(This is it. The final day is upon us! I'm really sad to see this story nearing its end because it has been a lot of fun writing with my friends, but we've gotta bring it to a close. Let's get started.
The Reviews
LogBook: I preferred how this battle went than the one we got in the game. If you know what you're doing you should have a team that's already capable of dealing with Lusamine's team. I've rolled her every time.)
The sun rose on Seafolk Village as Aubrey woke up bright and early as she usually did. This was it. The last day of her vacation in Alola. She looked at Vatonage, who was curled up against her in slumber. Rubbing his head gently, Aubrey looked up at the ceiling. She was conflicted. Sleeping on what her choices were didn't help her come closer to any conclusive decision. This conflicting feeling did attract the attention of her ranger partner, however, who was awake shortly after Aubrey.
"Something up, Brey?" Vanessa asked, an eyebrow raised. "You look conflicted."
"Probably because I am conflicted, Van," The older ranger admitted. "Remember all those times I told you about my dreams of being a Steel type specialist and going on this epic Pokemon journey, but couldn't afford it at the time? It's the whole reason I became a ranger." Vanessa then had a look of realization.
"And now that chance is at your fingertips and you have no idea what to do," She said.
"Yeah, it's literally all right here, but I can't just abandon you," Aubrey responded, shaking her head. "Not after everything we've been through together..."
"Yeah…" Vanessa had a look of thought.
Aubrey rubbed her temples. "Man, I never thought I'd be in this kind of situation...like no matter what I choose, I've gotta give up something I love."
"...Not necessarily…" Vanessa said.
"What do you mean?" Aubrey looked at her partner.
"Brey. I have to ask. What do you think the Union is going to be doing now that the one major conservation area of Alola has now been found to be corrupt and twisted, even though we have taken that corruption out of it?" Vanessa laid it out for Aubrey.
"Um...be up to their necks in work?" Aubrey answered.
"Correct," Vanessa confirmed. "They would also more likely than not instate an Area Ranger. And Given your actions the past week...You're the most likely candidate."
"But...but what would happen to you?" Aubrey sounded a little concerned. "Would we still be together?"
"I believe we would," Vanessa wagered. "I do not see them breaking us up anytime soon."
"Sure hope not..." Aubrey frowned. They'd see Jake was now awake at this time. "Oh...morning, man. Uh...you didn't hear much of that, did you?"
"Mmm...it's stuff I'm powerless to intervene in so I ain't too worried. I'm confident you two will be fine though. If I win the Championship, I promise to vouch for you two," Jake said as he cleaned his glasses.
"I've still got till then to figure out what to do," Aubrey agreed, getting out of her sleeping bag. Vatonage would warmly smile upon waking up, stretching and nuzzling against the younger ranger.
"Welp, I wonder if Mina wouldn't mind us borrowing her bathroom. I'm in need of some hydration and cleanliness for sure," Jake muttered as he went to look for it.
"Oh, I'm sure she won't mind. We better get ready for her trial while we have time," The older ranger agreed.
"Yeah, she went over to her painting room. Said to send you two over when you were ready." Vanessa rubbed Vatonage's head.
When Jake returned after a while, he was in full fashionable presence. A new Chinoiserie print shirt with a Bellossom theme, long neutral khaki pants, and comfortable-looking hiking boots. His Mega Bracelet and Z-Ring were on proud display. Aubrey meanwhile, had her current uniform on, looking ready for a showdown.
"So...Fairy types. Erwing is gonna be really useful here, but there's just one problem. I don't...exactly know what Mina's planning," Aubrey told Jake. "But I think we'll be okay. We've got diverse enough teams."
"Obviously though really I'm relying hard on Byron here since I don't have much in the way of Poisons," Jake chuckled.
"Ah, you'll be fine. Just bust out that Hoenn experience you've shown us and we've got this on lock!" Aubrey smiled.
"Hoenn experience, you say?" Jake smirked. Was Aubrey really alluding to him being a former Champion and thus superior to her? Something about her tone suggested something different.
"Yeah, you'll be fine. You've got a Steel type, I've got a Poison type, both of us have kicked some major evil team butt, we'll be alright." The older ranger's response told Jake basically everything he needed to know about her perceptions of him.
"Uh huh...Aubrey, I've never fought Team Magma and Aqua. I've seen them around but they actually were surprisingly harmless to those who showed land awareness to their respective side at the time. And since the Delta Incident, they are basically neutral groups now. Pacified by the Champion who dealt with them." Jake explained. Forrest, who had woken up at this point, seemed intrigued by this story.
"...I was going to say. You do not exactly fit the description of the kid who dethroned Steven Stone as the Champ of Hoenn," Vanessa responded.
It was at this moment Aubrey's expression went into shock. "What...but I...you...what?"
"Hey Rotom, I think we have the perfect picture right here!" Vanessa teased. This would get Rotom chased around the room by a grumpy Vatonage, trying to salvage her partner's dignity.
"But...it doesn't make sense. This whole time I thought you...ugh, Arceus I'm a moron..." She scowled at Vanessa before hanging her head.
