Alex left the garden to Route 11. At the end of the route, one of the gate guards stood before the gate. "Greetings, trial-goer," she said to Alex. "Let me check your collection of Z-Crystals." Alex showed her the collection of crystals. The girl nodded. "Ho! Look at that blinding yellow Electrium Z! Now I guess I'll have to open the gate for you!" She moved the blockade. "What you face ahead is the Ghost type trial. I hope you enjoy it!"
"Ghost type, huh?" Alex said to herself and passed through, beginning her way to Route 12. "I wonder what I'll have to do with Ghost Pokemon?"
Ahead of her, the path began to turn incredibly rocky. Alex slowed her stride and frowned. "That's going to be hard to pass..."
Someone called out to her from behind. Alex turned to see Hapu there with her Mudsdale. "Greetings, Alexandra!" she shouted and approached. "Well met! I was seeking you."
Alex cocked her head to the side curiously. "You were looking for me?"
"If you're going to travel about Ula'ula, you ought to do it while astride a Mudsdale. There is no call for hesitation. Consider it my thanks for Akala Island." Hapu held out her hand, waiting for Alex's Rider Pager.
"Ah, so that's how I get passed this rocky terrain, huh?" Alex asked when she took the little item back.
Hapu nodded. "It was remiss of me not to register her for you when we met another in Malie. I was just so taken aback by Lillie and how lovely she was that it escaped me. By no means was I just waiting for a time when you were in trouble!"
Alex chuckled. She liked how blunt Hapu was about her opinion of Lillie. "She is pretty cute, isn't she?"
Hapu paused. "Let me pose a question... Do you know of the Ultra Recon Squad?"
"Yeah, I keep running into them."
"They seem to be here to investigate some ill that weighs heavily upon them. Luckily, it is quite in keeping with the people and Pokemon of Alola to help those in need," Hapu explained. "If you seek the next trial, go straight on through here to Tapu Village. I'll be cheering for you on your island challenge!" Hapu waved and left with her Mudsdale.
"So Tapu Village is passed all this, huh?" Alex asked herself, looking down at the pager. She called for it and a Mudsdale appeared. She climbed carefully onto its back and settled on the saddle. "Jeez, you're so tall!" she gasped, then pat the Pokemon on its broad neck. "All right, let's go!" The Pokemon neighed and began to easily trudge across the rocky path.
The whole path was only covered in patches of the rocks that Mudsdale had to stomp over. Once Alex was passed them, the path turned and began to head towards the direction she came from. "So it wraps around, huh?" she mumbled to herself and looked down the dirt path.
Alex approached a clearing that turned into Route 13, where a few trailers and a small inn stood when she heard a familiar voice call out from behind her. "Alex!" Hau ran to stand before her, his usual wide grin on his face. "Phew, that Togedemaru was strong! But I managed to get through the trial, too. Maybe even managed to get a bit stronger, eh?"
Alex nodded. "Yeah, that trial was a bit chaotic, huh? Glad to hear you passed!"
"I heard from Sophocles how you just breezed through that trial yourself, Alex!" Alex frowned. I wouldn't call all that a breeze... "You're something else! I know!"
"You have only one volume, don't you? Haven't you ever heard the expression that silence is golden?" another voice grumbled. Alex and Hau looked over to the source of the voice and saw Gladion standing outside the door of the inn's lobby.
"Gah! He's back!" Hau gasped.
"Listen, Team Skull is looking for a Pokemon called Cosmog..." Gladion said while he approached them. "Do you two know anything?"
"Nope," Alex replied bluntly. She knew she had to protect Lillie and Nebbie from them!
"What?! N-not that we'd tell you!" Hau replied nervously.
Gladion closed his eyes. "So you do know something. Look... Cosmog isn't even a strong Pokemon, but it has the potential to summon Pokemon so terrifyingly strong that you don't even know. If something like that happened it would be a disaster for Alola..."
"Wait, what do you mean 'disaster'?" Alex jumped on the word.
"A disaster? Like... a real disaster?" Hau stumbled on his words. "Then what're we supposed to do about it?"
"Protect it!" Gladion snapped. "If you do know where Cosmog is or if you find anything out... just keep it safe! I know I might be working for Team Skull right now, so you may not trust me or care, but... I'm going to tell you this just once. You have to protect Cosmog... not matter what!" He began to walk off, but paused in his steps. "I still don't even understand how Team Skull found out about Cosmog in the first place..." he mumbled, maybe more to himself than to Alex and Hau.
"What do you mean 'no matter what'? You just gonna leave us hanging!" Hau shouted after him, but Gladion and continued walking away. "Alex... If they're really looking for Cosmog, then... is Lillie gonna be okay? I don't really get what's going on, but we've just got to keep both of them safe, right?!"
Alex nodded. "Yeah, of course! We have to do everything we can!"
"Then I know what I'm gonna do. Take on the next trials to train with my partner!" Hau grinned, his usual energy returning. "Look, I know Guzma was saying all those things, but I really wanna complete my island challenge and help people learn about Pokemon battling! And, I dunno, I've gotta make sure I really get what my partner's feelings, too!"
Alex nodded, pulling her fists up to her chest. "Yeah, we both have to do our best! Let's both get strong, clear out trials, and protect Lillie and Nebbie!" Hau flashed her his grin again before he ran off.
