A/N: 4/28/2020 I know, I promised. Last time, I swear! In writing Part 17, I realized Lunatone's move set was way off. Enjoy!
You fall through the muck and land in a dark tunnel. You can't see far in front of you, and for now, there's nothing you can do about it. Water slowly drips from stalactites above, creating small puddles on the ground. The tunnel is long and narrow. As you travel along, Croagunk, Ekans, Lunatone, the Psychic Wobbuffet, the Dark/Ghost Sableye, the Rock Boldore, and the Psychic/Flying Woobat will sporadically attack you. You can pick up a Dusk Ball and the Snarl TM. There's another TM behind a large boulder, but you can't get to it just yet. There are a few stalagmites that look like a Pokémon could break to find a wild Pokémon or a Rare Item.
Finally, you reach the end of the tunnel and ascend the stairs. The opening you come from opens onto a sandy beach. Krokorok and Sandygast, the Ghost/Ground sand heap, can jump you on this short stretch. With your Old Rod, you can hook Wishiwashi and the Water/Poison jellyfish Tentacool in the dark water. Far in the distance, you can see the bright lights of New Orleans.
You realize you're on the small island dubbed "The Shadowlands." Long ago, the forces of evil were banished to the Shadowlands to keep them contained and far away from the good people of the Region. Judging by the tunnel and the sketchy characters you've been seeing, you don't think the Shadowlands are as secure as once thought.
Sure enough, that large Gantu washes up on the beach beside you, sputtering. "Blasted abomination... Where am I? Ugh, here again? You!"
Grunt Gantu sends out Wailmer, who is Oblivious to infatuation. You knock it out, and he sends out Lunatone. It now knows Psyshock, Rock Slide, and Rock Polish, keeping its Hypnosis attack from before. You take it down, and he sends out the Rock/Flying meteor Minior. It's very Defensive at the moment, but once you get it down to half HP, its Shields Down Ability turns it into a Speedy Attacker. You of course defeat it, and he's left with Elgyem with the move-set: Psychic, Zen Headbutt, Hidden Power, and Charge Beam. Ultimately, you defeat Gantu for a second time.
"No! You'll pay for this." He stomps off towards the mountains, leaving craters behind. You're able to grab a nearby Poison Barb, as well as the Leech Life TM behind a small, withered tree. You explore inland, where it once must have been lush, but everything has withered and turned to dust. Croagunk, Ekans, Purrloin, Yungoos, Krokorok, Murkrow, and the Dark wolf pup Poochyena all have a tendency to attack you.
You come upon an elephant graveyard, where the Poochyena are most populous. There's a fallen tusk blocking your way to a TM, but you can't get to it yet. As you explore, you hear a loud voice.
"You will never go hungry again!"
The entire area lights up an eerie glowing green. Three Trainers suddenly surround you and take turns battling you. Ed and Banzai each have a single Poochyena, Shenzi has its evolution, Mightyena. You take them all down like it's nothing, and they run away.
However, a tall, dark, sinister man comes back in their place. "Are you what's getting in the way of my coup?" Grunt Scar sends out the Fire/Normal lion Pyroar. Flamethrower is its most powerful Attack, not only in power, but even more so with its Special Stat and STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus; doubles the power of same-type Attacks) boost. You snuff it out, and he sends out Purrloin's evolution, Liepard. Its move-set is Snarl, Slash, Assurance, and Shadow Claw. You take down the "Cruel Pokémon," and he replaces it with the Ground Bone Keeper, Marowak. He knows Bonemerang, Headbutt, Rock Slide and Brick Break. You crush him, and Scar sends out his last Pokémon, Mightyena, with Intimidate. You, of course, defeat Scar. "No!" he roars. He flees, and in the shadows behind him, you can find the Shadow Claw TM.
Just past the graveyard, is what used to be a jungle area. What used to be green is now brown and shriveled. You can Cut down a small tree blocking a Hyper Potion. You're coming up on the mountains, but there's an old woman in your way.
"Have you seen a talking llama?" she asks, the wrinkles in her face moving with each word. Grunt Yzma sends out a Liepard. Hers knows Taunt and Payback, which is a deadly combo. You break through her manipulation and take it out. She then sends out the Poison/Bug scorpion, Skorupi. Its Battle Armor Ability protects it from Critical Hits. You take it down with some honest hard work, and she replaces it with the Bug/Poison spider Ariados. Its Ability is Insomnia, which prevents it from falling asleep. You squish the Bug, and she sends out her final Pokémon, Skitty's evolution, Delcatty. The Normal cat has an interesting Ability called Normalize, which changes every one of her moves into a Normal type so she can get a STAB bonus every time. You ultimately defeat Grunt Yzma. "I'll find him myself," she mutters, stomping off. Just past her, you can find the Poison Jab TM.
You come upon the mountains, and far above you, you see a dark castle clinging to the side of a cliff. You make your way up the ledges, careful not to fall down and get stuck. In this rocky area, Minior, Rock Boldore, the Dark dog Houndour, the Ghost/Flying balloon Drifloom and the Dark/Dragon Deino will attack you. You can also find an Awakening on one of the ledges, as well as an Escape Rope.
You find a secret tunnel leads into the creepy castle. It seems to be falling apart. Large bricks and chunks of ceiling have fallen, giving you a bit of a maze. Some walls are cracked. You can see a TM trapped behind a beam that you can't move just yet. Watch out for the Scraggy, Mimikyu, the Normal cat Glameow, the Psychic tapir Drowzee, the Ghost/Poison gas Haunter, and the Ghost/Dark Spiritomb that will jump out at you from time to time. In the different rooms of the castle, you can find an Antidote, a Twisted Spoon, and the Skill Swap TM.
You finally find the throne room, a large woman in red sitting regally. She gasps as you enter, her tiny red lips parting. "Who are you? Off with your head!" The Queen of Hearts sends out Aromatisse. Her move-set revolves around her best Stat, HP: Aromatherapy, Draining Kiss, Protect, Moonblast, and she's even holding a Sitrus Berry! You swat it down, and she sends out Ducklett. His Keen Eye Ability prevents accuracy loss. Next up is Woobat, with Acrobatics, Air Slash, Heart Stamp and Confusion. You send it crashing down, and she sends out her last Pokemon, the Grass/Poison Roselia. Try not to make direct contact with her, or you'll get Poisoned by her Poison Point Ability. You cut it down to size and win the match!
"Please don't hurt me! This isn't even my castle. I was just...keeping the seat warm for our Mistress. Oh, no! I've said too much. Take this. I was never here." The Queen hands you the Dark Pulse TM and scurries off.
You may have kept these baddies in check, but this island feels a little deserted. You have a feeling a lot more Villains got off the island than the few you saw. You need to go back to the Mainland. Fly out of there, or use the Escape Rope once you've collected all your loot. You can heal and stock up in the bright city of New Orleans, then head North to your next adventure!