If there was one thing that Ren could say about Hau'oli City so far, it's that the weather was not agreeing with him.

"Ugh…" The disguised Zoroark groaned as he reached up to wipe his brow on reflex, only to remember that his current form was only an illusion and his skin was as pristine as always. He hadn't noticed that back in the forest the massive canopy of trees above him at all times was protecting him from most of the sun's heat, but now that he was out in the open with pavement under his feet… he was beginning to realize that black fur didn't mix particularly well with this climate, sweltering a bit under the sun high in the sky and the humidity of the air.

It had taken him longer than he would've liked to find directions to this place, thanks in part to a rather embarrassing mistake he made when he first tried to ask someone for help. After he had been satisfied with how he looked when he came out of the forest, he quickly went up to a random pedestrian and tried to ask if they knew where the city was. He was not expecting them to jump back in shock and briskly walk away, telling him to "stop growling, weirdo".

So that was how he learned that he hadn't been speaking Japanese or English, which he honestly should've noticed sooner since he wasn't exactly human anymore.

Thankfully, after figuring out that his new power over illusions extended to sounds as well, he managed to make it so anyone hearing him speak could hear him in English (after a couple more embarrassing trial runs he'd rather not talk about).

At least he was here now. Hau'oli City was bustling with all sorts of people, going in and out of the many shops littered around the corners or excitedly rushing down to the long beachfront that he could see in the distance. It was comforting to him in a way, the busyness of the streets reminding him a bit of Shibuya, although as soon as the thought crossed his mind it only made him miss his home even more.

Ren quickly shook away the feeling, sighing a bit as he put his hands in his pockets. "Just think of something else," he muttered to himself, trying to keep his mind off of how worried he was about everyone else.

His mind began to wander a bit as he walked along the sidewalk, looking around at the sights before him. One thing he had noticed about the city was its almost uncanny resemblance to Honolulu. He had likened the island to Hawaii before, but now it was obvious just how close this place actually was to the island chain back home. It made him wonder just where exactly the Holy Grail had sent him… was this not just another world, but a completely alternate universe as well?

It made his head spin just thinking about it.

Ren was brought out of his thoughts when he was nearly bowled over from behind by a small brown dog, stumbling a bit as it ran between his legs. "Hahaha, catch me if you can!" The dog barked behind it as it dashed, tail wagging fervently.

He was a bit confused by who it was talking to, until a young boy quickly ran around him and after the dog. "Rockruff," The boy panted out, holding onto the bag around his shoulder with one hand. "Where are you running off to!"

The Rockruff barked out another laugh in response and continued running, the boy hot on his trail until they were gone around a corner.

It took Ren a moment to realize he was frozen in the middle of the sidewalk, shaking his head with a huff and continuing on. "Still not used to hearing animals other than Morgana talk…" He muttered. Ever since he had arrived in the city, he had been extremely curious about the creatures called "Pokémon" since they were just about everywhere. He saw people treating them like pets by giving them affection and walking them around, some acting like helpers to others as they carried boxes to the back of a shop… It was a stark contrast to his encounters in the forest, where they were either scared of him or wanted to kill him.

So many questions swirled around in his mind, none of them having answers… so he decided that it was about time that he tried to find some information. "Maybe I can find a library if I ask around..?" Ren muttered to himself as he glanced around, looking for someone that might be able to help him. Most of the people around seemed like tourists, however…

That's when Ren spotted what looked like a food truck, with a man handing a couple standing in front of it a pair of warm looking pastries from the window. "Here you go, you two, enjoy!" The man said with a bright smile, the couple thanking him before walking off.

"Perfect," Ren said to himself, walking up to the food truck. If anyone was going to know their way around this place, it was gonna be someone like him. The smell of freshly fried dough immediately hit the teen's nose as he got closer, making his mouth water a bit as he suddenly realized how hungry he was. He hadn't eaten anything since he had woken up here… he would have to remedy that soon.

