"I'm glad you came in," Doctor Grace said, "this is some serious activity for hands in such a poor state." I shrugged. "You know how it is. Pokémon journeys get weird.", I failed to explain. She continued looking over my hands as she said, "Can't say I do, I never left home growing up."

  I thought on that. 'Obviously most kids taking the island challenge aren't doing the shit I'm doing, but they're doing weird shit too! Hau is probably stumbling into trouble before he knows it, and Kathy's definitely trying to pull something. It felt like she was pulling something the whole time I was around her.'

  The physical therapist suddenly let go of me to lean back toward her desk, and my hands twitched painfully as I got back in the habit of keeping them up in the air myself. "Take these braces.", she ordered me, handing me two hand braces. "I have hand braces.", I told her. "Take the ones I'm prescribing to you. Whenever you aren't getting into trouble, or even if you are, wear them.", She said, brooking no argument.

  I took the braces and stuffed them in my upsized jacket pocket. Doctor Grace continued in a disappointed, grouchy tone, "Now, we're going to work on your dexterity. If you keep putting intense stresses on your hands during your recovery, you face a very real likelihood of losing precision and range of motion permanently. This should mitigate that at least somewhat."

  "You can pay for your own food.", Eva sneered over her breakfast sandwich. Rich gave me a conciliatory shrug from the other occupied chair while I moved to get in line. I made an overly dramatic shrug, clearly showing the braces around my hands, as I stood backwards in the queue to the register.

  Another day, another strategy meeting between friends. I turned and inspected the little menu on the wall next to the counter. Pretty standard options, all in all. The variations on coffee took up more than half the space on the little signboard. I stepped up to order and got out, "Can I get a bacon egg and cheese on white-", before I was interrupted.

  "KAU'I!", Gladion suddenly shouted. I snapped around to look at him at the far side of the open-air café. Next, he saw Eva and Rich. "Get her!", he commanded them. I leapt over the counter and told the cashier, "Sorry in advance.", before kicking into a sprint through the kitchen. The cook working the griddle didn't even move his head when I brushed past to get out the back door.

  "What kind of maniac are you Kau'i!?", Doctor Grace demanded, not living up to her name. "Don't blame me," I said as she held my hands with a paradoxical mix of care and fury, "all this running I'm doing is on behalf of the League." Her look of righteous indignation turned from me to somewhere off in the distance, blocked by her little office's walls.

  "Who?", she asked, still going through the motions of assessing my progress (or lack thereof in this case). "Who?", I repeated, confused. She insisted, "Who in the League is putting an injured child in dangerous situations?" 'Wish more people had this attitude.', I thought.

  I explained, "Not sure, to be entirely honest. The Kahunas are the only real contacts I have with the League, and they're not technically League members." "Arceus!", she swore in a hiss, both at my words and the results of my actions. It was weird, having someone who cared about my circumstances so... unflinchingly.

  She waved over at the objects used for my dexterity practices while she fished a phone out of her coat pocket. I watched her type vigorously into her phone as I used tweezers to sort beads into colored bowls. "Hello, Kahuna Hapu?", Grace spoke into her phone, and my mouth fell open a little. She would be the only kahuna with a publicly available phone number.

  "Yes, I have a child here who I'm very concerned about. I'm a physical therapist, and apparently the Pokémon League is having this girl face danger while she's still recovering from a major surgery!", she rambled. I was grinning like a dipshit at the scene.

  The doctor paused as Hapu responded to her, no doubt jumping at the chance to fulfill her kahuna-ly duties. "Of course, I would gladly give those people a talking to! Thank you, Kahuna.", she finally responded. I cleared my throat and prompted, "So, what was that?"

  "I'll be attending a meeting with some people handling the Team Skull situation as your health advocate. If you really are the only person who can do this job, which I doubt, well I'll be making sure they at least figure out a way for you to do it safely.", Doctor Grace said proudly. I went back to my bead exercise.

  After several days of getting chased, I had a pretty solid understanding of what Gladion was like. More specifically, I had a good read on what sorts of tricks he thought I could, or would, pull to get one over on him. He was painfully uncreative, which is why I was doing my research for Sophocles's trial at the same café he'd chased me out of earlier in the week.

