Chapter 4-3: Time to Kahili

The light streamed into May's room as the morning greeted her in its usual way. Her eyes grimaced before opening up to receive the light. As she blinked and adjusted, she looked around. Popplio was standing on her back-fins, earnestly shaking May to wake her up.

"Hm?" she blinked, smiling at her adorable Pokemon. "What is it?"

Popplio squeaked nervously, pointing to the door leading out. "Hm?" May blinked again. "You want to go out?" Popplio shook her head and pointed frantically at one of the Pokeballs sitting by May's bed. "Something wrong with Oricorio's Pokeball?" Popplio nodded, so May picked up the ball and tossed it to release her dancing Pokemon. A burst of light emerged, and promptly dissipated.

"Empty?!" May exclaimed, now fully awake. "Oh no. What happened?"

"Io! Popplio!" Popplio barked, pointing to the front door.

"You saw her leave?" she asked. Popplio nodded. With that, May quickly dressed herself, placing the two flower petals Ash gave her in her hair before setting out with Popplio on her shoulder. "Where could she have gone?"

"Io!" Popplio said, pointing towards the beach.

"She went that way?" May asked. When Popplio nodded again, she ran in that direction, unaware of another trainer watching her from a distance.

"Are they going to Ten Carat Hill?" she wondered. "Hm. I never caught any worthwhile Pokemon out there. I wonder what they're after."

"Any sign of her?" May asked.

"Io. Popplio," Popplio shook her head.

May sighed and took a moment to sit down by a rock. "It's hopeless," she moaned. "Oricorio could be anywhere right now!" She turned to her Pokemon. "Are you certain that she came this way?" Popplio nodded. "I wonder what it was that she wanted."

In an effort to figure out where her missing Pokemon went, May retraced her steps from the beginning of the day: Popplio waking her up early to find that her bird was missing, rushing out to find her, Popplio pointing towards Ten Carat Hill and claiming that she saw her go down there, and searching high and low for her Pokemon to no avail. As though to taunt her further, her stomach immediately rumbled.

"Great," she moaned. "Now I'm lost and hungry. Could things get any worse?"

"How did you get lost?"

She jumped in surprise at the sudden voice. "Huh?! Who's there?!"

"Relax," the feminine voice scoffed. "You're in no danger, so you have no need to be afraid."

May quickly regained her bearings and faced her companion, standing up with Popplio, who slid down behind her shoulder so that only her eyes and nose were visible. "Well, no. But - "

"And what is that thing on your shoulder?"

Before anyone could answer her question, a sudden chirping sound came from the end of the tunnel they were in. May gasped. "Oricorio!" She rushed down to find her Pokemon. Curious, her companion followed at a leisurely pace. She wore a light blue blouse with two buttons down the middle. Her hair was an even lighter hue of blue, and it was styled in a way that resembled the wings of a bird. She wore a visor with a similar coloring to her blouse. In contrast, her feet were adorned with light shoes accentuated by long, knee-high orange socks. She had a golf club in her hands, and a red Oricorio was perched on her shoulder.

Sure enough, May's Dancing Pokemon was at the end of the tunnel, standing beside a familiar pedestal. "There you are," she muttered, bending down to examine her. "What were you thinking, running off without saying anything? I was worried about you!"

"Your own Pokemon ran off without your knowing?" her companion scoffed. "Your training must have been ineffective."

Although annoyed, May ignored her companion's taunting. "Why did you run off?" she asked again.

"Dori! Dori!" Oricorio replied, pointing at the pedestal. May looked up and gasped.

"Isn't this a Z-Crystal?" she wondered. She reached for it, but suddenly withdrew her hand. "No, I shouldn't. We'll probably get ambushed, and I'm not ready for a battle."

"If a free Z-Crystal's just sitting there, you have no reason to just leave it" her companion said. "Don't be dumb."

Once again, May ignored her companion's words. "Maybe we should come back later," she said. "Once we're ready to -"

"Dori! Dori!" Oricorio chirped frantically, tugging on May's skirt and pointing at the crystal.

"I don't know," she said uncertainly. "There could be a Totem Pokemon hiding nearby. I don't want us to get ambushed."

