Alola readers! Brav is here again with the first chapter of the Ula'ula arc! I had a few complications in making this chapter so I ended up recreating it all the way from scratch. So this is not the original one, but it highlights everything I wanted to cover and I know for sure it's altered...not so much to change it entirely, but...you know.

Couple things before I begin; story's had some minor changes as there is now an accent on "a" in Kakou as it is correctly done in Hawaiian dialect. Secondly all the Diary Entry chapters will be titled from here on out with changes made to the already existing ones. Thanks to skyguys05 for suggesting this change and it was probably for the better. I'll embarrassingly admit that I was starting to lose track of what happened where when I titled each chapter after numbers and all.

So here's the chapter as we finally begin the next big part of the story! Enjoy everyone.


Today, Professor Kukui took me to Ula'ula Island. It's the biggest one in the Alola region, but a lot of it is actually wildlands. The amount of pokemon that live here is extremely diverse, but a lot of the terrain is actually rougher than the others. The council that governs this island actually requires ownership or the use of certain equipment or ride pokemon to go across specific areas. I know Elio will come prepared since he'll arrive in Malie City. I know for a fact that they have shops and trading posts because they know this island is one for adventurers and the last thing they want is island challengers going in unprepared!

There's so much I want to check out here! The Malie Garden, the Library, maybe even find a place where some of their famous sushi and noodles are served. I know it's called ramen, but I've actually never eaten it before.

I guess Elio had plans already when he arrived, but Kukui had been largely asleep for the whole day until it was time to meet them at the Garden in the afternoon.


Elio probably had the best sleep in weeks.

Sure it wasn't his plushy comfortable bed back at his house in Waimanalo, but it was air conditioned with a blanket and a pillow which was what he needed. His eyelids continued to droop with sleep's seductive pull even as he tiredly stepped in for a shower. There was no way he was going to sleep without one this time around. Sweat dried on his limbs making him feel squeamish with the sticky and disgusting feeling of actually lying in a bed with dirt.

His sleep was pleasant, likely that his brain was exhausted. That or he didn't remember anything other than his head hitting the pillow.

It felt like a split second after falling asleep did he wake up, sitting up slowly in the bed and letting the blankets drape to his waist.

A sliver of light filtered in from the closed curtains telling him it was daytime. Not wanting to be blinded by flinging them open, he gingerly swung his legs out of bed and trudged to the window.

Yeah better I don't do that. Everyone will see me in just my boxers. Gotta be decent.

Opening one of them just a crack to let enough light in so that his eyes could adjust, he got his first look at the cityscape.

It wasn't as large as Hau'oli with a lot of the taller buildings clustered close by. He could see smaller single or double story homes on the slopes that climbed past the low hanging clouds. Speaking of which, they had an overcast blanket that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. It had a gray dour drab over the buildings that made everything feel droopy and discolored.

I thought it would be sunny.

So far, Ula'ula Island was shaping up to be a completely different one than the previous two that he visited. Rotom had even kickstarted his journey by opening a brand new pokedex file that contained all the main species found on the island.

"Ula'ula awaitzzz buddy boy! Bzzt! Time for an upgrade to a new Island 'Dex by yourzzz truly! I am a genuizzz hahaha! You are now able to fill in pokemon found on Ula'ula Island! Bzzt! Data on other pokemon will be limited until that island izzz vizited! Bzzt!"

Well, time to explore and see what this is all about. He glanced at the clock, remembering the late night message from Professor Kukui to meet him and Hau at the Malie Garden around one in the afternoon. The good thing about it was that Rotom 'Dex had a built in feature for navigating the Alola region and as long as it had a signal, he could easily figure out where he was to where he had to go and how long it would take to get there.

Malie Garden wasn't far off. It seemed to be a large nature preserve just east of the city centre with the closest entrance right beside the pokemon center.

Time to go exploring.

Elio had already showered last night, but he still hopped back in for a quick one and wanting to feel even more refreshed. It was a new island after all.

New beginnings, new trials and who knows? Maybe more.

He slipped on a pair of boxers after drying himself off with a towel before rummaging around his backpack. The ratio of clean laundry to dirty laundry was starting to get lopsided in favor of the latter. Elio guessed he would have to stay at least another night after his load was finished washed and dried.

Not really much in a hurry anyway.

He was down to his last two sets of shorts and shirts. All his pairs of long pants and sweats were still back in the wardrobe of his room and hadn't been taken out since he moved from Kanto. Jokingly, he wondered if any still fit him. As much as he tried to stay in shape, there was no denying the tastiness…of local Alolan cuisine.

Or the calories too. Those malasadas have to be worth plenty.

Elio settled on a pair of blue basketball shorts and his personal favorite athletic shirt that he had gotten from Maple Apparel; a jade green with the emblazonment of the lizardlike sceptile on the front, crossing a leaf blade move of its two arms together.

Go Swiftly.

He was still putting on his shirt, fitting it over his head as the door to his room shut behind him and he bound straight for the cafeteria. His body was telling him it demanded food and checking the clock indicated that it breakfast would stop being served at ten thirty.

That was an hour from now.

Sun hadn't really taken much of a look at the Malie City's main pokemon center when he arrived, but now being fully awake and aware, he saw that it looked far different than any of the others he had seen.

Am I in Alola or Ecruteak City?


Rather than the usual green and white sterile appearance of the normal pokemon centers, this one had richly painted walls of crimson and ivory. Windows were more abundant in this one, allowing the natural light from the outside to give off a healthy illumination from the standard lighting above.

The furniture was definitely of better quality. He had noticed as he presented all his poke balls for checkup at the reception desk. After being assured that he would be notified that they would be ready again, he made haste towards the cafeteria.

Here was where he found even more differences than before. A standard pokemon center had an open kitchen with a staff on duty twenty four hours where counters had trays of warm and cold food. A guest would grab a tray and then pick out the items they wanted. Menus were established and changed weekly with a wide variety of foods appealing to everyone being available at some point. Even those with different diets such as vegetarians and gluten-free could make special requests to the kitchen for something tailored to their needs.

