Chapter 16

After getting off the carriage towards the Cobalt Coastlands, we are in awe at the sight of the ocean and the beach in front of us.

"Ah, the Cobalt Coastlands! A simply lovely corner of Hisui Sea and sky as far as the eye can see!" Laventon says. "What kinds of Pokemon await us here, I wonder? Water-types? Or Flying-types, perhaps? Oooh, I simply can't wait to study them all! Now I'm sure you're just as excited as I am to research this area's Pokemon, but let's not forget that you've a mission to accomplish! So, any questions before you get started?"

"Well, we want to ask about the Firespit Island..." I say.

"Hmm...indeed. Firespit Island is an offshore volcano—you'll need to cross the sea to reach it. I'd advise you to speak to a fellow called Iscan. He's one of the Diamond Clan's wardens and will surely help you find your way." Professor Laventon says.

Then we find Irida already waiting for us, she seems to be looking at the sea, and she starts to play the Celestica Flute. The melody is very soothing and we can feel at ease.

"I do love the flute. It feels as if its tones carry to the very ends of space. But I am here, and so are you. So now I'm going to focus everything I have on battling you." Irida says.

"Right now? I don't mind about that." I say.

"Very good. You who have seen the vast space beyond the rift...Here I come!" Irida says as the Glaceon and Eevee jump in front of Irida, Alice and I decide to go with Pikachu and Espeon to battle, with the Iron Tail and Psychic, both Pokemon are defeated.

"Ah, now I feel better!" Irida sighs. "The world is vast...and I am small within it. Thank you! Allow me to heal your Pokemon."

"You're welcome?" I ask as we watch Irida healing Pikachu and Espeon.

"All right. With you... I think with you I can be frank." Irida says. "I can't afford to look weak in front of the Diamond Clan's leader or your commander, but in truth... "I sometimes wonder how I've ended up with the burdens I bear."

"What do you mean?" Rei asks.

"You see, we have a warden in the coastlands— a lovely woman named Palina. But she tends no lord or lady. And she will not raise a successor to fill the late lord's empty seat, either. Some people have started to question her worthiness to be a warden at all. But Lina - that is to say, Palina - she's very dear to me, no matter what anyone might say. We were both in the running to become leader of the Pearl Clan. We strove to surpass one another, but...she taught me a great deal, too."

"Sounds like you two are really close." Alice says.

"Having said all this, I have a favor to ask of you. Please help her raise the Pokemon she looks after into a true heir to his father - the late lord! With the help of your strength, I think our late lord's heir would grow into a worthy successor. And if he succeeds, it should silence Lina's naysayers. I don't know of anyone I'd trust more to help with this than the people who helped the Pearl Clan by quelling Kleavor's frenzy." Irida says.

"Of course, we will help. So where is she? Firespit Island?" I ask.

"You'll be able to find Lina up on the headland. Head down this hill, and turn left. You should find a slope leading up onto the ridge." Irida says as we decide to head there to find this Palina.

As we walk on the ridge, we notice a woman standing in front of a grave, with two Growlithe beside her. We also notice that the Growlithe is also different from the ones we used to know, and they are barking at us.

"Hush, now. Settle down." Palina stops the Growlithe. "I'm Palina of the Pearl Clan. And who might you three be?"

"My name is Ash, and this is Alice and Rei." I reply.

"Ah, so you're those children from the Galaxy Team. I heard how you aided Kleavor and Lilligant when none other could quell their frenzy. Your strength must be amazing, and yet... you have such gentle faces. So what brings you to the Cobalt Coastlands? We have no lord here, much less a frenzied one for you to quell."

"We've heard about it, the previous lord was swallowed by the waves..." Alice frowns. "But we didn't know the details."

"He was rescuing his young pup that had been swept out to the sea and ended up giving his life to ensure the pup's safe return...If you were to guess, which of these Growlithe would you say is the previous lord's child?" Palina asks.

"The small one? I can see some tears in its eyes." Rei observes.

"Oh, you have quite a good eye. This quiet, skittish Growlithe is the child of the previous lord. I've no doubt this little one has the potential to be a fine lord, but witnessing his father's demise has left deep scars in his heart...There are those who expect me to train him more strictly and force lordship upon him before he is ready...but I could never bring myself to do that. No matter what the rest of the Pearl Clan says, my mind is quite made up. I'll stay by this little one's side and let him live his life as he wishes."

