//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: Verdant Cavern Trials?! Enter the Ultra Recon Squad! // Story: Journey through Alola // by darkmage1997 //------------------------------// Our heroes exited the Pokémon Center, and made their way for the nearby cave, where Illima was waiting, "Ah, so good of you to come. Your trial shall begin once you enter. Understand that as soon as you enter, you won't be allowed to leave until you've cleared the trial or are defeated, and as I said before, you won't be allowed to catch Pokémon until after you cleared the trial. Are you ready?" Illima asked. "We are," Will said, as he, Toby, and Hau stepped forth. "Alright then, proceed inside, and I'll explain the rules for this trial," Illima said, as he, and the group entered the Cavern. Inside, they saw that it looked like any other cave, with lush greenery growing from the surrounding ground, "Alright, your task is relatively easy. Each of you need to defeat two Yungoos and one Gumshoos," Illima explained, as a Yungoos scurried back into a hidey hole. A loud roar echoed through the cavern, "Oh yeah, one thing to know, there's a Pokémon with in the cavern that's much more powerful than the rest. That is the Pokémon you need to draw out and prove your strength to, the Totem Pokémon," Illima added. Verdant Caver Trial: Day: Trial Goers: Will, Toby, Hau The three trainers then sent out their Pokémon, and went on to begin their trial, "Ok, come on out Yungoos," Will said, looking around, only to be jumped by a couple of Yungoos and a larger brown weasel Pokémon, "What's that Pokémon?" Will wondered. "Gumshoos, the Stakeout Pokémon, a Normal Type, and the evolved form of Yungoos. Upon evolving, it gains a certain tenacity. It always stakes out its prey, but often times falls asleep while doing so," Rotom said. "Ok, Rowlet, use Leafage, Grimer, Sludge, and Makuhita, use Arm Thrust!" Will instructed. The three Pokémon attacked the three Normal Types, who also fought back, either tackling Rowlet and Makuhita, or biting Grimer. The three of Will's Pokémon all held their ground, "Once more!" he urged. The three Pokémon then proceeded to attack again, this time, knocking out the three trial Pokémon. "Keep moving! Fennekin, use Ember, Vulpix, use Extrasensory, and Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Toby instructed, battling another set of Yungoos and Gumshoos. All three of his Pokémon launched their respective attacks, Pikachu moving at blinding speeds, slamming into one of the Yungoos, Vulpix slamming Gumshoos to the ground, both knocking out their opponents, but Fennekin spewed out a stream of fire instead of small pellets, knocking out the other Yungoos, "Whoa, what was that?" Toby asked. "Toby, Fennekin just learned Flamethrower!" Will replied. "Sweet!" Toby exclaimed. Both Fennekin and Rowlet then began to evolve. Fennekin became a bipedal fox Pokémon with longer ears tufts. Rowlet became a slightly larger owl Pokémon with a leaf shaped like a cowlick, "Fennekin and Rowlet evolved!" he added. "Fennekin is now a Braixen, but who did Rowlet evolve into?" Will asked. "Dartrix, the Blade Quill Pokémon, a Grass and Flying Type, and the evolved form of Rowlet. It launches feathers called blade quills to attack. it rarely misses. Braixen, the Fox Pokémon, a Fire Type, and the evolved form of Fennekin. It uses a branch it keeps in it's tail as a wand. It ignites the branch from friction from it's tail," Rotom replied. "Popplio, use Aqua Jet, Pikachu, use Electro Ball!" Hau instructed. Popplio became cloaked in water, and slammed into both Yungoos, knocking them out, while Pikachu summoned a ball of electricity, which it hurled at Gumshoos, knocking it out. "Ok, the three of you may now proceed to the inner most chamber of the cavern, and retrieve the Z Crystal from it's pedestal," Illima said, pointing to an exit on the other side of the cave. However, "Not so fast, yo!" a couple of Team Skull Grunts appeared out of nowhere, "It's your beach boys back for revenge! Remember us?" the lead grunt asked. "Don't you guys ever get tired of being lame?" Hau asked. "Can it! We got a bone to pick with these numskulls! We're going to make you pay for crossing us!" the lead grunt said. "AND THE FACT THAT LITTLE GIRL BIT ME!" another grunt, the one Lana bit, said, turning to show that his butt was now swollen. 