• Published 24th Jul 2017
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Journey through Alola - darkmage1997



Will, Fluttershy, Toby, Serenity, and Silver Spoon travel through the Alola region

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Chapter 6: Crisis at Mantine Beach?! The Verdant Cavern Trials Begin!

Heading north of Hau'oli City, our heroes were making their way to the next destination; the Verdant Cavern, site of the first trial in the Alola Island Challenge, "So, Will, you said there're methods to evolving Pokémon?" Lynn asked.

"Ah yes. Certain Pokémon evolve under certain circumstances. Like you saw with Caterpie, it evolved because it was raised. Other Pokémon, like Toby's Pikachu, evolve from their previous states when they grow close to their trainers. In other words, some Pokémon evolve with high levels of friendship with their trainers. Now, there are some Pokémon that evolve based on the time of day, and in rare cases, based on gender. Other Pokémon evolve when their in a certain place, or are traded. A fairly large number can also evolve with certain items. Some Pokémon evolve with a combination of these methods," Will explained.

"That's literally a lot to take in," Lori said.

"What do you guys say we try and catch some Pokémon in the grass around here?" Silver Spoon suggested.

"Good call. There may be some Pokémon we should have ready for the Trial," Will replied, as the five trainers went to look for Pokémon, accompanied by some of the Louds. A chunky, yellow Pokémon with boxing glove arms jumped out in front of Will, Leni, Luan, Lola, and Lisa, "A Makuhita, nice!" Will said, sending out Rowlet.

"Makuhita, the Arm Thrust Pokémon, a Fighting Type. Makuhita are not originally from Alola, but those that are raised in Alola are quite popular," Rotom said.

"So, you're going to try and catch that little guy?" Luan asked.

"Yep. Rowlet, use Peck!" Will instructed. Rowlet then started Pecking Makuhita, who then began shoving Rowlet back, "Arm Thrust! This Makuhita's got spunk. Rowlet, use Leafage!" Will instructed.. Rowlet fired leaves at Makuhita, making it struggle a bit, "Alright, let's see if this works!" Will said, throwing a Nest Ball at Makuhita, encapsulating it. The Nest Ball rocked three times before clicking, "Ok, I got Makuhita!" Will said, picking up the Nest Ball, releasing Makuhita, and proceeded to heal it and Rowlet.

"Will, we need help over here!" they heard Luna call out. Will and them rushed over to see Serenity, cradling a small, greenish gray Pokémon, with red beads around it's neck. It was badly injured.

"What happened to this Misdreavus?" Will asked.

"I don't know! I-I found it like this," Serenity whispered.

"Misdreavus, the Screech Pokémon, a Ghost Type. Misdreavus loves pulling peoples hair and scaring them. It feeds off of their fear using the red beads on it's neck," Rotom said.

"Not to worry. A Full Restore should do the trick," Will commented, spraying medicine on Misdreavus. The wounds then disappeared, "Y'know, why don't you catch Misdreavus? Looks to me like it trusts you," Will suggested to Serenity.

"I guess I can," Serenity said, pulling out a Heal Ball, and encapsulating Misdreavus. It rocked three times before clicking.

"So now there's a Ghost on one of your teams? Wicked," Lucy said, scaring everyone there.

"Lucy, can you NOT do that while we're here?" Luna demanded.

"Sigh, you would understand my plight if you were in my shoes," Lucy said in her monotone voice.

Meanwhile, Fluttershy was trying to catch a Pokémon that looked like a beagle with a paintbrush for a tail, and an artists hat, "Popplio, use Bubblebeam!" Fluttershy instructed. Popplio fired a furious stream of bubbles at the beagle Pokémon. The Pokémon then waved it's tail around, and fired Bubblebeam back at Popplio, who didn't take as much damage.

"Oh cool, I didn't know Alola had Smeargle," Will said.

"Smeargle, the Painter Pokémon, a Normal Type. It uses the paint like fluid it secretes from it's tail to mark it's territories. Many art fanatics pay big money for work of art created by Smeargle," Rotom said.

"On top of that, Smeargle also has it's signature move, 'Sketch'," Will commented.

"What's Sketch?" Lincoln asked.

