Alola readers! It's Brav again with another AHHK chapter! Right on time as I aimed to get one final update before July ended!

Hope everyone is doing well. Stay safe and wash your damn hands.

Enjoy the chapter all.


No sooner than when I just caught my first pokemon. It was taken from me.

Team Skull attacked the Aether House and a giant salazzle ran rampant around, scaring all of the kids.

Hau, Leilani and I tried to fight it. I never knew this was going to be my first official pokemon battle, but I lost. The salazzle hit Kalua with one flamethrower attack and knocked her out.

Then it swiped her. Along with Kari's yungoos! Even Jangmo'o came into the fight and it ended up getting taken too!

How am I going to explain to Elio that all these pokemon were abducted? While he was on the trial, counting on me to watch over them all?


Elio burst into the lobby of the Aether House to find a complete mess.

Furniture was knocked askew, scorch marks plastered the white walls and he saw small puddles of water and the oily film of a poison type along the floor.

Acerola had vanished into one of the rooms where he heard her voice along with a dozen other high pitched ones of the kids.

"What happened?" He asked as Hau walked in behind him.

"Team Skull ambushed us." The kahuna's grandson breathed, glancing out as if he was worried about something. "This huge salazzle basically wrecked the whole place! We all tried to fight it off, but we also didn't want to risk ruining everything around us."

Elio looked around at the amok carnage. That couldn't be avoided.

"But I was stupid. That thing jumped around, surprised everyone and snatched a lot of pokemon before we could do anything."

They kidnapped pokémon? That's rather unusual. Why try to do it here when there's easier pickings all over the island?

Elio swallowed a lump in his throat. He knew that while many of the pokémon that lived in the Aether House could be found elsewhere; they held a sentimental value to the kids who raised them as trainers.

"Let's just try and get things under control." He finally said. "Then we'll decide on what to do."

How could we let this happen? Lillie asked herself as she held a sobbing Kari. The little girl's yungoos was one of the three pokémon that Team Skull had made off with. She had fought back tears of her own since Kalua was the second.

And the third?

Elio wasn't going to be happy about it.

"Wha-what are we going to do?" Kari sniffled, her eyes turning red from the constant fuss. "I can't sleep without her."

Lillie wanted nothing more than to tell the little girl that everything was going to be okay. But she had no idea how it was going to turn out. She felt just as much worry for Kalua, who was also in their clutches. The huge salazzle caused chaos, swiped the pokemon and was out within seconds before Hau could even issue an order to Acheron to try and stop it.

Acerola has slowly opened the door, peering in hesitantly with a look of concern. "Hey there. Is everyone all right?"

The blonde gave a hesitant nod. "We're okay. Just still a little shaken up."

"I'm sorry," she said. "It's all my fault."

Lillie was vaguely aware of Elio entering the room and him looking at her. She refused to meet his gaze.

I failed him as a trainer and as someone responsible for watching his pokemon.

His footsteps grew closer as he approached. "Lillie?"

Kari automatically detached herself from her arms and ran over to Elio, throwing her own arms around his leg and still crying. The boy paused before a look of realization went upon his face, likely figuring out it was her pokemon that had gotten stolen.

"It's okay. We'll get her back. I'm going to find out who did this."

His expression darkened when he said that and Lillie knew that his determination as well as fierceness would multiply tenfold when he found out both of their pokemon were also the ones abducted.

"I'm sorry Elio. I failed as a trainer already."

Acerola came to tend to Kari as Elio finally addressed her. Lillie hesitantly took a step back as if she was expecting a reprimand from him.

Why does something bad have to happen to me when something good does too?

Instead, he lunged forward. Arms wrapping around her back, his hug was something she had desperately needed. Lillie was still wondering if she deserved something like this, even as she cried softly in his arms.

Kalua was my responsibility. So was Jangmo'o.

"I'm sorry Elio."

"Me too."

It took almost an hour to get the rest of the kids calmed down and everyone else had met in the lobby after several of them decided that it was good for the younger ones to nap. Not only did it leave some peace and quiet, but it was the perfect time to start coming up with a strategy.

Despite Hau's own flustered attempts to defend himself, Elio didn't blame him one bit. Nobody could've expected Team Skull to raid the place so brazenly. He may have seen more members on Ula'ula Island, but they were all behaving the same like on the others.

It's just not like them to go into a place that's already under a good amount of surveillance and grab three pokemon they likely targeted specifically. Someone with at least half a brain had to plan this.

It wouldn't have surprised him if it was Plumeria.

"What are we going to do?" Hau asked. "We can't let those thieves get away with this!"

"We don't have much of a choice Hau." Elio reminded him. "You've seen what kind of things happen to pokemon that go into those underground fighting rings that Interpol bust every few years. What do you think is going to happen when you've got young ones like Kalua and Jangmo'o up against something monstrous?"

Lillie visibly paled. Kalua could be ripped apart alive! Oh no!

He leaned forward. "That's not happening. I'm not going to let that happen."

"You can't be serious," Hau shook his head. "There has to be another way."

"There isn't." Elio's voice turned serious. "We wait and argue about this is one less second all those pokemon could be hurt or worse."

"You're officially pupule." He shook his head. "You can't expect to waltz right in there without backup."

"That's what Plumeria said. I show any sign I've brought friends and the deal's off."

"Then maybe we call the police to help you surround them? Po Town can't be that bad."

Acerola spoke up quietly. "Team Skull's taken over Po Town entirely. It's like their private playground. Things have gotten so bad that even the cops are hesitant to go in there."

"See what I mean? They're going to be completely useless and probably not listen to a sixteen year old kid. Nothing short of a K9 unit is going to help me." Elio stood up. "I have to do this alone and the way they want."

"No." His blood ran cold when Hau's own expression turned to one of defiance. It wasn't like his friend to get this riled up. "You're going to be walking into a trap. They know you're coming."

Sun's eyes blazed with anger. "Your pokemon wasn't stolen."

"I know that!" Hau snapped irritably. "And if mine was, I wouldn't be acting so irrational and walking right into a pyroar den just to save one mareep."

"Would you do it if Leilani was in there?"

"That's not fair! This isn't about me!" He looked almost to terms of shoving Elio. "You need to stop and think about what you are going to do. It's a death warrant for you and the pokemon."

"Hau there's no negotiating on this. Team Skull wants me...the Skullbane to come to their base in Po Town by myself if we want any hope of getting Jangmo'o, Kalua or Kari's yungoos back. By the time we get help, it'll be hours or even days before we can mount any type of action. I'm the best shot we have at getting them out in a reasonable time."

