Nighttime. My family consisted of night owls. They loved watching television or playing video games until the sun rose on a new day. I never could tolerate their noise and tossed and turned before sleep mercifully claimed me.

That was then. This was now. The sound of silence was deafening. Adagio snoozed while I lay in bed watching moonlight stream through the windows and stretch along the ceiling. I used the laptop on my new desk for a while. I was disappointed with what I found. Almost everything everywhere on this world's internet involved pokémon. Articles about training difficult-to-catch types like ice or dragon. Personality quizzes involving Eevee's evolutions or Vivillon's patterns. Surprisingly dull politics regarding the distribution of poké balls within the United States' pokémon equivalent, the United Regions, which included Unova, Orre, and Alola.

Man, what I wouldn't give to have access to my world's websites. Regurgitated discourse about politicians or old farts with the collective charisma of a chunk of chalk dunking on the latest trends got a million times more appealing when pitted against strangers arguing over what regional form of Meowth was the best for over one hundred forum pages. Funnily enough, this reminded me of the Cat Scratch Girl, the alter ego of the Sun and Moon player character's mom. I did a browser search for her when a fan of hers kept mentioning her misadventures across the Kanto region. There wasn't word on where she was in Kanto or if she had a kid. She might as have disappeared from the face of the Earth. Yet another deviation from everything I knew. Great.

After this, I decided my mental well-being at midnight was more important than wandering the internet. Wandering to bed again, I didn't expect sleep to come quicker with a bit of my curiosity sated. Maybe I would find more underneath the surface with a clearer mind tomorrow. Or maybe I would wake from a dream. Time to find out.

I forgot to shut the curtains last night, didn't I? I strained my tired eyes against the excess daylight pouring into the bedroom. Why was this familiar? When had I last…?

I sprang from the mattress. Tossing my legs overboard, they weren't met by a rug needing a vacuum I didn't have. Both feet hit wooden floorboards. On the bed lay a green blanket. There were multiple windows in the walls by the desk and chair on the opposite side of the room. The desk was cluttered with all sorts of neglected writing utensils.

I rubbed my eyes before reaching for the folded pair of glasses on the mattress. They got half-buried by my pillow. After putting them on, I got a better reading of the clock on the wall. 8:38. What surprised me way more was-

I'm still here. Yesterday hadn't been a dream. I'll admit I pulled a dumb move in trying to contact the Aether Foundation. As a result of my stupidity, the wrong, yet right, person visited the island. Colress was as friendly as he was in the video games. I would have to hope he stayed true to their portrayal of him.

I smoothed the wrinkles from my nightgown. Later today would be the festival. Battles were the main attraction based on the games and manga. Tapu Koko loved to fight. Adagio and I would have to be ready in case we were asked to participate.

I opened the bedroom door. Not fighting the yawn between my teeth and going for the kitchenette, I called, "Morning, Adagio."

"Good morning, Emelie."

I stopped in my tracks, recognizing its casual tone faster than I thought possible. I swerved for the table at the center of the room.

Somebody sat there. I would make a joke about his wrap-around hairstyle any time other than now. What was more important was his lack of a lab coat. Hidden underneath had been a slim man in a dark suit with thick ruddy blue trim.

What do you know? Speak of the devil and he doth appear.

Adagio sat on the table with her snout in a bowl. She hummed as she ate her pokéchow.

I crossed my arms. Yet again I got caught wearing pajamas! "I thought you left the island."

"In my haste to meet with you, I neglected to read the ferry schedule," Colress replied, pinching his glasses. "Quite unlike me to make such amateur mistakes. Nevertheless, the pokémon center's staff by the marina allowed me to stay for the night. Did you know their selection of drinks-"

"The reason you're in my house is…?"

He seemed unphased with me interrupting his blathering. Or if I did bother him, he refused to show emotion.

