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!

26. Lele Loco!

By the time this chapter comes out, Ash will have had his rematch against Bea in the anime! I sure hope he won this time!

Alola again, everyone! We've got one more chapter before taking a detour back into "Omni Force: JUSTICE", so I'm stoked to get things going! Furthermore, there's going to be a trailer by the end of this chapter! It's gonna reveal a lot of exciting stuff to come!

Last time we left off, Calvin unfortunately lost his grand trial battle against Olivia. So now it's time for him to train with Kiawe to get ready for a rematch!

And we'll be seeing how Erika's doing, too! So let's dive right in!

POKÉMON SUN & MOON

THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME

"Kew bohh!" Cubone exclaimed as he leapt up, swinging his bone down in both hands at a Growlithe. The Puppy Pokémon hopped back, letting him strike nothing but the dirt as he landed in front of his trainer, Kiawe.

"Your timing's getting much better, Calvin!" he called out to the capped boy on the opposite side of the field.

"Thanks!" he responded with a grin. He was feeling much better from yesterday. The two of them were out in the fields of Kiawe's home in Paniola Town, having arrived this morning.

"Boh, bonh!" Cubone cried out to his trainer, getting his attention.

"Okay, Bonemerang!" he commanded in response as he swung his right arm out. The Lonely Pokémon chucked his bone, having it spin rapidly as it soared towards Growlithe.

"Use Flame Wheel!" Kiawe ordered. Spewing out flames from his mouth that swirled over his body, the Puppy Pokémon rolled forward, colliding with the incoming bone in a fierce blast. The bone itself came flying out from the resulting smoke for Cubone to catch in his right hand. The black veil cleared to reveal Growlithe still standing, breathing heavily.

"Still not enough, huh?" Calvin noted, giving off a frustrated look.

"Morning, guys!" a familiar voice called out in greeting, catching their attentions as they looked over to see Mimo coming out from the house with a pair of Moomoo Milk bottles in hand, "You want some milk?" she offered. Both boys chuckled, nodding to each other. Moments later, they were seated on the porch, enjoying their drinks.

"I'm glad to see that you're in high spirits," Kiawe pointed out to Calvin, making him look over at him in surprise, "After yesterday, I imagined you'd want to take some time to reflect on that battle," he admitted, "So I'm glad you've come to train with me," he added in confession.

"I'm glad, too," Calvin responded, "I needed to take a step back for my team and myself," he noted, closing his left hand into a fist. He remembered the conversation he had upon leaving the Pokémon Center that morning.

FLASHBACK

"Good luck with your training, Cal!" Hau exclaimed as he and his cousin grasped each other's hands firmly in promise.

"And good luck against Olivia," the capped boy mentioned in reply, "I'm sure you'll be fine though…" he assured confidently. However, Hau shook his head.

"After seeing your match, I'm not so sure…" he admitted with a nervous grin, "Olivia's tough," he pointed out, "I might've beaten Tutu with my team, but it's not gonna be so easy against her…" he noted. Calvin knew he was right. Most of his team consisted of types that weren't so useful against Rock-types.

"Well… you'll do your best like always," he promised to his cousin as he blinked in surprise, "After all, you're more optimistic about these things than I am…" he pointed out sheepishly with a grin. Hau smiled back.

"Be sure to get real strong before we meet again, Cal!" he insisted upon letting go of his cousin's hand, "We'll have a battle to see who's gotten better!" he vowed firmly.

"That's a promise," Calvin assured happily.

END FLASHBACK

Standing up from his seat, Calvin chugged down the last of his Moomoo Milk before setting the empty bottle onto a table.

"Okay, let's get back to it!" he exclaimed eagerly, pumping his fists. Blinking in surprise, Kiawe let out a chuckle before standing up as well.

"Now, now…" he repeated in a pleading tone, "Let's not rush things," he advised.

"I know," Calvin assured as a response with a nod, "We'll take as much time as we need to get ready," he stated. It was going to be an uphill challenge for sure, but he was ready to go on that grind to become stronger.

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.

END OPENING

Lele Loco!

"Foh… mahh…" Fomantis snoozed contently as she was resting on the sand in the beating sunlight. She seemed so peaceful as she lied on her stomach. But that peace ended once a familiar shadow started to come over her. "Fohh…" she growled out, having a tick mark appear upon her head. Once again, Drifblim was floating over her, casting its shadow.

"Blimm, blimm!" he giggled.

"FOH, MAHHH, MAH!" Fomantis squeaked angrily, attempting to swipe at the Blimp Pokémon with her scythe-like arms, but to no avail as he floated higher to evade the attacks.

"Mag bee…" Magby sighed upon seeing the familiar scene of teasing.

"Koree~… Koreee~!" Oricorio sang as she danced about the beach area without a care.

"Lookzzz like everyone'zzz having fun!" Rotom buzzed out to Erika, who was dressed in a two-piece, blue and white-striped swimsuit. She was practicing her Z-Move poses as the Rockium Z was upon her Z-Ring. Lycanroc was doing the same, trying to get the same pose down as his trainer.

"You gotta bend your knee a little more, Lycanroc!" Erika called out to him.

"Ryy!" he barked in response with a nod. Rotom looked on at the pair with a bit of concern in its eyes. Instead of trying to relax before going to Aether Paradise, Erika decided on going to the Hano Grand Resort's beach to practice her latest Z-Move. And while the rest of her team was allowed to partake in some much needed rest and relaxation, Lycanroc was the one who needed to practice the dance with his trainer. Not that he minded. He wanted to do exactly what Olivia's did.

"Don't you think you zzzhould take a break zzzoon?" Rotom questioned curiously as it tilted itself to the right a little.

"Whaddaya mean, Rotodex?" Erika asked back, "We all gotta get ready for that big tournament they're holding, ya know!" she pointed out, repeating the dance for the Rock-type Z-Move fluently with Lycanroc.

"But it'zzz not healthy to alwayzzz train constantly, zzt…" Rotom noted in response, letting off a sigh, "Besidezzz, zzzhouldn't you train some of your Pokémon that haven't evolved yet?" it inquired.

"Uh… I guess so…" Erika sheepishly admitted, letting out a laugh, "You can take a break now, Lycanroc," she told the Wolf Pokémon, who grinned.

"Ryy…!" he grunted out as he stretched his arms, walking off to find a place to lie down.

"Hey, Fomantis! Magby!" Erika called out, catching their attentions as they both hurried over to their trainer, "We're gonna get the two of you all toughed up before that big tournament!" she vowed to them, "Rotodex, show 'em their evolutions!" she insisted of the Pokédex, who blinked in surprise.

"That'zzz a good idea, Erika!" it pointed out, loading up an image upon its screen. The first image that came up was that of Lurantis.

"Fomahh…?" Fomantis uttered in surprise as she blinked.

"That's what you'll evolve into someday!" Erika pointed out, "Aren't you excited?" she asked of the Sickle Grass Pokémon. She was… but for a different reason. She imagined herself growing taller upon evolving. And whenever Drifblim would try to cast a shadow over her, she would be tall enough to swat him away every time and sunbathe in peace.

"Teeteetee…!" she snickered deviously with excitement. Her trainer blinked in confusion, wondering what she was thinking about…

"And here'zzz Magby'zzz evolution!" Rotom chimed in, loading up an image of a Magmar. The Live Coal Pokémon beamed as he recognized the evolution, having sparkles of excitement in his eyes.

"Doesn't Magby evolve one more time?" Erika inquired curiously.

"Yep!" Rotom replied, loading up one more image. This time, it was a Magmortar. "Magmortar, the Blast Pokémon, and the final evolved form of Magby," the Pokédex began to say, "From his arm, he launches fireballs hotter than three thousand, five hundred degrees Fahrenheit. His arm starts to melt when he fires a whole barrage. Magmortar takes down his enemies by shooting fireballs, which burn them to a blackened crisp. He avoids this method when hunting prey," it explained thoroughly. At that point, Magby was thrilled by the possibility of becoming the Blast Pokémon someday. He gave off a firm expression of desire and passion.

"Mag bee!" he exclaimed, catching everyone's attention. He then puffed his cheeks, arching his head back before spitting out a searing fireball. It struck the sand in a powerful blast with embers flying about from the impact.

"Whoa…!" Erika gasped in surprise.

"That wazzz Flame Burst!" Rotom excitedly pointed out.

"Awesome, Magby!" Erika complimented as she balled her fists and pumped them back, "Looks like you really wanna evolve soon!" she noted with a giggle. Magby huffed proudly with confidence. Meanwhile, Fomantis marveled at how strong the Flame Burst was. She wanted to get stronger, too…

"Mah, mantee!" she squeaked, catching her trainer's attention, "Foh, mah!" she pleaded. Erika smiled after a moment of understanding.

"Don't worry, Fomantis," she assured, crouching down to her eye level, "We'll get you ready, too," she promised.

"Foh!" the Sickle Grass Pokémon exclaimed happily. As she stood back up, Erika blinked upon remembering something.

"Hey, doesn't Brionne evolve one more time, too?" she inquired to Rotom, catching its attention, "We should show her!" she insisted.

"Yeah, but…" the Pokédex began as it glanced around, "where is she?" it wondered curiously. The Pop Star Pokémon was swimming about the ocean water of the beach, happily twirling about and gliding fast through the water.

