I sat Bouncee down on the ground and she looked up me with a big smile on her face.
“Bounsweet! Sweet!”
“Well I’m not really sure what you can do, so I guess we need to do some training.”
“Bounsweet!”
Bouncee bounced up and down.
I turned to the rest of my Pokémon, “Actually I’m sure we could all use some training.”
“Pika! Pika!”
“Mudbraaaay.”
“Torracat!”
“Well I’m glad that’s settled. Let’s do some training then!”
We found a nice little spot off the beaten path near the Pokémon Center and the entrance to Brooklet Hill. It was a little secluded amongst a group of large rocks and a few trees. We spent the next few hours training. This involved my Pokemon sparring off against one another. Nothing too serious, but I wanted them to work on some strategy and perfecting their moves. Mud Puddle and Smokey were one pair and Storm and Bouncee was the other pair. Smokey and Mud Puddle basically Horsea’d around a lot and didn’t seem to take it seriously. They battled for a little bit and then it turned into a game of tag. Bouncee and Storm on the other hand did some real training with me watching over them. With Rotomdex’s help, I learned that Bouncee can use moves like Razor Leaf and Sweet Scent.
“Ok Bouncee, use Razor Leaf!”
Bouncee shook the leaves on the top of her head and threw a furry of razor sharp leaves in Storm’s direction.
“Thundershock, Storm!” I called out.
“Pika! Chu!”
Storm unleashed a bolt of lightning and it zapped the leaves turning them into ashes.
“Bouncee, use Sweet Scent!”
Bouncee bounced up and down spinning the leaves on top of its head and a cloud of spores began raining down above us. The whole air was filled with a lovely scent of fresh berries and the ocean breeze. Even Storm took a minute to close its eyes and smell the scent coming from Bouncee.
“Now, Bouncee! Use Razor Leaf!”
Bouncee unleashed another grouping of sharp leaves at Storm and these hit directly. Storm couldn’t react fast enough and got hit with these fast-moving leaves.
“Pika! Pika!”
Apparently Storm didn’t like getting tricked like that.
“Oh come on, Storm. It’s all a part of the strategy. Now it’s your turn to strike back.”
Storm nodded.
“Storm, use Spark!”
Electrical energy sprang from Storm’s cheeks and began to envelope Storm’s body till there was electricity covering its entire body. Then Storm darted forward at Bouncee.
“Bounsweet!” Bouncee called out nervously.
“Bounsweet! Use Rapid Spin!”
Bouncee looked back at me and then nodded. She began to spin faster and faster till she was a blur. They collided with a flash of light and both Storm and Bouncee was knocked back. Storm rolled once and then landed on her feet. Bouncee, on the other hand, rolled and rolled eventually running into my legs.
“Bounsweet?”
I picked Bouncee up and turned her over so she was facing the right way instead of upside down. She was a little bruised and dirty, but still looking happy and mostly healthy.
“Well I think that is enough for now. At least we have a strategy going forward. I’m sure that both Storm and Bouncee will be the most useful for this upcoming trial.”
I looked over at Mud Puddle and Smokey who were busy chasing each other around a large rock.
“I don’t know if they will be very helpful,” I laughed. “Come on, Mud Puddle. Storm. Time to go!”
“Mudbraaaay!”
“Torra. Torra.”
I made my way to the Pokémon Center and got my Pokémon healed. While I was waiting, I went back to talk to the Café Owner.
“So did you return that man’s Pokémon to him?” He asked me.
“Yeah I did. He wasn’t too far away and I managed to track him down. He was so kind and thankful. He even gave me a Pokémon as a way to thank me,” I told him.
“Really? Wow. He has always been a really generous patron, but I didn’t know he was that generous,” The Café man said. “Well I’m glad it all worked out. Hopefully you’ll be able to utilize this new Pokémon for your team.”
“Yeah I think so. Plus she is already making friends with my other Pokémon.”
“That’s a definite plus. Team synchrony is important in and out of battle, that’s for sure. Well thank you again for doing that for me.”
“No problem,” I said and then went back and retrieved my healthy Pokémon.
“Here you go, all healed up and as good as new,” The nurse said with a smile.
I smiled back. “Thank you so much!”
We made our way out of the Pokémon Center and then I proceeded to walk towards Brooklet Hill. Our first trial on Akala Island. I wonder what it is going to be like.
As I walk down the path, the ground becomes less hard and rocky and gives away to an almost sandy terrain. The vegetation is thicker and there are taller trees and grasses here.
I make my way down the path and eventually it opens up into what looks like a beach area. The ground is now almost completely sand with a few rocks littering the ground and a large lake sits before me. The crystal clear water allows me to see all the way down. The water is not very deep, but it reminds me of the beaches all over Melemele Island.