I shot my pokémon a glare for letting this happen. What this accomplished was leaving a twinge in my chest when she shrank. Now, I'm no morning person. Even I could tell I was being harsh. Redirecting my annoyance at the house guest, I said, "Are you saying you broke into my home?"

"No, no!" Colress said. "Adagio invited me inside."

"Let me get this straight," I said. "This cute sea lion." I motioned at her. "You know, who has these things." I mimicked her flippers with my palms. "Unlocked the front door."

He nodded.

" Okay, how?"

"Have you considered your new partner isn't less intelligent than you?"

"Why would she let you in?"

"To be fed."

"You gave my pokémon food."

"I have."

"You're in my house."

"Yes."

"Why have you come back?"

Colress pressed his fingers to his glasses again. I could tell he hid a facepalm. "I hoped to hold off on saying anything since you went through so much yesterday. After much consideration, I've decided it would be awful of me to wait to tell you."

If humans could use moves on each other, his words would have hit me like a confuse ray. "What do you mean?"

His golden irises seared through me like flames to a page. "What I told you about the ferries is a lie. Why don't we have a proper chat, niece?"

I snatched one last deep breath. "Let…" Damn it. All this air and I still couldn't speak a full sentence! "Let me get this straight. My father, this new guy I've never met, is your biological brother."

"Our family, the Avenues, are behind the creation of Unova's Join Avenue," Colress added. "It's thrived ever since a young lady from southwestern Unova became the manager."

Oh, great. A feature in the Black 2 and White 2 games I never used and didn't care about. "This means your name is Colress Avenue. You're my freaking uncle."

"Your uncle who is no longer formally associated with the Avenues for threatening lives in his pursuit of science."

I rested my chin in my arms. Holy. Shit. Should I compile a list of everything I found different at this point? I might need to. These surprises would never end, would they?

"I don't believe my- Our family knows I've been in Alola. Your stature amongst them is safe if you care for stature at all."

"Fuck 'em."

Colress cocked his head. "How undignified of you."

My cheeks warmed. "If I had dignity, we wouldn't be talking right now."

"At any rate, whoever has sent you to this world has made you related to me. I don't understand their reason for this. I'm not about to question them if this means Colton and Gwen succeeded in having a child in this timeline. I remember how they failed to conceive a child for months before my father gave up on them passing along the family name."

Colton and Gwen. My new parents. Where would I even begin dissecting this new information?

"I never gave them having children much thought," Colress said. "Our father, your grandfather, pushed us to "continue the bloodline" despite such things not being as important in this day and age."

Shoot. Sounded like my new grandfather must be a lot to deal with. Here I was thinking I'd be safe from unsound relatives!

"I hope these revelations aren't too big of a shock for you."

To tell the truth, they left me numb. I didn't move. I didn't speak. Dinner tables never seemed more appealing.

"These are strange times," said my new uncle. "I do look forward to learning more about you."

"How could you be so calm about us being related?" I asked.

"When am I not calm?" He got me there. I never saw him get truly upset over anything. The furthest he went was tranquil fury while dealing with Ghetsis in the Ultra titles. "I was as shocked by this revelation as you are now."

"What am I supposed to call you? Colress? Uncle Colress?"

"Whatever you feel fits, Emelie."

I rose from my seat and started for the bedroom. "I'm gonna take a walk."

"Mind if I tag along? Unless you need some time alone?"

"Arf!" Adagio barked.

I felt relieved the two of them couldn't see my face. I couldn't help smiling. Everyone I met here was super friendly. Other Pokémon fans would probably protest not already having a rival or villain they could punch in the face. They should follow my lead and get their own universes if they wanted such things.

Wait, no, I think what I said came out wrong-

"I guess," I said. "I'll be ready in five."

Closing the bedroom door, my mind swarmed with familiar questions. You know, like, again, how did I die in the first place? I wandered to a closet in the corner of the room knowing I couldn't sit here all day pondering. Life would move on long before I got an answer.

