Alright! Alola readers and the one and only BraviaryScout is here to showcase the newest chapter for the ongoing endeavor! I do have some news that I think will upset most of you.

I'm going to step away.

Now before you all either bawl your eyes out or go "Nice knowing ya." I'll explain that my mind is running numb from writing, even though I'm taking a much slower pace than I did when I started this. Yet I'm still astounded at how far this fic has come; more than 530k words, the most reviews, favorites, followers than anything I've pumped out on this site. (Yes, this finally overtook Advanced Commando as my #1 fic in all terms except views, we're working on that though)

I'm burned out. I need some time to get ahead. So that's what I'm going to do. While I'll still likely write around the same pace I do now, instead of posting a day or two after I finish edits and proofreading, I'm going to hold off until I feel comfortable to where I am a bit ahead in the story so it doesn't feel so pressuring to get the chapter done and the other craziness of whatever blocks my time off.

TLDR, I'm going to write ahead, so I won't post another chapter for a while. Not sure of a timetable of when I'll be back, but hopefully it's before the holidays here.

Enjoy the chapter everyone.


The summit of Mount Hokulani is so amazing! Professor Kukui met us up there and showed us around! There's a small town called Mountaintop where people actually live. It's only got a few hundred people, but most of them are extremely friendly and help travelers and trainers alike.

I've wanted to go to the observatory and maybe see the stars or other planets in our solar system. Unlike the other mountain on the island; this one has relatively clear nights and it's far away from the cities for light pollution. I saw a clefairy too! I still hope that maybe mother's...remembers me.

You know what? It's not so bad. Sharing a bed with Elio is very nice. He's quiet and gives me plenty of space.

But I wonder what it would feel like if I fell asleep with his arms around me? I think if that happened, I'd be the safest thing possible and nothing bad would ever happen.


Councilman Dean chuckled as he flipped down the cards on the green velvet table. The other contestants sitting around stared wide eyed at his hand and groaned out loud, not expecting him to have a Royal Flush that pretty much earned him the win, knocking the remainder out.

The chips and loot were pushed his way and the game was over; another match of Unova hold'em that netted him a decent amount of winnings.

Gambling was something Dean enjoyed doing. The risks, the ambitions, the pleasures and most importantly the rewards.

Ignoring the other annoyed glances thrown his way by the other men who had lost thousands of dollars, Dean went immediately to cash in his winnings. He stopped at the bar first, downing a drink and lighting a cigarette before stepping outside.

Night had fallen over Castelia City, the largest urban sprawl in the Unova region and one of the most populous cities in the world. Dean was on the board of trustees that governed the city and was well respected. Crime had been cleaned up with many gangs who tried to make a foothold gone and his push to make the transportation funding up had kept the city running smoothly like a well-oiled machine. Complaints about roads, waterways, subways and the airports were at an all time low thanks to the conditions and fat budgets he was giving them. Like any political theater, his actions were opposed, however few argued that his policies made life easier.

However in spite of all his noble actions; Dean was not without his own personal shadows.

The gambling table was one area people could find him off the clock where he savored the thrill of the risk taking and a place to leave all the other troubles of his political career behind.

A big issue that plagued the Unova region had been Team Plasma, though they had been disbanded two years ago and whispers about them being reformed were reaching Castelian ears. Some had said that the new Team Plasma was still waiting in the shadows to strike and were far more radicalized than its predecessor.

Dean was part of the committee that headed the region-wide effort to storm and weed out Plasma's known facilities and hideouts after the disappearance of their "king" With the aid of the International Police, who had FINALLY taken notice after the destruction to the Unova League headquarters, his task force had hunted down and captured the remaining leadership; a collective of educated individuals known as the Seven Sages. They were aided by the trainer who supposedly ended their reign only for her to disappear. The trainer's mother had no answer for why and suspected that she had left for a distant land in search of Team Plasma's king.

Dean's next problem came when the head of the Seven Sages; a man named Ghetsis Harmonia had broken out of the "icebox" a top secret maximum security International Police prison. He was responsible for making sure Ghetsis "would never see the outside of a prison again"

With him escaped from captivity and the rumors going around that Team Plasma was set to return, he couldn't believe it as a coincidence. However all known associates were taken in by police and it seemed to be just small talk and nothing serious.

It was a quiet ride to his family apartment. Dean lived in an opulent suite at the top of one of Unova's most prestigious towers with nearly the entire floor to himself along with a breathtaking view of Castelia Harbor and the cityscape around. As part of his routine; he stopped at the same pizza parlor down the street for a takeout pre-ordered before he went up to his residence.

His phone buzzed and he smiled to himself looking upon a text message. To cap off a successful night, there was already someone waiting for him in his bedroom.

After paying for his food, it was another short walk to the tower. He took the elevator up, putting in the six digit code that allowed it to ascend past the normal accessible floors to his residence. The doors would part right to his home without any hallways in between to mediate.

Dean let out a sigh as he set the pizza down and journeyed to his kitchen. Across from the fridge on a granite slab was a fine collection of wines. Today called for one with his mistress.

"Veta?" He called out. "I'm here."

"In...in the bedroom." She called back.

"What are you doing in the bedroom? I thought you said you were hungry." He flashed a wolfish grin to himself as he crossed out of the kitchen, turning left towards his bedroom. "That kind of hungry huh?"

The moment he crossed through to the bedroom, he saw a blur of motion out of the corner of his eye. Staggered by the blow, he was still contemplating what had just happened before the assailant delivered a swift shop to the side of the head. Councilman Dean crumpled to the ground as another figure reached out to catch him before he fell and made a noise.

The effects of the alcohol hit Dean harder and earlier than expected. It didn't help that the blow to his temple made his head throb as the searing pain from that plus the hangover were beginning to kick in.

"Ah you're awake. Good."

A solidly built figure sat in the chair opposite him, leaning into the seatback while studying the politician with amused interest.

His shoulders were broad and dopey biceps bulged underneath a thin dark layer of undersuit. He had a big belt around his waist full of gear from different canisters to the stubby shape of a handgun secure in its holster. A mask covered his nose and mouth and he stared at Dean with a pair of dark eyes.

"Who are you?" He asked, with a growing feeling of uncertainty in his voice and expression. "What do you want?"

The man said nothing else, instead standing up and walking around to the wardrobe that sat at the far end of Dean's bedroom. On the surface were framed pictures of him with family and friends dating all the way back to his days as a fraternity brother at Opelucid University.

Many thoughts flew through Dean's head as he tried to piece together how this intruder could have gotten in. There was no way to enter externally, which meant he had gotten in through the elevator somehow.

Vera. It had to be her. Either she was working in tandem with him or used under duress to access his residence.

He hoped it was the latter.

"What is it you want?" He demanded again. "Money? Whoever paid you to do this, I'll double it."

"See?" A female's voice said from somewhere behind him. "I told you he'd say something like that."

