Alola! Surprise! I'm back with yet another update...and with some interesting news at that.

You all may remember a while back I was taking a business trip down to Las Vegas and helping to train others on specific tasks for my job...well I had an email from the director of the Vegas station who told me that a vacancy had opened up and they would vouch for me if I considered a transfer from Cali.

It's a pretty big decision to make and I have until the last week of this month to decide.

So during my said absence on this site, I took some time off my job and literally went to Vegas to scope the place out and see if it's somewhere I could imagine myself living. Las Vegas is definitely different from California...that's for sure. I'll definitely be talking with friends and family about this opportunity and this new job is a full-time commitment, so I'll have even less frequent times to sit and write.

Speaking of which, we just hit a milestone of 50,000 total views for this story. That's freaking awesome. Thanks to each and every one of you who takes the time to read these chapters I put out on my spare time!

Anyways, personal life stuff aside, I know you all came for the chapter. Here it is. Enjoy.

Professor Burnet is going to bring me over to the Ruins of Life. I just hope I can see Elio again since he went through the tunnel. Those diglett can be quite territorial and while she doesn't battle competitively, Burnet is no stranger to pokemon fighting. We might run into a couple of Aether workers so I have to try and not get spotted or anything!

Would Elio protect me if it came to that?

Because Professor Kukui and Burnet had warned him that Diglett's Tunnel was home to some particularly hardy wild pokemon; Sun and Hau decided that they would take the trip through together. It was a long section, taking almost a couple of hours to completely traverse even when guided by Rotom's GPS routing. There would be lights lining the walls alongside several stations where workers had mining carts since it was still technically a workplace where small pockets of minerals could be mined and harvested. Although it was a route for trainers and an easy way to go between Akala's two biggest cities, there were still wild pokemon living inside and warning signs to inform travelers of venturing through to be properly prepared. Emergency services could only do so much.

Many non-trainers had the option of the longer highway that went around the mountainside. It slid around the east coast of the island before cutting through the center. Konikoni and Heahea shared the second largest airport in Alola; King Kamehameha International situated in a narrow valley about halfway between the two cities along this road.

Sun would've preferred the Diglett's Tunnel anyway. Going through and battling wild pokemon and other trainers sure beat sitting in a car for a couple hours as it winded over the pathways. He also figured some of the scenery was pretty great too, but it didn't beat the opportunity to have his pokemon gain additional strength.

"So there's a Diglett's Tunnel in Kanto?" Hau asked as he and Elio had completed their purchase of medicine and stuffed it into the pockets of their backpacks. This pokemon center in Heahea City was close to the entrance of the tunnel and featured an additional area where heavy duty gear such as waterproof bags, sturdy boots and bright flashlights could be purchased. The tunnel was a short stretch compared to some of the other routes in Alola and Elio had never gone caving before, but he knew that it had a completely different environment from the rest of the region. It was still going to be a lengthy trip.

That meant extra gear was needed.

"Yeah. It stretched between the end of Vermillion City all the way to Pewter." Elio hated that there was no nearby map of Kanto to show him. The overall distance between the two entrances to its Kanto iteration was close to four times as Alola's. "Unlike this one, they generally restrict access unless a trainer has three or more gym badges from the Indigo League. The diglett and dugtrio in there are not to be screwed with. Arena trap is a pain in the ass."

"Arena trap?"

"I can tell you about arena trap! Bzzt!" Rotom said as he circled Sun from behind. "Arena trap izzz an ability that allowz a pokemon to prevent ezzzcape by zwitching out or fleeing!"

"And I have no idea how it works. But my mother went through the tunnel once…and then she said never again."

"That doesn't give me a lot of confidence brah." Hau rolled his eyes while zipping up the pockets.

"We'll be fine." Elio assured him. "Diglett's a ground type. I've got Nani who should be able to deal with them easily." He held up a bluish TM. "Also thought it would be smart to give her a better water attack than water pulse. This baby teaches scald, shooting boiling hot water at a target that could burn it potentially! Hard to believe I know."

"If I get a water type, mind if I borrow that?"

"I don't see why not."

"Well you know." Hau looked like he wanted to say something, but suppressed it since he didn't want anyone else to pick up on their conversation. The boys looked around, seeing most of the other trainers paying little attention or already engrossed in their own tasks. "Because we're…rivals."

"Yeah you're my rival for sure." Elio chuckled. "But you're also my friend. We are friends first, rivals second. And I don't want you to change for me. The best kinds of rivals are those that push one another to do better. You see all those intense rivalries in the professional battling, all that trash talking and eating words…yeah I get it. It's good for competition, but you don't cross that line with bad blood."

Hau nodded, but Sun was pretty sure what he said went right over his head. "It's all good brah. I'm all for helping a brother out."

In more ways than one.

"Not like Gladion right?"

"Who? Oh…yeah. Screw him." Elio said, suddenly remembering what he was talking about in the first place. "Sidetrack aside; we'll be fine. We both have birds that make their ground attacks useless."

"Ground is good against electric." He held out Pikachu's poke ball while using his other hand to stuff fresh fruit in the pocket of his backpack. "So I guess he's gonna get some rest time. My other pokemon besides Eevee…I don't know."

"You caught another pokemon?"

"Yeah I did."

"We'll probably need all the help we can get. It'll work out really well if we run into zubat too. My mother encountered enough in the caves to make her squirm whenever she walks into the dark garage. Based on what she said, I have no doubt we'll see plenty."

"What do you mean by plenty."