"But Hau could be right." Lillie's voice and expression quavered with worry. "You could be walking right into a trap. Even if you get to Po Town, what are you planning to do?"

"Storm the place, grab the pokemon, thrash anyone who gets in my way and then I'll nail Guzma to the front door. He's never beaten me full on."

"Actually Guzma's beat you pretty handily." Hau pointed out.

Way to kill the mood bro.

"Okay he's never beaten me twice."

Both Hau and Lillie exchanged uncertain looks.

"Look, if you guys have a better plan, I'm all ears. But like I said; I'm the best chance we have of getting everyone out without casualties. Think of it like I'm off on a mission to rescue the poor people being held captive by a dragon."

"Except the dragon is a crazy jerk who loves watching pokemon rip each other to scraps." Hau muttered, still unhappy with how things were going. "I just kind of wish you would put down the hero act and find another solution."

Elio turned to him. "I just said I'm open to other ideas if they're concrete to work. So far, you've come up with nothing."

The boy threw his arms up. "I can't think of anything! Ugh! This is frustrating."

It's a delicate situation.

"Why are you so insistent on going alone?" Lillie spoke up quietly. "This isn't just your problem."

He looked at her again. "This way, I'm the only person who is going to put themselves at risk. Nobody is going to be getting hurt except for me."

"But what if you do get hurt?!" She pleaded. "That's not fair to everyone?"

"It's worth it if I can get everyone back safe."

Lillie let it slide, but like Hau, she was beginning to think that Elio had the wrong train of thought about all of this.

Ugh, why do you have to be a hero all the time? And why is it I think I understand boys, only for them to prove that I know nothing better?


After some time of debate, everyone seemed to have an agreeable plan of having Elio go in to retrieve the pokémon, in Team Skull's hands.

Acerola did her best to comfort an upset Kari, but many of the other kids were already in the middle of putting together a little going away package for Elio. The trial captain had warned him that even with the road to Po Town having more than its share of rough characters, that entire part of the island was almost always overcast, more often raining than not.

That meant he had a lot of preparing to do. Waterproof shoes, raingear that was more than likely to get soaked and spare pairs of clothes, especially socks.

There's nothing worse than getting wet feet and having to wear it for the rest of the day.

Even his backpack had a tarp over it that would cause rainfall buildup to slide off for a time. All of his raingear was waterproof, but all it could take was one little leak and it soak everything.

This is the right thing to do. He told himself for the tenth time. You're doing this for Kari, Jangmo'o and Kalua. They're counting on me.

He hated the thought of arguing with Hau. His best friend still had a point despite disagreeing. They could certainly come with backup anyway. Professor Kukui would swing the odds majorly in their favor and seeing themselves surrounded, they'd be more concerned about their survival than being their usual stubborn selves.

Or it could go the exact opposite direction and Team Skull would burn Po Town to the ground, believing it was better to disappear than to have their sins exposed.

And then all the pokemon they've stolen would die or be released into a hostile environment. That's something I don't want to happen.

He sensed a presence behind him and visibly tensed. The urge to snap was irresistible.

"If you're here to try and make me reconsider, save your breath."

"Oh I." Elio mentally hit himself once he heard Lillie's soft voice. "I uh...came to see if you were doing okay."

"Yeah." Rubbing his temples, he shook his head and sighed. "Yeah I'm fine."

She slowly entered the room behind him. "I know you're still upset with Hau. And he's worried he really made you angry."

"I'm not angry." Elio's snappy attitude betrayed his own intention. "I'm just stressed that this all got here like a ten ton slab. I don't think I've ever thought I'd go from clearing my arguably hardest trial yet to mounting a one man rescue mission in a day."

"He still thinks you are crazy."

Good. I'm not changing my mind about this.

He turned around to gaze at her. If anything, he needed her to be there and calm him down. She looked so concerned and vulnerable that he wanted nothing more than to put his arms around her body and soothe her to sleep.

"And what about you?"

"I think you're crazy too." She finally said after a few moments of silence. "Not because you're doing this. But because you're doing this by yourself and you've rebuked any of our tries to give you help."

"Acerola and the kids are getting me stuff together like pokemon medicine and food. It's not exactly down the street from here. I like to think that's some help I didn't refuse."

"That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?"

Lillie sighed. Hau was right. Sometimes talking to Elio is like the same as a brick wall. Stubborn and unmoving.

"You know...for the longest time. I thought you were such an amazing trainer and person. I still do. I think the world of you and so does Nebby. You're a lot of things...and one of your strongest traits...one of the things I love the most about you...is your biggest weakness."

She swore a shade of pink flashed across his cheeks, but he remained expressionless.

"You're such a compassionate person. You always like to make sure everyone around you is safe, happy and grateful."

Where is she going with this?

"You care so much about everyone else...that you don't care about yourself."

"That's not true."

Lillie's green eyes hardened. "Then why is it so hard for you to accept the help we've tried to offer you! Why is it so hard to change your mind about everything?"

"Oh wonderful. You don't get it either." Elio threw his hands up in despair. "Because there's no other way! I've told you and Hau already if they have any better options that are viable. And every single one you've suggested either don't work or they're a bad idea! These people aren't after you or Hau or these kids. They're after me. I've been causing them problems and beating their members in battle over and over. I'm the source. Once they get me, they'll stop coming after us or I'll find out something as to why."

"But that means you'll get hurt!"

"Exactly. I'll be the only one endangered. Nobody else has to get involved."

"I don't like this. At all."

"I don't expect anyone to." Elio turned back to his fresh pile of clothes. He reached up, pulling off his shirt and exposing his pale skin. There was just a faint tan line halfway down his forearm from being outside in the sun for so long.

The blonde was about to say something else, but the words left her mouth as she finally got an uncontested look at Elio's shirtless self.

Sure, she had seen him without one before when they had been on the beach on Akala Island and when they roomed together as he always slept without a shirt on; but something about right now seemed to make her own face heat up exponentially.

Perhaps it was the fact that they were alone. Nobody was coming to disturb them. Not that they were aware of.

Her own hands wanted to drift forward. His entire midsection was well-trimmed with neither an overly muscular nor slim build.

Why do I have this sudden urge to run my hands all over him? Lillie blinked, trying to clear her thoughts.

"Are you okay?" Elio asked after a moment's pause.

Say yes. Say something.

"I...I. Just put a shirt on!" Lillie burst out. "I can't stop looking at your...body. It's...amazing."

Now it was his turn to blush, but he obliged, grabbing a clean shirt and wiggling his head and arms through.

