Pokémon Sun & Moon: The Challenge of a Lifetime!

by NegaiFreak

The Ketchum twins are now 10 years old! That means they can travel the world as Pokémon trainers! And their adventure has just begun as they head off to the Alola region to make new discoveries with their family and friends! Pokémon X Fairy Tail Crossover! SHIPPINGS INCLUDED! PLEASE READ, REVIEW, AND ENJOY! THANKS FOR OVER 45,000 VIEWS!

21. Trust in the Lush!

NegaiFreak: Alola! We're back, everybody!

Erika Ketchum: And not a moment too soon!

Pyrrha Eucliffe: We're glad to be back, especially during these trying times…

Paige Stowon: In case you didn't hear, NF got let go from his job recently because of the whole crisis goin' around.

Erika Ketchum: Though he's still writing, he's also doing his best to help out at home and is trying to do other things, like watch some other series he's yet to look at.

NegaiFreak: I'm currently watching Fullmetal Alchemist. It's been fun so far!

Pyrrha Eucliffe: Well, we really should get started on the chapter!

Paige Stowon: Way ahead of ya! This is "The Challenge of a Lifetime!"

POKÉMON SUN & MOON

THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME

"I'm so glad you could make it!" Mallow exclaimed in greeting. It was morning at the Route 8 Pokémon Center as Calvin, Erika and Trent were lounging about in the common space, enjoying some breakfast courtesy of the Lush Jungle trial captain. She had come by to see if any island challengers had arrived to take her trial, and was glad to find the twins she had met on the day they arrived at the island.

"Mmmm!" Erika moaned delightedly as she chewed on her pancakes, "These are so good!" she noted with glee, gulfing down what was left on her plate excitedly.

"Careful, zzt…" Rotom buzzed worriedly as it floated beside her.

"Thanks for this, Mallow," Calvin said in gratitude after swallowing a piece of his pancakes, "Do you do this for every island challenger?" he asked her.

"On occasion…" she answered, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly, "Between being here and working at Konikoni, there's never really a great enough time for me to come down with some food for challengers…" she admitted as she blushed.

"Konikoni?" Calvin repeated in confusion as he blinked.

"That's the city where I'm from!" Mallow replied, "It's also where Olivia usually holds her grand trial battles!" she mentioned with a snap of her fingers.

"I hear it's a place well-known for good eats and rare items," Trent chimed in, "Take it you're a part of that…" he pointed out. Mallow giggled.

"So anyways," she began, getting the trial-goers' attentions, "which one of you wants to take the trial today?" she asked of them. The three trainers all shared unsure glances with each other.

"We… hadn't really thought about it…" Calvin admitted as a response.

"I could use a break though…" Erika confessed honestly, "Kiawe's trial ended up being a little too tough for me and the team…" she noted as she rubbed the back of her head with her left hand. Her brother took notice of the bandages around her arm. He hadn't asked her about them yesterday as she was too exhausted from her trek to the Pokémon Center all the way from Wela Volcano. Even so…

"I think I'll sit today out, too," he told Mallow, "I wanna catch up with Erika for a bit," he added, looking over at his twin sister.

"Cal…" she uttered in surprise.

"Okay then!" Mallow exclaimed as she clapped her hands, turning to Trent, "Looks like you're up first!" she pointed out.

"Heh," he chuckled, standing up as he had finished his pancakes, "I'm ready," he stated firmly.

"Great!" Mallow responded, "But before we start…" she continued, looking over at the messy plates around the table, "let's clean up!" she advised. Moments later, the three trainers had put away their dishware and eating utensils into the sink. Erika noticed a Pokémon nearby helping dry the cleaned dishes with a towel. She was a bipedal, plant-like Pokémon with a humanoid appearance. Her torso and legs were dark purple, while her hips, arms, and head were all white. She had dark purple eyes with purple, triangular markings over them similar to stylized eyelashes. On top of her head was a large, light green calyx. The calyx had short leaves on the front and back, two large leaves out to the sides similar to pigtails, and a short stem on the top. The right leaf had two yellowish-green spots on it. The upper part of her torso had short ruffles at the top similar to a dress. Her wide hips were made up of six segments and resembled the flesh of a mangosteen. Her slender arms had slightly rounded hands with no visible digits, and her legs had pointed tips.

"Rotodex, who is that Pokémon?" Erika asked curiously, pointing at the plant-like creature. Her image showed up on the Pokédex's screen as it floated over.

"Steenee, the Fruit Pokémon," it began, "This Pokémon is always bouncing around energetically. Other Pokémon are attracted by her lively appearance and pleasant aroma. She bounces around, swinging the sepals on her head with abandon. They're quite painful when they smack you!" it explained thoroughly. Mallow then came over.

"Steenee here's my trusted partner!" she pointed out happily, squatting down to hug the Fruit Pokémon, "Ever since we met in the jungle, she's been the best helper!" she mentioned.

"Nee neee!" Steenee squeaked with delight. Erika smiled at the interaction.

"So," Mallow began, glancing over at Trent as he finished drying his plate, "you ready to get going?" she guessed, placing her hands at her hips.

"Yeah," he replied as he nodded. Moments later, the two of them exited the Pokémon Center with Steenee in tow.

"Nee, nee!" she cried out in farewell to the Ketchum twins, waving to them as they waved back. The moment the doors closed, Calvin turned to his twin sister with a serious look on his face.

"Erika…" he uttered out, catching her attention as she turned to face him, "what happened at the volcano?" he asked her. Needless to say, she was taken aback by the question, blinking in surprise. And the way he looked at her with genuine concern was all she needed to see.

"Huh…" she sighed deeply, "It's… a long story…" she muttered out ashamedly. And she really didn't want to tell it…

"High Hopes" by Panic! At the Disco

0:00 – 0:10 = Opens with Calvin and Erika getting their hats and shoes on before stepping outside a Pokémon Center to start their days on Akala Island.

0:11 – 0:34 = Continues with the twins running down a pathway, being joined by Hau, Paige, Pyrrha, and Trent as their respective starter Pokémon run alongside them. Meanwhile, Ash and Mirajane are out on the front porch of their vacation home with Pikachu, hoping for the best of their kids.

0:35 – 0:45 = Shows Calvin with Torracat, Gumshoos, Trumbeak, and Araquanid resting beneath a shady tree, with the Fire Cat Pokémon sleeping contently on her trainer's lap. Cubone is off to the side shattering rocks with his bone until Araquanid traps him in a Spider Web out of annoyance.

0:46 – 0:57 = Cuts to Erika training with Brionne and Lycanroc, while Fomantis is asleep on the sunny grass. It's only when Drifloon decides to float over her that she wakes up, mad that the Balloon Pokémon is blocking out the sunlight. Meanwhile, Oricorio is dancing off to the side as Magby watches in wonder.

0:58 – 1:10 = We see Calvin and Erika entering the Battle Royal Dome, awing the spectacle before they're introduced to the Masked Royal, who Calvin fawns over while Erika instantly recognizes him as Kukui in disguise, giving off a blank look.

1:11 – 1:33 = Calvin commands Torracat as she jumps into the ring, attacking Gladion's Null with Fire Fang. Erika's Brionne uses Aqua Jet to knock back Paige's Combusken into the ropes, followed by blasting her with Bubble Beam. Hau's Pikachu and Trent's Frogadier race each other with Quick Attack before they use Electro Ball and Water Pulse respectively, colliding their attacks with each other in a fierce explosion.

1:35 – 1:44 = Continues with Calvin and Erika going along and visiting the landmarks of Akala, seeing the Paniola Ranch, Brooklet Hill, Wela Volcano Park, the Lush Jungle, Konikoni City, the Ruins of Life, and the Hano Grand Resort. But as they journey on, Calvin notices that his sister is getting further ahead of him.

1:45 – 1:55 = Erika is then approached by Plumeria, whose Salandit climbs up her shoulder before they both smirk at her deviously.

1:56 – 2:18 = We then cut to scenes of Lana fishing at Brooklet Hill with her Araquanid, Kiawe overseeing his trial site atop Wela Volcano with his Alolan Marowak, and Mallow picking out ingredients alongside her Steenee. The scene changes to show Olivia and her Midnight Lycanroc turning around and grinning at the Ketchum twins, being a wall for them to overcome.

2:19 – 2:42 = Erika sends out her Brionne in rainy weather to face a Wishiwashi in his schooling form, while Calvin has Trumbeak use Pluck on a Lurantis.

2:43 – 3:12 – The opening closes off with the Ketchum twins standing with their respective teams, smiling at each other, though Torracat and Brionne scoff and look away. We then get a glimpse of Lillie and Nebby at the Ruins of Life, a scene of Tapu Lele floating about excitedly, and finally a scene featuring the Aether Foundation with Faba, Wicke, and Lusamine.

Trust in the Lush!

A white and blue light formed upon the floor in the Pokémon Center common space, taking shape and dissipating to reveal Erika's Lycanroc.

"Lyy?" he uttered out in surprise, glancing around to see his trainer and her brother there.

"Is that… Rockruff?" Calvin guessed with widened eyes.

"Well… Lycanroc now…" Erika corrected in response, "He evolved after our trial…" she told him, going over and petting the Wolf Pokémon. He backed away from her ashamedly after a moment. Calvin blinked in surprise.

"Okay…" he uttered, "What does he have to do with-?" He stopped his question. An answer was already forming in his head as his eyes widened. "Erika," he said, catching her attention as his firm tone made her wince, "what did Lycanroc do to you?" he asked.

"I-It was an accident…" she stuttered.

"What. Happened?" her brother asked more firmly, balling his fists.

"Ly, lykan!" Lycanroc barked, jumping in between the twins defensively, "Rah, lykan rahk!" he pleaded to Calvin, who blinked in surprise.

"During our journey up the volcano," Rotom began, chiming into the conversation, "Erika got bit by Rockruff azzz she wazzz trying to catch a Magby…" it told Calvin.

"Wh-What?!" he stuttered in surprise. Erika glanced away ashamedly, holding her bandaged arm. Lycanroc lowered his head.

"Rockruff tend to act aggrezzzive before they evolve, zzt," Rotom mentioned, "What happened wazzz nature taking itzzz course," it pointed out.

"Erika…" Calvin uttered, getting his twin sister's attention, "was that the only time Rockruff bit you on the volcano?" he asked, arching an eyebrow in suspicion. Now Erika lowered her head.

"…No," she answered honestly, "He hurt me while we were taking the trial…" she confessed, holding her arm tightly, "He'd been… acting so out of control when he was fighting the Totem Pokémon," she recalled, "I tried to get him to stop, but he… bit me hard…" she admitted. Calvin could tell this was uneasy for his sister to talk about. He turned to Lycanroc, who had yet to lift up his head.

"And what do you have to say for yourself?" he asked of him with anger in his tone. Lycanroc winced. His body was trembling.

"Cal, that's enough!" Erika shouted in a whisper, "Dad said he had Pokémon that hurt him and regretted it!" she pointed out, "I mean, remember Charizard?" she inquired.

"This isn't about some silly fire to the face that our dad somehow brushed off!" her brother argued, "Your Pokémon actually hurt you!" he noted with astonishment in his tone, "How can you expect me to be okay with that?!" he asked. She didn't respond. "Huh…" he exhaled deeply, "I'm gonna go train with my team," he said as he walked off.

