Pokémon Radiant Sun


So last chapter actually went down really well!

The reactions I got to Vivian were exactly what I was going for. So that's something nice. She's the first of many OC's lined up in this story, some of which I've had rolling around in my head for a while now. Getting to use them is gonna be fun. That said, this isn't exactly the first story I've done with Vivian in it...

Also, I'm throwing in a few fan-favorite characters from the other games into this story and giving some of the ones featured a bit of a bigger role. Why? Because Colress is awesome and while I adore this game, my love for Gen V has only strengthened with time. And because screw it, why not?

Also, I believe I've finally decided on a proper update schedule for this story. Depending on the length of the chapter, I'll be posting a chapter every 4-7 days. The longer the chapter, the longer the time it'll take me to update, since I'm trying to stay ahead of schedule at the moment. That said, unless it's something super epic, the word count will be kept fairly tame so that this story remains manageable for me. Already the next chapter is 7,000 plus words. Yeesh…

Anyways, shoutout to those who reviewed since the last update, which includes Dunka99, Cottonmouth25, and Sai Og Sus, as well as three new reviewers in the form of PocketSand1224, 18Gs, and Ways (welcome back!).

And as a note, the islands in this game will be scaled to size. As someone who has sped around the entirety of MeleMele Island on a Tauros in the span of about maybe two minutes, I'm going to keep that aspect of the game as realistic as possible. Some routes and areas will take anywhere from a few hours to a few days to navigate, depending on the area.

On that note...here's the chapter!

Enjoy.


Chapter 6: In Pursuit of Growth


Four Days Later…


"Ahh…it's so beautiful outside, isn't it? Can't you feel the sun…Sun?"" Mom sighed as she stretched languidly, eyeing the setting sun with a content smile and trying not to laugh at her own wordplay. Her child with the same name nodded wordlessly, with Oliver watching from his favorite roosting spot- Sun's head.

The Rowlet, even with its eclectic personality, quickly became a part of the family as far as Sun and his mother were concerned. It still went a bit crazy at times, resulting in repeated pecks to the head, but the bird otherwise became used to being a trained Pokémon and Sun got a bit of practice being a trainer. This usually involved issuing commands and having Rowlet act on them, improving on being in sync with one another. Sun also decided, during this time, that he would keep Oliver out whenever possible, except in in places where a great deal of people were, like towns and cities, should he decide to explore a bit more of the region. He wanted to bond as much as possible with the small bird, so that they could become better partners and stronger in general.

On Sun's sixth day of being in Alola, the boy found himself hanging out on the front porch with his mother, which was quickly becoming a thing, simply because the weather in Alola was seemingly perfect. Warm, bright, and within view of the ocean, it seemed like they had chosen the best place to live possible. Sun was startled by Oliver suddenly hooting, ruffling his wings for a moment before peering down at his new trainer.

"Hey." Sun said to his starter, only to get a chirp in reply before Rowlet returned to his previous position. The boy shook his head slowly, trying not to shake off the bird but also express his opinion that the bird was being silly.

"You two are so adorable." Mom piped up as she lowered her sunglasses somewhat. Sun grinned at her as Rowlet chirped in a way that Sun had recognized was him being happy with or agreeing with something, making the boy snicker a little.

"Well, I don't know about adorable. But we're pretty awesome. How's that sound instead, Oliver?" Sun asked the bird. Rowlet tilted its head, seemingly considering it for a few moments, before nodding.

"See? Awesome." Sun laughed as his mother giggled in response to their antics.

"You two are something else. I was going to ask you, before I got sidetracked, if you wanted to go spend a bit more time training today. You still have a few more hours of light left in the day." Sun's mother pointed out to him.

"That sounds good. We got a session in earlier, but there's only so much you can do with just calling out attacks and stuff," Sun admitted.

"Well, you keep on trying, dear. While you two work hard outside, I'll be working hard inside. Maybe today will finally be the day I finally unpack!" Mom declared with a giggle after before the doorbell rang out, surprising them both.