"There." Now that he's decent and I'm no longer distracted. I can tell him. "Elio. You're such an amazing person. Your body's amazing and you take good care of it. But you're so compassionate, you're always that one to put the wellbeing of others above your own."

"I can't think of an alternative here. You're right. I'm not a fan of this at all. If there was any other way we could do this with less risk, believe me when I say I would've preferred that."

"But you're putting yourself in harm's way." She whispered softly. "Please. Stay. Stay with me where we can come up with something better."

Elio's own voice softened. "We can't. Wait any longer and you might never see Kalua again." He saw her eyes start to tear up, but this was something she had to hear and understand why he was so fixated and adamant on doing this his way. "Plus I'm not putting you in harm's way. I have to do this by myself."

"Then at least have Hau with you."

"No. Not negotiable either. I'm not letting anyone hurt you what that prick tried to last night." Basically because I'm actually going to heed Gladion's warning and have someone who knows what's up to guard Nebby. "Please. Just do it for me. It will be worth it when I come back with our pokemon and you're still here safe. If nothing happens, I'll just say my hunch was wrong and you'll have an apology." He smirked at her. "And maybe I'll get you a gift."

Lillie returned his tender smile. "Just promise me you'll come back. I know there's no fighting you on this, but I need you."

I need you to hold me in your arms as I fall asleep.

Unbeknownst to her; Elio was fully intent on coming back to do such an inviting thing. Except he was already thinking up a notch. The only thing he imagined that was even more crude and...suggestive was having her under underneath him; naked and screaming his name.

No. Goddammit stop that. That's extremely inappropriate!

He banished the thought from his head and nodded at her. "Okay. You got a promise. I'll be back here as soon as I'm done with your pokemon. She'll be more than happy to see you."

Lillie looked ready to burst into tears again.

"Hey." He cupped her chin, tilting it up so she looked at him. "You are in no way...a bad trainer. Don't let this define you."

"But I lost my pokemon."

"You can't control that. Now I'm going to get her back. Just you wait. She and Nebby will be back to playing together like nothing happened at all."

"Pew."

He smiled at the little cloud pokemon. "I'm gonna miss you buddy."

Nebby was more than happy to have the top of its head scratched by the boy and he blew it a kiss. "You take care of Lillie while I'm gone okay?"

She smiled at their little "family" and hugged him one last time, wistfully letting go with the hope he would be returning for another in a few hours.

Be safe Elio.


Elio had a big send off from Acerola and the kids as he received a handful of different healing medicines for his pokemon and a sack that had enough food to sustain him for at least the remainder of the day.

At least when I'm done, I can call a charizard and blow this popsicle stand. The sooner, the better I can see Lillie again and reunite her with Kalua.

Rotom Dex had been given the directions to Po Town, which pointed down past the water channels to the north. The road snaked into the jungle past the Aether House and the map indicated it went away. He could blaze a path through, but it would take more time than going through the water.

Hardly anyone was around in the ocean as he approached. Only a couple of fishing vessels were farther out, but it was odd with a lack of other recreational craft like speedboats or yachts. The waves weren't choppy either. Perfect for cruising briskly at sea.

He brought out his ride pager to call for a sharpedo. The rocks lining the mouth of the waterways would be perfect for smashing through them with the brutal pokemon's fast speeds and iron hard blunt nose.

Instead of the usual beep to confirm a ride was on its way; the device remained dark.

"Huh?"

That's strange.

He tried it again, no avail. Then the usual turning the device off and then on again. Nothing was working. The software had seemingly locked him out of its main menu.

Elio wasn't a whiz with electronics, but even he could tell he was being restricted from accessing it for its use.

Okay for real. What's going on?

He had no intentions of wasting all day to find out and quickly devised an alternative.

Nani emerged from her ball as he released her and she quickly spotted the ocean, spinning around in delight.

"Hey girl." The milotic cooed softly at him. "So I'm out in need of a ride over some water. And my pager doesn't seem to be working. Care to lend a hand?" She nodded, slithering to the water's edge and diving in. Nani surfaced a moment later and Elio realized it was going to be a rather wet trip since most of her body was just underneath the waves. She was completely stable, not rocking side to side like most boats or a ride lapras that floated on the surface.

Elio frowned, now realizing that his shorts were about to get wet from being submerged.

It's a good thing they can double as swimwear. Otherwise having them waterlogged would suck tenfold.

Guess he was going to have to get wet.

Unlike the bulky lapras or the bulletlike sharpedo; Nani swam more like a river, easily curving her serpentine body through the narrow confines of the jutting rocks on the surface. No doubt a danger to passing boats, it was likely up to the responsibility of the pokémon around to destroy them and prevent any unnecessary damage to traffic.

Today he didn't have to worry about them. Some of the rocks drifted close together, but Nani easily contorted past them as she briskly moved.

Elio straddled her back, finding a small part of her neckline to lace his hands around and he cinched his legs tightly as he steered her around the bends.

It's like driving a boat. Except the boat's my own pokémon.

The sun was nearing its strongest, right around noon and he checked his own progress, a little disheartened he had only made it roughly a tenth of the way there. The humidity was starting to get to the uncomfortable point, only furthering his dislike for muggy weather.

I hope there's a desert somewhere nearby.

That means I'll get to Po Town late this afternoon. I'd hurry if that damn pager didn't malfunction.

Nevertheless, he cruised past other small islands that lined the coastline, all within swimmable distance past the bluffs. Most of them had their share of vegetation, but others had small docks with anchored boats and a house or two. He saw one of them with a rather large house that took up the center of a hill on one of the islands.

Some people are just that rich they can afford to live on their own personal island.

He had to guess that some of the homes that were like that weren't all permanent residences. Owning an entire island was an expensive affair and having one this far out from any "big" town aside from the Tapu Village was a perfect place to getaway from the city hustle and bustle. Perhaps they were vacation homes.

One did catch his eye though. It looked like a lodge with a path that led up to its steps at the bottom. The dock was a little larger than the ones he had seen on the other islands and it had a familiar logo on a board just next to the building.

"Surf Association, World Surfing League Alola Headquarters"

His thoughts drifted towards Leilani and her injury. Even though it was a far fetched idea; he briefly considered going inside to see if there was anything done about the incident.

I dunno. The last thing the league would want is a bitter feud between two rivals. Media would love that. They'd eat it up.

It made his own blood boil that Sabine so blatantly had gotten away with the heinous act. As they steered around the island with the lodge, Elio pulled out his phone, looking up the latest news on it. He was careful not to drop it, otherwise it would be lost in the ocean forever.