  The creep would never think I'd go back to the same spot, but it was full of people I could hide between, had a roof to block me from view of his Noctowl, and I could easily dash out the front when I wasn't accidentally cornered. I took a bite of my bacon egg and cheese on white bread, sunny side up, with ketchup. I'd been told it had a smell not unlike a chemical spill, but I didn't fuss over it.

  It irked to have to research on the phone I'd be trying to quarantine from that sort of laissez-faire behavior, but needs must when you're on the run. There was only one account I could find of how Sophocles measured up in Mina's special trial, but it seemed like usually he would either pass the reins off to his cousin Molayne, the trial captain before him, or use one stronger pokémon against a whole team.

  Sophocles did not have the number of pokémon under his care to be fielding low level challengers like a gym leader would, nor did he have gym trainers' pokémon to draw on. When he faced the challengers himself, he resorted to "boss fights" against a pokémon significantly stronger than any individual member of the opposing team.

  My first step was searching through his fight history and other records for what pokémon he had. I was actually hoping he didn't have enough pokémon at my level to give me a proper fight, it would make planning way easier. I found his records pretty sparse, even though his island challenge had been just the year before, but his fights during the yearly Lanakila Challenge Tournament had made it online at least.

  Sophocles only had five team members at a level fit for that sort of high skill event, a Togedamaru, Magnezone, Electivire, Golem, and Vikavolt, but he also trained a number of Charjabugs for his personal projects. The trainer who'd posted about fighting Molayne for their yellow petal said that a companion they were traveling with fought Sophocles himself, and was faced with a Charjabug as his boss fight. I wouldn't be so lucky.

  Most likely, I'd face a member of Sophocles's core team, so I planned for each boss and called ahead to make sure all my planning didn't get thrown out facing Molayne's steel-types instead. The sandwich helped, so I got a second one. Before I knew it, my notes spanned several ripped pages and included plans to teach Kumī Mud Shot. It was gonna be a cakewalk.

  Another day, another chase, except that today would be the day I left Malie City to take on Sophocles and his trial. Toma yanked a dumpster into the middle of the alley behind me, giving me just a little more time to run from Gladion. Rich and Eva pincered me from both sides of the street, but it didn't matter, my destination was right next to me. I recalled my teammates and slipped surreptitiously into the Malie-Mart Antiques Warehouse.

  I'd been using my newfound sway inside the league to set up little set pieces like this. The owner had been given a payment in advance of my scheme and the employees working the shift had been briefed. I gave Ned, the nephew of the owner working the counter today, something between a wave and a salute as I ran down the nearest cluttered aisle.

  The procession of Team Skull members into the store was loud and obvious, but I kept gunning straight ahead to keep my lead. After Ned threw some lever or pressed some button, the normal buzzing of incandescent bulbs cut out, replaced by moody red siren lights and their accompanying blare. Turns out, when you deal in old weird stuff, you end up just using some of it instead of selling it. A few customers deeper into the mess panicked.

  Type: Null was making right for me, but I wasn't going to let my team back out of their balls for this. It simply wasn't necessary. I kicked the leg of a metal shelving unit as I passed, and it collapsed into a heap, producing a certifiably unhealthy dust cloud. I'd checked for the obvious poisons in planning this, but if there was some weird old paint in the mix made of cursed mummy dicks I wouldn't be surprised.

  I grabbed a set of ceramic plates in one hand, then began throwing them frisbee style at the next few people and pokémon on my tail. Gladion's Weavile cut through two before I got a good hit in. Gladion himself was less of a challenge. I had to hope that I'd only given him a bloody nose rather than a full break.

  Finally, I was clear of anyone in view, so I cut a line through the masses of eclectica towards my hiding spot. Under a pile of typewriters and uranium glassware was a wooden furniture set that I could just crawl into by wriggling my body through the legs of two chairs head-first. From there, I just had to wrestle myself into the open space underneath the table, which an outside observer would have no idea was even there.

  It was a shame I couldn't watch Gladion and the gang fumble around looking for me, but I wasn't going to risk Noctowl's Keen Eyes spotting my peepholes. Better to rely on sound alone. "DAMMIT!", Gladion howled from nearby, still running. I snickered lightly, then let Waiola out of her luxury ball to enjoy the ensuing drama with me. I also texted Ned a thumbs up.

  I got the go ahead from Ned a short while later, then hung around for another hour just looking at all the neat junk they had before I finally left. Route 10 wasn't too far away, not allowing for much theft on the walk over, but it was a non-issue. I'd stocked up the night before in case Mount Hokulani proved to be more than I could handle in a single day trip.