"It's a move that allows Smeargle to learn whatever move it sees But there are some moves it can't learn via Sketch," Will replied.

"Popplio, use Disarming Voice!" Fluttershy instructed. Popplio fired Disarming Voice, causing Smeargle to stumble a bit, "Ok, let's try it now!" Fluttershy said, tossing a Timer Ball at Smeargle. It rocked three times before clicking, "A new friend!" Fluttershy said, releasing Smeargle, where she then proceeded to heal both it and Popplio.

"Ah, we haven't found any Pokémon," Toby commented, as he and Silver Spoon rejoined the group.

"Well, maybe there're some patches of grass near Verdant Cavern that we can try," Will said, as the continued on. They passed what seemed to look like a motel, when a crab Pokémon with boxing glove like pincers scuttled over, and grabbed Lincoln's pant leg.

"Hey, what the...?!" Lincoln was shocked, to say the least.

"Oh, sorry about that!" an old man said, "See, my Crabrawler, Crabnab, has a habit of nabbing up customers for the motel. Unfortunately, he's too good at his job, so we can't offer you folks any rooms," the old man said.

"Crabrawler, the Boxing Pokémon, a Fighting Type. It has a personality that hates to loose. Over time, it's pincers can fall off from boxing too much, but they grow back quickly. What little meat inside the pincers is a high quality delicacy," Rotom said. Crabrawler then started chittering frantically, pointing to a nearby beach, "Hmm? That's strange. Looks like Crabnab wants you folks to head over to Mantine Beach," the old man said, pointing to an incline, leading to said beach.

"Well, we're already here, why not check it out?" Will suggested.

"YAY! BEACH TIME!" the twins squealed, as they raced over, followed by the rest of the group.


Down at the beach,

Our heroes had arrived at Mantine Beach, which looked like most beaches. A few vendor stalls, a lifeguard tower, the works, "Ok, that Crabrawler seemed pretty anxious, so let's fan out, and gather information," Will instructed. They grouped together, and fanned out, asking some of the people if there was anything out of the ordinary.

"Afraid not, little dude," a surfer said to Toby, Lincoln, Lynn, Lucy, and Luan.

"I haven't noticed anything," a woman said to Will, Leni, Fluttershy, and Lana.

"So, are these things Mantine?" Lola asked, looking at a couple of manta ray Pokémon, with some kind of harness on it's back.

"Mantine, the Kite Pokémon, a Water and Flying Type, and the evolved form of Mantyke. Mantine swims so gracefully in the water, that it looks like it's flying. Mantine doesn't mind if small Pokémon like Remoraid hitch a ride under it's flippers," Rotom said.

"Ah, yes. You see, Mantine Beach is where you can go to do some Mantine Surfing. Trainers use this to get from island to island without the hassle of a ferry," a woman said.

"Sounds like fun," Toby commented.

"It is. But it can also be a bit dangerous for inexperienced trainers. You may want to wait until Kahuna Hala gives you his blessing before trying it out," the woman replied.

"Well, we didn't find anything out of the ordinary. Maybe Crabnab just wanted to show this to us," Will commented.

"Probably. I guess we should just continue on to Verdant Cavern," Lisa suggested. With that in mind, our heroes made their way back to the hill, and continued on their way to....


"YO YO YO! Team Skull will be the kings of the Mantine Beach!" a voice called, catching the attention of everyone there, including our heroes. They saw a group of Team Skull grunts, walking around like they own the place.

"Not you guys again! Look, I told you guys, you can't Mantine Surf if you keep dancing on Mantine's back. Why do you think you always end up in the water?" the woman asked.

"If we can't Mantine Surf, then no one will!" the lead grunt said, as they rushed over, and started harassing Mantine.

"HELP! GET THESE NUMSKULLS AWAY FROM MANTINE!" the woman cried.

"Oh, this must have been what Crabnab was wanting us to do," Will said, as they rushed back over, "HEY! Cut that out!" Will demanded.

"Wha…? Oh, it's you guys from before!" the lead grunt said.

"Forget Mantine! I want to get some payback!" another grunt said, as they sent out their Pokémon from before, including a new Pokémon. A chunky, yellow and brown Pokémon with a trunk like an elephant.