This one seemed much different than any of the cafeterias he had been to. There were no lines or food dispensers save for the drink machines at the far side where the napkins and silverware were available. The tables had dark granite tops with a mahogany satin stain on the wooden legs. Chairs matched perfectly to the floor with the same color and a coppery brown suede material that softened at the touch.

Four kiosks sat flanking a door to where Elio could hear the clanking of cookware as the kitchen continued its business. He was a bit confused at what to do until another trainer had stepped up, hitting buttons on the touchscreen. The girl swiped icons and flashed her trainer passport into a reader located at the bottom of the screen and it turned green with a bit of information he couldn't really make out. Judging from the check mark, he was guessing that the order was successfully placed.

His thought was confirmed when the door to the kitchen opened up and one of the cooks called her number up as a confirmation of delivery.

Order what you want. Nice.

He stood up, ready to give it a go. Stomach empty, needing food. Nothing was going to stop him.

Except for the distracted kid who happened to step right in his path as he briskly tried to brush past. With a yelp, he had lost his balance, grabbing onto Elio's shoulder to try and steady himself. However at the same time, Elio had taken all his weight off and it caused both boys to trip, tumbling over. It was all done accompanied by a screech of surprise from the pokemon perched on the kid's shoulder.

The boy's backpack had split open, sending huge textbooks, journals and papers scattered across the floor. One particularly large one had its corner dig itself rather harshly into the middle of his stomach. The wind was knocked out of him and Elio was on all fours, sputtering like a dying car engine as he struggled to reinflate his lungs.

"Oh by the tapu! 'A'ole hou!" The boy swore as he further began to gather different leaflets of paper and stuff them frantically into his backpack.

I'm pretty sure he said not again…so this is a common thing?

The collision caused a few heads to turn in their direction as the boy continued to pick up things and Elio rolling around on the floor, clutching his abdomen in pain.

"Stupid me! I'm so sorry about that!" Elio waved off his offer for assistance while he got his breathing managed and under control. "I was just in a hurry and didn't see you coming."

"It's fine." He said, holding out a hand to get the kid to stop talking. "I'll live."

"You look like you got the wind knocked out of you."

Thanks Doctor. I didn't notice at all.

Elio banished the sarcastic quip out of his head and picked himself up. He was face to face with a lanky wiry boy wearing a well-ironed dark green polo shirt with khaki shorts. His hair was long, combed neatly swept to one side. His blue eyes were behind a pair of wire half rimmed glasses that looked diligently cleaned.

Despite the rather baby face; Elio had to guess that he was close to somewhere around his age. Not wanting to feel left out, he joined in in picking up other books and papers.

"Thanks." The boy still avoided eye contact as he stuffed them back into his pack. "I'm so sorry again for bumping into you."

"It's all fine." Elio said, smiling a little to lighten the mood. "To be fair, I was kind of hungry and my mind is set solely on figuring out how to get food."

That got a chuckle out of the other trainer. "Yeah I can relate." As he slung his backpack over his shoulder, he bent over to scoop up a simian pokemon with a long thin tail. Elio watched with amazement as it used three crowns at its bulbous end to expertly hand him a textbook he had missed. It had reddish purple fur and a cream colored face and belly. Its dark eyes had a mischievous glimmer to them.

"Thanks Arlo." He smiled, scratching its chin earning a purr of delight.

"And here'z a new pokemon! Bzzt!" Rotom made its way out of Elio's pack and hovered beside the boy's partner to analyze. "Aipom. Long tail pokemon. As it did more and more with its tail, its hands became clumsy. It makes its nest high in the treetops. Aipom is a normal type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."

"This is Arlo." The boy introduced. "I don't know if you've seen an aipom before, but he's my first partner pokemon."

"I've seen them in exhibits and shelters, but never one this close." Elio admitted, reaching out. The kid gave him an approving nod and he pat the side of its head earning a quiet cry of affection. The fur was velvety soft and he noticed that every part was carefully groomed, save for the rogue tuft on top of its head. "I know they're originally from Johto primarily, but they do see troops in Sinnoh and Hoenn."

"Right. Oh…I kind of forgot to introduce myself…my name's Brady Wainwright."

Did he sound a little embarrassed to say his name? And I can't help but feel like I've heard that last name before.

"It's nice to meet you Brady." He stretched out his hand which Brady took and shook gently. Elio noticed that his grip was lacking, which almost subtly told him that he was clearly the "dominant" between the two. "My name's Elio Northstar."

"That's really cool that you have a Rotom 'Dex." There was also an underlying hint of envy. "Are you a trainer going on the island challenge?"

"Yeah. It's really been an experience so far. You a challenger too?"

"I wish." Brady looked down somberly. "I'm fifteen and you have to be sixteen. I still have one more year of school left."

Elio knew the rule and was all too familiar with it.

Pokemon training was always a hotly debated topic in governing bodies across the region. While anyone at any age could have a pokemon partner, actually obtaining a trainer license could legally be done at the age of ten. This was where the fine print for that didn't exist, until it came to light of a pair of prodigy trainers known as Red and Blue who ended up taking Kanto by storm. Within a year, both had defeated all eight gyms on the Kanto side of the Indigo League and blazed their own path through in tournaments, culminating in defeating the Elite Four. Their rivalry reached a peak in the League years when the finals of a conference had them opposite one another. Many scoffed at the fact that the conference title was being contended between two eleven year olds, but there was no denying both of them had the skillset seen in no ordinary trainers.

Blue was the first to hold the champion title between the two and blew the record for the youngest ever…yet he held it for maybe three days before losing in a heated battle against Red. That match was being broadcasted worldwide, garnering the largest viewership of any televised program in the history of the Pokemon League.

The emergence of Red and Blue to the eyes of the world had raised a lot of concerns. Since the general education duration was roughly sixteen years, most trainers would not go on their journey across their home region to obtain badges until school had been completed. With the rise of Red and Blue missing nearly half their school years, becoming famous and earning millions almost overnight from sponsorships, many others in the youth were beginning to drop out of school in an attempt to pursue a career in professional pokemon battling.

