(Salutations gamers and gamettes, it's been a long while since I've posted anything here, I am aware of that. But the reason for that is my old laptop basically went and sudoku'd on me, so I'm writing this on a brand new laptop. It's an Acer Aspire, and it runs like an absolute dream. Huge shoutout to Cody the Worldwalker for recommending this laptop to me.
Anyway, that's not what I'm here to talk about, I'm here to talk about what I've been planning. See, I had this huge project thought up for a New Vegas gig, yeah that'll happen, but then a spur of the moment thing happened. That spur of the moment thing, is what this story is all about. More details at the end of the chapter, hope you enjoy.)
Three months ago…
A young lady dressed in white was running through a monochrome colored facility in a panic. She was running from something, making her way to the triangle shaped elevator, going up to a conservation biome. She felt she was safe, so she was calmly walking around, but was spotted by a man who appeared to work at this facility, given the white and gold uniform. She started to run, holding her bag slung over her shoulder close, running down a turning pathway with the man on her tail.
Another man appeared in front of her, cutting her off and effectively trapping the girl, when suddenly, something inside the bag with a fearful look started to glow, using some sort of power that blinded the two men, and when it was gone...so was the girl, bag passenger included.
Present day…
It was early in the morning as a boat was sailing towards Hau'oli City in the Alola region's Melemele Island. It was a passenger ship, and it wasn't much longer till they would reach the marina.
There was a woman in a ranger's outfit lounging on the deck, eyes closed and soaking in the sun. At 20 years old, she was five foot eight and weighing in at 150 pounds with an athletic build. She had short, dark red hair, fair skin, and sandy brown eyes. She was wearing a more personalized version of the Fiore ranger's uniform, with a white base and steel gray sleeves and detail, black boots with steel toes, and dark grey and white fingerless gloves. On her hip was the standard model Capture Styler, and next to the lounge chair she was relaxing on was a bag filled with a couple essentials gear wise.
"Hey, lady!" One of the passengers called the ranger. "We're about to dock."
"Mmm...I hear ya," The ranger opened her eyes, stretching her arms out and standing up. "Ah, this is gonna be the best vacation ever." Grabbing her bag, she'd stand ready to disembark as the boat pulled into the marina.
Once the boat came into the marina, the ranger was excitedly the first one down the gangplank, her bag slung on her back as she was looking for someone. She was meeting him at the marina, after all. She'd soon find the man she was looking for - a man in a lab coat and gray shorts. The professor of the region, Kukui.
"Yo!" The good professor waved over to the ranger. "Aubrey, over here cousin!"
The ranger, Aubrey, would rush on over to Kukui with a smile. "Hey, it's good to see you!" She greeted him. "Thanks for offering to show me around the region."
"Ah, think nothing of it. Follow me!" Kukui would start walking off with Aubrey. "So you only told me about you being a ranger. What's it like?"
"Well if you wanna know my whole deal, I'm from Summerland in the Fiore region," Aubrey explained. "It's good work if you're an outdoorsy lover of Pokemon. Though I did come here with the intention of taking paid vacation days."
"Yeah, you mentioned as much over the call we had," Kukui mused. "You also said you had a Skarmory as your partner Pokemon, right?"
Aubrey nodded. "I do, but I felt like if I wanted to do the Island Challenge here, using him would be cheating. He's strong enough as is. I've got my partner watching over him."
"That's okay. Would've been cool to see what moves a ranger's Pokemon can use," Kukui chuckled. "So, are you excited to meet some Alolan Pokemon?"
"Oh, you already know it!" Aubrey exclaimed. "Truth be told, I haven't really seen much of other Pokemon outside of the ones from where I live, so I'll gladly see what this region has to offer!"
"Woo! That's the spirit, Aubrey!" Kukui beamed. "I can tell you've got the attitude for it."
