Alola! After a little break to get "Traitor" chapters taken care of, I'm back with more of this story featuring the OC Ketchum twins! Last time we left off, Erika finally got her amulet to go on her journey! However, she learned about her brother's trial being interrupted by Team Skull, so now she's on her way to go and help him.
What'll happen? Let's find out!
POKÉMON SUN & MOON
THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME
"Erika, wait a minute!" Mirajane screamed as her youngest daughter was already getting her shoes onto her feet. She had barely slept last night. How could she with the knowledge that her brother was jumped by thugs? She had scarfed down her breakfast and got her clothes on in quite a hurry. There was no way she was going to wait any longer.
"Sorry, mom!" she cried out in apology before she opened the door, ready to run down the porch steps.
"At least take your Pokémon and Pokédex with you!" Leslie yelled, causing her to stop in mid-stride. She slowly turned around with a reddening face to see her sister standing there with her arms folded underneath her chest, while Popplio, Rockruff, and Rotom were beside her.
"Uh, heh, heh…" the short haired girl laughed nervously. That was embarrassing. After returning both of her teammates to their respective Poké Balls in beams of red light, she placed them at her belt.
"Be careful, please," her mother pleaded as she hugged her tightly.
Mhm!" she squeaked in reply from being held onto. The goodbye hugs she once hated were still somewhat of an annoyance, but now she found them to also be endearing. She released herself from the take-over wizard's grasp, looking over at her sibling.
"Take care of yourself, kiddo," she advised with a smile. The once annoyed look on her face was now replaced with hope. She had hope that she could be proud of her little sister's accomplishments, should she strive to succeed. Unfortunately, that seemed to be undercut when…
"Boop!" the aspiring kunoichi exclaimed as she poked her sibling's left breast.
"WAH!" she yelped in surprise as she jerked back, "ERIKA!" she screamed angrily with a reddening face.
"Hee, hee!" her sister giggled cheekily, "Thanks for the raincheck, Leslie," she said in gratitude, much to the surprise of the Unova Champion Master as she blinked.
"We should probably hurry, zzt," the Pokédex buzzed, catching its user's attention as it was floating beside her head.
"Yeah, let's go!" she declared, turning around and heading out the door, "Bye!" she cried out before leaving.
"Huh…" Mirajane sighed, "That girl's been a real handful…" she admitted, placing her right hand onto her cheek.
"But she's definitely going places," her eldest daughter noted in reply as she smiled, "…I'm excited for her," she admitted.
"Me too," her mother agreed. Not even a minute had passed before Erika found herself at the beachfront to Hau'oli City, panting out of exhaustion.
"Are you all right, zzt?" Rotom asked, seeing her place her hands onto her knees.
"Yeah… I'm good…" she reassured in between breaths.
"Why are you in such a rush anyway, zzt?" the converted Plasma Pokémon questioned curiously, "Your mother said Calvin was all right, didn't she?" it asked on.
"I know Calvin's okay…" the short haired girl replied as she stood up fully and took a deep breath, "but I can't let those guys who attacked him get away with what they're doing," she stated firmly, "That's why I wanna get to them as soon as possible," she told it. It blinked in surprise.
"Then allow me to be your guide, zzt!" it declared happily, having a map appear upon its screen, "I have calculated that walking to the Pokémon Center near Verdant Cavern will take forty minutes by walking, zzt!" it told her.
"FORTY?!" she screamed in shock. She groaned and slouched down. It was going to be a long morning.
"Peek…" Pikipek chirped sadly as he perched himself upon his trainer's shoulder. He and his teammates had bandages over their forms from yesterday's attempted trial. The Ketchum boy was silently looking out the window, seated at a couch next to a coffee table with a despondent look on his face.
"Hey cuz!" Hau's voice greeted, catching his attention as he saw him approach with a pair of plastic cups filled with hot cocoa in his hands, "Figured you'd want something to wake up with," he pointed out to him. He smiled. Last night, he had hardly slept. While Ilima was busily making calls to the police for assistance, Hau worriedly watched his cousin go through a series of emotions. Anger, frustration, sadness, and regret. He knew Calvin was always an optimist and a go-getter, so this was jarring for him to see.
"Well, the good news is the police will be here," the trial captain chimed in, catching their attentions as they saw him approach, "The bad news is that they won't be here for a couple more hours," he told them.
"Aw, seriously?" Hau responded out of frustration.
"That's okay…" his cousin said, much to his surprise as he looked over at him, "I mean, they'll catch those guys at any rate, right?" he inquired. Hau wasn't sure how to answer. He knew Team Skull members were slippery like a den of Ekans. They could easily get away from the police. And the worst part was, Calvin wouldn't be able to get even with them.
"Rest assured, once those cronies are out of the cave, we'll get your trial back up and running," Ilima reassured to the trial-goer. But his despondent expression hardly changed. He was too frustrated with himself to even care. How did he and his team lose to a group of thugs?
"Mraw…" Litten purred worriedly as she approached her trainer from the other side of the couch, where Yungoos was sleeping. Both she and Pikipek nuzzled against Calvin, but it wasn't working. It seemed like nothing would alleviate his doubts. Then doors slid open.
