(Another chapter, another bit of exposition, and another trial! We've got a lot of ground to cover, so let's get to work.
The Reviews
hpntheman: Thank you for the kind words. You won't regret reading this!
LogBook27062000: It's funny, Mimikyu wanted to have Pikachu's popularity and wound up being more popular than Pikachu. Coupled with the fact it's the hardest Totem Pokemon in vanilla Sun and Moon, Mimikyu won big in its debut.
Megan Romero: I literally looked back in the chapter to see that Jake had said Togepi instead of Dedenne. I have no idea how I didn't catch that. Oops.)
As the duo proceeded onwards to Route 11, they'd pass by a barricade after showing their Z-Crystals to a trial guide, coming into a more mountainous region of the island. The road ahead looked rough and hard to pass.
"Well, that's going to be murder on the ankles." Jake cringed as he saw the sight ahead of them.
"Might not be too bad," A familiar voice called out to them. As they turned, they would see Hapu and her Mudsdale. "Greetings, fellas."
"Oh hey, Hapu!" Aubrey greeted. "Mind giving us a ride?"
"Heh, that's exactly what I was about to do," Hapu mused. "Mind if I see your Ride Pager for a hot moment, Jake?"
"Certainly Hapu. What have you been up to today? We've finished completing the Electric Trial," Jake said as he fulfilled the request.
"If you're gonna go ridin' around Ula Ula, you oughta do it with a Mudsdale. I know Aubrey's got her own, but consider this as me payin' ya back for the help on Akala with the Drifloon," Hapu responded. "As for what I've been doing, well, just been out and about across the region is all."
"Going on a little bit of adventuring yourself? Cool," Aubrey hummed as Hapu got Mudsdale registered on Jake's Ride Pager.
"So now we got your teammate on speed dial Aubrey!" Jake chuckled.
"You could definitely say that, Jake," Aubrey mused. 'Hmm, wonder if I can ride around on Hunter when she's a Stoutland...' She added to herself.
"If you're headed to the Ghost trial, head down this route here and you'll be at the Tapu Village. Head west then south to get there," Hapu gave them the needed directions. "It's the ruins of this Thrifty Megamart that they tried building on Tapu Bulu's land...and Tapu Bulu took exception to that."
"Thrifty Megamart? Is that the chain around here?" Jake asked. "Also yeah, terrible idea upsetting the gods."
"Sure is. Tried setting a place up on this island on land treasured by the Tapu," Hapu answered. "Ghost types use the place as their habitat, and Acerola uses it as the grounds for your next trial."
"Alrighty then. Wait... so that means it's haunted then." Jake's eyes widened. Forrest remained aloof. "DAR!' 'We handled a haunted school!', he would say in Pokespeak.
"...Fair, fair point Forrest. We most certainly have seen enough ghosts to last a lifetime. What's a few more?" Jake asked in an improved mood.
"Yeah, it just means that using my Styler is gonna be trickier than usual," Aubrey mentioned, calling out Don. "Now let's ride!" Hopping on board his summoned Mudsdale, Jake followed Aubrey and Don into the unknown. Well, the actually known but still new for both Trainers to see. As they went along the route, they'd pass by a road in which Nom would pop out of her Poke Ball all on her own.
"Charja charja!" She exclaimed.
"Nom?" Aubrey motioned for Don and Jake to stop. "What's going on?"
"Charja charja! Bug bug!" Nom was making motions that she wanted to be followed down the road.
"Well I have no complaints if that is what Nom really wants," Jake said.
"Let's check it out," Aubrey agreed, following after her Bug type Pokemon. When they reached the end of the road, they would find themselves facing down a geothermal power plant, and Aubrey would notice something in the air.
"Hey...is it me, or does my hair feel like it's getting a bit...on edge?" She asked Jake. Her hair seemed to be building up a slight static charge in the area.
"That's probably electricity talking. Look at this area around here. It definitely looks like something resembling a power plant." Jake explained.
"Oooh...maybe that's why Nom wanted to come here," Aubrey realized.
"Umb?" Vatonage was sitting on her lap, looking up at Aubrey when she said that.
"It's rare, but some Pokemon react when in areas with an electrical charge like this one," The ranger explained. "Nosepass, Magneton...and that's it. Maybe Charjabug is another one of those Pokemon."
"Okey dokey then. So I guess we gotta fight some Pokemon around here and level Nom up so she can achieve her truest and most powerful form." Jake said dramatically.
"If you wanna look around for a final team member in the meantime, go for it," Aubrey suggested, dismounting her Mudsdale and running after Nom, who was currently going for the source of the electricity.
"Ok then, Aubrey. One final party member to complete the set..." Jake thought fondly as he and Forrest took to looking around.
The meandering of the big and somewhat creepy and isolated power plant made Jake feel self-conscious. Surely though there was something about this place that Pokemon trusted and found comfort in and maybe if Jake appealed to the Pokemon's more idyllic natures, he'd get somewhere. Momentarily though he found what looked to be a lone baseball cap left behind in a flattering shade of blue. It was laying over by some bushes. Jake grew concerned it was some kind of trap or ploy and Forrest volunteered to go investigate it.
"Ok Forrest, but do be careful..." Jake cautioned.
Forrest checked and made to pick up the baseball cap when he was rudely shocked and jabbed by a powerful Thunderpunch, knocked aside by a fiery-tempered Elekid. They looked ready for a challenge and seemed awfully defensive over their cap. Forrest, though badly hurt, got to his feet and recovered some of his composure.
"Geez... this guy looks like they are ready for a fight. I might need to bring out Hazel for this one just to get him to calm down." Jake muttered nervously as he called forth his Heal Ball and the Comfey emerged with a delighted smile. The Elekid rushed straight for Comfey relentlessly, as if not even caring about what the Comfey meant to the trainer or why Jake was retaliating with their own Pokemon. They seemed upset or perhaps driven to combat. Hazel floated gently out of the path and reached the Elekid and swept them in a Petal Blizzard that knocked them back and onto the ground.
The Elekid spat out an angry cry, shouting "ELEKID!"
Then they once again attacked, this time sending an Electro Ball at Hazel who at this point seemed very sympathetic towards and worried about the Elekid's violent and reckless tendencies. She gracefully dodged and this time flew forward with a Sweet Kiss to try to calm down and charm the Elekid, but he simply sent her flying back with a swarm of Swift stars. "This is getting really dicey..." Jake frowned.
The Elekid then pursued Hazel with another Thunder Punch but Hazel, determined to get to the bottom of this, produced a Sweet Scent to cloud the judgement of Elekid and force him to cover his eyes and nose. Not wanting to be dissuaded from continuing the battle. "Aubs! We got a really stubborn Elekid here... and it's...eh?!" Jake gasped as he suddenly heard the Elekid cry out furiously and start glowing white. "He's already evolving? What on earth kind of experience has it gone through?"
The Elekid's silhouette grew big and taller, with a fiercer looking set of facial features and arms and feet before suddenly the Elekid had drastically changed into an Electabuzz. The Electabuzz suddenly showed a delighted expression as it grabbed the baseball cap it seemed protective over and tried to put it on his head but was quickly disheartened as he found that the tall trio of horns on his head kept him from putting on the cap properly.
"He wants to wear that hat it seems...! A Wild Pokemon with a fashion sense?" Jake looked on in curiosity. The Electabuzz's mood darkened at this disappointment and frustration and he growled angrily before looking poised to attack Jake instead with a Thunder Punch.
Hazel quickly tried to get in the way to protect her trainer. "Comfey!"
It was at this moment the Electabuzz's arm was stopped by a telekinetic force before it connected. Vatonage came to the rescue with Psychic!
"Capture...on!" Aubrey's Capture Disc was flicked out at Electabuzz as she worked to tame the aggressive Pokemon. "Looks like I got here just in time!"
"Aubrey, thank goodness! This Electabuzz seems to be trying to achieve something but hasn't been able to. Or maybe he just wants to fight! I don't really know...I can tell it's suffering though." Jake looked sad as Comfey finally landed a Sweet Kiss on the Electabuzz. The Electabuzz looked dazed and softened his angry expression and he let go of the hat that fell to the ground harmlessly. With Hazel's help and Vatonage being a good Partner Pokemon, Aubrey would soon get the Electabuzz calmed down.
"Capture complete," She sighed with relief. "You okay, man?"
"Yeah I'm alright. It didn't get to me at least...hey guy are you ok?" Jake asked as he healed Forrest, who felt slightly ashamed he couldn't help his trainer due to the type advantage with the potion.
The Electabuzz grimly shook his head and started crying. As an Elekid he had long been a resident and native of Alola and he had also endured harassment by Team Skull Grunts and Trainers who had knocked him out previously just to make their Pokemon stronger. It stopped when an Aether employee met him, encouraged him and took him home to the Resort with a baseball cap as a gift and a memento to remember them by. But at some point, he found himself waking up one day in the hands of Team Skull as if they took him from the Aether paradise and was poised to be smuggled but he broke out and escaped. Now all he strives to do is find or become his own Pokemon that can firmly handle or take care of himself until the day he can wear that cap with pride. He thought evolution would be the key and the ticket but alas, he still can't wear that cap.
