Re-Purpose

by World-Writers

"A world without purpose." A hero has finally arrived to eradicate the chaos of Alola. To finish this mission, he must collect all the Z-Crystals first all while defeating the organization that stand in his way. If you're looking for a good old action adventure story, this is the story that you can read through the ages.

2. Chapter 1A: Verdant Cavern

My name is Foster Reigshield, an Absol from another universe. To restore purpose to this universe, I was tasked by Gaia, the Keeper of the Multiverse to travel here and eliminate the destructive Pokerus. In order to do so however, my summoner, Reina has explained that it requires the most powerful form of magic energy that have been trapped into what is simply known as Z-Crystals. To finish my task, I am required to collect all 17 Z-Crystals scattered across Alola while defeating the corrupted enemies that have been terrorising the people… After the whole celebration of a hero arriving to Alola, Reina quickly went over to her room to gather supplies for the journey. Once she finished, I decided to ask.

Foster: "Seeing as how things are and without wasting anymore of our precious time, where is the first Z-Crystal, Reina?"

Reina: "Oh that's easy. The first one is pretty far from here but we'll manage."

Foster: "That so…?"

Reina: "Yup! C'mon, let's get going! To…"

…..

Reina: "...Verdant Cavern!"

That… took longer than I thought. Hau' Oli Ruins was certainly a large area to scale. Upon arrival (to which Reina excitedly yell), we were greeted by two sinister looking statues besides a set of stairs. They look as though they are grinning and snarling at the same time...

Foster: "(These were present back in Iki Town as well…) Reina, what are these?"

Reina: "Hm? Oh, these statues? These are totem poles. They're a common sight around Alola. Haven't seen them?"

Foster: "Can't say I have… What are they doing here?"

Reina: "Totem poles are usually there to serve as guardians or wardens to scare off any evil spirits and cleanse our souls by the power of the Tapus. They're most common around entrances with sacred and deep ties to the Tapus, actually. You following?"

Foster: "Too much to digest, Reina… I'm still trying to digest all the other things you told me before..."

I was beginning to feel like I'm getting a major headache just from remembering all those details she told me back in Iki Town.

Reina: "Ahahaha, you'll catch up eventually. I know you can~"

Foster: "..."

Reina: "Now let's go! Time's a wastin'!"

Reina ran off ahead of me as I slowly climbed the sets of stairs, scanning my surroundings for any approaching enemies. Inside the Verdant Cavern, it is a rather eerie, complex temple filled with strange puzzles and other features designed to confuse adventurers… or so I heard from my summoner Reina before we left Iki Town. Even from first glance, I already knew each of the cavern's floors would take a while to scale.

Foster: "So this is where the Normalium is situated?"

Reina: "That's right! Verdant Cavern previously acted as a sanctuary for smaller, weaker Pokemons. The Normalium would help empower even their most basic moves to deal enough damage and fend off any predators. The man that governs the area, known as the Snorlax Totem Muller, helped protect the Normalium as well as the other inhabitants with great care."

Foster: "Hm…? 'Helped'? Did he pass away? Also...the place seems to be undermanaged for so long…"

Reina shook her head while giving a grim expression.

Reina: "The Virus eventually infected the great priest Muller, whom became a bloodthirsty beast. Verdant Cavern became a sadistic dungeon… and no one was spared from his tyranny here in Melemele Island since it happened for a few months from now…"

Just hearing about this made me realize how severe the Virus corrupts the host's mind to make them follow their inner instincts instead of their conscience.

Foster: "Well… what about these Land Spirit Tapus you have spoke of? The Keeper of the Multiverse told me about their presence and said that they were once the guardians of Alola. If they truly exist, why have they not stopped him when it happened?"

Reina: "Ahh, curious of our culture again. I'll explain that real soon. But right now, we got company."

An unsettling sound of a bush rustled close by, indicating the presence of a Pokemon. A few Pokemons jumped out of the bush and appeared in front of it. They looked similar to the bird Pokemons back in my own world, Taillow.

Reina: "Those are virused Pikipeks. Sling shooters that can fly some really mean pebbles. Very easy to defeat due to their low EXP though. Just… try not to kill them. We only need to make them faint."

Another thing that Reina told me and a problem that I have to face with this world is that I am not allowed to kill, lest it would bring misfortune to me due to Alola's natural law. While I myself do not like the idea of murder, I was trained by my father to finish the job without any sloppy variables left behind.

