Alola readers! It's been a while but I finally got to the new chapter!

It's already shaping up to be a busy summer for me. Working six days a week, close to ten hours a day and then doing housework around my place on my days off. This is the first time in almost three weeks where I have a full day to rest up, screw around and do nothing...and that includes writing!

So that being said; I know that some of you are missing my weekly updates. I do too. I wish that I could maintain a set time where I can edit, write and make whatever adjustments to the chapters before I put them out. However there are times when I come back to my computer completely exhausted from a busy day and others where I sit down in front of blank documents with my own mind just as empty as the page! XD

I also don't want to get too ahead of myself while writing this. I've written another chapter in the span of this one and the last one being updated and I'd eventually catch up to myself at the current pace about halfway through the game. Getting to the end for me means that the stuff I end up writing turns out to be cringe-worthy when I go over it sometime later. So I have to show a bit of discipline, even if it means breaking my promise of a weekly update. On the good side; this project will busy me here for most likely the rest of the year and then some. So some of the later chapters of the Sun X Lillie shipping on the other islands, Akala Ula'ula and especially Poni will be some of my favorite to write and I hope you really enjoy what all I have to share when it comes for their time to shine!

Okay; I think I've talked enough. How about we get to the story?

I haven't seen either Hau or Sun for almost two weeks. Professor Kukui says that they're on the other side of the island which is a long way away. Melemele might be the second smallest of the region, but the diameter is pretty gigantic to go across, even in a straight line. I haven't stopped thinking about them since they left Hau'oli. What if they get tired or overrun? Team Skull is everywhere causing trouble, but it seemed like Elio…I mean Sun easily handled his own battle with Grimer alongside Ilima. He even said that a couple of their grunts actually helped him out during the trial session! You definitely don't hear something like that everyday!

I was really really excited when Professor Kukui had told me Sun cleared his first trial! It was a difficult battle against a rarely seen Totem Pokemon. Hau had actually beaten him to the trial site and already completed his battle against a really big gumshoos! For Sun, he decided to go at night and got something a little different! A rather huge raticate challenged him and it proved to be a strong opponent, but I was both surprised and not to hear that Sun emerged victorious. All that was left is the grand trial, which he would have to battle Hala.

Nebby was also ecstatic at the news and escaped from my bag again when he heard Sun might be nearby. He really has formed an attachment with him, even though we've only known one another for just under a month now! He had wandered off when we went to the Melemele Meadow which made Sun take a detour to help me get him back. That was a whole fiasco of its own and it was pretty funny, although it came at his expense.

Sun eventually scheduled a match against the kahuna! We made sure not to miss it, even though I still don't like seeing pokemon get hurt and Hau was lagging a bit behind, but even he wasn't going to miss the battle of a lifetime!

Unfortunately he lost. Sun managed to get all the way to through Hala's last pokemon, but lost his two in the process. I think he's taken the loss really hard…

It was another shining sunny day on Melemele Island as Professor Kukui happily strolled down a pathway on the east coast.

This part of Alola was known for its fantastic views, out to the sea that stretched over the horizon that glowed a beautiful palette of colors depending on the time of day. Right now, it was a deep sapphire blue and the first of the incoming waves began to batter the shoreline in a white foamy spray.

Lillie wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead while she stood next to him. The man had stopped at a patch of grass and was typing rapidly into the datapad he had brought along with him.

As they continued down the stretch; Kukui had pointed out a place called Kala'e Bay, which was a large alcove just below them on the route with a sandbar in the center. Although the cave entrance that was underneath the cliffs seemed hard to access; it was very rewarding for the trip, earning one of the top places in the region to view the sunrise as it crested over the distant surface of the ocean.

Kukui was quick with his work, handing her his datapad and opening an app so she could write down his observations. His readings were relayed to her and quickly typed in the appropriate entry boxes. This clockwork had gone on for almost a half hour.

Although she was more than happy to assist the professor on his newest research trip; Lillie couldn't stop thinking about Sun and Hau. Both were capable trainers of taking care of themselves, but there was a looming shadow of Team Skull that had been the buzz around Melemele recently.

The story of a young dark-haired boy fitting Elio's description that had shown up a pair of grunts at the Marina quickly circulated around the city, being the talk of the town. Not many had decided to stand up to the delinquents as they usually ended up continuing their harassment even after the battle had been won. Worry had been on her mind and she hoped that neither Sun nor Hau would have to deal with them; although at their current rate of strength as trainers, it was inevitable they would cross paths with the villainous gang again.

"Earth to Lillie?" Professor Kukui waved a hand in front of her blank face, "You got the last entry yeah?"

"Oh!" She jumped up in surprise before scrambling to grab the tablet out of her bag again, "I'm sorry Professor!"

"You're thinking about them," It was clear who he was referring to, "Aren't you?"

"Wha-?"

"You're worried about Hau and Sun yeah?"

Lillie nodded. "I haven't seen either of them in two weeks. They each wrote a letter to me, saying how they fought Team Skull again at the berry plantations, but that was still several days ago!" Her voice dropped to a whisper, "I just want to see Sun again."

"It's perfectly cool yeah. They are capable cousins who are good trainers. I just heard from Hau that Sun had just completed his first trial last night. They actually battled two different Totem Pokemon!"

"Whoa," Her eyes widened in excitement, at both the fact of the Totems and that both trainers had cleared their first trial. "That's amazing! So what happens next?"

