As the sun rose into the sky the next morning, Sun was already up and training with his team. Baron was working to improve his already excellent speed in preparation for the challenges ahead, and Nero picked up where he'd left off the night before in coaching Emperor on how to use two attacks simultaneously without taking too much time to charge them up. With those three well on their way, Sun had focused most of his attention on Prince and Caligula, who were still attempting to master their moves.

To train them both at the same time, Sun had Caligula launch Rock Throw at Prince while Prince worked to block and, if possible, deflect them with Iron Tail.

"Rrrock!" Caligula barked aggressively, launching another barrage of rocks.

"Meowww…" hissed Prince, jumping up and swatting them back.

"I thought so," Sun mused, as he watched his puppy and cat spar. "Part of the reason Prince was having trouble with Bubbly yesterday was because Iron Tail just made the bubbles burst, and that threw off his attack."

"So that's what it was," a familiar voice said thoughtfully from behind Sun. "I'd wondered."

"Torra!" Nero greeted the newcomer, already moving to rub up between her legs. "Torrarara…" the cat pokémon purred.

"Good morning, Lillie!" Sun greeted cheerfully. "I'm surprised you're here this early!"

She chuckled. "Well, I probably would still be asleep," she replied, "but the professor woke me up and told me, 'Hey, Lillie! Go get Sun and tell him to head down to the marina! It's time we head for Akala Island, oh yeah!' Honestly, I'm surprised you're already up."

Sun smiled and looked over his pokémon. "We just wanted to get some training in before we headed to Akala Island," he explained. "We admittedly were cutting it closer than we realized, but hey, it worked out."

Sun's pokémon ceased their training and cried their agreement as the door to Sun's home swung open. "What's this?" Sun's mom asked teasingly as she stepped out. "Was my little sun going to head to the next chapter of his big adventure without even saying good-bye?"

Lillie looked ready to defend him, but he just chuckled. "Well, I figured you already knew I was Mama," Sun teased. "All boys leave home someday. It said so on TV."

"I suppose you're right," Andrea Ray said with fond amusement. She chuckled and wrapped her son in a hug which he returned. "I know you'll do great," she told him after they pulled apart.

"Thanks, Mama," Sun said warmly. "I'll make you and Dad proud; I promise."

"You already have," his mother assured him before turning to Lillie. "Lillie, please keep an eye on Sun for me," she requested, much to Sun's mortification.

"It would be my pleasure!" Lillie replied with a bright smile, and Sun had to fight the urge to bury his head in his hands in further embarrassment.

"Take care of yourself," Sun told his mom. "I'll see you, and hopefully Dad too, soon enough."

"Meowth!" Prince agreed, jumping atop his trainer's head and bowing to Andrea Ray. "Meowth meow."

"If you're still on Akala Island when your father arrives, we'll be taking the first ferry there the next morning," Sun's mother promised.

And with that last exchange, Sun and Lillie waved their goodbyes and headed for Hau'oli City, and their ride to the next island with it.

"Do you know anything about Akala Island?" Sun asked Lillie as they made their way past the Trainers' School. "All I really know about it is that it's where I'm going next."

Lillie shook her head. "Not much," she replied. "I know it's the island of Alola most known for its agriculture, and I know there are three trials waiting there for compared to Melemele's one, but not much else."

Sun grinned. "Three trials, huh?!" he asked excitedly. "That's awesome. I can't wait to challenge them all."

"Mewhehehe!" Prince giggled in agreement from atop Sun's head.

"I'm hoping to see the local tapu's ruins. They're called the Ruins of Life and they're sacred to a pokémon called Tapu Lele," Lillie explained. "Nebby seems really interested in seeing all of them for some reason."

"PEW!" Nebby squeaked in loud agreement, shaking Lillie's duffle bag.

"Torra," Nero replied, rubbing up against the bag. "Torrara…" the Fire Cat Pokémon purred.

"Pew pew…" Nebby squeaked more quietly, and the bag's shaking ceased. "Pew…"

Sun crouched down and dropped a few pieces of star candy into the bag to give the young pokémon something to eat. "No worries, little one," he said, "we're all excited too."

"Pew," Nebby cried happily, and began munching on its beloved sweets.

"Nebby really seems to like you," Lillie noted fondly. "Maybe it's because you spoil it so much."

Sun laughed as he stood back up. "I spoil my pokémon too," he replied. "I prefer pokémon to be happy, even if that means spoiling them."

Sun's pokémon cried their agreement, all simultaneously showing their affection in various ways. Prince and Emperor, having arms, hugged Sun tightly. Nero, Baron, and Caligula with their lack of arms had to settle for nuzzling against their trainer.

Before too long, the dynamic duo reached the Hau'oli Marina, where Professor Kukui and Hau were already waiting for them and waved a greeting.

Hau eyed Professor Kukui's boat critically, and Sun couldn't blame him. The sail was stained and covered in patches, some of the metal on it had rusted… All told it didn't appear to be in ship shape. "Hey, Prof, are you sure this old thing's really seaworthy?" Hau asked with concern.

"Yeah," Sun agreed, "it looks like it hasn't been used in years! And isn't there a ferry going between islands anyway?"

"Hey now!" Professor Kukui objected. "She's not old. Call her a classic. Well seasoned, yeah? I mean, this is the boat I used to get to the next island when I was your age, oh yeah! No point in taking the ferry when we've got this beauty!"

Sun and Hau exchanged dubious glances. They both trusted Professor Kukui, but between the four of them only Lillie had a water type, and they weren't sure they trusted this run down sailboat to safely get them all the next island.

"I quite like that it has a sense of history," Lillie offered. "And there's something fascinating about traveling in a boat as old-timey as this."

"Pew!" Nebby chirped in agreement from her bag. The little psychic type actually seemed quite enthusiastic about the idea of traveling by boat.

"Three to two!" Professor Kukui declared with a wide grin. "That decides it! Time to sail away! Woohoo!"

As Professor Kukui and Lillie boarded the boat, Sun gave Hau a helpless shrug and followed after them.

"If this ends badly," Hau told his best friend, "I'm holding you personally responsible!"

Sun chuckled. "If it does, I won't blame you!" he replied.