"Breeah!" she exclaimed upon leaping out of the water in a splash. She made her way back to the shore, about to join up with her teammates and trainer. But then she noticed a mound of sand in front of her… with a familiar shovel atop it. "Onh?" she barked in confusion, tilting her head to the side. All of a sudden, the mound turned to face her. And that's when she recognized it, widening her eyes in horror. The mound of sand also widened his own eyes.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!" he screamed.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Brionne screeched. From afar, Erika and the Pokémon overheard the screaming.

"Was… that Brionne?" the trial-goer guessed, arching an eyebrow. She then blinked in surprise to see the Pop Star Pokémon hurriedly rushing over to her as tears of fright were welling in her eyes.

"Bree, breee!" she yipped out with relief, leaping into her trainer's arms.

"Wh-Whoa!" she stuttered in surprise, "What's got you so spooked?" she asked in concern.

"B-Breeon!" she responded with a stammer, using her left flipper to gesture towards where she had come from.

"We zzzhould go see what it is, zzt," Rotom advised. Erika nodded with agreement. She, Rotom, and the Pokémon all ventured towards where Brionne had come back from. Upon arriving at the area, Erika blinked in surprise to see the familiar mound of sand… trembling?

"Hey, I know that thing!" she said, pointing towards him as he shook with fright, "Back on Melemele, when Brionne was still just a Popplio, she tried to save me from those creepy sand guys…" she recalled, "What even is this guy called?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Rotom quickly loaded an image of the creature upon its screen.

"Sandygast, the Sand Heap Pokémon," it began, "Born from a sand mound playfully built by a child, this Pokémon embodies the grudges of the departed. He takes control of anyone who puts a hand in his mouth. And so he adds to the accumulation of his sand-mound body," it explained thoroughly.

"Sandygast, huh?" Erika repeated curiously. The Sand Heap Pokémon nervously glanced over at the trial-goer. She smiled. "You know, you're really cool!" she admitted with a tilt of her head.

"Gaass?" the Sandygast uttered in confusion. Erika's Pokémon all blinked in surprise at her remarks.

"You think Sandygast izzz cool, zzt?" Rotom buzzed out of confusion, having multiple question marks appear upon its screen.

"Yeah!" the trial-goer replied, "He could handle Water-type moves no problem like those other ones!" she mentioned in remembrance.

"That'zzz due to their ability, Water Compaction!" the Pokédex pointed out.

"Water Compaction?" Erika repeated, arching an eyebrow.

"Whenever Sandygast izzz hit by a Water-type move, hizzz defenzzze risezzz!" Rotom explained excitedly in reply.

"Whoa… cool!" Erika exclaimed.

"Ga…Gaahh…" the Sand Heap Pokémon stammered, slowly backing away out of fright.

"Hey, there's no need to be scared…" the Ketchum girl assured to him, making him stop for a moment, "Oh, I know!" she said, getting up and running off, "Stay right there, okay?" she advised. Moments later, she returned with a Poké Ball in hand. "Why don't you come with us?" she offered to Sandygast.

"GAAAAAAASSSSSUUU?!" he shrieked in surprise.

"You wanna catch him, zzt?" Rotom inquired.

"Why not?" Erika questioned back, "Dad caught lots of Pokémon all around the world!" she pointed out, "So… I should try to catch as many as I want, too!" she insisted, crouching down to Sandygast's eye level. He shuddered. "You're pretty scared, huh?" Erika guessed, "Well, you shouldn't worry," she advised in an assuring tone, "Me and my team'll help make you strong," she promised.

"G-Gassuu…?" the Sand Heap Pokémon stuttered out again. A little hesitant still, he reached his stubby mound of sand acting as a right arm to gently tap the Poké Ball. It popped open, causing his body to turn into red and white light that zoomed into it before it shut. Erika held it in the palm of her hand as it shook, beeping with the button blinking a bright red. All of a sudden, it clicked. She gasped happily.

"We just caught a Sandygast!" she exclaimed, standing up and raising the container into the air. Her team was flabbergasted by just how easy the capture was. But then again, all of them were obtained rather easily, save for Fomantis. Just then, Lycanroc noticed something as his eyes slightly widened.

"Ry, rykan!" he yipped out, catching his trainer's attention as he pointed towards her hand. She glanced up to see that the Poké Ball had shrunk… and its button was still glowing red.

"That's weird…" she noted in confusion, not recalling herself pressing the button in the first place. She pressed it… and nothing happened. "Huh?" she uttered, tilting her head. For a few moments, she pressed at the button again and again, only to get the same result. "Come on!" she yelled in frustration, "Open up already!" she demanded, now resorting to prying it open with her teeth, which looked to be futile.

"Uh… Erika…" Rotom buzzed, trying to get her attention. But she was too focused on trying to get her newest teammate out of his Poké Ball.

"If you already have six Pokémon in your party, you'll have to remove one in order to get that new Sandygast of yours out," a familiar voice suddenly explained.

"Oh, that's why?" Erika inquired, turning towards who had spoken, "Well, thanks for your-" She stopped talking as she gasped in surprise. Standing there was none other than Kahili.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" she guessed, tipping her visor up slightly.

"K-Kahili!" Erika stuttered in surprise.

X

"Ahhkwwwaaaahhh!" Araquanid exclaimed, firing off bubbles furiously from the glowing one around his head at mounds of dirt in the Paniola Ranch. They struck fiercely, blasting them apart into small puddles of mud.

"Nice job, Araquanid!" Calvin complimented from afar, watching over him and his other Pokémon as they were training. Trumbeak was gliding overhead, leading Torracat, Gumshoos, and Cubone on a run across the grassy plains. Everyone was training hard. Well… everyone except for Bounsweet. She was sitting upon the wooden fence, watching as her teammates trained. As worried as she was about how her trainer took a tough loss in the grand trial yesterday, she wasn't overly concerned.

Rather, she didn't care… or did she? Seeing how upset even Araquanid was surprised her. Part of her wished she could've helped somehow. And another part of her didn't want to bother with it.

"Hey, Bounsweet…" Calvin began, catching the Fruit Pokémon's attention as she perked up to see him approach, "you should train with the others, too," he insisted of her.

"Bow!" she huffed, turning away.

"Come on…" her trainer complained, "Kiawe's gonna get mad if you don't train today…" he pointed out, putting his hands onto his hips. But Bounsweet was defiant, puffing her cheeks out.

"Mrow…" Torracat purred out, catching their attentions as they looked to see her approach with a sneaky grin on her face, "Toraah…" she remarked while glancing over at Bounsweet, who blinked in surprise.

"Bow swee?" she questioned, glaring at her. Calvin looked on nervously. He had a feeling he knew where this was going to lead.

"Mrow, mraaww," Torracat responded. Bounsweet's face instantly went red with anger.

"BOW, BOW SWEEEE!" she screamed in rage, hopping off of the fence and making her calyx spin as she attempted to strike Torracat with it. She smirked, flipping back to evade her.

"H-Hey!" their trainer stammered out in surprise, "Torracat, what'd you even say to her?!" he asked of the Fire Cat Pokémon.

"Mrah, mroww…" she taunted to Bounsweet, waving her front left paw to her in a goading manner. The Fruit Pokémon puffed out her cheeks again before hopping up and spinning her calyx, unleashing a sweet, wafting scent that was quite fruity. However, Torracat made the bell-like organ at her neck burn brightly before she spat out a fireball that burned through the powdery aroma instantaneously.

"B-Bow?!" Bounsweet stammered in disbelief. She looked over to see Torracat chuckling.

"Mroww!" she purred, running off with a cheeky grin on her face. Realizing that she had been tricked, Bounsweet clenched her teeth.

"BOWW!" she yelled out, bouncing after the Fire Cat Pokémon. Left behind, Calvin was just flabbergasted. But he chuckled, glad that Bounsweet was finally joining the rest of her team in training.

"Heyyy!" a familiar voice echoed out, catching his attention as he blinked in surprise. He turned and gasped happily to see Mallow and her Steenee waving to him from afar. Moments later, he and the trial captain were sitting next to each other on the wood fence.

"So you're picking up Moomoo Milk?" Calvin inquired after listening to the greenish-haired girl.

"Mm-hmm!" she responded with a happy nod, "Lots of the ingredients we use at the family restaurant in Konikoni are from the ranch!" she pointed out, "The cheeses and milk are really good!" she added as her eyes sparkled.

"Glad to hear that you enjoy cooking…" Calvin noted, looking out to see Steenee skipping around and playing with his Pokémon, including Bounsweet.

"I heard about what happened in your grand trial yesterday," Mallow said, catching his attention as he perked up slightly, "I'm sorry that you lost…" she apologized.

"Oh, uh, there's no reason for you to apologize!" Calvin stammered assuredly.

"It sounded like you and your team were pretty close though!" Mallow mentioned as she pumped her fists, "Olivia was just a step ahead of you, I guess…" she concluded with a sheepish grin.

"Yeah…" the capped boy agreed, thinking back to the battle, "Seeing her use Anorith and Lileep really threw me off guard," he admitted, "And even though we beat them, I didn't focus on what she'd been plotting with her Pokémon's moves…" he mentioned, recalling how Lileep's Stealth Rock was crucial in damaging Araquanid before he fell to Lycanroc.

"Don't think that you didn't catch her off guard," Mallow advised suddenly.

