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!

23. Sweet Poison

Alola, everyone! Hopefully quarantine hasn't gotten too boring as of late! Anyways, at the end of this chapter will be a special preview for the next four chapters of "RWBY: Omni Force" since I'm going to be closing out Volume 5 with them! So look forward to that!

In the meantime, please enjoy this chapter!

POKÉMON SUN & MOON

THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME

Hau took a great big bite of his malasada, chewing it in delight from the common space of the Pokémon Center. He, Calvin, Erika and Lillie were having breakfast together the day after they arrived in Konikoni. After witnessing the result of Olivia's grand trial match, they decided to get some much needed rest and relaxation. Though for Erika, it was hard to really relax. She stared at her milk with a worried look in her eyes. The display of power Olivia's Lycanroc showed astonished her. He was likely stronger than her own, too. And that's all she could think about.

"Are you all right, Erika?" Lillie suddenly asked, causing her to perk up.

"O-Oh!" she yelped out, sitting up straight, "Yeah, I'm fine!" she assured with a nervous laugh.

"You're still thinking about Olivia, huh?" her brother guessed, catching her attention as she saw him giving her a teasing smile. She puffed her cheeks.

"It's hard for me not to, ya know…" she grumbled, crossing her arms while turning her head away, "I'm the one that's supposed to battle her first," she mentioned.

"And that gives me and Cal time to get training!" Hau exclaimed upon finishing his malasada, "Can't wait to get Dartrix and the gang ready for our grand trial!" he added excitedly.

"I doubt you'll have too tough of a time…" his male cousin noted with a chuckle, "I don't really have much of good team to go against Olivia yet…" he admitted, glancing back to see his Pokémon mingling about with Erika's and Hau's. He noticed that his cousin had caught a Crabrawler, giving him a full team as well.

"Torrah!" Torracat greeted as she trotted up to Bounsweet.

"Guh, shoo!" Gumshoos introduced, gesturing towards himself upon approaching his new teammate.

"Truh, trumm beeekk!" Trumbeak squawked as he flew over and landed beside the Fruit Pokémon, patting her atop the head with his right wing. She puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.

"BOWW!" she squeaked demandingly, making her calyx spin as she whacked the three Pokémon around her with it in their faces. They gave off stunned expressions as they saw her bounce away to her food bowl.

"Your Bounsweet's pretty aggressive, huh?" Hau guessed after watching the scene unfold.

"Huh…" Calvin sighed deeply, "So what's the plan for you today, Erika?" he asked his twin sister, changing the subject.

"Hmm…" she hummed in thought, glancing off to the side as Lillie was finishing her yogurt, "I guess I'll try to battle Olivia today…" she concluded after another moment, "I mean… what else can I do?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You could go to the ruins with Lillie!" Hau suggested quickly.

"Yeah, you did say you'd help escort her," Calvin pointed out.

"And honestly, I could use the help with Nebby…" Lillie sheepishly admitted. At that moment, the Cosmog popped out from her duffel bag as it ventured over to the large group of 18 Pokémon. Thankfully, Araquanid got out in front of it to prevent it from getting into any potential trouble.

"Pew?" it squeaked in confusion, blinking as it looked up at the Water Bubble Pokémon.

"Araquanid's really protective, huh?" Hau noted with a grin.

"Araquanid are usually like that, zzt!" Rotom buzzed as it floated out, "They protect Pokémon zzzmaller than themselvezzz," it explained. Calvin like that fact about the Water Bubble Pokémon. He always wanted to look out for the rest of his teammates, especially the rowdier ones like Cubone. He led Nebby back to Lillie, allowing her to place it into her duffel bag.

"Now no coming out until it's safe, okay?" she instructed to the Cosmog.

"Peww!" it squeaked, appearing to be frustrated.

"Huh…" Lillie sighed, zipping the bag slightly before putting it down.

"Don't worry," Erika assured, getting her attention, "We'll get to those ruins in no time!" she promised confidently with a pump of her right fist. Lillie giggled happily at her friend's willingness to help. Just then, they heard the doors open.

"Alola-! WAH!" a voice yelped, followed by a loud thud. Everyone turned and gasped to see that Olivia had fallen over onto her face at the entrance to the Pokémon Center.

"O-Olivia!" Calvin stuttered in exclamation, quickly getting up with Hau and hurrying over to her. Walking in was the female referee from yesterday. She sighed upon seeing the Akala kahuna lying face down on the floor.

"Olivia, you've gotta stop rushing to greet challengers…" she advised out of worry. The kahuna lifted her head up.

"Sorry, Nia…" she apologized, "But knowing that you three already made it here was too good of a chance to pass up on!" she noted to the three trial-goers. She stood up and brushed off any dirt upon her body, clearing her throat with a cough as the girls approached. "Anyways, I wanted to come by and say good morning!" she told the group, "You three have all cleared Akala's trials, yes?" she inquired.

"Yep," Calvin responded, taking out the Waterium, Firium, and Grassium Z-Crystals to show her as proof. Hau and Erika did the same.

"Congratulations!" the kahuna complimented as she clapped her hands together cutely, "And if I recall correctly…" she continued, glancing over at Erika, "you wanted to challenge me first, right?" she inquired. The pigtailed girl gulped.

"Uh… well, I uh…" she stuttered, sweating nervously.

"Unfortunately, I'm going to have to hold off on your grand trial until tomorrow," Olivia said, causing her to blink in surprise.

"Wh-Why?" Erika stammered.

"I have a few errands I need to run today," the kahuna replied, "They couldn't wait another day, so we're going to have wait for our battle…" she noted, "I do hope you understand," she implored of the girl.

"Oh, uh, yeah!" she answered immediately, bowing to her, "Thanks for letting me know," she said in gratitude. Olivia giggled.

"I'm looking forward to seeing what you've got, Erika," she mentioned to her.

"And we'll be sure to bring it! Right, guys?" she called out to her team as she pumped her right fist. All of her Pokémon let out excited cries, except for Fomantis as she was snoozing soundly. However, Drifblim woke her up by floating over her and casting a shadow.

"FOH, FOMAH! FOHH!" she screeched, angrily swiping at him to no avail as he giggled. Olivia took notice of Erika's Lycanroc, who was finishing up his breakfast. She cracked a grin.

"Well, I'll be seeing you later," she said to the group, waving goodbye before exiting the Pokémon Center.

"She's a very kind woman," Lillie noted with a smile.

"Yeah, that's our Olivia…" Nia remarked with a grin, "Anyways, I'm Nia," she introduced, "I usually officiate the grand trial matches we have, so be sure to give us some excellent battles!" she requested of the trial-goers before leaving as well.

"Guess that's a relief for you, Erika!" Hau pointed out cheekily, causing his female cousin to puff her cheeks out in embarrassment.

"At least you can help Lillie get to the ruins…" her brother mentioned. She blinked in realization before smiling.

"Yeah!" she concluded. She was excited to learn more about the island guardians, but she'd learn more than just of them…

OPENING

"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. Bounsweet bounces over and pushes Torracat away, fighting her for Calvin's affection

0:46 – 0:57 = Cuts to Erika training with Brionne and Lycanroc, while Fomantis is asleep on the sunny grass. It's only when Drifblim 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.

Sweet Poison!

"See ya later!" Erika called out in farewell, waving to her brother and Hau as she, Rotom and Lillie walked off from the Pokémon Center to begin their trek to the ruins. They waved back until the girls and the Pokédex departed.

"Well…" Hau began, putting his hands onto his hips as he grinned excitedly, "I think it's time for both of us to get some training in!" he declared.

"Yeah!" his cousin agreed with a nod. A while had passed as Erika and Lillie walked along the coastline towards the Akala Outskirts.

"We zzzhould be able to pazzz through Memorial Hill before we zzzee the ruinzzz," Rotom buzzed to the girls as a map was upon its screen, indicating where they needed to go.

"Maybe we'll find some cool new Pokémon along the way!" Erika suggested with a smile.

"But don't you already have six?" Lillie inquired, arching an eyebrow. Her friend giggled.

"Not for me, silly," she replied, "For you!" she corrected to the surprise of the research assistant.

"F-For me…?" she stuttered out.

"You keep apologizing for having to rely on me, Cal and Hau all the time," Erika pointed out to her in response, "So why not have a Pokémon to help you protect yourself and Nebby?" she suggested.

"That soundzzz like a good idea," Rotom admitted as it floated over.

"Oh no, I couldn't ask that of you!" Lillie exclaimed in response, waving her arms frantically, "You would… want to train along the way, so…" she pointed out, nervously fidgeting with her fingers. Erika sighed, putting her hands onto her hips.

"Come on, Lillie…" she pleaded, "Don't you think Nebby needs a buddy around to help it out?" she inquired, arching an eyebrow. The professor's assistant seemed unsure as to how she would respond. She clutched the strap of her duffel bag tightly.

"Honestly, I don't think I could do well as a trainer…" she admitted ashamedly, "I'm sorry I have to rely on you all the time… but I really do need to," she apologized in explanation. Erika and Rotom looked at her worriedly before sharing a glance with each other.

"Okay then…" the trial-goer muttered, rescinding herself from pressuring her friend. She sighed ashamedly, walking off with her as they continued their journey.

"Pikachu, Spark!" Hau commanded.

"Gumshoos, Sand Attack!" Calvin called out. The Mouse Pokémon immersed himself in sparking yellow electricity as he charged towards his opponent, who quickly swung his tail around to make sand dust up and get into his eyes.

"Kahh…!" he squeaked, clenching his eyes shut as he missed his target, landing on his feet as he rubbed at his eyes.

"Now Tackle!" Calvin ordered.

"Guh, shooo!" Gumshoos chittered as lunged out and rammed into Pikachu's torso head on, sending him tumbling over the ground. He stood up and shook his head, relieving himself of any remaining dirt in his eyes.

