Welcome to episode 14 of Pokéstars: Island of Challenge! As a refresher, we got to see the two teams we didn't cover last episode. Team Katsuya suffered their first loss, or won once again depending on how you see it, after a stunning battle! Meanwhile, we got to see Team Distant Past begin their flying type gym challenge. Now, we'll get to see what's going on with all of our teams in this episode. Let's get right into it!

Team Distant Past

"I feel like things should've been easier than this," said Jax, stopping to rest on the side of a rock.

They were still high on the mountain, trying to reach the flying gym. Other than the initial shortcut, they had no luck in finding others. Because of this, they had to continue the long and painful trek down the mountain, something that proved to be harder than they expected.

"I feel the same way," agreed Diego. His two Pokémon nodded with him. Both had been walking alongside him and were growing weary. "The point of this trial is to keep a sharp lookout like bird Pokémon do."

"But the flying type doesn't only include bird Pokémon," said Jax.

"Well I didn't make this trial so don't ask me," said Diego. "Let's get a move on, we don't want to sit here till dark."

"Yeah, I get it," said Jax, painfully getting up. "Hopefully the battle goes smoothly."

"Most flying type Pokémon have the flying normal combination. I don't know much about specific gym leaders though," said Diego. "Though I think there is a flying type gym leader in Barius City or something."

"Yeah," said Jax, leaning to one side as he walked. "Her name was Claudia or something."

Diego nodded. They walked in silence for some time, focusing on putting one weary foot after another.

"I have a question," asked Diego suddenly. "Did you ever try the gym challenge in Calzei?"

Jax shook his head. "I didn't bother, I doubt I would've gotten very far. The gym leaders there are known for showing no mercy. Besides, I wasn't very interested anyways. I prefer Pokémon contests."

"I've heard of those," said Diego. "Those are the ones where the goal is to see how good your Pokémon look while using their moves right?"

"That's base level, but yes. It's important to know what combination of moves appeal to the judges," said Jax, putting a hand on his chin as he looked wistfully into the sky. "You could say that it's a style and beauty contest. It's the trainer's responsibility to make sure their Pokémon absolutely shine at their very best!"

"Maybe I'll try it one day if this doesn't work," said Diego.

Jax nodded in understanding. "Right, the memory thing. Have you tried the gym challenge?"

"I did," said Diego. "I finished the first two gyms with a bit of difficulty. But it just didn't feel right. Sure there were gym trials like her and all that cool stuff, but it didn't really feel like an adventure. After all, everythings just in the city."

"I heard the gym challenges in other regions are much more fun. But the gym league here is much more structured, we also have the national rankings and the annual Pokémon League tournament."

"I'm guessing you're comparing it to other regions."

"Yeah," said Jax, rubbing the back of his head. "You should read about it! Pokémon Contests originated in Hoenn as an alternative to Pokémon battles for competitive people and Pokémon raisers."

"Cool, but just make sure to keep your eyes out for any shortcuts."

"Yeah yeah," said Jax tiredly. "I'll make sure to do that."

"If we take too long, we might have to do the gym battle tomorrow."

"Good thing we brought our backpacks with camping gear in it!" said Jax cheerfully.

Team One

Alicia and Seth were still on the road, with Alicia getting more and more irritated as Seth complained more and more about how long they'd been walking.

"Man this hurts!" said Seth with a groan.

"Would you be quiet?" hissed Alicia. "You've been doing nothing but non-stop complaining for the past five minutes!"

Seth gave her a lopsided grin. "Don't get all high and mighty on me, princess. You're hurting just as well as I am. The only reason you're acting as if you're not hurting is because you're trying to act superior. I'm sure you've never walked a mile in your life. You've probably been-"

"I'm going to stop you right there before you say anything stupid," said Alicia.

"I never say anything stupid," argued Seth. "I'm well within reason to assume these things."

"That's simply because you live in a small apartment and have never known true luxury."

"Eh," said Seth with a shrug. "Who likes luxury? The thought of me having fifty different designer hoodies to pick from on a daily basis sounds like a nightmare. Oh wait, why do that when I can have my butler do it for me!"