"Huh?" Calvin uttered in confusion.

"Seriously, you came pretty close to beating her," the trial captain pointed out, "You even made her use a Z-Move, didn't you?" she inquired, making him nod. In spite of the loss, he had pushed Olivia to that point… So there were some positives. "You gotta find a way to keep her on her toes, just like she did with you," Mallow insisted of him, "That way, you can feel a lot more comfortable going into a rematch!" she noted.

"Yeah," Calvin agreed with a nod.

"By the way, where's Kiawe?" the trial captain asked curiously as she glanced around, "I thought he was supposed to be training you and your team…" she pointed out.

"Yeah, he had to go over to Wela Volcano for another round of trials today…" Calvin told her in reply. She let out a chuckle.

"So he's as busy as ever…" she realized, staring up at the sky. Calvin had to wonder how Kiawe could handle being a trial captain and a grocery store worker while having a dream to study the art of dancing someday.

"Steee, stee nee!" Steenee suddenly cried out, catching his and Mallow's attention. They looked over to see Bounsweet sweating a little as she made her calyx glow a bright green. Spinning it around rapidly, she unleashing multiple glowing green leaves that struck a nearby mound of dirt, breaking it apart upon impact.

"That was Magical Leaf!" Mallow exclaimed as she clapped her hands together. Calvin let out an excited laugh.

"Mrow!" Torracat roared excitedly in a complimentary tone. Bounsweet was surprised, finding herself being praised by her teammates for learning a new move. It didn't seem like much… but she appreciated the sentiment all the same as she smiled a little.

"Ah, kwah!" Araquanid squeaked, patting her atop the head with his front right leg. Watching his Pokémon all have fun together in the midst of their training, Calvin smiled. He was going to overcome Olivia the next time they fought. He and his team would.

X

"You look well," Kahili noted to a shocked Erika.

"S-So do you…" she stuttered in reply, somewhat nervous. After all, Leslie had told her she was someone famous.

"Has the Flyinium Z worked out well for you?" the golfer asked, snapping her out of her stupor as she blinked.

"Uh, yeah!" she replied, "We've only used it once or twice, but it's really strong!" she pointed out, "Right, Drifblim?" she inquired of the Blimp Pokémon floating beside her.

"Blimmm!" he happily squeaked in response. Kahili giggled.

"So you have a Drifblim now…" she noted curiously, glancing over to see the rest of her team, "And it looks like your Oricorio's taken on the Pa'u Style," she mentioned upon noticing the Dancing Pokémon.

"Koree~!" she chirped, swaying about without a care still.

"Yeah, that was kind of an accident…" Erika admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head, "Anyways, I better get a Pokémon Center and figure out who to send back for Sandygast to come out," she said, about to head off.

"Actually…" the golfer began, causing the Ketchum girl to stop before she could even attempt to leave, "I was hoping you and I could have a battle right now," she said. Erika blinked.

"You wanna battle me?" she inquired, not sure she had heard Kahili right…

"Of course!" she responded, "I'd love to see how far you've gotten in your island challenge," she pointed out. Again, Erika blinked.

"Wait, you knew I was on the island challenge?!" she asked out of shock.

"Your amulet was on your bag, wasn't it?" Kahili guessed back, causing the trial-goer to blink once more in realization.

"Oh, right…" she concluded with an embarrassed blush on her cheeks, sheepishly chuckling.

"So?" the golfer said, "Would you like to battle?" she offered with a tilt of her head.

"Sure!" Erika eagerly replied as she pumped her fists. Moments later, the two of them stood far apart from each other, with the Ketchum girl's Pokémon and Rotom watching behind her. Kahili readied a Poké Ball in her hand, enlarging it with a press of its center button.

"Come on out!" she exclaimed, tossing it up into the air. The Poké Ball popped open, with its light spilling forth onto the sand, forming before dissipating. Erika blinked in surprise. Standing before her and her team was an avian Pokémon with black feathers and a prominent beak similar to a toucan. The upper part of the beak had a black tip with three red bands gradually lightening in color toward the yellow base. The mandible was smaller and solid red. Around the base of the beak was a thin black band with two extensions into the upper jaw similar to nostrils. There was a white marking covering his chin and chest, and a half-circle, yellow marking on each cheek. He had dark blue eyes, light blue eyelids, and jagged, gray eyebrows. He also had a long tail with a spiky ruff of red feathers around the base, and spindly blue legs. Each foot had two forward facing toes with black talons and two rear-facing toes with no visible claws.

"Cann," he chirped out, glaring over at Erika and her team. She grimaced a little.

"Rotodex, who is that Pokémon?" she asked in a whisper as the Pokédex floated over to her.

"Leave it to me, zzt!" it responded, loading up an image of the avian Pokémon upon its screen, "Toucannon, the Cannon Pokémon, and the final evolved form of Pikipek," it started to explain, "Within his beak, his internal gas ignites, explosively launching seeds with enough power to pulverize boulders. Known for forming harmonious couples, this Pokémon is brought to wedding ceremonies as a good luck charm," it explained thoroughly.

"So that's what Calvin's Trumbeak evolves into…" Erika realized as she blinked, "Cool!" she exclaimed.

"Now who will you choose to battle?" Kahili wondered aloud, catching her attention.

'Well… since Toucannon's a Normal and Flying-type…' she began inwardly as she let off a grin.

"Lycanroc, let's go!" she called out, thrusting her left arm out.

"Ryy!" the Wolf Pokémon yipped excitedly as he jumped forward, landing in front of his trainer and grinning wickedly.

"Ah, so that must be the Rockruff I saw back then," Kahili realized, "Give us everything you've got!" she insisted.

"Canno!" Toucannon chirped in agreement.

"Will do!" Erika responded, "Lycanroc, start things off with Bite!" she commanded. The Wolf Pokémon made his teeth shine a bright white, but they also grew and sharpened as he charged towards his opponent.

"It lookzzz like he'zzz actually using Crunch!" Rotom pointed out excitedly. However, it didn't seem like Kahili was intimidated. She actually cracked a smirk.

"Touckey, Brick Break!" she ordered. Making the tip of his beak glow white, the Cannon Pokémon arched his head to the side to evade Lycanroc, right before smacking him upside the head. He was sent crashing into the rock wall in a fierce burst of dust.

"Lycanroc!" Erika screamed, gritting her teeth worriedly.

'So Toucannon knows a Fighting-type move?!' she exclaimed through her thoughts out of disbelief. Meanwhile, Lycanroc removed himself from the rock wall, letting out a few heavy breaths before wiping his lips.

"Now Bullet Seed!" Kahili commanded. The Toucannon puffed out his chest, opening his beak to fire multiple gold seeds surrounded in a light green aura towards his foe.

"Dodge it!" Erika called out, swinging her right arm back. Lycanroc leapt away from the incoming seeds, flipping back and landing in front of his trainer.

"Blimm…" Drifblim squeaked in surprise, amazed by how capable Toucannon was.

"Use Rock Blast!" Kahili ordered as she pumped her right fist forward. The Cannon Pokémon flapped his wings and flew upward, opening his beak to fire off glowing orange rocks towards Lycanroc.

"Hit 'em back with Counter!" Erika instructed. Having his body shine in a reddish aura, the Wolf Pokémon closed his paws into fists and punched back the rocks. However, Toucannon flew out of the way of each one, letting them harmlessly strike the sand.

"Not bad…" Kahili complimented, "Touckey, use Beak Blast!" she commanded.

"Cahh!" the Cannon Pokémon squawked, landing down on the sand. The non-black part of his back started glowing a bright orange. Seeing that, Erika grinned.

'While they're charging up, we can take advantage!' she realized, clenching her fists.

"Use Crunch!" she ordered. Lycanroc charged in, making his teeth glow a bright white and sharpen. Touckey didn't move as his foe jumped out, biting down right onto his beak.

"Cahh…!" he grunted out in pain.

"Nice one!" Erika complimented. However…

"RYYY!" Lycanroc suddenly screamed as he found himself engulfed in flames, hopping back and falling to a knee.

"Lycanroc!" his trainer cried out, "What the heck just happened?!" she exclaimed in question.

"When Toucannon'zzz charging up hizzz Beak Blast, any Pokémon that makes direct contact with him getzzz burned!" Rotom buzzed as an explanation. Erika grimaced. "And I think he'zzz fully charged, zzt!" the Pokédex mentioned in concern. And it was right. The Cannon Pokémon's beak had heated to a very high temperature. He opened his beak and fired off a bright orange beam of light. Lycanroc had no time to dodge as he was struck, crying out in agony.

"Breeon!" Brionne shrieked in fright, while the other Pokémon were just as worried for their teammate. He landed on his back, clenching his teeth in agony. Embers flickered off of his body as he slowly rose back onto his feet.

"Ryy… kan, rok!" he barked out with a growl, closing his paws into fists again.

"Yeah, we're not done yet!" Erika declared, "Use Howl!" she instructed.

"RAAAHHHHOOOOOOOOO!" Lycanroc howled mightily into the air. A reddish light flowed up his body afterwards.

"Trying to compensate for being burned, hm?" Kahili guessed, letting off a grin, "Touckey, Beak Blast!" she commanded as she threw her left hand out.

"Too cah!" the Cannon Pokémon squawked again, heating up his beak as it glowed a bright orange.

