Pokémon Radiant Sun


So that was an interesting week.

Sorry for the delay, this week was incredibly stressful and busy for me, considering all of the stuff I had to do for my Air Force processing. However, I'm pleased to announce that I'm a few steps closer to achieving my goal, so yay me!

Also, this chapter ended up being double the length it needed to be, so that contributes to the lateness quite a bit. So again, apologies for that but I'll be back on track this week with a Sunday or Monday update and then back to normal Friday/Saturday-ish updates until further notice.

Last chapter got a crapton of feedback and it was awesome. That may have been the most amount of reviews I've ever received within one update span in my entire time on this site. Hopefully the appearance of this character makes a few smiles, because they definitely are one of my personal favorite characters within the Pokémon series. That said, this is coming from one of my favorite games in the series so maybe that says a bit about me.

Shoutout to those who reviewed since the last update, which includes Sai Og Sus, Cottonmouth25, Raikou927, Ways, Dunka99, My Wunderwaffle iz missin, NullSilver2005, as well as four new reviewers known as KyubiMaster9, 127294AlexTheReaper, Madame Rodoshe, LurkMore.

Also, special shoutout to KyubiMaster9 for being my 100th reviewer! And big thanks to every single person who's reviewed and offered their feedback thus far, as well as those who support the story by reading, favoriting, and following. Here's to even more awesomeness down the road.

Enjoy.


Chapter 17: Shatter and Fall


"So Sun, how've you been enjoying the city?" Kukui asked as the last bit of malasada was consumed.

"It's been great. Lillie and Hau have been showing me all around the city. We did a bit of shopping here and there and have just been exploring all around. Today's definitely been my most interesting day so far. Battling the Trial Captain and then Team Skull was a…experience." Sun explained to the Professor, earning a chuckle in response.

"Yeah, those knuckleheads have been causing trouble for a while now. They're composed of Trainers who have, for one reason or another, given up on the Island Challenge after hitting too many roadblocks. It's understandable, actually, considering how important the Island Challenge is to the culture and history Alola. The significance we place on it seeps into so much of our lives here, and admittedly the pressure to beat the Island Challenge can bother some people. After a few setbacks, it can make some question why they're doing it in the first place. Sometimes Trainers give up on their quest to beat it. Sometimes they even give up on being a Trainer…some decide that they wanted to destroy the very thing they were trying to overcome."

"Team Skull was born out of frustration and resentment and hurt. In a way, I feel sorry for them. They're not what I would call a serious threat, they're more of a nuisance, really, but they should absolutely be watched. They're thieves and rogues, determined to cause as much trouble as possible…especially to those undergoing the Island Challenge. So keep an eye out for anything suspicious." Kukui warned the trio of children. Lillie was especially attentive, her hand going to the bag that contained Nebby.

"Sir…what did you think of the Celadon City attack?" Sun asked quietly after a moment. Kukui blinked in surprise at the question, but then sighed at the response.

"It was terrible. I've never seen something so dreadful before. Even if Neo Team Plasma and Cipher have both done similar things to cities in Unova in the past…somehow seeing it all happen live on TV made it worse. I only hope that someone can put a stop to those monsters soon." Kukui replied as he crossed his arms, looking solemn.

"Did my Mom talk to you about it?" Sun asked Kukui. The man seemed to hesitate before nodding slowly.

"We had a long talk about them. She was, understandably, very upset about the attack. Even worse was seeing Erika murdered like that. Those two were close for years." Kukui said to the Kanto-native.

"I used to spend time at her Gym with Mom…She let me play with her Pokémon while Mom and her gossiped and chatted about how their weeks were going, back when I was smaller. They even had battles and let me be the referee…" Sun's voice trembled slightly as he spoke, and he was surprised when he felt two hands on both of his shoulders. He looked to his right and left and saw Hau and Lillie both with a hand on each of his shoulders, and he couldn't help but manage a weak smile at the support of his new friends.

"Thanks…" Sun muttered before looking back to Kukui, who was smiling at them now.

"Yes, I can imagine this has been incredibly hard on you. It may seem like a very dark time to be a Trainer, with Cipher continuing to grow in strength. Unova is struggling and Kanto is reeling from Celadon's destruction. But know this…even in dark times like this, there are people waiting to be a shining beacon of hope for everyone else. Whenever evil rears its ugly head, there's always going to be a few heroes ready to take them to task over what they've done. So don't feel like there's no hope for Kanto or even that Cipher can't be stopped…They've been stopped before. They can be stopped again."

"And Sun, going back to the topic of your mother, she's told me to have you call her tomorrow. She would've called you already, but she's been trying to sort out some stuff of her own. She wants to have a talk with you about what happened in Celadon. And she's promised me that we'll all be having an even longer talk once you're a bit further in your Island Challenge. She has a bit of explaining to do." Kukui said to the young Trainer. Sun nodded in understanding, despite Lillie and Hau being confused.

"And on that gloomy note…" Kukui stood up with a wide grin and said, "I have to be off! I've got a meeting with Hala back at Iki Town! Lillie, I'll be at the Westside Hau'oli Pokémon Center to pick you up this evening, alright?"

"Yes Professor. I'll have my things ready to leave by then," Lillie replied, nodding.

"Wait, you're leaving?" Sun asked as he looked over at Lillie. He was a bit taken aback by this, having expected to be able to spend more time with her as he made his made his way towards his first Trial. He had assumed she would be tagging along with him and Hau and supporting them both.

"Yes, Sun. Professor Kukui did task me with helping you get situated within Alola, which I've hopefully been able to do so far, but he also needs me to help him with his research. He's managed the past week without me, but I unfortunately can't accompany you further…" Lillie saw the rather downcast look on Sun's usually smiling face before she hastily added, "I'd be more than happy to spend more time with you when we meet up again though!"

"Sorry Sun. But Lillie, despite what she thinks, does help a lot with my research and I do need to get back on track with that. If all goes well with your Trial, then head back on around to Iki Town and give me a heads up. We can watch you and Hau battle it out with our Kahuna and discuss plans from there, alright?" Kukui said to Sun, clapping him on the shoulder bracingly. Sun nodded, feeling a little better but still a bit down that Lillie was leaving them for now. He had really grown to like spending time with her and was sorry to hear that she would be departing.

"I'll see you all later! Have a great day, you three!" Kukui said to the trio, walking off and exiting the building.

"Well…Do you two want to explore the city a bit more? We still have a few hours before I need to head back to the Pokémon Center." Lillie asked the two Trainers. With two nods, the group departed the restaurant and began chatting about their recent adventures within the city. Hau then admitted that he was eager to do some shopping today in order to prepare for the trek out to the Verdant Cavern.

"Why didn't you do that earlier this week?" Sun asked the other boy. Hau gave a sheepish grin and replied, "Well…I may have had a bit too much fun derping around the city. Besides, I'm sure we'll be fine."

