Pokémon Radiant Sun
Greetings earthlings. Here's a chapter for you all!
Not for the first time, but I've realized again that the tutorial for this game lasts eons and I myself will be quite happy when Sun sets out on his journey proper. Thankfully that's sooner rather than later, and I'm getting ahead on these chapters so...yeah.
I'm unsure whether or not I mentioned this last chapter, but I will be keeping an active account of Sun's team on my profile, complete with their level in the game at that point. Anyone who's curious about that is more than free to check it out.
Also, since I generally just answer questions from the review section in the author's notes now, to answer the question of whether or not this story is a Sun X Lillie story...Well, we'll see. I don't want to exactly say yes or no, since this story focuses on Sun's journey through the region, but I will say that some characters will be featured more than they are in the game, including Lillie, and that there will be chapters (like this one) that have shipping moments in them.
I'll tell you all about that later though.
Shoutout to those who have reviewed since the last update, which includes Tomoe Mami, Cottonmouth25, Sai Og Sus, as well as three new reviewers known as ARSLOTHES, Rebiele, and EH-01. Thank you so much for your feedback and support!
Also, since I haven't said it yet and plan to add a note in Chapter 1 later, here's the rating and disclaimer for this story. This story is rated-T for mild swearing, suggestive themes, mature humor and themes, violence and some mild bloodshed. I do not own anything except my own original characters, everything else belongs to Game Freak and Nintendo.
Now that that's out of the way...
Enjoy.
Chapter 8: The Island Challenge
Sun awoke from his slumber to find a bird sitting on his stomach.
"Oliver?"
"Coo?"
"Why are on sitting on me?"
"Coo, coo!"
"Uh huh…Can you please get off me?"
"…Coo."
"I thought as much." Sun muttered, shutting his eyes and ignoring his starter. The Rowlet allowed that to happen for all of five seconds before hopping on top of Sun's head and pecking him. The boy sat up with a yelp, flailing wildly as Oliver fluttered onto the floor, tweeting in amusement. Sun glared at the owl as he rubbed his head.
"I thought you were going to start listening to me! Why is it you decide to start listening to me in battle, but just do whatever any other time?" Sun asked the Rowlet. The bird replied with what looked like its equivalent of a shrug. Sun decided to simply get up and begin his day, flinging aside his blanket and quickly getting dressed. Oliver flew to his head and landed on the boy's hat as he walked out of the room and into the living room, where his Mom was sitting in a chair watching a Pokémon Contest on the TV.
"I left some breakfast for you in the microwave, dear. Also, Good Morning!" Mom added after a moment, laughing a little at herself as her son trudged into the kitchen. After a quick breakfast, Sun and his mother simply relaxed for the remainder of the morning, watching a few of the TV shows found only in the Alola region.
They were snapped out of watching a wrestling match on TV by a knock on the door. Sun got to his feet and made his way to the door while his mother watched the Masked Royal on TV jump off of the top-rope and deliver a harsh elbow drop to Crasher Wake. Sun opened the door and was surprised to not find Professor Kukui, but his assistant Lillie instead.
"Oh! Um…Good morning, Sun." Lillie said politely as always, one arm wrapped around her bag as she gave the boy a small smile.
"Good morning, Lillie. No Professor Kukui today?" Sun asked the girl, receiving a shake of the head in response.
"The Professor got caught up in his studies this morning, so he sent me to come get you. He told me, and I quote…Ahem. 'Hey Lillie. Bring me that great new Trainer. Woo! I've got some awesome news to tell him!'" Lillie stated in a surprisingly accurate imitation of the excitable Professor. Sun couldn't help a snicker at the display, making Lillie smile a bit more in response.
"Back to what I was saying before. I believe what Professor Kukui wants you for has something to do with the Island Challenge that the Professor mentioned last night. I tried calling Hau about it after the Professor instructed me to come get you, but he just mentioned something about getting in some extra training and then hung up the phone." Lillie said with a shrug, sounding as if she had gone through that song and dance before with the other boy.
"He seems pretty nice though. Just…a bit too overeager." Sun said diplomatically as Lillie sighed quietly, her smile becoming somewhat wry.
"That's an understatement, but I'm glad you understand my dilemma." Lillie remarked with a small laugh. "Now, I'm supposed to escort you to the Professor's lab down by the beach. It's not a particularly hard route, but he just wanted to be sure everything worked out."