'Now that we know we can't fight up close, we'll do what we can from a distance!' Erika inwardly decided.

"Rock Tomb!" she ordered. Leaping up, Lycanroc had several large rocks appear around his body, orbiting him before he swung his arms to launch them towards the Toucannon. They struck in a burst of dust, sending him flying back before he flapped his wings to regain his balance, landing upon the sand. He then opened his beak and fired another massive beam of orange light towards his foe. "Dodge it!" Erika cried out quickly. Lycanroc leapt to the side, evading the beam as it ended up striking the ground afar in a massive burst of dust.

"Ry kan!" he barked excitedly, but then found himself engulfed in flames again, "Ryy…!" he grunted out, falling to a knee.

"Lycanroc!" his trainer called out in concern.

"He'zzz not going to last much longer being burned like that, zzt…" Rotom warned. Erika winced as a bead of sweat trickled down the side of her head.

'Rotom's right…' she realized, balling her hands into fists, 'Even if we keep our distance and avoid Toucannon's attacks, Lycanroc's burn is gonna wear him out soon…' she noted inwardly, 'So we need to finish this battle as quick as we can!' she concluded through her thoughts, looking at her Z-Ring.

"Too cahh!" Touckey squawked to his trainer, who nodded.

"Right, use Bullet Seed!" she ordered. Puffing out his chest and opening his beak up, the Toucannon launched another flurry of seeds with a greenish light emitting from them.

"Block it off with Rock Tomb!" Erika instructed.

"Ryyykk!" Lycanroc responded, making more rocks appear around him in flashes of light. He had them land down in front of him, creating a makeshift barricade that blocked off the incoming seeds.

"Cah…!" Touckey gasped in surprise.

"Oh my…" Kahili uttered out, just as stunned.

"Let's go!" Erika exclaimed, crossing her arms over her face as the Rockium Z flashed brightly. With embers flickering off of his body, Lycanroc took a ready stance. He and his trainer moved together in sync, hopping up and flexing their arms. A bright, brownish aura shrouded the trial-goer before as she finished the pose by bending down onto her knee with her arms still flexed. The aura then shot out from her in streaks, merging with the Wolf Pokémon. The Z-Move symbol flashed in front of him as he let off a wicked grin.

"Ry kan!" he barked out, taking a ready stance.

"Lycanroc…" his trainer began, "CONTINENTAL… CRUSSSHHH!" she exclaimed fiercely. Leaping into the air, the Wolf Pokémon had several rocks fly up from the ground and come together in the form of one giant boulder that he held over his head.

"RRRRAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" he roared, hurling it down towards his foe below. Touckey had no opportunity to dodge the attack as it struck in a fierce blast, enveloping the area in dust.

"Er…!" Erika grunted out, bracing herself from the sand that blew about. Her other Pokémon also protected their eyes from the sand, crossing their arms over their faces.

"What happened, zzt?" Rotom buzzed in question. The dust had yet to settle, but Erika could make out Lycanroc as he landed down, breathing heavily with exhaustion. Another plume of flames engulfed his body for a moment, causing him to wince with pain. But he endured it, still standing.

"Too cahh!" a familiar voice squawked from the cloud of dust, causing him and Erika to widen their eyes.

"No way…!" the trial-goer gasped. The dust finally settled… and it revealed that Toucannon was still on his feet in spite of the scrapes along his body. His trainer was grinning.

"That was really impressive!" she complimented, "If your Lycanroc wasn't already burned, you might've won," she mentioned as Erika grimaced, "Now it's time for us to return the favor!" she declared, "Touckey, are you ready?" she asked of her partner.

"Cah," he chirped in response with a simple nod. The golfer then crossed her arms over her face, revealing that she had a Z-Ring with a Flyinium Z upon it as it flashed brightly.

"She'zzz gonna use a Z-Move?!" Rotom exclaimed in shock. Kahili swung her arms around.

"Touckey, let's ride the winds and soar straight to a hole-in-one victory!" she called out, flapping her arms like wings before squatting down and standing up, raising her left fist to the sky. All while she did her pose, a sky blue aura shrouded her body. It shot out in streaks to the Toucannon, merging with him before the Z-Move symbol flashed in front of his face. "SUPERSONIC…" his trainer started to bellow as he launched himself up into the sky with a mighty flap of his wings, "SKYSTRIIIIKKKE!" she exclaimed.

"TOOOOCCCAAAAAAHHHH!" the Cannon Pokémon squawked loudly as he soared down in an instant, striking Lycanroc in a huge blast of dust.

"Lycanroc!" Erika screamed, bracing herself again from the incoming sand. It cleared quicker than the last time, revealing what had happened. The Wolf Pokémon lied on his back with swirls in his eyes.

"Ryyy…" he groaned in pain.

"Lycanroc'zzz unable to battle, it seemzzz…" Rotom noted, somewhat sad.

"Lycanroc!" Erika cried out as she jogged over and knelt down beside the Wolf Pokémon, who slowly managed to sit up.

"Ry kan…" he moaned, disappointed in himself for losing. However, his trainer smiled.

"Don't feel bad, Lycanroc," she insisted of him to his surprise, "You did great!" she complimented, petting his head gently, "And we got that Z-Move to work on our first try, too!" she mentioned happily.

"Breeonn!" Brionne yipped as she hopped over with Magby and Fomantis. They all seemed proud of Lycanroc's efforts. And he grinned sheepishly at their praise.

"That was an amazing battle!" Kahili complimented as she and Touckey ventured over, causing everyone to perk up, "It's no wonder you've already cleared two grand trials already," she pointed out. Erika blinked.

"Wait, how'd you know I cleared two grand trials?" she asked curiously.

"You just told me," the golfer cheekily replied. Erika had her mouth slightly gape open in surprise before she burst out laughing. Her Pokémon joined in as well. Meanwhile, Drifblim's eyes were sparkling with excitement. Seeing Touckey's Supersonic Skystrike was inspiring. And he wanted to be able to use that Z-Move just as powerfully. In the meantime, Oricorio was still dancing about in a carefree manner.

"By the way…" Erika began, catching Kahili's attention, "what are you doing here, Miss Kahili?" she asked curiously with a tilt of her head.

"Oh, I'm actually here training for my next golf match," she replied, glancing back towards the large hotel in the distance, "My father happens to own the resort, so I come here often to use the course to get ready," she explained.

"Too cah," Toucannon chirped with a nod.

"Whoa, cool…" Erika uttered out.

"Are you staying at the resort, by chance?" Kahili wondered out of curiosity.

"Oh, uh, no!" the trial-goer stammered in response, waving her hands, "It's a little too pricey for someone like me…" she admitted sheepishly out of embarrassment.

"Well, I could pull some strings and get you a room," the golfer suddenly offered.

"Y-You would do that?" Erika stuttered in question.

"For a friend? Of course!" Kahili responded with a smile. The Ketchum girl beamed with sparkling eyes.

"ALRIGHT!" she exclaimed happily as she pumped up right fist. Her Pokémon all jumped up and cried out excitedly as well. Things were going great. And now they all had a better chance to relax. The only thing Erika needed to worry about now was which of her Pokémon she'd have to send away for Sandygast…

X

Dust billowed about just outside of the entrance to Konikoni City. Olivia's Lycanroc was in a fierce battle against Hau's Dartrix, as the ponytailed trial-goer was engaged in his grand trial match. Watching with the crowd from afar was Lillie, whose eyes were shaking.

Hau's team had worked hard during the battle, now giving him the chance to finish things in this final fight. Dartrix had even just avoided Lycanroc's Continental Crush! Things were looking good for the Hughes boy.

"Ready to do this, Dartrix?!" he called out loudly in question to the Blade Quill Pokémon, who was flying about.

"Treee!" he trilled as a response. Olivia cracked a grin.

"You might've dodged our Z-Move, but we're still standing strong!" she pointed out, "Lycanroc, Rock Slide!" she commanded to her partner.

"Ryykkan!" he barked in reply, leaping up as several orbs of white sparkling energy appeared and orbited around. They then formed into rocks with glowing white outlines, which he had shoot out towards his foe. Having a glint of confidence in his eyes, Dartrix flew around and evaded each one, landing down in front of his trainer.

"Okay, let's go!" he exclaimed, crossing his arms over his face as the Grassium Z upon his Z-Ring flashed brightly.

"Doaaarrr!" Dartrix squawked, taking a ready stance. He copied his trainer's poses, swinging his wings around before tenting them together. A green aura enveloped the ponytailed boy as he squatted down with his palms pressed against each other.

"Time for us to show some green power!" he declared as he stood up and waved his arms to their respective sides like a blooming flower. The aura building around him shot out in streaks to Dartrix. They merged with his body, followed by the Z-Move symbol flashing in front of his face. Olivia grimaced.

"Lycanroc, stop him with Throat Chop!" she instructed to the Wolf Pokémon. He dashed forward, imbuing his right paw in a purple light. But it was too late.

"Here we go, Dartrix!" Hau called out, "BLOOM DOOM!" he bellowed.

"TRRREEEEEEEEEEEE!" the Blade Quill Pokémon trilled loudly, with the grassy area suddenly blooming colorful flowers. The green energy around his body then rapidly expanded, catching the oncoming Lycanroc before enveloping him in a massive blast of light.

