Alola, everyone! Welcome to February! I'm sure after the latest chapter of "Avengers: Omni Force", all of you need a palette cleanser in the form of a chapter of "The Challenge of a Lifetime"!
Last time we left off, Calvin was in the middle of his trial against the Totem Kommo-o, who had just defeated his Mimikyu! So now, what's he going to do?!
Well, let's find out! Welcome back to "The Challenge of a Lifetime"!
POKÉMON SUN & MOON
THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME
UNIVERSE-522
"Hey, there she is!" Setsuna called out in greeting, waving from afar with a toothy smile to Leslie, who had just stepped out of her MPG portal onto the sidewalk of Canterlot City. It had been a while since she visited. A lot of the time, she never really wanted to come back because of what happened during her high school years. But now was different. Her best friends were getting married… and she was going to be their maid of honor.
"Hey Mackenzie!" she greeted upon approaching the green-haired couple, "Setsuna…" she said with disdain, giving the Lizard Tail Splitter Quirk user a mere glance.
"Ooh, I felt that…" she winced out, obviously faking an injury as she held her hands over her heart.
"Who else is here?" Leslie asked, ignoring Setsuna as she rolled her eyes.
"Well, there's CC and her girlfriend…" Mackenzie started to answer with some bitterness in her tone, causing the Unova Champion Master to grimace a little upon remembering the tension between the two of them, "Akemi, that Mina girl from UA, and well… Rachael," she listed off.
"Raya's not here?" Leslie inquired, blinking in surprise.
"Bride can't see the other's dress before the wedding, ya know…" Setsuna pointed out to her with a smirk.
"And there's kind of another thing, I think…" Mackenzie mentioned, causing Leslie to give off a perplexed look.
"What is it?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"…I think Rae can explain it better," the Equestrian Magic user confirmed, stuffing her hands into her pockets. A concerned expression came across Leslie's face upon hearing that. But she ultimately decided not to ask more as she trekked along the sidewalk with her friends to the boutique around the corner. Peeking inside, the Unova Champion Master widened her eyes to find Rachael Hagane there being fitted in a beautiful white wedding dress, though without the veil or bouquet of flowers. And immediately, she started tearing up at the sight.
"Yep, that's a thing of beauty," Setsuna noted with a nod and crossed arms, "Can't wait for that to be me someday…" she added as she winked to her girlfriend.
"Hey, don't go getting too excited…" she advised in response, "I'm not exactly ready for that kinda commitment yet…" she admitted sheepishly.
"Fine, fine…" the Lizard Tail Splitter Quirk user grumbled, folding her arms behind her head. They ventured inside, with the dinging bell catching the attentions of those already inside.
"Oh, Tokage!" Mina Ashido called out in greeting, causing the new arrivals to look over and see her wave hello. She was wearing a very nice, scarlet dress. Next to her was Monkey D. Akemi, who was also dressed in a scarlet outfit.
"Hey Ashido!" Setsuna greeted back, "Looks like the theme for the ladies is scarlet, huh?" she guessed as she put a curious hand onto her chin.
"Well, for everyone on Rachael's side of the family, man or woman," Akemi chimed in as a correction.
"But today's just for the girls!" Mina pointed out excitedly, "Ooh, I can't wait for this!" she exclaimed, hopping up and down.
"Ah-ah!" a familiar voice yelped in a reprimanding tone, causing the Acid Quirk user to freeze, "Don't you dare ruin that beautiful dress!" she insisted firmly. Mina squeaked with fright, while both Mackenzie and Leslie gave off small grins. Approaching was none other than Rarity Cheney, who was wearing her glasses as she placed her hands onto her hips.
"Hi Missus Cheney," Mackenzie greeted as she approached, "Thanks for setting this up for us," she said in gratitude.
"Oh, of course!" the fashion designer responded assuredly as she clapped her hands together, now taking on a bright smile, "I'm more than happy to help bring smiles to everyone's faces with beautiful dresses for both Rachael and Raya's friends!" she added.
"Does that mean you're gonna be doing dresses for the girls on Raya's side of the aisle, too?" Leslie guessed curiously.
"Oh, absolutely!" Rarity responded. The Unova Champion Master chuckled a bit nervously.
'What a one-eighty…' she uttered inwardly at the drastic change in personality. She then turned her attention onto Rachael, who was smiling brightly.
"Rachael… that dress looks—!" Her sentence was halted at the moment she felt something squeeze her chest. Everyone looked over and widened their eyes in surprise. Leslie slowly glanced down in horror to see a pair of hands holding onto her breasts from behind, causing her to blush a mad red. They originated from none other than Kuroka Tojo, who fondled them with a curious grin across her lips.
"Well, I can't believe there's someone with a pair even bigger than Himejima's…" she admitted while squeezing them, "But I guess the multiverse works in mysterious ways sometimes…" she pointed out with a shrug. The Unova Champion Master felt her entire face go scarlet red with embarrassment before she growled.