Having Colress for a relative would be cool, I guess? Maybe he would make up for the people I used to live with. 'Cause trust me, I've been associated with folks way worse than an eccentric who turned an entire town into an ice skating rink.

I grabbed a t-shirt. I sat there staring into its highlighted green leaves and golden bark.

My sister, the one bastion of sanity I turned to whenever life got me stressed, left the family apartment months ago to live with her friends and their cats. We kept near-daily contact over text messages. She, for sure, would notice me not throwing her a text or two after a couple of more days. I hoped she would be alright. Me too, having again noticed the odd quiet having no one to quarrel with brought to my home. Maybe I would find my way home to her someday. Or maybe I wouldn't. I only wished I could've said goodbye to her before, well, whatever the hell happened for me to get here.

A little while later, I left my room in the palm tree t-shirt and long pants. I had just closed the bedroom door when I noticed the empty dining table.

Adagio sat by the television watching a rectangular shape zip through the air. She barked at the thing as it generated teal sparks and giggled in a robotic tone.

"Turbo," called a voice from the other end of the room. "Stop bothering her."

The new pokémon pivoted to its trainer. On its stomach- If you could call the part on the machine it possessed a stomach- There was a circular door with a latch. An orange wire connected to the machine's rear swung about.

"Oh, hey," I said. "A Wash Rotom."

Turbo drifted over to me. Thankfully, it kept enough distance to not zap me by accident.

Relieved, Adagio left her spot.

"You took three minutes, Emelie," Colress said. "Impressive. Are you sure you're not forgetting anything?" He finished fixing the last button in his lab coat. Seeing him wear that heavy fabric again disheartened me. Why not wear the awesome suit without the stupid lab coat in public for once?

"We're going for a walk," I said, patting the pocket where I put them. "I'm sure all I'll need are my house keys and Adagio's poké ball."

Colress underhand-tossed something at me. "Here, catch!"

I snagged the item by a strap and felt it gently whack me in the knee. My other set of fingers stabilized my glasses before they were what ended up on the ground.

"I believe that belongs to you," he said.

I gave the bag a once over. In an exaggerated cartoon, my jaw could have reached the floor.

He strolled over. "I've never seen anything like the equine attached to the zipper. Is it familiar to you?"

The mentioned equine found its way into the palm of my hand. For the most part, she was purple. Purple wings, purple horn, purple torso, purple stripes in her mane and tail, and purple eyes. Additional streaks of pink in her denim blue mane and tail helped her stand out. A star-like mark surrounded by sparkles could be found on her flank.

"Yeah," I replied. "She's in a cartoon back where I'm from. The same thing you accidentally referenced yesterday."

"What about the bag?"

I flipped its red-and-black checkered pattern front to face me. "Guess this came from the other world too," I said. I unzipped the top compartment. The first thing I felt when sticking my arm inside might have been the size of my palm. I removed the smooth flexible item and held it up. "Hey."

"Yes?"

This is where it hit me: I didn't have a decent punchline for the joke connected to the card sealed in the plastic. Would it still apply with how long it had been since I needed the thing to go anywhere back home? "Uh…"

Colress inspected the item. "Should I be concerned you're carrying a year-old vaccination card?"

I thrust the card into the bag where it belonged alongside a hastily unattached purple pony plush. "Nevermind!" I shouted. "Wrong thing!"

Kill me.

Just.

Kill me.

Ocean waves crashed against Melemele's cliffside. There weren't any clouds. Only blue skies and sunshine with a cool breeze blowing through a path shaded by palm trees. I walked through this trying my best to ignore the noise of kids howling in the background and the beeps and boops of the guy fiddling with his power glove knockoffs maybe fifteen or twenty paces behind me. My old bag dangled from my shoulder. Adagio's poké ball hugged my knee from inside my pants pocket.

I came to a halt at the top of the hill. The sea stretched for untold miles, seeming to meet with the sky along the horizon.