"Proper preparation isn't a laughing matter, Hau…Truthfully, I'm a bit worried about you two going out alone. Even though most of the island is rather tame, there's still some really nasty Pokémon out there that could cause you harm. On top of that, you two don't know a whole lot about surviving in the wild." Lillie said to the two boys.

"Well…I've had some practice." Hau said with a laugh, trying to save face. Sun just shrugged.

"I've been reading a few books about basic survival. I'm not done with them yet, and I know it's not nearly as good as experience, but I think we can manage. Do you know anything about being out in the wild?" Sun asked the girl, receiving a nod in response.

"I've been helping Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet with field research, which often requires us to be out and about. Professor Kukui is an expert survivalist, and he's been teaching me quite a few things about staying happy and healthy while away from civilization." Lillie replied, smiling a little.

"That's awesome!" Sun grinned at the girl, making her beam at the praise.

"Yup, yup! That's our Lillie for ya!" Hau laughed, putting both of his hands behind his head. The trio continued their walk in silence, simply enjoying the day.

After a while though, Sun noticed something odd. Whenever he had been out and about, there were always people walking alongside him and crossing the streets. Right now, the street they were on was completely deserted. The Kanto-native frowned at that and looked around, now unable to shake off the feeling that they were being watched.

"Hey…Where is everyone?" Sun asked Lillie and Hau, who both looked at the boy in confusion before realizing what he meant.

"That is odd…And it gives me a bad feeling. Did something happen?" Lillie asked, her voice curious but also worried. Nebby let out a soft cry from its bag and Lillie patted it, muttering an assurance that everything would be OK.

"Uh…guys? We've got company." Hau said, pointing off to the sides of the street. Several teens all wearing familiar outfits were slipping out from behind cars and alleyways, ill intent gleaming in their eyes. Lillie stepped back as Sun and Hau stepped in front of her, but soon enough they were surrounded by a dozen Team Skull members.

"Hehe…Now the table's are turned, yo." One of the members of Team Skull, who seemed vaguely familiar to Sun, walked forward. Sun recognized him as the Grunt he had battled at the Marina. His cohort, B, joined him at the front of the group.

"Yup. Now we're going to show you exactly who's boss around these parts. Not some crazy old Kahuna and certainly not Captain Prissy Pants. You know who really owns this city? Team Skull, that's who, boys and girls!" Grunt A said as he threw out his arms.

"Bzzt! Dude…Take it down a notch or twelve." Rotom chimed in as it poked its head out of Sun's backpack.

"I don't need your crap, you stupid calculator!" Grunt A yelled out, pointing an angry finger at the Rotom Dex, who leapt out of the bag with a cry.

"Calculator? CALCULATOR!?" Rotom screeched, making every single one of them flinch at the noise the Pokémon was making.

"Rotom, calm down-" Sun began to say before the Rotom Dex cut him off with an even louder screech that made Sun clamp his hands over his ears.

"HOW DARE YOU!? I AM A STATE-OF-THE-ART PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY, TASKED WITH ASSISTING GIFTED TRAINERS! HOW DARE YOU CALL ME A CALCULATOR!?" Rotom roared, making every single one of the Team Skull Grunts back away in fear.

"Wait, no. The hell you fools backing up for? What's one Game Boy going to do us? We've still got the numbers advantage, homies. Let's deck these-" Grunt B began to say before Rotom soared up to the teen's face, making him yelp in surprise.

"GAME BOY!? I will destroy everyone you hold dear for your insolence!" Rotom yelled out in a much deeper voice, making everyone present take two steps away from the raging Pokédex. Two of the Team Skull Grunts actually started crying out of fear of the horrifying Pokédex gone mad.

"Dude, calm your pet down. I'm actually getting kinda scared, yo." Grunt A said to Sun, sweating bullets all the while.

"This got dark really quick. I think I'm actually going to side with them, Sun. Maybe turn Rotom off for a bit?" Lillie suggested quietly, earning two horrified nods from both boys before Sun reached up to the Rotom Dex, who was preparing another verbal tirade upon being called a "pet".

"I WILL MAKE THE SEAS RUN WITH YOUR BLOOD FOR YOUR TRANSGRESSIONSsssss…" Rotom shut its eyes and promptly fell into Sun's hands as the boy shook his head slowly, unable to figure just what had happened.

"Sun, seriously. What the heck was that about?" Hau asked, sighing with relief.

"No idea. I'll have to have a talk with Professor Kukui about the evil rituals he performed while making this thing." Sun said he shoved Rotom back into his backpack.

"It's OK Nebby…it went to sleep. No more yelling." Lillie said quietly, patting the side of the bag that was shaking in horror from the monster within the Pokédex.

"Alright, so can we get back to the mugging that's apparently happening?" Sun said to the Team Skull people, feeling a headache coming on. He really didn't need this right now. Before Grunt A could reply, one of the other Grunts suddenly stepped forward, cutting him off.

"Now I recognize this guy, A. He's the guy who punched me during that rainstorm!" one of the Team Skull Grunts, a darker-skinned teen with a gold armlet on his left hand, yelled out.

"Wait, me?" Sun asked, genuinely confused.

"Yes, you! I was just going to say hi threateningly and then take your Pokémon, but you punched me and ran away. Not cool, yo!" the Team Skull grunt yelled indignantly.

"Dude, you got wrecked by a kid? That's some weak stuff, man." Grunt A chuckled, shaking his head as a few of the other Team Skull Grunts laughed as well.

"Well, guess this means we make you pay extra hard. First we'll beat down your Pokémon. Then, we'll beat down the kid who decided punching people for no reason was fun, and then we'll take whatever you've got hidden in that bag, girlie." Grunt B said, eyeing Lillie with a hidden grin.

"You're not going to do a thing to her, you creeps!" Sun said as he stepped forward, glaring at the delinquents with defiance in his eyes. After a few moments, Hau stepped forward, backing Sun up.

"So we've got some boys who want to fight? Sounds cool, little homies. We'll smash you down, and after we bail on this place the Cap can come scrape you off the pavement, you feel me?" Grunt B said as he crossed his arms, chuckling as some of the Grunts began pulling out Poké Balls.

"This isn't good." Hau muttered, worry seeping into the young boy as Sun glared down the members of Team Skull. The Kanto-native became aware of a certain girl, shuddering in fear behind him, and as he glanced backwards he gave Lillie a reassuring smile.

"No worries. We'll beat this clowns at their own game. I'm not going to let them hurt you." Sun said to the blonde-haired girl, who looked surprised by Sun's confidence as he turned back forward, pulling out a Poké Ball of his own.

"Get ready, fools! Team Skull is about to-!" Grunt A yelled out, pointing down his finger dramatically as if in benediction to show who was about to get made a fool of, when he was cut off.

"So this is what you all were up to!"

Sun blinked in surprise, the voice unfamiliar to him, and turned around to see someone approaching them from down the street at a hurried pace, their eyes narrowed at the dozen Team Skull Grunts surrounding the trio of children, unfazed at the number of goons glaring at him.