"STOP TOUCHING MY CHEST!" she bellowed out angrily. It was going to be a long day of fitting…
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
To Scale the Scales!
UNIVERSE-8736
"Hey! Lillie!" Erika called out, causing the blonde-haired girl standing at the gateway to the trial site to turn and see her jogging over with Rotom floating behind her.
"Erika!" she exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, thank goodness you're alright…" she noted with relief in her tone.
"Yeah, sorry for taking off…" the Ketchum girl apologized, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head with a grin.
"She caught that Jangmo-o though, zzt!" Rotom mentioned to Lillie's surprise.
"Oh, congratulations!" she complimented.
"Thanks," Erika replied with a nod, "So, uh… where's Calvin?" she asked as she looked around for a sign of her brother. All of a sudden, the two girls and the Pokédex heard a roar in the distance of the ravine. The trial-goer of the group then spotted the familiar gateway, gasping in realization. "Is he in there?!" she inquired of the blonde-haired girl beside her.
"Yeah," she confirmed as she nodded, "This is his trial," she pointed out.
"We should go and help him!" the Ketchum girl insisted. To her surprise though, Lillie grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Lillie…?" she uttered out with shaking eyes.
"Don't worry," the blonde-haired girl reassured, giving off a small smile, "I know your brother's strong," she pointed out, "After all, you've both saved each other, haven't you?" she questioned rhetorically, causing Erika to blink in shock. Deep in the canyon, Calvin returned Mimi to her Poké Ball in a beam of red light.
"Thanks for all your hard work, Mimi…" he said quietly with gratitude, "I promise that I won't let it go to waste," he vowed, shrinking the spherical container with a press of its button before putting it back onto his belt. It was going to be easier said than done. Aside from the fact that Kommo-o had just defeated the very Pokémon best suited to battle him, now the capped trial-goer had to deal with the Scizor who had joined the fray.
'Fighting with just one Pokémon won't be an option here…' he decided inwardly, reaching back and grabbing two more Poké Balls in his right hand, 'This isn't the best matchup, but they'll be fine if I play my cards right!' he added through his thoughts, enlarging the spherical containers by pressing their buttons.
"Toucannon, Tsareena, come on out!" he exclaimed, flinging both Poké Balls forward. They popped open, with their lights spilling out onto the ground and coming into form. They dissipated, revealing both the Cannon Pokémon and the Fruit Pokémon.
"Kah!" Toucannon squawked out.
"Sah ree…" Tsareena huffed, brushing her leaf-like hair back with her right hand. They both looked ahead and widened their eyes, shivering as the Totem Kommo-o stomped forward towards them. Another burst of steam left his nostrils.
"Kohhh…" he growled out, narrowing his eyes onto his two new foes. They shuddered, nervously stepping back.
"It's okay, guys!" their trainer assured, getting their attentions as they turned to see the determined expression upon his face, "We get through this battle, we can get to that altar!" he pointed out, closing his right hand into a fist over his chest. Toucannon and Tsareena looked to each other, worried about facing such an imposing foe. But realizing that Calvin was trusting them, they grew determined as well.
"Sah!" the Fruit Pokémon exclaimed, taking on a ready stance.
"Too kah!" Toucannon chirped out, spreading his wings. Their opponent closed his clawed hands into fists, smacking them together to make his scales shake. The Ketchum boy took a deep breath to calm himself, ready to enact his strategy.
'First things first…' he began to himself, 'we gotta give ourselves an advantage!' he declared inwardly.
"Toucannon, Supersonic!" he instructed. The Cannon Pokémon had the tip of his back glow a bright blue before opening it, unleashing a powerful sonic wave onto Kommo-o. However, Calvin blinked in surprise to see that the Totem Pokémon appeared to be unaffected. He lifted up his right fist, cloaking it in an orb of sparking yellow electricity. "Watch out!" the Ketchum boy exclaimed in fright, seeing that Toucannon was going to get it.
Fortunately, Tsareena leapt over. She made her right leg shine a bright green before slamming it against Kommo-o's incoming fist, being at a deadlock with him. They glared into each other's eyes before backing away from each other, with the Fruit Pokémon landing in front of her trainer.
"Huh…" he exhaled in relief.
'So that was Tsareena's Trop Kick, huh?' he noted through his thoughts, grimacing from seeing how Toucannon's Supersonic had utterly failed, 'In that case, we'll just have to attack!' he realized.
"Tsareena, Magical Leaf!" he commanded, sticking his left hand out. The Fruit Pokémon waved her hands around as a greenish light shined off of them, bringing them together. What followed was several glowing leaves being shot out, heading toward Kommo-o. However, Scizor suddenly dashed in. Both of his pincers glowed in a silvery-white light before he rapidly punched at the incoming leaves, breaking them into pieces.
"Zorr!" he exclaimed, making his pincers shine a yellowish-green as he zipped out at Tsareena.
