NegaiFreak: Hey everyone! Excited for this chapter? I know I am!
Calvin Ketchum: We're not gonna have another for a while, but…
Erika Ketchum: We'll be sure to give you all a special sneak preview into what's up ahead for "The Challenge of a Lifetime"!
NegaiFreak: And besides… ASH ACTUALLY WON A LEAGUE!
Ash Ketchum: Technically, it wasn't really a league like the last few…
Erika Ketchum: But you still won!
Calvin Ketchum: Congrats, dad!
Ash Ketchum: *tears up* Y-You guys… *hugs them happily*
NegaiFreak: Ah, what a wonderful moment. Though my headcanon remains the same, I'm proud of Ash. He deserved that win. And now to see how his kids do against his opponent! Welcome back to "The Challenge of a Lifetime"!
POKÉMON SUN & MOON
THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME
Running hurriedly down Route 4, Hau, Pyrrha, Erika, and Calvin saw the small town up in the distance.
"That'zzz Paniola Town, zzt!" Rotom buzzed, floating beside them as it gestured toward the place.
"Guess we'll stop there before hittin' the brooklet!" Hau recommended with a cheeky smile.
"Sounds good to me," Calvin replied, "I'm sure one of us could use a break from running…" he noted, looking back at his evidently exhausted twin sister.
"Shut… up…" she managed to breathe out with sweat pouring down her face. She hated running so much.
"Make sure you don't get dehydrated again, zzt!" Rotom advised as it moved over to her.
"I SAID SHUT IT!" Erika screamed venomously, frightening the Pokédex as it shuddered, floating back to hide behind Calvin.
"Uh, heh, heh…" he nervously chuckled. Taunting Erika was definitely a bad idea… even if it wasn't intentional.
"And here we are!" Hau exclaimed as he and the three other trial-goers made their way into the town. They all awed the scenery around them. The town was like something from an old western movie with wood buildings, barns, stables, and even watering holes.
"This is… cool!" Erika admitted as she looked around with a smile on her face.
"I guess we can break here before heading towards the trial site…" Calvin realized, placing his hands at his hips, "That sound good to you guys?" he asked of the others.
"Totes!" Hau immediately replied with a chuckle.
"I don't mind," Pyrrha mentioned as she grinned.
"Erika here could obviously use a break…" Rotom pointed out cheekily, causing her to seethe angrily. In the meantime, Calvin took notice of a pair of figures coming into the town from the ranch in the distance. He gasped upon recognizing them.
"Trent! Paige!" he called out, rushing towards the two trial-goers as the others blinked in surprise. Upon hearing their names, the pair looked over and widened their eyes to see Calvin running over.
"Hey, Calvin!" Trent yelled with a wave, "Finally cleared that grand trial, right?" he guessed. Calvin screeched to a halt in front of him and Paige.
"Yeah!" he replied excitedly, taking out his Fightinium Z to show them as proof, "And we're ready to take on all the trials on Akala, too!" he declared firmly.
"We?" Paige uttered in confusion, arching an eyebrow.
"Hey!" Erika called out as she and others went over to them, "Good to see you guys again!" she exclaimed happily with a grin. Paige blinked in surprise, while Trent blushed a little.
"Hey Cal…" he began in a whisper, catching the Ketchum boy's attention, "who's that cute girl with you?" he asked quietly. Calvin blinked in surprise.
"Huh? That's Erika…" he responded, pointing towards her.
"WHAT?!" Trent exclaimed out of disbelief, looking back towards Erika. She blinked in confusion before giving off a smile towards him. He blushed a bright red.
"So you're heading up to Brooklet Hill, right?" Paige guessed, changing the subject, much to Trent's relief.
"Yeah!" Hau replied eagerly, "Were you guys already there?" he inquired of them.
"Yeah, we were just heading back to Paniola for some rest…" Paige answered, "I barely managed to beat that trial with the team I had…" she sheepishly admitted with a chuckle, rubbing the back of her head.
"We ran into each other on the way back," Trent mentioned, "I was getting caught up in this battle against this super strong trainer…" he told them. Calvin widened his eyes slightly.
"Whoa, did you win?" Erika asked curiously.
"Well… no…" Trent admitted as he stuffed his hands into his pockets, "His Zubat and Zorua weren't too much trouble, but that… other Pokémon…" he began to say, "it was so ferocious…" he recalled, narrowing his eyes out of frustration. Everyone looked on at him with worried expressions.
"Huh…" Paige sighed, "Why don't we talk about this over some drinks?" she offered, gesturing towards the Pokémon Center.
"Good call!" Pyrrha agreed, "I bet Erika's super thirsty after that run…" she teased with her hand over her mouth.
"HEY!" the Ketchum girl shouted angrily, causing her to giggle uncontrollably.
"I bet they've got malasadas, too!" Hau exclaimed, licking his lips as he jogged off with the girls towards the Pokémon Center.
"Wait for me, zzt!" Rotom cried out, floating after them. Calvin looked back over at the frustrated look on Trent's face, but it quickly changed into a grin.
"So, you wanna hear about the Brooklet Hill trial?" he offered. Calvin blinked.
"Uh, yeah!" he stuttered with excitement in his voice, walking off with him to the Pokémon Center.
Null and Void!
"PWAH!" Erika exhaled after chugging down her second bottle of water, "Can I get another, please?" she asked politely. Paige's eye twitched as she and Pyrrha were sitting with her on the couch.
"Fine, but it's coming outta your wallet," she remarked in reply. Erika took out a small coin purse from her bag, snapping it open and taking out a few coins to give to Paige. She then got up and went over to the vending machine, selecting a bottle of water as it fell down to the bottom, allowing her to push open the access and grab it. She tossed it to Erika, who happily caught it with a smile.
"Mmm!" Hau moaned delightedly while chewing on his malasada. The six trial-goers were lounging around in the common area of the Pokémon Center, conversing amongst each other about their journeys.
"So what was the trial like?" Calvin asked Trent while drinking an orange soda from a can. His rival set down his own drink of iced tea after taking a sip.
"It was on the water, for starters," he responded, "The trial captain had us use a Lapras to surf around the ponds and defeat some Pokémon in the water before we fought the Totem," he explained to him.
"Who's the trial captain, by the way?" Calvin questioned on, "Was it Mallow?" he guessed, having remembered her from earlier.
"Heh, no," Trent laughed, "The one at Brooklet Hill was Lana," he told him, "She's a bit lax, but otherwise cool…" he mentioned, "Though… she's kind of storyteller…" he added with a nervous grin.
"Storyteller?" Calvin repeated in confusion.
"She tends to… stretch the truth…" Paige replied, chiming into the conversation, "I even got fooled by one of her stories…" she admitted with an embarrassed blush.
"So what Z-Crystal did you guys get?" Erika asked curiously. Trent reached into the pocket of his short-sleeved jacket and pulled out a blue, diamond-shaped crystal with a raindrop symbol that had what looked like waves within it.
"Me and Paige got a Waterium Z for clearing the trial," he told the group.
"Wasn't exactly easy for either of us…" Paige confessed, folding her arms behind her head, "That Totem was something else…" she grumbled. The other four trial-goers were curious about what kind of Pokémon the Totem was, but decided not to ask. They all knew it was better to go into the trial with a sense of suspense and surprise.
"If you get the Waterium Z Erika, your Brionne can use a Water type Z-Move!" Rotom pointed out.
"Hey, you're right!" Erika responded as she snapped her fingers in realization, "We're totally gonna take down that trial!" she stated fiercely with a fiery passion apparent in her eyes.
"Yeah, but you better watch out for who's ahead…" Paige muttered as she sighed deeply.
"Hm?" Hau uttered in confusion.
"You mean the guy with the strong Pokémon?" Calvin guessed.
"You battled him, too?" Pyrrha inquired curiously. Paige sat up.
"Yeah…" she replied, "And we were beaten worse than Trent's team was…" she mentioned ashamedly.
"We both got wrecked," Trent corrected, "Don't go selling yourself short…" he recommended, making her blink in surprise before grinning.
"So what's this strong Pokémon like?" Hau asked after swallowing his malasada.
"I… don't know how to describe it…" Trent replied as he clenched his fists, "It had claws on its front feet… a fish-like tail… and some kinda wooden helmet on its head…" he listed off in remembrance.
"Doesn't sound like anything I've heard of before…" Calvin admitted.
"Me neither…" Hau agreed, blinking out of surprise.
"We couldn't even find it in our Pokédex apps!" Paige pointed out, causing everyone to gasp in shock.
"Whatever it is, it's not something anyone's ever seen before…" Trent noted as he folded his arms over his chest.
"Sounds interesting!" Hau exclaimed as he suddenly shot up onto his feet, "If it's strong enough to beat you two, I gotta go and challenge the guy!" he declared with a pump of his right fist.
"Seriously?" Trent said, "You'll get clobbered!" he pointed out worriedly.
"So?" Hau retorted, "The way I see it, we all get stronger whether or not we win battles!" he said as he clenched his fists, "Besides, I'm a lot stronger than that kid you met at the Trainer's School," he mentioned proudly. Trent blinked in surprise.
"Well, I want my rematch first," he stated with a smirk as he stood up.
"Hey, don't forget about me!" Paige chimed in as she shot onto her feet, "Combusken and I gotta get our Revenge on Gladion first!" she argued firmly. Erika blinked as she stopped drinking her third water.
