Alola Adventure

Chapter 7

By: Gandire

Ponyta stops outside Diglett's Tunnel. Calem wonders if he rode too fast as he looks down at Lana. She rides side straddle in front of him to keep from falling. When they first set off, she tried to maintain some distance, but now leans against him with her eyes squeezed shut. Yet, despite how tight her arms are wrapped around him, she doesn't appear upset.

Lana loosens her grip around Calem and peeks open her eyes. She doesn't, however, remove herself from him. "We're here?"

"Don't sound so happy. Ponyta can easily go over this mountain and drop you at home."

Lana shakes her head and slides off of Ponyta's back. "N-no, Konikoni City isn't far from here. But more than that, my sisters would never stop bringing it up. But, I am thankful that you brought me this far. Riding together with you was… an experience. I'll be going, I'll see you again." She waves and enters the cave.

Calem continues down the road at a slower pace atop of Ponyta. Professor Kukui called earlier asking him to stop by the Dimensional Research Lab in Heahea City. Apparently, there's something he wants him to see. He hears Lillie shouting just as he reaches the building's entrance. "Go, Nebby! Use… use splash!"

He sees Serena giggling as he round the gate. She says, "You may want to use tackle attack instead."

"Pew?"

Lillie sighs, "I was just trying to act like you and Calem. Nebby… Nebby always seems to end up getting hurt. So I never really liked pokemon trainers or thought that I'd want to become one myself. But when I see you, Calem, and even Hau, it's like some door has been thrown open I always thought closed. The way you three stride straight through into the future is just amazing."

Nebby notices Calem dismounting Ponyta and drifts over to him with a, "Pew?"

Lillie turns and, "Oh! Ca-Calem, how long have you been there?"

Calem stops removing the bridle and stirrups from Ponyta and throws out his hand with an over dramatic pointing of his finger. His voice is monotone, but he still drags out each words, "Go, Nebby."

Lillie's embarrassment changes into shock. Serena, however, hurries to Ponyta's side. She searches Calem's bag for a brush and scrubs Ponyta's fur. She says, "There are no carrots… Calem, years have gone by since the last time, take me riding later."

Calem gives an awkward smile at Serena's comment. "Ponyta only knows how to go fast."

Lillie says, "By the way, Calem, I feel like it's been a while since we last met. Thank you for introducing me to Serena, she's been very kind to me. Th- there's a laboratory here that studies the dimensions, did you know? The professor is waiting inside to meet you! How… how were your trials? It must be quite trying to do three in a row."

Serena says, "Are they different from collecting the 8 gym badges?"

Calem furrows his eyebrows as he thinks back on his journey. "They are if you compare each trial as a gym challenge. The trials are more like sections of the journey from getting a pokemon to reaching the league. They're a lot like the daily, every day, struggles trainers and their pokemon go through on their adventures."

Lillie says, "Goodness, then tackling all three of Akala Island's trials were no trouble for you? I suppose that explains it. The reason Ponyta looks so content and has such faith in you, I mean."

Lillie then leads Calem and Serena in to the building. As they reach the door, Rotom says, "Off to the Dimensional Research Lab! Zzzp! Though the dimensions of my 'Dex are perfect…"

The joke gets a giggle from Serena. "What a lively Rotom-dex."

"Lady, you szzzure know your szztuff. Bzzt."

Professor Kukui meets them in the lobby. Upon riding the elevator up to the laboratory, he steps out and waves his hands, "Hey there, honey!"

The head scientist, Calem assumes from her attire, turns to them. "Oh, hi!"

Professor Kukui introduces her to Calem and Serena. "This here's Professor Burnet. She runs the Dimensional Research Lab, yeah…"

Serena presses him with a hard stare, "And?"

"And she's also my wife!"

"That's amazing! Professor Sycamore always said never marrying was one of his biggest regrets. I believe that that is why he always treated us as his children."

Professor Burnet says, "Professor Sycamore, we met a few times. He was always calm and well-mannered no matter what my husband did. The two of you must be Calem and Serena. Lillie has told me a lot about you. She claims you're both very reliable.

"Three months ago… I found Lillie lying on the beach. Cosmog in her bag also unconscious." She looks around, "Hm? No Hau today?"

Professor Kukui says, "Hau? He's out doing his own thing. But he'll be the real deal someday… He could even become a Kahuna, just like old Hala before him!"

"You really think so?" Hau's voice surprises Lillie, Professor Kukui, and Professor Burnet. He must have taken the stairs since the elevator didn't sound off.

Professor Kukui says, "Whoa-ho! Well, yeah, I really do."