"Toucannon, Beak Blast!" Calvin quickly ordered. The Cannon Pokémon flew out in front of his teammate, having his beak start to heat up as it glowed orange. Scizor slashed at him in an x-shaped pattern, causing him to slide back along the ground.
"Sizzzz…" the Pincer Pokémon huffed out with a smirk. However, that expression vanished as he was suddenly engulfed by a plume of fire, making him cry out in pain.
"Good work, Toucannon!" the Ketchum boy complimented, "Let that Beak Blast out on Kommo-o!" he advised.
"Tookah!" the Cannon Pokémon chirped in response… right before getting struck by a beam of light blue luminosity, resulting in a blast of smoke.
"Ah!" his trainer gasped in shock, while Tsareena widened her eyes. The beam had originated from the Totem Pokémon, who narrowed his eyes onto the smoke, wanting to make sure his target was down. However, he widened them upon seeing the orange glow shining brightly within it. Flapping his wings, Toucannon blew the smoke away before lifting his head.
"TOOKAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he exclaimed, opening his mouth and unleashing a powerful beam of orange light that struck the Scaly Pokémon in a powerful blast, making him stumble back.
"Way to go, Toucannon!" his trainer yelled excitedly.
"Sah!" Tsareena added with a nod of agreement, causing the Cannon Pokémon to huff proudly. At that moment though, Scizor closed in again, having his fists glow in a silvery-white light.
"Quick, dodge it!" Calvin called out to the Fruit Pokémon. She nimbly evaded her foe's attempted strikes, all while embers were flickering off of his body. It wasn't long before the fire plume erupted around his body again, forcing him to cease his movements as he stumbled back, wincing with agony. "Now Trop Kick!" the Ketchum boy commanded.
"Sahhh… ree!" Tsareena exclaimed, lunging forward and landing a powerful kick to her target's head with her right leg, which glowed a bright green. Scizor was sent flying back, but landed upon his feet and slid to a stop. He held up his pincers in a threatening manner, causing his foe to huff as she brushed her hair-like leaves back again.
"Toucannon, use Rock Smash!" Calvin ordered.
"Kah!" the Cannon Pokémon squawked in response, making his beak glow a bright reddish-orange as he flew out toward the cloud of smoke where Kommo-o was. To his surprise, the Totem Pokémon suddenly reared his right arm back, blowing the smoke away. His fist was surrounded by a green orb of energy, which he thrusted forward and collided with Toucannon in a fierce shockwave.
"Koh… MOH!" the Scaly Pokémon roared, blowing his foe back as he tumbled through the air. He regained his balance thankfully, but there were sparkling green orbs of light that came out from his body, being absorbed into Kommo-o as a greenish light flowed up his form.
"So he's got Drain Punch, too?" Calvin noted aloud, grimacing a little.
'So far he's used Thunder Punch, Flash Cannon, and now Drain Punch…' he listed off to himself in remembrance, 'He's probably got a Dragon-type move that he's saving for just the right moment, too…' he added through his thoughts, taking a deep breath to calm himself, 'At any rate, we need to make sure Scizor's down before we even start worrying about Kommo-o!' he inwardly decided.
"Tsareena, throw Scizor off with Sweet Scent!" he instructed.
"Sahree!" the Fruit Pokémon responded, leaping up and pirouetting, releasing a pinkish, sparkling mist from her body. It wafted over Scizor, who suddenly took on a more relaxed expression upon smelling the sweet fragrance in the air.
"Now use Beak Blast, Toucannon!" Calvin ordered. Taking on a determined expression, the Cannon Pokémon had his beak start heating up, glowing a bright orange. The wild Scizor was still in a daze from the scent wafting about the air, but was suddenly snapped out of his stupor as the plume of fire from before erupted around his body again, making him cry out in pain.
He stumbled back a few steps before spotting Toucannon ahead of him, still heating his beak up. Acting quickly, the wild Pincer Pokémon made his claws glow a silvery-white as he dashed out to try and strike his opponent. Unfortunately, just as he closed in, the Cannon Pokémon opened his beak to release a powerful beam of orange light. It struck Scizor fiercely, making him cry out in agony as he wound up completely engulfed. What followed was him falling onto the ground, having swirls in his eyes.
"Great work, Toucannon!" the Ketchum boy complimented with a bright smile.
"Kah!" the Cannon Pokémon squawked happily in response. Seeing that Scizor had been defeated, Kommo-o closed his eyes for a brief moment. Calvin took notice of the fact that he was folding his arms in. When he opened his eyes, he unfolded them and…
"MOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he roared fiercely, unleashing several blue shockwaves as his scales chimed loudly. The shockwaves flew out, striking both Toucannon and Tsareena as they were blown back by the force.
"Guys!" their trainer cried out, bracing himself by crossing his arms over his face. As the dust settled from the sudden attack, he looked and gasped to find his Pokémon being slow to get back up onto their feet.
'What kind of move was that?!' he wondered inwardly. He then saw Kommo-o charge forward, cloaking his right hand in an orb of sparking yellow electricity after closing it into a fist, heading towards Toucannon.