"Hm?" Ilima uttered, turning around and letting out an audible gasp. The two boys also took notice, widening their eyes.
"Huh… huh…!" an exhausted-looking Erika breathed out. Sweat was practically pouring down her face. "Help me…!" she pleaded before falling face first onto the floor. Rotom floated overhead with a somewhat surprised expression.
"It appears you're starting to suffer from dehydration, zzt," it buzzed bluntly.
"Erika!" Calvin exclaimed, immediately getting up from his seat with Hau. Moments later, Erika found herself guzzling down an entire bottle of water.
"Pah!" she gasped in relief once she finished, "Thank you…" she said in gratitude to the trial captain who had given her the water.
"What are you doing here?" her brother asked curiously as she put the empty bottle down, "I thought you were staying home because you didn't pass the class…" he noted out of surprise.
"Things changed, Cal," his sister retorted in reply, "More importantly, how are you holding up?" she asked as she gave off a concerned look. He turned his head away ashamedly.
"F-Fine…" he choked out. It was evident that he didn't want to talk about it. Just then, a pair of lights emitted from Erika's shorts, forming upon the floor and dissipating to reveal Popplio and Rockruff.
"Pua, pop!" the former of the two barked, hopping onto the couch next to Litten, "Arf?" she questioned out of concern to her.
"Mrow…" the Fire Cat Pokémon growled, seating herself down and turning her head away in a pouting manner.
"Hey, Litten…" Calvin said in a reprimanding tone.
"Peek, pik pek?" Pikipek chirped as he flew over and landed beside his upset teammate.
"Hey, who's that?" Erika asked curiously as she blinked.
"Oh, allow me, zzt!" Rotom responded, floating out in front of her and displaying an image of the bird-like creature upon the screen, "Pikipek, the Woodpecker Pokémon," it began, "This Pokémon feeds on berries, whose leftover seeds become the ammunition for the attacks he fires off from his mouth. He may look spindly, but his neck muscles are heavy-duty. He can peck at a tree 16 times per second!" it explained.
"Wow, that's amazing!" Erika exclaimed, "Guess you've been making more friends as usual, huh?" she inquired with a chuckle. Calvin's lips trembled.
"Wh…Why are you acting like this… Erika?" he asked, starting to tear up a little as everyone looked on worriedly, "You don't… care about any of this, don't you?" he questioned on to her. She placed a hand onto his shoulder.
"I care about my brother," she responded, giving him a soft smile, "And… I owed you one for trying to get me in the game back at school…" she added as she glanced down at the floor somberly for a moment.
'THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!' she remembered screaming the day he got his amulet, when she didn't. That was one of the biggest regrets of her life. She blamed him for her own faults. Her own mistakes.
"I'm sorry for what I said, Cal," she apologized, making him blink in surprise, "And I wanna make it up to you," she added in declaration, standing up from her seat, "That's why we're gonna go in that cave and take those guys down," she stated as she balled her fists.
"Wh-What?!" Hau stammered in surprise. Calvin and his Pokémon were shocked by the proposal as well. Ilima had widened eyes, but remained firm as he approached Erika.
"As much as I would like to give those thugs a lesson, I'd rather leave it to the police," he told her seriously, "Plus, you aren't exactly permitted to enter Verdant Cavern without an Island Challenge amulet," he mentioned. She reached into her bag afterwards.
"You mean like this?" she inquired, causing him to perk up before gasping to see the trinket she had earned.
"Hey, you got your amulet!" Hau beamed excitedly upon seeing it.
"You… passed the retake?" Calvin uttered in disbelief. His twin sister looked over at him and smiled.
"It was really tough… but we did it together," she told him, looking over at her Pokémon, who grinned back at her, "Mister Ilima," she began to the trial captain, "I know it should be the police's job to handle these guys…" she continued as she balled her fists, "but I can't just let them get away with hurting my brother and his team!" she shouted fiercely.
"Rah!" Rockruff barked in agreement.
"Arf!" Popplio exclaimed. Ilima was stunned. This was a new side he hadn't seen of Erika before. And he admired that passion.
"Very well then," he said, causing her to blink in confusion, "Since you have your amulet, I'll let you enter the cave," he told her. She beamed for a moment. "However," he continued, making her stiffen and listen carefully, "if things get bad, please don't hesitate to call for my help," he advised seriously.
"…Don't worry," Erika responded after a moment, "We'll beat those guys and let Cal finish his trial!" she stated firmly. Her brother was shocked. She had changed just like he had. She was determined, driven, and most of all, ready to face up to the challenge.
The Good, The Bad, & The Totem!
After some time, Erika was in front of the entrance to Verdant Cavern with Popplio and Rockruff standing beside her.
"Ilima mentioned that those Team Skull numbskullz might be trying to capture the Pokémon inside, zzt," Rotom explained, catching Erika's attention for a moment.
"Whatever they're up to, it's no good," she reaffirmed, clenching her fists, "so we'll stop them here," she declared.
"Ruf!" Rockruff yipped with a nod. Popplio did the same.
