So, the next partttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt.
I love Pokémon Sun and Moon with a burning passion, it's my favorite gen, and considering Gen 8's "high quality", probably the last gen I'll play if Pokémon continues to head the direction it's going.
Maybe when it's on sale.
This interpretation takes some from the Pokémon anime, some from the games, but mostly from the games.
I will say though, Pokémon saying their names over and over again makes for some very rousing dialogue, although I have been herring it's not just Pokémon that make an appearance pier. Well I better cod-tinue this, but you'll have to wait and sea, yes?
Sorry in advance for lame jokes, and happy travels, Pokémon trainers!
Nah, I'm just kidding, nobody unironically plays Pokémon Trainer, they suck...
Alola to New Adventure!
{Royal Avenue – Pokémon Sun and Moon}
With a single snap, Eleven, Shulk, and Sonic were somewhere in the Alola region. It was empty, so it was hard to tell on first glance. They were in front of a capsule like building, one with a red roof, and if you looked to the left you could see a flower garden, multiple bushes with pink flowers, surrounded by a white fence with a circular dirt path around it, the path divulging upwards and to the side where an odd building stood.
There were odd looking pink birds in the garden, the birds who for whatever reason seemed to be dancing, around the flower bushes, picking berries. Strangely, it seemed to be nighttime, a polar opposite to that of Fodlan, but it still seemed early enough for people to be awake.
"So, this is the Alola region?" Crazy Hand admired.
"Looks nice." Sonic admitted as he examined his surroundings.
"Looks trash, I'm going to Galar." Crazy Hand opposed. "Text me if you need me, byeeeeeee."
With another delicate snap, Crazy Hand disappeared, probably going to drink some tea, cream some crackers, or whatever other British slang they could think of.
"Wait, we never got your... number." Shulk said, holding his hand out to nothing but the air. "I swear, that guy is so weird."
"Anyway, if this is where Pokémon live, I'll bet money Pikachu is here." Sonic bet, looking ahead. "In fact, that's him right there!"
"Oh, really?" Shulk questioned as Sonic sped around the corner. "C'mon Eleven, let's go!" Shulk beckoned Eleven forward, and he followed suit.
When he turned the corner, he saw what looked to be a massive building, a dome even. The dome was across the road, and it seemed all the people were gathered outside.
"Hey, Pikachu!" Sonic called, coming to a stop in front of something big bright and lifeless. "How's it going buddy?"
Shulk stopped near Sonic, and Eleven came up behind them. It did appear to be a Pikachu, but that Pikachu was actually a balloon!
"Sonic..." Shulk whispered as he the Hedgehog's shoulder, "That's a balloon."
"Is it?" Sonic doubted, inspecting the blatant imitation further. "Oh yeah, it like, totally is."
"Woah, what kind of Pokémon is that?" a voice from across the street asked.
The three looked across the road, and a few kids the group that was waiting outside were looking at them, three kids who seemed remarkably basic.
"What are those chumps looking at?" Sonic wondered.
"They're kids." Shulk replied, looking at Sonic. "They may be stupid, but I wouldn't call them chumps."
"Shh, they're coming this way." Sonic whispered. "Don't worry, I'm great with kids." he remarked.
Three kids, two girls and one boy made their way across the road, and Eleven looked away. This wasn't exactly his strong suit, though you could claim he had experience with children if she counted, but that was a different story. The kids stopped in front of the trio and looked them up and down like... well like everyone else has looked at them.
"Hey kids, wanna buy some crack?" Sonic questioned in an excited tone.
"Sonic, what the heck?!" Shulk berated. "Sorry kids, don't do drugs."
"Odd, that usually makes them run away screaming." Sonic muttered, a hand on his chin.
"Well, try something else." Shulk suggested, his eyes wandering from the kids to the hedgehog.
"Alright, I got this." Sonic said roughly, pushing Shulk out of the way. "Hey kids, it's me, Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog."
"Hi." the boy said, one of the girls waving.
"You may know me from my recent movie, it's also called Sonic The Hedgehog." Sonic promoted. "Now, I may not have any toys to give you, but I can give you one thing, a good lesson on Oral Hygiene."
"Excuse me, sir." a voice said. Eleven looked down, and saw one of the kids who walked over, a girl with brown hair and a blue dress. "Do you want to have a Pokémon battle?" they asked rather innocently.
Uh...
Uh...
UH...
Eleven shook his head no.
"Why not?" the girl asked attentively. "Do you not have a Pokémon?"
Yes, he did not have a Pokémon! Yes, that was it... yes, that was... yes! Eleven gave a thumbs up, and smiled, though maybe the smile was too much? Maybe...
"Oh okay!" the girl said. "Do you not talk, you're like that Pokémon Champion guy from Kanto, his name is Red, do you know Red, I figured since you don't speak, and Red doesn't speak, so you might know Red because you don't speak." the girl inquired.
Eleven shook his head no and tried his best not to make any stupid faces. Unfortunately, he couldn't quite stop himself from looking away every half second, which probably made things worse.
"Hey, why do your eyes look like rectangles?" the girl continued curiously. "Are you from Kalos, because my mom said people from Kalos are square brained, so I assume they're square eyed, and rectangles and squares are really similar."
…
Eleven shook his head.
"Then where're you from?" the girl insisted.
"...and THAT'S why you should always brush your teeth!" Sonic finished, getting the girls attention. "Any questions?"
"Can you talk because you're a Psychic type Pokémon?" the other girl wanted to know.
"Sure, why not." Sonic replied. "Anyways, you kids know what's going over there?" Sonic inquired, pointing to the crowd across the row.
"Oh, they're having a special event soon, and we were trying to get in, but we couldn't get past the crowd." the boy whined. "Apparently a special guest is going to be there."
"Well, if we're looking for anybody, I bet you five dollars they're in there!" Sonic pointed out.
"Yeah, but we'd have to get past that crowd and if these kids can't do it, I have doubts..." Shulk noted.
