I exited the tunnel and found myself on Route 8. Everything went horribly wrong there. Okay, not everything, but most of it.

Down the lane, I saw Dulse and Zossie talking with a scientist.

Thankfully cleaned of the mud and straw that I saw them covered with in the tunnel, yes, but talking with the sciencist all the same.

Then they took off.

It's that trenchcoat-clad fellow my sister and I saw back in Heahea! And boy, if I thought Gladion had it rough in the tropics, this guy's strapped from head to toe in heavy gear. Aren't you sweating buckets, my guy?

He introduced himself as Colress. His research theme was "bringing out the potential of pokemon." He said that he's confident that what brings out pokemon's potential is their bond with trainers. To celebrate our meeting, he gave me the Flame Charge TM. Nice!

Colress muttered to himself whether Z-power surpasses the Mega Ring. An interesting query indeed…

Anyways...

Soon I was in Lush Jungle.

Mallow then explained the trial in a way I didn't understand, but it was to find flowers and sticks and honey.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Is my face gonna melt off if I don't find the honey or something along those lines?

Anyways, I made a soup and Totem Lurantis came.

I should have ran there. I should have forfeited. I should have done so many things that could have ended the match, even if it meant getting kicked out of the tournament. Even if it meant calling Akane and apologizing for being a coward and backing out in the middle of the fight.

I wish I had done something different. But instead I was frozen in… I wouldn't call it fear. It probably was fear but it didn’t feel like fear, it felt like… a mix of anger and anxiety and dread and helplessness and too many other emotions.

Totem Lurantis bisected Mallow. Blood splatted me and went in my eye.

My next actions were… probably a little selfish, looking back. All I wanted was for the noise to stop. Everything hurt, I couldn’t think, I could barely breathe, and darkness was threatening to take my vision away. Everything around me was just so loud. The only thought I remember having was just making the noise stop.

I regret my actions, but only in the sense that there were probably better things I could have done. I have since learned that what I did still saved so many people, but… at what cost?

I don't remember when I took it down, I think my brain suppressed the memories due to how traumatic they were.

I only remember the start, where I was running and... then...

After Totem Lurantis was dead, I got a Grassium Z, and my sister returned.

Akane was covered in soot, while the Charizard she arrived on had seen better days.

"Sister, you're back~" I wrote down.

"Sis, I nearly died in Kiawe's death trap of a trial." Akane pouted.

We headed to a Poke center. Next is Olivia's trial. I’ll let you know what happens the next time I get a chance to write a letter. Hopefully it’ll be soon.

Hopefully I’ll have good news.

Best wishes, Sora