Chapter 21: Aether Paradise

"Alrighty, after Hau finishes his Grand Trial, I guess we'll meet up with the Professor and head to the next island." Shortly after he had finished Olivia's Trial, Hau and Lillie had approached, Hau as excited as ever and ready to complete the Trial, and Lillie wanting to explore the ruins of Akala for Nebby and Nebbles.

"Sounds good to me," Willow nodded.

"We'll probably leave using the Professor's boat this time, yeah?"

"Probs. Guess we should start heading back. Want to fly or walk?"

"Why rush?" Willow asked. "Walking sounds nice."

"You forget that Diglett Tunnel stands in our way," Sapphire smirked.

"Oh no, I feel so tired… I don't think I can fight," Cobalt moaned with a deadpan look, slinking into his bag.

"You just don't want to deal with dozens of Zubats."

"I will neither confirm nor deny."

"Team Skull!" Sapphire twitched and looked towards the yell to see a man and a woman in white fancy clothing, the man with weird bug-like green glasses and blond hair, and the woman with a white cap. Sure enough, they were facing the Team Skull Grunts that chased him everywhere. "Give us back those Pokémon!"

"No… why… why do we always find them…" Sapphire clutched his head in his hands, causing Willow and Cobalt to glance at each other with exasperated yet amused looks.

"Well, I suppose we should go assist with whatever is happening." Willow walked forward and Sapphire followed, Shieldon plodding along and watching in confusion.

Nobody had noticed them yet, and Sapphire could see that the Skull grunts had some Pokémon being guarded by their Salandit, four Di— "Really?" Sure enough, it was four of the Ditto Five, not even looking threatened by the Grunts. They were probably waiting for an opening so they could escape and run away to cause more havoc.

"Yo, no way! These Pokémon are ours now! You were just planning on taking them back to that little island of yours, yo!"

"Yeah, if you really wanna tussle, then you'd better get ready to hustle!"

"Hmph! Take care of them!" The man wearing the glasses waved nonchalantly at the person who was apparently his subordinate, who just looked back exasperated.

"Aren't you supposed to be the Aether Foundation's last line of defense?"

"Yes, last! Do you know how downtrodden our employees would be to see me battling on the front lines? And what would the foundation do if something were to happen to me?"

"Ugh…"

The man with glasses then noticed them and nodded at them. "You there, Trainers! Come assist us and we shall bestow upon you magnificent rewards!"

"I smell money."

Willow coughed on some saliva at how swiftly Sapphire responded, before noting the grin on his face. "For a moment I assumed you would help solely for the prospect of a reward…"

"Well, I mean, the reward is part of it. Alright, glasses guy. Puffball… Cobalt, give me a pun for a Normal-Type."

"Uhh… that's your and Spooks' forte."

"Ugh, I'll come up with one later. Guess I'll just go with my all-purpose catchphrase! Puffball, It's time to shine!" The Normal-Type popped out of her ball with a spin before landing on her paws, readying herself.

"Yo, you two again? Alright, let's brawl, our Pokémon will be your bane!" Salandit crawled forward and hissed, leaving the Ditto unguarded. They made to escape, but Willow, Cream, and Dartrix cut them off. "Salandit, let's stop the show, yo!"

"Alright Puffball, this is our first battle together, but no pressure! Shieldon, this is a regular battle, not the crazy Grand Trial you just saw! Puffball, start strong with Sand Attack!"

Salandit tried to bite down on Puffball, but Puffball simply ducked underneath the attack and kicked at the ground, sending dirt into Salandit's face and blinding them. The Poison-Type backpedaled, rubbing at their eyes, and Puffball jumped back into the air, golden stars forming around her body.

"Eev!" She launched them and sent them soaring into Salandit's body, battering them as they desperately tried to block the undodgeable projectiles. When she landed she looked back nervously at Sapphire who grinned and nodded, showing her two thumbs up. Puffball smiled brightly as he did so, telling her she was doing great.

Salandit recovered and shook its head, narrowing their eyes before their mouth filled with poison and attempted to bite down once more on Puffball. Puffball dodged to the side this time, before charging in while using Quick Attack. "Puffball, Copycat!" Her eyes flashed as she used the move, and suddenly her fangs had grown incredibly sharp and were secreting poison.

By the time Salandit had turned to face her, she bit down, causing the Pokémon to screech in pain. It tried to smack her away and sent her rolling backward before she recovered and launched another volley of Swift stars. "Yo, Salandit, get rid of 'em with Ember!" Salandit countered as the Grunt had ordered, destroying the stars before they could reach them with the balls of small flame.

Salandit readied themself for another attack until Puffball jumped through the smoke that had erupted from each destroyed star, biting down on Salandit's snout and shaking her head. Salandit panicked and shook its head in response before Puffball was dislodged and they both backed away from each other.

Salandit hissed and she growled back, shifting her paws as she did so. Salandit suddenly flinched and blinked hard, trying to dislodge the sand still stuck in their eyes, and Sapphire grinned as he pointed his hand to the sky. "Puffball… PSI Starstorm!" Cobalt quickly smacked him on the head. "Sorry, sorry. Swift!"

Salandit was sent tumbling back as the stars exploded against them, with swirls for eyes. Sapphire grinned and pumped his fists, before kneeling to pet Puffball. "Great job, Puff! Oh, we should make a Starstorm attack using Swift…"

"Please don't."