"Ugh…" A groaned in frustration as he looked through one of the cavern dens, "B, you find anything?" he asked his comrade, who was checking another den.
"Got nothin'…" he replied as he folded his arms over his chest and squatted down with an annoyed expression, "Yo, sis!" he cried out to the pink haired woman, catching her attention, "We should bail before Ilima gets the cops out here!" he recommended.
"No way, idiot," G responded, "There's supposed to be this super powerful Pokémon in here that the boss'd love to have…" she noted with narrowed eyes, "Maybe if I catch it, I'll get promoted to admin status!" she beamed excitedly.
"Whoa, like big sis?!" B exclaimed in surprise, blinking rapidly. None of them noticed Erika walk into the cavern with her Pokémon.
"Don't be dumb, B," A reprimanded, "Ain't nobody in the world except the boss can match big sis…" he muttered as sweat trickled down his face.
"Hey!" Erika's voice shouted suddenly, causing the three Team Skull members to perk up to see her there, "I don't think you guys are supposed to be here," she remarked, maintaining a serious expression.
"Another trial-goer kid?" A guessed while arching an eyebrow, "Jeez, and I thought the cops had shown up for a second…" he grumbled. Erika tensed up. It was obvious that they didn't see her as a threat.
"Well, whatever," G said, taking out and enlarging a Poké Ball in her right hand, "Let's just get rid of her like the last crybaby and find that Pokémon," she advised to her comrades.
'Crybaby?' Erika uttered inwardly. It took her a moment to realize that G was referring to Calvin. She balled her fists.
"Yeah, let's get 'er!" A declared, tossing up his own Poké Ball as B did the same. They both popped open, and the lights that poured out from them formed and dissipated to reveal Drowzee and Zubat respectively.
"Drow…" the Hypnosis Pokémon uttered with an ominous grin.
"Rrrrr…" Rockruff growled angrily as he and Popplio glared down their opponents.
"Ya know…" G began, catching their attentions, "you kinda look like that crybaby from the other day…" she noted curiously, "Don't tell me you're related, are you?" she inquired. Erika clenched her fists even tighter.
"Yeah, I am," she responded, "And we're gonna take you guys down for him!" she declared fiercely.
"Bwark!" Popplio barked in agreement.
"HAHAHAHA!" A cackled, holding his hips in his hands, "Oh yeah?!" he yelled mockingly.
"There's three of us and only one of you, girlie!" B mentioned, "A and I could take you easy, but with G here too…" he kept going.
"…You've got no chance!" the woman finished, throwing up her Poké Ball. It popped open, and the luminosity that emerged spilled onto the ground, forming and dissipating to reveal her Rattata.
"Rah!" he hissed.
"Ruf, rahk!" Rockruff yipped angrily. The sight of the Alolan Mouse Pokémon made Erika blink in surprise. She hadn't seen a Rattata like that before.
"Hey, Rotodex…" she said towards Rotom, catching its attention.
"Leave it to me, zzt!" it buzzed in response, putting an image of the Dark/Normal type upon its screen, "Rattata, the Mouse Pokémon. A Dark and Normal type," it began, "When the sun goes down, he becomes active. He runs around town on a chase for good food for the boss of his nest—Raticate. Night after night, they sneak into people's homes seeking food. A massive outbreak of them has become an issue of public concern," it explained, letting the picture disappear.
"So he's an Alolan form like Miss Emily's Meowth…" Erika realized, narrowing her eyes in thought.
"Hey… is that a new Pokémon?" A inquired out of confusion upon seeing the Pokédex.
"Heh," G chuckled, "I guess we'll take it along with her other Pokémon," she stated, swinging her arm out, "Quick Attack!" she commanded.
"Rah ta!" Rattata replied, having a white outline appear over his form before dashing out at his foes.
"Popplio, counter it with Aqua Jet!" Erika cried out.
"Arf!" the Sea Lion Pokémon barked, immersing herself within water as she rocketed up to intercept Rattata. The two collided fiercely, knocking each other back as they landed upon the ground with droplets of water falling with them like rain.
"Oh?" G uttered in surprise, arching an eyebrow.
"Rockruff, Howl!" Erika shouted.
"RAAAAAHHHHOOOOO!" the Rock type howled, causing a reddish aura to flow up his body.
"Tch," B scoffed, folding his arms over his chest, "You don't scare us, girlie!" he yelled, "Zubat, Absorb!" he ordered. Zubat screeched as he dove down towards Rockruff, making his fangs glow a bright green as he was ready to sink them into his target's neck.
"Dodge and Tackle!" Erika commanded quickly. Ducking away from Zubat, Rockruff leapt up and slammed into him head first, sending him flying away and crashing into a den.
"Ah, Zubat!" B gasped in surprise.
"So this girl wants to really mess with us, huh?" A noted as he narrowed his eyes, "Drowzee, Confusion!" he ordered.
"Drow…" the Hypnosis Pokémon hummed as his eyes glowed a bright purple. All of a sudden, Rockruff found himself unable to move, encased in a purple outline.
"RAH!" he yelped loudly as he was flung into the rocky wall in an instant with a flurry of dust to follow by Drowzee's psychic force.
