Alex was about to be pulled off the boat as the Pokémon on the other end of his fishing line took flight. It was one thing to resist being pulled into the water while his feet were on solid ground, where his immense strength could be fully used, but it was another matter entirely to keep himself from being carried off along with it.
He slammed his foot against the deck railing and began cranking the reel again. He struggled to stay grounded but was making steady progress.
"Why are you still reeling?" Marlo exclaimed. "Quickly, throw out your Pokémon and catch it!"
Alex realized he was being an idiot. He should have sent out his Pokémon the moment the line went taut. He did as instructed, releasing the Crobat couple, who immediately darted toward the catch.
They used Quick Attack to close the distance, cut off its escape with Mean Look, and then put it to sleep with Hypnosis. Grabbing hold of the Pokémon, they flew back, allowing Alex to reel in the line without further resistance.
When they returned, they dropped a sleeping blue Pokémon about a meter long into his arms. It was a chubby creature that resembled a stingray or a kite, and its strength was already at the Elite rank.
"Nice catch!" Marlo commended. "An Elite ranked Mantyke. They're pretty rare, since they usually travel in schools with Mantine that regularly search for Remoraid to help them evolve. When they get separated from their school, they have a hard time evolving on their own. This one was lucky to have survived on its own long enough to reach Elite rank. It must have a cautious or cowardly personality."
"Was this the Pokémon you were trying to catch?" Alex asked, carefully removing the lure from the Mantyke's stomach. "You can have it if you want."
"No, I was trying to lure a Wailmer. I wanted to get a Wailord as a more comfortable ride out at sea that would allow us to camp on the water. They're pretty common around these parts, or so I've heard. I've been trying to fish for one ever since we got here."
Alex looked down at the adorable, sleeping Mantyke in his arms and considered whether to release it or sell it. On second thought, didn't he need a new flying mount?
He needed one that had high defenses, was large enough to stand on, and could easily carry a Titan's armor while flying. A Mantine would certainly check all the boxes.
It had the highest Special Defense of any Flying type Pokémon, could maintain sustained flight and dive underwater, and was already quite large without being a Titan. It would become even more impressive as it grew and could slip into armor with ease due to its lack of joints.
"Alright," Alex said with a smile. "I'll keep it then."
He took out a Poké Ball and captured the sleeping Pokémon. The ball swayed a few times in resistance, but with a click, it locked the Pokémon inside. Now all he had to do was evolve it, have Rhea design armor for it, and train it with a focus on speed and defense.
Briefly, he imagined a Mantine ten to twenty times its normal size, clad in black Titan armor, dominating the sky. His Pokémon would stand atop its broad back, trading blows in a chaotic aerial battle as attacks came from every direction.
The armor would absorb the brunt of the damage, while Alcremie's Aroma Veil blocked Psychic Noise and Gardevoir sustained it with Heal Pulse. From above, it functioned like a flying tank, weathering punishment as it rained attacks down on the battlefield below.
As far as he was concerned, it was an inspiring sight.
"Deciding to keep it?" Marlo asked. "You have this childish smile on your face."
"Yeah," Alex said, reining in the glorious image in his mind.
He took his seat, refilled the meat in his lure, and cast his line out again.
"What do you have planned after this?" Alex asked. "The other groups are going to the Trainer Tower with my daughter, while some of my girls are planning to tour the Sevii Islands."
"We'll be heading back to Alola, I suppose. We've already seen everything there is to see in the Sevii Islands, so now it's time to head back."
"Need a lift? I can take you back to your city in Alola within a day."
"Nah, the return trip is still part of the journey."
"How about coming with us then? We're planning to visit the islands one day at a time until we reach One Island and make the return trip. You won't have to worry about finding a place to sleep."
"That doesn't sound too bad. I'd hate to impose though."
"You taught me how to fish. I'd say we're even."
"I'll check with the wife and let you know."
The pair continued fishing until after everyone had finished breakfast and started planning their day. Serena and the teenage girls' group were heading to the Trainer Tower with Alvera, Lyra, and Mika, while Vera and the rest of the girls planned to go shopping on Seven Island.
Marlo and his family, with Leilani's blessing, decided to accept Alex's offer and also offered to act as their tour guides throughout the trip. They had spent a long time on each of the islands, so they knew all the interesting places to visit.
