Journey through Alola

by darkmage1997

Chapter 42: Desert Adventures!

Needing to backtrack through Tapu Village, our heroes ventured towards the north end of the tiny hamlet. Their destination; Haina Desert. It wasn't a very long walk, only taking about five or six minutes to get to their destination, "This looks to be the place," Will commented, looking at the imposing valley-esque entrance to the desert.

"I still can't believe there's a desert on an island," Lisa commented, as they were about to venture into the desert, when....

"HEY GUYS!" they all turned to see Hau, running towards them, "You guys here for the Ghost Type Trial?" he asked.

"Yeah, but the Totem Pokémon is recuperating from a battle with Busujima, so we're going to explore the desert while we wait. There's supposed to be Psychic Type Z Crystals somewhere in there," Will replied.

"Well, you guy's sure are busy. But I should tell you something before you head out. I ran into Gladion a while back," Hau said.

"Remind me, who's Gladion?" Lola asked.

"He's that really scary guy that works as a sort of mercenary for Team Skull. The guy with his hair covering ne of his eyes?" Lincoln replied.

"Oh yeah, that guy!" Lola remembered.

"Any how, he told me that Team Skull is looking for a Pokémon called 'Cosmog', as in 'Nebby', under Lillie's care," Hau said. This came as a shock to the group.

"How in the world did Team Skull find out about Cosmog?!" Will questioned.

"No clue. Not even Gladion knew how they found out. All he said was that we need to protect it, because it could bring a great calamity to Alola," Hau explained.

"Well, Lillie is currently at the Aether House. Once we've collected the Psychium Z, we'll head back for the Ghost Trial," Will said.

"Sounds like a plan. I'll hold down the fort while you guys are gone," Hau said, racing off.

"Looks like we need to keep a closer eye on Lillie. Lincoln, Lori, Luna, Lynn, Lana, Lisa, why don't you guys head back to the Aether House with Hau? He may need back up in protecting Lillie, just in case," Will suggested.

"Sounds reasonable. We'll head back now," Lori said, as she and her brother and sisters went back to the Aether House, leaving Leni, Luan, Lucy, and Lola with the Ponyville friends.

"In the meantime, let's get going," Will said, as they all entered the desert.

---

Five minutes, after entering the Haina Desert,

Stopping momentarily so Toby could get Metang to carry Lola over the sand, as the pink clad girl did not want sand in her shoes, our heroes made their way through the desert, "So... hot," Luan complained, as they trudged through the desert.

"Oh, it's not so bad. I've been through places that are WAY hotter than this," Will replied passively. Soon, a small, alligator Pokémon walked out in front of them. It was tan in color, and had a black pattern around it's eyes.

"What Pokémon is that?" Lucy asked, sounding interested in said Pokémon.

"That's a Sandile. They're fairly common in desert regions like this," Will replied.

"Sandile, the Desert Croc Pokémon, a Ground and Dark Type. Alola, where it's warm all year round, is a comfortable environment for this Pokémon. Sometimes you'll even see it outside of deserts. The dark membrane around it's eyes shield them from the sun," Rotom explained.

"This one doesn't seem too interested in battling, so why don't we just leave it be?" Toby suggested. The others agreed, until they were stopped by Lucy.

"Actually, I was wondering if I could try catching it?" she asked.

"Well, I don't see why not, so go for it," Will said, giving Lucy a Quick Ball. She then approached Sandile. Thankfully, she did so without it noticing. With a small chuck, she tossed the Quick Ball at Sandile, encapsulating it. It rocked three times before it clicked.

"Wicked," was all Lucy said, as she pickup up the Quick Ball with her new partner in it.

"I think I see something in the distance!" Silver Spoon called out. Looking to where she was looking, there was a cave entrance.

"Could that be it?" Fluttershy wondered.

"Only one way to find out," Will replied, as they ventured on over. Stepping onto a patch of sand, however, the group stepped back, as a massive pit opened up.

"What's this about?" Toby wondered.

"Be careful Toby! That's a Sand Tomb attack!" Will warned.

"What's Sand Tomb?" Lola asked.

"It's a move that not only deals damage, but prevents you from switching out Pokémon. It also deals damage for a while. Other moves like it include Whirlpool and Fire Spin," Will replied.

"I wonder who could've put it here?" Silver Spoon wondered, as she tossed a small rock down the pit. Once it was at the bottom, a brown Pokémon with beady, star shaped eyes and a massive jaw popped out, and starting chomping the rock.

"So it was that Trapinch that set this up," Will commented.