"Sounds good to me. Lead the way." Sun said to the girl, who was about to reply when the door opened behind the two children, surprising them both.
"Sun!" Mom called out, walking down the stairs holding a small pouch. She placed it in Sun's hand, smiling at her child. "I heard you both talking from inside. Since you're going out, here's a little pocket money. Spend it wisely, OK?...Not that I have to worry about it. It's not like you're me or anything."
"Actually Mom, you've done really well this week. You haven't bought anything silly yet. I was expecting the mailman to already be sending Fearow-delivered letters in protest…again," Sun said to his mother.
"That only happened twice…"
"Not counting the fourteen times it was done with a Pidgeot-"
"OK, we're getting sidetracked again." Mom interrupted the boy, snatching the money from him and putting it in his backpack. That was when she took notice of the blonde-haired girl standing beside her child, looking somewhat nervous.
"Oh? I remember you from the other night. You're already making friends, now aren't you Sun?" Mom asked, a rather sly smile appearing on her face as she looked at Lillie. Mom leaned down and said in a very audible whisper to her son, "And what a cute little girl friend you've found too!"
Sun took several moments to process that bit of dialogue.
One, that his mom had pointed out that Lillie was his friend, which he wasn't entirely sure of, since he didn't know her all that well. And because hadn't really ever had a friend before so he wasn't sure if the girl was one in the first place.
Two, that his mother had pointed out that Lillie was cute, which made Sun even more confused. Especially since he was now blushing and embarrassed and Lillie was even more so than him.
And three, she just insinuated that the two of them were girlfriend and boyfriend, which made the whole thing even more embarrassing somehow.
Lillie recovered first, out of the two children. "M-m-m-me!? Um...W-well, thank you, ma'am. But w-we're not..." Lillie stammered, blushing scarlet now and determinedly not meeting Sun's eyes. "M-my name is Lillie. It's very nice to meet you, ma'am."
"You said ma'am twice. And I'm just teasing you both, Lillie…I love Alola so much already. We just keep meeting the most interesting and wonderful people here." Mom said with a cheerful grin before she added after a moment, "Oh, and my name is Laura. I'm still getting the paperwork for my last name worked on, so just call me that for now. It's less confusing that way."
"Weird…Professor Kukui mentioned you earlier and just called you Sun's Mom. You would have thought he'd have mentioned your name," Lillie wondered aloud, conusion overriding her embarrassment.
"That's because the Professor has an odd sense of humor. This is the same man who routinely lets Pokémon beat the living daylights out of him in the name of science." Laura replied, grinning as Lillie giggled at the very true remark.
"Wait…You're going through a name change, Mom?" Sun asked his mother, snapping out his confused state as his own blush faded. His mother gave him a look that he recognized quickly and he remembered a conversation that they had before arriving in the region. "Oh, right. I forgot about that."
"We're getting sidetracked a lot this morning, huh?" Mom replied, laughing a little. "Well, I'll leave you both to it. Enjoy yourself out there with Lillie and Oliver. Just be back before it gets too dark, OK?"
Sun nodded before he was pulled into a hug. Laura made her way back towards the house, but not before looking over her shoulder and saying, "You two have fun! And play nice!"
The door opened and shut behind the woman, leaving the two very embarrassed children in a very awkward silence.
"You have a…very nice mother." Lillie said hesitantly, her face still quite blushed at the remark. She was also still not meeting Sun's gaze. Sun coughed awkwardly, still feeling quite hot under the collar and awkward after being teased like that.
"S-sorry about that. She's just excited I'm out meeting people. She probably considers the fact that I'm chatting with a girl a sign of progress." Sun apologized, rubbing the back of his head as Lillie finally looked at him.
"Don't worry about it. It was a very nice thing for you mother to say…If not a bit forward." Lillie's red blush turned somehow darker and she looked away again. "We should start heading towards the Pokémon Research Lab. It's just this way."
With that, the duo began their trek towards Professor Kukui's domain. After a few minutes, the children's faces returned to normal and they enjoyed a pleasant stroll through the dirt path with tall grass on both sides with a wonderful view of the ocean.
"Wait, I just realized something. Did the Professor seriously send you all the way here, through a route, without a single way of defending yourself from dangerous Pokémon?" Sun asked Lillie, who turned around and looked confused.