This trend rapidly gained movement drawing concern from both parents and governmental bodies that youth that young were not physically or mentally able to tackle on the challenges of journeying and becoming independent. While the children in question did become proficient battlers, none of them managed to reach the stardom that Red and Blue had done. On the other end of the spectrum, some parents even pulled their children from schools to personally train them in the skills to become a strong trainer. Most of those kids were dubbed "career trainers" by the media and society, but were hardly ever seen nowadays.

The majority of the regional Pokemon Leagues had issued an amendment to stricter requirements for entrants into their tournaments and rights to challenge the Elite Four and Champion for their title. Trainers could legally have their license at the age of ten minimum, however to qualify for gym battles and entry into the local League meant they had to be at least sixteen years of age provided that school had been completed. Many years later, it was changed to where one could opt out of their final year of school and graduate early if certain prerequisites were met. Following the passing of the bill in Kanto and similar ones worldwide; the school dropout rate had decreased dramatically.

This subject was still hotly debated even today with strong valid arguments on both sides. Elio had no idea what stance Alola took on it. Statistics showed that youth who did end up leaving school earlier for a career as a trainer had fewer rates of marginal success early on which in turn prompted many to quit. A lot of them wouldn't find success until at least a year or two of experience under their belt.

The incumbent champions of Hoenn and Sinnoh, Brendan and Lucas didn't become that successful until they started at eighteen. Neither of them had any experience of being a trainer until they finished school. Look where they are now...making a crap ton of money and being superstars across the world.

"I see. I just opted to finish school and my plan was to go travel through Kanto, but Mom had other plans. We moved here a few months ago."

Brady nodded. "So you chose not to leave school. That's smart. I want to go on the island challenge, but I'm afraid of what my parents."

"Your parents?"

"Yeah." He raised an eyebrow at Elio. "You know my parents right?"

He shook his head. "Actually no. Am I supposed to?"

"No it's fine."

Sun heard and felt his stomach rumble again. "I'm pretty hungry and want to get some breakfast. Do you want to join me?"

He saw Brady's meek eyes light up with excitement. "Yes! Of course I would. Nobody usually invites me to sit with them!"

"Well how about I be the first?" A thumb was jerked at the kiosk panels, "Besides, I need someone to help me figure that out."

"Anyone can figure that out!" He laughed. "It's really easy. C'mon, I'll show you."

After watching the previous trainer do it with such ease, apparently Elio wasn't gifted with proficient knowledge on how to use some machines on his own.

Brady looked to be pretty familiar with it, saying that this was part of a modernization effort for Alola to further customize and tailor their services to the specific needs of each trainer in a more efficient manner. This came from an additional application that was being released for the majority of the pokedex models including the Rotom 'Dex.

The main featuring change at the cafeteria was how he could customize his breakfast from a variety of entrees with sides. It was all used with tapping on the icons all over the touchscreen with similar food options from the previous pokemon centers he stayed at.

"I'll choose linguica."

Brady grinned. "That's a really good pick. Spicy garlic sausage is the best!"

"Now sides of fruit and hash browns. Oh…would I like to make this my default breakfast option at Alola centers? Maybe another time." He swiped the icon to the order, getting a small ticket from the dispenser at the bottom. The screen told him a moment later that it was sent to the kitchen and the food would be out shortly.

"I'm getting the same thing you are." Brady said. "Linguica is one of my favorite for breakfast. Instead of hash browns, I get rice."

Not a bad combo.

Both boys had submitted their order and chose a table close to the entrance, setting their packs on the side chairs.

"So what brings you to Ula'ula Island?" Brady started. While they got their cups, they quickly filled them with juice and sat back at their table. "I know you're doing trials and all."

"Trials, explore new pokemon. The usual."

"I wish I could guide you, but I'm still getting ready for all these tests and my parents would probably freak out if they found out I'm leaving the city without telling."

Elio leaned forward. "Why wouldn't you tell them?"

"Because they would freak out again if they knew I was thinking about going on my journey."

Wow, this guy's parents sound like the overbearing and overprotective type. He'd seen them before and a lot of times they estranged themselves further from their child. It was a grateful feeling that neither of his were that way.

"After my oldest brother got this great scholarship to study college abroad in Galar, my parents looked at us with high and lofty expectations." Brady explained. "It's stupid."

Elio felt a pang of pity stab his side. "But your parents just want you to succeed."

"I know! It's just that they want us to all be perfect students so that they can brag about us to no end when they go to all those huge business parties and galas. I want to succeed too, study hard, but I also want to explore and have fun. Be a trainer like Benjamin." When Elio narrowed his eyes in confusion, he sighed. "My oldest brother. He's a really good trainer and started his journey in the Galar region. Now he's studying the history of legendary pokemon and their relationship with humans. Theology I think it was called. I'm the youngest of four boys."

"What about your other two brothers?"

"My parents…disowned them." The sentence came out distant and hurtful. He clearly cared about his other siblings even though they likely did something awful for something that bad to happen to them.

Wow.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay." They were interrupted when both of their numbers for food were called from the counter and got up to retrieve their plates.

Elio looked at the sausage medallions on the side as he got silverware and refilled his juice. He could see the pork thoroughly cooked and specks of red pepper spice in there. He also had a cup of fresh fruit and the other half of the plate dominated by golden brown fried potatoes.

They were silent as they dug into their food. Elio loved the linguica sausage, it had just a small hint of spiciness with paprika and garlic flavors combining to an explosion of flavor on his tongue. The sweet sliced pinaps cut the spice if it got too hot and the hash browns added the perfect amount of firm texture.

"You weren't kidding when you said that linguica is awesome. I might have to get this for breakfast again another time."

"Do it. And you'll miss out on all the other amazing stuff." Brady said, getting a laugh out of both of them.

"You here for the Draconid Festivus? Or just trials?"

"The what?"