"The doorbell? Could you go see who that is, Sun?" Mom asked. Sun nodded and made his way to the front door, but Professor Kukui had already barged in like he did a few days ago.

"Hey there Sun!" Kukui greeted the young boy. "We didn't have much time for it the other day, but now that you've had a bit of time to rest up and recover, I figured we could take a little bit of time to show you the other part of being a Pokémon Trainer. You know, since you've got your own Pokémon now."

"What do you mean?" Sun asked, confused. What on earth could the Professor be talking about?

"Just come with me out to Route 1. Make a left from your place and follow the road." Kukui simply replied, flashing the boy his usual smile before exiting the house.

"Well…Looks like we've got an appointment with the Professor." Sun stated, oddly confused before he shook his head. Mom entered the house again, asking what the Professor wanted. Once Sun answered, as much as he could anyway, his Mom put her hands on her hips and grinned.

"Well, don't let me hold you up. Get out there!" Mom said to Sun, who returned her grin and made his way out the door.

"Hurry it up, cousin!" Kukui called as he walked down the road. "Pretend you're a Pokémon and use your Agility!"

Sun snorted at the joke, hating himself just a little bit, but followed the Professor with Oliver in tow. The young boy quickly caught up with the Professor as he paced down the path while whistling a cheerful tune.

"So, how've you been liking Alola?" Kukui asked.

"It's been pretty good so far. Mom and Meowth are enjoying it and I'm still trying to get used to being a Trainer with this little guy." Sun replied as Oliver hooted merrily in response.

"I see. Well, with the Festival coming up tomorrow, I figured I should swing by and give you a quick lesson on one of the core aspects of being a Pokémon Trainer."

"What's that, sir?"

"Catching a Pokémon, of course!" Kukui replied with a laugh as the two of them approached a cliff side with a fence blocking the edges. Long grass extended outwards along the path, making it hard to see what lay beyond. There were clearings here and there, however, which were indeed clear of the stuff.

"So, as you probably know, Pokémon live everywhere possible. In the seas, the skies, and anywhere else they're able to survive. Long grass like this is a hotspot for Pokémon as well. If you find yourself walking through areas like this, then Pokémon will be sure to come out at you." Sun nodded as the Professor explained himself, following him into the tall grass.

"Now that you've got little Oliver there, not only can you fight wild Pokémon…but you can catch them and add them to your team!" Kukui concluded with a wild whoop, startling something in the grass that scurried away.

"Now, I'm going to show you the proper technique when it comes to safely catching a Pokémon. Watch carefully, cousin!" Kukui instructed Sun as he pulled out a Poké Ball from his lab coat. The man walked further out into the grass before a loud chirping sound filled the area. The Professor grinned and moved into a less grassy area before pulling out his Pokéball.

"Alright Rockruff! Let's go!" Kukui called out, tossing his Poké Ball forward and releasing a familiar dog Pokémon. As he did this, a small bird flew towards them, chirping at them.

"This here is what we call a Pikipek. It's a Flying-type Pokémon exclusive to Alola!" Kukui explained before he pointed at the bird Pokémon.

"Rockruff! Hit it with a Tackle!" The Professor commanded the dog Pokémon, which crouched low to the ground before bounding forward with an impressive burst of speed. The Pikipek chirped in surprise as the dog leapt into the air and smashed into it, making it flutter towards the ground with a dazed look on its face.

"You've got to weaken Pokémon before you can catch them…Or rather, you should weaken them before you catch them. Feel free to try without doing any damage. It's just going to be harder for you." Kukui said to Sun as the boy walked up the Professor's side. While Kukui had been explaining this, the Pikipek had been pecking at Rockruff furiously, but it didn't seem to be doing much damage.

"And now that Rockruff has worn it down…" Kukui pulled out another Poké Ball from his coat pocket pressed a button on it, maximizing the ball as he tossed it up and down. The man waited for several seconds as Rockruff ran away from the angry bird before he hurled the Poké Ball across the clearing, hitting the Pikipek in the side and sucking it into the ball.

The Poké Ball shook three times and remained still, making a small clicking sound after a moment.

