Alola again, everyone! Hope you've had a good few weeks off from this story, because we're getting right back into it! With the trials concluded on Ula'ula for the twins, it's now time for the second half of this arc to get into full swing! And with it will be some special content courtesy of Leslie and Ash being in Sinnoh!

What's going to happen in this chapter? Well, let's find out!

POKÉMON SUN & MOON

THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME

"Hmmm…" Leslie hummed curiously, staring at the page that depicted the drawing of a Lucario in the old journal she had been given earlier. She was sitting on a bench outside the Pokémon lab, looking through the hardcover. Most of what she found in the pages were what appeared to be notes and drawing for various Pokémon, all of which resided in Sinnoh. But she noticed that many of them were missing from the book.

'They're probably in the other journals…' she inferred inwardly. From afar, her father and Goh were engaged in a battle as the latter's Cinderace had taken a ready stance. Ash's Pokémon of choice was what appeared to be a hybrid creature. It consisted of the head of a fish-like creature and the back legs and tail of a draconic being. The tail region ended abruptly at a circular cutoff. Its legs were mostly green with two pink stripes. The feet had three red claws. The neck was also mostly green but had a red stripe going up the middle. The stripe was lined with three curved spikes on both sides. Its head was roughly circular with a rounded triangular plate on the top. On the plate was a red and white region that extended between the eyes. Its mouth had three sharp teeth in the middle. Its eyes were round and had black rectangular pupils. Two fins protruded from the bottom of the jaw.

"Cinderace, Pyro Ball!" Goh ordered. The Striker Pokémon kicked up a rock from the grass, dribbling it with his feet before it ignited into a fireball, which grew bigger with each kick. He then launched it out towards his opponent.

"Dracovish, Hydro Pump!" Ash commanded. The Fossil Pokémon reared its back before unleashing a powerful torrent of water from its mouth, striking the incoming fireball in a steam-filled explosion. Goh braced himself from the rush of steam, grimacing a little. As always, his friend was two steps ahead in every battle they had. It didn't even surprise him anymore.

"Ace!" Cinderace called out to him, getting his attention.

"Right, use Quick Attack!" he instructed in response. A white outline appeared around the Striker Pokémon's body before he dashed into the steam.

"You're playing a risky game, Goh!" Ash pointed out from afar, "Dragon Rush!" he ordered, pumping his right fist out. There was a glint in Dracovish's eyes before a bluish energy in the shape of a dragon's head shrouded its body. It charged forward, slamming into its opponent just as he exited from the steam cloud and sending him flying back.

"Cinderace!" Goh exclaimed in shock, seeing his partner land upon the ground upon his stomach, grimacing as he tried to stand back up.

"Now let's finish this with Fishious Rend!" Ash called out. The Fossil Pokémon's lower jaw glowed a bright blue as it lunged out at Cinderace, who just stood back up. It spun its body around before biting on its foe, sending him tumbling back before he came to a stop right in front of his trainer.

"Sinnn…" he groaned with swirls in his eyes.

"Huh…" Goh sighed out, letting off a grin as he knelt down to help up his partner, "As always, you're as strong as ever, Ash," he complimented to his friend while getting the Striker Pokémon back onto his feet.

"I'm surprised you didn't use one of your Dragon or Fairy-types!" the Pokémon Master remarked back while petting his Dracovish, who playfully bit at his head as he chuckled. From afar, Leslie looked on and smiled. Her father had been to many places after assuming his title. Whether venturing through previous regions or discovering new lands, he caught plenty of new Pokémon.

Sometimes, Leslie wished she could fully go back to adventuring. Traveling around, catching new Pokémon, engaging in many battles… Those were things she enjoyed as a kid back when she ventured around Unova.

"Peekah, peeka!" Pikachu's voice squeaked out, getting her attention as she saw the Mouse Pokémon hop up onto the bench and crawl up to her right shoulder. She smiled.

"You wanna take a look, too?" she offered, showing him the journal. He nodded, allowing her to show him a few pages. She found one with a sketch of a Pikachu, causing him to squeak excitedly with delight.

'If this is really Sinnoh's first documented Pokédex, then there's gotta be a way to translate it…' she noted inwardly, narrowing her eyes. Some of the other pages she turned to revealed no sketches and only writing. Was this more than just a notebook?

Narrowing her eyes, she noticed a commonality with the pages. There was what looked like a signature sketched at the bottom right for each one. She couldn't read it because of the handwriting, but started to grow more and more curious…

"Pretty neat, isn't it?" Dawn's voice guessed, causing her to perk up in surprise as she turned to see her there with a tablet in her hands.

"Yeah," she responded with a nod, "Still wish I could understand what's in this…" she grumbled, putting her right fist onto her cheek out of frustration.

"Hmm…" the top coordinator hummed as she examined the page Leslie was looking at, "I think Professor Rowan was trying to see if they could use Unown writing to try and translate the journals…" she recalled.

"Unown?" the white-haired woman repeated in confusion as she blinked.

"Yeah," Dawn replied, accessing a page on her tablet that displayed all 28 characters of the Symbol Pokémon, "They're hard to really get a grasp of at first…" she said while handing the device off to Leslie, "but I think it might be a start as to what we can find here," she pointed out. The Ketchum girl stared back and forth at the Unown characters and the page of the journal she was on. The writings were similar. In fact…

"Hi…kar…i?" she spelled out after a moment.

"What?" the top coordinator uttered in confusion.

"Pikah?" Pikachu questioned, blinking twice.

"That's what I think it says on the bottom here," Leslie replied, showing them the bottom right corner of the page where the supposed signature was, "It's actually on the bottom of every page!" she pointed out as an excited smile grew across her face.

"Hikari…" Dawn repeated, putting her hands onto her hips, "Do you think that's the author of the journals?" she inquired to the Ketchum girl, who closed the book.

"All I know is, we have a lead…" she concluded, "Is there a way you can print me a copy of that Unown alphabet?" she requested. In response, Dawn giggled with a nod. Uncovering more of Sinnoh's history was now possible as it seemed…

OPENING

Insert "Eden Through the Rough" by Takanori Nishikawa

Opens with both Calvin and Erika throwing on their respective caps as they run down a rainy road together. The Pokémon logo then appears, followed by 'The Challenge of a Lifetime' being written in a glowing, rainy blue underneath it.

We continue with Calvin observing his Z-Crystal collection as his Pokémon look on with him. They then take a look ahead down the road, seeing the likes of Team Skull, Gladion, Plumeria, and finally Guzma ahead of them. Calvin hurries forward alongside his Pokémon, all while leaving his twin sister behind.

She's standing out in the rain by herself, crying as she feels the shadows of her father and older sister cast over her, making her feel like she's inadequate. It isn't until Starbright hops into her arms and wipes away a tear that she starts to smile, seeing her Pokémon gather alongside her.

As the opening continues, we get various shots of Sina and Dexio at their lab on Route 16, the Ula'ula Meadow, the police station where Nanu and his plethora of Alolan Meowth live, and finally Po Town under its rainy sky as its littered with Team Skull members. We see Calvin enter the town, having a determined look upon his face.

The scene changes to Mimi using Shadow Claw to take down the grunts' Pokémon, fighting alongside Poliwag and Togedemaru. In the meantime, their trainer has Toucannon use Beak Blast on Plumeria's Alolan Muk before Gumshoos attacks her Salazzle with Take Down.

Back with Erika, she commands Primarina against Nanu's Honchkrow, who's easily weaving around her Sparkling Aria in order to land a Sky Attack. The island kahuna exhales with frustration, knowing that his opponent can do better.

We then see Guzma and Calvin meet again inside the Shady House, where the former's Golisopod duels against the latter's Incineroar in a clash of Poison Jabs and Darkest Lariats. The battle comes to a point where Golisopod uses Liquidation to try and counter Incineroar's Inferno Overdrive. A fierce blast results from the collision, engulfing the house in smoke.

When the second verse begins, we see a determined Lillie being led away by Team Skull. From afar, Hau lies upon his knees with his Decidueye and Alolan Raichu fainted beside him, crying as he failed to protect her. We go various cuts of Trent training with his Greninja on Mount Hokulani, Paige doing pushups alongside her Blaziken at the outskirts of Malie City, and Pyrrha overlooking the horizon from the Hau'oli City beachfront, standing alongside a Lapras and a Typhlosion.

The scene changes to Erika pumping her fist forward, commanding her Alolan Sandshrew as he uses Ice Ball to take down a Gible, followed by Palossand blasting a Krokorok away with Earth Power. They follow their trainer as she makes her way to the Ruins of Abundance, where Tapu Bulu lies in wait…

We then see Gladion command Null to attack Calvin, who counters by sending in Mimi. After they clash for a moment, Gladion and Calvin share a glance. What follows is the two of them along with Hau and Trent venturing throughout Aether Paradise, coming across several employees and having to battle them. All the while, we see Lillie clutch her duffel bag tightly as she comes face to face with Lusamine, who grins evilly.