And I know for a fact that Mom isn't going to get me a new one right away.

Recent articles had mixed feelings. Sabine had since won two of the three Triple Crown events for the women's while a Hoenner had won the third. The island region was a constant major player, with board surfing being the official watersport.

Sabine had denied any involvement, but still maintained a friendly smile as she went over her plan to win once again at the next event in the Oblivia archipelago. She was favored in the majority of her heats.

Elio enjoyed the look on her face when he had swiped one of her beach towels, claiming he had to dry himself once he and Lillie had their fun time together on Kukui's boat. It was a mix of anger, shock and surprise that he wished that Rotom 'Dex was around to snap a photo.

Should I send it back?

He wasn't sure. It was an expensive towel, clearly made with some higher quality material that just the regular cotton ones he had seen at stores.

Maybe I will. Right after I use it to wipe my ass and armpits.

Elio smiled to himself, half delight at the thought and half surprised he was thinking so deviously.

As much as he wanted to go in and inquire, he still had a schedule to keep. He edged Nani forward and they passed the lodge, heading further north.

The ride to back to the shore where the road met up again was uneventful. A couple of trainers challenged him to battles, but they had all been nothing he couldn't handle with Rufflet. He didn't want to lose his mount by putting Nani in and he was pretty sure Akela and Torracat hated the water anyway. Not that it mattered; Rufflet was getting incredibly strong and fast with every battle. Elio loved his eagerness to fight, but even as they moved along, the little eaglet would end up picking fights with other pokemon. Not that it mattered much about retaliation; Rufflet had scored many hits and knockouts without taking much himself.

Perhaps he'll evolve soon?

Elio hopped off Nani as she closed in on the sandy shore and returned her to her poke ball, promising a long rest. It still looked like another regular part of Alola, but he saw the unsightly dark clouds hanging over where the road had rejoined and lead ahead.

That's right where I'm going too. Fantastic.

Fortunately there was a "mini" pokémon center along with what constituted as a rest stop. Unlike the others; this one only functioned as a basic healing, with a nurse practitioner on duty. It didn't have a full on trauma unit that was able to treat bigger and more serious injuries like what had happened to Arclight. It also didn't have any lodging options and a small selection of pre-packaged snacks and drinks that could be purchased.

Just thinking about his vikavolt still under intensive care from absorbing Raijin's lightning made him vow to visit the Tapu Village center once he was done to see how she was doing.

Hopefully better. I know she wants to get back into battling, but we'll see what the doctors and nurses say first.

There wasn't really anything else of note, save for another one of the white colored Aether Foundation portable labs just beside the mini center.

Makes sense the Aether Foundation would have some sort of office here. Probably on every island too.

He almost considered going in and asking for their help. Surely they wouldn't turn a blind eye to a gang smuggling and pit fighting pokémon against one another. The practice was illegal in just about everywhere, but every time authorities had busted a ring, a new one popped up somewhere else. It was a vicious cycle. Even the professional battlers in the regional leagues had adopted techniques and strategies that were similar to ones used in pit fighting. While vicious, the pros had been careful not to ensure it remained legal while still giving them an advantage.

Then of course there was always that one really good trainer with the questionable or amoral training methods.

Elio was sure the Aether Foundation would lend him a hand in taking down Guzma and his gang.

But if they would have, why hadn't they done so already? A field office was just down the road from Po Town so to speak.

He didn't know why, but something told him involving Aether wasn't a good idea. No matter how much Lusamine admired his skill and talent.

Shame. They have so much influence on the Alola region that shutting down this thing Guzma has got running could really discourage others from doing the same around there.

It didn't take long for his pokémon to get fully healed and he took the opportunity to use a rather conveniently placed washer and dryer in the rest stop to dry out his soaked shorts and damp socks.

Imagine this will be a godsend once we're out of this rain.

A snack later and his things out of the machine, he was back on the road.


Right before the road arched right towards Po Town, he came across the Ula'ula Meadow. Just like on Melemele Island, it was a huge field of various flowers that went up to his chest. They were spread out as far as the eye could see to his right and up to a lipped area where a neat lining of rocks prevented them from interfering with the road that hugged the island's side in between it and the ocean.

Elio was pretty sure there were more wild pokémon that inhabited the tall plants just like on Melemele Island, but this one instead had tall wooden walkways that spanned over the top to have travelers come and go without having to risk going in to encounter a hostile wild pokémon.

He needed all the strength possible in order to face down Team Skull. So it was an easy option of which path to take.

The walkways had a railing on the side so anyone wouldn't fall over and some areas had a display plaque. Elio scanned them with his eyes, seeing something about the history of Ula'ula Island's formation, how it was the youngest in the chain and a story of how Tapu Bulu, the second of the four deity siblings, had laid claim over the island.

So the Tapu are all related? They all look different but the same. And a lot of mythology is like things happening between a royal ruling family.

Elio looked over, seeing a multitude of pokémon rustling around in the growth. His stomach growled at the same time. Maybe it was time for just a quick lunch break.

"New pokémon detected!" Rotom buzzed happily and his trainer was more than happy to let his haunted companion explain new species to him. It helped to get his mind off the heavier things in his head.

Rotom has focused on a small plantlike pokemon that had a humanoid appearance like a young girl. Three long leaves sprouted from its head.

"Petilil. Bulb pokémon. Although the leaves on its head are bitter enough to cause dizziness, they provide relief from weariness, even more so when boiled. Petilil is a grass type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokémon."

He moved onto a taller feminine pokémon that had a slender green body with a flanking collar of the same ruby red flowers. It moved in the air as if levitating like a graceful phantom. Close by, he saw flabebe and floette playing around under its watchful supervision.

"Florges. Garden pokemon. It is the evolved form of Floette. It can have a lifespan of several hundred years. It's said to devote its entire life to protecting gardens and training floette to curate gardens of their own. Florges is a fairy type and a female only species. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."

By the time he had finished spouting off the rest of the information, Elio was ready to go again after wolfing down one of the sandwiches and drinking nearly half his bottle of water. Looking up, he could see the dark clouds again rolling in from the oceanside and set his raingear on the top of the backpack's pouch. A couple oricorio in a deep red shade were standing close by and fluttered into the flowers as he approached.

Rotom floated beside him, also recording the new entry. Since he had already discovered oricorio as a pokemon, finding the new difference allowed a new sub-entry to be unlocked.

"Oricorio in the Baile style wins the hearts of others with its vibrant passionate dancing. As it moves, it finds an opening and bathes the opponent in beautiful flames. Baile oricorio are fire and flying type. Additional information is available upon capturing this pokemon."

