Chapter 18: A Jungle In Flames
"This was a good idea," Willow smiled as her lure bobbed up and down in the water, "spending a day relaxing and fishing is nice." There had been a fishing shop near the hotel she'd stayed at the night before, and she quickly got the idea to buy two rods and other such things to use when meeting with Sapphire the next day.
"Yeah. Plus, our teams get some more experience and relax a bit." His eyes drifted to where Cobalt was in a slap-fight with a Poliwhirl and Cream was telekinetically holding back a Poliwrath. As for the rest of their Pokémon, they were all relaxing and chatting. Alongside Willow's newest Murkrow, there was now a Leafeon, a Pokémon she'd caught after completing Mallow's Trial. He adjusted his sunglasses, wearing them over his eyes since the glare of the sun on the water was hitting him directly. "I feel like everyone has an Eevee or Eeveelution by now. And, you know, I feel like you get a lot of your Pokémon off-screen…"
"Uh, what do you mean by that?"
"Nothing, nothing… just feel like I have most of the spotlight for some reason."
"Sapphire, you're the kind of person that randomly looks at a wall or mirror and smirks like you're on a crappy sitcom. We all know you think you're the star of some show." Sapphire just rolled his eyes at Cobalt's words and turned to wink at nothing. Willow giggled at his actions and his Partner just sighed.
"Hey man, I'm the main character of my life." Willow's line finally tugged and she pulled up a Magikarp, causing her to feed it before setting it free while Sapphire just shook his head. "I guess even here in Alola, those Pokémon are everywhere…"
"Having a Gyrados would be interesting, but I don't think I'd work well with such a large Pokémon…"
Sapphire snorted. "You kidding? That'd be awesome! Imagine riding into battle on the back of a Gyrados! If Water-Types weren't the bane of Fire-Types, I'd almost say that Gyrados are pretty cool. What would I name it though…"
"Why do you have Wave then?"
"To be a true Fire-Type Master, one must first train with all kinds of Pokémon! Especially the mortal enemies of the Typing!" He let go of the fishing pole to strike a pose, causing Willow to giggle, before his line began being pulled. "Ah! No!" It almost got tugged into the water before he managed to dig his heels into the ground and pull back, struggling for several seconds. After a brief moment, lightning shot out of the water, electrifying him.
"Ah, Sapphire!"
The boy stood still, before glaring at the water, completely unshaken due to being electrified in the past from trying to wake up Storm after his naps. "Even when that lazy bug isn't here I'm being thunderstruck! Oh! Rotom note that down, that's a good attack name!"
"Zzt, roger." Sapphire refocused and pulled harder on the fishing line, revealing a small blue Pokémon with two antennae that glowed yellow and similarly yellow eyes. Anticipating Sapphire's question, Rotom spoke up. "Zzt, Chinchou, the Angler Pokémon. Itzz two antennae can glow to attract prey and discharge electricity to stun them. They can also flash their antennae to communicate with otherzz."
"I could use an Electric-Type that isn't a lazy bum! Hey you, if I win you join my team, got it?!" Chinchou accepted his challenge and flashed its antennae. "Wave, let's wash them away!"
"Isn't Wave at a disadvantage here?"
"I believe that Wave can win, even with the handicap!" Wave seam forward and trilled at the Chinchou, who sparked their antennae in response. "Wave, let's start with Dragon Rage!"
Wave unleashed the glowing beam of energy practically as soon as he'd ordered it, and Chinchou dove underwater to avoid the attack. Wave quickly followed… and that was all Sapphire and Willow could see from their position above the waves. There were several flashes of color from beneath the waves and some dark shadows moving around, but that was all they could see. "Underwater battles between Pokémon aren't that interesting to see from above, are they?" Willow noted.
"Yeah, not really," Sapphire muttered.
Wave avoided a ball of electricity from Chinchou, firing back with a Twister, creating an impromptu Whirlpool that sucked them both in. Chinchou suddenly glowed and Discharged all their stored up energy, blasting her away and electrifying her. She twisted as she was blown away, building up energy and saw Chinchou during another Electro Ball.
She reacted by using Aurora Beam, freezing the water in front of her and creating a shield of ice. The ball dissipated as it smashed into the wall, and she swam forward to ram the ice at Chinchou. The block soared through the water and Chinchou swiftly dodged it, turning to see that Wave was gone.
Chinchou turned back to see Wave popping out from behind the block, and couldn't dodge the Dragon Rage she fired immediately after. Wave followed that with a Tackle, and they breached the surface of the water with Chinchou unconscious and Wave victorious. Wave preened as Sapphire pet her, not noticing him lean over to Willow and all of their Pokémon, whispering, "Did anyone see what happened down there?"
"No."
