Gamelover41592: Thanks

Matt (Guest): Right, forgot about that.

IllusionSign (Guest): Thanks!

Alright, time for the second Kahuna Trial! Let's get going!

"Well, isn't this lucky?" Emma snarked. Olivia was inside Diglett's Tunnel.

"So, how is your island challenge going?" Olivia asked as she walked over to the girls. "Let me see which crystals you've both earned," Both girls held out their crystals. Olivia's eyes went wild. "Ooh, look at you girls! Nice work! I see you've even passed Mallow's Trial! It's about time you had some fun with me! The Diglett have settled down, too. If you are both as strong as you appear, you should be able to make it through this cave. At the end of it, you'll find Konikoni City. That's where my shop is. I'll see you there!" With that, she headed off.

"Welp, looks like we gotta get moving." Kitty declared. She then ran off. "Race you to the end!"

"First one there gets to battle first!" Emma added in as she raced after her sister.

"Great, now there's no way I'm gonna win," Emma groaned in her head. In front of her were the two Aether Foundation workers she had seen in the tunnel earlier.

"Phew...with Olivia in charge, we've finally managed to make some headway against those Diglett," The female worker said. The male worker then noticed Emma standing behind them.

"Oh! Alola!" He greeted her. "We're members of the Aether Foundation. We work to support Pokémon conversation.

"It seems like Team Skull was responsible for the Diglett in this cave getting so riled up and bringing them all up to the surface," The female worker explained.

"That doesn't surprise me," Emma snarked. "I bet caving in their tunnels drove them to the surface."

"They seem to delight in interfering with Trainers and their Pokémon…" The female worker trailed off.

"We're here to ensure that they return to their tunnels and let people pass through here without having to fight so many Pokémon." The male worker assured Emma.

"Some of the Diglett are still stuck on or near the surface, though, so be careful!" The female worker warned her. The workers then walked off.

"Yeah, I've still run into some Diglett," Emma thought to herself. She pulled out her Ride Pager and summoned her Tauros, knowing that it was her only chance to beat Kitty to Konikoni City. She had nearly reached the end, only to run straight into two Team Skull grunts.

"Ahh, no way...just when things were startin' to heat up, yo, I got surrounded by Diglett and beat up, yo!" The male grunt snapped. "Yo, since when can Diglett use Beat Up!? I'm so mad that now I want to beat up on some fools! Don't be mad 'cause you were the fool who was dumb enough to be here right now!"

"Hey! Emma!" Emma turned around to see Hau coming up behind her. "I was wondering who you were playing around with without me, and it's Team Skull!"

"There's always room for one more," Emma replied with a smile. "Want to help me teach these punks a lesson?"

"You know I'm always up for battle!" Hau answered.

"You want some!?" The grunt snapped. "That's just how we say hello! Nice knowing you, punks!" The grunts sent out Ekans and Salandit. Emma went for her Lycanroc, while Hau sent out Eevee. Needless to say, the two Trainers were easily able to beat the Team Skull grunts.

"Yo, step off!" The female spoke for the first time. "Enough with beating up, yo!"

"We may not be trying to take over the world or nothing, but we're still hard as bone out there!" The male grunt chimed in. They then raced off.

"See you on the flip side!" Hau waved them off. "Man, Emma, when I fight with you or Kitty...it's like even my Pokémon feel more at ease! You guys really are a different kind of Trainer. That's it! I just gotta give you something!" Hau then handed Emma a Max Ether. She knew that they could be used to allow a Pokémon to use a move more times than normal.

"Thanks," Emma said with a nod. "I think Kitty totally beat us to Konikoni at this rate."

"Well, I'm gonna go have some fun with those Diglett! See ya!" Hau said as he ran off. Emma smiled before running off.

"Geez, where the heck is Emma?" Kitty wondered. She had been in Konikoni City for a while now and she had no idea where Emma was. She guessed she was held up in Diglett's Tunnel or something. But she felt dirty not waiting for her. Maybe she should go explore the nearby graveyard.

