Ava hadn't seen much in Kanto, so arguably speaking, everything in Alola was more beautiful than her home. But the Melemele Meadow? So far, that took the cake for the most gorgeous thing she had ever seen. Walking into the small cove, Ava was met with buzzing Cutieflies and the sweet aroma of yellow nectar. Moonlight shone down on the flowers and was reflected off of them by dewdrops. There were few patrons in the meadow, none of which looked to be trainers. This was good. A way for Ava to relax before her next challenge.
Of course, she was also there because Nebby had gotten stuck on a cliff and Lillie was too scared to climb up it, so that sucked.
"This cloud is going to be the death of us both, Lillie." Ava sighed as she gazed up at Nebby. "One day, it's going to float itself to somewhere insanely dangerous, and we're both going to die trying to save it." She handed Lillie her old brown messenger bag. "Do me a solid and watch Jäger for me."
"Grrrrime!" Jäger nuzzled Lillie's leg.
The blonde girl froze up. "That was so gross." She whispered meekly.
Ava cracked her knuckles and headed toward the cliff. She slid down a small slope and into the meadow, immediately pausing to enjoy the moment. The flowers tickled her calves as she walked. Yellow bird Pokémon occasionally popped up, and Ava had to tread carefully around them.
"Corioo!" One cooed when Ava stopped to pet it. It nipped playfully at her fingers.
"Calm down, sweets." Ava chuckled. "What in Mew's name are ya?"
Rotom was having a field day flitting around and snapping photos of everything. It zoomed real close to the bird that Ava was petting, capturing only the bird in the photo as it headbutted Ava's hand. "This is an Oricorio. There are four varieties of the species, each having adapted to the island's environment based on the food they needed to eat."
"Holy shit. Darwin wrote Origin of the Species on these things." Ava replied. She left her small friend to continue looking for Nebby but marveled at the world around her. Alola was a wonder to behold.
The blue cloud was playing around with a Caterpie and a Cottonee at the top of a hill, squeeing happily as it bounced about. Ava scooped it up into her arms and began to trek back. Jäger and Lillie were waiting for her at the entrance of the meadow, her Pokémon happily eating flowers and Lillie looking onward in disgust.
"Nebby!" Lillie exclaimed, ushering her friend into her arms. "Don't scare me like that, okay?"
The little Cosmog hummed in apology, cuddling into Lillie's chest.
"Can't stay mad at that little guy." Ava chuckled. "C'mon, Hau is waiting for us."
"Cori!" There was a squawk behind them. One of the Oricorio from the meadow jumped at them and snatched Lillie's hat. It flew over their heads and out of the field. A shout from Hau could be heard outside, and as Lillie and Ava rushed to meet him, they found Hau in distress as the bird circled overhead.
Lillie jumped at it wildly, trying to keep her dress down while reaching for her hat. "Give it back!" She shouted.
Hau looked at it, amused. "Maybe you could catch it and see what happens."
"C-catch it?" Lillie shook her head wildly. Shaking, she grabbed at her bag where Nebby was laying snuggly inside. "I don't have any Pokéballs, and I couldn't really be a trainer. I'm not strong enough."
The Oricorio landed on the ground in front of her, cocking its head to the side. The bird placed the hat on the ground in front of Lillie, and began to coo. She snatched her hat off the ground and put it on her head. The bird continued to coo and hopped closer, nipping curiously at the hem of Lillie's skirt. "Coorio." She butted her head against Lillie's thigh, the soft feathers tickling the girl's legs.
Ava grinned. "I think she wants you to catch her." The experienced trainer handed Lillie a Pokéball. "Just try it and see what happens."
Lillie took it, albeit reluctantly, and tapped it on the head of the Oricorio. The bird disappeared into the ball and with three shakes, the Pokéball clicked. Picking it up, Lillie stared at the ball. "This is...my Pokémon." She said quietly. "I mean, I have Nebby, but this...I caught a Pokémon."
"Are you gonna name her?" Hau asked.
"Ellie." Lillie decided quickly. She released Ellie and put the Pokéball in her bag. "Are you okay with that? Ellie?"
Ellie cooed happily. She jumped upward onto Lillie's shoulder, chirping in her trainer's ear and getting cozy.
Rotom buzzed around Lillie and snapped a photo of her. "Wow! You two look like two peas in a pod!"
"You think?" She squeaked.
Ava ruffled Ellie's feathers. "Definitely."
"Ahoy there!" The three trainers turned to see Kukui, who was jogging down Route 3 with Illima behind him. "How are you three doing? Illima told me you two beat their trial, what a party!"
"That's one way to put it," Ava said to herself, remembering her "Reward" from Illima.
Illima caught up with the group and smiled when they saw Ava. "Ava beat the totem Pokémon quite handily."
Hau, not wanting to be left out and not realizing there was something going on, exclaimed, "I did too! It was pretty great!"
Kukui nodded. "So that means you two are headed out to fight Ole' Hala in the Grand Trial, eh?"
