Mom and Alex stood out on the balcony once again. Mom did her usual ritual of stretching her arms out to the sun and taking a deep breath. "What beautiful weather! I wonder what today will bring me?" Mom mused. The doorbell rang, interrupting her thoughts. "A visitor!" She turned to Alex. "If it's Kukui, he'll probably let himself in without even waiting for us to open the door!" Yeah, he probably will... I'm not too happy that he does that. It's pretty rude. Alex shrugged it off and went inside. To her surprise, no one was there. She went to the front door to see who it was. Maybe it was Hau.
Much to her surprise, Lillie stood on the steps of the porch. "Oh, um... The professor said..." She sighed and closed her eyes. "Hey there, Lillie! Bring me that great new trainer. Woo!" Wow, she even added the 'woo'. "So I'm here to show you the way to his Pokemon lab, if you'll come with me."
Alex nodded. "Yeah, of course." I'm kind of glad it's her. She's so cute and shy.
Lillie nodded in return. "It's um... It's this way."
"Alex!" Mom called out before Lillie or Alex could take a step. She walked down the steps on the porch and held out a small bag to Alex. "Here, a little pocket money for you. Don't go wasting it on anything too silly!"
"Wow, thanks Mom!" Alex happily took the money and put it in her bag. She certainly wasn't expecting that.
Mom noticed Lillie and gave her a warm and friendly smile. "Oh! Well done, Alex. You're already making friends, aren't you? And what a cute little friend you've found!" Lillie fidgeted and looked down at the ground. "I knew Alola would be a great place for us. We just keep meeting wonderful people here!"
"M-me?" Lillie asked, smiling shyly with a light blush on her cheeks. "Well, thank you." She took a moment to compose herself. "My name is Lillie. It's very nice to meet you."
Mom grinned and turned back to Alex. "Looks like it's finally you're time to shine, sweetie! Enjoy yourself out there with your Pokemon. And don't be gone too long!" Meowth cried out from the porch, as if agreeing, and the two retreated back into the house.
Lillie watched Mom disappear. "You... have a very nice mother, don't you?" Lillie asked thoughtfully. Alex watched her, wondering if Lillie had a problem with her mom... Or is she an orphan?
Lillie shook her head. "We should get going. I'll show you to the Pokemon Research Lab."
Alex blinked, returning from her wandering thoughts. "Oh, right. Let's go then!"
Lillie lead her to one of the paths Alex hadn't taken yet. She could have sworn it was blocked off before. "You can reach the professor's lab by treading through the tall grass here," Lillie explained while they walked. "He says he can research moves better when he is so surrounded by Pokemon." That does sound like a professor sort of thing to do, at least. "Since I'm not a trainer, though, I have to rely on using Repels all the time." Alex frowned. Man, that had to get expensive... "You do know using Repel keeps Pokemon from attacking, right?" Alex nodded. Lillie looked down at her bag. "A-and about Nebby..." She cleared her throat. "Oh, I mean... Cosmog..." So it did have an official name. "Cosmog seems to be a very rare Pokemon. It came from far, far away." Maybe from another region? Or... space or something?
Nebby cried out from inside the bag. "It seems to have a very strange power..." Lillie continued. "It used that power to save me once when I was in danger. But some... other people want Cosmog for themselves, to use that power. That's why only the professor and Kahuna Hala and other people I can trust know about it... Can you keep a secret? Can you not tell anyone about Nebby or what happened on that bridge?" Lillie looked at her with big, pleading blue eyes. Oh no, not the puppy eyes!
"Of course!" Alex moved her fingers across her lips in a zipping motion. "My lips are sealed!"
Lillie nodded and looked down. "Oh... Alexandra? Do you want to know something neat?" She ran forward to a ledge on the hill. "You can reach the Pokemon Research Lab without having to go through any patches of tall grass if you jump down from this ledge." Lillie turned to the ledge, looking a little more confident. "Just like this. Hyup!" She jumped down, then looked back to Alex. "If you'd like to take a shortcut, I suggest you try it, too. I'll be heading to the lab now, so see you there!" She continued on.
Alex sighed to herself. "I have to wonder if Lillie is even aware how cute she is..." she mumbled to herself.
The building in question was nestled against the beach, surrounded by tall grass, just as Lillie said. There were patched areas dotting it, showing where damage had occurred. To the left of the building was a tall hill, but the path to it was blocked off by boulders. The porch faced the beach, and Lillie stood at the stairs, waiting for her.
There were crashes coming from inside the building, which made Alex jump. It sounded like an intense battle was going on in there! Lillie just stared at the building, looking unconcerned. "Oh yeah, Rockruff! Let's go! Give it everything you've got!" Kukui's voice shouted from inside. "My body is ready! Woo!" What on earth is he doing in there?