This conversation would continue for a bit longer on their way to Iki Town. The story goes that the ranger, Aubrey Bradford, had come to the Alola region for some time off, and decided to choose the sunny, tropical, and gorgeous island region for her vacation days. It wouldn't take a genius to tell that Alola reminded Aubrey of her hometown in Fiore, which is probably why she decided to come here. So she called up the region's professor and, with Hastings' approval, got on a boat to Melemele Island to meet up with Kukui, who would show her around and get her acquainted with the various locales.
On the way to Iki Town, they'd pass by a young boy who eagerly ran up to the professor. "Professor Kukui! You've gotta recommend another move to me sometime! Please?"
"Why?" Kukui asked. "You already know which moves you want to use, yeah? You come find me next time your Pokemon learns a new move, and then I'll battle you." With a nod from the kid, Aubrey and Kukui kept on walking into Iki Town. They passed by a young boy and an older boy in a Pokemon battle, the younger boy having a Yungoos, and the older boy having some form of Meowth that Aubrey has never seen before.
"Is that a Meowth?" She asked.
"That's right, but it's a Dark type. That's an Alolan Meowth. Some Pokemon are different here in Alola, yeah, meaning they've got all new potential," Kukui explained.
"Wow…" Aubrey breathed. "That's honestly pretty cool."
"And we're here!" Kukui exclaimed when they went up the steps leading into Iki Town. It was a small village, but homely. "This town is where folks come to worship the Pokemon that watches over Melemele Island. Tapu Koko keeps us all safe and happy, see!"
"Does each island have a Pokemon like that?" Aubrey inquired.
Kukui nodded. "Yes indeed! Tapu Lele is the guardian of Akala, Tapu Bulu is the guardian of Ula Ula, and Tapu Fini is the guardian of Poni Island." He was looking around for something with a puzzled expression. "Huh? What's goin' on here? We were supposed to meet everybody right here, yeah." The professor put a hand to his chin. "Maybe they're all back on Mahalo Trail. That's where the ruins of our guardian deity are, yeah…" He would turn to Aubrey. "Aubrey! Do me a solid and go find the island kahuna!"
"Island kahuna?" Aubrey asked.
"Each island has one who was chosen by the island's deity," Kukui explained. "They're the toughest trainer around each island, so don't take them lightly."
"Right, so they're like gym leaders in a way...got it. You got a description of this island's kahuna for me?" Aubrey inquired further.
"You're looking for a man in a yellow long jacket. His name is Hala," Kukui answered. "I'll wait around here to make sure we don't miss each other."
"Alright. I know I'm on vacation, but…" Aubrey smirked, doing a frontflip and a high kick, pointing her Styler up in the air the same direction and angle as her left leg. "Mission Start!"
Kukui had a bright smile. "Woo! So that's what a Ranger pose looks like." He remarked.
"Looks pretty cool, huh?" Aubrey grinned. "Alright, I'm gonna get to lookin. I'll be back!" She would start her search around the southern part of the town, before heading up north and seeing a girl dressed in white looking at her bag, which for some reason was rustling around.
"Really? You want to go up to the ruins?" The girl asked. "I don't know what you hope to find there…" She started walking up a path that had two statues on the sides.
"Hmm...she's not the kahuna...but if the guardians are at ruins...she might know something," Aubrey thought to herself, following after the girl.
The same statues were placed along the winding trail up, the ranger keeping her distance. At the last two sets of stairs, the girl's bag started to shake again.
"You can't come out!" She scolded in a low voice. "We'll get in trouble if anyone sees you." The shaking stopped and she continued on her way.
Aubrey decided now was a good time to catch up with this girl to see what all the ruckus was about, and when she finally caught up, an unusual sight was there to meet her.
The girl was running forward due to the bag pulling her ahead towards the bridge that led to the ruins, and out popped a strange, purple gaseous creature with a big smile, floating out about halfway across the bridge...before looking surprised as three Spearow flew towards the thing that popped out from the girl's bag, circling around and rearing up for attacks.