Vatonage would be the one to relay all this information to Jake, having frowned at its story. He nuzzled against the Electabuzz to show empathy.
"Just like the Alolan Vulpix..." Jake said sadly. "And if he was in that Resort but was brought to Team Skull. That implies it must've been either a trade deal on Lusamine's part with Guzma, or some kind of kidnapping."
"...We definitely have to make this mending of fences and get to the bottom of this before anymore Pokemon are caught in the crossfire. I know that Aether's employees have nothing to do with your fate Electabuzz so you can trust that individuals speak for themselves more than the majority. And you can still evolve and wear that cap. We'll care for you if you'd open your heart to us." Jake offered serenely, walking towards the Electabuzz and extending an arm out. Electabuzz, still worked up, wiped his tears desperately to maintain some power, stoicism, and more likely calmness that their old friend exercised. He appreciated Vatonage's sympathy, the sweet smile and support Hazel displayed by offering him a flower to put on the baseball cap, and Jake's warm-hearted and honest approach.
"Electa... buzz..." 'I can come with you... right?'
"Positive! I still gotta introduce you to Aubrey here after all. I feel you and her could have a sparring match if you would be up for it!" Jake giggled after the message was relayed to him.(edited)
Electabuzz, with renewed hope and even feelings of comfort that he had never been allowed to have since being left alone again, seemed to understand. He got up from the ground and then put a hand on Jake's shoulder and patted it twice before nodding. "Electabuzz." 'My allegiance is yours.'
"...And I will not let you down." Jake nodded and put a hand back in return. Jake then pulled out an Ultra Ball, an elegant and sleek ball perfect for the new Electric Pokemon, and caught the Electabuzz respectfully right afterward.
Aubrey rubbed Vatonage's head with a smile. "Good boy," She cooed, the Umbreon smiling happily. "Oh yeah, turns out my theory was right on Nom." The ranger called out Nom, who was now a Vikavolt! "We figured out how Charjabug evolves."
"Ooohhh what a majestic-looking creature! This detour really did pay off.'" Jake said in awe as Hazel flew around Nom cheerfully spreading flowers to celebrate.
"Vikaaaa!" Nom couldn't help but feel proud of her newfound power, hoping to put it to good use.
"So now we should get back to the main event." Jake smiled as he returned Hazel.
"Yep, pretty much!" Aubrey agreed, recalling Nom and getting back on Don. "Let's move! Tapu Village awaits!" Vatonage would hop up on her lap again, ready to go.
"So now I got my whole new Alolan posse Aubrey. It feels incredible knowing that I didn't even think back in the day I'd be out on the road going about like this again. Now I have so many new friends to introduce to my old friends and a good time in the making with my boyfriend soon!" Jake reminisced as he got onto his Mudsdale.
"Tell me about it, it's been like what? Almost a week?" Aubrey chuckled. "Where does the time go?"
"It flies but that's why you gotta make every moment count and don't cry because it ended, smile because it happened. All that jazz you know?" Jake winked and gave Aubrey a thumbs up.
"Speaking my language, man. Treat each moment like your last - that's living for me," The ranger smiled as they'd come up to a motel on the side of the road, seeing a small little village with some trailers outside the entrance to some desert, looking like an oasis. They'd see Key acting as support for someone who seemed to be suffering from heat stroke.
"Weird...when they said ruins of a grocery store on sacred land, I wasn't thinking desert. Especially around a cold mountain area." Jake was mind-boggled by Alola's geography.
"Ah! Miss Ranger! Jake!" Key would call out to them, bringing the man to shade for others to care for him.
"Key! Anything going on besides this poor gent? Glad you are helping out the populace as usual." Jake smiled.
"Well, I was mainly searching for a Z-Crystal, since I heard rumors there was one in the Haina Desert back there," Key explained. "Normally it's blocked off to those who haven't completed the Ghost trial, but they were willing to make an exception due to this gentleman having gotten lost in there. I offered to find him if they let me have free reign to comb the desert for the crystal."
"And did you get it?" Aubrey asked.
"Yup! Sure did!" She'd show them a hot pink Z-Crystal with some sort of eye looking design in the center. "Ta-dahh! The Psychinium-Z!"
"Time for us to mindbreak everyone who gets in our way! Hehehehe." Jake snickered and rubbed his hands together sneakily.
"We managed to get two crystals of our own." Aubrey would show the merchant the crystals they obtained from Sophocles and Molayne.
"Oooh! We're so close to getting them all!" Key laughed. "Now...there was something else I wanted to talk about..."
"Oh right, you did have a talk with Lusamine last we saw you," The ranger remembered.
"Everything ok with her highness or is she and Guzma doing Alola dirty on the side?" Jake winked cheekily.
"Come come. I'll tell you what I was able to discover." She'd walk them over to the motel where they'd take a seat on the steps. Jake took a seat, patiently and calmly, and even made a point of summoning all his Pokemon so they could get the news. Key was thus able to see that Jake had a finished team. Taking a note to give him a congratulatory smile, Key would begin revealing what she found out. "Okay...so from what I was able to infer from what Lusamine was looking at in our catalog, she was looking for someone," She explained. "When I asked her for details on who was missing, she told me that her husband Mohn had been missing for years."
Hazel and Belle gasped in dramatic shock. Dew seemed to think that was a convenient excuse for villainy. Electabuzz, who had yet to be named but perhaps had a name yet to be known from his old friend, frowned. He knew and had met Lusamine and thought she was caring and all-giving and sympathized with her heartbreak. Byron felt bad, knowing what it was like to lose dear loved ones. Forrest remained calm though and considered that this was very revealing and private information.
"Does she know when he first disappeared? Where were his last known whereabouts, and was she really ok with disclosing this to you, Key?" Jake asked cautiously.
Aubrey looked taken aback by this revelation. Her husband was missing? This definitely felt like a game changer, but how?
"She didn't tell me much about the details. All she was willing to tell me was that when he was last seen, he left behind two things, papers mostly," The merchant informed. "The only reason I know this is because I was hoping to find the best things she needed to find her husband as soon as possible."
"Like a contact info or ID?" The Hoenn trainer continued.
"Mmm...it was mostly research," Key recalled.
"Any idea on what the research was about?" Aubrey questioned.
"I didn't get a chance to read them myself, sorry," Key answered with a frown. "But I can tell you this - I think Lusamine knows why her husband is missing, though I highly doubt she had anything to do with his disappearance."
"So you're saying that Mohn was researching something before he disappeared," Aubrey deduced. Key nodded.
"I was about to say that, yes," She confirmed. "But what he was researching, she didn't tell me."
"So she knows her husband is missing...did she then align with Guzma to fill the void of losing her husband?" Jake surprisingly got sharp looks from Belle, Electabuzz, and Hazel who thought he was being too harsh. True love was true love. "Well I mean she seemed like a fine person but there has to be a reason Lillie's unnerved by her and I mean if the familial connection is there..."
Key shook her head. "Jury's still out on that one, I'm afraid," She responded. "Plus I don't think I could see Guzma hooking up with Lusamine."
"She is like the future and Guzma represents...some kind of murky past trends," Jake admitted, doing a 'so-so' motion with his hands. "So yeah you may have a point there. I'm just dying to know what is going on with them though."
"Eh...if I knew I'd tell you," Key confided.
There'd be a fourth person inserting themselves in the conversation exiting from the motel lobby - Gladion.
"You only have one voice, lady. You know that, right?" He'd ask.
Key would turn to face him. "Oh hello there. May I help you?"
"Team Skull is looking for a Pokemon called Cosmog," Gladion explained. "You three know anything about that?"
"Okay, so...if we did, why are you asking us?" Aubrey questioned.
"Look...Cosmog isn't even a strong Pokemon. But it has the potential to summon Pokemon so terrifyingly strong that you don't even know," Gladion explained. Aubrey paused at the mention of that. Could he be talking about the jellyfish Ultra Beast they encountered last night?
"So Team Skull is on the Pokemon smuggling hunt again it appears. Are you doing ok? Aubrey knocked out Plumeria and Guzma and I'm hoping they haven't done anything to ya. Otherwise no, we haven't seen or heard about a Cosmog." Jake made sure to check up on him.
"If something like that happened, it'd be a disaster for the world," Gladion continued. "And...for your information, I'm just hired help. I heard about what you've been doing, ranger." His attention shifted to Aubrey, thinking she'd be more forthcoming with him. "I'll get straight to the point. You must protect Cosmog. If Team Skull gets their hands on it, there's no telling what damage will happen to Alola."
Aubrey didn't buy it completely. "...This is a rhetorical question, isn't it?"
"No." The boy shook his head. "What, do you think I know something?"
