Rowlet scattered leaves from his body, the leaves whirling about in tornado-like fashion before raining down upon Popplio. The sea lion fired a Water Gun straight at the ground, using it as jet propulsion to avert the danger that was on the way. As she scurried away, Rowlet took the opportunity to dive, beak aglow with white light.

Popplio stuck out a flipper and swatted at Rowlet who was sent sprawling away. Shaking off the blow, Rowlet regained his bearings and calculated his next approach.

So that's not going to work. Hmm...gotta work this from another angle, Tanyu though as Rowlet circled the arena in search of an opening. Well, if one direct assault doesn't work. Let's see how he handles two at once! "Rowlet, use Peck!"

"Don't let him get close! Water Gun!" Hau exclaimed.

As Rowlet rocketed downward, deftly avoiding the streams of water as he shot towards Popplio.

"Leafage, quick!" Tanyu commanded hastily.

Rowlet's body soon became surrounded by glowing emerald leaves as he flew, causing an alarmed expression to appear on Popplio's face. The leaves battered Popplio's body, sending the sea lion skidding along the ground, sliding to a halt in front of Hau. Hala's hand went up as he saw that Popplio was unable to continue.

"Popplio is unable to battle! Rowlet wins, meaning the match goes to Tanyu!" Hala declared.

Pokémon

Moon's Rising

'Eiwa

The battle had ended, and the town was silent for but a moment until they heard a loud voice echoing through the area. The crowd erupted into cheers as the two returned their companions. Hala beamed with pride as he raised his hands skyward.

"You heard it yourself everyone! Tapu Koko approves of this battle offering! Well done you two!" Hala declared.

Tanyu breathed a deep sigh of relief and looked over at Hau, who despite losing, was still grinning away. A brief smile flashed across Tanyu's face, earning a shaka from Hau. Tanyu returned the action, a sight that caused Lydia to smile. The two trainers met in the center and shook hands.

"That was awesome!" Hau exclaimed.

"Can't argue with you there, Hau. That was pretty darn fun," Tanyu laughed.

"We gotta battle again sometime," Hau grinned.

"That was quite the battle you two," Burnet said as she walked up beside Hala with Kukui in tow.

"Thanks auntie! It was a blast!" Hau said excitedly.

"Wooo! It made me want to jump in cuz. That battle got me excited!" Kukui said enthusiastically.

Lydia stepped into the arena and made her way over to Tanyu. The two stared at each other for a brief moment. Tanyu caught a glimpse of pride in his mother's eyes. She was indeed proud of him, from what he could tell, and it showed with the smile that appeared on her face.

"Well done my son," Lydia beamed. "You battled wonderfully."

"Thanks mom," Tanyu replied, a smile forming on his face as well.

As they conversed, Kahuna Hala made his way over to them with a small package. "Tanyu, before I forget, I believe this belongs to you," Hala said, handing the parcel to Tanyu.

Remembering that he'd given Hala the Sparkling Stone at the dinner, he reached inside the bag, only to pull out what looked to be a wrist band of sorts. However, it had the exact same markings on it that the Sparkling Stone had.

"It's called a Z-Ring. With it, you will be able to bring out the strength of your companions in a way you've never seen before," Hala beamed. "However, until you collect Z-Crystals, you won't be able to use it."

"Z-Crystals?" Tanyu inquired as he placed the ring on his wrist.

"They are the same shape as what you see on the face of the ring. Each Z-Crystal holds the power of a specific type of Pokémon. When used in conjunction with a move of the same typing, that particular move will become something entirely different. I won't spoil all of the surprises though. You will need to discover the rest on your own," Lydia chimed in.

"That's right sistah! The moves it creates will blow your mind cuz," Kukui added.

"Sweet! That sounds like fun," Tanyu smirked.

Lillie, who had merely sat on the sidelines keeping Nebby from escaping while watching, couldn't help but marvel at the battle that had occured. She detested seeing Pokémon get hurt. It was something she'd always hated. But this battle was different somehow. It looked as though they were actually having...fun. That was definitely a new concept for her. With a soft smile, she stepped onto the arena to meet with the two contenders.

"That was great you two," she admitted.

"Oh, hey blondie, how's it going?" Tanyu greeted her, getting a glare in return.

"It's Lillie!" She snapped, puffing her cheeks in irritation.

Hau did his best not to laugh and shook his head.

"Howzit Lillie!" Hau grinned, folding his hands behind his head while crossing one leg over the other.

Lillie took a deep breath and turned to give Hau a cheeful smile. "I'm doing well Hau, how are you?"

