Alola readers! Brav is back with another AHHK chapter! I hope everyone had a good fourth! (Or Canada Day if you're up there) Let's get to it! We've got a trial to do and this was a fun one to write! I'm looking forward to see what everything thinks.

Stay safe and wash your damn hands.

I finally did it.

I caught my very first pokemon in my unofficial step as a trainer! And Elio was there to help me.

I decided to nickname the little vulpix as Kalua and I'm wondering if Professor Kukui would be able to get me a trainer license. There's hope that this surprises him, because I was so much different than me many months ago when I didn't want anything to do with pokemon battles.

But Elio is with me. He's going to give me my best shot at overcoming all of my fears.

And I believe in him. He still surges ahead like he leaps over tall buildings like a blaziken and keeps on running. I can't help but cheer him on. Not just because he does all of this, but also because he's stopping and making sure I can follow in his footsteps.

I was afraid of being a trainer.

Now I have this fluttering feeling in my chest of excitement of being one. I know it won't be easy, but as long as Elio is there to help me grow, I think I can do it!

It was really hard for Lillie to fall asleep.

She tossed and turned on the cot that Acerola had pulled out for her, despite the temperature being ideal and the overhead fan running. The barely audible grumble of Hau's light snoring from the next room over was just enough to keep her awake.

The scene kept replaying itself. The Team Skull grunt lunging almost out of nowhere as she passed by and she was helplessly dragged into the woods, going more than a few steps in where hardly anyone would be hearing her cries for help.

Her own first instinct was to fight back, mainly to keep Nebby safe from harm's way, but then the intention turned not from taking the little cloud pokemon...but to her instead.

She did everything she could to fight back. Kick, scratch, hit anything on the Team Skull grunt that was trying to keep her down. However, she was no fighter herself and it was likely all the attempts amused him further. His body was covered in firm muscle that effectively parried or rebuffed any of her attempts to escape.

Lillie's own mind had gone blank and she whimpered through the tears as his hands had found her bare skin, raking across the sensitive surface like coarse sandpaper. She prayed...prayed to the tapu that this was not the place where she was going to lose her...virginity.

And again, it seemed that the tapu were able to answer prayers within sections.

Elio looked like an angel that came straight from heaven.

A furious angel. She had never seen him that angry before.

Ever.

He fought him off, both by himself and his own pokemon, going after the guy who even had the weapon advantage of a switchblade knife. And when the large thug dropped after he swung her bag like a discus thrower, he still remained angry.

"And I'm not letting a piece of trash like you violate her like that!" He kicked the unconscious person in the shoulder with his foot. "Pisses me off!"

Lillie barely paid any attention to his words as he hesitantly knelt beside her and took her arms in his hands to try and get her attention.

Bless his heart.

He almost seemed afraid that touching her because he was a boy would cause that new traumatic memory to relapse again. There was nothing from her other than slow, labored breathing as she stared endlessly ahead.

It was late at night when they both got back to the cozy Aether House orphanage. Lillie reluctantly took a shower, only doing so after Elio said he would sit outside the bathroom door to guarantee nobody would barge in on her, intentional or not. He gave a towel and her change of sleepwear before standing guard watchfully.

After she took her time and was finished, he wordlessly guided her to one of the guest staterooms where Acerola's banette, LaChaise was nearly done setting up a suitable bed for her. They thanked her and set her things down nearby.

"How are you doing?" Elio asked as the ghost left to return to her trainer.

Lillie sniffled. "I'm okay Elio. Thank you so much for being here with me."

He said nothing and nodded before turning to leave.

Please don't. Please don't leave me. Ever.

"Hey," Elio stopped at the door threshold and looked back at her. "Listen...if there's ever a problem...if I ever do something you're not comfortable with."

You couldn't do that.

"Please tell me. I don't want our friendship to be ruined because I did something stupid."

He was about to step away when Lillie approached him from behind. Before he could say anything; the blonde flung her arms around him and pulled him tight towards her. Elio was initially stiff, caught off guard from the unexpected hug, but he quickly relaxed and put his arms around her back, rubbing it gently to continue keeping her calm.

He felt warm tears soak into the top of his shirt as Lillie buried her face in his shoulder and continued to cry. Even though it was late into the night, Elio didn't feel inconvenienced at all. He was helping his close friend get over something that almost scarred her for the rest of the life.

If she isn't scarred already. Elio had never encountered a rape victim before or even someone who was nearly one. Thus he had little to no idea how to help.

"Please don't leave. Stay."

Elio felt his heartstrings tug at that and hesitated, but realized that Lillie might end up having trouble falling asleep unless she felt comfortable.

Could that be with him?

"I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Please?" She opened her eyes, breaking from their embrace and looking into his. "For me? I want you to stay."

His heart soared and eyes wandered right to her perfect lips...wanting nothing more than to cup her face and crush his own against hers. Godammit Lillie, what are you doing to me?

"Okay." He paused before nodding in agreement. "I'll stay."

While it was really hard for Lillie to fall asleep, it was much easier to remain asleep.

She saw that Elio had moved his cot over to be right next to hers. It wasn't much, but it gave he that piece of mind that he'd be nearby and there for her again. Like last time they had slept close by, he had moved his so that he was the one closer to the entrance.

She thought of it as something so sweet that he did something so subtle like that, being the first thing in between her and any intruder.

"Tomorrow morning, I'll help you catch your first pokemon."

That was the last thing he said to her that night before he tucked himself into bed and fell asleep.

Lillie had her eyes open and watched his chest softly rise and fall in a steady pace. His mouth was closed and loose ends of the long hair brushed against the soft pillow.

Her eyes went to his bare midsection where she could see defined and firm muscle showing through easily. She had always kind of thought of him as someone with a slim build, but now she realized that he had quite a bit of bulk on him.

No doubt it was from all the conditioning of going on his island challenge.

It's so...handsome. For some reason, she wanted nothing more than to rub that chest with her own hands and feel it against her face.

No! That's weird. Bad Lillie. Don't think like that.

She felt the urge of sleep tugging at her again and blissfully slipped in again. And Elio again teasingly embraced her in the same way in her own dreams.