"Uh, Cal…!" Erika tried to call out, but rescinded as he walked out through the sliding doors, "Huh…" she sighed sadly.

"Lyyy…" Lycanroc moaned as tears of guilt formed in his eyes.

"Oh, Lycanroc…" his trainer said as she squatted and hugged him gently, resting her head against his soft fur, "I know that it wasn't your fault entirely back then," she pointed out, "I forgave you, ya know…" she mentioned. He didn't say anything, still in tears.

"Calvin doezzz have a point though…" Rotom buzzed, "Why did you forgive Lycanroc?" it wondered curiously. Erika opened her eyes slightly as she looked over at her bandaged arm.

"Because I hurt my own family once, and they forgave me…" she answered, "So why shouldn't I forgive someone I consider family for hurting me?" she questioned. Lycanroc's eyes shot open in shock. His trainer… already thought of him as family?

"That'zzz an odd way of thinking…" Rotom noted suspiciously.

"Huh…" Erika sighed, "Don't worry about it, Rotodex," she assured firmly, "We just need some time to reconnect," she told him, continuing to hold onto Lycanroc.

"…Okay," the Pokédex replied, floating off. Erika closed her eyes as she kept her head against the soft fur of the Wolf Pokémon. So much had happened on Akala Island already. She completed two trials, won a Battle Royal, and now had a full team of Pokémon. But with those ups, there were downs. Lycanroc still was feeling guilty for what he did. So she knew he would do his best to make up for it someday.

"Lyy…" he uttered out, sitting down with her on the couch before they both fell asleep for what seemed like a quick nap.

X

"You haven't heard a word?" Law asked from the front porch of the Ketchums' vacation home, sitting with Ash and Luffy at a table while having drinks.

"With them in the past, it's hard to know how they're doing…" the Pokémon Master noted as he sipped his bottle of beer, "Besides, Paradox needs all the strength he can to get them out of there once they're done…" he mentioned.

"Assuming they get it done…" Law muttered in correction while drinking his ale.

"Hey, Traffie…" Luffy chimed in worriedly, causing him to let out a sigh.

"I still can't believe that Kronos has Blackbeard on their side…" he grumbled, balling his fist over the table, "And with them having three of the more powerful stones, we're at a huge disadvantage," he pointed out to his comrades.

"It shouldn't matter what stones they have," Ash stated in a hardened tone, catching his attention, "If we can level the playing field, we'll have a better chance at getting those other three stones back," he assured confidently.

"Heh," Law chuckled, "Guess I shouldn't be too worried," he admitted with a grin, "Your daughter's a part of that team after all," he added.

"Speaking of our kids," Ash continued, starting to change the subject, "what are yours up to?" he asked the two pirates.

"Clive's still working as a bartender at Fairy Tail…" Law grumbled in response.

"And Akemi's in college!" Luffy cheekily added, folding his arms behind his head, "Twilight says she's doing great though!" he mentioned as he chuckled.

"Ha, ha!" Ash laughed, "That's good to hear," he noted to the two men. He then glanced up at the sky overhead.

'Wonder how the twins are doing, too…' he said to himself. Back on Akala Island, Calvin and Torracat were in the parking lot outside the nearby motel. The trial-goer was waving his arms up like billowing flames before grabbing his right arm and thrusting it forwards.

"Mrow?" Torracat uttered in confusion, tilting her head.

"Huh…" her trainer sighed. There was a sense of regret lingering in his mind. He glanced back at the Pokémon Center.

'Did I… overreact?' he wondered, 'No, of course I didn't!' he affirmed inwardly, shaking his head, 'Anyone in the family would be upset they knew what Lycanroc did to Erika…' he noted to himself. And yet… he saw the regret in Lycanroc's eyes. The sadness. The guilt. It was all there in just the way he looked.

"Torraahh?" Torracat asked, going over and nuzzling her head against her trainer's leg, getting his attention.

"Oh, sorry Torracat…" he apologized, squatting down to pet her head, "I've just got a lot on my mind right now…" he admitted.

"Torrraahh…" the Fire Cat Pokémon purred happily as her trainer scratched her head gently.

"You're still here, huh?" a voice guessed, catching their attentions as they gasped to see Gladion and his Zorua exiting from their motel room.

"Gladion…" Calvin uttered out, narrowing his eyes.

"Rrrrr…" Torracat growled. Zorua jumped down and took a ready stance, prepared to fight the Fire Cat Pokémon.

"Stand down, Zorua," Gladion advised, enticing his partner to do so, "You'll need your energy for today," he mentioned seriously.

"Rrf," the Tricky Fox Pokémon scoffed.

"You're doing more work for Team Skull?" Calvin guessed, catching the boy's attention.

"What's it matter to you?" Gladion asked back as he glared at him.

"You were the one saying you had to make it on your own," Calvin pointed out, raising an eyebrow, "So why are you relying on working for Team Skull?" he wondered with a tilt of his head. Gladion seemed to ignore the trial-goer as he and Zorua passed him by. But then he stopped.

"There's a lot in this world you don't know, kid," he told Calvin, "Sometimes, you've gotta just make it on your own, even if it means using others," he explained. The trial-goer blinked in surprise.

"Ar?" Zorua yipped, seeing his trainer take a deep breath.

"Let's go, Zorua," he beckoned, walking off. Calvin wanted to say something. Anything. He wanted to know why Gladion was so insistent on getting stronger through such means as doing work for a group of gangsters. And yet… he couldn't bring himself to ask. For some reason, the whole notion of being stronger on one's own terms resonated with Calvin.

He had been going through his island challenge on his own. With his team. They had beaten trials and persevered through tough challenges. Maybe Gladion was right…

But then he remembered what pushed him forward. What motivated him to keep going on his island challenge. It was seeing how his sister had changed.

Never did he imagine that she would drastically start to redefine herself as she did. With a new look and a newfound confidence, Erika had risen from the bottom to be fearsome contender in the island challenge. She was like a completely different person. And like how he shouted at her for something that wasn't inherently her fault, she had shouted at him for something that equally wasn't his.

'Erika…' he uttered inwardly out of concern, looking back at the Pokémon Center. Inside, his twin sister awoke with Lycanroc still napping beside her. She petted his head gently before taking out his Poké Ball, returning him to it in a beam of red light.

"Are you okay, zzt?" Rotom buzzed worriedly in question.

"Huh…" Erika sighed, "I don't know…" she admitted in reply, "Cal might've been overreacting over all this," she continued, "but he's right to be mad," she pointed out, "I got hurt, so of course he'd be upset…" she muttered out in addition.

"Erika…" Rotom uttered in concern. She put the Poké Ball away as she stood up.

"There's no point in worrying about it right now," she realized, balling her fists, "We should get ready for the trial," she advised with a grin. Though a machine, Rotom could easily tell it was forced. What she was going through with these frustrating feelings of guilt felt strangely similar to how Calvin was acting after he was attacked in Verdant Cavern. Moments later, the Pokédex followed Erika outside. She glanced over to see her brother training alongside his Torracat, practicing Embers and Fire Fangs in the empty parking lot. For a moment, she looked like she was about to call out to him. But she relented.

'Yeah… we should give each other some space…' she realized, walking off in the other direction down the road of Route 8. The rest of the day, the twins never met up once to train together. They both were going through a turmoil of thoughts about what was happening. None of them ever thought the island challenge would bring about such feelings. Such anger. Such guilt. Such frustration.

Did their parents ever feel like this? It was likely. But how did they deal with it? And what would their twin children do to handle their feelings?

X

"Smokescreen, Feint Attack, Fire Spin, and Clear Smog, zzt!" Rotom listed off to Erika as Magby was hanging off of her right shoulder, while Drifloon was floating beside her left.

"Wow, you've got some great moves!" she complimented to him.

"Maaahhggg…" he sheepishly responded, blushing out of flattery. The sun was starting to set on the horizon as they ventured back towards the Pokémon Center, having done quite a long day worth of training. Considering the possibility that Mallow's trial would feature Grass type Pokémon, Erika decided to have Magby and Drifloon train with her.

"Why didn't you let Oricorio train, too?" Rotom wondered curiously.

"Well… I doubt she'd be as into it as she used to…" Erika noted in reply with a nervous chuckle. She could only imagine the Dancing Pokémon just leisurely swaying without a care before a wild Pokémon would pounce on her.

"Fomantizzz could train with you, too," Rotom mentioned, "Fury Cutter'zzz super effective against Grass typezzz!" it noted enthusiastically.

"I guess I could give things a shot with her tomorrow," Erika said as a response, "As long as she doesn't doze off again…" she grumbled with a drop of sweat rolling down her head.

"Fufufufu…" Drifloon chuckled, hoping to get the chance to annoy the Sickle Grass Pokémon during one of her sunbathing naps again. As the Pokémon Center came into view for the approaching group, so did Calvin. Torracat and Trumbeak were alongside him, likely being the only ones to have gotten ready for tomorrow. As he saw his twin sister, his eyes slightly widened. Hers did the same. They approached the doors and came to a stop.

"Hey…" Calvin greeted, glancing down ashamedly.

"Hi…" Erika responded, rubbing at her left arm nervously. Their Pokémon gave off worried looks to each other. Did they really think that they needed time apart? Calvin knew that everything that happened wasn't Erika's fault. And she knew that he was just worried about her. So why the turmoil?

"Listen, I—"

"Guys…" a familiar voice groaned out, catching their attentions before they could attempt to talk. They turned and gasped. Standing there with his team of three Pokémon was Trent, who looked absolutely ragged.

"Whoa, Trent?!" Calvin yelped in surprise.

"What the heck happened to you?!" Erika exclaimed out of shock, "You look terrible!" she mentioned.

"He just went and passed my trial!" Mallow chimed in, popping up from behind Trent.

"Neee!" Steenee exclaimed as she bounced over.

"Wait… you passed?" Calvin inquired.

"Heh," Trent chuckled, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a green Z-Crystal with a leaf-like symbol within it.

"That'zzz a Grassium Z!" Rotom noted in exclamation.

"Wow, congrats!" Erika complimented with a smile.

"But how come you look so… uh… tired?" Calvin wondered, having to pause to find the right words to say.

"Let's just say it took a while to find what I needed…" Trent grumbled out in reply despite grinning sheepishly. Mallow giggled.

"I'd say you've earned yourself a little TLC for both you and your Pokémon," she pointed out to him with her hands at her hips.

"Yeah, thanks…" Trent responded, "And honestly, I need to backtrack," he admitted to his rivals' surprise, "That trial… was the hardest one I've had to go through thus far," he confessed as they listened carefully, "So I need to catch some new Pokémon and train a little more before going to Olivia," he told them. Calvin was surprised, but gave off a grin.

"You do what you gotta do," he said to his rival, nodding to him.

"Yeah, definitely get a break in!" Erika recommended.

"Yeah, I will…" Trent promised to the twins, "Good luck tomorrow," he said as he walked towards the Pokémon Center with his team trailing behind him.

"Torraahh?" Torracat purred curiously, tilting her head.

