Over the next few days, Alex and Marlo’s families enjoyed their stay in their relatively private section of the beach, naturally drifting into smaller groups. Alex and Marlo relaxed with beers and barbecue in hand, content to watch the scenery. The children kept to their own area under the watchful eyes of the mothers, playing in the sand as minor drama unfolded between Koa and Lila. Alvera, Malia, and Nohea spent their time out at sea with Malia’s Gyarados and Nohea’s Milotic, while Alvera took pictures as she rode along with them. The rest of the girls preferred to sunbathe in peace.

Lina settled into cooking duties, making use of the groceries Leilani had bought along with her own stash of ingredients to prepare meals for everyone. She took particular interest in experimenting with Alolan cooking styles and recipes, now working with higher quality ingredients. Cooking was her passion, and she used every opportunity to explore it, even on vacation.

Mira did much the same, offering massages to anyone interested. Even while on vacation, she found it difficult to stay idle since the work had become second nature to her. Marlo and his family welcomed her delicate touch and expertise, taking every chance to enjoy a session. The twins were especially drawn to the craft and asked for tips. As a close knit pair, they could practice on each other once they learned the proper techniques.

Speaking of tips, the twins hounded Clarissa to teach them how to train their Pokémon and win official battles. They were eager to learn from someone who had already won the Kanto League Championship, hoping to pick up any advice or techniques she was willing to share.

Clarissa, for her part, was more than eager to train them. She rarely had the chance to pass on her knowledge in official battles. Alex and the others preferred tactical, army-style combat over regulated matches, which often left her feeling unnecessary in comparison. Teaching the twins gave her a chance to apply her skills, and she found the experience genuinely rewarding.

Meanwhile, Alvera was up to her old tricks, spending her time on the beach chasing after Staryu, Sandygast, Finneon, Tentacool, Pyukumuku, and Wingull, eager to capture new shots for her gallery and blog.

“I think I’ve basically cataloged all the Pokémon here,” Alvera said with a sigh. “Do you girls want to go farther out today?”

“Any farther and we’ll end up in Elite ranked territory,” Malia said, sitting up from her lounge chair and pushing up her glasses to look at Alvera.

“I’m Elite ranked, so I can handle myself,” Alvera replied.

“The Elites aren’t the problem, Alvera,” Nohea added. “It’s the nests that usually come with them.”

“We’ll be fiiiine~”

The twins glanced at each other, then back at Alvera. They bit their lips, exchanged another look, and shrugged in silent agreement. What was the worst that could happen?

“Alright!” “Fine!” “Let’s go!” they said.

“Yay!” Alvera cheered before running toward the beach, with Malia and Nohea following along.

The twins released their Pokémon, mounted them, and headed out into the deep, with Alvera riding along with them, flanked by their Pokémon on either side. It was a powerful gathering of Expert ranked Water Pokémon, accompanied by a pair of Lanturn that illuminated their path through the dark waters.

With their budding Water affinity and Expert ranked bodies, the twins could hold their breath for quite a long time. Alvera, by comparison, had a well-trained Elite ranked body, allowing her to match them with ease and even outlast them.

They dived deep, past the coral reefs and the weaker Pokémon that dwelled there, the light from the surface thinning as the water grew darker and colder. The deeper they went, the more the ocean began to feel like an entirely different world that was quiet and vast, with movement flickering at the edges of their vision.

They continued through the waters until they encountered a sheer underwater cliff that dropped off into even deeper darkness below. This was the point where Elite ranked Pokémon would typically begin to appear, as it was their territory.

Alvera, using her underwater-specialized camera, tried to take pictures, but all she captured was darkness and faint, distorted silhouettes. Her waterproof housing and reinforced lens system handled the pressure well, and the built-in low-light stabilization tried to compensate, but even her flash barely pierced the dense depths. The beam scattered almost immediately, swallowed by the water before it could reveal anything interesting. It seemed they would have to dive even deeper for her to have a chance at getting a decent shot.

She signaled as much to Malia and Nohea, who hesitated briefly before shrugging. They had powerful enough Pokémon to allow them to escape at a moment’s notice anyway.

They continued their descent until the cliff finally gave way to a vast seabed, where they reached the bottom of a sprawling kelp forest. The sea of kelp stretched tens of meters high, swaying slowly in the current. Shadows moved between the towering fronds, the entire forest shifting in a pattern that broke the rhythm of the water, as if something were darting through it just out of sight.

