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Alola Story Part 4.0

Tacolaser
Tacolaser Member Posts: 1,048 ✭✭✭✭
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in Pokémon Square #1

I had made it to Ula’ula Island! The sun was shining. The birds were singing. It was a beautiful day! Or at least, it would be if not for the person obstructing my view.

“What do you want, Thur?” I asked, hoping he would move out of the way.

“I’m here to see you fail the island challenge. It’ll be a good laugh,” he sneered.

“Could you pretend to be a decent person for five seconds?”

“What? I’m just stating facts. Do you legitimately believe you’re a strong trainer just because you beat the weakest kahuna?”

“Why don’t you just leave me alone?” I was growing more and more tired of him by the second.

“And miss out on your big flop? No thanks,” he began to walk in the direction of the trial.

I had had quite enough of him. “Thur, I challenge you to a battle!” I cried.

“What? You think you can beat me? I guess I could humor–”

Interrupting him, I threw my Pokeball. “Eevee, come on out!” Eevee had recovered well after the tribulations back on Poni island. She was full of energy, and I was excited to see her battle.

Thur simply laughed. “You think you can beat me with that runt of Pokemon? Go, Umbreon!” He revealed his own Pokemon. I gritted my teeth. As an evolved form, Umbreon would be more powerful compared to Eevee. Still, our odds weren’t impossible.

“Eevee, use Swift!” Eevee started strong by firing a series of stars at Umbreon. It didn’t even need to dodge. It just stood its ground.

“Umbreon, Dark Pulse!” Thur said.

Eevee was unable to avoid the blast in time. She took heavy damage and couldn’t react to Thur’s next move.

“Crunch!” Thur ordered. Umbreon bit into Eevee fiercely but she managed to hang on.

I wasn’t about to let him get another hit in. “Use Quick Attack!” Eevee lunged towards Umbreon at lightning-fast speeds. We could win this!

“Do you really think you’re going to win with those mild attacks?” Thur said. “My Umbreon is–”

Before he could finish talking, Eevee used Take Down, landing a critical hit and knocking out Umbreon. I had always been told that Pokemon won’t use moves in battle unless told to by their trainers. Clearly, I was wrong. I should stop relying on information given to me by Joey.

For an instant, I thought Eevee might be able to take on the rest of Thur’s team, but the recoil damage had made her faint as well.

Thur was clearly surprised by what had happened, but his shock faded almost immediately. “Wow. You can’t even beat a single Pokemon without hurting your own team. I almost feel sorry for you.” He threw a Pokeball, revealing his shiny Torracat. “Almost.”

I couldn’t believe defeating his Umbreon hadn’t wiped the smug smile off his face. “Go, Dartrix!” I would just have to win.

“Torracat, use Fire Fang!”

Dartrix took the brunt of the attack. Thur’s Pokemon already had a lot of raw strength and Dartrix was weak to fire. Dartrix only barely managed to hold on through sheer willpower.

“Dartrix, use Razor Leaf!” Torracat took the damage and kept moving.

“Flamethrower!” I braced myself for a K.O., but the move never landed. Dartrix dodged at the last moment, flames grazing his feathers.

“Now use Pluck!” I thought for sure that that would beat Torracat, but he didn’t even flinch.

“Torracat, I think you know what to do.” Thur said, smiling. Torracat shot a blast of intense fire.

Dartrix wasn’t able to dodge it this time.

I was beyond enraged at being close to losing to this guy, but I wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of seeing me get mad. “Goomy, come on out!”

“Torracat, return.” Thur said. “Go, Hakamo-o!”

Thur’s Jangmo-o had evolved since the last time I’d seen it. It loomed menacingly over my small Goomy. Still, I was undeterred. “Goomy, use Bubble!”

Hakamo-o quickly dodged out of the way. “Use Dragon Claw!” Thur cried.

“Use Protect!” Hakamo-o’s arm met Goomy’s barrier with a resounding crash.

“Use Dragon Claw again!”

“Protect!”

Goomy was unable to summon a shield in time. Dragon types are strong against each other, but Goomy was hardy enough to withstand the attack.

“Goomy, use Dragon Breath!” Goomy exhaled a mighty gust onto Hakamo-o, dealing some serious damage.

Thur hardly reacted. “It’s been fun, Izzy, but I think it’s time for this charade to end. Hakamo-o, use Drain Punch!” Without giving me time to react, the Hakamo-o struck Goomy. That one move almost completely healed itself and nearly took out Goomy.

Nearly.

Maybe there was still a glimmer of hope.

“I think I understood you better,” Thur noted, “Your Pokemon are actually decently powerful, yet they don’t stand a chance against mine. That’s not because they aren’t able to. It’s because they have poor leadership. Your Pokemon are strong, but you’re weak. You’re holding them back.”

“Goomy, use Dragon Breath!” But Goomy didn’t have the strength. He just burbled weakly. No. Thur couldn’t be right.

“You’re never going to amount to anything. Why would someone like you even want to embarrass themself by attempting to become Champion? Just give up.”

