The Team So Far:
Charlee
Species: Human
Nature: Naughty
Aleng
Species: Trumbeak
Nature: Rash
Izzy
Species: Alolan Grimer
Nature: Timid
Danno
Species: Yungoos
Nature: Sassy
The Rival: A Pokemon Mahina(Moon) Nuzlocke
Chapter 4: ALOLA FIVE-0! (Part 1)
"Ah, Charlee, I'm happy to see you again." 'Ilima cheerfully said.
"I changed my mind. The Rattata can have Haole City."
All around us, rhythmic ocean waves purred on the shoreline. The sun had barely risen, but it gave the five of us an uncompromised view of 'Ilima waving from the Verdant Cavern entrance.
Against my wishes, Aleng was shoving me ever-closer. "Come on, Charlee! You promised that you would help Danno get the Normalium Z if he joined the team."
"But it's 'Ilimaaaa!" I whined.
"Whom we, including yourself, agreed was actually a nice guy."
"The other trainers had already come through last night, and I was beginning to wonder if you would actually show." Said the 'nice guy'.
"Lets just hurry up and do this." I grumbled.
"Ah, spirited as ever, I see! Very well, this way."
Izzy paused just before the Island Trial Gates located at the entrance. Warily, she eyed the looming darkness. Guess spooky holes in the rock weren't her thing, but Danno wasn't having any of it.
"Let's go, Izzy. If I'm going to be part of this 'FIVE-0' team, so are you."
To everyone's surprise, however, the vista within was anything but foreboding. Holes in the cavern ceiling seemed to channel concentrated sunbeams that illuminated the area with an almost otherwordly light. The air was cool and wet; refreshing, even. Lush moss and ferns glimmered with crystal dew to create an almost ethereal presence.
"Beautiful!" a wide-eyed Izzy exclaimed. I had to agree. This magical place was the perfect venue for our first trial.
"Welcome to Verdant Cavern! Now, I know first hand that you are accustomed to more...traditional Pokemon battles, so just for you, this trial will be simple. Just defeat all of the Pokemon that make their den here."
"Huh. That'll be easy enough." This was technically a different area from Route 2, so maybe I could also…
"By the way, until you clear the trial, you will not be able to catch Pokemon in Verdant Cavern." Suddenly, the Trial Gates slammed shut behind us. "In addition, you will be unable to leave until the trial is complete." 'Ilima added cheerfully.
Keep it together, he's just obnoxiously nice. I reminded myself. "Any other 'surprises' we should know about?"
"GRR!" The entire cavern shook, and this time it definitely was not my stomach. Danno began to hiss.
"No, I do believe that's it. Good luck!" I gave 'Ilima a halfhearted wave as we left him at the entrance. At least he wouldn't be hanging over my shoulder the whole way.
"Am I the only one zlightly conzzerned about the noizzzee we just heard?"
I brushed off Rotom's 'conzzerns'. "It's probably just the ghost of Nanaue."
"Nanaue?" Danno asked skeptically.
Aleng tried covering his ears with his wings. "Not this story again…"
"Yeah, before this place was Verdant Cavern, people used to call it, Makua Cave. Some say there's even a saltwater pool hidden back here, so I'm guessing it connects to the ocean somewhere underground."
"And Nanaue is…?"
"I'm getting to that. Legend has it that Nanaue, the Sharpedo-man, used to live in here. He was the son of a human mother and a powerful sea god. Some versions even say his dad was Kyogre himself! Anyway, in the stories, Nanaue would sit outside this cavern looking all normal, and warn people that were going to the ocean, 'watch out for man-eating Sharpedos'."
"Wow, that's very nice of him!" Izzy said.
"Then he'd run inside this cave, jump into the water, turn into a Sharpedo, and swim out to eat whoever was stupid enough to ignore him!"
"Not nice! Not nice!"
Even Aleng was a little unnerved. "And you're not bothered by these stories?"
"Hey, it's not like we're going swimming. Besides, being able to turn into a Pokemon would be hella-cool!" But even as I said that, I couldn't help but feel like there was a powerful presence watching our every move.