"They have to do the grand trial! Face Kahuna Hala!"

"They can do it!" She made a fist, fully confident in both the boys, "I know they can!"

Kukui laughed, starting to head further down the pathway, "You betcha! Come on, let's get the last of the data we came here for and we can head over to the trial gate to meet them in time for lunch!"

As she opened the zipper again; the worst possible scenario happened.

Nebby had been biding its time while cooped up inside her duffel to escape. Although it was shaded and dark, which gave it a perfect place to sleep, the Alolan sun and humid heat were being merciless right at the time of past noon. The cosmog's caretaker had been talking about it today before she left the house. Kukui reminded her to bring a bottle of sunblock lotion, as her pale skin was going to be easily susceptible to being burned.

"Trust me when I say it's better to get sunblock than aloe relief." He chuckled, "The moneymaking venture makes the latter cost twice as much."

So she had made care to keep a layer on to protect herself from the harsh rays. All in the meantime; her bag and the tiny pokemon inside was trapped in the dark chamber, longing for fresh air and coolness.

Nebby shot out, to her surprised cry and shook its two blue clouds as it smiled to enjoy the new sight.

"Nebby! Get back in the bag!" Lillie pleaded.

"Pew!" It ignored her order and floated down the pathway, seemingly uncaring on where it was going.

"No!" The blond cried, "You can't stay out! We'll get in trouble!"

By the time he realized that she wasn't with him when he headed to the trial gate; neither of them were in sight.

"Uh oh,"

"Nebby!" Lillie cried, "Nebby come back!"

She was standing at the edge of the rocky base of the big Melemele Meadow, looking out across the bright field of yellow flowers. It stretched nearly a kilometer in diameter and was impossible to see the ground under where the stems of countless plants grew out of. A multitude of cutiefly and yellow birds buzzed in the air, eager to search for the smallest bit of nectar in a high stakes competition. As soon as one spotted some, the others of its respective species would quickly follow, homing in on the area in an attempt to get a piece of the newfound discovery. Although they couldn't be seen, cries of multiple other bug and grass pokemon could also be distinctly heard along with rustling within the foliage.

Lillie reached into her bag pocket where the repels were kept, but found it to be completely empty.

"Oh no,"

The closest pokemon center was about a twenty minute hike further up the island, but it was through a crevice area where fierce bird pokemon preferred to hang out up top. She couldn't make it, as they tended to ignore repels, plus there was no way Nebby was going to be left by itself.

To make things worse, Professor Kukui got distracted when he got a call from captain Ilima saying that Sun had finished the trial and was out of sight by the time Nebby seized the opportunity to cool off from its oven. Lillie was definitely glad that he cleared it, but she was too focused on getting to Nebby to really think much initially on his first accomplishment. Now he was nowhere to be found.

"Hey Lillie!"

Relief flooded her body when she heard Elio's familiar voice. She turned to see him approaching behind her, looking ever so concerned and out of breath from most likely running. A bunch of conflicting thoughts ran through her head as she found his sympathetic look to be extremely sweet, "Where have you been?! The professor's been looking all over for you!"

"Ah, Sun. Nebby ran off into the meadow here and right after it got into so much trouble on the bridge too!"

"Where is Nebby?" He asked, suddenly turning serious.

Lillie pointed across to the other side. Sure enough, there it was happily bouncing around and gazing at the flowers as if they were the most interesting things in the world.

"What if a wild pokemon attacks it again? It doesn't have any moves it can use in battle!"

"It's all right," Sun reassured her, "I will go and get him."

Her grateful smile warmed his heart, "Thank you. Be careful!"

He nodded and brought out both Litten and Grimer, "Stay close."

His two pokemon nodded, following closely behind as he took slow steps in the grass, careful not to startle any wild pokemon nearby. Although Nebby was within seeing distance, many paths along the meadow's sides were ups and downs that made the trek a lot longer.

Sun used his arms to brush away the first plants and stepped through, almost completely disappearing into the tall plants. Lillie only saw the rustling of the yellow flowers as an only indication of where he was at.

An angry cry split the air, startling her.

"Litten use ember!" She heard him command.

A moment later, a tiny white and green pokemon jumped out of the meadow trailing smoke behind it and quickly fled the scene.

It took him a few minutes to traverse the field, but Sun emerged from the brush just below Nebby and made his way up the hill. The tiny pokemon sensed his presence and turned around.

"Pew!"

"Hi Nebby!" Sun knelt down, "Decide to do some exploring on your own?"

"Pew!" Nebby looked over at him curiously. The boy likely knew for once on why the cosmog was so set on constantly trying to escape its confines.

"You were probably hot too. Yeah, I'd hate that if I was cooped up in that bag all day."

"Da heat index sayzz it'zz gonna be another hot one too!" Rotom said as he slowly came out of Sun's backpack. "Not to mention da zzunlight being harsh!"

"Agreed." Elio looked over, "Say Rotom, did you happen to get any data on the pokemon we just encountered blocking our way? I've noticed quite a few new ones. Think the professor called them cutiefly and oricorio."

"I sure did!" His animated pokedex flipped his main screen to a display of the green and white fluffy pokemon. "Cottonee…Cotton Puff pokemon. Cottonee prefer to stick together to feel more at ease. Large masses of them resemble cumulonimbus clouds. Cotton produced by this pokemon that is put in pillows, beds and clothes are said to have a superior quality of softness and lightweight. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."

