{Present day, Pan's perspective}

Finished applying my lip gloss, I looked up. "There you are," I said to myself.

I had strolled around Iki Town for an hour, and now I finally found him. The old man returned, and he was about to go into his house.

"Show time!" I waved and ran up to him in a giddy manner. "Alolaaaa~! Are you Hala?"

The old man turned around. "Alola. Yes, that'd be me."

"Awesome!" I beamed. "I was wondering if I could participate in the island challenge?"

Hala nodded. "Sure…" His eyes dropped to my left wrist. "You…have a Z-Ring?"

I raised my hand with the Z-Ring on it. It was now decorated in a pink color design. "Yep! Been in Alola for a while and met Tapu Lele," I fibbed. "Now I've been inspired to learn all the Z-Moves I can."

Hala stroked his chin. "Interesting. Would you mind going through a little initiation? It is a tradition…."

I shrugged, "Sure, sure. Whatever it takes, I'm ready for it."

"All right, miss…?"

I curtsied a little. "Pan."

"Pan. Then we'll need an opponent for you…"

"I'll do it!" said a passerby about my age. He made a nervous glance at me. When I nodded, he turned his attention back to Hala. "I, uh, happened to overhear you talking about an initiation, and I thought about challenging this young woman."

Hala paused. "Very well. Then we'll have our battle."

He leads the two of us to the battle stage in the center of town. The passerby and I stood on opposite sides. A small crowd developed around the stage.

Hala stood off two the side of the center of the stage, being our referee. "For all life on our islands…"

I pursed my lips. "It's already been a few minutes. Finish your speech already!"

"…now, may we see the power brought forth between trainer and Pokémon! Begin!"

"Go, Ampharos!" said the passerby, releasing his Pokémon.

I smirked, "Go, Smeargle!" I released Smeargle from her PokeBall.

Smeargle noted the wooden stage she was standing on, and gave a condescending huff to the floor design.

"Ladies first," said the passerby with an infatuated look.

"Very well," I replied coolly. I looked to Smeargle. "You know, if you don't like it, we can change it."

A spark of wickedness flashed in the corner of Smeargle's eye. We nodded to each other, then Smeargle readied her stance.

"Now, use Glaciate!" I shouted.

Smeargle let out a harsh cry. A freezing cold wind emanated from her body. In almost an instant, the entire stage was frozen over. Spectators backed away, and some fled.

Hala braced himself. "This feels colder than Mount Lanakila."

"Oh no!" said the passerby. His Ampharos was frozen solid in ice.

I sneered. "Finish it with Shadow Force!"

Smeargle gave a devilish grin. Then she vanished in a puff of dark smoke.

The passerby looked worriedly at Ampharos. "Come on! Break out!"

I pointed to the frozen Ampharos. "Your time has run out!"

A dark haze surrounded Ampharos. A moment later, we could hear a lot of pummeling and ice shattering. A few seconds later, the smoke cleared in one blast. Ampharos lay on her belly, fainted. Smeargle stood proudly, with her back to the opponent and her head held high.

There was a moment of silence. Nobody in the small audience cheered. Hala took a moment to shake off his shock, then raised his hand toward me. "Ampharos is unable to battle. Smeargle and Pan win."

The spectators left. My opponent and I recalled our Pokemon. Smeargle turned her nose up to her opponent for good measure before I returned her to her PokeBall.

Hala walked up to me. "Your island challenge has begun. Things have changed in Alola recently. Ever since Kukui helped establish a league for this region, our way of facilitating trials has been in flux. You are free to challenge any trials you find, in any order you so choose." He gave me a skeptical look. "The power you demonstrated with Smeargle…those aren't very common moves. How did you obtain such power?"

I put a hand behind my head and sheepishly grinned. "Hehe, well, I'm just one lucky girl!"

He kept his gaze on me for a moment. "Very well. May the Tapu bring you good fortune." With that, he walked back to his house.

"Thanks!" As soon as he was out of view, I scowled under my breath, "Stupid old man! Likes to talk his mouth off. I'll likely have to challenge him for a Z-Crystal later…"

"Um, excuse me…" peeped the same passerby behind me.

"Oh…ug…" I turned around and pretended to looked surprised. "Oh! You sir! Thanks so much again for battling me!" I gave him a wink for good measure.

He blushed and stammered, "So...might you be able to go out with me tonight?"

"So…he still wants to play rough?" I seethed to myself. I stepped closer to the passerby. Normally, I was about average height. But with my high heels, I stood notably taller over this guy. For a power dynamic, of course. Regardless of my inner emotions, I gave him a coy smile. I even playfully twirled one of my twin tails with my finger. "Well, considering what we 'did' last night, I think you've got plenty. And coming here to be my punching bag for the initiation battle made us even. You got something, I got something, so we're done."

The young man looked crestfallen.

I slowly move the finger I played with my hair to just under my mouth. I casually tapped my chin, like I'm pondering. As expected, the man's eyes followed my movement and hung his gaze onto my lips. "But it was a pretty good night…"

His face subtly grew brighter with anticipated delight.

I smirked, "Maybe I'll leave you something to remember me by…" I slowly leaned in. My same finger moved to his abdomen, then caressed upward to his chin.

A huge smile spread across his face. His eyes were already closing.

