Alola! I'm finally back with this story and wouldn't you believe it?! Pokémon Sword & Shield are coming out later this year! As excited as I am though for the games, I'm more excited to get out of college finally and get myself a job I can enjoy.
A lot's happening in these next couple of weeks, so don't expect frequent updates from me. It'll probably be just this before the end of May.
Anyways, we last left off this story with Erika clearing the Verdant Cavern trial! Now her next task is to challenge Hala, the island kahuna!
So without further ado, let's get back into it!
POKÉMON SUN & MOON
THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME
Night fell quickly on the Pokémon Center at Verdant Cavern as Hau and Calvin were fast asleep in their beds. After Erika's trial, they decided to get some early rest before heading out tomorrow. Calvin had decided he'd head back to the vacation house after talking on the phone with his mother. As glad as she was that he was safe, she wanted to see her son in person, safe and sound.
As for Erika, she curiously stood out on the balcony, looking out at the ocean. She was dressed in a striped blue and white tank top and pink pajama shorts as her raven black hair swayed with the ocean wind. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the Z-Crystal she had earned for clearing the trial. Questions were ringing through her head as she stared at it. What could it do for her? Why was it the prize? And… did she really deserve it?
'Cal was the one who needed to take that trial, not me…' she noted inwardly, clutching the Normalium Z in her hand, 'Maybe I should just give him the Z-Crystal before we go tomorrow…' she suggested to herself.
"Having trouble sleeping?" a familiar voice guessed, catching her attention as she saw Ilima trot over to her.
"Oh, Ilima," she said, somewhat surprised, "No… I'm just thinking…" she half-confessed, looking rather nervous.
"You deserve that Z Crystal, you know," Ilima told her, causing her eyes to jolt open in surprise, looking over at him, "To be honest, I thought you were a problem child at first," he admitted. A tick mark of annoyance appeared on Erika's head for a moment. But she sighed. He was right. She acted like a huge jerk back at the Trainer's School. "And now here you are with a newfound purpose," he noted with a smile, "I'm sure your family would be very proud of you," he added to her surprise. She looked down for a moment.
"This wasn't supposed to be my trial…" she said as she put her hands on the railing, "but I'm really glad that we passed in the end!" she confessed, now smiling brightly. Now Ilima was surprised.
'So she understands that it wasn't her victory alone…' he realized, turning around and heading off.
"Make sure to get plenty of sleep," he advised to her, "If you're going to challenge Hala tomorrow, you'll need to be at full strength," he recommended.
"Right!" she replied earnestly with a nod. As he went back into the Pokémon Center, Erika took a look at the bright moon that shined overhead, holding up her Z Crystal to see it gleam from the moonlight. She smiled.
'Yeah…' she uttered inwardly as she brought the crystal down, clutching it in her hand, 'This was our win,' she stated to herself firmly before heading inside.
Cheers! Pom-Pom Style!
"Ar!" Popplio barked angrily.
"Mraw!" Litten hissed.
"Girls, come on…" Calvin reprimanded out of annoyance. He, Erika, and Hau were outside the Pokémon Center, all dressed and ready to head back to Iki Town. Well, almost. Litten and Popplio were quarreling over who stole their food, not realizing that the culprit was Yungoos as he was biting at Calvin's head, still hungry.
"Popplio, that's enough," Erika said as she picked up the Sea Lion Pokémon in her arms, "You don't see Rockruff acting like this, do you?" she questioned rhetorically.
"Pua…" Popplio muttered as she blushed.
"Ha, ha!" Hau laughed heartily, "Eri, you sound like my mom!" he pointed out. Erika blinked in surprise. And then she kicked her cousin's shin. "OW!" he yelped, hopping up and down as he grabbed at his foot. Calvin laughed nervously, while his sister turned away in a huff. The automatic doors to the Pokémon Center then opened.
"We appreciate the hospitality!" Ilima called out to the workers inside as he exited the building, going up to the group, "So are you all ready to head out?" he asked the group as Hau stopped hopping around in pain.
"Pretty much," Calvin replied as Litten jumped onto his right shoulder, "I wanna take the trial again now that Team Skull's not around," he admitted with a sheepish grin, "but I promised my mom I'd be back home today…" he noted. Erika took on a worried look. She knew her brother was still upset about losing to those thugs.
"Can I take my trial today?" Hau asked as he pointed at himself.
"Of course," Ilima responded, "Once I've finished escorting these two back home, I'll be happy oversee your trial," he declared.
"All right!" Hau exclaimed with a pump of his fist. Calvin seemed happy for his cousin, but also felt completely pathetic. Erika saw the look of shame in his eyes.
"Hey, Cal-"
"HEEEYYYYY!" a familiar voice called out loudly, catching everyone's attention before Erika could talk to her brother. Running down from the hillside was none other than Kukui, who screeched to a halt in front of them.