"Frahh…" Frogadier groaned, still following his trainer inside. Upon noticing how ragged his entire team looked, Torracat and Trumbeak shared nervous looks with each other. Drifloon and Magby did the same.

"So… uh…" Erika began, turning to Mallow, "how's the trial gonna work for us tomorrow?" she asked.

"Actually, we should decide who takes it first…" Calvin admitted, rubbing the back of his head, "I know you probably wanna rest up after Kiawe's trial…" he pointed out to his twin sister.

"Hey, you could use some rest, too!" she argued in response. Mallow giggled again, catching their attentions as they blinked in surprise, looking over at her.

"Since you two are twins, I think I should make an exception for once and give you both a taste of my trial," she told them, "So tomorrow at noon, you'll take it together!" she declared firmly. The twins blinked.

"HUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!" they exclaimed simultaneously in shock.

"Y-You're making us take it… together?!" Calvin stuttered out, while Erika's mouth gaped open.

"Mm-hmm!" Mallow replied as she nodded, "It'd be a shame to just make one of you wait longer…" she pointed, "so I'm gonna give it my all to make sure you two can do it at the same time!" she promised in declaration, "It'll be a lot of fun!" she added excitedly. The twins shared a glance with each other before letting off small grins.

"Yeah, guess so…" Calvin concurred.

"We'll do it!" Erika agreed, pumping her right fist.

"Great!" Mallow responded happily.

"Nee nee, steee!" Steenee pointed out, catching her trainer's attention as she was waving her arms to her frantically.

"Ah, right!" she yelped in realization, "We gotta go make sure things get set up properly for tomorrow!" she noted to the twins before taking off, "See you!" she called out in farewell, waving to them as she headed towards the jungle.

"Neee!" Steenee exclaimed, waving as well while following her trainer. As they went out of sight, the twins glanced at each other nervously. They were doing something together for the first time since… the start of their journeys. And there wasn't a sense of comfort in the air around them…

X

Erika couldn't sleep. Last night, it seemed like her and her brother went to bad without a peep. Now her mind was racing without slowing down.

"Huh…" she sighed as she sat up in her bed. She looked over to see Calvin with his body turned away as he snoozed soundly. Rotom was on the dresser beside an outlet, recharging after a day's worth of analyzing. Putting on her sneakers, Erika quietly ventured out of the room as the door shut behind her. Her brother woke up as he overheard it. He turned to see that she had left her bed.

"Erika…" he uttered out worriedly. Outside, his twin sister walked about the parking lot before approaching the white fencing overlooking the ocean. The light wind rushed through her hair as she stared at the moonlit sky. Stars were littered about, lighting up the sky with the waxing moon. A sight like that was what was the start of her journey. The start of both hers and her brother's. They battled their cousin together, they learned about new Pokémon together, they went to the same school together.

And yet after that…

"Rrrr…" a voice growled angrily, catching her attention as she turned to see a familiar figure approaching. It was Null.

"Ah!" she yelped in surprise. As the chimera-like creature approached, she nervously backed off. She hadn't brought any of her Poké Balls since they were on her belt, which she had left in the Pokémon Center. Fortunately, she didn't need them.

"Null, stand down," Gladion's voice advised as he approached, enticing his Pokémon to back away.

"Gladion…" Erika uttered out. He walked past her.

"So you're here, too, huh?" he muttered, taking out a Premier Ball and returning Null to it in a beam of red light. Erika noticed how ragged he seemed. How tired he looked.

"Were you just on a job for Team Skull?" she guessed, causing him to stop.

"If you're going to start bothering me about that like your brother, then drop it," he advised seriously. Erika stood firm though, staring him down from behind.

"I think a guy like you can be stronger without relying on punks like those guys," she pointed out as he slightly turned his head to look at her, "Honestly… you seem like the kind of guy who'd do great in the island challenge," she admitted to his surprise as he blinked, "In fact, why aren't you taking part?" she asked curiously.

"Hmph," Gladion scoffed, "That's none of your business…" he grumbled out, heading off.

"Whatever then…" Erika mumbled, looking back at the starry horizon.

"Why are you on the island challenge?" Gladion suddenly asked, catching her attention as she glanced over to see him standing at the steps leading to his hotel room. His question was… surprising, especially from him. Did Erika ever think about why she was on the island challenge? Why was she trying so hard? But she did have an answer.

"I'm here… because I don't wanna waste the second chance I got," she stated firmly in response, "Back before I even got my amulet, I was a big jerk like you," she mentioned, causing Gladion to glare at her, "I pushed away every opportunity thrown my way because it wasn't what I wanted," she told him, "But then… I saw how much everyone was having…" she recalled, "and how far I was falling behind…" she mentioned as she balled her fists, "So I'm doing this island challenge to learn as much as I can and become the best trainer I can be!" she declared, "And then…" she continued, pointing towards Gladion, "I'll beat you one day," she promised, "And I'm sure Calvin will, too," she added confidently. Needless to say, Gladion was surprised. The girl before him just vowed to defeat him. She even had the gall to say her brother would as well.

"Heh," he chuckled, cracking a small grin, "Good luck with that," he remarked before heading into his room. Erika sighed. That wasn't a conversation she'd been expecting. She turned her attention back onto the starry horizon. She and her brother had been on this challenge after that very night they met Popplio and Litten. And now, they were about to face a new challenge together.

'Cal…' Erika began inwardly, 'we're gonna do our best tomorrow,' she declared through her thoughts, looking back at the Pokémon Center. Tomorrow was going to be her chance to not only clear her fourth trial alongside her brother, but also reconcile with him.

X

"You two sure don't know how psyched I am for today!" Mallow exclaimed as she was leading the twins towards the jungle in the distance. After another breakfast courtesy of the trial captain, she let Calvin and Erika prepare their teams a little while longer before finally taking them to the trial site. It was noon by the time they arrived at the gateway.

"Oh, wow…" Calvin uttered, seeing that they were about to walk under a huge, hollowed-out log.

"Heehee!" Mallow giggled, "Pretty impressive, huh?" she inquired to the boy, "Lush Jungle's got a lot of rare Pokémon, so be sure to go catch one or two once your trial's done!" she advised to the twins.

"Wait, we can't catch any now?" Erika asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Don't wanna distract from the big ol' trial you two are having!" Mallow replied cheekily, "Anyways, here we are!" she exclaimed, jogging out to where a picnic blanket was set underneath a large empty pot. Steenee was there as well.

"Steee!" she cried out in greeting, waving to the trial-goers.

"Thanks for helping set up, Steenee!" her trainer said out of gratitude, petting her head gently. She then turned to the twins. "Okay, your trial is gonna go like this!" she began to them, "First off, you'll need these," she pointed out, reaching into her bag and pulling out two small leather sacks and handing one of each to Calvin and Erika.

"Uh, what are these for?" the latter of the two asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"They're gonna be what you use to gather up all your ingredients!" Mallow replied, "Now you're probably thinking, 'what ingredients', right?" she guessed, halting Erika from asking another question, "The trial for you two is gather ingredients for a special concoction of mine that'll bring out the Totem Pokémon," she explained thoroughly, "You two will need to gather two of each item together for this special occasion," she mentioned.

"When you say 'concoction'… does that mean…?" Calvin tried to ask, wondering how exactly to phrase it.

"It's a special dish of mine!" Mallow answered, "The Mallow Special!" she exclaimed with a wink.

"Steee neee!" Steenee squeaked excitedly.

"For the ingredients, I need the following," her trainer continued to the pair of trial-goers, "a Mago Berry, a Tiny Mushroom, a Revival Herb, and a Miracle Seed," she listed off, "And remember, two of each!" she mentioned quickly.

"So once we get all these ingredients, the Totem Pokémon shows up…" Erika realized as she narrowed her eyes.

"Well, once we mix 'em all together for a super special brew!" Mallow corrected excitedly, "I'm so stoked to make a big batch with what you guys find!" she added with balled fists and sparkles in her eyes. Calvin could easily tell she was passionate about cooking.

"We'll find those ingredients, Mallow," he promised with a nod.

"Yeah!" Erika agreed, nodding as well. The trial captain clapped her hands.

"Great!" she responded, "Don't go burning daylight now! Get going!" she recommended to them.

"Right!" they replied simultaneously, hurrying off into the jungle.

"Nee, neee stee!" Steenee cried out to her trainer, catching her attention as she gasped in realization.

"Oh, shoot!" she yelped, "Thanks for reminding me, Steenee!" she said in gratitude, "Hey!" she called out, causing the twins to stop themselves in their tracks, "You're probably gonna wanna rely on your Pokémon to help find those ingredients!" she noted to them, "Remember, you've got a special one that's great at sniffing out stuff!" she mentioned.

"Huh?" Calvin uttered in confusion, "What does she mean by that?" he wondered, turning to his twin sister. She shrugged, equally unsure. Moments later, they ventured further into the jungle, holding their forage bags as they glanced around. Erika could see Pokémon like Pinsir and Metapod lurking about the area, along with rare ones like Goomy and Bonsly.

As much as she wanted to catch some, she knew that it'd have to wait. But that didn't mean she couldn't marvel the sights around her. She was about head off ahead until…

"Hey, Erika?" her brother said, causing her to stop and look over at him, "Maybe we oughta' split up and find the ingredients," he recommended to her. She blinked in surprise.

"But… what if we end up getting lost?" she inquired, arching an eyebrow, "It's probably better to stick together and make sure we find what exactly we're looking for," she pointed out seriously.

"Well, what if we end getting in each other's way?" Calvin argued in question as Rotom listened on.

"I'm not gonna get in your way!" Erika shouted angrily. The Pokédex seemed completely exasperated by the conversation.

"And I don't wanna get in your way!" Calvin yelled back, "So let's just split up and find those ingredients!" he instructed firmly.

"HEY!" Rotom buzzed loudly, getting in between the two as they blinked in surprise, "I think it'zzz better for both of you if we find the ingredientzzz together, zzt," it told the two, "Arguing like thizzz isn't going to help you…" it pointed out bluntly. The twins glanced at each other ashamedly.

"Sorry…" they apologized together. They trekked on, awkwardly sharing glances. They hadn't talked at all throughout the morning. Calvin didn't know what to say to his twin sister. It wasn't like there was any bad blood between them now, right?

"Hey, Erika—"

"Over there!" she suddenly interjected, jogging over to a small area in the jungle littered with a lot of mushrooms, some bigger than others, "Now which ones are the Tiny Mushrooms?" she wondered, looking around carefully. Rotom floated over.

"They zzzhould be small orange mushroomzzz with yellow spotzzz!" it buzzed, showing off an image of the ingredient upon its screen.

"Thanks, Rotodex," Erika replied in gratitude, brushing through the brown and white mushrooms to see if she could find the ones she was looking for. She gasped and smiled as she apparently saw two just inches apart from each other. "Jackpot!" she exclaimed, reaching down for them. Calvin went over and looked at where she was reaching, noticing the orange surface the mushrooms were upon.

"Erika, wait a sec!" he called out. But he was too late as his twin sister took hold of the supposed Tiny Mushrooms. But just as she was about to pluck them…

"PARAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" a Paras screeched in agony as it leapt up, revealing to Erika that she had grabbed the mushrooms on his back.