"Butlers are more than just people who wait on you," said Alicia.

"I suppose you're the expert on that one," said Seth.

"And you're an expert on useless speculation that makes utterly no sense whatsoever."

"Well excuuuuse me-" Seth suddenly cut himself off as he looked elsewhere. "Look! There's a guy over there!"

Alicia turned to where he was looking and saw that there was a man waving to them. Seeing that they took notice of them, the man approached them.

The man was wearing explorer's gear and had a similar style backpack as the one Seth was carrying.

"Good afternoon people!" said the man cheerfully. "My name is Angelo, and-"

"Are you an explorer?" asked Seth, starting to get excited.

"Yup! I'm also a cartographer. I came to the Insulae Region to look for my grandfather's lost equipment and finish his dream of mapping the entire region! I can tell you're excited by the way, and I have crazy news I'm sure you'd love to hear!"

"Not particularly," muttered Alicia. "I have-"

"I'd love to hear it!" shouted Seth, practically leaping in excitement. "What equipment did he lose anyways?"

"He had to flee the region due to some reason he never talked about, but he left behind his tent with all of its equipment. It could possibly still be there, which-"

"Probably not," said Alicia. "I doubt your grandfather had expensive cutting-edge technology back then. Might as well do something else with your time."

Angelo gave her a look. "My grandfather made his own equipment, and I still use them to this day! Now, where was I? Right, so I eventually was able to gain access to a place called Pinnacle Point Cave, close to the flying gym by the way. Upon exploring it, I found some evidence that my grandfather had actually explored the place! There were pieces of discarded equipment and the telltale mark of his Excadrill. Not only that, but I found an abandoned tunnel in which it seemed there was some sort of item fixed into a pedestal that was long removed. The final piece of evidence I needed was that there were signs of a big battle that took place."

"So your theory is that your grandfather found some sort of ancient artifact, which awakened a guardian or something like that?"

"It stands to reason that could've happened," mused Angelo, putting a hand to his chin. "Based on the shape, the item could've been a slightly misshapen Z-crystal or something like that. That would explain a Totem-like guardian Pokémon."

Alicia sighed and rolled her eyes. "This is nice and all but I fail to see the relevance to us. While I'm going to be the winner of this challenge of course, I'd rather not give the other teams a ghost of a chance to catch up."

"Fair enough," said Angelo with a shrug. "How about a battle before you go? Seeing as you're so into them as it seems."

"Fine," said Alicia. "But don't take up my time, it's worth more than your grandfather's ancient equipment."

"Sorry," said Seth quickly. "Don't take anything she says personally."

"It's fine. Just know I've been training my Pokémon in a very special way, you stand no chance."

"Why don't we test that?" asked Seth, pulling out a pokéball. "Go, Justice!"

Alicia selected her own Pokémon. "Go, Takemikazuchi!"

Seth's Nidoran-M and Alicia's Pikachu appeared in two flashes of light. Meanwhile, Angelo sent out his Buneary and Machop, named Claudia and Chad respectively.

"Takem-zucchini?" asked Seth. "Kind of a mouthful if you ask me. How do you even pronounce that?"

"You figure that out yourself. Attack the Machop with Thunder Shock!"

"Claudia, attack with Quick Attack. Brace yourself Chad!"

Chad put his arms together and attempted to block the arcing electrical attack as the Buneary dashed forward to attack Takemikazuchi.

"Intercept her with Double Kick!" shouted Seth.

Justice ran forward and leapt at the Buneary, flipping around as he aimed two kicks directly at her. She leapt away from the attack as Chad ran forward.

"Mega Punch!"

Caught by surprise, Justice was unable to dodge as Chad threw a powerful punch at his face. He was sent flying backwards before digging his feet into the ground and springing forward.

"Takemikazuchi, use Quick Attack!"

Takemikazuchi ran forward and leapt at Chad with all of his strength. Chad however, grabbed Takemikazuchi as he slammed into him, whipping him around and slamming him to the ground.

"Follow it up Claudia!"

"Justice, use Peck!"