"Toucannon, look out!" Calvin screamed. Unfortunately, the Cannon Pokémon was unable to avoid his foe's attack, getting struck and sent crashing into the canyon wall.
"Kahhh…" he weakly chirped, having swirls in his eyes as he fell onto the ground. Seeing that one of his foes was defeated, the Kommo-o turned his attention onto Tsareena, who grimaced. She saw him fold his arms inward again as his scales started to chime and clatter. Her trainer also saw, clenching his teeth together.
"Tsareena, Trop Kick!" he commanded, throwing his right fist out. With both of her legs glowing a bright green, the Fruit Pokémon charged forward, leaping out in an attempt to strike her foe. Unfortunately, he unfolded his arms and roared mightily again, releasing blue shockwaves that crashed onto her, making her fall onto the ground in a plume of dust.
"Sahhhreee…" she squeaked out, also having swirls in her eyes. Calvin's eyes shook in disbelief, followed by gaining a frustrated expression as he glared up at Kommo-o, who glared back. Clearly, the trial was far more difficult than he imagined it'd be…
X
UNIVERSE-522
"So bridesmaids on this side go red, huh?" Setsuna inquired, holding her arms out to their respective sides as Rarity measured her waist.
"Scarlet, dear," the fashionista corrected, "And those on Raya's side of the aisle will be in a nice contrasting ocean blue," she mentioned with a happy sigh, "Oh, I wish I had chosen such a colorful theme for my wedding…" she admitted while resting her right hand onto her cheek.
"Mom, can you focus on getting our dresses ready and not on the past?" a voice grumbled, causing Rarity to open her eyes and frown. She glanced back to see her daughter there, sitting on a bench with Kuroka.
"Christina Cheney, I'm allowed to reminisce if the moment seems fit for it," she stated firmly, "And I don't want to hear you complaining after your naughty girlfriend assaulted Leslie!" she added in an upset tone.
"I said I was sorry…" the gothic girl pointed out, glancing away ashamedly.
"I'm not," Kuroka admitted, "Whoever's dating you has a nice pair of melons to smother…" she noted to Leslie, who flinched in surprise, blushing a bright red.
"Just don't touch them again!" she demanded angrily.
"Easy, Les…" Mackenzie advised from afar as Rarity was measuring her waist, "Kuroka's always been a bit… honest when it comes to things like that," she pointed out.
"I always thought she was into guys…" Akemi whispered over to Mina, getting her attention.
"It's more like she's into having kids…" she replied quietly.
"Speaking of, you ladies wouldn't happen to know any strong men who'd love to be a donor for me, would you?" Kuroka inquired curiously, "And I don't just mean being a donor…" she mentioned with a sly grin.
"CHRISTINA VALENTINE CHENEY!" Rarity shouted angrily, "CAN YOU PLEASE KEEP YOUR VULGAR GIRLFRIEND FROM RUINING THIS FITTING?!" she requested, evidently having had enough of the Nekomata's antics.
"Easier said than done, Mom…" her daughter grumbled out, causing her girlfriend to giggle.
"Huh…" Leslie sighed out from afar with a blush on her cheeks.
"Been a while since you've met up with people so colorful, huh?" Rachael guessed, getting her attention.
"Well… not that long…" she admitted in reply, giving off a small smile, "It's still really good to see you, Rae," she said.
"You too, Les," the requip user replied, "I know it's not easy seeing me like this…" she mentioned, looking at the nub where her right arm once was, "but you know, I feel like being a little more… natural in this case," she told her friend.
"Good thing you're left-handed…" she remarked back with a giggle.
"Ambidextrous, but yeah…" Rachael corrected, sharing a laugh with her.
"So… I'm guessing the dress theme is… rainbows?" Leslie assumed, knowing Raya's side of the aisle would be wearing blue outfits.
"Mmm… sorta…" the requip user replied with a shrug, "Kinda wanted to do a whole fire meets water thing…" she admitted with an unsure wave of her hand, "But… then we thought about you," she pointed out.
"M-Me?" the Unova Champion Master stuttered in question, raising an eyebrow, "Why?" she asked curiously.
"Pokémon obviously," Rachael answered, putting her hand onto her hip, "Grass, Fire, and Water," she listed off, "That's the theme for trainers who start their journeys, right?" she inquired rhetorically as Leslie blinked in surprise, "And we're starting our own as of getting married," she mentioned with a smirk.
"Wow, clever…" the white-haired woman remarked as she rolled her eyes, sharing another laugh with the requip user. However, her expression shifted into a worried frown after a moment. "Hey… uh…" she began, causing the future bride to perk up in surprise, "Mackenzie mentioned something about Raya having a bit of trouble with things on her side…" she recalled, scratching at her right cheek.
"Huh…" Rachael sighed out, "You might wanna sit down for this…" she advised, much to the Unova Champion Master's concern as she grimaced a little. What was she about to hear?
