The island state of Hawaii... It is a tropical paradise of sun, surf, and sand in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and a land of Polynesian culture and traditions that draw in millions of people worldwide. Its coastal, oceanic, mountainous, and pristine beauty knows no bounds as one of the top tourist destinations for vacationers and one of the most picturesque places one can travel to or take a stroll along whether you're a local or a tourist from abroad, full of its own mystique and wonder waiting for people to unravel.
On one particular day, as wild dolphins happily swam along and jumped out of the rolling and crashing waves, a young male surfer named Manu Tuiama (the Island Kahuna of Hanuhana) was catching said waves along with some other surfers while several others watched from the beach including a bulky tanned male islander of Hanuhana Bay (with black hair, huge biceps and pecs, a tattoo on his right bicep, and an outfit consisting of a blue shirt, gray shorts, and brown open-toed sandals) ironically named Little Jim and his girlfriend, Snookie Waeawa.
Several of the surfers catching the waves were wiping out already after a few minutes riding on them but Manu showed off his incredible surfing prowess with exceptional balance, control, weight distribution, and having the time of his life hanging loose.
"Yeah, Manu! You show them! Yeah, rip it!" Little Jim cheered to his friend along with some locals who could be Manu's family and/or other friends.
"Yes," swooned Snookie Waeawa.
As Manu was surfing away, a cocky blonde surfer rushed past him, forcing him to regain control of himself before he faced the surfer with the intent of reminding him to have fun and not make surfing a competition given that he saw the blonde surfer wanting to one him up and show off.
"Hey, man, chill out! Hang loose, bro," he called.
"Get real, man! Just because you live here doesn't mean you own the ocean!" the blonde surfer bragged cockily before he shot past Manu hard.
Manu gasped as he was sent spinning for a few seconds, worrying Snookie as she gasped before he thankfully recovered and gave an amused and impressed snort, liking the challenge thrown his way. He then surfed over to the blonde surfer and then, circling around him, the cocky surfer was flung off his board and he tumbled into the sea with a started scream as the wave crashed down on him. The surfer breached the surface but threw a loathsome glare as Manu reached the shore and the tourists and the locals who are his supposed family/friends along with Little Jim and Snookie cheered him on.
"Oh, way to go, Manu! That was awesome. As always, you're my big kahuna," Snookie flirted happily as they shared an embrace, making him beam at her.
"Aww, Snookie!"
"Yeah, Manu! Manu, you're my big kahuna, too!" Little Jim mimicked playfully, getting a laugh out of himself and Snookie while Manu deadpanned for a second.
However, there was a lingering thought Little Jim wanted to ask his friend as he cracked open a coconut with his head and drank the juice from it as he implied, "What's up with all these mainlanders, anyway, Manu? The Big Kahuna of Hanahuna contest is supposed to be a local thing, man. And, besides, I never thought you'd have the balls to send an invite to the Alolan Royal Family after hearin' of their misadventures to take part in the buzz."
"Hey, do I look worried? Besides, I've got surfing in my blood. My ancestors have been riding these waves for generations and having the Alolan Royal Family over would be perfect for us. What harm can hosting ancient royalty from our state's neighboring region do?" Manu reassured as he polished his surfboard.
Little Jim still had his doubts as he opened a pineapple he had with him and ate the fruit after he peeled it, telling Manu, "I still don't think those mainlanders have any business here. The Alolan Royal Family, I completely understand but the mainlanders? Why bother having them crash our local event and party?"
"No worries, Little Jim. The competition only makes me get more into my groove and the Alolan Royal Family deeply respects our island culture because they were born of it and diplomatic relations are no problem for our government because they're literally next to each other and we're of the same people. I say, 'Bring it on, baby'."
"Yes," agreed Snookie.
But, still, Little Jim has his doubts over the whole thing as he quipped to Manu, "I don't know, Manu. It's great we'll be hosting the royal family over but I don't think the Island Spirits would like it."
"Ha! Spirits? Do you actually believe that island spirit mumbo-jumbo? Take my advice, Manu, trying to scare us with that shit won't help. This time, this year, you're going down big. Come on, dudes, let's hit the waves," the blonde surfer sneered to the kahuna before he and the other surfers with him went back to the ocean to catch more waves, leaving Manu to glare at them before he headed off himself.
Then, it happened; as the surfers got back in the water, a powerful rumbling shook everyone and it caused the surfers on the waves to wipeout and fall into the water again. Snookie looked at the dormant volcano and gasped, seeing smoke coming out of it as the villagers shared her shock and disbelief at the sight.
"Look!" cried one of the villagers, seeing something that now struck terror in them.
Little Jim looked over and gasped in horror, seeing the smoke cover the sky and two piercing roars and squawks sounded off before everyone witnessed a horde of strange creatures with Tiki-like heads and tiny bodies running through the forest and charging outwards. The creatures attacked the villagers and everybody else gathered, the villagers and tourists all screaming in terror as they ran towards the ocean to save themselves while more of them ambushed the area with some of them piling on top of Little Jim and one of them bit his ear and Snookie being chased by two more as she did her best to get away from them.
"Snookie, look out!" Little Jim cried in alarm, seeing Snookie finally ambushed by them as they made her trip before they grabbed her by her ankles, his warning too late to reach the poor damsel.
"Get 'em off of me! Help, help me!" Snookie screamed as she was dragged away, forcing Little Jim to force the creatures off him and run over to save her.