In no time at all, they had caught a good breeze and were bound for Akala. Well, truthfully, Professor Kukui's Braviary had used Tailwind on the boat and that was propelling them. Taking in the salty air and enjoying the speed at which the boat moved through the water, both boys soon forgot their misgivings and were caught up in the thrill of it all.

"We. Are. Off!" Hau cheered, bouncing up and down.

"Come on, Grandma!" Sun jokingly told the professor's Braviary. "KICK IT UP A NOTCH!"

"BRAVE!" the Braviary chirped aggressively, taking up the challenge and summoning even stronger winds to propel the boat. The eagle pokémon didn't seem to be offended, however, as it gave Sun a look of contented smugness when both boys pumped their fists in the air as the boat in speed. "Braviary!"

"If we push the boat much harder than this, we may end up at the bottom of the ocean," Lillie warned them in a reversal of their earlier opinions, clutching on tight to the hat Sun had given her.

Hau smirked at her. "Oh please," he retorted with a warm chuckle, "you're probably just worried about the hat Sun gave you flying off."

Lillie's face turned pink. "I'll have you know-" she began.

"I can't wait to see what kind of island Akala is," Sun interrupted, cutting Lillie off before she could start bickering with Hau.

"I know what you mean," Hau agreed, taking the bait. "Seeing all of Alola for myself is half the fun of doing the Island Challenge. It's just the best…"

"We should be arriving pretty soon," Lillie mentioned, twisting her hat in her hands. "I think I'll check out the clothing store when we arrive."

Hau nodded. "I'd be up for hitting the local Malasada shop with you guys afterwards," the energetic young man offered. "I want to make sure to hit every single one in all of Alola!"

Sun shrugged. "My only real plans today are to train a bit for the next trial," he explained. "I figure we'll probably be hitting Akala's first trial tomorrow, so I want to get some more practice in with my team first."

Soon enough, they were disembarking on Akala Island. "Land ahoy!" Hau shouted as he jumped off Professor Kukui's boat. "All right! Akala Island, here I come!"

Lillie giggled as she stepped off the boat. "Isn't it a bit late to declare 'land ahoy' when you've already arrived onshore?" she teased, Nebby swaying in the ocean breeze beside her.

Hau's eyes went wide with shock. "What a stick in the sand!" he cried incredulously. "Help me out here, Sun! It was funny, right?"

Sun looked at his buddy, bewildered. "It was supposed to be funny?" the Island Challenger asked in confusion.

Hau glared at Sun, clearly annoyed that his friend hadn't gotten whatever the joke was. "What about you, Professor?" Hau asked, turning to Professor Kukui.

"The land is certainly ahoy, oh boy!" Professor Kukui cheered, much to Hau's delight.

Lillie looked over at Sun who just shrugged. Nebby seemed delighted, however, squeaking happily and bouncing up and down.

"Oh you," Lillie groaned parentally. "When are you going to stop trying to wander off, you little troublemaker."

Sun crouched down to pat Nebby on the head. "Nebby's just excited, aren't you little one?" the Island Challenger said affectionately. "A whole new island to explore!"

"Pew!" Nebby cried in agreement, bouncing up and down, which made all three of them to laugh.

"Still haven't managed to find a shirt that goes with your lab coat, Kukui?" an unfamiliar voice called. "I've told you, you're gonna scare off strangers looking like that."

Our heroes turned to see a tall woman with dark hair and a girl with bright green hair making their approach.

"Nebby," Lillie said quietly, "back into the bag."

Professor Kukui rested a hand on the pale girl's shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't sweat it, Lillie."

While Lillie didn't have any reason to trust these strangers, she did trust Professor Kukui, so she let Nebby stay out of the duffle bag for the time being.

"Why hello there," the dark-haired woman said. "Nice to me you all. I'm Olivia."

The green-haired girl gave them a warm smile. "Hey! Thanks for stopping by!" she said in the tone of a restaurant's hostess. "I'm Mallow, one of the captains here!"

"It's nice to meet you both," Sun said politely.

"It's good to see you both again, yeah," Professor Kukui said. "I wasn't expecting to see either of you this soon though."

Olivia shrugged. "I was on my way to see who was pulling into this and ran into Mallow here while she was out on a delivery," Olivia explained.

"I'm looking forward to challenging your trial," Sun told Mallow, and Nero popped out of his pokéball the fire type purring his approval.

"I'll look forward to your challenge," Mallow told him with a bright smile. "My trial will be a chance for all the fine ingredients that make up your team to shine. Especially your Torracat, he looks ready to cook with gas."

"Torrara," Nero purred approvingly, and Sun scratched his starter behind his ears.

"What do you know?" Hau said, punching Sun's shoulder. "Sounds like you've got a fan."

"Mallow isn't the only captain here on Akala Island, of course," Olivia explained. "So? What's the plan, kids?"

Professor Kukui nodded. "Yeah, that's up to these guys," he agreed. "It's their Island Challenge, after all!"

"I'm planning to get some more training under my team's belt today," Sun explained. "I'll probably attempt the first trial tomorrow."

"I need to work with my newest team member before we challenge a trial," Hau agreed. "I'll probably head out the same time as Sun."

"It's good to go at your own pace," Olivia said approvingly. "Make sure to enjoy your Island Challenge together with your pokémon. I'll be looking forward to facing you both in battle when the time comes. Let's go, Mallow."

Mallow nodded. "See you soon," she told Sun and Hau, waving goodbye before walking off with Olivia.

"I'm sure she came here to make sure that you all arrived here safely," the professor mused, closing his eyes in thought, "but she'll never admit it! Haha!"

"That's Olivia for you," Hau agreed easily, resting his hands behind his head. "She's a kind Kahuna."

"There are three trials here on Akala Island," Professor Kukui informed them. "Once you're satisfied with how much training you've done, head up Route 4 and keep on goin' until you get to Paniola Town. Although training on Route 4 isn't such a bad idea by itself."

"Well, first things first," Hau said. "I'm hitting up the pokémon center and stockin' up."

"And then Malasada?" Sun asked his buddy with knowing eyes.

"You know it!" Hau told him. "I wonder what kind of Malasada they make on Akala, eh?"

