"The trial ends here!" Kahuna Hala declared, raising one broad hand in a firm gesture.
The suddenness of it made Cynthia flinch slightly at his side.
Hala walked toward Steven with an easy smile. "Congratulations on passing the trial, Mr. Steven."
"It was nothing," Steven replied, the corner of his mouth lifting in a small, composed smile.
Across from them, Gumshoos let out a low grunt. It pulled its arm back from where Sandslash had been supporting it and patted itself down for a moment, rummaging through its own thick fur. Then it opened its palm and held out a small, rhomboid stone — white and faintly translucent, catching what little light reached the cave floor.
Steven looked at it without immediately reaching out. "Is this meant for me?" he asked, directing the question at Gumshoos.
Gumshoos answered by simply snorting and pressing the Normalium Z firmly into Steven's hand.
"Then I'll accept it gratefully." Steven gave a quiet smile and dipped his head.
Gumshoos said nothing. It withdrew its hand, turned, and dropped itself heavily onto the ground with the air of something that had done all the work it intended to do for one day.
The Totem Pokémon gave Mr. Steven the Z-Crystal of its own accord? Hala watched the exchange with quiet surprise, then felt the corners of his eyes soften. It seems Mr. Steven has truly been acknowledged.
In truth, it wasn't the first time Steven had received a Z-Crystal directly from a Totem Pokémon. Sandslash had done the same after their work together — presenting him with an Icium Z without being asked.
Steven turned back to face Gumshoos. "One more thing to ask, if you're willing. The Raticate have been causing trouble for the people in town. Would you be able to help drive them away?"
Gumshoos's mouth curved into a wide, satisfied grin. It nodded without any hesitation.
Steven reached into his bag and produced a small container of energy cubes he had prepared from Sitrus Berries, placing it in Gumshoos's waiting hands. Gumshoos bit into one, chewed thoughtfully, and then — with complete sincerity — extended a single thumb upward in Steven's direction.
Consider it done. Leave everything to me.
Kahuna Hala led the group out of the cave and through town to the front of a large storage warehouse near the edge of the residential area. Officer Jenny and several of her officers were already waiting there, gathered at the entrance. Even from outside, Steven could hear the rustling and scratching sounds within.
"I'm counting on you," Steven said quietly, looking at the Noble Gumshoos and its two companions.
Gumshoos clasped its hands behind its back and smiled.
Raticate. Is that all.
Officer Jenny and her officers hauled the iron gate open. The moment it swung wide, Cynthia moved swiftly behind Steven — her hands coming to rest on his shoulder, her grey eyes peering over it with cautious curiosity.
The interior of the warehouse was packed. A dense, shifting mass of Rattata and Raticate filled the space from wall to wall, their dark fur — the black colouring of the Alolan variety — making them look like a single wriggling shadow spread across the floor.
Steven raised his hand and covered Cynthia's where it rested on his shoulder. "Don't worry," he said.
The Noble Gumshoos was already moving, striding in with Yungoos and the smaller Gumshoos flanking it on either side. What followed was swift and efficient. Rattata went skidding through the air with every Bite. A sweeping Sand Attack from the Noble Gumshoos sent a wave of Rattata and Raticate scrambling in every direction at once, stumbling over each other in the chaos.
Watching it, Steven found himself briefly imagining what Lucario and Scizor would make of a situation like this — one with Extreme Speed, the other with a precise Quick Attack. The Rattata would scatter like bowling pins.
It didn't take long. Within minutes, the Raticate were in full retreat, flooding out through the gaps in the warehouse walls and vanishing into the open. Steven watched them go and judged that they wouldn't be venturing back into town to raid food stores for quite some time.
He turned to face Gumshoos as it emerged from the warehouse, brushing a few remaining Rattata aside. "The fields and orchards outside of town still need clearing. Can I count on you for that as well?"
He held out a second container of energy cubes as he spoke.
Gumshoos accepted it, examined it briefly, and gave a slow, approving nod.
Since you went to such trouble preparing this, I'll put in the effort to match it. Consider the fields handled.
Steven took Cynthia's hand and watched as Gumshoos fell in beside Officer Jenny, the three of them heading off toward the farmland at the edge of town.
