Chapter Six: Gwen
Erin ran into the giant tree. Vega followed, sighing. "It's not a big deal."
"It's our first Gym Battle! It's a huge deal!"
She kept going, reaching a battlefield. It was surrounded with foliage, some showing off pink flowers. There was a girl standing in the middle of the field.
"Hi! Are you a challenger?"
The girl saw Vega. "I mean, challengers?"
"Yes, we are! Would you happen to know if the Gym Leader's around?"
The girl ran a hand through her strawberry blonde hair, which was more pink than yellow. She smiled. "You're looking at her. My name's Gwen; I use Fairy types. Pleasure to meet you, uh..."
"Erin."
"And you?" Gwen turned to the other.
"Vega."
"Nice to meet you both. I know you're already here, but do you need to heal your Pokemon? It's fine if you do. There's a Pokemon Center attached to the Gym."
"No, we're fine. We kind of just want to get this over with." Erin smiled.
"Alright! Who will go first?"
Erin turned to Vega. "Do you want to..?"
"It's fine."
"I guess I'll go first, then."
Gwen walked to one end of the battlefield, taking out a Pokeball.
Erin followed, doing the same.
"I'm coming at you with everything I've got!" Gwen threw the Pokeball. A Snubbull came out.
Erin sent out Litwick.
Snubbull growled, causing it to flinch.
Gwen smiled. "You get the first move."
"Litwick, use Smog!" A purple gas escaped from the blue flame, surrounding Snubbull, who was inhaling while this happened. Poisoned.
"Ugh... Snubbull, use Lick!"
"Dodge it and use Flame Burst!" A blue flame shot out, hitting Snubbull. It was struggling to get up.
"Lick, again!"
Snubbull's long tongue touched Litwick. It shuddered, paralyzed.
Erin retrieved Litwick. "You need rest."
She sent out Treecko in its place. "Do your best."
Gwen giggled softly. "This battle's pretty-"
"Treecko, use Iron Tail!"
Treecko's tail hardened. She slammed it into Snubbull, knocking it out.
"Rude... But now you're going up against my strongest Pokemon!"
She threw the other Pokeball she had on her belt. A small insect popped out. It had something like a brown scarf around its tiny yellow head.
Erin took out her Pokedex. "Ribombee, the Bee Fly Pokemon and the evolved form of Cutiefly. This Pokemon utilizes pollen puffs, which it makes by rolling up pollen from flowers. Some can be used for food; others, for battle."
"Bug and Fairy... Crud."
"Ribombee, use Pollen Puff!"
A small poofy yellow ball flew towards Treecko before exploding.
When the dust cleared, Treecko was on the ground, trying not to faint.
"Treecko, it's fine! You don't have to-"
She started to glow.
Treecko got up while this was happening, giving off a blue light. Leaves started to grow from her forearms, and one grew out of her head. She grew taller and a bit more slender.
She stopped glowing.
Erin, whose jaw had dropped and was still hanging, took out her Pokedex.
"Grovyle, the Wood Gecko Pokemon and the evolved form of Treecko. It quickly flies from branch to branch. It can outrun almost anything, and it uses this advantage by slicing foes with its leaves while dashing with ease."
"She evolved..."
Erin recovered. "Grovyle, let's try this! Use Acrobatics!"
Grovyle disappeared for a split second, reappearing close to the ceiling. She fell, striking Ribombee with her foot. It was almost a one-hit KO.
Gwen groaned. "Use Silver Wind!" Loose scales flew out of Ribombee's fur. The sharp ones were blown by the wind, giving Grovyle a few minor cuts.
"Acrobatics, one more time!"
Grovyle powerfully struck Ribombee with her forearm. This knocked it away. It fainted.
Gwen sighed, retrieving Ribombee. "Good job, I guess. You fought well."
She went to a back room, taking a small case. She opened it, revealing a small badge. It was in the shape of a poofy ball.
"It's the Meadow Badge. It allows you to call on rideable Pokemon after receiving your Ride Pager."
"Aren't Ride Pagers an Alola-exclusive thing?"
"One would think so. However, Ryoki isn't much different from Alola in that way. We even have a similar trial system."
"Trial... System?"
Gwen nodded. "After defeating a Gym Leader, you must complete a trial before receiving access to go on."
"Crud."
"Vega, I believe it's your turn to battle me. Erin, you may continue to the trial site if you wish. Just return to the stone platform outside of town, and you'll be whisked away to the mainland. Afterwards, make your way east, onto Route 4, and wait for us there. We should be done with our battle by the time you find it."
"...Alright. How hard is this trial gonna be?"
"Not hard at all. See, the route is covered in flowers. My strongest Pokemon is Ribombee. Connect the dots." She smiled
"...Oh. Okay, well, see ya there, I guess." Erin turned to leave.
–
"Snubbull, use Lick!"
Deoxys avoided without being told to do so. "Use Flash Cannon!"
Deoxys's core started glowing. It collected the energy in a hand it used by entwining its tentacles. There was then a beam extending from it, hitting Snubbull and knocking it out in one blow.
"That Deoxys of yours is too strong. I like that."
"I'm not gonna go easy on you."
"Good."
Gwen sent out Ribombee. "Use Pollen Puff!"
"Dodge and use Shadow Ball!"
Deoxys moved out of the way, the puff exploding behind. A hand was formed again with a shadowy blob above. This was hurled at Ribombee, who failed to move away.
"Are you okay?!"
Ribombee got up, nodding.
"Then use Pollen Puff, one last time!"
Ribombee's tiny arms were already at its scarf, ready to pull out a ball of pollen.