"Veta?" The appalled look on his face with the answer nearly sent mocking laughter splitting off the lips of his captors. "What? How?"

"You should've really stayed faithful to your family and vows." The man crossed over and gently picked up one of the picture frames, staring at the man's wife and son. "You think it was an accident that your family had won that trip to Undella was pure luck?"

"You," His eyes looked towards "Veta" who remained stoic and avoided his gaze. "You knew I'd send them away so we'd have time together."

"Pretty easy to figure out." She said tersely. "Now shall we get down to business? Kaiser?"

Von Kaiser took one of the other chairs, pulling it up across from Dean and sat down.

"I'm about to give you the choice that could derail your political career." He spoke slowly and leaned forward. Dean saw his eyes gleam as if he was taking delight in his captive's uneasiness. "We know you're one of the biggest opponents to Team Plasma and its associates. It's no secret."

"Well Team Plasma is finished." A snicker escaped his lips. "Done. Their king abandoned them and the leadership all but scattered in the wind. Yeah that's right. Felled by a girl no older than the average trainer out there. You've tried to force a falsified truth onto people who've followed traditions since the beginning of history."

"Team Plasma is gone yes." Veta agreed. "But no idea is truly gone until the leader has been silenced."

"And we'll be back very much. With a much different approach to things. Our original ways didn't work, so we're resorting to others."

"Which means all of Unova kneeling before me!" A dark gravelly voice boomed from the shadows and stepped forward.

Dean gasped at the man's appearance; a scarred face with hints of permanent burn damage over one of his eyes. It was replaced by a sinister red lens that blinked with tidbits of information. The remainder of his body was slim, yet muscular and the black patterned cloak he wore moved with a paradoxical elegance.

His hair was a pale color, slightly disheveled, spiking out erratically. There was the slight bulge underneath the robe that clinked as he walked forward. Looking closely, Dean could see it was a hybrid of a cane and something else resembling a jeweled sword.

"Lord Ghetsis." Kaiser curtly said, indirectly introducing the new face.

"You're supposed to be imprisoned." Dean blurted without thinking.

"In that wretched hellhole?" Ghetsis chuckled darkly. "You truly think putting me behind bars would stop me from claiming my rightful place to rule Unova? Every day, the new Team Plasma I am creating grows stronger with people resentful of the Unovan government, rogues and fugitives escaping justice within and outside the region's borders. I'll openly admit that my defeat by that bitch Hilda showed me that my initial ambitions were flawed. No more this time. Straightforward and it will be one of two choices. Submit, or suffer."

Dean swallowed a lump in his throat. "Killing me will not stop people. They're going to resist. And you're going to have to go through all of them if you want to win."

"I'm not here to kill you." The man flashed an oily smile at him. "I'm here to make you a deal."

Veta stepped forward to the Councilman's laptop and plugged in a thumb drive into one of the ports. A couple of moments later, numbers began to scroll down a list, none of them below five digits.

"Gambling with tens of thousands of dollars." Von remarked. "Bold, I must admit you're very good at the table."

"And one hit of the button," Veta's finger hovered right over the thing in question. "And I send it to the Castelia Times. All it's missing is a bow."

Panic filled Dean's insides like a flood. "No! Wait! This will make you look bad! You can't do this!"

"Oh really?" Von's smirk returned as Ghetsis stepped back to let his agents carry on. "What claim are they going to believe? A well known Councilman of Unova showing off his addiction to gambling with some of the money even being embezzled? Or your flabbergasted claims that there is a Team Plasma growing from the shadows? Both of us know which story the press will be more interested in."

Now it was Veta's turn to smirk. "And if that's not enough to convince you, I have more than enough proof about your extramarital affair. If you don't comply with us or take our deal, we have the power to break you in both your marriage and career."

The three of them watched as Dean's expression went from defiant to more subdued to finally accepting his jam. They had all the dirt possible on him and he knew they could be ending everything he had worked to achieve in an instant.

"What do you want?"

"What you do best." Ghetsis tapped his cane stick to hide his apparent impatience. "Continue to claim there's another Team Plasma coming. And when we finally do, keep your outspoken criticism."

"What?" The Councilman was puzzled. "You want me to claim there's Team Plasma out there and then you want me to keep opposing you? That makes no sense."

"You said it yourself. The people are going to resist. And a unified opposition is much stronger than individuals working independently. It's also much harder to destroy. However I will take advantage of any opportunities I can get. Know your enemy before you deal with them." His eye narrowed. "And that's where you come in. People will flock to you as a figurehead opponent to Team Plasma. Trainers and the like. The stronger ones will stand out as leaders and those we will need to eliminate first."

Dean's eyes widened at the brilliance of the plan as scandalous as it was. Providing a figure for foes to rally behind with the leader covertly working as a double agent was still a brilliant move, despite the trope being used many times in PokeStar Studios movies more than once. The reality began to settle in and it scared him.

That he was going to be a turncoat...a mole for the group he had tried so hard to take down.

"All of this is a lot to take in." To his own credit, his own worries were still being kept at bay in spite of everything. "It looks like an offer I won't be able to refuse."

"Exactly." The sinister smirks returned to all three of their visible features. "You can't."


"You're aware of the pokemon called cosmog?"

"Cosmog?" Brady asked apprehensively. Kaiser moved back and forth in front of him while the boy's mother and father, Victoria and Benjamin sat on chairs next to one another, bound with plastic ties to their arms and shins. Sweat beaded down the sides of their heads as their eyes went to bewildered state seeing the pressure their own son was going down.

"Cosmog. It's a small pokemon, relatively harmless, however it has the power to summon beings of unimaginable power. It is property of the Aether Foundation and they want it back."

Brady tried not to think too much about how Kaiser referred to it as "property" The man appeared to go against everything he had been taught with pokemon being living, thinking creatures and partners for the humans they coexisted with.

"I...no."

Kaiser's eyes narrowed as he crossed over and knelt down in front of the trembling boy. "Yet you associated with the girl who is in possession of it as well as the boy accomplice. Were you aware of this?"

"No. I saw no indication that Lillie had a cosmog."

He searched Brady's expression, finally feeling confident that he was telling the truth. Lusamine did inform him that she was rather secretive to not let word spread around about its capabilities as well as the lookouts she had posted to the people to alert them of anything suspicious. His search on Ula'ula proved nothing on her lead, however when he had gotten the tip from Lusamine herself after one of the visitors spilled it, he was hoping that his search would be narrowed down. This questioning was not going anywhere.

"You are with the Aether Foundation?" Victoria demanded with Benjamin following with a surprised look of his own. "How dare you barge into our family home like this looking for a pokemon!"

"I will do what my boss asks of me." Kaiser replied nonchalantly. "I will neutralize you if you stand in my way."

"I'm bringing this up in the next committee meeting." She snapped. "Lusamine Hyacinth has gone too far in exercising the Foundation's cooperation with Alola."

"You do that and I'll end your career before you can blink. Or at least jeopardize it."