'That looks like it hurts,' everyone, even the grunt's fellow teammates and the Pokémon, thought. "Either way, we're here to keep you from finishing your trial," the lead grunt said, as the three grunts sent out Grimer, Yungoos, and Mareanie. "Stay out of our way! Dartrix, use Peck on their Grimer!" Will instructed. Dartrix charged at Grimer, beak first, and sent it back into the wall, knocked out. "Popplio, use Bubblebeam on Yungoos!" Hau instructed. Popplio fired Bubblebeam at Yungoos, knocking it out. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on Mareanie!" Toby instructed. Pikachu fired Thunderbolt at Mareanie, knocking it out. "WE WON'T FORGET THIS!" the lead grunt said, as they recalled their Pokémon, and ran off. "I get the feeling that guy I bit is going to be a running gag," Lana commented, receiving nods from her siblings. With Team Skull out of the way, Will, Toby, and Hau all proceeded to the innermost chamber, where they saw a pedestal, which had a bunch of tan crystals with a bullseye symbol in it resting with it. "Are those.... Z Crystals?" Will asked. "Yeah. If memory serves, these ones are called 'Normalium Z'," Hau said, as they approached the pedestal. As they did, Toby felt something was off. "Uh, guys? Does it feel like someone or something is watching us?" Toby asked. "We're watching you," Leni responded. "No, I mean something beside you guys," Toby clarified. Just then, a shadow leapt from the upper cliffs, cutting off Will, Hau, and Toby's approach. When the dust cleared, they saw that it was a Gumshoos, but something was.... off about. It was towering over even Will! "That Gumshoos is huge!" Will exclaimed. "It's nearly three times the size of the average Gumshoos!" Rotom exclaimed. Gumshoos then roared, as an aura enveloped it. "That is the Totem Pokémon for the Verdant Cavern Trial!" Illima declared. "It may be a Totem Pokémon, but it's still a Normal Type, so Makuhita, use Arm Thrust! Dartrix, use Razor Leaf, and Grimer, use Poison Gas!" Will instructed. Makuhita went first, and began shoving Gumshoos back, who held it's ground, even against a Fighting Type Move. Dartrix flapped it's wings, sending a barrage of leaves at Gumshoos, who still held it's ground. Grimer then belched a purple mist, which seemed to make Gumshoos sick. "Popplio, use Bubblebeam, and Pikachu, use Thundershock!" Hau instructed. Popplio fired Bubblebeam at Gumshoos, who hardly seemed bothered, but was soaking wet now. Pikachu then fired Thundershock at Gumshoos, who seemed to take a lot of damage, but was still standing. Gumshoos then became enveloped in a pink aura, and charged into each of the trial goer's Pokémon. "Giga Impact! A strong move, for sure, but now Gumshoos can't attack for a while. This is our chance guys!" Will explained. Gumshoos then roared, which summoned a bunch of Yungoos, "What the..?!" Will exclaimed. "Hey, that's not fair! Gumshoos is cheating!" Lynn accused. "No, calling ally Pokémon is natural in Alola. Gumshoos isn't holding anything back with testing these three," Illima explained. "Alright, Braixen, use Flamethrower, Vulpix, use Flame Burst, and Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Toby instructed. Braixen and Vulpix fired their respective fire type attacks at the Yungoos, while Pikachu fired Thunderbolt at Gumshoos, who finally went down, "Is that it? We passed?" Toby asked. "Yes, and I am quite taken aback. You guys defeated the Gumshoos that I carefully raised into such a powerful state with ease," Illima replied, as Gumshoos retreated into the cavern. "I wouldn't exactly call that easy," Hau commented. "Either way, you may now claim your prize, the Normalium Z," Illima said. The three trainers each took one shard of Normalium Z, "And, if you have a Pokémon that knows a Normal Type Move," Illima said, crossing his arms in front of him, extending them, and positioning his arms in a Z pose, "And