Takeba's goal was to take on the Lush Jungle trial. One would think she could do this on her own, but she wanted to drag Ash, Moon, Lillie, Marcus, Grace, Scott, and Elizabeth into this. While making way towards the jungle, Lillie quietly leaned to the side to whisper to Moon. "Do you know why she wanted us to come…?"
Moon shook her head, not quite looking at Lillie. "No…she just made me come along."
"I see…" Lillie let out a quiet sigh. She was still trying to figure out the inner workings of Takeba's mind, but she wasn't the only one who couldn't. "A-Also, you were amazing out there on Mantine!"
An embarrassed blush appeared on Moon's cheeks. Now she couldn't even look in Lillie's direction and simply looked away. "T-Thanks…it just came naturally, I guess."
Listening to Moon and Lillie talk awkwardly made Elizabeth roll her eyes. "This plan of hers is never going to work. Moon's putting up too many walls."
"Stranger things have happened…" Scott said. "But a plan of Takeba's going well? Even I can't foresee the outcome of her ideas."
"Inconsistency is still consistency…" Grace shrugged her shoulders.
Takeba leaned closer to Ash as they drew nearer to Lush Jungle. "So, Ash. What can I expect from this trial? I've read up on them, but experiencing them is a totally different story."
"They're really tough." Ash said with a firm nod. Of course he wasn't going to spoil the details, for this was Takeba's trial and she had to deal with it in her own way. "But I'm positive you can pull it off!"
"Hm. That didn't help at all." Takeba pouted. Not the answer she was hoping for.
"Were you trying to get him to spill the details?" Elizabeth placed her hands on her hips. "So you're a thief and a cheater?"
"Stop it! Leave me alone!" Takeba huffed. "I had a good reason. I need to know if I'll be able to pull this Z-move off…" The Z-ring she stole from the Team Rainbow Rocket grunt did come with a Rockinium Z. "It's been a lot harder than I thought."
.
.
[Flashback: A few days ago]
Takeba was practicing with Blastoise. She had read about the multiple poses that each type of Z move required and had been working hard to master the Rock one. Across from Blastoise was Zoroark and Elizabeth while the others watched. "Why have I been the testing dummy for the last few days!?"
"You're a reliable one!" Takeba winked before crossing her arms. "Besides, it'll be fine! I just need you to endure it!" Her Z-ring shone brightly as she began to do the pose. "Come on now…show me the strength of the crumbling earth!" Flexing her arms, she took the stance that caused the Rockinium Z to resonate with Blastoise, who let out a mighty battle cry. Blastoise lifted its arm up, chunks of rock rapidly forming together to create a small mountain overhead. "WORLD'S END FALL!" Takeba exclaimed and Blastoise cried, sending this gigantic chunk of rock right for Zoroark!
"Did I mention that I don't like how we're the targets!?" Elizabeth shouted as the Continental Crush drew closer and closer before…it crumbled in the air, reduced to nothing more than harmless gravel. "Ah…"
"Again…" Marcus crossed his arms.
"It looked good, too…" Grace sighed. Takeba had really been giving it her all lately, but she was just unable to pull off a proper Z-Move.
"It seems she's lacking something." Scott added.
"I know." Takeba huffed while patting Blastoise on its shell. "It's not Blastoise, it's definitely me. I'm just not sure what I'm missing. Maybe the Island Trial can help me figure it out."
"You'll figure it out." Marcus said, swinging an arm around the pinkette's shoulder. "You always do."
"A little later than everyone else." Elizabeth added smugly. This just prompted Takeba to stick her tongue out immaturely.
]End flashback]
.
.
"You'll get it down! I know you can!" Ash told Takeba cheerfully.
"With practice, anyone can get a Z-move down-roto!" Rotom added.
"I believe in you as well." Lillie said with a small nod. Even though she hadn't known Takeba for very long, they were still friends. Lillie was slowly growing accustomed to this group's dynamic and could say for sure they were good people.
"…" Moon didn't say anything. She continued to feel out of place. "I hate to ask this now, but why am I here again?"