"Wow…" Lillie uttered in astonishment, holding onto her hat to keep it from blowing off in the wind. As the smoke and dust subsided, it revealed the Wolf Pokémon lying down in a heap on the ground, groaning in pain as his eyes were in swirls. Nia ran over to assess the result.

"Lycanroc is unable to battle!" she announced, raising her left arm up, "Dartrix wins!" she exclaimed, gesturing towards the Blade Quill Pokémon, "And therefore, the victory goes to Hau!" she added.

"Woohoo!" the ponytailed boy yelled as he jumped up excitedly. The crowd applauded as Olivia returned her Lycanroc to his Ultra Ball in a beam of red light. She let out a giggle at how enthusiastic Hau and Dartrix were about the victory.

A while later, the trial-goer was happily looking at his new Rockium Z as he was in the Pokémon Center, waiting for his hard-working teammates as they were being tended to by Nurse Joy.

"Congratulations on the victory, Hau," Lillie complimented, catching his attention.

"Heh!" he chuckled with a wide grin, "Thanks, Lillie!" he said in gratitude, "I figured it'd be tough for me without a great type advantage…" he admitted sheepishly, "But Pikachu, Crabrawler, and Dartrix all pulled through today!" he pointed out.

"It seemed like they did," Lillie agreed as she grinned.

"Pew!" Nebby suddenly squeaked, poking its head out from her bag.

"Nebby, no!" she reprimanded immediately upon noticing, "I told you that you can't come out yet!" she mentioned firmly.

"Peww…" the Cosmog meekly squeaked, sinking back down.

"Hahaha!" Hau laughed, "Guess little Nebby wants to see more of the sights!" he noted cheekily.

"Speaking of which…" Lillie started to say, "what are you planning to do now what you've completed your grand trial?" she asked.

"Hmm…" Hau hummed in thought, crossing his arms over his chest, "I guess I would wanna head out to Ula'ula next…" he told her, "But I really wanna stick around on Akala and wait for Cal to get finished with his grand trial!" he mentioned as he pumped his fists.

"So then… you're staying in Konikoni?" Lillie guessed with a tilt of her head.

"Actually, I think I'm gonna see what Eri's up to!" Hau replied, "I wanna know what those Aether Foundation guys offered her…" he mentioned curiously. Hearing the name made Lillie slightly wince, causing her to reflexively tighten the grip she had on her duffel bag's strap.

"Excuse me!" Nurse Joy called out, catching their attentions, "Your Pokémon have been fully healed!" she exclaimed, with a Chansey pushing a cart out that had Dartrix, Pikachu, and Crabrawler upon it.

"Hey guys!" their trainer greeted as he jogged over to them. They hopped down from the cart. "Great job today," Hau complimented, "And we're gonna keep getting stronger to catch up to Cal and Eri!" he vowed firmly as he pumped his right fist.

"Pee kah!" Pikachu squeaked in agreement, mimicking his trainer's pose. Dartrix and Crabrawler were also ready to continue getting stronger, even after their big victory. Looking on, Lillie smiled at them. But the mention of Calvin stirred up some concern in her heart. She hoped his training for his rematch was going well…

X

"Guh… SHOO!" Gumshoos exclaimed as he had a bronze light surrounding his body while charging towards and through a mound of dirt.

"Truh… beebeebeeek!" Trumbeak squawked out as he made his beak shine a bright white, rapidly pecking at a tree again and again. The two of them were still training hard at the Paniola Ranch, having learned Take Down and Fury Attack respectively. In the meantime, Calvin was with Torracat, watching as she made the bell-like organ at her neck burn brightly.

"Mrrrr…" she growled, sweating as the heat coursing through her was intensifying.

"That's it, Torracat…" her trainer assured as he looked on with watchful eyes, "Take it nice and easy…" he advised carefully. She merely nodded, keeping her focus on the wooden target placed ahead of her. All day, she had been training to learn to use a better ranged attack than Ember. She'd been spitting out fireballs all day, hoping to miraculously learn a new move. But now, she was deciding to try and condense that potential firepower into her bell-like organ.

"Mrrrrr…!" she growled out, starting to feel the heat rise even more.

"Whenever you're ready, let it out!" Calvin instructed. Clenching her teeth tightly, Torracat dug her paws into the ground.

"MRRRROOOOOOWWWW!" she roared, unleashing a powerful spew of flames from her bell-like organ that struck the wooden target.

"Yeah!" Calvin exclaimed excitedly as he pumped his fist. After a few moments, the flames subsided, revealing the ashen remains of the target.

"Mrahh… rraaahhh…" Torracat breathed out tiredly.

"Way to go, Torracat!" her trainer complimented as he jogged over and crouched down beside her, "That was one heck of a Flamethrower!" he pointed out excitedly.

"Torraahhh…" the Fire Cat Pokémon purred as she lied down afterwards, nuzzling her head against Calvin's arm. He chuckled. Today's training had been very fruitful for each and every one of his Pokémon. He glanced back to see Gumshoos and Trumbeak gathering with Araquanid and Bounsweet, exhausted from all the work they put in to get stronger. The sunset glazed over the ranch beautifully, making Calvin smile.

'We'll all be ready for tomorrow,' he vowed inwardly, deciding that he would ask Olivia for a rematch then.

"Kew boh, kew boh!" Cubone cried out repeatedly, swinging his bone up and down repeatedly. He hadn't learned a new move like most of his teammates, but he was diligently practicing his swings. His imagination was filling with the thoughts about becoming a Marowak like the ones he had met at Wela Volcano. In fact, his trainer had talked about that with Kiawe.

FLASHBACK

"They only evolve at night?" Calvin inquired curiously with an arched eyebrow. The trial captain nodded.

"Whatever the reasoning may be, the Cubone of Alola take on that evolutionary change, likely in honor of their fallen mothers," he explained to him.

"Oh, that's right!" the trial-goer yelped with widened eyes, "Cubone wears the skull of his lost mother…" he recalled. The Lonely Pokémon swung his bone about, letting out quick breaths all the while.

"I think your Cubone might actually be close to evolving," Kiawe pointed out, causing Calvin to blink in surprise, "Maybe he'll evolve tonight," he suggested. The capped boy chuckled.

"I hope so…" he said. Overhearing them, Cubone ceased his training for a moment, staring at his bone. He was a battle-hardened Pokémon who never really thought about his past. But thinking about his potential evolution made him wonder… would he be able to honor his past?

END FLASHBACK

"Hey, Cubone!" Calvin called out, snapping him out of his stupor as he glanced over to see his trainer returning the other Pokémon to their respective Poké Balls in beams of red light, "We're gonna head back to the house now!" he told him.

"Kewboh!" he responded, hurrying over. Moments later, he was mounted upon his trainer's left shoulder as they arrived at the farmhouse. But to their surprise…

"Kiawe's not back yet?" Calvin asked Sima and Mimo.

"No," the trial captain's mother replied as she shook her head, "I know he wasn't supposed to have any evening trials today…" she pointed out, putting her hand onto her cheek worriedly.

"Maybe he got called in for work!" Mimo suggested as an answer, chiming into the conversation.

"He would've let us know…" Sima noted in response. Seeing how worried they were, Calvin decided to take action, pulling out his Ride Pager. A while later as the stars were out and the moon shined overhead, he was flying on the back of a Charizard with Cubone in his lap. They soared over the Battle Royal Dome, approaching the large supermarket. Out of the corner of his eye, Calvin spotted Kiawe just outside of the building, appearing to be talking with one of the employees who had a blue apron on with a bright yellow stripe.

"I wonder why he's here so late…" the trial-goer said to himself as Charizard descended. They landed down in the parking lot, with Calvin and Cubone dismounting from the Flame Pokémon. "Thanks for the ride, Charizard!" the former exclaimed gratefully, returning him to the silver Poké Ball and clicking it back into the Ride Pager.

"I'm sorry about this, Kiawe…" the store employee apologized in advance to the trial captain, "but I can't keep you on the team if you're not going to be able to work your hours…" he pointed out.

"I see…" Kiawe responded, lowering his head slightly with shame.

"Kiawe, I really didn't want to do this…" the employee said as Calvin and Cubone made their way over, watching the scene unfold from afar.

"No, I understand," the trial captain replied, "I know how hard you've worked to build this place ever since the one in Ula'ula was destroyed…" he mentioned. The employee let out a sigh as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper.

"Here's your last paycheck," he said, handing it off to Kiawe.

"Thank you," he responded with gratitude.

"I hope things work out for you, Kiawe," the employee mentioned, heading back into the store after another moment.

"Huh…" the trial captain sighed deeply, "How could I let this happen…?" he wondered quietly to himself.

"Hey, Kiawe?" Calvin's voice chimed in, catching his attention as he turned around to see the capped boy approach.

"Calvin…" he uttered in surprise, cracking a grin, "I suppose you noticed that I was gone for a while…" he realized, putting his hands at his hips.

"Yeah…" the Ketchum boy replied with a nod, "Did… you just get fired?" he asked in concern. Once again, Kiawe exhaled a deep sigh.

"That's one way to put it…" he muttered as an answer, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, "I told you that dancing is my passion and something I'd love to study," he pointed out, gazing up at the stars above, "But obviously, my passions require a lot of time and money," he mentioned, "That's why I had a job here to try and pay for those studies," he told the trial-goer.

