For several long seconds, Kukui could only stare.

Kiawe and Mallow exchanged nervous glances, then slowly looked back up at him, silent. Ash's eyebrow ticked once.

"You guys can let go of me now," he said pointedly. "I'm home."

"Just a minute," Kukui said, not moving from the middle of the doorway. "Now, kids, I'm not judging, and when you're not at school, it's not my place to say what you can and can't do. But the fact you had to walk Ash home and knocked on the door rather than let him open it kind of makes me a little concerned. Rough night in the woods?"

And all jokes aside, he was actually a little worried. While mostly he just seemed annoyed, Ash was pale and a little sweaty, and his eyes were bloodshot. Mallow and Kiawe each had a hand on one of his shoulders, Pikachu was on the ground beside Steenee, and Rotom was hovering in the background with one of its disapproving frowns. If Kukui hadn't known better he would have added it all up to a really bad hangover.

"I'm fine," Ash said firmly. "They're being stupid."

"Ash walked into three trees this morning," Mallow explained.

"I tripped over some roots," he corrected irritably.

"And he walked into a river," Kiawe added.

"I was walking with the slope and didn't notice, big deal!" he objected.

"And he nearly headed over a cliff," Mallow finished. "That was when we decided he shouldn't walk on his own right now."

"I just got turned around!" he cried, flailing his arms. Kukui had to dodge one of them and it wound up smacking into the doorframe instead, making Ash hiss in pain and shock.

"It has been a fascinating morning!" Rotom announced, though it didn't sound particularly happy about it. "I believe this mental and physical dehabilitation—"

"I know what that means!" Ash said. "I'm not going crazy!"

"No, I think that ship's already sailed," Kiawe drawled, and Ash pouted at him.

Rotom ignored the interjection with a sweep of its wing. "—is due to the after effects of Morelull's repeated Strength Sap, followed by Shiinotic's Sleep Powder. Both have been noted to cause minor degradation in coordination and mental faculties, but the two combined have resulted in a complete loss of direction and self-awareness."

"Morelull's Strength Sap?" Kukui repeated blankly, and then grimaced, realising he was still blocking the way. He stepped back and gestured for Kiawe and Mallow to push Ash inside. "So you ran into some morelull, huh? What do you mean by 'repeated' Strength Sap?"

"It was so cool, Professor!" Ash enthused, even as Kiawe took over from Mallow to personally manhandle him over to the couch. "There were all these morelull in the forest – it was their evolution time! You should've seen it, it was so beautiful! They all had to suck up a lot of energy, and then put it into this tree, and the tree was huge and shiny and it glowed and it was –"

"Yeah, it was cool," Kiawe interrupted as he finally managed to get Ash to sit. "But that doesn't make what you did any less dumb."

"It was totally worth it!"

"It was crazy!" Mallow snapped, and then turned to Kukui with her arms spread wide. "We all got attacked by morelull, but there was this one small one that followed us back to camp and kept going after us. And once we figured out what was attacking us, Ash actually volunteered himself to get sapped! Over and over and over again until it couldn't take anymore!"

Kukui stared, then looked over at Ash. Suddenly, he looked a lot better—and frankly more alive—than Kukui would have expected from the story alone.

"It was no big deal!" Ash said, waving it off. "You get energy from food, and we had way too much because Lillie and Mallow cooked enough for an army! So I just ate a bunch and it was fine!"

"It was not fine; you're an idiot," Kiawe snapped, and then sighed loudly, setting one hand on his hip as he turned back to Kukui. "He didn't seem any worse for wear though. Not until we all woke up this morning and he started trying to walk off cliffs."

"It's seriously not a problem," Ash insisted. "I just haven't been looking where I was going, and yeah, I'm a bit clumsy today but that happens sometimes, right? I've heard about it from some of my older friends! Some days, your arms and legs feel a bit too long for your body. It's just a part of growing up."

Mallow looked slightly blank at that, but Kukui joined Kiawe in giving Ash a deadpan stare. Whatever other pubescent worries Ash had, you only had to look to know growth spurts were not one of them.

