Alola readers! Brav is back from my long business trip in Miami. No details on that though :D What happens in Miami stays...

So! Now we're back hopefully on a regular scheduled interval of updating, but I had planned for this segment to be out sooner, but editing had caught up with me.


Professor Kukui said that there was going to be a festival held in Tapu Koko's honor today. Everybody in Iki Town was going to go and he promised I'd get to see both Hau and Elio…I mean Sun again. I'm not sure why he goes by either name; but I figure that I'd just call him Sun unless he says otherwise. What's wrong with Elio though? I think it's a nice name.

Anyway, he battled Hau in the last match with just Litten. Still can't stand seeing pokemon get injured, but I was still going to watch them go at it. I thought it was an unfair match since it was a two on one battle, but the advantage actually went to Sun! Hau fought well, but Sun and his litten were already on the same page! I have a feeling that both boys are going to be great trainers in the future!


Sun had received Litten just a couple of days ago and he was picked to partake in a fun battle that was being fought as an offering to Tapu Koko today.

Even though it wasn't until later in the evening, he busied himself helping his mother continue to unpack everything. The amount of boxes of different things had been enough to take up the entire truck when they moved. As much as he wanted to go out and try all the new things with his pokemon, Mom reminded him that even before he went out on a journey; all the chores at home had to be done for the day.

That meant cleaning the kitchen, dining room and bathrooms. Since it was only them; they often rotated various chores during the course of the week. This was reduced during the school year when Sun was busy with that and after school practice and games for the three sports of football, basketball and lacrosse he would play. But during the summer, the ever constant demand to keep their house tidy would take up a big chunk of his free time.

It wasn't that he minded either; most of his friends back in Kanto would be busy with plans of their own.

Meowth and Litten spent most of their day playing around one another. It was Mom's day off too, so she was busy with laundry and finally setting up the internet. Now Elio could also get his computer started just as he finished scrubbing his bathroom and clearing up all the other empty boxes he had on the floor.

Connecting wires to the outlets and sockets; he turned it on and immediately opened a browser.

It was the middle of the offseason for football and he found himself disappointed that the 'Canes hadn't made any big acquisitions other than someone else to put on the defensive back depth chart.

After parting ways with Hau at Iki Town, they decided to exchange numbers. The other boy was very approachable and shot him a text message less than ten minutes after he got home that day. Through the entire night; the two continued to text one another about everything, from school to pokemon. Before he knew it; the time was nearly midnight and he found himself drifting off to sleep. So he texted Hau goodnight and settled in.

"Elio," Mom peered into his room as he continued looking at 'Canes rumors and free agent visits, "Don't forget to be ready when Professor Kukui picks you up for the festival!"

"I know,"

It was almost an hour later, when the two of them were watching Five-0 when the professor had arrived. It was one of the most popular fictitious drama shows set in Alola based around a crime fighting police group set on chasing down some of the most dangerous criminals that came to the islands. It had been running for seven seasons already and renewed for an eighth.

"Hey there Elio!" Kukui had let himself in already, "It's about that time we head out to the festival tonight, yeah!"

"I thought it wasn't for another hour?" He found himself still being a little put off by the older man barging in like that.

We really should think about locking the front door.

"Well first of all. Now that you're a real pokemon trainer with your pokemon and all, I've gotta show you something. Come with me to Route 1 just outside your house!"

"Sure," Elio looked down at Litten, who had moved over by his side, "You ready to go?"

The tiny cat let out a happy meow and rubbed his head against the boy's leg.

"Alright. Bye Mom!"

"Have fun at the festival sweetie!" She called from inside her room, "I'll be up there soon! I'm sure you'll have a good time with your new pokemon pal!"


The sun hung low on the western horizon, casting an orange glow. It spread to the sea, which sparkled in another warm hue. Not a single cloud could be seen overhead.

"Hurry!" Kukui waved, "This way! Pretend you're a pokemon and use your extremespeed!"

Sun quickly recalled Litten back into his poke ball and stared at him, "Why would I do that?"

"Because we don't have much time yeah! The festival is going to start soon and you don't wanna be late!"

