First Pokémon Battle

"Then let's have a Pokémon battle!"

Although Cyclizar didn't remember any moves, Xingye was still very confident about this. As long as he believed his Pokémon could do it, that was enough!

"Cyclizar?"

Hearing his call, Cyclizar stopped chasing and playing around, then happily pounced over and bit down on his head. That was probably its way of showing how much it liked him...

Xingye struggled free and looked at Hala. "So who am I battling?"

"Hmm... I originally wanted my grandson to do it. He's your age and a fourth-year student at Pokémon School, so it should have made for a good match between you two. But it's the weekend, and he went out with his classmates, so he isn't home... Therefore, I've decided!"

"Huh?"

"I'll be your opponent! If you defeat me, I'll acknowledge your strength!"

"???"

Xingye was immediately dumbfounded. He thought he had misheard something, but apparently not. He was going to battle the island kahuna? Wait, wasn't the island kahuna the strongest Trainer on this island?!

Seeing his confusion, Hala laughed and said, "But don't worry. Since you're a beginner, I won't use my full strength against you!"

"That isn't the problem!"

Even if the island kahuna went easy on him, he was still the island kahuna! But there was no helping it. This was a necessary battle, so he would treat it as a beginner's tutorial!

Hala led them to the festival stage in the center of town. Looking at the white patterns all around it, Xingye felt that this seemed to be a stage for worshipping Melemele Island's guardian deity, Tapu Koko.

Slowking did not follow them. It seemed to have something else to do and left instead. In any case, there was no need to worry about someone running away...

"We'll battle here. Are you ready?"

"I'm ready!"

Xingye looked at Cyclizar in front of him, its tail swaying back and forth. Though he was still a little nervous, he was already calculating how to make use of his Pokémon's various strengths in battle without relying on moves.

"Don't mess around. Listen to my commands later!"

"Cyclizar~"

With everything ready, Hala's expression instantly turned serious. He threw out a Poké Ball, and a Crabrawler appeared on the stage, waving its arrogant fists as it began Taunting Cyclizar in front of it.

"Coincidence? Or fate?"

Xingye had not expected it to be another Crabrawler. He had just sent one flying the night before last, and now another had appeared. Still, at least he had some experience.

"Go!"

"Cyclizar!"

Cyclizar launched forward like a bullet, accelerating in an instant as it charged ahead headfirst. But at that moment, Hala's eyes suddenly widened as though he had noticed something. He then waved his hand and shouted, "Dodge to the right, then attack with Power-Up Punch!"

Hearing the command, Xingye immediately shouted, "Keep that speed and swing your tail!"

Normally, it would be difficult for an ordinary Pokémon to react like that. But yesterday, Cyclizar had made an instant turn at full speed without deviating even slightly. Maybe it could do it!

And Cyclizar truly responded. Just as Crabrawler sidestepped to dodge, it suddenly made a full 180-degree turn and whipped its tail into the opponent's face, sending it flying more than ten meters into a huge boulder...

The battle ended in an instant. Crabrawler had been one-shot by Cyclizar's tail whip. It was a complete gap in raw strength. This silly-looking big lizard seemed to be far from simple.

"I won~"

Xingye flashed a V sign. He had been able to one-shot a Crabrawler before, so naturally he could do it now too—unless Hala brought out a Crabominable.

But since this was his first battle against another Trainer, having it end so easily left him feeling somewhat unsatisfied.

As Cyclizar ran back after defeating its opponent, Xingye could not help but wonder just how strong it had been before losing its memory.

If he got the chance, he had to help it recover its memories.

After recalling Crabrawler, Hala walked over with a hearty laugh. "I misjudged you. I never expected this Cyclizar to have been hiding its strength, and you were even able to command it so easily."

"So that means I won, right?"

"Of course. Your reaction speed just now was excellent as well. It seems you have great talent as a Trainer. Work hard. This Poké Ball is a Present for you."

As he spoke, Hala took out a Poké Ball and handed it over. Xingye reached out to accept it, and a surge of excitement rose in his heart as he looked at the red-and-white ball in his hand.

"Don't just stand there. Go catch your starter Pokémon already!"

"Yeah!"

Holding the ball, Xingye walked over to Cyclizar and raised it. "I can finally become your Trainer. Come on..."

Before he could finish, Cyclizar suddenly bit down on his hand—along with the Poké Ball...

"Ow, ow, ow!!!"

"That isn't food, let go... Let go already! My hand's going to break!"

"Cyclizar~"

Seeing this scene, Hala suddenly burst out laughing. "You two really do have a great relationship. This is how Pokémon and Trainers should get along."

After a moment, Xingye finally pulled his hand free. A helpless smile appeared on his face. He had truly surrendered to this big guy of his.

He raised the Poké Ball again, but this time Cyclizar did not bite him. It happily raised a paw and suddenly slapped the Poké Ball.

A red flash passed in an instant, and it vanished from where it stood. At the same time, the Poké Ball gave a chime. It did not even shake before the sound indicating a successful capture rang out.

"Was its affection level just too high?"

Xingye was a little surprised, but none of that mattered. A small icon of Cyclizar had appeared in the talent section of the friend-making app before his eyes. That proved he had finally become its Trainer!

But just as he began celebrating, the Poké Ball in his hand suddenly shook. There was another red flash, and Cyclizar jumped out on its own, stretching its body. It seemed it did not like staying inside a Poké Ball.

The battle was over, and Cyclizar had been successfully caught. All that remained was to deal with his identification.

With Hala, the island kahuna, leading the way, something like this should have been easy to settle... Of course, it was not going to be that simple.

After arriving at the Hau'oli City police station, Xingye happened to see his wanted notice flash across the large screen. It only had a photo, with no name.

"How did you end up wanted?"

"I was speeding yesterday and hit someone..."

"Who did you hit?"

"Jenny..."

"..."

Even Hala was left speechless. Could Xingye stack any more debuffs? How was he supposed to clear his name?

But Hala was the island kahuna of Melemele Island. He would certainly act fairly and justly, and would never shield any criminal. Special circumstances, however, were another matter.

He brought Xingye and Cyclizar to the Jenny responsible for such matters and explained the situation. What followed was a full hour of lecturing, until Xingye's mind went completely numb...

At last, Jenny finally let him off and said sternly, "Considering your special circumstances, the fact that you're a minor, and that this is your first offense, properly apologize to the Jenny you knocked over. Then stay here and write a ten-thousand-word self-criticism, and you can more or less go home. But there will not be a next time!"

"Yes..."

"Also, Pokémon must wear riding gear before they are permitted to be ridden in urban areas. If you do not have any, you can use your Trainer's License to attend a traffic law course at the traffic administration office and receive a set for registration."

"Huh?"

Hearing that, Xingye immediately perked up. Trainers could actually get a free set of riding gear? The benefits were that good?

After that, he finally completed the whole process, successfully becoming a legal resident of Alola and receiving identification.

At the same time, Hala had already taken care of his enrollment procedures. Even though it was the weekend, Xingye had no idea why Hala was in such a hurry. It was almost as though he was afraid Xingye might run away.

Once the enrollment procedures were done, he also obtained his Trainer's License on the spot. It could be used as identification too, and could be reissued if lost.

That made him a genuine Trainer at last. His license listed his rank as Beginner. According to Hala, he could only upgrade it after graduating from Pokémon School.

"Let's go home!"

With everything settled, Xingye could not wait to return and celebrate with Cyclizar. But just as he was about to leave, Jenny grabbed him by the collar.

"Huh?"

"Finish that ten-thousand-word self-criticism before you leave!"

"..."