"Sorry Van but I guess I have to spill some truth tea," Jake laughed.
"It's fine, Jake," Vanessa chuckled.
"The champion I beat to become champion was the one who dealt with the Teams and Zinnia in Hoenn. May was her name as I recall," Jake said.
"Daughter of the gym leader Norman, right?" Vanessa asked.
"Mmhmm! Seemed like a bright young lass and I felt accomplished defeating them. Eventually I was dethroned myself but it's all part of the great Pokemon journey circle of life." Jake smiled brightly.
Aubrey didn't have another word to say as she went off to Mina's painting area, ready to get this over with. Vatonage meanwhile, brought back a knocked out Rotom in his mouth, setting him down on the ground in front of his partner's companions with a smile.
"Is putting your partner in a bad mood a regular thing with you two?" Jake shadily teased Vanessa. It was part of his attempt to defend Aubrey's feelings.
"Huh.. I would have guessed Rotom Dex as Steel/Electric Type…" The younger ranger registered what Jake had said. "And not really? I was more going for a light tease there. Sorry, Brey!"
When Aubrey and Jake would show up at Mina's spot for painting, she was in the middle of making a nice mural of the scene she had seen yesterday. And someone was with her too - Ilima!
"Ah, so you two are ready?" She asked.
"Greetings! It's been a while, hasn't it?" Ilima chimed with a smile.
"For you yes, for Mina no," Jake chuckled. "Thanks again for letting us stay over at your home."
"Ah, it was nothing," Mina mused, continuing to paint. "So I'll be honest, I kinda just slapped a trial together for you two to make it official. I hit up the others before bed, and a good chunk of them agreed to help." She'd turn away from her mural, which showed a wonderful scene of Aubrey, Jake, Vanessa, and Lillie summoning the Legendary Pokemon at the Altar of the Sunne.
"You two will be battling against some of the captains in Double Battles. Succeed in four battles back to back, and you will be able to face the Totem Pokemon. From there...well, you can guess what to do, right?" Ilima mused.
"Beat it like always, got it." Aubrey looked raring to go.
"Sounds ambitious, but a trip down memory line is the spirit of a final Pokemon challenge. We're ready." Jake hit his clenched fist into his open palm and smirked, Forrest matching his gesture.
"Alright, look at you two ready to go," Mina smiled. "You've both got that same fire Vanessa has...oh yeah, have her follow us outside to watch. Wouldn't wanna mess up this painting you guys can keep."
Jake nodded in agreement. "Of course. I'm framing it for life."
The group would head outside, Aubrey going to get Vanessa on the way out. "Hey, look...you don't have to feel bad. I'm...still kinda...ah, forget it. Main thing is Lusamine didn't do any worse to me when we fought."
"Yeah, sorry about that," Vanessa apologized. "I was trying to lighten the mood this morning. We're good, partner."
"Heck yeah we are." Aubrey would go to get ready with Jake, seeing that their first opponents in this gauntlet were Mina and Ilima themselves, and with them were several others they've befriended along the way - Lana, Mallow, Kiawe, Olivia, Sophocles, and Molayne too!
"There's our heroes!" Olivia mused. "We heard the whole story from Mina last night."
"Yup. So...did Aether's President really survive?" Lana asked. "It's remarkable..."
"A miracle in fact," Jake nodded.
"We knew those Ultra Beasts were tough based on what Olivia was telling us," Molayne commented. "But you guys came out okay."
"Indeed. I look forward to seeing how much you two have grown since you left Melemele Island," Ilima smiled, both him and Mina having Poke Balls ready.
"Let's get this trial started!" Mina sent out her lead, a Mawile, and Ilima sent out a Gumshoos.
"Okay...I'm thinking Don, what about you?" Aubrey told Jake.
"Belle, I choose you!" Belle, the Chandelure emerged in sublime style, ready to fight alongside her trainer's traveling companion and her Pokemon. 'Chandelureeee~' She announced how ready she was.
"Let's do this, Don!" Aubrey called out her Mudsdale, who looked at the two before him and thought to himself, 'Finally! A fight worth trying in.'
"Belle, set them ablaze with Inferno!" Jake called forth Belle's pure might that had developed over the course of the journey to send a fiery wave flying forth at both the Gumshoos and the Mawile.
Don meanwhile, went ahead to clash with a Heavy Slam against Gumshoos, their combined efforts flooring the captains' leads!
"Impressive...okay. Granbull, come on out!" Mina sent out a Granbull, and Ilima went with his Smeargle.
"Smeargle, Surf!" Ilima exclaimed, catching both the ranger and Hoenn native by surprise.
"Belle, cut a path through the tides!" Jake responded with a composed resolve. Belle sent forth a giant Shadow Ball through the surf, blasting apart a hole big enough for her to fly through and escape the strike. Don did his best to follow Belle through, though Mina seemed to have expected this. Something about Jake told her he'd definitely try advanced tactics like this.
"Hey Granbull, hit Belle with Stone Edge," The artist instructed, Granbull going for the Rock type attack.
