The first thing I saw when I woke up was Lillie's emerald eyes and her bright red face.
'Good morning~" She just lay there rigidly as I nuzzled her cheek. Was she ill or something?
"Um, Jackie, c-could you please let go?"
I stared at her uncomprehendingly for a second before looking down where all four of my limbs were wrapped around her.
"Oh, sorry." I jumped out of the beds and cracked my neck, before beaming at her. "You were very comfortable. 10/10 would cuddle again." To prove my point, I gave her two thumbs up. She threw a pillow in my face.
"J-just get dressed for school!" she mumbled. I picked up Ralts' brand new Pokeball (courtesy of Ash when he found out I haven't technically captured Ralts) and clipped it to my belt (courtesy of Lillie who practically dragged me to go shopping when she found out I had literally nothing to my name).
I wasn't actually enrolled in the Pokemon School but I won't turn down an invitation to play with other children like that. At least, that was the plan until we saw her classmates, Old Man Hala and Prof Kukui waiting for us in front of the School.
"Alola, Lillie, Jackie!" Kukui called out to us.
"Alola~ What's going on here?" I asked curiously. My knowledge of the earlier parts of Sun/Moon is rather spotty, and the fact that Ash still doesn't have a Z-Ring probably rendered the remaining dregs of my canon knowledge a moot point.
"Hahaha! Kukui wanted to bring his students to see your first Trial," Hala explained, "however, as I was telling him, while they could watch your Grand Trial against me, you're meeting with the Melemele Island's Totem Pokemon is a more intimate moment.
Oh. Right. I did say I was interested in the Trial Challenge. If I remember correctly, the first Totem Pokemon was a Gumshoos? I clapped my hands in realization.
"Ah! I have to help solve one of the island's problems, and that means talking to the big, glowy Gumshoos so he can help deal with the Raticate and Rattatta infestation?"
Hala just stared at me with a strange expression. It's like he was forcing his squinty Brock eyes to widen in surprise but failing. He just burst out laughing a few seconds later.
"Hahahahaha! You are probably the most insightful challenger I've seen, yet." I shuddered as I felt the weight of his gaze, forcing me to recall that despite his kind, old man persona, he was still chosen as one of Alola's first Elite Four batch. Speaking of Elite Four, I wonder when I'll get to meet Ghost Loli?
"But yes, that is exactly your current trial! So, if you don't mind Professor Kukui, I'll be taking Miss Jackie here to where the challenge takes place."
Kukui nodded respectfully at the old man.
"Understood." he smiled at me, "we'll be looking forward to watching your Grand Trial, Jackie."
"Good luck, Jackie, Ralts!"
"Show them that you have the Fires of Akala within you!" Why the heck is Kiawe crying? Stop that, you're not mai waifu!
We spent the entire trip walking in silence. I think Old Man Hala figured that I was trying to concentrate or some shit and didn't want to disturb me. Truthfully, I was just trying to figure out how the heck Ralts is gonna beat a Totem Gumshoos. I didn't even know what a Totem Pokemon actually is! Was it some kind of Mega Evolution expy? Or was it a Form Change? Maybe it's just stacking buffing moves on itself way in advance?
"Here we are, little miss." Hala broke me out of my musing with his unusually somber voice. I gulped. I could practically feel the power emerging from the cave entrance. Atop my head, I felt Ralts shudder. I didn't know if it was from excitement or fear but I reached up to pat her head anyway.
"Are you ready?" Hala asked me. Man, he's really taking this entire thing seriously. The jolly, old man I knew was gone, replaced by the wise kahuna of Melemele Island. I was easy to dismiss Totem Pokemon as just another battle when it was a game, but now that I could feel the sheer force of the Pokemon's presence emanating from the cave, I couldn't help but be nervous despite being backed up by a Heroic Spirit.
"Ralts!"
"Wha-"
Ralts jumped off my head and started toddling over to the entrance.
"Heh. Hehehe~ Hahahaha, look at me, acting all scared. This is just another adventure, isn't it Ralts?" she nodded fiercely. I picked her up and started confidently striding forward, Hala following behind me. "Sorry for nearly breaking down there, Old Man, but Ralts and I are ready to rumble now."
The cave wasn't exactly deep. Almost immediately, it opened up into a massive cavern. I could feel hundreds of eyes staring at me, I could hear the pitter patter of tiny feet scrabbling onto rock, but most of all, I could feel the metaphysical weight of something studying me.
"G-Gumshoos!" Damnit, I did not just stutter, "My name is Jackie," Uhh, right, people here have last names, right? And 'the Ripper' probably isn't going to cut – heh, cut - it, "Giles. Jackie Giles of Melemele Island! I've come to bargain!"
Silence.
"Right, right, battle first to prove I'm worthy or something. Ahem, I, Jackie Giles of Melemele Island, challenge you to a battle for my Island Trial!"
That did it. The earlier metaphysical weight I spoke of earlier? It was just a constant pressure, as though it was just announcing its presence to the world. Now? Now, it came crashing down.
"Guh-" I stepped back as the sudden force suddenly robbed me of my ability to breathe. At my feet, I could see Ralts flinching in shock.
"Gyaaaaah!"
I saw it then. A massive quadrupedal figure, glaring at me from the shadows. It slowly slunk toward the light and I couldn't help but gasp at the sight of it. It was huge, probably twice as long as I was tall. The massive triangular teeth that looked dorky in the game and in the anime now looked like they were capable of shredding a human in seconds.