“Please Goomy. This is our last chance…” Goomy tried. With his remaining energy, he charged at Hakamo-o. It wasn’t even a specific move. Just an all-out attack. He didn’t even leave a scratch.

“Pathetic,” Thur walked away, not bothering to finish the battle.


I didn’t understand. How could Thur have beaten me so easily? Are my Pokemon really weak because of me? Am I kidding myself by trying to become a champion?

These thoughts rushed through my mind as I waited at the Pokemon Center for my partners to heal. Maybe I needed to build a stronger bond with Goomy.

Once Nurse Joy handed back my Pokeballs, I let out Goomy, picked him up, and looked deep into his eyes.

He stared back unblinking.

Something told me that this Goomy had seen things. Unspeakable things. It had seen nations rise and fall. Oceans turn to deserts. The birth and death of stars. The horrors at the bottom of the abyss. Throughout all that time, there was one constant: Goomy.

At least, that’s what I assume.

Not entirely sure what I’d just experienced, I decided to move on to the next kahuna.

I’ll spare the boring details of the trek to get there. I moved a boulder that was blocking the path, got lost within an evershifting dream realm, and met a guy that I’m 50 percent certain was the human avatar of Arceus.

Finally, I made it to the cave in which the kahuna of Ula’ula Island is said to reside.

“The Steven senses the approach of a challenger.” Slowly, a figure emerged from within the cave. It was some guy. He had no defining attributes.

“Who are you?” I asked him.

“The Steven is the kahuna of this island. Name yourself, challenger!” he demanded.

“I go by Izzy. Are you Steven?”

“Yes. Is the Izzy prepared to engage in combat in an attempt to earn my Z-Crystal?”

“Yeah,” I told him, hoping that he meant combat with Pokemon.

“Then get ready to get obliterated by the Steven! Go, the Tropius!” From within Steven’s Pokeball came a massive green monster with bananas dangling from its neck.

I took a moment to consider my options. Eevee really wanted a chance to win another battle. It seemed unfair to neglect her this opportunity. “Eevee, I choose you!”

Without missing a beat, Steven began his onslaught, “Use Magical Leaf!” Hundreds of razor sharp leaves fired at Eevee.

“Are you okay?” I asked Eevee. She gave a slight nod. “Good. Then use Quick Attack!” Eevee burst into Tropius, causing it to rear up in dismay.

“Get to the high ground!” Steven called. Tropius began to flap the giant leaves on the side of its body. To my surprise, it rose high up into the air. “Now, use Aerial Ace!”

Tropius dived at Eevee from above, leaving her no opportunity for escape. None of Eevee’s attacks had a reach long enough to hit him. There was nothing to stop Steven from attacking Eevee over and over with no way to counter. It seemed like Steven was going to win. Unless…

“Eevee, the next time that Tropius attacks, jump when I tell you to.”

“Use Aerial Ace again!” Steven shouted, oblivious to my plan.

Tropius started to drop down, “Now!” I told Eevee. She leaped upwards onto Tropius’s back. Tropius tried to buck her off, but she held on tight. “This is our chance, use Swift!” Stars pulsed out from Eevee that Tropius was helpless to stop.

“The Steven respects the Izzy’s ingenuity, but she should understand that the Tropius will not accept defeat so easily. Use Sunny Day!”

The sun started to become brighter, blinding me with its blazing intensity. Tropius roared as it became visibly more powerful. “Eevee, don’t let him get in another attack! Keep using Swift!”

But even as it was being blasted, Tropius was able to use its wings to cut Eevee with Leaf Blade. Eevee was at risk of fainting. She wouldn’t be able to withstand another move like that. She looked directly at me, and I realized what she was about to do.

There was nothing that could stop her as she latched onto Tropius’s left wing, forcing them both to have a sudden encounter with the ground. I grimaced. Would Eevee be able to make it through the fall?

I should never have doubted her. Right before Tropius crash-landed, she did a double backflip through the air and landed on her feet unscathed. Tropius, on the other hand, was unconscious.

“Well done,” Steven said, “The Steven is excited to battle against someone that uses such bold and unfamiliar tactics. Come on out, the Lurantis!” Steven revealed his next Pokemon, a pink mantis-looking thing. It flashed its sickles threateningly.

I watched Lurantis closely. I didn't know much about this species of Pokemon, so it was important to be cautious. Unfortunately, Eevee did not understand this. When I didn’t give her any orders, she immediately used Take Down on Lurantis.

“Don’t do it, Eevee!” I tried to stop her, but the damage had been done. Lurantis had been hurt at the cost of Eevee fainting from recoil. That wasn’t even the first time she did this today! “Eevee…” I groaned, “You gotta be more careful. Return.”

“Perhaps the Steven judged you too quickly. The Izzy may not be ready for this yet.”

I only grumbled. He was voicing my exact fears. “Go, Dartrix,” I mumbled.

“Use Leaf Blade!” Steven commanded. Lurantis sliced at Dartrix, hitting him squarely in the face.

