Alola again! We're finally back with more of "The Challenge of a Lifetime" for two straight chapters! Last time we left off, the Ketchum twins were about to head out to the Vast Poni Canyon with Lillie to meet up with Hapu! But all of a sudden, Team Skull showed up!
We're gonna get some big battles up ahead, so be ready! Welcome back to "The Challenge of a Lifetime"!
POKÉMON SUN & MOON
THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME
Several Pokémon appeared before both of the Ketchum twins as those of Team Skull tossed out their Nest Balls to release them. Drowzee, Golbat, Alolan Raticate, Arbok, Murkrow, Salandit, Fomantis, Haunter, Houndour and Mareanie were amongst the Pokémon brought forth to face the two trial-goers and Lillie. They grimaced nervously, sharing a glance with each other.
"What if we say we are going to find your boss?" Erika inquired of the grunts.
"Then you're gonna lead us to him, duh!" G answered as she pointed at the Ketchum girl, "Our boss is our responsibility, so we're gonna be the ones to bring him home!" she declared firmly.
"But it's not that simple!" Calvin noted aloud, "Guzma's in a place that not a lot of people can get to!" he pointed out, lowering his head sadly, "In fact, we're not sure if we can get to it either…" he admitted.
"Well one way or another, we're gonna make ya take us there!" A and B declared simultaneously.
"YEAH!" their fellow grunts loudly agreed as they pumped up their fists in unison. From afar, Plumeria watched on. When she had heard about what Guzma had done in the wake of his involvement with Lusamine, she was… worried to say the least. But she did her best not to outwardly show it. That said, it didn't alleviate the fears of the grunts, who seemed rather desperate to bring their boss home.
"Drowzee, Psybeam!" A commanded as he stuck his right hand out.
"Drowww!" the Hypnosis Pokémon exclaimed, firing off a wavy blue beam of energy with pink and yellow circles upon it, heading toward Calvin. All of a sudden though, a bluish light shot out from his shorts and formed in front of him, dissipating to reveal Incineroar. She took the ray harmlessly to her chest, much to everyone's shock. They watched as the Ketchum boy walked over to stand beside his partner.
"Thanks, Incineroar," he said in gratitude, causing the Heel Pokémon to nod at him with a smile, "Listen!" he called out to the Team Skull grunts, "If we're gonna fight like this, we might as well be saying goodbye to any chance of us ever finding your boss," he told them as they blinked in surprise, "I… can't stand the kind of guy he is…" he confessed, balling his fists as they trembled, "especially after what he and you guys did to my sister!" he added angrily, "But…" he continued while calming down, "he's still a person, too…" he noted.
"Calvin…" Lillie uttered out, quite surprised by what he was saying. So was Erika. Plumeria watched on, narrowing her eyes curiously.
"I promise that we'll get him back for you," the Ketchum boy vowed as he pointed towards the Team Skull grunts, "I don't think he'd want you guys risking your lives to try and find him," he mentioned to their shock.
"Are… you saying we can't handle it?! HUH?!" T guessed angrily, causing Erika and Lillie to flinch in surprise, while Calvin wound up sighing.
"Guess it was a longshot trying to talk sense into all of you…" he realized, pulling out his five other Poké Balls as Incineroar got into a ready stance and growled.
"You won't stand a chance against all of us!" B proclaimed with a swing of his left arm, "Golbat, Acrobatics!" he ordered. The Bat Pokémon flew out as a bluish light shined off of his body, zipping towards Incineroar. All of a sudden though, five separate blue lights shot out from Calvin's Poké Balls, with one dissipating to reveal Togedemaru. He made his spikes stick up before enveloping his body in yellow electricity, slamming into Golbat and zapping him fiercely. He fell to the ground in a daze, having swirls in his eyes.
Those of Team Skull looked out to see the Pokémon gathered around Calvin, being Toucannon, Araquanid, Steenee, and Mimi. Both Incineroar and Togedemaru were still ready to battle as well. Their trainer took a deep breath.
"Even if I have to take on a hundred of you guys, I will," he stated firmly, "That's just the kind of guy I am when I wanna see something through," he pointed out while clenching his fists tightly. Hearing that, Plumeria perked up in surprise. Something about those words resonated with her. For a time, she was once like that…
OPENING
Insert "Merry-Go-Round" by Man with a Mission
Opens with a black background slowly becoming brighter as Calvin, Erika, Hau, Lillie, Pyrrha, Paige and Trent walk forward. The camera pans to show that they're approaching the Ultra Wormhole. The Ketchum twins come to a stop, both taking deep breaths as they're prepared to see their new mission through.
Continues with a shot of Calvin reflecting on his past failures: losing to Team Skull in the Verdant Cavern, getting defeated by Hau, and failing to beat Olivia. However, he turns and smiles to find all of his Pokémon there behind him, letting out encouraging shouts. Mimi wraps her appendages around everyone for a big hug as Togedemaru cringes.
The scene changes to a shot of Erika also reflecting somberly on her recent losses to Guzma, Plumeria, and Nanu. She looks at her Z-Power Ring in deep thought for a moment, but is snapped away from any negative feelings as Primarina and Lycanroc wrap their arms around her. She laughs happily as the rest of her Pokémon join in.
We cut to a shot of Lillie lamenting on how to save Cosmoem before giving off a determined look. The scene shifts over to Gladion, who stands alongside Silvally in the conservation area of Aether Paradise. He seems a bit troubled about the situation himself before finally taking on a firm expression, ready to see things through.
We see Hau with his Decidueye, Pyrrha with her Typhlosion, Paige with her Blaziken, and Trent with his Greninja. All the Pokémon perform moves of their own before we shift over to Lusamine, who grins eerily while in the Ultra Deep Sea. Meanwhile, Guzma is trembling nearby.
The scene changes to Hau commanding his Noivern to use Boomburst to take down a wild Machoke, followed by Pyrrha instructing her Lapras to defeat a wild Boldore with Surf. Trent pumps his right fist forward before his Mightyena races ahead of him and takes out a Haunter with a Crunch. Finally, Paige's Medicham defeats a Lycanroc by using a High Jump Kick.
We cut to Calvin facing a Totem Kommo-o, who roars out angrily as his aura flares up. Calvin sends out Mimi as she charges forward. In the meantime, Erika has Sandslash use Icicle Crash against an Alolan Exeggutor, who swings its long neck to shatter the incoming icicles. What follows is the two of them arriving at the Altar of the Sunne alongside Lillie. They play the Sun and Moon Flutes together, causing the glyph to unleash a beam of multicolored light down onto the altar.
The last scene of the opening is Calvin and Erika in the Ultra Deep Sea with Lillie and Gladion. They all look up in horror to see the combined form of Lusamine and Nihilego. She stares at them with crazed, widened eyes before readying her tentacles…
END OPENING
Tectonic Trouble!
FLASHBACK
"You're leaving the dojo?" a voice inquired to Plumeria, whose pink and yellow hair was tied together in a bun as she wore gray, ninja-like robes over her body. She was gathering all of her items in a bag as her Salandit skittered about, being pursued by a curious Venonat. After she finished placing her things into her bag, she slung it over her right shoulder.
"I'm gonna take what I learned and head back to Alola," she said, letting her Salandit crawl up onto her left shoulder, "Master Koga taught me a lot, but I think it's better to start… spreading my wings," she admitted while sheepishly scratching at her right cheek. The person she was talking to was a pale young woman with purple eyes and purplish hair, the latter being tied by a yellow band. She wore a black ninja suit and some bracers with pink outlines on her legs and arms.
"I see…" she concluded, lowering her gaze to the floor sadly.
"You wanna come with?" Plumeria offered, arching an eyebrow.
"Oh no, I couldn't…" her friend responded as she waved her hands, "Someone will have to look after the dojo and the gym here…" she pointed out.
"Yeah, good point…" the pink-and-yellow-haired woman agreed solemnly.
"Hey, Plumeria?" the woman before her said, getting her attention as she looked up to see her extend her right hand out to her for a handshake, "Promise you'll become the best Poison-type trainer in all of Alola!" she insisted firmly. Blinking in surprise, Plumeria let off a small grin.
"Sure thing… Janine," she replied, accepting her friend's hand into her own.
END FLASHBACK
Plumeria sighed at the memory before looking back at the battlefield. Water swirled about Araquanid's front right leg before he slammed it into a Houndour and a Salandit, blowing them back. The Team Skull grunts all grimaced in fright. They were left to watch Mimi swatting a Haunter away with her shadowy appendage cloaked in a dark, purple-outlined aura, Toucannon striking down a Murkrow thanks to a powerful beam of orange light he shot from his beak, and Steenee relentlessly stomping on a Raticate with a wicked grin across her face.