"Spatial disorientation is one of the most well-known side-effects of fairy-type attacks," Rotom reported. "Further expected symptoms are muscle fatigue, increased appetite, headaches, nausea, and long-term memory loss. Wait! Long-term memory loss?! Quick, Ash! Do you remember your home town and mother's maiden name?!"

"Okay, okay, calm down, Rotom," Kukui said, holding up his hands. "Let's take things one step at a time. Ash, are you sure you're feeling okay?"

Ash grinned and pumped his arms defiantly. "I'm just fine! No need to worry!"

"Pi-pika pikachu," Pikachu said in an undertone, and Ash balked, then shot it an annoyed glance. The rest of them ignored it.

"Well, I guess that as long as you're alright…" Kukui said slowly, looking back at Kiawe and Mallow. "Thanks for getting him home. I hope you had some fun this weekend."

"Sure did!" cried Mallow. "I can't wait until next time!"

"Seeing that evolution event was pretty amazing," Kiawe agreed. "And it was cool to camp out in the middle of nature like that."

"Right?" Ash jumped back to his feet, bringing his fists up in front of him with a determined grin. "It was just like being on the road again. I didn't realise how much I mi- i- whoa!" His arms pin-wheeled as he apparently struggled to keep his balance, until Kiawe grabbed his shoulder and shoved him back on the couch.

"Don't stand up if you can't!" he snapped, but Ash ignored him, raising his fists again.

"Forget that. This weekend was so much fun! I'm so glad we did it," he said, and then beamed at Kiawe and then Mallow. "And I'm really glad you guys got to come along. I know you're both super busy, helping out your parents at home and all. I wanted to say thanks for taking the time to come out with us. It was way better with you guys there too."

They both faltered slightly, even Kiawe losing his annoyed scowl in pleased surprise. They just stared at him for a second, then up at each other, before Mallow lifted her shoulders in a quiet giggle. "I guess it is kind of rare for us to take time out like this."

"Yeah, you're right," Kiawe said slowly. "But… I'm glad we did. I really did have fun this weekend."

"Me too. It's nice to just spend some time with friends, huh?"

Ash grinned, and Kukui smiled fondly. He'd always liked this group of kids for how close and friendly they were, but they were really coming together lately. But as much as he hated to break up one of their bonding moments…

"Not that I want to kick you guys out on a whirlwind," he said, stepping up between Mallow and Kiawe, "but it's getting pretty late and if you did get hit by morelull, you could all probably do with a rest. Are you okay to get back to Akala, Kiawe? We can call your folks and tell them you're staying here if you don't want to risk the flight."

Kiawe shook his head and started toward the door. "Nah, I'm okay. Thanks though," he added, and then looked at Mallow. "You want a lift back to the restaurant?"

"Sure, that'd be great! I've never flown on a charizard before!"

"Stee-nee!"

After ordering Ash to stay put, Kukui walked them out, inexplicably pleased with the outcome of their weekend. He waited for Kiawe to call out Charizard and climb aboard before saying, "So about what Ash did… I'm glad I don't have to tell you what a dumb move that was."

"No kidding," Mallow said as she lifted Steenee for Kiawe to take. "It always works out in the end, but he does some really crazy stunts."

"Ash is the only one reckless enough to do the things he does, Professor, don't worry," Kiawe agreed, before frowning slightly. "But uh, Lillie does get pretty impressed."

Mallow hummed, but only paused long enough to clamber up behind Kiawe and take Steenee back before pointing out, "But she's too scared of pokemon to copy him."

Kukui nodded. "Still, I'll talk to her anyway. Thanks again, you two."

They both smiled as Charizard prepared for takeoff. "See you tomorrow, Professor Kukui!"

"Yeah. Be careful on your way home!"

While there wasn't anything wrong with him per se, Ash was decidedly more uncoordinated and even vaguer than usual all afternoon. He was handling it pretty well, but Kukui still insisted on keeping him in as much sight as possible, just to be safe.

"This is very interesting!" Rotom said after Ash failed to walk out of the bathroom so much as into the doorframe. He just grumbled to himself and corrected his path, but Kukui shot Rotom a disapproving look.

"I'm not sure that's the best way to phrase it, RotomDex."