"Just take the stupid crystal," her companion snapped. "There's no totem nearby."

At this, May finally turned and faced her companion, not bothering to hide her annoyance. "How would you know that?" she asked irritably.

"Simple: I took the crystal from there without thinking twice, unlike you, and walked away without a scratch. You've just wasted thirty seconds of your life deliberating whether or not you should take a Z-Crystal that's free for the taking."

"Okay, I get it!" May replied, still irritable. With that she turned and reached to take the crystal again. Once again, she hesitated, looking around to be absolutely sure her companion was correct. Finally, she grasped the Z-Crystal and closed her hand around it in a soft grip. She took it and held it in the palm of her hand. It was a light blue, with an icon resembling a pair of wings in its center. "Wow," she whispered, enamored by its beauty.

"It's a Flyinium Z," her companion explained. "With it, any Pokemon that knows a Flying-type move can upgrade that move to a Z-Move called Supersonic Skystrike. All you have to do is strike these poses in sync with your Pokemon." May turned and watched as her companion crossed her arms in front of her before raising her arms up and slowly bringing them down like a bird's wings. Then she bent down before jumping back up and thrusting her fist up into the air.

"I see," May nodded, looking down at the crystal again. "Supersonic Skystrike, huh? That's a cool name."

"Courtesy of yours truly."

May looked up in surprise. "You named that move?"

"No," she replied. "I just fixed it. It had a poor name before, so I gave it a new one. It just stuck with everyone else."

"Oh," May said. "I see." She then turned to Oricorio. "I get that you wanted to check out the Z-Crystal, but next time, you could at least invite us along."

"Dori?" Oricorio blinked, cocking her head in confusion.

"Come on," May chuckled, recalling her Pokemon. "Let's get back to the condo. We've got a lot to do before we head off to Akala Island." With that, she started to walk off.

"You're not gonna get any closer to being Island Challenge Champion with those Pokemon of yours, you know."

She stopped dead in her tracks and slowly turned to face her companion. "What was that?" she asked, clearly incensed.

"Don't act like I just insulted you," her companion said, almost emotionless. "Your Pokemon are subpar. Oricorio doesn't trust you enough, and Popplio speaks for itself."

"Excuse me?!"

"If anything, I just did you a favor."

"Now wait just a minute!" May retaliated, now clearly angered. "My Pokemon are not weak. They're just inexperienced. We're going to work and play hard together to become champions!"

"If that's what you think, then prove it on the battlefield," her companion said, giving her nothing more than a sardonic chuckle before turning away. Angered, May turned and followed the path to the exit of the cave.

"Weak," she muttered to herself as she walked out. "Who is she calling weak? I'm not weak! And neither are my Pokemon! And I don't need to repeat that a dozen times just to make my point, either! We're going to get strong together. That's what being a trainer is all about, right?"

"Zrrrrt! What are you talking about?"

"Ah!" May yelped, jumping on the spot. When she saw her much more welcome companion, she sighed in relief. "Oh. It's just you, Rotom Dex."

"There you are. Where'd you run off to?"

She turned and saw a friendly face coming up to her. "Oh, hi Ash," she said.

"We've been looking for you all morning," Ash said.

"Pika pikachu," Pikachu said likewise.

"Sorry," May said sheepishly. "Oricorio got out of her ball and wandered off, so we went to look for her."

"You could have left a note or something."

"Ah, well, I was kinda flustered, so that didn't cross my mind."

"It's all right," Ash smiled. "What's important is that you're safe. Now come on! Breakfast is just starting." The word 'breakfast' caused May to forget her frustration with her companion in Ten Carat Hill.

"Hey Lillie!" Professor Kukui said, calling up to his assistant, who was presently in her loft. "You got my boat ready, like I asked?"

"Yes, Professor!" Lillie called back. She then stuck her nose back into her book.

"All right then, woo!" he said. "You made sure to pack some extra clothes for me, yeah?"

"Do I really need to answer that?" Lillie replied, rolling her eyes. She continued to read, tuning out the professor's chuckling. "How fascinating."

"Pew?"