Alvera, in her excitement at finding something of interest, immediately began taking pictures of the forest, clearly enjoying the thrill of discovering something new and marvelous. She focused on the shifting shadows, determined to capture them until one of her shots finally revealed what she had been looking at. It was a Skrelp, momentarily stunned and disoriented by the brightness of her powerful flash.

Once it regained its senses, it let out a silent, shrill cry before darting back into the depths of the kelp forest.

Alvera, stretching the last of her breath, continued snapping more and more photos. Dhelmise and Frillish floated through the kelp, while Finizen darted between the swaying fronds, each snap quickly added to Alvera’s growing collection of images.

When she was just about out of air, she signaled Malia and Nohea, who immediately ordered their Pokémon to turn back toward the surface. They were running low on oxygen and, more importantly, the unfamiliar depths were starting to unnerve them. The shifting shadows and the rustling kelp forest only made it worse, as if a nest was quietly moving to surround them.

The group turned as one and began swimming upward, the kelp forest falling away beneath them. For a moment, it felt like their descent had simply revealed the quiet wonders of the deep without consequence. Then the water behind them shifted.

A sudden pulse of movement rippled through the kelp canopy. Shadows peeled away from the forest floor and rose in clusters, like kelp torn loose and set drifting in the current. Skrelp erupted from the seaweed in waves, their bodies twisting through the water in jittery motion. Dragalge followed like enraged guardians closing in on intruders, their larger frames parting the kelp with grace.

Then the attacks began.

Bursts of corrosive poison chased after Alvera and her group, the surrounding water erupting into drifting clouds of purple that forced them into sudden evasive maneuvers. Each near miss left faint, purple trails in the water, the pressure alone enough to drive them into escaping at full-speed.

Nohea and Malia’s Pokémon surged ahead, accelerating toward the surface without hesitation, while Alvera, not one to miss an opportunity, kept her camera steady as she fired off continuous shots of the pursuing mob. Her lens caught the chaos behind them, Skrelp darting through the water in a rush and Dragalge pressing forward from the back, each shot framed by eruptions of purple poison detonating in brief, violent flashes as the nest closed in.

Finally, the group broke through the water, with Malia’s Gyarados continuing skyward while the twins retrieved their Pokémon. All three girls rode on Gyarados as he flew toward the beach in haste.

Suddenly, pillars of water burst from the sea’s surface, shooting toward the escaping Gyarados, with one particular pillar landing at its rear. Fortunately, Alvera’s Aegislash popped out of the shadows and immediately used King’s Shield, protecting them from a direct hit.

As they continued their escape, the waters erupted further as a nest of over a thousand Skrelp and Dragalge emerged and surged after them, creating a tidal wave in their wake. They were relentless in their chase, determined to catch the intruders in their kelp forest.

“Looks like the girls are having a bit too much fun,” Alex said, unbothered by the sight.

“What have they done!?” Marlo shouted, springing up in a panic and beginning to release his Pokémon.

“Relax,” Alex said. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Are you planning on blowing them away? That would destroy the coral reefs.”

“Hm… I’ll be sure to avoid that,” Alex said, as he reached out to Gardevoir through their telepathic link.

‘Combined Expanding Force combo, but make sure you only affect the surface of the water.’

Gardevoir gave a slight nod before calling over Gothitelle and Espeon. The three teleported above the sea and cast Psychic Terrain in unison. Then, as one, they unleashed Expanding Force behind the girls, sending a wave of psychic energy surging toward the incoming nest of Skrelp and Dragalge.

The attack slammed into the nest and scattered them with ease, knocking out hundreds of them in a single wave. It was a combined force produced by two Champions and an Elite, after all. Not to mention their targets’ Poison typing being especially vulnerable to Psychic energy.

The tidal wave was instantly neutralized and pushed back, while the remaining Pokémon scrambled back into the depths, recognizing the futility of continuing the pursuit.

What came after was a predictable scolding, which Alvera took the brunt of. It had been her idea and her insistence, and she also had a track record of making reckless decisions. Still, the twins didn’t get off scot-free either, as their parents were greatly disappointed.

With this incident, the rest of their stay was relatively tame, as they were kept in sight at all times. It was fine for the twins, but it killed Alvera’s drive since she couldn’t take any more interesting pictures. Still, the shots she had managed to get were sensational, capturing the striking view of the kelp forest hiding a nest of the Dragalge line.

It was a step forward in rebuilding her fame from what it had once been. With a few more images like these, she would eventually regain her former standing.