UNIVERSE-8736
"Thanks for your help, you guys…" Calvin said in gratitude to both Toucannon and Tsareena, returning them to their respective Poké Balls in beams of red light, "You did great…" he assured sadly, taking a deep breath as he put the spherical containers back onto his belt after shrinking them. He then glared out at Kommo-o, who stood alone as the yellow aura wafted off from his body.
"Kohhh…" he growled out, narrowing his eyes onto the trial-goer.
'I've only got three Pokémon left…' he noted inwardly, 'And none of them have an advantage against Kommo-o…' he mentioned to himself, sounding frustrated as he clenched his fists tightly, 'But I can't give up!' he declared through his thoughts, 'Not when my friends are counting on me!' he added, quickly pulling off two Poké Balls and a Net Ball from his belt, enlarging them by pressing their buttons.
"Come on out, you guys!" he called out, throwing them forward. They popped open, with their lights spilling forth onto the ground. They shaped into form and dissipated, revealing Incineroar, Araquanid, and Togedemaru.
"Sehh rawrr!" the Heel Pokémon exclaimed, spreading her arms out.
"Kwaaahhh!" the Water Bubble Pokémon bellowed.
"Toh geh!" the Roly-Poly Pokémon squeaked. All three of them had determined expressions as they glared down Kommo-o, who seemed indifferent to their presence.
"Mohhh…" he huffed out as steam left his nostrils.
"Be careful, you guys!" Calvin advised seriously of his remaining three Pokémon, "This is our last chance to win and get through the canyon!" he mentioned.
"Rowwrrr!" Incineroar responded with a nod, flashing her trainer a thumbs up. The Totem Pokémon then closed his hands into fists, cloaking them in orbs of sparking yellow electricity. He lunged out toward Araquanid, rearing his right arm back.
"Togedemaru, Gyro Ball!" the Ketchum boy quickly ordered. The Roly-Poly Pokémon had the spikes upon him stick up, glowing a bright blue. He spun around as he leapt up, countering the incoming punch intended for his teammate. "Incineroar, use Fire Fang! And Araquanid, Liquidation!" the trial-goer commanded on.
Planting his back legs on the ground, the Water Bubble Pokémon lifted his front two ones up, having water swirl out from the bubbles upon them as they glowed. He slammed them into Kommo-o, causing him to stumble back from the force. Incineroar then leapt in, having her teeth glow a bright red as flames engulfed her mouth. She bit down onto the Totem Pokémon's right arm, resulting in a powerful blast.
"Kohh…" Kommo-o grunted out as he stepped back a step, appearing to wince a little. Calvin took notice, blinking in surprise.
'Are we doing more damage than we did before?' he wondered inwardly, 'Hold on a second…' he continued through his thoughts, spotting how out of place the Totem Pokémon's scales seemed from before. In fact, it seemed like they were damaged. 'They weren't like that after all our attacks earlier…' the Ketchum boy noted to himself, putting his hand onto his chin, 'But I don't think we did that…' he added inwardly.
"Incineroar, Cross Chop!" he ordered, deciding to worry about it later. The Heel Pokémon cracked a wicked smirked, leaping up as her arms glowed a bright orange. She crossed them over her face before heading down towards Kommo-o, who had an orb of green energy swirl around his right fist. The two of them collided, resulting in a fierce shockwave before they wound up blowing each other back. Green orbs of energy came off of Incineroar's arms, flowing out to the Totem Pokémon as a greenish light flowed up his body.
'Now he's trying to counter our attacks…' Calvin noted through his thoughts, 'Something's definitely up here…' he realized, 'He only started that after he…' he kept going inwardly, remembering the times where the Scaly Pokémon had let out those blue shockwaves, which had rattled his scales, 'Yeah, that's it!' he concluded to himself, grinning.
"Togedemaru, Nuzzle!" he ordered quickly.
"Mah roo!" the Roly-Poly Pokémon squeaked, making the electric sacs at his cheeks spark wildly before leaping out at Kommo-o. He saw him coming, forming a light-blue ball of energy in front of his open mouth before unleashing a beam of light. It struck Togedemaru, sending him flying back. Fortunately, Incineroar was quick to catch him in her arms.
"MOHHHH!" the Totem Pokémon roared angrily, closing his hands into fists again as they were engulfed in orbs of sparking yellow electricity. Calvin grimaced in frustration.
'We need to land at least one Nuzzle to paralyze him!' he noted to himself, 'We just gotta give Togedemaru an opening!' he added through his thoughts.
"Incineroar, use Flamethrower!" he commanded, swinging his left hand out.
"Rawwrr!" the Heel Pokémon responded, putting Togedemaru down before making her flame belt burn brightly. She then unleashed a blast of flames from it, colliding with Kommo-o's fists as he struggled to break through them.
"Araquanid, Spider Web!" the Ketchum boy instructed quickly.
