Goh stood slack-jawed over Chloe as she laid on that battlefield, wracked with pain. His eyes searched her form for a wound that was causing the agony but all he saw was the gentle, mixed glow of red, yellow, and blue, along with hints of flame, electricity, and water that gave her body a strange, otherworldly glow.

It was a glow that Goh recognized. And it made his heart leap into his throat.

"Why…? Why is this happening?"

The what, as strange as it was, he had already pieced together. What Goh needed was the why.

Eevee pawed at her trainer's side, her brown eyes looking frantically all over her trainer to determine what was wrong. Goh watched Eevee place her paws on Chloe's side and then leap back like the girl was burning hot.

"I… I'm alright…"

Chloe grunted out the words as she sat up, still feeling the pain that came with the strange glow that she seemed to have. Her green eyes went wide as she caught the sight of her arms glowing with the strange, flowing aura. "What…? What's happening to me?" As though she was being punished for asking, she flinched again as the pain returned, though she remained sitting.

Hapu stood by, her lips pursed with concern. "We should bring her back to my home so that she can rest," the Kahuna said. "I know not what Tapu Fini's spray of water triggered… I have never seen anything of this sort, nor have I heard stories about their power causing something like this."

"Right," Ash said, tugging on the bill of his cap. "Let's go, everyone."

Goh turned to Chloe and offered his hand, which she took to pull herself up.

"...!"

There was a familiar, heavy feeling coursing through Chloe's hand, but Goh held on until she was righted. "Thanks, Goh…"

He gave her a brave smile. "You just take it easy, okay? We'll get back and you can just rest."

"R-Right."

Quillon watched Chloe carefully with his red eyes, but said nothing as the group began to head down Poni Breaker Coast back towards Hapu's house. All the while they did, Goh heard Chloe wince and gasp as they continued to move, as though each step brought more tremors of pain that came with the glowing, three-colored aura around her.

"Chloe…"

Even as a whisper, his girlfriend heard her name on his lips.

"I-I'm alright, Goh," she said, smiling with clenched teeth. "Please don't-"

At that moment, she shouted in pain again and began to fall, but Goh stepped close and caught her in his arms.

Once again, he felt that familiar weight.

"'Don't worry'? You're saying that while you're like this? Chloe, I know you act strong and want to help, but sometimes you just have to let me handle things, alright?"

Goh's words came out a bit more forcefully than he'd have liked, but from where he was holding her, Chloe looked up at him and weakly nodded. "Alright…"

"Ash, can you take Grookey and my backpack?"

Hearing his name, the chimp sat up and turned to Ash, who was watching this play out. The trainer nodded. "Right, c'mere, Grookey. We need to let Goh handle this."

"Grooki…" the chimp sighed, taking another sad look at Goh and Chloe before leaping from Goh's shoulder to Ash's head.

Goh slid his backpack off of his shoulders and handed it to Ash, who carried it with one arm. Goh then kneeled in front of Chloe with his back to her. "C'mon, I'll carry you on my back."

"G-Goh, y-you can't-"

He shook his head at her protests. "No, I can and I will. What did I just say about letting me handle things? You believe in me, right?"

Chloe frowned. "A-Alright…"

She put her arms around Goh's neck, and Goh stood, lifting her onto his back while he lifted her legs with his arms.

Chloe felt strangely heavy, but Goh persisted in holding her, even if he felt like she carried the weight of a mountain within her.

Slowly, he put one foot in front of the other as Hapu, Quillon, and Ash watched. The group continued down Poni Breaker Coast in relative silence except for Chloe's occasional wincing as the pain ebbed and flowed like the three-colored light that surrounded her.

Goh felt the heat of flames and the numbing jolt of electricity course through Chloe and into his back and neck, but as Chloe clinged tighter to his back, he felt his own strength surge. She needed his help, and he would give his all to do this for her. It felt like the same strength he felt when Cinderace and Argent were fighting just moments ago, that same love that pushed them past their limits was now easing his own aching muscles and filling him with strength.

He heard Chloe's voice whisper quietly just next to his ear.

"...thank you."

It was all the motivation he needed to continue to carry her.

Soon, Hapu's home came into view, complete with her Golurk continuing to gently harvest radishes in the garden up front. Hapu rushed ahead to open the door as Goh carried Chloe to the bed and set her down. Chloe's condition seemed more stable than before, but looking into her emerald eyes, Goh could still see the pain would surge through her occasionally. The thought made his heart ache, but he took her hand and smiled, sitting next to the bed.

He would give her all the strength he could muster, and feeling her gently squeeze his hand back, he could feel her gratitude.