"Oh, Professor!" Ilima greeted with a wave, "Fancy meeting you here of all places!" he noted cheekily as Kukui put his hands onto his knees, panting out of exhaustion, "We were just about to head back to Iki Town," the trial captain explained.
"Huh?" the professor uttered in surprise. Ilima then told him about what had happened recently. Team Skull interrupting Calvin's trial, Erika's arrival, and how she defeated the thugs and the Totem Pokémon in her trial attempt. "So you passed, Erika?!" Kukui exclaimed in surprise. The girl of the group sheepishly blushed, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her Normalium Z to show him.
"It was really hard… but we pulled through in the end," she said, letting off a grin towards Popplio.
"Pua!" she barked happily. Kukui smiled. He was glad that his efforts to help her become a better trainer hadn't gone to waste.
"By the way…" Ilima began, chiming into the conversation, "why were you running all the down here, Professor?" he asked curiously. Kukui blinked before widening his eyes.
"Ah, right!" he gasped, "I ended up losing track of Lillie after I took her down Route Three…" he admitted, causing the others to all gasp.
"Wait, she's still got Cosmog with her!" Hau yelped in realization.
"We should go help you look!" Calvin declared as he clenched his right fist.
"No," Ilima chimed in, putting his hand out in front of the two boys, "I think your mother made it clear that she wanted to see you home safe and sound," he told Calvin, causing him to glance down with a frustrated expression on his face, "And Hau," he continued, catching the ponytailed boy's attention, "you can't head out that way until you've cleared the trial," he pointed out.
"Aw, man!" Hau complained, stomping the ground with his foot. Erika understood the frustration coming from both of them. They couldn't do anything in this situation… But maybe… she could.
"Can I go?" she suddenly asked, catching everyone's attention.
"Well… you may since you cleared my trial…" Ilima started to answer, "but-"
"I'll go with her," Kukui interjected, "Besides, now that she's cleared her first trial, she needs to know what's in store," he pointed out seriously. Now Ilima blinked in surprise.
"All right then," he concurred, "Hau, you can wait for me here before your trial," he told the ponytailed boy, who gave off a huge smile of anticipation, "I should be back in a couple of hours once I've escorted Calvin home," he noted.
"And we'll go down Route Three!" Kukui declared. Erika nodded.
"Wait for me, zzt!" a familiar voice buzzed, catching everyone's attention as they saw Rotom speed out towards them from the Pokémon Center, "You weren't gonna just leave me behind, were you, zzt?!" it questioned somewhat angrily to Erika. She raised her arms in a placating manner.
"Sorry, sorry!" she apologized repeatedly with a sheepish grin, "I already thought you snuck away into my bag since you need to recharge…" she pointed out.
"Why didn't you check then, zzt?!" Rotom asked back. Erika just laughed cheekily with an embarrassed blush, realizing that she had made a mistake. After a few more moments, Calvin headed off with Ilima towards Hau'oli City, while his sister went up towards the hillside with Kukui.
"See you guys later!" Hau cried out to both parties as they headed off. While heading towards the coastline, Erika noticed an open barricade that was similar in style to the gateway into Verdant Cavern. She also noticed a burly, bearded man wearing a green cap and shirt with the amulet logo, waving to her as she passed by.
"That was the captain's barricade we just passed," Kukui told her, catching her attention, "Since you passed the trial, that means you can venture anywhere around the island past this point," he explained.
"It also means that you'll get to meet more Pokémon, zzt!" Rotom buzzed excitedly.
"Ar!" Popplio squeaked.
"Well I do wanna catch maybe one more Pokémon here…" Erika admitted, remembering that her brother had three of his own.
"Wait," Kukui said, enticing her to stop as she saw him throw his left arm out in front of her. She blinked in surprise as she saw the Z-Ring fixed upon his wrist.
"Ruff!" a voice squawked from above, enticing her to look up and see a Rufflet flying overhead, appearing to loom over them.
"Great timing!" Kukui exclaimed as he reached into the pocket of his lab coat, pulling out a shrunken Poké Ball and enlarging it by pressing its center button, "I wanted to show you what's in store when you face Hala," he said, causing Erika to arch an eyebrow in confusion. The Rufflet then dove down towards the pair of people below. "Go, Rockruff!" Kukui called out, tossing the Poké Ball up into the air. It popped open, and the light that spilled forth from it formed upon the ground, dissipating to reveal the Puppy Pokémon.
"Rah!" he yipped excitedly.
"Pr-Professor…?" Erika stuttered, wondering what he wanted to show her. He crossed his arms in an x formation in front of himself, with his left arm over his right.