Then I stopped for a moment. Our faces were a mere couple of centimeters apart. I could taste his breath, and my large bang of hair over my right eye brushed against his forehead. But I teasingly stalled what the man clearly anticipated. Then I whispered soothingly, "but you have to promise me to keep this and last night a secret. Please~?"

"Yes yes of course!" he stammered desperately.

I forced a slight giggle. "Good!" Then I kissed him. I pressed my body close against him, keeping him locked into our kiss. He moaned with delight as much as he did in all of last night.

But as expected, his body slacked. I pulled away, noticing how woozy and drowsy he looked. "Damn…what a woman…!"

Just as he was about to fall to the ground, I caught him and leaned him on my side, with his arm over my shoulder. I giggled, "How about I take you home?"

He bobbed his head slowly and deeply for a nod. Then he fell asleep.

I roll my eyes. "Good grief. What a fucking pushover." I hobbled the passerby back toward his house, as casually and cheerfully as I could make it look as so.

I left him on his house's porch, sloppily placed in a rocking chair. He looked like he had the best booze ever at a bar and ended up passed out in a state of euphoria. I spat at his feet. "And you were almost the worst victim I've had to 'work with' on my job," I muttered bitterly. But as I left, I smacked my lips together into a wicked smile. "Nothing like a little melatonin-laced lip gloss to incapacitate my unwitting pawns. I may not have my dad's 'persuasion powers', but I still got 'persuasive lips'! I won my first battle. Now…I'm coming for those Z-Crystals!"

{Approx. 10 years ago}

I lost the first battle. It took a week until Rowlet and I felt well enough for a rematch. I did not want to repeat my last blunder. So before our next battle, I pulled Rowlet aside.

I verbally told him, "I just want to let you know: I will never tell you to use that move. I will…keep an open mind."

Rowlet looked down, thinking for a moment. Then he looked back. [No. I'm fine. We can use Curse. It might help us win this time.] He abruptly cut off our mental connection, tipping me off how he really felt.

I sighed, "Okay…then I will only ask you to use it as a last resort. Deal?"

Rowlet pondered some more. Then nodded. [Okay.]

We never had to use it in our second battle. Zorua tired Rowlet out quicker than I anticipated. It ended in another loss. But at least I could gauge a proper limit to Rowlet's fighting stamina until Oranguru called us out.

I figured out Zoura's moveset to consist of Scratch, Pursuit, Fake Tears, and Detect. Oranguru had Zorua use Detect the most, which allowed Zorua to easily dodge Rowlet's attacks for a while. So when I had Rowlet come in for a Tackle or Peck, it tired him out and exposed an opening for Zorua to counter-strike. But Zorua didn't use Detect consecutively. "So maybe we should use Leafage. It'll keep our distance, and when Zorua finishes using Detect, that's when we'll strike!"

We executed our new plan in the third battle. Before, I would've commanded Rowlet to use whatever move just came to my mind. Now, I tried to chain his moves. I started Rowlet out with Leafage. The Grass Quill Pokemon threw leaf after leaf. As expected, Oranguru commanded Zorua to use Detect to dodge the grass attack. So when Detect started petering out, I had Rowlet switch to Tackle. But Oranguru, without skipping a beat, had Zorua attack head-on with Pursuit. The power of our attacks were equal, canceling each other out. I tried to have Rowlet use Peck, but Zorua got back to Detect.

Not matter how much I switched up Rowlet's attacks, Zorua successfully switched between Detect and one of his other attacks to avoid damage and dish it back. The battle ended in another loss for me and Rowlet.

Oranguru scoffed, [Nice try. But I've seen plenty of trainers who have used that strategy to counter protective moves. Show me something else you can do. Show me something new.]

So I tried my hand at actual training. I put Rowlet through an obstacle course regiment. Darting around tree branches as fast as he could, his speed got a little better. I threw some mini-batons at Rowlet, to make his reaction time better. I gave him sticks to aim his Leafage attack. Then I had Rowlet spar with me. We struggled to hit each other at first; neither of us wanted to overdo it. But gradually we got into a comfortable rhythm of dodging and tapping. It almost became like a dance, dodging side to side as we humorously tried to tap each other.

Rowlet and I felt ready for our forth battle. We started out as before with Leafage. Zorua used Detect to dodge. Then I had Rowlet dive into a Tackle attack. Zorua was about to counter with Pursuit, but Rowlet spin-dodged at the last minute as I commanded, and we changed to a Peck attack. To our delight, we landed our first blow.

Too bad it became our only blow. Zorua used Detect less, and boasted more speed than it gave on earlier in the battle. Then it used a new move: Fury Swipes. And with that, we lost our forth battle.

Oranguru showed off his own training he had done with Zorua between our battles on the battlefield. In our next few battles, he had Zorua boast his Illusion ability. He morphed into a black and red Rockruff in our fifth battle, a black and red Machop in our sixth, and a black and red Bellsprout in our seventh. And just to add insult, he turned into a black and red Rowlet in the following two battles. Each time he used a new form, he took great care to dodge as much of our attacks as possible. These new forms kept throwing us off with how they physically moved. Thus, we lost each and every one of those battles.

By the tenth battle, Rowlet and I were almost fed up with the shifting tactics of our opponents. We read our opponents more. We rolled with the punches. Rowlet even learned a new move, having Astonish replacing Tackle.

