Two: In which Ava discovers she's being followed and is forced into the Island Trials by an old man in flip-flops. Lillie and Hau make a new friend, and Rotom downloads Instagram. A brief Team Skull interlude follows.

Things Ava is used to waking up with: a strange girl in her bed, a minor hangover, no idea where the fuck she was.

Things Ava was not used to waking up with:

"Grimer!"

That.

"Can you not?" She groaned, staring at the Grimer. "Go drink someone else dry."

"Griiiimer!" Said Grimer.

Ava rolled over, ignoring the Grimer. She focused on Lillie, who was passed out next to her. Reaching over, she gently shook Lillie's shoulder. "Hey hun, you need to wake up."

Lillie groaned and pulled the pillow she was hugging closer to her body. "Two more minutes, Gladie…" She croaked.

Frowning, Ava shook Lillie a bit harder. "Lillie. Wake up before I have Grimer wake you up for me."

"Grimer!" Grimer exclaimed, as if he thought this was a good idea.

Slowly, Lillie opened her eyes. "Eep!" She squeaked. "How did I-why am I here?"

Ava slid off her side of the bed. "You passed out last night, so I brought you to my room. I figured you didn't want to hear Hau snore on the couch." She began to go through the dresser, sifting through the new clothes Kukui had bought for her. "That kid snores like a Snorlax."

The blonde girl fiddled with the hem of her dress. "We didn't do anything, did we?" She asked nervously, wincing as she sat up. "And why does my head hurt?"

"Well for one thing, no we did not." Ava discarded the shirt she had slept in and slipped into a clean one. "And two, that's a hangover for you." She shooed the Grimer away from the dresser and pulled out a new pair of pants and underwear. "I'll make some eggs and do what I can to help you, if you'd like."

"Eggs?" Lillie repeated. "You don't have too. I should be going home to the professor's anyway." Realizing that Ava was changing in front of her, Lillie flushed a deep red and looked away. "I'll just go get Hau."

"Then do this for me." Ava replied. "I'm pretty sure my mom and Phil are still passed out in the next room, and I kind of don't like being home alone." Zipping up her pants, she added, "And maybe y'all can give me a tour of the island or something." She ushered Lillie out of the room, not shutting the door until Grimer left too. "And you, my friend, need to get out of my house."

"Grrrrrimer!"

"I don't know about a tour." Lillie said timidly. "Hau maybe, but I don't really like to leave the house. I prefer to…" She patted around for her bag. Realizing it wasn't there, she suddenly exclaimed, "Nebby!"

Ava was already preparing breakfast. "You mean the blue cloud?"

Lillie stared at her blankly. Then, "You've seen Nebby?"

The brunette nodded at Lillie's bag, which was resting on the living room floor. A blue cloud was floating above it, asleep. "That thing came out last night, while you and Hau were taking shots. I thought I was hallucinating at first." She started cracking eggs into a large bowl. "But I guess not. Is that a Pokemon?"

The blonde girl rushed over to the cloud and swooped it into the bag. "Its name is Nebby...well, actually it's a Cosmog. Professor Kukui said he's never seen a Pokemon like it before, so I don't know." She zipped up the bag and returned to the kitchen area. Scooting onto a barstool, she set her bag on the countertop. "I've had Nebby since I washed up on the beach."

"Out of curiosity," Ava poured the eggs into a frying pan, "how did you end up on the beach?"

Lillie went quiet. "It's a long story." She said, her voice almost a whisper. "I used to live with my mother but...I found out she was doing bad things. She hurt Nebby. So I tried to run away. Somehow, Nebby transported me to the beach. But I can't remember what happened in between."

Ava knew a thing or two about destructive parents. "She won't get you here." She said, not skipping a beat and stirring the eggs. "I promise." Ava walked to the cabinet and fished out three plates. A moment later, she sighed and grabbed a fourth one. "What about Hau?" She then asked. "Who does he live with?"

