Alola! Did you miss this story? Maybe?
Sorry to have put this on hiatus after the cliffhanger from last time, but now I'm back with a new chapter! The last time we left off, Calvin was about to take on his first trial, while Erika was headed off with Professor Kukui! How will both of them fare in the challenges ahead?! Let's find out!
POKÉMON SUN & MOON
THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME
Erika and her teammates were silent as they sat down on the couch in the living room of Kukui's house. Last night's escapade proved to be a wake-up call for all three of them, especially the human girl. The scolding she received from both her sister and her mother was still fresh in her mind. For the first time, she was scared. She was scared of failing and of being left out. Her brother was already so far ahead of her, but she was not discouraged. Her encounter with Tapu Koko taught her that she needed to learn. She needed to battle with her Pokémon in order to succeed.
"Okay, here we go!" the professor's voice chimed in, making her perk up as he approached with a with a red rectangular object in his hands. He stopped as he noticed the regretful expression in the girl's eyes. It surprised him a little, but he smiled reassuringly. "I know you're sorry for what's happened the past few days," he pointed out, causing her to blink in surprise, "That's why I wanna help you out however I can before your makeup exam," he told her, giving her the oddly-shaped object.
"Th-Thank you…" she stammered in gratitude, taking it in both of her hands. She stared at it curiously. She had no idea what it even was. Her furrowing eyebrows were all the shirtless man needed to see to understand her confusion.
"That there's a Pokédex, Erika," he said, much to her surprise as she looked up at him with widened eyes before smiling back at her new device.
"A Pokédex?!" she exclaimed, jumping up from her seat onto her feet, "Like the ones my dad used to have?!" she guessed excitedly, "Awesome!" she shouted. Her two partners were completely perplexed by her sudden excitement, but it was soon replaced with worry as they saw her face fell. "Um… it's not working…" she pointed out bluntly with a blank look in her eyes.
"Heh," the tan skinned man chuckled, "That's because it doesn't have the battery yet," he pointed out, gesturing for her to follow him downstairs. Moments later, the two Rockruffs were wrestling around the laboratory as Kukui pressed one key after another on his computer keyboard before pushing down the enter button. "All right…" he uttered afterwards, standing up and stretching his arms, "Should be here any minute now…" he noted, much to the confusion of the Ketchum girl as she glanced around the room with Popplio in her arms.
"Um… what should be here?" she asked, evidently perplexed as she tilted her head to the side. The lights started to flicker. The pair of Puppy Pokémon stopped playing as they looked at the blinking lights. All of a sudden, one lightbulb's glass shattered as a bolt of lightning shot out, zooming right over Erika's head as she ducked. "What the heck?!" she yelped, holding her Water type protectively. The bolt zipped around for a few more seconds before stopping in front of her, making her flinch. She stared at it in wonder afterwards, seeing it come into form to reveal itself as a Rotom.
"Zzt, zzzt!" it buzzed excitedly.
"Oh, hey!" the aspiring kunoichi exclaimed upon recognizing the creature, "This thing's like the little guy back at old man Oak's lab!" she pointed out.
"Rotom is its name," Kukui corrected, "It's gonna help you out," he told her, causing her to blink in confusion. The Plasma Pokémon spotted the battery-less device in her hands, grinning widely.
"Roh…TOH-TOH-TOH!" it suddenly shrieked, slamming itself against the contraption to practically merge into it.
"Pua!" Popplio barked in surprise as she jumped out of her trainer's arms, falling onto the floor. The girl held onto her new gift tightly in her hands, looking away as she had expected something bad to happen upon the flash of what she assumed was lightning. She opened her left eye to peek at what happened and almost fainted. The Electric/Ghost type was now within her Pokédex, so to speak. It had stubby feet, lightning bolt-like arms, and a point atop its head.
"AAAAAAAHHHH!" she shrieked, letting go of the device before falling onto her rear end on the floor. But she did not hear the contraption strike the floor with her. She glanced up to see it floating there, smiling at her.
"Alola, Erika!" it greeted with static in its voice, "Be gentle with the goods, okay, zzt?" it implored. She was floored, flabbergasted, and whatever other word there was to describe her disbelief. The professor chuckled again.
"This little guy was invented by Ilima and a friend of your dad's," he explained, "He's basically a more… interactive kind of Pokédex," he mentioned as he rubbed his chin. The Ketchum girl blinked twice. And then she smiled excitedly.
"So it's gonna help me pass my retake?!" she guessed, jumping to her feet.
"That's right, zzt!" the Pokédex answered as it hovered around, "I'm going to be helping you study for your exam!" it declared, causing her smile to suddenly fade. She had secretly hoped that she would be able to use the new machine during the test. But she exhaled in realization, knowing that trying to catch up with her twin brother would not be so easy.
"Okay," she finally said, "What do we do first?" she inquired to Kukui, who tipped his cap slightly as he saw both of her teammates gather alongside her.
"Let's start some training to know your own Pokémon's moves," he advised, gesturing for her and the others to follow him outside, "Rotom can teach you about them, too," he added. Developing a serious expression, Erika nodded. She was prepared to rise up to the challenge and get the amulet she needed.
Two Trials! One Winner!
"CHUUUU!" Pichu squeaked as he tumbled across the ground. He was battling against a rather eager Litten outside of the Pokémon Center as Calvin and Hau were eyeing each other with smiles on their faces. Since they were both wanting to take on the trial, but only one of them could for today. The ponytailed boy of the two was sweating nervously though, as his partner had barely been able to land one hit on the Fire type.
"Now use Fire Fang!" his cousin's voice bellowed.
