Because I neglected to mention these things before, I'll do so now. For one, updates will come every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. For another, no, Ash will not be bringing reserves but Greninja along. I need to develop a whole new team, and I can't do that with a bunch of them there. Now, enough talk. Time for Chapter 2!

Chapter 2

An Island

Serena stirred, feeling something heavy in her lap as she did so. The sound of loud droning and a muted mutter invaded her ears, still slightly ringing from all the time they had spent in the air. Opening her mouth a little to try and alleviate the slight ringing, her action turned into a yawn and she realized that she must have been sleeping for quite some time. In fact, blinking a little, she quickly noticed that her head was actually resting upon Ash's shoulder as he stared giddily out the window. Giving a slight groan that went unnoticed, she decided to wake up fully and pulled her head off of Ash's shoulder, realizing that the something heavy was her own bag sitting in her lap. Blinking the sleep away from her eyes, Serena ran a hand through her hair and smiled at the sight of Ash and Pikachu's faces pressed excitedly up against the window.

"Look, Pikachu, those are some huge Pelipper!" Ash exclaimed to his best friend. Serena would have giggled at it, but opted for a small smile as she reached into her bag to pull out her tablet. Pulling up the home screen, a thought struck her: perhaps it wasn't going to work now that they were heading to a new region. Frowning a bit, Serena decided to look up the arrival time. Pressing a few buttons, she managed to pull up a screen that indicated there was less than a half hour until they landed at a place called Hau'oli City. Glad to have some kind of estimate, she closed the tablet and put it back in the bag.

"Rotom, stop that!" Clemont's voice called out suddenly. Ash continued to stare out the window excitedly, but Serena turned to her friend, noticing the inventor was out of his seat. Bonnie and Dedenne, for all their excitement earlier, were fast asleep on their chair, slumping over into where Clemont must have been just moments before.

Blinking her eyes once again, the honey blonde noticed that Clemont was hovering worriedly over a businessman that was staring at his own tablet in surprise. He almost seemed to drop it. "What's this now?"

"I'm so terribly sorry, sir!" Clemont apologized, bowing profusely. The man, dressed in a nice pair of pants, but a very casual floral-patterned shirt, chuckled at the intrusion and seemed to pay no mind. "Rotom is extremely energetic and loves electrical devices. And I'm not its trainer, so…"

"It's no bother young man," the business man chuckled out. He turned his tablet a little, and Serena could see Rotom's face peeking out of it with a laugh. "It's a rather excitable one. I'm sure it'll enjoy all of the great devices we have in Alola."

"Roto-to-to-to!" Rotom laughed out, leaving Clemont exasperated. Serena watched a moment longer as the businessman seemed to tell Clemont not to worry and instead let Rotom stay with him until the plane landed. Clemont looked reluctant, but sighed in agreement. It seemed to Serena that Rotom had been consistently doing this through the plane ride (though given that no stewardess was near them, it meant that Rotom hadn't played with the controls of the plane).

Serena turned back in her seat towards Ash. "Having fun, you two?"

"It's awesome!" Ash exclaimed, turning back in his seat to face her. Pikachu also managed to remove his face from the window to look at her. She laughed lightly at that; no matter what age Ash might have just turned, seeing new Pokémon and experiencing new things with excitement never changed about him. She really loved that. "Not that we've seen anything new yet…"

"Pika…" Pikachu said, nodding lightly, as though saddened by their current state of development.

"Well, I'm sure you will soon," Serena stated. "We can't be far now."

"Yay! A new region!" Bonnie suddenly shouted from her seat across the aisle. Clemont and Dedenne both looked startled by her outburst, jumping a little. She seemed to have woken up, full of energy and more than ready to start their new adventure. Clemont quickly scolded her just as the light overhead went on, and the captain's voice echoed in the cabin.

"Passengers, please remain seated. We are now beginning our landing in Hau'oli City!" the captain called out. At this, Ash once more pressed his face against the window excitedly.

"Serena, you've gotta see this!" he said. Deciding to oblige her boyfriend, Serena leaned over his body and looked out the window. It was certainly a sight to behold. The plane was descending, and drawing ever closer to the eye was an island. In fact, it soon turned out that Alola was a whole chain of islands to her knowledge. They, however, were heading for one of the smaller ones, decorated with forests and sandy beaches. She felt her heartbeat speed up with the thrill of excitement.

"It looks amazing!" she cried out at the sight. The ocean waves, even from their distance, lapped against the shore as Wingull flew past their plane. Feeling the full brunt of their upcoming adventure, all the new Pokémon and people they'd meet, Serena brought herself back from Ash and prepared for their landing. Making sure everything in her bag was set, she held onto it. "Why don't you make sure you have everything ready, Ash?"

"Good idea," he noted, quickly unzipping his bag. Pikachu peered in with him and they both agreed that everything was good to go. Her boyfriend's leg started to jitter, which only increased as the plane touched down upon the runway. In mere moments, it had pulled to a stop. Somehow, the two of them shared the same mind as both Ash and Serena stood, ready for the adventure ahead. Around them, the other passengers were a little more lethargic. Once more, the bell rang and the captain spoke once again.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Alola Region! Enjoy your stay in Hau'oli City!"

"Yes! Let's go, Pikachu! Serena!" Ash quickly took her hand and began bustling right out of the plane excitedly. Serena used her free hand to tamp her straw hat down as she turned to Bonnie and Clemont. Bonnie was already up and moving, gathering her bag and racing ahead of her brother.

