A/N: Okay, good news for those who are actually still interested in reading this story, I'm alive and back in gear in writing this. I apologize for taking half a year off of this when I should have tried to update when I had finished one of my other stories. But life happens and college can just drag you down hard. The good news is I'm actually going to try to set up a schedule for this story. I've already finished the next chapter and I'm looking to start chapter 12 soon. Probably a two-week schedule for now. I may have a lot of free time right now, but given how I'm going back to school at the end of this month, my writing time will be pretty limited. Anyway, hope you enjoy! This is the longest chapter I've written in a loooong time.

Alexandria Prime: Those are good guesses, but the Pokémon won't be revealed anytime soon.

trashyistrash: I actually bought Pokémon Ultra Moon last year sometime in the fall, but never finished it. Oops. Anyhow, I love your suggestion of Sun's team being the opposite of Moon's team. While their teams are not freshened out yet, I do have an idea what half of their team will look like for now. Thank you for your help!

Snowflakekitty133: Aww thank you! Don't worry, I'll try to update more often.

Chapter 10: Alone, but Together

"Allow me to formally welcome you to Verdant Cavern. As I've said before, I am your Captain, Ilima, and this is where your first trial shall commence."

At the sound of Ilima's voice, Moon looked away from the scene she had been gazing at in deep thought back to Ilima as she tried to bring her focus back to him. She and the boys were now standing in a small cavern that was filled with a lush variety of green plants that covered some of the rocks. The warm sunlight that seeped through the small holes in the ceiling illuminated the cavern and created a scene that captivated Moon. The cavern was simply beautiful, and yet, it also brought a wave of apprehension to her.

Near her, Moon could see both Sun and Hau grinning excitedly as they eyed the cavern with an eager look. Since waking up and their short breakfast together, the two had talked non-stop about the trial and what they hoped to accomplish. Moon had tried to join in their excitement but found she was unable to. She couldn't lie to them. She was far more afraid that she would fail than being excited about taking on the trial.

"Now, I know I explained to you three what you will be attempting to do in this trial, but I will still go briefly over it," Ilima said with an amused expression.

He turned and pointed forward to a Pokémon, the same one Moon remembered him using in their battle against Team Skull the day before. The Yungoos eyed Ilima as soon as it noticed that it had been pointed at and screeched. It turned and dived forward into a nearby hole in a rock, peeping out with its head as it made a slight hissing sound.

"You three will each find a Yungoos that lurks here in these dens and defeat one. Then, together, you three must reach the pedestal deep within this cave and collect the Z-Crystals there." Ilima explained with a calm smile.

He turned back to the three trainers and paused, regarding each of them as they stared back at him in silence. "Normally, a trainer would only take this trial alone, but I am allowing you three to take it together. However, know that won't be the same for any future trials you take."

"Why are you allowing us to then?" Sun asked.

Ilima looked over to Sun and smiled in amusement. "It is my goal for you three to learn the difference in strength in numbers. This will be beneficial for your journey."

He paused and looked over to Moon, who stared at him in confusion. She had no idea why his attention was focused on her more than the boys.

"I also would like to see how each of you will fight in both situations." Ilima mused.

Just as he was about to say more, a loud roar bellowed out from within the cavern. The three children immediately flinched at the sound as they each clamped their hands over their ears. Ilima remained unfazed to the roar and appeared to only smile more in amusement. When the roar deceased, Ilima let out a soft chuckle and continued.

"That was the Totem Pokémon just now. Many strong Pokémon make their home in this cave, but the Totem Pokémon is the strongest and fiercest of the rest. It resides here as the protector of this Trial Site. And it will be the greatest obstacle you three will have to face if you want to clear my Trial."

"Man… It sounds so strong!" Hau said with nervousness. He turned to Sun and let out a small chuckle. "But we'll manage, right Sun? We didn't come here to lose!"

Sun nodded in agreement and turned back to Ilima. "Is there anything else we should know?"

Ilima nodded his head. "Your Rotom will remain here with me. You only will be permitted to use one Pokémon in this trial. And until you clear this trial, you will not be able to catch any Pokemon that reside here. Now then, let it begin! The Trial of Captain Ilima!" Ilima called out.

He raised his hand and waved it down, gesturing for the three to venture forward as Rotom moved over to Ilima from Moon's side, turning and wishing the three trainers good luck.

