The Totem Gumshoos was huge, a Pokemon of size far beyond the norm. Its power, its Z-Aura, flowed around it, giving the same sensation as that which had wrapped Ilima as he performed his Z-Move on the docks of Hau'oli City what felt to Moon like so many days ago.
Steps behind it, under its guard, was a pedestal with a single white crystal resting atop it. Even with this Pokemon before her, Moon couldn't help her eyes being drawn to it.
Soon.
Then the Totem roared and no-one heard it, for its cry was silenced by the crack of thunder and call of a voice with far more power than it would ever have. Electricity flowed down the walls of Verdant Cavern, sparking and jumping across the floor, as Tapu Koko descended from on high. Part-fear, part-command, the Gumshoos turned and raced into the depths of the tunnels, bounding on all fours as fast as it could move.
Leaving only two behind.
Moon stared, the sight of Tapu Koko still so much. If the Z-Aura Ilima and the Totem used was something alluring, the raw intensity of a Tapu was blinding. It was different, and far more powerful. Moon held her ground solely because the dancing sparks, the shivering air, kept her from moving. She stared.
The Guardian of Alola stared back.
Then raised its hand.
It was faster than could be seen, the way Tapu Koko moved. The pedestal was a few steps behind it, but to Moon's eyes the Pokemon did not shift from where it floated at all. Yet in one swipe it had taken the Z-Crystal from the pedestal's top, and in another thrown it directly at Moon's face. Her raised hand, a reaction prompted by the incoming object, caught the crystal, her fingers curling around it. A jolt of electricity sparked through her hand.
She stretched out her palm and considered the gem.
Once again Tapu Koko's cry shook the Cavern, shook Moon, but this time she heard its intent. The last time was a command for the Gumshoos: begone from this battle. Now it was for her. Fight. Fingers pushed the Z-Crystal against her Z-Ring, finding it fit perfectly into the indentation made for it. Her wrist shook, something powerful now wrapped around it. Tapu Koko was raising a hand. Electricity was building.
She'd been commanded.
There was nothing else she could do.
One by one Moon unleashed each of her Pokemon, one by one the Tapu of Melemele brushed them aside. Each command, each search for an angle, was meaningless, mere waves of the Deity's hands enough to focus the electricity that surrounded it and drain the consciousness from her team. In a matter of seconds Moon had been reduced from six Pokemon to one. Rowlet fluttered before her. The Tapu's intent focused upon her. She knew what it desired.
What else could she do?
Moon moved. She'd memorised the pose as soon as she'd seen it, practised it in quiet moments after, when alone in the rooms she was given at Pokemon Centers to spend the night. The Z-Move, she knew it. And as she moved she felt it.
The Z-Aura surging around her.
Cold wind blowing on Moon's face forced open her eyes, dispelling the dreamlike memories as she looked down and saw Alola unfurling out beneath her, seated atop the back of a giant bird Pokemon. Seated behind her was Kukui, guiding the Braviary, flying the two out over the mountains of Melemele's north. Moon shivered in the air and moved to rub her arms, drawing Kukui's notice that the young girl was awake.
Hmm.
Kukui had been quick with his explanation at the Pokemon Center set just across from the Trial Site Verdant Cavern. He, Kahili, and Lillie had been staying in Wai'oli Town to the north-east, only to find that morning that Lillie had disappeared from the town entirely. A quick search with Kahili had proved fruitless, and so each had struck further abroad, Kahili heading east, Kukui west. The more time passed, the more Kukui had felt panic at Lillie's disappearance. The Pokemon with her, if it had truly brought her into danger again...
It wasn't until he'd seen the Pokemon Center that Kukui had realised he'd gone far further west than Lillie possibly could. Began to turn his Braviary back until he paused, wondering if, just maybe, the timing was right.
Ilima knew the mountain ranges as well as anyone could: if Lillie were lost within them, he would be one of the best people to send out in search. Finding him at the Center, with Moon in tow, was a stroke of luck, yet somehow unsurprising. Kukui shook his head as he moved to their sides.