"Yeah… Alright, nicely done Wave!" He pulled out a pokéball and wound up, tossing it at the unconscious pokémon. After vibrating in the ocean water for several seconds, the ball flashed and disappeared. "Wow, both my Water-Types can only fight from in water... unlucky. Well, I'll think up some nicknames for whenever I put her on the team and discuss them with them then. Oh speaking of, Rotom, did you ever think up a nickname?"
"Zzt, I did! From now on I'll be Roto and you'll be Roto-zz! Er, Roto-zz!" Rotom looked frustrated and popped out of the Rotomdex. "Roto-S! Ha! There we go! Stupid dex and its stupid 'zz' thing…"
"Uh… I mean, not that different from Rotom, but if that's what you want to be called, then sure!"
"Wait, I didn't think of that… hold on, let me come up with a different name!" Rotom zipped back into the Pokédex and Sapphire rolled his eyes.
Sapphire sat back down and grabbed his fishing pole, tossing the lure out again. Willow shook her head, refocusing on her line. "Oh, ever think up some nicknames for your other Pokémon?"
Willow shook her head, "I actually haven't… I'm not good with nicknames, and had help with Cream's…" she blushed and looked away, while Sapphire grinned and thumped his chest.
"Well don't you worry, Wils, I'm great with 'em! I'll think some over and send them to you when I have a chance!"
"Alright," she smiled at his enthusiasm before pulling at her line as she thought she felt a bite. "So, anything you can tell me about the Fire-Type Trial?"
"Just that it'll probably be less interesting than you'd think. And the pre-Trial or whatever before you fight the Totem is way too easy… the Totem itself is just as difficult as all the others though, so be careful."
"Well, with the Waterium Z I'm sure it was easier."
Sapphire twitched. "That would have made the whole Trial so much easier if I remembered to use that thing, huh."
"You're telling me I got brainwashed for nothing?!"
"Shove it. At least Wave and Chrysant had some cool moments."
"Wait, Wave is a Seadra. Don't they need to be submerged in water to fight?"
"Contest seals for the win."
Willow raised an eyebrow at Sapphire's reaction. "Well, I guess that's something… well, for the Lush Jungle… be prepared to walk around a lot in the Grass-Type Trial."
"Is there as much walking as the Normal-Type Trial?"
"No, a lot more… you're exploring the entire jungle area after all."
"I'll keep that in mind, then," he laughed. "Any places of interest on the Route?"
"Well, some guy is trying to set up a theme park using revived fossil Pokémon."
Sapphire slowly let go of his pole to place his hands on his temples as his eyes gained an empty look. "Has Jurassic Park not done enough to prove why that's a terrible idea?"
"What is with you humans and your idiotic tendencies?"
"I don't want to hear that from you, Cobalt, you literally light yourself on fire when fighting."
"You know, with how many evolutions the Eevee line has, have you ever thought about what you want to evolve into?"
"U-h, I mean…" Puffball's eyes hardened and she nodded. "I know that Crystal's Partner Eevee is a Glaceon, so I've been thinking about becoming a Flareon. I get that it might give them the excuse of me having the Type-Advantage, but it seems… right to have the battle be between opposing Types like that."
"How did Sapphire and Cobalt infect you with their sense for dramatics in that short time you were with them…? In any case, I was planning on pushing you to become a Flareon anyway but I suppose I don't need to."
"…and you're telling me that they infected me with their flare for the dramatics? Did you invite me on this walk to try and persuade me to become a Fire-Type?"
Puffball and Claws were taking a stroll around the edge of the ranch, while Eevee was learning how to laze about from Storm. For some reason, Storm had spoken with an intense look in his eyes, about 'passing on the legacy of laziness before his time came.'
Yeah, none of them really cared.
"N-No! Nothing of the sort!" Claws turned away and his tail twitched as he tried to lift his head regally, embarrassment clear on his face. "I s-simply wanted to aid you in choosing a path to take! Like that of the Fire-Type…"
"Is everyone on Sapphire's team crazy about the Fire-Type?" She asked with a dry smile.
"No," Claws sighed. "I'm pretty sure all of us are crazy in some way though… Like Spooks, that horrible pun master. He's on the list of those I'll kill when I finally snap from their antics."
"You have a list?"
Claws shifted his gaze suspiciously, noting that Spirit was relaxing some distance away, and crept towards the Professor's house. Underneath the porch, he pulled out a piece of paper with barely legible scribbles, due to him not being able to hold a pencil or pen in his paws well. It had a few names, but the two names most noticeable due to being circled and underlined so much were Spirit's and Spooks'.
"If I were to ever snap, the names on this list would be those who would perish. Pray you never end up on it." Puffball slowly nodded, before turning and carefully walking away, trying not to seem like she was fleeing. Claws watched her go, before breaking out into smug laughter. "Spooks was right, pranking is pretty fun!" He swished his tail and blinked. "By the Creator, I'm becoming eccentric."
