A/N: I'm sorry this has taken so long. Chapters might take a bit longer than they did at first going forward, since things have started to go off game as much as they have and it's less of a guideline than it first was. Still I hope you all enjoy the chapter. Please leave a comment if you're so inclined, I really appreciate hearing your thoughts.

Early the next morning Sun poured out pokémon chow for his team, and Meowy, then sat down for breakfast with his mother.

"So, what's next?" the elder Ray asked her son. "Shouldn't you be going to the next island by now?"

Sun yawned around his chocolate croissant, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Not yet," he replied sleepily. "Professor Kukui said things weren't quite ready. We'll probably just be running around with Lillie and Hau today."

"Torra," Nero purred, rubbing up against his trainer's legs. "Torracat."

Sun scratched his starter behind the ears much to the Torracat's delight. "Yeah, I know," he said. "You wanna see your friends too."

"I'm glad you've made friends so quickly," Sun's mother noted with a small smile.

Sun nodded. "It's been great so far," he agreed. "Me and Hau get along like a house on fire."

"And Lillie?" his mother prodded gently with knowing eyes.

Sun flushed. "I-I mean she's a good friend too," he stuttered. "I met her before Hau, even."

Andrea Ray raised a hand to her mouth to hide the mischief in her smile. From her brief interaction with the young woman, she'd immediately noticed her Sun's infatuation with Lillie. A mother always knew her child, after all.

However, Sun was spared any further teasing by the ringing of a phone. Rolling her eyes at what she expected to be a telemarketer, his mother picked up the phone only for her eyes to go wide with shock when she saw the number on the phone.

"Hello?" she said tentatively. "Oh, honey it's so great to hear from you after so long." Muffled words from the other line. "Yes, he's right here. I can put you on speaker phone." More muffled words.

"Hi Dad!" Sun greeted cheerfully, after his mother set the phone down between them. "It's been a while."

"Elio! Hey Champ!" his dad said warmly. "It's been a while."

"I've really missed you, Dad," Sun said. "It's great to hear from you."

"I've missed you too," his father said. "But I hear you've been making arrangements to try to get me transferred to Alola?"

Sun nodded, before remembering his dad couldn't see him. "One of my friends came up with the idea, and Professor Kukui, he's one of the regional professors, said he'd help us put it in motion," he explained.

"Yes, Lillie is a sweet girl," Sun's mother agreed. "You'd like her dear, she's learning from Professor Kukui already."

Sun's father chuckled. "Already found yourself a girlfriend, have you son?" he teased. "If she's going that far for you, she's definitely a keeper."

Sun's face turned crimson. "Daaad," he groaned. "She's not my girlfriend. We're just friends. Can't you tell us about what you've been up to instead of giving me a hard time about my friends?"

Sun's mother couldn't hide her smirk as she teased, "Yes Bruce, tell our little Sun about what you were doing before the potential transfer came through. I'm sure his 'friend' would love to hear about it."

"Mama…" Sun groaned, embarrassment mixing with annoyance. His friends would be along to pick him up soon enough; what if they heard? That would be mortifying!

"Okay, okay," his father placated. "Last you'd heard I was in Galar, right Sun? Working with Professor Magnolia?"

"Mmhm," Sun hummed, very relieved at the subject change. "You were helping research the Dynamax Phenomenon, right? Specifically, why some pokémon have a Gigantamax Form, and others don't?"

"Well," Bruce Ray began, "since I haven't spoken with you in a while you wouldn't know, but that's only half right."

"What do you mean?" Sun asked.

"Do you remember hearing about Project Mew?" his father asked. "It was on the news a few years ago."

"Of course!" Sun agreed easily, if slightly confused by the seeming non-sequitur. "The research expedition to try and find, and possibly capture, Mew! Gary Oak and Goh Robinson were two of the members for the final expedition! Everyone was talking about it! But what does that have to do with you?" His eyes widened as a thought struck him. "Are they starting it up again? DAD, ARE YOU GOING TO BE PART OF A SECOND PROJECT MEW?!"

"Rockruff…" whined Caligula, the Rockruff's ears hurt by Sun yelling.

Bruce Ray chuckled. "Slow down, kiddo. Slow down. No, I'm not joining Project Mew, nor has it been restarted, at least to my knowledge. I'm just trying to give you context."

"Right, sorry Dad," Sun agreed. "I was just worried I'd pulled you away from a big project or something."

"Anyway, you know that there were attempts to find Mew long before Project Mew, right?" his father asked.

"Of course," Sun agreed. "People have been trying to find Mew since at least Professor Oak's generation."

"Well, about ten years ago there was an expedition to a region called Holon. They tried to find Mew with advanced electromagnetic scanning equipment. It had some interesting results, mostly that pokémon located in the vicinity radically changed in type because of how the electromagnetic waves reacted to stones unique to the region. Somehow, it caused the stones to emanate energy related to types, which changed the pokémon of the region to different types."

"So… like Alolan Forms? Like my Meowth?" Sun asked, causing Prince to jump up on his head.

"Yes and no," his father replied. "Their physical appearance didn't change, but several of them did develop new types associated with known regional variants of their species. Meowth included, as a matter of fact."

"You mean there's a dark type Meowth, that looks like Meowy?" Sun asked in shock.

"Meowth meow?" Prince echoed incredulously from atop his trainer's head.

"To be specific kiddo," Bruce explained, "Meowth from Holon are now both dark and steel type. They have the types of both Alolan and Galarian Meowth."

"MEOWTH?!" Prince screeched incredulously from atop Sun's head which caused all three humans and Caligula to wince.

"Andrea, love, could you tell Meowy to keep it down a little?" Bruce asked, tone slightly strained.

