Hey guys, sorry this chapter took so long, but I have to let you know that updates will be a lot slower from now on, I'm back at school and I'm busier than ever. Expect a new chapter about once a month; I will do my best to be as consistent as possible.

Chapter 4: Arrival in Alola

"Um...what do you think we should do?"

Ash was lying unconscious on the shore of Melemele Island as two teenage girls were looking down on him with concern. Lana had been fishing on the back of her Lapras when she noticed Ash and Oshawott in the distance, barely treading above the surface of the water. She had quickly brought them to shore, where both Ash and the Sea Otter Pokemon had immediately passed out from exhaustion. Her first instinct was to get Mallow for help.

Melemele Pokemon School's student body only consisted of ten people, so the classroom had more of an intimate, family-like atmosphere to it rather than a traditional high school. Mallow was sort of like the "big sister" of this family, and so it was only natural for Lana to look up to her; Mallow was smart, caring, responsible, and beautiful. She wasn't the strongest Pokemon battler, but she and her powerful Grass-type Pokemon could definitely still hold their own in any fight. She was also a fantastic cook; every day after class, she helped her father run their family's very popular restaurant, Aina's Kitchen. Because of her looks, she was used to being asked out on dates by customers at the restaurant almost every day, and practically every boy in school had a crush on her. With all things considered, Mallow was pretty much the complete package.

"Bring me some fresh water and some of those medicinal herbs from the kitchen, Lana. Who knows how long he's been out there," Mallow said, touching Ash's forehead with the back of her hand. "At least he doesn't have a fever."

After Lana left, Mallow found herself staring at the boy. He's...kinda cute, she thought to herself. Oh, snap out of it, Mallow...now is definitely not the time to be thinking about something like that. She examined his face a bit closer, and suddenly she was getting the feeling that she recognized this boy somehow, but she couldn't figure out where she could have seen him before. But that didn't matter right now; her main priority was to make sure that he was okay.

Lana came running back with a bottle of water and the herbs Mallow had requested. "Thanks, Lana," Mallow said as she quickly took the herbs and started tearing the leaves into smaller pieces. Then, she rubbed them forcefully between her hands to grind them up into even smaller bits. She opened the bottle, dropped the herbs inside, and shook it. "That should do," she said, turning to Lana. "How do you suppose we should wake him up?"

Serena was laying on the couch in front of the T.V., thinking about what she wanted to do for the rest of the day. I could practice my performances, Sylveon needs to work on her double backflip and Pancham needs to practice controlling Stone Edge...but I'm just so tired, she thought. She started to doze off when she suddenly realized that her phone was ringing. It was Clemont.

"Hello?" she answered, trying to sound as awake as possible.

"Serena, have you heard? A plane disappeared somewhere in the middle of the ocean!" Clemont shouted frantically. "And not just any plane...I'm certain it was the one that Ash was on!" he added, his voice shaky with panic. "They say that some survivors have made it to Alola, but they haven't found even half of the passengers yet…"

Serena put a hand over her mouth in shock. "Oh my god…" she managed to say before she put down the phone and ran upstairs to her room.

"Uh, Serena?" Clemont asked, confused by the lack of response. He waited about thirty seconds before Serena finally returned to the phone.

"Sorry, Clemont, I was packing my bags...I'm going out to find him," Serena replied, nearly out of breath. She had never packed for a trip that quickly...although she did not know how long she was going to be gone, so there was a good chance she underpacked. That didn't matter to her, though. The only thing she was worried about now was Ash's safety. Please be okay, Ash, she thought to herself. I'm coming.

Despite the dire situation, Clemont almost managed a grin at Serena's reaction to the bad news. After seeing her kiss Ash at the end of their Kalos journey together, and after listening to Bonnie rant about the two trainers, Clemont thought he had a pretty good idea of how Serena felt about Ash now. The way Serena was acting now was only providing more evidence to confirm his suspicions.

