Sam, Alice, the ponies and their Pokémon walked past the trial gate, leading them into a steep climb that looked to take them to the top of the crater. Using her magic, Starlight formed a seat with her aura and lifted Alice up onto it, carrying her up while the rest of her friends took tiring steps upward. Alice nodded to Starlight for the consideration, which the unicorn happily returned.
Upon reaching the top of the hill, they came to see that the entire surface of the crater was covered with enough earth and dirt to safely walk on, as well as a large circular stone platform in the center. Surrounding the edge of the crater’s surface were tribal torches that burned as bright at the rim of the inner volcano walls, something Starlight and Sam couldn’t help but find redundant.
Standing in the center of the platform was a woman standing with their backs to them wearing a sleeveless black shirt cut off just below her breasts, as well as a pair of baggy knee-length jeans shorts and thick black sneakers with red edges. What struck Sam and Alice as familiar was her unnatural red hair, but the short, chopped hairstyle threw them back off. It wasn’t until she turned around and faced the trainers and ponies that they both hung their mouths open, instantly struck by where they’ve seen her.
The woman smiled and waved to them. “Hey there! Glad you could make it up!”
“You… you’re Flannery!” Sam sputtered.
“Wait, who is this?” Starlight asked Sam and Alice.
“She’s the… I guess I should say was the gym leader at the Lavaridge Gym in the Hoenn region.”
“So you’re the trial captain now?” Alice asked her.
“I am! I mean… I’m the temporary captain while Kiawe’s away. He left to hone his abilities… Well, he contacted me… or I should say, he traveled all the way to Lavaridge to let me train him. Anyways, he’s now in Lavaridge taking my place as the gym leader while I’m taking his… place.”
She then saw both the ponies standing there, off put by her tough appearance and her contrasting inability to string a sentence. “Oh wow! You managed to nab yourself a couple of those ponies I heard about…” The ponies made mild sneers at the offensive choice of wording. “…Well, maybe not nabbed, but still.”
“We found them at Kala’e Bay and they agreed to let us help find the others,” Alice explained.
“Hmm, you two must be quite compassionate for them to travel with you this far from where you found them. And you must be quite strong to get them to stay with you. You’ll have to be in order to complete this trial. Have you been doing this all together? Or…”
Sam stepped forward. “My sister and I have been taking the Island Challenge together, yes. The ponies may have their own Pokémon, but they aren’t in this race.”
“I see. Well, in that case, are you both ready?”
“Oh, wait, hold on! I never healed my Salandit on my way here.”
Sam flicked Salandit’s Poké Ball off his belt and let it out, where he and Flannery could both see the scuffmarks it got from its earlier battle.
Sam knelt down and took a Super Potion from his bag. “Come here!” he called with a pert whistle, and his Pokémon obediently came.
“Nice Salandit,” Flannery said. “Is it female?”
“Yeah!” Sam looked up to Flannery while he sprayed Salandit. “I know all about Salazzle. We actually fought one on the way up here.”
As Sam looked back down, to finish healing his Pokémon, Flannery’s expression grew even more cheeky, appearing to find humorous irony in what Sam had told her. Starlight squinted at the sight of this, finding it suspicious.
Fluttershy poked her friend’s shoulder with her hoof, breaking her out of her concentration. “Starlight, did you just see her face?”
“I did. I have a feeling our friend from back there will be making a grand return.”
Finally, Sam had finished and Salandit wiggled about happily and healthily. “Don’t worry, girl. You’ll get your turn.” He then aimed its ball at Salandit, returned it inside, and placed the ball on his belt.
Alice turned to her brother. “Sam. What are you–”
“Waiting. I don’t want to waste her before the Totem Pokémon.”
“You do know that both your other Pokémon are weak against whatever we’re going to be fighting, right?”
“And half of yours will be stronger. Just cover me when you can.”
Alice rolled her eyes, knowing it was pointless to continue arguing. “Whatever you say, bro.”
“Okay then!” Flannery quickly sidestepped off the platform, leaving it empty. “You both ready then?”
Alice and Sam nodded, stepping up to the bottom edge of the platform, ready for the Pokémon they would soon face.
Flannery looked to her right, seeing the ponies standing by themselves. “Hey, you can come and watch the show with me! I won’t bite!”
The ponies, while met with a first bad impression, couldn’t help but feel wrong letting her stand alone, and they both approached her, each one standing on either side of her, Lady standing beneath her trainer between her forelegs.
Flannery put her hands to her hips, proud to have earned the ponies’ trust. “Mind if I get the names of my new friends?”
“Friends?” Fluttershy’s face then lit up with surprise, understanding who this quirky woman was referring to. “Oh! My name is Fluttershy.”