"Wait, Gladion?" she uttered in confusion, "That's the guy's name?" she guessed, arching an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Trent replied, "Apparently, he works for Team Skull, too…" he mentioned with narrowed eyes. The others gasped.
"Or so he says," Paige pointed out, catching their attentions, "He wasn't wearing any of those dumb skull caps or bandanas…" she recalled, "Anyways, me and Trent were headed back to Heahea for some r and r," she mentioned, changing the subject.
"But now that we ran into you guys, why don't we all battle?" he suggested.
"Sure!" Erika exclaimed in reply as she shot onto her feet, "We all gotta get stronger for the trials ahead, right?" she inquired rhetorically, "Trent, why don't we battle?" she offered to him. He blushed a little, turning his head away.
"Y-Yeah, sure…" he stammered, scratching at his right cheek.
"I wanna battle, too!" Pyrrha chimed in as she stood up.
"Okay, then I'll take you on," Paige offered as a reply, much to her delight as she smiled.
"Guess that leaves me and Cal!" Hau concluded, looking over at his cousin, "I've wanted to battle you again ever since we lost before your first try at the Verdant Cavern trial…" he admitted, remembering how his once Pichu was easily defeated at the hands of Calvin's Litten. However, the Ketchum boy couldn't help but inwardly feel nervous. Hau was not only at his level in terms of trials completed on the island challenge, but he now had two evolved Pokémon; one being his Dartrix.
"All right, let's do it!" Calvin exclaimed in agreement, disregarding his thoughts. A battle was still a battle. Moments later, all six trial-goers were outside, taking opposite sides based who they'd be battling respectively. Rotom floated over to them all.
"You'll each be having one-on-one battles, zzt!" it buzzed, raising its right arm, "When one side's Pokémon can't continue, the match is over!" it exclaimed in explanation.
"Don't have to tell us twice…" Trent grumbled with a chuckle, taking out a Poké Ball that he enlarged, "Grubbin, let's go!" he exclaimed, tossing it into the air. It popped open, with the light coming out from it spilling onto the ground, forming and then dissipating to reveal the Larva Pokémon.
"Been!" he cried out, clicking his mandibles.
"A Grubbin, huh?" Erika uttered in surprise, having never seen one before, "Hey, Rotodex!" she yelled, catching its attention as it floated over to her.
"Leave it to me, zzt!" it buzzed excitedly, bringing up an image of Grubbin on its screen, "Grubbin, the Larva Pokémon," it began to describe, "Grubbin often gather near places frequented by electric Pokémon in order to avoid being attacked by bird Pokémon. He spits a sticky thread to stop opponents in their tracks, and then he grabs them in his sharp, sturdy mandibles to take them down," it explained thoroughly.
"So he knows Electric moves…" Erika realized, narrowing her eyes in thought, "All right then!" she said, taking out her own Poké Ball, "Oricorio, come on out!" she exclaimed, throwing it up into the air as it popped open. The light from it formed upon the ground, dissipating to reveal the Dancing Pokémon.
"Koree!" she chirped cheerfully, waving her pom-pom-like feathers.
"An Oricorio, huh?" Trent noted with an arched eyebrow, "All right, Grubbin…" he began, "let's do this!" he shouted.
"Grrrubb!" the Larva Pokémon responded as he clicked his mandibles again.
"Cinder, go!" Pyrrha called out.
"Come out, Combusken!" Paige shouted, throwing up her Poké Ball at the same time as her opponent. Both opened up, having lights spill forth onto the ground, forming into a Cyndaquil and a Combusken respectively.
"Quill!" Cinder squeaked as his back ignited with flames.
"Bus ken!" Combusken squawked, taking a ready stance. Both of their trainers grinned excitedly, ready to get their match started.
"Okay, go get 'em, Dartrix!" Hau exclaimed as he threw up his Poké Ball. The light that burst out of it came into form in midair, dissipating to reveal the Blade Quill Pokémon as he flew around before landing in front of his trainer.
"Koo," he chirped, brushing the leaves over his eyes.
"Dartrix…" Calvin uttered, having remembered his evolution from earlier in the day. He reached down to his belt, thinking that the best option would be to use Trumbeak. But then a thought crossed his mind.
'What if Litten evolves if she wins here?' he wondered. She had fought through a lot of tough battles lately. If one more victory was enough experience for her to evolve, he wanted to take that chance. He grabbed the Poké Ball that was furthest around his belt with his right hand.
"Litten, I choose you!" he called out, throwing the ball. It popped open, with the light coming out of it forming in midair before dissipating to reveal the Fire Cat Pokémon as she landed upon the ground.
"Mrah!" she roared, letting out a puff of fire from her mouth.
"So these two are goin' at it again, huh?" Hau noted with a hint of a sparkle in his eyes, "Dartrix, let's show 'em how strong we are!" he yelled to his partner.
"Treee!" he trilled excitedly, taking a ready stance as he extended his wings out.
"Mrrrr…" Litten growled angrily.
"Now let the battles… begin!" Rotom buzzed in exclamation, swinging its arm down.
"Grubbin, Acrobatics!" Trent commanded.
"Counter it with Peck!" Erika called out. As a blue light shrouded Grubbin, he suddenly dashed out towards Oricorio, leaving behind afterimages in his wake. The Dancing Pokémon had a yellowish, bird-shaped aura cloak her head as she dove in and collided head on with her opponent. They blew each other back, sliding across the dirt.
"Now use Bug Bite!" Trent ordered, swinging his left arm. Grubbin's mandibles glowed a greenish yellow as he jumped back at Oricorio.
"Double Slap!" Erika demanded. Making her pom-pom-like feathers shine a bright white, Oricorio, threw out her right one. Grubbin bit onto it with his mandibles though, causing her to wince slightly in pain. "Swing him around!" Erika shouted. Oricorio regained her focus, flailing Grubbin around wildly with her wing, even slamming him against the ground in an effort to get him to let go. She then smacked him with her left wing's feathers, finally causing him to release his grip onto her as he landed upon the ground, dirtied and exhausted. Trent grinned however.
"Fire off a String Shot!" he called out. Grubbin jumped up and spewed out a sticky line of thread from his mouth.
"Cut it up with Air Cutter!" Erika yelled, enticing Oricorio to make her feathers glow a bright blue before swinging them out several times to unleash multiple x-shaped blades of air, which all cut through the thread before it could even reach her.
"Ah!" Trent gasped. Now Erika grinned. "Guess you aren't half bad anymore…" he realized, clenching his fists.
"Ember!" both Pyrrha and Paige shouted. Cinder and Combusken each fired off fireballs from their mouths, having them collide with each other in a fierce explosion of black smoke.
"Now Smokescreen!" Pyrrha yelled.
"Cindah… QUIL!" her Cyndaquil shrieked before spewing out black smoke from his mouth that spread over and enveloped Combusken.
"Kenn…" she growled, searching around for signs of her opponent.
"Stay cool, Combusken!" Paige called out, catching her attention, "Use Flame Charge!" she ordered. Orange flames suddenly outlined the Young Fowl Pokémon, creating a bright light within the smoke. She then lunged out, heading for the Cyndaquil.
"Dodge it with Quick Attack!" Pyrrha screamed. A white outlined shrouded Cinder as he dashed away before Combusken could collide with him.
"Keep chasing him with Flame Charge!" Paige yelled, enticing the Young Fowl Pokémon to remain engulfed in flames as she sped after her fleeing foe. She caught up to the Cyndaquil, much to his surprise. "Now Double Kick!" Paige ordered. Letting the flames dissipate around her, Combusken swung her left leg out at Cinder. He evaded the kick, but was subsequently struck by the Young Fowl Pokémon's right foot, being sent tumbling away afterwards.
"Oh no, Cinder!" Pyrrha cried out worriedly.
"Cin… dah…" he exhaled out of exhaustion.
"Bus, com bus!" Combusken challenged, gesturing for her opponent to attack.
"Dartrix, Tackle!" Hau ordered as he threw out his right hand.
"Litten, Bite!" Calvin commanded. As Dartrix flew out towards the Fire Cat Pokémon, her teeth glowed a bright white. She leapt up and bit into his left foot as he collided it with her.
"Shake her off!" Hau called out.
"Treee!" Dartrix screeched in reply as he flew up and span around, causing Litten to lose her grip as she fell towards the ground in a holler.
"Litten!" Calvin cried out.
"Now Razor Leaf!" Hau commanded with a pump of his fist. Dartrix folded his left wing inward before firing off several dart-like feathers towards the falling Fire Cat Pokémon.
"Take 'em out with Ember!" Calvin yelled. Litten perked up, orienting herself to face the oncoming leaves. Her red tufts spiked up from her back before she fired off a fireball out of her mouth, incinerating the feathers in an explosion of flames.
"Mrah!" she roared, landing safely upon the ground on her feet.
"So you can still stop Dartrix's Razor Leaf, huh?" Hau noted with a grin, "All right, use Ominous Wind!" he ordered.
"Doaar… TREEEEE!" Dartrix shrieked, making a dark purple aura shroud his form before flapping his wings to create a strong gust of wind that blew by Litten.
"Mrrrraaaaaahhhh…!" she groaned loudly, trying to endure it as she slowly started sliding back.