"Don't worry, I know how to disperse a crowd." Sonic assured, loudly cracking his fingers. The hedgehog turned towards the crowd and cleared his throat. "Hey everybody, they're giving out free Max Revives in the Pokémon Center!" Sonic screamed in a fake voice.
"Free Max Revives?!" a voice yelled. "Everybody, quick, to the Pokémon Center!"
Suddenly, like a group of angry protesters, the group in front of the dome pushed past them and towards the Pokémon Center, as it was called. Though Eleven nearly fell to the ground, he didn't, and as such wasn't trampled to death by the angry mob.
"Coast is clear!" Sonic announced, showing off the empty stone path heading into the dome ahead. "Let's hurry inside before everyone comes back and asks why we lied." Sonic quickly turned to the kids. "Don't lie, it's against the Sonic the Hedgehog Official Rulebook!"
"Ok." the young boy mumbled. "Thank you."
"Thanks," the girl who was talking to Eleven previously spoke. "I'll tell my mom."
"What's a Max Revive?" Shulk asked.
"I dunno, Pikachu says they bring you back to life." Sonic replied. "Probably worth like a zillion dollars." he guessed.
"How do you talk to him anyway, doesn't he only say-"
"Only say Pikachu, yeah?" Sonic interrupted. "Yeah, it's a very particular language Pokémon speak, the sentence differs by the tone of voice and syllable count." he responded. "Ask Samus if ya want."
"Got you." Shulk replied.
"Anyways, lets head to that Battle Royal Dome!" Sonic screamed, pointing ahead.
Shulk agreed, "Yeah, let's go!"
"Or you could say... Pokémon Let's Go, eh?" Sonic joked, looking at the group in anticipation.
"I don't get it." Shulk admitted.
"Just head in the building." Sonic groaned, facepalming.
The three walked across the road and towards the dome, and it was flashy to say the very least. The path leading into the building was a polished glass surface with eight lights on each side shining into the early night sky. Near the front of the path were two massive balloons of Pokémon none of them knew, but they looked ready for fighting.
The three took a quick look ahead at the building, not knowing what it would bring them, and hoping for the best, the three walked in.
{Battle Royal Dome – Pokémon Sun and Moon}
The Battle Royal dome...
Very packed it was. It was a large spacious building, probably even bigger if you took into account the other rooms. The smell of butter and sugar wafted around, and ahead of them a front desk swarmed with visitors and Pokémon.
"Smells like a Movie Theatre in here." Sonic commented. "They don't look to be showing anything besides..." Sonic looked at the floor which had a piece of paper on it. "The Champion's Grand Return?"
"The Champion?" Shulk asked, also peering at the paper. "Who's that?"
"I don't know, your mom?" Sonic solicited. "Just kidding, they beat the Elite Four and became Champion of the region, something like that."
"How do you know so much about Pokémon?" Shulk challenged.
"Pikachu tells me a lot; he honestly talks way too much compared to the other Pokémon." Sonic said as he turned away. "Anyways, if this is a show, let's get some tickets!"
"Attention all people waiting in line, there are no more tickets to the Champions Grand Return show!" the lady at the desk announced. "Please exit in a single file, neat and orderly fashion."
There was a loud outcry of groans, whines, and cries of pure and utter disappointment as a majority of the people and Pokémon inside left in a non-single file way, leaving only a choice few stragglers remaining.
"And, we don't have any tickets." Shulk groaned. "Guess we'll check somewhere else; I doubt any Pokémon would be here anyway..."
{Cease Music}
"Hey, you guys want some tickets?" a voice behind them mucked out. The three turned around, and there appeared a man who was wearing a blank tank top, black sorts, and a black bandanna around his mouth. Blue hair covered by an odd-looking cap, and black arm bands.
"Woah, we don't want any trouble." Sonic warned, holding his hands out.
"Yo, chill I ain't no criminal, ya hear?" the strange man replied. "I just got you some tickets, there's nothing to fear."
"Is he... rhyming?" Shulk questioned.
"Forget it, we'll just leave." Sonic asserted, turning towards the door.
"YO, HOLD IT PUNKS!" the man frantically called, moving his arms back and forth frantically. "You can't just drop me like this, I spent all my savings on these three tickets, these ain't cheap."
"Why'd you buy us tickets anyways?" Sonic snapped like a detective, tapping his foot. "You some kind of stalker?"
"Look, do you want the tickets, or do you want to spend the day stone-faced like an Onix?" the man demanded.
"Fine, we'll take the tickets, but you drive a hard bargain." Sonic sighed, facing towards the man. "So, where do we enter?"
"Don't worry 'bout that, just let me do the talking, alright?"
The three, well, four of them headed forward towards the counter where the lady at the desk was busy on a cell phone. The man told them to stand back, and they waited as they overheard a confusing conversation.
"Yo, get off your phone yo, get off your phone!" the man sung. "Cause I got me some tickets by being bad to the bone."
The lady at the desk peered at the man for a second before putting down her phone. "You are so damn lucky those friends of yours are so intimidating with those guns." she sighed. "UGH, kids..."
"Yo they no kid, yo... it's more like a... a squid yo." the man responded. "Get it correct, man."
"Whatever just go in." the lady fretted, holding her hand to her face. "I'm SO quitting my job after this, I swear..."
The man nodded and walked back over to the three, looking rather chipper. "Yo, let's go in, we head through the side." he told them. "Prepare, because you'll be in for one sick ride."
"Please stop rhyming, you're making my friend here very uncomfortable." Sonic said, gesturing to Eleven.
Huh?
Eleven took a glance at the strange man.
Oh, yeah, sure...
"Yo, if you got a problem, say something about it!" the man explained. "My appearance may suggest otherwise, but I'm a good listener, y'here?"
"Eh..." Eleven just gave a thumbs up and the man shrugged.
"Let's head inside." the man beckoned.
So, the four entered the doors next to the desks and found themselves in packed stands, four massive one, each in a differing color. One red, one blue, one green, and one high above the others, being a sort of overhang. On top of it, they seeing what looked to be a boxing ring in the center of it all.