The morning was uneventful. They had woken up just as the sun was beginning to peek over the horizon from the east and headed onto the field in front of the house. Elio walked over and set the little vulpix down on the far side of the courtyard. He jogged back to her and gave two things, one was Jangmo'o's poke ball and the other was an empty one. She hesitantly took both in her hands, a little bit surprised at the weight. Beside her, the older sister sat patiently waiting.

"Okay, remember." He kept his eyes on her. "Keep your eyes on the field. Focus on the pokemon you're battling or trying to catch."

"Okay." She placed the empty poke ball down and held the premier ball firmly in her hands.

"Throwing to bring out a pokemon or even to catch one takes a lot of practice. Don't feel pressured if you can't get it down right away." He pointed to the central button at the ball's center. "Make sure you press down hard as you throw. The biggest difference between an empty ball and one that holds a pokemon inside is that an empty one will automatically open and show you the capture matrix. If it's lit up inside, that means it has a pokemon connected to it, but is currently outside the ball."

He thumbed open the empty one, allowing Lillie to see the small trapezoidal cube that had traces of the surface of both a computer chip and some kind of crystal object.

"See? This one does not have its lights glowing, which means that it can be armed to recognize an uncaptured pokemon and attempt to actually catch it."

I'm ready Elio.

"Okay." Lillie turned it around in her hand, making sure a thumb was over the activating mechanism. "Here I go!"

Lillie cocked her arm back, but just before she released it, Elio stopped her.

"No, not quite." He put a hand over her arm, coming behind her as if to adjust her posture. The action caused her to blush profusely and she hoped the wide brim of her hat would prevent him from seeing it. "A little bit of a grip goes a long way."

"Okay. I think I'm ready." He left her side, Lillie had involuntarily shivered when she felt his closeness presence vanish.

"Go! Jangmo'o!" She cried out, pressing the release button and throwing the ball into the air. It sailed up into the air, but nothing happened. She hadn't hit the button hard enough.

"Oh no!" Her eyes went wide in fright as Jangmo'o's pokeball plummeted back down to the ground.

Only for Elio to jump out, reaching up and expertly catching the falling premier ball. The device was incredibly durable, made of a light metal that was built for withstanding abusive impacts, scuffs and dings while maintaining portability and ease of use. His timely intervention had saved Jangmo'o's from joining the rest of his team in having some sort of wear on them.

"I'm so sorry!" Lillie apologized, a little frustrated at herself for being so negligible. "Is he okay?"

Okay? He probably didn't even know he was being summoned until about a half second ago." She had expected him to be angry at her, but he just smiled and handed her the ball back with a light laugh. "Don't worry. Just try it again."

She did and it had the same effect. Elio again moved over, catching the unactivated ball with one hand as if he had done it for years.

"This is so embarrassing." Lillie whispered. "I can't do this right."

"And you think I became a pro thrower overnight?" He asked her. "No way. It takes practice and patience."

"But it seems like it's so simple."

"That's because you're looking at me when I've done it for months now. You're not looking at me when I started out."

He handed the ball back to her. "Again. Progress. Always start and strive for progress. Not perfection."

Okay. Firm hand, keep your form and eyes on the field and GO!

She released the ball and this time, the button automatically armed itself and the premier ball exploded in a flash of light, revealing Jangmo'o, who bounced happily on the ground and cocked his head curiously at Vulpix on the other end. The ball fell back down and Lillie automatically reached out to catch it in her hand.

Yes! One thing that's gone right so far! Like Elio said; we're going for progress!

"Hey, a battle is a battle!" Elio reminded him. Then he looked at Lillie, "Now remember...you're trying to catch the pokemon. Don't knock her out, just get her weakened enough to throw a poke ball!"

"How do I do that?"

Elio resisted the urge to roll his eyes with the question usually coming from an impudent child. He had to keep reminding himself that Lillie was just beginning to spread her proverbial wings as a trainer and this was him months ago. "Just tell him what you want him to do!"

"But you don't even do that!"

"I know. But I've been working with my pokemon so that I don't have to tell them every single thing and let them take the initiative themselves! That means you have to have a lot of trust between you and your pokemon! For now, just do what every trainer does! Instruct him!"

"Okay um," Lillie looked around, not really sure of what to do. Rotom happened to be nearby and floated to her side, showing Jangmo'o and the list of possible moves he had learned since being registered in Elio's profile as an active pokemon. Somehow it had sensed when it was needed.

Lillie glanced over the options, not really sure what to do and called out the first thing she saw. "Use headbutt!"

Jangmo'o paused, glancing back at Vulpix and his trainers as if he had heard it right.

"Use headbutt!" Elio repeated. "On Vulpix! Listen to Lillie, she's your trainer right now!"

The lizard blinked before he charged straight for the small fox pokemon, lowering his scaly head. Surprise flashed over the pokemon's face before it turned to terror as her friend smashed into her side, sending her tumbling back into the grass with a pained scream.

Oh no! I didn't mean that!

Vulpix rolled to her feet, shaking herself with the calm gaze replaced by something much more fierce. She howled, spraying a blast of powder snow from her mouth that hit Jangmo'o directly. The super effective ice attack left him growling in pain as a thin layer of frost covered his scaly body, which quickly melted away in the warm Alolan heat.

"Jangmo'o!" Lillie cried. "Are you okay?"

To her surprise, the lizard gave a nod before crouching low to the ground, surveying his opponent. Vulpix was still a little scared that her friend was trying to attack her, but she kept a ready stance herself as the two pokemon started to circle one another.

"Wha-what do I do now? He's hurt because of me!"

"Don't worry. If you believe in your pokemon! They'll hit and take hits for you! Jangmo'o trusts you!" Elio pointed at their quarry, "Keep on wearing her down! Attack her again!"

"O-okay." I'm sorry! I don't want to hurt you! "Jangmo'o, attack! Use um," She paused, prompting the Rotom Dex to flit in front of her, showing the different array of moves he was able to use.

"Use bulldoze!"

Jangmo'o squeaked, hitting his front paws on the ground and creating a tremor shockwave that spread outwards. Vulpix was hit, tumbling over onto her side as she gave a squeal of pain. However, she righted herself once again, blowing a different stream of cold air from her mouth. They hardened into flat disks of ice that had jagged edges.

"That's ice shard!" Elio was about to make a fist and take control when Lillie stepped in front of him.

"Quick Jangmo'o! Protect!"

