combined with the nice crisp crust, the pie was a perfect treat. It was unfortunate that Aislynn wouldn’t get much more than two slices if everyone got a fair share. Pikachu savored each bite of his as he broke off chunks with his paws. Litten greedily ate up his slice directly off his plate, even going so far as to lick up the crumbs.

Once he finished, he pushed the plate forward and asked for more. His yellow eyes grew impossibly large, staring right into Aislynn’s soul. In return, the trainer pouted and made her eyes equally as big. She didn’t look into his soul, but the starring match between them was dead even.

“You’re ridiculous,” laughed Serena as she cut another slice for Litten. “Here. Eat all you want before Aislynn scarfs the rest down.” The fire-type happily ate away, uncaring for the huff of his new trainer.

“Spoiled already. You’re terrible,” she chidded. Pikachu chuckled and pushed his plate toward Serena. The blonde happily gave the electric-type another slice of pie, despite not having finished his first. “Pikachu, if you get fat again, you’re putting in extra training hours.”

“Pika!” he exclaimed in shock. “Pichu chu! Kapi.” He crossed his arms and waddled away from his plate. He was not getting fat again. If he got fat, then he’d be slower than a Raichu and that wasn’t happening. He was the fastest Pikachu in the world and probably the strongest too.

“Guess Snorlax gets more food.” Serena shrugged, setting the extra plate aside for later. That would be fine. Snorlax was a trash compactor for food anyway. Him and Muk really, but Muk’s diet had to be watched before he started smelling like sewage again. “Unless you want it?”

“Tempting, but no. I still have fried rice after this.” Aislynn smiled at her girlfriend. If this was her life, she could get used to it.

Chapter 69

Chapter Text

The next day at school, Aislynn made a point of taking her incubator with her. Although she had to set it aside for most of the day, catching the egg shaking in the corner of her eye filled her with excitement. Her egg would be hatching soon and that’d be the fourth new family member since she arrived in Alola.

Speaking of family, she had brought along three Tauros—a different set from yesterday—and nearly all of her birds for today’s lesson. The only bird who missed the cut was Talonflame, but she was more than happy to have the barn’s loft for herself and Hawlucha. Her assortment of pokémon occupied the school’s courtyard. The three Tauros laid down with their legs folded beneath them while the birds sat on the ground, fluffing themselves up under the early morning sun.

Aislynn sat against one of her bulls, leaning into their mane. She carded her hands through the thick hair while her students sat on the nearest patch of grass and pulled out their notebooks. Professor Kukui threw up one pokéball, releasing a Braviary that sidled up next to her Unfezant. Her reticent bird did her best impression of raising an eyebrow as the Valiant pokémon sat down close enough for their feathers to brush against each other.

“No Snorlax?” Immediately, Aislynn burst out laughing at the question. “Yeah, I didn’t bring mine either. Bit of a hassle for one lesson.” It was. Especially when most Snorlax expected to be sent out for battle or food. Anything out of their regular habits usually demanded a tribute of food and no trainer with a Snorlax was rich enough to send them out casually.

With practiced ease, Kukui approached one of Aislynn’s Tauros and scratched him around the chin. The bull nuzzled his hand and licked it with a tongue of sandpaper. He winced when the rough tongue slid across his palm and wiped the saliva against the thick mane of the Tauros.

“So for those of you who did the reading, today we’re going over normal-types.” With a small array of them, although most were considered to be half flying-type. It was a small semantic, but an important one. “Now, the most important thing to remember is that all pokémon have different individual needs. However, pokémon that share a common type tend to share some common traits.”

“For example,” Aislynn continued, “normal-types have a large move pool. You never know what you might be facing.” She wrapped her arms around the neck of her Tauros, her arms sinking into the finely kept hair around his neck. “My Tauros tend to use Horn Attack and Take Down most of the time, so you’d never expect them to bust out Fissure.”

“Fissure?” Lillie shuffled back behind Kiawe. In her lap, she had wrapped her legs around her incubator and used it as a surface to write notes on. Kiawe gaped at the casual admission of a one-hit-knockout move.

“Tauros can learn Fissure?” Sophocles asked, perplexed. He took out his phone and tapped away at the screen. “The only recorded instance of a Tauros using Fissure is,” the redhead paused. Squinting at the screen, he read back through the article he was looking at. “Aislynn’s Tauros during her match against the current Supreme Gym Leader of the Orange Islands, Drake. That can’t seriously be his title. That’s ridiculous!”

Lana leaned over his shoulder. “Seems pretty cool to me. But he can’t be that good of a gym leader if he got hit by an OHKO move.” Aislynn pouted. That wasn’t fair of them to assume. He had no reason to even suspect Tauros to know Fissure of all things. Although all of her herd knew the move along with a few others.

Kukui cleared his throat and stood up. “Sophocles, what’s our classroom phone policy?”

Cowed, the redhead shoved his phone into his pocket. “We’re only allowed to use our phones during break time,” he yelped as Braviary stared at him. The Valiant pokémon’s keen gaze and large size was intimidating on its own.

The professor nodded, accepting the boy’s actions for now. If he brought it out again, well, it was three strikes and then he’s out. “Now as we were saying, normal-types are incredibly versatile. Even those that are only half normal-type retain large movepools.” He motioned for Braviary to get up. “For example, Braviary knows Iron Head.”

In an instant, the Valiant pokémon swooped up and slammed his head against his trainer. Kukui took it head-on and grabbed the bird’s head, grappling it so Braviary couldn’t escape easily. Instead of flapping frantically, Braviary swung his talons around and clawed at his trainer in a flurry of motion. Each hit loosened Kukui’s grip until the bird was free.

Kukui coughed as he clutched at a new collection of bruises going up and down his torso. “Braviary also knows Close Combat.”

“Professor, are you okay?” Mallow asked. The man waved her off and put his hands on his hips. That only made her worry more since his bare chest was on display even more. “That really doesn’t look good.”

“I’ll be fine. I’ve taken worse hits.” He turned back to the pokémon gathered around. All of them, save for Braviary, looked concerned for the man’s health. “You’ve gotten faster. Good job, Braviary.” The bird preened under the praise and the feathers of his head puffed up. “Steel-type and fighting-type moves aren’t incredibly rare to find on one pokémon, but with the right training, these birds could also learn moves like Heat Wave, U-Turn, and Rock Slide.”

To emphasize that range of abilities, Noctowl used his psychic abilities to button up Kukui’s lab coat. It hid his bruises for only a moment before he unbuttoned it. Aislynn rolled her eyes. “It was a good try, Noctowl. Although for practical purposes, Normal-types are commonly birds, rodents, and large mammals. Neither of us have examples of rodents, but I think you’re all familiar with Yungoos?” A round of nods was her answer. “Most of them are pretty simple to take care of.”

“Birds are usually self-sufficient and even hunt on their own if you let them.” The professor sat down next to Braviary and ran a hand down the bird’s back. “Rodents will feed on scraps and require about as much upkeep, although they tend to be less powerful unless specific conditions are met.”

“The large mammals include my Tauros here. I also have a lot more back home and they require a lot more room.” Aislynn hugged the nearest bull and he huffed, ignoring the affection. “That stuff varies a bit, but I’m not aware of any care patterns for the mammals. Are there any?”

“None that don’t have a lot of exceptions.” Professor Kukui winced when Braviary nuzzled his head against the man’s chest. The feathers brushed against the forming bruises. “For a participation point, can someone tell me the weaknesses of normal-types? Mallow.”

“Fighting-types.”

“Correct.” He didn’t bother to note that point down anywhere. He committed it to memory instead. “For another point, name the resistances of normal-types. Kiawe.”

“Trick question. They don’t have any,” the boy said confidently.

“Correct again.” Kukui stood up with a groan. He still stood strong despite that Close Combat, but everyone around him doubted he’d make it through the day. “Now, make sure to remember for your unit exam in a few weeks. You’ll need to fill out a blank type chart.”

“But less about that!” Aislynn leaped onto her feet. “It’s time to ride some Tauros!”

Chapter 70

Chapter Text

“So, you sure you want to do this?” Aislynn asked as she stood among her pokémon. The three Tauros around her already cut an intimidating figure, each of them whipping their tails with sharp snaps. Combine that with the small flock of birds ready to tear something apart and Aislynn made for a fearsome normal-type specialist. Although the Pikachu on her shoulder destroyed any notion of her being a specialist.

Kiawe stood on the other side of the field with Turtonator standing in front of him. While no less intimidating than any of Aislynn’s pokémon individually, the dragon’s presence when faced with a herd of enemies. At least, not yet. “As sure as I’ll ever be.”

“Alright then. Challenger’s choice, one or two pokémon each?” With the sun at its peak, there would be plenty of time for this match. Both trainers knew that, but that didn’t make Turtonator any less hesitant. He could be up against any of the eight pokémon she had, and if Pikachu was anything to go by, he wouldn’t have been ready in a week.

“Make it one-to-one. Turtonator needs to master Iron Defense and Charizard hasn’t decided on whether he wants to battle yet or not.” Kiawe patted the side of his shorts where his other team member was waiting. He kept up a calm facade until Pikachu poked up his head.

“Pika?” Could he fight? A simple question, but far from a harmless one when it concerned the little rat god.

Aislynn scratched his bright red cheek. It would never appease his thirst for adrenaline, but it was a worthy tribute. “Not this time, buddy. We’ve got that flying-type trial, remember?” At the mention of their upcoming trial, Swellow darted over to Aislynn’s other shoulder. She grabbed his beak, stopping him from making his demands. “Yes, you get to battle the Totem pokémon. But let’s give Turtonator a fair match, alright?”

Swellow’s excitement took a nosedive. His head drooped and his wings sagged, much to the amusem*nt of those watching them. His teammates laughed to themselves at how fast he was shut down. The students grinned at the display, even while Sophocles was setting up a camera to capture the upcoming battle.

And Professor Kukui? Well, he went to the hospital to make sure that Close Combat didn’t do any long-term damage. Although he was rattling off observations into his phone the entire time he was being loaded up into the ambulance. That probably wasn’t a good sign.

“Alright, I’m ready!” Sophocles raised a thumbs up over his head and started recording. Lillie, Mallow, Lana, and their pokémon sat behind the camera and whispered to themselves.

“Then let’s rumble, Turtonator!” Kiawe threw his arm out as his partner took to the field. Once the fire-type was in position, he turned around and looked over his shoulder so his spiky shell pointed at his opponent.

That had to be a strategy of some sort. Although was it tactical or covering up a weakness? Bah, this was a training match. She didn’t need to put that much thought into it. “Noctowl, up for a quick battle?” The owl made a show of twisting his head around until his horns touched his chest. With his head still upside-down, he hopped over to the impromptu battlefield. “Sophocles, on your mark!”

The boy stumbled, shaking the camera’s stand. “Uh, begin the match!”

“Iron Defense!” Kiawe called out immediately. Turtonator’s shell gleamed with metal, hardening from top to bottom. There was a handful of seconds before that shine was repeated over the fire-type’s limbs and face.

“Noct.” The keen-eyed flying-type noticed it and pointed it out, much to Turtonator’s frustration. That would need some work, but his shell covered up most of his body.

They may as well test out these defenses. “Start off with Peck.” Noctowl snapped into the air and swooped across the field. With a glowing beak, he nicked Turtonator around the underside of his neck. The fire-type didn’t even flinch and snapped back with a Flamethrower that missed every shiny feather on the bird’s backside. “Good defenses. But let’s see that special defense! Air Slash!”

Noctowl circled around Turtonator until his Flamethrower petered out. Once he was in the clear, he whipped around and flapped his wings repeatedly, flinging blades of energy at the fire-type. Kiawe shielded his face as the flurry of attacks struck. Dust clouds exploded from the ground and small impacts against Turtonator’s shell echoed throughout the courtyard.

“Turtonator, Iron Defense!” Kiawe called while the dust began to clear. Noctowl tapped into Foresight, catching sight of his opponent even when his trainer was still catching sight of him. His shell gleamed with another layer of armor and gave away his location. He remained at the center of the explosions, wounded but standing tall.

His special defense was definitely weaker than his physical defense. There wasn’t any move in his current pool that enhanced that specific stat. At least, not to Aislynn’s knowledge. “Let’s see that again. Air Slash!”

Noctowl flapped his wings instantly, slinging another flurry of attacks at his opponent. Kiawe grit his teeth and shouted, “Flamethrower! Make the attacks clash!” Turtonator reared his head back and spewed out a wide Flamethrower, basking the sky in a torrent of heat. Sparks of fire and flying-type energy flew through the air, wiping out the front of the assault. Unfortunately for the fire-type, he ran out of breath before Noctowl stopped flapping his wings.

Turtonator’s shell took the brunt of the blows, but the sheer amount of attacks made him fall onto his chest. Aislynn held up her hand. “A good strategy. Blocking is always preferable to taking a hit.” Turtonator tried to push himself up, but Noctowl pinned him down with a weak Confusion. “Flamethrower relies on a pokémon’s lung capacity though, so unless it’s stronger than the attack it’s blocking, it’s not going to work out too well.”