"Draconid Festivus. It's a celebration they have in appreciation to their deity of Rayquaza. In fact this one is particularly supposed to be special since it saved the world from a meteor just months ago. It's in a couple of days. They have games, food, music and its most famous part is when we all launch kites and have all the dragon pokemon burn them to show our appreciation for them. It's really awesome at night!"

"Huh, then I guess I'll have to go. That does sound interesting. And I bet Hau would love to be a part of that with his noibat!"

"Hau?" Brady's eyes lit up. "Wait, you're talking about Hau Kealoha right? Kahuna Hala's grandson!"

"Yeah he's my best friend."

"Woah that's amazing! You get all the cool stuff. I'm jealous to be honest."

Okay maybe I shouldn't have said best friend. That's kind of rubbing things in.

"There's no need to be jealous. I'm gonna meet up with him in Malie Garden later…if I can actually get him to reply to my texts. You're more than welcome to come and I'm sure you two will be the best of buddies too. That guy can't have too many best friends."

Brady looked a lot more optimistic than when he first met him. Even Arlo was feeding off his positive energy as it helped itself to his bowl of fruit.

"As much as I'd like to. I still have to study. Still a bunch of books I need to get at the library and all. I want to get all my schoolwork done so I have time to go to the Festivus. You'll be there right?"

Elio nodded. "When is it?"

"Day after tomorrow. If you have any dragon pokemon, bring them."

"Sadly I don't. I've had chances to get them, but never did. Maybe one day."

"Me neither. It was already a hassle just to have Arlo as my pokemon and I really don't like upsetting my parents. I can't let them find out about my others."

So you're keeping secrets as a trainer? Nice, but I can see so many ways of that going wrong.

Elio liked this kid. Brady seemed smart enough to know what he wanted to do with his life, but was caught in a bad situation with a mountain full of expectations upon his shoulders.

That's something I see a lot in kids with wealthy parents. If his family has that kind of deep pockets, he certainly doesn't act spoiled or entitled. That's something I like about him already. But it's also not surprising if he has to carry that burden of failing fear. He said one of his brothers was already on the path to being successful.

If Brady's helicopter parents believed that being successful meant making more than enough money, anything else would fall short of their expectations.

Elio was sure he was after a different meaning of success. Being happy and satisfied with what he had done with his life.

"Haven't you tried to compromise?"

Brady's face turned to disgust. "They won't have any of it. Say I'm wasting my potential and should keep it aside as a part-time hobby rather than what I should focus on."

As much as he wanted to agree; Elio understood his parents' stance. From what he was saying, Brady was already choosing to skip his final year of school to pursue his goal of being a capable trainer. While he likely satisfied all the prerequisites to do so, his parents were seeming to believe that he was throwing all the fine education gifted to him for a profession that yielded little to no reward.

Mister and Missus Wainwright must not have been trainers.

"I better get going to the library to start on my studies." Brady stood up and got his backpack with Arlo climbing on the shoulder. "It was nice to meet you Elio. Let's have a battle sometime."

"You bet."

They shook hands before Brady turned his tray back to the counter and left the center.

Nice guy. Elio thought to himself. I'm just happy that I don't have parental issues like that.


Sun was quick to follow on leaving to begin exploring around the new island, tossing his tray and retrieving his pokemon after breakfast. He stepped outside the parted frosted glass doors and took a long look around.

Malie City definitely had that eastern vibe with inspiration from the traditional Johto architecture that dated all the way back when both it and Kanto were divided into feudal states with warlords establishing petty kingdoms across the land.

Elio liked seeing the gold and emerald towers with the tier trimming that surrounded the fewer skyscrapers in the downtown area. Gate arches were above the roads as he headed closer to its centre. The asphalt roads were sided by hand poured concrete that had perfectly arranged gray cobblestone to form a neat pattern. All of it was evenly surfaced and slightly warm to the touch.

The other thing he noticed was the lack of cars. Sure they were still present, but it seemed that a lot more people here either walked or used ride pokemon.

Air here was crisp and a lot less noisy than the other busy metropolitan cities and despite the seemingly small space in between the hills that led up a mountainside and the coast; all the roads and promenades in the city were spacious enough that it didn't seem like much of an issue.

Sun made his way towards the city centre where the renowned shopping and entertainment are lay. In the center square of everything was an elaborate fountain with stone statues of various pokemon spouting water from their "mouths" Reading off his Rotom Map as the Wo Fat district, it was home to the Alolan fusion of multiple different cultures from the east and west, creating a contemporary scene in terms of fashion, entertainment arts and food. Already he could see several restaurants that featured Kantoan or Johtoan food, but also bistros serving a mix. There was even a Unova style pizzeria.

However, Malie City was famous for its sushi scene where the chefs used its proximity to the ocean to create beautifully appealing dishes to the eye and palette. His eyes went wide after seeing some of the prices on the displayed menu in the windows. This was definitely a place to come on special occasions and it largely depended on where one would want to go. Sushi restaurants and bars were commonplace in Alola due to its closeness to the four regions where it was most abundant; Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh. Since many people from those regions had immigrated, a lot of their roots had influenced Alolan culture alongside its own.

Elio passed another street with a wide platform of steps leading to a large building that was just a little ways up the first hill to the mountainside. It looked older than some of the others around it, but he felt like it held some degree of importance. Further ahead were even more buildings and homes. Off to the right was another large building that was far newer with an erected sign on its side indicating that it was a community center.

"Malie City Library." This seemed as the likely place where Brady had gone off to study.

I'll have to take a look in there sometime.

Continuing his exploration trek further north, the hills began to slowly fade as he came to the outer cape as designated on Rotom's map featurette. The familiar tall grass seemed to start right where the city ended with long fields and a chorus of cries that came from the pokemon inhabiting within.

Elio had noticed that he had seen a handful of Team Skull members lurking in the alleys as he had explored. None of them were close to the Wo Fat district, but a lot of the back alleyways he passed could see a figure or two with the familiar bandanna scarf covering their nose and mouth. They all looked the same with their baggy shorts, high socks and tanktops. A lot of them also had tattoos and glittering oversized jewelry around their necks that swung like pendulums.

