Lillie sat hunched on the chair beside her brother's bed. It has been three hours since Gladion and Hau were admitted to the infirmary of Aether Paradise and two hours since the family doctor left them with a bit of good news. They received no significant injuries, just a few bruises, and scratches. Gladion, who was in better shape between the two, managed to report experiencing severe nausea and could barely stand upright even with Wicke supporting him.
Hau stayed in the room beside Gladion's and was delirious when he was hauled to the infirmary. Lillie's heart clenched tight in her chest every time the Champion woke up to only vomit whatever was left in his stomach. His grandfather arrived in a hurry and decided to stay by Hau's side for the night. Hala urged Lillie to look after her brother and rest. She, herself, was affected at a distance but was lucky enough to have recovered fast and be able to watch over the two.
Lillie brushed Gladion's bangs with delicate fingers. His pale complexion has gotten better compared to three hours ago, and the steady rising and falling of his chest reassured her that he was having a fitful sleep. Silvally was curled into a tight ball just by his feet. Acerola came by to bring Silvally back after a long, terrifying battle against the Ultra Beasts. The Elite Four member did not stay long, as she had to help her uncle with island matters.
It will be fine. Lillie thought to herself. The doctor said that Big Brother would be fine tomorrow, just in time for his match against Sophocles. Letting out a tired sigh, she leaned against the backrest, knocking off the jacket draped on the armrest with her elbow. She slid down to pick it up, her fingers curling against the blue and white fabric.
"I'll be back for you. Don't worry."
Sun said that, made that promise, and returned. He came back for her a few minutes after the Ultra Wormhole took back the Ultra Beasts it unleashed and brought her to Aether Paradise on the back of his Corviknight. She did not manage to thank him properly as he left immediately with only a few parting words.
"Look after him for me, Miss Lillie."
By him, Lillie knew that Sun meant Gladion. She has not figured who Sun really is, but the red-eyed Trainer seemed to have taken a keen interest in her brother. Maybe it was because Gladion actively pursues him because of his uncanny knowledge about the string of events happening in Alola right now, or maybe because of the deal they have made. Even so, Sun has proven to be both a dangerous foe and a formidable ally. He has the incredible skills of a veteran Trainer or even something greater. He has information about Moon and her five-year disappearance and has helped take down Ultra Beasts during tonight's attack. He does not seem to be a bad person, but he has a lot of secrets that he wants others to figure out themselves.
Lillie glanced at her brother. Should she tell him about Moon's Z-Power Ring? Gladion would undoubtedly be furious, and the matter will reach the League within an hour or less. And Sun? He might not be pleased and break off the deal between them. They might never find out what is happening in Alola if that happens. He might even end the agreement between him and Lillie, and she will never know what happened to one of her best friends.
Is she being selfish? Sun assured her that it had nothing to do with her brother – that Gladion will not get hurt – but something about it felt wrong. It felt wrong to hide that she knows who has Moon's Z-Power Ring and keep it a secret from others that she finally has information about Moon, albeit for one year only.
"Your Moon is not here. Stop depending on someone that is not here for you. Is it that difficult to face that reality?"
Sun's words held true, but they still stung painfully. He wore such indifferent expression when he said it like he could not careless Moon's importance to them or the bonds the First Alolan Champion shared with the region.
Of course, he would not know. Lillie thought bitterly. He never met her.
She rummaged through one big pocket inside the jacket and pulled out a familiar envelope. Though she felt guilty about it, she has checked the other pockets prior for anything that could give Sun away. For some reason, she found nothing, as if the jacket owner expected it to happen.
Lillie folded the jacket and stowed it inside one of the cabinet drawers beside the bed. She will return it to Sun later, should she cross paths with him again, which is likely seeing that they have struck an agreement. She shifted on her seat uncomfortably and tugged the string wrapped around the width of the envelope. One by one, she gingerly produced the contents from the envelope and placed them on her lap.