"Hurry up, Clemont! We've got lots of new and cute Pokémon to see!" she chided him. Ash was turning now, still attached to her hand as he did so.

"I'm coming, Bonnie. Just hold on!" Clemont shouted, making sure to grab anything that could have been left behind. Then he was racing after his sister quickly as Serena was pulled out of the airplane and on to the stairs. A blast of sun impacted her eyes and she dipped her hat a bit to shield it from the bright Alola sun. The first thing she heard upon descending the airplane ramp was the sound of the surf lapping against the sands, and, looking up, she could see some palm trees whispering in the winds. The rest of the city wasn't visible, given their position in the airport, but it certainly didn't stop Ash's excitement from overflowing.

"Hello, Alola!" Ash screamed proudly, letting go of her hand to stretch his arms high towards the sky. A breeze rustled past them, warming Serena's exposed skin. "Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town is finally here!"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu called out alongside his trainer. Serena giggled again at his enthusiasm. Another warm breeze blew past all of them and Serena looked up to see a flock of bird Pokémon that she didn't recognize fly past.

"Oh, they look so cute!" Bonnie cheered, stamping her feet up and down in joy. Dedenne chattered away on her head, sharing his caretaker's boundless excitement.

"What kind of Pokémon are they?" Ash asked, and though his back was to Serena while they moved away, in order to let more passengers off the plane, she could tell his grin was as wide as it could get. She was actually glad that he had decided to go on another journey (and take her with, of course); it was just the thing he needed after the very emotional events in Kalos. No, it was something we all needed, she said to herself, her mind briefly remembering the moment of holding herself on the rain drenched field. She shook her head, and the memories with them. "Let's follow them, Pikachu! We'll explore the city!"

"Ash, don't split from the group!" Serena chided him. He and Pikachu were caught mid-step, turning around to smile at her sheepishly. He rubbed the back of his head. Yet Serena could also see the pure inquisitiveness and curiosity that made Ash, himself, yearning to take over. She sighed a little. "Fine, have some fun, but make sure we meet at the Pokémon Center in an hour, okay? We don't want to be too separated on our first day in the region."

"Got it! Love you! Let's go, Pikachu!" With little more than that, Ash and Pikachu were off tearing through the airport, apologizing to a lady they had closely avoided. Rolling her eyes with amusement, Serena turned back to Bonnie and Clemont, who were standing near the man with the tablet from earlier. Making sure her straps were tight on her backpack, she approached the group.

"Thank you for letting Rotom hang around," Clemont was saying to the man with a slight chuckle. At his words, Rotom seemed to decide that its fun was over. It popped out of the man's tablet with some sparks and then circled around Clemont's head before seemingly embedding itself into his bag, where it laid dormant for the time being.

"It's no problem at all," the man said, waving away the situation. "Like I said, we Alolans are in harmony with nature and Pokémon. A little Rotom like that is commonplace."

"Oh, then you're returning home?" Serena asked. The man crinkled his eyes a bit and then smiled at her.

"Back on a business trip from Saffron City," the man said. He reached into the pocket on his shirt and pulled out a card, handing it over to Serena. "You look like a fashion conscious girl. Why don't you stop by my clothing store? I recently received word that we're having a special guest there today."

"Oh, thank you very much!" Serena noted, looking down at the business card to find it was for the owner of a shop named "Hau'oli Fashion" complete with a little map that led to its location. "Um…if you don't mind, do you also know where the Pokémon Center is?"

"Ha ha, why don't you kids just come with me. I'll show you around the city," the man said. He reached into his bag and pulled out a pair of sunglasses that he put on. "Name's Haku, by the way."

"I'm Serena," the honey-blonde offered as the four of them began to make their way towards the airport exit. For a brief moment, having not caught sight of Ash, she hoped he'd be able to make his way to the Pokémon Center without getting too lost, but Haku was pulling them along towards a receptionist before she could dwell on it.

"My name's Bonnie, and this is Dedenne!" Bonnie introduced herself, Dedenne joining her before curling up into a ball on her head.

"My name's Clemont. Pleasure to meet you officially, Mr. Haku." Haku laughed and continued on his way up to the receptionist before turning to Serena.

"Miss Serena, you have a tablet I suppose? With a map function?" he asked and Serena could see his hazel eyes staring kindly at her. Choosing not to answer verbally, Serena dug in her bag and once more took her tablet out, handing it over to Haku as he rotated his body to face the receptionist. "Alola!"

"Alola!" the receptionist replied. Serena blinked before realizing that the name of the region must have been used as a customary greeting between people. "How can I help you today, Mr. Haku?"

"Just a map upgrade," Haku told her, handing over the tablet. He seemed to wink at the receptionist, who giggled a little. At that, Serena arched an eyebrow; she got the sudden feeling that Haku was a man who very much liked to flirt with the receptionist. Said receptionist took her tablet and appeared to plug it into something. After a few seconds, there was beeping and she took the tablet back out. Haku grabbed it and handed it back over to Serena. She instantly began pressing buttons on the screen and was surprised as she suddenly found all the information she could ever want about the Alola region fluttering around her screen. Bonnie jammed herself up against her and took a look at it.

"Looks like the Pokémon Center is right down the road," the lemon blonde said happily. Clemont nodded, heaving his backpack on his shoulders a little and wiping his brow. He must have been sweating profusely, Serena thought, no doubt due to his heavy bag and jumpsuit.