"So does anyone know what's goin' on with her?" Ash asked, finally breaking the silence in the room as he scratched the back of his head.

Goh had pieced this much together, but when he turned to his friend, Quillon spoke up first, and what the Chaser recited gave Goh pause.

"The hidden secrets shall be uncovered by trials of Fire, Lightning, and Water," he said, looking across the room at Chloe from his seat at the table where Hapu likely took her meals. "The treasure within shall be blessed by the powers of Fire, Lightning, and Water and be purified."

Goh nodded, turning to his girlfriend. "It will be called the One who Chases the Rainbow, most beloved by the gods. Offer your prayers at the foot of the Rainbow, and God will descend."

Ash gasped. "The legend?"

"That is the full legend you all spoke of earlier, was it not?" Hapu asked. "And you believe this has a connection to Chloe's condition?"

Goh gave Chloe's hand a comforting squeeze, but he nodded. "Yeah… You see, at the temple where we found that legend, we also found a pure white feather. After taking it to some ruins in the Raizen Mountains in the Kanto region, we came across shrines to legendary Pokémon - Entei, Raikou, and Suicune. And as the feather came into contact with the powers of those legendary Pokémon, it took on the colors and the glow that Chloe has now."

Ash gasped. "Goh, are you sure…?"

His eyes met Ash's and though his friend's gaze was clearly searching for a reason why it couldn't be the case, there was no doubt in Goh's mind. "I am. Do you remember when Morty and I talked about how the feather felt to hold?"

Ash crossed his arms and frowned in thought as Pikachu patted the side of his head from his shoulder. "Yeah… you all said it made you feel unworthy, right?"

"It felt heavy," Goh said, looking at Chloe's hand as she laid on the bed. "Like Chloe's hand does right now. Even if it's not really any heavier, it feels like…"

"Like a sin."

Quillon offered the word Goh was looking for, but it just made Ash frown. "A sin?"

"It means 'an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law'. A crime against a god or other holy being."

Hapu frowned. "But you do not believe it is Chloe who has committed this crime against the divine, do you Chaser Quillon?"

"No," he said. "It's only the person attempting to carry the feather that felt the weight of their own sins." He fixed his eyes on Chloe. "She's just become an instrument of the divine."

For a moment, Goh's mind drifted to the past, and all the times he had done things that had hurt Chloe, whether intentionally or by accident. Thinking on the word, he almost let Chloe's hand go, feeling the weight of his own misdeeds now as keenly as he did as he carried Chloe on his back or touched the feather.

But as he went to do so, Chloe squeezed his hand tighter, and he looked at her. Though there was pain in her eyes, she forced a smile on her lips. "It'll be alright, Goh," she said with a serene smile. "I know we'll find an answer to this."

Seeing her faith, he could do nothing but respond with the feelings in his own heart.

"Right. We'll get to the bottom of this. I know it."

"You said this feather you all discovered came to glow like she does after coming into contact with legendary Pokémon?" Hapu asked. "Has Chloe come into contact with Pokémon like that?"

Goh almost felt like he was being transported back in time as he nodded, the images coming into his mind's eye.

"Yeah… first she was attacked by Ho-Oh."

The scene played before his eyes like he was experiencing it for the first time. Chloe, standing in the orange and green kimono that belonged to the sisters in Ecruteak City, took the full brunt of Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire. The blue and red mixed flames didn't inflict any physical harm on her body, but it seemed to burn the life out of her, as well as reducing the very feather they were discussing into golden, glittering ashes.

It was the very ashes of the feather that were able to restore her life, in fact.

"I wonder if that's related… the feather was burned into Sacred Ashes and we used them to heal Chloe after she was injured by the attack…"

"Did you use all of the ashes up?" Hapu asked. "Perhaps these sacred ashes could be used to cure what ails Chloe now?"

Goh clenched his free hand into a fist. "We don't have them anymore. We used them to make a Poké Ball."

The Kahuna frowned. "I feel as though the story you told me earlier was far more abridged than you were letting on. What sort of Poké Ball would take Sacred Ashes?"

"One said to be able to capture a god," Quillon said, leaning back in his chair.

Goh scowled at him. "It's true, but you make it sound like I'm the one who sinned."

"It would make sense why your girlfriend feels heavy, wouldn't it?" he asked back.

And to that, Goh had no response.

"So she encountered Ho-Oh," Hapu said. "And your legend mentions the sequence of fire, lightning, and water. Did she encounter another legendary Pokémon to help complete the set that was just finished by Tapu Fini?"

Goh nodded. "In the Kalos Region, she went to stop Team Rocket from capturing Zapdos. And they used their electricity on her as well. Ash, do you remember that pouch Chloe had?"

