Author's Note: So seriously, what was going on on Ula'Ula island? Molayne had just picked Sophocles as his successor in the game, but he is the same age as Kukui, which does not follow the Trial Captain age limit rule. All the issues surrounding the prior kahuna, Po Town, and the falling out with the Tapu also interest me and I see them getting touched on in future chapters. It affects our boy, after all.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

There was no stopping her, not even after her awkward visit to Guzma's house the day before. It seemed the more Alondra learned, the more questions she had, and the more she wanted to solve the puzzle. That and…if she were being honest with herself, Guzma intrigued her. She'd used to think he was a straight-up punk, no more, no less. With each fragment of his history revealed, he grew more complex, and it seemed that glimmer of goodness in him she saw on the beachfront could actually be the real deal. She wanted to believe it was.

Earlier that morning in the privacy of her room, she'd pulled up records of past Melemele battle tournaments on the internet. Alondra had taken the time to analyze the dates and names of the tournaments from her photos of Guzma's trophies, hoping it would give her some kind of information. The information from dates was easy to decipher: Guzma had been competing in the bulk of the tournaments between the ages of 13 and 16. He'd have finished his island challenge by then, and why he stopped at 16 was anyone's guess. Could that have been when he tried for Trial Captain and didn't make it? That would make an important question to ask as she tried to fill in the blanks. All the tournaments were held at the Trainer's School in Hau'oli, so logic would dictate he had returned home to his family during that time.

As interesting as it was for putting together a timeline, the data she found on the contestants was far more interesting. The same names kept coming up in the top finishers, and a few were names she recognized. Usually, Kukui was the one taking first place, with Guzma in second, or on occasion third. Kukui's name stopped appearing when he was 15. His leave to Kanto? She could just imagine how much losing to Kukui all the time would eat at him, envision the way he probably stewed with the anger bubbling under the surface. The professor had said he never noticed any fits at this point, but maybe they were starting to manifest to a smaller degree and escalated by the time he'd left? Anyhow, unless he'd evolved his bugs and brought them to high enough levels where they'd have learned a variety of moves, it really wouldn't be a surprise if he lost to his friend.

It was another name she recognized that sparked an idea for a new source of information: Molayne. She remembered Kukui mentioning how he had been another companion on their island challenge, and was therefore in the same age ballpark. According to the records, he and Guzma often traded spots between second and third place. Once Kukui was gone, he seemed to have grown as a trainer and took over his spot as the number one despite how even it had been between him and Guzma before. That would have REALLY irked him. Still, if Molayne had been around even when Kukui had left, then he'd know more about those years right before he ran off.

Pondering just what she'd ask, she absentmindedly began packing her backpack. If anyone asked, she was going on a training jaunt…

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Alondra inhaled the thin air deeply, trying to fill her lungs with oxygen. How could these islands manage to have such tall mountains? It was crisp and clean, at least. Turning her head, she observed the bustle of traffic between the busses, the Pokémon Center, and the laboratory. This wasn't just a trial site, after all, but a working observatory. If Molayne was anywhere, he was here coaching his cousin Sophocles, or helping run experiments with his steel-type Pokémon. As she stood contemplating where to start, the answer called out to her.

"Hey, Alondra, long time no see!" She quickly realized the voice belonged to Sophocles himself, who approached her with his bright yellow scarf flapping in the breeze.

"Hiya Sophocles. How have your trials been working out? Any more malfunctions?"

He shook his head. "Nah. Big Mo helped me get it down to an art now. Sometimes the power flickers a little bit, but no blackouts. It seemed like a disaster at the time, but I think you had the most interesting trial because of it!"

Alondra grinned. "I agree. It was rather suspenseful."

Sophocles suddenly looked thoughtful. "Have you been training to try Kukui's league again? You're super strong, and I can't imagine you just sitting around letting Hau keep his title."

That again. Why did everyone assume she loved battling just because she was good at it? Well, she was always rather strange… The girl shrugged. "We try to keep in form, but I'm not concerned with taking the title."

"So what have you been working on then?"

Playing private investigator. "Just trying to figure out life, I guess. I talked to Kukui about figuring out what a good career path would be for me, and he's going to try and get me an internship at the Pokémon daycare. Honestly, it sounds a lot better than being the champion."