But, it was too late; Snookie was too far away to be saved as two of the tiny Tikis he forced off him tripped him up, allowing them to get away with their hostage in tow as she screamed for help. Little Jim was devastated as he pounded the ground in frustration, watching her being taken away just as Manu came back and found the beach and the competition ravaged and helped his friend up after he found him.
"What happened? Where's Snookie?" he asked Little Jim.
"They took her! The Tiki Spirits, they've ravaged the place and took her away before I could get her! It's here, Manu! The curse, it's real! The curse of the Wiki-Tiki!" Little Jim screamed, shocking Manu as his eyes widened.
Meanwhile, some distance away from the ravaged beach, four people on two hang gliders were on a cliff as they prepared to soar through the skies. The four people in question were Sarah, Tsukumaro, Hiccup, and Ash (with Pikachu on his left shoulder as usual); they were on a hang gliding excursion and were preparing to glide down to the bottom of the mountain.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing, Princess? I've never heard of anybody in my time doing something mad as hang gliding before," Tsukumaro gulped, his nerves getting to him as he gripped the bar of his hang glider.
"Sure I'm sure, I've read the instructions and the guide was clear in his instructions. All you do is step off the ramp as you run towards the end, wait for a gust of wind to pick you up, and you're off. See ya on the way down! Whoo-hoo!" Sarah replied before she took off into the sky while the other four watched before they took their place, sharing a hang glider.
"You've got to be kidding," Pikachu remarked in disbelief, seeing how easy Sarah made hang gliding look.
"Well... I guess, we've got no time to waste. Let's get flying, right?" Hiccup said to Ash, Tsukumaro, and Pikachu before he muttered to himself (trying to be confident in the human sport he had no knowledge about), "Okay, Hiccup, don't panic. It's...This is just like flying with Toothless, except... I don't have him with me, you can do this..."
"There's one thing I'm worried about," Ash gulped as he and Pikachu looked down.
"What's that?" Tsukumaro replied.
"You know the problem with chickens who know nothing about this? They don't know how to fly-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-!" Ash finished as the wind picked up and caught onto the quartet's hang glider and lifted them into the air, causing them to yelp in bewilderment and slight panic as they tried to hold on.
"That's it, you guys! You're getting it! Now, hang on until I give the all-clear to descend!" Sarah smiled, seeing them catch up with her.
"Princess! This is insanity!" Tsukumaro wailed, failing to steel himself as he slowly lost his nerve.
"Sure! Now, speaking of descending, there's one thing we want to know!" Hiccup yelled as they glided along.
"What's that?"
"How do we land?" Ash picked up.
"How do you keep yourself from crashing, too?!" Pikachu added as he held on tightly to his partner so he wouldn't be blown away.
"It's just like what Hiccup, the others, and I did with our dragons! You dive down and slowly come up, letting the wind catch your glider! All while controlling your glider with your body suspension to gradually descend to the ground!"
"Easier said than done, as you young'ns would say!" Tsukumaro screamed again.
Meanwhile, as Sarah, Ash, Tsukumaro, Pikachu, and Hiccup were hanging gliding, the rest of the little princess' family along with Kiawe, Mallow, Lillie, Lana, Sophocles, and their Pokemon were in the forest taking pictures of the local wildlife.
"Wow, what an amazing place! It sure was nice of Commander Harris to provide us with this all-expense paid trip to Hawaii for us," Lillie beamed as she took a picture of a nearby parrot close by.
"Fun!" Snowy chirped excitedly while Nihilego Lillie gave an eager nod of agreement as she saw the wildlife around her and her family and friends.
"Yeah! What makes it all the more fun was that the Kahuna of this island invited Sarah, her family, and us to attend the Big Kahuna of Hanahuna Surfing Contest, too," Mallow nodded in agreement as she took a picture of a Hawaiian petrel.
"This is so exciting!" Lana gushed.
"Well, after he heard about Sarah taking down Miami's infamous crime syndicate and booking that stupid governor for life for what he had done to Florida after he was booted out and leading the syndicate as a revenge plot, he figured she could use a break," Kiawe smiled as he spotted a Nene Goose.
"It does help that the preparations for the Pokemon League are nearly completed and since it'll finally begin on Friday, she couldn't refuse. And, what makes it so sweet is the fact that she invited all of us to join in! It's a win-win!" Sophocles grinned as the entire group exited the forest and came to the Claw Patroller that was parked out of the way on the right side of the road.
"Of course, it wouldn't be alright without you children. And, you're all going to have quite a time when the Alola League Kukui, the Kahunas, and Mother and Father are planning finally gets underway," Doug noted.
"Not to mention the surfing contest being held here, there's going to be a lot of competition coming right now," Ryder quipped as he and the PAW Patrol and the Cat Pack came up to them.
"You and the pups must be eager to get in the water once we're done with our wildlife photography, Ryder, dear," Delilah smiled.
"Are you kiddin', Your Majesty? I'm so stoked, I love surfing! Why, I'm ready to catch a wave the moment we hit the beach!" Zuma grinned brightly at her.
As the PAW Patrol, the Cat Pack, and Ryder approached their friends, the Stoutland that the little princess once teamed up with for Olivia's treasure hunt assignment the previous year during the gang's first time together on Akala Island saw the friends of his former rider and went over to them, prompting Lillie to pet him, getting a satisfactory and happy purr from the old Big-Hearted Pokemon.
"You know, I never expected that big guy Sarah once went treasure-hunting with to join us for this vacation," Jakanee admitted.