"Why don't I head there and let the League know that I've arrived safely? You told Ash to meet there in an hour, right?" Clemont asked. Serena opted for merely nodding to confirm just what he had said. Adjusting his glasses a bit, he smiled and began making his way for the exit from the airport. "Take care of Bonnie, Serena! Have fun!"

"You too, big brother!" Bonnie shouted out, drawing a little attention from those around them. Clemont didn't pick up the pace, but vanished into the crowds at the airport before long. A chiming sound was heard, calling for a boarding to the Unova region, but Serena ignored it in favor of turning to Haku, who was still busy flirting with the receptionist a moment longer. He finished it up, however, and turned to the two females.

"Well, ladies, shall we?" he asked with a wink. Clutching his tablet and briefcase in his hands (which, incidentally, it seemed that was all he was carrying) Haku began leading them out of the airport, his white hair shimmering under the lights until they broke out into the full view of Hau'oli City's sun-drenched sights.

"Ah!" Bonnie cried with the giddiest expression imaginable, running forward towards a railing that appeared to separate the airport from the beach below. Serena quickly joined her, glad that she had a hat to block out the intense heat of the sun. Bonnie was squinting a little at the brightness, and Serena had a sudden idea for when they got to Haku's shop. For the moment, however, she watched with Bonnie as a few unfamiliar Pokémon leapt from the water in a coordinated pattern. It looked like a performance to Serena's eyes, but she was forced to avert her gaze as Haku was already leading them away.

"Come on, Bonnie. We can look at all the Pokémon when we're all together, okay?" she said to the younger girl.

"Okay," she said back and the two quickly trailed after Haku, who was strolling leisurely down the streets of the city, greeting some people with a hearty "Alola!" as he went along. Following after him, Serena could take in all the sights of the softly swaying palm trees with the almost-resort styled homes and shops in the area. It was really a thing of beauty to her. The people around them all seemed relaxed too, enjoying their time on a stroll with their Pokémon.

"There's a lot that you'll find in Hau'oli City," Haku spoke out, drawing Serena's attention to the older man. "Hau'oli is the biggest city…well, really only city on Melemele Island."

"What are the other islands like? Are there lots of cute Pokémon?" Bonnie asked energetically. Serena had to stop her from practically bouncing up and down in the street at the thought of it.

"There are plenty of cute Pokémon," Haku assured her with a wink. Taking Bonnie's hand carefully, Serena continued them along the path after Haku, catching a glimpse of the large pokeball sign that signified a Pokémon Center. As the three of them passed by it, Serena definitely caught a glimpse of Clemont inside, though she couldn't see who was on the screen he was talking to. "But besides that, we've got plenty of fun attractions. I own the best clothing store on the island. There's a salon, a shopping mall if that's your thing. We even have a Pokémon school near the outskirts. Are you transfer students?"

"Nope! We're going on an adventure!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"Dedene!"

"Ha ha, well, that sounds like quite a bit of fun," Haku said, his entire chest moving a little with his booming laugh. "Whereabouts are all of you from?"

"Well, Ash is from Kanto, obviously," Serena informed the man with a smile, moving up to keep in stride with him as they rounded a corner. The three of them were passing by a café now with a number of people sitting outside it and chatting amicably. Some were in couples, or groups, while others were on their own. One of them was sitting quite comfortably by himself as he tossed what looked like some beans to a strange and unfamiliar Pokémon before brushing his blond hair out of his eyes. He paid little attention to anyone around him, but Serena figured that it just meant Alola was as diversified as the other regions.

"You talk as though you're not."

"No, the rest of us are from Kalos," Serena told him. "Ash met us all while we traveled there and it's been quite the adventure."

"I see, I see…and you and Ash…?" Serena, despite having been dating for sixth months, couldn't help the blush as she nodded. Haku laughed again, even more jovially than before. He quickly changed topics after. "Kalos, huh? Our captain, Ilima, studied there about a year or two ago. In Lumiose City."

"That's where I'm from!" Bonnie chirped happily. Serena, however, had a much different question on her mind.

"Captain?" Haku carried a twinkle in his eyes at the question, but didn't answer as they arrived outside the glass doors of what looked like a little boutique. Well, "little" was hardly the term she would use given how large the customer base seemed from just a glance. In lieu of responding, he pushed the doors open and strode right inside, acting like the owner of the place that he was.

"I'm back, Launa!" the man called. Some of the store's patrons looked around wildly while others continued on with their shopping. Serena looked around instantly for who the man could be calling for and noticed a young woman wearing a rather loose-fitting top waving at him lazily from behind a counter. "Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

"Miss Akela arrived," Launa called over to him. Haku nodded, walking over to the counter and placing his briefcase upon it. "Everything go well in Saffron City, Mr. Haku?"

"Well enough. Saffron Textiles has reduced their payment required," Haku chuckled out. Serena and Bonnie hung back, the latter glancing around the store in interest. It was certainly a colorful array of shirts, pants and dresses that could catch anyone's eyes. However, Serena's mind was more focused on the name that Launa had just dropped.

Miss Akela…she mused in her brain. The name sounded incredibly familiar to her, but she just couldn't seem to place it. Hoping that the store could maybe help her obtain some kind of clue, she continued to look around the place. The name kept mulling over her brain, but she was unable to get any sort of clue as to where she'd heard it before. "Guests of yours, Mr. Haku?"

"Oh," Haku said, turning back around with a grin as he took his sunglasses off. "Serena, Bonnie, it's been a pleasure meeting you. Feel free to browse the store, and anything you see that would be a nice fit, just tell Launa here. On the house. Oh, and welcome to Alola!"