"But it is! Directly after evolving, the shiinotic shared its own energy with Ash in repayment!" Rotom said, flitting around to take photos of Ash. "Such a process would theoretically reverse any ill-effects from the initial draining!"

"Not necessarily," Kukui argued. "The human body is a complicated thing, Rotom. It's not like a machine, where you can just recharge the batteries and immediately get it working at one hundred percent efficiency."

"It doesn't normally take this long to get over it though," Ash groused as he walked over to flop back down on the couch with a loud sigh. "But I guess it makes sense. It probably would've been fine if it was just me."

"Just you?" Kukui repeated curiously, before he realised what he meant. "Oh, because it was giving energy back to the others, too."

"Well, yeah, but no," he said. "I mean my pokemon."

He raised his eyebrows, surprised. "I thought you usually included them when you referred to 'others'."

"What?"

"What?"

They stared at each other for a few seconds, before Ash flailed his hands, frustrated. "Not Pikachu and the others! My other pokemon! Like Greninja!"

"Data update!" Rotom said cheerfully. "Disorientation is making the subject even more nonsensical than usual!"

"Arghhh! I keep telling you I'm fine!" Ash grabbed at his hair, then flung his hands out in front of him. "Shiinotic probably spread around enough energy for the tree, and us, and our pokemon, and you, RotomDex, but no way it would've thought about givin' to more than it could see. It's wild! It doesn't know about the bond between trainers and their pokemon, so it wouldn't think about that!"

"What bond are you talking about?" asked Rotom. "Does that not usually refer to friendship?"

"N- well, yeah, but…" Ash stared at it for a few seconds, then turned to Kukui in an obvious search for help. "I guess I don't know the words. You know. When you're a Pokemon Trainer, you – with your pokemon, when you get really close, you have that bond, right?"

Kukui blinked back, making sure to keep his poker face up. He knew as much about bonds as any Pokemon Trainer worth their salt, but he wasn't entirely sure what that had to do with Shiinotic giving out energy. But if previous experience was anything to go by, Kukui knew he would be better served by letting Ash explore the topic, rather than shutting him down. "Yes, but terminology isn't helping us here. Why don't you try explaining it from the beginning, and I'll help you as you go?"

"Thanks, Professor," he said, tone full of genuine gratitude, before he shifted in his seat, sitting more upright and straight-backed as he focussed on Rotom properly. "Okay, um, so, as a Pokemon Trainer, I work with my pokemon, right? We share everything. Our happiness, our sadness, our triumphs, and our failures. My weaknesses are their weaknesses, and my strength is theirs too."

Kukui nodded, because it wasn't an uncommon philosophy. Most gym leaders he'd ever met had a similar speech, and would usually come out with it at the slightest provocation, lecturing new trainers about the importance of taking responsibility for their pokemon's performance in battle. He would have been more surprised if Ash hadn't picked it up by this point.

In typical fashion, Pikachu seemed to notice Ash was explaining something and immediately broke off from the shadow-tag it had been playing with Rockruff and Litten to join him. It hopped onto the couch and then clambered up onto Ash's shoulder, matching his determined smile with one of its own, apparently just to complete the image of a pokemon-trainer team. Ash barely acknowledged it with a glance, but when the other two followed Pikachu over, he leaned down to pick up Litten and set it in his lap.

"When I get really into training—when I'm really working as hard as I can," he added quickly, like that was an important qualifier, "then it's like there's nothing separating us. It's like I'm right there on the field with them. Sharing our strength, sharing our pain, sharing everything. It's more than just a bond of friendship – more than just a partnership. It's a real connection of mind and spirit."

Rockruff lifted its paws onto the table, tilting its head curiously, but Pikachu nodded like a wiseman. "Pika pikachu."

"And there are some pokemon I have, where we connected so well, that no matter how far apart we are, it's like we're always together." He closed his eyes, a warm smile spreading over his face as he obviously remembered something – or, considering the topic, someone. But after a second, his eyes snapped open again, and he laughed like he was suddenly embarrassed. "And a couple of times it's been even more than that. We really areconnected, and I'm pretty sure they're kinda mad at me right now."

"Pika pika," Pikachu said dryly, and Ash giggled again.

"I do not understand," Rotom said blankly. "You make it sound as if you have some kind of psychic ability."