“Fight his hold!” The fire-type groaned when he heard the command. Forcing himself up, he stood on all-fours with his shell to the sky. “Just a little more!” Kiawe cheered. Through sheer grit and determination, Turtonator stood back up on his feet and looked over his shoulder at Noctowl trying to push him down telekinetically. “Flamethrower!”

“Out of reach!” At his trainer’s call, Noctowl pushed himself back and narrowly avoided the tail of the flame. The dodge snapped his concentration on Confusion, allowing Turtonator to march forward and continue the stream. “Three more seconds.”

“Noct!” barked back the owl. Dodging a Flamethrower wasn’t easy when he was still shaking off some rust. He still did it though.

Three seconds later and Turtonator was panting for breath. “Alright, close it out with Extrasensory!” A beam of psychic energy blasted from Noctowl’s beak. It struck Turtonator in the middle of the chest and bowled him over until he was flat on his back. “Sophocles!” Aislynn pointed to the group of spectators. “Call it.”

“Three!” Kiawe grit his teeth as the countdown started. “Two!” Turtonator wheezed and tried to muster the energy to stand back up. “One!” Stuck on his back, the fire-type couldn’t move. “Miss Ketchum is the winner!” And that spelled the end of the match. Kiawe clenched his fists and accepted his loss.

Where there would usually be applause, the students watched as Kiawe and Aislynn gathered around Turtonator. Noctowl regrouped with his teammates, perching atop a Tauros’s head. Kiawe made it to his partner first and assessed the damage. The pokémon’s back had to be littered with scratches and gashes from the Air Slashes, but thankfully there wasn’t any sign of damage on his chest.

Stroking the tired Turtonator’s cheek, Kiawe said, “You did good. That Iron Defense just forced us into a ranged battle and we weren’t ready yet.” The boy patted the fire-types collarbone. “We’ll work on that, alright?”

“Torr,” replied the pokémon sadly. He had tried his best and still hadn’t landed an attack on his foe. It wasn’t even Pikachu this time, who he would have expected to fail against. Although given the trainer, neither Kiawe nor Turtonator should have ever expected an easy match.

“You two did well for casual battlers.” Aislynn smiled at them while taking out a super potion. She handed it to Kiawe since he was bound to know his pokémon better than her. “You learned a new move and implemented it in under a week. I’m not sure I could do that while working a job and going to school.”

“Pi pika,” chided her partner.

“Oh, shush! It wouldn’t take me a month.” She playfully smacked him, which only garnered a series of snickers from the rat. “Well, maybe. I am terrible at multitasking. If my pokémon didn’t know how to train with each other, none of them would be as strong as they are now.”

Kiawe squirted the potion until the last drops of healing mist sprayed out. He offered the empty bottle to his teacher and she stuffed it away in her bag. “Does that mean all your pokémon are that strong?”

“I wouldn’t say all of them. Some of them definitely need some tougher training.” Oshawott, Noivern, and Kingler were at the top of the list for that. They were strong, but not strong enough to really compete. “You shouldn’t compare yourself to me though. I’ve been training nonstop for almost seven years now. If you wanted to catch up, you’d have to devote yourself to training and that’s just not reasonable.”

“I see,” said the boy somewhat despondently. Before he could dwell on his thoughts too hard, Aislynn put a hand on his shoulder.

“Kiawe, you want to be a strong trainer, right?” The boy looked confused before nodding. “Then don’t look at me as your goal right now. I’m a bit above the average trainer.”

“So what? Should I be aiming for something smaller?”

“Exactly!” she cheered with a bright smile. “You have to start small and work your way up. So maybe try and beat an Island Trial and then a Grand Trial. Those should be good checkpoints on your journey.”

Mulling that idea over, Kiawe returned his partner. “Maybe? Olivia’s trial was definitely a challenge, but I’ve grown way stronger since then.”

“Okay, but you had two pokémon back then. Compared to a full six-on-six, that battle would have been way different.” Gym leaders sure as hell never brought out the big guns until they needed to. Aislynn didn’t even know all of the Kalos gym leaders had a Key Stone until the Kalos Crisis reared its ugly head.

“Maybe,” Kiawe said. That was the best answer she’d get out of him for now. Fresh from defeat, he would need time to decide how he would get stronger.

She rubbed the back of his shoulder. “Take your time to think on it.” Then, Aislynn got up and looked over at the small group of spectators. The girls had watched the exchange in respectful silence. Meanwhile, Sophocles stood behind his camera. “Did you record all of that?”

“Of course!” scoffed the boy. “Just posting your battles aren’t enough. I gotta make sure to show the real you!” He puffed out his chest in pride. “How else am I going to keep up with League recordings? I’ve gotta do something unique if I want to stand out on PokéTube!”

Aislynn rolled her eyes. Kids these days.

Chapter 71

Chapter Text

“Huh, that’s weird.” Aislynn sat on her lawn with six of her pokémon assembled before her. Each was in a pair of two which contained one of the Alola starters. Litten stood across from Quilava, whose flames were notably absent. Popplio pouted at Buizel, who crossed his arms as his fur dripped. Then there was Rowlet and Sceptile, the latter of which was mildly surprised at the scratches that were left on his chest.

Between the three Alola starters, it probably shouldn’t have been a surprise who the strongest among them was. Popplio had been trained just enough so she could be a starter. That wasn’t a high level of strength, but it was enough to protect against the pokémon closest to main roads and footpaths. Still, it left a lot to be desired and meant she could be molded to fit a trainer’s style more readily than a wild pokémon could.

Litten was a stray, so he would’ve been stronger than Popplio to some degree. If he had avoided conflict, there was a small chance he was weaker, a very tiny chance. However, to survive and compete for food, one had to be quick. If they weren’t quick enough, they had to be strong enough. Considering that Litten had provided for himself and Stoutland for some time, he had both.

The weirdest of them was Rowlet. Granted, he was from the wild so it should have been natural. A wild pokémon living in a forest would have more sheer strength than a fresh starter and an alley cat. It probably helped that Rowlet was slower than the rest of his flock, so he had to grow strong or he wouldn’t have made it back home. That Toucannon wasn’t exactly a helicopter mom, she seemed much more of the “sink or swim” type anyway.

It all made sense when she looked at all the details, but for Rowlet to be the strongest of her Alola three still felt odd. He didn’t seem like the sort. All he seemed to care about was keeping a cushy life in Aislynn’s barn.

Yet no matter where they were starting, each would need to be trained for trainer-led battles. In that regard, Popplio had a definitive advantage. But with Aislynn’s off-the-cuff battling style, she needed her pokémon to have faith in her directions and it’d be a long while before that occurred. Until then, she’d need to restrict them to lower stakes battles.

With a sigh, Aislynn looked at the first pair. She had paired Popplio with Buizel among all of her water-types. While she had plenty that were ready for a League, she wouldn’t trust most of them with training another. “Buizel, what’s your assessment?”

“Bui.” The orange water-type gave his junior the side-eye. “Zel Zui.” He shook his head, spraying the pokémon next to him with water. Litten snarled at the sudden moist fur on his back while Popplio hung her head in shame. “Buizel bubui.”

“Well, I expected some issues with her mobility.” Aislynn reached over her shoulder, pushing past Pikachu. From her backpack, she took out her pokédex and extended it. “Popplio should be able to learn Aqua Jet, which will give her the mobility she needs. Although based on her natural movepool, she seems like a mostly stationary ranged attacker.”

Popplio nodded solemnly. Her ego had been thoroughly throttled by Buizel’s combat prowess. In the entirety of their practice matches, she had landed three attacks against him. That wasn’t nothing, but she was still upset at herself for such a poor performance after hours of training. “Pop pop…”

Aislynn leaned forward and rubbed the Sea Lion’s head. “Don’t worry, we’ll work on it together. You’ll get there one day.” Just give it a year or so. Most of her pokémon were ready for a conference after a handful of months. Although, looking back on it, every conference was definitely on a different level than each other. Just compare her Kalos opponents and her Unova opponents. The difference was plain as day.

“Buizel. Bui bui.” And Buizel was willing to help train her! Someone who could demonstrate a few moves would be a massive help. “Zui bui.”

“Maybe another day. Popplio looks like she needs a full eight hours before she trains again.” Popplio nodded once more before letting her head drop to the ground and laying the rest of her body down. With the first pair settled, Aislynn turned to the next. “Quilava, how was your training?”

The Volcano pokémon sat back on his haunches. “Quil qui.” With his height advantage over Litten, he put a paw on the feline’s head. “Lava la,” he reported proudly. “Quilava.”

“A bit weak when it comes to fire-type moves, but you haven’t used any for two weeks. A good grasp on your other moves though. That’s good to hear.” Aislynn flicked her pokédex across entries. The Litten evolution line was geared toward being physical attackers, although they still had access to Flamethrower. “Would you two be okay working with each other until Litten’s fire-type attacks have enough heat?”

Litten turned tired eyes over to the older fire-type. He was just as tired as Popplio, but resolved to not show it physically, so he sat up and paid attention to his trainer. “Lit,” he agreed.

“Quil.” Her second-least traumatized fire-type nodded. Great. With that settled, that would be one less way her attention was split. At least, for the next week or so.

Then the last pair were Rowlet and Sceptile. Given the wide range of grass-types Aislynn had at her disposal, she should have chosen Bulbasaur. He and Rowlet were of similar size at the moment, but if Bulbasaur was tasked with training Rowlet, then no one was left to keep everyone in check. So she requested Sceptile’s services despite the ‘mon’s reluctance. Now that his chest had been scratched up a bit, he was far from reluctant.

“So how was training today, Sceptile?” Aislynn asked with the pokédex entry for Rowlet in front of her. While not extremely impressive according to the more stat-oriented circles, she was sure she could do something amazing with enough work.

“Scep.” He made a so-so motion with his claw. “Scep Sceptile.” Tracing over the scratches on his chest, Sceptile didn’t even wince. It was impressive that the scratches were made at all, but a super effective move could go a long way. “Tile,” he said quietly as he gestured to the newest grass-type on the team.

Who was sleeping. Rowlet was sleeping. Aislynn couldn’t help the deadpan expression on her face. “Please don’t tell me he was sleeping in the middle of training.” Sceptile looked away and chewed on the twig that seemed to always be in his mouth. “Aw, man,” sighed Aislynn. “Guess I was hoping for too much.”

“Lit?” asked the Fire Cat. He padded over to his fellow starter and poked him. Rowlet tipped but wobbled back into his sleeping position. Litten grimaced.

“Well, two out of three is still pretty good. Maybe he can join in later for some lighter training.” Aislynn didn’t have much hope for that, but not every pokémon wanted to battle. So long as Popplio and Litten were willing, she was happy. That was two new team members to fight alongside. “Well, that’s good enough for me. Make sure you all get some rest.”

“Quil?” Quilava looked down at Rowlet.

“We’ll figure something out.” That could wait for later though. She had some other things to be doing.

Chapter 72

Chapter Text

Of all the cities that Aislynn had stayed in, Hau’oli City was quickly becoming one she was intimate with. That only seemed natural given that she was staying in the area for an extended amount of time. She had visited about three times a week just to stay stockpiled on food for herself and her team. Outside of those visits, she also swung by the pokémon center to visit Litten and sometimes get her own pokémon healed.

So when she thought of Hau’oli City, she thought of groceries and chores. She didn’t think about putting on an orange floral dress and walking around in the twilight hours of the day with someone else. Especially not her girlfriend.

Yet here she was, strolling about under the light of lamps and storefronts. With one hand clasped with Serena’s hand, she guided the blonde through the streets. Pikachu and Braixen flanked them, sandwiching the two humans together. All in all, it was a quaint outing for the pair. No deadlines hanging over their heads, no worries about being rushed to leave, and no one was waiting on them to return.

In a way, it was perfect. But things could always be improved. “Hey, you wanna grab something to drink?” Aislynn pointed ahead of them to a family restaurant. “Aina’s Kitchen has some really good juice. You and Braixen would love their mago berry stuff.”

“Juice?” Serena scrunched up her brow. “We’re going there for more than the juice, right? Is the rest of their food any good?”

That was a very good question. The one time that Aislynn had swung by, she only got some juice for her and her pokémon. “I’m not actually sure.” She shrugged and steered their little group toward the restaurant anyway. “But we’d have to eat outside since they don’t allow pokémon inside. So it might be better to just grab something to go on our way back home.”

Serena blinked a few times. “A family restaurant that doesn’t allow pokémon inside? Isn’t that a little weird?” She had a point, but Aislynn wasn’t really qualified to judge their business practices. She was a competitive trainer and a teacher. There was little that she knew about running any kind of business.

“I guess? If that’s how they want to run their business, that’s fine by me.” It wasn’t like she had any stake in the success of the business. Whatever they believed was the best for them to do, she would go with. At the end of the day, it was a restaurant. There were plenty of those in a big city like Hau’oli. Aina’s Kitchen was just one of five family restaurants.

Although its success did affect Mallow’s life. If the restaurant went out of business, then the girl wouldn’t be able to get the food she needed and she’d be without a roof over her head. That wasn’t good for a growing girl. But Aislynn was just her teacher. She was responsible for caring about the girl’s education and ensuring she has the resources she needs to succeed. As far as Aislynn knew, Mallow had a healthy home life and a decent relationship with her family. There was nothing for Aislynn to be worried about.