"Tackle again!" Calvin commanded.

"Use Electro Ball!" Hau instructed. Gumshoos lunged towards Pikachu once again, as he charged up an orb of yellow electricity upon the tip of his tail. As he spun around to launch it, the Stakeout Pokémon rammed into him again, followed by being struck by the orb in a fierce blast that enveloped both of them.

"Ergh…" Calvin growled, bracing himself from the resulting smoke, "Hang in there, Gumshoos!" he yelled to his teammate.

"Guh!" the Stakeout Pokémon responded as he jumped out from the smoke and landed in front of his trainer. Pikachu also ended up in front of Hau, breathing heavily. They were training in the dirt field behind the Pokémon Center, with their other teammates practicing by themselves. Araquanid and Crabrawler were unleashing flurries of bubbles onto bullseye targets nailed to trees, Trumbeak was flying through the sky as he raced Dartrix and Noibat, Cubone was swinging around his bone and bashing through nearby rocks while Tauros was doing the same with his horns, and Torracat and Ariel were running around, racing each other around the field.

The only one not training was Bounsweet, who sat off to the side. She puffed out her cheeks in frustration as she saw her trainer command Gumshoos with excitement in his eyes. She wanted to be one to have his affections, not anyone else.

"Bow, swee…!" she huffed, bouncing over to the battlefield.

"Pikachu, Quick Attack!" Hau ordered as he thrusted his right index finger forward.

"Gumshoos, Bite!" Calvin commanded. Pikachu dashed forwards, outlined in white as he sped toward his target. The Stakeout Pokémon made his teeth glow a bright white, lunging out to try and chomp on his foe. But suddenly…

"BOWW!" Bounsweet squeaked loudly, making her calyx glow a bright green as she spun it around to unleash three arrow-shaped clusters of leaves towards the two battlers. They were both struck by them in a burst of smoke, much to the surprise of their trainers as they gasped.

"Pee, kah?" Pikachu uttered in confusion, only to end up smacked in the face by the Fruit Pokémon's spinning calyx. "Chaaaa…" he whined before falling onto his stomach with swirls in his eyes.

"P-Pikachu?!" Hau stuttered in shock as his eyes widened.

"Bounsweet, what are you doing?!" Calvin asked frantically, "This was Gumshoos' battle!" he pointed out to her.

"Boww…" she huffed, turning away from her trainer.

"Guh, gum shoo!" Gumshoos yelled to her, trying not to make the situation worse than it needed to be. Unfortunately, she didn't seem to be in the mood…

"BOWWW!" she exclaimed as she smacked him with her spinning calyx, knocking him over onto his back.

"Hey!" Calvin shouted as he quickly jogged over. Upon noticing what was going on, Ariel and Torracat ran to the scene. Upon seeing that Pikachu had been knocked out, the Eevee growled.

"Vuh, vee!" she shouted angrily, dashing towards Bounsweet while cloaked in a white outline. The Fruit Pokémon saw her coming though, spinning her calyx to counter as they collided, blowing each other back.

"Bow, boww sweee!" Bounsweet squeaked angrily.

"Eee, vueee!" Ariel yelled back. Thankfully, Hau picked her up into his arms to calm her down.

"Easy, Ariel…" he pleaded to her. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like things were going well on Calvin's end…

"Mroww!" Torracat roared at Bounsweet, causing her to turn away from her teammate in a huff.

"Bow swee," she remarked bluntly to the Fire Cat Pokémon, hopping into her trainer's arms as he blinked in surprise. Torracat took a moment to process what the Fruit Pokémon had just said. And when it clicked…

"MRRAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWW! MRRRAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" she roared angrily, lunging out in attempt to swipe at Bounsweet. Calvin thankfully stepped back as Gumshoos and Trumbeak held her down, while Araquanid and Cubone hurried over to assist.

"Jeez, Torracat!" Calvin yelped, "Bounsweet, what did you even say to her?!" he asked the Fruit Pokémon in his arms frantically.

"Bow swee," she remarked again. It looked like Torracat's blood vessels were going to pop.

"TORRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" she screeched, wriggling around wildly in the grip of her teammates. Cubone quickly smacked her atop the head with his bone, followed by Araquanid pelting her with bubbles to the face.

"T-Torracat?" Calvin stuttered out nervously, hoping she had at least managed to calm down. When the smoke cleared, it revealed that the Fire Cat Pokémon letting out an exhausted moan as her teammates sighed in relief. Their trainer also exhaled with relief.

"Bowbowbowbow!" Bounsweet laughed, catching his attention.

"Hey, that isn't funny!" Calvin shouted, "Why would you even egg her on like that?" he wondered, arching an eyebrow.

"Boww, sweee…" she huffed, turning away from him.

"Bounsweet…" he muttered worriedly. Granted, he had dealt with troublesome Pokémon before like his Cubone. But this was entirely different. Bounsweet was just being plain rude!

"Never seen a Pokémon act like that before…" Hau noted as he walked over with Pikachu trotting up to his side.

"I know…" his cousin concurred, "I wonder if she's still mad about what happened when I caught her…" he said. Bounsweet puffed out her cheeks.

"Well, no use worrying about it too much!" Hau pointed out with a smile, "We've got a lot of time to train with our teams before Olivia's trial," he noted as he balled his left fist.

"Yeah, guess you're right…" Calvin concluded. Still, it was worrying. Compared to Cubone, Bounsweet's… aggression seemed to be geared a lot more towards jealousy than strength. And apparently, she wasn't too kind to her teammates…

'Guess this is just another part of the learning curve…' her trainer inwardly realized, sighing deeply. Just then, he heard a stomach growl. He blinked in surprise, looking ahead to see his cousin smiling sheepishly.

"Eh-heh…" he chuckled out of embarrassment, "Guess malasadas aren't enough of a breakfast…" he admitted as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Darr, treee…" Dartrix trilled with a shake of his own head.

"Then why don't we get an early lunch?" Calvin suggested, "I'm starting to get a little hungry, too…" he confessed. Hau beamed.

"Then let's go the local restaurant!" he recommended excitedly as Ariel hopped out of his arms, "They've got tasty bento boxes I know you'd love!" he added.

"Bento, huh?" his cousin repeated, recalling times where his mother would make him and his twin sister lunches of that form before they went off to be taught by Professor Oak. He smiled fondly at the thought of those memories. "Yeah, sounds good!" he said with a nod.

"Alright!" Hau exclaimed. Moments later, the two trial-goers returned their Pokémon to their respective Poké Balls, save for Bounsweet, who remained in Calvin's arms. He held her close.

"You know, I think we're gonna be great friends someday," he assured to her. She huffed again, puffing her cheeks.

X

"Breee… onnn…" an Umbreon groaned as he fell onto the grass on his side with swirls in his eyes. Looming over him was Drifblim, who gave off a smile.

"Blimmm!" he squeaked with delight, turning back to Erika.

"Nice job, Drifblim!" she complimented as she smiled. During hers and Lillie's trek to the ruins, they had run into an old couple of trainers who challenged her to individual battles. With her Magby prevailing against a Comfey and now Drifblim emerging victorious against Umbreon, Erika was proving to be more and more exceptional as a trainer. And Lillie was amazed by the progress she was making.

"Oh well…" the old man sighed as he returned Umbreon to his Luxury Ball in a beam of red light, "Guess I've lost my edge over the years…" he realized with a chuckle. His wife giggled.

"Smith, you're normally so focused in battles!" she pointed out to him.

"Don't patronize me, Sayuri…" he muttered back as he continued to chuckle.

"Thank you very much for the battles," Erika said in gratitude to the old couple, bowing to them. Her Pokémon did as well.

"Oh, thank you for the exercise!" Smith responded as he put his hands at his hips, "I haven't a good battle like that in a while…" he admitted sheepishly.

"You're a trial-goer, aren't you?" Sayuri guessed, having noticed the amulet on Erika's bag, "You must be on your way to visit the ruins…" she realized.

"Yep!" the pigtailed girl responded excitedly, "My friend wanted the chance to go check it out, so I'm escorting her," she explained, gesturing towards Lillie, who perked up in surprise.

"U-Um, hello?" she stuttered out nervously in greeting, waving her right hand.

"For taking such a long journey, I do hope Tapu Lele grants you some of its scales," Sayuri prayed humbly, "You are worthy of receiving them," she added. Erika blinked in surprise. Worthy was a word she hadn't heard in a while. A word that she once realized she wasn't.

"Well, take care on your way!" Smith called out in farewell, leaving the area with his wife.

"Goodbye!" Lillie exclaimed as she waved to the departing old couple.

'Worthy, huh?' Erika inwardly uttered, clutching the strap of her bag before looking at her island challenge amulet. That word really stuck with her. From her failure back at the school to when she went to the Ruins of Conflict, she had changed a lot. And one thing was for sure, Tapu Koko had found her worthy. Fickle as it was, it saw the progress Erika had made in her attempt to prove herself. It deemed her worthy of a Z-Ring, giving her the chance to give it her all in the island challenge ahead. And now, she was probably about to meet another one of the Tapu.

"Erika?" Lillie said, snapping her away from her thoughts as she looked over at her friend, "Are you all right?" she asked out of concern.

"Oh, yeah!" the trial-goer responded quickly in assurance, "Just… remembering how far I've come since those days at the school…" she confessed, looking up at the partly cloudy sky, "I guess it hasn't really settled in that after all that…" she admitted, glancing down at the trinket around her left wrist, "When Tapu Koko found me worthy to get this Z-Ring… even after all the stuff I did…" she continued, letting off a content smile, "it felt like I had to pay it back by doing my best, ya know?" she said, putting her hand over her heart, "And I'm really happy to be on this journey!" she added as she let off a toothy grin.