"Oh…Um. Yes, actually. Nebby…I mean, ahem, Cosmog doesn't fight and I'm not a trainer. I rely on Repels and the like to stay safe, so I guess he did do that…Again." Lillie remarked, slowly realizing the issue present.
"I know Repels are supposed to keep wild Pokémon away, but that doesn't mean they won't still possibly attack. Does he not think these things through? Seriously, what the crap?" Sun wondered aloud, crossing his arms and sighing angrily. It was one thing to do this once. But twice? In the same week!?
"I'm going to need to have a word with him after you leave, then. This is something that really shouldn't be repeated." Lillie remarked as they began their trek down to the beach.
"So…I know it's supposed to be a secret, but I'm just curious anyway. What's the deal with Nebby?" Sun asked as Oliver shifted his stance on his hat.
"Well, Nebby is what is known as a Cosmog. It's a very rare Pokémon that comes from a place very far away." Lillie explained as her bag wriggled, with Nebby letting out a cry in response. "Cosmog seems to have some very strange abilities. It even used its power to save me once when I was in danger."
"That's pretty cool. I guess you can't judge a book by its cover, huh?" Sun remarked, looking down at the bag.
"However…There are some other people that want Cosmog for themselves, to use its power for their own purposes. That's why Nebby has to be kept secret. It's why only Professor Kukui and Kahuna Hala and a handful of people I trust know about it." Lillie said quietly, looking away from Sun once again.
"Can you keep a secret?" Lillie asked softly, turning back to Sun with an unreadable expression on her face. "Can you not tell anyone else about Nebby or what happened on that bridge? Please…"
"Hey. Don't worry about me. I'll keep your secret safe." Sun promised, giving the girl a bright smile. Lillie's expression broke into a happy and relieved grin of her own.
"Thank you, Sun. I really appreciate it." And with that the duo continued their walk in a comfortable silence, enjoying the wonderful weather and each other's company as the sun shined brightly overhead.
And then everything changed when birds attacked.
Just kidding, but man did that put a damper on things.
"Sun, behind you!" Lillie called out, only for Sun to get blasted in the face by a Water Gun that sent him to the ground as furious cries of birds filled the air. While the Wingull was distracted, however, Oliver took that moment to rush the Pokémon from behind and hit it with a Tackle, knocking it out in a single hit. The bird sent a Leafage at the other Wingull, knocking it to the ground and allowing Oliver to finish it off with a Tackle.
"That…sucked." Sun panted as he got to his feet, pulling out a towel and padding his face, hat, and shirt dry.
"I can tell. Aside from being soaked, you're alright?" Lillie asked Sun, concern in her voice. Sun was about to reply when he was smacked from behind and knocked to the ground yet again.
"More Wingulls!?" Lillie yelped, barely dodging a Water Gun as three of the birds cawed furiously. The trio of birds circled Sun and fired a barrage of water guns at the boy;s face, making him cough and sputter once the deluge finally ceased. By that point, Oliver had managed to knock out each of the birds, though he was looking rather exhausted now. Yet another Wingull erupted from the grass and slammed into Oliver, sending the bird tumbling to the ground, but not before he fired off a Leafage and took out the final Wingull mid-flight.
"Are you OK Sun?" Lillie asked, peering out from behind a nearby tree. Sun shakily got to his feet, stumbling forward and shaking his head.
"Aside from being water-boarded by a bunch of flying rats…Yeah, I'll be fine. How about you?" Sun asked Lillie as he sat down on the ground and beckoned Oliver closer. Lillie stepped out from behind her tree, completely dry.
"I'm fine. Ooh, that was a bit hectic, wasn't it?" Lillie muttered as she stepped over to the boy on the ground. She fished out a towel from her bag as Nebby hopped out, peering at Sun curiously.
"Pew?" the Pokémon asked, floating towards Sun as Lillie handed the boy a towel. Sun dried himself off the best he could, thankful that he had thrown his backpack to the side and spared it from the Wingull's attacks.
"Thanks Lillie. And hey, Nebby. You didn't get wet from those Wingull, did you?" Sun asked the small cloud-like Pokémon. Nebby let out a cheerful cry in response, floating up and down a few times with a happy smile on its face. Sun quickly treated Oliver's injuries with a Potion, bring him back to fighting fit shape.
"What is it with birds in this place? Every single one I've seen since coming to this place has been a complete jerk." Sun sighed before yelping in pain as a certain owl Pokémon tackled him into the grass.