"How's this kid… so strong?!" A exclaimed in question.
"Is he even human?!" B wondered aloud.
"Tch…!" G scoffed, "Don't get scared, ya damn numbskulls!" she called out to her colleagues, "All of us together can't possibly lose to him!" she declared.
"Y-Yeah!" most of the grunts stuttered out in agreement, while some weren't so sure based on what they had already seen happen. Erika and Lillie watched as Calvin issued commands to his Pokémon, easily taking down their opponents one after another. Plumeria exhaled another sigh before she stood up and hopped down the hill. A Trubbish had just fallen in front of F, having swirls in his eyes. He looked up and yelped in fright to see the determined look upon the Ketchum boy's face.
"I-I…I'm not done!" he stammered out in declaration in spite of shaking.
"Yeah, you are," Plumeria's voice chimed in, getting his attention along with those of the others as they looked over and widened their eyes to see her approach, putting her hands onto her hips, "You really think fighting pointlessly with these brats is gonna get Guzma back?" she questioned rhetorically, tilting her head to the side as she stared over at her subordinates.
"B-Big Sis…" G stuttered.
"No… we were just…" E started to claim, only to ultimately relent as the admin's gaze shifted over to her, "S-Sorry!" she stammered in apology.
"Huh…" Plumeria sighed once more, "All of you, get out of here," she instructed, turning to face Calvin, Erika, and Lillie, "I'll take care of the rest," she promised as she stared at them.
"Sure thing, Big Sis!" those of Team Skull responded immediately.
"Those brats won't know what hit 'em when you go all-out!" G pointed out.
"Yeah, sure…" Plumeria softly replied, waiting for her subordinates to depart, leaving some parting remarks for their foes and taunting them, "Huh…" she groaned, "Sorry 'bout that," she apologized, scratching at her right cheek, "Sure you can guess that they're antsy about finding a way to get Guzma back…" she pointed out, glancing off to the side.
"You're… not here to fight?" Calvin inquired as he raised an eyebrow.
"You don't believe me?" the Team Skull admin guessed in response.
"Of course not!" Erika yelled suddenly as she stomped forward, "After everything you've done to us, we're just supposed to take your word that you're just gonna let us go?!" she shouted in question.
"Erika…" Lillie uttered in surprise.
"Calm down, zzt…" Rotom buzzed insistently.
"It's not that we're letting you go, kid," Plumeria noted, "Fact is, it's pointless to fight when we're both essentially after the same damn thing," she explained, "As such, I'll cut you guys a break," she promised. The Ketchum girl seemed irritated by the offer as she glared at the Team Skull admin, but her thoughts were halted the moment she felt Lillie's hand come onto her shoulder. She looked over in surprise to see the blonde-haired girl step forward… and bow her head.
"Thank you for letting us continue," she said gratefully.
"Wh-?! Lillie!" Erika exclaimed in shock, while Calvin gave off a surprised expression. Plumeria blinked.
"So you're finally ready to do this, Princess?" she guessed, putting her right hand onto her hip, "Gotta admit, it took you long enough…" she pointed out. Lillie kept her head lowered.
"When you took me from the Aether House…" she started to recall, making the Team Skull admin perk up, "I thought that I was finally ready to stand up to my mother," she admitted, "But after everything that happened, I still ended up having to rely on my friends…" she pointed out, "I still do now…" she added sadly.
"Lillie…" Erika uttered worriedly.
"But now, I can't just let my friends face this alone!" the blonde-haired girl declared firmly as she lifted her head up, "My mother has to understand that I'm not going to let her stay in the Ultra Wormhole!" she mentioned.
"…Hm," Plumeria huffed, turning to the side, "Guzma admired the prez after she acknowledged his strength," she pointed out to everyone's surprise, "She basically spoke to his heart and gave him exactly what he wanted," she added, scoffing in frustration, "I didn't have the courage to stand up to her like you're doing now… and I don't think I ever will," she admitted, "But if you do, then go get him and your mom back," she insisted of Lillie, "As for me, I'll be heading back to Po Town to keep the numbskulls in check…" she muttered out as she glanced away.
"Thank you very much, Plumeria," the blonde-haired girl said in gratitude, giving off a small smile. Hearing that made the Team Skull admin blink in surprise before she sheepishly scratched at her right cheek, blushing a little.
"We better get going and catch up with Hapu," Calvin advised while returning his Pokémon to their respective Poké Balls.
"Right!" Lillie agreed as she jogged ahead with him. Plumeria exhaled another sigh before turning to see Erika approach.
"I still haven't forgiven you for what you did to Pyrrha and Hau…" she pointed out as her fists were balled tightly, "So when all this is over, we'll have our rematch," she vowed seriously. The Team Skull admin smirked.
"Then you better live, ya little brat…" she remarked in response. The Ketchum girl pouted, puffing out her cheeks.
"Erika, hurry!" Rotom called out, enticing her to jog off after the others, leaving Plumeria behind as she grinned a little.
X
The Vast Poni Canyon definitely lived up to its name as Calvin and Lillie ventured further into the region. They were admittedly awed. The very region was nothing like they had ever seen before.
"Not like what you're used to, huh?" the voice of Hapu guessed, getting their attentions as they looked to see the new kahuna up ahead, standing beside the entrance to a cavern.
"Hapu!" Lillie called out with a smile as she and Calvin jogged over.
"This canyon looks huge…" the latter of the two commented while looking around.
"Yeah, but it can seem pretty small compared to what's on the other side," Hapu noted, placing her hands onto her hips, "That fancy altar makes this place feel like just a small hill…" she mentioned.
"Have you been to the Altar of the Sunne, Hapu?" Lillie inquired.
"Mmm… as a little tyke…" the new kahuna replied, "I honestly don't remember all that much when my granddaddy took me there…" she admitted while glancing up towards the clear blue sky overhead.
"Hey…!" Erika's voice called out, causing her and the others to turn and see her tiredly jogging over, breathing heavily.
"You're suffering from dehydration… again, zzt…" Rotom noted as it was floating beside her.
"Shut up…!" she groaned out before approaching the group, putting her hands onto her knees and catching her breath, "So this is the canyon we gotta get through?" she guessed, glancing around.
"Mm-hmm!" Hapu responded with a nod, "A bit of a maze, but the end's worth it!" she pointed out while flashing a thumbs up. In the meantime, Calvin and Lillie walked over to the cavern entrance, noticing a stone statue next to it.
"Is that… some kind of marker?" the latter of the two wondered curiously as she blinked.
"Like at the start of a trail?" the Ketchum boy guessed, putting his right hand onto his chin. Rotom floated over, snapping a few pictures of the marker as its camera flash went off.
"So I guess we better get ourselves going!" Erika concluded, about to join her brother and the blonde-haired girl.
"Now hold on a just a second," Hapu said, causing her to stop as she turned to see the small smirk forming upon the new kahuna's face, "You got both flutes now?" she guessed, "And that would mean you got through Exeggutor Island, right?" she inquired on.
"Uh… yeah," the Ketchum girl replied as she blinked, somewhat confused as to where Hapu was going with the information.
"If that's the case, then who's got the Z-Crystal?" Hapu asked.
"Oh!" Erika yelped, quickly reaching into her pocket and pulling out the crystal she had obtained from the Totem Alolan Exeggutor, "Yeah, I got it," she confirmed as she showed it to the new kahuna, who nodded.
"Then that settles it," she said, "Before you all head into that there canyon…" she continued, "you're going to battle me, Erika!" she decided firmly while pointing at the Ketchum girl. She blinked twice.
"Wh-What?!" she stammered in surprise.
"The Vast Poni Canyon's pretty rough, and getting through it can be even rougher…" Hapu told her and the others, "As Poni's new kahuna, I understand that you're willing to take on the challenge," she noted, "But seeing is believing," she mentioned while pulling out an Ultra Ball and enlarging it with a press of its button, "So I wanna see how ready you are to take on the challenge!" she stated firmly before grinning.
"Then… is this a grand trial match?" Erika inquired, blinking rapidly out of astonishment.
"Mmm… something like that…" Hapu replied as she shrugged, "If you beat me now, you'll definitely get that fourth stamp you need after you finish your eighth trial," she told her.
"Eighth…?" the Ketchum girl repeated in confusion while raising an eyebrow, only to remember that Mina had a trial back in the Seafolk Village.
