(This is the final part of Day 4, where we finally meet the president of the Aether Foundation. I wonder what kind of hijinks will ensue in the process.
The Reviews
None to respond to since Cody, Lolita and I worked fast on this one lol)
Eventually, Aubrey returned to the nearest Pokemon Center and was relieved to see Jake was sitting outside, looking in better spirits and comfortably eating some pizza. Forrest was catching some shut-eye next to him, presumably having been healed up from the battle.
"Oh hey Aubrey! Didya leave Olivia groveling in the dirt?...Get it? Rock joke?" Jake chuckled nervously.
"She swapped out her fossils for a Nosepass and Boldore," Aubrey answered. "Tenor was able to outspeed her Z-Move on top of that." Vatonage nodded, eagerly bouncing around from the thrill he got watching their battles with Olivia.
"That's awesome! Good job Tenor! Anyways they gave me some pain med, one of those hot and cold patches, and suggested I take it easy tonight. I'm eating dinner as you can see. Thought I should order pizza to celebrate the win and my first punch to the gut," Jake beamed. It was clear even though Plumeria's punch hurt a lot and was vicious, it was something that could be seen as a badge of honor in the romanticism of a trainer's journey.
"Well you didn't throw up, so that's a good sign," The ranger smiled. "I know they said to take it easy, but...I'd like to try and get our recon at Aether Paradise done before bed." Her expression dropped, knowing that Jake would rather be resting, but she didn't want to waste any time. If there was anything she could find out about the organization to help her friends and the region, she'd like to get it taken care of as soon as possible.
"...I get that might be a good idea since it's under the cover of night, but are you sure it'd be fully wise? If the Aether people have night-vision goggles or really good security footage, we'll be busted and look more suspicious as opposed to investigating it during the day." Jake seemed more concerned about the idea itself rather than having to exert himself.
"Right...I think at bare minimum, we should meet up with Key and talk shop with her," Aubrey responded. "Because I will admit, that's a fair point. But at the same time, the less we have to be in the vicinity of that loser Faba, the better."
"Yeah I can absolutely get that. Hmm... ok. I'm in. If Key's our best bet, it's ideal to get her up to speed soon as possible. Uh... do you have any Pokemon who I can use as a steed right now though? Walking is the last thing I need." He paused before speaking again suddenly. "Oh right! I almost forgot, Lillie's alright. She went back to Kukui's lab after she got me situated here."
"Well, you do have a Stoutland on our Ride Pagers," Aubrey reminded. "Lemme rest up my team real quick and we'll go, okay?"
"Of course, Aubrey." Jake nodded as he got his Ride Pager dialing. After Aubrey had gotten her team rested up, she too called Stoutland as they rode back to Heahea City, heading east once they got their to the large, beachside resort.
When they got there, Aubrey would hop off her Stoutland, sending it back in time to see a beat up man running away from the beach, in a hurry...
Only for him to be struck in the back with a rubber mallet, falling to the ground in a heap. He was still alive, just unconscious.
"...Huh. I guess it is true that pervs stay around at night." Jake looked disgusted. Notably he had returned Forrest to his Ball to let him continue resting. They would soon see who threw that, as the person in question came to retrieve the mallet.
"Ugh...the nerve of him..." The duo would see Key walking up, grabbing the mallet, lighting up upon seeing them. "Ah! Jake! Miss Ranger! I presume your trials are...done...what happened to you?" Her expression turned to concern upon seeing Aubrey's face.
"We've all got long stories to exchange..." Aubrey answered.
"Come. We'll talk in my hotel room," Key requested. "I'll get you fixed up, Aubrey."
"You sure it's a good idea to be beachcombing at night, Key?" Jake couldn't help but ask the merchant as they headed for the hotel.
"Oh, it was more stargazing than anything, Jake," Key responded, bringing him and Aubrey up to the fourth floor, heading down a few doors to where she was staying. Once inside, she'd bring Aubrey into the bathroom, starting to tend to her facial injuries with a first aid kit. "Alright, I take it we've all got information to share. Who wants to go first?"
"I think we should go first, man," Aubrey decided, talking to Jake.
"Well yeah. So we finished Olivia's Kahuna trial and thus we're about done with this Island. We met Faba who is a piece of turd and worth nothing to humanity and also have gotten a lot of new information about Aether. Their president is Lusamine, a woman, and their base of operations is on their own private island near Akala." Jake explained. He was impressed by Aubrey not even flinching when Key disinfected and addressed the wounds, showing that she probably had been through this before.
"We need to get into Aether Paradise to find out what we can about them. Because we have a hunch they're not all that cracked up to be," Aubrey added. "Problem is, I don't think the branch chief would let us have a tour of the place after helping him and an employee protect a Slowpoke from Team Skull."
"Hoh. That would explain why your face looks all battered," Key remarked, finishing treating her injuries. "There you go, good as new!"