But Zorua outshined us by learning another move: Faint Attack. We never saw it coming. We didn't even hear it coming. Oranguru normally gave all his commands to Zorua using his telepathy, which Rowlet and I could pick up on. But in the middle of this battle, the Sage Pokemon disconnected our telepathic link. He gave private commands to Zorua, making the gap between using his move and me reacting to the move for Rowlet miniscule.

For the tenth time, Zorua defeated Rowlet.

I fell to my hands and knees and pounded my fists against the ground. "Argh! This isn't fair!"

Oranguru walked up to Zorua first to pet him. Then he turned to me. [Fair? Are you sure you are not confusing fairness with difficulty?]

"You…you keep changing the rules!"

He casually walked up to me, his arms folded behind his back. [The rules have not changed. We have a one-on-one fight to determine a victor. We have our partners fight until one's stamina is too low. We use whatever abilities and moves the four of us have at our disposal. Otherwise, standard battle rules apply.]

I jerked my head up from the ground to look at him. "What do you know about battle rules? You're a Pokémon!"

We looked each other in the eye. Oranguru remained silent. As the silence lingered, my brain felt tingly. Either from Oranguru staring me down, or some weird attack I didn't know he had, I felt too disoriented to keep my gaze.

[My knowledge is more than just skin deep,] he replied. [I have years of experience. Years that which you do not possess yet. I have seen many things, many battles, under…]

The pain in my head stopped. I looked back up. Oranguru blankly stared at me. I sat up as Rowlet walked up next to me. "…what?"

Oranguru eased his arms to his side. [You have not shown me your true potential. You both have not shown your true potential. Show me something new.] He walks off with Zorua.

I squeezed some dirt in my hands. I took a deep breath. Then I petted Rowlet. "Back to the drawing board."

{Present day, Will's prespective}

I finished my drink at Café Soleil and headed to a random alleyway. Once I checked the coast was clear, I held up my Unbound Rings. "I've stalled enough," I whispered to myself. I took a deep breath. With a thought, I opened a portal and stepped through.

I ended up at the top of the rocky hill of the island. To be more specific, my private spot at the top of the huge rocky hill. Part of the hill peak was concave, allowing me to hide my stuff from prying eyes.

"I'm going to have to do an inventory check soon." Before me was anything I'd collected over the years. All organized in somewhat neat piles. I stepped up to the clothes pile first. It was further divided between folded clothes that had yet to be worn, and a heap of clothes needing a laundromat trip. I picked up my hooded cloak, my most frequent accessory. "Can't be back in character without it." I tied it over my shoulders and let it hang behind my back.

Then I approached the trinket pile. These I organized by how likely I was to use them, and how dire it would be if they fell into the wrong hands. There was also a separate pile of common items I'd 'bought'. From this pile, I picked up the three evolution stones I got a few days ago. "Let's get this over with."

I stepped away from my piles and walked up to the edge of the peak. If I wasn't gripped by a cocktail of emotions earlier today, I was now. The view from the hilltop was as spectacular and empowering as the first time I stepped here. From here, I could see the whole island. The forest half was a little lusher since I last checked. But my focus was on the rocky half of the island. I could see all the Pokémon I'd recruited to my cause out in the open. They were spread out in pairs, sparring each other.

A pained grin appeared on my face. "Wow. I've been away for far too long."

Then I spotted Nightraider flying up to me from the forest. He landed by my side. [How are you feeling?]

I paused to think. [I don't know. Is it weird that I'm nervous…and happy…and regretful at the same time?]

[You? The emotional kid? Naw.] He looked out at the view. [Nobody knows you're back yet. You know, longer than a minute pickup.]

I shrugged. [Well, I appreciate you all keeping my space. Been months since I spent quality time with my team. Gonna take my time with this.]

[Of course,] he smirked. [That's your comfort strategy for everything.]

[If it ain't broke…] I stepped away from the edge. [Now, first team member visit…] I opened a portal, thinking about the Pokémon I wanted to meet with first. In a few seconds, Nidorino, Nuzleaf, and Lampent jumped through. They looked battle ready and confused for a second. Then they saw me and looked intently at me.

I crouched down to their level. "Okay, so I haven't really talked to you guys much since I tagged you. So before I start, I'd like to ask you again: are you still with me?"

The three looked at each other first. Then they nodded, shrugged, and made brief remarks.

Nightraider tilted his head. [They still seemed confused; they believe you captured them and you're their trainer.]

I shook my head. "Well…not really," I told the three. "When I battled you, I did not use a PokeBall upon your defeat. Instead, I asked if you were interested in joining my cause, living on this island, and training under my wing and with our teammates." I reached over to Nidorino. I rubbed the backside of his ear and indicated a small, metallic tag placed there. "You guys gave me permission to help place a Micro-Tag on you. All PokeBall tech are rendered useless on you because of those tags, making it like you are already owned. But at any time, only you or I can rub off the tag and you'll just be wild and free. That…make sense?"

The three nodded slowly.

"Okay…now…" I handed out the three evolutionary stones I picked up a few minutes ago. The Moon Stone I placed in front of Nidorino. The Leaf Stone I placed before Nuzleaf. The Dusk Stone I placed underneath Lampent. "From what I've heard, you guys have been training hard with the others. So for that, and for helping me during our Horde Battle, I thought it'd be nice to reward you with these."