"Geh… yo, how tough are yo Pokémon?!" The Grunt scowled and his partner grabbed his shoulder.

"Yo, let's scram!"

"Not until you hand back over the Ditto's Pokéballs," the woman called. The Grunts 'tsked' through their teeth and threw the balls back at them before the first recalled his Salandit and they booked it, leaving behind the Ditto who looked disappointed that their escape attempt had been foiled by Willow.

The woman sighed and began recalling the Ditto, while the man with the glasses smirked and walked over to them. "Very well done there, children. You are Trial-goers, correct? I am deeply impressed. So much so that I would like to reward you both with something truly astonishing!"

"I wanted money," Sapphire murmured as Willow tried to hide her giggles.

"Once you have completed your Grand Trial, come to Hano Grand Resort tomorrow and I will take you to see a wondrous place!"

"You aren't going to try and lure us into a boat with candy, are you?"

"S-Sapphire…" Willow tried to mask her laughter with an exasperated tone, but she couldn't quite do so. "Sir, we've already completed our Grand Trials. We were just discussing what to do next."

"Well then, heal your Pokémon or some such activity and then meet me at the Resort by the morrow!" The man nodded to himself and walked off, causing the woman to roll her eyes.

She made her way over to them after recalling the four Ditto, smiling at them. "Thank you for assisting with that. As we're part of the Aether Foundation we were called to bring the captured members of the Ditto Five to the Aether Paradise, where we could keep an eye on them safely. I'm glad there are such nice young Trainers like you around. Good luck on your journey!"

"Ah, no prob. We have to deal with those guys a lot…" He grinned back and the woman nodded her thanks again, before wandering after the glasses guy. "Alright, guess we should be on our way."

"Yes. Let's."


"Alright, alright, uh, do Cobalt!"

"Ahem…" Mimic turned into Cobalt and pounded his paws together. "Yo, let's do this, Sapph! We'll go all out and nobody can take us down!"

Eevee snickered and Storm just nodded at the imitation. "Oh, oh, what about Spirit?"

Mimic shifted again into the form of the shiny Pokémon, pounding his hooves into the ground. "Hmph. All of you annoying ants should really back away and let me show you how a true Pokémon fights. Back off, Cobalt, you annoying gnat of a Fighting-Type!"

"I speak nothing like that, heathen!" Spirit pounded her hooves on the ground, proving him correct.

"Do me," Spooks grinned.

Mimic transformed into the floating head, and cackled as he rubbed his hands together. "Gehehe, I hope you're all ready for a floatilla's worth of puns!"

Spooks cackled and Wave rolled her eyes. "Please, anybody else." In response, Mimic transformed into Storm. Instead of saying anything he just lay on the ground. "Alright, yeah, that's better."

"...Accurate," Storm murmured before going back to sleep.

"Uh, do that weird furret that keeps talking about alternate universes." Mimic shifted into the long boi and began walccing.

"As I walcc I see the truth of the multiverse, nay, the omniverse open before me. I see all that occurs, from… What stuff does that guy describe?"

"Man, I've got no idea. I usually just zone out to save my brain cells whenever he's speaking. Spooks, you and Cobalt have got to stop encouraging him. And of course, Sapphire just had to make it worse by making Furret-sized priest robes." They all watched as Sammy the Furret walcced past, wearing the aforementioned robes.

"Oh, that's an idea. Do Sapphire!"

Mimic transformed into Sapphire, and grinned as he flipped his glasses down and shifted his hips while pointing forward. "Alright, let's do this! Cobalt, show 'em our moves! Spooks, show them fear! Storm, electrify them! The fire that burns within the hearts and souls of humanity is what powers my spirit, and I shalt never give in! Finish with a bang, baby, Hell Wheel!"

"That is scarily accurate…"

"Why do you think I joined?" Mimic pounded his fist into his chest, grinning. "Sapph knows how important dramatics are! It's just like he told me, winning and losing don't matter, so long as you looked cool while you did so!"

"There are several things wrong with that statement but considering he would totally say that I can't refute it."

"Of course! Never doubt me, the greatest Trainer and future Fire-Type Master in the-" He was cut off as Spirit headbutted his stomach and he fell to the ground. He shook his head and returned to his blob form, crossing its arms. "Rude."

"Try doing Chrysant, remember, the wolf that acts like a puppy?"

"Yeah, I remember her." He became the tan wolf, sitting on her haunches and barking. "Come on everyone, I want to play a lot! Hey, where's Claws? I want to play hide and seek!"

"Scarily accurate…"

"Well, that's what Ditto's are best at. Try Willow."

"Shy Alolan form or fake-confidant Kalos form?"

Storm snorted and Eevee tilted his head. "Hmm… Probably her confident Persona. It'd be easy to mimic her shyness."

Mimic assumed the form of the female Trainer, pulling off a dramatic curtsy. "I hope our battle is enjoyable and fair. Now, Cream, I require your assistance! Show our psychic might!"

"She does seem to have a lot of Psychic-Types, doesn't she?"


Willow sneezed and Sapphire quirked an eyebrow at her. "Bless."

"Ah, thanks." She sniffed and shook her head. "I hope I'm not coming down with anything."

"I think it's impossible to get sick with how warm it is in Alola."

She laughed at his snarky tone, nodding. "True, true." They were at the beach by Hano Grand Resort, watching the waves after a day of playing at the beach. With a day to waste Willow had wanted to train her Pokémon before Sapphire reminded her that they could just spend the day hanging out.