"Great work, Key! So we know we're being selfish but unless we can teleport our way inside, you are our only other hope to get inside because of how talented and connected you are." Jake's flattery was on the nose but sincere.
"I see...well, you two are in luck, actually," The merchant smiled.
"Why's that?" Aubrey raised an eyebrow.
"Just so happens that I met with the assistant branch chief here," Key answered. "Her name is Wicke and, based on what you've told me of Faba so far, is much more reasonable and pleasant to be around. We can pretend that you two work for me, and I'm sure she'd be willing to let you both come along."
"Eh? Really just like that? That'd be awesome! Thanks Key. Is there anything we should know before going there guideline wise? I'd hate to make an even worse first impression." Jake's eyes brightened.
"Oh, it's rather simple," Key informed. "All you need to do is try not to come across as aggressive. When making a sales pitch, you would rather the customer be naturally 'married' to the purchase rather than hold a gun to their head and force them to say their vows."
"That's...pretty simple to follow, and not morbid at all," Aubrey mused. "Alright, your turn. What the heck was that all about outside?"
"Well, it's exactly as I told Jake. As a kid, I would always love to go out and stargaze. The way the stars in the night sky glimmer like pearls...ooh, it's so beautiful," Key sounded happy as she began, but then went to a neutral tone. "But as I was enjoying my down time, this guy comes up to me and starts trying to shower me with compliments and cheesy pick-up lines."
"Well compared to a constellation, he was probably a snail to you. I don't blame you for rejecting him," Jake said softly.
"That's the thing. There wasn't any sincerity behind it," Key continued. "It sounded like he was reading off some script or teleprompter saying all that stuff." Jake's Stoutland rolled his eyes. Apparently they had to endure a lot of similar circumstances like that.
"I imagine it got worse," Aubrey deadpanned.
"Oh, it did." The merchant folded her arms. "Apparently he decided to brag that his charm and silver tongue has wooed about twenty other women before. Then he started to get the idea that because I wasn't interested in his small talk, he decided to get forceful, grabbing my arm, trying to take me somewhere...and I let him have it."
"A hammer was an optimal choice indeed!" Jake nodded in approval.
"It was mainly hand to hand. He started to run away when he realized he picked the wrong lady to mess with," Key remarked. "That's when I knocked him down with one of my few mallets here." She would twirl the hammer in question around.
"Dang, you must have one heck of a throwing arm. That was like...what, twenty-something feet away?" Aubrey complimented.
"Well I can't go around on my own if I can't defend myself or our revenue," Key mused. "Okay, so we all know the plan? We go down, meet Wicke, I tell her you work with me, and then we head to Aether."
"Yeah. I'm fine with that, Key," Jake nodded.
"Let's do this thing!" Aubrey was sure ready to go.
"Eevee!" Vatonage was too, hopping up on Aubrey's head.
"Alright. Follow me." After putting everything back the way she had it, Key would exit the hotel room with Aubrey and Jake, and head down to the lobby to meet with the assistant branch chief of Aether.
Key would bring them to meet a mauve haired woman with green eyes behind a pair of pink framed glasses, wearing the white of Aether mixed with what looked to be a pink sweater like top. This was Wicke.
Jake nodded in approval of the fiercely real woman and how warm and approachable she looked. Her enthusiasm was pleasantly plain to see. "Hello there Wicke! We heard so much about you."
"Oh, why hello there young man," Wicke greeted. "I've heard you two have assisted our employees earlier today. You have my thanks."
"Think nothing of it, ma'am," Aubrey smiled.
"Miss Wicke, I had a bit of a favor to ask of you," Key began. "You see, these two work with me. They're just not on the clock, but wished to go along with me to Aether Paradise while I talked about that purchase your organization wished to make. Would it be asking too much if they were to come along? If they act out of line, I will take full responsibility for their actions."
Wicke smiled. "You don't have to do that last part for me. I trust that they can behave themselves."
"Yeah. We'll treat Aether like the temple of Alola." Jake held his arms out like he was honoring something. Aubrey could tell Jake was being bluntly honest but sounding totally lighthearted about it.
With a chuckle about how extra Jake was being, Aubrey said, "Your trust in us won't be misplaced, Miss Wicke."
"Very well then. We have a speedboat out by the dock of the resort here. It'll take us to Aether." Wicke motioned for the three to follow them, which they did.
"You know, I never fathomed being such a night owl when I was younger or on my first journey. You really are bringing the rebel out of me, Aubrey." Jake said as they neared the dock.
"I wouldn't exactly call myself a rebel..." Aubrey mused.
When the group boarded the speedboat, they'd be off towards Aether Paradise. As they were speeding through the ocean, Wicke would have a bit of small talk with them.
"So, how's your Island Challenge going along?" Wicke asked.
Jake petted his Stoutland, the Normal-Type resting at his feet and taking a breather from being his medical steed, and responded, "Terrific. We've finished two of the islands' Kahuna's Grand Trials. What does Aether think about the Island Challenge by the way? Have any of them ever tried it? I'm sure they'd be good with how much they care about Pokemon."
