Indulgence: Alola - ActivatedNeuronSensei - Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (2024)

Chapter 1: Patch Notes and Introduction

Chapter Text

Indulgence; Alola Chapter

Allow me to formally welcome you to Indulgence, hopefully a series of fanfics of my Self-Insert character venturing through all kinds of worlds and such on a lengthy adventure of discovery and friendship. This will include him being a gary-stu to an extent in terms of abilities, though I aim to have it be reasonable when people like or dislike him.

This will be a harem-fic eventually, and I hope to do it in a way that’s not too out of place. I’m going to do my best not to bog down the female leads with an abundance of women, but we’ll see how that goes. As of writing this, my ideas are still taking shape. I do hope to eventually send the MC to Genshin, which we all know is a mess of characters on account of being a gacha game. I also hope to make the romances at least somewhat grounded, and am expressly avoiding explicit smut. I may write a side-fic for that, but we’ll see how that goes.

On the topic of romances, there will be eventual pok é philia within this series. It won’t be explicitly in this fic, though it may toe the line, but will exist further on in the future. I will have some justification for the matter, and it won’t be Human-x-Pok é mon on the technical sense, but I plan on including Pok é mon Mystery Dungeon as a sequel, so take that how you will. If that kind of thing bothers you, this fic should be relatively safe for you, and while I can only ask you to give future fics a chance, all I can do is ask.

In terms of plot, this entire series is more of a ‘journey’ rather than ‘destination’ kind of story. It’s about a boy making friends, becoming stronger, and discovering what he wants from his own life. If that kind of thing bores you, then I hope you can find enjoyment within this fic, or find one better suited to your tastes.

This entire thing is a passion project to me. I do it for free in my spare time because I love writing, and I love this world I’m building and the characters I’m having the joy of watching come to life. It’s not gonna be perfect, and there’ll be plenty of plot holes and such. I understand that may frustrate you. I ask that you review so I can fill some holes I may have left, and we can work together to make this a fun fic you can look back fondly on.

Thank you so much for all of your support, and I hope to continue earning your support in the future.

Much appreciated,

ActivatedNeuronSensei

Patch Notes for this Fic (6/11/2024)

- Chapter 1:

Adjusted I*P*C to I*A*C

De-capitalized the names of Pokémon not being used as proper nouns

Fixed various spelling errors

Re-wrote ‘pokeballs’ as ‘poké balls’

Added é to Pokémon and poké ball

- Chapter 2:

Adjusted I*P*C to I*A*C

Fixed various spelling errors

Re-wrote ‘pokeballs’ as ‘poké balls’

Added é to Pokémon and poké ball

De-capitalized the names of Pokémon not being used as proper nouns

Changed ‘Leaf Stone’ to ‘Sun Stone

- Chapter 3:

Adjusted I*P*C to I*A*C

Fixed various spelling errors

Re-wrote ‘pokeballs’ as ‘poké balls’

Added é to Pokémon and poké ball

De-capitalized the names of Pokémon not being used as proper nouns

- Chapter 4:

Adjusted I*P*C to I*A*C

Fixed various spelling errors

Re-wrote ‘pokeballs’ as ‘poké balls’

Added é to Pokémon and poké ball

De-capitalized the names of Pokémon not being used as proper nouns

- Chapter 5:

Adjusted I*P*C to I*A*C

Fixed various spelling errors

Re-wrote ‘pokeballs’ as ‘poké balls’

Added é to Pokémon and poké ball

De-capitalized the names of Pokémon not being used as proper nouns

- Chapter 6:

Adjusted I*P*C to I*A*C

Fixed various spelling errors

Re-wrote ‘pokeballs’ as ‘poké balls’

Added é to Pokémon and poké ball

De-capitalized the names of Pokémon not being used as proper nouns

- Chapter 7:

Adjusted I*P*C to I*A*C

Fixed various spelling errors

Re-wrote ‘pokeballs’ as ‘poké balls’

Added é to Pokémon and poké ball

De-capitalized the names of Pokémon not being used as proper nouns

Changed ‘mommy’ and ‘daddy’ from Lily to ‘mama’ and ‘papa’, respectively

Added an additional ‘Uncle Aggron’ to Lily’s interaction with Aggron

- Chapter 8:

Adjusted I*P*C to I*A*C

Fixed various spelling errors

Re-wrote ‘pokeballs’ as ‘poké balls’

Added é to Pokémon and poké ball

De-capitalized the names of Pokémon not being used as proper nouns

Added a line break for clarification

- Chapter 9:

Re-wrote ‘pokeball’ as ‘poké ball’

Added é to Pokémon and poké ball

- Chapter 10:

No changes as of yet

Chapter 2: Egg

Chapter Text

I*A*C

Death was... certainly not what I expected. It was warm, and there was a soft thumping sound every few moments. I'd been hit by a truck trying to shove a child out of the way. He'd been playing street hockey with his friends, and had noticed too late that they'd cleared off the road. I'd walked out just in time to see what was about to happen, and just... acted. Some people call that a heroic trait. I'd like to believe them. Though I'm not sure that's really the case. In a moment like that, you have a split second decision to "do something" or "do nothing", and I've always raised myself to do the former. Even when it's a really, really dumb idea.

I guess saving a kid isn't what you'd call dumb, but to me it was. It was dumb because it was preventable. I could have come out earlier, like I'd originally planned, or even just warned the kids to be aware of their surroundings. I didn't really talk much with others aside from my coworkers and my wife, and what kind of creep would people take me for if I just walked out and talked to them like that? I know that inherently there wasn't anything wrong with it, but society...

Well, I guess I didn't really have to worry about that, now. I was dead. No getting around that. At least, I hoped I was. Don't get me wrong, I'd miss my wife and life, but she still had her family to help her get over me being dead, and I didn't want to saddle her with thousands in medical bills; especially since I was the only one of us who worked. No, this was probably the best possible outcome aside from me being able to get out of the way on time. Damn, if only I'd kept up my cardio.

I felt my world shudder. That was weird. I was dead. I was supposed to end up in Heaven or something, right? I mean, my faith isn't the strongest out of everyone I've met, but I was kind of banking on 'good enough' being a thing. This didn't seem like a torturous enough existence to be Hell. The world shuddered again, and I felt myself... sliding. My mind raced through the possibilities before it landed on one. The most likely. Warm space. Rhythmic beating. Finally, screaming as cool air and light began to hit the top of my head. I felt something cushion me as I gazed up at a sterile white ceiling and a masked man wearing scrubs held me aloft. I stared at him. He stared at me. I did the only thing I could think of.

I*A*C

"It's a very healthy baby boy, miss Halui!" the doctor, Doctor Kahu, told her. "And he's got quite the healthy pair of lungs on him!"

The child screamed into the open air. Not quite crying, but this was good enough for the doctor and nurses to determine the baby was healthy. The sun-kissed woman smiled over at her baby boy. Her precious baby boy. She gently held the infant in her arms. Nine long months, and here he was. After that silly one-night stand of hers, she'd been terrified of being a mother, but now he was here, and she couldn't think of being anything else.

"Do you have a name in mind for him, miss Halui?" Dr. Kahu asked. "We can wait, if you'd want. I'm sure you'd like some time to recover."

"No, no, I have a name," Kaliope Halui replied, still a bit breathless from labor. "Taiyo. It's from Johto, it means 'Sun.'" The doctor nodded, and the nurse wrote the name down for the woman. Taiyo Halui.

"A very interesting choice, miss," the doctor commented, but Kaliope opted not to explain further, much to his visible disappointment. Taiyo's father had been from Johto, visiting family in Malie City on Ula'Ula Island, and she'd been invited to a party by some old school friends. The twenty-year-old woman had had a bit too much to drink, met a very handsome stranger, and... well, here she was, nine months later. She hadn't even gotten the man's full name before he'd left. It was... unfortunate, but she'd have to make do. Thankfully, she had a job at the Hano Grand Resort, and they were quite kind to put her on maternity leave for a year or two until she could work again. She also had several friends and coworkers that she could rely on for help. It wasn't perfect, but it was a plan. Honestly, having a kid was always part of her plan. She was a pretty young woman, with silky black hair and soft brown eyes, as well as a lovely hourglass figure. Or at least, she used to. Still, getting pregnant this soon was the abnormality, here.

"Well," the doctor continued, drawing Kaliope from her thoughts when it seemed like she wasn't about to answer his curiosity. "You get some rest with your child, and we'll be right back to ensure he and you are both healthy."

"Thank you doctor," Kaliope responded, looking down at the baby boy resting in her arms. Little baby Taiyo. She cooed and gently bounced him in her arms, his screaming having since ceased as he looked up at her with soft green eyes. Like his mommy, but with his daddy's color. He was... oddly calm for a baby, not screaming or crying, but not babbling, giggling, or anything else those books had said he should be like. "You're mommy's very calm baby boy, aren't you, Taiyo?" she asked softly, not expecting a response. His eyes seemed to scrunch up, though, which was cute. "Are you gonna be a good boy for mommy and not cause her any more stress?" she asked as well, giggling at the pleasant thought. No, knowing her, her kid was going to be a hellion. Still, this would be nice while it lasted.

I*A*C

"I don't know, Cass," Kaliope muttered as she watched her little boy sit on the sand, gently poking at a visiting Pokémon Trainer's shellder on its shell. Her four-year-old son seemed to be deliberately avoiding the Pokémon's tongue and body, and the Pokémon itself seemed to be indulging him by closing its shell whenever he poked it, and popping its face back into the open when the finger was removed. The Pokémon's trainer was nearby, but Kaliope was keeping an eye on her boy as well. Just in case. "The doctor says he's normal, and that it's probably just a phase, but... I'm really worried about him."

"You've been worrying about him since he turned two, Kali," Cassie told her friend, the cute blonde taking another sip of her sangria from its glass. "So he's a little quiet and likes to spend more time around Pokémon and their trainers than kids his age, so what? All kids think Pokémon are cool. Let him think they're safe for just a bit longer."

"But it's that he keeps asking questions that I have no idea how to answer!" Kali protested, lowering her voice after seeing a couple nearby shoot her a glare for yelling. "He keeps asking things like 'How smart are they', 'Do we eat them', 'If a Thunderpunch hits a Hydro Pump, does the move's typing affect how they interact', stuff like that! I wouldn't even know what type those moves are if they didn't include those little hints in the name!" Kali huffed, catching her breath as Cassie took another long sip of her drink. "He's four, Cass! He already has the type chart memorized, knows at least the bare basics when it comes to any Pokémon he comes across, and every time we watch those tournaments on the TV, at his insistence by the way, he always has some kind of idea who's gonna win and why!"

"I mean, so your kid is a genius?" Cassie tried to suggest with a shrug, earning an unamused glare from her best friend of ten years. "I dunno what to tell you, girl, he doesn't seem like some kind of sociopath, or psychic, or whatever."

"And that's why I'm worried," Kali finally admitted with a sigh. "You know my grades sucked in primary school. Honestly, I'm pretty sure his dad was some kind of hobo." She looked back out at her child, now commanding the shellder to freaking use Water Gun. And it responded. "He has this... second nature with Pokémon. I've never seen anything like it. Even when my dad brought home an eevee when I was a kid, he had a hell of a time trying to train it not to attack through the window every time it saw something it considered a threat. Tai just... picked it up one day from watching TV and passing trainers battling around the resort."

"So he's that smart, huh...?" Cassie was now watching her son with rapt interest as well. "So are you gonna bring home a Pokémon for him or something? I mean, that kind of skill has gotta be used, don'tcha think?"

"I don't know," Kali shook her head, already feeling hesitation welling up inside of her at the thought. Being a trainer... every kid wants to be one. But as you get older and realize just how dangerous it is... Well, Pokémon Rangers are a thing for a reason. Not only are wild Pokémon as likely to eat you as they are to leave you alone, but what if you get on the wrong side of some jackass who's had a bad day? It's not uncommon for trainers to go missing, never to be seen again. "I don't want to think about it right now. Arceus, the Island Trials themselves are going to drive me to an early grave. He's been asking about those, too, Cass. I don't want him to do them... Did you know that ten kids last year died from getting attacked by wild Pokémon!?"

Cass winced, obviously remembering. "Yeah, it was a huge scandal all over the news. Unprecedented, they called it," she remembered out aloud. "They had to shut the entire thing down because of it. I hear the remaining kids are gonna try again this year."

"Only four of them are," Kali corrected her friend, who took another sip from her now almost empty drink. Kaliope glanced back at the beach as the trainer with her son seemed to have left, leaving Tai to stand at the water's edge, staring out into the ocean. She watched as some kids invited him to play with them, probably a family on vacation, but he turned them away with a sorry expression. Not that the kids seemed to care. "The rest decided to drop out of it and not become trainers." Kali and Cassie remained silent for a few minutes, each of them caught up in their own thoughts.

"There are times when he acts like a normal kid," Kali spoke up, her friend's eyes wandering back to her. "At least, he pretends to. When we're with my family, or he's with me at the resort because I can't afford a babysitter for him that night. He smiles, he laughs, he asks these... stupid, dumb questions. Like what Pokémon is on the TV or whatever. I know he knows. He knows that I know he knows. It's just so... urgggh!" Kali growled in frustration, though the feeling was quickly lost. "I asked him why, and he just stared at me, Cassie. He told me he was sorry. For not being a normal kid. Arceus dammit, he f*cking knows!" Kali didn't shout this time, keeping it hushed, but she wanted to. "He knows he's not... not normal, and he apologized to me for it! I don't... he was so sad, Cass, you don't understand. My son, my little Tai..."

Cassie was silent, obviously taken aback by the new information, but not knowing what to say. "Kali, I-" she tried.

"No, no, it's fine," Kali shook her head, watching as her son left the shoreline and slowly walked back up to the beach to where she and Cassie were sitting near the tiki bar. "I just needed to get that off my chest. It's been weeks, and it's just... it's been eating me up, you know?"

"Mom," her son spoke up before Cassie could respond.

"Yes, sweetie?" Kali asked, her previous indignation wiped from her face. She knew she couldn't hide them from him, though, but he let her pretend. "Is something the matter?"

He held out his left hand, where a bright red line raged across his palm. He pointed at the shore with his other hand.

"I got too close to a tentacool," he told her, entirely too calm for a boy his age. Kali noticed in the corner of her eye Cassie staring at him like he'd grown a second head. "Can we go use the first aid kit from the clinic?"

"Oh, honey," Kali sighed, but got up hurriedly from her seat. "Sorry, Cass, I'll be right back," she told her friend, who waved her off to let her know she understood. "Let's get you inside, alright sweetie? We'll get this looked at, and I want you to stay away from the shoreline for the rest of the day, alright?"

"Okay, mom," he replied entirely too easily. He should be throwing a fit. "Is it okay if I go see the battle courts?" Kali bit her lip as she carried her son back to the resort, the boy taking care not to close his left hand or press it against anything. "I promise I won't get too close. I just wanna ask some of the trainers some questions."

"As long as that's all you'll be doing," Kali agreed after some thought. They walked silently as she took him inside and to the clinic. The nurse, Leia, gave them a wave as she treated some guy with sunburn. She and Tai had been here far too often for her liking. She already knew where the antivenoms and bandages were.

Tai sat on one of the chairs as Kaliope knelt in front of him, already practiced in curing ailments from Tentacool stings and other minor injuries her son had acquired over the last year. They were quiet the entire time as Tai watched her.

"I'm sorry, mom," he spoke up as she was wrapping the bandages around his hand.

"Whatever for, sweetie?" she asked, not sure if she was going to like the answer.

"You and Cassie were talking about me, weren't you?" he answered her question with a question of his own. "I saw you two watching me on the beach. I didn't want to interrupt." She'd be okay with that. She'd be happy, even. She'd never be upset with him interrupting her. Pulling on her arm as she tried to talk to her friend. Running up to her with pure, unrestricted joy in his eyes. Kali said nothing. "I'm sorry I'm not what you expected me to be." Kali embraced her son before she could snip the leftover bandages, shaking her head slowly.

"Don't you ever say that, Taiyo," she told him, speaking softly to not be overheard while trying to hold back the tears in her eyes. "Just... stop saying you're sorry. You're my son, alright? I don't care what you or anyone else thinks. You're my baby boy, and I know sometimes I don't- I can't understand you or what you talk about or what you ask me, but I love you, okay?" She pulled herself back, forcing herself to meet his eyes, and forcing him to do the same with her. "You have nothing to be ashamed of. In fact... mommy's sorry that she can't... I'm sorry I can't understand you. Will you forgive me?" The two were silent for a few moments before Taiyo nodded.

"Of course," he said. "You're my mom, and you take care of me and love me. I don't think I could ask for a better mom." That got the tears flowing as Kali hugged her son again, laughing through the crying.

"You're darn right, buster," she said through the laughter, and she heard her son laugh as well. It was short, more like a chuckle, really, but it was the first time she'd really heard him laugh at anything. She decided it was a beautiful sound.

I*A*C

Emmi stared at the weird kid reading the book all by himself on the playground. He had black hair, like she did, but his skin was a bit darker like her cousin's. He was supposed to be from Akala Island, which was interesting, but during lunch and even now during recess, he didn't really talk to anyone. He was too focused on that book he'd brought from home. The teacher, Miss Luka, had taken a look at it and asked if he actually understood it, and he'd said yeah. Emmi didn't believe him, and neither did Kanu, her neighbor and best friend.

"He's still reading that thing?" Kanu asked, sticking his finger in his ear to clean it out while he held the basketball under his other arm. "I bet he's got a really dumb Pokémon. Like Caterpie or something."

"He said he didn't have any Pokémon when Miss Luka introduced him, dummy," Emmi shot back before looking back at the boy. "He said his mom can't afford to buy any Pokéballs."

"That's dumb," Kanu spat on the ground. Gross. "Can't they just buy a Pokémon instead? It's way cheaper that way." Emmi couldn't argue that. He must be super poor, then. Weird. "What's he reading, anyways?"

"I dunno. Wanna ask him?" Kanu was quiet at Emmi's invitation. She shrugged, walking over to the boy. Taiyo, she thought his name was.

"Hey," she greeted him as she got closer, though he didn't raise his head until she was basically standing in front of him.

"Hi," he greeted back, not rudely, just... quiet. Like he wasn't used to being talked to. Double weird. "Can I help you?" Ugh, he sounded like her mom.

"Whatcha reading?" she asked, trying to turn her head so she could get a look at it. Kanu walked up next to her, still looking away from them. "It must be pretty cool if you're reading it for so long."

"I, uh, don't think you'll be very interested," Taiyo said, but didn't do anything to stop her. There weren't a lot of pictures from what she could see, and there were a lot of words she didn't understand. What the heck did divergent behavior mean? It was obviously talking about beedrill, whatever that was, but she didn't get the rest. "Well, it's a book about Pokémon psychology."

"The heck's that mean?" Kanu asked, definitely not patient and not understanding a thing. Not that Emmi was any better.

"It's how different Pokémon think," Taiyo explained, setting the book down so they could see it better. Emmi was interested, and it looked like Kanu was trying his hardest not to look interested too. "See, weedle is a Stage 1 Pokémon, and beedrill is its Stage 3. beedrill live in colony hives, but weedle aren't found in those hives. Neither are kakuna, their Stage 2 form. So researchers think that evolution changes not only how Pokémon look, but how they think and interact with the world around them, too."

"I don't get it. Doesn't evolving just make them stronger?" Kanu asked, lost. Emmi nodded in agreement, not quite sure what everything Taiyo just said meant. "They get bigger and stronger and that's that, right?"

"Not really," Taiyo said, shaking his head like a disappointed teacher. "It's ok. I had to read a lot to really get any of this, too. Trainers and most people aren't expected to know this kind of stuff, anyway."

"So why are you reading about it?" Emmi asked, now genuinely curious.

"Because I want to know everything," he said back quickly. "I'm going to be the strongest ever Pokémon Master. To do that, I need to know everything I can about Pokémon and how they feel, fight, and think." She guessed that made sense.

"Hah! How can you be a Pokémon Master without a Pokémon?" Kanu asked, grinning. He pointed a finger in Taiyo's face, shoving it against his nose. "I bet you've never even been in a Pokémon battle before! I already have two Pokémon, so there's no way you'll beat me!"

"I guess you're right," Taiyo said, shaking his head. Emmi felt kind of bad for him. "I don't have a Pokémon, and mom can't afford to waste money on poké balls. I don't dare ask any trainers, either. That'd just make her look bad." Kanu seemed surprised, probably hoping for some kind of angry response. Emmi definitely would have been angry if it were her. "Maybe someday when I have a Pokémon, we can battle. But I guess that won't be today."

"Wait!" Emmi shouted, getting the boys' attention. She unclipped her sole poké ball from her skirt's belt loop, and offered it to Taiyo. "Here, you can battle with mine," she told him. "I mean, I know it might be hard to get her to listen to you, but it's something, right?" Taiyo stared at the poké ball, then at her, and he smiled. She felt butterfree in her belly at the sight.

"Thanks," he said, taking the poké ball from her. "I owe you. I'll make sure to take care of her during the battle."

"Alright! Here we go, then!" Kanu shouted excitedly, getting the attention of other kids as he raced a few feet away and grabbing his first poké ball. He flung it into the air. "Go, Scratchy!" A red beam of light shot out from the poké ball, illuminating the small playground as a small crowd gathered to watch the battle. From it stood a brown furred creature with a blonde stripe, a yungoos. Kanu caught his poké ball as it recoiled back to him, stumbling a bit from the force. Emmi watched as Taiyo glanced at her and nodded, before sending his own poké ball out.