"Alola," Launa greeted the pair, obviously realizing that they were newcomers to the region. Serena turned to the amethyst-haired cashier with her own smile.

"A-Alola," she responded. Haku gave them one more twinkling smile before opening the counter up and stepping behind it to head into the backroom. Serena watched them a moment, especially as Launa returned to looking rather bored.

"Serena," Bonnie said, tugging on the hem of her shirt. Serena looked to her little-sister-figure inquisitively. "Can we go shopping? I want a big floppy hat."

"Sure, but don't run off without me. You and Dedenne, both," Serena insisted. Bonnie nodded and ran off to a children's section of the store to look at some of the hats there. Serena, likewise, stepped over to a row of one piece dresses in solid and bright colors. The thought of where she'd heard the name "Akela" before kept interrupting in her mind and she placed a hand to her chin in contemplation.

"That…is a really awesome pose!" called an excited voice. Serena blinked and turned, wondering just who the voice was talking to. "Hold that position for me, please?"

"Um, excuse me?" Serena asked, finally turning to see a younger girl, probably no more than fourteen years old, gazing up at her with her fingers boxed like she was filming a movie. The girl looked extremely energetic, her black hair messily and lightly tied up in a ponytail, wisps of it falling in front of her eyes. She broke her box in order to tuck the strands of hair back. "W-were you talking to me?"

"Yeah, are you some kind of model?" the girl asked, now hitching her bag on one of her shoulders. Serena almost laughed at that, but shook her head. "You should be. You'd look great on television or in a movie."

"Uh, thank you for the compliment," Serena admitted, giggling just a little.

"She's right, you know," Launa said lazily. Serena once more turned to now find the girl flicking through a magazine. "Your clothing is top notch. Probably up there with Miss Akela's brands. And she's the best designer in all of Alola, maybe even the world."

"Oh!" Serena said, clapping her hands together in sudden realization. Finally, it clicked in her brain where she had heard of Miss Akela before. In fact, she wanted to kick herself for not recognizing it sooner. All those hours poring over fashion magazines with Dawn, it must have passed right by her. "You're talking about Miss Akela, of Akela Apparel?"

"Who else would we be talking about?" Launa stated with a laugh. "She's only one of the most famous people in Alola…other than the captains and Kahunas, that is." The latter two words flew completely over Serena's head, but hearing that such a famous fashion designer was close by excited her quite a bit. The black-haired girl stepped forward, her green irises shining brightly.

"I'm so looking forward to meeting her!" she shouted excitedly. "I always wanted to meet Miss Akela. When I become a self-director and producer of my very own film, I want to shine on the screen just like her!"

"You've got a long way to go if you want to reach Miss Akela," Launa snarked out, almost snickering at the aspiring girl. Said girl stopped her eye shimmering and puffed her cheeks out in defiance. It only lasted a moment before a woman stepped out from the backroom.

She needed no introduction. This had to be Miss Akela. It was all too obvious: the woman had practically porcelain skin, perfectly tanned. Her long, purple hair flowed down her back in beautiful tresses before being tied up at the end. On top of it, she was wearing a stunning, yet entirely practical, white dress that flowed around the knees and was tied around the waist with a thin, but attractive, red belt. More than that, however, Serena realized that her blue eyes conveyed what Serena had only seen before in Aria: a sense of grace and nobility not usually seen. This woman was more than just some fashion designer, and Serena could instantly tell that.

Unfortunately, she could also tell that she was very close to what would soon become the target for a rampaging stampede.

"What's this you're talking about, Launa?" Miss Akela said, adjusting the sunglasses that were sitting just above her eyes. "Not putting people down for having dreams, are we? Don't forget that I started out working with my very own Fomantis in the back of a storage shed in Malie City before attending the school here on Melemele. I dreamed, and now I'm here, supporting an important industry without even a main corporate office."

"Just keeping some realism, ma'am," Launa said, but seemed to have the thought to look ashamed. Akela frowned a bit at the woman, taking the sunglasses from her head and placing them inside the front of her dress, dipping into her cleavage. Her head turned to look at Serena and the girl next to her, a smile now resting on her lips, and she appeared to freeze for a fraction of a second. Serena didn't relent from the gaze, but instead smiled back. Miss Akela opened her mouth, but was unable to get the words out in time.

"It's her!" squealed a girl from elsewhere in the store. Serena blinked, breaking whatever connection there was there and quickly backed up. It proved to be just in time, too, as a sudden flood of people, boys and girls alike, all swarmed towards Miss Akela. The girl that had been standing next to Serena remained there was well, pulling out a big pad of paper that looked to have some sort of weird framing shots on them.

Not wanting to be caught in the crush of the crowd, Serena retreated over to the men's section of the store, located right on the border of the women's. Not looking precisely where she was going, Serena suddenly bumped into someone. "Oh, I'm so sorry!"

"No, it's okay," responded a voice. Serena whipped around at it, to find that she had bumped into a girl, roughly her age, or perhaps a year younger, staring at the row of dresses absentmindedly. She couldn't understand why, though: the girl was fairly beautiful as she was now, and her own clothing was perfect. Her white dress made her seem very posh and rich, coming down to around the same area her own skirt did. Likewise, she was wearing stockings, though these were white, and situated on her head was a big, white hat, concealing her braided blonde locks. Smiling at the girl just briefly, she turned to look at the massive crowd.

"She's very popular, isn't she?"

"I guess…" The girl seemed very reticent in her answer, like she didn't want to speak with Serena. "I'm sorry, I have to go."

