Chapter 4
Tonight, we find Dad, who is showing us the Magearna that has just started working. I exclaim, "Dad...you've made it work!"
Dad looks at me proudly and nods, "It isn't that easy, but it's thanks to this that I managed to do it."
He presents a book, and Lillie asks, "What's this?"
"It's a notebook that I found inside Magearna. It appears Professor Mohn had been jotting down notes about the failed attempts to make it move. With this, I can pinpoint the problem and activate Magearna," my Dad explains.
Lillie's eyes widen in amazement as she gazes at the notebook. "That's incredible! It's like a key to unlocking Magearna's secrets," she remarks.
"And I also have to admit... this Magearna is actually a Shiny Pokémon as well," my dad reveals, much to our surprise.
"Shiny? That's so cool..." I exclaim, intrigued by the revelation.
Now that Magearna has awakened, she seems unfamiliar with this world, prompting us to promise to show her around.
"We'll make sure you see everything, Magearna," I assure her, eager to introduce her to our world.
Magearna: The Articifical Pokemon: Steel and Fairy Type. This artificial Pokémon, constructed more than 500 years ago, can understand human speech but cannot itself speak.
During these few days, Lillie, Trenor, and I have been assisting Professor Kukui with his fieldwork. One day, as we're working, we notice a washed-up Popplio on the shore. Alarmed by this discovery, we rush to inform Professor Kukui, who examines the Popplio and determines that it was being mistreated and had been released.
Moved by sympathy for the mistreated Popplio, both of us resolve to capture and train the Pokémon. We approach Professor Kukui, explaining our intentions, and he grants us permission to do so.
Popplio: The Sea Lion Pokemon: Water Type. This Pokémon snorts body fluids from its nose, blowing balloons to smash into its foes. It's famous for being a hard worker.
During the day of school, Professor Kukui tasks us with finding Selene and Elio. We make our way to their house, where Elio greets us, saying, "Ash, Trenor, Lillie, what brings you here?"
"The Professor said... "Hey there! Bring me these great new Trainers. Woo!" I chuckle, mimicking Professor Kukui's enthusiastic voice. This earns a round of laughter from everyone.
Lillie steps in, adding, "So, the Professor asked us to bring you two to his Pokémon lab. If you come with us, we'll show you the way. It's, um... This way."
Upon encountering their mother for the first time, she beams at Elio and Selene, praising them, "Oh! Well done, Elio, Selene. You're already making friends, aren't you? And what cute little friends you found. I knew Alola would be a great place for us. We just keep meeting wonderful people here!"
After introductions, she turns her attention to her children. "Looks like it's finally your time to shine, sweeties. Enjoy yourselves out there with your Pokémon. And don't be gone too long!"
Once she departs, Trenor remarks, "You... have a very nice mother, don't you?"
"Yeah, though under that smile..." Elio's expression turns serious, "That's why I can't give up! I have to finish my work."
Understanding his determination, I nod in agreement. "We should get going. We'll show you to the Pokémon Research Lab," I say, ready to assist and support Elio and Selene on their journey.
Selene asks, "Still, I want to know more about Nebby. What actually is its species and where does it come from?"
Lillie hesitates for a moment before responding, "About Nebby... Oh. I mean... Cosmog. Cosmog seems to be a very rare Pokémon. It came from far, far away. It seems to possess a very unusual power... It used that power to save me once when I was in danger. But some... other people want Cosmog for themselves, to exploit that power. That's why only the professor, Kahuna Hala, and a few others I can trust know about it..."
"I see..." Selene nods understandingly. "Although I've said it before, I'll say it again. I'll make sure to keep it a secret, and I won't tell anyone else about Nebby or what happened on that bridge." Her commitment to confidentiality is evident in her words.
"And you can count on us as well." Elio says.
When we arrive, we're taken aback by the sight of the shaking house and Professor Kukui's energetic exclamation, "Oh yeah, Rockruff! Let's go! Give it everything you've got! My body is ready. Woo!"
"Ahh... There they go again..." I express a slight frown. "The Pokémon Research Lab certainly has its own unique charm, as I'm sure you'd agree. He even allocated rooms for us to stay in and we've been assisting him as his aides."
We wince collectively as we notice a gaping hole in the roof. Lillie shakes her head in resignation, "The professor... He never stops researching moves, not even inside the lab itself. Looks like we'll have to patch the roof again..."
Trenor adds with a sigh, "And we had just washed his lab coat and finally gotten it clean, too. Now it'll be in shreds... we can't always rely on Brother to mend his clothes... I guess he'll just have to buy another new one..."
"We should probably go in before he causes any more damage..." I suggest as we all head inside. Professor Kukui, who just finished playing with Rockruff, greets us enthusiastically, "Hey there, Elio and Selene! Thanks for bringing them here, Ash, Trenor, Lillie!"
"Absolutely. We're here to assist however we can... after all, we are your assistants, right?"
"Rockruff's moves were just so stylish, and I was making good progress with my research," the professor explains, enthusiasm evident in his voice. "Say, Elio and Selene, lemme see your phones for a second, yeah?"
Elio and Selene give him their phones, and we realize that they are regular phones instead of the Rotom Phones we're using. It seems like they don't have Rotoms to boost their phones' power...
"So what do you think of the place? Not bad, right?" Professor Kukui inquires. "But that's not why I called you here, eh? Here! They finally arrived!"
