Professor Kukui is usually a man of free time – studying Pokémon moves requires little paperwork and more on-the-field observations. Being locked in the lab is more of his wife's area rather than his. He might be one that looks after the house most of the day, but when it comes to being a Trainer, he is the one to take the lead between the two of them.
Ultra Wormholes appearing out of the blue is not a piece of confidential information in Alola. Everyone is regularly reminded to be vigilant and be on the lookout for these interdimensional portals. Since the massive Ultra Beast outbreak six years ago, a proper response procedure has been crafted to deal with the occasional Ultra Wormholes. The Aether Foundation volunteered to become the central communication center. With the help of his wife, they created a robust system that can detect the burst of Ultra Aura that these interdimensional rifts emit.
A team composed of trained Aether employees and any available Trial Captains and Kahunas will be sent out to capture the Ultra Beasts, if there is any, and send them back through the same rift they came from. The team will be led by Gladion, who has the most experience in dealing with Ultra Beasts from his short time with Interpol years ago. Once the place is secured, Lillie will call out Nebby to close the Ultra Wormhole immediately. It may be simple, but the battle that occurs is not. Fortunately, encounters with Ultra Beasts have been rare for the past five years, and people have been cooperative with the task force.
Now, with the new Ultra Beast crisis and the ongoing Alolan championship, Professor Kukui has little time to spare. That little time is being spent collaborating with Professor Elio. Since the start of the tournament, the number of reported cases of Pokémon going berserk has climbed from two to twenty-four in a matter of days. More and more Pokémon that were attacked have been admitted to Pokémon centers, transferred to the Aether Paradise - all of which sporting wounds dripping in a violent shade of purple - and have been bedridden since their arrival.
But that is not the worst part. The first victim they had has gotten worse. Kahuna Hala's Machamp has fallen into a deep coma, and black crystals have crawled over his skin from the wounds where the berserk Alolan Persian has slashed him. His transgressor has shown no signs of improvement either and has been lashing out every time an employee comes by its isolation cage. The police detained and interrogated the trial goer, but all they could get from him was that someone gave him the black Z-Crystal he used before his Pokémon went berserk. The Z-Crystal has yet to be found, and the details regarding the one who handed the Z-Crystal have been vague. The trial goer admitted he did not see the face but told them that it was a woman.
"Kukui, my boy," The professor shook out from his thoughts and turned to the approaching Kahuna. Hala has been going to the Aether Paradise every day to visit his Machamp. Kukui could not remember a day that the old Kahuna missed seeing his ill Pokémon. "Any news?"
Kukui shook his head apologetically. "'Afraid not." He placed a hand on the glass window overlooking Machamp's room. "He's…getting worse. I'm sorry."
"Don't be, my boy." Hala placed a firm hand on Kukui's shoulder. "None of us wished for this to happen. I worry for Machamp, but there are things I must attend to. I know that he would agree with me."
Kukui respects the old Kahuna, and right now, he admires how Hala has remained calm and rational despite the dire situation one of his partner Pokémon is in. "Professor Elio has given us the results from his colleague in Orre. Unfortunately, it did not match the aura signature found from these 'Shadow Pokémon'. We are back from square one."
"We can wish for all the answers to land on our hands," Hala told him. "but the time for them to be at our reach will not be in our will. "
Kukui placed his hands inside the pockets of his lab coat. "Time sure has flown fast. Hau has been the Champion for five years now, and my former assistant is on her way to becoming a Pokémon professor. All the Trial Captains have grown in their ways, and some, if the Tapus chose to, will become the next generation of Kahunas someday."
"And you're a father of three years." Hala smiled knowingly. "Times have changed, and we changed along with it."
Kukui smiled fondly. "I'm thankful for Missus Selene looking after our boy while Burnet and I have been busy for the past month. We don't want to be away from Lei, but with things going awry right now, it would be for the best."
"That is true. No parent would wish to put their child in harm's way." Hala's gaze drifted toward his bedridden Pokémon. "Selene misses her daughter, doesn't she?"
Kukui's smile faded, and he nodded grimly. "Five years is a long time. Moon often went home when she was still in Alola but now…I don't think I could understand what Missus Selene was feeling, waiting for my child who has chosen to disappear."
"Perhaps, but there is no way we could know why Moon has chosen to disappear," Hala said. "Things happen for a reason. We chose to do things for a reason. All we could do is to believe it is for the right reason."
"And if it isn't?"
"Then, it is up for the Tapus to judge."
Lillie has seen things that many people never had the chance to witness. From watching the mysterious Pokémon she has protected for months evolve into a Legendary Pokémon to entering a dimension that her father believed and dedicated his whole life to studying, she has seen more truths than an ordinary person has ever learned. She grew up hiding in the shadows - watching behind people's backs as they fight her battles. Since then, she chose to protect, to follow the path her first-ever friend has walked before her. She trained to become stronger, took the Island Challenge to understand what makes a Pokémon Trainer, and became an assistant to Professor Burnet. She is a Trainer, yes, but she also chose to become a Pokémon professor in the future.
She was elated after winning her match on the second day of the eighth Alolan League championship, but she felt small when she witnessed the match between Sun and Plumeria. She forgot that the tournament is the battle of the strongest Trainers in Alola, and only the strongest among the strong can survive and rise to the top. There are Trainers far more powerful than her…and Hau will someday have to let go of his title as Champion, no matter how strong he is now.
Lillie felt scared. What if she faced Sun next? The match was more than enough evidence of Sun's strength and ruthlessness as a Trainer. It was no wonder how he could casually roam Alola and challenge Gladion, who is revered as one of the strongest Trainers in Alola, without batting an eye. Her older brother promised to defeat Sun, and the League is taking measures against Sun.