"Well, Olivia told us she and the ranch that owned him he could use a much-deserved break given his age and a workout given his penchant for finding unorthodox treasures," giggled Mallow as Stoutland nuzzled her and Lana, making them giggle.
"She and the landlord owning the ranch he lives in think he could find another talent for himself besides treasure hunting since it was all he had known," Lillie nodded warmly.
"He deserves a vacation," agreed Lana.
Soon after, they noticed Sarah coming down towards them via her hang glider and landed on the ground close to them which is one of the hang glider landing sites on the island state, leaving her hang glider on the side and allowing two of her larger Pokemon to pick it up so they can return it.
"Now, that's smooth sailing with a hang glider of all things," Skye remarked with a smile.
"How did it go?" Delilah asked her daughter as she came over and Blitz joined her, hitching a ride on her right shoulder.
"It was great, not too different from flying on dragons," her daughter replied just as everybody heard some panicked screaming coming from Ash, Pikachu, Tsukumaro, and Hiccup as they tried to control their hang glider coming down before they eventually crashed into the top of a palm tree and fell down along with their damaged glider.
Loki and Toothless gasped as they rushed over to their rider and friends as the quartet groaned and picked themselves up from the unorthodox landing they had.
"Okay... That was wild," Hiccup quipped as Toothless and Loki helped him up.
"Ugh, I say... You little devils and your modern 'sports'," grumbled Tsukumaro as he dusted himself off.
"I guess us chickens can fly, after all."
"You said it," Ash and Pikachu admitted as Mudsdale, Blaze, and Draco picked up the damaged hang glider and moved it away so Sarah or Race could repair it before they returned the gliders to the shop and owner they rented them from.
"Obviously, since you've never gone through flying through human and wind power rather than the dragons and Garchomp. Chickens just don't know how to land," Race chuckled, shaking his head at them as he brandished his wand and used Reparo to repair the glider.
But, after repairing the glider, the former Battle Frontier Champion, Sarah, her family, and their friends were surprised to find a lot of cars driving past them with what looked to be suitcases loaded onto them along with surfing boards and other assortments on the roofs. They were baffled by what they were seeing as they obviously had no idea about the incident involving the Tiki Spirits and what Little Jim, Maui, Snookie, the locals, the surfers, and the tourists from before went through.
"That's weird," Amber peeped in surprise and confusion.
"Bleetin' Aipoms, I heard that this is a tiny island in the human world but I never thought there'd be so much human traffic piling out," Tyson remarked.
"What's going on with those guys?" Sophocles pondered just as a spooked surfer on a motor scooter drove near them.
"Excuse me! Could you tell us where everybody's heading?" Mallow asked the surfer.
"Anywhere but Hanahuna, dudette! That's where," the surfer replied, still spooked.
"Hanahuna?" Ash, Kiawe, Lillie, and Sophocles echoed.
"Isn't that where the Big Kahuna of Hanahuna Surfing Contest is taking place?" Asha quizzed.
"The island guide gave an eight on Hanahuna's Charm-o-Meter," Lana said, looking at a brochure of the island in question.
"Yeah? Well, on the It-Creeps-Me-Out Meter, I'd give that place a ten! Hanahuna is one spooky place and if you bozos are heading there, you'd better hurry or clear out 'cause that joint's been overrun by evil Tiki spirits! I'm so out of here! Later, much!" the surfer finished before he drove away along with everybody else.
"Evil Tiki spirits?" Pikachu, Turtonator, Pyroar, Snowy, Tsareena, Shaymin, Sandy, Primarina, Togedemaru, and Vikavolt echoed, surprised.
"Okay... That wassssssss weird," Medusa said, raising a stumped eyebrow at the departing surfer.
"This is ridiculous even by some of our own unorthodox standards," Tsukumaro blinked.
"Come on, do those big babies really believe in that mumbo-jumbo about the supernatural in the evil sense?" Mischief scoffed.
"You have to admit, those sniveling waterlogs sure are spooked about something and it's not concerning Ash's socks this time."
"Surely, there must be a more logical explanation as to why all of those people would be frightened out of a beautiful place such as Hanahuna and not just by these Tiki spirits," Kurma and Blossom noted.
"Whether they're real or not is one thing and given the track record of the Spirits of Disharmony on their end, we'd better go check it out," Sarah decided.
"I agree; whoever's left in this Hanahuna needs our help to deal with this madness."
"And, we must figure out what was going on and fast before the Pokemon League begins," Delilah and Doug agreed.
"You're right!"
"Then, let's go over there!"
"And, that means-" Lana, Mallow, and Lillie nodded before...
"Junior Patrollers to the rescue! YAY!" shouted three voices, their owners catching everybody by surprise as they popped out of the bushes to reveal three Pomeranian pups (a girl and two boys), all of them with matching caps, scarves, and eyes (all of them being the primary colors of red, blue, and yellow).
"What th-?!"
"Uh, who are you?" Ash and Sarah spluttered in bewilderment at the pups.
"Hey, wait, wait, wait! Back up a minute," Liberty cocked, baffled. "Who are you little rascals and why are you goofing around being these 'Junior Patrollers'?"
"'Oi! Tot, Mini, Nano, there you are!" barked a familiar voice before Commander Ryan and Angel Dynamite appeared, both of them out of breath as they panted heavily and caught up to the three Pomeranian pups they were supposedly after. "Next time, you little ruffians, warn us before you go wandering off on your own!"