"They?" Elio and Selene are puzzled. Professor Kukui responds, "What's wrong, Ash, Trenor, Lillie? Don't make me do all the talking! See, there's this Pokémon inside your Phones called Rotom..."
"Oh, we can tell you about Rotom. It is a peculiar Pokémon, with a body made up of something like electricity. It can take up residence in machines," Lillie remarks.
"Yeah, buddy! And to put that crazy skill of Rotom's to work... many people have been using them for phones, but it's only complete once Rotom has entered this body specially developed for it! A whole new way for people and Pokémon to communicate. Woo! And there are plenty of these devices out in the world already!" Professor Kukui grins. "And now if I power up your Rotom Phones with the parts that I just got in..."
Ah, I see... he's attempting to install Rotom into their Phones, much to their delight. When the two Rotom appear, Professor Kukui chuckles, "Hey now! Sorry 'bout that, Rotom. Guess I surprised you? Rotom! Here, boy! I powered up your favorite Phones! Give Elio and Selene here a Helping Hand, yeah?"
As they approach Elio and Selene, the phones start to float towards them. "No way... we can actually communicate with Rotom!" exclaims Elio. "This is going to make things so much easier for me."
"It may take it a little while to get used to its new job, but I'd say Rotom's taken a liking to you!" Professor Kukui remarks with a smile. "Since you two haven't been here in Alola too long yet. Those Rotom Phones will help you navigate around."
"Thank you so much," Selene says gratefully.
"You can see where you're headed just by looking at Rotom, and if you give it a little tap, you can even check out the Town Map!" Professor Kukui explains, grinning.
Just at that moment, Hau appears and exclaims, "A-lo-la! The salty breeze sang to me and brought me here to you!"
He then starts to scan the surroundings and exclaims, "Whoa-ho-ho! Is that a loft?! That's awesome!"
Lillie quickly steps forward and clarifies, "No, it's not! It's private! The professor has been kind enough to let us use it..."
"If you see a person or a Pokémon who needs help, you just help them... Right, guys?" Professor Kukui asks. "And that's why I'm letting Ash, Lillie, and Trenor stay up there in the loft."
He turns back to Elio and Selene and adds, "So, Elio, Selene, I'm leaving this Rotom Dex in your hands! Rotom, you look after Elio and Selene, yeah?"
"So that's the Rotom Phones, eh? It's kinda cute." Hau remarks.
"All right then, Ash, Lillie, Trenor, Selene! You too, Hau! Get a move on!" Professor Kukui announces.
"Is it finally time?" Trenor inquires eagerly.
"To the Trainers' School! You've gotta learn the basics of being a Pokémon Trainer through Pokémon battling. It's a long road to becoming the island challenge champion, and the Trainers' School is the first step! What about you, Hau?" the professor asks.
"I'm good. I just wanna play with my Pokemon!" Hau replies with a cheerful grin, more interested in spending time with his Pokémon than starting formal training.
"The island challenge... So this is how the people of Alola connect with the world around them," Lillie reflects. "And then there's the way that we choose one another. And now with Rotom helping us out as well... Even Nebby likes you! I guess there's something about you that makes Pokémon feel comfortable when they're by your side."
Professor Kukui turns to us, saying, "Ash, Lillie, Trenor! You take care of Selene, yeah? Until she gets used to Rotom, help her find her way around!" His request acknowledges our responsibility to assist Selene and ensure she familiarizes herself with Rotom and navigates Alola.
Then, as we step outside, I inquire, "The Pokémon Center is practically right next to your house, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Selene responds, confirming the proximity. However, our conversation halts abruptly as the sky unexpectedly turns dark, surprising us all. After a while, daylight returns, but Nebby appears a bit unsettled. "Nebby... Don't worry—it's okay. This must be what they call a solar eclipse. It happens when the sun gets covered up," Lillie assures Nebby.
"Was a solar eclipse forecast for today? Ah, well. It must be some kind of good omen, yeah!" Professor Kukui remarks, looking at the bright side of the unexpected event.
"An omen? You think something good will happen?" Trenor inquires with curiosity.
"Sure! A long, long time ago, Alola was cloaked in darkness, yeah... But people say that's when Alola's people and Pokémon blasted all that darkness away with light! And they also say that was why people started gathering Z-Crystals, and that custom turned into the island challenge," Professor Kukui explains, sharing the local folklore surrounding the eclipse and its positive connotations in Alola's history. "Now that you've got that Z-Power Ring, I hope you'll collect tons of Z-Crystals! Woo! That's exactly what a move researcher like me needs to uncover new secrets!"
"Professor, that's not why he's/she's supposed to be doing it..." Then we head to the Pokemon Trainers School together so that we can start our class here in the Alola Region.
Here is a new chapter, and it seems that this part really takes a bit long, but now Lillie has Magearna with her. I hope you like it and we finally can go to the Trainer's School in the next part.
Ash and Lillie's Pokemon:
Charizard, Butterfree x2 (One Pink), Rattata (Alolan), Pikachu, Raichu (Alolan), Lapras, Meganium, Typhlosion (Hisuian), Steelix (Crystal), Mantine, Sceptile, Gardevoir (Shiny), Milotic, Absol, Infernape, Lucario, Togekiss, Gallade, Samurott, Audino, Zoroark, Hydreigon, Meowstic x2, Aegislash, Hawlucha, Yungoos, Grubbin, Magearna (Shiny), Kleavor