It was then Aubrey ran up, Capture Styler in hand as the girl turned around to face her. "Ah…"
"Need some help?" Aubrey offered.
"Y-Yes...save Nebby! Those Spearow are attacking it! But...but I'm too afraid to go out there...my legs feel like they might give out…" The girl responded.
"Say no more. Capture...On!" With a flick of her wrist, Aubrey sent out the Capture Disc at the Spearow and started looping around them to get them to stop attacking Nebby. It only took her a couple loops to get them to cease their hostilities.
"Woah…" The girl breathed as Aubrey dismissed the Spearow, who flew off.
"Alright, c'mere, Nebby," Aubrey slowly walked out on the bridge to the gaseous creature, noticing the rickety shape it was in. When she had reached Nebby and was about to take it into her arms…
She heard a snap. The bridge started to crumble, the girl shrieking in shock as Aubrey grabbed onto Nebby, holding it close to her chest as they were falling towards the river down below.
This of course, was met with a surprising yellow blur surrounded by electricity as something swooped down, grabbing Aubrey and Nebby before they hit the water, and placed them on the ground at the girl's side. It stared at Aubrey for a brief moment, before letting out a cry, and shooting off into the sky as a crackling electric yellow orb.
Aubrey sat Nebby down as she stood up. "Well...that was a thing. Least that safety hazard of a bridge is gonna get replaced."
"I...guess you could say that…" The girl responded.
"Pew!" Nebby floated over to where the electric savior was, spotting some sort of mysterious stone on the ground.
"What...what is that?" The girl wondered. Nebby would take it and give it to Lillie.
"Pew pew!" It chirped.
"A...sparkling stone? It feels almost warm somehow…" She turned to Aubrey. "Please, forgive me…"
"For what?" Aubrey raised an eyebrow. "I'm just doing my job."
The girl smiled. "I am so grateful to you for helping us out of that dangerous spot. I...take it your job has something to do with…"
"Aubrey Bradford. I'm a Pokemon Ranger," Aubrey introduced. "Who are you?"
The girl shook her head. "I think this stone must belong to you." She would give it over to Aubrey, who pocketed it. "Please...don't tell anyone about this. About seeing Nebby…it's a secret, okay?"
"You have my word, ma'am," Aubrey promised. "Mind if I take you back to town?"
The girl nodded. "Come on. Into the bag, Nebby." With Nebby getting back in Lillie's bag, Aubrey led the way back into town.
Once they got back into town, Kukui was waving over to them. "Hey! Aubrey! Looks like you missed the kahuna, yeah? But you found my assistant, oh yeah!"
"This is your assistant?" Aubrey asked, walking on over with the girl.
"Yup. Looks like you already met," Kukui answered.
"Oh, um...yes! You can call me Lillie," The assistant added.
"And, Lillie, this here is Aubrey. She just got here in Alola for some R&R from her job!" Kukui introduced her. "Take good care of her."
"Already told her about my job, Kukui," Aubrey mused. "Had to help her out of a bind with my Capture Styler."
"So...you're also one of the professor's acquaintances?" Lillie inquired. "It's nice to meet you."
There was a clamor of a few people behind the trio. "The kahuna is back! Kahuna Hala has returned!" One of them shouted.
"Our guardian's chosen one is back!" Another exclaimed.
"Only one of the strongest Pokemon users in all Alola, yeah!" A third cheered.
Aubrey turned in that direction to see the kahuna himself, fitting Kukui's description, coming into town. "Well there he is, there's the big man himself."
Hala turned and once he paused after walking up the steps, asked, "Have I missed something?"
"Naw, but where did you go off to, Kahuna?" Kukui asked in response. "I thought we were meeting here."
"I am Kahuna of this island, after all," Hala responded. "Whenever there is a problem on the island, it is my duty to resolve it. Sorry, Lillie. What were you saying before? For some reason I thought I saw Tapu Koko flying about."