"Sorry Dad, that was my Meowth," Sun explained. "Prince, I know you're surprised, we all are, but that hurt everyone's ears," he reprimanded gently.

Prince crossed his arms and tilted his chin up disdainfully… before letting out a soft, apologetic, "Meow…"

Sun held out his arms and the Alolan Meowth hopped into them, allowing his trainer to stroke his soft, grey fur. "It's okay," Sun assured his purring Meowth. "No one's mad at you, we just don't want to hurt anyone's ears."

"Anyway," Sun's father said with some amusement, "they wanted me to do some research over in Holon or I would've been back with you at least for the move. I've got some vacation time saved up, and it looks like my chances of getting transferred to Alola permanently are favorable, so you'll be seeing me soon. I'll be with you for a few months at absolute minimum."

Sun looked at his mother, who had tears glimmering in her eyes. "Oh, that's wonderful!" she cried. "Honey, it's been so long, but we'll finally all be together again."

Sun felt conflicted. Of course, he wanted to see his father again, but it didn't sound like he'd be here in the next few days and Akala Island, and with it the advancement of his Island Challenge, was already calling his name. "Dad, I-"

"Elio," his father said, cutting him off. "Don't worry. I'll never stop you from chasing your dreams. I'll come visit you on whatever island you're on when I get there, just wait and see. Besides, there's no way I'll miss my boy becoming champion!"

"That means a lot, Dad," Sun told his father gratefully, tears of happiness gleaming in the Island Challenger's eyes.

"Just remember, I expect you to introduce me to all your friends, and your girlfriend, when we finally meet up," his father teased in an attempt to lighten the mood.

At the same time the front door slammed open and in stepped Hau. "A-lol-a!" Sun's energetic rival greeted cheerfully. "The salty breeze sang to me and brought me here to you!"

Sun's instincts were split between greeting Hau and telling his father Lillie wasn't his girlfriend. And so, what came out of his mouth was, "Hau, she's not my girlfriend!"

Hau just stared at Sun in confusion, while his parents were laughing themselves to tears. "I… I don't know what you're talking about," Hau said awkwardly. "Should I go? I was just seeing if you were ready to go Mantine Surfing."

Sun's train of thought had stalled somewhat. This was the first time his dad had called in months, but they're teasing was making him uncomfortable and now his friend had been pulled into it. Still, was it really fair to leave in the middle of a conversation with his dad?

"Y'know like we planned yesterday? With Lillie? Should I grab her first and come back?" Hau continued.

At the suggestion of Hau bringing Lillie here, while his parents were still giving him a hard time, Sun made up his mind: It was time to get out of here. Sun jumped out of his chair, causing Prince to grip tighter on his hat. "Yeah," he agreed, desperate to get away from his parents' teasing. "Let's get out of here." Sun whistled, causing his entire team to look at him. "Alright, Team Sun let's move on towards today's objective. Bye Mom! Bye Dad!"

And much to the amusement of Sun's parents he immediately bolted for the door, followed by his friend and their pokémon.

"You gonna tell me what that was about?" Hau asked, after they were both outside of the house.

"Dartrix?" hooted Bowtie curiously.

Sun groaned. He'd ditched the conversation with his dad to avoid the awkwardness, but now it was coming right back. "My folks think I have feelings for Lillie," he explained. "They were giving me a hard time about it."

"Don't you?" Hau asked, but his tone didn't contain any mischief or teasing. He asked as if the answer was obvious. "I've seen how you look at her."

Sun didn't really know what to say to that. If Hau had been trying to give him a hard time, he'd have been more inclined to tell him to back off, but this wasn't that. So… "I think I do," Sun admitted. "But my folks were acting like I was already dating her, and I just didn't feel like dealing with that, not now." The Island Challenger sighed. "Can you let it go?"

Hau rested a hand on Sun's shoulder. "No sweat, bro. But don't let your parents get to you," he advised. "You'll figure it out."

Sun gave his friend an awkward smile. "Thanks bro," he said. "Let's grab Lillie and go Mantine Surfing, yeah?"

"Yeah, let's do it!" Hau cheered, dashing ahead of Sun, with his pokémon clinging to their perch for dear life.

Sun took a deep breath, letting the earlier tension leave him. "No Admin can ever be ahead of me, the great boss of Team Sun!" he declared in his "Boss" voice. "Come Team Sun, let us catch up to Admin Hau!"

"Meowth meow meow!" mewed Prince in agreement from atop Sun's head, gesturing onwards with his paw.

Sun got cries of agreement from his entire team, and they ran after Sun's rival in hot pursuit.

By the time they reached Professor Kukui's lab, both boys were panting and so were Sun's pokémon that had been running with him. "Note to self," Sun groaned. "Do not run immediately after eating."

"Noted," Hau agreed. "Let's not run all the way to Route 2, yeah?"

Lillie giggled as she stepped off the porch and walked down to them. "I don't think any of us could run that long," she noted with amusement. "Good morning, Sun. Hau."

"Morning Lillie," Sun said with a smile. "I hope we didn't keep you waiting out here too long."

"Not at all," she replied easily. "I figured you would turn up around now."

"Popplio!" greeted Bubbly cheerfully, coming up to greet the other pokémon. "Pop!"

"Torrararara," greeted Nero, rubbing up against Bubbly affectionately. "Torracat!"

"Shall we go?" Lillie asked, holding her arms out for Bubbly.

"Bwark bwark!" the water type barked happily, jumping into her trainer's arms. Bubbly licked Lillie's face, causing the pale girl to giggle.

Sun smiled as he took in the cute scene. "Yeah," he agreed, "let's make tracks. Hau, can you show us the way?"