Lillie traced the brim of Sun's old hat. "Maybe I'll see about some shopping of my own…" she mused. "And I should find out about the ruins for Nebby's sake, too."

"We've finally made it to Akala, zzt!" Dexter chirped floating in the air in front of them all. "I can't wait to zee some new pokémon! Zzt!"

Sun smiled at his Rotom-Pokédex. "Me too, bud," he told him warmly. "Maybe we'll meet the next member of my team here!"

"Sun, before you start training with your team would you mind coming with me for a bit?" Lillie requested.

Sun probably would have agreed but Nero made the decision for him, nuzzling against Lillie and purring loudly.

So instead, Sun turned to Hau. "We'll catch up with you later, okay bro?" he told his rival, offering him a fist to bump.

Hau returned the gesture. "No problem," he assured them. "How about we meet up in Paniola Town tomorrow for a battle, yeah?"

Sun grinned. "You're on!" he cheered.

Everyone waved their good-byes, with the promise of meeting again later.

"So," Sun began, after it was just himself, Lillie, and their pokémon, "what did you want to do?"

Lillie took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then exhaled. "I'm going clothes shopping, like I mentioned earlier. Would you mind joining me? I'd like your opinion on something."

Sun gave her a smile. "I don't know much about fashion, so I can't promise to be much help," he admitted, "but I'll help however I can."

"Just give me your honest opinion," Lillie assured him. "That'll be enough. The shop should just be over this way."

And so, Sun trailed after his friend to Akala's clothing shop.

Lillie had requested he not see what she was getting until she'd gotten it all together, so for the time being she'd left Sun in a different corner of the shop, looking over pins and patches. She'd asked him what he was looking for, but he'd just given her a cheeky smile and told her he'd tell her after she found what she was looking for.

A skirt like her old one wasn't particularly hard to find, they had them in so many colors after all. Unfortunately, she had a bit more trouble finding the hoodie she was looking for and as such went up to the front desk. "Hello," she said politely, "I was wondering if you carried hoodies here? White ones, specifically."

The woman running the shop gave her a friendly smile. "I don't think we have any up front at the moment," she explained, "but we usually keep some hoodies stocked in the back. I can see if we have what you're looking for."

"Thank you very much," Lillie said gratefully. And so, she stood there absently tapping her foot as she waited.

Meanwhile, Sun was trying to find something suitable to use as Team Sun's emblem. He had been joking when he'd started calling his new group of friends that, but they'd all taken to it and Lillie enjoyed playing along. So, he had decided to try and find a unifying emblem for their group, as he'd offered a few days ago at the festival.

Considering the sheer number of pins and patches that were here, he was sure he'd find something suitable it was just a question of if there'd be enough. And, eventually, he found what he was searching for in the form of a set of pins. They were a metallic orange, cast in the shape of a stylized sun, with a smaller sun etched in the center. "These are perfect," Sun said happily, holding them down for Nero to see.

"Torra!" his partner agreed, his sunglasses glinting in the midday sun.

"Now we just have to wait for Lillie to finish getting whatever she came for, and we'll ring up the official pins of Team Sun. There's enough here for all me and my admins, and any future members we might gain."

"Torracat!"

Not too much later, the clerk came back carrying the hoodie Lillie had requested, much to the pale girl's delight. "Here you are, miss," the clerk said cheerily. "Will you be paying for all of this, or will your boyfriend be covering it?"

"B-Boyfriend?" Lillie stammered in embarrassment, fighting the urge to look over at Sun. "I-I don't have a boyfriend."

"My mistake then," the clerk said nonchalantly. "The fact you came in together with that boy with the Torracat and told him not to look at what you were buying made me think you were trying to surprise him or something."

Trying to keep her cheeks from turning too red, Lillie paid for the clothes she wanted to purchase.

Walking over to Sun, she tapped his shoulder to get his attention, causing him to look up at her with a start. "Hey Sun," she began, "I'm going to use their dressing room to get changed, so if you're ready to buy whatever you were looking at, go ahead."

"Sounds good," Sun agreed, holding something behind his back so she couldn't see. "You want me to wait for you in here or outside?"

"Tor?" Nero asked, cocking his head.

"I shouldn't be long," Lillie told them. "Just wait in here I suppose. Then I can show you how it looks on me as soon as I'm done."

Sun nodded, and Lillie headed for the changing room of the shop.

Sun paid for the sun pins, slipping most of them into his bag for later, but keeping two at hand. One for Lillie, and one for himself once he'd given her hers.

"Looking forward to our next trial?" Sun asked his partner, scratching Nero behind the ears.

"Torrr…" the Fire Cat Pokémon rumbled with pleasure, happily leaning into the Island Challenger's affection.

It was hard to believe he'd barely spent a week in Alola. He'd already built a great team of pokémon, met some great new friends, and accomplished his goal of catching an Alolan Meowth. They weren't where they wanted to get to yet, but they were making progress all the time, and life in Alola was better than Kanto had been in years…

He shook his head trying to dismiss the sudden dark thought. Don't waste time on those days, he reminded himself. They don't matter, not anymore.

"Torrara?" his Torracat asked with concern, rubbing against his ankle.

Before Sun could answer, his other pokémon erupted out of their pokéballs, looking up at him with equal worry to his starter. His pokémon, and their care for him, were proof enough that his time in Kanto no longer mattered. So, Sun pasted a big smile on his face that was only slightly forced and crouched down to give them all attention. "I'm okay guys," he promised, taking the myriad of hugs, licks, and nuzzles from his concerned team. "I was just thinking about before we all met." It wasn't really a lie, and Sun wasn't about to get into the mess that was growing up in Kanto. Not here, in public. Not when there were more important things to focus on, like his pokémon.

"I should've expected to find you covered in pokémon like this," Lillie teased from behind him. "I didn't, but I should've. You just can't keep them in their balls for long, can you?"

Sun stood up to his full height, stretching, and not turning to face her yet. "I grew up surrounded by my mom's pokémon," he replied. "It's nice to experience that again."

Sun turned to face her, and she gave him a shy smile. "What do you think?" she asked, turning slightly so he could fully see her new clothes. "Do they suit me?"