"It seems like you DO know a lot of things but aren't telling us. Also this doomsday talk is so Kalos. You really think we won't be able to help sort things out? It'd be easier if you and your Team just stopped being so ambitious and took a minute to breathe." Though Jake seemed composed in his somewhat heated response, Aubrey could tell he was a bit scared underneath.
"Um...well, if you are a part of Team Skull, surely you'd know something about why they want Cosmog, yes?" Key spoke up.
"...Hmph. Sharp," Gladion remarked. "I don't know much about that, but what I do know is that someone wants to get their hands on Cosmog, and is willing to pay top dollar for its delivery."
"Do you think it could be Aether?" Jake guessed. Gladion shook his head.
"Hard to say. Guzma's being tight lipped about it," He answered. "I gotta get going. You might not trust everything I've said to you because I'm with Team Skull or whatever...but don't forget what I- no...what Alola needs you to do. Keep Cosmog safe at all costs. Understand?"
"Of course!" Aubrey answered positively.
"Well, I'm currently still on a business trip, but anyway I can help, I'll help," Key promised as Gladion went off.
Jake frowned and gave a defeated glance. No matter their pure intentions, these stubborn people who believed they had no other choice would continue to secret-keep and try to manipulate those around them to suit their agendas.
"Araquanid!" Dew sounded utterly disgusted with Gladion's secrecy.
"Bastio..." Byron just felt scared for everyone if there really was such a big threat around. Forrest and Belle worked to reassure their teammates while Hazel and Electabuzz both seemed more worried about finding Cosmog and also if Lusamine would be alright.
"Well...I'd love to stay and chat about these revelations, but I must be off. The Ula Ula beach is calling my name - only two more high scores to beat before I get that special reward!" Key perked up. "Ta ta! See you 'round!"
"Ok Key! See you later. Safe travels." Jake recomposed himself enough to wave in a friendly manner to Key.
"Take care!" Aubrey waved goodbye as the merchant went off. She turned to Jake. "Okay...so we should get some more information from Van when she gets back from Kanto. I asked her to look into Mohn for us."
"That'd be for the better given our piss poor luck here." Jake complained and rubbed his head, feeling uncertain.
"I don't get it..." Aubrey frowned, folding her arms. "Why's everyone keeping secrets from us? I mean, we're trying to help here! If there's some big threat looming over Alola, why aren't they being forthcoming with me about it? Do people think I'm just some stubborn musclehead?"
Jake looked surprised at Aubrey, as did his Pokemon and they all smiled at her reassuringly and approached her. Jake patted her on the head and ruffled her hair like she had done before to him. "Trust me, regardless of their reasoning, it has nothing to do with you Aubrey. We all know and Arceus and the Tapus know you're doing the right thing here. You should not put yourself down over other's mistakes and lack of communication."
"Yeah...but it just burns me up, ya know? I want to stop whatever this threat is, but without the right information, I can't do that," Aubrey responded. "It's like people want me to make an omelette without any eggs. Know what I mean?"
"Well if we reason about everything, the only reason he has to hide information from us is to protect someone or keep someone from being caught in the crossfire I think. I'm in the same boat but even I can think about and see that his behavior is a clue to everything that's going on here. And, even if we're still lacking in information, what we can do is not give up here and let things happen." Jake's concern for Aubrey and wanting to cheer her up turned his pessimism into optimism.
"Okay, so...let's take a moment to think here," Aubrey said as they walked along. "Let's assume you're right and the buyer for Cosmog is Aether. What would they have to gain out of it?"
"Ultra Beasts. Gladion mentioned summoning Ultra Beasts without context. Lusamine is heavily interested in them. She must want to research them up close and personal but doesn't fully grasp their danger level... or what else lurks in the same realm." Jake snapped his fingers as he presented his reasoning.
"That does make sense...she was interested in that Ultra Beast we fought last night," Aubrey agreed. "But if Aether knows about the kind of destruction the Ultra Beasts can bring...do you really think they'd risk destroying the habitat of Alola? The habitat of the Pokemon they're trying to protect?"
"That depends on how mentally stable or unstable she really is...and given Lillie and those two mysterious individuals own reservations about Aether and the fact that she's lost her husband...There's substantial coincidences that show maybe she isn't sound mentally." Jake frowned as he and his Pokemon followed along.
"I see..." Aubrey closed her eyes. "As someone who cares about the well-being of Pokemon too, I want to give her the benefit of the doubt, but...with all this evidence mounting up, I can't really say she's not a person of interest." She snapped her fingers. "Those research papers are honestly the last piece of the puzzle we need. If we knew what the topic of those papers were about, we'd know for sure." Then her mind shifted to something else. "Right, so speaking of Lillie, what should we talk to her about?"
Jake returned his Pokemon save for Forrest as they headed towards their long-awaited Ghost Trial destination. "We need to ask her about Aether, Nebby, Lusamine, and if she might have any idea about what's going on."
"Right." Aubrey agreed as Vatonage paused, his tail wagging at seeing something ahead.
"Umbre!" He exclaimed, darting off.
"Hey! Vatonage, where are you going!?" Aubrey called, racing off after her Partner Pokemon. Jake and Forrest were hot on their tails. The group would see Acerola and Lillie heading inside a white home like structure. No points guessing what it was.
"Oh Lillie...! And she's with Acerola..." Jake looked surprised at the quaint structure.
"Umbreeee!" Vatonage cheered, catching Lillie by surprise and jumping up at her. He was just really happy to see her.
"W-Wahh!" Lillie cried out. "H-Hey Vatonage..."
"Vatonage, down boy!" Aubrey laughed. "Lillie, hey!"
"Aubrey...Jake, it's so good to see you again," Lillie softly smiled.
"Oh hey! You're the two from the library," Acerola greeted with a wave. "Ready to take on my trial?"
"We will in a bit. We need to talk with Lillie first," The ranger answered.
"...Mind if we step inside for this?" Lillie requested. She had a feeling she knew where this was going.
"Hey Lillie. It's really great to see you again. We've been through so much together. Um…" The Hoenn trainer would sigh. "There's really no easier way to explain this so I'm going to be honest. A lot of mysteries surround Aether and their main objective right now and we even found out Cosmog is a Pokemon of interest for them right now. Can you please tell us everything you know that is why you've been so uneasy around them? It takes a lot to answer for you I imagine but we need as many answers as we can to help the Professor and everyone in Alola." Jake spoke deeply from the heart.
Lillie softly nodded. "I'll...I'll try my hardest."
"I...think I'll leave you three to this," Acerola could tell the mood here was a bit tense, so she opted to let them go back into a playroom to conduct this questioning.
"Thank you so much Lillie. Start from the beginning." Jake took a seat in the whimsical playroom with a notebook and pen and Forrest perching by the window.
"The beginning?" Lillie asked.
"Yeah, about how you know Cosmog," Aubrey answered, Vatonage occupying himself with the toy trains in the playroom. "Because I wanna know...why would you lie to us about how you know Nebby?" Lillie tensed up when the ranger asked that.
"Um...well, I..." The professor's assistant sighed. "I'm sorry about that...I just didn't know how you'd react if I told you what really happened."
Aubrey frowned, hanging her head. "Ah, Lillie, not you too..."
"See, the truth is...I mentioned before that Nebby once saved my life, and how I want to save it," Lillie explained. "A few months ago, Nebby had used its power to teleport me away from danger, and I wound up on the beach of Akala. That's how Professor Burnet found me."
"For future reference, we'll react like sane people and not like meanies if you tell us big important information Lillie. You can trust us," Jake reassured. "So you think Nebby is Cosmog then?"
"Nebby is Cosmog. I just named it Nebby," Lillie clarified.
"Hmm..." Jake winced inside. This meant if they knew Lillie had Cosmog, she'd become a target. It was the worst case scenario coming to life. They had to find some way to keep Lillie and Nebby hidden from the public attention before she really ended up in danger. "And as for Aether itself? What have your interactions been like with them?"
Lillie paused a bit, trying to think of what to say. "Um...I know that their branch chief isn't a very pleasant person...but their staff are a lot more approachable."
"We could tell, just looking at the guy makes me wanna punch him," Aubrey rolled her eyes. "You don't want to be anywhere near that guy, right?" The professor's assistant quickly nodded in response. "That would explain why you were hesitant when Hau offered to take you on that boat ride with him."
"Yeah, I don't blame you either," Jake nodded in agreement.
"And the president?" Aubrey followed-up. "What do you know about her?" Another pause from Lillie. From a glance, it looked as if she was drawing a blank.
"Lusamine...?" Jake felt bad saying her name out loud when there clearly was a connection between her and Lillie.
"I..." Lillie trailed off.
"She reacted negatively hearing your name when we brought you up to her," Aubrey mentioned. "She knows you...but why?"
"...I don't have to answer this, do I? I...I don't know how you rangers handle questioning," Lillie then asked, clearly uncomfortable with this subject.
"I mean...we'd really, really, really, really, really appreciate it at this point to know why but if you need time we'll give it to you." Jake offered a compromise.
Lillie let out a deep sigh. "I know you want me to tell you everything, but...I'm scared what'll happen if I do."