"Sure!" the energetic teen agreed, bouncing up and down. "Follow me!" Unfortunately for Sun and Lillie, Hau then took off like a rocket leaving them in the dust.

Sun and Lillie looked at where Hau had been, and then at each other and burst out laughing. "I don't think he understands the concept," Lillie said between giggles. "At least we know it's somewhere on Route 2."

"Can we not run?" Sun requested. "I think I'd just like to walk for a bit."

"I think I'd like that," Lillie agreed. "The past few days have been so crazy, and don't get me wrong they've been great fun, but I think I'd like to take it easier. At least for a little while."

"Torrarara," Nero growled appreciatively, nuzzling Lillie's leg. "Torra."

And so, the first Admin and Boss of Team Sun set off towards Hau'oli City and with it, Route 2. While they were walking, Prince stood at his full height atop Sun's head proudly watching over all the lands that he and his retainers had successfully proven their prowess within. "Meowth!" he declared proudly from atop his trainer's hat, his King's Rock gleaming in the sunlight.

Sun chuckled, noting the antics of his Scratch Cat Pokémon with fond amusement. "Having fun, Prince?" he asked the dark type.

"Meowth meow!" Prince purred happily.

"You two seem in high spirits," Lillie noted, keeping pace with Sun despite carrying Bubbly in her arms. "Did something good happen today?"

Sun slapped a hand to his forehead in embarrassment. He'd been so focused on getting on with their travels, he'd completely forgotten to tell her the good news! "Actually yes," he replied with a smile. "My dad called my mom today for the first time in a while. He's going to be moving to Alola, and it's all thanks to you!"

Sun's pokémon all gave cries of excitement and happiness. Though they'd never met Sun's father, beyond briefly hearing his voice on the phone this morning, they all recognized the joy in the voice of the trainer they loved.

"Oh Sun, that's wonderful!" Lillie cried in delight. "But really, I didn't do much. I just suggested it, it was Professor Kukui that you should really be thanking."

"Oh, I'll be making sure to thank him too," Sun replied earnestly. "But Lillie, if it wasn't for you, I'd never have brought it up with him in the first place. My folks'll finally be together again. Like, maybe for good this time. That means more to me than I could ever begin to tell you."

"I understand," Lillie said, and she did, she really, truly did. Her family back together, whole, and unbroken by disappearances and madness, was a dream she didn't dare fully imagine for how impossible it seemed. "I'm really happy for you all."

"Um…" Sun began, with a slight red tint to his cheeks. "Can I hug you? You looked kind of uncomfortable when Mom hugged you, so I don't want to make you uncomfortable by doing it without asking but you've helped me with something huge and I would very much like to hug you," the teen rambled awkwardly.

Lillie's face reddened slightly. "W-Well, I wouldn't mind," she stuttered, "but we're both carrying pokémon and I wouldn't like them to be hurt so-"

"Poppli," Bubbly cut Lillie off emphatically and hopped out of her trainer's arms.

"Me-owth," Prince agreed solemnly, jumping off of Sun's head.

At the sight of their pokémon cutting off any excuses they might've had, Lillie and Sun blushed more deeply. The two trainers gingerly wrapped their arms around each other, Sun a tad more awkwardly since Lillie was a head taller than him. They weren't pressed particularly close, or hugging particularly tight, but it felt nice for both of them.

When they pulled apart, Lillie noted the redness of Sun's cheeks with a smile. He looked cute when he was embarrassed. "So… um… Thanks," Sun said awkwardly, but something in his tone made her uncertain if he was thanking her for helping with his father or for the hug. Perhaps he was thanking her for both?

"Any time, Sun," she replied meaning it as an answer to both options. And then, in an attempt to alleviate some of the embarrassment still hovering between them, she said, "Can you tell me a bit more about your father? It sounds like I might be meeting him soon."

Sun's face momentarily turned a deeper shade of red for reasons she wasn't sure of, but he took a deep breath and it faded back to almost normal. "Well, I found out today that he's spent the last few months in Holon," Sun offered. "Researching Delta Species Pokémon."

"Ooh," she said, intrigued. "Aren't Delta Species like regional variants?"

"Kind of," Sun replied as Prince reclaimed his position atop his trainer's head. "Delta Species are a bit different in that they're unnatural. Humans are responsible for them being how they are albeit unintentionally."

"How do you mean?" Lillie asked, as she crouched to allow Bubbly back into her arms. "Are they man made pokémon? Like Porygon? Is that why their types are different?"

Sun shook his head as they started walking again. "Nope, see electromagnetic waves scientists used to scan Holon reacted strangely with rocks unique to the region. Somehow, it caused the rocks to emanate energy related to types. That's how the Delta Species Pokémon became the way they are. Delta Species are typical versions of pokémon species in appearance, but they demonstrate the ability to use moves of different types as if they were that type. My dad cited a Meowth he encountered there as an example. It looked like Meowy in terms of coloring and such, but it was a dark and steel type."

Lillie's eyes widened. "One of its types was the one Alolan Meowth have?" she asked in surprise. "That makes me wonder if there's some kind of connection."

Sun grinned. "Oh, it's even better than you think," he assured her. "See, the steel type is the type that Meowth in Galar have."

"Meowth have a second regional variant?" she asked in shock. "Are there as many Galarian Regional Forms as there are Alolan?"

"I honestly don't know," Sun replied. "But I would assume so. But about my dad, before he ended up in Holon, he was researching a different type of form with Professor Magnolia of the Galar region. Gigantamax."

Lillie nodded thoughtfully. "The Dynamax/Gigantamax Phenomenon, right?" she asked.

Sun nodded. "Mmhm," he hummed. "Dad was specifically looking into why some pokémon have Gigantamax forms, as opposed to those that can only Dynamax, including some among the same species as those that can Gigantamax."

