"I wonder why they decided on these?"

Goh was the one to ask the question out loud, but Ash hummed to himself, wondering what exactly was the 'theme' of this party. 'And why does it need a theme, anyway? Isn't it for Lillie and her dad coming home?'

He was on the top of a stepladder, hanging another star-shaped decoration. It was made of a pale, yellowish plastic that the package advertised as 'glow in the dark. 'But they won't really be able to know for sure until the sun goes down and these plastic stars are given a chance to shine, right?' Ash paused for a moment to chuckle to himself at his clever wordplay. 'Heh, I bet I can tell Chloe that later and she'll get a laugh out of it.'

After he climbed down the ladder, Ash looked around the classroom. He, Goh, Kiawe, and Sophocles were all given the orders by Mallow to start putting up these decorations. "Lana, Chloe and I are going to be working on getting the rest of the plans in order for this party," Mallow had said just a few hours ago, wagging a finger in his face. "We need you guys to do your part while we hammer out the menu."

Ash absent-mindedly rubbed his belly, imagining the delicious food that the girls were going to come up with. If Mallow and Chloe were great cooks on their own, what they would be capable of together set Ash's imagination spinning.

"Pikapi!"

Ash turned around to a yellow blur hopping onto his shoulder, and Pikachu clung to Ash tightly as Togedemaru chased him over, frowning and stomping her little feet. "Marudemaru!" she protested at Pikachu's escape. Looking up from the Roly-Poly Pokémon, he saw that Vikavolt was floating back down to Sophocles after hanging another star successfully. Meanwhile, Turtonator carried the second step ladder for Kiawe as he and Marowak followed, both of them holding a few stars they were tasked with hanging.

Goh stood near all the supplies, stroking his chin from the question he asked. Grookey sat on his head, similarly stroking a stalk of the boy's hair. Cinderace was rifling through the bags and Inteleon simply stood at Goh's side, watching the others carefully. All the while, Rotom flitted about the room, snapping pictures as they went.

"You don't like stars?" Ash asked, finally answering Goh after no one else seemed to.

He shook his head. "It's not that, but isn't this a party for Lillie's big return home? Why these stars?"

"I was wondering the same thing," Kiawe said as Turtonator sat down the stepladder for him. "I guess there's some reason Mallow and the girls decided on it, but they certainly weren't sharing the reason with us."

"Sometimes girls can just act in mysterious ways, you know?" Sophocles said, patting Vikavolt as it went up with another star. "I mean, Togedemaru's been acting strange ever since Ash came back."

Ash frowned. "I thought something was up…" he said, frowning. "She's been really clingy towards Pikachu ever since we came back. Way more than she ever was before."

"Piiika," the mouse nodded in agreement.

Goh looked at Togedemaru and smirked. "Well, it's obvious right?"

The boys all looked to Goh like he had said something completely not obvious. Ash even vocalized this sentiment. "Uh, what do you mean?" he asked, furrowing his brow.

Goh shrugged. "Togedemaru's jealous."

Now it was Kiawe's turn to be doubtful. "Jealous? What's she got to be jealous about?"

"I bet it's Chloe's Eevee," Sophocles said, walking towards his Steel-type and picking her up.

"Dema," Togedemaru huffed, turning up her nose towards Sophocles as though to say 'As if!'

Ash frowned. "What's wrong with Chloe's Eevee?" he asked. "You guys aren't making any sense…"

"Have Pikachu and Eevee been spending a lot more time together than usual?" Sophocles asked, gently petting Togedemaru in an effort to calm her.

Ash crossed his arms, going through his thoughts. "Well… I guess Chloe's been coming on research trips with Goh and I a lot recently."

Goh nodded. "Yeah, and since Eevee is Chloe's Pokémon, she's been around Pikachu a lot more as a result. Is Togedemaru really fond of Pikachu?"

"That's an understatement," Sophocles chuckled. "When she thought that we wouldn't see him again, she burst into tears."