Colress quit playing with his gloves when he got into earshot. This man, I swear. He knew I hated the electronic noises. Not only were they constant, but I also didn't know what they were for!

"Is something the matter?"

I'd allowed my uncle- Geez, I would have to get used to thinking of him that way- To catch up to me. He sure read me like a book. Guess being over-analytical came with being a man of science or a freelance researcher or whatever the heck he wanted to call himself.

"You must've been doing tons of research lately," I said to him. "So you know, don't you? Um, about my… And the other stuff?"

Colress remained silent.

"I can't mask any of the symptoms. Sorry if I've been acting weird because I'm terrible at hiding-"

"I dare say what you're describing explains quite a bit." He put a finger to his temples. "Is a lot going on here?"

"Yeah, I guess," I said. I did speedrun jumping to conclusions with Lillie yesterday.

"Were you receiving help for anything where you came from?"

"I was in… In therapy. They knew all about what I've been dealing with…" I drifted from the path to the wooden fence keeping us from a fatal drop. I gripped the fence and tried not to peek right over the side. "I told them about me being, you know…."

I let him finish the sentence. For better or worse, he gave the right, and dreaded, answer. "Neurodivergent? Otherwise known as autism?"

Yes. Yep. Oh, yeah. There was the word. This man probably knew everything about me.

Slight pressure, like the weight of a feather, found my shoulder.

My back straightened at the touch. I didn't shrug it off.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, Emelie."

"This is a whole new world to me," I said. "I'm worried about being ostracized even if everybody's been super nice. Like, what if I say or do the wrong thing and others find it super offensive?"

"Neurodivergence isn't a crime. They'll have to learn you're not on their wavelength and treat you with the same respect you've shown them."

"Alola, cousin!"

I turned around.

Another person climbed the hill while waving at us.

Colress readjusted his glasses. "I'd say you're already getting your long-overdue respect."

Professor Kukui joined the party. The first thing he did upon reaching us was look me over.

"Alola, professor," I said. "Everything okay with you?"

"I'm doing swell. I'm happy to see you enjoying some fresh air." The professor smiled today. Hallelujah, some semblance of normalcy from the people living here!

"You could use more vitamin d," Colress said.

There went the "normalcy". His comment got me glaring at him. Jokingly, of course! "You're one to talk with your darn coat. Don't you need vitamin d?"

He blinked. "I get sunburned easily."

"Aren't you sweating?" Kukui added. The sun wasn't hitting us directly and Kukui wore his hat, yet he squinted at the other man.

"My lab coat has a built-in cooling system," Colress replied, lifting a finger. "The water enclosed two layers beneath the surface is pumped throughout like human blood…"

"Hey!"

I turned an ear toward the whispering professor. "Yeah?"

Kukui leaned toward me. "I didn't know he was in the region!" he murmured. "How'd he find you?"

"His associates," I said. "Hala spoke with them, not Aether."

The professor's stare hardened. There went the illusion of anything going right again. He seemed legitimately mad at me! Like, it's not my fault no Aether employees were around. It's not by my hand I ended up being related to freaking Colress!

But still… I couldn't bare to meet Kukui in the eye. "I-I'm sorry! Me talking with my estranged uncle may sound like a bad idea to you-"

"You two should work on your whispering. Just because I got going on a tangent doesn't mean I can't hear you loud and clear." Colress stood between us bowing his head at Kukui. "I understand you have your reservations, Professor. I thought unlocking a pokémon's true potential would mean abandoning my moral code. Unova as a whole proved me wrong.

"The Unovan League retaliated by forbidding me from returning to my homeland. My family has stripped me of everything except for my last name. Is what they've done not enough of a punishment? I'm to keep away from my only niece now?"

Kukui opened his mouth to speak.

Colress glanced at me. "Emelie, does it bother you I've reached out despite our differences?"

Way to put me on the spot! I hugged my arm, unable to bear meeting anyone's gaze. "You surprised me. When we went for drinks and you wiped the floor with those Team Skull grunts…"

"Team Skull was here?" Kukui said.