Ash scratched the back of his head. "Y'mean the one she had the Sacred Ashes in? Yeah, but she hasn't worn it in a little while right?"

"Not since the ashes were taken out."

Chloe's voice rose as she sat up, finally releasing Goh's hand. In the dark of the room, she was still glowing with the strange, three colored aura, but she seemed fine for the moment.

"When Zapdos attacked me, it really hurt. I ended up using more of the Sacred Ashes to get rid of the pain I was feeling. And when it ended-"

"- the jade embedded in it was turned from green to yellow," Goh said. "Just like the kimono went from orange to red."

Chloe nodded. "I… never would have guessed this would have happened," she said. "When we read about the legend back in Pokélantis, I thought we really discovered what it was about; the succession crisis for that ancient kingdom. But if it doesn't match that, then what does it all mean?"

Goh crossed his arms and thought for an answer, but Hapu spoke up first.

"Just because something means one thing, that does not mean that's all it means."

When everyone in the room turned to her, she put her hands on her hips.

"Honestly, do I need to spell that out? Just because it is raining, it doesn't mean you need only an umbrella. You also need rainboots and to be careful!"

The Kahuna's simple wisdom struck a chord with Goh, and he turned back to Chloe.

"So… maybe the legend meant multiple things?"

"Well… if it's really tied into their culture, maybe they meant for it to be instructions on how to prepare the feather after all? And maybe it was set up in a way where following the instructions would be something any of the people would understand?"

Chloe's hypothesis felt a bit lacking, but it seemed to fit.

"That must mean we fulfilled the legend by accident," Goh explained, "by exposing Chloe to the powers of legendary Pokémon that shared types with Entei, Raikou, and Suicune."

It was a frustrating answer, but from what he now understood, there wasn't really an alternative.

"But that just raises the question again…" he said. "And it's a question we don't have an answer to."

Chloe nodded. "Yeah, nothing Dad tried could figure it out."

Ash frowned. "You mean what kind of Pokémon's feather that was?"

"Our systems weren't able to identify it, either," Quillon said. "We thought it might belong to an undiscovered Pokémon, but we didn't want to announce anything without being certain."

And so, the first mystery that Goh thought was solved had returned with new imperative. The feather might have been used for the strange ritual, but if they couldn't identify what Pokémon it came from, it left a potentially huge part of the mystery unsolved. Understanding why the feather could take in the power of the legendary Pokémon would be the key to using what they knew to help Chloe.

But with no leads on the mystery Pokémon's identity, they would have to try another way. "This is just a dead end," Goh said. "We have to figure out how to get whatever is in Chloe out of there so she won't suffer!"

Hapu scratched at her chin. "Well… now that I understand what's happened a bit more, perhaps there is something we can do."

The room turned its attention towards Hapu. "What are you thinking?" Goh asked.

"If the power that was bestowed onto Chloe came in part from Tapu Fini, and this power was what triggered the harmful effects," Hapu supposed, "then perhaps we should simply ask Tapu Fini to relieve her of this harm and pain?"

"Do you think that'd work?" Quillon asked.

"I think so," Ash spoke up. "The Tapu might not be the easiest to get along with, but they're a lot friendlier than I think they get credit for. Especially since they're sensitive to things that could affect Alola, too."

Goh vaguely recalled the discussion he had about creatures called Ultra Beasts after meeting with Ash's friend Lillie, but shook his head. He needed to focus.

"If going back to the Ruins of Hope is what you guys think the best solution is, then I'm willing to try it," Goh said, turning back towards Chloe. "What about you?"

She gave a nod. "It feels like that'll be the only way forward is to get something done about this… and we didn't ask Tapu Fini about the island either when we saw them last.

"Then it's settled," Quillon said. "Let's head back there."

Goh crouched by the bed again to carry Chloe on his back, which she accepted as she clung to him.

As the group once again set down Poni Breaker Path, Goh once more felt Chloe's supernatural weight bearing down on him. If what Quillon supposed was true, it was the weight of his own misdeeds that he was feeling - the weight of his unworthiness.

Goh quietly retreated into his thoughts, ignoring the burning feeling in his legs and the occasional pains from the magical affliction plaguing Chloe and his mind settled on the matter of the weight.

If the weight of the feather was due to a sin - a crime against a particular god - then that god would have to be the god of the people of Pokélantis, and Goh knew the identity of that particularly fickle deity.

He formed the shape of the word with his lips breathlessly.

Mew.