The first was a ticket, dated five years ago, for the flight Moon has taken toward the region of Hoenn. Even after five years, the date, time, flight number, and booking reference are still intact. The time of the flight was stamped a little after midnight when everybody was sleeping soundly, and nobody was aware of the First Alolan Champion's undisclosed departure. The second was a phone call transcript from what Lillie assumed regarding a private flight Moon chartered upon arrival to the region. It was a brief exchange, but the receiver's name was either not mentioned or was intentionally removed. It simply talked about the private plane's arrival at around eight in the morning, just precisely after the arrival of Moon's plane, and its destination - the Sinnoh region.
A few more phone call transcripts afterward, where the receiver's name was strangely missing, pointing out directions to her destination. Moon stayed in an apartment unit in Jubilife City rented out by the same person she was in contact with. There was no mention of that person's identity, but Moon left and started traveling around the region after five months. Coincidentally, it was around that time that the controversies regarding the sudden resignation of the First Alolan Champion dwindled to nothing but afterthoughts, and the Alolan League and the inner ranks of the Aether Foundation pulled back their confidential search for her whereabouts.
Well, that is how it would seem, but she, Gladion, and Hau never stopped looking. They kept an ear out for any news from within and outside the Alola region, hoping for something that would point them to Moon's location. There were no specific accounts on what Moon did during the first five months, except that she has kept a very low profile and started studying medicine under a group of well-known scholars as a student and apprentice. For why she made that decision was not indicated.
The following contents were reports on Moon's most significant activities for the rest of the one-year timeline. She met up with a renowned professor in the region named Rowan, from whom she got her first Pokémon from the region. The reports detailed her travels – from visiting towns and cities to challenging gyms – while continuing her medical studies on the field with an unnamed scholar. She even went against the Sinnoh League Championship and won but never took up the mantle as Champion. She simply registered as a Hall of Famer. She handed the championship title back to the previous Sinnoh Champion, after which she returned to a one-month lull and spent her time with her studies before leaving the region altogether.
Somehow, Lillie found it odd. If Moon won an open League Championship where tens of thousands of people watched, how come the news did not reach outside Sinnoh? Headlines-worthy stories like this always reach other regions, no matter what form of media is used. It was as if information about her victory was suppressed within the region only, that even the Sinnoh League did not make an effort to let the world know that a new Champion was crowned in the region. That, and the fact that Moon turned down the Champion title almost immediately after the tournament, without regard to the six months' time she spent traveling and training. Everything about it does not add up!
Lillie checked the inside of the envelope for anything that might answer the multitude of questions in her head. Her slim fingers pulled out the last document enclosed within the envelope. The mere sight of the glossy paper made her breath hitch. It was another ticket indicating Moon's next destination just a day before the year ends.
Hoenn.
About seven years ago, Guzma hated the noise. He hated the cheering of spectators, the passionate clash of the Island Trials, and the sound of carefree laughter that accompanied victory. He hated it so much that he wanted to trample it, stamp out the hopes and dreams that he once believed in, and shut them out in a desolate walled cage that is Po Town.
It was only a year after that that Guzma became desperate for the noise. He might have once hated it, but he despised the silence - the eerie quiet that clung to your being as you trudged the lands of an alien world and walked among creatures that fed on your worst fears. He has only stayed in the Ultra Deep Sea for a mere hour, but he immediately despised the silence. It was far more dangerous than the noise, far too haunting to return to who he was before. The noise reminded him that he was alive; the silence did not. It seeps to your core and robs you of everything, leaving only a void that could never be filled.
That is if ya' are a coward to reach out yer hand.
Guzma was lucky, incredibly lucky that that young girl held out her hand. He was fortunate that Plumeria and the grunts cared enough to swallow their pride to ask for help from a mere eleven-year-old girl. He was lucky that the girl did not care about the times he tried to provoke the professor who opened the path of a Pokémon Trainer for her or how he attempted to antagonize her whenever they crossed paths. She never paid attention to the glaring truth that he had failed on what she had accomplished and never looked down on a failure like him.
"Mister Guzma is the best Bug-type Trainer I've ever met! His Golisopod is sooo cool and strong! I want to raise one myself and have a rematch with Mister Guzma!"