Lillie nodded at Hala. "Oh, um...yes, Kahuna Hala. Nebby was being attacked by Spearow on the Plank Bridge when this woman helped it. But the bridge collapsed when she tried to help him back to me, and I thought both of them might fall to the bottom of the ravine…and that was when the island's guardian deity swooped in to save them!"
"So that was Tapu Koko?" Aubrey wondered. "Huh. Haven't even been here for an hour and I've already met a legendary Pokemon."
"Woo!" Kukui sounded shocked. "That's something you don't hear every day!"
"Ho!" Hala was just as surprised as Kukui. "Although it is said to protect us, our Tapu Koko is a rather fickle creature. Yet our guardian was moved to save you."
'Maybe it knew I was a ranger? ...Nah, I don't think this region even has someone like me,' Aubrey thought to herself. 'It did look at Nebby quite a bit before flying off I think. Maybe there's a connection, or it was just as confused as I was about what Nebby is.'
"Kukui, my boy, I think we have cause to celebrate!" Hala continued. "It seems I should entrust this brave and kind young lady with a Pokemon of her own. We'll make a fine Trainer out of her!"
Aubrey put a hand to her chin. "Well sir, I am a Pokemon Ranger. We do things a bit differently."
"Yes, Kukui filled me in on the details of your job before you came here. I figure you could use a partner Pokemon for the duration of your stay here in Alola," Hala responded.
The ranger gave a shrug. "Fine by me." But she had a smile on her face. She had always dreamed of being a Pokemon Trainer, and always liked the Steel type. It's why her partner was a Skarmory. Sadly, due to being the oldest of three siblings and not having a very high disposable income, she had to abandon those plans. Aubrey didn't give up however, soon becoming a ranger and finding great success. Now, she had the chance to chase those dreams she had as a kid.
"I'm glad to meet you, ranger. I am Hala, the Kahuna of Melemele Island," Hala introduced himself to Aubrey. "Welcome to Alola! I'm glad we got the chance to meet today."
"Alright big fella, let's see what you got Pokemon wise," Aubrey chuckled, deciding to skip the formalities.
Hala took three Poke Balls and tossed them on the wooden stage-like platform - out popped a Rowlet, a Litten, and a Popplio.
"First is the Grass-type Pokemon, Rowlet," Hala began.
"Koo!" Rowlet spun around in a circle.
"Next is the Fire-type Pokemon, Litten," Hala continued.
"Mrowr…" Litten jumped up and wiggles its tail.
"And last is the Water-type Pokemon, Popplio!" Hala finished.
"Bwark!" Popplio stood on its forearms with a smile.
"Which Pokemon will you choose as your partner?" Hala would ask Aubrey.
Aubrey took a look at her options, smiling as she looked at Popplio. Even if she had a reputation for fighting alongside her Skarmory and being a rough and tumble Pokemon Ranger, she did have a soft spot for cute things. And Popplio was definitely a cute one.
"I think I'll take this one!" Aubrey declared, referring to Popplio. The Water-type was certainly happy to hear the praise from the ranger.
"Only when you have both chosen each other can you truly call each other partners," Hala said. Aubrey had her Capture Styler in hand.
"Well if Popplio is gonna be my partner…" She mused, stepping up on the wooden platform. The ranger would find that this Popplio in particular didn't need to have feelings of friendship conveyed to it, as the Sea Lion Pokemon practically jumped into her arms, catching her by surprise. "Woah!" Popplio was practically preening, but to make it official, it let itself be caught with the Capture Styler. Why did it let this happen? It was curious how it worked.
As Aubrey celebrates her successful capture through her superlative ring technology, a bystander with a Rowlet perched on their head is dazzled. They've never seen anything like it! What in Alola's fashion could've made such a device to not only pacify but capture Pokemon without the use of a Poke Ball?