"Oh yeah!" Kukui cheered, fist-pumping excitedly. The Professor turned to Sun and said, "Wild Pokémon do sometimes attack people if they get too close to them, but if you catch 'em, they'll join your team and help you out!"

Sun grinned at that and said, "Now I'm getting really excited. So what all is there to catch on this route, Professor?"

"Pikipek, Yungoos, and a few other Bug-types, I believe. There's even more over towards my lab. You've got quite a selection of Pokémon to keep an eye out for," Kukui explained to Sun.

"Hmm…"

"What's the matter?" the Professor asked the Kanto-native.

"I think…I'm just going to use Oliver for a bit longer." Sun said as he looked up at the Rowlet on his head.

"Really? Why?" Kukui asked, sounding genuinely curious.

"Well...I just think it's a better idea to just use one Pokémon starting out. If I caught a whole bunch of them, then I'd have to split my attention between them, right? This way, I can focus on getting Oliver stronger before I can focus on another Pokémon. I want to be careful and slow when making my team." Sun explained to the Professor.

"Hmm…So you just want to take things at your own pace, huh?" Kukui asked the boy. Sun nodded. "Well, that's your decision. I can see where you're coming from on there. I've heard about and have personally seen trainers just starting out catch a whole bunch of Pokémon and then have issues later on. It may just be better for you to be more thoughtful in creating your team." Kukui mused as he crossed his arms.

"There's of course pros and cons to the whole idea of holding off on catching Pokémon. You'll be just relying on one Pokémon at the moment, and if something happens to Oliver you'll be in trouble. But it's also an effective way of ensuring he gets all of the attention he needs. He is, after all, your first Pokémon. It may be better to have a stronger Pokémon at your side before you start considering adding new members to your team." Kukui went on, looking out towards the ocean with a small smile.

"So…Do you approve?" Sun asked the Professor.

"Doesn't matter if I do or don't. You do you, cousin. While I can appreciate wanting to take this at a slow pace and making sure your little partner there gets the attention and training he needs…Don't forget that if you do decide to travel out from this little area, there's a lot of trainers with a lot more Pokémon than you." Kukui warned Sun, his smile widening a bit.

Sun thought about it for a minute and said, "I just want to get some training in with Oliver. Once I can handle him…Maybe I'll get a second Pokémon. I don't want to be like those people who have dozens of Pokémon who sit in PC Storage or lounge at a Pokémon Ranch all day."

"I hear you, cousin. You're not the only Trainer to have that mindset. Some people just get a team of 6 and stick with it. Some people have special licenses that let them carry more than that." Kukui replied, earning a surprised look from Sun.

"Really? I didn't know that was allowed." Sun said with an awed tone.

"Yeah, cousin! It's usually for trainers who serve the general public and even some breeders, but it's a real hassle of a license to obtain. Trust me, I've got one." Kukui grinned and added, "I can still only battle with six Pokémon, mind you, but I don't do that kind of thing anymore."

"I can imagine…You'd be a really tough opponent, that's for sure." Sun muttered, making the Professor laugh loudly at that.

"Well, I don't know about that. Anyways, Sun, just remember to keep what I said in mind. You go at your own pace. If you want to catch a few Pokémon, or hold off on it for a little while, then by all means go ahead. The most important thing is that you do what makes you happy."

"Thanks, sir. I'll keep that in mind." Sun said to the older man, smiling now.

"No problem, cousin. You have fun training out here. Make sure to head on home if you and Oliver start getting tired. That way you and him can rest up there and get back into fighting shape!" Kukui advised Sun. Kukui then thought about it for a moment before adding, "Or you could use some Potions! Here's a few Poké Balls and Potions to help get you started, actually!"

Sun's eyes widened in surprise as Kukui slipped out a small pouch from within his coat and opened it, revealing a treasure trove of items. Kukui ended up giving the small boy 10 Poké Balls and 5 Potions, much to the boy's amazement.