“And I’m Starlight,” she said. “My Eevee is named Lady.”
After nodding in understanding, Flannery then pulled a red, metal whistle from her pocket. “Okay, you two, you’ll probably want to cover your ears.”
“Um…” Starlight hummed bemusedly. “What–”
*TWEEEEEEEEEEEE*
The piercing shriek of the whistle froze Starlight and Fluttershy solid, their eyes wide and their teeth clenched hard. After a few moments of awkward silence, three shapes leapt over the northern edge of the crater, flipping, huffing, and grunting enthusiastically toward the platform.
The shapes appeared to look like Cubone, but their bodies were taller and lankier, and the skulls on their heads looked more like actual heads rather than a skeletal helmet. Their bodies were also colored a very dark shade of purple, each one holding a bone that was the length of their bodies.
With a single synchronized flip onto the top edge of the platform, they both held their bones out, the ends of them going alight with blue flame. Sam and Alice then watched as they performed a beautifully intricate routine, spinning and passing their bones to each other in a well-coreographed display. Finally, they all tossed their bones up, each one spinning at the same speed and arcing at the same height so that all three could catch them at the exact same time. The two outer Pokémon put their bones behind their backs while the middle one thrust his bone out parallel to the floor, forming a perfect mirror image to finish their dance.
Fluttershy stamped her hoof in applause, but stopped when she realized she was the only one to be doing so. “Oh, sorry…” She bowed down in slight embarrassment.
“What even are those?” Starlight asked. “They’re like the Cubones I fought, but… bigger.”
“Those are the Alolan-form of Marowak,” Flannery answered. “Everywhere else, they just evolve into another Ground-type, but here, they become Fire and Ghost-type.”
“Ghost-type, you say?!” Sam eagerly detached a Poké Ball and threw it out. “Hot diggity!”
Honedge popped out from the ball and floated cautiously before the three Marowaks that forebodingly stared at it.
Alice rolled her eyes as she took out her first Poké Ball. “Let’s go, Mudbray!”
Alice’s donkey Pokémon emerged from the ball, joining Honedge by its side.
“Hold on!” Flannery stepped to the edge of the platform, her hands waving them to stop before it was too late. “Before you can battle them, you need to answer this question correctly.”
“Anything to do with us being ready?” Sam wondered.
“Nope. Tell me, how many times did the bones spin before they were caught?”
Alice widened her eyes, honestly not sure. “Oh man… uh–”
“Four!” Sam blurted. “It was four!”
“Sam! You think you’d like to consult with me first?”
“No need it seems.” Flannery motioned out to the Marowaks. “Look!”
The trio held their bones in front of them like canes and nodded to them before holding them both back above their heads, ready to fight.
“Alrighty, kiddos!” Flannery shouted. “Your trial officially begins… now!”
“Honedge, Shadow Sneak!” Sam exclaimed.
Using the dim light of the laval rock, Honedge’s shadow snaked off along the ground and erupted beneath the center Marowak, throwing it up in the air, its two brethren on either side shifting nervously back.
“Nice one, Sam!” Alice pointed out to her enemies. “Mudbray, Bulldoze them all!”
Mudbray began a gallop out, its hooves throwing mud out from under them with each step it took. The splashes of mud hit Honedge, most of the force hitting all three Marowaks and throwing them back to the edge of the platform.
Mudbray skittered back as the trio of Marowaks dug themselves out from the mud that covered them with their bones, each one leaping up and landing back on their feet at the same time. Two Marowaks tossed their bones at Honedge, spinning so close to each other that Honedge could not possibly avoid them all.
“Honedge!” Sam crossed his arms, his Honedge responding with a cross of its scabbard in front of the blade.
The first bone struck the center of the scabbard, Honedge quick to push it off so that it flew safely up and arced back to its Marowak. The second bone managed to find the hole in the defense, though Honedge flicked the blade to deflect the bone as best as it could, where it also flew back to its owner.
The third Marowak chucked its bone outward like a boomerang, the blue flames appearing on the ends. The bone swung perfectly around Mudbray, the fiery ends glowing brighter as they separated off and formed a small tornado that trapped Mudbray inside. Alice gasped as Mudbray cried out from the heat. Sam looked to Alice’s hurting Pokémon with concern, his Honedge shaking the mud off its body.
“Okay, buddy, Alice got us off to a good start!” Sam threw his pointing finger out. “Now, finish off the center one with one last Shadow Sneak!”
Honedge’s shadow slithered along the ground before throwing the center Marowak off the platform, its eyes lazily off to the sides.
“Okay, Mudbray!” Alice cried out. “Take them both out with one last Bulldoze!”