"You're...scared? Why?" Aubrey looked confused.
"Aubrey...you and Jake have been nothing but nice to me. You're benevolent, strong...I'm just worried what you'd do with this information," Lillie confided. "What if you rushed headfirst into trouble and got seriously hurt because of me? I'd feel awful if that happened."
"But that's a part of my...ugh..." Aubrey buried her hands in her face, partially out of annoyance, and partially out of sadness. "It's fine, Lillie...just chill here and wait for us to be done with our Ghost trial, okay? That should be enough time, right?"
Lillie slowly nodded. "Sorry about making you do all this running around, you two...I just need some time to...y'know..."
"Call us if you need anything. Would you like us to leave one of our Pokemon here to keep you company?" Jake offered as well. Secretly, he was thinking Lillie NEEDED a bodyguard at this point.
"If you want to, Jake, that'd be appreciated," Lillie answered.
"Right. You do that, I'm gonna go get ready for the trial." Aubrey would sit up, motioning for Vatonage to follow her. Jake could tell that the nagging feeling from earlier was still eating at his ranger friend.
Jake summoned Byron, a new friend who seemed to vibe with Lillie's quiet meekness. "Byron, this is Lillie. You and her have a lot in common. Stay with her and have her get to know you." Byron smiled bravely and reassuringly at Lillie, nodding in agreement to this idea. Forrest followed after Jake as they made to leave.
Aubrey took the time to change into her ranger uniform, grumbling to herself. "Ugh, you run headfirst into a trap one time to save some wild Pokemon, and suddenly everyone thinks you're an idiot..."
"Aubrey...? You are starting to worry me." Jake frowned, feeling antsy about Aubrey's tense tone and pained expression.
The ranger let out a sigh. "About me getting upset that the people here don't seem to trust me?"
"Frankly, I think this is not a you thing. There's obviously some big drama that happened and everyone involved would rather not talk about it because it was that painful for them. And like, we know from Team Skull's deal they have plenty of baggage to make them behave incoherently to what would be right. It's the same for Gladion, or Lillie, or Aether." Jake said, trying to take a neutral point of view. "Plus, they might have gone through so much they don't feel comfortable opening up and trusting others like they did before."
"That is...a definite possibility," Aubrey conceded. "But seriously, I'm not some dumb jock. What, she thinks I'm just gonna charge in there and get us all beat up like some goober left out of the loop in a mission?"
"Oh honey, honey, honeyyyyyyyyyyyy." Jake suddenly adopted a larger than life and flamboyant tone that was clearly intent on cheering up Aubrey. "Hooooooooooonnnnneyyyyyyyyyyyyy. You are the smartest jock I know."
"...Might as well tell you before we go," Aubrey decided. "Before I came here to Alola, Van and I went on a mission. There were multiple reports of ships being sunk out at sea on some recently discovered island. Our goals were to find any survivors of the wrecks and get em off the island, first off. Secondly, we were to determine the cause of this phenomenon, and third we were to get data on the Pokemon that called the island home."
"Oh, so you were referring to something else...okay. You are free to share." Jake and Forrest showed attentive perspectives ready to hear and understand Aubrey's motives for being so torn up. "What was the Pokemon?"
"Ready for this?" Aubrey leaned against a wall before she continued. "It was a Lugia. Some soldier boy team calling themselves Stormshock wanted to take Lugia for themselves so they could rule over the oceans."
"Poor Lugia doesn't deserve all this crap. I'm glad you stepped in for their sake," Jake smiled.
"They wound up using me to deliver them the three keys to get to Lugia...used some wild Pokemon to try and lure me out," Aubrey shook her head, pretty much telling Jake that the bad guys' plan worked.
"Ehhh...? Was it a diversionary tactic on their part? Were you at least able to rescue Lugia from their clutches?" Jake's eyes widened.
"We were, but I needed Van to rescue me first," Aubrey admitted. "Since then I've tried to rein myself in, but it still hurts that people think I'm too reckless for my own good. It happened one time, and I haven't done anything like that again."
"And that's all that matters isn't it? That you haven't done anything like that again since. You've grown and learned your lesson and keep applying it. You don't need to judge yourself based on past standards. Present actions reflect the strongest on a person after all." Jake smiled.
"Well of course it should!" Aubrey exclaimed. "It still burns me up when stuff like that happens...don't get me wrong, I understand why Lillie doesn't want me getting hurt, but like...I can handle it. What's the worst they could do?"
"Based on that eldritch jellyfish and the story I heard about an Ultra Beast devouring villages...feed us to Ultra Beasts," Jake shrugged half-jokingly, half-seriously.
"Yeah right," Aubrey responded. "Are you ready to go?"
"Of course. Let's raise our spirits by facing down spirits!" Jake said chipperly. He really hoped he helped improve Aubrey's confidence and mood.
With a nod, Aubrey and Jake would go see Acerola, who was eagerly waiting for them. "Done talking with Lillie yet?"
"For now, yes," The ranger answered. "We're ready for our trial."
"Alright! Follow me, you two!" Acerola would lead them outside of the Aether House and down towards Route 14, a black sand beach with a light drizzle falling down.
"Ahhh... I always liked the rain." Jake smiled.
"It's a pretty good feeling. Nothing too heavy," Aubrey mused.
"If you two want to prowl around this beach before we go into the trial grounds, feel free," Acerola offered. "You might find something good here...and it seems your partner has a plus one with him."
"Huh?" Aubrey turned around to see Vatonage walking around with a Snorunt. "When did you get here?"
"I just noticed that, Aubrey," Acerola answered. "I wouldn't know."
"Runt runt!" The Snorunt bounced up and down, doing a little dance with Vatonage. "Runt?"
"Well yes, Vatonage is with me," The ranger told Snorunt. "What's up? You wanna come along with me?"
"Snooo!" The Snorunt answered cheerfully.
"Heh. Vatonage found a friend," Aubrey mused. Though then she realized something. "Oh wait...I already have six Pokemon...and my Partner Pokemon that I'm allowed."
"He sure has attracted a lot of company." Jake chuckled. "You are looking more and more like those Pokemon fans at the Pokemon Fan Club now Aubs! Maybe I should hold onto the Snorunt for now since I left Byron back with Lillie and we can work this situation out when we get back to her?"
"Um...lemme just call out my team and see what we think," Aubrey decided, doing just that - Tenor, Nom, Erwing, Hunter, Don, and Roark all stood at attention.
"Snorun..." The Snorunt looked impressed with her lineup.
"Alright guys...we need to figure something out. This Snorunt really wants to join up with me, but I've already got a full team..." Aubrey sighed. "We gotta make a decision here..."
Hunter would look to Don, the Herdier whimpering.
"Umbreon..." Vatonage frowned, walking over to Hunter. It would seem that during this discussion, Hunter didn't want to leave her best friend's side.
"Mud..." Don frowned as well, looking at Hunter sympathetically. Even if they got separated, he would tell her that no matter what, they would always be friends to the end.
"Umbre, Umbre!" Vatonage then mentioned that Don was able to be a Ride Pokemon.
"Herdi..." Hunter smiled, giving Don a hopeful look when white light started to surround her.
"What the..." Aubrey looked bewildered at this.
"Wowzers! Friendship Evolution go!" Jake looked stoked.
Once the light faded, Hunter would evolve into the Big-Hearted Normal type, Stoutland, happily barking as she did so.
"Wow! It looks like your Stoutland wants to be your Ride Pokemon to stay with you, Aubrey!" Acerola giggled.
"Of course...Hunter and Don can stay together this way," Aubrey smiled. "Is that what you want, Hunter?"
"Stout." Hunter nodded, affirming her decision.
"Well alright then." With Aubrey going to catch Snorunt, Acerola would stand in front of the trial grounds gate.
"I'll let you switch up your team and scour around. When you're ready to head in, let me know!" The trial captain instructed.
"Ok! This is great though! We're so going to ace this Trial!" Jake jumped up and down, clearly overexcited. Forrest smiled and shook his head at his trainer's antics.
It would take a little while, as Aubrey went to switch out Hunter for her new party member Snorunt, and explored the waters out a way to find a purple TM that would come in handy - Shadow Ball!
"Yo, Jake! Wanna share the wealth?" Aubrey asked, teaching the move to Tenor.
"Oooooooh yeah. Belle would love this!" Jake summoned Belle who was only very happy to learn a more powerful and potent Ghost-type move.
"Well come on, let's get it taught," Aubrey offered, tossing the TM to him. "As for Snorunt and Electabuzz's names..."
Jake thought about it as soon as he finished teaching Belle the move. "Electabuzz should be something badass like Avenger!"
"Snorunt...Snorunt...well the lady at the Pokemon Center said Snorunt was a girl," Aubrey thought about it. "I feel like I should just go with something simple and fitting. Winter sound alright to you?"
"Runt runnt!" The Snorunt agreed.
"So now I have Forrest, Belle, Dew, Hazel, Byron, and Avenger! The ultimate team!" Jake posed dramatically to mimic the postures of each of his Pokemon as he did the roll call.