"Mraw!" the Fire Cat Pokémon roared before engulfing her mouth in flames as a reddish aura enveloped her body. She leapt out at her foe, who was slow to get up as scrapes and burns were all across his body.
"Pichu, Thunder Shock!" his trainer commanded quickly.
"Piiii…CHU!" he exclaimed as his cheeks sparked wildly with electricity before unleashing a small bolt of lightning onto his foe, who took it head on as she bit down on her target, creating an explosion of smoke that enveloped the both of them. The two boys waited patiently for the black veil to clear, hopefully revealing a victor. Once it finally did, it showed that the kitten-like creature stood over her fainted opponent as swirls were in his eyes.
"That's it!" Ilima called out, having watched the entire match from the steps leading into the red roofed building behind them. He stood and went over to the two island challengers, reaching into his pocket to pull out a pair of Oran Berries. "Here you are," he offered to them.
"Thanks!" the Ketchum boy replied, taking the fruit and giving it to his partner, who happily began eating it. The grandson of the island's kahuna did the same with his fainted teammate, as he eagerly and quickly ate the energizing fruit.
"Pi chu!" he squeaked delightedly once he finished eating.
"Mraaah…" Litten purred after she swallowed what was left of her berry.
"So I guess today's your day, Cal," Hau reluctantly admitted, somewhat disappointed that he wouldn't be able to take on the trial before his relative.
"Don't worry, Hau," he reassured as he picked up the Fire type in his arms, "You'll get your chance to catch up," he promised with a pump of his right fist, making him smile.
"Right then," the pink haired trial captain chimed in, catching their attentions as he walked past the pair, "Calvin," he began to the capped boy, pointing towards something in distance, "that's where your trial will take place," he told him. There was a large cave in the distance, with its opening right behind a gateway that had colors similar to the amulets of the island challengers. Letting the Fire Cat Pokémon jump onto his shoulder, the lightning mage stared ahead seriously, prepared to face the challenge that lied just ahead.
X
Flocks of Wingull flew over the site of Ten Carat Hill as an hour had passed since Erika had received her new Pokédex. She was sweating nervously as she sat upon the ground, staring at Rotom intently, waiting for something to happen as it floated in front of her.
"Incorrect, zzt," it buzzed suddenly.
"AUGH!" she groaned, falling on her back, "I thought I got that one for sure!" she complained, sounding frustrated.
"You were pretty close, zzt," her device pointed out as she stared at the blue sky overhead, "Currently, Popplio's moves are Pound, Water Gun, and Disarming Voice," he listed off, "That last one is what type of move?" he questioned to the girl, who pounced back onto her knees with new life.
"Um…" she uttered, sweating all the while, "…Fairy?" she guessed, shutting her eyes as she expected to be wrong yet again.
"Correct, zzt!" it responded with a checkmark appearing on its screen. She gasped excitedly before developing the widest of grins.
"Yes!" she exclaimed. She was very pumped up. "All right, what's next?" she asked, clenching her fists in anticipation of the next question. Throughout the hour, the Pokédex she dubbed the 'Rotodex' had quizzed her on various points that she should have learned in class. Though she mostly answered wrong, the now interactive device was giving her pointers and corrections to those missed questions. One minute after another, she was answering the questions posed to her at an easy but rapid pace. And her grin kept on growing. In the meantime, her two Pokémon were training against some of the wild creatures in the area. Rockruff had to evade the stones materialized and shot his way by a Carbink, who suddenly had a whitish energy envelop its body before it became encased within a crystal-like substance. A red light flowed up its body afterwards as its opponent growled.
"RAAAHHOOOOOO!" he howled up into the sky. A red aura then glowed around his form as he got into a ready stance, letting the rocks around his neck shine a bright white. An orb of energy enveloped his tail as he leapt up, dissolving into multiple sparkles that became rocks with white outlines. He fired them out, striking his target in an explosion of white smoke. Once it dissipated, it revealed the Jewel Pokémon lying upon the grassy ground in a daze.
"Pua, puop!" Popplio barked happily from afar as she clapped for her teammate. She had just defeated a horde of Roggenrola, all of whom were lying soaked on the ground.
"Now what are Rockruff's moves, zzt?" Rotom asked the aspiring kunoichi, who closed her eyes to think.
"Let's see… Tackle, Bite, Rock Throw…" she started to list off, placing her hand onto her chin as she tried to recall the last one. Her eyes widened once she remembered what the Puppy Pokémon had done to the Carbink moments ago. "And Howl!" she finished excitedly.
"Correct, zzt!" the Pokédex replied as a checkmark appeared on its screen, "Now for a quick lesson," it said, putting up an image of the Rock type, "Rockruff, the Puppy Pokémon," it began, "This Pokémon has lived with people since times long ago. He can sense when his trainer is in the dumps and will stick close by his trainer's side," it explained.
"Oh…" Erika uttered in surprise, glancing back to see her partner still battling amongst the wild creatures in the area. She recalled how he was always at her side, being a comforting companion even in her times of doubt. She smiled softly.
'Rockruff really does care about me, huh?' she noted through thought, 'I wonder if Popplio feels the same as him…' she added inwardly. She had yet to notice the lone Mantle Pokémon about to pounce on her, but her Water type did, widening her eyes.
"Arf!" she barked, suddenly immersing herself in water before shooting out like a rocket. She slammed head first into her target, knocking him away as he crashed into the earth in a flurry of dust, much to the surprise of the aspiring kunoichi and the Pokédex.
"Oh my, zzzt!" the latter of the two buzzed, "That was-!"
"Aqua Jet!" the Ketchum girl interjected excitedly as she sprang to her feet, shocking it as it didn't expect her to know that fact, "Way to go, Popplio!" she cheered with a pump of her fists.