"Hang in there, Litten!" Calvin cried out, "Use Fire Fang!" he ordered. The Fire Cat Pokémon gritted her teeth, making flames within her mouth as a reddish aura shrouded her form.
"Keep up the pressure, Dartrix!" Hau shouted, "Give 'er all ya got!" he yelled excitedly. With his trainer's encouragement, Dartrix began flapping his wings faster. The wind grew stronger, followed by Litten being blown back as she tumbled over the ground.
"Litten!" Calvin screamed out of shock.
"Now Razor Leaf!" Hau commanded. Folding both of his wings and spreading them out, Dartrix fired off more dart-like feathers towards Litten. They slashed by her, causing her to keel over slightly.
"Mrah…" she groaned in agony, wincing as she tried to stand back up.
"Damn it…" Calvin cursed under his breath. Dartrix was definitely a lot stronger than his pre-evolved form. And even with the type advantage Litten had, she was still struggling…
A layer of thread practically covered the battlefield between Grubbin and Oricorio. It had been the same pattern for a while now: String Shot cut up by Air Cutter. Trent and Erika stared at each other, wondering what move the other would make next.
"Grubbin, Spark!" Trent commanded, swinging his left arm.
"Use Air Cutter!" Erika ordered. A greenish-yellow electricity shrouded Grubbin's form as he lunged out at Oricorio. She made her pom-pom-like feathers glowed a bright blue before flapping her wings rapidly to fire off more x-shaped blades of air towards the oncoming Larva Pokémon. He managed to evade them though, about to crash head on into Oricorio. "Quick, Double Slap!" Erika yelled. The Dancing Pokémon's feathers glowed from blue to white as she swung her right one and smacked Grubbin down onto the ground before he could strike her.
"Grubbin!" Trent cried out.
"Gruh… been!" the Larva Pokémon grunted out as he got up. He tried to move forward, but found himself stuck. He looked down to see that he was stuck in his own thread that had been cut up and layered all over the ground.
"Ah, Grubbin!" Trent gasped.
"Finish it with Air Cutter!" Erika commanded quickly. Oricorio's feathers glowed a bright blue as she flapped them rapidly, unleashing several x-shaped blades of air that all struck Grubbin in a fierce burst of dust. After a moment, the dust subsided to reveal the Larva Pokémon with swirls in his eyes, completely dazed.
"Grubbin is unable to battle, zzt!" Rotom exclaimed excitedly, "Oricorio wins!" it announced, gesturing towards the Dancing Pokémon and her trainer.
"All right!" Erika yelled happily.
"Koree~!" Oricorio sang as she jumped around.
"Huh…" Trent sighed deeply. He had grossly underestimated Erika. She definitely wasn't the same trainer he defeated back on Melemele Island. She was a lot tougher now. And to him, cuter…
"Bus ken!" Combusken squawked as she kicked Cinder back again.
"Cin dah…" the Cyndaquil grunted as he stood up, breathing heavily.
"Ergh…" Pyrrha growled in frustration. From using Flame Charge so much, Combusken was fast enough to catch up with Cinder, even when he was using Quick Attack. She didn't have many ideas to fight back with.
"Now use Peck!" Paige commanded, snapping her fingers. Combusken had a bird-shaped, reddish aura shroud her head as she lunged out towards Cinder.
"Counter with Flame Wheel!" Pyrrha called out. Her Cyndaquil jumped up, somersaulting as his flames expanded to cover his whole body, followed by slamming into Combusken in a fierce explosion as they collided. "Use Ember!" Pyrrha then ordered. Letting the flames around him dissipate so that they were only upon his back, Cinder fired off a fireball from her mouth that struck Combusken, making her stumble back.
"Buss…" she growled, standing her ground.
"Quick Attack!" Pyrrha commanded, throwing her arm out.
"Use Double Kick!" Paige ordered. A whitish outline shrouded Cinder as he dashed out at Combusken, who raised her right foot to block him from slamming into her. She then hopped up and swung out her left foot to kick him away, having him tumble across the ground.
"Cin, dah!" he grunted out, falling over onto his stomach. Swirls were in his eyes.
"And it looks like Paige'zzz Combusken has beaten Cinder!" Rotom buzzed as it floated over.
"Yeah!" Paige exclaimed as she excitedly flexed her arms.
"Kom bus!" Combusken chirped, mimicking her trainer's motions.
"Huh…" Pyrrha sighed deeply.
"Now the only match left to end izzz…" Rotom started to realize, enticing the four finished trainers and their Pokémon to look over at Calvin and Hau's battle.
"Use Peck!" the latter of the two trial-goers commanded. Dartrix flew down with a greenish, bird-shaped aura shrouding his head as he zoomed towards Litten.
"Ember!" Calvin ordered. The tufts on Litten's back spiked up as she launched a fireball from her mouth, striking Dartrix in an explosion that enveloped him in smoke. He flew out seconds later though, as ashen marks were apparent all over his body.
"Treee…" he groaned, landing down as he preened his dirtied wings.
"Now to wrap this up!" Calvin declared as he pumped his right fist back, "Litten, Fire Fang!" he commanded.
"Mrow!" the Fire Cat Pokémon responded, setting her mouth ablaze as a reddish aura enveloped her form. She ran out at Dartrix, who had yet to do anything as he was too busy preening his wings.
"Look out, Dartrix!" Hau yelled. The Blade Quill Pokémon's left eye opened as he spotted Litten coming, flying upwards in what appeared to be in the nick of time.
"Jump after him!" Calvin shouted. Squatting down, Litten took a great leap upwards, managing to bite Dartrix's foot with her flaming teeth.
"TREEEEEEEE!" he screeched in agony, flailing around to try and get her to let go.
"Calm down, Dartrix!" Hau advised cautiously, "Blow her off with Ominous Wind!" he yelled.
"Darooo!" the Blade Quill Pokémon chirped in response, despite the burning pain in his foot. He then flew upwards with Litten still biting down onto him, cloaking himself in a dark purple aura before spinning around and flinging the Fire Cat Pokémon off of him in a gust of wind.
"Ah, Litten!" Calvin screamed, while his partner hollered as she fell towards the ground below.
"Finish her off with Peck!" Hau commanded as he pointed upwards. Dartrix dove down, but instead of covering his head in a bird-shaped aura, his beak glowed a bright blue, extending out. He reached Litten and pecked her several times before slamming her into the ground with one final strike.
"LITTEN!" Calvin exclaimed as a cloud of dirt and dust enveloped her completely. It took a moment for the dust to subside, but as it did, it revealed that Litten was lying upon her side with swirls in her eyes.
"Litten'zzz unable to continue, zzt!" Rotom announced as it floated over, "So that means Dartrix winzzz!" it exclaimed, gesturing towards the Blade Quill Pokémon, who landed beside his trainer.
"Awesome!" Hau yelled, "And it looks like you learned how to use Pluck, too!" he noted in addition, squatting down to pat Dartrix's head.
"Treee!" he trilled delightedly, brushing the leaf-like feathers over his head with his wings.
"Mraaahhh…" Litten groaned as she awoke. Calvin went over and picked her up, having his eyes covered by the shadow coming off of the brim of his cap. His lips trembled.
"Well, I guess that's that for now…" Paige realized, returning her Combusken to her Poké Ball in a beam of red light.
"Guess so…" Trent agreed as he picked up Grubbin from the ground.
"Gruh, gruh been!" he squeaked angrily, clicking his mandibles towards Oricorio as he glared at her.
"Koree?" she chirped in confusion, tilting her head to the side.
"Grubbin really doesn't like losing, huh?" Erika guessed with a light grin. Trent blushed in embarrassment.
"No… he doesn't…" he admitted.
"Cin dah…" Cinder groaned before being returned to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light by Pyrrha. She gave off a smile towards the container.
"We'll get 'em next time, Cinder," she promised as she put the Poké Ball away, "Great battle, Paige!" she complimented, going over and shaking her opponent's hand, "That Brooklet Hill trial really toughened you up!" she noted with a wink.
"Ah, it was nothin'…" Paige claimed, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head.
"Treee!" Dartrix chirped, having finished preening his once dirtied feathers. Hau then aimed his Poké Ball towards him.
"Okay Dartrix, time to get some rest!" he said, recalling him to the spherical container in a beam of red light. Calvin had yet to return Litten, who stared up at him worriedly. The thought of having the Fire Cat Pokémon evolve if she won was all that determined his choice in the battle. And he lost. "Not too shabby, cuz!" his cousin called out, catching his attention as he saw him come over, folding his arms behind his head, "Guess you and I are neck and neck now!" he concluded with a cheeky chuckle.
"Uh… y-yeah…" Calvin stuttered in agreement, turning away to Hau's surprise.
"Mraw…" Litten purred, licking his cheek to try and cheer him up. He still frowned, walking back towards the Pokémon Center.
"Well, I guess we better get our Pokémon healed up," Erika realized, putting her hands at her hips, "After that, it's off to the brooklet!" she declared, pumping her right fist into the air.
"We're just gonna go back to Heahea and chill out for a bit…" Trent responded as he rubbed the back of his head, "That trial, Gladion, and this took a lot out of me…" he admitted.
"Me too…" Paige concurred, "But we'll be back at it soon enough!" she promised excitedly.
"And next time, we'll have a real battle!" Erika assured, much to Paige's surprise. She remembered the rather crushing defeat she suffered back at the Trainers' School. She grinned.
