NegaiFreak: Alola, everyone! Sorry for being so late with this latest chapter. Graduating doesn't come too freely these days…
Calvin Ketchum: But anyways, we'd like to put out a little announcement in case the one on NegaiFreak's profile didn't get through to people.
Erika Ketchum: The stories and characters he chooses are his to decide. He recently got a review as to what characters he should use instead of some of the newer choices placed in the Omni Force forum.
Leslie Ketchum: Keep in mind that those aren't finalized. But if he decides to go with them in the end, then he will.
Ash Ketchum: So let's not be hostile over his choices, okay? Who knows? Maybe you'll get to like the characters he chooses.
Mirajane Strauss: Now please enjoy the newest chapter of "The Challenge of a Lifetime"!
POKÉMON SUN & MOON
THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME
"And… there!" Erika exclaimed as she posed in a z-formation, "How's this?" she asked.
"Hmmm…" Rotom hummed as it narrowed its eyes, "I think you've got it backwards…" it pointed out, showing off an image of Kukui doing the pose on its screen.
"Aw, dang it!" Erika yelled in frustration, throwing her arms down. After emerging victorious from her grand trial and getting her stone from Tapu Koko, Erika decided that she'd practice her Z-Move poses. Since Hala was furnishing her Z-Ring, she had nothing better to do than train for the next morning.
"Ruff!" Rockruff barked as he fired off glowing rocks down from his tail that struck targets in bursts of smoke.
"Kori!" Oricorio chirped while making her feathers glowed a bright blue before she swung her wings out to unleash several x-shaped slashes of air that hit other targets.
"Breeah!" Brionne screeched as she shot out water from her nostrils that splashed onto a lone target.
"So what are you going to do next, zzt?" Rotom asked curiously, catching Erika's attention.
"Hm…" she hummed, folding her arms over her chest, "Well, I guess I'm gonna stick around to see Calvin's grand trial," she said, pumping her right fist, "I know he'll get there," she added confidently. Rotom smiled.
"Bree… Bree…" Brionne panted in exhaustion. Her Water Gun was practically nothing compared to the likes of her teammates' attacks. She reeled her head back again. And this time, she fired off a rapid stream of bubbles that knocked the target over completely. Rockruff and Oricorio gasped.
"Whoa, what was that?!" Erika yelped upon noticing.
"Brionne learned how to use Bubble Beam, zzt!" Rotom noted excitedly.
"That's awesome, Brionne!" Erika exclaimed in delight.
"Breeah!" Brionne squeaked happily as she clapped her flippers. She then started blowing water balloons from her nose into the air. Erika widened her eyes in surprise. The water bubbles themselves were different bright colors of pink, green, yellow, and blue.
"Rahk, rah!" Rockruff yipped as he playfully leapt up and bit each balloon, popping them. Erika giggled. When once she would be turned away by such a sight, now she enjoyed it.
"Um… Erika?" Rotom uttered, catching her attention as she saw it point. She grimaced. Some of the balloons had ventured through an open window into the house. And once she heard them pop…
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" a voice shrieked girlishly. Erika shivered. She knew who that was… "ERIKA!" Leslie screamed as she marched up to the window, wearing a white set of pajamas, "Can't you go a few days without pulling some stupid prank?!" she shouted.
"S-Sorry!" Erika stuttered in apology, holding her arms up in a placating manner, "Brionne just learned how to use a new move…" she pointed out, "Also… um…" she tried to continue, looking away and blushing.
"What?" Leslie uttered in confusion. Her little sister just pointed at her. She looked down and gasped in realization. Her light pajamas were becoming transparent from the water… "KYYYAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" she screeched, quickly slamming the window shut with the drapes.
"Bree on?" Brionne questioned curiously as she blinked.
"Koree…" Oricorio chirped with a shrug in response.
"Now let's try the Fighting type Z-Move, zzt!" Rotom recommended, getting an immediate nod in response from Erika. Back in the house, Calving was getting his shoes on, putting away his finished plate of breakfast in the sink, and setting his cap on straight.
"Mrrrowww!" Litten growled as she and Pikipek were pulling at Yungoos' tail, trying to pry him away from a bag of Pokémon food that he wanted to eat.
"Hey, guys," Calvin said, catching their attentions. Litten narrowed her eyes. "And girl…" her trainer corrected as he took out their Poké Balls, "Let's do our best today and win that trial," he told them. They all voiced their agreements… right before Yungoos was about to munch on the food bag again. Luckily, Mirajane grabbed it as he slammed into the wall head first.
"Yung…" he groaned with swirls in his eyes.
"Huh…" Calvin sighed, returning him to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light.
"Hopefully, we can avoid having to run out of food day by day now…" Mirajane noted as she went up to her son and gave him a loving hug, "Good luck, Calvin," she said to him, "I know you'll do great," she added confidently.
"Thanks, mom," he replied as Pikipek perched himself atop his capped head and Litten jumped onto his shoulder, "We'll do our best!" he declared before rushing out the door. Mirajane smiled. Her son had gotten his confidence back and would likely show it with today's trial.
Retry With Raticate!
"I'm so glad you could make it today!" Ilima exclaimed as he handed off a mug of hot cocoa to Calvin. They were in his room, which was filled with stuffed bookshelves and technology. The two of them were seated at a small coffee table.
"Thank you," the trial-goer replied as he took his drink. Litten and Pikipek were chowing down on Pokémon food with Ilima's Smeargle. Calvin could only imagine how left out Yungoos was feeling being confined to his Poké Ball. But if it would avoid using up more food bags… "So can we head out to Verdant Cavern now?" Calvin asked, snapping himself away from his thoughts.
"Actually…" Ilima began to respond, "we'll be waiting a little while longer before your retrial," he told him, much to his surprise, "Your new trial will be with but a few differences," he pointed out as he sipped his cup of tea, "One of those will be the time that it'll be taken," he mentioned. Calvin blinked in confusion.
"So… we won't be going now?" he guessed, receiving a simple nod in reply.
"I would take the time you have to train for the trial," Ilima advised as he stood up, "There are plenty of wild Pokémon to face out on Route Two," he added.