"Kwahh!" the Water Bubble Pokémon exclaimed as he jumped up, aiming his spinneret down at the totem and firing off a huge strand of sticky thread. It split apart, forming a net that ensnared the Scaly Pokémon as the flames subsided.
"This is it!" Calvin yelled, "Togedemaru, Nuzzle!" he ordered.
"Toh!" the Roly-Poly Pokémon squeaked in reply. He hurried forward, making the electric sacs at his cheeks spark wildly. Kommo-o was ripping the webbing off of himself piece by piece. Unfortunately, he was too late to stop his opponent as he jumped up and collided with his face, zapping him with electricity.
"KOHHHHH!" he screeched in pain. Yellow sparks crackled along his body as Togedemaru jumped back, landing down safely on the ground with a proud huff.
"We did it…" the Ketchum boy realized, giving a relieved and determined look, "Now let's wrap this up!" he insisted, clenching his fists tightly, "Togedemaru, Zing Zap! Araquanid, Lunge! Incineroar, Cross Chop!" he commanded of his three Pokémon. Togedemaru went ahead and made his spikes stick up, enveloping his entire body with electricity before spinning forward. Araquanid cloaked his own body in a yellowish-green light as he then leapt out at Kommo-o. Finally, Incineroar crossed her arms over her face, making them glow a bright orange. She too lunged out at the seemingly hindered Kommo-o.
"Mohhh…" he grunted out, slowly managing to fold his arms inward. Noticing, Calvin blinked in surprise before gasping. Each of his Pokémon managed to strike the totem, making him wince. However, he endured the assault, readying his arms.
"GUYS, WATCH OUT!" the Ketchum boy screamed, causing his trio of remaining Pokémon to perk up in surprise. All of a sudden…
"MOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Kommo-o roared, unleashing several blue shockwaves as his scales rattled loudly. The shockwaves struck each of his three foes, sending them flying back. The force of the attack also caused Calvin to fall over onto his posterior as dirt and dust flew back, veiling the immediate area. "Koh moh oh!" the Scaly Pokémon exclaimed as he loomed over his foes, who lied upon the ground.
"Ergh…" the Ketchum boy growled out, clenching his teeth together as tears started to well up in his eyes, "Dammit…" he cursed.
'Even with everything I saw…' he began inwardly, shutting his eyes, 'and we still couldn't break through!' he noted to himself. His tears started flowing out. 'I'm too weak of a trainer…' he admitted through his thoughts, 'I—'
"RAWWWWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRR!" Incineroar suddenly bellowed, snapping him away from his thoughts as he looked to see her standing up firmly with a fierce expression upon her face.
"Incineroar…" her trainer uttered out. In the meantime, both Araquanid and Togedemaru got up as well. Seeing Calvin so distraught stirred them to standing back up. They weren't about to make him cry.
"Kohhh…" Kommo-o growled, glaring specifically at the Heel Pokémon, who took a ready stance.
"Sehh, sehh rawr!" she called out to her teammates, causing them to nod in response. Meanwhile, her trainer blinked in confusion, wondering what she was about to do. She flashed him a thumbs up once again with a grin. She then took a deep breath.
In an instant, her eyes flashed a bright red before she charged forward, becoming surrounded by a reddish aura. Kommo-o barely had time to throw up his arms to block her first swipe, which sent him sliding back. Calvin stood up from the ground, watching in awe as the Heel Pokémon relentlessly attacked her foe over and over.
"Wait… that's… Outrage!" he realized, widening his eyes in disbelief. Incineroar had not only just learned a powerful move, but a Dragon-type one at that. The Totem Pokémon was struggling to endure the barrage as his weakened scales rattled loudly. He knocked his foe off of himself before folding his arms inward as quickly as he could.
"MOHHHHHH!" he roared, unleashing several blue shockwaves that crashed down onto the Heel Pokémon. However, she endured them as she planted her feet against the ground, only sliding back a few feet while crossing her arms over her face.
"RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRR!" she bellowed, lunging forward in an instant and striking Kommo-o squarely in the stomach, causing him to gasp out in agony. She then bombarded him with a relentless flurry of swipes before kicking him aside, making him crash onto the ground hard in a burst of dust. Calvin was amazed, seeing Incineroar and breathe heavily. When the dust settled, it revealed that Kommo-o lied upon the ground, groaning in pain as his eyes were shut.
"We… won…" the Ketchum boy realized, letting out a small laugh.
"Togeh!" Togedemaru squeaked out excitedly, hopping onto his trainer's shoulder as he yelped in surprise.
"Arah, kwah!" Araquanid exclaimed as he came over as well. They looked out to see Incineroar stumble backwards for a moment before she fell onto her rear end.
"Incineroar!" Calvin cried out, quickly going over to her, "Are you okay?!" he asked immediately in concern. The Heel Pokémon once again flashed him a reassuring thumbs up as she grinned. He gave off a relieved expression. In the end, he wound up completing the trial… thanks to his Pokémon, who he believed in.