"Bouns?" Kitty looked down at Bounsweet, who smiled at her.

"Yeah, let's go check out the graveyard," Kitty said as she stood up from the tree she had been sitting under.

"Bouns!" The graveyard wasn't far from what she was, so it wasn't hard to find. And what Kitty did find were two Team Skull grunts, an Aether Foundation worker, and a man in a strange outfit.

"Team Skull! Give back that Pokémon!" The Aether Foundation worker snapped. Behind the grunts was a Slowpoke.

"Lo-o-w?"

"Don't give me trouble! I'll reduce you to rubble!" The first grunt snapped.

"That's right! We're gonna sell this Pokémon to get rich, and we won't make no bones about it!" The second grunt revealed. "If you want it back, you're gonna have to take it!"

"Lo-o-w?"

"Stand firm!" The man ordered the worker. "Think of what the president would say!"

"That's what you say, Chief! But you don't lift a finger!" The worker fired back.

"Why, I am the Aether Foundation's last line of defense!" The man protested. "What would become of the foundation if something were to happen to me now?"

"What's going on over here?" Kitty asked as she walked over.

"Ah! Here's a promising young Trainer!" The man exclaimed. He then practically shoved Kitty forward. "Fight in my stead, child, and rout these Team Skull ruffians! I will bestow honor upon you, if you do!"

"Sure, why not?" Kitty replied. She could use the practice before she went up against Olivia.

"You ready? Cuz I was born ready, yo!" The first grunt snapped at her before throwing out his Pokémon. Kitty took care of him and his buddy with no problem. Not helping was that Bounsweet evolved into a Steenee.

"I guess so was I," Kitty dryly noted.

"That loss was pathetic!" The grunt berated himself. "Your moves were so kinetic!"

"We don't need this Pokémon anyway! Take it then! Good luck and good riddance!" The second grunt snapped as they raced away.

"Phew…" The worker breathed a sigh of relief as she walked over to the Slowpoke.

"Lo-o-ow?"

"Thanks kid!" The worker said to Kitty.

"Yes, indeed," The boss agreed. "You are a Trial-goer, aren't you? You're a splendid Trainer. I am deeply impressed! I'd like to reward you by showing you something truly astounding. Once you have finished your Grand Trial, come to Grand Hano Grand Resort and I will take you to see a wondrous place."

"It's alright if I bring my sister, right?" Kitty asked. "She's a Trial-goer as well and I think she would want to see it too."

"Of course!" The man assured her. "The more the merrier!"

"Thank you for helping us out! I really owe you!" The worker walked over to Kitty. "I'm so glad there are nice young Trainer like you around. Good luck on your Island Challenge!" With that, they left.

"Kitty!" Emma called out as she raced up to her sister. She was clearly out of breath. "So, what happened?"

"More of Team Skull," Kitty explained. "I helped them rescue a Slowpoke, and the boss offered to take me somewhere cool and I managed to convince him to let him come."

"Awesome!" Emma complimented. "So, I think we should go find Olivia for you."

Kitty grinned.

"This should be the place," Emma said as she and Kitty headed towards the Ruins of Life. Since Olivia was not anywhere in the city, so Emma guessed that she was most likely going to be at the Ruins of Life.

"So, you're the ones that Gladion was talking about?" Emma and Kitty whipped around to see a woman with strange dyed hair and a Team Skull necklace and tattoo. "...Hmph. You don't look like anything special to me. I'm Plumeria. I help keep Team Skull together. I'm like a big sister to all these numskulls. You have realized what idiots all these guys are, right?"

"I think everyone has," Emma snarked.

"But don't you think some dummies are cute in their dumbness?" Plumeria questioned.

"I prefer smart guys," Emma immediately replied.

"I mean, some can be cute…" Kitty trailed off. Emma just smirked. She had a feeling she knew exactly who she was talking about.

"Not cute like that!" Plumeria snapped. "You picking on my cute, dumb brothers and sisters is really annoying me!"

"I'll handle this," Emma assured her sister. "You head for Olivia!" Kitty nodded and ran off. She had no idea how Emma was doing, but she did find the entrance.