“Ummm…excuse me?” A voice emerges from behind me and I almost jump into the air.
I turn around with a shocked look on my face.
“Oh I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought you might be lost,” This person said.
Standing in front of me was a young woman with short, blue hair. Large, blue eyes starred up at me for she was a little shorter than me. She wore blue and white outfit consisting of blue pants that were wide at the bottom.
“Oh Hi. That’s ok. I was looking for a girl named Lana. Captain Mallow sent me her to find her so I could complete the trial of Brooklet Hill,” I told her.
“Well you’re in luck, I’m Captain Lana,” She said.
“Wait, you’re Captain Lana?” I asked.
“Well most of the time people just call me Lana,” She smiled.
“Oh right. So I’m in the right place, right?”
“Of course! This is Brooklet Hill. Location of my trial.”
“That’s great!”
Lana looked me up and down for a second.
“Well you look like an able-bodied trainer. But there are some steps before you can complete the trial. I have a mystery on my hands and I was hoping someone would come along and solve it for me,” Lana said.
“Well I guess I can try to help you,” I said.
“Great!” Lana turned out towards the lake in front of us. “Do you see that vigorous splashing over there?”
I looked out to where she was pointing and out in the middle of the lake there was something in the water splashing about.
“Yeah I see it,” I said.
“Well I wouldn’t be surprised to find some kind of fearsome Pokémon is the one causing it all. Or maybe it is a strapping young gentleman who has fallen into the water and needs some help. Either way I want you to go investigate it for me,” Lana said.
“You…you….want me to swim out there?” I asked her.
“Well I guess you could do that, but I figured I’d let you use Lapras.”
“Lapras?”
“Go Lapras!”
Lana pulled out a Pokéball from her pocket and tossed it into the air. It opened up and there was a flash of light. There on the beach was now a large, finned, Pokémon with a long neck and a hard, shell on its back.
“Lapras!”
Its call was almost like music filling the air.
“Hello Lapras,” Lana waved at the Pokémon.
“Lapras!”
The Pokémon called out again and wiggled its ears.
Lana laughed.
“Well Lapras sure is playful,” I said.
“Yeah she is. Plus she makes for easy transportation across the water,” Lana said. “Are you ready Lapras?”
Lapras gave a nod.
“Ummm… I might be more comfortable if you came with me,” I said. “You know because it is your Pokémon after all.”
Lana thought for a moment, “Yeah I guess you’re right. Plus I’m really curious what’s out there. If it is a young man, I don’t want to miss out on meeting him.”
“Right,” I said unsure what to say.
“Well come on, let’s get moving.”
Lana and I climbed up on the back of Lapras and she began to move out into the water. Lapras rocked a little bit as she swam but I was able to sit on Lapras’ back with no problem. Lana stood up near the front and held on to Lapras’ neck as we went. It took us less than a minute to get to the center of the lake where all the splashing was originating from. The water below use become a little murkier as the splashing got worse and more mud was kicked up into the water.
Once we got closer, I was able to make out some small shapes in the water. They were small and cylindrical, but there must have been dozens in the water.
“What are those?” I asked Lana.
“Well definitely not a young swimmer, that’s for sure. Probably some kind of Pokémon.”
“Do you know what kind of Pokémon?”
“Well I’ve heard rumors that within Brooklet Hill resides a Legendary Pokémon said to the embodiment of the seas itself. The mighty Kyogre.”
“What really?” I asked, my eyes grew large.
“Pffft. No!” Lana began to laugh. “I can’t believe you fell for that.”
My face turned into a scowl. “That’s not very funny to trick me like that.”
Lana wiped some tears from her face. “Sorry, I just thought it was too silly to be believed. Kyogre does not live here in Brooklet Hill, but this is near the sea. It could be any sort of Pokémon.
The splashing seemed to subside and the shapes had disappeared.
“Woah. Where did they go?” I asked Lana.
“I’m not sure,” Lana said. “It’s possible they escaped down further into Brooklet Hill. There are many large lakes here that are all connected.”
Lapras continued to move forward to the other side of the Lake. We landed on the beach and Lana climbed off. I followed her and landed in the soft sand of the beach.
“You know, I never did your name,” Lana said.
“Oh. Well my name is Alexis,” I said.
“Nice to meet you Alexis,” Lana said. “I’m glad you’re solving this mystery with me. You seem like a lot of fun.”
“Ummm…thanks,” I said.
“Now we can’t travel around as easy as those small fish Pokemon can. We have to stick to the large bodies of water and the sandy paths that connect them.”
Lana reached up with her Pokéball and Lapras disappeared with a flash.
“My guess is that the Pokémon are congregating in the largest lake down this path. There we will discover what is causing all the trouble,” Lana explained.
BOOM.
There was a loud crack of thunder across the area and little droplets of rain began falling.
