(Route 2 time, and the first trial! It's gonna be exciting and also bold in how I plan on doing the regular trials, so I hope this approach is acceptable.
The Reviews
Megan Romero: We've got options for a second Pokemon for Jake, so we should be in good shape moving forward. Let's get that Z-Crystal!
Farla: I appreciate your feedback and will definitely work towards putting it in practice. Thanks! Only thing that I can think of is you getting mad at me for taking creative liberties with Lillie...which is what you suggested I do in the same review.)
After taking a brief break to grab something for lunch, Aubrey and Jake would head to the northwestern Pokemon Center in the city, meeting up with Lillie.
"Oh, I'm glad to see a pair of familiar faces," Lillie greeted. "I always get lost so easily..."
"It helps you're wearing bright clothing, so it wouldn't be hard to find you," Aubrey reassured. "Unless we're in snow but...it's tropical here. Kinda unlikely unless we're on a high up mountain."
"Or a Pokemon uses Hail or Snow Warning," Jake said.
"So, you two are moving on to your first trial?" Lillie would ask.
"That's right. We're headed on up to Verdant Cavern," Aubrey answered.
"I read something in an old book once," Lillie mentioned. "It said that the island challenges were once a journey made to prove yourself and gain the strength to battle against the guardian deities of Alola. Like Tapu Koko..." She had an idea. "The people in Iki Town said that Tapu Koko loves Pokemon battles, didn't they?"
"Mmm...not explicitly," Aubrey pointed out. "Since there was this battle between me and Hau that got Tapu Koko's attention, it makes sense it would like to fight. Kinda like me..."
"Are all the Tapus fans of fighting though? I figured they'd have different personalities like the Sinnoh Lake Trio," Jake pondered.
"It's a possibility," Lillie agreed.
"We'll find out once we hear about them," Aubrey said.
"If we could meet Tapu Koko once more, do you think we would find the answer to why it saved you and Nebby yesterday, Aubrey?" Lillie asked.
"Until we get that bridge fixed, we won't know," The ranger responded.
"Pew?" Nebby perked up, Lillie's bag shaking around.
"Aubrey, Jake...good luck on your first trial," Lillie optimistically encouraged. "I will hope that it goes well."
"Guess we've got our next mission now. Complete the Verdant Cavern trial! Mission..." Pose with her Pokemon! "Start!"
"HAI!" Jake mimicked the gesture with his own.
"What I like about my ranger pose is that it makes my Styler look like it's touching my toes," Aubrey mused, heading north towards Route 2. They would see Hala there, as well as the Tauros from earlier.
"Moo-aaaarrrr!" The Tauros cried.
"There! Aubrey! Jake! I've got this ornery creature calmed for now," Hala called over.
"Good job king of high fashion!" Jake flattered Hala as per usual.
"Ho ho! You really think I'm a king of high fashion?" Hala felt quite flattered by this fashionable trainer's feedback.
"Absolutely!" Jake said cheerfully. Hala had a hearty laugh for that.
"You're too kind, young man," He said. "Want to try giving the ol' Tauros here a little pat yourself? It's used to Aubrey, might as well have him get used to you too."
"Oh really...? Well sure. It's basically a cuddly bull with a fluffy mane and serious power." Jake shrugged and he petted the Tauros gently.
"Moo?" The Tauros looked at Jake as he petted him.
"Moooooooooo." Jake mimicked back.
"Maybe old Tauros here can feel your love for Pokemon," Hala suggested to the pair. "He sure seems happy to know you. And yet..." With a chuckle, he added, "It still seems like Tauros wants to stretch his legs on his own island challenge! Ha!"
"Yeah, it sure does seem that way," Aubrey noted, seeing the Tauros strut off.
"What!? You want to play tag now? The Melemele kahuna never loses, friend!" Hala would run off after Tauros.
"So what's the agenda then Aubrey?" Jake would then ask.
"Explore Route 2 for a second Pokemon for you, then head to Verdant Cavern," Aubrey decided. "You did want to get a second team member, right?"
"Yeahhhhh...cause if I don't want to put all the pressure on Forrest. I have to have another friend for him and another teammate to count on. Besides, versatility is how you get far in any Pokemon adventure." Jake said, holding a finger up.
"How do you make a team as a trainer, anyway?" Aubrey would ask the experienced trainer. "I've just been kinda playing this by ear."
"Wait, you don't know?" Jake was surprised to hear Aubrey sounded so inexperienced on this.
"If I'm gonna be totally honest with you Jake, I...kinda wanted to be a Steel type specialist as a kid," Aubrey admitted.
"Well that's awesome. Lovely lady Jasmine of Johto is a Steel type master and a bonafide sweetheart! As are other Steel-Type people." He responded.
"Yeah, it's why my partner's Skarmory," The ranger beamed. "So yeah, balanced team. What advice do you have for me?"
"Well first the most obvious and basic rule of thumb with a favorite type is to have a type designed for countering counters to your main type. Fire is the main bane of any Steel-type Pokemon so going for a water type or a rock type to put out the fire would be an excellent addition to your team," Jake said.
"And then you keep covering all your bases to make a solid safety net of type coverage," Aubrey continued. "Okay, that's kinda easy to follow. So, Rowlet is...Grass/Flying, from the looks of it." She folded her arms. "So...you'd want something to answer to Ice types."
Jake laughed. "See you're getting the hang of it already! Now Fire-types aren't normally my cup of tea which is why I didn't go for Litten. Plus it evolves into another musclehead 'harder daddy' Pokemon that the trainer fanbase is obsessed over so yeah. No."
"...What?" Aubrey was quite confused at that comment about Litten's evolution.
Continuing off this tangent, Jake pointed out, "And did you know the latest fire-type starter is some sort of soccer bunny?"
"Oh yeah, I've heard about Scorbunny. What about it?" Aubrey asked.
"Like what even is Arceus doing? Or Mew?" Jake laughed. "Delphox is the most unique Fire-type as of recent."
