Moon Version, Part 19: Rebuilding a Team
- Nintai3301
- Jan 15, 2017
- 4 min read
Gladion and Nuztai stepped off the boat as the morning sun peeked over the ocean onto Seafolk Village. It had been an incredibly long night and neither of them considered it a victory. Gladion may not care much for his mother, but he couldn’t stand the thought of her trapped in another dimension. And she was the key to freeing Lillie from her frozen case. Nuztai placed a firm hand on Gladion’s shoulder.
“We’ll find a way to free her.” Reassured Nuztai. “Professor Burnett is working tirelessly at Aether to figure it out, and she’s got plenty of help. Now we keep our promise to Hau and find out all we can about that legendary Pokémon.”
Gladion brushed Nuztai’s hand off of him. He’d rather be doing this alone. How was he supposed to get stronger this way! But making that promise to work with Nuztai was the only way to remove Hau’s grip from Lillie’s case and stop his wild crying. And then there was Cosmog, floating mysteriously comatose in its strange new form in Gladion’s bag. There was simply too much to learn for him to work alone.
“Why don’t you scout ahead, Gladion.” offered Nuztai. “I know you don’t want to do this with me, and the townsfolk might just associate you with Team Skull, anyway. I’ll ask around here, you scout ahead.”
Gladion glared at Nuztai as he processed the request. His head was still spinning from everything that had happened. He couldn’t think of a retort. In fact, he just felt… numb.
“Fine.” spat Gladion, and he walked off towards the Poni Wilds.
“When you’re out traveling the world, you meet all kinds of people and Pokémon, right?” asked the young trainer from the trade ship. “We haven’t been doing enough traveling lately to satisfy this little Pokémon. Want to take it with you on your adventure?” She reached out with the Pokéball, and Nuztai accepted it. It was fitting to receive a new friend for his adventure now.
He said his goodbyes and headed to the Pokémon Center, where he struggled to decide on another Pokémon for his team. He really wanted another electric type to round it out, so he withdrew Gordon the Grubbin and decided to start training him for evolution. Unfortunately, a battle with a trainer’s hungry Sharpedo ended the freshly evolved Charjabug’s journey quite quickly.
And so began a cycle of picking reserve Pokémon and attempting to train them up to be able to fight with his team, and losing them to the rigors of Nuzlocke training. Next to fall was Ruby the Haunter. Then Frank, the Aerodactyle the kind townsperson had given him, failed to hold up as well. Even Balthazar the Bruxish found itself short of the line. Finally, Nuztai found his replacements in Metatron, now evolved into an Archeops, and Gadreel, now evolved into a Slowbro.
As Nuztai entered the Ancient Poni Path, Gladion was waiting outside a large stone house, and informed Nuztai he was waiting for the resident inside who could apparently tell them where they could find the Poni Island Kahuna, who may know more about the legendary Pokémon. A young lady in a tan outfit with a big purple scarf on her head and big purple neckerchief tied into a bow came walking around from the back with a Mudsdale.
“Do I know you folks?” She asked.
“‘Fraid not. I’m Nuztai, and this is Gladion. We’re looking for the island Kahuna.”
“I see.” She replies. “You seem alright, but your friend here has a bit of a Team Skull vibe, if you know what I mean. I’m not sure I feel right telling you folks anything.
“Aargh!” exclaims Gladion “Are you serious!? Fine! I used to do work for Team Skull, but I am not one of them! I need to find the Kahuna so he can help me save my mother and, more importantly, my sister!”
“Your sister means a lot to you, eh?” She asks, raising an eyebrow.
Gladion’s eyes clench as if the question injured him. He takes and deep breath and answers, “I left home to save a Pokémon from my mother’s torture. I left her there, in the hands of my mother’s abuse. I should have taken her with me, but I didn’t. And now she needs me. I can’t let her down again.”
“That’s touching, but odd.” She says scratching her head, “You just said you wanted to save your mother, too. Now she’s the one you should have saved your sister from?”
“Look, it’s a long story.” interrupts Nuztai, “But the short version is, we can’t save his sister without saving his mother. And we can’t save his mother without the help of the legendary Pokémon. And we can’t find it without the help of the Kahuna.”
“Got it, I think.” she states, “But I’m afraid there’s a problem. There is no Poni Island Kahuna at the moment. It was my Grandfather, but he passed away. No one has yet been chosen to replace him.”
“Damn it, are you kidding me?!” cried Gladion.
“Look, if you really mean to get answers, meet me at the Ruins of Hope. It’s at the end of the Poni Breaker Coast.” and she hoped onto Mudsdale and trotted off.
Sightseer Jamie recalled her unconscious Geodude. The sandstorm summoned by the Sandshrew before it still raged, and buffeted Dean the Primarina. Dean was left with about half its health as Jamie sent in her Graveler. Nuztai wasted no effort, and had Dean use his Oceanic Operetta Z-Move. But Graveler was Sturdy. It held one with one HP, and Jamie had it use Self-Destruct. The blast smashed into Dean at a pivotal moment after using his z-move, striking a critical hit. Dean was down, and not getting back up. Rufus finished Jamie’s Vulpix, but the blow was dealt.
The very Pokémon Nuztai had begun this journey with was gone. He buried Dean there on Poni Breaker Coast, and continued on with the rest of his team. The sand was black as pitch, and hid well the trail of teardrops left behind.
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