There were plenty of surprises still to be had.
Moon had wanted to leave immediately. To do everything she could to find Lillie. But before Kukui could leave Ilima had hauled him aside. And told him everything.
Kukui still felt himself shiver imagining it now.
Yet Moon was seated before him, holding on tight to the Valiant Pokemon as it carried them over the mountains, and Kukui could do nothing but acknowledge that. The first time he'd ever used a Z-Move he'd been out cold within an hour and slept until the next morning. Moon, she'd slept perhaps an hour, if you could even call that sleep, hanging onto his Braviary as it carried them through the sky. And still she seemed as alert as ever. That wasn't normal.
Nothing about this was normal.
Travel for Kukui and Kahili was an easy thing – Kukui with his Braviary and Kahili with her Toucannon. Hau'oli City, which like all major cities of Alola had ordinance against using one's own Pokemon to travel outside of designated lanes, had kept the two grounded, but once outside of it there proved no issue in setting off atop their Pokemon, touring Melemele Island's numerous townships.
With their successes upon the western coast in assuaging the concerns of those who felt the Pokemon League might sap the spirit of Alola, the two, with Lillie alongside them, had travelled to the northern town of Wai'oli, second largest of Melemele's settlements. Despite that title it was a pale shadow of Hau'oli's size, far more reminiscent of Iki than the City itself. Built into the northern coast of the island, it stretched down from the mountains to the shore, a sprawling collection of buildings and roads along the slopes. The higher paths, cut into the mountains above, were the proving grounds of the Island, playing host to Pokemon and Trainers both.
And, right now, one lost girl needing to be found.
They had a hint. Having asked everyone they saw, Kukui and Kahili had been told a girl resembling Lillie's description had been seen upon the northern paths earlier that morning. But no-one had followed her and no-one had seen the direction she'd gone. Leaving them with only the belief she was somewhere in the area.
Left them with only that to set out upon.
On the back of his flying Pokemon, even with another passenger beside himself, Kukui had no trouble crossing from coast to coast of Melemele within an hour's stretch. His Pokemon had eyesight that could pick up a Caterpie from a mile above, and so he'd been relying upon it to spot any sign of Lillie below.
The complete lack of anything to this point had been what drove him to seek Ilima's help. He didn't know where Lillie could have gone, but the panic was starting to set in. Even now, flying back, Kukui felt the tension in his back. Where could she be...
Another flying Pokemon appeared before them, another passenger on its back. The Braviary and Toucannon circled one another, a mid-air dance, close enough for the two Trainers to call out to each other.
Kahili shook her head.
"I haven't seen her," her voice, carried by the wind, drew Moon's eyes, whose gaze Kahili caught in return. Kukui had found one girl, but not the one they were searching for. Kahili looked back at him. "I've been asking, but no-one has seen anything."
"Let's switch sides!" Kukui called back, "I'll take the east of Wai'oli if you can check the west? Maybe head further down the hills towards the coast?"
Kahili nodded, her Pokemon pulling away from Kukui's as it dived to build up momentum. Kukui would guide his Braviary in an easier motion, slower and far less intense.
Not just for Moon's sake, Kukui himself couldn't keep up with the way Kahili Hano flew.
The mountain range along Melemele's eastern side did not rise as high as that on its west, but stretched far further, held far greater reach. The paths specially cut through it, which would take those from Wai'oli all the way to Iki Town, were the most populous, with people travelling along with Pokemon each and every day. This, given Kukui and Kahili had already stopped and quizzed countless people on those paths to no luck, only made things more stressful. In this huge stretch of land, where the majority of people were concentrated together, for Lillie to not have been seen must mean she was somewhere people would not normally go.
And far too much of that land was dangerous for a child like her. Kukui's frown, kept internal so at least Moon wouldn't see it, was one of deep concern.
He wasn't ready to admit they might not find her.
Moon leaned out over the side of the Braviary and pointed.