"OK, OK! Not all of the birds have been jerks! You're cool!" Sun yelped as Rowlet furiously hooted at him. This seemed to calm the owl down, as it hooted happily and hopped off of Sun while Lillie held a trembling Nebby. Lillie opened the bag for the Pokémon and it frantically dove in there, shuddering even more.
"I'll have to keep that trick in mind." Lillie muttered, though she couldn't help a giggle as she looked down at Sun and Oliver.
"Let's just get moving." Sun groaned as he got to his feet, leaning against a tree for a moment to catch his breath. After a minute, the group set off towards the distant house on the beach, with Oliver keeping an eye out for any more rogue birds.
Sun took this time to battle two trainers along the way, which allowed Oliver to learn the move Astonish. Lillie took this time to explain something that the Professor had taught her.
"According to the Professor, a Pokémon is able to use any move that it has ever learned, even if it was in a previous evolution state." Lillie explained as they continued their walk, now walking along the water's edge on the beach.
"Any Pokémon can also learn four TM moves, that's Technical Machine for short, as well as anything it knew before. If you wanted to make a Pokémon learn a fifth TM move, you would have to have the Pokémon in question forget one of its other TM moves."
"Interesting…So Oliver has access to every move it's ever learned once it learns how to use it?" Sun asked Lillie, earning a nod in response.
"That's cool. Looks like you're just getting stronger and stronger, huh?" Sun asked the Rowlet.
Oliver tackled Sun into the water, to prove that yes indeedy, he was getting stronger.
Outside of the Pokémon Research Lab:
"Sun, I think researching how to cook owl is a bit extreme…"
"I don't care! I'm tired of being assaulted by birds! I love Flying-types, but this is ruining their charm for me!"
"We'll we're here now. I'm sure the Professor has some extra towels lying around somewhere." Lillie remarked as they approached the beach house. Loud noises could be heard echoing through the building.
"Oh no…Not again." Lillie muttered, looking at the building with a resigned expression.
"What's going on?" Sun asked the girl, wincing as a loud boom rang out, followed by several barks.
"Oh yeah, Rockruff! Let's go! Give it everything you've got! My body is ready! Woooo!" Kukui's voice rang out, followed by several loud barks.
"…OK, seriously, what the heck?"
"Yeah, give it to me, Rockruff! Just like that!"
"Ahh…There they go again. The insurance agent isn't going to be pleased." Lillie replied quietly, lowering her hat slightly as she shook her head.
"What exactly is he doing in there?" Sun asked, his eyebrows rising slightly in confusion.
"Again! Harder this time!
"Well, as you can see from the state of the building itself, the Pokémon Research Building has its own unique bit of charm." Lillie said as she looked over at Sun.
"I can see that. Looks like its halfway through getting repaired," Sun noted.
"It usually is. You don't even want to know what happened to the roof." Lillie said with a small shudder. "Anyways, this is where I've been, um, staying for the past three months. The Professor has been so kind in letting me impose on him." Lillie explained, shifting her stance as she continued. "In return, I've become his assistant."
"Really?"
"Yes. I'm not very good, but it's the least I can do to help pay him back for letting me stay here…Maybe I'd be more help if I were a real Pokémon Trainer too…" Lillie muttered, looking out towards the ocean with a contemplative look on her face. She remained silent for several seconds, which made Sun worry slightly.
"Uh…Lillie? Are you OK?" Sun asked awkwardly after a few more seconds of silence. Lillie snapped out of her reverie, looking back towards Sun with nervous laugh escaping her.
"S-sorry. I zoned out a little. Anyways…" Lillie turned back towards the building and continued, "The Professor is quite dedicated. He never stops researching moves…even inside of the actual lab itself."
"That seems unsafe."
"It is."
"Well then…"
"Yes...I just washed his lab coat this morning, and now it's probably in shreds, if not on fire. I can't really mend clothes, either, so he'll likely have to get another one. Maybe he'll actually start buttoning his coat too." Lillie said quietly, more to herself it seemed than Sun.
"Sounds like he's a hassle." Sun remarked, trying not to laugh at the strangeness of the situation.
"We should probably go inside before he does any more damage to the building." Lillie muttered in reply, hurrying forward to enter the building, with Sun following close behind.
Pokémon Research Lab:
"Huh? Oh, hey Sun! Thanks for getting him for me, Lillie!"
