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

Chapter 21

After rejoining the group outside, Trenor expresses his disbelief, saying, "I can't believe both Brother and Gladion's Pokémon were just defeated by that..."

"It's alright. We gave it everything we had," I reassure them, to which Gladion responds, "It's not satisfactory for me, though."

"Gladion..." Lillie murmurs softly.

"So what do you think? It's easy to have a fun time with Battle Royal. Woo! You even have a shot at beating real tough opponents this way, yeah?" Kukui exclaims.

"You were on fire during that battle. I hope you bring that fire with you and burn up my trial," Kiawe suddenly remarks, catching us off guard. "Your trial?" I inquire, puzzled.

Olivia announces, "I've chosen Kiawe to be the Trial Captain for your upcoming Fire Trial."

Surprised, Kiawe explains, "We can get to Wela Volcano Park from Route 7. The trial will be at its peak. If you plan to see your island challenge through to the end, climb to the top with your strongest team!"

"That sounds like a challenge worth pursuing," Lillie remarks with enthusiasm. Kukui turns to us and cheerfully asks, "Ash, Lillie, Hau. How are your trials going? I hope you and your Pokémon are working hard and havin' a blast. Woo!"

Hau, puzzled, inquires, "But Mr. Masked Royal...How'd you even know that we're doing our trials right now? Oh! I get it! Because of our amulets, huh?"

We're taken aback by Hau's apparent stupidity to Professor Kukui standing in front of us. Hau continues, "Well, I'm having a blast! But why are you here? Why would you even wanna do a Battle Royal? You still trying to get stronger or something? Or maybe you just want to make some friends? Heh heh!"

Gladion mutters, "I'm not here to play. I'm here because you can't protect anything when you're weak," before departing.

Hau sighs and responds, "...Wow. You're just a ray of sunshine, eh? I think you'd have a lot more fun if you just let yourself have a good time with everybody else. You can do a lot more together, too!"

Turning to the Professor, Hau remarks, "Well, I don't know what his deal is, but I thought that battle was just plain fun! That's why I'm gonna keep doing Battle Royals. And my Pokémon seem to like them, too!"

Subsequently, we make our way to the Thrifty Megamart, a bustling marketplace offering a wide array of goods for, we encounter the boy who owns the Drifloon we rescued from Team Skull. Grateful for our help, he presents us with a refreshing Lemonade as a token of appreciation.

As we complete our purchases, a trainer named Kagetora overhears our conversation about my collection of all the Eeveelutions. He approaches us and asks, "Did I hear correctly that you have all the Eeveelutions?"

"Yes, um... who are you?" I inquire.

"My name is Kagetora. You may see me as just a kid, but I can sense that you're a skilled Trainer. While I'm now working part-time, smiling at the register, I too once journeyed through my island challenge as a Trainer," Kagetora responds.

Listening intently, we hear him continue, "I once made a name for myself as Kagetora, the Eevee user. But life changed; I got married and had a child. Now, I face a different challenge – dealing with a mortgage. Working here is my preparation for the ultimate trial: retirement and old age!"

Feeling empathy for Kagetora's situation, he dismisses our concern, saying, "Don't worry about me. Listen, there's something I'd like to ask of a capable young trainer like yourself. In my prime, I tried to defeat eight seasoned Trainers. They specialized in Pokemon that evolve from Eevee. How about challenging them? If you mention my name, they'll agree to battle."