Chapter 170

"What the heck? I was wondering what that sound was. What are you guys doing...?"

Reacting to the unfamiliar voice, Jason switched off the hair dryer he was using to dry and style Gwynn's hair and looked over to find three students—two boys and a girl—approaching.

"Oh, hey, Tom, Kaialu. Were you the group who chased all the Pokémon here away...?" Jake asked, recognizing the two boys, as one belonged to his class and the other frequently hung out with the larger group of boys after school.

"Yeah. We passed through here around an hour ago. More importantly, do you guys know what the Aether Foundation is doing like five minutes from here...?" asked Tom, a short but athletic boy with effeminate features and pale brown hair that swooped like a wave atop his head, complete with an ahoge-esque cowlick. His partner was an Alolan Geodude, riding atop his backpack and flexing behind him like an extra pair of arms.

"They even brought a military transport—though it was painted white and gold with the Aether Foundation's logo pasted on the side," added Kaialu, a tall, open-shirted boy with the darkened complexion of an Alolan native, spiky, blue-black hair with an aqua-blue streak, and muted blue eyes that seemed to glisten in the low light produced by the jungle's canopy. As for his partner, it was a Squirtle with a patterned orange scarf around its neck and a tribal-esque pattern tattooed on its shell.

"Oh, that's because..." Jake started, glancing back at Jason over his right shoulder.

"I called them over in response to a Diglett colony we discovered," Jason explained flatly.

"Ah...that makes sense..." Tom remarked, eyeing Jason up before turning his attention to Gwynn and asking, "Why are you in your underwear? Or is that a swimsuit...?"

"And why is Jason drying your hair? Since when were the two of you so close...?" asked the third member of the group, a girl who had a tomboyish appearance: short, red-brown hair, aquamarine eyes, and a slender, very athletic build. She was dressed in athletic wear, including an orange-and-black jersey that left her shoulders exposed. Her skin was dark, but she had a conspicuous tan line that showed her natural complexion was much lighter.

"..."

Instead of responding to the girl, whom Jason was fairly certain was a Johto native named Tenka, Gwynn closed her eyes and faced forward, away from the group. This caused Tenka to frown, but as she was used to Gwynn ignoring her and pretty much everyone else, she directed her gaze to Jason and asked, "Just how many girlfriends do you have at this point?"

"Seriously..." Tom sighed aloud, crossing his arms and shaking his head in apparent disapproval.

"Gwynn and I aren't boyfriend and girlfriend," Jason corrected, holding up the hair dryer as he explained, "I just happen to have passable skills as a stylist, so I offered to dry and style her hair after she gathered totems for our group..."

"Oh? You managed to find the totems at the bottom of the pond, even though we chased away the Dewpider guarding it...?" Kaialu asked, his brows rising in surprise.

"That would explain why the totem was a Dewpider..." Jason remarked, nodding.

"How many totems has your group collected...?" Jake asked, taking the initiative to reveal, "We're up to two."

"We would be up to five, if not for a certain someone..." Tom answered, simultaneously giving Kaialu a stink-eye.

"It is what it is~" Kaialu hummed, giving Tom a wink that, notably, caused the latter to develop a slight blush.

'Well, that's conspicuous...' Jason noted. Since same-sex relationships were common in the Pokémon world, though, he didn't think about it too deeply. Instead, he raised his brows as Tenka boldly walked up to him, fearlessly invading his personal space as she asked, "So, you're good at styling hair, are you...?" while brushing back the bangs framing the right side of her face.

'And to think, I used to envy people who were popular with women...' Jason thought to himself, outwardly forcing a smile and nodding as he answered, "That's right..." in a trailing tone. Then, beating Tenka to the punch, he asked her, "Do you want me to style yours next?"

"I mean, if you're offering~" Tenka hummed, perking up and hitting Jason with an impactful, ear-to-ear smile.

"Tenka? Weren't we supposed to be heading over to the lodge? I don't plan to stand around here for however long it takes for you to have your hair done..." Tom remarked, looking annoyed.

"Then I'll just accompany Jason's group back," Tenka countered, giving Tom a shooing gesture as she teased, "You can thank me later~" with an impish grin.

"You—!"

Flaring up and blushing fiercely in response to Tenka's teasing, Tom struck a battle-ready pose that caused his Geodude to float from his shoulders and position itself in front of him. At the same time, a sudden sound of leaves rustling filled the clearing as a Mankey leaped down in front of Tenka, its spiky beige fur standing on end and its eyes fixed in a fierce glower.

"Sheesh...talk about being ungrateful. And here I was, trying to be considerate..." Tenka sighed, adjusting her hair with a notably battle-hungry smile blossoming across her face. She was clearly baiting Tom, and it was working.

"Hey, now...let's all take a step back..." Kaialu said, all but confirming that he and Tom had a closer-than-friends relationship as he placed his hands on the latter's shoulders and began massaging them. This didn't stop Tom and Tenka from glaring at one another like destined rivals, but it palpably eased the tension building in the air.

"These three go way back..." Jake whispered to Jason, noticing his raised brows and equal-parts intrigued/confused look.

"I can see that..." Jason responded, followed by Gwynn abruptly tugging on the fabric of his undershirt. When he looked back and down at her, he found her staring up at him with a slight but clearly annoyed look, forcing a cramped smile to his face. He would also feel moderately annoyed if the person who was cutting or styling his hair stopped halfway to divert their attention elsewhere. So after a moment of consideration, he shattered the remaining tension in the air by turning on the hair dryer, filling the clearing with a loud, whirring hum...

