Gary the Garchomp's Story

In the beach, Gary's head popped out of the sand. He blinked, and yawned. Then, he saw the two humans walking nearby. He rubs his eyes and looks again. Yup, still there. He clamoured out of the sand and rinsed the sand off in the ocean. Then, he walked toward the humans.

Hau'oli City was in a state of motion. Many Pokemon Trainers were either rushing outside to see what was causing the eerie glow while others were rushing inside because they knew what was causing the eerie glow. Mostly tourists were out and about still, peering over the water or up into the sky to gape at the beam of energy while locals were beckoning them to come inside. Either way, the people and Pokemon were quite active, leaving the city hustling and bustling at an unusual point in the day. The wildings were flying into the woods in large flocks or groups, panicked by myths and legends experienced or told. And with the greenish tint added to the scenery, it set a tone for the people spectating, a common feeling rippling through the population...unease.

Ignoring the Garchomp's progression, Hau wasted no time dodging and weaving through the crowded streets as he made his way into the bright, fluorescent lights of the Pokemon Center, a harshly white light that seemed to cut through the queasy twilight outside. The 12-year old boy was panting, hands on his knees as he slowly turned to Lammy.

"We'll be safe...in here...for the night," he replied through heavy breaths, "Trust me."

---

Night time fell upon the people of Hau'oli City and tension with it. Hau and Lammy weren't the only ones to take refuge within the Pokemon Center as a number of tourists and a few locals were packed in there like sardines. There wasn't much room to move around, even with the nurses telling everyone to keep their Pokemon in their PokeBalls to conserve space. Eventually, people took to the floors, growing tired from their standing. The constant clamoring of conversation about the event had long died off, replaced by a few whispers here and there and mostly grim faces. Everyone glanced outside at least every few minutes, seeing if the green light had faded. Some were fascinated by it, watching it intensify at certain points and the recede, as if it was constantly being fired in different directions...like a battle was taking place. No one dared to step outside to see if someone dared to challenge the might of Demonbreath, for fear of seeing something they didn't want to.

Hau sat across from Lammy, not talking. He'd already filled her in on what he knew about the creature...the large Dragonite that used to plague the Wela Volcano and the environment around it, terrorizing everyone who came near. He told her about the many attempts to capture the beast by those who were brave enough to march up the igneous rock-filled slope only for those brave fools to meet their demise. He'd already explained the beast's mysterious disappearance one night, the unknown identity of the people and/or Pokemon that strode after Demonbreath and drove it away from it's home, slain on Ula'ula and never to be seen again apart from a few bones resting on the mountainside. He told her he didn't know how this was possible or even if it was indeed possible, but he'd recognize that green fire anywhere.

And then things were silent for a while. The green light actually faded and the sky returned to it's moonlit form, cascading neutral light down on the empty streets. They would stay empty for the rest of the night. No one would take the risk of walking outside to make sure Demonbreath was actually gone. The tourists who weren't sure what was going on were heavily advised to stay in their respective "shelters" until the sun came up tomorrow, most of which obliged without question while some had to take a lot of convincing.

As a result, the streets of the largest Alolan City stayed quiet until the sun rose the next morning.

---

Hau blinked awake at the feeling of motion around him. His eye fluttered open as he began to see many people exiting the Pokemon Center after a long and mostly restless night. The nurses and other retailers were sitting down behind the counter, exhausted after upkeeping the establishment all night. As for the tourists, they were going back to their regularly scheduled vacations, which likely involved a long nap in a hotel or on the beach. From the looks of the people's faces, it seems they were told that the threat was past.

The 12-year-old boy sighed, slowly pulling himself to his feet and groaning at the pain in his back from resting on the hard floor. Somehow, he managed to find his way to his knees and then to his feet, shaking his head as he cleared his thoughts and focused on that to do next.

Iki Town. He had to check on his home town. He had to make sure everyone was okay and that nothing had happened to his Gramps. Though he didn't hear the sounds of battle and destruction, he wanted to make sure it hadn't happened...just in case.