"Wow, where do we sit?" Sonic asked, seeming astounded.
"Yo, follow me yo, we sit in row Z, yo." the man said, walking up a staircase near the side of the red stands. The three walked up the packed stands which surprisingly were filled with more adults than children, though that's not to say kids weren't present.
"Yo, out of the way, we got three VIP characters coming through!" the man said, as he made his way to the top of the stands. "Yo, get out of the way small child, we got VIP coming through."
A kid was pushed into the stands, somewhere around row V, and the three continued on until they reached row Z, with all the dust ridden, horribly painful on your back-stone seats of every single stadium game. Guess you could say this was some sort of Pokémon Stadium. The strange man let Sonic and Shulk into the row, but he held his hand out to stop Eleven from coming in.
"Yo, hang on a minute yo." the man said, putting his hand down. "I only got three tickets, remember?" he reminded Eleven. "You can't come."
"What, you can't do that, he's with us!" Shulk objected, turning to the man. "What gives?"
"Hey, he didn't tell me my rhyming made him uncomfortable, I don't tell him about the tickets." the man countered quickly. "Forget about it yo, I'll buy him a souvenir when it's done, alright?"
"No way, he's a part of our group." Shulk protested putting that odd bag he carried to the side. "It's him or no deal.
"Truck, look, I don't even think they guy wants to be here." Sonic chimed in, examining his hand like it was the queen. "I mean, I don't even know his name, but I think I know him well enough to tell he doesn't want to be here."
… okay Hedgehog.
"Look, it's either security comes and kicks us out, or this dude get lots, alright?" the guy groaned. "I'm sure he'll come back... heh."
"What's so funny?" Shulk questioned.
"Don't worry about it." the man replied. "Now scram, bonehead!"
Fine.
Eleven turned around and began walking back down the staircase, heading from Z alllllllll the way down to Row A, like a shipping company that overworks its employees. He made it to the floor and turned to the door, but instead of doing the dinosaur, he got hit in the head with something sort, some sort of coin.
Eleven turned around and looked towards the blue stands where multiple people and Pokémon were sitting, but he didn't see anybody facing anywhere to throw anything...
Ugh, kids probably...
"Excuse me, sir!" an energetic voice shouted from somewhere Eleven clearly wasn't looking. "Up here!" Eleven looked up and saw a kid who looked somewhere between twelve and thirteen leaning over the top. "Uh, I saw what happened over there, and I think I can help you..."
What... who even is this, and why does she exude main character energy?
"I'd tell you more, but it's awkward to talk from up here, so could you come up the stands?" she asked.
Eh, I suppose it wouldn't hurt.
Eleven turned and began to walk up the blue stand's staircase, passing by a few... unreal looking Pokémon on the way, though there wasn't much else in the way. Eleven made his way to the top, row T. The girl who beckoned him over was a blond-haired person, green eyes, and for whatever reason wearing a dress today's climate.
Thankfully, she wasn't a leaf, other she wouldn't survive in today's climate, though I'm sure somebody would love to see a leaf survive in today's climate.
"Hey, so I saw you get rejected over there, and..." the girl looked away. "Well, first off, my name is Lillie."
{Lillie Encounter – Pokémon Sun and Moon}
"Uh... this may sound strange, but I actually know who you are." she laughed. "Not personally, but um... there's this video of you... this guy I'm a really big fan of recorded it, do you know him?"
Eleven had a few questions, but it's not like he would ask a complete stranger who claims to know him from a "video" supposedly.
"Do you know him; his name is Ken."
Oh... Ken...
Some time ago...
{===}
Eleven had finally arrived at this "Smash Mansion" as they called it. The others, the other heroes as they were had just been welcomed by that Mario guy. He was waiting at the side of the stage for the ceremony to be over and was greatly overwhelmed by the entire building.
He had seen big before, Heliodor Castle, Arboria, other vast places, but something about this place seemed almost too surreal.
"Hey, looks like we got a new fighter!" a voice called out, prompting Eleven to turn towards it.
It was a buff, rough looking man with blonde hair, a red outfit, and some sort of device in his hands. He seemed to be walking towards Eleven, and he seemed to be friendly. Next to him was another person, but Eleven couldn't quite make out what she looked like...
"What's up K Nation welcome back to the channel, it's me, Ken back with your latest news straight from the Smash Brothers tournament."
...huh?
"Now, before we talk to this guy, make sure to SMASH that like button, and subscribe if you're new, we're dangerously close to hitting 500,000 subscribers, so if you guys help us out, that would be amazing!"
...HUH?
"Anyways, first on the agenda, one of the guys we met when Dharkon tried to kill us all, it's... HERO... number one out of four."
"His name is Eleven from what I've heard." the figure behind ken spoke.
"Alright, Eleven, one of the newest fighters to join the roster, how do you feel about it?" the man asked.
"..." Eleven didn't know if he was supposed to respond or not, but he had a million questions.
"Quiet guy, eh?" Ken asked. "It's cool, the mansion has a bunch of quiet guys, you'll fit in fine."
"Sorry for his aggressiveness." the figure behind him spoke. "This is Ken." they said gesturing towards the blonde man. "My name is..."
{===}
Eleven snapped back to the present and nodded at Lillie. He knew Ken alright, he was one of the few that approached Eleven outside of battle context, though it was only that one time. After that, Ken just hung around that Eight guy the entire time. Who was that other person in the memory though?
"Yeah, the video has like 11 million views, you were a running joke on his channel for a while, like remember that time when your boat got capsized in the ocean and that Link kid had to come save you in his boat?"
...
"I know it sounds creepy and all Eleven, can I call you Eleven?" she asked, to which Eleven nodded. "Anyways, I know it sounds creepy, but he hasn't recorded you for the last couple months."
Yet he still stalked me on video?
"Anyways, I have an extra ticket, a friend of mine didn't show up, but if I give you the ticket, I need you to do something for me, okay?" Lillie asked.