"Not psychic," he said. "It's not normally like a special power or anything. It's just about how well you work with your pokemon. Right, Professor?"

Kukui balked a little, caught off-guard despite himself. As so often happened during these conversations, everything Ash was saying made a kind of sense, and definitely related to principles he knew, but he was applying it in strange ways. Kukui inwardly grimaced and went with the closest approximation he had. "There definitely is some kind of unexplained bond between pokemon and their trainers. It's the basis of how Z-moves work, after all. You can't just pick up a Z-crystal, steal someone else's pokemon, and get a fully-powered Z-move – it probably wouldn't even work. The strongest Z-moves come from pokemon who have the closest bond with their trainers."

He hesitated, then added, "There's also something called Mega-Evolution, which can further evolve a fully evolved pokemon. In all of the published research on mega-evolution, the consensus is that you need a strong connection between a trainer and pokemon, or the evolution becomes unstable. So there is definitely some kind of… link operating there."

"A link," Rotom repeated dubiously. "That is not a very precise description."

"Well, honestly, there hasn't been a lot of research done the define it," he said with a shrug. "You have to remember, Rotom, Pokemon Science isn't that old. It's only in the last fifty years or so that we stopped describing pokemon moves as 'magic'."

"No research? But isn't it what Professor Oak studies?" asked Ash. "I mean, he's always talking about how humans and pokemon work together."

"Yes, but that's more… cultural," he replied. "For instance, Professor Oak's last paper was about the ways pokemon behaviour changes based on their interactions with humans. A pokemon in the wild doesn't think much like a human. Like Morelull – it was only concerned with syphoning as much energy as it could for the express purpose of evolving and serving its forest. Compare that with Pikachu here, who can stand on a pitcher's mound, completely mimmicking all the gestures and quirks of Ola'ola, and be emotionally invested in winning the game."

Pikachu gave an embarrassed laugh, rubbing the back of its head. Kukui smiled in appreciation of yet another proven point.

"Pokemon that live among humans adopt their mannerisms, and even some of their thought processes. But that isn't a bond, it's just emotional and mental adaption."

Ash stared blankly for a second, but obviously decided to just go with what he didn't understand, because his next point was just, "And I guess Professor Sycamore's more about the actual evolution stuff and the mega-stones than what keeps the pokemon happy, huh?"

"Mmhm. Most scientists are interested in documenting pokemon abilities. Trainers are a little beside the point, to be honest."

"I see," Rotom said thoughtfully. "But what does this have to do with energy?"

Pulling his poker face back on, Kukui gestured for Ash to pick up the thread, since he honestly had no idea. Apparently it worked, because Ash nodded and gave it a shot.

"Well, part of that bond is that pokemon rely on their trainers to keep 'em going no matter how they're feeling," he explained. "So you gotta be able to boost them up."

"Boost them up?" it repeated, and Kukui quietly hummed as he followed the thought through.

From anyone else, it wouldn't have been a strange concept, though it may have been a little more… metaphorical than he suspected Ash was being. It was essentially an expansion of the theory he'd discussed with Ash when Rowlet was poisoned: part of a trainer's job was to ensure their pokemon kept going even when things were hard. Normally, that would just be motivation and emotional support. But… when he thought about it…

Back in the days when he'd been an active trainer, travelling around for battle and glory, he won more often than not. But there had been times… he remembered having Kahunas on the ropes, only for their pokemon to get a sudden boost of strength that he still couldn't explain even now. He remembered league matches in Kanto that went on for entire hours because his opponent's pokemon just would – not – stay – down.

That last battle against Lance… he'd been so prepared. So ready for anything. But every single one of Lance's pokemon had just… destroyed him.

When he collapsed to his knees, furious over his loss after so much hard work and training, Lance had looked down his nose at him, coldly imperious.

"I expected better from an Alolan."

He hadn't known what that meant. But it had knocked him right back to his Trial Days. To Akala Island, where Kiawe's grandfather had sighed as he begrudgingly handed over the Firinium-Z.

"You may have won this crystal," he'd said. "But until you fully understand what it means to battle alongside your pokemon, its true power will remain beyond your reach. We give and take of our pokemon, just as they give and take of us. You, young Kukui of Melemele Island… you do not give, and that will be your downfall."