"Let's go!" he exclaimed. The crystal on his Z-Ring began to glow brightly, followed by him striking a series of poses: sticking his arms out forward as they were crossed, sticking his right arm down and left arm up in diagonal positions, and then bringing them back to form a z. Rockruff seemed to either be mimicking or synchronizing with the poses. All of a sudden, an orange aura shrouded Kukui, followed by shooting out to the Puppy Pokémon. He became surrounded in the aura, with a yellow light flashing in front of him that looked like an arrow pointed upwards above a z shape intersecting with a diamond shape similar to that of the Z-Crystal.
"Flet, flet!" Rufflet squawked as he dove down with his wings glowing a bright white.
"Let's show him our Z-Power, Rockruff!" Kukui declared, throwing out his right fist, "Breakneck Blitz!" he commanded.
"Raf!" Rockruff barked as he suddenly lunged forward at full speed, leaving behind a trail of dust in his wake.
"Whoa!" Erika yelped in surprise. Rockruff collided with Rufflet head on, creating an explosion of smoke upon impact that blew dust and dirt everywhere in a flurry.
"RAAAAHHH!" Rufflet screeched as he flew out from the dust cloud, slamming into the mountainside hard, "Flett…" he chirped weakly. Kukui took out another Poké Ball.
"Go!" he cried out, throwing it towards the Eaglet Pokémon. It bounced off of his head before popping open. Rufflet then turned into a red luminosity, going into the Poké Ball completely in a ray of light before it closed shut, hitting the ground. It then shook for a moment as the button blinked a bright red. After a few more seconds of anticipation, the Poké Ball gave off a resounding ding.
"You caught Rufflet, zzt!" Rotom exclaimed as it floated over to the Poké Ball, appearing to scan it, "Rufflet, the Eaglet Pokémon," it began to state, "With his sharp claws, this Pokémon pierces its prey, and then he pecks at them. Although he also consumes berries, he's a carnivore at heart. Known as a natural-born warrior, soon after his hatching, he will challenge his parent to a fight in order to gain their acceptance," it explained. Erika barely caught any of that. Her eyes were still shaking in amazement from the move that Rockruff performed. It looked like a powered-up Tackle by all means.
"Professor…" she began, catching his attention as he picked up the Poké Ball holding his newly caught Pokémon from the ground, "what was that?" she asked. Popplio seemed curious to know as well. Kukui grinned.
"That there was a Z-Move," he answered, showing off his Z-Ring to her. She blinked in surprise to see a Normalium Z fitted onto it. "You see, when you and your Pokémon are in perfect sync like me and Rockruff were…" he started to explain as the Puppy Pokémon trotted up to his side, "you can pull off a Z-Move that's basically a boosted move of your Pokémon," he told her. Erika's eyes shook in surprise. But then she realized something. She might've had the Z-Crystal, but not the Z-Ring like Kukui did. She looked at her barren wrist with a frustrated expression.
"Pua…" Popplio barked worriedly. Her trainer exhaled an accepting sigh.
"I'll get my Z-Ring once we beat Hala," she affirmed confidently to the Sea Lion Pokémon's surprise, "After that, we can try that Z-Move!" she declared. Popplio's eyes sparkled.
"Ar, arf!" she yipped, clapping her flippers.
"All right then!" Kukui exclaimed, "But first, we've gotta find Lillie," he pointed out seriously. Erika nodded in agreement as they then went off on their way. As they trekked around the hillside, a curious thought brought its way into Erika's head.
'If the Professor has a Z-Ring, that means he took the Island Challenge before, right?' she wondered, glancing back at the Z-Ring on his wrist.
"Something wrong?" he asked, noticing her staring. She blinked.
"Oh, uh, nothing," she stuttered, deciding to drop the issue for now as they trekked around the coastline.
X
"And here we are," Ilima said as he and Calvin stood outside the Ketchums vacation home, "Will you be fine going in on your own?" he asked of the boy who was remarkably silent in their trek home.
"Yeah," he answered with a nod. Yungoos kept chewing at his head, obviously still hungry.
"Well, I wish you the best, Calvin," Ilima told him as he started to walk off back towards Hau'oli, "I hope to see you again for your next attempt at my trial!" he called out with a wave. Calvin cracked a slight grin. But it faded quickly. He was disheartened still. Now he felt like he was at rock bottom.
"Mraah?" Litten purred worriedly. Calvin didn't respond. He just went up the steps onto the front porch, putting his hand onto the doorknob. He twisted it and pulled the door open.
"I'm home-" Before he could finish his announcement, he was ambushed by a warm embrace from his mother.
"Calvin!" she gasped happily with tears her eyes, pulling herself away as she was squatted down to his eye level, "Are you all right?! Did those Team Skull people hurt you and your sister?!" she asked frantically. Calvin blinked in shock. He immediately felt guilty for worrying his mother.
