From Hala's point of view, this was a moment that demanded utmost seriousness.
His opponent was a Team Rocket executive. No matter how young she looked, Hala was prepared to go all out.
He had to take her down.
"Crabominable! Bewear!"
Hala threw out two Poké Balls. A Crabominable and a Bewear with overwhelming presence landed in front of him.
This was Hala's real main roster—not the newly trained Pokémon he'd used in the grand trial battle against Selene.
"Fighting/Ice Crabominable. Normal/Fighting Bewear." Caitlin's lips couldn't help but curl up slightly.
"Senior Hala, that's really unfortunate. The types I specialize in just happen to beat yours."
Under her psychic control, a Poké Ball floated forward and popped open. A heavy Metagross crashed down in front of her.
The razor-edged Gallade also stepped up slowly, its blade-cold gaze locking onto Bewear.
Could the match-up be any better?
Hala was a Trainer who specialized in Fighting types, while Caitlin just happened to specialize in Psychic types.
"In my whole life, I've fought more battles at a type disadvantage than I can count. But the ones who actually managed to beat me… aren't many." Hala said.
But his eyes had grown grave. Age aside, his sharp instincts told him one thing at a glance:
This Metagross and Gallade were extremely strong.
A girl this pretty and delicate… was Elite Four-level?!
Why? Why would a child this talented, this young, with such a bright future, choose to join an evil organization like Team Rocket?
"Girl, why has your Team Rocket come to our Alola Region?" Hala asked, his gaze fixed on Caitlin.
He'd already picked up that this girl didn't seem truly malicious at heart.
"Organizational expansion with the flow of the times. Things in Kanto are already saturated." Caitlin smiled lightly. There was nothing worth hiding there.
"And Alola is rich in people and land. It's a perfect fit, isn't it?"
"Alola does not welcome you."
"Senior Hala, you're a man with a wealth of life experience. I honestly can't believe I'm hearing such childish lines coming out of your mouth."
Caitlin gave him a strange look, but her tone stayed impeccably polite and elegant.
"…"
Hala fell silent.
Of course he knew that telling Team Rocket something like that was hopelessly naive.
"I was the foolish one there. But, girl…" Hala's gaze sharpened like a blade, locking onto the beautiful girl before him.
"For a child like you, your life shouldn't be spent inside an evil organization like Team Rocket. That's wrong. It'll ruin you."
"Ruin me… huh?"
The smile faded bit by bit from Caitlin's refined features. Light flickered in her eyes, the blue glow dimming and brightening in turn.
"I see. Judging someone else's entire life without ever having lived it, and then defining it for them with such arrogance. So that's all Island Kahuna Hala amounts to."
Her reply was calm. From the moment she'd decided to join Team Rocket, Caitlin had known she'd face this sort of thing.
But she also knew she wasn't wrong.
"That's not arrogance. I don't know what you've been through, but no matter what, Team Rocket is an evil organization. It's not where you young people belong."
Hala rebutted in a low, firm voice. But looking at Caitlin's expressionless face, he couldn't help a silent sigh.
"Talking won't help. Girl, let me be the one to guide you back onto the right path."
He'd made up his mind. After he beat this girl, he was going to straighten out those twisted ideas of hers.
So young. So gifted. How could he let the rest of her life be ruined by Team Rocket?
Hala's aura surged—stern, fierce, overwhelming.
So what if they were Psychic types? In front of Alola's strongest Fighting-type Trainer, type advantage meant nothing.
"I swear it on the name of Island Kahuna Hala!"
Come. Battle!
And then…
...
"I see. So the one who beat you was a Team Rocket executive."
In the hospital, Kukui's expression was not good as he came to visit Hala. His brows were tightly furrowed. An executive who could even take down Island Kahuna Hala?
And Hala, who had "accidentally" twisted his waist and wound up in the hospital, nodded a bit awkwardly.
"That's right. Her name is Caitlin. I underestimated her. I didn't expect her strength to be that overwhelming."
Hala let out a sigh.
"She's extremely skilled with Psychic types, and she's also a powerful Psychic herself. She can even channel her psychic power into her Metagross and Gallade to boost their strength." he described solemnly.
"An esper on top of everything psychic, huh?" Kukui rubbed his forehead, his headache getting worse.
Among gifted individuals, Psychics were the most common. But one strong enough to directly buff their Pokémon with psychic power—that sort of powerhouse was extremely rare.
As far as Kukui knew, the only person capable of that was the Saffron Gym Leader Sabrina from Saffron City in Kanto.
He hadn't expected Team Rocket to have another.
"Senior Hala, if I remember right, we agreed a few days ago that if we ran into a high-ranking Team Rocket member, we wouldn't act rashly."
Kukui felt a little defeated as he glanced at Hala's waist, wrapped thick with bandages.
They hadn't even officially started "clashing" with Team Rocket yet, and they'd already handed over a casualty for free.
Hala stayed quiet for a moment.
"I didn't think that girl would be that strong. I was reckless."
He didn't try to argue—he just admitted his mistake.
"But don't worry. The doctor said it's a minor sprain. A few days of rest and I'll be discharged."
"Mm. Do you still remember what that Caitlin looks like?" Kukui mused.
"Of course. My man even snapped a photo. Kukui, you're planning to issue a warrant for her? I don't think that's wise."
Hala shared his thoughts, then took out his phone and pulled up the picture one of his subordinates had taken.
"Not yet. We can't issue a warrant for her right now." Kukui shook his head.
"I'll start by investigating who this Caitlin actually is. If we can dig up her background, all the better."
Kukui stared at the image of Caitlin on the screen. It wasn't high resolution, but you could still clearly see how delicate her features were.
He couldn't help thinking: are evil organization executives these days all this pretty and this cracked in battle?
He glanced at Hala's slightly pale, weakened face. Yeah… Hala had been put in the hospital.
Even if, according to Hala himself, it was just that he'd dodged a stray move and twisted his own back.
Kukui sent the photo to his own phone and went to investigate.
With a name and a picture, it didn't take him long to pull up Caitlin's basic information. She was from the Sinnoh Region.
And then…
"Name: Caitlin (image.jpg)
Age: 17
Known main roster: Metagross, Gallade
Affiliated organization: Team Rocket
Record: Defeated Alola Island Kahuna Hala in a direct battle, resulting in his hospitalization.
Danger level: ☆☆☆☆
Bounty: None
Notes: Psychic girl from the Sinnoh Region. Elite Four-level Trainer. Extremely dangerous!"
On Lily of the Valley Island, in the Champion's office inside the Sinnoh League building, someone stared at the file that had just come in from Alola.
Cynthia was stunned.