The next morning Sapphire approached Lush Jungle, as he had reached the Trial Location the previous night but was too fatigued from walking to attempt it. Instead, he switched his team around with some of the Pokémon at the ranch and came up with plans for the Trial alongside some training before going to bed. Cobalt sat on his shoulder and looked around as he walked towards Mallow, who was sitting in the center of a small clearing.
Upon seeing him the tan girl smiled and waved. "Alola, it's you! Welcome to Lush Jungle!"
"Howdy, Mallow." He looked around, not noticing abt signs of battle. "Already cleaned up after that attack?"
"Yep! Those Grunts weren't much trouble, and Willow and the Totem took out the others! In fact, I don't think they got any Pokémon at all!"
"Really? That's impressive." He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, reminded of his failure to prevent any Pokémon from being kidnapped at the ranch. "Well, I guess I'll take the Trial now, right?"
"Correctamundo!" After an energetic answer and explanation, he was off to gather ingredients. They wandered through the jungle, almost getting lost a few times before they found an area with several trees and berry types.
"Uh… what does… oh yeah, I think I remember what Berries look like!" He walked towards a bush covered in the pink, curving berries and plucked several of them. "Hey, want one?" He offered the sweet berry to Cobalt who began munching down on it as he stuck the rest in his Forage Bag. "Now, honey is up next!"
He walked away from the bushes, and Cobalt raised an eyebrow even as he kept munching down on his berry. "You sure that no Pokémon had their eyes on that bush?"
"I mean, probably? How am I supposed to know? It's not like a human could understand any of the signs you pokémon use to mark your territory besides obvious ones like claw marks on trees."
In the middle of giving an order to her Slowpoke during the Fire-Type Trial, Willow sneezed and felt like someone was talking about her.
"…If we get attacked, I'm blaming you."
"Oi, Cobalt, you're the Pokémon here! If some other Pokémon already claimed that bush you should have told me!"
"Oi this and Oi that, you're Japanese, not Scottish!"
"I'll shank ya nan', ya ugly arse!"
"By the Creator…" they kept arguing as they walked, happening upon the next area by chance. It was filled with even more bushes, but these had flowers on them, and Sapphire could spot several hibernating Kakuna in the trees.
"Oh hey, look. My old nemesis…"
"Not every Kakuna is going to immediately evolve the second you step into their vicinity."
"My previous life experiences with these guys beg to differ. I'm like an evolution machine, whenever I come in contact with a Pokémon… poof! You know, some people can spend weeks or months training their Pokémon until they evolve!" Either way, he walked forward, uncapping a glass bottle that was in the Forage Bag and scratching his head as he looked at the flowers. "Now, how to get the honey…" After fumbling about for several minutes, and causing Cobalt to laugh at him before he tossed the Jackal into the underbrush in frustration, he finally managed to extract some honey.
"Ha! Knew I could do it!" Cobalt suddenly burst from the forest and ran past him. "Oi, what's the rush?" He turned to see several Beedrill following Cobalt. "WAIT FOR ME!"
Both Trainer and Pokémon screamed as the large bees with drills for hands flew after them before Sapphire scrambled for his belt. "Ah, c'mon, there!" He fumbled and unlatched a ball, jumping and spinning to throw it at the Beedrill. "Claws, burn them away!"
Claws popped out of his ball and flicked his tail uninterested as the Beedrill closed it, before breathing in and unleashing a Heat Wave. The Bug-Types scrambled for safety, but several were burned up by the flames. Claws licked his paws smugly and looked at the Beedrill with disdain, as they scrambled to buzz off.
Ha.
"Nicely done, Claws, you've been practicing!"
"Of course I have," Claws nodded. "That's what most of us do when we aren't being roped into other Pokémon's antics."
"What the heck happens back at that ranch?"
"EVERYTHING IS ON FIRE! HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT ANY FIRE-TYPES?!"
"I'm going back to sleep…"
"STORM, WAKE UP YOU LAZY SACK OF SH—!"
"You don't want to know."
"Huh. Well, good job on getting stronger, Claws." Claws preened at his praise and Cobalt rolled his eyes.
"Don't inflate his ego any further."
"Yeah, probably a good idea." Claws snorted out a puff of smoke at their words before they began walking around again, trying to find the last ingredient. "Mallow said the last thing was a Big Root…"
After a while more of wandering, they entered another clearing filled with small trees just barely shorter than Sapphire. "Alright, I'm guessing that they'll be at the base of one of these trees…" he kneeled next to one of the trees, before slowly looking up to see that it was a Sudowoodo standing very still. "…let's try a different tree."
"Yeah."
"No arguments here."
It only took a minute to find a tree that wasn't a Sudowoodo, and they quickly grabbed one of the roots from beneath it, Claws using his… claws to cut through the tough root.