"I'm… okay, mom," he reassured slowly, making her perk up in surprise.
"Welcome back, Cal," another voice chimed in, catching their attentions as they looked to see Leslie there with a smile on her face.
"So dad's away right now?" Calvin inquired a couple of minutes later as Yungoos was eating away at a huge bowl of Pokémon food, with Pikipek and Litten awkwardly eating their own food far from him.
"Yep," Mirajane answered, throwing away a now empty bag of Pokémon food into the trash can, "Official Omni Force business," she mentioned.
"It's actually something really important, apparently," Leslie added as she was sitting down by the couch next to her brother, "Didn't dad say it had to do with some stones or something?" she asked of her mother. Normally, Calvin would've been intrigued by the conversation. But today, he didn't care. He was too lost in the thought of having lost to Team Skull. Embarrassingly, he might add.
"I'm gonna go take a nap," he said, getting up from the couch and going over to the door.
"Cal?" his older sister uttered in confusion, only to get no response as he opened the door and went inside, closing it behind him. Mirajane and her daughter shared a worried look with each other before they looked back at the door.
"Mrraaww…" Litten purred worriedly.
"Peek…" Pikipek agreed with a nod. They gave off exasperated sighs as they saw that Yungoos hadn't been paying attention, too busy with his food.
"Huh…" Calvin sighed as he sat down on his bed, taking off his cap and shoes. He looked over at his twin sister's bed, now barren and well made. There were so many things he had to think about. How did his sister become so strong? How did he get so weak?
A few teardrops fell onto the floor from his eyes. He was very disheartened. And the sobs he tried to choke back were heard by both his Pokémon and his family, who all listened on worriedly.
"Lillie!" Erika called out, "LILLIE!" she shouted louder as she made her way around the coastline. No reply came.
"This is strange, zzt…" Rotom buzzed while floating beside its user, "The Profezzor's taken the path down across the bridge and hasn't come back yet..." it noted, sounding concerned. Erika was worried, too. It had been almost two hours and neither of them had found Lillie. By all means, Lillie could be in Iki Town. Popplio sniffed the air.
"Arf!" she yipped suddenly, hopping out of Erika's arms.
"Hey, Popplio!" she yelped, seeing the Sea Lion Pokémon hurry off down a pathway between the mountainside, "Rotodex, what's down there?" she asked, pointing at the path.
"I believe that's where the Melemele Meadow is, zzt…" Rotom replied, "We haven't checked there yet," it added.
"Then let's go!" Erika declared, jogging after Popplio with Rotom floating beside her. When they arrived together, they all gasped in amazement at the sight before them. It was a huge field of yellow flowers, much like a lake. The wind breezed by, blowing some petals into the air above. Erika's eyes sparkled at the sight. It was beautiful. And then she blinked, remembering what her sister told her about all the things she'd see if she went on her journey. Erika smiled. She was happy to be on this journey.
"Nebby!" a familiar voice cried out, catching her attention as she blinked in surprise, "Nebby, come back!" the voice screamed again. Erika looked to her left and found Lillie there, standing upon the ground just before the field of flowers. "Oh, what do I do?" she asked herself, clutching the strap of her duffel bag.
"Lillie!" Erika called out, causing her to perk up in surprise to see her jog up to her with Popplio and Rotom.
"Oh, it's you…" Lillie recognized as she blinked.
"Mission complete, zzt!" Rotom exclaimed excitedly, "Now we can get Lillie back the Profezzor-!"
"Wait a minute, Rotodex," Erika interjected, making it stop talking, "Lillie, where's that Pokémon you always carry around?" she asked, noticing that the Cosmog was not present in her bag.
"Oh, it's over there!" Lillie exclaimed, pointing towards the Nebula Pokémon. It was atop one of the hills within the meadow, just floating there with an innocent smile on its face.
"Why didn't you go after it?" Erika questioned curiously, arching an eyebrow. Lillie grimaced as she clutched her bag again.
"The meadow's filled with wild Pokémon…" she answered shyly, glancing away, "And… I don't have any to battle with…" she admitted ashamedly. Erika seemed a little annoyed by her explanation, but she didn't want to leave her in such an unfavorable situation.
"Don't worry, we'll get Nebby back," she reassured to Lillie's surprise, "After all…" she continued, looking back at the professor's assistant, "I kinda wanna make up for everything awful I did before…" she confessed sheepishly. Lillie seemed genuinely shocked. Was this really the same girl she had met back on Mahalo Trail?
"Be careful, zzt!" Rotom suddenly advised, "The meadow's home to lots of Grass type Pokémon!" it pointed out.
"Yeah, got it," Erika replied with a nod, "Let's go, Popplio!" she called out.