"Really?" Benjamin challenged. "How so?"

"Mom, Dad." Brady pleaded from the side. "Please stop. I don't know anything...I swear!"

"Sorry kid." Kaiser grinned again. "But I gotta do this to show how serious this matter is and why I'm not playing around."

He leaned down to leer at Victoria in the eye. "It's a damn shame how such a successful family like yours has gone one eighty in just three children. Look at your eldest, a renowned pokemon trainer traveling in the Galar region with a girlfriend."

A dark chuckle. "And then you have Brady here. Your child prodigy whom you've sheltered and hindered. You don't want him or the rest of Alola to know how you disowned your twin middle children because they followed ambitions that didn't suit yours. I'm no parent, but even I know that's a recipe for disaster."

"You don't know me." Victoria hissed defiantly.

"And what gives you the right to judge us as parents?" Benjamin asked.

"Saying things like that won't stop me from finishing my task. And I've yet to fail Lusamine. I don't intend to do so now."

"Do whatever you want with us." Victoria's defiant spark failed to diminish. "But I'll make sure you pay for what you do if you harm any of my children!"

"For someone who would know such a scandal would take her down, I'm more than ready to show the rest of the region one of their best known politicians and committee members disowned two of her sons who went on to be members of the infamous Team Skull." Kaiser's gaze drifted to Benjamin. "And let's not forget how public relations would deteriorate with your company's reputation on the line."

"No. You wouldn't dare."

"Try me."

"Wait!" Brady interrupted him before they could go any further. "Please just stop. They're my family."

"Stay out of this son." Benjamin ordered firmly. "He only wants money."

"For once, your son has been right. I'm not here for either of you or your money. Now if you were to offer me a payment that far exceeds the Aether Foundation's, I'm more than willing to stop my pursuit and simply disappear as I have preplanned for myself." He chuckled darkly seeing their horrified expressions. "My reason here is for the boy. Now I know what you're thinking. Kidnapping. Had I wanted to kidnap your trainer son, I could have done so easily and effortlessly. My pokemon would make short work of his. No...I need his influence and his friendship to the girl who has the cosmog."

"Wait, why? Why not go after it yourself?"

"Because she already knows who I am. If she gets any fair warning, she could be back in the wind and I would have lost the lead on my quarry."

"You want me to spy on Elio and Lillie?" Brady's eyes went wide too. "Wait...no! I didn't mean to say that."

Kaiser's smirk grew now that he knew the name of her male accomplice. "Elio...who is that? A boyfriend?"

"I...no. I don't know...exactly."

"But he travels with her and he's a trainer right?"

All he got back was silence as the quirky kid looked down, ashamed after knowing that he had betrayed his friends.

"Won't be much of a concern either way. I'll deal with him. But you're going to get close to them and use this."

Kaiser drew a small canister from his pocket and turned it over in his palm. It was a cylinder with clear liquid inside with a small spout that looked like it could be pressed into a spray.

"This is the latest in modular tracking. One spray of this will allow me to monitor the target's movements for hours on end. You already know what you're going to do. You mark both this Elio and Lillie and I'll uphold my end of the bargain and leave you and your mediocre family alone."

"We are not mediocre!" Victoria was practically screeching now. "I am one of the most respected council committee people in the Alolan government!"

"I'll also add entitled." Kaiser deadpanned without changing his expression. "Am I clear?"

Before Brady could respond, he decided to add on. "I know you're still going to defy me and try to warn them." He leaned forward down to the boy, allowing him to gaze into a pair of empty ice blue eyes behind the mask that covered his nose and mouth. "You best watch your back. Lusamine and I have eyes and ears everywhere on these islands. I get one hint that you tip them off to me," A phone was pulled out of his pocket and he showed a rather lengthy email that was composed and set to be sent to the main address of the Hau'oli Star Advertiser. "I'll release this email publicizing how your parents disowned your twin brothers to Team Skull and who knows what else. I don't think people look kindly on knowing they have family or friends with a criminal association. Your reputation is gone before it even begins...your family is ruined and nobody will look at you the same ever again."

Brady swallowed, knowing that he was making a difficult choice. He wasn't about to turn on friends that he just made, but he couldn't just stand by and watch as the threat loomed right over his family.

"Think about how everyone is going to see you if you make the wrong choice. Who would you choose? A couple of friends that can be easily replaced? Or your family who you hold dear?"

Hold dear. For a moment, Brady almost saw an opportunity to follow in Cayden and Jackson's footsteps. After being disowned and not even acknowledged by his parents, they had made their own path for themselves in joining Team Skull. It wasn't the wisest choice in his opinion, but it freed them from the grasp of his parents and they were out doing something they enjoyed more than following their wishes. It wasn't noble and all, spraying profane graffiti over the beautiful cities of the Alola region, but his parents were never there to discipline them into doing otherwise.

He now had that chance to do what he wanted. His parents obviously had their own plans, but this presented an unexpected twist.

I love my family. I just want all of us to do the things we love so we can grow and cherish the memories. I don't want to be the person who tears this all apart...but I can't just turn my back on friends either.


"Welcome aboard the Exeggutor Express! Where our safety record will absolutely slay you!"

Elio rolled his eyes as he gripped the handrail to ascend the steps of the bus. He had done his gentlemanly act in allowing Lillie up before him so she could pick her seat quicker.

Thankfully the shuttle service was fairly empty with only a couple other people onboard plus the driver.

The seats were comfortable enough and each one had a placard of the basic safety instructions of what to do in emergencies. Seatbelts were buckled and with a honk of the rather obnoxious horn, they were off. From the driver's announcement, the estimated trip up to the summit of Mauna Hokulani would take between forty to fifty minutes. Similar to a captain on a commercial airplane, he enthusiastically gave a safety briefing to his passengers before telling them to sit back and relax to enjoy the ride up.

Elio and Lillie were glued to the window, staring out as the bus climbed the sloped road. It was already a considerable distance down to ground level where they could start to see the outskirts of Malie City and the highway that looped around the majority of the island. Close to the waterfront, there were several colorful canopies and tents erected right by Banyan Drive where the main celebration of the Draconid Festivus would happen.

"I'm actually kind of excited for it." Lillie pointed out to the tents. "They said there's games, food and I want to fly one of the kites that burn into the sky."

Elio's thoughts immediately went to seeing the two of them where they would hold a big dragon kite together and then launch it with the entire fleet of the others. He had seen a picture on a computer one time where they would all slowly catch fire and create a dazzling display of flashing colors in the saying of thanks to the people's deity, the legendary pokemon Rayquaza.

"Me too." Elio looked back at her. "I'll make sure you get the kite you want so you can fly it."

"I'm not letting myself have all the fun." She nervously fiddled with her hands. He saw that and slowly reached over, clasping one in his own. Her breath stopped and she avoided eye contact.

"But I want you to fly the kite with me."

Sun allowed a thin smile. "Okay. Then how about we both pick a kite that we like and then we'll fly and burn it together?"