"But you couldn't balance the time, could you?" Calvin guessed with a concerned. Kiawe cracked a grin.

"You're very perceptive, Calvin," he complimented as he looked back up at the sky, "With the trials and practicing my dances, I had little to no time to actually work here…" he confessed, "Even when I was here, I still didn't meet my required hours…" he added in explanation, "Honestly, I really am pathetic…" he said as he lowered his head.

"Kiawe…" Calvin uttered worriedly. All of a sudden, Cubone lunged out and struck the trial captain at his right ankle with his bone.

"GAH…!" he gasped out in agony.

"C-Cubone?!" Calvin stammered in shock, seeing the Lonely Pokémon land down in front of Kiawe, "What did you do that for?!" he asked frantically.

"Kew, keww boh!" Cubone yelled to the trial captain, catching his attention as he perked up in surprise, seeing him point his bone up at him, "Boh, bonh!" he added firmly. Kiawe blinked before grinning in realization.

"Right…" he chuckled out, "My dream isn't over yet," he stated as he stood up firm, ignoring any pain he had.

"You sure you're okay?" Calvin questioned in concern, holding his hands out in a placating manner.

"I'm fine," Kiawe assured as a response, taking out a Poké Ball from his belt and enlarging it by pressing its center button, "In fact, I think we should finish our battle this time," he insisted.

"Right now?" the capped trial-goer inquired as he blinked.

"Why not?" Kiawe questioned back.

"Boh!" Cubone squeaked excitedly in agreement, looking back to his trainer.

"Okay… let's do it!" he declared with a grin. At that, Kiawe reeled his arm back.

"Growlithe, go!" he cried out, tossing the Poké Ball up into the night air. It popped open, and the light that spilled out from it formed into the Puppy Pokémon.

"Groww!" he barked excitedly.

"We'll show you flames as passionate as the ones that burn here on Akala!" Kiawe declared excitedly as he clenched his fists, "Use Flamethrower!" he commanded. Making his mouth billow up with fire, Growlithe spewed out a stream of it towards the Lonely Pokémon.

"Dodge and use Bone Club!" Calvin instructed. Gripping his bone tightly in his right hand, Cubone leapt mightily over the incoming flames, much to his opponent's surprise as his eyes widened.

"Kewww… BOH!" the Lonely Pokémon exclaimed as he slammed his bone hard against Growlithe's head, sending him sliding back to Kiawe along the pavement.

"Grrrr…" he growled angrily afterwards.

"Not bad…" Kiawe commented, "Growlithe, Flame Wheel!" he ordered, swinging out his right arm. The Puppy Pokémon spewed out more flames from his mouth, enveloping himself within a wheel of fire before rolling forwards.

"Cubone, Headbutt!" Calvin commanded, pumping his left fist back. Taking a lunging stance, the Lonely Pokémon lunged forward and slammed head on into the fiery wheel. After a few moments of a fierce deadlock, the flames surrounding Growlithe flickered out, revealing that his head was pressing against his opponent's. They jumped away from each other, with the Puppy Pokémon faltering slightly.

"Growww…" he groaned in pain.

"So your training's gotten you this strong, hm?" Kiawe inquired, grinning with amazement.

"Now Bonemerang!" Calvin ordered. Reeling his right arm back, Cubone flung his bone out rapidly towards his foe.

"Counter it with Flamethrower!" Kiawe called out. Growlithe opened his mouth and spewed more flames to strike the incoming bone, sending it flying into the air.

"Ah!" Calvin gasped, while Cubone widened his eyes in shock.

"Now use Take Down!" Kiawe commanded as he pumped his right fist forward. Enveloping himself in a bronze light, the Puppy Pokémon charged forward and slammed head on into Cubone, sending him flying back before he tumbled along the ground hard.

"Cubone!" Calvin exclaimed, seeing the Lonely Pokémon roll to a stop on his stomach. His bone fell and clattered against the pavement right in front of him.

"Kewww…" he growled out, reclaiming his bone in his right hand and getting back onto his feet.

"Growlithe, Take Down!" Kiawe ordered. Growlithe had his body shrouded by a bronze light once more as he dashed forward.

"Counter it with Headbutt!" Calvin called out. Taking a firm stance, Cubone arched his head back. He then swung it out and slammed it against the Puppy Pokémon as they collided fiercely in a burst of wind. They growled and glared at each other before sliding back a few yards.

"Rrrr…" Growlithe moaned out with a grimace. Kiawe realized his teammate had taken a lot of damage already. So now it was time to bring about a last resort.

"Reversal!" he commanded as he closed his right hand into a fist and thrusted it forward.

"GRRROOWWWOOOOOOHHH!" Growlithe howled, having a wave of orange energy burst out from beneath his feet, followed by his front right paw being cloaked by an orange light. He jumped out towards Cubone.

"Bone Club!" Calvin ordered. The Lonely Pokémon leapt up, tightening the grip he had on his bone. He swung it forward, having it slam into his foe's glowing paw as another burst of wind rang out. They stayed in a deadlock for quite a while before Cubone parried Growlithe's paw, raising his bone up to both his and Kiawe's surprise. "GO!" Calvin cried out.

"KEWWW… BOHHH!" the Lonely Pokémon screeched as he smacked his opponent's head fiercely with his bone, sending him crashing down onto the pavement below in a flurry of dust. When it cleared, it revealed the Puppy Pokémon lying there with swirls in his eyes.

"Alright!" Calvin exclaimed delightedly as Cubone landed down.

"Boh," he remarked, spinning the bone in his hand before firmly gripping it.

"Huh…" Kiawe sighed with a smile, taking out his Poké Ball, "Take a good rest, Growlithe," he insisted, recalling the Puppy Pokémon to his container in a beam of red light. After setting the Poké Ball onto his belt, he walked over to Calvin. "Congratulations," he complimented, getting his attention, "I think you're ready to take on Olivia again," he pointed out confidently.

"You really think so?" the capped boy inquired. The trial captain nodded.

"I've taught you everything I could," he noted, "and it seems like you're looking much more sure of yourself," he mentioned, crossing his arms over his chest, "The same goes for Cubone," he added, looking over at the Lonely Pokémon.

"Boh," he agreed as he nodded. Calvin cracked a grin.

"Cubone, I promise you'll get your chance to win tomorrow," he vowed with a clenched left fist.

"Kew boh!" his teammate responded eagerly… followed by suddenly becoming enveloped in a bright blue light.

"Ah!" Calvin gasped, stepping back in surprise as he and Kiawe marveled the sight. Cubone's body grew, with the skull around his head shaping more firmly and his bone changed size as well, becoming larger. When the light finally dissipated, it revealed that he had become an Alolan Marowak.

"Mar, whak!" he exclaimed, twirling his bone as it had become longer.

"You evolved!" his trainer realized with delight.

"It seems your Marowak is ready to answer to your call," Kiawe noted, catching his attention, "Good luck, Calvin," he said, holding his left fist out to the capped boy. He blinked in surprise, but then grinned.

"Thanks, Kiawe," he responded with gratitude, bumping his fist by using his own. As Marowak ignited the green flames on both ends of his bone and twirled it about, a figure was watching on curiously from above the trees afar. It was Tapu Lele, who stared at Calvin.

"Lelay!" it giggled excitedly.

X

The next day, Calvin quickly ventured off via Charizard back to Konikoni City. He was still somewhat nervous about challenging Olivia, especially as he only had Araquanid and Bounsweet to combat her Rock-type Pokémon, whoever they would be. As the Flame Pokémon he was aboard approached the southwest city of Akala, he put his hand onto his chin in thought.

'Maybe I should train a bit more… and get Bounsweet ready for the battle!' he suggested to himself, 'I don't wanna have to rely on Torracat when she's weak to Rock-types…' he pointed out inwardly. At that moment, Charizard landed down.

"Ragh," he huffed, catching Calvin's attention as he looked to see that they were in front of the Pokémon Center.

"Oh, thank you!" he stuttered in gratitude, hopping down from the saddle onto the ground, "Take a good long break, Charizard," he insisted, returning the Flame Pokémon to the silver Poké Ball in a beam of red light. As he clicked it back into the Ride Pager, he jogged off towards the local jewelry store. He entered and…

"PRO!" a Probopass suddenly exclaimed, being right at the doorway.

"WAH!" Calvin yelped, falling onto the floor on his bottom, "A-A Probopass?" he stammered in confusion, wondering if she was Olivia's.

"Oh, Calvin!" a familiar voice greeted, catching his attention as he looked over to see Nia approach, "You're back already!" she noted curiously, extending her hand out to him.

"Uh, yeah…" he replied, taking her hand to allow her to lift him off of the floor, "Where's Olivia?" he asked curiously as he looked around.

"She's actually at the ruins right now," Nia replied, putting her hands at her hips, "Apparently, our island's sacred guardian was out and about last night, so some wild Pokémon were scrounging about its home," she told him.

"The island guardian… Tapu Lele, right?" Calvin guessed, receiving a nod in reply.

"I'm pretty sure Olivia's still there if you're looking for her," the assistant mentioned, "She might not be up for a rematch today, but she'll definitely be glad to have your help," she pointed out with a grin.

"Yeah, sure…" Calvin responded nervously, sweating a little. Remembering how Olivia was unable to battle Erika right away validated the reasoning. And it obviously seemed like honoring the island guardian was of the utmost importance. Moments later, he was running off towards the outskirts, breathing heavily as sweat flew off from his face.