The tanned man in the truck noticed him approaching pretty quickly, waving Ren over with a smile. "Alola! How're you doing today, kid?" He greeted, leaning on the counter with one arm.

'Alola? This really is just Hawaii…' Ren thought to himself as he walked up, idly waving back at the man. "Uh, hello there, do you know where I could find a library around here?"

The man raised an eyebrow at his question, though his smile didn't falter a bit. "A library? You're visiting Melemele island and you wanna read some books?"

"I just don't want to fall behind on my studies," Ren smoothly replied.

"Ahh, a diligent student, eh? Well if you look up at the top of that hill over there," The man leaned over a bit more and pointed up past the many buildings, directing Ren's attention to where a huge building with a thatched roof sat. "You're gonna see the Trainer's School! They got a huge library up there, ya can't miss it."

"The Trainer's School..?" Ren repeated, looking up at the school with curiosity. He remembered that Oranguru mentioned something about trainers as well… Just another question to research once he got up there. "Thank you, I really appreciate it."

"No worries, kid! You wanna buy a malasada before you go? Freshest ones this side of the beach!" The man offered, his smile stretching wide across his face.

"Ah, I would love to, but," a flash of realization crossed Ren's face as he uttered out, "… I don't have any money."

That was a bit of an issue, to say the least. He was fairly sure his yen was going to be useless in this place (and that's if he even woke up with any)… Where was he going to get any money here? Getting a job wasn't going to be the easiest considering he didn't live anywhere and he had no records.

"Hmm, no money you say…" The man hummed as he leaned back with an evaluating look in his eye, his hands on his hips. A moment passed before he turned to the side, calling out to whoever else was in the truck. "Hey, Krokorok, can I get a malasada over here? One of the oran ones!"

Ren was a bit confused by where this was going, until what looked like an anthropomorphic crocodile came into view, handing over a bag to the man. "Here you go, boss," The Krokorok said, before heading back into the kitchen area.

"Thanks, bud!" The man turned to look back at Ren, leaning over the counter to hand him the bag. "Here you go, kid, this one's on the house."

Ren blinked in surprise. "Uh, are you sure..?"

"As long as you tell all your friends how delicious it was, I don't mind at all, haha!" He laughed in response, pushing it into the teen's hands before he could protest. "Good luck with your studies, alright?"

"O-Oh, thanks…" Ren said as he fumbled with his unexpected new cargo, looking in the bag to see a large, warm pastry with some blue filling coming out of a hole in the top. "Have a good day."

Bidding the man farewell, Ren turned to walk back in the city, though not before taking the malasada out of the bag and enjoying a big, delicious bite of the pastry.

Maybe… it wouldn't be so bad out here.

Ren had seen a lot of fantastical sights during his escapades as the leader of the Phantom Thieves, things that he would have trouble believing were even real before he was unceremoniously dumped in Yongen-Jaya just under a year ago. Even still, however, he couldn't help but be impressed with the sprawling school grounds before him. Viewing the school from afar really didn't do justice to the place.

"Woah…" Ren muttered as he walked through the archway to the school and onto the expansive courtyard, unable to keep the awe out of his voice. This place was enormous, easily putting Shujin Academy to shame with its size. Students of all different ages were spread across the school grounds, and almost every single one of them had a different creature with them. Some looked like standard animals, some looked like living plants… there was even one that looked like a floating pair of keys?

These Pokémon got stranger by the minute… They almost reminded him of shadows with how different they all were.