“Looks like there is rain coming,” Lana said. “I think it might have something to do with those Pokémon splashing up all the water.”
“Can Pokémon change the weather?” I asked.
“Well POkemon can sometimes change the local weather on a very small scale using moves like Sunny Day, Rain Dance, Defog, or Hail. However, I’ve heard that the Pokémon Kyogre I mentioned earlier and its volcanic counterpart, Groudon, can actually shape climates and weather patterns. Kyogre is said to cause downpours and endless floods while they say Groudon can cause the creation of land masses and harsh sunlight.”
“Oh wow. They sound really powerful,” I said.
“Well it’s just legends and lore, how correct can that be?” Lana asked with a laugh.
I quickly thought of meeting Tapu Koko and I just nodded, “Yeah I’m sure that’s just a myth.”
The rain grew heavier and heavier. Lana didn’t mind the rain, but I wish I brought an umbrella. The water was beginning to dampen my hair and cling to my clothing.
“Either way, we don’t have to worry about something like that. It is important to note that rain does increase the power of Water-type moves and weaken Fire-Type moves. It’s possible that whatever Pokémon is causing the rain is also growing more powerful because of it.”
“Well we have to go stop it, right?” I turned to Lana.
She gave me a little smile. “Sounds like a good quest for a Trail goer.”
“You mean you want me to stop this thing?”
“Of course! Why else are you here?” Lana asked.
She had a good point. “Ummm…ok. Yeah. I’ll go do it!”
“Ok great! I’ll be right here when you’re done,” Lana said. “This is your trial, Alexis! Don’t come back to me without defeating this mighty, Water Pokémon!”
I gave her a nod and a nervous smile and then turned towards the path. I took the sandy path down leaving Lana behind me. I made my way down the path and then it opened up into a lake twice the size of the first lake. This one had a large beach as well and there in the middle was a long wooden pier that reached out about 40 feet into the lake. The rain grew heavier and heavier and I was barely able to keep my wet hair out of my face.
“Go Storm! Go Bouncee!”
There was a red flash and both Storm the Pikachu and Bouncee the Bounsweet stood in front of me.
“Pika!”
“Sweet!”
They both immediately noticed the rain. Bouncee didn’t seem to mind it, but Storm huddled under one of Boucee’s leaves to try to shield it from the water.
“Ok, you two. Here’s the plan. There’s some kind of Water Pokémon out there stirring up the water and causing it to rain. It’s our job to take it down, ok?”
They both looked at me and nodded.
“Ok let’s go.”
We made our way forward across the wooden pier. The wood was wet because of the rain and the waves splashing up. I could make out several of the small, black shapes darting about in the water. Some leaped out of the water into the air and then back into the lake.
I pulled out Rotomdex.
“Rotom, I need you to identify something for me, like always. But these move quick,” I told it.
“Bzzzt. I’ll see what I can do, Alexis. Bzzzt,” Rotom said.
I tried to point it at the fish Pokémon as they jumped into the air, but they were too quick.
“Bzzzt. Sorry Alexis. I cannot scan them. Bzzzt,” Rotom said.
“That’s ok Rotom,” I said putting Rotomdex back into my bag. “I guess we’re going in blind on this one.”
“Pikachu!”
“Bounsweet!”
As I neared the end of the pier, the rain seemed to get heavier. My outfit was completely soaked and I could feel the puddles growing in my shoes. Both Storm and Bouncee were also soaked. The dark shapes seemed to start forming together and the splashing got wilder and wilder. There seemed to be some kind of large mass in the middle of the lake.
“Hello!? Mr. Pokémon! Er….Mrs. Pokémon?” I called out to the swarm of black shapes, but there was no response.
“Hey Bouncee, maybe you can lure it out with your Sweet Scent,” I said.
“Bounsweet!” Bouncee jumped up and down spinning its leaves and the spores floating through the air. The air once again smelt like sweet berries with a mix of rain and ocean water.
The splashing seemed to subside for a little bit and then there was an eruption of water from the lake as a large blue fish Pokémon launched itself out of the water. It let out a chorus of roars and I clamped my hands over my ears. It jumped over and me and then crashed back into the water causing a wave to crash over me and the dock. I stood firm as Bouncee and Strom grabbed onto my leg.
“What was that?” I yelled out.
“Pika! Pika!”
“Right,” I shook my head. “Time to battle.”
“Ok Storm, I guess you’re up.”
There was another eruption of water and the large Pokémon once again launched itself into the air.
“Storm! Use Thundershock!”
“PikaCHU!”
Storm unleashed a bolt of lightning and it struck the Pokémon while it was mid-air. There was a flash of light and it seemed like it kind of lost parts of its body. It splashed down and another wave crashed over us. There laying on the dock were a few, small, white Pokémon that flopped around on the dock for a second before throwing themselves back into the lake.