"Blimm!" Drifblim squeaked happily while floating over.

"Mag bee!" Magby agreed as he hopped up to his trainer's side. Lillie was astonished by Erika. She knew she changed from the bratty girl she first encountered at Mahalo Tail, but didn't realize how that change had affected her. Was taking the island challenge such a fun thing for her?

"Hey, look!" Rotom suddenly exclaimed, gesturing towards something in the distance. Erika looked out to see that it was a Phantump roaming about the graveyard.

"Oh, that's the same kind of Pokémon my mom has!" she noted excitedly, taking out a Poké Ball from her bag, "Lillie, I bet that'll be perfect for you to have!" she pointed out as she rushed towards the Stump Pokémon.

"Ah, E-Erika!" Lillie stuttered out in surprise, "Wait a second!" she yelled, jogging after her. Unfortunately, the trial-goer had already taken off quite far to try and catch the Phantump. But once he noticed her, he panicked, scurrying off to the coastline.

"Hey, come back!" she called out, chasing after him. Drifblim and Magby followed. To their dismay, the Stump Pokémon floated off into the distance… and out of their sight. "Aw…" Erika moaned.

"Guezzz it wazzzn't meant to be, Erika…" Rotom buzzed bluntly as it floated over. She sighed deeply, slouching over.

"Hey, quit messing with that Slowpoke!" someone yelled from afar, catching her attention as she perked up in surprise.

"I know that voice…" she recalled. Further along the coastline were Milo and Selene, along with a lean man who had short greenish-blonde hair and a goatee. He wore a white outfit, bearing the symbol of Aether Foundation and having a yellow diamond-shaped decoration on his sleeves. He also bore a green undershirt, some green bracers on his arms, and large green glasses. With that were white boots with yellow soles and buttons upon his feet. The three of them were being confronted by E and F of Team Skull, along with one other brawny member with brown skin and short black hair. Between them was a Slowpoke, who seemed to be completely exhausted as he yawned.

"Don't give us any trouble, and we won't reduce to rubble!" E rapped as she crossed her arms.

"We're gonna make big bucks outta this here Slowpoke, so you better butt out!" F added as he folded his own arms over his chest.

"We won't let you do that," Selene robotically responded.

"That's right!" Milo agreed emphatically, "Branch Chief, would you mind giving us a hand?" he asked of the goateed man alongside the pair.

"Now stand firm, Milo!" he instructed back in response, "Think of what the president would say!" he added. The Aether Foundation employee cringed out of annoyance.

"That's what you always say, Chief," Selene pointed out, getting his attention, "But you never lift a finger to help us," she noted to him. He grimaced for a moment.

"Why… I am the Aether Foundation's last line of defense!" he argued, "What would become of it if something were to happen to me now?" he wondered hypothetically. Milo sighed deeply.

"Huh…" the brawny Team Skull member huffed as he readied a Nest Ball in his hand, enlarging it by pressing its center button, "It's time we settled this…" he concluded, stepping forward. Milo prepared a Great Ball that he grabbed out of his upper right pouch.

"My thoughts exactly," he agreed, reeling his arm back.

"Hey!" Erika's voice called out, catching their attentions as they all looked to see her jog over with Drifblim, Magby, and Rotom, "You guys again?!" she exclaimed upon seeing that it was Team Skull. E and F both grimaced.

"It's the scary trial-goer girl!" the latter yelped in fright as he and his female friend hid behind their brawny comrade.

"Quick, get 'em J!" the latter cheered with a pump of her fist.

"Hmm…" he hummed, narrowing his eyes onto Erika, "You're the girl giving my bros a tough time?" he guessed. She smirked.

"Maybe I am…" she taunted in response. The spectacled man amongst the Aether Foundation employees narrowed his eyes curiously.

"Yes, yes! Why don't you take them on?" he suddenly suggested, causing Erika to blink in surprise.

"Uh… who are you?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Doesn't matter if you're a trial-goer or not!" J yelled, reeling his arm back, "We're gonna make no bones outta all of y'all!" he declared as he tossed the Nest Ball into the air. It popped open, and the light that spilled forth from it formed upon the ground before him, dissipating to reveal an Alolan Raticate.

"RAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" he roared angrily, growling at those before him.

"I got this!" Milo exclaimed in declaration, readying his own arm. However, Erika stepped out in front of him.

"Sorry, Milo," she apologized in advance, "but we've got bones to pick with these bozos…" she quipped, enlarging a Poké Ball in her right hand.

"Heh!" J laughed, "Give it your best shot, kid…" he challenged, narrowing his eyes.

"Gladly!" Erika responded, "Go Lycanroc!" she called out as she chucked her Poké Ball forwards. As it popped open, its light formed onto the ground and dissipated to reveal the Wolf Pokémon.

"Rrrrr…" he growled upon seeing the Team Skull members.

"Take him down with Crunch!" J commanded. A dark reddish aura shrouded Raticate's teeth as he ran out and lunged at Lycanroc. He threw out his left arm in an attempt to block the attack, only to end up bitten by the Mouse Pokémon.

"Ah!" Milo gasped in shock, while Selene just blinked. Lycanroc stood firm despite being bitten, gnashing his teeth together.

"Stand strong, Lycanroc!" his trainer instructed, making him take on a ready stance as he nodded, "Now Counter!" she ordered. Closing his front right paw into a fist, the Wolf Pokémon glowed in an orange-reddish aura before punching Raticate hard. His eyes bulged open before he was sent flying back in an instant, crashing right into his trainer.

"J!" E and F exclaimed simultaneously out of shock. When the dust cleared, it revealed their comrade lying in a dazed state similar to his Raticate. Both had swirls in their eyes.

"Are you two next?" Erika guessed, catching their attentions as they looked over to see the glare from the pigtailed girl. They sweated buckets.

"W-We'll let you off easy today!" F stuttered in promise, picking up J by his right arm.

"Y-Yeah!" E stammered while hoisting Raticate in her arms, "Just be glad our big sis wasn't with us!" she remarked. They quickly scurried off past the group in front of them, hurriedly escaping the area.

"Tell your big sis I'm waiting for her!" Erika called out in frustration, puffing out her cheeks, "Don't those guys have anything better to do?" she wondered, putting her hands at her hips.

"Likely not, zzt…" Rotom bluntly buzzed. Meanwhile, the Slowpoke who'd been caught in the middle of the scuffle shuffled over slowly to Lycanroc.

"Lowwww…" he yawned happily. The Wolf Pokémon blinked in surprise before cracking a grin back.

"Guess we owe you twice the favor now…" Milo noted as he walked up to Erika, "You have a knack for beating down those guys!" he mentioned with a chuckle.

"Hey, anything to help out," she replied, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head.

"We certainly do appreciate it, yes…" the spectacled man concurred as he trotted over, rubbing his hands together.

"Um… I don't think we've met…" Erika noted as a drop of sweat rolled down her head.

'He looks like an alien…' she inwardly admitted as she looked at him.

"Oh, where are my manners?" he muttered out in question, "I am Faba of the Aether Foundation," he introduced, "I serve as the foundation's Branch Chief," he mentioned with a smirk.

"Branch Chief?" Erika repeated in confusion as she blinked, "What's that?" she asked curiously, tilting her head to the side. Before Faba could answer himself…

"He's basically the head of the foundation's research and development team, along with correlating to us studying the mysterious phenomena of Alola," Selene explained robotically.

"I could've explained that myself, Selene…" Faba growled to his co-worker.

"It's good to see you again, Erika," the female Aether Foundation employee said to the trial-goer, ignoring her superior, "Have you already taken the grand trial?" she wondered curiously.

"Oh, uh, no…" she replied, "It got delayed for tomorrow…" she said as she rubbed the back of her head again. Milo then blinked.

"Hey, Chief!" he called out, catching Faba's attention, "Wouldn't it be great to have someone like her compete in the upcoming event?" he suggested.

"Event?" Rotom buzzed in confusion. The branch chief rubbed his goatee for a moment before letting off a smirk.

"Excellent idea, Milo!" he complimented, turning to Erika, "You there!" he exclaimed, causing her to flinch in surprise as she turned to him, "After your grand trial is complete, I'd like for us to meet again at the Hano Grand Resort," he requested of her, "For helping my staff and I, you should be rewarded with a great opportunity!" he offered.

"Uh…" Erika uttered out, unsure of how to really respond.

"It's gonna be a special event to celebrate the foundation's progress and honor the trial-goers on the island challenge!" Milo mentioned as she widened her eyes in surprise, "You should definitely come along!" he pleaded to her.

"Um, sure!" she replied with a nod, "Just as soon as I wrap up my grand trial here…" she added to them.

"We understand, of course," Faba assured in response, "We wish you the best of luck," he told her, "I've heard this island's kahuna is quite formidable…" he mentioned. Erika tensed up a little. After the Slowpoke was sent on his way, the group of Aether Foundation members left.

"Huh…" Erika exhaled, returning each of her Pokémon to their respective Poké Balls in beams of red light, "An event to honor trial-goers, huh?" she noted, "What do you think it's gonna be?" she asked of Rotom.

"Don't ask me, zzt…" it buzzed back in reply, "Anywayzzz, you left Lillie behind!" it pointed out emphatically.

"Ah!" Erika gasped, jogging off, "Dang it, not again!" she exclaimed as she ran. She could only hope Lillie was still at Memorial Hill…

And she was. She was hiding behind one of the gravestones, trembling greatly. She had taken notice of the Aether Foundation members coming by the area, so she had to act quickly.

"You sure we shouldn't check around Konikoni?" Milo inquired to Faba, "Our intel did say she was on the island…" he pointed out.

"But it's not her we're after," Selene chimed in.

