The air in the Verdant Cavern crackled with intensity as Ilios stood face to face with the towering Totem Gumshoos. The massive Pokémon loomed over him, its sharp fangs gleaming in the dim light of the cave. Baron, Yungoos, and Wimpod stood ready by Ilios’s side, each of them brimming with determination after days of intense training.
“We’ve come a long way,” Ilios murmured, clenching his fists. “Let’s show Gumshoos how strong we’ve become. Baron, you’re up first!”
Baron stepped forward, his fur bristling as flames danced along his jaws. Gumshoos let out a ferocious roar, its body glowing with a faint aura that signified its totem status. The battle was on.
---
“Baron, start with Ember!” Ilios shouted.
Baron wasted no time, launching a volley of small flames toward the towering Gumshoos. The fire crackled through the air, but Gumshoos responded quickly, sidestepping the attack with surprising agility for its size. It countered with a devastating Tackle, slamming into Baron with full force.
Baron skidded backward, barely managing to stay on his feet.
“Hang in there! Use Fire Fang!”
Baron darted forward, his fangs glowing bright red as he clamped down on Gumshoos’s leg, flames searing through the Totem Pokémon’s tough hide. Gumshoos let out a howl of pain, but it wasn’t backing down.
In response, Gumshoos summoned a Helping Hand, calling a wild Yungoos to its side. The smaller Yungoos growled and joined the fray, circling Baron.
“Yungoos, I need you now!” Ilios called, sending his own Yungoos into the battle.
The two Yungoos clashed, biting and tackling each other, neither one willing to give an inch. Meanwhile, Gumshoos raised its claws and delivered a powerful Super Fang to Baron, cutting down his health significantly.
“Baron, return!” Ilios quickly recalled Baron before the next blow could land. “Wimpod, it’s your turn! Use Struggle Bug!”
Wimpod, though small, had grown in confidence. He leaped forward, unleashing a swarm of energy-filled bugs that swarmed over Gumshoos and the opposing Yungoos. The attack weakened them both, but the Totem Pokémon still held its ground.
Gumshoos responded with a vicious Bite, sinking its teeth into Wimpod’s shell. Wimpod let out a pained cry but managed to hold on.
“Wimpod, Sand Attack!” Ilios ordered.
Wimpod kicked up a cloud of sand, blinding the Totem Pokémon temporarily. Gumshoos snarled in frustration as the sand stung its eyes. This was the moment Ilios had been waiting for.
“Now, Yungoos, use *Tackle!”
Ilios’s Yungoos charged forward, ramming into Gumshoos with all its might. The wild Yungoos, still dazed from the Struggle Bug attack, staggered backward, leaving Gumshoos vulnerable.
“Wimpod, follow up with another Struggle Bug!”
Wimpod unleashed another flurry of energy bugs, and this time, the impact hit Gumshoos hard. The massive Pokémon reeled from the attack, swaying on its feet. It let out a low growl, clearly weakened but not defeated yet.
The Totem Gumshoos, enraged, powered up its Tackle, charging straight at Wimpod. The blow was too much for the little bug to handle, and Wimpod collapsed, exhausted.
“You did great, Wimpod. Take a rest,” Ilios said, recalling him. “It’s all up to you now, Yungoos!”
With Baron and Wimpod out of the fight, Yungoos stood tall against its larger counterpart. Ilios could see the determination burning in its eyes.
“Yungoos, let’s finish this! Use Bite!”
Yungoos darted forward, its sharp teeth glinting as it bit down hard on Gumshoos’s leg. The Totem Pokémon roared in pain, struggling to shake off Yungoos’s relentless assault. The smaller Yungoos had already fainted from exhaustion, leaving the battle a one-on-one.
Gumshoos gathered its strength, preparing for one last Super Fang, but Yungoos wasn’t giving up.
“Hold strong, Yungoos! One more Bite! Give it everything you’ve got!”
Yungoos let out a fierce growl and bit down with all its strength. The impact was too much for Gumshoos. With a final, deafening roar, the Totem Pokémon collapsed, defeated.
Ilios dropped to his knees, panting as the adrenaline of the battle slowly wore off. “We did it...” he whispered, a grin breaking across his face. “We actually did it!”
Yungoos barked triumphantly, standing over the fallen Gumshoos. Baron and Wimpod, though still recovering, emerged from their Pokéballs, joining Yungoos in their victory.
But just as Ilios was about to retrieve the Normalium Z, a sudden screech echoed through the cavern. The air grew heavy with electricity, and before Ilios could react, a bolt of lightning struck the pedestal where the Z-Crystal rested.
Ilios shielded his eyes as the flash of light subsided, and when he looked up, there, hovering in the air, was Tapu Koko.
The guardian deity of Melemele Island floated gracefully before them, its eyes fixed on Ilios and his team. With a swift motion, it snatched the Normalium Z from its pedestal, inspecting it with curious eyes.
Ilios could only watch in stunned silence as Tapu Koko glanced at him. Then, without warning, the guardian held out its hand, and a new Z-Crystal formed in its place: a Firium Z.Tapu Koko placed it on the pedestal, its eyes narrowing with what seemed like a knowing expression.
Before Ilios could speak, Tapu Koko’s gaze softened, as if it remembered something—a fleeting memory of a baby once cared for by Tapu Bulu. The legendary Pokémon let out a low cry, almost wistful, before turning and vanishing in a blur of lightning, leaving Ilios standing alone with the Firium Z.
Ilios blinked, trying to make sense of what had just happened. His hand hovered over the Firium Z, the crystal gleaming brightly in the dim cavern light.
“Baron… this is for you,” Ilios whispered, picking up the Z-Crystal with a smile.
The battle was won, but Ilios knew this was just the beginning. There were more challenges ahead, more victories to claim. With his team by his side and Tapu Koko’s mysterious gesture fresh in his mind, he was more determined than ever to rise to the top.
