Here is chapter two, the last chapter did better than I expected so expect updates about every month or so, because I am currently working on 5 different stories including this one. Anyway, hope you enjoy.

Pokémon: Adventures of Sun and Moon
Chapter 2: Sun vs. Moon

After night had fallen, Moon was all by herself at Kala'e Bay. Popplio was swimming around while Moon lay on her back while staring at the celestial object that she shared her name with. "That boy… Sun was it?" she thought back to when she saw Sun beating Hau. "That girl with the hat said he risked his life to save her Pokémon… Whatever that means… She could have been over exaggerating." She looked to the bracelet on her left wrist. "Still, why did Tapu Lele entrust me with this?" Moon stood up and she approached Popplio who was lying on her back in the water. "Popplio, do you want to train for a moment." Popplio leaped out of the water and stood on her rear flippers as she landed on the sand. "Sun, tomorrow we'll see what you're really made of."

At the same time, Sun was lying on his bed while Litten was lying on the foot of Sun's bed. Sun was looking up to the ceiling thinking about the events of the day. He had so much fun, and met so many nice people. There was Kukui who got Sun acquainted with Alola, Hala who was the Kahuna, Hau who he had his first battle with, and then there was Lillie the first person he met in Alola aside from Kukui. Though he was curious about Nebby, why couldn't she just put it in a Pokéball? It certainly beats carrying that big bag around. Maybe he'll ask her when they meet.

And finally there was Moon, she didn't like him for some reason, perhaps his first impression wasn't good enough for her. Regardless, he would be facing her in battle the next day so he had that to look forward to.

There was also that mysterious girl he met; she was definitely… different to say the least. All he knew was there was something more to Eclipse than meets the eye, the same could even be said for Moon.

"What a day…" he said to himself. He heard a couple of knocks on his door. "Oh, come in." Sun's mom walked into the room.

"Sun, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm alright mom."

"Alola is great isn't it?"

"Yeah it certainly is. I think I'm going to like being a Pokémon trainer."

Her mom smiled. "You definitely remind me of your father… he enjoyed Pokémon battling."

Sun gave a curious look to his mother, she never liked talking about his father… so why now? "Uh, you're talking about dad?"

She sighed. "Maybe I'll tell you all about it one day, but seeing your smiling face when you got back earlier, it reminded me of him." she looked at Litten who was sound asleep. "Your Pokémon is so cute, and Meowth likes him too." She stood up to leave the room. "Listen, don't worry about what I said okay. Just focus on having fun okay."

"Yeah, okay Mom." She smiled and closed the door to his room. He lay down on his bed staring at the ceiling before finally succumbing to sleep.

Sun had woken up and was already fully dressed as morning had already passed. He could see his mother outside on the balcony enjoying the sunshine. "Mom, I'm heading out." He announced while he placed his back pack over his shoulders.

"Alright, Sun." she walked in. "Well don't you look ready to take on the world?" she gave him a kiss on the forehead. "Enjoy yourself out there." Sun said as he started to leave the house with Litten.

"I will!" After walking outside, he could feel the warmth of the sun hitting him. "I can see why mom likes the sun so much… That might explain why she named me 'Sun' in the first place." His thoughts soon ended when he saw Kukui walking to him.

"Hey there Sun!" he greeted.

"Hi professor."

"Please, just call me Kukui. So I can see you're up, going to do some training I'll bet, yeah!"

"Well, I thought that I would just drop in and see Hau or Lillie, but training seems good too."

"In that case, then I gotta show you something. Come with me to Route 1!" Kukui started to jog to the East.

"Aren't we already on Route 1?" Sun asked while looking down at Litten. Both of them had a single bead of sweat running down their faces.

"Nya?" Litten tilted his head slightly, also confused by Kukui's words.

Regardless they followed the professor to where they saw a large patches of tall grass. "Hurry it up, cousin!" Kukui exclaimed. "Pretend you're a Pokémon and use your Agility!"

"I don't know if I'm ever going to get used to that… I wonder how Lillie manages to live with this?" he met up with professor Kukui after he and Litten jogged to them.

"So, you must know that in order to become a Pokémon trainer, you must train all kinds of different Pokémon, yeah."

"Uh huh." Sun responded.

"Now that you've got Litten there, you can not only fight wild Pokémon, yeah… you can also try to catch 'em."

"Oh I get it; you're going to teach me how to catch a Pokémon."

"Right you are cousin, so watch carefully 'cause I'm going to show you how to catch a wild Pokémon, all right." Sun stayed behind Kukui and watched as scanned the area for a Pokémon to catch. Kukui saw a brown four-legged Pokémon with a thick yellow stripe down its back and underside. "You see that, cousin?"

"Yeah, that's a wild Pokémon, isn't it?"

"Yes, that Pokémon is a Yungoose." Kukui nodded and lifted a Pokéball. "Alright, let's go!" he tossed out a regular Pokéball and coming out of it was a brown puppy Pokémon with brown fur and rock shards on his ears and around his neck with a long white tail and a white furred neck, he had blue eyes and a snout that was darker than the rest of his body. "Ready Rockruff?"