"Drowzee, the Hypnosis Pokémon, a Psychic Type. It's most commonly found near recreational facilities, hoping to eat the dreams of children who had enjoyed themselves there," Rotom said.

"Get ready guys!" Will said, as he, Toby, Fluttershy, and Silver released all their Pokémon.

"ATTACK, ALL AT ONCE!" the lead grunt ordered. Their Pokémon, led by Drowzee, went on the attack.

"Rowlet, Leafage, Grimer, Sludge, and Makuhita, use Arm Thrust!" Will instructed.

"Popplio, Smeargle, use Bubble Beam, Pikipek, use Peck, and Zorua, use Fury Swipes!" Fluttershy instructed.

"Fennekin and Vulpix, double Ember! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Toby instructed.

"Azurill, use Icy Wind, Magnemite, use Thundershock, and Metapod, Tackle!" Silver Spoon instructed. All of their Pokémon launched their respective attacks, and were able to effortlessly knock out all of Team Skull's Pokémon. Team Skull recalled their Pokémon.

"We won't forget this! But we're not leaving empty handed!" one grunt said, as he grabbed Vulpix, and they made a break for it.

"HEY! GIVE ME BACK VULPIX!" Toby demanded, as they all chased Team Skull.

"I GOT THIS!" Lana said, as she bit down hard on the butt of the grunt who stole Vulpix. The grunt yelped in pain, and dropped Vulpix, who quickly made it's way back to Toby.

"AHH! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!" the grunt Lana was biting cried out. This prompted Lana's sisters and brother to wrestle her off, "Oww," the grunt groaned.

"WE WON'T FORGET THIS!" the rest of the grunts said, dragging their unconscious ally off.

"Thanks for that. Those Numskulls have no idea how to properly do a Mantine Surf," the woman said.

"No problem. We'll come back later on to try out the Mantine Surfing," Will said, as our heroes took their leave.


"Alright, the Pokémon Center should be straight ahead," Will said. Up ahead, they saw the people from the festival, dressed in bizarre outfits.

"According to our sources, the aura readings are emanating from a nearby cavern," the taller of the two said.

"We should investigate! It's a good thing the president set up special arrangements for us," the shorter of the two said, as they walked further up the path.

"Hmm, they seem.... different," Will commented, when he felt a droplet of water. Then, out of nowhere, it began pouring rain.

"MY HAIR!" Lola cried.

"We need to hurry!" Will said, as they ran for the Pokémon Center. They were running, when they saw something that caught their eye. It was a Litten, sitting sad, and alone on a rock, with what appeared to be a Pokémon that looked like a mangosteen fruit. It was sort of a bluish color, with noticeably blue sepals on the top of it's head.

"Wait, isn't that Litten...?" Toby started. Litten and the Fruit Pokémon then noticed something, that made them perk up. The others looked, and grimaced to see Busujima, walking along the path with Bagon at his side. Litten and the Fruit Pokémon rushed over, happy to see him, but Busujima wasn't happy to see them.

"You're still clinging to me?" Busujima said, kicking them away. The group gasped at what they saw.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Lynn demanded.

"These two were completely worthless during the Verdant Cavern Trial, so I told them to wait here," Busujima said casually, not caring about his former Pokémon.

"That's horrible!" Leni said in disgust.

"Don't you know when a Pokémon is told to wait, they'll actually do it?!" Will scolded.

"I don't care, alright?! I want the strongest Pokémon I can find. And these two would only hold me back," Busujima said, walking away.

"Hold up!" Lynn said, grabbing Busujima's shirt. Bagon got her away by headbutting her in the gut. With that, Busujima continued to walk away.

"Forget him, we should worry more about these two," Toby said, scooping up the two abandoned Pokémon. They all raced for the Pokémon Center.

"Nurse Joy! We need help!" Will said. Nurse Joy then saw the Pokémon Toby was carrying.

"Oh dear, what happened?!" Nurse Joy asked, gingerly taking Litten.

"They were abandoned by their trainer, Busujima!" Toby replied.

"Ah yes, that sounds like something he would do," Nurse Joy sighed.

"What do you mean?" Luna asked.