"Hmm…" Faba hummed, placing his hand onto his chin in thought, "I would imagine she's likely with the professor according to the intel we received," he explained, "We can't afford to get into a scuffle with anyone unless it's on our own terms or unless Team Skull is involved," he pointed out to the other employees.

"I hope we can find it soon," Selene admitted as she rubbed her left arm, "The president's been vocal about our failure to retrieve it back then…" she mentioned.

"Hey…" Milo uttered pleadingly.

"No matter," Faba said in an assured tone, "The girl will turn up on our radar soon…" he added, chuckling ominously. They didn't spot Lillie as they left the grave site, allowing her to sigh in relief.

"P-Pew?" Nebby stuttered out, poking its head through the opening in her duffel bag. She looked it eye-to-eye and gave off an ashamed expression.

'How long will I have to keep hiding like this?' she wondered as the breeze of the coastline drifted by, making her blonde hair wave slightly, 'As much I want to help Nebby… can I really do it?' she asked herself, 'Maybe Erika was right…' she inwardly concluded as she clutched her duffel bag tightly.

"There zzzhe izzz!" Rotom's voice buzzed, catching her attention as she stood up to see Erika and the Pokédex approaching from afar.

"Lillie, are you okay?" the trial-goer asked worriedly. The professor's assistant stood up.

"No, I'm fine…" she assured with a nervous laugh, "There were just some Gastly that spooked me before I could use my Repels," she explained, "so I was waiting for you to come back," she said.

"Gastly, huh?" Erika inquired, "Maybe that would be a good Pokémon for you!" she suggested excitedly. Lillie let a drop of sweat roll down her head.

"We zzzhouldn't keep dawdling here, zzzttt…" Rotom bluntly pointed out in a huff, "It'zzz gonna get dark if we keep making stopzzz like thizzz…" it mentioned.

"Rotom's right," Lillie agreed as she adjusted the strap of her duffel bag over her shoulder, "I'd rather get to the ruins sooner rather than later…" she admitted. Erika blinked in surprise before letting off a frustrated sigh.

"Okay, fine…" she muttered, turning around as she led the way down the coastline. Lillie followed with her strap clutched tightly in her hands. If there was a way she could help Nebby, maybe the Ruins of Life had an answer…

Hau was gorging down what was in his bento box at the local restaurant. Some other patrons were astonished to see him hungrily scarfing down his lunch, while Calvin and Bounsweet just sat on the other side of the table. The capped boy wasn't too surprised. His cousin only had his favorite food as a form of breakfast…

"It's so good!" he muffled out in between bites, hungrily using his utensils to stuff more into his mouth.

"Bow swee…" Bounsweet remarked as she turned away.

"So what kind of Rock types do you think Olivia uses?" Calvin asked as Hau gulped down his food.

"Aside from that Lycanroc we saw yesterday… I dunno…" he admitted in response, taking another big bite of rice with his chopsticks, "Maybe she uses fossil Pokémon…" he suggested to his cousin's surprise.

"Fossil Pokémon?" he repeated, blinking rapidly.

"Mm-hmm!" Hau replied with a nod, swallowing his food, "There's a jewelry shop next door where Olivia works," he told him, "Apparently, they sell fossils to trainers," he mentioned while grabbing another bite of his meal, "And there's a place around Lush Jungle where they revive fossils into ancient Pokémon!" he added excitedly.

"Whoa, sounds cool!" his cousin noted as he used his chopsticks to take a bite of his meat, "Maybe we should go see if we can get some later!" he suggested.

"Yeah, definitely!" Hau agreed, "What do you think, little Bounsweet?" he asked of the Fruit Pokémon, catching her attention.

"Boww!" she huffed as she kept herself turned away.

"Guess she's not that excited…" Hau sheepishly realized, giving off a toothy grin. Calvin glanced down worriedly at Bounsweet. Cubone behaving badly around him was one thing, but this was completely different. The Fruit Pokémon was actually being ignorant of others. In fact, it seemed like she was putting them down…

Just then, he saw another bento box get placed onto the table.

"Oh, we didn't order-" He stopped talking the moment he saw who served the box. It was Mallow.

"On the house, boys~," she remarked with a wink.

"Mallow!" the trial-goers yelped in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" Calvin asked as the trial captain stepped back, "Shouldn't you be helping trial-goers in the Lush Jungle?" he inquired, arching an eyebrow.

"You know, I do have a life outside of the island challenge…" she retorted in response with a shake of her head, "This is my family's restaurant, and I come by on weekends to cook!" she explained, doing a twirl to show off her pink apron.

"So this is your cooking?!" Hau exclaimed as a guess while chowing away at the remainder of his rice, "It's so good!" he complimented happily. Mallow giggled.

"So where's Erika?" she wondered aloud, "Last I remembered, she was eager to get down here and beat Olivia!" she recalled.

"She went off to the ruins with a friend of ours," Calvin replied, "They'll probably be back this afternoon," he mentioned.

"Bow sweee…" Bounsweet huffed, puffing out her cheeks.

"Isn't that the Bounsweet you caught?" Mallow inquired, arching an eyebrow as she pointed at the Fruit Pokémon.

"Yeah…" Calvin sheepishly responded, "She's a little… moody…" he noted, unsure of how else to describe Bounsweet's behavior.

"Sweee…" she grumbled, turning away.

"Hmm…" Mallow hummed, putting her hands at her hips. She then sat down next to Calvin, much to his surprise as she leaned closer, making him blush a little. "Normally, Bounsweet like this little one are peppy and bouncy…" she pointed out.

"R-Really?" Calvin stuttered in question, evidently nervous.

"Bow, boww sweee!" the Fruit Pokémon suddenly squeaked angrily towards Mallow, trying to wriggle her out of Calvin's arms.

"Hey! Knock it off!" her trainer yelled trying to keep her back as the trial captain stood up from her seat. She blinked in surprise before giggling.

"Guess she's one of those Pokémon…" she realized, cheekily smiling.

"Huh?" Calvin uttered in confusion, arching an eyebrow.

"Whatcha' mean?" Hau asked curiously with a tilt of his head.

"You know how some Pokémon get super attached to their trainers?" Mallow questioned back to him, "This little one really likes Calvin!" she pointed out as she looked back at Bounsweet, "Though I don't she'd admit it…" she cheekily mentioned with a wink. The Fruit Pokémon's cheeks were tinted pink as she blushed in embarrassment.

"Is that true, Bounsweet?" Calvin wondered.

"B-Boww!" she stuttered with a huff, turning away.

"Hahaha!" Hau laughed, "So it's true then!" he realized as he cheekily grinned.

"Kind of like my dad's Bayleef…" Calvin realized in remembrance, "Though she was more open about liking my dad…" he mentioned with a nervous laugh.

"Sweee…" Bounsweet growled in frustration, puffing her cheeks. Just then, the doors to the restaurant opened.

"Oh, what a surprise," a familiar voice said, catching the group's attention as they looked over to see that Lana had arrived with a fishing rod in hand.

"Lana!" Calvin exclaimed in surprise, "You have an off-day, too?" he guessed as the Water type trial captain approached.

"Mm-hmm," she responded with a nod, "Since Mallow and I are both from Konikoni, we usually stay here over the weekends," she explained to him.

"And since we live next to each other, we hang out a lot!" Mallow mentioned as she trotted over and rested her left elbow onto her friend's shoulder.

"So you two are here for the grand trial, right?" Lana guessed to the two trial-goers.

"Yep!" Hau eagerly replied, "Dartrix, Pikachu, and the rest of my team are gonna show Olivia just what we're made of!" he declared as he smiled excitedly.

"Same here," Calvin assured with a nod, "We're gonna do our best, right Bounsweet?" he inquired to the Fruit Pokémon, catching her attention.

"Boww…" she huffed, keeping herself turned away.

"Hey, since we're all here," Mallow began, getting everyone's attention, "why don't we help these two with their training?" she suggested to Lana.

"Help… us?" Calvin repeated in confusion.

"Yep!" Mallow replied, throwing off her apron, "Hey, I'm gonna be taking my break now!" she yelled towards the kitchen.

"Okay sweetie!" a deep male voice shouted back, "Just be back here in a half hour!" he instructed.

"Thanks, Dad!" she replied happily. She then turned back to the group, "Now let's have a tag battle!" she offered to the group. Hau beamed as he immediately got to his feet.

"Yeah!" he agreed while pumping his fists, "It's been a while since we got in a tag battle, right Cal?" he inquired to his cousin.

"Yeah…" he responded, recalling their battle against Sina and Dexio on the day they arrived at Akala Island. But now things were different. Aside from potentially getting to battle against two trial captains, he was much more experienced with his battles throughout the entirety of his time on the island.

"Whaddaya say, Lana?" Mallow offered to her friend. She let out a sigh.

"I was hoping to get some lunch…" she admitted, "but I guess I do need a battle for some extra exercise," she realized with a smile.

"Awesome!" Mallow exclaimed, pumping her fists up, "C'mon!" she beckoned as she skipped out the doors.

"She's… really peppy, isn't she?" Calvin inquired, somewhat surprised by the Grass-type trial captain's energetic behavior.

"Mm-hmm," Lana responded with a nod, "She's always been like that since we were kids," she pointed out, "So Calvin…" she continued, catching his attention as he blinked in surprise to see the glint in her eye, "I hope you haven't been slacking since your trial with me…" she remarked before she exited the restaurant. Needless to say, the Ketchum boy was surprised by the fierceness in her tone. She was serious about battling him and his cousin now.

"You ready to do this, cuz?" Hau inquired, making him perk up.

"Yeah," he replied as he grinned, "Hey, Bounsweet?" he said, catching the attention of the Fruit Pokémon in his arms, "Be sure to watch how we battle, okay?" he requested of her.

