Trials for Chloe and Zach, the Eevee Master and the Ula'ula Spirit!

Ash may have only just gotten back home but preparations were already being made for the Ultra Guardians traveling to Ultra Space in order to liberate Dulse and Zossie's home world from the Beast King. Gladion watched everyone moving about before his eyes focused on two Ultra Guardians in particular, neither had a Z-ring or a Mega Ring on their wrist which he saw as a liability. The entire team needed to be at their strongest in order to face off against the Ultra Beast army waiting for them on the other side of Ultra Space!

Gladion let out a grunt of annoyance as he looked them over, having been a previous owner of an Eevee he knew exactly what crystal would benefit Chloe as her Eevee was clearly the strongest and the crystal would be more beneficial than Normalium as it a stronger source of power. The other one, Zach was it? Any z-move would do for him as he had a vast amount of move coverage among his small arsenal, all they had to do was fine him a trial to complete! Thankfully the two were talking to one another right then, making things rather easy for Gladion as he approached them.

"Gladion!" Chloe quickly turned, her face lighting up brightly at the sight of him. Zach knew the two had a thing for each other so he started backing away to give the two of them some privacy before Gladion quickly spoke up.

"Hold up!" Gladion held up his hand causing Zach to temporarily pause. "I think it would be best if we get the two of you a Z-ring and crystal, so you're prepared for what's waiting for us on the other side of that portal. Ultra Beasts are already quite powerful on their own and we'll be going against an army of who knows how many so it's best if you two are packing some serious heat like the rest of us!"

"Seriously?!" Zach's eyes lit up as a smile crossed his face. "It's about time, I was feeling left out!"

"Same here but how exactly do we go about doing that?" Chloe asked with a light tilt of her head.

"That's rather simple, Chloe you come with me and I'll take you to the designated trainers that you must beat in order to be granted an audience with the Eevee master. As for Zach, well he can simply ask his girlfriend to take him to Olivia and he should be taken to a trial from there." Gladion explained before looking towards Chloe's Eevee. "Eevee is going to have to beat nine different battles today so I suggest the two of us go stock up on potions and berries before heading off."

"Right!" Chloe blushed, quickly nodding her head while looking rather excited at the thought of being all alone with just Gladion! "E-Eevee should be strong enough to take it, I-I've actually been able to have her properly train alongside some of our group's more advanced Pokemon the past two weeks!"

"Well then sounds like we've got a plan," Gladion formed a light smirk, waving his hand to beckon Chloe to follow him. Lillie cast a murderous looking glare at Chloe as she left with her brother before eventually turning back to face Ash.

"I guess...?" Zach spoke with a blank expression as he wasn't really taught or explained to on how trials worked. He let out a sigh before turning to go find May and Mallow, both girls were sitting not too far away and were in the midst of a conversation before perking up as their boyfriend arrived.

"What's up Zach? You look confused." Mallow pointed out, noting his confused expression.

"You didn't hurt yourself, did you?" May fretted as she stood up and began looking him over.

"N-No, I'm fine! It's just that Gladion suggested I participate in a trial to receive a Z-ring, he told me that Mallow could take me to somebody named Olivia and I'd be given a trial from there? It just sounds confusing to me." Zach stated with a light shrug, Mallow let out a giggle before placing her arm on his shoulder while giving him a reassuring smile.

"It's nothing to worry about, trials aren't designed to be overly complex. In fact I can tag along for support if you want, or rather we both can." Mallow quickly shot a glance at May to reassure her that she wasn't just making an excuse to be alone with him for a long stretch of time.

"Definitely, besides I'd like to see a trial for myself!" May added on with a bright smile.

"However we'll have to ask somebody else, Olivia is currently visiting a friend in Pewter City so she likely won't be back for a few days." Mallow explained. "Ula'Ula isn't that far from here, we could see if the Kahuna there is available to give you a trial!"

"Oooh that'd be fun, a little getaway with just the three of us!" May chimed in with an excited expression while Zach lightly sweated.

"Well when you put it like that how can I refuse?"