After retrieving the final ingredient they found their way back to the entrance of the Trial, to see Mallow setting up a crockpot and humming. "Ah, Sapphire, you're back! Alright, give me the ingredients you've gathered, I'll be using some water supplied by Lana and a bone club supplied by Kiawe to finish the special!"
"This is for the Totem, right? What's it taste like?"
"You'll have to wait to find out~! The battle comes first after all! Now, get your appetite ready for battle!" As they talked Mallow continued to make whatever the food was supposed to be, and a weird aroma began to spread through the area.
"Uh, Sapph?" He turned to see Cobalt pointing at an angry Ivysaur. "He says you stole his berries."
"Evidence! Evidence I say! There is nothing! YOU HAVE NOTHING!"
"He says he saw you taking the berries."
"WHERE'S THE VIDEO PROOF?!"
The Ivysaur eventually attacked out of frustration, snapping out razor-sharp leaves from the pink flower atop his back. "Claws, burn them mid-flight!" Claws breathed in and spat out several Embers at the leaves, turning them to ash before they could reach them.
Claws stepped forward and sighed while shaking his head disdainfully at the Ivysaur's attack. "Now, I put Blazing Kitten in defense mode, and summon Hellfire Horse in attack mode! Spirit, burn them away!" Spirit popped out of her ball with a glare at Cobalt, who just smirked at the name.
The Ivysaur narrowed his eyes and shook his flower, sending a cloud of powder airborne. "Rotom, what kind of powder is it?"
"Zzt, Eh? You don't need me to identify the Pokémon?"
"Nah, I'm from Kanto. I know the Pokémon like the back of my hand!"
"Isn't Wave's species from Kanto as well? Didn't you need Rotom to scan her?"
"Shush."
"Zzt, anyway, I've identified thizz powder azz Poison Powder!"
"Hehehe… Spirit, Ember!" Seeing that she would get nowhere by complaining about her nickname, she bore with it and spat out several Embers, incinerating the cloud. Ivysaur backed up as the flames washed over him, and Sapphire pointed forward. "Now, finish with Flame Charge!"
Spirit pawed at the ground, before dashing forward and surrounding herself with an aura of fire. Sure enough, when Ivysaur was hit with the attack, he was sent flying, out cold. "Alright, great work, Spirit!" He rubbed Spirit's flaming neck, and she turned to headbutt his stomach. "Gah, right in the ribs…"
"She says to praise her more." Spirit narrowed her eyes at Cobalt and began whinnying and pawing the ground angrily. "Say that to my face!" She snorted and rolled her eyes, and Cobalt twitched. "Why you…!"
Sapphire and Claws looked at each other with exasperation, until Mallow waved. "Alrighty, the food's ready time be served~!"
"Great, his long do we have to wait?" Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned to see a large Pokémon that looked similar to a praying mantis.
"Lura."
"…Yo. So, one on one to start, or are you calling backup, or how are we doing this?" Lurantis shrugged. "Alright, cool, guess I'll start with Claws. Yo, bud, you're up."
"About time." There was a moment of awkward silence before Lurantis jumped back and launched a glowing blade of green energy from their scythe arms. Claws ducked to the side, and Sapphire jumped back as Rotom began scanning while Fire and Grass-Type energy flew.
"Zzt, Lurantizz, the Bloom Sickle Pokémon! It can fire beamzz from itzz sickle shaped petalzz that are strong enough to cut through thick metal platezz! Itzz elegant appearance hazz led many to make it the most glamorouzz Grazz-Type!"
Claws jumped over another beam, and Lurantis wound up before launching blades of black energy out. "Whoa, that's Night Slash! But isn't that supposed to be a physical move? Wait, if it can fire beams… it can fire attacks like Leaf Blade and Night Slash from its arms so it doesn't have to close in!"
"Zzt, That'zz literally what I just said."
"Shove it. Claws, Flamethrower!" Claws snapped his tail and breathed in, unleashing a wave of red-hot flames. Spirit snorted at something and both Cobalt and Claws stared at her blankly, before Claws refocused as long-range Leaf Blades flew over his head.
Claws sprung forward and lit his fangs on fire, before biting down on one of Lurantis' arms. Said arm began glowing as the Totem attempted to blast Claws back, but he used his smaller size to clamber upwards and breathing a Heat Wave downwards to launch himself back. He skid to a stop next to Sapphire, while Lurantis brushed off the flames that had erupted from their body.
"Spirit, Uh… hold on, Rotom what moves does she know?" He checked Rotom's screen. "Uh-huh… alright, Double Edge combined with Flame Charge! Flame Edge, that's a good one!" Spirit burst forward, dodging around two Night Slashes as sapphire-colored flames surrounded her. She bashed Lurantis in the chest and sent the Totem skidding back into a tree, shaking it and causing Lurantis to hiss.