"Right, the Grand Trial." Truth was, Ava wasn't too excited about that. She, like Lillie, wasn't keen on battles, and Jäger struggled a bit when it came to fighting types. But completing the Grand Trial would mean she could leave Melemele island, and that was what was worth it. She didn't hate it there, but the more she stayed in one place, the more she was worried that someone would find her. Besides, there were four islands in Alola. What was the point of hiding in a new region if she couldn't explore it?
Usually, the Grand Trial is an exciting battle between trainers, showcasing the bond between trainer and Pokémon alike. For Hau and Hala, that was their Grand Trial. Pikachu danced around Mankey and Makuhita with ease, getting knocked out at the last second by Crabrawler's powerful Z-Move. Hau's newly evolved Dartrix, however, gave the crab a run for his money, quickly taking him out with a well-timed Razer Leaf.
Ava's battle with Hala was not this beautiful dance.
"Poison Gas!" Ava shouted as Jäger belched out the toxin at Makuhita. The Grimer spent all of the battle with Mankey using Harden, and two Poison Fang's later the fighting monkey was down for the count. Makuhita tried using a Sand Attack to lower Jäger's accuracy, but the living sludge wasn't fazed. The poison had already seeped into Makuhita. Ava wasn't too concerned about the Sand Attacks either, but she'd have to wait to take care of it until the Makuhita was gone. It was time to sit back and play the waiting game. "Use Bite!" Ava would call, knowing that even if Jäger managed to hit his opponent, the dark move wouldn't do much. She could at least pretend like she cared.
"Maku?" The poison finally felled the beast, and Hala swapped his second Pokémon for his ace.
"Now, Crabrawler! I call on you to use your Z-Move! Hahh!" Hala began his intricate dance, summoning Crabrawler's Z-Move power. The crab launched into the air and punched Jäger with a glowing fist. The power blew everything back, and the surrounding crowd oohed and ahhed as the dust began to settle.
Jäger sat there, not blinking.
"Rotom, how much damage did Jäger take?" Ava asked her digital partner.
"Jäger lost ten total hit points, out of fifty." Rotom buzzed.
"Rad." Ava reached into her bag and grabbed a purple-pink pill. She beckoned Jäger over and tossed the capsule into his mouth. "All right. Poison Fang."
After a few more rounds, those purple-tinged jaws were the last thing Crabrawler would see.
Hala had a hoot rewarding Ava with her Fightinium Z, mostly because she had a rough time getting the moves down. He also gave her the ability to ride a Tauros, something that she recognized as the Alolan equivalent of Rock Smash.
"With it, you can even visit Ten Carat Hill!" Hala explained to her as she adjusted on top of the bull. "They say you can even find the rare Flyinium Z!"
Ava thanked him, pretending to be excited about some rock that her Poison/Dark type couldn't use. Hala sent her off to tell her mother that she was going to Akala Island, but Ava knew her mother wouldn't care. She had other business.
"Yo, this soup is the dopest!" Ken said to Casey Moon, slurping down a bowl of chicken noodle soup.
Heath was on his second bowl. "Mama Moon, you're an honorary Skull Admin in our books! Maybe even the boss."
Ken thwaked his partner upside the head. "Don't let Guz hear you say that!"
Casey snickered at the exchange. "It's really no trouble boys, I'm just glad to see Avalon making friends."
Ava stared at her mother, mouthing the word 'Avalon' at her. "We have to get going soon." She said, trying to usher the Skull grunts out of her house. "I'll meet you outside."
Ken and Heath thanked Casey and headed outside, leaving the two alone. Casey smiled at them, waving as they left. She looked at her daughter. "So what's this I hear about you leaving?"
"Mom, I can't stay here for the rest of my life," Ava said, sitting on a stool at the counter, "and you know that. Besides, if I travel, maybe I can get stronger. Protect you."
"Honey! We have all the protection we need here." Casey gestured wildly at the room she shared with Looker. "Philip is here. The International Police have done everything to hide us. If you go around, traveling the region, someone is going to see you and figure it out." She began to open a bottle of tequila. "Come on, let me pour you and your friends a drink."
"Mom." Ava swiped the bottle out of her mother's hands. "I am going. And you can't stop me." Ava threw the bottle in her bag and slid off the chair. "I'll call you when I dock in Akala." She slammed the door before her mom could respond.
The entrance to Ten Carat Hill was blocked by something Ava could only describe as a "bigass rock". The ride Tauros smashed it with ease, letting Ava and the skullings inside the cavern. It was dank and dusty inside with Zubat flitting about; Ava nearly tripped on a Roggenrola or two as she navigated the pathways. Ken and Heath rapped excitedly at each other, but Ava was always two steps ahead of them and not involved in their beats. She had never been to Mount Moon, nor had she ever successfully gotten through Rock Tunnel without the aid of flash. And Ten Carat Hill was nothing like Diglett's cave, either, so the environment was totally new.
"What are you guys looking for, anyway?" Ava asked the Grunt Duo as they rounded another corner.
"There's a meadow somewhere 'round here. Rumor has it that a legendary Pokémon sleeps there." Ken chattered. "We're not tryna catch it for reals, but the boss man wants us to scope it out to see if it's there. Then he'll swoop in and BLAM! Catch it right up."