After a long boat ride and a bit of a walk, Zach and the girls would arrive at the home belonging to the Ula'ula Kahuna Nanu and his close friend Acerola. Acerola was outside and messing around with her Mimikyu and other Ghost Pokemon before the sound of approaching footsteps caught her attention. The girl perked up and smiled at the sight of her old friend Mallow.

"Alola Mallow!" Her eyes then darted around as an excited look briefly formed in her eyes. "Is Ash around?!"

"Alola Acerola, sorry to say but he's not here. We've actually come here because Zach's looking to receive a Z-ring of his own!" Mallow motioned towards Zach who waved awkwardly at Acerola.

"Oooh, you're dating aren't you?" Acerola flashed Mallow a smirk, laughing shortly afterwards as Mallow's face turned a dark shade of red. "Knew it! I'm so happy for you!" Acerola twirled around before landing back on her feet as she cast a glance towards the house.

"I'll go see if Uncle Nanu can help out!" Acerola motioned for them to wait before rushing on into the house, running over towards Nanu who was currently laying on his couch in a lazy fashion while turned towards the television as his favorite program was on. "Uncle Nanu, a challenger is here to receive his trial!" Nanu lazily lifted his hand as if to tell her to buzz off. Acerola narrowed her eyes before reaching out to swipe the remote, tapping the power button and forcing Nanu to answer her as she had leverage.

"Uncle Nanu, this is serious! You can't keep neglecting your duties like this!" Acerola scolded. Nanu gave her a lazy look before rolling his eyes with a sigh.

"Just give me the damn remote, Acerola. I'll name you honorary Kahuna for the day, you go pick out a trial for him. Doesn't matter where just so long as you leave me be." Acerola rolled her eyes before handing him back the remote as she skipped out of the building to meet back up with the others.

"Alright so change of plans, I'll be giving out today's trial!" Acerola grinned, looking thoughtful for a moment as she thought of which trial site to take him to. She was about to open her mouth to speak when Tapu Bulu appeared before her, whispering into her ear. Mallow let out an excited gasp at the sight of the Ula'Ula guardian while Zach and May gave each other confused glances before Zach pulled out his Rotom Phone in order to scan the creature.

"Tapu Bulu the Land Spirit Pokemon, the guardian deity of Ula'ula and a lazy Pokemon. It commands plants to immobilize its foes and then deals them a savage blow with its horns!"

"Guardian deity?" May questioned while Zach looked equally confused.

"Oh right, you see each island has it's own guardian Pokemon looking out for it. Protecting it from various threats while also having the traditional task of choosing the next Kahuna whenever the current one retires or can't battle anymore." Mallow explained. "Melemele has Tapu Koko, Akala has Tapu Lele and Poni has Tapu Fini protecting it."

"Well what's Tapu Bulu doing here?" Zach asked. "We aren't a threat."

"Giving you a trial silly!" Acerola spoke while Tapu Bulu flew off as quickly as he came. "There's been a rather feisty little spirit living in the forest not too far from here for quite some time, seeking a challenger to come along and best it in battle. Tapu Bulu believes that you're just the one to give it what it desires, therefore your trial is to adventure deep into the forest and seek out the spirit! Upon completion of your trial you'll receive your z-ring along with a z-crystal of your choice!" Acerola opened up a nearby box, showcasing various different z-crystals. Lucario and Cinderace's eyes focused upon the Fighting and Fire ones with looks of interest in their eyes as Zach sweated at the idea of having to choose between his two partner Pokemon on who got to use a z-move with him, both looked keen on getting one and he didn't want them to get upset at one another if one got the chance while the other didn't.

"Alright then I guess I'll get underway with my trial!" Zach turned to May and Mallow before waving his hand. "Come on, I can't wait to see what sort of Pokemon is waiting for me in there!" He raced off with his two partner Pokemon hot on his heels as May and Mallow followed him. They ventured deep into the nearby forest, passing by Morelull and Shiinotic along with various other Grass and Bug Pokemon, Zach barely giving much attention to them before they'd eventually arrive at a misty clearing that stood in the midst of the forest, the atmosphere was rather spooky as the sunlight didn't seem to be shining here despite the sky above being free from tree lines, May and Mallow shivered and pressed against one another as they felt creeped out as they couldn't help but feel as if they were being watched! Zach felt creeped out as well and did his best at pushing the feeling aside, though he still shook lightly and spoke with a slightly nervous tone as he called out for the spirit.