"Ah!" she yelped, dropping him to the ground, "S-Sorry!" she stuttered in apology.

"Parahhh…" Paras growled, spewing out an orange cloud of powder from his mushrooms.

"Look out!" Calvin cried out. His twin sister quickly jumped back, evading the cloud as it dissipated.

"Parah!" Paras huffed, crawling off angrily.

"Sorry!" Erika yelled in apology.

"Next time, let's make sure the Tiny Mushrooms aren't actually attached to a Pokémon…" Calvin recommended bluntly.

"Right…" Erika agreed as she slouched a little in embarrassment.

"She wazzzn't necessarily wrong though…" Rotom chimed in, "Those mushrooms on Paras' back are onezzz people use to make medicinezzz," it told the two trial-goers.

"Wow…" Erika uttered out in amazement.

"Guess that means they must be pretty strong," Calvin noted, looking around the area, "Hmm…" he hummed in thought, "I wonder if what Mallow was saying about us having a friend to help out would be what we need here…" he said, putting his hand onto his chin. His twin sister gasped.

"Cal, your Ride Pager!" she suddenly exclaimed.

"Huh?" he responded, tilting his head out of confusion.

"That 'friend' Mallow was talking about must be Stoutland!" she pointed out excitedly to him as her fists were balled, "He can sniff out anything here!" she mentioned with a smile.

"But… isn't that kind of cheating?" her brother questioned back while raising an eyebrow. A tick mark appeared on her head.

"Not having Stoutland is exactly why Trent was such a mess yesterday!" she shouted at him to his surprise as he flinched, "Now are you gonna do it or not?!" she yelled.

"All right, all right!" Calvin repeated pleadingly as he held out his hands defensively. He then reached into his bag and pulled out the Ride Pager. After fiddling with it for a few moments, he took off the silver Poké Ball from it and opened it. The light that came out spilled onto the ground, coming into form and dissipating to reveal Stoutland.

"Stoww!" he barked, turning to the two trial-goers.

"Stoutland, can you help us find some mushrooms we're looking for?" Erika asked of him.

"Stauww, lan!" he yipped happily in response. Moments later, the Big-Hearted Pokémon was sniffing about the surrounding area for the Tiny Mushrooms. The twins followed him, finding themselves just a little further from where they were. Stoutland dug into the ground, revealing the mushrooms lodged in the ground.

"Alright!" Erika exclaimed happily.

"But what if it's another Paras?" her brother wondered in concern. Taking a risk, his twin sister reached down in an attempt to pluck one of the mushrooms. He winced in fright, but she tore it out with ease, revealing that it wasn't attached to anything but the ground.

"Heehee!" she giggled sheepishly, placing the mushroom into her forage bag.

"Alright, alright…" Calvin grumbled repeatedly with a smile, squatting down to grab his own mushroom. As he plucked it from the ground, he could hear the grass shake. "Huh?" he uttered in surprise, looking up to see what looked like a large mushroom of the same color.

"Whoa, that's a big one!" Erika noted in surprise.

"Parraaaaahhh…" the mushroom suddenly growled as it shook. Erika's eyes blanked in astonishment.

"Uh oh…" Calvin uttered in realization.

"SEKKKKTTT!" a Parasect hissed as he leapt out from the bushes, heading for the twins. They quickly jumped out of the way, letting him slam into the ground between them.

"It'zzz a Parasect, zzt!" Rotom buzzed in exclamation.

"Guess he's mad we're taking his mushrooms…" Erika realized as she grimaced a little.

"Parrraaahhh…" he growled, turning towards Calvin as he took out a Poké Ball from his belt and enlarged it.

"Trumbeak, let's go!" he called out, throwing the Poké Ball. It popped open, with its light spilling into the air and forming. It then dissipated to reveal the Bugle Beak Pokémon.

"Trummm!" he squawked as he glided towards the Parasect.

"Use Pluck!" his trainer commanded. Making his beak glow a bright blue before it extended outward, Trumbeak struck the Mushroom Pokémon multiple times with it, making him slide back across the dirt.

"Paraaaahhh…" he hissed, making his pincers glow a bright purple.

"That'zzz Cross Poison!" Rotom buzzed upon noticing. Parasect lunged out at Trumbeak.

"Dodge it!" Calvin cried out. The Bugle Beak Pokémon easily flew out of the way of each attempted slash. But Erika could easily tell that the Mushroom Pokémon was starting to trouble him.

"Hold on, I can help!" she exclaimed, reaching down to her belt and pulling off a Poké Ball. Just as she enlarged it though, she felt something touch her legs. She looked down to see two small, white Pokémon similar to mushrooms latched onto her.

They had large, black eyes with pale green half-circle markings on the outer sides. Small bumps ring the top of their heads, similar to hair. Their heads were much larger than their thin, stem-like bodies. At the base of each one, the stem split into three green roots that acted as feet. Three large mushrooms were sprouted from the center of their heads. Each mushroom had a thin white stem and a darker ring of color around the base of the cap. The center and largest mushroom was light pink, while the other two mushrooms were smaller and a light purplish-blue. Erika blinked upon noticing them. They blinked back.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she shrieked girlishly, shaking them off of her as they landed onto the ground, "Wh-Wh-What the heck are those?!" she stuttered out in question as she shuddered.

"They're Morelull!" Rotom responded, floating over beside her and pulling up an image of the mushroom-like creature upon its screen, "Morelull, the Illuminating Pokémon," it began, "As they drowse the day away, they nourish themselves by sucking from tree roots. They waken at the fall of night, wandering off in search of a new tree. They like damp dark places. When night falls, the spores filling the caps of their mushrooms glow," it explained thoroughly.

"C-Creepy…" Erika stammered, still shaking.

"Mor!" the two Illuminating Pokémon squeaked as their eyes narrowed, prepared to do battle.

"Alright…" Erika uttered out, reeling her arm back, "Magby, go!" she yelled, firing her Poké Ball up into the air. It popped open, and the light that flew out from it formed upon the ground, dissipating to reveal the Live Coal Pokémon.

"Magg!" he exclaimed, taking a ready stance. The two Morelull had their mushrooms glow brightly before suddenly enveloping the area in a flash of light.

"Ah!" Erika yelped, shielding her eyes.

"They're using Flash!" Rotom noted loudly, also blocking its eyes from the light. Magby clenched his teeth, wondering if the light would subside. Once it did, one of the Morelull dashed up to him, making a purple aura shroud her body as her eyes glowed a reddish-pink. The aura then shot out and slammed into the Live Coal Pokémon, knocking him back.

"Magby!" his trainer cried out.

"That wazzz Astonish…" Rotom mentioned. Erika growled in frustration. She could only hope her brother was getting better results from his battle.

"Paaarrraaaaaaaaaaahhhh!" Parasect screeched, unleashing a sparkling green powder from his mushroom towards Trumbeak.

"Counter with Echoed Voice!" Calvin instructed. Making his entire beak glow a bright white, Trumbeak bent it slightly before firing off a powerful sound wave that blew the powder away while also striking Parasect.

"Sekkkttt…" he hissed it frustration, now making his pincers glow a yellowish-green. Calvin noticed.

'A Bug type move?' he inwardly guessed.

"Trumbeak, Supersonic!" he called out quickly. The Bugle Beak Pokémon had only the tip of his beak glow white as it bent, screeching out another sonic wave that struck Parasect before he could even attempt to attack. He started stumbling around crazily, unable to stay balanced as he was about to fall over. "Now finish him off with Pluck!" Calvin ordered.

"Trummm…" Trumbeak began, having his beak glow a bright blue as it extended out, "BEEEEEEEK!" he screeched as he jabbed at the confused Parasect repeatedly.

"Raaaahhh…" he weakly squeaked as he fell over, having swirls in his eyes.

"Yeah!" Calvin exclaimed with a pump of his fists. Meanwhile…

"Magg!" Magby screamed as both Morelull were latched onto him. Their roots were glowing a bright green, apparently draining energy from his body.

"That'zzz Mega Drain!" Rotom buzzed in exclamation.

"Magby, Clear Smog!" Erika commanded as she swung her left arm out. Retaining his focus, the Live Coal Pokémon spewed out a cloud of sparkling white smoke from his mouth onto the two Morelull. Upon being hit with the smog, they detached themselves, hopping away. "Now Fire Spin!" Erika ordered. Magby took a deep breath and unleashed flames from his mouth in a constant stream. The fire surrounded the two Illuminating Pokémon, effectively trapping them as they had nowhere to run.

"M-M-M-Morrr?!" they stammered out, staying close together. Unfortunately, their opponent wasn't feeling too merciful…

"Clear Smog!" she commanded. Magby spewed out the sparkling white smog onto the Morelull again, also putting out the flames in the process. When the smoke cleared, it revealed them in a daze with swirls in their eyes.

"Magg bee!" Magby squeaked in delight.

"Phew…" Erika exhaled out of relief, "That was weird…" she admitted with a grin. Calvin picked up the Tiny Mushroom from the ground, placing it into his forage bag.

"Okay, one down…" he began, turning around, "and three to go!" he stated, balling his fists.

"Right!" Erika agreed with a grin. That earlier awkwardness had seemed to dissipate. Moments later, the twins had gone southwest, having arrived at a more forested part of the jungle where there were a bounty of berry trees.

"So we need to look for Mago Berries…" Calvin noted as he looked around at the scenery.

"Rotodex, what do they look like?" Erika asked, catching the Pokédex's attention.

"Like thizzz!" it buzzed in response, showing the pair an image of a curved, pink berry upon its screen, "Mago Berriezzz are zzzaid to be really zzzweet if they're really curved!" it mentioned to them.

"Seems like it'll be easy to find…" Calvin pointed out as he blinked.

"Mag, magg bee!" Magby exclaimed, catching his and his twin sister's attentions as they looked to see him pointing up at the exact berry hanging from a tree.

"There's one!" Erika said with a smile.

"But how do we-?" Before Calvin could even ask, his twin sister leapt up and snatched the berry from where it was hanging, landing down safely.

"Ta-dah!" she exclaimed, holding it up proudly as she grinned.

"…Of course you'd take the easy route…" her brother grumbled, causing her to giggle. Neither of them noticed the rustling leaves in the tree.

"Now you just gotta find one more, zzt!" Rotom pointed out.

"Stoww, staauuwww!" Stoutland barked, causing them to look over to see him digging into the ground. After a few more seconds, he uncovered a buried berry.

"Alright, another one!" Erika exclaimed.

"But why's this one buried?" Calvin wondered, squatting down to pick it up and wipe the dirt off.

"Normally, Pokémon tend to bury their food in order to hide it, zzzo…" Rotom started to say, causing Calvin to grimace in realization. The nearby rustling made both him and his twin sister perk up.

"Someone's coming…!" he whispered out, standing back-to-back with Erika. At that moment, a figure dove down from the trees.

