Journey through Alola

by darkmage1997

Chapter 51: Vast Poni Canyon Trial (Ultra Rewrite)

Truth be told, the large group found it tedious retracing their steps back through the wilderness, leading to Hapu's house. But the goal in the end would be worth it, as it could lead the Louds and Lincoln's friends back home to Royal Woods. And they soon found their first destination as they rounded the corner of Hapu's house; Vast Poni Canyon. However, they first noticed six Team Skull grunts, including the Butt Grunt, blocking the road, "Who are those guys?" Ronnie Anne asked.

"They're a part of Team Skull, a gang that's caused trouble for us during our trip through Alola," Lincoln replied.

"I bit that one guy's butt!" Lana piped up. Lincoln's friends saw the one Grunt with a swollen butt, and nodded in understanding.

"We heard a rumor that you guys have a plan to save our boy, Guzma, yeah?" the Butt Grunt asked.

"We do, but we need to get through to Vast Poni Canyon," Will replied.

"Well, let's see if you're all bad to the bone enough to save Guzma!" the only girl grunt there said, as she got up to battle them. Silver Spoon stepped forth. The Grunt sent out a Mareanie, while Silver Spoon brought out Magnezone. The battle only lasted one turn, as Magnezone used Thunderbolt to one shot Mareanie, much to the shock of all the Grunts, "Ok, so maybe you will be strong enough to save the Boss!" she said, recalling Mareanie, before running off.

"You may have bested one of us, but what about five of us?" the Butt Grunt said, as he and the remaining Grunts sent out their Pokémon, which consisted of Scrafty, Golbat, Garbodor, Raticate, and an Alolan Muk.

"Sylvia, you took care of the first grunt, so why don't you leave the rest to us?" Toby offered.

"Sounds good, Sweetie Pie," Silver Spoon replied, as Will send out Marowak, Fluttershy sent in Bronzor and Pupitar, and Toby completed their side of the team with Noibat and Metang.

"Hah! We got this one in the bag!" the Butt Grunt said, as Plumeria watched from a nearby cliff.

Not even 5 minutes later,

All of Team Skull's Pokémon were laying on the ground, completely defeated, with each of the friend's Pokémon standing strong. It was then that Bronzor, Pupitar, and Noibat all began to evolve. Pupitar became a Tyranitar, who just yawned lazily, before sitting down. Bronzor became a large, cyan colored bell with two large red eyes. And finally, Noibat evolved into a large, wyvern like creature with large speaker like ears, "Bronzor, Pupitar and Noibat have all evolved! They've become Bronzong, Tyranitar, and Noivern!" Will commented.

"Bronzong, the Bronze Bell Pokémon, a Steel and Psychic Type. It was found in a construction site after being asleep for thousands of years. People of ancient times often paid tribute to this Pokémon because they believed it to change the weather. Tyranitar, the Armor Pokémon, a Rock and Dark Type. Tyranitar has the power to destroy an entire mountain range. Maps need to be redrawn afterwards. Noivern, the Soundwave Pokémon, a Flying and Dragon Type. Noivern is highly skilled at hunting prey at night. Nothing can escape this hunter," Rotom explained each Pokémon. The Butt Grunt was still stubbornly standing against them.

"I ain't giving up! We aren't letting you through!" he yelled.

"Stand down! No one likes a sore looser," everyone turned to see the Team Skull Admin, as she leapt down from the ledge, and approached them, "You all go back to Po Town," she ordered.

"Uh, right away!" The Butt Grunt said, as he and the other grunts recalled their Pokémon, before booking it out of there.

"So, whose that?" Clyde asked Lincoln.

"Plumeria, the Team Skull Admin, and Big Sister figure to the grunts," Lincoln replied.

"I'm going to cut to the chase here. I know I did some pretty bad things, and can't undo them, but all I can say is sorry for all the trouble I caused you all. But I must insist that you all rescue Guzma and the President," Plumeria said.

"Plumeria.... we'll save them both!" Lillie exclaimed, much to the surprise of the Louds, but they chose to keep quiet, as they knew Lillie was being the bigger person.

"Thanks for that, little princess. And as for the four of you.... you got those Z Power Rings from Tapu Koko, right? Then let me give these to you as a symbol of peace," Plumeria said, giving each trainer a Purple Z Crystal with a Skull and Crossbones symbol, "That Poisonium Z may prove useful in future battles," she said, taking her leave.