The blonde was still stuck on the sentiment. Hau, Kukui, and Burnet had shown her kindness, but this felt...different "Hau?" Lillie said, zoning back in. "He lives with his grandparents. Kukui says his mother died in childbirth, and his dad skipped town when he was a kid."

"So you're both kind of on your own." Ava said, pushing a plate across the table to Lillie. "It's a good thing you have each other then."

"Yeah, I guess." Lillie said softly.

Ava woke Hau up and placed a plate of eggs in front of him on the coffee table. "Breakfast time."

"Breakfast? My favorite!" Hau was awake in an instant and started gobbling up the eggs.

"You're not hungover at all?" Ava asked him, setting another plate in front of Grimer on the floor. She returned to the kitchen counter and began to eat.

"Nope!" Hau shouted through a full mouth of food. "Oh, Lillie! We need to go into town again to show Ava the malasada shop!"

"Uhh...I don't know." Lillie shook her head. "I'm fine with staying in, with Nebby."

"Please?" Hau begged, giving her his Lillipup eyes. "It would be more fun with friends! Right Ava?"

Ava's attention was elsewhere. Her mother had left a sloppily written note on the refrigerator, detailing how Ava was to go thank the Kahuna in Iki Town for letting them stay there. "How about I meet y'all there?" She suggested, grabbing a bag off the dining room table and stuffing the note inside. "I have to go run an errand for my mom." Ava threw the Pokeballs and Rotom inside as well, and a couple berries from the fridge.

"Sounds fun!" Hau exclaimed, still bursting with energy despite waking up five minutes ago. "And Lillie, we can go home if you want, let's just take Ava out for malasadas first."

"I suppose if you both want me to, I don't really have a choice." Lillie sighed. "All right. We'll meet you at the malasada shop in Hau'oli."

And so the threesome went their separate ways, Lillie and Hau heading for the big city and Ava walking uphill to Iki Town. None of them knew what was in store for them at their destinations, and while the day was set to be a good one, dark forces were looming over head.

Ava, who had grown up running around Kanto via Diglett's tunnel, was totally fine climbing the hill to Iki Town. Despite being rather heavy set, she was in pretty good shape (much to her mother's confusion), and had what she called 'calves of steel'. The climb was just fine for her.

It was a different story for the Grimer that was following her. When she reached the top on the stairs on the outskirt of Iki Town, Grimer was still mid-way up the hill. The Grimer was set on following her, mainly because she fed him and he wanted more Jäger.

Ava wasn't aware of this, however, and happily carried on to Iki Town without a care. Finding the Kahuna turned out to be pretty easy; all she had to do was get distracted and walk into a Tauros. "Mother of god!" She exclaimed, staring the Tauros down. "I am so sorry. Please don't kill me."

"Ah! Tauros, have you made a new friend?" An older man stepped into view, rubbing the Tauros's head. "And who might you be?"

"Ava Moon." She introduced herself. "Are you the Kahuna?"

"That I am!" He boomed. "I am Kahuna Hala. What brings you to Iki Town?"

"My mom, Casey, sent me to talk to you." Ava explained,

"Ah, yes, I remember now." Hala said. "Come with me." He beckoned to her, walking to a large hut in the middle of the village. "She was here last night with Kukui. Your mother is a very nice woman." Hala commented, ushering Ava into the hut. "She told me that you were very lonely here, and wanted you to have an adventure. Luckily, I found a sparkling stone the same day and had this fashioned." The man picked up two objects and handed them to Ava. "Congratulations! You can now start your Island Trials!"

Ava blinked. "What."

"The Island Trials!" Hala repeated. "Your mother said you would be interested in starting it!"

"And those are?" She asked, making a mental note to slaughter her drunk mother when she got home.

"Most regions, like your home region of Kanto, have Gym Leagues. In Alola, we have Island Trials!" Hala pointed to the amulet in Ava's left hand. "That trial amulet will mark you as a trial goer, and will allow you access into certain areas in the region."