Alex folded her arms, looking down at the ground in thought while she began walking again. So could Gladion actually be trusted? If he was loyal to them, he'd just try to trick them into handing Nebbie over, right? That wasn't what he was doing at all... In fact, he didn't press her or Hau for information at all. "Protect it." He wanted to keep it away from the people he was working for. "I suppose we'll just have to wait and see..."
The only thing that drew her out of her thoughts was a drop of water hitting her forehead. She looked up, finally noticing the heavy, gray clouds in the sky, and more drops began to fall to form a light drizzle of rain.
Alex had completely passed through Route 13 without realizing it. The oasis was gone, and the new area was greener with low, stone walls. She headed towards the Pokemon Center to see Hau standing close by in the intersection of a path that reached up into the mountain. "Look, Alex! Seems like we're almost to the Aether House, where the captain is supposed to be, huh?" He turned, looking up the path into the mountain. "So that way lies Mount Lanakila, huh? I guess they're really making a Pokemon League up there on the peak..."
"Oh yeah, the Professor did say that's where they were making the Pokemon League, huh?" She followed his gaze. What was that going to be like?
"The professor told me that Pokemon Leagues in other regions have four crazy-strong Trainers in them that they call the Elite Four!" She nodded in response, thinking of the Elite Four back in Kanto. Hau grinned. "The Elite Four and our island kahunas... I wonder which ones are stronger! I'm pretty sure my gramps is the strongest, but I can't wait to found out for sure!"
"Hm..." She wondered if Hala would be strong enough to be the Elite Four. How did they decide that, anyway? She had never thought of it before.
Hau turned and waved. "Hey! Alola!" Alex looked over and saw the Ultra Recon Squad approaching them.
"An alola to you, Alexandra and Hau," Soliera replied, and the two did their strange wave in return.
"So, this is Tapu Village..." Phyco said to Soliera. "We must learn all we can about this place. It seems there are many stories in its past, but once, long ago, the Blinding One battled against the tapu in this spot."
Soliera nodded. "It's thought the power that came pouring out of the Ultra Wormhole at that time may be the source of Z-Moves' power... Yes, the light that the Blinding One... I mean, the light that Necrozma can wield."
"Our ancestors were greedy, though," Phyco added. "They sought to control all of Necrozma's light... They hurt Necrozma. They left it incomplete, and in such a state, it went mad with fury... And so our light was stolen by Necrozma."
"Our world is at peace now thanks to the Megalo Tower, which keeps the Blinding One contained. But we believe the tower is reaching its limit. And the Blinding One... Necrozma hungers for light," Soliera said darkly.
"The Blinding One may run wild in its fury, but it did also give us light once, so we would like to restore the Blinding one to its true form," Phyco continued. "But we do not have even the slightest idea of how we can do that." He shook his head. "If you learn anything you think might help, will you share it with us? After all, you are far more familiar with the Z-Moves than we are."
Alex nodded. "Of course!" She was surprised that they came and told her and Hau about their reason for being in Alola, but she felt it was a sign of trust.
The two seemed satisfied with that. With another square wave, they left once again.
"I don't really get what all that was about... but it seems like those two Ultra Recond Squad people are in a pretty hopeless spot, huh?" Hau asked after the two were gone.
Alex frowned. "Yeah, it seems that way..."
"I just wish everybody could be happy and find something to smile about. Even that Necrozma." Hau smiled at her. "Right, Alex?"
Alex nodded, feeling the atmosphere was now as gloomy as the rain. "Yeah, me too..." She sighed and went into the Pokemon Center. A drink from the cafe might lighten her mood. After a mug of hot cocoa, she returned to the rain outside and continued along the path.
On another 3 way path, she saw the Aether House up on a small hill. "There it is," she sighed to herself and walked into the building.
"Wait up!" She turned around and saw Hau walk in behind her. He took a quick look around. "So, this is Aether House, huh?"
"It seems so."
"Strangers!" Alex looked over. Two children stood in front of the doors on either side of the reception desk, with a Yungoos standing between them. "This means battle!" the little girl cried excitedly.
Alex frowned. "Ah, that might not-"
"What? Why?!" Hau barked.
"We'll protect our home when Acerola's away!" the little boy shouted with equal enthusiasm.
Beating a little kid's Pokemon didn't feel good. "I tried really hard! I am a kid, you know!" the kid shouted, looking upset.
Alex sighed. "I tried to say that fighting might not be a good idea... It's not like we're bad people."
Hau looked about as displeased as she did. He sighed. "I won, yeah? Then why's this little fellow gnawing on me?" He was talking about the Yungoos, that seemed to be attacking his sandal.
"I'm back, everybody!" Acerola called in a singsong voice. She giggled, seeing the children's relieved faces. "Looks like I finished up my shopping spree right on time! You've already met everyone?"
Hau shrugged. "Oh yeah, we met all right... in battle, anyway." He paused. "But... Hey, where's Lillie?"
"I left her with Hapu," Acerola said, walking up to the reception desk. "They should be coming soon."
Alex nodded. "That's good. I know Hapu will keep her safe."
Acerola put her hands on her hips. "So why don't we get those trials done with first? You did know I'm the captain, right?"
Alex and Hau were both surprised. "I had no idea..." Alex mumbled to herself. She wasn't sure what she was expecting; the captains have been all types of ages and personalities, after all. I might as well get this started.