"Ho! So that's how Rangers befriend Pokemon!" Hala chuckled.
Aubrey patted Popplio's head once it was back in her arms. "I think you and I are gonna get along just fine, little guy."
"Bwark bwark!" Popplio cheered.
The bystander approaches, curiosity overcoming them. They are a 25-year old young man with glasses, a black short-sleeved shirt with a Pokemon Loiteria design on it of six cards featuring Blaziken, Gardevoir, Sceptile, Rampardos, Garchomp, and Clefairy. Blue, flame-streaked silky shorts are their choice of bottoms and they wear black socks with black slip-on shoes. The hazel eyes are animated and full of life as the brunette with a five o' clock shadow finally speaks up.
"Excuse me young miss? What was that incredible display you performed there? I've never seen anything like it!"
"Hmm?" Aubrey turned to face this bystander. "Oh what I did there? This is a Capture Styler. It lets me befriend Pokemon to help me out during my job."
"Capture Styler? I didn't see much fashion going into that. It seemed much more like you were doing the role of a Tauros Fighter and corralling that Pokemon. Do you get style points for doing it well?" The bystander suggested with a friendly smile.
Aubrey couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, if you're really good at it, then yeah, you can be pretty stylish with it. Name's Aubrey Bradford. I'm not a Tauros Fighter, I'm a Pokemon Ranger."
"Jake, Jake Hagguire! I'm glad and excited to meet you!" The man bowed far too politely and forced his Rowlet to steady himself to stay on his head.
"Nice to meet ya," Aubrey mused. "I take it you already know all about us, huh?"
"Hey, nice to see you've got a Rowlet there of your own!" Kukui greeted warmly. "Are you gonna be taking on the Island Trials too?"
Jake looks at Kukui, the rather handsome for his age professor, with a modest smile. "Yeah, that's certainly on my plan." To the ranger he added, "As for your question Aubrey I don't actually. I just got here because I was hoping to get my Rotom Dex. I might've been too hasty leaving the lab without picking one up."
"Oh yeah, gotta make sure you get that," Kukui responded. "Swing by my lab later and I'll get you set up, Jake."
Aubrey took a seat on the wooden platform once Litten and the other Rowlet went back to Hala. "Well, to give you the short version, us Rangers use these here Capture Stylers to befriend Pokemon, and use them to help keep the peace."
Jake elects to sit by her, his Rowlet flying off and descending gracefully down to perch on the ground and peck at seeds on the ground. "Keep the peace? Oh you mean like territorial disputes and the circle of life? Or..." The young man had a brief grim look on his fate "Evildoers and monstrosities?"
"All sorts of things. Wildfires, rescues, simple problems, and yes, even evildoers and monstrosities. Apparently one of the job requirements for a Ranger is 'Must be mentally prepared to deal with anything the world throws at you.'" Aubrey explained.
Jake looked uncertain for a moment, something heavy on his mind and clearly troubling him. He looked away and seemed to look towards his surroundings. To the environment. The world beyond. Alola as a whole. Something about such scenic and natural beauty normally would be very inspiring and comforting but Aubrey sensed a different take was being used on the region by Jake.
"Oi...something troubling you?" The ranger asked in a comforting voice.
"...You really think you can handle some of these things I've read and heard so much about here in this region? I moved here recently as I wanted someplace beachy and coastal but also more fashionable and with more attractions than Hoenn. I never fathomed that this place would be so...disturbing though." Jake confessed.
Aubrey raised an eyebrow at that. "Hmm...pretty sure I can handle it. Maybe it's all hearsay," She answered.
Lillie had something on her mind too, but opted to stay quiet until Aubrey was done talking with Jake.
Jake looked a bit bewildered at Aubrey's casual tone. Then he thought for a moment and realized, maybe she hadn't heard about what was plaguing his mind so badly. That as a Ranger, she never tackled something of an otherworldly, unfathomable, even divine nature. "Do you know about the Ultra Beasts?" He inquired in a polite 'do you really think you can handle it' tone as he could.