"That was pretty good, Jake," Ilima complimented, his Smeargle narrowly avoiding an attack from Aubrey's Mudsdale. "Are you a Contest Trainer?"
The rocks of Stone Edge managed to crush Belle underneath some hard rubble, sending the Luring Pokemon into unconsciousness.
Jake conceded this loss. "Good effort Belle! And let's just say I take the best of both Contests and professional Pokemon battling and roll it into one." He returned Belle and brought out his next Ball, "Byron I choose you! Iron Head now!" When the Bastiodon emerged, no ounce of fear was shown on his face as he flew forth at Granbull and steamrolled the Fairy-type Pokemon with brute force and his head.
Aubrey decided to recall Don once he dealt with the Smeargle, Ilima and Mina sending out their last Pokemon. For Ilima, it was a Komala, and for Mina, it was a Ribombee.
The older ranger couldn't help but smile. "D'aww...that's adorable," She mused.
Vanessa looked over at the last two. "What is up with the Normal type?" She asked. "It's asleep."
"That's because of Komala's Comatose ability," Ilima informed.
"Sounds more like a medical condition than an ability in this instance. Byron, Ancient Power on the bee!" Byron nodded and summoned powerful rocks straight from the ground that he flew at Ribombee. Ribombee danced around the attack from Byron, responding in kind with a Psychic blast.
"Comatose?" Vanessa researched the ability. "...Huh...that is...useful? It is always counted as Asleep."
"Well I'll answer your bug with a bug of my own! Nom, help us out here!" Aubrey called out her Vikavolt, just as Ilima was having Komala use Wood Hammer, seeing the koala looking Pokemon sleepily swing its log around for a mighty attack.
Bastidon was flung into the air and crashed down roughly onto the ground by the Psychic attack but Byron recovered and then gave a harsh, snarky remark in 'Bastiodon' towards Ribombee that incensed the little Pokemon enough to increase its attack but make it confused in blind rage. The Swagger was too much. Nom meanwhile was able to flit around the Wood Hammer, repelling Komala with an X-Scissor attack.
The determined Bastiodon shot forth more Ancient Power rocks but this time, the Ribombee charged straight into one in its haste to make Byron pay, sending it flying back.
With one last Thunderbolt from Nom, the battle was won.
"Brilliantly done!" Ilima complimented.
"Yeah. Nice work." Mina smiled, giving them two petals - a pink one, and an orange one. "You'll need these petals from us to take on the Totem Pokemon."
"Petals eh? Are they Spirit Petals?" Jake chuckled.
"Spirit Petals?" Aubrey blinked in confusion.
"I have not heard of those before," Vanessa seconded.
"They are the very essence of the legendary Spirit Tree. Once given to someone it will immortalize your unbreakable bond together! The ultimate symbol of one's efforts!" Jake spoke and posed dramatically as he told what was very likely some kind of fairy tale.
"I...see. Guess you'd wanna give me one after all we've been through, huh?" Aubrey guessed.
"Oh for certain, if they existed in the first place." Jake winked.
Vanessa couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh, you two."
"Alright, so next up..." Mina stepped back with Ilima as Lana and Mallow got ready.
"Us!" Mallow exclaimed. "Think you can handle us forces of nature?"
"Water and Grass...pretty strong for a combination, don't you think?" Lana mused.
"Girls, I'm a ranger to the core - nature is my middle name!" Aubrey boasted in her usual fashion.
"Aubrey Nature Bradford...not sure it rolls off the tongue that well," Lana snarked.
"Yeah, she is like that." Vanessa did a playful eye roll at her partner.
Jake healed up his Pokemon real quick as he gave a warm nod to the familiar faces.
"I do know what rolls off the tongue well though. 'We win, you lose!' So get ready for history repeating itself ladies!" Jake teased in Aubrey's defense.
Their battle kicked off with their own leads - Trevenant for Mallow, and Lanturn for Lana.
"Hmm..." Aubrey thought about what to do here. "That Lanturn might have Volt Absorb...and I have no idea what that tree looking thing is-"
"Vika vika!" Nom was adamant about staying in. "Vika vol!"
"Well okay, I was gonna have you lead regardless," Aubrey sheepishly responded. "Don't sweat it, Nom."
"Ooh, a Trevenent," Vanessa commented.
"Forrest, to arms!" Jake smirked as Forrest flew forth in majestic fashion and was ready to fight. "Decidueye!' No hesitation!'
With Lana and Mallow setting up with Thunder Wave and Leech Seed on Forrest and Nom, Aubrey knew what needed to be done.
"Avoid that Leech Seed, Nom! Hit Trevenant with uh..." She noticed that Forrest and Trevenant had some similarities she couldn't ignore. Grass/Ghost, maybe? She had to check. "Crunch!" The Vikavolt went for just that, her mandibles clashing with a defensive Shadow Claw. Forrest flew out of the path of Thunder Wave and sent a Spirit Shackle at Trevenant as well, making sure to follow up Nom's pressure. With their combined powers, they'd be able to down the Trevenant, though this forced Nom to tank a Thunder Wave for Forrest, shaking it off easily.