And then there was Lance, using the exact same tone as he said, "You're a good battler. You know all the strategies, all the techniques. I can't fault anything you did. And your pokemon are strong. You've trained them well. But you don't fight with them, and so they don't fight for you. I'm actually surprised you made it this far."

And now, so many years later, Ash somehow sounded exactly the same as he said, "I always believe in my pokemon." He raised the hand not still petting Litten to lie over his heart, closing his eyes again with another smile. "I like to think they know that, whether they're with me or not, and whether they're battling or just having fun. They know I'll always be there for them. So we're always connected."

"Pika pika!" Pikachu agreed enthusiastically, while Litten pushed its head harder into Ash's hand with a pleased rumble.

"Yeah, you get it, don't you?" Ash said, smiling at it. "Even though we haven't battled much together, you can feel it too, right? How we're stronger now that we're together?"

"Mrow," it agreed. Rockruff still looked curiously blank, but Kukui didn't comment, not wanting to stop Ash from continuing his train of thought.

"But sometimes, when things are hard, belief isn't enough. But I always want to help my pokemon, no matter what that means," Ash said, glancing back up at Rotom. "I mean, anything's easier if you do it together, right? So I put everything I have into helping my pokemon. All my energy, all my strength! If both me and my pokemon do that, working together as one team, there's no way we can lose!"

"And you do that with… some kind of energy transferral?" Rotom asked. "This doesn't not seem scientifically plausible."

Not that Kukui strictly disagreed, but he did feel the need to point out, "Well… a Z-move does draw on the power of a trainer to enhance a pokemon's abilities, so when you think about it…"

Rotom beeped, its screen flashing with question marks. "I do not understand. There must be some proper research to explain this phenomenon."

"Not that I've ever read," Kukui said slowly. "Though one of my colleagues at the lab is making overtures toward it."

"Overtures?" Ash repeated blankly.

"Working towards working on it. She's curious about the way humans affect pokemon, though her current focus is mostly on trying to measure Z-move output," he said. And thank goodness for that. Acacia could be a bit of a quack, sometimes – she believed in the stories of human psychics, witches, aura users, and empaths, and every so often her research derailed into comparisons between human and pokemon 'special abilities'. Like a human could actually do the same thing a pokemon did. He made a mental note not to ever let her talk to Ash – they would only be a bad influence on each other. "But in most of the research that has been done, the connection we're talking about is usually only noticed in battle. You seem to be implying it's always there."

"Sure," he said. "Why would it only be about battle? It's not like every pokemon is only interesting in fighting. I mean, didn't you say that there are some Z-moves that aren't attacks?"

"Oh, look at that. You listened to my lecture?" he joked, and Ash laughed and shook his head, jerking his thumb toward himself.

"I don't think this whole bond thing is about battle. I don't think it ever was. I think it's just easier to see there. Because, I mean, me and Pikachu didn't connect when it was about battle for months. It was only when we were goin' up against Team Rocket that we got anywhere close to how we are now," he said. "I don't think we were really on the same wavelength in battle until we took on the Vermillion City gym, and it wasn't like we were perfect from then on. That took ages. Right, buddy?"

"Pika," it agreed, and Ash smiled before leaning around to meet Litten's gaze.

"And me and Litten? I feel like we connected when I met Stoutland. When I saw how much they cared about each other. That has nothing to do with how we battle."

"Mrrow," it said quietly, shifting a little closer toward him, while Kukui blinked and Rotom beeped again.

"When we met Stoutland?" it repeated. "But that was when you decided not to catch Litten!"

"You… connected with a pokemon, and didn't want to catch it?" Kukui asked curiously.

"Sure," he said again. "It's not that weird, right? I mean, it's like making a friend. Just because you're friends doesn't mean you have to be together."

"Making a friend?" Kukui repeated curiously.

"Well, that's what it feels like to me," he said. "It's that same warm feeling. Wanting them to be happy and strong, and to be the best that they can be. Like a friend."