At Ilima's command, Sun and Hau wasted no time in moving forward, but they immediately stopped, gazing back at Moon with beaming smiles. Moon stared at them confused, wondering why they had suddenly stopped until she realized that they were waiting for her. She felt her mouth curved into a smile at the thought that they wouldn't allow her to be left behind this time. She was just as part of their group now. And Moon knew that Sun and Hau never left anyone behind. Even if it was her, they would always take her hand and guide her forward. That was the kind of friends they were.

And for a reason she couldn't understand, that thought made her chest flutter more than ever.

Moon had no idea what made her compelled enough to move forward to Sun and Hau's side, but she did just that, allowing them to guide her deeper into the cavern until they came across a series of three paths that led to different directions. They each stared at each path in silence until Sun broke the seemingly deafening silence.

"So this is where we split up…"

"Yeah…" Hua added. He perked up and turned to Moon and Sun, giving them each an eager grin.

"But I'm sure we'll find each other again!"

"Yeah!" Sun agreed.

He turned to Moon, as she gazed back at each of the boys in awe. Sun smiled and held out his fist towards her and Hau. Seeing what Sun was trying to do, Hau laughed and held his fist out too, turning back to Moon, waiting for Moon to do the same. Confused, Moon allowed her hand to curve into a fist and held it out to the other fists in front of her, watching as the boy's fists moved forward and softly bumped against hers.

"Let's do our best and pass this trial together!" Sun declared, his voice echoing loud and clear, brimming with confidence.

Moon couldn't help herself but smile at Sun's words. His words of encouragement were enough to help the festering feelings of anxiousness that were holding her down. While his words may seem small to anyone, they carried a greater meaning to the three, especially Moon. She wasn't nearly as confident and ready for the trial they were about to take like Hau and Sun were, but she wanted to pass it alongside them. She wanted to try her best with her friends.

Holding on to that thought, Moon watched as Sun and Hau gave her last few words of encouragement and turned, moving forward on the individual paths they had selected. She watched as their backs slowly disappear until she could no longer see them, now realizing why a sudden spark of uneasiness had erupted from her chest.

She was alone.

Shaking her head at this, Moon called out Mikio from his Pokéball and asked him to fly ahead to look for Yungoos. She followed her pokemon as he flew ahead on the path, lost in her thoughts. Each step she took felt heavy, but she continued to force herself to move forward. She was alone, but she had Sun and Hau together in her heart. Their spirits were with her. She couldn't forget about that.

"Coo…"

Moon nearly jumped in surprise as she felt something soft land on her shoulder. She turned, smiling in relief when she saw it was only Mikio. Mikio cooed softly and began to rub its head against her cheek. Moon sighed softly as Mikio's feathers brushed against her skin and placed her hand on top of Mikio, petting him gently.

How could she forget? Of course, she was not alone. She had Mikio with her as well. And it was thanks to her Pokémon that she was reminded of that.

"Thank you, Mikio," Moon said in gratitude as she turned her sight back to the path.

It was frightening. She was now in a trial she had no idea that she was even capable of completing. It wasn't that she thought she was weak, but she did not consider herself skilled enough like Hau and Sun. From the many practice battles she had with them, Moon saw how they were both stronger and more tactical than her. Knowing them, she was sure that they were having a much easier time with their trials than her.

But even so, she had to at least try. They both believed in her. While the two were far stronger than her, she wanted to show them that their faith was giving her strength. Both Sun and Hau had shown her a world she never knew existed that was full of life and beauty. They had helped her learn about pokémon and even had received one thanks to their encouragement. It was thanks to them that she was here now in a small cavern taking her first trail. It was thanks to her friends that she now could experience the world.

"Hoot!"

Moon felt Mikio take off from her shoulder watching as he flew over to a small hole within a large rock slightly hidden by small shrubs. Mikio gave out another hoot and landed by the small hole. He looked back at Moon and gestured at the hole with his wing, beckoning for Moon to come over.

Confused, Moon did. She walked over to Mikio and kneeled down at her Pokémon. Just as she about to question Mikio, she heard a short hiss come from inside the hole. Cautiously, Moon lifted her hands and moved the shrubs away from the hole to see what was inside. She didn't expect a Yungoos to suddenly shoot out of the hole, growling viciously at her. Moon barely moved away in time as it moved to bite her. When it tried to attack her for the second time, Mikio was quick to respond and attacked the Pokémon with its beak, sending the Pokemon away at a good distance. As Yungoos regained its bearings, Mikio gave a high pitched hoot and landed in front of Moon protectively with his wings up, taking the time to look back at her into her eyes. Moon stared at Mikio's calm gaze with uncertainty but nodded catching what her Pokemon was trying to convey with his gaze. Mikio believed in her. Even though she wasn't quite sure she was strong enough to pass Ilima's trial, Mikio had complete faith in her.