"Angel, Commander, hi," Raven chuckled, getting the pair's attention as they saw Raven and her family and friends before they quickly straightened themselves with a surprised chuckle.
"Raven, Princess, kids," Angel greeted as she rubbed her old partner's head.
"Oh! Uh, apologies, friends... You caught us by surprise, we didn't think you'd be here," the commander admitted, getting laughs out of the Pokemon School Gang, Ash, their Pokemon, Ryder, the Cat Pack, and the PAW Patrol.
"Actually, we're on vacation. Sarah's grandparents and Professor Kukui are nearly finished with completing the Pokemon League in Alola and Commander Harris provided us with this all-expenses-paid trip after she ended Miami's crime syndicate and sacked Ron DeSantis as governor when he was revealed to be the ringmaster behind it so he can get revenge on everybody for ruining him and uncovering his schemes for the country," Lillie explained.
"And, we've been specially invited by the Kahuna of Hanahuna when he heard of the syndicate and DeSantis' end," Mallow added. "Speaking of Hanahuna, why are you here? Did you decide to take a vacation or something?"
"No, Ms. Mallow, we're not. As a matter of fact, Commander Harris and President Biden informed us that some property on this island is recently being bought under...supernatural circumstances and asked us to attend to the matter immediately," Ryan informed.
"You mean those Tiki spirits we heard that have been scaring everybody away from here?" Asha inquired.
"Bingo, we didn't imagine you being here by coincidence. But, from the looks on your faces, I'd say you've decided to take up the case as well," Angel nodded.
"And, these three you brought with you? Are they related to you and this case involving those Mini-Tikis by any chance?" James inquired, gesturing to the Pomeranian pups with the Adventure City cops.
"They're not alone, we have a few more joining us to help unravel the supernatural ploy happening," Ryan said to him before he turned to the bushes behind him and Angel. "Alright, children, come out! You can meet our old friends and acquaintances, now!"
Then, from out of the bushes, came five more pups joining the Pomeranians as they stood alongside them (this time, one girl and four boys) with all of them being mixed breeds.
The only female of the mixed breeds is a Siberian Husky and Mixed Breed mix with a strong resemblance to Rocky but unlike him, her face is mainly white (right between her eyes and on her muzzle) along with the edges of her face, the front of her neck, her chest, her paws, and her tail tip. Her back was dotted with three deep gray dots and one dot around her left eye and on her ear tips.
The first of the males is a German Shepard and Dalmatian mix that has a mostly beige fur coat with a brown area around his right eye and below his bent right ear and he had a small beaded necklace with a black diamond hooked to it around his neck. The top half of his body also had a black crystal-shaped pattern with a sprinkling of dots below it and his tail had a mixed patch of black and brown while the same spots on his top were sported below his shoulders and around his front ankles.
The second male is a Border Collie and Bernese Mountain Dog mix similar to Rex (but with no wheelchair and no disabled legs) as he had tri-colored fur with brown and white markings around his face, legs, and paws over his black body, two fluff tuffs on his head, brown eyes and eyebrows, a black nose, and a bent left ear.
The third male is instead a bright yellow Dalmatian and Labradoodle mix that had green eyes and a large tuft hanging from the middle of his forehead. He also has darker yellow spots all over his body and similar markings on his back paws along with darker yellow shading on his tuff while his tail's underside, front paws, underbelly, muzzle, and nose are snowy white.
And, finally, the fourth and final male was a Dalmatian and Siberian Husky mix with a black fur coat dotted with white bits around his face, muzzle, chest, front legs, underbelly, and back paws, the exception being his tail's underside which is also white but had black spots all over it. He had a black diamond in the middle of his forehead with a left bent ear and he also wore a small black-beaded necklace around his neck.
"What's shakin', dudes? I'm Rosebud and these are my brothers: Buddha, B-Dawg, Mudbud, and Budderball," the female, Rosebud, introduced herself and the males who are her brothers. "We're known as," began Mudbud before all five pups shouted together, "...The Buddies!"
"And, we're the Poms! What's up? I'm Tot!"
"I'm Nano!"
"And, I'm Mini! Hi!" the Pomeranian pups introduced themselves, now formerly known as Tot, Nano, and Mini.
"Oh, how cute!" cooed Cocoa as she came over and nuzzled Mini, Tot, and Nano, who giggled happily.
"Oh, great... Just what I don't need, a couple more furry shrimps driving me nuts," groaned Silvally, not liking where this was going.
"Silvally, shame on you. Where's your heart and compassion for these youngsters?" Stoutland reprimanded gently as he chuckled at the Poms and their boundless energy as Friter, Muffin, Danish, and Pastry happily scampered over to the trio. "Why, I used to be like them in my day when I was only a Lillipup."
"Those rascals are PAW Patrol superfans when they heard about their exploits, always wanting to join the crew after hearing how Liberty joined their ranks but not knowing how to rescue," Angel replied.
"Energetic, these little pups are; always bouncing up and down the walls across Adventure City wanting to solve every case they can. So, after Commander Harris informed us of the supernatural Tiki spirits plaguing Hanahuna, we took them here, think this case would be a good starting point for them," Commander Ryan added to the group.
"Good think you folks and those puffballs and pups came when you did. We were just about to make tracks over there after that surfer told us what was going on and why everybody was leaving earlier," Terrakion replied.
"But, where exactly do we start when we get there?" Ash inquired.
"And, who can we ask for some information if everybody's moving out?" Ryder reminded.