Professor Burnet says, "Good to see you again, Hau! It's been a while since I last saw you. Any luck finding a girlfriend?"

Hau's eyes shift towards Lillie and Serena, but instead of answering, he chuckles.

Professor Kukui says, "Anyhow, I brought Calem and Hau here because I wanted you to tell them about some of the mysterious phenomena here in Alola."

"I'd be happy to! Now, if you're talking about Alola's mysteries, you've got to mean the ultra-wormhole!"

Calem and Serena speak in complete synchronization even down to their emphasis and intonation. "The ultra wormhole?"

Professor Burnet chuckles and continues. "It's extremely rare, but sometimes a hole opens in the sky over Alola. It appears that this rift leads to a different and unknown dimension. We think there may be a mysterious dimension because of the legends of fearsome pokemon appearing from the ultra wormhole."

"Pew!"

"It's very weak as proof, but we can't ignore it. There is also plenty of evidence already in the pokedex for the existence of different dimensions."

Hau says, "Fearsome pokemon…?"

Professor Brunet says, "Normal wild pokemon sometimes attack people, right? Well, the pokemon that appeared from the ultra wormhole went way beyond that. They were called Ultra Beasts… and they were feared. If the stories are to be believed, the guardian deities of the islands fought desperately against them. But like I said, it's all legends and folktales. We can't know how much is true. I would be very happy if I could somehow unravel the mysteries of the ultra wormhole by studying the dimensional disturbances!"

Calem's hand slides to his black pokeball as he glances towards Serena. Her eyes meet with his in confirmation. She says, "Those stories are probably true. Kalos had a similar myth about a pokemon known as Zygarde. A protector of the ecosystem, he would appear during times of great danger. True to the story, he sacrificed himself to protect the world from Team Flare's ultimate weapon. Calem, did something more just occur to you?"

"Maybe… I met a trainer the other day. She told me Zygarde wasn't destroyed, just broken down and scattered about Alola. She going around collecting its cells and cores on behalf of Sina and Dexio. There's one thing that's been bothering me, though. Out of the entire planet, why are Zygarde's pieces just here? That blast should have spread the pieces into the regions surrounding Kalos."

Professor Brunet says, "You think the ultra wormhole is involved."

"The ultimate weapon was powered by two powerful pokemon. When it fired… I wouldn't be surprised if it could blast through to another dimension."

Serena says, "But, if Zygarde was involved, then other legendary and mythical pokemon could have also been helping behind the scenes. Hoopa could have captured his pieces and sent them here. Although, one important question arises in both scenarios."

Professor Burnet says, "You mean, why Alola? If either of those reason are true, then the ultra wormholes may be involved."

"You were there…" Hau speaks in a low voice. He looks to Calem and says, "You also fought in the Last Night of Kalos."

"Pretty much everyone in Kalos was involved in one way or another."

"No, you were there. What you just said, you saw everything happen. In a battle where the best of Kalos were involved, you fought too. Where's your team who fought alongside you? I gotta battle them! Come on, let's battle! I want a real challenge against you this time."

A moment passes and everyone but Hau picks up on the sudden mood shift. Calem's arm twitches as he stops himself from breaking Hau's nose. He takes a breath and forces his fist to uncurl. In the end, he shrugs, "You'd have a better chance of falling into an ultra worm hole than matching against them."

Calem turns to Professor Burnet. He speaks with an natural sweetness that makes wonder if he's messing with them or if he ate something strange. "It was really nice meeting you, and I do wish you the best of luck, but I need to start preparing for Kakuna Oliva's trial. It's the grand trial, after all. Au revoir."

…..

Inside the Dimensional Lab, Hau cups his chin. "Actually, I can't really picture Calem being that strong. He should easily be beating me, but I've won every match so far. Hey, Serena, how exactly di-"

A loud cracking sound echoes within the lab as Serena slaps Hau. The anger in her glare silences everyone. "Do you think of anything other than yourself?" She turns to Professor Kukui, "Calem left without saying anything, but does he actually know where to find Kahuna Olivia?"

"Probably not, yeah. If you're going to go look for him, cousin, let him know that her home is in Konikoni City. One more thing, he doesn't have to face her today or anything. Oliva has already waited a few days for him to collect his Z-crystals, she won't mind waiting a few more, woo!"

Serena nods and heads for the elevator. Lillie enters with her as the door opens. Before Serena can says anything, Lillie says, "That was weird. Nebby and I are worried."

"Pew!"

"He's always so impassive about everything. Today's the first I've ever seen him so… animated or interested in anything. But now, he… that just wasn't… he felt wrong." Lillie puts her hands together before her chest, "In Kalos… did he… did his pokemon…"

Serena stops Lillie by placing a hand upon her shoulder. "You are a kind person. Let us just say Calem and I were almost in each other's places."