He squeaked loudly, flashing his scale and throwing up a green barrier that caused the attack to splinter harmlessly against its surface. At her side; Elio's lip curled up in a smile, not just on how she jumped seamlessly into the mood of battling, but how she was coming up with instinctive plans. It was something the little dragon would've done by himself, but her taking the initiative was something else.

"Headbutt again!"

Jangmo'o lowered his barrier, running forward just as Vulpix was readying another powder snow attack and knocking her aside. This time, the attack seemed to put her in a daze as she wobbled about, struggling to stay standing.

"Now's your chance!" Elio said. "The poke ball!"

The poke ball! Right! Lillie scooped it up with her free hand.

"Hit the arming button, aim and throw!" Elio made a motion with his right arm.

Lillie's own sweaty palm caused the smooth surface to be slippery and she fumbled with it with a yelp of surprise, somehow managing to catch it in midair with both hands.

"Here I go! Poke ball!" She called out in earnest before tossing it.

Only for her aim to be way off, sailing to the far right, straight into one of the courtyard bushes. Beside her, Elio slightly cringed at the cheesiness.

She was doing so good! What happened?!

Stop. Don't chide her. Remember this was me at one point.

"That was terrible." She quietly said to herself. On the far end, Vulpix readied another attack as Jangmo'o stood alert, also prepared to throw up another protect to guard himself at a moment's notice.

"Don't get caught up in that. Focus!" Elio handed her another poke ball. "It's all in the wrist! Hit that button and throw it at your target!"

But I'm so terrible at throwing! Lillie felt ashamed. Maybe they were right. Being a trainer isn't for me. I'd hate to give up this early.

Various thoughts of other people's reactions flooded her head. What would everyone else think of her trying and failing miserably to be a trainer? How could she be one when she couldn't catch a single pokemon and throw a ball right?

She didn't want to picture that.

Except Elio. All he had done was encourage her, inspire her to be better. When nobody stood by her side, he did. And he never showed or felt as if she was the one to drag him down if she fell. If anything, he pulled her up and urged them to push together.

This is where I prove everyone who doubted me wrong! I can do this!

Lillie glanced down, placing both her thumbs on the poke ball's button and pressing as hard as she possibly could until the nails were white. The switch finally gave way after she exerted enough effort, arming the capture matrix.

"You've only got a few moments before it locks up again!" Elio said. "Aim and throw quickly!"

She did, doing the first thing that came to mind.

Instead of using one hand like she had seen Elio or Hau do, she held it in both her palms and tossed it upwards. The ball spun through the air in a high arc, spinning quicker than a normal trainer throw before its trajectory carried it straight down towards Vulpix. It quickly recognized the uncaptured pokemon, sucking her into the matrix in a flash of crimson light before snapping shut.

Both teens held their breath as the ball settled onto the ground. It shook once, then twice and then a third time.

Lillie couldn't bear to watch. She shut her eyes, waiting for the inevitable sign for Vulpix to escape; that she had failed yet again. All the books she read on catching pokemon had told her that while having the skills at battling were necessary, sometimes catching one came down to a stroke of luck.

But that sign never came. All she heard was a soft click.

"Lillie." She heard Elio whisper to her.

"Huh?" He had the biggest grin on his face when she opened her eyes again.

"Look."

Following his gaze, she had settled on the red and white poke ball sitting completely still in the grass.

"Is it okay?"

"Is it okay? What kind of question is that?!" Elio rolled his eyes. "It's over! You caught her!"

I did?

Lillie felt her heart soar. She actually caught a pokemon! "I did?"

"Yes!" Elio's smile got even bigger and her heart was about ready to melt as well as soar again. "That was amazing! You were so good Lillie!"

That expression was infectious enough that she smiled just like him. "Yes! I did it! I caught a pokemon!"

She actually did it. Elio laughed to himself as she ran over to collect her catch. I can't believe it! She's a trainer now!

"I can't believe I caught a pokemon!" She jumped up and down, holding the poke ball close to her chest. "I can't believe it!"

Elio watched her, pleased that she seemed to be starting to get over the attempted rape from last night. You continue to surprise me. "You were amazing Lillie."

She smiled at him before rushing forward, throwing her arms around him in a hug. He quickly hugged her back, savoring the feeling of the closeness between the two of them.

"YOU were amazing!" Her happiness and excitement radiated everywhere and he could feel the beginning of a fresh new day. "Elio, you've been the best thing that's ever happened to me! I'm so glad I could grow as a person thanks to you!"

Part of him said to take the humble route and say that it was nothing, but he still had to give credit where credit was due.

"I had a good teacher."

A squeak brought them out of staring at one another as Jangmo'o sat at Lillie's feet, glancing up expectantly for praise.

"Yes, you were great too." Lillie swallowed, slowly putting a hand out. The little dragon sniffed it curiously before giving her an affectionate nudge with his head. She laughed and scratched under his beaked mouth, something she knew that he loved after watching Elio interact with him so much. She did see the boy put his hands on his hips, scowling at him.

"You're supposed to be my pokemon...you little traitor."

I did it. I finally did it. She glanced down at the ball in her hands. I caught my first pokemon. Was this how Elio felt when he caught Grimer? And everyone else on his pokemon team?

"Come on out!" Using both her hands again, she tossed the ball, activating and releasing the pokemon. Vulpix landed, glancing up at her nervously.

"Well...um...you're my pokemon I guess." She took in a deep breath. "Do you want to travel together with me? Grow stronger?"

Wait, why would I ask that? I have the pokemon anyway.

But it feels nice knowing that wants to go on a journey with me and Elio over us forcing it.

Vulpix crept closer, nuzzling her leg and cooing softly.

"I think that she wants to be with you, wherever you go Lillie." Elio smiled at her. "And not just because you caught and made it your pokemon."

The blonde felt tears well up in her eyes from appreciation of how much her new pokemon was caring for her.

"Thank you." She whispered to her. "I think you deserve a nickname."

"You're gonna nickname her?"

"Of course. Kind of like you do."

"Yeah, well I don't nickname them until they fully evolve. Not sure why...it's just a preference."

Lillie chuckled. "It's easier just to put the blame on bad writing staff."

"That izzzz a fair point!" Rotom chimed in. "Authorzzzzz can be big bad jerkzzzz! Bzzzt!"

"How about Kalua?" Lillie asked. "It's Alolan. It means, second child."