She expected the boy to roll his eyes at her career plan, or at least look at her as if she were crazy. Instead, he smiled. "Well, I'm sure you'll be the best at that. Your Pokémon love you, that's probably why you are so hard to beat." His words made Alondra recall all the times her beloved team had reacted to her commands in a split-second, avoiding a blow, or shook off status conditions so she wouldn't worry. Sometimes they'd even seemed to hit a little harder, turning to her afterwards looking for approval that she always gave freely. Those little things had given her the edge on more than one occasion.

"Well, I think we can all say the same. There isn't anyone out there who's ever made me sweat in battle that didn't have a strong bond with their team." As those words sank in, she found herself contemplating the Team Skull ex-boss again, as was the trend these days. Guzma had always pushed her to the limit, and would those words apply to him as well? Surprisingly, she thought they did. He'd always showed respect for his Pokémon, and they were always quick to obey him, working in perfect sync. Maybe that was how he managed to beat his Island Challenge and place in all those tournaments, if not for the high stats of his Pokémon, through the bond they had….

"That may be true, but not everyone has the patience to work so carefully with so many Pokémon all the time." The young trial captain's voice interrupted her thoughts. "I know I'd rather have fun putting things into practice."

"Did you always want to be a Trial Captain?"

"Honestly, I never thought about it until Big Mo approached me. I was super nervous at first, you remember how that was. But I've really enjoyed it so far, and I'm glad for the chance."

Alondra recalled the strange situation of his appointment, as well as the questions she'd always had about it but never asked. "So, Sophocles, you said your case was very unusual, the way Molayne got to select you for the position instead of the Kahunas. Was that because of the weird transition between Kahunas on this island?"

"Yeah. It used to be that all the Kahunas worked together to appoint captains across the four islands, scouting and so forth. When the Ula'ula Kahuna rebelled against the Tapu, it ruined the system. No one ended up replacing Molayne even when he reached the cut-off age. Finally, when Nanu took over, he just had Molayne pick someone. I know it isn't really fair that I got to be a Captain, but I try to deserve it." Sophocles dug his toes into the rocky ground, sighing. "I also know a lot of people want to be Captains and don't get the chance."

No, they don't, she thought silently. "Well, you're right. Nothing you can do but be the best you can, right? Hopefully things settle back down and with Nanu as Kahuna for a while now, the next transition will be easier."

Sophocles leaned over. "Can you keep a secret?" When Alondra nodded strongly, he whispered into her ear, "I don't know if that will be true. Nanu is a strong trainer and a great guy, but he hates running the show. He's super hands-off, and I don't know if he will make the effort to pick any successors for me or Acerola when we get too old." Alondra recalled the tired red eyes of the police chief, and she could definitely see where that might be the case.

"We'll see. Maybe now that he doesn't have to worry about Team Skull he'll have the time."

"You think? Just because they disbanded? What about putting Po Town back together?"

"Ah, true. That won't be an easy job."

"No, not an easy job at all! All that rain and flooding has shorted out most of the main circuits in town!" Both Sophocles and Alondra jerked around to see the tall, lanky form of Molayne scratching the back of his head. "Nanu had me check it out, but it does no good to fix the problems until the rain stops."

"Oh, good afternoon Molayne." Alondra secretly cheered. The pieces were falling right into her lap, no effort needed, it seemed.

"Hey Big Mo. Alondra here came to visit." The boy paused, thoughtfully. "Wait, was there something you actually needed?"

Well there was, but she wasn't going to describe that… "It's just…been a while. I thought maybe I could catch some Pokémon I missed the last time I was here, you know the drill."

Both trainers nodded in understanding. "You get on the Island Challenge and you just start hurrying from one trial to the next after a while."

"Hey, Molayne," she began, hoping to sound as natural as possible. "We were just talking about being Trial Captain. You know I'm not from Alola, so I don't know much about it. Sophocles had kind of a weird experience, so I was wondering how YOU got to be a trial captain."

"I was really young when you were picked," Sophocles added. "I mean, you WERE a captain for an unusually long time and all. I don't even know how you earned the job." Wow, everything was going her way today! Sophocles was helping her get what she wanted without knowing it!

"Oh, yeah, I guess you're right, Soph. I was like 16, so you'd have been, what, 7?" While Molayne smiled good-naturedly, Alondra could feel her stomach drop. 16. The age when the tournament participation stopped. She had a bad feeling about this…

"Well, back then I was doing a lot of tournaments through the Trainer's School. I placed often, especially after Kukui left to visit Kanto. That guy is the most fired-up person I've ever seen when it comes to moves!" Molayne chuckled, as if recalling his friend's antics. "Thing is, back then the Kahunas worked together to pick Trial Captains. They often used the tournaments as a way to scout the possible candidates. When a position opened up on Ula'ula, I was one of the two possible replacements."