X
UNIVERSE-522
"Wait… what?" a shocked Leslie uttered after hearing what Rachael had to tell her about Raya… and her family, "Her mom and dad… are divorcing?" she inquired, quite stunned by the news.
"It's not set in stone, but Raya thinks it'll happen any day after we get married…" the requip user explained.
"I don't understand…" the Unova Champion Master admitted while seated on a bench, "What did Raya's mom or her dad do to start this?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Huh…" Rachael sighed, sitting down next to her, "Honestly… it sounds like a mutual divorce," she confessed, glancing off to the side.
"Huh?" Leslie uttered out, completely confused.
"Ben and Rainbow were… kinda growing apart after a lot of things happened…" the bride-to-be replied, "In fact, I think it started back when we were kids…" she mentioned, "When… there was the blip…" she recalled.
"Oh…" the white-haired woman uttered in realization, looking down in thought, "I… don't really remember it, but…" she started to admit, tensing up a little.
"It was hard on a lot of people, especially Raya and her family…" Rachael noted, "Thing is, there was a time I think… she had and Ben had to move on from what they lost… both times," she explained, "Raya's never really opened up to me about it all, and I know it's not my business…" she mentioned sadly, "but I hope she can tell me someday so that I can help be there for her, too…" she confessed.
"Hey…" Leslie said, putting a hand onto the requip user's shoulder, "I'll be there for both of you, too," she promised, giving her friend a bright smile. The bride-to-be smiled back.
"Thanks, Les," she said in gratitude, "Come on," she beckoned, standing up from the seat, "Missus Cheney should have everyone fitted in their dresses soon," she pointed out.
"Right!" the Unova Champion Master responded. Moments later, they returned to find that most of the ladies had already gotten their scarlet-themed dresses on.
"Honestly, I never thought I'd look this good in red…" Setsuna admitted, having her head pop off from her neck and float around her body to get a better look, "Guess it goes to show that your mom's a genius, CC!" she complimented.
"I must admit, this is actually quite nice…" Kuroka added in confession, wearing a strapless dress, "Form-fitting, too…" she mentioned curiously.
"And easy to take off when you need to!" Mina added with a cheeky grin.
"Nice going, Mom," Christina complimented to her mother, causing her to perk up in surprise.
"Oh, anything for my darling daughter and her friends~!" she sang in response, causing the hybrid Shadow Dragon Slayer to cringe as she turned her head away out of embarrassment.
"Missus Cheney?" Rachael chimed in, getting the boutique owner's attention, "You got Les' dress ready for her to try on?" she inquired.
"Oh, of course!" Rarity replied. In flashes of light, she activated her Equestrian Magic as her pony ears and long ponytail appeared upon her form. A bluish, sparkling light enveloped her hands as a dress hung nearby was levitated over in the same aura. The fashionista had it drop gently into Leslie's hands.
"Uh… you don't need my measurements?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow out of concern.
"No need for that, darling," Rarity assured with a dismissive wave of her hand, "Rachael was kind enough to let me know that you're… a little more well-endowed than most…" she pointed out, sheepishly grinning.
"Oh, definitely…" Kuroka agreed with a sly smirk. Blushing in embarrassment, the Unova Champion Master sighed before entering the fitting room. A few minutes later, she pushed the curtain aside to reveal herself to her friends.
"What do you think?" she asked somewhat shyly. They looked and widened their eyes in surprise. Her dress was a normal white at the top half, showing only a fair amount of cleavage. The bottom half, however, was designed with green leaves and vines leading to the end.
"Whoa…" Mina uttered out, sounding astonished, "That looks…" she started to say.
"Totally amazing," Rachael finished for her, much to her chagrin. Leslie sheepishly grinned, happy to know that the dress was a good fit. At that moment, Rarity clapped her hands.
"Alright ladies!" she exclaimed, deactivating her magic in a flash of light, "I'm sure you're all excited to get things going, so I'll hold on to your dresses until the time's right," she told them.
"No need to do that for me," the bride-to-be chimed in, getting her attention as she blinked out of confusion. A flash of golden light enveloped the requip user's bridal gown before disappearing, being replaced by a royal blue tank top, sweatpants, sneakers, and a metal arm that appeared upon her. "Magic can be really useful, huh?" she noted with a chuckle.
"So… it would seem…" Rarity grumbled, sounding a bit disappointed.
"Alright, I figure I owe you ladies something else for coming today," Rachael pointed out to her bridesmaids and Leslie, "So how 'bout some pizza?" she offered.
"Ooh, sweet!" Mina exclaimed, "I call dibs on pepperoni!" she declared, raising her left hand and waving it.
"Guess it'd be good us to have a semi-bachelorette party…" Mackenzie noted with a shrug.
"We gotta get drinks, too!" her girlfriend insisted while reattaching her head to her body.
"Come on, let's not get too carried away…" Akemi advised, holding up her hands in a placating manner.
"I know a good place around here that does vegetarian," Christina mentioned.