Alex had personally wanted to visit Sevault Canyon and the Tanoby Ruins, but he was told they were off-limits to tourists. Sevault Canyon was considered a protected reserve to ensure that land Pokémon still thrived on the Sevii Islands. The only trainers allowed were locals, who could catch Pokémon, and the Rangers, who maintained the habitat. The ruins, on the other hand, were restricted even to Champion ranked trainers to preserve their condition.
The Unown that inhabited the ruins were reportedly quite vicious, attacking anything in sight far more aggressively than the average Pokémon. As a result, any battle there could easily damage the ruins, and both the Sevii Island government and the League wanted to prevent that, so public access was strictly limited.
This left Alex to choose between shopping and watching his daughter's battles in the Trainer Tower, and as a battle maniac, his choice was obvious. He did, however, have to promise Vera and the girls that he would join them on the next shopping trip. He hoped it wouldn't be as tedious, since they would have already finished most of their shopping here.
With the plan set, Marlo and his wife went with Vera and the girls to act as their tour guides, while Alex, the two groups, Alvera and her new friends, along with Lyra and Mika, made their way to the Trainer Tower.
At the tower, Alex parted ways with the others while staying close to Alvera as her guardian. She wasn't technically a trainer, after all, so he needed to be present to allow her to compete in the tower.
The Trainer Tower was essentially a streamlined battle arena where trainers could face off against others of the same rank for a modest attempt fee. Trainers who completed all eight floors within a given category were awarded prizes.
There were four battle categories. Single battles were one-on-one matches with a two-Pokémon limit per floor. Double battles involved two-on-two matches, with a one-Pokémon limit per trainer. Knockout battles were one-on-one, but each floor featured three consecutive opponents. Mixed battles combined elements from the other categories, creating a randomized challenge.
"Which category do you want?" Alex asked Alvera.
"Hm… are you going to fight with me, Dad?" she asked after thinking for a long time.
"No. All of my Pokémon are too strong, so we wouldn't be in the same rank."
"Hm… I think I'll just do Singles, then," she finally decided.
Alex registered at the reception, paid for an attempt, and escorted Alvera and the twins up to the first floor, where multiple numbered dirt arenas had been set up. They went to their assigned arena and saw a young man on the other side, already waiting for the battle to begin.
"Finally!" he exclaimed. "I've been waiting here for a long time. Are you my opponent?"
"No, my daughter will be," Alex replied.
"A kid? Are you serious? Ugh, hopefully there's already someone waiting on the second floor. I don't want to have to wait any longer for the next battle."
"Trainers ready," an electronic voice announced.
The young man confidently released his first Pokémon, a Pidgeot, while Alvera sent out Boltund. The moment her opponent realized it was an Electric type, his face went pale. There was absolutely no chance of winning here.
"Fuck!" he shouted.
"Battle… begin!" the electronic voice continued.
"Thunderbolt!" Alvera called confidently.
"Feather Dance!" he ordered.
Before Pidgeot could even launch a single feather, it was struck by a bolt of lightning, taking severe damage. It struggled but managed to scatter a cloud of feathers that clung to Boltund, sticking tightly and slowing her movements. Fortunately, she didn't need to move; a second Thunderbolt struck, knocking out Pidgeot entirely.
The young man sighed in dismay before sending out his second Pokémon, a Fearow. The same strategy worked again, with Boltund enduring two Drill Runs before finishing the fight with a Thunderbolt.
"Winner, Alvera Wattson. You may proceed to the next floor, where you will fight in Arena 2B7," the robotic referee announced.
"Yay! Good job, Boltund," Alvera cheered as she applied a potion to heal Boltund's injuries.
"Don't get overconfident," Alex warned. "You were lucky."
"Don't worry, Dad. I know," she replied.
And she really had just been lucky, as her next opponent, who used Fire type Pokémon, completely outclassed her in strategy.
After she lost, they returned to the ground floor and tried again and again. By the end of the day, she had only managed to reach the 3rd floor, much to her disappointment.
Alex, however, was proud of her progress. She was finally gaining solid combat experience as a trainer, and he hoped she would continue to grow stronger from here on out.
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