Many of you have been asking for it, and now it's finally here: the first appearance of the Alolan classmates! It took me a little while to finish, because I wanted to get a good feel for their characters (I've been watching both the Japanese and the English dub), and I figured that now was the perfect time to debut it, especially with the weeklong premiere of SM in the US coming to an end.

I do have to say that right now, I am absolutely loving SM and think it's so much fun! Because it is still early in the series, I took the same approach as my Spiceshipping one shot (shameless plug) and combined some game elements with the anime.

Aiden and Michelle: 8 and a half

Elizabeth: 2 and a half


The Culture of Alola

"Aiden, don't press your face up against the window like that!"

Ash chuckled at his wife. "It's no big deal, Mist. I did the same thing the first time I came to Alola!"

The family had landed at the Melemele Airport not too long ago, and was now riding together in a rickshaw being pulled by a happy, energetic Tauros.

"But this isn't the first time he's come to Alola," Misty reasoned with her husband.

"Yeah, but he doesn't remember the first time," Ash replied. "He's just excited is all. Go easy on him!"

"Daddy, I saw people riding Lapras and Sharpedo in the water before," Michelle piped up, catching Ash's attention. "I didn't know Sharpedo were that nice!"

"The ones in Alola are," Ash chuckled. "What you saw before were Ride Pokémon! Here, a lot of Pokémon are trained specifically for transporting people around the islands. Even that Tauros is considered a Ride Pokémon!"

"Whoa," Michelle marveled, her eyes sparkling as she glanced over at the Tauros pulling them along. "That's so cool!"

After a while, the rickshaw pulled up to a round wooden shack with a grass roof. Aiden and Michelle marveled at the sight, while Elizabeth crawled off of her mother's lap and impatiently tried to clamber up her siblings' backs to get a better view.

"Perfect! We're here!" Ash announced, hopping out of the rickshaw.

"Here?" Michelle repeated. "What's this?"

"You guys really don't remember, huh?" Misty asked with a light giggle.

"Remember?" Michelle questioned, sounding just as confused as she had before.

"You've been here before!" Misty chirped.

"We have?" Aiden asked.

"Yes, we took you and Michelle to Alola when you were very little," Misty replied.

Aiden frowned and shook his head. "I don't remember that."

"Me eifer," Elizabeth squeaked.

"Well, that's because you've never been here before, sprinkle," Misty laughed, taking the preschooler back into her arms. "We took your big brother and sister before you were born."

"Oh," Elizabeth murmured, causing her mother's smile to widen.

"But it's okay, because Aiden and Michelle don't remember it!" Misty continued. "So this'll almost be like everybody's first time."

"Oh my gosh!"

Elizabeth picked her head up, as did Aiden and Michelle. Standing just outside the rickshaw, next to their father, was a woman with long, dark green hair split on both sides of her head and adorned by a floral head wrap. Her skin was a warm shade of mocha, and her eyes were the same dark green as her hair.

"Look how cute they are! And how big they've gotten!" The woman fussed. "Come on out! I want to really see you guys!"

Aiden and Michelle exchanged curious looks, but still honored the woman's request and climbed out. As soon as their feet hit the ground, the woman gasped again and switched her gaze between the two.

"Yep, definitely taller!" She giggled. "Ash, you must be so excited by how much they've taken after their mother!"

Ash's brown eyes narrowed. "Are you calling me short?"

"Well, you're not anymore if that makes you feel any better," the green-haired woman laughed nervously.

Ash sighed and shook his head as a smirk appeared on his face. "Thanks, Mallow."

Michelle's emerald eyes widened in realization. "Mallow!"

The older woman turned her attention back onto Michelle and winked. "That's my name!"

"I remember now!" Michelle exclaimed. "You let me help you cook once!"

"I sure did!" Mallow giggled. "And I remember that you were a great helper! I'd love to have you in the kitchen again!"

"Sure!" Michelle replied excitedly. "Grammy has taught me a lot since then! I'm an even better cook now!"

"Oh, even better, huh?" Mallow questioned. "Maybe I should be worried about my job!"

"What's your job?" Aiden asked.

Mallow smiled and pointed back at the building behind them. "My family owns this restaurant and I'm the head chef!"

"She also used to be a trial captain!" Ash added, bringing a considerable blush to Mallow's face.