"I have an old friend from my time as a fashion designer living in Hanahuna Bay. He likes to sell good luck charms and other stuff concerning the supernatural whenever he's not working in the Goya Aloha Company in his spare time, he'll tell us what's happening to this place," Nikki suggested.
"Sounds like 'Step One' to me. We're heading for Hanahuna Bay to question your friend and find out whatever is behind these freaky Tikis," Angel decided, nodding in agreement.
"Yay! First mystery!"
"We're in business!" Tot, Nano, and Mini cheered.
"Wait a minute, are you saying we're going to Hanahuna Bay to solve a ghost mystery?"
"But, if there are freaky Tikis running amok, there's spooky things going on!"
"Yeah, races are my dig but actual spooky and supernatural foes, no thanks. Later, much," Sophocles, Togedemaru, and Vikavolt cringed as they tried to slink away.
"Aww, come on! Don't be a baby, you guys," Piplup scoffed.
"Yeah, I'm allergic to ghosts even though I'm a Viking. But, still, I got a few things to do back home, see ya," Fishlegs agreed as he tried to tiptoe out of the island with Sophocles and his Pokemon.
"Come on, Fishy, this is our first real big mystery."
"It'll be fun!" Meatlug and Dratini pleaded as they tried to drag him back.
"Okay, if that's what you want, you can spend your time wasting our vacation back home, alone. And, if you do bail, I'm sure Hanahuna would miss out on selling some delicious Masaladas and Macadamia Nuts," Sarah quipped to Sophocles, his Pokemon, and Fishlegs, purposely piquing their interests and appetites as they dashed back to the group with Ash and Pikachu joining them.
"Macadamia Nuts/Masaladas?!" they shrieked with delight before they bolted into the Claw Patroller, getting laughs out of everybody.
Soon, everyone piled into the Claw Patroller and they finally arrived at Hanahuna. But, they were surprised to see how vacant the island was with many of the people living in or visiting the island gone despite the island's astounding beach-side properties and its lovely forest further inland teaming with wildlife. It was as if what the surfer from before told them was true; if the Tiki spirits that frightened everybody away were real, they had more cause for concern about solving the mystery they'd undertaken.
"Wow, the surfer from earlier was right; almost everybody's cleared out of this place," Mallow breathed as she looked at the mostly vacant buildings as only a select number of locals, workers, and tourists remained, all undeterred by the supernatural occurrences.
"Why would they want to leave this place?" pondered Lana.
"Those confounded Tiki spirits must've scared everybody susceptible to irrational fear good enough to make them want to abandon such a wonderful island in a region or state such as Hawaii," David thought.
"That is strange," Persian hummed as the heroes parked the Claw Patroller near a street corner.
Soon, the heroes disembarked their vehicle and walked around the island's business district before they came to a stand called the Poi Joint and saw a Hawaiian woman and a friend of hers working on mashing a food product called Poi which is made by mashing corn starch on a wooden pounding board using only a carved wooden pestle.
"Hey, guys, come check this out," Skiddo piped up, seeing the women working on the Poi.
"What are they making, anyway?" Fishlegs inquired curiously at the Poi being made.
"That stuff is Poi, it's a Hawaiian delicacy popular in the state that dates back to the days of the ancient Hawaiians. It's made by pounding taro or cooked starch on a pounding board with only a wood pestle and it's a staple of the Hawaiian diet," Nikki informed the brainiac Viking, getting the attention of the vendor women.
"Good day, Your Majesties," the vendor women smiled as they saw Sarah and her real family amongst the group.
"Would you and your friends like to try some of our Poi?" the first vendor woman asked, offering some of their poi to the group as they gave a taste test.
"Hmm... Slimy, creamy, an odd and tangy taste, yet satisfying," Doug hummed with intrigue.
"This is an interesting product you're making here, ladies," Delilah added, smiling in approval after having her piece.
"Of course, we're making this special batch today. It is an offering, actually."
"An offering? But, to whom?" Kiawe questioned, only to no answer as the second vendor woman gave the first woman a slight glare to cut her off before she could spill what she was about to say to the group.
"Oh! Uh, well... Never mind, it's not important to you. Apologies, but, please enjoy your stay! Alola!" the first woman sheepishly giggled before she abruptly closed her stand in the heroes' faces.
"How do you like that for an island retreat?" Sophocles replied, disgruntled as he crossed his arms.
"That's a fine 'Hello!' and 'How do you do?' there."
"Of all the nerve," Race and Commander Ryan snorted, unimpressed.
"Very strange, why would that woman tell us they were offering that Poi they're making to someone if they won't indulge as to who wants it?" Noctowl pondered, scratching his beak.
"Don't look at me," Goodra denied.
"At least, she knows how to say 'goodbye', though," Torch added awkwardly.
"That was until they shut the door in our faces," scoffed an annoyed Freya with a snort.
"Interesting, it seems that these evil Tiki spirits have also got the locals spooked if they would act like this," Angel hummed thoughtfully.
"Yes, whatever business these spirits have with the people does warrant our concern," Tsukumaro nodded.
"What'll we do now?" Lana quizzed.
"Let's go and find Jared and his shop, I have a hunch he'll know what's been going on with this business involving these Tiki spirits and what we can do to help," Nikki mentioned before the heroes then made their way to Hanahuna Beach.