"Has he learned anything yet?" Lillie asked, but Sun just shook his head causing Prince to grip tighter onto his hat.

"Not a thing," Sun replied. "While he has helped Galarian researchers develop a way to analyze if a pokémon has what they've termed the 'Gigantamax Factor', they haven't discovered any concrete reason why some pokémon have it and others don't."

"Still, that's very impressive," Lillie noted sincerely. "Sun, correct me if I'm wrong but considering your father seems to have mostly researched differences in species and the like… Is that his field of research?"

"Yep," Sun confirmed, popping the p. "Since he's only an Aide, he has to go along with whatever task the professor he's working with assigns, but when he's allowed to work on personal tasks, he studies variance within species of pokémon."

"Is that how you learned about the pokémon of the Orange Archipelago?" she asked, remembering their conversation the night after she'd caught Buzzy.

Sun shook his head though. "Dad's brought them up before," he acknowledged, "but I learned about them in school. Plus, everyone in Kanto was talking about the Orange Archipelago when someone from our region finally beat their champion a little over eight years ago. Until then, their champion had been undefeated. So that dragged the Orange League, and with it the Orange Archipelago as a whole, further into the limelight than it had been before." Sun's eyes glowed with excitement as he thinks back to watching the battle on TV as a small child, stars in his eyes as a boy only a few years older than himself took down a Dragonite with his incredible Pikachu.

"The more I hear about how pokémon are different outside of Alola," Lillie mused, "the more I want to go see them for myself. At least on vacation. Now I'm adding Holon and Galar to the list of places I have to see."

"I'll go with you," Sun said without a second thought. "We'll see as much of the world as we can."

"Even if you become champion?" Lillie asked, as they finally reached Hau'oli City.

Sun shrugged. "Even champions are allowed to travel," he replied. "Heck, the former champion of Sinnoh spent more time traveling than not."

Lillie nodded, taking Sun at his word. While she knew the basics of rankings within a Pokémon League, Sun had been preparing to be part of one most of his life. His knowledge of Pokémon Leagues was greater than hers, so she could probably trust in his information.

After making sure Hau wasn't waiting for him in Hau'oli, the duo made their way towards Route 2.

After getting directions from a friendly old man, Lillie and Sun finally made their way to Big Wave Beach where they'd be able to Mantine Surf. Hau was waiting for them there, impatiently bouncing up and down already in his swimming trunks. "What took you guys?!" Hau hollered by way of greeting.

"Alola to you too, Hau," Lillie said sardonically. "And, to put it in Professor Kukui's words, not everyone has your Extreme Speed."

Hau's smile turned sheepish. "Sorry Lillie, Sun," he apologized. "I just got so excited; I wasn't thinking that you might have trouble keeping up."

"Well," Sun said, "we're all here now, let's Mantine Surf!"

"Oh yeah," crowed an all too familiar voice. "You'd better be ready for the mischief makers of Team Skull to do some Mantine Surfing, too!"

"Why does A keep turning up everywhere I do?" Sun asked no one in particular.

"Oh," a woman said, sounding bored. "Team Skull. You know you guys can't ride here."

"What's up with that?" B asked in annoyance.

"Yeah," C agreed. "My homie's right. We look like kids to you or somethin'?"

"No," the bored lady said. "The real reason is-"

"Yeah, yeah," A snarked, cutting her off. "The real reason is?"

"Every time you try," she pointed out with bored condescension, "you keep up those ridiculous dance moves, even on Mantine's back. And then you end up in the water."

"For real?" B asked incredulously. "You want us to stop dancin'?"

"Come on lady," C agreed. "That's our identity, yo! It's all we've got!"

Sun groaned. "Come on guys, let's see if we can defuse the situation," he said in exasperation.

"Are we going to fight them again?" Hau asked, Bowtie letting out a hoot from his shoulder.

"Only if we have to," Sun replied. "First we try talking it out."

"Torra?" his partner asked incredulously. And despite themselves, Lillie and Hau found themselves agreeing with the fire type. Sun wanted to talk it out with these clowns who had continuously picked fights with them?!

"People keep telling me Team Skull isn't all bad," Sun noted. "I think it's time we try getting through to them a different way." Then he shrugged. "If it doesn't work, we'll beat them again. Like the last three times."

Sun ran towards the trio of skull grunts, and after exchanging a brief look Lillie and Hau trailed after him.

"Hi A!" Sun greeted cheerfully. "And B! And C! Nice day for Mantine Surfing, isn't it?"

"Hey, it's that kid that can tell us apart!" A said cheerfully. "How's it going, homie?"

"Why are you being so nice to him, homie?" C asked in confusion. "Hasn't he beaten you, like, three times now?"

"Homie, that's exactly it; he's beaten us three times out of three," B pointed out. "I'm not interested in making it four unless we have to, and neither is A."

"So, what's up homie?" A asked. "You here to tell us we ain't allowed to dance? 'Cause we will fight you for our right to dance, y'know. Even if we know you'll beat us, we'll still give it our best shot."

Sun raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Easy guys, easy," he soothed. "I get it, your dancing is part of who you are, and you want to Mantine Surf like the rest of us. But don't you get that it's causing trouble for the Mantine, not just other people?"

The eyes of all three grunts widened. "I-It is?!" all three asked in shock.

"Mmhm," Sun hummed. "Don't you see? Every time you fall off, the Mantine have to save you and it's making the Mantine sad. You don't wanna make the Mantine sad, do you?"

"The Mantine are so nice," C said, sounding genuinely choked up. "We wouldn't want 'em sad."

"But the dancin' is part of our identity," A said, sounding conflicted. "Whadda we do?"