He didn't see any of them in the public places and many other people seemed to know they were there, yet paid them little heed. Either they were just too confident they were harmless or maybe they just didn't have the audacity to openly mug or attack someone in broad daylight.

None of them gave him any trouble as he walked along although many avoided eye contact as soon as he looked their way. Having constantly beaten them in battle likely meant that he was starting to get an infamous reputation as someone on their hit list to be taught a lesson.

Elio imagined that his chances of being jumped by the thugs was multiplied if he was walking around by himself at night.

I'm not standing for it. You're not picking on people or pokemon while I'm around. Not while I can do something about it.

He wondered if the gang had a base or hideout somewhere on the island. The fact that they were seen so openly meant the city was a popular hangout for the outcasts and misfits. His only encounters thus far showed them as loosely organized urban thugs who were often too caught up being flashy and loud that they tripped over themselves so to speak.

He had run into one admin so far and Plumeria's demeanor told him that while she was a notable leader; someone else was pulling the strings and she was a lieutenant to someone higher up.

The police were still actively patrolling around the city in their black and white cruisers, motorcycles and ride pokemon. They were aware of the Skulls around the area, but didn't openly move to cause trouble. In their eyes, as long as they weren't causing said trouble and ruckus, they would stay off the radar from law enforcement authorities.

Team Skull wasn't anywhere here where the city gave way again to the backcountry. Here, Sun saw that the only building in the immediate area was a long silver and white building that stretched down the coastline to the cape at the end. There was a long wired fence that stretched all along the side for almost a quarter mile, completely bordering off the building from the side where the water lapped at the rocky shore.

It was strange seeing a part of Alola meet the ocean and it not being a beach.

Looking through the fence, he could see slow moving sluglike creatures and hear them grunting as they busied themselves with some kind of work. A closer analysis showed that they were a big colony of Alolan grimer who were all devouring scraps of some kind.

Elio was alerted by a rustling in the patches of tall grass closest to the metal fence, watching as a trio of pokemon emerged, glancing eagerly at the open fields of the sludge pokemon lazily sitting inside. The first thing he noticed was a particularly foul smelling odor emanating from their direction. He knew it wasn't from the grimer since the Alolan subspecies were actually odorless. He recognized the pokemon nonetheless.

Two of them were smaller than the third, both irregular misshapen lumpy creatures with small stubby arms and legs. Their main bodies were a dark green color and he could see their limbs a murky brown that was typical of a color associated with garbage.

"We've got two new pokemon detected! Bzzt!" Rotom had chimed from Sun's backpack. "Trubbish. Trash heap pokemon. Trubbish prefers unsanitary places best, it gorges on trash dumps and belches a toxic gas when its stomach is full. This gas can be fatal to young children and pokemon and could put an adult human in the hospital. Trubbish is a poison type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."

The 'Dex flipped to the next entry showing the same type of misshapen form, except far larger and having a long bendy left arm and more prominent brown coloration along its skin. "Garbodor. Trash heap pokemon. It is the evolved form of trubbish. It locks opponents with its left hand and then immobilizes them by dousing their bodies with poisonous liquid. Garbodor is a poison type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."

"Trash monsters" they were dubbed, often trying to find neglected dumps and landfills to take up residence. Both garbodor and their pre-evolution were highly territorial and their strong defensive capabilities made them a nuisance to root out. Elio had heard of "trash town" in the heart of Unova's Castelia City where a massive landfill was home to what many called a "gang" of trubbish and garbodor that were notably aggressive and territorial. There had already been many failed attempts to eradicate or control their exploding numbers.

In Alola, it was said that their numbers were on the decline thanks to the introduction of the grimer and muk subspecies.

That smell is enough to make me want to retch. Good lord.

The two trubbish seemed to taunt the grimer inside while the garbodor waved its long arm around.

"Are they trying to break in again?"

Again?

Elio heard the voice from inside the plant, but he was now getting the understanding that neither of the poison types was welcomed here. He took out Torracat's poke ball and released him right in front.

"We're just gonna scare them off okay? Use flame charge!" He had left it ambiguous since he already knew Torracat would be smart enough to know which posed as the more dangerous target.

The feline lit himself ablaze and rushed forward, slamming into the garbodor's side and nearly knocking it over. As he did, one of the trubbish lunged forward in a take down attack that send both smaller pokemon tumbling onto the gravel road. Torracat got up and he seemed to be reeling from the blow.

"Bzzt! Be advizzzed! Bzzt! Trubbish and garbodor have an ability called ztench! Bzzt! It can cause their foe cringe and render immobile!"

"Would've been nice to know before I decided to start a battle." Elio said. By now the other trubbish had joined in the battle, opening its mouth to launch a glob of sludge attacks. Luckily, he had recovered to the point to use his legs again to propel himself out of the incoming waves. However the three bigger poison types seemed to close in on him, sensing the outnumbered advantage they possessed.

"Grimer, help out Torracat!" Elio said, throwing out his first caught pokemon. He noticed the others of his kind grumble in awe as he commanded a brutal swing that knocked both trubbish down and left the garbodor on its own.

The stench seemed to intensify even more as it drew closer to Grimer, taking its eyes off Torracat. At his queue, he launched himself forward in another flame charge that connected. As the garbodor stopped, retaliating with a double slap, he dodged the subsequent attack by ducking underneath and launching a double kick attack at the larger pokemon's base. Grimer moved moments later in yet another brutal swing attack, using his outstretched arm like a booming hammer with the combined attacks finally felling the trash heap pokemon to the ground.

They gathered in front of their trainer, guard still up from seeing that their foe was not quite out of the fight. Garbodor slid upright and glanced around to see that its two smaller trubbish minions had already run off. It shot Elio another nasty glare before turning and disappearing back into the thicket.