"It looks great on you," he praised eagerly. "It suits you a lot better than what you were wearing before." Then his eyes widened realizing that what he said could've been taken as an insult to how she'd looked before. "Not that you looked bad before of course I just meant-" Sun rambled out

But Lillie just grabbed his hand so that he'd stop babbling and her expression was delighted. "Don't worry, Sun. I know what you mean, and thank you so much," she said happily. "It feels good to be dressing like this again and hearing someone say it looks good on me."

"'Again'?" Sun parroted. "You've worn this before?"

"Ruff?" barked Caligula, sniffing at Lillie curiously. Then he yipped happily, nuzzling up against Lillie, "Rockruff!"

"Well, I wore an outfit very much like this one," Lillie amended. "They're not the same clothes, I've probably outgrown the old ones at this point."

"Hmmmm, I feel like it's missing something," Sun said teasingly.

"Missing something? Like what?" Lillie asked, recognizing his tone, and so did not take offense.

"Well Admin Lillie," he said, speaking in the Boss voice. "I think it's time the world had a way to recognize that you are part of my organization. The great Team Sun."

"Really Boss?" she giggled. "And just how are they supposed to know?"

"All joking aside, the outfit looks great on you, Lillie," Sun complimented, "so this is just a bonus." And, so saying, he handed her the Team Sun pin.

Lillie's eyes sparkled. "Thank you, Sun! But… where do I pin it? I don't really want it on my clothes, no offense."

Sun pointed at the hat that he'd given her. "Just pin it to your hat," he suggested. "That's what I'm going to do with mine."

The hug came out of nowhere. Lillie hadn't expected to give it, and Sun certainly hadn't expected to receive it, but was happy when it happened. "Sun, I love being your friend and being on Team Sun. Between the clothes I got today and your gift, coming to Akala has already been such a blessing." The hug ended quickly, though Sun rather wished it hadn't. Lillie's smile however was as warm as the hug had been.

And so, the boss of the great Team Sun and his first admin pinned their emblem to their caps. The stylized sun they'd made their emblem probably didn't mean much to most of Alola before this. At the time, if any Alolan acknowledged the pin at it all was just another souvenir to sell tourists, but a day would come in the not-so distant future where that sun would be a symbol for far more than just Sun's friends.

"What next Boss?" Lillie asked him in her best impression of a Unovan mob goon.

Sun shrugged. "Well, Admin Lillie," he said in his "Boss" voice. "I believe it is time we further the training of my associates." Sun nodded towards his pokémon. "Do you have any suggestions for a location that they would find suitable?"

"Well," Lillie began, still maintaining her impression though it was beginning to crack slightly, "I think der's a trainin' ground at da Tide Song Hotel. And dat's where we'd be stayin' tonight, anyways."

"I see," Sun said, and then turned to his pokémon. "Come, let us head for this 'Tide Song Hotel' and see if it suits our needs."

Lillie giggled and it was like a dam burst, because Sun burst out laughing as well. "I think," Lillie said between giggles, "I think that was the first time we held it in for an entire bit."

And with that, the two of them headed for the exit, Sun trusting Lillie to get him to Tide Song Hotel.

It wasn't long afterwards that Sun and Lillie were training with their pokémon in a battle arena behind the hotel. Sun's Caligula standing opposite Lillie's Buzzy, the Rockruff giving a surprisingly aggressive growl as he faced his opponent.

"Okay Buzzy," Lillie said, "start this off with Stun Spore."

"Cue cue!" buzzed the Cutiefly, as it launched a burst of powder at Caligula.

Sun was about to give a command when he heard a strange buzzing noise. "What's that?" he asked no one in particular, glancing around for the source of the sound.

"You don't know Stun Spore?" Lillie asked, sounding surprised. "It's a grass type move that induces paralysis."

"Caligula, blast it away with Rock Throw!" Sun commanded as the powder neared his puppy. "And that's not what I meant. I heard a weird buzzing sound."

"Rrrrr!" Caligula growled aggressively, blasting a barrage of rocks at the cloud of Stun Spore and beyond it to Buzzy. "Rrrrrr!"

Indeed, he perhaps launched too many rocks since this was a training exercise and Buzzy was a relatively untrained pokémon. The Bee Fly Pokémon did her best to dodge, but more than one struck home wounding the bug and fairy type badly. "Tiefly…" Buzzy groaned as it fell out of the air.

"Hey, Caligula," Sun reprimanded gently as he crouched down to look at his Rockruff. "You didn't need to go that far, yeah? We're just practicing."

"Rrrrr…" Caligula growled at his trainer, as Lillie tended to her pokémon. To everyone's shock, including Caligula's, the Puppy Pokémon lunged at his trainer in a Tackle knocking him flat on his back.

"Ow…" Sun groaned, rubbing the back of his head as he sat up. "That hurt."

It was like a switch flipped. All the aggression vanished from Caligula as suddenly as it had appeared, and the Puppy Pokémon began to lick Sun's face with a sorrowful and apologetic whimper.

Sun, completely at a loss, began to stroke his Rockruff, trying to make sure it knew that he'd forgive it, but bewildered that it had attacked him all the same. "Did I do something wrong buddy?" he asked uncertainly, continuing to stroke Caligula's coarse fur in a vain attempt at comfort. "Are you gonna be okay?"

"Sun, Caligula," Lillie said, with a gentle, reassuring smile, "everything's fine. It's just part of how Rockruff grow."

"Ruff?"/"Huh?" pokémon and trainer asked in unison, as Sun's other pokémon rushed over to inspect their trainer and reassure themselves that he was okay.

"As Rockruff get stronger, and closer to evolving, sometimes they get aggressive out of nowhere and stop listening to their trainers for a bit," Lillie explained, the same gentle, reassuring smile still on her face. "A lot of trainers give up on their Rockruff when that happens, but you don't have to worry about that Caligula. And don't worry that you're doing something wrong Sun, just be patient with him like you have as all your pokémon have trained."

"Ruff," Caligula whined, licking Sun's face. It was clear that the little rock type felt awful, both for going overboard with his attack and even more for attacking his beloved trainer, so no one offered rebuke, not even any of Sun's other pokémon. "Rufff…"

Sun gave his rock type a hug. "It'll be okay," Sun promised. "Like Lillie said, I'm not giving up on you. We'll all get stronger together!"