Danno must have felt the same. "This place might be your idea of a romantic evening, but I don't like this, and it's not because of a Sharpedo." he said. "I smell a rat." As if right on cue, a Rattata lept out from a tunnel! Chattering what must have been a distress call, it was suddenly joined by several others.
"You sure it's just one?" Aleng snapped. As one, ALOLA FIVE-0 rushed forward to meet their attack!
It became quickly apparent that the majority of the Rattata attack was focused on Danno. Perhaps it was a genetic rivalry between their species, or maybe they simply recognized him for past attacks on their kin. Danno might even have considered such recognition to be an honor...had the Rattata not been trying to tear out his throat! For every one he fought off, two more Tackled him! More and more, it was becoming difficult for him to strike back. At this rate, it wasn't be long before he was overwhelmed! There were just too many for Danno face alone. Good thing he wasn't alone.
"Oh no you don't!" This wasn't really an official Pokemon battle, so there were no rules to stop his trainer from running over and punting a few of those rodents away! Their rib-cages collapsed like paper lunch bags with each kick from my sneakers! Turns out, when you hit them really hard, they make a squeaky noise and drop some items. Fun!
"Thanks."
"Hey, we're a team, right?" I checked on the rest of our team.
Even against superior numbers, Aleng and Izzy had no problem plowing through the Rattata ranks. The Trumbeak was almost casual in the way he thrust his beak forward, creating multiple furry explosions among the horde, with Rock Smash after Rock Smash! And Izzy, well, Izzy learned a new attack!
"Acid Spray! Did you see? Did you see? Let me do it again. Acid Spray!" More than once, the rest of us had to dodge the splash from her attacks, but the little Grimer's excitement was as contagious to us, as it was demoralizing to our enemies!
As a non-combatant, Rotom did his best to stay out of the Rattata's reach. "Thizz izz highly irregular. My data sayzz that Yungoozz are suppozed to inhabit thiz cavern!"
"They were! That's why I never bothered to search for Rattata here!" Danno tackled another Rattata to the ground.
"Hate to tell you guys, but it looks like your data needs updating!" Aleng continued to Rock Smash his way through another bunch of Rattata. Pieces of the stone cavern went flying along with pieces of his opponents! The ones that survived scrambled to their feet and called a retreat.
"Don't let them get away!" Danno shouted frantically. He tried rushing after them, but the injuries he sustained kept him from getting very far.
"They're regrouping, so we should too." I said. The team formed up around Danno, and after he was healed with a potion, I began cleaning grime and dust off the other Pokemon. "Whatever happens, we stick together. Last thing we want is for them to split us up."
"That was just a feint; they're probing our strength." Aleng started preening on his own. "Next time they come at us, it'll be hard and fast."
Danno nodded darkly. "Like my ex-wife. We'll just have to hit them harder. Aleng, let's take your Rock Smash to the next level." the Yungoos held up one of the items that the Rattata had dropped: TM31-Brick Break!
We all agreed that sitting around and waiting was stupid, so we pushed forward to explore more of the cave, and were quickly introduced to the darker side of 'Verdant Cavern'. Despite it's beauty, Makua had it's share of dangers, even without Nanaue or the Rattata Mafi-ahahaha. I'm sorry, I still can't call them that with a straight face! It may have been a trial site, but Makua fell far below minimum safety standards. Slippery moss lined the edges of great cracks in the cavern floor. Many old fissures were bridged by narrow, rotting pieces of wood. Hardly OSHA-compliant. We were only too glad that the Rattata didn't strike while we were halfway across. No, they decided to come at us right afterwards, when our backs were against the ledge!
If they were planning to push us over the side, they were in for a nasty surprise. "Izzy! Keep up the Acid Spray to blunt their assault! Aleng! While they're off-balance, take out as many as you can with Brick Break! Danno! Pick off anyone who tries to flee, using Pursuit! Rotom! Play whatever music you think sounds good right now."
The cave echoed with epic battle riffs, and the air filled with the acrid smell of caustic chemicals! As we planned, the Acid Spray might not have killed any Rattata outright, but those that made it through had no chance against Aleng, not that they would have had a chance to begin with. The ones that were foolish enough to stay at a distance were wiped out by successive Acid Sprays, and the ones that retreated, well, you already know.