"You can't say not to the rich girl." Grace said while lifting a finger. Moon likely wouldn't believe Takeba's real reason. Besides, this reason was valid enough.
"Ugh…" Moon groaned. "Fine…"
"Her plan's looking shakier with each minute…" Marcus thought to himself. Takeba wanted to both inspire Moon and also mend Moon and Lillie's awkward relationship. It was a tall order for various reasons and no one was certain that Takeba could pull it off.
.
.
After the small trek, the group finally arrived in Lush Jungle. Takeba soaked in the atmosphere. "Wow! It's kind of really humid in here, huh!?"
"Yeah, but you get used to it." Ash shrugged.
"Dying…" Elizabeth was going back to suffering from the Alolan heat. Even with her sun friendly outfit, the Sinnoh native just could not withstand this warm weather.
"This is the trial site?" Marcus looked around curiously. "But what are we supposed to be looking for, exactly?"
"Good question." Grace placed her hands on her hips. "I know there's supposed to be some really strong Pokémon lurking around here, but I have no idea how to catch its attention."
That's when Takeba had yet another brilliant idea. "I got this."
"Oh no…" Moon could already sense that this would go downhill. Didn't have to know Takeba for very long to figure that out.
Takeba cupped her hands around her mouth and began to shout. "HEEEY! I'M HERE FOR THE TRIAL! COME FIGHT ME!"
"Did you have to disturb everything in the forest?" Scott questioned while covering his ears. Takeba could get really loud when she wanted to be. As such there were some Pokémon who were disturbed and tried to relocate away from the high pitched voice.
"My ears kind of hurt after that one…" Lillie frowned and Snowy let out a somewhat irritated mewl.
"Same…" Marcus sighed.
"I thought you'd be used to that by now." Takeba casually shrugged her shoulders. Her comment went over some of their heads but clearly it wasn't unnoticed.
Before anyone could respond to that comment, the rustling of leaves caught their attention. From the nearby shrubbery, a large Luranits staggered forward, standing tall over everyone. "…."
"There it is! The Totem Pokémon of Lush Jungle!" Rotom exclaimed. It had already taken pictures of this Lurantis once before.
"Whoa…that thing is massive…" Elizabeth's eyes were wide. It was very unnatural to see a Pokémon this large. "They aren't all this big, are they?"
"No, this is just a special one." Ash pointed out. "This is the trial! If you can defeat this then you can challenge Olivia!"
"All right! Stand back everyone!" Takeba said while holding out two pokeballs. Everyone stood back and prepared to watch the battle that was about to unfold. "I got this! Ditto, Blastoise, I choose you!" Those two spheres were thrown into the air, calling forth both Pokémon.
"Why are you sending out a water type against a grass type!?" Elizabeth groaned.
Lurantis was very well aware of what was about to happen. This human was challenging it! Lurantis let out a cry and prepared itself for battle, gesturing for Takeba to make the first move. "Lura!"
"Ditto, use Transform!" Ditto did just that. But it didn't turn into Lurantis…it turned into Ash's Pikachu!
"Wha!?" Ash was not expecting that.
"Pika!?" Pikachu nearly fell from Ash's shoulder.
"Now we're good to go! Ditto, use Quick Attack! Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!" Takeba commanded. Ditto sprinted forward, moving in a zigzag formation to keep its movements unpredictable. Ditto sprung forward, slamming its skull into Lurantis' chest, managing to knock it off balance. Blastoise took advantage of this and pointed a cannon forward, releasing a potent jet stream of water towards Lurantis. It was at that moment that the sun's rays intensified, so while Hydro Pump was a direct hit, the damage was reduced. "Huh?!"
The Sunny Day was the work of the Ally Castform! Its Forecast ability turned it into a fire type to match with the weather. It came to the aid of Lurantis at the last second. Castform then used Ember, spewing small, but potent flames at Ditto. It was a direct hit and Ditto was sent flying backwards from the sun boosted fire type move.
"Hey, that's no fair! Where did that thing come from!?" Takeba exclaimed.