"W-Wait…" Calvin stuttered, catching his attention, "I wanted us to take the trial so we can face Hala later…" he pointed out, sounding somewhat stressed.
"Now, now…" Ilima repeated, holding his hands out in a placating manner, "This is a good chance for you to train so that the trials ahead for you will be much easier," he explained.
"Hmm…" Calvin hummed disappointedly. Both Litten and Pikipek looked on with worried expressions on their faces.
"Huh! Huh!" Erika exclaimed as she punched at the air over and over, "HAH!" she yelled as she threw out her right fist one last time, "Huh… Huh…" she breathed, sweating all the while under the beating sun.
"Looks like you've got the Fightinium Z pose down, zzt!" Rotom noted.
"Breeah!" Brionne agreed as she clapped her flippers excitedly.
"I still need to work on the Normalium Z one though…" Erika realized as she put her right hand onto her chin, "Anyways, what do we do now?" she asked, sitting down on the grassy ground below.
"What do you mean, zzt?" Rotom questioned as it floated over to her.
"Well, once I get my Z-Ring, we can go to any of the other islands…" she replied, lying down on the ground as she stared up at her barren left wrist, "Question is, where do we go?" she asked.
"Let's see…" Rotom uttered, pulling up a map upon its screen, "The island closet to here would be Akala, zzt…" it buzzed.
"Hmm…" Erika hummed in thought as she shut her eyes. It seemed things would all depend on whether or not Calvin would pass his trial and then his grand trial. And if she was being honest with herself, she was worried that Calvin wouldn't pass.
'Calvin…' she uttered inwardly as she stared up at the sky.
"Rah, ruff!" Rockruff barked excitedly as he ran over towards the front porch, causing his trainer to sit up and look over to see someone approach the house. She smiled upon seeing who it was.
"Hey, Lillie!" she cried out as she waved, catching the blonde haired girl's attention as she smiled. Moments later, the two of them were inside the house with their hats off, eating apple slices at the couch.
"It's so nice of you to come and visit us!" Mirajane said as she set down a plate of cookies on the coffee table in front of them.
"Thank you," Lillie replied, while Erika took a cookie and happily ate it in one bite, "Is… Calvin here, by chance?" she asked, glancing around, "The Professor wanted me to bring him something," she mentioned.
"You missed him an hour ago," Leslie chimed in as an answer, catching her attention, "He's off taking his trial again," she added while setting down bowls of Pokémon food for Brionne, Rockruff, and Oricorio.
"Oh…" Lillie uttered disappointedly. Erika swallowed the cookie she'd been chewing.
"What were you gonna give him?" she asked curiously.
"Pew!" Nebby suddenly exclaimed as it popped out of Lillie's bag, spilling potions and repels onto the floor.
"Oh, Nebby!" its caretaker yelped, scrambling over to retrieve her items, "I'm so sorry!" she apologized instantly to Mirajane, who giggled.
"No, it's fine!" she reassured, seeing the Cosmog go over and start to dance with Oricorio. She then helped pick up the objects on the floor. Leslie picked up one of the items, which was a rectangular, oval-shaped device that had what appeared to be a silver Poké Ball embedded into it at one end.
"Hey… what's this?" she asked, showing it to Lillie as she perked up.
"Oh, that's for Calvin," she replied, standing up and taking the object, "It's the newly made Ride Pager that was being developed in Kalos," she explained as she showed it to the others.
"What's it do?" Erika asked, looking at the device.
"It lets a user summon a Ride Pokémon whenever he or she wants," Lillie responded, "Though… this one doesn't have any Pokémon registered for Calvin to use yet…" she pointed out, showing the family that no icons were lit up on the device.
"Uh… what's a Ride Pokémon?" Erika questioned out of confusion.
"You know those people we see riding the Lapras, Mantines, and Sharpedos?" her big sister inquired, getting a simple nod in reply, "There are others like them that help people while traveling," she mentioned in remembrance.
"Why aren't any Pokémon registered by chance?" Mirajane asked.
"The Professor said he'd register a Tauros for Calvin once he passed his grand trial," Lillie answered as she placed the Ride Pager back into her bag, "I guess I'll give it to him once he wins that grand trial…" she realized with a sheepish smile.
"Heehee!" Erika giggled in agreement. Just then, the door opened.
"Pika pi!" a familiar voice squeaked. Everyone perked up to see Pikachu dash in excitedly.
"Pikachu!" Erika exclaimed as she got up onto her feet and outstretched her arms. Pikachu was surprised by her sudden excitement, but disregarded it as he hopped into a loving hug from Erika. Mirajane and Leslie looked on with smiles.
"We're home!" Ash's voice cried out as he entered the house. He blinked in surprise as he saw Pikachu in Erika's arms. After the last time he saw his youngest daughter, he never expected her to ever do that.
"Hi dad!" she greeted as she suddenly rushed over and hugged him, allowing Pikachu to jump out of her arms in the nick of time beforehand. He gladly accepted her embrace with a happy laugh. Seeing her like this felt so rewarding.
"So I take it that you passed your grand trial?" he guessed.
"Yep!" Erika replied with a nod, "And check it out!" she mentioned, gesturing over to her trio of eating Pokémon, "I caught an Oricorio, and Popplio evolved!" she pointed out.
"Koree!" Oricorio chirped in greeting as she waved her right wing.
"Breeah!" Brionne yipped.
"Congratulations, kiddo," Ash said to his daughter as he squatted down to her eye level, "I'm proud of you," he admitted to her surprise. But she then smiled widely.
"Thanks, dad!" she responded in gratitude. Just then, there was a knock at the door.
"Hello?" Hala's voice echoed. Erika beamed.
"Be right there, Hala!" she shouted, hurrying over to the door. Mirajane giggled delightedly. She then went over to her husband.
"So…" she began, catching his attention, "how'd it go?" she asked curiously. Ash's face fell a little.
"We have a lot to talk about," he replied. Mirajane simply nodded, saying nothing. Leslie just looked on worriedly.