The newly named Kalua paused and then smiled, nodding happily at the acceptance.

"Perfect! Kalua it is!"

That's totally not the drink is it?

"Then I suppose I'll name her older sister respectively." Elio glanced at his own alolan vulpix's ball. "She will be Kamua."

"You'd do that because of me?" Lillie asked him.

"Yes. I would."

"Thank you Elio." She stood up and hugged him tightly again. Kalua and Jangmo'o happily jumped up and down at seeing their trainers happy. The snowy fox seemed to remember something and bounded over to the bushes where she grabbed the unused poke ball and brought it back to Lillie's side. "You're such an amazing person. I know you don't think of yourself as one, but you've changed my life. For the better. I feel...like I can really be me around you, Hau, Leilani and everyone else."

Could this be the time? Where I say something?

"Lillie, I have something to tell you." He started. Again, his own face began to heat up as he thought more about making a confession. She was such a close friend that he wasn't completely sure saying that he might like her more than just a friend would do to their relationship.

Come on, you saved her from being assaulted!

"Elio, are you okay?" She drifted her head into his field of vision when he had stopped and entered into another daydream.

"Wha- Oh yeah! Totally fine." He lied, not really wanting to get caught staring. "Nothing's wrong I promise."

"I didn't ask that," Lillie's own expression turned to confusion. "You were gonna tell me something remember?"

"Right." Deep breath. Stop overthinking this. It's not a damn marriage proposal.

"I like you Lillie." He started, now finding himself able to speak again, but also avoiding her gaze. "I like you a lot."

"Oh. Well that's so sweet of you Elio." She lightly giggled, nonetheless curious to why he felt so flustered. "I like you too."

"Well I like you more than that."

A smirk was thrown his way, "Oh is this a contest where we try to say who likes who better?"

"You're missing the point," Elio sighed. "Look...I kind of like you, not just as a friend. Something...something more."

Something like-

"Love." They had both said it at the same time in realization before turning to face one another.

Lillie felt flustered herself. He's in love with me? But why did it feel like a surge of happiness that couldn't be contained?

Neither of them got the answer, as growling and tussling got their attention. The rest of Elio's pokemon had exited the Aether House, coming to join them.

Torracat had spotted Jangmo'o and the two were at their bickering again, except this time it seemed to be a little more heated than normal.

"Hey!" Elio's tone turned to worry as he broke their lovestruck gaze and ran over to where his pokemon were fighting. "Knock it off! Both of you!"

Lillie watched him go, still feeling that same fluttering feeling in her chest as it spread to her stomach like a bunch of butterfree. Also feelings of frustration, as she could've started to confess she harbored those similar feelings. Maybe in her quest to find a partner or soulmate was the one that stood in front of her. Her hand drifted down to her legs, gently touching the inner thigh where the Skull grunt had forcefully grabbed her. There wasn't much of a bruise, but she felt it tender enough to make her squirm uncomfortably. Her other hand was at her neck, just inches away from where the cold steel of a knife had caused her to panic. Thankfully it didn't draw blood, but she felt both places like it left an impure blemish on her skin.

When Elio rescued her and hugged her again, it felt like those markings began to fade. When he agreed to stay by her side through the night and moved his cot right next to hers, she felt incredibly safe. Almost as if he was that shield or blanket, protecting her from all the threats and monsters that tried to take her for themselves.

But he won't be with me forever. I need to be able to defend myself.

And he had given her the first thing she could use to do just that.

Kalua cooed softly as she watched her dragon friend growl and attack the larger feline pokemon. While Torracat was indeed powerful and had much more experience, he was still having a hard time guarding and dodging the feisty Jangmo'o. Elio attempted to grab his starter pokemon to stop the fight, but he had quickly jumped backwards as Torracat ignited his entire body in a flame charge to rush forward.

Jangmo'o stood his ground, then lowered his head and smashed it right into the oncoming fire-type. They both flew apart, landing on their feet and glaring at one another.

"Stop! Right now!" Elio's voice turned harsher.

To his credit, both pokemon did stop and stare at him for a moment.

And then, Jangmo'o squeaked again, causing Torracat to suddenly unleash a massive white hot overheat beam that enveloped the other pokemon. Jangmo'o shrieked, but somehow managed to escape it and land on the ground again. His scaly hide was covered in scorch marks and Elio could see ashes covering the top of his scale.

Had this been a practice battle, he would've been amazed at the amount of punishment Jangmo'o was able to take.

Amazing. He was able to endure that and still fight! That's one of Torracat's most powerful moves!

Both pokemon continued to glare at one another, readying for another attack.

Only for a huge sword tail to slam into the ground between them. They jumped back in surprise, clearly not expecting something like that to intervene.

Nani hissed loudly, glaring daggers at both combatants as she pulled her sword out from the earth. The hard scaly fins clicked open as she coiled up and slithered up to the center.

Something must've struck a chord with the two feuding pokemon, as they sheepishly backed away.

"Nani." Elio started. "I didn't want them to get hurt."

The milotic stopped, before she slithered back to his side and cooed softly.

He glared at both of his pokemon.

"We're in the middle of getting a trial done and trying to finish the island challenge and you guys are squabbling? Why?"

Torracat growled, but looked away as if ashamed to read his trainer. Jangmo'o kept his eyes on the feline, stance still low to the ground as ready to counterattack.

"Both of you!" Elio snapped, his voice a bit harsher this time. "What is the problem?!"

Neither had an answer.

"Rotom, can you ask them?"

"How am I zuppozzzed to underzzztand what they're zaying? Bzzt!"

"You mean you can't?"

"I didn't zay that! Bzzt!"

Guess I have to take matters in my own hands.

Elio stood up. "Well guys, it's clear to me that nothing I'm trying to do is working to help solve whatever beef you have with one another."

He gestured to Nani and she formed her iron tail sword, stabbing the ground in between them once again.

"From here on," he looked at both pokemon who finally gazed at him. "You two WILL get along. I don't care what it takes. Neither of you is any more important as a member of my team than anyone else. We're family."

Jangmo'o squeaked and seemed to see an opportunity to hit.

But he never got the chance.

Nani had used her sword to take the brunt of his iron head attack and firmly, however gently brushed him aside. He crashed to the ground, burying his head down.

"But I think maybe it's best if you two stay separate for a little while. I think I'm ready to take on this trial with just five pokemon."