"And I have Tenor, Nom, Erwing, Don, Roark, and Winter. I like the team I've got," Aubrey chuckled as they went to Acerola.
"My team is better than yourssssss~." Jake teasingly sang.
"We'll see about that, man." Aubrey would roll her shoulders as Acerola would see they were ready.
"So, I guess I should get to the explanation on what you have to do this trial, huh?" Acerola mused.
"Mmhmm. Thanks Ace," The Hoenn trainer responded.
"Allllright! This old building is chock full of Ghost-type Pokemon," Acerola began. "Here's where the trial part comes in. You've gotta find the Totem Pokemon and snap a shot of it with your Poke Finder! The totem is a prankster and loves playing hide-and-seek. No doubt it'll come out and play with you if you start snapping photos of other Ghost-types inside. So if you see weird stuff happening, check it out."
"Okay, Rotom!" Aubrey exclaimed, Rotom popping out of her bag.
"You called, zzt?" Rotom asked.
"I just need to borrow your Poke Finder for a sec," Acerola said, taking Rotom.
"Wha- zzt! Hey! Watch the goodzzz!" Rotom cried.
"Aaand there! I set it up to use a special shooting mode for this trial. You could probably call it 'Ghost Trick', ya know?" Acerola giggled.
"...The references are uncanny." Jake muttered. "Well ok then. We can work with that."
"Uncanny or not, we know what we're doing." Aubrey would perform her own ranger pose. "Mission...start!"
"Mission...start!" Jake and Forrest's poses were on point.
Acerola would get out a Drifblim themed umbrella and open it up. "I'll be standing out here waiting for your return. Best of luck!" She waved as the two headed on inside.
As the two entered the trial grounds, they would see the abandoned megamart's interior, boxes around, empty shelves knocked over, and overturned shopping carts. The atmosphere might've been unsettling, but Aubrey wasn't afraid.
"Serving Pokemon uprising aftermath realness." Jake said aloud as he kept Belle and Forrest out for this. Aubrey would primarily keep Vatonage out for this, the Umbreon's eyesight being her best asset here. They would see a conveyor belt near a register move on its own, and with Rotom as the ready, they would fire up the Poke Finder.
Meanwhile…
Outside of Aether House there would be a brief flash of light as Vanessa would land outside of it having 3 Poke Balls on her, along with the presence of a Mewtwo.
"Well this looks like the place. Thanks, Mewtwo!" Vanessa smiled at it. Mewtwo would nod and was about to teleport off again when it noticed something and would nod its head in that direction.
Vanessa had teleported in outside of range of two Team Skull grunts, and Plumeria, who were about to head on inside - they had waited for Aubrey and Jake to leave with Acerola before making a move, and would've gotten farther if it weren't for Vanessa making a move of her own.
That move was pointing her stun gun at them. "I got it from here." Mewtwo would teleport off back to Cerulean Cave. Just in time to run into a hyperactive lady who has a thing for smacking people in the face with Poke Balls. Buuut that is not important right now. "Judging by your state of dress and the giant skull necklaces...I would assume your members of the illustrious Team Skull," Vanessa began.
"Yo, what's it to ya?" One of the grunts would ask Vanessa. "Trying to act hard out here?"
"Settle down my naughty siblings. I know that familiar tough girl swagger..." Plumeria stepped forward and flipped Vanessa the bird. "That's for being another broad getting in Team Skull's way. We got a very important thing to find, and my boss already got beat up earlier by the stupid ranger girl that I'm pretty sure you know."
"Wow. You wave hello or goodbye to your mother with that hand?" Vanessa snarked. "Also I literally just got here, or did you miss the Legendary Pokemon who dropped me off? Furthermore it's our job to stop people like you from messing with both Pokemon and the general public."
"I don't care if Mewtwo is your ex or your father or whatever. I'm not scared of someone who hangs with Legendaries. It doesn't make you better than us." Plumeria's strong posture indicated she was serious. "Like you would actually know what family is either."
"Yeah, you better scram, homie!" The second grunt chimed.
"I would, but I'm not going to argue facts with you," Vanessa responded in a serious tone. "So I'm going to give you two options."
"Calling the shots eh? Fine. Be self-righteous. We're just trying to get Alola on the right track and get us a life just so you know." Plumeria folded her arms.
"Oh I agree with you on that front but you're going about this the wrong way," Vanessa empathized. "But really, you can back off or we can fight. But given by your demeanor It's going to be option two. To which I must ask, are we going to Pokemon battle or are we getting up close and personal?"
Plumeria snickered rudely. "Too much of a sissy to fight hand-to-hand like your partner?" The other grunts laughed right after her.
"Nah. I just prefer to solve things with words if possible," Vanessa answered honestly.
"Yeah! Big sis ain't afraid to get down and dirty!" The second grunt guffawed. "Yo, big sis! Keep this punk busy while we get what we came here for!"
"Alright boys, go for the girl and her Cosmog. I'll show Vanessa here why I left Aubrey a broken mess in our last fight," Plumeria bluffed and got into her combat stance.
Vanessa did an eyebrow raise. "And where did you hear my name? I don't think I ever introduced myself. Oh well." She would get in her own stance, her stun gun pointed at Plumeria before pulling out one of the Poke Balls, a Quick Ball to be specific. "Gastrodon! Slow those two down!" The Quick Ball would land in front of the stairs and an East Sea Gastrodon would come on out.
"Gastro!" It cried. Sadly for Gastrodon, the two grunts would slip on by Vanessa's partner and head on inside, oblivious to what waited for them inside. As the grunts attempted to breach their way into the playroom, they found an unexpected and formidable sight. A determined and stern-looking Bastiodon that blocked their view of wherever Lillie and Nebby were. The grunts gulped nervously and were about to draw their Pokeballs only to get Taken down and charged into the wall by Byron.
"Da heck is going on in there?" Plumeria heard the crash but had to swiftly dodge an attempted hit from Van, and thus focused on the fight.
"That sounded like a Bastiodon. Good choice for a guard really. It's a literal wall!" Vanessa mused, sending a quick shot at Plumeria's right leg.
Plumeria, insulted by the weapon, did a swift and surprisingly graceful roundhouse at Vanessa's arm holding the stun gun, hitting it and knocking the gun out of her hand. "Says a lot about the privileged to bring weapons to a one-on-one brawl against an unarmed opponent."
"I would say less privileged and more...practical." Vanessa would dodge a punch and proceeded to kick one of Plumeria's legs out to knock her down to the ground.
Plumeria landed with a thud but retaliated with a quick leg sweep to knock Vanessa down to the ground as well. "Not bad..." As she spoke, she saw her grunts run out of the Aether House in a bruised and desperate fashion. Plumeria grunted in annoyance and picked herself up. "So there must've been a Pokemon in there..."
"Yeah, I guessed a Bastiodon based on the cry." Vanessa bounces off her hands onto her feet.
"Shoot. Who gets a Bastiodon at a time like this?" Plumeria considered the idea of trying to tackle Bastidon herself with her Pokemon but knew Vanessa wasn't going to give her that chance. She'd have to knock Vanessa out. "Whatever. Beat you down, knock Bastidon out, get what we came for. Easy enough." She ran forward with two swift hook swings.
Vanessa would side step, dodging the first one and then grab Plumeria by the wrist on the second one, pressing down very hard on two very specific points on her hand causing a fair amount of pain before pulling her forward, stepping to the side, and giving her a kick to the back.
"Aughhhhhhhh...!" Plumeria grimaced and bit her lip hard enough to draw blood as she never felt such specific pain like that. "What...even...are you rangers...?!" She shouted, feeling fiercely angry about seemingly being outclassed again.
"The protectors of Pokemon and nature," Vanessa answered. "Also if it helps to soften the blow...I'm a trained medic so I know all sorts of nifty things about the human body. You want anything for the bit lip?"
Plumeria picked herself up and tried to shake off the injury desperately, she wasn't willing to back down. "I don't want anything from people who brought me and the boss so much pain! You are no-good mercenaries for hire! Trying to keep Alola stuck in the past! I won't... can't... lose to that!" With a furious charge she lunged forward and tackled Vanessa to the ground and started slugging Vanessa in the face much like she did with Aubrey, not pulling back her punches.
Vanessa would hold her arms up in front of her face to block the Punches as best as she could. "Rrrgh…" She grunted, reaching up and pushed down on two other pressure points on Plumeria's neck to force her off. Plumeria choked and gasped as she felt her breathing struggle and she rolled off of Vanessa and laid on her side limply, lip bleeding, trying to refocus.
By the time Plumeria got up she would see Vanessa is over by her partner Pokemon Gastrodon, ready to keep on going, stun gun back in hand and tossing a regular Poke Ball in the hand her Styler is on. Plumeria groaned and looked defeated, tearing up again and sighing sadly to herself.