"Rockruff!" Erika cried out, growling in frustration, "Popplio, Water Gun!" she ordered to the Sea Lion Pokémon.
"Arf!" she barked in response, leaping up and shooting out a stream of water from her nostrils. It splashed onto Drowzee, causing him to stumble back slightly.
"Eat this!" A yelled, "Drowzee, Disable!" he called out.
"Drow…" the Hypnosis Pokémon uttered with a devious smirk, making his eyes flash a bright white as he stared at Popplio.
"Ar?" she yipped in confusion as she blinked.
"Hit him with another Water Gun, Popplio!" Erika commanded, catching her attention.
"Pua!" she barked, reeling her head back to launch more water from her nostrils. But nothing happened. "A-Ar?" she stuttered in surprise. Erika was stunned as well.
"Pursuit!" G shouted. Without warning, Rattata suddenly dashed in in front of Popplio with a dark aura shrouding his form, spinning around to slam his tail into her face to send her flying into an empty den.
"Popplio!" Erika screamed worriedly, "Rotodex, what just happened?!" she asked frantically to her Pokédex.
"Disable is a move that prevents a target from using the move they last used for a while, zzt," Rotom replied, making her grimace worriedly, "And that Rattata's ability is Hustle," it mentioned.
"Hustle?" Erika uttered in confusion as she blinked.
"It's an ability that increases a Pokémon's attack power at the expense of accuracy," the Pokédex explained to her.
"Accuracy…" she repeated, glancing down in thought. She looked back over to see the Pokémon of the Team Skull members gathering together, then over towards her own comrades, who arose with angered expressions on their faces.
"Tch," A scoffed, "Guess they're still kickin'…" he grumbled out of frustration, slouching a little.
"Not for long…" G said, swinging her arm out, "Use Quick Attack!" she commanded.
"Rah!" Rattata responded, dashing out as a white outline shrouded his form.
"Rockruff, Rock Throw!" Erika yelled. Letting the rocks around his neck glow a bright white, Rockruff made a multicolored orb of light appear upon his tail. The orb then dissolved into multiple sparkles that became stones shrouded by a white outline, being subsequently fired towards Rattata. He skillfully evaded them though, speeding by each one before positioning himself to be right above Rockruff.
"Hah!" G laughed, "How 'bout we take care of your dumb little Rockruff first?!" she inquired loudly, "Hyper Fang!" she ordered. Making his teeth sharped and shine a bright white, Rattata dove down towards Rockruff, ready to bite him. Erika cracked a smirk.
"Popplio, Disarming Voice!" she shouted. Leaping up, the Sea Lion Pokémon shrieked to unleashed a stream of purple pink hearts from her mouth. They struck Rattata and sent him crashing into the ground.
"R-R-Rattata?!" G stuttered in shock.
"Fairy type moves are super effective against Dark types!" Erika noted as she grinned confidently.
"You remembered, zzt!" Rotom beamed excitedly.
"No way!" B screamed out of disbelief, "G's Rattata got knocked back?!" he exclaimed.
"Tch!" A scoffed, clenching his fists, "Drowzee, hit that thing with another Disable!" he demanded of his partner.
"Drow…" the Hypnosis Pokémon hummed, staring intently at Popplio.
"Rockruff, Bite!" Erika ordered quickly.
"Rah!" the Puppy Pokémon barked, leaping up and making his teeth glow a bright white before chomping down on the nose of Drowzee.
"ZEEEEEEE!" he shrieked in agony. He then was pulled down to the ground by Rockruff, followed by being swung around rapidly.
"D-Drowzee!" A stammered in shock. The Hypnosis Pokémon was flung right at him, knocking them both down in a flurry of dust.
"A!" both B and G screamed. The dust settled to reveal their comrade lying on the ground in a daze, pinned by Drowzee as he had swirls in his eyes, indicating that he was defeated.
"And Dark type moves are super effective on Psychic types!" Erika added as she pumped her fist.
"Correct, zzt!" Rotom responded, raising its right arm.
"Grrr…!" G growled angrily, "Rattata, Pursuit!" she commanded to her partner. The Alolan Mouse Pokémon had a dark aura shroud his form before he dashed out, spinning around in an attempt to strike Rockruff with his tail. He did so to the Puppy Pokémon's right side, but to his shock, the Rock type stood his ground.
"RAH!" he barked boomingly.
"Tackle!" Erika cried out. Planting his feet, Rockruff shoved Rattata off of him in an instant, followed by turning and slamming into him head on, sending him flying into an empty den in a flurry of dust.
"Ah!" G gasped with a frightened look on her face.
"Zubat, Wing Attack!" B ordered in a panicked tone. Making his wings glow a bright white, the Bat Pokémon soared down to try and attack Rockruff.
"Popplio, Aqua Jet!" Erika commanded as she swung her right arm out.
"Bwark!" the Sea Lion Pokémon responded before immersing herself in water, rocketing herself up to strike Zubat directly in the face, knocking him off balance.
"Wh-Wh-WHAT?!" B stuttered in disbelief with widened eyes.