Sun's other pokémon gave cries of affirmation, and Prince gave the puppy a gentle pat on the head.

"So," Sun told Caligula encouragingly, "let's keep at it, buddy! This time, we'll work on power control!"

"Fly!" chirped Buzzy, unleashing a mist of Sweet Scent and enveloping the arena in a soothing atmosphere which did well to calm Caligula down.

In all the commotion, Sun had forgotten about the buzzing he'd heard earlier.

In a dark room, illuminated only by the glow of computer monitors, a man with ridiculously large green glasses watched the two trainers work with their pokémon. As they had their fun training together, a frown marred the man's already unpleasant face in sharp contrast to the joy of those he was observing. "How?" he demanded of no one in particular, staring at Lillie. "How can that girl be smiling again? And in those clothes?"

She couldn't be. Lillie could not be allowed to find happiness, to recover. Because if the Aether family somehow successfully healed from their broken state… If they somehow managed to learn what he had done…

"Drone," the Aether Foundation's Branch Chief commanded into a microphone, "unleash all stored Drowzee. Set them on the person being targeted. As directed by Branch Chief Faba"

"Affirmative," the electric voice of the drone confirmed. "Commencing battle operations."

As he'd commanded, multiple Drowzee appeared on the screen. Twelve, to be exact.

"Drowzee, enact Nightmare maneuvers," Faba commanded into the microphone.

If there was any way to return Lillie to a state that could not threaten his plans, this would be it. Perhaps it would even stop the boy she'd been traveling with from even attempting to help her recover going forward. Faba cackled madly. No one could threaten him, he would make sure of it without ever putting himself in harm's way.

Lillie stared at the half dozen Drowzee that encircled herself, Sun, and their pokémon. All of them were using Hypnosis, and despite their pokémon attacking them the psychic types would not be deterred.

"Prince, Emperor, get in close and use Bite," Sun commanded. "Nero, Caligula give them covering fire with your Ember and Rock Throw. Baron, protect Lillie's bag and use Pluck on any Drowzee who get too close!" Left unsaid was that the real goal was protecting the Cosmog that was in said bag, but on the off chance whoever had sent these pokémon after them didn't know about the mysterious little pokémon they were better off not risking it.

"Buzzy, use Fairy Wind," Lillie instructed. "Bubbly, use Bubble Beam to keep them back!"

"I don't like this," Sun said, even as their pokémon easily beat back the Drowzee. "These aren't wild pokémon, but there's no trainer in sight."

"Bzzt!" Dexter chirped, popping out from Sun's pocket an uncharacteristically serious look on the Rotom-Pokédex's face. "Zun, Lillie, I detect zix more Drowzee than the onez in front of uz. Zomewhere cloze by!"

Sun flinched. "That's bad," he said. "If they're holding back, it's intentional. Have you noticed, Lillie?"

The pale girl nodded. "They haven't used any attacks except for Hypnosis," she agreed nervously. "Even when they've failed to work, like on Prince and Emperor. For whatever reason, beating our pokémon isn't the end goal."

Sun nodded. "Unfortunately," he noted, "I don't think we can go looking for the other six. We can't risk getting distracted if their goal is to knock us all out."

"Rrrr…" growled Caligula, savagely blasting rocks at their opponents. Despite having calmed earlier, the sheer number of opponents, and now his trainer's unease, were pushing him closer towards going berserk again.

Nero nudged the rock type, trying to get his puppy friend to calm down. "Torrara," he mewed, nodding towards Sun. "Torrarara cat."

Caligula looked back towards their trainer, still growling, but taking in the worry in the Island Challenger's eyes. "Rock?" Caligula asked Sun's starter with concern. "Ruff?"

"Torra," Nero growled in agreement. Sun had enough to worry about, they couldn't give him more reason to worry. Not now.

Unfortunately, their trainer's brief moment of distraction would cost him. Just as Caligula started to rein himself in, the bushes surrounding the training grounds shook and six more Drowzee exploded out. They already had Hypnosis readied and they were aiming it directly at Sun who passed out under the strain of multiple sleep-inducing attacks. "Drowzee zee zee," they cackled in unison.

Lillie, who by some miracle had not been put to sleep, began shaking their trainer in a desperate attempt to rouse him. "Sun, wake up!" she cried. "Wake up!"

But it was no use. Sun was dead to the world, and probably would be for the near future. Capitalizing on their opportunity, the cackling Drowzee unleashed a strange energy that engulfed Sun. It didn't appear to do him any physical harm, but he began tossing and turning in his sleep with pained groans. "Lillie," Dexter warned her, "that'z Nightmare. Zun won't be waking up for a while, and he'll be zuffering until he doez. We need to get rid of these Drowzee and quickly."

Lillie's fists clenched in fury, and all of the gathered pokémon, Lillie and Sun's alike, seethed with rage. Even Nebby was shaking with unsuppressed anger in Lillie's bag. Battling was one thing; Lillie had come to accept it and Sun's pokémon lived for the thrill of battle. Even accidental mishaps like Caligula getting carried away earlier were innocent and could easily be forgiven.

But this… This was an assault. An assault on Lillie's dearest friend, on their beloved trainer. This was not something that could be forgiven. And as one, Sun's pokémon threw themselves at their opponents.

"Perfect!" Faba cackled from his chair in Aether Paradise. The boy who was protecting Lillie had been brought down, and with him out of the way there would be nothing stopping his Drowzee from trapping Lusamine's daughter in a Nightmare. Inflicting that on her would almost certainly return her to a state where she could pose no threat to him. "Hahaha!"

No threats to his position, however small, could be tolerated. He would crush them beneath a wave of memories and nightmares so terrible they'd be unable to face the world ever again!

So certain was the man of his safety and victory, he didn't pay attention to the look on Lillie's face. Perhaps, if he had Aether's Branch Chief might've been concerned. For you see, her eyes resembled those of Aether's President in a cold rage. The same stern fury that Faba had once had reason to fear before he'd manipulated events to put things back in his favor.

Lillie didn't think she'd ever been this angry. Oh, the experiments her mother had ordered performed on Nebby had angered her, there was no denying that, but her anger had been checked by the sheer horror at what her mother's scientists had been doing.