"See, Busujima is a part of a gang in Alola that seeks out the rarest and strongest Pokémon they can find. They're otherwise known as the 'Bandit Star Pirates'. And if a Pokémon they catch is unable to meet their expectations, they just abandon them without a second thought," Nurse Joy replied, taking the Fruit Pokémon from Toby.

"They sound awful," Leni commented.

"Why haven't they lost their qualifications as trainers yet?" Lisa asked.

"Because abandoning Pokémon, while unethical, isn't technically against the rules," Will replied.

"That's bogus! Doesn't anyone stand up to that?!" Luna demanded.

"I'm afraid not many do. Some trainers only see Pokémon as tools for battle, and nothing more. But it is illegal to use Pokémon in crimes," Will said. The Louds and Will's students didn't know what to say to that.

"Litten and Bounsweet will be just fine, but they'll need a long rest. Do any of you have any other Pokémon in need of treatment?" Nurse Joy asked.

"Yes, actually. Could you take care of our Pokémon?" Will asked, as he and the other four trainers in the group gave her their Pokeballs.

"Same with mine, please," they saw Hau, giving Nurse Joy his Pokeballs.

"Of course! We'll have them fighting fit for your trial," Nurse Joy said, taking the Pokeballs away.

"Fancy running into you guys again! My team's definetly seen better days," Hau said, as they all sat in the lounge area.

"I take it you only just arrived here?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah, but as soon as my teams back to fighting strength, I'm going to tackle the Verdant Cavern! You guys want to team up?" Hau offered.

"Wait, is it really ok for us to team up for a trial?" Will asked.

"Of course," they saw Illima walking over to him, "See, trials were intended to not only make trainers and their Pokémon stronger, but help form friendships with other people and Pokémon," Illima explained.

"Ok, so what are the details?" Toby asked.

"For starters, a team of trainers, at least for MY trial can consist of no more than three trainers at a time. Once you enter the trial site, you aren't allowed to leave until after you clear the trial or you give up. You're allowed to use all the Pokémon you currently have in your parties. In addition, until you clear the trial, you're forbidden to catch any Pokémon in the trial site," Illima explained.

"Sounds easy enough to understand," Will commented. Just then, the bell went off.

"I'm happy to say that your Pokémon are all fighting fit," Nurse Joy said, returning their Pokeballs.

"Thanks Nurse Joy," Will said.

"So, how are Litten and that other Pokémon?" Toby asked.

"Litten and Bounsweet are resting right now. They just collapsed from exhaustion," Nurse Joy replied.

"So, that other Pokémon is called 'Bounsweet'?" Will asked.

"Bounsweet, the Fruit Pokémon, a Grass Type. Bounsweet's sweat is too sweet for human consumption. It can be watered down to more manageable levels. It emits a sweet smelling fragrance that often attract bird Pokémon," Rotom said.

"Well, the rain should be letting up soon. Are the first trial goers ready?" Illima asked.

"I am!" Will said.

"You can count me in too!" Hau said.

"I'll go too, if that's alright with you two," Toby said to Fluttershy and Silver Spoon.

"I think we'd better sit the first round out. That way, we can get a feel of the trial," Fluttershy said.

"Yeah. We don't know anything about these trials, so if you boys could do the honors?" Silver Spoon asked awkwardly.

"No problem," Will replied.

"And I take it you'll all be spectating the trial?" Illima asked the Louds, who all nodded.

"Alright, if you still need time to prepare, just come out to the cave entrance with a gateway at the mouth. That's where I'll be," Illima said, taking his leave.

"Well, are you guys ready?" Will asked. They all nodded, "Ok, let's go," Will said, as they exited the Pokémon Center, Toby being the last, as he took one quick look back where Litten and Bounsweet were taken, a look of worry etched on his face.

"Toby, you coming?" Lincoln asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah Lincoln, be right there," Toby replied.

Author's Note:

Team So far:
Will: Rowlet (M), Alolan Grimer (F), Makuhita (M)
Fluttershy: Popplio (F), Pikipek (F), Zorua* (F), Smeargle (M)
Toby: Fennekin (F), Vulpix (F), Pikachu (F)
Serenity: Buneary (F), Grubbin (M), Misdreavus (F)
Silver Spoon: Azurill (F), Metapod*(M), Magnemite (N/A)

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