"Well, that happened. But in any case, let's get going. We're burning daylight," Will said, as they continued further into Vast Poni Canyon.

---

The group soon found themselves standing in front a cave entrance, beside a dead tree, along with their friend, Hapu, "So, did everything go well?" she asked Lillie.

"Well, yes, but.... it was Will and them that actually retrieved the Flute," Lillie replied.

"And that's fine. There's nothing wrong with asking others for help. That's what my grandfather used to say," Hapu replied, before turning to the four trainers in question, "Alright you four. From here on out, you'll be leading this group through the canyon. The Alter of the Sunne lies just beyond an abandoned trial site. It'll be up to you to get through safely," she explained.

"One moment, please," they all turned to see Dulse and Zossie, standing behind them, "It is clear that you have all used your individual strengths to overcome each trial for your own gain. That being said, the Ultra Recon Squad plans to take matters into our own hands in dealing with the President and Guzma, and their plan to take on the Blinding One," Dulse said.

"In other words, if you want us to trust you guys to take care of things for us, you'll need to show you can handle things," Zossie replied.

"And these guys are....?" Zach asked.

"The Ultra Recon Squad. They're.... a colorful group of people that are studying the various trial sites and the Z Moves that Toby and them can use," Lincoln explained.

"We will take care of Necrozma, but only if we can defeat one of you in battle!" Dulse said, as he sent out Poipole.

"I'll take this one," Toby volunteered, as he sent out Raichu.

"Poipole, initiate a Fury Attack," Dulse ordered. Poipole then charged at Raichu, and proceeded to repeatedly poke the Mouse Pokémon with it's horn.

"Raichu, dodge, then use Thunderbolt!" Toby instructed. Raichu got out of the way of Poipole's attack, then launched Thunderbolt at pointblank range, but Poipole was still up and moving, "Ok, now use Psychic!" Toby instructed. Raichu then blasted Poipole with a full powered Psychic attack, which was able to knock out the Ultra Beast.

"Hmm. It would appear that we have not fully mastered the art of Pokémon Battle. Very well. We will allow you all to continue our job of trying to contain Necrozma," Dulse said, as he and Zossie took their leave, the latter staying behind for a moment.

"Please. Necrozma will no doubt be extremely violent when it awakens, so please, help it!" Zossie said, before she ran to catch up with Dulse.

"They were strange alright. But they seem sincere," Clyde commented.

"They want help in regards to a creature known as 'Necrozma'. We don't know much about it, other than the fact that it's similar to a type of Pokémon called 'Ultra Beasts'," Will explained.

"Well, now there's nothing stopping y'all from headin' to the Alter. I have some things to take care of. I'll come riding when I get done," Hapu stated, as she mounted Mudsdale, and took off.

"Looks like the canyon's going to be rather treacherous. We should stay in a group as much as we can," Will said, as they proceeded into the first cave.

---

About 45 minutes later,

On one of the upper ledges, the group was taking a break, having gone through several difficult caves in the mountain walls, "I knew Vast Poni Canyon would be difficult, but I never expected this!" Will commented.

"Well, I doubt we'll have much further to go to reach the Heart of the Canyon. The next part looks like it's downhill," Lillie said, examining the next part of their trek, which was indeed, a downhill hike.

"Well, that's good. I don't know how much more uphill hiking I could take," Rusty commented, as Serenity was feeding her Eevee some Pokebeans.

"I was wondering something when I saw Toby's Metang in action, that I noticed with Serenity's Eevee. Why do they sparkle when they get released from their Pokeball?" Girl Jordan asked.

"You see, both Metang and Eevee are examples of 'Shiny' Pokémon. This means that they appear in a different color than they would normally appear. Eevee is usually brown in color, and Metang is a grayish green color," Will explained.

"Shiny Pokémon are extremely rare," Lincoln added.

"Alright guys, we should get going again. If it's just a downhill walk, then it should be that much easier on us," Will said, as they all gathered their stuff. Serenity let Eevee stay out of it's Pokeball, as they continued onward. Once again, they passed through another cave, before they came upon the downhill slope.

"Oh, sweet bliss!" Lola commented, as they all began walking down the hill. Once at the bottom, they saw what looked to be a Captain's Gate, stationed at the base of an opening in the canyon wall.

"That must be the next trial site," Luna commented, as they approached. They were about to enter, when they saw Busujima, along with Mako, Delilah, Chaz, and Byakko, all running out of the crevice in a panic.