I looked around unsure of what was going on. The black mass in the water seemed to reform and then it launches itself at us. This time it was not jumping up and over us, but directly at us.
“Storm! Use Spark!”
Electrical energy flared around Storm and it launched itself forward in a ball of electricity colliding with the large Pokémon. There was another flash of light and I saw more, white fish be thrown in all directions. Storm was knocked back and landed on the dock while the large blue Pokémon landed on the dock behind us. Its large form was so heavy that the dock splintered and the Pokémon fell into the water with a large splash. The dock was destroyed and we were left on a wooden island in the middle of the lake.
These small, white fish came up from the water and starting spraying us with water. I didn’t think I could get any wetter, but this water seemed to be pressurized and actually begun doing damage to Storm and Bouncee.
“Pika!”
“Bounsweet!”
“Ok Bouncee! Use your Razor Leaf attack!”
Bouncee unleashed a furry of leaves in all directions, striking the fish. The leaves rained down upon them and they dived back under the water.
The large mass once again erupted from the water. This time its large form was enveloped in orange energy. The same energy I had seen while battling the Totem Raticate in Verdant Cavern. This must be some kind of Totem Pokémon.
The Totem Pokemon unleashed a blast of water from its mouth. I ducked down and the spray of water soared overhead of us.
“Now! Bouncee use Razor Leaf! Storm use Thundershock!”
Bouncee’s leaves began to spin and she unleashed waves and waves of leaves. Storm steadied itself and then unleashed a powerful lightning bolt. Both attacks struck the Pokémon and was knocked back. It landed in the lake. There was a huge wave and more of the white fish were launched into the air before falling back into the water. The black mod seemed to start separating and then a bunch of small, black blobs seemed to dart in all directions. The splashing stopped.
“Is it over?” I asked out loud as I scanned the water for any more of the dark shapes darting around.
“Bounsweet?”
Suddenly Bouncee began to glow. The light was so intense I had to shield my eyes. It became completely white and then when the light began to dim, there was standing a whole new Pokémon.
“Steenee!”
“Woah Bouncee, you evolved!” I exclaimed.
Standing there was what looked like a mix between a plant and a human. Bouncee was no longer so spherical but now more human-like. Her body was a mix of dark reddish-purple and white and the leaves on her head began to resemble hair. Bouncee stood on two, narrow legs and had actual arms.
“Steenee! Steenee!”
“Pika!”
Both Pokémon seemed really happy about Bouncee’s evolution and I was too.
I went back to looking around at the lake. All was quiet and the clouds above seemed to get thinner and thinner. Eventually the rain stopped and the sun began shining through the clouds again.
“WELL IT LOOKS LIKE YOU DID IT!”
I turned back to the shore and Lana was standing there waving her arms above her head.
“I’M STUCK OUT HERE! THE POKEMON DESTOYED THE DOCK!” I yelled back to her.
“HOLD ON!”
It took a moment for Lana to let Lapras out and then they came out to rescue us. Bouncee, Storm, and I all jumped on Lapras’ back and she took us to shore.
“Well I am quite impressed with you Alexis, you defeated the Totem Pokémon and stopped the rain from coming down. Of course I am kind of frustrated that all the Wishiwashi I trained had been defeated by you,” Lana said.
“Wait what? That huge thing was your Pokémon?”
“Well kind of. Wishiwashi is a fish Pokémon that live here in the Lake. Individually they are just small fish that don’t pack too much of a punch. However, they have the ability to huddle together in what is called a School which allows them to be more powerful. You took on a whole school of Wishwashi,” Lana smiled.
“Wow, that’s super crazy,” I said.
“Indeed. It just shows that you are truly a worthy trainer,” Lana said. She reached into her bag and pulled out a small crystal and a fishing rod.
“This here is Waterium Z. A powerful crystal that helps you unlock your Pokémon’s true potential. With it you can unleash a powerful Water-type Z move,” Lana explained. “And here is just an ordinary fishing rod. I know it doesn’t look like much, but it can help you catch Pokémon that is lurking below the surface.”
“Thank you so much, Lana,” I said.
“No problem Alexis, you earned it. Plus you’ve been a ton of fun and I enjoyed hanging out with you. Now you’ll have an excuse to come back and fish with me some time,” Lana said.
“Yeah I guess I’ll have to,” I said.
“I can tell you all about the time that I caught a Red Gyarados!”
“Did you really?” I said giving her a sideways glance.
Lana just shrugged her shoulders, “Maybe. Maybe not.”
I decided to drop the subject, “So are you going to come back with me?”
“No. No. I better stay here and start repairing the dock. It is partially my fault that it is broken. I’ll get us across the other lake, but you’re on your own from there.”
“Ok Lana, sounds good.”
Allen The Writer 
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