Elsewhere in Sinnoh, we see Leslie curiously looking at the Pokédex journal before stopping at a cliff that faces towards Mt. Coronet in the distance. The page she's on in the journal has a meticulous drawing of the mountain ahead. The camera pans back to unveil a pair of ghostly figures that are standing alongside her.

The opening ends with Erika, Paige and Pyrrha arriving at Aether Paradise, joining the boys in the raid ahead…

END OPENING

Po Go!

"Who are you?" Erika asked as she and her brother were standing by the mysterious man they had just encountered on the beach. He reached into the left sleeve of his robe and pulled out something that neither of the twins could see. They gave off nervous looks to each other.

"That's right…" he uttered in realization, giving off a slight grin, "You're Ketchum's kids, aren't you?" he guessed. Both Calvin and Erika gasped.

"How'd you know that, zzt?!" Rotom buzzed in exclamation.

"Over a decade ago, I faced a challenger with style similar to that of yourselves," the man replied, "Those were the days…" he reminisced, "The gambles of battling with no holds barred…" he recalled. Hearing that caused Calvin to blink in surprise. He knew who the man before them was.

"Y-You're Grimsley!" he stammered out, pointing at him.

"…Who?" his twin sister uttered in confusion, tilting her head to the side while raising an eyebrow. He let out an exasperated groan.

"He's one of the Elite Four from Unova, remember?" he noted to her, "Leslie fought him when we were still really little," he mentioned.

"Hmm…" Erika hummed, trying to remember the Dark-type trainer, "Nope… doesn't ring a bell…" she finally said. Her brother and Rotom gave off blank looks.

"You really have a terrible memory, zzt…" the Pokédex buzzed out, making her wince. Grimsley chuckled.

"For the record, I'm not an Elite Four member as of the moment," he confessed to the twins, getting their attentions, "I've woefully retired from that role," he told them.

"Wait, what?" Calvin questioned out of surprise.

"Why'zzz that?" Rotom asked curiously.

"After the many battles I had, things were starting to grow dull on me," Grimsley admitted in response, "I won't lie…" he continued, "I missed the all or nothing feeling from my battle against your sister," he said, "And as time went on without that feeling, I grew more and more bored of battling…" he mentioned.

"So you came to Alola?" Calvin noted, "Why?" he asked on.

"Isn't it obvious?" the former Elite Four member questioned back, "There's always a gamble in a region like this," he pointed out, staring up at the sky overhead as a Skarmory was soaring about. The Ketchum twins weren't sure what he was talking about. They just stared at each other and shrugged. "In any case…" Grimsley kept going, causing them to look over to him again, "you two are looking to traverse the waters to Po Town, yes?" he inquired, much to their surprise as they blinked.

"Yeah, that's right," Calvin answered with a nod. The Dark-type trainer pointed towards some rocks on the water.

"Ships can't head out towards there because of those rocks," he pointed out, "While you could strike them down easily with a Lapras' Ice Beam or a Mantine's Bubble Beam," he continued, "I'm sure you'd want to get going quickly, correct?" he guessed.

"Absolutely!" Erika responded with clenched fists.

"Do you know how we would, zzt?" Rotom inquired curiously.

"Perhaps…" Grimsley responded in a vague manner, "You there, boy," he said to Calvin, making him blink in surprise as he looked to see that the former Elite Four member had a gold coin in his hand, "Let's see you make a gamble like your sister would've," he decided, "Will it be heads?" he inquired, "Or tails?" he asked on while flipping the coin over.

"Wait, what?!" Erika exclaimed in shock, "You're only gonna help us… if we win a coin toss?!" she questioned emphatically.

"You'd be willing to take risks when you know you have no choice," Grimsley pointed out as reply, "Now then…" he continued, turning to the Ketchum boy, "what's your guess?" he inquired. Calvin lowered his head in thought. This was a very important guess he needed to make. Getting to Po Town to rescue Hannah's Yungoos was his top priority. So, he'd have to have to take a chance.

Or did he? He looked up and noticed the Skarmory gliding overhead. In fact, he was descending downwards, circling about over the beach.

'It's not really a fifty-fifty decision…' he realized inwardly, narrowing his eyes, 'Whether or not the coin's supposed to be heads or tails…' he added to himself. Taking a deep breath, he was ready to answer.

"Neither," he said. Erika and Rotom paled in shock.

"…Huh?" the former uttered. Grimsley's expression remained unchanged. He flipped the coin up into the air and caught it on the back of his left hand, covering it with his right. Calvin grimaced, thinking that he wound up being wrong after all. But the former Elite Four member grinned.

"Outstanding," he complimented, "I did intend to have that Skarmory up snatch the coin from me," he told the Ketchum boy, "You took quite a gamble…" he pointed out, "But even so, you didn't hesitate at all," he mentioned, sounding impressed.

"Huh? Huh?!" Erika yelped in surprise, staring back and forth between the two.

"I'm ready to help you traverse these waters," Grimsley assured to the twins, "Do either of you have a Ride Pager?" he inquired.

"I do," Calvin said, pulling it out swiftly from his backpack. A few moments later, the former Elite Four member fiddled with the device before returning it to him.

"The Pokémon I've given you access to should ferry you across towards Po Town," he told the Ketchum boy and his twin sister. Taking the silver Poké Ball out from the Ride Pager, Calvin studied it curiously before aiming it towards the seawater.

"Come on out!" he exclaimed, opening the container as the blue-and-white light that spewed out from it formed upon the water, taking shape and dissipating to reveal a Sharpedo.

"Shaaa!" he exclaimed as his mouth opened wide. Upon him was a yellow harness with handles, designed for a rider to take hold of.

"A Sharpedo!" Erika yelped, blinking rapidly out of shock.

"He'll be able to help you deal with the rocks on the water as well," Grimsley pointed out, folding his arms underneath his chest, "Ride him to victory," he insisted of the twins.

"Right!" they exclaimed in response with nods. Moments later, the two of them were dressed in their riding gear for their adventure over the sea. As Calvin fastened his helmet's chinstrap, he took notice of the dark, stormy clouds in the distance.

"As a bit of unwanted advice, Po Town lies at the end of Route 16 here," Grimsley mentioned, getting his attention, "It's thoroughly occupied by Team Skull," he pointed out, "You shouldn't be going there unless you want trouble…" he warned seriously, narrowing his eyes.

"They're the ones who started it…" Erika grumbled out from afar upon overhearing, causing them to look over to her, "We're just gonna finish it!" she declared firmly.

"That'zzz right!" Rotom buzzed in agreement.

"Erika…" Calvin uttered out. He knew she was feeling upset over losing to Plumeria. So, this mission was really important to her. He took a serious expression. "Yeah, we're gonna stop them," he decided. Grimsley blinked in surprise. But then he grinned.

"If that's your gamble to take, then I'm not stopping you…" he noted, "All I can say is good luck," he remarked. With that, Calvin nodded before he and his twin sister boarded Sharpedo. The Brutal Pokémon sped off with them, zipping through the rocks with ease as he slashed through them with his fins.

"Wait for me, zzt!" Rotom buzzed out, floating after them. As they left, all Grimsley could do was sigh.

'Those two are quite as stubborn as you were, Leslie…' he noted inwardly, staring out at the sunny horizon, 'I can only hope they're as strong as you are…' he added to himself.

X

"I'm already through a couple pages!" Leslie called out while seated at a desk, writing furiously into a notebook. After receiving a printed copy of the Unown characters to use as a reference, she quickly took to translate everything written in the journal onto paper. Watching her from afar were Ash, Goh, and Rowan.

"She's quite into this…" the latter noted curiously, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Of all the things I thought she'd wanna do after becoming a Champion, this wasn't on the top of my list…" Goh mentioned with a grin, "Ash, what do you think about that?" he asked of his friend.

"I think she likes learning about histories of places," he replied, watching with a smile as his daughter looked back and forth between the pages of the ancient journal and her notebook as she translated as best she could, "She's never really stayed in one place when it came to learning, so she got pretty hooked on learning about things in other worlds," he explained.

"Is that so?" Rowan inquired, blinking out of surprise, "Your daughter's quite impressive, Ash," he complimented, making the capped man grin sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. In the meantime, Leslie continued copying the notes in the journal as the grin of excitement wasn't leaving her face. There wasn't only information about Pokémon in it. This journal… told a story. A story straight from whoever Hikari was.

'When the professor granted me this task, I vowed to not disappoint him,' she read inwardly, 'for I too wished to understand more about the magical creatures that roamed the land we migrated to,' she continued, 'After he granted me a magical creature for myself to travel with and tools for which to capture others, I ventured into the wilderness…' she finished, turning the page, 'Man, this is really exciting!' she exclaimed inwardly as a bright smile of glee was on her face.

"Hey everyone!" Dawn called out from afar, catching their attentions, "We got snacks and drinks for everybody!" she told them while holding onto a plate of cookies.

"Lupp!" Piplup chirped, holding onto a six-pack of soda cans in his flippers.

"Awesome!" Goh exclaimed.