Ash shrugged. "But Togedemaru is just sad that her awesome buddy Pikachu would be gone, right? Everyone gets sad when their friends have to go away."

Ash felt everyone's eyes on him. "What? Did I say something weird?"

"Not… weird," Kiawe said. "More like you missed the point, I think."

At that, Ash frowned. "Missed what point? Is it Eevee's fault somehow?"

Goh walked over to Ash and put an arm around his shoulder. "You'll have to excuse him guys," he said. "I do the bulk of the thinking for the two of us."

"Oh, we've been there," Sophocles said, a knowing smile on his face. "Trust us."

Goh released Ash as he and the other guys had a laugh at the Palletonian's expense. Ash crossed his arms, frowning. "Look, I get that Togedemaru is jealous of Eevee but why? Is it because of that camping trip we took a few weeks ago?"

"You went camping with Eevee and Chloe?" Kiawe asked. He was now just standing next to the stepladder, his work somewhat forgotten.

"Yeah," Ash explained. "Chloe said she wanted to try out being a Pokémon trainer, and so I took her out to Pallet Town and we spent part of a week in the woods together."

Sophocles nodded. "Yeah, that'll do it, I bet," he said. "That's exactly the thing she'd get jealous over."

Before Ash could ask why that was, Goh spoke up, rubbing his chin. "That's when Eevee used that Z-Move, right…?"

The classroom went quiet for just a moment as the words Goh said registered with their listeners.

"Eevee did WHAAAT?!" Kiawe shouted, now stepping in close to Ash and Goh. "Chloe doesn't even have a Z-Ring, much less a Z-Crystal, right?"

Ash raised his arm. "Oh, she used mine," he said, holding up his own Z-Ring. It had the special Z-Crystal that he used with Pikachu in it. "She borrowed my Normalium-Z, too."

"And when Eevee used the Z-Move," Goh continued, "it wasn't the regular Normal-Type Z-Move either, right?"

Ash shook his head. "No, it was Tectonic Rage, just like Hapu used."

"Hapu?" Goh asked.

"She's the Kahuna of Poni Island," Kiawe explained. "A powerful trainer acknowledged by Tapu Fini, the guardian of Poni Island. Her partner is a Mudsdale, and they used Groundium-Z to turn their moves into Tectonic Rage."

"A Mudsdale?" Goh asked, pulling out his phone.

Before the Rotom within could answer his query, the Rotom Pokédex floated over. "That's my cue!" On their screen, a picture of the large, equine Pokémon appeared. "Mudsdale, the Draft Horse Pokémon. A Ground-type. Mudsdale spits a mud that provides resistance to both wind and rain, so the walls of old houses were often coated with it. Its heavy, mud-covered kicks are its best means of attack, and it can reduce large trucks to scrap without breaking a sweat." As Rotom continued to speak, the picture on the screen changed to show Mudsdale from different angles.

"I think we're getting a little off-track," Sophocles said, still holding a now-calmed Togedemaru in his hands. "I'm really surprised that Chloe was able to use a Z-Move with a borrowed Z-Ring. I always thought that you had to have a Kahuna or a Tapu or something give you permission to do it."

Kiawe nodded. "Yeah, remember when we took Lillie to see Hala after she got her father's Z-Ring? He gave her permission to use it." He crossed his arms and frowned. "There's absolutely no way Chloe should have been able to use a Z-Move without getting permission AND with a borrowed ring and crystal. It's impossible."

"Maybe you should tell us more about this Z-Move, Ash," Goh said, looking his friend in the eyes. Ash looked back in them and saw that Goh trusted that he was telling the truth, so he nodded and began going over the events that lead up to the Z-Move.

