Okay, I think I finally have a replacement name for this fanfic series (I didn't even use the old name on this installment, since I've been meaning to change it). All of the others are called "Path of the Chosen." That's an old name, which never really fit the current story.

As a replacement name, I'm thinking of "Sheltering Path." What do you think?

(And as to Magikarp Jump, yes I really did get every single color. And the violet raindrops took me SO. Long. To find. Ugh. )

Hawaiian word: lō-lō means stupid or crazy.

Polaris-Ponyta, Mia-Alolan Marowak, Marin-Primarina, Lunick-Midnight Lycanroc, Twine-Fomantis, Zetty-Rotom Dex

On Avalon: Mewtwo, Lily-Mom Mewtwo, Twilight-kid Mewtwo, Shira-Reshiram, Ulysses-Braviary

Chapter 8: Tunnel Vision

"Hi, Rotom!" Professor Kukui exclaimed as Zetty zipped around the lab. "How do you like being a Pokédex?"

"Itzzz great! Thanks!"

As Kukui started questioning Zetty, Professor Burnet chuckled. "You don't know how exciting it is for him to be able to speak to a Pokémon. I think that's a large part of why he had the idea for the Rotom dex. And it looks like your Rotom has some good stories to tell." Although she and Kukui were married, their research took place on different islands. That must be tricky to coordinate. This was her lab, in Heahea City. I'd rejoined the others here after I finished the trial in Lush Jungle.

I introduced everyone to Twine, my new Fomantis, while Kukui and Zetty held an enthusiastic conversation. Iz music played in the background.

"You're going through Diglett's Tunnel next?" Lillie asked as she pet Twine.

"Yeah, that's where I have to face the Island Kahuna."

"That's also where the ruins of the island Tapu are. Can I come with you? I was hoping to take Nebby to those ruins."

I blinked. "Oh, yeah. Sure. We'll take you through the cave."

Lillie nodded. "Thank you. Nebby has a way of getting in trouble. Although you probably noticed that."

"That's okay," Hari said. "Cara also has a way of getting in trouble."

Professor Kukui laughed as he and Zetty rejoined us. "As long as she can also get out of it."

"So far," I muttered.

"By the way," Ben said in an exaggerated casual tone. "Do you know what Professor Burnet researches here?"

I followed his lead, keeping my voice level. "No, I don't."

"Oh!" Professor Burnet exclaimed. "I study different dimensions."

My body gave an involuntary jerk. I'd once fallen between dimensions. I woke up on another world, remembering nothing. I was lost for months. It had been terrifying. And amazing. I met so many new friends. And my old friends came to find me, return my memories, and bring me home. I wasn't sure if I wanted to discuss it. Almost no one knew. I managed to answer normally, "Oh yeah?"

Professor Burnet nodded. "Long ago, they say an Ultra Wormhole opened up. Fierce beasts, we call them Ultra Beasts, came through. They were more dangerous than Pokémon. The Tapus helped drive them away. I study the phenomena in case such a thing happens again."

I was relieved that they weren't trying to travel between dimensions. I knew from experience that it came with risks. Like losing your memory. I wondered if I should share my experience with other dimensions, but it didn't sound like it would be relevant. I'd never heard of Ultra Beasts. Yes, I'd encountered a terrifying Pokémon on the other side, but it had been a Pokémon.

The others were still talking. I pulled myself back to attention, trying not to look too spaced out. We finished making our plans for Diglett's Tunnel, to leave the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow already had a full schedule.

And since Lillie hadn't seen Coco, I declared that this would be a movie night.

…

Every couple weeks, Ben, Hari and I went home. Not to our families (though we did that sometimes too). We were caretakers of a beautiful island called Avalon. Avalon was owned by a crazy rich man named Jed. He let us keep our Pokémon there, as long as we looked after everything for him. Honestly, the Pokémon did most of the work though. Jed came to visit every now and then, since Avalon was basically his private resort. Whenever he did come, the Pokémon had a protocol to hide away some of the more… unusual residents that didn't want to be seen.

Avalon was not near Alola. Normally that would make it impossible for regular visits. But we had Lily. Not to be confused with Lillie, the human girl. In the morning, Ben, Hari and I went to a beach where we wouldn't run into anyone else. Lily didn't mind other humans, but I was careful that no one ever saw her. After all, if the wrong humans saw a Mewtwo, it could put them in unbelievable danger. It had already happened once before. And now there were three Mewtwo: the original, Lily, and their baby Twilight. Lily was the best at teleporting, and she happily transferred us to and from Avalon. I called her through telepathy, and seconds later she appeared on the beach before us.

"Good morning, Lily!" We chorused. "Thanks for the ride!"

She inclined her head, smiling. One of her eyes was white, aside from the black pupil. Luckily it didn't affect her sight, though it was a striking feature. "Shall we?" She held out her hands, and we each gripped one of her arms. In a flash, Teleport whisked us off to Avalon.