Without a second thought, Hau left the Pokemon Center, forgetting about Lammy as he marched down Route One and up the path towards Iki Town.

The brisk pace Hau took to getting to his hometown made the journey that much quicker and the sun was rising higher and higher in the sky. It did a good job lighting up the quaintness of Iki Town, which was fortunately not destroyed in any way, shape, or form. Hau breathed a sigh of relief and les a small smile cross over his face as he ran into the village and searched for a familiar face.

His smile would drop, however, when he found one...no, many faces. The ones he would recognize immediately of course were Hau's Grandfather and Professor Kukui's, both with surprisingly stern lines across their face. But the ones that took a second glance to notice had more impact on him. The first was Lukas's mom, eyes puffy and red with a tissue in hand. The second was a familiar Decidueye he'd battled time and time again but had yet to defeat in a standard battle...Robin.

But no Lukas.

Hau's expression went blank as he stood there, unsure of how to approach or react. It was Lukas's mom that ended up spotting the 12-year old, her spirit seeming to elate simply at the sight of the Kahuna's grandson. But her expression went dark and tormented again as she realized Hau was alone. Kukui said nothing, giving a half-hearted wave towards him, but had surprisingly little energy behind it.

Only his grandfather made the effort to step forward, steadily walking up to his grandson and embracing him in a hug...a hug with many emotions tied to it...

---

"You don't know that he's gone," Hau's words were tough and unwavering, yet full of hope and optimism.

"I'd like to think that too," Hala said flatly, "But if he had indeed gone after Demonbreath, then I fear the worst may have happened."

"You know what it was capable of," Kukui added, leaning forward on the table with his hands crossed in front of him, "You know how many trainers tried to wrangle that beast."

"But those trainers weren't Lukas!" Hau shot back, shooting up from his own chair, "Every time I battled him, I could feel it...that unwavering determination he had in every breath...that smart twinkle in his eye that told me he had a trick up his sleeve...that unstoppable spirit he shared with his Pokemon every time he called a move. I know him inside and out. If there was any trainer that was capable of bringing down Demonbreath, it was him!" He slammed his fist down, his mind visibly racing as he closed his eyes and sharpened his brows.

"I can't accept that he was just taken out. I can't do it." Now there was a bit more tremble in his voice as all the emotions he had fought back since yesterday all came to a head. He was slowly losing that battle. He closed his eyes, fighting back the tears.

"Hau," Kahuna Hala's words were soft as he got up from his own chair and approached his grandson, "I know this is pretty hard to accept. Even a part of me doesn't want to accept it. But I looked out across that ocean and watched those green flames leave the sky. I know they weren't out of victory. Someone or something had to have taken Demonbreath down, probably laying their life down for the good of us all. There's only one person I can think of who would be willing to charge towards the sound of danger and that's our Champion."

"Hey little man," The professor offered an encouraging smile, "He couldn't have known about the dangers. He didn't have the warning we all had."

That did little to ebb the wave of sadness washing over the Kahuna's grandson, who was now full on crying. Hala wrapped him up in a comforting hug.

"Lukas had done a brave thing," he told Hau, "He did something no one has ever done before and saved everyone in Alola...again. We owe a lot to him and his sacrifice will not be forgotten. He will be celebrated with a memorial as grand as a Kahunas."

Hau said nothing for a while before finally nodding.

"There will be time to mourn," Kukui scratched the stubble of his beard as he glanced outside the window of the Kahuna's house, towards Hau'oli City below, "But right now, we need to get things back on track. I've already got in touch with Libby and asked her to return. She has not gotten back to me yet, but something tells me she will return. In the meantime, we need an interim Champion to act in Lukas's place until someone can take down the Elite Four and earn their spot."

"We were thinking that you could be that interim Champion," Hala said, causing Hau to glance up at him with confusion.

"What?" he asked, "You want me to act as Champion in Lukas's place?"

"Of course," Kukui's smile returned as he walked over to Hau, "You're one of the strongest trainers in Alola! That's unquestionable. And unlike other possible candidates for this job, you're the only one who wouldn't be taken from some other duty."

