[Koa Leilani]

Koa was in a particularly good mood today, his expression brimming with newfound confidence due to recent adventures. He managed to find a group of Aura using Pokemon thanks to a tip from the lab in Birch, and as such has come a little closer to understanding what he could do with Aura. It was still a little strange to be able to see the faint traces of Aura that all humans and Pokemon seemed to have. It took him a while to figure out how exactly to control the sight, but he seems to have gotten the hang of it now. It was somewhat surreal to be able to project his vision and see things in a broader sense. That part would require a bit more personal training before he totally got the hang of it, but he wouldn't worry about that now. Today was nice and warm, perfect for a walk along this scenic route to Cedar Town.

He had contacted Elliot earlier to let him know he was ready to head out on their promised road trip to Bass City for Koa's first gym challenge, and he was excited about that. Not only was he pushing towards a new challenge, he had a new friend by his side all the while. He was genuinely thrilled to have this opportunity to go on this adventure and make all these wonderful friends. He looked forward to meeting every single gym leader and learn about their gyms, Pokemon, and personalities.

He stretched a bit and yawned, since despite his excitement he was still a bit winded from these last few days of work and training. Still, he was doing well enough to travel and he didn't want to keep anyone waiting. He took off his glasses and started to clean them as he waited. These glasses were very important to him. He had always wanted a pair like his dad's, though ones of high quality were hard to come by in Alola. The day his dad came back from a job in Hoenn with a pair made by master craftsmen there he was ecstatic. They apparently made them for him after he helped out around the town so much. To this day, they're his most treasured possession, which is why he's so rarely seen without them.

[Elliot Sunderland]

[I'll be right there!]

When Koa got the text from Elliot, he probably expected that Elliot would be heading over to the route shortly. Maybe he expected that Elliot would be running up What he probably didn't expect was for Elliot to fall right out of the sky, Echo screaming in surprise as the two crashed to the ground together. For a second they were motionless, staring up at the sky in a dizzy pile, but before long Echo sprang back up to her feet. She looked around, cupping a hand over her eyes curiously. Where was Elliot? Where had he disappeared to? Maybe if she looked under her feet, she'd find the answer.

Oh well! Elliot might not have been here, but at least Koa was! Echo trilled happily as she saw the ranger, teleporting onto his shoulder. Once she was there she leaned against him, then resumed her search for Elliot. Where on earth could he be?

Oh! There he was! Echo perked up as Elliot got up from the ground, letting out a wheezing laugh. "I think that was my solar plexus, Echo," he gasped, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Hey there, Koa. Sorry about the . . . messy landing. Echo and I still have a bit of trouble with long-distance warps. But we're getting the hang of it!

So, how've you been? End up getting the chance to brush up on your Aura knowledge yet?"

Elliot's Team

Echo - Level 32 Ralts - 5/5
Lord Beerus - Level 32 Espeon - 5/5
Joule - Level 31 Dedenne - 5/5
Vivi - Level 11 Eevee - 5/5
The Dudes - Level 27 Dugtrio (Alolan) - 5/5
Reverb - Level 32 Gothita

[Koa Leilani]

There was a slight pause as Koa swore he felt the impact of the duo falling from the sky. He slowly turned around only to see the dazed pile, unsure how to really react. He knew Elliot had mentioned that Echo teleports them around if she knew where they're going, but it seemed that part still required a little bit of practice. In an instant, Echo had teleported over to his shoulder. He reached a hand up to give her a tiny hug "Aw, hello Echo. Good to see you too!" He said with a happy smile. He was surprised she had such an attachment to him already despite only knowing each other for a short amount of time. Not that he was complaining, she was such a sweetheart!

Then there was the matter of Elliot's unfortunate situation. He would also walk over to help him up and rub his shoulder a bit "You okay? That was quite the fall." He said, clearly worried for his friend. "Where did you two even warp from? I hope you two didn't rush too much on my behalf!"

Thankfully Elliot didn't seem to be hurt aside from having the wind knocked out of him. He gently pat his back as Elliot asked how he's been doing. "Me? I've been great! I followed your advice to check in on the lab, and wouldn't you know it they had news on a pack of Aura using Pokemon training over on Route 7! So I took my Mienfoo, Toki, to take a look, and sure enough we found them! It was mostly Lucario and Riolu, but there were also a couple of Mienshao and a Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan. After I established trust, we just...trained for a while. Meditated, focused, and soon I just...started to see it. I can see Auras, though it's still really faint...and I've noticed I can even use this to sort of...project my vision if that makes any sense? That part kind of makes me dizzy if I try it for too long though."

He scratched the back of his head and laughed "Seriously though, that tip you gave me was great! Thank you so much!" He said as he shook Elliot's hand with a beaming smile "If you want I can take a look at your aura and tell you what I see."