"Les, you wanna take a break?" Ash asked of his daughter.

"Let me get through a few more pages first, please…" she requested in response, waving dismissively with her left hand while still translating. Her father chuckled.

"Okay then," he replied, heading off with the others. The white-haired woman was intently focused on the journal in front of her. She finally got the transcription down so well, she actually started reading from the hardcover itself.

'After documenting over sixty species and learning of the tactics of each magical creature, I wanted to find one for the village's priestess,' she read off, 'The capture itself would have gone smoothly if not for him…' she continued, curious to know what happened as she turned the page…

The open wilderness thrived with magical creatures of many kinds. Turtles with twigs atop their heads, chimps with fire coming from their posteriors, and penguins that swam along water were those that could be seen amongst so many others. And they were all being observed by a young woman who peered over the edge of a cliff. She was documenting details of the creatures in a journal she had, doing her best to also draw their likeness. Beside her was a Quilava, who watched curiously as she detailed one of the turtle-like creatures.

"Do you think the professor will approve of it?" she asked him as she stopped drawing for a moment.

"Quee!" the Volcano Pokémon responded with a nod and smile. The young woman giggled.

"Perhaps Satoshi will like it as well..." she assumed, putting away her writing utensil before shutting her journal, "Still, I am hoping to find something new today..." she admitted, tucking the journal into the sash over her robes.

"Quee, quil lah vah!" Quilava exclaimed quietly, getting her attention as she saw him tilt his head down. The pack of turtle-like creatures was scurrying off because of a bipedal, draconian beast stomping towards them. He was primarily dark blue in color. He had red on his underbelly from the lower jaw to the middle of the abdomen, including the undersides of his arms. A patch of gold came to a point below the red on his belly, and a golden star shape adorned the tip of his snout. The creature has horn-like appendages, giving it an appearance similar to a hammerhead shark. His large mouth featured razor-sharp teeth. The feet had three white talons, and each arm had a single large, white claw for a hand. Curved fins sprouted from the arms, creating wings. He also had a large dorsal fin and another on his tail that resembled a shark tailfin. His dorsal fin had a notch on it. Pairs of small, white spikes protruded from his upper arms and legs, and there were gill-like slits on the sides of the neck. The eyes were intense, with black sclera and gold-colored irises.

"Oh..." the young woman uttered in amazement as her eyes sparkled. She had never seen that particular kind of creature before. An excited grin came across her face. "Let's capture that one!" she insisted quietly to her Quilava.

"Quee!" he squeaked in reply with a nod. Elsewhere along a dirt pathway, a young man donning a red hat over his dark hair walked beside his Oshawott as the ventured about.

"Hikari!" he called out, hoping for a response, only to receive none.

"Oshaa?" the Sea Otter Pokémon questioned, looking up at his partner as he sighed.

"It's like her to wander off from the village..." he muttered out, "She's always been so free-spirited..." he grumbled, kicking aside a pebble as he and Oshawott continued onward. The young woman was sneakily traversing down the hill, crawling into the tall grass as the draconian creature roamed about the open field. She then leapt over and somersaulted to a stop behind a boulder before he could notice her. He narrowed his eyes and growled slightly before turning away and stomping off.

"Huh..." she exhaled in relief. Quilava crawled through the tall grass and went to her side, unnoticed by their target.

"Quee, lah?" he asked quietly, seeing his partner pull out a spherical container that was wooden, unlocking it.

"I have a feeling this one will be much more difficult to capture than any other magical creature we've come across..." she admitted after a moment, "Quilava, I think it's best that we rely on him to help us catch it…" she told him.

"Lah?!" the Volcano Pokémon exclaimed quietly in surprise, "Quilll..." he moaned dejectedly.

"Do not worry..." his partner assured, rubbing his head gently, "I promise that you will have your chance to help me the next time," she vowed. She then snuck out carefully from behind the boulder, about to throw the container in her hand. But at that moment, she noticed something. It was the young man and his Oshawott. "Satoshi?!" she whispered in shock upon seeing them wander into the clearing. The draconian creature whipped his head over to take notice of the young man as well. He seemed unaware of his presence, blinking in surprise upon spotting the young woman.

"Hikari, there you are!" he called out, "Why are you all the way-?"

"GARRRR!" the draconian creature roared, interrupting him as he and Oshawott turned to see him there, gasping in surprise. He then started charging towards them. Grimacing, the young woman immediately ran out and tossed the spherical container into the air. It opened out, with a bluish light shooting out from it. Just as the draconian creature attempted to slash at Satoshi with the claw of his right arm, the light came down in front of it, dissipating to reveal a Gallade. He blocked the attack with his left arm, holding the beast back.

"What are you doing here, Satoshi?!" Hikari yelled in question as she ran over to the young man.

"I was looking for you!" he shouted back, "The chieftain was worried that you had gone off towards the mountains again..." he pointed out.

"I wish the chieftain would stop worrying when he knows my magical creatures and I are capable of protecting ourselves..." she grumbled in response, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You mean your Pokémon?" Satoshi guessed, raising an eyebrow.

"That makes them sound less unique..." Hikari retorted, glaring at him. Meanwhile, Gallade pushed the draconian creature back as he slid along the ground.

"Garrr..." he growled, gnashing his teeth together.

"Gall, gallay," the Blade Pokémon said to his partner, who nodded.

"Please do what you can to weaken him, Gallade," she requested. He nodded back in understanding, taking on a ready stance. The draconian creature had a greenish aura shroud his claws before he lunged out at the Blade Pokémon. He was quick to evade his foe's swipes, making his arms glow a bright pinkish-purple before slashing at him in the chest.

"GAAAAHHHH!" he yelled out in agony, sliding back a few feet. He glared at his foe before swinging his arms out to unleash a sandstorm in a mighty roar, engulfing the surrounding area. Satoshi and Hikari braced themselves from its force, with the young woman smiling.

"Incredible…!" she exclaimed, slowly opening her eyes, "This creature is probably the strongest of its kind!" she pointed out excitedly.

"Why are you excited about that?!" her friend questioned emphatically over the rushing sandstorm. Meanwhile, Gallade made his arms glow a bright green and sharpen, dashing towards the draconian creature. He smirked, practically fading into the sandstorm just before the Blade Pokémon could strike him.

"Gah?!" he yelped in surprise, looking around for a sign of his foe. He was completely caught off guard as a stream of flames struck him from the left, knocking him over.

"Gallade!" Hikari cried out. The Blade Pokémon pushed himself up, seeing the draconian creature stomp towards him and growl. Hopping onto his feet, his foe quickly slashed at him with his glowing green arms, blowing him back as he winced.

"Quee, quee lah!" Quilava cheered from afar.

"Oshaa!" Oshawott exclaimed, waving his stubby arms.

"This is maddening…" Satoshi muttered out, sweating profusely, "Hikari, we need to leave!" he insisted.

"Not yet…" she responded, readying the spherical container in her hand. She vowed to capture the draconian creature. And she would do it with the help of her partner.

"GAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRR!" the draconian creature roared, slamming his claws against the ground fiercely. A massive rumble erupted from the impact, causing several other creatures in the area to scatter from its force. Quilava and Oshawott fell over onto their stomachs from the quaking, while Satoshi dropped onto his right knee and grimaced.

"Hikari!" he yelled angrily. The young woman steadied herself, having faith in her partner. As the rumbling ceased, the draconian rushed out towards the seemingly discombobulated Gallade, making a greenish aura shine over his claws again. However, his attempted swipe was evaded by the Blade Pokémon, who evaded by moving aside in an instant, much to his surprise. Hikari grinned.

"Now!" she called out. With the opening he made, Gallade punched and kicked the draconian creature in rapid succession, not letting up for a single moment.

"GALLAY!" he bellowed, striking him squarely on the snout with his right arm, making him fall over onto his back in a flurry of dust. Without hesitating, Hikari dashed forward. She reared her arm back and tossed the container out. It struck the downed draconian creature, popping open. He suddenly turned into a reddish light that zipped straight into the container, which came down onto the ground. The young woman and those watching nervously awaited what was to come of this. A puff of steam then emitted from the container.

"Yes!" Hikari exclaimed delightedly, going over to pick up the container off from the ground, "We've finally captured a rare magical creature!" she pointed out.

"Quee!" Quilava happily squeaked.

"Gal…" Gallade uttered contently, seating himself down upon the ground out of sheer exhaustion.

"Satoshi, what do you think?" Hikari asked of her friend, who was steadily approaching her, "I was actually planning on— AH!" she yelped, having to duck away in just the nick of time to avoid getting slapped by the young man.

"How reckless can you be, Hikari?!" he shouted angrily in question, "That Pokémon could've killed you!" he pointed out.

"Magical creature, Satoshi…" she grumbled as a correction, putting her hands onto her hips, "And for the record, that is not even the most dangerous one I've encountered…" she confessed.

"…What?" he uttered in shock. She merely nodded.

"There was the Luxray during the thunderstorm last month, the Staraptor that had been stalking the village…" she listed off, "and even that Rhyperior I was barely able to capture due to him firing rocks from his palms," she finished.