strike an elegant pose like this, you'll be able to draw out a Pokémon's Z Power," Illima explained. "Fascinating. So it's not enough to posses one of these crystals, but there are two other rules to it too?" Lisa asked. "Correct. One more thing, my trial is the only one here on Melemele Island. You'll find trial sites scattered all over Alola, each one guarded by a Totem Pokémon, like the Gumshoos you encountered," Illima replied. "So, I guess we're waiting until tomorrow to take our trial, huh Flora?" Silver Spoon asked Fluttershy, trying to remember her human alias. "Actually, you don't have to wait until tomorrow. One thing about the trial sites, most of them have TWO Totem Pokémon. My trial is one of them," Illima replied. "Really? That's great! So, when can we take the trial?" Silver Spoon asked. "Tonight, after the sun goes down," Illima said, taking his leave, "Oh, and you three. Since you cleared my trial, you now have permission to catch Pokémon in Verdant Cavern at your leisure," Illima said, leaving the group. "Ok, so we have until tonight for you two to prepare. Let's get out of here, and back to the Pokémon Center," Will suggested. Everyone agreed, and turned to head out of the cavern. As they did, a colony of little bat like Pokémon with speaker like ears swooped in from somewhere, startling the group. "Noibat! And a lot of them!" Will exclaimed. "Noibat, the Soundwave Pokémon, a Flying and Dragon Type. Noibat is able to use sonar to determine what fruits are the most fresh," Rotom said. "A bat that uses sound to find good grub? Nice!" Luna commented, as they finally exited the cavern. "Ok, we'll go and heal up our Pokémon, while you two go train for a bit. We'll join you as soon as possible," Will said, as he, Toby, and Hau all entered the Pokémon Center. "I think I see some of those berries Will talked about, over there," Lola said, pointing to a nearby palm tree, with a large pile of berries underneath it. "I guess we can help ourselves," Fluttershy commented, as they approached the pile, and started putting berries in their bags. However, when Fluttershy tried picking up a blue, oddly shaped berry, she was met with some resistance, "What? Berries don't usually pull away, do they?" she asked. "Hang on," Lana said, gripping the berry. She pulled hard, and she was able to pull it loose. However, it wasn't a berry at all. It was a familiar crab Pokémon, "A Crabrawler!" Lana exclaimed. Crabrawler seemed rather peeved at being pulled out of the pile. "Looks like it wants to fight," Fluttershy said, sending out Popplio. Crabrawler's pincer then became cloaked in an orange energy, and punched Popplio. Crabrawler's pincer looked to get stronger, "Popplio, use Disarming Voice!" Fluttershy instructed. Popplio fired Disarming Voice, which seemed to affect Crabrawler greatly, "Now, Bubblebeam!" she added. Popplio then fired Bubblebeam, which caused Crabrawler to stumble a bit, "Ok, let's get it!" Fluttershy said, tossing a Level Ball at Crabrawler. It rocked three times, and clicked. Fluttershy then picked up the ball, and released Crabrawler, "Sorry about that, we had no idea your pincers weren't berries," Fluttershy apologized. Crabrawler chittered. It sounded like it wasn't mad anymore. "Since Crabrawler's a Fighting Type, maybe you should use it in your trial," Lynn suggested. "It would be a good idea," Silver Spoon agreed. "Ok, then Crabrawler will be one of the Pokémon I'll use," Fluttershy said, as they were rejoined by Will and Toby. "Ok, our Pokémon have been healed, so now we can start training you two," Will said. "Ok, but where's Hau?" Fluttershy asked, not seeing their friend. "He's treating himself to the café," Toby replied. The two of them then noticed Fluttershy's newest Pokémon, "Oh, you caught a Crabrawler?" Toby asked. "Yeah, we mistook it's pincer for a berry," Fluttershy replied. "It definetly will be helpful in your trial tonight," Will said, as they all walked over to the battlefield, "Alright, Flora will train with me, while Sylvia trains with Toby. That sound fair?" Will asked. The three aforementioned trainers all sounded their agreement. "But