"Boww…" she huffed, turning away. Her trainer let out a nervous chuckle as he stood up. He knew she'd finally see the importance of battling after seeing him do it. Now he just had to prove it. He and his cousin left the restaurant, prepared to battle the trial captains.

X

"We made it, zzt!" Rotom buzzed as it and the girls reached the clearing to the coastline after another half hour.

"You made it sound like we were gonna be here by sunset…" Erika pointed out in annoyance as she put her hands onto her hips.

"We would've been here earlier if you didn't battle against everyone you zzzaw…" her Pokédex retorted, causing her to wince in embarrassment.

"It's all right, Rotom," Lillie assured as she trotted up between the two, "The important thing is that we're here now," she pointed out with a giggle.

"And no more numbskulls to worry about…" Erika muttered as she glanced back for a moment. Lillie clutched the strap of her bag tightly again.

"You… were up against Team Skull again, right?" she inquired, earning a nod from the trial-goer.

"We also ran into the Aether Foundation again, zzt!" Rotom mentioned excitedly. Lillie flinched at the name.

"Oh, yeah!" Erika yelped in realization, "Have you heard of it, Lillie?" she asked of her friend.

"Y-Yes…" she stuttered out nervously, "They've become a very prominent organization now, haven't they?" she guessed with a slight laugh. Erika blinked.

"Uh, I guess so…" she replied, "Anyway, that one alien-looking guy said he'd offer me the chance of a lifetime once I finished my grand trial," she explained as she stretched her arms up, "He said to meet him at the Hano Grand Resort…" she added, looking up in thought, "Would ya wanna come meet him with me after I beat Olivia?" she offered to the professor's assistant. Her grip on the bag strap tightened.

"N-No thank you…" she stuttered in response, "I should probably continue to find a way to get Nebby back to where it belongs…" she pointed out to the trial-goer. Erika was surprised by the answer. Usually, Lillie would be somewhat willing to go along with something she was offered. So it was definitely strange to hear sound so… nervous. But just as Erika was about to pry further…

"Hey, look!" Rotom exclaimed, catching their attentions. They looked ahead to see an uphill clearing with statues aligning the path ahead on both sides. Erika immediately recognized them as the ones she'd seen on Mahalo Trail when she went to the Ruins of Conflict.

"We're here!" Lillie noted excitedly, "The entrance to the ruins shouldn't be too far ahead," she added assuredly.

"Uh, yeah," Erika replied, still wondering about her behavior earlier. Was there something she didn't understand about Lillie? In fact, she hadn't asked her all day about her past… Would learning that provide some answers?

"So, you're the girl Gladion was talking about?" a voice inquired, catching their attentions as they turned around in surprise to see Plumeria walking towards them, "You don't look like anything special to me…" she grumbled as she came to a stop. Erika noticed the familiar symbol displayed on her necklace and tattoo.

"You're with Team Skull!" she realized, quickly grabbing a Poké Ball from her bag and enlarging it.

"Huh," Plumeria scoffed, "Took you long enough to figure that out…" she grumbled, glancing over at Lillie as she nervously clutched her bag.

"What are you even doing here, zzt?" Rotom buzzed in question.

"Hmph," the Team Skull member scoffed, taking hold of an Ultra Ball from her belt as she enlarged it by pressing its center button, "I'm Plumeria," she introduced, "I help keep Team Skull together like a big sister to those numbskulls…" she mentioned as she tossed her container up and down in her hand.

"Big sister…?" Erika repeated before blinking in realization, "So you're the one those clowns we're talking about!" she exclaimed, clenching her teeth angrily.

"You have noticed what idiots those guys are, right?" Plumeria inquired, catching the Ketchum girl by surprise, "But at the same time," she continued, "don't you think some dummies are cute in their dumbness?" she asked. Erika didn't know what to make of the question, blinking in confusion. "I'll put it to you this way…" the Team Skull member continued as she caught the Ultra Ball she readied and glared at her future opponent, "You picking on my cute dumb brothers and sisters is really pissing me off…" she growled. She then backhanded the Ultra Ball forward, making it pop open. The light that spilled out from it formed upon the ground, dissipating to reveal a Salandit.

"Salllaaaaahhh…" she hissed, grinning deviously as her eyes narrowed onto Erika. She grimaced slightly, but stood firm.

'This lady's different from those other grunts…' she realized, readying her Poké Ball, 'so I better give it my all!' she declared inwardly.

Outside on the dirt field behind the Pokémon Center back in Konikoni City, Mallow and Lana stood over one on end, stretching their arms and legs. On the other end were Calvin and Hau, who were also preparing themselves. The two trial captains grabbed their Poké Balls, with Mallow having an Ultra Ball while Lana had a Dive Ball.

"You boys ready?" the pigtailed girl called out to her opponents.

"All set!" Hau responded as he flipped up his Poké Ball in his right hand, "Cuz?" he said to his partner, who nodded as he enlarged his Net Ball by pressing its center. He glanced over to see Bounsweet sitting off by the sidelines. After convincing her to at least watch a battle, Calvin was excited to show her just how exciting the prospect would potentially be.

"Okay!" Mallow exclaimed as she spun around, "Go Shiinotic!" she yelled as she flipped up her Ultra Ball. It popped open, and the light that spilled out from it formed upon the ground and dissipated to reveal a Pokémon that resembled a large mushroom. She had a slim, white body similar to a stalk, and a large purple mushroom cap on her head. She had black eyes with pale green half-circle markings on the outer sides and a thick, black mouth. The ends of her long, thin arms split into three pale green filaments that seemed to act as fingers. The lower part of her body and stubby feet were covered in a fluffy pink substance. The mushroom cap on her head had a fluffy pink rim, pale green bumps on top, and a pale green, gilled underside.

"Sheee…" she whistled out.

"A Shiinotic!" Hau exclaimed as he blinked rapidly.

"That's the evolved form of Morelull, right?" Calvin guessed, receiving a nod in response from his cousin. In the meantime, Lana tossed her Dive Ball. It opened up, having its light spill onto the ground next to Shiinotic. It came into form and dissipated, revealing a Cloyster.

"Kloyyy…" it muttered out, grinning widely.

"And Lana has a Cloyster…" Calvin noted, narrowing his eyes, "Okay, let's go!" he called out while throwing his Net Ball. As it popped open, its light spilled onto the ground and came into form, vanishing in a flash to reveal his Araquanid.

"Raaakwaaahh!" he roared toward his opponents.

"So your Dewpider has evolved, Calvin?" Lana noted, blinking in surprise.

"Cool!" Hau exclaimed excitedly, "Now it's our turn!" he declared as he chucked his Poké Ball. It burst open, with its light zipping onto the ground beside Araquanid, dissipating to reveal Crabrawler.

"Craaahh!" he chittered eagerly, punching at the air with his boxing glove-like pincers.

"And a Crabrawler just like your grandpa's!" Mallow noted with an excited giggle, "Now this oughta' be great!" she declared as she pumped her fist up.

"You bet it'll be!" Hau responded, "Crabrawler, start things off with Bubble Beam!" he commanded as he thrusted his fist forward.

"Crah!" the Boxing Pokémon exclaimed, opening his pincers before unleashing a flurry of bubbles from them.

"Hydro Pump!" Lana ordered, causing the boys to gasp in surprise. Cloyster puffed his cheeks before spraying a huge torrent of water from his mouth. It blasted through the bubbles with ease, heading right for Crabrawler. Thankfully, Araquanid stepped out in front of his partner, taking the gush as it pushed him back only a few feet before splashing apart.

"Phoo…" Hau exhaled with relief, "Thanks for that, Cal…" he said in gratitude.

"No problem," he replied, turning his focus back onto the battle, "Araquanid, Bug Bite!" he commanded.

"Kwah!" the Water Bubble Pokémon responded, making his fangs glow a yellowish-green before lunging out at Shiinotic. His bubbled head took in the Illuminating Pokémon by her head, biting into it. She winced.

"Shiinotic, Mega Drain!" Mallow ordered. The Illuminating Pokémon smirked as the top of her mushroom glowed a bright green. Araquanid then found the light coming onto him as it was draining his energy. And quickly.

"Get back!" his trainer called out. Araquanid quickly loosened his hold on Shiinotic and hopped back from her. She seemed to be completely fine!

"Kwahhh…" he growled in frustration.

"Cloyster, Aurora Beam!" Lana commanded as she swung her right arm forward. Cloyster opened his mouth again, firing off a multicolored beam consisting mostly of blue and pink light towards Crabrawler.

"Dodge and use Power-Up Punch!" Hau instructed quickly. The Boxing Pokémon hopped over the multicolored ray, making his right pincer glow in a reddish-orange luminosity as he thrusted it at his foe.

"Protect!" Lana called out. Cloyster clamped his shell shut, followed by a blue energy barrier appearing in front of him that Crabrawler punched. He hopped back, landing on the ground as he glared at the Bivalve Pokémon, who opened his shell and smirked.

"Kloyyy…" he uttered out.

"Now Hydro Pump!" his trainer commanded. Puffing out his cheeks, Cloyster unleashed a huge spray of water that slammed into Crabrawler, blowing him back.

"Araquanid, catch Crabrawler with Spider Web!" Calvin instructed. Shooting out a sticky line of thread from his spinneret, the Water Bubble Pokémon managed to take hold of Crabrawler in a net, pulling him away from the gushing water. He landed down safely, ripping the netting around him.

Crahh!" he exclaimed, raising his pincers like boxing gloves.

"Nice move, Calvin!" Mallow complimented, "Now it's our turn!" she declared, swinging her left arm, "Shiinotic, use Sleep Powder!" she yelled. The Illuminating Pokémon unleashed a spray of green powder from atop her mushroom head towards her two foes.

"Wash it away with Bubble Beam!" Calvin instructed quickly. Making the bubble around his head glow a bright blue, Araquanid fired off a flurry of bubbles that popped against the oncoming powder and made it dissipate entirely.