"Huh- WOAH!" Braviary flapped and leaned to the left, pulling Moon back who had begun slipping off as she'd stretched out. Kukui's arm, wrapped around her waist, pulled her back onto the bird Pokemon, his heart jackhammering through his chest. "Moon! You gotta be careful up here! That's dangerous you could have fallen!" Moon's own heartbeat, which Kukui could feel, was enough to tell him she understood. He needed to bring her down.
It took a lot of experience flying with one's Pokemon to be truly comfortable in the skies above.
"Sorry, sorry," he apologised as the Pokemon slowly made its way down to the ground below, "I didn't mean to yell you just scared me." By the time Braviary had settled onto the ground, folding its wings up and running its beak through them to sort out misaligned feathers, Kukui had felt his heart calm enough to breath. That had been terrifying.
He... probably wasn't going to take anyone back up into the air in a hurry after that.
"Look, Moon" the girl had disembarked from the flying Pokemon as soon as it landed, shaking herself as if to dislodge the feeling of flight, "I'm going to head back out to search this area, but how about you take a look around too? Ask if anyone's seen Lillie. Maybe you'll have more luck than we had. Okay?"
She nodded at Kukui's words, turning and heading off down a path. Having her wandering around on her own, especially given they'd already lost one young girl, felt bad to Kukui, but having her up in the sky again like that felt worse. He had to keep searching for Lillie.
He'd just have to trust Moon would be okay.
Braviary, with a grumble and demand for a bit of attention from Kukui first, allowed him to mount it again and took off back into the skies. Time to continue their hunt.
Moon's footfalls were in a singular direction, a single location having caught her eye. Even from high above, the field ringed by mountains and filled with bright yellow colour had drawn her attention. Called to her. And so she walked in the direction she expected it to be, Rotom helping with the map installed inside of its Pokedex habitat.
To Melemele Meadow, Moon made her way.
A prime tourist attraction in seasons where the dense flower fields were at rest, in times of heat such as the present the Meadow of Melemele was too thick with pollen for all but the most determined of visitors. Clouds of yellow hung heavy in the air, disturbed and harvested by the Pokemon that made their lives here, creating a shimmering haze that hid the movement of all within. Moon, passing through an arch of stone to enter the Meadow proper, had only a moment to consider how empty of people such a beautiful location was before her eyes watered and her nose ran profusely.
Struggling with her bag, Moon released a Pokemon and then another, a pair of flying creatures – one the purple Butterfree, the other the boisterous Pikipek. The first, who thrived in such environments, whipped up a breeze, reducing the pollen's density enough for the second to join the efforts. The two to spun around Moon, creating a whirlwind that pushed back the yellow haze. Free now to move, she continued on her way.
It was hard to say her motivation. Rotom-dex questioned it, whether she expected to find Lillie here, but the answer was that she did not know. Only that she felt a call. Something in the air. Only that.
Pokemon in the Meadow, surprised by the human walking through it in a time when there should be none, proved territorial but lacking in strength compared to her. Rotom approved the new captures, though wondered how Moon would handle even more Pokemon to care for. She didn't answer. Pushed further in. And found the wall.
To make one's way through Melemele Meadow in flowering season was not an impossible thing, but for a young trainer it was respectable. Moon stood against the wall at the far side of the Meadow, across from the entrance she had appeared from, as two of her Pokemon maintained the wall of wind shielding her from the air itself. She stepped along the wall, ran a hand along it, and wondered. She was almost sure she could hear something.
But what?
The earth beneath her gave way.
Water runs from the peaks of Melemele's eastern and western ranges, rivulets forming streams, streams merging into torrents. They flow along the curvature of the land, splitting and mixing, coming together in a grand pool near to the island's centre. The pool spins, momentum gifted by the water converging from every direction, a constant tidal swirl drilling ever downwards. Carving through the earth.
The immense underground river, combination of the island's mountainous runoff, flows down to the sea, spilling out from ruptures forced through cliffsides by the sheer pressure of its volume. For as much as these impromptu waterfalls siphon the grand total, the vast majority of the water still finds its way down to one place.
To Kala'e Bay.