"Plenty enough that the muddy ground in there is a thick layer of zubat guano."

Hau looked confused at the term. "What's guano?"

"Rotom, shut up." Elio shoved the haunted 'Dex back into his backpack before it had a chance to explain. "If I told you; you'd lose your appetite for an entire week."

Before they set off for the tunnel, they paid Professor Kukui, Burnet and Lillie a quick visit at the entrance to her apartment. Since they were in the private parking lot of the complex, the blonde had also let out Nebby to play with the other pokemon as the humans grouped together to talk.

Elio stifled a laugh as Lillie threw her arms around him in a fierce hug and squeezing him tightly. She was smiling at him while he internally willed himself not to get lost in her eyes again...or her shapely figure...as he had just began to notice.

"It's not like I'm going to be gone for months!"

"I don't care whether you're leaving for an hour or days. I just need a hug." She smiled before resting her head on his shoulder. "And you said you wanted unlimited hugs. So I can hug you as much as I want in return."

I did say that. And I totally meant it. A hug is enough to brighten my day.

"So just be careful okay Elio?" She released him. "I know you will."

"And I will. We're only being gone for a short while. I hear that Professor Burnet is going to take you to the Ruins. That's where we can meet up."

"Wait really?" Her eyes widened. Clearly she wasn't informed of that.

"Yeah." Burnet put a hand on Lillie's shoulder, resting the other over her stomach. "You might be able to just catch both boys' grand trials."

"I love that!"

"And we do too!" Hau said with Elio nodding in agreement.

"Then you best be on your way." Kukui motioned towards the exit. "Olivia just declared the tunnel back open after those sound anomalies have vanished for the most part."

"So did they find anything?"

"They haven't spotted the source, so it's hard to tell whether or not these intense sound pulses are gone for good. Whatever it is, it's really disturbed the diglett in there. Akahele in there you two."

"Thanks Professor. Alola!"

"Oh wait." Elio stopped him just short after waving goodbye. "I didn't have this problem until recently, but Rockruff has been acting just really aggressive and strange lately."

"Really?" The professor gave him his undivided attention. "How so?"

"Barking and howling randomly and he's already tried to attack some of my other members of my team. I had to exclude him from Mallow's trial."

Kukui crouched low to the ground. "May I see him?"

"Uh sure. Might want to get a pokemon to help guard you. He's very snappy."

Elio hesitantly took out Rockruff's pokeball and released him.

A fresh wave of uncertainty flooded Lillie's body as the normally playful puppy pokemon had vanished. In its place was narrowed piercing blue eyes, bared teeth and a hunched stance as if it was ready to pounce on anything and everything.

She would almost call it cute the way it growled, but there was something more bestial and feral as the creature huffed and stood with its tail on end. Just underneath her, Nebby was quick to hide behind her legs and she picked it up, cradling it close to her chest like a protective mother. The cosmog thought that wasn't enough and surprised her by taking the initiative to dive back into her bag.

Kukui smiled despite the aggressiveness by Rockruff, opening his arms as if forgiving an angry child.

"Professor please be careful." Elio said. "He hasn't tried to bite anyone, but I don't want to take chances."

"Hey Rockruff." He softly whispered, not showing if he heeded Sun's warning. "It's been hard trying to make adjustments right? Yeah I know."

Taking a small step forward, prompted a sharp bark from the small pokemon. This time around it was much more animalistic and unrestrained. Elio almost thought some other creature had possessed his pokemon's body as a vehicle.

"Nothing's wrong with you yeah." Kukui slowly reached out, just as Rockruff snapped his jaws together. The professor was lightning quick, yanking his limb back in time to avoid it getting bitten off. Behind him, Elio, Lillie and Burnet gasped.

Another moment flashed by and Rockruff's aggressive demeanor faded for the quickest of seconds when his eyes went to something more pleading and apologetic.

"Aha!" Kukui pried the ball from Elio's hand and returned the pokemon. "That's all I needed to look at with a miracle eye! Woo!"

He handed it back to the boy, unperturbed by the boy's mouth agape. "Rockruff is going through his adolescence phase in age. You remember like how your mother probably told you in your teenage years that your body and mind will be going through some changes?"

Both of them nodded.

"Well in a pokemon's perspective, Rockruff is going through the same process yeah. It's faster than yours like a rock polish, but he is having difficulty in adjusting. During this process yeah; Rockruff is having the effects of a hormone in his body called testosterone. That's what will make him more swagger aggressive and confrontational."

"Well is there something I can do about it? Like a medicine?"

Kukui shook his head. "Unfortunately no. The best advice I can give you is to let him vent out that type of aggression yeah. He's going to think he can take on bigger and stronger opponents and win."

"I don't want to do that!" Elio cried. "It would be stupid of me to let him get dragged into something that means nothing."

Burnet spoke up. "Elio, you're absolutely right. But there are some times where you have to let your friends and family make those mistakes. It's the only way they'll learn."

Like Dad. Sun felt another pang of regret at the venomous conversation he had with his own father just a few days ago.

"Okay. I just have to let him vent all his aggression and all." He wasn't sure what to make of the new paradoxical information, but he hoped that it would be enough to get a better understanding of Rockruff's "condition"

"This kind of aggressiveness also means that Rockruff might very well evolve soon."

Does this mean he's going to be even worse once that happens?