"Ar!" Popplio barked, following after her trainer into the field of flowers. As they waded through the meadow, neither of them seemed to notice the silhouettes lurking near them. Lillie did as she widened her eyes.
"Erika, watch out!" she screamed, making her stop. Just then, several figures leapt out from the flowers to hers and Popplio's surprise. It was a cluster of Petilil and Cottonee that dove toward them. A few of the Petilil spun around, unleashing multiple light green glowing leaves toward the pair.
"Popplio, Aqua Jet!" Erika quickly cried out. Immersing herself within a torrent of water, the Sea Lion Pokémon rocketed away from the incoming leaves before she could be struck by any. However, some of the Cottonee began firing off seeds onto the ground, which all grew immediately into vines that attempted to grab Popplio as she sped by.
"Leech Seed, zzt!" Rotom buzzed worriedly. Erika grimaced. Now some of the Cottonee were firing off sparkling orange powder towards Popplio.
'This is really bad…' she muttered inwardly, 'Both Popplio and Rockruff can't fight Grass types that well, and it'll be even worse if they get paralyzed by Stun Spore…' she noted to herself, debating whether or not to call upon the Puppy Pokémon's assistance in the battle as she reached down to her belt. She looked over at Nebby. It wasn't in any danger currently, but she noticed the flowers beside starting to rustle.
"Popplio, can you hold them off here?" she asked of her partner.
"Puap!" she barked reassuringly in response with a nod as she fired off a stream of water from her nostrils to blow away any oncoming powder.
"Thanks!" Erika replied, jumping off towards the hills. Lillie gasped in surprise from seeing how high and far Erika had actually jumped. She hurried up the steep facing by climbing it, reaching the top as she breathed heavily, sweating madly all the while.
"Pew?" Nebby squeaked upon noticing her. She picked it up in her arms.
"Gotcha'!" she declared, raising it up into the air.
"Pua, pop!" Popplio barked out to her before narrowly evading green beams of light that were trying to latch onto her from the Grass types facing her. Erika turned and grimaced as she saw several Petilil and Cottonee coming out from the flowers, all growling angrily.
"Crap…" she muttered out, holding Nebby protectively in her arms. One of the Petilil's leaves glowed a bright green, shooting out tendrils of light that were attempting to latch onto the two.
"Erika! Nebby!" Lillie screamed.
"Arrr!" Popplio exclaimed, about to hop over to them, only to end up struck by the sparkling orange powder coming from some of the Cottonee. Erika braced herself, turning her back to her attackers in an attempt to protect the Cosmog.
"LEEEEEELLLL!" one of the Petilil suddenly screeched. Erika turned for just a moment to see that a Bulb Pokémon had slammed face first into the mountainside, falling down onto the ground with swirls in her eyes. She looked out and gasped. Amongst the Petilil and Cottonee was a bird-like Pokémon that seemed to be primarily yellow. Most of her body was pale yellow with a line of longer feathers around her waist like a skirt. Her lower body and short stubby tail were covered with short, white feathers. Fluffy balls of darker yellow feathers covered the end of her wings like pom-poms, and similar, smaller puffs covered her ankles. In the center of her chest was a yellow, v-shaped marking, and there were fan-shaped markings on the sides of her eyes. The markings around her eyes were echoed by three large, pale yellow feathers on each side of her head, which were tipped with bright yellow.
"Kori!" she chirped reassuringly to Erika, making her blink in surprise.
"That's an Oricorio, zzt!" Rotom exclaimed, "Oricorio, the Dancing Pokémon, Pom-Pom Style," it stated, showing off a picture of creature on its screen, "She creates an electric charge by rubbing her feathers together. She dances over to her enemies and delivers shocking electrical punches. This Oricorio has drunk bright yellow nectar. When she sees someone looking glum, she will try to cheer them up with a dance," the Pokédex explained thoroughly. The Petilil and Cottonee seemed rightfully upset that the Oricorio was interrupting their ambush, but she didn't seem to care. She made the pom-pom-like feathers on the ends of her wings glow a bright white before spinning around and smacking the Grass types away. Those below in the meadow took notice of the Oricorio as electricity was sparking around Popplio.
"Neeeee!" some of the Cottonee bleated, unleashing glowing leaves from their bodies that zoomed towards Oricorio. She jumped away, gliding with the wind as a light yellow, bird-shaped aura shrouded the front of her body. She rammed into the group head on, knocking them all away.
"Double Slap and Peck…" Rotom noted as it blinked, "This Oricorio's really strong, zzt!" it mentioned with a smile. However, the Dancing Pokémon didn't seem to realize that one Petilil was lurking in the flowers, narrowing her eyes onto her target. She leapt out, about to fire off the green glowing leaves onto Oricorio from behind until she was suddenly tackled away by Rockruff. The Dancing Pokémon turned around and blinked in surprise to see what had happened.