"Vika vika! Vikavolt!" Nom shouted to Forrest, telling him to handle that Lanturn while she tussled with Mallow's next Pokemon, a Shiinotic.
"Oh hey, that's the mushroom Pokemon I was talking about," Vanessa noticed.
'Decid!' Forrest was more than eager to do that and flew swiftly at Lanturn to strike it twice, one in and one on the way back, with Leaf Blade-laden wings.
"The spectre shroom." Jake flatley nicknamed it. Forrest was able to bring down Lanturn, Lana bringing in her next Pokemon - a Cloyster. The good news is that Forrest didn't have to deal with Shiinotic, though the bad news currently was that Nom was asleep from a use of Spore.
"Icicle Crash on Forrest, Cloyster!" Lana exclaimed. Forrest wasn't deterred, sneaking into the shadow plane as icicles crashed violently upon his location. When he reemerged, right in front of Cloyster, Cloyster got a vicious claw-filled kick to the face via Shadow Sneak. Cloyster clamped down to trap Forrest's foot, keeping him there for a prime Moonblast from Shiinotic.
Forrest flew back but regathered his posture and recovered in the air before he could collide with any terrain. He then gave a resonant cry to Jake to express his strategy. "Ah, I see what you mean. You're right. Time for the main attraction! "Jake harnessed his Decidium-Z and had Forrest unleash Sinister Arrow Raid upon the Cloyster for a full-force attack.
Nom meanwhile woke up, attacking relentlessly with X-Scissor. Lana and Mallow exchanged glances.
"There's one way we can turn this around...y'know what we've been working on together?" Lana asked.
"Yeah! This'll be one spicy kick in the teeth they're not gonna expect!" Mallow answered, the two of them sending out their last Pokemon - Araquanid and Tsareena.
Before Forrest and Nom could react, they would see both of the captains doing their poses for their respective Z-Moves.
"What are they doing?" Aubrey wondered.
"This might be big," Vanessa cautioned.
"I think they call this a pas de deux in ballet." Jake pointed out. Forrest tried to keep his distance, cautious about the potential attack coming forth. Nom meanwhile, was defiantly ready for whatever they could throw at her.
A sudden surge of motion came forth as Araquanid and Tasreena both started twirling around, creating a swirling stream and a circlet of flowers. The very ground beneath them seemed to become lush marshland, spreading green across the field before a tide of water flowed in and even the Trainers themselves could feel the coolness of the water and the soft lumpiness of the newfound greenery. Then the stream and flowers flowed together and suddenly flashed a vivid aqua-green light, becoming the shape of a bubble that grew bigger and bigger and encompassed the sky. Finally both Pokemon struck finishing poses and the giant bubble collapsed on both Nom and Forrest, sending a huge splash of water and a finishing array of petals flying into the air before all disappeared entirely in soft, radiant light. Thrilling Terraform!
Needless to say, Nom was ready for everything they could've thrown at her, except that.
"Oh my Arceus...I didn't know it was possible to combine Z-Moves like that!" Aubrey was blown away by the captains' display. It was enough to make Vatonage wake up from a nap, having laid himself down next to Vanessa.
"Umbre?" He was quite curious as to what just happened.
"Yeah, you just missed a big move, buddy," Vanessa answered, petting his head.
Forrest barely stood up, having been forced onto the ground and picking himself up weakly as while he endured the brunt of this attack, the earlier Moonblast and this had left him critically low.
"Yikes... it was beautiful and blasting. Forrest I might need to recall you for now." Jake decided it was better to let Forrest rest than risk him putting himself into ko territory. "Avenger, we'll need your power!" Avenger appeared, adjusting his hat and giving a fiercely determined look at his opponents.
"Winter, help us out here!" Aubrey exclaimed, calling out her Froslass.
"Thunderbolt!" Electivire snapped his fingers and suddenly a sharp and large Thunderbolt appeared from a cloud that appeared instantaneously above Araquanid and zapped the knock-off Dew.
"Frost Breath!" Winter went for a strong attack that halted Tsareena's advance, blasting her away with an Icy Wind to close it out.
"Umbre umbre!" Vatonage hopped up and down to cheer for his partner.
"Whew...looks like you had it all under control," Lana mused.
"So what'd ya think? Did you like our combination technique?" Mallow asked, eager to hear what they thought.
"I thought you two seriously improved in both ingenuity and cleverness from last time we fought! I'm proud to see Alola's Trial Captains are honing their craft!" Jake gave a thumbs up to Mallow and Lana as Avenger beamed at them.
"I gotta ask though, how'd you do it?" Aubrey wondered.
"We've been practicing for the past few days. It was pretty tiring...but with grit and my cooking, we finally got it figured out!" Mallow answered.
"Indeed...please don't subject me to so much wondrous food like that again," Lana requested, though the rangers and their plus one could tell that Lana's voice was dripping with sarcasm.
"Well as long as she isn't killing anyone with her food, it's good for her..." Jake whispered to Aubrey.