It was time she started believing in Mikio as well.

"Mikio, use peck!" Moon called out.

Immediately, Mikio's beak glowed and he flew forward towards his target. The Yungoos had no time to move for the incoming attack. It screeched in pain when Mikio's beak jabbed itself into it, sending it back tumbling towards the ground. Thinking that the Yungoos would be too weak to fight further, Moon paused to think about Mikio's next step. Before she could anything, the Yungoos suddenly stood up and shot forward at the small owl pokémon, tackling it head-on.

"Mikio!" Moon yelled in urgency, fear creeping in as she watched helplessly as Yungoo opened its mouth widely and dug its teeth into Mikio's wing.

Mikio screeched at the erupt pain in his wing and flapped both his wings wildly, shaking Yungoos along with it. Moon stared at her pokemon in horror unable to find her voice as her mind began to go back to her battle with the Team Skull grunts. It was the same. Mikio was in pain because of her. Her commands were only causing him to get hurt by his opponent. If anything, she was a sad excuse of a trainer for him.

"Hoot!"

Mikio blinked, shocked out of her thoughts, realizing that Mikio was staring directly at her. Even though Yungoos was still biting hard on his wing, her Rowlet still had his attention directly focused on her. He was waiting for her to call out his next command. Despite everything, it was clear as day that Mikio still believed in his trainer.

"Why Mikio?" She managed to say. She shook her head bitterly and opened her mouth.

"Mikio, use Leafage!"

Mikio wasted no time to respond to Moon's voice. He gave a loud boot and raised his wings, releasing glowing green leaves. The leaves spiraled around him until Moon could no longer see him and Yungoos. Just before she could call out to Mikio, Yungoos suddenly shot out of the green tornado, tumbling towards the ground. She stared wide-eyed at the swirling tornado of leaves that had engulfed Mikio and felt her head nod slightly. She felt her lips curve into a smile and looked back at the Yungoos in front of them that was now getting back up.

She was not going to give on Mikio ever again.

"Go Mikio!" She called out to her Pokemon.

She heard a response from Mikio inside the green tornado of leaves and all at once, the leaves surrounding Mikio shot out toward Yungoos, whose eyes seemed to widened at the incoming attack. Before it could even move, the barrage of leaves struck its body, sending it back to crashing to the ground where it remained still.

"Coo! Coo!" Mikio hooted loudly as it raised itself from the ground. With a flap of its wings, it flew over to Moon and landed softly on her shoulder, burrowing its face into her cheek. Moon giggled at the softness of Mikio's face rubbing onto her skin and placed her hand onto its head. Gently, she took Mikio off her shoulder and wrapped her arms around him, bringing him into her chest.

"Thank you, Mikio." She whispered softly.

She heard Mikio give a barely audible hoot at her words of gratitude and felt the small Pokémon released itself from her hug. She smiled as Mikio hooted at her as it took off to the sky above her, waving its wing toward the path in front of them. She knew what Mikio was trying to convey with his gesture. They still had the rest of the path before them.

Moon had no idea how long she had walked, but the encouragement hoots from above her were enough to keep her moving forward. It wasn't until she saw familiar figures in the distance that her pace began to quicken. When she could finally make out why the two figures looked so familiar, she couldn't help the smile that was breaking through. With a quick return of Mikio back into his Pokéball, Moon broke off into a run with one thought in mind.

She could finally be together with her friends again.

"Moon!" She heard Sun and Hau call out to her.

Moon couldn't help but smile at the boys as they waved at her. She made her way over to them and stopped in front of, short of breath, but pumped as ever. All the anxiety and nervousness that had been trailing behind her had suddenly become mute. It only took the sound of Sun and Hau's voice to make that possible. How could she think that she could not complete this trial? Her friends would always be right beside her to help her conquer her fears.

"Hey, Moon! How did your battle with Yungoos go? Azura had a tough time with her battle with it." Hau recalled with a wide grin, putting both his hands up in emphasis.