"Trials are like tests, right? Do I have to battle anyone?" Ava asked, slipping the amulet around her bag strap. It didn't really sound that bad, now that she thought about it. If it meant getting out of the house, then maybe it was worth a shot.

"On occasion, yes." Hala nodded. "Each Trial has a Trial Captain. Sometimes they ask to battle you, but not always. Instead, you have to battle a Totem Pokemon. Once you win, you are gifted with a Z-Crystal!" He pointed to the second object, a bracelet in her right hand. "The Z-Ring will allow you to harness a Pokemon's Z-Power, an added ability that can turn a battle on its head!"

"Well this is great and all," Ava said, putting on the bracelet, "but I don't have a Pokemon right now. Kukui gave me Pokeballs, but they're kind of useless at this point."

Hala laughed, his laugh echoing in the hut. "Do not worry! I have three Pokemon that I keep in case of new trainers! Let me-"

That's when the screaming started.

Hala and Ava ran out of the hut to see the cause of the commotion. Confused at first, Ava looked down on the ground and instantly groaned. "You have got to be kidding."

The villagers were in chaos, running away from a herd of Alolan Grimer. One of them had reached the hut, and was gazing up at Ava adoringly. "Grimer!"

The would-be trainer crouched down to Grimer's level. "Did you follow me?"

Rotom popped out of Ava's bag. "My sensors say this is the same Grimer from before!"

"Grimer!" Grimer said in agreement.

"Great. That's just great." Ava muttered. "Okay buddy. You're going to keep following me if I don't do something about it, right?"

"Grrrimer!" Grimer said.

"I believe the Grimer has bonded with you because of your sharing of alcohol!" Rotom buzzed. "It's too bad you don't have a Pokemon. You could battle to catch it!"

"Why battle?" Ava fished around in her bag and pulled out a Pokeball. "You want to go eat food or something?" She asked, holding the Pokeball out to Grimer.

"Grimer!" Grimer grabbed the Pokeball. Or at least it tried to. The ball slipped from its grasp and fell on the ground. Disappointed, Grimer decided the next best decision would be to roll over it. There was a red glow, and Grimer disappeared into the Pokeball. It shook only once and dinged, signaling that Grimer was captured.

Rotom was still floating next to Ava. "I don't think it's supposed to work that way." Rotom commented. "But whatcha gonna name it?"

Pausing to pick up the Pokeball, Ava said, "I think Jäger is appropriate." She tapped the ball and released Jäger. "Is there anything else I need now?" She asked Hala, who was still there for some reason. "I need to go meet Hau and Lillie before Hau breaks something."

This made Hala chuckle. "That Hau is very rambunctious, yes." He replied. "But yes, you are set. It seems you already have a Pokemon and don't need a starter."

"Grimer!" Jäger exclaimed.

"If you're heading to Hau'oli, you should look for the trial captain. You'll know them when you see them." Hala added. "Now off you go! And enjoy the adventure!"

Ava, who didn't really want to spend any more time being stared down by the Tauros that was outside Hala's hut, made her exit stage right with Rotom and Jäger. She'd have to ask Hau and Lillie to elaborate on the Island Trials. And now she had a whole Pokemon to train. "Rotom, what moves does Jäger know?" She asked the living computer.

"Jäger is level 6 and knows the moves Pound, Poison Gas, and Harden." Rotom replied. "Though how a Grimer can use Harden I don't know."

"How can a Rotom talk?" Ava retorted. "The world may never know."

Rotom fluttered back into the bag for a moment, and allowed Ava to carry them down the hill. When they got to the bottom, Rotom popped out for another brief moment. "Hey, can we stop at at Sawsbucks when we get to Hau'oli? I need some wi-fi!"

"Why do you need wi-fi?" While Ava was happy to go to Sawsbucks, she couldn't figure out what the Rotomdex could possibly need internet for. It's not like it was sentient enough to use apps or anything.

"I need to download Instagram!" Rotom exclaimed.

Ava retracted the last thought. "You what?" She asked, not sure if she heard the creature correctly.