"It's something we're okay with," Wicke answered. "It brings out the best in both Pokemon and trainers, and trainers can start their island challenge as early as eleven years old." She paused. "I...have my own reservations about that."
"Miss Wicke, I'm with you on that," Aubrey agreed. "If kids want to go on their journey, they need someone older supervising them."
"Yeah, I didn't go on my first journey until I was at least a teen," Jake added. "Being a kid on your own is just asking for trouble and temptation. I don't blame you for being against that either."
"Not only that, but what about the costs of taking care of themselves and their Pokemon on the road?" Wicke added. She looked to Aubrey. "I've heard about your struggles with Team Skull, ranger. I wish there was something I could do myself, so that way Pokemon can stop being hurt by their actions."
Aubrey sighed. "Yeah...that employee gave you the whole story, huh?"
"From the encounter you had with Plumeria, yes," The assistant branch chief remarked.
"I can assure you Miss Wicke, you just leave Team Skull to me," Aubrey offered. "It sucks that they have to go through this, y'know? As much as I think about it, as much as Aether would want to do something about it, it's not like they can just wave a magic wand and make the cost of going on a Pokemon journey dirt cheap."
"Or make the journey easy enough that anyone can accomplish it without actually putting dedication and effort into it," Jake added.
Wicke nodded. "That'd be something the government would have to deal with. We don't exactly have those kinds of powers."
"It's okay if you can't, Miss Wicke," Key chimed. "It's pretty obvious to anyone that Aether isn't the government in Alola, just a large organization within the region."
"Yeah, and hearing you send this much sympathy out towards those who have a rougher time of things is really admirable," Jake smiled.
"Why thank you...I don't think I got your names, you two," Wicke then mentioned.
"Well, you already got my name, that's for sure," Aubrey chuckled. "Aubrey Bradford. Pokemon Ranger from Summerland. Though I work with Key as a sidegig."
"Jake Hagguire, Miss Wicke. At your service." Jake tipped his head positively.
"It's a pleasure to meet you both." Wicke noticed they had arrived at the dock of Aether Paradise. "We're here!"
Jake's first impression of Aether Paradise as he got on board his Stoutland was that it looked very much like the kind of secret base in a spy movie of the evil villains. Posh, immaculate, huge, lit up, and grand in spectacle. A beautiful building for sure and probably even more beautiful in the day when all the shadows of the night weren't clinging to every nook and cranny and making it look more foreboding than it actually was. The lights were still on within the Paradise itself so clearly it just served to further support that Aether employees didn't get much rest.
"Whoa..." He said in awe. Aubrey took a look around, surprised by how clean the whole facility looked in its bright white colors.
"It looks so...clean," She remarked.
"Isn't it a nice beacon of hope for Pokemon?" Wicke asked with a smile.
Anime flashbacks aside, Jake offered what he felt was the most sincere answer he could. "I imagine the Pokemon who end up here find true bliss and comfort knowing this whole facility is meant for them." Jake's Stoutland for that matter seemed slightly intimidated. They heard a lot about Aether and rumors about Pokemon involved with them. They weren't sure if something would happen to him if he was to be seen inside here.
"That's one way of putting it, yes," Key thoughtfully remarked. Wicke would lead them towards the elevator when they would run into a familiar face.
"Wha- what are you two doing here?" Faba looked surprised at their arrival. Wicke would quickly change the subject.
"Excuse me, Mr. Faba..." She started, before correcting herself seeing Faba's annoyed expression. "I mean, Branch Chief Faba. I don't know what kind of encounter with you had with Aubrey and Jake here, but they are here with Miss Dermott here."
"Right..." Faba folded his arms. "I must go speak with the president about our conservation efforts on Akala Island. Show these two around, and then take them to meet the president. I'm sure she'd be thrilled to meet with them."
Aubrey's mood soured upon seeing him, but kept it internalized. She didn't want to get Key in trouble just because of any outbursts on her part.
"Yes, I'll show them around," Wicke responded, letting Faba go up the elevator first. Jake did a 'cuckoo' hand gesture towards Key about Faba to indicate how crazy the guy was when Faba and Wicke weren't noticing. The merchant gave him a curt nod to show she understood.
The elevator would soon come back, allowing the four to get on. When they did, they'd head up to the first floor, the reception area.
"So Lusamine...she...nice? Strict but fair? Marches to the beat of her own drum?" Jake asked Wicke, deciding to try to start a conversation that could be telling but also believably fair and unsuspicious.
"She's definitely a kind woman," Wicke answered. "Lusamine is a president who cares about all Pokemon, hoping to protect what she can."
"How'd she get Aether started?" Jake sounded reassured by Wicke's praise.
"She founded the organization alongside me, Faba, and her husband Mohn," The assistant branch chief explained.
"Was Faba always a..." Aubrey trailed off.
Wicke shook her head. "I'm not sure what his deal is."