“Fly up, Dartrix!” I called, not wanting my Pokemon to get hurt. Hopefully, Dartrix would be safely out of the way of opposing attacks.

“The Steven can see that the Izzy is attempting to use his own strategy against him. She will find that such attempts are fruitless against the might of the Steven. Use Petal Blizzard!” His Pokemon whipped up a storm of sepals that directly hit Dartrix and destroyed the surrounding vegetation.

If defense wasn’t going to work, it was time to move on to offense. “Dartrix, use Leafage! Pluck! Sucker Punch! All the moves!” As Dartrix launched his barrage of attacks, I started to fall back into the rhythm of the battle. Lurantis was taken completely by surprise and was unable to avoid hit after hit.

“The Steven refuses to back down! Use Solar Blade!” Lurantis summoned an orb of energy over its head. The harsh sunlight above flowed into it. Before we could react, Lurantis dipped its scythe into it and pulled it down quickly, creating an enormous beam of light. Dartrix flapped furiously in the hopes of escape, but his attempts were futile. Dartrix was no longer able to battle.

As soon as I was starting to have fun, I messed it all up. This was my last chance. Failure was not an option. “Go, Goomy!”

“Use Solar Blade again!” Steven told his Lurantis.

“Goomy, use Protect!” Lurantis’s attack was blocked by a metaphysical barrier. An idea began to form in my brain.

“More Solar Blade!”

“Protect!” Luckily, Goomy was able to put up another shield. We couldn’t keep blocking forever, but we didn’t need to. A cloud passed in front of the sun. Tropius’s Sunny Day was no longer in effect. When Lurantis began to prepare another Solar Blade, it took much longer. “Now use Dragon Breath!” Goomy fired a gust of energy that knocked Lurantis off its feet. It could no longer battle!

“The Steven is impressed. Few challengers are able to make it this far. But can the Izzy stand up to the might of the Exeggutor?” Steven sent out his last Pokemon, a towering Alolan Exeggutor. “Use Dragon Hammer!” Exeggutor smashed into Goomy using its face. It was super effective!

“Goomy, use Dragon Pulse!” He shot out a beam of energy, severely damaging Exeggutor.

“Use Wood Hammer!” Again, Exeggutor tried to hit Goomy with its face, this time also dealing recoil to itself.

“Dragon Pulse!” Goomy blasted Exeggutor another time.

“Dragon Hammer!”

“Bubble! …Wait…. I forgot about type advantages… I was just kidding! Use Dragon Pulse instead!”

The battle continued on like this for quite some time.

“Wood Hammer, one more time!” Steven shouted.

“Use Protect!” I told Goomy, worried that he wouldn’t be able to take many more attacks.

Steven laughed. “The Izzy has fallen into the Steven’s genius trap! The Exeggutor, use Draco Meteor!”

“Protect! Protect!” I cried frantically. Protect’s odds of success decrease with each consecutive use. Earlier, I’d been able to block two moves in a row. This time, I wasn’t so lucky. Goomy’s shield faltered right as massive boulders wreathed in draconic power began to crash from the sky. Goomy was able to avoid a few, but he ultimately couldn’t get away from the devastation.

This was it.

I was going to lose.

I’m weak.

Thur was right about everything.

…

No…

That can’t be possible.

Thur is never right about anything!

I may not have been as powerful as him yet, but I was becoming stronger. I’m not holding my Pokemon back. We bring out the best in each other. Even if I lose, I’ll only come back greater than before. I’m going to become champion of the Alola region and prove to Thur and myself that I can’t be stopped!

All of this went through my mind in an instant. Goomy still had a little strength left. I thought about my connection with him. Suddenly, he was enveloped by bright blue light. His shape began to shift into the form of a Sliggoo. Not just any Sliggoo but a Hisuian Sliggoo. Where had this Pokemon come from?!

“The Izzy has done well,” Steven commented, “She has learned much about battling. It is time for the Steven to stop holding back. Use Giga Drain!”

“Sliggoo, use Shelter!” Sliggoo tucked itself into its shell, avoiding the brunt of the damage. Now, it was time to end this battle once and for all.

Steven must have had the same idea. At the same time, we reached for our Z-crystals and placed them in our bracelets.

“Sliggoo, use Devastating Drake!”

“The Exeggutor, use Bloom Doom!”

The previously barren battlefield filled with flowers as Exeggutor gathered power for its Z-move. At the same time, Sliggoo created an orb of power in front of itself. Then, both Pokemon launched beams of energy at each other that met in midair. For a moment, it seemed like the grass attack would hit Sliggoo, but we mustered the last of our strength for a final burst. The move broke through and landed directly at Exeggutor! We had won!

Steven looked like he was about to cry, but he choked back his tears and said, “The Steven congratulates the Izzy on her victory. He believes that this belongs to her.” He then gave me a Grassium Z.

Having accomplished this trial, I was ready to move on to the next–

BOOM!

A net landed over Exeggutor and Sliggoo's heads.

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