"Trapinch, the Ant Pit Pokémon, a Ground Type. It builds nests that double as traps, lying in wait for its prey to get caught. When night falls, it digs itself a spot beneath the sand to sleep," Rotom explained.

"We needn't worry about Trapinch. They don't usually come up from their burrows, so if we just walk around the pit, we should be able to get into the cave," Will explained, as the group took to walking around the sand pit. It only took about six minutes to do so without falling into the pit, as they arrived at the cave, as they walked inside.

"Think you can walk from here onward, Lola?" Luan asked.

"Looks to be a stone pathway. I should be good," Lola replied, as Luan helped her off of Metang.

"Thanks Metang," Toby said, recalling his Pokémon, as they ventured into the cave. They saw mural drawing, depicting the pose for a Z Move.

"This looks to be the right place alright. Now, where to find the Z Crystals themselves?" Will wondered, as they looked around. Serenity then spotted them.

"I-Is that them over there?" she timidly asked. The others saw where she was looking, and saw the pedestal as well.

"Good eye Serenity," Fluttershy praised, as they went over to the pedestal.

"The Psychic Z Crystal, Psychium Z," Toby commented, as the four trainers each took one shard.

"And look over here! There are more murals showing how to use the Z Move!" Lola called out, showing them the murals on the walls. They showed images of a person placing two fingers on their head, then extending their arm, before putting their legs together. Rotom went on to take pictures of the mural.

"Mural imagery documented. The inscriptions say that the Psychic Z Move is called 'Shattered Psyche'," Rotom explained.

"We should try and practice the pose, so we know how to do it properly," Will suggested.

"Hey there!" an unfamiliar, yet cheery girl's voice called out from the entrance. They turned to see a teen girl with black hair, done in a ponytail fashion, wearing a pink tank top, a short, plaid skirt, and a green knitted hat, standing at the entrance, "Looks like you guys have found the Psychium Z. Any shards left?" she asked.

"Oh sure, they're plenty over on that pedestal," Will replied. The girl then went over to the pedestal, and took a shard.

"I take it you're a trail goer too?" Toby asked.

"Yep! The name's Nico, and I come from Turffield, all the way in the Galar Region," the girl replied.

"The 'Galar' region?" Silver Spoon parroted.

"I've never heard of it before," Will commented.

"It's a pretty remote region, but it's teaming with all kinds of Pokémon you guys have probably never even seen before!" Nico explained.

"So, apart from having rare Pokémon, what else can you tell us about Galar?" Will asked, sounding interested in this new region.

"Well, I can tell you about regional variant we have over there. And there's also the undefeated champion, Leon!" Nico said, flashing what looked to be a trading card. On it was a picture of a dark skinned man with purple hair, dressed as an athlete king.

"Ooh, he's kind of cute," Leni commented.

"Yep! In the ten years Leon's been champion, no one has ever defeated him! And it's thanks to his team, especially his super cool Charizard!" Nico squealed like a fan girl.

"You must be a fan," Silver Spoon commented.

"Are you kidding?! Everyone in Galar is a HUGE fan of Leon! It's thanks to him that Pokémon Battles are so hot in Galar! Especially with the Gym Challenge!" Nico explained.

"Wait, the 'Gym Challenge'?" Lola questioned.

"See, Galar has a total of eight different Gyms scattered across the region, each with a different challenge trainers MUST accomplish before taking on the Gym Leader. However, before taking on the Challenge, a trainer must first be endorsed by some kind of corporation or someone directly associated with the Galar Pokémon League," Nico explained.

"That's a new one on me," Will commented.

"Yeah, our government has determined that not just ANYONE should be allowed to take on the challenge. Often times, these big figureheads often put potential challengers through some kind of difficult test, to see who can cut it as a trainer," Nico explained.

"So basically, it's used to weed out the weaker trainers, leaving only the trainers who have potential," Lucy commented.

"Basically, yeah. I have a potential offer from a company to be endorsed for the Gym Challenge, but they want me to make it to the Victory Tournament portion of a Pokémon League in another region," Nico explained.

"So you came to Alola in hopes of fulfilling these prerequisites, right?" Will asked.

"Yep! Of course, I brought a whole bunch of Pokémon I caught while in Galar with me, so I can have a starting team at least," Nico explained.

"So, what kind of Pokémon do you have?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, I could show you, but I heard you guys want to try out the Psychic Z Move, to see how it works, yes?" Nico asked.

"That's right. So, let me guess. You want to battle one of us?" Will questioned.

"YEP!" Nico happily replied.

"If it's just a sparring match, then why not make this a one on one match?" Toby suggested.

"Sounds reasonable," Nico agreed.