Hm, so a total stranger wanted him to do a quest in exchange for a key item... it was familiar enough, so there was no reason not to accept... but then again, something about this seemed rather convenient. Eleven geared up to say no, but before a word could come out of his mouth, the blaring wail of a microphone assaulted his ears.
"Sorry, technical difficulties." a strangely Italian voice, but not one of familiarity spoke. "God, don't you know how to use a microp-" the audio cut off.
"Look, I know I'm a complete stranger and all, but I REALLY need your help, so please accept the tickets, alright?" Lillie pleaded.
I mean... he was in public, and it was rude... but it was also rude to try to persuade somebody with tickets. Was it though? Honestly...
Eleven nodded.
…?!
{===}
Quest Accepted! A trial of fiery passion.
It seems Lillie wants you to do something in exchange for show tickets... but what could she possibly need from you?
Reward: Unknown
{===}
{Cease music}
"Yes, Selene is going to be so jealous when she hears this!" Lille exclaimed, handing Eleven a ticket. "I actually bought the extra ticket for her, but I didn't know that she was going to be the one on stage." she responded.
Is she some kind of... stage performer?
While Eleven wasn't exactly in mood for a circus, it's not like that was what was actually happening. There was a clear boxing ring in the middle, so he could logically assume this was some sort of Pokémon fighting tournament.
"You can sit down, you know?" Lillie asked, noting the fact that Eleven had still be standing on the staircase.
Eleven waved it off, he preferred standing then looking like a grown man sitting next to a thirteen-year-old girl with a blank expression of utter ambiguity.
"Suit yourself then." Lillie shrugged. "I'll tell all the details of my quest after the battle."
"Ladies and gentlemen!" the Italian voice from before began.
"Ooh, it's starting." Lillie cheered as the lights went dim and steam began to pour out of the stage.
"Thank you all for coming first and foremost, to the return of the champion and all that garbage." the announcer said. "But before we get to that, if you hear any loud screaming outside, that's just... a Loudred."
"A Loudred?" Lillie questioned. "But those aren't native to Alola." she mused.
"Anyways, let's get on with our first, and only match of today!" the announcer boomed. "I'll pass it over to my acquaintance, go for it!"
"Good evening Pokémon Trainers!" a female, and rather shrill voice began. "Let's get right into the battle, shall we?"
The lights darkened even more to the point where nobody could see, and murmurs built up in the crowd before a single spotlight came on near the center of the boxing ring. Then another spotlight came on, each leading off the ring towards what appeared to be an entrance point near the green corner, top right from where Eleven was looking.
The female announcer spoke, "Hailing from Poni Island, put your hands together for..." From the green corner, a figure walked out wearing a blue hat and similarly matching dress. She had a blue Pokéball in her hands, what appeared to be fingerless gloves, and rather puffy brown hair. "Ace Trainer Rose!"
A loud cheering noise sprang up from the stands, and the Ace Trainer seemed to turn away in embarrassment, but quickly shook it off. "Alright, let's do this!" the Ace Trainer said. "Throh, I choose you!" she announced, throwing the blue Pokéball into the ring.
A fat red Pokémon that seemed to be wearing a Kung Fu outfit, black belt specifically, and seemed to be ready to throw hands, its pose being one of pure readiness.
"Ah, Throh, the Judo Pokémon!" the male announcer said. "One of my favorites!"
"I thought you preferred grass types?" the female asked.
"No, I'm more of a poison type trainer." he replied. "Anyways, thank you for coming Rose, may the odds be forever in your favor."
"Moving on, we have..." from the opposing corner, the one to the top left of where Eleven was looking a single red spotlight shone, but nobody appeared
The female announcer spoke, "Hang on, it appears..." there were sounds of paper rustling, and a gasp sounded. "It appears that the next competitor has been here the entire time?"
A spotlight shone up on top of one of the entrances to the boxing ring, and a cloaked figure Eleven couldn't make out stood there. The figure crossed their arms, and simply pointed forwards towards the ring. Then, there was a stomp... then another, and another until somebody seemed to be sprinting in.
The stomps got louder and louder until from the entrance, an inferno, an utter wall of fire and speed came barreling out, and quickly jumped maybe fifteen feet in the air.
"INCIN!" the inferno yelled, doing multiple flips before landing on its feet, the fire settling, and the figure posed being revealed in all of its glory.
INCINEROAR!
ENTERS THE RING!
The entire crowd cheered, and Incineroar did multiple poses as red confetti rained down along with flower petals. Then from the top of the stand, the cloak figure jumped from it towards the boxing ring, but based on how it was looking, she wasn't going to make it.
"INCINEROAR!" Incineroar called, jumping into action. Incineroar made a jump from the ropes, heading horizontally, and catching the cloaked figure, throwing them upwards, very high into the sky. As the figure was heading upwards, the cloak came off.
Lillie put a hand to her face, "Odd, she doesn't usually go this showy."
The cloak floated downwards revealing what appeared to be a twelve to thirteen-year-old girl with short black hair, wearing a yellow shirt with pink flower details, an odd-looking red hat, rather cool sunglasses, green shorts and red sneakers. The girl was hurtling towards the boxing ring, and Incineroar jumped upwards towards the ring in a fiery tackle, and the girl seemed to latch onto Incineroar as he dived downwards into the ring.
"Please welcome Alola region Champion Selene!" both announcers exclaimed as cheers erupted through the crowd and Selene waved to the people in the crowd, smirking.
"That's Selene." Lillie whispered to Eleven. "We're really good friends."
Too much information...
"Now, let the battle commence!" the female announcer yelled. "Trainers, to your corners!"
Selene and Rose walked to the respective corners of the boxing ring, and each glared at the other, though Selene's eyes were blocked by the sunglasses.
"I hope you're ready, because after this, I'm heading for the Champion's seat!" Rose announced, pointing towards Selene.