"Truhh, trum beek!" his Trumbeak squawked, catching his attention as he was gliding overhead.

"Find something, Trumbeak?" he inquired, having sent the Bugle Beak Pokémon out to look for the island kahuna.

"Beek!" he chirped in response, soaring down towards an uphill dirt path. As he landed down and folded his wings inward, his trainer approached.

"Huh?" he uttered out in both surprise and confusion. Lying in front of him and Trumbeak was a stone totem on its side. "Hey… this one's like those on Melemele…" he recalled, crouching down beside it.

"Truh?" Trumbeak squawked out of confusion, tilting his head slightly.

"Oh, it's like the statues leading to the ruins back on Melemele," Calvin told him, putting his hands under the fallen totem and hoisting it back up. Surprisingly, it was pretty light as he set it upright.

'I wonder what could've knocked it down…' he said to himself, 'Maybe it was whoever invaded Tapu Lele's sacred ground while it was gone!' he suggested inwardly. A rustling from the underbrush caught his attention along with Trumbeak's.

"Truhh!" the Bugle Beak Pokémon squawked, taking a defense stance. A large figure leapt out from the shrubbery and landed before them. The ground beneath Calvin's feet shook as he fell onto his bottom again in a yelp. He looked out to see that it was a Hariyama who had landed before him and his Pokémon.

"Hareee…" he growled, narrowing his eyes onto his apparent enemies.

"Truhhh…" Trumbeak remarked back, flapping his wings to fly up. His trainer got back onto his feet.

"So you must be the one who was trampling on Tapu Lele's home!" he realized, glaring at the Arm Thrust Pokémon.

"Yah mah!" he shouted back, taking a ready stance as he held out his large hands.

"If you want a fight, then you've got one," Calvin retorted, "Trumbeak, use Pluck!" he commanded.

"Trumm!" the Bugle Beak Pokémon squawked, dashing forward. He made his beak glow a bright blue and extend outward as he aimed to strike Hariyama at his head. However, he reared his right hand back, having an orb of white light appear over the palm. The second Trumbeak came close, he thrusted it forward and slammed it into him fiercely, sending him flying into the rock wall of the mountainside in an instant.

"TRUMBEAK!" Calvin screamed.

"Beeek…" the Bugle Beak Pokémon weakly squawked as he fell onto the ground. He tried pushing himself up, only for electricity to suddenly start sparking around his body, forcing him to fall back down.

"So that must've been a Force Palm…" Calvin realized, grimacing as he looked back at the Hariyama.

"Hareeharee!" he laughed, waving his hand in a goading manner to the trial-goer. He gritted his teeth with frustration. But before he could do anything, a blue and white light streaked out from his pants, forming upon the ground and dissipating to reveal Bounsweet.

"Bow swee!" she squeaked angrily to Hariyama. He blinked twice in surprise. And then…

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHARREEEE!" he laughed loudly, holding his belly at how absurd it seemed that the Fruit Pokémon was challenging him. She puffed her cheeks.

"Bounsweet…" Calvin uttered out.

"Bow, bow!" Bounsweet repeated firmly, making him blink in surprise. But he took on a serious expression, realizing what she wanted to do.

"Okay Bounsweet, hit him with a Magical Leaf!" he instructed.

"Boww!" she squeaked in response, making her calyx glow a bright green before she spun it around, unleashing a flurry of glowing leaves. The laughing Hariyama found himself struck by them, stumbling back a few steps.

"Yahh…" he growled, glaring at the Fruit Pokémon as she smirked, "Harree!" he boomed, cloaking his right hand in a dark-reddish aura as he raised it up.

"Use Sweet Scent!" Calvin called out.

"Sweee!" Bounsweet replied, spinning her calyx again to unleash a pink mist that wafted about the area. Upon catching its scent through his nostrils, Hariyama relaxed his arm as his eyelids drooped tiredly.

"Now Rapid Spin!" Calvin commanded. Spinning her entire body as she lunged forwards, Bounsweet struck the Arm Thrust Pokémon again and again, making him lose his balance as he stumbled backwards.

"Reeee…" he growled angrily, moving his left hand to catch the Fruit Pokémon, squeezing her tightly in his grasp.

"BOUNSWEET!" Calvin screamed.

"Truh beek!" Trumbeak squawked immediately out of worry.

"Hahareee…" the Hariyama chuckled, holding onto Bounsweet firmly as she tried to wriggle herself free.

"Hang in there, Bounsweet!" Calvin cried out, "Use Magical Leaf!" he ordered with a swing of his left arm. Making her calyx glow green again, the Fruit Pokémon had it spin before firing off more glowing leaves into Hariyama's face.

"Hah!" he yelped in agony, pulling his head away as he grabbed at it with his free right hand, "Reeee…" he growled again. Bounsweet gulped. He then pivoted around, winding up his left arm to throw her.

"Ah…!" Calvin gasped out of fright, while Trumbeak widened his eyes. The Arm Thrust Pokémon chucked Bounsweet away as she screeched in horror, heading right for the rock wall. Suddenly though, Trumbeak miraculously dashed in to catch her… followed by their trainer catching both of them in his arms as he fell back onto his behind.

"B-Boww…?" the Fruit Pokémon stuttered in surprise, shocked at how both her teammate and her trainer came to her rescue.

"You guys okay?" Calvin asked of them.

"Truhh!" Trumbeak squawked assuredly in spite of the electricity sparking around his body. Bounsweet couldn't help but start to tear up. She had essentially forced the Bugle Beak Pokémon to act, even as he was paralyzed.

"Hey, don't cry, Bounsweet…" Calvin pleaded to her, catching her attention as she perked up slightly, "Of course Trumbeak would wanna help you," he told her, "After all, he hasn't made up for almost trying to eat you that day…" he pointed out with a grin.

"Truh bee…" the Bugle Beak Pokémon sheepishly apologized, using his right wing to rub the back of his head. With shaking eyes of astonishment, Bounsweet blinked to rid herself of her tears, hopping out of her trainer's arms.

"Bounsweet?" he uttered in confusion.

"Bow, bow swee!" she yelled to Hariyama, who was stomping over with an angered look in his eyes. He seemed to be quite irritated with how persistent the Fruit Pokémon was being. And she was just as tired of being weak. For once, she was going to stand up for herself and her team. All of a sudden, a pinkish glow emitted from her body.

"Huh?!" Calvin yelped in surprise, while Trumbeak and Hariyama widened their eyes. Bounsweet's body began to change shape, with her legs growing out and having pointed tips. She also gained a pair of slender white arms with rounded hands that had no visible digits. Her calyx had grown with two long leaves similar to pigtails sticking out from either side. The right one gained yellowish-green spots. Those watching marveled as the pink glow subsided, revealing that Bounsweet had evolved into a Steenee!

"Stee!" she squeaked angrily, glaring at Hariyama. He blinked twice before chuckling a little, readying his palms.

"Hareee…" he challenged, waving his right hand in a goading manner towards his foe. She scoffed, dashing out at him.

"Ah, wait!" Calvin cried out. But Steenee was prepared. As Hariyama prepped white orbs of light in front of his palms and thrusted them forward, she evaded both of them before leaping right into his face. The tips of the long leaves of her calyx glowed a bright white.

"Steee… NEE!" she exclaimed, smacking him upside the head multiple times with her leaves, causing him to stumble back again.

"Ha… yah…" he grumbled, rubbing his hurting cheeks.

"Nice Double Slap, Steenee!" Calvin complimented with a pump of his fist.

"Truh!" Trumbeak squawked happily.

"Nee," Steenee huffed proudly, brushing her right leaf back with her arm before putting both on her hips.

"Haaa…" Hariyama growled, raising both of his arms. He then began smacking his own belly over and over.

"Trum beeek?" Trumbeak chirped in confusion.

"Wait… that's Belly Drum!" Calvin realized as he blinked, "And that means…" he continued to say… only a reddish aura flow up the Arm Thrust Pokémon's body. And it was quite massive.

"Reee…" he uttered out, sneering at Steenee.

"Neee…" she growled back, taking a ready stance. Hariyama began stomping towards her… but was suddenly struck in the face by a pink orb of light that flew in, resulting in him being enveloped in an explosion of grey smoke. Calvin, Trumbeak and Steenee all gasped in surprise as the smoke quickly cleared, revealing a dazed Arm Thrust Pokémon.

"Haaa…" he groaned out before falling backwards onto the ground in a loud thud with swirls in his eyes.

"What was that…?" Calvin wondered aloud, shocked by how powerful the attack had seemed. And then…

"Laylay~!" a voice sang, causing him to blink in surprise. He whipped around and looked up to see a shocking sight. Floating down towards him and his Pokémon was none other than Tapu Lele.

"T-Tapu Lele?" he stuttered out. The Land Spirit Pokémon came down in front of him and his teammates.

"Lay?" it questioned with a tilt of its head. At that moment, Calvin realized that it must've been the one to stop the wild Hariyama. He smiled.

"Thanks, Tapu Lele," he said in gratitude.

"Lay!" it exclaimed with delight, appearing content. But then it took notice of the trial-goer's Z-Ring. It stared at it curiously as she inched nearer.