She'd been angry when those Skull grunts had threatened to take Bubbly from her, but even then, she'd been aware they were no real threat. She'd known that, if worse came to worst, Sun would've been able to hold them off and keep Bubbly safe.

This was different. Sun was writhing there, trapped in his own mind, and all she could think about was returning the pain he was experiencing in kind.

Sun had helped her so much: Saved Nebby, helped her train, helped her protect Nebby from those strange Ultra Recon Squad people… To see him unconscious and shuddering like that made something freeze inside her.

"Blast them with all the strength you've got," she told her duo, voice positively glacial. "Everyone else, I know I'm not your trainer, but please help us get rid of them."

A gesture of respect, and not much else, because she knew Sun's pokémon were as furious as she was.

All the pokémon that were capable were savaging their opponents with Bite, which was most of Sun's team. Baron hovered over his trainer's unconscious body, brutally slashing out with Pluck at any Drowzee who dared get too close, viciously crying out "TRUMBEAK!" with every single strike.

Lillie started to relax slightly, the number of Drowzee was thinning, being knocked out and sucked back to wherever they'd come from. But as the Drowzee finally decreased to two, those two remaining began to glow with white light.

"Hypnoooo!" the two newly evolved pokémon cried in unison, waving their pendulums back and forth.

And then, without warning they both launched towards Lillie and Sun in a Headbutt respectively.

"Poppli!" Bubbly cried, blasting the Hypnosis Pokémon attacking her trainer with a massive burst of bubbles. "Pop-pli-OOO!" she cried again, the magnitude of bubbles increasing exponentially.

"TRUMBEAK!" cried Baron, as he attempted to fend off the attack on his trainer. Unfortunately, since he'd been handling the most direct assaults of all the pokémon while defending Sun he was already quite worn out and intercepting the strike was enough to knock the fierce bird pokémon out. "Trum…"

"Hypno no no!" mocked the Hypno, as it began to use Dream Eater on Sun.

Lillie's attention was split, needing to make sure Bubbly was directed in battle, but very, very distracted by her worry for Sun.

Sun's pokémon tried to rush to aid their threatened trainer and fallen ally, but most of them were exhausted. An easy fight most of the Drowzee may have been, but there'd been almost twice as many of them as there had been of pokémon on their side. Most of them badly needed to get to a pokémon center, and even those that didn't were still running on fumes.

All of this, Prince saw. He'd been fighting tooth and nail, same as all the others, but seeing Sun like that… something stirred in him.

Prince had originally joined up with Sun because he'd recognized the boy possessed the spirit of a conqueror, which was only fitting for a retainer of nobility such as Prince. Prince had liked Sun, of course. The dark type wouldn't have joined him otherwise. But it hadn't been until Sun had worked so hard to help him master Iron Tail that Prince began to realize that Sun and the rest were more than just retainers, or even merely worthwhile allies. Sun, Nero, Baron, Emperor, and even Caligula now… They were Prince's family, not just some entourage. And right now, that family was under threat.

So, Prince ran to save Sun from Hypno's Dream Eater. Prince was so focused on saving his trainer he missed Bubbly starting to glow and even the fact he'd begun to glow as well.

The Hypno noticed though, both staring with wide eyes as the foes they were opposing grew far stronger. "BRIONNE!" cried Bubbly, blasting her opponent with Icy Wind and blasting it back to where it'd come from.

"PERRSSSSSSIAN!" Prince hissed in rage, his tail glowing the silver of Iron Tail and smashing hard into the Hypno who had dared to threaten his loved ones.

"Hypppnoooo…" groaned the psychic types, as they passed out and were returned to something that Prince and the rest couldn't see.

Normally Lillie might've cheered their victory, or even commented on their evolution but Sun was in far too worrisome a state for that. "Come on," she said, pulling Sun onto her back. "Sun needs medical attention, and I know where to go."

Throughout all of this, Sun was dreaming. Dreaming of a small school in Kanto. A much younger Sun was folded in on himself in a corner as voices echoed around him.

"You want to be a pokémon trainer?" one jeered. "I bet you want to be just like your uncle, don't you? You'll use your pokémon to hurt people!"

"I won't!" the little Sun protested. "I wanna be a hero! Like those guys on TV! Like Red Tajiri and Ash Ketchum!"

At this proclamation, another voice jeered, "How can you be like them? Your family are the villains they beat up! You're gonna be a villain, not a hero!"

"Mom and Dad aren't villains! And I won't be one either!" the little Sun screamed, and the dream changed.

He was standing in the practice field of the trainer school he'd attended when he still lived in Kanto. A Rhyhorn the school had loaned him was on his side of the field, and there was a knocked-out Oddish on his opponent's side.

"You cheated!" his opponent said. "There's no way you could beat Oddish with a Rhyhorn, they're super weak to grass moves!"

"I didn't cheat!" Sun protested. "I just played to Rhyhorn's strengths!"

The Rhyhorn let out an appreciative rumble, gently nudging Sun's side.

"Oh, so you're saying I didn't play to Oddish's strengths?" his opponent asked harshly. "Is that it?"

"I never said you didn't," Sun protested, but his opponent didn't seem to care already heading to a teacher to complain.

"Mr. Ray," their teacher said, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to confiscate that Rhyhorn. We can't have someone who's so disrespectful to their opponents in our League sponsored course. Let alone give them one of the pokémon bred for League sponsored trainers."

"But I-" Sun tried to protest and the Rhyhorn rumbled its own protest to being separated from the boy.

"We overlooked your uncle's history when we let you attend this school since your mother is exemplary," the teacher said, steamrolling over any protests Sun tried to give. "But your classmates' complaints of your actions and attitude have forced our hand. You are no longer welcome in this trainer school."

And Sun cried, hugging the Rhyhorn one last time. The Spikes Pokémon cried too, but there was nothing for it since it didn't actually belong to Sun, and it would only have been entrusted to him if he'd completed the course.

"Hang on, Sun," Lillie told her unconscious friend as she carried him piggyback style to the pokémon center, "you gotta hang on!"

"Torrara!" Sun's partner growled anxiously, as he and the rest of Sun's pokémon did their best to keep pace.

"I know you're worried, Nero," Lillie said, "but I promise, I'm going as fast as I can."