Though the road signs did point towards Diglett's Tunnel a ways out with arrows pointing to the branched paths, the actual entrance to the cave was rather unspectacular. It was a simple mouth inside the face of a rocky side that curved south along the side of the island with a small spit of land in between it and the water. All along the way, there were small devices spiked into the ground just before one would hit the handful of resort hotels lining the beachside. Elio would later learn that the spikes constantly sent erratic, asymmetrical vibrations through that were completely undetectable by humans and most pokemon. Diglett and their dugtrio evolutions on the other hand; were highly sensitive to movement underground and the effects produced by those devices were unbearable to them. They had become a real pest for the resorts close to the tunnel and the countermeasure was a safe, yet effective way to keep them in check.

Kahuna Olivia Rios was just up ahead past the first light situated at the entrance and deep in conversation with one man and one woman, both nearly identically dressed.

They reminded Elio of that Julian person he had helped out in Brooklet Hill. Both were clad in stark white worker uniforms with cargo pants that had more pockets and fanny packs that he could count. Their hats had the same heavy duty, rugged texture and tucked the woman's loose hair inside.

Their conversation had just concluded as he and Hau approached. Olivia turned to face them, brushing a lock of dark hair out of her eyes before smiling at the two boys approaching. Elio swore he saw that she had a much more concerned expression seconds ago.

"Oh Alola you two!" She greeted them and placed a hand on her hip. "I see that you've both managed to defeat all three of Akala's trials and that means you're ready to take on my grand trial!"

Olivia tipped her hand out as if to showcase the rest of the cave. "This is all really something you know? It was dug entirely by pokemon called diglett and dugtrio. It's overflowing with these pokemon and they are really getting out of hand. It's hard for even the average trainer to go through!"

"We're not ordinary trainers." Elio adamantly declared with Hau nodding in agreement.

The kahuna smiled at the display. "Considering you've defeated all of the trials, you both should have no trouble getting through the caves! You both know your path. You don't need our guidance anymore."

"We've both got pokemon that are strong against ground. I agree."

"Be safe and make sure you use Rotom to call for help if you find yourself in trouble. Once you reach the end of the tunnel, you'll be close to Konikoni City. That's where my shop is located."

"And I have the addrezzz! Bzzt! We're all zet!"

"Just be careful you two." Olivia turned back to the cave's passageway. "You may recall there being a report on a loud sound anomaly few days back. We still haven't found anything, but it's subsided enough for me to declare it safe. Do let me know if you do encounter anything unusual."

She looked about ready to say something else when her phone rang. It was answered by pressing a button on an earpiece.

"This is Rios." Her expression changed to one of concern and it unnerved the two boys. "Here? On Akala? You're sure it's Raijin?" An imperceptible nod. "Of course. Alert the International Police and have law enforcement at full readiness. I want constant updates."

Olivia dismissed the call and glanced back at the boys. "I'm sorry you two, but there's some pressing business that demands my attention. Keep on heading to Konikoni City. We'll meet there and you can have some fun with me!"

"Uh sure." There was just something about the change in Olivia's usually cheerful demeanor that Sun didn't particularly like. She did mask it well. "We'll see you there kahuna."

As he and Hau left the entrance to begin their long journey to their next destination, Elio couldn't stop thinking about that abrupt call.

Raijin…that name.

Why does that name sound familiar?

Professor Kukui wasn't kidding when he said that the local pokemon that inhabited the tunnel were a rough and rowdy bunch. They were first attacked by zubat, who fell quickly as victims to Pikachu's thundershock attack. After the third or so time they had to deal with a group, the electrical discharge became increasingly powerful and Rotom's diagnosis was that Pikachu had learned thunderbolt. That earned him ecstatic praise and a high-five from his trainer.

That wasn't the only surprise after battling the wild pokemon. Some others were trainers going through the tunnel, other trial goers and some of them miners and electricians. Most waved a friendly greeting and some even challenged either one of them to a short battle.

There was still no sign of the odd soundwave pulses that had been described that had previously closed the tunnel down. Yet, something was still driving the local diglett crazy.

Elio had been the first of the two to have an encounter with the local pokemon that gave the passage its namesake. It was nearly identical, except he saw that they had taken a different form in Alola; having strands of blondish hair over their heads.

"Rotom? What's going on with these diglett?" He asked as Nani used her new scald move to wipe out four who had decided to gang up on them at once.

"I'm here at your zzzervice! Bzzt! Diglett. Mole pokemon. Diglett chews on underground plant roots which makes it a pest for farmers attempting to grow crops. However there are some that exploit this trait by planting trees that this pokemon eats to plow fields as it moves underground and its droppings can enrich the soil. Diglett is a ground type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."

"Wow. Hi'ona." Hau breathed as Rotom flashed his screen from the standard Kanto species to the new variant the duo had just encountered in Alola. "It's more of what you see them as…it's how."

"Diglett found in the Alola region have much stronger digging abilities due to the need to bore through harder volcanic rocks. The hair seen at the top of their heads are actually sensory whiskers that function as sensors and communicators with the others of its kind. Alolan diglett are ground and steel type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."

"Hold on a second."

It gets a STEEL typing?

"What sorcery is this?"

The entirety of the subterranean path was a nice contrast to the Rock Tunnel back in Kanto. East of his home in Cerulean City; the passage was pitch black being nearly twice as long in distance if he was reading Rotom's map correct. Any group of trainers going in unprepared were quite common and it made the trek ten times worse if a pokemon in their party didn't know the move flash. Elio knew that it would be a useful thing, but he personally thought a strong headlamp would suffice just as good. Things didn't help either that there were some particularly aggressive species that resided inside the depths such as the massive onix.