"I… I see. Then, do you know where we could probably find him?"

Serena starts to answer as they leave the building, but an overwhelming sight shocks her into silence. A giant hole made of blue and purple light is in the sky. It closes in on itself after a few seconds, leaving both her and Lillie speechless. A few minutes pass before Serena can find her voice. "As- as I was saying. Calem will have mounted Ponyta and is now riding him wherever the road leads. He will not stop until he finds a quiet place to be by himself. Honestly, we would never find him; I just wanted an excuse to leave. The best we can do is leave Calem alone. He will come to us once he has calmed down."

"Then… then what should we do?"

"We still have yet to visit the ruins. Today we can travel Diglett's Tunnel, take a quick survey of the area, spend a night in the pokemon center, and return to explore the ruins in depth at dawn."

"What should we do about the ultra tunnel we just saw? Should we tell Professor Burnet?"

"There is nothing we can do about it and their machines must have picked it up. Besides, I do not want to go back in there at the moment."

Serena and Lillie walk through Diglett's Tunnel in casual chitchat. Lillie gasps upon reaching the top of some stairs and dives behind a stalagmite. Further ahead, a pair in white uniforms converse about how the diglett uprising "is finally being quelled." One of them notes Serena and calls out to her, "Oh! Alola! We're members of the Aether Foundation. We work to support pokemon conservation. Team Skull did something to rile up the diglett in this cave."

The other Aether Foundation member says, "Team Skull really is a batch of troublemakers. They delight in interfering with trainers and their pokemon. Diglett normally live in elaborate systems of underground tunnels that take years to dig out. We're here to ensure that they return to their tunnels and let people pass through here without having to fight against each other so much."

"Well, we need to get back to work. Be careful, now."

Serena says to Lillie, "You can stop hiding, they have left. They appear alright, but did they do something to you?"

Lillie is cut off from answering by a Team Skull thug. Two of them step forward, one male and the other female. "Man… Things were heatin' up and then I got surrounded by diglett and beat up, yo! Yo, since when can diglett use beat up? Now I'm in the mood to beat some fools up myself, yo! Don't be mad 'cause you're the fool dumb enough to be here right now."

Serena places herself between Lillie and two Team Skull thugs. Furry laces her calm demeanor. "I am not in the mood."

The female Team Skull thug wags a finger. "Hold up, there. I don't like your attitude. You'll be taking us both on, now."

The first Team Skull thug says, "Yo, wait up. That cape, yo… don't that make her the chick who harassed our compatriots the other day. Yo, taking her out s'gonna make the boss super happy! Let's do this, yo!"

Serena calls out "Absol" while clutching her mega-necklace. "I will show you the same thing I showed them!" A white light surrounds Absol as he mega-evolves, "Night slash!"

Mega-Absol tears through their Salandit and Fomantis. The two Team Skull thugs call back their pokemon, but before they can complain, Serena says, "Psycho cut!" The two scream and run away. "Make them regret everything they have done, Absol!"

Lillie reaches out to Serena with some hesitation. Even Nebby trembles from the anger and hostility on her face. Lillie works up her nerve and touches Serena's shoulder. "Se- Serena? Serena, it's over. They're gone…"

"Li- Lillie?" Serena says, remembering herself. She hugs Absol who returns to her side and says, "Sorry, I showed you something unsightly. Hau was just so thoughtless. He does not know the truth, so I cannot blame him, but still! Thinking about it makes me so mad…"

As they trek through the cave, Serena fights off wild pokemon with Chesnaught and Vaporeon. Many trainers call out to challenge her, but back off upon seeing her champion's mantel. Lillie says, "That cape must really be useful when you're in a hurry."

"I hate it. People would always ask me to battle back when I was a random trainer. Now they are too afraid to even speak to me. Then there is all the invitations to visit different events, give speeches, and act as a representative for Kalos. I cannot do anything without first considering how it might affect my reputation or standing because that in turn reflects on the pokemon league."

"It's that heavy of a burden?"

"I am the Final Champion of Kalos. My actions will influence the finishing touches to Kalos's legacy."

A silence falls among the two as they enter Tapu Lele's Ruins of Life. Upon climbing up the stairs to the shrine, Lillie says, "I can't even begin to imagine the weight of that responsibility. My mother always insisted on deciding everything for me. She never even let me choose my own clothes. Learning more about Nebby… I mean Cosmog, was the first decision I ever made. That was three months ago.