"Pua…" she replied sheepishly, blushing a little.
"You knew that move, zzt?!" Rotom inquired to the short haired girl, still stunned.
"Well… yeah," she responded, sounding surprised with herself as her smile grew, "I guess that means I'm getting better at this than I thought I would!" she realized gleefully.
"Indeed, zzt!" her device replied as it raised its right arm, "But that doesn't mean you can slack off, okay?!" he noted loudly to her. A serious expression immediately came onto her face.
"Got it," she said, clenching her fists tightly at her sides.
'That's right…' she said to herself, 'I've gotta keep my focus on all this so I can catch up to Cal!' she declared inwardly.
"Okay!" she exclaimed suddenly as she smacked her right fist into her open left palm, "Popplio! Rockruff!" she called out to her comrades, who immediately responded as they ran over to her, "Let's train together!" she advised. They barked happily in response, following her out into the grass to find more wild Pokémon. In the meantime, Kukui watched from afar, smiling proudly at the girl's efforts. Her apathy had turned into compassion. Her laziness into seriousness. And now her sadness was replaced with confidence.
"Good luck, Erika," he said with his hands at his hips, "I know you'll do your best," he added as he grinned.
X
The trial's rules were rather simple to Calvin. Once he entered the Verdant Cavern, Ilima explained to him what was required. There would be three Pokémon scattered throughout the small dens within the area. If he and his team defeated the three of them, he would be allowed to pass into the large opening in the back of the room. The first two creatures he encountered were a pair of Yungoos, one of which shot out from its home in an attempt to catch him off guard. Fortunately, his own Normal type easily dealt with both of them.
"Okay, last one…" he noted, approaching the den where he had seen a silhouette.
"Grr…" the Loitering Pokémon growled, gritting his teeth.
"Don't worry, Yungoos," his master reassured, petting his head to get his attention, "Just one more and we'll be finding out whatever's at the other side of that tunnel," he explained to him, kneeling down to peek into the den, "All we have to do is beat-"
"BUZZZAAAAFFF!" a deep voice bellowed before slammed into his face, knocking him back onto the ground upon his back.
"Y-Yung goo!" his partner stammered in shock, going over to check on him until he was confronted by the mysterious figure, standing face to face with it. It was a long-bodied Pokémon similar to a mongoose like he was. He was standing on his hind legs with his hands locked behind his back, similar to a human. Most of his coat was brown with a yellow underside that extended over the top of his tail. He had an additional yellow stripe that started on his forehead and ended between his shoulders. There were tufts of fur near his shoulders, hips, and around the base of his tail. These tufts in combination with his yellow underside created the impression of an open trench coat. His ears were rounded with a small notch and were located on the sides of his head. He had a short snout with a pink nose, a large mouth full of pointed teeth, eyes nearly hidden under his yellow stripe, and tufts of yellow fur on his chin. There were three black claws on each of his four short legs. Despite his length, he was thick bodied and had a wide, flat tail with longer fur on the tip. His pre-evolution had his mouth gaping open in shock, but he shook his head to dissipate his disbelief as he let his teeth glow a bright white. All of a sudden though, he was smacked aside by the Stakeout Pokémon in an instant.
"Yungoos!" Calvin yelled, seeing the opposing Normal type dash down with his jaws glowing a bright white.
"Goooh…" the Loitering Pokémon groaned as he slowly got back up with a shake of his head. He barely had enough time to avoid getting caught in the teeth of his evolution, jumping away a cloud of dust blew about upon his impact with the ground.
"Whoa…" his trainer uttered from afar, stunned by the opponent's power. He only felt that there was one way to settle this. "Yungoos, Bide!" he commanded quickly.
"Gooh!" his teammate responded, letting a reddish aura build around him just before his foe tackled him head on again, slamming him into one of the dens in another flurry of dust.
"Y-Yunnngg…" the smaller creature groaned as he emerged from the den with the red energy still enveloping his body.
"Oh man…" the capped boy muttered in disbelief, wondering if he would be able to hold out long enough to retaliate in full. He quickly took out his phone and activated its Pokédex application to scan the attacking creature. "Gumshoos… The evolution of Yungoos?!" he yelped in surprise. In the meantime, his comrade growled angrily at his adversary, while the red aura shrouding him grew immensely. All of a sudden, a dark energy overtook the form of the Stakeout Pokémon, who instantaneously sped off to his enemy's surprise as he searched for him with a panicked expression on his face. He didn't realize that his opponent was right behind him until he was smacked aside by his front right leg, slamming into the wall in an instant. "YUNGOOS!" the Ketchum boy cried out. The smoke upon the impact cleared to reveal his teammate lying upon the ground with swirls in his eyes, indicating that he was unable to continue.
"Gummm…" the Normal type that defeated him growled, turning back towards the lightning mage, who readjusted his cap before pulling out a Poké Ball from his belt.
"Okay, your turn!" he bellowed, tossing the containment in his hand. It popped open, and the light that spilled out formed into Pikipek, who flew about the cavern around his foe.
"Peek?!" he squawked in surprise upon seeing his fainted ally. Realizing what had happened, he glared down at the Stakeout Pokémon.
"Let's take him down, Pikipek!" his trainer yelled to his comrade, "Use Rock Smash!" he commanded quickly. Making his beak glow a reddish-orange, the Woodpecker Pokémon dove down and struck the chest of his target, sending him flying into another wall in a flurry of dust.
"Guh… shoo…" the Gumshoos grunted angrily as he emerged from the cloud of dust that had formed, letting a dark aura overtake his form once again. Calvin was quick to react.
