#karaboos

"Not at all like home, is it?" Uncle Blake asked you as he and your mother caught up.

"Mm-mm!" You shook your head.

"'Hau'oli City, a city overflowing with gentle joy.'" Your mother read from the pamphlet, "'With a population of over a hundred Hau'oli City is the largest city in Alola. The Shopping District has an array of shops and businesses including the Alola Tourist Bureau, Alola Photo Club, numerous apparel shops, a mall and a salon, the Hau'oli City Hall and Police Station, and many restaurants such as the Battle Buffet and the infamous Malasada shop!' My goodness, there's so much to do here!"

"So much to do, so little time." Uncle Blake sighed, "And this is only one of the four islands; one of almost a dozen towns! We haven't even seen the other four islands that make up Alola. I read that there's even a ranch on Akala Island similar to ours back home!"

You looked up excitedly at your uncle, "I'll bet I could walk from one end of this island to the other in no time flat!"

Uncle Blake laughed and tousled your hair, "I'll bet you could! In fact, why don't we do just that after we eat?"

"It would be the best way to get the unique Alolan experience without all the tourist traps." Your mother agreed. "How about we go to the Malasada shop for lunch?"

The three of you went into town to eat and take in the sights. After an exotic meal your family went poking around the city, checking out the apparel shops for new clothes and specialty shops for souvenirs. Your uncle insisted that you all check out the beach before wandering outside of town. Seeing the ocean here was nothing like seeing the ocean from Olivine City! Everything here was bright and full of color! The ocean was such a vivid shade of blue and the salty mist from the waves was so refreshing. You were charmed by the Pyukumuku that dotted the beach, thrilled to see the Wingull and Pelipper sailing over the beach and ocean, awed to see people riding Lapras and Sharpedo in the distance. Everything here was so new and exciting! It was early afternoon when your mother called you over to leave the beachfront and begin exploring the island. You watched as a flock of Pikipek flew overhead, chirping happily in the tropical sun. You walked slightly ahead of your mother and uncle, who were discussing locations on your route.

"Route 1 will take us to Iki Town. That village is known for its festivals that exhibit time honored traditions." Uncle Blake said as he flipped through the brochure he obtained at the Tourist Bureau. "There's also the Trainer's School, that's up ahead. There's a small town on Route 2 and the motel we'll be staying at is there as well. Route 3 is used for the centuries-long tradition of the island challenge!"

You tuned out your mother and uncle as they planned an itinerary. Skipping ahead, you gazed at the Pokemon that went about their daily lives, some of which stopped to look back at you. You stopped short when a Cutiefly crossed your path. You squealed in delight and took off after the exotic new Pokemon, paying no heed to your mother's call to not wander too far.

The Cutiefly you were following flew at a lazy speed, staying just out of your reach and yet going slow enough for you to keep it within your sight. You charged up the path, veering off to the right in hot pursuit of the Pokemon that sought refuge on Route 3. You began to tire out as the dirt road got harder and the grassy landscape became rockier. The Cutiefly buzzed over to a couple of trees nestled in some tall grass on a cliff overlooking a small sandy shore and the bright blue ocean. It made a distressed hum and dodged into the lush green leaves. Panting, you came to a stop a couple yards away from the tree your target was sheltered in. You pouted, wanting to see the new Pokemon up close. You scanned the ground, finding a few small pebbles. One by one you chucked the stones into the tree. After a half dozen misses you finally hit something and the leaves rustled, a high pitched creen emitting from the hiding spot. Delighted, you went forward to stand just under the tree. However, instead of getting a sunshine-yellow Cutiefly to emerge you received a very angry Spinarak descending upon you.

Startled by the sudden reveal of the arachnid Pokemon you shouted and jumped backwards. Unfortunately your foot got caught on the root of the tree and you tripped, falling on your rear and hurting your ankle.

"Skree! Skree!" The Spinarak screeched furiously as it lowered itself closer to you. You tried to get away from the encroaching Pokemon, kicking at the roots and scooting backwards.

"I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" You panicked, "G-Go away! Don't come any closer! Help!"

"Wimpod, sand attack!"

A cloud of dirt and debris went sailing over your head and hit Spinarak, blinding it and causing it to retreat back up the tree slightly. Suddenly a small Pokemon, Wimpod you assumed, scurried up next to you. You glanced over your shoulder; a boy slightly older than yourself was standing a ways away from you next to the road. He jogged up to you and crouched down to pet his Wimpod, "Good job, Wimpod!" He praised. Wimpod made a strange clicking noise in delight.

The boy with unruly white hair stood up and offered you a hand. "You okay?"

You hesitated, still shell-shocked at the sudden turn of events. "I...Yeah, I think so. Thanks to you." You took his hand and he helped you up. A sharp surge of pain in your ankle quickly sent you sinking to your knees again. You hissed and grabbed at your leg. The Wimpod scuttled behind it's trainer, startled at your sudden reaction.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" The boy asked. He knelt down and looked at your ankle. "Looks swollen. You must've sprained it when you fell. Oh, I know!"

You watched as the boy took out an Ultra Ball and threw it at the Spinarak. "Skrr?" The Pokemon went inside the ball and you watched it vibrate for a half minute before stilling.

"Yes!" He picked up the Ultra Ball with a wide grin on his face. "I can use this Spinarak to help you!"

"What?!"

"Come on out, Spinarak!" He released your aforementioned enemy from the ball.