"Yes. I'd like that."

Her head lifted up and they finally made eye contact. She didn't move when Elio leaned in close to the point where their noses were touching.

My face is probably hot like the sun...oh no! Sun! I'm thinking of him like that too!

Lillie was about to pucker her lips when he leaned further forward, gently nuzzling her forehead with his own. His hands gently touched the sides of her head as they both closed their eyes to save the close and intimate contact.

Her skin felt incredibly soft and warm to the touch and it was also the way her body size and shape was.

She fits perfectly in my arms. I...want to hold her like this forever. What are you doing to me?

Elio knew that thinking about his crush like this would cause the neurotoxin to act up and give him another headsplitting pain. Despite how much it hurt, he knew that it wasn't going to stop his feelings. This girl was close to him and there was no migraine type of sensation that would convince him otherwise.

"I won't let anything happen to you." He mumbled while they were close.

"What?"

They wistfully parted and stared at one another. Elio took a deep breath, still not quite sure how he was going to word what he was going to say.

"Lillie...while we were at the Aether Foundation Paradise...we encountered one of the ultra beasts...as I told you before. It actually grabbed ahold of me and...I don't even know what the hell it did."

"Elio? Are you okay?"

He almost wanted to just smash his lips right on top of hers, but it just didn't feel appropriate doing something so awkward in such a public place. Her lips were incredibly...kissable.

Just...why does she have to look so good all the time? This is torturous.

"No, I don't think I am. While that beast got ahold of me, I freed myself, but I experience this really bad head pains...like someone's stabbing the back of my head with a knife made of ice." It made him feel terrible as her face turned to one of pain and she leaned back onto him again.

"It hurts...it hurts a lot and it always comes at one particular moment."

"What moment?"

He drew a deep breath. "Whenever I think of you...and me...together...close."

Lillie stopped. "Like alone kind of close?"

Too embarrassed to look at her again, but he slowly nodded.

"Oh Elio." She put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"Me too. I don't want to stop doing it either. You're too important to me."

Despite that small confession, she never felt uncomfortable or unsafe while around him. He had done so much for her and confided that as a friend and somewhere she knew that he was a man of his word.

"I won't let anything happen to you."

Lillie smiled up at him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Neither will I."


The first thing they noticed once they got to the town of Mountaintop was the difference in the air.

Unlike the city, the air was slightly thinner at its higher altitude of nearly twelve thousand feet. Glancing out the window again, they were both surprised and fascinated at the rolling clouds that were now underneath them. Elio had never seen the tops of clouds unless he was on an airplane. Now it was something else seeing how they drifted away while watching on a slope above them.

Roads grew more rugged and treacherous with some of the inclines quite steep and the vegetation rapidly being reduced to the occasional tree and shrub that somehow thrived this high up. Grass patches were still present, but unlike the vivid green from the lower altitudes, these were a beige color resembling dead foliage.

Judging by the cracks in the ground at the edges of the slopes and the lack of shrubbery, Elio had to guess that rainfall up here was significantly less than Malie. The clouds hanging low around the mountain further supported this as it dumped its payload over the city and lower down areas. In a wide contrast to the overcast sky while they were on the ground, it was incredibly clear with the sun shining unobstructed at the peak and upper sections of the mountain.

They finally saw a few smaller buildings, most of them houses or single story structures that were all fenced off from the main road. It seemed like it was the usual of how a town sprouted up, with everything erected to both sides and using the road to go through it all. A sign indicated that the town of Mountaintop only had a population of sixty two permanent inhabitants, however the visitation seriously upped the number as tourists, trainers and workers of the famous Hokulani Observatory would stay for a while. There were a lot of athletes who would come up to Mountaintop to train themselves and their pokemon for a few hours before heading back down closer to sea level. So the actual population was constantly fluctuating up and down.

Still, Elio could see why it was so sparse. While many did enjoy and see life on the mountains as a way of escape from a busy city and an opportunity for adventure, it also meant other hazards and danger were going to be present. The lack of water meant that it had to either be imported or have irrigation lines dug all the way up the side. The latter was likely too expensive of a project.

The road looped at the end of a large silver futuristic dome at the top that was slit open. He saw the bus terminus right in front of the courtyard and flags right before the entrance.

Elio felt Jangmo'o stir in his pack, figuring the baby pokemon would be awake soon. Lillie actually laughed at the irony of how she always wanted to keep Nebby inside her own bag for its safety when Jangmo'o always wanted to go out whenever they were exploring.

The little dragon had quickly become quite curious and inquisitive despite its young age and he was finding out that caring for a baby pokemon was much more than he expected.

It's good practice. Just wait until I end up having an actual baby.

He glanced at Lillie and a particular school project had come to mind while on the topic of offspring. Their somber mood was placed aside.

It was in biology where they were covering the genetics section. The teacher divided the class evenly, pairing one boy with one girl where they would "make a baby"

Of course the class' less-than-developed maturity made it sound a combination of fascinating and disgusting at the same time, however the project was to hypothesize how genetics would work and how it would diversify future generations.

Elio wouldn't have minded it much and kept it to himself, except for the fact that he was paired with the one girl. The one that he had a huge crush on and the rest of the basketball team mercilessly teasing him for it.

I don't even remember her name.

Jaydn! That was it!

It had been an awkward thought for him. If Jaydn and I were to actually make a baby boy or girl...this would be what they'd look like.

Now looking at Lillie, he was strangely fantasizing the same hypothetical question. If they were to have children, what kind of features would Elio himself pass onto his child? What about Lillie's?

Mom would go nuts. All "Your babies would be gorgeous." kind of thing.

In spite of all his odd thoughts; Elio knew that this wasn't a right way to think of things.

I'm sixteen. I can't even get married legally, let alone have kids.

Jangmo'o peeked out of his bag, squeaking softly.

"Hey buddy." Elio stroked the non-sharp part of his scaly head. He had already pricked himself on the scales that lined the lizard's sides. Petting in the direction the spiky features pointed similar to a shark was the sure way to prevent getting cut or injured again. He had no doubt that going the other way would draw blood.

"You hungry?" Elio grabbed the bowl where he used to feed his pokemon and watered it down so that the kibble-like solids would break up and make it easier for his baby to eat.

With a happy squeak, the dragon sat on Elio's lap sniffing the mush and then chowing right down. Right away, he could tell that Jangmo'o preferred the meat based feed over the grain and plant. In fact; most of his team did considering that Torracat, Akela, Rufflet were all mainly carnivorous. Nani ate meat to an extent. Charjabug was mixed; she sometimes ate the meat based, but tended to go after the grain and plant as well as feeding on electricity.

The way she gets nourishment from that blows my mind.

And of course it just happened that the meat based pokemon feed was the more expensive. Elio was already putting a considerable amount of money just to keep his pokemon fed.

"You really know how to take care of pokemon Elio." Lillie softly said beside him. "I can already tell your jangmo'o looks up to you."