"I let them know I wouldn't tolerate their tomfoolery," Colress answered. "Your region has suffered enough between Aether's questionable choices in recent years, Ula'ula's poor conditions, and Poni Island's Tapu having not chosen its next Kahuna. Many of today's youths are disillusioned with the island challenge as a result."

I swore Kukui's eyebrow twitched. He kept a smile on his face.

"Pew!"

"Nebby, please!"

His smile inverted.

This was when fluff brushed my ankle. Considering my background, maybe I should have recognized the feel of animal furs. Not the case here. I involuntarily jumped at the touch, feeling a sensation creep about like a spider decided I would be perfect for climbing. Heart pounding, I lifted my leg and yelled, "What the fu-"

"Pew!" again cried the living nebula clinging to me by its ear tufts.

"Nebby!" yelled the girl who dashed after it.

"Lillie?" Kukui called.

His assistant gaped at him, out of breath. "Professor!" She took in the rest of the scene and spotted me balancing on a foot staring right at her. "Emelie?"

"Pew ew!" Nebby shouted.

"Cosmog?" Colress said.

"Help-" My face? Met grass. Ow.

There was movement behind me. Gentle rustling of the grass. A small fluffball crawling to my chin. Ordinary golden eyes located mine. Finally, "Mog cos?"

I clasped the ancient pair of glasses that somehow didn't fall off my face or misplace the loose right-handed glass.

Lillie settled on her knees beside me. "I'm sorry! Are you alright?"

Hearing her concern... Aw, boy… If she was the same as ever, except for being much more interested in helping Nebby, what terrible things would have happened if my questions reached Lusamine?

"I'm fine," I reassured her, settling on my butt.

"I concur from what my radars can tell," Colress said, approaching.

Lillie gasped. "Wh-who are you?"

The rogue scientist put a palm to his heart. I half-expected him to launch into an Unovan mockery of the United States' allegiance to the flag. "My name is Colress. You must be President Lusamine's daughter."

Her eyes grew wider than discs. "You're not here to take Nebby away, are you?"

He shook his head. "There's no need to fret, Miss Lillie." He motioned to me. "I'm ninety-nine point five percent sure you've been acquainted with Emelie? She informed me of your situation. I'm here for any data your Cosmog could provide my research."

Lillie's expression seemed to ask, 'Are you sure this is a good idea?'

Professor Kukui shared her look.

Even Nebby seemed uncertain.

"Hey, Uncle Colress?" I said. "You're not winning them over. Do you mind elaborating?"

Colress' nostrils flared. "Ah, certainly!" he exclaimed, however. "Are you familiar with the Ultra Recon Squad? They are who asked me to develop technology capable of-"

"They don't care about Nebby's well-being," Lillie cried. "Neither does Mother!"

"On the contrary, it's the Squad who came to me regarding you two."

"What about Lusamine's husband?" Kukui mumbled.

"I can assure you they don't approve him either," Colress said. "He's even less trustworthy, I hear."

Kukui surprised me by tightening his posture. His eye bags didn't seem as bad when shielded by his cap. "Hearing this is a massive weight off my shoulders, yeah. I'm not convinced I…"

"I trust Colress." I got everyone's attention with those words. To my detriment, my cheeks warmed from even Nebby staring at me, its mouth in the shape of an "o". "He could help with my assignment. I mean, he's wanted to uncover the potential of pokémon and my assignment is finding how moves play into that sort of thing, like return and frustration. I think he's changed for the better ever since what happened back home-"

"Slow down, Emelie," Kukui said. "What happened to your old friend's "twenty words or less" rule?"

"You can't blame her," Colress said, nodding at me. "It's not every day you find a long-lost relative."

"...Yep," I added. "If the rest of the family disapproves of us working together, so be it. Besides, who's recommended for me to move here?" Why did I grin? "Oh, you know, Professor Rowan? Not them." Why did I sound excited?