He started from the morning they fought Team Rocket, explaining the situation they found themselves in, and his injury. He explained Chloe's taking charge of the situation, and sending Pikachu away to get help. He paused a few times, and only skimmed over the talks he had with Chloe briefly. 'It's not that I don't wanna talk about them,' he thought to himself as he spoke. 'But… it's hard to explain how I felt… I dunno if I can…' He finished up by noting that without Pikachu, Eevee was the only Pokémon they had to defend themselves when Nidoking attacked.

"And Eevee was just like 'blam'! She copied Earth Power and used it against Nidoking, but it wasn't enough, but when she copied it with the Z-Ring, it was like…"

He paused again, as his mind replayed the Z-Move and it's brilliant light in his mind. As much as he wanted to say he focused on Eevee and the attack she used, his eyes were locked on Chloe as the Z-Power surrounded her and the light shined around her. There was a word, he was sure, that explained how he felt in that moment, his eyes on her, but he either never learned it or he couldn't remember it in the moment.

He shook his head. "You've gotta take my word for it. It was so awesome, I can't even explain it well."

Goh stroked his chin, humming in thought. "And so she used the Z-Move, even though you guys say she shouldn't be able to? Why wouldn't she be able to, if she's got the Z-Ring and the Z-Crystals. Is there something else that's needed?"

"The only people who can use Z-Moves are those that have overcome a trial," Kiawe said. "Even if it's not an official trial given out by a Kahuna, Pokémon can make that choice."

"Like how I earned my Grassium-Z," Ash said, looking at the Z-Ring on his wrist.

Kiawe nodded. "Right, or how Lillie earned her Iceium-Z. Chloe never participated in a trial at all. Not one that was acknowledged by a Pokémon or one of the Tapu, anyway."

"Are the Tapu really that significant?" Goh asked.

Kiawe's disposition only worsened, and a vein seemed to throb on his forehead. "The Tapu are the Island Guardians and have protected Alola for generations. Not only that, they're the ones responsible for distributing the Z-Rings to the Island Kahunas, who then give them to trainers who pass a Trial."

"Not only that," Sophocles added, "but the Tapu also help protect Alola when it's in danger."

Goh raised an eyebrow. "Like from bad guys?"

"Like from Ultra Beasts."

Kiawe's comment made Goh raise an eyebrow. "Ultra Beasts…?"

Rotom floated over. "Are you sure we should talk about that?" they asked. "Shouldn't we get clearance from the Aether Foundation before we talk about those?"

"It's fine," Ash said with a smile. "You guys can trust Goh!"

Sophocles, Kiawe, and Rotom all looked at each other before nodding. "You're right, Ash," Kiawe said. "Goh's a good guy who proved himself in our own little trial the first time you guys came to Alola."

"Heh, thanks," Goh said, putting a hand on his hip. "Now, what's an Ultra Beast?"

"To put it simply," Sophocles said, "Ultra Beasts are Pokémon from another dimension that travel through an area between dimensions called Ultra Space."

Goh raised an eyebrow. "And now there's an Ultra Space?"

Sophocles nodded and continued. "Based on our understanding of it, Ultra Space is sort of like the crossroads for a bunch of different worlds. Ultra Beasts all have their own homes, worlds where they live normally, but for some reason or another, they fall through Ultra Wormholes - holes in the very fabric of time and space that connect our world to Ultra Space."

"Like wormholes in our universe," Goh said, nodding along. "Though it's only thought that those connect two points in space. We haven't exactly gotten to the point of travelling that deep into space yet…"

"Yes, precisely!" Sophocles said, pointing at Goh. "These Ultra Wormholes can be opened by certain Pokémon, but sometimes they just kinda happen normally.

"And it's like leaving the door open when they do," Goh said, nodding. "That lets these Ultra Beasts wander in…" He chuckled to himself. "Man, I'd love a chance to catch one of those Ultra Beasts. How many kinds are there, anyway?"

Rotom turned to Goh with a smile. "There are eleven recorded species of Ultra Beasts, one undocumented species, and several Pokémon that can be considered close to being Ultra Beasts."

