A/N: Thank you to everyone who has been favouriting, following and reading this fanfic. Your continued support is greatly appreciated. This chapter took me a little longer to write than I was hoping for, initially because its focus revolves around character interactions rather than any specific action. So expect this chapter to be a little slower than the one before it. But hopefully this will act as a good build up to what's to come in the next update. And oh boy... is that going to be a wild ride. Hope you enjoy this update nonetheless.


Chapter 8: Shocking Honesty

The last thing the trio with Viola had expected to hear were those three words, and while Lillie had had her own suspicions because of the way Viola had brought Calem up last time, she still hadn't been ready for this at all. The braided blonde covered her mouth with her hand to stop herself from gasping, her back and shoulders straightening out as she stared at the back of the other blonde only inches away from her. She wasn't sure of how to process this revelation, and it wasn't just her either.

Lillie dared to peek between Hau and Ilima, the pair looking like a Pokemon had just hit them with "Thunder Wave". They were both staring at Viola with wide eyes and gaping mouths; however, Hau's gape was wider than Ilima's, presumably because he was only just realising how serious the situation was. And all the while Viola stood silently, somehow managing to find the strength to keep her gaze locked with Ilima's despite how reluctant she'd sounded before. She'd since moved her arms to her middle, her shoulders slumped and slightly hunched forward. Smeargle was continually glancing between different faces in the group with a furrowed brow, while Lucario still had its ears and eyes drooped, its gaze locked onto the back of its friend.

As silence lingered between the gathered group, it became apparent to Lillie that this wasn't a conversation meant for her ears. Which is why after another moment of staring she slowly sidestepped towards Hau, raising a hand close to her mouth as she whispered his way. "Hau," Hau closed his mouth and turned to Lillie with a forced blink to recover his composure. "let's give Viola and Ilima some privacy. They need to talk this out."

Hau frowned and briefly glanced at Viola, seeming unsure about wanting to leave her alone like this. But then he was quick to nod and quietly sigh, already turning around as he replied in a low voice. "Right as always, Lillie. We can check on Mantine in the meantime. The poor Pokemon looked spooked when Team Skull charged at it."

Lillie nodded in agreement and quickly followed Hau towards the sea when he walked away, leaving Ilima and Viola alone with Lucario and Smeargle. The former pair didn't react to the absence of Lillie and Hau, but the Pokemon pair with them soon did. Lucario stepped closer to Viola until it was standing at her side, while Smeargle lightly tugged at Ilima's closest wrist to get his attention. Smeargle's actions prompted Ilima to blink repeatedly and glance down at his partner for a few seconds, taking the time to recover before returning his gaze to Viola. His eyes were still wide from disbelief, yet Viola couldn't blame him for that. She'd been in his shoes before.

Ilima was the one who broke the silence, the shock and pain evident in his tone as he spoke slowly. "Did… Did you just say he's…?" When Ilima trailed off, Viola responded with a stiff nod. "When did this happen?"

There was a slight delay as Viola tightened her arms' grip on her middle, her gaze locking with the pale sand underneath her feet. But when she did speak her answer was quiet, only just above a whisper. "… Five months ago." She heard Ilima gasp, yet she refused to raise her gaze as she continued. "It happened around the time we were preparing to head to Snowbelle City. The five of us were caught in a life-threatening situation courtesy of Team Flare."

"The villainous group terrorising Kalos?"

"Yes. We tried to get out of it and…" The blonde swallowed loudly and licked her lips to fight off her dry mouth and throat. "…Calem was the only one who didn't."

Ilima stared at Viola for a very long time, appearing as though he'd been hit with "Ice Beam". Smeargle moved a little closer to its partner's side, giving its trainer a quick look up and down as if it thought poor Ilima was going to faint. It felt like ages before the young man could bring himself to speak, a hand reaching for his forehead. "Oh my. Viola, I… I am so sorry. I assumed you were here because you'd finished your journey. I had no idea."

Viola shook her head and finally broke her gaze away, raising her foot to lightly drag the tip of her shoe across the sand. "Nah. Calem was the only one of our group interested in taking on the Pokemon League. The others saw no reason to keep travelling, and frankly I don't blame them." She briefly reached a hand up to pull the front of her cap over her eyes. "We started our journey as a group of five. It felt wrong to go on without him."