"Huh? Oh, just you guys," Busujima commented, not happy to see the group.

"Busujima, I guess you guys all just took the trial?" Toby asked.

"Yeah, the Totem Pokémon was crazy strong! Like you wouldn't believe!" Mako exclaimed.

"Indeed. It made us all work for this Dragonium Z," Byakko added, holding up a Cyan Z Crystal with a dragon like symbol in the center of it.

"Well, we're going to find the Fairy Type Trial. Then we'll take on that squirt of a kahuna in a Grand Trial," Busujima said, as they all left.

"Word of advice; use Pokémon that can use Ice, Fairy, or Psychic type moves," Chaz said, before he left with the others.

"And those guys were?" Zach asked.

"Members of the Bandit Star Pirates. A gang of trainers who all specialize in either two types of Pokémon, or use various tactics to battle," Will replied.

"Busujima is among the more.... unpleasant members, but guys like Chaz and Mako are pretty mellow," Silver Spoon added.

"Well, since we now have confirmation about the trial, we can plan accordingly," Lincoln stated.

"I have Mawile, Raichu, and Metang," Toby said.

"I can handle things with Primarina and Crabominable," Fluttershy added.

"As for me, I have Azumarill and Glaceon," Silver Spoon added.

"And I can hold my own with Decidueye, Hariyama, Muk, and Aggron," Will added.

"We should make sure all teams are up to snuff, first," Lillie suggested. The Four trainers all released their Pokémon, before proceeding to give them the necessary treatments. Once the Pokémon were all in tip top shape, the group entered. Inside, they saw a large tablet.

"It says 'Ahead lies the sacred grounds of trials. None who do not take part in its trials will be allowed to walk upon this earth. Those lacking the courage to defeat the Totem guarding this land will be denied entry. But those who believe in their Pokémon and walk beside them shall gain great power!' Looks like this is the abandoned trial site we were told about," Will commented.

"So, are we going to continue or not?" Lynn asked.

"I don't see any other way through. So, I guess it's this way we go," Will said.

Vast Poni Canyon Abandoned Trial Site
Trial Goers: Will, Flora, Toby, Sylvia

The group raced through the narrow ravine. All the while, they felt fierce gazes, piercing through them as they ran through, but they couldn't figure out where it was coming from. And the gazes felt even fiercer as the got closer to the podium in the middle of a clearing. There, they felt the fiercest gaze, drilling into them, relentlessly, "Ok, am I the only one who feels like we're being watched?" Lana questioned.

"No. I feel it too. Something is sizing us up," Will replied, as they neared the Podium.

"Well, maybe the Totem Pokémon is taking a nap. We can just help ourselves to the Z Crystals, and get going," Toby suggested.

"Good call," Silver Spoon replied, as the four trial goers reached for some Z Crystals. They were about to claim one shard each, when from above, a massive, lizard Pokémon with large scales for armor leapt down in front of them, stopping them from getting the Z Crystals.

"The Dragon Type Totem Pokémon, that's Kommo~o!" Lillie exclaimed.

"Kommo~o, the Scaly Pokémon, a Dragon and Fighting Type. In ancient times, discarded scales of Komoo~o were collected to make armor and weapons. It's main form of attack is to shake it's scales to creating a horrible jangling sound. This Move is called 'Clanging Scales'," Rotom explained, as several Jangmo~o and a Pokémon that looked to be in between Jangmo~o and Kommo~o quickly rushed in.

"Jangmo~o and Hakamo~o too!" Lille exclaimed.

"Even if there's a lot of them, they're still Dragon Types! Which means Fairy Types like Mawile can help us out!" Toby said, releasing Mawile.

*CHOMP*

"MAWILE! THIS ISN'T THE TIME OR PLACE FOR THIS KIND OF THING!" Toby yelled, as Mawile chomped down on her trainer, who quickly pried her off, "They're your opponent, not me!" Toby sighed, pointing to the Dragon Pokémon. Mawile then took a defensive stance, "And as back up, Raichu and Metang, we'll need your help too!" Toby said, sending out the two Pokémon.

"Primarina, Crabominable, Bronzong, we need your help too!" Fluttershy said, sending out her three Pokémon.

"Decidueye, Hariyama, Muk, I choose you!" Will said, sending out his three Pokémon.