Sun groaned something unintelligible as he writhed in his sleep, tears leaking from his eyes and soaking into her hoodie.

"Buzzy, use Sweet Scent," Lillie told her first capture, as she carried Sun down the street. "It won't do much, but it might ease his pain somewhat."

"Tiefly!" cried Buzzy, unleashing the pink mist as requested.

"We're almost there, Sun," Lillie told her friend as they neared the pokémon center. "Just a little more."

Sun dreamed of Alola, his new home. At first it was as wonderful as his time there had already been. He dreamed of pokémon and friends and Malasada.

But suddenly his vision was shrouded by a hazy purple aura. As the aura faded, Sun was confronted by a far too familiar uniform. A black shirt, cap, and pants emblazoned with the R of Team Rocket. Countless Team Rocket grunts, row after row of them, stretching out as far as the eye could see. Standing with them in equal number were men and women dressed in some kind of armor. Beyond the army of Rockets and the strangers in armor five figures stood, and towering above all of them was a man in black.

Sun knew who the towering figure was. He knew him quite well, as a matter of fact. "Un-" Sun began before being interrupted.

"Sun, please, wake up!" a familiar voice called desperately, but Sun couldn't place it. Who was calling for him? Who was worried for him?

Lillie sat by Sun's bedside in the nursing part of the pokémon center, gripping his hand. The local Nurse Joy had taken one look at her carrying Sun and grabbed a wheelchair to push the young man into this wing. While Nurse Joy had assured Lillie that Sun would be fine with some rest and some medication to stave off the mental attack of the Nightmare, the pale girl still fretted.

After all, Sun still hadn't woken up, though at least the shuddering had ceased. His pokémon paced in front of their trainer's bed, long since having been rejuvenated by the pokémon center's healing mists. It was thanks to those same mists that Sun was no longer in any danger, but the compounded effects of six Hypnosis meant that he would be dead to the world for a bit longer at least.

Lillie leaned forward and squeezed Sun's hand, in some vain hope it would pass her energy to him and help him wake. "Sun, please, wake up!" she cried, squeezing his hand a little tighter.

She needed him to wake up, to be okay. She needed to apologize for getting him involved in her mess. A dozen Drowzee attacking them couldn't have been random, especially considering they were more focused on putting her and Sun to sleep than opposing their pokémon. And Lillie only knew of one person with a reason to go after her that had that many psychic types to spare.

Faba, Lillie thought darkly. He's the only one who could pull something off like this. The only one who would.

Sun groaned, but it wasn't a groan of pain. It was the groan of someone waking up who wanted nothing more than to return to the restfulness of sleep.

As he sluggishly forced himself to a sitting position his pokémon gave cries of excitement and began crowding around him. "Huh? Guys? Where…? The Drowzee!" Sun's eyes snapped open. "Lillie! Is she okay?! Is Nebby okay?!"

Lillie squeezed his hand, causing him to look at her. "We're fine, Sun," she told him gently, her ire at Faba being replaced by sheer relief that Sun was okay. "How are you feeling, those Drowzee hit you pretty hard."

"Tired…" Sun admitted groggily. "And… I think I had some bad dreams?"

Lillie nodded. "They used Nightmare on you," she explained. "So that's not too surprising. Nurse Joy said it can hit you pretty hard. Are you feeling okay?"

Sun nodded, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "I don't really remember them," he said honestly. "I think most of them were memories, bad ones, sure, but they're not really important anymore."

Lillie nodded, looking troubled. "Sun… I… I'm sorry," she said.

"Lillie," Sun said gently, "this wasn't your fault. If creeps are sending pokémon after us, that's not your fault."

"I think it was one of my mother's men," she said all in one breath, not looking at Sun. "And regardless of why, they only got to you because you were with me."

"Lillie," Sun said, gently but firmly, "look at me." When she didn't, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze, much like she had his. And repeatedly did so until she looked at him. "Look at me. This isn't your fault. Even if it was somehow connected to your past, that's not your fault Lillie. We're a team, remember? And I don't just mean that Team Sun stuff. We've got each other's backs where it counts. I mean, you got me all the way to the pokémon center. Whatever those people did, or might do in the future, this was not your fault."

She stared at him, not saying a word. He didn't really know what to say beyond what he'd already said at that point, so they fell into an awkward silence.

An awkward silence that remained until a loud "PEW!" filled the air and Nebby bounced into the air in front of Sun, nuzzling against his face. "Pew! Pew!" squeaked Nebby happily, cuddling close to Sun.

After that it was like a dam burst, and all of Sun's pokémon were clambering to get onto his hospital bed, licking his face, snuggling against him, and hugging him tight. Sun laughed, and some of the tension left the room as he melted into the warmth of his pokémon. "Okay guys, okay!" he said happily, still laughing. "I'm fine as you can see!"

"Perrr…" purred Prince, and plopped down onto his throne, which is to say Sun's lap.

"Prince, you evolved!" Sun said, awed. "Did you evolve to help us? Oh, you're such a kind pokémon." The Island Challenger began running the fingers of his free hand through the Classy Cat Pokémon's silky fur. "Your fur is even softer than before!"

Lillie watched Sun, slightly envious of how he was letting the disaster they'd just went through slide off him like it was nothing. Still, it was also a huge relief.

"What should we do now?" Lillie asked. "The Nurse Joy of this location said that you only needed to stay overnight if you didn't wake up, but well…"

"If that Faba guy was looking for you at the Tide Song Hotel, he might still be looking for us there," Sun finished, still stroking his Persian.

Lillie nodded. "Maybe we should just borrow a room from the pokémon center," she offered. "I'm sure they'll have at least one available."

Sun nodded, and went to stand up, but couldn't on account of the cat on his lap. "I need you to get up, Prince," he told his second cat pokémon.

"Per per per…" grumbled the Alolan Persian as he and the rest of Sun's pokémon hopped off the bed to give their trainer room to get out.

Lillie helped pull Sun to his feet, and only now did she realize she'd been holding his hand for almost an hour, which caused her to pull it away like he'd burned her, cheeks aflame.

Sun grabbed his hat off the counter beside the hospital bed, and Lillie gently urged Nebby back into her bag. And with that the two made their way for the rooms offered by the pokémon center.