"Arf barf!" Rockruff barked.

"Watch carefully Sun, you gotta weaken a Pokémon up before you try lobbing a Pokéball at it! Litten, make sure you watch Rockruff okay." Litten kept his red feline eyes on Rockruff. "Rockruff! Use Tackle!" Kukui exclaimed while punching forward with his left fist, revealing a silver ring on his ring finger. Rockruff sprinted to the Yungoose and bashed his head into the wild Pokémon.

Yungoose rolled back and growled at Kukui's Rockruff. It bashed its head into Rockruff which didn't do much damage to Rockruff. Kukui knew it was time and he pulled out a Pokéball. "Here we go!" he chucked the Pokéball which bounced off Yungoos's head and it opened in the air and a bright blue beam engulfed the wild Pokémon and dragged it into the open Pokéball before it closed and it hit the ground and shook several times before the ball's locking mechanism activated, successfully catching the Yungoose. "Oh yeah!" he cheered. "You catch all of that, Sun?"

Sun smiled in response. "Yeah, I think I'll be able to catch a Pokémon on my own."

Kukui chuckled. "Ha, that's what I like to hear. Once you see a Pokémon you like, give it a try and catch it, and they'll join your team and be a big help to you, yeah!" Kukui handed Sun five Pokéballs. "Here are some Pokéballs to get you started." After Kukui handed them to him, Sun placed them in his backpack. "If your Pokémon get tired out, I'm sure your mom wouldn't mind letting them rest for a while."

"Okay, thanks for everything professor Kukui."

"No problem, cousin. Why don't you have a little adventure on your way to Iki Town, yeah? Maybe take a look around."

"Sounds great."

"Alright, take care of Sun, Litten."

Litten nodded with a smile. Kukui left the two alone. "So Litten, lets catch a Pokémon." Litten nodded and the both of them ran deeper into Route 1

…

Both Sun and Litten were running through the route and they both came across a Pikipek pecking on a berry at the top of a palm tree. "Litten, look up there!" the fire cat looked up to the tree and saw the Woodpecker Pokémon trying to eat the berry. "Okay Litten, use Ember!"

"Nya!" Litten fired a small ball of flame that headed to the Pikipek, but the bird saw the flame and jumped off the tree. It glared at Litten, and it let out a loud scream.

"Was that Growl?" Sun asked, though Litten shook his head. The two were suddenly overwhelmed as they saw a flock of seven Pikipek flying to them while angrily screeching. Presumably to protect one of their own. "Oh boy…" all of their beaks were glowing and they swooped down to both Sun and Litten… "RUN!" Sun picked up Litten and he ran from the charging Pikipek. When he got far enough, the Pikipek stopped chasing him from their territory

Sun was panting while he hid behind a palm tree. "Oh man, what Pokémon were they?" he asked while they were panting. He put Litten down and sat down behind the palm tree.

"Are you struggling?" he heard. Sun suddenly saw Eclipse in front of him, creating a shadow that covered him.

"Gah! Oh, it's you Eclipse." Sun said recovering from his second scare of the day. He just watched her stare at him with her red and green irises. "So uh, what are you doing here?" Sun managed to get to his feet.

"Right, I have been watching you." She looked away for a second.

"Oh really… well what do you think?"

"What you did was very foolish." She noted with a blunt expression. "Trying to capture a Pikipek while it was at a very high height yielded an almost impossible opportunity to try to attack it let alone capture it."

Sun sweatdropped and he blushed in embarrassment. "Yeah, I should have thought about that."

"So Sun, why are you here?"

"Uh, I'm trying to catch a Pokémon?" Sun replied with an obvious sounding answer.

"No, I mean, why are you here at this very moment? Why do you have your Pokémon with you?"

Sun couldn't really see what Eclipse was trying to ask him, so he had to make a guess. "Do you mean why I am here in Alola?" Eclipse nodded. "Well I'm going to be a Pokémon Trainer, in fact I moved here from Kanto."

"Oh, well that was what I suspected, that would explain why you're trying to catch a Pokémon. It is also interesting that you are from the Kanto region. Tell me something, have you heard or a Pokémon called Cosmog?"

"Cosmog? What Pokémon is that, I haven't heard of it before." Sun scratched his head before giving his answer. "Sorry, I haven't heard of or seen one before."

"I understand…"

"Though I have seen Tapu Koko!" Sun said with renewed excitement.

"Tapu Koko?"

"Yeah, he's the island guardian of Melemele Island."

"I have heard talk about a Pokémon called Tapu Koko, but I never have really seen one."

"Oh it's awesome! You see I was trying to rescue a friend's Pokémon but I fell off a bridge that the Pokémon was on and Tapu Koko swooped in and saved us."

"Really now? Interesting."

"Yeah, it was really scary though." Sun said rubbing his left arm.

