Today, we see Collin's biggest fear, Ghost Pokemon. Can he cope with the pressure? Or will he chicken out? Find out in today's chapter! Enjoy!
Chapter 19-Trial of Fear
Like Acerola told him, he followed the path south of Tapu Village and came across what looked like an abandoned super market. Already Collin knew he wasn't going to enjoy this, not one bit. But with the recent memory of Lillie's little kiss, he decided to try his best and make her proud. With his team at the ready, he made his way up the broken road and came across Acerola herself.
"Great for you to finally turn up." she said, sounding a little impatient.
"Sorry about that, I had things on the mind." he said. He looked at the super market which up close looked more dank and broken compared to far away. "So...this is where the Trial is right?" asked Collin.
"Yep. This used to be a big super market, but Tapu Bulu, our Island Guardian, got angry at the old Kahuna for abusing his powers as a Kahuna and in revenge, destroyed the super market. There were a lot of deaths involved so I guess he was feeling very stupid after that. The Kahuna just up and left after that." she said.
"Wow, sounds like a prick."
"He was from what people tell me. Anyway enough about the past, you're here for the Trial."
"Regrettably so." said Collin, shuddering and shaking.
"Ah don't be worrying. All you got to do is take three photo's of Pokemon and the Totem Pokemon should appear. Normally I'd hand out a camera, but I've been told you have a Pokedex that can do just that. So there is not need for me to hand you the camera. You ready?" she asked. Collin was still shaking and he was starting to sweat. His nerves were getting to him. "Are you okay?"
"Not one bit. I'm sorry but I hate Ghost Pokemon. Ran into some in an old mansion way back in Sinnoh. I haven't been the same since." he explained.
"That's a shame. They must have been very restless. Normally Ghost Pokemon only play harmless tricks. It's very rare they'd try to harm someone unless they are restless."
"I found out that there was a murder in that mansion. Don't know how, don't know why, and I don't want to know period. I wanted to get out of there as fast as I could and never think about it again. Hasn't worked out well for me, as I still get nightmares to this day."
"Well take it from me when I say that the Ghost Pokemon in here are as harmless as ever. Sure they might battle you, but that is as far as they will go." she said. Collin didn't look convinced and still looked worried. "Look, if you can't do it you can come back any time. There is no shame in it." With one long breath, Collin made his choice.
"I'll do it. It will be like getting a needle. It will be hard but it will be over before I know it." he said.
"That's the spirit. You can get out whenever you feel like it and come back. Alright let me unlock the door." she said getting some keys out of her pocket and opened the door. "Right, your Trial starts...NOW!" she shouted. Collin took another deep breath and slowly but surely, made his way in the dank, old, haunted super market.
The air was cold, not the pleasant cold compared to the Aether House. There was an odd smell in the air and there was the sound of music that sounded like it was playing through broken headphones. It sounded like it was being played directly into his ears and it didn't help his situation. He started to make his way pass the check-out point when he saw something moving.
"Rotom, fire up the camera." said Collin. Rotom appeared from the bag and slowly loaded the camera. At first there was nothing out of the ordinary, then there was more movement. "Come out. I'm not scared of you!" he shouted. He turned around and was face to face with a Gastly. "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed and fell onto the ground.
"kekekek" laughed the Gastly and it disappeared from sight. Collin slowly got up and looked around. He swore he seen something move in the corner of his eye. Just then, he heard a voice no higher than a whisper.
You shouldn't have come here
"Who said that?! Show yourself!" There was no answer. Collin continued his way through the super market, no more scared than ever. "I-I-If you think y-y-you can scare m-m-me, y-you got another thing c-c-coming!" He saw more movement, this time a trolley. "R-Rotom." Rotom got in front of him and the camera was on. Before he could get a proper look, a Haunter appeared on his screen. "AHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Kekekekee!" chuckled the Haunter and disappeared from sight. He then heard the voice again, this time it sounded louder. Sounded like a woman.
I don't want you to see me like this
"W-W-What are you talking about?!" stuttered Collin. He looked around and saw a figure move deeper into the super market. He didn't get a close look so he couldn't tell who or what it was. Against his own judgement, Collin decided to follow the figure. Slowly, he made his way to the back of the super market and saw stuffed toys starting to float. Before he even got the chance to open the Pokedex, a Gengar jumped out at him.
"KEK!" screamed the Gengar.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Collin was on the floor again, curled up into a ball. He didn't see the Gengar float away from him, he was too busy being scared. So scared in fact, he was crying. "I-I-I-I can't do this. M-Mom!" he cried.
Over here
Collin looked up and saw the figure again. It was completely white, but he could see a face. "M-Mom?" called Collin. The figure went into what looked like a back room, before beckoning Collin to follow her. Completely entranced, he followed her to the back room. When he entered, there were a number of pictures of one Pokemon. Pikachu was everywhere. Be it lunch boxes, cards, posters, you name it. Even a poster from the old show about a kid and his Pikachu traveling the regions. But there was still no sign of his mother. "Mom? Mom where are you?!" he called out.