"A trial captain?" Aiden repeated. "What's that?"

Mallow gasped dramatically, causing everyone to jump. "What?! You seriously mean to tell me your dad never told you what a trial captain was?!"

Aiden shook his head, leading Mallow to smack Ash on the shoulder. "Hey!"

"You're slacking!" Mallow cried. "I thought that'd be one of the first things you'd teach your kids about!"

"It never came up!" Ash rushed to defend himself.

"What's a trial captain?" Aiden asked again.

"It's kind of like the gym leaders you have back in Kanto," Mallow explained. "Except here in the Alola region, we don't really do it the same way. Trials consist of different tasks that the trial captains themselves choose. Once you complete the tasks, you battle the totem Pokémon, which is bigger and stronger than most wild Pokémon you would come across. They can even call on other wild Pokémon for help! If you manage to defeat the totem Pokémon and their allies, you pass the trial and get a Z Crystal!"

Aiden's brown eyes were now set wide and sparkling. "Whoa, that sounds so cool! I wanna do that!"

"You're too young just yet, buddy," Ash snickered. "You've got to be at least 11 to take on the island trials."

"What?!" Aiden cried. "That's even older than battling a gym!"

"Told you trials are different," Mallow giggled. "Here, you can't even be a trial captain once you're older than 20. They literally force you into retirement, it's crazy!"

"Whoa, really?" Aiden marveled. "If gym leaders had rules like that, Mom wouldn't have been one for years!"

"Thank you, Aiden."

The young boy stiffened up but quickly spun around, finding himself face-to-face with his displeased mother. "Heh…hey, Mom!"

"Oh my gosh, look at the baby!"

Mallow rushed over to Misty, who was holding a bewildered Elizabeth in her arms.

"Oh, she is not a baby anymore!" Mallow gasped, beaming at the preschooler. "She's gotten so big, Misty!"

"Yeah, she has," Misty agreed with a giggle. "Next month is her third birthday!"

"It's already been three years?!" Mallow cried. "Man, I'm really starting to feel old…"

"Hey, watch this!" Ash cried, running up between Mallow and Misty. "Lizzie, show Mallow what I taught you. How did I teach you to say hello to everyone in Alola?"

Elizabeth seemed to think about it for a moment before holding her hands on top of one another and moving them off to the sides in a circular motion. "Alola!"

Mallow's face lit up as she squealed at Elizabeth's greeting. "How CUTE is that?!" With another giggle, Mallow moved her hands in the same fashion and replied, "Alola!"

Elizabeth smiled at Mallow's response, which only melted the chef's heart even more.

"Aw, come here, you!" Mallow cooed, lifting the preschooler from Misty's arms. "You are just the most adorable little thing I've ever seen!"

"Mallow, please tell me you're not trying to steal other people's kids."

She scoffed at the idea and spun around, facing the restaurant. "Kiawe! Of course I'm not stealing Ash and Misty's precious little girl! What kind of a person do you think I am?"

Kiawe smirked and walked down the steps to join everyone else. "Not a bad one, just one who tends to get a little overexcited."

"Hey, Kiawe!" Ash greeted. "Long time no see!"

"You too, Ash," Kiawe greeted smoothly before turning his attention onto the man's wife. "Nice to see you too, Misty."

"And you as well!" Misty giggled.

Aiden's eyes widened at the sight of Kiawe. He was taller and more muscular than Ash, with dark skin, hair, and eyes, and nothing on his body except for a pair of shorts, sandals, and an intricate necklace.

"Do you guys remember Kiawe?" Misty asked the children, unaware that her son was in a trance.

"No," Elizabeth quickly squeaked, earning a chuckle from Kiawe and an eye roll from Misty.

"She doesn't mess around," Kiawe noted. "I like that."

"Kiawe used to be a trial captain, just like Mallow," Ash explained. "Now he's a member of Alola's Elite Four!"

"And more importantly than that, he's married to me!" Mallow giggled, throwing in a wink for good measure.

Kiawe sighed, although his smirk was still present. "Right, a very important fact."

Mallow took another look at Elizabeth, and suddenly her eyes lit up, confusing both Ash and Misty. "Wait a second…haven't you told me that Elizabeth really likes dancing?"

"Yeah," Ash replied. "She just started taking ballet last year and really seems to like it. For an almost 3 year old, she's pretty passionate!"