"But you were the one Lukas challenged to become Champion in the first place," Hau protested, "Why can't you do it?"

"That was before you had proven yourself more than capable against the Elite Four," Kukui replied, "Besides, I can't do the same thing twice. That just isn't my style."

Hau turned to Hala, "Gramps, you're one of the strongest trainers I know. Can't you be the Champion? You're already in the Elite Four."

"Actually," Gramps said with a hint of revelation, "I was thinking of retiring from the Elite Four."

"You are?" Hau was once again shocked, "But why?"

"I'm getting too old to be keeping watch over this region," Hala admitted, glancing out the window, "It's kind of like what Kahuna Nanu said when we offered him a spot in the Elite Four. The Tapu choose me to keep an eye over Melemele Island, but that doesn't mean I have to maintain a post as a gateway to some of the most elite trainers."

"But who's gonna replace you?"

"I was thinking Molayne. That man spends all his time with Sophocles, who's growing up. It'll give him something else to do besides taking care of a genius."

Professor Kukui was shaking his head, "This is everything you've wanted to be. Why won't you accept it?"

All Hau did was shake his head back, "I didn't want to become Champion like this. I wanted to earn it."

"Hau," Kukui spoke with conviction that cut through the 12-year old boy, "You have earned this."

Gary poked his head in the open window. He looked around, and tried climbing through. He ended up slipping and falling on the kitchen floor. There was a large clamor as he toppled over. Everyone in the house heard this, so Gary hid in the broom closet. He held the door closed, but still could not fit properly, and the door was left slightly ajar. There was also broken dishes and sand on the floor, which made an absolute mess.

The roar of a Charizard in the skies above Iki Town punctuated a bunch of sentimentality before two women disembarked.

"Wow! That was amazing!" raved the younger brunette, dressed in a Pokéball trucker-style cap that let out a long curly ponytail, a black vest over a white T-shirt, cutoff blue jean shorts, and sturdy pink-tinted hiking boots. "Is it true that Hidden Machines are just regular TMs here as well?"

"That's right," said the older one, with straighter hair, steel-blue eyes, and a greasy pair of yellow coveralls that was trying to hide a limp as they walked up the stairs to the ceremonial stage where everyone was gathered. "Looks like there's a veritable who's who on this island...holy shit, Kahuna Hala. I don't know what happened out there, but it involved that gout of green flames, and it was fucking huge. Was that the Master Blaster thingy you were telling me about?"

"Nope. The Blaster was bigger than that...though not by much. Plus it's a machine, that was a Pokémon. And we really need to get you to a hospital, you've been walking funny ever since the cave-in."

"If I can still travel, it's not bad enough that I need to turn myself in," snapped the older and curvier woman even as she had to lean against the younger one for a second as they came up the steps.

"Urusai. First things first. You go sit down." The younger of the duo had an announcement to make as she took the stage.

"All right! It's clear that we all want answers from what happened out there! Who's got the big and brassy nerves to come with us and find out?!"

All conversation was interrupted when a loud thump! followed by a number of clattering sounds. Given the intel about the Psychic Rebellion by the two Reginalds and the sudden re-emergence of Demonbreath last night, it was no secret that each of the three powerful trainers reached for their PokeBalls subconsciously. Apprehensive of what could be causing such a noise, Kukui made the first move.

"I'll go ahead and check it-"

"No," Hau stopped him, stepping forward so as to block the Professor's path, "I'll do it. I have to be the Champion now. I have to prove to myself that I can do this."

"We don't even know that that is," Hala reasoned with his grandson, "Don't fight it alone because you have to."

"Hopefully, I don't plan on fighting it," Hau glanced back, "But it's what Lukas would've done, I think."

"He always had you though," Kukui murmured under his breath, out of earshot from Hau.

"I'll be right back," Hau said encouragingly and walked into the kitchen just as Kahuna Hala's name was being called out from the skies above.

The first thing he noticed was the pile of broken ceramic plates and the sand accompanying it, piled in front of the sink. Apart from that, a couple things were knocked over or shifted a few inches on the counter. Nothing too bad in terms of damage. He did feel a breeze and when he glanced towards the window, he found it open. He couldn't remember whether it was left open or not, but he knew it had to be whatever had caused that noise. It had either gone out that way or in that way...perhaps both.