She turned and saw Nebby sitting next to her. "It's a history of Z-Rings," she explained. "They've been an integral part of the Island Challenge for many years." She pointed to a picture in the book. "They're made by refining a sparkling stone, kinda like the one May got from Tapu Koko."

"Pew?"

She flipped through the pages of the book, skimming it for more pictures. "Except I don't see any pictures of the kind of stone Ash got last night," she mused. "Why is that?" She looked at Nebby curiously as she closed her book. "I don't know how to describe this feeling, but...I can't help but feel like something amazing is about to happen, and Ash is going to be at the center of it."
"Pew!?" Nebby exclaimed, apparently surprised.

Lillie giggled at the Pokemon's response. "Oh, I'm probably just overthinking things." Nebby giggled with her, and they sat there a short while longer, reading and studying Alola's history. Lillie, for her part, was feeling content for the first time in a long time. She wasn't running away from anyone or hiding Nebby in a bag so people wouldn't try and steal it. She could just sit there and be at peace with the world; she didn't want this feeling to end.

But it had to, as a knock on the door signalled someone's arrival. As Kukui went to answer it, Lillie hurriedly put Nebby into her bag before coming down from her loft. "Kahuna!" Kukui exclaimed happily. "What brings you here?"

"I was looking for Ash," Hala explained. "I need to speak with him about that stone he got from Tapu Koko last night."

"What about?" Lillie asked curiously.

"It's very strange," Hala said. "Do you know where he is?"

"Probably at his house."

"I'm expecting him to be here any minute," Kukui said. "We're ready to set sail for Akala Island. Woo, yeah!"

Hala blinked in confusion. "Is he always like this?" he asked Lillie.

"Not usually," Lillie replied. "He just had a long winter, that's all." Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door. "That must be them."

"I got it," Kukui grinned. He opened to door, only to find someone unexpected standing there. "Whoa! Is this who I think it is?"

"Still stuck on the beach, Professor?"

Hala raised an eyebrow. "I recognize that voice," he mused.

"Who is it?" Lillie asked.

Kukui ushered their guest in, unknowingly leaving the door open. "This is Kahili," he said, introducing their guest. "She's an Island Challenge Champion from long ago. I met her when she first started, and look at her now!"

"If you really want to take pride in that, then get a real Pokemon lab," Kahili replied dryly. "You can't go on forever in this old shack."

"Old shack!" Lillie exclaimed.

Kahili looked down at her. "And you are?"

"Ah," she stammered, "I'm Lillie! It's, uh...nice to meet you." She bowed politely.

"What are you bowing for?" Kahili asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Oh," Lillie continued to stammer, "I just...that's kinda how I greet people, I guess."

"No it isn't," Kahili said, stopping her. "You shake their hand. You only bow when you're in the presence of your superior."

"Now, Kahili," Hala said, stepping forward. "Don't be so hard on Lillie. She's a good girl who has been no small help to the professor over the last three months."

"If the professor needs help, then he's clearly losing his touch," she replied. "As I said before, if he had a real lab, then he wouldn't have that sort of problem."

"Hey!"

Everyone turned, startled by the sudden voice coming from the open door. "Oh!" Lillie exclaimed. "Ash, it's you!"

"Hey, Lillie," Ash said, suddenly cordial. "Ready to go?"

"Pika pika?"

"I, uh...still have some things to prepare, but...yes, almost." She quickly scampered back up her loft to pack her things.

Seeing this, Ash turned his attention back to the others. "What was that for?" he asked Kahili, angered.

"What?" Kahili asked.

"Why were you insulting the professor just a minute ago?" he said, clarifying his question.

"Insulting?" she replied as though surprised. "It wasn't an insult. It was a legitimate criticism. I was informing the professor of what he does wrong and explaining what he should do to fix it."

"What's wrong with his lab now?" Ash asked. "It works just fine if you ask me."

"This isn't a lab," she replied again. "It's a shack. The professor can think otherwise if he wants, but that's his loss." Ash was about to retort when Kukui held up a hand to stop him.

"It's fine, Ash," he said. "I can handle it."

"Yes," Hala, standing to the side, nodded. "Besides, I think it's time we discussed something of greater urgency than the professor's lab." He stepped forward, holding the stone in his hands.

"Huh?" Ash blinked. "What's up?"

