"Are you sure they would accept that? It looks a bit...incomplete."

Lillie was right. A lot of the spaces on the first page of the passport were just filled in with "unknown." How I knew what the little pencil scribbles on the paper were meant to say, I also didn't know, but I could read them.

"Name: Unknown"
"Age: Unknown"
"Species: Unknown"
"Birthday: Unknown"

"I know, Lillie, but I don't have a lot going for me right now. If and when we find out the answers, though, then I'll fix those spots."

"But will she be allowed to train with so little information in there?"

"I'll discuss the matter with the Island Kahuna and see what say he has about it. She really wants this, you know, human or not, so I told her I'd see what I could do. We gotta help out one another, you know?"

The Professor was right, too. I did want this; I'd already found such a great Beta in Rowlet, and I wasn't willing to give up my newfound authority. Fortunately, not all of the spaces in the passport that were filled in were quite so nondescript. There were a few that the Professor did know the answer to.

"Height: 5' 6""
"Weight: 210 lbs"
"Gender: Female"
"Adventure Started on: 6/14/15"

"Now, let me ask you something. Do you know your way around these parts?" the Professor asked me.

I shook "no." Nothing outside had either looked or smelled familiar, and I'd been contained in such a comparatively smaller area for most of my life that the sudden increase of range I realized I had access to was almost overwhelming.

"Well, then, you'll need a map. And if you go out to catch Pokémon, you'll need a PokéDex to record the data on what you've caught. And I've got both of those things right here in one package."

He held up something flat and red for me to look at. I sniffed it; it smelled a bit of metal, but mostly of plastic. I cocked my head in confusion; what did this contraption do?

"Now, listen closely. This is the PokéDex. Before I hand it over to you, I wanna see how well you interact with it. It's one of the only few of its kind in the world right now, and I want to make sure you'll take extra good care of it."

{I'll do my best,} I answered with a nod. There was a glimmer of understanding in the Professor's eyes.

"Alright. Let's see how you two do."

"Koo roo?"

Rowlet and I watched intently as the Professor pulled out another Poké Ball and opened it. The red mass began to materialize in midair instead of on the ground, and it became...

Something very, very strange-looking.

It didn't didn't resemble any creature I'd ever seen; I was skeptical that it looked like a living creature at all. It was round and orange, and two spiky, jittery wings of some sort protruded from each side of it. Its uncanny blue eyes were very large, and it had a noticeable spike on the top of its head. It fell so deep into unfamiliarity that I found myself wary of it, and let out a little squawk of surprise when I saw it.

It seemed more afraid of me than I was of it, however, and with a squeak of a yelp twice as fearful as mine, it darted off behind the kitchen counter.

"Hey, wait, come back, Rotom! She won't hurt you!"

The creature peeked out from hiding and stared right at me. I took a step back to give it more space, hoping I hadn't muddled up what the Professor was trying to do. The creature rose a bit higher into the air and tilted its head curiously, still wide-eyed.

"See, buddy? Now, come on out and introduce yourself."

It came out of hiding slowly, floating over the counter and closer to where the rest of us were standing, and stopped when it was still a good two yards away from me.

"That's right. Now, just stay still, Rotom, and let her come say hello."

I was still skeptical. This odd thing might have been small, but that didn't mean it wasn't dangerous in some way.

"It's okay, girl. Just go slowly."

Alright, I decided. A sigh escaped my lips, and I slowly walked towards the odd floating life form. It stayed in its place, but looked increasingly more scared as I got closer. Finally, we were no more than my head's distance away from each other. I sniffed it; it smelled almost like smoke, but the scent was blunt and very weak. I saw Rotom flinch, and I backed a few steps away again to give it some more space.

"See? That wasn't so bad, was it?"

It wasn't. The both of us nodded at the Professor in agreement, and I watched as Rowlet flew over.

"Hoo hoo!" he greeted the other Pokémon. Rotom seemed to take a quicker liking to Rowlet than to me, as the two began to engage in an incomprehensible conversation almost immediately.

"Alright, Rotom. I got your PokéDex all set up for you to go in," The Professor interrupted them, holding the red gadget in the air for it to see. "Show our scaly friend what you can do!"

I watched as Rotom made an excited beeline through the air to the flat device and slammed smack into it. The recoil sent it flying out of the Professor's hand, but instead of clattering onto the floor like I expected, it began to float. Out of the top popped a familiar looking spike, then one limb, then another, then two small nubs on the bottom that I supposed resembled feet to an extent. The PokéDex turned around-There on the screen was the creature's still very nervous face.

Was Rotom inside of that thing? Did it become the PokéDex? Or both, maybe? Very odd. It certainly looked way different; I preferred this new appearance, really. It looked slower, calmer...tamer.