Nuzleaf and Lampent looked mesmerized by the stones. On the other hand, Nidorino wasted no time. Once I indicated permission to them, Nidorino chomped down on the Moon Stone. A few seconds after he held the stone in his mouth, his body and the Moon Stone began to glow. A white light enveloped him as his body grew and changed. Finally, Nidorino evolved into Nidoking.

Lampent was next, picking up the Dusk Stone in his hand. He gave a happy cry before he evolved into Chandelure.

Nuzleaf looked back to me, still hesitant. I shrugged, "Hey, it's up to you. I can always sell it off to a black market if you don't want to evolve. No 'persuasion' from me holding you back for you."

Nuzleaf looked back to the Leaf Stone. Then he nodded with a smile and picked it up. In less than a minute, he completed his evolution into Shifty.

I stood up now that they were all at least around my eye level. "Alright, that's all I wanted to talk about with you guys. Not much, but I'm glad you get to be what you always aimed for." I opened another portal, leading them back into the forest below. "I hope you continue to enjoy your stay." The three Pokémon cheered as they jumped through the portal.

I sat down by the edge of the hilltop, with my legs dangling over. [They'll need to get used to their new stages. So I won't need them for my next mission.]

Nightraider positioned himself somewhat behind me. [You feel any telepathic connection to them?]

I frowned slightly. [Not yet. That'll require spending lots of time with them; getting to know them personally. Might never happen.] I looked up to Nightraider. [It took months for us to stumble upon that connection.]

He smiled. [Yeah. That's still all on your end, though. Not every Pokémon is Psychic.] We paused to look at the view. [Have you reached your limits to your abilities?]

[How so?]

[Like, are there limits to what Pokémon you can talk to telepathically?]

[No, not really. Just takes a while. Seems like Psychic and Ghost-type Pokémon are slightly quicker to do it with. I just don't really have time.]

He shrugged. [Well, you said you are going to get reacquainted with your old friends now.]

[Yep. A heist as big as the Unova Celeste base requires a complex plan. A well thought-out plan. So I'll need to reacquaint myself to my closer friends in-between other steps.]

Another pause. [You know, this view is still awesome. We've done a lot of work to make this ours. You have led us very well.]

I smiled. [Thanks. I hope I have, and will. If we could make this island ours, after all the shenanigans we went through, there's hope to taking down Team Celeste.]

{Approx. 10 years ago}

After ten losses, I decided to take a longer break before the next rematch. Rowlet and I experimented in different parts of the forest to train. We tried to replicate the more powerful Leafage attack we achieved in our first battle. So far, we had little success.

We also tried to strengthen our mental bond, to make our reaction times less delayed between us. When we took breaks from the battles and aerobic exercises, we sat and relaxed. We tried to focus our thoughts on nothing but each other. Most of the time, our connection became as clear as day. But occasionally, it flickered out like static. I knew when it was my fault because I sometimes thought about my parents. Good memories…bad memories…it became so conflicting that it nearly suffocated me. When it was Rowlet's fault, I assumed he was thinking of something personal, but like me, he probably didn't want to share. Nor would I ask him to. We got back up, and continued training.

Many mornings after our last defeat, Rowlet and I finished searching for bland berries for our breakfast. We relaxed back at our small camp, adding some of our berries to my stash, and leaving a couple to eat now. As I ate, I finished re-made the stick-weaved basket for Rowlet, with extra leaf cushioning. He liked it very much. He finished his last berry in the basket, lying on his back, almost looking pleased with his tasteless meal.

[So…where to?] Rowlet asked as he swallowed the remaining bits of his berry.

[Hm…] I looked to the east. [The island center? Haven't gone there yet.]

Rowlet jumped out of the basket. [But the rocky half of the island is too iffy for us. The border is heavily guarded by Rock-type Pokemon. I'm not exactly…resistant to them.]

[True. But you're a Grass-type, too. Plus, we're not going to be too close to the border. Just in the forest.] I stood up and picked up the basket. [Ready to go?]

Rowlet hopped onto my shoulder. [Yep!]

As we walked over to the new spot, I picked up twigs and leaves off the ground, making new mini-batons along the way. At the spot, I pitched the mini-batons into the basket and began training Rowlet.

I extended my arm to lead Rowlet to a branch to perch on. Then I stepped a few paces in front of him. [Okay, let's begin testing your attacks. Remember, no matter what, let's keep our mental connection going 'til the end.]

Rowlet flapped his wings as he took flight. [On it!]

We first tried the Peck move. I tossed some dead branches into the air, while he tried to hit them as fast as possible. As he got faster, his movement became more and more silent. By the time I ran out of nearby dead branches, his movement almost blurred. Not because he moved so fast, but how swift he changed his direction.

[Hm…] I positioned myself as equidistant as I could between the tree trunks. [Those turns are tight. Maybe you can incorporate them in your Astonish move, too?]

[I'll try.] He dove toward the base of a tree. Then at the last possible second, his eyes flashed. He suddenly appeared on the other side of the tree, then kicked it.

As he repeated the process, I spotted a Pokemon out of the corner of my eye. It seemed to be watching us from the bushes. But when I turned, the Pokemon vanished.