Phew. Elio took the risk after a few moments and breathed through his nostrils. He could still smell the pungent odor, although now it had dissipated enough that he could stop breathing through his mouth. He knelt down to his two pokemon. "Good job guys. I think we scared them off for good."

Torracat happily purred while Grimer gave him that lazy smile while still waving his squishy arms around.

"Hey what do you think you're doing here kid? This is a restricted area!"

Sun snapped his head around to the entrance of the building to see two men walking out to meet him. The older man was slightly behind as the younger one had a more stern look and pointed a crooked finger in the boy's direction.

"That's enough son!" The older man yelled back. "You're a native of Malie City aren't you? We're known throughout Alola for our hospitality! Kids need to explore and see the world! How else are they going to learn?"

Elio noticed the son had quickly backed down, glancing away from both of them rather sheepishly and embarrassed. "Yes dad. I mean sir…yes sir."

He shook his head again. "If that's what you really want then I'll tell this random trespasser about what we do here."

Random trespasser? You know I'm a person too? Just like you. As much as he wanted to retort, Sun bit back his tongue and let it slide.

"This is where we take care of the entire garbage disposal produced in Alola. We're aiming to have the lowest waste output of any region in the world thanks to the people and pokemon that work together here. Most of it is consumed by the workers muk and grimer gathered by our system that runs through the areas of Alola. Our director next to me has Junkie, a muk that can eat ten tons of garbage in a single day!"

Wow. That's actually really impressive!

"I'm actually just a temporary contract worker." The son admitted. "My grimer's still hard at work eating his fill." He gestured to Grimer standing beside Elio. "But I see you have one yourself."

"Yeah! Caught him at Hau'oli City. He was my very first pokemon I caught."

Elio saw the father's eyes light up at the mention of catching a pokemon, he glanced over at his backpack locating the small island challenge amulet that was attached to the back strap.

"Isn't that an island challenge amulet you got there?"

"Uh yeah."

"Nice!" The son's demeanor slipped into one a bit friendlier. "I actually went on the island challenge myself…though I found it was kind of too much for me and I ended up quitting almost instantly. Now I'm just working for my boss…who's also my dad…processing trash. Great huh? Real glamorous job."

Elio felt a bit of pity for the son, already accepting of his less than fortunate fate of how he was going to make a living. He didn't seem that much older than him…maybe in his mid-twenties roughly close to Kahuna Olivia Rios' age.

Yet at the same time, you're needed. We're still going to be generating trash and we still need people and pokemon to properly dispose of it rather than littering the land and sea.

"Well," he began quietly. "You're right. It's a dirty job, definitely far from glamorous for sure…but someone has to do it. I think you can take comfort in the fact that if people look down on you for such a literal trashy profession…they're wrong."

"I don't know about that."

"Think about it this way." Elio saw that he even got the man's father to nod in agreement with his statement. "You're doing something that most people don't imagine themselves doing because they'd be stooping down to a lower level. The fact that you're making those goals of having Alola further reduce its trash output tells me that you're willing to do this job while other people won't. And that sounds like they're more concerned about their own personal image over that of the environment."

He got an understanding look from the son. "Huh…I never would've thought of it that way."

Sun cracked a grin. "And another good thing. Since trash and waste management is always going to be in demand, you'll never be short of a paycheck. I used to live in Kanto before I moved out here and the garbage collectors there actually make a decent living mostly because there are so few willing to do such a dirty job. There's opportunity and need…and this job has both."

I honestly spouted that out on my own. Should I be a motivational speaker or something?

"That's a fine way of putting things kid." The father said, cupping his chin. "Say, Junkie's had a bit too much to eat today and I'm sure his stomach is upset. How about you join him in battle and provide some exercise to aid his digestion?"

First I'm trespassing and now they're inviting me to battle? Okay then.

"Sure. I could definitely use some practice before my next trial."

"That's what I like to hear!" The father boomed, taking out a poke ball. However instead of him throwing a pokemon out onto the gravel road, he handed it to his son. The latter looked rather perplexed at the gesture.

"What are you standing there for? You're up!"

"What?!" This ended up catching both Elio and his son completely off guard. "What do you mean I'm up? There's no way I can use Junkie to win a battle against this kid!"

The father shook his head. "You don't have a choice. Battle him or you're fired!"

"No!"

"This is where the problem lies! You see! This is just like you did with your island challenge when you were his age! The moment something of difficulty starts and you give a cry and run off! You give up without even trying to see if you can overcome it at all!"

"Dad, I can't."

"How am I supposed to leave this plant to you in charge one day if you never learn the value of persistence and dedication? I know you're a hard worker, but I can't ever leave things in your hands if you don't give me reason to trust you can properly handle it!"

Elio saw the son's mouth quiver and knew that his father had struck a nerve. But he was more concerned about the family drama unfolding in front of him and how he seemed to have initiated it. He glanced over at the open road back into the city, as if it was beckoning him to run off.

The father sensed it too. "Go ahead. Run off again. Your contract was set to end after two more days. I won't hold it against you, but running away from something like this will not solve your problems. It will only prolong them!"

"I can uh…come back. Maybe another time."

"No." The son quietly said to break the tension. "No. I'll do it."

He glanced up at his stern looking father. "I'm not running away this time! I'm giving this all I have! Give me Junkie." As he was handed the poke ball, Elio readied his own choice; Akela.

"Come on out buddy!"

"Junkie, ready for battle!"

Elio's werewolf pokemon stretched his lanky forearms and bared his teeth in a low growl, ready for battle. On the other side, a liquid pokemon appeared in the same shape as the muk he used to see back in Kanto.

However this one was drastically different than the purplish blobs that infested the sewage dumps at the lakes and rivers in Kanto. Its coloration was multicolored in striation bands of green, yellow, pink and blue. Its normally toothless mouth had several sharp fangs lining its jaw and he could see a few other hard lumps in its amorphous body.