Kahuna Hala came to stand beside Steven, his broad face settled into a warm, easy expression. "Mr. Steven," he began, "as the Kahuna of Melemele Island, I'm pleased to say that you have completed the trial." He paused, letting the weight of it land, then added: "But a Grand Trial still awaits you. I look forward to seeing how you handle it."
"Don't worry." Steven's smile held steady. "I intend to clear that one as well."
Hala let out a full, rumbling laugh. "Spoken with confidence. Come to Iki Town tomorrow morning." He reached into the pocket of his coat and drew out a silver Z-Ring, its surface polished smooth, a rhomboid slot set at the centre. He placed it in Steven's hand. "And I'll be looking forward to seeing which Z-Move you choose."
"Thank you, Kahuna Hala." Steven accepted the Z-Ring with a respectful nod.
Professor Kukui stepped forward before Steven could pocket it, offering him a small disc case. "Here, Mr. Steven — this covers the movement forms for activating Z-Moves. There are specific poses that go with each one, yeah. Can't skip them."
"Understood. Thank you, Professor Kukui." Steven took the disc and tucked it under his arm.
He said nothing further on the subject, but the word that surfaced in his memory whenever Z-Moves came up was the same one it always was: awkward. The poses were well-documented, and well-documented for a reason. If he were going to ask that of himself in front of people, he would need to simply commit to it. Power required a price, and apparently that price was dignity.
They said their farewells to Professor Kukui and Kahuna Hala, and made their way back to the seaside villa on Akala Island as the afternoon light began to soften.
They had barely stepped inside when Cynthia turned to him.
"Steven, come on — put the disc in. I want to see the Z-Move forms."
"I'll warn you now," Steven said, moving toward the machine cabinet beneath the living room television with a patient, slightly resigned smile, "you won't enjoy watching them."
He had forgotten most of the specific details over the years, but the general impression had never left him. He loaded the disc into the player and, on a second thought, released Metagross from its Poké Ball so it could observe alongside them. If Steven was going to learn the forms, he saw no reason Metagross shouldn't as well.
He settled onto the sofa beside Cynthia and let her take his hands.
"Here we go," she said, leaning forward with visible interest.
Professor Kukui's image appeared on the screen. He opened with a brief introduction to Z-Moves and their origins, then moved directly into demonstrating the forms one by one.
First: the Normal-type Z-Move, Breakneck Blitz.
Kukui crossed his forearms and raised them to face height, then swept them outward in a wide half-circle before extending both arms straight, his left hand resting over the right. He shifted his weight to the right, bending at the knees. He straightened his palms, brought his left arm across at a forty-five degree angle, aligned his posture to match, and then drew both forearms back inward — tracing the shape of a letter Z in the air.
The resulting pose, combined with a Normalium Z, would allow a Pokémon to unleash Breakneck Blitz.
Steven watched without a word, his expression neutral. The form was exactly as he remembered — technically precise, physically demanding, and entirely graceless. He glanced sideways at Cynthia to see how she was taking it.
Cynthia's face was composed. She watched the demonstration in silence, and when it finished, she turned to Steven and said, simply and calmly:
"Steven, I think I'd rather not learn Z-Moves."
"…That's more or less what I expected you to say."
Steven could understand it on both counts. There was the matter of how it would look for a Champion — and then there was simply her own sense of herself. Either way, he doubted she could bring herself to perform those poses without some resistance. He wasn't entirely sure he could either, if he was honest. A few years ago, perhaps. Now there was a certain amount of internal negotiation required first.
"That said," he added, "Z-Moves are genuinely powerful. Are you certain you want to pass on them entirely?"
Cynthia was quiet for a moment, weighing it.
Having a Z-Move available as a last resort did have merit she couldn't quite dismiss.
"Unless it's absolutely necessary," she said at last, with firm resolve, "I will never use a Z-Move in public."
The implication was clear enough — she still intended to obtain a Z-Ring, and she still intended to learn the forms. She simply planned to keep them tucked out of sight until the moment they were genuinely needed.
Steven leaned slightly toward her, meeting her eyes with a look of quiet amusement. "Does that rule include me? I'd argue Cynthia doing those poses would be rather endearing."
Her face coloured immediately. She drew her chin down.
"…In front of you," she said, very quietly, "I suppose I can make an exception."