"Wow," Sun said, "I bet some of the clothes from the cotton are also quite expensive."

"Yup!" Rotom chimed, "Zome of it izz nearly double the price of normal shirtzz!"

"Alright then. What do you say we get you back to Lillie?" He gestured behind and turned to walk back down. Litten and Grimer gave their new friend a gentle nudge and made sure it was following him.

Lillie heard the angry shriek from earlier and looked over the meadow's edge.

"Oh no,"

The cottonee that Sun had defeated earlier while trying to cross was now back and giving him a determined stare. Behind it was a huge mass of something white and fluffy. It took only a moment to realize that it had brought friends…at least a dozen. Its pokedex entry was spot on…it was an ominous puffy cloud that blemished an otherwise clear azure sky.

"I got him!" Sun shouted triumphantly across the field, still oblivious to the looming threat, "Lillie, I got Nebby!"

His gaze followed her wide-eyed stare as the big cottonee group closed in on him. All four pairs of eyes on his side immediately widened when they saw what had her so alarmed.

"Oh crap."

The cottonee swarm jumped into the meadow and rapidly made their way over to Sun, beginning to close the distance in a matter of seconds.

"Run!" Lillie screamed out, even though he could barely hear her over the angry pokemon's cries.

Sun vanished into the flowers again with Litten and Grimer kept up flanking him and he had scooped Nebby in an arm, cradling it close to his chest. The attempt to flee was already futile, so he ordered his starter to scare them off with ember.

Litten's tiny fireball hit the two cottonee in the lead, doing supereffective damage and knocking them out. As they fell into the flowerbed trailing smoke and glowing ash, it seemed like six more were willing to take their place.

The dense plants that were close together hampered and slowed down his progress. Wild caterpie, cutieflies and the yellow bird oricorios quickly fled the scene in front of them, hearing the incoming swarm.

Although they were generally harmless, the cotton pokemon often were quick to call for help on others of its kind and go after whatever upset it. This was especially prevalent during their mating season, when they were fiercely territorial. Their fluffy bodies would end up tickling its opponent although they could still stir up pollen from the flowers, causing anyone with allergies to have a bad time.

Lillie could only watch as Sun burst through another clearing with just a little more to go. The cottonee came right from the same end, blowing past Grimer and homing right on the boy.

"Gah!" Sun gasped as the first pokemon's fur easily latched onto his clothing and caused him to stumble. At his command; Grimer launched a bite that knocked it off his shirt, but more cottonee seized the brief time he took to get their ally off of his body to embrace him themselves. His lower extremities were covered in a combination of white and green as he continued to pluck and fling the attacking pokemon off him.

The clump together was still moving as she could still see part of Sun's body underneath. It was pretty incredible on how he managed to keep his balance. Litten was just next to him, firing embers repeatedly towards the rest of the cottonee group just at the edge of the field to keep them at bay in a desperate move to get them off his trainer. So far, none of their comrades decided to come any closer.

He had managed to free an arm thanks to Grimer's help and tossed it off him. With another growl, he worked it again, ripping off two more. The weight had lightened considerably as he slowly dragged himself through the final patch of flowers right in front of her. Sun felt a burning sensation in his nose after getting the last cottonee off his chest and gave a violent sneeze, scaring off the remainder before angrily tossing it somewhere in the meadow. He looked up at his friend exasperatedly, with eyes wide as saucers.

Lillie couldn't help giggling since he looked so funny yet she felt kind of scared for his well-being.

"It's not funny," Sun glared at her. "I almost died there!"

"Oh you," She turned into her motherly self and addressed Nebby, who was still in Sun's arms. He was cradling it as if it were a loaf of bread…or a baby. The trainer shrugged off the encounter and set him down on the floor.

Litten and Grimer bounded up to his side, both looking quite relieved that their trainer was alright.

"Thanks guys," He gave them an affectionate pat and handed each one a poke bean treat before returning them to their poke balls.

"All joking aside; thank you Sun and I guess I should be thanking Grimer and Litten too." She took his two pokemon from him and healed them up, "Here. It's the least I could do."

"Thanks." He turned back to look over the meadow. The cottonee swarm had since dispersed, likely thinking that he was not an attractive target anymore, "Although I ask that we never do that again…and don't tell anybody. If Hau got word that I was smothered by cottonee, I'll never hear the end of it." Sun tugged on his shirt and doing so loosened a packed layer of soft cotton that fell out like an avalanche at their feet. "I do have to admit that the cotton on their bodies is quite soft. Wish I had one of the pillows they stuff with that."

"Okay sure," Lillie giggled at the display, "Your secret's safe with me. Actually, I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks." He sat down on the rocky bed, "I'm just glad Nebby is safe."

"Pew!" The cosmog was pleased at how concerned the boy was for it and gave him a nuzzle on his leg.

"You need to listen to Lillie, little one." Sun said, petting it on top of the head, "She's always worried about your safety."

"Pew."

"I know you want to explore and all, but only do that when she says it's okay."

"Are you hungry?" Lillie asked, "Sun, why don't we take a quick break and you can tell me all about the trial."

He agreed and they found a shady spot close to the arch entrance of the meadow and they snacked together on the bag of Alolan trail mix she carried with her. He had some beef jerky added and just a little bit of the two protein snacks quickly energized both teens.