Sun chuckled at Hau's attempt to recount Azura's battle with the Yungoos and turned to Moon, smiling in gratitude at what Hau had done. Moon looked a bit shaken when she came running towards them. It was to be expected given how they've always been together. Truth to be told, he had been nervous for Moon when they went on their way to each of the paths they had chosen alone. He was worried that she would get hurt, but now seeing her here in front of him, smiling cheerfully and unharmed sent of a wave of ease and reassurance through him. Moon would be just fine. She had grown tremendously ever since she had woken up after she had been found hurt and alone on the dirt path his mother had found her on. And even now, she would continue to grow, just like Hau and he will do beside her. They will grow together.

"Are you ready, guys?" Sun decided to say, regaining Moon and Hau's attention.

The two turned to him and immediately nodded, both their eyes burning with renewed determination. Sun grinned in response and together, the three continued their way into the deepest depth of the cavern until they could finally see light pouring from the end of the tunnel. In anticipation, the trio continued their trek through the tunnel. When they arrived at their destination, the trio was immediately blinded by the light. As soon as their eyes could finally adjust to the light, the three friends were met with a serene clearing that captivated them.

The clearing they were now in was surrounded by walls that towered around them, with lush vegetation growing in the crevices of the walls. They could barely make out the clouds moving slowly in the sky past the rocky walls nor the bright yellow orb that sent rays of light to them. Even though it was slightly hidden insight from the walls, there still was light being shined from the sky. All around the clearing, there were patches of grass growing as well, even on the cliffs that stood above. On the right of the clearing was a nearby path that led to a cliff, but it was blocked by large boulders, The trio of friends, observed the blocked path, wondering if part of the trial was finding a way through the large boulders, until their eyes settled on a small shrine that was in the middle of the clearing. Cautiously, the three walked towards the shrine. The closer they moved towards it, the more they could see something glistening in the shrine. When they finally got close enough to the shrine, the three could see what exactly was glistening from the soft light from above.

In the shrine was three small gems that both Sun and Hau instantly recognized.

"Z-Crystals…" Sun breathed in wonder.

Not being to contain his excitement at what they had just found, Hau reached his hand out towards the glittering crystals, when suddenly a shrill screech from up above made him freeze. Feeling as if a piercing gaze was now on him, Hau shivered and jerked his hand away from the shrine. He slowly backed away from the shrine along with Moon and Sun as they looked up to see what had called out to them.

What they saw glaring at them made gasp. Standing on the top of the cliff, leering at the trio was a massive Pokémon. With a snarl, the Pokémon kicked off from the cliff to the sky, flailing out its arms and legs, before landing onto the ground with a loud thud on all four of its ligaments. Slowly, the massive Pokémon rose to its feet and bellowed furiously at the trio, revealing the razor-sharp teeth in its mouth. Moon and others were forced to take a step back from as the Pokémon towered over them with fury and fierceness present in its expression.

"A Gumshoos…" Sun gasped, shivering at the idea that this was the Totem Pokémon they had to battle.

Beside him, Moon let out ragged breaths as her eyes widened. Sun immediately noticed this and grasped her hand with his, pulling her out of the panic attack he knew she was close to having. With shock, she turned to him as Sun gave her tight smile, trying her best to comfort her. When he was sure she was focused on him, Sun turned to Hau and nodded at him and looked back at the Totem Pokémon before them.

"Let's do this, guys!" Sun called out, taking out his Pokéball as Hau and Moon did the same.

Noticing that the group of trainers was raring to battle, Gumshoos let out another roar and immediately, a fiery orange aura exploded from the pokemon with enough force that it sent Moon and the other skidding back. When the three regained their bearings, they found Gumshoos staring at them with an intimidating gaze as a burning orange aura glowed around him. Gumshoos was ready to fight them.

"Alright, come out, Kuro!" Sun shouted, releasing his Litten from its Pokéball.

"You too, Azura!" Hau shouted, his voice brimming with excitement.

Slowly, Moon took a deep breath and released her Pokémon just as well.

"Please help, Mikio!"

With a red flash, the three start pokemon appeared before their respective trainers with hot burning determination present in their gazes. Each Pokémon glared at Gumshoos, preparing for the heated battle they knew was to come.

"Kuro! Use scratch!" Sun commanded to his Litten, who dashed forward, his claws outstretched ready to attack. Swiftly, Kuro made contact with his claws on Gumshoos, causing the massive Pokémon to growl in pain. Surprisingly, Gumshoos seemed content on taking the attack, as if it wanted to gauge the strength of Kuro's attack. As Kuro made his way back to Sun, Gumshoos's expression hardened before twisting into something horrendous, that caused the three trainer's Pokémon to let out cries of fear.