Ilima frowned at her response, his head tilting slightly. Lucario observed Ilima in the meanwhile, choosing to remain silent and close to Viola's side. Viola couldn't see Ilima's face right now, but all it took was one look from Lucario to know that the young man could sense her internal struggle. And that was proven when he chose to ask the following question: "Have you been struggling?"

Viola snorted loudly and flattened her foot, keeping her gaze on the sand and not Ilima. When people had asked her such a question in the past (like Shauna, her mother, even Professor Sycamore), her initial instinct was to force a smile and brush them off with a "I'm hanging in there. Don't worry." But she couldn't lie to Ilima. They'd had little interaction during her journey with her friends, yet she had witnessed how observant and empathetic he was through his conversations with Calem.

So, when she responded her voice was low as she brought herself to sit down on the ground, flattening her legs and putting her hands on either side to steady herself. "I wouldn't be in Alola if I wasn't."

Brief silence fell in between both parties at this, with the only noises to follow being the cawing from a group of Pikipek flying overhead (Viola recognised those Pokemon now thanks to Rotom Dex) and Lucario as the Aura Pokemon chose to sit beside its friend with a low hum, crossing its legs and placing its paws on its knees.

Eventually Ilima took the initiative to move after his frown deepened, with Smeargle sticking close to his side as he approached Viola and sat down on her empty side, stretching one leg out while keeping the other one bent to rest his elbow on his knee. Smeargle plopped down beside its trainer and leaned back a little to peek at Lucario, but the Aura Pokemon took no notice of the Painter Pokemon, its attention fixed on Viola.

While Viola kept her gaze on the sand, Ilima focused his to where Hau and Lillie were interacting with the Mantine, with the former crouching to poke the Kite Pokemon in the middle of its face and the latter bending forward slightly with her hands on her thighs. "… I'm sorry. I don't know what to say."

Viola closed her eyes and huffed. "There's nothing to say. It is what it is."

Ilima slowly shook his head, looking down at his lap. "It's just… so unexpected. Calem was an ambitious and interesting trainer. I could see him going far through our conversations alone. He had so much potential. But this? This is the last thing I thought I'd hear."

The blonde nodded slightly to Ilima's words, yet she refrained from speaking. Instead she chose to fiddle with her fingers in her lap, with Lucario silently observing her every move. 'I regret saying anything. But it wasn't like I could keep it a secret forever. Ilima was gonna ask about him eventually.'

Smeargle became the one to break the silence when its curiosity finally got the better of it, standing up and approaching Lucario to stand at the Aura Pokemon's side. "Smeargle!"

Ilima turned to the pair when the Painter Pokemon called out to Lucario and waved, witnessing Lucario responding with a grunt and turning its head away as if to ignore it. Ilima had taken notice of Lucario during Hau's introductions, yet he didn't pay the Pokemon much heed at the time. Now that he was seeing the Pokemon lingering by Viola's side though…

"Is that Lucario yours?" he asked, his query prompting Viola to open her eyes and side glance the Aura Pokemon as Smeargle tilted its head at Lucario's recent reaction.

"No. Lucario's not my partner, but it is my friend."

"I see." Ilima's gaze never left Lucario, who had resorted to closing its eyes to block out Smeargle's waving when the Painter Pokemon put its left hand near its face. "Did you catch it?"

"Actually, Calem received it from Korrina."

Ilima's brows raised with a blink, catching Smeargle giving up on Lucario and returning to his side with drooped eyes. "He did?"

"Yup." Viola pushed her cap up from her eyes as she faced Ilima. "Lucario was initially drawn to me. But because I'm not a trainer, Calem took it into his care so we could stay together while also getting it the battling experience it wanted."

Ilima slowly nodded. "Ah. That explains its attachment to you."

"M-hm."

Ilima smiled slightly when Lucario eventually opened its eyes and happened to glance his way, showing no reaction outside of a blink and the slight twitch of its nose. "I'm impressed. Gaining the friendship of a Pokemon like this is no small feat."