Lillie's smile continued to grow as Sun animatedly talked about how he had battled the big Totem Raticate in its den deep within Verdant Cavern. He had gone in, fully expecting to face the same thing Hau had earlier that day, a massive gumshoos. So it had been a complete surprise when he found out his own opponent was far different.

Elio had also discovered that the Totem Raticate and its rattata allies were a bit different than those found in Kanto. The battle had definitely been a hard fought one, but she was immediately proud of him when he displayed the pearly white Z-Crystal that was set in his Z-Ring.

"Back home," He started, "Rattata are all over the place. They multiply quickly and can sometimes be a bit of a pest. Hey Rotom?"

"Yezz?" His trusty pokedex buzzed himself online after hearing his name being summoned.

"Pull up the data for rattata and raticate please."

"Of courzze! And hello to you Lillie!"

The blonde giggled, "Hi Rotom! Nice to see you again!"

"Zzame to you! Looking good thizz morning aren't ya!" The pokedex's flattery caused the blonde to giggle lightly.

"Rotom," Sun reminded him, shaking his head in irritation.

"Zzorry mazzter!" He flipped into his database, bringing up an image of a rattata in purple and cream colored fur, "Rattata…mouse pokemon. This pokemon has a tendency to bite anything when it attacks. Small and very quick, it is a common sight in many places with groups of nearly forty close by if one is sighted. Rattata are notoriously hardy, reproducing quickly and will make its nest anywhere it deems fit. Rattata native to Kanto are Normal type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."

"So I was a little confused on why they looked a bit different," Sun scrolled on Rotom's screen until an image of an Alolan rattata appeared, "And then Rotom got this."

"Rattata came to Alola as stowaways aboard visiting ships and their population went unchecked. This prompted people to bring in yungoos and gumshoos from a distant region as their natural predators to control their invasive numbers. In order to minimize danger from its new nemesis; Rattata altered its habits on the islands, becoming more nocturnal and making its habitat in urbanized areas. They form large nests headed by their evolved form; raticate and constantly bring it fresh food. Alola rattata are normal and dark type."

"Huh," Lillie opened her mouth in curiosity, "So what about raticate though?"

"Raticate…mouse pokemon. In Kanto, Raticate will stand on its hind legs with bared fangs when it is attacked and shrieks. Their steadily growing teeth are tough enough to cut through cinder blocks and it constantly gnaws on anything in sight to grind them down. They have webbed feet that enable it to adeptly swim through rivers and even oceans. Raticate's disposition is more violent that its looks. It has the capability of biting off a human hand effortlessly if one gets too close. Raticate native to Kanto are normal type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."

"Yikes," She said, "Kanto raticate sound scary. Do they change forms like rattata in Alola too?"

"I would imagine so. Rotom?"

"Raticate native to Alola exhibit a heavier average weight due to its higher calorie diet. Like its rattata minons; it remains nocturnal to avoid yungoos and gumshoos predators while using its nest as a food stockpile and commanding its underlings to bring it new morsels. It is very selective on what it eats; only choosing fresh, high quality foods. There are some restaurants that use its taste to their advantage, having good reputations by having Alolan raticate taste test new ingredients and dishes. Alola Raticate are normal and dark type."

"So you can bring one along to help shop for groceries."

"Yeah, but you probably have to keep it in check." Sun said, "While it does have a good taste, they're still kind of pests around here." He glanced over at her, "I'm just amazed at how interesting Alola is. Some pokemon change forms, which is absolutely crazy. You definitely don't find something like that anywhere else."

"You know that reminds me." Lillie's face brightened as she remembered something, "I did read something interesting in a book once. It seems the pokemon oricorio changes appearance when it feeds on the nectar from different kinds of flowers."

"That's really cool." Sun tapped Rotom again, "Rotom. We saw an oricorio in the meadow. Do you have information on it?"

"I sure do! Oricorio…dancing pokemon." The single birdlike pokemon split into four forms, three of them being blank. "Oricorio feed on nectar from special flowers grown only in Alola and it can change its form and typing depending on the type of nectar that it consumes. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."

"It's not evolving really, but more undergoing a form change. Anyway, I found it pretty interesting."

"Pew!" Nebby had seemed to voice its agreement.

"So what kind did we encounter? That has to be pretty cool if you can just swap out a pokemon's typing by it feeding on specific nectar."

Wonder if I could use that in battle?

"Oricorio in the Pom-Pom style charge their feathers with static electricity and they dance cheerfully to melt the hearts of their enemies. Upon losing the will to fight, they are subject to a series of shocking electrical strikes. Pom-Pom style Oricorio are electric-flying type."

"Wow." Sun was impressed, gazing back out across the meadow to a group of them all gathered around some more flowers, "So it disarms its foes as sort and then hits. Talk about a low blow."

"Back into the bag please Nebby." Lillie chided, "I know there aren't many people around to see you here, but that's hardly an excuse."

"I guess we should also be going now." She said after zipping up her duffel again, "The professor will probably be worried after the way we disappeared on him."

"Sure," Sun agreed, more than happy to leave after what just happened, "Let's get out of here."

Both teens were pretty relieved after the fiasco as they exited the meadow together and they heard footsteps running up to them.

"Hey!" Hau jumped up, skidding to a stop at the entrance, "Howzit Elio? Oh and Lillie's with you too!"

"Hey brah," Sun bumped fists with him plastering a grin on both boys' faces while now finding himself saying the habitual lingo when greeting a close friend. "Good to see you."