"Pretty neat, isn't it?"

I nodded at what the Professor said, but my eyes refused to look away from the marvel I'd just witnessed and at him.

"It's a special PokéDex that can house a Rotom, like this one. This little guy's got everything; enhanced scanning system, GPS, camera, all that! But you wanna know the best part. The designers went all out with the voice-programming functions, and they made it so Rotom can speak when he's inside there!"

{Speak? Like you and the other humans? How so?}

I let out a frustrated growl. Why did I keep forgetting about the language barrier between me and the humans?

"Go on, Rotom, say somethin'."

"Zzrt! It won't eat me, will it?"

I was greatly surprised by both its newfound ability to speak like the humans and by what it'd said, and I shook my head disconcertedly. I had begun to like the strange Pokémon better at this point, but it was obvious that it wasn't warming up to me just yet.

{Why does everybody think I'm going to eat them?} I wondered aloud, not caring that nobody could interpret my complaint.

I didn't realize I was wrong.

"Well, I mean no offense, but you look like you would," Rotom responded. "Professor, did you see the sizzze of its teeth? According to me calculations, the longest onezzz are more than an inch and a half long!"

"Yes, I-Wait...She looks like she would what?"

"Eat everybody! That's what she said, kzzrt!"

I instantly raised my head in shock. "That's what she said." Rotom knew what I said. Was I hearing this right?

"You can understand her?"

"Why wouldn't I? I can understand all of the other Pokémon you bring to the lab!"

I was. He could understand me. It seemed like one amazing thing after another in this world was just waiting to take my breath away. What could be next?

"But, thing is, Rotom, she's not a Pokémon."

"She's not? Then, what is she? What are you?"

{I don't know.}

"What'd she say, Rotom?"

"She...says she doesn't know. What about just a name?"

I did have a name; just like the humans, and all of my sisters. There was Beta, then Gamma-or Charlie, the name I decided to start using instead-then Delta, and then there was me...All of my sisters called me "Omega," because that was my position in the pack.

But I didn't like that name. It was a name for a scrappy runt, and I refused to be a scrappy runt anymore. If I wasn't Omega anymore, I would have to think of something else; a new name, like "Charlie," but different. If not now, then later.

{Not yet.}

"What'd she say now?"

"She said 'Not yet.'"

Nobody else gave a response, and I shifted my feet anxiously.

"So, what now?" Lillie finally said. "Do we head on over to Iki Town and see what the Kahuna has to say?"

"I guess there isn't much else to do right now. Come on, everyone, let's head on up there!"

"I'll go ahead and meet you guys there!" Hau exclaimed as he ran out the door.

"There he goes again," the Professor commented. "Well, let's not keep him waiting."

The two humans followed their peer out the door fairly quickly, but I staggered behind with the two Pokémon that served as my company.

{I've never seen anything like you in my life,} I said to the Rotom inhabiting the PokéDex. {I've seen your fear, and I want you to know that I pose no harm to you.}

"You don't?"

"Koo roo!" Rowlet replied, seemingly upset with Rotom that it would even think I would try to hurt it.

"Well, I think you sorta look like a Sceptile. Except you're brown, and you don't have branches on your tail, or seeds on your back...You're sort of like a wilted Sceptile, almost."

{I thought only plants wilted.}

"Well, Sceptile is a Grass-Type Pokémon, like Rowlet, so it technically is part plant."

A creature that looked like me, but was part plant? This was unfathomable. And Rowlet was part plant, too? I supposed he had a rather woodsy scent about him, and the two leaves just below his facial disk reflected this claim.

"Although, Sceptile don't have sharp teeth, like yourzzz. and the claws on their hands are shorter, and they don't have that..."

He looked down at my feet, and I could see the fear growing in his eyes.

"Giant...four inch...razzzor-sharp dagger for a claw on each foot that you probably use to..."

I saw him shudder, and I decided that it would be best to remain silent so he would ignore me. It seemed that the Pokémon was still unnerved by me, despite my word that he was safe around me. That brought another question to mind: Would I, for some reason, not qualify to be a Trainer because of my teeth, scales and claws? Only time would tell.

{Follow me, Rowlet. Let's catch up to the others.}

"Hoo!" the bird Pokémon exclaimed, and I began to run to catch up with the humans, the two Pokémon flying behind me.

...

Was this Iki Town? It was a small area, with simple buildings and worn dirt paths, and the vicinity surrounding the town was densely wooded. I saw a few people here and there around the buildings, and they appeared to be enjoying themselves. This place gave off a nice, homey aura, so I was glad to be here rather than someplace unpleasant like Main Street, where everything had been dark, smelly, cold and bleak, especially with that monster on the loose. I hoped that we weren't anywhere near there.