"You seem like the type of person who takes action when the situation calls for it. You rush in first and you think it through second, am I right?"

Sun awkwardly scratched his head. "Yep, well I guess you figured me out there..." It was then Sun's turn to get to know Eclipse better. "So Eclipse, what about you?"

"What about me?"

"…Like, what's your goal, what are you doing here right now?"

The girl suddenly looked down. "I…I don't know…"

"What do you mean you don't know?" Sun asked.

"I seriously mean it. I don't know… I have been roaming this island for months."

"Eclipse, did something happen to you?"

"If something did, then I can't remember. And every time I try." Her eyes quickly shut and she stepped back while her legs were slightly wobbling. He head was throbbing with pain "…That's what happens…"

"Well I wouldn't worry; I mean you're travelling with your Pokémon right? So you should be able to figure something out. Are you a Pokémon trainer?"

"I don't think so, is it fun though?"

"Of course it is!" Sun happily exclaimed. "You get to battle other trainers and catch new Pokémon that can become your friends; also you get to travel a lot. I'm only starting, but I'm sure it's going to be a lot of fun!"

"So, you haven't even started outright, yet you're so excited?" she placed her hand below her chin. "Maybe I'll take you up on that."

"Perfect, you're going to love it. Trust me."

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"Well I'm still going to try and catch a Pokémon, though."

"Then perhaps I can be of assistance."

"Really?"

"Sure, maybe when you encounter a Pokémon, I'll help you catch it." She took out a Pokéball from her backpack and Abra shot out of it. When he saw Sun and Litten again, he hid behind Eclipse. "Do not fear little one, they are our allies. They do not wish to hurt you." Abra hovered to his feet and slowly walked to Litten. The fire cat began to sniff the yellow Pokémon and Abra fearfully hovered away again with sweat flying off the Pokémon.

"He's really shy isn't he?" Sun said with a chuckle

They both continued to walk past Route 1 and they saw that the route had a few holes that were dug into the ground. Sun walked up to them and began to examine one of the holes. "Hmm, what could have done this?"

"I'm pretty sure that a Pokémon did this." Eclipse said. "And judging by the holes, I'd say the Pokémon that did it could a Grubbin."

"A Grubbin? What's that?"

"It's a Bug-type Pokémon, it normally lives underground but it comes up when it needs to eat." Eclipse explained. "All we have to do is follow the holes, and then hopefully, we'll find Grubbin."

"That sounds easy enough." He looked to Litten and he quickly had an idea. "I know, maybe Litten can search the holes."

"Nya?"

"Bad idea, there must a network of tunnels under the ground, and these holes probably lead to them. Last thing we need is Litten getting lost in one of them ." Suddenly a part of the ground was shaking and a small figure popped its head out of the ground. It had large yellow mandibles with red tips. Litten noticed it climbing out of the hole. He got the pairs attention to the bug Pokémon that was climbing out of the hole.

"Huh, what is it, Litten?" Sun asked. His attention was directed to the bug Pokémon that was revealed to have a white insectoid body with six legs. It had large black eyes with white pupils. "Hey, is that the Grubbin you were talking about?"

Eclipse nodded. "Yes that is the Grubbin."

"Awesome, let's go for it Litten!" Sun directed his arm to the Grubbin. "Now use Scratch!" Litten stretched his claws out from his paws and he sprinted to the Grubbin. The smaller bug type quickly burrowed itself underground, avoiding Litten's claws.

"It's using Dig." Eclipse said. "…A ground type move, so you need to be careful."

"Okay, I got it." The ground below Litten was starting to crumble and Grubbin shot straight out, hurting Sun's Pokémon. Litten fell to his side and slowly got up. "Man, how did Kukui make it look so easy?" Grubbin then fired a stream of mud from its vertical mouth and it got into Litten's eyes.

"That was Mud Slap, when it hits, it lowers the accuracy of the Pokémon's moves." Eclipse said.

Litten shook off the mud and he growled at the Grubbin with his spine tufts pointing up into the air. "Litten use Ember!" Litten shot a small burst of fire from his maw, but it missed as Grubbin slithered into a hole. "Why you little-"

"Calm yourself, Sun." Eclipse said. "Grubbin isn't going to retreat." A true to her word, Grubbin tried to use Dig on Litten again.

"Not going to work this time, Litten jump away from the attack!" Litten leaped high into the air as the larva looking Pokémon shot up into the air. "Now use Scratch!" Litten swiped his claws across the face of the Grubbin briefly after they both landed on the ground. Litten's eye started glowing red and he was glaring at the Grubbin. The Bug-type noticed and he slightly slithered back. "Eclipse, what just happened?"

"Litten just used Leer. It lowers the defense of the opposing Pokémon." Just after Eclipse told him, the Grubbin was charging to Litten with his mandibles, shining white. He used them to bite Litten on the face and the feline leaped away in pain and waited for Sun to give a command.