"Rah, ruff!" Rockruff yipped reassuringly.
"Thanks for the help there!" Erika called out in gratitude as she and the Puppy Pokémon hurried off down the hill back towards the field of flowers, "We'll take care of the rest!" she promised. However, Oricorio noticed how the Petilil and Cottonee below were surrounding the others, prepared to attack.
"P-Please…" Lillie stuttered as she nervously stepped back. The Petilil and Cottonee growled. They obviously didn't like their territory being squandered by anyone else.
"Rockruff, Rock Throw!" Erika commanded. Making the rocks around his neck glow a bright white, Rockruff had an orb of energy envelop his tail before he fired off several glowing rocks from it, striking the group of Grass types in a flurry of smoke and dust.
"Ah!" Lillie yelped, bracing herself from the impact as she held onto her hat.
"You all right, Lillie?" Erika asked as she hopped over to her side, handing the Cosmog off to her.
"Oh, Nebby!" she exclaimed in relief, holding onto it closely.
"Pew?" Nebby uttered in confusion.
"Rrrr…" Rockruff growled as the dust started to settle, revealing that the group of Grass types still standing and prepared to fight. Just then though, Oricorio dove in with the bird-shaped aura shrouding her head, striking aside the Petilil and Cottonee. Everyone gasped in surprise to see what was happening.
"NEEEEEE!" one of Cottonee bleated in panic, scurrying off. The other Grass types followed suit, not wanting to get themselves hurt any more.
"Kori!" Oricorio cheered as she raised her wings in triumph, "Kori, kori, korio~!" she sang as she danced, posing all the while. Erika blinked.
"Rotodex, who is that?" she asked, catching Rotom's attention.
"She's an Oricorio, zzt," it responded, pointing towards the Dancing Pokémon, "An Electric/Flying type that-"
"Yeah, I just needed to know the name…" Erika interjected to Rotom's surprise, seeing her trot over to Oricorio, "Hey, Oricorio," she said, catching the Dancing Pokémon's attention, "thanks for helping us back there," she told her in gratitude, giving her a smile.
"Kori!" she chirped happily in reply.
"Ar…" Popplio's voice moaned, causing Erika to perk up and see the electricity sparking around the Sea Lion Pokémon's body.
"Oh no, Popplio!" she cried out, hurrying over to pick her up, "What happened?" she asked.
"I think she was hit by a Stun Spore from those Cottonee…" Lillie answered as she came over, reaching into her duffel bag, "Here, let me help…" she offered, taking out a yellow spray bottle. A few moments passed as Popplio was sprayed with whatever substance was in the bottle Lillie had gotten for her. The electricity seemed to dissipate from her body.
"Arf!" she yipped happily as she hopped up.
"Phew…" Erika breathed in relief, "Lillie, thanks," she said in gratitude to the girl beside her.
"Oh, it's nothing…" she responded with a light blush across her cheeks, "I always pack enough medicine in case Nebby gets itself hurt…" she pointed out, opening her duffel bag to show Erika its contents, "And since I don't have a Pokémon to use to battle, I can't exactly go into fields without Repels…" she mentioned with a sheepish grin.
"You've got so much stuff…" Erika noted in surprise.
"I know…" Lillie said, sounding embarrassed, "I tend to buy without thinking half the time…" she admitted.
"That's not really a bad thing, ya know?" Erika chimed in, causing her to perk up in surprise, "If anything, it means you're ready to help Nebby with whatever trouble he'll get into!" she pointed out with a chuckle. Lillie couldn't help but laugh, too. But then she realized something.
"Where is Nebby?" she asked in concern.
"Kori!" Oricorio suddenly chirped, catching their attentions. The Nebula Pokémon was right beside her, practicing the same poses she was. The two girls laughed. After all that happened, they were glad that things turned out well.
"Hey, Lillie…" Erika began, catching the girl's attention, "I wanted to say sorry for shouting at you and acting like a jerk before…" she apologized, bowing her head, "I just… never really got to know how great things are here…" she confessed. Lillie blinked in surprise, but then smiled.
"It's all right, Erika," she reassured, "I'm happy you're enjoying your journey now," she mentioned, letting off a giggle with her. After returning Popplio and Rockruff to their Poké Balls, Erika watched as Lillie placed Nebby into her bag.
"Pew!" it exclaimed excitedly.
"Wow, it's already close to sunset…" Erika noted as she saw the sunlight starting to fade around the meadow.
"The professor is going to be so cross with me for going off track…" Lillie realized with a heavy sigh.
"Don't worry, he'll understand," Erika reassured, placing her hand onto the girl's shoulder.
"Kori!" Oricorio suddenly chirped, catching their attentions as they saw her hop up to them.