Mudbray galloped forward, freeing itself from the fire twister as it hurled another wave of mud with its advance at the targets, some of the mud also slapping onto Honedge. The wall of mud struck them both, knocking them off the platform to lay down with their other fallen ally. The center Marowak finally came to, and all three of them picked themselves back up with their bones and stepped back onto the edge of the platform, giving Alice, Sam, and their Pokémon a bow of their heads.
“Good job!” Flannery shouted. “That match went so well for you, I’m guessing that they’ll want to call out the Totem Pokémon right away!”
Holding the bases of their clubs like swords, the Marowaks slowly pulled them up until the tops converged at a point. The tips of the bones went alight with blue flame until they emerged into a large, bright flare, the heat blowing into Alice and Sam’s faces. The ponies also squinted to prevent burning their eyes, but Flannery stood and stared casually at the fire. A portion of the flame then shot up high into the sky before it quickly fizzled out. A loud shriek was shortly heard from somewhere below.
“Okay then.” Alice widened her stance. “What are we facing this time?”
From over the top of the crater wall, Sam and Alice’s eyes widened and Starlight and Fluttershy gasped to see a Salazzle climb up and slither down to the platform. Mudbray took a nervous step back. The two Marowaks beside the center one hopped away and fled down the crater as the remaining one stepped aside for the Totem Salazzle to take its place. Spinning its bone in its hands, the already large flame spun over to the other end, leaving two large plumes of blue fire burning on both ends. Sam looked at the Totem Salazzle, who suddenly began squinting its eyes in fury and vindication.
Sam’s mouth was slowly pulled open as he suddenly realized. “You…”
Just then, another Salandit crawled out from the other side of the crater, quickly crawling to the Totem Salazzle’s right, and facing the Mudbray and Honedge, their team fully assembled.
Sam let out a heavy, anxious breath, getting his sister’s attention. “Relax, Sam. My Mudbray will make short work of them with another Bulldoze. We’ve got this.”
“Yeah.” Sam calmed himself and turned his eyes away from the Totem Salazzle and to the Marowak. “Honedge, Shadow Sneak on that Marowak!”
The Totem Salazzle crouched low and spat a small orb of fire out at Mudbray’s hooves as Honedge’s shadow raced on the floor of the platform and blasted Marowak off its feet. Upon hitting the ground, the ball exploded into a razing burst of fire that fully engulfed Mudbray while the residual embers shot into Honedge.
“Holy shit!” Alice yelled. “What kind of move was that?!”
“Don’t know!” Sam shouted over the whoosh and crackle of the fire. “My Salandit hasn’t learned that one yet!”
The fire quickly died out, revealing Mudbray’s smoking, partly soot-blackened body. With a wobble to the left, Mudbray tipped over and began to fall, Honedge also too weak to hold itself up, dropping itself and its scabbard to the ground. Both Pokémon landed at the same time, both weakened and unable to continue the fight.
“Oh no…” Starlight’s ears drooped at the sight, while Fluttershy put her hoof over her mouth.
Alice and Sam both returned their Pokémon into their Poké Balls at the same time, both of them staring at them before they returned them to their belts.
Alice took out her next ball and threw it. “Your time to shine, Rockruff!”
As Alice’s next Pokémon emerged, it looked at its foes with great confidence. Sam on the other hand continued running his fingers between Fomantis’s ball and Salandit’s, the Totem Salazzle watching him carefully.
Finally, he resolved to grab the center ball among his three, tossing it out before he could change his mind. “Go, Fomantis!”
With Sam’s next Pokémon out to stand with Rockruff, Alice, Starlight, and Fluttershy gasped loudly whie Flannery’s eyes and mouth widened a little in surprise. The Totem Salazzle itself growled in spite.
“Sam!” Alice looked more afraid and angry. “Fomantis will do nothing against those guys! She’ll literally be toast!”
“She’ll soften them up for Salandit.” Sam ignored the stares he received from nearly every angle. “I have faith in her.”
Fomantis threw its arms out and shouted loud, eager to move forward.
Alice turned back to the battle, having no choice but to accept her brother’s decision. “Okay, Rockruff, use Rock Throw on Salazzle!”
Rockruff charged forward and whipped its head at Salazzle, a small rock shooting out from its collar. The rock struck its target on the left cheek, the Totem Salazzle screeching and pressing its hand on the scrape.
“Nice shot!” Alice shouted, her Pokémon barking happily in reply.
Baring its teeth, Salazzle faced Rockruff and let out a series of raspy shouts that appeared to demoralize Rockruff into taking a step back with trembling legs. The wild Salandit turned around and began wagging its butt and its tail at it, letting out a hoarse laugh as it did so. Rockruff, pushed past its limit, began barking furiously at both of the salamanders.
“A Torment and Taunt combo?” Alice gasped.