"Who's this fool?" Grunt A said with a chuckle, tossing his Poké Ball up and down in the air.

"No idea, A. But this guy's about to get out of here real quick." Grunt B said as he walked past the trio of children, staring down the approaching figure as their eyes narrowed down even further. Sun took in the appearance of the new arrival on the scene.

He was tall and well-built, several years older than them but still young, maybe about 16 or 17. He had pale skin and rather erratic, spiky dark blue hair. He wore a dark blue pair of baggy cargo shorts and a dark red tank top, with a bright yellow heart-shaped necklace dangling from his neck. His red eyes were narrowed in barely controlled fury as he continued walking forward, his hand reaching for a Poké Ball on his belt from the four that were there.

"Or else…what, exactly?" the young man challenged the Team Skull Grunt, his voice hard as permafrost.

"Or else we'll show you why we're hard as bones! Look at this fool, folks! He's wearing a Quilfish on his head!" Grunt B cackled with delight, doubling over as the other Grunts joined in with laughter. Hau and Sun exchanged a quick look with each other as Lillie huddled closer to the both of them, but were surprised when the mysterious young man suddenly smiled at Team Skull, surprising Grunt B.

"It's times like this that my anger management classes really shine through. You all need to back off and leave those kids alone. Otherwise…" The young man's smile faded, replaced with a rather scary scowl.

"Otherwise?" Grunt B challenged, bowing himself up and standing up to the young man.

"You don't want to find out what happens, otherwise. Trust me." The young man's words made the Team Skull Grunt chuckle as he turned on his heel, not paying the new arrival any mind. To Sun's surprise, the young man turned to them.

"Are you three alright? They didn't hurt you, did they?" Sun, Hau, and Lillie shook their heads as the young man sighed with relief. "Good. I was wondering why the streets cleared when I saw these idiots heading this way. I followed and…well, I've been needing to blow off some steam. Looks like I get my wish. I'll deal with them, don't you three worry."

"So…Who are you?" Hau asked the young man, who seemed surprised by that.

"Huh. I probably should've introduced myself before I stepped in. My name is Hugh. Pleased to meet you three." The young man said to them, giving them a small smile before returning his gaze forward, the smile vanishing.

"And for you idiots…get ready, because I'm about to unleash my rage." Hugh growled, stepping front of the children protectively as Team Skull drew closer, Grunt A staring down the young man. Sun and Hau, sensing the battle about to begin, drew their Poké Balls as well, but Hugh shook his head.

"No. I've got this. Save your Pokémon's strength for something worth the effort. This won't take me long." Hugh said roughly, drawing a single Poké Ball from his belt.

"GET HIM!" Grunt A bellowed, with the members of Team Skull releasing about a dozen and a half Pokémon of all kinds onto the street.

"Samson! Let's go!" Hugh yelled, tossing the Poké Ball to the ground, releasing a massive blue Pokémon with a large white horn. It crouched low on the ground, snorting in anger as Hugh stood alongside it. Upon seeing the new Pokémon, the unleashed Pokémon of Team Skull paused in their tracks, hesitating.

Sun pulled the Rotom Dex back out of his backpack, and against his better judgement, turned it back on again. Rotom let out a yawn and shuddered to life, blinking.

"Huh. Why do I suddenly feel like killing a bunch of people?" Rotom asked, sounding confused.

"We'll explain that later. Now, Rotom, what is that thing exactly?" Sun asked as the Rotom Dex turned around and took in the sight of Hugh and his Pokémon facing down Team Skull alone.

"Whoa…That's scary. Scanning…Pokémon entry not found in Alolan Database. Expanding search…Unova Pokédex entry found. Samurott. The Formidable Pokémon. One swing of the sword incorporated in its armor can fell an opponent. A simple glare from one of them quiets everybody. Sounds like one tough customer." Rotom remarked as the duo ahead of them prepared to fight. Each of the Pokémon eyed the Samurott as the Pokémon took in the sights around them.

Each of the Team Skull Grunts barked out commands, unleashing a barrage of long-ranged attacks towards them. Hugh let out a long, sharp whistle, and to their surprise a glowing green barrier flickered into existence around them. The attacks smashed harmlessly against the barrier as Hugh shook his head.

"I can't believe you even tried that." Hugh said coldly, clenching his fists in anger as the attacks subsided.

"Yo! Keep up the pressure! Protect can't be used forever like that!" one of the Grunts called out.

"He's right you know." Rotom chimed in.

"I'm aware. Just trying to figure out how to take care of them without destroying the street. Samson, keep the barrier active until there's a lull in their attacks and then use Aqua Jet!" Hugh ordered his Samurott. The attacks were released once again and the Formidable Pokémon growled as the attacks slammed into the barrier again, causing it to crack in several places.

However, once a good number of the Pokémon had let up on their attacks, the barrier faded and the Samurott let out a growl as water suddenly engulfed it, propelling the massive Pokémon towards the cluster of Pokémon. Samson collided with the Pokémon with tremendous force, knocking several of them to the ground where they fainted right away.

"Use Slash!" Hugh barked out, making Samson draw the two massive scimitars on its front legs and slash expertly through the air, rending the air with a white energy that managed to take down the remaining Pokémon with ease, leaving deep cuts in each of the Pokémon of Team Skull.

"What even is this guy!?" Grunt A yelled out as he returned his Pokémon. Several of the Team Skull Grunts had already done that and were running away down the street, but a few of them remained and stared down Hugh with anger. They were then taken aback when Hugh glared them back down with even more fury in his eyes.

"Get out of my sight!" Hugh snarled, taking a step forward. Samson growled as well, lowering his head as his massive horn began to glow. At that, the rest of Team Skull made a retreat down the road, allowing the three children to breathe a collective sigh of relief.

"Idiots…If there's anything I can't stand, it's a thief. Especially thieves that try to target little kids." Hugh said with disgust in his voice, shaking his head as his Samurott made his way over to him. Hugh looked over at his Pokémon, smiling at him, before saying, "Thanks for the help, buddy."

Samson nodded in response before being returned. Hugh turned to Sun, Lillie, and Hau and smiled a bit more. "I know you might have been able to handle those guys, but I can't resist a battle."

"It's no problem at all, sir. Thank you for helping us." Lillie said to the older Trainer, bowing her head slightly. Hugh chuckled at that, waving a hand dismissively.

"Don't mention it. So, why were they after you all, anyway? Seemed like they were pretty determined to get you." Hugh asked, curiosity and something else in his voice that Sun couldn't place.

"Me and Captain Ilima beat two of them at the docks when they started threatening us. I guess they followed us and tried to get even by beating us with sheer numbers…" Sun smiled at the other Trainer and said, "That was really impressive though. Knocking out all of their Pokémon with just two attacks? That's incredible!"

"Samson's had a lot of practice. Those guys had nothing on Team Plasma." Hugh replied, smirking at them.

"You fought Team Plasma?" Sun asked, surprised.