"Scary face…" Hau commented as he balled one of his hands into a fist. He waved his hand up, ready to call out to Azura to attack when another roar from Gumshoos made him freeze.

When Gumshoos finally stopped roaring, two Yungoos appeared from the cliffs above, each landing by Gumshoos's side. The two growled at the trio and their Pokémon, showing how prepared they were to join Gumshoos in battle.

Both Sun and Hau looked at each other and sighed as Moon looked at them in confusion. Sun noticed her confused gaze and smiled at her. "Sorry, we just should have known this was going to be harder than what we initially thought it would be."

"Yeah," Hau added with a wide grin. He lifted up his fist and pumped it forward. "But it's nothing we can't take on! Azura, use water gun on one of the Yungoos!"

Azura barked in response and released a torrent of rushing water from its mouth that hit the Yungoos in front of it, sending it skidding back. As the Yungoos regained its bearings, Hau sent Azura to use pound on the pokemon. Before she could, Gumshoos quickly got in front of the still down Yungoos, intercepting the attack and sending Azura back with his body. Hau gritted his teeth as Azura shakily got back up from the rough shove to her body and glanced back to Hau, barking softly, as if she was comforting her trainer. Noticing this, Hau let out a soft chuckle and turned to Sun, nodding at him as the other stared at him in concern. Together, the two turned to their Pokémon and called out their next commands.

"Kuro, use Fire Fang!"

"Azura, use Disarming Voice!"

Immediately, the two Pokémon went into action. Kuro rushed forward, his fangs ablaze in flames as Azura stayed put. She arched her back and opened her mouth, releasing a charming cry that made the two Yungoos become still. Before they could move, Kuro clamped its mouth on one of them, digging its teeth into the Yungoos's body as the Yungoos cried out in pain from the fiery flames that made contact with its body. Before it could swing the Yungoos to the side with its mouth, Kuro was tackled harshly away by the other Yungoos, sending Kuro back to Sun. Kuro quickly recovered from the attack and let out a growl as both the Yungoos rushed forward to him and Azura.

Moon watched in fear as Sun and Hau called out to their Pokémon once more with commands of their next attacks when she suddenly felt a piercing gaze on her that seemed to cut into her. Turning, she felt her stomach make a somersault when she saw who exactly was gazing at her. It happened to be Gumshoo, who was snarling directly at her. It moved forward, its mouth wide open, preparing to chomp its mouth into Mikio, who stood beneath her.

Quickly, Moon called out to Mikio to take to the skies before Gumshoos could get ahold of him and commanded her Pokémon to attack.

"Mikio, use Peck!"

With a flap of his wings, Mikio's beak glowed white and he dove forward, digging his beak into Gumshoos body. Gumshoos snarled and grabbed ahold of Mikio with his hands, preparing to dig its teeth into Mikio's body. Before it could, Moon quickly shouted out Mikio's next attack.

"Leafage, Mikio!"

Mikio let out a shrill hoot and flapped his wings, releasing a barrage of green leaves that completed engulfed his body, causing Gumshoos to release the small owl from its clutches. It staggered back as Mikio let the onslaught of leaves at him, completely engulfing Gumphoos in it. When the leaves finally dissipated, Gumshoos still stood standing, glaring at Moon more than ever, but it was clear to Moon that he had taken significant damage.

"Use Tackle!" Moon shouted to Mikio.

Mikio gave a hoot in reply and dove forward at Gumshoos who lunged forward, its mouth wide open revealing long glowing fangs. Mikio narrowly dodged the fangs and slammed into Gumshoos, making the massive Pokemémon stagger back and roar in anger. Gunshoos pushed forward against the small owl, but Mikio wouldn't allow the other to win. The two continued to push against each other until a wave of sheer force blew out from the two of them, forcing them to apart from one another.

Seeing how strong Mikio was, Gumshoos snarled and narrowed its eyes in fury. Recognizing that the Totem Pokémon was going to attack again, Moon told Mikio to take off higher to the sky. She watched as Gumshoos charged forward, his fangs glowing white, barely missing one of Mikio's wings. Just as she was about to sigh in relief, Gumshoos suddenly leaped from the ground straight at Mikio, catching one of the small owl's wing into its jaw, chomping down hard into it. Mikio let out a piercing screech and together, the two fell forward to the ground as gravity took over. Just as they were about to make contact with the ground, Gumshoos spat Mikio out from its mouth, sending Mikio crashing down at Moon's feet.