Pure unadulterated laughter.

I shrank. Damn it, Emelie! This is what happened when you didn't pay attention to your voice! "Um… Sorry."

"Look at you with the confidence boost!" the professor said.

My face must have gone beet red. I scrambled to my feet.

"Confidence is nothing to be ashamed of," Colress said. "Why, it's what we all should have."

Let me make a slight correction. I went tomato red. "You guys… You all are crazy nice, you know?"

"That's Alola for you," the professor said.

I jabbed a thumb at Colress. "Uh, he's Unovan."

"If I may, could I make a more accurate statement?" Colress asked. He didn't wait for any of us to let him continue. "How about… 'Compassion makes the world go 'round'?"

"Uh, no? Love does."

Me and my dumb mouth did a great job of making me look stupid. Imagine my surprise, or lack thereof, when Colress got his fingers, pushed them to his glasses, and left them there covering his eyes.

"Ex-excuse me, Mister Colress?"

He stopped facepalming. "Yes?"

Lillie vacated her spot on the ground. Hugging her pokémon, she made a beeline for the scientist. "This…" She hesitated.

"Cos?" her pokémon wondered aloud, flickering to her in concern.

Lillie patted the small creature. She then held it out for Colress to see. "Th-this is Nebby. I rescued it from my mother."

"What do you mean you "rescued" this specimen?" Colress asked, frowning. "You stole a component from-"

"Nebby's not a "specimen" or a "component"! It's a sentient being like you and me!"

He blinked, otherwise unphased by her outburst. "Ah, sorry. I'm… In my old mindset again. Why would you take this from your mother?" Right there, he gave me a better question: why ask when he already knew the answer? To get Lillie's point of view, I suppose?

"Mother tortured Nebby!" Lillie said. "She wants to cross the multiverse with powers none of us understands! I was there when she last tried to open a wormhole with Nebby's powers. It could die if she tried again! I've been trying to help it get stronger so it could…"

"You've been going about this wrong. Nebby can't get tougher on its own." Oh, classic. There went me saying dumb stuff and getting the whole group's attention again.

"What do you mean?" Lillie asked.

Uh, random bullshit, go! "You've been taking Nebby places in the hopes it can defend itself against the local wildlife, right? Cosmog, based on what I've been told, has no means of fighting other than struggling or running away.

"There are tons of different ways of raising a pokémon who can't fight. Take Magikarp, for example. Most you find only can splash about doing nothing unless you train them alongside other pokémon species or a Magikarp that can defend itself. Your weak Magikarp will then learn to tackle opponents on its own and get going towards becoming a Gyarados."

"To summarize, Nebby could watch and learn from more capable pokémon," Colress said to Lillie's bewildered expression. "Better than putting it in the line of fire, wouldn't you say?"

"Peew!" In an unexpected turn of events, Nebby bounced from Lillie's arms and into the air. We all watched as it zoomed on over to Colress.

"Nebby?" Lillie gasped.

I blinked for a bit. Cosmog could fly, right? Or float, I guess? Weren't those the same thing? Kind of, maybe? …Oh, whatever. Thinking that through wasn't worth the energy.

Nebby hovered by Colress' head. He followed its path until it got behind him.

"Cosm!" Saying this, Nebby poked at the blue strands in his hair.

"Nebby, stop!" Lillie shouted.

"No, no," Colress said. "It's quite alright." He plucked Nebby from the air wearing a bright smile. "Why, hello there!"

Lillie held her breath.

Nebby chirped, its ear tufts wiggling.

He nodded. "I look forward to working with you, Nebby."

It gestured with a tuft at his head. "Hm?"

He reached for his cowlick. "Oh, this? We all have ways we express ourselves, don't we?"

"To help Nebby, I should expose it to battles without either of us getting involved?" Lillie squeezed her hands. "I can't stand watching any pokémon get hurt."