I can see you honey. I'm close by
"But I can't see you! I miss you so much!" he cried. He couldn't stand it any longer and cried again. "I want to see you one more time!"
You can honey. Just turn around and you can see me
Collin turned around to face the door. But there was nothing. "R-R-Rotom. Camera please!" he said. Collin put up the camera but he still couldn't see anything. "Mom, where are you. I can't see you."
Don't worry you can see me. See me. See me. See me.
"SEE ME!" shouted a large Pokemon, jumping out in front of Collin.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! R-R-R-ROTOM! WHAT IS THAT THING?!" Rotom came right out in front of Collin and scanned it.
"Mimikyu. The Disguise Pokemon. Ghost Fairy. Its actual appearance is unknown. A scholar who saw what was under its rag was overwhelmed by terror and died from the shock. Seemz you've comez across the Totemz Pokemomz Masterz. Remain calmz and takez it outz!"
"Okay okay okay. Fairy Type. Salazzle will help. GO SALAZZLE!" shouted Collin. Out came Salazzle and it hissed. "Use Venoshock!" Poison shot right at the the Totem Pokemon and connected. But it seemed to do no damage. All it seemed to do was make it's head fall back. "Rotom, what the hell is going on?!"
"Mimikyu's have an ability to dizguise themselvez with oldz clotz and ragz and usez them to become their wishz, Pikachu. They want to be az famouz as Pikachu. But their dizguise also workz as a defense for attackz for one it before it breakz. It should be okay to hit nowz." explained Rotom. But before Collin could call for an attack, Mimikyu attacked with a Shadow Sneak and hit Salazzle, knocking her out completely.
"SALAZZLE NO!" he called before returning to her ball. "Fine. GO DARTRIX!" shouted Collin. Out came the bird Pokemon and was ready to fight. "Use Pluck!" Dartrix charged forward and pecked right into the body of the Mimikyu. However, Dartrix was stuck in the fabric and couldn't get out. "Come on Dartrix!" shouted Collin. Mimikyu took this change to allow and arm to come out from the bottom of it's rags and grab a hold of Dartrix. He was flung into the air and unable to attack. In a bold move, Mimikyu used Shadow Sneak again but this time, aimed for Collin. "HELP DARTRIX!" screamed Collin, looking away.
"KOO HOO!" cried Dartrix. Suddenly, Dartrix was completely covered in white. He grew in size and looked thinner. When the light cleared, Dartrix evolved. Within seconds, what looked like an arrow was shot directly from him, stopping the Shadow Sneak in it's path. Collin finally looked back to see the Pokemon once know as Dartrix standing guard.
"Woah! Rotom what's has Dartrix evolved into?"
"Dartrix has evolved into Decidueye and has also learned the move Spirit Shackle, a Ghost type move that prevents a Pokemon from escaping and does damage." explained Rotom.
"Alright! Decidueye, use Spirit Shackle again! That should take out Mimikyu!" Decidueye pulled back what looked like a bow and an arrow appeared. He aimed the shot and fired directly into the Mimikyu. Not long after, the Mimikyu fainted, ending the Trial. "WELL DONE DECIDUEYE!" said Collin, running up to hug him.
"Koo." cried the Pokemon.
"Alright lets get out of here before I get any more scared." Not wasting any time, Collin spirited towards the exit and almost broke the door down. Acerola was still there, shocked by the door slamming opened.
"Did you do it?!" she asked.
"Yeah. I did it, and I never want to go through that level of hell again." Acerola closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. When she opened them again, she was smiling.
"Yep, you completed the Trial! Congratulations!" she said, shaking Collin's hand. "Here is your Z-Crystal, Ghostium Z." She handed him the crystal and did some weird movements.
"Uh...what was that?"
"That was the dance silly. Use it well." she said. "So, how was it? No too bad right?"
"Worse. That Mimikyu tricked me to follow it. It posed as my mother. I don't know how but it used my emotions when I was scared. My mind couldn't handle it in there." he said. "I'm gonna have even more nightmares now."
"Hey, it's over now. But that's odd, Mimikyu's never do that. At all. Maybe you came across something special. Ooo I'm getting chilly just thinking about it! You can come back to the Aether house and rest up a bit. I'll see you there!" She walked off, leaving Collin on his own. Just as he was about to leave himself, he noticed something from the corner of his eye. He turned around and saw a Mimikyu, much smaller than the Totem one he faced, in the corner. It looked like it was crying. Collin couldn't help but feel bad and walked up to it.
"Hey there little guy. You okay?" said Collin.
"Kyu..." said the Mimikyu, looking at the market.
"Did they kick you out?" he asked. "Did you get scared?"
"Kyu." cried the Pokemon, nodding it's fake head. Collin tried to get close to it but it backed away slowly.
"Hey buddy, I know you're scared. I was scared in there too. I guess we have a lot in common." Collin bent down slowly and placed his hand out. The Mimikyu shuffled to the hand and inspected it. Once it believed it was safe, it started to rub it's body against the hand.