"You were the one who started with two Pokémon…" Moon pointed out and Lillie nodded.
"Gah!" Point taken. But this just made things more challenging. Takeba smirked before extending a hand forward. "Ditto, Electroweb on Castform! Hinder its mobility!" Ditto nodded and jumped into the air, swinging its tail forward to send a web of electricity directly at Castform. This plan would have gone well had Lurantis decided to not intervene and lift an arm into the air, gathering an abundance of solar energy in the form of a blade. "Guh!?"
"Beep beep! Watch out! It's using Solar Blade!" Rotom warned.
"A sun based move?" Grace questioned and she was right. Solar Blade normally took time to charge, but with Sunny weather, it needed no time at all to unleash this attack. "Move, Takeba!"
"Eep! Watch out!" The panicking pinkette exclaimed. Lurantis brought its Solar Blade down, easily cleaving through the Electro Web while striking Blastoise and Ditto, leaving a thick cloud of smoke from impact. Takeba knew her team was durable so she continued to act with smoke as her cover. "Blastoise, Rock Tomb!" No one could actually see what was happening within the smoke, but they heard the sounds of rocks crashing into the ground. When the smoke cleared, Blastoise was seen, but Ditto wasn't.
"Where did they…?" Moon looked around.
Lurantis and Castform were just as confused. Little did they realize that Ditto was above them! Takeba had Ditto use Rock Tomb as a means to ascend to the sky. "Iron Tail!" Ditto dropped down from the sky, violently slamming its tail against Lurantis' head to force it to stagger back! The direct hit was surprisingly effective on the Totem Pokémon. "Now Blastoise, Aura Sphere!" Blastoise fired off the Aura Sphere for Castform, looking for a direct hit. Castform tried to play smart and lure it into Ditto, but Takeba saw through this ploy. "Iron Tail again!" Ditto swung its tail at Aura Sphere, redirecting it into Castform for a direct hit!
"Wow, she's really good!" Lillie said excitedly.
"I'm surprised…!" Moon added.
"She can be good when she puts her mind to it." Marcus said proudly.
"What little of a mind she has, anyway." Elizabeth quickly added.
Castform was the first to recover despite the hard hit. It flew forward, using Headbutt to knock Pikachu into Blastoise. The impact nearly sent the armored turtle backwards, but it caught Ditto and barely managed to hold its ground. This brief moment allowed Lurantis to stand up, now attacking with a full power Petal Blizzard. This Petal Blizzard swept Ditto and Blastoise away and knocked them back.
"Ah! Are you two okay?!" Takeba questioned. Ditto and Blastoise were still ready to go. "All right. These guys are tough, but we've gotten some good hits in. Just one more and we should…"
And at that moment, a powerful net wrapped around Lurantis and Castorm, tying them to a tree and prevented them from moving. This sudden interruption caused everyone's eyes to widen. "Huh!?"
"When you ask 'huh!?', the answer is quite clear, and soon you'll find out…" That voice belong to only one woman. Jessie began.
"Noble answers are what we're all about!" James continued, tossing a blue rose off into the distance.
"The peerless beauty that strikes within the heart of the forest, Jessie!"
"Still, the nobly heroic man of our times fights back against this cruel and heartless world…it's James!"
"And the combat cat is ready to back up the glorious fight! Meowth!"
"Team Rocket, let's fight!"
"That's right!"
"Wobbefett!"
"T-They're back…" Moon subconsciously took a step back. That's when Pichu, Lillie, and Snowy stood in front of her.
"Team Rocket!?" Ash narrowed his eyes. It just seemed like they couldn't leave well enough alone these days!
"Why are you here!? I'm in the middle of something!" Takeba huffed. "Let those Pokémon go now!"
"No way!" Meowth shook his head at the demands.
"We followed you here!" Jessie said proudly. "We knew you twerps were up to something, and the way we were kicked out the other day didn't sit right with us!" She then pointed at Moon. "That one there! She ruined everything!"
"Leave Moon out of this!" Lillie said.
"Moon?" James shook his head. "Regardless, we'll be taking this Totem Pokémon and Pikachu!"