Hau blushed slightly and grinned. "I'm awesome! I can't wait to get out there and take on the island challenge!" Hau added hastily.

Tanyu's eyes caught sight of the slight tint in Hau's cheeks. A smirk crossed his visage as he caught onto the way he acted around Lillie.

"Speaking of that, what exactly does that involve?" Tanyu chimed in, getting a laugh from Kukui.

"Four islands cousin! Each island has it's own set of trials that the trainers must undergo. The goal is to become the strongest trainer of all four islands! The Island Challenge Champion!" Kukui beamed with pride.

"The Island Challenge...Champion?" Tanyu blinked, the words sinking in as Kukui talked.

"That's right cuz. But I'll explain more about that later. Right now, you two ought to heal your friends and get some sleep, because the true adventure begins tomorrow!" Kukui informed them.

"That was a good performance Tanyu," Lydia said as she and her son entered the house, Tanyu flopping down on the living room couch with a sigh.

"Thanks mom," Tanyu yawned, stretching his arms above his head and letting them drop. "It was tiring though. Hau kept me on my toes," Tanyu admitted. "He may be chill, but his team was pretty relentless and didn't give me much time to think."

Lydia chuckled softly and shook her head. "Well, he is the grandson of the strongest trainer on this island. He did teach Hau a few things, so it was no surprise that Hau was up to speed," Lydia replied, taking a seat next to her son.

"I guess," Tanyu shrugged, turning to face Lydia. "I still want to know more about the island challenge. What are these trials about anyway? This is a completely different ball game than Unova. Does that mean there's no gyms?" Tanyu inquired curiously.

"You've hit it right on the nose Tanyu. Alola is different than every other region of this world in that it has no gyms to speak of. Instead, there are trials that test the very limits of the trainers themselves as well as their team. It's a different world here Tanyu," Lydia added.

"I'm not opposed to that. Although, a little pre-warning about there not being any gyms would have been nice. Let me guess, you wanted that to be a surprise too?" Tanyu muttered.

"Did you really think I was going to give you all the information?" Lydia smirked, causing Tanyu to roll his eyes.

"At this point, nothing you do will be able to surprise me anymore," Tanyu retorted.

"Fair point," Lydia shrugged, yawning slightly.

"Tired?" Tanyu inquired, getting a nod from Lydia.

"Very. I've been cleaning most of the day. My work never seems to end around here," Lydia laughed.

"Good. We can sleep, after you cook me dinner," Tanyu smirked.

"D-Did you just hold a grudge?" Lydia blinked, getting a laugh out of Tanyu. "I see what you did there...very funny son. But I already precooked, nice try though," Lydia said with a wry grin.

"Touche mom...touche," Tanyu added. "And what is it?" He asked curiously.

"Just something I remember you liking as a kid. Tamato berry soup with tortellini and grilled cheese," Lydia smiled. "Made from scratch, just the way you always liked it."

Tanyu's eyes widened. He still remembered the last time he had his mother's soup. It was the most amazing thing ever to grace his tastebuds. Only his mother could make it the way he liked it. The canned crap was nothing compared to this.

"Wait...are you trying to use this as a way to get back on my good side?" Tanyu inquired in a serious tone.

"That depends," Lydia paused, standing up to head to the kitchen. Turning around, she replied; "Is it working?"

Tanyu fixed her with a critical stare, analyzing her body language to determine the sincerity of this action. A smile spread over his features.

"You're on your way, I can tell you that much," Tanyu stated, standing up to follow her into the kitchen for what smelled like the most delightful thing in the world to him.

It wasn't long before the meal was finished and the mother and son duo were in their rooms, snuggled up in their beds, ready to sleep the night away while paying a visitation to dreamland. Tanyu sighed as he stared up at the ceiling in his room. Glancing over at the two spheres on his desk, he tapped them both and released his companions. The owl and feline came out of their homes and looked around at the room they found themselves in. Tanyu sat up and addressed them.

"Thanks for the awesome battle you guys," Tanyu praised them.

Rowlet gave a hoot of excitement while Meowth simply shrugged and offered a cocky smile.

"We'd better get some rest if we're going to start our true journey tomorrow. So sleep tight you two," Tanyu stated, pulling the covers over himself, turning to fall fast asleep. As he did, Rowlet fluttered to the other pillow and sat upon it, dozing off while Meowth hopped up onto the bed and curled up at the foot.

Tanyu's got the Z-Ring! The real fun begins soon! Slowly but surely, Tanyu is letting his mother back in. He can't stay mad at her forever, right? See you all next time! Don't forget to comment and vote! Ciao for now!