Justice charged forward and slammed into Chad with his horn, throwing it backwards. He picked the wrong target however, Claudia was already poised to attack Takemikazuchi with Jump Kick, and Takemikazuchi was still stunned by the reverse throw.

"Takemikazuchi, get back!"

Takemikazuchi tried to get out of the way but wasn't fast enough. He was knocked backwards as the kick landed, sending him spinning along the ground.

"Now that he's out of the way," said Aneglo. "Go for the Nidoran!"

Both of Angelo's Pokémon ran forward to attack. Justice prepared himself, facing Chad since he was the bigger threat.

"Attack with Peck!" shouted Seth, pointing at the Machop.

"Not this time! Claudia, use Quick Attack!"

As Chad and Justice closed in on each other, Claudia dashed forward and struck Justice in the back. Momentarily stunned, Chad was able to use Low Sweep and trip Justice over, slowing him down in the process.

Takemikazuchi slowly got up from the ground and fired a Thunder Shock at the three battling Pokémon. Since they were in close proximity, all three were struck by the bolt of electricity. With a triumphant squeak, Takemikazuchi rose to full height, electricity arcing in his cheeks.

"This is why I hate Multi Battles," said Seth. "Use Poison Sting!"

Justice sprang forward and jabbed his horn into Chad, who tanked it easily. Suddenly, Chad faltered and fell back with a shiver, glowing slightly purple.

"You've been poisoned!" shouted Seth, pumping a fist. "Finish him off Justice! Peck!"

"Fall back, Claudia!" said Angelo, a confident grin on his face. "Overpower him, Chad, use Mega Punch!"

Claudia used Quick Attack and left the battle, targeting Takemikazuchi instead. Meanwhile, Chad and Justice were charging at each other at full speed. Justice's horn met with Chad's fist with a crash. Despite having the super effective bonus, though, Justice was sent flying, completely overpowered.

"Ha!" shouted Angelo. "That's one down. Didn't expect Chad to have the Guts ability, did you?"

Seth put a hand to his head as he returned his Pokémon. "Shoot. Forgot about that. Boosting power when hit by a status effect, really turns the tables."

"Indeed it does. Now to finish this. Claudia, rush the Pikachu with Quick Attack!"

Claudia sped forward in a rush of speed, glowing white as it did so. With a quick command from Alicia, Takemikazuchi used Quick Attack and dodges. The next few seconds were two fast moving Pokémon chasing each other as they tried to avoid and land hits.

However, Takemikazuchi was at many disadvantages. Claudia had more training, was naturally stronger at physical attacks, and had the Same-Type-Attack-Bonus from Quick Attack. Not only that, but Takemikazuchi was already weakened from earlier attacks.

Knowing this, Alicia had to switch her tactics. Takemikazuchi was faster than Claudia, so he'd be able to outrun her. Afterwards, he'd turn around and strike with a Thunder Shock, forcing the Buneary away and allowing her to deal with the Machop.

"Outpace it Takemikazuchi!" shouted Alicia.

As planned, Takemikazuchi ran harder than Claudia. Allowing him to gain distance when thrown into a dead sprint.

"Thunder Shock!"

With a powerful cry, Takemikazuchi let out a burst of electricity. Claudia was forced backwards despite all of her speed as the electricity hit.

"Keep pushing Claudia!" cheered Angelo, putting his hands in a cone around his mouth.

Alicia was slightly caught off guard by this. She'd expected the Buneary to fall back, yet it kept pushing forward.

But Claudia didn't get very far. With a surge of electricity, she was thrown back as she fainted. Unable to battle anymore.

"Now Chad!" shouted Angelo, clapping his hands together. "Retaliate!"

Alicia realized his plan. She shouted for Takemikazuchi to get away, but the Pikachu was too weak to dodge.

Surrounded with power from his teammate fainting, Chad leapt forward and struck Takemikazuchi with a powerful revenge punch. Takemikazuchi was blasted away skidding along the ground before coming to a stop.

Alicia sighed and returned her Pikachu. "Surprisingly, you managed to win. But of course it's only because of Takemikazuchi lack of training under me-"

Seth rolled his eyes.

"But I don't need to prove to you why I lost. Next time we meet, you're losing."