Jangmo'o made a groaning sound as he continued to lay facedown in protest.

Elio almost chuckled at his exasperation. "Well I need you for something else buddy. Something just as important."

He walked over, gently to pick up the little dragon and turn him around. "I need you to watch over Lillie and Kalua while we take on the trial!"

Jangmo'o cocked his head, squeaking and nodding enthusiastically. He walked over, almost bouncing with excitement as he stood next to the little alolan vulpix.

"Elio, I'm sure you wanted to take them both with you to the trial."

"Yeah. I did." But if they're going to be still at this, splitting them up is the best option to go forward. I'll think of a solution later.

"Look after him for me, will you?"

"Of course I will." Lillie said. Next to her, Kalua cried softly in encouragement. Jangmo'o squeaked softly, but he was down enough to not meet his trainer's gaze.

Elio turned to leave.

"Oh and Elio!"

"Huh?" He had turned again to see her running up to him. Lille stopped just in front before she put her arms around him in another close hug. He fought the blush on his face before returning it, gently rubbing her back in the process.

"Do your best to become a real champion!"

Acerola walked alongside him as they headed down the street together towards her trial site. She had brought some breakfast bars as they left, munching on them in silence.

Their walk took them close to the Tapu Village, just at the edge. The base of the slopes up towards the mountain were visible thanks to the fog clearing up. A dull gray blanket of smoke still hung over the east, reminding them of the fires just the other day.

Elio could finally see the beginnings of virgin white snow at the peak of Mauna Lanakila. It wasn't fully defined thanks to a cloudy haze that hung around, but much sharper and more awe-inspiring now that he was so much closer.

He also noticed the construction of a larger bus terminal and reinforced roads that began to snake up the mountain's face. Also there were construction lots set aside further away on the town's outskirts with signs and plans to start building hotels and entertainment centers.

"What's all that about?" Elio asked, breaking the silence.

"Oh it's all of Professor Kukui's Alola League project stuff. Since he's putting it up at the top of the mountain in this awesome place, there's a lot of businesses that want to set up."

"I see." Elio was already beginning to wonder how grand of a vision the professor had in mind when establishing a Pokemon league in Alola.

I guess the island challenge would make sense. And it depends on the regions too. Places like the Indigo League, Hoenn and Sinnoh all have successively tougher trainers called the Elite Four. Only those that win in a tournament or battle royale get the right to challenge them. Unova and Kalos have a similar system and I've heard Galar's Alpha Division Champion's Cup is among the most competitive in any of the leagues around the world.

"I've seen the arena!" Acerola said proudly. "It's going to seat thousands of people!"

"Up there?" Elio narrowed his eyes, almost as if he was able to pick it out from the peak.

"Yeah it's going to be at the summit! The highest point in Alola!"

Guess we'll be up there. One of these days.

They continued past the town, heading onto a beach where Elio could see parts of a road that had been gated off. Acerola went to the entrance, lifting the locking mechanism up and swinging it open just enough for both of them to slip through.

Elio's thoughts went back to Jangmo'o, who seemed rather disappointed that he was the one being left behind. He felt as if he was a parent unfairly punishing his own kid for something Torracat was just as guilty for.

It's for the best. Torracat is the more mature one. Jangmo'o needs to know that he was picking a needless and pointless fight.

But was it?

Acerola seemed to sense Elio's unease and she glanced over at him. "Something on your mind?"

"Huh?" Her smile made him relax a little more. "Uh...no not really. It's small."

"Must not be about Lillie. I'll tell you right now," the girl leaned closer. "She likes you back. And in the same way you do."

"What?!" A blush creeped back onto his face. "How do you know that?"

"Oh please, you two watching the sunrise, helping her catch a pokemon for the first time, saving her from an evil thug! You're basically her warrior knight in those fairy tale books!"

Elio thought about it, realizing her point made a lot of sense. He wasn't one for those types of stories, but if Lillie was...he was almost like a dream type of soulmate.

They could be soulmates.

"Heh...well I actually did tell Lillie I liked her, you know...more than as just a friend."

"I knew it!" Acerola almost jumped for joy. "She was talking about you almost the whole time before I left her with Hapu. Like how amazing of a trainer you are and that you make her feel really happy all the time."

I guess this means I have her blessing if we end up hitching?

"And I approve of it!" She clasped her hands together in excitement. "But if you do anything to ruin her, like break her heart." Elio recoiled a little when she leaned in closer to his own personal space. "I'll come and haunt you! For the rest of your miserable life!"

"You know I won't do that."

"I know. And I never forgive those who wrong me."

"She izzz right! Neither will I! Bzzt!"

"Actually it wasn't really about Lillie." Elio sighed. "I had to leave behind Jangmo'o because he was picking a fight with my Torracat. Neither of them want to back down and I'm not sure how I'm going to keep them both on my team if they're going to be like this."

"Maybe you just have to let them duke it out." She suggested. "Sometimes it's just better to let people handle arguments and settle differences by themselves."

Maybe.

"But now your Jangmo'o will think that you're punishing it for the wrong thing...because of the fight. What you need to do is to resolve the situation together. Find a way for them to put their hostilities aside. It's not the three of you against each other, you need to project it as all of you against the problem."

Elio stared at her. "How do you know about stuff like that?"

"You think I've had my entire team of pokemon all get along? They're all ghost types, some are bound to have squabbles. Just because those two of yours are at it, doesn't mean others will be down the road."

Huh, so it's a ghost type trial. He wasn't sure if she purposefully leaked it out or not.

They reached the edge of a dilapidated building that had clearly seen better days. Elio smelt something burnt and rancid as they approached up the ramp, kicking aside multiple fist sized chunks of rubble. Shoots, weeds and other small plants grew in the cracks of the road and even in between the concrete walls of the building. The upper sections of the structure were also covered in a pitch black ash, but different from the charcoal shaded sand back on the beaches on the island's southern tip.

Elio guessed the building to be at least a hundred feet long and probably fifty across. It must've been a large public area given the disrepaired parking lot that was almost overgrown with shrubs and other growth. Through the entrance where a pair of double automatic doors barely slid open and closed, he could see flickering lights. At the top, there was a faded logo that was strangely familiar.

A knot formed in his stomach. Hope this isn't the trial.

To his dismay, Acerola stopped at the entrance.