It was nighttime now, and most people had left the beach, so now they were simply watching the moon shine off the calm waves while their Pokémon played. Cobalt and Cream were splashing each other in the waves, Chrysant and Dartrix were playing with Claws on the sand, and the cat was pretending to be annoyed. Puffball and Hemlock were speaking with Leafeon and Slowpoke, while Murkrow and Blast flew around. Shieldon and Grimer were sitting and watching the waves, Shieldon wary and Grimer absentmindedly.

"I wonder if Hau's completed his Trial yet?"

"Most likely. After all, he's rather skilled. He just doesn't seem it, like you."

"Yeah— waitaminutewhat'dyoujustsaytome?" He began blinking and raised his eyebrows at her in surprise, causing Willow to giggle. "I'll have you know that people can look at me and instantly know I'm incredibly skilled."

"I'm sure."

"Yeah, you'd better be." He harrumphed to himself and crossed his arms, leaning back against his bag. Shieldon suddenly plodded over and nudged him, causing him to raise an eyebrow. "What's up?"

"Shield." Shieldon pointed with one leg towards Grimer, who was slowly dispersing after accidentally wandering into the water.

"Dang."

"Oh dear," Willow sighed and got up, brushing sand off her bikini. "I'd better go help. Cream, come over here for a minute!" Cream swam over to assist Willow in putting Grimer back together, and Cobalt made his way over to him while shaking the water out of his fur.

"Yo, Shieldon, how you enjoying the beach?"

"Don, shie."

"Neat." Cobalt plopped down, before nudging him. "Oh, how's the date going?"

"Ain't a date, Cobalt."

"Yeah? Well, I guess it's true you aren't dating… why are you staring at her butt then?"

"I was doing no such thing," he said while quickly turning away. Shieldon tilted his head, before asking Cobalt something that caused him to begin laughing. "What'd he ask?"

"He asked if you two were mates."

"SIlence your face hole." Cobalt just continued to snicker at him.

"Hoo boy…" Cobalt shook his head and stretched, looking at him out of the corner of his eyes. "But really, why haven't you asked her out yet? I thought you said something like 'I'm going to see if she has as nice of a personality as her looks, and if she does, I'm asking her out first thing!'"

"Ugh…" Sapphire rolled his eyes and turned away, watching Willow put Grimer back together on dry land, Cream using telekinesis to pull parts out of the water, before patting his head. "Well… that's true. And she's great to be around… I guess I've just been stalling. Yeah, I guess I should ask her out soon."

"Wait what." Cobalt blinked. "Wait, you're supposed to be embarrassed! I need to make fun of you!"

"Come on, I pose dramatically and shout my thoughts at random to sound cool. I'm a damn textbook chuunibyou. You think I'll be embarrassed by a little confession or romance or something?" He winked at Cobalt who just groaned. "The only problem is… I've got to be dramatic!"

"Oh no."

"OH YES!" He laughed at the horror on Cobalt's face, stretching his arms up slightly. "I'm thinking maybe a fireworks festival? Of course, then there's the cliche of the fireworks drowning my words out… Oh, but then there's the other cliche of being able to kiss her and having fireworks going off in our heads!"

"Shield?"

"Hush Shieldon, I'm fantasizing." He pat Shieldon on the head, who leaned into his hand.

"I'm back!" Willow sat back down next to him, wiping her wet hands on her towel before grabbing a bottle of water. "What are you two talking about?"

"Figuring out how to ask you out dramatically." Willow began sputtering in confusion.

"E-EH?!"

"Something wrong?"

"Y-Y-Y-!" Willow shook her head and Sapphire snickered. "Y-You can't just say that out of the blue!"

"Huh? Why not?"

"Alright, I'll admit, this is entertaining," Cobalt chuckled, munching on some popcorn given to him by Sammy. "Wait, when did you get here?"

"I exist across spacetime."

"...Okay then."

Willow just turned away and huffed, crossing her arms. "Y-You aren't just teasing me again, are you?"

"Hm… Nah!" He smiled and nudged her, "I figured I should get you ready for when I do ask you out. I know how you can get, so I don't want to spring anything out of nowhere and cause you to have a meltdown. So just be ready the next time we hang out at a festival or something, ehehe~!"

Willow grumbled and pouted, a blush still visible on her face. "Jeez…" She pushed her face into her arms, trying not to look at him. "How am I supposed to act around you now that I know that you… like-like me?"

"Eh, like normal I guess?" He shrugged, "If you like me back then cool, if you don't then I suppose my life is over." She blinked at him and he laughed. "Kidding, kidding."

"Ugh… well, I mean, I…" She blushed harder and shook her head. "I think I like you… maybe like that? But… I've never dated anyone… or liked anyone like that… Why'd you have to go and do this now?!" She frowned and began punching him on the shoulder, causing him to laugh.

"Aw come on, don't get angry, Wils!" He grinned and threw an arm across her shoulders, pulling her closer and laughed. "It just makes you cuter!"

"S-Stop teasing me…"

"Ehehe, I guess I might've gone a bit overboard. Sorry! Alright, when you're ready to start dating, you tell me, and I'll check for any events that would work as a backdrop for a dramatic confession scene, alright?" Willow sighed, before a smile pulled at her lips and she nodded. He nodded back and lay down on his towel, staring at the moon. "Man, the moon is beautiful tonight." There was a moment of silence after Sapphire spoke, with him stealing glances at her out of the corner of his eyes, before he smiled and chuckled. "I can see why you're a night owl, Wils."