"Okay Litten, quickly use Scratch!" Litten hopped to Grubbin and raked the Pokémon, which made it slide back after the hit. "Just like Kukui showed me." He took out a Pokéball and he pressed the middle button which made it grow to fit in his hand. "Let's hope this works!" He threw the Pokéball and it bounced off Grubbin's head, a bright blue beam dragged Grubbin into the compact Pokéball. It landed on the ground and it shook several times before it finally locked, confirming that Sun had caught his first Pokémon. "My first caught Pokémon!" He said as he lifted the Pokéball from the ground. Litten cheered next to Sun.

"My congratulations go out to you." Eclipse said with a neutral expression.

"You don't look too happy though."

"Don't be offended, this is how I always look." Sun sweatdropped and he dropped the subject.

"Well, I'm going to head home and get Grubbin and Litten patched up."

"Alright…"

"Hey Eclipse, listen. There is a festival that is happening in Iki Town. If you're not doing anything, why don't you stop by?"

"A festival sounds nice… sure I shall arrive there. When does it start?"

"It starts at sundown. So you can come if you like."

"I shall make time to come."

"That's great." Sun started to run back to his home. "Catch ya later Eclipse!"

"Catch me later…?" Eclipse repeated with a raised eyebrow. "But... I am not a Pokémon…"

The sky was a bright haze of orange as both the sun and moon were in equilibrium as they were in the sky. Sun stood outside his house and took a look at it before he looked towards Route 1 that led to Iki Town. "Okay Sun, its time." He started to walk through Route 1 to make his way to Iki Town, he remembered the way from when Professor Kukui showed him the way.

When he got close to Iki Town, he could hear the beating of drums in the background. Once he entered the town he saw Kukui, Hau, Hala, Lillie and Moon waiting.

"Well he actually showed up…" Moon said with her arms folded.

"Oh yeah, right on time!" Kukui said.

Hau was the first to greet him. "Ho! Howzit, Sun! Man, I thought you'd never make it! Moon and Popplio have been waiting for ages."

"Well I'm here now."

"Before we proceed, you need to know this Sun." Hala said. "The Alola region is made up of our four islands. And each island has its own guardian Pokémon. Our festival today is held to express out thanks to these great Pokémon guardian deities for always remaining by our sides. Well, we may call it a festival, but it's just thing a little thing you see here." He said gesturing to the residents of Iki Town that were mingling around the small area while wooden torches were scattered around. "There may not be many of us, but at least every last one of us here goes all out."

Kukui put his arm around Sun. "A full-powered festival for Pokémon battling! We battle in the name of Tapu Koko, pitting our best moves against one another in friendly competition to please our guardian. Woo!"

Lillie though didn't show her pleasure in seeing Pokémon battle for a festival. "But to what exactly?" she asked. "So you two will be taking part in battle? I don't like seeing Pokémon fight one another, since they so often end up getting hurt… But it seems like an important event, so I'll be sure to watch you both."

"So outsider, please tell me you are going to be a challenge." Moon said. "I don't want this to be too easy for me."

Sun gave a confident look to her. "Oh believe me, I'm ready for this." He said with a smirk.

"Aw man." Hau said. "Not only do I not get to battle, but I don't know who to root for."

"Come on Hau, you've known this guy for what… fifteen minutes and all of a sudden he's your pal?" Moon asked.

Hau kept his cheerful attitude and he placed his arms behind his head. "Aw don't be like that Moon." He said with a chuckle.

Moon sharply looked away. "Whatever…" she looked to Sun. "I've met Tapu Lele, and you apparently met Tapu Koko. This battle is perfect for this festival, so you better bring your a-game, outsider!"

"I'll give it my best shot Moon."

Hala stepped in between them. "If you two are ready, then let's begin." The two followed Hala to the stage in the middle of Iki Town.

…

Sun and Moon were on the steps of either side of the stage and Hala stood on it, making his presence known to everyone watching. "For all life on our islands… and for those who undertake the island challenge with joy in their hearts… we pray for your protection… for them and all of Melemele. May this Pokémon battle be an offering to our islands guardian deity – Tapu Koko!"

Many people that surrounded the stage started clapping at Hala words. Eclipse had just arrived and saw what was about to happen. "Sun is going to battle in the festival? He never told me this."

"In front of all of you, stand two trainers that have the potential to be magnificent Pokémon trainers." Hala said. "Before you, stands Moon – the one who has met with Tapu Lele." Moon walked onto the stage with a serious expression on her face. "And Before you, stands Sun – the one who has met with Tapu Koko." Sun walked onto the stage and there were murmurs in the crowd as they were shocked because the two children in front of them had already had encounters with two of Alola's island guardians.

Sun's mom though was vocal in cheering her son on. "Good luck Sun and Litten!" she said with her Meowth to the side as she waved.

"Is that your mom?" Moon asked.

Sun nodded. "Uh huh, she tends to go a little over the top sometimes though." Sun admitted while smiling. Moon lips shaped themselves into a quivering frown and Sun noticed. "Moon, is something wrong?"