"Time to battle," he shouted, and from this beam of light was a caterpie. Kanu shot Emmi a look before pointing at the little green bug. Before he could get a word in, though... "Caterpie, use String Shot across the ground!"

"Wha- hey, what!?" Kanu shouted, not sure what was going on. Emmi thought that her caterpie, Chiipii, would definitely have no idea what to do, but with a squeak, the caterpie did exactly as Taiyo asked without a second thought! That was so cool! "Uh, Scratchy, use Tackle!" The yungoos bolted towards the tiny caterpie. While it should have been an easy hit...

"Out of the way, Caterpie," Taiyo commanded, and the bug moved aside with plenty of time. "Good. Now String Shot directly!"

"Hey, Scratchy, dodge!" The yungos, as much as it tried, didn't seem to move fast enough to avoid the String Shot. "What gives!? Why are you so slow, Scratchy!?"

"Heh," Taiyo grinned as the sticky string wrapped around the yungoos. "Reel that string in and give 'im a good Tackle, Caterpie." With a high-pitched squeal, Chiipii launched herself at the yungoos, slamming into it at a speed Emmi never thought was possible for her little bug. She definitely had to figure out how to make that work! The yungoos tumbled across the ground, and didn't move. In a flash of red light, Kanu returned Scratchy to his poké ball.

"What the heck was that!?" He shouted at Taiyo. The other boy shrugged before pointing to the ground, where Chiipii's String Shot lay.

"The String Shot move creates sticky string on all sides. Enough to slow down other Pokémon," the boy explained. "It might not slow down a Pokémon permanently, or for very long, but it makes them slow enough for a caterpie to react in time." Kanu was obviously not happy about that.

"Yeah, well how about one that doesn't need to touch the ground? Let's go, Flappy!" Kanu tossed out his second poké ball, and out popped a small bird with a very sharp beak. A Flying-Type pikipek. Kanu's expression was smug, and Emmi felt her heart sink. Flying-Types were super effective against her caterpie's Bug Type! Taiyo looked worried, but he didn't say anything about giving up. He just... stood there, staring at the flying bird Pokémon. "What're you gonna do now, huh!?"

"Taiyo..." Emmi called out weakly, not sure she was willing to let Chiipii go through battling a pikipek.

"Just trust me," Taiyo said, his voice calm. He didn't sound worried, and something about that made Emmi feel better. "I have an idea."

"It's over! My Flying-Type beats your Bug-Type! Flappy, use Peck!" The pikipek let out a shrill cry as it dove towards the little caterpie. "You're finished!"

"Caterpie, spray your gas from your antennae!" Taiyo shouted. Everyone around them had various stages of confusion on their faces, but Chiipii didn't. The people closest to the battle gagged as a horrible smell came from the caterpie, and the pikipek flew away from it, trying to get away from that awful smell. "Now String Shot it before it can get away!"

"W-Wait!" Kanu shouted, coughing and unable to look directly at the fight, his eyes watering. "Flappy!" Emmi turned just in time to see Chiipii spit a line of string at the fleeing pikipek.

"Reel it in and Tackle!" Taiyo shouted. Emmi couldn't believe her eyes as her little Chiipii dragged down a pikipek with her String Shot, leaping partway through to Tackle the bird out of the air. The pikipek landed hard on the ground as the smell started to get weaker. The bird stood back up, battered and hurt. Chiipii...

"Chiipii!" Emmi ran forward, embracing her fainted bug. After a few moments, the bug opened her eyes and looked up at Emmi, making light squeaking noises.

"Sorry," Taiyo walked towards her, offering his hand to help her stand up. "I didn't realize how much those extra-hard Tackles were recoiling on your caterpie. Um, on Chiipii. Sorry about that, Chiipii. Are you alright?" In the background, Kanu celebrated his win with Flappy as the two kids talked over the loser. The caterpie wiggled with a soft squeak, about as close to an affirmative as the two of them figured they would get. "You battled hard and almost won against two opponents. One which was a Flying-Type. You should be proud."

"You were really cool," Emmi said, cradling her Pokémon in her arms as she gave Taiyo the compliment. "I never knew String Shot could be used like that! Or that... whatever Chiipii did!"

"Caterpie have a natural defense mechanism where they let out a noxious gas when they're threatened," Taiyo explained. Most of it was lost on Emmi, but she got the idea. "It's not technically a move they can use, but its closest approximation is probably Poison Gas or something similar. I just... figured it could be used." He looked over as Kanu and his buddies celebrated, obviously taking the win for what it was. "Lots of Pokémon can do extra stuff like that, but they don't count as moves. Or at least, they don't have names. It's something people never seem to take advantage of."

"Can you teach me?" Emmi asked after a few seconds of thinking it over. "I want Chiipii to get a lot stronger and become a beautiful butterfree! If we can fight better, that'll happen a lot quicker!"

"Yeah, I can do that," Taiyo nodded. "Um, I might have to ask mom first, though. Is that okay?" Emmi nodded with an 'Mhm!'. "Cool. I'll let you know tomorrow if we can hang out. Um. Play. Train. Whatever." Taiyo looked away, staring at the distant ocean. He looked really cool like that. "I'll see you then, okay?"

"Okay!" Emmi nodded, excited. Sure, she was excited to help Chiipii get stronger, but Taiyo seemed like a nice boy, too. He walked away to Kanu, and she thought for sure there would be a fight, but Taiyo just put a hand on the boy's shoulder and told him it was a good battle. Kanu seemed to think it was weird, but thanked him anyway.

I*A*C

Six years. Six years, almost seven, and barely a damn thing to show for it. I gazed out listlessly over the water as the small ferry took Emmi and I from Melemele Island to Akala Island, where my house was. Pods of wailmer swam by, much to the awe and amusem*nt of the many tourists riding the ferry as well. They all eagerly took pictures of the Pokémon, but those pictures would lack a single critical detail that only I knew was missing. The Aether Foundation. The massive floating... reserve present in the Gen Seven games. It wasn't here. Not yet.

Which meant that I was at some point in Alola's past; before the games took place. Considering how large that structure was, it had to have taken nearly a decade to build. I was pretty much on my own in a world I barely knew. Code and numbers meant very little in this world, and I wasn't sure where simulation ended and reality began. Stats now had only vague meanings. Same with move descriptions. Something like Scary Face, which lowers a Pokémon's speed stat, would mean something completely different here. Hell, String Shot had been far more versatile than I had originally imagined it could be in that little battle I had yesterday. Only my intuition and quick thinking allowed me to consider using it as a makeshift slingshot against Kanu's pikipek. It was not something I was confident I could pull off twice. Not without more planning and knowledge.

I glanced over at Emmi, the little girl clearly enjoying the sea breeze and salty ocean air. Her eyes met mine, and I turned away, not wanting to feel like some creep staring at a little girl. "Is everything okay, Taiyo?" she asked, gently nudging me on the shoulder. "You've been super quiet all day!" I guess I was. I just... really didn't have a lot to talk about that a kid like her would understand.

"Yeah, everything is fine," I told her, hopefully easing some of her concerns. "Just thinking is all. I hit a bit of a roadblock in my studies, so I need to find a way around it." Her face was blank for a moment as she tried to figure out what I just said, and probably if there was anything deeper to them. I guess showing her and Kanu my book yesterday gave her the impression I was some kind of super genius. I didn't have the heart or courage to tell her that I kind of cheated by having knowledge from a past life. She'd probably not believe me, to be honest.

"What if... you... uh," she tried to give me some kind of help, but it was probably hard since I didn't actually say what I was studying, or what was stopping me. "Did you read the pages Miss Luka told us to?" I froze for a moment, not out of fear or anything, but just surprise. Did she think I was having trouble with the schoolwork? Well, gift horses and all that.

"Yeah, but I was still having a little trouble," I partially lied to her. To be quite fair, some of the stuff we were reading just went in one ear and out the other. History, despite being one of my favorite subjects, was just so boring to have taught at you. We were going over the tribal history of the four Alolan Islands, and the way we were being lectured- Ugh, I just couldn't really give a damn. Not to mention there was so much more than what the games and anime had.

Yeah, I got it, each island had three or four tribes that all hated each other, then the islands found out about each other, and they hated those tribes even more. It was all stuff I'd normally love, but... Miss Luka had the most annoyingly flat voice I'd ever heard. God love her, but I can't stand it. Thinking about her, if I was still an adult, I'd probably leap at the chance to flirt with her because damn was she a looker. I think I tried to my first day of school, and she just laughed at me like I did something cute.

My left thumb idly rubbed against my ring finger, and I mentally apologized to my wife from my last life. When was the last time I'd thought of her...? Damn, was I really this much of an asshole? I mean, there was no way I could go back, right? Me moving on... that was just normal, wasn't it? I put the thought to the side, not ready to open that can of worms. I glanced over at Emmi to distract myself, but found myself caught off guard by her smile

"Well?" she asked me, and I became very aware that she had been talking to me while I drifted off into my own little world. sh*t. Uh, what were we talking about again? Right, history and tribes. Okay, she probably offered to help because she's good at that stuff. I hope? Agh, I should have at least kept an ear listening.

"Maybe we should wait until we get to the docks?" I suggested feebly, hoping she didn't notice anything amiss. "It's kinda hard to hear you over those people talking, and the waves, and everything else." Please buy it, please buy it, please buy it-

"Oh! Okay!" she said back, none the wiser to the fact I hadn't listened to a single thing she'd said to me. Instead, she turned back to happily gaze out over the ocean. Bluffing – one. Bad Listening Skills – zero.

It took us another twenty minutes to pull up to port on Akala Island, and it was all spent in silence, thanks to the excuse I gave Emmi. As soon as we reached land, though... "So what do you think?" she asked immediately as we stepped off the ferry. Part of me was still in awe that two kids using the ferry didn't so much as bat an eye from the adults around us. I guess Alola really was just that safe and friendly a place.

"If you remember, I was having trouble hearing," I reminded her of my fib, just in case she'd actually forgotten. "You'll have to repeat yourself, sorry."

"Oh! Right!" Emmi smiled anyways, absolutely not bothered at all as we walked. I knew my way to the apartment from these streets, so I was relying on just second nature. "I asked if you wanted me to help you. Since you're gonna help Chiipii get stronger too, right?"

"Yeah, that makes sense," I replied easily enough, not even having to think twice about it. It was only moments later I realized what I'd just agreed to. A six-year-old girl was going to try and tutor me in history. I held back the groan I felt welling up inside of me. Me and my big, stupid mouth.

The way home, while in actuality was only a scant twenty-minute walk, felt like twice that length of time as I dreaded the rather horrid position I'd put myself into. Emmi was none the wiser, talking enough for the both of us about something inane and silly, surely. We paused for a few minutes to buy her an ice cream cone, and continued on our merry- her merry way.

I spotted the apartment that Kaliope and I lived in, feeling relief fill my mind. As much as I loved the heat, spending several hours walking, then sailing, and now walking again in the humid Alolan evening was definitely draining. Something I'd have to take into account when I finally decided to take a Pokémon for myself. There were several options in the back of my mind, but each of them presented their own set of problems.

"Oh! Is that where we're going?" Emmi asked, her ice cream partway melted, but thankfully almost finished. It took a considerable amount of control for me to not just grab some tissues from my backpack and wipe her hands off. The thought of her small, sticky hands touching any of my books or research papers or, God forbid, my chunker of a PC made me cringe internally.

"Yeah, apartment unit 137," I confirmed, waving to a few of the neighbors and giving them a halfhearted 'Alola' in greeting before we reached the door. It wasn't the most fancy place; living on a single paycheck was bound to have its issues. I remembered how I had gotten by with only relative comfort in my previous life from a single income. It wasn't easy, but I was able to make things work in my favor. Kaliope, unfortunately, lacked any kind of monetary savviness. Unfortunately, I was unable to take over simply because my physical age made her and other believe I was incapable, never mind that I had stashed away a clean 100 poké dollars, bucks, whatever the hell this stupid currency was called. sh*t, what was it called again? I glanced at the small card sticking out of Emmi's skirt pocket. Credit. Right. The word alone was a sour taste on my tongue. How generic.

"Welcome home," I greeted the empty apartment after unlocking the door and letting Emmi in. It was a simple unit with a small foyer that led into a living room with a dinner table, and attached to that was a small kitchenette to the right side from the front door. There was a small hallway beyond where those two rooms met, and a bedroom on either side of the hallway with a singular bathroom at the very end. It was small, cheap, and served its purposes just fine for a single mother.

"Kaliope won't be home for a few hours," I told Emmi, setting my backpack beside the door and taking my shoes off as well. "Go wash your hands in the kitchen sink, and then meet me in my room. It's down the hall on the right, can't miss it." Emmi shot me back a cheerful 'Okay!' before doing as I'd instructed. I walked down the hall, peering through the open door into Kaliope's room before sighing and taking the right turn towards mine. Of course her window was still cracked open. I glanced into my room for just a moment to make sure everything was where I'd left it before turning around and walking into Kaliope's room.

It was messy. Far messier than mine. As much as Kaliope nagged me to clean my own room, she did a shoddy job of following her own instructions. Clothes from the last week laid scattered on the floor, and her bed sheets were tossed all over the place. Not due to extra guests, thankfully. I guess she'd learned her lesson from having her first kid. I walked around the bed to the window on the opposite wall, taking in the view of the community garden behind the apartment complex, before shutting the window. I heard a crunch underfoot as I turned, stepping on a discarded beer can. Gingerly, I picked up the empty can and tossed it into Kaliope's overflowing bin by the door. For not the first time, I took in the absence of insects like flies, ants, and even co*ckroaches.

Walking back to my room across the hall, Emmi was already there, peering curiously at everything I had on my bookshelf, my desk, and especially at my massive PC beside my bed. It was an old model, standing at about six feet tall from top to bottom, and weighing in at probably over five-hundred pounds. I just vaguely remember Kaliope had paid an arm and a leg for it and it'd been a pain for the movers to bring in. They'd had to flag down a trainer from the street who had a Fighting-Type Pokémon to help.

Pokémon in this world were not common in daily life, as the tv show and games would have led one to believe. They were mystical and powerful creatures, but the ability to capture them was saved for a select few who had the money and time to do so. Trainers, especially experienced ones, caught Pokémon. They sold them to researchers and marketers, who in turn sold them to businesses. Pokémon were bred for anything from battling, to competitions, to domestic pets and workers. Entire markets thrived around Pokémon. Despite this, though, they were still an expensive acquisition due to being the trade of a living creature with the potential to destroy entire city blocks when trained properly.

It was why I only partly believed Kaliope when she said that we couldn't afford a Pokémon. I knew the real reason she didn't get one for the house as a pet. I'm pretty sure our unit was the only one without a Pokémon pet. But she and I both knew what I would do if we had one. Us not having enough money was a convenient enough excuse, however.

"Hey, are you okay?" Emmi asked, tugging on my shirt sleeve. I blinked, returning my focus to her. "I asked if you wanted to do anything before we started training Chiipii. you have all sorts of cool stuff in here, but I don't get what a lot of your books are about." She looked back at my bookshelf, and I noticed idly that my PC screen was on; along with various tabs. she'd been snooping while I was distracted, I see. I stomped down the annoyance forming in my gut. She was just a kid.

"Do you want to watch videos of some official matches on the TV out in the livingroom or something?" I asked her. I'm certain it would have been easier to go down to the battle courts behind the Hano Grand Resort, but to be honest, I was feeling rather lazy at the moment.

At my suggestion, Emmi shook her head, a bored expression falling across her face. Weren't kids supposed to love everything about Pokémon? "That's something we already do in school!" she whined, and I had to concede the point. "Don't you have any games or something we can play?" I blinked, looking around my room again. Did I...? I vaguely remember Kaliope buying me a console a year back. It was old, beat up, and definitely bought at a second hand shop, but she had been so excited about it. I remember her telling me that she'd always wanted one as a little girl. The memory of her disappointment when I'd told her that she could play with it made my stomach drop, even now. I think I played with her for an hour or two after that just to make her feel better, but...

She never asked if I wanted to play with her again, after that. I felt my lips curl into a frown. I'd have to make it up to her. Right now, though...

"I think... mom got me an old Porystation last year," I told her, motioning out the door. "We can play with that for a while, if you want? Then we can train Chiipii and get something to eat, after. Mom should probably be back by then, so we can get something to eat when we walk you to the ferry."

"Oooo, what games do you have!?" Emmi asked, now excited once again. She ran out of the room, with me walking after her. It only took her a few moments to find the Porystation beside the box TV set, unplugged and dusty. So, Kaliope hadn't used it recently. I moved over to plug it in to the old TV, gently wiping down its surface of dust.

"It looks like we have Pokémon Arena, Pokémon Snap, and Legend of Mew," I said out aloud, not recognizing the last one. "I think Pokémon Arena is the only- oh, wait, here's Pokékart." I held up the cartridge hiding behind the television stand. "What do ya say, Pokékart?"

"Heck yeah, my daddy got me the newest one for the Porystation 3, but I think the controls are the same," Emmi cheered, watching me blow into the cartridge and stick it into the console. I turned on the TV, then the console, and the game started up. This looked vaguely like Mario Kart from my past life, and the controller was... familiar, at the very least. I wondered vaguely if I still had the skills to demolish in videogames despite having not played for a year, most of that I barely remembered. I probably had similar thoughts when I'd played against Kaliope.

The game booted up, and it was a cartoonish start screen that met us. In the foreground was a pikachu in a small go-cart mid-drift, with other Pokémon like a charizard, a roselia, and even a dragonite hot on his bumper. Behind all of them was a wavy checkered flag with the words "Pokékart Superdrive" splayed in big, blocky red letters over-top of it. I pressed start.

Nostalgia filled my ears as that weird soft, electrical music played from the cruddy speakers of the TV, and I selected Single Race to the sound of a little pleasant sound effect that sounded like... err, well, it sounded like an ascending, warbled note. It brought back memories. There were a few characters, well, Pokémon, unlocked on the select screen, but probably a good fourteen were still blacked out as silhouettes. I recognized Garchomp and Machoke immediately, but the others were a bit harder to place. The only ones we could pick from were Pikachu, Charizard, Grovyle, a Kantonian Meowth, and a Wigglytuff. I guess that meant Roselia and Dragonite were also among those locked away.

Emmi immediately shot towards Wigglytuff, which tracked in my mind given how she wanted Chiipii to evolve only because she liked how pretty Butterfree was. I, however, decided to pick Charizard. Once a fire specialist, always a fire specialist. We chose our track, which was called Altomare Waterways, and started the countdown to the race. I let myself go into autopilot as I considered what kind of trainer I wanted to be.

As I'd said before, in my previous life I'd been a Fire-Type specialist when it came to the Pokémon games. I was a pretty good all-rounder, but Fire and Dragon were the types I knew better than any others. That... unfortunately didn't apply here. Pokémon were living, breathing creatures, and each Type had a specific way of going about things. A culture, if you would.

I narrowed my eyes as Emmi took me off guard, using a squirtle shell item to knock me from my precarious first-place position as I rounded a corner, sending me into the waterway beside the track. She giggled beside me, kicking her feet in excitement and mischief. Little brat. I fell back to sixth place and let myself focus on the game, instead. The first race ended up with me as the loser, much to my annoyance. After being hit by that shell, the COM racers did all the work for Emmi in keeping me off balance and knocking me into the water. While she had come in eleventh place, I came dead last in twelfth. I obviously wasn't going to take that sitting down.

Seven single races and a Grand Prix later, we finally ended it all with my ultimate victory by a measly one point. I was out of practice. By this time, the sun had already set outside, and the only light came from the TV screen. I heard the front door unlock, and Kaliope call out 'I'm home!' into the apartment as she turned on the foyer light.

Dressed in the grunge clothes she wore before and after work, that being a black t-shirt a size too small for her and jeans about the same, Kaliope was the dictionary definition of MILF. She'd not regained her hourglass body from before she'd had me, but it was damn close; about as close as she would reasonably get without some intense physical exercise, dieting, and who knew what else. She had pretty and soft eyes as well as curly hair that made her seem like some innocent little waif, but this woman was an absolute hellstorm when she wanted to be. So unlucky that she was my mother.

"Hey mom," I greeted her, standing up to help her with the paper bags she was carrying. I guess she'd hit the grocery mart on the way back. We were lucky that there was one only a few blocks away. "How was work?"

"It's mommy, sweetie," she replied as if practiced, gently pushing a finger to poke my nose as she handed me one of the grocery bags. In front of the TV, Emmi had stood up. "And it was alright. Andre, the guy who's mommy's coworker? He's kind of part of the reason I'm late." Ah, right, the guy who's second head controls more of his body than the one on his shoulders. I'd relate to the guy if he wasn't such a sleaze about it. "Oh, they didn't have any hotdogs at the market, today. Leslie said they'd get another shipment tomorrow, though, if you want to check while mommy's at work. Oh, she says hi, by the way."

"That's fine," I told her, not that bothered. Hot dogs were a treat ad easy to make, but little more. Meat. It'd always been glossed over in the TV show what the humans actually ate, but it was one of the first things I looked into when I got that PC. Apparently animals existed in this world. The people called the world Regdon, by the way. Some kind of ancient combination of Regigigas and Groudon, apparently. anyway, but to animals, they f*cking existed. Just not on a widespread scale out in nature. No, most of them existed in large, protected farms so Pokémon couldn't get at them. Apparently Pokémon were just... good at hunting normal animals to near extinction. Some guy named Dr. Henson in Hoenn wrote a few papers about it, actually. It was in my backlog to look more into later.

