Steven and Cynthia followed Kahuna Hala deeper into the cave, emerging into a wide, open chamber where the ceiling stretched high above them. Shafts of pale light filtered through cracks in the rock, casting long shadows across the stone floor.
"Mr. Steven," Hala said, his voice carrying easily through the space, "your trial is to defeat the Noble Pokémon Gumshoos."
Steven tilted his head slightly. "I thought the Island Challenge wasn't about solving problems through battle."
Hala shook his head with a slow, knowing look. "The Noble Pokémon will only choose to lend its strength once it has acknowledged yours. Earning its respect requires proving that you are worthy of it."
"I see." Steven nodded, his expression settling into calm understanding.
It made sense to him. Driving the Raticate off by force would only be a temporary fix — the moment the pressure lifted, they would drift back. But Gumshoos was a different matter entirely. It was the Raticate's natural predator, and a Raticate that had stared down a Noble Gumshoos and felt real fear would think twice before causing trouble again. Steven wouldn't be staying in Alola forever, but Gumshoos would always be here on Melemele Island. That kind of deterrence lasted.
"Noble Pokémon Gumshoos!" Hala's deep voice boomed toward the various tunnels branching off from the chamber walls. "The Island Challenge challenger has arrived! Please grant him a trial!"
His call echoed and faded into the dark. Then, almost immediately, came the sound of rapid footsteps pattering across stone.
A Yungoos appeared first from one of the lower openings — a long-bodied Pokémon with a pale yellow stripe running from the crown of its head all the way to the tip of its tail. A second one followed close behind, but this one was notably larger. It stood upright on two legs rather than all fours, its head and belly marked with the same bright yellow, while the rest of its fur was a rich brown. Three sharp black claws tipped each of its feet. This was a Gumshoos.
Cynthia blinked, caught off guard. "I thought Noble Pokémon were supposed to be massive," she said quietly. She had done some reading before they came — she knew Steven's Sandslash was a Noble Pokémon, and she had some sense of what that meant.
Steven gave a soft chuckle. "That's not the Noble Gumshoos. These two are the opening of the trial."
"Exactly." Hala folded his arms and nodded, his tone carrying quiet gravity. "Defeat the Yungoos and Gumshoos first." He glanced toward Cynthia. "Ms. Cynthia, please observe from the side."
Cynthia stepped back without a word. She wasn't worried. For Steven, this wasn't going to be difficult.
"All right — let's start things off, Sandslash!"
Steven pressed the button on his Poké Ball and sent it forward in a smooth arc. The ball burst open in a flash of white light, and Sandslash materialized in the center of the chamber, its ice-spined back gleaming faintly in the dim light.
Hala's eyes widened for just a moment. He caught a Noble Pokémon? A quiet smile crossed the Kahuna's face.
"Gupah!"
Sandslash settled into a low, ready stance, its pale eyes fixed on the two opponents ahead of it. Despite their smaller size and clearly lower level of strength, it showed no sign of relaxing its guard.
Yungoos and Gumshoos exchanged a quick glance, then launched themselves forward in tandem. Both of them opened their mouths wide, rows of sharp white teeth gleaming as they drove toward Sandslash with Bite.
"Metal Claw!"
"Gupah!"
Sandslash's claws flared with a dark, steely sheen. It thrust both arms forward to meet the charge head-on, catching the incoming Bites directly on the flat of its claws. The impact sent a shockwave through the chamber, and thick plumes of dust and grit exploded outward, swallowing all three Pokémon in a cloud of grey haze.
A moment later, Yungoos and Gumshoos came tumbling out from the smoke in opposite directions, skidding across the stone floor before going still. Sandslash stepped forward through the clearing dust, drawing its claws to one side with a sharp sweep that scattered the last of the haze.
"Ice Crash!"
Sandslash raised one arm, and a dense mass of ice materialized in its palm, crackling with frost as it formed into a solid, jagged shape. It gave a sharp cry, then swung the arm down hard, slamming the ice directly into the ground between the two fallen Pokémon.
Boom.
