"You know, I always forget that Ark also lives here." Mallow said, as she and Lana walked in. "I mean Lillie, it makes sense for you, but Ark acts so wild sometimes it's hard to not picture him living in that cave still."
"Hey! I only lived in that cave to be closer to nature to figure out what happened to Lillie." Ark defended.
"Sure you did." Lana said, with a teasing smile.
"Come on, I'll show you where you can drop off your things." Lillie said.
Ark stuck around the front knowing Sophocles would be coming shortly if his parents said yes, and Kiawe just had to make a phone call.
"Alright, my parents said it was fine." Kiawe said, walking in from a side room. "Also how do you not get lost in here, I was two rooms away and passed three staircases and two halls, plus a door leading outside."
"I usually avoid what I don't need, besides the staircases you passed were just to the food cellar, and the balcony." Ark said.
"Food cellar?" Kiawe asked.
"Yeah, I don't get it either, and I grew up here." Ark admitted.
"Do you ever think about them, I mean your real family back in Kanto that is, not the food in the cellar." Kiawe clarified.
"A lot actually, I wonder how things would have been different if I had never arrived here, who would I have picked as my starter, would I have eventually made it here, and what about Cass, would she have gone with me on my adventure when she's old enough?" Ark said, thinking about it.
"I always worry about that with Mike, I know that day is coming sooner than I'd like." Kiawe admitted. "I treat her like she's still my baby sister, I guess because I don't want to face the facts that we weren't much older than she was when we became friends."
"We all had Pokemon around her age, and now she's wanting one herself?" Ark questioned.
"We were unique cases, I'd much rather her wait a little while before getting her first Pokemon, at least have her attend the school before then." Kiawe said with a smile.
"Don't wish for that too much, remember you'd have to give her a ride to school if she started attending." Ark joked, look there's Sophocles.
The duo looked out the door to see Sophocles jog up with Electivire by his side, carrying some things for him.
"I can't believe it, you finally got new pajamas." Kiawe chuckled, seeing Sophocles wasn't in his footie pajamas.
"Well, it was time to get something new, so I managed to convince my parents that I needed more fitting sleepwear for my older personality." Sophocles said.
"You forgot where you put them and either Togedemaru or Vikavolt destroyed them, didn't they?" Ark questioned.
"Yes." Sophocles sighed.
"Come on, everyone else is already here." Ark said, closing the door, as his shadow moved another direction.
'Knock knock knock!'
The boys stopped for a moment in confusion.
"Ark, you said everyone was here right?" Sophocles asked.
"Yeah, Lana and Mallow are with Lillie, and the three of us are right here." Ark said, doing a mental head count.
"Professors?" Kiawe questioned.
"Why would they come here?" Ark asked.
"Maybe it's your mom?" Sophocles offered.
"But why knock at your own house?" Ark asked, as he went for the door, a bolt of lightning striking outside.
"AHHH!" Sophocles screamed, holding onto Kiawe.
"Sophocles." Kiawe said sternly.
"I-I wasn't scared, I was just making sure you were alright." Sophocles said.
"And Electivire?" Kiawe questioned, the large electric type also holding onto him.
"Guys relax, it's just a storm, we were supposed to get one tonight anyways." Ark said, opening the door.
"YAHHH!" Rotomdex said flying in. "You are lucky I'm waterproof!"
"Rotom?!" Ark, Kiawe, and Sophocles exclaimed.
"We heard screaming is everything alright?!" Mallow said, running in from another hall with Lillie and Lana.
"Everything's fine," Ark assured. "Rotom, what are you even doing here?"
"Well, this is a party for the Ultra Guardians, and I am a part of the team after all!" Rotomdex said proudly, not noticing the confused and annoyed glares from the kids.
"It was really just for us kids and our own Pokemon though Rotom." Lillie said apologetically.
"Oh, I see." Rotom realized.
"Look, it's fine, he can stay with us, I don't want to send him back out in this storm." Ark defended the dex. "Besides we'll all be going to sleep soon anyways."
"Okay, as long as he stays with you three!" Mallow said giving Ark an angry look.
"What's her problem?" Rotomdex asked. "So do you guys want to watch some Alolan Detective Lokee?"