"Yeah." Lillie agreed, "What are you up to Hau?"

"I finished my trial yesterday!" He reached into his pocket and proudly stuck his hand out with the Normalium Z between his fingers, "Now I want to see if I learned anything from my trial. Do ya wanna battle again?"

"Yeah sure!" Elio took out a poke ball, "Lillie's healed my party so I'm ready to go whenever you are!"

As he glanced at her, he noticed a slight pink tinge grace her cheeks.

"Um…um, I don't like to see pokemon getting hurt like usual. But you know what…I want both of you to do your best again!"

"Aww yeah!" Hau could barely contain his excitement, "Okay Pikachu, I choose you!"

"Pika!" A yellow mouse burst out of Hau's thrown poke ball and got on all fours, red circular cheeks crackling with electric energy.

"Pikachu huh?" Elio had seen one with the Poke finder back in Hau'oli City, but they were seldom wild. He knew that Hau had to have evolved it from the pichu that he had caught. It was another Kanto-native pokemon and extremely popular after one particularly powerful specimen had stolen the spotlight in the hands of a very powerful trainer that originated out of the region's southern sector.

"Rotom," As if on cue, his sentient pokedex was summoned at a moment's notice.

"Pikachu…mouse pokemon. They gather together in groups that can cause lighting strikes. It can release energy through its tail that can be used to electrify other pikachu as a sign of socialization. It's in its nature to store this electricity, so it may become stressed if it is unable to discharge it. Pikachu is an electric type. Additional information is available upon catching his pokemon."

"Grimer, let's go!"

"Woah a grimer!" Hau's eyes sparkled, "What a cool pokemon! We're gonna start this off! Use thundershock!"

"Pika…chu!" His mouse jumped up, flashing his cheeks and firing an arc that jumped across the air, crackling and swirling around Grimer. He let out an annoyed groan, but continued to endure the hit.

"Grimer, use bite!"

"Gri!" The sludge pokemon lurched forward, baring his dulled teeth and clamping down on Pikachu's leg.

"Watch out! Dodge it!"

The yellow rodent quickly leaped out of the way with surprising speed.

"Use thundershock again!"

"Disable!" Sun yelled. He had learned that Grimer's newfound move proved to be useful in some situations.

As Pikachu jumped up again to unleash another thundershock; Grimer's eyes glowed blue, causing his opponent to land back on the ground while struggling to let the charge loose. Its dark eyes widened in a panic to attack again, trying fruitlessly over and over.

Then let's keep Pikachu stressed out. It'll be easier to hit.

"Hang in there Pikachu!" Hau called out, "We can get through this!"

"Use pound!" Elio planned to take full advantage of his disruption, finally pleased with himself that he was starting to develop a battling style. Grimer slithered forward, its amorphous arm stretching to nearly double its length, slamming right into Pikachu's side, causing a cry of pain to erupt.

"Good job Grimer!" He complimented. The blob gave him a toothy grin, but suddenly stopped as tiny sparks of electricity began to course around its body. "What?"

"You paralyzed it with static!" Hau raised a fist, "Good job buddy! Now let's finish this."

Sun had been caught off guard. Pikachu's ability static possibly could cause paralysis on contact, suckering him right into the offensive after disabling the electric type's own move.

"Grimer, try to move."

"Gri," It let out a groan of protest, now moving even slower thanks to the field surrounding it.

"We got him right where we want him! Pikachu, sweet kiss!"

"Pi!" Hau's pokemon put a paw in front of its mouth and winked at Grimer, while also putting his limb back out to mock blow the gesture.

He opened his mouth again and now lazily moved about as if tipsy.

"Grimer! Listen to me, use disable again!"

"Jump in the air and use electro ball!"

"Chu! Pikachu!" He leaped into the air, forming a golden sphere at the end of his tail before flipping over and launching it downwards.

Grimer's paralysis and confusion made it an easy target, allowing the deadly ball of energy to home right in on his drunken form. It vanished in an explosion, puffing smoke everywhere before they heard an audible wet slap as the poison and dark type slumped over, unmoving.

"Awesome work Pikachu!" Hau called out, encouraging his pokemon. "We did it!"

Lillie watched as Sun returned Grimer back to his poke ball after the smoke cleared. Notably absent from his eyes was the confidence that he normally had. Clearly, he was not expecting his own pokemon to have been defeated so handily by Hau.

He had used it to his advantage, knowing Grimer's physical contact attacks could trigger the static ability and make way for an improved power electro ball.

"That's a good strategy Hau," Elio said, "You definitely got me off guard with that."

"Thanks! Me and Pikachu have worked hard to perfect it!"

"Pika! Pikachu!"

"I'm still gonna win," He said, "Litten, you're up!"

"Don't give him a chance Pikachu, use charm!"

"Ignore it," Sun commanded, "Ember!"

Pikachu stood still for just a moment to use his charm, but as he did, Litten took the opportunity to shoot a fast moving tiny ball of flame right on target. He hadn't escaped unscathed as his wariness had been lowered thanks to the opponent.

"Okay, now use electro ball!"

"Ember again!"

Litten nimbly dodged the next thrown attack while firing his own.

Pikachu wasn't so lucky. The flame bits splashed out at his feet allowing a second attack to put it into the ground.

"Pi-" Hau's pokemon groaned before it fell down. He took out his poke ball.