Sun and Lillie simply stared at the Professor down on the ground, his Rockruff standing atop the man's chest surrounded by several large rocks. Kukui staggered to his feet and limped over to the two children, his Rockruff at his heels.
"Of course, Professor. I help however I can…I mean, I'm supposed to be your assistant, right?" Lillie asked with a small smile.
"Sorry you had to go all the way over there. Rockruff's move were so stylin' and I was making a load of progress on my Rock-type Pokémon research. That's not even going into the two forms that Rockruff can have and how those evolutions play into its moves. It's all part of a huge report I'm sending to my Professor Rowan over in Sinnoh!" Kukui explained, crossing his arms with a wide smile.
"Wow. That's really interesting, sir," Sun said honestly. Lillie quietly went to fetch a few towels to help Sun dry off a bit and handed three of them to the boy.
"Even if I'm not a trainer, I've learned quite a bit from the Professor." Lillie admitted while Kukui scratched the back of his head with a chuckle.
"Well, you know, I'm nowhere near as good as Oak or Rowan. Oh wait! That reminds me." Kukui turned to Sun. "Can I see your Pokédex for a second?"
"Of course, sir," Sun replied, retrieving the device from his backpack as he dried his hair with a towel. The Professor accepted the Pokédex and flipped open the back panel on it after pressing in a number sequence on the front of the device.
"So…What do you think of the lab? Not bad, right?" Kukui asked Sun. The boy took a look around the lab, which was in surprisingly decent condition considering the loud noises that they had heard outside before they entered. It had a cozy feel to it, and had several Pokémon resting or moving about the lab itself. A massive aquarium stood behind Kukui, with several Pokémon within it that Sun had never seen before.
"But that's not why I called you over. If I did, that'd be kind of silly." Kukui chuckled and then continued, "Anyways, it just arrived. So I had to let you know to get on over here."
"…It?" Lillie asked, sounding somewhat anxious. Kukui scooped up the fallen towels on the ground that Sun had used to dry himself off with and bundled them up, throwing them into a nearby clothes hamper.
"Oh come on, Lillie. Don't make me have to do all of the talking." Kukui said to the girl, though he sounded like he was joking. "Anyways, do you know anything about a Pokémon called Rotom?"
"No. What's that?" Sun asked the Professor. To their surprise, Lillie piped up.
"Oh, that! I can tell you about Rotom." Lillie said after a moment, smiling slightly. "It's a Ghost/Electric-type Pokémon that has some peculiar abilities, with a body that is made up of a substance not unlike electricity. It can take up residence inside of machines at will." Lillie explained to Sun as he stared at his Pokédex in Kukui's hand.
"Yeah! And to put that crazy skill of Rotom's to work…It's going to be a part of the next generation of Pokédexes, but it's only complete once Rotom had gone into this body specially designed for it. This is a whole new way for people and Pokémon to communicate! Isn't that awesome?" Kukui said excitedly, grinning widely as he walked over to a table and began outfitting several parts onto Sun's Pokédex. Soon enough, it was finished and Kukui was holding out a Poké Ball in his hands.
"I've only got a few of these beauties out in the world right now. My buddy currently out in Kalos is working out some of the kinks and is trying to help me locate more Rotoms willing to assist us. Actually, he should be arriving in Alola within the week." Kukui muttered to himself that last bit before continuing.
"Now, if I just power up your Pokédex with the new parts installed…" Kukui muttered, pressing down on a few buttons in what seemed like another sequence. The Professor then released the Pokémon from the ball, where it let out a cry of protest, shuddering loudly.
"Sorry to surprise you there, Rotom." Kukui apologized to the electrical specter, which buzzed in response. "Anyways, I've got a brand-new body for you to try out! Jump into the Pokédex and give Sun a Helping Hand!"
Rotom let out a cry and dove into the Pokédex, making the device shake and whir for a few moments before it suddenly floated up in midair. The Rotom had possessed the device and was happily floating around.
"Bzzzt! Well then, look at that! Pleased to meet, ya Sun! Be careful with the body, yeah? I just got it!" Rotom buzzed happily as it zipped around the room. It finally stopped in front of Sun and leapt into his hands.
"It…it can talk." Sun stated in amazement, staring down at the Pokédex screen that now had two blinking blue eyes looking at him in amusement.