"You guys know you're severely outnumbered, right?" Grace said while calling out Salamance. Marcus called out Zangoose, while Elizabeth and Scott called out Zoroark and G!Darmanitan respectively. "This isn't a fight you'll win."
Grace's confidence made Jessie smirk devilishly. "Is that so? Because we have a new prototype here with us that HQ is allowing us to test!" Just as she said that, a Pelipper flew over Lush Jungle, dropping down some off vending machine in front of the Rocket Trio. "It's here!"
"…W-What is that?" Elizabeth tilted her head.
James picked up Meowth, turned him upside down, and used the coin on his head as payment for the machine. "This is what the instructions said to do…"
"Uh…I feel like we should be stopping this?" Moon asked.
"I think so too, but I also want to see where this goes…" Scott was admittedly intrigued.
But they were getting a little too comfortable. Mimikyu was present and immediately made a beeline for Pikachu with a Wood Hammer, which the mouse dodged at the last second. Pikachu landed next to Pichu and the two of them were now staring down a very eager and enraged Mimikyu! "…Pi…" Pichu's face paled. Mimikyu was horrifying and now it had two targets it couldn't wait to crush.
After spinning Meowth around, two purple pokeballs dropped from the machine. Jessie and James both picked one and tossed it forward. "Let's see what we got!" The two exclaimed. For James, he got a Druddigon, while Jessie got an Aggron. "Oooh!"
"What the!?" Everyone's eyes went wide.
"Did they just play a lottery right in our face?!" Marcus asked.
"You guys, I'll free the Pokémon! You deal with them!" Takeba said, rushing over to Lurantis and Castform with Blastoise and Ditto.
"I don't think so!" Jessie held up the strip of paper that came with Aggron. "Aggron, use Bulldoze!" Aggron stomped on the ground with reckless abandoned. Anything on the ground was tumbling over due to its raw might. Druddigon seemed fine and just roared as it wanted a piece of the action.
"Druddigon, use Dragon Claw! Mareanie, Spike Cannon!" James commanded confidently. Of course his beloved Mareanie had to bite him affectionately before going to battle. Druddigon charged forward while Mareanie covered it with Spike Cannon!
"Salamance, Dragon Rush!" Grace commanded. Salmance cloaked its body in a fierce aura and dove towards Druddigon. The two were in a fierce power stalemate. Spike cannon made it difficult for Elizabeth and Scott to follow up. "You guys are persistent no matter what world it is, huh!?"
"Seriously!" Takeba huffed. "We just dealt with Rainbow Rocket the other day, now these clowns show up!?" She was trying to free Lurantis and Castform, but the material the net was made of was much sturdier than before. "Gah! What is this stuff made from!? Where do they get the money to buy all this!?" If only she knew.
"Clowns!?" Jessie took offense to that.
"Rainbow Rocket?" That caught James' attention, but they could deal with that later.
"Aggron, Iron Head! Mimikyu, Wood Hammer!" Jessie commanded.
"Pikachu, Iron Tail!" Ash shouted in retaliation. Pikachu swung its tail forward, colliding against Mimikyu's own for a fierce stalemate, but that didn't stop Aggron from moving forward!
Aggron was rushing towards Snowy and Pichu! "Snowy, use Powder Snow!" Lillie commanded. Snowy exhaled a fierce frost from its mouth to freeze the ground over, but Aggron just kept charging forward. "Ah!"
"Pichu, use Volt Tackle!" Pichu started rushing forward, a fierce aura of electricity flaring around its body. It slammed against Aggron's Iron Head and held fast for a few seconds before being overpowered! "Ah! Pichu!" Moon cried out as Pichu hit a tree, severely damaged from recoil and what damage Aggron dealt.
Just as Aggron neared Snowy, Zangoose appeared, swinging a Crush Claw to divert its attention. "Quick Attack!" Marcus commanded, covering Lillie and Snowy. Zangoose sprinted around Aggron, confusing the metal titan with its quick movements. "Fire Blast!" Appearing to Aggron's left; Zangoose exhaled a point blank blast of fire directly at Aggron. The result was an explosion that made the metal titan stagger back with an angry roar.