Moon worriedly looked over at Mikio as he held the wing Gumshoos had chomped on, cooing softly in pain at each movement he made with it. Moon moved her hands forward to scoop Mikio into her arms, but Mikio dodged any attempt she made to pick him up, looking up at her with a determined gaze instead. With a pang in her chest, Moon realized that even though he was in pain, Mikio was still going to battle Gumshoos. She slowly looked up from Mikio at Gumshoos, widening her eyes when she saw how smug expression the Totem Pokémon had. She felt her stomach churn at the idea that Gumshoos had enjoyed hurting her Rowlet.

Narrowing her eyes, she looked over to Sun and Hau and their Pokémon, now taking in what was happening around her. Despite looking bruised up, both of Sun and Hau's Pokémon were still battling the two Yungoos in front of them at full strength. But it was clear that if they didn't beat the Yungoos soon, the two would become tired and be easily beaten. They had to work together.

Realizing this, Moon called out to both Sun and Hau, getting their attention. They both turned to her in surprise and worry. Quickly, Moon explained to them what she thought they should do to beat both the Totem Pokémon and Pokémon that were assisting him. When she had finished, Moon expected the two to disagree with her plan or offer another one, but to her surprise, they both nodded and smiled, completely agreeing that they should follow her plan.

"Got it, Moon! Let's do it your way then." Hau declared as he raised his fist to the air.

Alongside him, Sun laughed and turned towards the battle, narrowing his eyes in concentration. "Kuro, use Ember on one of the Yungoos and send it to Gumshoos!"

"You too, Azura! Use Water Gun on the other Yungoos!" Hau added.

Kuro meowed in reply and arched its back as small embers of fire appeared on its back, before releasing a small ball of flame from its mouth at one of the Yungoos. By Kuro's side, Azura released a torrent of water from her mouth, clapping her flippers as both the fiery ember and ray of water made contact with both of the Yungoos, sending them colliding back to Gumshoos.

Seeing her chance, Moon raised her hand and moved it forward as she called out to Mikio to attack. "Razor Leaf, Mikio!"

Hooting loudly, Mikio hopped forward from the ground, outstretching its wings and releasing a barrage of leaves at the trio of Pokémon engulfing them in a cyclone of swirling leaves. Loud cries of pain could be heard from inside the swirling cyclone, but Moon paid no heed to it as she turned to both Sun and Hau and nodded at them to finish the battle.

"Wrap this up, Azura! Give them Disarming Voice!" Hau shouted.

"End this with Ember, Kuro!" Sun shouted as well.

Azura nodded and opened its mouth, letting out another charmed cry that instantly made the three Pokemon engulfed in the swirling green tornado of leaves go silent. Meowing in excitement, Kuro dashed forward, arching his inflamed back, as balls of ember were shot from his mouth to the cyclone of leaves, engulfing it in flames. The three Pokémon inside it immediately yelled out in pain, but with each passing second, their cries subsided until the silence was all that remained. Moon and the others watched in caution as the swirling burning flames subsided into smoke, revealing both the Totem Pokémon and his companions laying on the ground covered in burns. Seconds passed in anticipation until it finally hit the trio of friends that they had won.

Before they could celebrate, a loud growl could be heard. The three trainers turned in shock as Gumshoos slowly rose from the ground, narrowing its eyes at the three. Expecting it to attack again, Moon and the others prepared to call out to their Pokémon, but just as suddenly as the Totem Pokémon rose from the ground, it stiffened up and fell forward with a deafening crash. Moon and the boys waited for the Pokémon to rise back up, but the more time the massive Pokémon remained still, the more the group of friends began to realize that they had succeeded.

"We did it! We cleared our first trial" Hau shouted to the sky, turning back to Moon and Sun with joy clear in his gaze.

Sun nodded, smiling as he turned back to the fallen Totem Pokémon, still in disbelief at what they had just accomplished. "We really did beat the Totem Pokémon…" He muttered in a daze.

He shook his head and kneeled down to Kuro and gently patted his Pokémon's head as he thanked him. By Sun, Hau had completely wrapped Azura into his arms, giving Azura his thanks for all she had done for him. Moon watched both of them silently flinching when she felt something soft land on her shoulder. When she realized who had done so, she allowed herself to relax and pet her Pokémon, as he cooed happily, rubbing his face into her cheek in the process. Moon still couldn't believe that the three had won such a tough battle.