"I don't know if that's even possible." Aubrey simply offered up a shrug as they got their blue and green petals from the two, prompting the next pair to come up for a battle - Kiawe and Olivia!
"Hey! It's been a while," Olivia greeted. "How have your fossils been treating ya?"
"Oh Byron's been awesome! He went from a shy, scared Pokemon unsure of his new surroundings to a leader of a cavalry charge!" Jake reported.
"And Roark smashed his way through a lot of the challenges, so we've been great!" Aubrey answered with a beaming smile.
"You've both shown to burn quite bright together when you last tackled my trial. I hope to see that flame hasn't dimmed!" Kiawe looked ready to go, as did Olivia.
"It sure hasn't!" Jake said as he healed up his Pokemon AGAIN in time for the coming bout.
The two would lead with an Arcanine and an Armaldo, prompting Aubrey to send in Tenor. "Tenor, you're on!"
"Dew, it's your moment!" Jake cried out. Dew smiled and did a little happy dance, prepared for the coming fight and happy to make more opposing trainers' lives miserable.
Tenor, acting as a natural foil to Dew, had a smile as he was ready to slam out a memorable performance this fight.
Olivia was more than prepared for this. "Armaldo, Stone Edge on Araquanid!"
"Extreme Speed, Arcanine!" Kiawe called.
As this was happening, Aubrey called to Tenor, "Keep calm...Sparkling Aria!"
Weathering the Extreme Speed, Tenor would go for Sparkling Aria, looking quite fabulous as he did so. Dew meanwhile got onto his usual Spider Web canopy for a vantage point and to swiftly evade the Stone Edge and then shot forth a focused Bubblebeam like a sniper at Armaldo.
While it was able to bring Armaldo down, it wasn't enough to stop Arcanine from using Extreme Speed again to try knocking Dew off his perch. Olivia shrugged this off, sending in a Cradily, with our protagonists realizing that at least for Aubrey, they were up against a wall, and this Pokemon was indeed that wall.
Dew growled as he was indeed knocked off but he used Spider Web to entangle Arcanine as he fell and then swung down hard, the webbing pulling Arcanine and slamming him roughly down to the ground. Then, his light size making it easier for him to harness gravity, Dew followed up by not only using Arcanine as a landing platform, but with a newly harnessed move! Liquidation! He pelted the fire dog after surrounding himself in water.
"Woah!" Aubrey was surprised by this startling development. Dew wasn't done yet. After rudely kicking off Arcanine's unconscious body, he leapt up and decided to help his partner's Pokemon by sending an Infestation flying towards Cradily.
"Aubrey don't fret. If you have a Bug, Ice, Steel, or Fighting type, you can have the edge on Cradily!" Jake pointed out. "And if not, just hit it with everything you got!"
"Got it...though I wouldn't advise sending a Bug type out against a Rock type," Aubrey mentioned. "Tenor, stick with Dew!"
"Primari!" Tenor agreed, with Kiawe sending out his next Pokemon, a Talonflame. And it wasted no time putting a potential end to that plan with a flat out Brave Bird charge.
Dew, insulted by the attempt but liking his odds, flew at Talonflame with Liquidation. Soon both Pokemon collided with their high impact attacks and a burst of energy had Tenor and Cradily doing their best to stay grounded to avoid being flung by the shockwaves. The end result being the attacks were so great, it was a mutual takedown.
Tenor was doing everything in his power now to take down Cradily, keeping his distance with Psychic to avoid Giga Drain.
"That was a fierce bout Dew! You may be unsettling but you are undeniable!" Jake smiled and returned Dew. "Forrest go!" Jake resummoned Forrest, who had been healed up in the transition period between fights, and he used Spirit Shackle on Cradily to keep the Barnacle Pokemon as immobile as possible to give Tenor more room to work with.
This play would work, as Tenor would be able to close the show on Cradily, getting Kiawe and Olivia to bring out their last Pokemon - an Alolan Marowak for Kiawe, and Olivia's Probopass!
"Figured I'd change it up a bit on you two," Olivia mused.
"Flattered." Jake remarked. Forrest, instinctively sensing his trainer's resolve, flew at Probopass with Leaf Blade on arrival. Olivia would foil Forrest's aim with a point blank Power Gem, getting back in time to pull off the move, leaving Tenor to deal with the Alolan Marowak. The two were engaged in a bout of tennis with a Shadow Ball from Tenor, with Marowak using its club to smack back the Shadow Ball, and Tenor using his tail to return the volley.
Vatonage found this all very amusing, barking in a happy way as if he wanted to give this a try himself.
Aubrey couldn't help but laugh at her Umbreon's playful nature. "I think he wants to play with you, Van. Or someone."
Forrest grunted in annoyance from where he crashed, picking himself up and instead going for a Spirit Shackle against his larger and confounding looking foe.
Aubrey couldn't help but laugh at her Umbreon's playful nature. "I think he wants to play with you, Van. Or someone."
In an interesting maneuver, Olivia went to try something. "Hmm...Probopass, get ready to spin around with Sandstorm."