"Now then. Let's get on the right foot, shall we?" Vanessa had a sympathetic tone of voice as she began returning to words instead of violence. "My name is Vanessa Parker, Top Ranger of the Ranger Union, and partner to Aubrey Bradford. And I mean it sincerely when I say that we both want to improve this situation that Team Skull has found itself in, being the outcasts of society living in a town stuck in a torrential downpour for who knows what reason. There are things not right in this region, and we will not rest until we figure it out and try to fix it." She held out her hand to Plumeria to help her back up. "Do you believe me now?"
Plumeria frowned and looked frustrated at this. Though there seemed to be a small amount of hope in her eyes as well, defiant as her body language may have been. "It's... easy saying things like that as the winner. Team Skull is born of losers trying to make ourselves winners. We were doing fine until Aubrey and Jake and...now you came here. Are we really so lame and powerless to make things better for us as a team?"
"I don't think so," Vanessa disagreed. "You all obviously care for each other. I can see it in your eyes. Maybe you just lack the proper motivation. You say you want to make things better for every one of you as a team, but what exactly does that mean? And how does messing with the public and young trainers trying to complete the Island Challenge benefit that goal at all?"
"They get celebrated and revered either by winning or failing and having someplace to return to. We didn't get that! They even have the new Pokemon League thing to look forward to! Nothing's been given back to us for what we've endured. They deserve to have a little taste of what reality was like for us." Plumeria picked herself up stubbornly and approached Vanessa. Aggressively but without a notable sense of hostility. "Otherwise it just feels like society is singling US out as worthless. We have to give ourselves worth which is why Guzma gathered us all in the first place."
"I can actually agree with that. It's not fair that you're being singled out like this," Vanessa concurred.
Plumeria sighed. "Just treat my wounds already then. It's the nicest gesture we've gotten from someone I had problems with in awhile." She seemed to stand down.
"Very well then." Vanessa would get out a bottle of pain medication. "You're not allergic to anything are ya? Cause I know some people are allergic to ibuprofen."
"Generous and nerdy of you but you don't have to worry. I'm just allergic to dirtbags and have to kick their butts if they mess with me or my family." Plumeria said in a wisecracking manner.
"Funny," Vanessa responded, handing her two pills and a bottle of water. "Take those with the water and I will see about that lip of yours." When Plumeria did that, Vanessa would get to work treating both of them.
Back at the Ghost trial…
After dealing with a Gastly, a Haunter, and a Gengar, Aubrey and Jake were hot on the trail of a Pikachu that was running around in the megamart ruins.
"Moving conveyor belts, dancing shopping carts, floating plushies...sheesh, this the best you got, ghosts?" Aubrey sounded pretty chill at all the happenings so far.
Jake, following along with Belle and Forrest seemed slightly unnerved. "I don't know. The twerking shopping cart will haunt me in my dreams."
"Oh Arceus, please don't remind me of that," Aubrey sneered, as they approached a set of double doors in the back of the store ruins, and saw Acerola there, but she was facing away from them.
"...Who are you?" She would ask. Aubrey raised an eyebrow.
"I...thought you knew us? Aubrey Bradford, Jake Hagguire? We're here on our trial," She reminded.
"Oh...never mind that." Acerola shook her head. "Looks like you're done with the trial, right? We should hurry up and leave this place."
"Nuh uh. It ain't over until the fat Totem Pokemon sings." Jake sounded very proud recounting this fact.
Acerola shook her head. "This place is dangerous. You should give up on your trial and get out."
"What? No!" Aubrey protested. "We haven't gotten a photo of the Totem Pokemon yet!"
Her tone grew cold. "I told you to get out."
"I'm not leaving...make me." It dawned on Aubrey what was happening.
"Get out," Acerola stubbornly stated as the area around them started to shake.
Forrest and Belle, having long endured many battles and trials like this, were not backing down either. "You get out!" Jake childishly but resolutely called out. As Acerola began screaming to get out over and over again, Aubrey would flick her Capture Disc out, the disc phasing through Acerola as she disappeared!
"Heh. An illusion," Aubrey mused. "Ghost types do it all the time."
"I'm more concerned about what would've happened if we did attempt to leave." Jake chuckled. Then he pouted. "Ok, ghosts. It was fun while it lasted but now it's time to end this." A lock would be heard clicking open, as if responding to Jake's verbal writ of challenge.
"Well, no place to go but forward," Aubrey mentioned, opening the double doors into the back room. What they saw was a bit of an unusual but nonetheless unnerving sight. In a room vaguely resembling an old-fashioned prison cell were countless posters and memorabilia of a very certain Electric Mouse Pokemon.
"Pikachu..." Jake looked on in surprise. It was then the Poke Finder fired up on its own, Rotom looking surprised.
"I'm...sensing something super strong around here. Is it the Totem Pokemon?" He asked.
"Probably." Aubrey then paused. "...What're the chances if I turn around, the Totem Pokemon is literally right behind me?"
"Litwick." Belle seemed to be saying hello cheerfully to something behind her Trainer. Aubrey would turn around with the Poke Finder to see what it was that was staring at them. It was a small creature whose body was covered almost entirely by an old, faded yellow rag, with the only parts of it that were visible were its black beady eyes and the fringe of an amorphous foot seen under the rag's hem. Upon closer inspection, the rag seemed to bear resemblance to Pikachu.
The creature shook itself at Aubrey and Jake, not really looking hostile at first.
Forrest looked puzzled. Belle continued to make conversation with the oddly cute Pokemon. "Lit..." 'Your name?' is what she would ask.
"I didn't know Pokemon could dress up like that," Jake whispered to Aubrey.
Rotom would give them the information from the Dex. "Mimikyu, the Disguise Pokemon. Its actual appearance is unknown. A scholar who saw what was under its rag was overwhelmed by terror and died from the shock."
Aubrey looked puzzled at this. "Really? This cute little thing is that scary? Huh, I don't get it."
The Mimikyu would start twitching, taking on the form of the Pikachu they were tailing earlier for a brief moment before returning to its normal form, exclaiming, "Ssseeeeeeeeee meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!?"
"...Yes Mimikyu. We see you," Aubrey assured. The Mimikyu had an aura flare up as it was now hostile. Aubrey would look to Jake. "You wanna take this one first?"
"Ok...! Settle down there Mimikyu. We don't come in hostility, we come in peace." Jake tried to lure the Mimikyu into the grocery store where it angrily appeared to swipe away some nearby debris with a shadowy claw. As he tried to leave the room, he'd find the door was locked again, trapping them in the back room. "Ugh! There's barely any room here! Aubrey are you ok?" Jake growled in annoyance as Belle started with a Shadow Ball against Mimikyu that hit the Disguise Pokemon as it slammed Forrest into the ceiling with their claw.
"I'm okay!" Aubrey called, flicking out her Capture Disc at a Haunter who was attempting to join the fray. The Mimikyu's disguise would be busted, its rag covered head falling over to the side. The Shadow Ball didn't do any damage to it, but it was certainly vulnerable now. The awkwardly small size of the room led to a frenzied and random brawl as Belle and Forrest blasted the Mimikyu with Shadow Ball and Razor Leaf respectively, trying to inflict as much damage as possible.
Totem Mimikyu's small stature would play to its advantage here, avoiding the attacks as it went for another sweeping Shadow Claw at the two Pokemon.
Vatonage meanwhile, had dived into Aubrey's bag to retrieve the Shadow Ball TM. It needed some cover, to which he called out Erwing to provide, but he would start to try and teach himself Shadow Ball to assist Aubrey in the battle before them.
Belle and Forrest were slashed against the wall and looked tired and weakened by the attack. They'd come so far but if this Pokemon and space would work against them, what could they do...? "C'mon you two! Belle, Forrest, I believe in you more than any haters may think! We've come this far and once we're done with this Trial, we got many more things to look forward to together! Don't give up!" Jake, rather than freak out and get stressed, took a more empowering approach.
"Litwiiiiiiiiiiick!" "Daaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrr...!" As though in unison, with hearts and mind as one, both Pokemon felt a new passion reignite within them and white light shrouded their forms. Aubrey would deal with the Haunter, now contending with a Gengar.
"What's going on over there, Jake!?" She called, Vatonage having tossed the TM back into Aubrey's bag like a frisbee. It seemed to have succeeded in its endeavor, getting Gengar off Aubrey's back with a well placed Shadow Ball.
"Forrest and Belle... they are...!" Jake watched spellbound as the candle became a lamp and the owl became a hunter. Belle and Forrest had become their new forms, evolving into something new! "Lampent!" Belle's voice seemed to become more eerie yet still reflected her cheery nature. "Decidueye." Forrest's tone remained mostly the same, imposing and mature though now had the age and wisdom of an experienced battler.
As Rotom would try and tell Aubrey the details, she'd shut him down with, "Not now, Rotom! You can tell me after the trial!"
"Oh...okay. I'll just go back in the bag like a good Nebby." Rotom would zip back into the ranger's bag at this.