"Oh right, mom," I glanced over at our guest. "This is Emmi, from school. We were... supposed to train her caterpie today, but we got a little distracted," I admitted, looking at the results screen of the grand prix we'd just finished. Emmi waved nervously at Kaliope, but the older woman smiled widely.

"Oh, isn't she just adorable!" Kaliope cooed, making the girl blush. "And I see you broke out the Porystation! It's so nice to meet you, Emmi. You know, I've tried getting Taiyo to play that thing with me before, but he's never given it a try! I'm glad he's got a friend like you at tra- um, school." Kaliope's eyes met mine in a brief panic, but I ignored her slip up.

"Actually, it's getting late," I said, looking at the clock beside the fridge. "We should probably get her to the ferry before they go down for the night. I suggested we grab some dinner on the way, but we might not have enough time for that. Can we grab her a snack instead?" Kaliope shot me a guilty look for coming back so late, but I shook my head dismissively. It couldn't be helped, and I hoped she knew I didn't blame her.

"Oh, right," Kaliope smiled instead, continuing the conversation as she put colds and frozens away. "Let me get these and we'll head out, okay? Sweetie, why don't you and Emmi get your shoes on and her backpack? I'll be just a minute." I nodded with an 'Okay, mom,' before doing as she'd asked. In the foyer, Emmi joined me as we put on our shoes.

"Your mom is really pretty," she whispered to me, and I had to agree. Just my luck.

"Yeah, she's alright," I said back, not bothering to whisper. Emmi looked back to where the kitchen was before shooting me a dirty look. What the heck did I say? Kaliope was ready for us as Emmi picked up her backpack. she gently rubbed her thumb on Chiipii's poké ball, though.

"Sorry, Chiipii," she said to the thing. "Maybe next time, okay?" The ball gently rattled from its hanging perch on her skirt's belt loop, which I figured was some kind of sign of forgiveness.

The walk back to the ferry was much cooler than it had been hours prior. Both Kaliope and Emmi chatted with one another happily about some topic or another, ranging from how she got her caterpie, to what Emmi wanted to do, to what Kaliope did at the resort she worked at. There were no shortage of stories about Pokémon getting loose in the hotel, trained and wild, and causing trouble for everyone involved. I listened offhandedly, paying more attention to our surroundings than whatever the girls were talking about. I guess it was an old habit, keeping an eye out for creeps, drunks, anyone that might prey upon a lovely woman and two kids in the middle of the night.

I found myself sorely disappointed, like every other time Kaliope and I walked out this late. Alola was safe. It was civil. It was nothing like my old home. Oh, sure I'd never had a problem with drunks or muggers back in my last life, either, but this one... In Alola, it wasn't even considered an option. The law enforcement was lax. Extremely so, if the fat cop leaning against the railing and giving us a friendly wave was any indication. Beside him was a single poochyena, likely imported from another region and trained how to chase down criminals. One might expect that at least the poochyena might be alert, but no, all it did was give the street we were on a cursory glance every couple of seconds. Despite this blatant ease on the part of the law...

It was like nobody committed crime. Oh, sure, there were petty thefts every now and again, but most crime fell into one of two categories on Regdon, petty and organized. I'd probably shove terrorism as a third category, but that was near impossible without a hell of a leader. As it turns out, when everyone has a Pokemon capable of killing someone by complete accident, criminals tend to think of other options.

The main exceptions were small towns where Pokémon Trainers tended to skip over, and crimes of passion on the part of both humans and Pokémon, where feelings overtake logic. It was still strange. Foreign. In the games and TV show, it seemed like the Pokémon world was at both times a utopia and a megalomaniac's dream world. This world, however, had laws and standards. All of which gave my six-year-old, underdeveloped brain a headache. That was yet another drawback that had stonewalled any progress I could make in this world.

My brain simply didn't have the capacity to learn any more new things. I was likely already pushing it with all the life experience I had from before, but trying to cram books upon books of theory, law, technicalities, and research papers into it as well? I just simply could not learn more until I got older, and my brain developed more. At least, that was my hope. It could also be just as simple as... my brain just can't learn anything else without forgetting other things. That I'd reached my limit. That thought alone filled me with an existential dread, but I found it to be unlikely. If I truly couldn't learn any more, then I wouldn't be able to form new memories, which obviously wasn't the case.

"Say goodbye, Taiyo!" Kaliope urged me, a hand resting on my shoulder as Emmi waved from just a few paced ahead of us, a kebab in her other hand. I blinked, instinctively waving to her as her worried expression melted into a smile. I felt Kaliope's grip tighten on my shoulder in an uncomfortable tightness, and I winced at the sharp pain that followed. Uh oh.

"See you in school tomorrow, Emmi," I called out to the girl as she waved back, running for what I assumed was the last ferry to Melemele Island for the evening. "God, I hope," I muttered under my breath, Kaliope's nails digging slightly into my skin.

"I had to make excuses for you," I heard her mutter under her breath from behind me. "You zoned out again. Tai, you can't just do that. Not when there's other people around you. Not when someone is talking to you, sweetie." She sounded exasperated, as if speaking to an unruly child who simply didn't know any better. It was irritating, and I felt my fists clench at my sides.

"I'm sorry, mom," I said simply, hoping she would let it be. She let out a sigh, and her grip on my shoulder lessened. I let out a breath of relief as the pain gently subsided as well. "I was thinking about... some things."

"I know, sweetie. I know," she said, reaching down to take my hand. I let her. She led me back the same streets we'd just walked, her head swiveling to find a good place to eat at this time of night. Most places were packed with tourists, and Kaliope knew I wasn't exactly fond of large and loud crowds if it could be helped. "What do you feel like eating tonight, Taiyo? Johtonian, Galarian...?" She asked, trailing off at the end to give me some time to choose.

"How about the burger place down on Tiki Street?" I asked, pointing down the way where the turn off to said street was. My suggestion was met with a 'Sounds good, sweetie,' from Kaliope. She didn't sound upset anymore, but I still had the feeling that the discussion wasn't quite over.

We enjoyed a comfortable silence on the way to the burger place, called Pidove's Delights. It was more of a general, normal Unovan place, but because their burgers were so good, most locals went for just those. The closest approximation would be like going to an American style restaurant from Earth. All the stereotypical fixings on the menu, with none of the deeper stuff like biscuits and gravy, grits, or anything of that manner on the menu. Hell, they even had fish and chips on there, a Galarian dish.

The place itself wasn't empty, but empty enough that we could get a seat within the first ten minutes of waiting. It was a dimly lit place with neon lights, brick walls, and black cushioned seats and booths. The tables were polished and there was a bar against the back wall where Pokémon League Circuit matches from all over Regdon were played as reruns. Basically the equivalent of a sports bar.

We were seated at a booth, and one of the waitresses took our drink orders; a cola for Kaliope, and some nomelade for myself; made from a berry very similar to a lemon called a nomel berry. Yes, it was just lemon spelled backwards. We got comfortable, and both Kaliope and I browsed over the menu, though I already knew what I wanted, and chances are she did as well. We'd been here enough times to have a thing or two we'd just get every time.

"What are you thinking of getting, sweetie?" Kaliope asked, glancing at me over her menu. Hers was the same as mine. She'd given up trying to get me to order from the kid's menu almost half a year ago, so anything I couldn't finish we usually just took home as leftovers.

"I think the Double Royal Swablu Burger," I told her, and her frown was all that I needed to know she didn't approve. "Just the single?" I amended, which she nodded at. I rolled my eyes, hiding it behind looking at the menu again. A moment of silence. "Uh, what about you?"

"I think I'll get the Bacon Barbecue Burger," she said, setting her menu down in front of her. I did the same, laying mine on top of hers. She stared at me, arms resting on the table. The murmuring of the crowd around us seemed to fade away as her eyes bored into mine. "You were very rude to Emmi on the walk to the ferry," she said. Her tone was even, giving away her displeasure at the fact. "She tried to talk to you, like, four times, and you didn't respond to her at all. What on Regdon were you thinking about that made you ignore your friend like that?" I slowly shrugged, not sure what I was supposed to say. I tried answering, anyway.

"What kind of Pokémon I'd like as a pet whenever I can save up enough money," I half-lied. She knew it, too, but she sighed anyway. "I already have a hundred credits, mom. If I can save up a hundred more, I can get a poké ball, or even fifty more I could buy a... a caterpie or something." My voice trailed off as I thought more about that second option. My displeasure must have been evident on my face, because Kaliope laughed a little bit.

"I'll... see what I can do," she lied. I pretended to believe her.

"Thanks, mom," I told her. Her smile didn't reach her eyes. Neither did mine. Dinner was quiet.

I*A*C

Mukanu Ulapi was a Pokémon Trainer who prided himself as a master of Dark and Psychic Types, two kinds of Pokémon that normally shouldn't get along. From abra to raticate, there wasn't a single Pokémon of those Types that he couldn't eventually catch and train. So imagine his surprise when this little kid, who couldn't have been older than six or seven, dragged his little friend to the battle courts behind Hano Grand Resort to watch the trainers. The little squirt looked enthralled at the spectacle of so many battles, and his little girlfriend even more so.

There were six fields to choose from, and not a lot of room between them for spectators. Most normal people didn't come to the battle courts, now that Mukanu thought about it. Just the two kids and what looked like the little boy's mom and her friend. He looked over the women appraisingly, taking in the cute blonde with nice hips. Both of them wore very cute bikinis, but wow, that blonde. He'd have to make sure to get her name before they left.

Mukanu resumed grooming the crimson red fur of Roarscher, his incineroar that he'd raised ever since it was a little litten. Roarscher was his best friend; well, best Pokémon friend, and they'd had each other ever since Mukanu had been a kid. Despite being a bit of a battle hungry Pokémon, he was watching the matches on a nearby field even though they'd just finished trouncing some smug Fairy-Type trainer, Mukanu knew that his incineroar was as gentle as they came. It was why he wasn't at all concerned when that kid he'd seen from earlier and his little friend walked up.

The boy had guts, he'd give him that. To walk up to a scary looking Pokémon like Roarscher without any fear, and next to a field where a rapidash was fighting a kadabra? Well, not even many adults had that kind of courage. "Sup, little dude?" he greeted the kid, raising his hand momentarily before going back to combing his Pokémon. The kid had on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, and his hair looked like it was growing out. His mom probably planned to tie it back into a ponytail when it got even longer. "You can tell your little friend she can come say hi. Roarscher won't bite." The incineroar grinned, showing off all of his sharp teeth. Mukanu noticed the boy's mom walk a bit closer, obviously more unnerved than placated. He couldn't really blame her.

Said little girl he'd mentioned before was a few steps behind her friend, obviously a lot more hesitant to get close to the big, bad, Pokémon with sharp teeth. The boy had no such issues, though, and reached out slowly to pet the Pokémon's arm, looking him in the eyes as if asking permission. Roarscher nodded, and the boy pet him.

"Taiyo..." the kid's mom called out, obviously worried.

"It's alright, miss," Mukanu called back, raising his hand to try and get the woman to calm down. "Roarscher's a big softie with kids! No need to worry, he's perfectly safe." His words stopped her approach, but he could still see concern etched on her face. He really couldn't blame her, to be honest. Dark Types, even with their reputation among the learned for being anywhere between evil to unlucky to be around, were just scary looking. He remembered practically soiling his own pants as a kid when his dad dressed up as a malamar for Fallfest. Still, that fear of Dark Types drove Mukanu to start training them.

"Come here, little miss," he called to the girl, hoping to break her fear as well. The boy was doing just fine, petting the attention-lechonk of an incineroar. Roarscher's fiery belt blazed with delight at the attention, and the boy seemed enthused by it. "See? He's not so scary. Roarscher here's as gentle as can be."

"Incineroar are actually very loving to kids and small Pokémon," the kid said to his friend, turning to face her. "They like to show off a lot, though. They're known as the Heel Pokémon because of it."

"A heel?" the girl asked, her curiosity slowly overtaking her fear. "What's heels got to do with anything?" Mukanu was about to explain the concept, but the kid actually beat him to it.

"A heel is a term used in wrestling," he said, taking Mukanu by surprise. "It's like when someone pretends to be big and mean and scary as an act, but isn't actually." That... was actually a pretty good description, Mukanu thought to himself, a little impressed that a kid that young knew so much. "See? I'm petting him, no problem. His fur is really warm. Don't you wanna feel how soft it is?" The girl slowly inched closer and gingerly reached her hand out, looking away as she brushed her fingers against Roarscher's other arm. Her shaking stopped as she slowly began stroking it, her eyes no longer clenched tight.

"I-It really is soft!" the girl exclaimed, surprised and amazed. The action obviously pleased Roarscher if his unconsciously flexing arms had anything to say about it. Mukanu looked back up at the boy's mom, shooting her a smile in hopes she'd relax a little. Her friend, the blonde in the tiny blue bikini, slapped the other woman's back.

"See? I told you there was nothing to worry about, Kali!" she told her friend with a playful roll of her eyes. "Trainer Pokémon are all super chill. Here, I'll go get you a margarita."

"Hey, mind if I get one too?" Mukanu saw his chance and took it. "Roarscher and I just finished up a battle, and I could use a drink. Thirsty work, ya know?" He shot the girl a wink, and was all too happy to get one in return.

"Only if you pay, cutie!" the girl fired back. It might put a little dent in his wallet, but damn she was definitely worth losing a few bucks for a few hours of lost sleep. "Don't wait up!"

"Hey, you behave, alright Roarscher?" Mukanu asked his Incineroar as the kids pet him. He flexed into a few poses, dazzling the little girl and making the boy smile in amazement. "I'll be over there by the bar, so I'll be right back." The Heel Pokémon growled in acknowledgement, so the trainer made his way over to where the blonde girl stood near the bar. "Sup?" he asked her, sliding in next to her and leaning back against the bar. "Name's Mukanu. My friends call me Mu. Can I get a name from the sexy babe I'm about to treat to a...?" He trailed off, giving her a chance to answer him.

"The name's Cassie," his new friend replied, gently moving a strand of long, curly blonde hair out from in front of her face. "The killjoy over there is Kaliope, but call her Kali." She motioned to the mom, who was keeping a few paces away from Roarscher and the kids as they dangled from his arms. "And a martini works, cutie."

"Hah, a martini it is," he told her, waving down the barista. "Strawberry martini, boss!" he asked, getting a finger-gun pointed back at him in response. "So, uh," he turned back to the woman beside him. "What's a gal like you doing around a place like this? Doesn't look like you or Kali are trainers."

"Nah, Taiyo just wanted to see the Pokémon while little Emmi's visiting," Cassie told him, rolling her eyes, but with a smile on her face. "They do this, like, at least once a week. Last time was like, six days ago."

"Probably why I haven't seen him running around here," Mukanu acknowledged out aloud. "I rolled in about three days ago."

"How long ya staying?" Cassie asked, turning to face him. Her chest pressed against his shoulder and arm. Very nice.

"As long as I like," he told her, leaning closer. She did the same. Damn, this chick knew what she wanted. He liked that. "I was just passing through to Paldea, but I'm sure I can find a reason to stick around for a few more days."

"I'm sure I can give you a few reasons to make it worth your while," Cassie shot back, her voice low and husky. Man, he hadn't met a girl like her since Kalos. "Ikuapa Street. House 157 on the left off Old Orange Road. I'll see you for dinner and desert, after." Cassie winked and grabbed the martini glass as the bartender sat it next to them. she made a move to walk away, but Mukanu wasn't finished. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back against him; not hard enough to spill her drink, but enough to make sure she didn't leave. The little minx didn't even resist. "Oh my! Such a brute!"

"What can I say? My Pokémon aren't the only things that are Dark," he said, desperately hoping she found that hot and not as cringy and stupid as it sounded out loud. Arceus, that sounded so much cooler in his head! Luckily, Cassie laughed.

"You'll have to show me how you Play Rough, then," she told him. That was a Fairy-Type move, but he wasn't about to correct the hot girl in his arms. "Say, is that a diglett in your pocket or are you just-"

"Taiyo, get out of the way!" Kali's shout grabbed both Cassie's and his own attention. While he'd been flirting with the blonde, it seems like that battle between the rapidash and kadabra had gotten heated, and the latter was using a Psybeam attack which the rapidash had avoided. Unfortunately, it looked like it was headed for the netting around the field, right where the kids were behind with Roarscher. Kali was lunging towards them, and the kids only seemed to have just noticed what was happening.

"Roarscher, move!" Mukanu shouted, but it was too late. All he could do was watch as Roarscher tried to cover the kids with his own body, but was shoved to the side, children and all, by the boy's mom. She took the full brunt of the Psybeam attack. Before he could think twice, he was already running towards the woman as she collapsed onto the ground, eyes staring dead ahead and foaming at the mouth. Blood trickled from her ears and nose as people gathered around, the battles nearby having stopped.

"We need a doctor!" Cassie shouted from beside him, panicking. "Please! Someone call a doctor!" Mukanu looked over at Roarscher and the two kids. At Taiyo, the boy. He stared at his collapsed mother, completely in shock.

"Mom?" he asked, his voice weak and quiet. "Mom, get up. It's... It was... Mom..." Reality seemed to hit the kid all at once as terror etched itself across his face. "Mom! Mom wake up!" He ran towards the woman's downed form, and Mukanu had to get in his way. He scooped the boy up in his arms, even as the kid tried to punch and kick him just to get to his mother.

"Come on, kid," Mukanu tried to reason with him , his voice low and calm. "Hey, we're gonna get your mom some help, ok? I need you to calm down and- ow! f*ck!" Mukanu bit back a snarl as the kid bit his hand, forcing him to drop him. He looked at the bite mark, blood seeping from it, before moving his foot to trip the kid as he tried running past. "Hey, hey, no, we gotta wait for the paramedics to get here!"

"Taiyo, stop!" Cassie shouted, trying to help push him back away from his mother. "Please, just stop!"

"I'll kill you! I'll f*cking kill you! Mom! Mom! Mommy!" The boy screamed, flailing wildly as his mom's friend hugged him tight against her. Tears fell down her face as she looked up at Mukanu, looking for some kind of answer on what to do. For the first time in a long while, Mukanu was completely at a loss.

I*A*C

The steady beeping of the heartrate monitor was the only sound that echoed in the hospital room. Outside the open door, doctors, nurses, patients, and other people walked and talked and went on like it was just another day. Maybe it was. For them. Pokémon, mostly chansey, passed by the door sometimes as well. Once upon a time, I'd have found that novel. Interesting, but not worth noticing. Now, it wasn't even interesting. But it was the only thing left to notice in this place. I'd already counted the ceiling tiles ten times. Already stared outside the large window overlooking Heahea City. Anything to distract me from the woman laying pale in the hospital bed.

Kaliope. My mother. My mom. My... mommy. f*ck, who was I to call her that? Mommy. Of all the things. She'd asked me so many times to call her that, but I always said it was too embarrassing. Not in front of Cassie. Not in front of Emmi. Not in front of that guy at work who liked her. I always had an excuse. Now, I might never get the chance to call her that again.

I felt my eyes drift back to her face. Her expression was scrunched in pain. Probably a nightmare or something similar. Psychic Type attacks often invoked hallucinations, or intense feelings of dread, agony, confusion, or straight up lobotomized their targets when strong enough. Humans especially were susceptible to Psychic Type attacks. I read that in a book. I felt my fists tighten at the thought. Too bad that knowledge was useless. All the knowledge in the world, and I can't do sh*t about it.

I'd spent all seven years of my life trying to figure out how this world worked. Where I was. When I was. And yet... My eyes drifted back to my comatose mother. My hero. The woman who loved me enough to run into a Pokémon's attack without a second thought of her own safety. All I could call her was mom.

In my life before this one, I'd been adopted. My birth mother had given me up, and as far as I was ever concerned, my family tree was just a seed. A random seed out in the middle of nowhere, yet to grow. I was never particularly attached to the family that raised me. But Kaliope... She gave birth to me. She loved me, even without my dad around, and treated me to the best and safest life she could possibly offer.

"I'm sorry," I ground out to her, even though I was pretty sure she couldn't hear me. "I'm sorry, mommy... I'm... I'm such a bastard...!" Just what was a second chance at life worth if...?

"Hey Tai, is... is it ok if we come in?" the familiar sound of Emmi's voice entered the room, and I looked up to see her, Kanu, and their parents at the doorway. "We can go if you want?"

"No, it's okay," I told them, standing up from the chair beside mom's hospital bed to greet them. "Thank you for coming over. I think she'd be happy knowing you did." I looked at the parents specifically at that, then the other two kids. Kids my age. "She hasn't gotten any worse. Just not better, either."

"Emmi told us that it was a kadabra's attack that hit her," her dad spoke up first. He was a lanky man with short, greying hair. Honestly, she looked nothing like him. She looked more like her mom, who had curly black hair, almond-shaped brown eyes, and a very light tan to her skin. In fact, she looked almost like she could be Emmi's older sister.

"Yeah," I said, not knowing what else I could respond with. "The trainer already came by to apologize. He's paying for the hospital fees, and had his Trainer's License revoked for a year for negligent battle etiquette." A year. That was all my mom's life was worth, apparently. I glanced back up at the adults. "Is there- ...What do you-" I bit my bottom lip, trying to think of what to say. "What's going to happen, now?"