----

Koa's Team

Azura - Level 17 - 5/5
Makoto - Level 15 - 5/5
Janus - Level 15 - 5/5
Sakuya - Level 15 - 5/5
Toki - Level 17 - 5/5
Aylin - Level 8 - 5/5

[Elliot Sunderland]

A tiny hug! Echo squealed in delight, snuggling into Koa as he gave her the hug. The more Echo learned about the people around her, the more she came to adore them. To think, she was so shy and nervous when first hatching from the egg. Things were so different nowadays. Nevertheless, after giving the requisite amount of snuggles, Echo teleported back onto Elliot's shoulder.

Elliot grinned sheepishly. "We came from home, actually," he admitted. "So it was a few routes away for the teleport. I told Echo to focus really, really hard on the Route 1 signpost so we could show up right by the entrance. I guess she remembered it being taller than it really is, so we ended up taking a spill from above. That said, no worries. The great thing about teleport is that it's near-instant, y'know? So it isn't even really possible to rush."

As Koa brought Elliot up to speed about his day, Elliot's sheepish grin turned into excited beaming. How could he not be super happy? Koa had made a major step forward on his quest! "That's so awesome!" he gushed, returning Koa's handshake with a surprisingly firm one of his own. "I'm so glad my advice was helpful! And man, a pack of wild Aura users. I gotta tell Andrew about that one. God, would he even believe me? Or would he immediately go running out to try and find them? He may be shy around humans, but I swear. There's pretty much nobody better than him around Pokemon.

What was it like training with Pokemon? Was it strange? Was it fun? Was it easier to understand them than you'd expect?" Considering that the two of them had just talked about the idea of talking to Pokemon, the question felt more appropriate than ever. Echo was intrigued too, putting a hand to her chin and looking Koa up and down. The poor girl strained, as if trying her hardest to see something, but whatever she was trying to do she just didn't seem to have any luck. Finally, she dropped the issue, letting out a frustrated huff. But just what had she tried to accomplish here?

Elliot didn't seem to notice. Instead, he just perked up at the Koa's suggestion. "Please, please, please! That'd be so cool!" he half-asked, half-gushed. As if hoping it'd help Koa, he squeezed his eyes shut and focused as hard as he could. Was he actually sinking into a little bit of a power-up stance there? Or was that just an accident?

Elliot's Team

Echo - Level 32 Ralts - 5/5
Lord Beerus - Level 32 Espeon - 5/5
Joule - Level 31 Dedenne - 5/5
Vivi - Level 11 Eevee - 5/5
The Dudes - Level 27 Dugtrio (Alolan) - 5/5
Reverb - Level 32 Gothita

[Koa Leilani]

Koa was delighted by Echo's adorable behavior and gently pat her head before she teleported back to Elliot's side. "You're blessed with such an amazing partner." He said to Elliot. He looked at them with wide-eyed awe when he mentioned how far they teleported "A few routes away? I'm...wow, I didn't even know that sort of distance could be made with Teleport. That's incredible. That level of precision from memory alone is something to be admired..."

He grinned at Elliot's happiness over his progress and finished shaking his hand "Your advice helped out so much more than you could ever know." He said. He thought about the pack and what Elliot should tell Andrew "We should meet him together at some point. I'll vouch for their effectiveness! They always seem to be a little out of the way though, so finding them could take a bit of work. Asking around for rumors or advice is definitely a good thing to do when looking for them. Besides, I'd love to meet him if he's one of your friends and is as good with Pokemon as you say."

He crossed his arm and thought about this for a moment "Let's walk and talk." He said as he started walking down the road "It's...hard to say. Of course communication is...different with Pokemon, but they were all surprisingly clear in their teaching methods. Just watching them was enough to really understand what they wanted me to do. They were a little nervous when I first arrived, but that's to be expected. They relaxed when I joined in their meditation. Let me tell you, it was a weird experience but very fun and fascinating to get a look into how Pokemon gather and communicate together."

Koa looked at Echo for a moment and tilted his head, wondering what she was trying to do...but he listened to Elliot's excitement. He chuckled and shook his head "You don't have to concentrate or anything. Aura is just something that...is. It exists around you at all times." He said. He looked at Elliot and focused his vision. Slight flickers of blue light shined in his eyes as he started to see Elliot's aura. "I see...a misty light green..." With Elliot's excitement, it bubbled forth and floated around and away from his body "It's a very light, soft aura that forms little bubbles when you seem excited. Very suitable." He said with a smile.

-----

Koa's Team

Azura - Level 17 - 5/5
Makoto - Level 15 - 5/5
Janus - Level 15 - 5/5
Sakuya - Level 15 - 5/5
Toki - Level 17 - 5/5
Aylin - Level 8 - 5/5

[Elliot Sunderland]

Echo blushed, bashfully waving off Koa's comment, but Elliot's grin just grew bigger. "He's right, you know," Elliot said. "You've come so far, in such a short time. And you've done it with a big smile and a ton of heart. I don't know where I'd be right now if it wasn't for you, Echo." At that point the poor Ralts was speechless, hiding behind Elliot and letting out a muffled scream of pure, emotional bashfulness into his jacket. That just got Elliot laughing more, gently stroking the Ralts' hair as she melted into a puddle.