Mallow grinned and smacked her husband on the chest. "Perfect opportunity! Kiawe, you should give Elizabeth an Alolan dance lesson!"

Kiawe raised an eyebrow at the suggestion. "I dance with fire, Mallow."

"No, not with the fire!" Mallow groaned. "Start her off with something a little less death defying…like a little bit of hula!"

"Actually, I was thinking we would meet up with Lana down at the beach," Ash piped up, catching both Mallow and Kiawe's attention. "She wanted to take us fishing for a bit. You guys are more than welcome to come, though!"

"That sounds like so much fun!" Mallow squealed. "But…I've got to stay back here. The lunch rush is going to start soon, and I have to make sure the restaurant is ready to go. But Kiawe could go with you guys!"

The fire type specialist raised his eyebrows. "What?"

"Yeah, you don't have any fancy Elite Four stuff to do today, right?" Mallow questioned.

"No, but I had things to do out in the field," Kiawe grumbled.

"Ah, you can save that boring stuff for later!" Mallow refuted. "Don't you think it would be fun to take a break and see Lana for a bit?"

Kiawe sighed. "Alright, fine."

"Yay!" Mallow cheered, clapping her hands. "Once everything quiets down over here, I'll come meet up with you guys! Have fun!"

XXX

Kiawe led the Ketchum family to the beach, which wasn't a long walk from his and Mallow's home. When they arrived, they headed for the dock, where a blue haired woman was standing and stroking the head of a Lapras.

"Lana!" Ash called, catching the woman's attention. She smiled and gave a little wave, meeting them halfway on the dock.

"Hi guys!" Lana greeted. "It's so good to see you!"

Aiden blinked and titled his head to the side. "Were you a trial captain too?"

Misty was about to scold her son, but was cut off by Lana's high pitched giggle. "Yeah, I was! I used water types, just like your mom!"

Aiden's eyes widened at this fact, along with his smile. "Wow, that's so cool! Did you know that, Mom?"

"I did," Misty confirmed with a giggle. "Lana has some really amazing Pokémon!"

"I wanna see 'em!" Aiden cried.

Michelle, however, was more interested in the Lapras just a few feet away. She noticed that it had something on its back that looked quite a bit like a seat. With a small gasp, she flitted over to her father and grabbed onto his hand.

"Daddy, is that a ride Pokémon?" Michelle asked, pointing towards Lapras.

Ash looked up at Lapras and smiled. "Yep! That's Lana's Lapras. She uses it to go out fishing!"

"Wow, that's so cool!" Michelle marveled.

"Lappy!" Elizabeth shrieked from Misty's arms, pointing at the large blue Pokémon.

"Yes, I know, you like Lapras!" Misty giggled.

"So you guys like going fishing too?" Lana asked the children.

"Yeah!" Aiden confirmed. "Mom takes us fishing all the time!"

"Don't let his enthusiasm fool you," Misty playfully warned. "Aiden has a pretty hard time sitting still and being patient when it comes to fishing. He really only likes it once he's reeled something in."

"Hey, that's not true!" Aiden argued.

"I hate to break it to you, champ, but it's totally true," Ash sighed. "You get that from me, unfortunately. But fishing is pretty boring when all you're doing is sitting there and nothing's biting!"

Both Misty and Lana turned to shoot Ash dark looks, sending the man's nerves into a tense knot. Kiawe, on the other hand, let out a tired sigh.

"Not a smart move," Kiawe commented plainly.

"Uh…heh," Ash chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I…I didn't mean it like that! Fishing is awesome! It's…so great!"

Misty sighed and looked over at Lana. "I'm really excited to go fishing here, Lana! I just don't know if it's a good idea for me to bring Elizabeth on the back of a Pokémon. She's really small, after all. It might be a better idea for me to sit on the dock with her and fish from here instead."

"Oh, you'll be fine!" Lana assured her. "I've got a special seat for Elizabeth to use while the Pokémon is moving that'll keep her in place."

"Really?" Misty breathed, sounding impressed. "Where'd you get that?"

"From me!"

Everyone jumped as a short, rotund man appeared seemingly out of nowhere, a gray and white spiky Pokémon sitting atop his head.

"Seriously, Sophocles?" Kiawe growled.

"What can I say? I like to make an entrance," Sophocles chuckled. "Besides, I wasn't about to pass up the chance to show off my new electric powered jet pack!"