The girl regained her composure. "W-what? I'm fine!" she exclaimed. "You should focus on yourself, outsider. We're about to battle and I'm not going to hold back!"

Hala looked at them and they both nodded indicating that they were ready. "Sun! Moon! Bring forth the power of your Pokémon!"

Moon was the first to throw out her Pokémon and shooting out in a blue flash was her Pikipek. It hovered for a moment before it fell to its feet.

"So she has a Pikipek, in that case… I'll start with…" Sun took out his Pokéball. "Right, let do this, Litten!" he tossed out Litten from his Pokéball and Litten shot out of the Pokéball in a bright blue flash and looked at Pikipek.

Moon started the battle off. "You're starting with Litten right off the bat. Okay, Pikipek use Peck!" Pikipek flew straight towards Litten and used his peck to poke the fire cat in a fast move and when Litten was pecked on the forehead, he staggered slightly.

"Okay, now the battle really begins! Litten use Scratch!" Litten's claws stretched out and before he could land an attack on Pikipek, the small bird avoided the attack by hovering in the air above Litten. "Follow it up with Ember!" Litten shot a small fireball which hit Pikipek, forcing him to fall back to the ground on his feet. "Keep it up Litten, use Leer." Litten's eyes were glowing red and Pikipek was covered in a blue aura that quickly faded. "Alright Litten, use Scratch!"

"Okay… so maybe the outsider isn't as bad as I thought. He's certainly going for it!" Moon thought. "Pikipek use Echoed Voice!" Pikipek hovered and he made a loud chirp that sent soundwaves crashing into Litten as he was about to scratch the Woodpecker Pokémon. "Follow it up with Growl!" Pikipek chirped again only this time when Litten heard it, his ears drooped as his attack power fell. A slight blue aura covered him.

"Litten, use Ember!" Litten arched his back before shooting a small fireball to Pikipek's direction.

"Dodge it." Moon commanded. The Woodpecker Pokémon flew around the attack. "Now Rock Smash!" Moon said while punching forward Pikipek's beak was covered in a white-orange aura before driving it onto Litten's head with the same force that would shatter a rock into pieces.

"Litten!" the Fire cat slowly got up after being knocked down by the attack. He was growling at the Woodpecker Pokémon. "Can you still fight?" Litten nodded defiantly.

Lillie was watching the battle closely. "That attack look like it hurt, but Litten still wants to fight? Why?"

"Pikipek! Use Peck!" the bird shot forward to peck Litten.

"Litten, quick avoid it!" Litten jumped to the side and rolled away and he glared to Pikipek. "Now use Ember!" Litten shot a small flame which exploded on Pikipek's face and he was blinded for a short second. "We got him now, use Scratch!" Litten leaped forward with his claws outstretched from his paws.

"Pikipek, look out!" Moon exclaimed. He was swiped with Litten's claw and slid back. "Pikipek, you have to get up."

"Wrap this up Litten, use Ember again!" Litten complied and shot one more small blast of fire that exploded on Pikipek's face, causing the small Woodpecker Pokémon to fall forward with his wings collapsing in front of him.

Hala nodded and pointed his arm to Sun. "Pikipek is unable to battle, so Litten is the winner."

Sun jumped on the spot. "Nice job Litten!" he started stroking the fur of the fire cat and he started purring.

Moon returned Pikipek to its Pokéball. "Don't start getting cocky, outsider…" She pulled out her second Pokéball. "You luck has run out!" she threw out her Pokéball and coming out was her Popplio. She landed on her flippers and stood on her hind flippers while she proudly placed her front flippers on her midsection. "Let's fight back Popplio!" She fell back onto her four flippers and had a confident look.

"Popplio is a water type; Litten isn't going to do well against her." Sun held out Litten's Pokéball. "Litten, return!" a blue and white beam brought Litten back into its Pokéball. "Alright, Moon. Prepare to see my new Pokémon! Come out, Grubbin!" The larva Pokémon landed on the stage and had a neutral expression.

"So that's what you caught?" Moon inquired. "Whatever, outsider… let's see if you have what it takes. Popplio, let's start with Water Gun!" Popplio shot a blast of water from his mouth.

"Okay Grubbin, dodge!" however, the attack was too fast. Grubbin was hit with the blast of water, and he slid back. "Grubbin, are you okay?" Grubbin shook off the water and looked at Popplio. "Alright, we'll get them this time, use Bug Bite!" Grubbin jumped forward and tried to bite Popplio with his mouth.

Moon had a smirk on her face. "Popplio, you know what to do!" Popplio stood on her hind flippers and backflipped in the air while avoiding Grubbin's attack.

"What, how did you do that?!" Sun exclaimed.

"My Popplio is quite an acrobatic Pokémon, and she loves to show off." Popplio landed on her rear flippers and raised her main flippers in the air.

"Whoa!" Hau excitedly yelled. "Popplio is so awesome! How is Sun going to get out of this!?"