So she focused on the restaurant. When it came into view, she could see most of the tables filled up through the windows. Families and couples were having dinner together, each enjoying a full meal. Not a single pokémon was present. Not among their feet, not in any seat, and definitely not on a single table. Otherwise, it looked like a homey restaurant.

Aislynn and Serena stopped in front of the patio seating. Guiding her girlfriend to one of the outdoor tables, Aislynn sat down Serena and Braixen before plopping Pikachu onto the table. “I’ll order some stuff for all of us, that sound good?”

“Pika!” suggested her partner. Sharing food between them would be a bit troublesome considering their usual appetites, but they could make it work.

“Yeah, we can share something, bud.” Aislynn turned from her battling partner to her romantic partner. “What about you? Any preferences?”

“Can you get something with meat for me and Braixen?” Running that through her head, Aislynn added it to the short mental list. “And just make sure to get enough for all of us. If you’re sneaking out of bed for a midnight snack, I’ll know.” Serena smirked, knowing that it was already a challenge to get out of bed when both of them were awake.

Accepting those terms, Aislynn slipped into the restaurant with the only protection she brought sitting outside. She didn’t need Pikachu with her to order food, but not having that weight on her shoulders felt weird. That comforting presence was reassuring whenever she was out and about. He made her feel safe.

The two dozen pairs of eyes on her didn’t make her feel safe in the slightest. Everyone in the building seemed to twist around and whisper her name as soon as she stepped foot inside. From the youngest child to the eldest mother, she was recognized.

“Where’s her Pikachu?”

“What’s Miss Ketchum doing here?”

“Doesn’t one of her students work here?”

Aislynn stepped forward to the register. Behind it, Mallow’s father cleared his throat. “Ah, Miss Ketchum.” His voice was even, but his eyes drifted away from her face to look past her. “What can I do for you today?”

Given the sudden shift in attitude around here, she didn’t think it would be wise to stick around and unnerve everyone. “Can I get one tofu and one shrimp bowl? Both large with a little bit of everything.” Mallow’s father—who she didn’t care to remember the name of—added that to her order. A tiny screen on top of the register showed her the current price. “Then two pinap berry juices and two pecha berry juices, all of those medium. And that should be it.”

The man glanced over to the windows, right where Serena and their pokémon were waiting. The blonde was on her phone, but Pikachu caught the man’s eye. As soon as he did, he looked back at the register. “That’ll be twenty-five hundred poké.”

Aislynn brought out a plastic card. With a little huff from his nose, the man took it and swiped it into the side of the register. He handed it back to her. “Mallow will bring out your food when it’s ready.”

“Oh, cool.” With eyes still on her, Aislynn speed-walked out of the restaurant into the patio seating. It wasn’t much better since she could still see people staring through the window. At least there was some form of barrier between them.

When Aislynn sat down, Pikachu hopped back onto her shoulders and nuzzled her cheek. She scratched the other, appreciating his effort to calm her. Just the simple act already calmed her nerves immensely.

“Hey, you okay?” Serena reached across the table, her phone set aside. Aislynn met her halfway and clasped the blonde’s hand. The touch was another comfort, a balm on her soul.

“Just feels weird to be the center of attention. Everyone’s looking at me like I’m the most important person in the room and it’s giving me the heebie-jeebies.” The people inside the restaurant were starting to get back to their food, but it was nowhere near fast enough.

Serena snuck a glance at the window. “Feels like Kalos,” she muttered. “It was like we’d never get away from them. And after I had mustered up the courage too.” A sigh escaped the blonde.

Yeah, it did feel similar. Everyone wanted to see one of the strongest trainers around and she didn’t appreciate it one bit. It was one thing when she was fresh from a tournament. It was another when she was just trying to get some food. If she had to put up with this when she became a pokémon master, she might just flee to the top of a mountain and live alongside pokémon.

“Shoot, someone’s coming.” Aislynn snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of Serena’s voice. The blonde tightened her grip on Aislynn’s hand and looked at the two people leaving the restaurant. “Stay calm, Lynn.”

Calm? She could stay calm. It was just a little girl with her mom, there was nothing to worry about. Now if that mom had any pokéballs on her person, then Aislynn might worry. As it was, there wasn’t even the thrill of an upcoming battle awaiting her, just a child and a parent.

When the child pointed at Aislynn, the mother bent down. “Go ahead. I’ll be right behind you.”

Invigorated, the little girl marched forward with her mother just a few steps behind. She stepped up to Aislynn and Serena’s table. “Miss Ketchum?” asked the girl. Aislynn leaned forward, lowering her head so she was closer to eye-level with the girl. “Can I pet your Pikachu?”

“Pet Pikachu?” Aislynn turned to the partner on her shoulder. He was just as confused as she was and shrugged. “Uh, sure? Just be careful around the cheeks and tail. You might get shocked.” To make it easier, Aislynn grabbed her partner and put him in her lap.

The little girl looked behind her to her mother, who nodded encouragingly. Slowly, she reached out to Pikachu. He closed his eyes and bowed his head to her, allowing her to set her hand on his forehead. As soon as her skin brushed against Pikachu’s fur, her face exploded with delight.

“Wow! He’s so soft!” The girl ran her hands all over Pikachu’s face and head, smothering the poor electric type. Aislynn held onto him tight, ensuring he faced the girl’s affections with their full-force. The child didn’t quite know how strong she was petting up, but Pikachu grinned and bore with it. “Mama! Can I get a Pikachu?”

“When you start your journey, dear.” The mother smiled placatingly. She had undoubtedly answered the question many times before.

“But that’s so far away!” The girl pouted. She couldn’t be more than five years old. If Selene and Hau were the standard around Alola, she’d need to wait seven years before setting off on a pokémon journey.

“You know,” Aislynn said, “Pikachu are very tricky to handle. If you get one, they might just shock you until all your hair fails out.” Playing along, Pikachu made tiny crackles around his cheeks.

The girl jumped back and grabbed at her pigtails. “No! I don’t wanna be bald!” She ran behind her mother’s legs and clutched onto them. “Mama, I don’t wanna Pikachu anymore!”

“Oh? Is that so?” The mother couldn’t help but grin at such a quick turnaround. “I suppose we better get going before Mr. Pikachu gets angry.” Her daughter nodded against her leg. As they went back into the restaurant, she mouthed, “Thank you.”

Aislynn just waved back, content to be left alone again. Well, relatively alone. She was still surrounded by some of the most important individuals in her life. Although Serena staying quiet through that entire interaction was a bit suspicious. The blonde was all about making moments like that memorable.

When Aislynn looked up at her girlfriend, the blonde had propped her head on her hand and looked back at her with half-lidded eyes. “So what are your thoughts on kids?”

Chapter 73

Chapter Text

“Sorry for the wait!”

Right in the nick of time, Mallow came over to their table with a tray of four drinks. She placed the two glasses of pecha berry juice in front of the two women while the two pokémon with them received the pinap berries. Not exactly as Aislynn intended, but the girl didn’t take her order, so she couldn’t rightly blame her. Braixen didn’t know which drink was supposed to be hers either, so when the fire-type took a sip of the pinap juice and smiled at the taste, Aislynn couldn’t bring herself to switch their drinks.

Well, that left her with a pink glass. It shouldn’t be bad at all if Mallow made it. The girl had made wonderful drinks over the summer, so Aislynn wouldn’t doubt this would be delicious too. She raised it to her lips and took a sip. “Oh, wow. That’s sweet.” Pleasantly so too. She could drink this right up and go for another if her dwindling back account wasn’t there.

“Is that bad?” Mallow held her circular tray against her chest, hiding her arms behind it. Serena took a sip of her own glass. When the blonde’s eyes widened, Mallow raised her tray up to her chin. “I didn’t mess anything up, did I? Dad’s usually the one handling drinks during the dinner rush while I make all the food.”

“No, no. It’s perfect actually. I love it.” Serena took a large gulp of the drink to emphasize her point. The drink went down easy and put a smile on the blonde’s face.

With one hand still tangled with Serena’s hand, Aislynn set down her drink. “Your dad makes the drinks?” A glance at the window told her otherwise. The man was chatting with the father of a small family, leaving the register unattended. “Could’ve fooled me.”

“Well, usually he is.” Mallow put on a plastic smile. “He’s just a bit stubborn about his no pokémon rule sometimes. After seeing what your Noctowl can do, he’s a bit cautious. Although, most people are.”

“Noctowl?” Serena repeated. “He seemed pretty normal for a shiny pokémon. What could you have done with him that scared people off?”

“I just battled with him. Nothing out of the ordinary.” Aislynn put her other hand on top of their intertwined fingers. She traced over Serena’s diligent digits with her thumb, bumping over each knuckle.

“Nothing out of the ordinary,” scoffed Mallow. The girl leaned over to Serena and whispered, “She beat Kiawe without taking a single hit from him. And she was so calm. It was kind of scary.”

Serena looked back and forth between her girlfriend and the pubescent girl. “Okay, can you explain to me who Kiawe is like I’ve never heard of him before?” Oh, right. Serena knew a grand total of one person here in Alola. “Should I know him? Is he famous around here?”

“Not really. He’s fairly well known since he delivers milk to a bunch of people, but everyone knows he’s beaten a kahuna.” Before Mallow could continue, the restaurant door burst open.

“Mallow, what are you doing?” asked the girl’s father. He kept a hand on the door knob, unwilling to step closer over to his daughter or the occupants of the table. “We’ve got people to feed. Let’s go!” He gestured for her to follow him as he dove back into Aina’s Kitchen.

“Sorry, Miss Ketchum.” Mallow hurried over to the door. “I’ll see you at school.” She dipped back into the restaurant, heading straight to the kitchen. A few seconds later, she popped her head back through the door. “You are going to be there tomorrow, right? Cause it was super boring today.”

“Mallow!”

“Just a sec, Dad!” she shouted into the restaurant, uncaring of who heard her. “Seriously, Miss Ketchum, it was way more fun yesterday. Kukui almost bored Lana to death with his lecture.”

Aislynn smiled. At least she was making it fun. “Don’t worry, I’ll be there.”

“Cool! See you tomorrow!” This time, Mallow went into the restaurant and all the way back to the kitchen.

Left alone outdoors, Aislynn kept tracing her thumb over Serena’s hand. The miniscule ministrations were calming in an odd way. Repetitive and soothing, like combing through Pikachu’s fur. Yet the texture of Serena’s smooth skin was pleasing in its own way. It wasn’t unfamiliar to her. She had engaged with plenty of skin-to-skin contact, but the way that Serena’s fingers laced with hers made her feel closer somehow. Like there was an unsaid promise between them thanks to the closeness.

When Serena placed her other hand on top of Aislynn’s, there was a new rush of heat. It went from her neck to her cheeks. Judging by the smile on Serena’s face, it was readily apparent she was blushing. “So, holding hands is your thing?” Serena asked coyly. She toyed with Aislynn’s hands, dragging her nail from the trainer’s wrist all the way down to the tip of her finger. “You know, there are a lot more things I can do with my hands.”

“Serena!” Aislynn hissed. She couldn’t stop the feeling of her face burning and she was sure it showed. There was no way that much heat wouldn’t show up. “We’re in public. There’s children ten feet away from us!” Children that were engrossed in their food, but they were still present.

Ignoring the potential onlookers, Serena leaned forward and cupped Aislynn’s chin. With fingers pushing against Aislynn’s cheeks, Serena made her girlfriend look at her and her alone. “Embarrassed already, Lynn? I’ve barely begun to do anything.”

“This is barely anything?” whimpered Aislynn. She tried to look away and out toward the street, but Serena just leaned in further until she was all that Aislynn could focus on. “Not here,” whispered the veteran trainer, completely at the mercy of her girlfriend.

With a smirk, Serena added a husky tone to her voice. “Hm? You’re going to have to say that louder, dear. I couldn’t hear you.” It took all of Aislynn’s willpower to keep her breathing steady.

“Please. Not here.” Her voice was barely louder than it was before. With Serena so close, Aislynn could barely form the words as diligent fingers caressed her chin. As warm breath trailed down her neck. As blue eyes stared her down, pinning her to her seat.

And then Serena pressed her lips to Aislynn’s. A quick, fleeting moment where Aislynn couldn’t even taste the strawberry lip gloss her girlfriend wore. It was teasing. It left her dissatisfied and yearning for more. But she couldn’t do that here, not now. Not when one of her students could come out and see them at any moment.

Serena wet her lips with a sip of her juice, then stuck her tongue out and licked those pink lips clean. “We’ll come back to that.” Hopefully in the privacy of their own home. “So, what are you going to do about that girl?”

Did—Did she just go from teasing to casual conversation? Aislynn huffed, her cheeks still warm. “What are you talking about?”

“Mallow, I think. I was a bit distracted when you two were talking.” Serena wiggled the fingers still wrapped around Aislynn’s hand. “But she doesn’t look happy exactly. Seems like a situation where you’d step in and try to help out.”

“She just seems a bit overworked is all.” Plus a little frustrated at her father, but Aislynn was too. Both against Mallow’s father and the one she never knew. Yet there were few things she could do to make him change his mind about a business practice. “I can’t exactly make her job easier.”