"Yeah. Dirty criminals. I helped my best friend stop their plans to take over Unova when they started messing with Kyurem." Hugh's smile faded when he added, "Though the third time they pulled that plan, it worked."

"What do you mean?" Hau asked, confused.

"Never mind," Hugh replied quickly.

"I'm not really sure if I want to be within the city anymore. Team Skull may not be very smart, but they have numbers and can easily overwhelm us if we run into them again." Lillie said, glancing back down the street. A Team Skull Grunt was visible in the distance, watching them. After realizing she had been spotted, the young girl ran.

"Looks like they're determined to get you then…" Hugh remarked as he looked skyward for a second, a thoughtful expression on his face before he asked, "Do you three need an escort? My plans for the day got ruined and you all look like you could use someone to keep an eye out for trouble."

"You sure you don't mind?" Sun asked the older Trainer, who replied with a smirk.

"Not at all. If making sure people can stay safe from thieves means I have to babysit for a little while, then that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make." Hugh replied as he walked past them.

"Heh…He's cool." Hau said with a wide grin, bounding forward. Sun ad Lillie exchanged a look.

"Thoughts?" Sun asked the girl.

"He seems nice enough. Plus he helped us…I say we accept his offer. I'll let the Professor know what happened so he can Teleport to us in case of an emergency." Lillie replied as she pulled out a small white phone.

With that, the trio continued their journey through the city, plus one more. They learned a bit more about their guardian as they walked with him, and he in turn got to know them a bit as well. Sun was surprised when he found out that the teen had gone toe-to-toe with Team Plasma on many occasions, but also Cipher apparently. Sun remembered what Vivian had said about the group ruining Unova and decided to see if Hugh had any more information on them.

"So Hugh…what can you tell me about Cipher?" Sun asked the older Trainer, receiving a wary look from him.

"I could tell you a whole lot about them, Sun. Whether or not I will is another story." Sun blinked at Hugh's words, but the older teen added, "Let's just put it this way. The things I can tell you about them aren't exactly nice."

"Sorry, Hugh…It's just, I want to learn more about them. They destroyed my home! My city! And if my…Well, I just want to learn more about them any way I can." Sun said again, making the teen frown as he crossed his arms.

"Sorry, Sun. But I'm not comfortable talking about those guys. If you want, I can point you in the direction of some friends of mine. They're in the city and know just as much about Cipher as me. We're actually not too far away from one of them now." Hugh remarked, pointing towards a large white building less than a mile away from them.

"That's Hau'Oli Hospital, isn't it?" Hau asked.

"Yep." Hugh replied, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Then I think I'm going to bail on this trip." Hau remarked, stopping where he stood.

"Huh? Why, Hau?" Lillie asked, confused.

"Uhh…I…Um…" Hau blushed slightly, looking away as he mumbled something.

"Well, spit it out. We don't have all day." Hugh said to the younger Trainer, making him wince.

"I'mafraidofhospitalsOK!?" Hau blurted out before running in the opposite direction, much to the bewilderment of his three companions. Within moments the boy was out of sight, but not out of mind.

"Well, that was sudden." Sun remarked, tilting his head slightly in bewilderment.

"Afraid of hospitals. That…isn't too crazy, actually." Hugh admitted, smiling a little.

"I'm going to have to have a serious talk with that boy. Hospitals are places of healing and recovery! What's so bad about them?" Lillie asked, genuinely confused.

"Some people have bad memories of hospitals, or may have had bad experiences there. You shouldn't ever give someone grief over a phobia. Especially if its one they're already ashamed of." Hugh said to Lillie, making the girl's eyes widen as a guilty look appeared on her face. Hugh ignored that and continued walking.

"Hey, it happens. Don't feel bad about it." Sun muttered, putting a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder.

Lillie nodded and smiled a little in reply before looking towards the approaching hospital and saying, "Didn't Vivian say she was going to be staying at the hospital?"

"Did she? When was this?" Sun asked.

"After you left. She said she was going to visit a friend." Lillie said to Sun, but before he could reply Hugh spoke up.

"I'd rather we didn't see her, actually." Hugh chimed in, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Why? Do you know her?" Lillie asked.

"Yeah. Me and her are…acquaintances, I guess you could say. I'm good friends with a friend of hers, and we traveled to Alola together after Cipher and Team Plasma ruined Unova." Hugh explained as they approached the hospital.

"Well…I still want some answers. Besides, we're here now. May as well go see if she's around still." Sun remarked as they drew closer to the building. Hugh muttered something dark about not needing to deal with Vivian but continued to trail behind them.

"Maybe she won't be there and you can just get the info from Noah. I know he's supposed to be here for a little while longer. He'll be easy to track down." Hugh piped up, looking up at the rather nice hospital that loomed ahead of them. The facility itself looked practically new and was quite large, though considering this was Alola's biggest city, this made sense. Hugh pulled out his phone and began tapping away at it, until Sun spotted something and spoke up.

"No need. She's right there." Sun pointed to a bench near the front of the hospital, in front of a small fountain. Vivian was currently passed out in the lap of a young man in medical scrubs, implying he was a patient at the hospital. The group exchanged glances before they walked over to the duo sitting on the bench. The patient with the sleeping woman in his lap offered the two children a warm smile as they approached.

"Well...Look what the cat dragged in. And…" the young man grinned as he turned his gaze to Lillie and Sun, "You two must be the greenhorns Vivian talked about last night. Lillie and Sun, right?"

Sun and Lillie both nodded in reply. The young man's smile widened and he said, "I'm Noah. It's nice to meet you both."

"Same to you. Is she…OK?" Sun asked quietly, nodding at the slumbering girl on Noah's lap.

"Oh yeah, she's fine. Feel free to talk however loud you feel like, by the way. She's a super heavy sleeper." Noah said cheerfully, running a hand through Vivian's long hair while she snored quietly in his lap, looking very peaceful. Sun and Lillie joined Noah and Vivian on the nearby bench opposite the pair, with Hugh leaning against Noah's bench as he shut his eyes. Sun took in the other young man's appearance during the lull in conversation.

He seemed very thin, almost unhealthily so, with almost sheet-white skin. The meager patient's scrubs he was wearing clashed with the fancy red fedora on his head, the same fedora that they had seen Vivian purchase earlier when they had went shopping. The young man himself was bald, with dark brown eyes and a tired but cheerful expression on his face.

"So, how do you two know Vivian?" Noah asked the two children.

"I met her earlier this week."

"She showed up outside my house and started being weird."

"Aria introduced me to her and I've regretted that day since."

Sun and Lillie both giggled at Hugh's last remark, with even Noah chuckling at that, though he addressed Lillie and Sun when he spoke. "Both of those sound about right. She's an odd one. Still, you get used to it. I did. She's got a good heart, even if she doesn't like showing it. From the sound of it she's taken quite a liking to you two and your other friend. Though from what she says, he doesn't like her much. Again, that's understandable." Noah chuckled again and shook his head, though he added a moment later, "But again, we're getting off track. Vivian mentioned that you both saw that broadcast of Cipher's attack on Celadon, and Hugh mentioned you want to know more about them. So, I'll start off with this. What did you think of the Celadon attack?"