"You're not wrong," Viola muttered, quickly glimpsing the Aura Pokemon's way before continuing. "I mean, sure, this one's prideful sometimes, and usually doesn't like to listen to certain instructions." Viola paused when she heard Lucario growl lowly at her remarks, prompting a slight smirk to appear. "But it's loyal to a fault and acts to protect. Since joining Calem's team it hasn't left my side, not even when I agreed to come to Alola."

Ilima sat up a little straighter at this. "How long are you here in Alola for?"

Viola's smirk faded as she fell into brief thought, her brow furrowing. "About a year." She shrugged her shoulders. "It's not set in stone though. Depending on how I feel (and if it's okay with Professor Kukui), I might stay for longer."

"But you'll definitely be here for a while, yes?"

"Oh, yeah. Definitely." Viola narrowed her eyes a little at Ilima. "Why do you ask?"

Ilima briefly glanced up at the sky then, reaching a hand up to stroke a lock of pink hair behind his ear. "Well… How do I put this?" After a moment the young man returned his gaze to Viola's, his face relaxing. "From experience I know it can be daunting to travel away from home alone with few familiar faces around. I don't doubt the inner turmoil you're currently dealing with isn't making this any easier, either."

"You can say that again."

"Therefore," Ilima leaned forward towards Viola slightly, offering her a small smile. "I want you to know that if you ever need a listening ear, feel free to seek me out. I live in Hau'oli City and frequent Verdant Cavern for the island trials, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find me."

Viola blinked twice in quick succession, taken aback by Ilima's offer. The last thing the blonde had ever expected was for something like that to leave Ilima's mouth. "Wait, really?"

Ilima nodded. "Of course. I know we're only acquaintances, but it is Alola's custom to always help those who need it." His smile widened, his hand going to his chest. "You and Calem gave me that courtesy when I was in Kalos. The least I can do is offer you the same in return. Please remember that."

Viola stared at Ilima with wide eyes, attempting to speak despite the stuttering that followed. "W-Wow. I…" The blonde paused at feeling the tears spring to her eyes, prompting her to look away and wipe at them with her palms. It was almost the second time she'd cried today. "Thank you, Ilima. I'll keep that in mind."

"You're very welcome, Viola."

Lucario placed a paw atop Viola's cap and gave it a gentle pat as the blonde recomposed herself, eventually pulling away when she lifted her head and prepared to stand. Lucario and Ilima followed suit, the trio taking the time to brush off the sand from their clothes (or fur, in Lucario's case).

"Sorry, though," Viola said after dusting her hands off, turning to Ilima while rubbing at the back of her neck. "I didn't mean to dump that news on you out of the blue. I'm sure your role as trial captain is busy and stressful enough as it already is."

Ilima waved a hand in dismissal. "Oh, it's quite alright. I was on my way to Iki Town when I saw Team Skull heading towards Big Wave Beach. I was asked to deal with them on behalf of the kahuna, you see." He chuckled and reached a hand back to adjust the bag on his waist. "If anything, they disrupted me more than you have."

"Iki Town?" Viola repeated with a blink. "Why were you heading there?"

"To see Kahuna Hala. I'm low on Z-Crystals for my trial and need to restock them."

"Z-Crystals…" Viola muttered, only to let out a quiet gasp and step backwards. "Oh! That's right!" The blonde glanced around for Hau and Lillie before sighting the pair still with Mantine, prompting her to lift her hands close to her mouth and shout to them as loud as she could. "Hau!" Hau and Lillie looked back when they heard Viola's voice. "The Normalium Z!"

Hau screeched loudly and jumped to his feet, also causing Lillie to shriek and back away from him with her hands pulled to her chest. "I almost forgot! Hang on!"

Viola laughed as she watched Hau dash his way towards them and slide his backpack off his shoulders, with Lillie eventually following suit while clutching the rim of her sunhat and her bag strap. Lucario watched the pair with a loud sigh and its paw lightly smacking its forehead, leaving Ilima to look to Viola with a raised brow. "Did you say "Normalium Z"?"

"Yeah," Viola answered as she folded her arms, observing Hau slowing down and unzipping his bag to reach a hand inside, with Lillie just behind him. "The kahuna sent Hau to give you a Normalium Z."

Hau forced out a chuckle as he pulled the Normalium Z from his bag, holding it out for Ilima to take into his palm. "Sorry it's just the one. Gramps said he'd deliver the rest to your house when he isn't so busy. He wanted to make sure you had something to hold ya over in case you're in a pickle before then."