Spinarak blinked as it took in it's surroundings. The Pokemon looked up at you and clicked it's mandibles at you, still unhappy at the way you disturbed it. You couldn't help but lean away. The boy crouched down on his haunches and gently rubbed Spinarak's head, careful to avoid the poisonous horn on it's head. Spinarak closed it's eyes and made a noise you likened to that of a purr.

"Spinarak, could you give me some of your string shot?" The boy asked his newly acquired Pokemon. Spinarak whirred happily and spun some webbing from it's mouth. Wimpod had slowly emerged from hiding behind it's trainer to converse with Spinarak, the two Bug Pokemon clicking and creening and purring up a storm. The boy then reached up and scraped off some wide pieces of bark from the tree and flanked your injured ankle with them, wrapping the string shot around your ankle like a sensi wrap bandage.

"There! That should do it. How does your ankle feel?" He asked you, helping you to your feet again. You applied pressure gingerly and was shocked at how little it hurt this time.

"It feels worlds better! Thank you!" You smiled at him, "How did you think to do that, using a Spinarak's string shot as a bandage?"

"You learn all kinds of things at the Trainer's School!" He said with a wide smile. You noticed the band-aid on his cheek and the numerous scrapes covering his arms and legs. Wimpod scuttled up his leg and into his arms, clicking at you happily. The boy offered a hand to you, "The name's Guzma! And this is my partner, Wimpod!"

A small smile crept on your face as you shook his hand and introduced yourself. "I'm visiting Alola with my family, we're from the Johto region. Speaking of," You took in your surroundings and frowned, "Could you maybe show me the way back to Hau'oli City? My mom and uncle must be looking for me."

"Sure! It's this way, past the Trainer's School." Guzma returned his new Spinarak to it's ball and led the way back up the road, carrying his Wimpod in his arms and you following slowly beside him.

"So, you're a trainer?" You asked, trying to drum up a conversation.

"Yup!" Guzma chirped. He stroked the top of Wimpod's exoskeleton gently with two fingers, following the triangle marks down it's body. Wimpod made a purring sound again in contentment. "I'm attending the Trainer's School so I can become a trainer and take on the island challenge. I'm gonna be the strongest trainer to ever pass the challenge! I'm gonna be a captain myself one day!" The more he told you the more his cool grey eyes lit up with excitement.

You couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm, "Wow, that sounds really cool! It's nice to have dreams and goals. All I have to look forward to is taking over the family ranch like everyone else in my family. My family's been ranchers for generations."

It took no time at all for the two of you to reach the Trainer School, where you saw your mother and Uncle Blake talking with a woman at the gate. Uncle Blake saw you first, "There she is! Where'd ya go kiddo? You had us worried!"

You ducked your head in embarrassment, your face heating up, "I'm sorry...there was this cool Pokemon and I was following it but then I ran into a Spinarak instead!"

"A Spinarak! Are you okay? Did it hurt you?" Your mother fretted.

"No, it didn't hurt me. I tripped and hurt my ankle, but my new friend and his Pokemon helped me!" You said, gesturing to Guzma.

"I was wondering where you had run off to." The teacher said to Guzma with a stern glare. Guzma smiled sheepishly. "You're supposed to be getting ready for your final exams and the island challenge!"

"I am, Miss Emily! I even caught a new Pokemon!" Guzma beamed. He spotted someone in the school yard and took off, "Hey Kukui! Check out the Pokemon I just caught!"

Emily sighed, "That boy is a strong trainer, but he's awfully headstrong."

Uncle Blake placed a hand on your shoulder, "Why don't we go check into the motel and get settled in for the night? It was nice to meet you, Miss Emily. Thank you for all the information!"

"Yes, and please thank that young boy for us, too!" Your mother said and shook the teacher hand.

"I will. Alola, and have a safe journey!"

Throughout the rest of your vacation you never did see Guzma again. You couldn't help but think about how well he handled that Spinarak. He showed no fear when he caught it and interacted with it. You felt disappointed and embarrassed with yourself; there were plenty of Spinarak in Johto and back home on the ranch, you were ashamed with how scared you were back then. Guzma was bold, fearless, and brash. You felt you were meek, mild, and plain in comparison. You were good with the Miltank and Mareep and your uncle was teaching you how to handle the Tauros, but when it came to Pokemon outside the ranch you were a lost cause. Uncle Blake had filled you in on what the island challenge was and how the people of Alola coexisted with Pokemon, even more so than you and your family did on the ranch. You had always just accepted that you would be a rancher when you got older, since the Johto League was out of the question, but now you were beginning to wonder what being a Pokemon Trainer was really all about.

You sat in the loft in the barn, an egg nestled into the hay next to you. You rolled over onto your side and traced lazy designs onto the eggs' shell with your finger. Below, your uncle was milking the last of the Miltank and preparing tomorrow's shipment. Did you really want to be a rancher for the rest of your life? Certainly there was so much more out there as long as you had Pokemon by your side! Even though you knew you would never be capable of challenging the League you couldn't help but wonder about the Alola island challenge.

You stared out the window at the darkening sky. Light grey rain clouds were gathering thick overhead and their color reminded you of Guzma. How was Guzma doing? Was he challenging the trials right now? Did he maybe already beat the island challenge? You wanted to be strong, like him!

You sat up quickly, picking out stray strands of straw from your hair. You grabbed the egg and slowly made your way down the ladder to join your uncle. A couple of Ponyta whinnied and hoofed the ground.