  Route 10 wasn't much of a route at all, just a dirt road flanked by trees and wild grass that wrapped around the south side of the mountain up until it met the bus stop at the base. I didn't bother with the wild pokémon, I had places to be. Kawami was the only pokémon I needed at my side, cutting off a Pineco's ambush from a tree on the side of the road and warding off pokémon from the grass with Hypnosis and Supersonic.

  It was a long walk, maybe half the length of Malie City itself, but after nearly a week straight getting run down, a sedate walk of even that length was nothing. At the end of Route 10 I found myself face-to-face with two Team Skull grunts. Not Rich, Will, or Eva, just two randos. They were in the middle of wrenching the bus stop sign up from the earth.

  I approached, squatting next to where the concrete foundation of the sign was peaking diagonally out of the ground. "Yo, who're you?", one grunt asked me, pulling down on the actual signage of the sign while a Houndour pulled on the signpost and the other grunt tried to lift the base with the help of a Golbat. "Kau'i.", I answered simply, not turning to look at him.

  He let up some on his end of the sign, crushing his accomplice's fingers in the process. He asked me, "Kau'i, like Gladion's rival? The traitor?" "Yup. You need a more solid point to shift the weight around, the sign's slipping.", I stated. The other grunt was looking at me now. "You're not gonna stop us, are ya?", he asked as he shook out the pain in his hands. I sighed and explained, "No. Most of the shit you grunts do, I did myself. Probably more honestly. Ever steal a speed boat?"

  They had fully stopped lifting the sign now. "Wait, wait, so why'd you leave?", one asked. "Cause I have better shit to do, the plan was fuckin' stupid, and Gladion's even more stupid.", I answered. Then I tapped Waiola's luxury ball and ordered, "Separate the post from the base." With a short Fire Lash, their job was done faster than they probably took to come up with it.

  Before the one grunt could get himself burned on the still hot metal, I grabbed a water bottle from the side of my bag and dumped it out on the thing. "Tell Gladion what I said if you see him.", I said, before walking off up Mount Hokulani.

  I fell back into a chair at the Pokémon Center as soon as I reached the peak. I may have plenty of endurance, but my legs were just not prepared for a constantly inclining hike. As soon as I caught my breath, I was passing out cheri berries to each of my pokémon. "We're gonna be dealing with paralysis constantly, this is about all we can do about that.", I explained, chest still heaving hard.

  Toma made little necklaces for Kawami and Waiola to hold their berries, but Kumī just held it inside itself somewhere. From there, I explained my plans for Sophocles's trial. Totem Vikavolt didn't tend to go on the offensive himself if he could help, instead supporting the allies he called into a fight. He appreciated strategic play, much like Totem Kommo-o appreciated a technically skilled opponent, which would be our path to completing the trial.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  As far as getting his attention in the first place, Sophocles would guide us through it hand and foot. He was a new trial captain, inexperienced by all accounts, so he put in some extra work to try and keep things running smoothly. With all the facts and contingencies established, it was time to go in for the real thing.

  I was an outlier, taking on my third island this early in the year, and Ula'ula was an unpopular choice of second island to take on, so it was just me and a few poor saps that still hadn't completed a single grand trial waiting for Sophocles. I reached the front of the line in short order, though each individual took quite a bit longer than at Ilima's trial to come back out the other side, all looking disappointed.

  "Hey...", Sophocles greeted me weakly, "let's do that trial.", he said with fake cheer. His young face had prominent eyebags drooping onto his cheeks, and his hair was singed on its messy edges. "Alright.", I agreed somewhat sarcastically. He didn't seem to notice, instead leading me down a metal corridor and through a fancy shuttering double door. It was weird, interacting with someone close to my height who wasn't Hapu.

  "So, I've had all these ideas for a device to summon the totem pokémon, right?", he explained conversationally, "Except none of them work. The power supply breaks, or the capacitors blow, or..." Sophocles trailed off, achieving something like a mumble or a sigh. "What's the end goal that gets the totem pokémon to show up?", I asked, starting to suspect this might not be so easy.

  "Electromagnetic fields. Vikavolt only evolve inside a strong magnetic field, or with a thunder stone obviously, but before and after they evolve they're still drawn to that environment. Make a big enough, strong enough electromagnet and Charjabugs and Vikavolts will come running!", he rambled.