"Wasn't it you who left Nebby in Ten Carat Hill with a hostile Lycanroc?" I said. "You've put Hau in danger like twice by being irresponsible. Nebby and he could've died either time. You're lucky nobody was seriously hurt by your recklessness-"

"Emelie," Colress said, his voice rising. "Enough."

Huh…? His words succeeded in returning me to the present, where I found Lillie's chin buried in her chest. She sniffled.

Crap. I gripped my sleeves. In the silence did I then hear my previous words.

"I'm sorry!" the young girl whimpered. "I never meant to hurt Hau or the professor or anybody!" She squeezed her eyes tight. "I'm… Not cut out to be a trainer."

Oh, Emelie. You absolute dumbass. First, you chanced summoning Lusamine and causing a shitstorm. Now you made a child cry. Good going, girl. You're pulling real surrogate big sister hours here. Alice would be so proud of you, wouldn't she?

I glimpsed a set of slanted eyebrows. While the man next to me didn't speak, I knew what he could have put with words. Why did I stick my nose in business I got second-hand accounts of? What was wrong with me, telling off someone who had many years left of growing up to do?

Lillie sniffled again.

As everybody's focus returned to her and Professor Kukui went over to speak with her, I just… Turned away. I had my fill of social interaction for the day. Look where it got me.

Due north of Hau'oli Outskirts would be Iki Town, home of Kahuna Hala and his family. Maybe they would let me help with their festival preparations? I'd do anything to leave this moment behind.

One of the others yelled. I didn't bother listening to what they were saying. I spent most of my time here so far either around others or sleeping. Why didn't I ask Colress to leave me alone? I would have only needed Popplio in case a wild pokémon attacked me.

Ocean wind assaulted my heated face. I could feel my hair waft like a mound of serpents. I crammed my lungs with fresh air. Weirdly enough, there was pressure on my left shoulder. I brought my opposite hand over to scratch at the annoyance.

How could I have known the annoyance wasn't an itch and instead a foreign entity? By the time I figured this out, they wrapped their funny-feeling fingers over mine.

"I'm afraid I'm not letting you leave yet," Colress announced. His tall figure blocked the sun from shining on my backside. He dropped my hand, leaving me free to make my next move.

…Steel-toed shoes worn by a steel-type expert. Fitting.

"You won't be going anywhere if you don't acknowledge I'm speaking to you," he said. How would he stop me from leaving? By pulling an invention of his out of his ass?

"I'd rather shut up," I said. "I upset Lillie by being stupid. Keep me around any longer and I might drop an f-bomb."

"This isn't about Lillie. I do sincerely hope you don't curse at me for what I'm about to ask of you... Do you react like this whenever you're chastised for your behavior? Is this your fleeting solution to a continual problem?"

"Why do you care?" I spat. "You want to tell me, 'Emelie, you need to learn how to handle objections better. Oh, you have an objection? I disagree with your disagreement!'" I began walking again. "We have nothing to discuss. What I've gotta learn is to keep to myself. Sorry for the outburst."

Walls of golden light flared from the ground. They were wide enough to reach the sides of the hill and long enough to trap the both of us inside. The wind died upon hitting the front barrier.

Darn. He did pull stuff out of his ass.

"You're having quite the strong reaction to being reprimanded," Colress said. "As a researcher, it's my duty to uncover the "why" behind my subject's behavior." He considered me to be a science project. Great going, Uncle.

I put my back to the barrier. The makeshift wall felt like a glass pane.

"This is a newer invention of mine," the man announced. "I call it Colress Machine No. 1189, the Reflector. Most anything to hit this barrier bounces off. Most anything kept within these walls stays until the device is deactivated."

I slid to the ground. There would be no point in raging against a well-built machine or whatever else Colress hid within his literal sleeves.

"I have no intention of freeing you until I understand your train of thought," he said. "We established earlier that you are neurodivergent. I assume this played into your overreaction?"