"Well he isn't officially mine yet." He reminded her. "I haven't caught him in a poke ball yet."

"Are you going to?"

"I don't know. He's still a baby, doesn't really listen to commands and I haven't put him in an official battle yet. At the same time, I just don't want him to go into the wild by himself." They smiled as he was finishing the last bit of food. "I'd like to keep him. He's been a great pokemon so far."

"Whatever you do, I know you'll make the right decision." Lillie touched his shoulder and leaned a little onto him. His breath stopped and he slowly snaked an arm to return her embrace. "You're a very special person Elio. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise."

"And the same to you. Nobody can replace you."

As the bus stopped and its doors parted, Elio let Jangmo'o run down the stairs right out into the street while he ran behind to catch up. Torracat and Akela were also let out so they could both explore and keep an eye on the newest family member.

"Wow!" The summit was an enormous plateau area that slanted down slight before going much more sharply on the face. Aside from the observatory situated above the town a little bit, each small home and other building was level, each on concrete foundations that had heating, cooling and water pipes to provide the necessities. Each house was a single story tall, all connected by dirt roads. Some of them had metal sheds long and wide enough to cover space for a single car. From the end of the neighborhood was a small grocer, post office, power station that was using solar power before it hit the circular roundabout that was the shuttle terminal right in front of the observatory. The sun was shining down, yet the high altitude and gusts of wind made the hot weather much more tolerable.

Along the slopes, he saw a small group of pinkish pokemon that were frolicking about just underneath the homes. Some were smaller with dark ears and clung close to the larger ones which he assumed were parents. Elio knew the species already, having resided in the city in the shadow of the mountain where they were found.

Clefairy? I'm surprised they live this close to humans.

"I zpy zome new pokemon! Bzzt!" Rotom jumped right into his usual info dump. "Cleffa. Starshape pokemon. Said to have ridden on shooting stars. Cleffa often appear in places where meteorites have struck in the past. Cleffa is a fairy type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."

Rotom flipped his image to the larger one, which had a bigger body frame and a curled appendage on its back that almost looked like a pair of low hanging wings.

"Clefairy. Fairy pokemon. It is the evolved form of cleffa. Its adorable behavior and appearance make it popular among mena nd women. It's numbers are few however. Clefairy is a fairy type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."

Elio watched as the group of cleffa were jumping up and down while a rock seemed to float.

A floating rock?

The rock spun clockwise with five angular silver spokes at its edges. The cleffa happily jumped on it, but several were pulled down by their clefairy parents. He now saw that it was marked with dark spots and sporadic cracks along its jagged surface.

"Rotom, is that a pokemon too?"

"Oh yezzz it izzz! Time for another entry! Bzzt! Minior. Meteor pokemon. Born from mutated nanoparticles, the places where Minior fall are very few with Alola being a common place. This pokemon's diet of atmospheric dust influences the color of its core which is popular in Alolan fashion and lifestyles. Minior is a rock and flying type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."

"Lillie, look." Elio whispered, but it was unnecessary as the pokemon below couldn't hear him at this distance.

She came right up to his side and looked where he pointed. "Woah. That's amazing! I love clefairy! It's such a cute pokemon!"

"Well maybe when you decide to become a trainer, I'll see if I can catch one or a cleffa for you."

"Thank you Elio."

"Yeah...of course. Anything for you."

She blushed when he slipped his hand over hers and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Quite a bit of things here. I'm sure there's people who live here for the simple life too.

"This is such a cute town!" Lillie almost squealed out loud and went right to the other side railing where it was a steeper drop down. Just below them were the clouds obscuring the ground as well as a majority of the western area.

"Elio! Take my picture!" Excitement about something else seemed to show that she had forgotten about wanting a clefairy.

"Sure." Rotom floated over to him, activating his camera mode. Sun held it up as her face lit up one of the most beautiful smiles he had ever seen. Her eyes sparkled and she had spread her arms out as if taking it all in. As he snapped a picture, he had gotten a surprise when she curved to the side of the ground, standing on her hands as her legs went up into the air. Her hat loosened as it nearly fell off, but she completed the cartwheel and bounded right up to his side.

"Did you get it?"

He opened the library, having caught a couple of images of her in the middle of the act.

"When did you learn how to do cartwheels?"

"Since I was seven. My mother had me take gymnastics. I haven't done anything like that for a long time, but I still remember a lot."

"That was a really good one." Elio complimented. "I'm not that athletic. At least not to do that."

"I guess I'm better than you at that huh?" She shot him a smirk and put her hands on her hips.

Although he was being teased, Sun truly liked this side of Lillie where she was a lot more open, outgoing and dare he say it...a little bit flirty. He had yet to see a frown on her face and judging by how she watched the battle between him and Brady as well as just spending time around each other showed that she had come a long way from being a shy meek blonde living in the loft of Professor Kukui's lab shack.

If only she was a trainer, she could be an amazing traveling partner on a journey shared together.

"Alright, so now we need to take a picture together."

"Together?"

"Yeah! Here, you carry me!" She declared.

"I don't know about that."

"Oh come on!" Lillie crossed her arms and gave him that familiar pouty look. Sun tried his best not to waver, even though he found that expression of her...so darn cute.

"Carry me! Please?!"

"Pew!"

Elio shot the bag an incredulous look. "Nebby, you're supposed to be on my side!"

"Pew!"

Jangmo'o squeaked as he toddled by his trainer's leg, looking up expectantly.

"Of course." He knelt down and placed the baby dragon on his shoulder. Purring happily, he dug his claws into the side of his shirt, careful not to hurt his human friend before settling back inside the boy's backpack.

"Oh so you'll carry your pokemon companion but not me?"

Elio playfully rolled his eyes at that. "Alright, fine. But you asked for it."

"Asked for what?" Lillie was about to say something else when Elio moved forward, his left arm going straight for her legs. She let out a squeal of surprise when his swift motion had scooped her up and he carried her in front of him bridal style.

Lillie was extremely grateful that her wide brimmed hat was concealing her reddened face from him. She knew the practice traditionally done by newlyweds crossing the threshold of the door of their home on their first night as a married couple. The thought was always at the back of her mind as a lifelong dream since she was a little girl.

Hurry up Rotom, she's heavier than you think!

Rotom looked pleased with itself as it floated confidently up to their level and snapped a couple of pictures.

"Aaaaaand done! Bzzt! Now I shall zend them to your mother azzzz a pre-wedding photo yezzzz?"

"Wedding?" The two teens shared a confused glance before a brief moment of panic overcame them. "No! Don't do that!"

"Not yet. Noted for future reference! Bzzt!"

"Ah there you two alola manu are!"

Professor Kukui strode confidently towards them, straightening his rainbow themed cap atop his head. Like the other times they had seen him, his white lab coat was open and swayed gently in the wind. Since there was nothing taller or obstructive up here, the wind blew harshly and kicked up loose dirt that wasn't on the ground.