But another careful glance at the floor told him exactly where it'd gone...a small track of sand leading it's way towards the pantry door. And sure enough, upon closer examination, he could tell it was slightly ajar in a desperate attempt to close it. He could see a creature moving within the doorway through the crack that was left open in it. Hau was a bit hesitant to approach.

Friend or foe?

"H-Hello?" he called towards the creature.

Wait, fight me?, Gary thought.

oshitoshitoshitoshitoshitoshit, Gary also thought.

He poked his head out the door, and looked at Hau. He looked somewhat like his last trainer, but was somewhat... shorter. He opened the door more and began to walk more and more out until he was completely out the closet.

Hau was about a walk towards the pantry door when he saw it open on it's own accord...and very slowly for that matter. The trainer could tell in the fluidity of movement that whatever was in there was being just as cautious about confrontation as he was right now. That, at least, was relatable.

And when the Pokemon poked his head out through the small opening it created, Hau recognized it immediately and knew that it could've easily attacked upon discovery. Garchomps typically had no qualms about it. This one did and that immediately showcased how docile it really was. Not only that, but Hau could read the uncertainty and the anxiety in it's eyes, but also the familiarity. Rather than responding to the fight or flight instinct, it was smartly approaching slow, taking in the boy in the process and making his own judgement.

This one has a trainer...Hau realized.

The easygoing trainer took a couple steps back, allowing for the Garchomp to leave the pantry and stand in front of him. But no longer was he tensed. No longer was he apprehensive. He let his shoulders relax, a warmer smile appearing on his face as he encouraged him, "It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you. See?"

He held his hands up, showing there was nothing in them. At this point, the Garchomp was completely outside of the pantry.

"Everything good in there?" Hau heard Kukui call from the other room.

"Yeah," Hau answered back, "He seems friendly."

"Well Hala went out to greet a couple other trainers. I'm in here if you need me."

"Alright," Hau turned back to the Garchomp, "You're not a wild Garchomp, are you?" The question sounded more like a statement, as if he was guessing the Pokemon in front of him wasn't a wilding and not asking him.

---

"Hello there, you two," Kahuna Hala waved at the emerging figures of Touko and Titania, "I can answer your questions for you. That green flame you saw last night belonged to a hostile creature called Demonbreath, a massive Dragonite that used to terrorize Akala Island. The weird thing is that we were under the impression that it had been slain some time ago, the bones resting on Ula'ula Island. I haven't checked in with Kahuna Nanu to make sure they're still there. He is a hard person to get a hold of."

"As for going after the beast, we think someone may already have," his eyes took on a more serious and sadder tone, "Were you both familiar with the Alolan Champion Lukas?"

"Yeah, we ran into him once in the city. We did some training and then went our separate ways. He seemed really happy to see us battle, being from Kanto himself. It's almost like he recognized me," Titania started.

"Yeah. But given the sort of training, II YO! It's like you were still mad at me for beating you. And what the heck was with that Zoroark crashing the party?" Touko added.

"Er...one thing at a time, Touko," Titania snapped back, wincing in pain as she stood to look the sumo champ in the eyes. "I know that look. Touko, go check on the kid that went down to the beach, the adults need to talk."

Touko gave the older woman an annoyed look, but realized the wisdom in her suggestion. "Fine, but I won't do it because you told me to, but because I thought he was cute!" And with that, the younger woman was off.

Titania turned back to Hala once they were relatively alone. "You have some bad news, don't you?"

---

A few minutes' jog later, Touko had caught up to Hau, who seemed like he was confronting some sort of intruder. She stayed a safe distance back, wanting to see how he would handle the situation but ready to jump in if things got ugly.

Gary looked around, and sighed.