X
Calvin was exceedingly bored. Even while eating a sweet malasada with his Pokémon, he was still impatient.
'Is the sun ever going to go down?!' he inwardly yelled out of anger. He wanted his trial to take place now. Why was Ilima making him wait until tonight? Why not go to Verdant Cavern now?
"Huh…" he sighed deeply out of frustration.
"Mraaw?" Litten purred in concern, catching his attention as he saw her press her front paws onto his leg.
"Yeah, I'm fine…" he muttered reassuringly. He honestly wasn't. He was stressed, impatient, and even upset that things weren't going his way.
'Did Erika ever feel like this?' he wondered, leaning back in the bench he was sitting in.
"Hey, Cal!" a familiar voice called out, causing him and his Pokémon to perk up as they looked to see Trent walking over to them, "What are you doing out here?" he asked curiously.
"Trent!" Calvin exclaimed in surprise, "Uh, I'm just hanging out here before I take Ilima's trial again…" he admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.
"Yeah, I heard…" Trent replied, "Sorry about what happened," he apologized.
"No, it's okay," Calvin reassured as he held up his hands, "I didn't get hurt or anything…" he pointed out, looking over at Litten and Pikipek with an ashamed expression across his face, "So what are you up to?" he asked, changing the subject.
"I'm heading off to Akala Island in a few hours," Trent answered as he went over and stood beside his seated rival, "My team and I already beat Hala, so I figured I'd hurry over to the next island," he said.
"Akala Island?" Calvin uttered in surprise, arching an eyebrow.
"Yeah, it's the next one over to the east of here," his rival replied, "I've heard there are three trials you have to take in order to battle the island's kahuna…" he mentioned as he looked out at the marina.
"Really?!" Calvin exclaimed out of shock. Litten and Pikipek seemed just as stunned by the revelation.
"Once I get there, I'm gonna start training though," Trent said, pulling out one of his Poké Balls from his belt, "Hala was a lot tougher than I thought he'd be…" he sheepishly admitted, "Say, you wanna have a battle to pass the time?" he offered to his rival.
"Yeah, sure!" he responded as he stood up excitedly.
"Mraw!" Litten cried out in an eager tone.
"Peek!" Pikipek chirped. Moments later, the two trainers were at the marina. Trent reeled his arm back.
"Go!" he called out as he tossed the enlarged Poké Ball into the air. It popped open, and the light that spilled out onto the ground from it formed and then dissipated to reveal a small, insectoid Pokémon. He had a white body with three nubs on either side resembling simple legs. There were two yellow spots on his side. His head was dominated by two large, yellow mandibles with reddish-orange tips. The rest of his head was brown and had a reddish-orange structure with a yellow rim on top. He had large, black eyes with white pupils.
"Grrub!" he squeaked as he clacked his mandibles together.
"What kind of Pokémon is that?" Calvin wondered, about to pull out his phone.
"That's Grubbin," Trent replied before his rival could check the Larva Pokémon's data on his app, "Found him just outside Iki Town a few days ago," he mentioned, "He's… a feisty one…" he added sheepishly as he scratched at his cheek.
"Beeeen, beeeen!" Grubbin squeaked he kept clicking his mandibles, eager to do battle.
"A Bug type, huh?" Calvin realized as he put his hand onto his chin in thought. Both Pikipek and Litten had type advantages for sure, but only one could take part in the battle.
'With how many battles Pikipek's had, I guess Litten should take this one for training…' Calvin concurred inwardly.
"Litten, go for it!" he exclaimed.
"Mraw!" the Fire Cat Pokémon roared as she jumped out in front of her trainer.
"Peek pik!" Pikipek chirped, cheering rather than being annoyed he wasn't selected to fight.
"So Litten again, huh?" Trent realized, "Don't think this'll be easy, Cal!" he shouted, "I'm a lot stronger than I was at school!" he declared confidently, "Grubbin, String Shot!" he commanded, swinging his left arm out.
"Grub!" the Larva Pokémon exclaimed as he opened his mouth and fired off a string of sticky thread towards Litten.
"Use Ember!" Calvin cried out. The tufts on Litten's back spiked up before she launched a fireball from her mouth that struck the oncoming thread and subsequently incinerated it.
"Grubbin, Vice Grip!" Trent shouted. The Bug type suddenly lunged out at Litten in an instant, much to her shock as her eyes widened.
"Counter with Scratch!" Calvin quickly yelled. Drawing the claws of her front paws, Litten threw out her right to intercept Grubbin's mandibles, being at a deadlock with him until they both hopped back.
"Mraw…" Litten growled. Her opponent was stronger than she expected.
"Grub, grubeeen!" he squeaked as he clicked his mandibles.
"Let's make our move, Litten!" Calvin declared, "Use Fire Fang!" he ordered as he threw his right arm out. Engulfing her mouth in flames, the Fire Cat Pokémon jumped out, ready to bite her opponent.
"Mud-Slap!" Trent exclaimed. Upon the command, Grubbin stuck his mandibles into the ground and then swung them out to make mud splash up and strike Litten in the face. She fell to the ground, dirtied as she tried to shake the mud off.
"Litten, watch out for Grubbin!" Calvin cried out.
"Too late!" Trent yelled, "String Shot!" he commanded.
"Gruhh beeeen!" Grubbin squeaked as he launched another string of thread. This time, it struck Litten, leaving her entrapped in a sticky and muddy situation… literally.
"Litten, hang in there!" Calvin called out, gritting his teeth all the while.
"Peek, pik peek!" Pikipek cheered as he flapped his wings in encouragement.
"Grubbin, Spark!" Trent ordered. A greenish electricity appeared to shroud the Larva Pokémon before he lunged out again. He struck Litten fiercely… and then did so again, again, and again.
"Peek!" Pikipek screeched out of worry. Calvin grimaced. Was this really what things had come to? He was so weak that now Litten was losing against a Bug type? He clenched his fists.
"Litten, Fire Fang!" he commanded loudly. With the tufts on her back flaring up along with her mouth, Litten incinerated the thread ensnaring her just as Grubbin was coming towards her again. She bit down as the Larva Pokémon collided with her, creating a huge explosion of smoke.