Sun had to run to keep up with the professor. His longer legs and sense of urgency made losing him as they crossed through the neighborhood kind of a chore.

Okay so maybe using extremespeed would be kind of nice right now. I'm gonna lose him again.

Two of the houses flanked a large pathway that led around the edge by the coast. Elio could see thick blades of tall grass that went right up to his chest in height.

Kukui was standing right at the end of the thicket and waved back, "Yeah, over here cousin!"

Sun sprinted up right next to him and they turned to face the tall field.

"So," The professor began, "You remember how I told you that it would be dangerous to go in tall grass like this?"

He nodded.

"Good. Wild pokemon live here and if you manage to run across them; they might jump out and attack you yeah. Now that you've got yourself a litten there, not only can you battle wild pokemon, you can also try and catch them. Woo!"

"Can't you try and catch a pokemon without using one too?"

"You can, but I highly advise against it. If you miss or are out of options, it can be disastrous!" Emilio's expression turned serious, "I had one trainer that tried that. She went after a yungoos and it escaped the only poke ball she was carrying. It attacked her and she had to go to the hospital for several serious bite wounds." He closed his eyes before opening them and staring at Elio in a stern expression, "Do not try to catch a pokemon if you don't have one yourself to battle it."

The young boy nodded, "I understand."

"Good," Kukui's exuberant persona returned, "Now I'm gonna show you how to catch wild pokemon, all right? Keep your eyes on the prize!"

He strode into the grass and almost immediately, Sun heard an angry chirp and a blur of motion as a black, white and orange bird flew out, landing on the ground to face the professor.

"We've got a pikipek! Let's go Rockruff!" Tossing out a pokeball, it revealed the dark brown canine creature Elio saw in the video chat just a few days ago. It lowered down on its legs and awaited instructions.

The bird's beak glowed white before it darted forward, jabbing Rockruff in the side.

"Tackle!"

Rockruff yipped in response, charging forward to slam its body into its opponent.

"Good job!" Kukui praised, "So Sun, you've gotta weaken the pokemon first before you try and catch it. It'll be more likely to break out of a poke ball if it's at full strength! He reached into his pocket and took out another poke ball, "This one here's empty, so we can use it!"

Clicking the button, it popped open slightly and he tossed it forward, aimed directly at the little bird. The capsule device opened at a much wider angle and it quickly found the target pokemon, enveloping it in a reddish white energy before snapping closed.

Settling on the ground, Elio saw it wobble once and then again and a third time, barely shaking before an audible snap was heard that ceased its movement.

"All right!" The professor pumped a fist, "Gotcha!"

If Sun's eyes could sparkle with amazement; they did, "Woah! That was amazing professor!"

"Oh yeah!" The professor's grin went from ear to ear, "Wild pokemon do attack people if they get too close, but catch them all and they will join your team and be a big help to you yeah! But if you find your pokemon get tuckered out by all the fighting, just head home for a bit and rest up. They'll be ready to go again in no time yeah!"

He gave Sun a handful of empty pokeballs and few white bottles with spray nozzles on their end, "Here are some poke balls and potions to get you started."

"Potions as in healing items?"

"That's right cousin! Potions can heal your pokemon in a pinch if they get wounded or tired in fighting. It's always good to have some on you in case you get into a tight scrape! So why don't you have a fun little adventure for a half hour before you come to the festival?"


Everyone had come to the town's square to watch the matches with eager anticipation. Sun even spotted his mother, who gave him an affectionate hug in front of the entire town when he had arrived, much to his dismay.

Island music was being played by a five man group just in front of the centre, being heard even before Sun climbed the last of the hill and there were several stands selling light snack food nearby. Everyone in the town was there; some dancing, others talking over drinks. Children ran weaving through the clusters of adults in a big game of tag. There was also a group of pokemon playing with another group of younger kids.

The festival wasn't just allowed only for locals; many tourist groups had chartered up into the area from the city and mixed in with the rest of the people. Nobody was left out. Sun learned that while outsiders were welcome to the festivities, they were required to register with tour guides who reported to Hala so that he could get a head count for the people preparing the food in order to make enough.

Elio was still wondrously glancing around at all the festivities when he sensed a presence approaching him from the front.