Then he said, in a heavy Unovan accent,"Well, my trainer and I worked for the Unova mail service. We were on a cargo plane bound for Hau'oli. He was one of the guys from Team Plasma, so he didn't believe in pokéballs. He was, what, like, my 6th trainer? Anyway, he wasn't very nice, and hung out with all the wrong folks, but he did prepare good food.
"He and the pilot were in for a long flight, so the pilot turned on auto-pilot and fell asleep. However, a bunch of Wingulls flew into the engine, so we crashed on some island. They did, at least. I was unlucky enough to jump before we crashed, so I had a slow parachute descent into the water. I hate water, as it's just warm ice, but, lucky me, there was some flotsam about i landed on. I then paddled until I got here. I'm in between trainers right now, as you can see.", continued Gary, gesturing toward his sandy T-shirt. Then, an idea popped into his head. He fished an empty ultra-ball out of his pocket and offered it to the two trainers, saying, "Say, any of you need an extra team member?"

Hau stood there, unsure of what to do. For one, the fact that this Garchomp spoke English was already jaw dropping enough for him. Along with that, he was simply asking to join his team, letting either him or Touko take his PokeBall as if it were a standard procedure. The Champion didn't want to be the one to let this Pokemon down, but...

He didn't know how he could.

"Sorry," Hau smiled, apologetically, "I'm in a tough spot right now and it'll be a while before I come back to being myself again. I'm not sure I'm ready to take you under my wing right now...or really anyone new at the moment. I hope you can understand."

And with that, Hau took off, heading towards the Elite Four to claim his title as the Second Champion of the Alola Region.

---

"I'm afraid so," Kahuna Hala nodded sadly, "From the distance, I could see a fight breaking out. Those green flames weren't in one spot. They were spewing all across the horizon. I fear Lukas took Demonbreath on and perished upon defeating him." He sighed afterward, a long, tired, old man sigh, as if he still had trouble saying that sentence out loud.

"We owe him a lot...for saving the world and shaping the region into what it is today. But we can't focus on what happened in the past. We have to keep moving forward. We will remember Lukas as a hero and a powerful influence in Alola, but now Hau will have to fill his shoes and keep things running in the region. I don't think I've ever been so proud of him as I am now." His eyes glanced over towards his grandson, whom he saw walking along the beach and heading for the ferry. He nodded at him with a smile...a sad smile.

"He knows, by the way," Hala remarked, "Still, I'd be careful about bringing up Lukas around him. He'll be tender to the subject." He glanced towards Titania, exhaling smoothly as he began walking towards the exit to Iki Town.

"Welp! I've gotta get to the top of Mount Lanakila before he does. I'll see you around."

And he gave a wave as he walked out of the town.

"Wait. I know that accent..." Touko ran up to take Hau's place after the native seemed headed off on Charizard towards a huge mountain in the distance. When those mousy brown locks peeked around the corner, Gary being from Unova himself would probably recognize the legendary heroine of ideals, the wielder of Zekrom herself!

"Oh...holy crap! A Garchomp! Eee! My team's full at the moment, but may I introduce you to someone who could use a sixth member? I just got a mon from her and I need something to trade back...so, ah, could you get in the ball for me?"

---

"Shit. So young...wherever he is, I hope Arceus is treating him well," Titania said with a sad sigh. "It should have been me out there. My steel-types can take on a dragon like that." A nervous laugh from the woman. While it was true she held that type advantage, she hadn't won a pitched battle like that in quite a while.

"I know I shouldn't be beating myself up over this. What's done is done, but I can't just pretend like the past doesn't shape who I am and what I want to do. I saw some shit on Poni Island...there are organizations of wild mons out there, and they looked like they were up to no good, given that they didn't have any qualms about hurting humans."

A swift arm thrust from one of the citizens put a stop to Titania's self-defeatist tirade, along with a bruise on her tailbone. "Get up. You made your name on having an unbreakable will. What happens when something gets through? You melt it down, reforge it, better than before. Do not rue the fact that something got through your defenses. Simply adjust your strategy and focus your will to make sure that that never happens again." Another palm strike, which she managed to dodge this time and even follow up with a counter-shove that sent him staggering back several steps. "Yes, exactly like that. The secret to winning at Alolan sumo is to control how the battle is fought. With your steel-type's defenses, that should buy you more than enough time to observe their attack patterns and choose your moment. Might I also recommend heading to Shalour City in Kalos? A couple of your Pokémon could benefit from holding what they call Mega Stones, though I hear you need to prove yourself worthy before wielding such power."