"Grrruuubbbb…!" Grubbin squeaked out in agony as he flew out from the cloud of smoke with burn marks along his body.
"Grubbin, no!" Trent exclaimed, completely stunned.
"Now Ember!" Calvin ordered as he pumped his fist.
"Mrrraaaahhh!" Litten roared as the tufts on her back spiked up, followed by her unleashing a fireball from her mouth that struck Grubbin in another fierce blast. The two trainers waited nervously in anticipation.
"Binnn…" Grubbin groaned with swirls in his eyes.
"Peek, peek pik!" Pikipek chirped happily.
"Phew…" Calvin sighed in relief, wiping the sweat off of his forehead. That was almost too close.
"Mraaahhh…" Litten moaned as she lied down on the ground. She was too tired to hear the claps of applause from afar by the few spectators that watched the battle. It was tougher than she would've liked it to be. Calvin picked her up in his arms.
"Great job, Litten," he complimented reassuringly, "We might have to work on making sure your attacks are faster…" he noted with a nervous smile.
"Mrrr…" the Fire Cat Pokémon growled in frustration, glancing off to the side. Why wouldn't she be disappointed? She almost lost to a Pokémon she had a clear advantage against.
"Gruhh…" Grubbin groaned before being picked up from the ground by Trent.
"Nice battle, Cal!" he called out to his rival, who perked up in surprise, "You're still just as strong as you were in school," he mentioned while walking over to him.
"Uh… thanks…" Calvin replied in gratitude, though he sounded surprised by his rival's words, "I still got a long way to go though…" he admitted sheepishly.
"Same here," Trent said, causing him and his Pokémon to blink in surprise, "But you know, whether you guys win or lose battles, you still learn from them somehow," he explained, "That's something I never learned back in Kalos," he added in admittance, "And I ended up learning it from you," he finished.
"M-Me?" Calvin stuttered out of surprise.
"Yeah," Trent replied as he looked out at the ocean, "I used to be a bit of jerk back where I was from," he confessed, "My family was moving from place to place, and I wasn't old enough to start my own journey and be on my own," he explained, "Both my Frogadier and Poochyena were from other regions before I came here and decided to take the Island Challenge," he mentioned, shutting his eyes in remembrance.
"Your Froakie evolved?" Calvin inquired curiously. From what Trent was telling him, it sounded like he had his own hardships on the Island Challenge.
"Calvin, don't get discouraged by those jerks in Team Skull," he advised suddenly, "They're just a bunch of thugs who're only acting tough when they're in a group," he pointed out, "And I'm sure you're tough, too," he added reassuringly, holding his right fist out to him. Calvin blinked. Never did he think that the person who once mocked him would be encouraging him and his team to keep going. But he smiled and bumped his fist against Trent's.
"Thanks," he said in gratitude. Just then, Grubbin perked up.
"GRRRRRUUUUUHHHH!" he exclaimed angrily, trying to wriggle his way out of his trainer's grip while clicking his mandibles.
"H-Hey, Grubbin!" Trent stammered, keeping his hold on the Larva Pokémon. Calvin and his Pokémon gave off dumbfounded expressions at Grubbin's rather feisty behavior. "Sorry about that…" Trent apologized, "Anyways, good luck with your retrial today!" he told his rival.
"And good luck on Akala," Calvin replied, "I promise, we'll meet you there as soon as we can!" he declared firmly as he clenched his right fist.
"Mraw!" Litten cried out.
"Peek!" Pikipek chirped. Meanwhile, a stream of bubbles struck a horde of Roggenrola within the cavern of Ten Carat Hill, sending them all scurrying off.
"Aarroo!" Brionne howled excitedly.
"Rah, ruff!" Rockruff yipped as he chased after the Pop Star Pokémon. Walking behind them were Erika, Oricorio, and Rotom. After Erika received her newly furnished Z-Ring from Hala, she decided to try and practice down at the place where her training first began.
"None of your Pokémon have Fighting type movezzz…" Rotom buzzed, catching her attention, "So you can only use the Normalium Z for now…" it pointed out. Erika fitted the Z-Crystal onto her ring.
"Yeah, I got it," she assured. She was very excited to try out a Z-Move. The only problem was…
'Who should get to use it first?' she wondered. Each of her Pokémon had a Normal type move compatible with the Z-Crystal. Brionne had Pound, Rockruff had Tackle, and Oricorio had Double Slap.
"Breeah!" Brionne cried out as she and Rockruff skipped over to Erika. They had that begging look in their sparkling eyes, excited to be the first ones to try the Z-Move. Oricorio was, too.
"Uh… now, now…" Erika uttered nervously as she held out her hands in a placating manner, "Everyone's gonna get a turn to try the Z-Move," she assured, "but we should probably just do target practice for now," she advised seriously.
"Rah…" Rockruff moaned disappointedly, wanting to practice with wild Pokémon.
"So who zzzhould get to practice first?" Rotom inquired.
"Hmm…" Erika hummed, putting her hand onto her chin. She looked at her team. "I think Rockruff should go first," she admitted. All of her Pokémon gasped.
"Ar!" Brionne barked angrily.
"Koree, kori!" Oricorio squawked as she flapped her wings. Rockruff was just stunned.
"Why Rockruff, zzt?" Rotom curiously asked.
"Because he's the one who's helped get us this far," Erika replied, going over and picking him up, "From the school to the trial to our battle against Hala, he's always helped pick me up when I was down," she explained, giving him a big hug, "And since he didn't get much action out of the grand trial, I think it's only fair…" she mentioned.
"Ruff!" Rockruff yipped in agreement, nuzzling his rocky neck into her face.
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" she yelped repeatedly in pain from the toughness of the rocks. The others giggled, now no longer upset by their trainer's decision. Moments later, Rockruff was in a ready stance, wagging his tail excitedly.
"Rah, rahk!" he barked back to Erika, who took her own position.