"Why don't you have a little adventure out here before turning in for the night? Get some proper training in before the Festival tomorrow?" Kukui suggested as he turned around towards Sun, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Sounds good to me. You have a good night, Professor!" Sun called to the man as he began to make his way down the path, waving to Sun as he walked away. The boy turned to his starter on the ground, which was currently rotating its head around and around in a circle.

"Yeah…Some training sounds good." Sun muttered before he was distracted by a familiar tweeting. A small bird flew into sight, landing in the grass nearby.

"It's another Pikipek." Sun muttered as he looked over at Oliver.

"You up for a fight?" Sun asked his starter. Oliver replied with an eager hoot and flew forward, charging at the Pikipek in question.

"Wait, you're supposed to wait for me to give you a command!" Sun called after the Rowlet, to no avail. Oliver tackled the bird out of the air, hooting in triumph as the bird fell to the ground. The Pikipek glared up at the owl Pokémon with hate in its eyes and flew off of the ground towards it, pecking it repeatedly in the face and making the owl let out cries of pain.

"Why is Peck doing so much damage…Rowlet is a Grass-type, but it's also flying too, right?" Sun wondered, confused by this. He watched his starter eventually knock the bird unconscious, panting slightly and sporting a few cuts but hooting triumphantly regardless.

"So, are you just going to keep charging into battles like that or are we going to train together?" Sun asked Oliver. The owl responded by chasing after a nearby ladybug-like Pokémon that Sun didn't recognize, but later learned was a Ledyba. Oliver made quick work of it with just two Tackles while Sun just stood there, bewildered at the display from his starter. The bird let out a hoot of triumph before fluttering out deeper into the grass. The boy shrugged and waited for the Pokémon to tire itself out. It may have a great deal of enthusiasm, but even it couldn't fight every Pokémon in the area by itself.

After taking out two more Ledyba's, one Caterpie and three Yungoos, the little owl was covered in dings and scraps and was hardly able to move, let alone fly. It clearly hadn't thought out things too clearly when it decided to fight all of those Pokémon.

"Are you done?"

Oliver's head slowly rotated around and he met Sun's eyes. While the boy was looking down at the bird with disapproval, he also had a Potion in his hands.

"Come here so I can heal you." Sun said as he knelt down to his Pokémon. Oliver shuffled forward and allowed his trainer to spray him with the medicine, which stung horribly at first but gave way to a wonderful soothing sensation.

"Better?" Sun asked Oliver, receiving a doleful hoot in reply before the Rowlet hopped forward and nuzzled Sun, who pulled Oliver into a hug.

"It's alright, little guy. We're just getting started here. We're going to make a lot of mistakes. But we're also going to be awesome." Sun said to the bird as he held him out in his hands, with the Rowlet staring up into Sun's stormy-grey eyes. Sun set Oliver back down on the ground and picked up the empty Potion he had set down on the ground and regarded it for a second before putting it in his bag to be recycled later.

"I doubt that'll fix everything up, but you should be able to fight some more if you want too." Sun said to the owl Pokémon, which gave him a look.

"That said…Can we battle together next time, Oliver? Because if you just run out there, you're going to get hurt. We're a team, right?" Sun quietly asked the bird. Oliver stared at Sun for several moments before nodding slowly.

"You chose me, Oliver. And I decided to choose you as well, despite you attacking me. We're in this together. We can get stronger together. But only if we work together. Do you understand?" Sun asked the grassy bird, which responded by hooting loudly in reply and flying up to Sun's head, landing on his hat.

Sun's face broke out into a grin as he said, "There we go! Now let's get you some more training in, alright?"

The duo set off down the road, with Sun popping the Pokédex open and turning it on. The boy did a quick scan for Pokémon known to be in the area. He was surprised, then, when a notification came up.

"The Rowlet registered to you has learned a new move. Please go to the Team Status feature to learn more." The Pokédex intoned, which prompted Sun to check it out.

"Peck, huh? That'll help out a lot, actually…Wait, you're a bird. How did you not learn Peck already? You peck me several times every day!" Sun asked Oliver. The Rowlet simply did the equivalent of a shrug and Sun decided to not pursue that particular question further. He did, however, have his Rowlet knock out a nearby Yungoos that was hissing at them. Oliver managed it with just one Leafage, which surprised Sun.