“I don’t know. I think you’d make a cute waitress.” Serena winked. And they were right back to the flirting. “Get a little apron, maybe a nice vest, and you’ve already got a cute outfit going.”

“I’d sooner work as a Nurse Joy than a waitress. At least they can be rude to unruly customers.” Aislynn was not going to suck up to people when they got demanding. Even if she tried, she’d probably end up punching someone.

Serena hummed and eyed Aislynn hungrily. “You know, I think you could pull off a nurse outfit.”

Chapter 74

Chapter Text

“Bay! Bay!” Bayleef jumped onto the bed, tossing the occupants up into the air. Her vines wiped out and grabbed her trainer by the shoulders. “Bay! Leef?” The grass-type snapped over to the other human in the bed, one she didn’t much care for.

Serena’s modesty was only protected by the bedsheet. Her blonde hair had been tousled and the tops of her shoulders were streaked by thin pink lines. Aislynn was much less covered except for the dark hickies from her shoulders down to the inside of her thighs. With the trainer held up by Bayleef’s vines, the only thing covered by the sheets were her feet.

For better or worse, Bayleef didn’t have a sense of modesty. So she shook her trainer awake, rattling the woman’s head back and forth until her eyes shot open. “I’m awake! I’m awake!” she cried out. Bayleef dropped her back onto the bed. “Ah, damn it. What’s the big idea?” Aislynn rubbed the base of her spine and winced at the soreness that flooded through her body.

“Bayleef lee!” The grass-type ran down the stairs with just a few words of explanation. Words that were nowhere near enough for Aislynn to grasp what was happening. At least not this early in the morning when she hadn’t even gotten out of bed.

Grabbing a discarded shirt, Aislynn threw it on and got out of bed. As soon as she took the first step, she stumbled forward and had to plant a hand against the nearest wall to balance herself. She glanced back at her girlfriend, who was taking her time waking up. How had she made her this sore in one night?

Now that she thought about it, last night was a bit of a blur. She certainly didn’t feel rested, but it was tough to say whether that was because she was lacking sleep or because she was just too sore. Either way, she didn’t think it would be a good look when she had to teach a class of pubescent children. While some of them wouldn’t make the connection, Mallow and Lana would pinpoint it right away. Combine that with Sophocles recording her and it spelled a recipe for disaster.

Aislynn slunk across the room to get to her backpack. Next to it, Pikachu was curled up on top of a pillow. Wasn’t that one of the pillows she bought for her bed? Did Pikachu get thrown off with it? Actually, he probably stole it off so he wouldn’t be sleeping between the tangle of limbs that was Aislynn and Serena. Even as half of that mess, Aislynn didn’t always like it. Sure it was warm and made her feel all nice inside, but she hated getting tangled up like that.

Digging out her phone, Aislynn checked the time. “Four in the morning, wonderful,” she muttered bitterly. If she tugged the curtains apart, she bet that the sun wouldn’t even be over the horizon yet. “Well, I’m already up. May as well get started on things early.”

Shoving her phone back into the depths of her backpack, Aislynn abandoned it to head down the stairs. At the bottom of the flight, Bayleef was dragging the incubator across the floor. “Bay!” The grass-typed yelped for help.

“Hold on. I’ll be right there.” Aislynn padded down and crouched next to the incubator. The egg shook back and forth as her knees clicked. “Oh. Okay. That’s happening.” A thunk sound reverberated from the incubator as the egg sook once more. “Bayleef, go and wake up Talonflame. I’ll see what I can do over here.”

“Bay!” The grass-type dashed out of the house and flung open the double-doors on her way out. Aislynn sighed. Fixing the house was expensive, surely her pokémon could take care of it. That was something she could worry about later though.

She moved the incubator over to the coffee table and sat on one of the two couches. Unsealing the device, she pulled out the brown egg residing within. Just a touch flooded her with warmth. Putting the entire egg in her lap was like sitting with Quilava there. Not quite unpleasant, but under the right conditions, it could either be repulsive or alluring.

It was interesting to say the least. With the sun barely peeking over the horizon, this warmth was most welcome. Aislynn caressed the surface of the shell. As her fingers brushed over them, the swirls of the shell brimmed with energy, making the normally innocuous pattern glow a burning orange. There was no mistaking her baby’s type.

Wrapping her arms around it, Aislynn leaned over and embraced the egg with her whole body. Her cheek rested against the top. “Can you hear me, baby?” A warm pulse echoed from the egg and into the trainer’s body. She smiled and closed her eyes. “I can’t wait to see how beautiful you look. I know you’ll be amazing. Whoever you turn out to be.” Another pulse answered her words.

The responsiveness made her giddy in a way she hadn’t recalled being before. Just a nice funny feeling in her chest that wanted to burst out. Yet the only way she could express it was smiling and holding onto the child in her lap. If only she could do that all day, or if Arceus was nice to her, until the baby hatched. Even freshly born, she would love to cuddle the child against her chest while they

The flapping of wings made her lift her head. Talonflame perched on the arm of the sofa with a gentle grip. Her sharp talons weren’t usually allowed on the furniture, but considering the situation, Aislynn could make an exception. As soon as Talonflame saw the egg free of its incubator, she leaned forward and rubbed her crest against it. Surprised at the warmth, she drew back and looked at her trainer.

“I give them less than a week. They feel heavy enough to be fully formed and they can recognize when I’m talking to them.” A pulse of heat flashed through her legs and arms. “Oh, they’re still listening. Maybe just three or four days then.”

“Tal fla?” asked the flying-type. Would they need to go to a pokémon center? They had relatively easy access to one and Aislynn trusted the Joy there. Worst case scenario, she had to find Joy’s number in her contacts and make sure the baby hatched without any issues. Although given that her baby was a fire-type, the biggest risk was accidental fires and the inability to properly thermoregulate.

Was that the right word? Thermoregulate? The ability to control one’s internal body temperature. Very important for fire and ice pokémon, especially when they’re young and their parents aren’t around to share their body height. Good thing Aislynn had a plethora of fire-types for this little one.

“We should be good on our own. I just need you to keep the baby warm for the first week or two.” Aislynn leaned back, easing her grasp on the egg. The sudden loss of heat in her upper body washed over her like a wave. “Not all the time, of course. But just in case, I’m going to need you to be a constant part of the team for the next couple of weeks.”

Talonflame chirped out a question. “Flame? Tal mel.” The Scorching pokémon hopped down from the arm of the sofa onto a cushion. She tucked her talons away under her belly.

Aislynn sighed at the reminder. “I don’t want to push off our first trial, but the more time for you guys to learn Pluck the better. Swellow shouldn’t be the only one who knows it. Although I guess you would be excused from training a bit since I need you to watch the baby.”

“Tal.” Talonflame looked out the open door. Woken up by the commotion, Swellow and Staraptor launched into a clash. Their talons glowed in the dark as they scored through feathers and flesh. Even as feathers were shredded from their wings, neither eased up their assault on the other. Talonflame turned back to her trainer. “Flame ta talon.”

“Well, let’s not put all our eggs in one basket. Swellow’s Guts will only go so far if Oricorio starts changing forms on the fly.” Although his sheer stubbornness would probably be enough to pull out a victory with just him on the field. “Swellow, Staraptor, and Gliscor should be enough for the trial. I’ll grab Noivern as a fourth just in case, but I’ll push it off for next week’s flying-type lesson.” Aislynn slid the egg off her lap and shivered at the sudden rush of cold air against her bare legs. “Keep an eye on them, alright? I need to get ready for the day.”

Chapter 75

Chapter Text

“And that will be all for today’s lesson.” Professor Kukui clapped his hands right before Lucario and Infernape could slug each other in the face. The Aura pokémon scoffed and went over to his trainer’s side. Infernape spat on the ground and meandered to Aislynn’s side with the rest of the team. “Students, we’ll look at fighting-types in depth tomorrow.” Three of the five children groaned. “I know it’s not the most fun topic, but it’ll be shorter than the normal-type lecture. I promise.”

Aislynn couldn’t help but smile at the students’ despair. Taking mercy on her boss, she decided to pinch in her own two cents. “Remember, all the boring history stuff will be on the quiz next week! Those are like fifteen percent of your grade and you have to stay after class to make them up. No one wants to do that, right?”

“I can’t even if I tried,” grumbled Mallow. Lana patted her on the back for all that the small reassurance was worth. Kiawe nodded along, sharing the same predicament. Even if either of them wanted to retake the quiz, their families had a business to run.

Lillie shuffled around at the edge of their small group. “I wouldn’t mind staying after class.” She looked back and forth between the incubator in her arms and the egg resting in her teacher’s lap.

Sophocles scoffed as he clutched his notebook. Inside it, his phone was wedged between the pages, creating a bulge inside the sheets. “And this is why we have to pull your nose out of a book when we want to hang out.”

“Hey!” yelped the blonde. “I’m not always reading a book. Sometimes—Sometimes I’m watching a documentary when you guys call me.”

“Not helping your case, Lillie,” Lana oh-so-helpfully pointed out.

“Well, well” —Lillie grit her teeth— “why don’t we hang out today then?”

Kiawe and Mallow exchanged an uncertain look with each other. Kiawe gestured to Mallow, telling her to speak first. “Sorry, but I need to be at the restaurant. Dad invited some old friends to have dinner on the house, so I have to hurry.”

“And it’s Thursday. I need to help shear the Wooloo.” Kiawe grabbed Charizard’s pokéball and tossed it up in the air.

Lillie wilted, drained of energy. “I should have known.” She hung her head and started padding over to the classroom. “You two have responsibilities that keep you busy. We always make plans to hang out ahead of time. I never should have suggested hanging out today.”

“Sophocles and I are down to hang out,” Lana chipped in as she followed her friend. She grabbed Sophocles along with her, keeping them both just a few steps behind.

“Hey, I never—” Lana snapped over to look at Sophocles. The boy wisely shut his trap, but the damage was already done. Lillie picked up the pace, hurrying toward the classroom to gather up her things.

Lana smacked Sophocles on the arm. “Look at what you did.” He shrugged. What did she expect him to do? It wasn’t like she had told him about whatever plan she was trying to attempt.

Stepping back, Lana elbowed Mallow in the gut and whispered something to her that Aislynn couldn’t pick up on, even with her trained ear. The green-haired girl sighed and hurried to catch up to the blonde. Seeing as the action was leaving her behind, Aislynn picked up her baby and started following along. At a sedate pace, of course. There was no need for her to go to the classroom after all.

“Hey, Lillie?” Mallow began with the rest of their class following close behind. “If you really want to hang out, we can just chill at my family’s restaurant. It’d only be for an hour or so before the dinner rush, but it’s something.”

The blonde slowed down her pace to match her green-haired friend’s. “I don’t want to be a bother.” She focused on her egg incubator as she entered the school building. Despite that, she didn’t miss a step as she went up the stairs. “Your father is stressed enough as it is.”

“He’s stressed because he’s trying to be something he’s not,” scoffed Mallow. “Whether or not you’re there, he’s going to be stressed. So don’t worry about it.” Mallow surged past her friend and entered the classroom. A new ferocity followed her footsteps, making them faster and louder.

The four children left outside the classroom turned to each other, sharing countless concerns without making a single sound. Lillie and Sophocles searched for guidance from the other two, both of which were expected to know far more about the situation. Kiawe shrugged, uncertain about what to do but to keep moving forward. Lana shook her head, wishing not to speak further on it.

However, Aislynn had a different idea in mind. Having overheard the conversation, she strode forward between the students and grabbed the door handle. “What’s the hold up, guys? You’ve got to get to Aina’s Kitchen later, right?” She grinned at them and watched as things clicked in their heads.

Lillie and Lana hurried through the door to grab their things. Sophocles chased after them, unwilling to be left behind. Kiawe looked at his teacher with a raised eyebrow. “You aren’t going to change that man’s mind. He’s as stubborn as an old Mudsdale and a pokémon battle wouldn’t make him budge an inch.”

Aislynn didn’t even think that Mallow’s father owned a pokémon. It wouldn’t exactly surprise her whether he did or didn’t. Some people went their entire lives without having a pokémon to call their own out of choice. Although the people who went without were significantly lower than the people who lived together with them. There were many ways to incorporate the magnificent creatures of the world in the daily lives of humanity.

“Let me be honest here.” With a quick glance toward the other students, Aislynn flashed a toothy smirk with incisors proudly on display. “I was planning on punching him if I saw any more red flags. Cut out the middleman, you know?”

“I—you—what? You’re going to punch him?” Kiawe reached out to grab her by the shoulders but hesitated. The egg in her arms was vulnerable. One strong shake and he was afraid it would splatter on the ground.

The teacher rolled her eyes. “Battles never saved the world.” She stepped outside the classroom. “Well, they helped every once and a while, but I usually had to do something a bit more extreme. Okay, stop thinking about what’s more extreme. You’re not going to like the answer.”

“Saying that makes it so much worse!” shouted the fire-type trainer.

“Maybe.” Aislynn leaned against the railing of the balcony. She pushed up until she was sitting on the thin surface. “But if you think too much about it, eventually it’ll be worse than what actually happened. So just stop thinking about it.”