"How insane are you…?" Satoshi wondered aloud. She huffed in response, going over to help pick up Gallade from the ground, wrapping his right arm over her shoulders.

"In any case, would you be so kind as to please escort us back to the village?" she requested of her friend, "I need to prepare myself for tonight's offering for the priestess," she told him.

"Th-The offering?" he stuttered out in surprise, "Wait… you're thinking of…" he started to assume, only to stop upon the grin on the young woman's face, "Huh…" he sighed out, "The chieftain won't be pleased with you…" he noted to her.

"But he will once he sees the priestess' reaction," she retorted confidently, holding the spherical container containing her new capture in hand, "Now let's not linger!" she insisted firmly.

"Very well…" Satoshi muttered in response, leading the way as they wandered down the dirt path, with Quilava and Oshawott following them.

Making sure to mark the page she was on with a bookmark, Leslie got up from her seat at the desk and hurried over to join her father and his friends. She was definitely invested in helping uncover Sinnoh's history. But even more so than that, she was excited to read the story behind the author of the journals…

X

"Okay, let's hurry!" Erika insisted from the Pokémon Center after getting into her normal clothes, grabbing her bag as she was about to race off out the door.

"Erika, wait a second!" Calvin called out pleadingly, hurriedly throwing his backpack's straps over his shoulders as she chased after her alongside Rotom. Their trip via Sharpedo had gone rather quickly, allowing them to stop at a Pokémon Center to change back from their swimwear. Now that they were back on solid land, the Ketchum girl was ready to head on out to continue their mission.

"Come on, Cal!" she called out as she went outside, "Who knows what's happening to that little girl's Yungoos while we're just screwing around!" she yelled to him as a hypothetical.

"Why are you alwayzzz so impatient, zzt?" Rotom wondered aloud out of exasperation, floating beside her.

"We can't just rush into a place like that without a plan," Calvin said firmly, "We're not just going up against those grunts like before…" he pointed out.

"I-I know that…" his twin sister stuttered in claim, turning away and crossing her arms, "I'm just saying that if we don't hurry, those guys are gonna either get away or do more bad stuff!" she emphatically noted.

"Yeah, I know…" her brother agreed, folding his arms over his chest. In all likelihood, he and Erika would have to face Team Skull's grunts, Plumeria, and Guzma. That was enough of an uphill climb to take on. But the two of them would have to if they wanted to get Hannah's Yungoos back.

"You know what?" Erika said, putting her right fist into her left hand, "We can have our Pokémon scout ahead for us!" she suggested while reaching down to her belt to grab a Poké Ball.

"Hey, hold on a second…" Calvin responded, seeing her enlarge a spherical container, "That might be a good idea, but—"

"Come on out, Oricorio!" his twin sister exclaimed, interrupting him as she tossed the Poké Ball up into the air. It popped open, with its light spilling out onto the ground, taking shape and dissipating to reveal the Dancing Pokémon.

"Koree, korreee~…" she sang as she swayed about.

"Oricorio, can you fly ahead and see how far Po Town is from here?" her trainer requested of her.

"Ree!" she chirped eagerly in response. Though her wings lacked feathers, she was able to flap them and fly off, heading up north.

"There!" Erika exclaimed proudly with her hands at her hips, "Now we'll know just how far we've got left to go!" she pointed out as she pumped her left fist. Her brother and Rotom both gave her blank looks of exasperation, sighing simultaneously.

"So while we're waiting, we should think about focusing on getting Yungoos out…" the capped boy insisted, putting his right hand onto his chin.

"Why would that matter when we beat Team Skull?" his twin sister questioned, arching an eyebrow.

"You really think we'd be able to beat all of them?" he inquired back, causing her to blink in surprise before she looked away in shame.

"W-Well… if we're fighting together…" she stuttered in response, unable to say anything else as a sad expression came across her face. Calvin was worried. Erika's impatience and insistence were never as bad as they were now. It seemed to be a catalyst based on whatever happened yesterday. Whether it was Acerola's trial or her defeat against Plumeria, she wasn't in the best state of mind. That much was obvious.

"Hey, I thought that was you!" a familiar voice suddenly called out, getting their attentions as they looked over to see a pair of figures approaching them. They were Sina and Dexio. "Been a while, Calvin!" the former greeted as she waved to him.

"Sina! Dexio!" he greeted back, jogging over to them, "What are you guys doing out here?" he wondered curiously upon approaching the pair of assistants.

"Out researching, of course," the latter of the two replied, "Although, that's less interesting than what we saw you were up to…" he pointed out.

"Huh?" Calvin uttered in confusion as he blinked.

"The Aether Tournament, of course!" Sina exclaimed, "We caught up with how awesome you were in that whole thing!" she pointed out excitedly.

"I especially thought your final battle against that girl with the Primarina was the most exciting," Dexio mentioned, "The way both of your Pokémon evolved at the same time to respond to your feelings was just amazing…" he recalled, putting his hand onto his chin.

"Whatever happened to that Erika girl anyways?" Sina wondered aloud.

"That's me!" the Ketchum girl exclaimed, catching the attentions of the two assistants as they saw her walk over alongside Rotom, "Erika Ketchum," she introduced, holding her right hand out to them. Their sunglasses fell slightly from their faces, revealing their widened eyes. The twins shared a look of confusion after blinking twice. And then…

"KETCHUM?!" Sina and Dexio repeated in shock. It took a few moments for Calvin and Erika to explain everything to them. The ash-blonde haired man nodded in understanding, while his partner's eyes were glimmering with excitement.

"I can't believe I never pieced it together before!" she shouted emphatically, "You're the kids of the Ash Ketchum, one of Kalos' heroes!" she pointed out, leaning closer to the twins as they flinched in surprise.

"Sina, calm down…" Dexio advised, "It's obvious that you're getting a little too excited for them…" he pointed out. His partner huffed, pouting as she turned away, crossed her arms, and puffed out her cheeks. "Anyways…" he continued, "you're heading out toward Po Town?" he inquired.

"That's right," Calvin replied with a nod, "Team Skull recently stole a little girl's Pokémon and took it there," he told the research assistants.

"So we're gonna go and beat those numbskulls to get him back!" Erika vowed as she clenched her fists tightly.

"That'zzz right, zzt!" Rotom buzzed in agreement.

"I gotcha'…" Sina concluded, putting her hands onto her hips, "Good news for you, Po Town's just past the meadow down that way," she told the twins, pointing towards the path ahead, "It's usually a little foggy, but you should be fine," she noted assuredly.

"Meadow?" Calvin repeated in confusion.

"Yeah," Dexio responded with a nod, "It's actually a part of our research into a certain Pokémon native to Alola," he mentioned, "You wouldn't happen to know about Oricorio, would you?" he inquired of the twins.

"Actually, yeah!" the capped boy replied as he smiled, "Erika has one!" he pointed out, gesturing over to his twin sister.

"Oh, really?!" Sina inquired excitedly.

"She's uh… not here right now…" Erika sheepishly admitted as she tilted her head to the side, much to the surprise of both research assistants, "I had her scout ahead in case we saw Team Skull…" she noted, pointing towards the pathway to the meadow.

"Hey, Erika…" Rotom chimed in, getting her attention, "I think she'zzz coming back…" it pointed out, causing her to look up and see what appeared to be the Dancing Pokémon.

"Alright!" she exclaimed excitedly, "Maybe she already found them!" she inferred. The flying figure soared down and landed in front of her. "So, did you see if—?" She stopped her question upon noticing something. Oricorio was different. She was now in a Baile Style. Her trainer had to blink a couple times to register what she was seeing. "WHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTT?!" she screamed out, causing a flock of Wingull to suddenly scatter. Moments later, the Dancing Pokémon was prancing about more fluently than she was in her previous form, evidently enjoying herself as Sina and Dexio observed her.

"This is awesome!" the former of the two research assistants exclaimed excitedly.

"So she was in her Pa'u Style previously?" Dexio inquired back towards the Ketchum girl, who had an embarrassed look upon her face.

"Mm-hmm…" she answered simply with a nod.

"She changed formzzz by surprise the last time, didn't she?" Rotom inquired over to its user, who merely nodded again as a blush streaked across her cheeks.

"By drinking the nectars found on Alola's islands, Oricorio can change into each of her four forms," Dexio explained.

"What's the fourth form like?" Calvin wondered aloud, raising a curious eyebrow.

"Leave it to me, zzt!" Rotom exclaimed as it floated over, pulling up an image upon its screen. It was of another Oricorio, only this time with purple feathers. The tips of her wings had broadened into a fan shape, and she had a fan-shaped crest on top of her head. At the base of her crest were four feathers with light blue tips. There were two of these feathers on each side, resembling ornamental hairsticks. On the side of each eye were small, light blue markings that resembled eyelashes. The edges of her wings, fans, head crest, and long tail all had a double border of pale purple with a light blue on the outer edge.