"Didn't get a good look at it. Wish I knew what Pokemon it was that was peeping on us." I went back to watch Rowlet repeat the attack a few more times. [Hey, want to try it out on me?]

Rowlet turned to me. [Are you sure? You'll get hurt.]

[We're not going to focus on the power of Astonish. That move barely helped when you used it in the last battle. Even if you get stronger, a Ghost-type move means almost nothing against a Dark-type Pokemon. Instead, I want you to put more emphasis on flinching. I want you to come right at me from the front. I'm going to mock a punch. Your job is to make me flinch, then come from behind and touch me. You touch me before I can turn around to see you do it, I consider that a success. Got it?]

Rowlet tilted his head. [Yeah. I'll give it a few shots.]

The Grass Quill Pokémon flew in place a bit before dive-bombing at me. I wound back my arm, then swung a punch at him when he came in close. Rowlet's eyes flashed. Instinctively, he moved to the side. He quickly darted behind me. While he was fast enough to dodge my attack and tap my back, he didn't make me flinch, and I could follow his movements all the way through. So I had him repeat the process a few more times.

On the last try, he appeared to be preparing to move to my left. So I swung my punch off to the left. His eyes flashed once again. But he faked me out and suddenly darted to my right at the last second. This caught me off-guard, and I flinched. In fact, he tapped my back before I even processed what just happened.

I turned around and grinned. [Wow! Nice work.]

Rowlet hooted happily. [Thanks!]

[Okay, let's take a break from that and try your Leafage move next.]

We shared leaf pouches of water I also brought. When our half-hour rest was up, we began practicing the third move. I set up some logs in a horizontal row. Then I had Rowlet try to hit each log as quick as possible. The logs started thin and light, but gradually got thicker and heavier as Rowlet got better. "This is all to make you stronger and faster. I don't know how we got a stronger Leafage in our first battle, but this is the best move we got."

On the last set of logs, Rowlet let out an aggressive hoot. He flung leaves from his wings like before. I noticed how the leaves this time looked bigger, and shaped boomerang-esque. The flurry of leaves knocked over every log, at the same time.

I stood in awe. [Huh. That definitely looks stronger than the first battle. And you scattered the shot to hit all of your targets, as oppose to a focused spread. Was that…possibly a new move?]

Rowlet flapped and smiled. [Yes! I learned Razor Leaf!]

[Sweet!] Then I stopped to ponder. [That new move in tandem with Curse. Would that work?]

Rowlet looked at me uneasily. [I don't know.]

[That Curse would not apply to Razor Leaf? Or that you still don't feel comfortable using Curse?]

[Both?] He shamefully flew closer to me. [Sorry. It's just…Curse is something unique to me from…]

A sudden quacking-like sound broke the tension. I turned my head to the source of the noise up in the trees. Perched on a branch above us was a Farfetch'd. "Hey, is that the same one as the one I saw with Rowlet?"

However, Rowlet snuck behind me and quivered violently. [Goawaygoawaygoawaygoaway…!] Rowlet's thoughts moved so fast I could barely keep up.

[Geez, at least you can sneak around so quickly,] I tried to jest. [What's this Pokémon to you?]

But Rowlet didn't react to my thoughts. [Iamnothereiamnothereiamnothere…!]

I looked back to Farfetch'd, who looked incredibly disappointed. "What's your deal?"

Farfetch'd narrowed his focus on me. Then he pointed his reed at me and gave a few half-squawks, half-quacks.

"Darn it, I can't understand what he wants." I glanced at the basket full of mini-batons, placed a few paces away from where I was standing. "But he's definitely part of that flying mob." I walked as slowly and casually as I could, trying not to cue Farfetch'd about what I was doing. "Rowlet mean something to you?"

The Wild Duck Pokémon quacked some more. Almost like he was going off on a monologue. The inflections of his squawks shifted from disgust, to pride, to anger.

After a couple of minutes, Rowlet finally poked his head over my shoulder. He loudly hooted to interrupt Farfetch'd, then gave a few more diminished hoots. [Just leave me alone, dad! I…]

I nearly jumped. [Wait…what?! That's your dad?!]

Rowlet cowered further down my back, where I couldn't see him. […um…]

[I mean…I thought…you know…maybe an evolved form of you or something?]

Rowlet's face changed colors, and his mind started shutting me out.

I tried to reach for him. [Okay okay okay. Don't have to say it, but…]

Farfetch'd tapped his foot impatiently on the branch. Then he quacked as loud as he could. About a dozen Spearow gradually joined him.

Rowlet screeched and flew off westward as fast as he could.

[Wait! Rowlet!] I hastily scooped the basket over my shoulder and ran after him. "Rowlet!"

Farfetch'd and the Spearow flocked not too far behind me. Rowlet managed to stay ahead of me, hooting wildly. That was, until he abruptly halted at the forest edge.

I caught up to him, watching him fly aimlessly in circles. I reached out and pinned him between my hands. [Rowlet, keep it together! I'm here.]

Before either of us could calm our adrenaline rush, I heard grunting and gravely growls nearby. We both looked up. I noticed we were standing just out of the forest, crossing into the rocky half of the island. A Geodude, a Boldore, and a Rhyhorn looked angrily at us from that half. The three were about a few stone throws away from us, but spotting us caused them to charge.