"Maybe he just got too big for his britches. That happens when an organization like this becomes a household name." Jake said.
"Perhaps that's what happened," Key commented.
"Shall I take you three up to the conservation area?" Wicke offered.
"Vee vee!" Vatonage was sure excited to check it out. It must mean there were Pokemon up there he could play with.
"Huh. That's pretty advanced. I can see why it'd be handy for sure, although, would anyone really be crazy enough to swim over here and try using this like a second-hand safari zone?" Jake inquired.
"Nobody's tried it yet, so I don't think so," Wicke answered.
As Vatonage ran around looking for a playmate, Aubrey looked to her Capture Styler. "Hey, Miss Wicke. I got a question. Do you think my Capture Styler would be unable to work here too?"
Wicke put a finger to her chin. "I'm not sure about that, honestly...I don't think we've ever had a ranger show up here with one of those." She then shrugged. "Guess we'll find out if we have to."
"You got that right." Aubrey would go after Vatonage, leaving Key to walk around and look for the president. She motioned for Jake to follow her. Jake nodded and he and his Stoutland followed after Aubrey carefully.
"Vee vii..." Vatonage was admiring how beautiful the conservation area was.
"Okay, so...is there anything in particular we want to ask the president about?" Aubrey asked Jake in a low voice.
"To be entirely sincere I'm not sure. I haven't thought we'd get that far yet and I am a bit tired. Hmm...maybe we just inquire what she knows about things? Team Skull and the like?" Jake suggested.
"Cross your heart and hope to die?" Jake winked cheekily at her.
"Whatever, man," Aubrey smirked.
"Ok then! Let's go for it." Jake smiled back. Soon they came to what looked like an important person standing at attention. A glamorous, beautiful woman with long dusty blonde locks, a futuristic and fashionable outfit, and natural poise. The woman in question was standing with a Starmie, an Alolan Grimer, and Alolan Meowth like a loving mother, giving them each a late night snack. "My sweet Pokemon..." She cooed. "I promise I'll keep you safe...I'll protect you with all my love..." She would then notice Aubrey and Jake approaching her, Key right behind them. "Ah..."
"Why hello there!" Key greeted with a smile. "You must be Aether's president Lusamine, yes?"
"Yes. That would be me. You're...Key, right?" Lusamine would respond. "Wicke told me you would be seeing me about your company's wares to offer Aether in our efforts for Pokemon conservation."
"The very same, yes," The merchant answered. "Though two of my co-workers have been eager to meet you." She would gesture to Aubrey and Jake.
"I see...and you are?" Lusamine asked.
"Jake Hagguire. Aspiring Trainer and Kahuna of Alola. This is my gal pal Aubrey. A Pokemon Ranger. She and you share a lot of the same views and goals about taking care of and protecting Pokemon," Jake said, speaking up for Aubrey favorably.
"A Kahuna? Which of the Tapus have you been chosen by?" Lusamine would then ask Jake. "Each island's guardian selects someone to be their Kahuna, and they hold that position for life."
"Oh is that how it works? I didn't realize. Thank you for clarifying for me Miss Lusamine," Jake blushed. He knew Alola didn't have a Champion, so he admittedly might've gotten a bit overzealous in what he thought was the highest position you can earn as a Trainer in Alola.
"And you...are a ranger, yes?" Lusamine asked Aubrey.
"That's right. Aubrey Bradford. Ranger from Summerland," Aubrey answered.
"Good to hear," The president of Aether smiled. "Right, well...if you do have things you wish to ask of me before I speak with Key here, feel free. But I ask that you don't take too long." Jake inwardly gulped. 'I have limited time so use it wisely' was what she really meant.
"So we've heard a lot about Aether's work ethic and think it's great that it's done a lot for Alola. How'd you get it all started and what inspired you to do so?" He began.
"Well, I'd like to begin by saying that I'm glad there are people like you who travel the islands to learn more about Pokemon, and those who work towards protecting them," Lusamine began. "But there are also those unfortunate people who will harm Pokemon for their own selfish desires. That is why I founded Aether, to protect those who have been harmed by said unfortunate people."
"Yeah, we've seen that firsthand. Team Skull was harassing a poor Alolan Vulpix for its bottlecap," Jake recalled. "Fortunately Aether was doing a good job calming it down and taking care of it after it had been attacked like that."
"Yeah, speaking of Team Skull, what's the deal with them anyway?" Aubrey would ask. "Aether sends reports to the Union once a month, so clearly you know about their situation, right?"
Lusamine nodded. "Yes. It's unfortunate that we can't do anything to pull them out of their living situation, but that's not what Aether does," She responded. "All we can do is heal the damage done."
"Do you not have the funds? Are you like a charity organization or at least a non-profit group?" Jake asked carefully.
"It's not that we lack funding." Lusamine shook her head. "The cause of their problems is something out of our control."