Yeah. He was lucky, really lucky to meet Moon. If the kid had not bothered to listen to Plumeria and the grunts, he would never have seen the bright, warm sun of Alola again. If that kid did not storm Po Town and beat his ass down to the ground as he deserved, he would never be given a second chance. He felt honored to see her ascend to a title deserving of her abilities and proud to call her the First Alolan Champion. His Champion. Their Champion. Alola's Champion.
He never understood why she suddenly just left – nobody does – but that did little to soothe his anxiety. If that girl did not even tell Hala's grandson or those Aether siblings whom she was closest to, what chance would she even tell someone like him? The entire League was shaken to the core by her sudden departure, and the Kahunas and Trial Captains were only informed later and tried to suppress the news from leaking out to the rest of the region. Of course, once the word was out, it only took a day to spread for an archipelagic region like Alola. It was Plumeria who told him about it. When the two of them scaled Mount Lanakila to confirm the truth, the entrance of the League was already swarming with local reporters and journalists from other regions the next day.
How could a thirteen-year-old Champion fer two years disappear fer five years?
Guzma is sure of one thing, and that is that Moon did not act on her own. That girl had someone orchestrate her disappearance – someone who is powerful enough to pull the right strings and completely erase her traces as if she did not exist at all. That, and Moon is a very clever girl. She may not seem like it in the first impression, but once you know her enough, her skills as a Pokémon Trainer are not the only ones to be wary of. Topped with her plucky attitude, she is basically a ticking time bomb to anyone who handles her poorly, which he has the honor of experiencing firsthand.
Now, standing on the same battlefield for the fifth time in this tournament, Guzma felt a sense of déjà vu. Sun, just like that kid, is a living, ticking time bomb. What makes them different is that he does not know how to handle the boy. The former Team Skull leader has watched him battle, and every time his opponent thinks they got him figured out, he throws them off with an unpredictable move. It is like he has already created the favorable setting of the match for himself at the very beginning and was simply pushing them in the direction he wanted them to.
But not today. Guzma glared at Sun, who was standing at the other side of the battlefield. Yer boy Guzma is not fallin' fer yer tricks! He noticed the boy had shed his usual upper garb and opted for a blue and white letterman jacket with the letter SM stitched over the right breast area. The blond-haired Trainer has yet to say anything to him, but his frustration of his opponent not forfeiting the match was visible on those red eyes, and boy, it felt real good showing this kid one.
The Kahuna of Ula'ula island ambled to his position at the side and gave both participants a look of disinterest. "Uh…the second match for the semifinals will begin. You two, bring out your first Pokémon."
Guzma decided to call out Pinsir first on the battlefield while Sun called out the Pokémon the ex-Team Skull leader had the honor to meet yesterday adequately. Hatterene narrowed her black eyes at him, clearly displeased at seeing him again. Tch! This kid's Pokémon got some attitude.
Nanu dropped his arm in a chopping gesture. "Let the match begin!"
The crowd cheered as all cameras veered toward the match. Guzma shoved his hands in the pockets of his baggy pants and sneered. "Ya' must be disappointed I'm here, kiddo." He said. "But just ya' know, I don't like runnin' away, especially from punks like ya'. The loved boss who beats ya' down, and beats ya' down, and never lets up... Yeah! Big Bad Guzma's gonna teach ya' a lesson not to mess with my homies!"
"I've given you a warning last night, Mister Guzma, yet you still came." Sun rubbed his palm across his face and let out a defeated sigh. "No…I knew you would still come, regardless of my warning. Honestly, I would be disappointed if you didn't. However, in this kind of situation…."
Sun glanced sideways before removing his hand and finally regarding his opponent with sharp eyes. Guzma flinched at the intensity of his gaze. "Fifteen minutes." He remarked with a growl. "This battle will end in fifteen minutes."
What?
