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Chris arrived in Iki Town and, before doing anything else, searched for Totem Stickers.
"Okay, that makes seventeen stickers collected!" he thought.
Just three more to go.
Putting away the Totem Stickers, Chris went straight to meet Island Kahuna Hala of Melemele Island.
Hala was a white-bearded man wearing a yellow jacket, white beach pants, and flip-flops.
"Hala: A guest from afar, are you also here to participate in the island challenge?"
[Yes/No to Participate in Island Challenge?]
Of course, Chris chose to accept. That was why he came here.
"Hala: Please accept the amulet of the island challenge, and then go to Verdant Cavern to find Trial Captain Ilima and start the trial of Melemele Island!"
Saying that, Hala handed Chris an amulet inlaid with four-colored gemstones.
This was the official amulet of the island challenge, and with it, Chris could begin his journey.
Chris accepted the island challenge amulet, turned, and left.
The first destination was Verdant Cavern. Thɪs chapter is updated by 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹⟡𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⟡𝙣𝙚𝙩
He had noticed this place when he came through Route 2 earlier.
Arriving at Route 2, Chris saw a boy with pink hair and an elegant demeanor standing at the entrance to Verdant Cavern.
Chris stepped forward to talk to him.
"Ilima: Welcome to Verdant Cavern, Challenger!"
"Ilima: I am Trial Captain Ilima!"
"Ilima: Now, let me explain the content of my trial! What you have to do is defeat all the Pokémon in this cavern, and then take the Z-Crystal from the pedestal at the back of the cave!"
"Ilima: Are you ready for this trial?"
A dungeon notification appeared before Chris.
[Yes/No to enter the dungeon "Verdant Cavern" (disappears after the first completion)]
[Dungeon recommended entry level: 50]
"The suggested level for this dungeon is so low?" Chris was surprised. He had thought that it would at least match the difficulty of gyms from other regions, but now it seemed that wasn't always the case.
After thinking about it, Chris didn't immediately accept. Instead, he went to the Pokémon Center first.
Since it was only a level 50 dungeon, there was no need for his main lineup. Chris decisively switched to his second team.
Returning to the cavern entrance, Chris chose to enter.
There was a flash of light, and suddenly Chris found himself in a cave full of vitality.
The cavern was particularly bright because there was a large opening in the ceiling, allowing sunlight to stream in unreservedly.
Lush grass grew underfoot, surrounded by layers of well-arranged rocks, and many Pokémon scurried about, though the species were quite uniform.
They were Yungoos and their evolution, Gumshoos.
A dazzling light caught Chris's attention.
It was on the highest step of the cave—a crystal reflecting the sunlight in a particularly brilliant manner.
"That's the goal of this trial, the Z-Crystal!" Trial Captain Ilima had also entered the dungeon. He leaned gracefully against the stone wall, holding a pocket watch in his hand.
"The duration of this trial is 30 minutes. You need to defeat all Pokémon in Verdant Cavern within this time and then obtain the Z-Crystal. After 30 minutes, if you haven't defeated all Pokémon or haven't acquired the Z-Crystal, I'm afraid your trial will end in failure."
"By the way, since you look like a capable trainer, I'll give you a small hint. As a rare treasure, the Z-Crystal naturally has a powerful guardian!"
"Now, you may begin your trial." In front of Chris, Ilima lightly pressed the timing button on his watch.
A 30-minute countdown immediately appeared in the upper right corner of Chris's vision.
The Pokémon throughout Verdant Cavern began to seem agitated.
Several Yungoos even jumped down from the rock steps and slowly advanced toward Chris.
Chris glanced at these Yungoos and Gumshoos; their levels ranged from 35 to 45.
"Too weak," Chris thought as he took out a Poké Ball and released it.
"Boom!" There was a thunderous sound as something heavy hit the ground.
A dazzling golden form shone extraordinarily bright under the sunlight.
The Pokémon that appeared was the Aggron that Chris had captured long ago—the Shiny version!
"Rock Slide!" Chris raised his hand to direct.
"KORRAAA!!" The Shiny Aggron roared maniacally.
In previous battles, his stronger Pokémon had taken the spotlight, but this time it was finally Aggron's turn!
The sky of Verdant Cavern was immediately darkened as Rock-type projectiles from different dimensions began to fall one after another—each the size of a fist, with sharp edges and corners.
Don't be fooled by Tyranitar's childish nature; as one of Chris's main fighters, it could be considered Aggron's mentor.
Aggron had learned this Rock Slide technique from Tyranitar.
And now he was using it at full power!
The Yungoos that had intended to attack Chris felt the sudden darkness and looked up instinctively.
In the next second, the endless barrage of rocks fell like torrential rain, burying them in an instant. The same fate befell the Gumshoos on the rock steps!
He had wiped them all out with a single move.
The area-of-effect attack of Rock Slide was truly devastating!
A sharp growl came from the high platform, and a Gumshoos emerged from a cave. It was three times the size of a normal Gumshoos, with a faint aura flowing around its body. It glared at Chris and his Shiny Aggron!
This was the powerful Pokémon that Trial Captain Ilima had mentioned—the guardian of the Z-Crystal!
Totem Pokémon: Gumshoos, Lv.50.
"Hyper Beam!" Chris commanded.
The Shiny Aggron immediately opened its mouth, gathering energy full of destructive power.
Sensing the threat, the Totem Gumshoos jumped off the high platform and charged toward Aggron quickly, both attacking and attempting to dodge.
"BOOM!" The devastating Hyper Beam erupted!
The dazzling beam of light instantly pierced through the entire Verdant Cavern, hitting the dodging Gumshoos with pinpoint accuracy.
Its attempt to dodge was just a joke in Aggron's eyes.
When the destructive Hyper Beam dissipated, there was a huge crater before Chris. The rock wall of Verdant Cavern had been blasted out, leaving a six-meter-deep hole. The Totem Gumshoos lay inside with spirals in its eyes, having already lost the ability to fight.
Chris took out a Poké Ball from his pocket and enlarged it, ready to capture this Totem Gumshoos.
After all, it was a Totem Pokémon.
But before he could throw the ball, he was stopped by Trial Captain Ilima.
With a "stunned" expression on his face, Ilima stated, "Pokémon in the trial are not allowed to be captured. You can try to capture it after the trial is over, if it's still willing to appear before you."