Jake felt that was a bit questionable considering Lusamine knew their team leader well enough to have their preference of Pokemon as documented information. Surely she would know something about how and why Team Skull formed and could address the circumstances. It would be unwise to pry further into that though. "Well, in brighter news, we do think Team Skull is not really a major threat. It'd just be nice they didn't antagonize Pokemon and people so much."
"Yes, it would be nice if they didn't do such a thing," Lusamine agreed.
"Tell me about it. Harassing Pokemon, me having to fight them, scaring Lillie..." Aubrey listed off ways that Team Skull has been a nuisance for them, but she couldn't really fault them for their villainy if societal circumstances forced them into it.
Lusamine's mouth went slightly agape from surprise at the mention of Lillie's name, then closed her eyes in thought. She then had a more...negative expression. "Oh, don't you worry. You just leave everything to me."
"...Leave everything to you? I thought you said you couldn't do anything about Team Skull, Lusamine." Jake looked puzzled at her response. His Stoutland though actually seemed unnerved, as though more sensitive to the fact Lusamine's body language had grown icier.
Lusamine said something to herself. "Children would all be much happier if they listened to the adults around them..."
Aubrey picked up on this. "Wait...you know Lillie?" Lusamine folded her arms at that question.
"I'm not going to answer that," She quickly said.
"Well I mean, we're all adults here..." Jake folded his arms too. He wasn't sure what this was about even though he agreed with Aubrey here. "Um, would you like us to talk about something or someone else if that'd make you more comfortable?" Still, he was committed to treating Aether like a temple and that included appeasing Lusamine.
"I'd rather you two leave," The president coldly answered. "I'll be hearing Miss Dermott's sales pitch now."
"Hey, what's wrong?" Key asked. "It was just a simple question."
Before Lusamine could do anything else, a tremor was felt, catching her by surprise. "What was that? Did something happen on the lower floors?"
Aubrey was looking around for the source, but Key would soon point something out. "Um...I think that over there is the source of that noise, Miss Lusamine." She pointed at the abnormality in the room - an Ultra Wormhole!
"What...?!" Jake suddenly went pale and looked like he was going to panic. A literal Ultra Beast in his near vicinity on an isolated island? Hell on Alola. "No... how can an Ultra Beast just show up hereeeeee...?!"
"Get behind me, Jake!" Aubrey exclaimed, her and Vatonage standing in front of the group. From the Ultra Wormhole, a jellyfish-like creature appeared in front of them, just floating there. Jake shivered from behind Aubrey, staring at the ominous yet hauntingly beautiful thing with great terror. What was it? What Type was it? What powers did it have? Could it kill all of them or destroy the building?
"I-it's horrible..." He whimpered. His Stoutland looked a bit bewildered but showed a brave vigor and would likely have engaged it if not for Aubrey stepping in.
"Well...if it's anything like a Pokemon man, it should be tamed by the Capture Styler like any Pokemon," Aubrey reassured, Capture Styler in hand. "Capture...on!"
"If it doesn't bend reality first..." Jake gulped. The jellyfish, known as Nihilego, stared at Aubrey cautiously at first as Aubrey drew action. "D-do you want me to help...?" He offered, even in spite of his fear. He knew it was the right thing to do.
"Don't let it attack the president or any other employees in here," Aubrey ordered. "I'll try and keep it's attention." Lusamine, for all the commotion, just stood attentively and staring with a strange expression at the Nihilego. Her fingers twiddling as though she had a desire to touch it. Jake and Aubrey didn't detect this odd reaction in the haste of the moment.
"Ok...come on out Dew!" Dew emerged and stood in front of Lusamine and Key who would move swiftly behind him for security. He was surprisingly not at all scared of the strange new entity floating about in the Paradise or concerned about where they were. He was more than ready to follow his Trainer's instructions and face down this potentially stronger opponent to show his own strength.
A red aura would surround Nihilego as it seemingly vanished away after a few loops from Aubrey.
"What?" The ranger looked surprised. "Is this a Ghost-type?"
Nihilego would reappear from the side, using Power Gem and launching it at the ranger. Vatonage would call this out, allowing her to roll out of the way of danger. Dew assisted Aubrey by using a focused Bubble Beam to blast through some of the Power Gem. The Nihilego would then do something surprising - it would use Mirror Coat to fire back some of the bubbles that would be flying towards it, returning them to sender.
"That's a Mirror Coat...be careful with special attacks, Dew!" Aubrey called. Jake and Dew quickly avoided the path of projectiles, with the President and Key following behind them. "Vatonage, Quick Attack before it teleports again!"
"Vee!" Vatonage would speed forward and strike the Nihilego - it wouldn't be very effective, but it would interrupt its teleport, allowing Aubrey to continue drawing loops against the Ultra Beast.
Nihilego would shoot a purple orb at the ground around them, Aubrey going wide-eyed with what it did.