As for Druddigon, Salamance pulled away from the power struggle, only to leave the opposing dragon exposed to the other two! "Zoroark, Night Daze!" Elizabeth commanded.
"Ice Punch." Scott said calmly.
The Ice Punch came first, as Darmanitan struck Druddigon across the face. This put it off balance, leaving it open to the direct Night Daze! Despite the damage it received, it was still standing. "Wow, this new lottery may work in the future!" James said excitedly.
"Still standin' even after all dat punishment! They ain't half bad!" Meowth grinned.
"You're kiddin, did they just get lucky or something!?" Elizabeth grit her teeth in annoyance. This was becoming a problem.
"Aggron, use Metal Burst!" Jessie smirked.
"Druddigon, use Draco Meteor!" James added onto this.
"This is bad!" Grace exclaimed. Aggron's body shone brightly and it released sharp shards of metal in every direction! Metal Burst was a large counterattack, doubling the damage it just received from Fire Blast. Zangoose, Snowy, Zoroark, Salamance, and Darmanitan all received damage from this and were taken aback. What made matters worse was the Draco Meteor ascending into the air!
Ash had this covered. "Pikachu, use Electro Web!" Pikachu was about to use this web to stop the meteors from dealing damage all across Lush Jungle, but Mimikyu wasn't allowing this. It used Shadow Claw to swat Pikachu down and into a tree. "Ah!"
"Ditto, Electro Web!" Takeba exclaimed. Ditto whipped its tail forward, using Electro Web in Pikachu's place. The web wrapped around the meteor before it could explode, thus preventing the destruction.
"Kyu…" Mimikyu's cracked voice echoed as it turned, spotting yet another Pikachu. This must've been a field day.
"I couldn't stop them before…but I can stop them now!" Takeba thought while glancing at her Z-ring. "I'll bet it on all this one shot!" And she crossed her arms, causing that Z-ring to shine.
"Waitwaitwaitwait!" Jessie frantically pointed at Takeba. "When did she get one of those!? Where did she get one of those!?"
"She stole it!" Elizabeth shouted. Not the time but she wasn't letting it go.
"If she thinks she can get away with pulling one over on us, she has another thing coming!" James said while sliding the Z-ring onto his wrist, glancing at Mareanie, who happily jumped forward. The Rocket Trio all did the Z-move pose for the Darknium Z, empowering Mareanie to use…
"BLACK HOLE ECLIPSE!" A crimson black sphere rose into the sky before expanding into a dangerous black hole, threatening to pull everything nearby into its destructive radius!
"WORLD'S END FALL!" Takeba yelled as she attempted the Z-move once again with Blastoise's help. Blastoise formed a gigantic mountain with this Z-move and tossed it towards the Black Hole Eclipse in an attempt to overpower it. Everyone watched as this struggle went on and Takeba hoped it would be enough to redeem herself for her failure against Team Rocket before. Unfortunately for her, just as before, the Continental Crush broke apart! "Ah…!"
"Not again!" Marcus gasped.
"The Z-move failed! But just barely!" Rotom reported in a panic. Takeba was so close, but she just barely missed whatever mark she needed!
"Haha! Looks like we win this time!" Meowth laughed.
Not while Ash had anything to say about it! "Lycanroc, let's go!" Ash called out Lycanroc as quickly as he could. "Takeba, watch me!"
"Huh!?" Takeba was a little heartbroken that she failed again, but Ash clearly intended to inspire her with what he was about to do.
"You put all your trust and faith into your Pokémon…" Ash began as he swapped out his current Z-crystal for the Lycanrocnium-Z. He then started to do the poses to let that power resonate with him. "Feel the Z-power move through you and put it all into your Pokémon! Then when you work together to give it all you've got! Lycanroc, use SPLINTERED STORMSHARDS!"
"Hey, what makes you think you'll get away with that!?" Jessie scoffed at Ash's audacity! "Aggron, Flash Cannon!"