Sun gave the trio with one letter names a very kind smile. "Why don't you take turns Mantine Surfing?" he offered. "The other two can dance to cheer the one surfing on, along with the Mantine they're surfing on. That way your dancing is still being done, and no one's making the Mantine sad."

"I like the sound of that, homie!" B said. "Lady, if we do it like the kid said, can we go surfin' too?"

The lady that had been dealing with them before, eyed Sun and the grunts appraisingly. "As long as you do like he said, that should be fine," she agreed. "But if you don't, we're kicking you off the beach."

To everyone but Sun's surprise, the trio were as good as their word. B and C contentedly did their skull poses and danced while cheering on A as the grunt did all sorts of crazy surfing maneuvers with a Mantine. "I'm impressed kid," the lady in charge of the beach said. "You solved the problem without picking a fight with them. That almost never works."

Sun shrugged humbly. "It wasn't much ma'am," he replied. "You just have to get through to them on their terms. …And the fact my friends and I have beaten them before might've helped."

Hau chuckled. "But now that that's taken care of, let's get Mantine Surfing!" he cheered.

In no time at all, our intrepid trio were atop Mantine and racing about in the water. Dodging Tentacool, going up small waves, and doing twists in the air.

Sun and Lillie watched with quiet envy as Hau and his Mantine spun around 1080 degrees in the air, before coming back down with a splash.

"That. Was. Awesome!" Sun cheered. "How'd you do that man?!"

Hau gave Sun a bright grin. "I've been Mantine Surfing since I was little, buddy. I've had a lot of practice."

So, of course Sun had to try it. Urging his Mantine into ramping off a small wave, he flew into the air. He managed to coax the water and flying type into a slight turn, but nothing as impressive as Hau had pulled off.

"You'll get there!" Hau encouraged. "The Mantine like doing tricks, so they'll help you pull them off once you figure out how."

Lillie wasn't particularly interested in pulling off tricks, so she just encouraged the Mantine she was riding to zip about as fast as it could.

They stayed out on the water for about an hour, but eventually they had to bring their Mantine back for a rest.

"That was fun," Lillie said. "What's next?"

Hau smirked. "I think Sun owes us both Malasada," he pointed out. "I think it's time we cash in."

Sun gave an exaggerated groan. "I'd almost finished paying off my Malasada Debt," he mourned jokingly. "Oh well, let's go get all the Malasada we can eat, and I'll see if they'll accept my soul as payment or something."

Fortunately for Sun, the malasada were quite affordable so he didn't have to delve into the forbidden art of soul selling. In fact, it seemed fortune was truly shining upon our heroes today, because they were informed that they'd come in on a day that the so called "Mythic Malasada" was in stock. Before Sun could say anything, Hau said, "We'll take as much as you're willing to give us!"

Lillie looked at their hyperactive friend incredulously. "Hau," Lillie said, tone slightly reprimanding, "I know Sun said he'd buy us as all as much Malasada as we could eat, but don't you think that's taking it a bit too far? We'll probably end up taking some home if he buys that much."

"No, no Lillie," Hau gushed. "You don't understand! One shop in all of Alola only gets Mythic Malasada delivered once a month! And it's completely random which shop it is! I've never even tasted Mythic Malasada before!"

Sun chuckled and addressed the cashier. "You heard the man," the Island Challenger said. "As much Mythic Malasada as you're allowed to sell us!"

"Sun?!" Lillie asked incredulously. "Are you serious?!"

Sun shrugged, not bothered by the question. "I've got the money to spare," he replied. "We might as well have some fun, right? Plus, this way the three of us and our pokémon can eat our fill and still take some back for my mom, the professor, and Kahuna Hala. If it comes around this rarely, we should get some for them."

"The most I can offer is a dozen per person," the cashier explained. "If you're paying for the three of you, that'll be three dozen on your tab."

After Sun had paid for their order, the trio grabbed a booth and let their pokémon out of their pokéballs so they could join them for the meal. "Pika!" Puka cried excitedly, sniffing the air.

Hau stroked his electric mouse. "That's right buddy, Sun's treating us to Malasada!" Hau cheered. "And I'm gonna eat until I burst!"

"Are you two going to have another eating contest?" Lillie asked with amusement, as her pokémon looked around curiously.

Sun laughed. "No way," he replied. "I at least had a shot at out-eating Hau when it came to pancakes or candy or funnel cake, but there is no chance I am beating Hau in a Malasada eating contest."

"We've considered banning him from our shop before noon, with how much he eats," their server joked as she gave them their order, along with a few boxes to use for take-out. "We don't want to risk run out before we've even hit the lunch rush. Please, enjoy your Malasada."

Sun stared at the Mythic Malasada, mouth watering. "Hau," he said, "did you know they were filled with vanilla pudding?"

His friend shook his head, equally awed. "I had no idea," he replied honestly. "I tried to avoid as much info as I could, awaiting this day. The day I could finally eat them."

"Well Boss, and my fellow Admin," Lillie said, reaching for a Mythic Malasada. "The Mythic Malasada are before us. The day to eat them has finally arrived."

And so, our intrepid heroes, began tearing into the Mythic Malasada, along with their pokémon. "These are the best Malasada I've ever eaten!" Hau cheered. "Guys, make sure my team and I don't eat more than our share, I gotta take some back for my gramps."

"Don't worry," Lillie said. "We'll make sure there's enough for Kahuna Hala left over."

"Hey, hey!" Sun protested. "I want to take some back for my mom, too!"

"Don't tell us," Lillie replied, pointing at their pokémon. "Tell them."

To Sun's surprise, this time Prince was happily devouring Malasada. Perhaps the fact it was Mythic Malasada meant this version met the dark type's standards. "Meowth!" the Scratch Cat Pokémon purred, shoveling more in his mouth. "Meeeoowwwth!"