Then it was Elliot's turn to blush, Koa mentioning just how helpful his advice was. "Aw, shucks. I'm so glad it was valuable info for you," Elliot said. "If you've ever got the time for it, I'd love to come with you and meet them! I don't think I have the same potential you or Andrew do, but it should be some good workout nonetheless. And I bet it'll be an amazing, one of a kind experience, too." The mere idea Koa gave left him vibrating with excitement, and he was all ears to hear what Koa's time was like.

He fell in step with Koa, walking by the Ranger's side to hear his story. "It's incredible how much you can tell by just watching, isn't it?" Elliot asked. "And the fact that their training method translate so naturally to humans, too, is amazing. Do you think they've had experience with training humans before? Or are their lessons just that universal?" Aura was such an incredible, rare power, and yet at the same time one that seemed so natural and intuitive. He was almost jealous it was an ability that he felt no connection to, but it was less jealous directed at Koa and more a sense of wonder and excitement for the opportunity that the ranger could master.

As Koa pointed out Elliot's aura, he couldn't help but grin. "That sounds so fun!" he chirped, laughing a little in delight. "I kinda wish I could see it now." As he said this, Echo looked up, as if following the trail of . . . something. She then turned to Koa, leaning very, very closely towards the blue shine in his eyes. Whereas it was too subtle for Elliot to notice, it was all too apparent to her more focused eyes.

"What does yours look like, Koa? Can you even see your own?"

Elliot's Team

Echo - Level 32 Ralts - 5/5
Lord Beerus - Level 32 Espeon - 5/5
Joule - Level 31 Dedenne - 5/5
Vivi - Level 11 Eevee - 5/5
The Dudes - Level 27 Dugtrio (Alolan) - 5/5
Reverb - Level 32 Gothita

[/b][/blockquote]

[Jenesis]

Koa Leilani

Rocker Lewis would like to battle!

194 Pen Gold x3, Greenery x1, Pecha Berry x2 Chinchou Lv14 5 Energy Large Bashful Volt Absorb MOVES Supersonic, Electro Ball, Thunder Wave, Bubble Beam Jangmo-o Lv16 5 Energy Average Bold Soundproof MOVES Protect, Dragon Tail, Scary Face, Headbutt

Elliot Sunderland

A wild Starmie has appeared!

What will you do?

	Starmie Lv30
		5 Energy
	Small	Jolly
	Illuminate
MOVES
Swift, Minimize, Confuse Ray, Bubble Beam
NOTES
N/A

[Koa Leilani]

All Koa could do was place a hand to his chest in adoration for the duo's relationship, though decided it was time to stop before Echo was unable to function from the affection. Elliot's own bashfulness was met with Koa's patient smile as per usual "It definitely was, Elliot. If you'd like to come along at some point I'd be glad to bring you! Though they seem to wander around a lot so pinning down where they might be could be hard. It may take some time before another group is spotted." He said, hoping that wasn't too much of a deterrent.

Elliot's questions got Koa thinking "Those are good questions..." He said as he scratched his chin "If they translate this well for us, then I see two theories. They either descended from released Pokemon, or humans learned those methods from the Pokemon themselves long ago. Either one would be a fascinating study to confirm. I've always been interested in Pokemon studies and how they've evolved alongside us. I probably got it from my dad considering he does research work."

"As for my aura..." He paused and focused a little bit as his own manifested before his eyes "It's a deep blue, much like the ocean. It flows and ends in a faint white like sea foam forming on waves." He explained "I'm not too sure what the colors necessarily mean but it seems that everyone has their own unique shape, which means it's easier for me to find people in a crowd if I know what their aura looks like."

As they walked, they would begin to hear the sound of someone strumming at a guitar near the beach. As they approached, the player stood up and waved before he walked over "Hey guys! Can I ask for a favor? I'm kind of in a rut right now, so if one of you could maybe battle me for some inspiration I'd appreciate it a ton."

Koa looked at Elliot, then at the musician and nodded with a smile "Sure, I've got time. I need to do some training too, so let's go!"

"Awesome, thanks! I owe you one, man." He said as the two of them walked down to the beach. The two of them began their battle as Koa's opponent first sent out Chinchou. Koa decided now was the time for one of his newer team members to get some experience, so he sent out his Lopunny, Aylin. The Lopunny bounced on her feet a bit before looking at Koa with a tiny smile, then back at her opponent.