"And Rock Throw!" Erika yelled quickly. Forming another multicolored orb of energy on the tip of his tail, Rockruff fired off several stones that all hit Zubat, resulting in a large cloud of smoke. The Bat Pokémon fell out from it onto the ground, lying in a daze.
"AAAAAAAHHHH!" B screamed, "ZUBAT, GET UP!" he demanded in a panic, but to no avail as his partner was down for the count. G grimaced underneath her mask. Erika could tell and smirked, folding her arms over her chest.
"Thought you guys said you could take me three on one…" she remarked in a snarky tone.
"That's not very sportsman-like, zzt…" Rotom pointed out bluntly.
"Oh, I can take you all by myself," G muttered as she balled her fists, "Rattata, Focus Energy!" she called out.
"Raaahh!" he hissed in response, having an orange outline surround his body as his muscles tightened.
"That move…" Erika uttered upon noticing.
"By using Focus Energy, Rattata has a higher chance of landing a critical hit with one of his attacks, zzt," Rotom explained to her, getting her attention.
"Hm…" she hummed in thought, "Well in that case…" she started to say.
"Now take down that Rockruff runt with Hyper Fang!" G commanded. Letting his tooth glow a bright white and sharpen, Rattata sped out towards the Puppy Pokémon with ferocity in his eyes.
"Popplio, knock him away with Disarming Voice!" Erika cried out.
"Arf!" the Sea Lion Pokémon yipped as she leapt up and let out a shriek, unleashing a stream of purple-pink hearts that struck Rattata and caused him to lose his footing and stumble.
"Ah!" G gasped. Now she was actually in trouble.
"Rockruff, Tackle! Popplio, Aqua Jet!" Erika ordered. The Puppy Pokémon lunged and slammed into Rattata head on, knocking him into the air. Before he could even think to regain himself, he was struck in the torso by a water-immersed Popplio, who took him up to the cavern ceiling. The water then dispersed around her as she glared at her almost incapacitated foe.
"R-Rattata…" G stammered out in disbelief.
"Finish it with Pound!" Erika shouted. Making her right flipper glow a bright white, Popplio span around and smacked Rattata in the face with it. He was sent crashing into the face of his own trainer, who fell to the ground in a pained grunt.
"AH! G!" B exclaimed in shock. Rattata had swirls in his eyes, indicating that he could no longer battle. All three of the Pokémon the Team Skull members had been defeated. Two of the group members were unconscious. He was the only one left with no friends to help him, no Pokémon to use. "U-Uh…" he stammered, sweating bullets.
"That's it from you, right?" Erika inquired to him as she stepped forward. Both Popplio and Rockruff gathered beside her.
"Y-You haven't seen the last of us!" B stuttered out in claim. Both A and G then awakened and sat up from the ground. The three Team Skull members widened their eyes at the angered look developing on Erika's face. Her eyes glowed in an ominous purple light, and her teeth sharpened.
"GET LOST," she demanded in an aggressive tone.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" the Team Skull members shrieked simultaneously in fright before they all scurried off with their Pokémon in tow. Erika blinked before her eyes returned to normal. She then placed her hand against her head.
"Whoa… what the heck?" she grumbled, stumbling back a little.
'That was like-'
"Pua!" Popplio yipped happily, interrupting her thoughts as the Sea Lion Pokémon jumped into her arms. She smiled.
"Yeah, we won!" she exclaimed excitedly, "And now that those goons are out of the cavern, Cal can finish his trial!" she realized, embracing Popplio.
"That's right, zzt!" Rotom concurred, "So let's head on outta here and tell Ilima what happened, zzt," it advised to its user.
"Right!" she replied with a nod. Then she noticed someone was missing, blinking in surprise. "Uh… Rockruff?" she called out, "Where'd you go?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Rah, ruff!" the Puppy Pokémon's voice barked, catching her attention along with the others as they saw him standing by the opening at the end of the cave.
"Hey, what are you doing over there, zzt?!" Rotom loudly asked.
"Ruf, rah rahk!" Rockruff responded, turning around and heading into the opening.
"Ah, hey!" Erika yelled, running after him with Popplio still in her hands and Rotom floating beside her, "Rockruff, stop!" she demanded as she followed him inside. She blinked in surprise. Where the Rock type had run into was a large den without a roof, as the sunlight beat down onto the area.
"What could this place be for, zzt?" Rotom wondered aloud.
"Ruff, ruf!" Rockruff barked, catching their attentions as they looked over to see him nearby a gold-colored pedestal at the end of the cavern. For a moment, Erika widened her eyes. She noticed that the markings upon the pedestal were the same as those on Calvin's Z-Ring. And then she saw the white crystal sitting atop it. It was shaped like a diamond, having an insignia similar to two circles. She put down Popplio and started walking towards the pedestal.
"Ar…?" the Sea Lion Pokémon uttered in confusion.
"What are you doing, zzt?" Rotom asked as it blinked. Erika stopped in front of the pedestal, standing beside Rockruff. She reached her hand out to grab the crystal and then…
"GRRRR…" a voice growled.