"Pikipek, Supersonic!" he called out.
"PEEEEEEKKK!" the Normal/Flying type screeched as he unleashed a powerful sound wave onto his foe, who flinched before trying to cover his ears.
"GUHHHH!" he screamed in agony, stumbling around.
"Now Rock Smash!" the capped boy ordered as he swung his right arm out to the side. As his beak glowed a reddish-orange once more, the bird-like creature took advantage of the opening he had and slammed himself straight into the gut of the opposing Normal type, crashing right into a den with him and making it collapse. A few moments passed as he flew out from the cloud of dirt, perching himself onto his trainer's shoulder. Once it cleared, it revealed that the last of the three Pokémon they were required to defeat in order to move on had fainted.
"Gummm…" he groaned in agony as swirls were in his eyes.
"All right, we did it!" Calvin exclaimed in realization. However, that moment of joy was instantly replaced with dread. "Yungoos!" he cried out, hurriedly running down to his other teammate, kneeling down next to him as Pikipek hopped off of his shoulder.
"Goooohhh…" the Loitering Pokémon groaned in agony as he slightly.
"Peek pek?" his teammate asked worriedly with a tilt of his head.
"Ergh…" the Ketchum boy growled in frustration, pulling out a Poké Ball from his belt, "Sorry, Yungoos…" he apologized, having the containment unleash a beam of red light onto the Normal type, "Guess we're gonna have to finish this trial without you…" he realized before his comrade materialized into the luminosity and went into the spherical container.
"Peek, pik?" the Woodpecker Pokémon questioned as he flew beside his master.
"It'll be fine," he reassured, "All we gotta do is go through that tunnel there and-"
"Well, well, well…" a familiar voice repeated, interrupting him. The trainer and his Pokémon both widened their eyes. There was no conceivable way that it was who they both thought it was. But as they turned their heads, their hopes were dashed. It was the pair of Team Skull members they had stopped yesterday at the marina.
"You guys?!" the lightning mage yelled, turning to face the approaching thugs.
"Hey, you remembered us!" A noted with a grin underneath the bandana over his face. Both Zubat and Drowzee were with them as well, prepared to battle.
"Guess you know what's comin' for you, kid," B added as he stuffed his hands into his pockets, "You're here on your first trial, ain't that right?" he guessed. Calvin tensed up, but remained stoic. He wasn't about to let these two goons ruin the start of his island challenge.
"Pikipek, Peck!" he commanded.
"Peek!" the Woodpecker Pokémon chirped, flying up and zooming towards the Psychic type as a red, bird-shaped aura shrouded his form. Suddenly though, something struck him upside the head in an instant, causing him to fall right to the ground.
"Pikipek?!" the Ketchum boy yelped, widening his eyes in disbelief. He had no idea what had just happened. He then took notice of a new figure that had landed beside the Team Skull members. It was a Rattata, but he was very different in appearance. He had dark gray fur and grayish-purple ear insides. There were two tufts of fur on each ear and near the tip of his tail. His long, thin whiskers were replaced by shorter, thicker tufts of fur as well. The line where his cream underbelly met his gray fur was ragged instead of smooth.
"Rah!" he hissed angrily.
"Wh-What the heck?!" Calvin stuttered, pulling out his phone to get a picture of the dark furred Mouse Pokémon. After doing so, his application scanned it, giving him the information on the creature. "An Alolan Rattata?" he said upon seeing the image.
'So he's Miss Emily's Meowth…' he realized, putting his device away.
"Peek…" Pikipek chirped weakly as he shook his head, flying up from the ground and floating beside his trainer.
"Hey A, B," a female voice chimed in, catching everyone's attention as they looked to see a woman approach them, wearing the same outfit as her cohorts, except she wore short white shorts and had pink hair reaching down to her neck, "this the kid who showed you up back in Hau'oli?" she inquired, pointing towards the trial-goer.
"Yeah, that's him," the former of the two men responded, "Pay him back for us, G!" he requested with a pump of his fist.
"With pleasure," their female ally answered, narrowing her eyes onto the lightning mage.
'I guess these guys want payback for getting beat at the marina…' he realized as a drop of sweat trickled down from his forehead, 'Let's see… that Rattata's a Dark and Normal type…' he inwardly mumbled, balling his fists, 'so Fighting type moves are our best bet!' he declared through his thoughts.
"Pikipek, Rock Smash!" he commanded quickly.
"Peek!" the Woodpecker Pokémon squawked as he made his beak glow a reddish-orange again, about to ram into his new foe with it.
"Man, you really weren't paying attention, were you?" the girl inquired rhetorically, causing Calvin to perk up in surprise, "Well, it's your loss," she muttered with a simple shrug, "Hyper Fang!" she bellowed. Her partner leapt about immediately, colliding with his foe as his teeth glowed a bright white and sharpened before biting down on his beak. An explosion occurred at the point of contact, enveloping both of them within a cloud of smoke.
"Pikipek!" the lightning mage cried out. Something then fell out from the cloud and struck the ground hard. Once the dust finally settled, it revealed that the Normal/Flying was lying upon the earth in a fainted daze, while the Rattata landed safely.
"Hah!" the Team Skull member laughed with her hands at her hips, "Told ya," she remarked mockingly. The Ketchum boy couldn't believe it. His teammate who had beaten Ilima's Smeargle… just lost? He shook his head to rid himself of any doubts.
"Thanks for the hard work, Pikipek," he said in gratitude, returning him to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light, "Take a good rest," he added, putting the container back onto his belt.
"So… you still got one more left in you?" the girl in front of him guessed in a mocking tone. It pissed him off. He grabbed his last Poké Ball and enlarged it by pressing its center button.