I knew what to expect, and braced myself. Twilight hurtled toward me in his usual greeting. I caught him, doing something like an aikido spin to absorb the momentum. I hugged him as he laughed. He leaned over so he could hug Hari and Ben as well. "Welcome back," he chirped.

I wasn't sure what I'd do when Twilight got bigger. He was three and a half now, and about the size of a human kid that age. But some day he'd grow bigger than a human, and would flatten me if he tried this. I'd miss being able to catch him. He was far smarter than any human child his age, but he was still my baby. You know, after his parents.

We had a routine for our bi-weekly visits to Avalon, where we'd go around and visit all of the Pokémon. Considering the crazy variety of Pokémon that lived here, things worked out pretty well. Word travelled quickly when we were due for a visit. Many of the Pokémon were there to greet us on our arrival, and many more tagged along as we made our rounds. I let out my current team to play.

Ulysses wasn't a particularly social Braviary, but he always came to visit Mia, his best friend. So when he drifted down out of the sky, Mia marched over to him and began chattering away with the story of her evolution. Ulysses blinked in surprise at the sight of her. He'd never seen an Alolan Marowak before. But when he realized it was Mia, he settled down to patiently listen.

I was still smitten with my newest addition at Avalon: a karp pond. Magikarp, that is. Before we came to Alola, I'd gone to Hoppy Town. They're famous for their Magikarp jumping competitions. That's not why I went though. I wanted to see their beautiful color morphs of Magikarp. It was far more difficult than I expected to get some of my own, but I finally managed to catch one of each color and pattern. They made a sparkling underwater rainbow. I had an interesting history with Magikarp. It was one of the first Pokémon I had on my team. I'd named him Leviathan, which was a great joke to Ben. What kind of Magikarp had a name like Leviathan? But he evolved pretty early on, largely out of self defense. And then his name fit him perfectly. I was such a beginner trainer that I had no business raising a Pokémon as potentially dangerous as a Gyarados. But it never occurred to me that he could be dangerous. And that innocence (aka naivete) meant that I showed no fear. And because I was also kind and respected him, he respected me back. I was insanely lucky.

We ate lunch by the karp pond. It was a huge picnic joined by many Pokémon, including the family of three Mewtwos. In the afternoon, we played, relaxed, watched a movie, and finally went to bed. My room was filled with the usual piles of Pokémon snuggled up with me.

The next morning, Lily took us back to Alola. Twilight came, and we played on the beach all morning.

…

That afternoon, we headed into Diglett's Tunnel, which would take us to the southern part of Akala Island. Lillie was coming with us, so we had to keep a close eye on Nebby. We didn't want her wandering off again. It helped that she'd gotten attached to me, probably since I'd helped her on the bridge. Sometimes she'd even ride on my shoulder. Nebby was a bit of a bubble-head, but still charming.

We started telling Lillie some of our more interesting stories. The trouble in Unova and Kalos had ended up on TV, but we had many other tales.

Lillie seemed both fascinated and nervous about going on adventures of her own. "The only time I've done anything like that was when I saved Nebby. People were experimenting on her. It was hurting her! I snuck in and took her away. Just when they almost caught us, Nebby teleported us to safety. But she's not very strong. That took all of her energy, and she couldn't move for a long time after. Luckily Professor Kukui and Burnet found me, and they've made sure we're safe."

"That sounds like an adventure to me," Ben said.

I wondered how she'd found out that Nebby was in trouble. She must have known the people responsible. Maybe that was why she never spoke about her past.

"Ah!" Hari exclaimed. "There's the light at the end of the tunnel."

We all blinked at him, confused. He grinned and pointed. He was right. We were almost at the end of the Diglett's Tunnel.

"We made it!" Lillie exclaimed. "I'm surprised we didn't see any Diglett."

"They like to stay deep underground most of the time," Hari explained. "Especially in a path that gets so much travel."

"Oh, they're shy," Lillie said.

Hari froze in his tracks. He reached out and grabbed my sleeve and Ben's.

"What?" Lillie asked, turning to find us all stopped.

"I hear voices."

"Is it someone else using the tunnel?" Ben asked.

"Something about the way they're talking is no good."

We eased toward the next corner. A handful of people were between us and the exit. They were all wearing black. I hissed and herded the others out of view.

"What is it?" Ben whispered.

"Team Skull."

"The people who were trying to steal the Tauros?" Lillie asked.

I nodded. "It would be bad if they saw Nebby." Nebby hugged tighter to my shoulder. I pet her as my mind raced.

"What do we do?" Lillie squeaked.

"I didn't see any alternate routes on the map," Ben said.

I stepped forward, lifting a Pokéball. "I'll be a decoy."

"Cara-" Ben started. But he saw the look on my face and realized I wasn't going to change my mind.

"It won't be that bad," I said. "Team Skull hasn't been that strong. Except for the one guy."

"I don't think I saw him out there," Hari said.

Lillie bit her lip and nodded.

"Zetty," I whispered. He zipped out of my backpack. "Could you carefully fly overhead and scout for us? We need to know their numbers. And we have to get as close to the exit as we can without being seen."