who will Serenity train with?" Lynn asked. "Oh, I-I'm not going to take the trial! I'm not really a big fan of fighting. I only join in if absolutely necessary," Serenity replied defensively. "That, and she doesn't have a Z Power Ring," Will said, pointing to the armband in question. The four trainers then released their Pokémon, with a Noibat joining the ranks of Toby's team, "Whoa, you caught a Noibat?" Will asked. "Yeah, I did when we were still in the cavern. By the way, Rotom, can you tell me what Noibat's moves are?" Toby asked. "Affirmative! Noibat's usable moves are Supersonic, Air Slash, Wing Attack, and Fire Fang," Rotom said, as they all began training. Halfway through, Metapod began evolving. It became a butterfly like Pokémon. "Oh wow!" Lola commented. "Butterfree, the Butterfly Pokémon, a Bug and Flying Type. One week after evolving from Caterpie, Metapod evolves into Butterfree. It spreads scales around to weaken an opponent's will to battle," Rotom said. "But Butterfree is a butterfly. It's not a reptile," Leni commented. "Not those type of scales. I'll explain it to you later," Lisa replied. Butterfree then began flapping it wings, a silver gleam showing. "That was Silver Wind Butterfree just used," Will commented. "That may come in handy. Rotom, what other moves can Butterfree use now?" Silver Spoon asked. "Butterfree's usable moves are Psybeam, Silver Wind, Poison Powder, and Stun Spore," Rotom replied. "Not a bad line up," Will commented, as they continued training. Later that night, Fluttershy and Silver Spoon entered Verdant Cavern, along with their friends and, in Fluttershy's case, family. Illima had also come back, "Welcome back to Verdant Cavern. The rules are the same as before. You must find and defeat three Pokémon before moving on to face the Totem Pokémon. You're free to use as many Pokémon as you currently have, and may not leave the trial site until you either finish it or forfeit. You are also forbidden to catch any Pokémon until after you clear the trial. The Pokémon you'll need to defeat are two Rattata and one Raticate," Illima explained. Leni and Lola jumped in Luna's arms at the word '"rat". Silver Spoon didn't seem to crazy about them either, but stood her ground, nevertheless. Verdant Cavern Trial: Night: Trial Goers: Flora and Sylvia "Alright little ones, come out!" Fluttershy said, releasing her Pokémon. "You guys too!" Silver Spoon said, sending out her Pokémon as well. "So, what kind of Pokémon are Rattata and Raticate?" Lori asked Will. "They're extremely common Pokémon. They often appear in forests and fields. They're always in search of food," Will replied. "They sound like regular rats," Lincoln whispered to Lana and Lisa. "Hey, no need to whisper Lincoln. No one's gonna rat you out, *chuckles*, get it?" Luan joked, only receiving groans from her siblings, and weak chuckles from her friends, just as four small, black rat Pokémon with moustaches, and two, larger black rat Pokémon with chubby cheeks appeared. "Those don't look anything like the Rattata and Raticate I'm used to," Will commented. Rotom then displayed a picture of a the same rat Pokémon, only the smaller ones were purple, and the larger one was tan. "These are the Rattata and Raticate you're used to, am I right?" Rotom asked. Will nodded, "Allow me to clear up this confusion. Rattata, and it's evolved form, Raticate, Alola Form, both are Mouse Pokémon, and are Dark and Normal Types. Having stowed away on a supply ship, Rattata and Raticate were accidently brought in from another region. Yungoos and Gumshoos were brought in to help deal with large infestations of these Pokémon," Rotom explained. "Ok, Popplio, use Water Gun, Pikipek, use Rock Smash, Zorua, use Scratch, Smeargle and Crabrawler, use Power Up Punch!" Fluttershy instructed. All five of her Pokémon unleashed their respective attacks, all effortlessly knocking out her three opponents. "Azurill, Icy Wind, Butterfree, use Silver Wind, and Magnemite, use Magnet Bomb!" Silver Spoon instructed. All three of her Pokémon fired their respective attacks. Magnemite summoned several orbs of magnetic metal, which