I woke up raring and ready to go this morning. I got up a bit earlier than normal and dragged Caleb out of bed with me. We got some good Malasada and went up to Route 5 where Mallow waited for us at the entrance of Lush Jungle.

I was so nervous but so ready for it.

"So do you want to hear what you have to do?" Mallow said as we entered the jungle.

"Sure, why not?" I said sarcastically. She chuckled and gave me a bag.

"I need 3 items. A Mago Berry, Revival Herb, and a Tiny Mushroom. Remember those 3 because I won't tell them to you again. You have 10 minutes to find them in this vast jungle. Ready?"

Woah. What was the last one? Dammit. I didn't know she was just going to say the items once. It was definitely a Mushroom but I don't know which one. Crap.

"Okay, partner. Go get the items for the Mallow special!"

I rolled my eyes as I began my search.

The Mago Berry was easy to find. I found it almost instantly at the start. Then I found the Revival Herb after I got lost in the Jungle looking for it. I didn't find it until Mallow screamed, "You have 90 seconds left!"

Well shit.

I scurried around looking for a Mushroom. When Mallow screamed out that I had 30 seconds left I nearly cried. Then I saw two mushrooms on the ground. It was like they were teasing me. I grabbed the Tiny Mushroom and ran. I had no clue if it was the right one, but I just grabbed it and ran.

I made it to Mallow with a few seconds to spare and I was so nervous.

To be honest I'm already resigned to the fact that I messed up. With my luck I got the wrong damn Mushroom.

Then Mallow smiled. "Very good. Now I can make my Mallow Special."

I wasn't quite sure what the Mallow Special was but I was a little worried. I don't want to eat what she is making. It'll be spicy. Too spicy.

When the food was done I heard a loud noise from deep within the Jungle. That's when Lurantis appeared out of the bushes.

Mallow took a step back with that big goofy smile and introduced me to the Totem Pokemon.

"Go Grimer!"

I was originally going to use Oricorio but I wanted to try Grimer out in an important battle.

The Lurantis uses Razor Leaf which hits Grimer and does nothing. The sludge on Grimer absorbs the leaves with ease.

"Sludge attack!" Grimer spews sludge at Lurantis and hits it. Lurantis struggles to move as the sludge brings it down. "Now use Fling with the rock next to you." Grimer picks up the rock and throws it at Lurantis.

It doesn't do a lot of damage but it stuns Lurantis even more. "Pound!"

Grimer bangs into Lurantis knocking it out of the sludge. But just when I start feeling good Lurantis uses Leaf Blade and it's Grimer hard even though it shouldn't be effective against Grimer. Then it used a fighting attack which shocked me. I didn't know it knew a fighting attack. Grimer was left reeling after such a critical hit.

I felt myself losing the trial. I need to regain my composure.

Lurantis began to light up. Solar Beam.

Crap.

"Acid Spray," I yell. The acid hits Lurantis' eyes just as it is about to let lose a solar beam. Because it can't see the beam misses Grimer and hits a tree. The tree crash down behind Grimer.

"Poison Fang!" I exclaim. Grimer leaps towards Lurantis and bites on it's head. It seems to swallow the head of Lurantis.

Then Lurantis falls to the ground with Grimer still on it's head.

Grimer won. I won.

Holy crap, I'm good at this.

I think.

...

Caleb hugged me when I came out with the emblem hanging down the amulet. It was unexpected but I didn't complain.

The necklace he got me was sandwiched between our warm bodies.

I was never going to go about my day without it.

Caleb was going to attempt the trial tomorrow. After that we are going to go to see Olivia south of the Diglett Tunnel. I've been wanting to go in their since Mary went in. I wonder if she is still on Akala.

As we walked down Route 5 a man came up to us. He was wearing a white suit and had green glasses. He looked so familiar but I couldn't pinpoint him.

"Have you ever seen a Nihilego before?"

The man had an odd look on his face. He was smiling but it was sinister.

And what the hell is a Nihilego?

"No. What is it?" I asked.

"It's a fantastically beautiful Beast," he said before snapping his fingers and hopping.

Then he left. Just like that.

I looked at Caleb and said, "What in the Kee Berry was that?"

"I have no clue. What is a Nihilego?" Caleb responded just as confused as I am.

"Dude, I haven't the slightest idea."

...

We spent the rest of the day at the pool. Yes, we love the pool and are making up for not going in it for the first week.