"Oh, that's Oricorio's Sensu Style!" Sina pointed out upon noticing, "You'll find them and the nectar they drink on Poni Island!" she mentioned in explanation.

"This Oricorio has sipped purple nectar. Some dancers use their graceful, elegant dancing as inspiration. They summon the dead with their dreamy dancing. From their malice, they draw power with which to curse their enemies," Rotom explained thoroughly.

"Huh…?" Erika uttered out, paling in fright.

"So Oricorio would be a Ghost-type from the sound of it…" Calvin concluded.

"Correct!" the Pokédex buzzed in response.

"Hey, I just had a great idea!" Sina exclaimed as she shot up onto her feet. She pulled out an Ultra Ball and enlarged it by pressing its button. "Why don't we have a battle to test your Oricorio's new power?" she offered to Erika, who blinked out of surprise.

"Uh, but… we're kind of in a rush…" she pointed out with a stutter.

"That's so like you to just jump right into wanting a battle…" Dexio muttered out.

"Koree!" Oricorio suddenly squawked to everyone's surprise as she stepped over, standing beside her trainer, "Korr, koreee!" she exclaimed insistently.

"Oricorio?" Erika uttered, blinking twice.

"Looks to me like she wants to battle!" Sina pointed out, "So come on, let's do it!" she requested eagerly. The Ketchum girl was hesitant, especially as she wanted to get to Po Town quickly. But seeing as how her Dancing Pokémon wanted to battle… Moments later, they stood off a few dozen yards from Sina, who flipped the Ultra Ball in her hand before rearing her arm back. "Let's go, Glalie!" she called out, throwing the spherical container up into the air. It popped open, with its light spilling forth into midair. Coming into form, it dissipated to reveal the Face Pokémon.

"Glay!" he exclaimed in greeting.

"Glalie, huh?" Calvin noted curiously.

"Just like your father's, right?" Dexio inquired, getting his attention as he was standing beside him, "Sina has a fascination for Ice-types, so your sister's Oricorio definitely has an advantage," he pointed out.

"That'zzz right," Rotom buzzed, floating over to them, "Now Oricorio'zzz a Fire-and-Flying-type, zzt," it noted.

"But I wonder if her change in style might throw Erika off…" Calvin mentioned worriedly.

"You wanna take the first move?" Sina offered to her opponent, who perked up in surprise.

"Uh, sure!" she stuttered in response, "Oricorio, Revelation Dance!" she commanded. A glint appeared in the Dancing Pokémon's eyes as she pranced forward elegantly. Fire flickered off of the feathers upon her wings, bringing them together to form a fireball.

"Korrr… EEEEEE!" she screeched, unleashing the searing fireball towards her opponent.

"Freeze-Dry!" Sina ordered. Opening his mouth, Glalie had a light blue orb of energy form in front of it. He then fired a beam that struck the incoming fireball in a massive burst of steam.

"What?!" Erika gasped in shock, while Oricorio's eyes widened.

"Now Crunch!" Sina called out. Flying through the steam, the Face Pokémon made his teeth glow a bright white and sharpen.

"Watch out!" the Ketchum girl screamed. Reacting quickly, the Dancing Pokémon hopped back to evade getting caught in her foe's teeth. "Air Slash!" her trainer ordered. With her wings shining a bright blue, Oricorio swung them out to unleash shuriken-like blades of air. They struck her opponent, making him grimace as they pushed him back a few feet.

"Glayyy…" he growled, glaring at his foe.

"Now Teeter Dance!" Erika instructed, throwing her right hand out. The Dancing Pokémon began prancing around, waving her wings in a hypnotizing manner as a pink mist wafted off from her, heading towards her target.

"Double Team!" Sina exclaimed. With his body flashing a bright white, multiple copies of Glalie appeared around his foe, who blinked in surprise. She wasn't sure which one was the real Face Pokémon. And the research assistant grinned, ready to take advantage of the opportunity. "Now Freeze-Dry!" she commanded.

The real Glalie turned out to be behind his opponent, opening his mouth and forming a light blue ball of energy in front of it. Just as Oricorio spotted him, he fired a beam that struck her squarely, sending her flying back. She tumbled across the ground hard, coming to a stop and groaning.

"Oricorio!" her trainer cried out, grimacing in frustration. However, the Dancing Pokémon quickly got back onto her feet, spreading her wings.

"Whoa…" Calvin uttered, blinking out of surprise.

"She'zzz a lot more energetic now, zzt…" Rotom noted.

"Baile Style Oricorio definitely have a fierceness to them…" Dexio commented with crossed arms, getting their attentions as they looked over to him, "They're very passionate about battling and get stronger as they dance," he told them, watching as the Dancing Pokémon evaded more blue beams of light shot from Glalie before folding her wings inward as they glowed a bright sky blue. She swung them out, unleashing another flurry of shuriken-like blades of air.

"Glalie, Protect!" Sina called out. A turquoise force field appeared in front of the Face Pokémon, blocking off the incoming blades of air as they blew apart upon striking it.

"Darn…" Erika muttered in frustration, balling her hands into fists, "Oricorio, Teeter Dance!" she instructed.

"REEE!" the Dancing Pokémon suddenly shrieked in defiance, causing her to yelp in surprise.

"Wh-What?" she stuttered out, evidently shocked by the change in her teammate's attitude.

"I've never seen Oricorio act like that before, even in her other forms…" Calvin noted as he blinked.

"Like I said, the Baile Style is passionate about battles," Dexio chimed in, causing him to look over to research assistant, "If they feel they're getting the wrong orders in battle, they'll get really angry," he explained.

"Reeee…" the Dancing Pokémon hissed towards her trainer, glaring at her.

"Um… Revelation Dance?" she ordered unsurely. With that, Oricorio whipped around and formed a fireball in between her wings, launching it out towards Glalie. He didn't even have a moment to react in time as it struck him in the mouth, resulting in a powerful blast of white smoke.

"Ah!" Sina gasped.

"A direct hit, zzt!" Rotom exclaimed, blinking out of surprise. A grin crossed Erika's face.

"Now finish him off with Air Slash!" she commanded. Making her wings glow a bright sky blue, Oricorio leapt up and swung them out, unleashing yet another flurry of shuriken-like blades of air. Just as the smoke cleared around the recovering Glalie, he found himself bombarded by the air blades, making him fall down onto the ground in a flurry of dust.

"Glayyyy…" he groaned out with swirls in his eyes.

"Looks like he's down for the count, Sina," Dexio remarked to his fellow research assistant, who puffed her cheeks out in frustration for a moment. However, her expression changed back into a grin as she pulled out her Ultra Ball.

"Thanks for the hard work, Glalie," she said, returning the Face Pokémon to the spherical container in a beam of red light.

"Huh…" Erika exhaled in relief, walking over to Oricorio, "Why didn't you listen to me earlier?" she asked of her, getting her attention as she turned to face her trainer, "I know we won in the end, but…" she tried to say, only to stop as the Dancing Pokémon gave off a frustrated expression. She seemed… unhappy with the results as well. Before too long, Erika understood why. Oricorio had been beaten rather badly by Plumeria's Pokémon during their last battle. Getting a victory thanks to a type advantage wasn't as rewarding when knowing that she didn't win the last time.

"Ree…" she chirped out sadly. Erika petted her head gently.

"It's okay," she assured, "We'll get those numbskulls back like we've always done," she vowed with a clenched right fist. The Dancing Pokémon lifted her head up.

"Koree!" she squawked firmly, nodding in agreement. Her trainer then recalled her back to her Poké Ball in a beam of red light.

"Thanks for the battle, Erika!" Sina exclaimed in gratitude, walking up to the Ketchum girl and holding out her right hand for a handshake, "Should've expected a win from the kid of Pokémon Master like your dad!" she mentioned cheekily. Erika blinked in surprise.

"Y-Yeah…" she stuttered in response, accepting the research assistant's had with her own, shaking it firmly. For some reason, being compared to her father made her feel… inadequate.

"So you said you're heading out towards Po Town, right?" Dexio inquired to Calvin.

"Yeah," he replied with a nod, "Do you know how bad it is over there?" he asked of the research assistant, who put his right hand onto his chin as he tried to remember.

"Hmm…" he hummed out, "It's not a place normal trainers should head toward…" he advised, "And with the way the weather's looking," he continued, seeing the dark clouds in the near distance as thunder was rumbling, "I'd say you might wanna hold off on going there," he warned.

"We can't wait!" Erika yelled out upon overhearing, "Every minute we spend wasting time, that poor Yungoos might be getting really hurt!" she noted emphatically.

"Erika, calm down…" her brother said, holding up his hands in a placating manner.

"No!" she shouted defiantly, "If you're not gonna hurry, then I will!" she decided, running off north.

"Ah, Erika!" Calvin cried out.

"Wait!" Rotom exclaimed, floating after its user.

"I'm so sorry about that…" the capped boy apologized to the research assistants.

"Nah, don't worry about it!" Sina assured dismissively, "Your sister's a dedicated one for sure!" she pointed out with a chuckle.