“It’s not that easy.” Kiawe was tempted to reach out and grab onto the teacher. Between the pokémon she brought with her and the Pikachu always on her shoulder, he retracted his concern. Besides, she was an adult. Surely she knew her limits and what was safe for her.

If he had said those thoughts out loud, Aislynn would deny anything about knowing her limits. He didn’t though. “A lot of things aren’t easy when you first try them. Like this.”

Leaning back, the teacher kicked off the railing and threw herself into the air. In just seconds, she was out of sight of Kiawe and anyone else on the second floor of the school. Twisting around, she landed in a crouch with a flash of blue appearing over her legs.

“Miss Ketchum!” Kiawe shouted. He ran over to the railing and looked over it. “Oh, thank the Tapus, you’re okay.”

“Course I am!” she shouted back happily. “I wouldn’t do this unless I knew I could do it.”

“Well, warn a guy next time!”

Aislynn mulled that thought over. “Nah, it’s more fun this way.”

Chapter 76

Chapter Text

With her egg in tow, Aislynn rode on the back of Talonflame all the way to Hau’oli City. Her fiery bird soared at a sedate pace. There was little need for it with Aislynn’s iron-clad grip on the egg but it was appreciated nonetheless. Pikachu was thankful for it though, especially since he was just able to sit on Talonflame’s back and ride along instead of gripping tightly to his trainer’s outfit.

Despite that rather slow pace, they were still far ahead of the students. The five of them had waited for Lillie’s chauffeur to arrive and drive them down to the city. While the car was far faster than Talonflame’s sedate flight, it had to pass through the winding streets that surrounded Melemele island routes. So Aislynn and her motley crew of pokémon arrived at Aina’s Kitchen first with her students quite the ways away.

The restaurant itself was the same as it had been last night. Save for the people of course. Rather than a dozen families eating together, there were only two teenagers sitting at a table. Nothing that concerned her really. Although she did appreciate the sight of a pokéball clipped to the waist of their bottoms. She may not know who they called friends, but she appreciated that the people of the island had friends in pokémon.

Aislynn set the egg down on one of the outdoor tables with her backpack as a cushion. Pikachu hopped down and sat next to it, ready to guard it alongside Talonflame. The bird landed atop a nearby lamppost to keep vigil over the front of the restaurant.

“I’ll be right back. You two make sure no one touches the baby.” Once she got affirmative noises from the two pokémon, Aislynn headed into Aina’s Kitchen.

As soon as she took the first step inside, eyes were on her. The teenagers’ gaze bore into the back of her skull, curiosity pouring out in whispers. Their food was forgotten while they watched her go up to the register. Mallow’s father sighed and approached the register, his feet dragging against the floor with every step. When she smiled at him, he gave her a plastic smile far smaller than hers.

Begrudgingly, he broke the silence. “What can I get for you today, Ketchum?” Oh, last name only. Aislynn pursed her lips. Not even Paul did that when they were antagonistic. Trip did worse, but he was a ten-year-old rich kid who got an ego boost from beating a delirious veteran trainer.

It still didn’t sit right with her. She moved past it though. If he wanted to be obtuse, then that was his choice. “Two mago, two wiki, and two hondew juices. All medium.” Handing him her card, she watched as the cash was deducted from her account. A small price to pay when it gave her the excuse to stick around the restaurant.

Once he handed back her card, Mallow’s father—or Abe as the metallic name tag read—went into the kitchen. Aislynn glanced over to the window. Talonflame remained vigilant for the students, who wouldn’t be there for a handful of minutes. Pikachu was talking to the egg about something that she couldn’t hear. Good. She had plenty of time.

The grinding of a juicer against berries rumbled through the kitchen, its echoes heard in the dining area. “Let’s see if I get banned from here,” Aislynn muttered under her breath. Slipping around the counter, she snuck into the kitchen.

With the noise of the juicer, she expected to see him busy with operating the machinery. Instead, he was staring at the entrance to the kitchen with one hand on the juicer’s lid. He glared at her, freezing her in place. “I have every right to throw you out of this establishment,” he grumbled.

Aislynn raised her hands in surrender. “Look, I just have a few questions. Then I’ll be out of your hair. If you never wanna see me after that, I’ll make sure Kukui handles parent-teacher conferences for Mallow.” If she was even able to convince him of that. She was sure he wouldn’t be against it with some convincing. “Just a few questions.”

Abe flicked a switch and threw in two curved pink berries into the juicer. It continued shaking and grinding down the ingredients. “If I don’t like your questions, I’m banning you for life.”

“Only if you promise to answer my questions,” she retorted as she crossed her arms.

He narrowed his eyes in an effort to intimidate her. In return, Aislynn co*cked her hip out and placed a hand on it. Clipped to her shorts were five pokéballs, three of which the man knew were still occupied by pokémon. It was low-hanging fruit to use as a threat, but she didn’t want to crush the nearest table with her Ketchum strength.

Yet Abe had no pokéballs and there were none in sight of them that didn’t belong to Aislynn. Backed into a corner, he turned off the juicer and sighed. “Fine. Ask away, Ketchum.”

Ah, still treating her like an adversary. She could work with it. “First off, why don’t you allow pokémon into your restaurant? You’d make pretty good money off people buying food for them too.”

“Have you ever seen a five-star restaurant that allowed pokémon to run around?” he asked sarcastically.

“Yeah, actually.” Aislynn leaned back against the doorframe of the kitchen. “Ever heard of Striaton City gym?” The man grimaced at the name and gave Aislynn the confidence to push the point. “The gym leaders have pokémon helping them cook and serve customers yet they’ve never had any health concerns or anything like that.”

“It’s more complicated than that,” Abe hurried out. Humming curiously, Aislynn gestured for him to continue. “Hau’oli City’s got a harbor and people coming in from Iki Town. This ain’t the cleanest city.”

“And?” Aislynn pointed down to her shoes. “We track dirt and stuff around everywhere.” She grabbed the loose bunches of hair hanging out of her hat. “Most pokémon don’t even have hair to shed. So what’s with the blanket ban?”

“It’s complicated!” Abe slammed his hand on the table. “My wife left me this restaurant and I’m trying my best! Don’t come in here and judge my business practices!”

Calming her features, Aislynn took a deep breath. Don’t yell. She was better than that. “When your business practices are actively harming your success, then I’m going to step in.”

“What do you know?” shouted Abe. “You’re just a trainer that beats the tar out of other pokémon to prove you didn’t waste your life wandering aimlessly. You don’t know anything about running a business.”

“I know enough that you’re being an ass.” Abe clamped his fingers around the edge of the table. Had he been any stronger, he would have dented the metal. As it was, he was just frustrated because of her words. “What do you have to lose by feeding pokémon too? More ingredients?”

“My reputation,” he hissed out between clenched teeth. Aislynn put her hands on her hips, ready to grab a pokéball or slip out to defend herself should the need arise.

“Your reputation as being anti-pokémon? Sounds like a good trade-off to me.” She smirked and continued before he could retort. “Mallow’s Bounsweet could help out when she evolves. Maybe you could adopt a pokémon to help you around the kitchen.”

A loud huff came from his nose. He kept his heated gaze onto her, hoping that it would sear a hole through her skull. “It’s not that simple.”

“Says you.” Aislynn met his stare with a smile. If he wanted any ground, he would have to fight her over it. “And look, I don’t know what your problem with pokémon is and you don’t want to tell me. But when your children take over the restaurant, you’re leaving them a business that drives some customers away. Do you really want to do that?”

He looked at her. Behind those eyes, he was processing something. It better have been her words on his mind or she wasted her time trying to do this. Just staring at him wasn’t going to tell her though.

“Look. That’s all I had to ask.” She lowered her hands from her hips and pushed off the doorframe. “The kids are going to be here any minute. If you care at all what you’re leaving behind for your daughter, maybe give it a try.” Aislynn made to leave and waved back at Abe.

Chapter 77

Chapter Text

“Man, what a day,” sighed Aislynn as she strolled through the empty pokémon center. Well, mostly empty. Nurse Joy was there, changing in the locker room she never knew that centers had. She should have expected as much, though it was larger than it should be when so few people worked at a pokémon center. Besides Joy—or Juno when she was off the clock—there were two breeders who worked at the center.

Plus, Pikachu was always with her. He sat next to her in the locker room while Juno got changed for the night. Thankfully neither Aislynn nor Juno was making a big deal of Pikachu being there. Although considering that he had been with Aislynn since she started her journey, he wouldn’t really be bothered by naked humans of either gender. Besides, he was a pokémon. Why would he care about the human body?

Juno slipped on a sweater and a skirt going down to her ankles. “Busy day for you?” asked the nurse as she sat down on the bench. With a deft hand, she undid the clips holding her hair into two large loops, allowing the long pink tresses to hang down her back. If Aislynn didn’t know any better, she wouldn’t have been able to tell that Juno was part of the Joy family.

Maybe Brock was onto something when he mentioned an eye doctor. A simple wardrobe change shouldn’t make Juno unrecognizable from her uniformed appearance. Wait, was there an eye doctor in Melemele? There had to be, right? Something to look up later.

“Yeah, you could say that.” Aislynn brushed her hands over her egg before it shook in her grasp. The baby was active, that was for sure. Shaking once every hour was a good sign. It wouldn’t be long before they hatched. “I just miss the days where one firm confrontation would change someone’s mind.”

The nurse smiled, caught in the joke. “It must be quite different from being a traveling trainer.” Was that it? It didn’t feel like that should change how people perceived her. She was no weaker because she stopped traveling. “Although everyone needs different things to be persuaded. Perhaps you simply went about it the wrong way.”

“Maybe so.” Aislynn leaned back a bit, stretching her back out to her full height. Even sitting, she was shorter than Juno, but the pop of her vertebrae was satisfying all the same. “Is it normal for people to change their minds after one or two encounters?”

“Thinking back on your life?” Juno’s curious tone provoked thoughts of countless people Aislynn had helped over the years. The brief blips of time that evaded her at the best of times. Now, she could recall Mikey and his brothers, Alanna and her Whismur, even Gemma and that weird adventure with Jirachi.

Weird. That was an understatement when it came to her life. “Things are just baffling sometimes,” she sighed. “Abe wants to be successful. He wants to have a great restaurant, but it’s like he tied one hand behind his back and refuses to untie it.”

The nurse looked off to the side. Was Abe even a household name around these parts? Mallow seemed like she’d be the most memorable one of the family for anyone who ate at Aina’s Kitchen. “I’m sure you know that his wife passed away.”

“The name Aina’s Kitchen had to come from somewhere,” muttered Aislynn. She had yet to see a picture or hear a mention of the woman. Her legacy was left behind though.

“Well, she was a wonderful woman. She and her Lurantis made Aina’s Kitchen a wonderful place.” Reaching out for support, Juno placed her hand on top of Pikachu’s head and massaged her fingers into his scalp. The electric-type practically purred under the stimulation. “When she got sick, I stopped going there.”

“Was it that different without her around?” With her partner preoccupied, Aislynn busied her hands with the warmth of her egg. It couldn’t quite feel the texture of her fingers, but the pressure could be felt. The child within was developed enough to feel that.

Juno hummed in thought. “I wouldn’t know.” Right, she hadn’t gone back to the restaurant. How long was that for her? Months? Years? “I just knew it wouldn’t feel the same without those two around.”

“What would that be like?” Aislynn asked on reflex. Realizing the oddity of her words, she backpedaled. “Sorry, just—can you phrase that in a way I can understand better? I haven’t exactly stayed in one place or revisited many places.”

Scooping Pikachu into her lap, Juno scratched around his face with both of her hands. “Put it like this: What would your friends think if they visited you and didn’t see Pikachu at all?”

Without Pikachu? “Like something is missing, I guess. Something integral. It wouldn’t make sense for me to be separated from Pikachu unless something bad happened.” The only times they were separated was when there was danger. Nowadays, even the strongest of pokémon would have a hard time pulling them apart. “Oh. I think I get it.”

“Aina really pulled her weight to start that restaurant.” A buzz shook the lockers, rattling the unlocked door. Juno smiled at Aislynn. “That’s my ride. I’ll see you around.” Regretfully, Pikachu hopped off the nurse’s lap so she could gather her things.

“Right. Suppose I should get home before Serena asks my pokémon to hunt me down.” Once Pikachu hopped onto her shoulders, Aislynn stood up and walked out of the locker room with Juno.

“Oh, that’d be a sight to see. Sixty pokémon running through the city?” Juno held onto the strap of her handbag as she looked back down the hallway. Hurrying their way, Blissey joined her trainer’s side.

“Closer to seventy now, I think.” Still way too many to have running around looking for her. The collateral damage would make her go broke.

“Oh my. Seventy?” Their little group wandered back into the center lobby. They waved at the uniformed breeder and his Clefairy manning the counter in Juno’s stead. “Be careful. This center only has room for fifty.”

Fifty was still a decent size of a center. This one was nice and cozy with a self-serve café built into the second floor of the lobby. If it served more than coffee, then Aislynn could definitely see it as a bit more of a hangout spot for trainers. As it was, the center had gone without the cafeteria that other regions had, which cut down on upkeep but left little reason to stay.

Although it was still a bit small. “Shouldn’t be a problem. Some of my pokémon have retired from the battle scene already.” Not that she was all too happy about it, but each of them had lives of their own outside of her.