Angelo laughed. "I look forward to that. We'll have a truly spectacular battle with the full strength of all our Pokémon." he turned around and waved as he walked away. See you around!"

"You too!" shouted Seth, waving an arm. "Good luck on your adventures!"

Alicia shrugged. "Why need luck?"

Team Regional

The sun was beginning to set overhead as Claire and Zeke found themselves in front of a cave's mouth. Upon finding the cave, Zeke had decided it would be fun to explore while Claire had seen it as a place to train her Pokémon.

Either way, both had decided the cave was going to be an interesting stop on their adventure.

"You ready for this?" asked Claire, tensing slightly from excitement.

Zeke, being on the more mellow side, nodded his head. "I suppose."

They headed into the cave, Claire pulling out two flashlights from Zeke's backpack. She handed one to Zeke before pulling out one of her pokéballs.

They headed through the cave, moving through the tunnels carefully. The scenery was mostly unchanging, just gray and bleak walls and the occasional stalactite.

"I have a question," said Claire, pointing her light at the rock formations. "You know a lot about nature and stuff, right?"

"Yeah."

"Stalactites are formed by dripping mineral water that hardens as it does, correct?"

"Yeah," said Zeke, unsure where this was going.

"Does this mean that stalactites are just rock icicles?"

Zeke opened his mouth, but then closed it as he thought for a bit. "You know, I never thought about stalactites like that. But I suppose you're correct."

"Then," said Claire, her eyes twinkling. "Could reverse icicles form?"

Zeke shrugged. "I'm not a scientist, but I guess so. They'd just form the same way as stalagmites do, at a much faster rate of course. It'd be pretty easy to make your-"

He was cut off as a scream echoed throughout the cavern. Both travelers whipped around, trying to figure out what the sound was.

"That voice sounds familiar," said Zeke.

"Let's check it out," said Claire, breaking into a jog. "I think I might know who it is!"

As they ran through the cave, they found it increasingly harder to keep track of where the shouts were coming from due to all the echoing. Despite this, they continued forward, turning down tunnel after tunnel.

They eventually found themselves in a wide cave area, the place where the screams were coming from. Claire spotted two Alolan Sandshrew attacking someone who was on top of a ledge, kicking rocks at the Pokémon below as they cowered.

"Natsu, use Fire Spin!" shouted Calire, throwing her Charmander's pokéball.

In a flash of light, Natsu appeared and breathed a circle of fire that trapped and damaged the Sandshrew. Following up with a Flame Burst, both Pokémon were instantly defeated.

The person looked up and climbed down from the ledge, walking towards them. As it turned out, it was Kendra.

"Hi Claire," she said, a bit embarrassed. "Long time no see."

Claire laughed. "I guess I was right. What happened here?"

Zeke looked around, slightly confused. "What happened to Katsuya?"

Kendra sighed. "To put it simply, he ditched me to go train his Togepi or whatever. Leaving me to get attacked by two overly aggressive Sandshrew."

"How come you didn't take them out?" asked Claire, also becoming confused. "A trainer like you would have no difficulty fighting five of them at once."

Kendra blushed a bit, stammering as she tried to form a sentence.

"W-Well, the thing is…" she said, stalling as she tried to remember her type match-ups. "My team can't do much against steel types and have a major weakness to ice. I also didn't want to throw my Pokémon into battles where they had a major disadvantage out of consideration so…"

Claire nodded her head. "I get that."

"Well now that you guys are here," said Kendra. "Why don't we all go together since my partner ran off?"

"Of course you can join us!" said Claire excitedly, her eyes sparkling. "That's an amazing idea actually, I should've thought of it myself. What do you think Zeke?"

"Sure, it's safer this way anyways. Caves shouldn't be explored solo. I'll probably have to talk to Katsuya after this."

Kendra breathed a sigh of relief as she followed Team Regional through the cave. During the time they were walking, Claire chatted excitedly to Kendra and Zeke about all sorts of topics. Kendra tried to follow along, but Claire was talking way too fast for her.

Still, it was better than being struck alone in a cave. Claire was a nice person to hang out with anyways. Same went for Zeke, who was more chill and quiet compared to her.