"For now, we were told that your mother's friend, Cassie, will be taking care of you," Kanu's dad said. He was a large, burly man who wore a shirt with ripped sleeves. He had a bald head and a large cigar sticking out of his mouth. Unlit, thankfully, but having met him once before, it was probably because a nurse had yelled at him for it. "We offered to take you in as well, but they said that the decision's yours, kid." So that probably meant the hospital wasn't sure when mom would wake up. If she woke up.

What should I do? Cassie was in no shape to take care of me. She had a tiny house with a single bedroom, and was going to be too shaken up to take care of a kid. I mean, it was lucky I wasn't some normal kid, but still... Even so, could I really leave her all on her own during a time like this? Could I stand to be with anyone else, at that?

I just... didn't know. My brain refused to think. All it could focus on was my mom laying in the bed not two steps away from me. "When do I have to have an answer?" I asked them.

"Probably before tonight," Emmi's mom said, her voice soft and understanding. "We don't mean to rush you, but..."

"I understand," I told them, saving them from having to try and explain what I already knew. I looked out the window at the setting sun. I didn't have any time. That was fine. I always worked best under pressure. I took one more look at my mom, then took a deep breath. I'd spent the entirety of my seven years of life trying to learn and read and prepare to begin a Pokémon journey, but what had I actually done? When had I actually lived? When had I treated my mom like an actual mom, and not just some distant caretaker?

Heck... were Emmi and Kanu actually my friends? Or just kids I hung out with because it was expected with me? I was repeating the same mistakes of my life before this one. This was supposed to be a fresh start for me. It was about time I treated it like one.

"I think I'd like to stay with you guys," I told Emmi's parents. Their faces betrayed the relief they must have felt, and I felt a weight lift off of my shoulders as well. I turned back to my mom. "I'll be back soon, mo-mommy. I'll visit as much as I can. I'll train as much as I can. I'll be a son you can be proud of. I promise." With those words said, I gave her comatose form one last hug before walking up beside Emmi and Kanu. Emmi gave me a smile and a hug, while Kanu... picked his nose. That was fine. As far as I was concerned, they were my friends from this moment on. As we left the hospital bedroom, I waited for a moment and mimicked the movement of pulling a ring off of my left ring finger and setting it on the table beside my mom. I stared at the place I'd rested the imaginary ring for a good few moments, before following my friends and their parents out of the room.

I*A*C

Chapter 3: Pokeball

Chapter Text

I*A*C

Adjusting the very core of who I was, was understandably difficult. The very essence of who I'd been for nearly a decade in my previous life. I was not optimistic. I was not social. I preferred to do things my way, and damn anyone who thought otherwise. I could no longer be that kind of person. It wasn't who I wanted to be. It never was. I was fine keeping aspects of who I had been, but this was a fresh start. A new beginning. I wanted to make the most of it, and become that heroic, optimistic, never-say-die kind of guy I'd always admired as a kid. To be the kind of person who never gave in not because of spite and barely contained rage for how unfair life was, but because he genuinely believed that things would get better.

Again, far easier said than done. I never claimed I was a good person. In fact, I'd argue I was a pretty bad one. I wanted to be a good person, though. The first step to that would be being a good friend. I'd not had many friends growing up on Earth. I had plenty of acquaintances, sure, but not a lot of people I actively went out of my way to spend time with. By the time I did, I was so starved for attention that I practically smothered them. Now, I knew better. Now I wasn't so focused on proving myself to others, and instead could focus on proving myself to me.

So when I woke up the next day after spending that first night at Emmi's house, I made a promise to myself to talk more. I didn't know any of the other kids in school aside from Emmi and Kanu. That would change. I would no longer dismiss those I didn't deem important enough for my time. I would also just... learn more about my friends. Thinking the night before, I didn't know anything about Kanu, or even Emmi. I didn't know what kinds of music she liked, or where she met Chiipii, or even what her favorite color was. That had to change.

Determined, yet also practically dragging myself out of bed, I looked around the guest room that Emmi's parents had lent me. It was a small room, about the same size as my bedroom on Akala Island, and was filled with Pokémon paraphernalia of all sorts. Signed trainer cards, posters on the walls, and even a stuffed Bewear head hung from the wall as a trophy. On either side of the head were two Island Challenge amulets, both fully completed. Emmi's parents must have succeeded with their trials, then. Fire burned in my belly as I got dressed for school, my eyes wandering to the amulets every couple of seconds. That would be my first step. No matter what, I would become the very best. As I left the guest room, I was humming that silly Pokémon theme song.

The smell of bacon filled the house as Emmi's mother, Laina, cooked at her stove. Emmi and Kanu both lived in rather large houses in a nice neighborhood, Emmi's specifically having four bedrooms and three bathrooms, as well as a second floor. There were technically six bedrooms, but her father had transformed the first spare into a study, and her mother had taken the second spare as a crafts room for knitting, sewing, and other things of the sort. They even had a basem*nt, which was rare in seaside houses; though given that they lived on the side of a mountain about half a mile from the ocean, maybe I was just being silly about it.

"Alola, Missus Alahi," I greeted Laina as I sat down at the brunch bar that separated the kitchen and the living room. "That smells delicious. Bacon and eggs, today?"

"Bacon and pancakes, dear," Laina replied, giving me a smile over her shoulder. "And alola to you, too! I'm surprised, I thought I'd have to go and wake you up. How are you feeling, honey?"

"Better," I told her honestly, glancing out the kitchen window to the sunrise outside. "As long as mom is still alive, then I think I'll be alright. I'll probably go to check on her every week, though. Is that okay, Missus Alahi?"

"Oh, that's more than okay, dear," the woman replied, seeming to relax a bit at my assurance. "Could you be a darling and go wake up Emmi? Breakfast is almost ready, and she's not much of a morning person." I wanted to reply with 'Neither am I,' but if I wanted to change my outlook on life and, better yet, be a Pokémon Trainer, I'd have to become one. I gave the woman a nod.

"Yeah, sure thing," I replied, getting a bit of an odd look before she returned to the last of her cooking. That was something I wouldn't be able to change; my vernacular. The way I spoke was just... I'm sure I could work it out if I had to, but it was easier to let everyone else think I was just some weird kid who talked like a casual adult. I could just blame the TV if worse came down to worst.

I gently opened the door to Emmi's room, which was down a hall parallel to the kitchen. Inside was a complete mess on the floor, and with walls painted a bright pink, posters of various 'beautiful' and 'cute' Pokémon taped up sporadically around. There was even a single poster of some boy band called 'Alphamane Roamers,' a group of four boys who were dressed up in ways inspired by equine Pokémon like rapidash and zebstrika. She had a laptop PC on her bedside table, playing a repeating video of jungle sounds into the open room.

Emmi, herself, was splayed on top of her covers, light pink pajamas riding up her belly and drool dripping from the side of her mouth. I shoved down a wave of disgust at the sight, chastising myself as I reminded myself that I wasn't much better with my snoring. "Hey, sleepyhead," I spoke softly, gently shaking her at the same time. "Time to wake up. Breakfast is almost ready."

"Don' wanna," the girl mumbled, half awake. She tried to roll over and shake me off, but I merely rolled my eyes and started pulling the covers off the bed, dragging Emmi along with them. She fell to the floor with a thump and was immediately awake, yelping on her way down. "Ah! You jerk!"

"Good morning, sunshine," I greeted her with a smile, reaching down to ruffle her already bedraggled hair. She slapped my hand away with her arm, getting up quickly and reaching out to me with both of her hands, presumably to strangle me. I twirled away, moving closer to the door. "Better get dressed quickly, Emmi, or I'll eat all your food, too!" I closed the door behind me as I heard it thump, Emmi obviously having just tried to lunge at me.

"Mooooom!" Emmi shouted from within her room. "Taiyo dragged me out of bed!" I smirked as I entered the kitchen, seeing Missus Alahi hide her smile and rest her hands on her hips. I met it with a grin as I sat back up at the brunch bar.

"She's awake," I told her, and saw her lips curl up at the sides as she tried her best not to smile and encourage what she thought was an incorrigible young boy.

"Now, Taiyo, that was very mean," the woman chastised me. "You should apologize to Emmi when she comes out here." I rolled my eyes, but nodded anyway.

"Yes, Missus Alahi," I drawled out, figuring Emmi would probably forget by the time we got to school, but it was probably the right thing to do. When Emmi finally walked out, dressed in her pink button-up shirt and sunny yellow skirt, I gave her a fairly solid, "Sorry for yanking you out of bed." She gave me a look, thought for a moment, apparently remembered that, yes, I did literally drag her out of bed, and forgave me with a smile.

We ate breakfast with light conversation and compliments to Missus Alahi's cooking from everyone who ate. Mister Alahi left for work after he'd finished eating with a kiss goodbye to his wife, and a kiss to his daughter's forehead as he passed her by. All the while, I slowly wrote in my notebook about what Pokémon I wanted to try and find. One thing that I'd never be able to change was the fact that I was competitive and picky.

I looked down at what I already had, rereading it for what had to be the second time that morning.

Important Entry #1 – First Pokémon Ideas

*Gible – gotta head to Haina Desert for this. Unlikely. Violent, likely to be attacked by mother as well as infants

* Pikipek – too common. Not like Pidgey or Fletchling, you can do better than this

*Bagon – very aggressive first pick, like Gible. Be ready to assert dominance. Maybe wait on this one

* Staryu – Solid choice, but not experienced with Water-Types. Pin this Psychic-Type. No go

*Alolan Vulpix – extremely rare. Unlikely to find, very likely to freeze to death. About 300-400 in circulation under official trainers. Definitely worth

I glanced over everything, double checking my notes and memorizing them. It was unlikely I'd be able to work on this soon, since I had school and I still really needed to save up for a poké ball. It was frustrating, for certain. Everyone else in school had a Pokémon, after all.

I shoved those thoughts into the back of my head as I finished my breakfast, getting ready for school soon after. I grabbed my backpack and slung it over my shoulder before waiting for Emmi to do the same. I was the first out the door, and we waved goodbye to Missus Ahali before heading down the road towards school.

The building was about half an hour's walk from where Emmi lived, since it resided on the main road outside of the neighborhood. I spotted Kanu trotting up to us from his house across the street, chowing down on the last of what looked like some kind of egg and bacon sandwich. "Sheesh, I'm jealous you two always got to come to school together," I told them as we fell in line together. Somehow, I managed to get stuck in the middle with Kanu on my left, and Emmi on my right.

Kanu was a kid with darker skin than most Alolans, and his head was shaved bald like his dad's. He stood just a bit taller than me, and definitely had the beginnings of an athletic body, something I would have to start working on. As I looked him over, I noticed his school uniform is unbuttoned, like always, and he was wearing mismatching socks. "I always ended up coming alone to school before since not many of the kids on Akala Island can afford to come here," I finished saying.

"Why?" Emmi asked, shifting her bag back up on her shoulders. "I thought you were really poor? If your mommy can get you to go to school here, why not others, too?"

"Mommy only was able to send me here because the resort was paying for it," I explained, a bit embarrassed of the fact, but I wasn't about to let that stop me. "I think it has something to do with some kind of scholarship program they have? I'd be willing to bet they want to sponsor a trainer that has ties to the resort and can advertise for them, so it's best to have a kid get a full-ride." I frowned a little, thinking back on the one and only time I'd met mom's boss. "Only thing I saw in that cue-ball's eyes were dollar signs when I showed off how well I got along with his purugly. I didn't want to, mind you, but it was either that or make mommy look bad."

"That's weird," Emmi said, not elaborating at all after saying that.

"Grown-ups are weird," Kanu amended, getting a nod from Emmi. I did the same. Honestly, I couldn't find any reason to disagree with him. "When I'm a trainer, I'm gonna go to Johto and beat their champion! I don't need any stupid sponsors or whatever!" I liked the kid's gumption, but I was gonna let him learn on his own. Like I've said before, anything involving Pokémon is a rich man's sport; it's just that the rich man sometimes takes pleasure in having the poor man play for him. That's basically all a sponsorship was, even back on Earth.

"Well, good luck with that," I told Kanu, not wanting to break his heart or his brain with the logistics of why having a sponsor was both a blessing and a curse. "I think I'll just figure things out as I go. I just need to save up for a poké ball," I grumbled. Both Emmi and Kanu glanced my way, but I couldn't get a read on what either of them were thinking. "I don't want to make a habit of borrowing other peoples' Pokémon at school, ya know?" I'd only done it a few times, mostly with Emmi's Chiipi, but it was starting to have some... unexpected side effects.

It seemed that the more I battled with someone else's Pokemon in a short period of time, the more that Pokemon would actively seek me out when it was out of its poké ball. I'd already had one of my classmate's rockruff get lost out in the city for two days because he'd let the Pokémon out to play, and it had run away searching for me. We only found it because it'd tackled me to the ground on the way out from school, and my classmate had been able to return it to its poké ball. He hadn't forgiven me, even though it wasn't my fault and I'd apologized.

"I mean, I can ask daddy if he'll buy you a Pokémon," Emmi said, drawing me from my memories. "Any Pokémon you want! And if you wanna catch it, then he can just buy you a poké ball and you can use Chiipii!" I smiled, appreciating the offer, but...

"I don't really know what Pokémon I want yet," I told her, thinking back to my list. "I just know I want it to be rare and powerful. I have a few ideas, but they're all really dangerous to find. I wouldn't want to put anyone else in danger over it."

"It can't be that dangerous," Kanu rolled his eyes, pushing me and making me stumble a bit. "Get real! There's like, no super dangerous Pokémon around here because of all the yungoos."

"Well, I'm not really looking for anything here on Melemele Island," I tell him. "I think the closest thing would be a bagon from the cliffs up north." Kanu shoved me again, even harder this time.

"Are you dumb or something!?" he yelled, glaring daggers at me. "Those things are super dangerous! I thought you were talking about a meowth, or something!" I shook my head, and watched him spit on the road. "What an idiot," he grumbled under his breath.

"Isn't there anything... safer?" Emmi asked, a bit shaken about my first choice of Pokémon. "I think daddy said Bagon attack people that get too close to them. you could get really hurt!"

"Well, the safest one would probably be a vulpix from Lanakila," I said, right before Kanu pushed me again. "Would you stop that!?"

"Geez, and I thought you were supposed to be smart!" he yelled at me, arms crossed in front of his chest. "You're gonna freeze to death up there! Even grownups sometimes don't come back from there, you idiot!" I shook my head, not sure how I could get these two to understand that to be the best, you sometimes have to take these kinds of risks. I decided to pretend to concede the point to them.

"Maybe you're right," I said, frowning a little from frustration. "I'll think of some other Pokémon, or something. That seemed to satisfy both of my friends, and we continued our walk to school without any further issues. "Hey guys," I began as soon as one more conversation ended. By this point, I could see our school a few blocks away. "What're your favorite colors?"

That seemed to take them both by surprise. They didn't answer for a bit, just glancing between me and the road every few seconds. I waved to a passing bicycle-cop and the growlithe in his basket as he went by in the meantime. "Did I ask something weird?" I asked my friends. Kanu looked away while Emmi shook her head.

"No, no, it's not weird at all!" she exclaimed, as if trying to justify herself. Her face was flushed with embarrassment, though. "It's just..."

"It's weird for you," Kanu completed her sentence, still looking out towards the ocean. "You don't ask any questions about anyone. Not unless it has something to do with Pokémon." He turned his head back to face me, a frown marring his lips. "Why're you asking?" I blink, a bit surprised at how perceptive the two of them are. Then again, I've always said kids are far smarter than most people give them credit for. I guess I'd forgotten my own words over the years.

"I just... realized I've been a bad friend, recently," I told them honestly. Lying or dodging the question simply would have been detrimental to everyone, and... this was what good people did, right? "So, I've decided I want to be a better friend to you guys, and a better person." Kanu rolled his eyes, looking like he either didn't believe me or didn't care. Emmi, though, hugged me.

"Aww, that's so nice!" she exclaimed, yelling in my ear. I gently pushed her away from me so she couldn't continue to do so. "That's so cool! You're like that character from Wishmaker Saga!" I guess the confusion was evident on my face, because she decided to explain. "He's like a super cool guy who wears all black, and he's kind of a bad guy, but he helps the heroes sometimes, so he's not all super bad," she said, and I had to smile at her words.

"That's called an anti-hero," I told her as we approached the doors of the school. Other students were already filtering in, so I grabbed both Emmi's and Kanu's arms so we wouldn't get separated. Kanu tried to pull away at first, but let it be when he realized what I was doing. "Oh, right, I wanted to know what your favorite colors were! Ahhh, guess that'll have to be for later." we'd arrived at our classroom, Class D1, and our desks were separated inside. Miss Luka usually wanted us to sit at our desks once we arrived in class, but there would be plenty of time to talk later.

"Mine is peach pink!" Emmi said before putting her bookbag on the ground and sitting down at her desk. "I can't wait to hear what yours is after class!" Kanu and I moved past his desk, and he sat down with practiced movements.

"Blue," he said, barely glancing my way before picking into his ear to clean it. "Like, really dark blue. Like the ocean." I smiled.

"That's a really good color," I told him before moving towards my desk at the back-right side of the room. I gently tossed my bookbag beside it, sitting down in my chair and leaning back against the backrest. The basic structure of Class D1 was about what you'd expect from a primary school classroom; it had twenty desks for students and a large one up front for Miss Luka, beige walls, a popcorn ceiling, and grey tile floors. On the left side of the class, opposite of the door to the hall, were large windows looking outside. Our view was of the back half of the school, gazing up at the large, verdant mountain that made up central Melemele Island.

The decorations, though, were bright, cartoonish, and overall more vibrant than classrooms back on Earth. Pictures of students and their Pokémon adorned the back wall, and cubbies full of books and other school supplies lined the wall underneath the windows on the left side of the room. The right side of the room had various posters of common and popular Pokémon found in Alola, as well as stat sheets about where they could be found, what their general behaviors were like, among other important and mundane details. The solitary image of an Alolan vulpix stared back at me, and I felt some kind of resonance as I stared at the image. My eyes narrowed. It was like a gut feeling fulling my thoughts towards it.

I pulled my notebook out of my bag and opened it up, crossing out the other Pokémon I had listed as potential candidates for my first pick. Underneath it all, I began writing down plans. I wrote slowly, trying to pool everything I remembered about the Pokémon.

First Pokémon Choice: Alolan Vulpix

Type: Ice

Rarity: Presumably extremely rare

Location: Mt. Lanakila and surrounding areas

Important Notes: It's said that Alolan Vulpix exist in small packs with an Alolan Ninetales at their head. Researchers of the area estimate four packs residing on the mountain. Easiest to reach is approximately... 13,000 feet above sea level on the north-eastern cliffs. Exact location is unknown.

I stopped, feeling my hand begin to cramp a little. I frowned to myself, gently reminding myself to grab a phone at the earliest convenience depending on costs. The cheapest model that would serve my purposes was probably around 140 Credits, more than I currently had saved up and definitely would be eating into my poké ball fund. sh*t, I might need several to catch a vulpix.

"Alola, Taiyo," the desk-neighbor to my right sat down at her desk, a little girl from Galar named... ah... "How're you doin' today?" The only way I could tell she was from Galar was her accent, which was a vague mix between English and Scottish from Earth. She had paler skin than most people from Alola as well, and an upturned button nose that was kind of cute, honestly. Her eyes stared back at my own with a friendly gaze, and I remembered she had a rookidee named Chappen that her parents had brought with them as a pet. I remembered that Chappen was one of the few Pokémon I'd sometimes borrow that I'd regularly won battles with.

"I've been alright," I said, taking note of her surprised expression that I'd said something more than, 'Doing okay, you?' "Some things happened yesterday, so I'm staying with Emmi's family until... further notice."

"What happened?" she asked, getting over her shock of me actually talking to her fairly quickly.

"My mom is in the hospital is all," I said, quickly adding on before she could shout it to the rest of the class, "but I don't want any special attention, okay? Can you keep this between us?" Her mouth had been opened to speak, but she quickly closed it as I finished my thought, nodding instead. "Uh... I know it's kind of rude, but I forgot your name." The girl rolled her eyes, but didn't seem too offended. I wasn't sure if I should consider that a good thing.

"M'name's Paige," she said, brushing some loose strands of blonde hair to the side of her face, revealing her light freckles more clearly. "I understand. the only one you've really cared to know about was Chappen, right?"

"Uh... yeah," I nodded slowly, not meeting her eyes. "But I'm trying to change that. So... can we start over?" I asked, offering her my hand. She grabbed it in her own with little hesitation, smiling at me.

"Mhm!" she acquiesced, her tone light and chipper. "A'course, I expect ya to remember m'name next time."

"I will, Paige," I said, trying to quickly put it back into my memory. "Hey, do you want to hang out- um, play with Kanu, Emmi and I, later? I don't know if there's any plans for after school, but if not, maybe we can go to the mall, or the arcade, or something else in Hau'oli City." I felt awkward asking some little girl out, as if I were asking her on a date or something, but stamped down that feeling. We were all seven years old, it wasn't a date, and those kinds of thoughts probably weren't even a speck in her mind. I silently cursed the fact that my memories as an adult on Earth made this so much weirder for me.