“Retired? What about the Kukui’s League? Are they going to come out of retirement for that?” The two exited the center and Juno waved over to a woman on a motorcycle.

Aislynn opened her mouth to answer before blinking in surprise. “You know about that?”

“Course, I do. He made sure all the Joys would be able to pitch in.” Juno hugged the woman she waved over. After a third glance, Aislynn vaguely recognized them as an Officer Jenny out of uniform. The hair was definitely the same color, but the black leather jacket was quite different from the usual blue of her uniform.

Joanne—was that the right name?—nodded at Aislynn. “How’s Rowlet?” Okay, definitely Hau’oli’s Officer Jenny then. She was the only one who had gotten to see her laziest grass-type.

“He’s stronger than I expected, but I don’t know how to motivate him yet.” She shrugged. “But he’s probably not League material for a couple years anyway. Not that that’s a problem. I have plenty of pokémon that want to battle, so I don’t need to force anyone to do anything they don’t want to.”

“Good. Don’t think I could arrest you if I tried,” quipped Joanne. The off-duty officer turned to her… at minimum, friend. The way they had arms wrapped around each other’s waist probably pointed toward something closer than that. However, Aislynn didn’t want to assume. “Everything all set?”

“Harry’s got the night shift and we don’t have any overnight patients.” Was that the breeder’s name? Aislynn should probably try to remember that. “We’ll see you around, Aislynn.”

“Oh, right. See ya!” On reflex, the veteran trainer waved. The two waved back before getting on Joanne’s motorcycle and Juno’s hands were definitely higher than they needed to be. She was almost cupping the officer’s breasts. With the purr of the engine, the two sped off into the night.

Definitely more than friends.

Chapter 78

Chapter Text

The day after the tiresome conversation with Abe, Aislynn had decided to take the day off. Even if she had remained calm while talking to the man, she doubted that bravery meant anything to him. It was more than likely pissing him off that she stayed stubborn to the end. She had only left when she had the last word too.

It would be a genuine surprise if she wasn’t banned from Aina’s Kitchen. For that reason, she remained home. Kiawe would immediately know what was wrong and what happened. He may not know the exact details, but the boy was the only student who could make an educated guess. If he asked about it, she wouldn’t be able to keep her trap shut.

Worse, if Mallow was there and confronted Aislynn, the woman didn’t know how to react. Would the girl be horrified that her father was threatened? Would she be angry that Aislynn tried to speak up for her behind her back? Aislynn could hope that the girl would be thankful, but if Abe was anything to go by, things wouldn’t be so simple. Why would it be?

He was a man set in his ways. Aislynn tried to be free-flowing and adaptable. Putting them in the same room was bound to end in a clash. Whether it be words or fists, Aislynn didn’t care which. She just wished it would be resolved so she wouldn’t have to worry about it.

“Pika?” Running across the beach, Pikachu grabbed onto Aislynn’s knee. The electric-type reached up to bring her hand down so he could nuzzle it. “Chupi chaa.”

“I know, buddy.” Aislynn wrenched her eyes away from the glittering ocean. Her partner didn’t want her to be upset. If not for her, then for the egg in her lap. “How’s training coming along?”

“Pi.” With a tiny paw, he pointed back over to the barn. Look for yourself.

Swellow challenged Charizard to an aerial battle today. Swellow swooped through the air with an ease that disrupted Charizard’s own flight, nipping at the fire-type’s wings with Aerial Ace. Thankfully, he was holding his punches, otherwise he would have torn holes in Charizard’s wings with the sheer velocity that Swellow had. The big fire-type wasn’t one to sit around and take hits though. He bathed the sky above the barn in fire, splashing a Flamethrower against Swellow’s back.

The two clashed and continued even when Charizard managed to grab Swellow and throw him into the ground. The stubborn bird got up again and blasted off into the sky. He may be removed from it for brief moments, but the freedom of flight would not easily be taken from him. That remained true no matter which foe dared to contest him.

Around them, Noctowl and Unfezant were throwing their pool of ranged attacks at each other. With Swellow and Charizard between them, every Air Slash and Psybeam was an effort in control and accuracy. Thankfully, Noctowl’s psychic abilities aided him in that regard. Although Unfezant’s caution about the situation led to her being hit by more attacks than she would like.

“When did Unfezant agree to help Noctowl? I told her she didn’t have to battle.” Aislynn twisted back around to look at Pikachu. Both knew that Unfezant wasn’t the best battler of the bunch and she wasn’t one for it anyway.

“Kapi.” He pointed to those watching the two bouts from the relative safety of the barn. Hawlucha crossed his arms as he leaned against Noivern, who looked thoroughly tuckered out. “Chu chupa. Pika.”

“Well, battles usually cheer me up.” Would one cheer her up now? She looked down at her egg. Her vulnerable baby that could hatch at any time. A battle would endanger the child to a degree. Aislynn had battled with eggs around many times before though. “Not right now though. I feel like I’d mess them up.”

Her partner frowned. “Pika.” That didn’t bother her before when she was getting a cathartic battle in. “Chupi?” Why was this time any different from the rest?

“Swellow and Charizard have been training on their own for years. I know they would follow any command I give them, but if I’m off my game, then they’d be off their game and train that way.” Once they got to the trial, the entire team needed to be at their best. Making them compensate for her mistakes now—mistakes that she wouldn’t make on the day of—would hinder them.

Pikachu understood to a degree. He had worked with dozens of pokémon along their journey, but he was always ready to complement his partner. They were two halves of a whole when it came to pokémon battling. Among all the beings in the world, he was her best friend. He would be able to keep up with her no matter what challenge came her way.

The rest didn’t have that ability. They could adapt on the fly, but with their time off rotation, she didn’t expect them to be able to instantly get back into the groove of fighting under her command. The only ones she trusted wholeheartedly were those who were part of her Kalos team.

Granted, her most eager battlers could adapt amidst battle. There shouldn’t be too many difficulties with that. Noctowl was fine with a sedate pace against Kiawe, but she didn’t call for a single one of his Hypnosis tricks. That would have probably tripped both of them up and given Kiawe the chance to land a hit. A good thing for him, but teachers needed to be in control. Well, they should show that they’re in control. They were role models meant to guide children.

“Maybe tomorrow, buddy,” she offered. She patted him on the head, flicking his ear with her thumb in the process. “That makes sense right? Practice on Saturday, trial on Sunday, and then all the flying-types should be ready for class on Monday.” Pikachu tilted his head. “What?”

“Pikapi? Pi pikachu.” It wasn’t that detailed of a plan. He didn’t need to be that suspicious of her. Sure, she didn’t think that far ahead most of the time, but she could make a simple to-do list and stick to the first half. Getting through the second half was up for debate.

“Hey, with our luck, the baby will hatch in the middle of the trial and I’ll have to balance commanding Swellow and cleaning the baby. Oh, that’d be tough.” Aislynn hunched over, curving her body around the egg in her lap.

“Ka?” Just tough? “Pikapi chupi. Cha!”

“Okay, it’s not guaranteed to happen! And I’m not jinxing us either!” She wrapped her arms around the baby, letting her limbs soak up the warmth it exuded. Combined with the sea breeze blowing against her skin, the two created an odd level of humidity. Just enough to make her want to sweat but not quite reaching that point.

Pikachu rolled his eyes, not believing his trainer at all. “Pika chupi.” There would always be inconvenient things happening to them. That was a fact of life for Aislynn Ketchum.

“We’ll deal with it when we get there. For now, let’s just relax.” She smiled at the ocean. In the distance, a Mantine breached the surface and glided through the air. Behind it, a Sharpedo snapped its jaws as it chased down the Mantine.

“Pichu,” he pointed out. On cue, the ground shook and a new crater formed on the property. “Pi.”

“We’ll get there when we get there.”

Chapter 79

Chapter Text

“Swellow, quick left!” The Swallow pokémon darted to the left, avoiding a Thunderbolt from Pikachu. As the mouse prepared another, Swellow flashed ahead in a blur of white light. Before he collided with Pikachu, the electric-type flipped over and, with a tail that shone in the Alolan sun, smacked Swellow into the ground.

The flying-type crumpled under the Iron Tail attack pressing into the back of his skull. Sand was his pillow, but he refused to rest. Using Wing Attack in both of his wings, he slapped Pikachu away, uncaring of how ineffective the attack was. It bought him more than enough time to get back into the air. He soared high above his foe, ensuring that Pikachu couldn’t zap him easily.

Aislynn brought up a hand to provide shade over her eyes. Combat high in the sky was nothing new, but it was always troublesome one way or another. She and her team thrived with the added dimension. Fighting solely on the ground was reserved for a handful of their teammates. Swellow abhorred staying grounded in a battle. He was a master of the skies and it bent to his will, curving around him as he soared.

“Throw out an Air Slash and follow it with Aerial Ace!” Blades of energy flung out of wings, slicing through the air and toward the ground. Swellow flew among those blades, racing them toward their shared target.

Without the familiar commands of his partner, Pikachu fought on instinct. He summoned the agility of a Quick Attack and sprinted across the sand. Each Air Slash blew a cloud of sand in the air around his former position, creating a cloud of sand and other particles. Breaking through the debris, Swellow shot across the beach and rammed his beak into the stripes on Pikachu’s back. The mouse was driven into the ground, plowing a trench with his face.

Pikachu exploded in a cacophony of electricity, drowning out the sunlight with pure lightning and its web of shadows. Aislynn grinned at the display of power. Lightning streaked through the sky and arced along the ground, burning everything it touched. Even Swellow wasn’t untouched.

However, that much electricity was bound to leave its mark. Even amidst the light show, the golden splendor of Swellow’s feathers was unmistakable. Through the Thunderbolt, Swellow grabbed Pikachu with his talons and flung the mouse into the air. The flying-type caught his breath for the handful of seconds it took Pikachu to stop rising before summoning a shroud of fire around himself. He surged upward toward Pikachu, honing the red flames into a blue aura.

When Pikachu began to fall, he pulled the electricity shooting out of his cheeks. He pulled and pulled until he was covered in a shell. A makeshift Volt Tackle—no something else. It was a shield of pure electricity, bundled together in a ball around Pikachu.

Whatever it was, the golden Swellow ignored it. He cleaved through the barrier and slammed his wing into Pikachu. The blue aura surrounding him burned against Pikachu’s fur. The electricity surrounding the both of them stung even through the Guts ability. Sheer grit and biting into Swellow’s wing kept Pikachu in the air. Swellow tried to fling off the rodent with sharp turns. Between the burning aura of Brave Bird and Pikachu’s constant Discharge, both were chipping away at each other.

Usually, Swellow would clench his beak and tough out such a lightshow. The type chart meant little to him when he had honed his ability to such heights that paralysis didn’t phase him. Electricity from a normal rodent wouldn’t even make him bat an eye.

Pikachu was different. Pikachu could tear the earth asunder with his attacks. He could go toe-to-toe with an electric legendary pokémon, matching bolt for bolt. These makeshift shocks were not ones that Swellow could ignore. The golden sheen of his feathers matched the sun in its intensity.

With bated breath, Aislynn watched as that shine faded into dark blues and reds. Her feet moved, sprinting across the beach. Her arms reached out, ready to catch the two falling pokémon.

“Pika!” Pikachu cried as he held onto Swellow’s limp body. “Pika!”

Digging her heels into the sand, Aislynn caught the two and nearly fell backward from the impact. An awkward crouch saved her from getting sand in her hair. “Gotcha,” she groaned out. Swellow was splayed out in her arms with his wings extending away from the trainer.

Better off, Pikachu climbed up Aislynn’s arm to sit on her shoulder. “Pikapi.”

“Yeah, you did real good, pal. Your reactions were good and that move you busted out, oh my gosh! Where’d you even come up with that?” It definitely wasn’t among the long list of improvised moves they had built up over the years. Neither had they been working on Discharge of Shockwave.

“Pi chupi. Chaka pika,” he answered excitedly.

“No way! You came up with it on the fly?” Aislynn walked over to her home. Swellow remained limp in her arms. “If you’re pulling out tricks like that, you might not even need me!”

“Pika!” scolded her partner. “Kipa chupi.”

“Aww, bud. That’s sweet.” The smile on her face was broad, making her cheeks hurt and she didn’t even have to try. “Let’s see what we can do about that burn though. Brave Bird’s a really strong move, especially with Swellow’s Guts boost.”

Pikachu looked down at his stomach. An inch-wide line had been seared across his body, singing the yellow hair down to a black crisp. A thin coat still covered his belly, but the damage alone was surprising. “Kachu?”

“Pretty sure.” Aislynn looked up, recalling the type chart. “Electric types resist electric, steel, and flying moves. But Guts increases the attack, so that resistance shouldn’t mean much.” Swellow’s golden sheen popped into her mind. A unique way of expressing Guts as far as she was aware, a tangentially similar expression of Infernape’s Blaze. “Huh, Swellow’s stronger than I thought. Shame he doesn’t have more type variety with his moves.”

“Pi.” Her partner deadpanned. That was what she was concerned about? He pointed at the seared hole lying over his organs. “Chupi!”