"Kahuna," The boy erected his posture. He remembered that the man had taken his stone the other day. The question for it was going to pop into his mind, but he ended up getting interjected before anything came out of his mouth.

"Greetings Elio," Hala's easygoing face smiled, "The Alola region is composed of four islands and each one has its own guardian pokemon. The festival we hold once a year today is to express our appreciation and thanks to these great pokemon deities for always remaining by our sides." He chuckled, "Well, we may call it a festival, but it's just a gathering here you see. Aside from the tourists you saw earlier, there may not be many of us, but at least we here go all out!"

"That sounds awesome Kahuna!"

"Indeed keiki. And please, call me Hala. We will be ready for dinner soon, so I encourage you to go and enjoy yourself. I remember that my boy Hau is looking for you. Why don't you go and find him?"

"Ho!" A voice called, "Howzit Sun?"

Hala chuckled, "I spoke too soon."

Hau bounded right next to the other boy, his little rowlet in tow. "Man, I thought you'd never make it! Me and Rowlet here have been waiting for an uku billion minutes!" He paused as the tiny owl cooed in agreement, "So did uh…anyone explain to you about tonight?"

"Oh yeah! Right on time," Professor Kukui interrupted them from behind with Lillie next to him.

"Right on time for what?" She glanced curiously over, quickly grabbing her large duffel that shook when Nebby inside let out a "Pew!" in agreement.

"This is a full-powered festival for pokemon and battling!" The man put his hands on his hips and grinned again, "We battle in the name of Tapu Koko, pitting new trainers against one another to demonstrate our skills to please our guardian. Woo!"

Lillie turned back, "So you two will be taking part in the battle?"

"Yeah!" Hau pumped a fist, "Me and Sun here are going to be the main battle tonight!"

"Well, I don't like seeing pokemon fight one another since they so often get hurt. But you know what? This seems like a very important event, so I'll be sure to watch and cheer for you both!"

"Thanks!" Both boys said, glancing at one another in surprise at saying the same thing in synchronization.

Elio stared at Lille, She doesn't like pokemon battles because they get hurt? Is that because she doesn't want to fight? Who in the world doesn't want to be a trainer? This girl, obviously.


Before the main ceremony, it was time to eat. Tables had been set up in a buffet style with stacks of extra trays since there were hundreds to be served and everyone was getting into a line. Sun and Hau noticed this quickly and secured themselves a spot close to the front, not wanting to fall too far down. To their amazement, just behind them were Professor Kukui and Lillie who had the same idea.

"Hey guys," The professor waved, "Love festival food! Woo! Always great when you eat as an ohana yeah?"

"Hey professor!" Hau greeted back, "This one's gonna be awesome since I'll be with my pokemon!"

Kukui smiled, "Definitely much more fun when you eat with them! Hey Sun, I hope you're hungry!"

"Yeah I am!" Sun smiled back with enthusiasm, "I'm really looking forward to trying Alolan food for the first time!"

They saw the familiar figure of Hala approach and stop in front of them. He held up a hand and the chatter from the line for food quickly died down. Even the small group of pokemon seemed to know that this was a queue for silence as all eyes in the entire town shifted to the island kahuna.

"And now I may ask everyone to join me in our prayer before the feast. Please link hands with those next to you and bow your heads as we thank our island guardian for the gift of food it has given us today."

As everyone turned to face the lit fire next to the town center, they interlocked their hands. Sun felt his friend's as he looked over. Hala had taken his place on Hau's other side.

Professor Kukui had taken his other side and removed his cap, showing smooth dark hair in a man bun. Elio and Lillie did the same out of respect and bowed their heads.

Next to Hala; a man that was dressed in traditional Alolan attire with ceremonial symbols on his colorful robes stepped forward with a long silver flute in his hand. He took a deep breath and brought it up to his mouth to play a tune. It was short; but the music flawlessly drifted out and echoed through the town, sending chills down the spines of everyone present.

After bowing, he retreated back into the line, allowing Hala to continue with the ritual. When he started speaking, the rest of the town quickly joined in.