"Okay, but yeah, what the heck is this 'harder daddy' crap you were going on about?" Aubrey clearly didn't subscribe to any of those weird circles on the internet.
"It's like when they make Pokemon out to be dateable, romantically desirable or hot. Kind of nasty really. I think the Pokemon Fan Club at Hoenn specifically forbade and bans anyone who tries to post inappropriate posts, opinions, or art of Pokemon like that." Jake explained. Forrest looked just as repulsed as Jake did.
After thinking about it for a moment, Aubrey only had one simple response to that. "...Gross."
"I know right? So it's just funny that all these fire-starter final evolutions are all bulky and lithe and muscular lately which just adds fuel to the freakish fire. Besides Delphox." It was at this point Jake realized he was getting severely off-topic and worried he had gone too far in front of Aubrey. Normally in internet chatrooms he liked to frequent on his PC it was easier to be this outspoken about such opinions. "Oh... sorry. I imagine I painted a really disturbing image in your head as a Ranger."
"Ugh, it just means I have to knock some sense into these people if I ever meet them..." Aubrey shook her head. "Like in those situations if I can I'd rather just, hit first ask questions later."
"Most people are good about not exposing their freakish interests in real life, so that's the good news for not having to trouble yourself. Ok but as I was leading into, I'm normally not a Fire-type user but I'm all for it now." Jake said with a smile.
"Alternatively you could use a Fighting type," Aubrey suggested.
"The only one I love is Conkeldurr." Jake emphasized. "And also I need a type that is useful to me right now so it has to at least be a Pokemon I can really get into using."
"Alright, so...what types do you like?" Aubrey asked, hoping to help Jake along in his decision making.
"Grass the most but I got that covered. Fairies are AMAZING!~ I like Psychics but I want to challenge myself and use none here since I already have one at home. Water-types are always good to have as well. After that it's whatever I need to balance my team." Jake said.
"Okay, that gives us some options...hey Rotom!" Aubrey spoke up.
"Yezzzzz?" Rotom would ask.
"Are there any Fairy types on this route that you can find?" The ranger requested.
"As a matter of fact, there should be one here!" Rotom answered. "Zzt zzt zzt..." He would pull up an image of a small little bug on his screen. "Cutiefly. The Bee Fly Pokemon. It feeds on the nectar and pollen of flowers. Because it's able to sense auras, it can identify which flowers are about to bloom."
"Well, looks like we're in luck," Aubrey mused. "Maybe that can work for you?"
"But, if that'zzz not your cup of tea Jake, I might be able to do something for you," Rotom offered. "I'll make ya an offer ya can't refuze." He tried to sound like a mob boss with that line.
"An offer I can't refuse? Like what Rotom?" Forrest smirked, as though eager to find out what this was.
"If we scan enough different types of Pokemon, I can scan the island to find a rare Pokemon you might not be able to find vibin around in Alola!" Rotom explained. "It's called Island Scan!"
"Island Scan?...OH! It's like the Poke Radar! I loved that tool back in Hoenn!" Jake looked very excited now.
"Yup yup! It's juzzt like that!" Rotom grinned. "Let'zzz see...if I'm remembering right, we need to scan ten different Pokemon to make it work. But if I scan your Pokemon that you have so far..." He would do just that with a smile. "There we go! Now we only need to scan seven more!"
"Well ok then! Let's scan...and take selfies!" Jake teased Aubrey, leaning up to her and holding the scan up above them like it was a camera.
"Well I don't have any better ideas. Let's do it!" Aubrey was on board with this idea. "Should be enough Pokemon on Route 2 to make it happen!"
"Maybe you'll find a new teammate too in the process!" Jake suggested as he skipped ahead of her to find his bounty.
"Hey, wait up!" Aubrey followed after her.
They wouldn't have to work too hard to get all the scans needed. Among the scans they would get were Makuhita, Yungoos, Gastly, Spearow, Cottonee, Drowzee, and Alolan Meowth. The Gastly, Spearow, and Cottonee belonged to trainers which Aubrey beat for experience.
"Allllright! Got all the scans! Ready for me to Island Scan?" Rotom asked Jake.
"Yeah. I forgot that Alolan Meowth looked kind of exotic and cool to be honest." Jake chuckled. "But enough side talk. Island Scan GO!"
"Island...SCAN!" Rotom would start the process, and after a moment of waiting, they'd get a ping from the Hau'oli Cemetery, which was east from the motel they passed by. They'd also see the silhouette of a familiar candle like Pokemon on screen.
"A Cemetery...?" Jake gulped and looked spooked. Alolan mythos about Ultra Beasts and Tapus was one thing but what else... wait candle? "LITWICK?!" Jake was no longer afraid, in fact his feet practically carried him and flew him forward towards the Cemetery.
"Litwick? Wow..." Aubrey breathed. "Hey, hold up!" She ran after him again. Jake soon reached the rather pleasant and mystical-looking cemetery and kept a close eye around tombstone and trees and offerings for the Candle Pokemon to debut. It wasn't easy to find where the little candle was spotted, but after enough meticulous searching, while taking care not to desecrate any graves, Jake would soon find his prize, a Litwick simply moving around, looking at its surroundings with caution.
"Hmm...they seem uneasy but I have to battle them don't I to capture it? I hope I can ease it's nerves once it's on my team..." Jake thought aloud.
"Ahem." Aubrey had her Capture Styler in hand. "Maybe I can help with the easing its nerves part."
"You'd do that...?" Jake looked at Aubrey as though she was a fairy godmother making his dreams come true.
"Whether it's fear, anger, or some other third thing, rangers know how to calm down a Pokemon," Aubrey answered. Softly, as not to spook Litwick right away, she'd say, "Capture...on!" and flick out the Capture Disc to start the process with the Litwick. It certainly got its attention, but after a couple loops it was all chill enough for Jake to do what he needed. "Capture complete."
"Ok then! Dusk Ball go!" Jake sent forth a Dusk Ball he likely had brought with him and bought beforehand on Alola and it nabbed the Litwick and brought it into the fold. After a few tense moments of waiting, it sealed shut with a satisfying 'ching' sound.
