Blu and I sailed across the wide, wide sea until there was no land to be seen.

"Is Alola really far away?"

"Nah, man. Just a couple hours, maybe," Blu replied. He seemed to be taking his time; we were making a new meaning of the term "leisurely pace".

I sighed and laid down on his wide shell, staring up at the sky. I could sense nothing but water Pokémon beneath us. "So, you know Mesprit?"

"Oh, sure," he replied, "she and I go way back; she was there when I was just a li'l turtle, coming out of my egg. I guess some human must've been breeding Squirtles a bunch, and I was left at a Pokémon Daycare or somethin'."

"Really?" I sat up. "So you never knew your parents?"

"Naaaah. But, y'know, that's alright. Mesprit was there for me. After she got me we spent most of our time chillin' in her cave. She told me that she'd make sure I always had sweet vibes."

"Mesprit raised you?"

He glanced up. "Sure, man. She wasn't always actin' loco, y'know? We were the perfect duo. Shame how she snapped though. The last thing she said to me before now was her tellin' me that she knew somethin' bad was gonna happen to her. So she left me with Manaphy and I ain't heard from her since. So I'm sure you can imagine my surprise when I heard her voice in my head tellin' me to show up at Cinnabar to take you to the coolest place on Earth."

"Oh." I frowned. "Well I'm sorry Blu-"

"Nah," he interrupted, "don't feel sorry for me, bro. I got the sweetest gig in the world. Mesprit may have lost her marbles, but she still kept her promise; I ain't never had a bad feelin' in my life."

"Really?" I paused, thinking about what that must be like. "So you're happy all the time?"

"Not really, bro. Just chill. I'm chill all the time."

"I... see." A few moments passed without either of us speaking.

"So how come Mesprit wanted me to take ya to Alola, man?" Blu finally said, "She just think you need a vacay, or what?"

"No," I replied, "about seven years ago, a Team Rocket member captured my daughter and two apprentices. I've been absolutely unable to find them since, but I think somehow they managed to reach out last night. Mesprit seems to think it was coming from Alola."

"Really? Man, that's some heavy stuff. Team Rocket is bad news. Or was, I guess; I think I heard they ain't together anymore."

I nodded. "Right, I helped to disband them. I think I heard about something happening in Johto about four years ago, but it sounded like a human broke them up pretty quickly again."

"Sure, sure," Blu responded.

We continued surfing for what felt like forever, until we could finally see some black spots in the distance.

"Yo, check it out!" Blu exclaimed, "There it is, the Alolan Islands, the most amazing place on Earth!"

"You seem to think highly of this place."

"O'course, man! Alola is, like, the prime vacation destination, ya dig? Man, whenever I ain't chillin' with Manaphy, you can find me here somewhere, bathin' on the shoreline."

I looked at him curiously. "Bathing on the shore? But wouldn't humans try to capture you?"

"Bah," he scoffed, "most humans here are cool enough to let me get my tan on. And even on the rare occasions where one tries to get at me, I can hold my own, don't you worry."

I was about to reply, when I suddenly felt something strange. I looked up to see something rocketing towards us so fast that it created a sonic boom.

"What is that?!" I exclaimed, watching it hurtle towards us. My blades extended defensively.

Before Blu could reply, the creature came to a complete stop in front of us, levitating over the waves. I had never seen a creature like this before. His head and torso was black with white markings and a large orange plume extended out from the top of his head.

He studied me a moment before speaking, "Congratulations, stranger."

"C...congratulations?"

"I, the great Tapu Koko, rarely deem it necessary to leave my ruins. But as soon as I felt your presence, I knew I had to come. So congratulations are in order, for being impressive enough for me to bother seeing who you were."

"I see..." I glanced at Blu, who was simply staring up at Tapu Koko silently.

"You seem to contain quite a bit of power, newcomer," Tapu Koko continued, "but even so, if you think you are going to be a threat to us, you are mistaken."

"No!" I shook my head. "No, I don't plan on being a threat at all. I'm actually here because I heard my daughter and apprentices were here. They've been missing for a long time."

He was silent for a moment, and I could tell he was mulling over my words. "And what makes you think they are here, on Alola? Did they run away to enjoy of life of ease?"

I felt annoyance pulse through my body. "No. They were kidnapped by a Team Rocket member years ago. Mesprit seems to think they're here somewhere."

"Mesprit, huh?" Tapu Koko seemed unimpressed. "Yes, I'm sure the insane Pokémon is correct; they must be here. After all, if there's one thing Alola is known for, it's harboring old Team Rocket members." He rolled his eyes. "In any case, I'll believe your story. Just be sure you don't cause any trouble. No matter how strong you may seem, we will be able to defeat you." With that, he turned and flew away at supersonic speeds.

"Hoo, boy!" Blu exclaimed with a grin, "Man, we should hang out more! I didn't know you were cool enough to get Tapu Koko's attention!"

I crossed my arms and sat down on the back of his shell. My blades finally retracted to their normal size. "Are there other legendary Pokémon here?"

"Oh, sure, man. Tapu Lele, Tapu Bulu, Tapu Fini, Necrozma..."

"Hmm," I murmured, "Well hopefully they aren't as much of a jerk as that guy was."

Blu laughed, "Man, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."