Pokemon Ascendance: Origins of Holon

23

Elsie looked at the small list that was given to her as she and Lucien ventured deeper into Lush Jungle.

Mago Berries, Honey, Big Root.

"Well based on this sign it looks like we're headed to the area where we can find Mago Berries," Elsie noted. Looking around she noticed there were quite a few places where the berries were growing.

"Alright, she said to watch out for areas where pokemon usually gather the things that they want to make sure that we don't get attacked later but... how do we choose?"

Lucien cautiously went over to a bush and sniffed it. It smelled sweet so he took a step closer only for a Fomantis to poke its head out. Surprised, the Growlithe jumped back.

"Well looks like that spot is occupied," Elsie said with a giggle before an idea hit her. "Hey, maybe we can use your sense of smell to pick out the right Mago Berries. You know the scent now so why not try finding something that smells different."

Lucien nodded and went over to the next bush. The scent wasn't as strong but it was still sweet so he went to the next one. This one gave off both a sweet and sour scent. Lucien considered it, but to be on the safe side, he went over to the last one. The scent was completely sour. Lucien scrunched his nose before pointing to the bush with his front paw.

Elsie nodded and grabbed a handful of Mago Berries. "Alright. I guess we'll just go down the list and look for some honey next. Keep up the good work Lucien."

Following the signs, Elsie and her Growlithe soon noticed that they were standing in an area filled with flowers. A Comfey flew by them right when they entered. 

'I guess Comfey are the ones that are gonna have their sights set on the honey that can be found here.' she thought. 'At least it looks like I can help out Lucien in this part.'

"Let's see... since Comfey are made of flowers, maybe the best spot for us should be the honey that doesn't have a lot of flowers," she suggested. Lucien nodded in agreement and immediately began searching with Elsie. It didn't take long for them to find a patch that was a lot smaller than the other flower patches they saw. Elsie and Lucien looked at each other and nodded. They gathered the honey in the jar that was in the Forage Bag before going to get the final ingredient.

They soon found the area where they were supposed to find the Big Root. It was filled with trees that were shaped like Sudowoodo.

"Safe to assume that the challenge here is to tell the difference between the trees that are actually Sudowoodo and the one that just look like it," Elsie said before going to study each of the oddly shaped trees. The first one seemed to have twitched when she poked it. Lucien pawed at another one which resulted in a short giggle.

"Hmm... it's gonna take a long time if we carefully study each one. We need to find a way to get all the Sudowoodo to move at least a little." Elsie thought aloud. A moment after she got an idea. She got a bottle of water out of her bag and shook it. Due to the sound of the water swishing around, almost all of the trees shifted away from the sound, all except one. Lucien immediately went over to the tree that didn't move and retrieved the Big Root. "We got everything. Now let's get back to the entrance and lure out that Totem Pokemon."

........

"Hey, Elsie. By the looks of it, you got everything." Mallow said, seeing the trial-goer and her Growlithe run towards her and Lillie. "Ready for the final part of my trial?"

"Yep. Ready as we'll ever be."

Lucien barked, his tail wagging.

"Great! Now if you'll just hand me those ingredients you got."

Elsie nodded and gave the forage bag to the trial captain. As each ingredient was being added to the large bowl, Lucien looked around, making sure that no wild pokemon would take them by surprise. From the looks of it, they had chosen all the right spots to pick from. As the three trainers continued cooking, nothing even came near them. It wasn't long until a unique scent filled the area. Lucien looked back to see that whatever was being cooked was done.

"There, now all we have to do is wait for the Totem Pokemon to appear," Mallow said.

They all waited for a few moments, the smell of the Mallow Special spreading throughout Lush Jungle. Elsie and Lucien cautiously looked around, waiting for something to happen but so far nothing.

'I wonder if it just takes a while for the Totem Pokemon to appear.' she thought.

Suddenly, Lucien began to growl. Elsie looked and saw something in the distance. All she could tell is that it was pink and coming towards them.

'That must be the Totem Pokemon.'

Elsie looked at Lucien, who looked back up at her. "Ready for this?"

Lucien nodded, rising to his feet. Elsie took a deep breath and stepped forward, Lucien walking ahead.

'This is it. Our final trial of Akala Island. After this, we start training to battle Kahuna Olivia.'

Once the Totem Pokemon came closer, Rotom appeared, displaying the image on its screen.

"Lurantis, the Bloom Sickle Pokemon. Lurantis draws opponents near to itself with its appearance and aroma and then takes them down. It's said to be the most gorgeous of all grass-type pokemon due to its brilliant coloration and elegant moves. Lurantis' appearance is maintained through detailed grooming. It will trust a trainer who does a good job taking care of it but will have a difficult time growing closer to a lazy trainer."

Elsie nodded in thanks to Rotom before preparing herself for the battle. Soon the Lurantis was close. It stopped and looked down at Elsie and Lucien, immediately preparing to attack.

"Here it comes Lucien!" Elsie called out. "Let's give it all we got!"

Lucien nodded and ran towards the Totem Lurantis.