*vwoooooooooooo*

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With Tom and Kaialu sticking around until after Jason was finished with Tenka's hair, the two groups decided to temporarily merge and head to the lodge as one. By that point, there was only around an hour left before noon. And since their group got a comparably late start, there weren't as many obvious opportunities for Jason, Jake, and Gwynn to discover and collect totems without others sharing their location.

"Wait..." Jason muttered, raising his clenched right hand to prompt the rest of the group to stop. Tenka had been keeping tabs on Gwynn in an attempt to press her for information about their morning, so he and Ren were at the front of the group after Tom made the argument that it didn't make sense for a Lucario, known for their sensory capabilities, to take up the rear.

"Jason? What's up...?" Jake asked, more confused than concerned. At the very least, he kept his voice lowered.

"..."

As his halting stemmed from a sudden increase in Ren's anxiety levels, transmitted to him through their Empathic Link, Jason didn't immediately respond to Jake's question.

'This feels familiar...' Jason noticed, his own anxiety increasing as a faint but intensifying smell of ozone pervaded his nose and spread through his olfactory senses like an expanding gas. He and Ren had experienced the same phenomenon at least twice before that, so they were the only ones not surprised when bands of electricity abruptly arced across the ground and through the trees, illuminating the area with a golden glow that made everyone's hair and fur stand on end.

"It's Electric Terrain! Everyone, spread out and prepare yourselves...!" Kaialu shouted, making a sweeping gesture with his right hand before he, Tom, and Jake scattered in three directions, their partner Pokémon taking up battle-ready stances in front of them.

'I might need to evaluate my impression of my fellow students...' Jason noted, glancing back over his shoulder at the battle formation everyone, even Gwynn, had naturally fallen into. He had a habit of viewing most of the Pokémon School's students as kids. But his experiences throughout the day had demonstrated that even Jake took his studies seriously and possessed actionable knowledge...

*KA-KROW*

Accompanied by a blinding flash of light and a deafening shockwave, a familiar yellow, orange, and black-bodied figure with avian features and a very prominent head crest appeared a few meters from Jason's and Ren's position.

"No way..."

"Incredible..."

"You have got to be kidding me..."

As Jake, Kaialu, and Tom completed their utterances behind them, Jason, prompting Ren to do the same, took a knee, brought his hand to his chest, and bowed respectfully before the clearly displeased Island Guardian. He wasn't lashing out, but Jason could feel from the very depths of his being that Tapu Koko wasn't pleased...

'Tell us...why did you forsake the task we entrusted to you...?' Tapu Koko questioned, leaving Jason at a momentary loss and making it clear to the rest of the group that the fabled Legendary was there for him and Ren, in particular.

Understanding that he wasn't in a position to ask if they could move their discussion elsewhere, Jason answered, "The one you entrusted to me...I and others determined they would be safer in the care of Trainers with far greater experience. And if they had remained here..."

Raising his gaze, Jason summoned every ounce of courage and will he possessed to state, "Everyone and everything I cared about would have been jeopardized by their presence..."

'...'

Seeing the conviction in Jason's gaze, as if he were prepared to defend his position, even if it meant going against his will, Tapu Koko experienced a bout of thoughtfulness. Before the Zinopup had been relocated, Iris and Melemele's Kahuna had both approached him to explain the decision. But since it was a matter he had entrusted to Jason, he was obligated to hold the latter accountable...

'Come forth...show us the strength of your convictions...' Tapu Koko said, making a raising gesture with his beak-like right hand that caused a band of golden electricity nearly as thick as Jason's wrist to travel within a few centimeters of his shoulder. At the same time, his form grew significantly, increasing from around two meters to well over five...

'This is absurd...' Jason thought, aware that Tapu Koko was able to read his thoughts but unable to prevent himself from feeling indignant at the sudden turn of events.

"Nalu! Bubble Beam...!"

"Rocky! Rock Throw...!"

"Sammy! Watergun...!"

Reminding Jason that he wasn't alone, Tom, Kaialu, and Jake, reacting to Tapu Koko splitting their formation, called out moves without an ounce of hesitation. Kaialu and Jake should have been concerned about facing off against one of the most powerful Electric-types with Water-type partners, but the former looked excited. And while the latter was noticeably less so, his expression was resolute.

*BOOM*

Pulling his shield-like arms together, Tapu Koko protected itself instead of attempting to evade the trio of attacks. More telling, rather than releasing a far more powerful attack, it countered by releasing what appeared to be an ordinary Thunder Shock—directed at Tenka's partner, Ashka. The latter had swung through the trees and attempted to pounce on Tapu Koko from his left flank. But instead of punishing his indiscretion, Tapu Koko sent him flying back to Tenka...

"Ren will fight...!" Ren shouted, snapping Jason out of his calculating reverie as she charged forward and slammed fist-first into Tapu Koko's raised shield arm, using Quick Attack into Steel Claw.

Realizing two things—that Tapu Koko was testing them and that he didn't have a say in the matter—Jason rose to his feet and exclaimed, "Ren, he's weak to Ground-type moves! Use Bulldoze...!"

"Right...!"

Leaping back, Ren retracted her elbows to her sides, her forearms and paws glowing with yellow-gold energy. Because she could fully gather the energy she needed for the attack, however, Tapu Koko moved like a thunderclap, his form literally disappearing from view before he popped up next to Ren and mercilessly backhanded her through multiple trees with his oversized shield arm.

"Ren...!" Jason shouted, his vision darkening at the edges as Tapu Koko, towering over him, looked down and declared, 'This is not a Trial for you and your partner. This is judgment...' with all the compassion of an axe to an extended neck...

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