Sun's smile dropped instantly, slowly turning into a scowl. Lillie's smile faded as well, and Noah nodded in understanding.

"Yeah…When I first found out what kind of people Cipher were, I was that way too. It's even more frustrating when you can't do much against them." Noah gestured to himself and said, "While Aria, Hugh…Wes, and a few others were taking the fight to Cipher back in Unova, I was dealing with my leukemia coming back. Makes it kind of hard to help track down Cipher members in cities and go on raids through their facilities when you have trouble doing the basics." Noah explained with a rueful smile, making Sun and Lillie blink in surprise.

"And yet this guy has more heart than most people you'll ever see. Don't sell yourself short there. How many people do you see trudging around the country with a life-threatening medical condition?" Hugh said to his friend, earning a smile from him as he shook his head.

"So you know a lot about them then? Please, tell me what you know. Hugh didn't want to talk about it but…could you tell me more about them?" Sun said to the older Pokémon Trainer, who looked doubtful.

"I don't know, Sun. This is some dark stuff." Noah said as he began stroking Vivian's hair yet again. The young woman sighed contentedly and shifted in Noah's lap, making the young man smile a little.

"They destroyed my home. I watched them kill someone I looked up to on live TV. If I know a bit more about them, then maybe I can help stop them in some way…Please, I just need to know about them. What they are, why they're doing this." Sun pleaded with the man, who remained silent for several seconds before nodding slowly.

"Where to begin…" Noah said with a small sigh, looking skyward. "Alright. I just want to preface this story by saying I'm not the best person to talk to for it. Aria knows more by a long shot, but she's not around anymore. I was in the hospital several times over the course of our run-ins with Cipher, so I'll likely end up missing a few points. So I apologize in advance if there's any confusion…and I may just leave out a few details because you're still kids, and I'm not going to retell some of the stuff that Cipher has pulled just on that principle. Hugh, if I miss something important, can you cover for my lapses?"

"I'll try," Hugh replied, sighing a little.

"Cipher is a criminal syndicate that was once based in the Oore region." Noah began to say, but was interrupted by a confused Lillie.

"Oore?" Lillie asked, confused.

"A mostly desert continent south from these islands. There's a few spots of activity here and there, but it's mostly wasteland and the people there are very rough. It's easily the least populated of the regions of our world. And there, once upon a time, Cipher reigned supreme."

"The organization itself is comprised of highly-skilled trainers, for the most part. Not just anyone can join, and from what I can tell most of the grunts and admins have diverse teams. They weren't just idiots with Zubats and Rattata. They are ruthless and aggressive, and with some very smart people leading them. Because of this, they were able to acquire a power base in Oore and begin researching and constructing something to give them an edge against their opponents, because you better believe there were people in Oore not happy about Cipher becoming more and more active."

"This edge…was the development of Shadow Pokémon."

"Shadow…Pokémon?" Lillie asked, confused.

"Shadow Pokémon. A Pokémon that has had the door to its heart artificially closed through scientific means. Basically, Cipher tortures a Pokémon until they become a Shadow Pokémon. They go through so much pain and cruelty that they become nothing more than a feral beast. Shadow Pokémon are incredibly violent, with no free will of their own. They become weapons, fit only to react to their master's commands. Their powers become twisted, allowing them to find a strength that they wouldn't have access to normally. Their bodies are cloaked in an invisible aura of darkness. And Cipher has created hundreds upon hundreds of these things..." Noah trailed off, shaking his head, though Sun piped up.

"Aren't Shadow Pokémon supposed to be undetectable though? I saw a few of them on the broadcast and I could see the auras of them." Sun asked the two Trainers.

"We'll get to that. Now…if that wasn't bad enough, Cipher tends to broker alliances with the other criminal syndicates as part of their strategy. They combine forces, supporting one another through different means. The first and most important of these groups was Team Snagem. They were similar to Team Rocket and Team Galactic, basically just thugs who stole people's Pokémon and caused trouble. Except through Cipher, they were given the tools to steal Pokémon from their Trainers through special machines. With the two of them backing each other up, thing's looked bleak for people in the Oore region. If left unchecked, Cipher would have completely controlled the region as more and more Shadow Pokémon got pumped out and the opposition got struck down…but then one person decided enough was enough and took the fight to Cipher." Noah said with the first smile had been able to muster thus far.

"Their name was Wes. A Snagger from within Team Snagem that decided to rebel against them. He stole one of the only mobile Snag Machines from the group and destroyed their base, destroying all of the machines that the group had been relying on to do their dirty work. With the help of another victim of Cipher, a girl named Rui who could detect the Shadow Pokémon without help, he managed to lead a crusade against the two groups and cripple them at every turn." Noah continued, though Hugh interrupted him.

"Wes did this by stealing the Shadow Pokémon away from those who were using them. But he didn't use those Pokémon as weapons, but treated them as friends. Partners. Equals...Through kindness, and a little help from a relic powered by Celebi, he managed to reverse the effects of what Cipher had done to all of the Shadow Pokémon created at the time." Hugh explained, a smile of his own gracing his face.

"Sounds like quite a striking figure." Lillie remarked, glancing between the two Trainers.

"You could say that. Wes defeated Cipher and ruined Team Snagem, but that wasn't the end of it. Snagem was irreparably scattered, but Cipher had plenty of fire in the tank. They began expanding to other regions, attempting to set up shop in Sinnoh. Wes and Rui chased them there and spent four years fighting them there. This was where Cipher began a campaign of terror that swept through the region, with even the Champion having issues putting the Admins and their leader done. Wes, however, put a stop to their plans there. He defeated both Cipher and Team Galactic, who had partnered with Cipher to regain their old strength, and recovered all of the Shadow Pokémon he could from them. However…that's where things get nasty."

Noah sighed and said, "Shortly after that, they encountered Amber, and everything went to hell."

"…Amber?" Lillie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Amber Fontaine…" Hugh hissed, a rather furious look leaping into the young man's face.

"Who?" Sun asked, looking at Noah.

"Cipher's assassin. She's a serial killer that we've run into a couple of times. She's a woman with no empathy, no remorse and shows no mercy to those she comes across. If you ever find yourself unlucky enough to come across her…run." Noah warned the two children, his expression deadly serious.

"Don't try to fight. Don't bother reasoning with her. She'd a cold-blooded monster that serves as Cipher's Eliminator. An Admin who doesn't care who or what she kills, person or Pokémon, so long as it serves Cipher." Hugh elaborated, a sharpness to his voice that was lacking before.

"I'm guessing you both have bad memories of her," Lillie asked quietly.

"Yeah. Bad memories. She's evil. I got to see her kill that Gym Leader from Kanto just the other night on TV." Hugh explained, his voice nearly a snarl.