Goh's eyes widened. "That many, huh? And I guess when they come through, it's bad news because they could quickly take over if the native Pokémon aren't equipped to handle them."

"That's exactly it," Sophocles noted. "The Tapu help protect Alola from Ultra Beasts if the other Pokémon aren't able to. And part of the way they do that is by working with the Island Kahunas and helping to distribute Z-Rings to trainers who complete trials."

"There's a connection between the light that shines from Z-Rings and the Ultra Wormhole that we don't quite fully understand," Kiawe said. "But the important thing about this is that the Z-Rings are important to Alola, and-" he turned to Ash- "SHOULDN'T BE LOANED OUT! NOT EVEN IN AN EMERGENCY!"

Ash and Pikachu put their hands over their ears as Kiawe yelled. "B-But it wasn't a big deal, right? We had to use the Z-Ring, or something awful might have happened! And besides, Chloe pulled it off! If she shouldn't be able to use the Z-Move, then why did it work?"

"That's…" Kiawe started to protest, but he frowned, not finding an adequate response.

"...a good point…" Sophocles said, crossing his arms and thinking.

"...maybe we're overthinking this a bit," Goh said. "Maybe the Tapu noticed everything Chloe went through to help Ash and saw how desperate the situation was and they decided that Chloe did overcome a trial and so she could use the Z-Ring."

Kiawe blinked. "Could it really be that simple…?"

"It sounds almost comical to consider," Sophocles said, "but when you eliminate the impossible, all that remains, even if it's improbable, must be the truth, right?"

Ash put his hands behind his head. "I dunno HOW Chloe was able to use a Z-Move," he said, frowning. "And honestly, I don't really care how she did it. It just shows how awesome she is! I'm psyched that you guys are getting a chance to meet her and I'm sure the more time you spend with her at the party, you'll see how awesome she is, too!"

Goh raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Are you really sure you want us to see how 'awesome' she is?" he joked.

Sophocles chuckled. "Yeah, Ash. We wouldn't want you to act like Togedemaru, would we?"

"Why would I act like Togedemaru?" he replied back, almost snapping. He wasn't sure why his chest ached at their words, but he was sure that he didn't like the way they were talking about Chloe just now.

"He's saying that like how Togedemaru's jealous of Eevee because she spent a lot of time with Pikachu, you might get jealous if we spend lots of time with Chloe," Kiawe said.

"Huh?" The words that came out of Kiawe's mouth sounded like gibberish to Ash. "What does that even mean? Chloe's my friend, and so if she gets along with my other friends… that's good, right?"

There was a strange mix of feelings in Ash's stomach, and he didn't like either of them. 'Kiawe's over here making no sense at all, and… and why am I thinking that Chloe getting along with them could be a bad thing…?' He shook his head. 'No, this doesn't make any sense. Chloe's a really awesome friend that I care about a lot. I want her to like my friends, too.'

The silence didn't go unnoticed. "Ash, are you okay?" Sophocles asked. "You look like you bit into a malasada with a sour filling."

"It's like bawoomp, you know?" he said, struggling to explain himself. "It's like first I was all froosh but then I got all twisted up like grick!"

"That makes absolutely no sense," Kiawe sighed, putting his hand on his forehead.

"And yet somehow I think we all understood it," Goh agreed, shrugging.

Sophocles, Rotom, and Pikachu all nodded.

"It's… it's hard, to put into words…" he said, shoulders slumping. "I… Chloe is a really cool person and an awesome friend. You guys are all my friends, too. I just… I don't get why I'd be jealous about it…"

"...but you are feeling a little jealous, right?" Goh asked.

Ash crossed his arms and frowned. "I… I dunno? What does that even feel like? It's so weird to talk about. I don't wanna get jealous of you guys. You're all my friends! You shouldn't get jealous of your friends!"

Goh stroked his chin again. "Yeah, but remember when Pikachu was jealous because you were spending all your time training Lucario?"

"I-I uh…" he frowned.