"Well there ya go. Forrest has a new friend." Aubrey put her Capture Styler back on her hip.
"Yes! YES YES YES YES YES!" Jake jumped up excitedly several times before realizing he was dangerously close to jumping on a gravestone offering. In a clumsy attempt to get out of the way, he ended up tripping over a patch of grass and clumsily fell over and onto his back right by a tombstone angel, screaming in exaggerated fashion until ending with a "d'oh!" Mercifully, nothing was disturbed.
This overreaction got an eyebrow raise from Aubrey as she helped him up. "You okay? Didn't break anything?"
"I feel like I've got a thousand years of bad karma..." Jake groaned in pain and in drama. Forrest sighed, having been forced to take flight from Jake's melodramatic clumsiness and also caught the Dusk Ball that now contained Litwick inside too.
"Okay yeah, you're fine." Having seen that Jake didn't break anything of his in the fall, she stood up as Nom, who was currently scuttling along with them, couldn't help but snicker at Jake being a drama queen. "If you did, then I'd only hope Van were here."
"Or a Nurse Joy." Jake responded teasingly once he noticed Nom's reaction. "Ok sorry about that though, normally I am very graceful but at least now I know not to overcelebrate a Pokemon capture."
"Yeah, especially not near a cliff for instance," The ranger seriously stated. "But yeah, let's bring out your new teammate, man!" Forrest dropped the Dusk Ball into Jake's hand as Jake analyzed the Dusk Ball fondly.
"Has that happened before, Ranger Aubrey?" Jake asked as he noticed Aubrey made it sound like it happened before.
"Thankfully no...and I'd like to keep it that way," Aubrey would answer.
"Likewise. Ok, Litwick I choose you!" Jake tossed the Dusk Ball where it bounced off of a tree and summoned Litwick.
"Lit Lit." Litwick, looking much more relaxed, floated around and seemed especially keen on its surroundings.
"Alright. What shall we name you..." Aubrey trailed off, thinking of suggestions. Nom would want to know if their new comrade was a boy or girl first so they could suggest a fitting name.
Jake used his Rotom Pokedex to identify the Litwick. It was a female Litwick with Infiltrator as an ability, a rash nature, and scatters things often.
"Grub!" Nom smiled. She was glad not to be the only girl Pokemon around here.
"Hmm a female Litwick. How befitting a regal final-evolution. Now for a name...I'm likening to call her Belle because chandeliers make me think of the iconic Beauty and the Beast Ballroom scene and that magnificent chandelier up on high." Jake suggested.
"But you've got another idea?" Aubrey wondered.
"Hmm...well either that or maybe Nox after the Goddess of the Night in Roman mythos. She is associated with candles," Jake added.
"Grub..." Nom scuttled back and forth, as if giving feedback to Jake on these ideas.
"Aubrey, do you speak Nom?" The veteran trainer asked. "For some reason I feel as though she's trying to tell me which name is the Arceussend and which name is the no dice."
"Well, I can understand Tenor when he's trying to place charades," Aubrey answered. "Tenor, mind translating for me?"
She called out her Popplio, and after a conversation between the two, Tenor would give her the feedback.
"Okay, so Nom thinks Belle is better name wise since Nox sounds too similar to her name," Aubrey informed. "Apparently she doesn't want to get mixed up with our Litwick here."
"Grub!" Nom turned around, a bit embarrassed by this. Tenor could only pat her head at this.
"Ok then! Belle of the ball, you are reborn!" Litwick looked a bit surprised. Not expecting such a beautiful name for it. Litwick then smiled and nodded, accepting the name of a beautiful, pure princess and of a kingdom she would someday rule alongside Forrest in the Pokemon Journey's completion. Jake then 'picked up' Belle gently in his hands and happily said "Welcome to the team Belle."
"Rowlet!" Forrest raised his wings in celebration.
"Bwark!" Tenor did a flip as Nom bobbed her head up and down in approval.
Belle looked very happy and flew around Jake and Aubrey's heads in glee. "On that note... lemme check Forrest's stats." Forrest was a docile Rowlet who was proud of its power and had Overgrow for the ability.
"So, what's important about these bits of info on our Pokemon?" Aubrey couldn't help but wonder. "Like it says that Nom is sassy but uh, my dude, I think I already figured that out by now."
"Well they determine a Pokemon's passive buffs in terms of stats they gain and stats they aren't as efficient in. Natures and Characteristics. Admittedly it's a whole other avenue of discussion but the basis is that proud of its power means Forrest has increased attack growth. Docile means it's of a neutral nature so no other boosts but also no other deficiencies."
"Oh okay. Sounds like a bunch of high level stuff that Van would care more about," Aubrey responded. "Good to know though."
"...So you're not interested in that aspect of Pokemon? I'd like to think they also say a lot about their personalities." Jake sounded slightly surprised. He thought Aubrey as a Pokemon Ranger was more considerate of Pokemone's own traits and emotions.
"Well I mean, I care about Pokemon as Pokemon. I don't view Pokemon as just numbers," Aubrey honestly answered. "Like I've dealt with cases of Pokemon who were abandoned by some jerkwads who dumped them off because they had the 'wrong nature' or 'wrong individual values'. Angers me to no end how some people can be so callous towards anything short of perfection." Jake could tell it was a touchy subject for her. Just the thought that there were trainers out there who treated Pokemon so seriously they were willing to just view them as statistics rather than valued companions...well, it was physically making her upset thinking about it.
"I always thought that part about Pokemon was what made them feel more than that in the eyes of the strict and overly analytical and serious though. Besides the stat things anyway. Like you said it yourself Nom is sassy and you know that yourself. It's just telling you who she is." Jake explained, feeling the atmosphere got a bit tense and wanting her to understand his perspective. "Though I guess you could say it's better to let Pokemon decide what personality they want for themselves."