"So did they vote on you then?" Alondra inquired, knowing full well Molayne had been finishing the top of his group that year.

"No, the other candidate had a lot of potential as well and they thought it best to have us battle in front of the Kahunas to help them reach a decision."

"And you won," Sophocles finished, echoing Alondra's thoughts.

Molayne shook his head with a small smile. "I lost. It was close, but I lost."

"But they still picked you anyways?" Shock was written all over the face of the young trial captain, and even Alondra couldn't help but stare. This was stupid, she told herself. She didn't even know if Molayne was talking about Guzma. But if it was…if that were true…

The older man shrugged weakly. "When it went to vote, Hala and Hapu's grandfather decided on me. The Ula'ula kahuna leaned towards the other guy, and Olivia was just named Kahuna and so wasn't participating in the vote. I think it came down to how we handled ourselves during the battle? Hala told me I had the right temperament for working with kids."

"The other guy must have been strong. I must know him, right?" Alondra managed weakly. "I can't imagine he'd just disappear after not making it…"

"Guzma." Molayne's shoulders sagged as he gave the name of his rival. "He wanted it so badly, worked so hard for it. When he won that battle, he was over the moon! Yeah, he probably came off as being a bit too obsessed with winning, but if you knew him… Being Captain was his dream, and they snatched it right from under him. Soph, I know you struggle with the fact that I chose you and you think you didn't earn it, but the truth is that I felt the same way when they handed the position to me."

"He told Kukui and me that he hated the moldy old traditions of Alola…" Alondra murmured, biting her lip in understanding. "He meant the Trial Captain process…"

"When they told him their answer, he was shaking with rage…" The pain etched on Molayne's face couldn't be anything but genuine as he thought back on that day, hanging his head. "He ripped the z-bracelet from his wrist and flung it off the cliff while spouting nonsense in third person. And the two kahunas who voted against him just looked at him like he was a child throwing a tantrum… He put so much pressure on himself, and that was the point when he finally broke."

"Big Mo…" Sophocles said softly, reaching out to hug his cousin. "It was nothing you did."

"Was it what I didn't do though?" he asked, mostly to himself as he unconsciously returned the gesture. "Maybe I should have turned them down right away. I could have been happy enough without it…"

"Molayne, you couldn't have known he'd react that way. Who could?" Alondra soothed, guilt eating at her for making him recall his one-time friend. She'd gotten enough information she could have pieced it together without bringing this up.

"He'd been getting weird since we finished our Island Challenge. Really aggressive in battle. Stand-offish. Never invited us over to his house or went to other people's houses. He trained so hard he'd show up covered in bruises!"

The mention of bruises brought a memory of bent golf clubs, and she shuddered. There was no proof of that, she had no business jumping to conclusions. Still, it was something important to know. "You were both kids. There can't be any guilt for how things happened." The guilt belonged on the adults who apparently couldn't see beyond their noses. As much as she had respected Hala, at the current moment she was feeling a lot more resentment.

"You know him, don't you?" Molayne sighed, straightening up. "I mean, not just know of him, but you actually know him."

"Kind of. Well, I'm trying," she admitted, running her fingers through her hair. "I've battled him enough times. I assume you know what he'd been up to."

"Yeah," Molayne responded glumly. "His idea of sticking it to the system. I should be so mad at him but I just can't feel anything but pity."

"Umm, should I know what's going on?" Sophocles interjected, looking confused.

Alondra and Molayne shared a look. "Cuz, he went on to be the leader of Team Skull."

The boy's eyes widened in recognition. "Ah. That makes more sense. But they broke up, so what is he doing now? I didn't hear about anyone getting outright arrested."

"You seem to know, Alondra. I haven't heard anything since they cracked down on Aether. A lot of people are wondering. I see the hate in their eyes when they talk about him. Is he all right?" The concern Molayne expressed seemed the exact opposite of Kukui's obliviousness, and she wanted to hug him herself in gratitude.

"I found him back on Melemele. After battling him again, Hala showed up and decided he would take him back as an apprentice or something and that they'd be traveling around for a bit."

Molayne sighed in relief. "So he'll be all right."

Would he though? Did this solve all the issues that caused him to yank on his hair and smash bottles? Did Hala realize enough of what he'd missed before to help him through this? "I think so." But she wasn't really certain of her own answer.