Chinchou opened the battle with a Thunderwave, but Aylin hopped out of the way. At Koa's command, she jumped forward and gave it her all with the use of Return deliver a decent hit to the Chinchou, who retaliated with Supersonic. The noise dizzied Aylin a bit as she staggered around. Still, she pushed through and used Pound to bat them away. However, in her dizziness, she got struck by its Electro Ball. It was clear this Pokemon was stronger than Aylin at this point, but she wasn't about to give up. The shock shook her out of her confusion as she dodged the incoming Bubble Beam with a well timed jump and used Return again in the form of landing right on top of Chinchou. The two continued to trade blows, with Aylin as the underdog trying to get ahead. With one final exchange, Aylin got hit with another Bubble Beam. The bubbles popped along her body, causing stinging pain, but she pushed through and hit Chinchou with one last Pound, which was enough to knock it out. Koa rose his fist into the air "That's it! Now come back and rest, that was a rough one!"

Aylin returned to Koa's side as he sent out Makoto, his Pancham. She stretched and pound her fists together, ready to fight. The rocker sent out a Jangmo-o, an opponent that seemed to interest Makoto. Koa began the battle with Taunt, not wanting a repeat of what happened to Aylin. This seemed to worry Lewis, but the battle continued anyway. Jangmo-o swung its tail in a wide arc using Dragon Tail. Makoto took the hit, however, and grabbed onto its tail. She started to spin and with a heavy toss, threw Jangmo-o with Circle Throw. It landed in the sand with a heavy thud, kicking up sand. Furious, it charged forward with the intent to Headbutt her. Makoto side-stepped the attack and with a series of well-placed hits from Arm Thrust, sent the Jangmo-o to its last legs. Still, it was tenacious, and slammed into her chest with another Headbutt. Makoto winced, but grabbed onto it before flipping back with Circle Throw, this time in the form of a suplex that ended with her tossing Jangmo-o back to its trainer, knocked out from both that and the recoil from Headbutt.

Koa called Makoto to his side before he shook Lewis' hand "How was that?" He asked. Lewis grinned and said "That was pretty awesome, dude. Thanks! I got some good inspiration from that one." He said. The two of them said their goodbyes as the rocker went on his way. Koa sat down and pet his Pokemon "Good job you two."

---

Koa's Team

Azura - Level 17 - 5/5
Makoto - Level 16 - 4/5
Janus - Level 15 - 5/5
Sakuya - Level 15 - 5/5
Toki - Level 17 - 5/5
Aylin - Level 10 - 4/5

[Elliot Sunderland]

Not a deterrent at all! Elliot could understand that packs of noble, friendly, aura-using Pokemon were probably rarities that couldn't be easily tracked down. Otherwise, the poor things would be swamped on a daily basis! "I'm patient, don't worry. When you're ready to go looking, I'll just be a warp away," Elliot said. It really was convenient what Teleport let them do, wasn't it? Suddenly, Elliot's ability to travel the region was greatly expanded!

You know. As long as he had been there before.

And it wasn't too far, because then Echo'd get a headache.

And he didn't accidentally teleport himself in a tree again.

But otherwise, it was really convenient!

Not that Elliot'd focus on it too much. He was far more interested in what Koa had to theorize about Pokemon research. "It makes sense!" Elliot said. "I mean, there are Pokemon innately capable of using Aura, right? Like Lucario? I wouldn't be surprised if they were the first ones to teach other Pokemon, and aura-capable people. And then the aura-using techniques that translate so well to Pokemon and people alike descended from those first ideas.

Your dad's research sounds incredible! I mean, we've been through so much together as groups, right? I wouldn't be surprised if people and Pokemon's experiences shaped each other in more ways than just training. Maybe even in more ways than we even know!" The possibilities were endless! How could Elliot not get starry eyed about them?

That said, Elliot wasn't about to let his excitement get in the way of Koa's duel. Instead he stood back to watch . . . or, at least, he would have. As he took a step back, he felt himself bumping into a hard-almost gem like shape. He leaped up a little in surprise, then turned to see a familiar face. "HYAH!? Wait, no, their facets are a different cut from yours. Who are you?" Elliot asked. This one did not telepathically scream HYAH! into his head. Instead, they just let out a high, keening sound. "Well, my friend's having a battle right now. Wanna watch?"

The Starmie's gem glowed a bright red, and its prongs began to spin. It wasn't interested in watching a fight, but it sure did seem ready to have one! "Uh . . . hey, c'mon, we don't gotta-" Elliot started, only for the Starmie to . . . shrink? Elliot blinked, confused. It was already less than half of HYAH!'s size. How did getting even smaller happen? It shrank again and again, until soon it was the size of Elliot's hand. What was this Starmie doing?

Once it had shrank down, it fired a high-pressure stream of bubbles at Echo, knocking her right off of his shoulder. Echo squeaked in surprise, landing on her feet as she hit the ground, then fired a Psybeam at the offending Starmie. With its absolutely minuscule size, it easily coasted around the beam, chortling mockingly.