slammed into Raticate, knocking it out, along with the two Rattata. "Alright, the two of you may now proceed to face the Totem Pokémon," Illima urged. The two girls proceeded into the innermost chambers, where the pedestal stood. The two of them approached, when they felt something was watching them. "You feel that?" Silver Spoon asked. "Yeah, it must be the Totem," Fluttershy replied, as a black shadow jumped in front of them. When the dust cleared, they saw it was another Alolan Raticate, that was way larger than the ones they just faced. It roared, as an aura flared to life. "So it's an Alolan Raticate that's the Night Time Totem," Will commented. "Popplio, use Disarming Voice! Smeargle, Crabrawler, Power Up Punch! Zorua, use Fury Swipes! Pikipek, use Rock Smash!" Fluttershy instructed. Popplio fired Disarming Voice, which seemed to immobilize Raticate slightly, while Smeargle and Crabrawler punched Raticate. Both Pokémon looked to get stronger. Zorua then began slashing repeatedly at Raticate. Pikipek then slammed full force into Raticate. "Azurill, use Play Rough, Magnemite, use Thundershock and Butterfree, use Silver Wind!" Silver Spoon instructed. Azurill charged at Raticate, and pulling into a dust cloud, where it was smacking around the Totem. Magnemite fired Thundershock, which seemed to paralyze Raticate, and Butterfree finished off Raticate with Silver Wind. Raticate then retreated back into the cavern somewhere. Just then, Popplio, Pikipek, and Azurill began to evolve. Popplio became what looked like a sea lion pop star, Pikipek became a larger, woodpecker like Pokémon, with a longer beak, and Azurill became slightly larger and round, with arms. "They evolved!" Will exclaimed. "Brionne, the Pop Star Pokémon, a Water Type, and the evolved form of Popplio. Brionne will go out of it's way to cheer up its trainer when they're feeling down. Trumbeak, the Bugle Beak Pokémon, a Normal and Flying Type, and the evolved form of Pikipek. From it's mouth, it fired the seeds of berries it has eaten. The seeds give rise to new plants. Marill, the Aqua Mouse Pokémon, a Water and Fairy Type, and the evolved form of Azurill. The tip of Marill's tail has a mysterious oil that let's it stay afloat, even in raging rapids," Rotom said. "Congratulations. You've just cleared you trial, and have earned the right to take the Normalium Z," Illima said. Both trainers then took the Normalium Z, "And remember, you need to strike an elegant pose like this to draw out a Pokémon's Z Power," Illima said, demonstrating the pose again. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm feeling sleepy," Will commented. The others all shared their sentiments, "Ok, then let's head back to the Pokémon Center," Will said, as they all proceeded out of the cavern, with heading back to the Pokémon Center on their minds, when.... "Hello there," they turned to see two people, dressed in the same fashion as the young girl and tall man. Now, it was a man with an awesome moustache, and a woman with deep, blue hair, "I do believe this is where your people greet each other with an 'Alola', am I right?" the man asked. "I... guess?" Will said, unsure. "Allow us to introduce ourselves. I am Soliera, and this gentleman is Captain Phyco, of the Ultra Recon Squad," the woman said. "We've come to Alola to research the purpose behind these 'trials' and the Z Crystals that a rewarded at the end of them. But we are most interested in those contraptions that you use to hold your Pokémon in," Phyco said. "You mean Pokeballs? We use them to catch and train Pokémon," Will explained. "Hmm, this will require further investigation," Phyco said, as he and Soliera took their leave. "Hold on! We saw two others, dressed like you guys!" Will called out, but they didn't hear him, "Hmm, we'll need to keep an eye out for those guys," Will said, as they all proceeded to leave Verdant Cavern, and head back to the Pokémon Center. Toby was laying fast asleep in his bed, when he heard a scratching coming from the door, "*yawn* Who could it be at this hour?" Toby yawned, as he went over to the door. Opening it, he got quite the surprise.