"I appreciate it, nonetheless. Thank you," Ilima replied as he pocketed the Normalium Z into his bag, only to smile widely towards the group as Hau returned his backpack to his back. "Forgive me, but I'm afraid I have to cut our time together short. My trial captain duties call." He briefly focused on Lillie and bowed his head a little, causing the blonde's body to stiffen and her cheeks to flush a faint pink. "It was lovely to meet you, Lillie."

Lillie quickly nodded and clutched at her bag strap. "It was lovely to meet you too."

Ilima then looked between Hau and Viola. "Hau, Viola, it was nice catching up with you." The pink haired man stepped closer to Viola and gave her closest shoulder a gentle pat, lowering his voice and dimming his smile a bit. "Please keep what I've said to heart." Viola nodded in acknowledgement as Ilima pulled away, staying silent as he gave a wave and turned around. "I bid the four of you Alola!"

"Bye, Ilima!" Hau called out and waved along with the rest as Ilima departed with Smeargle by his side, with the Painter Pokemon briefly closing its eyes as it returned the waves enthusiastically.

However, Viola ended up frowning after processing Ilima's words. "Wait… I thought "Alola" meant "hello"."

"It does," Hau replied, causing Viola to turn to him with a deepened frown.

"So… what did Ilima mean when he bid us "Alola"?"

Lillie placed a hand to her chin. "Well, "goodbye" is often used when people are unlikely to see each other again. Maybe replacing it with "Alola" is his way of saying he'll see us another time." Hau and Viola glanced back at Lillie with simultaneous wide blinks, causing the braided blonde's shoulders to tense up as she started waving her hands about. "Y-You don't have to take my word for it! It's just a t-theory!"

"But one that makes sense." Viola said with a chuckle, pulling her cap down on her head and quickly looking back in the direction Ilima and Smeargle had just left in. "Anyway, that's your job done, Hau. What do you say we move on to helping you train?"

Hau slowly nodded to that and rubbed at the back of his neck. "Yeah, sure. But before that…" The green haired boy paused and stepped closer to Viola, turning his gaze towards his feet. "Viola, I'm sorry."

Viola frowned, with Lillie blinking in surprise. "What for?"

"For speaking without thinking earlier." Hau bowed his head a little lower, kicking at the sand with the tip of his orange shoe. "I didn't know the reason was that bad. I hope I haven't upset you."

The blonde was briefly taken aback by this, her gaze briefly crossing with Lillie's as the pair remained silent. 'Oh yeah. I nearly forgot about that. He shouldn't feel bad about it, though. It's not like he knew.'

Hau raised his head when Viola reached out and gave it a quick pat. "Nah. It's alright. You didn't know. Plus, I was gonna tell him anyway. You made it easier for me to breach the topic. So, don't worry about it." Hau's eyes widened slightly at this, causing Viola to pull away and jab a thumb in the direction of the cliff's slope. "Let's head back to Route 2. You still want our help, right?"

After a few seconds of staring, a cheery grin sprung to Hau's face, his former shame and guilt wiped clean in an instant. "Right!" Gripping at his bag straps, the boy jogged past Viola and towards the cliff's slope. "Follow me. We can talk at the Pokemon Centre."

Viola shook her head and sighed as she and Lucario prepared to walk after him, a slight smile on her face. 'And here I thought Shauna was going to be the most enthusiastic and energetic person I would ever meet. Apparently Hau rivals her.'

Lillie increased the pace in her walking slightly to catch up to Viola before slowing down once she reached her side. She leaned close to the other blonde and lowered her voice to a whisper, her brow furrowed. "Hey, are you sure you're okay?"

Viola turned to Lillie with a stiff nod, her smile widening a little as if out of reassurance. Considering their previous conversation after their first encounter with Team Skull, Viola wasn't surprised that Lillie was doublechecking her wellbeing. She must have been concerned. "I'm sure. Don't worry about me." She pointed towards Lillie's bag. "Just focus on the little bundle of gas hiding in there."

"Alright." Lillie glanced down at her bag then, placing her hand on top of it with the tilt of her head. "Nebby has been quiet since we've left the lab. I'll use our time with Hau to make sure it's okay."