Sun sat surrounded by his pokémon on his bunk across from Lillie as she let her pokémon out of their pokéballs to settle in for the night. As an unfamiliar blue pokémon appeared and snuggled into Lillie's lap, the Island Challenger's eyes widened. "Is that Bubbly?" Sun asked, looking at the unfamiliar pokémon.

"Mmhm," Lillie hummed, stroking the water type. "She evolved while we were fighting the Hypno. Bubbly's a Brionne now."

"Bri!" Bubbly cried in agreement. "Bri bri bri!" the water type sang. "Bri Bri ooonnneee…"

"Congratulations," Sun said, giving them both a smile.

"Pew pew!" Nebby squeaked, floating out of Lillie's bag and over to Sun and his team. "Pew!" The young psychic type snuggled up to Nero, seeming to enjoy the fire type's warmth.

"Torrarara…" the fire type purred, resting his head atop Nebby affectionately. "Torrarara…"

"You two sure seem to like each other," Sun said, patting both pokémon. "I suppose you have since day one."

Lillie watched as Nebby glowed under their affection and came to a decision. "Sun," she began, causing her friend to look at her. "I think you should take care of Nebby from now on."

"Huh?"/"Pew?" Sun and Nebby questioned at the same time.

"That attack today makes it almost certain that Mother's people know where we are," Lillie pointed out. "So not having Nebby registered as a trainer's pokémon won't make it any harder for them to track us down. And well, I've seen how well it gets along with you and your pokémon, Nebby would be very happy with you all."

Sun tilted his head and Nebby glanced back and forth between the two trainers, confusion clear on the small pokémon's face. "I'd be happy to take care of Nebby, if you think that's for the best," Sun said slowly. "But weren't you trying to get this little one home?" he asked, patting the Nebula Pokémon gently.

"Pew!" Nebby protested, as it bounced up and down and nuzzled against Sun, and then turned to look at Lillie. "Pew pew!"

"I think I was getting ahead of myself," Lillie admitted. "Nebby wants to stay in Alola, don't you Nebby?"

"Pew!" the little pokémon cried in agreement, bobbing up and down with excitement.

"Do you want to be Sun's pokémon, then?" Lillie asked. "And be trained as a battler?"

"Or," Sun interjected, "do you want to stay with Lillie? Nobody'll mind your choice, whatever you decide."

Nebby stared at the two humans that had taken such good care of it and floated up into the air looking at them both. Mama Lillie had gotten it away from the cold white place, and lately had taken such strides in being able to protect it. But… But Nebby liked the idea of being able to battle with Mama's Sun. Nero and the others were getting so strong with Mama's Sun's help. And Nebby wanted to be strong like that too. But it didn't want to be away from Mama, either.

The young pokémon floated in the air between them, thinking… What to do, what to do?

Then Nebby giggled, bouncing up and down. Mama Lillie and her Sun were so silly! Wasn't Sun already taking care of Nebby, just like Mama? That made Sun Nebby's Papa, didn't it? And Mama Lillie and Papa Sun were always together, anyway! So, the answer was obvious!

Nebby concentrated and Mama appeared sitting next to Papa, looking very confused. "Did… Did Nebby do that?" Papa Sun asked. Papa was so silly, who else could've done it?

"Pew!" Nebby confirmed, nuzzling between them. "Pew! Pew!"

Mama started to giggle. "Sun," she said with amusement, "I think this means Nebby chose both of us to raise it."

"Pew!" Nebby chirped firmly, settling the matter.

"Well," Papa said, sounding pleased, "I guess that settles it then. But, uh… Who catches it?"

"Pew!" Nebby replied nudging its Papa. Papa should of course! How else would Nebby be able to battle on Papa's team?!

"Nebby's right, Sun," Mama said. "You're going to be training it to battle someday, so you should catch it. You won't be able to battle with Nebby in proper battles unless it's registered under your name."

Papa grabbed a pokéball out of his bag and held it before Nebby. "Alright then," he said with a smile. "Welcome aboard, Nebby!"

"Pew!" Nebby cried happily, tapping his head against the ball and getting sucked inside. Nebby felt the ball quickly set its hold over the psychic type, cementing the young pokémon as a permanent member of Sun's team.

And just as quickly as Nebby was caught Sun was letting it out of the pokéball again. "Pew!" Nebby cried happily, snuggling back up between its mama and papa.

While a baby alien was celebrating its new position in its family, Faba was fuming. His Drowzee had all been defeated, and only one of those children had been put under the influence of their Nightmare. The scientist scowled. Lillie's protector could have been neutralized but he hadn't been able to get another drone out after the one with all of his Drowzee had been sent back to Aether.

Lillie hadn't been afflicted by Nightmare, so she was still a potential threat to him. And if on some off chance the boy wasn't neutralized…

Faba gritted his teeth. He'd have to head for Akala soon and see how much damage control was necessary.

Back on her bunk, Lillie laid on her back staring at the ceiling and thought about the events of the day. Sun was fast asleep in the bunk across from her, surrounded by his pokémon, and on this particular night Nebby who'd chosen to snuggle up with its new trainer.

Despite having said earlier that Nebby would be best off as Sun's pokémon, she had been very touched that Nebby had wanted to stay with her just as much as it wanted to be with Sun.

Lillie looked over at the boy in the bed across from hers and remembered holding his hand earlier in the day feeling her cheeks heat up. She'd noticed Sun's redness and embarrassment when they'd said their good-byes the other night. She'd felt the same way but had managed to hide it better than he had.

With everything that had happened today, Sun being overwhelmed by the Drowzee and both of them being claimed by Nebby, she'd realized she'd have to tell him how she felt. She took a deep breath, held it, then exhaled. Not tonight, too much had happened today, and she didn't want to wake him up, but soon.

So letting that thought warm her heart, Lillie let her eyes drift closed, and she fell into a deep sleep.

A/N: If it seems like I left out bits of Lillie's changed outfit, that's intentional. She's growing, and she's reclaiming herself piece by piece, but she's not totally to where she's building to yet, and neither are Sun or Hau. Also if you're doubting Lillie could carry Sun, just remember that Cosmoem is canonically one of the heaviest pokémon.