"Litten, go!" he shouted, tossing it out. As the light popped out of it and formed upon the ground, it dissipated to reveal the Fire Cat Pokémon.
"Mraaaww!" she roared, but began blinking in surprise as she saw the goons ahead of her.
"Litten, we gotta beat these guys in order to finish up the trial!" Calvin called out to her, getting her attention, "Let's take 'em down!" he shouted.
"Mraahh!" she responded with a nod, glaring down her opponents.
"Ain't that cute?" B remarked with an arched eyebrow.
"Too bad we don't play by your rules with your buddies not around…" A added, "Drowzee, Confusion!" he ordered.
"Drowww…" the Hypnosis Pokémon uttered as his eyes glowed a bright purple. All of a sudden, the Fire type found herself within an outline of the same color, unable to move as she clenched her teeth.
"Litten!" her trainer cried out in a panic.
"Now Quick Attack!" G shouted. Rattata suddenly sped out, shrouding himself in a white outline before slamming head on into the face of his target, sending her tumbling back.
"Lit…" she growled, getting back on her feet quickly.
"All right, Ember!" the lightning mage commanded. He was panicked. As the red tufts on the kitten-like creature spiked up for her to fire off a fireball from her mouth, Zubat dove in and bit her neck with her glowing white teeth.
"MRRAAAAAOOOWWWW!" she screamed in agony.
"LITTEN!" Calvin exclaimed with a frightened expression. Now he was really panicked.
"And don't think we're gonna let you pull the same crap as last time!" B declared with a pump of his fist again, "Take him down, G!" he yelled to his female friend.
"That's the plan, you idiots!" she responded, "Rattata, Pursuit!" she ordered. A dark aura similar to the one Gumshoos had earlier shrouded the Alolan Mouse Pokémon before he sped out and smacked aside his target with his tail, sending her crashing into an empty den.
"Litten, no!" her trainer yelled out. Now he was scared. Upon seeing the dust clear, he widened his eyes to see his first Pokémon lying fainted upon the earth on her side, with several marks across her body and dirt all over her once clean fur.
"Ha, ha, ha!" A laughed mockingly, "See that, kid?!" he shouted towards the trial-goer, "Ain't nobody messes with Team Skull and gets away with it!" he mentioned proudly. Picking the Fire type up in his arms, the Ketchum boy had a few tears forming in his eyes.
"Aw, you gonna start crying, you little baby~?" the pink haired woman mocked in question.
"I…I…" the capped boy stuttered, remembering being sent off by his parents, wishing him the best of luck for his journey, "I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS!" he declared fiercely as tears streaked down his face. But he turned around and ran off, causing the goons to all laugh.
"Yeah, right! This is our turf now!" the men stated proudly, having driven the once confident island challenger out of the cavern.
X
"Aaaahhhh~…" Erika yawned as she awoke the next morning, having been asleep at her desk. She blushed a little in embarrassment as she noticed the small puddle of drool right next to her brother's open notebook. After Rotom had been introduced to Mirajane and Leslie, it quickly powered to recharge, thus leaving its user to study on her own. She was surprised that he had left the notebook behind in the first place, but then recalled how he offered to give it to her as a means to study the night before their exam. The night he told her why he changed his mind about partaking in the island challenge. "Huh…" she sighed.
'Cal… I wish I was more like you…' she inwardly admitted as she arched her head back to stare at the ceiling, 'You knew exactly what you were doing against everyone in the tournament, while I just let Popplio and Rockruff try to do the work for me…' she noted through thought, balling her fists as a serious expression came across her face, 'I won't fall behind,' she declared to herself. After a few moments, she was dressed. She looked into her bedroom mirror to adjust her flowery hat, setting it atop her head. She smiled. The clothes she once thought were ridiculous suddenly reflected a change in her life. She grabbed her bag off of her bed and stuck her sibling's notebook in it, making sure to get both of her Poké Balls as well.
"Are you sure you don't need more study time, zzt?" the Pokédex asked, having woken up to her surprise as she looked back at it.
"No, I'm ready," she responded with a grin, "I'll see you later, Rotodex!" she cried out before exiting the room in a hurry.
"Good luck, zzt!" it cheered as it raised its arms.
"Oh, Erika!" Mirajane yelped as she saw her younger daughter race by and grab a piece of toast off of the counter.
"Sorry, mom!" she apologized quickly as she hurried out the front door, "Love you! Bye!" she exclaimed rapidly before exiting in an instant, sticking the bread in her mouth and scarfing it down piece by piece.
"Boy, she's really eager today…" Leslie noted from the couch, eating some scrambled eggs while watching the news on the television. Her mother smiled. She was happy that the aspiring kunoichi had found a sense of purpose to strive towards something.
"Huh… huh…" she breathed heavily once she arrived at the gates to the school, having eaten her rather bland breakfast. A look of determination came across her face as she walked onto the grounds, heading inside the building. Moments later though, it turned into dread. "Wh…Why are there so many people?!" she screamed in disbelief, seeing several students seated outside of the classroom.
"Oh, we're all taking the test one by one," a spectacled boy replied, catching her attention, "You can sign in over there so your name can get called," he mentioned, pointing towards a clipboard that was hung next to the door with a list of names.
"Why aren't we all taking the test together though?" the Ketchum girl asked curiously, arching an eyebrow.
"What, you didn't know?" another boy chimed in, "You have to ace the whole retake exam in order to pass," he told her. This was not something Kukui had informed her about. She had studied all day yesterday and all night long, but would it be enough? Did she know everything cold? Her expression contorted into one of stress as her legs quivered. Just then, a pigtailed girl walked out of the room with her head hanging low.