"Rotom, it's late, feel free to watch the tv, just keep it quiet I guess." Ark sighed, pointing to a room off too the side. "Come on guys, I'll show you where you can put your bags."
In the side room
"Oooh, I've never watched it on such a big screen!" Rotom said excitedly, turning it on, not noticing the shadow sneaking up behind him as the boys went into Ark's room.
In Lillie's room
"Come on! You have to answer, we did." Lillie said, looking over at Mallow.
"No, it's too embarrassing!" Mallow said.
"Even better, wait is it one of the guys?" Lana asked, seeing Mallow blush even harder.
"It is!" Lillie exclaimed. "Ooh, it has to be Kiawe, the two of you would be so cute together!"
"Shhhshhhhshhh." Mallow shushed. "Why are we hyper fixating on who I like when Lillie admitted to having a crush on that guitarist Ryuki?"
"Lillie liking a bad boy, no big surprise, look at her brothers, but you liking Kiawe, that is somethin… it's not Kiawe, is it?" Lana said with an evil smirk.
"Shut up shut up shut up!" Mallow said angrily.
"Oh, no it can't be." Lillie realized.
"I said shut up!" Mallow said.
"And he lives just down the hall, and he's there right now." Lana teased.
"Stop it already!" Mallow squealed.
"Yeah, I'd rather not think about that." Lillie said, gagging slightly at the thought of her brother and one of her best friends.
'Creeeaaaaak'
"Lillie, does your house normally creak like that?" Lana asked.
"It's a big house, lots of sounds can be heard." Lillie responded, trying to stay calm.
'Boom!'
"YEEEEAAAAAAH!!!!"
"AHHHHH!" The three girls screamed, holding each other.
"What happened, who's hurt!" Ark asked, rushing in, holding a shoe.
"Nothing happened, it's just the storm I guess." Lillie said, as Sophocles and Kiawe came running over as well.
"Who screamed first?" Kiawe asked.
"That wasn't you guys?" Mallow asked.
"No, we were making a midnight snack, did you know we have frozen pizzas?" Ark asked.
"You three and cooking, not a great combination." Mallow responded. "But if you didn't scream, and we didn't scream, then…"
"ROTOM!" The group exclaimed at once.
The six trainers ran towards the room Rotom had been in, the television now just showing static.
"Wait, where's Rotom?" Sophocles asked.
"He wouldn't have left, would he?" Lana said worriedly, before hearing a crack.
"Guys, I found Rotom." Ark said, picking up the heavily damaged Pokedex as a bolt of lightning illuminated the entire room.
A few panic induced minutes later
"Okay, we need to calm down and think, whatever did this has to still be here right?" Kiawe asked as he paced back and forth in the kitchen.
"Right, but what can hurt Rotom enough to do this kind of damage?" Sophocles said, seeing the bent casing, and the torn open hole.
"A fighting type could be strong enough in theory." Lillie said thinking, causing the group to look at Ark.
"You think Passimian would have done this? He loved Rotom, probably." Ark said defensively, "Besides we would have heard him, we were just across the hall, there's no way he could have done it."
"We still have another problem on our hands, we need to find Rotom." Kiawe said. "Sophocles you take Electivire and see if you can find him, and when you do, I don't know find something to put him in."
"Wait, I remember reading about Rotom and they can possess household objects!" Ark exclaimed, running around a corner. "Here, an old microwave should do the trick."
"Wait, you want me to go alone?" Sophocles said amidst a panic.
"He's right, we shouldn't be splitting up right now." Mallow said. "I can go with Sophocles, you guys need to figure out what did this."
"Everyone keep out your Pokemon, we don't know what's going on here, but whatever did this attacked unprovoked." Ark said.
"Not that no one here has reason to attack Rotom." Kiawe said, looking over at Mallow.
"Why are you looking at me?" Mallow asked.
"You were pretty angry when Rotom showed up suddenly, and Passimian isn't the only one strong enough to break that casing, I bet a Stomp from Exeggutor would be more than enough to crack him open, and Dartrix is awake at these hours, he could have prayed the metal apart with his beak!" Kiawe argued.
"ME! Sophocles has been wanting to tear him open from day one! Vikavolt or Electivire are plenty strong enough to short him out and open the casing for him!" Mallow argued.
