Pokémon: Mysteries of Alola

Chapter 16 - Big Bad Boss of Team Skull -

Ophelia was not ready for battle just yet, she was still recovering and Akihiro didn't want to rush her. So instead, he let her rest in her Poké Ball while he headed to the bus stop in route 10. Though, when he got there, he found two Team Skull grunts trying to remove the sign.

"What... Are you doing?" He called, and the two turned around.

"What? You ain't never seen someone try to take a bus stop?" One called.

"Get your own stop to steal!" The other added, and the two immediately threw out their Pokémon: A Golbat and an Alolan Raticate.

Akihiro let out a sigh, letting out Esmeralda and Bernadette. "Let's go you two. Esmeralda, attack the Raticate, Bernadette, you go for the Golbat!"

The two nodded, and began to coordinate with one another to defeat the two grunts. They would glance back at Akihiro, making sure they would do the moves he asked, and quickly defeated the Pokémon.

"Yo! Think about the bus drivers!" One shouted at him, "If we took this stop, they can just chill out!"

"...Esmeralda, get them to move with a bulldoze."

"Mud!"

Akihiro picked up Bernadette and kept his footing on the ground as Esmeralda began shaking it, causing the grunts to fall down.

"Uwah! Okay we're going we're going!" The two got up and fled, running straight past Prof. Kukui.

"...Can you explain what just happened?" He asked, "Two Team Skull grunts just fled right past me in a hurry, yeah."

"Nothing to it," Akihiro replied, looking up as the bus came down to get them.

---

Akihiro breathed in the air on the mountain, looking up at the night sky. He decided that after he finished this trial, he would take a break for the night and wait for tomorrow to come. Kukui brought him towards the railings, facing the other mountain in the distance.

"That's the tallest mountain in Alola, yeah," Kukui explained, "Mt. Lanakila. The peak is a sacred place, the closest you can get to the Legendary Pokémon of Alola. And at that peak, that's where Alola's Pokémon League will be built!"

"Oh?" Akihiro looked up at him, "Is it almost finished?"

"Yes. Our traditional ways were battling the Kahunas in a row after you've finished your trials, and I value them a lot. But it's time for a Champion the whole world can recognize!"

He smiled at the professor, "Sounds nice. I'm going to head to the Trial." He headed straight for the observatory, noticing someone was standing there. Kukui had followed him.

"Hey there!" Kukui called, grinning at the stranger.

He laughed, "You're still as fired up as ever, huh 'Royal'?"

Kukui laughed, "Akihiro, this is Molayne. Molayne, Akihiro. He runs the observatory here, but he's not the Trial captain."

"I was the Trial captain once, my masked friend. I handed it off to my cousin. Please, come in."

"Before you two go, Molayne, the names Kukui! I dunno who this Masked Royal you're talking about! Akihiro, I'll head back to Malie Garden to make sure Hau gets up here too y'know." As he took off, Akihiro laughed softly.

"You never really mentioned Masked Royal..." he said, laughing.

Molayne nodded, "Head right in and go straight okay?"

Akihiro nodded, heading into the observatory. He headed straight into the first door, and then the second one. Inside the last room was a small boy with orange hair and a pikachu tail scarf.