Zetty nodded and hovered quietly away. He returned a minute later. "Just zztay all the way to the right. I'll zzzhow where to go."

"Thanks, Zetty. When we're near the exit, Lunick will make a stone wall between us and them. I'm going to battle while the rest of you slip out. Get Lillie and Nebby somewhere safe. Don't leave her alone. Nebby is who I'm most worried about."

Nebby squeaked and clung tighter to me. I eased her off and handed her to Lillie. Nebby gave a nervous whine and Lillie tried to soothe her before tucking her into the bag.

I let out Twine and Lunick. "The moment Lunick uses Stone Edge, you run behind the rocks and get out." I dove behind another rock, slightly closer to Team Skull. They were talking.

"No, bro," one said. I tensed as I recognized the voice. It was Julio. "You'd be lō-lō to do that here. It will make the tunnel collapse."

The girl next to him snorted. "The tunnel can take something like that. You need to grow a spine."

"If the ceiling falls in, none of us will have a spine anymore," Julio countered. "Our bones will be powder."

One of the other guys laughed. "When did you become such a wuss, bro?"

If they were planning something that risky, then it was time to act. I strode out into the open, Lunick and Twine at my side. Lunick bounded up and used Stone Edge, sending jagged stones erupting from the ground. When he'd made a wall down the tunnel, Lunick charged toward Team Skull. Meanwhile, Ben, Hari, and Lillie slipped out behind the wall.

Team Skull scrambled to action. They grabbed Pokéballs and hurled them at us. An Alolan Grimer and a Gumshoos. Lunick howled and swung his sharp-clawed paws, sending Gumshoos flying. Twine stood, ready to jump in the moment Lunick needed backup.

As the battle progressed, movement caught my eye. There was something on the tunnel wall above us. One of the rocks was moving. No, not a rock. An Alolan Graveler clinging to the wall. But the crystals on its body were starting to spark. It was going to drop down and block the exit. My friends were already out, but what about me?

I shouted for Lunick and dove toward the tunnel exit. Lunick followed. Behind us, I heard a crash as Graveler thudded into the ground. I glanced back, and my heart froze. Twine was trying to pass Graveler, toddling on his little legs. I skidded to a halt and called for Twine to use Grass Knot. He did, sending Graveler tripping out of the way. But just as Twine started running past, Graveler's whole body started to glow.

It was about to Self Destruct.

Lunick pounced, hurling me down the tunnel and away from the blast. He was trying to protect me, but Twine was right next to Graveler. I reached for his Pokéball, hoping desperately that I would be fast enough. But then Julio dove forward, grabbing Twine and skidding to a halt beside us. Lunick used Stone Edge, throwing up a spike of rock as a shield, just as a thundering explosion rippled through the tunnel. Stones rained down on us. I grabbed Julio's arm and dragged him onward. We dodged the falling rock, and Lunick knocked the larger ones away. Behind us, a second crash indicated that part of the cave ceiling had collapsed. The part where we'd been sitting moments before. We stumbled out into daylight, Julio still carrying Twine.

"Oh my Arceus," he gasped, spinning back toward the cave and his comrades. "Are they okay?"

Lunick snorted. "The only part that collapsed was the low tunnel where we were. The higher ceilings are still intact. If I wasn't so quick, you might all be dead."

"The ceiling was higher where they were," I translated. "They'll be fine. Thank you, Lunick. That was quick thinking." I cautiously took Twine from Julio. "Thank you for saving my Fomantis."

"Oh, man," Julio groaned. "I told them! I warned them not to use that Graveler!"

"Which begs the question," I said, "Why are you with them?"

He straightened up, his expression hardening. "Look, I needed the money, okay? I mean, really needed it or my sister was going to lose her house. And she has a baby! Team Skull took me in and helped me. Not everyone is as lucky with money that they can take vacations to Alola."

I was here to help with a research project. But I had come here before on vacation with my family, so it wasn't like I had any right to deny that statement. "Money doesn't have much to do with luck," I said. "The economy is rigged in favor of people that already have money. But is it any better to pay for something with stolen money?"

"I didn't. Not then."

"So stealing is new? I almost think it's better to steal money than to steal Pokémon.. They're living things."

"I've never stolen Pokémon before, okay? Paniola Ranch was the first time I helped with something like that."

"And this was the second time?"

He narrowed his eyes.

"Why don't I help you get a real job?"

"Look," he snapped. "You don't know these people. I won't ditch them. They helped me when I really needed it. We'll leave you alone, okay? So butt out."

He turned and marched off. I didn't follow because I wasn't sure how to react. It wasn't like I really knew him. But if I saw Team Skull causing more trouble, I wasn't going to sit back and watch. The sound of crunching tires caught my ear. I turned and saw a police car driving down the road. It pulled up in front of me, and Ben and an officer stepped out.

"Luckily there was a station nearby," Ben said. "Lillie is safe there, and Hari's with her."

"Thanks, Ben."

"Tell me what happened," The police officer said.

So I sighed and began to explain. It seemed that a lot of my time in Alola was spent talking to the police.