Elio felt Jangmo'o wiggle a little in his backpack and saw his small head peek out from the top flap. In a flash, he had already jumped out and scampered up to the older man, sniffing his shoes curiously like a little puppy.

"Well that's a surprise!" His smile grew when he glanced back at Elio. "Did you find this little guy wandering? It's a jangmo'o! They're incredibly rare pokemon!"

"Actually no professor. See, I got an egg on Akala Island for safekeeping and eventually it just kept on going around with me. It just hatched and he's already a handful."

Kukui nodded. "Yeah baby pokemon can be like that sometimes." He knelt down and picked the little dragon up, scratching his belly as it squeaked and flailed its tiny limbs in delight. "Jangmo'o love to have their bellies rubbed. You got yourself a nice pokemon."

"Well he isn't my pokemon yet." Elio admitted. "I didn't want him to feel so stressed out when he first hatched, so I let him tag along in his own way. In my bag."

"Just like Nebby." Lillie looked at Elio and as he met her gaze, they both giggled like little children.

"Anyway, this is Mauna Hokulani!" Kukui spread his arms wide out. "The second tallest peak in all of Alola."

He pointed behind them, "And see that steep, jutting, majestic peak right over the horizon there?"

Elio and Lillie turned around to see another mountain, this one much larger and taller than the one they stood on. Clouds did obscure its defining features, yet it towered over like a silent sentry. There were a few visible lights that could be seen close to the peak, some blinking others remaining solid.

Construction equipment. They're building something up there.

Even with it entirely not visible, both were amazed at the sheer size of it. Kukui had been right. It was indeed majestic.

"Check it out!" The professor pointed to it in the distance. "That's Mauna Lanakila. The highest peak in Alola!"

"That's really cool professor!" Elio's eyes shined bright as he already began to picture himself summiting the top and planting a firm declarant foot right at the tip.

"You bet it is cousin! It's a sacred spot yeah, the closest you can get to the lani above and the legendary pokemon of Alola said to be the moon incarnate!"

"Like Lunala?"

"Lunala?" Lillie piped up and coincidentally, Nebby peeked out of the open zipper of her bag with curiosity catching its own interest. "Do you think that's where we'll need to go to send Nebby home?"

"Could be. What else are we doing on Lanakila?" Elio looked back and fixed his gaze on the lights at the peak. "Ski resort? That would be awesome. I haven't done that since we had that huge snowfall on Mount Moon."

Kukui chuckled. "You sure you're good as me on those? Heh. Well maybe we can put it as a big ski place when we've got the success after my League project."

"League project?" Elio and Lillie asked at the same time.

"Of course! There's no better place to put Alola's very own Pokemon League! Woo! People are gonna get knocked dead like a sky drop! On the peak of the highest point of Alola will be where I establish the region's very first Pokemon League!"

Elio smiled as Kukui was making a fist and saw the man almost shaking with giddy excitement.

"I'm gonna get everyone up there who's finished their island challenges, yeah and line them up there on the peak of Mauna Lanakila where they will battle against the kahunas to become the island challenge champion! Woo!"

Sun couldn't believe his ears; Professor Kukui was heading up a project to start up Alola's own Pokemon League! All of it on a symbolic sacred site where humans and pokemon would bond together.

I won't even be done with the island challenge. I won't stop at just that. I'm hungry.

And hungry he was. Delusions of grandeur flooded his mind as he pictured himself holding up a trophy to confetti, cheering crowds with his battered team behind him as they fought tooth and nail to victory.

That's the endgame. That's where I can achieve my dream of becoming a master pokemon trainer. Just like those before me; Steven Stone, Diantha Rousseau, Cynthia Shirona.

Brendan Maple.

"So how would it work professor?" Elio was secretly hoping to get a glimpse of what he was up against when it happened. "How did the previous island challenge champions get their title?"

"Oh wouldn't you like to know cousin!" Kukui smirked, already catching onto what the boy was up to. "Back in the older days...mine to be exact," He paused, letting the two teens snicker briefly. "Once we collected each of the Z-crystals and defeated the four island kahunas, an island challenger would have to go to the summit of Mauna Lanakila and then face all four island kahunas in a row. One after the other."

"That sounds pretty similar to how the Indigo, Hoenn and Sinnoh Leagues work." While there weren't kahunas outside Alola, they were instead done by some of the most skilled and strong trainers in quartets giving them the name Elite Four. He remembered that now, regulations in some of the regions were now allowing challengers to pick the sequence in which Elite Four member they would face in their own custom order.

"I've always wanted to pay homage to our old traditions and customs." Kukui lowered his head and voice to a whisper. "As much as I would love to move, modernize and create, we must never forget where we came from and what we do to identify ourselves as a region and culture."

He opened his eyes. "But we're doing away with that. Our very own Pokemon League will be special and I want all trainers to strive to be the best they can possibly be with themselves and with their pokemon."

"That's amazing professor." Elio noted. "I'd love to participate in your League."

"And you will! Keep finishing all your trials and grand trials and that will mega punch you right into qualifying for the Alola League!"

"I cannot wait! Let's do it!"

Much to her embarrassment; Lillie had a slight bit of altitude sickness while they walked around, so Kukui took her inside the pokemon center to try and calm it down. They both promised to meet up with Elio after she felt better by the Hokulani Observatory, where he had confirmed where the next of his trials was going to take place.

Altitude sickness often came from people did vigorous activity up on higher elevations caused by the notably thinner oxygen levels. Lillie had shown two mild symptoms of discomfort often associated with it; dizziness and fatigue.

It's a good thing Professor Kukui took her inside to lie down. Elio thought to himself. Maybe it was from those cartwheels she did or something. While he hadn't experienced anything yet, he was still careful in doing the normal things to help acclimate his body to the differing environments. Slower more controlled breathing, regular hydration and whenever he felt queasy or sick, he fixated his gaze on the distant peak of Mauna Lanakila.

Exploring the grassy patches behind Mountaintop, Elio saw that the wildlife was vastly different. Jangmo'o was allowed to explore around with Torracat watching him closely. Some trainers were also wandering the winding roads and grass, searching for pokemon to catch or others to battle.

Elio defeated everyone who challenged him before searching through the grass for items inconspicuously dropped by trainers.

One of the things he had found was a yellow-golden technical machine. Rotom's scans indicated that it was a new model and the move it taught was volt switch, a strong electric type move that would return the user to its trainer and send out a replacement pokemon for mismatches.

"So Charjabug, you want to learn a new move?"

She had agreed and they had perfected the process in no time at all. He did some more practice battling in an area where few people passed by other than the occasional bus that went down to the terminus close to Malie City.

Jangmo'o was already becoming very proficient at battling, almost immediately picking a fight with a larger brown, red crested bird. As the two were tussling and exchanging blows; Rotom gave out the information on the new pokemon species.