“Oh, hush. It’s not like Swellow would have been able to pierce skin.” She started to roll her eyes, but stopped halfway through. “Well, if he struck you with his beak, he might have drilled a hole into your guts. Probably gotta teach him when to pull out.” Her shoulder warmer snickered. “You know what I meant.”

“Pika.” That didn’t make it any less funny. Aislynn huffed and ascended the stairs up to her deck. Just because she understood innuendos now didn’t mean it was that funny.

Okay, maybe a little? Circ*mstantially speaking. It’s not like she had anything to really pull out anymore. Maybe that was the funny part. Or the thought of Swellow pulling out at all. Actually, that was gross. Never thinking about that again.

Instead, she was going to focus on patching up Swellow and Pikachu. Laying the bird on the kitchen counter, Aislynn spread out his wings with his belly facing the ceiling. Pikachu hopped onto one of the three stools, which was just high enough for him to poke his head over the counter when he was on the tips of his toes.

“Let’s see. Got some paralysis and maybe a burn.” Pikachu nodded. It wasn’t doing damage to him, but he’d certainly like something to soothe the injury. “And I think we can spare a sitrus berry for the both of you. Might be a bit expensive though.” She brought a hand up to caress her chin.

Pikachu shrugged. He would be well-rested after one night. His fur may not grow back immediately, but a healing machine wouldn’t fix it back up either. Until it grew back on its own, he’d either have a black stripe across his belly or a bald spot.

On the other hand, Swellow wanted to fight the Totem Oricorio the most. He’d learned Pluck and—presumably—Brave Bird for that purpose. When he picked up the latter, she had no idea but she was proud of his initiative.

She snapped her fingers. “Got it. One sitrus and a paralyze heal for Swellow. You just get a burn heal.” Aislynn looked to her partner for approval. Pikachu pointed behind her.

“Lynn?” Serena stood at the bottom of the stairs. “Why is a wounded pokémon on the counter?”

“The coffee table is cluttered.” Aislynn jabbed her thumb toward said table. On top of it, a pile of magazines and discarded mail were haphazardly spread across it.

“Yeah, but we eat off that counter,” retorted Serena.

Aislynn looked down at Swellow. He didn’t have any open wounds, but there was sand in his feathers. Sand which was now on the counter and the floor. “I’ll clean it up?”

The blonde stared at her, completely unimpressed. “You better.”

Chapter 80

Chapter Text

“Hey, ladies!” Kukui waved as his jeep rolled to a stop in front of the Ketchum abode. On the deck, Aislynn and Serena were hanging around with their current teams around them. For the blonde coordinator, that meant her Braixen was leaning back against the wall while Pancham sat on the guardrails. At her feet, Absol and Sylveon flanked both sides of her, each rubbing their sides against her and shedding off vast amounts of fur.

Aislynn’s team was fairly straight forward for the day. Pikachu never left it and stuck to his perch on his shoulders. Swellow, Noctowl, and Staraptor sat on the railing of the deck while they took their last chance to rest. Talonflame and Noivern lazily did circles around the roof, getting some of the latter’s energy out. Not much, but enough for the dragon to be able to sit still.

“Hey, Kukui!” Both women waved before they recalled their teams. Serena clipped her four pokéballs to the strap of her pink handbag while Aislynn snapped them to the waistline of her jeans. The two climbed into the backseat of the jeep with Pikachu hogging the seat between them.

Professor twisted around with his arm around the back of the passenger seat. “So, you two excited?”

“Of course I am!” Aislynn bounced in her seat. Bouncing in her lap, the “This is my first Island Trial! I haven’t been able to go all out with Swellow and Staraptor for years. If I don’t enjoy my battle today, they won’t get a shot like this unless I do the normal-type trial.”

Poking out from the passenger seat, a beige canine head looked at the teacher assistant. “Ruff?”

“Oh, hi Rockruff! How are you, little guy?” Aislynn reached over to scratch the pup under the chin. In return, she heard the satisfied thumps of his hindleg against the seat. Serena did the same, carding her fingers through the rock-type’s scalp.

“Wow, I’ve never felt so rough fur before,” mused the blonde. The beige fur had an almost grainy texture to it. It was as if sand clung to the pup’s fur constantly, hiding behind the visage of a cute and fluffy Rockruff. When Serena moved her hand down, that texture seemed to face away on the back, but everywhere on the head that texture returned.

Kukui, now curious about the pup, rubbed Rockruff’s cheeks. Then he reached down and scratched the canine’s belly. “He must have been digging in the sand again. Sorry, I should’ve checked before I left the house.”

“It’s fine. Lynn’s pokémon are way dirtier,” Serena laughed off. She plucked the puppy from his seat and brought him over to the backseat where she and Aislynn continued to smother him in scratches and pets.

“Hey, I clean them all.” The trainer pouted. Just last night she had given all her flying-types a bath. Granted, that wasn’t much since most of them were birds, but Noivern’s mix of hide and fur required more shampoo than most of her other pokémon.

“They also battle and play in the dirt everyday. Grooming them once a week doesn’t matter if they go right back to being dirty.” When Aislynn rolled her eyes, Serena nudged Rockruff onto his back so she could scratch his belly. Aislynn pulled her hand back and wrapped both her arms around her egg. “Hey, Kukui?”

The professor had turned to face the road. Easing out of park, he made a U-turn on the empty route. “Yeah? What’s up?”

“Have you already trained Rockruff to be a battler?” With a coordinator asking that question, her intention was obvious. The Puppy pokémon was cute enough to make it through most appeal rounds. If not those, then the image of a woman and her puppy was easy for an audience to latch onto in a showcase, much more than that of a woman and her bipedal fox companion.

Aislynn’s preference was clear when it came to pokémon. She loved them all, but pokémon that loved to battle as much as she did were easier to click with. Rockruff was playful, but she hadn’t seen much of him outside of that.

Kukui drummed his fingers on the wheel. “Well, Rockruff’s not actually my pokémon. He’s wild.” Really? Every time that Aislynn had visited the professor, Rockruff was there like he belonged amongst the veterans of Kukui’s trainer years. “He snuck in and stole some of my Lycanroc’s food—the day form one, not the night form one—and he got adopted. Sort of. He has two Lycanroc dads and I’m pretty sure half of their fights over the last year was over which form Rockruff would evolve into.”

New interest acquired. Aislynn dug out her pokédex and scanned Rockruff. Sure enough, two forms had been recorded for his evolution line. The day form appeared to be a larger, more fierce version of Rockruff and Aislynn could easily see the connection there. The night form was a much more drastic change with its red fur and hunched posture. A connection could be made with the fluffy-looking white spikes going up its back, but Aislynn thought it looked cool. A very rugged and dangerous form.

“What form Rockruff actually evolves into is mostly up to him though. If he wants to be a specific form, he can hold it off for a few days at most.” Kukui drove all the way through Route 2 into Route 3, where he had to steer on the edge of a cliff. The coast below them was full of rocks, both jagged and eroded. “But if he gets a trainer, they’ll likely influence the form he chooses.”

Aislynn lowered her pokédex. Rockruff pawed at Serena’s hands, begging for her to scratch his belly. The blonde couldn’t resist the puppy eyes he had and scratched away. “Are you planning on giving him to a trainer?”

The pup twisted around in Serena’s lap to look at the professor. Kukui took a deep breath and sighed. “Look, I’ve been pretty lucky so far. Four years of being a professor and all the starters stuck with their trainers. Your Popplio was a special case. I never expected to hold onto her for more than a year. How is she by the way?”

“She’s good. Very excitable but still not great at taking hits.” Aislynn wasn’t sure how well she would be able to take hits in the future. Getting blasted by a Water Pulse was just a splash of water but an Aqua Jet made Popplio burst into tears until Aislynn was dropping everything to help her. “We’ve got a long way to go before I find out how to work with her.”

Serena shifted around in her seat, bouncing Rockruff over her lap. “She really wants to get closer to Lynn though. Always tries to sneak into the bedroom.”

“Kinda reminds me of how Bayleef used to be,” mused the trainer. A trace of concern could be found in her voice, but searching for more would leave one wanting. “Anyway, you were talking about Rockruff. Something about him getting a trainer, right?”

“I was.” Kukui blinked a few times. He turned off of the main road and pulled to a stop alongside it. Leaning back in the driver’s seat, he sighed. “Rockruff is free to choose his trainer. I don’t want to risk giving him to someone who isn’t capable of handling him. Till then, who knows.” Kukui rolled his head to the side and looked at his passengers. “Maybe he’ll stick with me. Maybe he’ll find a little kid at the school he likes.”

That sounded nice. A little kid and his dog was always a pleasant image, although a child and their starter appealed to Aislynn more. Perhaps that was the nostalgia in her. She had so many starters that the image came to mind easily and she had bonded with so many of them. It would be easier to name the pokémon she had met and didn’t bond with.

This was neither the time or place to do so though. The three humans left the car and Kukui released a Venusaur to watch over it. The bulky grass-type sidled up against it, ensuring no one could make off with the vehicle easily. Meanwhile, the others headed through the trees.

Their destination was heard before it was seen. Trees and shrubs shrouded the flower-filled meadow, but the clacking of beaks was hard to miss. Pikipek and Trumbeak carved their way into trunk and made new hollows. Around them, Comfey and Cutiefly fluttered between flowers, sustaining the meadow and the many colors that it housed. Half of the grass had been covered in flowers, mixing together reds and yellows, pinks and purples.

Among it all, a bird spun around, circling a stone pillar at the very center of the field. Pink and white feathers flowed with every twist and turn, only to steady into a sway as the Totem Oricorio discovered the newcomer to its home.

“Corio!” cried the totem. A Trumbeak and Comfey answered the call to action. They stood ready to fight, to defend their leader.

Aislynn rarely turned down a battle. Before Serena and Kukui could back away, she had already flung out a pokéball.

Chapter 81

Chapter Text

“I choose you, Staraptor!”

In a flash of light, Staraptor appeared in the meadow, flying between his trainer and the three foes that stood before them. Every other pokémon retreated into the woods that surrounded the clearing, hiding behind trees or inside shrubs as they watched the battle.

Professor Kukui grabbed Aislynn’s shoulder. “I know you’ve got this, but do you want us to hold the egg?” He gestured to the brown egg. On cue, it rattled in Aislynn’s arms even with her grip around it.

“Uh, yeah. Just be careful, they’re warm.” She pushed the egg into the professor’s arms. Either from the warning or his natural heat resistance, Kukui didn’t flinch at the sudden heater in his arms. “Thanks.” Aislynn whipped around to face the battle. “Staraptor, Aerial Ace!”

Her flying-type of choice erupted in a burst of speed and clipped both Trumbeak and Comfey with his wings. Trumbeak was blasted across the clearing into a tree, but shook his head and flew back into the action. Meanwhile his ally Comfey had her ring of flowers severed to just a couple of colorful members. She startled back, swiveling around in the air to find Staraptor.

Behind Aislynn, Kukui and Serena stepped back to the edge of the meadow where grass met the first gatherings of flowers. Kukui held the egg against his bare chest with one arm and the other grabbed Incineroar’s pokéball, ready to send him out to defend himself. Serena hovered hand over Absol’s pokéball. The monochrome pokémon had yet to jump out of his own accord.

“Comfey’s body is tiny! Fan out with Wing Attack when you get close!” Staraptor spun back around and launched into another Aerial Ace. He sped straight toward Comfey, who dove into the grass below. Gray wings flashed over Comfey, missing their target. Staraptor flapped back, going into a hover as he scanned the grass.

With her light green body, Comfey hid herself between the stalks of grass and the stems of flowers. The colorful flowers she had once collected were cut to ribbons in an instant. Now that she was without them, the tiny four-inch-tall creature was concealed inside the meadow. Both Aislynn and Staraptor scanned the battlefield for a hint of movement. Aislynn didn’t trust herself to discern their opponent’s hiding spot from color alone. Staraptor didn’t have any move like Foresight. His move pool was honed down to attacking moves and she hadn’t trained with him to rectify that.

Their opponent wasn’t just Comfey though. Trumbeak dove toward Staraptor and spun rapidly, digging into Aislynn's pokémon with a Drill Peak. The attack drove into Staraptor’s side, tearing apart feathers until Staraptor slapped Trumbeak away with a Wing Attack. He lost some altitude in the altercation, but soldiered onward.

As to be expected of her battle-hungry pokémon. “We can find Comfey later. Go after Trumbeak first.” Without needing to be told to, Staraptor flashed toward his foe with a Quick Attack, slamming the smaller bird away. “Aerial Ace! Don’t let up!”

A flash of white became a flash of light blue and Trum beak was tackled into the ground, his eyes turning into swirls. That was one down with just a few attacks. Staraptor flapped back over to Aislynn, repositioning himself and flapping slightly faster than usual. Did that Drill Peck strike a muscle?

“Can you keep going?” asked the trainer. Staraptor looked back at her as if she was crazy. “Right. Stupid question. I’ll call you back before you faint, alright?” The flying-type scoffed but didn’t refuse that condition.

In the middle of the clearing, Oricorio began her first move since the battle had begun. Throwing her wings out to either side, it created a flurry of white feathers before herself. With a sharp flap of her wings, the feathers were sent flying toward Staraptor. The Predator pokémon darted upward, only for a sudden updraft to send the feathers after Staraptor. As soon as the feathers made contact, his strength was sapped.