The Marowak threw its flaming bone at Fomantis’s side, spinning back around like a boomerang back to it. With the bone swinging around it, a twister of fire began to pick up around Fomantis. To Sam’s surprise, Fomantis dug its feet into the ground and leapt through a gap in the forming wall before it could close up. Landing on the other side, the twister faded out with nothing ensnared inside.
“Awesome job!” Sam cheered. “Now hit him with Leaf Blade!”
Running out at its target, Fomantis leapt up and struck the Marowak under the chin with its glowing leaf arm producing a loud noise like the broad side of an axe striking a tree trunk, knocking Marowak back a couple of feet. From the sideline, Lady mewed loudly, celebrating her friend’s tremendous attack.
Flannery crossed her arms, smiling and impressed. “What a Leaf Blade! Even for a Fomantis.”
“Sam has faith in her,” Fluttershy explained. “She wants to show him that he made the right decision in sending her out.”
Fomantis returned to Sam, standing to await the next round of attacks from the Salazzle and Salandit combo. Salazzle crouched down and appeared to aim its oncoming assault at Fomantis, only to turn back to Rockruff just as it spat a slimy purple mound out at it, covering its face and upper body. Alice and Fluttershy choked with worry as Rockruff wiped most of the mucous with its arms and paws. To their mounting horror, Rockruff’s face and chest began to glow purple as it bowed its front legs down weakly, looking as if it were about to vomit.
“Oh no!” Fluttershy cried. “What did it do?”
“Toxic.” Alice breathed through her clenched teeth. “Now he’s poisoned.”
The Salandit, also crouching down to attack, opened its mouth wide, its teeth beginning to glow purple before the energy shot out at Rockruff like spears. Each lance of venomous energy struck Rockruff hard, almost throwing it off the platform if not for Alice catching it.
“What in Equestria was that?” Starlight shouted.
Sam watched as Alice set her Rockruff back down. “Venoshock. The move is even stronger when the target is poisoned.”
Alice reached behind her to her bag, pulling out an Antidote halfway before she was met with resistant yipping from Rockruff.
“Rockruff, you need to heal, otherwise the poison will…” Alice stopped talking as Rockruff turned to face Marowak, fighting to keep a brave face in light of the pain coursing through its head and stomach. Alice then looked to Fomantis, who awaited Alice’s and the Marowak’s next attacks. In that moment, she realized.
“Okay, Rockruff. Use Bite on Marowak!”
Rockruff charged out at Marowak, who responded by chucking its club at it like a tomahawk. Rockruff, without any sense of fear, knocked the oncoming bone away with its snout, refusing to let up its advance. With nothing to defend itself with, Marowak was tackeled down by Rockruff, who bit down on its right shoulder. Marowak let out one final scream before it relaxed itself into fainting. Rockruff, feeling accomplished, let out a few tired, aching breaths as it finally succumbed to its poison, fainting over the fallen Marowak’s body.
“Rockruff!” Starlight and Fluttershy both shouted out.
“Will he be okay?” Fluttershy’s eyes welled up.
Alice, her antidote still in hand, ran out to her Pokémon and pulled it off of Marowak, cradling its upper body in her left arm. She gave it a couple of sprays to the face and chest where the remaining poison was, making it disappear. She then took out its Poké Ball while nuzzling her face against its face, smiling proudly.
“You’re so brave,” she huffed out with a tear rolling down her cheek. “Thank you for that.”
Sam, realizing what Alice and Rockruff had done for him and Fomantis, smiled gratefully as Rockruff was returned to its ball. “Thanks for the opening, you two! Fomantis, hit that Salazzle hard with another Leaf Blade!”
Fomantis sprinted at the Totem Salazzle, its eyes trained on its exposed belly. With a glowing of its arms, Fomantis let out a shrill battle cry before slamming both arms against its target. To Sam’s unpleasant shock, the strike didn’t appear to harm or impact the Totem Salazzle at all, having stayed in the exact same place before it was hit. Fomantis nervously looked up to the Totem Salazzle, and with a sneer, it shot Fomantis with another hock of poisonous gunk, knocking it back between it and Sam.
“No, Fomantis!” Sam cried.
Alice took out her next ball and threw it straight and true. “Pikachu, Quick Attack, now!”
Upon leaving the ball, Pikachu darted out at the Totem Salazzle, kicking it in the face before it could register it was even coming. As the Totem Salazzle was brought to all fours, Pikachu landed before it right as the Salandit puffed a cloud of purple gas in its face. Pikachu coughed loudly as it tried to escape back to Alice, but Sam and Alice were stricken with anxiety upon seeing Pikachu’s face and upper body glowing purple as it continued to cough and clear its throat.