Elio actually liked how each island that he had visited featured a vastly different form of oricorio just like how Lillie had described. And not only were the forms different, so were the typings. She also had said she once assisted Professor Kukui in categorizing how the oricorio could change based on their habitats on differing islands and he theorized it was in the nectar of the flowers that they fed upon. Different properties of said flowers altered the pokemon's form.

He figured it was time to stop sightseeing and continue on, but noticed one other person as he approached the edge of the meadow. The path gradually ascended on a hill until he couldn't see over the horizon.

However the person had a familiar gait and eyewear and had heard him coming. As far as he could tell, they were the only people in the meadow.

"Oh well if it isn't Elio." Branch Chief Leon Faba gave off a familiar pompous smirk and strode forward, hand on hip. "How splendid it is to see you child! Where might you be off to?"

Elio gave him a half wave. "Alola. Branch Chief Faba. Heading into Po Town."

"Po Town?!" Faba's own eyes widened. "Isn't that where all those Team Skull thugs come from? You're going right into their nest?"

"Yeah. Some of their gang stole some pokemon from the Aether House and they want me to go and get it."

Faba's eyes narrowed. "Surely you know that it is a trick? Even the police are afraid to go into Po Town for good reason."

Elio felt his blood run cold at that. But at the same time, he couldn't let the fear or nervousness get the better of him. "I know. I'm walking right into an ambush. I've got no concrete plan, but I'll get one as soon as I get there."

"You don't have far." Faba said. "Po Town is undeniable in its presence and I have no doubt you will see it long before you finally get there."

He sighed. "Such ruffians tormenting pokemon for no good reason other than to fulfill their own selfish sadistic desires. I've personally tended to pokemon that were in their alleged fighting ring and it's never a pleasant sight. I swear that we will get rid of them! Or find someone that will!"

Elio was about to ask if Faba would be one to lend him a hand in storming the place. He wasn't all sure if the Branch Chief was a trainer himself, since he didn't see any poke balls on hand. But it would've been nice to have someone watching his back.

His voice dropped to a prickled whisper. "I will say that Kaiser has been instrumental in locating the asset."

Then Lusamine's voice echoed in Elio's head, with that same push and pull between telling them and guarding his friend and her pokemon.

How he had vowed to keep his eyes out for it.

Obligation tugged at him to tell Faba something.

No. I shouldn't.

But if I don't, it's inevitably going to lead to conflict with the foundation if they find out I'm withholding information about Nebby.

"So this would be the actions fitting of someone to ascend to the Foundation's presidency yes?"

"Sure." Elio nodded, having missed the entire bible of information Faba had spouted. So far the Branch Chief had no intention of joining Elio on his raid to Po Town, even though it was only mentioned as an answer to where he was headed.

Guess I'm on my own again.

"Not that a foolish child like yourself could understand." Faba stopped short, catching himself before he said anything more demeaning. Sun had only gotten half of what he said again as he spaced out. "Do try to stay safe child. Don't say I didn't warn you about Team Skull."

Elio's frown deepened as Faba turned tail and strode in the direction of where he had come.

Well that was odd. But Faba is kind of a strange guy anyway.


Faba swore to himself as he reached the other end, only glancing back once he got to the edge and seeing Elio starting to make his way up the hill.

"I'm sorry it has to be this way child." The remorse was absent on his face as he pulled out his cell phone, dialing a number.

It rang for a couple of beats before someone answered on the other line. He didn't wait for a greeting.

"The annoying child is out of the Aether House and on his way to Po Town."

"Good."

"Now you better do your job right this time. I don't care what the President paid you and I hope to never see your face again once this is done."

"You won't." Von Kaiser said from the other line. "Once I'm paid, I'm disappearing with enough money that I'll never need to work again."

He hung up, causing the Branch Chief to scoff in disgust.

For once, Faba actually felt pleased to himself. Everything was going smoothly according to plan and within hours, he would be escorting the test subject personally to Lusamine herself. Delusions of endless praise would be floated his way and it would be so grand that she wouldn't be able to see herself as a worthy president. She'd have to step down.

And someone would have to step up. Someone...qualified.

Faba went over the plan in his head, ensuring that he saw no feasible errors. He had already begun to prepare his acceptance speech for taking on the President title.


It was a dance of steel; long thin shiny blades clanging and scraping against one another as the two small pokemon fought for dominance.

Both were small bipeds with lithe bodies in a darker coloration while having accents of crimson. They fought, swinging their arms like swords as each one parried, struck or evaded in a timely action. Supervising the "battle" was a taller pokemon of a similar look, however its feet and arms were covered in the same steely hard material that glinted in the dim light.

The smaller one thrust its hand out, a pinkish purple shimmering blade beginning to form into a sword, as if an extension of its own body. The larger of the same pokemon did the same.

Again, another clash and parry, this time with the energy swords in a whirl of light. Although the move was not normally one their evolutionary family learned, it was one that gave them a literal edge nonetheless. And it was harmless when used against their dark typing.

When it was time to take a break from their training, the two small ones each retrieved a small stone that was slightly damp, rubbing their sword arms against it, grinding and sharpening them anew. Each one of its species had a favorite that it had carried since childhood.

It was a peaceful life, albeit in constant rain; until a group of humans that wore an uncomfortable amount of black with strange behavior started living in the walls that dominated the landscape.

"Oh we got them again!" A grating voice brought the trio out of their training. Immediately, the leader stepped in front, arm outstretched as a purple sword materialized in its hands.

There were two of the humans, accompanied by two tall orange lizard pokemon with sagging yellow skin, both glaring angrily at them.

"This ought to be good! No way you're being this tough on Team Skull territory!"

The boss' expression didn't change as he brought the sword back and lunged forward.


It's official. Rain officially sucks.

No sooner had Elio left Ula'ula Meadow and already strapped on his rain gear did it begin to fall. At first, it began as just a few drops pelting the ground, nothing that he couldn't brush off.

But within minutes, the stream had steadily increased, already pooling into puddles that splashed up whenever his boots hit the ground. Fortunately the waterproof gear that he bought in Malie City was paying off; nothing felt wet from any water leaks.

But even with everything, it was only a matter of time until it found a way in unless he got out of the downpour.

Since most of the roads were built with gutters in the sides to divert water down to the ocean, Elio trudged his way up, careful to stay on the path as best he could while avoiding the mud. With the reported rainfall being close to what Malie City received in a day; stepping and putting too much weight on one foot could mean getting stuck in the mire and expend a ton of energy and time trying to get out. By the time he would free himself, he'd be even more dirty and soaked.