Everything will be fine, right?
She stood up from her bed and draped a small portion of the blanket over Shiron. The Alolan Vulpix has fought hard during today's match and deserved to rest well. Her other Pokémon are settled comfortably in their Pokéballs, and Lillie decided to take it as a chance to get some time alone. She peered at her phone and skimmed through the messages. Her mother has sent some to congratulate her and her team's victory and reminded her to eat and sleep well. A few were from the employees in the Aether Foundation, her friends, and fellow contestants. She got one from her older brother, who was given a room two floors above hers. Hau sent her a lot, and she was sure that the bouquet and the bag of malasadas she received earlier were from him too.
Lillie sent out a short message to her brother, saying that she would be going out in a bit if he descended to find her. She quietly closed the door behind her, boarded the elevator down to the ground floor, and walked out the lobby. Cool night breeze greeted her as she stepped past the revolving glass doors. Contestants and spectators alike strolled and hung out around the courtyard fountain. Their lively chatter filled the gentle silence of the Alolan night. There are booths of different kinds on one side – most of which display local wares and dishes of the region. On any other day, she would have let a bit of curiosity get the best of her and checked the booths, but tonight, she prefers some solitude for herself.
Lillie distanced herself from the crowd, veering away from the main roads. The tiled paths were lit – lampposts with colorful banners reading The Eighth Alolan League Championship: Second Manalo Conference glittered in gold with the stamps of the four islands and the Alolan League. There were fewer people near the docks compared to the hotel's courtyard – many of which were on their way back to their respective hotels. Wild Pokémon roamed the docks and mingled with some Trainers and their partner Pokémon. She chose a spot by the edge and sat down on the cold cement. Removing her shoes, she let the cool water touch the soles of her feet. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she looked up to the night sky.
She sat there for ten minutes or more, amusing herself with tracing the constellations in her mind when she heard a soft THUMP! not far away. A figure silhouetted in the dark leaped off the deck of a small ship and landed gracefully on the cemented ground. It walked away casually from the vessel and stepped to the lit path above the docks. Lillie's eyes widened, and a gasp escaped her lips.
Sun!
The blond Trainer paused on his steps and looked around as if he were searching for something. Lillie scrambled to stand - her wet feet imprinting her footsteps on the cement - and tucked herself in a dark corner of the docks to hide. What is Sun doing here? She patted her pockets for her phone, only to realize that she had left it in her hotel room. She pursed her lips and peered at the Trainer, who had one hand pressed on his ear.
Lillie could barely make out the movement of his lips before he disappeared from her sight above. Making sure that she was nowhere near the red-eyed Trainer's line of sight, she emerged from her hiding place and pondered on what to do. She could run back to the hotel and tell her brother. Then, what? By the time she gets to his brother, Sun will be nowhere to be found. If she followed him, however, she could learn a thing or two about his plans. Maybe, she will find out what he is after - what he wants from Nebby. It is a risky plan – she has no means of communication nor any of her Pokémon with her - but it is her only shot.
Steeling herself, Lillie hurriedly slipped her shoes back on and scrambled up the stone stairs. She followed the direction where she saw Sun headed and kept an eye out for any sign of the Trainer. It was easy to look for him, considering that he was going in the direction where there were even fewer people around. That, and for someone aloof and under suspicion, he stood out well in a crowd. Maybe because of the clothes or his height, Lillie could not tell. There is just something about the guy that draws people in like a magnet, even if he did not mean to.
She watched him stroll toward the side of the stadium, completely ignoring the police patrolling the area as if they did not exist at all. The police barely threw him a glance which Lillie found odd, and moved out of his way as if to avoid him (or create an excuse, which she found to be a crazy idea). She thought she must be that tired to the point that she saw things, but she froze on the spot when Sun paused on his steps. He looked up at the stadium and shook his head, muttering something to himself. Lillie hastily ducked behind an empty guard station as Sun retraced his steps and walked away from the stadium.
Lillie peered from her hiding place and let out a breath of relief. Too close. She stepped out and anxiously looked at the stadium and then, to Sun's retreating figure. What was that? What happened? Before she could ponder more, Sun suddenly took off. Lillie is taken aback by the sudden change of behavior from the mysterious Trainer and has no choice but to sprint after him. She followed him back near the docks before he disappeared in the direction of the other participants' hotel. There were a few closed shops around which Lillie recognized from the first Manalo conference. Many of the old shops from that time were left abandoned since Moon left Alola. Only some were rented and put back into use by the time the second conference started. Many businesses were reluctant to buy or rent one because of the uncertainty of future League championships being held again in the Manalo stadium.
Lillie slowed down, unsure of what to do next, when she heard hushed voices coming from somewhere besides a closed shop. She took a deep breath and tiptoed her way toward a dim alley. She followed the brick walls until she came across piles of sealed crates near the corner. Orange light lit a small portion of a wall and five shadows, human shadows, moved against it. The voices grew louder as she crept close behind a crate.
"…plan is perfect." A woman's voice hummed sweetly. "Those naïve fools do not know what is coming to them…."
That voice….Lillie knows that voice, but that is impossible. It just can't be. She can't…she won't…Before her resolution crumbles, she decides to risk a peek. There was a blur of white, black, and pale yellow in her sight as something grabbed her arm and dragged her inside the shop. She felt the cold marble on her palms as she hit the floor and heard a CLICK! as a door carefully closed behind her. She should have done something…said something, but whoever pulled her beat her to it.
"What do you think you're doing?"