"Yeah, I'll ask my mum when she comes to pick me up," Paige said, oblivious to my inner turmoil. "I heard there's a new malasada place at Station Square," she continued, eyes glittering at the thought of the sweet treat. I had to think a bit to remember where she was talking about.

Station Square was a place down by the beach in the more tourist-y area of Hau'oli City, a few blocks away from the lovingly nicknamed "Hotel Plaza," and as one might expect, most of the hotels in Hau'oli City were located there. Station Square was something of a local hotspot as well due to the plethora of things to do there, and locals were given a convenient discount on the tourist trap prices. I'd actually never been to Station Square before; most of my shopping previously was at the grocery mart on Akala Island, or online on my PC. Even then, my online shopping mostly consisted of textbooks.

"That sounds like fun," I told Paige honestly, watching as Miss Luka entered the room. She talked to someone briefly outside the door before propping it open and standing in front of her desk. "Ten Credits we have a new student," I mumbled to Paige, just loud enough for her to hear.

"You're on," she shot back, shooting me a grin before we both straightened up in our seats to avoid getting a lecture from our teacher.

"Alola, class!" Miss Luka greeted us, receiving an 'Alola, Miss Luka,' in return from everyone else. "I have exciting news, today! We have a transfer student who will be joining us, starting today." I smirked over at Paige, who rolled her eyes and shrugged. "She's coming all the way from Unova. I'd like you all to give her a warm Alolan welcome! Okay, dear, come on in." She waved the new kid into the class, and it took a massive amount of willpower to not react in any suspicious way.

The girl had wavy, platinum blonde hair that ran down to her waist, as well as green eyes like fresh, healthy grass. She wore a white blouse with a pale pink pencil skirt, and a pair of thin glasses rested on the bridge of her nose. A nervous smile graces her face as she stood in front of the class, giving everyone a gentle wave. "H-Hello. My name i- I mean Alola!" She panicked midway through her greeting, correcting herself as if we'd stone her if she didn't. "My name is Lusamine, but please call me Lucy!" She bowed low, something that in some kind of anime wouldn't seem out of place, but I'd learned over my years that bowing was primarily a Kantonian or Johtonian greeting. It was completely out of place here, and given the whispers from the other kids, it wasn't about to go unnoticed.

Lusamine, the primary antagonist of the Sun and Moon games, as well as... something of a misused character in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. In the TV show, she's portrayed as a loving and doting mother, if a bit... strange. I never watched that part of the anime, so most of the details were lost on me. However, the girl standing in front of the class was as real as they came. I wasn't about to make the mistake of seeing her as some character.

"Alola, Lucy," I spoke up when nobody else would, saving the poor girl from a silent embarrassment. "It's nice to meet you. Forgive the scary faces, I hope everyone here is nice and friendly to you." I met every pair of eyeballs staring at me in surprise. Not only for the fact I'd been actively polite to someone in our class, but probably for the fact that it was to a complete stranger.

"Th-Thank you," Lusamine stammered, and Miss Luka directed her to the sole empty seat in the other back corner of the room, opposite of the window and my own desk. She sat down, shooting me a grateful smile before getting comfortable. Miss Luka seemed appreciative as well, given that she met my eyes with a beaming smile on her face.

From that point on was the first half of school. I've stated it before, but I'll say it again, Miss Luka is a boring teacher. She's passionate about teaching, there's no doubt in my mind about that. She seems genuinely excited to teach us new concepts, about history, and seeing how well we progress. The problem is that her voice never got the memo. She's flat, dull, and despite the grin whenever she reads straight out of the textbook, she's still reading out of the textbook. I was half tempted to take over the class for her if I thought I'd be taken even slightly seriously.

Thus, I spent the three hours of class, with short fifteen-minute breaks in between mind you, jotting down things into my notebook. It was something I'd started doing since my first day, and Miss Luka had learned that aside from history, I already had a solid grasp of the topics she was teaching; things like math, science, writing, and so on. It was so convenient for me that Alola at least used English letters, though here it was called Galarian. Apparently Galar had colonized Alola some time in the past, and when they eventually left due to civil unrest, the language had mostly stuck.

My current writing topic was trying to figure out ways to make money in order to buy not just one poké ball, but several. Honestly... I was coming up blank, even an hour in. At my age, there simply wasn't a whole lot I could do. Despite being incredibly safe, Alola still had child labor laws meaning I couldn't do much but continue going to school. Since I wasn't a trainer, I couldn't make any money that way, either. The only Pokémon battles I could do were in the playground with other kids' Pokémon, and those weren't official matches, so I gained nothing from them. I glanced at Paige, letting my eyes wander as I wracked my brain for ideas. Then it hit me.

Bets. I could make bets. I might not make a lot, since betting on me to win probably had better than average odds, but challenging someone co*cky like Kanu with a 'weak' Pokémon would net me some decent amount of money, I'm sure. I might have to split it with whoever's Pokémon I was using, but making any money was better than making no money.

When lunch eventually came around, I spent the better half of it trying to ask around if anyone would like to battle during recess for wagers, and if anyone would be willing to lend me their Pokémon for said battle. Unfortunately, one thing stood in the way to hinder my plans. I had a bit of a reputation in school for being a battle maniac, and being a damn good one at that. After that initial loss against Kanu, kids must have eventually figured out that what I'd done and continued to do every couple of days after was crazy impressive for someone our age. As such, while I could find people willing to battle easily enough... Finding bets was near impossible. Nobody wanted to take such a high chance at losing their allowance money.

A bit dejected, I sat by my lonesome at a far table, eating the ham and cheddar sandwich Missus Alahi had packed for me. It was very simple, and I probably could have made something better for myself had I the funds, but I wasn't about to complain about free food. As I ate, I pondered a bit more over my options for making money. Inspiration struck like a comet. I could probably ask for an allowance from mister and Missus Alahi for doing chores around the house. Honestly, I don't know why I hadn't thought of that before. It was such a simple concept, and probably the easiest out of everything I'd come up with. I was an idiot.

My musings were interrupted when a certain blonde-haired transfer student sat down across from me at the long, empty table. "A-Alola," the girl spoke, offering me a shy but friendly smile. "Why are you sitting all alone over here?"

"Ah, it's just because I needed some time to think," I told her, glancing over to where Emmi, Kanu, and a couple other kids were sitting from our class. Paige was at another table with her own friends. "Normally I'd sit with Emmi and Kanu, but sometimes I sit alone to get my thoughts in order."

"What are you thinking about, exactly?" she asked, seeming not at all taken aback by how I talked or that I preferred to be alone when thinking. "It seems like it was very important since you were making a funny face." Was I? Huh, guess I'd have to be aware of that. I glanced down at Lusamine's lunch as I thought about my answer. It was a dish of baked chicken tenders, some greens that looked like green beans or celery, as well as a small pudding cup. Definitely not a school lunch, and way too expensive looking compared to what the rest of us brought to school. I'd always imagined that Lusamine had earned her fortune through her hard work, but maybe she was a rich kid, too.

"Just about ways to make money," I finally replied before taking another bite of my sandwich. "I'm kind of here under a... scholarship? Yeah, a scholarship. Anyway, that means I don't exactly have a lot of money to throw around. I don't even have enough money to buy a poké ball."

"Oh, is that why you were asking around about battling with other peoples' Pokémon, before?" she asked, cutting into her baked chicken tenders with a fork and knife. Her movements were dainty and slow, as if practiced and perfected over several years. I nodded in response to her question, looking up from her hands to meet her kind and gentle eyes staring back into my own. I looked away, not sure how to respond to such a look. "You're silly," she said, and I could hear a tittering to her voice.

"Yeah, well, I guess I gotta make up for my rotten personality, somehow," I shot back, though I did my best to keep my tone light so she wouldn't think she had upset me. Thankfully, I heard her giggle, which made me smile a bit. "Yeah, I was asking around so I could try and get some wagers going and make money that way. Didn't exactly work out," I explained. "So I'll probably just ask mister and Missus Alahi, uh, Emmi's parents, if I can earn some money by doing chores for them." All I received in return was an idle hum from Lusamine, and when I looked over to her, she seemed in thought. It took her a minute to decide on something, though.

"I have a Pokémon," she spoke slowly, as if choosing her words carefully in order to not offend me. Her eyes watched me closely. This girl had been raised in a house that probably emphasized diplomacy, and I got the feeling her parents were probably business oriented. "She needs some training, though. I can ask if daddy will pay you to train her."

"We just met today," I reminded her, not sure why she'd trust me with this kind of thing. Sure, I'd trained Chiipii into a metapod by this point, but there was no way Lusamine would know that, right? "Why trust me that much?"

"Because you were the only person who stood up for me," she answered simply, as if that made any kind of sense. I supposed in some kind of simple way, it did. Even if she was the only one here who seemed to at least somewhat understand me, and was years ahead of our peers when it came to conversation, she was still a kid at heart. I guess kindness really was all there was to it.

"I see," I said, gathering my thoughts before shrugging. Well, when life gives you lemons... "If your dad is alright with it, sure I wouldn't mind helping you train your Pokémon when I have time. What Pokémon do you have?" She brought out her poké ball from her backpack, a large clunker of a thing. Mind you, the poké balls of this day and age were nothing like the compact, streamlined red and white balls I was familiar with from the games and TV show. No, these things were made of iron, had a red, unscrewable cap on the top, and weighed around five pounds, each. I'm pretty sure the Celebi movie showed them off with some kid from the past, but it'd been years since I saw it and I couldn't say for sure.

"She's a petilil," Lusamine explained, and the fact surprised me. Lusamine had always been associated with clefable in my mind, but I supposed it made sense, thinking about it more. Clefairy, as far as I knew, wasn't native to Unova, and I'm pretty sure petilil was introduced in the Black and White games. "Her name is Lily, and my daddy bought her for me before we came here to Alola so I wouldn't be lonely while he and mommy are at work."

Alright, so we had a classic 'lonely rich kid' scenario going on. No wonder she seems to have latched onto me like this. I had to wonder if she'd ever had any friends her own age. I cleared my throat after finishing the last of my sandwich. "Okay, well that's one thing out of the way," I said, trying to come up with some kind of training plan in my head. Not easy. "So what are you looking to train Lily for? Battle, contests, something else...?" I asked, hoping she'd give me an easy answer.

"I want her to evolve, but I also want her to be good at fighting," Lusamine explained, looking excited at the prospect of having her petilil be battle-ready. Her smile was infectious as she even leaned over the table in her excitement. "I've seen how strong and beautiful liligant is on the TV, and I want her to be able to do that kind of stuff!" I thought for a few moments, realizing something. Liligant evolved via Sun Stone, though there was a Hisuian version that evolved... I could have sworn it was a different kind of stone that gave the Hisuian version. However, the logistics of that was strange. Would it even be possible, now? Did the location matter? Never mind that the quality of the stone would have to be taken into account, as well.

"Well," I spoke up, not letting the conversation lull for too long, "it seems like you have your work cut out for you. Petilil evolves through a Sun Stone, so it's just a matter of getting your hands on one. As for actual training, we can work on stuff like moves, physical conditioning, and battle power in the meantime."

"Why physical stuff?" Lusamine asked, a perplexed expression crossing her face. "Liligant mostly uses their powers for fighting, don't they?"

"They do," I acknowledged, "but say that you want to keep her in for a few rounds of combat, or a battle drags on longer than you expected, or you find yourself caught out in the wilderness with only her to protect you." I listed each scenario with a finger to count and emphasize my points. "While special and ranged attacks are this Pokémon's specialty, they won't be able to keep up without some kind of physical endurance to help them last for long battles. A Pokémon's abilities are only as strong as their endurance, after all." Lusamine nodded, and I had to admit that I'd had the same questions before studying all of this.

This world... was completely different from both the games and the TV show. The timeline was screwy, and honestly, Pokémon worked completely differently from stats on a screen. Proper training, diets, and care all contributed to the combat ability of Pokémon under a trainer's care, not just battling and experience points. Pokémon moves could be used outside of battle, too, in order to help circumvent problems. In short, it was perfect for a guy like me who loved to abuse broken mechanics.

"So, we'll first train Lily in the basics to help train her endurance, then we'll work on expanding her moveset, before finally evolving her whenever you're satisfied with her progress," I finished, seeing Lusamine's eyes sparkle with determination and excitement. "During recess, would it be alright if I met Lily?"

"Yes, of course!" Lusamine exclaimed, and once more I smiled at her enthusiasm. I couldn't help but find her love for battle and Pokémon endearing. "I think you'll be fast friends! No, I'm sure of it!" Her lunch had gone forgotten over the course of the conversation, and as she slammed her hands on the table in her excitement, her left hand struck her pudding cup, exploding it all over her hand and blouse. Suffice it to say, the rest of lunch was spent cleaning her clothes as best as we could.

I*A*C

Lusamine was nothing if not a proper, respectable child. Be polite. Be efficient. Have a plan to use everyone you meet. These were the rules her parents set for her, and she was proud of her ability to follow through with them. Manipulating that boy, Taiyo, was easy. He was blunt and brazen, and all it took was a little sob story about how kind he was to have him in the palm of her hand. She felt a little bad, sure, but who wouldn't when using the human with the personality of a herdier?

She watched as Taiyo fiddled with the cap of her poké ball, finally releasing her sweet little Lily onto the playground. Her little darling was what daddy called a 'shiny', a rare variant who was born with a different appearance than her peers. Only the best for his little girl, of course. Taiyo was, understandably, awestruck at the color of her Lily being different from what he expected, and his eyes met hers for a brief moment before he focused back onto the Pokémon. Her chest ached at his excited smile for some reason.

"Alright, hey there, Lily," Taiyo greeted her Pokémon. Such a simple, unrefined greeting. It matched him perfectly. He squatted down, meeting her Pokémon at as close to eye level as he could; a difficult thing considering just how small her little Lily was- Lusamine watched in shock and barely contained rage as that ruffian had the nerve to pick her little flower up! "Nice to meet you. My name is Taiyo, and I'll be your trainer for a while so you can get big and strong for Lucy." To her surprise, Lily didn't simply drain him dry with an Absorb attack, or paralyze him with a Stun Spore. No, the little thing... seemed to be happy.

How strange...

Watching Taiyo train Lily was a strange sight as well. He had the little Bulb Pokémon run laps around the basketball field, jogging ten times as many laps around the field and shouting encouraging words all the while. He had her do sit ups, or at least the closest equivalent, and during the last ten minutes, asked that Lily use a weak Absorb attack on him! It took several minutes for Lily to relent and give in to his requests, and the attack left him understandably drained of energy, but the sheer nerve to even suggest such a thing...

Lusamine decided, as recess ended and Lily was returned to her poké ball, to keep a close eye on Taiyo. The ruffian certainly seemed to know his stuff, and it would be helpful to have someone so useful in her back pocket, so to speak. Oh, yes, and paying him...

Well, certainly her daddy wouldn't mind a few missing Credits from her allowance card, would he? It was hers to use, after all. Besides, if she wanted her Lily to be nice and strong, she'd have to keep Taiyo motivated in order to continue their training.

I*A*C

Ten Credits. I guess I really couldn't ask for much more, considering I didn't actually teach Lily anything new. Still, being paid that little stung a bit. The beaming smile on Lusamine's face, though, was worth it. She seemed to be kind and considerate of me, and had even accepted me invitation to head down to Station Square with Emmi, Kanu, Paige and myself. That's how I found myself walking with this group of girls and Kanu down to Hau'oli City. If we were older, I'm sure Kanu and I would be beating back guys trying to flirt with the girls in our group. Thankfully, we were young enough that we were all off anyone else's radar.

"I'm just saying, Aster is way cuter," Emmi protested, earning an eye roll from Paige while Kanu and I shrugged to one another. The two girls had been arguing about the Alphamane Roamers band since we'd started walking to Station Square. Lusamine seemed happy to just watch them, not really offering her two cents until... "Lucy, Aster or Corman? Who's cuter?"

"Personally, I'm more interested in Elio," Lusamine stoked the flame even higher. Paige seemed personally offended by Lusamine's choice and started yelling at her, earning laughter from the other two girls. I glanced back to Kanu, who looked back at me, and we both shrugged again.

"Girls," I offered, earning back a 'Girls' as acknowledgement from him. I nodded, content with the exchange. I heard Lusamine scoff, glancing at Emmi and Paige.

"Boys," she smiled and rolled her eyes. I hid a smile of my own, glad that she was fitting in easily enough. I'd been a bit worried given how nervous she'd seemed in front of class, but I guess it had just been jitters from being someplace so new and not knowing anyone. We continued making our way to Station Square, entering the city limits after about a half an hour's walk from the school. Maybe most Regdon cities were reminiscent of those on Earth, with an actual city surrounded by suburbs, then rural areas. In Alola, that concept was greatly reduced given the relatively small size of the islands. Hau'oli City proper probably had an area of around twenty square miles, taking up the entirety of the south-western portion of Melemele Island. The suburbs to the north and east of the city probably had a combined area of about fifteen square miles. For comparison, New York City had about four-hundred and fifty square miles. The whole of Melemele Island was smaller than New York City.

Though, to be honest, I much preferred Hau'oli City to New York City. The architecture was far more pleasing to look at, and the streets were kept clean and tidy due to the number of tourists who liked to head out into the wilderness nearby and explore. See, unlike cities back on Earth, most Alolan cities had a sort of communal pride in them; something that was probably retained from the time when each island consisted of many tribes. Even the local Pokémon were privy to it.

This pride in our homes encouraged us to keep everything clean, even if it was out of the way and hidden. We loved our islands, our culture, and our town, and always made sure that outsiders would see the best possible version of them. Maybe that's why, in the future, Team Skull ends up trashing Po Town. They lose their pride in Alola, the region which practically forgot them for failing their Island Challenges.

"What do you think, Taiyo?" I heard Lusamine ask, and glanced towards her to see the cheeky smile on her face. Behind her, Kanu and Emmi hold back their laughter. Ah, I'd been caught.

"Sorry, I wasn't listening," I admitted simply, and I saw Lusamine's smile twitch at the admission. Guess she wasn't expecting me to just up and say it. "Could you repeat the question?"

"We were talkin' about what the best flavor for malasadas are," Paige explained from the other side of Lusamine as we passed by the Ku'ai Nui Mall. "My favorite is strawberry-chocolate, obviously, because malasadas are supposed to be yummy!"

"Please, if you haven't had a spicy malasada, you haven't lived!" Kanu argued, looking towards me. "You think so too, right!? Pepper jack cheese malasadas are the best!" I'd never had one of them, but I did like pepper jack... sh*t, I might have to give that a try.

"You're both wrong," Emmi shook her head, resting her hands on her hips as we kept walking down the street. We didn't need to worry about cars, since motorized vehicles were actually pretty rare on Regdon. In Alola especially, since any vehicles like that needed to be shipped over. From what I understood, motor vehicles were expensive and reserved only for the super-rich, the super desperate, and companies that had a need for them. As I'd heard it stated before, if you had a car, you were either rich, or in debt.

"Strawberry-Nomel malasadas are obviously the best. It's sweet and sour and super good!" Emmi finished, looking at me expectantly. "You have to admit that they're the best, right Taiyo? There's nothing else like them." I glanced at Lusamine, who shrugged.

"I've never had any before," she admitted simply. Okay, that was fair. I gave it a hard think, eventually letting out a sigh and giving my answer.

"I have to agree with Paige," I said, watching her smile as both Emmi and Kanu rolled their eyes. "Strawberry and chocolate make a great combination. However, I'm more partial to strawberry and banana."

"I can forgive that," Paige defended me, moving to my other side instead of Lusamine's. "It's still really sweet, so that's good too." Lusamine seemed to think for a moment before nodding along with Paige.

"That sounds good, actually," she said, sounding pleasantly surprised. "I'll try that one, the strawberry and banana. In fact, it's all my treat, okay everyone?"

"That's assuming they have the ingredients," I told her, getting a confused look in return. I chuckled before explaining, "The malasada shops around Alola have something of a tradition. Each store has a particular specialty malasada that they claim to make better than anyone else. In competitions, they're usually broadened as described by their main flavor: sweet, spicy, dry, sour, so on and so on. The malasada place back on Akala Island that mom and I used to go to had really good chicken-jalapeno malasadas." I saw Kanu's expression perk up at that. "Maybe I'll take you to try them sometime, Kanu."

"Yes!" Kanu grinned, pumping his fist at the suggestion. A little bit of time and walking later, during which we talked about things ranging from the kinds of music we liked, to our favorite foods, to even our favorite videogames. Imagine my surprise when Lusamine told me that she enjoyed jazz and blues. I guess it came with being from Unova. Finally, though, we made it to Station Square.

Station Square was more of a strip of road by the water than an actual square, with a couple of roads leading inland towards Hotel Plaza. The strip bordered the beach, basically encouraging all of the tourists going swimming to shop within it on the way to and from the beach. There were even a few shops specifically for trainers, including the widely-renowned Pokémon Center, with a Pokémart located right beside it. Unlike in the Sun and Moon games, the Pokémon Center and Pokémart weren't within the same building. I'd looked it up, and found that the Pokémon Center was actually owned by Silph Company, while the Pokémart brand was owned by Devon Corporation. I guess later in the future they'll join the two in some kind of merger or partnership, but for now, the two were separate.

"Wow, look at that!" I heard Kanu exclaim, pointing towards a trainer who'd just let out a mudsdale and was climbing aboard it. "What Pokémon is that?"