"Oh great Tapu Koko. For this time and place,"

"For your goodness and grace,"

"For each friend we embrace,"

"For food, for raiment,"

"For life and for opportunity,"

"For friendship and fellowship, we thank thee great Tapu Koko."

Sun glanced over at Hau. His eyes were shut as his lips moved in perfect sync as he recited the prayer. Although he didn't know it by heart himself, it was only a matter of time before he would get it memorized.

"Thank you," Hala said as everyone parted and formed the line once more, "Let's give our flute player a hand for his performance,"

"Yeah!" Everyone chanted, followed by applause. Now it was time to dig in.

Food was a big plate with a generous helping of steaming rice, cold creamy pasta that was apparently called macaroni salad and lau lau, some sort of fish wrapped in leaves and cooked. Either way, from this meal, Sun found that he really liked Alolan cuisine, although he had a feeling that there was something else missing that was Hau's favorite food. An interesting new thing he had tried was poi; a staple food that looked like purplish pudding and tasted slightly bitter and sweet.

They sat and ate at a long table beside other strangers who were quick to welcome the two kids and before long, he found himself and Hau seamlessly integrated into the conversation with the older adults when the subject about Tapu Koko had come up. Before long, a dark-haired girl about their age joined in, talking excitedly to the boys about how this festival was her favorite. Her name was Leilani and she had been the winner of the ceremonial battle last year with the little popplio and butterfree trailing behind her.

Elio also noticed that Hau looked at her in an endearing way.

The kahuna's grandson laughed at his curiosity when she had went back up to get more food, "I'll tell you right now that Leilani is the prettiest girl in the town. All the boys are after her!"

"She single?" He did have to admit that her shapely body and heartwarming smile was quite charming.

"As far as I know," Hau sighed, "But we've noticed that she's nice, but real picky when it comes to dating."


After eating, several events were happening on the stage from fire dancing to non-combatant pokemon competitions and soon it was almost their turn to battle one another as more of the townsfolk offered a brief ceremonial dance as a prelude before the main battle. Hala offered a brief prayer to the Tapu before summoning both contenders.

In addition to Rowlet, Hau also caught a pichu. Sun hadn't caught another pokemon yet, so he had to use Litten for the entire battle. He still came out on top, having trained it on the way up and defeated both of his opponents even though Hau put up quite a fight. His new friend wasn't even fazed by his loss, saying that he had a lot of fun despite not winning.

"It was a good battle," Hala said stepping forward with a smile on his face, "With this even Tapu Koko…"

"Ko-ko-kooo!" Somewhere out of sight, they heard the familiar screech of the deity itself that resonated across the valley.

"Ho! You heard it yourself! Tapu Koko's song of approval!" He turned back to Sun, "Oh, I nearly forgot! I think it is time you take this Sun."

He gave him the sparkling stone, now with a band attached like a watch, which Sun clasped around his left wrist.

"Your Z-Ring, a mysterious armband that can draw out the power that lies deep within your pokemon. It can bring forth their Z-Power! We kahunas can make them by refining stones like the sparkling stone you received from Tapu Koko."

"What's a Z-Power?" Sun asked.

"Z-Powers can activate Z-moves, which are amplified and more powerful versions of normal pokemon moves," Kukui explained, "They require a special bond with your pokemon to be perfected and Z-Crystals."

"Although until you collect more Z-Crystals during your island challenge, you will not be able to draw out the Z-Power of your pokemon."

Kukui smiled, "In other words, it's time for you to get out there and start your island challenge!"

"What is the island challenge?" Sun asked.

"Four islands!" He held up his four fingers, "You'll travel to each of the four islands here in the Alola region. The island challenge is a rite of passage for each trainer who will all aim to be the strongest! Woo!"

"Sounds great right?" Hau asked, "I can't wait to have a real adventure!"

The professor nodded, "It sure does. I'll explain the island challenge later, but now it seems as if the festival is winding down. Kinda early if you ask me. Let's help clean up!"

They assisted in taking down stands and moving things back to a storage shed where a lot of festival equipment was kept. The entire community helped out, making the task quite fast and simple.