One of the various rumors he had seen over the years of his research into the mythical Mew was that they only showed themselves before pure-hearted trainers. Much like Ho-Oh, this was a qualifier that Goh was sure he didn't meet. He could be selfish, greedy, vain, prideful, and arrogant at times. He had once tried to trade Chloe for a map, and on many occasions hid the truth about things from her either to protect her or to protect himself. And being someone who professed to love her, this weighed on his conscience just as much as Chloe's divine form weighed on his back.

At the same time, he could feel his heart thump ever more joyously in his chest, holding her this close to him. He did love her. It was a love that grew out of a securely rooted friendship where they completely understood each other and had the other's trust and faith.

It felt strange, then, that Chloe and Mew, the girl he loved and the god he chased, would find themselves intertwined in such a way. He hated seeing Chloe in pain, and if this was Mew's doing, then he would definitely have some choice words for the Pokémon.

After, perhaps, using his Goh's Special Ball - the ultimate Poké Ball made by the master craftsman Kurt - to finally catch them.

"You're being way too quiet," Chloe whispered in his ear.

Even in the hot Alolan sun, he felt Chloe's breath against his neck. "Sorry," he said. "I've just got a lot on my mind."

She giggled. "Well, that's a first," she teased. "Try not to overload any of your circuits, okay?"

He knew what she was doing. She could tell he was dwelling on negative thoughts and she was trying to lighten the mood with some playful flirtatious bantering.

Goodness, did he love her. He was going to give her exactly what she was asking for.

"The only thing overloading me is you," he said, hoisting her a bit higher on his back. "You feel like you've put on a lot of weight, Miss Cerise. Have you been sneaking extra desserts at dinner again?"

"Careful, Goh," she whispered, drawing her lips that much closer to his ear. "You know that many gods consider lying to be a sin. You wouldn't want me to feel even heavier, right?"

He laughed to himself. "I can think of worse places to be," he said. "You're probably enjoying getting so many piggyback rides, aren't you?"

She giggled and kissed the side of his head. "Maybe a little. But that's just because my boyfriend is so big and strong."

"You ever think you're enjoying this too much?" Goh asked.

She stuck her tongue out at him, which he only barely saw out of the corner of his eye. "You like holding me, right? Just because-" she grunted, and Goh felt the numbing charge of electricity zip through him as well. "-because I'm a bit heavier shouldn't change that."

"And here I thought I shouldn't make jokes about a girl's weight," Goh mused out loud.

Chloe laughed out loud at that. "You started off by making a joke about my weight, remember?"

"Yeah, I did," he said. "Thanks, Chloe."

"For reminding you?"

He shook his head. "For always putting others first."

He saw her cheek turn red out of the corner of his eye and she withdrew, putting her head against the back of his head. She hissed out a bit more pain, and Goh felt a surge of heat along his back that made him stumble a little, but he found his footing and continued as Ash and the others slowly drew ahead.

"Maybe we should have gotten you one of those safety gloves. Do they come in teenager size?

Chloe snorted out a laugh. "Yeah, that would have worked. But you'd be the one to wear it, wouldn't you?
Goh laughed back. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Chloe went quiet again, but Goh didn't press her to keep talking. He could only imagine the pain she was in at the moment, so it was good if she rested as much as she could.

The group eventually came to the Ruins of Hope. The entrance was located inside of a tide pool that was thankfully still drained as the tide hadn't come back in quite yet. Past the entranceway was a chamber that still looked to have water standing in it, as well as a platform of stone and wooden steps leading up to the top. At the top was an altar, themed with purple paint. There were four lanterns around what appeared to be an area for placing offerings, and large palm leaves fanning out towards the back of the altar.

Goh mustered his strength and carried Chloe's mystically weighted form up the stairs before setting her down on the altar.

With Chloe off his back, Grookey leapt from Ash's shoulder to his. Goh kneeled at the altar, with Hapu kneeling next to him as Chloe laid down.

The image gave Goh chills. It reminded him of a funeral.

Down below, Ash, Pikachu, Eevee, and Quillon watched with eager eyes.

Hapu raised her hands in the air. "Keeper of the Abyss, holy Tapu Fini, we beseech you! Please appear before us and tell us what ails this girl!"

At first, there's no response. But Goh listened closely, and he heard the sound of bubbles in the water. Before long, the strange, purple fish shape rose out of the water before opening up and revealing Tapu Fini's true form to them again.

"Fiieee?" she asked as she floated on mystical power up to the offering altar where Goh's beloved was laying.

Goh did the only thing he could think of before the god, and he bowed his head in their presence.

"Tapu Fini, please! Is there any way you can help take this pain away from Chloe? Is there any way you can reverse this and take the power you put in her back?"