"Don't get me wrong Jake...I get that. I know not everyone just decides whether or not that Pokemon is worth their time based on who they are," Aubrey responded, taking a few calming breaths. "Thank Arceus for that..."
"Alright..." Jake realized he misread Aubrey. Thinking she had not really cared about the emotions and essence of who Pokemon were at first but realized it was the opposite. She cared for it far more than she ever cared for any terminology attempting to define it. "It's admirable that you do your best to help the Pokemon in need."
"It's what we do, and I'm proud of it," She responded. "Sorry, I've just had...one too many awful experiences dealing with trainers I call 'gamebots' because their competitive nature drives them to act like that. Drives me up the wall."
"Same how I feel about the Pokedaters." Jake joked, trying to lighten the mood. "Pokemon aren't ever meant to be mistreated or expected to be fine with what is morally wrong. It's any wonder that these trainers never consider how powerful Pokemon are and that they are making powerful enemies, humans and Pokemon, by being so close-minded."
"Yeah. It's crazy how they never think 'I wonder if the Pokemon I'm acting like an apathetic competition freak towards will ever get sick of my attitude.'" Aubrey agreed.
"And boom. House blown off the face off the earth by a flamethrower." Jake made an explosion effect with his hands to illustrate his point.
"You can see why I get so worked up about that kind of thing though, right?" Aubrey would then ask. "I know I've been told to work on my temper because of 'blood pressure' concerns, and really, I'm getting better at it. Old habits die hard."
"Are you in bad health to be worrying about your blood pressure?" Jake now sounded worried. "Goodness, I'll make sure that I won't get any particularly unhealthy foods then on this journey for you."
"Heck no! Whenever I see something bad going down, my body reacts before my mind can process it," The ranger defended. "I know, I'm reckless, but my heart's always in the right place."
"Oh. So that kind of blood pressure then. I getcha. Rash like Belle." Jake chuckled. Belle seemed to nod in agreement. "Well then yeah, I think it's a good mindset to have when you are so deeply involved and caring about the well-being of Pokemon."
"Takes a special kind of person to be looking out for people and Pokemon. If I didn't have Van, heh, Arceus only knows where I'd end up..." Aubrey took a seat on the ground after they left the cemetery. "She's originally from the Sinnoh region. Genius with medicine, gizmos, what have ya. The Union partnered us up since they believed Van and I would make the perfect team. Y'know, brains and brawn."
Jake was now starting to regret coming to the cemetery as he worried he was making Aubrey feel too sentimental and like she had to open up about her past so deeply. Still he couldn't deny it was fascinating learning more about his traveling buddy who was also his Ultra Beast protector. "Well it is a common trope that actually works often," Jake said with a casual arm gesture.
Those feelings of regret would fade away, seeing the smile on Aubrey's face, making her think about the good things in her line of work. "It sure does, man. Well that, and seeing as nine times out of ten I'm physically mixing it up with any criminals or any kind of rough customers, I often need a spot of first aid here and there. That's where she comes in."
"Does she ever get to kick any butt herself? Maybe with laser guns? Pew Pew Pew." Jake emphasized this with finger guns. Forrest and Belle both mimicked the gesture in their own way by sending out leaves and small flares respectively.
"Well of course she does. Has a stun gun and is a real good shot with it," Aubrey answered. "Even knows a bit of hand-to-hand herself if the need arises."
"Awesome!" Jake sounded excited.
"So yeah, she has my back, I have hers, we do good." Aubrey stood up. "Don't feel any bad that you had to make me think about...unpleasant people. Those problems I instead work out in a more productive manner. I know ya didn't mean anything by it, man." She gave him a supportive pat on the shoulder.
Jake felt quite relieved. He knew that Belle was important to him and this mission and that Aubrey had helped him both times in getting her with him, but he never wanted Aubrey to be put in an uncomfortable headspace or situation. So hearing her validation and even success at moving past the point that she could talk about these subjects without any bitterness was an Aromatherapy. "Well I'm glad. I'm glad it wasn't too awkward. Truthfully I'm learning more about myself hanging out with you."
"You are?" Aubrey seemed surprised. "How so?"
"Uhhhhh..." Now Jake blushed, realizing he was getting questioned when he wasn't ready. "I-I'll figure out a way to word those thoughts later. Really I'm just learning on a base level opinions can change."
"Ain't that the truth!" The ranger agreed.
"So now that I got my posse going, should we go to the trial or maybe train a bit?" Jake suggested.
"Yeah, let's prepare for the trial first before we do anything," Aubrey agreed.
So for the next hour, Jake honed Forrest and newcomer Belle's power and consistency in battle, training them against an onslaught of Pokemon. From evil Yungoos to ghastly Gastlys to chunky Makuhitas and delicate Cottones. They found overall great success in their endeavors to become stronger and more trained.
Aubrey meanwhile, scoured the route for useful items and experience for Tenor and Nom, balancing exploration with training effort.
By the time they were finished, they headed to the nearby Pokemon Center where they ran into Hau.
"Howzit, buddies? Your Pokemon is doing all right?" Hau asked in a friendly greeting.
"More than alright! Meet Belle." Belle spun around Hau's head in a friendly if possibly too close matter for his comfort.
"Heya, Belle!" Hau chuckled. "Boy, I don't think we see Litwick around here normally. You used that Island Scan thingamabob that Rotom has, I take it."
"Yeah! We even went to the cemetery to find this little light of mine. Spooooooookyyyyyyyy." Jake teased, twiddling his fingers and holding his arms forward like a ghost.
"Well I know my team's seen better days, that's for sure!" Hau responded. "Come on, you two. Let's stop by the PMC!"
"Oh hey, we were coming here as well. Perfect!" Aubrey mused.
"PMC? Pokemon Mystery Charity?" Jake asked as he was unfamiliar with the acronym.
"I think he means Pokemon Medical Center," Aubrey guessed as they headed on inside.
"...Why not just call it Pokemon Center at that point?" Jake looked stupefied while Forrest laughed.