"You probably should. It deserves a break from the bag for a bit, don't you think?"

Lillie giggled and smiled, raising her head to meet Viola's gaze. "I couldn't agree more."


After leaving Big Wave Beach, the group of four continued following the main path of Route 2 past the island's curve. Wading their way safely through the tall grass scattered in their way, they reached the Pokemon Centre Professor Kukui had previously mentioned close to the island's edge, raised off the ground to the left of the path some by a man-made platform with a small set of steps in front of its doors. It was at the bottom of these steps where Viola and Lillie chose to sit, with Hau sat cross-legged just in front of them. This gave the group a good view of another small diverging path just to opposite the Pokemon Centre, which led to a cave opening shrouded in shade and surrounded by towering cliff-like walls. Hau had informed the girls that that was Verdant Cavern, as indicated by the wooden arch above its entrance. It used the same triangular pattern and colours Viola had seen on Hau's island challenge amulet, leading her to suspect it was used to help trial goers locate the trial sites (which was quickly confirmed by Hau).

The trio of children had removed their bags and placed them beside their feet for the time being, allowing their Pokemon to roam freely outside of their pokeballs (or in Nebby's case outside of its bag) while the three of them conversed. Although it seemed like only Nebby and Popplio were taking the opportunity to explore their surroundings. The Nebula Pokemon was currently floating around by the path and tall grass, giggling and waving its arms around as it tried to get away from the barking Sea Lion Pokemon flopping its way after it. Rowlet had chosen to stay inside Viola's bag and take a nap, quietly snoring in the meanwhile. Rotom Dex was hovering by Viola's side, just in case she needed it for anything. And then there was Lucario, who was standing close to the steps and watching Nebby and Popplio running around, leaning its back against the platform with its arms folded. The Aura Pokemon had clearly chosen to be the assigned "babysitter" on behalf of its friend and her acquaintances, as their attention was currently occupied elsewhere, specifically on the lone pokeball Hau was holding in his palms.

Both Lillie and Viola were leaning forward with matching frowns and their arms resting on their thighs, neither girl saying a word as they listened to Hau explain himself.

"So, when Viola and I last spoke, my training with Popplio was going really well. It's managed to master all three of its current moves now." The boy shifted on the spot a bit and brought the pokeball closer to him before continuing, which prompted Viola and Lillie to exchange quick glances between each other. "But since I wanna take on the island challenge, I figured I should add another Pokemon to my team. You know, 'cause Popplio's a Water type. It doesn't have a type advantage against Gramps' Pokemon, let alone the Pokemon in Ilima's trial."

Viola raised a brow and turned to Lillie with a blink. "Really?"

Lillie gave a stiff nod. "According to what I've read, each trial captain rewards the challenger with a Z-Crystal that matches the type of Pokemon they use in their island trial. Ilima specialises in Normal type Pokemon; therefore, he rewards the challenger with a Normalium Z."

"Ah. Like how the gym leaders award badges related to the type they specialise in."

"Precisely."

The pair turned back to Hau then, with Viola pointing towards the pokeball. "That would mean you've considered adding a Flying type or a Fighting type to your team then, right?"

Hau slowly nodded to that, a lopsided grin appearing as he turned his gaze to the pokeball. "Yeah…"

Hau's reaction and emphasis had Viola and Lillie squinting simultaneously, with the latter being the one to eventually voice her concerns. "Hau, what's wrong?"

"Uh…" Hau closed his eyes as his cheeks flushed a faint pink, turning his head away and raising his hand to hold out his pokeball towards the empty area beside him. "I think it's easier to show you." Before either Viola or Lillie got the chance to question what Hau meant, the boy's next words cut them off. "Pichu, come out here!"

The pokeball opened and released a flash of blue light, only for it to quickly disperse and reveal the Pokemon in question—a small, furry, pale yellow rodent-like creature with angular and black ear-tips, collar, and tail. Viola and Lillie sat up straight and leaned back a little, their gazes locking with the Pokemon's wide eyes as it stood on its hind legs and brushed a paw against one of its pink cheek pouches. The two blondes stayed like that for a long time, glancing between themselves and Pichu repeatedly as if they were struggling to process the situation at hand. The silent glances went on long enough that Hau eventually dared to open an eye and turn his head to face them when no one went ahead to address him.