"You can count on it," she agreed, shaking hands with her. Afterwards, Trent and Paige headed off on their way back towards Heahea City. The former of the two looked back, blushing as he saw Erika waving goodbye. "Whatcha' lookin' at?" Paige asked, causing him to grimace as she had caught him staring.
"N-Nothing…" he stuttered in claim. Paige smirked. She knew he was lying, but decided to play along… for just the moment.
"If you say so… lover boy~," she taunted, making him immediately turn red in the face.
"SH-SHUT UP!" he shouted with a stammer. Erika tilted her head in confusion, having noticed his reaction. But her attention then turned onto her brother, who walked solemnly back to the Pokémon Center.
"Cal…" she uttered worriedly, seeing him go inside without a word.
X
After the remaining group of four healed up their Pokémon, Pyrrha told the others that she'd be staying behind. She felt that with her team's current strength, she needed to get stronger before continuing on to the next trial site. That left Hau, Erika, and Calvin as they trekked onward towards Brooklet Hill.
"Hmm, hm-hmm~!" Hau hummed happily as he walked through the ranch ahead of his twin cousins. Calvin was staring at Litten's Poké Ball in his hand. He felt like such a failure. His cousin was pulling ahead of him by such a wide margin…
"Cal, you okay?" his twin sister asked, causing him to perk up as he looked over to see her worried expression.
"Uh… yeah," he claimed in reply, putting the Poké Ball back onto his belt, "I just… feel like Akala's gonna be really tough compared to Melemele…" he admitted, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. Erika frowned. She knew her brother wasn't necessarily lying, just avoiding the whole truth.
"Whoa, check it out!" Hau exclaimed, catching their attentions as they looked over to see him run up to a fence, placing his hands onto it as the wind rushed through his hair. His cousins jogged over and gasped to see what was ahead of them. It was a whole field of well-cut grass on a farmland, grazed by dozens of Pokémon. They could see Miltank, Lillipup, Herdier, and even Tauros out on the field. Erika noticed one Pokémon in particular she hadn't seen before. He was a quadruped, equine Pokémon resembling a small donkey. He had a dark brown coat with a cream-colored underbelly, muzzle, and circular markings on each cheek. A short, teardrop-shaped blaze extended up from his muzzle, and he had long, pointed ears with pink insides. His large eyes had horizontal pupils. Black bangs hung over his face before turning into a stiff mane along his neck. Additionally, he had a short, black tail. Thick, cream-colored mud surrounded each black hoof.
"Rotodex, what Pokémon is that?" Erika asked as her Pokédex floated over.
"That'zzz a Mudbray!" it replied, pulling up an image of the Donkey Pokémon on its screen, "Mudbray, the Donkey Pokémon," it began to explain, "He has a stubborn, individualistic disposition. Eating dirt, making mud, and playing in the mire all form part of his daily routine. Possessing mighty power, Mudbray can be loaded with fifty times his own body weight and will be totally fine," it explained thoroughly.
"Fifty times?!" Erika exclaimed in shock, "Whoa…" she uttered, completely stunned. Calvin only looked on with despondence in his eyes. For a moment, he wondered if there were any wild Mudbray he could capture. But then he remembered how his cousin's Dartrix was a Grass/Flying type. A perfect match for a Ground type. He sighed inwardly
"MOOOOAAAAAAAAAARRRRRR!" a voice mooed loudly, causing the three of them to perk up in surprise. Hau shuddered upon recognizing it.
"Hey, doesn't that sound like-?"
"Over there!" Rotom buzzed, interjecting Erika as she and the others looked where it was pointing with its right arm. There was a Tauros stampeding about along the ranch, though he didn't look too happy.
"Sc-Scary…" Hau stuttered as he shook.
"Tauros, stop!" a voice screamed desperately. The trial-goers and the Pokédex looked over and saw two people chasing after the Wild Bull Pokémon. One was a dark skinned woman with dark brown hair tied into a ponytail, along with some pink highlights at the bangs and near the ears. She had a dark orange crop top and thigh high shorts, wearing a necklace with a red jewel. She also had bright red lipstick. Running with her was a little tanned skinned girl with cyan blue eyes, brown and red hair in a slightly spiky ponytail and had a red star-shaped hair patch in between her hairline and forehead. She wore a salmon pink dress that reached her thighs with red wave designs, a red and green jeweled necklace, and reddish-brown sandals. The Tauros they were after was charging towards the barn in the distance where all of the Miltank were. They panicked upon seeing the Wild Bull Pokémon charging toward them, scurrying off quickly.
"He's gonna hurt somebody!" Erika realized with widened eyes. Her brother quickly pulled out a Poké Ball from his belt, prepared to enlarge it until…
"Dartrix, go!" Hau exclaimed, tossing his already enlarged Poké Ball. As it popped open, the light from it formed and dissipated to reveal the Blade Quill Pokémon as he flew towards the charging Tauros. His trainer jumped the fence, hurriedly running after them. "Dartrix, stop that Tauros with Razor Leaf!" he called out.
"Treee!" the Blade Quill Pokémon trilled in reply, flapping his wings as he flew closer to the Tauros, practically gliding next to him. He then folded in his right wing before swinging it out to unleash dart-like feathers towards the Wild Bull Pokémon. He took notice too late as he was nicked by a few, stumbling before falling over onto the ground.
"Huh?" the little girl uttered in surprise, blinking rapidly. The woman with her looked out and gasped to see Hau running over towards the Tauros.
"Moaarrr…" he groaned as he stood back up, shaking his head. Dartrix landed in front of him, taking a ready stance as Hau stopped behind him. "Mrrrrr…" the Tauros growled. He readied himself, digging into the ground with his front right hoof before charging forwards.
"Dartrix, Tackle!" Hau commanded. The Blade Quill Pokémon dashed out, aiming his feet at Tauros' head and striking him fiercely, sending him sliding back.
"MOOOOOAAAAAAARRRR!" he bellowed angrily as a reddish aura suddenly burst out from his form.
"Huh?" Hau uttered in surprise. His twin cousins and the Pokédex came over to him.
"That'zzz Tauros' Anger Point, zzt!" Rotom buzzed in exclamation.
"You mean the same ability Hala's Mankey had?!" Erika yelled back out of shock, widening her eyes.
"MOAAAAAAARRRR!" Tauros roared, having a dark aura shroud his form before vanishing almost instantaneously.
"He'zzz using Pursuit!" Rotom buzzed worriedly.
"Dartrix, Razor Leaf all around!" Hau ordered as he swung his left arm out. The Blade Quill Pokémon had his left eye open slightly before standing on just his right foot, unfolding his wings and spinning around to fire off several dart-like feathers towards the surrounding area. His trainer and the twins ducked, while Rotom had to float away quickly to evade them. Tauros got struck however, having reappeared in the feathers' path as they slashed by him.
"Mrrrr…" he groaned in agony, falling to a knee. The two people from afar were stunned to see the Wild Bull Pokémon being beaten as he was.
"Now use Pluck!" Hau commanded.
"Doaarr!" Dartrix squawked, making his stubby beak glow a bright blue, extending and sharpening it before gliding out towards Tauros. He tried to stand back up, but was too late as the Blade Quill Pokémon attacked him repeatedly at his head with his glowing beak.
"Maaarrroooo…" Tauros moaned as he fell over onto his left side, having swirls in his eyes.
"Hah, hah…" Hau breathed in exhaustion. Despite looking so easy, it was stressful to act fast before Tauros could potentially attack with maximum power.
"Wow!" the little girl exclaimed out of amazement, "Did you see how he did that, mom?!" she asked of her parent, who pulled off a relieved grin.
"I sure did, Mimo…" she replied.
"Way to go, Hau!" Erika complimented as she jogged over to her cousin, "You got over your fear of Tauros, too!" she mentioned with a cheeky grin. Hau chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head.
"Not exactly…" he sheepishly admitted, "I just saw people in trouble and wanted to help over stay scared…" he explained, "It's not like I'm… not afraid of Tauros anymore…" he confessed with an embarrassed blush on his face. Calvin just looked on in disbelief. His cousin had done it again. He proved how much more capable, more dependent, and more active he could be than Calvin. And it frustrated him…
"Thanks for that back there!" the woman's voice called out in gratitude, catching their attentions as they saw her approach with her daughter in tow, "That Tauros is one of the wild ones around here…" she admitted, placing her hands at her hips.
"We're glad to help, ma'am!" Hau replied, folding his arms behind his head.
"Tree!" Dartrix chirped, brushing back his leaf-like feathers.
"Hee, hee!" Mimo giggled, enthused by how the Blade Quill Pokémon and his trainer acted.
"Is everyone all right?" another voice asked, catching their attentions as they saw a dark skinned man approach them, wearing a short-sleeved, buttoned-down blue shirt with light brown khaki pants that were held up by a black belt, black sandals, and glasses over his eyes. His hair was a dark brown afro with the sides of his head mostly shaved. In his left arm, he held a container that had a large egg inside.
"We're fine, dear," the woman responded, "This trial-goer here helped stop Tauros," she mentioned, pointing towards Hau.
"Glad to help!" he said with a wide smile.
"Thank you very much," the man replied in gratitude, "Normally, our son usually deals with rounding up the wild ones like this Tauros…" he noted, rubbing the back of his head.
"Your son?" Erika uttered in confusion.