{Battle! (Trainer) (Pokémon Sun and Moon) – Super Smash Brothers Ultimate}
Selene crossed her arms and Incineroar looked towards her for instructions. Selene cocked her head to the side, and Incineroar nodded, cracking its knuckles as Throh waited for the first move. Incineroar looked towards Throh and then turned towards the stands Eleven was standing in.
"INCIN?" Incineroar asked, putting a hand towards it ear. Suddenly, multiple Pokémon shot up in cheers, saying odd names like "Steenee," "Pallosand," and "Pyukumuyku." though they were all piled on top of each other, and thus difficult to hear.
Throh seemed to get nervous at all the voices, but it quickly went back to a ready pose. Incineroar turned towards Throh and smiled, walking forward. Throh stood his ground as Incineroar made it to the center of the ring.
"Incin, Incineroar!" Incineroar said, beckoning the opponent forward. "Incin..." Incineroar said, in a mocking tone.
"Throh!" Throh replied, a determined look on its face. "Throh, Throh."
"Alright, let's do this!" Rose yelled. "Throh use Mega Punch!" she commanded.
"Throh!" Throh replied, as it held its hand to its side, what appeared to be a ball of white energy surrounding it. Throh suddenly leaped forward towards Incineroar, its hand blazing ahead, and a large explosion of smoke surrounded the Pokémon, as the crowd waited in anticipation for the smoke to clear.
"Mega Punch shouldn't be very effective, but it's a very powerful move..." Lillie spoke. "I hope he's alright."
Well, the smoke cleared, and it appeared Lillie was mostly correct in her assumption, as Throh's fist had collided directly with Incineroar's hand, the wrestling Pokémon catching it like it was nobody's business, completely nullifying the Mega Punch.
"HUH?" Rose asked. "But Mega Punch shouldn't be able to be blocked..."
"INCINEROAR!" Incineroar screamed, as it used its other hand to grabs Throh's extended arm. Incineroar began to spin around, holding on tight to Throh like he was playing Ring Around the Rosey. Incineroar spun for added effect before tossing Throh upwards, looking ready to pounce immediately after.
Throh was falling downwards, clearly not prepared for aerial combat, and Incineroar crouched down as Throh was directly above him, quickly flashing a thumbs up sign to the red stands before the moment was upon him. Then, Incineroar's eyes flashed a grizzly red as it held its arms like to its side and spun, hitting Throh with multiple rapid-fire slaps, and knocking it onto the ground towards Rose.
"OOH, it's Incineroar's signature move, Darkest Lariat!" the female announcer exclaimed as Incineroar ran over to Throh's unconscious body, starting Rose.
Incineroar lay down on the ground next to Throh, and slammed his fist into the ground three times, on each hit yelling as if he was counting to three. Incineroar sprung up, and the crowd erupted in cheer as Incineroar flexed sporadically at the adoring crowd.
"It's not very effective against the fighting type Throh, but the power levels are so horribly mismatched that it's a one hit KO!" the male announcer explained. "That's a nice KO for Incineroar, taking the twerp over there down to her penultimate Pokémon."
"Twerp?" Rose asked. "Who are you calling a twerp?"
"What my associate-" the female announcer raised her voice, and the male announcer grunted. "-MEANT to say was, lovely Pokémon Trainer."
"So, are you enjoying the battle?" Lillie asked, getting Eleven's attention. It was alright, but something about that Incineroar as they called it seemed familiar, but the plot wouldn't allow him to put his abnormally large forehead on the right idea.
HM...
Lillie then spoke. "Actually, you may know that Incineroar, he's actually in the..." Lillie trailed off as she looked at Eleven with a semi-petrified face. "There's something behind you!"
Huh?
{===}
"Yo, chalk, you get the feeling somebody being kidnapped or is it just me?" Sonic asked, literally on the edge of his seat.
"Eh, it's probably nothing." Shulk replied. "I mean, what are the chances right?"
"Damn right." the strange man confirmed, leaning against the wall. "Damn right."
{===}
Eleven began to turn around, but he wasn't able to before something pulled him off the top of the stand, and sent him spiraling towards the hard floor below, landing directly on his back, and soon after something covering up his eyes, then his mouth. Not soon after that his legs and arms were tied up, and he was immobile.
"Sorry, we're kind of kidnapping you!" a... female non-human sounding voice said as Eleven tried to loosen the reigns tied around him, but his... "immense strength" couldn't quite break free.
"Callie, you weren't supposed to tell him that." Another female non-human voice said.
"Oh, sorry." Presumably Callie replied.
"Holy sh... are you okay?!" Lillie asked, from somewhere above. "Oh my... HEY, somebody is being kidnapped here!" Lillie yelled.
"Please ignore any yelling, those Loudred are somewhat of an annoyance this season!" the male announcer yelled.
"Also, to any audience members wishing to leave, please stay in the stands or you'll be kicked out." the female announcer added.
"Eleven, you haven't heard my request, so I'm coming to help!" Lillie announced as Eleven felt himself being moved.
Just the day to get kidnapped, just the day...
Eleven began to thrash around in an attempt to loosen the ropes, but it didn't seem to help, as all he heard back was what sounded like a garbled giggle.
"Hang on, Marie, I think we should totally take a video." one of the voices said.
"You want to take a video, for eel?" the other voice, probably Marie asked. "Well, I'm sure The Boss wouldn't mind if we took a quick one."
(Inkopolis News - Splatoon)
Suddenly, Eleven felt the floor collide with his back, and his blindfold was soon ripped off. He could finally see the perpetrators, or at least their backsides, as they weren't facing him, instead seeming preoccupied with something else. One of them, on the left from what he could see was wearing green tights and a black dress.
Eleven only stared for the acceptable amount of five seconds before looking towards the other who was wearing neon pink tights and a tight black outfit, seeming like some sort of celebrity based on the apparent glamour. Notably, there seemed to be strange things coming off the sides of her head, though Eleven wasn't sure what they were exactly.
"Hold on to your tentacles!" the one on the right said, holding one of those cellular devices in front of her.
Tentacles?