Foster: "Just know that not being allowed to do that really makes things a bit difficult for me, Reina…"

Reina: "No stabby, we all happy! Get used to it!"

Foster: "Easier said than done!"

The Pikipeks seem to shoot fragments of the statues that they found lying on the ground. Apart from that, they don't seem to be a threat at all. As they all shot in unison at the both of us, I took out my switchblades before performing a spin attack to deflect all the projectiles back to them. They were all knocked out immediately.

Reina: "There! That wasn't so bad. And told you it wasn't so hard to not kill."

Reina mentioned while hiding behind me the entire time. She adjusted her ribbon before ordering to proceed.

Reina: "Now let's get going. Remember what we promised?"

Foster: "Yes, yes. Dutily noted, my summoner."

The rocky temple's floor soon ended with the reveal of a much larger forest inside of this multi-layered cavern. While there were many berry trees planted along the path, most of it seem to have dried up or had its berries half eaten before rotting onto the ground.

Reina: "Verdant Cavern also used to be the largest food producer in Alola. Up until the corruption that is... These trees were just one of many that fed the mouths of the people in Melemele Island and beyond, but seeing this now makes me doubt if there is a living berry plant left."

Before we could continue, an obstacle seems to be blocking our path. A large wall of various old paintings prematurely blocked the door to the next area. I tried to push it aside, but it doesn't seem to budge.

Reina: "It won't work like that. You see that mirror up there?"

She pointed at a mirror mounted above said wall.

Reina: "Verdant Cavern needed a way to fend off criminals from raiding, and so used those magic mirrors as an alternative to switches. All you need to do is flash a bright light to activate it. Like so!"

Reina's hands were covered in a soft touch of light before it zaps across the room and directly onto the mirror. It began to shine bright as the heavy wall began to split into small strips of stones before magically sinking down to the ground, revealing a path onwards. As soon as the dust from the collapsing wall cleared up, however, more hostile Mons suddenly appeared from the trees and bushes lining the road ahead of us.

Reina: "Oh no… not good! A horde of Rattata, Mankey AND Yungoos?! We need to find higher ground, fast!"

Just a 'horde' wouldn't be the word I'd use... there are literally hundreds of these Mons! Leaving literally no other choice, I decided to try and find higher ground as instructed but not before cutting down the numbers first. The fistfighting Mankey whom I recognize from my realm began their array of attacks first, aiming towards my head and torso. It fought up close without guarding itself, to which I took advantage of and sent a critical Night Slash. To my dismay, the Mankey withstood the attack and used Counter against me.

Reina: "Pollen Puff!"

Reina sent a pollen puff that exploded onto me, blasting away the Mankey and causing it to faint while healing me by a considerable amount of hitpoints back. While this did save me from too much unnecessary injuries, it did open up to the other Mankey to use Retaliate onto us.

Reina: "Foster! Here!"

Using the same light magic from before, she blasted onto the other mirrors situated on one of the totem poles' mouth beside the mossy wall, as the rocks begin moving and create a set of stairs leading to the upper floors.

Reina: "Let's go, quick!"

Yungoos: "WARGH-A-A-A-O-SSSS!"

Foster: "Keh!"

A Yungoos leapt towards me from afar and nearly bit me with its razor sharp fangs. I caught the attack with my blade but later realized that there were more coming towards me alongside the first one.

Foster: "(Great...I don't have time for this!)"

I flung the Yungoos that stuck onto my blade towards the hoard and followed up the attack with a roundhouse Night Slash. It struck all of them at once, at least pushing back the frontliners of the hoard by a step.

Rattata: "NGAAAHHH!"

Oh great… as if the Yungoos attacks wasn't enough, these weird Rattata began to attack me with its set of crooked hooks. While I did dodge in time, I realize the chain would've coiled around me and cause me to fall off. This meant that I can't risk getting hit at all.

Foster: "Reina, where are the next stepping stones?!"

I could see the entrance to the next floor just about a few steps away, all we needed were a few more levitating stones.

Reina: "It's not here… there aren't any switches!"

You have got to be kidding me… this dungeon really is a sadistic mess.

Foster: "Reina! You're a Bug/Flying type, right?! I'll use an enchantment to make myself lighter, so just lift us up to the platform above us!"