"Goodnight!" Professor Kukui waved to Hau and Hala beside the kahuna's house once they were done. They bade the others goodnight and everybody began to retreat back to their homes.

Sun was deep in thought as they began to exit Iki Town with Lillie next to him. Professor Kukui was leading the way just ahead.

"Hey!"

He turned around to see Lillie rushing to catch up to him.

"Hey," He greeted back.

"You battled good. Both you and Hau."

"Thanks." The compliment coming from someone who hated battling caught him a bit off guard, "I do owe a great debt to Tapu Koko,"

"Tapu Koko is amazing, isn't it?" Lillie asked. "I hope I can meet it again someday and thank it for saving Nebby."

"Yeah it is," Sun agreed, "I'd like to thank it too."

"Suppose it's time we get you kids home yeah?" Kukui said, approaching the two from behind after talking again with Hala, "Don't want to be out too late, even when you've got pokemon to protect you!"

Lillie turned to Sun, "Then I suppose this is goodbye. I'll um…see you later Sun."

"Goodnight Lillie. I'll see you around."


Sun awoke the next morning and found his mother humming happily to herself as she hovered over the kitchen range. A delightful aroma wafted through the house as he heard something sizzling in a pan.

He wouldn't be missing one of his mother's famous breakfast scrambles for anything. It was a trait of hers he reminded himself not to overlook. Elio had almost no cooking skills whatsoever.

"Morning mom,"

"Morning kiddo," She slid some scramble; essentially a combination of scrambled eggs, hash browns and ground sausage onto a plate and handed him a fork, "You have fun at the festival? My arms and legs are sore! I danced my feet off last night!"

"Yeah, I didn't even know that Hau and I were going to be the main battle." Sun opened a brand new jug of milk from the fridge and poured himself a glass, "Still can't get over the fact that I have a pokemon and am battling now."

A meow caught the boy's attention and he looked down to see both Meowth and Litten sitting next to one another, glancing up at him expectantly. From the looks of it, the two had already become quite good friends.

"Oh!" Sun grabbed Meowth's bowl and poured some feed into it before sliding it to him. He got a spare dish and filled it with milk instead, which his own pokemon was more than delighted to receive.

"You battled good and won! That's a start right?" She filled a plate of her own breakfast and sat down e across from him, "I think you do have some of both me and your father in you." She sighed, "Your father's good looks and your own mother's battling skills."

"Mom, you've never talked about Dad that way in a while." Sun reminded her.

"I know and despite what's happened, he's still your father and I miss him dearly. You looked just like him when you were on that stage last night!"

They ate in silence as their minds went back to the festival even as they began to wash the dishes together and continue where they had left of in watching Five-0. Those thoughts were interrupted when the doorbell rang again.

"Oh I wonder who that is," Mom grabbed the empty plates, "If that's Professor Kukui, he'll probably let himself in."

"Why does he do that?"

"I kid you not…when I asked him about it, his response was; when does ohana knock?"

"Ohana?"

"It's Alolan. It means family. You know, how everyone treats one another like family?"

Sun nodded, knowing that the same wasn't practiced back in Kanto. He was still kind of getting used to the big culture shock.

He opened the front door with Litten at his side and to his surprise it wasn't Kukui.

It was Lillie.

"Hi Lillie," He breathed, breaking out into a smile and finding himself strangely happy to see her again, "Good morning!"

"Oh. Hello Elio…sorry I mean Sun. Um…" She averted her gaze, still sorting out what she had planned to say to him, "The professor said, Hey there Lillie! Bring me that great new Trainer. Woo!" Lillie waved her hands up in the air, emulating the energetic man.

Sun's face immediately split into another grin and he laughed out loud. Her impersonation wasn't picture perfect, but he found it to be funny for a rather uneventful morning. Even when he couldn't see it, Lillie smiled herself; she hadn't gotten anyone to laugh in a long time.

"That was pretty good," His laughs had died away, but his contagious smile didn't, "I really liked it."

"Thanks. So I'm here to show you the way to his pokemon lab, if you'll come with me. It's um…this way."

"Hang on a second," Sun stopped her, "Gotta tell Mom I'll be back."