Not worth the shortcuts.

Elio also had a sense of unease while on the route. Buildings were sparse and a lot of them looked rather desolate in the gloomy weather. He rarely saw another normal person.

What he did see a lot of...were grunts of Team Skull. Belligerent as they were; he had never seen so many in one place except for when Guzma had come out to challenge Professor Kukui. Many of them were crouched under some shelter with one or two others, watching him like a bunch of predatory pokemon eyeballing a wayward being that was an easy meal.

Unfortunately for them, he was already notorious enough for them to know who he was.

Skullbane.

He wasn't sure if it was a compliment or an insult. Something to mock him by or something they feared.

All he knew at the moment was that he built a reputation of infamy and notoriety after showing up on multiple occasions to thwart whatever mischief schemes they had been up to. He had a team of powerful pokemon, all of which were trained himself to the best they could be. To add insult to injury, so to speak, he had defeated nearly all who stood before them while embarking on the same path many of them had failed to do.

And that was the same situation here. The number of Skull grunts who challenged him to slow him down or maybe having a shot at beating him were all swiftly defeated. Elio rotated his team around so each one had a bit of battling experience as he continued his one man mission right to Po Town.

Team Skull's private playground. Full of misfits. And felons, pedophiles, pit fighters and nasty people in general.

In all other scenarios, Elio had stopped them outside of their territory. People didn't like them very much and were more than happy to see him or another trainer put them down before they did any major trouble.

This time; he was going to them on their terms. No longer would he have the home field advantage. Plus he was pretty sure this was where the real outcasts and misfits that were nasty pieces of work liked to lurk.

Nani had the easiest time of his team plowing through whatever Team Skull could throw at him. The constant downpour tremendously augmented her water type attacks to the point where she was knocking them out in a single hit with her scald. Anything that stubbornly didn't go down were felled by her iron tails and dragon pulses.

As he cut a swath through Team Skull's territory; his own nervousness began to give way to anger and frustration. They had taken his pokemon...and Lillie's and Kari's for their own selfish purposes. Then they goaded him into coming directly onto their turf by giving a sliver of hope to come and rescue them.

What if it was all just a trick to lure him out to where he was vulnerable? What if the pokemon were already dead and he had no idea?

Do you really want to take that chance?

He didn't, but couldn't rule it out as a possibility.

Rustling in the tall grass caught his attention and he got sight of a pair of Skull grunts stumbling out. They stopped at the edge, hands on knees and panting with exhaustion.

"I think…I think we lost them!"

Something zipped through the grass, cutting several blades clean through.

"Not clear! Not clear!" His partner gasped and both took off running.

Elio blinked, finally getting a match with the two familiar voices. The same ones openly vandalizing a wall in Malie City.

Cayden and Jackson Wainwright. Brady's older twin brothers.

He never expected to run into the quirky kid's siblings again after he teamed up with Brady to stop them from vandalizing a building in Malie City. But judging by the couple of rattle cans that dangled from their waists as they ran; he was pretty sure they were up to no good again spraying some sort of graffiti somewhere.

If something was chasing them out then it was probably because they were spray painting somewhere they shouldn't.

Elio's own intuition turned out to be true as a pair of small humanoid pokemon emerged from the grass and continued their relentless pursuit.

"Go faster man! They're right on our heels!"

"I just gotta run faster than ya!"

"Rotom?"

"I'm on the cazzze! Gotta admit zzeeeing thezzze no-good Skull croniezzzz run around for their livezzzz is amuzzzzing!"

Elio chuckled. "It's almost like watching a puppy growlithe chase its own tail for twenty minutes and laughing at how easily they get entertained."

"That zoundzzzz like it'zzzz full of irony! Let'zzz cheer for them to cut their ballz off! Bzzt!"

That's because it is. And no. Nobody deserves something like that.

There's probably an exception somewhere.

"I shall do the honorzzzz now! Pawniard. Sharp blade pokemon. After it dices its prey to ribbons, it sharpens its blade arms on a smooth stone. Each pawniard has its own favorite for sharpening and carries it around as a sentimental memento. Pawniard is a dark and steel type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."

Elio stared closer, now noticing that the smaller of the two pawniard had a distinctly colored stone stuck to its hip. The larger one was a normal dull gray color.

"Oh." It clicked for him.

Guess this pokemon didn't take too kindly to people spray painting their favorite rock to sharpen on.

By now, both brothers had spotted him and recoiled back, recognizing his face.

"Bro it's the Skullbane!"

"No shit! He's back to kick our asses again!"

"But we gotta scram! That pokemon has it out for us!"

Elio resisted the urge to roll his eyes, already wondering how Brady had put up with them while they lived in the same household.

"I didn't expect to see you two this fast after our last meeting." He put his hands on his hips and gave a penetrating stare. "What did you two screw up this time?"

"This pawniard's coming after us like crazy!" One of them; Jackson, he had to guess pointed back to the grass where the small pokemon was sprinting up to attack.

How am I supposed to know who's who behind those masks?

"Yeah, well pokemon don't attack like that for no reason." He pointed out. "So you probably did something to piss it off. If I were you, I'd find out what and fix it soon. Nothing's worse than a pokemon that doesn't forget grudges."

"But that pokemon's nasty fast!" The other brother had proclaimed. "And it's got some powerful attack that knocked my scrafty off its feet!"

Part of Elio believed that both of them had gotten something they rightfully deserved by vandalizing a pokemon's habitat, but he couldn't know the full extent of the circumstances they were in.

Some of Team Skull is really just those misfits. If I hadn't seen Brady reasoning with his older brothers, I probably would've left them.

For some reason, he couldn't. Neither Cayden nor Jackson had put on any raingear whatsoever and judging how their clothes were sopping wet, they could've been out for anywhere between ten minutes or hours. He saw one of them shiver.

"Alright I'll take care of it." Stepping forward, he gave the brothers a hard stare. "But we're going into a shelter when we're done here." One was about to protest when he silenced them with another glare.

"I can't tell how long you've been out here, but it was incredibly stupid on both your parts to forget raingear."

The other stepped forward. "Wait, I thought Guzma said the Skullbane was going to drag us by the back of our necks to the jail if he saw us again."
What an influence this Guzma guy is over all these people.

"Yeah, can you believe the Skullbane is actually helping us right now? He's supposed to be the enemy! And Brady's friend!"

Sun paid little attention to their bickering as the two pawniard neared. The smaller one glared at the brothers behind him and whipped out its arm, forming a misshapen blade of purple energy.