"AAHH!" they screamed, jumping in different directions to evade the figure as it crashed against the ground in a flurry of dust. When it dissipated, they looked to see a black-and-white Pokémon resembling a powerfully built lemur with broad shoulders. Most of his fur was white, but he had a black muzzle, upper body, hands, feet and ankles, and tail. However, there was a wavy white ring near the tip of his tail. The fur around his head and face was longer and formed many small clumps, especially around the top of his head and under his chin. On top of his head was a pale green helmet similar to half of a coconut shell. The helmet had a small orange blaze on the front and two leaves that stood up straight attached to the back. His eyes were partially hidden by the headwear, but his yellow sclera and reddish-orange irises were visible. He was carrying a large berry that resembled a green coconut in his left hand. There were several leaves stuck on his body with saliva. The shoulders and chest all had one vertical and one horizontal leaf.

"Paasssss…" he growled, looking over at the Mago Berry Erika had.

"Uh… was this yours?" she guessed as a nervous drop of sweat rolled down her head.

"PAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the lemur-like Pokémon roared, lunging out at Erika as he made his right fist glow a reddish-orange.

"Eeep!" she squeaked, ducking from the attack, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'M SORRY!" she apologized repeatedly as he chased after her.

"Rotom, what Pokémon is that?" Calvin asked. An image of the lemur-like creature appeared upon the Pokédex's screen.

"Passimian, the Teamwork Pokémon," it began, "They battle with hard berries for weapons. Their techniques are passed from the boss to the group, generation upon generation. Berries are his weapons as well as the staple of his diet. The one that can throw a berry the farthest is the boss of the troop," it explained thoroughly.

"So there might be more around…" Calvin realized. He then heard more rustling from the nearby bushes. Two figures jumped out, landing in front of him. Blinking in surprise, he saw they were a pair of Fomantis.

"Mahhh…" they growled, noticing the berry in the trial-goer's hand.

"Sorry, but I need this!" he stated firmly, "Trumbeak, go!" he called out.

"Trumm!" the Bugle Beak Pokémon squawked as he glided down towards his two opponents.

"Don't you already have your stupid berry?!" Erika yelled in question to the pursuing Passimian. He reeled his arm back in an attempt to strike her as his fist glowed reddish-orange again. But all of a sudden, Magby jumped out in front of him, spewing out a cloud of black smoke from his mouth to blind him.

"Pah…! Pah!" he coughed from within the cloud.

"Nice going, Magby!" Erika complimented as she grinded to a halt, "Now use Feint Attack!" she ordered. The Live Coal Pokémon quickly dove into the smoke. Passimian looked around for a sight of him, only to end up struck in the back by his right foot.

"Paaaahhh simm!" he roared angrily, turning around and slamming his glowing right fist into Magby's gut, causing him to wince before he was sent flying into a tree, hitting it hard.

"Maaahhhggg…" he groaned as he fell onto the ground, twitching.

"Magby!" Erika screamed. She turned and glared at the Teamwork Pokémon. He glared back. "Okay, fine then!" she yelled, taking out another Poké Ball and enlarging it, "Come on out!" she beckoned, flinging it into the air. It popped open, with the light spilling out from onto the ground, forming and then dissipating to reveal her Oricorio.

"Koree~… koreee~…" she sang, swaying around without a care.

"Pah," Passimian chuckled, tossing his berry up and down. He then lunged out at the Dancing Pokémon, prepared to tackle her.

"Dodge and use Air Cutter!" Erika instructed.

"Korrr…eee~!" Oricorio sang as she swayed to the right, evading Passimian as he gasped in surprise. He turned his head to see the glint in the Dancing Pokémon's eyes as the feathers at the tips of her wings glowed a bright blue. She folded them inward before swinging them out, unleashing several crescent-like blades of air. They all struck the Passimian, sending him tumbling back.

"Paaahhh…" he growled angrily, making his right hand glow a reddish-orange again as he tossed his berry into his left, allowing him to close it into a fist.

"He'zzz using Rock ZZZmash again!" Rotom buzzed in exclamation.

"Teeter Dance!" Erika called out.

"Koree~… Koreee~!" Oricorio sang as she waved her wings as a pink mist wafted off from her body. As Passimian made his approach into the mist, he suddenly started to stumble around crazily.

"Nice!" Erika exclaimed as she pumped her fist, "Now finish it with Peck!" she commanded. Taking a lunging stance, Oricorio had a bird-shaped pink aura shroud her head before she dove out and crashed right into the confused Passimian, sending his crashing into a tree.

"Pahh…" he uttered out as he fell onto his back with swirls in his eyes.

"Alright!" Erika yelled with a pump of her fist.

"Koreee!" Oricorio chirped in delight, skipping over to her trainer.

"That was awesome, Oricorio!" she complimented, petting her head gently, "Guess you're still as good of a fighter as ever!" she noted with a cheeky smile.

"Ree!" the Dancing Pokémon squeaked in agreement. They then went over to Magby, who sat up with a grunt.

"Maagg…" he groaned, wincing from the blow he had taken earlier.

"Sorry about all that, Magby…" his trainer apologized, taking out his Poké Ball from her belt, "Take a good rest," she advised, returning him to the container in a beam of red light. In the meantime, the two Fomantis were easily dealt with by Trumbeak, retreating into the nearby shrubbery.

"Trummm!" he squawked happily in victory.

"Nice going, Trumbeak," his trainer complimented, dusting off the last of the dirt on his Mago Berry before putting it into his forage bag. Erika did the same with hers, jogging over to her brother.

"Two things down, two to go!" she yelled excitedly.

"What else do we need?" Calvin asked of Rotom as it floated over.

"Revival Herbzzz and Miracle Seedzzz!" it buzzed in response, showing off images of the two items, "I think we can find the herbzzz up north, zzt," it pointed out, gesturing in the general direction.

"Then let's go!" Erika declared as she pumped her fist, hurrying off. Calvin, Rotom, Trumbeak, Oricorio and Stoutland followed her. Moments later, they arrived at a large clearing littered with flowers and tall grass.

"Staauuwww…" the Big-Hearted Pokémon huffed as he sniffed about the area.

"How the heck are we supposed to find those herbs?" Calvin wondered as he glanced around for a sign of them. As he and his twin sister wandered further into the grass, they noticed a group of Pokémon floating about. They were small, light green Pokémon with several flowers surrounding their bodies. The main body had an orange face with oval, light green eyes. On top of their heads was a long, fluffy green crest that curled slightly over their faces and extended backwards. A thin blue thread was attached to the back of their heads, and had several flowers attached to it. The flowers were white, purple, red, and yellow. Erika noticed that they were holding the last of the flowers in their two short arms, making a ring. On either side of the main crest was a smaller, pale yellow tuft.

"Rotodex, what are those?" Erika asked the Pokédex, catching its attention as it pulled up an image of the small creature upon its screen.

"Comfey, the Posy Picker Pokémon," it began, "Baths prepared with the flowers from their vines have a relaxing effect, so these Pokémon are a hit with many people. They pick flowers and stick them to their bodies with fluids they produced. The aroma that wafts from their petals has a healing effect," it explained thoroughly.

"Hey, look!" Calvin yelped quietly, pointing at the Comfey. Some of them were carrying herbs on the vines attached to their bodies. Upon noticing, Erika smiled.

"Okay, let's-!"

"Wait," her brother interjected just as she took out a Poké Ball from her belt, "Maybe we can get those herbs without getting into a fight…" he suggested, sneakily walking forward. Trumbeak followed him as they carefully sauntered over to the Posy Picker Pokémon. But at that moment…

"KURRRRR!" a voice bellowed suddenly.

"Fee?!" one of the Comfey gasped before she and the others looked around to see where that sound had come from.

"Kurrr!" a Pinsir screeched as he lunged out from the tall grass. Out of fright, the Comfey scattered except for one. She shuddered as the Stag Beetle Pokémon stomped towards her.

"Trumbeak, Pluck!" Calvin commanded, catching their attentions. The Bugle Beak Pokémon flew over with his beak glowing a bright blue and extending before he pecked rapidly at Pinsir over and over, making him stumble back.

"Kurrr…" he growled, jumping up and making several large gray rocks orbit around him, all outlined in a white light.

"That'zzz Rock Tomb!" Rotom buzzed in exclamation. The rocks were flung towards Trumbeak.

"Dodge it!" his trainer called out quickly. The Bugle Beak Pokémon glided past the rocks, narrowly evading him as he got closer to Pinsir. He made his right arm glow a bright white, raising it up before swinging it down to strike his opponent, blowing him back. "Trumbeak!" Calvin yelled.

"Truhh…" the Bugle Beak Pokémon squawked weakly as he flapped his wings to stay airborne. Pinsir then dashed over and snatched him in his spiky pincers.

"He'zzz using Vice Grip!" Rotom shrieked in panic.

"Quick, get out of there!" Calvin cried out. But try as he might, Trumbeak couldn't free himself from the Stag Beetle Pokémon's grip. Rocks appeared over his head, orbiting around before falling towards the Bugle Beak Pokémon. He braced himself for the impact, shutting his eyes. But it never came. In fact, he looked and gasped to see Lycanroc there, having smashed the rocks to pieces before kicking Pinsir back.

"Kurr?!" he screeched angrily as his new opponent landed down.

"Raaahhh!" he roared, standing in front of Trumbeak defensively. Calvin was astonished.

"Lycanroc…" he uttered out with shaking eyes. He looked over at his twin sister, who had let the Wolf Pokémon out from his Poké Ball.

"Cal, go help that Comfey!" she instructed quickly to him, "We'll handle this guy!" she promised as she ran out into the open part of the clearing.

"O-Okay!" her brother stuttered in response. Trumbeak flew back over to him before they immediately went to the Comfey.

"Lycanroc, Rock Tomb!" Erika commanded. Making the stones around his neck and head glow a bright white, several gray rocks appeared above the Wolf Pokémon, orbiting him. He then swung his arms to metaphorically fling the rocks towards Pinsir, striking him again and again as he became enveloped in a cloud of dust. However, it dissipated as he lunged out from it, making his arm glow a bright white again as he chopped at Lycanroc hard, causing him to grimace in pain.

"That wazzz Brick Break!" Rotom buzzed with widened eyes.

"Rrrr…" Lycanroc growled, suddenly making his body glow in an orange aura. He lunged out and rammed into Pinsir head on, sending him crashing into the grasses afar.

"Kurrr…" he groaned in pain with swirls in his eyes.

"Whoa…" Erika uttered in disbelief as her eyes were widened.

"And that wazzz Counter…" Rotom noted, just as amazed.

"Lyy…" Lycanroc huffed as he sauntered back over to his trainer.

"That was awesome, Lycanroc!" she complimented, putting her hands at her hips, "Guess you've got some real evolved strength, huh?" she noted cheekily.

"Rahhh…" the Wolf Pokémon, turning away from her ashamedly to her surprise.

"Lycanroc…" she said in concern.

"Cumm, cumfee!" Comfey squeaked happily, catching their attentions as they looked to see her float over with Calvin and Trumbeak.

"We got 'em," the capped boy said, holding out two Revival Herbs he had in his left hand.

"Awesome!" Erika exclaimed as she took one from him, placing it into her forage bag. In the meantime, Comfey took notice of the scrapes on both Trumbeak and Lycanroc's bodies.

"Coh… feeee!" she squeaked as she suddenly started to glow in a bright pink light.

"Huh?" Erika uttered upon noticing.