"Okay…" she began with a deep breath, "let's go!" she yelled, crossing her arms in front of herself, making the Z-Crystal flash a bright white for a moment. She then began her dance, slowly managing to find the right pattern. An orange energy then expelled from her form onto Rockruff once she made the final pose, followed by the Z-Move symbol flashing in front of him. "Breakneck… Blitz!" Erika cried out. Rockruff then lunged forward at full speed, charging towards the huge pile of rocks. He slammed into it full force, creating an explosion of dust and dirt that blew all throughout the cavern. From a show of such power, some wild Pokémon actually scurried off in fright.
"Rockruff did it, zzt!" Rotom buzzed in exclamation.
"Breeah!" Brionne cheered as she clapped her flippers.
"Koree~!" Oricorio chirped in delight.
"Nice going, Rockruff!" Erika complimented as she pumped her fist.
"Rahk, rah ruf!" the Puppy Pokémon suddenly yipped from within the cloud of dirt, causing the others to all perk up in surprise. He then ran out. "Rah, rahk!" he barked before turning around to face the dissipating cloud. Before Erika could say anything, she widened her eyes. The Breakneck Blitz had apparently created or revealed an opening to the hollow of Ten Carat Hill, overlooking the grassland within it. And Erika noticed something else. There was a small pedestal standing at the opening.
"Bree?" Brionne uttered in surprise.
"It's like the one back in Verdant Cavern…" Rotom realized. Erika walked up to it. Sure enough, there was another Z-Crystal there. It was blue, having the symbol of a pair of wings. She picked it up in her right hand.
"It… looks like a Flying type one…" she noted, narrowing her eyes.
"You're right," a voice chimed in, causing everyone to gasp in surprise, turning around to see a figure approaching them. It was a woman that had light bluish white hair in the shape of a Swanna's wings with a cowlick. Her eyes were light blue, and she had a mole near her left eye. She wore a sky blue visor with a tiny orange patch. Her polo was a light cornflower grey blue with sky blue stripes, matching her hat, and had two blue dots in a pattern down. Erika also noticed a golf club in her right hand that had an orange and yellow colored handle. "That's a Flyinium Z you have," she pointed out. Erika blinked in confusion.
"Wh-Who are you?" she asked curiously.
"Would you like to learn the pose for the Flying type Z-Move?" the strange woman asked back. Before Erika could even answer, the woman already crossed her arms. She noticed that a Z-Ring styled with feathers adorned the woman's left wrist. Her dance consisted of her squatting down and then flapping her arms like a bird before standing up and raising her left fist into the air.
"Um…" Erika uttered, completely dumbfounded.
"I'm sure that the Flyinium Z will be useful for any of your Pokémon with Flying type moves," the woman told her, turning around before taking notice of Oricorio, "You might wanna start practicing with this little one," she advised.
"Korr…eee?" Oricorio chirped in confusion, tilting her head to the side.
"Uh, wait-!
"My name's Kahili by the way," the woman suddenly interjected, making Erika blink as she saw her look back and give her a wink, "I have a feeling I'll be seeing you again," she remarked in farewell before giving off a wave with her left hand. Erika just stood there in silence before looking back at the new Z-Crystal in her hand. And then she smiled. She now had three.
X
It was finally sunset by the time Calvin arrived at the Pokémon Center outside Verdant Cavern. He wasn't necessarily exuding confident vibes, but he certainly felt better after his battle with Trent and some training with his team.
"Yung…" Yungoos groaned as his stomach growled.
"Mrrr…" Litten purred out of annoyance.
"Come on, Yungoos…" Calvin muttered with his hands at his hips, "You gotta learn that you can't eat twenty-four seven…" he pointed out seriously.
"Yunnggooo…" Yungoos moaned again as he lied upon the ground. He was starving.
"It's no good to leave your teammates hungry, you know," a familiar voice chimed in, catching their attentions. Standing at the entrance to Verdant Cavern was Ilima, who held up a bag of Pokémon food in his right hand. Yungoos' eyes lit up.
"GOOOOOOOHHH!" he screeched as he sped towards the bag, grasping it with his teeth and ripping it open while taking it down to the ground. As he quickly chewed up the plentiful brown bits of food, Calvin walked up to Ilima with Litten and Pikipek beside him.
"So are you feeling more confident about this trial now?" the trial captain asked, placing his hands at his hips.
"I guess so…" Calvin answered with a shrug, "I mean, we were ready this morning…" he mentioned nervously.
"Is that so?" Ilima inquired, "Well, we can get you started right now," he promised, looking back at the cavern's entrance. Yungoos finished chowing down on his food, leaving none left as a content smile came upon his face. Litten and Pikipek just sighed in exasperation with him. Moments later, the three of them and their trainer followed Ilima into the cavern. With the sun having set, the moonlight's rays seeped through the holes at the cavern's ceiling, giving it a more mystical feel than the last time Calvin had entered it.
"Mraahh…" Litten uttered in amazement.
"The rules of your trial are the same as before," Ilima chimed in, catching their attentions, "Defeat the three Pokémon lurking in their dens and then retrieve the Z-Crystal at the end of the cavern," he explained, "And like before, the only way you're allowed to leave the cavern is if either you've cleared the trial or all your Pokémon are unable to continue," he mentioned as he raised two fingers.
"Right," Calvin replied with a nod, "Ready, guys?" he asked of his teammates.
"Mraw!" Litten roared as she smiled.
"Pik!" Pikipek chirped.
"Gooh!" Yungoos exclaimed while grinning in anticipation.
"Then you may begin," Ilima said, gesturing towards the vast cavern riddled with dens.
"Let's go!" Calvin cried out to his teammates as he ran ahead. The three Pokémon followed after him, hurriedly going to the first den. To their surprise, they found…
"SKRREEEEE!" an Alolan Rattata shrieked as he scurried out of his den.
"Yung goo!" Yungoos shouted as he chased after the Rattata.
"Hey, Yungoos!" Calvin cried out. Already things we're starting to get out of his control.
'I thought only Yungoos and Gumshoos lived in those dens…' he pointed out inwardly. His Yungoos tackled the Rattata, sending him tumbling into the wall before managing to stand up.