"Yep! Now you and Rotom can talk whenever you'd like. Looks like he's already taken a liking to you as well!" Kukui said with his usual cheer, clipping the Pokémon's ball back to his belt.
"Professor…How will this help Sun, exactly?" Lillie asked after a moment.
"Well, Sun hasn't been here in Alola too long, right? So I decided to give him the Rotom Dex to help him find his way around." Kukui explained to the girl while Sun admired the improved Pokédex.
"It's nice to meet you, Rotom." Sun said to the Pokémon, receiving a happy buzz in response.
"Rotom can activate a couple extra functions in your Pokédex. Map, radio, GPS, and a whole lot more. Just ask him and he'll be more than happy to help!" Kukui began explaining before the door was suddenly thrown open.
"A-lo-la!" Hau shouted as he bounded through the entryway, throwing his arms wide open with a cheerful grin on his face. "The salty sea breeze sang to me and brought me here to you all!"
Hau strolled into the Pokémon Lab as Professor Kukui continued his explanation. "As I was saying, this is just something I did so that Sun can become more comfortable with his new home."
"Huh? What's this?" Everyone turned towards Hau, who was looking up a pink ladder that extended upwards into a small area. Hau peered at it curiously. "Is that a loft? That's awesome!"
Lillie quickly bolted over to the boy, stepping in front of him as he reached for the closest rung on the ladder. "No, no it isn't! That's private, Hau!"
"Private?" Hau asked, confused.
"The Professor has been kind enough to let me use it…It's basically my room, for now." Lillie replied to the other boy, his eyes lighting up in understanding.
"It's like I said before…" Kukui walked up to the kids with Sun following close behind. "If you see a person or a Pokémon that needs help, you just gotta help them. Right boys?"
"Yeah."
"Yes sir."
"That's why I'm letting Lillie stay up there in the loft. No need to pry further." Kukui warned the two boys with his usual smile. Kukui turned to Sun and said, "Now, I'm leaving that Rotom Dex in your hands, Sun. Rotom, make sure to look after Sun, yeah?"
"Bzzt! You've got it, Professor!" the Pokédex replied.
"So that's the Rotom Dex…it's kind of cute, actually." Hau admitted with a small giggle.
"Oh, Professor!" Lillie suddenly exclaimed. "Remember to explain the Island Challenge. That was the first reason you wanted Sun to come over, right?"
"Of course. Thanks, Lillie." Professor Kukui cleared his throat and began. "All right, there are some important things that you need to know about the Island Challenge."
"The Island Challenge is your chance to become the strongest trainer around these parts – The Island Challenge Champion! It's a great adventure for both you and your Pokémon to go on together. Along the way you'll face many trials and much adversity, I'm sure. But it's all part of journey." Kukui explained with an excited grin on his face. Lillie chose that moment to chime in.
"There are four main islands that make up Alola, with Melemele Island being one of them. There is a Kahuna for each of them. If you wish to be recognized by the Kahunas as someone who is worthy of battling them, you must clear the seven Trials of Alola." Lillie explained further, smiling slightly as she went on.
"Sun, I want you and Oliver to go out there and give the Island Challenge a shot." Kukui said to the boy, grinning down at him.
"I know you have some reservations. I mean, you just moved here this week. But I've watched you battle, Sun, and even during your very first fight, you managed to bring out your Pokémon's moves to their fullest. You and Oliver were in perfect sync with one another, bringing out the best in each other's strengths and overcoming your weaknesses to get the win. I think you can continue to do that and achieve greatness, Sun. It's just a feeling that I have."
"Wow…That's…Thank you, sir." Sun mumbled, a bit overwhelmed. Did he really show that much promise? To have a Professor personally wanting him to go on this Island Challenge? He had always wanted to go on an adventure of his own, with his own Pokémon team, despite his lack of general experience in these things. And now here it was…He was being given a chance, being asked if he would be willing to attempt the Island Challenge, to go on his own adventure.
"I wonder if through this, I can become stronger myself. As a person…I can learn more about this place and become even closer to my Pokémon. I can be a bit more independent and learn how to survive on my own, too…Maybe at the end of this, I can become a better me...does that even make sense?" Sun mulled it over silently while the others patiently waited for a response.
"Well?" Hau asked, grinning widely.
"My answer is…Yes. I'll do it. I'm honestly really nervous, but I think it'll be a good experience for me, sir. So I'll do it." Sun replied to the Professor, nodding slowly.