"S-Spirit of the forest, I-I've come here to challenge you!" A pair of fiery red eyes suddenly appeared in the fog causing May and Mallow to let out a loud scream while tightly hugging one another. Zach tightly gripped at a Pokeball as he stared at the fiery eyes though it was clear he was just as weirded out as the Pokeball shook within his grasp.

"Hehehehe," An old man leaped down from a nearby tree with quite the surprising agile before looking towards Zach. "Hello there old friend, pleasure to see you again heheh!"

"What are you talking about? I've never met you in my life!" Zach narrowed his eyes suspiciously as the old man laughed.

"You didn't in this lifetime. That's the key!" The old man laughed.

"...whatever you say I guess." Zach shrugged, deciding to humor the old man. "So are you the spirit or is that the spirit?" He pointed towards the fiery eyes as a shadow slowly started to form around them.

"I'm not dead silly but I have been alive for quite some time! I'm just here to watch an old friend and see if they're as strong as they used to be!" Zach gave the man an annoyed look before shrugging as he decided he wasn't worth the attention, focusing it instead on the forming Ghost type in front of him!

"Mars!" Marshadow formed in front of them as the mist faded causing the three trainers and their Pokemon to let out a gasp at the sight of a Pokemon they'd never encountered before! Marshadow took a combat stance and waved his hand in a fighting motion, signaling that he wanted to start the fight. Zach was about to reach for his Rotom Phone to scan the Pokemon but then decided against it as it would be against the spirit of things for him to do so. It was a trial after all and he could pretty much guess that it was a Ghost type. There would be a chance to scan it afterwards surely?

"Carrr!"

"Ace!" Lucario and Cinderace eagerly leaped forward before giving each other a light glare as they argued over who deserved having a z-move more. Zach sweated and let out a sigh before looking down as one of his Pokeballs started to shake before bursting open as Zeraora took form in front of them, letting out a hiss as he locked eyes with Marshadow. Lucario and Cinderace turned towards their electrical companion before stepping back as they decided to let him have it as Zeraora hadn't had the opportunity to fight a major battle for their trainer yet!

Marshadow soon began to sink into the ground, disappearing into his own shadow causing everyone to look around as it appeared as if Marshadow had bailed on the fight.

"I guess he wasn't impressed with us," Zach sighed out as he hung his head. Marshadow soon reemerged from Zeraora's shadow, leaping out and attacking Zeraora as the feline let out a growl of frustration!

"Huh? What kind of move was that?!" May gasped.

Zach looked up and narrowed his eyes. "Of course a Ghost type, they like making things tricky! Zeraora use Agility then follow up with Plasma Fists!"

Zeraora's fists became surrounded in blue electricity before he slammed his fists into the ground causing a stream of electricity to flow through the ground before delivering a shock to Marshadow! Marshadow let out a cry before shaking off the attack and responded by copying the attack, his own fists glowed with blue electricity before slamming them against the ground as Zeraora was struck by the attack but rather than injure him the attack merely healed his injuries from Marshadow's previous attack.

"Marshadow?!" The Ghost type appeared startled.

"Guessing that was Copycat? Sorry but Zeraora's ability is Volt Absorb, Electric type attacks heal him rather than hurt him on account of that." Zach explained.

"Zera!" Zeraora growled out while flashing Marshadow a smirk.

"And thanks to Plasma Fists, Normal type attacks will be Electric typed so long as he's able to fight! Fury Swipes!"

Zeraora lunged across the field at a quick speed, appearing as a yellow blur before his claws met Marshadow's face, rapidly slashing at the ghost type in a repetitive manner and staggering his movements. Preventing him an escape.

"Wild Charge!" Zeraora flashed a smirk as his body became encased in electricity, leaping out before smashing his body against Marshadow and delivering another shocking blow to the Ghost type!