"Wait just a moment, Hapu," Lillie chimed in, getting the new kahuna's attention, "Why are you battling Erika and not Calvin?" she inquired curiously.
"Well, aside from her having the Dragonium Z from Exeggutor Island," Hapu started to reply, "I've always wanted to have a match against Erika," she admitted, "Ever since I first met you back on Akala, I knew there was this aura you exuded of someone strong," she pointed out, causing the Ketchum girl to slightly widen her eyes in disbelief, "Don't worry, your brother's gonna get his chance to fight me eventually," she assured, "Right now, I think you and me should get to it!" she insisted.
For a moment, Erika seemed a little hesitant. She remembered how much she had changed on her journey from Melemele to Poni, having gone through a rollercoaster of a time. But then, she started to smile.
"I've wanted to battle you too, Hapu," she confessed, readying her own Poké Ball as she pressed its button to enlarge it, "Bring it on!" she challenged. The new kahuna grinned excitedly. Moments later, the two of them stood several meters apart from each other, while Calvin, Lillie and Rotom were off to the side.
"We'll each get to use four Pokémon!" Hapu decided as she prepared another Ultra Ball in her left hand, "And to make this go a bit quicker, we'll make it a double battle!" she added.
"A double battle?" Erika repeated as she blinked in surprise.
'I don't think I've had one of those since battling Miss Emily at the Trainer's School…' she noted inwardly, recalling how she had emerged with victorious with Popplio and Rockruff, 'I'll have to think about the best pairs of Pokémon for this,' she realized, taking on a serious expression.
"Let's go!" Hapu exclaimed as she threw out her two Ultra Balls, which popped open. The lights that spilled out from them formed upon the ground, dissipating to reveal an Alolan Dugtrio and a Flygon.
"Tree!" the Alolan Mole Pokémon exclaimed.
"Furraaiii!" the Mystic Pokémon screeched, flapping his wings to fly up from the ground momentarily.
"That's an Alolan Dugtrio?" Calvin inquired, quite surprised by the Alolan Mole Pokémon's appearance.
"Mm-hmm," Lillie responded with a nod. Meanwhile, Rotom pulled up an image of the Dugtrio variant upon its screen.
"Dugtrio, the Mole Pokémon, Alolan Form," it began, "Her shining gold hair provides her with protection. It's reputed that keeping any of Dugtrio's fallen hairs will bring bad luck. Her metallic whiskers are heavy, so she's not very fast, but Dugtrio has the power to dig through bedrock," it explained thoroughly.
'An Alolan Dugtrio, huh?' Erika noted through her thoughts, 'And a Flygon, too…' she added inwardly, 'Guess that means Hapu's an expert with Ground-types,' she concluded, readying another Poké Ball as she pressed its button to enlarge it, 'In that case, I'll start things off with these two!' she decided.
"Oricorio! Lurantis!" she called out, flinging both spherical containers forward, "Come on out!" she beckoned. Both Poké Balls burst open, with their bluish lights spilling onto the ground. They took shape and dissipated, revealing both the Dancing Pokémon and the Bloom Sickle Pokémon.
"Ree!" the former chirped excitedly as she waved her wings, while the latter exhaled a yawn. However, she then noticed the shade come over her, causing her to look up and see that it was due to the canyon ledges casting shadows. She grumbled in annoyance, but at least was awake.
"Oh, isn't that your little Fomantis from when we first met?" Hapu guessed as she blinked in surprise, "She's certainly blossomed into a big girl, hasn't she?" she inquired on rhetorically with a chuckle.
"Thank you," Erika replied with gratitude, "After we win this battle, we'll get through this whole canyon without a problem!" she vowed firmly.
"We'll see…" the kahuna retorted, narrowing her eyes, "Dugtrio, Dig!" she commanded.
"Tree!" the Alolan Mole Pokémon responded, burrowing into the ground instantaneously.
"That was fast…!" Calvin exclaimed in surprise.
"Even though her hairs are so heavy, she can still move like that?" Lillie wondered aloud, blinking rapidly out of disbelief. Erika narrowed her eyes. Dugtrio's only target would have to be Lurantis since Ground-type attacks would be ineffective on Oricorio. Not to mention that attacking the Bloom Sickle Pokémon did seem somewhat fruitless. However, the Ketchum girl remained wary.
"Flygon, Dragon Claw on Oricorio!" Hapu ordered as she stuck her right hand out.
"Furaaiii!" the Mystic Pokémon screeched in reply, making a greenish, claw-like aura appear over his hands before soaring toward his target.
"Counter with Double Slap!" Erika instructed quickly. The Dancing Pokémon made her wings shine a bright white, swinging her right one out to parry the first slash attempted by Flygon. She then repeatedly fended off his attacks, being pushed back as Calvin, Lillie and Rotom watched.
"Hapu's Flygon definitely seems strong…" the blonde-haired girl noted.
"Yeah…" the Ketchum boy agreed as he nodded. Meanwhile, the Pokédex pulled up an image of the Mystic Pokémon upon its screen.
"Flygon, the Mystic Pokémon," it began, "This Pokémon hides in the heart of sandstorms her creates and seldom appears where people can see him. People continue to have their hearts stolen by Flygon's enchanting songs and find themselves stranded in the desert," it explained thoroughly. Oricorio barely managed to deflect another one of the Mystic Pokémon's swipes before being struck by his left claw, slamming into the ground hard.
"Oricorio!" Erika exclaimed, "Lurantis, Petal Blizzard!" she quickly commanded.
"Luraahhh!" the Bloom Sickle Pokémon squeaked in reply, having pink flower petals swirl around her body. All of a sudden though, the ground cracked beneath her feet. Dugtrio burst up and slammed against her foe's feet, causing her to topple as the petals that were whirling around her disappeared.
"Shoot…!" the Ketchum girl yelped out. Hapu cracked a grin.
"Flygon, Earth Power!" she commanded. The Mystic Pokémon's body glowed in a golden light before he flew down and landed hard upon the ground, causing gold-glowing cracks to suddenly appear and surge up toward Lurantis, who was just getting back onto her feet. It shattered the ground underneath her, sending her flying.
"Lurantis!" Erika cried out, seeing the Bloom Sickle Pokémon land on her feet thankfully. However, she keeled over onto her right knee as a bluish aura flowed down her body.
"Now Dugtrio, Tri Attack!" Hapu ordered. The Alolan Mole Pokémon spun herself around, forming balls of electric yellow energy, fiery orange energy, and icy blue energy in front of each of her heads. She fired off a trio of rays that streaked toward Lurantis.
"Quick, dodge it!" Erika screamed. But the Bloom Sickle Pokémon winced as she just attempted to lean aside. Her trainer grimaced. "Oricorio, Air Slash!" she ordered quickly. Leaping up, the Dancing Pokémon made her wings glow a bright blue, crossing them before swinging them out to unleash several shuriken-like blades of air. They struck the incoming rays, blocking them off in a powerful blast as smoke blew out, which Lurantis braced herself from. Oricorio landed in front of her.
"Kor, koree?" she chirped in question out of concern to her partner.
"Lurrr… ah!" she responded, standing up fully.
"Huh…" their trainer exhaled in relief. Already, the battle had gotten out of hand. She looked to see Dugtrio burrow back over to be beside Flygon, who flapped his wings to get up into the air.
'Those two are a really good team…' the Ketchum girl inwardly noted, clenching her fists tightly, 'It's no wonder with someone who's trained to be a kahuna raising them…' she added to herself, looking over at Hapu, 'Even so, I gotta come up with a plan!' she declared through her thoughts, smacking her cheeks hard with her hands to regain her composure, 'They're focusing on attacking Lurantis because she's the biggest threat to them, right?' she guessed inwardly, 'In that case…' she continued as she let off a grin.
"Oricorio, Teeter Dance!" she instructed, causing the kahuna to blink in surprise.
"Ree!" the Dancing Pokémon responded before she began to wave her wings, making misty pink aura waft off from her body.
"Get back!" Hapu called out to her two Pokémon. Flygon immediately flew away, but Dugtrio found herself caught by the misty aura as her heads started to wobble around, bumping each other by accident. Her trainer grimaced.
"Lurantis, Growth!" Erika yelled to the Bloom Sickle Pokémon. A greenish aura flowed up her body, followed by a reddish light doing the same around her.
"Flygon, Dragon Claw!" Hapu commanded as she swung her right hand out. The Mystic Pokémon had a green, claw-like aura appear over his hands before he dove down towards Lurantis.
