The ferry reached the port on the new island. Hau jumped off the ferry, planting his feet firmly on the concrete. "Land ahoy!" He cried. "All right! Terra firma under foot again!"
"Oh yeah," Alex sighed in relief. "Solid ground is so much more reassuring than being in a boat, surrounded by the sea..." Hau grinned and ran off. "Hey!"
Hau stopped further down the road. "Ula'ula Island is, like, another totally different place than Melemele or Akala, huh!" he said once Alex caught up. "We're supposed to meet up with the professor, right? Where was it? Malie Garden?"
Alex nodded, pulling up the map on her Rotom Dex. The garden was actually pretty close to the harbor.
"Why'd he want us to go to a garden?" Hau asked. "Guess we'll find out when we get there, right?" Hau ran off once again.
"He's always so energetic..." Alex mumbled to herself.
Rotom few out of her hands and floated before her. "We made it to Ula'Ula Island now! And that means another new Island Pokedex for you, clever girl! Fill 'er up! Zz-zz-zz!" It few into her bag.
Alex nodded and patted her bag. "All right, Malie Garden..." She walked down the road, just passed the Pokemon Center.
Hau ran back towards her with Brionne bouncing at his side. "I had a great idea, Alex! Come on, let's have a battle!"
Alex nodded. "Sure. We haven't had one in a long time."
Hau nodded in return. "All right! Then let's go full powered on this one!"
"You know what, Alex? You should take this Lycanium Z, too!" Hau said, holdout out a Z-Crystal to her. "It came as a set with those Big Malasadas that Ms. Wicke gave me, but I don't plan on adding any Lycanroc to my team or anything." Alex shrugged and took it. She didn't intend on adding one either, but she accepted it anyway. "You and your Pokemon looked like you were having a blast, Alex! I guess it's like my gramps said... Go beyond winning and losing, and learn to find joy in any battle... then you'll find that you're getting strong before you even know it!" Brionne cried out beside him. "What? You mad that I still don't seem to be getting all that much stronger? I sure hope not! Me and my partner oughta be, like, totally in sync with one another! We'll get there, buddy. Now I guess we should go try to track down Professor Kukui in Malie Garden, right?"
Alex frowned, watching him run off again. Him being so down on himself was a bit characteristic... He was strong. Did he just... Did he equate his level of strength only to Hala? "You'll get there..." she mumbled.
She walked into Malie Garden, and Hau was waiting for her at the entrance. "I heard that they serve tea somewhere here in Malie Garden... I'll start my search from the bridge here. Why don't you start around the edge of the garden?"
Alex nodded, scanning around the garden. Four bridges arched over the pond and met into the center. Hau said he would check that area, so she decided to explore around the rest of it. She found a bridge that led to the center, where a large, concrete square sat, with a tea shop in the middle. Kukui was there, sitting on one of the benches.
"Ho! Professor Kukui!" Hau called out, running towards him with Alex.
"Hey there!" Kukui responded. "What's going on with you two? Your eyes are shining extra bright today. Did something happen?"
"Only something AMAZING!" Alex gushed, remembering the incident that happened in Aether Paradise. "It was just so cool!"
"Professor! Professor! You gotta hear this!" Hau cried excitedly. "An Ultra Wormhole opened up, like, right in front of us, and there really are Ultra Beasts in there! And aliens from other worlds, too! You've gotta tell Professor Burnet, too!"
"She'll be so excited to hear it! To know we saw with our own eyes the very thing she researches!"
Kukui's eyes widened. "Woo! You got to see the Ultra Wormhole and an Ultra Beast? And folks from another world?! That IS amazing, oh yeah! Sounds like an even better reason to train hard, yeah, on your island challenge!" Alex nodded in agreement; the Ultra Beast radiated power. If another appeared, she had to be sure she could escape it. "Maybe someday we'll all be able to go through the Ultra Wormhole!"
"Going through an Ultra Wormhole..." Alex mumbled to herself. What would that be like? Would she be able to someday visit the world that the Ultra Recon Squad came from?
"All right!" Kukui started, bringing her attention back to him. "Your trial is up on Mount Hokulani! You can catch the bus to get there. Just head to the bus stop on Route 10, yeah?"
Alex nodded. She was glad to hear she wouldn't have to hike up it. "You guys can go ahead without me, Professor," Hau said. "I've got a hot date with a malasada shop! I'm gonna get my Pokemon some treats so they'll really start to like me!" Alex chuckled, seeing Hau had his usual priorities.
Kukui stood up. "Roger that, good buddy! I'll be waiting at the bus stop, Alex, whenever you're ready to go!"
Alex nodded again. "I'll see you later then, Professor!" Kukui smiled at her and walked away.
"Hey, Alex, did you know?" Hau said, looking at her.
"Know what?"
"There's an observatory up on Mount Hokulani! And you do know what it is theey do at an observatory, right?" Hau paused. "Hope you do, 'cause I sure as heck don't. Now I'm out!" He waved and then rushed out of the garden.
Alex furrowed her brows, walking towards the entrance to the garden. What did an observatory do? She wanted to say it was a huge telescope that could look at the stars, but she wasn't sure that she was right. Either way, it was best to move on to the bus stop the professor mentioned.
The sight of Lillie walking towards the garden brought Alex out of her thoughts. "Lillie!" she called happily, running over to the girl.
Lillie glanced over at her. "Oh, Alexandra, I'm glad I ran into you... I was actually wondering..." Nebby cried out from inside her bag. "Wh-what do you think of her? The president of the Aether Foundation, I mean," Lillie mumbled nervously, holding her bag still.
Alex shrugged. "I don't know. She was all right, I suppose."