"I might as well just start doing that!" Hau laughed. "You know that Verdant Cavern place, right? I guess it's kinda like, sacred to Tapu Koko. You aren't even allowed to go in unless you're on your island challenge. Oh yeah! Almost forgot!" He would hand over a few Revives. "You might wanna do some prep work of your own before heading inside the trial site. Once you go in, you're not allowed to leave until you either beat the trial or the trial beats you."
"Wait...are you saying people die in there?" Jake asked, less scared and more like 'are you trolling me'?
"Nope! By that I mean if you're out of Pokemon to battle with," Hau clarified.
"Oh. Well that makes more obvious sense." Jake said this in a manner that made him think it should've been apparent to him.
"I'd imagine the trials wouldn't last if people died during them," Aubrey reasoned.
"I think I'll get myself a treat at the cafe to pump myself up before trying the first trial!" Hau said, going over to the cafe section of the center.
"Well if he said we should do some prep work of ours...I'm gonna change back into my ranger uniform." Aubrey would go off to the restroom to do just that.
"AKA your battle armor." Jake chuckles. Jake grabs a quick lunch since he hasn't eaten anything since breakfast, namely a burrito and some Soda Pop.
Aubrey would return from the restroom, dressed in her ranger's uniform and went to the mart to grab a few things. She found that Super Potions were sold here, and made sure to take advantage of that fact. After checking over her bag to make sure she had everything in order, she called over to Jake asking, "Ready, man?"
"I'm as ready as you'll ever be. Did you get a good meal? It's important to be satisfied and have the energy for such a big undertaking I'm sure." Jake said.
"Yeah, I should grab something for the road." Aubrey would order a can of Pinap Juice, taking that in hand with a smile. "Let's roll."
"Whoo!" Both Belle and Forrest also seemed ready for the battle ahead. Tenor and Nom were both thrilled for the fight before them. Outside the Pokemon Center, the two would head to the Verdant Cavern across from it, where Ilima was standing between two posts acting as sort of a gate marking the trial site.
"Greetings. Captain Ilima here." He waved. "And my trial...begins mere steps from here in Verdant Cavern!"
"We're ready for it, man," Aubrey couldn't help but smirk.
"Note that the Pokemon living in Verdant Cavern are quite fierce. Normally I'd advise you not venture in unless you're fully prepared, but judging by how you two are looking, I'd say you're already covered on that front," The trial captain mused at their initiative.
"That's for sure. If I can handle the Elite Four, I can handle my first Trial." Jake said, pulling on his imaginary gloves in a gesture to indicate how ready he was.
"Splendid! Right this way, you two!" Ilima complimented.
'Elite Four...is this guy the current Hoenn champion?' Aubrey thought to herself as she headed on in. Several holes of light in the cavern ceiling lit the way for the two as they stepped inside to see a cave system with a few burrow mounds scattered about, and a plank bridge allowing individuals to cross the way. In the back was an entrance to an outdoor grotto.
"Ooh dang, Kingdom of Corona here we come. This place is amazing!" Jake's eyes dazzled at the gorgeous sight.
"Let me formally welcome you to Verdant Cavern!" Ilima smiled. "Allow me to explain the basics of my trial, and some basics on trials to come. Every trial has a basic objective for you to complete before facing the big bad boss of the area, the Totem Pokemon. For this trial, what you should attempt to do is..." From one of the burrows, a little Yungoos was seen poking its head out. "Defeat three of the Pokemon that lurk here in their dens!"
"Pretty basic, but good for a first trial," Aubrey commented.
"Indeed. Then you must reach the pedestal deep within the cave, and collect the Z-Crystal there," Ilima continued. "You'll need to be completely in sync with your Pokemon, and in this case, each other, to succeed."
"Grrrr!" Said Totem Pokemon was heard from the innermost grotto.
"And that, must be the Totem Pokemon," The ranger deduced. Ilima nodded.
"That's right." He responded. "Many strong Pokemon make their home in this cave, but one stronger and more fearsome than all the rest, the Totem Pokemon, also resides here! It's the greatest obstacle you will face in each trial. If you can complete the objective and defeat the Totem Pokemon, then the Z-Crystal is yours for the taking!"
"Hope they don't mind being unconscious for the next few hours then. That Z-Crystal will be ours!" Jake declared proudly.
"One more thing of note...until you complete the trial, you won't be able to catch any Pokemon who make their home here," Ilima added. "As for your Styler, Aubrey..." He trailed off in thought. "To be quite honest, we've never had a ranger take on our island trial."
"You think it might disrupt the harmony and integrity of the trial?" Jake asked in concern.
"I'd have to see what the other captains would think about you using it during your trials..." Ilima closed his eyes, but made a decision. "That being said, if you see that you have a reason to use the Capture Styler, I will allow it. Though you might find the Totem Pokemon may be too strong for it. Therefore, I'd advise you have your Pokemon defeat it rather than you be the one to do it. Is this acceptable?"
Aubrey gave a nod. "Got it." Jake looked uncertain about this himself. Wondering if this would make the trial harder or easier for Aubrey. Or if it would get Aubrey in trouble later down the line. Ilima noticed Jake's uncertainty.
"I understand your concerns about her being allowed her Styler, Jake," He reassured. "To be quite frank, I'm only allowing this so I can see how she does a trial with it. Based on that, the captains and I will be able to make a more educated judgement."
"Yeah, I myself am just learning about the Styler too except I'm not an authority figure, just a Pokemon Trainer Icon-In-Training. So I'm hoping for the best for her and for this Trial to go well. I don't want Tapu smiting us for blasphemy." Jake chuckled.
Ilima chuckled. "Well as long as you're not only using the Styler, Aubrey, I don't see any harm in it," He mused. "Now, let the trial of Captain Ilima begin!"
"So Styling Styler, how shall we Stylishly Style this Trial?" Jake winked at Aubrey.
"Alright, so...if that Yungoos ducked into that burrow, I bet the Pokemon we need to beat are in them," Aubrey decided. "So let's try that. We should also be vigilant for any items we find around here."