I didn't freak out when he asked me to put lotion on his back or vice-versa. I did feel weird but I'm becoming more accustomed to it. I still can't explain it completely, and I'm not ready to talk to Caleb about it but I'm handling it better.

Progress.

As I did some tanning on the lounge chair, Caleb was playing ball with some of the kids he's befriended. I'm looking at the necklace he got me for my birthday. It was such a fantastic gift and he was so worried about it.

I think he didn't want me to be sad of being reminded of my dad. I wasn't. I remember when Carl told me that not everything about my dad has to be negative. I don't need to cry every time. His memory can be a positive. It can make me happy.

This Sceptile necklace ornament makes me happy.

I'm left remembering my dad's Sceptile.

He was a gracious Pokemon. That Pokemon fought for my dad. Even when the chips were down it kept fighting. When an opponent knocked it down it got back up. All because he didn't want to let my dad down. My dad never put Sceptile in his Pokeball. Apparently when he was my age Treecko never wanted to be in his ball. He would hit the ball away. My dad told me he didn't know what to do until one day he got very sick.

My dad was at the hospital with a very bad fever. The doctors thought he was never going to wake up because of the potential damage done on the brain from his overheated body. One night Treecko walked to the Hospital and found his room. My dad said he woke up one morning with Treecko laying on his chest.

From that moment forward he never tried to put Treecko in his Pokeball.

They fought so many battles together. They won a lot.

Sceptile is still in Hoenn. He is with my uncle and aunt. They run a trainer school and Sceptile acts as a bodyguard of sorts. He is still a legend in Hoenn.

As I continued to reminisce about Hoenn I received a video message from Liko. Professor Burnet wanted Caleb and I to swing by later.

So after we finished up at the pool, we quickly showered and walked over to Professor Burnet's Research facility. She had prepared some dinner for us to eat, which was good because I was so hungry.

It was a little quiet as we ate, so I began to wonder why we were here in the first place. I mean we were invited.

So I asked.

"Oh um. It's because of Team Skull," Burnet says.

"What about them?"

"You two are close to finishing up the trials here in Akala. Once you beat Olivia, which I have no doubt you both with do, you will be going to Ula'Ula Island."

Liko then looked towards me and asked if I knew anything about Ula'Ula Island. I shook my head.

"Team Skull controls a town. Po Town used to be under their control years ago. Then they lost it when Guzma vanished. But he came back with more of a purpose. He gained control back and well, we fear what he is planning."

"What do you mean?" Caleb asked.

Professor Burnet took a deep breath and place her fork on the plate below.

"I don't know. That's what worries me. He is more focused this time. His grunts are still a joke, but he has smarter people working with him. You haven't seen them yet."

"Why are you telling us this?" I asked.

Another pause and deep breath from Burnet. Liko also looked concerned and tentative.

"You've been a pain in their side, Cameron. You and Caleb. Be alert in Ula'Ula. I suggest putting Skitty in his Pokeball too."

Skitty growled, waking from his slumber.

Burnet chuckled. "Yes, your Skitty is quite the unique Pokemon. Stubborn." She rubbed his ear relaxing him back to a sleep.

We didn't talk anymore about Team Skull and Ula'Ula Island. Heck, we didn't talk a lot about anything. There was a lot of glancing from Caleb to me, me to Liko, and Liko to Burnet. There was something hovering over us but nobody wanted to address it.

So we didn't.

At the end of the night Caleb and I got ready to leave. As we were about to leave I recalled our run in with the man in white earlier. A part of me told me that I should tell Burnet but I wasn't sure why.

"Um, someone came up to us earlier in all-white and said something really strange," I started.

"What?" Burnet asked confused.

"He asked us if we had ever seen a Nihilego before." Burnet and Likos eyes shot wide open like something jolted their memory.

"What else did he say?" Burnet asked as she stepped towards me.

"He said 'It's a fantastically beautiful beast.'"

Burnet turned around and I watched as her shoulder rose and slowly descended as she breathed heavily.

"I don't know," she said. Liko looked at her and then at me.

That's when I remember my first encounter with Liko. He had a sheet of paper that mentioned something called an Ultra Beast. I thought about asking them about it, but Burnet just lied to me. She might lie again so what was the point.

"What did this man look like? You said he wore all white?"

"Yes. And he had green glasses. He looked pretty old, too" Caleb responded.

Burnet's expression didn't change. Either it didn't ring a bell or it did and she's trying to hide it. Nobody said another word which aggravated me so I just left.

When I got back to the hotel room Liko message me, "If you see that man again, run."

"Who is he?" I messaged back.

I got no response.