But even beyond that was the aura it emanated. I never actually knew what made Totem Pokemon different from regular ones. I have an inkling now. Gumshoos' aura felt like Alola itself, a chosen guardian of nature empowered by the very place it protected. I knew that the Pokemon world was bullshit. I knew that it didn't follow real world logic or even Nasuverse logic. Yet, I couldn't help from making the obvious comparison.
If each of this world's Regions had its own metaphysical identity. If Alola alone was equal to Gaia or Alaya. If the Tapus are its equivalents of the Counter Guardians. Then what the Totem Pokemon are, what I was currently facing, were those empowered by its equivalent to the Counter Force.
And if that was true, if this Gumshoos has been empowered by Alola to be an equal force to any threat, then right now as it sees me as a challenger, it is equal in power and conceptual weight to a goddamn Heroic Spirit.
I could feel the bloodlust bubbling up inside me once again.
"Ralts, dear, would you mind keeping the little ones busy?" I say, gesturing to the multitude of Yungoos scattered about, "We are going to be doing some violent negotiations."
Mommy is strong. She could handle the small ones. The big one, this Foe, is ours. We could feel its surprise when we lunged at it, knives flashing our hands. It vanished from our sight, proving that its speed was enough to match ours. We darted to the side, just in time to avoid a massive body crashing where we used to be. The Foe grinned at us, seemingly enjoying the challenge. We could sympathize. We, too, want to test our knives against it, to seek the warmth in its blood.
"Gyaaaah!" The Foe took the initiative this time, sprinting towards us, the intent to bite obvious in its gaping maw. We jumped, neatly avoiding the attack and landed on its back. Before it could shake us off, we plunged a knife into its back. The knife bounced off its fur and in that split second of confusion, it managed to slam its back, and us, into a wall.
It didn't hurt.
The Foe stared at us, and we stared back, two combatants sizing the other up. We could feel him taking control, claiming he had a plan.
"Gyaaaah!"
Gumshoos charged at me and without a second thought, we emerged once again. The Foe crashed into us, its momentum halted upon meeting our form. In its confusion, we sank back to allow himout once more.
"Graaaawr!" Gumshoos flinched back as my knife met its face. There wasn't actually a visible wound but I was pretty sure I did some damage. Jack was a Ghost type. I, on the other hand, was not. I grinned at Hala.
"Umu! I can fight Pokemon too, Old Man." He just laughed, as though it was to be expected all along. Figures someone who sumo wrestles Fighting Types would get it.
I chanced a glance at where Ralts was dodging attacks via Teleport. She couldn't actually get an attack in, not with that many opponents, but she was keeping them busy. A brief flare of annoyance emanated from the tiny empath before, to my surprise, and Hala's if the shocked 'Oh?' was any indication, a white fog covered the entire cavern. Did she just learn Misty Terrain out of nowhere? Why that move, out of all the possible TM moves she can spontaneously pick up?
T̴͖͈͐̌r̸̩̔̄ȃ̴̧c̷̘̈́͌e̶͙̓ ̵̺͊͝C̸̦̤̓o̵͓͒m̵̰̤̄͒p̵̼̓l̴͔̦̀͠e̸̮͗ṱ̵̩͆e̸̼̍.̸͈̅͂ ̵͓͇̂M̵̘̀ü̵͍̰͘r̴͔͛͆d̸̛̲̈́e̵͚̯̋̂r̵̢̺̐e̵̛̙r̷̲͒͒͜ ̵̯͈͐o̸̖̙̐̂f̷͍̱̍ ̴͖̥̎͘t̶͖̎͠h̸̥̬̑͝e̶͚̪̊ ̵͈̇M̷̺͊ì̵̮s̷̼̀̎t̵͍͍̃̓y̴̫̹͂͘ ̸̱́ͅŅ̶͌i̶̧̛͝g̵̘͂h̸̨̔̌ţ̵̖̕
Well, not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth. Despite the thick mist, I could see clear as day. Gumshoos was sniffing around, so it would probably locate me if I didn't make the first move.
"One out of three ain't so bad, hey Gumshoos!" It faced me, using the sound to tell which direction I was in. Too late.
"Maria the Ripper!"
I wasn't sure if Maria counts as a Dark Type move since it was pretty much murderloli incarnate, or if it was Ghost Type since it was technically a curse, but it was a gamble I was fully prepared to be on. Four knives empowered by all the hate of innumerable dead children met fur empowered by the living consciousness of an island chain.
"Well, it'd be hard to talk to him about the Raticate problem if he's unconscious." I mused as Hala and I stared at the pile of unconscious Pokemon. I turned to Ralts.
"Did you just telefrag the lot of them while in the mist?"
"Ralts!"
Hala hummed in thought.
"I knew you were special when Tapu Koko first acknowledged you. But I didn't expect this."
I grimaced. Fighting a Totem Pokemon myself was one thing, but cursed glowy knives of death are going to be even more difficult to explain. He continued on.
"I knew the bond between Trainer and Pokemon allowed the Pokemon to use Z-moves but I didn't know it allows Trainers to use them as well."
You wot, mate?
He must have seen my surprise because he just laughed at my face.
"You must not have seen it with all the mist but right before your knives started glowing, Ralts here was doing the Dark Type Z-move Pose. It was admittedly adorable."
I stared at him as though he just told me he liked wearing purple tutus every Monday. He was still chuckling as he left the cave leaving me there questioning everything I ever knew about Noble Phantasms.
Miles away, a blue wooden shell cracked open to reveal brilliant blue eyes shining in the darkness. It wobbled for a moment, dense white fog pooling at the ground around it, before shooting off into the sky.