"Ok. I'll be on item duty, you do the burrowing." Jake proposed. It seemed he didn't like the idea of getting dirty. Belle rashly dives into some bushes, lighting it aflame accidentally trying to look for some items while Forrest hovers over the sky patrolling for the items.
"Alright, I can handle the heavy lifting! Let's do this, Nom." Aubrey would go towards the burrows.
"Grub!" Nom was eager to get started, the two going over to the first burrow and Yungoos popping out to attack.
"Bug Bite!" Aubrey ordered. Nom picked up this new move during the training montage, and it made Yungoos take an overwhelming amount of damage! "One down!"
Belle's friskiness, and streak of flaming plants left in her wake, do help her find an X Defend. Jake takes a water bottle he had on hand and douses the flames carefully since Tenor is occupied and chuckles.
"Careful Belle, you have a mighty strong flame there so it's ideal we do something conscientious of our environment."
Belle seemed to listen and hovers higher so that her flame isn't making contact with the plants. "Litwick."
Jake finds a Super Potion and announces it victoriously, "Ka-ching!"
"I can try to have Tenor put the fire out if it gets out of hand!" Aubrey called over, having already taken out a second Yungoos - this time it ran out of its burrow to attack.
"It's ok, human resourcefulness saves the day again." Immediately, Belle lights a branch on fire from floating too close over to it. Making Jake's eyes widen.(edited) "...Tenor. Help." He pleaded carefully.
"Tenor, put it out! Target Clear that fire!" Aubrey called out her Popplio to deal with the fire with the Water Gun. He'd be able to deal with it just in time before it had a chance to get out of hand.
"Thanks Tenor! Belle, maybe just float by my side...?" Jake was tempted to put Belle back in her Dusk Ball but didn't want to be too rude to her. Belle seemed to listen and floated near Jake.
"Row!" Forrest called up to Jake from above.
"Found something good Forrest?" Sure enough, Forrest came down with a TM in his beak. "TM Brick Break? Awesome! That's a good Fighting type move! Must be to repel all these icky otters." Jake chuckled.
"Can any of our Pokemon use it?" Aubrey wondered.
"Unless any of them have muscles of steel no." Jake laughed. He thought the suggestion was hilarious. Belle looked like she wanted to flex said muscles but she didn't really have any to speak of.
"Well that's nice...but seriously, what is this move, of all moves doing here?" Aubrey was astonished by the sheer ironic convenience of their situation as she went over to try and get the last Pokemon, but it kept moving from burrow to burrow along the back of the cave, leading her around quite a bit. She realized that this was a fruitless endeavor on her own, but luckily, she did have someone to help her out.
"Hey Jake, could you help me out here?" Aubrey called. She was having some trouble getting her hands on the last Pokemon they needed to defeat around the back three burrows.
"Oh sure. Lemme hop right in on that." Jake said as Belle and Forrest stood at attention.
"Okay, so I'm trying to get to the burrow it's in, but it keeps moving...what should we do?" Aubrey asked. "The two burrows here are too far apart for us to reasonably catch it, unless I use Extreme Speed."
"Maybe we form a blockade then? Limit it's area of appearance to one spot?" Jake's response triggered a reaction from Aubrey. A positive one at that.
"Oh right!" She pounded her fist against her open palm. "I'll just need to do a Target Clear!"
"Ok then...what is a Target Clear?" Jake asked.
"A Target Clear is what rangers do for when they need to deal with an obstruction or something similar, like a pile of rocks or that fire from earlier," Aubrey explained.
"Then yeah, perfect. What can I do to help?" Jake followed-up.
"Once I block off that farthest most burrow, I need you to stand ready at one of these two burrows so we can deal with it," Aubrey instructed.
"Ok! Hut hut!" He makes his way to the burrow on top of the hill, accompanied by his Pokemon.
Aubrey would go off to the far left burrow, using Nom to 'clear the target' by making the part above the burrow's entrance crumble down with her pincers, and help from Tenor's Water Gun to break down the rock. Once it was blocked off, she went to the other burrow and waited for the inevitable.
"Buzz-afffffff!" It wasn't a Yungoos this time, but a Gumshoos that came out of the burrow Jake was standing at.
"GYAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Jake fell onto his bottom, shooketh by the tragically designed and scary looking Pokemon. "Oh Arceus it looks even worse than a Yungoos! It looks smarmy and tyrannical."
"It looks more...stern and not willing to deal with anyone's crap if you ask me," Aubrey commented, rushing up to Jake. Nom was already on things, battling the Gumshoos to let Aubrey help Jake up.
"Thank you Aubrey. Let's take it down together! Will-O-Wisp it, Belle!" Jake pointed at the target and Belle uttered a spooky flame that burned and singed the Stakeout Pokemon.
With Belle's help, Nom was able to Bug Bite the Gumshoos into submission before it could do any harm to either the ranger or the Hoenn trainer.
"Whew...that could've ended badly," She sighed with relief.
"Oh wow, we finished that quickly. Was that really the Totem Pokemon?" Aubrey shook her head no.
"No, I don't think it was. But let's head into the grotto and see if we were right." She was rightfully wary, heading into the deepest part of Verdant Cavern and saw the pedestal Ilima mentioned, with a white crystal sitting there, ripe for the taking!
"...Please. Does the universe really think we're just going to go walk up there and get ambushed?" Jake teased.
"Yeah, this is way too obvious bait." Aubrey could feel a piercing gaze watching them from somewhere, and walked up to the pedestal with caution.
From a spot above the pedestal, a bigger Gumshoos was then seen, jumping down and doing a frontflip on the way. It landed on all fours, then cried out at them.
"Careful Aubrey! Belle, work your Will-o-Wisp magic!" Belle once again burned the intimidating blonde-haired giant Gumshoos with the flame. Suddenly, a yellow aura flared up around the bigger Gumshoos, looking more physically resilient as a result, dodging the Will-o-Wisp.
"What was that!?" The ranger looked surprised by this.