"Hey!" a familiar voice cried out, catching everyone's attention as they saw Mallow running over to them with a Stoutland beside her.
"Mallow!" Erika exclaimed happily. The trial captain came to a stop with the Stoutland, blinking in surprise to see everyone around.
"So what happened?" she asked, noticing the Tauros that seemed pretty beaten down.
"Tauros went on a rampage again, but then this guy's Dartrix here stopped it!" Mimo explained, pointing towards Hau.
"Good to see you all again!" Mallow exclaimed in greeting, placing her hands at her hips, "Still on your way to Lana's trial, right?" she inferred. Erika and Hau nodded.
"So what are you doing here though?" the Ketchum girl asked curiously, "Don't you have a trial you run?" she questioned on. Mallow giggled.
"Yeah, but I can have days off, too," she mentioned as a reply, "Today, I'm just out getting ingredients for my family restaurant in Konikoni," she explained.
"Stoww!" Stoutland barked, catching her attention.
"Oh, and getting this big guy a chance to see his kids!" she added, petting Stoutland's back, "Isn't that right, Stoutland?" she asked the Big-Hearted Pokémon.
"Stowwww!" he howled happily as a response.
"Oh, my name's Rango by the way," the man chimed in, causing the trial-goers to perk up, "This is my wife, Sima," he introduced, gesturing towards the woman as she smiled at them.
"Pleasure to meet you all!" she exclaimed.
"And this is our daughter, Mimo," Rango introduced, looking over at the little girl.
"Hi!" she greeted excitedly.
"Our son, Kiawe, happens to be a trial captain like Mallow," Rango explained to the trial-goers.
"Oh, so that's why he's not here…" Erika realized as she blinked.
"Where's the trial?" Hau asked curiously.
"Up at the volcano!" Mimo responded eagerly, pointing towards the large mountain in the distance, "See?" she pointed out, causing both Hau and Erika to widen their eyes and drop their jaws at the volcano in the near distance.
"HOLY MILTANK!" the ponytailed boy yelped loudly.
"Is that even safe?!" Erika wondered aloud.
"It's fine," Sima chimed in as a reply, "The Wela Volcano's mostly inactive these days," she assured, placing her hands at his hips, "Plus, my son wouldn't be silly enough to have his trial there if it weren't safe," she mentioned.
"Wow…" Erika uttered, wondering what kind of trial this Kiawe was involved in.
"Hey, which one of you three has a Ride Pager?" Mallow asked, chiming into the conversation.
"Uh, that'd be me…" Calvin answered, having been quiet for a long time. He took out the device and handed it off to Mallow, who appeared to fiddle with it for a moment.
"There you go!" she exclaimed, handing it back to Calvin, "I just got Stoutland registered in there!" she pointed out excitedly, much to his surprise, "He's really great at finding things with that nose of his!" she mentioned.
"Stoww!" Stoutland yipped happily.
"Whoa, cool!" Hau exclaimed as he jogged over, "Maybe you could find some great stuff with him!" he suggested to his cousin, who blinked in surprise.
"You think so?" he wondered in reply.
"Moarrr…" a familiar voice groaned. Hau shuddered. He and his cousin slowly turned around to see the Tauros stand back up, staring at him intently.
"Treee!" Dartrix chirped, sliding out protectively in front of his trainer. Tauros paid him no mind though, slowly trotting up to Hau.
"Uh… um…" he stuttered, sweating madly.
"Moaarrr…" Tauros mooed softly as he nudged Hau gently. Everyone widened their eyes slightly in surprise. Sima then smiled.
"Well, well…" she repeated, walking over to Hau, "Looks like Tauros finally wants to show someone some respect…" she realized, sounding impressed. Calvin blinked in astonishment.
"Moaaaarrrr!" the Wild Bull Pokémon bellowed delightedly as he nuzzled his head against Hau's. He was feeling rather confused… and frozen at the moment.
"Doaaarrr?" Dartrix chirped in confusion as he blinked, tilting his head slightly.
"Um… does Tauros… like me or something?" Hau asked despite being in his stiffened state. Sima chuckled.
"He's calmed down thanks to you!" she told him in response, "And you know, I think he wants to start his own island challenge with a trainer…" she realized, putting her hand onto her chin.
"Moar!" Tauros agreed, looking back at Hau with sparkles in his eyes. He blinked out of shock. This seemed too good to be true… The Pokémon he was… admittedly afraid of… wanted to join him?
"You… wanna come with me?" he guessed, pointing at himself.
"Moooaaaar!" Tauros replied happily, lifting up his front legs before stomping them down. Hau flinched, but then smiled.
"Is it really okay?" he asked of the ranchers. They all nodded in assurance. Hau grinned, pulling out a Poké Ball and enlarging it. "Thank you, Tauros," he said out of gratitude, tapping the Poké Ball against the Wild Bull Pokémon's head. He then turned into red light, disappearing into the open container before it closed. It shook for a moment in the palm of Hau's hand. With the sound of a click though, it stopped shaking. Hau smiled. "Alright!" he exclaimed, raising the Poké Ball into the air, "We got a Tauros!" he cried out.
"Koo!" Dartrix chirped in delight.
"Awesome, Hau!" Erika complimented, "Now you won't be so scared of Tauros anymore!" she pointed out. Hau blushed a bright red.
"I-I'm not scared!" he claimed in response with a stutter.
"You should take this, too," Rango chimed in, catching his attention as he was handed the incubator with the egg inside. Sima blinked in surprise.
"Hun, are you sure?" she asked worriedly. Her husband nodded.
"We needed a trainer to take care of that egg ever since the Day Care found it," he pointed out in reply, "I have no doubt a trainer like Hau here will take extra good care of it," he assured with his hands at his hips. The ponytailed boy blinked before staring at the egg inside the incubator, which was mainly brown with a light cream-colored patch at the top.
"You can on me, sir!" he promised. Everyone laughed… except for Calvin. Hau had basically gotten two new Pokémon, an evolution, and another victory against him… He pondered the thought of being behind his cousin again as he clenched his fists. After having worked so hard to catch up to his twin sister… was he still behind? His despondence caught Erika's attention as she looked over at him worriedly.
"Cal…" she uttered out quietly in concern.
X
The rest of the afternoon was filled with the trial-goers exploring the ranch with Stoutland for items, meeting some of the other Pokémon, taking pictures thanks to Rotom, and saying their goodbyes before heading off north towards the brooklet.
"Good luck!" Mallow cried out as she waved to the departing trio. Erika and Hau waved back, but Calvin just trekked on, holding onto the straps of his backpack tightly. He wished he and his Pokémon were just a little stronger. He wished his Litten had evolved. He wished… he hadn't lost to Team Skull that day.
"Can you stop sulking already?" Erika chimed in out of annoyance, causing him to instantly perk up.
"I-I'm not… sulking…" he claimed with a stutter, glancing away.
"Right…" his twin sister sarcastically replied, rolling her eyes, "Cal, you're not fooling anyone," she pointed out.
"Huh…" Calvin sighed, slouching a little, "I just feel like I should be a lot stronger now than I really am…" he muttered out, "I mean… both your Brionne and Hau's Dartrix already evolved…" he noted.
"I'm sure that means your Litten'zzz going to evolve soon, zzt!" Rotom buzzed, chiming into the conversation.
"Or maybe she's like one of dad's Pokémon and doesn't wanna evolve…" Erika suggested. All of a sudden, a blue light shot out from Calvin's pants onto his left shoulder, forming and dissipating to reveal the Fire Cat Pokémon there.
"MRRRAAAAAAAAWWW!" she roared angrily, making Erika flinch as she stumbled back.
"I guess that wasn't right…" Rotom realized, floating over to Litten as she hung herself on her trainer's shoulder.
"Mrow…" she moaned in frustration. Calvin shared her feelings. He was frustrated, too. But at the same time, there wasn't any use in just complaining about it. Just then, he realized something.
"Hey, where'd Hau go?" he asked, noticing that his cousin had disappeared from the group.
"He must've gone up ahead to do some training for the trial…" Rotom suggested as they looked around. Erika took notice of something, blinking in surprise.
"Rotodex, what's that?" she asked, pointing towards what she'd seen. The Pokédex looked out with Calvin and Litten at a small, plant-like Pokémon bathing in the sun's rays, lying on the ground contently as she slept. Bunches of light green leaves surrounded her head, and a particularly large tuft in front slightly overhung her face. A small, dark green bulb was sprouted from the center of her head. Around her neck was a collar of short, dark green leaves. Extending from her collar were four lighter green leaves with white tips: two in the front and two in the back. In the front, those leaves seemed to be scythe-like arms. Her main body was pale pink with a thick, dark pink stripe down the front and back. She had a stubby tail and two short legs.
"That'zzz a Fomantis!" Rotom responded, pulling up an image of the Sickle Grass Pokémon upon its screen.
"A Fomantis?" Calvin uttered with an arched eyebrow.
"Fomantis, the Sickle Grass Pokémon," Rotom began, "During the day, she sleeps and soaks up light. When night falls, she walks around looking for a safer place to sleep. She loves the sunshine. When she basks in the sunlight regularly, she grows up with vivid coloration," it explained thoroughly. Erika blinked, looking back at the Fomantis to see that her coloration was indeed vivid like the Pokédex described. She grinned.