He scowled at Oricorio, who stared at him serenely. She continued to dance, waving from side to side without a care in the world. “Your attack has been lowered! Fall back and—Right!” Staraptor jolted to the right, narrowly avoiding an Air Slash sent his way.

“Ori,” taunted the totem pokémon. On cue, a wave of green energy flooded the meadow, encouraging the grass to grow and the flowers to blossom wide open.

“Watch out!” Kukui shouted from behind a tree. “She’s got a Tailwind and a Grassy Terrain set up!”

Great, what in the world was a Grassy Terrain? Some sort of grass-type move but it wasn’t a direct attack. Whatever, she had to focus on what she knew. Tailwind increased Oricorio’s speed and the Feather Dance from earlier wasn’t going to be doing Staraptor any favors when his only special move was Gust.

Fine. “Staraptor, return!” Before the bird could protest, a beam of red light snatched him out of the sky. “Noctowl! I need you!” The shiny pokémon appeared in a burst of sparkles. He soared up into the air and threw out an Air Slash immediately.

Oricorio spun out of the way of the attacks, the wind flowing just enough to push her movements to be faster. She danced her way over to a patch of yellow flowers and leaned down to grab them.

“Quick! Extrasensory!” A beam of technicolor energy shot out from between the two points of Noctowl’s crest. Oricorio’s face was knocked away, but the change was already underway. Pink feathers rustled into yellow. The skirt of feathers fell away into a fraction of what it once was. Tiny feather digits fluffed up into pom-poms. “Foresight! Find a tiny green pokémon hiding in the grass!”

Ignoring the transformation the totem had undergone, Noctowl bathed the meadow in red light. Scanning the area, the red spotlights honed down until they were just thin lasers pointing at the ground. “Noct!” Noctowl swerved to the right, avoiding another Air Slash from Oricorio. At the feet of the totem was where Noctowl found his quarry.

The Comfey was hiding behind the larger foe. Its already tiny size made that an easy task but Noctowl has a broader range of tools than Staraptor. “Hypnosis on Oricorio! Then focus on Comfey.”

Rather than the traditional infliction of sleep, Noctowl’s Hypnosis twisted around closer to the human idea of tricking the mind. Oricorio, and Oricorio alone, saw Noctowl split into four duplicates, each flying in different directions. The totem looked between each one and flung an Air Slash toward the furthest. That duplicate swerved out of the way, so the Totem turned toward another and dished out an Air Slash. Again, the Noctowl dodged the blow.

To anyone else, it appeared that Oricorio was flinging attacks toward empty air. No one but the totem could see the illusions constructed by Noctowl. He was the perfect pokémon to divide and conquer between wild pokémon. While the totem was distracted, he rose high into the sky to charge up a Sky Attack. His orange feathers were bathed in light, coating him like a thin shell.

When he dove, ribbons of energy spilled off his wings, lost in the wind. A tiny green creature darted deep into the grass and flowers, but Noctowl had already locked onto his target. He crashed into Comfey, driving the fairy-type through the dirt. Comfey was down for the count.

“Corio!” Oricorio exclaimed. In a flurry of motion, the totem clapped her wings together and shot out two bolts of electricity. Both zapped Noctowl in the back, causing the bird to spasm.

“Noctowl!” shouted Aislynn. He managed to get into the air before another round of electricity entered his system. “Extrasensory!” A beam of technicolor light collided with the burst of lightning coming from Oricorio’s pom-poms. The totem wasn’t done yet though. She dropped the attack and jumped toward a tree. When her weight began to crack the wood, she jumped away with Acrobatics and blitzed Noctowl.

She slammed wings and talons into Noctowl. She bounced between the ground and trees, ripping up both with her strength. Aislynn’s pokémon bore through the attack until his body went limp and he fell to the ground. It was only then that Oricorio stopped her assault. She turned to Aislynn, staring her down.

“Return, Noctowl.” Aislynn kissed the top of the pokéball. “You did good. Take a nice, long rest.” With Noctowl out of commission, she still had four flying-types to send out and only one of them had been injured. Now that Oricorio was in her electric-type form, Aislynn’s choice was obvious. “It’s your time to shine, Swellow!”

The eager flying-type cawed as he emerged from his pokéball. He locked onto the giant enemy in the clearing. Just as he focused on her, the grass began to glow. Green energy swelled around Oricorio’s feet, racing up her body until it reached the side of her head where Noctowl’s first Extrasensory had struck. All the damage that was once there faded away, leaving pristine yellow feathers behind.

So that's what Grassy Terrain was for. It was healing Oricorio even after Comfey had gone down. Yet Noctowl hadn’t benefited from it. Neither did Swellow when it pulsed out. Maybe it just helped one’s allies like Tailwind.

“Double Team! Then Aerial Ace to chip her down!” Swellow bolted across the meadow and struck Oricorio’s body with his wings. Then he looped back around, cutting off the feathers on her head. Before he could turn back for a third run, those yellow pom-poms sparked to life. This was Swellow though. The electric attack struck true, bolts rolling over Swellow’s feathers from crest to tail.

He flew unimpeded. The zap was nothing compared to Pikachu’s storms. Unphased, Swellow slammed his wing into the totem’s thin legs, toppling her to the ground. Once more, the meadow glowed green and a fraction of the totem’s wounds were washed away.

“Mix up Aerial Ace and Quick Attack! Do as much damage as you can!” Swellow became a flurry of motion, bouncing between swift and surefire strikes. Even with her size, Oricorio didn’t force her way back onto her talons. The whipping winds of the totem’s Tailwind petered out. She crawled toward a path of purple flowers. One of her pom-poms snatched up a few of them. “Don’t let her drink those. Pluck her beak!”

Before Oricorio could even get a sip of her coveted nectar, Swellow grabbed her beak in one of his talons and yanked her away from them. “Cor!” screamed the totem in pain. Neither Oricorio nor Aislynn expected the totem to be thrown aside into a patch of yellow flowers. Yet Swellow tossed her aside as if the totem wasn’t more than quadruple his size.

“Brave Bird! Finish it!” Swellow rose toward the sun, fire sparking from his beak and coalescing around his wings. Then it honed down. Swellow became a missile of blue and Oricorio didn’t have the speed to dodge. The totem flattened against the earth. That earth shattered beneath it. Grass, dirt, and flowers were scattered in the wind and Swellow had no regrets as he flew back to his trainer.

Aislynn extended an arm for him to land on. With the totem defeated, there was only one thing for her to do. She walked over to the center of the meadow, where a single stone pillar stood. Atop that pillar, unmoved from its position, was a sky blue crystal with a wing embossed inside of it. Aislynn took her prize and held it up to the sky.

“Alright! We got our first Z-Crystal!”

Chapter 82

Chapter Text

Z-Rings felt different when they had a crystal slotted into them. That would seem rather obvious. There was additional weight to them, especially with a crystal of all things. One that was the size of Aislynn’s thumb too. Yet the shining object on her wrist almost begged for her attention. Every time she twisted her arm to reach for something, her eyes were glued to the object.

It had only been a day. Less than that really. She took off the bracelet when she got home and celebrated their victory. Splurging on a small feast seemed appropriate for their first Island Trial. After a short stay at the pokémon center of course. Swellow may have been fine, but Noctowl needed a solid hour in the healing machine before he could stretch his wings freely. Staraptor only took the one hit, so an oran berry was more than enough for him.

Then the morning came and Aislynn slapped the bracelet on her wrist without a thought. She had done the same thing every time she woke up. Get dressed in whatever outfit seemed appropriate—jeans and a leather jacket—then slap out the one accessory that she owned. When the white band snapped around her wrist, she stumbled forward. Her arm felt numb, her shoulder ached. It was difficult to breathe as the aura in her core was being sapped dry.

By the time Serena scrambled out of bed to help her, everything faded away. Nothing was wrong. She could breathe better than before. She could feel the air dance along her skin. And the crystal resting in her Z-Ring had a faint glow about it. A soft sky blue light that was barely noticeable until the curtains were drawn shut.

That couldn’t have been natural. Kiawe’s Z-Ring only glowed when he used Inferno Overdrive a week ago. Even then, that was a golden light, not a soft blue. At first, Aislynn assumed it had something to do with her pokémon, but none of the flying-types noticed anything off with themselves. From Charziard to Noivern, they were in perfect health.

Which meant that it had to be an Aislynn thing. Because of course there was something unique about her again. At least it wasn’t a prophecy about the end of the world as she knew it. Not that she appreciated gasping for air for three minutes. It was barely better than the sensory overload that was Battle Bond. Feeling everything that Greninja felt was bizarre, especially on top of her own sight and hearing. They adapted in time, but she would rather keep that as a last resort.

She supposed she would have to learn why she was having problems and adapt once more. Perhaps Kukui could help her solve this mystery after class. Maybe speaking with Hala would be helpful too. She had to schedule a grand trial with him anyway.

Things for later. For now, she needed to get her pokémon settled before classes began for the day. Talonflame landed gently in front of the school gates, mindful of the egg in their care. Once Aislynn slid off her back, Talonflame flew over to perch on the wall of the school.

Fine by her. Aislynn had nine other flying-types to get out. Talonflame was one of the more responsible ones anyway. Aislynn trusted her with staying a bit out of reach. The others, not so much. She needed to warn Kiawe not to send out his own Charizard or there was going to be a brawl on school grounds.

“Miss Ketchum!”

“Huh?” A green-haired girl waved over to the teacher assistant from the gate. “Oh, Mallow! What are you doing out here?”

Mallow jogged over to meet Aislynn halfway. Bounsweet was notably missing from her arms, likely kept in her pokéball for some reason or another. Between the crease of the girl’s brow and the bags beginning to form under her eyes, a decent guess could be made. Mallow matched Aislynn’s strides and walked by her side. “I was actually waiting for you. I wanted to talk.”

“Is this about your father?” The girl’s eyes widened and her hands clenched into fists at her side. “Look, I know I didn’t approach that the best way I could have. Way too forceful of me. If I could do it over, it would have gone way differently.” She’d probably try to be gentle about it. There was a lot of guilt and some grief in Abe’s story. Aislynn had no idea about it before, but now that she did, she could sympathize with the man—to an extent.

Shaking her head, Mallow said, “No, it’s okay. He’s been thinking things over recently. Things that he wouldn’t have thought about if you didn’t talk to him.” As an afterthought, she muttered, “Probably.” Forcing her hands to unclench, the girl grabbed a shrunken pokéball from the front pocket of her shortalls.

“He’s thinking about good things, right?” Aislynn hoped so, but she did threaten the man with her pokémon. One of which included Infernape, but he didn’t know that.

“Yeah. He’s been rethinking his no pokémon policy.” Really? He seemed quite stubborn about that. “It’s not going to be changed instantly, but he’s starting with pets. Just small ones like Rockruff and Meowth, but it’s an improvement over nothing!”

“Hey, a win is a win. You gotta take what you can get sometimes.” Aislynn smiled, hoping to reassure the girl that this was a step in the right direction. “I’m guessing it’ll be a while before I can walk in with Charizard?”

Mallow giggled, but it was a serious question. Aislynn and Kiawe both had a Charizard. Could they walk in with their pseudo-dragon behind them? “It might be a year or two before that happens,” she answered as her giggles died down.

“Well, that’s lame. I wanted to surprise him with my thirty Tauros.” Both teacher and student burst into laughter at the mental image. Abe would freak out if he realized that Aislynn didn’t just have a powerful selection of pokémon, but a wide one too. “So, any other good news today?”

“Oh, he’s going to let Bounsweet into the kitchen once she evolves.” He actually paid attention to what Aislynn said. Huh, she figured he would have ignored her out of spite. “I asked Lana about helping me train up to that, but she told me to go straight to you instead. Would you be able to help?”

“If it’s training you want, I’m your guy. No, wait. Should I be saying girl or teacher?” Aislynn shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. I’m always down to train.”

“Okay, great! I’ll try to swing by on Thursdays with Lana if that’s okay.” Mallow pulled out her phone and opened her text messaging app. “My weekends are a bit busy with the restaurant, so I’ll only be able to squeeze in a day or two during the weekdays.”

“Might be a while before Bounsweet evolves then.” Hearing her name, the grass-type popped out of her pokéball. She landed in Mallow’s arms and the girl happily carried her. “Evolving is mostly a matter of strength and experience. Age helps a little too, but Professor Oak told me that pokémon just tend to get stronger as they get older.”

“If that’s how it works, I guess we’ll have to work for it.” The girl shrugged. Bounsweet smiled, just happy to be doing something.

“Pikapi,” her partner dutifully reminded.

“Oh right.” Pikachu dug into Aislynn’s backpack and retrieved her phone. Rather than give it to his trainer, the electric-type turned it on and handed it to Mallow. “Put your number in there just in case. If I’m not home, call me.”

Mallow added her contact information and handed the phone back to Pikachu. Better him than her to handle it. He may short it out with an accidental electric outburst, but Aislynn would drop it and never be able to find it again.

Brrrng!

“Ah! I’ll see you in a bit, Miss Ketchum!” Mallow sprinted toward the school building, kicking up small clouds of dirt behind her. Aislynn waved at her back.