"It's the official Squid Sisters channel news time!" the one on the left said, posing.
Channel?
"We're here live in the Battle Royal stadium with..." the one on the right turned their head around, the things on the back of her head moving in tandem. "Hey Marie, who's this guy again?"
"I dunno." Marie responded. "I'm not an expert on humans, Callie."
Callie? Marie? Something about this sounds like a delicious meal...
"Anyways, though it's against the law in Inkopolis, we don't know the laws here, so we're kidnapping this guy!" Callie explained. "Got anything to say for the camera?"
Uh...
"Looks like he's not one for conversation." Marie noted. "Well, his mouth is covered, but he's probably too busy staring at you to actually talk."
Callie looked towards Marie quickly, then back towards Eleven with peculiarly purple eyes. Eleven was conveniently looking away, as he was the entire time. Not at all looking anywhere non-T rated, and was being purely family friendly pg clean, Eleven was a good person, yep yep.
"I'm coming to help!" Lillie yelled as a door slammed against the wall.
"Who the heck is that?" Marie pondered.
"Okay... I ran... all the way... down the stairs..." Lillie said from far away, sounding out of breath. "Are you okay... Eleven?"
"Oh, is this little girl a friend of yours?" Callie asked, still looking at Eleven.
"What kind of Pokémon are those?" Lillie asked.
Callie then turned towards the cellular device. "Sorry, looks like we'll have to wrap this up short, we got peeps trying to interfere." Callie seemed to press something on the device, and quickly put it away.
"Alright Callie, put the blindfold back on." Marie said. "We need to get back to that Melemele place."
"Don't worry, I'll help!" Lillie yelled, though there didn't seem to be much anyone could do in this situation. "Snowy, I choose you!" something metal and light seemed to clank against the floor, and soon after he heard releasing energy.
{Cease music if it already hasn't stopped by now}
"Aw, that's a cute dog." Marie cooed. "Anyways..."
"Snowy, use Ice Shard!" Lillie commanded, as a petite animal sounding voice purred, and something flew into Eleven's field of view, something that seemed to chill him to the core despite it being rather far away.
"Woah, chill out kid!" Callie said, turning to Eleven's left. "Tell that strange Snow Dog to back down, we just want to take your friend here to Melemele."
"Well I have a very important quest I need him to do, so due to that... please don't leave?" Lillie pleaded.
"Look, I get that you probably want your quest to be done or whatever, but you can come with us to Melemele if you want, we need more leverage around here." Marie said seeming to ponder something. "Actually, yeah, you're coming with us."
"Huh?" Lillie asked. "But I haven't even got a chance to-"
"Yeah, like, get on the ground." Marie commanded, holding out some sort of gun in her hands.
"Uh... Snowy, return!" Lillie yelled nervously as the sound of energy being collected, whatever that sounded like, was heard, and Lillie quickly spoke afterwards. "I'll get on the ground, sorry."
"Yeah, hang on let me tie you up..." Callie spoke, walking over towards Lillie. "So... like, our ride to the other island actually won't be till she's finished."
"She?" Lillie asked. "Who's s-mrmrmrpmmh."
"She is who she is, we're not actually allowed to say her name for safety, but she kind of leads the League of Assist Trop-"
"Uh Callie, TMI, keep it on the down low, remember?" Marie interrupted, reapplying Eleven's blindfold. "Okay, lets circle round to the Thrifty Megamart, after this whole thing is done, she should be there."
"Alright, lets drag these guys out now." Callie affirmed as Eleven heard footsteps round to the top of his head.
"Actually, it's better to hide the bodies first," Marie reminded her. "You got the thing she gave us?"
"Yeah, the long-lasting powder?" Callie asked. "Right here."
"Yeah, let me just..."
Then, it was rather dark, though and everything around Eleven seemed to get louder, the sounds of everything booming even before his mind just stopped, and everything seemed to go blank, blanker than...
{===}
"And the winner is, Incineroar and Selene!" the announcer yelled as confetti rained down in the stadium.
"I knew he'd win, he's like at least high mid-tier, y'know?" Sonic asked, yawning.
"Yeah, I guess it's pretty cool." Shulk replied. "But it's over, so we should get going." he said, standing up.
"Actually, I think it's best if we're the last to leave, if we leave first, we might not be able to find that friend of yours, and then..." the strange man paused. "I dunno, whatever rhymes with leave."
"Alright, I'm fine waiting, crowds are not my strong suit, the last time I was in a crowd an illusion of the Sun nearly landed on the Earth." Sonic told.
"Huh?" the strange man asked. "You need to stop taking that bad stuff man, it ain't good for you."
"No, it was just..." Sonic then began to explain some sort of adventure that most likely cost 60 dollars at launch, but for whatever reason had ten hours of gameplay, and a half decent story. It took a while to explain everything and apparently there was this guys that was "too weak" or something, but it all went by in a blur.
"Alright, rooms clear besides that janitor." the strange man acknowledged.
"Hey, did we ever get your name?" Shulk asked the man.
"Oh, my name?" the guy asked, slightly surprised. "Uh, well my friends call me... y'know what, I'll tell you guys later, let's just head into the main foyer and find your friend."
"Alright, I got you." Shulk replied, standing up. "God, those seats don't do anything for your back..."
"Tell me about it." Sonic agreed, stretching like a gym trainer. "Let's get out of here, right Random Dude?"
"Random dude?" the strange man asked.
"Well yeah, we don't know your name, so I'll just call you Random Dude." Sonic explained like he was talking to a fourth grader.
"Nobody's ever given me a nickname before." Random Dude said, looking at Sonic. "Huh, well that's something to think about."
"Alright, let's go!" Shulk called as he walked down the staircase of the stands, seeing scattered popcorn and an occasional spilled drink embroidering the floor.
"I swear, kids leave their trash everywhere nowadays, I feel bad for that janitor." Random Dude assumed. "Never mind him though."