"I'm gonna catch her!" she declared in a whisper, running out towards the Sickle Grass Pokémon.
"Ah, wait Erika!" her brother yelped quietly. She didn't listen though, stopping as she pulled out a Poké Ball from her belt, enlarging it by pressing its center button.
"Oricorio, let's go!" she exclaimed, throwing the Poké Ball into the air. It popped open, with the light from it spilling onto the ground and taking shape. It then dissipated to reveal the Dancing Pokémon.
"Koree~!" she chirped. Fomantis slowly started to awaken, revealing her large, dark pink eyes with even darker pupils.
"Fomaaaaahhh…" she yawned, blinking as she looked over to see Oricorio and Erika.
"Oricorio, start things off with Peck!" the Ketchum girl commanded, swinging her right arm out.
"Koreee!" Oricorio squawked, having a bird-shaped, yellowish aura shroud her head before she dashed out and slammed into Fomantis, causing her to tumble down onto the dirt pathway.
"Fomah…" she muttered, shaking her head to regain herself before standing up, "Fo… MAH!" she exclaimed, jumping up, spinning around, and releasing multiple glowing green leaves from her body; all of which spiraled towards Oricorio in a tornado-like fashion.
"That'zzz Leafage!" Rotom buzzed.
"Knock it away with Air Cutter!" Erika called out. Oricorio's feathers glowed a bright blue before she flapped them forward rapidly, unleashing several x-shaped blades of air that cut through the leaves and struck Fomantis, knocking her back onto the ground.
"Foh…" she groaned, slowly standing back up. A light green aura came across her body, followed by a reddish aura flowing up it.
"What was that move?" Calvin wondered aloud.
"That was Fomantis' Growth, zzt!" Rotom answered, "It's a move that raises her attack and special attack!" it pointed out.
"Maaahhhn… tis!" the Sickle Grass Pokémon exclaimed, firing off another array of glowing leaves towards Oricorio.
"Dodge it!" Erika cried out. The Dancing Pokémon jumped into the air to evade the leaves, glaring down at her foe. "Now Air Cutter!" her trainer ordered.
"Korrr…eeeee!" Oricorio screeched as her feathers glowed a bright blue again, followed by her flapping them to unleash several x-shaped blades of air. They struck Fomantis, making her fall back down as she lied on her back.
"Foh… ma…" she breathed heavily, managing to stand back up. Calvin blinked in surprise. Surely a Grass type wouldn't have been able to handle two Air Cutters, right? Just then, he noticed a set of glowing green roots attached to Fomantis' body from the ground to her back.
"Hey, what's that?" he asked the Pokédex, pointing towards the roots.
"That'zzz Ingrain!" it exclaimed in reply.
"Ingrain?" Calvin repeated out of confusion, arching an eyebrow.
"It'zzz a move that lets Fomantis restore her health a little while in battle!" Rotom explained, "That'zzz not good for Oricorio…" it realized worriedly. Having overheard her Pokédex, Erika grinned. Now she really wanted to catch Fomantis.
"Oricorio, use Air Cutter on the ground!" she ordered.
"Kor!" Oricorio squawked, firing off more x-shaped air blades from her flapping wings. Fomantis ducked, but the blades cut through the roots attached to her body, causing them to fall off to her surprise.
"Now Double Slap!" Erika commanded quickly. Making her pom-pom-like feathers glow white, Oricorio lunged out, reeling her right wing back. Fomantis too notice though, making her blade-like arms shine a bright yellowish-green, countering the Dancing Pokémon's smacks with them.
"And that move'zzz Fury Cutter!" Rotom buzzed in exclamation, "It'll get more powerful if it'zzz used successively!" it noted loudly.
"Then we better wrap this up quick!" Erika concluded, having overheard the Pokédex, "Oricorio, Teeter Dance!" she called out.
"Koree~!" she chirped, jumping back and waving her arms around, causing a pink mist to waft off of her. As it passed by Fomantis, she blinked before starting to stumble around crazily, completely dazed.
"She'zzz confused!" Rotom exclaimed in shock. Erika pulled out an empty Poké Ball, enlarging it.
"And… go!" she yelled, throwing it forward. It struck Fomantis atop her head, popping open as she turned into bright red light and zoomed right into the Poké Ball, which quickly closed. As it hit the ground, it began shaking as the red light blinked. Everyone stayed silent in anticipation, wondering if the Sickle Grass Pokémon would wind up popping out. The ball stopped shaking with the sound of a click. Erika's expression turned into a wide smile. "Alright!" she screamed in delight as she jumped up. She then ran over and picked up the Poké Ball. "We caught a Fomantis!" she declared, raising it up into the air.
"Koree~!" Oricorio chirped happily.
"Congrats on your first legitimate capture, Erika!" Rotom complimented. Erika widened her eyes.
"What are you talking about?!" she asked back angrily, "Oricorio and Rockruff were legit!" she claimed, puffing out her cheeks.
"Koree~…" the Dancing Pokémon whistled, glancing off to the side. Calvin smiled. Despite his own worries over himself, he was glad his sister was doing her best. And he knew he could, too. Just then, a loud explosion occurred, catching everyone's attention. They looked and gasped to see a large plume of dust billowing into the sky.
"That was where… Hau was heading…" Calvin recalled, hurriedly running off as Litten hopped off of him.
"Uh, hey!" Erika cried out, "Cal, hold on a sec!" she yelled, chasing after him with Oricorio and Rotom. Her brother quickly turned a corner and came to a screeching halt, widening his eyes in disbelief. Hau's Dartrix was lying upon the ground, dirtied and defeated as swirls were in his eyes. His trainer seemed shocked, going over to check on the Blade Quill Pokémon.
"Dartrix, you okay?!" he asked, kneeling down and picking him up in his arms.
"Treee…" the Grass/Flying type chirped, sitting up and rubbing his hurting head with his right wing.
"Hau, what happened?" Calvin asked, catching their attentions as they looked to see him there.
"Oh, hey Cal!" his cousin greeted eagerly with a smile, "Me and Dartrix just got whooped in a battle…" he admitted with a sheepish expression. Calvin blinked in surprise. Hau had lost a battle? With Dartrix?!
"Mrow?" Litten asked, going up to the Blade Quill Pokémon.
"Doarrr…" he groaned, gesturing forwards with his right wing. Both Calvin and Litten looked ahead and gasped. Standing there was the blonde haired trainer with the mysterious Pokémon Trent had described. The boy glanced over at Hau.
"Were you even taking that seriously?" he asked of him.
"Oh, yeah!" he replied with a smile, "We so seriously enjoyed it!" he pointed out.
"Kooohh…" Dartrix trilled as he rolled his eyes out of annoyance. The blonde haired boy's eye twitched.
"Enjoying it?" he repeated, "You can enjoy battling when you put everything you have into it, which you clearly didn't…" he remarked. Calvin blinked in surprise.
"Heyyyy!" Erika's voice called out as she ran over with Oricorio and Rotom, "You guys okay?" she asked of her cousin and her brother. She then noticed the chimera-like Pokémon standing ahead of them. "What the…?" she uttered out of shock, "Rotodex… what is that?" she asked, pointing at the creature. The Pokédex floated forward, scanning the mysterious Pokémon as its loading screen was up. However, all that came up afterwards was a trio of question marks.
"No data, zzt…" it buzzed, sounding stunned. Everyone gasped.
"What?!" Erika exclaimed, "But that's impossible!" she pointed out, blinking rapidly.
"Is it… a new Pokémon?" Calvin wondered. The blonde haired boy locked eyes with him.
"You're Calvin, right?" he guessed. The Ketchum boy grimaced. If this was really the trainer who defeated Paige and Trent, then he felt it was best to not get involved. However, something else was stirring inside him. The fact that the boy had insulted his cousin, who had done so well thus far on Akala up to this point, ticked him off. He clenched his fists.
"Who wants to know?" he asked back. The boy huffed.
"So you're smart enough to be wary," he realized, putting his left hand up to his chin, "Not bad," he complimented before letting his arms down, "My name's Gladion," he introduced, putting his hands onto his hips, "I battle to make my partner here stronger," he told the group, looking over at the chimera-like creature beside him.
"Rrrrrr…" it growled, causing Litten to take a few nervous steps back.
"Easy, Null," Gladion advised before glancing back at Calvin, "Battle me," he insisted to his surprise, "I won't take no for an answer," he added sternly.
"Hey, whoa!" Erika yelped, getting in between the two trainers, "Can't you just let us go to the Brooklet without all this fuss?" she asked of Gladion.
"Hmph," he scoffed.
"Erika…" Calvin chimed in, placing his hand onto his twin sister's shoulder, "it's okay," he assured, stepping forward, "Let's go, Litten," he said, enticing the Fire Cat Pokémon to hurry over and stand beside him.
"Mrow!" she roared towards the creature known as Null.
"Rrrrr…" it growled underneath its helmet. Their respective trainers stared at each other for what felt like an hour, ready to do battle…
X
Erika and Hau looked on nervously with their Pokémon and Rotom, wondering who would make the first move. Litten blew out a puff of fire from her mouth, while Null dug its front right leg into the ground beneath, prepared to charge upon command. Calvin then pumped out his right fist.
"Litten, Bite!" he commanded. Having her teeth glow a bright white, the Fire Cat Pokémon lunged out at Null.