"O…kay…" Serena commented, only able to watch as the girl dashed from the store, her large bag bouncing against her hip. The honey blonde chalked it up to simply another event in the Alola region.

"Serena! I found my hat!" Bonnie suddenly called, skipping through the store (all while moving some other crowding customers aside) to reach her. Contained in Bonnie's hands was a hat similar to the one that Serena had just seen on the girl that departed. Only, instead of being plain, she could see a flower decoration tucked into the pink ribbon around the pale-colored hat. The younger girl put it on top of her head and grinned. "Doesn't it look great?"

"It does! Though let's wait until the crowd clears to purchase it," Serena pointed out, looking for a place to sit as the customers in the store all worked to gather Miss Akela's autograph. To Serena's surprise, Bonnie didn't ask who the woman was, or even seemingly thought of asking her to keep Clemont. In some way, it reminded Serena of how quickly Bonnie had grown up in Kalos. They all had. Some days she didn't notice it but there were times, like now, when she had nothing to think about, that the reminder entered her brain.

After fifteen minutes of waiting around, Serena looked at the clock in the store to see that it was almost time for them to be getting to the Pokémon Center. The crowds had barely thinned, but with little time left, the Performer stood and walked with Bonnie towards Launa. The crowd didn't seem to want them to pass, but after a few "excuse me"s and "pardon"s, the two girls were able to finally approach the older girl to check out.

"Very stylish," she commented on Bonnie's headwear. "Let me just ring it up for our records. And sorry for all the commotion. Miss Akela is a busy, popular woman."

"A fulfilling passion," Akela spoke out and Serena looked over to the violet haired woman. She finished signing a young boy's napkin and turned to face Serena with a rather discerning look. Now that they were so close, Serena could see how defined her features were; not haughty or condescending, but still very pointed, with a prominent cheekbone. It was like she was piercing her with her gaze. "What's your passion, my dear?"

"Serena wants to be Kalos Queen!" Bonnie answered as Launa finished ringing up her hat. To this, Akela inclined her head.

"Ambitious. I traveled Kalos, once, many years ago. A title of royalty is not one to achieve lightly," she noted. "Though, I must ask then…why are you here?"

"I'm…" Serena paused a moment, wondering how to best phrase the answer. "I'm here to grow and fulfill my dream by bringing happiness to others." It was a vague answer at best, and certainly garnered a look of skepticism from Launa while Akela shifted to peer at her more closely.

"An even more lofty goal…you've certainly set your path on a steep road," Akela commented. Serena had the distinct feeling that were Akela free from the constricting bindings of the counter, she would have been walking around her. "Yes…I think she'd do just fine."

"For what?" Launa asked, but Akela didn't answer. She continued watching Serena, who just stared right back. Miss Akela's eyes were sharp, as if daring her to try something. To search for something.

"My dear, what's your name?" Akela asked, a small smirk coming to her lips. Serena answered. Her smirk turned to a challenging smile. "Well, Serena, I'm intrigued."

"By what?" Before she answered, Akela dug into her dress and pulled out a card. Only, when Serena caught it, she discovered that it wasn't a business card, but an invitation of sorts. "I want to see you walk the road of the Ali'i ka Leilani. See your dream at the end."

"Excuse me?" Serena asked. Her mind was whirling, confused over what was going on. Her eyes were on the card in her hand, but she couldn't make sense of it in her current state. All she heard was Miss Akela's laugh. All she really saw was Launa's confused expression. And if she didn't understand the woman's words, there was no way Serena would. The older woman reached out and patted Serena on the shoulder.

"Let me know what you discover, Miss Serena. I look forward to seeing you at the Leilani Ceremony!" Serena blinked as the violet-haired woman suddenly excused herself from the groans of disappointment and retreated away. The Leilani Ceremony…Aria mentioned something like that…Confusion slowly replaced itself with understanding, and Serena's hand shook with excitement that she couldn't stop. Miss Akela's words had been confusing, and all too blunt and abrupt, but holding the card in her hands, she felt she was about to step foot on another adventure. She wasn't just following after Ash again, but moving forward side by side. The details for what the Leilani Ceremony and the Ali'i ka Leilani were could come later.

"Serena," Bonnie suddenly hissed, and Serena followed Bonnie's hand to see her pointing at the clock.

"Oh! Thank you for everything, Launa. Tell Mr. Haku we appreciated his help, but we have to go!" Serena insisted, taking hold of Bonnie's hand as they began to leave the store. The black haired girl from earlier perked up as she passed by, but Serena was in too much of a hurry.

"No problem! Alola!"

"Alola!" Serena cried without thinking, and then she and Bonnie were back on the streets of Hau'oli.

"Whoa, look at that, Pikachu!" Ash commented, running down the streets of Hau'oli City. Pikachu clung to his vest in excitement, likewise staring at everything they passed by. "That's a new Pokémon!"

"Grub?" the Pokémon in question asked, turning to Ash. Ash stopped to observe it a moment, the little one's pincers clicking a little. After a moment, it seemed to decide that Ash was rather uninteresting and it burrowed quickly under the ground.

"Wow! So awesome!" Ash said, gripping his fists with excitement. He looked up a little more and saw the same flying Pokémon he had seen in the airport go to rest in a palm tree with some berries. A little further down the road, Ash could see some other Pokémon nibbling at a loose berry on the ground. Breathing in the ocean air, Ash couldn't help the giddy smile from stretching his face. He simply felt so free.