"Rockruff?" yipped Caligula in confusion, sniffing the treat curiously. "Ruff?"

"Torrarara!" Nero assured the Puppy Pokémon. The fire cat nudged the Mythic Malasada closer to the rock type. "Torracat."

Caligula cautiously took a bite… and then quickly scarfed down the rest of the treat, tail wagging rapidly. "Ruuuuff!" he howled in delight.

Sun scratched the newest member of his team behind the ears. "Glad you like it," he said, as Caligula leaned into the affection.

Lillie's duo was nibbling on some Mythic Malasada as well, though one by itself was enough for Buzzy due to her small size.

"What do we do next?" Lillie asked, causing the heads of the other gathered members of Team Sun to turn to her. "I mean it's not too late in the day, but I think we've done enough Mantine Surfing for now."

Sun shrugged. "I'm good with anything," he replied. "I gotta drop off some of the Mythic Malasada at home, but after that I'm good with anything."

"I was planning to go train with my gramps," Hau said. "I need to make sure I'm ready for Akala Island. You're both welcome to join us."

"I'm down," Sun agreed, looking to Lillie. "You want to come with us? You don't have to train if you don't want to."

Lillie looked at her pokémon who were watching her expectantly and took a deep breath. "I think I should," she replied. "I don't think I'll ever love battling like you and your pokémon do, but we need to be able to protect ourselves. We got lucky today, but the next time we come up against Team Skull we might have to fight them again."

Sun nodded encouragingly. "I get that," he assured her. "So, let's all get stronger together."

They finished eating their Mythic Malasada not long after and headed back for Iki Town.

Despite Hau's claim they were welcome to join in the training, it soon became clear that the Kahuna wanted a private training session with his grandson, so Lillie and Sun found themselves training together in the middle of Iki Town while Hau and Hala were inside their home.

Once they'd unleashed their teams, Sun gave Nero and Emperor basic instructions on practicing their moves, and Buzzy and Baron were assigned to chase each other to work with their evasion and accuracy respectively, along with just working to improve their speed. Caligula was working to practice his Rock Throw by attacking the Substitute Pokédoll he'd taken such a shine to the other night. But let us turn our attention to Lillie and Sun, as they work with the pokémon that need the most direct training.

"Okay Bubbly," Lillie told her water type, "make a bunch of small bubbles, okay?"

"Poppli!" the Sea Lion Pokémon cheered in agreement, creating three small watery spheres, and juggling them happily. "Poppli pop!"

"Good girl!" Lillie praised. "Now, launch them over at Prince!"

"Popplio!" barked Bubbly, tossing the watery spheres over at the Scratch Cat Pokémon.

"When they get close, knock them back with Iron Tail, Prince!" Sun instructed.

"Mewhehehe!" Prince giggled, already making his tail glow silver with the energy of the steel type move.

Prince jumped up and swung his tail at the first sphere… which only caused Bubbly's attack to burst, and Prince to tumble, though not completely fall over which was an improvement from when this training session had begun. Unfortunately for Sun, that meant the bubbles moved past Prince and struck him in the face instead.

Sun shook his head like a dog to dislodge the water, causing Lillie to laugh. His hair stuck up all at odd angles, like a pineapple, and his hat was crooked. "Sun, do we need to get you a towel or something?" Lillie asked with amusement.

"Iiiiiii'lllll beeee fiiiiinnne!" Sun said, still rapidly shaking to dislodge the water.

"Roccccckruuuuffff!" Caligula barked in agreement as the Puppy Pokémon stopped his training and mimicked how his trainer shook, despite not being wet.

"Popplio!" cheered Bubbly, amused at the display and clapping her paws.

Prince pushed himself to his feet, taking in the bizarre display. "Meow?" the regal dark type asked in confusion.

"Torra," said Nero with a shrug, causing his sunglasses to fall down a little on his face. "Tor." Who were they to question their trainer's bouts of occasional insanity? He always came through for them when it counted, after all.

"Me-owth," mewed Prince, accepting the point.

After Sun and Caligula stopped shaking and had taken a moment for the world to stop spinning, Sun crouched in front of Prince and patted the dark type on the head. "You're definitely improving," Sun praised. "I bet we'll have it fully mastered by our next Grand Trial!"

"Meowth!" Prince declared proudly, jumping atop his trainer's head. The Alolan Meowth licked his paw as he gazed at Iki Town. He had missed Melemele's Grand Trial. He wouldn't miss the next one. He'd master Iron Tail to make sure of it.

"What now?" Lillie asked. "Bubbly's about where I want her to be for her bubbles at the moment, and going by the fact he's on your head, I think Prince is done training for now."

Sun rested his hand on his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm…" he hummed. "Well, I think Baron and Buzzy are best left to what they're doing at the moment…"

"Cutiefly!" called Buzzy excitedly, as she dodged a swipe from Baron.

"Trum-umbeak!" trumpeted Baron in agreement, as the bird pokémon chased after Buzzy in a hot pursuit.

"Keep up the good work, both of you!" Lillie encouraged, smiling as she watched their pokémon having fun together.

"But as for the rest of my team… Well…" Sun mused, before he broke out in a grin. "Nero, Emperor! Come here, I've got an idea for you both!"

"Grimer mer!" Emperor grunted affectionately, hugging his trainer. "Grimer!"

"Torra?" Nero asked, looking up at Sun curiously.

Sun crouched down to meet his pokémon eye to eye. "Nero, you've gotten down the ability to use two moves at once, right?" Sun asked his starter, scratching the Fire Cat Pokémon behind the ears.

"Torracat!" Nero agreed, his teeth glowing with the flames of Fire Fang, but also the dark type energy of Bite. "Tor torra?"