"Ok, then let's go, Metang!" Toby said, releasing his Pokémon. Nico then pulled out what appeared to be a phone. What was unique about it was that it had eyes similar to Rotom.

"Metang, the Iron Leg Pokémon, a Psychic and Steel Type. It is formed when two Beldum come together. It moves with blinding speed to catch it's prey," the device said.

"And since your Metang looks different than it does in the Pokedex, then yours must be a shiny Metang!" Nico commented.

"Yeah, I caught it while up on Mount Hokulani," Toby replied.

"Well, in that case, I'll send out my Pokémon! Go, Perrserker!" Nico said, sending out what appeared to be a Viking Meowth Pokémon. It was mostly gray in color.

"Whoa, I've never seen that Pokémon before!" Will exclaimed.

"Why not let our Pokedex's exchange data? Mine can give yours all the data on Pokémon from the Galar region," Nico offered.

"Is that possible?" Luan asked.

"Of course! Any Pokedex Device outfitted to house a Rotom can copy data over to another device," Rotom replied.

"Ok then, here's my Rotom Phone," Nico said, giving Rotom her phone. Almost instantly, the data upload began at a rapid pace. It only took a moment for the upload to be completed.

"Data upload completed. National Pokedex has been updated with information on Pokémon species' unique to the Galar region," Rotom proclaimed.

"Ok, so what can you give us on that Pokémon?" Will asked.

"Perrserker, the Viking Pokémon, a Steel Type, and the evolved form of a Galarian Meowth. What looks to be a helmet is actually it's hardened hair. It lives for the thrill of the battle. It has a violent temperament, and it's claws are it's best weapons," Rotom explained.

"'Galarian Meowth'. So Meowth has three different regional variants," Will murmured.

"You can have the first move," Nico offered.

"Alright then, Metang, use Signal Beam!" Toby instructed. Metang's horn began glowing, and fired off a beam at Perrserker, who tanked the attack, 'Since I don't know what it can do, it's best to keep a distance, and see what it can do from afar,' Toby thought.

"Not bad, but how will fair against this? Perrserker, use Iron Head!" in an instant, Perrserker became enveloped in white energy, and charged head first at Metang, striking the Iron Leg Pokémon.

"Ok, it looks to be a close quarters attacker, so if I have to use a Physical Attack, we should pull away as quickly as possible. Metang, use Meteor Mash!" Toby instructed. Metang's claw then rocketed at Perrserker like a meteor.

"Try and block the attack, then use Night Slash!" Nico instructed. Perrserker's claws then started glowing purple, as it went in to slash at Metang, bypassing Meteor Mash, and slashing the Iron Leg Pokémon. Metang took a lot of damage, but was still able to fight.

"Alright, let's give the new Z Move a try!" Toby declared.

"Here it comes," Will commented, as Toby began to do the pose.

"In the battle of brains vs brawn, let our knowledge be our might!" Toby said, striking the final pose, which enveloped Metang in Z Power, "Now Metang, use Shattered Psyche!" Toby bellowed. Picking up the Viking Pokémon with it's Psychic Power, Metang started flinging Perrseker around, bouncing it off of seemingly invisible walls, before sending it crashing through one final wall, and into the cave wall. Perrserker struggled to get back up.

"Ok, I think that will do it," Nico said, as she used a Max Potion on her Pokémon.

"Looks like Shattered Psyche can be extremely useful," Lola commented, as Will used a Full Restore on Metang.

"You're every bit as tricky as Busujima said you were," Nico commented, recalling Perrserker.

"You know Busujima?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yep! He and I battled the first day I got to Alola. I totally mopped the floor with him. And somehow or another, I was propelled up into the ranks of the Bandit Star Pirates. I'm one of the Big Four. Not that I actually care about that," Nico explained.

"We heard about the Big Four Pirates before. We even had a run in with a guy called Byakko a while back," Silver Spoon replied.

"Yeah, he got into the Big Four because of his brutality in battle, focusing solely on attacking," Nico explained.

"So, who are the other two?" Will asked.

"Well, there's Ruby, the tactician. She comes up with all sorts of crazy strategies to win, and they've almost never let her down before. As for the fourth member, he goes by the name of Sergey," Nico explained.

"Sergey is in the Big Four, huh? He did peg me as the type who stands above the others," Luan commented.

"Yep! And get this; he and his sister, Susie are both from Galar too, for the same reason as I am," Nico explained.

"Hmm, well, that's interesting. I may look into the Galar Region when I get back home," Will commented.

"You should think about traveling through it! You won't regret it!" Nico said, as she took her leave.

"We should get back. We need to take the Ghost Trial before it get's too late," Will said, as they all exited the cave. Calling their Flying Ride Pokémon, our heroes all flew away from the desert.