"Kyi..." it cried lovingly. Collin smiled at the poor thing and an idea came into his head.
"Say," he said, getting a Pokeball out of his bag. "wanna join my team? I bet you'll be great help." Mimikyu's eyes shined through the fabric and pressed the button on the Pokeball, entering it. Three quick shakes and Mimikyu was caught. "Welcome to the team buddy, you're gonna like it." He put away the ball and decided to make his way back to the Aether House.
As he walked back to the Aether House, he noticed someone by the doors. It was Team Skull and Plumeria. Collin rushed towards the house without hesitation. Before they could even get up the steps, Collin blocked their way.
"Oi. What do you think you're doing here?" he asked in a low, serous sounding voice.
"Hey yo, don't get in the way of Big Sis!" said one of the grunts.
"Shut up idiot!" said Plumeria. "Nothing really. Just stealing a Pokemon from those poor defenseless kids." she said bluntly.
"You did WHAT?!" shouted Collin. "Give it back now!"
"No can do. It's already in Po Town. If you want it, come and get it, alone. The boss has been dying to see you again. Good luck trying to get there." she said, walking off with the grunts behind her. Hau came out the door and rushed down the stairs.
"TROUBLE! Team Skull took the Yungoos of one of the kids. That Plumeria woman wiped out my team and took it. She told you to-"
"Yes Hau I just met her and she told me everything." he said, interrupting Hau. "Where's Lillie and Acerola?"
"Lillie is fine and Acerola is with the kids. I'll stay here with them too just in case anything bad happens." he said. "Ugh, this is all my fault."
"No it's not Hau. Don't say that to yourself. You did the best you could and that's all anyone can ask of you." Collin placed a hand on Hau's shoulder, smiling.
"Thank you. I'll do my best to protect the kids this time!" Just when he finished, Lillie came out of the house and came down the stair, nearly tackling Collin.
"Oh Collin it's terrible. Those poor kids. You will get the Yungoos back right?" she asked.
"Of course I will. That's the plan. I just need to get to Po Town, get through the grunts, beat Guzma and get back with the Yungoos. I've done it before and I can do it again."
"You're amazing Collin. Good luck out there and come back safe." she said, hugging him, which he returned. They were hugging longer than he expected to the point he had no idea what to do. She let go of him, smiled and rushed back into the house. Collin was too busy being shocked to notice the smirk on Hau's face.
"Looks like you got a girlfriend~" he sang.
"Shut up! I'm off. Good luck with the kids Hau." Collin walked away from Hau, blushing wildly. He looked at his map and noticed Po Town was just north of where he was. The only way to get to it was by water. So he made his way down to the beach and prepared to have Lapris ready to ride. However, he noticed that the water was full of rocks, which he knew Lapris would never be able to get past. He needed another way across. He then heard the hum of someone close by.
"Man oh man, who would ever come to this sad place." said a voice. A voice that Collin knew. He looked to his side and saw a man completely in white and black. His skin was as white as snow too. But he knew that face all too well.
"Grimsley. What are you doing here in Alola?" said Collin to the Elite Four member of Unova.
"Ah Collin, it has been a while since I last saw you. In case you are wondering, I came here on vacation. Thought I needed a tan for my skin, though it seems I've once again put too much sunscreen on me to get any. Tell me, why are you here?"
"I moved here to relax, got roped into the Island Challenge in the end." he explained.
"Ah yes. I've heard that was a thing here. An interesting idea that I wonder if it would catch on in other regions. Tell me, where are you going today?" asked Grimsley.
"Some goons took a kid's Pokemon and I'm off to save it in Po Town. Thing is, I don't have a way to get through these rocks on the water."
"Collin, saving the day once again. I supposed I can give you a helping hand. But first, why not a small game with Uncle Grimsley?" A smirk appeared on Grimsley as he took out a coin.
"I hate it when you say that. But what's the game?"
"It's simple. Heads or Tails? Win and I'll give you a prize. Deal?" Collin nodded and Grimsley flipped the coin. "Now tell me, which side did the coin land on?" Collin experienced one of his tricks before and knew what to answer."
"It didn't land on either side." said Collin, showing confidence. Grimsley's grin turned into a smile.
"I see you have become wise to my tricks. I was planning on Skarmory to snatch the coin in the air. Well done once again Collin, here is your prize." he said handing over a card for his Pager. "This is a card for Sharpedo, it will allow you to break those rocks and make your way to Po Town."
"Thanks Grimsley. Listen I'd love to talk but I need to get that Pokemon back fast."
"I understand. I wish you the best of luck in your quest. I shall be here for a while if you want to talk some more."
"Sure. Bye Grimsley." said Collin, calling Sharpedo to his aid and began to move on the water. The Pokemon bashed through the rocks with ease and Collin was on the other side in no time. With a deep breath, he ventured into the forest before him and onto Po Town to save Yungoos.
Well I hope that was good for you guys. Next chapter however is one I'm really looking forward to write. Can't wait to release it. Anyway, reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!