The only one who seemed prepared to break the silence was Rotom Dex, who flew over to Pichu and slowly circled it while loading its data up onto its screen. Pichu's eyes and head followed Rotom Dex's movements, its head tilting to the side when the Pokedex spoke and revealed a picture of the Pokemon on its screen. "Pichu: The Tiny Mouse Pokemon. An Electric type. It stores electricity in the electric sacs in its cheeks and plays with others by touching tails. Pichu is known to not be skilled at controlling electricity, so when surprised or excited it discharges electricity unintentionally, shocking others and itself."

Viola facepalmed after Rotom Dex was finished, while Lillie shook her head with a quiet huff as the former went to respond. "Thank you, Rotom Dex. But I know who Pichu is."

Rotom Dex turned to Viola with wide eyes, a red question mark flashing up onto its screen. "You do? Zzt-zzt!"

"Yes." Viola glanced at Hau with drooped eyes as Rotom Dex moved back to her side again. "I just wasn't expecting Pichu to pop up out of the pokeball."

Hau forced a chuckle and fiddled with the pokeball in his hands, keeping his gaze on his lap for the time being. "… I know it looks bad. B-But I can explain." The boy looked up to Viola staring at him with folded arms and Lillie frowning, prompting him to put the pokeball down and raise his hands up as if in surrender. "See, I was gonna start by catching a Flying type to get ahead of Gramps' trial, so I went out to Route 1 to search for Pikipek. B-But…" Hau trailed off as he picked up Pichu with both hands, holding it out towards the two girls with his head lowered."…then I saw this cute lil' Pokemon and I couldn't help myself."

Viola's reaction was delayed. But after a few seconds of staring and hearing Pichu let out a small and high-pitched squeak, the blonde placed her hands together and hid her face in them, closing her eyes tight. 'Good grief. It's like déjà vu with Shauna all over again.' Viola opened her eyes. 'It does explain why Hau said what he did before, though. Catching Pichu must be the real reason he wanted us to help him.'

"Is Pichu the reason you wanted us to help you, Hau?" Viola heard Lillie ask, acting almost as if the other blonde had read her mind.

"Yeah," Hau answered, bringing Pichu into his lap and looking down at it as the Tiny Mouse Pokemon looked back up at him with a blink, its ears twitching. "I know I'd have a better shot at winning the trials on Melemele Island with a Fighting type and a Flying type Pokemon. But from the moment I locked eyes with Pichu…" He shrugged his shoulders, a small smile appearing. "…I felt the same warm, fuzzy feeling I got when I chose Popplio. It's like… we had some sort of connection, ya know? Like it was right for me to catch it instead of the other Pokemon I came for."

Viola raised her head at this, her eyes widening slightly as her gaze locked with Pichu wagging its tail around. 'Oh. So, he didn't just catch it because he thought it was cute. That doesn't explain why he seems so embarrassed by this revelation…'

Hau brought Pichu closer to his person, his smile falling as he continued talking. "I love Pokemon. I wanna be able to win a battle against my gramps with Pokemon I share strong bonds with. But I don't know if that's enough." Hau's shoulders slumped as he glanced towards Viola, his brow creasing. "Viola, you've probably seen a lot of serious battles during your journey, haven't you? What do you think?"

At being addressed Viola quickly side glanced Lucario, catching sight of the Aura Pokemon still fixated on Nebby and Popplio chasing each other by the tall grass. She recalled the comments Professor Kukui had made about the Alola region shortly after their arrival and how Lucario had reacted to them. 'Hau's assuming his attitude and reasons are the issue here. But I don't think that's the case. What he's saying is perfectly reasonable for someone wanting to be a Pokemon Trainer, especially someone living in Alola. And yet he also wants to take on the island challenge, even though he's said he's only interested in defeating Hala.' Her brow furrowed as she tried to get her thoughts together, moving her hands to rest under her chin as her gaze flitted back to Pichu in Hau's lap. 'Realistically, I think his choice of Pokemon aren't a problem. Although…'