"So long as it's something I can sink my teeth into other my precious little Shadow Dragon, I'm all for it…" Kuroka remarked, causing Rarity to flinch before she groaned in frustration. In the meantime, Leslie smiled. This wedding for her friends was shaping up to be quite a fun time.
UNIVERSE-8736
Picking the Dragonium Z up from the pedestal, Calvin exhaled a relieved sigh. Kommo-o had left after his defeat, allowing the trial-goer to pass and claim his prize. He looked ahead to see that the sun was setting in the near distance.
"Togeh?" Togedemaru squeaked in concern from his shoulder, getting his attention.
"No, I'm okay…" he assured, turning to Araquanid and Incineroar, "Thanks for everything you guys did back there," he said with gratitude, "Without you… I don't know where I'd be right now…" he admitted.
"Rawwrr!" the Heel Pokémon proudly huffed, going over and placing her hand atop her trainer's capped head, rubbing it as he laughed.
'Erika must've been feeling like this at some point, too…' he noted to himself, knowing how his twin sister had gotten frustrated over her shortcomings back on Ula'ula, 'But all the same, she managed to push through it,' he pointed out through his thoughts, 'so I can, too,' he affirmed inwardly.
"Calvin!" a familiar voice called out, getting his attention as he and his Pokémon turned to see Lillie and Erika jogging towards them, with Rotom floating not too far behind.
"Hey!" the Ketchum boy greeted, holding up his newly obtained Dragonium Z with a bright smile.
"Whoa, you beat the trial?!" his twin sister exclaimed in surprise, blinking rapidly at the sight of the Z-Crystal.
"I knew you could do it," Lillie said as she smiled, "Though Erika was worried from how things were sounding…" she pointed out while glancing over at the Ketchum girl, who blushed with embarrassment.
"I… wasn't that worried…" she claimed as she turned her head away.
"Thanks, you two," Calvin said in gratitude, causing them to perk up and grin back.
"Your Pokémon look pretty beat up, zzt…" Rotom noted out of concern.
"Oh, don't worry!" Lillie chimed in reassuringly, taking off her backpack, "I've got plenty of Potions to help fix your team up!" she pointed out, pulling a few bottles out into her hands. The Ketchum boy smiled, grateful for her help. Moments later, all six of his Pokémon were being treated by the blonde-haired girl, who sprayed their bruises with the potion bottles.
Erika helped put some bandages onto Toucannon and Tsareena, while Calvin assisted Mimi in getting her costume fixed. She squeaked happily, hopping into her trainer's arms and nuzzling against his stomach contently as he chuckled. All the while, the sun continued to set in the background.
"It's gonna get dark soon…" the Ketchum girl of the group noted as she looked out towards the end of the canyon.
"Then I guess we're gonna camp out before we reach the altar," her brother decided, only to blink in realization as he looked over to Lillie, "Unless… you think we should hurry, Lillie…" he corrected sheepishly.
"No, it's okay," the blonde-haired girl assured with a shake of her head, "You're worn out from your trial and fighting Team Skull today, right?" she inquired of him.
"Besides, you weren't gonna just leave without us, right?" a familiar voice chimed in, getting their attentions as they turned and gasped in surprise. Coming in aboard their respective Mudsdales were Paige and Hapu. Alongside them were Hau, Pyrrha, Trent… and Gladion.
"B-Brother?!" Lillie stammered out in surprise.
"Hau! Pyrrha!" Erika yelped out of shock.
"Everyone…" Calvin uttered as his eyes shook.
"Hey cousins!" the ponytailed boy greeted as he waved to his relatives, "You look great!" he pointed out happily.
"Mina told us you'd all probably be here by now," Trent noted, "So we decided to hurry over," he told the group.
"We even ran into Gladion as you can tell!" Pyrrha mentioned with a giggle.
"Gladion…" Calvin uttered, turning his attention onto the former enforcer.
"There's no time for any of us to start trying to fight this battle on our own," he said firmly, exhaling a deep breath, "I'm ready to work together with you guys," he decided. His sister smiled happily, while Erika gave off a smirk of approval.
"In that case…" Calvin began, turning towards the end of the canyon, "we're gonna get Miss Lusamine and Guzma back starting tomorrow," he confirmed, taking on a determined expression.
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 another short chapter to wrap things up! So Calvin's finished his seventh trial, and now everyone's together again to head up to the altar! Like before, I got everything I needed to cover done in this chapter, including the extra side-story with Leslie getting ready for the upcoming wedding.
So now, I'm gonna head back into the dread that is "Avengers: Omni Force" and hopefully not make you bawl your eyes out. But in all likelihood… I probably will. That's just who I am!
Here's a summary for the next chapter to hold you over until then!
SUMMARY
It's finally time for the Ketchum twins to summon the Legendary Pokémon Solgaleo and head into the Ultra Wormhole! But when they arrive in the Ultra Space, they're met with a surprising and terrifying sight…?!
END SUMMARY
Keeping it brief this time! See you all later!