His heart thudded in his chest like he had just been slugged, but his mind just went back to that day. He shook the thoughts of her emerald eyes staring daggers at him from his mind. 'The more we talk about this, the less I like it…' he thought.

"I'm gonna focus on getting the rest of these decorations hung up…"

He turned and went back to the stepladder and began climbing up with a new star.

"Poor guy," Kiawe said, shrugging. "He doesn't even realize how bad he's got it."

Ash frowned at Kiawe talking about him like he wasn't there, but endeavored to work and not pay close attention to what they were saying.

"Pikapi…" his partner cooed, patting him on the side of his head, trying to ease his mood.

Ash began climbing the ladder, but he couldn't help continuing to listen in on the conversation that his friends were having without him now.

"Okay, just because he feels that way doesn't mean she does," Sophocles said. "And if she doesn't, it's just Pikachu and Togedemaru all over again."

He heard Goh scoff. "Oh, that's no issue," he said. "I'm 100% sure she's feeling the same way."

Ash tried to focus on something else, but his mind was drawn in by the talking. 'She? Who're they talking about now? Who's like Togedemaru?"

It felt like the more he tried to grasp the conversation, the less he fully understood. So while at least pretending to work, he listened in on their talk.

"Then… why don't they just talk to each other about it?" Kiawe asked.

"How do you know they haven't?" Sophocles asked.

"Because if they had, I'm sure that Ash wouldn't be as confused as he is right now," he explained. "That Chloe girl must be pretty smart and perceptive to use a Z-Move without practicing, and she immediately understood that my Marowak is the Alolan variant."

Ash saw Goh nod out of the corner of his eye. "Yeah, if there's anyone who could break this down for him, it's Chloe."

The more they spoke about her, the harder it was for Ash to concentrate, and the more it felt like he was just sitting at the top of the stepladder eavesdropping.

They continued to speak with Ash there, regardless.

"So why hasn't she?" came the question from Sophocles. "Are we sure they feel the same about each other?"

"I know they do!"

It was Rotom who spoke up.

"I took a LOT of pictures yesterday from where they stayed home and took care of Lei!" Rotom announced. Goh nodded in agreement.

"Oh, and aren't they interesting?" Goh asked, the smugness in his voice even reaching Ash's ears from the ceiling as he struggled to hang a star.

"Like this one!" There was the quiet beep of Rotom's screen displaying a picture, but Ash couldn't see which one it was from this angle. "Or this one!" they announced with another beep. "Or even this one!"

Sophocles' face was turning red, while Kiawe looked dumbfounded. "Wow…" he said. "I never thought I'd see the day."

"Photographic evidence definitely makes this an open and shut case, doesn't it?"

Kiawe and Goh nodded.

"So… if that's the case… and they're THIS close…" Sophocles continued, "then… why not?"

Goh crossed his arms. "Chloe is… really slow to move, even when she's sure of something," he said. "She's really cautious and doesn't like getting rushed into things, so I bet she's looking for the perfect moment."

"And him?" Kiawe asked, pointing a thumb at Ash.

"I think the answer there is obvious," snarked Goh.

Ash grumbled. "I don't know exactly what you guys are talking about down there," he said, finally securing the star, "but it sounds like you're makin' fun of me and I don't like it."

"Don't worry, Ash," Goh replied. "There's an easy solution to this issue."

He frowned, climbing down the ladder. "...maybe it doesn't need your help."

"On the contrary," he said. "You're my friend and I wanna help you out. This is definitely a matter of brains at this point. Let me be your brain, Ash."

'...why does this sound like a trap?' Ash thought. 'Like he's tryin' to get me off guard in a battle?'

Goh's smiling face forced Ash to push those thoughts aside though, and he shook his head. "I don't even know what the matter is," he said. "But if you think you can fix it, go ahead, Goh."