"You're right. Just tell me one thing."

"Sure."

"When and where's the next flight to Shalour City?"

Gary snickered, and said, "All right."

He threw the Ultraball in the air, and caught himself. The Ultraball fell to the ground.

Inside, Gary was thinking: "Man, it's been a while since I was in a Pokeball. Almost forgot that feeling."

He heard the ongoing conversations outside, but ignored them.

You know how when your in the shower, and you think about things? Well, in a Pokeball, these showerthoughts seem to be the only tangible thing. There's no ground to stand in there, so it feels like your falling, but flying at the same time. There isn't anything to see, other than yourself. So Gary started thinking, long and hard.

"Hey. Titania. I'm back, and I think I got you some collateral for that Excadrill you got me. Think you can handle a talking Garchomp?"

"Hell yeah, that's the first piece of good news I've heard all week! Err, second, really." The older woman seemed to be in much better spirits, and eagerly accepted the Ultra Ball.

"Whatever the old man said to you, sounds like you needed to hear it. What's next?"

"Probably check back on my shop, maybe formally close it down, then hop a plane to Shalour City to investigate some stuff. You?"

Touko giggled. It was rare to see the former Champ of the Indigo League get this jazzed up anymore. "Buy some new clothes first, something tells me you want to avoid punching your way through the paparazzi. I plan to get a new look myself, then I'm headed back to Unova to take care of some business. Let's keep in touch, K?"

"You got it. And thanks, Touko...for reminding me why I managed to come so far in the first place."

While Garchomp was pondering his existence and why Pawn wasn't short for Pawnson, despite John being short for Johnson, he heard, outside his Pokeball, the conversation between Titania and Touko. He waited for it to be finished, (And for Touko to walk away), to get out of his Pokeball to say hello.

He did just this, to Titania's surprise. "Hello!", he said, extending his arm for a handshake,"I am Gary the Garchomp, but you can call me Gary. Your friend Touko has told me a lot about you". He looked at Titania expectedly, waiting for her to shake his hand (claw?).

"Well, you're a lot more friendly than who I traded you for. That Excadrill had a mouth on him. I wonder how he learned such terrible language...anyway. Hi, I'm your new Trainer, Titania. I hope we'll get along okay. I'd shake your claw, but I'm worried about the rough skin. I'm on my way to Kalos to teach you how to assume an even stronger form...wanna tag along?"

Gary thought about what she said. Stronger form? Then he remembered the time when he saw a Mega Garchomp on TV when he was pilfering beer at the beach bar. "I think a trip to Kalos would do me nicely. Many sites to see, people to meet, and cuisine. I've always missed my time there. So, when do we leave?", he said.

"Not so fast, my new friend," Titania was quick to correct Gary. "First, you go back in your Ball. That will let me get an idea of what you're actually capable of. My last battle was a loss to none other than Zekrom, so something like you that can not only keep up but also have a type advantage will be great to have. Next, I get on a plane. Trying to keep a low profile here...if anyone in the airport recognizes me, I'm gonna miss my flight from everyone wanting interviews and autographs."

Gary took this all in, and asked, "You want to test my strength on someone? Well, who do you have in mind, and when am I to fight?". He thought of the many things that Titania would pit him against. He figured he would probably fight a strong electric type. Then, he realized. He would fight the strongest electric type.
"All right, trainer. I will oblige."

"We need to train before you're ready to take on a legend like Zekrom...and I know just the place. It's said that there's a power called Mega Evolution over in Kalos that select Pokemon can learn to become even stronger than before...and you happen to be one of them. For a while I've sought to give my steel-types an extra edge, and this just might be what I need. I'd be honored if you accompanied me...and perhaps you might get to play with that power as well. I don't know what the Tower of Mastery will ask of me, so we have to get to know each other first. And we do that by battling together!"