"You did good Pikachu. Take a nice rest." Looking back at Elio, the boy grinned, "I gotta admit Sun, you're an awesome trainer and I want our first pokemon to have an epic battle right here!"

"Bring it!" Sun said, "I'm more than ready!"

"Let's go Rowlet!" Hau flashed his bracelet, "Let's bring forth the potential of your Z-Power!"

His Z-Ring began to glow as the Normalium installed in the slot activated. He formed an X with his arms before swinging them out and crossing them over his body.

Coming out swinging huh?

Sun turned on his own Z-Ring. "Litten! Bring forth the potential of your Z-Power!"

He imitated the pose that he had been taught by Ilima as the flow of superpowerful energy began to connect both trainer and pokemon.

"BREAKNECK BLITZ!" Both boys shouted together.

At the same time; Litten and Rowlet exploded forward, encased in a brilliant white aura that surrounded both as they shot towards one another with incredible speed.

"Don't let up!" Sun shouted, even though he doubted that Litten would be able to hear him.

Both the owl and fire cat smashed into each other with a loud slamming sound, kicking up a good layer of dust that blanketed the space between the trainers and Lillie.

It hung in the air for a few moments before winds picking up began to clear out. The two small starter pokemon lay just in front of one another, fainted.

"Wow!" Lillie had a wondrous look on her face, "Both pokemon equally strong that they knocked each other out! Z-Power sure does give them a lot of potential!"

"Aww man!" Hau's disappointment was betrayed by the light chuckle he gave, "I wanted to show off my pokemon's best side more!"

"They did," Sun pointed out, "You used your newfound Z-Power as did I."

"Yeah true." He put his hands on his hips after the two trainers returned their defeated pokemon, "So both you and me beat that Totem Gumshoos huh Sun?"

Elio nodded, "Well actually I faced a Totem Raticate. Might have to be because of the fact that I took the trial right before I went to bed last night."

"It looks like we're getting to be stronger trainers! I wonder if I'll ever be able to beat my gramps at this rate?"

Before Sun or Lillie could answer, they heard a familiar voice call out to them. "Hey there Sun! I knew I could count on you yeah! Thanks for tracking Lillie down for me!"

"Professor Kukui!" He straightened his posture immediately, "It's no problem. I wanted to see Lillie again anyways."

"I saw the battle you two cousins were havin!" Kukui said with a knowing ear to ear grin, "Seein you two use both of your new Z-Powers tells me you both finished the trial!" He laughed, "You know what? Kahuna Hala's probably rubbing his hands together in glee right about now, oh yeah!"

"Huh?" Lillie looked intrigued at what he had said, "What do you mean?"

"It's part of the trials!" Hau said, "After you clear all the trials on an island, you have to pass the grand trial by battling and defeating the island kahuna!"

"Oh yes!" Kukui agreed, "It's the perfect time to see some fierce battles and some styling new moves! Woo!"

"Let's go Crabrawler!" Hala crossed his arms together before thrusting his fists forward at a rapid pace before striking his pose with one outstretched. Right in front of him, the purple and yellow crab pokemon was mimicking his actions, "Unleash the full potential of your Z-Power! All-out pummeling!"

On his side of the platform that Sun had battled on during the festival a couple weeks back, Hala's pokemon was enveloped in energy before a fusillade of glowing fists slammed into Litten. Crabrawler reared its right pincer glove/fist back and sent it flying towards Sun's pokemon at an astonishing speed.

The strike kicked up a thick cloud of dust that covered the entire stage that petered a couple moments later. When it cleared out, Litten was lying limply in front of Sun.

A man that was refereeing the match held up a hand and examined the fallen pokemon before extending a hand to Crabrawler. "Litten is unable to continue battling, Crabrawler wins and the match's victor goes to Hala; Kahuna of Melemele Island!"

The audience that had gathered to watch the battle erupted into cheers as Hala bowed his head as an encore of his performance. Among the crowd, Hau was torn between who to cheer for; he was more than happy to see one of them win, but it was pretty heart-wrenching to see the other lose.

Lillie was also just as surprised. From what she had heard; Sun had relentlessly trained his two pokemon in the days approaching the matchup, even when he only had two. Much of it had already paid off when she saw him fend off the cottonee swarm and then battle against Hau, despite tying it.

It also pained her to see him on the other side squatting down to recall his defeated pokemon and putting his hands in his face. The hat she had never seen him without was precariously tilted on his head and he slowly straightened it when he stood back up.

"You fought well Sun," Hala interrupted his thoughts as he crossed the stage, "Even though I have emerged victorious, I had to draw out my pokemon's Z-Power, something I don't do often in every Grand Trial."

"Well thank you for the battle Kahuna Hala," Sun bowed. Tears were threatening to stain his face, but he forced himself to remain humble in the defeat, "Even when the outcome was not optimal,"

"I sense you are frustrated. It is harder for your pokemon to achieve victory when you have less than your opponent. You may be a little confused when I tell you to learn from this battle, but also don't look back. You are welcome to try the Grand Trial again…after all, the Island Challenge favors persistence."

"I will try it again."

Hala chuckled, "That's what I like to hear boy. We'll make a fine trainer out of you yet!"

After the battle, the crowd began to disperse. Sun remained behind until most had left back to their homes. A handful of people gave him sympathetic looks and encouraged him not to stay down.

"Sun," Hau was right by his side to offer advice, but was brushed off by the other boy apologetically without another word as he walked past. With nothing else to do and unable to help his friend, he decided to retire for the night.