"Bzzt! You heard me!" Rotom floated around to display the app. "If we're going to see Alola, I gotta document it, see? And it's not like you can use Facebook for filtering photos!"

"Rotom, I don't even have an Instagram." Ava said bluntly. That wasn't exactly a lie, either. Selene Roth had a fascinating Instagram page, filled with pictures of Saffron City graffiti, selfies of her and her friends, and snapshots of Pokemon in their natural habitat. Her favorite were the rare pictures of Cubone that she took on visits to the Pokemon Tower. But all that was gone now, wiped away from the face of the earth like her old name. "But I mean go for it. Just no pictures with me, mmkay? I don't like pictures."

"You gots it!" It chirped. "Oh hey! Lemme snap a pic of that Pikachu real quick! It'll get loads of likes for sure!" Rotom zipped off to take the picture.

Ava sighed. "You're not going to pull out a smartphone on me, are you?" She asked Jäger.

"Grimer!" He exclaimed.

"Right." She said. Looking at the long route ahead of them, she cracked her knuckles. "I guess we should train on our way, shouldn't we?" She didn't wait for Jäger to agree. "Let's kick some ass."

Hau and Lillie had already stopped at Sawsbucks, mainly because Hau's second favorite thing in the world was a Frappuccino, and he couldn't believe Lillie had never tried one before.

"We never went to Sawsbucks when I was younger." Lillie had gone with the Vanillish Bean Frappuccino, the safest option on the menu (in her mind, at least). "My brother and I didn't get to go out much."

Her companion was halfway through a S'mores Frappuccino, paging through a new edition of Malasada Monthly. "You never mentioned a brother." Hau commented. "Is he nice?"

"Gladie? Oh, he's, well…" Lillie paused. "Well he's not like me. We're very different people."

"You're like the sun and moon!" Hau chirped. "Or Yin and Yang!"

Lillie smiled. "Yes, I suppose so."

The door opened behind them, sending a blast of wind their way. The culprit was a pink-haired individual in a sweater vest. "Morning, Anissa!"

"'Sup Ilima." The worker greeted the stranger. "The usual?"

"Whoa!" Hau exclaimed. "That's Captain Ilima!"

Ilima turned. "And you're the Kahuna's grandson." They smiled. Ilima gave the two a wave and went to pay for their drink. A few minutes later, they were sitting at the table with Lillie and Hau. "You must be the professor's assistant." Ilima said, attention turned to Lillie. "I've heard plenty about you from Kukui."

"Y-you have?" Lillie stuttered in shock. "I didn't know he talked about me."

"He says you're wonderful with Pokemon. I don't suppose I'll see you out Verdant Cavern for a trial soon, will I?" Ilima sipped their drink.

She shook her head rapidly. "Oh heavens no!" Lillie exclaimed, a little louder than she had meant. "Oh, I mean...I'm just not comfortable with Pokemon battles. I don't like seeing the poor things get hurt like that."

The pink-haired trainer nodded. "I can understand that. Maybe you're more fit to be a researcher, like Kukui and his wife."

"Yeah!" Hau added. "Lillie knows tons about Pokemon. I bet with a little field work, she could become a professor some day!"

"F-field work?" Lillie choked. "Hau, I don't think that that's a good idea."

"Nonsense." Ilima waved it off. "Field work is always a good idea." They took another sip of their drink before continuing. "I know. Why don't you two meet me at Verdant Cavern this afternoon? I'll be running trials then, but you can do a little research beforehand. I have some errands to run at the Marina first."

Before Lillie could politely say no, Hau chimed, "We'll do it!"

"Spectacular." Ilima smiled. Getting up, they grabbed their drink and began to leave. "See you later then!"

Hau turned to Lillie, grinning. "This is gonna be so fun! Now I can go do my trial and you can meet some new Pokemon!"

"I don't know Hau, this could be a bad idea." Lillie shook her head.