"Kit!" Kitty turned around to see Burnet and Lillie. "Lillie got lost again, so I brought her here to you. She couldn't even find her way to the Tide Song Hotel on her own! She said she saw Team Skull and tried to avoid them. That's why she got lost. Hey, where's Emma?"

"She's dealing with one of the heads of Team Skull," Kitty explained.

"Well, not anymore!" Emma called out as she raced over. "She was pretty tough, so I think I'm gonna have to heal before I take on Olivia."

"Well, I'll leave you three here." Burnet said. "Now I've gotta go! The Masked Royal has a match, and there's no way that I'm missing it!" She then began to walk off. "That Masked Royal...what do you think he looks like under that mask, huh?" Emma and Kitty both facepalmed. How did their mom not notice who her own husband was!?

"I came here for Nebby," Lillie admitted. "Though...as you saw, I didn't come here myself so much as I was brought here with the professor's help…."

"Hey, Lillie, you think you could heal my Pokémon for me?" Emma asked.

"Oh! Sure!" Lillie replied as she took care of Emma's Pokémon. She then turned back to the ruins. "Within these ruins waits the guardian deity of Akala Island...this is Tapu Lele's ruin."

"Pew!"

"You!" Lillie snapped at the tiny Pokémon. "I know you tried to drag me along to the ruins of Ruins of Conflict on Melemele Island, too...why are these ruins important to you? What do these guardians mean to you?

"You know that we can't understand Pokémon, right?" Emma pointed out. Outside of one person in Unova, humans could not understand most Pokémon's speech.

"I know…" Lillie replied. "Just think what would have happened if you hadn't been there back then…"

"Pew!"

"What's up Nebby?" Kitty asked. Everyone turned around to see Olivia coming out of the ruins.

"Oh, haven't I seen you with Kukui?" She asked the girls as she walked over to them.

"Yes, my name is Lillie. I work as Professor Kukui's assistant," Lillie replied. "And this is Emma and Kitty."

"Oh! Sorry, I never even asked you before, did I?" Olivia realized. "Tapu Lele summoned me here to clean up the ruins. Girls...thanks for getting to know the people and Pokémon of Alola."

"It was our pleasure," Emma said before turning to her sister. "So, you still wanna go first? I believe you beat me fair and square."

"Thanks Emma," Kitty replied with a smile. Emma, along with Lillie and Nebby took a step to the side.

"All right then!" Olivia declared. "You've completed the Trials of all three captains here on Akala Island. Now you face the Grand Trial of the Kahuna-me! Get ready for your hardest Pokémon battle yet on Akala!"

"I'm ready!" Kitty assured her.

"Great!" Olivia declared. "We're gonna give you guys everything we've got! And my partners are all adorable, rugged little Rock-types!" With that, both girls sent out their first Pokémon: Anorith for Olivia and Brionne for Kitty.

"Brionne! Aqua Jet to start things off!" Kitty ordered. Brionne landed the attack effortlessly.

"Anorith, Metal Claw," Olivia said. Again, the attack landed.

"Okay, now use Bubble Beam!" Kitty ordered. This time, Anorith was knocked out.

"Hmm...not bad," Olivia noted as she returned her Pokémon to it's Pokéball. "But let's see how you handle Lileep!" With that, she sent out Lileep.

"Brionne, come back!" Kitty ordered. While she wasn't as into learning about type match ups as Emma, she knew that Lilleep was a Grass-Type and that Brionne wasn't going to be able to do much. "Ribombee, your time to shine!"

"Ribombee!"

"Okay, now Bug Buzz!" Kitty ordered. Ribombee landed the attack with ease.

"Lileep, Ancient Power," Olivia called out. Kitty didn't have time to order Ribombee to dodge. She managed to tank the damage, but it was pretty clear she was on her last legs.

"Just keep hanging in there!" Kitty called to her Pokémon. "Do Bug Buzz again and we should take it down!" Ribombee nodded and attacked, managing to take down the fossil.