The impact shattered the ice into a spray of razor-edged fragments that tore across Yungoos and Gumshoos in every direction. Both Pokémon cried out, then slumped and went still, their eyes glazed with swirl marks. The opening bout was over.
But before Steven or Sandslash had time to so much as exhale, a thunderous roar came from one of the upper tunnel openings.
A massive shape dropped from the darkness above and crashed down into the chamber with enough force to scatter loose stones across the floor. The Noble Gumshoos had arrived.
A faint golden aura shimmered to life across its entire body.
"The real battle starts now, Sandslash!"
"Gupah!"
The Noble Gumshoos didn't wait. The moment it landed, it drove one arm upward in a sweeping strike, claws raking the ground and hurling a burst of dust and grit into the air around it. Sand Attack — filling the space between them with a blinding screen.
"Cut right through it — use Slash!"
Sandslash raised both arms high, its claws blazing white, and brought them down in a long, controlled arc. The burst of cutting energy tore through the cloud of sand, scattering it before it could reach their eyes. The screen dissolved.
"Icicle Spear — now!"
Sandslash spread its arms wide, and several sharp, conical spears of ice materialized in a ring around its body. With one sweeping motion it launched the entire volley forward.
Gumshoos took a breath, set its feet, and charged straight into the barrage. The ice spears struck its body one after another, but it pushed through every hit without slowing. Then its body dimmed to a flat, ashen grey — and it drove itself hard into Sandslash.
Payback.
The force of the collision sent Sandslash sliding back across the stone, scrabbling with its claws until it caught and held. It shook itself, steady.
"Don't force it," Steven said evenly. "If it wants to fight close, give it Metal Claw."
Sandslash's eyes sharpened. Its claws shifted back to that deep, cold metallic colour. It surged forward and caught Gumshoos with two rapid strikes before the larger Pokémon could reset its footing.
Gumshoos snarled through the pain. Its jaws flew open, teeth bared — jagged and white and aimed straight at Sandslash's body.
"Block with both arms!"
Sandslash crossed its arms in front of it, claws locked together. The Bite clamped down — but caught on the claws rather than the body, and couldn't close with any real force. Gumshoos strained against the grip, but couldn't break through.
"Good work — now spin around and use the spikes on your back!"
Sandslash released its claws abruptly and pushed back, creating just enough distance between them. Gumshoos lunged forward immediately to press the Bite again. Sandslash twisted its body in a sharp half-turn and presented the dense row of frozen spikes along its back.
Gumshoos threw its own momentum into an emergency stop, feet scraping across the stone. Its eyes were fixed on the cluster of ice spikes inches from its face.
It ran the calculation quickly. Biting down now would hurt Sandslash — but those spikes would hurt it far more. It chose to abort.
It didn't quite get clear in time.
"Turn back — Metal Claw!"
This was the moment when Sandslash could have simply jumped backward, driving the spikes home. But this was a trial, not a fight to the finish. There was no reason to end it that way.
Sandslash spun around and caught Gumshoos squarely across the face with the flat of its claw.
Crack.
Gumshoos stumbled, blinking, clearly rattled.
"Slash — press the advantage!"
Sandslash lunged upward, rising off the ground, and brought the edge of its claw down in a clean, decisive chop — landing directly on the crown of Gumshoos's head.
Thud.
Gumshoos pitched forward. It stared at the ground for one long moment, eyes wide and unfocused, before its legs gave out and it collapsed.
Steven let out a slow breath. The battle was done.
He reached into his bag and took out the Hyper Potion he had brought along, then walked forward without hesitation. Sandslash came with him. Together, they crouched beside the fallen Noble Pokémon and helped it upright, Sandslash supporting it from one side while Steven supported it from the other.
Steven sprayed the Hyper Potion carefully across the cuts on Gumshoos's forehead. The recovered Yungoos and the smaller Gumshoos watched from nearby, quiet.
The Noble Gumshoos blinked. It turned its head and looked at Steven beside it. Then it looked at Sandslash on the other side.
More precisely, it looked at the ice spikes running along Sandslash's back.
Its gaze lingered there for a moment.
It was lucky it had stopped when it did. If those had made contact, it would have been off its feet for days.