What really interested him, however, were the things these people were doing with the Pokémon. He had caught glimpses of Pokémon acting as helpers or partners down in the city, but here it was extremely prevalent. One group of students were running around playing different games with their Pokémon, another group was standing around a river over to the left and watching the Pokémon in the river jump and splash around, and another—

Ren's thoughts were cut off as a sudden burst of flame roared to life over to his right, immediately capturing his gaze as he looked over to see a huge bipedal turtle spewing a torrent of fire out of what looked like its nose. "What the—" The teen gasped in shock, holding an arm in front of his face to shield his eyes from the intense light. The flames lasted for a good ten seconds before they let up, letting Ren get a good look at what was going on. Standing on some sort of court was the turtle and what looked like a crab (was it wearing boxing gloves?), facing each other menacingly. Behind each of the creatures were two young boys, a dark skinned teen with the turtle and a plain-looking brown haired boy with the crab.

"Are they…" Ren started, moving a bit closer to where a small crowd was gathered around the court. "Fighting each other?"

"Good dodge, Crabrawler, now shoot off a Bubblebeam!" The brown haired boy called. The Crawbrawler responded to the command with a nod, rearing itself back before firing off a straight pressurized beam of small bubbles.

The dark skinned teen wasn't going to just sit there and take it, though. "Turtonator, tuck in and spin to the left!" Just when the bubblebeam was about to hit Turtonator, the giant turtle quickly ducked and tucked into its shell, spinning over to the side and out of harm's way.

Ren couldn't help but stare at the battle before him. 'Is this why this place is called a 'Trainer's School'? They teach kids to battle each other with monsters that can breathe fire?' That really didn't seem like the best idea in his eyes.

… Although, considering the Phantom Thieves line of work, he really couldn't say much.

"You can do it, Kiawe!" A green haired girl a few feet away from him called, looking over at the dark skinned teen. The small berry-like Pokémon on her shoulder bounced up and down, trilling happily. "Go go!"

It seemed like Kiawe wouldn't get a chance to acknowledge her, however, as the brown haired boy called another attack. "Quick, move in for a Brick Break, Crabrawler!"

"You got it!" The crab clacked its claws, charging forward.

At that, Kiawe smiled. "Turtonator, you know what to do!"

It seemed like Turtonator knew exactly what he had in mind, judging by the way its gaze intensified. The Crabrawler continued to make its approach, raising a claw as it glowed with pure energy, until…

"Now!"

Turtonator quickly turned on a dime and presented its spiky back to the crustacean, the raised claw smashing into the armored shell. The entire crowd was on the edge of their seats as the impact rang out, until suddenly the spikes on Turtonator's back glowed a hot orange. Crawbrawler's eyes widened with surprise (as did its trainer) before the spikes exploded, sending the crab flying to the opposite side of the field. Ren winced as the heat from the blast washed over his wrapped wound, though even still he couldn't look away from the action.

For a moment, the battlefield was still. Until finally the dust around the two Pokémon settled, revealing Turtonator standing strong over a very unconscious Crabrawler, a small lick of flame blowing out of its nose as it huffed. "Hm. Well fought."

The growing crowd around the court erupted into cheers, the green haired girl being especially loud. "Way to go, that was awesome Kiawe!"

As he stood off to the side, Ren couldn't help but agree with her. It looked like he had only caught the tail end of the match, but it was exhilarating to watch those powerful attacks go off. It reminded him of the Phantom Thieves' excursions into Mementos, blowing Shadows away with powerful spells and devastating blows… he had grown to love the thrill of a good battle.

"Oh!" A voice brought him out of his thoughts once again, making him glance over to see the green haired girl looking right at him. She looked like she was around Futaba's age. "I haven't seen you around here before, nice to meet you! Are you a new student?"

"Huh? Oh-" Ren started, double checking to make sure his illusions were working ok. "No, I was just told this school had a library I could use and got a bit distracted by… that."

"Hehe, I don't blame you! Kiawe's battles are always so exciting. You should see when he uses his Z-Move!" The girl said with an almost knowing look. "I'm Mallow by the way, and this is Bounsweet!"

"Hi there, new friend!" The small plant-like Pokémon bounced on her shoulder with a cute grin.

Ren couldn't help but smile back at the two of them. "Nice to meet you both. My name is Ren Amamiya."