"Huh…"

There was a horrible part of Kukui that couldn't help thinking that sometimes, Ash really sounded like a greeting card. Even worse was that he genuinely seemed to believe everything he said. So maybe it shouldn't have been so odd, but still…

"And… even with all that, you're happy to let them go?"

"Well, yeah," he said blankly. "I want the best for all my friends. And it's not like following me around is gonna be the best for everyone. Especially pokemon – a lot of them just aren't meant for league battles, or even travelling!"

"Very… true…" But not something you often heard from someone who did try to catch pokemon the traditional way sometimes. In fact, here in Alola you usually only got that from Aether Foundation employees, or people who only had one or two pokemon.

Also… the way he approached it… if he put aside the 'bond' side of what they were talking about, and applied it as friendship, on as wide a scale as Ash was…

He had to say he was impressed, in the same mildly concerned way he was about all of Ash's oddly adult ways of looking at the world. "That's a very mature attitude. Most people your age really struggle with having to say goodbye to the people they care about."

He shrugged, his gaze drifting off to the side again. "It's not like it's easy. But it would really selfish to make someone stay with you just because you want them there," he said, and closed his eyes, his expression closing off even as he kept speaking. "But even if I can't be with them, or see them, or even know what they're doing… I still care about my friends. I still want to be there for them. So we're always connected."

"I suppose…" Kukui winced, trying to follow the logic back around to their original conversation. "But if you're always connected to those pokemon that you've left behind, does that mean there's always a part of your energy that's devoted to it?"

He looked up, surprised, then made a face. "I don't think so. It's really only Greninja that I'm always really connected to, so –"

"Who is Greninja?" Rotom interjected. "You mentioned that name before."

"Huh? Oh, uh, Greninja's one of my pokemon," Ash explained. "It had to stay in Kalos."

"I do not have any record of this pokemon in my databanks."

"That's because it's not native or related to any Alolan pokemon," Kukui said quickly, trying not to derail the conversation. "Greninja are unique to Kalos." Then he paused, the logic catching him off-guard. "But if Ash caught it, then I don't see why it would have had to stay there. It's not restricted at all."

"No, it just had a job to do," he said simply, then grinned. "I think it was working pretty hard this morning. Between you and me, I think that was why my head's still a bit funny."

Kukui raised an eyebrow, lost again, but Pikachu's jaw had dropped, and it stared at Ash for several seconds before suddenly waving its arms furiously.

"Pikapi! Pika pika!"

"What's wrong?" Ash asked, raising his eyebrows. "Are you worried about me? You don't need to – I'm fine."

"Pika!"

"No, really, buddy! It's never a big deal anymore. You'd know if it was, right?"

"Pi… pikachu! Pika pipi pikachu!" it cried, waving even harder. "Pikachu pipika pikachu!"

"I was distracted!" he said with a laugh. "You try walking around a tree when you're trying to hit a root!"

"Pikachu!"

"Uh, Ash?" Kukui interrupted, and Pikachu glared at him, but went otherwise ignored. "Is there something I should know?"

"Mm, not really," he said. "It's all okay now. It's just what we were talking about before. Greninja needed me this morning, and it would've been fine, only with everything that happened with Shiinotic, I wasn't really up to it."

He paused, then blinked and straightened up a little. "Hey… this is what you're always talking about with how you can't use two Z-moves in a battle!"

Kukui stared. "What?"

"I never thought about it like that!" he said, and pumped his fist again, like he finally understood something. "When you use a Z-move, you put so much of yourself into it. I mean, I always feel so powered up after Pikachu and I do Gigavolt Havoc, but I guess that's just like a really quick version of me and Greninja. If I did that all the time… whoa, that'd be so hard…!"

"Pikapi…" Pikachu sighed, but settled back down with a shake of its head, more exasperated than a pokemon would normally emote.

"But you said that stronger trainers can do multiple Z-moves in a battle, with different pokemon!" Ash continued excitedly. "So if I get stronger, then so could I! Maybe I could even do a Z-move with Greninja! How cool would that be?"

"Pii-kaaa," Pikachu deadpanned, rolling its eyes, while Kukui began to feel like he was floundering.

"Can you imagine it, Pikachu?" Ash gushed, staring up into the middle distance with starry eyes. "A fully Z-powered Water Shurinkan! Or a Cut! Oh my gosh… Aerial Ace! Professor Kukui! What's the flying-type Z-move?!"