"Clemont, when's the next flight leaving for Alola?" Serena asked, unwilling to waste any more time.

"Uh, I hate to say it Serena, but all the flights to Alola have been canceled...they are waiting to figure out the reason of the plane's disappearance before allowing other flights to take the same route. Everyone's too afraid to fly right now, anyway…" Clemont said.

Serena's heart sank. There was no telling how long it would take for the airports to start sending flights to Alola again. She couldn't wait that long...but unfortunately had no other options. She had no flying Pokemon that could carry her, and even if she did she knew the journey would be impossibly long for one Pokemon to fly alone.

Clemont cleared his throat nervously. "Well...if you really want to get to Alola that badly…"

Serena instantly responded, "What? What is it Clemont?"

Cringing, Clemont almost regretted saying anything to begin with, but he knew he couldn't back out now. "I, uh, I have a plane of my own that we could maybe-"

"A plane?! Clemont, that incredible brain of yours never fails. I'll be over in half an hour," Serena said.

"No, Serena, wait, you didn't let me finish," Clemont said. "My plane...isn't quite complete yet. It does fly, I can guarantee that much…but it's never been tested for more than fifteen minutes, and the trip to Alola would surely take much more time than that. Given that this is my first attempt at building a private jet, I'm fairly certain it will have plenty of flaws, and if I don't-"

"Clemont, don't worry about it. If it can fly, then it's my only chance to find him. I can't sit idly by waiting to hear news about him...I mean it's Ash, Clemont. He means the world to me...I mean us," Serena said, hoping Clemont hadn't heard that last bit. "What if he's in serious trouble?"

Clemont sighed. "Well, it doesn't look like you're giving me much of a choice, here, Serena. I guess I could try to fly it," he said reluctantly. "But we will take several safety precautions in the event that the plane cannot handle the flight."

Serena's spirits were uplifted instantly. "Thank you, Clemont! I'll see you real soon!" she yelled, hanging up the phone.

*SPLASH*

Ash felt a blast of cold water hit him directly in the face. What the...where am I? Slowly, his eyes began to open and he could faintly make out two people staring down at him. "Who...who are you?" he mumbled. He tried to sit up, but every part of his body seemed to be failing him at the moment.

"I'm Mallow, and this is my friend Lana. We found you and your Oshawott here, unconscious on the sand," one of the girls said. She had forest-green hair, tied into two pigtails. Her skin was tan, and she had a slim, fit figure. Without really thinking about it, Ash inadvertently found himself attracted to her.

"Uh...whoa," was all he managed to say. The two girls laughed. Lana was laughing because she could tell what Ash was thinking; she had gotten used to boys admiring Mallow all the time. Mallow laughed simply because she thought Ash's dumbfounded expression was sort of cute.

"Here, Ash, let me help you up," Mallow said, offering her hand to Ash. "Tell us about how you got here."

Serena paid the driver and flung the taxi cab door open, practically sprinting for Clemont and Bonnie's house. She knocked on the door impatiently. Clemont and Bonnie's father, Meyer, answered the door.

"Serena! It's nice to see you again," he greeted her cheerfully, stepping to the side to make room for her to walk in. "Clemont told me everything...poor Ash, the kid's been doing so well and now this happens. It's crazy, really...I mean, a plane disappearing? I don't quite understand how that could be possible."

Serena nodded with a serious expression on her face. "I know it seems insane, but that's all the more reason why I need to get out there now. You understand, don't you?" she asked him.

Meyer laughed. "Of course I do! I've never stopped Clemont and Bonnie from doing what they believe is right. After all, I did let them save the Pokemon Gym and little Squishy during the battle against Team Flare. Though I was pretty against the idea at first, my kids taught me a thing or two about taking risks. You know, people say that the parents are always right and that the kids should always listen to them, but I hardly find that to be the case with my own children. Clemont and Bonnie are both smart, capable people who can think for themselves in any given situation. I trust them to make the right choices on their own, and flying out to Alola is no exception."