"Right... of course..." Lillie looked up at her. "I just thought maybe you'd met with her. I'm sorry for asking you something so strange." She paused. "Um, anyway... What I really wanted to ask about was..."
"Is it about Nebby?"
She nodded in response. "Yes. I want to take Nebby to visit Ula'ula's ruins, but they are located deep in a large desert. I don't want to ask that much of you."
"I don't mind," Alex said, with a smile.
"Right now, I'm planning to visit Malie Library. There's a book that I want to look for there. Maybe you'd even be willing to help me?" She turned and looked further down the road. "I know that Malie Library is here within the city of Malie somewhere..." She paused, turning her back to Alex and gripping the strap of her bag. "Even I should be ale to find it. I can do this!" Nebby cried out, as though cheering her on. Alex shrugged wandered off on her own while Lillie went on hers.
Lillie stood outside of a large building near the black of a complex near the garden. She looked back when Alex approached. "Alexandra... I'm sorry... I ended up getting lost, yet again..." She frowned. "I wandered around completely lost until I ducked into the apparel shop... And then I saw this outfit, and they said it was the last one they had in stock, so I bought it..." She chuckled nervously with a smile to match. "Even though I don't think I'd ever have the guts to wear an outfit like it... Hah..."
Alex cocked her head to the side. "But I'm sure you'll look adorable in it!" Whatever it is...
"But the woman working at the store did tell me where to find the library!" Lillie said, looking up at the building behind her. "So I guess you could say it was all for the best... though the library was actually right passed the apparel store, if I'd just kept going." A Mudsdale suddenly clomped down the road and stopped close to Lillie, which made her cry out and lurch back.
Hapu walked up calmly beside the Mudsdale. "Alex," she said, smiling. "Been a while, friend. Looks like your island challenge is coming along favorably. That must be pleasing to the tapu." She turned her purple eyes to Lillie. "So, Alexandra, who might this be?"
"Oh! Hello... My name is Lillie," she said with a friendly smile.
"My apologies if Mudsdale spooked you just now," Hapu said, patting the Pokemon beside her on its shoulder. "Doesn't seem like you're a trial-goer. What are you up to?"
"Oh. I'm actually, um, studying the tapu's ruins. For... various reasons of my own," Lillie said, choosing her words cautiously.
Hapu stared at her for a moment, then smiled. "Well, that's some fine initiative. I'd be happy to show you the way whenever you'd like to go. My Mudsdale here is as sturdy as all get-out. She can easily carry two."
Alex looked at the Pokemon and nodded. "She does seem pretty dependable, really."
"Thank you for your offer," Lillie said kindly. Hapu nodded, patted Mudsdale again, and left Alex and Lillie behind her. "Shall we check out Malie Library first, though, since we're here?" Lillie asked.
She shrugged. "Yeah, we might as well." She opened the door and the two walked inside.
Lillie looked around the library. "The book that I'm looking for is a very old one," she said. "It's a book that contains old myths and legends that Professor Burnet told me about... Those tales seem to suggest that Alola's Legendary Pokemon came from another world." She looked around and then walked up the stairs to the next floor.
"An old book, huh..." Alex mumbled to herself. She moved along the shelves on the first floor, carefully looking at the spines of the books... but nothing looked like what Lillie was looking for. She glanced up the stairs that her friend disappeared up. "Maybe I should look up there with her." Alex shrugged to herself and walked up the stairs.
Lillie was looking along the first shelf that was against the wall. "It must be a very valuable book, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to take it out of the library..." Lillie mumbled when Alex came up beside her.
A giggle was heard behind them, and a girl approached them. "Is this what you're looking for, Princess?" she asked, holding a book out towards Lillie. "Give it a read!"
"O-oh, of course..." Lillie said shyly and took the book carefully. It was indeed an old book... The girls gathered around one of the tables, and Lillie set the book down and opened it. "Well... It's titled 'The Light of Alola'," she started. "I'll just... um... read it aloud, shall I?
"The empty sky broke asunder, a hole appearing where had been none. A single beast appeared from in it: it was named the beast that called the moon. The king of Alola bowed before it: the beast that stole all heaven's light. The island guardians fought against it, but in the end they lost the fight. Then did the beast that brings the dark cast its pall on the line of kings. So would the beast that had won mark the path for all such finishing things. Beast of sun and beast of moon. Through their union, they brought new life. A fragile heir in Alola born that island guardians would keep from strife. The ancient kings sang their thanks for Lunala with song of flute. Two tones rang out across the altar- a perfect pair, even after mute."
The girl that had given Lillie the book smiled. "Isn't it great? My dad's books are all great!"
Both Lillie and Alex stared wide eyed at the girl. "What?" Lillie gasped. "I mean, yes, it is, but when you say your father... Isn't this book... very old?"
The girl nodded. "Yeah, it belonged to my dad. I know I don't look it, but my family used to be pretty much royalty." Alex looked over the girl's clothes. Her dress did look a little old and tattered... "I had to have all my dad's books moved here so they didn't get ruined by the Pokemon. I can tell you lots of other old stories about Alola, too! You interested?"
Lillie paused. "Well... that would be wonderful. I would be delighted, if you did." She turned gaze to Alex. "I think I'll stay here... but I know why you've come to Ula'ula. You'll be undergoing another trial, won't you, Alexandra? Good luck with it. I read that Ula'ula Island's Electric-type trial can only be reached by the bus on Route 10."
Alex frowned. She would love to stay and hear all the stories that the girl would be able to tell, but she figured Lillie would be able to relay to her at least some of it. "Yeah... Give me some highlights next time I see you, okay?" Lillie gave her a small smile, and Alex left the library.