"What's she doing?" Calvin wondered curiously.

"Feeee!" the Posy Picker Pokémon exclaimed as it unleashed a pink aroma that spread throughout the area. Flowers started blooming around everyone as a relaxing aura came upon them. They all sighed happily with relief.

"Rotodex, what just happened…?" Erika asked, "Everything feels so nice and fuzzy…" she admitted with a dopey smile.

"I'd say that was Comfey'zzz Floral Healing," Rotom replied, having not been affected by the aura, "It'zzz a move that healzzz Pokémon a little," it told them.

"It feels so relaxing…" Calvin noted as he was grinning from ear to ear. As they group exhaled with relief, Comfey started to float off.

"Fee, feee!" she called out in farewell, waving to her new friends. They waved back happily, still having relaxed looks on their faces.

"Koree?" Oricorio chirped in confusion, tilting her head to the side. She and Stoutland hadn't been gifted with Comfey's aura, so they didn't feel a thing.

"Um, guyzzz?" Rotom buzzed, trying to get their attentions, "We still need to find the Miracle Seedzzz…" it pointed out blankly. The twin trainers and their Pokémon snapped out from their relaxed trances.

"Ah, right!" Erika yelped in realization. After returning their Pokémon to their respective Poké Balls, the Ketchum twins rode off on Stoutland towards the eastern part of the jungle.

"Miracle Seedzzz usually get buried by Pokémon that want them to grow more nutritiouzzz," Rotom explained.

"Then there's probably a few around here," Calvin realized as he and his twin sister dismounted from Stoutland, who was sniffing about carefully.

"Stauuww! Stauw!" he suddenly barked, bounding over to a large rock nearby.

"Whoa, that's huge!" Erika exclaimed in surprise.

"The seeds must be buried underneath it…" Calvin concluded, seeing how Stoutland was sniffing about furiously at the bottom of the rock.

"It'zzz pretty big…" Rotom noted, "Are you sure you can move it, zzt?" he buzzed in question. Erika chuckled confidently.

"Nah," she responded, "we'll just break it," she declared as she punched her left hand with her right fist.

"BBBBbbZZZzzTTttt?!" Rotom buzzed out in shock.

"Yeah, we can do that," Calvin confidently assured, taking out the Net Ball from his belt and enlarging it by pressing its center button. Erika did the same with the Poké Ball she grabbed. They both tossed them up, letting them pop open as the lights that spilled forth from each of them formed upon the ground, dissipating to reveal Araquanid and Brionne respectively.

"Breeeaaahhh!" Brionne yipped excitedly.

"Aahkwah!" Araquanid squeaked out. The twins turned to each other and nodded.

"Use Bubble Beam!" they commanded together. Reeling her head back, Brionne unleashed a steady stream of bubbles out from her nostrils. Meanwhile, Araquanid had the bubble around his head glow a bright blue before it spewed out bubbles. They struck the rock, causing it to crack up little by little. It then completely shattered, crumbling to bits.

"Whoa!" Rotom yelped in surprise. When the dust settled, it revealed several seeds scattered about the ground. Calvin and Erika each picked up one to place into their respective forage bags. Afterwards, they grinned and nodded, exchanging a high five.

"Thanks for your help, Stoutland!" Calvin said to the Big-Hearted Pokémon, taking out the silver Poké Ball from the Ride Pager, "We really appreciate it!" he added assuredly.

"Stoww!" Stoutland barked in response before being returned to the Poké Ball in a beam of red light. The twins also returned their respective Pokémon before heading back towards the entrance to the jungle. As they approached, they took notice of a fireplace being set up underneath the pot, which now stood on a grill stand. With that, they saw both Lana and Kiawe there with Mallow and Steenee.

"Oh, there you are!" the latter of the three trial captains exclaimed upon noticing the twins, waving to them, "You got everything?" she guessed as they approached.

"Yep!" Erika replied, holding out her forage bag. Moments later, the two trial-goers laid out the ingredients they gathered onto a blanket.

"Two Mago Berries, two Tiny Mushrooms, two Revival Herbs, and two Miracle Seeds…" Mallow listed off as she looked carefully with Steenee at the ingredients, "Check, check, check, and check!" she repeated, giving off a thumbs up and a wink.

"Nee!" Steenee squeaked delightedly, winking as well.

"Ha, ha," Kiawe laughed, "You two seem to be doing really well so far," he pointed out to the twins.

"Yeah…" Calvin responded with a nod, looking over to see his twin sister helping Lana and Mallow start a fire underneath the pot. The trial captain beside him noticed, giving off a worried look.

"Calvin, a word," he requested, walking off to the side. Blinking in surprise, the capped boy followed him before they stopped just a little further away from the girls. "I assume your sister told you about her injury," Kiawe noted, making him widen his eyes.

"Yeah, she did…" he responded, glancing back at her as she excitedly watched Lana pour water into the pot, "I guess she didn't want me to worry about it and all, but…" he continued, trailing off as he remembered how he shouted at her yesterday.

"I should apologize for not informing you sooner," Kiawe admitted, causing him to perk up in surprise, "A trial captain should always be vigilant in looking out for the safety of trial-goers," he pointed out seriously, balling his fists.

"Hey, it wasn't your fault or anything…" Calvin assured, holding out his hands in a placating manner, "In fact… I don't think it was anyone's…" he mentioned, "I guess it was just… natural instincts or whatever…" he recalled.

"Heh," Kiawe chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest, "Still, your sister's a dependable person," he pointed out, much to the surprise of the capped boy, "She was willing to risk everything in that trial to help her Rockruff overcome his aggression and persevere," he remembered, watching as she helped dump in the other ingredients into the boiling water in the pot, "I wouldn't be too upset with her, honestly," he advised to Calvin, "Trainers like yourself have to overcome challenges with stubborn Pokémon or those that disobey them sometimes," he explained, "I had that same problem with Marowak," he confessed, "And I'm assuming you still have a bit of a problem with Cubone…" he guessed.

"Eh, hehehe…" Calvin sheepishly chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. In a way, Kiawe was right. Pokémon could take things to extremes with their trainers. But if Erika was able to overcome all that, why should he have been so worried? She was his sister, after all.

"Hey, Kiawe!" Mallow called out, catching their attentions, "You got the Thick Club and Rare Bone, right?" she asked of him.

"Yeah," he responded, walking over with Calvin. Moments later, the two twins each had a bone club in their hands, standing before the bubbling pot.

"Okay, so like I said," Mallow began, "we're luring out the Totem Pokémon with this dish's aroma," she told the trial-goers, "All you need to do now is pound those ingredients to a pulp and mix it all up!" she instructed as she winked.

"That's an interesting way to phrase it…" Lana noted bluntly.

"Mm-hmm," Kiawe sounded off in agreement with crossed arms.

"So let's get to mixing!" Mallow exclaimed as she pumped her fist, ignoring the other two trial captains.

"Right!" the twins replied simultaneously, readying their respective tools as they dipped them into the water. They began pounding, grinding, crushing, and mixing the ingredients together hurriedly. Erika seemed especially eager during the process as she stirred ferociously. After about a minute, the water had turned a bright pink and had become thicker with the berry juices and torn up herbs. A strange scent started to waft off from the pot.

"Hm?" Erika uttered in surprise. She sniffed at the air. Her nose immediately scrunched up as she pinched it. "Whoa… that's strong…" she noted, trying desperately not to smell it again.

"At least it'll definitely attract something…" Calvin noted, pinching at his nose as well. There was a rustling coming from the underbrush. The twins both turned to the source of the sound, hearing something slowly walk towards them from the shadows of the trees.

"There she is…" Mallow noted with a grin. Coming out from the underbrush was a plant-like Pokémon that resembled an insect. The top half of her head was light pink, while the bottom half was white. She had light red eyes and two green antennae with a small green lump between them. There were four extensions to the top half of her head: two on the top with red tips that resembled ears, and one on each side with white tips that resembled stylized hair. She had a light pink body with wavy, skirt-like extensions around the waist and a green abdomen and neck. Her thin, white arms end in large, red scythes with white along the bottom rim and a single green claw on the tip. There were vertical, pink-and-red stripes down her legs, which had small, pointed green feet. The coloring and shape of her body and arms gave her the appearance of wearing a long-sleeved dress, while her legs were similar to pants. Four red, wing-like appendages sprouted from her back, each tipped with white.

"Lurrraaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!" she screeched, drawing her scythe-like arms as a yellow aura flared to life around her.

"That's the Totem!" Calvin realized, quickly taking out a Poké Ball from his belt.

"She kinda looks like… Fomantis…" Erika curiously noted as she blinked.

"That'zzz because she'zzz her evolved form!" Rotom buzzed as it floated over.

"What?!" Erika yelped in surprise. The Pokédex pulled up an image of the Bloom Sickle Pokémon on its screen.

"Lurantis, the Bloom Sickle Pokémon, and the evolved form of Fomantis," it began, "She fires beams from her sickle-shaped petals. These beams are powerful enough to cleave through thick metal plates. As she slashes into her enemies, she looks like she's dancing. Her elegant appearance has led some to call her the most glamorous Grass Pokémon," it explained thoroughly.

"Fomantis' evolved form, huh?" Calvin noted, reeling his arm back after enlarging his Poké Ball, "Well, I'm sure she'll give us a challenge!" he mentioned excitedly.

"But we'll win since it's two-on-one!" Erika proclaimed while grabbing her own Poké Ball. Mallow smirked. At that moment, there was another sound of rustling from the underbrush.

"What was that?" Calvin asked upon overhearing it. Erika heard it, too. Suddenly, another figure leapt down from the trees and landed right beside Lurantis. The twins gasped. Standing there was a bipedal, plant-like Pokémon with a humanoid appearance.

Her torso, arms, and legs were dark purple, while her hips and head were white. She had heavy-lidded, dark purple eyes with purple eyelids and long purple eyelashes, but had no visible mouth or nose. The lower part of her face was hidden behind a short ruff extending up from her body. While her arms were slender with rounded, digit-less hands, her legs were long and seemed powerful. The upper portions of her legs had three pointed projections just before the hips, creating the impression of long boots. The lower portions of her legs tapered into small, pointed feet. She had wide hips made up of six segments that resembled the flesh of a mangosteen.

On top of her head was a light green calyx. The shortest leaf of the calyx extended slightly forward and then curved to the right, similar to side-swept bangs. The other three leaves resembled long hair and extended nearly to the ground. The three long leaves each had three yellow spots near the top and three near the bottom; the markings were present on both the under and upper sides of the leaves. On top of the calyx was a growth resembling a small, purple crown with four thin yellow stripes.

"Sareee!" she huffed, brushing her hair-like leaves back before a yellow aura flared to life around her body. Calvin and Erika's eyes were widened to the size of dinner plates.

"ANOTHER TOTEM?!" they exclaimed simultaneously out of shock.

X

"Sareee nah…" the brand new Totem Pokémon remarked in a disdainful tone as she glowered down the two trial-goers alongside Lurantis.

"Wh-Who is that Pokémon?" Erika stuttered, somewhat scared. An image of the new Totem appeared upon Rotom's screen.