As she thought about this, she caught sight along with the others of Gumshoos and its companions rising up the ground. With a wince, they turned around and scurried away towards the cavern, disappearing beyond their view.

"What incredible trainers you three are." Called out a familiar voice.

Turning, Moon and the boys found Ilima walking towards them, his eyes brimming in excitement as he stopped before them. Hovering near Ilima, was Rotom, who immediately shot forward to the three, congratulating them. Once the Rotom had calmed down, the trio of friends turned their focus back to Ilima.

"For you three to be able to beat the Totem Pokémon I had trained up to such a powerful state… I don't know what to say."

Ilima paused and placed a hand on his hip as his lips curved into a thoughtful smile. "By working in harmony with both yourselves and your Pokémon, you have officially cleared the trial of Ilima! You're all phenomenal trainers. I have seen enough to know that you three will accomplish more to come in future trials."

Ilima raised his hand and pointed forward at the shrine behind the three trainers, gesturing for them to walk towards it. "The Z-Crystals from the pedestal are yours now."

Moon, Sun, and Hau turned towards the shrine and walked forward, each scooping up a Z-Crystal from inside it with their hands. Moon stared at the glittering gem in wonder, which was warm to her touch, before looking back up to Ilima, who only smiled in approval at her and the boys.

'What you three have just received are the Normal Z-Crystals, known as Normalium Z. If you let a Pokemon who knows a Normal-type move hold onto that…"

Ilima raised both his arms and struck a series of poses, ending with one arm bent in front of his forehead with the other bent in front of his chest as he pointed both his thumbs in opposite directions. He smiled as he dropped his hands and continued speaking.

"And strike an elegant pose like the one I just did, you will be able to strengthen a Normal-type move by unleashing Z-Power!"

"Z-Power!" Hau exclaimed, his eyes sparkling in excitement. "I've only seen Gramps unleash it a couple of times. I can't wait to do the same!"

Ilima's lips faintly curved into a smile as he chuckled at Hau's words before continuing.

"Moving right along. In every locale where a Captain holds his or her trails, you will encounter the Totem Pokémon, a particularly strong Pokémon, much like the Gumshoos you three just faced. And during battles against these Pokémon, they may summon allies to shore up their offense."

Ilima paused and placed his hand on his hip as he eyed each of the three with seriousness. "As I've mentioned before, I allowed you three to take this trial together, but understand that will not be the same for any future trials you take. You will have to face the Totem Pokémon and any ally Pokémon it calls upon alone if that is the Captain of the trial requires you to do."

"We understand," Sun replied in gratitude. "Thank you for allowing us to take this Trial together."

Ilima offered the three a cheery smile and stepped forward. "If you allow me, I would like to see to your Pokémon after all the hard work they have done here."

Sun and Hau eagerly nodded in response to Ilima's offer to heal their Pokémon, while Moon watched with uneasiness. She watched as Ilima took out small potions from his pocket and sprayed it on the cuts and bruises on each of the Pokémon. When he finally got to Mikio, he paused and looked up to Moon, gazing directly at her eyes with an unreadable expression. Moon stared back, not knowing to say until he simply smiled and went back to his work of healing her Pokémon.

When Ilima was finished, he turned to the three again with a beaming smile. "Now, if we're done here, I advise that you rest for the rest of the day. Meet me in front of this cavern again tomorrow morning. I would like to show you something interesting."

Ilima turned and walked to the entrance of the clearing, disappearing from view without saying a word. Moon watched him as he left before turning to the boys, smiling as both Sun and Hau gazed at each other with wide smiles that conveyed pure triumph over their victory. She felt a familiar warm feeling flutter in her chest as she turned towards the sky, eyeing the puffy white clouds that slowly drifted by. She was relieved that they had cleared the trial and that she had helped Sun and Hau do so. This was her first step in becoming stronger.

'Not just for myself…' Moon thought as she looked over to Sun and Hau with a grateful smile. 'But for everyone who has helped me, including her...'

A/N: As always, thank you for reading. Reviews are always welcomed~

Current Teams:

Moon: Mikio (Rowlet)

Sun: Kuro (Litten), Piiko (Pikipek)

Hau: Azura (Popplio), Maui (Pichu)