"Well, Emperor has learned Poison Fang and Bite," Sun explained. "So, I was hoping that you'd help him master doing both at once. Assuming he's up for it, at least."

"Torra?" Nero asked, turning to Emperor.

"Grime!" Emperor cried ecstatically, hugging them both in his excitement. "Grime mer mer!"

"Tor," Nero began, after Emperor released him, channeling dark type energy into his fangs as if to use Bite.

"Gri," Emperor said agreeably, doing the same.

"Torrara," Nero continued, slowly adding fire type energy.

"Grimer!" Emperor cried excitedly, quickly adding the power of Poison Fang to Bite. Too quickly perhaps, as the dark type energy faded, being fully overwritten by the poison type move. "Mer…" he pouted, disappointed at the mistake.

"Torrara," Nero encouraged, repeating the process even more slowly and gently nudging Emperor. "Torracat."

"Mer mer mer," Emperor grumbled, but did as his teammate instructed. The Alolan Grimer focused on summoning the dark type energy into his teeth, and then slowly adding the poison type energy to them as well. "Grimer!"

Sun patted both of his pokémon affectionately. "Good work, both of you," he praised. "Nero, you did an excellent job teaching Emperor. Emperor, you picked the process up very quickly. I'm so proud of you both."

"Torra!" Nero said proudly, basking in the praise of his trainer. He was Sun's first pokémon after all, he had to be able to step up when necessary. "Torracat!"

"Grimer mer!" Emperor said, hugging his trainer and mentor. "Gri gri grime!"

"Meowth!" Prince cried, hopping off his trainer's head, and giving both of his retainers an appreciative pat. While this mostly served to confuse Nero, Baron hugged the Alolan Meowth tightly in appreciation, causing the Scratch Cat Pokémon to squeak.

"Now," Sun said, chuckling in fond amusement at his Grimer's antics, "that doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement, okay Emperor?"

"Grime!" Sun's Alolan Grimer said, snapping to attention.

"Tomorrow, we're going to work on doing the process more quickly," Sun explained. "But you've all done great today, so let's take a break for now everybody."

Baron landed on Sun's shoulder with a screech and Buzzy perched on Lillie's hat.

"So, what's next?" Sun mused.

"Zzt!" Dexter piped up from Sun's pocket. "I juzt got a mezzage from Hau, he sayz he'll meet up with you both tomorrow."

Lillie's stomach rumbled loudly, much to her embarrassment. "Pardon me," she said, cheeks red.

"No big deal," Sun replied. "Actually, we missed lunch, didn't we?"

Lillie tilted her head thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, yes," she realized. "I think we didn't realize because we'd loaded up on Malasada before coming here."

"Do you want to join Mom and me for dinner?" Sun offered. "I'm sure she'd like to thank you for the good news we got from my dad today."

"I only played a small part in that," Lillie pointed out. "She doesn't need to thank me. And I'd hate to impose on you both for dinner."

"You still played a part, and you aren't imposing," Sun pointed out. "I offered. She always makes more food than we eat in one meal anyway."

Sun didn't mention that it seemed like his mother was always waiting for his father to walk in the door and join them for a meal, and the extra food was there in case he finally managed to surprise them.

Lillie opened her mouth, perhaps to protest, but her stomach rumbled once more making the decision for her. "Thank you," she said instead, cheeks pink again.

"No problem," Sun assured her. "Come on, let's go!"

True to Sun's expectations, Andrea Ray was very happy to have another mouth to feed. "You're welcome here any time," she told her son's friend. "That would be true of any friend of Sun's, but especially for you."

"Th-Thank you, ma'am," Lillie said, slightly flustered. "But why especially me?"

Oh, so many reasons, Sun's mother thought mischievously, raising a hand to her mouth to conceal her smirk. While it was very tempting to tease her little Sun about bringing a girl home, all that would mean was that he'd be less likely to do it again. Still there were reasons besides her son's affection for the girl that made her welcome and so, "I'm sure Sun thanked you as well, and his father certainly will when you meet him, but Lillie I'm truly indebted to you for helping bring my husband to Alola."

Sun gave Lillie a wide grin that screamed, I told you so.

"I didn't do much, really," Lillie replied, "but you're most welcome all the same. Sun's always helping me, aren't you, Boss? So, it feels good to be able help you both as well."

Andrea Ray turned to her son with amusement. "'Boss'?" she parroted curiously. "Sun, why is your friend calling you Boss?"

Sun's face turned red. "Because… Because I am the Boss of the great Team Sun," her sixteen-year-old said in an overblown cartoon villain voice. "Everything is going according to the plan crafted by myself and Admin Lillie."

As Lillie broke into a massive fit of giggles, Andrea looked at her son in astonishment. It wasn't that she had an issue with what he was doing, far from it. But to see Sun who had so frequently been given a hard time for being related to her brother, and his time training at the Viridian Gym, acting as a silly villain to make this girl laugh… If she'd had any reservations left about leaving Kanto behind, seeing how he was acting now would've put them to rest. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Sun this relaxed with someone who wasn't family.

She couldn't bring herself to tease him for it, not right now. Instead, she just started pouring out pokémon food for her family's pokémon along with their guest's and said, "Well I'm fulfilling my part of the plan by feeding your pokémon and making us your favorite. Do you like pizza Lillie? If not, I can probably whip something else for you, dear."

"Oh, no I love pizza," Lillie assured her. "But I didn't know it was your favorite food, Sun."

The Island Challenger shrugged. "I haven't had much of an opportunity to eat it yet," Sun pointed out. "But what about you? What's your favorite food?"