"Good luck," Dexio remarked to Calvin, who nodded before racing off after Erika and Rotom. Aside from the fact that he saw how troubled she seemed during her battle with Sina, he knew she was rushing into something very impatiently. More so than usual. But why? Was she really worried about the stolen Pokémon? Or was she trying to redeem herself after losing twice to Team Skull?

X

The sunset over Sandgem Town made the sky glow a vivid orange. Leslie was outside, sitting on a bench as she continued to read the first volume of the journal she found. Aside from the notes and sketches about Sinnoh's Pokémon, reading about Hikari's story fascinated her to no end. She had now reached the point in the story where she was planning to offer the Garchomp she captured to the priestess…

"This is absurd, Hikari!" Satoshi argued as they trekked through the village that evening. The young woman carried the container that she had used to capture the draconian creature earlier in her right hand. "The chieftain won't allow you to give our priestess a Pokémon as an offering!" he pointed out worriedly.

"Magical creature, Satoshi," his friend retorted in correction, "And he will be pleased when he sees how Lady Shirona reacts to Garchomp," she added assuredly.

"Garchomp?" Satoshi repeated out of confusion. Grinning, Hikari pulled out her journal from her sash and handed it to him. He opened it up to the bookmarked page and gasped slightly to find the draconian documented on it. There was a sketch of his likeness with notes alongside it. "You already finished your notes?" he inquired, receiving a nod from his friend.

"I am quite thorough, as you know," she boasted to his annoyance as he rolled his eyes. His eyes glanced over the page. He blinked in surprise as he took notice of something.

"Wait," he said, enticing Hikari to come to a stop with him.

"What is it now, Satoshi?" she inquired, sounding somewhat irritated. He looked up at her and smirked.

"The Land Shark Pokémon?" he questioned back. It took a moment for Hikari to register what he was insinuating. A blush came across her cheeks.

"P-Perhaps it isn't such a boring term…" she stuttered in admittance, causing her friend to chuckle. Just then, they heard murmuring from afar. They turned to see a crowd of villagers gathering around a carried palanquin, with the figure inside being veiled by the cream-colored curtains.

"It's the priestess…" Satoshi realized as his eyes slowly widened. At that moment, Hikari hurried off to join the crowd. "Hikari, wait!" her friend cried out upon noticing, chasing after her.

"Greetings, my people!" a man with spiked, blue hair and defined facial features, which included sunken eyes, "Today we gather in honor of our first year since occupying the land which we now call home," he told the villagers. Hikari made her way up to the front, squeezing past the men and women alike. "Now we shall return the favor to the woman who helped lead us here, Priestess Shirona!" he declared, moving aside. Two guards helped to pull the curtains aside, revealing a tall, slender woman with creamy blonde hair tied into a bun, along with bangs that veiled her right eye. She donned a beautiful yellow kimono, which shined like the sun as she stood up and stepped out from her palanquin.

Those in the crowd awed her appearance, especially Hikari. Someone so regal and important to the advancement of the village was radiant indeed. A light smile crossed her face.

"We shall proceed with the offering ceremony!" the chieftain announced as he held out his right hand to the villagers.

"Thank you, Chieftain Akagi," Shirona said in gratitude. And so the offerings began. Hikari was growing nervous about gifting the priestess Garchomp, especially after Satoshi's warnings. She was prepared to leave altogether because of her fear.

"A meal fit for a woman of your stature…" one villager stated, leaving behind a wrapped box of food upon the already growing sets of gifts for the priestess. She sighed. Everything was starting to look the same to her. Akagi noticed just how unimpressed she seemed. However, she then took notice of Hikari. She was fidgeting in place, evidently nervous. Shirona gave off a light smile.

"You there, girl," she said, catching the explorer's attention as she blinked in surprise, "Have you brought me an offering today?" she inquired of her.

"U-Um, yes…" she stuttered in reply, stepping forward, "I hope that you'll humbly accept my gift to you, Lady Shirona," she said, holding out the wooden container to the priestess. Akagi blinked in shock, while many of the villagers gave off confused looks.

"A ball?" Shirona said, arching an eyebrow in confusion.

"Inside contains a being that I believe you will gladly accept," Hikari assured in response.

"Hmmm…" the priestess hummed curiously. She unfastened the lock of the container, slowly opening it. All of a sudden, a ray of blue shot out and formed upon the ground beside her. It came into form and dissipated to reveal Garchomp.

"GARRR!" he roared out.

"AH!" a woman shrieked in shock, while many of the other villagers were astonished as well. Akagi clenched his teeth together before glaring angrily at Hikari.

"How dare you bring such a beast as an offering!" he roared out, much to her fright as she stepped back cautiously, "Under no circumstances can I—!"

"Please wait, Akagi," Shirona requested, interjecting the chieftain as he blinked in surprise. She walked over from her palanquin to the Land Shark Pokémon, who growled under his breath. "It's alright," she assured to him, holding out her right hand. He blinked in surprise, watching as she placed her extremity atop his head to gently pet him. "What is this creature's name?" she inquired over to Hikari, making her perk up.

"G-Garchomp…" she stuttered in reply.

"Garchomp…" the priestess repeated, letting off a smile, "What a fascinating creature you are…" she told the Land Shark Pokémon, who seemed very content as she scratched his chin, "Thank you for your gift, young one," she said in gratitude, "What is your name?" she questioned curiously.

"Hikari," the young woman immediately answered, bowing politely, "I'm grateful that you are pleased with my offering," she mentioned. The crowd murmured as Satoshi sighed with relief. Meanwhile, Akagi narrowed his eyes onto Hikari with contempt. A while later…

"Ahahahaha!" a middle-aged man dressed in white robes with bushy eyebrows laughed from inside a household. Satoshi and Hikari were inside, seated at a table. They had just told the man what had happened at the ceremony. "The priestess seems to be quite interested in Pokémon now from the sound of it!" he pointed out excitedly.

"You call them that as well, Master?" the young woman inquired, letting out a sigh.

"Chieftain Akagi was very cross with her gift to the priestess," Satoshi noted, "He seemed ready to punish you if not for her response," he mentioned, causing his friend to pout as she puffed out her cheeks.

"Haha!" the middle-aged man laughed, "Well, Hikari has proven herself time and time again to be worthy of praise," he told the young man. A proud expression came across the young woman's face, much to Satoshi's chagrin as he rolled his eyes.

"So, Master Okido," he began, "have Hikari's explorations helped further your research?" he inquired curiously.

"Oh, indeed they have!" the researcher replied, walking over with several scrolls in hand, "Thanks to her efforts, I've identified several species of Pokémon that could potentially in settings further from the village!" he explained excitedly, setting down a scroll onto the table and opening it up to reveal a map of the land they were upon, "I'm sure expeditions to the north and south would definitely further our knowledge of this region!" he mentioned.

"Of course, the chieftain foolishly believes that we should stay where we stand…" Hikari grumbled, folding her arms underneath her chest.

"This is land is perfectly fine for the village to thrive, Hikari," Satoshi noted to her, "And besides, would we expect to find solace in the north or the south?" he asked on.

"You make a fair point, Young Satoshi," Okido admitted in reply, much to the young woman's surprise.

"Wha—?!"

"However…" the researcher began, interrupting his female pupil, "I believe that thanks to Hikari's efforts, we may now travel to those lands to hopefully uncover more findings," he told him, "She has already captured and raised many powerful Pokémon to utilize!" he pointed out with a hearty laugh.

"Thank you, Master Okido," the young woman said in gratitude, bowing politely.

"And aside from that, Satoshi…" the researcher continued, causing the young man to perk up, "you have yet to even use the Poké Balls I gifted you," he noted, "while Hikari's already on her thirteenth set!" he mentioned emphatically. An embarrassed look came across Satoshi's face. He lowered his head in shame.

"I am sorry, Master…" he apologized, "I promise you that I am grateful for your gift of Oshawott…" he assured, "But I am not as adventurous nor reckless as Hikari…" he confessed sadly.

"Satoshi…" his friend uttered with concern.

"Anyhow, I'll be receiving a new shipment of Poké Balls from Johto sometime tomorrow," Okido told her while walking off, "I would be remiss to mention that they'll be much more effective than the previous ones," he added.

"Thank you very much, Master!" Hikari exclaimed with gratitude, bowing again. She then turned to Satoshi. "Are you certain that you do not want to explore this land with me?" she asked of him.

"That is your calling, not mine…" he argued in response, "Besides, I would only slow you down…" he grumbled out. Before his friend could offer a retort, there was a knock at the door.

"Hm?" Okido uttered in confusion, approaching it, "Now whoever could that be at this hour?" he wondered aloud. He slid the door open. And his eyes bugged out upon seeing who it was.

"Hello there," Shirona greeted as Garchomp stood beside her.

"L-Lady Shirona!" the researcher stuttered in surprise. Hearing that made Hikari and Satoshi shoot onto their feet in surprise to see the priestess there.

"I do hope I am not intruding at a bad time…" she said, putting her right hand onto her cheek in embarrassment, "I wanted to speak with Young Hikari about something," she mentioned.

