Author's Note: OMG OMG OMG! Guys...Game of Thrones last night was out of this world!

And now, enjoy chapter 6!

Also, I do not own Fairy Tail of Pokemon.


Chapter Six - Trial 1: Breakneck Blitz


"Happy Jr., roll out and hit him with another Ember!"

Natsu was furiously jumping up and down as he and his lone Litten whittled Ilima's team to just a Smeargle. The Normal-type painter Pokémon was giving his fire cat a little more trouble than he would have expected, but he still kept a look of determination in his eyes.

"Smeargle, take the hit, and use your Water Gun!" Ilima snapped his fingered, and watched his painter take the Ember right to the chest, and soon after gear up for a watery surprise.

"WHAT!? NO FAIR!" Natsu slammed his feet into the boardwalk. "That thing isn't even a water-type!"

"Ugh, Natsu…" Lucy grabbed the bridge of her nose. "Most Pokémon can learn moves outside of their typing…I mean I've only played one of these games, and even I knew that. Heck, you've even used thunder moves as a Charizard!"

"Yea, but it's not cheating when the player does it!" Natsu watched his tiny cat suffer a lot of damage, and noticed its health bar was now in the very low red. He then clenched his right hand into a fist. "And besides, we're not giving up yet! Litten use Ember again!"

Litten coughed up a small bit of air, but shook its distress off very quickly from there in order to gear up for its next attack. It sucked in a new cloud of fuel, and leaned back on all fours to send a large ball of fire hurling toward Smeargle. The painter Pokémon was able to take the last hit very well, but this attack seemed to me much larger than the last, even though it happened to be the same move coming from the same Pokémon.

Ilima nodded, and smiled as his Smeargle fell to the much larger ball of fire. "Ahh, you utilized its Blaze ability… When Litten's HP is below 1/3rd its maximum, the power of Fire-type moves is increased by 50%. Bravo! Well done, good sir!"

"Hehe!" Natsu gave Ilima a thumbs-up, and reached down to pick up his fiery little kitten. "Just using that trainer experience to my advantage."

"OH YOU ARE SO LYING!" Lucy shook her head with rage, clearly knowing that Natsu had no idea what "blaze" was, and instead just spammed Ember because it was the fire-type move.

Still, even Lillie nodded and clapped with support. "Congratulations, Natsu! That was a wonderful battle…e-even though I'm not fond of watching them so up close."

Ilima put Smeargle's ball away, and walked forward. "Yes! You have emerged victorious!

You—or should I say you and your Pokémon— make quite the interesting team!"

"You're damn right we do!" Natsu placed a confident thumb on his chest, and dangled the small red cat in his other arm. "Me, my Pokémon, Happy, even Lucy…we're all here to win!"

Ilima covered his face again to hide a supportive laugh. "Oh, I do hope you'll come to Verdant Cavern and attempt the trial—the trial of Ilima! You can get there from Route 2... That Rotom Dex of yours will show you the way." He then turned, and decided to give them one last farewell before his northern departure. "Lucy, and Natsu, was it? I bid you both Alola!"

After battling Team Skull Grunts and watching Ilima leave, Lillie stepped up to look at her two new friends. "Oh! Are you... You're moving on to your first trial? You're going to Verdant Cavern?"

Lucy shrugged, and held the same confidence Natsu usually has as she made her reply. "I guess so! I think we're all ready to give these trials a shot!"

Lillie smiled with a calming attitude. "I read something in an old book once. It said that the island challenges were once a journey made to prove yourself and gain the strength to battle against the guardian deities of Alola. Like Tapu Koko... The people in Iki Town said that Tapu Koko loves Pokémon battles, didn't they? If we could meet Tapu Koko once more, do you think we would find the answer to why it saved you and Nebby that day, Lucy?"

"Gee…" Lucy put a finger up to her cheek. "I dunno. That would be pretty cool to find out, though! We should try to find him once we finish the trail challenge!"

"Sounds good to me" Natsu laughed. "I'm not sure I'll be ready to leave this place even after we beat the game! I'm sure Nigel can wait around wherever he is, hehe."

Lillie giggled form both of their confident faces, and gave them both a wave as she went to make her own leave. "Lucy, Natsu... Good luck to both of you on your first trial. I will hope that it goes well for you."

"W-Wait, you're not coming with us?" Lucy asked with hesitation in her voice.

Lillie rapidly shook her head. "Oh heavens no! I'm worried if I watch too many battles, it may make me more sympathetic to the amusement. B-But…!" She then reached into her bag, and pulled out two grey and yellow head devices. "I can at least give you both an Exp. Share! If you keep that Exp. Share on, all the Pokémon on your team can get Exp. Points from battle. You can thank the Professor the next time you see him!"