"Oh…" Mallow uttered in amazement, letting off a grin, "You're a clever one, Calvin!" she pointed out, "I think it's no wonder you managed to get this far!" she mentioned.

"Thanks!" the Ketchum boy responded, "But don't think for a second that we're done!" he stated firmly, "Araquanid, Spider Web on Shiinotic!" he instructed, pointing towards the Illuminating Pokémon. His teammate leapt up and fired off another sticky strand of thread from his spinneret, having it split into a net that was about to entrap Shiinotic.

"Cloyster, Hydro Pump!" Lana ordered.

"Kloyy!" the Bivalve Pokémon responded as he sprayed out a huge gush of water to wash away the netting heading for his teammate. But at that same moment…

"Power-Up Punch!" Hau commanded, enticing his partner to make his pincers glow in a reddish-orange light as he leapt out and punched at Cloyster, knocking him back. A red aura flowed up his body afterwards.

"Thanks for that, cuz!" Calvin exclaimed, "Now Bubble Beam!" he ordered quickly. With the bubble around his head glowing again, Araquanid unleashed another flurry of bubbles that struck Shiinotic as she tumbled back. Watching from afar, Bounsweet blinked in surprise. She didn't expect her trainer to do so well with the Water Bubble Pokémon. Was that what he meant by enjoying battles?

"They're a lot better than I thought…" Lana admitted with narrowed eyes.

"Yeah…" Mallow agreed, "Why don't we switch things up?" she suggested to her friend.

"Sure," she replied as she grinned, "Cloyster, Shell Smash!" she called out. A white light shined around the Bivalve Pokémon as he closed his shell. The light then shattered around him like glass. A bluish aura flowed down his body first, and then a reddish aura flowed up his body.

"That's not good…" Calvin realized as drops of sweat rolled down the side of his head, "Hau be careful…" he advised quietly to his cousin.

"Don't worry, cuz!" he replied assuredly, "If Cloyster's defense is down, we'll take advantage of it!" he declared with a pump of his right fist, "Crabrawler, Power-Up Punch!" he commanded.

"Crah bruh!" the Boxing Pokémon chittered, making both of his pincers glow a bright reddish-orange.

"Use Strength Sap!" Mallow called out. Shiinotic made her long fingers glow a bright pink as she leapt up and tapped the Boxing Pokémon while dodging his attempted punch. A bluish aura suddenly flowed down his body as his eyes slightly drooped.

"Crabrawler!" Hau cried out.

"Cloyster, Hydro Pump!" Lana commanded. The Bivalve Pokémon fired off another huge torrent of water from his mouth, crashing into Crabrawler as he was blown all the way back to the other end of the field.

"Cruhh…" he groaned as he managed to stumble back onto his feet.

"Crabrawler…" Hau uttered out, clenching his teeth in frustration.

"What the heck happened back there?" Calvin wondered. It looked like the Boxing Pokémon had lost his strength after Shiinotic had touched him…

"Strength Sap's a specialty of Shiinotic!" Mallow chimed in, catching their attentions as they looked over at her, "It's a move that not only drains the target's attack power…" she started to explain, "but it also completely restores the user's health!" she added as a greenish, healing aura flowed up the Illuminating Pokémon's body.

"Shee nah!" she exclaimed, taking a ready stance. Both trial-goers grimaced.

"And I thought Mega Drain was gonna be the big problem…" Hau remarked, balling his fists.

"It's okay," his cousin assured, "We just have to be careful when she tries that move again," he advised seriously.

"Right," Hau replied with a nod. Mallow then snapped her fingers.

"Now Dazzling Gleam!" she ordered. Shiinotic glowed in a bright white before she jumped up. Several rainbow-colored rays shot out from her shining body, heading toward her opponents.

"Watch out!" Calvin screamed. With no chance to dodge, Araquanid stood his ground and took the brunt of the rays, only being pushed back slightly. However, a few strayed away from him and zoomed towards Crabrawler. He had no time to react as he was struck by them in a fierce blast.

"Crabrawler!" Hau exclaimed. When the smoke dissipated, the Boxing Pokémon fell onto the ground in a heap as swirls were in his eyes.

"Craaaahhhh…" he moaned in agony.

"Ergh…" Hau growled in frustration, turning his head away as he shut his eyes, "Sorry, Cal…" he apologized. His cousin was stunned. After the last time they fought side-by-side, he would've expected him to be much stronger now…

"Nice job, Mallow," Lana complimented to her fellow trial captain, "Shiinotic's gotten a lot stronger since last time," she pointed out. Mallow giggled.

"Same goes to you and Cloyster!" she mentioned cheekily, "Now all that's left is for us to take down Calvin!" she noted as she balled her fists excitedly. As the Ketchum boy saw his cousin return Crabrawler to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light, he noticed the frustration in his eyes. He cleared three trials just like he did and still found himself completely overwhelmed in that battle.

"Araquanid, Aqua Ring," Calvin instructed calmly to his teammate.

"Kwah," he responded, having several rings of water suddenly appear and orbit around his body, followed by a greenish aura flowing up his form.

"Taking the time to heal up, huh?" Mallow inquired curiously as she grinned.

"Well, we're not going to let you have an edge!" Lana declared, "Hydro Pump!" she ordered with a swing of her right arm. Cloyster puffed out his cheeks before spraying another gush of torrential water from his mouth.

"Counter it with Bubble Beam!" Calvin called out. Making the bubble surrounding his head glow a bright blue, Araquanid fired off several bubbles from it. They collided with the torrent in a powerful burst of white mist that shrouded the entire field.

"Whoa!" Mallow yelped as she and Lana braced themselves from the oncoming mist.

"That Araquanid is powerful…" the Water-type trial captain noted, sounding impressed.

"Use Spider Web!" Calvin's voice exclaimed from within the shroud of the mist. Both girls gasped, unsure of who Araquanid was aiming for.

"Cloyster, Protect!" Lana called out quickly. The Bivalve Pokémon clamped his shell shut, making a light blue energy shield appear in front of his body. A line of sticky thread shot through the mist and split into a net… that entrapped Shiinotic!

"Ah!" Mallow gasped in surprise, while Lana widened her eyes.

'Did he predict I'd call for Protect?!' she wondered inwardly.

"Now Bubble Beam Cloyster up close!" Calvin commanded, causing her to gasp. Araquanid lunged out through the mist and hopped onto the Bivalve Pokémon as his energy shield went down.

"Quick, Hydro Pump!" Lana ordered immediately. But it was too late. The second Cloyster opened up his shell, Araquanid bombarded him with a flurry of bubbles to his face, resulting in a blast that blew away the surrounding mist. When the dust cleared, the Water Bubble Pokémon hopped back.

"Kloyyy…" Cloyster groaned as he lied upon his side with swirls in his eyes.

"Oh my…" Lana uttered out in amazement, blinking rapidly. Mallow was just as shocked.

"Guess we underestimated you, Calvin…" she admitted with an anxious grin.

"We're just getting started, Mallow!" he declared firmly as he balled his fists.

"Kwahh!" Araquanid bellowed in agreement. Meanwhile, Bounsweet's eyes shook out of astonishment. Never did she imagine the Water Bubble Pokémon would do so well in the battle, especially at such an obvious disadvantage. But yet here he was, defeating a Cloyster and now having a Shiinotic on the metaphorical ropes. And it all seemed to be because of Calvin's planning…

"Sheee nahh…" the Illuminating Pokémon grunted as she tried to free herself from the webbing she was trapped in.

"Bubble Beam!" Calvin ordered. As the bubble around his head glowed brightly, Araquanid unleashed another flurry of bubbles that struck the entrapped Shiinotic, but also tore apart the webbing surrounding her as she tumbled back along the dirt.

"Shiinotic, you okay?" her trainer asked in concern. Shaking her head, the Illuminating Pokémon stood up.

"Shee!" she assured with a nod.

"All right…" Mallow began, "use Strength Sap!" she instructed.

"Shee nah!" Shiinotic responded, making her long fingertips glow a bright pink before running towards Araquanid.

"Ah!" Hau gasped, "Cal, you better have him move!" he advised in a panic. However, his cousin didn't say a word. "C-Cal?" he stuttered in confusion.

"Araquanid, stand your ground!" he instructed.

"Arahh!" the Water Bubble Pokémon responded with a nod. As Shiinotic made her approach, she lunged forward and reached her hands out to Araquanid's head. Her fingertips submerged into his bubble, but then suddenly stopped.

"Shee?" she uttered in confusion, blinking rapidly.

"Quaaah…" Araquanid growled. Shiinotic started to sweat.

"What's wrong, Shiinotic?!" Mallow called out worriedly. Calvin smirked.

'Now to finish this!' he declared inwardly.

"Use Bubble Beam!" he ordered as he swung his right arm back. Araquanid's bubble glowed brightly.

"S-Shuh nah?!" Shiinotic stuttered out in confused shock. Before she could do anything else, she was bombarded with a flurry of bubbles from her opponent, blowing her off of him as she tumbled along the ground.

"Shiinotic!" her trainer exclaimed.

"Was Calvin planning for that…?" Lana wondered aloud as she blinked in astonishment.

"Now Bug Bite!" the Ketchum boy commanded. With his pointy teeth glowing a yellowish-green, Araquanid leapt out and caught the Illuminating Pokémon in his bubble before biting down onto her torso fiercely, causing an explosion of smoke to envelop the both of them. Everyone but Calvin gasped.

"B-Boww…" Bounsweet stuttered out, wondering what the result was. When the smoke did clear, it revealed Shiinotic lying upon the ground with swirls in her eyes as Araquanid loomed over her. He was victorious.

"No way…" Hau uttered in disbelief.