"It's a mudsdale," I said immediately, looking the massive horse Pokémon over. It was huge, easily nine feet tall, towering over us kids. "It's a strong Ground-Type Pokémon that usually has the Stamina Ability, which hardens up their bodies any time they take a hit. It's usually best to try and take them out in one-go with non-physical attacks so they don't become a threat later." I saw Emmi, Paige, and Kanu roll their eyes with smiles on their faces, used to my comparatively encyclopedic knowledge on Pokémon. Lusamine, however, seemed to give me an appraising look, as if re-evaluating what I was capable of. I wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"Oh, there's the malasada place," Paige pointed out to a small, single-story building with a flat roof. It was painted yellow, with orange and brown accent pieces and decorations. Its sign, which hung over its glass, automatic doors, was in the shape of an Alolan meowth taking a bite out of a fluffy malasada, an entirely too pleased expression on its face. The place was called Meow-lasada, and a poster on one of the windows by the door claimed in big black letters, 'Home of the BBQ Chicken malasada! Comes in both sweet and smokey or sour and tangy sauce!'

"That actually sounds pretty good," I mentioned after reading over the sign. I heard Kanu hum in agreement. "Guess I'll give it a try. they wouldn't put that front and center if they weren't proud of it."

"I might try it, too," Lusamine agreed, sounding intrigued. "Is barbecue normal with malasadas?"

"Not at all," I shook my head. "First I've ever heard of it. Guys?" The other three all gave various negative answers. I looked around, and noticed the building next door was a bookstore. Outside were a few tables with sun umbrellas, and I could see other small groups of people eating while reading. "Mind if I check out the bookstore while you guys grab our snacks?"

"Oh, I'll come with you," Lusamine offered, but was quickly shot down by Paige.

"Wait, aren't you paying?" she asked, deflating the platinum blonde girl a little. "I'll go with our little oranguru. I want a strawberry-chocolate malasada, please and thank ye." She smiled, and I could have sworn I saw Lusamine grit her teeth a bit. "If they haven't got that, then just something sweet works. Come on then, Taiyo." Paige walked towards the bookstore, leaving the others behind with a wave. I glanced at them, shrugged, and followed.

As we entered the bookstore, I took a good look around at the shelves upon shelves of paper-bound knowledge. It smelled of textbooks and coffee, a scent I always found relaxing. To the back left corner was a large sign with decorated lettering for a Saws-Bucks, a popular coffee chain. "So, anything you want to look for fir-" I began to ask, but noticed too late that Paige had already wandered off to the fiction section of the store. I let out a sigh and jogged after her, but stopped as something caught my eye.

I stared at the offending display. A single book that was on sale, and in one single moment, the perfect solution to my poké ball problem clicked into place. Memoirs of the Ancient Sinnoh was the title of the book. Written and published by Dr. Oliver Laventon. It was bundled with a copy of his original pokédex, and the back cover described the book as a collection of the various memoirs, notes, and findings of Professor Laventon during his time in Hisui with the Galaxy Exploration Team. Front and center on the main cover of the book was a close-up image of a single apricorn poké ball sitting in a grassy field. I knew what I needed to do.

I*A*C

Entry 1

As a record of thoughts and ideas, I've bought a new notebook for keeping track of everything outside of my scribbles notebook. This will be full of my more cognizant thoughts and actual theories as to the world around me and how it functions. I've since studied up on the history of poké balls, given that I plan to make my own using apricorns and... I think they were called tumblestones? I have no idea what a tumble stone is, but hopefully this book I purchased today will have the answers. If nothing else, I can use the PC at home to look it up or ask Miss Luka if she has any answers. As it turns out, poké balls are a relatively new invention in the long history of Regdon. They first are referenced in texts around two-hundred years ago, about the time when Professor Laventon published his research in Hisui, now Sinnoh. He makes mention of a girl who fell from the sky. While his description of her leaves a lot to be desired, the photograph of her appears to be that of a young woman similar in appearance to Paige. I'm not sure I like the implications of that, and he does note that she vanishes some couple of years after arriving. I'll be keeping an eye out, just in case.

Beyond the primitive poké balls from so long ago, Silph Company apparently was formed about one-hundred years after the events in Hisui, and began mass producing poké balls for exploration teams and those seeking Pokémon companions of their own. In fact, they would have led a monopoly on poké balls if not for the efforts of Galar's Dr. Alfred Kensworth, who dedicated research into Pokémon health and diets. His lawsuit against Silph Company, in what is now known as Kensworth v. Silph, is widely used nowadays to ensure no company has the sole right to any single type of poké ball.

About fifty years after that was when the first mechanical poké balls were created. They were large and clunky, and made out of pure iron unlike the lighter alloy poké balls are made of, today. They were only perfected, and mass produced after another fifty years. I'm beginning to sense a pattern... Regardless, these are the poké balls we use now, with the twisty top. I don't know when the modern poké ball will be invented, but I really can hardly wait.

Anyway, delving more into the old, ancient apricorn poké balls, apparently there's three major components to them. The apricorn base, which has special properties which make capturing Pokémon possible in the first place, the tumblestone top, which amplifies the effects of the base, and then the capture device, which harnesses the properties of both halves to actually capture the Pokémon and encourage more friendly behavior towards its trainer.

I've looked into the mechanics of that latter bit, and from what I've found, it's a sort of psychic suggestion induced electronically into the Pokémon. It can't force a Pokémon to like its trainer, but it can at least nudge them in that direction. It's strange and... dubious ethically, but I really don't have any better options. I figure that capture device will be the hardest component to find, but maybe I can buy some online. Parts are usually cheaper than the full product, after all.

I'm planning on scoping out a few places to find viable apricorns in the coming days. There's two places on my list so far; Kukui Ana Cavern on Melemele Island, which is often host to the island's sole Island Trial, or Halei La'au Forest on Akala Island, which commonly hosts their Grass-Type Island Trial. Both can be incredibly dangerous, so some planning will be in order. I'm thinking I'll try and focus on Kukui Ana Cavern, given its close proximity to Hau'oli City and the higher chances of encountering Pokémon that would rather flee in the face of a kid like me than have me for lunch.

I*A*C

Chapter 4: Apricorn

Chapter Text

I*A*C

Entry Two

After much deliberation and study, I've decided to make Kukui Ana Cavern my area of search for apricorns. It has more light in and around it, and the soil is just good enough to grow them. While the cavern itself might not have apricorn trees, the surrounding wilderness and rural areas to the north of Hau'oli City might. I intend to go alone, but will try and find a trainer willing to escort me in the event things are more dangerous than they originally appear. According to Dr. Laventon's memoirs, as well as various historical websites online, brown apricorns are the most conductive to creating a basic apricorn poké ball. I don't know if any exist around Alola, but it can't hurt to look. I'll write more once I've made some progress

I*A*C

Cassie Ihue strode slowly through the streets of Hau'oli City on the way to the port, hoping to catch the next ferry back to Akala Island. She wanted to give Kali a visit before heading back home, since she had work the next night and she really wasn't in the mood to hang out at one of the clubs or on the beach. It'd been almost two weeks since her friend had landed herself in the hospital, comatose. Cassie still wasn't sure what to think of it. She just... didn't understand why she'd shoved that Pokémon and the kids out of the way. Well, maybe she could, just a little. Honestly, there were a lot of sleepless nights as that scene replayed itself in her head. Kaliope shoving the kids out of the way. The way she collapsed after being hit by that attack. The way Taiyo screamed. Arceus, that scream alone was enough to haunt her. She'd never heard him sound so... she didn't even know what the word for it would be. Angry? Mad? Broken? Terrified? Some unholy mix of all four?

Her thoughts were broken as a a weight climbed up her back and rested on her left shoulder, the yellow fur of her pet Zippy filling her peripheral vision in that direction. She smiled, reaching up to gently pet the pikachu's head. "Thanks, Zippy," she mumbled, appreciating her Pokémon's ability to tell when she was feeling down. She and Zippy had been friends since she'd been a kid, and when her parents had moved to Hoenn, they'd left him with her. "Just thinking about Kali, is all." Zippy made a noise that sounded like a cross between a squeak and humming static, before nuzzling up against her cheek. "Yeah. I think her kid lives on this island, actually. Should we go say hi?"

Zippy made an excited zapping sound, which Cassie took as an affirmative. "Sounds like a plan," she sighed, both nervous and excited. She'd meant to check in on him after she'd been told that he'd decided to stay with the Alahi family, but things just... didn't line up. The excuse even felt weak in her own head. Cassie pulled out her flip phone, pulling up the text she'd received from the Alahi family about a week ago. Apparently, Kali had listed her as an emergency contact for Taiyo, and emergency services had given her number to his current caretakers.

The text itself had a polite greeting, as well as the address of the house the family lived at. It was some kind of rich neighborhood, like most of the places on Melemele Island. Akala Island might have had the Grand Hano Resort, but Akala Island mainly was filled with normal people working normal jobs catering to normal people. Trainers spent their money around the resort, and not many other places. Melemele Island, on the other hand, was dedicated mostly to Pokémon Trainers and those who supported them. All that money got spent around far more evenly. Cassie had to stamp down the jealousy welling up inside her. No, she couldn't distract herself.

"Don't let me chicken out of this, Zippy," she mumbled to her pet, who zapped affectionately back towards her. She felt herself calm a little, glad that she'd decided to bring Zippy along with her to shop. Slowly, she made her way towards the eastern city limits, dreading every step she made. Today was a weekend day for schools over in Akala, so she hoped that it was the same for trainer school. She didn't even know the name of the school that Taiyo went to. What kind of guardian was she? Her thoughts were interrupted when Zippy squeaked on her shoulder, and she looked ahead to see the unmistakable form of Taiyo duck into an alley. "Tai...?" she mumbled to herself, following closely, but out of sight. "What's he doing?" As she looked into the alley he'd walked down, she was able to clearly see he'd brought his backpack with him. "He didn't have school today, right?" Her pikachu didn't have an answer for her, unfortunately.

Cassie moved forward after he turned the corner at the other end of the alley, deciding to follow Taiyo until she could figure out what he was doing. Something in her gut told her it was wrong, both what she was doing and what he was doing, so it all balanced out, right? Right. Cassie followed Taiyo for a while, eyes narrowed with suspicion and worry. Oh, sure, she'd tried blowing off every time Kali had brought up her concerns about her kid, but after a while, even Cassie couldn't ignore the facts in front of her. Taiyo was weird.

He knew things he shouldn't, spoke in a way that made her feel like a kid, and overall, just had this weird vibe to him. It was why when Taiyo made his way to the northern city limits, Cassie knew she had to step in. While eastern Melemele was known to be relatively safe due to its lack of any real dangerous predatory Pokémon, northern Melemele more than made up for it.

"Hey, Taiyo!" Cassie put on her best smile and jogged up behind him, waving excitedly. Zippy, getting the hint, squeaked and hopped off of her shoulder, running up to the boy and tackling him as he turned around. Taiyo fell to the ground, laughing and rubbing his cheek against the excited pikachu's. That was... weird. Since when was he this affectionate and cheerful? "Hey there, kiddo," Cassie repeated herself as she finally caught up. "Whatcha doing? I haven't seen you in, like, a few weeks." Taiyo slowly stood up, still holding Zippy in his arms.

"Ah, just been at school and hanging out with my friends," he told her, and Cassie stood for a moment to let that sink in. He had friends? She knew about Emmi, but he always used to call her, 'The girl with a caterpie that he's training.' "We went to the arcade yesterday, and I was able to get a dart tag set with all the tickets that I won." The more he spoke, the more Cassie had trouble recognizing him as the little boy she knew just a few weeks ago. He'd have never cared about the arcade before... right? Could it be that she just didn't know her best friend's son like she thought she did?

"Oh! That's... good," Cassie responded, still at a little bit of a loss as to how to take what he'd just told her. "That's good. I'm happy you're, like, having fun and stuff." Taiyo nodded, petting her pikachu's head as the Pokémon squeaked happily. "So where are you goin' now?" His hands twitched just enough for Cassie to notice.

"Oh, uh, just going exploring a bit," he said, obviously not telling the whole truth. She knew she had him. Maybe she didn't know what had changed, but obviously he hadn't gotten any better at lying. "I was gonna head to the suburbs up north and take a look around. you know, see if I can study any new kinds of Pokémon."

That was an obvious lie if she'd ever heard one from him. the little kid already knew most of what there was to know about Alola's Pokémon. "Well," she started, hiding her knowing smirk with a smile, "why don't I come with you? It's been so long since we saw each other, so we could make a day of it!" Taiyo pursed his lips, realizing the jig was up, probably. Cassie let him think over what he could say, confident he couldn't furret his way out of this one.

"Fine," he relented after a minute of thought, a defeated expression crossing his face. He set Zippy down, and the pikachu climbed his way back onto Cassie's shoulder. "Just... don't tell anyone else?"

"Only if you tell me the truth, Taiyo," Cassie pressed, crossing her arms over her chest. Taiyo sighed, finally giving in. Cassie might not have a lot of victories over the kid, be it in Pokémon trivia or other things, but she was counting this as one of them. "Well?"

"I'm looking for apricorns," he said simply, a guilty expression on his face. Huh, that didn't sound so bad. Definitely not as bad as he seemed to think it was. "I've looked around, and the only place they might grow on Melemele Island is in the Kukui Ana Cavern. It's either there, or on Poni Island." Ok, that sounded a lot worse. Cassie let out a sigh of her own, massaging her temple as she felt the beginnings of a headache. "Are you going to try to stop me?" There was an edge to his voice that she didn't like, and she almost was about to do just that right then and there. When she looked back down at his face, though, there was an uneasy light in his eyes that made her shiver.

She'd seen battle-hardened trainers before, in more than one sense, but all of them had a determination and strength of will that was unmistakable. That kind of vibe that tells everyone around them not to f*ck with them. It was that same, steely gaze that promised retribution that was in his eyes as she looked at the seven-year-old boy in front of her. Arceus, she was a grown woman! The thought of some snot nosed little kid getting revenge on her shouldn't make her uneasy. But for some reason, she paused when it came to Taiyo.

Taiyo was weird. He wasn't like most kids his age, and he had a clever mind that made it hard to keep up with him, sometimes. His young age made it easy for him to outsmart even some adults since they'd underestimate just what he was able to remember and think up. No, Cassie wouldn't make the same mistake that her and Kali's boss had made. She still wasn't sure how Taiyo had managed to get a yungoos corpse, much less how he'd managed to hide it in her boss' office without getting caught. The damn thing had stunk up the room as it decayed until they'd finally discovered it in the ceiling tiles above his office. Officially, it had been some disgruntled third shift janitor. Cassi and Kali both knew better. He'd lied, obviously, but he had just as terrible a poker face then as he did, now. They'd pretended not to notice at the time.

"No," Cassie finally decided after giving it some thought, not keen on being on the receiving end of the kid's anger, "but me and Zippy are coming with you." Taiyo visibly frowned at those words, but nodded shortly after anyway. "And we leave when I say so, got it?" Cassie added, getting another reluctant nod from Taiyo along with a drawled out, 'Okay...'

The two walked in silence together, Taiyo eventually relaxing and adopting his normally calm expression, and Cassie's heart slowing down as she let herself take it easy again. In the meantime, she watched her surroundings. The northern side of Hau'oli City was dedicated to businesses and stores that were aimed towards locals of Alola, away from the extreme hustle and bustle of the beach to the south. As they walked past, they were greeted by strangers who all waved hello and made a little smalltalk before letting them on their way. Before, Taiyo would have been happy to remain quiet while Cassie or Kali would do the talking. Now, he actually had conversations with the strangers they passed, asking how their days were or what they were doing. It was weird.

"When did you get so social?" Cassie asked, only realizing after she'd spoken how insulting her question sounded said out aloud. Thankfully, Taiyo either didn't notice or didn't care.

"When mommy- ugh, mom was sent to the hospital," he replied. He walked stiffly, focusing ahead as if the question bothered him. Or was it the answer...? "I've... I..." He stopped, and Cassie stopped a few paces behind him. The atmosphere suddenly felt heavy to her, and even Zippy looked between them, confused. Taiyo turned to face Cassie, a complicated expression on his face. "Cass. Am I a bad son? Be honest." Cassie immediately wanted to deny it, to encourage that he was a good kid, but she stopped herself when she saw the seriousness in his eyes. It wasn't as biting as it had been during their last conversation about half an hour ago, but it wasn't the carefree expression a kid should have.

Cassie gave his question some thought. Some actual thought. "You're a good kid, Taiyo," Cassie spoke slowly, trying to put together her words as she spoke. "But... no, I don't think you're a good son to Kali. I mean, like, you never actually listen to her, you just go off and do whatever you want... I mean, this entire apricorn thing? Do you think your mom would let you do this if she was awake?" The look on his face told her all she needed to know about what his answer was, but he stayed quiet. "She was so worried about you, you know?" She thought she heard him mumble, 'I know,' under his breath, but she kept going anyway. "Have you even visited her, Taiyo? Have you?" His silence was deafening, and he looked every bit like a kid being scolded. Honestly, Cassie had no idea if he had or hadn't, but she had hoped... She shook her head, reorganizing her thoughts. "You're a bad son, Taiyo. But... you're not completely hopeless." She let out a sigh, shaking her head and crossing her arms as the boy looked up at her again, holding back tears that she didn't even know if he was aware of.

"How is she?" he asked, making Cassie feel all kinds of weird. She had no clue if he'd have cared, before. f*ck, she barely knew the kid before, but Kali had wanted her to look after him? Yeah, him going with the Alahi family had been the right call. "I've been meaning to visit, but things... just haven't lined up..." Cassie felt anger stir inside of her, but beat it down. She couldn't blame him. Not about that.

"Stable," Cassie said, relenting as she relaxed again. f*ck, this day had started off so nice. Why'd he have to make it so stressful for her? "She's supposed to wake up soon, but the doctors don't know exactly when. Could be a week. Could be a month. Just no more than six months, supposedly. It's... like, kinda dumb. I don't even know how they know!" There was no response aside from a single nod from the boy. "You should see her," she told him, getting some kind of noncommittal grunt in return. "What, are you, like, scared or something?" Cassie laughed, finding the idea absurd, but when he didn't react, her laughter died pretty quickly. No f*cking way...

"Let's keep going," Taiyo said, turning away from her and continuing to walk. She didn't miss the way his fists clenched. "We don't want to waste the day away, right? Dangerous Pokémon get more active at night, after all." Cassie had no idea if that was true or not, but she decided to take him at face value, anyway. When it came to Pokémon, it seemed like he knew what he was talking about. Speaking of...

"Hey," she spoke up after a few moments of following him, again. "Is... That Pokémon, incineroar, is it really a Dark-Type, too?" Cassie had done a little reading on the Pokémon, and found out about that little tidbit by chance. You'd never know just by looking at it, right? It looked like it'd be a Fire and Fighting-Type Pokémon, like blaziken or emboar. The only people who would really know the difference would be professional trainers, or people like Taiyo. Part of her hoped that what she'd discovered was wrong, though.

"Yeah, it's a Fire and Dark-Type Pokémon," Taiyo replied, and Cassie felt her heart sink. "Yeah. Mom... She put herself in danger for absolutely nothing." The two of them didn't speak for a while longer after he said those words. He must have known this entire time. He knew he hadn't been in any danger, but Kali still got hurt, anyways. "She couldn't have known," he answered her unspoken question. "Mom... never really paid attention to Pokémon like I do. Still, even if she had... I don't think that would have changed a thing."

Silence once more was left between them, lasting all the way to the outer edges of Hau'oli City, and into the suburbs that led towards the cemetery, as well as Kukui Ana Cavern. The road to the cavern was long and worn by the foot travel of trainers and Island Trial challengers. It'd been forever since Cassie had thought about walking this way. She'd been a kid back then, dreaming of becoming a trainer. Yet when she finally reached her eleventh birthday... Cassie dragged her mind away from the memories, the smell of acrid smoke still lingering in her memories.

"We're here," Taiyo said, stopping them around a nearby corner from the entrance of the caverns. Looking over, Cassie spotted a cute young man in front of the cavern's entrance. He was sitting in a little booth doing something on his phone, probably listening to music, while looking up every couple of seconds to look at the road. "Of course there would be a guard," Taiyo grumbled to himself. "And it's the guy from the battle courts." Cassie squinted her eyes, trying to remember if she'd seen this guy before. She blinked, the memory of that night flashing back to her.

"Oh, right, that's Mu- uh... Mu-something," she remembered, blinking. "Huh, I guess he stuck around. I thought he went to Paldea last week." Taiyo looked back at her, eyes narrowed in thought. "Uh, don't worry about it. So what, it looks like we can't get in. Guess that's just bad luck. We should-"

"I have a plan," Taiyo interrupted her, making Cassie frown. "I remember you and him were flirting back then, right? Can you keep him distracted? It only needs to be for a minute or two."

"Tai, you're not convincing me to sneak you into a dangerous place like that," Cassie grumbled, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Seriously, it has a guard. That means people like us shouldn't be going in there!" Zippy, who had been quiet this entire time due to the weird atmosphere between her and Taiyo, decided this was the best moment to speak up. He squeaked excitedly, jumping onto Tai's shoulder. "Wha- hey! You're not, like, taking his side, are you!?" Zippy smiled, nuzzling up next to Taiyo. "But why!?"

"Heh, the minds of Pokémon are forever unknowable," Taiyo said, gently scratching under Zippy's chin. "But I get the feeling Zippy knows that I won't be stopped. He's telling you that it's better to help me and keep me safe, then let me go about this on my own." Cassie glanced at Zippy, seeing the little pikachu nod. He could understand that much...? Just how smart were Pokémon?

