Kiara pointed at the small, spiky Pokémon whose funky coloration made it look sick. "That's what attacked me and Meowth."

Serena pulled out her Pokédex to scan the unfamiliar Pokémon.

"Mareanie. The Brutal Star Pokémon. Making contact with Mareanie may cause it to release a toxic substance."

Serena was confused. "But Kiara was burned, not poisoned."

Lana explained, "Mareanie often know Scald, a water-type move that can leave the target burned."

Litten padded over to Mareanie, curious. May cried out, "Don't touch it, Litten, it might poison you!"

In response, Mareanie spewed water, which caused the cat Pokémon to hiss and hide behind May's boots. The steam coming off the water showed how hot it was—definitely hot enough to leave a burn.

Litten hissed. May kept a firm stance. "That Mareanie needs to learn some manners! Litten, use Scratch!"

Litten was a fierce attacker, but Mareanie fought back just as viciously, biting down with sharp teeth on Litten's paw.

"Be careful, May, it might poison Litten!" Kiawe reminded the other trainer.

"Litten can't attack from a distance yet," May retorted. "If she gets poisoned, then—well, I'll just burn that bridge when it comes!"

Mallow covered her mouth with her hand. "I don't think that's how the saying goes."

"Litten, give Mareanie a taste of its own medicine. Use Fire Fang!"

Although Fire Fang wasn't very effective, it left a burn. Mareanie squealed as May threw a Pokéball at it. The Pokéball clicked in place right away.

Kiawe exclaimed, "Critical capture! Nice!"

May sent out Mareanie. "Alright, little star, now that you're on my team, you're gonna have to learn to be nice. Go apologize to Kiara."

Mareanie's tentacles drooped as he dragged himself toward the young trainer and bowed down in apology. Kiara smiled. "It's okay. Serena's really good at first aid, so it doesn't hurt so much anymore."

Mallow and Serena helped Kiara stand up. "Were you the one who called for help?"

"Yeah. My family was travelling on a private yacht to Unova when I fell overboard. I thought I'd drowned, but it was as if the island pulled me to shore. Like the island has a life of its own."

Serena shivered, thinking of all the ghost type Pokémon wandering this very island.

"But it was kind of gross and super scary, and I just wanted to get out. But I didn't have a boat, so I called the nearest lab to send one over for me."

"And the nearest lab was Professor Kukui's," Dawn realized. "That makes sense."

Lana remarked, "I'm surprised you could get signal."

Kiara puffed out her chest. She may have been the youngest among them, but she had as much of a regal air as her Alolan Meowth. "My family invests in the highest-quality technology. My Pokégear can call anyone in the world from anywhere! So anyway, let's leave this stinky island."

Mallow wrapped an arm around Kiara's shoulders to guide her toward the group's boat, when Kiawe held up a hand. "Wait! We still haven't found Sophocles. Drifloon carried him away last night, and we can't leave him on Fifth Island without any proper technology. He'll go berserk!"

Lana rolled her eyes. "Or he'll build his own beacon."

"But Kiawe is right," Serena pointed out. "Sophocles is our friend, and we agreed to look for him today. Sorry, Kiara, but you'll have to wait a bit longer before rejoining your family. I promise we'll take care of you, though."

Kiara didn't mind. "Your friend is missing, you say? My Vully can help with that." She sent out a fluffy little bird wearing a stone like a diaper.

Dawn exclaimed, "That's a Vullaby! It's a dark and flying type from Unova." She ruffled Vullaby's feathers with a finger. "You'll grow up to be big and strong, won't you?"

"She'll grow up to be beautiful. I want to be a dark type specialist, and all of my Pokémon will be absolutely gorgeous!"

As Vullaby flew over the treeline and the group began walking, Serena made conversation with the younger Pokémon trainer. "If you're working to make your Pokémon beautiful, does that mean you're a showcase performer or coordinator?"

Kiara shook her head. "No, that sounds too hard for me."

"Don't be discouraged! I know it's hard at first, but my friends and I came to Alola to introduce Pokémon contests to other trainers here. Professor Kukui – the professor you called – is running a program that's really friendly for beginner coordinators. And I'm also a showcase performer from Kalos, so feel free to ask me anything."

"Okay. I'll keep an open mind."

Mallow turned to face them, walking backwards. "That's the spirit!" Sharing a look with Lana, she added, "I wish Lillie was here."

Lana agreed. "I know what you mean. I think she'd really enjoy learning about Pokémon contests."

Kiawe held out a fist, full of determination. "We'll teach her when she returns. Gladion, too. I think all Pokémon trainers would benefit from learning about different battle formats."

Kiara adjusted the ruffles on her dress. "Maybe, but what I want to do is Pokémon musicals. Meowy and Vully would be great at them, too! They can dance and put on a great show without me needing to coordinate every step, and most of all, they look cute doing it!"

It sounded less involved than Pokémon contests and showcases, which both required a strong bond between trainer and Pokémon, but Serena liked Kiara's passion. "I'm curious, though. Why dark types?"

Kiara clasped her hands. "Because I admire him. The first dark type Gym Leader in Pokémon history. He's also a rock star, and his partner is a never-before-seen dark type that evolves from a regional variant of Linoone." She looked up at Serena. "If you think I should learn about Pokémon contests, then you should try Pokémon musicals, too. After we find your friend and leave Fifth Island, I'll let my family know I'll stay a bit longer. Then, we'll go to Unova together and you'll get to participate in Pokémon musicals!"

"That sounds fun! I'd love that. I think I could learn a lot from different experiences. I look forward to travelling with you, Kiara."

The two girls shook hands. Vullaby flapped her wings as she flew down, her descent clumsier than most flying type Pokémon Serena had seen. "Vully found your friend!"

The group ran toward a cluster of caves, where Sophocles was waiting. Togedemaru leaped up and waved at them. Sophocles looked up from his technological project, and Drifloon floated away.