"I wanted to consult Professor Burnet, but got lost along the way and ended up wandering about until I collapsed on the shore… She listened to my story, staying up all night to hear it all. And then she even got her husband, Professor Kukui, to lend me his loft to stay in… And she told him to help me investigate Nebby's origins, too. Professor Burnet has been so kind, and she's still helping me try to find a way to get Nebby back to its own home… She's been like… like a real mother to me."

The emotion in Lillie's tangent tells Serena more than the girl intended. Her decision to see Professor Burnet lead her into running away from home. Most likely, it was to protect Nebby. Everything she does is out of concern for that pokemon.

Lillie sighs, "Well, we came, but I still haven't learned anything more about Nebby…"

Serena places a hand upon Lillie's shoulder. "Do not worry, this is only the temple. We should come back tomorrow and search the surroundings. There might be some clues hidden around."

…..

Calem brushes Ponyta's fur from atop of a rock within the deepest area of Brooklet Hill. The fire pokemon gives a relaxed "neigh' and lowers his head to drink from the lake. Off on the side, Noibat practices flight maneuvers against Mawile. Calem isn't watching, but can hear them. Mawile lugs her second mouth at Noibat, but doesn't put any power behind her blows. This way, if the flying pokemon reacts too slow and gets hit, he won't get hurt.

"Calem? What are you doing-" Lana calls out to him. A ride Charizard is behind her. She starts running up to him but breaks at four feet away with her hand flying up to her nose. "Are there grimer and muk nearby? This is one of the cleanest springs on Akala Island…"

Calem looks himself over and then turns to his small campsite underneath a tree. "No, that's probably just me. I've been camping out here for the past few days and lost track of time."

"What? Why? The pokemon center isn't that far from here. Where you trying to catch Kyogre? That was just a joke."

"I just felt like camping out."

"So you came here?"

Calem points at the lake, "It has fresh water."

Lana covers her mouth with her hand as she giggles.

"That wasn't a joke…"

"No, but still, the way you said that, it was funny. Actually, I came out here to get some fish for supper. I'm going fishing with my father and grandfather tomorrow morning and we need something to boost our energy. If you're free… maybe… perhaps you'd like to join us? You could come over today to meet everyone and get yourself cleaned up. You really should get yourself cleaned up…"

Calem thinks back to Professor Kukui's rickety boat. He was rendered useless the entire time it was out on the sea. "I don't do well with ships."

"You can help out by riding Lapras together with me. Our job will be helping guide the net out across the current. Then when it's full, we close it and bring it back to the ship."

Calem can't make himself say, "no" to the eagerness shining from Lana eyes. "Sure, sounds like fun. But seriously, I can't handle ships."

A relieved and bright smile spreads across Lana's face. "Great, then once I get enough fish, we can head to Konikoni City. I'll ride Charizard, you take Ponyta, and we can meet at the city entrance. From there we can walk the rest of the way."

Lana opens the door to her house a few hours later. Calem walks in carrying the fish she caught. The stench helps mask his odor, or at least, that's what Lana said when she passed it to him. She points to a cooling box in the entry way and says, "You can dump everything in there." She enter the house and says, "I brought a friend to help out with the fishing tomorrow, is the shower free?"

Her mother's reply comes from within the house. "Yes, your father already finished."

Lana drags Calem down the hall and shoves him into the bathroom. "We'll be in the living room when you're finished. Oh, and be careful. Krabby sometimes crawl out of the drain."

Calem steps out cleaned and refreshed ten minutes later. The living room, he recalls, is down the hall. Two little girls with blue hair step out from one of the rooms. One says, "Hey, a stranger! There's a stranger in the house." The other one says, "He must be sissy's friend. Are you friends with sissy?" They then take him by the hands and say, "Come on, we'll take you to sissy." They lead him into the living room and says, "Sissy, we found your friend."

Lana's mother and father grow quiet the moment they see Calem. They give their daughter a glance and then start looking him over. She never told them her "friend" is a boy.

Calem, doesn't notice. His attention is instead drawn to the wall. "Why are there so many pictures of my- ahem, Ryhorn Racer, Grace?" Newspaper clippings, magazine articles, a poster of her next to Ryhorn, and even an autograph decorate the wall. One picture makes him cringe. His mother, during her teenage years, is posing in a bikini. He did not need to see that.

Lana's grandfather looks up from the fishing rod he's fixing. "You know Grace? She hasn't raced in years. For you to know of her… you're either a bigger race fan than me or you've met her in person."

Calem stays silent for a moment. "We… know each other, yes."

"I'd give my right arm to just shake hands with her. How did you meet?"

"She's… she taught me the basics of riding."