Sam looked to his own Fomantis, who was doubled over with its entire body glowing purple. He reached his hand out to call for an attack, but upon opening his mouth, he couldn’t form words. Looking down at his Fomantis in agony, he hissed through his teeth as he threw his bag around, pulled out an Antidote and ran over to his Pokémon, spraying it, until the harsh purple flashing ceased. Rejuvenated, Fomatis looked back to Sam and tried to give him the best thumbs up it could with its fingerless arm.
“Nice.” Alice turned back to look at the Totem Salazzle. “Okay, Pikachu, use Thunder Wave!”
With another cough, Pikachu began charging its cheeks. The Totem Salandit then sprayed a purple liquid from its mouth at Pikachu which appeared far less viscous than its Toxic attack. As the liquid hit, Pikachu’s attack was nullified, the electricity unable to break through the spray. Pikachu began breathing heavily and was now coughing and gagging far more frequently, seemingly too focused on its pain to continue with its attack.
“Venom Drench?” Alice wondered aloud.
The Salandit then shot out another Venoshock at Pikachu, who was too weak and tired to avoid the attack, the points of the attack thrusting into Pikachu and throwing it to the back of the crater, just narrowly avoiding the steep hill down to the path. Even from their vantage point, the ponies could tell that Pikachu would not get up from that.
“Pikachu!” they both cried out.
“NO!” Alice turned back to run to her fallen Pokémon, both Sam and Fomantis witnessing the awful sight.
With its eyes squinted in a furious expression, Fomantis slowly turned to glare at the Totem Salazzle and Salandit, both of them matching with an intimidating glare of their own. Before Sam could call an order, Fomantis broke into a run, its eyes trained on the Salandit. Sam watched as his Pokémon’s arms glowed and prepared to swing. The Salandit stood on its hind legs and exposed its chest and stomach, appearing to taunt Fomantis with a free hit. Fomantis was unmoved, and with two swings to the gut, the Salandit’s eyes bulged as the attack knocked it off its feet and threw it off the platform, surprising not just the ponies and Flannery, but the Totem Salazzle as well.
“Yeah, way to go, Fomantis!” Starlight yelled.
Lady screamed as well, happy for its success. Alice, who stood up with Pikachu cradled in her arm, walked back up to see Fomantis hopping back toward Sam and the Salandit weakly getting up off the ground.
She looked to her brother. “Did… Fomantis really do that?”
Sam nodded. Alice looked out at the Totem Salazzle and the Salandit as it returned to its spot and hissed at Alice to bring out her next Pokémon. Alice stared into its eyes as she took out Pikachu’s Poké Ball, returned it inside, and took out her Noibat’s ball.
“Let’s end this, Noibat!” Alice threw the ball out, her bat soaring over the perimeter of the crater. “That’s it! Fly around so it can’t hit you with its Toxic!”
Noibat began to fly about in aimless directions, forcing the crouching Totem Salazzle to hold and wait to lock on to its target. Alice repeatedly glanced between Noibat and the Totem Salazzle, unsure if it was precisely following her Pokémon or not. Without warning, the Totem Salazzle shot a Toxic attack up in the air, Alice gasping knowing that Noibat would get hit.
“Noibat, dodge it, hurry!” Despite Alice’s plea, Noibat was still struck in the chest and legs, some of the glop getting on its wings and causing it to lose altitude.
The Salandit turned to Fomantis, and with as wide of an opening of its mouth as its cheeks and jaw could muster, several purple spears of energy launched out of its mouth. The Venoshock struck Fomantis hard in the head and chest, throwing it past Sam and five feet away from the back of the platform.
“Fomantis!” Sam cried.
Fluttershy, Starlight, and Lady took a few steps to the right until they could see Fomantis out from behind the platform trying to get up. It got onto its feet and brushed itself off of the dirt, but its steps to the platform’s edge were much slower and labored. Reaching the first step of the platform, Sam’s lips quivered as he watched Fomantis resort to climbing up each one like a tall ledge.
Once Fomantis got to the top it began to walk toward the Salandit, who still looked wary in the case of a ruse. It finally began to take a running start, Sam noticing it tiring out immediately. Leaping into a kneel, he caught Fomantis in his hands before its face could hit the floor. Starlight breathed a grievous sigh as Sam gently set Fomantis down on its back.
“It’s okay,” he cooed. “You. Were. Incredible.” He then looked to the Totem Salazzle, who smiled knowing what was to come. “Okay, bitch. You want her?” Standing up, he returned Fomantis back into its Poké Ball, put it back onto his belt, and took out Salandit’s ball. “Then get ready for her! You’re up now, Salandit!”