"Toxic Spikes...shoot," She grit her teeth. This was not looking good. She and Vatonage were now in a metaphorical minefield. Then she spotted the walkway railings, getting an idea. "Vatonage, see if you can get up to the railings. Everyone else, stay back! One wrong step and you'll be poisoned..." Her partner would hop up in the air, landing on the walkway railings, hoping to keep his balance.
"D-don't need to tell me twice...heheh..." Jake chuckled nervously.
Key would nudge Jake, having one of her rubber mallets in hand. "I want to help her out somehow...maybe we can make her job a bit easier using this?"
"A rubber mallet...against poison? It's worth a shot but...what should we do?" Jake asked.
"Remember how I hit that lech back at the beach?" Key reminded as Aubrey jumped back to avoid a Venoshock attack. "If I can land a shot on the Ultra Beast as its about to teleport like Vatonage did...I can interrupt it, letting her get loops in." The merchant then looked to Dew. "In fact, Dew? Once I hit this shot, I want you to get in an attack as well. Sound good? We need to buy Aubrey enough time for her and Vatonage to get away from those Toxic Spikes." Dew, who liked Key's style, nodded in approval.
"Okay...hopefully it'll slow down that jelly." Jake thought wistfully.
"Gotta seize the opportunity..." Lusamine said softly.
Key nodded, taking her mallet and winding up a throw. "Be my eyes, Jake. Call it out when it's about to teleport." She'd use her other hand as a crosshair of sorts to aim her throw.
Jake nodded and looked carefully, pushing up his glasses for maximum accuracy. Soon he saw Nihilego about to retreat into the Ultra Realm. "Go, Key!"
"HAH!" Key would let out a shout as she launched her mallet, nailing the Nihilego on the top of its head, interrupting its teleport successfully. With a powerful watery blast, Dew's Bubblebeam followed up and hit the Nihilego fully on the face. This would result in staggering the Nihilego! "Move, Miss Ranger! MOVE!" Key shouted.
Taking Key's advice, Aubrey would jump the railing she was next to, moving to a safer part of the walkway with Vatonage, who bounced from rail post to rail post to follow her.
While the Nihilego was recovering from the stunning hit, Aubrey would continue tracing loops, and Vatonage would keep its attention by running around its Power Gem and Venoshock blasts.
"T-they...are managing to beat it down. Thank goodness..." Jake looked relieved. "At least it isn't that building-devourer."
"You could say that again, Jake!" Key offered a fistbump with him, which he gladly returned. "Look, we definitely turned the tide of this battle for Aubrey." Sure enough, with Vatonage and Aubrey's combined powers, they were able to tame the Nihilego.
"Whew..." Aubrey breathed a sigh of relief. "Capture...complete."
However, by the time that the trio regrouped, the Nihilego had decided to teleport out of there, likely back to where it came from.
"Whoo! Awesome job Aubs!" Jake cheered.
"Araquanid!" Dew also seemed especially proud of Aubrey. Realizing he had gravely underestimated her skills previously.
"Hey, I couldn't have done it without the three of you supporting us from the sidelines," Aubrey thanked, exchanging high fives and hugs with her traveling companions. "And you, Vatonage. You were awesome out there."
"Veee..." The Eevee smiled, so happy he could finally be a help for Aubrey. To face off against something out of this world was nothing short of legendary for the little guy.
As they were congratulating each other, Lusamine was greatly intrigued by the Nihilego. "So it's true..." She muttered to herself. "I still need that Pokemon. I need to get it back."
"Get it back? How much DO you know about Ultra Beasts Lusamine?" Jake asked.
After a moment of pause, Lusamine would give a response. "All I know is that if they're just like Pokemon, they should be protected as such. But...thank you for keeping any of our employees from getting injured during that chaotic scene. I apologize for my rude attitude towards you earlier."
"You're welcome, ma'am," Aubrey was relieved it was over, seeing Vatonage nuzzle against her leg. She'd kneel down to give him head rubs, and when she did, the Eevee started to glow under the moonlight of Alola's night sky.
"Oh wow...we know what your spirit Eeveelution is now Aubrey." Jake said with a peaceful smile.
Vatonage's body turned into a sleek, black colored one with four slender legs and crimson eyes. He had two pairs of pointed teeth, long pointed ears, and a bushy tail, each with a yellow band around them. His forehead and legs also had yellow rings on them.
"Umbreeeeeee!" Vatonage cheered, still keeping his positive energy from when he was an Eevee. Dew bowed in respect to Vatonage's new and most powerful form.
"Wicke, could you see these two on to Ula Ula?" Lusamine requested, to which Wicke nodded in response. "I'll be going with Key to discuss business."
Key would whisper to the two, "If I find out anything juicy during our meeting, you two will be the first to know." The merchant offered up a wink of assurance.
"Thank you Key and good bravery and valor today. You deserve a raise," Jake whispered back cheerfully as he returned Dew to his Net Ball.
"You're welcome. Take care!" With a wave, Key would go off with Lusamine, leaving Aubrey and Jake to follow Wicke back down to the docks.
