Lillie brushed her fingers against the steel wall of one of the participants' entrances. From where she is, she could hear the rising excitement from the audience gathered above them. Heart-thrumming, traditional Alolan music blared from the speakers, harmonizing with the cheers of the spectators. At times, she could hear the familiar chant calling out Guzma's name from the former Team Skull members. For a first-time participant like her, the scene was beyond overwhelming.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she turned to see her older brother give her a reassuring smile. Behind him, the other participants were vibrating with energy as they chatted and bid good luck to each other and their partners. Her brother has shed his usual Aether uniform and opted for a darker palette for his clothes. His long, blond hair was tied to a thin ponytail and reached just below shoulder level. It reminded Lillie of when they were younger; her brother donned similar clothes as his way of rebelling against their mother, though Hau and Moon often poke fun of him being emo. Not that he is one for most parts. He just struggles with wearing his emotions at his sleeve, if not for a certain azure-eyed Trainer.

Lillie could tell how much Moon affected him, whether they noticed it or not, though most of the time, she wondered if the previous Champion was messing with her brother on purpose. Lillie swore she usually has that mischievous glint in her eyes whenever she has something up in her sleeves for Gladion. More often than not, she and Hau would get dragged in, and well…chaos ensues afterward.

The music faded to the background as Professor Kukui climbed the stage. Just above him, the Kahunas and the Elite Four were seated in two rows. Hau was positioned closest to the battlefield, just between the Elite Four. Behind them were the rest of the Kahunas. Hau seemed fidgety – a contrast to his usual energetic character. He kept patting his cloak and sometimes, glancing at the nearest exit as if he wanted to be out of there as soon as possible. Behind him, Hala placed a firm hand on his grandson and whispered something, perhaps to appease the anxious Champion. Hau pursed his lips before nodding and trying to get as comfortable as he could on his seat.

"Alola!" Professor greeted. "Today marks the eighth anniversary of the Alolan League Championship. It has been five years since the League was held in this very same stadium. I won't be making you all wait long. Let's all welcome our fifty-eight contestants!"

A staff member jogged toward the participants' entrance, where Lillie and Gladion were holed up with the other contestants. He herded them to the battlefield as the crowd's cheers rose to a pitch, and they met up with the other half of the contestants; the chant of Team Reskull and the screams of Ilima's fangirls rising over the rest. Lillie tilted her head and gazed at the luxury box where their mother, Faba, Wicke, Professor Burnet, and Professor Elio were staying at. She could see them waving banners and fans with their names and faces printed on them. Faba was even sporting a bandana and light sticks as if he were in one of Masked Royal's matches. It was touching – having people support you – but it was embarrassing as well. Lillie could feel her cheeks heating up, and she resisted the urge to hide behind her brother's back. Gladion maintained his calm, but there was a tinge of red at the tips of his ears, and he kept on averting his gaze away from the luxury box.

"Alola!" Kukui greeted the contestants assembled before him. They greeted him back with more enthusiasm. "I can't tell you how grateful I am to see so many competitors gathered here at the Manalo Stadium. It's been long since Alola witnessed its great Trainers battle out in a grand competition, and now you are all here to bring in the Overheat. At this very moment, I hereby declare the eighth Alolan Pokémon League open! It's time to Shift Gear! GIVE US A FULLY POWERED EXPLOSION!"

"YEAH!" The contestants roared as they pumped their fists in the air. Professor Kukui left the stage and exchanged places with the Kahunas, who will now officiate the first leg of the League. As the announcer began his introduction, the contestants moved toward their starting positions. The wide screens around the perimeter of the stadium blinked as the Battle Royal rules were explained. Lillie and Gladion sidled next to Guzma and Plumeria, who grinned at them.

Guzma regarded his former enforcer. "Nervous, kiddo?"

Gladion gave him a sideways smile. "Not a bit."

"Heh." Guzma grinned. "Looks like it will be the best man standin', eh? 'Afraid it's gonna be yer boy, Guzma."

"Good luck with that," Gladion smirked. "Hau's not going to let go of his title that easy."

"We'll see 'bout that."

"…The Battle Royal will continue until only sixteen contestants remain." The announcer said. "These sixteen will then be eligible to participate in the next round of the tournament."

"Big Brother." Lillie tugged Gladion's sleeve and pointed at the opposite line. "It's him."

Gladion followed his younger sister's line of sight and saw him standing at the end of the line. Sun surveyed the gathered contestants with a blank look as if this kind of scene were nothing new to him before he noticed the older Aether sibling staring. The red-eyed Trainer acknowledged him with a tip of his hat. Gladion could see the cold, calculating look dancing in the mysterious Trainer's eyes even from a distance.

Gladion clenched his fists. "I'll win this." He told Lillie. "I promise."

Lillie looked at him with worrying eyes but nodded firmly. The Kahunas marched to the middle of the battlefield and faced the contestants. The screen blinked into the number of the present participants, and the Kahunas raised their arms.