"Sun!" Just as he was about to go inside, his mother peered out from the door, "A little pocket money for you! Don't go wasting it on anything too silly!"

He glanced at the wad of bills that she slipped into his hand, "Mom, this is seven hundred dollars! A little pocket money is a bit of an understatement, don't you think?"

"Oh! Well done Sun!" Her attention had already passed on the cash and onto the wary blonde next to him, "You're already making friends aren't you? And what a cute little girl friend you've found! I knew Alola would be a great place for us to live! We just keep meeting wonderful people here!"

Both Sun and Lillie glanced at one another looking a little flustered especially at the mention of a female friend, but she still gave a curt bow, smiling more out of her embarrassment than the received praise, "M-me? Well, thanks Missus…"

"Miss…" Sun corrected her.

"Northstar. Please call me Elaine though. Any friend of my Elio's is a friend of mine." She shot Sun a glare before it softened towards Lillie.

"My name is Lillie." She regained a bit of her composure, but still appeared to be feeling awkward from the endearing display, "It's very nice to meet you Miss Northstar...sorry, Elaine."

Elaine turned back to Sun, "Looks like it's finally your time to shine sweetie! Enjoy yourself out there with Litten and don't be gone too long!"

"I will," He gave her a hug, "Thanks for the money. I'll see you later Mom. Bye Meowth!"

The scratch cat pokemon happily jumped up when Sun waved to him.

"You have a very nice mother, don't you?" Lillie asked when she was gone. He detected just a hint of envy in her voice.

"She used to be a very strong pokemon trainer before I was born," Sun explained, "As I'm sorry for that cute girl friend part; I've never really had a lot of friends that are girls."

"I noticed you forced miss instead of missus in there," She had caught on, "Something happen to your father?"

"Neither of us have spoken to him in three months, but that's a story for another time."

"I see. We should get going then. I'll show you to the pokemon research lab. You can only reach it by going through the tall grass." She looked down at her feet, "I'm not a trainer though, I have to rely on repels all the time."

He stared at her, wondering if she didn't want the confrontation or was just too scared. "I can lend you a pokemon to," His sentence was stopped because he remembered that she hated fighting.

Seeing pokemon get hurt. That's right. "My bad. Anyhow, of course. Lead the way,"

Sun had never taken the path across from his house that split the homes on the other side, but saw that it opened up after a decline into a big clear field. The ocean could be heard crashing against the sandbar just in the distance.

Although it had been a hard to discern at night, seeing her in the day really made him notice that Lillie was incredibly pretty. Her emerald eyes, long full blonde hair and shy, but friendly, caring personality really stood out to him. She had a flawless complexion, with a sweet voice that was enough to captivate anyone she came across, likely leaving even the most cynical players tongue tied. He had no idea if she was aware, but it wasn't hard to see that she caught a lot of attention from the opposite gender in her presence, even if he or anyone didn't agree with her pacifism. Lillie had to be just short of mid-five feet in height, which put her a couple inches taller than him.

Back in Kanto, Sun didn't actively date like many of his friends in school as he got older and there were few females that showed interest in him. Although it changed when he became the starting point guard on the varsity basketball team that made it all the way to the national playoffs, there was just no reason for him to chase girls down, even with his mother's encouragement for him to socialize more. Elio preferred to keep his voice down and enjoy a party, rather than be the life of it.

The lab was more of a house that resembled a mismatched shack along the beachhead. Sun saw many lighter shaded planks of wood boarded over what looked like holes and a spinarak's web of cracks in one of the window panes.

There was a sound of glass breaking that was heard from inside the house, followed by a menacing growl. Both of them flinched at the sound that made it seem as if the building was being ripped apart from the inside.

"Oh yeah Rockruff! Let's go!" Sun heard Professor Kukui's shout loud enough to be heard even from the beach, "Give it everything you got! My body is ready! Woo!"

"Ahh," Lillie gave a defeated sigh and rubbed her head tiredly, "There they go again. The pokemon research lab has its own…well, unique charm, as I think you might agree."

"This normal?"