Some of the smaller, younger humans caught sight of me as we neared the center of the village, and I got mixed reactions; most of them either retreated into the buildings or ran to the safety of their parents, but some of them just stood and stared.

One small boy, no taller than a meter or so, was bold enough to approach me. I humored him with a chuff as I passed by, and I got a small laugh in response.

"Welcome to Iki Town, bud," Hau said to me. "Watch your back; on my turf, we battle my way, heh heh heh..."

Hau lived here? Not much of a surprise, really; a friendly person from a friendly town.

"Hau, do you know where your grandfather's at?"

"He's probably at home. B-R-B!"

Hau made a dash towards a bigger building to the west and ran inside. As we waited for his return, I began to admire my surroundings. The raised wooden platform in the center of the village sparked my interest some, but when I caught sight of the dirt road extending out of the town and into the woods, I was especially intrigued.

{I wonder where that leads,} I wondered aloud as I began to make my way towards it.

"Curious about Mahalo Trail?" the Professor asked. "It leads up to the Ruins of Conflict, where the people here honor the Guardian Deity of Melemele Island."

The Ruins of Conflict...It sounded much less welcoming than the rest of the area I'd grown familiar with, and I began to have second thoughts about following the trail. I didn't want any sort of conflict except for the typical Pokémon battles the humans and I engaged in.

"Koo hoo, hoo!"

Rowlet was flitting about the area, exploring every nook and cranny he could fit himself into. He seemed much more familiar with this territory than I was.

{Rotom. Have you ever been here?} I chirped.

"What? Me? Not this place. I've only been here in the Alola region for a week; I was imported here from the Sinnoh region to power the PokéDex."

{Where is Sinnoh?}

"It's really far from here."

{Is Sinnoh your home?}

"I...never thought about it much. I was raised in a lab for most of my life, and then with the development of this new PokéDex, I was sent here. They told me that I would like it better travelling with a Trainer instead of being stuck in the research lab all day."

{Were they right?}

"Sometimes I miss the lab a little, but I never really got to know anybody there very well; not even the scientists who looked after me. But they're right. I do like being out and about here in Alola."

{I understand,} I replied with a nod.

"Mind if I ask you something now?"

{What?}

"Where did you come from? Like, where do you live?"

{I live in the Paddock.}

"A paddock? What paddock?"

{Just the Paddock. That's what everybody else called it.}

"Well, where's it at?"

{I don't know.}

I couldn't answer all of the questions he had, but Rotom certainly knew how to get a conversation going. Maybe he was finally starting to warm up to me. That was what I hoped, at least.

"Hey, you guys, I got him!"

Hau had returned, and I saw a bigger human following behind him, one that was far older than any I'd yet seen. I ducked behind Lillie, not wanting to be a cause for alarm.

"Ah, Professor! Lillie! Nice to see you all here," he greeted. "What brings you to Iki Town? A new Trainer, perhaps? Hau said something about having made a new friend."

"You'd be right. We've brought someone who wants to be an official Pokémon Trainer, and, well...We'd like your say on the matter."

"Hmm...You seem troubled by this ordeal, Professor." His solicitous remark made me uneasy. "Is there an issue with this that I should be made aware of?"

"You could say that. It's the individual herself that might complicate the matter."

"Why ever so?"

"Well, how about I let you see her yourself, and then you can voice your opinion?"

"Sounds just fine? Where is the fine young lass?"

"She's uh...hidden herself behind my assistant, looks like."

Lillie strode to the side, so suddenly that it made me freeze, and revealed me to the Island Kahuna. I instantly saw the astonishment in his eyes.

"...Hau. Is this-"

"Yep. That's her."

I had only just been introduced, and I already felt like this was heading south. Hau stepped beside me a reassuring hand on my back.

"Tutu, this is, uh...Well, she doesn't have a name yet."

I glanced to the side. I was willing to look anywhere except at the Kahuna.

"Looks like she doesn't know what to make of this," the Professor stated. "Well, girl, could you at least show him what you can do?"

He pulled out Rowlet's Poké Ball and gave it to me. I took it in my hand, then cawed for Rowlet. The bird Pokémon heard me from wherever he had gotten to, and he was quick to return.

"Roo?" He waited eagerly for me to give him directions.

{Rowlet,} I addressed. {Shoot your leaves into the air.}

He nodded, then flew up into the air and shot a series of glowing leaves up into the skies. The green glow around them began to fade as they climbed higher into the air, and then, finally, the energy within them dispersed, and the leaves began to float back down to the earth. The Island Kahuna was in awe.