"Stee neee!" Steenee suddenly exclaimed, getting in between her trainer and Tapu Lele as she held her skinny arms out defensively.

"Hey, Steenee…" Calvin uttered in a pleading tone. All of a sudden though, his Z-Ring became cloaked in a light purple aura, floating off of his wrist. "Ah, hey!" he yelped in surprise. The trinket floated over to Tapu Lele who was controlling it with its psychic power as its eyes were glowing in the same light purple aura.

"Lay…" it uttered out, narrowing its eyes onto the Z-Ring before bringing it into its arms. And then, she closed her shell over it!

"HUH?!" Calvin yelped, while both Trumbeak and Steenee widened their eyes.

"Laylaylaaaayyyy~!" the Land Spirit Pokémon sang as it spun and shook about, scattering its scales all around the area. Some of them wound up hitting Trumbeak and Steenee, who blinked in surprise. Both of them could feel no more pain. The Bugle Beak Pokémon didn't have electricity sparking over his body anymore, either…

"Whoa…" Calvin uttered out in amazement. After a few more moments, Tapu Lele slowly floated back down to him, opening its shell.

"Lay!" she offered, holding out something to him. It was his Z-Ring… though its appearance had changed. It was now mostly black with a white z in the middle, and the indentation it had was larger than before.

"Um… thanks, I guess?" Calvin unsurely said, taking the seemingly changed Z-Ring into his hands.

"Laylaay!" Tapu Lele replied happily before floating off, waving goodbye.

"Truh… beek…" Trumbeak squawked with surprise.

"Neee…" Steenee agreed as she nodded. In the meantime, their trainer stared at his evolved Z-Ring. He slipped it onto his left wrist, letting it fit firmly.

'It doesn't seem that much different…' he noted inwardly, 'I wonder why Tapu Lele did that though…' he said to himself, staring up at where the Land Spirit Pokémon had departed.

"Oh, Calvin!" a familiar voice called out, snapping him away from his thoughts as he turned to see Olivia jogging towards him.

"Miss Olivia!" he exclaimed, getting onto his feet.

"Are you alright?!" she asked immediately out of concern as she approached, "I noticed Tapu Lele was here, so I assumed—"

"We're fine," Calvin interjected assuredly to her surprise as she blinked. And then she noticed his remodeled Z-Ring. She cracked a grin.

"So I assume you're here for a grand trial today?" she guessed. Calvin grinned back as he nodded. He was ready to complete his grand trial and get back on track.

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

So now you might be wondering, what's my current situation like? Well, it's relatively simple. I'm going to be involved in a virtual think tank program over the next two weeks, weekends not included. I've already decided on making the next story update come October 11th, so mark your calendars!

But to prepare you for what's to come, here's a special look at the next arc of "Omni Force: JUSTICE"!

TRAILER

Opens with several newscasts being shown on screens in a briefing room.

Lois Lane: In spite of the chaotic happenings here in Gotham, there have thankfully been no casualties. The work of the Justice League and the Omni Force has saved many lives today.

G. Gordon Godfrey: Some are speculating that there's tension between the two groups on site that evening… *looks at the pictures of Ben standing up to Superman* From what I can tell, I'd say that tension's palpable.

Wolf Blitzer: It's clear now that the Omni Force and the Justice League aren't seeing eye to eye. And while they fumble over this debacle, this supposed Legion of Doom is out plotting what could be classified as another doomsday event like that of four years prior!

All the screens shut off.

Congressman: I don't see this ending well for any of us…

Advisor: What do you think we should do, Secretary Waller?

Turning around in her chair and standing up is Amanda Waller.

Amanda Waller: I have a few ideas…

Cuts to her entering Belle Reve Penitentiary to meet with Deadshot and Captain Boomerang.

Floyd Lawton: Aw, dammit…

Digger Harkness: So, what's the bloody job this time?

Amanda grins as she holds her hands behind her back.

THIS FALL

The scene changes to Omnitrix City in the evening. Ben and Sunset sit atop Mount Rushmore, overlooking the city as the sun sets behind them.

Sunset Shimmer: The news is really going after you…

Cuts to her in the conference hall of Omni Force Tower, watching news reports alongside Rook and Captain Rex. One headline reads "Omni Force VS Justice League?!".

Sunset Shimmer: I think you really need a break from work right now.

The scene shifts to Ben helping Rainbow give Raya a bath. He's smiling, though deep down, he can't help but worry about what the Legion of Doom is planning.

Sunset Shimmer: Let me take the reins for the time being. We'll let you know if we need you.

Cuts to her standing with Law, Erza, Gaara, and Ruby. They board the Rust Bucket III with Kevin, Rex, and Rook. Sunset looks down the ramp to see Ben there with a stone-faced expression of guilt.

Ben Tennyson: Just… please be careful. I don't want anyone to have to get hurt because of what I've already done.

GET READY…

Insert "Sucker For Pain" by Imagine Dragons

We cut to the Legion of Doom, whose new base is now far underwater.

Lex Luthor: Thanks to the results of our experiment and the pillaging done by our latest allies, we have the technology to bring more of those creatures into this world.

The scene changes to him and Gorilla Grodd testing out a smaller Null Void portal. A Vulpimancer leaps out from it, followed by Grodd using his technology to control it through telepathy.

Lex Luthor: And once we have our army, we'll provide the needed security for this world. A world in which everyone will have a chance…

Cuts to Bane and Cheetah receiving new upgrades, with the former no longer needing to utilize the venom tube to get stronger, while the latter becomes more cat-like and faster.

Cheetah: I am loving this…

All while this happens, Vandal looks on with disdain as it seems like Lex is taking rule over the Legion instead of him.

Lex Luthor: In just one week, we'll start with Metropolis. And then, the rest of the world.

The scene changes to Bane landing a fierce straight punch to Kevin's torso, sending him flying even as he's coated with metal he absorbed earlier. Meanwhile, a naked Cheetah ferociously slashes at Erza, ripping off her armor as she draws blood.

We cut back to Sunset as she's surrounded by Grodd, Vandal, and Lex, bleeding from the head and breathing heavily as she raises her fists.

Lex Luthor: No one will be able to stop us…

We see Gaara struggling to stop Sinestro's constructs with his sand, Ruby dueling against Cheetah, and Law being taken deep into the ocean by Black Manta.

Amanda Waller: If we're looking at a second cataclysm on the rise, we need to act quickly.

Cuts to her leading the new Task Force X to an old submarine for them to use.

Amanda Waller: Successfully complete the mission, you get ten years off your sentences. Fail the mission, and you die. Now, any more questions?

We see that Task Force X consists of Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, Harley Quinn, King Shark, Star Sapphire, Peacemaker, and Killer Frost.

Digger Harkness: Yeah, you seriously expect us to go and stop the Legion of Doom?

Amanda narrows her eyes onto him.

Digger Harkness: Right. Shit.

CHAOS IS COMING

We cut back to the Watchtower, where Superman and Wonder Woman are looking at the various news reports surrounding their ordeal with the Omni Force.

Wonder Woman: Clark, I'm not liking this… At some point, Ben's going to think we're against him. He's only trying to help…

Superman: He's done enough. We'll finish the job.

Cuts to the rest of the League, including the likes of Aquaman and Mera, checking around their cities for signs of activity by the Legion of Doom. At one point, Mera sees Black Manta's sub in battle against the one of Task Force X.

We cut back to Omni Force Tower, where Ben decides to finally step in.

Ben Tennyson: Those guys tried to commit genocide years ago. They almost tore my favorite heroes apart from the inside out. That's why I have to stop them.

Cuts to him transforming into Ultimate Spidermonkey, pounding his chest with all six of his arms as he faces down Grodd. The two roar and charge at each other.

DOOM IS ON THE RISE

We cut to Apokolips, where Darkseid and Steppenwolf are overseeing a brand new project being conducted.

Steppenwolf: Can you feel it, Uxas? The despair, the distrust, the betrayal… Earth is about to fall into our hands, and yet we haven't made our move yet.

The scene shifts to a pod opening up, with a certain figure emerging from it.

Darkseid: *grins* We will now…

OMNI FORCE: JUSTICE

SECOND ARC

COMING FALL 2020

The scene ends with the Omni Force running into Task Force X.

Harley Quinn: Oh my god… *sees Sunset* Sunbuns! *skips over to hug her*

Ruby Rose: *blinks twice* Sun…buns?

Erza Scarlet: You seem to be well acquainted…

Sunset Shimmer: *blushes* Uh… well…

Harley Quinn: Oh yeah, we go way back… Met up, hung out, did some Netflix… and some chillin'… *winks at Sunset*

Everyone widens their eyes upon realizing what Harley is insinuating about her and Sunset.

Trafalgar Law: …Woof.

Sunset Shimmer: *sighs deeply*

END TRAILER

That must've been a doozy for a couple of you! Anyways, here's a summary of the next chapter of "The Challenge of a Lifetime" to hold you over!

SUMMARY

Calvin finally has his chance to rematch Olivia in a grand trial battle! Except now, it'll take place under the watchful eyes of Tapu Lele! Will Calvin and his team be able to overcome Olivia and her sturdy Rock-types this time?!

And while the grand trial goes on, Erika meets up with some familiar faces at the Hano Grand Resort, leading to a training match! Will she be able to win and get Sandygast to come out of his shell?!

END SUMMARY

See you all next time, everyone!