Seen most often from cruises around the island, Kala'e Bay is famous for its pristine waters, that which has flowed down from Melemele's peaks. Life thrives in it, and close to the shores are considered protected regions, forbidden from approach by sea.
Yet there is another way to these shores, these sandy stretches formed aside the grand outpouring of Alola's greatest and most secretive river. Alongside the underground river are caves, dug out by the water and Pokemon following its route alike. Over the relentless years those caves have expanded, filling out the mountain ranges of Melemele, and become a habitat supporting countless subterranean species.
Dutifully marked out by rangers, secured with warnings about the dangers they pose, these caves still snare the unaware as more entrances open with the passage of time. The flow of water, the movements of Pokemon, create more ways to enter the network that runs, as all things do, down to the sea.
This was the environment into which Moon fell.
Stars... alight... a sight...
The sound, so distant that perhaps she only imagined it, brought Moon back, her eyes snapping open in the darkness. A beam of faint light fell across her, all that could find its way down from the Meadow whose air was still thick with pollen. Then the concerned cries of those who had been with her.
Her Pokemon, her Butterfree and Pikipek, found her and fluttered about her in concern, voicing worry at the fall their Trainer had taken. Rotom arrived after, specifically asking if Moon was okay.
She was, she thought. The fall had been only slight, the earth giving way to a slope she had rolled down to the base. Her skin and clothing were both dirtied, even with the faint light available she could tell that, and the feeling of stinging scratches across her arms and legs caused her to frown. But she stood and reassured the trio who were with her. She was okay.
"Scanning environment, zzt!"
The Rotom-dex set off to explore, the light of its screen just enough for Moon to see its blue glow in the darkness. As it did she continued to reassure her Pokemon, eventually calming them enough to return to their Pokeballs.
She looked up.
The hole that had opened above was at the top of a slope: if she were determined Moon was sure she could make it back to the Meadow. Certainly these caves were not welcoming – they were dark, the air was thick with dampness, and the mixed sounds of flowing water and subterranean Pokemon were all she could hear. Pushing forward, into the earth, would be a terrible idea. There was nothing for her here.
Nothing except...
Oh... sky...
Except the sound of something. Something so distant, so muted by the water and the cries of Pokemon that it would be so easy to believe it was nothing. But she was sure she heard it. A voice? Distant, but rhythmic. Deep in the darkness beyond her.
When the Rotom-dex returned, informed Moon there was a tunnel ahead, it made a noise of surprise when she strode toward it, withdrawing another Pokeball from her bag. The little light the Rotom released would be enough, her Meowth able to use it to guide her. She should turn back. She shouldn't wander into these depths where Pokemon of the deep would lurk. She shouldn't go forward.
But yet...
The clouds... apart...
Confidence she should not have drove her onwards, step after step leading Moon away from the light. Even with the glow from Rotom-dex, even with her Meowth leading the way, still the darkness settled heavy around her, still claustrophobia bore down upon her shoulders. Still she pushed on.
For something was calling to her.
To see... light...
There were times her Meowth gave a warning to still. Others it hissed and chased after Pokemon in the dark, their fleeing cries all Moon would ever know of them. And times still the Scratch Cat Pokemon bounded forward with such speed Moon had to race to keep up with it. But still she followed it, followed the sound, and descended into the earth.
Deeper into the dark.
Moon... wave...
When the tunnel came to an end, expanded into a cavern of such size that the air sapped the warmth from her skin as soon as she stepped into it, Moon paused, the sensation almost overwhelming. Yet the sound, the distant voice, continued, echoing from a distance so far away, barely rising above the sounds of the water and the Pokemon that filled this cavernous network.
Moon rubbed at her arms, breathed a breath that misted unseen in the cold darkness, and kept walking. Further down into the depths.
Time slipped from her perception, Moon's thoughts repeating as she kept moving, step by step, from cavern to tunnel, led by the song deeper still. Rotom attempted to provide light, but even its glow couldn't do more than let her see a foot ahead. The sound of her Meowth gave confidence, but only a little. A part of her still felt she had made a mistake.