When she noticed both Hau and Lillie were silently staring at her, with Hau leaning forward a little while moving his toes, Viola's thought trailed off. She returned her hands to her lap and sat up straight, taking in a quick breath before answering Hau's question. "Honestly? The Pokemon you've chosen for your team aren't that much of a problem. Water types and Electric types aren't as effective compared to a Flying or Fighting type; although that doesn't mean it isn't impossible to win a battle against a Normal type with them. But…" Viola pointed towards Pichu, who responded with another tiny squeak and innocent looking blink. "…I don't think Pichu is the best fit from a battle perspective."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because of what Rotom Dex said earlier." Rotom Dex made a loud beeping sound and turned to Viola with a red exclamation mark flashing onto the screen, yet that didn't stop the blonde from talking. "Pichu isn't very skilled at controlling electricity and its emotions often trigger it to shock itself as well as others. Imagine what could happen if it tried to use an Electric type move…"

Hau visibly shuddered and closed an eye, slowly moving Pichu out of his lap and putting the Tiny Mouse Pokemon beside him on the ground. "… Good point. Though I thought training with it would help its electricity control anyway."

"Nah. You can't always account for a Pokemon's emotional state even with lots of training under your belt." Viola briefly looked towards Lucario at that comment, but then quickly looked away when she saw its attention was still elsewhere. "Pichu's emotions triggering its discharge of electricity seems very common, which isn't good in battles because of how crazy they can get."

"That's true." Hau leaned back and placed his hands on either side of him. "But then, what should I do?"

Lillie watched Pichu as it twitched its nose and leaned forward so it was on all-fours, its tiny eyes glancing around at the grassy areas and trees littered around the pathway of the route. "Well… you could train with Pichu enough to evolve it into Pikachu."

Viola turned to Lillie with a forced blink, resting her elbow on her thigh so she could hold her chin up. "Evolve Pichu into Pikachu?"

"M-hm." Lillie straightened her back and raised her chin, holding up her index finger as she spoke. "Pikachu has natural control over its electrical discharge. Unless threatened, it's highly unlikely its emotions will trigger any shocks. Also," Lillie briefly glimpsed Hau from where he was sitting. "I once read that Pichu evolve into Pikachu through both training and a strong bond of friendship. I'm sure someone like Hau can accomplish that evolution quickly, given his love of Pokemon and his big heart."

Hau gulped loudly and covered his face with his hands, peeking at Lillie between the gaps in his fingers. In doing this he remained oblivious to Pichu slowly walking away and sniffing at the ground, heading towards where Nebby and Popplio had stopped by the tall grass. "R-Really? You think that could work?"

"I agree with Lillie," Viola said as she faced Hau, prompting Lillie to look at the other blonde with a slight gape. "I mean, you'd still obviously have to train with Pichu anyway. Just so it gets used to you and learns its moves. But I think you'd stand a better chance in the trials by evolving it." She shrugged her shoulders and held up her hands. "That's just my opinion, though. I could be wrong."

Hau looked between Lillie and Viola once before lowering his hands away from his face, putting them into his lap. "Don't be like that. I did ask for your help and it turned out to be the right decision. What you both said was great." He closed his eyes and grinned widely. "So, thanks!"

Viola glanced at Lillie when she saw the other girl's cheeks visibly flush a bright red, standing out against her pale skin. The blonde reached for her sunhat and pulled the rim down over her face to cover it, causing Viola to laugh and quickly muffle it with her hands over her mouth. "Y-You're welcome! B-But I c-could b-be wrong t-too! P-Please keep that in m-mind!"

Hau ended up joining in with Viola's laughter, throwing his head back and closing his eyes as he did so. This left the trio unaware to what their Pokemon were doing by the tall grass, where Nebby floated beside Popplio lying flat on its belly and stretched out across the ground, its eyelids half open. The Nebula Pokemon tilted itself to the side as it watched the Sea Lion Pokemon take deep breaths and rest its chin on the grass, clearly trying to get its breath back and rest. It didn't take long, however, before Nebby's attention was drawn to something yellow moving out of the corner of its vision, prompting it to turn with a wide blink to see the back of Pichu cautiously approaching the tall grass.