"Yeah, poor janitor." Shulk agreed looking at the seemingly middle aged, fat, sort janitor just sweeping the floors like there was no tomorrow. He couldn't possibly be important, but something about him seemed... familiar...
Probably nothing, I should move on.
So, the three walked into the main foyer which was empty as ever. Not even that lady at the counter resided, leaving the place vacant besides the three.
"Look, there's something I need to tell you two..." Random Dude said, walking ahead slightly. "Contrary to popular belief, I am not just a good Samaritan who gives out tickets to strangers."
"Figured as much, he wants drug money." Sonic concluded.
"No, I actually don't want any drug money yo." Random Dude corrected. "But I will tell you one thing."
Shulk and Sonic braced for the all-important announcement that would shake the very fabric of the universe, probably changing the course of their adventure entirely.
"I'm... I'm a part of the new and improved Team Skull, yo!" Random Dude announced, grabbing a Pokéball from somewhere. "And it don't matter what dimension you're from, Team Skull always wins dawg!"
{Team Skull Encounter Theme – Pokémon Sun and Moon}
"Team Skull?" Shulk asked.
"That's right bonehead, and I got direct orders from the new leader of Team Skull, this kid, and they told me to tell the Admins who are like... Popstars or something, that they need to take him, the guy you were with earlier, and that if..." Random Dude paused for a few seconds.
"Need a minute?" Shulk asked.
"No, I got this dawg!" Random Dude replied and began to work it out slowly. "The new boss told me to tell the others to take that other dude, and the others told me to tell you that I... that... you told... you... that you are gonna lose your spirit, whatever that means."
"Uh, how are you planning to do that exactly?" Sonic questioned. "There's two of us, and you don't even have a weapon."
"Well, they didn't tell me that part, but I'm about to challenge you fools to a Pokémon Battle, and whoever wins... wins... I guess?"
"We don't have any Pokémon." Shulk reminded him.
"You don't?" Random Dude asked, seeming surprised. "Well, I guess you are from a dimension where Pokémon don't exist." he deduced. "Well this sucks."
{Cease music}
"Tell me about it, I thought you were cool." Sonic groaned. "But I guess we have to... well we don't really have to fight, do we?"
"You may not have to fight that guy..." an Italian male voice from behind them said.
"But soon you'll be the ones to die." a shrill female voice continued.
"Oh god, these losers." Random Dude sighed.
Then, from the doors behind them two people walked out, two very familiar people who Shulk had seen before. One of them, a rather tall one known for his green hat, jumping ability, and literally nothing else stood on the right, wearing a shirt with a white R plastered directly on it along with matching pants.
The other, a female who is known for... doing everything that Peach does, but better because she actually has a personality stood there, wearing a white shirt that didn't even cover her stomach along with a skirt, a true travesty in this family friendly pg clean adventure.
It was Luigi and Daisy, but something about them was totally off, almost like they were...
"Yes, they are possessed by spirits." Sothis confirmed, suddenly popping up.
"Oh hey, it's that annoying chick from earlier." Sonic realized.
"I'm not annoying, I'm..." Sothis paused. "Anyways, yes, it appears those two have been possessed by Spirits, but of who I'm not sure."
"Oh, you wish to know our names?" Daisy(?) asked.
"Well come on then, lets explain it to these dames." Luigi(?) added.
"Jeez, with rhymes like that, you'd think they got their punchlines from RhymeZone." Sonic whispered to Shulk, who had no idea what that meant.
"Prepare for trouble!" Daisy(?) yelled.
"And make it double." Luigi(?) scoffed.
"TO protect the world from devastation." Daisy(?) continued, holding her hand out.
"TO unite all people within our nation." Luigi(?) also continued, mimicking Daisy(?).
"TO denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"TO extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now of prepare to fight!"
"..."
"..."
"Wobuffet!" a strange looking blue creature called out, suddenly appearing out of nowhere.
"Oh right, I forgot Meowth's not here." James sighed. "Curse that eyeball for forcing him to work with those twerps at that fortress."
"Well now you've ruined it." Jesses exclaimed, holding her and up in frustration. "We practiced this ten times in the bathroom!"
JESSIE & JAMES
Try their best, but unfortunately fall short in the end, much like the Pokémon franchise!
{Team Rocket Hideout Theme – Pokémon: Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee}
"Honestly, Daisy doesn't look half bad in that outfit." Sonic remarked, examining the wares ahead.
"She's dating Luigi, cut it out." Shulk replied. "Anyways, we should probably get going!"
"You twerps aren't going anywhere," James exclaimed. "Because the Boss told us we needed to stop you, and that if we do, we'll get our hands on that Pikachu of his!"
"What did you say?" Sonic asked like something had just insulted his favorite E-girl. "Because if you clowns think you're going anywhere near Pikachu, you've got another thing coming!" Sonic swelled up angrily.
"Oh, well why don't you put your money where your mouth is, hm?" Jessie asked. "I challenge you to a-"
"Hold up yo!" Random Dude interrupted getting in the middle of everybody. "Look, Team Rocket dudes, you can't fight these guys, they don't have any Pokémon, yo!" he explained with flagrant hand gestures.
"Well of course, we'll just attack them!" James said like he was speaking to a second grader. "We're criminals after all."
"But that's against the Pokémon League code of conduct, yo!" Random dude explained, waving his arms rapidly.
"Street rules, it's not like the police can hear us in here." Jessie replied. "Now out of the way, Team Rocket will-"
"No way fools, the new Team Skull is gonna take these guys out-" Random Dude turned to Shulk. "As soon as they get a Pokémon, alright?" Random Dude insisted. "And if you don't believe me, why do you look me in the eyes and say it yo?"
Jessie swiftly replied, "Oh, I'll look you in the eyes alrigh-"
"Heh." Ransom Dude laughed.
"Jessie, why'd you stop talking?" James asked, looking at her strangely.
"Heh, don't you know?" Random Dude asked. "When the eyes of two hostile Pokémon Trainers meet, it's time for battle yo!" Random Dude then turned to Sonic and Shulk. "You two go out and get a Pokémon so I can smoke you in battle, you should probably ask the Island Kahuna to hook you up."