"New pokemon detected! Bzzt!" Rotom did his thing as usual. "Muk. Sludge pokemon. Alola form. It is the evolved form of grimer. What look like fangs and claws are actually crystallized poison that can afflict you at a mere touch, so don't get too close. The chemical reaction between hundreds of poisons in the crystals are the source of its vitality. Alolan muk is a poison and dark type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."

"Alright, now that we've introduced our contenders, this is a standard exhibition match. First pokemon to knock out the other is the winner." The father waved his hands and stood in between the contestants. "Battle begin!"

"We'll start this off right. Rock tomb!" Elio shouted, still wondering if he was supposed to go easy on the son. On one hand, he wanted to win like always, but on the other he wasn't sure if winning was going to cause something even worse. What was worse than being called out by your own father? Getting disowned? What if the son's fortunes took a turn for the worse because he lost?

No. He said he wasn't going to run away from this and give it all he's got. I will too, even if that means I end up crushing him.

On his command, Akela swung both his fists forward, light forming into large boulders that were thrown at Junkie. They flew across the road, impacting the sides of his body. Much to his surprise, the sludge pokemon didn't seem to flinch or take any noticeable damage.

The son looked a little uncertain, but he pointed again. "Use minimize!" Junkie vanished, shrinking himself down.

"Now ice punch!"

That thing knows ice punch?

Similar to the trick he always did with Grimer; Junkie reverted back to his original size before slamming both his fists glowing with frigid energy into Akela's exposed midsection. With a squeal of pain, he stumbled back shivering from the coldness of the blow before shaking his head to clear it.

We're not done with this. Elio ordered another rock tomb which was countered with yet another minimize, however this time around he quickly switched to bite and clamped down on Junkie's exposed arm as it prepared a second ice punch. The attack got more of a reaction from the older pokemon as it flung its arm out to toss Akela off. He landed on his feet, using his forelegs to slow himself while gouging gashes on the road.

Junkie came at them with a third ice punch in which Akela wasn't able to dodge or counter attack in time. He fell to his hands and knees while shivering again; no doubt chilled. Elio knew ice type moves often left the victim temporarily slowed down as they would struggle to bring their outer skin temperature back up. It was less effective on pokemon with the thick fat ability as well as fire and ice types.

He had no idea how long it would be before Akela could move unrestricted again and it was likely the son and Junkie were determined to take advantage of their upper hand.

"Heh, I still got it! Use brick break!"

Yup there it is.

Junkie slithered over at a surprisingly fast pace for a pokemon made of sludge. Rather than his hands going into icy fists, they glowed as he flattened them into a chopping form. Akela was still staggering to his feet and shaking off the chilled effect.

Elio knew it was going to be too late to yell at him to dodge or for him to take the initiative anyway. So he took advantage of the midnight lycanroc's own strengths.

"Counter it!"

Akela's eyes shut as he endured the super effective hit, however at the last moment, he planted his feet on the ground and opened them back up. With a snarl, his paws lashed out onto the muk's head to deliver a blow worth double the power. Junkie slid back significantly with a large indentation in the side of his head where Akela had struck back.

"That's really bad for us." The son said. He then proceeded to utter a command that effectively neutralized Elio's hopes of using the move again.

The counter's disabled, but we're not out of options!

"Rock tomb again!" He was hoping the son would take the bait again from the rather useless attack to get back in close. If Akela initiated it himself, the other trainer would immediately suspect something to be up. He was able to deliver the solid counter move up close, but with that disabled, it meant Junkie was going to have the clear advantage with a fighting type move like brick break. The only solid weakness Alolan muk had were ground type moves and his ground type user was not the one currently in battle.

It wouldn't be fair for me to switch.

"Use minimize to dodge! Get ready to move in close!"

Perfect.

Junkie vanished from sight to avoid the hurled boulders before springing back up again within hand striking distance.

"Now grab it!"

Elio felt his back prick with sweat, being restrained up close was an obvious risk for close combat, but it limited what Akela could do. Counter was still disabled. Junkie's hand seemed to grow twice as large before it closed down on the wolf's left arm, practically cutting off any use he had for it.

"Reversal!"

The lycanroc growled and gave a feral grin before gathering energy into his right fist and letting loose with a single punch. Reversal was a move that got stronger as the user got closer to being knocked out. Elio had started to develop the strategy of keeping the move as a reserve, utilizing counter to deal double damage to physical attacks and then hitting again with reversal for key knockouts.

Junkie seemed to dissolve from the hit, his viscous liquid body splattering like paint against the dirt road.

At first, Elio recoiled at seeing it. Grimer didn't explode when he was defeated, merely slumping over. Was this what he would eventually do when he evolved?

"I didn't mean that!" He started, immediately feeling bad and wondering if the reversal move was overkill. Both the father and son looked far less surprised.

"Junkie's fine." No sooner had he said that when he saw the loose congealed blobs of sludge slowly start to coagulate together again. The muk's arms drooped lazily by his side as he shook off the ill effects. Akela tensed, however his trainer raised a hand, already knowing that the battle was already concluded.

"Junkie…return." The muk was sucked away back into its poke ball as the son lowered his head and handed it back to its true trainer. He refused to meet his father's gaze. "I'm sorry Dad…you're right. I am just a weakling."

Before Elio or the son could say anything more, his father broke out into laughter. It grew boisterously until he began wiping his eyes from tears of mirth.

"Son…you have no idea how long I've wanted to see you do something like that. You're hired!"

"WHAT? Dad I,"

"I'm not your dad. I'm your boss…actually no. YOU'RE the boss! From the day forward after your contract is done, I'm making you the director of the plant! And I won't hear another word of complaint out of you! Understand?"

"Dad, I lost." The son quietly said. "I'm just like those people from Team Skull. A reject."

"You saw that this trainer was clearly stronger having driven off those trubbish and garbodor. Yet you and Junkie went at it with everything you had. I'd even go as far to say you had a fair chance to defeat him. That's what I've always wanted to see from you; that kind of persistence and drive! I know you have it now and that's why you are going to take over for me as director."

"I…I don't know what to say?"

The father smirked. "How about thank you for giving me this opportunity?"