But then the song came to her once more.
Oh stars oh night, oh shining sight...
Word for word she heard it, followed shortly after by the crashing sound of waves. Her nose picked up the scent of salt water, and maybe, just maybe, things were a little brighter than before. Maybe there was light.
Moon pushed forward, footsteps faster, still so cold but so driven to continue. Then there was true light, beautiful and searing, pouring in from an exit in the rock ahead. Moon raced to it, the thickness of the water in the air now so much it felt like she was swimming as much as walking. But she pushed onwards to the light. Stumbled for it, as blinding as it was, and burst out into Alola's sun once more.
The great descent complete.
"M-Moon!"
Lillie's voice raised Moon's eyes, though the brightness of the sun meant her vision still swam. Still, she could see a form before her, garbed in white, and held out a hand to it. Felt hands clutch hers. Moon smiled.
Lillie's smile resolved into sight.
"How did you find me?"
As her eyes focused Moon saw Lillie properly, her dress stained with dirt, her face surprisingly clean. The cloth Lillie kept in her bag had seen solid use once she left the tunnels, ensuring there were no signs left of the panic she had been in. Moon's own clothing was dirtied too, her arms and legs similar alongside the scratches. Lillie, seeing them, immediately fussed over her. Moon did her best to assure the girl she was okay.
The sound of music, fingers strumming the strings of a guitar, drew her gaze, Moon spying another seated near the shore. This small beach at the base of the cave she'd exited was mostly sand, yet three were found upon it. Her, Lillie, and this other figure. He turned his head to observe the newcomer, but his hands remained occupied with playing the guitar he held.
Nebby floated above him, cheerfully bobbing in the music's embrace.
"O-oh, uh," Lillie, spotting Moon's gaze, stepped to the side to indicate the man. "Nebby- I... this morning, before anyone had woken up, I wanted to take it for a walk, because I have to keep it cooped up so much. But then! Then Nebby... ran away from me, and when I chased it we got lost in these caves. I, I thought-"
Lillie's pause, the moment of remembering being lost in the darkness with no idea which way to go, said it all. Moon reached out to her.
"But luckily Mr. Ryuki was singing!" Lillie raised her head again, missing Moon's outstretched hand. "And I found my way down to where he was. Nebby... found him too."
Moon looked over again at the Nebula Pokemon happily circling the man Lillie had called Ryuki. Catching her gaze, he stood up and stretched. Skin bronzed by the sun, dressed in an outfit of the most vibrant red, decorated with black and gold, Ryuki cut a distinctive figure. His hair formed a wild mane, the spiked-up section red and the overgrown fringe white. Lowering his guitar, he gave a wave to the pair. Lillie waved back.
"Yo there," there was confidence in his walk, approaching the two, Nebby floating after him and pouting that there was no more music to enjoy, "name's Ryuki Oda, a shining star come to Alola. You little miss Lillie's friend then?"
"Yes!" Lillie nodded with a smile, "This is Moon!"
"Moon, huh," the man studied her as Moon spent a moment thanking her Meowth for its aid, before returning it to its Pokeball, "you a new Trainer?" Moon nodded, which the man nodded back at her in reply to. Then turned and pointed. "In that case, come check this out."
Though the beach the three stood upon was small, it was not the only one in sight – another visible just across the way from where a great river flowed out of a cave into the sea. Ryuki indicated that shore, before raising his arm, drawing Moon's eyes upwards, higher and higher, to where the cliff-face ended in a peak.
A dark shape fell from it.
Its plummet was long enough to allow shock to wash over Moon, the height so much as to be dizzying, but when the small creature hit the ground – resulting in a plume of sand being thrown up – all Ryuki did was chuckle. When the sand cleared Moon watched the small creature pull itself out of the beach and turn, trundling off without a care into the grassy fields beyond. She looked up at Ryuki with surprise clear on her face. The man laughed again.