"Whoa, a jet pack?!" Aiden squealed.

Sophocles smirked at the excited boy. "That's right!" He spun around to reveal a large metal backpack slung over his shoulders. "I created this specifically to be powered by Togedemaru's electrical attacks! When she zaps, I zip!"

"Yikes," Kiawe muttered, turned off by Sophocles' bad pun.

"Oh come on, that was a good one!" Sophocles cried.

"I liked it," Lana offered, smiling timidly at the shorter man.

"Togedemaru?" Aiden questioned. "Is that the name of the Pokémon that's on your head?"

"Sure is!" Sophocles confirmed. "Togedemaru is my partner!"

"Oh, like my Dad and Pikachu!" Aiden chuckled.

"Pi-ka!" Pikachu confirmed from his spot on Ash's shoulder.

Togedemaru suddenly shrieked with excitement and leapt off of Sophocles' head, tackling Pikachu and sending the electric mouse tumbling to the ground. Pikachu whined as Togedemaru rubbed up against him, happily squeaking as electricity danced off of her body.

"Guess Togedemaru still really likes Pikachu, huh?" Ash laughed nervously.

"Chu…" Pikachu grumbled.

Elizabeth giggled and clapped her hands together as she watched the two Pokémon roll around. "Hugs!"

"Doesn't seem like Pikachu really appreciates them, though," Misty mused.

"Mommy, pet!" Elizabeth cried, pulling at her mother's shirt.

"What?" Misty asked. "You want to play with the Pokémon?"

Elizabeth excitedly nodded her head, leading Misty to sigh. "So much for taking you out fishing on Alolan waters. Sophocles, would it be okay for Elizabeth to play with Togedemaru?"

"Of course!" Sophocles replied. "Togedemaru loves to play."

Misty placed Elizabeth on the dock and watched as the toddler teetered over to the pair of electric Pokémon, kneeling down beside them. Her shadow stretching over distracted Togedemaru from cuddling with Pikachu, and the roly-poly Pokémon hopped up, gazing at Elizabeth with its beady, unblinking eyes.

"Toge?" Togedemaru murmured.

"Hi!" Elizabeth chirped. "You'we cute. I wike you!"

Togedemaru instantly lit up and hopped over to the young girl, squeaking over and over as she tried to jump into the child's arms.

"See?" Sophocles chuckled. "She's not shy at all."

"Good, because neither is Lizzie," Misty snickered. "It's about time she met her match!"

Lana giggled at Misty's comment. "If Lizzie really likes playing with Pokémon, I've got a good playmate for her too!" Turning to face the ocean, Lana cupped her hands around her mouth and called, "Primarina!"

A large bubble suddenly broke through the sapphire blue surface of the water, growing larger and larger until it finally rose into the air. Inside of the bubble was a white and blue Pokémon with long, light blue hair and a darker blue mermaid-like tail. Michelle was transfixed by the creature, and as soon as Elizabeth saw the bubble, she was too.

The bubble came floating down to the dock and landed, popping to fully reveal the Pokémon inside. It let out a melodic chirp, and without wasting any time, Elizabeth squealed and ran over to it, still carrying Togedemaru in her arms.

"Pwetty!" Elizabeth cried.

"What Pokémon is that?!" Michelle gasped. "It looks just like a mermaid!"

"That's Primarina," Lana answered. "She's my partner!"

"That's so cool!" Michelle breathed. "Hi, Primarina!"

The fully evolved starter Pokémon responded melodically once again, earning another giggle from Michelle and Elizabeth.

"Well, looks like the girls are happy," Ash chuckled.

"I'm glad, but I was really looking forward to doing some fishing," Misty groaned.

"You go on ahead," Kiawe piped up. "I can keep an eye on Michelle and Elizabeth for you."

"That's sweet, Kiawe, but you don't have to," Misty replied.

"No, really, I insist," Kiawe countered. "I'm not a big fishing enthusiast anyway. I'd rather just stick around in the sun on dry land for a while."

Misty dropped her argument and smiled at the man. "That's very nice of you. Thanks, Kiawe!"

