"Lo! Lo! Pann...!"
As her frustration continued to build after a string of ineffective spin kicks, Laani tried to change things up by balling her hands into fists and tucking them close to her chest. As she did, the compact, vanilla-hued fur around her arms and legs glowed with a mist-producing, fiery-orange light before she accelerated forward using Mach Punch.
FUWAH
After deflecting Laani's punch to the side with the back of his left forearm, Luca struck forward with his right palm, producing a pulse of bluish-white energy from her back. The force of the blow forced Laani to exhale and expel spittle against her will, and in the very next moment, her body was sent flying backward as if she had been launched from a cannon.
Flipping over and sliding to a stop after being sent flying several meters, the vanilla-hued fur above Laani's brows, which formed a distinctive bow shape after her Mega Evolution, began to hum with the same orange light that empowered her Mach Punch. At the same time, Korrina's brows shot up as her Z-Ring, fastened around her left wrist, began to vibrate and emit a similar glow.
"Oh? I really shouldn't interfere, but this is a great opportunity to show everyone what we've learned in Alola!" exclaimed Korrina, her expression matching Laani's as the two simultaneously raised their left legs nearly to the sky before slamming them down like a pair of perfectly in-sync sumo wrestlers. Luca could have easily interrupted them using Extreme Speed, but as he was intrigued to see how much Korrina had grown in their time apart, he held his ground, his eyes blazing ghostly blue with his activation of Detect.
"Go forth, Laani! Show Luca what you're made of! All...Out...Pummeling...!" shouted Korrina, crossing her arms at their wrists before throwing a series of punches that Laani mirrored. Doing so caused her body to become fully enveloped in a fiery-orange haze identical to Fighting-type energy. Then, as both she and Laani reared back their right fists, the energy transferred to the latter, enveloping her in a bonfire-like haze before she executed a series of blindingly swift, after-image-producing punches and kicks that sent projectiles of explosive, highly condensed energy flying toward Luca like a bombardment.
Though his eyes briefly widened, Luca reacted almost instinctively by erecting a thin wall of hazy white energy in the form of a glass pane. This was the Normal-type Pokémon Power, Protect. But while it was generally able to guard against any targeted move, the power of All-Out Pummeling was beyond convention. He was able to reduce the damage he sustained significantly, but as he was weak to Fighting-type attacks, the explosive energy unleashed by Laani's bombardment radiated through his body as waves of paralyzing pain.
"Lo...lopunn..." panted Laani, sporting a satisfied expression even as her legs and body trembled from exertion. Korrina was similarly covered in a fresh layer of sweat, but after wiping her brow with the back of her right forearm, she beamed proudly and questioned, "Well, how about it, Luca? Do you think this power might be useful in our coming battles?"
'Without a doubt...' responded Luca, his fur matted but his expression full of determination as he stood tall and defiant despite the damage he had sustained.
Seeing Luca largely unaffected by her attack, Laani's brows creased in frustration. Then, as the combined strain of Mega Evolution and using a Z-Move was much too great for her to endure, she promptly collapsed onto her butt in a wariza-style posture, her head tilting back due to the weight of her ears and to open her airway. From there, steam rose from her fur as a pale orange haze, followed by her appearance retrogressing to her pre-Mega Evolved form.
"That was an awesome performance, Laani. I'll be sure to reward you with something extra special later. For now, return and enjoy a much-deserved rest," expressed Korrina, producing Laani's custom Poké Ball and returning the exhausted Pokémon to its confines.
"That was incredible...!"
"Too cool...!"
"Awesome...!"
With the battle concluded, Korrina was immediately swarmed by her Gym Trainers, their eyes blazing with intrigue as they began assailing her with questions related to Z-Moves. Meanwhile, Jason hung back with Ren and Korrina's grandfather, prompting the elderly man to unexpectedly remark, "I wasn't sure you would be a good influence on my granddaughter, but I can see a flame of passion burning within her that wasn't there previously. I am relieved..."
"She is truly an extraordinary woman..." Jason muttered, his gaze fixed on Korrina in the distance. Her presence and near-perpetual smile were like the sun, providing light and warmth to all who orbited around her. Even at that moment, he didn't feel deserving of her or any of the amazing women who had given him their trust. But until they chased him away, he couldn't help but allow their warmth to flow over and provide comfort to his weary soul...
"Jason...?"
Noticing Jason's awe-induced forlornness, Ren bent over his head and gazed down at him. At the same time, Gurkinn, who had been peering at him from beneath his bushy brows, adopted a faint smile before clapping his lower back with a surprisingly firm hand.
"What are you standing here for? You should have been the first to go to her," asserted Gurkinn, his voice suffused with humor. The slap caused Jason's jaw to clench and air to be drawn in through his teeth, but instead of protesting, he nodded in acknowledgment and approached the group swarming Korrina. As he did, the latter's gaze naturally shifted to him, her shimmering eyes and broadening smile causing the Trainers encircling her to glance back before parting to make way for his passage.
"Are you hungry?" Jason asked, leaving the surrounding Trainers confused as they hadn't expected him to ask something so...mundane.
"I'm starving," Korrina responded, emphasizing the word and exhaling a low chuckle as she linked her fingers through Jason's hand and departed with him toward the entrance. She felt a little guilty about leaving her Gym Trainers hanging. But as she and Jason wouldn't have many opportunities to see each other after his return to Alola and the commencement of his journey as a Pokémon Trainer, she wanted to enjoy what remained of their time together...