When the Totem attempted to retaliate with a Petal Blizzard, large chunks of rock burst from the ground and stopped the sharp pink petals in their tracks. Sapphire had sent out Chrysant, who immediately began nuzzling Claws after sending up the rocks. "Claws, didja see? Didja? I totally blocked that! And I'm bigger now! Wow, I'm twice as tall as you!"
"How did you evolve before me?" Claws asked with a grumble. "And quit nuzzling me like that, stop it! I'm a proud Litten, I refuse to be coddled like this!"
"Wow, you're more like Spirit than I thought," Cobalt noted.
"I am nothing like that shiny pony Pokémon!"
"Claws, Claws, I got a new attack too! It's called Accelerock! Isn't that cool?"
"Ugh…"
"If Claws really didn't like this he'd just blast Chrysant with Embers wouldn't he?"
"Yep. Total tsundere."
"I'll kill you, Cobalt!"
"Maybe I shouldn't have infected all my Pokémon with the habit of saying that…"
Spirit ignored their bickering and lobbed several more Embers at the Totem, as the Totem dodged them with quick side-to-side movements before jumping forward and using Slash. Spirit barely avoided it, and used another Flame Charge to both boost her speed and crash into a Lurantis, before they separated and glared at each other.
Several bird Pokémon suddenly swooped down and unleashed loud screeches, causing Spirit to flinch back from the noise. "Chrysant, Rock Throw! Rotom, analyze!"
"Zzt, Trumbeak, the Bugle Beak Pokémon! It can fire the seedzz of eaten berriezz from itzz mouth like bulletzz, and bend the tip of itzz beak to unleash hundredzz of different criezz! The attack just used wazz Echoed Voice!"
"Alright, Rotom, you're up!"
Rotom jumped from the Rotomdex and used Discharge to scatter the numerous Trumbeak. Mallow flapped her hands as Rotom zipped around to provide backup for Spirit. "Oh, I've never heard of a Trainer using their Rotomdex as a Pokémon! That's pretty clever!"
"Hehe, we like using unorthodox strategies like that!" Rotom unleashed a Thundershock, and one of the Trumbeak let out a cry before flying away. Several others began trying to gang up on Rotom, until Chrysant jumped forward and used Stone Edge, scattering them.
Spirit suddenly retreated, looking battered from where several Night Slashes had scraped her. "I might have to get a Pokémon specifically for healing wounds and statuses for big battles like this… alright, Spirit, duck out and rest up! Claws, try and finish off Lurantis!"
"Pony."
"On it."
"Cobalt, assist with keeping the Trumbeak away! Hm… Inferno, come out just in case! And Puffball, come out too!" His last two Pokémon emerged from their balls but stayed back like he ordered to observe.
"Those Trumbeak are pretty slow. Are you sure I shouldn't go out there to help? They can't possibly keep up with my speed."
"Inferno, they obviously aren't built for speed. Besides, I want the two of you at top form, just in case even more Pokémon show up out of nowhere. You know how weird these Trials can get."
"Hnng… I guess that's true…" As Inferno grumbled about not being able to show off, Sapphire pet Puffball and watched both teams of Pokémon, Claws versus Lurantis and Chrysant, Cobalt, and Rotom versus the support Trumbeak.
Claws was able to fight the Totem one-on-one, due to Lurantis being seemingly built for speed and power, rather than simply just power as the Water-Trial's Totem or power and that weird brainwashing that the Fire-Type Trial's Totem was capable of. Claws may not have been able to perfectly keep up with the Totem's speed and how it attacked again and again, but he wasn't being completely battered.
Eventually, Lurantis hit Claws with a strike that launched Claws high into the sky. As Lurantis calmly began preparing a Night Slash for when Claws landed, but instead of panicking Claws closed his eyes and consciously activated his Blaze ability, before spinning and using Blazing Meteor.
Lurantis frantically switched to X-Scissor, and the Bug-Type attack clashed against the Fire-Type attack before Claws overpowered the Totem and slammed down with an explosion of flame. As Lurantis stumbled back, one of the Trumbeak fighting his other three Pokémon attacked Claws, and Cobalt chased them down before throwing them away with a Circle Throw.
With the Trumbeak gone, Cobalt and Claws stood ready to fight the Totem. Lurantis narrowed their eyes, before crossing their scythes and making them glow with energy. "Pokédex?"
"Solar Blade, a two-turn attack where the user gathers light and fills a blade with the light's energy. It takes time to charge but is powerful. Caution is advised."
"Claws, Cobalt! Defeat them now! Ponyta, Puffball, Inferno, go! Chrysant, Rotom, keep holding the Trumbeak back!"
As his Pokémon bound forward, several Fomantis jumped from the underbrush and blocked their path with Razor Leaf attacks, Giga Drains, and Leaf Blades. "Oh come on!" Cobalt growled and blocked an attack, unleashing a Force Palm.
"While you all are stuck on the ground, I'm—!" Before Inferno could continue, a Razor Leaf knocked him out of the air. "Creator damn it!"