"And finally, Azumarill and Glaceon, come out and help the others!" Silver Spoon said, releasing two Pokémon of her own.

"You guys find cover!" Will said to the others.

"Over here!" Lillie called, leading them al behind some rocks, as the battle began.

"First, we'll need to hit as many of our opponents as we can, while dealing major damage, so Azumarill and Glaceon, use Icy Wind!" Silver Spoon said. Both of her Pokémon began blowing an ice cold wind, which caused a lot of damage to the opposing Pokémon, including the Totem.

"Primarina, you use Icy Wind too! Bronzong, use Gyro Ball! And Crabominable, use Ice Punch!" Fluttershy instructed. Primarina also fired off Icy Wind, while Crabominable started punching some of the other Pokémon with ice covered fists, and Bronzong began spinning rapidly into some of the Dragon Pokémon.

"Decidueye, use Shadow Ball, rapid fire! Hariyama, Focus Energy, then into Arm Thrust! And Muk, use Sludge Bomb!" all three of Will's Pokémon fired off their respective attacks. Decidueye fired off multiple Shadow Balls, Hariyama focused it's energy, before using Arm Thrusts, and Muk fired off Sludge Bomb, which was able to Poison some of the Pokémon.

"Now, Raichu and Metang, use Psychic, and Mawile, use Play Rough!" at Toby's instructions, Raichu and Metang both fired off Psychic attacks, which dealt with the last of the Jangmo-o and Hakamo-o, which cleared the way for Mawile to use Play Rough on Kommo-o. It caused a lot of damage to the Totem, but the Scaly Pokémon was still standing, as reinforcements came rushing in, but only about five or six Jangmo-o and Hakamo-o each.

"This is nuts! They were doing so well!" Girl Jordan exclaimed.

"Those Pokémon are strong!" Leni commented. Just then, Eevee rushed out, and began emitting some kind of energy, which spread to each of their Pokémon.

"Eevee! C-Come back, please!" Serenity pleaded. She was too late to get to her Pokémon, when a Hakomo-o delivered a powerful uppercut to Eevee, sending it flying to Serenity's feet, "Oh no, are you alright?!" Serenity hysterically cried, holding the Pokémon. Just then, from the fluffy collar, some kind of ribbon like feeler emerged, just as Eevee began to evolve into a Sylveon, "Eevee, you've evolved!" Serenity exclaimed.

"Sylveon, the Intertwining Pokémon, a Fairy Type. Sylveon wraps it's ribbon like feelers around it's trainer's arms as they walk together. Sylveon is now able to use the following moves: Fairy Wind and Moonblast," Rotom explained. Sylveon demonstrated it's newfound power, by using Fairy Wind to deal damage to the Jangmo-o and Hakamo-o that just came in.

"Thank you for doing that Sylveon, but please, you must rest," Serenity kindly urged. Sylveon complied, and went back inside of it's Pokeball, just as a Jangmo-o made a break to attack the defenseless girl.

"Oh no, Serenity!" Fluttershy screamed, as Metang went to protect the young girl with a Meteor Mash.

"Thanks for that Metang!" Toby called to his Pokémon, just as Kommo-o let off a horrible noise that seemed to damage all the Pokémon, apart from Mawile, Azumarill, and Primarina.

"That must be Clanging Scales!" Will exclaimed, as he and the others all covered their ears. When the noise died down, Kommo-o then glowed blue.

"A drawback of Clanging Scales is that it reduces the user's defensive power," Rotom explained, as Kommo-o then delivered an uppercut to Metang, sending it into some rocks. Metang struggled to get back up. When Metang stabilized itself, it began to evolve.

"Metang?!" Toby exclaimed, as Metang became Metagross.

"So cool!" Lana commented.

"Metagross, the Iron Leg Pokémon, a Steel and Psychic Type. It has four brains that give it the intelligence rivaling a super computer. By tucking in it's legs, it can float with electromagnetism," Rotom explained.

"Alright!" Toby exclaimed.

"With a newly evolved Metagross, we should be able to finish off Kommo-o. It's now or never you guys!" Will called out.

"Alright, Metagross, use Psychic!" Metagross, at Toby's instruction, blasted Kommo-o with a Psychic attack.

"Now Primarina, use Moonblast!" Fluttershy exclaimed. Primarina fired off the condensed moon energy at Kommo-o, who couldn't keep up with the onslaught of attacks, and collapsed.