"Pikapi! Pika chu…" Pikachu suddenly said in what sounded like utter amazement. Ash lowered his gaze from the birds in the tree to the sight of a woman walking with…a Meowth? Only, it didn't quite look like a Meowth (and that was something he knew from experience). Drawing closer, he squinted at it, wondering if he was seeing things.

"Meow?"

"What's wrong Meowmeow?" asked the woman, clutching at her purse. She seemed to notice Ash staring at her Meowth and she clucked her tongue a little, drawing his attention. "Alola, young man."

"Oh…uh, Alola?" Ash said, not completely sure if he was saying the right thing, but judging from the fact that the woman smiled at him, he figured he was okay. "Sorry…just, your Meowth looks so different."

"You're not from Alola are you, dear?" the woman asked with a jovial laugh. Ash shook his head, but put his focus on the woman. "Well, then you must feel very confused. Our Meowth aren't like other regions'. Couldn't exactly tell you why but…"

"That's awesome!" Ash said happily. Sure, he didn't have any explanation for why Meowth looked so different, its fur a gray color and its eyes even more sly looking than Team Rocket's, but he still found it to be fascinating. Though, there was one other question on his mind. "Oh, do you know where the Pokémon Center is? I'm supposed to meet my friends there."

"Ah, yes, it's the big red building down that street near the airport. Can't miss it."

"Thanks!" Ash said, and Pikachu likewise returned the thanks before they took off again. Ash turned his gaze in the direction of the Pokémon Center, now able to see it from where he was. He really wondered how he had missed it…though it wasn't like he was paying attention. Regardless, he took off at a run again. "I guess we probably shouldn't have left Serena behind, huh?"

"Pikapi…" Pikachu scolded him, shaking his head. Ash laughed a little. Running down the street, seeing the new Pokémon, wanting to catch one of them, it was the only thing on his mind the second he had arrived in the city. It wasn't like he wanted to avoid time with Serena, but being in a new region, with new things…it simply got his blood pumping.

"Ah, well, at least she understood, right? When we meet up, I bet we'll have lots of great stories to tell!" Ash told his partner. Pikachu nodded in agreement with that one as they rounded a corner. A café was sitting ahead and Ash could smell some delicious pastries in the air. He thought of getting one for his grumbling stomach, but chose to put it off; no doubt Serena would make something later, and he'd rather save himself for that. He was, however, forced to pull to a stop as a bright light shined at the waist of his belt. Skidding to a stop, Greninja emerged from his pokeball, looking alert.

"Nin," he said simply. Ash blinked before staring at his trusted Water type.

"What's wrong, Greninja?" Ash asked. There was a sudden and brief twinge in his mind, like they were connecting, but not. Greninja had sensed something; some sort of danger. "Right, show us the way."

"Ninja!" Greninja agreed and he ran off, leading them towards another street. Ash ran right after him as fast as he could, nearly knocking into the blond boy that was sitting at a table outside. He apologized as the boy stared at him, before he pelted down the road after Greninja. Pikachu leapt from his shoulder to run alongside him and keep pace. Before long, Pikachu's ears appeared to twitch.

"Pi!" he cried, and Ash could sense they were getting close. Well…it was more like he heard they were growing close. Rushing past a pair of men that were chatting on the street (or he thought they were…one of them looked a little feminine), Ash hopped a little and ran full throttle after Greninja, only stopping when his Pokémon did.

"No! You're mean bullies! I won't let you have Pichu, meanies!" a little girl was yelling. Not that Ash could see her, as she was obscured by a trio of what looked like thugs, dressed in absolutely ridiculous black getup. In front of them were more Pokémon that Ash had never seen before.

"Pichu!" Pichu cried.

"Yo, you ain't the boss of us, little girl!" one of the thugs said and Ash couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. It reminded him of the two brothers they'd met outside the Battle Chateau.

"Now hand over that Pichu, or we're gonna have to get serious, yo!" another said, this one a little more heavyset than the previous one.

"No!" the girl refused, and through a gap in the thugs, Ash could see the girl taunting them by pulling at her eye and sticking her tongue out. "Pichu, Thunder Shock!"

"Pichu!" Pichu cried out again, only this time, it was accompanied by a small spark that zapped the third of the thugs, sending him dropping to the floor. He twitched, and it was almost comical, if not for the situation.

"Yo! You gonna pay for that!"

"That's our bro, yo!"

"Hey, cut it out!" Ash finally yelled. Pikachu and Greninja crouched a little, each ready to battle. The thugs turned around, and Ash finally got a glimpse of their faces…or at least as much as he could: they were covered on the lower half by bandannas. "Leave her alone."

"Yo, this punk wants to pick a fight with us."

"Let's show him how bad Team Skull can be, yo!" Ash narrowed his eyes at the guy's statement. Team Skull? he mused to himself, but realized it was no time to dwell on it. "Yungoos, use Bite!"

"Yun!" the Pokémon, evidently a Yungoos, cried out as it ran right for Pikachu.

"Dodge it and use Iron Tail!" Ash commanded, hardly missing a beat. Yungoos' jaw opened wide and he rushed forward, prepared to take a bite out of Pikachu, but he dodged at the last second. His tail glowed a bright white and he brought it swinging around to slam into the Yungoos. Said Pokémon flew back and impacted with the thug who had ordered it, sending him tumbling to the ground.

"Not cool, man…you didn't say you were strong…" he wheezed out. His compatriot looked at him with wide eyes. "Bro…I totally can't go on."