"Yes." The son's mouth broke into a huge smile. "Thank you Dad! I mean, former…director sir! I won't let you down! But what do I do? How should I proceed with this?"

Another smirk. "How and where the plant goes is all entirely up to you, director." He turned to address Elio, who was silent and still a bit lagging behind trying to figure out all that just happened. "I'm sorry to have to use you as a tool to teach my son a lesson here. I saw you as someone in my son's shoes not too long ago and it hit me." He dug into his pocket. "Take this for your trouble. It may be twisted, but it's definitely not a piece of garbage for sure!"

Elio eyed the spoon that was offered out and gingerly took it, examining the perfect helix spiral at the neck.

"That's a twistedspoon." The son explained. "It's an item that can boost the power of psychic type moves."

"Now that I've got my successor sorted out, it's time to finally retire after all these years. I know I can trust on my boy here and his crew of workers and their pokemon to keep the place running like a well-oiled machine!"

"Yes sir. You can count on that sir!"

"Grime!"

"Grimer?" The father squatted down as a pair of the sludge pokemon from within the plant appeared, waving their arms to try and get the humans' attention. A third one was behind them, which Elio recognized as his own.

"Grime." They turned around, slowly moving their way over to the side of the plant that faced the end of the road. This far out from town didn't have many homes on the coastal side, likely due to the waste processing plant requiring a marginal amount of space.

"Guess we should follow them." The father and new director agreed and they trailed the grimer around. They noticed it before the pokemon had pointed it out to them.

"Aw nuts." The father grumbled, throwing up his hands in exasperation. "Right after we cleaned the last one! They come and do it again!"

Elio looked at the rather colorful graffiti that had been spray painted on one of the garage docks where the dump trucks would back in to deliver their load. A pair of skulls and crossbones dominated the tan colored metal exterior with bulging eyes that had red pupils. Their jaws were open with the occasional gold and silver tooth in a mocking laughter expression.

Elio's heart sank when he saw the text at the bottom in crudely spray painted letters.

"Trashy job done by trashy people! Right where U belong! LMAO! SMH!"

The father sighed, "Gonna take weeks before we can clean that up!"

"I guess that's gonna be our first order of business as director." The son said. "I'll put in an order for cleaning supplies, but it could take days before it arrives."

Meanwhile, Elio was staring at how the property was trespassed so carelessly. He had already an idea of what…or rather who would do such a thing.

"Team Skull."

"Unfortunately." The father crossed his arms. "They're not so bad over on the other islands except in the cities, but they're everywhere here on Ula'ula Island. We've been having a huge graffiti problem in the cities. I can't even imagine what they've done to Po Town."

"Is that the reason why cleaning paint supplies are out of stock? How did Team Skull get their hands on so much of it anyway?"

Good question.

"I can get them to you." Elio suggested. "Order them at a store in Malie and I'll use a ride pokemon to carry everything. No need to send someone else to pick it up."

"I can't ask you to do that."

"You're not asking me. I'm saying so. Besides, I'm on my island challenge. It's not like I'm racing anyone to be the first to win it." At the same time, Elio felt his cell begin to ring and vibrate in his pocket. The ID read: Hau.

Really Hau, you decide to call me at the worst times!

Sun excused himself and answered the call.

"Brah!" Hau's excited voice almost ruptured one of his eardrums. "Where in the tapu's oatmeal are you? I've been looking all over the city!"

"Hau? I'm at the outer cape area by the garbage plant."

"Huh…I didn't take you as someone who likes hanging around garbage places."

"No." Elio sharply said, glancing back at the father and son who were deep in discussion. "It's kind of a long story."

"Anyway, get your butt over to Malie Garden! It's one forty in the afternoon, we're already late since we promised to meet Professor Kukui at one! He's probably scratching his head wondering where we are!"

"Guess I really don't have much of a choice right? I'm on my way back I suppose."

"Okay. I'll see you."

"Hey Hau?"

The line was silent on the other end for just a moment. "Yeah?"

"How are you holding up?"

"What do you mean?"

Elio scoffed. "You know exactly what. Don't try to avoid it. I'm trying to look out for my bro, that's all."

"It's tough," Hau finally addressed the donphan between them. "I'm still wondering how Leilani is while sitting on a bed back home on Melemele Island. We're here enjoying something she should be too…she should be out on a board to the ele'ele beaches trying to conquer another wave."

"Who knows, maybe she'll be at it again." He didn't know anything for certain since there had been no news at all concerning Leilani's road to recovery. All that remained was keeping the faith and optimism that she'd one day be joking and laughing.

Maybe something more between her and Hau.

"Anyway, I'll be headed that way. Took me about twenty minutes here, so about that time to head back to the garden. See ya." And with that, Elio hung up, pocketing his phone. He walked casually back to where the father and son were still talking in between about the illicit paint job.

After bidding them farewell and promising to return the next day with the ordered supplies, they gave him an address to the shop where he could retrieve their order. He briskly hurried away, waving again while wasting no time to get to Malie Garden.

I hope it's worth skipping half the day for. Not to blame anyone, it was a long night.

Elio smiled to himself as the sun finally began to peek through a small opening in the cloud cover as he remembered everything that happened last night…both interesting and bad.

He stopped short just as he stepped back into the Wo Fat district. His hand went down to the poke balls on his belt, all six of them there, but one without its resident pokemon.

Oh crap. I left Grimer at the garbage plant.

Heh, he might not even know I left.


Whoops. A word of advice to trainers, try to keep track of your pokemon so they don't get lost.

Translations:

'A'ole hou! - Not again!

Linguiça - Also known as Linguisa. It is a variant of smoke cured pork sausage primarily seasoned with garlic and paprika with a strong spicy flavor. Commonly eaten in Portuguese speaking countries and areas. Hawaii has a large Portuguese influence and the sausage has become a favorite in all meals, but notably as a breakfast alongside rice and eggs.

And as always, thank you for reading and reviewing. You give my writing purpose and I'll see you again for the next update.

Brav