"Thizz strategy izz zuper-effective!"
We pushed our way forward from the edge of the cliff! The Rattata were quickly dwindling in number, and it wasn't long before they called another retreat!
Unwilling to make the same mistake twice, Danno was quick to pin one before it could escape with the others. "Not so fast, Speedy! Where is she?!"
The Rattata was squeaking something unintelligible, although I thought I detected a faint Mexican accent.
"Don't play dumber than you are. TALK!"
"W-who are you looking for?" Izzy asked Danno first; then she turned to the Rattata, "Who is he looking for?"
I was only picking up half of the conversation, but by now, I think everyone was curious. "Izzy, why don't you give him another taste of your Acid Spray at close range. Aleng, hold his mouth open."
{Woah! Woah! Woah! Ok!} it squeaked when it finally caught on. Rotom translated as much to me. {Your girl's with Walt. He's got her in the back den!}
"Girl?" Aleng asked.
I bent low enough to the Rattata so he could smell my very breath. Judging by his expression, it probably wasn't much better than Izzy's acid. "I can't understand you, but you can understand me." It nodded vigorously. "When we let you go, you're not going to stick around this cavern are you?" Now it shook vigorously. "Good. Because if any of us even think that we see your greasy face again, Aleng here is gonna turn his Brick Break into Jaw Break, just. For. You. Got it?" He did. "Danno, let him go." The Yungoos growled, but complied.
{Andalay! Andalay! Arriba! Arriba!}
"Girl?" Aleng repeated.
"My girlfriend. And her name's Jasmine." Danno answered quietly. He had come this far with us, so there was no point in keeping . "Bringing down the mob is only part of why I'm here. Getting her back…that's the other half."
{I'm going to make sure that you fail at both! Haha!} a ridiculously squeeky voice shouted. On a ledge across from us was a beast much larger than any Rattata. Any by large, I mean fat. A Raticate!
"Is that Wo Fat?"
"No. That's Walt." Venom dripped from each syllable. "He's the creep who's got Jasmine!"
"Then let's get him!" We rushed forward, but the Raticate was fast for such a chunky Pokemon. He vanished down an impossibly small hole a split second before we arrived!
Suddenly, he was on another ledge! {You have to do better than than, haha!} The same scenario repeated itself as we neared him. Every time we approached, the cretin would dive down another hole! The fat bastard knew this place better than we did!
"He'zz leading uzz deeper into the cavernzz!" Rotom warned.
"I'm not letting them take Jasmine." Danno barked, his voice edged with desperation. "Not when I'm so close!"
"How did they even get her in the first place?" Aleng pressed.
"Wo Fat found out about us. His goons thought having her close would keep me off the case. They don't know me very well." Danno's resolve intensified with every step.
Something about what he said bothered me, however. "It might not have stopped you, but you said they were still able to keep all the other Yungoos away. And how did they take over this trial site? I don't care how strong you say Wo Fat is...these grand schemes and operations...it sounds like they had human help to pull all of this off."
"But who?" asked Rotom.
"Yo, yo, yo!"
"You've got to be kidding me." The Team Skull twins were as stupid looking as ever. I refused to believe that they could be smart enough to team up with the Rattata.
"It's your Berry thief boys, back...back again! Remember us?"
Berry thief? "Sorry...who are you?"
"Yo, check it bro, this ain't the girly that busted us up at the farm!"
In hindsight, they were probably referring to some encounter with Selene. Of course, in the heat of the moment, I was focused on only one, important thing: "Did you just call me a GIRL?! Izzy, use Bite!" That numskull rapper brought out Drowzee to protect himself. It worked about as well as a wet paper bag. While my Pokemon was dealing with the Drowzee, I body-slammed the trainer!
"This kid is straight up dangerous, homie!"
"Got that right, jive turkey. Now, look real close. DO I LOOK LIKE A GIRL TO YOU?" My voice shook the cavern and all of a sudden, the Grunt was trembling on an entirely different level.
"Yo, kid! You know there's a mad strong Pokemon lurking back here somewhere, right?"
"Madder and stronger than me?" There was no right response to that. "I'd run, if I were you."