"Pass!" Probopass responded.
Forrest flew around cautiously. He was no longer scared of getting too dirty but Sandstorm had notoriously caused him problems in the past. He shot out another Spirit Shackle, content with ranged poking against Probopass.
With Probopass answering Forrest with Power Gems to shoot down the Spirit Shackles, Aubrey had an idea.
"Tenor, once you slap it back, Sparkling Aria once more!" She exclaimed.
"Pri!" With a hearty smack of the Shadow Ball, Tenor went for Sparkling Aria again, seeming to be the break that the two starter Pokemon needed to close the curtains on this match. Forrest saw the bright sheen of the attack and nodded, getting an idea in mind. He used Shadow Sneak to fade into the shadows before re-emerging from under the floating Pokemon and striking Probopass upward.
The two's combined attack, with Primarina following this up with a follow-up Shadow Ball, would bring the battle to its end!
"Good to see we're still burning not just brightly, but fiercely!" Aubrey beamed.
"Like the northern lights and a campfire!" Jake grinned. Forrest flew over and gave a hi-five to Tenor, appreciating their teamwork having become so masterful from when they first met.
"But the northern lights are cold..." Aubrey deadpanned, smiling at Tenor and Forrest exchanging pleasantries.
Kiawe and Olivia both handed over a red and purple petal. "Nanu didn't feel like being here, so here I am. Just one more battle before the Totem Pokemon. Think you two can handle it?"
"The lights themselves are not, just where they shine is cold. Light will always be bright!" Jake corrected her. "And you bet!" He continued after turning his attention to their former opponents. "Thanks for the great fight."
With a humble nod, Kiawe made way for their last pair of opponents - Sophocles and Molayne.
"Heh, this takes me back to when I did the island trials," Molayne smiled. "Ready, Soffy?"
"You bet, Big Mo!" Sophocles looked pumped to do this.
"Oh hey science scholars. Has the lab been doing alright since the last time we met? I know things got pretty crazy so hopefully there wasn't another invasion in your place," Jake chuckled after waving hello warmly to them.
"We've been doing alright ever since your trial there, Jake," Sophocles answered. "But we're here for a battle. Better give it your best effort!"
Calling out Don, Aubrey was certainly ready to give it her best. She really did want to conserve Erwing for the Totem Pokemon, having no idea what Fairy type it would be. "Yeah, always and forever I'll give it my best effort."
Jake on the other hand summoned his own Fairy Type, Morality, and Mega Evolved them to full glory. "Same. I'd rather forfeit than cheese."
This would get Jake weird looks from his ranger companions.
"Um...cheese?" Aubrey wondered. "Like...I get Morality's awesome and all, but isn't Mega Evolution kinda cheese on its own?"
"Eh, not necessarily," Vanessa clarified. "Diancie doesn't really hit that hard without help from it's Mega Evolution."
"I was referring to giving my full effort, Aubrey, and relying on safe tactics, not the Mega Evolution Legendary!" Jake blushed heavily while Morality shrugged nonchalantly. It was the type to just do its best and be there for those who needed it's help the most.
"And besides, from the looks of Morality and me being a Steel type specialist, it balances out, doesn't it?" Molayne chuckled, as he and Sophocles sent out their leads - a Skarmory and Togedemaru respectively.
"I guess so, yeah," Aubrey admitted, Don looking ready to go.
"...You can take the Skarmory." Jake said before Morality sent out a surge of Diamond Storm at Togedemaru.
"Man Brey, we could have had a Skarmory vs Skarmory match here!" Vanessa exclaimed.
"That would've taken forever though!" Aubrey shot back, Don going for a Rock Tomb. Skarmory went ahead and set up with Spikes, leaving Togedemaru to roll up and charge through to the best of its ability with Zing Zap towards Morality!
Morality flew upward in a heavenly ascension to get further away from Togedemaru before following up with a Moonblast from up above in a vaguely Shonen manga fashion. Togedemaru was fast enough to avoid the attack, Skarmory breaking off to chase Morality down with Steel Wing.
"Jake, Don can't really get up to Skarmory - let me handle the Togedemaru for now. Keep Skarmory busy!" Aubrey ordered. With Morality and Skarmory off the ground, she felt safe in having Don go for Earthquake to really dish out some damage to the Roly Poly Pokemon.
Morality took advantage of the situation to use Trick Room, causing Skarmory's flight to suddenly become a mere levitation as both Pokemon's speeds were reversed as Morality suddenly sped forward with a point blank Moonblast. Don was able to speed around thanks to Morality's support, kicking Sophocles' next Pokemon, a Magnezone, with Low Sweep. Skarmory meanwhile kept pestering Morality, managing to hang on despite the powerful attack. Indeed, Morality wasn't able to deal much damage to Skarmory, taking some hits in the process.
"Morality return, Belle, we need you!" Jake made a quick swap as Belle appeared and sent a stream of Inferno blasting forth from her appendages at Skarmory.
Belle was able to make a good switch in, taking down Skarmory while Don took care of Magnezone. Molayne would send out his second Pokemon, a Metagross, while Sophocles sent out his last, an Alolan Golem!