Lillie saw him slip out of Iki Town's entrance and head back towards the Melemele Meadow. He walked up to the path on those large cliffs that overlooked the ocean along the route and gave a picturesque view of a cave that was apparently called Kalae'e Bay. She had remained out of sight, but kept him within seeing distance the whole way. There was no need to, since he didn't seem to suspect anyone following.

He let out Litten and Grimer beside him at a spot and the three of them sat down close to the edge when he started throwing poke beans in the air towards them. One of them would jump up and snatch the treat out of the air before letting out a cry of approval.

"Hey guys. I want you to know that even though we lost our battle, I'm proud of you." She heard him say quietly, "Even when the fight started, our backs were up against the wall, the two of you against the Kahuna's three. We fought to the bitter end and still didn't come out on top. Sucks to lose and it feels like our hours and hours of practice just was undone in just a few minutes, but I know without it, the battle would've been much worse."

His pokemon let out soft sympathetic cries as they tried to reassure their trainer.

"That Totem Raticate sure was hard too," Sun sighed before suddenly grabbing a nearby rock and whipping it out in the direction of the sea as hard as he could in anger. The action clearly startled both pokemon, who scampered a bit away from their trainer, not wanting him to vent his frustration on them, even right after he gave them a well-deserved compliment.

He turned to see their worried expressions and immediately recognized the reasoning, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that…but it seriously hurt to lose! In front of everyone…the professor, Hau, Mom…" His voice trailed off, "Lillie. Everyone was pulling for me…wanting me to win…even the kahuna himself! And we didn't…"

From her spot and what she had heard him say; he was a lot like brother. In another lifetime, the two of them would've been really close friends. All three of them would.

"Mind if I sit down?" Sun turned to the voice.

Lillie appeared right in next of him, carrying her duffel close to her side. He nodded and gestured to his side. The blonde saw evidence of tears on his shirt. It was just so admirable that he was so hard on himself when it came to pokemon battling.

Although Nebby was out of sight inside, he couldn't help but feel like he was automatically given an absent task of protecting the two of them when she was nearby. Lillie had already told him it was incapable of battling and the birds that had bullied it that day solidified his protectiveness, not just for Nebby, but Lillie as well. This was prevalent even though he continued to disagree with her stance of not wanting to be a trainer.

"You doing okay after getting swarmed by those cottonee?" She was the first to ask as the two sat alone in silence for the first few minutes.

"Yeah," He chuckled at the memory earlier in the day, "Still finding fluff in my shirt and pants, but I'm alright thankfully. Next time, we're going in more prepared."

"Thanks again for looking after Nebby."

He nodded; giving off a silent welcome.

"Why are you here?" Elio turned to her and was giving off a penetrative stare, sounding a bit apprehensive.

"I was worried about you Sun." She said, fiddling around with her skirt, "I saw what happened."

"We battled the best we could. Right guys?" His pokemon gave an affirmative cry of affection as they stood on the side of their trainer, nuzzling his legs with their heads. He made no attempt to show any signs of being frustrated that she had secretly witnessed.

Lillie smiled at the display.

"I still take it you're not over the loss?"

"I hate to lose as much as the next guy," Sun admitted, "Although my mom says that I often dwell on it more than I should."

"Even though you lost, you fought well. Take the Kahuna's words to heart…he said that he had to use Z-Power to win and he doesn't do it all the time."

"That is true," Sun felt a spark of optimism at the statement, "We did kind of make him panic a little."

"There you go! Now that's the positive things I'm talking about," The two shared a laugh at that. She turned serious, "Still Sun, when you went to save Nebby on that bridge, I immediately knew that you were going to be a special trainer. I know it, the Professor knows it and even the kahuna! But you have to know at the same time that it's going to be impossible to win all the battles you face. Keep on charging and moving forward! Look back on what you did wrong and learn from it instead of looking back to being upset. I know losing stings, but how you cope with the end of a battle often tells a lot about you as a trainer and I don't think you want to come off as a sore loser."

Sun smiled at her enthusiasm again, "Thanks Lillie. It's just that…well…I just don't want to lose a battle where failing is not an option." He glanced over at Rotom, who had conveniently popped out of his bag to hover between the two. It displayed an alert on the clock, making them realize that they had been gone for almost a half hour, "Crap. We better head back home before anyone realizes we're missing."

He helped her up and led the way back on the rocky path. There was the fluttering of wings from above and he looked up to the sky, scanning the area for bird pokemon. They were known to swoop down on those groundside in this area.

"Hold here," Holding a hand for her to stay put, he waited until it was gone before proceeding.

It didn't take that long before one of the birds spotted them.

The spearow landed right in front, blocking their exit and stared at the two humans challengingly.

Lillie gasped and immediately moved beside Sun for protection, wrapping her hands around his arm.

"I hate spearow," He muttered, pulling out Grimer's poke ball and releasing him. "Pound!"

He lunged forward, stretching his long viscous arm as he smashed it into the spearow and sending it tumbling back. The bird quickly recovered, moving just as quickly to retaliate with a peck. No damage was visible as the pokemon's thick slimy body seemed to shrug off the jabbing.

"You okay?" He called out to Grimer. He shook himself and bared fangs threateningly. "Good. Use bite!"

His pokemon slid forward, maw open with teeth glimmering in the moonlight. Before Grimer could reached his target, the spearow cawed loudly and suddenly it had a second spearow swooping down to join the fight by its side.