His partner was too stupid for his own good. "Naw, we're not going out like that! We gotta get our revenge!" For a moment, I just sort of stared at him. Then an idea began to form; I looked at the Grunt, flapping his lips...and I grinned.
It wasn't easy, but Aleng and I managed to shove the mouthy Grunt into one of the Raticate's escape tunnels! His shoulders and torso were a bit big, so we all took turns applying our feet to his okole (translation: kicking him in the butt) until he was nice and snug in there!
"Alright you," I said to the remaining gangbanger, "you can either stand nicely in front of that other hole, and block whatever comes out, or we can stuff you in there like we did with your boyfriend! Your choice."
"For real?! Fine! I got no bones to pick with you!"
With his beloved on the line, Danno wasted no time in picking up the Raticate's trail again. "You're not getting away this time, Walt!"
{That's what you think, haha!} It dove into another hole! Imagine his surprise when when he tried to take the back way out, only to find it blocked by Team Skull!
"AH! RATICATE!"
{AH! HUMAN!} I wasn't sure who was screaming louder. With Walt's options limited, he lead us through most of Verdant, before passing through one last massive tunnel. Up ahead, we could hear him squeaking something. {Your boyfriend's getting close, girly; it's time to go!}
"Jasmine!" Suddenly, we were in a grotto, with pure, unfiltered midday sunshine streaming down on us! Ahead of us, the Raticate called Walt was tugging violently at the arms of a distressed-looking Rattata. "Get your paws off of her!" All of Danno's anger manifested as Dark-type energy and his Pursuit attack finally connected with the Raticate! But in spite of Danno's power, the Dark/Normal rodent managed to resist his attack with relative ease. The huge rat glared at his stunned attacker with feral malevolence.
What neither of them counted on however, was Jasmine herself, using the distraction to break free and exact hellish female vengeance on her captor! The smaller rodent hissed like some sort of Meowth-Seviper hybrid and struck from everywhere at once in a flurry of Quick Attacks! Under such an onslaught, Walt's attempts at defense were an utter failure; it was not unlike my dad when mom started yelling at him for coming home late.
"Wow, you really know how to pick'em." I whispered to Danno. He just stood there, stunned as any of us.
At last, when it seemed like the Raticate was finally adjusting to Jasmine's attack pattern, she changed it, and struck him head on with a single, well-placed Tackle! When the dust cleared, she glared menacingly at her former captor, daring him to make a move. When she was certain that he wasn't getting up anytime soon, Jasmine finally turned towards us.
{Babe! You came for me!}
Danno was speechless, but seeing her, he didn't need words. The two embraced in the most passionate kiss I'd seen outside of cheesy romance movies. Pun not intended.
"Oh come on! You're dating a Rattata?!" Was all Aleng could say.
'Jasmine' broke off the kiss just long enough to spit. {And what of it? I have a thing for guys who get in way over their heads.} She turned back to Danno and gazed lovingly into his eyes.
"I was tailing her for information, and the more I learned, the more I fell in love." Danno returned the gaze and grinned mischievously.
"That's so beautiful! They're like star-crossed lovers!" Izzy was gushing with emotion. And toxins. She was always gushing with toxins.
It was Rotom who summed it up perfectly. "Dezpite mazzive diversity, many speciezz of Pokemon are compatible in relationshipzz. A Yungoozz and a Rattata pairing iz actually quite tame, compared to 'Hot Skitty-on-Wailord Action'."
"Eeew!" Said everyone, in perfect unison.
"They better come up with a content filter for that pokedex." Danno snapped. "Let's just grab the Normalium Z and get out of here."
"Oh, but you can only get the Z-Crystal after you defeat the Totem Pokemon!" A voice seemed to laugh at us from all sides; deep as the abyss and rougher than cheap toilet paper. "And ALL of his ally Pokemon!" The shadows around us came alive with glowing red eyes! Makua Cave filled with the sounds of squeaking, and dozens of claws scrabbling over the rocks. The six of us turned back the way we came, only to find our path blocked by more Rattata than we could count!
No one bothered to say the word 'trap', but you can be sure that everyone was thinking it. Slowly, the army advanced; a creeping tide of chittering, oversized buckteeth.