"Aw man…" she groaned, trudging by the others in a defeated state. It was obvious that she didn't pass. Erika was growing more nervous. And when she saw Emily there crossing off the girl's name on the checklist, she gulped. It seemed as if over half of the kids that were here for the retake had already failed.
'Am I gonna be able to do this?' she wondered as her legs kept shaking, 'No, I can't think like that!' she scolded inwardly, shaking her head to try and clear her doubts, 'I just have to get in there and do my best!' she declared through her thoughts. Once the teacher led her next student in, she went over and wrote her name on the board. With each passing minute, she flipped through the pages of her brother's notebook, reading the material within it. Did it stick? Would it be ingrained in her mind? These questions kept popping up over and over in her head. She couldn't shake them, especially with every student walking out of that room either crying or voicing their frustrations in failing. By the time the clock struck noon, she was the only one left waiting. The last kid to come out from the classroom before her was the same boy she had started talking with before. She smiled for a moment as it looked as if he was ready to burst with joy, but when she saw the tears streaking comically down his cheeks, she grimaced in realization.
"And next is… Erika!" Emily said, looking over at the aspiring kunoichi as she gulped. She closed the notebook and stuck it away in her bag.
"I-I'm ready, Miss Emily…" she stammered, evidently nervous. A moment later, she was sitting at a desk in the classroom by herself, receiving a packet of paper that she assumed was her examination.
"I'm sure you've already heard from the others who've taken this test," the spectacled woman began to the Ketchum girl, "but you have to answer all of the questions correctly in order to pass," she told her.
"R-Right," she stuttered in reply, readying her pencil. A deep breath was then inhaled and exhaled. She started to write. One by one, questions on the paper were being answered. Were they right? She thought so. No, she knew so. She was brimming with confidence, but her stress could still be seen by the beads of sweat forming on her head. With a few final strokes of her pencil after twenty long minutes, she finally stood up from her seat and took the test up to her teacher.
'This is it…' she inwardly muttered, balling her fists as she inspected the packet in full, 'Either I get my amulet or I don't,' she said to herself, shutting her eyes.
"Well, well…" the scarf wearing woman repeated in an impressed tone, much to her surprise, "You certainly did all you could," she noted, writing something down in red pen, "Congratulations," she complimented, having marked her retake with an "100". The short haired girl couldn't believe it. She aced the exam?
"WOOHOO!" she cheered excitedly with a pump of her right fist, "Island Challenge, here I come!" she declared with sparkles in her eyes.
"Well, not quite yet," Emily mentioned, standing up from her seat.
"Huh?" Erika uttered, glancing over at her with a dumbfounded expression.
"Those who pass the written portion have to partake in a battle portion, remember?" she inquired with a sly grin. Recalling the tournament from a few days ago, the Ketchum girl gulped.
"B-But who am I… b-battling?" she stuttered out in question. The teacher chuckled.
"You'll be battling your teacher, of course!" she replied, gesturing towards herself, "I want to see just how far you've come in these past few days," she added. Though her stress had returned yet again, the aspiring trial-goer kept her fists clenched, determined to walk away with an amulet.
X
Walking out onto the school field outside felt like a whole journey to Erika with how long it took to get there. She stood on the end opposite to the stone wall and metal fence on the other side, while her spectacled opponent took to the other end. She pulled out a Poké Ball from her belt and enlarged it by pressing its center button.
"Meowth, you're up!" she exclaimed, tossing the container up into the air. It popped open, and the light that spilled forth from it onto the ground came into form, dissipating to reveal the Alolan Scratch Cat Pokémon.
"Meeeow…" he purred as he brushed the whiskers on the left side of his face.
'That's the same Meowth she showed us in class!' the Ketchum girl remembered, reaching down to her belt, 'It's a Dark type, so-' Her thoughts were halted once she saw another Poké Ball get tossed and open up. The light from it formed in midair to reveal a Magnemite.
"Uh… what?!" she yelped in surprise.
"Oh, I didn't tell you?" Emily inquired as she blinked, "This will be a double battle between your two Pokémon and mine," she told her, placing her hands at her hips.
"B-But we never did double battles in-!" The short haired girl stopped herself. She realized what was going on. No matter how unfair this seemed to her, she knew that she had to work harder than everyone else in order to meet their level. She had been ignorant, so she was paying the price by having to take on a tougher challenge.
"Looks like you understand," her teacher noted, seeing her take out both of her Poké Balls.
"We're not going to lose," she stated firmly, enlarging both containers by pressing their center buttons, "Popplio, Rockruff, let's go!" she cried out as she threw them out. Both of them popped open, and the light spilling out of each of them formed upon the ground, dissipating to reveal her two teammates.
"Ar!" the Sea Lion Pokémon barked.
"Ruf!" her Rock type partner yipped. Both had determined looks in their eyes, much like their trainer.
"All right…" Emily uttered, "you have the first move," she told her student.
"Thanks," she replied, "Popplio, Aqua Jet!" she commanded quickly. Immersing herself in water, the seal-like creature rocketed out at her opponents.
'So starting off with an Aqua Jet, hm?' the teacher inwardly noted, letting off a grin, 'You've definitely been training, but that's not going to be enough to faze me,' she mentioned through thought.
"Meowth, Fake Out!" she yelled. The Dark type then leapt up in front of his approaching foe, much to her surprise before he clapped his paws, making a shockwave of air come out from them. It caused the water surrounding his target to disperse as she fell to the ground in a daze.
"Popplio!" Erika cried out, "Rockruff, Tackle Meowth to back her up!" she told her other teammate.
"Rah!" he barked in reply, hurrying over.