Lillie was standing next to the very excitable Hau. "But Sun still has two Pokémon, doesn't he have the advantage?"

"Maybe, but if there is one thing I've learned is that you never underestimate Moon. She's not going to make it easy for Sun."

Sun had to think of something. "Well I guess I have to try this. Grubbin use Dig!" Grubbin leaped up into the air, spun like a drill, and dug through the wooden stage and into the ground.

"So that's your plan huh? Nice try outsider!" Moon listened out for the sound Grubbin would make when emerging. She heard she shifting of the soil beneath the stage. "Popplio, jump onto a balloon!" Popplio immediately understood and snorted a water balloon from her nose and made it her size. Once this was achieved, she jumped onto it and Grubbin shot through the ground that Popplio stood on and also through the water balloon but Popplio leaped high into the air before Grubbin could do any damage. "Now use Water Gun!" After Popplio spun in the air, she shot a blast of water from her mouth which hit Grubbin and slammed him to the ground after he launched himself into the air with Dig.

Popplio landed on her hind flippers and saw Grubbin struggle to get back up. "Popplio, now use Disarming Voice!" Popplio let out a loud cry and soundwaves in the shape of pink hearts shot right through Grubbin and this damaged the small bug Pokémon.

"This isn't over, Grubbin use Mud Slap!" Grubbin shot a small stream of mud to Popplio.

"Counter with Water Gun!" Popplio shot a stream of water from her mouth. Both liquid attacks collided but Popplio's Water Gun was more powerful and was beating out Grubbin's Mud-Slap. The water crashed into Grubbin, forcing him to the edge of the stage.

"I'm not giving up, Moon. Grubbin use Vicegrip!" he rushed over to the sea lion Pokémon. He pinched her left flipper with his mandibles, causing her pain. "Now throw her!" Popplio was thrown to opposite end of the stage. "Okay, now use Bug Bite!"

Grubbin ran to Popplio to initiate the attack. "Popplio, dodge it!" Popplio jumped and acrobatically twirled in the air as she flew over Grubbin and landed behind him. "Let's finish this with Water Gun!" Popplio shot a blast of water into the back of Grubbin, making him collapse to his side.

Hala saw the unmoving figure of Grubbin before calling the battle. "Grubbin is unable to battle, Popplio is the winner." Sun returned Grubbin to his Pokéball.

"It's all square outsider. It's your Litten against my Popplio."

"I guess it was always going to come to this." Sun said pulling out Litten's Pokéball yet again.

"Let's get this over with already. I don't want to drag this on longer than it has to be."

Sun threw out Litten, the fire cat looked ready to battle. "I'll start! Litten use Leer!" Litten's eyes had a red aura surrounding them which caused Popplio to slightly back away in fear while a blue aura temporarily surrounded her. "We got her now, Litten use Scratch!" Litten leaped to Popplio.

"Popplio dodge, quickly!" Popplio jumped back quickly. "Now hit back with Water Gun!" Popplio leaped into the air and gave Litten a confident look before shooting down a stream of water from her mouth.

"Litten, leap away from the water blasts." Litten jumped away from the blasts of water as Popplio continued to shoot water, so long as she was in the air. "This is bad; a Water Gun from Popplio is going to hurt. I just have to weaken her somehow…"

Popplio landed on the wooden stage. "We got him now partner, use Disarming Voice!" Popplio stood up and screamed; making pink heart shaped soundwaves engulf Litten. The fire type was wobbly for a few seconds. "Let's make this quick, use Water Gun!" Popplio shot out a blast of water. Litten's dizzy spell ended and he saw the attack coming.

"Litten! You need to dodge it!" Litten saw the hole that Grubbin made from the earlier battle and he used it to avoid the stream of water.

"Pesky pussy cat!" Moon said with a slight growl.

"Okay Litten, jump out then use Scratch!" Litten shot out of the hole and claws extended from his paws. He slashed right past Popplio, making the water type sea lion scream out in a soft voice. "One more time, use Scratch!" Litten's claws outstretched again and he prepared to unleash them on the slower Popplio.

"Popplio, counter with Pound!" Popplio hopped towards the charging Litten and she threw her flipper forwards in a punching motion while Litten reeled his right front paw back before swiping. Both attacks landed and this caused both Pokémon to slide back towards their partners.

While watching the battle, Lillie's face showed worry and Hau noticed. "Hey, what's up?" he asked with his usual happy demeanor.

"I am worried about Litten… he has fought two battles already, and I can see he's getting tired." She watched a Litten was panting.

"You worry too much." Hau said. "You see when I lost to Sun yesterday; I was a bit bummed about it. But me and Rowlet can get stronger right, and Rowlet agrees. We're not forcing our Pokémon to battle; they battle because they want to."

"I-I Just don't know…"

"Pew…"Lillie had noticed that her bag had opened by itself and saw the gaseous Pokémon floating away.