...
..
.
With Luca and Laani needing to recover from their battle, Jason and Korrina spent the rest of the morning in her room, alternating between exercise, sparring, and discussing strategy. Ren and Rotom were also present, but as the former had been out and about training the previous night, she ended up curling up and napping on the spot where Jason had slept.
"I understand that you're a Type-Trainer, but isn't your roster a little too unbalanced...?" asked Jason, sitting next to Korrina at a PC and perusing her WCS registration and records. Alongside Luca, her roster consisted of two Pokémon from previous WCS attempts—a Hawlucha and a Machamp. Her newer Pokémon included Laani, Scrafty, and Mienfoo, but they were mostly participating to gain experience.
"I mean, it's not like I'm trying to win the whole event," contended Korrina. "My personal goals for this year's conference are to defeat Bea, Maylene, and Mikan to secure my spot as the undisputed top female Fighting-type Trainer. My secondary goals are to familiarize Laani, Scrafty, and Mienfoo with Mega Evolution and Dynamaxing. That way, come next conference, I will have more options and far greater coverage."
"Dynamaxing..." muttered Jason, tilting his head back and staring up at the ceiling as he imagined a thirty-meter-tall Laani towering over him in the buff.
"..."
Interrupting Jason's self-imposed stupor, Korrina conceded, "Honestly, my ideal roster would include a Blaziken, a Chesnaught, and a Kommo-o for maximum coverage. But the first two would require at least a year or two to train from their base evolutions. As for the latter, Dragon-types are pretty much impossible to train unless you hatch and raise them from an egg. And I've never met or heard of anyone distributing them."
"Right...I keep forgetting that this is the real world and not a game where you can simply catch any Pokémon and they obey you without question..." Jason muttered thoughtfully. He was actually extremely fortunate that his first Pokémon was a Riolu. Most unsponsored Trainers started with readily available, exceedingly common Pokémon they raised as pets. Few had the good fortune to be awarded a proper starter, and without the backing of a lab, even fewer had the means of caring for multiple Pokémon long-term...
"Since we're on the subject, what Pokémon are you hoping to catch in the future?" asked Korrina, her eyes glistening with excitement as she gazed expectantly at Jason's face. She recalled him mentioning that his favorite Pokémon were Dark-types, but she personally felt he was better suited to training Water, Steel, and Dragon-types.
"That's the million-dollar question, isn't it...?" asked Jason, shaking his head and exhaling in faint exasperation through his nose. Then, before Korrina could press him further, he met her gaze and revealed, "Honestly, after the time I've spent with Ren, Audino, and the other Pokémon back at the beach, I've given up on thinking in terms of 'what I want' or 'what will be most useful to me.'"
Looking past Korrina to where Ren had stirred at the mention of her name, Jason's expression softened as he explained, "Ideally, I'd like one or two Pokémon that can take the pressure off her and cover a variety of typings. But, to be perfectly honest, I will be thankful for and give my best to train any Pokémon I acquire. That's the least I can do—especially when I think about how fortunate I am to even be in this position..."
[The Ivory Star That Amasses Plates awards you 1,000AP and affirms that your mentality is the proper one.]
Though he appreciated the AP, Jason couldn't help furrowing his brows at the unexpected message. Fortunately, Korrina interpreted this as having something to do with Ren, who, at that moment, was stretching like a cat with her forepaws extended, her chest flat against the bed's surface, and her butt sticking in the air.
"Oh, that's a biiiig stretch~" Korrina hummed, beaming radiantly as Ren fixed her posture, looked over, and asked, "Korrina battle time...?" before opening her mouth wide for a protracted yawn.
"Hmmn...three hours should be plenty of time for Luca and Laani to have made a full recovery..." Korrina noted, her eyes briefly flickering to a Luca-themed, wall-mounted clock before she turned to Jason, implicitly leaving it to him to decide if they should head out.
"I need to ensure Ren uses the potty first. After that, we can either leave together or meet up at the pier. How about it...?" Jason posed, prompting Korrina's smile to gain an undertone of mirth as she pumped her fists and affirmed, "Right! Let's do this~!" in a chipper, bubbly tone.
Though he was tempted to point out that she hadn't actually answered his question, Jason shared a fleeting kiss with Korrina before getting up from the chair they had been sharing and making his way over to Ren. As he approached, the latter's tail began to wag, her arms rising habitually as he picked her up to ferry her to the bathroom. She was perfectly capable of using the bathroom on her own, but she still had trouble taking off and putting her clothes back on. Her stubby, claw-tipped fingers weren't the most dexterous, but that should be resolved by the time she evolves to a Lucario.
After following Jason's departure with her eyes, Korrina waited for several seconds before pulling out her white, red-trimmed Rotom phone. She was behind on matches compared to prior WCS seasons, so before getting up to leave, she switched her status to accepting matches. The moment she did, three opponents were immediately assigned to her, the match format being single-round, single-elimination.
"Alright, Korrina...let's show Jason and Ren what you and your Pokémon are made of..." Korrina muttered to herself, her voice hushed but her blue eyes full of determination. Her desire to win was stronger than ever, and since she knew Jason and Ren would be paying close attention to each of her matches, she felt pressured to meet and exceed their expectations so they could comfortably focus on improving themselves...
...
..
.