"Oooh boy. I remember that," Vanessa commented.
"Umbre?" Vatonage looked at Vanessa quizzically.
"First mission we were on, the bad guys were using Alolan Golems as artillery to try and hit us with rocks," The younger ranger explained.
"Yeah, it's a miracle I didn't get messed up," Aubrey mentioned. Metagross and Golem had taken their time to go after Don, a Zen Headbutt from Metagross and a Steamroller attack from Golem - he was still able to stand thanks to Stamina, but it certainly was a strong combo. Belle flung a powerful Shadow Ball at Metagross as it approached Don, landing the projectile easily.
With Metagross soaking the hit, the Steel/Psychic type launched itself at Belle with Bullet Punch, with Golem firing Stone Edge at Belle to follow up the priority move. However, it wouldn't do much after that since Don was right on it with a Low Sweep attack.
Belle wasn't falling for the same attack twice in one day, she simply used Inferno's recoil in an extra big charge to send herself shooting backward while also sending the attack flying at Metagross. It scratched Metagross slightly from being inaccurate but got Belle far enough away to avoid the Stone Edge. Don eagerly took that as his cue to go for Earthquake, managing to take out both Pokemon at once, leaving an Alolan Dugtrio as the last one from Molayne. The rest of the fight could be figured out from there.
"Whew..." Aubrey smiled.
"Bonzai!" Jake twirled around and struck a cheerful pose as Belle floated over him doing her own gleeful bob.
Sophocles smiled, handing over the last flower petal they needed, yellow in color.
"Yeah, I should've known you two could handle it. You've taken on two Totem Pokemon at the same time before. Two trainers is nothing," Sophocles said.
"Now, I think that's all the petals...mind if I see them?" Mina asked, walking over to the two. "It's time to call the Totem Pokemon."
"Is it a Florges? It'd go in line with the flower power." Jake inquired.
The artist didn't answer as she took the petals and turned them into a beautiful Rainbow Flower, as Vatonage would go over to Aubrey, ready for action.
They watched as the Totem Pokemon peacefully went over to them, revealing itself to be...a Ribombee!
Jake looked underwhelmed. "... I'd have preferred the Florges honestly. We just took care of one of these."
"Yeah same," Vanessa agreed. "That looks a bit underwhelming." Jake actually looked super happy and relieved seeing he and Vanessa were on the same page and did a 'she gets me' gesture and expression towards Aubrey, looking all too touched.
"Well...I did say I wanted you to have something of a chill trial," Mina mentioned. "But that doesn't mean Totem Ribombee here is going to be a pushover. Do what you wish to beat this battle, and the Fairium-Z is yours. Good luck, everyone!"
The Totem Pokemon smiled, an intense aura flaring up as it got ready for battle. Vanessa took another look and realized she had an open mouth, insert foot moment.
"...Oh my. I believe it just did the double stat boost for all of it's stats," She remarked.
"Wow. That's...uh...surreal to say the least..." Jake's speech took on a pained, even disbelieving tone as he sent Byron out and recalled Belle.
"...Yeah, I was about to say there had to be some sort of catch," Aubrey deadpanned to her two traveling partners, calling out Erwing and readying her Capture Styler. Mina stood back as the battle began. "Capture...on!"
Sensing his trainer's panic made Byron a bit nervous and suddenly he worried and doubted that he'd be able to do much to such a daunting and threatening Totem Pokemon. Erwing on the other hand was pumped for this battle, sensing that Aubrey was ready to give it her best effort. He would lead with a Cross Poison strike as Ribombee went for a Quiver Dance to set up. After taking the hit, rainclouds would start to set in as a Pelipper came to its aid.
"Byron, use Iron Head!" Byron hesitated and didn't do anything except whimper. Jake realized something was up. "Eh? Byron, don't fret! It's...it's scary yeah. I know. It's the final Totem Pokemon before we're finally free and successful in the trials. But that also means once it's down, we've won! Plus you're not fighting alone! Give it your all and I know we'll both be super proud of ourselves at the end of the day!" Byron listened to his trainer's words with great relief and he smiled.
With his confidence fully renewed, he leapt at the Ribombee with a leap and an Iron Head attack. Ribombee was able to flit out of the way, leading the Pelipper to follow up with a Scald to counterattack.
"Crap! Erwing, keep Ribombee busy! I gotta help Byron!" Aubrey exclaimed, changing her Capture Styler focus to Pelipper. Byron did not get deterred, even after taking the hit, only broadening his approach and using Ancient Power rocks to cover his charge this time by creating more obstacles for Ribombee to deal with. Ribombee didn't mind this, currently fighting with Erwing as the Crobat was having an even match against him, despite the type matchups.
However, with Byron's help, they were able to get the Pelipper tamed, though the rain kept on falling down.
"Phew...we kept that up for any longer, Byron might've been in serious trouble," Aubrey told Jake.