"Way to go, Araquanid!" Calvin complimented as he pumped his right fist into the air.

"Kwah!" the Water Bubble Pokémon squeaked delightedly. Meanwhile, the two trial captains returned their fainted Pokémon to their respective Poké Balls.

"Guess we really underestimated Calvin…" Mallow admitted sheepishly.

"Mm-hmm," Lana agreed with a nod, "His Araquanid's bubble was a lot sturdier than we thought…" she mentioned.

"Boww swee…" Bounsweet quietly muttered before her trainer approached, crouching down in front of her.

"So," he began, "what'd you think?" he asked her with a smile, "You wanna battle like Araquanid too, right?" he guessed as he tilted his head. Bounsweet blinked twice.

"B-Boww…" she stammered, having a light pink blush on her cheeks as she slightly turned away.

"Ah, kwaahhh," Araquanid said, poking her with his front right leg.

"Boww!" she huffed angrily, spinning her calyx. However, the Water Bubble Pokémon didn't seem to be remotely intimidated as he lowered his head to suddenly bring her into his bubble.

"A-Araquanid?" Calvin stuttered in surprise as the others approached.

"Oh, isn't that nice?" Lana inquired rhetorically, "Araquanid have a tendency to bring weaker Pokémon into their bubbles for protection," she explained before Calvin could even ask.

"In a way, it's kind of like being a parent!" Mallow added with a giggle.

"BOWWW!" Bounsweet exclaimed as she popped her head free of the bubble, now atop Araquanid's head.

"Heh, heh!" Hau chuckled, "Guess Araquanid's like a dad for your team!" he pointed out cheekily.

"Guess so…" Calvin concluded, grinning. Though Bounsweet was burning with embarrassment over this sudden affection Araquanid was showing her, she was also envious of his amazing strength. And she wanted to be as strong as him.

X

The standoff between Plumeria and Erika seemed to last for quite a while. Salandit licked her lips, eagerly awaiting which opponent she'd face. Meanwhile, Lillie stood off to the side worriedly. Was Erika capable of handling such an opponent? She didn't seem hesitant, much to her reassurance…

"Salandit is a Fire and Poison-type, zzzo Erika has plenty of optionzzz," Rotom noted as it floated beside Lillie.

"Who'll it be, kid?" Plumeria inquired, "That Drifblim that I've been hearing about? Or maybe that Lycanroc I saw?" she wondered aloud. Erika scoffed.

"Brionne, go!" she called out as she threw the Poké Ball into the air. It popped open, and the light that came out of it formed in midair, dissipating to reveal the Pop Star Pokémon.

"Breeahh!" she yipped excitedly as she landed down.

"Salannn…" Salandit hissed, stalking her opponent as she slowly crawled towards her.

"A Water-type, huh?" Plumeria noted, putting her hands at her hips, "You're smart," she admitted, "but lots of trainers get too confident with type advantages…" she pointed out with narrowed eyes.

"I'll show you why we're confident!" Erika retorted in declaration, "Brionne, Aqua Jet!" she ordered. Immersing herself within a torrent of water, the Pop Star Pokémon rocketed off towards Salandit.

"Poison Gas," Plumeria instructed. The Toxic Lizard Pokémon smirked. She exhaled a purple gas from her lips all around her, veiling her from view. Erika and Brionne gasped.

"Look out!" the trial-goer screamed. Her teammate managed to veer upwards just before she reached the gas, evading it as the water broke apart around her.

"Using Poison Gazzz as a zzzhield zzzo Brionne won't go through it…" Rotom noted curiously, "That Salandit'zzz well-trained…" it realized.

"B-Be careful, Erika!" Lillie called out in concern. The trial-goer clenched her teeth.

"Wash her out with Bubble Beam!" she yelled to Brionne.

"Bree!" she barked in response, reeling her head back before firing off a flurry of bubbles from her nostrils down at the cloud of gas.

"Flame Burst!" Plumeria commanded. All of a sudden, a searing fireball shot up out of the cloud, striking the bubbles in a fierce blast.

"Ergh!" Erika grunted, bracing herself from the resulting wind. Her teammate also had to do the same, crossing her flippers over her head.

"Now Dragon Rage," Plumeria instructed as she snapped her fingers. Salandit opened her mouth and fired off a beam of blue and black energy that formed into a dragon's head. Brionne gasped before being struck fiercely by it in a huge explosion.

"Brionne!" Erika screamed. The Pop Star Pokémon fell onto the ground, but quickly got up as she clenched her teeth and glared at her opponent.

"Salannnn…" she hissed deviously, licking her lips again.

"I'm not as easy as those grunts you've faced, kid," Plumeria remarked, catching Erika's attention, "You're gonna have to take some big risks if you wanna beat me," she added with a smirk. The Ketchum girl balled her fists in frustration.

"Erika…" Lillie uttered worriedly.

"Pew?" Nebby squeaked as its head poked out from her bag.

"Brionne, Aqua Jet!" Erika commanded as she pumped out her right fist. The Pop Star Pokémon launched herself forward in a torrent of water, heading right for Salandit.

"Poison Gas!" Plumeria called out. The Toxic Lizard Pokémon spewed out more purple gas from her mouth to surround herself.

"Ahh!" Brionne gasped.

"Keep going!" her trainer yelled. Plumeria gasped in surprise, as did Lillie and Rotom. Brionne was initially shocked as well, but with a glint of determination in her eyes, she rocketed into the cloud. A second later, she soared out of it, having struck Salandit as she took her upwards before the watery veil around her broke apart. They both landed down on the ground as the Toxic Lizard Pokémon grimaced slightly.

"Ah… arr…" Brionne breathed out before a purple light appeared upon her form along with sparks and bubbles of the same color.

"She'zzz poisoned!" Rotom buzzed in exclamation.

"Oh no…" Lillie uttered worriedly, putting her right hand over her mouth.

"Heh," Plumeria chuckled, "So you decided to take my advice after all, huh?" she guessed. Erika just glared back at her. "Well…" she continued, "now you've put yourself into something even worse…" she remarked as she smirked, "Venoshock!" she commanded. Salandit quickly spat out globs of purple liquid towards her foe.

"Dodge with Aqua Jet!" Erika called out. Immersing herself within another torrent of water, Brionne rocketed past the poisonous globs, making her way towards the Toxic Lizard Pokémon.

"Dragon Rage!" Plumeria ordered as she pumped her right fist back. Salandit smirked as she fired off a black and blue beam from her mouth, taking the form of a dragon before it engulfed Brionne in a massive blast.

"Brionne!" Erika screamed. Her teammate fell out from the smoke onto the ground, rolling across before coming to a stop.

"Bree…aahhh…" she breathed out before the purple light emitted from her body again with sparks and bubbles, making her wince.

"Dragon Rage again!" Plumeria commanded. Another blue and black beam in the shape of a dragon's head was shot from Salandit's mouth.

"Counter with Disarming Voice!" Erika called out quickly. Making her nose glow a bright pink, Brionne reeled her head back.

"Bree… AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" she screeched, unleashing a beam of pinkish-purple hearts that struck the dragon-shaped ray in a fierce explosion of smoke.

"Ergh…" Erika growled in frustration. Already the match had gone out of her control. And with Brionne being poisoned, the chances of her winning were much lower than before.

"Use Flame Burst!" Plumeria ordered. Salandit leapt up from the smoke, puffing out her cheeks before spitting out a searing fireball.

"Dodge with Aqua Jet and use Pound!" Erika immediately instructed.

"Bree!" Brionne barked, immersing herself within another torrent of water. She rocketed upwards, evading the fireball. Her front flippers both glowed a bright white as the water around her broke apart just as she reached Salandit. Spinning around, the Pop Star Pokémon backhanded her opponent with her left flipper before smacking her down to the ground with her right.

"Now Aqua Jet!" her trainer commanded as she threw down her right fist. After enduring another round of damage from the poison, Brionne had herself surrounded by a torrent of water before shooting downwards.

"Venoshock!" Plumeria ordered while swinging her arms back. Salandit quickly spat out multiple globs of poisonous purple liquid towards her approaching foe. A few managed to strike, making Brionne wince. But she kept on course, crashing down into the Toxic Lizard Pokémon fiercely as a plume of dust emanated from the collision.

"Oh my…" Lillie uttered out in amazement with shaking eyes.

"Pew…" Nebby squeaked, blinking rapidly. The dust soon cleared, revealing both Pokémon still standing despite being heavily dirtied and scraped.

"Bree… ahh!" Brionne yelped as her body glowed purple once again with sparks and bubbles emanating from her form.

"Brionne!" her trainer cried out worriedly.

"Heh," Plumeria chuckled, "Guess even poison's too much for you to handle…" she noted, "Use Venoshock!" she commanded. Leaping up, Salandit spun around before spitting more globs of poisonous liquid down at Brionne. They struck, sending her tumbling back along the ground as dust built up.

"Oh no!" Lillie exclaimed in fright.

"Venoshock'zzz much more powerful when the target'zzz been poisoned…" Rotom noted, looking over at Plumeria, "That lady really knowzzz how to battle…" it pointed out.

"We're not done yet!" Erika declared firmly. She quickly set the Waterium Z onto her Z-Ring. Plumeria noticed and gasped.

"Salandit, finish her off with Venoshock!" she quickly ordered. Her teammate leapt up again and fired off more globs of poisonous purple liquid from her mouth towards Brionne.

"Dodge it!" Erika called out. The Pop Star Pokémon managed to hop back, letting the globs strike nothing but the ground. Her trainer then crossed her arms over her face, having the left over the right as the Z-Crystal glowed a bright blue. Brionne copied her motions as she swung her arms around before moving them left to right like ocean waves. A bluish aura that had been building up around her during the dance shot out in streaks to her teammate. The lights merged with her body, followed by the Z-Move symbol flashing in front of her.