"Wait, how does he understand that much?" Cassie asked. Had he always been able to think like this? Taiyo glanced at Cassie as he petted her pikachu. "I thought Pokémon were like animals, just a little smarter, but not that much!"

"Pokémon are just about as smart as people are," Taiyo told her, his voice slow as he glanced back over at the booth where that guy was. "It's why there's civil rights groups dedicated to the ethical treatment of Pokémon. Then again, there's groups about the ethical treatment of plants too..." Despite his casual admission of this, the entire thing was scrambling Cassie's brain. Nobody told her Pokémon were this smart! Who else knew!? Was this, like, something only trainers knew, too!? "So, back to topic, are you going to help me, or not?"

"Ugh," Cassie groaned. Of course he was still thinking about getting into Kukui Ana Cavern. She glanced between him, Zippy, and the cute guy in the booth before letting out another, long, drawn out groan. "Fine," she growled out, taking a deep breath before letting it back out. "But if this doesn't work, there's gonna be hell to pay, got it?"

"If this doesn't work, I'll take full responsibility," Taiyo said. Yeah. Great. she was sure that law enforcement would totally believe that a seven-year-old kid was old enough to be responsible for his own actions. I should have just stayed in bed, today, Cassie lamented to herself, shaking her head before taking another deep breath, her heart racing. "I'll sneak around through the trees behind the guard post. Once you see me get inside the caverns, do whatever you need to." Yeah, sure, fine, easy-peasy. Taiyo nudged Zippy back towards Cassie, but she shook her head.

"No, take him with you," Cassie told him. "I don't want you alone in there, got it? Just... be careful with him?" Taiyo's expression turned to that of determination before he ran into the trees and bushes. Cassie took one last breath for good measure before sashaying her way towards the guard booth where the guy was at.

"Alola!" she shouted, letting her features relax into a flirty smile. It was one she wore to work every night at the Hanu Grand Resort's bar, so she was well practiced. "Hey there, cutie! I can't believe I'm, like, seeing you again!" The guy pulled off his headphones from on top of his head and grinned, setting his phone down inside the booth before opening its little door to walk outside.

"Hey, alola, Cassie! What're you doing way out here?" he asked, obviously happy to see her. The young woman felt a little bad about that, but kept up the act. She couldn't see Taiyo, so he probably was waiting a little longer. "I mean, not that I'm not glad to see you."

"Ooo, flatterer," Cassie cooed, giving him a wink and moving a bit closer to him. "I thought you were going to Paldea? What got you to stick around?" The guy chuckled, a light flush on his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Ah, well, I kinda used my savings to do what I could to help with that kid's hospital bills," he said, shifting on his feet. Cassie hadn't known that. Ohhhh, this felt so much worse. "So, I'm stuck here in Alola for a few more months. I can't complain, though. This region is beautiful." He paused to give her a once over, and while part of her felt icky about that, another didn't really mind if it was him. "As well as the women. Anyway, what brings you out here?"

"Oh, uh, I was just out for an afternoon stroll, is all, and then I saw your handsome mug," Cassie excused. Flattery. She'd learned from work that flattery will get you everywhere. Proving her point, the guy smiled, looked away, and his mind seemed to completely forget what it was thinking. Behind him, Cassie saw as Taiyo snuck around the booth from the bushes, jogging into the cavern behind it. Well, that was her part, finished. Ugh, but how the hell was she gonna get in to keep an eye on him? "Hey, uh, so that's Kukui Ana Cavern, huh?" she asked, trying her best to think of a way in without coming off as weird or suspicious. "What's it like, inside?"

"Oh, uh, it's surprisingly light," he said, reaching down to his belt and unclipping a poké ball from it. "Hey, I can take you in for a short tour, if you want? Lemme just grab my little buddy, here." Mukanu! Right! That was his name! Cassie grinned, proud of herself for remembering the cute guy's name. She watched as Mukanu unscrewed the poké ball and chucked it into the air. "Alright, Ser Knight, come on out!" The red flash of light beamed from the ball, Mukanu calmly catching it off its recoil, something Cassie always thought was so cool about trainers. In front of them stood a tall, pale figure with green... hair? Whatever it was, it even had a cape that billowed in the wind! "Let me introduce you to Ser Knight. He's a gallade," Mukanu motioned to the Pokémon as Cassie looked between the two of them.

"O-Oh! Uh, nice to meet you," she said, suddenly realizing why those 'Pokephiles' were so... well, the way they were. The gallade bowed lowly, a pleasant expression on its face. "My, he's like, a gentleman, isn't he?" Cassie felt her face flush at the gesture as Mukanu laughed, slapping the Pokémon on the back. She had to remind herself that Ser Knight was a Pokémon, because experiencing such chivalry was definitely new to her. Not unwelcome, though...

"Ah, don't mind him. Ser's a ham through and through," Mukanu grinned as he spoke, repeating the gesture to her while also twirling his hand by the wrist for flair. Oh, Arceus, that was so f*cking stupid. Almost as stupid as the smile on her face. "Now then, shall we escort the lovely lady through yonder verdant cavern?"

"Ahahah," Cassie laughed nervously, fanning her face. When did it get so warm!? "S-Sure! I'd love to." The gallade seemed to laugh, a strange noise, and similar to the sound of dragging fingernails across a wavy plastic board. Once again, Cassie was reminded that apparently Pokémon are really smart. "Shush, you! Nobody asked!" The laughter grew louder, and Mukanu's joined in. "A-Are we going into the cavern or not?"

"Sorry, sorry!" Mukanu apologized, offering the flustered Cassie his arm. "Ok, ok. So, shall we?" Cassie nodded, still not quite forgiving him, but wrapping her arm through his, anyway. Stupid, sexy trainers, she complained to herself. She let her focus return, keeping an eye out as the three of them walked into the large, spacious cave. Inside was well lit due to the many holes in the ceiling, giving her a clear view of almost everything inside. She could see small families of yungoos running around and playing, watched over by groups of gumshoos that were probably their parents. Zubat flew around as well, and she watched as one dove towards an unsuspecting caterpie, picking it up in its mouth and chomping on it while it flew off.

"This is... incredible," Cassie remarked, taking in the actual atmosphere of the place. The shafts of light from above perfectly shaded the various features of hanging moss and dense plantlife inside the cavern. The plants growing inside were different enough in appearance that she could tell, but it was a scene one could easily paint out in the open air as well. "I've never seen anything like this before! Is this where Island Trial challengers do their thing?"

"Ah, something like that," Mukanu chuckled, his arms crossed and gaze scanning the area alongside Ser Knight's. "The actual challenge changes from year to year, but it always takes place in this cavern. Then, they face the Totem Pokémon in the back room. Melemele Island is unique in that there's two of them, one for the day, and one for the night." Cassie nodded, looking for where Taiyo might have run off to.

"Uh, I heard that apricorns can grow here," she knew it wasn't subtle, but she hoped the fact that she kinda wasn't supposed to be here in the first place would make it seem innocent enough. Mukanu chuckled, nodding and seeming to take it at face value.

"Yeah, they do, sometimes," he admitted, looking up to the large overhang near the back of the cavern. "But they all grow on trees in the Totem Pokémon grove at the very back, where they await challengers and direct the other Pokémon in here. The apricorns back there are considered sacred, so they're only harvested by those who have passed the trials at the very end. I think last year's trials never finished, right? So there should still be a bunch if you wanna check them out." Cassie's heart froze as Mukanu continued to talk.

"Uh, what would happen if someone... other than a trialgoer decided to pick them?" she asked, trying her hardest to keep her voice even. Mukanu shrugged.

"Well, assuming that happened, the Totem Pokémon active at the time would probably attack them. But everyone who comes in here should have a Pokémon to protect them, and all trial-goers know not to take stuff from the trial areas that don't belong to them," he explained. That didn't make Cassie feel any better. In fact, she felt worse. Ser Knight's head swiveled to her, shock in his eyes as he stared her down. The action drew Mukanu's attention, and he did the same after noticing the panic on the Pokémon's face. "What's wrong? Cass, what's going on!?"

"T-Taiyo wanted me to let him sneak in here to grab some apricorns!" she broke, letting out the truth as she realized just what kind of danger he could be in. "He- I- I encouraged it, it's not his fault! I sent him with my pikachu while I distracted you outside the gate, and I'm so sorry! Just- How strong are Totem Pokémon?" Mukanu's expression darkened before terror spread across his face as well.

"Way too strong for an untrained Pokémon to fight," he said, and the sound of thunder and lightning echoed through the cavern alongside a loud snarling roar as the wild Pokémon around them erupted into a frenzy. Mukanu took a deep breath and huffed, turning to Cassie after looking around to take stock of the situation. "Come on! We'll get the kid and get out of here! Ser Knight, keep these Pokémon off us!" Just in time, as a gumshoos lunged at them and was beaten back by the Blade Pokémon's quick movements. Enraged Pokémon attacked them from all sides as the two humans and gallade ran towards the Totem Pokémon's grove. Cassie tried focusing on every step she took instead of the many, many Pokémon hell bent on killing them.

Cassie was only vaguely aware of Mukanu barking orders, as well as the incineroar that had also been let out of his poké ball. No, all she could think about, aside from not tripping, was what Taiyo and her little Zippy could be fighting. The sound of combat filled her ears, and she felt tears running down her cheeks. She was going to die. She and Taiyo would die here, and Kali would wake up all alone.

"Hey! I need you to focus, Cass!" Mukanu shouted at her, grabbing her arm. They were in the back of the cavern, and ahead she could see a massive gumshoos slowly pacing around in a circle with her Zippy, Taiyo standing just a few feet away from them. "Go! Get him and get back here! I'll keep these wild Pokémon away from you guys as long as I can, just don't take too long!" He had another poké ball in his hand, tossing it into the air as he focused his attention back on the horde behind them. "Alright, Houndsmith, let's rock!" From the ball emerged a black wolf-like creature with mangy fur. It howled as it emerged from its poké ball. That was all she saw, though, because she took the time to turn and run towards another battle was happening.

I*A*C

Well, I really screwed the pooch with this one. I glared at the Totem Pokémon, Zippy on his last legs. I hadn't expected the apricorns to be all the way back here, but had thought I could sneak in and grab some. Guess the gumshoos was a perceptive bastard. Even now, it paced on its two hind legs as Zippy did the same. I followed along behind Zippy, not trusting the gumshoos to not target me as soon as it had the opportunity. "Come on, Gumshoos," I tried to reason with the Totem Pokémon. A fiery aura burned around the large Pokémon, indicating to me that it thought I was some kind of threat. "I just want some apricorns. No trouble. Can't you just let me grab a few and be on my way?"

The gumshoos snarled, which I took to mean some kind of negative answer. I spat on the ground to the side, not happy with that kind of response. "Listen," I continued. "You can either let us pass, or we'll go through you. Either way, I'm getting those apricorns." Zippy chirped nervously, giving me a quick side-eye. Yeah, he probably guessed that was a bad idea, too. I was hoping I could bluff the Totem Pokémon, but given the fact it hadn't run off, I had to guess it wasn't falling for it. "Zippy, think you can hold him off while I grab some of those apricorns?" Zippy squeaked. Ok, so that was a 'no'. "Damn. I really wish I knew all the moves you had, buddy. That would be really freakin' helpful right about now." The pikachu just squeaked sadly. Seemed like he was of the same mind. I tried to run back in my head what kind of moves Pikachu learned in the games, but it'd been seven years; almost eight. "Think you can improvise, buddy?" Zippy squeaked once. Guess that was about as good as we were gonna get.

"Alright then. Zippy, use Quick Attack into Nuzzle!" I shouted, and a glowing aura of white covered Zippy's body before he moved. I could barely keep up with the pikachu, but Gumshoos had no such issues, immediately opening its eyes, glaring down at the Mouse Pokémon. Zippy stumbled, and Gumshoos followed it up by letting out another growling roar as it flexed its arms. Just as Zippy regained his footing, Gumshoos launched itself at the pikachu, mouth wide open.

"Quick Attack to dodge, Zippy!" I instructed, with the little pikachu narrowly escaping from the gnashing teeth of the gumshoos five times his size. "Alright, try and Nuzzle again!" Zippy turned again on a dime, managing to slam itself into Gumshoos while letting out a blast of static. The larger Pokémon stumbled back, its joints locking up every so often. Little zaps of electricity bounced across its body as it growled in anger and frustration. "Great job, buddy! Alright, let's follow it up with Double Team!" When in doubt, debilitate the enemy and buff up. Unfortunately, my excitement to our headway was blasted into the dirt as Zippy gave me a confused squeak and look. Okay, Double Team was out. I had to think up something new. Unfortunately, Gumshoos wasn't about to give me that time. It lunged at Zippy, snarling all the while.

"S-sh*t. Okay, Zippy, Charm!" Zippy stood stock still, and I couldn't see exactly what he did, but he squeaked cutely, and the gumshoos slowed down just enough to give me time for another idea. "Great job, Zippy! Use Quick Attack to get out of the way and use Nasty Plot!" Zippy obeyed, quickly sidelining the attacking Gumshoos before what I can only describe as a manic grin crossed Zippy's face. "Got an idea? Great! Zippy, Thundershock him!" Zippy let out a high pitched squeal as sparks flew from his cheeks, and a bright stream of lightning hurled itself towards the gumshoos.

The Totem Pokémon howled in pain and anger, and then it glared at me. I realized suddenly that by moving Zippy away, I'd put the gumshoos between me and my Pokémon. Ah. Well f*ck me, I guess. The gumshoos lunged towards me as Zippy squeaked in shock and concern. I felt myself tackled to the side as the gumshoos got close. "You idiot!" Cassie's voice yelled in my ear. "What were you thinking!?"

"No distractions," I growled back, eying up the gumshoos as it took in this new human that'd invaded its sanctuary. "In battle. Shut up, stay out, let me handle, bitch at me later." Looking over, Cassie looked like she was about to argue, but thought better of it when the gumshoos snarled, obviously seeing this new human as an additional threat. "What moves does Zippy know?"

"Huh? Oh! Uh, let me think..." Cassie mumbled behind me. Zippy ran over to put himself between us and the gumshoos, something that it really didn't seem to like. "I think... Thundershock?"

"Quickly, please," I urged her as the gumshoos charged at Zippy again. "Zippy, Thundershock!" Zippy charged up his attack again, and as the Electric-Type attack arced towards the Totem Pokémon, it slammed its front paw into the ground and threw up dirt and mud, fizzling out the attack before slamming into the surprised and shocked pikachu. "Zippy, get up and back on guard!"

"Z-Zippy!" Cassie cried out, obviously unused to seeing her pikachu get hurt.

"Cassie, will you focus!?" I shouted at her.

"But Zippy...!"

"Will die along with both of us unless you tell me exactly what he can do!" I snarled at the older woman. I saw her fume, but her eyes resting back on her injured Pikachu seemed to sober her.

"Uh... well, dad got him from a breeder," she mumbled, trying to wrack her brain for answers. A breeder? Wait, that could work. Pokémon typically knew moves that their parents knew, so maybe we just got unlucky with Double Team... As Gumshoos made to charge at Zippy again, I took a risk.

"Zippy, use Iron Tail to stop him!" I shouted. Thankfully I didn't get a confused look. No, instead, Zippy's tail gleamed a metalic grey as he charged right back at the gumshoos, which seemed to take the Totem Pokémon by surprise. "Hit 'im now!" I commanded, and Zippy swung his body, slamming his tail straight into the gumshoos' face. I heard a crack as I imagine that caused some kind of hard trauma. The gumshoos staggered back, swaying as it seemed to regard us before collapsing onto the ground. I panted, looking at the downed Pokémon with distrust and uncertainty. When it didn't get back up, though, I let out a sigh of relief. "Zippy," I laughed as the pikachu looked back at me. "You did it! You freakin' did it, buddy!" Zippy squealed with barely contained relief and joy as he ran towards us and launched himself into my arms. Behind us, I heard the man at the gate return his Pokémon. "Alright, go with Cassie. I'm gonna grab what we came for." I set Zippy down and he went to nuzzle Cassie, who'd collapsed from the emotional exhaustion. I ran over to the apricorn trees on the far side of the grove, plucking as many of the little hard fruits as I could and stuffing them into my backpack.

"Hold it!" I heard the man shout, and I let out a sigh as I turned around, looking to the man from before. He had a gallade by his side, and I felt myself tense up. f*cking Psychic-Type. I beat down the rising rage I felt at the sight of the thing, and the Pokémon took a step back, seemingly sensing my emotions. Right, the ralts line was empathetic, weren't they? "Alright, kid, I'm gonna need you to put those apricorns on the ground. They don't belong to you, and they're sacred fruit of the Totem Pokémon." He glanced at the unconscious gumshoos, but returned his gaze to me.

"I earned them fair and square," I shot back, getting ready to run if I had to. I'd gone through enough trouble getting these things, I was not losing them, here! "If you got a problem with that, then tough luck. I don't know if you noticed, but I beat the Totem Pokémon with a Pikachu that doesn't even belong to me. You're going to have to fight me for these apricorns."

"Arceus, f*cking-" the man groaned and let out a sigh, shaking his head as he muttered to himself. "Listen, kid, I'm not gonna attack you over them! Just put them down and we can all walk away and pretend like this never happened, okay?"

"Counterpoint, you pretend like this never happened, and I walk away with the apricorns I came for," I told him, and he groaned, realizing I wasn't about to give up on this. I glanced at the gallade, who looked to his trainer for some kind of direction. Cassie silently petted her pikachu's head, very intentionally not paying attention to or ignoring what was going on in front of her. "The only way you're getting these apricorns are from my unconscious body."

"Kid, why the hell are you being so difficult about this!?" the man shouted, frustrated.

"Because I need to make poké balls, and these apricorns are the best way for me to do it," I retorted. "Get out of my way. I went through a lot to get these, and if they're as sacred as you say they are, then they must be great poké ball ingredients."

"Ughhhh," the man groaned again, pacing as he tried not to walk over and strangle me, I imagine. "Kid, why didn't you just buy apricorns online or something!? They're dirt cheap!"

"They're one-hundred Credits for a dozen!" I shouted, not believing what I'd just heard him say. "To say nothing about shipping and tax costs out here in Alola!" The man had the audacity to look sheepish. I guess he'd forgotten that chump change to him was an entire kid's savings to normal people. "I'm going to walk out of here with these apricorns. I'm going to go home. Then I'm going to find out what the f*ck tumblestones are and where I can find them too. Are we clear?" The man, to his credit, didn't seem all that intimidated by me. Not like Cassie had been. Then again, I'm sure something about being a seven-year-old child contributed to that.

"Mukanu," Cassie spoke up this time, standing up with Zippy in her arms. "Let it go, ok? He's not going to give up without you hurting him. I think... I've seen enough fighting, today." Mukanu looked at Cassie, then back at me, and groaned loudly, kicking a nearby rock.

"Fine," he grumbled, glaring daggers at me. "Come on, kid. Let's get you and Cassie out of here." Cassie looked hurt, and her doe eyes met mine before looking back at the man. Oh. Oooooh... sh*t. I made a mental not to try and make it up to her when I had the chance. As I walked over, I glanced at the small podium on the back side of the grove. Upon it rested a small, translucent white crystal. It had been years, but I knew exactly what it was.

"That's-" Cassie gasped as she, too, saw what I was staring at.

"A Z-Crystal," Mukanu finished, looking like he'd swallowed a lemon. I glanced back at where Gumshoos was; or rather, should have been. All that remained was a stamped down patch of grass and dirt. "Without a single Pokémon to your name, a Totem Pokémon's recognized you as having passed an Island Trial. What the f*ck are you, kid?"

I reached over, grabbing the crystal. A Normalium-Z. I looked back over to the elder trainer and smirked. "The very best," I told him, pocketing the Z-Crystal into my shorts. "Let's get out of here. I have some research to do, and a petilil to train." Mukanu and Cassie could do little else but stare at me as I walked towards the cavern's entrance, though I heard them walk behind me not long after I'd passed them. I was f*cking tired, man.

I*A*C

Once again, the sound of a heartbeat monitor filled my ears as I sat beside my mom's hospital bed. She was skinny and a bit pale, but not unhealthily so. Thankfully, the nurses had kept her in good condition. I chided myself. Of course they had. This wasn't Earth, where nurses could easily be corrupted by the idea of money over the Hippocratic Oath, abusing their patients. The nurses of the Regdon were practically all driven by a love of life and other people, using the best of their abilities to treat their patients. It was the nature of this world. It was safe. Kind. The idea of their paycheck was hardly a thought in their minds as they tended to their patients.

"Alola, mommy," I greeted my mom's sleeping form after what had to have been an hour sitting beside her. It was already dark out, but I'd used the phone here to call Missus Laina, Emmi's mom, to let her know I'd be with Cassie. "I'm sorry I haven't visited before now. I... thing's didn't-" I cut myself off, not trusting myself to say the truth, but not wanting to lie, either. What kind of son was I? I stared at the floor, not wanting the answer to that question. "I battled a Totem Pokémon today with Zippy. You know, Cassie's pikachu?" No response. A small part of me had hoped that the sound of me battling something dangerous would have gotten some kind of reaction. Even if it was just a twitching finger. "We won. It was touch-and-go for a bit, and I thought we were all gonna die. It wasn't actually an Island Trial, so the gumshoos wasn't obligated to hold back. He could have killed us if he wanted. I'm... almost certain he held back." It was a frustrating thing to admit, but it was the only thing I could think of during the ferry ride over to Akala Island. An untrained pikachu and an above average battle maniac of a kid like myself shouldn't have won, but we did. Was I still thinking of this place in game terms? I'd heard the damn thing's skull crack, wouldn't that be enough to put it down? But yet, it still felt like the Totem Pokémon could have done more.