Mallow's smile widened as she clasped her arms around her back. "So, you're looking for the library? I can show you the way there!" She said.

Ren blinked, a bit surprised by the offer. "Thanks, but—"

He was cut off as Mallow suddenly reached out and snatched his wrist, tugging him along. "No buts! C'mon, it's just over this way!"

Ren instinctively let out a very fox-like yelp as he was dragged behind her, though thankfully it seemed like Mallow either didn't notice or didn't think much of it. 'Geez, she's got Makoto's grip..!' He thought as he stumbled along.

Looks like he was along for the ride with his newest acquaintance whether he liked it or not.

"So what brings you to Alola? It's not often we get visitors at the school," Mallow asked as she walked alongside Ren down the halls of the school, having let go of his wrist once they were inside. The interior of the school was just as spacious as the outside, with massive open windows and tall ceilings.

"I'm visiting with my parents. Just don't want to fall behind on my studies," Ren replied on the fly, remembering what he had told the food vendor earlier. It's as good a reason as any.

Mallow led him up a spiral staircase as she hummed and nodded, her twin ponytails bouncing slightly. "Darn, it's a shame you're not staying! It'd be nice to have a new student in my class. We're kinda small, but Professor Kukui is an amazing teacher!"

"Professor Kukui?" Ren repeated as he followed right behind her, though he paused momentarily once he reached the top and saw the very real looking fossils set up next to the stairs.

"Mhm! He's one of Alola's regional professors, but he also teaches here! He studies, uhh… Pokémon moves, if I remember correctly." Mallow explained as they moved past the fossils. "He's really nice! Maybe you'll run into him while you're here!"

"Sounds like a nice guy." Ren said. He wished he could say the same for most of his teachers, but other than Kawakami, none of them really stood up for him when he was getting scorned for a criminal record he shouldn't even have. A soft sigh pushed out of his lips as he was suddenly reminded of just how far from home he was. He didn't know if he was ever going to see her, or Iwai, or Sojiro ever again. Did the Holy Grail make it so he never existed in their memories? Would they even know who he was if he managed to get back to Tokyo? He almost felt sick at the thought of Sojiro looking at him with a blank, unrecognizable stare when he walked into Leblanc.

"Ren?" Mallow's voice broke him out of his thoughts once again, a slightly worried look on her face. "You okay? You kinda spaced out for a bit there."

"Oh, uh… Yeah, I'm alright. Just thinking."

"Hmm… Well, if you're sure. The library's right through this door here," Mallow said as she lightly knocked on the wood. "I wish I could talk for a bit longer but I've gotta run, parents probably need my help at the restaurant tonight. It was nice meeting you!"

She smiled brightly at him before heading back the way she came, Bounsweet bouncing happily on her shoulder. "Bye bye, Renren!"

"… Nice to meet you too." He waved as she left.

Another sigh escaped him as he turned to the door, slowly pushing it open and stepping into the rather spacious library. "You can handle this, Ren… no time for moping." Ren muttered to himself, trying to push the feeling of loneliness out of his mind.

Kukui let out a sigh of relief as he leaned back into his chair after putting down the final grade on the small stack of papers he had been going through, tossing the pen he was using unceremoniously onto the desk. "Finally done…" The professor said with a huff, his chair creaking under him. He loved teaching, he really did, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't hate the paperwork part of it.

Normally Professor Kukui would be long gone by now, either to go out with his girlfriend or to continue doing some research back in his lab, but he had been procrastinating a bit when it came to grading his class's last few assignments, so he decided that tonight he would sit himself down and blast through it all in one sitting. It had taken a while, but now he had one less thing to worry about for a good minute. He was honestly a bit lucky that Lillie and Sophocles helped shave some time off by acing everything. Kukui let out a sigh of relief as he slowly stood, stretching out with his arms above him. "I think I deserve a little trip down to the city for a malasada!" He said with a smile, idly wondering if Rockruff would want one too. The dog always did love when he came home with sweets.