"Awesome! Trust me, Sun, as someone who has dedicated their life to studying Pokémon moves, I really want to see how far you can go out there. Even better if you get to meet and learn about all kinds of Pokémon while you're out on your Island Challenge." Kukui dug into his coat and pulled out a small amulet, decorated in a swath of gold, yellow, red, pink, and purple.
"Everybody who participates in the Island Challenge gets an Island Challenge Amulet. Here." Kukui handed the amulet to Sun, who fastened it to the back of his backpack.
"Pretty neat, huh? I got one of those from my gramps, too!" Hau chirped, grinning as he spun around and showed off his own amulet dangling from his pack.
"Alrighty, that's enough of that. Get a move on, Sun! You need to hurry and get going!" Kukui said as he put two hands on his hips.
"To…where, exactly?" Sun asked.
"The Trainer's School. Duh. We'll swing by there so that you can go back over the basics of being a Pokémon Trainer through some good old-fashioned Pokémon battling. It's a long, hard road to becoming the Island Challenge Champion, and the Trainer's School is the very first step." Kukui explained to Sun before he turned to Hau.
"Wait, what about you, Hau? You haven't gone to the Trainer's School yourself, as far as I know…" Kukui said to the boy.
"I'm good, Professor. I just wanna play with my Pokémon a bit more- uh, I mean train with them! Yeah, that's what I meant. Right!" Hau said with a nervous smile as Kukui looked at the boy with something that resembled exasperation. Sun was a bit confused by that, honestly. It seemed as though the other boy didn't seem to have very much drive to become a stronger trainer. He just seemed to be interested in having a good time. That said, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
"The Island Challenge…" Lillie spoke up. "It's so interesting, you know. This is how the people of Alola connect with the world around them. This is something special to this place alone, and it seems so much more personal than the Gym Leader circuits in the other regions."
"Hey Lillie!" Kukui piped up, clapping the girl on the shoulder and scaring her. "You take care of Sun, alright?"
"W-w-what? Me?" Lillie stammered, surprised at the request.
"Yep. Until he gets used to navigating with Rotom, I want you to help guide him along the way. OK?" Kukui said to his assistant, receiving a small hesitant nod from him in response.
"Fantastic! Oh, wait…Whoops." Kukui frowned and scratched his chin, frowning.
"What is it, Professor?" Lillie asked the older man.
"It's a Sunday. The TS isn't in session today. The students are home with their families and the faculty is off of work. Mmm…Change of plans. We'll meet up at the Trainer's School tomorrow at noon! Sound good?" Kukui asked the children. Hau shrugged, since he wasn't really involved, while Lillie and Sun nodded.
"Great! I'll see you then, Sun! Now if you kids will excuse me, I'm going to head into the basement and do some more research. You all can head out whenever you want. Just be careful on the way back, alright?" Kukui said to the children, waving them goodbye as he walked towards the back of the lab as Sun and Hau bid farewell to the man. With that, the trio made their way out of the house and stepped out onto the beach. Sun released Oliver, where the bird took that moment to fly out towards the surf with a happy chirp before soaring back to his trainer.
"Sun, your Rowlet…it's kinda mean, huh?" Hau asked quietly, ignoring the look the bird in question began giving him. Sun wondered why Hau thought that, but then he remembered that Oliver single-handedly beat him and his team twice now and was pretty terrifying in battle.
"I really don't know, Hau. Oliver acts calm and happy and even obeys me well at times, but there's other times when he just gets mischievous and messes with me. It's weird. It doesn't help that half of the times I've been attacked by Pokémon, it was him doing the attacking." Sun muttered as the bird hopped onto his injured shoulder, making the boy hiss in pain as the Rowlet nuzzled him with a cheerful hoot.
"Yeah, yeah. You're like this now. I'm sure I'll get tackled into the dirt one more time before I get home." Sun muttered to the bird, who backed away from Sun and raised its wings in a shrugging gesture. Hau snickered at that while Lillie simply sighed, reaching over and petting the small owl, making it coo happily in pleasure.
"I think there was a word Professor Kukui used once to describe Pokémon just like your Rowlet, Sun." Lillie remarked as they began their trek up the path once again, with the Rotom Dex in tow and Hau with them now.
"And what word would that be?" Hau asked curiously.
"That word would be asshole."