"See Salamence nest in the cliffs up there," Ryuki pointed upwards again, "and those eggs hatch into little bitty baby Bagon. But Bagon, bless them, they want to fly even with no wings, so they jump off the highest places they can find to try. You see the field down there, there's a whole colony of Bagon living in it. They've gotta recover from the fall before making their way back up to try again."
Moon stared, fascinated. The wild environments of Alola, where Pokemon lived disconnected from people, entranced her. They were beautiful.
"So then," Ryuki drew her attention one more time, offering a grin, "What'd'ya say? Think you can tame a Dragon, little lady?"
Moon's nod came so fast the Dragon Tamer couldn't help but bark a laugh, but he acknowledged it all the same. Well, if that was the case... "Hey Serena! Come lend a hand!" His order carried out over the water, soon answered as the sea split and a shape rose up before the pair. The blue serpentine dragon Pokemon, its head crested by small wings, leaned in to Ryuki, who raised and ran a hand over its snout, earning a snort of appreciation. He turned back to Moon.
"Serena here'll carry you over to the other side, then back again when you're ready. Dragon Pokemon are something else, little'un, so make sure you don't underestimate them, okay?" Moon nodded again. Ryuki patted the Dragonair's head.
And saw the girl out over the water.
"Uhm..." in Moon's absence, Lillie stepped up to where she had just been, as Ryuki once more sat down and plucked at his guitar's strings, Nebby expressing delight at the sound finally continuing, "Mr. Ryuki, is that... okay?"
Even as he played, Ryuki spoke. Kept his eyes forward across the water as Moon made landfall opposite. As she moved into the grass.
"There's a saying," his tune was light-hearted, energetic and upbeat, "that strong Trainers can recognise one another. It's true, of course, we can tell. So it's something else, seeing a kid like that, and feeling like she's as tough as they come." Fingers danced over strings, frets and chords. "Hey little miss Lillie," Ryuki turned his gaze upwards, "Just who is that girl?"
Lillie paused. That question, it was direct, but she didn't have an answer to it. She didn't know, really. The only answer she had wasn't the answer Ryuki was looking for. But it was the only one she could give.
"She's my friend."
Even if it wasn't the answer he was looking for, it seemed to please Ryuki enough for the smile he gave. He played a faster tune, Nebby floating around him enthralled by it.
"Came to Alola for this League they're making," the man continued after a moment, "I can feel it calling to me, pulling on my blood. Alola's where I'll shine brightest, that's what it's telling me. That girl..." he grinned, "I'll see her on the final stage too, I can tell."
There was very little Lillie could say in response to that. She reached up and wrapped her hands around Nebby, drawing the Pokemon close to her chest and sitting down as well. Waiting for Moon to return.
Song surrounded them for a little longer.
Then stopped.
"So that Pokemon," Ryuki's eyes on Lillie showed interest, which Lillie immediately feared. Having Nebby being seen... what had she been thinking going on that walk this morning? Wanting to look after it, did she even know how? She didn't! She couldn't be someone who could care for Pokemon like a trainer could. She just couldn't. "It's yours, right?"
"Oh, n-no," Lillie shook her head, "I'm caring for it but... I'm not a Pokemon Trainer. I can't... I can't look after it the way I should."
A moment passed. Ryuki huffed out a breath and stood up.
"Y'know," he began, "how long ago they started making Pokeballs?"
"Oh yes!" Lillie nodded, her reading having covered such. "Aside from the usage of Apricorns originating in the Johto regions, modern Pokeballs came into public use roughly-"
"Alright, alright," Ryuki interrupted her, raising a hand, "good enough. But tell me, you know how long people and Pokemon have been working together?"
Lillie paused. Forever. Right?
"So the thing is," Ryuki pointed at Nebby, held in her hands, "having a Pokeball's just a formality. If you're looking after a Pokemon, if that Pokemon's looking after you, you're a team. You can't pretend you're not." His stare was focused. Behind him, in the sea of Melemele, his Dragonair was returning with a pleased looking Moon clinging to its neck. "So just think about that, okay? Sound good?"