  "And you can't?", I asked. "Not without it ripping itself or all of my equipment apart... In case you haven't noticed, this whole place is made of metal.", he answered. I ordered him, "Show me." He was stunned for a moment, "W-w-what?" "Show me the magnets.", I demanded. He just pointed to the other side of the room at a pile of dollys, tools, and inscrutable machinery.

  I pulled off my braces, then stretched my hands out, getting limber. Next, I moved to start inspecting the nearest machine. It was shaped like a Togedemaru, a lightning bolt quill poking out of the top with thick cables running into it. I grabbed a screwdriver from the spill of tools right next to the contraption and cracked open a hatch on the "back" of the Togedemaru shape. Inside was a giant, tight coil of thick wire melted half to slag.

  "I can fix it.", I shouted over my shoulder. "What?", Sophocles replied. I ignored him. It was gonna be a shitty fix anyway, I didn't want to explain it. I let everyone out of their balls. "Waiola, separate off this slag of wires. Toma, make casings for the wire that'll hold the heat in. Kawami, go find more of this wire to replace the melted stuff. Kumī, you stick casings onto the wires and clean them up while you do it. Waiola, you'll heat the new wire to get it coiled after all that and we'll repeat the process."

  The team got to work while I offered a spare set of arms and legs whenever they needed help. "Are you really gonna fix it?", Sophocles asked me as Toma used my arms as racks for the growing reams of web casings. "Kinda.", I quipped, trying to stay still. Rather than follow up on my half-assed answer, he just sighed.

  "I just... why am I a trial captain?", Sophocles asked me. I was trapped in this conversation. "I don't deserve this. This position, this workshop, this stupid body.", he expounded, "Anyone else could do a better job..." If I was gonna listen to him, I thought I might as well give him some help. I met the trial captain's eyes, giving my best "really motherfucker?" look, and I was maybe elite four level in giving people looks. He stuttered.

  "What do you deserve?", I questioned venomously. More stuttering. My eyes seared into his, even as my arms stuck awkwardly out, holding up spider web wire casings. "Because I think you seem pretty good at this.", I continued, still speaking threateningly, "Sure, it's a bit nepotistic, but I don't see any other twelve year olds with the relevant experience for being a trial captain. Someone's gotta do it."

  "You could!", he squeaked. "Maybe.", I acquiesced, "I've thought about it. Not here though. Wela Volcano's the only place with a Poison-Type totem pokémon, and Captain Kiawe's got that covered for at least a few more years. Here? The person for the job is you." Toma finally dragged the silk away for Kumī to attach. He'd done both batches in one go. "People... seeing me... is weird.", Sophocles said.

  "It's not.", I stated simply. "Like, during my work! I dunno...", he defended lamely. It was like he was out of energy to argue. 'What a mess.', I thought, sighing. I walked over and put an arm on his shoulder. 'Always my job to fix things, I should just accept it.' I told him, "You're fine. Maybe get those issues you have with your body checked out though, seen people do stupid shit because of that sorta complex."

  Behind me, I heard an excited squeak. I turned on a dime. "KAWAMI, DO NOT MESS WITH HIGH VOLTAGE COMPONENTS!", I shouted, running across the room to stop her. Sophocles giggled under his breath behind me, an oddly girlish sound.

  Once I'd hugged my Crobat into submission, I took a step back. Toma had taken some initiative to pull the Togedemaru-shaped magnet machine clear of the pile of failures, and Waiola was calmly heating and coiling the section of wire we were replacing. Kumī oozed along the older section, attaching the insulation without a care. We were nearly done.

  I oversaw the process of welding the pieces of wire into a continuous coil, directing Kawami to keep the new machine hoisted in one stable position while Waiola got to work. Finally, we all waited for Kumī to get the second section of webbing onto the metal.

  "Okay, very very last thing;" I announced, then I wrapped my arm around Sophocles before he could zip away, "You need to check it for safety so we can be confident it won't explode." Honestly, he should know better than to gawk so close to me. He was like a prime target at a stage magician show, ready for a bit of audience participation.

  With a push, Sophocles walked over to the machine. He leaned into the hatch and grabbed the insulated coil, rubbing the webbing with a finger. "Could I get a separate piece of this?", he asked, getting into his element. I waved Toma over, then brought Sophocles the small sheet of silk he produced.