"Tsareena, the Fruit Pokémon, and the evolved form of Steenee," it began, causing the twins to gasp in surprise, "A Pokémon known for the beauty of her well-shaped legs, she sometimes appears as a mascot in advertisements for beauty salons. With an aggressive personality and a mastery of kicking, she cackles every time she kicks an opponent," it explained thoroughly.

"Uh…" Erika uttered worriedly, looking over to see the Fruit Pokémon with a rather devious glint in her eyes. At that moment, Lurantis her scythe-like arms glow a bright green. She swung them backwards before thrusting them forwards, firing off glowing green leaves toward the twins.

"Watch out!" Calvin yelped as he and Erika jumped away as the leaves struck the ground in a flurry of dust. From afar, the trial captains watched on.

"Two Totem Pokémon?" Lana said out of surprise, "You really went all out, huh Mallow?" she guessed, causing her friend to giggle in delight.

"Isn't that a little excessive though?" Kiawe wondered in concern, scratching at his cheek.

"Hey, two trainers equals two Totems…" Mallow remarked in response, "Oh, that reminds me!" she realized, "Hey!" she called out to the twins, catching their attentions, "You can only use one Pokémon each!" she told them as she waved.

"WHAT?!" Erika exclaimed in shock, "But we fought other Totems with more than one before!" she pointed out angrily.

"Erika, it's okay," her brother assured, catching her attention as she blinked in surprise, "I know we can beat them without having to rely on our teams too much," he added confidently with a grin. She grinned back, nodding.

"Okay, let's do this!" she shouted, enlarging her Poké Ball by pressing its center button.

"Torracat, I choose you!" Calvin exclaimed as he tossed his container. It popped open, and the light pouring out from it formed upon the ground, dissipating to reveal the Fire Cat Pokémon.

"Mrrrowwww!" she roared, breathing out a puff of fire as the bell-like organ at her neck flared brightly.

"A Fire type, huh?" Mallow noted, putting her hand onto her chin, "Smart move…" she mentioned, sounding impressed.

"Who are you gonna uzzze, Erika?" Rotom wondered as its user reeled her arm back.

'I wanted to try and have Magby show his stuff,' she inwardly admitted, 'but since we can only use one Pokémon each, I guess I'll have to rely on you!' she declared through her thoughts.

"Drifloon, go!" she called out as she flung the Poké Ball from her hand. It opened up quickly, with the light coming out forming in midair and dissipating to reveal the Balloon Pokémon.

"Fooo!" he squeaked delightedly.

"That Drifloon from the Battle Royal, huh?" Kiawe recalled, crossing his arms, "I think we're going to be in for a fiery battle…" he pointed out as he grinned.

"We'll see…" Mallow remarked in response. The digit-less tips of Tsareena's arms glowed a bright green. She swung them around in a circle before forming an orb of energy with them, firing off rainbow-colored leaves from them towards her two opponents.

"Torracat, counter with Ember!" Calvin instructed. With her bell-like organ flaring up, the Fire Cat Pokémon spat out a fireball that incinerated the leaves in a flaming explosion.

"Drifloon, Focus Energy!" Erika called out. As the smoke had yet to subside, Drifloon had an orange aura outline his form while taking on a serious expression. Glowing green and rainbow-colored leaves shot out from the smoke. "Now Gust!" Erika commanded.

"Drifff…" Drifloon began, puffing himself up greatly, "FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNN!" he bellowed, exhaling a powerful torrent of air from his mouth that not only blew away the leaves, but also caused the two Totem Pokémon to stumble back from its force.

"Nice!" Erika exclaimed as she pumped her fist.

"It's not over yet…" her brother noted cautiously.

"Lurraaahhh…!" Lurantis growled. The sunlight peeking through the jungle trees rained down onto her. A yellow light appeared to waft off of her body, sparkling a little.

"What's she doing?" Erika wondered as she blinked.

"It lookzzz like she'zzz charging up a ZZZolar Blade!" Rotom exclaimed.

"Solar Blade?" Calvin repeated out of confusion.

"It'zzz a move that takes a turn to charge like ZZZolar Beam!" Rotom told him. At that moment, Erika noticed a small red feather being held in the Bloom Sickle Pokémon's left arm.

"Hey, what's-?" The feather suddenly disappeared in a flash of light before she could even finish the question, followed by an orb of yellow light forming upon the right arm of Lurantis. She raised it up, forming it into a blade that she swung straight down.

"Watch out!" the twins screamed simultaneously, enticing their Pokémon to narrowly dodge the blade as they found themselves getting blown back by the force of its impact.

"Mrraaahh…" Torracat growled as she stood up, shaking her head.

"Foo…" Drifloon huffed while continuing to float.

"What just happened?!" Calvin asked, "I thought you said that move would take time to charge!" he shouted to Rotom.

"I did, zzzztt!" it buzzed back.

"Maybe it had something to do with that red feather she was holding…" Erika suggested.

"A feather?" her brother repeated in confusion. Rotom's eyes widened.

"I think she'zzz talking about a Power Herb, zzt!" it exclaimed, catching their attentions as it pulled up an image of the object upon its screen, "It'zzz an item that can make a move like ZZZolar Blade charge up faster!" it told them.

"Looks like she already used it up though…" Erika noted with narrowed eyes. Just then, she saw Tsareena leap out with her right leg aimed for Torracat.

"She'zzz going for a Trop Kick!" Rotom buzzed out.

"Drifloon, counter it with Payback!" Erika instructed quickly. The Balloon Pokémon quickly floated out in front of his ally, taking a kick as a burst of petals rang out from the impact.

"Fooohh…!" he growled, making a dark reddish aura shroud his form before he collided the cloud-like tuft at his head with Tsareena's, blowing her back.

"Sarrr…" she huffed, brushing her hair-like leaves back in disdain.

"Fooh!" Drifloon squeaked angrily in response, puffing his body.

"Thanks for that, Erika," Calvin said in gratitude, "Now let's try something else!" he recommended quickly.

"Got it!" Erika agreed.

"Torracat, Ember!" Calvin commanded as he pumped his right fist out.

"Drifloon, Gust!" Erika ordered, swinging her left arm around. Torracat's bell-like organ flared up as she spat out another fireball that was heading for Tsareena. She was prepared to jump and dodge it… until Drifloon exhaled another burst of wind, propelling the fireball forward as it collided with her face in a fierce blast!

"Sarr!" she shrieked as she tumbled back along the dirt.

"Torraaaahhh!" Torracat roared excitedly. The Fruit Pokémon stopped just beside Lurantis, grimacing in agony.

"Lurah!" she assured, getting out in front of her ally. Her arms glowed a bright green as she swung them forward, unleashing a multitude of green glowing leaves towards her foes.

"Dodge and use Fire Fang!" Calvin instructed. Torracat ran forward, leaping over the leaves as her mouth billowed with flames. She soared down and bit into Lurantis' right arm, causing a fierce blast that blew her back. But at that very moment…

"Sarrr!" Tsareena exclaimed, lunging out suddenly and kicking Torracat in a burst of flowery petals, sending her tumbling back.

"Torracat!" Calvin cried out.

"Drifloon, use Ominous Wind!" Erika quickly commanded.

"Foo!" the Balloon Pokémon squeaked in response, exhaling a purple gust of air towards the two Totems. However, Tsareena dashed through it, slamming her left leg into his head in another burst of petals. He crashed into Torracat, lying on the ground next to her.

"Ergh…!" Erika growled in frustration, gritting her teeth.

"That Tsareena's really tough…" Calvin noted, giving off his own frustrated look. He saw Lurantis stand back up, seeing her body glow in a bright yellow aura that sparkled.

"She'zzz using ZZZolar Blade again!" Rotom exclaimed.

"So let's do what we can while we've got the chance!" Calvin responded, thrusting his arm back, "Torracat, Fire Fang!" he commanded. With her eyes jolting open, the Fire Cat Pokémon got to her feet and charged forwards, letting her mouth billow with flames. As she made her approach to Lurantis, Tsareena got out in front of her, preparing to land another kick to her face. But just then…

"Fooo!" Drifloon squeaked as he got out in between the two, taking the kick intended for Torracat in a burst of petals that sent him flying back.

"DRIFLOON!" Erika screamed out of shock. The Fire Cat Pokémon was stunned by her ally's action… and decided to not let it be in vain. She passed by Tsareena, jumping out biting down onto Lurantis' chest in a fiery explosion.

"Alright!" Calvin exclaimed as he pumped his fist excitedly. But his expression quickly shifted into one of shock the moment he saw the bright blade of light bursting up from the smoke, realizing that Lurantis was still standing to perform her Solar Blade.

"LURAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she screeched as she slammed the blade of yellow light onto Torracat, crashing her against the ground in a huge burst of dust and smoke that blew throughout the area.

"Oh my…" Lana uttered from afar as she blinked in surprise. A drop of sweat rolled down Kiawe's head.

"Are you sure this isn't overkill for those two?" he asked of Mallow. She huffed proudly.

"They'll be fine," she assured, "But they need to know there are lots of challenges ahead…" she pointed out seriously, "And sometimes, you'll need to rely on the strength of others…" she mentioned.

"Sarr!" Tsareena huffed as she pressed the tip of her right leg against Drifloon's head, "Sasaasaasaasaasaa!" she cackled boisterously.

"Drifloon…" Erika uttered out worriedly with shaking eyes. Calvin clenched his teeth as he saw Torracat struggling to get back onto her feet as Lurantis loomed over her.

"Lurrahh!" she called out to Tsareena, catching her attention as she turned her head.

"Sarr," she responded, closing her eyes and raising her arms.

"Huh? What's she doing?" Erika wondered. All of a sudden, she and her brother had to shield their eyes from the intensifying sunlight.

"She'zzz using ZZZunny Day!" Rotom buzzed in exclamation. In the meantime, Lurantis became surrounded by sparkles as her body glowed brightly, with her burn marks disappearing. "And Lurantis izzz using Synthesizzz!" the Pokédex added in a panic.

"Oh no, now we're gonna be back to square one!" Erika yelled as her fists trembled. However, Calvin blinked as he noticed something. Lurantis was so focused on healing herself that she didn't realize that Torracat was back on her feet, ready to continue fighting.

'And with the strong sunlight boosting Fire attacks…' Calvin realized, widening his eyes. He looked at his Z-Ring to make sure the Firium Z was set onto it. And it was.

"Torracat, let's go!" he called out, crossing his arms over his chest as the Z-Crystal flashed a bright red.

"Torraaaahhh!" she roared in response, taking on a ready stance.

"You're using a Z-Move now?!" Rotom inquired out of shock.

"Won't have a better shot than now!" Calvin replied as he swung his arms around, having them thrusted forward with his left over his right. He then waved his hands at their respective sides like billowing flames, grabbing his right arm with his left hand before swinging it out. A reddish aura shrouded his body all the while until it shot out towards Torracat in separate streaks of light. Her body absorbed them all before the Z-Move symbol flashed in front of her face.

"Sarree?!" Tsareena yelped upon noticing. She knew what would happen if Torracat unleashed a Z-Move while Tsareena was still healing. Getting off of Drifloon, she hurriedly dashed over in an attempt to stop her, readying her right leg.

