"PJO, why did it take you three months to update?!"

"No comment."

The second day of the trip brought very little action. Ash had found that he apparently had a smaller appetite while on the water, although, that meant he was only at about a Munchlax instead of a Snorlax. Speaking of lax, he spent most of the day relaxing in either the numerous restaurants or the two on-board pools.

The third day was where things started to get interesting. Apparently, they were heading to a cluster of islands unofficially named Sector Seven to pick up more passengers. The island chain's real name was Alola, which was apparently also their method of greeting. Ash had wandered downstairs to the lobby of the ship, eager to check out the island.

So far, Ash's only disguise had been sunglasses and a hat, which had worked well enough so far, and thankfully wouldn't look out of place in the slightest on the islands. All of the sudden, the United stopped, forcing the aspiring Pokemon Master to stumble a few feet forward. He hadn't realized how used to he had become to the forward motion until then.

Over the loudspeaker, the captain's voice crackled on. "Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Welcome to Hau'oli City of Melemele Island in the beautiful resort region of Alola! Hau'oli specializes in handmade crafts, in case you were hoping to take something home for a friend or two. Currency trading is available in the main lobby, with a flat rate of 1 PokeDollar to 1 Alolan Dollar! However, be wary, as most official venders won't accept PokeDollars. Hotels check out at 10 A.M, and we will depart at 12 P.M tomorrow, whether you are back or not! We are not responsible for you being here when we depart. Maps are available at the lobby doors." The speaker cut out.

"I don't need a map, since I've got my PokeGear." Ash spoke to himself, smiling, forgetting one crucial thing.

Two hours later saw Ash sweating and moping on the streets of Hau'oli, uncertain of where he was going. He stared at the screen of his PokeGear. "Location Not Available" blinked on and off of the screen. 'Stupid technology...' Ash saw the S.S. United in the distance and was suddenly revitalized. 'I can go get a map!' Starting to run, Ash was making startling speed... until he ran smack-dab into a girl.

Crashing to the ground, Ash quickly shakily stood to his feet. Thankfully, the girl had been caught by another girl standing behind her. "So... sorry..." Ash gasped out in between breaths. The girl blinked a few times at him, and the one behind her was glaring. The glaring one, who wore a white hat, spoke to the other, who was wearing a red beanie despite the weather.

"Baka o toko no ko!"

The beanie girl ignored her. "It's fine, it didn't hurt all too much. Where were you off to in such a hurry?"

"I need to get a map! I've been lost for hours! And please, if there's any way I can repay you, let me know."

"Onaka ga akimashita. Kare ni watashitachi ni tabemono o morawa seru."

"Sorry about her, she doesn't speak much English." Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Yet she seems to understand me." This time, the girl with the white hat responded,

"Annoying tourist. Make it up to her by buying us some food." Quickly turning around, the beanie girl tried to quiet the other girl.

"Hush, Lillie! You're always so rude!" She turned back to Ash. "Once again, sorry, although lunch would be very nice." Ash nodded.

"If that's the least I can do for you." The girl just smiled.

"Also, you needed a map?" Ash's eyes widened.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that!" Lillie, the white hat girl, rolled her eyes, while the beanie girl laughed and pointed to her left. Sure enough, there was a Tourist Bureau right next to them, with maps advertised in the window. Ash's jaw dropped, but he quickly closed it.

One map later, the unlikely trio were headed to the local Malasada Shop.

"So, what's your name?" Lillie rolled her eyes, while the girl responded.

"Moon, alola!" Ash tilted his head in confusion.

"Your last name is Alola?" Behind the two, Lillie facepalmed. 'Why doesn't anyone ever take a few minutes or even seconds to check up on our customs?!'

Moon, however, just giggled. "No, alola is how we greet others! It's like... a double wave! Just wave hi with both of your arms, and say 'Alola'!" Ash stared at her for a few moments, and then...

"Like this?" And now he was properly introduced to Moon and Lillie, the latter who seemed like she had lost all hope in humanity.

"So... good..." Ash was doing his best to retain his manners around the two ladies as he was introduced to the wonder that is malasada. "What... is this...?" He was losing the battle of manners to instincts as the smell enveloped him. Moon and, surprisingly, Lillie as well, were finding bits of humor in the struggle.

"Fried dough and sugar. So many calories..." The last part was muttered under the blonde's breath.

"So... what are you doing, wearing a beanie around in the middle of Summer?" Ash asked, possibly slightly insensitively. Moon thought for a second before saying,

"I'm kinda... high-profile, here." At Ash's questioning look, she elaborated. "Not in a bad way, I'm just a decent battler." Ash's head snapped to her.

"You're a Pokemon Trainer?" Lillie raised an eyebrow.

"What, surprised that a girl can be a Trainer?" Ash laughed awkwardly.

"No no no, I just... she doesn't really have the aura of experience around her." Moon laughed.

"That's fair. I'm pretty new to the scene, actually." Ash's eyes widened slightly.

"You must be pretty good, then, or Alola must have a really low competitive battling scene." Lillie whispered something that sounded suspiciously like "Both..."

"Well, either way, Lillie and I are going on a trip to the United Regions to possibly participate in some tournaments."

"Oh? What a coincidence, I just came from there. How are you getting there?"

"Yeah, we could tell." Lillie made a snarky reply. "And a boat called the S.S. United, it's a high-end cruise liner, only the wealthiest can afford it. Who knows, maybe we'll save you something if we meet again."

"Considering that's the ship I'm on, I'd say there's a pretty high chance of us meeting again." Lillie's eyes widened, her mouth formed an "O", and she blushed brightly. "Speaking of which, we've got about 20 hours until the ship departs. Would you do me the honor of being my guides around this city? Because I obviously can't be trusted on my own."

Without a moment's hesitation, Moon answered positively and Lillie answered negatively. So, they were off, the duo guiding the solo around Hau'oli.

Argh... this was emotionally draining to churn out, and I can not honestly say I'm proud of this chapter. Next chapter will feature some more plot, and maybe some battles, because all of this shipping is running my heart dry. It literally took me probably half a dozen sessions to write this, after giving up the first few times and multiple deleted drafts.

Just a reminder, hundredth review gets a one-shot of their choice as long as all of the requirements have been met. A rehash,

A) The ninety-ninth and one-hundredth reviews will not count if made by guests.

B) It must be a genre that I'm familiar with; ex. Pokemon, Percy Jackson, RWBY, or a very small selection of other anime. I'll be talking to the reviewer in deeper context. I have no interest in watching dozens or hundreds of episodes of anime to write a 3,000 word one-shot.

Finished at 1:08 AM, 1/16/2019