  The boy brought up a little Electrode-shaped bauble from a key ring on his hip and twisted it, producing a loud arc of electricity. He put the sheet in the arc, holding it with two fingers. When it didn't catch fire, his shoulders eased and he dropped the sheet. Sophocles finally decided, "It'll be good. The field won't be as strong with the interference, but it might be worth it... we'll see..."

  "Good.", I stated simply, slipping around him to close the hatch and grab the power cord. It was a heavy duty cord, the kind used in washing machines, but it wasn't hard to find a matching socket in the work space Sophocles had set up. As far as I could tell, there were no controls on the machine, so I left it unplugged and stepped away.

  "Alright, if this works, Totem Vikavolt should show his ugly mug right away, so everybody get yourselves in order!", I commanded my team. Sophocles also responded, backing into the side of the room where a massive display was setup. "ARE WE READY!?", I bellowed. A chorus of noise pollution followed. I smirked and put everyone but Kawami back into their balls.

  "PLUG HER IN!", I spat. "Him. The machine's a him.", Sophocles murmured. It was extra easy ignoring him, since he was wrong anyway. Kawami obliged me, lifting the plug and ramming it into the socket. Immediately, the room was filled with the thrumming buzz of current flowing into the circuit. A few seconds passed where all I did was call Kawami back to me and wait.

  Then all at once, the pitch of the buzz dropped several octaves and metal around the room was flung towards the machine before losing acceleration and clattering against the floor. Sophocles flipped a switch, and the room went quiet. "Did it work?", I muttered, confused. Sophocles giggled again.

  Another crackle of arcing electrons and the forced shudder of the door were the only sounds that marked Totem Vikavolt's entrance. With his ability to Levitate, he wasn't just immune to Ground-Type moves, he was eerily silent. He hovered around the room, floating into place over the giant Togedemaru-shaped electromagnet without taking his eyes off of me.

  "Screech!", I called, the signal to begin the fight. I had to hope Vikavolt would hold back the way I expected him to. Kawami directed a blast of piercing sound straight into the totem pokémon, who shut his eyes as the noise bounced around the room. With a stretching of his legs, Vikavolt formed a Sticky Web that spread out across the ground. 'Support, bingo.'

  Vikavolt followed up, producing a zap between his mandibles that called a Charjabug out from the piles of scrap. Kawami just blasted him with another Screech, leaving herself open to the Charjabug's Spark. Her wings spasmed at the super effective attack, locking up as she fell from the air. She bit into the cheri berry just before she Stuck to the Web.

  Just that one attack did alot of damage to Kawami, but this was an Electric-Type trial, I was never expecting her to deal with this cleanly. With her final act, she locked eyes with the totem pokémon, hitting him with a solid Confuse Ray, even as the Vikavolt wrapped the room in Electric-Type energy with Electric Terrain. It made the Charjabug's second Spark sting all the harder.

  With Kawami falling to the two's combined efforts, I called her back and sent in Toma. In an unfamiliar situation for him, he was caught up in a Web not of his own making. As if getting back at me for his confusion, Vikavolt postured to Toma with an excess of Swagger, making his hemolymph (bug blood) boil with fury.

  In spite of his confused rage, Toma held true to the plan, pulling off a Swords Dance that raised his attack even higher. It was risky, but I figured if my big gamble failed I could show my strategic skill instead with all the contingency plans that followed after.

  Expecting Toma to try and sweep through them with his boost, the Charjabug snatched away his cheri berry with a greedy Bug Bite, making him vulnerable to paralysis on top of confusion. To give it to them, that would still be annoying, but I wasn't super worried about it.

  Vikavolt pulsed Toma with a Thunder Wave through their collective confusion, but with a characteristic smile, Toma still formed his Baton and Passed it up into the air. With a twinge, I flung Waiola's ball out for her to catch the Pass. As she set her feet down in the Sticky Web and caught the Baton, her demeanor shifted. She'd inherited not just Toma's boosted strength, but his confusion and the sluggishness he incurred from the Web.

  To go from essentially sleeping to pissed off in a matter of seconds hit her like whiplash, and she wanted to pass that feeling on. While Vikavolt stumbled, running into his own charging Zap Cannon with a sizzle, Waiola whirled on the Charjabug with a Fire Lash that left the sound of a bridge snapping in half echoing throughout the room. The hissing whip of gas flung the Bug-Type back into the scrap pile whence it came.