"Ok Mimikyu, you asked for it! Forrest, use Spirit Shackle and pin them down! Belle, follow in afterward with a Shadow Ball!" Jake gave his commands. Forrest extended his quill-like wings and drew an arrow quill with a thin line of shadowy energy making it like a bow. The arrow quill then charged with spectral energy and was fired towards Mimikyu. Mimikyu attempted to block the arrow with the claw but the arrow simply looped around it and landed on the ground in front of them.
Then the ground was stricken with ghostly energy, igniting in a beautiful blue flame and keeping Mimikyu trapped while it took significant damage. Belle then, now using it's now appendages to harness and truly focus the most powerful of darkest energies, summoned a larger Shadow Ball and sent it flying straight for the Mimikyu. It blasted the Totem Pokemon on impact with significant burst damage and sent it falling forward and landing unconsciously onto the ground.
"Wow...nice job!" Aubrey complimented, having finished her capture on the Gengar. Vatonage pranced around with glee, but Erwing meanwhile, was a bit wary. This seemed easy. Too easy...
"Cro..." He warned, looking at the fallen Totem Mimikyu.
Jake exercised similar levels of caution and hugged Forest and Belle. "Glad to see you reach your true potential Forrest. Belle. I'm so proud... but we're not finished yet are we Mimikyu?" Forrest and Belle pulled away from the hug and looked ready to continue the fight.
The Totem Pokemon's body was twitching, its aura flaring back up to life with a more light blue color - the room seemed to expand as it started to distort, the Disguise Pokemon having done a sneaky trick by walling Aubrey and her Pokemon off from Jake and his teammates with a barrier of spectral energy.
"What the-!?" Aubrey exclaimed.
"Aubrey?! Aubrey be careful!" Jake tried in vain to hit and break through the barrier with his fists and his Pokemon's attacks but it seemed the Disguise Pokemon had a grudge against Aubrey. So strong their desire for a one on one that no one could interfere.
From what Aubrey could tell, this Mimikyu wanted a turn at her. "It wants me now...and it's clear it doesn't want you to intervene. But don't hurt yourself over there!" She readied her Styler for another round. After all, Acerola only said they needed to snap a photo of the Totem Pokemon. She never said anything about them needing to beat it. As such, she felt justified in what she was doing here.
"We'll be careful, just try not to get yourself killed from fright ok?!" Jake begged jokingly. Suddenly Jake, Forrest, and Belle noticed something appear. A bunch of illusions of Pikachu appeared beside them, overseeing the fight as they were, all crying 'Pika, Pikachu!'
"What the...? It drew an audience in...? Ok this is getting silly." Jake pouted. Forrest looked incredulous but Belle seemed deeply sympathetic. Perhaps Belle had gathered some intel from her encounters with Mimikyu thus far that explained this bizarre occurrence.
Aubrey flicked out her Capture Disc, shouting, "Capture...on!", the second half of this Totem battle beginning. Mimikyu would try swatting away the disc with its claw, with Aubrey focused on keeping her distance, but her opponent was quite persistent. A Banette would enter the battlefield, forcing Vatonage to face it down with its newly learned move, Shadow Ball!
"Why are there Pikachu here anyway...and why is Mimikyu so obsessed with it?" Jake wondered out loud. Jake looked around for any other clues to use that could explain this and noticed that there seemed to be a very slight drizzle around where Mimikyu was. Perhaps another illusion but if it was the drops of water like rain falling down, that could just so easily be a metaphor for something else…
As Vatonage was dealing with the Banette, Totem Mimikyu would go for a cheap shot on the Umbreon with Play Rough.
"Vatonage!" Aubrey cried, looking relieved as Erwing dove in to swat Mimikyu back with Cross Poison.
"Crobat!" Erwing shouted, firmly denying Mimikyu's dirty tricks.
"Umbre umbre!" Vatonage happily barked, appreciating Erwing's help.
"I think I got it. Aubrey! I think the Mimikyu is suffering from loneliness and a desire to be as beloved and popular as Pikachu! Maybe there's a way to pacify it!" Jake called out to Aubrey.
"Lampent!" Belle urged them to try not to do anything reckless and that'd make the Mimikyu suffer more.
"Why do you think I'm using my Styler, man?" Aubrey called, wincing as her disc was hit with a hard Shadow Call. "Shoot..." Not helping matters was Banette landing a parting shot on Erwing with Will-o-Wisp. Deciding to kill two birds with one stone, she'd recall her Crobat and call out Nom. "Nom, charge me up! Vatonage, keep the Mimikyu distracted!"
"Vika!" Nom agreed.
"Breon!" Vatonage agreed as well. With Vatonage keeping Mimikyu at bay with a Shadow Ball volley, Nom would provide some electricity to repair the damage done to Aubrey's Styler.
Mimikyu would start to get irritated, calling in a Jellicent to assist.
"Oh shoot, it's furious...this is when we use Poke Assists, normally. Nom, take out the Jellicent! Thunderbolt it! Vatonage, keep up the pressure!" Aubrey ordered.
"Yeah!" Jake cheered them on.
"Umbreeeeeeon!" Vatonage kept going on the Shadow Ball attacks as Nom floored the Jellicent with her overwhelming power. It was down in one attack before it could do anything!
Aubrey went back for a few loops, before seeing Totem Mimikyu lunge at Vatonage with a Leech Life - in a moment where she was acting on instinct rather than strategy, she would lunge in front of Vatonage, the Totem Pokemon biting down on her right arm, causing her to wince in pain and almost drop her Styler.
"Nnngh...!" She grunted, Nom forcing Totem Mimikyu off her with a Crunch attack.
"HEY! If you bite or hurt Aubrey again like that Mimikyu I will buy all the Pikachu merchandise I can to spite you!" Jake growled angrily at seeing his friend hurt.
Having heard that, a shadowy hand would reach out and smack Jake right across the face in retribution.
"I'm okay!" Aubrey called, holding her right bicep. Through grit teeth, she tossed her Styler into her other hand, resuming work on loops with Nom providing assistance in calming it down.
It was quite the ordeal, but the three of them were finally able to hear that satisfying pop sound to signify a successful capture, the spectral barrier fading to signify they had prevailed.
"Owww..." Jake rubbed his cheek from the slap but then noticed that the reality started reverting back to normal. Forrest and Belle both looked relieved. "Alright! Departing crazytown and returning to reality."
"Mimi..." The Totem Pokemon looked down at the floor, now looking sad. When Vatonage would talk with their adversary, they'd finally get the full story - the reason it wore the rag it did and had all these images of Pikachu was its desire to appear in the spotlight just like the Electric-type did. It dressed like Pikachu in hopes that it too would be loved.
"So that would explain...a lot," Aubrey responded, putting her Styler back on her hip after retrieving the disc. She still held her injured arm, but after the adrenaline was wearing off, she only seemed to be in a slight amount of pain.
"I'm sure that, regardless of Pokedex propaganda, the real you could be an icon in some shape or form. It's better to be yourself than hide in the shadows or imitate someone else. Plus, if you are blessed by the Tapus seeing as they've allowed you to live here, they are sure to help steer you along the right path." Jake tried to share some support with Mimikyu.
"Mimi..." The Disguise Pokemon looked away for a moment, before hopping up and down with a happy expression. "Mimikyu!"
"Aww, it's a happy camper now," Aubrey mused. "Say, you mind if we take your picture, little guy?"
"Mimimimi!" Mimikyu agreed. Rotom would come out of Aubrey's bag, making sure the duo were in the shot with Mimikyu, snapping a few photos of them together.
"Say Illumina!" Jake cheerfully exclaimed as he took his best selfie pose.
Once the photos were snapped, the back room door unlocked itself, allowing them to leave. When they stepped outside, the rain had passed with the afternoon sun shining brightly in the sky. Acerola's first concern was seeing Aubrey's injured arm.
"Oh yikes...I can look at your pictures now. What happened to your arm?" Acerola asked.
"The Totem Pokemon happened," Aubrey answered, Rotom showing Acerola the pictures. Jake rubbed his arm insecurely. Like Acerola, he was also bothered by Aubrey's injured arm. Then he looked at Forrest and Belle and smiled, feeling better upon realizing that even this ordeal was a reflection of their newfound strength and courage.
After looking over the photos, Acerola smiled. "Yup, that's Mimikyu alright! It's pretty hard to catch on film, so this was a pretty super job you two did! So for completing your Ghost trial, I present you both with the Ghostinium-Z!" She'd give them a purple Z-Crystal with a ghostly decal in the center.
"Belle and Forrest both will get some use out of this," Jake chuckled happily as he picked it up. "Thank you Acerola."
"By the way...where the heck is this picture anyway? There's no back room in that old building," Acerola mentioned.
Aubrey paused, looking at Jake. "...Come to think of it...I don't think the Megamart on Akala had a back room either."
Acerola shuddered. "Brrr...I'm getting chicken skin just thinking about it. I'm gonna head on back to the Aether House now. I'd also say go get someone to take care of your arm there, Aubrey." She would walk off, leaving the two to head on back at their own leisure.