"You're already getting a bit stronger, aren't you?" Sun asked Oliver as preened its feathers. Oliver looked at Sun for a few moments before nodding slightly, making Sun grin with excitement.

"And to think…If I just kept this up, I could make you get really strong. Maybe I'd get a bit stronger too…All I'd have to do is leave my new home." Sun muttered, feeling his excitement fade away slightly before he shook his head. Enough of that! They had training to do!

The duo continued forward where they encountered a few more wild Pokémon. With Sun directing this time, Oliver managed quite a bit better when fighting, managing to KO about a dozen Pokémon with only taking a little damage. Oliver's newest move, Peck, proved incredibly useful in dispatching the numerous bug Pokémon that came their way, often making them faint with a single hit. Sun made his way out of the grass with a small sigh of relief and began walking up the path.

Sun then encountered his first trainer.

It was a young boy with tanned skin and dark poofy hair, clad in a white t-shirt and ocean-patterned shorts, with a Poké Ball necklace dangling around his neck. He couldn't have been too much younger than Sun.

"Hi there! Would you like to battle?" the boy asked Sun, grinning up at the older boy.

"Sure. I'm Sun, by the way." Sun said as he grinned at the boy, taking a few steps and putting some distance between them so that they could battle properly.

"I'm Jimmy!"

"Alright Jimmy, I've got one Pokémon. How do you want to do this?" Sun asked the boy.

"Just one-on-one. I've only got one Pokémon too." Jimmy replied, disconnecting the Poké Ball from his necklace and releasing a weird-looking black rat Pokémon with what looked like a mustache on its face.

"What on earth is that?" Sun asked the boy, confused. It almost reminded him of something back from Kanto.

"It's a Rattata!" Jimmy replied, hopping up and down and psyching himself up for a battle.

"I wonder if that's one of those Regional Variants the Professor mentioned the other day... Oliver let's go!" Sun commanded the Pokémon forward, making it fly forward and land on the ground in front of them.

"Ratty, use Tackle!" Jimmy commanded the Rattata, which sped towards Oliver with a determined gleam in its eyes.

"Oliver, use Growl!" Sun yelled out. The Rowlet flared its wings and let out a loud hoot, spooking the rat Pokémon as it drew closer and making it actually miss Oliver completely.

"Hit it with Peck!" Sun said to the bird as it flew into the air. Rowlet twirled in midair, hooting again before diving back down towards the Rattata, its beak now glowing bright white and extending outwards. Oliver drove the beak into the side of the Rattata, which went soaring across the field and crashing down onto the ground.

"No! Uh, Ratty, get up and use Tail Whip on his Rowlet!" Jimmy said to the rat Pokémon as it shakily rose to its feet. The Pokémon bounded forward, smacking the Rowlet as it landed on the ground with its tail. Oliver fell over on the ground with a surprised look on its face before quickly getting up.

"Finish it off! Use Leafage!" Sun called out. The Rowlet nodded and shot into the air again, spinning rapidly as a flurry of leaves shot out of its body, hanging still into the air before Rowlet stopped, flaring its wings. The leaves shot towards the Rattata on the ground, rushing by it and knocking it out completely.

"Aww…I lost. But it was still exciting!" Jimmy said as he jogged over to his Rattata and returned it, grinning at Sun. The little boy handed Sun a handful of bills for his victory, which the boy pocketed.

"You're the new kid, right? You're really tough!" Jimmy said to Sun, holding a fist out to the older boy. Sun nodded and met it a moment later, gently tapping the boy's fist with his own.

"You were really good too. Let's have a rematch sometime, alright?" Sun said to the boy, taking a few steps back down the road. Jimmy nodded and bid Sun farewell, running off towards the other direction.

"Well…That's one trainer down. Let's see if we can beat everyone else on the route before night comes. What do you say?" Sun said to his partner, earning a cheerful hoot in response from the Rowlet.