"It's a relief that no one was injured in that fight...again, I cannot thank you enough," Wicke was nothing but smiles as they headed on down. "Here, maybe this will do. The TM for the move Psychic. May it help you both on your trials." She'd give them a hot pink TM for Psychic. "Oh, and when you meet your friend Hau again, could you give him these big malasadas?"
"Sure...hey, how do you know Hau?" Aubrey raised an eyebrow.
"He's Kahuna Hala's grandson, yes? He's earned quite a name for himself after besting old Hala like he hoped," Wicke answered with a giggle.
Jake smiled, remembering and being reminded of Hau. "I'm glad to hear he's reaching high levels of success."
When the boat arrived, Wicke would wave them goodbye as they got on board. And when they did, they would see Hau approaching them with his signature grin.
"Hey! Fancy seeing you two here!" He smiled.
"And what's got you staying up past your bedtime? The Malasadas?" Jake asked, half-seriously and half-jokingly. His Stoutland tipped his head to Hau politely. It appeared it recognized Hau as well from a previous usage of the Ride Pager.
"Actually, I finished up my Akala trials a little while ago, and was on my way to Ula Ula," Hau answered with a laugh. "Guess they were using Aether as a stop along the way."
"You're not gonna believe what we encountered while we were here," Aubrey told Hau.
"Izzat so? Maybe we can talk about it on the ride to Ula Ula," Hau suggested.
"Gladly. Though we'll need a private place...we need to call Van. We found out some stuff while at Aether Paradise," The ranger decided.
Jake and the Stoutland agreed, with both yawning though. They were getting sleepy. "Can't this wait until tomorrow? I feel like I need to sleep off the whole adventure before it traumatizes me the more I think about it." The Hoenn trainer requested.
"We can call her without ya while you rest," Hau offered. "I'll fill you in on everything tomorrow. That's alright with you?"
"Sounds perfect to me. I know this guy has done a lot so I'm going to give him a super high rating online." Jake pet the Stoutland behind his ears, making them smile.
"Alright. You get some sleep, man. You've earned it." Aubrey would pat Jake's back. "Thanks for at least being a trooper and coming out with me to Aether Paradise."
"Thanks a bunch Aubrey. See you tomorrow!" Jake responded.
Once they were sailing away from Aether Paradise, Jake was sitting in his seat as Aubrey and Hau went to a private room to place their call out to Vanessa.
"Hello?" Vanessa would pick up.
"Howdy, Vanessa!" Hau greeted, munching on one of the big malasadas Aubrey gave him.
"Good to see you again, partner," Aubrey smiled. "We've got a lot we need to talk with you about."
Vanessa paused. "Oh boy going by the look on your face this is going to be a dooozy."
"Considering the fact we had to fight an Ultra Beast, yes," Aubrey bluntly answered. Hau almost choked on his food from hearing this.
"Y-You what!?" He sounded surprised by this. "So...that crack in the sky above Akala earlier today..."
"Saw it too? Yeah. An Ultra Wormhole appeared in Aether Paradise, and out popped this jellyfish looking Ultra Beast," Aubrey explained.
"YOU DID WHAT!?" Vanessa exclaimed in shock.
"HEY KEEP IT DOWN IN THERE!" A guy in the other room shouted. "I'M TRYING TO SLEEP!"
"Sorry!" Vanessa called back. To Aubrey, she would quickly say, "Details. Now."
"Okay, I'm gonna go point by point so you two aren't lost, okay?" Aubrey began. "Okay. So we met Faba, first of all. Jake hates his guts, I want to punch him, and I'm pretty sure he hates our guts too."
"Lovely." Vanessa rolled her eyes. "Continue."
"We needed a way to get into the Aether Paradise to try and get evidence of any suspicious activity for Professor Kukui," Aubrey continued as Hau listened attentively. "So, I thought the only way we could get in there was through Key. We were in luck, because the assistant branch chief was willing to take us there, and we just had to pretend to be working under our merchant friend."
"What's the assistant branch chief like?" Hau asked in between bites.
"Well, she doesn't give me the impression she lets her underlings do all the fighting and stands back to do nothing," Aubrey answered.
"Oh joy, I dislike Faba even more," Vanessa remarked. "At least Wicke seems nice."
"Once we met the president, we started asking her a few questions. Nothing was out of the ordinary...except for one thing," Aubrey kept going. "When I mentioned Lillie offhandedly as we were talking about Team Skull, she reacted...negatively to the mention of her name, telling us not to worry about anything."
"Wait. Does that mean...the Aether president knows Lillie?" Hau then asked in realization, having just remembered something.
"Hmm, you think?" Vanessa responded. "Do you have a picture of Lillie?"
"As a matter of fact, I do!" Hau answered cheerily. "Now how do I send this thing from my Rotom Dex to you..."
"I can go through it with you, I think…" Vanessa answered.
"Oh for the love of - it's a video call we're on right now, Hau, just give it here." Aubrey would take Hau's Rotom Dex, pulling up the relevant picture and showing it to Vanessa.