Sun felt the breath get driven out of his chest. This Amber woman...She was the one who had killed Erika? She was the one who had slaughtered the Grass-type Gym Leader and those news people in cold blood before delivering a grisly message to the world?

Sun felt a hand on his shoulder and sighed angrily, trying to well back the torrent of emotions. He'd remember that name. Amber Fontaine...The Eliminator. The assassin of Cipher. He'd remember that woman and someday...make her pay.

"Did I...You knew that Gym Leader, didn't you?" Noah asked quietly.

"She was...someone I looked up to, back home. She was a family friend." Sun said quietly, feeling the anger ebb away and be replaced with sadness.

"I'm sorry for your loss. Truly, I am." Noah said sincerely, looking somber. For a moment, there was a silence. A moment to remember the fallen Gym Leader who had died protecting her city. Noah spoke again after about half a minute passed.

"So yeah. Amber is a piece of work who should be avoided at all costs. She killed one of Hugh's Pokémon and has made attempts on our lives before. She actually shot Vivian, once." Noah explained, stroking the violinist's hair. "She's also responsible for killing several of Wes's Pokémon and also killing Wes's partner, Rui. Wes was…well, according to him he spent the better part of a month trying to track down and kill the woman himself, but was waylaid by something not even he could have expected…Shadow Celebi."

"Celebi…That's the time-travel Pokémon, right?" Sun asked Noah, who nodded.

"Yep. Cipher got ahold of one in Sinnoh and corrupted it into a Shadow Pokémon that served them. With that thing under their belt, they flung Wes through time so that they could reorganize themselves without having the Snagger breathing down their necks." Noah continued, but Hugh cut him off.

"Of course, since Wes was gone, they tried to reestablish themselves in Oore as well. They began pumping out more and more Shadow Pokémon, attempting to gain total control over the region through whatever means possible. However, a child prodigy named Michael managed to overwhelm most of their forces and with some help, managed to thwart their plans. Cipher retreated from Oore after that and declared the region a lost cause and decided to go elsewhere."

"And that brings us to Unova. As you all probably know, that region went through its own share of problems. Team Plasma, led by a man known as Ghetsis, attempted to overthrow the region using the legendaries of Unova twice, and they were beaten twice. Our own Hugh over there helped the second time." Noah explained, grinning over at his friend. Hugh grinned back at him, shutting his eyes and chuckling.

"But…As Team Plasma well and truly crumbled for a second time, they gained a powerful ally that helped them rise from the ashes stronger than ever."

"Cipher." Sun finished for the older Trainer.

"Bingo. Cipher, after getting rid of Wes and his partner and having spent some time recovering from their setback in Oore, pooled all of their resources and time into Unova. They began helping Neo Team Plasma get back on its feet upon arriving in Unova, allying themselves with Ghetsis and those loyal to him. I guess they were hoping that setting up shop in an isolated region like Unova would prove to work better for them."

"I have a question." Lillie stated, drawing the attention of the group. "What is the difference between Team Plasma and Neo Team Plasma? I've heard of both before, but…"

"Neo Team Plasma was the second iteration of the group, the one that decided on a much more brutal and honest approach to conquering the region. Those that still go by Team Plasma are more concerned with helping Pokémon as much as possible. They retain the good of the group that had been there from the beginning," Noah explained, frowning. "From there, the two groups, Cipher and Neo Team Plasma, began assisting each other and establishing a power base in Unova. This continued for two years, where they operated in secret…"

"And then they had to deal with a furious Snagger that came floundering through time." Hugh chimed in, smirking.

"Yep. Wes returned at last, winding up in Unova and losing track of Celebi. After crashing landing into the future, he quickly got back in touch with his old contacts and prepared himself to once again face Cipher. This time, however…he wouldn't go about it all alone."

"Heh…Yeah, he ended up picking up a protégé not too long after winding up in Unova. Aria...Man, she was something else." Hugh remarked, his smile returning as a distant expression appeared on her face.

"The protégé of the Snagger…" Sun muttered before asking, "You said was. What happened to her?"

"We'll get to that. Anyways, Wes and Aria made for one heck of a combo. Aria was a Trainer just starting out, but with a Trainer like Wes as her teacher, she became quite a force to be reckoned with, even as a rookie Trainer. Hugh met up with them and got roped into their little group, with Vivian following. It was around this time that, from what I can gather, Cipher made a breakthrough in the Shadow Pokémon process. They found a way to make them much stronger, at the cost of them losing their invisible shadowy aura whenever they used their full strength. It was now quite visible, but at that point they didn't care."

"Wes led our little group throughout the region, taking down Admin after Admin and confronting Cipher and Neo Team Plasma wherever they showed up. All the while, dealing with the fallout and danger that comes from taking on such a group. Amber showed up from time to time, causing us grief, of course. Wes nearly killed her twice but she slipped away before he could finish her off."

"We eventually stumbled upon the game plan on Ghetsis and Cipher. Reacquire the legendary dragon known as Kyurem and covert it into a Shadow Pokémon. The resulting change would give the ice dragon enough firepower to do whatever Ghetsis demanded, as it would willingly obey whatever orders it received and spell doom for the region, as opposed to the limited damage the beast did when it was trying to fight free from Neo Team Plasma's control the first time.. Obviously once we learned this, we redoubled our efforts to bring them down."

"Eventually, with the backing of a former champion and the Gym Leaders of Unova, we took the fight to the Cipher base set up in between the wastes of Nimbasa and Castelia City. At that point, Cipher and Neo Team Plasma had wracked up a pretty good body count, and had taken out one of the former champions already and stolen another Pokémon from him using Kyurem's powers. Needless to say things came to a head at this compound. Our little group stormed the place, causing mayhem while Wes went on to confront Ghetsis…and during that fight, something happened."

"…What would that be?" Sun asked Noah, after waiting a few moments. To his surprise, the teen shook his head in reply.

"No idea. Wes battled Ghetsis, who at that point was using Kyurem's power to rain down ice all over the region. A regular Kyurem? That's pretty bad. A Shadow Kyurem that only Cipher and Neo Team Plasma control with looked like some seriously ridiculous strength even for a legendary? Even Wes couldn't stand up against something like that." Noah explained, closing his eyes and thinking hard for a few seconds.

"After that…things went south. Really far south. On top of that, we found out that our friend who had been supporting us was, in fact, working with them. They sold us out, stabbed us in the back, and shortly after that, condemned Nimbasa City to be reduced to nothing short of an icy graveyard. So many died…all because one man's betrayal. It was because of him that Wes wasn't able to put down Ghetsis and because that...well..."

"I feel like you're leaving some details out," Sun remarked, earning a tired look from Noah.

"Sorry, little buddy. But these were some bad times. I'll spare you the details, but let's just say a lot of very good people met a very nasty end because of Cipher. That fire in Celadon isn't the first time they ruined a city. At least half of Celadon was spared. There's nothing left of Nimbasa City except memories and a frozen tomb."

"What happened to Wes?" Sun asked after a moment.