Reina: "A...a brilliant idea! But… there's one problem…"

Foster: "Please specify AS QUICKLY AS YOU CAN, we're in a crisis here!"

I can't really waste another moment with these crazy Rattata trying to pull us down to our doom…

Reina: "It's my wings…"

She detached the hood behind her dress to reveal her glowing wings… in which one of them was ripped apart violently. Upon closer look, I could also see a clear chain in between the gaps. Whatever happened to it, I can 100% say that it cannot be used at all.

Reina: "I'm… I'm really sorry about this! I knew I should've told you this earlier but I got a bit flustered and thought it wouldn't be important at a-"

There's really no time! Instinctively, I knelt down before pushing her legs off balance to make her fall directly on my back. I then tucked her arms around my neck before instructing…

Foster: "Don't let go no matter what!"

Without waiting for a confirmation, I then took a leap of faith as the chains drew closer. Before slamming myself to the cavern wall, I drew out my blade and gave a full-on stab onto the solid rock. My blade had pierced through just enough, as I was able to carry both me and Reina's body weight. We were finally away from the danger on land, but new threats began to approach.

Zubat: "KYYAAAAARGH!"

Reina: "Zubat inbound!"

Foster: "I know!"

The Zubat began tossing sharp needles onto us, in which I had to dodge by pulling myself up with one hand and preparing the other blade to stab onto the wall just in time. While this worked for a couple of times, my arms were starting to tire. It seems trying to carry another person while doing something like this is still an impossible task for me...

Reina: "Foster, we're almost there! Just one more leap…"

Huh… she's right… I looked up and it is just a leap more to reach the platform. But at this rate…

Foster: "Reina, get up there!"

Reina: "What!?"

I asked her to remove her arms from hugging me and grab onto my available arm. With all the hustle I could collect, I tossed her upwards and pray that she grabbed the ledge.

Reina: "Got it!"

As soon as she climbed up, Reina immediately casted a rapid blast of moonlight, fending off the Zubats whom are rather persistent.

Reina: "Urgh, I've had just about enough with all of you! Stay down already!"

She gathered moonlight on her hand that gradually became an orb that glows intensely before lugging it towards the group of Zubats.

Foster: "Whoa…"

It ended with an explosion bigger than I thought Reina was capable of doing.

Foster: "Phew… nice aim…"

Reina: "Thanks. Now grab on."

She extended her arm so that she could pull me up for a change. With that, the two of us were able to survive the ground floor. I faced Reina while crossing my arms amidst sweating.

Foster: "Reina… please tell me there aren't any more secrets that you're hiding…"

Reina: "My bad… I let my feelings cloud what was important…"

Foster: "Let that be a water under the bridge. Let's just continue on for now. Where are we exactly?"

Ironic that I used that phrase, as we were literally surrounded by a flow of natural water all over us. Whoever designed this area took advantage of the river that was flowing down this cavern and it worked out greatly, if I do say so myself.

Reina: It's the water level of Verdant Cavern. How amazing… even with the corruption, the area still retains its beauty. I wonder why Muller kept it this way…

Before we had more time to take a few breathers, we were greeted by icicle spears, nearly inches away from impaling us to death. Another sets of icicle spears appeared moments after the first.

Foster: "Stay back."

I instructed Reina to stay alert. I then jumped to the front and hurdled my blades together to block the sharp ice. Tracing back the diamond dust trail, I saw a mage smiling wickedly before fading away.

Reina: "Well, there's our answer. It seems that if we're not too careful, this will be our watery grave. *snicker* Sorry, I couldn't resist using that term."

All of a sudden, the beautiful river turned grim with the idea of men just ready to kill us. I tucked Reina beside me before equipping my blade and going deep into the water level. The waterfall...as I began to get closer, the noise of the cataract increased. It was growling and rumbling. I couldn't hear anything…

Foster: "Ngh!"

I felt something latch onto my arms, as the tentacle-like limbs began to drag me into the dark waters.

Reina: "F...s...er!"

I could barely hear Reina as the tentacles slowly intoxicated me…

Reina: "R...ed… ...hi...t…!"