There is a reason why a pokemon center was built close to the entrance.

He and Hau had been going through the tunnel for almost an hour when they decided to take a short lunch break. Neither of them brought anything perishable and settled on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with Akala chips. The colorful bags contained "sweet oniony heaven" in Hau's exact words which at first turned Sun off since it sounded as if he was eating a raw onion. However they reminded him of those sour cream chips except more of a sweet flavor like his friend had described. He liked it.

While eating; Elio caught a glimpse of something green flashing deeper within the cave and recognized it as the same shade of his Zygarde Cube given to him from Sina and Dexio. He headed over, hitting a button that sucked the tiny entity right into the device as if it were a long ranged vacuum.

"Was that Zygarde?" Hau was just finishing his own Akala chips when Elio returned and both boys stood back up to resume their walk.

"I don't think so. Awfully small to be a legendary pokemon."

"Uh, is it stupid to think that this mess of strange noises in the cave are because of Zygarde?"

"How's that possible?" Elio asked. They were now beginning to go up a slope in the cave that had handrails on the walls to assist climbers. Even for experienced spelunkers and explorers, the slickness of the muddy floor was enough for anyone to lose their footing. Unlike the outdoors, the sun and heat were notably absent, making them shiver slightly in the still humid air. However the ground remained moist and muddy, already caking the bottom of their rugged boots.

I'm definitely glad I decided on boots over sneakers. Elio glanced down at his legs, noticing that his ankles were covered in the brownish stuff and starting to itch.

A shower is in order once we reach the end.

"Well you know how ferocious legendary pokemon can be." Hau squeaked as his foot slipped. Elio was fast enough, spinning around and grabbing his rival's free arm before he could make a dirty faceplant into the mud.

"You're welcome."

"Yeah thanks."

You'll thank me even more if you find out what this sand and mud is all made of.

"So you're saying that this could be where Zygarde lives?"

"Yeah. Maybe?"

"I don't know. You might be right. Zygarde is a creature only of legend. Sina and Dexio said they had the means to summon it and the cube," He tugged on the tiny device attached to a strap on his backpack like a keychain. "But they were kind of skeptical of its existence. There's only the bare minimum in Kalosian libraries that say anything remotely close."

"So why are you helping them?"

"Nobody's been able to figure out why Zygarde disappeared thousands of years ago. They want to be the first. Most people don't even know what it looks like, with the description of it looking like a snake of sorts."

"Guess that makes sense." Hau said. "I'm sure it's going to be an awesome pokemon when you finish collecting it."

Sun finally reached the top of the slope and hauled a panting Hau after him. He put his hands on his knees breathing heavily before unscrewing the cap on his bottle and taking a long thirsty gulp of water.

"You really think I'll finish it?"

"What can you do brah?" Hau waved his hands around. "Brah…it's more like; what CAN'T you do? You get saved by Tapu Koko of all things, play basketball like you belong in the professionals and you battle as if you've been doing this for years! Not months!"

He had a pretty big grin on his face. The contagious kind that made its way onto Elio's as well.

"Brah, you've been the talk of the entire Alola region! No wonder Lillie's in awe of you. I sure am!"

"Gee, thanks Hau."

"It's what brothers are for right?"

Elio was about to answer when they heard…no felt it.

The pulse came from deeper inside the passage where they were headed. It started as an odd sound barely detectable before suddenly intensifying to a rattling screech. Soundwaves bounced off the rocky walls, growing in strength. Elio and Hau both had their hands instantly fly up to cover their ears in a vain attempt to soften it to a tolerable level.

Sun's teeth were clenched together as tightly as he could possibly do, shutting his eyes and leaning against a wall for support. More pulses of noise dilated and then dropped for just a couple of moments before it picked up again. A flutter of wings almost made him throw himself flat on the floor as a group of zubat departed from their sleeping grounds further into the depths. Something had clearly disturbed them. They were just thankful the common cave pokemon paid them no attention as they fled.

It only lasted for just a few seconds, but it felt like half an eternity for him and Hau. They were still having an irritating ringing sensation that reverberated inside their heads long after the abrupt screaming had died off.

Hau turned to face him; his eyes watering and hands firmly planted to his ears and the back of his head.

"Oh by the tapu…my head hurts."

Elio could only muster a pained moan in reply. "Me…too."

With the ringing still in his head, he found it almost impossible to even think straight.

My head feels like it's gonna explode.

"You…you okay brah?"

"I'll…get…back…to you…on that." More groaning. Damn…it feels like I got hit in the back of my head with a sledgehammer. "I can't hear you."

"I can't hear anything either!"

"I can hear juzzzt fine! Bzzt!"

"Well good for you!"

It took them another ten minutes to recover from the assault on their senses to slowly get back up and continue on their trek. The sassy pokedex indicated that they had roughly another kilometer of cave to cover before they reached the end with the path to Konikoni City.

Their pace was much slower since the concussive sound waves had significantly disoriented them to the point where they stuck close to the wall, using the hand grips or outcroppings to steady themselves strenuously. Hau stuck close to Elio's side and whenever he felt dizzy again, grabbed and leaned on the other boy for support.

Elio was still trying to blink his eyes and clear them of tears when he noticed a pair of figures up ahead that were staggering as if a pair of zombies like them.

"Hey yo!" One of them said in his thuggish tone.

Oh great.

"T-Team Skull!" Hau stuttered. "T-thanks for making me feel all dizzy and…and…weird!"