"Is that it? We won?" Silver Spoon asked.

"Well, let's get the Z Crystals and get going!" Toby suggested, as the four of them grabbed a shard of Dragonium Z.

"I don't see any murals. How do you suppose you use the Dragon Z Move?" Lisa asked. A growling sound came from Kommo-o, who, with the help of some Hakamo-o, got back on it's feet, looking at the four trainers. What happened next surprised everyone. Kommo-o then demonstrated the Dragon Type Z Move Pose. It clamped it's hands together, and slowly opened them back up, like the jaws of a dragon. Kommo-o then roared loudly. Within seconds, a large number of either Dragon or Fighting Type Pokémon rushed out from the caves. From a nearby pool of water, four of them were blue, serpentine Pokémon with jeweled orbs under their chins and at the tip of their tail, while the fifth one was pink.

"They're all Dragon or Fighting Types!" Will commented. Kommo-o then growled encouragingly, "You want us to take these Pokémon with us?" Will asked Kommo-o, who nodded. The five trainers from Ponyville got to work with catching one of each Pokémon that Kommo-o had summoned. Kommo-o then retreated into one of the caves.

"With that, you've cleared the Dragon Trial, and now we have a straight shot to the Alter!" Lillie said, as they all raced through the final opening in the cave.

Author's Note:

Team so far:
Will: Decidueye (M), Alolan Muk (F), Alolan Marowak (M), Hariyama (M), Aggron (M), Zebstrika (M)

Fluttershy: Primarina (F), Crabominable (M), Steelix (M), Tyranitar (M), Probopass (M), Bronzong (N/A)

Toby: Ninetails (F), Alolan Raichu (F), Turtonator (M), Noivern (M), Metagross* (N/A), Mawile (F),

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

Silver Spoon: Azumarill (F), Lycanroc (Midday Form)(M), Magnezone (N/A), Goodra* (F), Haunter (M), Glaceon (F),

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), Electrike (F), Tynamo (F), Helioptile (M), Bronzor (N/A), Pawniard (M), Corphish (M), Seedot (M), Goodra (M), Trevenant*(M), Pumpkaboo (Large Size)(M), Yamask (F), Litwik (F), Duskull (F), Shuppet (M), Mimikyu (M), Haunter (M),
Jangmo-o (M), Gible (F), Axew (M), Timburr (M), Tyrogue (M), Pancham (M), Meinfoo (F), Croagunk (M), Riolu (M), Dragonair (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), Mimikyu (M), Pumpkaboo (Super Size)(F), Yamask (M), Litwik (M), Duskull (F), Shuppet (F), Haunter* (M), Jangmo-o (M), Gible (F), Dragonair (M), Axew (M), Riolu (M), Timburr (M), Tyrogue (M), Pancham (M), Croagunk (F), Meinfoo (F),

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), Delphox (F), Lycanroc (Midnight Form)(F), Incineroar (M), Empoleon (M), Espeon (F), Luxio (M), Electrike (M), Blitzle (F), Tynamo (M), Helioptile (M), Aron (M), Bronzor (N/A), Typhlosion (F), Skrelp (M), Growlithe (M) Pawniard (F), Flareon (F), Gardevoir* (F), Charizard (M) Haunter (M), Pumpkaboo (Super Size)(F), Litwik (M), Duskull (M), Shuppet (M), Mimikyu (M), Yamask (F), Riolu* (M), Jangmo-o (M), Axew (M), Timburr (M), Pancham (F), Croagunk (M), Meinfoo (F), Gible (M), Tyrogue (M), Dragonair* (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), Pumpkaboo (Tiny Size)(M), Yamask (M), Litwick (M), Duskull (F), Shuppet (M), Haunter (F), Mimikyu* (M), Jangmo-o (M), Gible (F), Dragonair (M), Axew (M), Riolu (M), Timburr (M), Tyrogue (M), Pancham (M), Croagunk (F), Meinfoo (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), Shroomish (F), Helioptile (F), Numel (F), Magby (M), Elekid (M) Butterfree* (M), Shuppet (F), Duskull (M), Litwik (M), Yamask (F), Pumpkaboo (Super Size)(F), Mimikyu (M), Jangmo-o (M), Gible (F), Dragonair (M), Axew (M), Riolu (M), Timburr (M), Tyrogue (M), Pancham* (M), Croagunk (F), Meinfoo (M)

Totem Stickers So far: 97/100