I squeezed Rowlet up against me. Partly to protect him, partly to assure myself I wasn't alone, and partly to prevent him from flying away in sheer terror like he did a few moments ago. [Please, calm down, Rowlet!]

Rowlet kept flapping wildly. His mind kept running wildly through thoughts of Farfetch'd, and that was if I could even read his thoughts at all.

I tried to give him a gentle shake. [Hey, Rowlet! I'm here. Remember: we need to keep our minds connected. Just like training.] I turned to go back into the forest, but Farfetch'd and the Spearow blocked us.

Farfetch'd sneered as the Spearow prepared to strike.

Rowlet turned his head toward the Wild Duck Pokémon. Fat tears smeared his face.

I looked back to the Rock-type Pokémon. They still charged at us, getting about half the distance closer than they were initially. I gritted my teeth. "Shoot, we're cornered!"

Farfetch'd jeered some more, pointing his leek at Rowlet.

Finally, Rowlet budged out of my arms. He flew just in front of me, hooting back at Farfetch'd. [No, I won't go with you!]

Farfetch'd gasped.

Tears kept streaming down his face. [As long as you're with that horrible flock, I can't willingly go back to you.]

Farfetch'd angrily pointed to me.

[What? No! He's not…exactly my trainer. He's…]

All the Spearow made a dive for us. Rowlet flung Razor Leaf at them, while I tossed a couple of mini-batons. The Spearow split into two groups as they dodged the counter-attack. One group circled around Rowlet. As the other group came straight toward me, I backed further away from Rowlet, getting pecked and scratched.

I waved my arms over my head, frantically shooing them to no avail. "Damn Spearow! Need…an opening…to strike back…"

Out of nowhere, a rock flew by me. It pelted one of the Spearow. That Spearow fell unconscious on the ground, while his brethren backed away. I looked up. The Boldore stood not too far away, with some small stones orbiting him. "Are they…here to help?"

My question was swiftly answered when the Geodude came rolling up fast like a bowling ball. Not wanting to be a pin, I caught him coming soon enough to side-roll out of the way. One Spearow decided to give chase. Big mistake. The Geodude turned around, spin dashed back, and leapt to whack the Spearow midair.

I stood back up, but I faltered as I felt the ground shake. "Earthquake?"

Turned out to be the Rhyhorn. He charged straight at me in a blind rage.

I flinched, fearful of what would happen if I received a direct impact of a Horn Attack. But primal instinct kicked in and I involuntarily lunged out of the way in time. Rhyhorn kept charging passed me. His straight path knocked out a third Spearow, and he broke through the forest.

The remaining three Spearow flew to me while I was down. Without an easy reach to the basket on my back, all I could do was cover my head with my arms. The Peck attacks were painful. "Ow! Stop it!" I tried to shout back. But my voice was too muffled and haggard to work the way I wanted.

[I got you!] I heard Rowlet cry. The attacks suddenly ceased. I sat up in time to see Rowlet laying a spread of Razor Leaf to repel them. Rowlet slid between me and the Spearow and spread his wings. [You leave him alone!]

I looked amazed. [You defeated six Spearow already?]

[No,] Rowlet awkwardly glanced back. [Boldore bombarded us with Rock Blast and hit two of the Spearow. The other four are trying to keep him and Geodude away. I dodged the Rock Blasts, though, thanks to your training for me.] He flashed a small smile.

Farfetch'd joined the three Spearow and spoke in a berating tone.

Rowlet shook his head and hooted back to his father. [I'm not moving! You have been nothing but strict and mean to me since we flew astray to this island.] He motioned his eyes to me. [But this boy? He saved me from our "enemies" when you left me behind. I learned new moves and grew stronger than I ever felt under Noctowl and her entourage. He has taught me techniques you'd never seen before. He has shown more love for me than when…] A tear streaked down his cheek. [I understand why we can't go back. I understand that mom is no longer with us.]

A sudden wave of thoughts poured from Rowlet. Though our telepathic link, I could sense a bunch of memories surfacing in Rowlet's mind, flashing in quick succession. The first memory was being born to Farfetch'd and a mother Dartrix. Then he remembered being fed delicious berries within the sanctuary of a nest. Happy infant memories filled his mind, especially about the time when he could fly with his parents for the first time. One exception was when he discovered he knew Curse, and how scared he felt about this new power. But Dartrix cuddled with him, and assured he could be a strong Pokemon when he grew up, no matter how his Curse would turn out.

But his happy memories went dark the moment his mother died. The moment was quiet, sudden, and ironically peaceful. Why it happened didn't matter. His mother was gone, replaced by sadness. Finally, his grieving father led him away from their home nest, and they never looked back.

Sadness turned to fear when his memories shifted to this island. I couldn't feel much, but I could sense hostility from anybody he encountered. Especially from a draconic Pokémon.

I teared up. My own memories of my family, happy and horrific alike, started to bubble up inside of me. But I tried to push them back down. "No. I can't handle that. I'm not ready to think about that. I can hardly handle how sad Rowlet's upbringing ended up…"

But then Rowlet's memories caught up to the present. I choked up when he remembered our first meetings…the day I saved him…the raft we built together…the dark storm…our first telepathic contact…our first trial battle against Zorua…our training within our spare time…the nights we slept beside each other. While all these thoughts were both good and scary, there was one common element: companionship. I could feel the same joy in his recent memories as when he was with Dartrix.