Dammit.

"We're here!" She spun around excitedly. "At the trial site! Climb up these steps and the trial begins!"

"Of course we are."

She placed her arms on her hips. "So I guess it's time to explain how this trial works!" A hand waved over the entire building from their perspective. "This was the old site of the Thrifty Megamart before it got destroyed by Tapu Bulu."

"It got destroyed?"

"The owner built it on sacred grounds. He was foreign born, so go figure."

"Huh...interesting."

"Anyway, there's a lot of ghost type pokemon that live here since nobody comes this way. And that's where the trial comes in! You have to find the totem pokemon inside and snap a shot of it with your poke finder before you defeat it in a battle!"

"That's it?"

"Yup! But I'll give you some advice. The totem is kind of a trickster and it likes to play hide-and-seek and mess around. But I'm sure if you take pictures of other ghost type pokemon, it will want to come out and get its picture taken too! So if you see anything unusual, get that poke finder out and you might be able to see a ghost type pokemon causing some mischief! Make sure you get its photo before it's gone or sees you!"

She stepped forward, "I'll just go ahead and take your Rotom Dex!"

As Elio handed it over, she hit a few buttons and giggled softly to herself. "And guess what? Your Rotom is a ghost type too!"

He was too frazzled to respond, just nodding in agreement.

"So are you ready? I've given your 'Dex a special mode where it can only be used for this trial! It will start once you enter the building! And like what the other captains have said; you cannot capture any pokemon in the site until you've completed the trial. Understand? Make sure you're ready for anything."

Elio did one last glance at the pokemon on his right side. All five were there.

I really wish I could go back and get Jangmo'o. It feels strange not having him here.

"I guess I'm ready."

"All right! Head on inside! Your trial starts now!"

Elio immediately felt like he was being watched the moment he stepped through the abandoned Megamart's doors.

He was already struck with a sense of unease as it permeated the air like the humidity. His eyes frantically darted to the shadows, expectant of any one of them to move.

Lights somewhere further into the building flickered erratically, casting freakish lighting and showing a dirty floor and shelves that had chipped paint.

I guess it's a good thing this place is basically empty. Right?

Keeping a low profile, he seemed to be at the checkout lanes to his left. Once machines that processed customers purchasing a swath of products, they now lay empty, devoid of activity for who knows how long.

It took Elio's eyes a couple of minutes to adjust to the darkness from being outside, but the blur of objects were much clearer.

So where do I go to find ghost pokemon?

Something sounded off from the back of the building and Elio felt his own stomach do somersaults inside.

"Hello?"

Way to go idiot. That's what every character says in a horror movie before they're killed or get their soul stolen.

He moved to the farthest checkout lane and then he heard a metallic whine as one of them, just two aisles over hummed to life.

Getting his nerves under control, he crept over towards it, chiding himself for the stealthiness.

They can all probably see me right now anyway. What's the point of being sneaky?

Approaching the booth, he saw that the conveyor that connected the two sides had begin moving. He hadn't touched it and knew that the older ones that were in grocery stores didn't use ones with sensors like that. So something else must've gotten it started. It wasn't the system, as he saw all the hardware had been taken out, either removed when the company transferred its business to the Akala location or looted.

Elio grabbed the inert Rotom Dex in his hands and activated the poke finder feature. It had been a while since he took pictures, but he still knew its functions and could snap a shot that got tons of likes on his Festival Plaza account.

Wow it's night out there! That had once been commented on one of his photos taken of a flock of cutieflies in broad daylight.

Sometimes I question the intelligence and rationality of people met on the internet.

Looking through the screen, he saw a glimmer of movement and tilted it up.

A single pokemon drifted above the lane, cackling to itself. It was spherical in appearance, mainly a dark purple with large wide eyes and a mouth that had a wicked looking tongue.

That's a gastly. One of the ghost types that's really common in the Pokemon Tower mausoleum in Lavender Town.

When he looked at where the gastly would be with his own eyes, he couldn't see anything except for a faint distortion of purplish clouds. Without the assistance, he didn't think he'd be able to detect it at all.

Crazy how we can't see ghost types most of the time. I wonder if this thing has that Silph scope function?

Elio suddenly remembered how the ghosts lost interest and disappeared after a while, so he centered the gastly as best he could before snapping a picture.

The device made an audible click and he saw the pokemon stop and look in his direction, centering its large glare on him specifically.

Oh no.

The gastly shrieked, a noise that set Elio's teeth on edge before it swooped down in front of him. Now, without the aid of the poke finder, it became visible. And it looked visibly angry.

"Heh, I just need a picture buddy. That's all."

Gastly shrieked again and Elio's hand tossed out a poke ball before he could even think of what he was doing.

Kamua landed on the ground, looking a little nervous at the dark haunted place, but she crouched low, studying the ghost opposite her. As she waited for instructions, the gastly summoned a rather sinister looking ray that traveled down to her level. It connected, swirling around before disappearing.

Kamua made a distorted coo as she wobbled about.

"Oh no. She's confused." Elio was too busy scrolling through his own 'Dex, not knowing the full array of moves she was capable of using. He hadn't had the time. And now here he was in the middle of probably the worst time, trying to figure it all out.

"Okay so...powder snow, moonblast, confuse ray and extrasensory?" Wow, for such a young pokemon, she's pretty powerful.

"Snap out of it Kamua!" Elio called out. "See if you can use a confuse ray!"

She staggered before suddenly running forward into the side of the booth. The gastly laughed at her predicament, firing a pair of light purple beams from its eyes to strike her.

"Night shade? Kamua!" Elio cried as she tumbled backwards. "C'mon! Let's do this!"

The vulpix shook her head before she followed his command, forming a confuse ray of her own and launching it at the gastly. It circled it and disappeared, leaving the ghost just as confused as her.

"Ha! How do you like that?!" That gave him some breathing room as it formed another night shade that somehow arced back and struck itself.

Finally, Kamua blinked her eyes once again and she shook her head free from confusion.

"Alright, let's finish this. Powder snow!"

She inhaled a big gulp of air and blasted it out, a flurry of fine snow particles that caught the gastly in the middle and knocked it out.

Elio breathed a sigh of relief. "Whew, that was a close one."

He scratched the top of Kamua's head. "Thanks for that. I'm sorry I didn't come more prepared...I just didn't really have much of a chance to really get to know you that well. It won't happen again."