"It's been five minutes. You still won't talk? Fine by me. I'll revise my earlier statement. You won't be leaving until this conversation is a two-way street. I believe I merely told you to stop. That's all I heard it as. What did the warning sound like to you?

"Did you feel I directed anger towards you? Upsetting you wasn't my intention. I meant to out you for being unnecessarily irate."

"Lillie got somebody and Nebby into danger," I said. "I can't overlook what she did."

God damn it. When I countered the statement, Colress smiled. "You forget she's a child. She may have made mistakes, but it's clear Nebby means much to her." His back met the wall by me. "I assume you aren't accustomed to being made the "bad guy". There is no such thing as true black and white viewpoints. We are much more than two colors."

"Says you. You're two letters short of being called Colorless."

"I do persist along a gray spectrum, don't I? Same goes for you, Lillie, Professor Kukui, and everyone else who lives in this world. We are neither black nor white, but hues of gray and grey. You are not the scum of the Earth for one little slip-up. The fact you assumed I thought you're an awful human being for a single slip-up says a lot about who you are."

I huddled against the barrier. "I don't want you thinking I'm disrespectful. I guess- I guess my thoughts came out all wrong. I'm not equipped to deal with someone else's problems. Back home…"

A long silence ensued.

Colress broke the lull. "I imagine this dramatic change in setting has been nothing but whiplash. Would you say it's what has made you respond in kind?"

"I don't know."

"You must've been snatched from your world at a tumultuous point in your life. Seems you haven't gotten a proper break from the action. I'm quite sorry the professor and I haven't taken into account your need to process these unwelcome changes."

I wouldn't say all of these recent changes were "unwelcome". Some of them seemed great! I got given a purpose other than listening to shrill infants and foreign languages on a loud living room television and people complaining about someone else when not engaged in a Skyrimesque shouting match. I could transition to a new stage in life as Alice did months ago.

Hell, Alice's up-and-leaving intensified all of the problems our house suffered. Risqué clothing she never took with her yet wanted us to keep robbed us of valuable closet space. I kept being badgered about the extra bed in my room. People got mad at me for Alice choosing to never speak to them. Their abhorrent behavior towards us drove her to flee in the first place. I could only imagine the turmoil caused by my disappearance.

They could take care of themselves. Probably. I'm no longer Emelie the Apartment Hermit. I'm Emelie Avenue, the daughter of Unovan elite and niece of a dude with a silly hairdo. Time for me to move on and embrace what a world of pokémon had to offer.

"Could I ask you to go into detail about your old life at a later date?" Colress inquired.

"'Later?'" I echoed.

"When you're more comfortable with this life. I don't want to rush you into anything. My associate- Another associate of mine, my apologies. I have many of them. It's been years since I've last spoken to her. I have no doubt she will be interested in learning about this alternate dimension where pokémon are fictional. You may know her as Professor Burnet, Kukui's wife.

"Ah, well, I believe we've sat here long enough. I'm overdue for a cup of coffee." He unveiled a television remote-like device from behind his back. The barrier disintegrated with the press of a button. "What say you to another excursion to the café by your new home?"

"Emelie!" Right about then, a boy came racing towards us waving a red-and-white sphere in the air. "Alola!"

Colress' curious eyes flickered between us.

"I met him yesterday," I said.

"Funny I found you out here!" the green-haired boy shouted. "I was gonna ask if you wanted to- Oof!" He tripped on what seemed to be nothing.

I shook my head.

He picked himself off the ground and lifted his poké ball back in the air. "I'm okay!"

"I'd wager this is the boy Lillie has been depending on?" Colress commented. "He doesn't seem like the hero type." His head did a bit of a tilt. "Wait a second. Isn't he…?"

"The Kahuna's grandson?" I said. "Yep."

And that's Hau how- Erm, how Hau joined us for breakfast at the pokémon center on the eve of Melemele's festival.