"If we gotta fight, Echo, then we fight. But why don't you sit this one out? A certain someone wants to test his training," Elliot said, taking a ball from his belt. He tossed it into the air, Reverb popping out in mid nap. He continued dozing as he hurtled towards the ground, only for his eyes to snap open at the last minute. They glowed a radiant blue, Echo perking up in recognition, but despite this nothing happened. He landed in front of Echo in a protective stance, the Ralts nodding and returning to Elliot's side.

The Starmie fired another stream of bubbles at Reverb, but experience with fighting HYAH! meant Reverb was used to techniques such as this. He hit the deck, fingers sparking as he launched a jolt of psychic energy right at the Starmie. Unfortunately, the attack went wide. The Starmie was just too small to hit, dancing circles around all of Reverb's best efforts. The two continued this game of cat-and-mouse for another few rounds, beams streaking past each other but failing to meet their targets.

Nevertheless, Elliot's smile never wavered. In fact, he seemed to be counting something. "Try for a change-up," he suggested, Reverb looking over his shoulder and nodding. Again, his finger sparked, but this time the shot intentionally went too high. His Starmie opponent dropped down to avoid it, only to end up on the receiving end of a hard elbow to the gem. No amount of shrinkage could get this imitation starfish out of the way of a Feint Attack!

As the elbow connected, Reverb's entire body flashed with white energy. His legs and arms lengthened, fairy noticeable due to the angle of his attack. Two large, circular shapes poofed out from the side of his head. His body fanned out like a dress, its previous, egg-like shape gone. The light faded away with a flourish, revealing quite the shocking transformation.

Reverb had evolved into a Gothorita.

He stepped away from the Starmie, dusting off his hands. As he did so, psychic pulses assailed the Starmie on all sides. Starmie may've been able to dodge nearly any attack he could see coming, but the only one who could see the future here was Reverb. It wasn't a fight ender, but it sure was an intimidating display! Rather than see things through, the Starmie took to the sky and spiraled away. This wasn't worth it! Not at all!

"Wait!" Elliot called, fishing in his pocket. "Let me heal-" Yet by the time he fished some berries out from his bag, it was too late. The Starmie had spiraled away into the distance. He sagged a little in disappointment, then turned back to see how Koa's battle was going. Maybe he'd be able to catch the tail end of it.

Reverb, on the other hand, stretched out his new arms and legs to get a feel for them. As he did, Echo squealed with delight, hopping up and down as she orbited around him. It seemed like she was a fan of the new look, much to Reverb's bashful acceptance!

Elliot's Team

Echo - Level 32 Ralts - 5/5
Lord Beerus - Level 32 Espeon - 5/5
Joule - Level 31 Dedenne - 5/5
Vivi - Level 11 Eevee - 5/5
The Dudes - Level 27 Dugtrio (Alolan) - 5/5
Reverb - Level 32 Gothita -> Level 33 Gothorita! - 5/5

[Jae]

Elliot Sunderland - evo confirmed

[Koa Leilani]

Elliot's patience and determination was always a welcome sight to Koa. The two of them theorized about the possible origins of Aura, which of course started with the most identifiable Aura using Pokemon, Lucario. It would make perfect sense that Lucario would end up teaching generations of other Aura sensitive Pokemon and even some humans that seemed capable. Then, generations of refinement and teachings brought forth modern Aura techniques. It was certainly an amazing world they lived in for that sort of thing to happen.

He seemed rather happy when Elliot thought that his dad's research was incredible. Koa was always proud of his dad, even if his work kept him busy so often. Hearing someone else praise him was definitely a nice feeling. Part of him wondered what would have happened if he was just a little braver in the past. How different would his life had played out if he went on his Island Challenge? Maybe he would be working with his dad or working as a nurse. Though he was happy with his life as it was. If it weren't for how things went, he never would have met Azura.

The two of them were soon involved in their own battles that went on at the same time, but Koa and his opponent were too focused to notice that Elliot had a run in with a wayward Starmie. As soon as Koa's battle was finished, he turned around to see that Elliot had won his own battle "Hey, what happened?" He asked, a bit worried, then he looked down at Reverb "Is that Reverb?! He evolved! Man...how did I miss whatever happened here? You're all okay, right?"

Makoto waved at the two familiar...well, somewhat familiar, Pokemon. She was comfortable around them at this point and was also pretty impressed with Reverb's evolution. Aylin hid behind Koa and looked very shy and cautious. "I don't think you've met her yet." He said as he picked up and hugged Aylin, who calmed a bit at this "This is Aylin. There was this huge swarm of Buneary outside Birch at some point so I checked it out. She just sort of stumbled into me and so I decided to catch her. Though when I did she instantly became a Lopunny. I think it might have something to do with the Pokeball I used. Still, she's a sweetheart and another addition to the group." He set her down as she brushed her ears nervously.