"Eh, it's not that scary to me. Right, Aubrey?" Jake smiled at Aubrey.
The ranger shook her head. "Not at all, honestly. Let's just hope Key can fix me up," She responded with a smile. Jake could tell that Aubrey's been through her fair share of bad wounds in the past. It would explain how she's able to move on back to the Aether House without it bothering her too much.
"Although...I really hope Lillie's alright. Byron too especially. I'd hate to imagine they captured him or her or both while we were away knowing that she's in hot demand right now." Jake frowned as they made their way over. They wouldn't find Team Skull outside the Aether House, but they found someone else that Aubrey wasn't expecting to see.
"Wait a minute...Van!?" She exclaimed. "Van! Hey!"
"Oh hey Brey!" Vanessa waved at the two.
"Oh so you're the Vanessa I heard so much about! Great to meet you, you look like a reliable and beautiful young lady!" Jake cheerfully ran up and shook Vanessa's hand.
"Oh thank you." Vanessa returned the handshake and brought Aubrey in for a brief hug. It was then Vanessa would notice the bloody wound on Aubrey's arm.
"Boy have we got a story to tell you," Vanessa's partner began.
"Yeah, the Totem Pokemon bit her. Sorry about that. I'm not as good at playing nurse and defender for Aubrey as you probably are," Jake nervously chuckled.
"Well, it's why I'm with her in the first place." Vanessa went into her medical bag. "Missed quite a lot here too."
Aubrey nodded. "Mhm. Couldn't have asked for a more perfect partner. You mind if we go first?"
"Oh sure, go for it," Vanessa agreed. After a vivid description and lots of imagery with exceptional emphasis on Jake's part, Vanessa got everything she needed that she didn't know yet from Jake and Aubrey. "Huh. Interesting…" Vanessa had a thoughtful expression on her face mulling this all over.
"Yeah, we were hoping you'd be able to give us the last piece of the puzzle here," Aubrey remarked as Vanessa treated her injury. "Alright, your turn. What happened here that we missed?"
"Well first off this morning, I was still in Kanto on Cinnabar Island," Vanessa began. "I just found some research notes that suggested that I found the lab where Mewtwo was created as well as a potential hiding spot for it in Cerulean Cave. So I headed there and prevented Team Rocket from capturing Mewtwo. After befriending it with the Capture Styler, it offered to teleport me back to the Ranger Union so I could get the information I needed for you two, as well as give me a lift close to where you two were."
"Waiiiiit, you recruited Mewtwo to our cause? Huh. Good on you for protecting it from its abusive creators," Jake nodded in approval.
"Pokemon that help us after we befriend them with the Styler go back to where they were living," Aubrey mentioned.
"Mewtwo kinda teleported off after it dropped me off here. Sooo I have no idea where it went," Vanessa responded to Jake, but nodded to Aubrey's point.
"And then what happened?" Aubrey asked, Vanessa having finished her treatment.
"A group of Team Skull showed up led by Plumeria. We had a...disagreement," Vanessa continued.
"Knowing her she probably wanted to speak with fists first." Jake flatly complained. Then the reality of what Vanessa said hit him and he gasped. "Wait Lillie?! Is she alright?! Dangit it I knew they'd come after her!"
"She is fine. They did however grab a Yungoos while I was distracted. And they left a note." Vanessa would hand said note to Aubrey, who grabbed it out of her hand and skimmed it over.
Vanessa would hand said note to Aubrey, who grabbed it out of her hand and skimmed it over.
"Guzma himself...he's calling me out," She mentioned. "Come alone...okay, this is obviously a trap. They want me away from the Aether House so they can come back here and grab Lillie." It was at this time that Hau would be arriving on scene, looking confused at what they were going on about.
"Heyyyyyy!" Hau waved. "Vanessa! It's good to see you in person!" He noted the dour mood. "What's going on?"
"Team Skull tried to kidnap Lillie, that's what," Aubrey responded, getting Hau caught up on what they learned.
"I see...let's head inside real quick. We need to figure out what to do," The young lad suggested.
"Oh right, before we do." Vanessa handed Aubrey back a Poke Ball that was very familiar to her. When they got inside, they saw Byron was still guarding the playroom. His stern expression softened instantly upon seeing Jake and Jake hugged his Shield Pokemon tightly.
"You made me so proud Byron! Thank you for keeping Lillie and Nebby safe! You've earned a good rest!" He then returned Byron to his Poke Ball.
Aubrey was happy to see her Skarmory again, as Vatonage looked up at her, curious as to what that was about.
"Oh yeah, Vatonage. Wanna meet my Partner Pokemon?" She asked. The Umbreon eagerly nodded his head as she called out Skarmory.
"Skarrrr!" The Skarmory proudly cawed at seeing his partner again.
"I missed you too, buddy," Aubrey chuckled. "Sorry for not bringing you along, I thought it would've made the Island Trials a cakewalk." Skarmory snickered at that, turning his attention to the Umbreon, who was eagerly running around him.
"Th-thank you, Jake...if it wasn't for your Bastiodon, I don't know what would've happened," Lillie returned the hug.
Once the group of five were gathered in the main room, Hau would start the discussion. "So it's true, huh? Team Skull really wants to get their hands on Nebby?"
"That seems to be the case. We're not entirely sure who the 'buyer' is that Gladion mentioned, but we have a hunch it's the Aether Foundation," Aubrey responded. Lillie frowned at the mention of this.
"I...I see..." She sighed. "I can see why you'd say that based on what you know, but...what are we going to do about this call out that Team Skull gave you, Aubrey? If it's a trap like you say it is, then they're just going to come back here."
"And there's no telling what they're planning for Aubrey at their base," Hau added. "So like...what do we do?"
"Well this is just my hypothesis but I think it'd be safer if Lillie traveled with us from now on. Kukui won't be able to look after her the way we can. Secondly, we should send a splinter team out of the five of us, preferably two people, to investigate the location they are aiming to lure as at," Jake proposed. Forrest seemed to consider this as a relatively good option on their strategy.
"A good plan, I would say," Vanessa nodded in agreement. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Brey?"
"You and I go to Po Town while the boys stay here with Lillie?" Aubrey asked.
"Sure. And I have the perfect Back up as well." Vanessa tossed a Poke Ball up and down in her hand.
"Although I don't think we should stay here. If anything we'd be safer somewhere like one of the Trial Grounds or a Pokemon Center. Team Skull knows this place after all. I wonder if we have time to move from here..." Jake frowned as he weighed their options.
"Well...regardless of where we go, I'll do everything I can to keep you safe, Lillie." Hau would take Lillie's hand with a smile. "I really want to do everything I can to stop all this...then we can go back to our fun times and bright smiles!"
"Hau..." She registered what Jake had said, nodding in agreement. "Right. If we go south of here, I...I think we'll run into a dead end. If we go back east, we'll have a chance of escaping to Maile City that way."
"Oh yeah, if you pass by the desert and the motel outside of it, you'll be on that rocky route where Hapu gave us Mudsdale to ride on," Aubrey remembered. "Think you two can lead Lillie to safety?"
"You bet we can!" Hau promised.
"Heck yeah! I'll lay my life on the line for her. Or at least my health insurance." Jake chuckled hopefully.
"Then we have a plan in action," Vanessa stated.
"So where should we meet up when you two are done?" Hau then asked.
"Hmm…" Vanessa thought about that. "I will leave that to you as I just got here."
Jake looked to Hau expectantly. "You know Alola better than me and Aubrey so can you think of a good spot?"
"Hmm...well, there is this malasada shop in Maile that we could go to," Hau eagerly answered. "Think that'll be alright with you guys?"
"Yeah. I know what they look like, I'll point them out to Van," Aubrey agreed.
"Excellent! Rest and relaxation is a must." Jake gave a thumbs up stamp of approval.
"Yeah." Vanessa looked at her partner. "Hopefully after this we can actually get to enjoy this place."
"Heyyyy, you make me sound like I'm a funsucker Van..." Jake folded his arms and pouted childishly.
"Oh come on Van, this has been one of the best vacays ever!" Aubrey laughed. "But either way, we need a way to contact these guys when we're done. Got anything, partner?"
"We could just call. They have phones." Vanessa stated the simplest solution.
"...Oh right, duh." After sheepishly rubbing the back of her head, Aubrey told Jake, "We'll call you when we're done."
"After this we're gonna get to Poni Island as fast as we can by grabbing the first boat out of here," Hau added. "We can do this!"
"Stay safe you two...Though I get the feeling you two can get anything done if you know each other that well." Jake smiled as he took Lillie's hand gently.
"We will, Jake," Aubrey assured. She and Vanessa would strike their poses, with Skarmory doing a quick loop in the air as Vatonage jumped on through the loop. "Mission...start!" Once they had done that, they went their separate ways, knowing what needed to be done. Divide and conquer was the goal here.
(So normally in the Alola campaign, they all wait there despite their location being compromised, but here we're making an effort to keep Lillie out of the clutches of Team Skull. Will it pay off? We'll find out next time. Bye for now!)