While exploring Melemele Island today, I tried to see what I can find deep inside the jungle-like forest. Obviously lots of Pokémon! And a few regional variants as well!
One that I want to talk about is that I suddenly was attacked by a big group of Alolan Rattata. I guess I stepped too deep into their territory…
I only had Gen, my Gengar with me today. The rest of the team was at the Pokémon Center resting, as well as the egg in for a quick weekly checkup. Gen is still not too fond of the bright daylight here and when I travelled around the island the day prior, she didn’t want to get out of her PokéBall too much.
But as I wanted to go into the shadowy forest today, she was all up and ready to explore it with me. And shadowy it was, you could almost call it shady. At some places it felt like night was approaching, even though it was still morning according to my RotomPhone.
Oh yea, Rotom was also with us obviously. At the laboratory the day I met Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet it received an update from Professor Burnet containing info about all the Pokémon here in the Alola region, a map, weather forecast and what not all. Ever since then it seemed a lot more adventurous? According to what Professor Burnet told me, the data in that update came from a very famous RotomDex here in Alola. I guess my Rotom was very impressed and kind of wants to become more like that RotomDex Rotom? Or even sees it as a rival of some sorts? Something at least changed and I cannot complain about it (yet).
Also as a side note, it became a lot more talkative ever since then.
So the three of us were deep inside the jungle and it was a bit past lunchtime when the Rattata attacked. As Rotom pointed out, these Alolan Rattata are part dark type Pokémon, so they’re a slightly bad match-up for my Gengar. Yet she managed to defeat them one by one, while they however were also simultaneously pushing us deeper into the jungle and straight into their lair.
And there, on a big stony pillar it sat. The biggest Raticate I’ve ever seen. An Alolan variant one too as Rotom pointed out. But it told me that this one was far bigger than usual. It might even be what the people of Alola call a totem Pokémon.
It jumped down from it’s stony throne and landed right in front of us. Roaring out loud while it was engulfed in a yellow aura. Now it was clear that this was indeed a totem Pokémon.
What I had learned over the past few days was, that totem Pokémon are not only a lot tougher than regular ones, they also never fight alone. Either my Gen would have to fight against the totem while I take care of the regular Pokémon around us or we’d try to get the hell out of there. That were at least the options until Rotom came out of the phone, ready to fight alongside Gen!
Long story short, together we managed to defeat them all, including the totem Raticate.
I felt bad about just leaving them all beaten on the ground, so I asked Rotom, who was back in the phone, if there were any trees in the area we could get some berries from to heal them back up a bit. It took almost half an hour tough until we came across some oran berries and had brought them back to the lair. All the Pokémon were gone, probably hiding now and resting.
We placed the berries on the ground in front of the throne like pillar. “I am sorry for the fight earlier. We didn’t know we were stepping into your territory. Here as a token of apology, have some berries that will help you get back to health again.”
While I was talking, I could hear some rustling all around me and a few eyes glinting in the shadows underneath bushes and behind rocks.
Then the totem Raticate stepped out from behind the pillar, slowly walking towards us. In it’s mouth it was holding a dark stone that it placed next to the pile of berries.
Simultaneously we bowed and said “Thank you for the fight” – “Raticate”.
Rotom pitched in: “Raticate wants to trade the berries for this. It seems other humans like to collect them and maybe you came here for one too.”
“I didn’t know you could translate Pokémon speech for me Rotom! That’s fantastic! And I didn’t come here for this stone but I’ll gladly accept it as memory of our fight.”
Both Rotom and Raticate were smiling contently and we left the Raticate and Rattata alone now to munch on the berries and recover in piece.
Back out of the forest and in the dusk light of the sinking sun, the three of us finally took a closer at the stone. It was what I suspected from the beginning, a Z-Crystal. With the red sunlight, the crystal almost glowed in a deep purple shine but it was unmistakably a Darkinium Z!