"N-No! There's no trouble at all!" Okido stammered assuredly, "Hikari!" he called out, enticing his female pupil to hurry over.

"Greetings, Lady Shirona…" she greeted politely as she bowed, "To what do I owe this visit of yours?" she asked.

"My answer may interest you greatly," the priestess replied, "In a week's time, I am planning to have a group of our strongest and able-minded to set forth on an expedition to the mountain that towers over this land," she told the young woman, "And I personally would like you to join that expedition, seeing as how capable you are in capturing such fine creatures," she mentioned while petting her gifted Garchomp. The young woman's eyes shook in awe at the offer.

"I…I would be honored!" she exclaimed excitedly in response.

That was the end of the journal. Leslie blinked in surprise. She quickly flipped through a few pages back, thinking that she might've missed something. But she didn't, much to her chagrin as she groaned, wanting to know more. Upon noticing the stars beginning to shine overhead, she got onto her feet and jogged back the lab.

"She stopped translating altogether?" Goh inquired from back inside, raising an eyebrow.

"I think she figured the language out well enough to start reading it without the guide…" Dawn assumed in reply.

"Well, we can do the translations of the journal from here once she's done reading it," one of the assistants remarked while going through Leslie's current set of translated notes.

"Sorry about that!" the white-haired woman herself apologized as she came back inside, "I just finished the first one!" she pointed out, handing it off to the assistant.

"Thanks!" he replied in gratitude.

"So what's it like?" Goh asked curiously with a tilt of his head.

"It's an amazing story!" Leslie replied, "It's essentially a journal documenting this Hikari woman's journey around the Sinnoh of old!" she told them excitedly, "I just finished the book when she got offered the chance to go on an expedition to Mount Coronet, I think," she mentioned.

"Mount Coronet, hm?" Rowan repeated as he ventured over, getting her attention, "Perhaps that may shed some light on where the old village depicted in this journal was located," he noted, putting his left hand onto his chin.

"I hope we find out more soon," Leslie said, clenching her fists excitedly, "I'm super pumped to learn everything I can!" she declared. Everyone laughed at her enthusiasm.

"Well, we better get ourselves a place to crash for tonight…" Ash chimed in, entering the room while carrying a sleeping Pikachu in his arms.

"Chaaa~…" the Mouse Pokémon yawned out cutely.

"Oh, I know where that'll be…" Dawn muttered, grinning as she rolled her eyes, "We'll see you tomorrow, Professor!" she promised with a wave as she walked off alongside Ash. Leslie was about to follow them, only to be stopped as Rowan put a hand onto her shoulder.

"I believe this is the second volume," he said, handing her a green hardcover. The Ketchum girl grinned gratefully, bowing to him. She then jogged off after her father and the top coordinator, excited to learn more about Hikari's story on her own time…

X

As the rain fell, Erika hurried along the muddy path, splashing through puddles with her feet. After rushing through the Ula'ula Meadow, she witnessed the downpour start. She was actually thankful for it, as it was the one thing keeping her from getting completely dehydrated.

"Huh… Huh…" she exhaled in exhaustion, coming to a stop as she placed her hands onto her knees while catching her breath. Part of her didn't know she wanted to get to Po Town so quickly. Sure, she knew that Hannah's Yungoos needed saving. But there was also the fact that she needed a chance to redeem herself. Losing to Guzma back in Malie was bad enough, but to Plumeria? Even after she bested her the last time on Akala?

It pissed her off. She should've been so much stronger. Her team should've been stronger. And both times she lost, it was her brother who stepped in and won against their foes.

"Erika!" his voice called out, causing her to perk up in surprise. She turned to see him running towards her, cradling Rotom in his arms to keep it from getting wet. He panted as he came to a stop in front of her, catching his breath. "You can't just run off like that!" he pointed out in frustration, "I know you're worried about the Pokémon, but that's no reason to just charge in headstrong!" he mentioned.

"Those guys deserve it!" she argued.

"That doesn't mean we should just rush in without a plan!" Calvin yelled back.

"Can we pleazzze get out of the rain, zzt?" Rotom requested worriedly, not wanting to get wet. The Ketchum twins stared each other, not willing to back off on their goals. They didn't even hear the approaching footsteps.

"Hey," a tired-sounding male voice chimed in, causing the two trial-goers to perk up in surprise, "What the heck are you brats standing out in the rain for?" he asked. Calvin and Erika turned to see a middle-aged man there with grey hair, red eyes, and thick eyebrows. He also wore a burgundy shirt with a black jacket over it that had two yellow emblems on the sides. He donned long black pants with sandals and had a necklace with a black Z-Crystal upon it. Its symbol was a roundish-shaped marking that appeared to have spikes like teeth, making it appear to be smiling. The Ketchum boy took notice of the Z-Ring he had. "Come on," he beckoned to him and his sister, "Let's get you out of this weather," he insisted.

Moments later, the man brought them to what appeared to be a small, almost abandoned police station. They stood underneath the awning outside of the front doors. Peering inside, Erika saw a plethora of Alolan Meowth scattered about the station.

"There's so many Meowth here!" she noted, blinking rapidly out of surprise.

"I take care of 'em," the grey-haired man said, "It's a thankless thing, but I don't mind," he pointed out as he shrugged.

"Who are you?" Calvin asked him.

"Huh…" he groaned out, "The sheriff 'round these parts," he answered, "That enough?" he inquired, arching an eyebrow towards the capped boy, who didn't seem convinced as his eyes narrowed, "Now it's my turn," he stated, "What are a pair of brats like you doing out in a place like this?" he questioned to the twins.

"We're heading to Po Town, zzt!" Rotom replied for them, "A friend of ourzzz got her Pokémon stolen by Team Skull, so we're here to get him back!" it explained quickly.

"Hm," the grey-haired man huffed, "Po Town's just over that way," he remarked, gesturing with his left thumb. Calvin and Erika glanced down the stone walkway and widened their eyes to see the tall walls erected around a wide area, with the station being only about a few dozen yards away from it.

"Why's it all walled up?" Calvin wondered aloud.

"Team Skull's there, kid," the man replied, "It's the only way to keep people safe from heading into that nightmare of a place…" he pointed out.

"But they come out of there!" Erika emphatically noted, "Those jerks have been doing lots of bad stuff lately!" she mentioned.

"Is there a way we could get in?" Calvin asked of the grey-haired man. He stared at the twins for a moment.

"You two were in that Aether Tournament a little while ago, right?" he guessed to their surprise.

"Um… yeah…" Erika answered after a moment.

"In that case, I'll let you in," the grey-haired man decided in response.

"Really?!" the Ketchum girl exclaimed with excitement in her voice as she smiled.

"Thank you so much, Mis—!"

"But I'm only letting you in, boy," he interrupted, causing the twins to both blink in surprise, "I heard about what happened in Malie," he recalled, "If you can beat Guzma, then you've got what it takes to head on in," he told the capped boy.

"Wait, why can't I go in?!" Erika questioned as she stepped forward.

"You lost to Guzma, didn't you?" the man inquired back, making her grimace in frustration, "As far as I'm concerned, you'd only be a liability," he told her. The very last word made the Ketchum girl widen her eyes out of shock. She balled her hands into tightened fists and growled.

"Well… I beat a bunch of those Team Skull grunts! And Plumeria!" she argued. The grey-haired man didn't seem remotely intimidated.

"Looks like the rain's letting up a little…" he noted, much to her confusion as she saw him trot out onto the stone walkway, "If you wanna get into Po Town, you oughta' prove you're tough enough," he advised while taking out an Ultra Ball and enlarging it with the press of its button.

"Fine then…" Erika muttered in response, handing her bag off to Calvin as she took out her own Poké Ball from her belt.

"Hey, Erika…" her brother said in a pleading tone. She sounded almost desperate. If this so-called sheriff was what was keeping her from going along with him into Po Town, then she'd do anything to get in.

"What's your name anyway, old man?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow as she stood about a few dozen yards away from her opponent.

"Didn't your parents tell you to respect your elders?" he questioned back in response. She merely glared at him. "It's Nanu," he finally told her, "Now let's get started," he insisted.

"Oh, you got it!" Erika yelled as she reared her arm back, "Let's go, Primarina!" she called out, throwing her Poké Ball forward. It opened, with its light spilling onto the wet stone walkway before dissipating to reveal the Soloist Pokémon.

"Maaahhh~!" she sang in greeting.

"She's using Primarina, huh?" Calvin noted as he blinked.

"That'zzz a good choice since it'zzz raining," Rotom pointed out, "Primarina'zzz Water-type movezzz will be a lot stronger," it mentioned. In a rather bored manner, Nanu flipped his Ultra Ball forward. As it opened, its light formed upon the ground and dissipated to reveal what looked to be a Persian… only she was a little different. For one, she had blue-grey fur instead of the cream-colored one of a Kantonian Classy Cat Pokémon. Her face had a different shape, being larger and more rounded with noticeable jowls. Her eyes were in a half-closed state, and instead of a red forehead jewel, she had a blue jewel. Erika blinked twice.