"For sure! Good job, Aubrey!" Byron then pounced on Ribombee and knocked the Totem Pokemon back with Iron Head. This was after Erwing had baited Ribombee down to Byron, managing to get the hit, but it was far from done, sending out a Bug Buzz at Byron - any Ancient Power would have their rocks shattered from the force of the attack's buffs through its aura and Quiver Dance.
Byron was disoriented severely by the hard strike and he unfortunately collapsed from the earlier hit and this one.
"Shoot! Ok...next best bet then. Avenger go!" Jake made another exchange and Avenger came to the frontlines again, ready to tackle the Totem Pokemon head on.
Ribombee would call another Pokemon to help, this time a Blissey, who wasted no time going to raise a Light Screen. And with Ribombee's speed, special attacks were not going to cut it here.
"Okay...if you can deal with Blissey, Erwing and I can probably tame this Totem," Aubrey said, her Capture Disc able to keep up with the Totem Pokemon's incredible speed.
Avenger smirked and took it as an invitation to get physical, swinging a furious Thunder Punch at Blissey and knocking it to the ground before it continued to pummel the Pokemon.
Erwing was starting to tire from this game of cat and mouse, but with Avenger keeping Blissey busy, all she needed to do now was get one more hit from her Crobat, and she could finish the capture right there.
It was hard fought, but Erwing was just able to close the gap for a Cross Poison that landed clean, and Aubrey would hear that all familiar and satisfying pop to signal the successful capture.
"YEAH!" The older ranger exclaimed in joy. "Oh yeah!"
"Electivire!" We nailed it! Avenger was extremely proud of themselves.
Jake gave a huge sigh of relief. "And here I thought the Mimikyu Trial was more pain-inducing." The Hoenn trainer remarked. "Man, this goes to show that when you put your mind to it and to Pokemon, you are unstoppable, Ranger Aubrey." Jake sincerely complimented his companion.
"Right...now you two, what have we learned today about underestimating opponents?" Aubrey asked, recalling a tired Erwing to his ball.
"That even if you face the same Pokemon twice in one day means they are still respected opponents," Jake answered.
"Even small cute things can be deadly in the right circumstances," Vanessa followed-up.
"Yes, and yes." Aubrey put her Styler back as Mina walked up to them with a smile.
"Nicely done. Welp, it's safe to say with that, your trials are basically done. But there's one more thing I gotta do for you." She would hand over the light pink Fairium-Z, with the group having one last Z-Crystal to find!
"Thanks for everything, Mina. We gotta get on over to Ula Ula now for the endgame stage." Aubrey certainly looked ready to go, though the talk she had with Vanessa this morning still rang in her head. Odds are yes, the Union would have her take care of business here with all the going-ons, but uncertainty was keeping that smile of hers from being as big as it could.
She shook her head, thinking nothing of it at that point in time, with Vatonage looking pumped to get this final stage underway, heading towards the Union's ship to get ready for the climb they'd be taking.
"You think Aubrey's preoccupied with something? I saw that small crack in the actress-level smile of joy that should normally be genuine." Jake whispered to Vanessa when the Ranger and her Umbreon were far enough away as he was healing his Pokemon.
"Yeah. She has her dream attainable right in front of her now. But she is not sure she wants to give up what she already has," Vanessa responded. "Also she is a very likely candidate to be chosen to be the Area Ranger of Alola now that Aether is going to have to undergo a major overhaul."
"What's the Area Ranger of Alola like?" Jake asked
"Basically she would be the head ranger around here, and I would likely be with her as well," The younger ranger informed.
"Well that's pretty much the same thing as being a Pokemon Trainer right? Just not so much Pokemon battling and more Pokemon caretaking and rescuing. Looking after them and battling anyone who tries to harm them," Jake said.
"Yeah," Vanessa agreed. "The problem is Brey is not sure if she should even go for the League right now with that prospect on the horizon."
"Well...I'd be happy to take the League over for her if she doesn't want to have to go through that agonizing choice but I'd love for her to also fight for it. I support anyone following their passion and pursuing their dreams, and it's ok to have multiple ones so if one doesn't work out, the other has a higher chance of coming true," Jake suggested.
"Yeah. But that is for her to decide. I'm not going to force her to do anything," Vanessa responded.
"Same. She'd knock me flat on the ground if I tried to dictate her destiny. I just hate the idea of her going through turmoil when I was the emotional wreck in the beginning." Jake commented on how the peg was on the other leg - now it was Aubrey going through the emotional turmoil.
"Ah...well, we shall see. We can be supportive of whatever she picks," The younger ranger offered an idea on what to do.
"Certainly. I'm a cheerleader for her after all! Though admittedly I feel this is a case of show more than tell," Jake admitted.
"Yeah." Vanessa nodded. With that agreement made, the two of them went after Aubrey. Retracing the footsteps of the ranger with a dream and hopeful that she could work out the right destination of her life with their help.
(Finally got this chapter done, sorry it took so long. Next time, it is the FINALE!...of the main story. There will be two bonus missions after the next chapter, but stay tuned to see what the final choices will be, how the final battle turns out, and if this vacation was the best ever or not! Bye for now!)