"Well, we managed to get him out of the Cipher base he had battled Ghetsis in. After that, though…He disappeared. Vanished. I…really don't know where he is now. But the state he was in, after losing to Ghetsis and seeing what had happened to Nimbasa because of his loss…He was broken, from what I had heard. So much was riding on his victory, and he couldn't overcome Kyurem…I think letting down everyone like that broke him psychologically. I don't really know, but he left shortly after we got out of harm's way. And if that wasn't bad enough, Aria went looking for him and she's gone too…"

"After that, we got out of there. We were down one of our heavy hitters and our leader, and we didn't have any game plan on how to stop them. So we left and went for the last place they'd think to look. A tropical paradise with sunny weather." Noah explained with a rueful smile.

"And that's the grisly tale in a nutshell, for now. We're here regrouping in Alola and trying to figure out where to go from here-" Noah was cut off by a loud yawn from the violinist in his lap, who stared up at the young man with a wide smile.

"Hey you." Vivian murmured, reaching up and brushing her fingers against Noah's face.

"You sleep alright?" Noah asked, grinning down at her.

"I would have slept better if I had been kissed awake. But to answer the question, I slept well. Thanks for letting me do that, by the way…Last night wasn't a good one for me." Vivian replied as she yawned again before sitting up and kissing Noah on the lips. She went back to lying down on Noah's lap with a content smile on her face.

"I know, I know. By the way, we have guests." Noah remarked lightly, making Vivian's eyes shoot open. She looked over at Lillie and Sun and bolted upright with wide eyes and a horrified expression. She frantically scooted away from Noah, who was snickering at her as the young woman stared at the children with a large growing blush on her face. She then noticed Hugh standing next to her and yelped, scooting further away from him and back over to Noah.

"Hello Vivian!" Lillie said cheerfully to the older Trainer, glancing at Sun after a moment. Sun met Lillie's eyes and both of them looked over at Vivian with shark-like grins.

"Oh shit." Vivian muttered, her blush becoming somehow darker. She knew this wasn't going to end well.

"So, we were just chatting with your boyfriend…" Lillie put extra emphasis on the word, making Vivian's face grow another notch redder.

"I…Uh…That is we…" Vivian mumbled, having absolutely nothing to say as Lillie got a mock confused look on her face.

"What's wrong Vivian? You look a bit flushed. Do you have a fever?" Lillie asked, barely holding back her laughter. Sun was just snickering while Noah smirked as he watched his girlfriend continue to sputter in embarrassment. Hugh was outright cackling with delight at seeing the girl so flustered.

"Oh no, she doesn't have a fever. She just gets embarrassed when she's with me in public. She's all confidence and sass until she gets embarrassed…" Noah had scooted over to Vivian while she was distracted and pulled her into a hug, making her yelp in surprise. She didn't fight it though, but she did growl.

"N-noah! Stop!" Vivian said before Noah nuzzled the violinist, making her stop struggling.

"Nah. You're even cuter when you're flustered. And I've got a sinking suspicion that you've teased these two at some point, so I'm fine with them getting some payback." Noah gave Sun and Lillie a wink and said, "Feel free to lay it on, you two. She's had some teasing coming for a long time."

"How long have you two been together?" Lillie asked, giggling as Noah continued to smother the violinist with affection. Vivian pretty much just stopped struggling, despite the fact that she could probably break free from Noah's weak grip with ease, and just shut her eyes and sighed with contentment, though the massive blush she had never left her face.

"Three months. We went on a few dates before that, but it took her ages to admit she had feelings for me. I told her shortly after we met that I liked her, but she's pretty stubborn sometimes and was adamant that she didn't have it in her to fall for someone. She fought it for a while, but finally admitted she was smitten with me shortly before Nimbasa City fell." Noah said as he began to pet Vivian like a cat, making the young woman wince slightly.

"Well, I'm glad you've got someone like that, Vivian. Good for you." Sun said sincerely, making the violinist's eyes open with surprise for a moment before she closed them once again.

"She's in a huff because she doesn't like being embarrassed in front of people." Noah giggled, though he thought about it for a moment before shrugging as much as he could. "That said, it's not like I usually get like this with her in public too often, so it's just something she'll have to suffer through."

"Well, since you thought me and Sun looked so adorable together, I think it's only fitting to say that you and Noah look even cuter together." Lillie said to Vivian, who scowled at the younger girl in reply.

"Well, I don't know the two of you that well, but if what Vivian said to me last night was any indication, you both seem like quite good friends. I'm not going to be a prissy dork and make fun of you two just because you two seem cute together. Which you do, but again, I won't give you both crap for it." Noah remarked with a wide smile.

"I appreciate that. It seems like I get more grief about the subject then I should." Lillie said to the older Trainer with a grateful smile.

"Thanks for letting us mess with her. That was pretty funny." Sun chuckled, earning a thumbs up from Noah in response.

"So what are you both going to do now?" Noah asked the two children.

"We'll be heading out of the city in the morning. We need to start heading out towards the Verdant Cavern to finish the Normal Trial. Lillie has some work to do the Professor, so she can't join me and my friend on our trip." Sun replied to the older Trainer.

"I really wish I could, Sun but…I have other obligations." Lillie mumbled, looking rather upset.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I completely understand. Besides, it shouldn't take that long to get there…Will it?" Sun asked Noah and Hugh.

"We managed to trip in ten days. If I hadn't been slowing him down, Hugh could have made the trip himself in a week. It'll likely be two weeks for you, give or take. The route is straightforward and pretty nice, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. Just enjoy the sights and the pleasant weather," Noah advised the Kanto-native. "I'd recommend leaving at first light too. Need to make as much progress as you can, you know? Oh, and don't travel after dark. Not recommended. Some of the nocturnal Pokémon around these parts can be fierce," Noah cut himself off with a yawn, making Hugh and Vivian look at him. "Or do whatever works for you. I know I'm about ready for a nap. Being outside and walking around today has me really drained." Noah said to the others. Vivian finally broke away from his hold and looked at him worriedly.

"Why didn't you say that you were tired? If you were so exhausted, you should have just woke me up!" Vivian said to Noah, who simply rolled his eyes.

"You don't get nearly enough sleep. I get plenty, I'm just tired from the usual nonsense I go through. Nothing major, so stop worrying." Noah said with a small smile as Vivian got to her feet, bristling.

"Your health isn't something you can just brush off, Noah. Now let's get back inside so you can get some rest." Vivian grabbed Noah by the arm and lifted the man to his feet with no difficulty, looking annoyed now.

"Whelp, I'm in trouble. You two both have a good day. If you ever need anything, let me know, alright?" Noah then rattled off a phone number that Sun added in his own phone (Lillie did the same). Vivian rolled her eyes but also exchanged numbers with the two children. Having access to their numbers would probably come in handy, since they were both much older and experienced Trainers and had been plenty helpful so far. Hugh remained with them, watching the couple make their way back inside.

"I'll never understand what that guy sees in her." Hugh muttered under his breath, shaking his head. The trio began walking away from the Hospital and made their way down the sidewalk to another part of the city.