He did the best he could not to be surprised by it. Rotom's data suggested that the species often fought up close, using the multiple razor edged blades to slash at its foes. Having a swordlike weapon was not unheard of, but a rare occurrence.

"That'zzz psycho cut! Bzzt! I've never zeen a pawniard uze that before!"

You just discovered the pokemon five minutes ago.

"Nani! I need your help!" Elio called out, summoning his milotic. Behind him, both of the Skull brothers had gaped at the rare sight of the tender pokemon. They were used to it already; it wasn't your everyday trainer that owned one.

Already knowing what her trainer had in mind, Nani sharpened her own tail into a solid metal blade, swinging it down to clash with the wedge shaped one the pawniard wielded. He saw that it was blunt and unrefined, compared to the second one who had also sprung to attack. Its glowing sword was elongated and curved at the end, similar to a sabre. The technique looked like it required quite a bit of skill and discipline to hone. And the smaller one had much to learn.

As Nani parried the smaller pawniard; the larger one slashed at her with its own blade, causing her to reel. It turned its attention to the two Skull brothers behind Elio and pointed its psycho cut sword threateningly.

"I don't know what it's saying!" Jackson shuddered, "But I'm guessing it isn't happy!"

"Then maybe you two ought to apologize for whatever you did to piss it off! I'm guessing it's because you painted the sharpening stone!"

"There's that family of really scary sword swinging pawniard that live in the grass by Po Town! We gotta be making it all Team Skull territory! Guzma said so!"

Is it too much to say that Guzma probably sent them out to do some stupid insignificant job he probably doesn't give two shits about?

Nani twisted her head to face the larger pawniard before she let out a scalding blast. Amplified by the rain, the increased power of the water attack caused it to faint almost instantly and collapse in the shorter section of the grass.

The smaller one saw its comrade go down and glanced back, half deciding whether or not to go to its aid or continue the fight alone.

Maybe I'll just give it a choice.

"We're sorry that happened to you." Elio said quietly. "Go see your friend and we'll leave you alone." He glanced back at Cayden and Jackson, finding them nodding eagerly to agree with him.

The pawniard's eyes narrowed and it attacked Nani again, striking with its foot low to the ground. Although much smaller than the milotic, it carried enough force to knock her over and allowed it to deliver a powerful metal claw.

"Scrappy little fighter." Elio noted to himself.

The attacks didn't faze Nani much and she was back up lightning quick, swinging her own tail to clash with the psycho cut sword again. The triangular shaped blob of energy shimmered as if it was a sort of blade that was forged out of crude crucible steel. Much more raw and unrefined compared to the carefully crafted one of its partner.

As the two pokemon locked blades; Nani fired a scald. However the creature seemed to anticipate it coming and quickly backed off, letting the stream hit the ground in a billowing cloud of vapor.

She swiped again and it dodged again, but this time as her blade peeled free, it caught on the edge of the ovoid stone and cut it free.

Elio didn't want this to get into an even bigger mess than before, so he sprinted out, extending his hand out to catch the small object. Sure enough, it was spray painted over in a white color. He was able to make out small crystalline flecks in the smooth surface and there was evidence of its natural gray underneath, a sign that it was haphazardly sprayed.

If it's not too excessive, maybe we can clean it off.

The pawniard saw him take ahold of the stone, landing on the ground. It was a grave error when it took eyes off Nani.

The next scald attack didn't miss.

Cayden and Jackson were whooping and hollering out loud, creating a bit of an uproar louder than Elio would've liked. Not like there was anyone living close by to hear it, but wild pokemon were known to attack in furious swarms or hordes if their habitat was disturbed in any way.

"Dayum Skullbane. You and that milotic have got some moves!"

"Serves them right for messin' with us!"

Elio smiled at their praise, but waved his hands. "Thanks guys. Now let's do us all a favor and get somewhere out of the rain."

"Oooh Oh! We can go into Officer Nanu's post!"

"Officer Nanu?" Like police officer Nanu? Who is that? The bigger question he should've asked himself was why two members of Team Skull would openly suggest going to a police station in the first place.

This island is all sorts of strange. Hau wasn't kidding it's unlike the others.

At this point anything's better than getting drenched in the rain.

Elio agreed, returning Nani to her ball and scooping up the two unconscious pawniard. Their bodies were cold with a metallic skin feel and he felt the edge of a blade digging into his side.

Sure they were openly hostile to him, but for some reason it felt unjustly to leave them to a fate he and the brothers were avoiding.


Nanu's station was certainly a police outpost and unlike any other he had seen before.

What were you expecting? A full on precinct?

He could only describe it as a half shed, half shack that had a slate roof and gutters that were gushing out water that flowed downstream like miniature rivers.

By now, he could start feeling something cold and moist seeping into his shoulders and waist area. No doubt the water had found a way past the nylon and soaked into the easily absorbent cotton. In humid weather like this; it would take six hours from eternity to dry it out without aid from a machine.

Thank goodness I brought spares of almost every piece of clothing I wear.

Nanu's post emitted bright lighting and as he approached the door, the entire left half seemed like a residential area with a kitchenette, sink, bathroom and bunk while the right had a computer station and a couple of lockers sitting underneath what Elio had to guess was the logo of the precinct that was in charge of Ula'ula's policing.

Nobody seemed to be home.

Cayden and Jackson were still shivering as they stepped onto the porch and Elio laid the two blade pokemon to the side. Everyone seemed grateful to be out of the rain.

"You know, maybe Nanu has some of that epic shit stashed away in that place."

"Yeah totally. We should raid it."

"This Nanu guy seems pretty chill." Elio said.

"Yeah he is. As long as we don't disturb him when he's sleeping or doesn't want to be disturbed. He's probably the most chill officer you'll meet."

"Then is his place even open? I'm going to dry myself off and change."

"Oh of course! He may not be home, but he's still a bro!"

I don't know about that. Elio thought to himself as he opened the door. At first he didn't see anything unusual, but as he rounded the corner by the kitchen he was greeted with a half dozen alolan meowth that eyed him lazily, but with indifference as if seeing strangers come in as a norm.

He also knew how temperamental the species could be, despite not showing it.

Maybe I'll just change later. Getting a bunch of scratches on my skin is definitely not worth it at this point.

Cayden and Jackson had apparently changed out of their soaked clothes when he came back out. The brothers laid the wet ones out on the porch, wearing only their jackets that weren't as bad as their undergarments. Elio made a face at the pungent body odor they had reeked.

"Feels better man." Jackson groaned, sighing with relief. "Hopefully Guzma doesn't start asking questions on where we are and all that."