With that, the duo set off up the trail with their spirits high, ready to tackle whatever came their way.


Later…


"Mom, I'm home!" Sun called as he opened the door to their house. His mother was setting the table up for dinner, smiling at her child as he entered the home.

"You two were out for much longer than I thought you would be. Did you have trouble with Kukui's lesson? He told me he was going to teach you about Pokémon-catching basics." Mom asked Sun as she walked over to him.

"Oh no, that went well. Me and Oliver were out battling on the route for a while. We beat every trainer we saw along the other path to Iki Town. We made it almost all the way there before we decided to head back."

"Alright. Next time, let me know, OK?" Mom said to her son. She then looked at Oliver and said, "Your Rowlet looks a bit hurt."

"We figured he could rest it off here at home. You do have medicine and stuff here, right?" Sun asked his mother. Mom moved to a nearby cabinet, stocked with several different kinds of medicine, ointment, and bandages.

"It's not much, since I'm still trying to get everything together here. I just bought the essentials." Mom said as she pulled out a Super Potion and gestured for Rowlet to fly to her. To Sun's surprise, the bird responded by obediently flying over to the older woman, who quickly treated the bird and restored him to pristine fighting condition. It was at times like this that Sun was reminded that even though she didn't have her team on her, his mother was still a renowned Pokémon Trainer in her own right, having been a serious contender for the Kanto Championship back in her prime. Pokémon could sense that she was strong, and as a result they responded well to her. Sun wondered if he would ever be able to measure up to her.

Maybe someday.

The family ate their dinners heartily and began to wind down for the night. Before Sun went to bed, however, his Mom outlined for him the plan for tomorrow. Apparently Sun would leave for Iki Town in the morning so that he could arrive early and assist with preparations as much as possible, even though they would likely be done beforehand. The Festival itself would consist of an all-you-can-eat buffet and a series of traditional Alolan dances and shows, with displays of art and the like. The night would close with a traditional battle between two of the island's residents in honor of Tapu Koko.

"I know parties aren't really your thing, but I think you'll have a fun time." Mom remarked as she flipped through the TV ahead of her, skipping past the news and landing an Alolan sight-seeing channel.

"I probably will. It would be nice seeing some of the people I met the other day again," Sun admitted. Hau and Lillie had been really pleasant to meet, Sun realized. He was hoping that they would be there tomorrow.

"Oh? So you did make some friends the other day? Why didn't you tell me about them?" Mom asked Sun.

"Not really friends…Just people I met. I wouldn't mind seeing them again though." Sun said to his mother, shrugging.

"Well, I bet in due time you'll be friends with all of them." Mom with a small chuckle, though that only got her a look from Sun. The boy then looked away, realizing something. Mom's expression turned to a worried one at the downcast expression Sun's face.

"I…Wow, I don't think I had a single friend back home, did I, Mom?" Sun muttered, thinking back on his time in Kanto. His memories didn't lie.

"You were always a bit too reserved for friends back in Celadon, yes. It's not a bad quality to have dear, but your father did perhaps try too hard to instill some of his values into you. You did hero-worship him quite a bit." Mom said quietly to her son, offering her a sad smile. Sun looked away, thinking hard.

"A kid like you wouldn't even know what to do with friends, now would you?" Vivian's words called back to him, ringing within him. As much as he hated to admit it, the strange girl had been right. He had never had a real friend before. With how he had been raised back in Kanto, he never really had time for it. Now…

"Hey." Sun snapped out of his reverie and looked at his mother, who was smiling at him warmly. "You don't need to stress out about any of that. We're here for a fresh start. All you need to be worrying about is enjoying yourself."

"Sorry Mom. Things have been really confusing lately…" Sun muttered, shaking his head. Oliver hooted up at him in concern. Sun scratched the head of the Rowlet for a moment, sighing.

"I know, sweetie. Just please…Don't worry too much about things you can't change. Nothing good comes from it." Mom advised her son as she got to her feet, walked over to Sun and hugged him. Sun returned the embrace a moment later, with Meowth and even Oliver joining in. The family of four remained still for a moment, hugging each other for comfort. Sun smiled despite everything, feeling himself tearing up at the display.