I nodded at my Beta, pleased with his move, then I held the ball up, and with a press of the button on the front of it, a beam of red light shot out at Rowlet and sucked him back inside, securing him safely.

"Leafage," the Kahuna marveled. "It...made it use its Leafage attack."

I nodded at the Kahuna, then let Rowlet back out of his ball. With a triumphant hoot, he spun around me and perched on my back.

"Professor...Rowlet obeys this creature?"

"It sure does. They met in the lab after I patched her up, and they've been growing closer and closer ever since."

"Incredible...I've never seen any Pokémon like it."

"That's where it gets even weirder. She's not a Pokemon."

The Kahuna gave the Professor a indiscernible look.

"She's not?"

"Nope. Aura's too low to even let her use simple battle moves, she's typeless and she's completely immune to the effects of Poké Balls."

"Yet, she knows how to use one...If she knows how to use a Poké Ball, then I don't think anything's stopping her from going out into the wild to catch them herself."

"And that's exactly why we're here."

I barked at the Kahuna pleadingly as Rowlet moved to the top of my head. I looked up at my feathered partner; I didn't want to have to lose him.

"So, you want to be a Pokémon Trainer," the Kahuna acknowledged. "I'll tell you what. Has the Professor said anything to you about the Island Challenge?"

I shook "no."

"It's a rite of passage of sorts for blossoming Pokémon Trainers like yourself. You travel to each of the four islands that compose the Alola region, and you partake in the trials given to you by the Trial Captains. These trials are not limited to Pokémon battles; they will also test your wit, skill and strength as an individual. If you really want to train your own Pokémon, then I recommend you partake on this quest, as many other Trainers have done before you."

Now this sounded interesting. A journey to different islands completing tasks, training Pokémon all the while. If Pokémon were involved and available for me to fight and train, then I was game.

"Of course, that's just my say on it. If you'd rather-"

{I'll do it!} I screamed, and I could feel Rowlet bouncing up and down on me with the same amount of zeal.

"It seems as though you've made up your mind," he chortled. "And since you've already got a partner Pokémon, I'd say you can head out whenever you're ready."

"So, she can train?" Hau checked.

"She can."

I screamed even louder, and the sound echoed throughout the surrounding woods.

"Ho! She's a noisy one, isn't she?"

"I know, right?" Hau replied. "I love it!"

"Pardon me, Mr. Kahuna," Lillie interrupted. "But I'd think we'd have to fill out more of her passport before she'd be eligible."

"You think so?"

"Here, I'll let you see it."

She handed the Island Kahuna my passport, then he turned to the first page and scanned over the information written there.

"I can see where your concern is coming from, Lillie," he acknowledged. "You don't know the creature's name, even?"

"No. She says she doesn't have one 'yet.'"

"So, she wants to figure that out herself, it seems?"

I nodded.

{I'll think of something,} I replied, and Rotom translated my garbled chatter.

"Professor, I have one question for you. I noted the bandages she had on her, and I was wondering how well-off the creature is health-wise. You said she had low aura readings. Isn't that a sign of critical condition in Pokémon?"

"You'd be right, but like I said, she's not one. If a Pokémon had aura readings that low for some medical reason, they definitely wouldn't be able to walk around and scream the way she does; they might not even be able to think straight."

"Well, do you at least know what happened to make her like that?"

"Never saw what happened; we just found her that way in front of the lab when we heard her scream. It looks like she was bitten by something more than anything else, though; I pulled some sort of tooth out of one of the puncture wounds around her neck."

"How big was the tooth?"

"Huge. Longer than my index finger. I haven't done a DNA analysis on it yet, though, so I don't know what it came from."

"I see. But it seems like she's healing up just fine, doesn't it?"

"Oh, yeah. I'd say I can remove the bandages in no more than another handful of days. There's some stitch work under there from where I assessed the internal damage, but as long as there isn't any sort of relapse I'd say she'll be good as new in no more than a week."

"That's good to hear. Do you think she'll be at all hindered by the dressings if she decides to go out and train?"

"Dunno. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"Hey, guys! Check this out!"

Hau was trying to divert their attention to our two Pokémon, They were rough-housing with each other in a not-so-playful fashion, and I could tell from the look of aggression on Rowlet's face that he meant business with his blue adversary.

"They're rivals already!" he proclaimed.

"Ha! Watch out for that Rowlet of hers, my boy," the Kahuna warned. "Not only for its type advantage, but it looks quite ferocious!"

He was right; Rowlet flipped Hau's Popplio over onto its back and pinned mercilessly onto the dirt ground before opening his wings and readying his Leafage attack.

Surely enough, what happened next earned the bird yet another victory.