"RAAAHH!" he screeched angrily.
"YUNNNGGG!" Yungoos yelled back, charging after him again. Calvin and the others were left dumbfounded as to why Yungoos seemed so insistent on fighting the Rattata.
"Pikee, pek!" Pikipek chirped as he flapped his wings before flying up beside his trainer's head, catching his attention.
"Yeah, you're right," he replied in realization. Letting Yungoos deal with one of the cavern's Pokémon for now would let him and the team find the others with ease. They hurried off towards another den. A figure suddenly leapt out, diving towards Calvin.
"RRRRAAAAAAAHHHH!" the Alolan Rattata shrieked as his teeth shined a bright white.
"Pikipek, Rock Smash!" Calvin commanded quickly. Making his beak glow a reddish-orange, the Woodpecker Pokémon slammed it into the Rattata's torso, sending him crashing into the dens he leapt out of. When the dust from the impact settled, it revealed that the Rattata had swirls in his eyes.
"Kee!" Pikipek chirped excitedly.
"Nice one, Pikipek!" Calvin complimented with a thumbs up, "Now to find that last one…" he said, hurrying up the ramp with Litten.
"Li?" the Fire Cat Pokémon uttered as her ears perked up. She screeched to a halt.
"What's wrong?" her trainer asked as he stopped. Litten sniffed around, scanning the area littered with a few more dens. There was rustling in one of them.
"RRRRR…" a voice growled from within them. Litten took a ready stance as the tufts on her back started to spike up.
"Okay, use Ember!" Calvin ordered as he swung his arm out. Litten's tufts spiked up before she spat out a fireball that struck the rustling den. A figure then leapt out and landed in front of them. Calvin widened his eyes. Standing there was a Raticate, but he was drastically different from the normal variety Calvin knew.
For one, his fur was mostly black with a brown, leaf-shaped patch on his belly and brown inside his ears. His hands, feet, cheeks, and tail were a whitish-cream color, and his hands were much smaller than a normal Raticate's. He had large, puffy cheeks with four whiskers under his chin and two sprouting sideways from the top of each cheek. His large incisors were still visible, but his eyes were red.
"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" he bellowed angrily.
"MRRAAAWWW!" Litten roared back. Calvin maintained a serious expression.
"Litten, Fire Fang!" he commanded immediately. Fire billowed up in Litten's mouth as a red aura shrouded her form. In the meantime, Raticate's teeth glowed a bright white and grew slightly before he charged towards the Fire Cat Pokémon. They lunged at each other, creating a fierce blast that almost knocked Calvin's hat off from the force.
"Tenn…" Litten growled as she jumped out from the smoke, having a bluish aura flow down her body.
"Damn…" Calvin grumbled angrily.
'Now that Litten's defense is down, we gotta be even more careful…' he muttered inwardly as sweat trickled down his head, 'Plus, I didn't know Rattata and Raticate were in this cave…' he added to himself as he looked back at Yungoos tackling Rattata aside, 'Is it because we're here at night?' he wondered.
"RAH!" Raticate yelled as he zoomed out from the smoke with a white outline over his form.
"Litten, watch out!" Calvin exclaimed. Unfortunately, Litten couldn't get out of the way in time as the Raticate rammed into her head on, sending her tumbling back across the ground.
"Mrah…" she groaned as she stood back up, panting a little.
"Ra, kayt!" the Raticate shouted, charging towards her again in the same white outline.
"Dodge it, quick!" Calvin cried out desperately. However, Litten decided to duck instead, followed by subsequently striking the Raticate with her hind legs before he could even react in time. Ilima blinked in surprise from afar.
"Double Kick, hm?" he uttered, giving off a curious grin.
"Rah!" Raticate yelped as he landed on the ground, panting a little. His eyes narrowed onto Litten. "RRRRRAAAAAAAAHHH!" he roared, making his teeth glow white again as he charged out at Litten once more.
"Litten, Ember!" Calvin commanded.
"Mrow!" the Fire Cat Pokémon exclaimed as her red tufts spiked up, followed by her unleashing a large fireball that struck the oncoming Raticate in an explosion of smoke. Once it cleared, it revealed that the Alolan Mouse Pokémon had a stunned expression on his face.
"Rah…" he uttered out with a puff of smoke before falling face first onto the ground with swirls in his eyes. Litten blinked in shock.
"Mrah…" she sighed in relief, slumping down and lying upon the ground.
"Litten!" Calvin cried out, running over to her and kneeling down, "Are you okay?!" he asked out of concern.
"Peek, pik pek?!" Pikipek squawked.
"Mrrr…" Litten moaned out of exhaustion, indicating that she was fine for the most part.
"Well done!" Ilima complimented as he clapped, catching Calvin's attention, "You've defeated all three Pokémon in the cavern!" he pointed out.
"W-We did?" Calvin stuttered with a blink of his eyes. Just then, he noticed Yungoos dragging the Rattata he fought by his tail, as the Dark/Normal type had fainted.
"Yunng!" he exclaimed happily with a big smile.
"And your Litten learning how to use Double Kick was quite something to see," Ilima mentioned. Calvin widened his eyes in realization.
"So you learned how to use a Fighting type move!" he noted excitedly. Litten didn't seem all that enthused. Just tired.
"Mrrr…" she moaned again out of annoyance. Calvin's face went serious.
"All that's left is the Totem Pokémon, right?" he asked Ilima, who nodded, "Okay…" he uttered, closing his eyes in thought. He then took out a pair of Poké Balls. "Litten, get some rest, okay?" he advised as he aimed one of the balls at her.
"Mraw…" she agreed with a smile before being returned in a beam of red light.
"You too, Yungoos," Calvin added, aiming the other Poké Ball at the Loitering Pokémon.
"Goooh…" he groaned reluctantly, but was still returned to the ball in a beam of red light.
"Pikee?" Pikipek chirped in confusion, seeing his trainer stand up.
Ca
"It's gonna be all you, Pikipek," he promised to him with a grin. Moments later, he and the Woodpecker Pokémon entered through the opening at the cavern's end, seeing the pedestal that lied before them and the ledge just above it. Ilima followed them in. "So… where's the Totem?" Calvin asked, glancing around.