Heath's eyes lit up. "Yeah! Then we won't be in debt to that Lusa-chick! Guz can run Team Skull like a real organization! Plumey can...shit I don't know what she actually likes to do. But it'll be great!"
"What exactly is Team Skull anyway?" Ava asked absentmindedly.
Ken and Heath looked at each other with glee. "Lay the beat K!" Heath shouted. Ken started to beatbox, while Heath bobbed his head to the rhythm. "Aight. Yo, Team Skull comin' in hot!"
"You know it!" Ken interjected.
"What up everybody, my name is Heath! Part of Team Skull, we can't be beat! Guzma is the bossman, he makes all our dope plans! Plumeria's an admin! She knows 'bout fashion! Team Skull's the best! Better than the rest! A place for everybody, no matter your sex!"
"Equal opportunity son!"
"UH! Gender's a construct! So is being a prep! We don't take preppy losers, unless they ask nicely!"
"Eat it, Gladion!"
"This one crazy lady, she offered us funding! We fixed a building but ran out of funding! Uh! I rhymed funding with funding! That's no fun! Now we gotta find a Pokémon and pay off our debts!"
"Necrozma!"
"Team Skull, OUT!" Heath finished his rap, with Ken doing some fancy mixing at the end. They landed in ridiculous poses, throwing gang signs up. Heath, out of breath, asked Ava, "What'd you think?"
Ava was at a loss for words. "It was...Informative." She gave them a pity clap. "Necrozma, is that the name of the Pokémon you need to find?" The grunts both nodded. "All right then."
After the performance, the three continued exploring the cavern. Eventually, they came to a light at the end of the tunnel. Ken and Heath ran toward it eagerly, breathing in the fresh air and marveling at the sight. The hollow was beautiful, with rolling grassy hills and Pokémon scurrying about. In the center of the hollow sat an old altar, with a blue stone in the middle. Ava approached it carefully, remembering the last time she found an altar with a Z-Crystal. Once she was sure there weren't any totem Pokémon around, she took the stone. It had a set of wings engraved on it, and when Ava wrapped her fingers around it she felt a sudden gush of wind surround her. "Whoa," Ava whispered to herself.
Ken and Heath scampered around, searching comically for the legendary that was said to reside in the cave's hollow. They returned to Ava with arms filled with items, which they dropped onto the ground unhappily. "All we can find are these dumb nuggets and blue rocks." Ken explained, frowning.
Recognizing the engraving, Ava picked some of the blue rocks up. "Guys, these are Z-Crystals. You should seriously hold onto these."
"But we don't have any flying types! It'd be useless." Heath replied. " 'Sides, the Boss wouldn't want them either. He collects Buginium Z."
Ava shook her head and dropped one into each of their pockets. "Keep it. Just in case." She also made them pick up some of the nuggets they dropped, telling them that they could sell the nuggets to help their team. Happy to not return completely empty-handed, the trio made their way back to the entrance out on Route 1, near Kukui's research station. They made small talk on their way, as Ava asked them questions about Team Skull and they, in turn, tried to ask her about her life. For the most part, Ava avoided answering questions.
As they neared Hau'oli city, Ken and Heath explained they had to leave to take a boat from a hidden port. There was a bay on the northeastern edge of the island, hidden from tourists by a winding cavern. The Team Skull boat was docked on that beach. The Grunt Duo bid Ava a tearful goodbye as they began to head off. "We'll put in good word for you! Maybe the boss'll make ya an admin!" Heath said to her, hugging the trainer tightly.
"You do that," Ava said, not really sure if she wanted their boss to hear about her. After watching them run off on Route 2, Ava turned and headed down to the Marina. She briefly considered returning to her house to say goodbye to her mom, but stopped. Her mother had made it clear that she wanted to stay on Melemele. And if she wanted to drink her problems away, then that was her thing. Ava wanted more.
"Tide Song Hotel? You want us to go on a vacation?" Guzma looked at his sister. She lay sprawled on her bed, with Salandit curled up against her chest. "We're already tryna' pay off our debt to Lusamine, we can't pay for this!"
"Guz, you could walk into that place and sleep there for days and no one would notice." Plumeria yawned. "Please? You could use a break and I definitely need one." She scratched her partner under her chin, and the Salandit hummed in pleasure. "And maybe we could go check out the ruins there for the Tapu."
Guzma's cell phone began to rattle, and he answered it with an eye roll. "What's up, losers?"
"Boss! Boss! We got into the meadow!" Ken shouted excitedly through the phone. "There wasn't a Necrozma, but we found a lot of nuggets! And some Z-Crystals!"
"But no legendary?" Guzma sighed. "Fine. Cool. Meet us in Hea Hea City and we'll talk from there." He hung up on Ken and Heath. "I guess the meadow was a bust."
"All the more reason to take a break!" Plumeria replied. "Come on, please Guz?"
Guzma was really bad at saying no to his little sister, especially when she used her Lillipup-eyes. "Fine. But no hustling patrons, okay?"
Plumeria grinned. "You're the best, big bro. Maybe you can get laid while we're there, it could help you with your stress."
Guzma was really good at walloping his little sister with pillows when she annoyed him. Like right now.