Lillie's nod was one that came out slowly. She wasn't able to look after Nebby. She wasn't its partner. She knew that.
Didn't she?
"Well then!" Spinning around, Ryuki held out his arms, allowing his Dragonair to bury her face into his chest as Moon dismounted, "looks like you're pleased with yourself!" Moon nodded as Ryuki wrapped his arms around the serpentine Pokemon's head, one hand rubbing it earnestly. "So you've caught your first Dragon, congratulations, I knew you had it in you." Moon looked in interest at Ryuki for the confidence this stranger had given her. He winked. "I could tell. So look after it, raise it well, and you'll have an incredibly powerful partner. Sound good?"
Moon nodded at that.
It sure did.
"In that case," slinging his guitar over his shoulder, Ryuki withdrew an ornate looking Pokeball and returned his Dragonair to it, trading it for another, "How about I get you kids back up top? I can drop you at Wai'oli if you like?"
"Oh!" Lillie nodded enthusiastically, "Yes please, Mr. Ryuki. That would be wonderful!"
"Alright then," opening the Pokeball up, Ryuki released another serpentine Dragon, this one of aqua-green scales and fluffy white fur, "hop on!"
Clutching Nebby still, Lillie accepted Moon's help to board the Pokemon before Moon herself clambered onto it. Ryuki stepped onto its head as it bowed to him, lifting him up to stand with arms crossed atop it. "Dazzle!" He gave the command, "Move out!"
And the Pokemon lifted into the skies above.
The sight of a Drampa, soaring through the sky, was notable and visible enough at a distance that as soon as Kukui and Kahili saw it they moved to approach – even if it was their Pokemon to first spot the object of their search atop it. Each flew in, intent on asking whoever the Trainer of the Dragon Pokemon was for aid, before getting close enough to see Moon, with Lillie clutching her waist, sitting on its back.
It was their experience in having flown so many times upon their partners before that prevented either from slipping off at the shock.
So the flight went, the giant Dragon making its way through the sky, flanked by a Braviary and Toucannon both. The sight of the trio of Pokemon arriving in Wai'oli drew immediate attention, seeing Professor Kukui and the famous Kahili Hano descend from the skies above. The third Trainer, a man dressed in red, was an unknown, but the presence of the Drampa at his side, before he returned it to the Luxury Ball he kept it in, said enough. This man was a significant power indeed.
"Lillie! Moon!" Kukui raced over to the pair, who'd dismounted just before Ryuki returned his Pokemon to its ball, "Lillie where did you get off to, you disappeared and we couldn't find you I was freaking out are you okay? Is everything fine are you-"
"I'm fine!" Lillie was holding her bag to her chest, Nebby returned to it, ensuring the Pokemon would be making no more escapes. "Nebby... got away from me this morning, and I was caught up trying to find it. Thankfully Mr. Ryuki helped me out, and then Moon found us after!"
Kukui leaned back from Lillie, at least somewhat convinced now she was fine, though the amount of dirt on both her and Moon would lead to questions later. He turned his eyes on this 'Mr. Ryuki'. A Dragon specialist? Felt like it. Felt strong, if nothing else. Kukui extended a hand.
"Thank you very much for looking after Lillie. We were all worried about her so it's good to know she was in safe hands."
"That's no problem, Prof," Ryuki, able to recognise Kukui, accepted the shake of his hand. "If you wanna thank me, keep working hard on that Pokemon League of yours. After all, a bright star needs a good height to shine from, y'know?"
Kukui blinked. Huh?
"So I'm heading off," Ryuki turned and waved, pointing north to the road leading down to the coast, "plenty more dragons around Alola to go see. Hey little miss Moon," pausing for a moment, Ryuki looked back at her, "take good care of that one, I wanna see it nice and strong at the League, okay?"
Moon nodded as Kukui and Kahili both looked between her and the Dragon Tamer. Ryuki just waved and kept on walking.
Carried away by the breeze just like his song.
To follow the sound of the Dragons, awaiting his claim.
To follow the voice, still calling his name.