"Counter with Leaf Blade!" the Ketchum girl called out, enticing the Bloom Sickle Pokémon to make her scythe-like arms glow a bright green and sharpen. She leapt up, swinging them out to intercept Flygon's hands as sparks flew between them. Now the kahuna was finding herself grimacing nervously, knowing that the tide of the battle was starting to turn. She looked over to Dugtrio, who still seemed dizzied.
"Dugtrio, snap out of it!" she shouted desperately. Unfortunately, the Alolan Mole Pokémon was failing to recompose herself. Seeing that, Erika cracked a grin.
"Oricorio, use Air Slash on Dugtrio!" she commanded as she pointed forward. The Dancing Pokémon made her wings shine a bright blue again before swinging them out to unleash several shuriken-like blades of air that rained down and struck her target, enveloping her in a plume of dust.
"Nice!" Calvin exclaimed excitedly with a pump of his right fist.
"Erika seems to be getting into the groove of the battle," Lillie noted as she smiled a little.
"Yeah, zzt!" Rotom buzzed in agreement, "That's usually how she'zzz managed to handle taking on the trialzzz and grand trialzzz throughout Alola," it mentioned. As the dust settled, it revealed Dugtrio shaking all three of her heads to recompose herself, blinking afterwards.
"Dug, tree!" she called out to her trainer, getting her attention as she smiled a little.
"Okay, Sandstorm!" she instructed as she swung her right arm back. A multicolored light shrouded the Alolan Mole Pokémon before a twister of sand erupted, spreading through the immediate area.
"Ah!" Erika yelped out, bracing herself from the force of the sudden change in weather. Both of her Pokémon grimaced from the feeling they had to endure because of the sandstorm, while their opponents were just fine.
"Now Dragon Claw, Flygon!" Hapu commanded. The Mystic Pokémon took opportunity of the current weather to soar about Lurantis, who seemed rather discombobulated. It allowed for Flygon to swipe at her over and over relentlessly as she couldn't see where he was coming from.
"Ergh…!" Erika growled in frustration.
'Just when I thought we got the advantage back, she took it right out from under us!' she inwardly noted as she gritted her teeth together, 'Okay, calm down…' she advised of herself, 'What I need to focus on now is how I can help get these two back in the fight and get rid of this sandstorm,' she decided through her thoughts, glancing out to see Lurantis being bombarded by Flygon still, 'Seems like Hapu's still trying to have her Pokémon take down Lurantis first…' she realized.
"Dugtrio, Dig!" the kahuna ordered.
"Tree!" the Alolan Mole Pokémon responded before burrowing into the ground. Noticing, Erika blinked in surprise.
'They're gonna try and finish Lurantis off!' she concluded through her thoughts, balling her hands into fists.
"Lurantis, Growth and then Petal Blizzard!" she instructed quickly, "Blow this sandstorm away!" she yelled.
"Lurrr… ahh!" the Bloom Sickle Pokémon exclaimed making a greenish light shine upon her body before a reddish aura flowed up her form again. She then waved her arms, causing pink flower petals to swirl about herself. Instinctively, Flygon flew back, avoiding the torrent of petals unleashed by his foe, blowing away the surrounding sandstorm. At that moment though, the ground cracked beneath Lurantis' feet.
"Now Iron Head!" Hapu commanded. Dugtrio burst up from the earth, cloaked in a whitish aura that made her appear black and white as she slammed into her target's legs.
"LURAAAAHHH!" she cried out in agony, being sent flying backwards before hitting the ground and sliding back to a stop.
"Heh," the kahuna chuckled, giving off a grin.
"Oricorio, Revelation Dance!" Erika suddenly ordered, causing her to widen her eyes in surprise. The Dancing Pokémon had flames flicker off of the tips of her wings, bringing them together to form a searing fireball that she launched out towards Dugtrio. She didn't even have a second to react as it struck her in a powerful blast, resulting in a cloud of smoke enveloping her. Everyone watched on in shock, widening their eyes. When the smoke settled, it revealed the Alolan Mole Pokémon's three heads drooped over, each having swirls in their eyes.
"Dugtrio'zzz down!" Rotom exclaimed in surprise, while Calvin and Lillie smiled happily.
"Lurantis!" Erika cried out as she went over to the Bloom Sickle Pokémon, who sat up as her trainer approached alongside Oricorio, "Are you okay?!" the Ketchum girl immediately asked in concern.
"Lurrr…" Lurantis responded with a nod in spite of having multiple scrapes along her body. With Erika's help as she slung the Bloom Sickle Pokémon's right arm over her shoulders, she was picked up from the ground and set back onto her feet.
"I'm sorry for putting you through all that trouble…" her trainer apologized, "But I'm glad you're okay," she noted assuredly with a smile.
"Luraah!" Lurantis squeaked happily. In the meantime, Hapu returned her Dugtrio to her Ultra Ball in a beam of red light.
"Thanks for the help out there, Dugtrio," she said out of gratitude, "You rest up easy now, 'kay?" she advised before putting the spherical container away, shrinking it beforehand, "That was mighty impressive there, Erika!" she complimented, getting her opponent's attention, "You made sure to blow away that Sandstorm so you could land a good enough hit, right?" she guessed, arching an eyebrow.
"Eheheheh…" the Ketchum girl sheepishly chuckled as she rubbed the back of her head with her right hand, "Well, I had to try something…" she admitted.
"I see…" Hapu responded, readying another Ultra Ball in her right hand as she enlarged it with a press of its button, "In that case, I'll really have get things going!" she declared, throwing the spherical container forward. It popped open, with its blue light spilling out onto the ground. It took shape and dissipated, revealing a Gastrodon of an East Sea Form.
"Gah!" she squeaked in greeting.
"So now it's a Gastrodon up next…" Calvin noted aloud.
"But she's at a huge disadvantage with Lurantis still able to battle…" Lillie pointed out, "I wonder what she's planning…" she added curiously.
"Let's get this started!" Hapu declared as she pointed forward, "Flygon, Flamethrower!" she commanded.
"Wait, what?!" Erika gasped out as she widened her eyes in shock. Rearing his head back, the Mystic Pokémon unleashed a stream of orange flames from his mouth, heading towards Lurantis and Oricorio. "Dodge it!" their trainer quickly called out. Both Pokémon leapt away to opposite sides, evading the fire as it seared by. However, the kahuna cracked a grin.
"Now Muddy Water, Gastrodon!" she ordered. Brown water expelled from beneath the Sea Slug Pokémon, swirling around her before rushing out at Oricorio.
"Reee!" she shrieked as the water crashed onto her in a strong splash. She was left quite dirtied as she slowly stood back up, ruffling her feathers. Her trainer grimaced.
'Now she's going after Oricorio!' she realized.
"Lurantis, take down Gastrodon with Petal Blizzard!" she commanded.
"Lurahh!" the Bloom Sickle Pokémon responded, making several pink petals swirl around her body. She then swung her arms to fire them off as they flew toward the Sea Slug Pokémon.
"Flygon, Flamethrower again!" Hapu ordered. The Mystic Pokémon unleashed another stream of flames from his mouth, incinerating the pink petals before they could even come close to his partner. "Now Gastrodon, Body Slam!" the kahuna commanded on.
"Gah stroh!" the Sea Slug Pokémon responded, leaping out at Oricorio. Erika widened her eyes.
"Quick, use Air Slash!" she cried out. Shaking her head, the Dancing Pokémon opened her eyes and turned to find Gastrodon coming toward her. She made her wings glow a bright blue. But before she could swing them out, her opponent slammed into her in a flurry of dust. "ORICORIO!" her trainer screamed, while those spectating gasped in surprise. When the dust settled, it revealed that the Sea Slug Pokémon was laying atop her foe, who was dazed as swirls were in her eyes.
"Guess that's one down on your end, too!" Hapu remarked as she snapped her fingers. Her Gastrodon slowly slid off of Oricorio, allowing for Erika and Lurantis to approach.
"You okay, Oricorio?" the Ketchum girl asked in concern as she crouched down.
"Koreee…" the Dancing Pokémon weakly chirped in response.
"Luraaahhh…" Lurantis moaned worriedly, while her trainer took out a Poké Ball.
"You did great out there, so take a nice long rest," she insisted of Oricorio, returning her to the spherical container in a beam of red light. She stood up, setting the Poké Ball back onto her belt after shrinking it.
"Lurahhnnn?" Lurantis asked in concern, seeing Erika take a long, deep breath.