On the other side of town at Hanahuna Beach, Nikki's old friend, Jared Moon (a man in his late 30s with fair skin, wild light brown hair and mustache, and an outfit consisting of a vibrate yellow, orange, and red shirt, white shorts, and brown open sandals), was selling Wiki-Tiki good luck charms to people (with the charms supposedly being able to ward off the Tiki spirits plaguing the island).
"Beware of Hawaii's most terrifying spirit, the Scourge of the Pacific! Get your Wiki-Tiki charms now," he advertised as the islanders bought the charms he had, even going as far as to take a boy's lollipop, give him a charm, and eat part of it before giving it back to the boy (who frowned in annoyance at him). "Don't wind up as a human sacrifice, folks! Get your Wiki-Tiki Charms now, today only..."
The heroes soon arrive at the beach and they are surprised and a little baffled to see Nikki's old friend as he is with James being skeptical of him as he quipped to his wife, "Nikki, are you sure that weasel's your old friend? Like, he actually helped you skyrocket your fashion career before you ended up with me?"
"Now, dear, I know Jared is eccentric and an oddball but he does mean well and I've known him for years before retiring since he helped me land a few clients back in my day. If anybody knows what's been happening in these parts, it's him," Nikki reassured him.
Jared heard Nikki's voice and once he turned to her, he couldn't help but smile as he came over to greet her, "Well, well! Look who it is, Nikki Blake! How's it rockin', girlfriend? Haven't seen you in a long time!"
"Hey there, Jared," Nikki smiled as they shared a hug.
"So, what brings you to Hanahuna? Back in the fashion business after living the good life in Kanto and Alola, I'll bet?"
"No, actually. I'm on vacation with my family, I'm still retired. But, you, I see you haven't changed much. Still working with Goha Alola, I presume?"
"Um, excuse me. Pardon my interruption but isn't it it a little odd for a company representative like you to work out of a van down by the beach?" Lillie piped up as she joined the pair while holding Snowy in her arms.
"Company car, sweetie. This little venture's just something I do on the side when I'm not movin' and shakin' with Goha Aloha," Jared corrected as he pulled two Wiki-Tiki Charms out of his pockets which two more islanders bought while he pocketed the money he got into his front right pocket. "First thing you gotta learn about sales, sister; you gotta strike while the iron is hot. And, these babies are H-O-T, hot!"
"Boy, big business of yours is booming with the supernatural buzz, huh?" Angel quipped, raising an eyebrow.
"Are you kiddin', girlfriend? I can barely keep these babies in stock as more dudes and dudettes flock over to them. Once I sell my last batch, I'm out of here and if you know what's good for ya, you better do the same before they show up."
"What exactly are these things, sir?" Fishlegs asked, looking at the charms curiously.
Tsukuarmo, however, looked skeptical as he eyed the charms and examined one of them. He was understandably unimpressed with what he was seeing based on first impressions; to him, there was nothing about Jared's charms that seemed magical or had magic properties compared to what he experienced in his day in the Wizarding and Muggle World, both in and away from Hogwarts.
"What is all this Muggle rubbish supposed to be?" he inquired suspiciously, tossing the charm back on the stand and making his disdain for the trinkets known.
"Define how 'magical' these human trinkets are to us, really," Absol snorted, sharing his human master's lack of enthusiasm for the businessman's merchandise as he eyed the charms with disgust.
"Charms, talismans... Anything to help the folks ward off the Wiki-Tiki."
"Wiki-Tiki?" the PAW Patrol echoed in confusion as they looked at each other.
"What exactly is this Wiki-Tiki?"
"Yeah, who's this big bad Tiki cat you mentioned supposed to be?" Shade and Wild questioned, not understanding what Jared was saying.
"Oh, don't you know? Everybody on the island knows the Wiki-Tiki; he's said to be an ancient Hawaiian spirit who dwells in the bowels of Mount Pulanana, the mountain volcano in the forest beyond here," Jared explained.
"A spirit, you mean like Sol and the Spirits of Harmony?" Dracovish suggested, tilting his head innocently.
"I highly doubt this Wiki-Tiki fellow, should he really exist, is of their class, Young Dracovish," Stoutland stated doubtfully.
Sophocles and Rubble (who has a fear of ghosts) gulped before they stammered worriedly, "...A-An, ancient Hawaiian, s-s-s-spirit?"
The two of them yelped as they landed in Ryder and Ash's arms fearfully and held them as Jared continued to tell everybody, "He's said to be 10,000 years old, way, way older than the Alolan Royal Family after they were abolished in a crazy war, give or take a day. And, what's more, the locals said that if he is somehow disturbed, his anger must be appeased via a human sacrifice."
"A what?"
"Human sacrifice?" Angel and Xena echoed skeptically, a little baffled by what they heard.
"EEK!"
"ZOINKS!" Shaymin and Snowy yelped as they hugged and snuggled against Mallow and Lillie with fright.
"What?" Star groaned, facepalming.
"Just because he's somehow disturbed?" added Ghost (Dragapult).
"I'm afraid so. Legend has it that long ago, the people of this island would appease the Wiki-Tiki by sacrificing one of their own into the volcano should he be disturbed or in demand of a sacrifice," Manu informed as he and Little Jim appeared, a little disheartened by Snookie's capture of the Wiki-Tiki's servants.
"Wow! Are you really Manu Tuiama, the big kahuna of Hanahuna? I recognize you from reading Surf Rider Magazine, sick!" Zuma grinned brightly, recognizing Manu immediately.
Manu smiled sadly but he sighed as he then said, "Appreciate it, little dude, but surfing's not important to me right now..."