"I see... that sure is understandable." I nod.

Palina says. "So now that you know our situation, might I ask your purpose in coming to the coastlands?"

"Since after hearing what happened to the poor Growlithe...I don't think we can force him to train...but our commander asks us to go to the Firespit Island." I ask.

"A survey of Firespit Island? I see...There are rumors the place is haunted by strange shadows these days. You'll need the aid of a Pokemon known as Basculegion if you wish to cross the sea."

"Basculin?" We are confused, Rei says, "Basculegion is the evolution of Basculin."

"Even Basculin gets a new evolution...interesting," I remark.

"You should speak to Iscan, a warden of the Diamond Clan. He should be able to help you." She looks at the island. "There is definitely something strange happening out on Firespit Island...Those shadowy figures are concerning, of course, but then there's also the odd lightning that came from that rift in the sky...Lightning is a sign that the heavens are angry...I worry that we may have offended almighty Sinnoh somehow. In the past, the Pearl Clan and Diamond Clan were locked in conflict over which side revered the true almighty Sinnoh...Even if we've reached an uneasy peace, the true almighty Sinnoh must be angered because there are still those who worship a false image of it."

I mutter, "Really? Will I be that angry to cause such a thing, Rei?" Rei stares at me before I realize that we're not alone. "Never mind what I say."

"Ah, but I digress...I do apologize. Iscan lives on Aipom Hill, just past Ginkgo Landing. I imagine you'll find him there," Palina says.

With nods exchanged, we leave to find Iscan. That's when Rei says, "I don't know... I don't think it's you who created this mess..."

We reach Aipom Hill, discovering a hut where Iscan appears to reside. Suddenly, Volo emerges, greeting us enthusiastically. "Well, hello there, Alice, Rei, and Ash! Fancy meeting you out here!"

"What are you doing here? Starting to think you're following us..." I tease.

"Me? Oh, I'm on the hunt for some plates! How's your plate hunting going, young friends?" Volo inquires.

"It's going fine, I suppose," Alice responds.

"No need to be humble! I see you've already got your hands on four plates! You gain plates when you quell frenzied nobles–and when a great Pokémon recognises you as worthy of bearing, isn't that right? The way you've been collecting those plates... It reminds me of the ancient hero. The one that's said to have battled against almighty Sinnoh. You know, I've been wondering... The 10 Pokémon that are said to have followed the ancient hero–their powers are supposed to have come from almighty Sinnoh itself. Why would they seek to challenge almighty Sinnoh along with the hero, then? Perhaps we'll get some answers once we gather all the plates? Well, let's both do our best to find more! But please, don't overexert yourself. I'd hate for something to happen to one of our guild's loyal customers!"

After that, he takes his leave. Alice asks, "But if there are 10 nobles who are holding the plates, then what about the other 8? Where are they?"

"I don't know. Right now we can only do one thing at a time." I say. Upon arriving at the house, they knock on the door, and a voice responds, "Do... do I have a visitor? I-I'll be right out... Give me a moment..." Iscan opens the door, surprised to see us.

"I'm Iscan of... of the Diamond Clan..." Iscan stammers while noticing the Celestica Flute. "Three Galaxy Team members... with a Celestica Flute? You two must be Ash, Rei, and Alice, right? H-have I done something to warrant your visit?"

"Uh, no need to be so nervous..." Rei says, trying to ease the tension.

"Well, sudden visits give me quite a shock... I do hope you'll give me advanced notice in the future. So, um... why are you here?" Iscan asks.

"We're here to visit Firespit Island, and we heard that a Pokemon called Basculegion can take us there," I explain.

"W-well, if you insist... then you'd probably need Basculegion's favorite snack. That should help him warm up to you," Iscan says. "But preparing his favorite... Oh... It's, um, more than a little difficult... More like an impossibly high hurdle... Or... really... just impossible, if I'm being honest..."

"What do you mean?" Alice asks.

"I-I'll tell you... I have the right materials, but... But then you... Well, you see, this next part is something I could never manage, but you need to catch this one Pokemon that appears at night..." Iscan stammers.

"We've captured a lot of Pokemon. What is it that you're talking about?" Rei asks.

"Y-y-you really want to know? You... really don't value your own life, do you?" Iscan asks with shock.

"Why is talking about a Pokemon will cause our lives?" I ask with confusion.

"It's D... D... Dus... Dusclops... Oh, even saying its name fills me with dread," Iscan mutters.