"Hang in there, bro! I'll get revenge! Zubat, use Leech Life!" Ash blinked as the last remaining thug ordered his attack. That would have been completely normal…except for the fact that thug kept making weird arm movements, almost like he was some kind of Pokémon himself (though what kind of Pokémon, he was less sure on). Zubat chittered and flew right for them, its fangs glowing a blood-red.

"Greninja, use Water Shuriken! And Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered, throwing his arm out. Greninja bounced high up, summoning his watery blades while Pikachu gathered electricity in his cheeks.

"Yo, what's up with that? ! Since when can frogs jump so high? !" the thug called out right as Greninja tossed his shuriken. The first one slammed into Zubat, knocking it to his trainer's feet while the second one struck the trainer himself, causing him to double over a little. Seconds later, Pikachu's searing Thunderbolt made contact, electrocuting all three at the same time. "This ain't good! Come on, bros, let's pull back!"

"Roger that!" said the one with the Yungoos, jumping right onto his feet. Both of the thugs grabbed on to their earlier fallen comrade and began to pull him away down the street with surprising speed. Before they left, he turned back. "Yo! Don't forget about us, 'cause we'll be back! We're Team Skull, and we never quit!"

"O…kay…" Ash commented, tilting his head a little, only watching as they disappeared in a dust cloud. Seconds after they were gone, Pikachu hopped up onto his shoulder once more. "Thanks, you guys. Great job."

"Pika!" Pikachu said. After celebrating a little, Pikachu greeted the little Pichu in the girl's arms as Ash kneeled down to her level.

"You okay?" he asked. The girl nodded her head.

"Usually, mommy can take care of those Team Skull guys like nothing, but Pichu isn't very strong yet…" the little girl answered. Ash smiled down at her and reached his hand out to ruffle Pichu's fur.

"Aw, I'm sure he'll be strong in no time, just like Pikachu, here," he told her. The little girl beamed up at him and nodded. "Now, you make sure you get home safe."

"Okay! Thanks!" the little girl cried, and she was soon running down the street. Ash watched her go with some sense of satisfaction, but that same satisfaction soon turned to a frown on his face. Team Skull…I guess there're Pokémon thieves everywhere…

"Oh, well. Not too bad for our first battle in Alola…I guess," Ash laughed out. "Thanks for everything, Greninja."

"Gren," responded the Ninja Pokémon, right before Ash recalled him. Rubbing the back of his head, Ash decided to head for the Pokémon Center. Regardless of how much time was left, he really didn't want to be late when he'd promised Serena he'd be there. Breathing in a little, he turned around and started in the direction he'd come from, only to stop short.

"Not a bad battle."

"Thanks?" Ash said. Before him was a boy; a rather familiar one. It took him a second, but he finally realized that the boy was the one he had seen at the café just a few moments ago. More importantly, though, was the Pokémon next to him. It was beyond unusual, with clawed feet, a gray body and what looked like a rusted face mask. If Ash was honest, he thought it was one of the coolest Pokémon he'd ever seen, even if it was eyeing him with what he assumed was an unpleasant expression. "Uh…you are?"

"How about your next opponent?" the boy said, bringing his hand up to his face. Now that he had the chance, Ash could see the boy's features, from his strikingly green eyes to his blond hair that was styled so a large fringe of it dangled over one side of his face. He was tossing a pokeball up and down in the air, while his partner hunkered down, as if ready to battle. It brought into sharp relief the state of his clothes: entirely black clothing that was ripped and torn in places, with only a red pack at his waist appearing to be undamaged. "Your Greninja and Pikachu look strong. So, what do you say?"

"Sounds like a deal to me! How do we want to do this?" Ash said, putting his fist up in acceptance of the challenge. Pikachu leapt forward, landing on the ground and looking up fiercely into the eyes of the new Pokémon.

"How's three-on-three sound? That way, we can really test each other," the boy said, a slight smirk on his face as his free hand moved up, clenching his fingers and brushing some of his bangs aside. Ash stopped, and then his shoulders sagged. The boy looked at him curiously.

"Uh…I don't have three Pokémon on me," he chuckled out. "Sorry…I just got here, so…"

The boy stopped tossing his pokeball, watching Ash for just a second longer. He looked disappointed, a fact which seeped into his following sigh. "Of course…you finally find a trainer who's strong and he just happens to only have two Pokémon."

"We could still go one-on-one. Pikachu against your…uh…" Ash wasn't sure what to call it, and he looked to the boy for answers. The boy didn't give him one right away. Pikachu looked back at Ash curiously, like he did want to battle, but didn't know what to make of the situation.

"Don't bother," the boy finally sighed out, jerking his head down the way he came. "Let's go, Null. There's bound to be someone on this island we can battle with our full strength."

"Hey, we can still battle!" Ash called out to the boy, who was now suddenly turning his back to him. Said boy stopped a moment and then turned back with a disappointed look on his face.

"Maybe another time. I don't want to waste my time if all my Pokémon can't get stronger battling," the boy answered, and before Ash could get another word in edgewise, he was walking off. Ash thought about yelling after him, watching the boy disappear behind the two men from earlier that were now walking in his own direction, but thought better of it. Folding his arms a little, Ash thought about the brief encounter.

"That was weird, huh, Pikachu?" Ash asked. Pikachu returned to his shoulder, looking just as put out as his trainer, in order to nod. "I mean, he just showed up and left…whoever he was."

"Pika…" Pikachu agreed, nodding sagely. Ash continued to frown with his folded arms. Soon, the strangeness turned to keen disappointment. He had actually wanted to battle the guy! Still, the guy had a point.