"What is it, Oricorio?" Erika asked, squatting down to the Dancing Pokémon's eye level.
"Kori, kor, koree~!" she sang while ruffling her pom-pom-like feathers.
"What does she want, zzt?" Rotom buzzed in question. Erika grinned as she stood up.
"I know exactly what she wants," she responded as he reached into her bag and pulled out a Poké Ball that she enlarged, "You wanna come with us, right?" she guessed.
"Koree!" Oricorio chirped as she nodded. Erika then underhanded the Poké Ball into the air, followed by the Dancing Pokémon hopping up and tapping the container with her right wing. The Poké Ball then opened, followed by Oricorio's body turning into red light as she went into it. The container then shut, falling onto the ground. It shook for a few moments as its button blinked a bright red before coming to a stop with the sound of a click. Erika smiled as she went over and picked it up.
"I caught an Oricorio!" she declared as she raised it up into the air.
"It's that easy, zzt?" Rotom wondered, while Lillie smiled.
X
Moments later, Erika and Lillie made their way out of the meadow and back onto Route 3.
"Ah…" Erika yawned as she held onto Oricorio's Poké Ball, "What a day…" she exhaled happily.
"That's your third Pokémon, right?" Lillie guessed, getting a nod in reply, "And you've cleared Ilima's trial, which means…"
"She'll get to battle Hala next, zzt!" Rotom interjected excitedly.
"Honestly, I'm a little nervous about fighting him…" Erika admitted as she stared at the Poké Ball in her hand, "But… I really wanna try," she said firmly.
"HEY!" a familiar voice called out, catching their attentions as they saw Hau running toward them, "Can't believe you girls didn't make it back to Iki yet!" he shouted while waving.
"Oh, hello Hau!" Lillie greeted as he came up to them, "Did you clear the trial, too?" she guessed with a tilt of her head.
"Uh-huh!" Hau responded with a nod, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a Normalium Z to show the girls, "I might not have a Z-Ring yet, but we'll be sure to pull off some awesome Z-Moves once I do!" he declared firmly.
"Yeah, same here!" Erika agreed as she pumped her fist. Lillie smiled. Though she didn't understand the joy in taking the trials, she knew it was important to the two challengers with her.
"Hmm…" Rotom buzzed, "Since both Erika and Hau passed the trial, that means either one of them can battle Hala next, zzt!" it explained excitedly.
"Which means we gotta decide who'll battle him first!" Hau realized, pulling out a Poké Ball from his belt, "So Eri, let's battle for it!" he declared as he enlarged the container in his hand by pressing its center button.
"B-Battle?" Erika stuttered. She was definitely caught off guard by the proposal.
"It does seem like a fair way to decide between trainers…" Lillie concluded as she scratched her cheek sheepishly, "Though I honestly don't like it when Pokémon fight…" she admitted.
"I guess it does," Erika agreed, readying the Poké Ball in her hand, "Okay, let's do it!" she exclaimed. A moment passed by before the two were in ready positions, prepared to start.
"Okay, here goes!" Hau cried out as he reeled his arm back, "I caught this little guy back in Verdant Cavern!" he pointed out, throwing the Poké Ball into the air, "Come on out!" he beckoned. The Poké Ball popped open, and the light that spilled out formed in midair, dissipating to reveal a Noibat.
"Noi!" he squeaked while flapping his wings.
"A Noibat, huh?" Erika uttered curiously with an arched eyebrow.
"Noibat, the Sound Wave Pokémon," Rotom stated as an image of the Flying/Dragon type came up on its screen, "He flies around in search of fruit to eat. He uses ultrasonic waves to detect which fruits are ripe," it explained briefly.
"Well, I guess I'll use my newest partner, too!" Erika declared as she threw her Poké Ball up into the air, "Let's go, Oricorio!" she called out. The container popped open, and the light that emitted from it spilled onto the ground, forming and then dissipating to reveal the Dancing Pokémon.
"Kori!" she chirped happily as she hopped up and down like a cheerleader.
"You got your own Flying type, huh?" Hau concluded as he grinned, "Well, we're not gonna lose!" he declared firmly, "Noibat, Tackle!" he commanded. Diving down at Oricorio head first, Noibat was prepared to attack.
"Double Slap!" Erika called out. Oricorio made her pom-pom-like feathers glow a bright white as she awaited Noibat's arrival. As the Sound Wave Pokémon finally got close enough, she smacked him with her wings before he could strike her, knocking him away.
"Ah!" Hau gasped in shock. His cousin smirked.
"Now use Peck!" she ordered. Having a bird-shaped aura shrouding the front of her body, Oricorio dashed out towards the fallen Noibat.
"Hey, watch out!" Hau yelped. But Noibat took notice too late as he was struck aside yet again by Oricorio's beak.