  Not wasting any time, Waiola spun again, blind with power, nearly pirouetting in her search for a target. When Vikavolt was unlucky enough to meet her gaze, it called for help. A second Charjabug came out, only to witness Waiola's second Fire Lash snap against the Totem Vikavolt's carapace with a near-deafening crack. In spite of the enormous difference in power, the totem pokémon was nearly knocked unconscious with that one attack.

  The Charjabug did what it could to defend its superior, bravely bashing into Waiola with Sparking mandibles. Waiola was no tank, and took the Spark almost as badly as Kawami had earlier. Vikavolt swooped in to grab her and finish her off with a one-shot Guillotine, but only succeeded in not hurting himself again.

  Laughing at their failures, Waiola whipped out another Fire Lash, but flicked her wrist strangely, instead wrapping herself in uncontrolled burning gas and hit herself across the face with the Lash. Despite their attempts to take Waiola down, in the end, she did it herself.

  I returned Waiola, momentarily worried I had failed my trial. Then, Totem Vikavolt steadied himself, closing his elytra and settling on the floor. The Charjabug ran back to its home while Sophocles murmured, "Twojabug...", under his breath. The trial captain joined the totem pokémon as they guided me to a metal encased computer stack.

  At least, that's what it looked like. The huge Vikavolt crawled up the pillar of tech and zapped it the same way he had zapped the door to enter the room. The metal slid apart, revealing a ceremonial Z-Crystal container, filed with Electrium Z. "I added that to keep the excess Electric-Type energy from interfering with my stuff," Sophocles explained, buzzing with anxiety, "but the challengers love it."

  I picked one up and slipped it into an easy to access pocket. Getting the Electrium Z into the proper spot without hurting myself would be a whole ordeal, it could wait. "You remember the schedule, we're gonna fight after this, right?", I asked. "Huh? Oh! Yeaaaahh...", Sophocles responded unconvincingly. "We're fighting after this so I can get my yellow petal.", I toxicly decided for him, then left.

  Two hours later, after walking awkwardly alongside Totem Vikavolt into the pokémon center right across from where Sophocles ran his trials, me and my team were ready for another fight. No expense was spared for cheri berries. I cracked my neck, said simply to my team, "Not full Poison-Type, just counter stall.", and skipped the line to walk straight into the observatory.

  "Soph-o-cles!", I sung down the corridor. On beat with my tune, he popped his head out of the same room I'd done my trial in. It must be his trial room, which meant all the junk in there was just from the attempts at making something to grab the totem pokémon's attention. He stuttered, but I pushed through into the room to see some poor newbie getting trounced by a Grubbin allying with the totem.

  In short order, the kid lost their trial fight, and Sophocles led them out with a compassionate grace. When he returned, I was already prepared on the opposite side of the room from the door. "Now fight me, you coward!", I boasted. "Why could you not be normal about this?", he asked, stepping into position across from me. "Less fun.", I dismissed, shrugging.

  Before I could annoy him any more, Trial Captain Sophocles tossed an ultra ball out onto the field, releasing his closest companion, Togemaru the Togedemaru. I know, creative name. I smirked and sent Toma forward in his nest ball. This would be our boss fight. "We'll hold back.", the trial captain said boisterously, the tone not quite suiting him.

  Immediately and with frightening speed, Togemaru jumped on Toma and began a terrifying Nuzzling onslaught. Each bristle of her whiskers saw lightning bridge the gaps like so many impromptu Jacob's ladders, both paralyzing Toma and dealing a ridiculous amount of damage for a move with a base power of twenty. Toma ate his cheri berry with one face, Scaring Togemaru with his abdominal Face.

  Before the powerful little ball of spikes could continue, Toma slipped out from under her and Snuck into the Shadows. It didn't make him fully incorporeal like a proper Ghost-Type might be, but it was close enough to be extremely useful. With a swipe of his legs, the Shadow Sneak connected with the boss's back.

  Even still, the exchange wasn't one-sided. With Togemaru's Iron Barbs ability, the contact bit back at Toma every time he went in to attack. The other part was less subtle, it opened Toma up to being caught and Nuzzled again. With the second verse the same as the first, Toma was hanging on by a thread, and not the kind he liked.