"Tackle," Gladion uttered. Null charged forward, slamming into Litten and knocking her away before she could bite it.
"Mrrrr…" she growled in frustration.
"It's okay, Litten!" her trainer assured, "Use Ember!" he ordered as he swung out his left arm. Litten's red tufts spiked up and glowed as she fired off a fireball from her mouth, heading towards Null.
"Dodge and use Pursuit," Gladion instructed. A dark aura shrouded Null as he suddenly vanished from sight, evading the fireball as it struck the ground and dissipated. Before Litten could do anything, Null reappeared behind her, whipping around and striking her with its tail, sending her crashing into a nearby tree.
"Litten!" Calvin cried out, while Hau and Erika winced at the sight.
"Now Work Up!" Gladion shouted.
"Rrrrrrr…!" Null growled as steam emitted from its body, followed by a reddish aura flowing up its body.
"What the heck was that?" Erika asked, arching her eyebrow.
"Work Up is a move that raises a Pokémon's attack and special attack, zzt!" Rotom buzzed in explanation.
"It's the same move it used to beat Dartrix!" Hau mentioned, grimacing nervously.
"Mraww…" Litten groaned as she slowly stood back up in front of the tree. Gladion grabbed his left wrist as his hand started twitching.
"Tackle!" he commanded. Null charged out at Litten again.
"Dodge it!" Calvin screamed, enticing the Fire Cat Pokémon to hop to the side before Null smashed straight through the tree that was behind her, causing it to fall to the ground.
"HOLY…!" Erika gasped, while Hau's jaw dropped. Both Dartrix and Oricorio's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.
"Tch…" Calvin scoffed in frustration, "Litten, Ember!" he commanded as he pumped his fists back. Letting her tufts spike back up, the Fire Cat Pokémon launched a larger fireball that struck Null at its back before it could react, enveloping it in a small burst of smoke afterwards.
"Alright!" Hau exclaimed in delight. Calvin kept his composure, knowing that just one attack wouldn't be enough.
"Rrrrrrrrrr…" Null growled as the smoke blew away around it.
"Tackle," Gladion instructed. His partner whipped around and charged towards Litten once more.
"Counter with Double Kick!" Calvin yelled.
"He's countering?!" Erika exclaimed.
"That'zzz not a good idea!" Rotom buzzed in agreement. Litten span around, throwing her hind legs up in an effort to stop Null. It didn't work as the chimera-like creature slammed into her hard, causing her to tumble over the ground, coming to a stop in front of Gladion. She looked up to see the disappointment in his eyes.
"I'll give you points for effort," he began to Calvin, catching his attention, "but you're even weaker than he is," he remarked, glancing back over at Hau. Calvin clenched his teeth tightly along with his fists.
"Cal, don't let him get in your head!" Erika cried out, "He's just trying to mess with you!" she pointed out.
"Am I now?" Gladion inquired, making her perk up, "I have a feeling you could give me more of a challenge…" he noted. At that moment, Litten snapped.
"MRRROOOOWWWWWWWW!" she roared as her tufts flared up. She turned around to face Null, who merely stared back at her.
"Litten…" Calvin uttered. He always knew she was a fighter who'd never give up, but… "Okay, Fire Fang!" he ordered, swinging out his right arm. A reddish aura shrouded Litten as her mouth was alight with flames, running towards Null.
"Aerial Ace!" Gladion commanded, throwing out his right fist. Null locked eyes onto the oncoming Litten. It then dashed forward, practically becoming a blur as it slammed into her in a fierce explosion, while she managed to bite his front left leg.
"Litten!" Calvin cried out.
"Null!" Gladion screamed. It took a moment for the smoke to clear before it revealed Litten grimacing in agony as Null loomed behind her, still standing firm.
"Rrrrrrr…!" it growled angrily before smacking Litten away with its head, causing her to tumble across the ground before rolling to a stop on her right side.
"Mrrroowwww…" she moaned in pain.
"Litten…" Calvin uttered as he shook in frustration.
"Just give up already," Gladion insisted, "If that kid there couldn't beat me with his Dartrix, what can your pathetic Litten do?" he inquired rhetorically.
"Hey!" Erika yelled, "Don't talk to my brother like that!" she shouted with clenched fists, obviously angered by his words.
"…You're right," Calvin finally said, causing everyone to perk up in surprise, "I'm nowhere near as good as my cousin or my sister…" he confessed, letting the brim of his cap cover his eyes, "But… that doesn't mean I won't stop trying!" he declared firmly, lifting his head up to lock eyes with Gladion, who blinked in surprise. Hau and Erika smiled to see the determination in Calvin's eyes. "And I know Litten won't stop trying either!" he pointed out, seeing her slowly start to stand up despite the pain she was in.
"Mrrrr…" she growled, glaring out at Null.
"Rrrrrrr…" it growled back, digging into the ground as it was prepared to charge at her again.
"Let's go, Litten!" Calvin called out.
"MRRRRROOOOOWWWWWWWW!" the Fire Cat Pokémon roared as she stood up tall, letting a fiery blaze envelop her form before she started to glow in a bluish light. Everyone gasped.
"She's…!" Erika started to realize.
"…evolving!" Calvin exclaimed in excitement. Litten's body grew as her tail became bushier and her legs became larger. When the light finally died down, it revealed what she had become. She was a quadruped, feline Pokémon with black and now reddish-orange markings. Her upper half was mostly black, while her lower half was mostly red-orange. The black area had several red-orange stripes: one running up the center of her head that formed a short cowlick with one horizontal stripe through the center and a slightly v-shaped stripe above her eyes, one running down her spine with two more stripes going across it, and two rings around her tail. The lower half of her body simply had two black rings around each leg. Her forelegs seemed to now be more developed than her hind legs. Each paw had three toes, but the front ones were larger with short, black claws. Her tail now had several tufts of fur on the tip. She had large eyes with black outlines, yellow sclera, and black pupils that had a red tint along the bottom. There were two long tufts of reddish-orange fur on each of her cheeks with a shorter tuft just underneath on either side of her chin. Her mane stood on end. She had a tiny, triangular gray nose and long, pointed ears with gray insides. Hanging from her neck was a round, bell-like organ, which was yellow with an orange center.
"TORRRRRAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" she roared in excitement, making the bell-like organ flare up slightly.
"Awesome!" Calvin exclaimed as his eyes sparkled with joy.
"Rotodex, what'd she turn into?" Erika asked of her Pokédex, who began loading up an image of Litten's evolved form upon its screen.
"Torracat, the Fire Cat Pokémon," it began, "At her throat, she bears a bell of fire. The bell rings brightly whenever this Pokémon spits fire. She can act spoiled if she grows close to her trainer. A powerful Pokémon, her sharp claws can leave her trainer's whole body covered in scratches," it explained thoroughly.
"Torrraahh!" she cried out in challenge to Null mimicking its action from earlier as she dug into the ground with her front right paw, prepared to charge on her trainer's orders.
"Rrrrr…" Null growled angrily. Gladion narrowed his eyes.
"So she evolved, huh?" he noted, letting off a grin, "Interesting," he uttered before swinging out his left arm, "Null, Tackle!" he commanded. The chimera-like creature lunged forwards, heading for Torracat.
"Double Kick!" Calvin ordered. The evolved Fire Cat Pokémon whipped around, slamming her hind left paw into Null's helmet to stop it, followed by kicking its chest with her left, making it slide back.
"Tch," Gladion scoffed, "Aerial Ace!" he bellowed. Null raced forward in an instant, looking like a blur.
"Catch it with Bite!" Calvin instructed quickly. Torracat stood her ground, letting Null slam into her as her paws grazed through the ground. She then made her teeth glow a bright white as she jumped past Null and bit its tail, making it stop as she held it down.
"Null!" Gladion exclaimed.
"Throw it, Torracat!" Calvin shouted. Putting in all of her available strength, the Fire Cat Pokémon spun her opponent around with her teeth, tossing it away as it struck the ground hard, lying on its side. "Now use Ember!" her trainer commanded. Torracat spat out a large fireball from her mouth as her bell-like organ flared. The fireball struck Null at its side as it was standing back up, making it wince in pain as it struggled to stand firm.
"Wow!" Erika exclaimed as she pumped her fists, "Torracat's really giving that Null a run for its money!" she noted excitedly. Gladion gritted his teeth.
"Null, Work Up!" he shouted. Steam emitted from the chimera-like creature before a reddish aura flowed up its body again.
"It'zzz raising its attack and special attack!" Rotom noted in concern.
"Then we'll have to settle this now!" Calvin realized upon hearing, reaching into his pocket and pulling out something. Gladion widened his eyes as he saw that it was his Fightinium Z, which he set onto his Z-Ring.
"He's going for the Z-Move Tutu uses?!" Hau yelped in surprise.
"But he hasn't even practiced it yet!" Erika mentioned. Calvin crossed his arms over his chest, making the Z-Crystal glow a bright orange.
"Let's do this, Torracat!" he cried out, swinging his arms around and extending them out before himself, keeping his left one over his right. He then threw out several punches before firing off a final fierce one, causing an orange aura to shroud him. It then went out to Torracat in streaks, flowing into her before the Z-Move symbol finally flashed in front of her body.
"Tch," Gladion scoffed, "Null, Aerial Ace!" he commanded. Null dashed forward instantly.
"Torracat, go!" Calvin yelled.