"So, what's next for you, Hugh?" Sun asked the older Trainer.

"I'll keep exploring the city, I guess. I came from a small town, so this place is really interesting to someone like me. I'm really liking Alola a lot. I had a lot of fun trekking out to the Verdant Trial." Hugh said, smiling as he looked up at the cloudless sky above him. "It's a bit warm for me, but the people are nice and the Pokémon are interesting. It's a nice change of pace, you know?"

"Yeah, I understand that completely. I moved here from Kanto, so it's a bit of a shock seeing all of this." Sun replied, making Lillie giggle beside him.

"It's still surprising to me how kind and wonderful the people in Alola are. Professor Burnet, Professor Kukui, Hau, the Kahuna, and so many more. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who appreciates this region so much," Lillie said to the two boys, sighing as she closed her eyes.

"Well, you get to help the Professor, so I bet you meet a lot of cool people, don't you?" Sun asked Lillie. The girl nodded in reply, but Hugh asked, "You're an assistant to the Professor?"

"Y-yes. I've been helping Professor Kukui with his research for the past couple months." Lillie answered, making Hugh smile a bit at that.

"I know a girl who's the assistant to Unova's regional Professor. It's a nice job, and you'll learn a lot. Keep at it, alright? The work that the Professor's do help a lot of people. Even if you aren't a Trainer, understanding Pokémon better just benefits everyone in the long run." Hugh remarked as they continued down the street. Hugh then turned to Sun and said, "How about you, Sun? You're heading towards the Normal Trial, right?" Hugh asked the Kanto-native, receiving a nod in response.

"Then you'll want to be prepared. I've been a Trainer for a good while and that Totem Pokémon still gave me a good challenge." Hugh smirked as he crossed his arms. "Heh. You both are giving me a nostalgia trip."

"Did you go on a journey too, Hugh?" Sun asked the spiky-haired young man.

"Yep. I even helped my best friend fight Team Plasma…Well, Neo Team Plasma. Did they ever officially change their names?" Hugh wondered aloud before shaking his head. "Doesn't matter. I helped deal with them when they came back about a year and a half ago. Learned a lot during my time exploring Unova. You should have fun on this, don't you worry. I know I'm enjoying my time here, that's for sure."

"That's good…Hey, Hugh?"

"Yeah?"

"You…wouldn't happen to be interested in joining me and Hau on our trip to the Normal Trial, would you?" Sun asked the older Trainer. Hugh looked over at the Kanto-native with surprise.

"Huh…Well, I wasn't expecting to be asked that. Why do you ask, anyway?" Hugh asked Sun.

"Well, I've never been outside of a city on my own before. I'm sure Hau knows how to live off of the land, but I sure don't. If you don't want to, I understand, since you've already done the Trial and it'd be a bit of a waste of time but…I don't know. Having an experienced Pokémon Trainer on hand would help us out a lot. Its just a thought I had, is all." Sun explained, shrugging.

Hugh remained silent for a good little while, actually thinking it over. Eventually the teen shrugged and said, "Why not? I never got a chance to catch an Alolan Pokémon on my first go around anyway. I'll tag along with you two until you get to the Trial spot. I can catch a Pokémon along the way and show you a few things about surviving in the wild. After that, I'll be coming back here. Alright?"

"Really?" Sun asked, surprised. Hugh nodded and Sun grinned, extending a fist out to Hugh. The older Trainer smirked and tapped it with his own. Lillie just giggled at the display between the two Trainers.

With that, the trio continued their trek through the city. Eventually, Lillie and Sun had to catch a taxi back to the Pokémon Center so that Lillie could pack. After exchanging numbers with Hugh, Lillie and Sun said goodbye to the Unovan Trainer and again thanked him for all of his help today. Hugh told Sun to meet him outside of the Pokémon Center at dawn so that they could get going on the right foot.

"So…What did you think?" Lillie asked Sun as they began their journey back to the Pokémon Center.

"I think that I'll be having a few more talks with those three. Cipher…They're monsters. All of them. They took over Unova and they're trying to do the same with Kanto. But now that I know a bit more about them, they're not as scary as I first thought. Because they're not invincible…They can be beat. It's just a matter of who will do it and when. I didn't ask Hugh to tag along just so I can learn a bit about surviving in the wild from him. He's really strong, and he's fought Cipher. If I can pick up a few things from him, that'd go a long way to helping me get stronger." Sun explained quietly, leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes. Lillie remained quiet at that, and so silence reigned on the taxi ride back.

Lillie and Sun arrived at the Pokémon Center and regrouped with Hau. Hau seemed pretty excited when Sun mentioned that Hugh would be joining them for a short time on their journey, and had no issues with it at all. After some dinner, Lillie got all packed and ready to go when Kukui eventually arrived to pick her up. The assistant to the Professor gave both Sun and Hau a hug goodbye and when she vanished with Professor Kukui, Hau let out a sigh.

"Still kinda sucks. I was really hoping to have her hang around a bit longer." Hau muttered as the two of them walked back inside of the Pokémon Center.

"I know. But we're just going to have to deal with it and keep on going by ourselves. At least we'll be on our way tomorrow. I'm starting to get excited about what's waiting for us at the Normal Trial." Sun said to Hau, offering him a small grin. Hau seemed to pick up on Sun's enthusiasm, and smiled a bit as well.

"Yeah. We're going to beat that Trial! That way we can show Lillie how awesome with both are, right?" Hau said to Sun, making the boy nod with an even wider grin.

When morning arrived, the duo checked out of the Pokémon Center. It was there that they learned that Trainers could only stay at any given Pokémon Center for a week at most, and Trainers were kicked out on their 8th day, which was incredibly convenient for Sun and Hau. Apparently after checking out at any given Pokémon Center you had to wait three days to be able to check back into one again, for obvious reasons.

With that, the trio of Hau, Sun, and Hugh made their way out of the city and out onto Route 2, in high spirits and with their Pokémon in tow, ready to face whatever came their way.


Alright, so that was a way longer chapter than intended (again). But now we're on our way to the Normal Trial and eventually a battle against the Kahuna! But what lies in wait along the way?

Find out next time!

Special shoutout to 127294AlexTheReaper for correctly guessing that Hugh would be the first special appearance for this story! Well done!

Thanks to all who participated in the mini-contest and for all of your guesses. I'm actually seriously considering adding another character to the story, mainly because the feedback and suggestions were awesome and actually made me really think. Problem is, I don't want to just add more characters just for the sake of adding them. But it's definitely something I'm considering. I'll likely be doing another one of these things down the road the next character shows up, so…look forward to that!

Thanks again for all of the support and feedback. It means the world to me and I can't thank you enough for the love that this story has gotten so far. And to those who have wished me luck in regards to my potential career in the Air Force, thank you even more so! I'll be sure to keep you all updated on my progress!

You all take care, and I'll see you next update.

Until next time, FlygonNick out!