Willow took a minute to recover from his teasing, before laying down next to him and huffing. "Yes, you can see the stars very clearly here. And the moon as well," she gestured with a hand towards the moon resting peacefully in the sky, watching them.

"Heh, is that why you always wake up late? Stay up watching the moon?" Willow glared at him and he snickered, leaning over. "Hey, why don't you point out some constellations? I've never been able to figure out how a bunch of stars look like drawings or whatever."

Willow brightened up and immediately pointed at the sky. "Alright, well, the Alolans actually have some different constellations, most revolving around their culture, the Guardians, and the Pokémon of the Sunne and Moone."

"I've heard about them, Solgaleo and Lunala, right?" Sapphire hummed, eyes focused more on Willow's smile rather than the stars. "My middle name is actually Taiyō, for the sun. I think my dad named me that on purpose," he chuckled.

"Funny. Mine is Lune, for the moon." She began pointing towards the west, to several specific stars. "See those eight? The three going horizontally, three down, and two to the side represent Tapu Bulu, Guardian of Ula'Ula. And over there, the stars arranged in a crescent shape-"

"Slow down, slow down!" He laughed. "I can't keep up with you. Where're the stars?"

"Um… there, a bit to the right of the moon." She tried to point them out, but Sapphire still couldn't see them.

"Here, how about this." He gently took her hands and placed them on his arm, pointing at the sky, while wrapping his free arm around her to pull her against him as he smiled at her. "Use my arm to point them out."

Willow blushed but let herself be pulled closer, leaning against his shoulder to look down his arm, where he pointed up at the moon. She gently guided his arm to the north, where multiple stars shone just a slight bit brighter than the millions of others dotting the sky. "Those over there… They represent Solgaleo and Lunala, in their eternal cycle of chasing each other across the sky."

Sapphire leaned his head down to rest on Willow's and closed one eye. "Yeah, I see 'em now. Those two groups of stars, yeah?"

"Mmhm. The group on the bottom is outlining Solgaleo roaring up at Lunala, while the stars above outline Lunala looking down upon Solgaleo."

"Are they fighting each other?"

"No, actually. They are each protectors of the world, Solgaleo shining with virtuous light to show the path of justice during the day, while Lunala shines with pure light upon the evil during the night, to warn them away from the path of darkness."

"Wow, you definitely know a lot about them."

"And over there…" She moved his arm again, not noticing that she now lay against his chest, too engrossed in stargazing.

"...Alright, now I feel like a third wheel. C'mon, Cream, let's go play with everyone else. Bet you they kiss by the end of the day."

"Um… alright."

For the rest of the night, they looked at and discussed the stars in a companionable joy.


Sapphire yawned, rubbing at his eyes. "Ugh… I think that's the latest I've ever stayed up. No wonder you always wake up late…"

"S…Stargazing is a very calming hobby I'll have you know!"

"Uh-huh." They both yawned in sync, Willow accidentally leaning on Sapphire's shoulder and drooling slightly. They had both stayed up much too late the previous night, before falling asleep on each other around three in the morning. Their Pokémon had simply shrugged and got comfortable around them, falling asleep as well.

Volt woke them up slightly before noon, and thankfully their secluded position meant that nobody found them before they woke up. Of course, since they didn't know when that odd man from the Aether Foundation wanted them to meet him, they rushed to get ready and head to the resort.

By the time they got there the man was already waiting for them, alongside Hau. "Alola, everyone!" Hau waved. "I met this guy on my way to the Grand Trial with Lillie while I was training, and he asked me to stop by here! He seemed really focused on my Pokémon, I bet it's 'cause they're so cool!"

The man cleared his throat abruptly, interrupting them. "Now then!" He looked to Sapphire and Willow, stroking his goatee. "I apparently have forgotten to introduce myself to the two of you- You may call me Faba." Without waiting for them to give their names in return, he continued. "I believe that I told you before I would show you someplace astounding, correct? Well, that wondrous place is none other than the Aether Paradise!"

"Whoa, sweet!" Sapphire grinned and jumped in place. "I saw that place in the Alola guidebook!"

"Man, I always wanted to go!" Hau cheered.

"Hm, yes." Faba nodded, "As I'm sure was explained in the guidebook and from the name alone, Aether Paradise is an artificial paradise for Pokémon that floats out in the sea surrounding Alola."

"It's an artificial island, correct?"

"Indeed," Faba confirmed Willow's words, "made solely through human technology and ingenuity, just for the protection of Pokémon, especially rare Pokémon that thieves may try and poach and hurt."

"Maybe I should drop you off there and get rid of you," Sapphire smirked at Cobalt.

"That'd be a blessing."

"Now, I am an adult who keeps his promises. So, I will prove to you that all I've spoken is the absolute truth with a tour of Aether Paradise. You will all come, will you not?"

"I'm on board."

"Sounds great to me!"

"It seems like it could be enjoyable."

"Good, good. Then you'll come with me, and Aether Paradise shall astound you!"

"Alola, there you all are!" The Professor suddenly entered the hotel and walked up to them, Olivia behind him. "So, heading to Aether Paradise?"

"You heard, Professor? We are, are you going to join us?"

"Nah, I've got my own business to get to, so I'll be heading out like a Pidgeot using Agility! How about you tell me all about that cool tech you see on the next island, Ula'Ula? Let's see… How about we all meet up in Malie Garden?"