"Da hell ya talkin about homie?" The second grunt, a female retorted back. "Gotta admit dat dis feels hella good. Almost like we drank seven shots of dat whissssssskey."

"Seven shots?" The male asked. "Brah, are ya okay?"

"Yesssssir."

"Then let's get to stealin pokemon like we do! There's two trainers right in front of us. And they look just as bad!"

Finally. Elio began to feel normal again as the ringing began to subside. His head still spun and tears still stung in his eyeballs, but at least he was beginning to recover somewhat.

"Please don't." He said flatly. "I'm not in any condition to battle and judging how you're staggering like a drunkard, I doubt you are either. Leave me and Hau alone."

"Oh dat name Hau rings a bell! Dat punk Gladion says he's good for nothin!"

Elio almost had to laugh out loud as Hau grinned and gushed at the mention of his name and Gladion. "Little Gladion talks about me? Oh my goodness that's so incredibly sweet. I want to be his friend!"

"Yeah." The female grunt agreed. "He talks all this crap nonsense about…kicking you…sorry loser ass."

"If he says you're weak, I dunno why he put you in the hit list or nothin."

"Enough of this talk!" She removed a poke ball and sent out a small fomantis. "Battle us and be scared yo!"

"Be scared? More like be amused. You're fighting already. The Battle of the Booze." Elio muttered under his breath. He was about to bring out Rufflet when another sharp pain spiked itself into the back of his head. With a grunt, he was kneeling on the ground, grasping his neck and silently screaming for the excruciating pain to subside.

"Brah are you alright?" He was barely hearing Hau next to him.

"Is ya friend gonna be okay?" The male grunt asked. "Does he want some of dis whissssskey? Dat might help him feel better."

"No!" I'm not sipping alcohol until I'm responsible! I promised Mom! "I'm not going to be like you Dad!"

"Ya dad a drunkard too? Like father like son bro!"

"That's not happening!" Why is my head THROBBING so much!

"Sun, you don't look well brah." Hau said. He dropped to his knees leaning over to check his friend, making it about halfway before he felt the same spike in the back of his own head. Judging by the same pained cries from the two grunts; they were feeling it too.

Elio continued to grimace in pain, reaching the point where he actually dropped Rufflet's ball. Through the haze of the scatterbrained thoughts, his hand snaked out to grab it before it could roll away from him.

"I knew we should've stole all dat fruit!"

The female grunt's fomantis looked curiously to the four humans before it deduced the reasoning behind it being brought out. Hau pulled out Pikachu's ball while on his own knees and sending him out to battle.

"Fomantis use…I don't care what! Just make this noise go away already!"

"You too Salandit!" The male grunt sent out his gray lizard to join the fight. "These little twerpish island challengers are making me angry!"

The noise is gone, but my head is still ringing. I need to help Hau.

"Rufflet!" He brought out his bird. "Help Pikachu!"

The small featured pokemon glanced back at him in apprehension.

"I don't care what move you use! Just take them out!"

Thankfully like all of Elio's pokemon; Rufflet knew just enough to fight briefly on his own. Pikachu took a fury cutter from the fomantis, however this had backfired since the mouse pokemon's static had come into play, effectively paralyzing it. Rufflet soared overhead before he swooped down with his wings glowing to knock it out of the fight.

The salandit wasn't deterred by the defeat of its partner and fired an ember that caught him mid-flight. Rufflet flapped his wings furiously to beat out the flames that burned part of his feathers and dove again.

Pikachu was ahead of him, striking the bandit lizard with a quick attack and just as he vanished back to Hau's side, the well-timed aerial ace was right there, striking home to take it out just as easily.

"How can this be bro?" The male grunt shook his head as they recalled their pokemon. "Just when things were startin to heat up yo. I got surrounded by these stupid diglett and beat up yo! We still headed to the grave yo?"

"What?" The female grunt shot him an embarrassed look. "Since when can diglett use beat up?"

These two are definitely drunk. If I haven't established that already.

"And will our bones be laid bare, yo?"

"You ain't getting laid at all bro!"

Head's clearing up just a little bit.

"Great job Hau. Did you even issue a command to Pikachu?"

"What? No. I can't even issue a command to myself. But man, when I battle with you as a partner, it feels like even my pokemon are more at ease! You're definitely a one of a kind trainer!"

Elio grunted and hit his temple with his palm. The ensuing pain from that was just enough to clear the rattling fog from his head. "For what it's worth, yes. Same to you man. I've been working on instructing my pokemon to fight by themselves."

"Hey! Don't you dare ignore us! We may not be tryin to take over the world or nothin, but we're still hard as bone out here!"

"And we're all here going deaf." Sun's snark was back. "So if you don't mind. I'm going to see a doctor so I don't lose my hearing once this is done."

"Aww man. You should've stolen all the fruit from dat trainer."

Stole fruit.

"How was I supposed to know?"

"We steal stuff remember?"

"You guys stole fruit?" Elio was almost ready to laugh out loud from that. He knew that Skull liked to steal money, pokemon and other valuables. Fruit on the other hand was trivially abundant as the rattata who were constantly trying to steal it.

"Yeah bro. We hungry and felt like robbin some fools. Didn't have it for long though since somethin in this cave stole it from us."

"Wait, you're telling me that something made a thief out of thieves?" Hau asked.

"No honor among them remember?"

"Oh yeah that's right."

"Whatever punks." The female grunt crawled over and sat on the floor next to her partner. "We just gonna sit here and hope it goes away soon. Maybe boss or Plumes will find us."