Returning Kamua to her ball, he noticed a bit of movement in the corner of one of the shelves. It looked like long dark ears of a...pikachu?

What's a pikachu doing here? He was still a bit rattled by the ghosts lurking around to really comprehend it. But it was still an unusual seeing. Most pikachu lived in grasslands and forests, not abandoned buildings.

Could that be the totem pokemon?

If it was, then this trial was about to get ten times more confusing. He had already conducted an electric type trial and it was just as off to be facing off against one in one that was supposed to be about ghost types.

I'm bound to be shocked. Almost in a literal sense too I guess.

The "pikachu" vanished, from its spot and Elio could hear something skittering quickly across the tile floor. Listening closely, he detected two sets of limbs by tuning in the intervals of the feet hitting the ground.

That told him that it could be a pikachu. The species was seen standing on their hind legs, but when running, they got down on all fours. Similarly, if they were threatened or agitated, they took a similar stance and used their agility in a zigzag motion to both close in and confound their attackers.

Elio had no choice but to follow it.

As he did, something crackled overhead and he froze, as if he was spotted.

The store's speakers began to emit sound and play a familiar catchy tune. It was the same rather annoying one that was looped over and over back at the active non-haunted location in Akala Island.

I guess that'll help calm my nerves down.

He continued moving along, but as the music overhead kept playing, once it had hit the high notes...it became distorted, going at a slower tempo and dropping in pitch.

And it completely freaked Elio.

Okay...this is freaky as hell! I want out of here now!

Nope, that's not happening. We're finishing this trial. Fear is nothing!

Nothing except weakness leaving the body!

Or his own soul. But he tried not to think of that.

He approached the end of the checkout lanes and noticed one of the shopping carts that were stacked together in a barricade had started shaking on its own. The acoustics, combined with a lack of other ambient noise in the area caused it to echo down and around. Elio jumped at it, but found he wasn't as freaked as before.

It's probably one of the ghost type pokemon causing mischief. He fired up the poke finder, turning it around in the area and using the built in Silph Scope to triangulate the pokemon.

Another moving dark purple shape got his attention and he quickly aimed and fired the capture button, effectively getting it squarely in the center.

The ghost turned around, its triangular shape, spiny sides and floating three digit claws revealing it to be a haunter.

"Hey buddy. Just taking a picture." Elio quietly said. "No trouble."

The haunter didn't seem to think the same and hissed loudly, forming into existence and sticking out its long tongue.

He knew that the species were known for causing paralysis when they licked their foes and had no desire to be another victim. Kamua was thrown back out and she crouched down, growling softly at her opponent.

She took the initiative to start, shooting off a powder snow attack. The blast of fine glimmering ice crystals buffeted the ghost, causing it to hiss loudly. It threw a closed fist, traveling through the air and already to the point where it would've extended far past having an actual physical limb. He recognized the move as shadow punch, a move that never missed its mark.

Kamua tried to avoid it, but the shadow punch altered its course to match her every move and she stumbled backwards before regaining her footing and shaking it off.

"Kamua you okay?" He got a soft cry in response. "Excellent, let's turn this around!"

She rushed forward, her eyes glowing a bright white and pulsing a line in an extrasensory attack. The haunter screeched in protest from the supereffective attack and tried to pull through, but it seemed that Kamua's psychic move was just too much, causing it to fall to the ground.

"Great work! I'm really proud of you girl!" She cooed affectionately, rubbing her face against his leg. Elio crouched down, using a brush from his refresh kit to remove some of the dust that had gotten on her head. "Let's keep going?"

He returned her, now seeing the ears of the curious pikachu dart underneath a table, skittering rapidly over to the store's center and down one of the aisles.

"Hey!" Elio took off after it, going to a spot where he last thought he saw where it had run down. The noise stopped when he saw something with two pointed ears turn back towards him before vanishing again.

"This is getting ridiculous. The longer I stay here, the more I get creeped out."

He had to hurry.

Making his way down, the light from the windows at the front became dimmer as he distanced himself from it. With no other source; the store's aft section was almost pitch black, difficult to see even with his own eyes adjusted to the environment.

His foot found something hard and stiff and he stumbled into the shelf, a curse halfway out of his mouth.

At this rate, random things in the dark will be more of a threat to me than any ghost type pokemon.

He had his straplight attached to his backpack and twisted it on, casting a whitish glow that illuminated the vicinity in front.

The pikachu was gone, but he did see the cracked concrete walls and a large door. Next to it was the obligatory exit sign and another that read "Employees Only" What was more unsettling was the fact that something sharp...and very very big had made a nasty gash right through the center of it. The knobs of the doors were chained together tightly with a gold padlock in the center.

As he closed in on the back of the store, he noticed more movement and came face to face with a handful of dolls.

Immediately his heart skipped a beat, knowing that ghosts, dolls and abandoned places never mixed well.

This is basically the culmination of every horror movie, except the fact this isn't in a mansion, prison or hospital. Or that other gag of the moon being haunted. Am I gonna be finding bloodied knives somewhere I shouldn't?

You know, that would actually make a really good unorthodox horror movie. Set it in a grocery store!

Clean up on aisle thirteen!

But mister manager, we have no aisle thirteen!

Cue the ominous and freaky music.

To add to his fright, the dolls suddenly started moving, floating in midair all by their own.

Elio's heart rate hammered in his chest and he felt sweat bead on his back. Thankfully he didn't see them to be in bad condition, as he had seen images of dirty and neglected toys on the internet that were basically the stuff of nightmares.

I'm gonna have to have abandoned stuff like this as my worst fear. Either that or seeing manmade objects like ships in the depths of the ocean.

He got the poke finder back out, scoping around for the pokemon. It wasn't hard to find it.

Like the gastly and haunter, this new creature had the same purple shade and spiny features on its back. It had attached arms and legs, walking with a rather malicious grin of white teeth plastered on its face.

A gengar.

Elio snapped a picture, again getting spotted by the pokemon. The gengar growled menacingly and floated down to the ground as he brought out Kamua.

"Rotom, analysis?" He found himself a bit disturbed by the fact the haunted 'Dex wasn't saying anything at all. In such a creepy place like this; he was willing to talk to even it.

