1. Ash's Story (Part 9: Alola)

Chapter 17

When we arrive at Route 5, we notice that there are two directions, one to Lush Jungle and the other to Brooklet Hill. Since Brooklet Hill is our destination, we head west in that direction first.

We find Hau, who seems to be losing his battle against... Gladion? What is he doing here? His appearance shocks some of us.

"Ha ha ha! Man, I lost again!" Hau says, putting his hands behind his head.

Gladion seems annoyed as he asks, "Are you even taking this seriously?"

"I am! So seriously! I'm seriously enjoying it!" Hau insists.

"...Enjoying it?" He raises an eyebrow. "You can enjoy Pokémon battling when you put everything you have into it... which clearly you haven't."

"Gladion?" Lillie calls out, and Gladion flinches in surprise upon seeing us. Hau says, "Whoa! Hey, guys! This guy is plenny scary!"

"Ash? Lillie? What are you doing here?" Gladion asks, surprised to see us.

Lillie responds, "What do you think? We're doing the Island Challenge and heading to Brooklet Hill. What about you? You argued with my Mom and then left with Type: Null without saying anything to me!"

Mallow inquires, "Who's that guy?"

Nate responds, "He's Lillie's older brother Gladion; he's been our friend for a long time. He even traveled with Ash and Lillie in the Sinnoh Region."

Gladion questions, "You? Doing the Island Challenge?"

Lillie responds, "What do you think? I even managed to beat Kahuna Hala and get my own Fightinium Z." She displays the Z Crystal. "You don't know how things have been difficult since you left."

"What do you mean, what happened?" Gladion asks.

I interject, "Let's say that Lillie also ran away from her mother and was stuck at the Ultra Metropolis for half a year. It's a good thing that we came back safely."

Gladion flinches in surprise upon hearing that and remarks, "Me and my partner, Type: Null, are training to get stronger... We have to get stronger! Though most of our time these days goes to working for Team Skull as their muscle."

"Yeah, we heard about that before. I still think it's wrong to work with Team Skull," Lillie says.

"Battle me. I won't take no for an answer," Gladion suddenly insists to Lillie, who is the one flinching this time.

Lillie confidently readies herself for the challenge. "Sure, three-on-three," she asserts.

The battle commences with Snowy stepping onto the field against Gladion's Crobat. Snowy launches a barrage of icy attacks, using moves like Ice Beam and Blizzard. Crobat counters with swift aerial maneuvers, employing moves like Air Slash and Poison Fang. The clash culminates in a dazzling display, both Pokémon succumbing to each other's powerful attacks, resulting in a double knockout with the Blizzard and Poison Fang hitting at the same time.

"Whoa, that was intense!" Selene says.

"Both of them are equally strong..." Kiawe adds.

Next up, Togekiss takes the stage, facing Gladion's Zoroark. Lillie's surprise is evident as she asks, "Wait, is this Dad's Zoroark? Where did you find it?" "It ran away after Dad left... I stumbled upon it; it seems to have been following me this whole time," Gladion explains.

Togekiss gracefully navigates the battlefield, using moves such as Air Slash and Aura Sphere, while Zoroark utilizes its illusions, employing Night Daze and Shadow Claw. After an intense exchange, Togekiss manages to outmaneuver Zoroark and emerges victorious, signaling the end of their match.