"Sure, sounds good to me. Have fun with whatever it is you're doing." Sapphire leaned slightly to the side, "And, uh, Kahuna Olivia, why are you here?"

"I've just come to send you all off," Olivia explained. "All challengers that come through Akala Island are like my children, so I want to take care of you all. Not that I have any children, of course, I've never been married," Olivia laughed.

"To have a send-off from the Kahuna herself… truly, I have chosen worthy trainers," Faba nodded to himself, getting a raised eyebrow from Sapphire.

"But, I have some last words before you leave Akala," Olivia continued. "So listen up you three. Your greatest opponent will always be yourself, and your greatest allies, the Pokémon beside you."

"You've got that right." Sapphire grinned and fist-bumped Cobalt.

"Well, Alola to you, Kahuna Olivia."

Hau nodded at Willow's words, "And Alola Akala Island! But, well, I guess we can come back whenever we want…"

Faba grinned. "Then let us enjoy an adventure upon that grand vessel that will take us across the high seas! …By which I mean to say, the ferry."

Faba led them outside to a dock, where two boats awaited them. As they walked, Hau grinned and began walking backward, jumping up and down. "Can you believe a big chunk of iron like Aether Paradise can float in the sea?!"

"Yeah, it's awesome!"

"Did you know that it's all 'cause of the Pokémon holding it up?"

"I don't think that's scientifically correct…"

"Whoa, really?!"

"Ha, I knew I could count on you to react!" Hau grinned and Sapphire gasped.

"I've been betrayed!"


The boat ride over to the Foundation was relatively short, and they began to pull in to a dock on the underside of the Foundation. Several of the workers were checking what seemed to be shipping crates or conversing with their Pokémon, and Faba led them off the boat before turning to them, still stroking his goatee.

"Here we are, you three. This is Aether Paradise. As I'm sure you must know, Aether Paradise is a facility created for the conservation of Pokémon, and so has been outfitted with all the latest technology for this very purpose."

"This is fascinating," Willow hummed.

"I just want to see the Pokémon," Sapphire whispered to Hau.

"Downstairs our teams work on developing new Pokéballs and more, for the sake of conservation. Of course, you will not be allowed to use any of your Pokéballs within the Paradise… A jamming signal is broadcast throughout the facility to prevent them from functioning."

"That makes sense, can't let any thieves steal from here after all!" Hau grinned.

Faba nodded at his words and led them through the dock, towards a triangular elevator. As they approached a platform lowered, with a woman wearing a tight gray suit with black hair and glasses riding it down. As she got off she turned and spotted them, and walked towards them. "Ah, Mr. Faba-"

"Excuse me, is that any way to address me? How will people know of my importance?"

The woman sighed, before speaking again. "Of course… Branch Chief Faba…" Sapphire rolled his eyes and stuck a finger down his throat pretending to gag towards Willow and Hau, causing them to snicker. Faba didn't notice them from their position behind him, simply nodding.

"Now, I must go and speak with the president about our conservation efforts on Akala. Show these children around, and then take them to meet the president as well." With that, Faba walked away and onto the elevator, riding it up, while the woman just sighed.

"Well…" She then turned to them and smiled while bowing. "Welcome to Aether Paradise, Hau, Sapphire, and Willow. My name is Wicke, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Howdy!"

"It's nice to meet you."

"Alola!" Hau suddenly blinked. "Wait, how do you know who we are?!"

"One of our employees told me about your meeting on Akala Island. Alongside that, we know of your efforts in protecting those Pokémon on Melemele Island and Sapphire and Willow's efforts at Lush Jungle and Paniola Ranch. Thank you very much for your efforts in protecting those Pokémon!"

"Aw geez, it was no big deal!" Sapphire grinned widely and placed his hands on his hips, nodding.

"Yeah, it was the right thing to do!"

"I agree with them," Willow nodded.

"Now then, allow me to show you around. The main entrance is directly above us." She led them onto the elevator that had returned to their level and pushed a button to send them up. The elevator moved swiftly and stopped a few moments later, revealing a white walkway with several Trainers hanging out and Aether Foundation members helping several Trainers from behind reception desks.

"Whoa, so cool!" Hau began looking around, while Sapphire looked over the railing at the edge of the walkway, before turning and leaning against it.

"Man, this place really is futuristic!"

Wicke spoke up, holding her hands together and smiling. "You all are Trial-Goers aren't you? Are you hoping to become Champions?"

"Yep, gonna Master the Fire-Type!"

"Catch more Fire-Types then, loser."

"You're gonna regret that when you evolve and gain a weakness to Fire."

"Ah, crap."

Cream giggled and Willow nodded. "Yes, we all are."

"I suppose you all are around fifteen then? That's normally around the age most Trainers get their Starter and begin going on their journey."

"Yep, I wanted to be a Trainer as soon as I could. Kinda jealous of those kids that get Pokémon from their parents or siblings," Sapphire snorted while rolling his eyes. "Cheaters starting early…"

"Same goes for me! I wanted to join the Challenge as soon as I could so I could beat my Gramps one day… but man, he's way too strong! For now, I think I'll just enjoy the Island Challenge!"

Wicke smiled at their words, her voice drifting slightly as she seemed to think about something. "How… how lovely for you." I suppose all children must yearn to take a journey of their own choosing when they get to be around your age." Willow raised an eyebrow at the change in her voice, and Sapphire shrugged at her. "Though, you're hardly just children anymore. Trainers are like parents to their Pokémon!"