"Marshadow!" The Ghost type cried out before quickly disappearing into his shadow once more. Zach looked thoughtful for a moment as he looked towards Zeraora's shadow.

"Zeraora, he'll be coming out of your shadow if he's using the same move as last time. Prepare to strike out with Plasma Fists!" Zeraora flashed a smirk, his fists began glowing with bright blue electricity as he looked towards his shadow. Marshadow soon emerged and was about to strike before feeling the two electrical fists pressing up against his body, the Ghost type let out a loud screech as electricity flowed through his veins for a final time before collapsing onto his side as swirls filled his once fiery eyes.

"Alright, we did it! We beat whatever that thing is!" Zach excitedly exclaimed before Zeraora rushed towards him and pulled him into a hug with a loud purr as the two celebrated their victory. Marshadow slowly stood back up and gave the two a light smirk of respect before lowering his head as he wasn't sure what he'd do now.

"Congrats Zach!" Mallow cheered.

"You did it, babe!" May cheered with her, both seeming a lot less creeped out now that they knew the spirit was just a small cute Ghost type looking for a good fight!

Zach smiled at the two of them before flickering his gaze towards Marshadow as the Ghost type slowly began emerging back into the ground with a look of slight sadness upon his face.

"Wait!" Marshadow paused, his body half into his shadow as he looked up at the trainer. "That was an awesome battle, I've never seen Pokemon with moves like yours before. They were quite epic and amazing! I know that you've been here a long time looking for challengers strong enough to beat you and I've got a proposition for you," Zach reached into his pocket before producing an empty Dusk ball. "Join us, there are plenty of strong trainers in the Galar League and I'd be happy to fight them alongside you!" It was the first time in a long time that he made the decision before a Pokemon did, Marshadow gazed at the Dusk ball before looking back up at Zach as a smile crossed the Pokemon's face before it touched the empty ball. A bright red light soon encased the Pokemon's body before a loud chime could be heard as the capture was marked as complete!

"Marshadow the Gloomdweller Pokemon. This Pokemon can conceal itself in any shadow, so it went undiscovered for a long time!" The Rotom Phone read out as Marshadow's data was registered within his Pokedex. Zach formed a large smile upon the realization that he'd just made a new friend before his eyes widened from shock as he noticed that other than Marshadow the 'Seen' tab had grown by another number than it had when he scanned Tapu Bulu. Curiosity struck his body so he clicked the tab before coming face to face with the picture of a blue variant of Mew!

"Wait, that couldn't be-Could it?" Zach quickly turned to where the old man once was before looking down at his Rotom Phone as he slowly scratched his head with a bewildered expression across his face. The shadow of a rather small peculiar Pokemon flew above his head before a teal colored z-crystal landed on his head, causing him to jump up with a start before grabbing at it. Inscribed on the crystal was an image that looked similar to Marshadow's head! Zach looked down at the ball containing Marshadow as it shook in response to him holding the crystal as if to say the crystal was his. Bop! A z-power ring fell down seconds afterwards causing Zach to rub his head and look up with an annoyed look as cute laughter could be heard.

"Very funny!" He remarked while May and Mallow couldn't help but giggle from the sight. "At least this saves us a trip back."


"Well that took a long time... but we did it!" Chloe grinned, stroking Eevee's fur as the Normal type let out a happy cry. With Gladion's help the two had traversed both Melemele and Akala Island, seeking out the various Eeveelution wielding trainers before she and Eevee proceeded to go and beat each and every one of Eevee's eight evolutions! Now they returned to Akala Island and had arrived at the home of one Kagetora, the Eevee master. Upon beating him Chloe would be rewarded with both a z-ring and the crystal that allowed Eevee to use her species unique z-move!

"Gladion!" The older man exclaimed as he exited his home, a bright smile on his face upon seeing one of his former challenger's. "And a lovely girl, guessing she's your girlfriend?" Gladion and Chloe's faces both shot bright red as they glanced towards one another and lightly smile before Gladion quickly turned back to his usual serious demeanor.