"Not really..." Aubrey admitted, folding her arms. "But you've only read and heard about this stuff, right? Haven't seen any physical proof?" Kukui too kept quiet about this. Admittedly, his wife would know more about what Jake was asking, but he wasn't sure what to do.
Jake frowned and pulled out his phone and revealed a picture to Aubrey. From what Aubrey could see, it was like some mystical natural phenomenon. A radiant light darting across the sea on what appeared to be an ocean scene in the sunset-streaked canvas of the sky, leaving a trail of water torrents in its wake. Once Jake zoomed in, Aubrey could make out a clear shape of a figure that was tall, lithe, and bizarre anatomically.
"Wow..." Aubrey looked quite amazed by what she was seeing. "The Union is definitely gonna want to hear about this."
"This one is supposedly the 'hot-looking one' but it moves at speeds that Dugtrio couldn't possibly compare to. There's other more startling ones but this is the only one I have seen. They say they come from portals in alternate dimensions. Some conspiracy theorists think they are occult beings summoned by cults in Alola. Others say they are harbingers of destruction. Worse, some think they are primitive, berserk Pokemon that want to destroy us. They are incredibly but also incredibly scary..." Jake looked and sounded distressed. As if trying to conserve his sanity or believe he is still safe.
What Aubrey would say next would surprise Jake, as she could only chuckle at the conspiracy theorist part. "Ah, I'd be more worried about the cults if they were here, man. So, from my understanding...you want someone to go with you as a bodyguard of sorts?"
"One person said an entire district on Alola disappeared without a trace because of one of them..." Jake said that statement as though not clearly hearing Aubrey. Then he processes Aubrey had said something. "Oh... sorry, I didn't hear what you said Aubrey. Can you say it again?"
"Would you feel safer if I went with you on your Island Challenge?" Aubrey offered.
Rowlett perked up at this offer, looking up to Aubrey excitedly as though they already innately trusted the young lady with the Capture Styler. Jake on the other hand looked very touched. "You'd...come with me? And journey with me? So I don't have to go alone? But why? Don't you have things you'd like to do alone...? I am kind of a hermit normally but I did really want to at least try to be a Pokemon Trainer since I admire all these beautiful creatures."
"Nah man, helping others is all part of a Ranger's job," Aubrey humbly responded. "To be honest with you, I wanted to be a trainer myself. Me and Skarmory were dreaming of going to the Sinnoh region and becoming legends. But...personal responsibility stopped that. We didn't have that much disposable income, plus I'm the oldest of three siblings. But, we had a Plan B in becoming a Ranger, and I grew to love it. And besides, if we did run into any cultists, I'd lay them out." She balled up her hand into a fist. "With my mitts."
Jake gave a small embarrassed look, doubtful that Aubrey's mitts were all-powerful and all-problem-solving, but he looked relieved. "Well it's the Ultra Beast I'm more worried about. Unfathomable power and unknown nature and all. Cultists are easy to take out systematically or at least to defend yourself with." He said sincerely. "Still...it's nice to hear you are able to live out a dream you had to give up on previously. I'd gladly help make it come true if I could."
"I can tell you about as many stories as I can too. I'd like to learn more about this Ranger lifestyle!" Rowlet gave a cheerful cry in unison with Jake's overt excitement.
As they were conversing, another boy happened upon the scene - in yellow-orange shorts and a black top, he sure looked full of energy upon arriving.
"Hey, you and me!" The boy exclaimed, looking at Aubrey.
Aubrey turned her attention to this newcomer. "You talkin' to me?"
Hala couldn't help but laugh. "Where's the fire, boy? And what kind of Pokemon battle would that be where you don't even give a first name, eh?"
The boy casually put his hands behind his head with a cheerful smile. "Fair enough. Then I'm Hau. And my partner's Litten!"
