Finally reaching Iki Town, John didn't waste any time on sightseeing. His first priority? Hunting for more Totem Stickers, of course.
"Seventeen down!" he muttered to himself with satisfaction. Just three more to go before he could claim his first Totem Pokemon.
Pocketing his newly acquired sticker, John headed straight to Melemele Island's kahuna, Hala. The man was hard to miss, sporting a white beard, yellow jacket, white beach pants, and flip-flops that had clearly seen better days.
"A guest from afar," Hala called out when he spotted John. "Are you also here to participate in the island challenge?"
[Yes/No to Participate in Island Challenge?]
John selected [Yes] without hesitation. That was, after all, his entire reason for coming to Alola. Well, that and escaping Emerald's constant reminders about breeding house paperwork.
"Please accept the amulet of the island challenge," Hala said, his voice carrying the weight of tradition. "Then proceed to Verdant Cavern to find Captain Ilima and begin your trial on Melemele Island!"
The kahuna handed John an amulet inlaid with four colorful gemstones. This was the official island challenge amulet, his ticket to start the trials.
John accepted it with a respectful nod, then turned and left. His first destination would be Verdant Cavern, which he'd spotted earlier on Route 2.
Backtracking to Route 2, he found a pink-haired boy with an elegant demeanor standing at the entrance to Verdant Cavern. John approached him.
"Welcome to Verdant Cavern, Challenger!" the boy greeted with a polished smile.
"I am Captain Ilima!" he continued with a theatrical bow. "Allow me to explain the content of Ilima's trial! Your task is to defeat all the Pokemon hiding in the cavern, and then retrieve the Z-Crystal from the pedestal at the back of the cave!"
Ilima adjusted his perfectly styled pink hair. "Are you ready for this trial?"
A dungeon notification appeared before John.
[Yes/No to enter "Verdant Cavern" dungeon (disappears after first completion)]
[Dungeon recommended level: 50]
"Only level 50?" John raised an eyebrow in surprise. He'd expected the trials to match the difficulty of other regional gyms, but apparently that wasn't the case. Not that he was complaining.
After a moment's consideration, John decided not to accept immediately. Instead, he headed to the nearby Pokemon Center first. If the dungeon only required level 50 Pokemon, there was no need to bring his main team. He quickly swapped to his second-string roster.
Returning to the cavern entrance, John selected [Enter] without further delay.
A flash of light surrounded him, and suddenly John found himself standing in a cave teeming with life. Unlike most caverns, this one was surprisingly bright thanks to a large opening in the ceiling that allowed sunlight to flood in unobstructed. Lush grass covered the floor, surrounded by meticulously arranged rock formations. Various Pokemon scurried about, though the variety was limited, mostly Yungoos and their evolved form, Gumshoos.
A brilliant gleam caught John's attention from the highest platform in the cavern. There, a crystal reflected the sunlight with dazzling intensity.
"That's the goal of this trial, the Z-Crystal!" Captain Ilima had entered the dungeon alongside John and now leaned gracefully against a stone wall, pocket watch in hand. "The duration of this trial is 30 minutes. You must defeat all Pokemon in Verdant Cavern within this time and retrieve the Z-Crystal. After 30 minutes, if you haven't defeated all Pokemon or haven't claimed the Z-Crystal... I'm afraid your trial will end in failure."
He smiled charmingly. "And because I appreciate your stylish appearance, 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." Ilima delicately pressed the button on his watch.
A 30-minute countdown immediately appeared in the upper right corner of John's vision.
The Pokemon throughout Verdant Cavern began to grow restless. Several Yungoos jumped down from the rocky steps and slowly crawled toward John, their teeth bared.
John quickly assessed the approaching Pokemon. Their levels ranged from 35 to 45.
"Too weak," he muttered, pulling out a Pokeball and releasing its contents.
"BOOM!" The ground shook from the impact as a dazzling golden mountain materialized, extraordinarily brilliant under the sunlight.
The Pokemon now standing before them was John's long-conquered shiny Aggron, its golden armor gleaming menacingly.
"Rock Slide!" John commanded with a raised hand.
"AGGRON!!" The golden Aggron roared maniacally. In previous battles, the heavy hitters had always taken center stage, so this was finally Aggron's moment to shine!
The sky of Verdant Cavern immediately darkened as fist-sized rocks with sharp edges materialized from different dimensions, raining down one after another.
Despite Aggron's childish personality, as one of John's main fighters, it had learned this move directly from Tyranitar, whom it viewed as a big brother. The power was cranked to maximum!
The approaching Yungoos felt the darkness and instinctively looked up. In the next second, the endless barrage of rocks fell like torrential rain, burying them in an instant, along with all the Gumshoos on the rocky platforms!
One move to clear the entire field. The area-of-effect power of Rock Slide was truly devastating.
A sharp growl echoed from the high platform as a massive Gumshoos emerged from a hidden cave. It was three times the size of a normal Gumshoos, with a faint aura flowing across its body as it glared down at John and his golden Aggron!
This must be the powerful guardian Pokemon that Captain Ilima had mentioned!
[Totem Pokemon: Gumshoos LV50]
"Hyper Beam!" John commanded without hesitation.
The golden Aggron immediately opened its mouth, gathering energy full of destructive power.
Sensing the impending threat, the Totem Gumshoos leaped off the high platform and charged toward Aggron, attempting both an attack and evasive maneuver simultaneously.
The devastating Hyper Beam erupted!
The dazzling beam of energy instantly filled the entire Verdant Cavern, accurately striking the Gumshoos despite its attempted dodge.
Its so-called evasive tactics were nothing but a joke to Aggron's precise aim.
When the destructive light faded, a huge void appeared before John. The rock wall of Verdant Cavern had been blasted open, creating a six-meter-deep crater. Inside lay the Totem Gumshoos, eyes swirling in unconsciousness, completely incapacitated.
John pulled a Pokeball from his pocket and enlarged it, ready to capture this Totem Gumshoos. It was, after all, a Totem Pokemon, a rare prize indeed.
But before he could throw the ball, Captain Ilima stepped in to stop him, wearing an expression that screamed "I'm impressed but trying not to show it."
"Pokemon in the trial cannot be captured," he explained, regaining his composure. "You may attempt to capture it after the trial concludes... if it's still willing to show itself to you."