Even now, Rowlet still had a tinge of sympathy toward Farfetch'd. [But I still want to live,] he continued. [I want to feel loved again. I want to pass on my mom's care. I want to be as strong as you, dad. With Will, I can get all that. I can be better than the sum of you and mother's parts. And I can prove it to you!]

Farfetch'd and Rowlet squawked as they flew toward each other. They clashed over and over with Peck attacks, then pulled apart to use a more ranged move. Unfortunately, Farfetch'd's Air Slash sliced through Rowlet's Razor Leaf. Rowlet got grazed at least twice.

Farfetch'd quacked a couple of times. Then his body glowed a dark aura. The two clashed a couple more times with Peck, but this time Rowlet was sent flying back, and he hung lower and lower in the air.

Rowlet grimaced, [Yeah, I've got your Curse…] He charged at Farfetch'd again. Farfetch'd prepared to slap him with his wing. But the Grass Quill Pokemon suddenly shifted directly behind the slower Farfetch'd. As the Wild Duck Pokemon flinched, a dark aura surrounded Rowlet this time. Then Rowlet landed a strong Peck attack. […but it's now my Curse to bear!]

The three spectating Spearow gasped. A huge grin spread across my face. [Yeah, Rowlet! That combination was awesome!]

Farfetch'd turned around, shocked. I swore I could also see him flash a wicked smile.

But Rowlet scowled back, [No! I'm not using it because you want me to. I'm using it because I have to.] Rowlet flew over to me.

Farfetch'd angrily squawked, prompting the Spearow to dive at me.

I stood up, grabbing a mini-baton. But it wasn't necessary, as Rowlet flew between us. He used Curse again and tanked the Spearow's Peck attacks. He even counter-attacked with his own Peck attacks to repel them.

I stood up, despite how sore and bruised my muscles felt. [Rowlet, let me help.] I coughed and almost tripped just taking two steps to Rowlet.

[Don't worry. I got this this time.] But his haggard breath and feeble flapping told me otherwise.

Just then, a large rock hurled toward us. I hastily grabbed Rowlet and pulled him out of the way. The rock came from Geodude, who held his ground from the rocky half with Boldore.

I let go of Rowlet. [This is getting out of hand. We need an escape plan.]

Suddenly, Rhyhorn came charging back out of the forest. It tried to hit the Farfetch'd and three Spearow, but they easily flew out of the way. Furthermore, three of the four Spearow that were occupying the Rock-type Pokémon came back to direct him toward me. In self-defense, Rowlet flung Razor Leaf. The hits were super-effective, and forced Rhyhorn to veer away and reunite with the other two Rock-types.

But now Rowlet and I were surrounded. Rhyhorn, Geodude, and Boldore flanked us from the rocky side of the border, while Farfetch'd and six Spearow blocked the way back into the forest.

Rowlet hesitantly flew closer to me. [I don't think we got an easy option of escape.]

I sighed. [Then go. You can easily dart around them without detection.]

Rowlet turned to face me with a shocked expression. [What? No I can't!]

[Sure you can. Just like when we practiced Astonish…]

[No! I'm not leaving you!]

A couple of Spearow used Peck again. Rowlet used Curse to body the damage. But the second Peck sent him flying back to me.

I caught him in my arms. [You're going to hurt yourself. I don't want you taking too much damage…even for my sake.]

He feebly got to his feet, managing to balance on my wrist. He looks up to me with sad eyes. [But I don't want to lose you. You have no idea how much loss I went through…]

A spray of mud came from Geodude. I turned my back to the attack, holding Rowlet tight to protect him. [Yes…I know…I saw…]

Rowlet looked to me surprised.

I briefly closed my eyes. [And…I can relate…] My memories came flooding back again. But this time, I didn't suppress them. [Let me show you…]

I telepathically shared what I was thinking with Rowlet. It started with my infancy, when I couldn't remember much except for how much my parents coddled me. I remembered all the tasks my father put me through, and how proud he was of me when I succeeded. I shared my experiences with my own mother, and how she sometimes let me watch her work. I reminisced my fifth birthday as one of my favorite moments in my life so far. Hoth and the AGB Labs was also a great memory. But I cried when my sixth birthday resurfaced…and the fallout with Hoth…and the destruction of AGB Labs…and being ripped from all of this by the captured Hoopa.

Rowlet cried, too. [Oh…]

But our thoughts were interrupted by a volley of rocks. I shielded Rowlet again, although the rocks proved much more harmful than the mud. I howled in pain when one of the smaller rocks struck a sensitive spot on my back. But I bit my lip and tried to appear strong for Rowlet. [We're the same…you and I. And I'll have you're back if you got mine. If that isn't a perfect partnership, I don't know what is.]

Rowlet and I nodded. Even though we could see each other's surface thoughts and memories, we were in silent agreement.

I motioned to the Rock-type Pokémon. [How about we trade sides?]

Rowlet flew back into the air. [Sounds like a plan!] He sent out Razor Leaf toward the Rock-types. The three tried to dodge the attacks, but were too slow. Rhyhorn feebly stood his ground, getting worn down with each hit. Boldore shot rocks at the leaves. Geodude dug a hole to escape.