Collecting all that I could hear, I gripped my blade firmly before releasing Payback directly onto the red orbs that I could barely see from within the water with my blurry sights. A shriek could be heard before the slimy tentacles let go of me. I dashed away from the water walls and carried Reina away as fast as I could. More icicle spears were casted around us, to which she summons a storm of spores to snare the hidden mages away.

Foster: "I see the exit!"

Reina: "Great, let's get over to it, quick! Before they recover!"

We were just about to run for the exit but something leapt out of the clear waters and landed in front of us.

Foster: "I knew they looked familiar…

The exit was blocked...by Tentacruels. What's more, the other Tentacruels recovered and emerged from the waters, blocking our path back. We're surrounded with no choice left but to fight my way through.

Reina: "Urgh… Poison… This is so unfair…!"

Foster: "Just stay close and we can pick them off one by one…"

I'm really hoping this time around… All of the Tentacruels began to collect a strange purple liquid on their tentacles. I can already tell that they're going to use Sludge Wave onto one another with both of us caught in between… I performed two slashes of Night Slash at the Tentacruels standing in front of the exit. This made them dazed for a moment but the others behind us launched a stream of purple liquid towards us.

Reina: "Light Screen!"

She summoned a magical force field in front of her deflecting some of the liquid from hitting us both. However, she wasn't so lucky as all of the purple liquid was absorbed by her. Even so, she stood valiantly even after two deadly shots. The third one, however, broke whatever veil she had around her and caused her to fall on one knee.

Reina: "Gurk...wah!"

Foster: "Reina!"

She suffered most of the damage and I came to help her since she fell to the floor.

Foster: "Reina, are you okay?!"

Reina: "*pant*...*pant*...A...Ar…*pant*..."

She is trembling in my hands, tugging onto my sleeve while breathing heavily and unsteadily.

Foster: "(Poisoned…)"

All of a sudden, I heard a distant whistling sound, gradually becoming louder by the second. Soon, an explosion followed, instantly knocking out the Tentacruels that struck Reina. What was that explosion…? But before long, my question was answered as I saw a woman standing in front of me with a massive cannon mounted onto the floor. She was wearing what looked to be...a black breeder's attire with a white undershirt? What's more, the tip of the cannon's barrel looked like it was constantly heating up.

Foster: "Who-"

Breeder?: "Get over here!"

I did what she asked and brought Reina along with me, still trembling from the poison.

Breeder?: "This is for what you've done...to poor Gumshoos!"

The shot was released with the rage she felt coursing through her veins and ended with yet another explosion. All of the Tentacruels were successfully executed by this...breeder.

Breeder?: "Is everyone alright?"

The breeder detached the cannon she was holding from the ground and equipped it onto her back.

Foster: "I'm fine. How're you holding up, Reina?

Reina: "I'll be alright… just hold me up for now."

Following her instruction, I grasped her by the shoulders and make her frail body lean onto me. She then began a short incantation of what I can only assume as ancient Alolan speech, before the spells begin to be casted.

Foster: "Aromatherapy…"

The air suddenly carried a whiff of fresh scent, as her Poison slowly dissipated from her body. Taking advantage of the healing wind, Reina also began to re-create the pollen puff from before and spread it to the air. Just like that, the entire party's hit points were also fully restored.

Reina: "Phew...better."

Breeder?: "Thank goodness the both of you are alright."

I then faced the Breeder in front of us.

Foster: "Who are you?"

Iruta: "My name is Iruta, an ex-totem here in Verdant Cavern before Muller."

Foster: "You're an ex-totem?"

It's no wonder she's able to execute those Tentacruels like little critters...

Reina: "Oh yeah! She was the one who planted all those berry trees before him! Muller was responsible of keeping their growth and health at all times!"

Foster: "Is that so…?"

Iruta: "Why yes. But I stepped down because I thought Muller could have a go at it. He was actually a wise priest before the corruption. That's why I entrusted him to such task."

Foster: "So...if you stepped down...you became a breeder?"

Iruta: "Oooh… does everyone see me like that with this outfit…? I own an orphanage, not a breeding centre!"

Foster: "(Looks like i'm not the first one to have said that…)"

Iruta: "Anyway, you have come to put a stop to Muller, correct? I heard the news from the Elder."

Foster: "Yes. But we had a couple of obstacles along the way."

Iruta: "I see. The main chamber should be a few floors above us. If memory serves me right, some of the roads are walled off by Muller to stop any trespassers. If you're unlucky and open the wrong walls, you'll just wind up getting another horde on your tail."