"Nice...we got the whole starter trio here, then!" Aubrey mused.
"Yeah! Your Popplio and Rowlet look really cool too!" Hau complimented the two.
Jake looked at the Alolan native with curiosity about his exotic skin tone, decent fashion sense, and enigmatic spirit. He appreciated compliments but was a bit thrown off by how quickly he insisted on a battle. "Thank you sonny. Uh...are you sure you should be challenging us to a battle of any sorts when you don't even know what we're about? Stranger danger and all that." Jake lectured meekly. He was doing it for Hau's sake as he thought the boy seemed impressionable to the point he might recklessly challenge someone obviously not in the mood.
While Jake might not have been up for a battle, Aubrey sure wasn't objecting. "I think he's directing that towards me, man," She mused.
"Yeah! So let's battle!" Hau responded. "I couldn't wait for you to find your way towards Iki Town, so I've been looking all over for you!"
The ranger certainly looked amused by this, turning her attention towards Kukui. "You told him a ranger was coming to town?"
"Word gets 'round here fast, cousin!" Kukui answered in a cheeky fashion.
Lillie frowned. "I don't really like to see Pokemon battles where Pokemon can get hurt...but I'll watch for you."
For the first time, Jake took notice of Lillie. The young, sweet-looking girl had completely missed his sights as he was so spellbound by Aubrey's Ranger skills at work. The young man noticed that... she was absolutely adorable. "Oh my goodness! You look soooooooo cute!" He exclaimed cheerfully if sounding far more immaturely than before. "What's your name miss? Your fashion sense is absolutely serving the proper young lady of an island upper class society!"
"Um...thank you," Lillie responded. "It's Lillie...I'm just wearing what my mother picked out for me. I'm Professor Kukui's assistant," She continued, having composed herself from the initial surprise that Jake gave her.
"Well you're mother must be wealthy and fashionable! Lucky! My mom's sweet and pleasant and does her very best too. Sometimes she is a bit nosy but eh. Not all moms are perfect there Lill. Funny enough I have a cousin named Lilly. It's very nice to meet you." Jake sweetly offered a handshake to Lillie. "It's also nice to hear you are the Professor's assistant. They are a famous lineage in Pokemon history."
Lillie gingerly returned the handshake. "Right back at you...it's good that your mother is quite kind." She turned to the battle Aubrey was having with Hau. "So, she's gonna go on your Island Trials with you?" She overheard the conversation that Jake had with their ranger friend.
"Yeah, Aubrey the Ranger! How exciting! I'll get to meet and befriend someone new and have protection and company! Maybe she can teach me exclusive battling techniques or trivia too!" Jake squee'd with excitement.
"That's wonderful..." Lillie smiled. "Sounds just like what she did for me back at the bridge..."
Jake now looked curious, as did Rowlet. "Has she done you a favor previously Lillie?"
"You could say that," Kukui's assistant explained. "My Pokemon, Nebby, was being attacked on the bridge by some Spearow. She used her Capture Styler to make them go away, then went out to bring Nebby back to me. She did it all without a moment of hesitation...like it was entirely instinct to her."
"I imagine so, since she appears to be very specialized in this unique occupation. Do you think you want to be a Ranger or is Pokemon Research more your cup of tea?" Jake asked. He was seriously impressed by Lillie's calmness and resolution in her words.
"Hm? Aubrey...would you be so kind as to give me a look at that sparkling stone you have there?" Hala requested.
"Oh, this thing? Sure." Aubrey handed it over rather casually.
Needless to say, the Kahuna was quite taken aback by what she had. "Could it be!?"
"Tutu, isn't that…" Hau trailed off as Hala spoke to Aubrey.
"You were rescued by Tapu Koko at the bridge - isn't that what I heard, Aubrey?" He asked.
Aubrey nodded. "Well yeah, that's when I got that stone."