At the same time, Farfetch'd ordered the six Spearow to attack us. I reached into my basket and pulled out more mini-batons. I flung one at a Spearow that was about to Peck me, knocking it out. The remaining five circled me more cautiously, while I held two mini-batons in my outstretched hands.

[We'll need to wear them out,] I told Rowlet. [One of the two sides is bound to back down at some point. Then we can run away safely.]

[Good idea,] he replied.

A minute later, Rhyhorn and Boldore relented and backed away. Thank Arceus, too, because Rowlet was getting slower from the Curse and the low stamina by the second. I beamed three more Spearow in that time, but I was now down to just two mini-batons for two Spearow and a Farfetch'd.

Fed up, Farfetch'd squawked and flew straight at us. A dark aura surrounded his leek. His speed was slowed by his own Curse attacks.

I prepared to strike him with the mini-baton in my right hand. "Will my mini-baton hurt enough through his Curse?" I glanced to see how my partner was doing.

A Spearow took a turn against Rowlet behind me, but the Grass Quill Pokemon feinted a hit with Astonish and countered with Peck. The Spearow retreats from the field of battle, leaving just one Spearow with Farfetch'd remaining.

Suddenly, Geodude burst out of the ground behind Rowlet. I thought Rowlet would react, but he seemed distracted by something in my direction. I watched Geodude tuck into himself, like he was going to spin-ball his body again.

"Rowlet can't take another hit like that! I can't let that happen!" I turned my body to aim my mini-baton at the Rock Pokémon. All my focus was on protecting Rowlet. Nothing else mattered.

[Watch out!] We both screamed to each other telepathically.

The world seemed to move in slow motion. A faded, green aura suddenly surrounded Rowlet and I. Rowlet shot a Razor Leaf attack over my shoulder, at the same time that I threw the mini-baton. We mirrored each other's movement, determined to protect the other.

"Back off!" We both shout across from each other. But Rowlet's cry seemed more passionate when I picked it up in my head.

At that moment, the Razor Leaf changed. They got bigger. They swirled around us like a whirlwind. Loose dirt, leaves, and twigs got swept up. Even my mini-baton got caught up in the wind.

Geodude got pummeled by the debris and sent backwards, fainting. I turned back, noticing Farfetch'd getting blown back as well. He barely held his position in the air next to the last Spearow. Both had flabbergasted looks on their faces.

I sort of felt the same. "How is he…?" I turned to Rowlet, who's focus was entirely aimed at Farfetch'd.

Rowlet gave me a quick, confused glance. [I don't know. I'm just trying here. But I feel pumped!]

I nodded and positioned myself side-by-side with my partner. The Razor Leaf swirled around us like a sphere of little bugs. Our objective was clear; Farfetch'd and Spearow were the remaining two Pokémon left in our way back to camp.

Rowlet hooted angrily at Farfetch'd. [I am not like you, dad!]

I scowled. "My father looked to me better than you to Rowlet. And my father did horrible things."

We pointed at Farfetch'd. "We are better than our fathers. Together…we are stronger!" We shouted simultaneously.

Every leafy object orbiting us stopped dead in the air for a split second. Then, they all shot in unison at our two opponents like arrows. Farfetch'd used his leek to slash at the attack frantically, but he couldn't keep back all of the attack. He did fair better than the Spearow, who was quickly knocked out of the air.

A battered Farfetch'd panted as he perched onto the nearest branch. Then he tried squawking at us again. His voice wheezed, but his anger overridden his exhaustion.

I hurled the last mini-baton at his beak. It literally snaps his mouth shut. "For crying out loud, go away!"

With that, Farfetch'd hastily flew away. All that was left with us was a bunch of Spearow and a Geodude, fainted and battered.

[We did it.] A huge grin grew on my face. [Rowlet, we…ugh…] As soon as the fight was over, I felt incredibly dizzy. The world felt like it was flipping at least 50 times.

Rowlet landed on the ground in front of me as I sat hard on my butt. [Hey! You okay? You look greener than me?]

[Huh? Oh…?] I remembered how we had a green aura emanating from us. But now, it was gone. [What happened? How did we do that?]

Rowlet shrugged. [I don't quite know myself. I saw Farfetch'd about to hit you with Night Slash. I was so determined to protect you that I just…used my Razor Leaf anyway I could.]

I rest my head on my hand. [Yeah. I saw Geodude attacking you as you faced me. Felt the same way you did.]

[I knew Geodude was behind me the same time you did. My Razor Leaf attack is multi-directional, so I figured if I tried hard enough, I could hit everyone around me…except us somehow.] He smiled and hooted gleefully. [But it worked! And we won! This is what winning feels like!]

[Yeah!] I flashed a grin. I happened to glance off to the side, and spotted the same Pokémon that was spying on us earlier. It was standing in front of some bushes, stunned. I was so disoriented I couldn't see it properly. And it vanished the second I looked over. I shrugged, "I'll worry about it another day." Then I pondered, "Huh. So we both experienced the same strong emotions at the same time. And somehow we got a stronger attack. He used Curse, sure. But this looked different; it felt different. Can we…replicate this in our next battle with Oranguru?"

Rowlet hopped around in circles, whistling to himself. [I beat dad! I want to do that move again!]

I smiled and picked my head up. [Alright, then. Let's go back and rest. The next time…I have an idea…]