"Oh Arceus I don't know... this is my first Totem Pokemon too!" Jake whimpered nervously. Still, keeping up offensive momentum was crucial here so Jake gave Belle another command. "Surround them in a Fire Spin!" Belle channeled a fiery ring that surrounded and slowly charred the Totem Gumshoos. The Gumshoos would respond with a Scary Face move. What happened next would be something they've never seen happen before. The Gumshoos made a call out for something, and a Yungoos would soon appear to battle with it!
"Wait can they do that? Forrest, take care of them with a Leafage!" Jake ordered. Forrest took to the skies and sent a flurry of gathered leaves at the Yungoos. If Gumshoos wanted to have other Pokemon fight with it, then two could play at that game. The Yungoos took the hit, charging back with a Tackle. As for Gumshoos, it would go ahead and aim for a Bite at Belle. Forrest takes the hit but gathers his momentum in the air and retaliates with a powerful charge and Peck. Belle is barely able to dodge the surprisingly quick bite and tries for another burn status ailment against the Gumshoos.
With it being more up close and personal, it would work. Though Totem Gumshoos would keep trying for Scary Face to get it to stand still. The Yungoos meanwhile would get swatted aside by Forrest. Belle, as brave as she is and virtuously strong inside as she is unfortunately struck stricken with fright by the Scary Face, feeling the weight of an entirely different breed of Pokemon staring her down with overwhelming menace.
"Good job taking out the little friend Forrest! Now I just need to-"
CHOMP!
His train of thought would be halted at the Totem Pokemon attacking Belle with Bite.
"BELLE!" Unfortunately, the Dark-type move was more than enough to overwhelm Belle and the Candle Pokemon fell to the ground, knocked out. "Dangit...!" Jake took a look at the Totem Gumshoos who seemed to have taken only minor damage so far and realized he was down to just one fighter. But he still had Forrest to fight with and he wasn't giving up yet. "Belle, you were elegant and dignified in your first fight. Get that rest!" He returned Belle to her Dusk Ball before sending forth Forrest. "Make him PAY with Leafage!" Forrest, full of vigor and hungry to avenge Belle, sent forth a pile of Leafage at Gumshoos.
This hit would come at a critical time, Forrest's anger really letting Totem Gumshoos have it! Though the boss of the cavern would retaliate with a Tackle attack. The Will-o-Wisp was helping things out for Forrest. Forrest unfortunately was struck down by the harsh Tackle and sent crashing to the ground and looked rather hurt, he cried weakly, "Row..."
"Forrest, you're doing amazing! Don't give in! Victory is almost at hand! Aubrey can clean up after us so I promise you! You can finish this fight and I have your back!"
"Row... Rowlettttttttttttttt...!" Forrest then suddenly began to glow a divine sheen of white.
"He's evolving..." Aubrey was impressed by this.
Rowlet's form grew bigger as white light surrounded it and it's form become more defined, elegant, poised, and powerful-looking. When the light faded momentously, Rowelt was no more. Forrest evolved into its second, more powerful form!
"Dartrix...!" Forrest bowed elegantly in front of the stupefied Totem Gumshoos as he displayed his new form. "That's what I call an actual hard Pokemon! Awesome, Forrest! Show this giant bully what you are made of with a Razor Leaf!" Jake cheered happily.
"Dartrix?" As Aubrey was surprised by this, Rotom came out to give her a primer.
"Dartrix, the Blade Quill Pokemon, and the evolved form of Rowlet. A bit of a dandy, it spends its free time preening its wings. Its preoccupation with any dirt on its plumage can leave it unable to battle," He reported.
Dartrix flew up to the air, leaving a subtle trail of leaves before suddenly the leaves of nearby trees and plants seemed to converge with the trailing leaves into an elegant whirlwind of greenery spiraling around Dartrix like a ring. Totem Gumshoos attempted to leap up to strike him but suddenly Dartrix cried out and sent his wings forth as the leaves all honed in and closed in on the Totem Gumshoos in unison, pelting him with the powerful projectiles!
"Gum...Shoos..." Crippled and heavily wounded by the building burn and Fire Spin damage over time, and then taking the full force of a powerful Razor Leaf, the Totem Gumshoos fell onto its back, defeated.
"Booyah." Jake posed powerfully and victoriously as Forrest joined it's trainer side with an elegant pose likewise. While Jake and Forrest celebrated, Aubrey kept her eyes on the Totem Pokemon, holding an arm in front of Jake.
"Hold on..." She cautioned.
"What, I'm only posing." Jake asked, surprised and confident. "Unless...you'd care to finish the job my good friend?"
The Gumshoos, in a surprising show of strength, would slowly get back up, and let out a louder roar, the aura flaring up more intensely!
"It got knocked down, but it's back up again..." Aubrey gestured to Nom. "Have at 'em, Nom!"
"Grub!" The Grubbin was ready to rumble.
"Huh, so it's got Second Chance as an ability then. You got this though Aubrey." Jake nodded to affirm his belief in her skills.
"Right. Let's do this, you two!" Aubrey was sure as heck ready for this Gumshoos' second round.
Nom would be taking the lead against the angry Totem Gumshoos, starting off with Mud-Slap to get its accuracy to be hindered and make the fight easier for her. She'd still be experiencing the intimidation factor of the raid boss and his Scary Face, but her defiance helped when the other Yungoos showed up.
"Nom, focus on the big guy! I got this one!" Aubrey exclaimed, flicking out her Capture Disc. "Capture on!"
Aubrey would work on getting the Yungoos to stand down while Nom focused on her duel with Totem Gumshoos, showing to have some struggle in dealing with its power.
"Hang in there, Nom, almost got it!" Aubrey encouraged. She'd wait till the capture was complete on the Yungoos before recalling Nom for a brief rest. "Tenor, help us out here!" Her Popplio came out to play next, having an idea on what to do. He'd use Echoed Voice as the Totem was setting up with intimidating glares that were clearly working on Tenor.