Lana's grandfather gets up and clasps Calem's shoulder. "What's your name, kid? Feel free to stay here as long as you'd like. Any friend of Grace's is a friend of mine."

"Ca- Calem."

"Calem, it's good to meet you. I've heard that Grace has moved to Alola just recently. If you ever get the chance, please introduce me to her."

"I'll… see what I can do…"

Lana's father shakes his head. "Don't pay my father any mind, Calem. Lana says you're a trial goer, new to Alola, what do you think so far?"

"The people here are very nice and generous."

Lana's father matches Calem's gaze for a few moments and then breaks away laughing. "Is- is that sarcasm? Cheeky kid, dad already invited you, we aren't going to kick you out." His expression hardens as he says, "You can sleep on the sofa. How much do you know about fishing?"

"You cast a lure and reel it in?"

"We'll be waking up early, before the crack of dawn."

"That late? You guys sure sleep in."

He claps Calem's back. "You've got the right attitude. Let's see if your actions can match it tomorrow."

Lana's mother turns to her daughter with a sigh. The maturity and humility Calem carries himself with doesn't appear to be act. There's also an air of reliability around him. He must have gone through a lot to end up as he is at such a young age. "Even if your father does give his approval, promise me you'll wait until you're older."

Lana's sisters overhear the remark and begin to ask, "Sissy is getting married?" "Calem is sissy's boyfriend?" "We're getting a new brother? Are we, are we?" "When, when, when?"

Lana shakes her head as she turns red. "No, no, no, no! We're just friends! It's nothing like that!"

Calem helps Lana's father and grandfather pack the supplies onto their ship. Once her father says, "Well, hop on." He blanches. "I thought we'd be riding lapras?"

"Oh, relax you land lover. You'll be fine. This ship has survived everything the ocean has thrown at it and will weather to the end of time."

Calem breathes deep and leaps onboard. Lana begins explaining the different type of fish that can be found depending on where they are on the ocean, but once the ship crosses from shallow to deep ocean, Calem goes from being unease and nauseous to wanting to die. Lana is explain how she almost reeled in a wailord, "He didn't notice my tugs at all. I was getting dragged further and further out to sea. In the end, dad cut- Calem, what's wrong? Are you sea sick?"

Calem looks up at her from where he's curled into a ball. He tries to nod, but the nausea overwhelms him. Lana sticks out her tongue, "Maybe I should get Lapras ready. Just hold on a little longer, okay?"

The second Lapras is out of her ball, Calem springs from the deck and onto her back. He uses the spikes from her shell to grab on and maneuver around. Unlike the ship, Lapras isn't rocked by the waves. She disperses the energy by treading the water.

Lana says from the deck, "Wait, she isn't ready yet!"

Calem looks from Lapras's back to the equipment Lana is preparing. It looks like a chair is going to be strapped onto Lapras's back. "What's wrong with riding Lapras like this?"

"Ride pokemon need their riding gear or you might fall off…"

Calem thinks to the people he's seen riding Tauros, Sharpedo, and Charizard. "Some pokemon, yeah, but Lapras is pretty hard to fall off of."

Lana's dad laughs and says, "Ride pokemon is probably the one thing you can't comprehend, huh? Lana, in most regions, trainers ride pokemon they've been training as the pokemon is. They don't borrow or call special ride pokemon like we do. Give it a try like this. With two of you on there, this method might actually be easier. It'll also be easier to see what the two of you get up to…"

Lana hops onto Lapras. While she's finding her balance, her father tosses the opposite end of the net she and Calem will be responsible for manipulating. His throw is weak and the net arcs towards the water.

Calem dives forward. One hand grabs Lapras's lowest spike while his other hand enters the water to grab the net. He hoists himself, and the rescued net, up onto Lapras's back. Lana turns to her father. "Dad, don't give Calem a hard time!"

"Just showing him the ropes. Who knows, seeing as he can't handle boats, maybe this will be useful for him in the future!"

"Dad!" Lana turns bright red.

Calem says, "What are you getting embarrassed for? You should have at least expected much."

"Not you too!" Lana shoves Calem off of Lapras's back.

Calem grabs the lowest spike at the last second. He breathes out in relief as water splashes his cheek. If he had seen the spike even half a second later, he would have taken a plunge.

A/N: There we go, much shorter than last chapter. Calna, when I said that last chapter, I was joking. I never anticipating Lana showing up again either, or at least, not this soon. But when Calem ran out from the lab, Brooklet Hill was the only place I could think of for him to go. It's as Calem said, "It has water." Now that this happened, what should it be, Calna or Kalosshipping?

Thanks for reading, please review,

Gandire