"Nebby, not again! I take my eyes off you for one second…" before Nebby can float away a girl with an Abra stood in front of its path.

Eclipse looked down to Nebby with her red and green orbs. "Is this your Pokémon?" she asked in a dull tone.

"O-oh yes, I hope Nebby didn't give you any trouble…" Lillie said walking to Eclipse.

"No, not at all... Though I am curious as to where you obtained such an unusual Pokémon."

Lillie started to become nervous. "Um… I-I don't think I want to tell you."

Eclipse nodded. "I see."

"Yo welcome!" Hau greeted. "I haven't seen you around here before. My name is Hau and she is… hey I don't think I caught your name." Hau said turning to Lillie.

"O-oh, really…? Sorry. M-my name is Lillie."

"Charmed…" Eclipse said. "My name is Eclipse and he is my friend Abra."

"Wazzup Abra!" Hau greeted while raising his voice. This action scared the yellow psychic type forcing it to teleport behind the legs of Eclipse.

"You scared him…" Eclipse said.

"So what brings you here?" Hau asked.

"I can here to watch Sun." she answered.

Lillie slightly gasped. "You know Sun!?"

"Yes, we've met twice in person. I think he is an interesting person." She watched the battle and saw Litten and Popplio brawling in the centre of the stage. "However, I fear that this battle will not end well for him."

They looked back to the stage, Litten was panting while Popplio looked only slightly fatigued. "Ready to give up?" Moon taunted.

"Are you kidding me, I'd never give up on a battle, no matter what… besides… Aren't you having fun Moon?" Moon's eyes grew slightly as she was surprised by what Sun said to her. "He's having fun… even when he's losing… How can a Pokémon trainer be happy when losing…? He's just like Hau, only there is something different about him." Moon shook her head after her thoughts concluded. "No, there is nothing special about him! He's just an outsider, and I won't lose to him!" "Popplio use Disarming Voice!" a loud scream with heart shaped soundwaves sped to Sun's Litten.

"Litten get close and dodge!" Litten ran towards the heart soundwaves but quickly sidestepped from the special attack. He was inches from Popplio. "Now use Scratch!" Litten swiped past Popplio which caused her so fall to her back. "Okay Litten, use Ember!" Litten arched his back before firing a small burst of fire to Popplio.

"Popplio, douse the attack with Water Gun!" Popplio blasted a long stream of water that engulfed the flames. The attack sped to Litten and it hit, causing the feline to slide back to Sun looking very weak. He struggled to get to his feet.

Hala looked to the sun and it was almost below the horizon, and as soon as it did. A smirk was seen on Moon's face. "Okay, outsider. Let's end this! Popplio use Pound!" Popplio shot towards Litten.

"Litten use Scratch!" Litten sprinted to the hopping Popplio.

"Got you…" she muttered. "Popplio leap upwards!" she leaped up high into the air and blocked the vision of the moon that was already in the sky as the sun was setting. "Now, Water Gun!" Popplio charged the biggest water gun she could. A moderately powerful blast of water engulfed Litten which caused him to fall to the floor. His eyes were closed as the fire cat accepted defeat.

Hala looked to both Sun and Moon before nodding. "The battle has concluded, and Moon is the winner!" he exclaimed. The gathering crowd began cheering and clapping for the valiant effort of both trainers. "It was a good battle. With this even Tapu Koko…"

"KOKOOOO!" Hala was interrupted by the loud booming of a voice that echoed around the area, a voice that Lillie and Sun instantly recognized.

"W-was that…?" Lillie stuttered.

"Ho! You heard it yourself, Tapu Koko's song of approval!" Hala said.

Kukui, Lillie and Hau walked onto the stage.

Sun chuckled and lifted the fainted Litten. "Wow, I feel honored."

"Don't get too excited outsider. You still lost." Moon teased while she held her victorious Pokémon in her arms.

"Oh yeah, that battle was so awesome!" Hau cheered.

"I agree, the way to two called out your Pokémon's moves! I feel like I've been hit with a Wake Up Slap!"

Sun sweatdropped at Kukui's comment. "Uh… yeah…"

"Oh its fine, you'll get used to it." Lillie said.

Hala walked to Sun. "Before I forget. I think it's time you took this, Sun." Hala gave Sun a white, watch-like bracelet with a space for a rhombus shaped object.

"W-what is this?" Sun asked as he took it.

"Your Z-Ring, a mysterious armband that can draw out the power that lies deep within Pokémon… It can bring forth their Z-Power." Hala explained. "We kahunas can make them by refining stones like the Sparkling Stone that you received from Tapu Koko. Although until you collect more Z-Crystals during your island challenge, you will not be able to draw out the Z-Power of your Pokémon."

Sun gazed to the Z-Ring he received. "Whoa, that sounds cool, but… Did Tapu Koko really want me to have this?"

Hala nodded firmly. "Yes, the guardian did give you that Sparkling Stone. It seems Tapu Koko has taken quite a liking to you… or perhaps it has a mission for you…" Hala looked to the star filled sky.