"Okay, I know Dusclops for sure and I can see why you're shivering," I acknowledge.

"So... the materials for the food... have to be imbued with flavor by Dusclops' Dark Pulse... That's the only way you can make Basculegion's favorite food, you see," Iscan says.

"But we still have to do it. If we manage to capture it, then it won't be a problem," I sigh.

"W-wow, is everyone in the Galaxy Team like you? Your nerves aren't just steel... They're... titanium. It's positively frightening how, um, fearless you are. D-Dus... Agh, I can't say it... Well, the Pokemon I need has only one eye and can be found wandering around Deadwood Haunt," Iscan says. "Ah, Deadwood Haunt is the area that looks like a hand on your map... You'll know you're there when you find the wrecked boats... I-I try very hard to avoid those one-eyed Pokemon, and so now I know a lot about them, you see..."

Rei gazes at the sky and remarks, "Looks like nighttime is approaching... Maybe this is the perfect time to find Dusclops."

Then we leave Iscan and go to find the Deadwood Haunt. As we approach the area with the wrecked ships, we notice numerous Duskull, Dusclops, Drifloon, and Drifblim wandering around.

"What is this... it sure is a Ghost-type Pokemon party here..." I remark.

"Now this is totally terrifying..." Alice says, visibly unsettled. "I don't know if I can do their research tasks..."

"Don't worry, we can handle those Pokemon." Rei says as we manage to do some quests there, we even set up a Coastlands Camp near the area. After we return to Iscan, we knock on the door and he comes out. He asks, "D-did you bring it? You know...The Pokemon with a name that sounds like, um, d-dust bops..."

"We have the Pokemon." I say as I prepare to send the Dusclops out.

"You really brought it...? N-no! Don't bring it out!" Iscan exclaims, taking a breath. "R-right...I guess...I guess I've got to do my part, seeing how, um, determined you are...to go to that island...with Basculegion... Usually, I, um, ask Palina if the Growlithe she takes care of can help me with this bit. But this time, you need to help since...Well, since we're making this snack so that you'll be accepted by Basculegion."

"Palina?" We are confused as they are not in the same clan, right?

"O-once I give the signal, you...have that 'dust bops' of yours use its Dark Pulse..." Iscan says.

Ash nods as we start to make the food, and I have Dusclops out. Iscan looks at it and says, "Waugh! No! It's too frightening!"

"Iscan, could you get a grip?" Rei says.

"Right...S-so counting down to it just makes the anticipation and terror worse...Let's simply have you do it when I say go..." Iscan takes a breath and says, "And...go!"

"Dusclops! Dark Pulse!" I command, and the Pokemon fires the attack into the pot with the food. Once it stops, we can smell a delicious aroma. I think Basculegion's snack is ready.

"Both the aroma and the shape are...perfect! It's the perfect ball of Basculegion Food!" Iscan says. "Then let us make for Ginkgo Landing. We can summon Basculegion there..."

After getting to the beach, we also find Palina there waiting for us. "Hello, Iscan," Palina greets the man.

"O-oh, Palina! I...I thought you said we shouldn't be seen together?" Iscan says, then realizes that he just spills the beans as he quickly covers his mouth.

"Don't worry, I'm sure that they can keep a secret," Palina says. "Besides, both I and the Growlithe pups were eager to meet with the great Basculegion again."

"I see... Well, in that case, let me summon Basculegion." Iscan says while starting to blow the Celestica Flute, and we can see some bubbles in the water until a giant fish that looks similar to Basculin appears in front of us.

"Go on, you guys. You can give the food to Basculegion now," Iscan says.

I decide to feed the Pokemon with the balm that I made, and Basculegion just eats it and smiles.

"The great Basculegion..." Palina mutters.

"O-oh...Thank goodness...I was a little worried about whether Basculegion would accept this favor...So, uh, Alice...You should let Basculegion hear your playing," Iscan says.

Alice nods as she starts to play the flute with the third melody, different from Ursaluna and Wyrdeer. After that's done, Basculegion just takes out a blue plate and gives it to me.

"Great, my Splash Plate is back." I cheer as I get my fifth plate. I read the words on it. "The rightful bearer of a Plate draws from the Plate it holds."

"Now you can ride Basculegion across Tranquility Cove and head to Firespit Island," Iscan says.

"My congratulations to you, Ash, Alice, and Rei," Palina adds.