"No way!" Natsu cheered as he snatched his very quickly. "This thing saved my ass in Hoenn. Thanks, Lillie!"

"Yea, no kidding!" Lucy smiled, and placed hers in her bag. "This will come in handy once we get bigger teams. I can only imagine I'll have 10 Pokémon to train if I counted my gold keys right…"

Lillie nodded, and finally turned to make her leave. "I-I'll try to meet you both back at Iki Town. If you manage to win your first trial, we can celebrate with the villagers."

As Lillie walked up the marina path, Natsu went to make his leave for the trial, but just as he did, the pink haired boy turned around. "Um, hey Lucy? We goin', or what?"

"Yea…hold on." Lucy had to stop and think for a moment. "I'm thinking about the team I'll have for the campaign…Hey, reason with me here. Nigel was able to transport my character's data from the Kalos game into that Delta Emerald game, right?"

"Right." Natsu gave her a quick nod. "She was my rival for the campaign, and she had all the same Pokémon you did. What are you getting at?"

"Hmm…" Lucy put two fingers under her chin. "So those Pokémon were only caught by me when you guys were in their bodies, then they became shells for the fake Lucy in Hoenn…but what about the other Pokémon I caught back in Kalos?"

"What?" Natsu was totally confused. "Like Mavis?"

"No Natsu!" Lucy cracked a smile. "I mean before I found Wendy…wait, you weren't on my team! Come on!" From there, Lucy grabbed Natsu's hand, and ran him up the pier and back into Hau'oli City. It appeared they were trying to make a quick stop to the local Poké Center before making off for their adventure, and it also appeared that Lucy had a small trick up her sleeve before starting her trial.


As Lucy and Natsu finished their time at the PC, and made their way past several beautiful sights along western Melemele, the two young trainers finally discovered the small region on Route 2, and quickly discovered the entrance to an ancient looking cave guared by ornate island totems. Standing in front of the two pillars was a very familiar face, and as he turned around, Trial Captain Ilima graced the two Fairies with his presence.

"Greetings. Captain Ilima here." He spoke with soft patience. "And my trial...begins mere steps from here in Verdant Cavern!"

"Now we're talkin'!" Natsu pounded two fists together, and Lucy kept her fists at chest level to show off her own tenacity. The trial captain liked their spirits, and carried on.

"Note that the Pokémon living within Verdant Cavern are quite fierce. I wouldn't venture in unless you've prepared some Potions and so forth. Through attempting the trials during the island challenge, one can exceed his or her own limits. ...That is what the Alolan people believe." He turned and looked down the mysterious dark cavern hole. "Once you enter Verdant Cavern, you will not be able to leave until you have completed the trial. Are you prepared for the trial?"

"You bet we are!" Natsu could start to feel heat coming off his hands, even though he wasn't back in magical Fiore. "I'm all fired up now!"

"Yea we are!" Lucy stood by his side. "You can count on us, Ilima!"

"Aye!" Happy even joined them form out of Natsu's bag. "They'll show ya how a Fairy Tail wizard beats a game in no time! Just watch!"

Ilima nodded, uncrossed his arms, and turned for the entrance. "I'll be waiting for you!"

Natsu and Lucy made no hesitation as they quickly followed the Trial Captain in. Lucy would have been lying to herself if she tried to ignore her own nervous thoughts, but every time she looked over to her confident, fiery friend, she used his energy to bounce back into the situation.

Verdant Cave was lush and rocky. Thousands of plants grew from cracks beneath the floor and above the ceiling. Wild grasses seemed to play the role as habitat for local Pokémon, but everything appeared to be quiet as the Trial Captain explained his plan.

"Let me formally welcome you to Verdant Cavern! I am your captain, Ilima. Allow me to explain the basics of my trial." He kept pausing for dramatic effect. "What you should attempt to do is...Defeat three of the Pokémon that lurk here in their dens! Then reach the pedestal deep within the cave... and collect the Z-Crystal there! You'll need to be completely in sync with your Pokémon to succeed."

"Z-Crystal?" Lucy tilted her head. "What is that, again?"

"Who cares!" Natsu laughed. "We're both takin' one home! And anyone that loses has to buy the other one a meal when we get back to Magnolia!"

"Natsu?!" Lucy yelled. "Quit joking around! This is serious business we're dealing with here."