"Oh, no you don't!" Erika yelled, "Drifloon, get over there with Gust and use Payback!" she instructed quickly. Managing to take a deep breath, the Balloon Pokémon exhaled a powerful burst of air to propel himself backwards, managing to get in the way of Tsareena's attempted kick as he took it head on while saving Torracat.

"Foooohhh…!" he grunted out, giving off a determined visage to the Totem Pokémon's surprise as she blinked. A dark reddish aura shrouded the cloud-like tuft on his head as he slammed into Tsareena, sending her stumbling back.

"MRROOWWWWWWWWWWW!" Torracat bellowed as her bell-like organ flared up brightly.

"Let's do this, Torracat!" her trainer called out, closing his right hand into a fist, "INFERNO… OVERDRIIIIIIIIIIIIVVVVVVVVVVVVE!" he screamed. Expelling a gigantic fireball from her bell-like organ, the Fire Cat Pokémon leapt up and smacked it with her front right paw, sending it flying like a meteor towards Lurantis. She had just finished healing herself with Synthesis.

"Luraaahhh…" she sighed in relief. But then she perked up as she noticed the fireball coming her way. "LURAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she screeched in fright before it completely enveloped her in a flaming explosion.

"We got her!" Calvin exclaimed excitedly.

"ZZZo with her healing herself, you took advantage of the ZZZunny Day and attacked with a Fire type Z-Move…" Rotom noted, evidently stunned. As the smoke cleared, it revealed the Bloom Sickle Pokémon lying upon the ground with burn marks all along her body and swirls in her eyes.

"She's down!" Lana exclaimed, blinking rapidly out of shock.

"Now that was fiery!" Kiawe added excitedly as his eyes sparkled in amazement at the result of Torracat's Inferno Overdrive. Mallow just smirked.

"Nice job, Cal! You too, Torracat!" Erika called out.

"Fooh!" Drifloon squeaked in delight… only for that to vanish as Tsareena smacked him aside with her glowing purple arm, sending him crashing into a tree hard.

"Drifloon!" his trainer screamed.

"That wazzz Punishment!" Rotom exclaimed.

"Fooo…" the Balloon Pokémon groaned as he fell to the ground. He tried to push himself up, but Tsareena's right foot pressed him down hard against the dirt.

"Ree nah!" she huffed angrily.

"Ergh…" Calvin growled in frustration, "Torracat, Ember!" he commanded.

"Torraahhh!" she responded. But as she turned around, she suddenly keeled over onto her side, breathing heavily.

"Oh no…!" her trainer gasped.

'That Z-Move must've taken a lot out of her…' he realized, balling his fists as he looked at his twin sister, who seemed just as frustrated.

"Come on, Drifloon!" she pleaded, "Use Gust!" she ordered. But try as he might, the Balloon Pokémon could only blow out small puffs of air from his mouth.

"Saasaasaasaaa!" Tsareena cackled, evidently enjoying how pathetic Drifloon seemed at the moment. Tears formed in his eyes. He joined Erika on her island challenge in the hopes of becoming stronger for Josh. He joined to maybe one day win a Battle Royal. And… he joined to make new friends.

"Fooo…!" he exhaled sharply, puffing up underneath Tsareena's foot.

"Sar…" she huffed, keeping him down despite her leg shaking. And at that moment, Drifloon started to glow in a bright blue light.

"Ah!" Calvin gasped.

"He'zzz…!" Rotom started to say.

"…evolving!" Erika finished excitedly. Drifloon's glowing body inflated, enticing Tsareena to hop off of him as her eyes widened. The trial captains were just as stunned. The two stringy arms of the Balloon Pokémon divided into four long thin arms that diagonally protruded from each other. The cloud-like tuft on his head also expanded before the light over his body subsided, revealing that he had evolved into Drifblim!

"Blimmmmmm!" he bellowed deeply. Erika and Calvin smiled excitedly. Rotom pulled up an image of the Blimp Pokémon upon its screen.

"Drifblim, the Blimp Pokémon, and the evolved form of Drifloon," it began, "Even while under careful observation, large flocks of Drifblim flying at dusk will inexplicably disappear from view. The raw material for the gas inside his body is souls. When his body starts to deflate, he's thought to carry away people and Pokémon," it explained thoroughly.

"Wait, what?" Calvin uttered in confusion after hearing that rather… ominous explanation. Erika didn't seem to care as her eyes sparkled with delight.

"You evolved, Drifblim! Awesome!" she exclaimed.

"Blimm!" the newly evolved Blimp Pokémon squeaked happily. A tick mark formed over Tsareena's head.

"Sarr, sarreee!" she screeched, lunging out at Drifblim with her left leg readied. He noticed her coming though. A thin purple portal appeared underneath his body before he sank into it, evading the attempted kick as Tsareena widened her eyes. She struck a tree instead. "SAAAAAAAAAA!" she shrieked in agony, falling to the ground as she grabbed at her hurting leg and hopped around.

"What was that?" Erika asked in wonder as she blinked.

"Drifblim'zzz using Phantom Force!" Rotom exclaimed as an answer, seeing another purple portal appear behind the Totem as the Blimp Pokémon floated up out of it. Erika grinned.

"Go Drifblim!" she cried out. Spinning around, her teammate smacked Tsareena repeatedly with his arms before sending her flying into a nearby tree.

"Sarr… eeee…" she growled as she barely managed to stand up.

"Let's settle this with one last move!" Erika declared as she pumped her left fist back, "Drifblim, Gust!" she commanded.

"Drifff…" the Blimp Pokémon inhaled, inflating himself to a large size. Tsareena's eyes widened in realization. And she basically accepted her fate as a drop of sweat rolled down her head. "BLIMMMMMMMMMMMM!" her opponent bellowed, exhaling a powerful torrent of wind that struck the Fruit Pokémon and slammed her against the tree. It went on for a few moments before finally subsiding, allowing her to fall to the ground with swirls in her eyes.

"Tzzzareena'zzz down!" Rotom buzzed excitedly.

"ALRIGHT!" the twins exclaimed as they pumped their fists. The three trial captains all smiled at how excited they were. Mallow was especially impressed. They not only cleared the trial together, but they defeated two Totem Pokémon! They were Ash's kids after all…

X

With the trial completed, all that was left was to clean up. Lurantis and Tsareena happily scarfed down the Mallow Special that had been created to regain their energy, also letting Torracat and Drifblim have a taste so they could replenish as well. In the meantime…

"Here you go!" Mallow said, handing off a green Z-Crystal with the leaf symbol to Calvin and then one to Erika, "Like your friend mentioned yesterday, that's the Grassium Z," she told the two trial-goers, "Now you can use the Grass type Z-Move with your Pokémon!" she pointed out, "So long as they have Grass type moves to use it with…" she mentioned cheekily with a wink.

"Thank you, Mallow," Calvin said in gratitude with a bow.

"So what's the dance for this Z-Move?" Erika asked as she looked at her new Z-Crystal.

"Oh, duh!" Mallow yelped, bonking herself on the head with her right fist, "Steenee, wanna help me show 'em?" she offered to her Fruit Pokémon.

"Nee!" she squeaked in reply as she skipped over. The two then started their pose together, first crossing their arms, swinging them around, and then throwing them out with left over right. Then they squatted down with their hands pressed together in front of their faces like they were praying, followed by rising up and moving their hands outward like a blooming flower.

"And there ya go!" the trial captain said with a thumbs up.

"Now that you've cleared all three trials on Akala, you can face the island kahuna," Kiawe pointed out to the twins.

"That's right!" Erika exclaimed in response, remembering the day she met Olivia.

'I can't wait to show her how strong we all are!' she inwardly noted, trembling with excitement.

"Hey, look at that…" Mallow uttered, making her perk up as she looked towards where she was looking, "There's still some soup left over!" she pointed out excitedly, "You guys want a taste?" she offered to the others. Erika instantly noticed Lana and Kiawe shiver a little.

"Um… I'll pass…" the former of the two responded.

"Yeah… I had a hefty lunch…" the latter admitted as he patted his stomach. Mallow puffed her cheeks out in frustration.

"I'll have a taste," Calvin offered. Lana and Kiawe gasped.

"Uh… Calvin?" his twin sister uttered worriedly, but it was too late as Mallow happily gave him a spoon. He scooped out some of the soup with it, sipping it down. He smacked his lips to get a flavor and…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he shrieked as his whole face went red, "HOT! HOT! HOTTTTTTTTTTTT!" he screamed, running around frantically in search of water.

"Mraww…?" Torracat purred in confusion, while everyone else seemed just as stunned.

"Huh…" Lana sighed deeply, "Mallow, your dishes are too intense for some people…" she noted rather bluntly.

"Uh… whoopsie…" her friend sheepishly responded. They thankfully managed to help Calvin calm down, cleaning up everything else as the day came to a close…

END

"Cascade" by Unlimits

0:00 – 0:11 = Opens with Calvin and Erika as children, playing together in their shared room while a happy Leslie watches. She starts to reminisce about all the good times she's had before her siblings arrived…

0:12 – 0:18 = Cuts to various scenes of the landmarks in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, Alola, and Galar.

0:19 – 0:31 = We continue with Leslie receiving a Snivy as her first Pokémon from her parents, followed by being wished off as she decided to travel to Unova. There, she battles her new rival, Hugh, and his Tepig.

0:32 – 0:47 = Leslie is walking down a pathway with Snivy following her, but the scene constantly changes with Riolu, Magnemite, Magby, Sandile, and Spheal appearing beside her, evolving into their final forms. Leslie then comes to a stop as she spots Team Plasma's ship overhead, taking on a serious expression in preparation for battle.

0:48 – 1:01 = Cuts to her Walrein using Ice Beam to freeze up some of Team Plasma's Pokémon aboard the ship, followed by Magnezone discharging bolts of electricity. Magmortar blasts back a Weavile with a stream of flames, while Lucario fights hand-to-hand with an Absol before blowing him away with an Aura Sphere. We then see Leslie go up against Black Kyurem and Ghetsis with Serperior and Krookodile by her side. She smiles confidently, commanding them into battle as they lunge out at Kyurem.

1:02 – 1:07 = What follows is a scene of Calvin and Erika excitedly being escorted into a stadium by their parents to watch their big sister's battle for the Unova Championship.

1:08 – 1:19 = As Iris and Leslie take their respective positions on the large battlefield, the Ketchum girl adjusts her visor and gives off a wave to her parents. She then takes out a Poké Ball and fires it onto the field.

1:20 – 1:30 = Cut to today where Leslie sees her brother and sister battling in a stadium, smiling happily out of how proud she is of them…

END ENDING

NegaiFreak: Phew! Really happy I got this chapter done! The next one should be a lot shorter given that it's just going to be a travel chapter.

Hau Hughes: But we're super excited to have two in a row!

NegaiFreak: As am I, Hau. Okay, without any delay, here's the summary!

SUMMARY

Ultra Spacing Out!

With their three trials cleared, the Ketchum twins now embark on their journey to head to Konikoni City to face Olivia! But before that, Professor Kukui wants them to meet someone?

And Team Skull has shown up again! What shenanigans are they up to now? And who else is involved?

END SUMMARY

NegaiFreak: See you all later! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!