Listening to Meyer talk about his children, Serena realized that Grace would probably say the same, too. Grace had always let Serena make her own choices, even when they seemed rash or risky, like when Serena first left home to embark on her Pokemon journey. She suddenly felt extremely grateful for all her mother had done for her, and guiltily wondered if she was doing enough in return.

"Serena?" Clemont's voice called out. He came quickly down the stairs, adjusting his glasses. "Great! You're here. Ready to go?" he asked.

"Of course I'm ready. We don't have much time to lose!" Serena said, grabbing her bags.

Meyer felt a pang of guilt. "Well, shoot, I'm sorry I went on and on about my kids, Serena! That was awfully inconsiderate of me," he said apologetically.

Serena shook her head. "No, thank you, Meyer. I really enjoyed listening to you, and it reminded me of some things I should talk about with my mom when I get back," she said with a smile on her face.

"Here, drink this," Mallow said, offering the herb-infused water to Ash.

Ash took the bottle and chugged the whole thing within a matter of seconds. "Thanks, Mallow," he said. "Man, how long have I been out here?" he asked, looking at his surroundings. Palm trees, the bright sun, and clear skies indicated that Ash was definitely in the right place. Wow, Alola sure is beautiful like everyone says, he thought.

Lana chuckled. "Why? Is the sun too much for you already?" she asked.

Shaking his head, Ash spread his arms wide to feel the sun's warmth on his body. "Actually, no. I could really get used to this heat on my skin; it feels really nice," he said.

Mallow smiled. "You should take your shirt off and let yourself dry off a bit. We can find you some extra clothes somewhere back at the school," she said.

"I'm sure Kiawe can lend you a shirt, although we'll have to double-check since he never wears a shirt himself," Lana mentioned.

"C'mon, Ash, let's take you to meet the professor. I'm sure he would love to meet another Pokemon trainer," Mallow said, taking Ash's hand in hers. Her skin was soft, and while Ash certainly hadn't expected her to hold his hand, he didn't really feel like letting go. The three trainers started walking away from the beach, towards the tall building of the Melemele Pokemon School.

As they walked through a thickly wooded path, Ash asked, "So, you said the professor would want to meet another trainer...does that mean he's a trainer himself?"

Mallow nodded her head. "That's right, Professor Kukui is not only the most accomplished Pokemon professor in Alola, but also one of the strongest trainers around. He's the one who first introduced the idea of Alola having its own league, after all," she answered.

"Sounds like he does it all," Ash said, now very eager to meet this man. "A renowned professor and an experienced battler...how old is this guy? Like seventy?" Ash asked.

Laughing, Mallow shook her head. "Oh, no. I've never asked him how old he is, but he's definitely not that old. My best guess would be somewhere between 25-30 years old," she said.

"No way, really? This guy is incredible!" Ash exclaimed, shocked at the idea of someone so young being so accomplished. He wondered what he would be doing at that age, and suddenly he found himself thinking deeply about not just his current goals in life, but also what those aspirations would eventually lead to in the years to come.

"Well, we're here," Mallow said, gesturing towards the large building in front of them. "That right there is the Melemele Pokemon School, where only the finest students get to learn from Professor Kukui himself. And, speaking of the professor, there he is now!"

Ash saw a man walking towards them with a small, dog-like Pokemon trotting alongside him. Mallow was probably right about his age; there's no way this man could have been any older than 35, max. The man smiled at them and waved.

"Mallow! Lana! Who's this you've brought here?" he asked, eyeing Ash with curiosity.

"This is Ash, Professor Kukui. We actually found him unconscious on the shore. He said his plane was attacked by a strange Pokemon in the sky," Mallow explained.

The professor frowned. "Well that's rather unsettling. Come on inside, Ash, and let's grab a bite to eat. It seems like we have a lot to talk about."