"Oh, you'll find him," Ilima promised, "He's bound to be upset you've hurt his friends," he mentioned rather ominously. Calvin gulped.
"Peek! Pik pek!" Pikipek squawked as he flew up, catching their attentions. Now up on the ledge was a Raticate. And he was huge.
"Rah…" he growled before hopping down, landing in front of the Woodpecker Pokémon and his trainer, "THHHH!" he bellowed before an orange aura flared to life around his body.
"Ergh!" Calvin grunted as he slightly stumbled back from the force of the energy burst.
'What the heck is that?!' he wondered, shielding his eyes with his arms.
"Pikee!" Pikipek chirped to his trainer while flying up and flapping his wings, getting the boy's attention.
"Right!" he responded with a pump of his fist, "Start with Supersonic!" he called out.
"Pik…EEEEEEEEE!" Pikipek screeched, unleashing a powerful sound wave onto the giant Alolan Mouse Pokémon.
"RRRAAAAAAAHHHH!" he shrieked as he was bombarded, stumbling around crazily.
"Oh…" Ilima uttered, sounding impressed.
"Now use Echoed Voice!" Calvin commanded. Pikipek's beak glowed a bright white before he unleashed another blast of sound that knocked back the Totem Pokémon into a wall. "One more time!" Calvin yelled.
"KEEEEEEE!" Pikipek shrieked again with his glowing beak, knocking Raticate back again with another powerful sound wave.
"Kayyy…" he growled angrily as his red eyes narrowed. Calvin grimaced in realization.
"Rock Smash!" he ordered. Ceasing his unleashing of sound waves, Pikipek made his beak glow a reddish-orange before diving down at Raticate. The Alolan Mouse Pokémon made his teeth glow a bright white as he opened his mouth. He bit as Pikipek collided with him, creating a huge burst of smoke that shrouded them both.
"Hmm…" Ilima hummed, placing his hand upon his chin. Calvin and Pikipek certainly had a strategy to go against Raticate. But now the question was, how long would it last?
"Kee!" Pikipek chirped as he flew out from the smoke with a few marks across his body.
"Pikipek, you okay?!" Calvin cried out.
"Keekee!" Pikipek squawked with a nod. Just then, Raticate emerged from the smoke. His expression contorted into one that was very frightening. "KEEEEEEEE?!" Pikipek shrieked in shock right before the Totem Pokémon slammed into him head on, sending him crashing into the opposite wall.
"PIKIPEK!" Calvin screamed out of fright.
"Scary Face followed by Tackle…" Ilima uttered out as he watched on, narrowing his eyes.
'There's no rule against using more than one Pokémon…' he noted inwardly as he looked over to see the nervous and frustrated expression on Calvin's face, 'but I doubt that's what Calvin would want…' he realized, folding his arms over his chest.
"Rah, kayt!" Raticate exclaimed as he charged out at Pikipek with his teeth glowing a bright white.
"Pikipek, use Rock Smash!" Calvin commanded quickly. Flying out from the indentation in the wall, Pikipek made his beak glow reddish-orange before diving out at Raticate. The two collided with each other in another burst of smoke. However, Pikipek flew out of the cloud in an instant, slamming into the same indentation as last time.
"Kee…" he weakly chirped, barely able to open his eyes.
"Pikipek…" Calvin uttered in disbelief.
"Rah…" Raticate groaned as the smoke dissipated to reveal that he looked extremely weakened as well. Being a Dark/Normal type, the Totem Pokémon certainly didn't have the best defense for Fighting type moves. But then Calvin took notice of something in the Raticate's hand. It was an Oran Berry.
'If he eats that, we'll be back to square one!' Calvin realized in fright, sweating madly.
"Pikipek!" he cried out desperately.
"Kee…" Pikipek weakly squeaked. He opened his eyes slightly and noticed the berry in Raticate's hand. "Pik?!" he exclaimed before suddenly dashing out of the indentation in an instant. His beak glowed a bright blue before it lengthened slightly. Just as Raticate was about to eat the berry, the Woodpecker Pokémon dove in and thrusted his beak rapidly onto him multiple times.
"Whoa!" Calvin yelped in shock. Ilima's eyes widened. As Raticate stumbled back, he dropped the berry, allowing for Pikipek to snatch it and eat it once his beak went back to normal. "What was that move?" he wondered aloud as he blinked. It certainly wasn't Peck…
"Pikipek learned how to use Pluck…" Ilima noted, evidently amazed, "Now you have a better chance," he pointed out with a grin to Calvin. He smiled excitedly.
"Pikipek, Pluck!" he ordered with a pump of his right fist.
"Kee pek!" Pikipek chirped as his beak glowed bright blue and lengthened once more before he dove down and rapidly pecked at Raticate's head over and over before he could even react properly, knocking him down to the ground.
"Now finish it with Rock Smash!" Calvin commanded. Now with his beak back to its normal size and glowing reddish-orange, Pikipek dove down and slammed it into Raticate's torso, creating a massive plume of dust and dirt that blew by the two others in the large den. It took moment for the cloud to dissipate.
"Kee!" Pikipek chirped from within the cloud, catching Calvin and Ilima's attention. As the dust finally settled, the two gasped to see the Woodpecker Pokémon perched atop the fainted Raticate, who had swirls in his eyes.
"And that's that," Ilima concluded, placing his hands at his hips, "Well done, Calvin," he complimented to the trial-goer. For a moment, Calvin said nothing. His eyes were still shaking in disbelief. And then it finally dawned on him. They won.
"Pikipek, we did it!" he exclaimed excitedly.
"Kee!" Pikipek chirped in delight.
"So now that you've cleared your trial, you may take the Z-Crystal from the pedestal," Ilima instructed. Calvin nodded. He quickly walked over to the pedestal and claimed the white crystal sitting there.
"We got a Normalium Z!" he exclaimed. Ilima laughed.