"Druddigon, use Focus Blast!" James added. The two attacks were fired directly at Lycanroc to stop this nonsense.
"Salamance, Fire Blast!"
"Zoroark, Flamethrower!"
Salamance and Zoroark exhaled powerful bursts of flames that merged together. This white hot funnel of flames collided with Focus Blast and Flash Cannon, causing them to explode on the spot. They wouldn't be reaching Lycanroc today. "Sorry, but you can't forget about us." Grace said smugly.
"Mimikyu…!" Jessie panicked. Unfortunately it was too late.
Lycanroc howled as the rocks it summoned allowed it to perch on a plateau. It then jumped into the air, numerous sharp rocks all pointed down at the Black Hole Eclipse. The wolf of dusk then dove down with the rocks at its sides, breaking through the Black Hole Eclipse while the sharp rocks struck Team Rocket's Pokémon, heavily damaging them in the process of a large explosion. When Lycanroc landed, Team Rocket's Pokémon were severely injured! "Nice job, Lycanroc!"
"…." Moon stared in awe. She had been useless the whole time since Pichu went down, but watching all this go down was amazing to her.
"They're all really amazing, aren't they?" Lillie said with a soft smile. "I wish I could be as strong as them…"
The Splintered Stormshards also freed Lurantis and Castform, meaning that Team Rocket was surrounded on all sides. "You made a mistake coming here today." Takeba said. "What did I tell you about a girl and her vacation?"
"Next time you should plan your attack more efficiently." Scott said. "I was barely needed here…"
"Pikachu, send them flying with Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded. Pikachu happily agreed and jumped into the air, preparing to fry Team Rocket with a Thunderbolt…!
And at that moment, from above, Bewear dropped down from above, stunning everyone. Bewear wrapped its arms around Team Rocket and propelled itself into the air just as fast as she came, way before the Thunderbolt could even hit them! "What even is this feeling…" Team Rocket mumbled as they were carried off into the distance with a single bound.
"….What the heck was that?" Elizabeth pointed to the sky. "We're on a different island, where did that thing even come from!?"
"…That Bewear is a special case-roto." Rotom said.
"…Well, that was a distraction." Grace sighed before turning to Moon and Lillie. "You two okay? Sorry if we hogged all the action."
"We're okay!" Lillie said. "I would've just gotten in the way."
"Pichu did what it could." Moon said with a slight smile. She fed her partner an Oran Berry.
.
"Now then!" Takeba and Lurantis returned to their battle. After confirming the Totem Pokémon was okay, it was time to resume! "Ditto, use Thunderbolt!" Ditto jumped into the air, releasing a potent bolt of lightning at Lurantis. It was a direct hit and…Lurantis went down after that. "…Huh?"
"What?" Everyone else seemed just as surprised.
"I-It's over just like that?" Moon tilted her head. "That was a little…anticlimactic."
"You're telling me." Grace said.
"Hey, what's going on?" Takeba walked over to Lurantis, huffing as it stood back up. It was a lot taller than her so she had to crane her neck up to look at it. "Did I just win like that?" Lurantis nodded. It also made a few noises to converse, but naturally it went over Takeba's head. "Huh?"
"…I believe it's saying that you were going to win the battle anyway." Scott said. "It saw your prowess and realized that all it could do was give you a proper fight until Team Rocket interrupted. And then, it felt inspired by your need to protect your friends, even though you couldn't muster a Z-move properly. As a tourist, you've certainly touched this Pokémon."
"Well, look at you." Marcus said with a grin. "Making moves already. You've cleared your trial before it began."
"Congratulations!" Lillie exclaimed.
"Not bad." Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders.
"That means you can take on Olivia now!" Ash told Takeba. "Your Grand Trial is the real test! Do you think you can handle it?"
Takeba paused for a moment. This wasn't quite the result she wanted, but even Lurantis was saying that she had won the fight. "I still have some training to do. But this was a good first step forward. I'll master this Z-move and then, Olivia, I'm coming for you!"
.
.
Next Time: Takeba vs. Olivia.