"WAH!" Erika yelped in surprise, stumbling back a few steps. She then glanced up and gasped. Looming over the ledge above the pedestal was a Gumshoos. But something was different about him. He was gigantic. He leapt down towards the girl. She quickly reacted and ran away, only to be blown back by the force of his landing with Rockruff.
"Are you okay?!" Rotom asked in concern as Erika slowly sat up while grunting.
"Yeah…" she replied, letting out an exhale. She then looked up and widened her eyes. The Stakeout Pokémon was looming over her as an orange-colored aura suddenly flared to life around his form.
"Thhhh!" he roared in challenge. Erika gulped.
X
"Pua…" Popplio whimpered in fright as she stepped back.
"Wh-What is that…?!" Erika stuttered out, sweating madly. She thought that if even she was scared by the Gumshoos, the Team Skull members would be wetting their pants. The memory of her encounter with Tapu Koko entered her mind.
"Gumshoos, the Stakeout Pokémon, and the evolved form of Yungoos," Rotom explained, catching her attention, "Patient by nature, this Pokémon loses control of himself and pounces when he spots his favorite meal—Rattata!" it explained, yelping upon reading the last word.
"GROSS!" Erika shrieked in shock. Her face was turning blue.
'And he's the EVOLVED form of Yungoos?!' she exclaimed inwardly, 'Great…' she muttered to herself.
"But…" Rotom continued, causing her to perk up and look over at him, "this Gumshoos is much larger than a normal one…" it noted curiously, "About three times the normal size, I think, zzt…" it added, showing off an image of a comparison on its screen.
"Th-Three?!" Erika stammered.
"GGUUUUUUUHHHHMMM!" Gumshoos roared, slamming his front paws into the ground. He swung them forward, causing a flurry of dust to build up and head right towards Erika.
"Arf!" Popplio yelped, quickly firing off a stream of water from her nostrils to blow away the dirt cloud before it could reach her trainer.
"Thanks, Popplio!" Erika cried out in gratitude, "Ergh…" she growled in frustration, turning towards the giant Gumshoos.
'What do we even do here?' she asked herself, 'Heck, we shouldn't even be here!' she realized, gritting her teeth, 'This is supposed to be Calvin's trial, not-!'
"GUUUUMMMM!" Gumshoos roared, contorting his face into a frightening expression.
"AAAAAAAHHHH!" Erika shrieked in shock.
"That's Gumshoos Scary Face, zzt!" Rotom buzzed. Just then, Rockruff leapt out and slammed into the Stakeout Pokémon's torso, knocking him away.
"Guh!" he grunted out, maintaining his balance as his opponent landed down safely.
"Rah, ruf ruff!" he barked angrily in challenge.
"Rockruff, wait a second!" Erika cried out, catching his attention, "We were just supposed to stop those Team Skull guys, not come back here!" she noted seriously to him. However, her words may have distracted Rockruff as Gumshoos had his teeth glow a bright white, about to chomp down on his target.
"Ar!" Popplio yelped, firing off another blast of water to knock the Stakeout Pokémon back before he could hurt the Rock type.
"That could've been really bad, zzt!" Rotom noted worriedly, "If Gumshoos is going to fight us no matter what, we should fight back, right, zzt?" it buzzed in question towards Erika. She glanced down in thought. She remembered her encounter with Tapu Koko again. It was her fault that both Popplio and Rockruff were defeated back then. Because she was stupid, impatient, and selfish. But she also realized that the Gumshoos wasn't going to let them get away freely. They'd have to fight.
"Popplio, Rockruff," she began to her teammates, catching their attentions as clenched her fists, "let's do this!" she exclaimed.
"Rah!" the Puppy Pokémon yipped in agreement.
"Pua!" the Sea Lion Pokémon beside him concurred.
"Gumshoos is a Normal type, so a Rock type like Rockruff is the best match for him, zzt!" Rotom pointed out cleverly.
"Okay then!" Erika responded with a nod, "Rockruff, Howl!" she called out.
"RAAAAAHHHOOOOO!" the Puppy Pokémon howled, making a reddish aura flow up his body.
"Guh… shoo!" Gumshoos bellowed as he dug his paws into the ground beneath him to make another cloud of dirt build up.
"Dodge it!" Erika yelled quickly, enticing her two Pokémon to jump up to evade the dust, "Popplio, Aqua Jet!" she commanded as she swung her arm out.
"Ar!" the Sea Lion Pokémon barked, immersing herself in a torrent of water before zooming down towards Gumshoos. However, something was wrong. She was moving much slower than usual.
"Huh?" Erika uttered in surprise, widening her eyes slightly. Taking the chance he now had, Gumshoos made his teeth glow a bright white before chomping down right as Popplio came down onto him, creating a burst of smoke upon impact.
"AAARRRRR!" she shrieked, flying out from the smoke and tumbling upon the ground she hit.
"Popplio!" Erika cried out worriedly, "Rotodex, what the heck just happened?!" she asked in a panicked tone.
"Hmm…" the Pokédex hummed in thought, "Oh!" it yelped in realization, "Gumshoos' Scary Face has the added effect of lowering an opponent's speed, zzt!" it explained to her.