Lillie sighed. "There they go again..." she said, like this was a common occurrence. She looked at Alex. "The Pokemon Research Lab has its own unique charm, as I think you might agree." Alex nodded, looking up at the building. It looked more like a battered shack than a laboratory of any sort. "I've been, um, imposing on the professor here for the past three months. I'm not much of an assistant, but it's the least I can do to pay him back for letting me stay."
Alex looked back at the shack. Lillie was living here with him? She and Lillie were about the same age, so she could only wonder what circumstances caused Lillie to leave home. She wasn't a Pokemon trainer, so it wasn't the trials... Maybe it was family problems. That would make some sense. Poor Lillie...
"Maybe I'd be more help if I were a real Pokemon trainer, too..." Lillie sighed.
Another loud crash came from inside the house, following with the barks and howls from Rockruff. Lillie shook her head and sighed. "The professor... He never stops researching moves. Not even... inside the lab itself." That explained the patchwork on the building. "Looks like we'll have to patch the roof again..." Lille mumbled. "And I had just washed his lab coat and finally gotten it clean, too. Now it'll be in shreds... and I'm no good at mending clothes... so he'll just have to buy another new one..." Oh Lillie, you are too precious. Lillie sighed again. "We should probably go in before he does any more damage." Lillie turned to the front door and walked inside, with Alex following behind.
The main room to the lab was more spacious than Alex thought it would be. Rockruff barked excitedly beside a large tank, standing by Kukui's feet. His big, usual smile spread across his face and he waved to them. "Hey there, Alex! Thanks for getting her for me, Lillie!" He walked over to them, Rockruff at his ankles.
"Of course. However I can be a help... I am supposed to be your assistant, right?" Lillie replied.
"Rockruff's moves were just so stylin', and I was making good progress with my research. Say Alex, lemme see your Pokedex for a second, yeah?" Alex nodded slowly, confused by the request, and held out the red device. Kukui took it, still grinning. "So what do you think of the place? Not bad, right?" he asked proudly. "But that's not why I called you here, eh? Here! It finally arrived!"
What on earth is he talking about? Is it an upgrade for the Pokedex? Lillie looked equally as confused. "'It'?"
Kukui smirked at her. "What's wrong, Lillie? Don't make me do all the talking!" But that's what you do..."See, there's this Pokemon inside your Pokedex called Rotom-"
"There's a Pokemon in there?!" Alex gasped.
Lillie nodded. "Oh, I can tell you about Rotom. It is a peculiar Pokemon, with a body made up of something like electricity. It can take up residence in machines."
"Wow, really?"
"Yeah, buddy!" Kukui interjected. "And to put that crazy skill of Rotom's to work..." He held up the Pokedex and pointed to it. "It's the next generation of Pokedexes, but it's only complete once Rotom has gone into this body specially developed for it! A whole new way for people and Pokemon to communicate. Woo! And there's only a few of these beauties out in the world so far!"
Alex widened her eyes. She was getting one of these special Pokedexes?
"And now if I power up your Pokedex with the parts that I just got in..." He turned his back and fiddled with something in his hands. A Pokemon cried out and a Rotom appeared beside him.
"Wow!" Alex looked at the Rotom. She had never seen such a Pokemon; Rotoms weren't in Kanto.
"Hey now! Sorry about that, Rotom. Guess I surprised you?" Kukui asked the Pokemon. It cried in response. "Rotom! Here, boy!" he said, holding the Pokedex out to it. "I powered up your favorite 'Dex! Give Alex here a Helping Hand, yeah?" The Rotom cried again and zipped towards the machine in Kukui's hand, then disappeared. The Pokedex flashed and change form, then floated towards Alex with Rotom's face on the screen.
"Whoa that's so weird..." Alex said under her breath, staring in awe at the possessed device. The device flew into her bag.
"Um... nice to meet you!" it said in a static and nervous voice.
"Oh my goodness, it can talk!"
"Check it out, Alex! Now Rotom can talk right to you!" Kukui said, grinning and her shocked face. "It may take a little while to get used to its new job, but I'd say Rotom's taken a liking to you!"
"Yeah, no kidding," Alex said, staring down at her bag.
"And this will help how exactly?" Lillie asked.
"Alexandra hasn't been here in Alola too long yet," Kukui replied. "So I decided to give her this special Rotom Dex to help her navigate around."
"Oh, so it's like a map, too?" That's actually going to be really helpful. "Thank you very much."
Kukui nodded. "You can see where you're headed just by looking at Rotom, and if you give it a little tap, you can even check out the Town Map!"