"Magnemite, Magnet Bomb!" the spectacled woman ordered.
"MAG NE MYYYY…" the Magnet Pokémon buzzed, suddenly unleashing multiple light blue orbs of energy that formed in front of its face. Before he could properly react, the Puppy Pokémon was struck in a fierce explosion by the orbs, being sent flying back to the shock of his master.
"Now Thunder Shock on Popplio!" the instructor commanded. Electricity began building around the body of the Electric/Steel type as it turned its attention towards the Sea Lion Pokémon, who was currently shaking her head to regain herself.
"Popplio, watch out!" her trainer called out, catching her attention in the nick of time as she saw the small lightning bolt shot her way by her foe, hopping up to evade it.
"Impressive!" Emily complimented, "But I think you'll find we won't be giving you an easy victory!" she declared, swinging out her arms, "Fury Swipes!" she bellowed.
"Ar?" the Water type yipped in confusion before she widened her eyes to see the Alolan Scratch Cat Pokémon in front of her, drawing his claws with a sinister grin. He slashed at her over and over, sending her crashing down against the earth.
"Popplio!" the Ketchum girl cried out worriedly, gritting her teeth in frustration.
"Rah, rah ruff!" Rockruff suddenly barked towards her, getting her attention as she saw the reassuring look on his face as he nodded.
'Right,' she inwardly said as she nodded back, 'I need to focus on what we can do to counter Miss Emily's moves,' she noted to herself, 'That Meowth's a Dark type and the Magnemite's an Electric & Steel type…' she added through her thoughts.
"Rockruff, get in front of Popplio and use Howl!" she called out quickly.
"Ruf!" the Puppy Pokémon yipped in response, getting out in front of his partner as he was prepared to yell up into the air.
"I don't think so!" Emily yelled, "Meowth, Bite!" she commanded as she pointed towards the Rock type. The cat-like creature lunged out with his teeth glowing a bright white, about to chomp down on his foe's head. Erika cracked a smirk.
"Disarming Voice!" she ordered, much to her instructor's surprise. As the dog-like creature suddenly ducked, it allowed for his Water type comrade to jump out and unleash a high-pitched scream, releasing a beam of purple hearts that directly struck her target.
"MEEEOOWWWW!" he screeched in agony as he fell onto the ground.
"Oh my!" the teacher exclaimed in surprise, having not expected such a tactful play.
"RAHOOOOO!" Rockruff howled afterwards, causing a red aura to flow up his body.
"All right, use Bite on Magnemite!" his trainer commanded. He hurried out excitedly, passing the currently down Dark type before lunging out at the Magnet Pokémon. However, the spectacled woman cracked her own grin.
"You may have been able to catch me off guard," she began to say, "but let's see what happen when the shoe is on the other foot…" she implored, "Magnemite, Thunder Wave!" she yelled quickly.
"MAG," it responded just before it was bitten at its head. It fired off several rings of yellow electricity that struck his gnawing target, making him grimace as the energy began to spark around his body.
"Now Tackle!" its master commanded. Spinning around, the Electric/Steel type knocked its foe onto the ground, making him bounce off of it before he landed on his side, still sparking within the electricity.
"Rockruff, no!" Erika cried out in a panic.
"Meowth, use Screech!" Emily shouted suddenly. Getting back onto his ear, the Alolan Scratch Cat Pokémon arched his head back and puffed out his cheeks before screaming loudly, firing off a sonic wave that struck the Sea Lion Pokémon directly. A blue light flowed down her body in aftermath of the attack as she grimaced angrily.
"Oh man…" the Ketchum girl muttered in disbelief quietly. Her eyes shut. She was unable to comprehend how all that effort, all that studying, and all that training wasn't paying off.
'What do I do? What can I do?!' she asked herself hysterically, practically on the verge of tears. She wouldn't be getting an amulet. She never would.
"RAH, RUF!" the Puppy Pokémon suddenly barked loudly, causing her to instantly perk up and look over to see him standing despite the electricity sparking around his body.
"Arf!" Popplio yipped, making her look over to see her giving her a reassuring grin.
"Rockruff… Popplio…" she uttered, wiping away any tears that were forming in her eyes with her right arm.
'Yeah, we've come too far to let ourselves lose here!' she inwardly declared, noticing the sparks building around the dog-like creature's body, 'Rockruff's like Serpence back when he fought Tapu Koko…' she recalled, narrowing her eyes, 'For now, I'll just make sure he's ready!' she yelled through thought.
"Rockruff, Howl! Popplio, Water Gun on Meowth!" she called out to her teammates.
"RAHOOOOO!" the Rock type howled, making a red aura flow up his body once again. In the meantime, his partner arched her head back before unleashing a gush of water from his nostrils to strike the Dark type.
"Meowth, dodge and use Fury Swipes!" Emily bellowed, "Magnemite, Magnet Bomb!" she commanded in addition. Evading the water, the Alolan Scratch Cat Pokémon drew his claws and leapt out at his seal-like foe.
"Aqua Jet!" Erika exclaimed. Immersing herself in water, her starter rocketed herself away from her cat-like foe to his shock, shooting out towards his ally. Just as it was about to fire off an array of blue energy orbs at the paralyzed Puppy Pokémon, it was suddenly struck head on by the Water type.
"Ah!" the teacher gasped in surprise, seeing the Electric/Steel type tumble in midair.
"We're not done yet!" the aspiring trial-goer yelled, "Rockruff, Rock Throw!" she ordered. Making the stones around his neck glow a bright white, a multicolored orb of energy formed around the dog-like creature's tail. The sparkles that emerged from it then became rocks that shines in a white outline, being fired out to hit the Magnet Pokémon in an instant.