"This isn't a pleasure visit sir, we've actually come cause Chloe's in need of a z-move and this one will be of great benefit to her!" Kagetora rubbed the bottom of his chin as he looked Chloe over. "She already beat the eight others, now it's your turn to challenge her."

"Alright, I'll do it." The man gave Chloe a nod of acknowledgement before stepping on back. "The land right here will do good enough of a job for this." He grabbed a Pokeball before throwing it forward to release a Eevee of his own. Chloe quickly sweated as hers and his own Eevee looked exactly alike, at least Zach's had silver fur to tell the two apart as they battled!

"The lady can have the first move," Kagetora bowed, showing his manners.

"Sizzly Slide!" Kagetora's eyes widened at the sudden shout, never hearing a move such as that before! Eevee's body became cloaked in flame, a smirk crossing her lips as she began charging across the field before slamming her fiery body against the rivaling Eevee's! Kagetora's jaw dropped from shock as his Eevee instantly fell to his side in defeat.

"Such power... I've never seen anything like that!"

"Well my Eevee is one of a kind!" Chloe remarked with a giggle as the Normal type leaped up into her arms and began nuzzling against her.

"That is just... remarkable!" Rather than seeming angry or upset the man clapped his hands together as a large grin formed across his face. "I'm quite honored to have beaten an Eevee as strong as yours, heck she's probably the strongest Eevee in all the land! You definitely deserve these!" He reached into his pocket and withdrew a pink z-ring along with a brown crystal with what appeared to be an image of Eevee's tail inscribed onto it! Chloe smiled and quickly took it, thanking the man before placing it into her z-ring. The man then started doing a series of specific poses, showing Chloe what she needed to learn so that she could master the move. "And shout 'Extreme Evoboost'! If you need any help, just ask Gladion. He used to be in possession of the move himself!"

Gladion formed a light smirk while rubbing the back of his neck before his eyes widened a bit as Chloe suddenly lunged forward and pulled him in for a hug. "Thanks so much for your help today, I don't think I could have managed without you!"

Gladion blushed before returning the hug, the two kept themselves engaged within the hug for a few minutes as they silently embraced the moment together.


"Extreme Evoboost!"

"Soul-Stealing 7-Star Strike!" The two trainers cried out as their Pokemon fired off their z-moves once more, they were practicing so that they could use the moves at a moment's notice if necessary. The other Pokemon and trainers watched on with wonder as the two Pokemon fired off their attacks side by side. Dulse however looked bored and impatient, itching to go back home while Zossie was quite the opposite. Her eyes lit ablaze with excitement as she watched how in synch Eevee and Marshadow were with their trainers. It all looked so appealing and she couldn't help but feel jealous! Dulse noticed the look in her eye and was about to question it before Gladion stepped forward and spoke up.

"I believe we're all ready now, tomorrow morning we should set off back to your home planet." Dulse smiled lightly at Gladion's words before nodding in response.

"I can't wait to see what their world is like, can you Pikachu?!" Ash exclaimed, Pikachu raised his fists and looked equally excited as he chanted out in response. From a distance the small blue feline Pokemon kept a close eye on Ash and his friends, watching them closely as they prepared for the incoming battle.

"Good luck Chosen One, you'll need it to beat the Radiant One!" Mew giggled out before disappearing as his words went unheard.

The old man's identity has been revealed, Ash doesn't know yet as there hasn't really been a purpose to bring the guy up. Far as they know, Ash and Marnie's trial givers were all different people. Had Ash not 'seen' Mew he'd probably have figured it out as easily as they did here. It's obviously a different Mew, this one is a male and shiny but the original Mew will still appear further along.

Other than Mew and a few others like Celebi and Jirachi, I don't hold Mythical Pokemon in the same regard as legendary Pokemon. They're not overly overpowered and regular Pokemon can still take them down. A few other Mythical Pokemon will be captured but Marshadow was the last one for Zach. One of them was hinted at awhile ago but the rest haven't been mentioned or appeared yet

I was debating writing Chloe beating all the Eeveelutions but it was just boring to write and felt repetitive. Easier to just show her beating the Eevee master and getting her crystal rather than write a bunch of fights that people likely scroll through haha.