-----

Koa's Team

Azura - Level 17 - 5/5
Makoto - Level 16 - 4/5
Janus - Level 15 - 5/5
Sakuya - Level 15 - 5/5
Toki - Level 17 - 5/5
Aylin - Level 10 - 4/5

[Elliot Sunderland]

Elliot beamed at Koa, Reverb flexing and showing off his new limbs all the while. "We're good!" Elliot chirped. "A Starmie came up looking for a fight. They did this shrinking technique that made them really, really hard to hit. But we chased them off with a bunch of techniques that don't really need to be accurate to actually hit. Reverb evolved in the process, so I'm really proud of him for that!"

Of course, Reverb didn't seem interested in basking in the pride. He was much more interested in laying against a nearby tree for a rest. The sun shone down on his body, the grass felt great on his back, and he had the satisfaction of a hard-fought win. What else in the world did he need? "I'm sad we missed most of your battle, though. You and your team seem like you guys really take this kind of thing seriously. It would've been great to watch!"

Sure enough, Koa was happy to introduce one of the stars from that battle. "Great to meet you, Aylin," Elliot said, a bright smile on his face. He lowered his excitable tone some, keeping the energy dampened to a level that'd hopefully be more up to speed for the shy Lopunny. "Enjoyed your first battle as a Lopunny? I know evolution can be a pretty big shock sometimes, especially if you don't see it coming. But I bet you did great out there. And I know Koa's really proud of you. Need a potion or anything? Or are you feeling okay?"

Honestly, the more he looked at Reverb relax, the more he thought the Gothorita had a good idea going. However, he couldn't just lie around and rest right now. There was an adventure to be had! "This your first time going up northwest, Koa? Or have you had a chance to poke around on the route before?"

Elliot's Team

Echo - Level 32 Ralts - 5/5
Lord Beerus - Level 32 Espeon - 5/5
Joule - Level 31 Dedenne - 5/5
Vivi - Level 11 Eevee - 5/5
The Dudes - Level 27 Dugtrio (Alolan) - 5/5
Reverb - Level 32 Gothita -> Level 33 Gothorita! - 5/5

[Koa Leilani]

"Hm...sounds like Minimize. That can be a pain and a half to deal with." He said with a nod in regards to Elliot's battle. "Sounds like you and Reverb made it through though, so good thinking!" He praised as he watched Reverb adjust to their new form before just deciding to go take a nap.

Koa just chuckled at him before he shrugged at Elliot "Hey it's no big deal, you had your own things to worry about! Well, we just do what we think is appropriate when it comes to battles. There's a certain etiquette to it and I don't really want to let anyone down..."

Aylin slowly shuffled away from Koa to inspect the other person. She was a little hurt from the battle and while Koa could use his aura, using it now would just tire him out for the rest of the trip, and this would be a good bonding experience between her and Elliot "Go ahead, Elliot! She's tougher than she looks but I'm pretty sure she appreciates it all the same. And yes, I'm very proud of her." He said as he gently pet her ears. Aylin blushed and buried her face into her ear fluff. She was the cautious and bashful type. How she fought at her best for Koa embarrassed her a bit.

"I haven't had a chance to come this way, no. I sometimes did for training while I was at the academy, but otherwise I haven't been in this part of Arciel yet, so it's all new territory for me." He said. Makoto was wandering around, admiring their paw prints on the sand with reserved glee while they spoke. "But the beaches are a nice familiar sight."

----

Koa's Team

Azura - Level 17 - 5/5
Makoto - Level 16 - 4/5
Janus - Level 15 - 5/5
Sakuya - Level 15 - 5/5
Toki - Level 17 - 5/5
Aylin - Level 10 - 4/5

[Elliot Sunderland]

"Huh! What kind of etiquette?" Elliot asked, curiosity shimmering in his eyes. He'd fought maybe three trainer battles up to this point, total. One of those was sharing his own Pokemon with his rival so they could have a proper battle, and one of those was throwing a match to a literal six year old. With examples like that, he had no idea what the standard trainer battle operating procedure was!

As Aylin approached, Elliot shot her a soft smile. "I can tell! From what little I saw of the fight, I could tell she was doing a really good job out there," Elliot chirped. "Its okay. You're around friends here. Don't worry, we're just here to help, see?" He overlooked the Lopunny for wounds or sore areas, trying to see where she had been more banged up during the fight. Every time he saw a wounded area he'd give it a little spritz of the potion, hoping that at the very least he'd be able to help her feel better.

"If you're a fan of beaches here, you're gonna love the next city," Elliot said. "Cedar's got some beaches so nice, even some of Hoenn's pale by comparison! I've never really had a chance to visit them myself yet. But I know you're going to have a great time there once you finally arrive. The routes up this way are really calming, too. Lots of greenery. Lots of water. Lots of sun. There've been days where I've just laid down to watch the clouds, only to realize I've dozed off for hours! Compared to the rockier routes like Route 7, it's such a refreshing change of pace.

On the lookout for any Pokemon around here?"