The fire specialist just hummed and gave a single nod of his head. Michelle and Elizabeth kept themselves preoccupied with Primarina and Togedemaru while everyone else boarded their ride Pokémon and prepared to fish. Almost as soon as everyone had left shore, Kiawe's phone started to ring. The girls were too distracted by the Pokémon to care or notice, but Kiawe was still alert enough to give it a look. As it would turn out, it was actually a video call, and seeing who was requesting it managed to put a relatively rare smile on the man's face.

"Hey, Lillie."

That caught Michelle and Elizabeth's attention. They both scurried over to Kiawe, gazing up at him with wide, glimmering eyes.

"You're talking to Lillie?!" Michelle squealed.

"Uh, yeah," Kiawe replied, taken off guard by the girls' sudden encroaching.

"Oh, are those the girls?!"

Kiawe let out a tired sigh. "Yeah, it is."

"Let me say hi to them!"

"Is that why you called?" Kiawe asked.

"No, I had no idea you were with them!" Lillie cried. "Just let me speak to them really quickly!"

Without another word, Kiawe turned his phone around so it was facing Michelle and Elizabeth. Lillie's image was present on the screen, the pale blonde woman beaming as soon as she saw the children.

"Hi you two!" Lillie greeted.

"Hi!" Elizabeth yelled before Michelle could say anything, earning a scowl from the older girl.

"Are you all having fun in Alola?" Lillie questioned. "What are you up to now?"

"Mommy, Daddy, and Aiden went fishing with Lana and Sophocles," Michelle replied. "But me and Lizzie wanted to stay back and play with some of their Pokémon!"

"Oh, that sounds like fun!" Lillie exclaimed. "Is Kiawe watching you?"

"Uh huh," Michelle confirmed, nodding her head.

"Good, you'll have lots of fun with him!" Lillie giggled.

"Fun?" Elizabeth squeaked, glancing up at the unfamiliar man.

Lillie laughed at the young girl's reaction. "Yeah, I promise! I know he looks all big and tough but he's really not! He's just a big, soft-"

"Lillie, you're ruining my image!" Kiawe growled, turning the phone towards him.

"You have an image?" Lillie asked innocently.

Kiawe groaned and chose not to directly answer that question. "What's up?"

"Bill asked me to look after a young Charmander," Lillie explained. "But I don't have much experience with fire types. What would you recommend I give to him as a snack? Bill left me the food, but this little guy has been awfully well behaved and I'd like to treat him to something."

Kiawe scoffed and finally allowed the smile to reappear on his face. "Haven't read about it in any of your books?"

"Haha, very funny," Lillie drawled. "I thought you liked getting an ego boost every now and then? At least, that's what Mallow told me."

Kiawe rolled his eyes. "Of course she did. Try giving Charmander a cheri berry. Fire types really like the spice of them."

"Thank you!" Lillie trilled. "Tell everyone else I said hello!"

"Will do," Kiawe replied. And with that, the call ended.

"You know Lillie?" Michelle breathed as the man put his phone back in the pocket of his shorts.

"Sure do," Kiawe replied. "She used to live here in Alola before she moved out to Kanto. I bet you guys get to see her a whole lot, huh?"

Michelle beamed and nodded her head. "I love Lillie! She knows a whole bunch about Pokémon! She likes to share her books with me."

"Right, you like to read," Kiawe recalled.

"Do you?" Michelle squeaked.

Kiawe chuckled at the question. "Depends on what it is. I don't mind it, though."

Michelle smiled and looked out towards the ocean, where everyone else was in the thick of fishing. "It must be fun to live here and see this all the time!"

"It is," Kiawe confirmed. "Alola is different from most other regions, which is what makes it such an awesome place. Maybe later we can take you guys to The Pokémon School and show you around to give you an even better idea."

"The Pokémon School?" Michelle repeated. "Hey, that's where my daddy went! Is that where you met him?"

Kiawe nodded his head. "That's where we all met him. He was the new kid…sure was interesting."

"Yeah, that sounds like my daddy," Michelle agreed, earning a hearty laugh from Kiawe. "I really wanna go see that place!"

"-ool!" Elizabeth crooned, beaming up at her sister.

"Alright then," Kiawe chuckled. "That's where we'll go next."


So, surprise! We're not quite done in Alola just yet. There's so many characters and other aspects of the region we've seen so far that I couldn't fit them all into one story without it becoming a basically stand alone novel. So in the future, the kids will pay a visit to the Pokémon School and meet some more friends!