Kukui took over. "In other words, it's time for you to get out there and start your island challenge! If you visit every island, maybe you'll find out what your mission is."

Moon looked dumbfounded. "Hold on, are you seriously suggesting that the outsider take part in the Island Challenge!?"

"Whether he is from Alola or not, Tapu Koko gifted him with the Sparkling Stone." Hala said.

The girl folded her arms. "How do we know it's not dumb luck…? It doesn't make sense…"

"You had an experience with Tapu Lele if I'm not mistaken." Hala reminded. "Tapu Lele saw something in you just like how Tapu Koko saw something in Sun. You two were chosen for a reason and the only way to find out why if for both of you to take the Island Challenge."

Moon looked to her Z-Ring. "I-I understand…" she looked to Sun. "But that doesn't mean I have to like it. You're still an outsider to me!"

"Moon…" Hau said with concern.

As Moon glared at Sun, the situation was increasingly becoming awkward, so Sun thought he could cut the tension. "Uh, what is the Island Challenge?"

"I shall explain." Kukui held up four fingers with his hand. "Four Islands! You'll travel to each of the four islands here in the Alola region. The Island challenge is about aiming to be the strongest Trainer – The island challenge champion. Woo!" he excitedly said. "I'll explain about the island challenge later!"

"That battle was so great!" Hau said. "I can't wait to finally go on an adventure!"

Moon huffed and Popplio looked up to her as the Pokémon was still being held.

"I suppose it's time you kids got home." Kukui said.

Hau was walking away with Hala. "Later Sun, I hope to battle you again soon!" he exclaimed while waving.

Kukui left as well, leaving Sun, Moon and Lillie. Sun returned Litten to his Pokéball and he extended his hand towards Moon. "Maybe we didn't get off on the right foot, but I'm hoping we can become friends."

Moon slapped his hand away. "Leave me alone…" she said with a venomous tone. She walked off by herself.

Sun gave a sigh which concerned Lillie. "S-Sun, are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's just… Moon clearly hates me, and I don't know why… I don't want to become enemies with her you know."

"I understand, but don't worry about it too much. Tomorrow is another day; maybe she'll feel better then."

"I hope you're right Lillie." Sun turned and saw something. "Hey… is that Nebby?"

Lillie panicked. "Oh not again! Why won't you listen to me!" she exclaimed running to the Pokémon.

Sun chuckled to himself and he noticed that Eclipse was watching him from a palm tree. He walked over to her. "So did you see my battle?"

"Yes I did, and even though you lost. I could see that your Pokémon tried hard for you, to give you the victory."

"Well yeah…"

"They speak of this 'Island Challenge' perhaps it is a way of bringing people closer to their Pokémon…? Or is it Alola's way of determining their strongest Pokémon trainers?"

"Well Kukui will explain it to me tomorrow. Hey, maybe I can tell you all about it."

"I would like that Sun." Eclipse said, still with a neutral expression. "And I think that Z-Ring would look nice on you."

Sun noticed that he was still hanging onto it. So he placed the arm bracelet on his wrist and he smiled when he looked at it. After admiring his new accessory, he noticed that Eclipse disappeared. "Huh? Eclipse, where did she…?"

"I'm back!" he saw Lillie running back to Sun while Nebby was by her side. "Oh… you look like there is something on your mind."

"Did you see a girl dressed in black around here?"

"Uh… no…not that I can remember, though there was one watching the battle… and she seemed to know you."

"Oh, so that was Eclipse."

"Is she a friend of yours?"

"Uh… I think? I can't really say for sure, but she's taken an interest in me or something. Just like Tapu Koko." He took another look at his Z-Ring. "What if Hala said was true? That I am here in Alola because I was meant to be."

"W-well y-you are a great person Sun…" Lillie stuttered as she started blushing.

"Oh, thanks Lillie… Well I think I'm going to head home now. Maybe we'll see each other again, tomorrow."

"Well actually… you see I would rather Nebby not fight and the professor left me here so, you mind if we can both walk back together, just in case something happens?"

"No problem." Sun answered. "So ready to go?"

Lillie nodded before the pair of them walked through Route 1.

Moon was lying on her back, staring at the moon that shone brightly among the stars. Popplio was asleep next to her. Even though she beat Sun in battle, she just couldn't get past the thought that Sun could decide to take on the Island Challenge. "I can't believe this… Why would Tapu Koko trust him? He doesn't even live here, so why…? I won't accept this! That an outsider will be allowed to take part in the Island Challenge…" she sat up and clenched her right fist.

She noticed Popplio giving a curious and almost concerned look to her. She gave a sigh. "I'm okay Popplio, I was just mad… I'm sorry if I worried you." Popplio jumped onto her thighs and Moon began to stroke her. "If Sun is going to do the Island Challenge, then I must make sure I don't lose to him!" Moon gazed to her Z-Ring. "I swear, Tapu Lele. I won't let that outsider beat me!"