Team Katsuya - Katsuya

"Togepi, use Metronome!"

Katsuya and his Togepi were currently facing a wild Alolan Geodude. Togepi stepped forward and created a wagging finger before glowing with an intense light, blinding all occupants in the tunnel.

The Geodude scurried backwards in fear as Togepi unleashed Prismatic Laser. Pretty much vaporizing the Alolan Geodude in an instant.

"That makes thirteen," said Katsuya with an impressed nod. "You've been doing good. I was right in choosing you."

He picked up his Togepi since she had to recharge, gently adjusting her King's Rock. He walked through the cave slowly, looking for more targets.

He stopped as he heard scuttling noises. The noises were well familiar to him by now.

"Are you ready?" asked Katsuya, looking at his Togepi.

She nodded and jumped onto the ground, facing the oncoming Pokémon.

Three Sandiles crawled out from a side tunnel, snapping their jaws. Before they could react however, Togepi used Metronome and ended up with Smokescreen, blinding the Sandiles.

"Growl."

Togepi gave an endearing growl, scaring the Sandiles and lessening their attack. Coupled with the fact that the Sandiles didn't know what was going on.

"Metronome."

With another wagging finger, Togepi used Role Play, copying the ability of one of the Sandiles in a glow of light.

At this point, the Smokescreen faded. One of the Sandiles leapt at Togepi, causing her to use Metronome again. Only this time, nothing happened as whatever move that was chosen failed.

"Use Charm."

The closest Sandile paused in its attack as Togepi put on a royal cute face. Another Metronome resulted in Work Up, boosting the power of Togepi's attack.

At this point however, Togepi was backed into a corner. All three of them were well aware of the fight that was happening.

"It probably would be useful for your only attacking move not to be Metronome," said Katsuya, pulling out Combusken's pokéball.

Unwilling to let a mere commoner replace her in battle. Togepi used Metronome again, this time using Volt Switch. The move, of course, did no damage. Completely confident at this point, all three Sandiles leapt at her, using Bite.

Only to miss as she was returned to her pokéball. In a flash, Katsuya's Combusken appeared to replace her. He ran forward, striking each Pokémon with a powerful Double Kick and defeating them easily.

"Maybe next time," said Katsuya, returning his Pokémon. "We'll get them next time, Togepi."

Team Distant Past

The end was almost in sight, but so was the day. Jax and Diego were quickly running out of time.

There was just one more trainer and close to a thirty minute walk down the mountain before they reached the end. But the fact that they were both tired from the long walk and the fact it was becoming dark didn't help with their morale.

"We've been on the road for more than two hours," complained Jax, swaying a bit from tiredness. "Why couldn't they have made this shorter?"

"Technically, we could've made it shorter," answered Diego, also showing signs of tiredness. "But there's nothing we can do about it now."

"It looks like there's a gym trainer up ahead," said Jax, pointing towards a bend in the mountain where the trainer's arm poked out. "I feel bad, having him stand there while we struggle down the mountain."

"After him it's a straight shot to the bottom," said Diego. "Let's hurry up."

They eventually made it around the bend, where the trainer stopped them. Around them was a much larger path, giving ample space for a Pokémon battle.

"Man, you guys sure took forever!" said the trainer, shaking his head. "I guess not all of us have bird-eye vision. Seeing as it'll be dark soon, beat me in a two on one and I'll show you where the last shortcut is."

"Two on one?" asked Jax. "You must be battling us out of pity."

"Oh don't worry," said the trainer, pulling out a pokéball. "My name is Aaron, a trainer who's all out attack strategies are designed to show opponents zero mercy. If you think I'm going easy cause it's a two on one, then get ready to be taught a lesson!"

Aaron threw his pokéball in the air, sending out a Noctowl. The owl Pokémon gave a cry and swooped down to the ground.

Diego and Jax threw their own pokéballs, sending out their Cyndaquil and Chimchar.

"Noctowl, use Air Slash!"

"Snivy, use Rollout!" shouted Diego.