"Then we better finish this." The male grunt produced a half-full glass bottle that had an amber liquid inside. "Ya sure ya trainers don't want this? It'll make ya angry at da shit the island challenge makes ya go through."

"Not touching it." Elio looked towards the far end of the cavern and pulled Hau with him. "I think it's time to take our leave. Feel free to knock yourselves out." He saw the male grunt sip and move farther away when the female one tried to lunge for the bottle. "Literally."

"See ya on the flip side!" Hau waved.

"See ya guys! Bottoms up!"

"That's kind of funny and odd." Hau was just trailing behind Elio as their heads finally got even more clearer of the white noise that echoed within their head. "Those two grunts didn't seem like the normal Team Skull thugs we're used to finding. They actually seemed like actual people."

"Two drunk people." Elio's tone made it sound as if he didn't want to talk any of it. "I'm surprised they managed to stay upright and bring out a pokemon. That combined with whatever hell sonic soundwave we're enduring down here. I do have to give them props for that."

"You're missing my point." The noise anomalies had finally died off and with their own thoughts able to be heard uninterrupted, they set back on their course that took them nearly out of the cave. "What if we don't finish the island challenge?"

"Hau, don't."

"I'm serious. A lot of those people from Team Skull didn't finish the island challenge in time. They went home as failures and their families shunned them and cast them out."

"They did?"

Hau gave a solemn nod. "Yeah. It's horrible. One moment, you see people sending their trainers off on a happy-go-lucky adventure and the next they're denouncing them as their kids because they came back not completing this. I was all so excited to on a journey with my pokemon and we meet these guys, all a reminder of what could happen if we don't finish. What if I don't finish? What will gramps think of me?"

"I'm going to stop you right there Hau." Elio said. "The island challenge is not all about being the best in the world. Professor Kukui said it himself back at his lab. It's a rite of passage that us teenagers go through in learning lessons about life once we're adults…heck, even now! And you're not a failure Hau. You're my best friend. You definitely succeeded at that!"

"I thought Lillie was your best friend."

"She is. But…well…it's complicated."

"She's more than your best friend?"

"Don't you dare put this on me brah."

"I'm just screwing with you." Hau chuckled. "But you're right. It's still going to linger at the back of my head until I'm finally done with it."

"Yeah." Elio laughed right back at him. "Me too. And remember, we're in this together. If I'm farther up the mountain, you bet your ass I'm helping you. I'll carry you if I have to."

"You'd carry me?"

"Bridal style."

"No." A mischievous grin found its way onto Hau's soft features. "You'd carry Lillie bridal style. I'd be the fireman on the back."

Damn you Hau. Elio thought as he felt his face heat up at the mention of that. He knows Lillie is my weakness.

"That's because you can't help it."

"Shut up Hau."

"Oh yeah? I think I got you good! You totally have a crush on Lillie!"

"I thought we already established that! Shut up already!"

"Bro, Leilani is going to have a field day when she finds out!"

"Hau!" Elio lunged over, clamping a firm hand over the other boy's mouth in an attempt to quiet his teasing. "Stop it!"

He only got muffled chuckles in response, leading him to realize that vehemently denying it even more made it clear that it was that much truer.

"Stop!" Elio hissed through his teeth. "Listen!"

Hau finally quieted down, but still shot him a knowing smirk, telegraphing that the discussion was far from over. He knew it too.

It was there. Barely perceptible, but there nonetheless. A wailing cry that echoed off the cave's walls

"What is that?"

"I don't know. But I've been hearing enough weird stuff lately. Let's get out of here."

"Could it be a pokemon?" Hau cocked his head as they strained to listen further.

"Maybe." Elio had a feeling if they tried to hear it even more; they'd get that strange concussion sensation again and make it feel ten times worse.

The wail came again and since both boys were expectant of the noise, they were able to get a better bearing on where it originated. Hau's gaze drifted to one of the sides. "There."

The passageway he was referring to was much narrower than the ones they had been going down recently. Parts of it were only small enough to fit through if the boys turned sideways and squeezed into the gaps. More diglett inhabited these areas and they were the usual hostile, considering that this part of the tunnel didn't get much human interaction unlike the more traversed paths. Now that he knew of its steel typing; Elio gave Torracat some work, sending most of them packing with flame charges and fire fangs while leading the way. Hau and his Pikachu took care of the few zubat who tried to harass them.

Eventually, the winding path began to slope up until it reached an abrupt end where the two boys had to crawl on their hands and knees up to the uppermost spot. The chamber after that was incredibly small and neither of them could stand up to their full height due to the low proximity of the ceiling.

Hau noticed something different along the floor of the cave and shined his light over what looked to be the remains of a berry seed and tiny bits of its reddish flesh.

"Look." Elio pointed.

It was a tiny pokemon in the corner glancing apprehensively at them through fearful golden eyes. Batlike in appearance, the purplish fur was matted in some spots and it spread its wings out, shaking.

"Woah."

"I got thizzz boyzz!" Rotom popped out of Elio's bag and nearly hit itself on the low ceiling. "New pokemon detected! Bzzt! Noibat. Sound wave pokemon. Noibat's favorite food is fruit and it uses ultrasonic waves to determine only the ripest ones that it eats. Noibat is a flying and dragon type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."

"A noibat?" Hau looked over at it again. "That's awesome. I had no idea that you could find one in Alola!"

Rotom swiveled to face him before looking back at the creature. "Actually, noibat are native to the Kalos region! Bzzt! However recordzzz do zhow zpecimenzzz have appeared in the Verdant Cavern of Melemele Island in very tiny numberzzz."