Author's Note:

Team so far:
Will: Decidueye (M), Alolan Muk (F), Aron (M), Corphish (M), Seedot (M), Blitzle (M)

Fluttershy: Primarina (F), Crabominable (M), Steelix (M), Pupitar (M), Probopass (M), Bronzor (N/A),

Toby: Incineroar (M), Metang*(N/A), Mawile (F), Skrelp (M), Growlithe (M) Pawniard (F)

Serenity: Lopunny (F), Vikavolt (M) Eevee* (M), Budew (F), Seedot (F),Mareep*(M)

Silver Spoon: Azumarill (F), Magnezone (N/A), Numel (F), Glaceon (F) Helioptile (F), Magby (M)

Lincoln: Toxapex* (M)

Lori: Skarmory (F)

Luna: Houndour (F)

Lynn: Gyarados (M)

Lucy: Sandile (F)

Lana: Minccinno (F)

Lisa: Elgyem (M)

In Storage or in Training:
Will: Ash Hat Pikachu(M)(Kanto and Kalos), Clauncher (M), Skrelp (M), Krabby (F), Growlithe (M), Slugma (M) Numel, (M) Litleo (M), Buizel (F), Shroomish (M), Tangela (F), Budew (M), Ferroseed (M), Magmar (F), Litleo (M), Electrike (F), Tynamo (F), Helioptile (M), Bronzor (N/A), Pawniard (M), Alolan Marowak (M), Goodra (M), Trevenant*(M), Hariyama (M)

Fluttershy: Ash Hat Pikachu (M)(Unova), Buizel (M), Clauncher (M), Skrelp (F), Corphish (F), Krabby (M), Croconaw (M), Slugma (M), Growlithe (F), Magby (M), Numel (F), Litleo (F), Combusken (M), Vaporeon (M), Eevee (F), Seedot (F), Shroomish (M), Tangela (M), Budew (F), Ferroseed (M) Grotle (M), Bayleef (F),), Hawlucha (M) Goodra (F) Smeargle (M), Electrike (M), Blitzle (M), Tynamo (F), Helioptile (F), Aron (F), Pawniard* (F) Zoroark*(F), Alolan Geodude (M), Toucannon (F), Phanpy (F), Lycanroc (Dusk Form)(M)

Toby: Ash Hat Pikachu (M) (Sinnoh), Buizel (M), Clauncher (F), Corphish (M), Slugma (F), Magby (M), Numel (M), Alakazam (M), Seedot (M), Tangela (F), Budew (F), Ferroseed (M), Grovyle (M), Scizor (M), Gothorita (F), Duosion (M) Goodra (F), Tsareena* (F), Alolan Vulpix (Snowball)(F), Turtonator (M), Vulpix (F), Delphox (F), Lycanroc (Midnight Form)(F), Noibat (M), Pikachu (F), Empoleon (M), Flareon (F), Espeon (F), Gardevoir* (F), Charizard (M), Luxio (M), Electrike (M), Blitzle (F), Tynamo (M), Helioptile (M), Aron (M), Bronzor (N/A), Typhlosion (F),

Serenity: Spinda (M), Goodra (F) Clauncher (M), Skrelp (F), Corphish (M), Krabby (F), Marshtomp (M), Growlithe (M), Slugma (F), Magby (F), Numel (F), Litleo (F), Pignite (M), (M), Detective Pikachu (M), , Shroomish (F), Tangela (M), Ferroseed*(F) Ivysaur (M), Leafeon (F), Dewott (F), Minun (F), Electrike (M), Blitzle (F), Tynamo(M), Helioptile (F), Aron (M), Bronzor (N/A), Pawniard (M)Pikachu (Chubbykins) (M), Buizel (F), Togedemaru (M), Emolga (F), Pachirisu* (F) Misdreavus (F)

Silver Spoon: Buizel (M), Skrelp (F), Corphish (F), Krabby (M), Plusle (F), Slugma (F), Litleo (M), Ash Hat Pikachu (M)(Hoenn), Growlithe (F), Seedot (M), Tangela (M), Budew (F), Ferroseed (M), Servine (F), Clauncher (F), Gallade (M), Blastoise (F), Electrike* (M), Blitzle (F), Tynamo (M), , Aron (F), Bronzor (N/A), Pawniard (F), Jolteon (F), Infernape (F), Elekid (M), Shroomish (F) Butterfree* (M) Goodra* (F), Lycanroc (Midday Form) (M)

Totem Stickers So far: 77/100

Comments

[the koopanater]

*sip* ahhh, I love a good update, and a good intro to galar