"I heard your father did the same thing when he was your age," he pointed out, causing Calvin to chuckle sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Pik kee!" Pikipek chirped as he landed down next to his trainer.
"Nice going, buddy," he complimented, squatting down, "You really pulled through back there," he added with a big smile.
"Pik pek!" Pikipek chirped again. What followed was him suddenly glowing in a bright blue light.
"Ah!" Calvin gasped in shock, while Ilima widened his eyes. Pikipek's feet began to grow, along with his beak and wings as his entire body grew. It took a moment for the light to dissipate. Pikipek was now an avian Pokémon with black feathers. He had a long beak that tapered to a sharp point. The majority of his beak was orange, changing to light red and then black at the tip. He had round blue eyes and pale gray eyebrows. Pointed feathers extended from the back of his head and formed a short crest. A white marking covered his face and extended down over his chest; the undersides of his wings were also white. Around his neck was a jagged, red band, and he had a long tail with three tail feathers. He had spindly blue legs with two toes facing forward and two facing backward.
"Trrrrummm!" he squawked delightedly.
"Pikipek… you evolved!" Calvin realized as he smiled.
"He's a Trumbeak now!" Ilima mentioned, catching his attention, "I'm sure he'll be very useful in your battle against Hala!" he pointed out. Calvin widened his eyes. Now he had the chance to challenge the island's kahuna…
"We'll be ready for him," he promised with a grin, "Right, Trumbeak?" he asked of the evolved Bugle Beak Pokémon.
"Trum!" he chirped with a nod. It seemed now that Calvin had his confidence back and was apparently ready to keep it.
X
"And then she flapped her arms and stuck her fist up like this!" Erika finished as she attempted the pose she'd been shown earlier at the dinner table.
"Do you know who that person was?" Leslie asked after finishing a piece of broccoli on her plate.
"Um… she called herself… Kahili, I think…" Erika slowly answered as she scratched her cheek.
"What?!" Leslie exclaimed out of shock, "You mean the famous golfer, Kahili?!" she asked. Erika blinked.
"Uh… she did have a golf club…" she recalled sheepishly.
"Well, it certainly sounds like you've had a productive day," Mirajane noted with a smile.
"Yep!" her youngest daughter replied, "And it's only gonna get better!" she added as she looked over at her Pokémon, who were eating with Pikachu, "After dinner, we'll practice that new Flying type Z-Move!" she declared with a pump of her fist.
"You do realize that only Oricorio could use it since she's the only one with a Flying type move, right?" Rotom chimed in as it floated over, "And shouldn't you take it easy on your team since they just beat Hala, zzt?" it buzzed in question.
"Well… I guess so…" Erika replied sheepishly as she blushed. Leslie giggled, as did Mirajane. She then looked over at her husband, who hadn't said much all dinner. Obviously, there was a lot on his mind.
"Huh," she exhaled, "Girls, can you give me and your father a moment to talk?" she asked, catching her daughters' attentions.
"Is something wrong, zzt?" Rotom asked back curiously.
"I just need to talk to your dad about something important," Mirajane replied.
"Okay," Erika replied as she got up from her seat, "Come on, guys!" she beckoned to her teammates. Rotom, Brionne, Rockruff, and Oricorio followed her into her room. Leslie stayed behind for a moment, wanting to listen in on her parents' conversation, but she soon realized she was imposing as Ash gave her a pleading look.
"Fine…" she muttered, standing up and heading to her room. Once the door shut behind her, Pikachu hurried over to the table, hopping atop it.
"Ash… this is turning into something we can't keep our kids away from…" Mirajane pointed out, "Sooner or later, they'll have to get involved…" she added in a reluctant tone.
"Well…" her husband began, "if anyone deserves to get involved with me, it's Leslie," he told her, "I think she's ready," he mentioned.
"Ash, I don't want our kids to be forced into something they can't handle…" Mirajane whispered as she held his hands in her own, "Huh…" she exhaled shakily, "I know… you and a lot of other people want to bring things back to the way they once were…" she noted as she trembled, "but what if it doesn't work?" she asked honestly.
"Pika pi…" Pikachu squeaked worriedly as Ash bit his bottom lip.
"Mira… you and I both lost a lot of connections after we got married…" he said, "And… when I felt I lost everything that day…" he remembered vividly, looking over at Pikachu with a despondent expression, "I realized that we'd need to do this…" he stated firmly, "Moving on isn't easy for anyone," he added as he held onto his wife's hands, caressing them gently, "And we can't let what happened then happen again," he finished. Mirajane exhaled another shaky breath.
"How many stones do we have?" she asked.
"…Two," Ash answered. A door creaked open slightly.
"And you're looking for the third?" she asked on.
"We've almost found it," he replied. His wife gave off a small smile before giving him a quick peck to his lips with her own.
"Hey!" a familiar voice cried out, causing the couple to perk up with Pikachu. The front door burst open, revealing Calvin there. "I passed my trial!" he exclaimed, showing off his Normalium Z.
"Congratulations, Calvin!" Mirajane beamed as she stood up.
"Way to go, kiddo!" Ash added excitedly as he went over and brought his son into a big hug.
"H-Hey, dad!" he stuttered, sounding embarrassed.
"Cal passed his trial?!" Erika screamed as she burst out of her room with her pajamas on, "Awesome!" she exclaimed as she ran over with her Pokémon in tow. As everyone in the kitchen conversed, excited over the news, Leslie peeked out from her room, having heard her parents' conversation. And she could only wonder… what if things were changed?
END
NegaiFreak: FINALLY! *faints*
Mirajane Strauss: Oh dear…
Leslie Ketchum: He'll be okay… Anyways, just wanted to let you all know that the summer's gonna be dedicated to this story and "Omni Force: GUARDIANS"!
Ash Ketchum: That story will be the next to get updated, so to hold you over until the next chapter of "The Challenge of a Lifetime", here's a summary!
SUMMARY
Calvin now gets to take his grand trial against Hala! He's brimming with confidence after his retrial and having his evolved Trumbeak! But when things go wrong rather quickly, will he be able to recover and win with his Pokémon?!
END SUMMARY