"Come on guys, you have to stop that Solar Blade!" They gained no ground, and Lurantis continued to absorb energy into their scythes. "Alright… improvisation time, baby!"
"By the Creator, no."
"This is going to go horribly wrong."
"I'm getting out of the way."
Across the island, Willow felt a shiver of horror.
In Kanto, Anthony prayed.
"Oi, why are you all acting like me improvising leads to countless deaths and horror!?" His Pokémon stayed silent. "Oh screw you all! Cobalt, start using Force Palm, but focus the aura energy into your paws!" Sapphire thought back to how Lurantis seemed to use long-ranged Leaf Blades and Night Slashes by launching the blades of energy from their scythes, or how Spooks could launch fire from his fists as impromptu Ember attacks by using Fire Punch.
"Alright, now what?"
"Try and slowly mold the aura into your palms, like how you expel it from your paws when using Force Palm, but keep it there. Don't let it rush out!" Cobalt's paws began glowing light blue as the aura coalesced, and Cobalt's eyes widened.
"Wait, you're trying to get me to learn…!"
"Exactly! Now, try and take hold and mold the energy into a ball! Make sure to put a spin on it so its shape is stable and solid!" The energy began spinning and turning into a ball, and Cobalt began giggling maniacally. Claws and Spirit took a cautionary step away from the small jackal while Chrysant barked happily. "Now, Cobalt… Aura Sphere!"
The light blue attack soared over the various Fomantis' heads and easily cut through the Razor Leaves and other attacks they tried to use to stop it, before slamming into Lurantis just as they finished charging. The massive blade of pure sunlight energy just barely shot over their heads as Lurantis recoiled, not expecting the attack. Two more Aura Spheres shot forward from Cobalt's paws and impacted with Lurantis, while Cobalt let out a 'whoop.' "This is awesome!"
"Now, Cobalt, make some space for Claws!" Cobalt unleashed several more Aura Spheres, which cut through the Fomantis' attacks as if they weren't even there and blasted them back. "Claws, let's do this!"
He removed the Firium Z from his bracelet and slammed it into the main slot. He closed his eyes and began to think. This was the first time a Pokémon other than Cobalt was using a Z-Move with him. Claws… Technically his starter, even though Cobalt was his partner, Claws was the first Pokémon he'd gotten on this journey. Claws and he almost seemed to have completely contrasting personalities, for a Trainer and his Pokémon.
Where he was upbeat and chipper, Claws was quiet and calm. When he made bold, dramatic statements and swept his arms, Claws would just flick his tail in disdain and shake his head. Yet despite that, they both were in sync, Claws would follow his plans and schemes no matter how much he might complain, and he listened to his Pokémon whenever he needed to vent about how stupid all his team members were being. They were the perfect description of 'opposites attract.'
Energy swirled up from within his core, and he grinned wildly as his eyes flashed. His arms crossed into an X before he spread them apart and raised them like a roaring inferno. When he'd reached up all the way he pointed his palm forward and his eyes became bright red, before energy of that same color burst from his body and onto Claws. Claws glowed and a Z appeared superimposed over his body before a red aura surrounded him.
"This is the Typing hailed for its destructive ability… While Dragon may be known for the sheer power of their pokémon, Fire is most deadly, even when wielded by the weak! Several Dragons are needed to destroy a town, whereas one simple Ember can burn it to ashes and dust! Fire was what humanity used to crawl from the mud and earth and transformed us, granting knowledge and power!"
"Annnd there he goes on a rant about the power of fire…"
"Even Claws is into it."
Yes… different though they may be, Claws also had an appreciation for his Typing's power and was flicking his tail with anticipation as flames burst from the grass around him. "It is this very Typing that will be your demise! Lurantis, Fomantis'… I bid you all adieu… but before you go, bear witness to the ultimate and most deadly of Fire-Type Attacks! Tremble in fear of what Arceus himself regrets gifting creation with! Claws! Go forth and BLAST THEM AWAY! INFERNO OVERDRIVE!"
"Take this!" His team cleared away and Claws breathed in, before unleashing a massive wave of fire. But this was much more powerful and awe-inspiring compared to Claws' normal Flamethrowers, and even ones powered up by his Blaze Ability. The roaring flames quickly consumed the various Fomantis and the Totem, before exploding. Even the explosion itself rivaled the Toxic Armageddon that required so many pokémon to pull off previously, no, it surpassed Toxic Armageddon's power, and it was all coming from a tiny kitten. Sapphire had to actually put on his glasses to block out the light, and the wave of heat that slammed into him almost made him stagger, the sweater tied around his waist fluttering in the wind.
Once the flames finally died down the various Pokémon were revealed to be knocked out, and the Totem was wobbling back and forth. Lurantis fell to one knee, before nodding at them and disappearing into the bushes.