The door opened behind Alex and Hau walked in through the door. "A-lo-la!" he called out. "The salty breeze sang to me and brought me here to you!" Alex furrowed her brows. That was a weird way to say he wanted to visit. "Whoa-ho-ho!" He ran into the building near the living room area and looked around. "Is that a loft?! That's awesome!" he cried, looking up a ladder that was on the wall by the kitchen island.
Lillie ran over, blocking him from the ladder. "No, it's not! It's private!" She huffed. "The professor has been kind enough to let me use it..."
"If you see a person or a Pokemon who needs help, you help them," Kukui said, walking over to Lillie and Hau. He smiled. "Right Alex? Hau?" Alex nodded, thinking of her rushing to save Nebby. "And that's why I'm letting Lillie stay up there in the loft.
"So, Alexandra, I'm leaving this Rotom Dex in your hands! Rotom, you look after Alex, yeah?" Alex took out the Dex to find Rotom grinning.
"So that's the Rotom Dex, eh?" Hau asked, looking at the red device. "It's kinda cute."
"All right then, Alex!" Kukui cheered, rearing back to his regular level of energy. "You too, Hau! Get a move on!"
So did this mean she was officially starting the island challenge? She now had a Pokedex and map in one, so she could make her way around the island. "Okay!" she said, clenching her fists in anticipation.
Kukui grinned and put his hands on his hips. "To the Trainer's School! You've gotta learn the basics of being a Pokemon trainer through Pokemon battling." Alex nodded. The only way you can learn your Pokemon's strengths and weaknesses were through seeing them in action, right? "It's a long road to becoming the island challenge champion, and the Trainer's School is the first step!" Kukui looked over. "What about you, Hau?"
Hau put his hands behind his head. "I'm good. I wanna play with my Pokemon!"
"The island challenge..." Lillie said wistfully. "So this is how the people of Alola connect with the world around them. And then there's the way that you and Rowlet both chose one another. And now Rotom is helping you out as well..." She looked up with a small smile. "Even Nebby likes you! I guess there's something about you that makes Pokemon feel comfortable when they're by your side?"
"Do you really think so?" Alex thought of Rowlet and Yungoos. She certainly hoped that was the case. She hadn't had them long, but she already loved her Pokemon.
"Lillie!" Kukui said, snapping Alex out of her thoughts. "You take care of Alex, yeah? Until she gets used to Rotom, help her find her way around!" Alex smiled to herself. She did like Lillie; she already looked forward to exploring the island with her. She sighed, feeling a little relieved, when everyone disbursed and gave her space. Now that all the talking was done, she roamed around the lab.
Pokemon were scattered around the room, all in different areas, contently doing their own things. A few fish Pokemon swam peacefully in the tank. A Murkrow stood perched on the rails circling the loft, looking down at everyone in the room. Curious about what was below, Alex took the stairs that led to the basement.
A Poliwhirl was busy doing physical training was the first thing she saw. Screens covered in charts and text, a wall covered in books, computers, Pokeballs, boxes... This looked more like the lab Alex envisioned. Satisfied, Alex went back upstairs and left the lab.
Lillie was outside waiting for her. "The Pokemon Center is practically right next to your house, isn't it, Alex?" she asked. Is it?
Suddenly the sky darkened, like the sun was blocked. "What?" Alex looked up at the sky. The sky was smothered with black clouds, the color reminding her too much of ashes. Then, as quickly as it appeared, the sky returned to its regular, sunny state. Inside Lillie's bag, Nebby let out a small cry.
"Nebby... Don't worry, it's okay," Lillie said soothingly to the bag. "This must be what they call a solar eclipse. It happens when the sun gets covered up."
No, that was something far more... ominus, Alex thought. There was something dangerous about that darkness...
"Was a solar eclipse forecast for today?" Kukui mumbled, resting his chin on his fist. He shrugged and dropped his arms to his sides. "Ah well. It must be some kind of good omen, yeah!"
"An omen?" Lillie asked, a hint of skepticism in her voice. "You think something good will happen?"
Kukui nodded. "Sure! A long, long time ago, Alola was cloaked in darkness, yeah... But people say that's when Alola's people and Pokemon blasted all that darkness away with light! And they also say that was why people started gathering Z-Crystals, and that custom turned into the island challenge." So that was the origin of the challenge? That's actually pretty interesting.
Kukui put his hands on his hips. "Alexandra! Now that you've got that Z-Power Ring, I hope you'll collect tons of Z-Crystals! Woo! That's exactly what a move researcher like me needs to uncover new secrets!" Z-Crystals help with his research? What exactly is it that they do, then?
"Professor, that's not why she's supposed to be doing it," Lillie huffed. "Come on, Alexandra. I'll show you to the Pokemon Center." She left, and Alex followed after her.