"Pokémon, stand by!"

As the timer began to tick, the Trainers threw their Pokéballs into the air and summoned their partners. The battlefield lighting up in colored streaks of light as Pokémon of different types and shapes made their presence known besides their human partners. Gladion readied the memory discs as Silvally stomped its feet and roared, eager to battle again in the League finally. Shiron nuzzled against Lillie's ankles to assure her Trainer before jumping to a position beside Silvally. The crowd chanted along as the countdown dwindled to the last digits.

"Three…two…one…"

"BEGIN!"

The crowd roared, and colored clouds of smokes burst above as flare guns were shot. As if a switch was flicked on, the contestants surged forward to meet their opponents as the crowd went wild around them. The battlefield exploded in a storm of lights and dust as attacks came in from all sides — the digital counter dwindling to fifty-six in a matter of seconds.

"Silvally, X-Scissor!"

Silvally's front claws glowed a bright green and ran to meet an approaching Alakazam. It slashed against the Psi Pokémon, sending it staggering back at the super effective move. It moved again for the same attack at Gladion's order and finally sent its opponent down. The two did not have time to hear Nanu announce the paired opponents' elimination as Gladion threw the Dark Memory to Silvally just as a Psyshock was aimed at them. Silvally blocked the attack and struck out Multi-Attack that took down the Elgyem in one shot.

Gladion spared a glance behind him just in time to see Lillie and Shiron take down a Lileep with Powder Snow. Not far from her, Guzma and Plumeria are holding out quite well on their own. A Lurantis and an Alolan Marowak tried to take down the two, but they did not stand any chance against the combination of Golisopod's Waterfall and Salazzle's Sludge Bomb. Cheers rose in fever pitch around them as the crowd voiced out their support to their favored participants. Barely hidden behind the curtain of dust and smoke, the counter ticked down to forty-two.

Silvally plowed down to three more before skidding to an abrupt stop. Its head turned to the direction of the sky in alarm. Gladion jogged to its side and was about to ask when he smelled something pungent akin to burning tires. He looked up just in time to see a ball of orange light streaked to the sky before separating into multiple lights. He barely managed to throw the Fairy Memory to Silvally, and the Pokémon pounced at Gladion just in time to protect its Trainer before the Draco Meteor rained down on the unsuspecting contestants. By the time the powerful attack cleared, the counter had plummeted to twenty.

"Ah…" A voice spoke behind them. "I was hoping to end the preliminary round with one attack. Guess that's just wishful thinking on my part."

Gladion turned his head and sprung to his feet as he saw Sun standing a few feet away from him. Silvally moved in front of its Trainer and growled at the red-eyed Trainer. To Gladion's surprise, Sun seemed unfazed by the aggressive display nor found Silvally strange as he looked at the pair with scrutinizing eyes. His partner, a dark navy, lizard-like Pokémon, floated behind him. A perpetual, evil smile on its mouth as its slitted, yellow eyes stared down on Silvally.

"Sun."

"Mr. Future Aether President," Sun said. He did not even try to hide his boredom in his voice. "I am impressed you managed to evade Dragapult's Draco Meteor. Not really surprising coming from one of the Champion's friends."

Behind Gladion, the counter ticked down to eighteen. "Well, I am surprised you would approach me as if we were on friendly terms." His hand reached into his jacket and pulled out the Ice Memory. "I hope you haven't forgotten we have a deal."

"Not at all." Sun shoved his hands inside the pockets of his jacket. "But if you want me to face me, you better survive first." He tipped his head to the side. "Dragapult, Fire Blast."

"Silvally!" Gladion threw the memory disc as Silvally leaped in Sun's direction. "Multi-Attack!"

A pale blue aura flared around Silvally as it ran past the approaching Stealth Pokémon. Fire and ice danced and struck the approaching attackers behind the two Trainers. Two separate blasts of heat and cold melded into each other, and the explosion of vapor swept away the storm of dust enveloping the battlefield. In the background, the speakers blared as the counter flashed the number sixteen in bright red. The Alolan sky lit up with fireworks as the crowd roared in shouts and cheers. The quota of the preliminary round was finally fulfilled.

Sun nodded approvingly at the black-clad Trainer. "Not bad." He recalled his partner back to its Pokéball and walked toward the green-eyed Trainer's side. Their shoulders barely touched as he spoke in a low voice. "I will be waiting for you in the finals, Mr. Future Aether President. Don't lose before then."

He did not wait to respond as he walked past Gladion and Silvally and back to one of the participants' entrances. Gladion half-turned and glared at the back of the blue-clad Trainer. Silvally nuzzled reassuringly against its Trainer and made a soft sound – a promise it will do its best to help to protect its Legendary friend.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Gladion said. His eyes flitted to Lillie, who embraced Shiron in her arms as she showered her partner with thanks and praises. "Even if it's the last thing I will do."