"...Huh." Vanessa would look at a picture of Lusamine on her end, comparing the two photos with each other. "...That seems like a familiar relation."
"But that's not all. When we pressed Lusamine on what she knew about Lillie with just a simple question, she refused to talk about it and said she'd rather we left," Aubrey added. "I think she was about to call security on us before some tremor happened...and that's when the Ultra Wormhole happened."
"...That does not seem to line up with the benevolent persona she puts on for all of things Aether does…" Vanessa noted.
"Um...if I may, you two?" Hau spoke up. "I didn't think anything of it then, but...I just remembered something from when I talked with Lillie before getting on the boat to Ula Ula."
"What it is, Hau?" Vanessa asked, as she and Aubrey were listening.
"Well, it was after I completed my Grand Trial with Olivia, and I was talking with Lillie back at Konikoni. I asked if she wanted to come along this boat with me to the next island, and when I mentioned we'd be making a stop at Aether, she...seemed to freeze up for a moment," Hau recalled. "She was like...a Deerling in headlights or something."
"...Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Van?" Aubrey thought on it, the gears in her head turning.
"Yeah...and I do not like it," Vanessa agreed.
"It's...pretty flimsy honestly, but if I'm right about this, then the story Lillie told me earlier might've been a lie," Aubrey deduced.
"Huh? W-What the heck do you mean? Why would Lillie lie to her friends like that!?" Hau sounded alarmed, and also a little upset.
"Hau, I know you don't want to consider the possibility, but...hear me out on this, okay?" Aubrey had a comforting tone in her voice, not wanting to consider the possibility either. "Lillie claimed she wanted to know more about Nebby, and wandered along until she was passed out on the beach, then taken in by Professor Burnet. If that's the case, first of all, what was she doing wandering around without any adult supervision, and second of all, how does that explain Nebby being unconscious as well?"
Hau went quiet. What would Lillie have to hide from him in the first place? "But...that just can't be true...you said it yourself, it's pretty flimsy."
"Yeah. I know. But the fact remains that Lusamine seems to know something about Lillie. Until we can solve that little mystery, for me personally, it calls her story of what happened three months ago into question," Aubrey responded.
"I am sorry to say that may be the case…" Vanessa empathized with Hau before turning her attention back to Aubrey. "Do you want me to do a little digging on the side, Brey?"
"What I think I'm gonna need is that, and once you're done with whatever you're doing in Kanto, to come over here and give us some backup," Aubrey answered. "There is one thing I want you to look into...when we were at Aether Paradise, Wicke mentioned Lusamine's husband, some guy named Mohn. Could you find out whatever you can about him for us?"
"Mohn...yes." Vanessa would write down his name. "Okay, continuing on, what was this UB like?"
"Well, it was white and blue in color, looked like some sort of jellyfish," Aubrey informed. "It was using Rock and Poison type moves...and Mirror Coat, which meant I couldn't really use Tenor for much in that fight. It was also teleporting around like Ghost types do when we try to capture them with our Stylers."
"Interesting...I will look through the reports Aether has sent us and see if this matches up with anything they have down," Vanessa promised.
"Thanks, Van. Uh...one last thing. What do you think your ETA here will be?" Vanessa could tell that Aubrey was missing her partner in the field.
"Hmm...I think I might be able to get there in a day or two," Vanessa estimated. "I think I have this Team Rocket situation mostly under control. Got my hands on these things." She would show off a Mega Evolution Keystone installed into her Styler, and a Master Ball.
"...Oh, that is sick," Aubrey chuckled. "When you get here, you have GOT to show that off to Jake. He'd squee, I'm sure."
"Oh I will," Vanessa mused.
"Alright Van. Take care." She'd let out a happy sigh as she hung up after exchanging a wave goodbye. Hau however, had a frown on his face.
"...Lillie..." He solemnly said.
He'd be in this mood when they docked at Maile City, Jake taking notice as they got off the boat.
"What happened?" The Hoenn trainer would ask Aubrey.
"I'll...I'll tell you in the morning over breakfast, okay? Hau needs some space," The ranger answered. Confused at first, Jake gave a nod of understanding as the two checked into the Pokemon Center. Finally, after a long and exhausting day, the two got ready for bed and drifted off to sleep - Jake in a bed, and Aubrey in her sleeping bag.
It still bugged Aubrey though - just what was Lillie hiding from her? What was so important that she had to possibly lie about how she met Professor Burnet? Most importantly, how did Aether know about Lillie? These questions were buzzing around in Aubrey's mind as she went to sleep, ready for another long day of trials, investigating, and battles on the third of Alola's four islands.
She hoped that Vanessa wouldn't be too long.
(And with that, Day 4 of Aubrey and Jake's Alola adventure has finally come to a close! With plenty of wild developments, Day 5 is going to be where things get real, and in game, where things really start to pick up in terms of challenge. See you all next time!)