"New pokemon detected! Bzzt! Fearow. Beak pokemon. It is the evolved form of spearow. It's tough and has excellent stamina. It has no problem flying continuously while carrying a heavy load. Fearow is a normal and flying type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."

Elio found that Jangmo'o was learning quickly in fighting by his commands. From his haunted 'Dex's information, he was able to already use the moves of tackle, protect and bide. The little lizard was surprisingly hardy, using his protect move to guard itself against the ongoing barrage of the fearow's fury attack and strong beak. Instead of forming a circular dome shield like others, it was a wide spread wall, closer to a reflect or light screen that extended a ways to the side.

It's almost like it can shield allies too.

Jangmo'o rolled on the ground, avoiding another peck from the fearow before he launched himself up in a tackle move that brought the bigger bird down and out of the fight. He squeaked in celebration and ran right over to Elio. Torracat was right behind him, clearly impressed at the face his young teammate had taken down a much more powerful foe.

"You did great buddy." He stroked the same favorite spot where Jangmo'o loved, right on the creature's belly. "I'm very proud of you."

"Bzzt! You two were right in sync! Bzzt!" Rotom chimed from beside him. "Why don't you go ahead and finally catch it? Bzzt!"

"That actually sounds like a good idea." Elio looked down at Jangmo'o. "What do you think? Want to go on an adventure with me and my ohana?"

Jangmo'o squeaked happily and jumped up and down. Clearly he was happy at that.

"Good! Now get ready! Every good capture needs a battle!" He motioned Torracat to move forward to begin, but the fire cat seemed reluctant.

"What's the matter?" He asked him. "We have to battle him in order to catch him."

Torracat purred while looking longingly at Jangmo'o across from him. If Elio had to guess anything, it was that he was going to be reluctant to attack someone he cared about.

"I know what you're thinking, but it's only one time. And a battle is a battle right?"

They were interrupted by Jangmo'o squeaking and he dashed right back over to their side. Using his hind legs, he dug inside Elio's backpack on the ground to drag out a white pokeball that had bits of crimson red trim along the seams and central release button. He settled down with it in front and bit on the top surface with his beaked mouth.

Wow. He's a lot smarter than I thought.

Elio knelt down in front of him, gently reaching out and moving his mouth away from the premier ball. They were rare to obtain and he happened to get just a couple of them as added bonuses when he bought standard poke balls from the mart.

"Hey buddy. Do you like this poke ball?" Jangmo'o paid no attention to him and kept hugging it close.

"I'll take it as a yes." Sun tugged it away from him and flipped on the arming mechanism. He took a moment to look it once over, satisfied that the capture matrix was empty and undamaged before popping the housing open. The targeting system immediately locked onto Jangmo'o's signature before sucking the creature inside with a reddish light.

The premier ball snapped closed with a high-pitched whistling sound he had never heard before as it settled onto the ground. To his surprise, the ball shook once before the button clicked to signify a successful capture.

"Aw yeah!" He made a fist with Torracat jumping up at his side to celebrate. "I caught a jangmo'o!"

"Congratzzz! Bzzt!" Rotom added in his own saluations. "I'm updating and analyzing itzzzz data! Bzzt! Aaaand done! Bzzt! Jangmo'o izzz a male and hazzz the ability bulletproof! It hazzz the movezzz tackle, protect and bide! Bzzt!"

"That was a pretty rockin' capture there!" Elio heard Professor Kukui's voice from the top of the hill and saw the man at the edge of the rail. "You got yourself a tough as dirt pokemon right there cousin!"

"Thanks Professor!" He shouted back. "How's Lillie?"

"She's feeling better. It's fun how much she gets worried after I told her she'd miss your trial."

Elio felt his face heat up at that, still a little disbelieving that she wanted to see him battle after being so vocally against them for some time.

But she is starting to find them fun. I've noticed that much.

"But I talked to the captain, they're ready and waiting for you if you are."

"Yeah I'm ready." Elio smiled examining his newest pokemon inside the ball. "Let's do it!"

It was a short walk back to the pokemon center where he had healed up his party in a quick manner and stocked back up on medicine and other essential items. One of the other clerks had access to more technical machines and he thought it would be good to invest some money into a couple that they sold there, despite the outrageous prices.

Well you know what those Unovan trainers always said when buying these infinite use TMs, you buy once and cry once.

He picked two of them; one teaching the move bulldoze, which Kukui had recommended for the upcoming trial and the other one with the move steel wing. Rufflet would be the best benefactor from that one, given how a steel type move could deal super effective damage to rock and ice types, which were two of his main weaknesses. Browsing the compatibility for bulldoze; he did see that Jangmo'o was able to learn it and immediately set the machine to teach it the new move.

Kukui and Lillie waited for him outside and he felt relieved that a little bit more color had returned to her pale features after rest and some refreshments. He did have to admit that the hike going up hills to the station at the base of the mountain was taxing and someone not conditioned to that kind of physical activity would probably take more time to recover from such a strenuous activity.

"Hey." He greeted her, almost completely ignoring the professor. Had he been paying attention, Sun would've noticed the growing smirk on his face.

"Hey. I'm okay." She gave him a soft smile. "I guess I just got exhausted and a little sick from being so high on a mountain. But I feel much better now, so you bet I'm going to see your trial!"

"That's great. I'd love it if you watched. But I understand if you're not comfortable...since you don't like pokemon getting hurt and all."

Lillie nodded, thankful for how considerate he was being. "Thank you. But I think that battles are looking a little bit fun with the pokemon having just as much as their trainers. I'm trying to not have such a closed mind on the matter. So I'll cheer you on no matter how I feel!"

Her words made Elio feel all soft again and he could help but stare at her as she clutched her arms close to her chest while the mountain wind blew gently at her hair.

I could stare at her all day.

"Um, we should get going."

"That's a good idea cousin!" Kukui said, making him realize he was still standing beside them. "I can't have you two with a foresight on each other forever! You're only sixteen for the tapu's sake!"

As they approached the Observatory and crossed the front courtyard, Elio saw a wide space in front which was flanked by sidewalks that led to the two sets of doors at the center of the building. The big dome was on the right hand side while the left looked to house a few other facilities that he guessed were things related to space exploration and studying the unknown.

The fact that they had just discovered a pokemon from space weeks earlier was astounding. Hoenn's champion Brendan Maple had saved the world from a cataclysmic meteor which turned out to be a vessel carrying a being known as Deoxys. With the aid of the legendary Rayquaza, he had battled and successfully captured it, using it on occasion in battle while allowing the Mossdeep Space Center to study it from time to time. Some of the properties they said in an article about it were oddly similar, including how a poke ball had effortlessly captured it while in space. No such thing had ever been done before. Brendan was the unlikely first.

A man stood out in the front, giving a friendly wave to the group. He had sandy blonde hair and wore a pair of khakis with a blue shirt over a lanky frame. There was a pair of thin rimmed silver glasses over his nose and eyes. Elio noticed it was more of a "nerdy" look, but he couldn't help thinking he had seen him before somewhere.