"Electivire couldn't have done it, he was with us, but what about Snowy? Lillie's always been weirded out by Rotom, and Snowy's claws are razor sharp!" Sophocles accused.
"ENOUGH!" Ark said. "We were all with each other the entire time, now Pokeballs on the table, let's do a head count."
Everyone placed their Pokeballs on the table, sending their Pokemon out, one by one.
"Alright everyone is accounted for." Ark said.
"Except for Pikachu." Kiawe realized.
"Who doesn't go in a Pokeball." Lana realized.
"And you did let us argue for a bit before stopping us." Mallow commented.
"PIKA!" Pikachu's scream was heard.
"Pikachu!" Ark shouted, running towards where the cry came from.
The group and their Pokemon quickly flooded the hall after Ark, following him to outside Mohn's study, to find Pikachu heavily beaten up and knocked out.
"Proof enough that Pikachu didn't do it." Ark said calmly. "Now let's focus, we still don't know whats attacking us."
"Maybe it's an Ultra Beast." Lillie realized.
"We have been fighting a lot, maybe it's another Xurkitree, both Rotom and Pikachu are electric types." Sophocles pointed out.
"I don't think it is, I mean look at these bruises." Ark said, cradling Pikachu. "Whatever attacked was small, around his size."
"So we're looking for something Pikachu sized that isn't Pikachu, what do we do now?" Mallow asked.
"Stick to the plan, Kiawe and Mallow go with Sophocles and find Rotom, Lillie and Lana go to the security room, call for help, and try and figure out what's doing this." Ark said.
"What about you, what will you be doing?" Kiawe asked.
"Ever heard of live bait?" Ark asked. "I'm going to make that pizza and try and draw it out."
A few minutes later
"Alright, one pizza freshly made." Ark said, pulling it out of the oven. Turning around he saw his Pokemon standing around watching for something to happen. "Man, I really hope that this works." Ark said, setting it down, taking a slice in the process.
Elsewhere
"Wait, guys look Electivire's tendrils!" Sophocles exclaimed. "Rotom must be close!"
"Maro!" Marowak exclaimed, grabbing his bone and turning around.
"Keep going, I'll check whatever is going on." Kiawe said.
"Be careful Kiawe." Mallow said, as she and Sophocles headed towards where Electivire's tendrils are coming from.
"Alright, whoever you are, best to come out now." Kiawe said. "Marowak use Shadow Bone!"
Marowak leapt at the darkness, colliding with something ensuing in a tussle.
"Haha!" Kiawe shouted running over to see Passimian. "Passimian, what are you doing here?"
"Kiawe, what are you doing here, I thought you were with Mallow and Sophocles." Ark said.
"Marowak sensed something so we split up." Kiawe said. "Any luck finding whatever is doing this?"
"If I did, don't you think I would have said something." Ark commented, "Wait, look over there."
A bolt of lightning struck as Ark, Passimian, Kiawe, and Marowak's shadows grew in length combining into one figure.
"I think we figured out what caused this." Ark said, seeing it take shape. "Man I really wish we had Rotom right now."
"No time to worry about that! Marowak use Shadow Bone!"
"Passimian use Close Combat!"
Marowak and Passimian launched at the small black Pokemon as it took an offensive stance, knocking both of them away.
"Z Move time?" Kiawe asked.
"Not indoors." Ark argued. "Passimian grab him and use Fling!"
Passimian ran around the smaller Pokemon, trying and failing to lift it up at all, the shadowy Pokemon flicking him off once more.
"Okay, whatever this thing is, it's strong." Ark said. "Too bad we're stronger! Toucannon use Beak Blast!"
"Turtonator use Dragon Tail!" Kiawe called out.
Turtonator appeared behind the shadowy pokemon, knocking it into the storm outside through a now shattered window as Toucannon slammed her beak into it for massive damage.
"Alright, let's show them not to mess with us. Toucannon use Supersonic Sky Strike!"
"Turtonator use Inferno Overdrive!"
The two Z Moves hit the shadowy Pokemon in quick succession and as their energy dissipated, it was gone.
"Think that's the last we'll see of it?" Kiawe asked.
"I hope so, because I don't think Lillie and I could have done that alone." Ark said with a sigh of relief.