"So when he did that earlier…" she realized, remembering the frightening expression she had seen from the giant Stakeout Pokémon, "Ergh…" she growled in frustration, "Rockruff, Rock Throw!" she ordered.
"Rah!" the Puppy Pokémon yipped, making the stones around his neck glow before forming a multicolored orb of energy upon his tail. Gumshoos smirked. A red aura outlined his form, causing Erika to blink in surprise. "Ruf!" Rockruff barked, unleashing several stones from the orb he had made towards his target, striking him fiercely. Although the attack managed to make Gumshoos stumble back, he stood his ground as the aura around him was evidently building.
"That light…" Erika uttered, recognizing it as she gasped, "Popplio, Disarming Voice! Rockruff, Rock Throw!" she ordered quickly.
"Eh?" Rotom uttered out in confusion. Getting back up, Popplio leapt up and shrieked, unleashing a stream of pink-purple hearts onto Gumshoos. At the same time, Rockruff fired off more stones towards the giant Stakeout Pokémon, enveloping him within a cloud of smoke upon impact.
"I sure hope that did it…" Erika grumbled as sweat trickled down her head.
"But why though?" Rotom asked, still wondering what was causing her so much stress.
"Guuuuhhhhh…." Gumshoos growled, causing Erika to widen her eyes in disbelief along with Popplio and Rockruff.
"No!" she exclaimed pleadingly. The smoke cleared, revealing the large red aura shrouding the giant Stakeout Pokémon.
"Guh…!" he began, reeling his head back. Realizing what was about to happen, Popplio quickly jumped over and shoved Rockruff aside, much to his surprise. "SHHHHHOOOOOOOO!" Gumshoos bellowed, unleashing a beam of white light from in front of his mouth, striking the Sea Lion Pokémon in a massive explosion.
"POPPLIO!" Erika screamed in horror, bracing herself from the dust that blew by.
"Wh-Wh-Whoa, zzt!" Rotom stuttered as he flew about aimlessly from the force of the wind, "That was Gumshoos' Bide, wasn't it?!" it inquired loudly as it regained its balance, floating back over to its user. As the wind died down and the dust settled, Rockruff stood back up and gasped to see his teammate lying on the ground with swirls in her eyes.
"Ar…" she moaned in agony.
"Popplio!" Erika shrieked, developing a frightened expression.
'Dammit!' she inwardly cursed, grabbing at her head, 'I should've known that all our attacks wouldn't be enough to beat him, so why did I command for them?!' she asked herself frantically. Her knees started to buckle. 'We should've just run… We're not ready for something like this!' she noted through her thoughts. Tears were threatening to come out of her eyes. 'We're not-!'
"RAHK, RUFF!" Rockruff's voice barked, causing her to perk up instantly and look over at him. He stood firm. Even though his teammate was defeated, he continued to glare down his foe.
"Rockruff…" Erika uttered. She remembered Rotom's Pokédex entry and how it described the Puppy Pokémon. She remembered how he would support her when she would be down. She balled her fists and regained her serious expression. There was no way she would back down now.
"Guh, shhhoooo!" Gumshoos bellowed as he slammed his front left paw into the ground, using its claws to pick up dirt and fling it out at his target.
"Dodge and use Howl!" Erika cried out quickly.
"Raff!" the Puppy Pokémon yipped in response, hopping off to the side to evade the building dust, "RRRAAAAAAAAHHHOOOOO!" he howled, making a reddish aura flow up his body again. In that moment however, Gumshoos leapt out with his jaws glowing a bright white, chomping down on his opponent fiercely in an explosion of white smoke.
"This is bad, zzt!" Rotom buzzed in a panicked tone, "Since Gumshoos' ability is Strong Jaw, that means his Bite is much more powerful, zzt!" he explained. Erika clenched her teeth.
"Hang in there, Rockruff!" she cheered.
"Rah!" he yipped reassuringly in response, jumping out from the cloud. Despite his heavy breathing and the scrapes along his body, he was still willing to fight. Gumshoos was the same, glaring at the Puppy Pokémon angrily.
"Rockruff, Howl!" Erika commanded.
"Again, zzt?!" Rotom buzzed in surprise with an astonished expression upon his face. Why was she calling for the same move over and over?
"RRAAAAAAAHHHOOOO!" Rockruff howled once more, this time louder than before. The red aura flowed up his body, making Gumshoos growl in frustration. For his opponent to merely be shouting up to the sky over and over was nothing but insulting to him.
"GGGGGUUUUUUUHHHHH!" he roared, readying his jaws to bite down on the Puppy Pokémon one last time.
"Now, Rock Throw!" Erika commanded. Making the stones around his neck glow a bright white, Rockruff formed another orb of multicolored energy upon his tail, subsequently firing off several stones that struck the large Stakeout Pokémon head on, knocking him back.
"Guhhhh…" he growled, gritting his teeth. A reddish aura overtook his form.
"There's the Bide, zzt!" Rotom yelped.
"One more time, Rockruff!" Erika called out.