Upon Sam’s final Pokémon landing on the ground after appearing from the ball, the Totem Salazzle and Salandit began to engage into a match of loud, raspy screams. In the middle of one of the screams, the Totem Salazzle spat another Toxic at Salandit, taking it completely by surprise as it frantically tried to wipe it all off.
Sam grunted and grit his teeth as its body began to glow purple like Noibat’s. “Dammit!” He then saw as the foe Salandit began to charge up another Venoshock, forcing him to act quickly. “Salandit, Dragon Rage on the other Salandit, now!”
Salandit screeched as it charged its attack, its mouth glowing blue. With a quick breath, the blue draconic aura shot toward the foe Salandit, who shot a weak and halfway-charged Venoshock from its mouth. The Dragon Rage attack blew the Venoshock away as it exploded, hitting the foe Salandit in the face, knocking it off the stage out cold. With only one Pokémon left, the ponies and Lady were all elated.
“Good job, you two!” Starlight cheered.
“Show that Salazzle what for!” Fluttershy yelled
Both Lady and Comfey around Fluttershy’s neck warbled their own support. The foe Salandit quickly rolled back to its stomach and slithered away to the other corner of the crater across from Flannery, where the Marowak stood and waited, leaning against the inner crater walls and crossing its arms in indifference. Looking down at each other, the two passively looked to watch the rest of the fight.
Alice looked to the Totem Salazzle, who was staring daggers at Sam’s Salandit. “Noibat, use Air Cutter!”
Noibat’s wings cut hard through the air, producing a pair of bow-shaped windy auras that zipped straight at the Totem Salazzle. With a quick glance, the Totem Salandit caught the attack coming, and with two shifts to the left and right, it managed to avoid both auras before they poofed out of existence upon hitting the ground. Noibat let out a cry as its poisoning pulsed over its body and through the veins in its wings.
The Totem Salazzle then refocused onto Salandit, belting out several tormenting cries that slowly brought frightened, hurt tears to Salandit’s eyes, closing them and letting them fall as the Toxic poison took its toll on it. Sam could tell what the Totem Salazzle was doing, and the strategy horrified Sam into letting his mouth hang agape.
With a hiss, Sam had no choice. “Salandit, use…” He pointed his left arm out, noticing his Z-Ring with the Normalium Z still inside of it. The sudden realization of the Totem Salazzle’s flaw drew a smile upon his lips. “Hey, Salazzle, thanks for the hint!”
Sam crossed his wrists over his face, his Salandit, as if willingly possessed, stood on its hind legs and followed through with Sam’s movements, following through with a swing down of their arms followed by a crossed reach out. Flannery watched with sheer amazement as Salandit, in perfect synch with Sam, formed its arms into a Z-shape, allowing Sam to transfer a hefty stream of Z-Power into it.
With energy flowing off its body like the fire of the mountain it stood on, it happily screeched at the mesmerized Totem Salandit, practically chomping at the bit to go forward with its attack.
“My Pokémon knows Double Slap!” Sam laughed loudly as it addressed Salandit’s remaining adversary. “I don’t quite know what you have against my Salandit, but now you’ll wish you never did. Okay, Salandit, let’s go! Breakneck Blitz!”
Salandit shot out at the Totem Salazzle, moving along the ground so quickly that it could only be seen by the tip of the spreading rock that it plowed as it ran. Leaping up out of the path it made, Salandit tackled into the Totem Salazzle, ramming it off its feet so that it shot the both of them into the side of the crater wall, blasting large chunks of it off and down the mountain.
Sam gasped as he stepped up, hoping that his Pokémon didn’t go over the edge, but stopped to see Salandit and the Totem Salazzle on their stomachs at the mouth of the gap that had just been made. As Salandit made its way back, the Totem Salazzle slowly got up to see Salandit return to Sam, who put his hands down and allowed Salazzle to cheerfully slap both of them down in celebration. Even long after Salandit turned back to face it, the Totem Salazzle could not help but breathe through its open mouth, looking back between it and the trainer it clearly grew so fond of so quickly.
Salazzle crawled back to the platform slowly as it sniffed the ground, Alice appearing to relish the opportunity. “Let’s see you dodge this!” she yelled. “Noibat, use Aerial Ace!”
Noibat dove down, its eyes squinting as it read its target's body to predict any kind of evasive maneuvers. Instead, the Totem Salazzle quickened its pace towards a small mound in the dirt. Unfocused on Noibat, the Totem Salazzle was hit, sending it back several more feet from its destination. Noibat swooped back up and flew back to Alice. With a sharper glow of its body and a sickly gurgling from its stomach, Noibat whined as it glided down to the platform, supporting itself with its wings and panting heavily. Sam looked to his Salandit upon hearing the same noises, seeing it convulse as it arched its stomach in, fighting the pain it felt there.