Nebby's mouth fell open slightly, its gaze fixed on the Tiny Mouse Pokemon as it moved away from them. Without prompting the Nebula Pokemon flew over to Pichu and lingered behind it, tilting its body from side to side as it tried to get a good look at the Pokemon from different angles. Lucario's focus stayed on Nebby and Pichu as it observed the pair in their individual investigations, with the Tiny Mouse Pokemon appearing to have yet to notice Nebby was behind it. However, the Aura Pokemon pushed itself away from the wall and stood up straight when the Nebula Pokemon paused in front of Pichu's tail, a wide open-mouthed grin flashing onto its face. By the time Lucario's eyes had widened and it had started its run towards them, Nebby was already reaching out one of its arms to poke it.

The next thing Lucario knew, Pichu's body tensed at the touch, its fur stuck up on end, and it let out a loud, high-pitched shriek just as tiny sparks of electric pulsed from its electric sacs. Lucario skidded to a stop when Pichu swirled around sharply and the trio of Hau, Viola, and Lillie turned to the commotion with loud gasps, being forced to shield its eyes with its arms and squint alongside the rest at the large and bright zap of electricity that was fired from the little Pokemon.

No one saw what happened during the clash, yet the startled cries and barks from Nebby, Popplio, Rotom Dex and Lucario could still be heard amidst the crackling and the loud bang that followed shortly after. The noise even managed to rouse Rowlet, causing the Grass Quill Pokemon to hoot loudly and leap from the safety of Viola's bag, its eyes bulging.

'What the heck is going on?!'

No one dared to glimpse at the situation until Pichu's squeaking was heard after the light died down, prompting everyone to drop their arms and glance up to where Nebby and Pichu had formerly been. The two Pokemon were fleeing as fast as they could in opposite directions from a small patch of burnt grass, with Pichu charging its way further into Route 2 and Nebby heading in the direction of Verdant Cavern. Lillie and Hau became the first of the group to snap out of their dazes, calling out to their respective Pokemon as Hau scrambled to his feet and Lillie jumped up without grabbing her bag.

"Pichu, wait up!"

"Nebby, get back here!"

"Guys, stop!" Viola yelled after them as she grabbed her bag and stood up, with Rowlet hovering in the air beside her and Rotom Dex. "Don't get separated!"

But neither Lillie nor Hau seemed to hear her, forcing Viola's gaze to dart back and forth as she watched the latter run after Pichu after he grabbed Popplio and Lillie dash after Nebby as it disappeared into the darkness of the cave. 'Dammit!'

Viola kept switching between the pair's retreating backs as they got further away, trying to decide who she was supposed to go after. Yet once her eyes caught Lucario sprinting towards Verdant Cavern, she scowled and reached down to grab the strap of Lillie's bag, which she hoisted over her other shoulder.

"V-Viola!" Rotom Dex cried out as the blonde went to chase Lucario, quickly floating after Rowlet when the Grass Quill Pokemon propelled itself forward. "What are you doing?!"

The weight of Lillie's bag against her side slowed Viola down a little, so it didn't take much effort for Rowlet and Rotom Dex to catch up and fly on either side of her. "What does it look like?! I'm going after Lillie!"

"What?!" Rotom Dex yelled and waved its arms around frantically, making loud beeping sounds. "You can't go in there! That's a trial site! And what about Hau?!"

"Hau has Popplio and is still out in the open! But Lillie's on her own in there and Nebby can't protect itself!" The blonde paused to take a deep breath as she continued her run. "Also, I have to be there for Lucario! It can't always be trusted on its own!"

Rotom Dex slowed down a little and halted as Viola and Rowlet closed in on the cave, its beeping and waving having since ceased. "But-"

"This isn't the time to be questioning my choice, Rotom Dex! C'mon!" Viola shouted back to the Pokedex without turning around, disappearing into the shadows of the cave with Rowlet still in tow.

"Oh…" Rotom Dex's words trailed off into a whimper, its body turning back and forth twice as it glanced between the ongoing path of Route 2 and the entrance to Verdant Cavern. Eventually the Pokedex sighed and flew after Viola with as much speed as it could muster. "Wait for me! Zzt-zzt!"

As Rotom Dex went inside, the tall grass nearby rustled at something small making its way through the undergrowth, only for a tiny rodent head with dark grey fur to poke itself out. Its fluffy ears and nose twitched as its red eyes locked with the entrance of Verdant Cavern, prompting a quiet hiss to escape it.