"They're using the Water-type Z-Move!" Rotom exclaimed out of surprise.

"Ergh…" Plumeria growled in frustration, "Dragon Rage!" she ordered desperately. Salandit fired off another black and blue beam in the shape of a dragon's head towards his foe. Water started to spread out beneath her form.

"Onnhh!" she barked assuredly to her trainer, who nodded.

"Go for it, Brionne!" she called out, enticing her teammate to suddenly immerse herself in a light blue torrent of water before dashing forwards. She evaded the dragon-shaped beam before ramming right into Salandit. "HYDRO VORTEX!" Erika exclaimed fiercely.

"Breeee… AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Brionne screamed as she swam around in a circle, creating a tornado of water that constantly struck her opponent. By the time it broke apart into sparkling droplets, the Pop Star Pokémon landed down in front of her trainer, breathing heavily. Salandit hit the ground hard.

"Sall…" she moaned out as her eyes were in swirls.

"Huh," Plumeria exhaled upon seeing the result, "Phooey…" she muttered, returning her Pokémon to her Ultra Ball in a beam of red light.

"Bree… bree…" Brionne breathed out before falling over onto her stomach.

"Brionne!" her trainer yelled, rushing over to her. Lillie and Rotom quickly approached as Erika picked her teammate up.

"Ahh…" she groaned, still wincing from the poison. Erika grimaced. Despite winning the battle, she had taken way too many risks with Brionne.

"Not bad, kid," Plumeria remarked, catching her attention as she looked over at her, "Guess I can tell why Gladion thinks you're strong," she admitted, putting her right hand onto her hip. Erika growled.

"Tell your brothers and sisters to leave us and our friends alone!" she demanded angrily.

"Erika…" Lillie uttered pleadingly, not wanting to make the situation worse.

"Heh," Plumeria chuckled, "Hate to tell ya after such a show," she started to say, "but I'm not the big boss of those idiots," she told them, "And he's much tougher than trainer I've ever seen…" she mentioned with a smirk. Erika was stunned. There was someone on Team Skull stronger than her?! "Anyways, I'll let you go for today," she said, turning around and walking off down the hill, "Consider it out of respect," she added with a wave of her hand.

"Grr…" the trial-goer growled, but rescinded from any further confrontation as she looked at her weakened teammate, whose ears flopped.

"I don't have any Antidotes with me…" Lillie confessed ashamedly.

"Maybe we can find some berries or something!" Erika suggested.

"I don't think there'zzz one around…" Rotom buzzed.

"Ahhh…" Brionne whined, clenching her teeth in agony.

"Brionne…" Erika uttered, frustrated that she couldn't do anything.

"Erika! Lillie!" a familiar voice called out, catching their attentions as they turned and gasped to see Olivia jogging down towards them.

"Miss Olivia!" both girls exclaimed in surprise as the kahuna approached. She lightly gasped upon seeing the poisoned Pop Star Pokémon.

"Hold on," she said, reaching into her pockets before pulling out a Pecha Berry from her right. Moments later, Brionne was contently eating the fruit as Nebby sat beside her.

"Pew?" it squeaked out worriedly, getting her attention.

"Bree, breeah!" she yipped in reassurance, patting its head.

"Peww!" it exclaimed happily, waving its gaseous arms. Meanwhile, Erika and Lillie were standing off to the side with Olivia, discussing what had happened.

"So Team Skull, huh?" the kahuna inquired after listening to the girls about their encounter, "Well, I'm glad you're both alright…" she said with a breath of relief.

"That lady we faced… Plumeria…" Erika recalled, "She was a lot tougher than I thought she'd be…" she admitted, balling her fists in frustration. Olivia put a hand onto her shoulder, causing her to perk up in surprise.

"You still won though," she pointed out with a smile, "I'd say that's reason to celebrate," she mentioned. Erika blinked in astonishment before pulling off a grin. "Now do tell," the kahuna insisted, "why are you girls all the way out here?" she asked them.

"We wanted to see the Ruins of Life," Lillie answered as she stepped forward, "But… we weren't expecting to run into you…" she admitted sheepishly. Olivia giggled.

"I help maintain the Ruins from time to time," she told the girls, "It's why I couldn't hold a grand trial with you today," she added to Erika, "Come," she beckoned, pointing towards the end of the hill. A few minutes later, the group arrived at the peak, seeing an entryway into a large cavern.

'It's just like the one at the Ruins of Conflict…' the trial-goer noted inwardly, though the entrance had pinkish-purple markings instead of yellow.

"This is the sacred ground of Tapu Lele," Olivia told the group, "It scatters its scales to weakened Pokémon to heal them," she explained, "Though in fairness, it's usually responsible for so many weakened Pokémon," she pointed out to the girls' surprise, "It tends to be a bit rowdy…" she confessed sheepishly.

"Soundzzz like a real guardian…" Rotom remarked. Olivia narrowed her eyes curiously.

"Lillie…" she began, catching the attention of the professor's assistant, "you're not a trainer, are you?" she guessed.

"O-Oh… no, I'm not…" she admitted with a stutter, "It's why I had Erika escort me here," she mentioned, gesturing towards her friend.

"So then… why come to the Ruins?" Olivia wondered out of curiosity.

"Because of Nebby here…" Lillie answered as the Cosmog floated over to her side.

"Pew?" it squeaked in confusion, looking up at its caretaker.

"I've been trying to find a way to help it get back home," she explained to the kahuna, "but… I don't have any idea how to do that…" she confessed ashamedly.

"Nebby seems to like the Ruins though," Erika chimed in, "The same thing happened on Melemele," she recalled as she glanced over at Lillie, who nodded.

"Hmm…" Olivia hummed in thought, looking at the Cosmog, "Regular Pokémon normally avoid the guardians at all times," she noted, "That is… unless they're strong enough to face them…" she pointed out.

"Pew?" Nebby squeaked. The kahuna slightly widened her eyes.

"Wait, that can't be right…" she said, putting her hand onto her chin.

"Something wrong, Miss Olivia?" Erika wondered out of concern.

"Oh, it's nothing!" she assured in reply, "In the meantime, let's get you girls back to the city," she recommended, "I want my next challenger to be at her best for tomorrow's battle with me and my adorable, rugged little Rock-types," she mentioned towards the Ketchum girl, who blinked in surprise. Just then, Brionne hopped up onto her shoulder.

"Bree ah!" she barked excitedly. Her trainer smiled.

"We'll be more than ready, Miss Olivia," she promised firmly. Tomorrow's grand trial was certainly going to be a thrilling one…

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: Huh… Okay, couple of new updates. First off, I'm going back to work!

Erika Ketchum: Aw, really? I thought the whole virus thing… you know…

NegaiFreak: Well, it's good news for me since I get to work and not waste my days inside my house. Chapter updates won't be as frequent by then, but I assure you that I'll do my best to get everything out to you all.

Lillie: So long as you're safe, we won't worry.

NegaiFreak: Thanks! And now it's time for the preview to the next arc of "RWBY: Omni Force". Enjoy!

PREVIEW

Opens with the Faunus of Menagerie training for the protection of Haven under Mirko and Genji's instruction. Ben, Gaara & Blake watch over the training from afar.

Gaara: Are we going to be ready in time?

Ben Tennyson: We'll have to be.

Cuts to him transforming into Shocksquatch in a flash of green light.

Ben Tennyson: We're up against possibly thousands of Faunus and several explosives that could go off at a moment's notice.

Cuts to Adam and the White Fang setting the charges onto the CCT Tower of Haven Academy.

Ben Tennyson: We have to do whatever it takes to stop Adam and bring him down. *looks over at Blake* That means we don't hold back.

Blake Belladonna: *nods firmly* Right.

NF PRODUCTIONS

We continue with Qrow leading the Omni Force members and the Huntsmen students towards Haven Academy.

Boa Hancock: If you want to prove yourself to me, you have to show that you can lead others.

Cuts to her firing a Pistol Kiss inside the main hall.

Erza Scarlet: Even if we're up against two Maidens, a headmaster, and followers with likely years of training… we won't lose.

We shift to a scene of her sword breaking apart a deadlock between Qrow and Raven.

Erza Scarlet: I'll wear my heart on my sleeve and stand against anything that threatens my friends and I!

Cuts to various scenes of Smoker landing a White Blow to Hazel's head before receiving a punch to the gut, Hancock and Mercury exchanging kicks before Yang attempts to punch their opponent, and Starlight's magic beams being at a deadlock with Cinder's flames until Jaune charges the Fall Maiden.

Cinder Fall: Do you honestly expect to defeat us?

Cuts to the aura around her eye flaming up angrily.

Cinder Fall: This power you're 'protecting'… will be ours…

She forms a spear with her Semblance before firing it.

Jaune Arc: NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The screen cuts to black as we hear the spear pierce through something.

RWBY: OMNI FORCE

There is the sound of slow-clapping in the trees beyond Haven Academy. Hawks widens his eyes.

Keigo Takami: Oh no…

He sees All For One exit the trees with the Fallen following close behind.

All For One: Now… shall we begin our test?

Cuts to him unleashing a powerful inferno of flames onto the ground.

END PREVIEW

NegaiFreak: And there you have it! Hopefully, a few chapters of this will be done before I head back to work. Granted, I doubt there'll be too much to do since it's a gradual return to work and likely will require me to be extra careful going forward. But in spite of this development, I am glad that I can safely return to my employment without worry for the moment.

Hau Hughes: Anyways, check out the summary for our next chapter! It's gonna be a while before we're back, but we'll be ready and waiting!

SUMMARY

Rocky Revolution!

Now ready to take her second grand trial, Erika faces the Rock-type user, Olivia! Will type advantages and pure power from her teammates overcome the durability of Olivia's Pokémon?!

END SUMMARY