"Yeah, how would any of you feel if your girlfriend was kidnapped and you learned she was about to be thrown in a volcano for an evil spirit?" Little Jim interjected, getting an annoyed glare from Manu in the process. "Oh! Sorry, Manu. But, it's true! The Wiki-Tiki just sent his evil Tikis to the beach earlier and ravaged the surfing contest as a warning and that's not all, they also took Snookie."
"Young man, are you sure that this Snookie of yours is really kidnapped and not just lost inland?" Donna (former queen) quizzed skeptically.
"Well, Snookie's no rocket scientist as far as I can tell, Your Majesty. But, she definitely knows her way around the island," Little Jim replied, getting an elbow from Manu just as a woman with blonde hair and black eyes while wearing an outfit of a blue and green Hawaiian shirt and light-blue pants came over.
"Manu, Jared, Little Jim, honestly. If you three keep this silly Wiki-Tiki local legend of yours, you're bound to scare off these nice kids and the Alolan Royal Family," the woman (who was actually Hanahuna's mayor) snorted, her amusement and lack of belief in the supernatural immediately rubbing the heroes off the wrong way.
"Pfft, please... That hag obviously never met Lothor and his posse," scoffed Blitz, narrowing his eyes at the mayor.
"Or, mad world-dominating scientists," agreed Curly, unamused.
"Who are you?" Mallow asked the mayor.
"Pardon me, I'm Molly, I'm the mayor of Hanahuna. But, let me assure you all, Hanahuna is 100% safe. Besides, you're more than likely to get struck by lightning than become some silly spiritual sacrifice," the mayor, Molly, replied.
As soon as Molly said those words, however, thunder suddenly struck without warning, lightning flashed in the sky and before everybody knew it, dark clouds loomed in before everybody heard a loud screech as the rain came.
"Rain?!"
"Gross!"
"I hate water!"
"No!"
"What-?!"
"Thanks a lot, Mother Nature!"
"Of all the-!"
"Hey!"
"Yuck!" Pyre, Wildfire, Sunflare, Phoenix, Tyson, Amber, Flygon, Kaji, and Mudsdale shrieked as they ran for cover along with the rest of the heroes, Molly, Little Jim, Manu, and Jared while Sarah brought out her wand and manipulated the raindrops to have them fall away from the group.
"I may be a Pokemon but I'm also a robot and let me tell you, water and I still don't get along very well," Zelda sighed in annoyance.
Lana looked at Sarah's Water Types, Hydro, and Hurricane and saw how happy they were in the rain as they danced and played about while taking in the storm, quipping to everyone, "At least some of us are enjoying ourselves with this weather."
"Yeah, right. 100% safe, is it?" Hashimoto replied to Molly, doubtfully.
"Didn't anybody else find it weird that a screech was heard just when those stupid clouds came in?" Cinderace added as he tried to wring himself free of the rain soaking him.
"That is weird, didn't think anybody else was here besides the remaining townsfolk, tourists, and us," Goodra nodded while Cookie and Greta just whimpered, cuddling close to James as he rubbed his Hisuian Goodra to soothe them of their fears.
"I still say you should ban mainlanders from the surfing contest, Molly. You know how well that turned out given what happened earlier," Little Jim frowned at Molly, still having his doubts.
"Now, now, you kids do know that as your duly-elected mayor who got 51% of the votes, I've opened the contest for a reason which is to include everyone this year," Molly informed.
"Yeah, and now, Snookie's going to be sacrificed by the Tiki spirit because of your carelessness," Manu argued bitterly.
"Oh, Manu, you and your colorful island stories. Tiki spirits, sacrifices, what a provocative imagination you have there. I'm sure you've heard that Hanahuna scored an eight on the island's Charm-O-Meter. The Charm-O-Meter was my idea, after all."
Once again, Molly's obliviousness to the supernatural rubbed the heroes off the wrong way with the Pokemon glaring at her, realizing how disrespectful and egotistical she was as Scorch quietly noted to his fellow Pokemon, "I don't like her, you guys. People like her give me the creeps and her attitude's bugging me out."
"You mean like how she's ignoring a big threat coming everyone's way?"
"And, being egotistical with her not heeding Manu and his friend's words and caring only about popularity, money, and all that jazz?" Primarina and Turtonator whispered back.
"Most definitely."
"Indeed," Rapidash and Tsareena nodded, disgusted with how Molly was acting out of self-interest and not for the good of the people.
"Her own ego, no-show of citizenship, and lack of compassion or heart don't make her a good mayor in my book."
"She's not going to get anywhere as a leader in this case," agreed an equally unimpressed Glastrier and Zacian.
Ryder couldn't help but agree, "You think after what happened to the island with the arrival of this Wiki-Tiki, she would be more concerned about the people and their well-being instead of carrying on with life as normal."
"I just assume looking out for the people's well-being flew over her one-track-minded head," Nano remarked.
"It's not too far of a stretch given our own fair share of the supernatural and evil events so this won't be any different," Sarah stated.
"See?! She gets it, the princess and her family and friends understand exactly what we're saying! You just don't get it, Molly!" Manu frowned angrily at Molly, thankful for the heroes vouching for him and Little Jim but still bummed about everything, especially Snookie's fate. "This isn't a joke! My Snookie's gone because of the Wiki-Tiki, and now, we're all in danger!"