The Totem Salazzle picked itself up and ran to the mound, quickly digging out a piney red berry with a green stem, swallowing it whole after a few chews. Quickening its breathing, the Totem Salazzle hopped onto the platform and roared at Noibat and Salandit, fire rushing out of its mouth.
Fluttershy’s teeth clenched at the awful implications. “Flannery, what did the Salazzle just eat?”
“A Petaya Berry,” she answered. “When the Pokémon that eats that is in a pinch, its Special Attack is strengthened.”
“In a pinch?” Starlight stared at Salazzle, noting its slightly wobbly stance. “Does that mean…”
“Salazzle is pretty much on the ropes, yes. However, let’s see if both of their Pokémon can survive the next attack.”
Fluttershy and Starlight turned to Flannery and then back to the battle, nervous for what would happen next. With a white-hot glow of its slightly-open mouth, the Totem Salazzle spat a Flare Burst attack out at its foes, Sam’s eyes shooting open to see it was nearly twice as large as the one that took out Honedge and Mudbray.
“Alice, turn away!” Sam bellowed.
Both she and her brother quickly spun back and crouched down to hide their exposed legs. Behind them, the ball struck the ground, creating a mushroom-cloud of fire that engulfed both of their Pokémon in the blast, the loud whoosh of the blast and their own cries of searing pain drowning out their Pokémon’s screams.
Starlight and Fluttershy immediately felt the heat stretch out over the crater. Before the hot winds could blow into them, Starlight formed a small shield with her magic, allowing the heat to pass safely around her, Fluttershy, Lady, and Flannery. From the other side of the crater, the Marowak put its arms up to shield its eyes from the light of the fires that still remained.
Sam and Alice felt the flames and heat die down, and when it felt safe, they both stood and turned to see the damage. Alice felt a sharp pain in her gut to see Noibat laying face down and fainted where it was standing, and Sam looked nervous to see Salandit sprawled on its stomach, not appearing to move either.
“No…” Alice felt her throat squirm as she spoke.
Starlight, in her worry, let her shield down as Flannery passed through to see the state of Sam and Alice’s Pokémon. With a few quick observatory glances between the two motionless Pokémon, she threw her hands up.
“It appears Noibat and Salandit have lost the will to battle,” she exclaimed, throwing her arm up. “As trial captain, I declare that–”
“Wait, wait!” Fluttershy hugged Flannery’s arms in and pointed out at the battlefield.
To Flannery’s utter shock, Salandit slid up to all fours, digging its claws into as much of the concrete as its strength could allow. When it finally regained its footing, it picked its head up to look into the Totem Salazzle’s eyes and let out a loud, persistent roar.
Starlight and Sam both laughed as his second chance was all ready for him to take. The Totem Salazzle, at first dumbfounded, shut its eyes in realization before smiling at Salandit, which was now filled with warmth, respect, and acceptance.
Sam clapped twice in excitement. “Looks like she’s ready to take her final shot, girl!” Salandit roared out again. “Use Dragon Rage!”
Salandit charged a blue energy inside of its mouth, the Totem Salazzle closing its eyes as it awaited the next and more than likely last attack. With a hard breath, Salandit shot its harsh aura out, looking to be aimed in the dead center of the Totem Salazzle’s chest. The attack hit, throwing the Salazzle limply back, tumbling off the platform and refusing to move once its body hit the floor.
Flannery grinned, exhilarated by such an amazing comeback. “The Totem Salazzle and its allies have been defeated! I declare that Sam and Alice have completed my trial!”
Both ponies and their Pokémon cheered while Alice went over to pick up her Noibat. Sam saw as Salandit began to swoon, the poison about to take it out. Sam rushed over while grabbing a Full Heal from its bag, slipping his hand beneath Salandit and picking it up to spray it. Salandit’s breaths grew deeper and more relaxed as he continued spraying, and once the bottle was empty and Salandit had been fully cured, it leapt off his arm and hugged his neck tight.
“Oh, my little trooper!” Sam grunted, coming close to crying.
Alice came over and put her hand on his shoulder, getting his attention. “You were amazing. Both of you.”
Salandit, without warning, jumped off Sam and gave Alice a hug as well, yipping as Alice returned the embrace with her free arm.
The ponies and Lady stepped onto the platform, followed by Flannery who walked past them and stood before Sam and Alice. “That was one of the best trial battles I’ve seen since I’ve been here. I mean it.”
“Wow…” Sam couldn’t help but blush a little. “Thank you, Flannery. That truly means a lot coming from you!”