"Oh well, if we run into him again, we'll just make sure to have another partner, right?"

"Chu!" Pikachu agreed. Setting his mind on catching his first Pokémon in Alola before they met with the trainer, or indeed, any other trainer, Ash pumped his legs forward, determined to return to the Pokémon Center. He hoped Serena hadn't beaten him there yet; he didn't want her to worry that he was lost or something (which, he realized with some sweat, was very possible in a new locale).

"All right, let's get going!"

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried out and they picked up their speed, running right towards the still slowly walking men from earlier. One of them raised his hand, as if in greeting. Ash raised his own hand to greet the man back as he ran on.

"Alola, cousin!" Ash suddenly stopped, tripping over his feet, only to be caught by the same man's hand. "Whoa, there, sorry to startle you!"

"C-cousin?" Ash blurted out, the surprise over the all too odd statement catching him off guard. Righting himself, Ash looked at the man who had said it, and in just a few seconds, had decided this man was most definitely not his cousin. "Um…do I know you?"

"Not at all!" the man said, grinning at him. Ash breathed in relief; at least he wasn't crazy. Feeling a little better about his sanity and relations, Ash looked at the two men that had now stopped. The one that had caught him was a younger man, probably the age of his mother or younger, wearing a hat and green shades. More odd than that was the open lab coat that exposed his upper chest. The man next to him was far more conservative in his state of dress, though his pink hair happened to throw Ash off a little bit.

"Oh…okay, then," Ash finally chuckled out after his initial assessment of the two of them. "Thanks for catching me, but I gotta get going!"

"Whoa, whoa, no rush, cousin!" the lab coat man said. Ash frowned a little; he really didn't want to keep the others waiting. "We just wanted to talk."

"Oh…well, then, why don't you come with me? I gotta get to the Pokémon Center and meet my friends!" Ash suggested. Pikachu also seemed to agree with this notion. Lab Coat Man looked to his companion, clearly a soft-spoken man, who simply shrugged.

"Sure thing, Ash. We've got lots to talk about, after all!" Lab Coat Man said with a grin. Ash, who had been prepared to step off, halted his movements and turned to the man, feeling both suspicious and slightly creeped out.

"Okay…are you sure I don't know you? 'Cause the last time someone I didn't know, knew me by name…" He trailed off, his thoughts and memories flashing back to his father in the stadium hallways. Lab Coat Man laughed before extending his hand out, his eyes sparkling effervescently.

"Right, sorry. Name's Kukui, cousin. Professor Oak and Champion Diantha gave me a call, said a strong trainer with a Greninja and a Pikachu would be showing up, and then you came along," the man, Kukui, said. Ash looked at his hand a moment, now feeling a little better about the man knowing his name; if it had come from two people he knew, then the man had to be a good person. Smiling, he reached forward and clasped his hand in greeting. "Been looking for you, Ash Ketchum, so I'm glad we could meet this quickly, even if it was a totally wild chance!"

"Same here, I think," Ash laughed out. For a moment, he completely forgot about getting to the Pokémon Center. And when Kukui leaned in and asked his next question, all thoughts of it flew out the window, replaced by his insatiable sense of curiosity.

"Then how would you like to take part in the Island Trials?"

Author's Note: A lot happened in this chapter…again. But it set up a lot! Our heroes have arrived in Alola, Ash has had a (hilarious) encounter with Team Skull, and met a mysterious boy with a mysterious Pokémon as well as Kukui. Meanwhile, Serena met Miss Akela and two other girls. What's Clemont up to? More on that next chapter. Now, you're probably wondering just why I had the gang split up right upon arrival. Two reasons: 1) Ash is super curious and energetic and would totally run off on his own and 2) it would have seemed weird for everyone to be there for everything. I only hope it all flowed naturally. I tried to make it so.

Regardless, I hope you all enjoyed this first taste of Alola, because next chapter I really start to ramp it up in terms of the plot!

For now, let me thanks those people who supported the first chapter (there's a lot, so bear with me): Aaaaaaab7, Anon9421, Armorshippingfan, Citylover96, Dazzling-Moonblast, InazumaVJ, JJMAN65, Joshua Ketchum, Kevin the Amourshipper, Lightning57, Lightningblade49, Little White Comet, MossDeepThinker, Nightshock5, RogueClyde, Sapphiria, TheSilverScrub, ameyab97, antheys17, boomingmaster, jlogan2748, matthewzelesky, migal33080, skyjadeprincess, sunny1234, sunshineisdelicious and thegirlwholived91 for favoriting; 5522, DrkMgcn, Elemental-Aura, Emperor Menthos, Envy20, GunnersFan55, JCW18, MyNoseAgreesWithMe, RebellingDeath, Taks0708, dillonsoma, liyve, penguy and silvergraybluegreen for following; and, naturally, the super huge thanks for these people, including StreetRacer-Sam, BlazingEdge, AdvancedAlto, Tawny779, Nexxus176, aliensinnoh, AmourshippingCanon, Leaflame, FantasyLover88, MrmarioRBLX, potat lasaro, InfiniteImmunity, Tenzalucard123, CommanderAwesome3, The Wind God of the Leaf, Cottonmouth25, Cato Yugi, PandasInMittens, TheEnigmatic97, Djiprad, bossman and 3 guests for reviewing. I'm so glad to have all of you following me on this journey. Until next time, I'd love to see you all Review and Dare to Be Silly.