The professor looked out over the evening Alolan sky as he walked over to the balcony overlooking the school grounds, leaning against the wooden railing as the cool ocean air washed over his face. He couldn't help but let out a deep sigh, enjoying the beautiful scenery laid out before him. "It really never gets old, does it…" Kukui said to himself as he watched a couple of lingering students laugh to each other as they got ready to leave down below. "Like a Natural Gift that keeps on giving!"

Kukui silently chuckled to himself.

He sat like this for a moment longer before he decided that it was about time that he actually started getting ready to leave if he wanted to hit the bakery, walking back over to his desk to grab his things. He picked up his bag, writing utensils, water bottle… and paused for a moment as he slung his bag over his shoulder, humming with a slight frown. It felt like he was forgetting something, but what…

That's when his eyes met the cover of the book he had borrowed from the library a few days before, nearly smacking himself in the face as it hit him. "Right, I was gonna return this today!" He said as he scooped up the book, the words 'Moves and Illusions: Similarities and Differences' emblazoned on the cover as well as the minimalist outline of a Zorua. It had been quite the fascinating read, and something that had never really crossed his mind during his research. Unfortunately, it wasn't something that he was going to be able to field test without the help of a powerful psychic type or a Zorua-slash-Zoroark, which most likely wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

At any rate, Kukui opened up his bag and slipped the book in, his destination in mind as he exited the classroom with a flourish of his lab coat. The walk down to the library was usually a bit more exciting, with students and their Pokémon lining the hallways that Kukui could say hi to, but at this time of day it was just him and his thoughts. He wondered if he should take Burnet out soon, it had been a while since they had gone and enjoyed themselves since both of their schedules were usually so busy. "Gonna have to find some way to pry her from her research," He said to himself with a light laugh. He always found it endearing that she took her studies just as seriously as he did his own.

Soon enough, Kukui reached the library, lightly pushing the door open and stepping inside. He had expected the place to be barren, but to his shock there was actually someone here, a kid that he didn't recognize. Sitting at one of the tables near the back of the room was a boy, who looked to be in his mid-teens, with a huge spread of books in front of him. His messy black hair fell in front of his glasses as he intently read through the one he was holding, idly tapping one of his black shoes on the floor beneath. Speaking of shoes, the kid's outfit was definitely not something Kukui would call 'Alola-friendly', with a long sleeved black blazer and skinny black-and-red plaid pants. It almost reminded him of a uniform of some sort, but not one that he recognized from anywhere. An aspiring student here, perhaps?

Well, Kukui wasn't one to ignore a potential student here. "Alola!" He greeted as he walked over, making the boy jump in surprise as he quickly looked over to meet eye-to-eye with him. The professor chuckled apologetically. "Haha, sorry, didn't mean to startle you. I know how it feels to get sucked into a good book."

For a brief moment, the teen simply stared at him, until he must've realized that he hadn't said anything in response to the professor. "Ah, it's… no big deal," He said, brushing some of his hair out of the way of his face. "Just didn't expect anybody to still be here this late."

"Well, normally you'd be right about that, but I had some business to take care of tonight." Kukui replied with a smile as he leaned against one of the bookshelves nearby. "This is the first time I've ever seen you around here, what's your name?"

"It's, uh… Ren. Ren Amamiya." The kid said after a second, setting the book he was holding down on the table. That was definitely a foreigner's name, that's for sure. Was he just visiting, or did he recently move here?

Kukui placed his hands in the pockets of his coat as he said, "Good to meet you, Ren! You can just call me Professor Kukui. I'm a teacher here and one of Alola's Pokémon professors."

Sure enough, Ren's eyes flashed with recognition once he introduced himself, though maybe not for the reasons he thought. "So you're Professor Kukui… Mallow mentioned you on the way here." His mouth upturned into a light smile. "It's nice to meet you as well, Professor."