And, with that, Manu left in a huff as Little Jim sighed as he reiterated, "Manu is right, we must not ignore the warning signs of the great and mighty Wiki-Tiki."
"Speaking of the Wiki-Tiki, Little Jim, did you guys hear that strange screech before Snookie was kidnapped?" Sarah inquired to the Hanahuna native.
"Yeah, we and everybody else present heard it earlier and we also heard another roar with it when Mount Pulanana was blowing smoke from its top. Nobody knew what they were, though, but what we do know is that they both came from the volcano."
"And, what else do you know about the supernatural plaguing this island? Any more legends concerning them, by any chance?" Kiawe asked.
"Besides, the legend pertaining to your friend and her family as well as the Wiki-Tiki, the only other legend we've heard of pertains to these so-called ancestors of the Alolan Island Guardians. It sounded so convincing but none of us knew whether or not it could be true since we don't know anything else about them."
Little Jim's words suddenly sparked something in Sarah and her blood family and their Pokemon as their eyes widened, their jaws dropped, and they quietly gasped in stunned shock but nobody noticed the sudden change in them from his explanation.
"...What?" peeped a stunned Persian.
"Mother, did he just...?" Lolita asked her mother, getting a confirming nod from her.
"I'm sorry, what? Now, you're just telling stupid tales again," Silvally scoffed.
"Ancestors?"
"Alolan Island Guardians?" Ash and Lillie echoed.
"You're kidding!"
"Get real!" Pikachu and Vikavolt said doubtfully.
"Ancestors of the Tapus?"
"You mean there are four other guardians that preceded Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, Tapu Bulu, and Tapu Fini?" Lana and Kiawe breathed in shock.
"They're not as well known as the Wiki-Tiki around here but there is some information about them if you're interested. I'll see what else I can dig up for you and tell the locals you want to know more about them."
"Thank you, Little Jim, your help in this matter is most appreciated. In the meantime, we'll see what we can do to help you and your friend deal with this Wiki-Tiki," Delilah thanked.
"My pleasure, Your Majesties. Hey, Manu, wait up!" Little Jim replied kindly before he ran off to catch up with the heated Manu.
"So, now we got a crazy kidnapping by a tall, dark, and creepy spiritual freakshow to deal with," Zorua quipped.
"That's the idea, sister," Sho nodded.
"Exactly; if the Wiki-Tiki is as real as your six spiritual friends from Dragonstone are, we can't let this go unchecked. We must do something to stop it from terrorizing the island and prevent it from abducting any more people for human sacrifices," Ryan agreed just as the storm ended and the sun came out along with a rainbow.
"Well, look at that! Another rainbow, it's certainly a paradise here in Hanahuna, isn't it?" Molly gestured, still obliviously to the danger everybody was facing.
Angel grew incredulous at Molly as she remarked, "Does that airhead have feathers or rocks for brains?"
"Seriously?"
"By her selfish demeanor, I'd suggest she's reached a level of 89% in terms of her obliviousness to the supernatural."
"Indeed. Although I'd bump that rating to 94% if I'm being honest," Sonic, Nitro, and Calculator frowned, not liking how selfish Molly was being, either.
"Well, I hope you don't mind answering this, lady. If Hanahuna is such a paradise, how come everybody's packing their bags and hightailing it out of here faster than a jackrabbit on a hot summer in the Grand Canyon?" Race deadpanned at Molly.
"Those poor men and women were scared out of their wits because of those little monstrosities and their gang leader," Doug added.
"Even the women at the Poi stand we've passed by seemed spooked because of them and the Wiki-Tiki," Cadence concurred.
"Terrified is more like it, fellas. And, who wouldn't be terrified of the horrible Wiki-Tiki?" Jared nodded in agreement just as thunder could be heard behind him, spooking Ash, Rubble, Cookie, Greta, Fishlegs, Togedemaru, Vikavolt, and Sophocles as they either hid under some stools or retracted into their shells with scared yelps while shivering frantically.
"But, even so, I do hope you and your friends will all stay for tonight's festivities, Your Majesties," Molly shrugged, now sheepish and nervous about what's happening despite trying to play it off as normal.
"We'd be honored to have you all at our evening festivities, if you don't mind, that is."
"Yeah... You guys have fun being sacrifices. We, on the other hand, rather not!" Rubble begged, still shivering as Ryder came over to comfort him.
"Ditto!" Sophocles added in agreement, terrified.
"Me, neither!" put in Fishlegs.
"It's no problem, Ms. Molly. But, if you don't mind, what kind of festivities are you on about?" David inquired as James gently coaxed his Hisuian Goodra out of their shells.
"Local retailers still hanging around here are sponsoring a wingding with some entertainment and free food. And, did I mention, it's all-you-can-eat?"
That perked up Rubble, Fishlegs, Barley, Meatlug, Ash, and Sophocles' interest as they forgot about their fears of ghosts and came in with forks and spoons in their hands, claws, and paws while Vikavolt, Dratini, and Togedemaru buzzed, chirped, and jumped up and down excitedly.
"Free food?!"
"All-you-can-eat?"
"Cool!"
"Really, where?!"
"You said the magic words!"
"Now, I'm hungry!" the six in question cheered.
"Well, guys, it looks like we've another mystery and this time, we're going Tiki-Tiki," Sarah said.
Occurred Events
In Hanahuna, Sarah and her friends reunited with Ryan and Angel
The Junior Patrollers make their debut and they joined forces to solve the case
The gang hears about the Wiki-Tiki spirit and Snookie's kidnapping