"Jasmine, my child! Even in your betrayal, you have served the family well!" the gloating voice seemed to finally have a source. Looking upwards, I saw what must have been the biggest Raticate ever, perched atop the ledge! Dude, he was huge! I've seen smaller Wailmer than that! In one of his paws, he clutched a pile of Oran Berries that he occasionally popped into his mouth like gumdrops. Something that gargantuan must need a crap-load of food to keep moving.
"Him. He's Wo Fat." Danno said.
I shook my head. "Correction: He's Woah, REALLY Fat!" The tittering blob seemed to eclipse the sun! But I thought I could just barely make out the shape of a human, advancing behind the beast. Sunlight suddenly caught a shock of pink hair.
"It'zz Captain 'Ilima!"
Never before had I been so glad to see that snob. "'Ilima! Hurry up and take out that Raticate! They've overrun your trial and...you're with them, aren't you?" Even from this distance, I could see that stupid smirk on his stupid face.
"No! S-say it isn't so!" Izzy shouted desperately.
I was speechless. Well no, not really. "HA! I TOLD you so! He really IS a stuck-up, know-it-all, JERK!"
"Even a broken clock like you is right sometimes, Charlee. Of course, broken things still need to be...disposed of."
"Attack!" Wo Fat shrieked. The Rattata rushed forward from all sides!
"Woah, hold up! Timeout!" I threw up my hand and the horde stupidly paused, with confused looks on their faces. "So let me get this straight, 'Ilima. You did all of this, you teamed up with all of them," I pointed at the rodents, "just because we whupped your butt yesterday?"
"No, you idiot-"
"Oh, then it's because I bit you in school."
"NO!"
I never realized how fun it was watching someone get mad. What an idiot! Crap, is that how I always look?
"You egotistical, self-centered fool! Melemele thrives on tourism...tourism that cannot exist if Rattata are running rampant! When Wo Fat's army becomes too much to bear, I'll be a hero for 'stopping' them! When Hala retires, I will even be the next Kahuna!"
"You're wasting words and precious time, 'Trial Captain'." Wo Fat snapped, in between mouthfuls of berries.
"Hey Fatty-Ratty!" I shouted. "You too scared to come down here and sit on us yourself?"
The Totem Pokemon chuckled. "I am fully aware of what your Trumbeak is capable of. Rest assured though, when he is no longer a threat, you will get your wish. But until then…" he snapped the fingers on his free hand, and the attack resumed! His minions converged on us; tsunami of fuzzy darkness!
"Give these creeps all you've got, guys!" The trial site erupted into violence! For encouragement, Rotom began blasting Run Around by Jason Radford. It seemed appropriate. Four days into this journey and we were already in for the fight of our lives! Unlike the first two Rattata before, we were surrounded on all sides, and the Rattata just kept coming! As it turned out however, quantity in no way made up for quality. With each kick, another Rattata went sailing through the air in hilarious agony. And there were so many targets, it was hard to miss! I began making a game of seeing if I could punt the next Rattata further than the one before it! This wasn't a fight, this was kickball practice!
Having Jasmine back by his side imbued Danno with renewed energy, and the pair of them rapidly tore through the Rattata coming their way! Jasmine would strike out amongst her brethren using Quick Attack! At such speed, it was hard for the other Rattata to tell her apart from their comrades, and among the confusion, Danno would start picking them off with Tackle!
Aleng, equipped with his new Brick Break, was literally plowing through the rodents in droves! Every energy-enhanced blow he struck sent dozens of the Dark/Normal nasties flying in every direction! Aleng had even picked up a new attack! But we decided to keep it in reserve, just in case.
My main concern, however, was Izzy. She had to have been absolutely heart-broken, now that she knew the truth about 'Ilima. But as the Rattata piled on her, the Grimer suddenly erupted in a violent volcano of sludge, acid, and rage! The sheer sight of her forced her attackers to give pause. Big mistake. "You low-lives! You despicable, black-hearted, MEANIES!" That's my girl.