"Well, never heard that speech before! And you wouldn't believe how many Trainers used their Firium-Z in this Trial." Mallow giggled and nodded. "Your team is chock full of great ingredients that come together splendidly!"
"Yep, I'm proud of them all! And with this, all three of Akala's Trials are finished!"
"Well, for such an impressive performance, I suppose it's only natural for you to gain this powerful tool! She handed him a light-green crystal, with a darker green leaf within, and he quickly placed it into his bracelet. His team gave of various cheers depending on how tired they were, and Mallow nodded. "You know, why don't you try raising some Pokémon from Lush Jungle? Some Grass-Types are always useful! Here, some Net balls could be useful!"
"You've got a point… now that I've cleared the Trial, I can come by and catch some pokémon, yeah?"
"Yep! Unless someone is taking the Trial of course…" Mallow's eyes glanced to the defeated Ivysaur that he'd fought before the Totem appeared and tapped her cheek. "Hey, you already beat that one, so how about it? Grass and Poison, two in one!"
"True, true… Alright, Ivysaur, you're a welcome addition!" Ivysaur didn't respond, still knocked out and with swirls in place of his eyes, and was sucked into the ball. The ball wobbled weakly, before disappearing in a flash of light. "Now, nicknames… I can think of a few, but I'll wait for now."
"Oh, before you go, the Totem didn't have any of its food! Want some?"
"Sure, why not?"
"Isn't that food for a Pokémon? I don't think you should have any of that…"
"Eh, what's the worst thing that could happen?" He took the ladle from Mallow and drank the weird soupy liquid. It tasted… neither good nor bad, just…
Indescribable.
Another chapter down. I actually barely had time to go on Fanfiction for about… well, since my last update and all the way to yesterday, so I had to crank out 5,000 words within a few hours. I've done it before, hell, I've written a 5,000-word chapter the day of when I was supposed to upload, but if I get hit by writer's block that's it, so I usually want to get a chapter done over some time, lol.
And an Ivysaur joins the team. This was one of the two Pokémon Sapphire was going to originally get that are the same as PKMN Trainer from Smash, and since I'm still not sure if he'll get the third Pokémon, I'll just wait and keep thinking it over. Sapphire doesn't get the second for a while anyway.
I feel like most Pokémon don't learn a move because it's a game, even if it would make sense for the Pokémon to learn it. Hell, Growlith can't learn Growl. Bruh. But this is a story driven by the imagination, if it makes sense, I go for it, if it doesn't, screw it, make a way for it to make sense! How can a Seadra, a Pokémon that can only move in water, participate in a place without water? Use a Contest Seal from the anime to make water!
Imagination, baby!
Side note not about AND… Byleth's in Smash. I'll admit, seeing another FE character was iffy, but since their moveset seems pretty unique, I'm going to keep an open mind. What did excite me was seeing some amazing fanart of Joker versus Fem-Byleth on Reddit, and the first thing that came to mind was, "Will Joker win and add another Teacher to his harem, or will Byleth win and add another student to her harem?"
I think that was my most upvoted comment, lol. Gotta love Persona and how you can date your teachers.
Originally, I didn't have much to say for this chapter, but I go on a tangent about a very nice PM I got asking me a question, so if you don't want to read that, here's an Omake instead, lol.
Omake Name: The power of God and Anime.
Upset about Team Skull's admin's strength, Sapphire learns of Master Balls and their 100% capture rate.
Sapphire sat in the grass by the ranch and watched all his pokémon, some of them relaxing, others playing, and the rest training. Willow's Pokémon were there as well, as they both were visiting to take a short break from the Island Challenge.
Cobalt eventually wandered over, having played a prank on Spirit with the help of another Riolu belonging to a different trainer, and he wanted to get away from the pony before she exploded with flaming rage. "What's up, blueberry?"
"What, is that my new nickname?"
"Well, considering that Riolu is named Sapphire as well, I've got to call you something different."
He snorted and Cobalt laughed in response, Cobalt sitting as well to join him. "Well, to answer your question, not much, just thinking."
"'Bout what?"
"Well… Team Skull has those grunts that aren't much of a threat, but those admins are pretty tough. Both times we fought one of them we only one because we had the numbers advantage. Heck, even then they just kind of gave up because they either already completed their objectives or were just bummed that we weren't as strong as them. Seriously, who names their kid 'Noct?' Freakin' emos…"
"Yeah, really makes you wanna get stronger, huh? I swear, I'm gonna give that Golbat a solid whack next time we meet!" He chuckled at Cobalt's enthusiastic barks, and pat him on the head.
"Oh, Sapphire." Willow walked over as well and smiled, sitting next to him. "Enjoying the weather?"
"Yep, Alola's pretty great when it comes to that," he chuckled. "And I'm talking with Cobalt about Team Skull. We've gotta get stronger to beat those admin guys."