The Noctowl flew into the air and launched blades of air at the two fire type Pokémon. Snivy rolled into a ball and dashed forward, dodging and deflecting the slashes as Valdez kept close, leaping away when necessary.

"Use Ember!" shouted Jax.

"Block it with Gust!"

Valdex gathered fire in his hands and fired it towards the Noctowl, only to have it blocked by a blast of wind. Snivy leapt upwards, falling short as the Noctowl flew higher.

"Keep going for it Snivy!" commanded Diego before turning to Jax. "The higher up it is, the weaker Air Slash becomes since it has to travel farther. Ember isn't affected by range as much. Aaron clearly said his strategy was more suited to offense, he should break under defensive pressure."

Snivy landed on the ground to build up speed before launching upwards for another strike. Valdez meanwhile, ran on the ground, firing Embers from different positions.

Aaron looked at the battlefield, trying to analyze the best strategy. He'd already see what they were doing. The only problem being he didn't know how to counter their teamwork, yet.

The biggest threat right now was the Cyndaquil. The pressure it was putting on his Noctowl was preventing it from striking back. Of course turning his attention towards the Cyndaquil would only leave him open to the Chiimar. His only plan now was to wait things out, when it came to stamina, his Noctowl would win for sure.

Diego had also realized this. Rollout was a move that took a lot out of Pokémon, using it continuously like this would end up very well.

"Snivy, go opposite of Valdez and use Ember!"

Seeing Diego's plan, Jax instructed Valdez to do the same. Both Pokémon circled the Noctowl and fired blasts of fire from opposite sides. Rather than using Gust to block the now multidirectional Embers.

"Go for the Cyndaquil! Use Tackle!"

Pulling itself into a dive, the Noctowl swopped down to strike Snivy. Valdez leapt forward with Flame Wheel, knocking it into a wall.

"And that was your mistake!" declared Diego. "While he's down, Rollout!"

Snivy leapt forward and rolled into a ball, barely missing the Noctowl as it rolled to the side. Valdez however, followed up with a Flame Wheel, forcing the Pokémon against the wall.

Aaron sighed, returning his Noctowl. "I concede defeat. Maybe I was being a bit overconfident. As promised…"

Aaron beckoned them over and showed them a weirdly shaped rock. This rock however, was made of plastic. Pulling up the flap, he revealed a large hole in the floor. The hole led to a rope, which led all the way to the bottom.

"By the way," he said, picking up a container hung precariously on a ledge. "These contain some stuff to protect your hands."

Diego and Jax nodded, thanking him as they put the gloves on. They slid down the rope.

They found themselves in an enclosed, arena-like spot at the bottom of the mountain. There they saw two tents and a rope elevator, presumably to take them from the end of the mountain path to the ring.

But they weren't the only ones there. In front of them were two people. The first person was a tall woman with lavender colored hair. She had part of her hair tied up in feather-like tufts and wore a flight suit and a gray helmet.

The second person was significantly younger. She wore a frilly blue and white dress that seemed to be made out of feathers. She wore white stockings and had long, elegant blue hair.

"My name is Winona," said the older woman. "The gym leader of Fortree City in Hoenn. I'm hoping you'll be able to impress me with an elegant and graceful Pokémon battle to be worthy of the gym badge."

"And I'm Joanna!" said the younger girl excitedly. "But everyone calls me Jo. What took you guys so long anyways, I was about to die from boredom! But either way, I'm planning on being the new flying type gym leader in the Calzei Region! At least, when the old one decides she's had enough. In order to reach my goal I took a leap and signed up to be a gym leader here! I bet you can't defeat us though, we're just too good."

Jax laughed. "Well you're confident. Let's see if that's not the only thing you have!"

A referee and two Rotom Drones appeared from one of the tents, setting the stage for the battle.

"Both teams ready?" asked the referee, twirling her flags.

After confirmation from both sides, the referee nodded and waved her flags.

"Let the battle, begin!"

Thank you for reading this long-awaited chapter(hopefully), and sorry for any inconveniences it may have caused. The developers have a very busy life and unfortunately lack the time to work on this or post regularly. We'll still try and include future characters and seasons, but posting may become biweekly rather than weekly. Thank you~