"It's okay," she assured, grabbing the shrunken Heavy Ball off of her belt and enlarging it by pressing its button, "This battle's far from over…" she assured confidently.
X
"Huh…" Mirajane sighed as she finished setting the last of her dishes onto a drying rack in the kitchen, "Is Leslie going to come out yet?" she inquired of her husband, who was seated on the couch with Pikachu, Greninja, and Lucario, as they were all watching a recap of a Pokémon battle.
"I think she's gonna be in there for quite a while…" Ash answered sheepishly, "You did kinda scare her…" he pointed out.
"Hmm…" his wife hummed dejectedly, "I trust her… and Dylan…" she admitted, "But I can't help but be worried that she's going to wind up in trouble somehow…" she confessed on, "just like back then…" she added while glancing off to the side. Blinking in surprise, the Pokémon Master stood up from his seat at the couch and walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist comfortingly, causing her to blink in surprise before smiling.
"I'm a little worried about her, too…" he told her, "But like you, I trust her to be smart about this," he pointed out, "She's our daughter after all," he mentioned with a cheeky grin. Mirajane giggled.
"I guess you're right," she agreed, taking a deep breath, "Still…" she continued, "we do have another daughter we should worry about…" she noted.
"Yeah, and our son, too," Ash mentioned, "But they're strong kids, just like Leslie," he pointed out assuredly, "They'll get over any obstacle they need to," he said. Back in the Vast Poni Canyon, Erika reeled her right arm back with the Heavy Ball in her right hand.
"Come on out, Sandslash!" she yelled, throwing the spherical container forward. It popped open, and its light spilled out onto the ground, dissipating to reveal the Alolan Mouse Pokémon.
"San!" he exclaimed, swiping at the air with his sharp claws.
"An Ice-type, huh?" Hapu noted as she grinned.
"That'zzz a good strategy, especially if she wantzzz to take down Flygon, zzt…" Rotom whispered to Calvin and Lillie.
"But at the same time, Sandslash is weak to Ground-type moves," the Ketchum boy noted.
"And Hapu's Flygon knows Flamethrower, too," the blonde-haired girl beside him added, "Either way, this could be anyone's battle…" she said, nervously clutching the straps of her backpack.
"Lurantis, Sandslash, you ready?" Erika asked of her pair of Pokémon, getting their attentions.
"Lurah!" the Bloom Sickle Pokémon responded as she readied her scythe-like arms.
"Sann!" the Alolan Mouse Pokémon replied, taking on a prepared stance.
"Well, we'll get things started for ya!" Hapu decided, sticking her right hand out, "Flygon, Rock Slide!" she ordered. The Mystic Pokémon flew up and had several small boulders appear around him in flashes of sparkling white light. They rained down towards the pair of Lurantis and Sandslash.
"Sandslash, Iron Defense!" Erika called out.
"Slah!" the Alolan Mouse Pokémon responded immediately, hopping out in front of his teammate. A white light shined over his body before he was coated in a metallic sheen. He spread his arms out, letting the boulders tumble down onto him as he barely budged from getting bombarded.
"Ooh, that's a mighty fine way of thinking there…" Hapu complimented, putting her right hand onto her chin.
"We're not done yet!" Erika proclaimed, swinging her right arm back, "Lurantis, use Petal Blizzard!" she commanded. The Bloom Sickle Pokémon made pink flower petals swirls around her body once more, waving her arms to send them out towards her two foes.
"Take 'em out with Flamethrower, Flygon!" the kahuna instructed quickly, enticing the Mystic Pokémon to rear his head back. He then unleashed a powerful stream of orange flames onto the incoming petals, incinerating half of them. Those that remained mostly struck him as he cried out in pain, while Gastrodon leapt back to avoid the others.
"The Petal Blizzard broke through, zzt!" Rotom buzzed in surprise.
"That's probably because Lurantis still has those boosts she got from using Growth earlier…" Calvin recalled.
"But she still looks really worn out…" Lillie noted worriedly, "Erika's going to have to take advantage of the situation as soon as she can…" she added.
"Yeah…" the Ketchum boy agreed.
"Sandslash, Iron Head on Flygon!" his twin sister commanded to the Alolan Mouse Pokémon. He enveloped himself in whitish light, making him appear black and white as he lunged out toward his airborne foe.
"Counter with Dragon Claw!" Hapu called out. The Mystic Pokémon's claws glowed a bright green before a claw-like aura of the same color shrouded both of her hands. He swung his right one out to counter Sandslash, causing sparks to fly between them as they were in a tight deadlock.
"Lurantis, Growth and then Leaf Blade!" Erika instructed of the Bloom Sickle Pokémon.
"Luraahhh!" she responded, making a greenish light appear along her body before a reddish aura flowed up her form. Noticing, the kahuna grimaced, especially as she saw Lurantis' scythe-like arms shine a bright green and sharpen. She knew the only Pokémon who could stop her for the moment was preoccupied in dealing with Sandslash.
'You're really makin' us work, Erika…' she noted inwardly with a small smile, impressed with the trial-goer's efforts so far.
"Gastrodon, Mud Bomb on Sandslash! Flygon, Flamethrower on Lurantis!" she ordered. Puffing out her cheeks, the Sea Slug Pokémon fired off a ball of brown mud from her mouth. It wound up striking the Alolan Mouse Pokémon upside the head, knocking him away from his opponent as he fell to the ground.
Now freed from the deadlock, Flygon was prepared to unleash another stream of orange fire onto an unaware Lurantis. Or so he thought. The Bloom Sickle Pokémon leapt up to him with both of her arms at the ready, much to his and his trainer's shock.
"GO!" Erika yelled.
"LURAAAAHHH!" Lurantis screeched, slashing mightily at the Mystic Pokémon's torso, sending him crashing onto the ground in a flurry of dust.
"Nice one!" Calvin exclaimed excitedly.
"Hapu must've thought Lurantis was going to attack Gastrodon…" Lillie concluded, blinking rapidly out of astonishment.
"Alwayzzz expect the unexpected with Erika, zzt!" Rotom buzzed out happily.
"Furaaaiii…" Flygon groaned out as he stood up from the ground.
"Wow…" Hapu uttered, letting a chuckle escape her lips, "Guess I really shoulda' known you'd be quite the challenger…" she pointed out to the Ketchum girl, who cracked a smile.
"There's a lot at stake in this battle for me," she noted, "It isn't just about winning a grand trial or completing the island challenge…" she added, remembering all that had happened at Aether Paradise, "It's to help a friend in need!" she stated, causing Lillie to widen her eyes as they shimmered with astonishment. The kahuna nodded as a small smile graced her lips.
"I admire that there passion," she admitted, putting her gloved hands onto her hips, "Now let's see how far it'll get ya!" she yelled, sticking her right hand out, "Gastrodon, Muddy Water!" she ordered.
"Gas stroh!" the Sea Slug Pokémon responded, having brown water expel from beneath her body, swirling up into a large wave that was going to crash into Lurantis and Sandslash.
"Lurantis, Petal Blizzard!" Erika commanded as she swung her left arm forward. Pink flower petals swirled mightily around the Bloom Sickle Pokémon before she unleashed them. They blew apart the wave of brown water, striking Gastrodon as well.
"Alright!" Rotom exclaimed excitedly.
"Now Leaf Blade!" the Ketchum girl ordered, enticing Lurantis to make her arms glow a bright green and sharpen again before she rushed forward to her foe, who had just landed on the ground with a pained expression upon her face.
"Flygon, cover Gastrodon with Flamethrower!" Hapu quickly instructed, "Gastrodon, Recover!" she advised on. Flying up, the Mystic Pokémon reared his head back before unleashing a stream of flames out from his mouth towards the ground. It struck just in front of Lurantis, causing her to screech to a complete halt. She growled angrily, noticing the golden light coming from the Sea Slug Pokémon as she was regaining her health, losing any scrapes or bruises she endured from earlier attacks. The kahuna grinned, thinking that her team had regained the advantage.
"Sandslash, Ice Ball!" Erika commanded suddenly, causing Hapu to blink in shock. Flygon was too late to notice the Alolan Mouse Pokémon curling himself up into a ball as his body glowed a light blue. He struck the Mystic Pokémon squarely in the gut, causing him to wince in agony.
"Flygon!" the kahuna cried out, "Gastrodon, Mud Bomb again!" she ordered. The Sea Slug Pokémon puffed out her cheeks, ready to unleash another ball of mud from her mouth. However, she took notice of Lurantis leaping over the fire and charging towards her, with her glowing, blade-like arms still at the ready.
"LURAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" she screeched before slashing past Gastrodon, all while Sandslash slammed Flygon onto the ground in a flurry of dust and dirt. Once it settled, it revealed the Mystic Pokémon lying down, dazed and dizzied with swirls in his eyes. Meanwhile, the Sea Slug Pokémon had fallen over onto her side in the same exact state. Both of them had been defeated.
"Amazing…!" Lillie gasped out as a small smile formed upon her face.
"Way to go!" Calvin cheered. Meanwhile, Hapu was astonished as looked at her two fainted Pokémon. She then glanced back at her opponent, whose two Pokémon gathered back with her as she complimented them for their efforts.
'That girl really is something…' the kahuna realized, returning both of her Pokémon to their respective Ultra Balls in beams of red light. She put them away after thanking her two partners for doing well.
"My compliments to you, Erika!" she called out to the trial-goer, getting her attention, "You really do have that drive to see this through!" she noted with a wide grin.
"Yeah!" the Ketchum girl responded as she nodded her head, "And we're not gonna stop until we do!" she declared additionally. Hapu chuckled, readying her fourth and final Ultra Ball as she enlarged it with a press of its button.
"Well, we'll give you one last hurdle to overcome," she decided, reeling her right arm back, "Let's go, Mudsdale!" she called out, throwing the spherical container forward. It popped open, with its light spilling forth onto the ground, taking form before dissipating to reveal the Draft Horse Pokémon.
"Brrrff!" he neighed out, standing on his hind legs for a moment before coming down in a rather menacing manner. Sweat started to trickle down Erika's head. This was definitely going to be the most difficult hurdle to overcome in the battle…
X
"So Hapu's last Pokémon is her Mudsdale, huh?" Calvin noted, putting his right hand onto his chin as he narrowed his eyes. Rotom pulled up an image of the Draft Horse Pokémon upon its screen.
"Mudsdale, the Draft Horse Pokémon, and the evolved form of Mudbray," it began, "He spits a mud that provides resistance to both wind and rain, so the walls of old houses were often coated with it. Mudsdale remains calm and unmoving no matter the situation. He mixes dirt with the saliva in its mouth to make a special kind of mud," it explained thoroughly.
"He's definitely a strong Pokémon…" Lillie pointed out, "I'm wondering what Erika's going to do in order to win…" she said, looking over to the Ketchum girl as she took a deep breath to calm herself, smacking her cheeks with both hands to retain her composure.
'I've only seen Hapu's Mudsdale battle once before…' she noted in remembrance, 'Both Lurantis and Sandslash might be worn down, but they've still got energy left to spare from their earlier moves,' she told herself, 'We could end this fight in one fell swoop!' she declared inwardly.
"Sandslash, use Ice Ball!" she commanded.
"San!" the Alolan Mouse Pokémon responded, making his body shine a brighter blue than before as he lunged towards Mudsdale, rolling up into a ball. However, the Draft Horse Pokémon didn't move.
"Counter!" Hapu called out, causing Erika to widen her eyes in shock. Mudsdale exhaled puffs of steam from his nostrils, making a reddish aura waft around his body. Sandslash collided with him, causing him to slide back a few feet as the aura grew, now becoming a reddish-orange. He swung himself around and kicked the Alolan Mouse Pokémon away mightily with his hind legs.
"Sandslash!" the Ketchum girl yelped in surprise, while those spectating widened their eyes out of disbelief. They watched the Alolan Mouse Pokémon tumble across the ground, coming to a stop upon his stomach as he grimaced in agony. Thankfully, he managed to push himself back onto his feet, breathing heavily. In the meantime, a reddish aura flowed up his opponent's body.
"What's that?" Calvin inquired upon noticing.
"Stamina, zzt!" Rotom answered, getting his attention along with Lillie's, "It'zzz a Mudbray and Mudsdale'zzz signature ability," it told them, "Their defenzzze getzzz boosted when they get hit by any attack," it explained.
"So in other words, the more Mudsdale gets hit, the more his defense increases…" the blonde-haired girl concluded after a moment.
"That's not good for Erika…" the Ketchum boy realized, now growing concerned for his sister's Pokémon. She took a deep breath, closing her hands into fists. She wasn't about to let this sudden turn of events deter her or her Pokémon.
"Mudsdale, Mega Kick!" Hapu commanded.
"MUHHH!" the Draft Horse Pokémon neighed loudly, galloping forward towards Sandslash as his back hooves shined a bright white.
"Lurantis, use Leaf Blade!" Erika quickly ordered. The Bloom Sickle Pokémon slid out in front of her partner, making her scythe-like arms glow a bright green and sharpen again as her foe approached. He whipped around and thrusted his legs, which she quickly countered with both of her arms.
She and her opponent remained in a deadlock for a few moments. It was evident that she was growing strained though, being slowly pushed back. Ultimately, she gave in and found herself knocked back onto the ground as the green glow left her arms.
"Lurantis!" her trainer cried out worriedly.
"Now Heavy Slam!" Hapu ordered. Mudsdale charged forward, leaping up and shrouding his body in a silvery aura. Lurantis was sitting up, noticing the shadow come over her before looking up and widening her eyes to see the Draft Horse Pokémon come down on her in a huge flurry of dust.
"Lurantis, no!" Erika exclaimed, crossing her arms over her face to avoid getting the resulting dirt and dust in her eyes. Sandslash sat up with an astonished expression. The dust settled, revealing Mudsdale huffing proudly over a downed Bloom Sickle Pokémon, whose eyes were in swirls.
"Luraaahhh…" she moaned out. Her trainer clenched her teeth together in frustration. Sighing, she took out her Poké Ball.
"Thanks for all your hard work, Lurantis," she said in gratitude, "Take a nice long rest," she advised, returning the Bloom Sickle Pokémon to the container in a beam of red light. She put it away, readying another one. "Let's go—!"
"Sah!" Sandslash suddenly interrupted, causing Erika to stop as she looked to see him stand up and step forward.
"Sandslash?" she uttered in confusion.
"Guess your partner there wants to try and take on my Mudsdale himself!" Hapu realized as she chuckled, "Well, that's fine by me!" she assured, much to the Ketchum girl's surprise as she blinked.
"I guess it wouldn't be fair to battle you with two Pokémon when you've only got one left…" she concurred, putting the Poké Ball away for the moment, "Let's do this, Sandslash," she insisted of the Alolan Mouse Pokémon.
"San, slah!" he responded, readying his claws.
"Heh," the kahuna chuckled again, "Mudsdale, Heavy Slam!" she ordered.
"MUHHH!" the Draft Horse Pokémon neighed mightily, galloping forward. He leapt into the air, having a silvery aura shroud his body as he fell towards Sandslash.
"Icicle Crash!" Erika commanded, swinging her left arm out. The Alolan Mouse Pokémon exhaled a cold breath of air from his mouth, forming small clumps of ice. They grew and shaped into icicles, which struck the underside of Mudsdale. He grimaced, but a reddish aura flowed up his form before he crashed down onto his opponent in another flurry of dust.
As it settled, it revealed Sandslash gritting his teeth together as he was desperately enduring the weight of his foe's body over him, while he was trying to press him back down. Their trainers watched on nervously, while those spectating waited for what would happen next. The Alolan Mouse Pokémon started to push back against Mudsdale, much to his surprise.
"Sah, sann slah!" he called out to Erika, causing her to blink before taking on a determined expression.
"Use Iron Head!" she commanded. The Alolan Mouse Pokémon cloaked himself in a whitish aura, making him appear black and white. He pushed harder against Mudsdale before finally knocking him back, causing him to tumble over along the ground.
"Muhh…" he groaned in agony, slowly getting back up onto his feet as a reddish aura flowed up his body once again.
"Guess we're gonna have to show you the sturdiness of Ground-types!" Hapu realized, closing her gloved right hand into a fist, "Mudsdale, High Horsepower!" she commanded, pumping her fist forward.
"MUHHHHH!" the Draft Horse Pokémon neighed loudly, standing up on his hind legs. An orange aura shrouded his form before he brought his front legs down hard onto the ground. Puffs of steam expelled from his nostrils as he glared down his foe.
"We'll come at you with all we've got then!" Erika decided determinedly, "Sandslash, Iron Head!" she ordered again. The Alolan Mouse Pokémon cloaked himself in a whitish light once more, charging toward his foe as he did the same. The two of them collided in a fierce burst of dust, which made their trainers flinch as they braced themselves.