Like the ones on the ground floor? I can't agree with you more, Iruta… But what she said did have a point. We just have to be careful as to which walls we should open and shouldn't.

Iruta: "Let's make haste then. I'll follow you both to your journey upwards and stop Muller. I know a couple of shortcuts if you want."

Reina: "I am getting a bit too weak right now, so let's complete this dungeon without any more unnecessary battles."

Foster: "She's right. Do lead the way, Iruta."

With that, we followed Iruta throughout the other dungeons of puzzles and mazes until...we reached the final level of Verdant Cavern. I looked around for a moment to see if there are any Mons around. But then…

Foster: "It's... empty?"

There were no corrupt minions with crazy hooks and toxic tentacles… it was just a maze-like structure, but nothing as complex as the last ones we saw. In the middle of the room was a giant door, indicating that it would lead to the big bad himself. Upon inspection, I could identify two lockpads closing it shut.

Foster: "It seems we need to get two large keys before we can proceed against the boss."

I let out my speculation to the team, to which Iruta nodded.

Iruta: "This was a maze designed by my fellow Gumshoos and Raticate servants when I was still a totem. They were so thoughtful to keep the Normalium and me safe before they got injured in a battle against Muller..."

Foster: "Both of them?"

Reina: "That's right… The Raticate had a severe injury on his right arm while the Gumshoos…"

Iruta: "...remained unconscious for almost a day…"

Iruta wore an expression of deep despair and anxiety. It seems she valued those servants of hers like she does with the Normalium and the dungeon itself…

Iruta: "Enough with my sadness. We need to stop that Snorlax before he does that to any of the other Mons in the village!"

Both me and Reina nodded in agreement while looking around for anything we could use to access the maze. Reina began looking upwards and found seven mirror switches she could activate.

Iruta: "That mirror's going to open one of the main path to one of the keys. Reina, shoot that one."

Reina: "Gotcha."

After Iruta instructed to shoot the beam on the bottom left corner, Reina obliged. A path was soon opened right beside us. The path, decorated with marble, was too clean for my liking.

Iruta: "How peculiar. I don't remember this path being this way. They must've altered it."

I began throwing sticks and stones just to try and trigger anything.

Foster: "Stay behind me at all times, everyone…"

While I was paranoid of any traps, we all reached to the end safely. I suppose the sadistic twist here is how the dungeon has convinced me to never trust a clean, empty pathway. At the end of the room was a chest, to which it contained the first key to the door.

Iruta: "That's the first one. The other one should be placed within..."

We walked towards the mirrors again and then pointed at the tall mossy walls.

Iruta: "...that totem pole's mouth right there."

The wall was decorated with tall totem poles of the same designs. There seems to be eight of them on each wall and mirrors to the other side of the room.

Foster: "How're we going to reach for that tall totem pole? It's clearly too tall even with our heights combined…"

Iruta: "Of course, no one's going to climb or fly to it. We're going to find four of the mirrors and light them at a specific order to make it descend."

Reina: "If it's just four rays of light, I can do that!"

Iruta: "In a specific order. We can'-"

Summoning a much larger pool of magic, Reina charges her hand up with incredible power before shooting beams to activate all four switches in an order. The totem pole's markings lit up alongside its eyes while slowly descending. It opens its mouth when it is low enough, revealing a chest containing the second key.

Iruta: "Well… I'm impressed, Reina."

Reina: "I've been in those puzzles before, Iruta. It's kind of a hobby to me now."

Iruta: "I believe I can count on you when there are more puzzles such as those next time."

Reina: "Hehehe…"

Now that we have both keys, we are able to unlock the large doors leading to the final chamber.

Reina: "Alright… let's knock some sense into Muller!"

Foster: "Iruta, thank you for guiding us up until the end."

I thanked our new-found ally for leading us this far to which she shook her head.

Iruta: "No pressure. It is my duty as a civilian and an ex-totem to guide those who will be stopping the corruption. Now, let's carry on then."

As soon as we reached for the doors, the sounds of sirens filled the air and screeching mercilessly.

Iruta: "Oh no… that was never there before…"

Reina: "Seems like nothing went past the doors since Muller was infected… Now what?!"

