Time to slowly, but surely, rebuild Lando's team. Upon first venturing out onto Route 2, Lando is assaulted by a female Makuhita, whose multi-hit Arm Thrusts and resistance to PokéBalls nearly snuff out Bam Bigelow. How sad would it be if after all this, some no frills encounter is what does Lando's team in? It would be like the brilliant swordsman Cyrano de Bergerac anticlimactically dying from a flower pot falling on his head rather than via a heroic swashbuckling duel. Luckily, Bam Bigelow prevails and a bashful female Makuhita with the Thick Fat ability is part of the team now. It took forever to think up a name for her. She's a big girl who packs a bigger wallop, so she is WendyWhallop.
One of the side areas off of Route 2 is the Hao' oli Cemetery where people pay respects to their departed pokémon. This is certainly an appropriate place to go, and it counts as a new/distinct area both due to signage and the summary of the pokémon Lando snags there... an impish male Zubat with the Inner Focus ability. This Zubat is named Belfry after the old saying "he's got bats in his belfry" meaning, "he is insane in the brain." The more Lando gets to know Belfry, the more apt his name becomes.
Things are looking up for Lando as he builds up a new team. The losses of Bennie and (especially) Pepper are still fresh wounds, but it's nice to have friends again in WendyWhallop and Belfry. Though Lando still sometimes speculates on what the team would be like if Bennie and Pepper were still around, he wonders if maybe there isn't a lesson to be learned here. You don't know what you have till it's gone? Always seek out the best in your companions, no matter who they are (especially given the random nature of Nuzlocke conscriptions)?
Eh, enough. It's time to stop wallowing at the cemetery and hit the road again. The walk to Verdant Cavern, the site of Captain Ilima's Island Trial, is uneventful, save for making fools out of a pair of Team Skull grunts attempting to bully a berry farmer who's clearly nonplussed by them.
One cool thing about Trial Sites is that they're extensions of the land itself so once a trial is completed, pokémon can be caught there. Hopefully Lando survives the trial so he can add a Verdant Cavern pokémon to the team. But as calm, cool, and collected as Lando seems on the surface, he is worried about this trial as he only has a Litten, a Makuhita, and a Zubat to make the magic happen with. Here's hoping lady luck sides with the gambler again and that he can somehow manipulate the odds to his favor. It's now or never, time to enter Verdant Cavern.
Lando just might be in luck, because he finds a Brick Break TM while traveling off the beaten path in Verdant Cavern and promptly gives it to WendyWhallop. This just might be the gambit Lando needs. Not only that, those bumbling buffoons in Team Skull's attempt to sabotage Lando's Trial completely backfire and they end up helping him, inadvertently. Plus, Bam Bigelow evolves into a Torracat. Lando's feeling lucky tonight!
...And Lando emerges most triumphant against Totem Raticate! In preparation for a powerful Totem, he gives WendyWhallop an X-Attack to hold, and she knocks out Totem Raticate with a single Brick Break. Hail Tapu Koko and the spirits of Bennie and Pepper! This decisive victory will hopefully be a big step in boosting the bashful WendyWhallop's confidence.
Ilima then allows Lando to take the Normalium-Z crystal and to catch pokémon in Verdant Cavern. While making his way out of there, Lando encounters a timid male Rattata with the Hustle ability whom he names Joey in honor of Youngster Joey in Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal and his amazing Rattata, the subject of Joey's daily bragging phone calls.
With a team of four (Bam Bigelow the Torracat, WendyWhallop the Makuhita, Belfry the Zubat, and now Joey the Rattata), Lando is ready to explore Route 3.