Lillie thought about it. She'd mostly eaten whatever her parents had put in front of her, and it wasn't like any of it had ever been bad. But she didn't have any strong feelings towards it. "I don't really have one," she admitted. "I like a lot of food, but I don't really have a favorite."

The heavenly smell of the pizza wafted out of the oven and Lillie's mouth watered. "Mmm…" she hummed. "If it's half as good as it smells it'll be delicious."

Sun grinned. "It tastes even better," he promised. "I love pizza in general, but Mama's is the best."

"Oh, come now, Sun!" his mother protested. "You'll make your friend think I'm such a good cook that she'll be disappointed!" Still, the brown-haired woman looked pleased by his compliment.

It wasn't much later that the pizza was out of the oven, and Sun was eagerly cutting slices and serving them all. "Where are the forks?" Lillie asked, staring at her slice of pizza. It looked delicious, and she wanted nothing more than to dig in, but she'd need silverware first.

"Oh, do you prefer it that way?" Mrs. Ray asked, surprised but unbothered. "I can grab you a knife and a fork. Actually, Sun be a dear and grab some utensils for her? There's a drawer right next to the sink."

Wait… had they just been planning to eat the pizza with their hands? Was that something people did? "Don't worry about it, Sun," Lillie told him. "I'll eat them like you both do."

"It's no trouble," Sun and his mother assured her simultaneously, Sun already opening the silverware drawer.

"No, really," Lillie insisted. "Our journey is all about trying things differently and that's what I want to do."

Sun nodded in understanding, returning to the table. "Of course," he replied, "but don't feel obligated to eat it like we do if it makes you uncomfortable."

It was different, and messier, eating a pizza this way, though she found she liked it, but not as much as she liked the taste of Sun's mother's pizza. "Mrs. Ray," she said, after she'd finished her first slice, "Sun told me you'd been a professional battler and then a radio DJ, but I think you could make a living as a pizza chef."

"Why, thank you Lillie," Sun's mother said, seemingly genuinely touched at the compliment. "I've had a lot of practice you see. Sun's father loves pizza as much as his son."

Sun chuckled. "He always claims our love of pizza is because he's from Unova," the young man reflected. "I've never been so I can't claim to know how accurate that is."

"Would you ever want to visit?" Lillie asked curiously.

Sun shrugged. "I wouldn't be opposed to it," he told her. "But unlike the Orange Archipelago, or Alola, or Galar, or even Holon there was never anything about the pokémon there that made me particularly interested in visiting."

"Hmmm," Lillie mused. "If the pizza there is as good as your father says, that alone might be reason enough to go."

Both Sun and his mother laughed out loud. "Hey, that's true," Sun smiled over another slice of pizza covered in molten mozzarella. "Then I could tell Dad I finally knew if he was right."

Mrs. Ray chuckled. "You'd better not say it was better than mine," she warned jokingly.

"Oh, I'd never say that Mama," Sun replied earnestly, and then added teasingly, "Even if it were."

Lillie was a little awed by their back and forth and tried to imagine doing something similar with her mother but couldn't. Even before Father had disappeared, Mother had a very rigid way of doing things, and Lillie had always followed along, too worried about adding onto the stress of running the Aether Foundation to rock the boat.

But she wasn't in the Aether Paradise anymore. And Mrs. Ray was nothing like Mother. So… "No need ta be so cruel, Boss," Lillie joked in her best imitation of a thug. "Da only way da pizza in Unova could even hope ta match hers… is if she went ta Unova and made her pizza there."

"Indeed, Admin Lillie," Sun agreed in his "Boss" voice, struggling not to laugh. "You make a most valid point. As such Mama must go to Unova and spread our influence through the sales of her pizza."

And all three of them burst out laughing. Lillie basked in the warmth that the Ray family exuded. As welcoming and warm as Professor Burnett and Kukui had been, without the energy that had initially overwhelmed her.

For the first time since Father had disappeared, Lillie let her guard down, and just let herself feel wanted. A contented, "Pew…" came from her bag, and even Nebby's cry didn't cause her to lose the calmness.

Sun gave Lillie a smile. "Thanks for having dinner with us," her friend said. "I'm glad you came."

"Thank you for having me," Lillie replied easily, then looked down at her phone noticing the time. "I should probably get back to the lab. It's getting late, and I don't want to worry the professor," she said regretfully.

"Would you like me to walk you back?" Sun offered. "I wouldn't mind."

"I… I'd like that," Lillie agreed, though it was less because she was worried about Team Skull or the like and more that she wanted to spend a bit longer with Sun. "Mrs. Ray, thank you for a wonderful meal."

"The pleasure was mine," Sun's mother assured her. "Have a good night."

"I know I've said this before," Lillie said as they slipped out the front door and into the cool night air, "but you have a very kind mother."

Sun nodded. "Mama's the best," he agreed as they headed for the short route to the professor's lab. "I hope my dad makes as good an impression when you meet him."

Lillie smiled. "I'm sure he will," she assured Sun. "You and your mother clearly love him. That's a pretty good impression already."

Sun rubbed the back of his head, strangely flattered. "Well, thanks for that," he said awkwardly as they neared the lab. "I guess this is good-bye for now."

Much to his surprise, Lillie wrapped him in a tight hug with a squeeze that rivaled even Emperor's. Despite being startled, he hugged her back, his heart pounding in his ears and his cheeks turning red.

"Thank you for everything," she said quietly, before pulling away and smiling at him.

"Y-You're welcome," Sun stammered reflexively, despite not knowing what she was thanking him for.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Good night, Sun," she said, before turning to go into the professor's lab.

"Good night, Lillie," Sun replied.

Sun took a deep breath as he headed down the trail that would take him home, hoping Lillie hadn't noticed his blush in the dark, and that it would die down by the time he got home.