"Kori!" she cheered afterwards, hopping up and down excitedly. A tick mark developed on Noibat's head as he saw.
"Noiii…" he growled angrily.
"Okay, use Gust!" Hau shouted. The Sound Wave Pokémon had his wings glow a bright blue as he flew up and flapping them rapidly, creating a gust that blew fiercely by. However, Oricorio seemed to endure it as she only slid back a few steps from where she was.
"Oh my…!" Lillie gasped in surprise.
"That Oricorio's really strong, zzt!" Rotom noted.
"All right then…" Hau muttered, letting off a nervous grin, "Noibat, Bite!" he commanded. The Sound Wave Pokémon made his teeth glow a bright white as he dove down at Oricorio again.
"Use Peck!" Erika ordered as she pumped her fist. Cloaking the front of her body in a yellow bird-shaped aura once more, Oricorio leapt and collided with Noibat. They were at a deadlock for a moment until the Sound Wave Pokémon was blown back yet again, striking the ground hard.
"Jeez…" Hau muttered as he rubbed the back of his head. He was shocked with how strong Erika was compared to before. "All right, let's try Wing Attack!" he called out. Flying back up into the air, Noibat made his wings glow a bright white as he dove back at Oricorio again.
"Let's try something different…" Erika concurred with a smirk, "Teeter Dance!" she exclaimed. Hau blinked in surprise.
"Kori, kori~…" Oricorio sang as she danced, waving her wings. A pink mist began to spread outward from her body, making contact with the oncoming Noibat. He suddenly stopped, flying around crazily as he seemed to have lost control of himself.
"N-Noibat?!" Hau stuttered in surprise.
"Teeter Dance is a move that confuses a Pokémon when struck, zzt!" Rotom buzzed in explanation. Lillie widened her eyes. Erika was obviously not the same girl she saw moping around the Trainer's School. Not now.
"Let's finish things with Double Slap!" she called out to her partner.
"Kori!" Oricorio chirped in response, making her pom-pom-like feathers glow white before flying up and smacking Noibat over and over with them, slamming him onto the ground with a fierce smack.
"Noibat!" Hau exclaimed. As the dust settled, it revealed the Sound Wave Pokémon lying upon the ground with swirls in his eyes, evidently unable to keep fighting.
"Noibat is unable to continue, zzt!" Rotom exclaimed with a buzz, "So that means Erika will get to face Hala first!" it added, gesturing towards its user.
"All right!" Erika exclaimed with a pump of her fist.
"Kori!" Oricorio cheered, posing all the while. Lillie smiled again. Seeing this new version of Erika was… somewhat inspiring. For her to change so quickly…
'I wonder if I could be like that, too…' she noted inwardly. Hau returned Noibat to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light.
"Thanks for the hard work, Noibat," he said in gratitude, "Sorry things didn't go our way…" he apologized before shrinking the Poké Ball and placing it back onto his belt, "Guess you're goin' first, Eri!" he called out while trotting up to his cousin.
"Yes, you'll be attempting the island's grand trial next…" Lillie pointed out, "I hear Hala's one of the strongest trainers on the island…" she mentioned in a concerned tone. Erika grinned.
"We'll just have to our best then," she reassured, "Right, Oricorio?" she guessed to the Dancing Pokémon.
"Kor!" she chirped in agreement as she raised her right wing.
"There you all are!" a familiar voice cried out, catching their attentions as they saw Kukui running up to them, "Thought I lost you once I got into Iki Town…" he pointed out as he came to a stop, "Oh, Hau!" he said, noticing the boy there, "I take it you beat Ilima's trial, right?" he inferred with his hands at his hips.
"Mm-hmm!" Hau responded with a wide smile, "But Eri here's gonna challenge Tutu first," he noted, looking over at his cousin.
"Is that right?" Kukui inquired rhetorically as he arched an eyebrow, "Well, I hope you're ready!" he pointed out, "Hala's no pushover with those Fighting types of his…" he mentioned. Erika closed her right hand into a fist and gave off a confident grin.
"We'll be ready," she stated firmly. Confidence brimmed from her. And she was prepared to take on what could be her hardest trial yet…
END
NegaiFreak: WOOHOO!
Calvin Ketchum: Kind of a shorter chapter this time around…
Erika Ketchum: Hey, this might be the last one he makes before the end of his college run! You know how next week there's… you know?
Calvin Ketchum: Oh, right…
Erika Ketchum: Anyways, here's the summary for the next chapter!
SUMMARY
Erika's ready to take her grand trial against Melemele Island's Kahuna, Hala! She'll be facing his Fighting type Pokémon in a 3-on-3 battle, but will she be able to match him when he has a Z-Ring and she does not?!
END SUMMARY