Titania's smile had returned for the first time in years. "Come on. Let's go find the airport...and we're gonna beat everyone that asks me for a fucking autograph on the way."

Gary smiled his big, clumsy, toothy smile, and said,"Alright, let's go. I cannot wait to become more power-, er, better bonded with you"

On the plane, he was fiddling with a chess piece he found at the beach. On the TV on the plane, a program was showing the Tower of Mastery. He leaned in and watched more closely. 2 trainers battled their Lucarios on the balcony. These Lucarios looked strange, with more tendrils and more orange. This must be the mega evolution Titania was talking about!

Suddenly disinterested and tired, he closed his eyes and fell asleep, dreaming of baguettes and mega evolution.

Stepping off the plane, Gary yawned and rubbed his eyes, taking in the sights and sounds of Kalos. "I can work with this", said Gary. The thought of him back in Kalos filled him with exuberance.

After picking up their bags, Titania and Gary made their way to the Taxi. There, they asked to go to the Route 13 gate, but not before stopping by some of Kalos' many Cafes. Once at the Route Gate, they got off the Taxi and entered the path to route 13.

After a few hours, they finally got to Shalour.

"All right, I've had enough of your lip, Gary. Return." Titania recalled Gary in order to look up his stats. Hmm. Not too good. Might need to head back to Alola and pursue this Hyper Training thing, but first things first.

The sea was at low tide. Good. The path was open. Titania walked briskly along the beach path, only to be stopped by a strange looking figure with no apparent hands.

"Uh...hi. Are you standing guard to make sure I prove myself worthy before entering?"

The woman looked back, over her shoulder. "I don't know. Am I? Perhaps. I have been wondering about it myself. I think I would know it if I was, though. I asked a few others, but they didn't know either. So the answer is unclear."

She shook her head and demonstrated a neutral smile as she turned to face Titania. "But, I guess that's okay. It's not too important. You seem pretty strong, but remind me of a Combusken. I can feel the fire and the recklessness. I can tell you're also very noisy when things don't go your way. However, you lack the feathers and bravery."

Tilting her head and body slightly ajar as she assumed a thinking posture, she shrugged. "Maybe lacking that means you're not a Combusken. The feathers and bravery, that is. Can we ever be Combusken? I don't know. I don't believe I can grow feathers, though perhaps you can. They are soft, and reassuring. Comfy too. They keep you warm."

In her rambling, the woman smiled a soft smile, eyes closed. It was more a grin, but a satisfied one, confident in its own conclusion. "Yes, you just need some feathers. You're too hard." Following the statement was a giggle. "You look like you haven't heard of me. My name is Rachel, since you will ask. They all do. It's a meaningless little title, but it makes them feel like they know me better. You can use it too, Titania."

She had an unintentionally smug look come across her face, entirely neutral in tone, yet somehow just condescending enough to create a conflict in someone not used to such looks. It was an interesting contrast. "Yes, I know your name. You do a lot, so you are well known. However, you need to take breaks every now and then. Perhaps you can 'save your progress' every once in a while too. Although, I am unsure of what that means. I assume it is something good though. Maybe you can figure out the secret to it. If you do, share it with me."

She left the words hanging at this time, almost as if opening up the floor for Titania to respond, yet somehow giving an air that she wasn't finished. However, she did not speak further, apparently anticipating a response.

"Uh...what? Saving my progress? Becoming a Combusken? Look, clearly you know who I am. I got to where I was by putting the pedal to the metal and never slowing down. Even got a nice auto shop going back in Alola. I wanted to retire, but here I am, back in the driver's seat once again because some Unovan chick wants my help to stop a super weapon of some kind. That's why I'm here. Part of the reason, anyway."

She coughed politely. "I heard tell that this region is no stranger to super weapons, so I thought I'd see what I could learn about it, as well as something called Mega Evolution. I'm no professor, but if there's some sort of link between this thing and Z-moves, well, I'll do what I can to find a new gear. Even picked up a talking Garchomp on the way. Now are you gonna let me in, or am I gonna have to make you move?"