Tapu Fini focused their blue eyes onto Goh's before slowly shaking their head. "Tapuuu…"

"Tapu Fini says that this is not something they can do," Hapu said, translating for the Pokémon.

"Aw, man…!" Ash groaned.

Goh was undeterred. "Please, is there anything you can do? Anything that can ease Chloe's pain for this?"

Tapu Fini floated over to Chloe and placed their hand on her forehead. Chloe frowned and Goh could tell from the look on her face that she was about to say something snarky, but she held her tongue and said nothing as Tapu Fini hummed while they pressed their hand to Chloe's head.

"Tapu fini! Fieenini!"

Hapu blinked in surprise. "Did I… hear you right?"

"What did they say?" Goh asked.

Hapu turned to him. "Tapu Fini said that there is a way for them to ease Chloe's suffering, but they will only do this for you on one condition."

Goh nodded. "Anything! Anything Tapu Fini wants!"

"Tapupupu..,! Fifiieni feenini Tafupu!"

Hapu nodded and turned back to Goh.

"Tapu Fini wants you to complete a Trial."

"A Trial?" Goh asked, frowning.

"A Trial is a special task given to Pokémon Trainers in the Alola Region to prove themselves," Hapu explained. "Tapu Fini wants to know if you're worthy to receive their aid."

Goh gestured to Chloe as he looked past Hapu to Tapu Fini themself.. "Why test me? Chloe is already worthy, isn't she? Can't you help her?"

The island's god shook their head. "Fini tapu fini."

"You are the one who must partake in the trial," Hapu explained. "Because Tapu Fini also knows what you came here for in the first place."

Goh's eyes went wide. "They even know that?" Did this mean that Tapu Fini knew they had come searching for the mysterious island on the map? Would this trial reveal to Goh its location?

Ash laughed from below, at the foot of the stairs that lead up the altair. "Tapu Fini's kinda amazing, right?"

"Pikachu…"

Quillon scoffed. "They did watch the battle earlier. I'm sure they picked it up somewhere around then."

"Tapu fini. Fini, fini tapu fini."

"Tapu Fini warns you that only you, Goh, as the winner of the battle earlier, are allowed to partake in this Trial," Hapu explained. "Do you accept?"

Goh nodded. "Whatever it takes, I'll do it. For Chloe and to find the faraway island, I'll do whatever I have to."

"Finininininininini!"

Tapu Fini began to hum in an almost musical way, and the entranceway that everyone took to enter the Ruins of Hope became cloaked in a strange fog. Beyond the archway, Goh couldn't see what was outside anymore.

"Head into Tapu Fini's mist, Goh," Hapu said. "But beware. You may encounter something strange while you're within, beyond your imagination. You must complete the task that will be apparent once you enter the mist, and only then will you be allowed to return."

Chloe sat up. "Hey, wait? He'll only be allowed to return if he completes this task?" Another spark of electricity zapped her, but it wasn't enough to cause her braid to be undone, though it was looking a bit frayed now from what Goh could see. "So if he never finishes it?"

"He will never return," Hapu said. "There was always going to be a risk involved."

She looked at Goh, and he could see the concern and fear in her emerald eyes. But he also saw the faith that he knew was there, and the internal strength he knew she carried.

So he leaned in and softly pressed his lips to hers, feeling a zap of electricity through him as he did so. Breaking the kiss, he smiled at her. "It's okay, Chloe. I promise, I'll be back."

Chloe nodded. "Good luck. I love you."

"I love you, too."

As Goh descended the stairs, he came to see Ash and Quillon, though the latter seemed to be averting his gaze, looking embarrassed.

"What's up, Quillon?"

"It's nothing."

Ash held up a fist. "Good luck, Goh! You've got this!"

And to his good friend, Goh could only smile back and meet Ash's fist with his own. "I'll be back faster than you know, so don't sweat it."

Grookey crawled into Goh's arm and held his paw out for Pikachu, who hopped on Ash's and met Grookey where the trainers fists met, exchanging words of encouragement.

"Pika pikachu!"

"Grook!"

Steeling himself, Goh turned and walked into the strange mist, not really knowing what to expect. He stepped through the archway and further into the deep, thick fog.

It wasn't long until he realized he had stepped much farther than he should have been able to. Surely he would have come to the side of the tide pool by now, right?

But all he saw around him was swirling mist and nothing else.

He took a few more steps forward, wondering when this trial would start when suddenly his eyelids became very heavy, even as he was walking. It became difficult to keep his eyes open in the mist, and soon, he felt himself falling to the ground and quickly succumbing to sleep.