Kukui raised an eyebrow at that. "Ahh, so you've already met one of my students huh? Hopefully she said good things about me, wouldn't want to make a bad First Impression!"

Rather than react to his pun (which wasn't his best work, in all honesty), Ren simply shook his head a bit. "She said you were a real nice guy, is all. We didn't talk for long, she only showed me to the library."

The professor nodded in understanding. That did sound like Mallow… She was quite a busy girl for someone her age. "I'll take any compliments I can get! But, anyway…" He walked up and pulled out a seat across from Ren, sitting down with his arms folded across his bare chest. "What brings you to the Pokémon School? If you're looking to enroll, I'd be happy to vouch for you! You certainly look like you take your studies seriously,"

As he said that, Kukui couldn't help but look over the massive spread of books across the table, some of them open and others lying in a stack on the corner. He recognized a few that he's read before, like one on the legends and mythos of Alolan culture, but there were quite a few that covered a broad range of subjects he hadn't gotten the chance to check out or things he had already memorized. Stuff like world geography, the latest up-to-date book on registered Pokémon, and what looked like 'Training 101'. What made that book strange was that it was usually something that aspiring Pokémon trainers read when they were very young. Perhaps he was using it as a refresher or starting late?

"Ah, well…" Kukui's attention went back to the teen sitting across from him, noting the sudden apprehension in his tone. "I appreciate the offer, but… I'm not sure that would work out."

"Ahh, right… I assume you're only visiting Alola for a vacation with your family, then?" Kukui suggested.

It was a logical assumption, but that question only seemed to make Ren's mood take a dive for the worse. "I—" He started, as if struggling to find what to say. Then he sighed lightly. "… Sure. Let's… go with that. Plus I… already go to a school."

Kukui's brow furrowed at the kid's answer, leaning forward in his seat a bit. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something was very off. It would explain why he was here when he had never seen him before, at least. "Hm… Well, I won't pry. I hope you're at least enjoying your stay on Melemele so far!"

Ren seemed almost relieved at the sudden change in topic, looking back up at Kukui and nodding slightly. "It's been an… interesting experience so far, to say the least, but it's beautiful here."

"Happy to hear it!" Kukui said with a grin, before glancing over to the window and noting how the oranges were starting to progress into the deep blues of the night sky. "Shoot, I didn't realize how late it was, hopefully Rockruff hasn't been waiting too long for me… You want a Helping Hand putting those books back up?"

"Huh?" Ren said, looking to where the professor was glancing. "Oh, I guess I should be going…"

"Don't worry, you're free to come back here anytime. You've got my express permission!" Kukui assured.

The teen smiled once more, shutting the book he had been reading. "Thank you, professor."

It didn't take long for Kukui and Ren to put all the books away, and soon they were waving each other goodbye as they left the main building of the school, stepping back out into the cool night air.

"Alola, Ren! Make it back to wherever you're staying safely, alright?" Kukui told him with a pat on the back.

Ren nodded in confirmation. "I will, Professor Kukui. Thank you again for the help," He said graciously with a light bow, holding his arms to his sides.

'Real formal kid, huh..?' Kukui thought to himself, chuckling a bit as he waved Ren off. "It was no worries at all. If you do decide to come back, feel free to ask me any questions about any of your studies! I may not be your teacher, but I'd be happy to help."

"I'll keep that in mind, professor. Have a good night." Ren replied. He stood up from his bow and waved, before turning on his heel to leave with his hands in his pockets.

Kukui stood there for a moment as he watched the teen leave, a soft sigh escaping him as he crossed his arms. Something was bugging him about how Ren had acted back in the library… but he didn't know what.

"Ah, well…" He muttered as he started making his way over to the entrance archway. "I'm sure I'm just being paranoid."

Besides, something told him that wasn't gonna be the last time he saw that kid.

Thank you all for your patience with this chapter! Work made it real hard to sit down and work on this, but I'm glad I could get it out in a relatively timely manner. I hope you all enjoy!