Sapphire smirked at the Pokémon sitting in his bag. "Cobalt, go to your room."

"You're not my real dad!"

"I will unplug the wifi router, young man!"

"In any case," Wicke said while smiling at their banter, "Would you three like to see the conservation area upstairs?"

"Yes, please. I'd love to see the variety of Pokémon that must be here!"

"What she means is that she'd like to hug some really fluffy pokémon," Sapphire whispered with a smirk.

They rode up once more, this time stopping on a floor that was covered in green vegetation that white walkways snaked their way through. There were several small rivers and lakes that Pokémon swam or drank from, and dozens of Pokémon could be seen moving through the grass. "Oh wow!" Hau grinned and ran to look over a railing, and Sapphire looked over a different one to look at some Water-Types.

They looked back at him and he grinned, before they breathed in and shot him in the face with Water Guns. He stood still for a few seconds, before turning away. "You know, I thought the whole running gag of me being hit in the face by attacks or Pokémon was done with, but nope, I guess not. And you people wonder why I prefer the Fire-Type to those soggy cretins." Willow giggled at his words, before patronizingly patting him on the shoulder.

"There, there, I'm sure you'll feel better soon."

"Don't make me hold your hand before marriage, that's the lewdest thing I could do."

"...!" Willow blushed and crossed her arms, causing him to snicker.

Wicke looked at several Pokémon relaxing under a tree and smiled, "We keep Pokémon that have been targeted by Team Skull here, and we also try and support Pokémon that require a little extra protection. Corsola, for example, due to being overhunted by Mareanie."

"Yeah, nature can be pretty cruel, just like its got its blessings. Or at least, that's what Gramps says."

"But can the Aether Foundation truly protect all the Pokémon that are out there?" Willow questioned.

"Yeah, there are, like, a lot of Pokémon…"

"Well, nature does have its own balance of course. It can be difficult to judge just how much we humans should try and affect that, can't it?"

"Man, the Foundation's awesome! But why'd you bother setting up your main branch in a place like Alola? I think I heard that you have branches in places like Sinnoh and Unova, right?"

Wicke just shrugged at Hau's question. "Who's to say? It's hard to know for sure just what exactly our president is thinking sometimes. If you'd like to meet with President Lusamine, I believe she is here in the conservation currently."

"Sure, sounds cool to me," Sapphire grinned. "Come on guys, let's go!"

They walked down the paths snaking through the area, Sapphire, Willow, and Hau all looking around at the Pokémon that were relaxing safely. "It's nice to see a place that poached Pokémon can relax safely," Willow hummed.

"Yeah… Especially with how me and Cobalt met. I bet you're glad that Pokémon that were in a situation like yours are being taken care of, yeah?"

"Yep. They're safe here… 'Course, that just means they didn't get a cool Trainer like I did," Cobalt smirked at him.

"Heh, hear that? I'm cool."

"Yes, we all heard," Willow rolled her eyes with a smile. "In all seriousness, congratulations, Cobalt, on learning how to communicate with humans other than Sapphire."

"Yeah, well, aura manipulation comes pretty naturally to Riolu and Lucario. It'll take some more time for Sapphire to communicate with Pokémon that he hasn't spent a lot of time with, but for now, I'm a pretty good translator for all y'all."

"Wait, does Hau know you can communicate with him?" Hau was walking ahead of them to follow some Horsea but walked back when he waved him over. "Yo, Hau, say hi to Cobalt."

"Howdy."

Hau blinked, before gasping. "Whoa, since when could Cobalt talk?!"

"For a while now, but just to me. What do ya think?"

"It's totally awesome!"

Cobalt grabbed Sapphire's shades to slip them on and Sapphire just rolled his eyes. "Maybe we shouldn't have told you, his ego is just gonna skyrocket now."

"Well, not like you can stop Cobalt from talking, you know."

"I can try," Sapphire threatened while raising his fists.

"Come at me bro, I'm ripped."

They continued to argue with Hau chipping in to goad them on and Willow and Cream giggling, before they rounded a corner and found another woman in a fancy dress. She had long blonde hair, incredibly long actually, all the way to her hips, and her white dress had a black gem above her breasts while the bottom of the dress faded into yellow, while she wore half-white half-black leggings and high-heels with the same color scheme. She was kneeling to speak with three Pokémon, but as they approached she turned to them and looked at the group with golden eyes. "Those have got to be contact lenses," Hau whispered.

Wicke began speaking with her, and the woman nodded before smiling at them. "You three must be Willow, Hau, and Sapphire. Welcome to the Aether Foundation's very own private island. I am the president of the foundation, but please, just call me Lusamine. I'm so glad we got to meet."

"Howdy! Nice to meet you too!"

Lusamine laughed at his greeting, "I'm glad that there are people like you, who travel the islands to learn more about Pokémon. Because, unfortunately, there are the people who harm Pokémon for their own selfish reasons or even for profit. And that is why I am here. I will be like a mother and shower all these poor Pokémon with love. Even Pokémon from far off worlds and not of Alola are worthy of my love…"

As Sapphire raised an eyebrow at her word choice, Hau folded his arms behind his head. "Man, I don't even know how you do all this! You're, like, not even that much older than us!"