"Did I just hear Contestant Sun right?" The announce exclaimed. "He said that the match will end in fifteen minutes! Sun just announced that he will defeat Guzma in fifteen minutes!" That sent the audience in a buzz. Even Nanu, who usually maintained a laidback attitude akin to the Ula'ula island's deity, did a double-take at the blond. "What a bold declaration! The battle has yet to start, but we can already feel its heat!"
Guzma clenched his fists. The nerve of this brat! "I will beat ya' down real good, kiddo." He snarled. "Pinsir, Throat Chop!"
"Hatterene, Trick Room."
The stadium distorted into a small room of kaleidoscopic tiles. With the order of their turns reversed, Hatterene easily dodged her opponent's pincers. The Silent Pokémon grabbed Pinsir's foot and threw him across the Trick Room. The Stag Beetle Pokémon managed to break his momentum and regained his footing.
Guzma called out. "Stone Edge!"
Pinsir slammed his hand on the ground, and glowing, blue rock spires erupted from the ground toward his opponent. Hatterene dodged with ease and seized him with a vice-grip Psychic. With her foe rendered immobile, she closed the distance and struck with a powerful Mystical Fire. Pinsir screeched in pain as the flames blazed all over his body. He fell on the ground with a reverberating THUMP!.
The crowd roared as Guzma stood there dumbfounded. What happened? Everything happened so fast that he did not have time to say anything to save Pinsir from the attack. That, and the kid's Pokémon is incredibly powerful to take his Pokémon down so effortlessly. What…? Is this kid fer real?
Guzma heard a giggle and looked at Hatterene. The Silent Pokémon was leering at him, clearly taunting him to do his worst. On the other hand, her Trainer was simply waiting for him to call for his next Pokémon. "Tch!" Guzma called Pinsir back and threw his next Pokéball. "Come on out, Scizor!"
"Hatterene, Trick Room."
"We're not gonna let ya'! Use Bullet Punch!"
Scizor launched itself forward with blinding speed and struck Hatterene on the face point-blank. She skidded back from the impact, her health bar sliding down to half from the super effective move. The Pincer Pokémon moved in for another punch, but Hatterene pushed him back with her Psychic.
"Hatterene, use Mystical Fire to keep your distance. Don't let Scizor get close."
Hatterene barely dodged another Bullet Punch and drew a wall of fire between them. Scizor jumped away from the fire, but a portion of his health bar went down when the flames grazed one of his claws.
"Now, Trick Ro-"
"I told ya', kiddo!" Guzma roared. "We're not gonna let ya'! IRON HEAD!"
Just in front of Hatterene, a swift gust of wind parted the fiery wall, and Scizor went in for the opening. The front of his skull glowing polished white as he headbutted the Silent Pokémon with a loud CRACK!. Hatterene staggered from the impact and crumpled to the ground.
Nanu ambled toward the fainted Pokémon and raised a hand. "Hatterene has fainted." He announced. "Scizor wins."
From behind Guzma, the cheers from the former Team Skull members overpowered the rest of the crowd. Their handmade banner waved wildly as some of them raised it over their heads. "HE'S GONNA BEAT YA' DOWN AND SHOW YA' UP! OUR BIG, BAD BOSS, GUZMA IS HIS NAME!"
"Heh!" Guzma smirked. Take that kid! "How does that feel? Yer boy just gettin' started! If ya' think I'm just yer everyday Bug Trainer, yer in for a beatin', kiddo."
Sun tugged his cap forward to hide the quirk on his lips. Impressive, as expected of Mister Guzma. He looked at the screen displaying Scizor's remaining health bar. He used the wind produced by Scizor's wings to minimize the damage of Mystical Fire and created an opening for an attack. It is a risky move, and he, no doubt, sacrificed some of Scizor's health, but still, it is…
"Really amazing!" Sun murmured to himself as he called back Hatterene. If he were the same Trainer years ago, he would be in serious trouble.
"What ya' talkin' to yerself? Already thinkin' to surrender, huh?"
"Not at all," Sun replied as he hefted his second Pokéball. "In fact, I'm enjoying this."
Guzma grinned as he spread his arms wide. "Good! This is how Pokémon battles should be! Let's enjoy this, kiddo. You and I!"