"I tried to refine this stone into something last night," the kahuna explained, "but I could do nothing."

"What?"

"What's the matter, old man?" Kahili mocked him without even flinching. "Losing your touch? If you can't forge a Z-Ring out of a sparkling stone, then what do you -"

"Quiet, you!" Hala abruptly snapped at her, briefly showing what he truly thought of Kukui's former pupil. He quickly regained his composure and turned back to Ash. "This stone is made out of a very different material than a Z-Ring. I've never worked with it before. You may want to go see Olivia on Akala Island."

"Olivia?" Ash said.

"Who's that?" May asked.

"Olivia is the Kahuna of Akala Island," Hala replied, handing it back to him. "Perhaps she can assist you in refining this stone."

"One kahuna can't do it, and neither can the others," Kahili said, rolling her eyes. "What makes that stone so special, anyway?"

"Tapu Koko gave it to me last night after our battle," Ash replied, showing distaste.

At this, Kahili's eyes widened. "That's right," she said, as though remembering. "The battle with Tapu Koko."

"You were there?" May asked, surprised.

"Yes. I was getting ready to start my night training routine, but then you all showed up. I decided to watch and see what happened. It was quite the fight." She turned to Ash in particular. "I may have misheard, but did the professor call you 'Ash?'"

"That's my name," Ash replied.

"Pika pikachu."

She folded her arms. "You're a lot smaller than I thought you'd be," she muttered. "No matter. I'd like to request a battle with you."

"What?" May blinked in surprise.

"Oh!" Ash exclaimed. "Ah...maybe another time. We're getting ready to head to Akala Island for the next phase of our adventure!"

"Pikachu!"

"You can't spare a minute or two to battle, hm?" Kahili said. She scoffed in disgust and turned to leave. "Fine. I'll see you Akala Island." As she walked out, she accidentally bumped into May.

"Ah!" May cried.

"Watch where you're standing," Kahili said to her. Though she didn't show it, it was clear that she was annoyed. "It's rude to stand in people's way like that."

"Excuse me!?" May exclaimed as she walked out. She followed her out as she continued. "I was standing there before you started walking out! You could have at least asked me to move!"

"If your intuition doesn't tell you to move when someone's walking your way, then it's poorly developed," she replied without looking back or missing a beat. "I guess that's to be expected of someone who only knows how to train subpar Pokemon."

May watched as Kahili walked away, fists balled at her sides and shaking with anger. Ash came up behind her. Although he was angered, he wasn't shaking with rage like May.

"Who the heck does she think she is?" he muttered.

"That's Kahili," Kukui explained as they walked back in. "She took on the Island Challenge a long time ago and became the Island Challenge Champion."

"Island Challenge Champion?" May repeated. "Is that why she thinks she can talk to everyone like that?"

"Not necessarily," Hala replied. "She's been like that for a long time, actually."
"It's strange, yeah," Kukui muttered. "She always thinks she's helping people by dishing out criticism like that."

"Why would she think that?" May asked.

"Because she's pointing out flaws in people's work so they can fix it," the professor replied. "She's claimed before that it helps people get stronger."

"Hmph," Ash muttered. "I've never seen anyone get stronger from that kind of criticism." As Pikachu agreed, they heard a knock on the door. "If that's her again, I'll give her a wallop. How 'bout it, Pikachu?" Pikachu snickered as Kukui opened the door.

"A-loooooo-la!"

Ash and May grinned. "I'd recognize that voice anywhere," May giggled.

"Hey there, Hau!" Ash said. "What's up?"

"Ready for adventure, that's what's up!" Hau grinned. "So, are we ready to set sail for Akala?"

"You betcha!" Ash winked at him.

"Ah, yes!" Lillie said from above, coming down with a bag full of stuff. "Hang on! I'll be right down!" Once she was on the ground, she dusted off her dress. "Whew! Are we ready to go?"

"Yep!" May grinned.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Kukui grinned. "Let's go!"

"Have fun, kids!" Hala said.

With that, everyone set off for the Hau'oli City Marina, eager to begin the next phase of their journey in Alola.

The next two chapters are much shorter, in case these last three wore out their welcome.