"Tapu Koko? Oh that's one of the Island Guardians right? People believe they are the last hope gainst the Ultra Beasts but to be honest I think they are just guardians of the island in general..." Jake for once seemed not as scared about this point.
"Yes, that's right," Lillie told Jake. "The bridge collapsed as Aubrey was moving out to get Nebby...and that's when Tapu Koko came to save them from falling into the ravine."
Jake's eyes sparkled and a small 'hmm' emanated from him. There was something about that was truly intriguing. "Really? Hmm... it must've sensed something very important about Nebby." Rowlet nodded in agreement with Jake's hypothesis.
Hala nodded. "So it even decided to give you a stone...perhaps you are here in Alola, Aubrey, because this is where you are meant to be."
Aubrey rolled her shoulders. "I mean...I came here on vacation, big guy. I thought Tapu Koko gave that to me because it knew I was a Ranger. But clearly since the Kahunas are the closest we've got to Rangers out here...no idea why it gave me that thing."
"Fret not! I'll return it to you this evening," Hala responded. "It would seem you have the makings of a fine Trainer."
"Aww, thanks," The ranger chuckled. "Always dreamed of being one, but being a Ranger works out for me."
"We'll get setting up for the festival around here. Hang out with your new partner around Route 1 in the meantime, and practice those moves! Woo!" Kukui encouraged her. The professor, Hala, and Hau left, leaving Aubrey and Jake to speak with Lillie.
"So Lillie, what type of Pokemon is Nebby then? That'd be a good place to start." Jake would start.
"Well...you see, Nebby isn't...from Alola," Lillie began.
"Then...what region is Nebby from?" Aubrey asked. "If it's not from Alola, then what region?"
Lillie went quiet for a moment. "It's real home is far away from here," She explained. "And I want to help it get home. Nebby once saved my life when I was in trouble. Now I want to save it! I feel like there's not much I can do on my own, since I'm not a Pokemon Trainer...but if I had you two helping me, then maybe..."
Aubrey had a smirk. "I think you already know how I'm gonna answer that question."
"Well yeah definitely, I love solving mysteries personally and part of the mystery is staying together and being loyal and honest with one another so sure Lillie!" Jake winked cheerfully at her.
"Thank you both..." Lillie had a relieved smile on her face. "I should probably go helping the others set up the festival tonight. You'll have your Pokedexes by tonight, promise."
"Sounds good! Popplio and I gotta go warm up. Let's go, Jake!" Aubrey exclaimed.
"Ok Aubrey. Lead the way!" Jake pledged his hopes, dreams, and safety to her and he definitely was excited. Nervous about the journey ahead but in his heart he was strongly desiring a new and more positive outlook of Alola, untainted by rumors and myths.
(Alright, so let me end this chapter off with a couple of notes. First off, I had something else planned out for that 'super secret project', but this idea came to me as a spur of the moment kind of deal. It's gonna be one of my biggest challenges in writing yet, as I'm looking to combine my favorite parts of Vanilla Sun with Ultra Sun into one grand adventure.
Second off, the character Jake is actually one of my mates from Discord, and a fellow collaborator with me. This guy is the sole reason I found enjoyment in X and Y again, since otherwise the Kalos campaign is a borefest of snores. Since he doesn't have a copy of any of the Alola games (and me, like a weirdo, has all four of them), I decided what better way to experience the Alola campaign than by tagging along with my character in the playthrough this story is based on? Please check him out at his Deviantart, Lolitafreak88, he's got plenty of good content there. I will be collaborating with another friend of mine in this story, but this person won't be coming in till later.
And lastly, I am going to be taking some creative liberties with the overall plot structure, so don't roast me too much for changing an otherwise pretty good visual novel in terms of RPGs. I'll try my best to not soil it for all of us. Oh yeah, and it took me long enough to put out new content this year. This has nothing to do with the story, just felt like adding it in.
Take care, and here's to a great 2021!)