"Ah, Hau's into the older women," Sapphire snickered quietly to Cobalt. Cobalt, however, didn't respond, instead looking at Lusamine with a hint of confusion in his eyes.

"Oh, you sweet boy!" Lusamine giggled, holding a hand to her face. "I'm already over forty!"

"You are?" Hau continued to smile for a few seconds, in which silence fell heavily, and Hau recoiled. "WAIT, WHAT?!" Sapphire burst out into laughter, turning away so he could hide some of the tears from how hard he was laughing at the boy.

"Oh, you! The right style does wonders, you know!" Lusamine smiled again, looking him up and down. "Your style is a bit wanting, hm? I'll have to take you out sometime and pick you a smashing new outfit!"

"Like what you wear?" Hau's face grew deadpan, probably imagining himself in the nearly all-white getup. "Yeah, I don't think anyone else could pull off that kind of look… well, maybe Lillie?"

"Well, Lillie is pretty much already dressed in all white you know," Willow hummed. "I'll have to take her shopping again!"

"I could make a joke about wanting to watch but I think Willow will shut down if I tease her any more." He snickered again but stopped when Cobalt didn't respond to his joke. "Cobalt? What's wrong?" He followed the small dog-like Pokémon's gaze to see him still watching Lusamine, her eyes seemed far off now, thinking about something.

"Don't you worry." Her voice was slightly colder now as well, though with Hau and Willow not looking as closely or listening as intently they didn't notice. "You just leave everything up to me. Trust me- Children would all be much happier if only they'd listen to the adults around them more often."

Willow and Hau began speaking with her again, but Cobalt tugged on his hair and grabbed his attention. "Sapph… There's something off about her."

"What do you mean?" he whispered.

"Aura… Just like I knew you and Ant were trustworthy when I was tired and wounded."

"Right… You can sense negative aura, not just positive…" His eyes drifted back to Lusamine. Looking closer, her eyes had a sheen of joy in them as she spoke with his friends, but deeper there was a hidden coldness like he had already observed. You had to specifically look for it or know it was there, but it made the hair on the back of his neck rise, and he clenched his fists for a moment from nervousness.

"We can't trust her."

"Right." He moved closer to his friends, trying to find a way to integrate himself into the conversation so he could end it quickly and get them off the artificial island, before the ground rumbled around them. They all stumbled slightly, and Cobalt clenched his shoulders hard to not fall out of his bag while he grabbed Hau's arm so he wouldn't trip. "Is everyone alright?"

"Yes… but that tremor… did something occur on the lower floors?"

Sapphire looked around nervously as no one deigned to answer, until pain bolted through his brain. He winced and held his head, they all did in fact, as a chittering noise wracked their brain. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something blurry, and when he turned, the pain got worse. It was like a hole was being cut into reality itself, the space above the pathway distorting and twisting.

All of a sudden, space erupted, and a light blue portal appeared in midair, with cracks spreading throughout the air around it. Within the portal, white light washed and flowed outwards, the cracks almost seeming to throb. The portal suddenly erupted in light a second time, yellow and blue shining out, and a shape floated forward.

It was about seven feet tall and completely light blue and white. It was shaped like a jellyfish, with tentacles flowing down from what Sapphire assumed was its head behind it. It floated forward, resting the tips of its tentacles on the pathway and gazing at them silently, while he stepped forward, between it and everyone else, even as the headache wracked his mind.

The portal behind it slowly closed though, finally ending everyone's migraines, and allowing them to think properly. "You are-" Lusamine suddenly stepped past him. "Have you come from a distant world?" The creature warbled strangely, no real sounds that they could understand emanating from its body.

Hau stepped forward as well, shifting his gaze from Lusamine to the creature. "Miss Lusamine, stand back! That thing is… not right!"

"You poor creature…" Lusamine ignored Hau's words, and Hau growled as he stepped past her.

"Sapphire!"

"I know." He nodded at Cobalt, who jumped from his bag and settled into a fighting stance. "Hau, protect Lusamine and the other Pokémon in the area if it manages to get past us! Willow?"

"Let's." Willow stepped forward, letting Cream leap from her arms. "Cream, I require your assistance!"

"No playing around, Cobalt, it's go time!" He reached for his other Pokéballs, before freezing when he realized they wouldn't work with the jamming signal they had been told about. "Crap… Alright, we have to play it safe, no backup from our team members!"

"Right!" Lusamine's eyes darted to Cobalt as he spoke, but they both ignored it for now. Cream began setting up shields around the both of them and Cobalt used Ignition to light himself on fire. The jellyfish creature made another indescribable noise, and he nodded at Willow, before they called to their Pokémon in synchronization to start the fight.

"Go!"


Chapter done and done. Happy late Valentine's y'all.

I don't actually base the personalities of any of my characters on myself or anyone I know, heck, even their names are different (Anthony notwithstanding, at first he was just a one-off for the prologue but then he snuck into my other stories lol, but his personality is still different from the real Anthony) so it's a fun challenge to create different personalities for every character in every story.

But, even though he isn't based on anyone, Sapphire's little confession scene was actually based on a friend's confession… yes, my friend went up to someone he liked and literally told her "hey, I like you, but can you wait for a school dance or something for a more dramatic confession before we go out?" Madlad. Even crazier is that she laughed and went along with it, and then they started dating at the next dance. Bruh.