"Uh oh," As he clamped down on the first one's wing, its partner jumped forward, jabbing his side with the sharp beak in another peck.

"Bite again! Get it off you!"

The two combatants tussled on the ground, kicking up a bit of dirt as they continued to struggle. Grimer's fluid body got the upper hand, sinking his teeth again into the spearow's exposed stomach and tossing it away. The bird let out a sharp scream of pain before cawing again for help.

Sun saw another spearow descend from above in response to the distress call and readied Litten's poke ball. Grimer's endurance was shining, but he was beginning to wear out and show signs that battling two foes were already taking its toll. He wasn't sure he'd last a third.

Another blur came down from above. Instead of a spearow, it looked to be bigger and more eager to battle.

As Grimer finished off his own foe, he was quickly blindsided by the third spearow and tumbled right in front.

"That's enough," He recalled him back inside his ball and switched battlers, "Okay Litten, you're up!"

His starter materialized in front of him and took a springing stance, ready to attack the angry spearow at his command.

The other bird pokemon came around again, spreading its wings out wide to strike the two others again and the impact spun it around until it collapsed.

Both Sun and Lillie couldn't hide their surprise. This newcomer had taken out the spearow in one hit.

"Ember!"

Litten breathed another tiny fireball as the pokemon landed beside its defeated victim. Unlike the rugged looking spearow it had eliminated earlier, it was quite larger, blue in color with larger talons and a head full of whitish feathers in a bonnet with one partially red that was a bit longer than the others. It gazed at Litten with fierceness in its eyes that burned with a desire to fight.

Litten's attack hit the new pokemon, causing it to screech in protest before it sped forward, hitting him with its wings again. He halted right in front, shaking off the attack, but also looking a bit off guard, the hit was harder than he expected.

"Use ember again!" As Litten prepared the ranged shot, the bird once again shot forward, faster than the spearow that it fought before. "Quick! Scratch it!"

Just as it was about to close the gap between the two battlers, Litten's paw extended out, brandishing his claws as he raked them down in one swift motion. The attacker had not anticipated this and stumbled, falling down to the ground.

Sun frantically dug in his bag, feeling an empty poke ball, primed and tossed it forward. The red and white device opened up, locking onto the bird's signature before it and pulled it inside. The ball settled on the ground and shook once, before it quickly broke back open as the pokemon easily managed to wrest free.

"Aww!" Sun gritted his teeth in frustration. That was his last poke ball.

No wait…it wasn't! He still had those great balls that captain Ilima gave him. They supposedly gave off an improved capture rate over their standard counterparts, he had seen them on sale at a pokemon center after clearing the Normal Trial, but they were three times as much in cost.

He fingered one out and tossed it towards the bird before it had a chance to launch another offensive. The great ball quickly recognized its target and settled on the ground. It shook once, twice and then a third time before an audible snap was heard to signify the capture.

"All right!" Sun formed a fist with a triumphant grin on his face, "Gotcha!"

"Wow!" Lillie was amazed at both the battle and his capture, "You caught another pokemon! Let's see what Rotom has to say!"

At the mention of his name, Rotom flew out of Sun's backpack and hovered right in front of the two of them, "Why don't you check out what kind of pokemon you just captured?"

His screen faded into an entry of the pokedex where an image of his new companion popped up.

"Rufflet…Eaglet pokemon." He said out loud, "With its sharp claws, this pokemon pierces its prey and then pecks at them. They pick fights indiscriminately and their resolve grows stronger every time regardless of victory or defeat. It is a carnivore at heart, but will use its sharp beaks and talons to crack open berries and nuts. Rufflet is a normal flying type. Analyzing, Rufflet in your party is a male and knows the moves; peck, leer, fury attack and wing attack. He has the ability hustle, which increases attack, but lowers accuracy. How about that bucko? You caught a hidden ability pokemon!"

"Hidden ability?"

"Yeah! Zometimezz you can find pokemon that have a different ability than normal. Rufflet normally have either keen eye or sheer force as their standard, but yourzz hazz hustle! Hidden ability pokemon are quite zpecial and rare to find!"

"That's a lot like you," Lillie commented, "Except you know what battles to pick."

Sun chuckled, "Yeah that's true." He held the great ball in his hands and tossed it out.

Rufflet looked a little worn from the capturing battle, but he stared curiously at the two humans.

"Hey buddy," He knelt down while taking out his pokemon refresh kit. "You've got a little bit of sand on ya,"

The eaglet pokemon flapped its wings and flew forward; now much calmer than its belligerent self a couple minutes ago.

Sun took the brush and meticulously, but gently dusted his feathers off. Rufflet had closed its eyes, enjoying the grooming and new attention. When he was done, he happily cried out and flapped his wings in appreciation. It was another surprise when Rufflet came up and half jumped-half flew right into Sun's arms. He caught the pokemon, laughing at the new sign of affection.

"Wow!" The boy smiled again, "You were easy to win over!"

Lillie knew that with the powerful Rufflet on his side; Sun was for sure going to beat the Kahuna on the rematch tomorrow.

She was certain; Elio was a one of a kind trainer.

That'll do it for this chapter! I've got a bit of revamping for the next one planned, but I will see to it that I get it out as soon as possible with the adjustments that I want!

Mahalo for reading and reviewing, you give my writing purpose.

Brav