Ilima tried to laugh, but quickly snapped his fingers. "Oh dear! And there's one more thing I forgot to mention. Many strong Pokémon make their home in this cave, but one stronger and more fearsome than all the rest, known as a Totem Pokémon, also resides here! It will be the greatest obstacle you face as you attempt to clear my trial!"

"Yea…" Natsu now felt heat coming out from of his eyes. "Now you're speakin' my language, buddy!"

Ilima stepped to the side, and raised a hand. "By the way, until you clear the trial, you will not be able to catch Pokémon in Verdant Cavern…This is but one of the seven trials you will face during your island challenge. And…" Ilima gave them one last smile before lowering his hand. "It begins now! The Trial of Captain Ilima!"

Natsu and Lucy rushed forward, and searched the cave for any sign of life they could find. Lucy looked low, and Natsu check high, but nothing seemed to be visible in the light of the cave.

"Man!" Lucy tossed a rock. "I can't find anything in here!" She stood up, but just then a flashing red and white light popped out of her bag.

"Zzzt! Maybe I can help! I think you're looking in placezz the game hazzn't quite coded for discovery…why don't you try searching for the most obvious placezz you see?"

Lucy had no idea how to respond to her loud Rotom-dex, but narrowed her vision anyway to scan her same area again. Luckily, she now found a gaping tiny hold at the foot of a rocky pillar, something she looked over as too obvious earlier.

"Right…" She remembered something Nigel told her from the last game. "These games are for children." Lucy threw her tiny blue Pokémon, Aquarius into the hole, and allowed her angry Zodiac friend to let off some steam inside the cavern. Then, the confident trail goer collected her Pokémon with ease before moving onto the next one.

She heard Natsu and Happy howling from the other side of the cave, and the fire breather quickly yelled over to his friend. "Lucy! We got one of the little mongoose thing!"

"Yea? Lucy smiled. "I found one too! I guess that just leaves us with one…!"

She went to continue, but noticed two thugs entering the back door of the cave, and as they started making similar hand gestures from before, the goons stopped and found a third tiny Yungoos hiding in a hole.

"Yo, yo, yo!" One yelled from his rocky perch. "It's your Poké thief boys, back…back again! Remember us?"

Lucy and Natsu met up in the middle of the cave, and Natsu started scowling with anger. "Who the hell are these guys?!"

Lucy bit her teeth together, but then explained. "Yea, I remember them…they were harassing Ilima back in Hau'oli City."

The second grunt stopped dancing, laughed, and turned to lightly smack his buddy on the arm. "Whoa! Even though we look identical? That's pretty impressive, actually!"

Grunt A snapped him back into it by shouting. "Who cares about that, anyway? We're here to mess her trial up, yo!"

Grunt B stopped himself before carrying on. "Oh yea, that's right! Yo, let's get that Pokémon, homie!"

Lucy stepped up, but Natsu put a hand out. She then stuttered. "N-Natsu?"

"Lucy…" He explained with more anger in his eyes. "You go on ahead. Take out the little one, and head on outside. I'll deal with these boneheads."

"Boneheads!?" The two yelled back. "Yo, Pink Hair is steppin' up for Blondie? This fool is about to get lit!"

"OH I'LL SHOW YA WHAT GETTING LIT LOOKS LIKE! GO HAPPY JR!"

Lucy let Natsu begin his double battle with a single Pokémon, and turned to send out Aquarius to take out the lone young Normal-type standing behind the Skull grunts.

The mermaid snapped back as she whipped the poor Pokémon into a coma. "Blondie! I told you to…!"

"You're right, Aquarius!" Lucy snapped back as she ran through the cave. "This is just the battle you asked me to bring you out for!"

Aquarius hopped alongside her trainer, and raised an eyebrow as she looked outside into the sunny grove past Verdant Cave. Everything seemed to be just as quiet, and a few tiny Yungoos running about the rim of the grotto. Lucy and her water Pokémon looked around the large column of a room, until she saw a shining white totem stand sitting alone in the back of the room.

"That's it!" Lucy pointed out the object. "Ilima said something about a Z-Crystal, I bet he was talking about that!"

"Well don't just stand here!" Aquarius ran forward. "Let's grab the thing and…!" She went to command her trainer, but right then both competitors felt a piercing gaze cut right through them…but they could not tell where it was coming from.

"There." Aquarius looked up. She pointed out a taller mongoose Pokémon standing atop the grotto rim, and so far, it had its back turned to the trainer and her partner, but as they seemed to be too close to the prized Z-Crystal, the large Pokémon sprung to life and landed in the den.

"Gumshoos, the Totem Pokémon of Verdant Cave, has appeared!" Read a hovering message before Lucy's eyes.