"Is that… supposed to be an Alolan Persian?" she inquired, pointing towards the Alolan Classy Cat Pokémon.

"Purrrr…" she purred out, shaking herself as raindrops fell upon her.

"Pfft…!" the Ketchum girl sputtered, "BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" she laughed heartily. Everyone looked at her with incredulous expressions. How she went from so serious to so immature in the blink of an eye was mind-boggling. In the meantime, Rotom pulled up an image of the Alolan Classy Cat Pokémon upon its screen.

"Persian, the Classy Cat Pokémon and the evolved form of Meowth, Alolan Form," it began, "She looks down on everyone other than herself. Her preferred tactics are sucker punches and blindside attacks. Her round face is a symbol of wealth. Persian that have bigger, plumper faces are considered more beautiful," it explained thoroughly.

'If Alolan Meowth was a Dark-type previously, then so is Persian!' Calvin noted inwardly, 'Primarina's definitely the right choice for this battle!' he concluded, giving off a grin.

"Pursshheeeeannn…" the Alolan Classy Cat Pokémon hissed towards Primarina, who moved back a little cautiously.

"Don't worry, Primarina!" her trainer assured confidently, "This match is basically in the bag for us!" she declared, closing her right hand into a fist.

"Is that right?" Nanu inquired, letting off a smirk, "Then go ahead and make the first move," he offered mockingly. An irritated growl came from the Ketchum girl.

"Okay, fine!" she yelled, "Primarina, Aqua Jet!" she commanded, pumping her fist out. As the rain continued to fall around her, the Soloist Pokémon veiled herself within a torrent of water, about to rocket out towards her foe.

"Fake Out," the grey-haired man instructed. Leaping forward in an instant and looming right before her foe as she gasped in surprise, Persian clapped her front paws together, creating a large shockwave of air that blew her opponent out of the torrent in an instant.

"Mah!" she yelped as she fell back, wincing a little.

"Primarina!" her trainer exclaimed.

"Fake Out…" Calvin said, blinked out of astonishment.

"That move guaranteezzz a flinch when it'zzz used, zzt," Rotom noted.

"Now Power Gem," Nanu ordered simply. The jewel upon the Alolan Classy Cat Pokémon's forehead shined a bright white before unleashing a light-blue beam of energy with white luminosity surrounding it. The attack struck the flinching Primarina, sending her flying back.

"No!" Erika cried out. Fortunately, the Soloist Pokémon landed down safely in front of her. Shaking her head to regain herself, she growled at her foe. "Time for a counterattack…" her trainer decided, "Sparkling Aria!" she commanded.

"Maaaahhhh~!" Primarina sang as she stood up on her tail fins, letting her hair come undone as a sphere of sparkling water shimmered over the tip of her nose. It then burst apart into watery streaks, all heading towards Persian.

"Dark Pulse," Nanu said. Opening her mouth, the Alolan Classy Cat Pokémon fired off a beam of black and purple circles. They struck the incoming streaks in a powerful blast, veiling the area in white smoke.

"We're not done yet!" Erika declared fiercely, "Primarina, Icy Wind!" she ordered. Inhaling sharply, the Soloist Pokémon unleashed a powerful blast of freezing air that blew away the smoke and struck Persian, making her wince as she was pushed back slightly. The Ketchum girl grinned, thinking that the advantage had been turned back to her favor. But Nanu sighed.

"Thunderbolt," he commanded, causing her to gasp. A glint appeared in the Alolan Classy Cat Pokémon's eyes before yellow electricity began sparking all along her body. She unleashed a large bolt of lightning out towards her foe, who had no time to react before she was zapped.

"MAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" she shrieked in agony.

"Primarina!" her trainer screamed out of fright.

"She's got an Electric-type attack?!" Calvin noted, evidently shocked.

"Now Power Gem!" Nanu ordered. The jewel at Persian's forehead flashed a bright white before she fired off a light-blue beam from it. Her foe was still wincing from the previous blow before taking the attack in a burst of white smoke, making her tumble back over the walkway onto her stomach.

"Mahhh…" she groaned out, struggling to push herself up. Erika grimaced. Her fists trembled at the thought of actually losing the battle and not getting the chance to face Team Skull again.

'Come on, we can't lose!' she insisted of herself.

"Primarina, Moonblast!" she commanded, sticking her right hand out. The Soloist Pokémon managed to push herself up, cloaking her body in a golden, flowing light. She opened her mouth, having an orb of pink energy form in front of it.

"Dark Pulse," Nanu instructed with a snap of his fingers. Persian opened her own mouth and launched a beam of black and purple circles just as her foe fired the energy orb. The attacks collided in a powerful explosion, veiling the area in smoke. It was quickly washed away thanks to the rain though. As it faded, Calvin looked to see the frustrated expression on his twin sister's face. He had never seen her look so desperate.

'Erika…' he uttered inwardly out of concern.

"Sparkling Aria!" the Ketchum girl ordered. Standing up on her tail fins again, Primarina let her hair come undone before she formed an orb of sparkling water over the tip of her pink nose.

"Dodge and use Thunderbolt," Nanu advised of his partner, who merely nodded. Just as the orb broke apart into watery streaks, Persian dashed forward. She was quick to evade each of the incoming streaks, much to the surprise of the others. She then leapt up, having yellow electricity spark all around her body.

"Purrr… SHHEEEEEEAAAANNNNN!" she screeched, unleashing a bolt of lightning that struck her foe fiercely.

"MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she shrieked out of agony once again before becoming enveloped in a plume of smoke. Erika widened her eyes in horror, unable to scream out her partner's name. When the smoke cleared, she saw the Soloist Pokémon fall onto the wet ground with swirls in her eyes. She had been beaten.

"Point's been proven, kid," Nanu remarked. Falling to her knees, the Ketchum girl trembled as tears threatened to pour out from her eyes.

"Erika…" her brother uttered out.

"You there, boy," the sheriff said, getting his attention, "If you're still serious about getting into Po Town now, then I'll get you in," he promised, "Should things go bad, I'll make sure your remains make it out…" he added rather darkly.

"BzzZZZZzzZZtttTTT?!" Rotom buzzed out in shock. However, Calvin wasn't deterred by the warning. He was going to get into the town and rescue the Pokémon.

ENDING

Insert "Hold Me Now" by Red

We open with a younger Gladion and a younger Lillie sitting on the floor at the end of a bed in a dark, white room. The latter is crying into the former's chest as he holds her close out of sympathy. Cut to present day, Gladion stands alongside Null and his other Pokémon as they look out onto the horizon. He balls his trembling left hand into a fist.

Meanwhile, we see Lillie clutching the strap of her duffel bag tightly as she's led down a hallway by Team Skull grunts and Aether Foundation employees. Upon reaching the end, she meets Lusamine, who glowers at her with contempt. Nevertheless, Lillie has a determined visage.

The scene changes to Calvin and Hau battling against Elio and Selene inside Aether Paradise, while Gladion and Trent face Faba and another Aether Foundation employee. As their fights continue, Plumeria and the grunts of Team Skull are confronted by Paige and Pyrrha. In the meantime, Erika goes to fight Guzma.

As the chorus kicks in, Gladion commands Null to use X-Scissor on Faba's Hypno, while Trent's Skarmory takes out a Ledian with an Aerial Ace. Elio's Pupitar comes up against Calvin's Steenee, who uses Magical Leaf to knock him back. Selene has Corsola use Surf, but it winds up rendered useless by Raichu's Discharge.

The music picks up into the third verse, with Pyrrha's Typhlosion landing a Thunder Punch on Plumeria's Salazzle, while Paige's Blaziken and Electabuzz work together to take down the Pokémon of the Team Skull grunts. Guzma cackles as his Golisopod appears to be winning against Erika's Lycanroc, but he steels himself, slamming his right fist against the ground to strike back with a powerful Stone Edge.

The final scene has Gladion, Lillie, Calvin and Erika entering Lusamine's collection room. We see the Aether Foundation president raise up the containment case Nebby is trapped inside before the group the group pays witness to her unleashing its power to create an Ultra Wormhole…

END ENDING

And thus begins the second half of the Ula'ula Saga! In the games, I always enjoyed this section as there's a lot to get through. However, I also thought the chapters would be lacking a little.

That's why I added the new content with Sinnoh's history! It's a little story I wanna tell, plus a way for me to have an outlet for one of my favorite Ash ships. Hopefully, Pokémon Legends: Arceus lives up to the hype it's been building!

So with all that, let's dive into the summary for the next chapter!

SUMMARY

As Calvin finally enters Po Town, he's faced with plenty of Team Skull's members. By the time he reaches Guzma, it's now a three-on-three battle to help save the stolen Pokémon! Can he defeat Team Skull's boss again?!

Meanwhile, Leslie continues to go through Hikari's story as she's been chosen to lead an expedition to Mount Coronet! But someone is trying to stand in her way… What will happen next?

END SUMMARY

See you all next time, everyone!