Okay I'm sorry I've thought of you as being annoying with all your pokdedex info spouts. I can really use a buddy right about now.

To his surprise, Rotom didn't speak or move, but he did flash a bit of information on gengar. Kamua had understood that he was busy, so she kept the battling part on her own. The ghost type fired a confuse ray, which she deftly dodged and returned one of her own. The air was also suddenly quite cold, a characteristic of the species' capability of a heat sink to absorb warmth in the surrounding area.

Gengar. Shadow pokemon. It is the evolved form of haunter and the final form of gastly. There are stories and tales all over the world where gengar will pay a visit to children who misbehave or are naughty. This pokemon draws in heat and actively plays as the shadows of its victims. It is a ghost and poison type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon.

To their credit, the gengar actually seemed more prudent that its earlier evolutions encountered earlier. It stayed back, waiting for Kamua to make a move.

She did, quickly gathering energy for a moonblast attack and shot it out. It went at such a quick velocity, that it didn't have much time to escape. The gengar stood back up as it flashed a bright purple that did the same right over Kamua. She tried readying another powerful moonblast, but that same purple mysterious effect prevented her from fully materializing its form.

"Ah," Elio growled to himself. "Cursed body. Of course."

Gengar chuckled darkly and opened its mouth, extending its tongue to slap her before jumping away to avoid a retaliatory powder snow. As Kamua turned to face it again, he could see static electricity crackle around her body and she twitched involuntarily.

She's paralyzed.

The gengar's grin didn't falter as it formed an ominous black orb of energy in its palm and flung it towards Kamua. Her paralysis prevented her from escaping and she took the attack head on, crying out in pain as the attack did massive amounts of damage.

How? What was that? It wasn't shadow ball.

Elio pulled the Rotom 'Dex out, scanning it again, realizing it was called a hex attack. While a normal standard ghost move on its own, it had the ability to deal even more punishment if the victim was afflicted with a status condition.

Kamua groaned as she slowly stood up and glared at the gengar. It laughed and readied another hex attack.

"I know it's hard," Elio said, knowing that this didn't bode well if he had to face the totem pokemon with just four of his own. "Try a powder snow and give us some breathing room."

She grunted, finally blowing out another gale that spread out, enveloping the area in sparkly crystalline particles.

The gengar laughed at them, further irritating both trainer and pokemon before flinging the hex attack. Kamua couldn't find the strength to dodge it in time, causing it to connect and thoroughly faint.

Rather than feel bad for himself or his pokemon; Elio saw an advantage, using one his left hand to return her and place the ball on his left side of the belt. The other was grabbing Rufflet's ball and switching her out for him. He knew that while any normal type moves would do nothing to a ghost, it was also the same the other way around.

Still, he did want to keep Rufflet for later in case he did have to play that ace card.

Gengar also had one more trick up its sleeve, despite the fact Kamua's powder snow had actually frozen over its feet, pinning it to the floor. The pokemon immediately spread out, creating several identical clones of itself, standing in a semicircle formation. He was pretty sure the one that stood in the same spot was just another decoy.

"Double team huh?" It was Elio's own turn to smile. "Can't fool us! Aerial ace!"

Rufflet had a similar smirk as he lunged forward, looping up and diving down right towards one of the copies. It slashed at the gengar, which groaned and slumped over after fainting from taking too much damage.

"Whew." He breathed a sigh of relief. "Nice job buddy."

Returning him to his ball, he now could see the ears of the pikachu again. It darted behind another set of tables, heading straight for the store's back door.

"Gotcha."

He took off after it. The mouse pokemon was indeed fast and nimble, but Elio kept right on its heels, vaulting over another table in his pursuit. As he ran after it, there was just something...off about it. He couldn't place what or why, but rather just a small intuition that had come up. It looked just like a pikachu in this light, moved similar to one and its jagged tail wagged around in the same manner.

But he never heard it cry, squeak, growl or even a breath at all. It was just silent.

Like a ghost.

As if it had a mind of its own, the big doors opened just enough to let it slip through the opening before closing again. Even more odd was the fact that the chains binding them both together were wrapped tightly around the handles, but they didn't stretch or strain. The lock remained closed too.

Okay, this is getting really freaky. I'm actually surprised this hasn't driven me mad yet.

He was ready to summon Nani to see if her sword tail could cut the chains open when he heard it click. The shackle fell out of its chains and clattered to the floor with a metallic clanging noise.

Elio stopped short, cringing and holding his hands up as if he had something to do with it. He had eyes on it the entire time and saw nobody else nearby and nothing that would have interacted with it without him knowing.

Could be the ghost types. Not the most outlandish thing I've seen today. Good thing I'm doing this now and not at midnight. Then it would be really spooky! He reached in for his Rotom 'Dex, ready to activate the poke finder, but when he hit the buttons, the device remained dormant.

"Strange." He paused for a moment, now noticing that the distorted music had stopped playing.

Yeah let's get this trial done and get the hell outta dodge.

Elio took off the chains of one of the doors, pulling it open and letting himself through. He emerged into a large storage area that had tall industrial metal shelves, all covered in dust and devoid of any merchandise.

There were a couple of crayon drawings that looked like a child's rendition of a pikachu pinned to the walls. All the more reason for him to get out of there.

This is like a horror movie that's actually real.

And then the poke finder suddenly activated on its own. Elio sensed another presence in the room and yet when he looked around, he couldn't see anything.

But the finder has that Silph tech. I bet we can find it that way.

He heard a faint whisper that flowed through, from nowhere and everywhere at the same time.

"Ssssseeeeeeee meeeeeee?"

Fighting the urge to yelp in fright, he shifted the finder around, finally locking onto a shadow of an ovoid body that had a jagged tail and pair of ears.

Hold on...something's not right. That's way too big to be a pikachu.

"I ssssseeeeeeeee youuuuuuuuu."

He snapped the picture.

So it's the penultimate trial (at least one with a captain) and the penultimate totem pokemon battle! Of course we all know it's not a pikachu! Right?

What are we gonna do about Jangmo'o and Torracat? Will they stop squabbling?

Translations:

Kamua - First one (A unisex Hawaiian name sometimes given to a firstborn child)

Kalua - Second one (A unisex Hawaiian name sometimes given to a secondborn child)

As always, mahalo for reading and reviewing. You give my writing purpose and I'll see you all for the next chapter!

Brav