She deduced that with her own wit, but still managed to gather some information from the message. "So this is the Totem… then I guess we're in the right place! GO AQUARIUS!"

"I'm already on it!" She snapped back, but then noticed the Normal-Type's aurora lit on fire around its body, and suddenly its Defense stat rose immensely.

"Great…" The Zodiac spirit mumbled. "Looks like I do get to go all out after all."

"Yea you do!" Lucy cheered her on. "Let's beat this guy and take his crystal!"

"Tsk…" Aquarius ignored Lucy, and kept all focus on the Gumshoos. She flipped up and sent a small column of water soaring toward the Totem, and just as her Bubblebeam launched itself at the chest of the enemy, the large Pokémon seemed to tank out the hit very easily.

Aquarius opened her eyes widely, and took a direct attack from a powerful Super Fang dealt out by the Totem Gumshoos. Aquarius felt her Hp split in half after the hit, and slid back from the forceful blow following the move.

"Aquarius! Are you all right!?" Lucy seemed very worried for her good friend and tiny Pokémon, but the Water Bearer was not about to give her any misinformed satisfaction.

"Tch…" Aquarius rose to her paws. "I'm fine, you idiot…I just need to get a better hit on it next time." She looked around the surface of the cave, and let out a tiny grin as she powered up her water.

"There…that might work." She shot out a small but pointed Water Gun, and watched it sail over Gumshoos head. The Totem laughed, and Lucy covered her mouth as she expected to watch Aquarius go down.

Before it attacked. Gumshoos yelled up into the cavern, and soon enough, a tiny Yungoos landed into the battle and joined its boss in battle.

"WHAT!?" Lucy and Aquarius both yelled at the same time, then the trainer took over. "These things can make it two-on-one!? That's totally unfair!"

Aquarius would have agreed, but instead she smiled as a now loose rock, cut off from the cave wall by her previous Water Gun, was now cracking off the side, and as it made a swift tumble to the floor, it landed on Gumshoos back, and caused the giant Totem Pokémon to shriek with slight pain.

"NOW!" Aquarius charged up everything she had, and sent out a massive column of magical water right for the Totem. This once again appeared to be Hydro Pump, and despite Aquarius's young level, the game did happen to recognized her immense power as a Zodiac spirit. The Hydro Pump nailed Gumshoos hard in the chest, and sent it to its knees in defeat. Lucy went to yell something, but a familiar voice from behind her beat her to it.

"AH Yea! Wait-a-go Lucy! You and Aquarius kicked that guy's but!"

Lucy smiled and turned around. "Natsu! I'm glad you made it." She then turned back to the battle. "Aquarius was just getting ready to finish up on the Totem Pokémon and…!"

"Yungoos used Hyper Fang! Aquarius fainted!"

"…" Lucy's eye began to twitch as her powerful Zodiac spirit fell to the ground in defeat. She went to curse her opponent, but instead turned up to face her surprised trainer. "I blame you…Lucy."

Aquarius returned to the ball on her own, and as Natsu felt his jaw hit the floor, Lucy sighed. "Well…I guess it's time to make my big reveal…"

Suddenly, a second ball lit up on her belt, and just then a tiny, yet slightly familiar Litleo from Lucy's playthrough of X&Y landed on the field. He also had a pair of shining glasses over his adorable eyes, and a cheeky grin underneath waiting for Lucy.

"Well, it looks like your shining knight has arrived to save the day once again."

"HEY!" Natsu pointed out the obvious. "It's Loke! You found a second spirit!"

"Yea!" Lucy put an arm behind her head. "Loke, Capricorn, and Virgo were all waiting inside the PC for me. Virgo isn't the same Pokémon she was back in Kalos, but they're all three in my party now!"

"Yes, we are." Loke grinned, and charged up a shining ball of fire. He nailed the little Yungoos with a swift Ember attack, and ended the trial battle right there. "But only one of your spirits could win this challenge for you, Lovely. No thanks are necessary."

"Yea…" Lucy shook her head. "Aquarius did manage to take out the Totem Pokémon." Lucy strutted ahead, grabbed the Z-Crystal off its podium, and smiled with delight. "And now I have this!"

Natsu howled with laughter, and Loke nodded with approval as his master and trainer won the trial, and claimed her prized Z-Crystal for herself. Natsu then spoke up as they began walking out of the cave. "Well gee! I'm glad I had those Team Skull guys to beat down on. I'm a little upset I don't get to fight the Totem guy!"

"Yea, good point!" Lucy said with a sad expression. "Oh well. You can fight the next one once we make it there!" As Lucy collected her Pokémon, Loke, the two victors emerged from the cave and returned to Route 2. There, they came across Ilima clapping his hands in support, and greeting them with his usual calm smile.