“I’m flattered, but I’m also humbled to have watched such a hot battle such as yours. You two fight with such fervor that I don’t even see from many of the trainers that walk into my gym back in Hoenn. You have such a strong bond that’s just inspiring to see. There’s a fire that burns bright inside both of you. I hope you and your Pokémon go–”
“Flannery?” Starlight seemed jestful in her interruption. “I think they got the point.”
“Oh!” She cleared her throat. “My apologies. I guess there’s nothing left to say then that I haven’t already said. With that, I now grant both of you your own Firium Z.”
Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out two reddish-orange crystals with a swirling flame icon inside that laid on her palm, allowing Sam and Alice to take one and hold it up to the faint sunlight peaking through the volcanic smog.
“Now I just have to show you how to use it. I hope this is right…” With a widened stance, Flannery crossed her wrists up, put her arms down, and crossed her arms out. She then twisted and held her arms out, fanning them twice up before grabbing her right elbow and holding her right arm up before throwing it down so that it was above the ground. “Yeah, I think that’s it!”
“Thanks again, Flannery,” Alice said. “This was a cool one.”
“I appreciate it. Oh! Before you leave, let me heal your Pokémon. It’s the least I can do!”
“Also,” Fluttershy said, “why was the Salazzle being so mean to Salandit? Is that something that they do?”
As if to answer her, the Salazzle walked over onto the platform toward her. Salandit hopped out of Alice’s grasp and sat before the Salazzle. The two of them engaged in a calm conversation of clicks, hisses, and high-pitched growls and purrs.
“Any idea what they’re saying?” Starlight looked to Fluttershy.
“It seems the Salazzle’s telling Salandit that she is allowed to decide where she wants to go now. What does that mean?”
“I can answer that.” Flannery crossed her arms and looked down at the irresistibly adorable sight of the two Pokémon conversing. “It was testing her, wanting to be sure if she was truly ready to go off on her own. Because only female Salandits can evolve into Salazzles, female Salandits are groomed to lead their hordes after their mothers.”
“Mother?” Sam put the pieces together. “So that means–”
“The momma Salazzle is giving her daughter her blessing to go with you, it seems, Sam,” Fluttershy answered.
Flannery nodded. “Now that Salandit has proven herself to the Salazzle, her rite of passage has been completed. Kind of nice that it got to happen during your trial, though.”
“I’ll say.” Sam knelt down to the Salazzle and his Salandit, watching as Salazzle nuzzled its head against Salandit’s in a final farewell. “I’ll be taking great care of her,” he said, looking the Salazzle in the eyes. “I think we’ll both take great care of each other.”
“We all will,” Alice assured.
Salazzle gave Sam a nod and nudged Salandit in the back of the thigh, letting it go to rejoin Sam by his side. Salandit crawled up Sam’s leg and hopped off his knee onto his shoulder. Salandit and the Salazzle gave one last look to each other before the latter fought to face the other way and meet the Marowak and other Salandit on the north side of the crater. Without looking back, the three of them went down through the new gap in the wall, disappearing over the side.
“Thank you!” Sam yelled with a wide wave.
Fluttershy, almost instinctively, swung her arm up in a single wave goodbye, even though they were all long gone.
The group was then alerted by Flannery sniffling, looking to see that she wiped a tear from her eye. “Oh, I love happy endings. Follow me. There’s a small shack where I can heal your Pokémon.”
With Flannery taking the south hill down, Sam, Alice, the ponies, and Lady followed her, leaving their penultimate Akalan trial behind.
Flannery stood at the bottom of the hill back to the crater, facing Sam and Alice and their group.
“Thank you again for everything, Flannery.” Sam said. “Perhaps before you return to the Hoenn region, I’d like to battle you.”
“Maybe you won’t even have to wait that long. I’m beginning to like it here.” Flannery nervously chuckled, but was happy to hear all six of her new friends laughing with her, making her smile wide. “I appreciate it, you guys. I wish you both the best of luck with finding your other friends, Starlight, Fluttershy…” Starlight and Fluttershy nodded appreciatively. “…and I hope you two do well against Mallow’s trial, Sam, Alice.”
Sam huffed humorously, leaving Alice to defend him. “Actually, we already completed the Lush Jungle trial.”
“No foolin?’ How about–”
“Brooklet Hill too,” Sam said.
Flannery bent her head down and breathed out through her nose. “Then I wish you the best against Olivia. She’s a real tough cookie, and you’ll need all the best wishes you can get before you face her.”
“I’m sure yours will be more than enough between the two of us.” Flannery chuckled, overwhelmed with gratitude. “I’ll see you then.”
“Yes, bye!” Alice called with a wave, turning to the western path and beginning the downward hike.
“Bye, Flannery!” Starlight and Fluttershy both shouted, each of their Pokémon bidding their own salutations to her.
Flannery waved them all goodbye, even after they had turned away from her and disappeared around the western bend.