Kukui gaped back. He… his mind was still somewhere back on the whole 'giant root' thing. "Flying type…?"

"Let me explain!" Rotom said happily. "The Flying Type Z-move attack is called 'Supersonic Skystrike'. It is a devastating attack from above."

"So cool…! I so want to see it!"

Kukui let him go with a sigh to match Pikachu's. Ash was clearly lost in visions of Z-moves and getting stronger, which meant they had absolutely no chance of getting anything more sensible on the whole 'bond' conversation topic, let alone whatever Ash and Pikachu had almost gotten into an argument about.

But it did raise an interesting point. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and fired off a quick message to Acacia. Maybe it was about time someone actually did put some science into the human-pokemon bond.

"What you're talking about is fairly well documented, if not properly explored outside of its evolution effects," Acacia said blandly, tossing her sylveon's pokeball one-handed. "It's basically the Affection modifier, isn't it?"

"Maybe…" He looked out onto the training field. Sylveon and Espeon were chasing each other around the course, playing rough in the way only the closest of friends could get away with. "What kind of effects can Affection have on a pokemon?"

"Well, obviously evolution," she said, gesturing to her pokemon. "I've also noticed it has an impact in battle, as well. Some pokemon can even resist poisoning or confusion just because they don't want their trainers to worry about them. But it's proving pretty hard to quantify. There are so many variables."

Kukui folded his arms over his chest, brow furrowed as he considered it. "But that's all on the pokemon. They overcome it in themselves for the sake of the trainer. The trainer doesn't give anything in return."

"Careful, Kukui. Aren't you the one who told me not to get carried away with 'fantasy notions' about humans with powers?" she asked dryly, and he slanted a deadpan look right back at her.

"Pokemon can't use Z-moves without a human trainer to give them the ability. What is it that the trainer gives their pokemon to enable the move?"

"Affection," she said bluntly. "Support. Trust. If we're not allowing the possibility of a human having actual 'powers', quote-unquote, then it would have to be an increased level of dopamine or adrenaline in the pokemon, inspired by a trainer's enthusiasm and emotional support." She looked at him directly, her mild smile doing absolutely nothing to blunt her facetious tone as she added, "Ignoring, of course, the visible light show coming from the human trainer and connecting with the pokemon performing the move. That doesn't have quite so much of an explanation."

And thus, the crux of the matter. "That light… it does imply something else, doesn't it?"

"Mmhm," she said, but turned back to her pokemon. "But that, according to the ethics committee, is a spiritual issue and should be left to the kahunas."

"Is it, though?" he asked. "We quantified Affection and Friendship. Why not this?"

She shrugged. "Until I can prove that it's more than just a pokemon increasing their power level to perform a Z-move, I don't have justification to study the human side of things," she added with a grimace. "I think it's something to do with Sycamore's research. Mega-evolution energy is so close to how Z-moves work, after all. They probably want him to figure it out first. Pokemon Professors should get the glory, right, Professor Kukui?"

He huffed out a laugh, but couldn't really find much amusement in it. He was too distracted by her point. There was a light when you performed a Z-move. And when he thought about it… sometimes in battle, when a trainer was really getting into it, just as Ash had described, you could swear there was a kind of… fire about them. An energy so tangible you could almost see it.

Martial artists talked about it sometimes. Those with lucario called it aura, but others called it ki. Boxers and wrestlers like himself were more likely to just call it getting fired up. But there was always… something. He'd never given it much thought before.

"You said the ethics council told you to leave it to the kahunas?" he asked.

"Mmhm. They said I was talking about spiritual energy, and therefore not something science should meddle with," she said. "Not without all four kahunas approving it. And since we don't have four, and Nanu is ignoring pretty much every email sent to him anyway… here I am, instead studying energy levels and battling Aether Foundation every step of the way. Again."

He ignored that, because to do otherwise would invite another rant he didn't want to have to listen to. "So it's possible that the kahunas may know something."

"I guess. But they probably write it off as magic, so they're hardly any use, are they?"

He hummed vaguely. It was worth the question, at any rate.