"What an incredible Trainer you are!" He saw Lucy tossing the Z-Crystal up in the air with pride. "For you to be able to defeat the Totem Pokémon that I had trained up to such a powerful state... I don't know what I can say!"

"Yea, well…" Lucy patted on her row of 4 Poké Balls. "Let's say I put my guys through some training as well. We have a really strong bond whenever we fight together."

Ilima nodded. "Working in harmony with your Pokémon, you have cleared the trial of Ilima! You're a phenomenal Trainer! Congratulations, Lucy! The Z-Crystal from the pedestal is yours now!" He then gestured to the tiny white crystal in Lucy's hand. "What you have just received is the Normal Z-Crystal! It is known as Normalium Z! Now if you let a Pokémon that can use a Normal-type move hold that..."

He went to say more, but stopped just short as he crossed both arms, flung them around in a flamboyant dance move, and finished by creating a sturdy Z with his arms. Lucy and Natsu's jaws dropped as Ilima continued. "and strike an elegant pose like this one... then you will be able to strengthen a Normal-type move by unleashing Z-Power!"

"Whoa, you're kidding!" Natsu howled with laughter. "We get to do goofy dance moves with our Pokémon now?! That's awesome!"

"Is it?" Lucy tensed up. "It looked kind of silly to me…"

Ilima covered his face like he usually does when laughing, and waved a hand. "Moving right along... Ah, yes. First, there is one thing I forgot to mention. The Totem Pokémon! In every locale where a captain holds his or her trials, you will encounter a particularly strong Pokémon, like Gumshoos just now. And during battles against such Pokémon, they may summon allies to shore up their offense. It's not a tactic often seen in other regions. Perhaps Pokémon in Alola are simply more inclined to help one another?"

"Yea…" Lucy still sounded salty. "That would've been nice to know going in…"

Ilima ignored her. "Since you have managed to defeat the Totem Pokémon and proved yourself, you can now try to catch any of the Pokémon you find here in this cave. In fact, have some Great Balls. And here, let me see to your Pokémon after all of their hard work in there!" The trial captain healed Lucy's team entirely, and then turned for the main route. "If we're done here, I have something interesting I'd like to show you. Come with me to Route 3."

Lucy and Natsu followed Ilima just around the corner to another Totem looking gate. He then explained. "As you travel around the islands of Alola, you will find captains' barricades here and there. These barricades help mark areas where particularly strong Pokémon can be found. Anyone can pass through them, of course, if they are escorted by a strong Trainer. Those attempting the island challenge can pass the barricades, as long as they clear the trials. Are you ready? Then behold the power of a captain!"

Ilima actually did nothing, and let his large and slightly buff trial assistants move the barricades for him. He then nodded with approval. "Voila! Your world just got a little bigger. I am the only captain here on Melemele Island, meaning my trial is the only one here. Now that you have cleared the trial, please inform our island kahuna, Hala!"

"Oh yea!" Natsu went to run through the gate, but just the one of the very large assistants cloths-lined him in the neck, and caused the fire trainer to fall to the ground.

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted in fear or her friend and bent over to help him up. "Are you okay?"

"Oy!" Natsu brushed her off and stepped up to the much taller Totem guard. "You tryin' ta swallow a fist full of fire today, pal!?"

Ilima laughed and separated the two brutes before a fight ensued. "Oh come now, he's just doing his job! Apologies Natsu, but…" Ilima scanned the Fire Dragon Slayer one more time. "I don't believe you technically cleared the trial. You need to defeat a Totem Pokémon, and recover a new Z-Crystal before moving on in your own right."

"NO WAY!" Lucy yelled out. "You're telling me I have to follow Natsu back in there before we can move on!?"

Ilima shrugged. "If you wish to travel together? Yes of course! The first part was completed in-joint by both of you, but we'll need to summon a new Totem and allow Natsu the opportunity to defeat it. Though, I am happy to see two friends sticking with each other, even when one is ready to move on."

"ALL RIGHT!" Natsu leapt in the air, and turned around to re-enter the cave. "Come in, Lucy! Let's go get me a Z-Crystal!"

"But…but…" Lucy felt her hatred for the Pokémon game series suddenly return, and dropped to her knees as comical tears poured out of her eyes.

"B-But…I was so close to moving on…AGHHHH! EVEN WHEN I WIN I STILL LOSE!"


So Lucy beat the trial, but now Natsu has to go back and beat the Totem too?! Also Lucy got more Pokemon! We'll see what happens tomorrow!