"Magnemite!" the spectacled woman cried out, seeing it crash into the ground in a flurry of dust. Once it cleared, it revealed that the machine-like creature had a swirl in its lone eye, indicating that it was no longer able to battle.
"Ruf, ruff!" Rockruff yipped excitedly.
'That's one down…' Erika noted inwardly, glancing over at Meowth with the same serious expression on her face, 'And one more to go!' she exclaimed through her thoughts.
"Use Rock Throw on Meowth!" she commanded quickly. Turning around, the Puppy Pokémon was prepared to fire off the same attack as before, only to stop as the electricity began sparking wildly around his body, making him grimace in agony.
"Meowth, Bite!" Emily ordered. The Alolan Scratch Cat Pokémon jumped out towards his Rock type foe as his teeth glowed a bright white, prepared to chomp down on him like he attempted to do before. And the Ketchum girl smirked again.
"Popplio, Disarming Voice!" she shouted while throwing out her arm. All of a sudden, the Sea Lion Pokémon leapt out and unleashed a high-pitched screech with a beam of purple hearts once again, striking her Dark type target as he was sent careening back in a loud yell.
"M-Meowth!" the teacher stammered, evidently stunned.
"Finish him with Aqua Jet!" her student yelled passionately.
"Ar!" her teammate barked in response, enveloping herself in a torrent of water before rocketing out and slamming into the torso of her opponent before striking the ground with him. A flurry of dust followed the attack, veiling the entire field. It took a few moments for it to clear. When it did, the aspiring trial-goer widened her eyes and smiled.
"Meeowww…" the cat-like creature groaned as he lied upon the dirt with swirls in his eyes. She had… No. They had done it. They won. The spectacled woman was stunned. Her student, who had shown no regard to her studies for the past week, had now come out on top.
"ALL RIGHT!" she exclaimed as she jumped up excitedly.
"Pua, pop!" the Water type barked happily while clapping her front flippers.
"Rah-! ER!" Rockruff suddenly grunted, still having the electricity sparking around his body.
"Oh, Rockruff!" his trainer cried out, hurriedly running over to him. After returning her two Pokémon to their Poké Balls in beams of red light, Emily walked over as she reached into her pocket to pull out something.
"Here," she offered, handing what she had to the girl. She looked at it and widened her eyes to see that it was a Cheri Berry, much like the one her older sister used. She gave it to the Puppy Pokémon, who ate it quickly and swallowed, allowing for the electricity to disappear from his form.
"Ruf!" he yipped, licking his owner's cheek as she picked him up in her arms.
"Thank you, Miss Emily," she said in gratitude to the teacher, bowing her head slightly.
"No, thank you for showing me that you've changed," she retorted with a shake of her head to her surprise, "You're a determined girl, Erika," she pointed out as she rummaged through her back pocket to take out another object, "Both your brother and the rest of your family saw that and wanted you to push forward," she added, showing her the amulet that she had.
"I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused…" the Ketchum girl sheepishly apologized with a slight blush forming on her cheeks.
"Apology accepted, Erika," the spectacled woman replied, giving her the trinket, "Congratulations," she said. Looking at her new amulet, the new trial-goer smiled brightly. She had never felt so happy in her life.
"Thanks again, Miss Emily!" she exclaimed before picking up Popplio and running off suddenly, "I won't forget what you did for me!" she mentioned with a wide grin.
"Heh," the instructor chuckled, "Nor will I," she whispered, seeing her head off.
X
"Guys! Check out what we got!" Erika exclaimed excitedly the moment she slammed the door open to her house. However, her expression soon shifted into one of concern as she noticed her mother fidgeting on the phone, while her sister was watching with her fists balled. "B-Balloon boobs?" she stuttered out, catching the white haired girl's attention.
"Oh, Erika!" she yelped in surprise, going over and greeting her with a hug, "Sorry, mom just got a call from Ilima about something that happened during Cal's trial," she explained, much to her surprise.
"C-Cal?" she stuttered in surprise, wondering what could've happened.
"All right, thank you," Mirajane finished, setting the phone back onto its console as she sighed in a relieved tone.
"Is Calvin okay?" her eldest daughter asked, getting her attention.
"He's fine… but a little shaken up," she replied, noticing the short haired girl, "Oh, Erika!" she yelped happily, clasping her hands together, "Did you get your amulet?!" she inquired excitedly, seemingly avoiding the subject she'd been talking about.
"Um… yeah…" the new trial-goer replied, "Mom, what happened to Cal?" she asked worriedly, causing her to blink in surprise.
"During his trial, he was jumped by a group of thugs…" she told her, much to her surprise as her eyes widened, "He was able to get away, but his Pokémon were all defeated…" she mentioned, evidently upset by the situation.
"And now those guys seem to have control over Verdant Cavern," Leslie added, folding her arms underneath her chest, "Damn it…" she cursed under her breath.
"I'll go pack my things," Erika suddenly said, walking over to her room to the surprise of the two women.
"E-Erika?" her mother stuttered.
"I'm gonna go out there tomorrow and beat those guys so Cal can finish his trial," she declared with a serious look in her eyes as her teammates seemed to feel the same.
END
Erika has her amulet now! But Calvin got beat by Team Skull! What's gonna happen next?!
Here's the summary for the next chapter!
SUMMARY
Hurrying out to Verdant Cavern, Erika is on her mission to take down Team Skull to let her brother finish his first trial. But will she be able to beat three members all by herself?! And what awaits the challengers who reach the end of the cavern?!
END SUMMARY
I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Feel free to leave a favorite, follow, or even a review! Right now though, it'll be back to "Traitor" to complete the next episode!