"Hey there Mo!" Despite the different body types and appearances, Kukui strode up to him and they gave one another a big hearty hug with an audible clap as their hands slapped another right on their backs. It made Elio flinch slightly.

"Still fired up as ever...eh Royal?" Mo grinned through the embrace. "It's good to see you again Emilio."

So these two are on a first name basis.

Elio's thoughts stopped in his tracks the moment his mind crossed off that Mo had called the professor; Royal.

Wait a minute! Did that just confirm Professor Kukui's Masked Royal alter ego?

The professor himself hadn't caught on like Elio did, but let out a laugh as they separated. "Ha, good one man!"

"Hey Lillie!" Mo waved at her. "How's the little one?"

"Oh, Nebby's great!" Her smile broadened and their attention was all on her bag as it shook and the little cloud ball pokemon jumped out, practically racing for Mo.

"I'm glad to see you too Nebby!" He chuckled as it circled around his shoulders and he gave it a pat on the head. "Why don't you head back into the bag? We don't want anyone else here to see you that isn't supposed to."

At Lillie's urging, the cosmog reluctantly dove back inside, but he could see a pair of playful yellow eyes peering out from the darkness within the opening.

"Lemme introduce you cousin." Kukui said. "Elio, this is Molayne. I call him Mo for short."

"Last name's Pitt. Ah so you're Kukui's prodigal trainer." He reached out for a handshake, which Elio accepted. Unlike Kukui's grip, Molayne's was a bit less firm, but he kept a harder eye contact. "I'm the director of the Hokulani Observatory as you probably might've guessed. I also manage the PC servers in the various fixtures around Alola."

"That's pretty cool." Elio said. "You the captain?"

Molayne laughed. "Oh that's good. Heh, but actually no. I used to be a trial captain, but I left that position years ago. Kukui here always gave me merry hell about the stuff we'd do off duty."

"Exactly! Molayne and I go a long way back cousin! We were fellow trainers just like you and Hau on your island challenge back some twelve years ago."

"Thirteen." A smirk flashed across Molayne's features. "We were sixteen when we started remember? You're getting old, like I've said."

"Hold up." Elio held up his hand. "Professor, I remember you had a picture of you when you and kahuna Hala were younger. Is that Molayne also in there too?"

"Yeah that's exactly right! You've got a mind reader of a memory! Soon enough, it's going to be you and Hau who will have a picture like that in your house to commemorate your journey! Woo!"

"I'm actually looking forward to it. There was someone else in there too, but I don't remember what he looked like. Do you all reminisce about old times together over food and drinks like a reunion?"

"Well," Kukui's voice trailed off and Molayne stared at the ground with a pebble apparently catching his interest. "Molayne's busy especially with the new discovery of Deoxys and other cosmic things happening in the deep unknown."

"I'm more busy than his wife actually. Today I seem to be having a bigger break than normal. I'm honestly starting to get a little suspicious."

"Right. It's quiet…too quiet."

"Exactly my train of thought Elio." Molayne pointed at him with both fingers. "Thanks anyway for coming all this way up to Hokulani. You didn't get mountain sickness did you?"

"I did." Lillie sheepishly admitted. "I didn't know that all this hiking was going to be exhausting. I guess I should've better prepared."

"You did. Don't worry. We're all here to make sure you're okay." Elio assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder. He looked away, but Lillie shuddered at his touch, feeling slight calluses at the base of his hand and fingertips.

"Of course. I always keep anti-nauseating pills close by, so if you start to feel sick, let me know. It takes travelers by surprise all the time."

"Thank you. I don't really want to be in the way of Elio's trials if that happens."

Lillie you're not being a bother at all. In fact, I'd rather have you here by my side as I try and complete it!

"Our captain Sophocles is a busy man all the time. Always calculating comets' paths or working on that Festival Plaza of his."

"Wait, this captain created Festival Plaza?" Elio asked again, still incredulous over the next info dump he kept on getting. The social media website had seemed to spring up overnight, allowing users to post statements, pictures and videos among a few of the things to share with tagged friends and followers. Although it was mainly tailored towards pokemon trainers, it branched out to hundreds or maybe thousands of other topics from tips of home care to a compilation of online fails posted for a daily laugh. A lot of famous trainers like Cynthia Shirona had their own accounts with millions of followers. Elio's first big trainer he had begun to follow was Brendan Maple, who already had more than four million subscribed to his feed.

"He sure did. Right in his house."

Isn't that how stuff like the Poketch and C-Gear companies start? By some nerd or geek living in their parents' basement?

"So while we wait for him to finish up, how about I test to see if you're qualified to take it on. Plus, I want to see how Kukui's prodigy battles for myself."

Elio felt his blood pump with excitement. "You're challenging me to a battle?"

"Of course. Why not have a friendly bout while we wait?"

"I don't mind at all."

"Excellent. We have a courtyard in front that we can use."

Molayne led them down the sidewalks all while explaining all the different nebulas, comets and planets the Observatory has studied. It's incredible power was merely an amplifier though with its main basic mechanism similar to a telescope bought at the store.

"This is an ideal location because the light pollution is incredibly low. Close to a more lit up city like Hau'oli or Celadon City, it blocks out some of the dimmer stars and even the more luminous ones can be difficult to observe. We're also above most water vapor, if you saw the clouds underneath us, which removes another obscurity commonly associated with observing."

"Can you take us there another time?"

"Of course." Molayne arrived at the side of the field and took his spot. "For now, let's get this battle done and your trial complete. I'm eager to see what you'll do and show you the skills of a trainer who toughened up adventuring alongside Kukui back in the day!"

"Hey Lillie." Kukui whispered. "Do you want to referee?"

"Me? Referee?" She stammered, already thinking about all the ways she could mess things up.

No way! What if I referee and declare Elio the loser?

"I think Elio would be surprised and delighted to see you step up. Don't you think so?"

"Well...yeah. I'll do it."

"You'll do great." Kukui encouraged her as she stepped up.

"Okay...here I go." She caught Elio smiling at her, which gave her a little bit more courage and confidence. "I can do this. Um...this is a...uh three on three battle?" Glancing back at Kukui, he gave her a thumbs up. "A three on three battle! The winner will be declared when all pokemon on one party's side is unable to battle further! Trainers, do you...uh accept these terms?"

"Yes."

Molayne nodded. "Yes."

"Then let the battle start! Trainers, send out your pokemon!"


This is where I leave it off. We've got a battle next and the electric type trial! And some other things too. Only time is going to tell what happens next! I'll be seeing everyone.

Translations:

Alola manu - Lovebirds

Lani - Heavens

As always, mahalo for reading and reviewing. You give my writing purpose. I'll see you again where I'll hopefully be refreshed and energized to continue plugging away at this. Again, if you need to ask me anything, just want to chat or a progress update, shoot me a PM. I don't bite. Unless provoked. :)

Brav