"Oh shit, y'all are here too?" A confused Ava said from behind them. She walked in with Rotom floating around her. "I thought we were meeting up at the malasada shop."

"We were! I just needed Lillie to try a Frappuccino first." Hau explained. "We can get malasadas now, if you want."

Ava shrugged. "The Kahuna said I should talk to the trial captain. So maybe after that."

"Oh! Ilima said they're going to the marina!" Hau informed her. "That's right past the malasada shop!"

"Hold up." Ava stopped him. "There's a agender trial captain?"

"I think that's the word, yeah." Hau nodded. "Ilima is a little different from the rest of the captains. My grandpa says nothing but good things about them though." He got up from his table. "We can take you to meet them!"

Lillie picked up her bag, which was shaking uncontrollably under the table. "Let's go before Nebby breaks out." She said hurriedly.

The three left the Sawsbucks, with Rotom floating behind them, updating their Instagram page. Hau suddenly stopped in the middle of the street. "Wait, Ava, if you're going to see Ilima, does that mean you're an official Pokemon trainer? With a Pokemon and everything?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "Wait. You mean that Jäger isn't here?" She looked around quickly. "That motherfucker. Jäger!"

The Grimer oozed out from under the door of Sawsbucks. "Grrrimer!"

"This is Jäger." She introduced them (or rather reintroduced them) to the Pokemon. "He's my partner, I guess."

"This is great!" Hau shouted. "That means I have a challenger!"

"Wait what?"

Stomping his foot on the ground and putting his hand on his hip, Hau shouted, "I challenge you to a Pokemon battle!"

Plumeria was a lot of things, but a mother to the Team Skull grunts was not one of them. She was, however, tired of Guzma's shit. So instead of listening to him bitch for twelve hours about doing some blonde bimbo's dirty work, she sat in the med bay and fixed boo-boos.

"Next time, don't try an pet a wild Salazzle, okay?" She chided her last patient. "I won't be sorry if it burns you again!"

"Thanks Plumeria!" The girl gushed. She made her way out, slowly, and with the way she was looking at Plumeria, the admin had to wonder if she had pet the Salazzle on purpose or not.

"Idiots. They're all idiots." But of course, Guzma found her. "I don't get why so many of them hurt themselves today!"

"Probably because my dumbass decided to play nurse." Plumeria grumbled. "Is it the crop top? Is that why they come in?"

"'Dunno." Guzma shrugged, pulling up a chair across from Plumeria. "All I see is my dumb sister." He leaned forward. Voice low, he asked, "Do you think they know?"

"A couple do." Plumeria said with a smirk. "For good reason."

"Ack!" Guzma gagged. "And I thought I had problems! Those are like, teenagers!"

Rolling her eyes, Plumeria asked, "Why are you in here anyway?"

"We're moving out with the Melemele operation. Like, now." He said, mood changing. "I already have a couple grunts doing groundwork."

"You think we got anything good down there?" His sister asked.

"Maybe. They say that hill is a hotspot for sightings." Guzma got up. "Buuuut I don't know."

"We better be onto something Guz." Plumeria warned. "I don't want this to be like the desert."

"It won't. I swear." Guzma kicked his chair down. "Oh, and if that Petrel guy calls? Tell 'em I'm not here. Damn man keeps jumping down my throat about shit I don't even know."

Fun fact: in the manga, Moon actually has an affinity for poison types and trains an Alolan Grimer. I don't think her Grimer likes to drink though; the manga is meant to be a little more PG (even though Kukui kicks Sun's ass ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )

On another note, thanks to those who've read the story! I know it's not your average Sun and Moon tale, do I appreciate you giving it a shot. Some decisions I make in telling this story, such as Ilima being agender and the main character's sexuality, will be very much non-canon. But hey, what else would you expect from a story that has a Grimer named after alcohol?

As for the next chapter, I'm not sure when that's going to be out. The first was done in a day and this took three so we'll see how that goes. But I'm definitely updating, reviews or not. Oh well. Have a nice day folks.