How come I didn't see one? I could've gotten a dragon…and I still don't have one. Maybe this one will want to join my team? But I already have a flying type.

"Hi noibat." Elio inched forward, trying to look as nonthreatening as he possibly could. The tiny pokemon merely cowered even further away.

It's not working.

"Elio wait." Hau stopped him. "Look, he's scared. If noibat are on Melemele Island, what is this one doing here on Akala?"

"Maybe he got lost?"

"Beats me. But look at him. He's hungry and afraid. I bet this is why we felt bad earlier. This guy's supersonic waves."

"What can we do? I've got medicine, but that's about it."

"I have fruit."

Wait a second. It loves fruit!

"Heh," Elio noticed the bits of eaten berries in the alcove. "I guess we found our thief from the thieves. Did an interesting job against those numskulls. But it's not that hard to swipe food from two drunkards."

"I still have some berries with me." Hau rifled through the pockets in his backpack, finally showing some of the golden sitrus fruits. Opposite him, the bat perked up at the sight of the food, but kept to itself.

"It's all good hoa." He slowly inched his hands forward with the berries. Noibat looked at it with wide eyes and an eagerness he hadn't seen before. Slowly it stepped with prudence, wiggling its ears while remaining to stare intently at the food presented to it.

It timidly nudged the berry and at Elio's insistence; Hau set it on the ground. Uncertainty was still in its demeanor as it glanced furtively at the two humans and offering. Thus far, neither of them had made any move to hurt or injure it. Just something about them seemed trustworthy.

Noibat nibbled the berry's side before taking a firmer bite after it deemed it satisfactory for its tastes.

"Tasty huh?" The darker skinned boy asked with a cheeky grin.

"Guess he likes it."

The noibat let out a cry of approval before biting off more chunks of the fruit. They watched it in silence as it finished off the food, settling back down and moving over to them.

"Are you lost buddy?" Hau asked. He hesitantly reached out; knowing at any moment the creature could do something to hurt him. Beside him, Elio silently watched.

Fortunately enough, it seemed comfortable and allowed him to wrap his hands around its body and bring it close to his chest. He cradled it as if it were a small child. Noibat was sniffing around and curled up, bringing its eyes slowly closed to fall asleep.

"If we weren't caked in guano right now," Sun began. "I'd call that cute."

"He is so cute though!" Hau laughed. "Maybe he does need some help."

"For a pokemon that appeared malnourished, I'm surprised he was restrained when eating. If I was that hungry, I'd be inhaling my food like a vacuum."

"Me too. I did that with malasadas once and then I felt sick."

Big surprise. Elio smirked back at him. "So how many did you stomach?"

"Eight in five minutes."

"Thinking about that that is enough to make me feel sick already."

"I know right?" Hau tucked the noibat under his arm as he was helped down from the upper ledge. "Come on, let's get going."

Sure enough, the end of the cave was within sight. They knew it too, sensing that the elevation of the cave was beginning to rise again after their initial descent into its depths. The cold dank air was beginning to give way to the familiar humidity that permeated even this far down.

Strangely Elio had paid the steamy heat no heed prior to entering the tunnels. He figured he was fully adjusted to the humid hot weather if he didn't feel uncomfortable. Now having it absent for several hours was noticeable enough for him. The caked mud on his legs itched like crazy and he forcibly resisted the urge to scratch them off. He didn't want any marks or welts on his legs if he could help it.

Noibat was sleeping soundly in Hau's arms as he trudged behind Elio. He gently pat its head to keep it calm in its slumber, assuring it that a pokemon center in Konikoni City could help it out and give it a proper checkup before letting it back into the wilds.

Along another slope where a pinprick of daylight shed onto the glossy rocks, they had heard some more voices talking amongst themselves. Silently, both boys wielded another poke ball in case of the need to battle again. Both of their parties had seen plenty of action thanks to both the restlessness of the locals in the cave and other battle-mongering trainers. Elio was thankful initially that they didn't sound like the Team Skull grunts they ran off earlier, but smoother voices that talked with much more prominent civility than the villainous lingo that made zero sense.

There were two of them, clad in matching white uniforms with big utility belts and fanny packs around their waists. Parts of gold metal trimmed the straps and buckles that seemed to somehow shine in the dark confines. One of them; the woman with close cropped dark hair held a big tablet that lit up their faces from the glow in the dark confines.

"Phew. With Olivia in charge, we've finally managed to make some headway against those diglett."

"Yeah," Her partner said, "We'll keep you monitored on their activity, but we have not detected any difference for at least a half hour. That's the longest it's gone."

Elio deduced that they were speaking to someone on the screen and listening through something like earpieces that kept him from hearing the other side of the discussion. Both remained silent before the man spoke again, "No. We've got no update on that front. We haven't found either of the escapee or the asset. Of course. We'll keep looking. Expedition Team Castle out."

The boys had thought nothing of the discussion and decided to keep on going since they appeared to be no major threat.

What were they talking about? Escapee and asset?

At his insistence, they moved to make some noise and announce their presence; rounding the corner and attracting the attention of both uniformed adults.

"Oh Alola!" The woman waved her hands out in the traditional greeting. Almost sighing out loud in relief since they didn't want to battle, Sun gave a polite smile before returning the gesture.

"We're members of the Aether Foundation. We work to support pokemon conservation."