She nodded, "I've actually been um, imposing on the professor here for the past two months. I'm not really much of an assistant per se, but it's the least I can do to pay him back for letting me stay. Maybe I'd be more help if I were a real trainer too,"

"Why don't you get a place? I'm sure Kahuna Hala could make some arrangements and even if that doesn't work, you can stay with us," Sun flashed another smile, "We've got a spare bed in our couch and I'm sure my mother would understand."

Lillie flushed at his generosity, "Thanks, but I'm actually fine with the professor. It's quite comfortable and cozy for the most part. Although he never stops researching moves, not even inside the lab itself."

Another growl resonated from inside the lab, this time much angrier.

"Looks like we'll have to patch the roof again and I just washed his lab coat, finally getting it clean too. Now it'll be in shreds and I'm no good at mending clothes. So he'll just have to buy another one…or I will, you know…with having to go online to order and all." She shook her head, probably dreading what more laborious work was to come.

"Seems like living with the professor is a full-time job of its own." He observed, "He's clearly not the kind of guy who wants to sit at a desk all day,"

Lillie nodded, "We should probably go inside before he does any more damage."

Sun agreed and they entered the lab together.

Kukui was chuckling with Rockruff next to him as they stretched their legs. Although Lillie had droned on about all the damage, it didn't seem as bad as they expected. There was a glass cup shattered in the kitchenette to their left and only one part of the white lab coat was torn. Kukui's left sleeve had an enormous gash right down the elbow, but Sun saw no blood. He was now wondering if the crazy man actually took direct hits from pokemon to further his research.

Despite the look as if a typhoon had ripped through the front, Kukui's lab looked very cozy, with antique furniture and a huge glass tank where three pink heart-shaped pokemon were swimming inside. To their left was a big wall that had a ladder up to what looked like a loft area.

"Luvdisc," Sun knew what they were and what they symbolized, "The lover's pokemon."

"Hey there Sun!" Kukui waved, finally noticing their appearance, "Thanks for getting him Lillie!"

"Of course," Lillie said, bowing in response, "However I can be of help. I'm supposed to be your assistant right?"

"Rockruff's moves were just so stylin' and I was making good progress with my research."

"Wait," Sun interjected, "You made your own pokemon attack you? How are you not injured?"

"My body can take all kinds of punishment yeah! Plus, I fully trust them and know that if I'm still breathing, I'm willing to keep going. Isn't that right Rockruff?"

The puppy pokemon called rockruff gave a bark of agreement.

"Say Sun, lemme see your pokedex for a second, yeah?"

"Sure," He rummaged around his backpack to hand it over.

"What do you think of the place? Not bad right?"

"I like it. Looks like someone's home more than a lab though. You live here?"

"Sure do cousin! But that's not why I called you here eh? Here, it finally arrived!"

"It?" Lillie and Sun asked at the same time.

"What's wrong Lillie?" Kukui asked, "Don't make me do all the talking! See there's this pokemon inside your pokedex called rotom."

"Really?"

"Oh I can tell you about rotom," Lillie perked up, clearly a little more relaxed since this was something she was more familiar with, "It's a peculiar pokemon with a body made up of something like electricity. It can take up residence in machines."

"Yeah buddy! And to put that crazy skill of rotom's to work, it's the next generation of pokedexes, but it's only complete once rotom has gone into this body specially developed for it! A whole new way for people and pokemon to communicate. There's only a few of these beauties out in the world so far! Woo!"

Professor Kukui grabbed a cardboard box that was opened behind and set Sun's pokedex on a shelf, "And now if I power up your pokedex with the parts that I just got in…"

As he assembled the device together, a crackling sound followed by a loud buzz came from the machine as Rotom appeared in a flash of light. It was orange colored with blue eyes and a pair of jagged bolts that fluttered up and down. It looked around the lab with curiosity.

"Hey now! Sorry about that Rotom. Guess I surprised you?"

"Zzzt?" Rotom responded to him.

"I powered up your favorite dex! Give Sun a helping hand yeah?"

Rotom happily buzzed again before it quickly jumped right into the pokedex Kukui was holding. It shook, sparking the ends all over before emerging again, now floating about. It retained its bluish eyes and the bolts on the sides were now a pair of bent red arms.