"Sorry guys…Gotta stay positive. Don't know what got into me." Sun muttered as his mother stepped away from him.

"That's nonsense. It's OK to be upset after everything that's happened back home. I just don't want you worrying about it, now that we're here. You've got a Pokémon of your very own and a whole new world at your fingertips." Mom said to Sun with her smile widening.

"…Mom, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead, dear."

"Should I…try and go on a journey? You know, like go out on my own and explore the island?" Sun asked his mother, receiving an odd look in reply. His mother put a hand on her chin, thinking about it.

"Well…Honestly, I'd say that might be just what you need, Sun. It'll be a chance for you to get out on your own and become a bit more independent." Sun's mother looked at her son with a rueful smile. "Why do you ask? Do you want to go on a journey of your own? We were trying so hard to be able to get you on one in Kanto, but here as well? Why do you want to go on a journey?"

"I…I don't know Mom. I'm really confused about it. On the one hand, I'm so curious about this place. There's so many new Pokémon. There's so many things to experience. I know I'm not really an outdoorsy or social person, but…I want to get better. Stronger, I guess. Plus, now that I'm a Pokémon Trainer…I feel like it's something I have to do, even if I'm not comfortable with it at first." Sun explained slowly, trying to figure out a way to explain what he was feeling.

"But…I also don't want to leave home. At least, not so soon. I mean, we just left our old home. Why should I have to leave my new one right away…It's so confusing." Sun muttered, shaking his head while his mother actually laughed.

"Sun, it's OK to be confused on what you want in life. That's honestly part of growing up. What I want you to do is be happy. If going on a journey of your own will help you be happy, then I support you completely. If you want to stay home for a while and get settled, I support that too. I will always support you, dear. No matter what." Mom said to her child, sitting back down on the couch.

"Thanks Mom." Sun replied, smiling again and, once again, trying not to tear up.

"You're very welcome, sweetie…Oh wait, I just remembered. I got you something from the city the other day while you were gone. I completely forgot about it!" Mom hopped up from her spot and moved over to the other side of the room, nudging aside a few boxes before pulling out a small silver box inlaid with fancy yellow text on the front.

"Pokémon Refresh? What's that?" Sun asked as his mother handed him the box.

"It's a lovely little kit designed to help keep your Pokémon looking their best. I mean, if you're Pokémon are fighting all the time, they're going to get themselves dirty and messy, right? That's where Pokémon Refresh comes in! It comes with everything you need to make sure your Pokémon are looking fantastic. Plus, it's been proven to help strength the bond between trainers and their Pokémon." Mom explained to an incredulous Sun. The boy looked into the kit and found all sorts of things within it. A hairdryer, a comb, a brush, and so much more. The boy pulled out a box within the box and opened it, and found it full of multicolored beans, to his surprise.

"Those are Poké Beans. Those are little snacks that you can feed to your Pokémon, farmed here in the Alola region, I think. Go on, try it out!" Sun's mother urged him. The boy looked skeptical, but fished out a red bean and handed it to Oliver. The Rowlet cocked its head before it moved forward and began pecking at the bean, it's eyes lighting up.

"Looks like he's enjoying it." Mom said happily as Oliver cooed in delight. Sun then pulled out the Pokémon-shaped comb and slowly began brushing Oliver with it. The bird froze for several moments before relaxing, shutting its eyes and letting out a soft cry.

"See how much relaxed he is? I think it's a wonderful way to strength the bond between a trainer and their Pokémon." Mom said as she sat back down on the couch, smiling as she watched her son comb through the feathers of Oliver until they were neat again. Oliver let out a happy hoot and nuzzled Sun for a moment before flying up to his head and landing on his hat. The family chatted for a little while longer, even using the Pokémon Refresh on Meowth to ensure that it was indeed a very effective method of grooming Pokémon and making them happy. Soon enough, however, the family headed to bed and prepared themselves for the festivities that would take place tomorrow.