Elliot's Team

Echo - Level 32 Ralts - 5/5
Lord Beerus - Level 32 Espeon - 5/5
Joule - Level 31 Dedenne - 5/5
Vivi - Level 11 Eevee - 5/5
The Dudes - Level 27 Dugtrio (Alolan) - 5/5
Reverb - Level 33 Gothorita - 5/5

(Using a potion!)

[Jae]

Elliot Sunderland - one potion removed.

[Koa Leilani]

"Well it's mostly pretty obvious stuff. Don't bother a trainer while they're trying to catch a Pokemon or when they're clearly in a rush. Be respectful and courteous, don't mock their Pokemon or their training methods. Just...be sportsmanlike and friendly. Though to be fair a lot of these are my own interpretations."

Aylin calmed down near Elliot at his kind words and praise. She let him use the potion on her and soon all of the soreness and pain started to fade away in mere moments. In elation, she hopped up and down and gave Elliot a hug. She stepped back to Koa with a delighted expression as Koa gently scratched behind her ears. "See, we're all friends! Wasn't that nice of him?" He said to her as she shuffled about bashfully.

When Elliot mentioned Cedar's beaches, Koa grinned "I'm looking forward to that. As an Alolan I'm very particular about beaches! I'm liking what I'm seeing so far, though. Weather's great, the scenery is gorgeous..." He looked around and felt a tad bit homesick. Despite that, he kept up his calm, happy demeanor. This was home, too. "Route 7 was where I started my journey. It's where I met Makoto, actually."

He tilted his head as he thought about what Pokemon he may want to find "Not off the top of my head...I a lot of Pokemon I really want, but who knows what the future holds, right? I might see one and immediately think I need to have it." He said with a laugh.

----

Koa's Team

Azura - Level 17 - 5/5
Makoto - Level 16 - 4/5
Janus - Level 15 - 5/5
Sakuya - Level 15 - 5/5
Toki - Level 17 - 5/5
Aylin - Level 10 - 5/5

[Elliot Sunderland]

That made sense. It explained why the camper who ambushed him when he wasn't looking for a fight felt like such a little turd. "Those seem like fair rules to me," Elliot said. "I know some trainers can get really intense about battles. But its not so bad if they do it in a respectful manner like that. Maybe sometime down the line, I'll be able to give battling a solid try of my own." It wasn't Elliot's usual forte, but, hey. He was getting pretty confident in his team's abilities, he wanted to give them the chance to stretch their legs more, and he was already getting excited to take a shot at the Bass City Gym.

As Aylin bounced excitedly, Elliot returned her hug cheerfully. "Always happy to help!" Elliot said. "I may not be a healer or anything. But after actually getting my place on this adventure settled, I try to make a point of coming prepared." It turned out having most of your living expenses covered by your overly-generous sister made it really easy to focus your money on pampering your team. Who knew?

Koa's homelessness changed the tone of the conversation, if only to a subtle degree. Elliot, recognizing the wistful tone in his voice all too well, put a soft hand on his shoulder. "Hey. It's okay," Elliot said, voice gentle. "I've spent the last five years missing my home. It's only been, like, the last two months where I really started warming up to here. And it took going on a brand new journey of my own to make that happen. Maybe yours'll give you the same chance, y'know?

And, hey. You might get the chance to get an Alolan vacation of your own, too, to enjoy the best of both worlds!"

Elliot couldn't help but giggle about the Pokemon Koa wanted. "I know, right? There are Pokemon I've never even heard of that'd go on to become some of my best friends! This region has some incredible diversity," Elliot said. "I expected the usual Hoenn start, y'know? Mudkip. Zigzagoon. Wurmple. Tailow. Fight Roxanne's gym, then Brawly's. But I think I've seen more Pokemon here than I've seen in the entire Western half of Hoenn!"

Elliot's Team

Echo - Level 32 Ralts - 5/5
Lord Beerus - Level 32 Espeon - 5/5
Joule - Level 31 Dedenne - 5/5
Vivi - Level 11 Eevee - 5/5
The Dudes - Level 27 Dugtrio (Alolan) - 5/5
Reverb - Level 33 Gothorita - 5/5

[Jae]

Koa Leilani

A wild Stantler has appeared!

What will you do?

	Stantler Lv18
		5 Energy
	Small	Modest
	Intimidate
MOVES
Stomp, Astonish, Hypnosis, Tackle
NOTES
N/A

A wild Wartortle has appeared!

What will you do?

	Wartortle Lv20
		5 Energy
	Small	Adamant
	Torrent
MOVES
Water Pulse, Protect, Bite, Rapid Spin
NOTES
N/A

Elliot Sunderland

A wild Corsola has appeared!

What will you do?

	Corsola Lv29
		5 Energy
	Large	Adamant
	Weak Armor
MOVES
Ancient Power, Hex, Spite, Disable
NOTES
N/A

[Koa Leilani]

"I've got to get used to battling and working together with my team considering my job relies on a close kinship with all of the Pokemon I use. We've got to be in sync and understanding of one another in order to make things go as smoothly as possible. It's part of the reason I'm excited to take on the Gym Challenge. That's the ultimate test of what me and my team is capable of." He said with a confident smile.