"Oh cool," Sun remembered running into a small building on the island's northern part, "I helped some of you guys up north who were collecting data on feebas." He patted Nani's poke ball, "In fact, you guys indirectly helped me catch one!"

"Well thank you for your help and glad we could help in return! That's what trainers do!" The woman happily said, "It seems like Team Skull was responsible for agitating all these diglett and bringing them up to the surface! They're this group of troublemakers and they seem to delight in interfering with trainers and their pokemon."

"I ran into a couple of them a ways back. They were pretty easy to beat."

The male employee nodded, "The diglett seem to have settled down then, thanks to your effort. They normally live in elaborate systems of underground passageways that can take years to dig out. We're here to help ensure that they return to their homes and let people pass through here without having to fight so many big masses of pokemon. It doesn't just mess up diglett's habitat, it can interfere with other species as well."

"Maybe it was because of this guy." Hau pulled his arm to show the sleeping pokemon in his arms.

"Oh my!" The woman exclaimed. "A noibat?! I've never seen one on Akala!"

"We found him in a small area just off the path back there." Elio pointed back. "He looked like he was hungry and scared. Gave him some fruit."

"That actually explains the strange soundwave anomalies we've been experiencing for the past days."

"Right." The man nodded in agreement. "And the same thing that's been riling up these diglett. We thought it was Team Skull."

"You mean the two farther in the cave? They're way too hammered now to cause any more ruckus."

"This is great news! Now we can finally and hopefully monitor the cave in case this happens again. You kids did us and the Aether Foundation a huge favor in helping out!" The man took the pad and typed a few things on the screen. "I'll be sure to put in a good word for you both to our administrators!"

"Some of the diglett are still wandering around on the surface, so be careful!" The woman said, "If you're heading for Konikoni City, then head down this way," She pointed to the lit corridor with the sunlight visible on the roads ahead. "It's about another ten minute walk to the route that leads to its front."

"Yeah take care of that noibat kid." The man said, gesturing to the peacefully sleeping creature in Hau's arms. "I think that one's comfortable around you."

Sun nodded, "Will do. Thanks!"

"Alola!" They waved before beginning to head down a separate way.

"Alola!"

"Pretty noble people." Elio admitted after they headed further back into the tunnel when they were out of earshot. They seemed nice. Sun thought as he saw the light of the tunnel's exit approaching as they parted ways from the Aether associates. It's good to hear that there are people who are trying to undo all the chaos Team Skull is wrecking. I still feel like they were not just in here for the diglett's disturbances. Are they looking for something? Someone?

"Yeah I agree." Their musings were interrupted when the noibat flapped its wings and opened its eyes. They grew wide with excitement at finally seeing the exit. "Hey buddy. Must be great finally seeing you're almost out!"

Noibat chirped happily and nuzzled Hau's arm, making the boy laugh.

"Yeah you've been a great friend. A great, needy friend."

"That noibat really likes you Hau." Sun pointed out. "Maybe you should catch it."

"Catch it?" He looked back at the little pokemon. It flapped its wings and took off to stand in front, looking first to Elio and then to Hau. As if it was making a lifelong decision, it made its way over to him.

The two of them stared at one another for what seemed to be an eternity. At the same time, Elio felt the dried mud on his shins itch again.

Argh! STOP it!

"Are you gonna catch the damn thing or not?"

"What do I do? Battle it?"

"Isn't that what Kukui taught us to do?!" I feel like gouging that itch out with my Ranger knife!

"I'll just throw a ball." Hau grumbled while taking an empty poke ball from his pack. Activating the capture matrix inside, he flung it squarely ahead, hitting his target directly. The device recognized the noibat's signature, activating and sucking the creature in before settling on the ground. It wobbled once, twice and then a third time before settling. An audible snap came from the button to signify a successful capture.

"Yes! Aww yeah baby!" Hau made a fist and jumped up and down while raising his newest teammate into the air. "I caught me a noibat!"

"Wooo!" Rotom waved his arms around to join in the celebration with an imitation of Professor Kukui. "Analyzing! Bzzt! Your noibat is a male and knows the moves; gust, supersonic, agility and air cutter. Its ability is infiltrator, which allows it to attack through protective barriers such as substitute, light screen and reflect!"

"Congrats brah. Now can we get to a shower before I ask Torracat and Rufflet to scratch my legs raw?"

"Way to be a party-pooper. Why don't you just use your fingernails like ordinary people."

"In that? Hell no."

"Why is it so bad?" Hau asked. "It's guano right?"

"Do you even know what guano is?"

"No."

"I'll show you." Elio squatted down and made the motion as if he was pulling down his shorts. Part of him got amused when Hau made a disgusted face as he put two and two together.

"And this is all that?"

"Yes."

"Okay, I didn't need to know that. Now I'm going to lose my appetite for a whole week!"

"You were the one who asked about it. And we're still standing in who-knows how much feet of it solidified. So I think it's best we get out of here."

Hau rolled his eyes, smiling but also slightly irritated at his best friend ruining the moment he had at catching a new partner. "I swear you lost your manners while in the womb."

This was sure a fun and interesting chapter to write. Konikoni City is right around the corner! The name Raijin has appeared for the second consecutive chapter and we get a glimpse at the Aether Foundation, a group dedicated to Pokemon conservation and the welfare of their relationship with trainers! Of course we'll be seeing them much more as the game goes on!

Translations:

Akahele - Watch out/Be careful

Hi'ona - Fascinating

Hoa - Friend

As always; mahalo for reading and reviewing. You give my writing purpose. See you all next time.

Brav