But Deoxys wasn't there anymore.
Vega threw a Pokeball, smiling. An unfamiliar Pokemon came out.
Both Ribombee and Gwen seemed confused. It was a Growlithe.
"Use Burn Up."
Growlithe's body was set aflame. Every single bit of fire it could muster from within was used.
The giant fire left Growlithe's body, and it went straight towards Ribombee, who fainted afterwards.
Growlithe's body went black-and-white, but Vega retrieved it.
Gwen's eyes were still wide. "Good... battle..."
–
Gwen and Vega finally arrived. Erin smiled. "How was the battle?"
Vega smiled back. "It was great-"
"Did you know she has a Growlith-"
Vega covered her mouth.
"A what?"
"Nothing. It's nothing." She resisted the urge to kick Gwen in the stomach with her knee.
Gwen removed her hand. "Anywaaays, here's the trial site. Once you pass this gate, you cannot leave. You cannot catch any Pokemon. Both of these things will be 'available' once the trial is completed. For my trial, both of you will have to collect pollen from three different flowers. Seems easy, but that's not all. I'll leave you to find out the rest."
Erin and Vega turned to face each other. "I bet it's still easy."
Gwen opened the trial gate.
"Off you go."
The two went in.
There were blue flowers, red flowers, yellow flowers, orange ones, violet ones, white ones...
The list went on.
Erin went one way. "You take the primary colors. I'll take orange, white, and pink."
"Primary colors..? I'm colorblind, Erin. Remember?"
Erin sighed. "Just take the ones to your right."
Vega scanned over the rows of flowers, looking for the ones with Cutiefly flying close above.
"Sorry," she mumbled, shooing them away. "I need this pollen."
She took out a paint brush and a small velvet pouch. Gently brushing over the anthers. The pollen from the blue flower went in nicely.
"Fleeur!"
–
The Flabebe left, satisfied. "It only wanted a bit of pollen..."
Vega sighed, going back to work. She got pollen from the red and yellow flowers, giving a bit of it from each to the Flabebe that came by.
Soon, she went back to where she and Erin split up.
–
Erin had to deal with the Flabebe too. She thought about battling them, but decided to see what the pollen would do. It turned out to be much faster that way.
She met up with Vega later, and Gwen was there too.
"How was it?"
"A bit too easy. But we did it!" Vega lifted all three of her pouches. Erin did the same.
"Good job, you two! But, you know what you have to do before finishing an Alolan trial?"
"Fight the Totem- Oh."
Gwen smiled. "Come out!"
Something jumped out from behind her.
–
Erin sent out Noibat, since the thing looked like a Grass-type and Noibat knew Aerial Ace. Even if it was Grass-type though, it was still part Fairy, and that would make things rough.
"Aerial Ace!"
Noibat quickly flew forwards, slashing the Florges – that's what it was – with its hardened wing.
Florges used Moonblast, which was more powerful than usual because of its aura. Noibat fainted.
Aerial Ace didn't seem to do much. Erin concluded it was pure Fairy-type and sent out Grovyle.
"Acrobatics!"
Grovyle dodged a Grass Knot and used the speed from that to strike quickly, landing a good hit. The Totem Florges growled, using Flower Shield and then realizing that was a mistake.
Grovyle's defense increased as well.
Badly damaged from Acrobatics, Florges used Wish, and then called for help. A blue Floette came to its aid.
"Don't let it heal! Use Acrobatics one last time, and then go for the Floette!"
The Floette used Razor Leaf, slowing down Grovyle as she went for it, but was knocked out anyways. Then she attacked the Florges, who didn't faint but was very close to doing so.
"Finish this! Use Iron Tail!"
Her tail hardened as she slammed it forcefully into the Florges, knocking it out.
–
Erin watched happily as Vega fought Florges. But when Togepi fainted, she saw a look of distress on her friend's face.
I can't let Erin know I have a fourth Pokemon. Stufful's weak against this stupid flower. But Deoxys knows Flash Cannon... It's worth a shot.
She sent out Deoxys, instructing it to use Flash Cannon. She knocked out any Pokemon that came to aid Florges, and then attacked her, rinsing and repeating. Legendary Pokemon – Or was Deoxys considered Mythical? – are powerful, true, but this was a Totem Pokemon. Totems get boosts to their stats.
One Flash Cannon was a critical hit, instantly knocking out Florges even after being at perfect health.
"Yayyy... I did it... I guess..."
"Congrats, you two! You now have access to the cave just up ahead. And here!"
She handed the two an odd device – one for each, of course. It was thick with a white band running down the middle of the sides. The rest was a nice teal color. The top part held what resembled a Pokeball, but it was gray instead of red and white or blue and red or any other colors on a regular Pokeball.
"That's the Ride Pager I told you about earlier. It allows you to call on Pokemon to help you around the region. Sadly though, I'm not the one to register Pokemon on there. Aiden might be, but not me."
"Aiden..?"
"Yep. Gym Leader of Hirau City, a little ways from the exit of the cave up ahead."
"Oh.. Well, thank you! We'll be sure to look for him immediately then."
"Suuure, Thing is, though, he won't be in town for a bit. He's got a meeting with the League."
This grabbed Vega's attention. "The League? As in, the Pokemon League?"
"Yeah. But, anyways, I can't stick around too long. I've gotta go to that same meeting, it's tomorrow. I don't think you'll get to Hirau in one day, so yeah, you'd have to wait until he gets back. It shouldn't be too long."
She turned to leave.
"Well, see ya. Ride Pager includes a map; don't get lost, now. Good luck with the rest of your Gym challenge!"
"...Thanks."