Foster: "Let's try to carry on and open the doors! We can't risk wasting any more time if another horde comes!"

Iruta: "I agree!"

As soon as the keys were turned, I thought I could hear something open from the mossy walls like doors. Coming out of it were...

Reina: "Finneons…"

They lined up in front of the massive doors, blocking us from getting further.

Foster: "And those are…?"

I was referring to these peculiar Mons hovering over the Finneons on their own long tails.

Iruta: "Oh no… the Raichus! These are the security branches that was newly assigned!"

We were once again surrounded by the enemy. This time, it was a band of crossbow users with magic-infused ammunition. I analyzed the three Raichus again that Iruta mentioned as they dashed into the scene. My eyes widen at the sight of these Raichu being able to fly in the air via riding on their own tail at breakneck speeds.

Foster: "Those… are Raichus…?"

Reina: "What? Don't they have Raichu and its pre-evolution back in your dimension?"

Foster: "We do… but they certainly weren't on hoverboards…"

The Raichus began to speak to us altogether in an eerie monotone while circling around us.

Raichus: "We will not allow the lord Muller to be harmed… we will not allow the lord Muller to be harmed…"

Reina: "(...If we don't move soon, these guys are going to pump a lot of holes into us.)"

Reina whispered at us while gripping her fist tight.

Foster: "(Then...what's the plan…?)"

Iruta: "(You guys start running as soon as I give the signal. I'll make sure none of them get past me, and you make sure none of them would Sucker Punch my back.)"

Foster & Reina: "(Understood.)

We waited for Iruta's signal and also analyzing the situation around us.

Raichus: "We will not allow…"

The Raichus' crossbows began to emit electrical energy from within it and aimed for us. THe Finneons too had water circling around them like aura.

Raichus: "...the lord Muller to be harmed!"

Iruta: "Now!"

As soon as Iruta shouted out for us to move, we began rushing back to the original room while avoiding an array of fast Thunderbolt shots. The Finneons followed up by dashing onto us, to which I replied with a few of my precise swings. Reina casted a strong Fairy Wind, disrupting the formation that they had. Iruta began kiting the enemy, in which she was skillfully hitting them down while making sure she was out of their attack range for them to be unable to counter back. The Raichus telepathically spoke to each other before closing in, beginning to Charge enough electrical energy together. After charging sufficient amount of electricity, they begin sending a row of Thunder to hunt us down.

Iruta: "...! Move left!"

She shouted, causing both of us to instinctively followed her order. Since she was closer towards the Raichus than I am and with very precise calculation, we strafed just between a lightning bolt, a hair away from getting struck while dodging another Finneon attack coming for us. From dodging, Iruta fell to the floor to which she equipped her Cannon and shot Bullet Seeds in a rapid motion square onto the Finneon's abdomen and continuing a second round of it to another that almost snuck up on Reina.

Reina: "Thanks!"

Iruta: "..."

She didn't reply but her focus went straight for the Raichus, charging yet another Thunder attack.

Iruta: "Time for some desperate measures!"

She cocked the Cannon and mounted it onto the floor with a stand while loading an explosive shell. The Cannon's barrel began heating up as soon as the explosive shell was loaded and before the Raichus casted Thunder in unison again, Iruta shot at them with precise aim and the shell soon exploded, striking all the Raichus together at once.

Iruta: "Tch… that only made them stagger… but for so long…"

The second Raichu got back up fairly quickly from the deadly Cannon attack and rushed to Reina's side.

Iruta: "Heads up!"

Foster: "Not this time!"

I dashed onto the Raichu head-on, effectively catching it off-guard. It lets loose a premature lightning bolt, hoping to paralyze me. Unfortunately for him, I was aiming elsewhere. Using Sucker Punch, I appeared from behind him and performed a severe cross slash. The Raichu lost balance and fell off from the air and away from my sights.

Reina: "Finally! Quick, Foster, to the doors!"

Foster: "Alright! Iruta, let's go!"

Iruta: "You two go on ahead! I'll hold the fort from here!"

She was right. More of the Mons from ground floor made it to the top floor, ready to attack us.

Iruta: "Go!"

Without a moment of hesitation, we set in the two keys, making the lock pad fall down and the gate to the final hallway opened. We gave one last salute to Iruta before rushing to the final chamber.

-Chapter 1A: Complete-