Ash took another glow in the dark star and went to hang it up, pushing away from his friends as his mind struggled to put all the pieces into place. 'First they were talkin' about Togedemaru and how she's jealous of Eevee, and then that turned into me bein' jealous of them? Pikachu and Chloe… what's the connection…?'

He struggled to think of anything, but the topic of jealousy sent him back to that day, not long ago.

"You utter BLOCKHEAD!" Chloe shouted at him, furious. She held Yamper in her arms as Ash crawled under the kitchen table in the lab.

"B-Blockhead?!" he gasped, sitting up, only to bang his head on the underside of the table. He hissed in pain, putting his hand on his head. "I-I'm tryin' to find Pikachu. Have you seen 'im?"

"No," Chloe said, glaring at him with her green eyes piercing him. The look in her eyes shook the present day Ash, but the Ash of that time was still dealing with the throbbing pain in his head. "But if you even bothered to pay a little attention to him, you'd realize how jealous he was!"

"J-Jealous…?" Ash asked. His eyes looked for Goh. His friend was standing back, looking away as Raboot did the same. Sobble's eyes met Ash's, but only for a moment before the Water Lizard Pokémon vanished, turning invisible.

"Yes! Just like Yamper was not too long ago! Pikachu wanted to spend time with you, to be your number one, and you just spent all your time with Riolu instead!"

"B-But we're training-"

"I don't care even a little bit about your training!" came her judgement, cold and bitter like an Icy Wind attack. "You really don't understand how Pikachu feels at all, do you?! Pikachu loves you the most of all, out of everyone else in the world! And you got so blinded by your desire for battles and wins that you left him alone! He was practically crying last night and YOU WEREN'T THERE!"

She turned her back to him, and Ash sat in stunned silence. He looked up to counter her, to say something that would prove her words false, and he caught her looking back over her shoulder at him. His eyes met hers, and the bitterness he saw there had thawed, if only a little. While Chloe was clearly fed up with him and upset for Pikachu's sake, there was the smallest hint of weakness in her eyes.

Looking at them, Ash thought he could hear her say "I thought you of all people would be better than this."

And so he hung his head low, and chuckled darkly at himself for his foolishness. "I… really messed up, didn't I?" he asked.

"You sure did."

Chloe didn't mince her words.

"How are you going to fix it?"

Ash looked up at her, and saw the sadness growing from that spark of pity he caught in her eyes. The Ash of the present, remembering these events, wanted to reach up and touch her cheek, to stop that tear forming in her eye from falling. But the Ash of that time just stood up and adjusted his hat.

"I'm gonna go find him. I'm gonna tell my buddy how sorry I am and I'll make it up to him! You'll see!"

He saw her smile at him, satisfied with his answer, and he nodded. "C'mon, Goh! Let's go to where my buddy is!"

"And where's that?" Goh asked.

"Back to Pallet Town!"

Ash smiled to himself. As bad as the memory was at the time… it felt better, in hindsight. Chloe helped him reconnect with Pikachu in a moment where they were drifting apart. "And I never thanked her…" Ash said to himself.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu asked, tapping the boy's face with his paw.

"Don't worry, buddy. It's just something I've gotta talk to Chloe about," Ash replied, scratching Pikachu's head.

As he crossed the room to continue decorating, his friends continued their own discussion.

"So how are you going to solve this for them?" Sophocles asked out loud.

"Well…" Goh said, his eyes following Ash's movements as he grabbed the stepladder and moved it across the classroom, "Chloe and I grew up together. I can usually tell what she's thinking, even if sometimes our wires get crossed. There's no substitution for a friend who knows you like a sibling."

"...so you think you can convince Chloe to make a move?" Kiawe asked.

"It's the only way forward from here," Goh said, flexing his arm. He held his palm open. "Their future's in the palm of my hand, and I won't fail!"

Listening in, Cinderace looked tiredly at Inteleon. "Dace, derace?"

"Intel. Leon," came the reply.

Cinderace sighed, but from across the sparsely decorated classroom, Ash sighed even louder.