"Yeah. Hope not."

They both turned to Elio, who sat in silence beside them. For the two different types of people, it was an odd connection.

"So Skullbane, uh...thanks I guess."

"My name's Elio." He said. "Skullbane is flattering, but I would prefer to be called Elio."

"Well I mean that's a nice name." Cayden said.

"Thanks. I got it from my mom when I was born."

This got a laughter from them all and Elio couldn't help cracking a smile at a genuine joke that they all enjoyed.

"Ya know, for someone everyone else in Team Skull hates," Jackson started. "Ya not so bad."

"I could say the same for you guys. Except you deliberately vandalized. I've caught you in the act. Twice already."

"Just Team Skull stuff. We've got to establish our dominance. Our talents will go to waste if we don't."

"Waste?" Elio asked. "What are you talking about? If you're wasting talent, it's with Team Skull."

While inside Nanu's place, he had found a nylon brush and a can of solvent designed to dissolve spray paint in the tool area. He had the pawniard's sharpening stone, pouring a small amount onto its surface and scrubbing gentle circles. The chemical had almost an immediate effect, thanks to the paint being recently sprayed and not fully waterproof.

"Guzma said we could use our talents to establish Team Skull turf and show people not to mess with us! And look! We're all the baddest group of people here in Alola."

"Yet you all got beat by a single trainer. Me."

"You had that beatdown by the boss." Jackson said darkly. "A bit of a warning to ya; stay the hell out of his way."

Elio bristled at the threat. "I can't. I can't back down. And I won't either."

Cayden and Jackson exchanged a glance, probably not sure how to respond to someone like him who wasn't easily intimidated.

"Some others of Team Skull kidnapped some pokemon just earlier this morning." He continued, "One of which happens to be mine. So you'll excuse me if I go and disregard your warning."

"Oh man that's bad." Cayden said. "That's really bad."

"What?"

"I dunno if you want to know bro."

"If it concerns my pokemon's safety, I kind of want to know."

"Well...you all know about the secret pit fighting the boss runs right?"

Elio felt his blood run cold. "I guess it's not so much a secret anymore."

"Of course the stupid shits can't keep their mouths shut. Especially after Lars disappeared trying to screw some girl by the Tapu Village and then got decked outta nowhere."

"You just need to rescue your pokemon fast." Jackson said. "Or you might not ever see them again bro."

"I know." He knew a grim fate awaited them if he took inaction, so he had felt like he was more in the right than Hau by going after them by himself. "Say, you guys did the graffiti in Malie City right?"

"Us?" They looked at one another again as if he was trying to bait them into a verbal trap. "Uh...yeah that was us."

"That's actually some pretty good art." Well as vulgar as it was.

"Thanks bro! You're actually the first person to compliment us on our street art like that! Not even the boss does that!"

Guzma doesn't care?!

Cayden nodded with his brother. "Yeah I know it wasn't exactly the most respectful thing...but we've never been respected in our lives to do what we loved doing. It was all whatever our mother and father demanded us to do."

Elio was nearly done scrubbing the paint off the sharpening stone when he saw motion out of the side of his eye. The two pawniard stirred and sat up, looking around until their amber colored eyes settled on him.

He held up his hands non threateningly. "Easy you two. I'm just cleaning off your sharpening stone."

They remained tense, but didn't move to attack.

"How can you do that bro?" Cayden asked him. "Every time we try to talk or interact to wild pokemon, they're all mad or scared."

The boy shrugged, finally getting the last bits of paint off and examining it over. "Well sometimes it's all in the way you approach them. If you're looking for a fight...to prove this is Team Skull's turf...you're going to get a hostile reaction instead of submissive ones unless they're really weak. And maybe don't go trespassing on their habitats or anything else stupid. Most pokemon won't ever bother you if you do the same to them."

Satisfied that it was clean enough, he moved to one of the shack's gutters; running all sides of the stone through the rushing water to rinse off the chemical residue that remained. He inspected it one last time and slowly set it down in front of the dark and steel type.

The pawniard picked it up with its blade arms, cocking its head with curiosity. It appeared to be satisfied, clipping it back to its side. Both of them jumped over the railing down in the rain below and ran back towards the thicket of tall grass.

Elio swore he saw the smaller one look back at him one last time before they vanished.

"You're welcome."

He turned back to the brothers. "Anyway, you guys clearly have some talent, despite everyone else telling you otherwise. It's all in what you do with that talent going forward. You can continue doing what you're doing, painting graffiti on city walls and earning the ire and hate of everyone else. Or you can put those skills to a much better use. Artists are always in demand. Maybe not in the way you think."

"Easy for you to say." Jackson spat scornfully. "You have no idea what it means to be cast out."

Elio sighed. "I know that if you stay with Team Skull, it's definitely not going to happen and spraying more vulgar graffiti like I saw you do in Malie won't help your chances in the slightest in an artist job that you both can easily get."

"You really think it's that easy?"

"I can't say for sure. I'm a firm believer that one's success is measured by one's effort. Agreeable that some have it easy and it comes to them naturally, but others do have to work and grind at it. But I'll say that the reward is much sweeter when you've put all that effort into something and finally reach the end result."

Cayden and Jackson sighed too.

"If I were you...get out of Team Skull. Get out while you still can. If they go towards more illicit activity, the harder it will be to break away from them."

Elio stood up and set a couple of snacks down in front of the brothers. "I better get going. Eat those, they'll help restore your energy and heat your bodies a little from this cold rain."

"Wait." One of them called out at him as he walked away.

He stopped short.

"Thank you." Cayden nodded at him. "I never thought I'd ever thank the Skullbane...or even realize he was such a nice guy."

"I wish we could help you. Like how you helped us." Jackson said. "We owe a lot of people apologies...especially Brady."

"Thank me by going to pursue that art dream of yours...and maybe change the graffiti art into something more positive for the community."

All I can do is encourage them. It's up to Cayden and Jackson themselves if they want to bring about change and really pursue their aspirations.

With a wall structure barely visible in the distance, Elio wrung out his wet clothes on his body before zipping his raingear back up and headed towards the ominous fortress that Team Skull called home.


And that will do it for this one. I was actually going to have it end on Elio entering Po Town for the first time, but I figured to have it held off for one chapter for him storming the place to nail Guzma to the front door. I suppose we will see how that goes in the next chapter! The lives of several important pokémon are on the line!

Translations:

Pupule - crazy/insane

Mahalo for reading and reviewing. You give my writing purpose. And I'll see you for the next chapter with is the a showdown in Po Town!

Brav