"RAH!" the Puppy Pokémon barked loudly, shooting more stones that all struck his adversary in the torso. Would he give in first? Or would he hold out long enough to unleash another Bide? Erika inwardly prayed that the former would happen. And then the red aura dissipated instantaneously.
"Huh?" she uttered in confusion, blinking.
"…Guhhh…" Gumshoos groaned before falling face first onto the ground with swirls in his eyes. It took Erika a moment to realize what had just happened. Rockruff had emerged victorious.
"W…We won…" she stuttered out, slowly starting to smile, "WE WON!" she exclaimed excitedly.
"That was close, zzt…" Rotom noted as it drooped its arms down in relief, "So that's why you had Rockruff use Howl so much, zzt!" it realized, catching Erika's attention, "By raising his attack power, he was able to land that decisive blow without allowing Gumshoos to unleash his Bide!" he explained, receiving a nod from the girl.
"Ar…" Popplio groaned from afar, causing the two to perk up.
"Popplio!" Erika yelped in realization, hurrying over to the Sea Lion Pokémon with Rotom and Rockruff in tow. She knelt down to pick the Water type up, as she slowly opened her eyes and smiled.
"Pua…" she uttered, poking her nose against her trainer's cheek. She smiled softly.
"I'm sorry I let you get hurt, Popplio," she apologized, "You too, Rockruff," she added over to the Puppy Pokémon.
"Rah!" he barked happily in reply.
"Guh…" a familiar voice groaned. Uh oh. Everyone widened their eyes.
"Wh-Wh-What?!" Rotom buzzed, stuttering in panic. They turned to see Gumshoos standing back up, breathing heavily. Rockruff took a ready stance and growled. However, the giant Stakeout Pokémon didn't pay any heed to him. He actually turned around and grabbed the crystal off of the pedestal.
"Guh, shoo," he stated, walking over to Erika, who stood back up. She flinched slightly for a second, but then settled herself down as Gumshoos held out his hand, offering her the crystal.
"Is… that for me?" she inquired.
"Gum," the Stakeout Pokémon responded with a nod, dropping the crystal into her hand. She and Popplio stared at it in wonder. Was this their reward for victory? What was it?
"Congratulations!" a familiar voice called out as a pair of hands clapped. Erika turned around and widened her eyes. Coming into the large den was Ilima, along with Calvin and Hau.
"G-Guys?!" she stuttered in surprise.
"Whoa!" Hau exclaimed, "You took down that big ol' Gumshoos, Eri?!" he inquired out of disbelief. Calvin seemed to be just as stunned.
"Well… uh…" Erika stuttered, unsure of how to explain things. Fortunately, Ilima seemed to be ready to do that for her.
"Once you took care of the Team Skull members, you came back here out of curiosity, right?" he guessed towards the girl. She merely nodded, though it was Rockruff who had made her enter the den in the first place. "Hm…" the trial captain hummed in thought, "I guess Gumshoos here recognized your potential after you defeated those goons," he realized.
"G-Gumshoos?" Erika stammered, blinking out of confusion, "Hold on, what does he have to do with this?" she asked. She was evidently perplexed, as were the two boys.
"Gumshoos here is who we'd call the ultimate test of a trial," Ilima answered, giving the large Stakeout Pokémon an Oran Berry to eat, "Specifically, he's a Totem Pokémon," he added.
"T-Totem Pokémon?" Erika stuttered. She was very confused at this point.
"The original objective of the trial is simple," Ilima said, holding up his right index finger, "You are to first defeat the three Pokémon that lie in their dens and then you're allowed to come back here and face the Totem," he explained, "And since you were victorious, you've not only cleared the trial, but you also receive that Z-Crystal in your hand as a reward," he mentioned.
"…HUHHHHHH?!" Erika exclaimed in shock, "Wait, wasn't this supposed to be Calvin's trial?!" she asked frantically, "I wasn't supposed to pass it for him! I just supposed to get rid of those Team Skull goons like you said!" she noted rather quickly. Her brother put his hand onto her shoulder, catching her attention.
"Congrats, Erika," he said in a complimentary tone, "You earned that," he added to her surprise.
"C-Cal…" she stammered, stunned by his modesty.
"And now that you've completed the only trial on Melemele Island, you can challenge the island's kahuna," Ilima mentioned, causing the three trial-goers.
"Whoa, seriously?!" Hau yelped, smiling excitedly, "You'll get to face Tutu before either of us!" he pointed out as he balled his fists. Erika just blinked in surprise. She was still reeling over the fact that her escapade initially meant to stop Team Skull actually turned out to be her first trial. But nonetheless, she smiled and stared at her new crystal, wondering what secrets it held as she was ready to continue.
END
Boy, I really took my time with this one. Sorry, folks…
But anyways, I'm happy to say that now Erika is on her way to the grand trial next! So I hope you all enjoyed the chapter as much as I did writing it! Here's a summary of what'll happen next!
SUMMARY
On her way to Iki Town through the northwest part of Melemele Island for her grand trial, Erika meets up with Professor Kukui on a mission to find Lillie, who's gone missing again! Wanting to make amends with the girl, Erika vows to help! Will she find her?!
END SUMMARY