"You could try catching some stronger Pokémon too. Imagine bringing out a legendary to beat one of those admins." Willow giggled as she thought to herself.
"Man, I wish I could capture a legendary. What's your favorite one? Mine's gotta be Groudon. King of magma, baby!"
"I don't think I have one… but if I did, I'd probably use one of those Master Balls to capture them. They say that even Arceus couldn't break free of one of them, but I'm willing to bet that's just a line they use to advertise- Sapphire, where are you going?"
Ω • Ω • Ω
Arceus blinked as someone kicked open the doors to the Hall of Origin and watched as some kid ran inside with a Riolu on his shoulder. "Yo, Arceus! Get in the ball!"
"...Child, you do realize where you are, and who you're talking to, correct?"
"Sapphire, this is the dumbest idea you've ever had. Even worse than stealing a Master Ball and getting literally every cop ever on your butt."
"Master Ball, go!"
"I do not wish to harm a misguided child, howe-" He was cut off as the purple ball the boy threw sucked him in, and he blinked, before struggling to get out.
The ball wobbled wildly several times, before clicking. "All right!"
"What."
Ω • Ω • Ω
Guzma blinked as the wall of his house exploded inwards, and some brat rode in on the back of Arceus. "What."
Noct looked over from where he was sleeping on the couch. "What."
Plumeria slowly looked at Sapphire, down at Arceus, then back up at the boy. "What."
Sapphire began posing, waving around a stick. "Your time is over, Team Skull! BECAUSE I HAVE THE POWER OF GOD AND ANIME ON MY SIDE!" He breathed in for several seconds, before letting out a demonic screech. "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
I think I blank out when writing these omakes, just because of how stupid and silly they come out. But whatever, omakes are just extra, not-really-canon side stories. These are supposed to be fun jokes and extend to maybe around 500 words in length, so a small part of a chapter. Also, I put in a small reference to a friend's story, A Galactic Alolan Journey by Darkwolf573, if you want to read a story that puts a much bigger twist on the normal Sun/Moon game, check that out.
Oh, got a PM asking how I write my original characters so well, and firstly thanks for that, I didn't actually think I wrote them so well since this was my first story before the hiatus so I was a bit conscious of how characters might jump back and forth in personality, but I'm happy that people like them.
Anyway, the main thing is just… flaws and a goal. And yeah, that's cliche and I'm sure everyone knows that, but a good character has flaws, and something they want to achieve. If a character is perfect, or simply completely overpowered, people can get turned off from reading them and how everyone loves them and oh my god I want to have their babies yada yada, blah blah. Unless you're one of those types that enjoy power fantasy stories like a lot of Isekai Anime, and more power to you if you do, not judging. But I try to give flaws and goals with all my stories' characters.
Sapphire, AND: he's a great trainer with a sense for battle and unorthodox tactics, but he's also what is essentially an baby in a teen's body, so he can get into trouble if he doesn't take a battle seriously. His goal, find out what happened to his father, and become both the best Trainer and Fire-Type Master ever.
Sapphire, BBOH: A thirteen-year-old kid with a surprising knack for being able to handle trouble when it comes and can shoulder the burden of saving the world. But his innocence can keep him from asking for help, such as when Nightmare first appears. And his goal is simpler in that story, but that doesn't make it bad, stop Giygas, save the world.
(I personally think Anthony was actually the best character when it came to writing in BBOH since he had the most scenes of struggling and coming to terms with the fact that he might not always be able to help and could be useless sometimes, but despite that he'd face hardships to help his friends.)
Sapphire, WA: A serious Aura Guardian with top-notch skills in both battle and Training, but his serious attitude keeps him from making friends and rarely is he ever nice or kind without a reason. Goal, find a way home or survive in this new, bizarre world.
I won't go into every other character, but they all have something. Like Willow in this story, a prodigy and held upon a pedestal, and so she created a fake persona to deal with everyone's expectations, and her goal is simply to make real, true friends. As long as you keep a person's flaws and goals in mind, you can write a good character.
Wow… what a tangent. Didn't expect that. Uh… by the way, just a guy taking courses on writing, so if I got something wrong, sorry? This is just what I've learned and used, but I'm kind of embarrassed about how passionate I got writing this note, lol. But this Author's Note has gone on for freaking millennia. Leave a review on everything you liked in the chapter or just a 'nice.' Both are always great to read.
Sapphire:
-Riolu, Cobalt
-Litten, Claws
-Midday_Lycanroc, Chrysant
-Charjabug, Storm
-Haunter, Spooks
-Noibat, Blast
-Talonflame, Inferno
-Seadra, Wave
-Rotom
-Eevee, Puffball
-Ponyta, Spirit
-Ivysaur
-Chinchou
Willow:
-Espurr, Cream
-Dartrix
-Slowbro
-Grimer
-Murkrow
-Leafeon
See y'all next time.