Iscan sighs and turns to Palina, "Palina... Do you want to tell them?"

Palina nods and says, "I mentioned to you before how the previous lord rescued his Growlithe pup. During that incident, Iscan and Basculegion saved my life as well. Since then, I've felt a great deal of affection for Iscan here. I truly adore him...But I know there are those who speak ill of me behind my back...So I try to meet with Iscan where there are no prying eyes, to preserve his reputation."

"W-well, I was just doing what any decent person would do when I saved you..." Iscan says.

"Perhaps...but nonetheless. After that day, I found the strength to accept Growlithe as he is and not force him to become the next lord. And it was all thanks to the courage you showed me, Iscan," Palina says.

"Ah...Perhaps we should save this discussion for another time, after all," Iscan says.

Just then, we hear a voice, "I bring good luck to my sisters wherever I go - and ill luck to anyone who crosses our paths. I'm the eldest, and I'll be your unlucky Charm!"

"Thought you spotted a four-leaf clover? Well, I'll soon have you seeing double! I'm the middle sister, and I'm one Clover you can't pick!"

"Heads, I win, and tails, you lose - you've got no chance in this game of fortunes. I'm the youngest, Coin, but I'm definitely not your good-luck piece."

"We are the Miss Fortune sisters, known across the frigid land of Hisui - and your luck's just run out!" The three people step in front of us. Charm says, "Now get ready to hand over that Growlithe!"

"You want to take...my partner?" Palina asks in shock. "If your aim is to pester us with bad jokes, those ridiculous introductions of yours were more than enough!"

"Y-yes! Exactly what she said!" Iscan says.

"Well, I think that they're better than Team Rocket ones..." I mutter.

"Agreed," Alice replies.

"Now, Gengar!" Charm commands and the Genar appears from the shadows and snatches the big Growlithe.

"Oh no! Growlithe!" Palina yells.

"Thanks for the Growlithe, fools!" Clover taunts.

"We three can't live the kind of lives we want because of narrow-minded groups like the Diamond Clan and the Pearl Clan. If we want to live freely in the great land of Hisui, we need to have powerful Pokemon on our side," Charm says.

"Don't worry - we'll make sure this pup grows up nice 'n' strong. We'll even make him a lord for ya!" Clover says.

"Let's take the mutt to our camp and get to work. No one will bother us in a place so miserably hot," Coin adds. Gengar uses Confuse Ray to escape.

After seeing them gone, Palina gasps, "What?! No! Growlithe!"

"What should we do? This is an emergency! R-right?" Iscan asks. "B-but, uh, you see...I've never...I've never actually had my partner battle before..."

Palina says, "Please, Ash, Alice, and Rei...I beg you: help us. That Growlithe is a very, very dear Pokemon to me. Please save him..."

"We will definitely save them, but the thing is, where are they going?" I ask.

"They said they were going to a place where nobody would bother them...The only place around the Cobalt Coastlands that seems suitable...is Firespit Island," Iscan says. "Oh! Now that you have Basculegion to help you cross the water, you can reach that island, too! Please. Could you find it in you to help Palina?"

"Of course," we nod. Palina says, "We'll also make our way to the Firespit Island as well."

"No, Palina...You should wait here and keep little Growlithe safe," Iscan says. "I'm sure he needs you right now. Though...I'm not sure if I want to go to an island with l-lightning and bandits and...No! Come, Ash and Serena! No time to think! We must go now!"

Then we've decided to go to Firespit Island by riding on Basculegion.

Here is a new chapter, and we're done with the Basculegion part. The next chapter will be another dimension to explore and I hope you like it.

Ash and Alice's Pokemon (Hisui):

Pikachu, Quilava, Espeon, Torterra, Infernape, Empoleon, Lucario, Uxie, Mesprit, Azelf, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Cresselia, Manaphy, Dewott, Lilliegant (Hisuian), Tornadus, Thundurus, Landorus, Sliggoo (Hisuian), Dartrix, Wyrdeer, Kleavor, Ursaluna, Overqwil

Ash and Lillie's Pokemon (Ultra Dimensions):

Charizard, Butterfree x2, Lapras, Meganium, Steelix, Mantine, Sceptile, Gardevoir, Milotic, Absol, Glaceon, Gallade, Samurott, Audino, Zoroark, Hydreigon, Meowstic x2, Aegislash, Hawlucha