"Ergh…!" Calvin grunted out as he, Lillie and Rotom braced themselves, wondering what had happened. The dust was slow to subside. But once it did, it revealed both Sandslash and Mudsdale still standing. However, the former breathed heavily with exhaustion. And after a few brief moments, he finally fell over onto his stomach, having swirls in his eyes.
"Ah!" the blonde-haired girl gasped in surprise, while the Ketchum boy beside her gave off a frustrated look. In spite of Sandslash's admirable effort, he was still defeated. Erika exhaled a sigh, taking out the Heavy Ball and aiming it toward the Alolan Mouse Pokémon.
"Sandslash, thanks for all your hard work," she said in gratitude, returning her fainted teammate to the spherical container in a beam of red light, "Take a nice long rest," she advised, shrinking the special Poké Ball afterwards and setting it back onto her belt.
"You've given us quite the battle, Erika!" Hapu complimented, putting her hands onto her hips, "Betting this last one you're about to give us is gonna really be something!" she noted excitedly.
"Yeah, for sure!" the Ketchum girl assured in response, setting the Primarium Z onto her Z-Power Ring before grabbing a Poké Ball off of her belt, "Like you said, we need to prove that we're ready to take on this challenge by beating you!" she pointed out, rearing her arm back, "I choose you, Primarina!" she yelled, throwing the spherical container forward. It popped open, with its light forming upon the ground and dissipating to reveal the Soloist Pokémon.
"Pree mah!" she yipped, standing up on her tail fins.
"Oh, so that's the Primarina I've been hearing so much about…" Hapu realized, letting off a grin, "Let's have one heck of a finale!" she insisted, preparing an brownish-orange Z-Crystal upon her own Z-Ring. The last battle of this grand trial match was about to begin…
X
"Ugh…" Leslie groaned into her pillow as she lied upon her bed. It was embarrassing enough that her parents wound up catching her and her new boyfriend together in her room. What made it worse was having to explain the ordeal to Dylan's parents. They were thankfully very understanding, but it didn't make her any less embarrassed. There was a knock at the door.
"Leslie, we just ordered in some food for lunch!" Ash called out, causing her to perk up a little, "I made sure we got your favorite!" he mentioned. Sighing a little, his daughter got up from her bed. Moments later, she was chowing away at a cheeseburger at the kitchen table. Her parents sat next to her, watching as she chewed and swallowed. She gave off an annoyed look and sighed again, putting her food down onto her plate.
"I'm not gonna get the 'talk' from you again, am I?" she inquired, blushing a little.
"N-No!" her mother stuttered out with a shake of her head, "Leslie, I know you're a responsible woman that understands the consequences of… well…" she started to say, causing the Unova Champion Master to turn away in embarrassment.
"Leslie…" Ash began, causing his daughter to look over at him, "your mom and I care about you a lot," he told her as he reached over and placed his left hand atop the Unova Champion Master's right, "And we know that we can trust Dylan, too," he added assuredly, "But you can't expect us not to be surprised when we find even anyone in your bed…" he pointed out.
"…Yeah, I know…" Leslie responded, lowering her head ashamedly, "Sorry for being such a drama queen…" she apologized.
"Well, I think your mother was a bit more of a drama queen about all this…" her father admitted as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. His wife lightly gasped in surprise. But ultimately, she started laughing along with them. Neither her nor Ash were really prepared for their daughter to finally be in a committed relationship. But now, they would do their best to be accustomed to that.
"So… any word on Calvin or Erika?" Leslie inquired, "Are they still doing their island challenge or…?" she started to ask. Mirajane sighed.
"We don't know just yet…" she answered sadly.
"I think we're probably gonna head over to Kukui's place later to talk about meeting up with them on Poni," Ash told his daughter, "We're thinking that things might be too dangerous for them, especially with those Ultra Beasts running around the place…" he added thoroughly.
"But… what about their island challenge?" Leslie questioned out of concern.
"We'll let them go back on it once things calm down, don't worry," her mother assured in response, "For now, we need to be there for them like parents should be," she stated firmly. Her daughter lowered her head. She agreed, but was somewhat sad because of how much she knew her twin siblings enjoyed their island challenge. It was evident in their battle from the Aether Tournament that they were having a lot of fun.
'I hope you two aren't giving Mom and Dad much reason to worry at all…' she inwardly said. Back in the Vast Poni Canyon, Primarina came down and narrowed her eyes onto Mudsdale, who did the same. Both of their trainers had their Z-Power Rings at the ready for any given moment. But neither of them were prepared to use it just yet.
"Primarina, Icy Wind!" Erika commanded.
"Mudsdale, High Horsepower!" Hapu ordered. Inhaling sharply, the Soloist Pokémon exhaled a freezing breath of air with light blue sparkles. Her opponent galloped into it though, enduring the cold wind as an orange aura built up around him. He barreled into his target, making her slide back along the ground.
"Mahhh…" she groaned, shaking her head to recompose herself.
"Aqua Jet!" her trainer yelled out. Primarina enveloped herself in a torrent of water, rocketing out towards Mudsdale.
"Counter!" the kahuna shouted quickly. A reddish-orange aura shrouded the Draft Horse Pokémon as he narrowed his eyes onto his incoming foe. She zoomed around him, attempting to attack from behind. However, he brought his hind legs up, kicking back just as the Soloist Pokémon approached, knocking her away.
"Primarina!" Erika exclaimed as she saw her teammate go flying. Fortunately, she was able to regain her balance, landing down and sliding back a few feet along the ground.
"Mah…" she exhaled.
"I can't believe how resilient Mudsdale is…" Lillie admitted, clasping her hands together worriedly in front of herself.
"But Erika's not going to let him win that easily," Calvin pointed out, getting her attention, "I know that for sure," he added confidently.
"Icy Wind again!" his twin sister commanded, sticking her right pointer finger out. Primarina inhaled another deep breath, followed by exhaling a freezing blast of wind towards her foe.
"Heavy Slam!" Hapu ordered, enticing Mudsdale to encase his body in a silvery aura as he galloped forward. He charged through the wind as frost built up upon his form. What followed was him leaping up and heading down toward Primarina.
"Dodge with Aqua Jet!" Erika instructed quickly. The Soloist Pokémon enveloped herself in another torrent of water, zooming off into the air before her opponent could crash down onto her. Hapu gasped in surprise, while the Draft Horse Pokémon widened his eyes. "Now Moonblast!" the Ketchum girl ordered, pumping her left fist out.
"Pree!" Primarina yipped, letting the water around her splash apart. A golden light shrouded her body before a pink orb of energy formed in front of her open mouth. She fired it down at her target, striking his side in a fierce blast.
"Nice!" Calvin exclaimed excitedly.
"Now I get it, zzt!" Rotom buzzed out, "Erika wazzz having Primarina use Icy Wind to lower Mudsdale'zzz speed!" it noted aloud.
"So now her strategy's to use hit-and-run tactics…" Lillie realized, letting off a small smile, "Erika really is amazing…!" she noted happily. Primarina came back down just before the smoke cleared. It revealed a wincing Mudsdale, who had puffs of steam leave his nostrils as he glared at his foe.
'Like I thought, it's not gonna be easy to take Mudsdale down in one fell swoop…' Erika inwardly realized as she glanced over to her new Z-Crystal in her Z-Power Ring, 'We'll wait to use the Z-Move when the time's right,' she decided through her thoughts.
"Primarina, use Sparkling Aria!" she ordered, swinging her right arm out. The Soloist Pokémon stood up on her tail fins, letting her ponytail come undone as a ball of shining blue water formed upon the tip of her nose. It then splashed apart into several watery streaks, all of which zoomed toward Mudsdale.
"Mega Kick!" Hapu yelled. The Draft Horse Pokémon whipped around as both of his hind legs shined a bright white. He thrusted them back before kicking at the incoming streaks, resulting in a burst of steam.
"Ah!" Erika yelped in surprise as her eyes widened. The veil cleared seconds later, revealing that Mudsdale was fine as he turned back around.
"You shouldn't be all that surprised, Erika!" the kahuna called out, "A good trainer needs to know how to best counter their Pokémon's weaknesses after all!" she noted aloud.
"Right…" the Ketchum girl agreed, balling her hands into fists, "Aqua Jet!" she commanded. Primarina let her ponytail reset before enveloping herself within another torrent of water before rocketing towards her foe.
"High Horsepower!" Hapu ordered as she pumped her right fist forward, enticing Mudsdale to envelop his body in a brownish-orange aura. He charged toward his incoming foe, about to collide with her. However, Erika smirked.