  For the second time today, Toma pushed (he couldn't exactly "muscle") through paralysis to go the extra mile. With a jittery lurch, Toma went into the Shadows again to Sneak attack Togemaru one last time. He fainted from the cut of her Iron Barbs, taking another slice out of her health.

  Toma was down, as planned. Against a stalling opponent it was rarely a good idea to switch out a pokémon, they'd just start the stall on the new arrival with the free turn you gave them. Waiola was next. Togemaru was not pleased by the appearance of a Fire-Type, already spinning up a Zing Zap that would decimate her, no holding back. But after Toma's Scary Face, the shivers slowed her down.

  Waiola might've hit hard with Fire Lash or Flame Burst, but that wouldn't stop the stall. Just for dramatic effect, I called for the move Waiola was already using, "Toxic!" The vibrant magenta spray of condensed Corrosive venom dug into Togemaru's Steel-Type body. A second later, the poisoned pokémon slammed into her with that Zing Zap, creating a conical aftershock of flickering electricity behind Waiola's unconscious body.

  "Start your timer!", I taunted, throwing Kawami's poké ball. Togemaru was already wincing with pain. I'd taught all of my team about a Togedemaru's abilities, but Kawami's brazen disregard for her own safety necessitated some extra care. "Screech, then Crunch!", I insisted.

  The Screech hit just a blink before Togemaru's Nuzzle did. Whether it was the high-pitched sound and the persistent sting of Corrosion or the lingering sting of electrical shocks and the loss of control brought about by paralysis, neither pokémon was enthused by the other's assault. In fact, both were extremely weary.

  Togemaru stood back. Kawami made space to eat her cheri berry. When the Electric-Type closed her eyes to hold the pain of poison back, Kawami didn't hesitate. She flew straight in on all four wings, Crunching down on a mouthful of Iron Barbs in one vicious attack. Both Pokémon were struggling to hold out.

  Before she fainted, Togemaru grabbed hold of her assailant and raked her body with electrified whiskers once more. Kawami couldn't withstand the Nuzzle, fainting. I didn't reach for Kumī's level ball though. As soon as the light of her Nuzzle faded, Togemaru flopped forward onto the floor.

  "You have a fourth pokémon.", Sophocles said faintly, like a distant radio signal being picked up while scrolling through channels. "Yup.", I said, popping the p in the word for smug emphasis. He returned his friend to her ultra ball quite a bit after I did the same for Kawami, then quietly turned around to dig through a drawer on the other side of the room.

  "Your yellow petal. Haven't given out many of these.", he elaborated unnecessarily. He was a ball of nervous energy, full of some kind of worry that had been building since some point earlier in the day. I slid the petal out of his hand, pocketing it, then coughed and said, "Well, thanks. Have fun with your trial captain stuff." I left before the situation could get more weird.

  Team Information:

  Kawami- (Poison/Flying Type, Female She/Her, Hasty Nature +Spe/-Def)

  Abilities: Inner Focus, Infiltrator

  Moves: Supersonic, Astonish, Absorb, Hypnosis, Poison Fang, Wing Attack, Confuse Ray, Bite, Air Cutter, Curse, Frustration, Screech, Swift, Quick Guard, Crunch, Cross Poison, Tailwind, Toxic

  Toma- (Bug/Poison Type, Male He/Him, Jolly Nature +Spe/-SpA)

  Abilities: Insomnia, Sniper, Swarm

  Moves: Poison Sting, String Shot, Absorb, Constrict, Spider Web, Infestation, Scary Face, Shadow Sneak, Acid Spray, Swords Dance, Fell Stinger, Baton Pass, Night Shade, Substitute, Toxic

  Waiola- (Poison/Fire Type, Female She/Her, Lonely Nature +Atk/-Def)

  Abilities: Corrosion, Oblivious (Developing)

  Moves: Scratch, Poison Gas, Fake Out, Ember, Dragon Rage, Smog, Sweet Scent, Flame Burst, Toxic, Fire Lash

  Kumī- (Poison/Dark Type, Male He/It, Relaxed Nature +Def/-Spe)

  Abilities: Gluttony, Poison Touch

  Moves: Poison Gas, Bite, Poison Fang, Acid Spray, Toxic, Harden, Disable, Assurance, Shadow Sneak, Mud Shot