"Rah!" she responded, standing on her hind legs before reeling her right foreleg back.
"ALL-OUT… PUMMELING!" Calvin screamed. An orange aura shrouded Torracat's form as she repeatedly shot out several paw-shaped energy constructs towards Null. It just charged through them, though was evidently wincing in agony from each blow. Torracat growled, enveloping herself within an orange light before lunging out at Null, ramming into it in a fierce explosion. The force of the blast blew by everyone as they flinched, while dust billowed up. A crack formed on the Fightinium Z.
"Ergh…" Calvin grunted as he shielded his eyes from the settling dust. Everyone looked on worriedly to see what had happened. When the dust finally cleared, they all gasped. Torracat was down on the ground… but so was Null.
"It's… a tie?" Erika uttered out of disbelief.
"Torracat!" Calvin screamed, hurriedly rushing over to her.
"Null!" Gladion exclaimed as he too went over to check on his Pokémon. Both of them slowly awoke, standing up.
"Torrrr…" Torracat moaned as she fell into Calvin's arms, "Rrraaahh...?" she uttered out to him. He smiled.
"Thanks for working so hard back there, Torracat," he said in gratitude.
"Cal!" Erika cried out, catching their attentions as they looked back at her, "Your Z-Crystal!" she pointed out in concern.
"Huh?" Calvin uttered in confusion. He then heard a loud crack. He looked back to see the damage to the Fightinium Z, much to his shock as his eyes widened. As he reached out to grab it, it shattered instantaneously. "N-No way…" he stuttered out. Gladion blinked in surprise. He had never seen anything like that.
"Hmph," he huffed, taking out Null's Premier Ball and returning it in a beam of red light, "Guess that means you aren't fully ready to use a Z-Move like that," he noted as he looked back at Calvin, who glared at him, "You're not bad," he admitted, much to his surprise, "But that kid there…" he pointed out, looking over at Hau, "he thinks he just enjoy battling no matter the result, no matter the effort," he told him, "That's why he can't beat Hala when he's serious, because he never is," he stated.
"Hey!" Erika shouted, getting in front of her cousin protectively.
"…So you think I'm strong?" Hau wondered aloud, much to everyone's surprise, "Heh!" he chuckled, folding his arms behind his head, "Well aren't you great, little Gladion?" he remarked cheekily. The apparent Team Skull member just glared at him. Erika then stepped forward.
"Better hope you're ready for round two, 'cause we're not holding back," she declared as she pulled out a Poké Ball.
"Koree!" Oricorio chirped eagerly.
"I guess it's no surprise a homeless kid would turn out spineless, too, huh?" a voice chimed in, causing everyone to perk up. They looked over to see a pair of figures approaching them. One was a short, wide man with brownish, afro-like hair, and the other was a young woman with long orange hair. Both wore Team Skull garb.
"Team Skull?!" Hau yelped.
"Doaarr!" Dartrix squawked, taking a ready stance.
"Get back, Gladion," the man of the two Team Skull members instructed to the boy, "We'll cover for you just this once," he promised, pulling out a Poké Ball. Erika growled, while her Oricorio took a ready stance.
"…You're wasting your time," Gladion suddenly said.
"Huh?" the man uttered in confusion, glancing back at him.
"If you know you can't beat me, then you won't beat them," he remarked, "Those three…" he continued, glancing back at Calvin, Erika, and Hau, "they've got good Pokémon," he pointed out.
"Hmph," the woman scoffed, "Well, this was a big fat waste of time…" she muttered, "We came all this way out here to catch the Totem Pokémon, and your stupid battling got us here," she pointed out, "Might as well get outta here, F," she instructed to her fellow Team Skull member, "The Murkrow are cryin', so we should be flyin'," she rhymed, turning around and walking off.
"…Huh?" Erika uttered in confusion with a tilted head.
"Yeah, let's bounce, E," F agreed, putting his Poké Ball away, "Hey, Gladion," he said, catching the blonde haired boy's attention, "Listen, you might act like this bigshot 'round us, but you're only around 'cause the boss says he likes you," he explained to him with his hands at his hips, "You're not really Team Skull," he pointed out, walking off, "and you never will be," he added with a mocking laugh.
"Tch…" Gladion scoffed with clenched teeth.
"Gladion…" Erika uttered in concern. He then just walked off without another word. Everyone else stayed, still processing what had just happened. One thing was for sure. Their journeys on Akala Island… had only just begun.
END
And that does it for the first section of "The Challenge of a Lifetime"! Keep in mind, this won't be a permanent hiatus. I'll be working on "Omni Force: GUARDIANS" and "RWBY: Omni Force" mainly for the rest of this year and the next. After that, "The Challenge of a Lifetime" will be worked on alongside "Omni Force: JUSTICE" to give you the story's Akala Island Arc!
But in the meantime, here's a summary of what's up next to hold you over.
SUMMARY
Schooling Trial!
It's time for Erika's second trial at Brooklet Hill! After meeting Lana and borrowing her brother's Ride Pager, Erika's super stoked about taking on the rumored super strong Totem Pokémon! But when Lana asks her to help do other things like see if swimmers are in need of saving, will she ever get to take the trial?
END SUMMARY
Erika Ketchum: And now for some exciting announcements!
Calvin Ketchum: NegaiFreak's been doing his best to keep this under wraps for a while now, but the ideas are overflowing in his head, and he can't hold them back anymore!
NegaiFreak: So here you go!
PREVIEW
Opens with Monkey D. Luffy, Roronoa Zoro, and Vinsmoke Sanji walking down a long hallway together.
Vinsmoke Sanji: Who'd would've thought it'd come to this?
Roronoa Zoro: Bound to happen at some point…
Monkey D. Luffy: Heh!
They walk out into a large stadium with spectators cheering loudly from the stands, very excited for what's to come. On the opposite side of the field, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Blake Belladonna come out of the tunnel.
Vinsmoke Sanji: I normally don't like fighting ladies… but I think this is an exception…
Roronoa Zoro: Just stay focused, you idiot cook…
Vinsmoke Sanji: Shut it, moss head.
Monkey D. Luffy: *grins excitedly* Let's do this!
He looks as if he's reeling his arm back to throw out a punch, but instead, he fires a Poké Ball into the air. It pops open, with a Sableye coming out and landing on the field.
Ruby Rose: Okay, my turn!
She throws her own Poké Ball, which opens and reveals a Zoroark. He readies his arms, while Luffy's Sableye grins excitedly.
COMING SOON
Insert "GONG" by WANIMA
Continues with Ash Ketchum and Alain Regulus arriving via boat to the artificial island of Pasio.
Professor Bellis: Welcome to Pasio, trainers! There's a lot to do aside from just battling!
Cuts to Ash and Alain seeing the multiple trios of Omni Force members all competing. They then meet up with Paulo after he's been beaten by Team Break
Paulo: Would you… please let us join you?
Rockruff: Rah, ruf!
Ash Ketchum: Of course! We'll make sure you guys get as strong as you can be!
Pikachu: Pika, pika!
We then get a scene of Prince Lear with his subordinates, Rachel and Sawyer.
Lear: So they think they can just mosey on up to my island and act like they're the main attraction?!
We go through several scenes of Ash's Pikachu training with Paulo's Rockruff, Ben Tennyson's Mega Sceptile up against Rex Salazar's Mega Steelix, Sunset Shimmer with her team of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, Naruto Uzumaki's Mega Gallade fighting Sasuke Uchiha's Mega Tyranitar for training, and Natsu Dragneel's Mega Salamence soaring high into the sky with him.
Lear: Well, I'll show them… I'll show them what it truly means to be strong in this world!
Cuts to his Krookodile charging towards Pikachu with a fearsome look in his eyes. Pikachu stands his ground though, zooming out at him while encased in a whitish outline.
OMNI FORCE: POKÉMON MASTERS
COMING THIS OCTOBER
NegaiFreak: That's right, folks! Soon, I'll be starting up shorts on the Omni Force Forum for the "Omni Force: Pokémon Masters" series! Expect a lot of fun ahead with the time to come!
Hau Hughes: And we got one more big announcement!
NegaiFreak: Please take a look!
PREVIEW
Opens in a bedroom with a brown haired girl sleeping on her bed. All of a sudden, a Farfetch'd waddles up to her side.
Farfetch'd: Far? *pokes her with his leek* Far fetch… *pokes her eye*
Girl: OW! Bloody hell, Farfetch'd! Ya tryin' to scare the life outta me?!
Farfetch'd: Fuh far! *points his leek towards the window*
Girl: Oh, bugger! I'm late!
We see the girl get dressed in her clothes, wearing a grey sweater over a pink dress, a green hat with a white puff of fur up top, and a pair of laced brown boots over green socks.
Girl: Look out Galar region! Here comes Ashley! *opens door outside*
Farfetch'd: Far! *follows her out*
A BRAND NEW WORLD!
NOW IN DEVELOPMENT
NegaiFreak: Yes, there will be a Sword & Shield story! Possibly… The concept's there, but I'd like to play the games first before doing anything rash. I know there's controversies here and there with the games, but I'm still gonna get 'em both. After all, you gotta try and catch 'em all! Or at least all you can…
Ash Ketchum: Is it really a good time to make jokes about that?
NegaiFreak: Eh, I just go with the flow! See you in the next "Omni Force: GUARDIANS" chapter!