So yeah, even though Sapphy ain't based on him, that little confession just seemed perfect for Sapphire's dramatic and jokester personality. Sapphire being so dramatic is great for me because I can write him as really confident and teasing whenever a romantic scene comes up, now and in the future, especially since Willow's shy personality plays off that so well. It's like the exact opposite of BBOH, where Willow was the teaser who got Sapphire to blush all the time and now it's Sapphire who gets her to blush now. Good romance has plenty of couple's banter after all.

The moon is beautiful is actually a Japanese thing, where it can imply 'I love you' depending on the context. Now, I am no expert on Japanese, but I looked some stuff up, and it has to do with stuff like a couple looking up at the moon and 'the moon is beautiful' in situations similar to that can be used to imply romantic undertones. Just thought it seemed like a nice little confession for Sapphire to sneak in while he waits for Willow to return his feelings. And Willow is smart of course, but whether she knows what that statement can imply, I'll leave up to the reader to decide.

Probably talked too much about romance in this AN, but this is a late Valentine's chapter, lol. As for the rest of the chapter… Looking forward to writing Nihilego's battle, especially with the fact that there's no backup from the rest of Sapphire or Willow's Pokémon with their Pokéballs not working. I find it weird that Faba states Pokéballs don't work in the Aether Paradise due to a signal… but then you can throw a ball out to send out your Pokémon. Now, maybe the signal is just to stop people from catching Pokémon, but I figure being unable to use Pokéballs except for maybe members of the Foundation would make sense. And Ultra Wormholes giving people migraines just makes sense to me, they're holes in the fabric of spacetime after all. Now, it's Omake time.

Omake name: Gordon Ramsey is horrified.

Sapphire is not a good cook when he doesn't follow a recipe.


Sapphire hummed as he inspected the crockpot in front of him, rubbing his chin. Cobalt slowly edged away, not liking how it was bubbling. "I don't think that's fit for human consumption."

"No, no, don't worry. It'll be fine! Do you think I should add anything else to the curry?"

"That's supposed to be curry?!"

"Hello everyone," Willow walked over from her tent after setting it up and blinked as she saw the bubbling liquid inside the pot. It was a mix of purple and brown, and chunks of… stuff was floating in it. Steam was coming off it and when she caught a whiff of the scent it somehow smelled sweet, salty, sour, bitter all at once. "What… is that?"

"Curry, of course." Sapphire smiled and stirred it with a spoon, and both Willow and Cobalt noted how he needed to exert a lot of effort to move the utensil through the gunk. "After Mallow's Special, I wanted to cook something myself."

"Aren't you normally… a good cook?"

"Huh? What do you mean? Of course I'm a good cook!" He tapped the spoon against the pot and a bit of curry dropped and hit the ground, instantly killing the grass around it. "Of course, this time, I didn't follow a recipe, instead I followed my instincts!"

"What did you put in it?"

"Oh you know, basic stuff. Radishes, dark chocolate, mocha… oh, and for spiciness, about a half-dozen of every kind of pepper, kimchi, then I've got some seafood with pufferfish, bass… regular stuff, like I said."

Both Willow and Cobalt slowly got paler as he spoke with Cobalt's fur somehow becoming white, though he didn't notice, and continued to stir the pot. "Do either of you want to try?"

"I'm not hungry," Cobalt immediately spoke while walking away.

"Uh…" Sapphire smiled, and Willow groaned. "O-Okay, sure…"

"Pray for Willow, everyone," Cobalt muttered when he reached the other Pokémon.

Sapphire held out the spoon, with several chunks of something floating in the brown-purple liquid. Willow slowly got closer and began shaking, seeing the chunks seemingly move and gurgle like they were alive, before biting down. There was silence for about a minute, before Sapphire tilted his head. "Willow?"

Willow slowly leaned back, looking at nothing. "Bruh, if I punch myself and it hurts, am I weak, or strong?" Willow asked.

"What?"

"Bruh, Halloween is just a global cosplay event."

"What are you talk-?"

"Bruh, children are legal slave labor."

"Oh dear lord."

"Bruh, 'that's great dear' is grandma's version of 'cool story bro.'"

"What have I done?"

"Bruh, cereal is a soup."

"This was going to be for the betterment of mankind, the ultimate food…"

"Bruh, if you call a dude a dog, you're calling them a son of a bitch."

"I regret everything."

"Bruh, whoever said 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' has clearly never heard of comas."

"Kill me now."

"Bruh, pants aren't an issue when you're quantum shitting through the nth dimension."

Willow quickly fell backward and passed out, and Sapphire looked down at the pot of poison. "I almost want to eat it and see just how the hell that happened but even I'm not that dumb." He quickly lit the entire thing on fire with Claws' help, before having Chrysant bury it so it could never see the light of day again. "May the cursed food never be found…"


Well alright then. Spot what food this Omake references and you get internet points, lol. Anyway, leave a review on everything you liked in the chapter or just a 'nice.' Both are always great to read.

Sapphire:

-Riolu, Cobalt

-Torracat, Claws

-Midday_Lycanroc, Chrysant

-Charjabug, Storm

-Haunter, Spooks

-Noibat, Blast

-Talonflame, Inferno

-Seadra, Wave

-Rotom, Volt

-Eevee, Puffball

-Ponyta, Spirit

-Ivysaur, Hemlock

-Chinchou

-Ditto, Mimic

-Shieldon

Willow:

-Espurr, Cream

-Dartrix

-Slowpoke

-Grimer

-Murkrow

-Leafeon

See y'all next time.