"Impressive, but let's see how you handle this," Olivia said as she sent out her final Pokémon, a Dusk Lycanroc. Kitty had already brought Brionne back in, only to realize she made a major mistake when Olivia used the Rock Z-Move. It took Brionne out instantly.

"Crap! Brionne was supposed to be my ace!" Kitty thought to herself as she returned her starter to its Pokéball. She then realized she did have one other way to win. "Okay, Steenee! Let's end this!"

"Steen!"

"Now, Razor Leaf!" Kitty ordered, causing Steenee to pelt the Lycanroc with the sharp leaves, knocking it back. "Now finish it off with Magical Leaf!" The attack landed and sure enough, Lycanroc fell.

"How lovely," Olivia said. Her arms were crossed and she was looking at her feet. "Diamonds only sparkle after coal is pushed to its absolute limit." She then smiled. "You guys are the best! Here. The Rock Type Z-Crystal, the Rockium Z...it's all yours!" She then handed Kitty the crystal. Kitty took it with pride.

"Well done Kitty," Emma smiled. She knew her sister could do anything. Once Olivia finished showing Kitty the dance, she turned to her.

"Now then, I think I owe you a battle as well," Olivia said to the older sister. "I'll just need a moment to heal."

"Pew!"

"You look very pleased, don't you?" Lillie said to Nebby.

"By the way, Lillie, this might be a weird question, but…" Olivia began to ask as she turned to face Lillie. "Why even come to the Ruins of Life if you're not a Trainer?"

"Oh. Because of Nebby…" Lillie began as she faced Olivia. "It's not originally from here, and I want to help it get back to its home...but I don't have any idea how to do that...it seems fond of the ruins for some reason, so I keep visiting them and hoping that maybe I will find some clue to help it…."

"You certainly don't see Pokémon like that every day," Olivia marveled. "Tapu Lele may be called the guardian deity of our island, but it can also run wild at times. Regular Pokémon normally avoid the guardians at all costs...unless they are strong enough to face the Tapu themselves, that is."

"Pew?" Nebby turned to face Olivia.

"Wait, that can't be right…" Olivia trailed off. She then turned back to the girls. "I think your journey will hold many surprises. And I hope it holds many joys. I'll take you back to town, Lillie. You're doing everything you can for your partner, even though you're not a Trainer. I like that kind of person, so I can't help but give you a hand!" She then turned back to Emma. "Can you wait until I take Lillie back?"

Emma nodded. "Yeah, it's fine. I understand."

"Aue! You're Kahuna Olivia! I'm Hau from Iki Town!" As soon as the girls reached the bottom, Hau and Dartrix ran over to them. "You've gotta let me battle you!"

"Sorry kid, but I already have a line," Olivia revealed as she gestured to Emma.

"Oh hey Emma!" Hau waved. "Guess what? This weird green guy from Aether told me to come to Hano Grand Resort once I finished up with my Grand Trial here on Akala!"

"You too?!" Kitty happily exclaimed as she and Hau began happily talking. Emma, on the other hand, noticed Lillie flinch at the mention of the Aether Foundation. She was curious, but decided not to pry.

"Ooh, the Aether Foundation?" Olivia asked. "I'm not sure what he wants with you kids, but why not go find out? If you don't want to keep him waiting, then Charizard should get you there in no time. The Hano Grand Resort lies just over the bridge near the Dimensional Research Lab."

"Th...the Aether Foundation…?" Lillie questioned before going into a panic. "U-um! I think I'll stay here! I'd like to talk to the professor again."

"Alright then!" Kitty said, not noticing the panic. "I'm gonna head over now! Can't wait to meet you guys there!" She summoned Charizard and flew off. Emma turned back to Lillie. She loved the Aether Foundation, so why was Lillie so nervous about it?

This was my favorite chapter because I got to throw shade at Faba, who I hate with a passion. Also, a personal headcanon I have is that while Kitty is more aware of things like love, Emma is the one who can sense when people are unnerved or worried about things, even when they don't want to show it. Anyways, next time, the kids head to the Aether Foundation.