"Arrgh!" My moment of pride cost me when a Rattata used the chance to sink its teeth into me! Pain burned into my shoulder and anger surged through my very veins...and I knew the perfect way to vent it! Violating several (more) animal cruelty laws, I grabbed my attacker by it's tail and yanked him off of me! The little beast spat and clawed uselessly as I whipped it over my head. Then I used the Rattata as a living weapon against his own comrades! The prospect of being bludgeoned to death, or ending up as the bludgeon, sent a good number of them into retreat. It was awesome! "BEHOLD MY RAT-FLAIL!" I think I saw a cat do it once.
Aleng was next to cry out! In light of his Break Break, the Rattata had suddenly tripled their efforts to overwhelm him... and it was paying off!
"Everyone, close ranks around Aleng!" Instantly, I was by his side, flailing away at his attackers! "You ok, buddy?"
"I've been better."
"Charlee, I'm running out of power points!" Izzy reported. "We can't keep this up much longer!"
"These guys won't back off unless we take down their boss!" Danno shouted. "And he's too smart to come down here!"
"Oh! If there wazz only some way I could fight!" Rotom wailed. "All I have are thezze uzeless apps!"
That was all the inspiration that Danno needed. "Rotom, if you got the Poke Finder App, bring it up, fast!" I'm glad at least someone had an idea.
Danno and I exchanged looks and instantly, I saw his plan in his eyes. After a brief moment, he turned away to glare at our foes high above us.
'Ilima and Wo Fat were still staring down on us. When the Raticate chief noticed Danno bearing his teeth in malice, the great rodent couldn't help but gloat in between his berry bites. "This is your final hour, Yungoos; any last words?"
"Yeah: say, 'Cheese'!"
Suddenly, Rotom flew to my face and I began snapping as many incriminating pictures of 'Ilima and Wo Fat together, as possible! When the Rattata started tackling me to the ground, I threw the pokedex back into the air. "Stay out of reach and start sending those pics to as many people as you can! Kukui! Hala! EVERYONE!"
That certainly got their attention, and it was satisfying to see 'Ilima lose his cool so frequently. "Stop that Rotom!" All of the Rattata instantly turned away from us and refocused their attacks on Rotom, but the pokedex was already too far above their heads, and was well into sending the incriminating pictures to anyone with a cell phone. "Wo Fat! His Trumbeak is down, so get in there and destroy that pokedex!"
The Totem Pokemon let out a terrible shriek and summer-saulted off the ledge! He landed with an earth-shattering crash that cracked the stone floor, and probably crushed a few of his own subordinates in the process. Like Slaking Kong swiping at planes, the Raticate lunged for Rotom with his one free hand, and he even resorted to biting the air with his gnarly yellow fangs!
It was just the distraction we needed. "Aleng, go!" In a flash, my partner was flapping his wings and hurtling at the preoccupied Raticate! It was time for the Trumbeak's trumpcard, "Use Pluck!" The berries from Wo Fat's paws were suddenly in Aleng's mouth, and after swallowing it, his health instantly returned!
"No…" The wicked beast turned slowly, almost mechanically, towards Aleng. My buddy waited, patiently charging energy until his beak crackled with energy; just long enough for Wo Fat to fully realize how screwed he was. Brick Break to the face! It was like watching a small mountain fall. The way he hit the ground, it certainly felt like it too! With their leader dead, the Rattata no longer had the incentive to keep coming. My Pokemon quickly began to mop up any of the stragglers, which left me to tie up the last loose end...
"YOUR BUTT IS MINE, 'Ilima!" The bloated belly of the Totem Pokemon proved to be a surprisingly effective trampoline as I hopped up and down, trying to boost myself closer to 'Ilima's perch on the ledge. The dirty coward ran. "I know where you live!" I turned to my team. "He's not getting away that easy. Everyone, out of the cave!" I paused, glancing back at the lovers. "And yes Danno, that means your girlfriend too!" We were no longer bound by the silly rules of this stupid trial!
[Jasmine was added to the party!]
Author's Notes: If you're ever on the West Side of Oahu, check out the real Verdant Cavern/Makua Cave. Just be sure to bring an offering for Nanaue and the ghosts of his victims (unless you care to join them -_^) I originally intended for this to be a single, larger chapter, but I decided to split it into two parts for pacing and greater character focus. Since the other part is pretty much done though, I hope to have it up before the end of the year. As always, comments and questions are always appreciated. Please enjoy!