"Zzzt!" The pokedex's voice sounded robotic, but also as if it was a younger child inside. "Nice to meet you, pal! Gentle on the goodzzz okay?"

"It's um…nice to meet you Rotom. I'm Elio and most people call me Sun, either of them is fine with me."

"See Sun? Now Rotom can talk right to you! From what I can tell yeah, it looks like Rotom has already taken a liking to you!"

"I sure have!" The pokedex…no Rotom responded, "We're going on so many adventurezzzz together!"

"And how will this help exactly?"

"Lillie, Sun hasn't been here in Alola too long yet. So I decided to give him this special rotom dex to help him navigate around."

All three of them turned when they heard the front door opening and saw Hau stick his head inside, "A-lo-la!" He happily waved.

"Alola Hau!" The professor greeted back.

"Whoa!" He went right up to the nearby ladder next to the kitchenette, "Is that a loft? That's awesome!"

Lillie's eyes widened in fright and she scrambled right in front before Hau could start grab a rung and start climbing, "No it's not! It's private! The professor has been kind enough to let me use it."

"If you see a person or pokemon in need of help. You help them. Right Sun? Hau?"

"Of course," The boys agreed, nodding enthusiastically.

"That's why I'm letting Lillie stay up there in the loft. So Sun, I'm leaving this rotom dex in your hands! Rotom, you look after my boy yeah?"

"Of course profezzor! Elio izz in good handzzz!" Rotom happily chirped back.

Rotom's definitely going to need some getting used to. Sun thought. It was quite odd hearing that other voice pipe up.

"Alright, there are some important things you need to know about the island challenge." He placed a hand on his hip, "The island challenge is your chance to become the strongest trainer around; the island challenge champion. It's a great adventure for you and your pokemon to go on together! Plus it's sort of a rite of passage for all Alolan children when they turn sixteen! Once the trials have been completed, it is custom that they will be recognized as an adult."

Lillie seems to be about that age, Sun thought. Why isn't she doing it?

"There are four main islands that make up the Alola region," Lillie took over, "And a kahuna for each one of them. If you wish to be recognized as the kahunas as worthy, it's said you must clear seven trials."

"Sun! I want you and Litten to get out there and give it a shot! You were able to fully use your pokemon's moves in your very first battle. I think you must have a talent for drawing out pokemon's strengths yeah."

"Talent?" Sun had only done four battles. Two of them against Hau and the others were a couple other young trainers also heading to the festival. He still only had Litten as his only pokemon, but knew that he had to catch more if he wanted to do this. "Then yeah, I'll do it." He didn't feel as if he could call himself talented, but still appreciated the praise the professor gave.

"Here! Everyone on the challenge gets their own amulet!" Kukui slipped it on his backpack, "Now get a move on!"

"Where?"

"To the trainers' school! You've gotta learn the basics of being a trainer through battling. It's a long road to becoming the island challenge champion and the trainers' school is the first step!"

"Where is the school?" Sun didn't particularly like school since all the classes he was enrolled in basically bored him to death, but all the friends he had made while back in Kanto had made it that much tolerable. He had no intentions of sitting again in a classroom for hours on end again.

Still if he wanted to complete his island challenge, he had to figure out the basics.

"Then let's get started."


Okay, another chapter in the books! Now time for the explanations.

The tune played at Iki Town prior to the prayer I had imagined as the same one played later on in the story at the Altar. The prayer is a combination of the grace said at both the Summit and Philmont Scouting High Adventure reservations prior to a meal. I've been to both and it's a lot of fun.

Macaroni salad - Macaroni salad is how it sounds; just like potato salad except the starch is elbow macaroni pasta and mayonnaise along with raw onions, pickles and celery. A big scoop of it is very popular on the Hawaiian islands as a side to a plate lunch.

Lau Lau - Lau Lau is one of the many main dishes to a Hawaiian plate lunch. Traditionally, it is pork, but modern versions also use beef, chicken and fish. It is prepared by wrapping the meat in taro or luau leaves and steamed. Before the widespread use of stovetops and ovens; this dish was prepared buried in a pit called imu and cooked for several hours.

Mahalo for reading and reviewing, you give my writing purpose.

Brav