"The ka-who-na?" Sonic asked.
"Just ask around, I don't know." Random Dude replied, waving his hand around. "Also, you might run into my associate who is not a fan of following Pokémon League rules, but that's too much exposition, ya know dawg?"
"Uh... right." Shulk replied, having nearly blanked out from all of that. "Let's go Sonic, we need to find Eleven."
"Wait, at least give us a chance to attack you first!" James exclaimed. "This isn't fair!"
"Yeah, we'll leave these losers doing their thing." Sonic agreed, turning around. "Catch ya later Random Dude!" Sonic added giving Random Dude a thumbs up before they quickly made their way outside of the building, a loading screen later finding themselves in any empty city.
"My, you are lucky that Random Dude happened to be so friendly." Sothis said profusely. "We were almost close to another lame action scene."
"That guy really thinks we're gonna get a Pokémon." Sonic snickered. "Whatever, let's just find that Eleven dude."
"Yeah," Shulk confirmed. "Where do you think he could've gone?"
"Shulk, I suggest you ignore your friend for a moment, as there is something dire that I must explain." Sothis began, "I assume you already know you have to collect those two's spirits, but in order to do so, you must..."
Sonic chimed in, "He must...?"
"How do I say this?" Sothis questioned herself. "You have to collect the gain the trust of special Pokémon."
"What kind of special Pokémon?" Shulk asked.
"They are called Totem Pokémon, and you must befriend these Totem Pokémon before trying to take their spirits." Sothis explained. "There is only one of them on this island that you can face without perishing, so you must head there at once!"
"But what about Eleven?" Shulk questioned.
Sothis sighed, "Forget Eleven, he- uh, behind you, it's..."
"Huh?" Shulk asked, turning around.
{Deep Dark Galaxy – Super Mario Galaxy}
It was that Pokémon Champion girl from before, wearing the exact same sunglasses from prior. She had her arms crossed and seemed to be glancing over at Sothis.
"Oh hey, Champion Girl, nice match you did there, up top!" Sonic said, holding his hand up for a high five, but no hands met. "Okay, fine."
"Well, hi." Shulk said, trying to make conversation. "You're Selene, right?" Selene slowly nodded, seeming to find an interest in him. "Well, nice to meet you, I'm Shulk." Shulk said, holding his hand out for a handshake.
Selene took his hand, and they exchanged an awkward handshake for a few second before Shulk pulled his hand away.
"Hey, have you seen anybody around, he's kind of tall, quiet, abnormally large forehead..."
Selene didn't respond, though when he described his associate, something about the place seemed to get weirder, hard to describe but it was almost like something was nearby, something familiar.
"Well Shulk, I believe we should take our looks elsewhere, as I do not believe this stop will be of any use." Sothis spoke. "For the first Totem Pokémon, I suggest we head to the city near the ranch, it's just west of here."
"Well why not, we haven't really looked around." Shulk responded, turning to Sothis.
"Your friend is fine, I'm sure." Sothis quickly replied. "But we really must head west, there is a... thing that you must see!"
"What's the thing?" Sonic interrogated. "Because it sounds to me like you're lying, which is against the Sonic the Hedgehog official rulebook™ Copyright SEGA 1998®."
"Well, we should probably stop at the local food place, I'm sort of hungry." Shulk remarked.
"Yes, great!" Sothis yelled, laughing slightly. "There is a Mala... Malasa... a food shop to the right of the Avenue!" Sothis finished.
"Alright, sounds nice," Shulk nodded. "Hey, since you're... here." Shulk had turned around the invite that Selene to the restaurant, but like probably somebody's dad, was walking away. "Hey, wait a minute!" Shulk called out to Selene who stopped and walked back to the group.
"Q-" Shulk began, but was interrupted.
"Hey, since you're skinny as hell, we figured you must want something to eat, so do you want to come with us to the restaurant over there?" Sonic asked, as if he didn't comprehend what he just said.
Selene just peered at Sonic for a moment, and before they all knew it, Selene was walking away, westward from where they were facing, and out of town.
"Where do you think she went?" Sonic asked. "My guess is-"
"It doesn't matter!" Sothis interrupted. "Let's just... let's just go to the restaurant."
And so, as our heroes walk away from the strange duo of Team Rocket to fill their rumbling stomachs, and the Pokémon Champion Selene heads off mysteriously, it seems the journey is just starting. What will Eleven wake up to find, and where will he wake up? Will our titular heroes save the day, or will the IRS catch up with them for tax evasion? Why does this ending ask so many questions?
...
Well, we'll find out when the journey continues!
Cover Art Inspired by – Pokémon: Sun & Moon
A few words about a few things, Pokémon as a series was my first real game, Pokémon White for the Dsi, and since I was a dumb kid, I literally didn't get past route one. Over the course of many years I played Pokémon X, then that free Pokémon toy game for the 3ds, then the free Pokémon Picross game. I bought Pokémon Sun when it launched, the bought Moon, then bought Ultra Moon like an idiot, then after that I got Let's Go Pikachu, and...
Sword and Shield came around.
It looked promising, I had actually watched detective Pikachu, so I was extra hyped around Pokémon.
Then the whole Dex Cut thing came, and I decided against it.
I wasn't one of those guys who didn't buy the game to send Gamefreak a message, Pokémon is too big to fail, rather the game just didn't look... like a first party Nintendo Switch game (I know the gameplay, it's Pokémon, so I really only cared about if it can really be considered the next gen of Pokémon). Maybe Gen 9 will actually be passable, though considering all that's going on right now, not looking forward to it.
Also...
Crown Tundra for Sword and Shield came our recently, and...
I'm cool with it honestly.
Don't have the game, but it looks alright for DLC.
I honestly hope Gen 9 is as good as the Crown Tundra looks.
Also, all I'm gonna say is there are hints towards something here, something that's not blatantly stated, but will come up eventually.
See you….