"Sparkling Aria, now!" she called out, causing Hapu to blink in surprise.
"Maaahhh~!" the Soloist Pokémon sang before making an orb of shining blue water appear at the tip of her round pink nose. As she was practically an inch away from her foe's face, the orb splashed apart into watery streaks that struck him.
"MUHHHHHHHHHHH!" he neighed out in agony before tumbling back along the ground.
"Whoa!" Calvin yelped in surprise.
"After that first Sparkling Aria didn't work, Erika must've had Primarina go in close this time, zzt!" Rotom buzzed as an explanation.
"And then Mudsdale wouldn't have had a way to block or counter the attack!" Lillie added in realization, "Erika really does think on her feet!" she mentioned excitedly.
"Heh!" Calvin laughed in agreement. The dust settled as Primarina watched her opponent slowly stand back up, shaking his head to regain his composure. Hapu took a deep breath.
"Mudsdale," she said, getting the Draft Horse Pokémon's attention as he looked back to see her holding up her newly made Z-Power Ring, "It's time," she stated firmly.
"Brrrff," her partner huffed in response with a nod, turning to face his foe and taking on a ready stance. His trainer crossed her arms over her face. Erika noticed that the Z-Crystal upon the kahuna's Z-Power Ring was an orange-brown one with black lines stacked over each other like layers of earth. It flashed brightly.
"As the kahuna of Poni Island, I'll show you our full power in return for your strength!" she vowed, swinging her arms around before sticking them forward, with her left over her right. What followed was her pirouetting like a drill digging into the ground and crouching to place her right hand onto the surface. All the while, an orange aura that had been building up around her shot out in streaks toward Mudsdale. It merged with his body, followed by the Z-Move symbol flashing in front of him.
"Get ready, Primarina!" Erika warned quickly.
"Mah!" the Soloist Pokémon yipped in response.
"Alola's earth will chew you up and spit you out!" Hapu declared fiercely as she stood up, "TECTONIC… RAGE!" she bellowed, slamming her right fist against the ground.
"MUHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Mudsdale neighed mightily before slamming his front hooves onto the surface, causing a fissure to suddenly open up and spread to right underneath his opponent. She fell in, much to Calvin, Lillie, and Rotom's surprise as they gasped in shock. The Draft Horse Pokémon then burrowed into the earth, galloping after his falling foe.
"Pree…!" Primarina winced out, seeing Mudsdale drawing closer aura as the orange aura around him brightened. Upon the surface, Erika took a deep breath.
"Calm down, Primarina," she said in a soothing tone. Though she was several meters underground, the Soloist Pokémon could hear her trainer's voice as she perked up in surprise. "We're going to win this battle and help get Lillie to that altar!" she declared firmly. She crossed her arms over her face, making the Primarium Z upon her Z-Power Ring flash brightly. "What kind of friends would we be if we couldn't?!" she exclaimed.
"Mah!" the Soloist Pokémon responded, closing her eyes in order to concentrate and mimic her trainer's motions. Both Hapu and Mudsdale blinked in surprise, as did Calvin, Lillie, and Rotom.
"She's… using a Z-Move?" the Ketchum boy inquired.
"But Primarina'zzz so far down, zzt!" the Pokédex pointed out, "How can she know Erika'zzz doing thizzz?!" it wondered in a panic. Lillie just watched on curiously, wondering how this was possible. The Ketchum girl waved her arms left to right like waves of water as a bright blue aura built up around her body. It then shot out in streaks down into the earth, merging with the falling Primarina. The Z-Move symbol flashed in front of her as she opened her eyes. Her trainer took a deep breath.
'All this time…' she began through her thoughts, thinking back to when she had met Popplio at the Hau'oli Beachfront, followed by battling at the Trainer's School, meeting Tapu Koko, starting the island challenge, and each battle they had together, 'I think you were the one who really inspired me to keep going after everything,' she admitted inwardly with a small smile, recalling a time when she heard the Soloist Pokémon sing during a campout, loving the sound of her soothing voice.
"Let your song out, Primarina!" Erika yelled with a bright smile, "Show 'em that Oceanic Operetta!" she called out, pumping her right fist up.
"Maaaahhhh~!" the Soloist Pokémon sang beautifully as a giant ball of shining water expanded from the tip of her nose. Mudsdale widened his eyes, unable to stop himself as he became engulfed by the water.
"Wh-What's happening?!" Hapu stammered in question as she blinked rapidly, looking into the fissure.
"Hapu…" Erika began, getting her attention, "this is our full power!" she exclaimed with a bright, confident smile as she held her left fist out. At that moment, the giant water ball emerged from the fissure with Mudsdale still submerged in it. Primarina also returned, landing in front of her trainer. She waved her front fins as if she was pushing something, followed by taking a deep breath.
"MAAAAAAAHHHHHHH~!" she sang, with her voice echoing through the canyon. The huge ball of water descended to the ground and splashed apart upon contact, resulting in beautiful sparkles raining about. Everyone marveled the sight, while Primarina bowed respectfully.
"Muhh…" Mudsdale groaned, lying on his right side with swirls in his eyes.
"He'zzz down!" Rotom exclaimed.
"Then that means…!" Calvin and Lillie both started to realize, laughing a little. Hapu gave off a small smile.
"Victory's yours, Erika," she said as the Ketchum girl perked up, "Consider your fourth grand trial cleared!" she added with a thumbs up. Slowly, Erika's eyes widened as a grin grew upon her face.
"ALRIGHT!" she exclaimed as she leapt up off of the ground. Primarina approached her excited trainer, embracing her warmly as they laughed together. They had overcome so much together. And now, they felt stronger than ever.
ENDING
Insert "Selfish" by Madison Beer
Opens with Lillie lying on a sleeping bag, staring up at the stars while everyone's camped out around her. She closes her eyes, thinking back to a time when she and her family were happy.
We cut to her as a little girl, sleeping in bed with her mother. She appears content as Lusamine brushes her hair back and giggles happily.
Later, we see Lillie playing with a Clefairy and a Buneary alongside Gladion as they roam about the conservation area of Aether Paradise. Wicke and Faba watch on with smiles, as do Lusamine and Mohn. A while passes before Mohn holds his daughter by her little hand, walking along with her down a pathway. She smiles and momentarily closes her eyes. But when she opens them, she finds that her father is no longer there.
She's wearing her normal white dress and sunhat as she finds herself lost amongst the sea of Aether Foundation employees. She finds herself feeling all the more trapped in a place she once called home, hearing her mother's maniacal laughter. She covers her ears, whimpering with fright. However, she spots a faint light in the near distance. She approaches it and blinks in surprise to find that it's Cosmog.
Later on, we see her running through the conservation area with Nebby in her bag, trying to flee from the Aether Foundation employees after her. She finds herself surrounded, but all of a sudden, the Cosmog emits a starry glow that envelops both of them, causing them to disappear instantaneously. When Lillie wakes up, she finds herself on a beach as she cradles a weakened Nebby in her arms. She's then approached by Kukui and Burnet, who are both quite surprised.
A while passes before Lillie starts to live with the couple, as Burnet helps her out with Nebby and acts like a mother to her. Time goes on, and Lillie heads up to the Ruins of Conflict at Nebby's behest, followed by the incident in which Calvin and Erika helped to save it from falling into in the ravine below. After meeting the twins, Lillie found herself becoming much more active.
In spite of her fears, she helped support Calvin and Erika throughout their island challenges, while they helped her with Nebby. It's come to the point that she can really think of them as true friends. The scene changes to after her mother's disappeared through the Ultra Wormhole. She drops her duffel bag and tears up in horror and anguish.
She opens her eyes and sits up on her sleeping bag, folding her arms over herself and curling her knees in. Somber for a moment, she then looks at the snoozing forms of Calvin and Erika. She smiles, looking back up at the stars. Inwardly, she vows to do whatever she can to support them and save Nebby and her mother…
END ENDING
And there you have it! Erika's completed her fourth and final grand trial, and not a moment too soon! We're getting into quite a groove this new year, which hopefully is treating all of you well! As of the time I'm writing this, I'll be seeing some awesome action content from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings!
Anyways, next chapter comes out next week! Here's a summary to hold you over!
SUMMARY
Calvin, Erika, and Lillie's journey through the Vast Poni Canyon begins! They're faced with plenty of tough and powerful opponents in the wild Pokémon that appear there! And at one point, Calvin finds the gateway to a trial site that leads to the altar!
Will he and the others make it through?!
END SUMMARY
See you all next time!