Koa appreciated Elliot's offer to heal Aylin after the fight. "Thanks for that, by the way. I figured this would be a good way for you to get her to open up a bit, you know? I have a few shy Pokemon on my team, so I want to help them adjust to others." he said while he pet the top of her head.

Elliot's comfort over being homesick made Koa feel better about the situation "I just never thought I'd be here, you know? A good job that gives me a lot of freedom, a fantastic team, the chance to meet even more Pokemon and friends...it's really more than I ever could have asked for." He said. This was clearly the first chance he had to talk about this in a while "I'd love to go to Alola again one of these days, for sure. I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss home every day, but life happens and we have to push forward."

He was a little curious about Elliot's history "Do you want to talk about it? You don't if you don't want to, but I'm all ears if you need to talk."

However, before that chance, he spotted a couple of Pokemon off in the distance. It seemed to be a Stantler and a Wartortle in some kind of territorial dispute. Stantler was on a patch of grassy earth near the beach, which the Wartortle took offense to. This could escalate to a fight if something wasn't done.

Upon seeing this, Koa approached and crouched a bit as not to intimidate them. He held his hands out to them and gently called out to them "Hey now, it's alright." He said. He tried his best to put his ranger training to practice here. He would carefully step between them while holding his hands out towards both of them. Stantler backed off slightly, but the Wartortle was being a little more difficult. "No need to fight, you two, there's plenty of territory for you both." He said. Stantler stamped its front hoof against the dirt and huffed while Wartortle grit its teeth in defiance. This was going to be harder than he thought. He pulled out two Pokeballs and threw one towards the Stantler and another towards Wartortle. Stantler would be up against Toki, while Wartortle would go up against Sakuya "Relax...just step back, go about your day. There's no reason to fight over this. Okay?" He said, still attempting to deter the two of them from fighting. However, this might have worked too well, since now they were both fixated on the Pokemon he had sent out, so it seemed like a fight was inevitable. Koa sighed "Well okay, I suppose that works too..." he said as he jumped back. While he would have liked the two of them to go on their merry way peacefully, this was okay too. It was an opportunity for more training, and at the very least he tried. They weren't trying to fight each other and go overboard, so that was a plus. One of these days he'll be able to defuse a situation like this a little easier.

"Toki, Focus Punch!" He called out as Toki tried to charge the attack. However, Stantler stamped the ground in front of him, shocking Toki before swiping at him with its antlers. Toki flinched from the attack and was pushed away slightly, which ruined the attack. "That's alright, Toki, try it again!" As Toki focused once more, there was a strange energy emanating from Stantler. The antlers gave off this otherworldly, hypnotic vibe to them that Toki had a hard time looking away from. However, he managed to take his gaze off of them and finish his charging before he leaped forward and delivered a devastating blow to the Stantler. The sheer force of the attack sent it back up the hill slightly. It stood up, but clearly knew it was outmatched, so it cut its losses and retreated.

Koa would swiftly go to focus on Sakuya's fight as the two Pokemon stared each other down. "Seed Bomb!" Koa ordered as Sakuya conjured up several large seeds that she proceeded to launch directly at Wartortle. However, it retreated into its shell as a strange translucent barrier stopped the seeds midair. While it was still in its shell, it began to spin rapidly and dive towards Sakuya. It made contact and the angle of it carried her off alongside the Wartortle. "Growth!" At this command, Sakuya took in the sunlight and started to grow slightly, the extra weight causing Wartortle to skid to a stop. It struggled beneath her and tried to toss her off, but Koa called out "Seed Bomb!" once more. Before Wartortle had a chance to knock her off, the seeds grew around and underneath it. The first one slammed right into its stomach, sending it flying into the sky. The others followed suit as they burst in the air next to it "Razor Leaf!" With that final call out, Sakuya whipped up a storm of leafs that pelted Wartortle on the way down. It landed with a hard thud before it also realized that this was more trouble than it was worth as it also retreated.

Koa sighed heavily and wiped his brow "Phew...That could have worked out better, but you two did great!" He praised the both of them. Sakuya sat down, clearly tired as she suddenly fell asleep. Old habits die hard. Toki bowed to Koa and stood next to him.

-----

Attempting to raise Profession (Ranger) by trying to separate the fighting Pokemon.

Koa's Team

Azura - Level 17 - 5/5
Makoto - Level 16 - 4/5
Janus - Level 15 - 5/5
Sakuya - Level 15 - 4/5
Toki - Level 17 - 4/5
Aylin - Level 10 - 5/5

[Jae]

Rank Up Profession

+1 Rangering 

Koa Leilani

A ranger's work is never done, and even when you fail, you learn something! Maybe with some more charisma, you'll get to a point where Pokemon negotiations become easier.