"Yeah, build up that momentum!" Jake cheered as Forrest looked on proudly of the extraordinary clash.
"Mmm..." Aubrey recalled her Capture Disc and thought of something. 'I wonder if Nom's still going to be scared if I call her out again?' After Tenor did another Echoed Voice, he was blown back by a hard Tackle attack. 'Guess I'll have to find out.' She recalled Tenor, not wanting him to go down, and called Nom back out.
Amazingly to the ranger, her Grubbin wasn't intimidated by Gumshoos' Scary Face and Leer moves anymore!
"Such a brave soul." Her companion complimented.
"Huh...alright then Nom, bring us home!" Aubrey instructed.
It wouldn't take much more effort from Nom to finish the fight, jumping onto the Totem Pokemon and hammering away with Bug Bite. The Totem Pokemon scurried off back into the cave somewhere. Needless to say, Aubrey was relieved that they came out on top.
Jake runs over and hi-fives Aubrey while Forrest goes and hugs Nom. "Way to go! We slayed!"
"Heh...we sure did." Aubrey returned the favor, with Nom doing a little dance.
"Grub, bi grub!?" Nom boasted.
"I think she just asked 'Who's the best?' you two," Rotom mentioned. The Grubbin was quite proud of the fight.
"Forrest since he evolved. As for trainers though, your strategy was incredible Aubrey! I didn't think of switching...though to be fair I kind of took a Double Battle route there." Jake chuckled.
"Both were valid strategies, you two," Ilima was heard saying, approaching the duo. "The Totem Pokemon wanted to battle you both, so I guess that would explain the surge of adrenaline it was running on."
"Yeah...that would definitely explain why it got back up for more," Aubrey agreed.
Ilima chuckled. "Of course, us captains train the Totem Pokemon to be strong like that, but it was a great display of teamwork from you two incredible trainers. The Normalium Z-Crystal is yours!"
"Ooh! Normalium. Period Table be outclassed!" Jake examined the Z-Crystal with excitement and glee. The colorless, trapezoid-esque shaped gemstone sparkled in Jake's hand, a small black circle in the center surrounded by two half circle lines.
"These are the things Key's looking for, huh?" Aubrey mentioned. "Wonder what kind of jewelry or accessories you could make with these..."
"Probably something very groovy I imagine." Jake suggested.
"I'll say," The ranger agreed.
"Using Z-Moves is pretty simple," Ilima continued. "If you let a Pokemon who knows a Normal type move hold that..." He would strike a pose where his arms would form a Z. "...and strike an elegant pose like this one, you'll get to go all out and use a Z-Move!"
"Ooh so we're voguing then to use a Pokemon's power. Impeccable," Jake commented.
"Say uh, Jake? How did Mega Evolution work again?" Aubrey would then ask.
"You harnessed your power and bond with your Pokemon through the Mega Ring. No dramatic poses necessary. The Mega Stone would glow and flash and your Pokemon would be surrounded by a Mega Symbol and evolve in dramatic fashion!" Jake emphasized, doing a gesture of how it would play out with his body.
"Oh, that's pretty neat. The Z-Crystals are kinda like Mega Stones in a way," Aubrey mused.
Ilima nodded. "In the sense that both can only be used once a battle as well? Yes," He responded. "I've heard about the dilemma you had from the Kahuna, Jake. I don't buy into those ugly rumors. All it does is distort the bond that trainers have with their Pokemon."
Jake looked disgruntled to be reminded of that but appreciated this stylish head of the island was far more understanding of what Mega Evolution meant to him. "I know right? Although...why doesn't Alola have the same level of Mega Stone reverence and even presence it does in other regions, Ilima? Do the Kahuanas and Champion and what-not prefer using Z-Moves to it? I imagine if trainers around here saw more people using Mega Evolution here brilliantly and honorably, the rumors and false records would be quelled at once."
"Hmm. It might be a preference thing out of tradition," Ilima wagered. "Might I ask where and how you got the ability to harness the power of Mega Evolution?"
"In my Hoenn journey it was Steven and Lisia who taught me about it. I also earned the Mega Bracelet from Steven after intervening and helping a Latios and Latias and earning their respect." Jake explained.
"Yeah! They said that it was because of technological advancements and the fact Mega Stones were found on Hoenn first out of the other regions besides Kalos! Plus the whole Kyogre/Groudon/Rayquaza fiasco brought even more attention to Mega Evolution playing a role in Pokemon history." Jake said. Ilima had a soft smile.
"And it was sometime after then that Mega Evolution started having these rumors spread about it, yes?" Aubrey asked.
"I'm guessing so yeah...I don't know when the rumors started here, just that they existed and are present in a lot of minds in Alola." Jake said, looking at Forrest who seemed concerned.
"Mmm...I'm still sticking to my theory of someone being super butthurt over losing to Mega Evolution," Aubrey reassured her traveling partner. "Until we get evidence to the contrary, of course.
"You never know, that's what it could be!" Ilima decided to join in on this. "But until then, I admire the two of you having an open mind." He paused upon remembering something, "Oh yes, one more thing before I turn you two loose. After completing a trial, you are free to catch whatever Pokemon you like from the trial site. Have some Great Balls on me for if you see one you'd like to add to your team."
"Thanks then Ilima. And thank you for sticking up for Mega Evolution. There are people who have put a lot of time, energy, and support into it and I can't let the practice be dehumanized for their sake." Jake smiled as he took the beautiful blue Great Balls.
"Think nothing of it. Take care!" He would head off after that closing remark.
"Well man, Mission Clear!" Aubrey went ahead and posed with her team. It certainly wasn't easy, but they pulled it off.
"Mission clear!" Jake posed and cheered in unison with Aubrey. Forrest's pose was very much the same but as a Dartrix, he now looked a lot more poised.
(First trial down! Next time, Aubrey gains a third party member, exploring the Melemele Meadow, and the Grand Trial against Hala! Things are gonna be great! As for why she's able to use her Styler in the trial? Just me taking liberties. Bye for now~! ;) )