"I got a Z-Crystal out of it," I continued. "I don't have a Pokémon to use it with, though. I don't even have a Z-Power Ring or even a Z-Ring to use it with, so it's practically useless to me right now. Even if I did, I'm pretty sure none of the Kahuna would give me the opportunity to use it." I reached over to take her hand in mine. My hand was so small compared to hers... I still felt like it should be the other way around. "I'm training another classmate's Pokémon, by the way. She has a petilil named Lily. Her name is Lusamine, and..." I hesitated. Could I really say what I wanted to, even if she wasn't conscious to hear it? No. No, I couldn't. "She's really nice. I'm sure you'd love her. Though I get the feeling she's... that there's a lot more to her than she's showing us. I don't think I'll worry about it for now, though."

I let another silence pass as I thought of what else to say. "Oh, I'll be going out to try and find some tumblestones in a few days. I have absolutely no idea what I'm looking for, so that'll be fun. I'm gonna ask Miss Luka if she knows anything, and try and do more research. They can't be that rare since poké balls were able to be mass produced in the ancient past, but I'm sure quality matters. The apricorns I got from the Totem Pokémon's grove are supposedly sacred, which probably means high-quality. I want to find tumblestones of equal or better quality, then. Hopefully it'll make a difference and won't be some waste of time." I frowned, thinking about that possibility. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to catch a Pokémon, mommy. I want to get this done before you wake up. I know that makes me a bad son, but..." I stopped, not sure what else I could say to justify this. It was wrong. I was directly disobeying my own mother's wishes. "I'm sorry for being such a rotten kid," I said instead. "I wish I could be a better son for you, but this is my dream. I realized today how dangerous the life I want can be, and why you tried so hard to protect me from it. Thank you, mommy. I appreciate the effort. I know you only want what's best for me."

"Taiyo, are you almost finished?" Cassie poked her head in from the hallway, giving me a gentle smile. "The hospital is starting to shove people out for the night. I know you'd probably get a pass since you're her kid, but you have school tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, thanks, Cassie," I said, looking back towards my mom. I stood up off the chair and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for protecting me, mommy. Soon, I'll be strong enough to protect you so nothing like this happens again. I just need you to wait for me." I walked over to the door where Cassie waited, and she looked happy that we'd come to visit my mom.

"I'm sure she'd be happy to know you came by to visit," she said as we walked through the sterile hospital. "The nurses looked over Zippy, by the way. Cracked ribs and exhaustion, but nothing some rest and a run through the OHR can't fix." The OHR stood for Operational Health Rejuvinator, and it was a machine that could take most of the injuries from battle and patch them up. I had no idea how it worked, but it seemed to be some kind of aerosol medication that was able to increase the rate at which the body healed. It was extremely incredible equipment by Earth standards, but it was just day-to-day living for Pokémon Trainers and those associated with them.

"I'm glad he's alright," I replied, glancing at the poké ball hooked to her jean's belt loop. "He was incredible, today. I honestly didn't expect him to beat that Totem Pokémon." I saw his poké ball jiggle, which I assumed was out of pride.

"Yeah, he's never battled before," Cassie agreed, looking down towards me. "I'm kind of with Mukanu, though. What you did, it's, like, completely unheard of. How the heck did you pull out a win like that? I didn't even know Zipply, like, knew Iron Tail."

"It was a guess," I told her simply. Judging from her expression, she wasn't expecting that answer. "Yeah. It was complete luck that got us the victory. I guess I still have a long way to go to be a real trainer." Maybe it was impressive to her, but I'd still panicked a bit during that battle. I'd need more practice to make stuff like that second nature.

As we walked out of the hospital and to her little house on Akala Island, we talked about what we'd done the last two weeks. It was a comfortable conversation, not like the one we'd had earlier this afternoon. I told her about school, and how I'd started talking with my classmates more. I told her that I hung out with my small friend group in Hau'oli City most afternoons, and our little misadventures out shopping and getting snacks at Station Square. As it turned out, Cassie had mostly been stuck at work all this time, with little freedom for herself aside from today. I guess I'd just lucked out in meeting her, today.

"So, you really got the idea from that book?" Cassie asked as I had grabbed Dr. Laventon's memoir from my backpack. I nodded, flipping through a few pages.

"Yeah, the people hundreds of years ago made poké balls like this, so I should be able to figure it out, too. Dr. Laventon was very detailed on the steps on how to make them, so it shouldn't be too much trouble." I looked over the words, but didn't take any of them in since it was so dark out. We walked down a suburb street where there weren't many people. She lived outside of the main city, so it got really quiet and dark out here. "I just wish getting the materials were easier. I guess apricorns were all over the place centuries ago, but people expanding their cities and roads demolished what used to be groves of them." Cassie nodded, though I don't think she really understood the weight of what I'd just said. I decided to change the topic. "So, did you ever take the Island Challenge?" I asked instead.

Cassie was quiet, and I looked over to see her eyes glazed over and staring ahead as we walked. "Cass?" I asked, trying to get her attention again.

"I tried," she mumbled under her breath, closing her eyes for a moment. When they opened again, her crystal blue eyes were focused once more when she looked down at me. "It didn't work out." I nodded, dropping that subject as well. Great, the awkwardness was back. I was just really bad at this, wasn't I?

We made it back to her shack of a house in short order, and she invited me in. It didn't look much different from mine and mom's apartment, except where there was a hallway in the apartment, Cassie only had a single bedroom. She turned on the lights, shooed out a caterpie which had made its home in a musky corner, and grabbed a large unmarked bottle from her fridge. I wasn't an idiot. I knew exactly what that was from the smell alone as she popped the cork. Alolan Okolehao, something that was illegal on Akala Island. Given what we'd done today, though, I couldn't blame her, nor would I dare to rat her out. It was a local drink dating all the way back to the tribes of Alola in its distant past. It was so strong, though, that it had been outlawed on Akala and Melemele due to... some reason or another. I really hadn't bothered to look up the 'why' of the matter. She poured herself a glass as we both sat on her living room couch and she turned on her TV, changing the channel a few times to some trashy soap opera.

"When's the last time you cleaned this place up?" I asked her as I looked around more closely, noticing a bit of mold growing on the ceiling. She followed my gaze upwards and shrugged, taking a drink from her glass of alcohol.

"A few weeks, I think," she said, sounding nonchalant about the whole thing. "Maybe a month. I dunno. I, like, usually pass out when I get home from work and wake up an hour or two before my next shift."

"When you get the chance, you should probably give this place a good clean," I told her, and I saw her roll her eyes.

"Whatever, dad," she grumbled, and I couldn't help but laugh. After a few seconds, she was laughing right along with me. "Ugh, why the hell do you make my life so hard, Tai? Couldn't you have just been, like, a cute older guy so I wouldn't have to deal with all this drama?"

"Trust me, I wish I could," I told her in response, leaning back on her couch. Ugh, it was a bit sticky. "Then I'd already be a pro trainer, champion of at least one region, and I'd definitely ask you out."

"Ewww, don't make it weird, you weird kid!" Cassie laughed, obviously not taking me very seriously. "Like, I dunno, I've changed your diapers, you know?" I was well aware, and it was just as awkward as it sounds. I didn't tell her that, though. "I'm, like, your godmother or something. I dunno what Kali called it. I kinda suck at it though, I think."

"Probably," I told her, getting a glare from her which quickly melted as she rolled her eyes and took another sip of her drink. "But you're here. That's what matters. Besides, I can't really rib you about being a failure. God knows I am, too." She laughed so hard that she snorted, quickly covering her mouth and nose when she realized what she'd done before laughing even harder as I joined in.

"You? A failure?" Cassie asked incredulously. "Kid, you solo'd a Totem Pokémon with a pikachu, remember? That's not what failures do!"

"But failures do avoid visiting their comatose mom for two weeks because... of reasons," I pointed out, and she made a noncommittal humming sound at that. "Failures ruing their friend's chances at hooking up with her crush because they were being a selfish, stubborn prick and roped them into lying to said crush."

"I don't have a crush, ugh, Arceus!" Cassie protested, face flushed as she took a swig of her drink this time. I raised my brow at her.

"Uh huh," I replied, my sarcasm evident. "You looked like a lovestruck rockruff," I told her, smirking. "I swear to God, I thought you were going to beg for some kind of bone when we left the cavern."

"Shut up!" she yelled, hiding her face behind her hand. "Ugh...! I'm such a loser! This little brat's making fun of my love life!"

"Lack of one."

"I f*cking hate you!"

"Love you too, Cass," I chuckled and watched as she made strangling motions with her hands at me before she gave up, slumping back onto her side of the couch. I laughed a bit, and saw the hints of a smile cross her face.

"You're impossible, you know that?" she asked, and I could only nod. "Sheesh, no wonder your mom was always so stressed out." I knew she meant it as a joke, but I still felt my heart sink at those words. I watched as she finished up her class and went to pour herself some more alcohol.

"Mind if I have some?" I asked after she finished pouring. It couldn't have been earlier than midnight. "Might help me get some sleep." She hummed for a moment, obviously thinking, before heading to her kitchenette to grab a second, smaller glass and pouring about halfway up it once she got back to the couch.

"Don't tell your mom I let you have this," she warned me, and I couldn't help but nod and chuckle in response. "Ugh, I was hoping to share this with Mukanu, but that jerk..." She grumbled under her breath. Given how her mood soured, I guess that they'd really had a falling out. Which was my fault.

"Give him a couple days, apologize for lying to him, and ask if you guys can start over," I told her, hoping that Mukanu was as stand-up a guy as he seemed to be. If he was, then I was sure things would work out.

"Ugh, but he probably hates me, now!" Cassie complained, and I couldn't help but laugh. "It's not funny, you little jerk! If you hadn't made me lie to him to get your stupid nuts, I could've been in bed with him right now!" I decidedly ignored the fact she admitted to wanting to have sex with a guy to a seven-year-old as far as she knew.

"It's fine, and I'm sorry about that," I told her, taking a sip of my drink. Huh, that was oddly sweet. Not bad. "I'll talk to him if I get the chance, but give him some time to think about it and let it blow over. You're a sexy woman, Cass. He'd be an idiot not to give you another chance. I won't even be there to interfere and ruin your chances, right?" Now that I thought about it, both times she'd been trying to get in his pants, circ*mstances around me had ruined that. Sheesh, I'd never wanted to be a clam-jammer for her, intentionally or not.

"I guess you're right," she drawled, thinking it over. "Fine. But if he says he hates me, I'm gonna, like, strangle you."

"Hey, if he says 'no,' then I'll be right there waiting for you," I told her, rolling my eyes and taking another sip of my drink. I finished it off after another hour or so of us talking, before we finally headed to bed. I slept on her couch, and when morning came, I got showered and ready for school.

It was like nothing had changed as I rode the ferry to Melemele Island and walked to school. The entire way, I tried reading more of Dr. Laventon's memoir to see if he explained what exactly tumblestone was. I eventually found it in the glossary at the very back of the book, which described tumblestones as chert, or flint, which would be smoothed out in a tumble and chipped away at with another stone. Problem was, I had no clue where I could find flint. I knew it was some kind of rock, but my geology knowledge wasn't exactly that great.

When I walked into class that morning, I waited patiently for a break to happen in class before I approached miss Luka. "Excuse me," I greeted her as the other kids all talked with each other. A few looked in my direction, but it wasn't unusual enough to warrant more than a few seconds of intrigue. Muss Luka glanced up from her papers before giving me a smile, pushing her glasses further up the bridge of her nose. A part of me missed having glasses.

"Yes, what is it, Taiyo?" she asked, her voice soft and patient.

"I was wondering if you knew where I could find good, high-quality flint?" I asked, an excuse forming on my lips as I spoke. "I'm working on a project at home and I want to use flint for it. Or, uh, chert, I think it's called. I'm trying to make a replica poké ball that I can put on my shelf."

"Oh, well that's very artistic of you," Miss Luka acknowledged, seeming taken by surprise, but not at all suspicious. "Well, since it's a sedimentary rock, most times you can find flint on riverbeds, on cliffs near the ocean places like that. I know it might not be as good as you're hoping, but the really good stuff is found on and around volcanoes, but that's far too dangerous. Flint nodules, which were commonly used for poké balls in the ancient past, are typically already spherical in shape and are believed to have been created from volcanic ash. Still, and I stress this, that's far to dangerous. I'd recommend just going with normal flint from the rivers around Melemele." I nodded, pretending as if I agreed with her.

"Yeah, I guess so," I told her, giving her a warm smile in return. "I'll look around when I have some time and let you know how it goes. Thanks for the help, miss Luka!" I went back to my desk, and Paige gave me a strange look as I sat down.

"What's got ye all excited?" she asked as I leaned back in my chair. I chuckled and shook my head, waving my hand dismissively. The volcano is where spherical flint nodules were, huh? I certainly could work with that. I looked out the window at the smoking peak of Wela Volcano. It would be dangerous, and I didn't have a Pokémon of my own. Both Lily and Chiipii were out of the question when it came to a place with so many Fire-Type Pokémon, and Lestor still hadn't forgiven me for 'breaking' his rockruff. In fact, just one Pokémon might not be enough, if yesterday had proven anything. That gumshoos had been tough, and hit like a truck.

My eyes wandered over to one classmate in particular as he argued with Emmi. Well, he had two Pokémon and I did promise to take him to that malasada shop on Akala Island...

I*A*C

Entry Three

I've acquired the apricorns I need, about twenty of them, and now have a location in mind for tumblestones. As it turns out, tumblestones are chipped flint and can be found in riverbeds and near water cliffs. However, the best for my uses are, supposedly, in volcanic areas. Wela Volcano is my next stop in a few days, probably after school. It'll be dangerous, but I plan on asking Kanu to come with me that day since he has two Pokémon, and is the only one with Pokémon not weak to Fire-Types. I plan on taking him to the malasada place mom and I would go to as thanks.

Yesterday really put into perspective for me how dangerous Pokémon can be. The Totem Pokémon, a gumshoos, went for the kill on me when it realized that attacking Zippy, Cassie's pikachu, wasn't working. I don't know if it was actually aiming to kill me, but it was definitely angry enough that it probably wouldn't have stopped attacking until I'd stopped moving. I realize why mom didn't want me around Pokémon, but I'm not going to let it stop me. This is my dream, and I can't just let it slip through my grasp.

I*A*C

Chapter 5: Tumblestone

Chapter Text

I*A*C

Today. It had to be today. I was rested, and tomorrow would be the first day of the weekend. I would have plenty of time, plenty of leeway if something went wrong worse than it had before. My eyes drifted to the resident troublemaker of my class. Kanu Jenkins. As of the moment, my neighbor across the street. Miss Luka went on about some lesson of mathematics as I went on about the problem of convincing such an obstinate young man to join me on my little excursion on Akala. Malasadas wouldn't be enough to convince him. No, I had to figure out something else to get him to be willing to risk his life on the volcano. He was a battle nut, though not quite as crazy a one as I was. He knew when he would be outmatched, and wouldn't be willing to take that risk. When I had still been allowed to use Lestor's rockruff, Kanu had deliberately refused to battle me. He'd called it unfair, and that I'd win too easily.

No, I had to figure something else out. I had a vague idea in my head, and I'd have to hope that it would work out. With or without him, I was heading to the volcano.

My first opportunity arose when lunch break arrived. I sat with my friends, Emmi, Kanu, Paige, and Lusamine. Another boy, Mohn, had joined us a few days back, and while he hid it well, he had a habit of staring at Lusamine, who had situated herself on my right side at all times during lunch. I vaguely remembered the guy from the Pokémon games, but couldn't think of exactly where. He was a chubby kid, with messy, short blonde hair and a gentle smile that seemed to light up whatever room he was in. Either way, the boy had a crush on Lusamine, but sadly, she seemed to have eyes only for me. In what way, I wasn't exactly sure. I could only offer him an apologetic look as Lusamine cheerfully fed me pudding from the dessert she'd brought. That would be fine if it was just him glaring at me, but so were Paige and Emmi! Worse off, Kanu was glaring at me too just because Emmi was!

"So, uh," I tried to speak up, not sure what I'd done to piss off the girls. "Hey, Kanu, wanna head to Akala with me today? I promised to take you to the malasada place with the chicken-jalapeno malasadas last week, right?"

"Oh, hell yeah!" he grinned, his glare ceasing as the idea of spicy malasadas filled his mind, instead. Ok, maybe I was just overthinking things. "You're paying, right?"

"Uh, well, I can try," I said, not sure how much I'd have to save for capture devices for the poké balls I was making. "Just don't go nuts, ok?" Kanu rolled his eyes, the grin on his face ever-present.

"Wait, why can't we go?" Paige asked, and I hid the wince as I'd hoped the girls wouldn't ask to tag along as well.

"Yeah, I want to try these spicy malasadas too, Tai!" Lusamine protested as well, offering me another spoonful of chocolate pudding. I happily accepted it. "Why just him?"

"Well, I was thinking us guys could hang out," I tried to convince the girls. "You girls always come along with us, so I figured it'd be fun to have some time where just Kanu and I hang out. You girls can go out shopping or something."

"W-Wait, can I come too?" Mohn asked, realizing he'd just been given an unintentional in. I tried to remember if he had any Pokémon, but was coming up with a blank. "I mean, if it's just boys, right?" A part of me wanted to turn him down instantly, but I groaned internally as I realized that doing so would just be me reverting back to my 'if you're not useful, then you're worthless' ideology.

"Sure," I grit out, already feeling like my mission to get quality flint would be a solo one. I'd have to sneak away from both these boys, making my job far harder than if I'd just gone alone. Great job, dumbass. "We'll go have some fun, and maybe visit Wela Volcano while we're there. Maybe the two of you can catch some Pokémon, or something."

"That sounds awesome!" Kanu was instantly on board. Ok, I had definitely been overthinking it. Mohn, as well, perked up at the thought of catching some Pokémon.

"Oh! I've been hoping to catch a cubone," Mohn spoke excitedly, pulling out a single poké ball from his backpack. Huh, okay, I guess he did have a Pokémon. "My little Gladen's been really lonely. I bet having a little buddy would really cheer him up!" I decided not to comment about how he was hoping to alleviate loneliness with a cubone of all Pokémon.

"Well, I guess we could go to the beach," Emmi suggested to the other girls. Paige seemed on board for it, but Lusamine was giving me an appraising look, something I'd gotten used to over the last couple of weeks. "Lucy?"

"O-Oh, um, yeah, that sounds fun!" Lusamine replied, but her glance back towards me told me that she wasn't quite ready to drop whatever her thoughts were. "Um, Tai, are you going to be looking for flint at the volcano?" I froze, staring straight ahead as I tried to come up with some kind of reasonable excuse. "Last week you asked Miss Luka about it, didn't you? What did she say about going to the volcano?"

"Ahhh, maybe let's talk about this after school, Lucy?" I ground out, giving her a sidelong glance. She hid her mouth with her hand, but I could tell from her eyes there was a wide smile beneath it. The little sneak! What was she trying to do!?

"Oh, yeah, I think I remember that," Kanu said, pounding the bottom of his fist into the palm of his other hand. "Wait, didn't she say it was super dangerous or something?" Kanu leveled his glare on me. "You idiot! I thought you gave up on that kind of dangerous stuff! I bet you just invited me and Moan along so you could use our Pokémon!" I barely paid attention to Mohn softly correcting Kanu. "Well you can forget it! You're such a jerk!" He crossed his arms and turned his head away, pouting and grumbling under his breath.

"Fine, I wanted to go with you guys because it would be safer," I admitted, mumbling a bit. "I wanted to ask, but I thought you'd react like this! I wanted to ask because I knew you'd feel better if we went together, because that's safer." I saw as Kanu's expression softened a bit, but he didn't seem ready to let his guard down. "Seriously, I know its selfish, but you guys are my friends! I do wanna hang out with you guys, too, ya know?"

"I'll still go," Mohn spoke up, his voice soft and meek. "I mean, you at least thought about being safe, right? And that's your biggest problem?" He asked the question to Kanu, who seemed a bit taken off guard.

"I mean, yeah," Kanu replied, still frowning. "This idiot's gonna die if he goes alone."

"Well, then why would you not go and make him think like he'd have to go alone?" the blonde boy asked. Kanu stared at the table. Okay, Mohn, you are definitely my favorite guy friend. "I'll go."

"Thanks, Mohn," I gave him a smile, getting a happy nod in return. "Are we cool, Kanu?" I looked over at the silent boy, hearing him grumble, but nod as well. "Cool."

"Wait, so why can't we come, too?" Emmi asked, curious now that the truth had been so easily exposed. "If that's what you're doing, the more who come, the safer it'll be, right?"

"I'd normally agree," I spoke slowly, seeing her logic, "but you and Lucy both have Pokémon weak against Fire-Types, which are going to be common over there. That, and I'd rather keep my group small because a bunch of kids heading to the volcano is going to get a lot of attention. Three boys going to do something stupid? Not as many weird looks." Emmi and Paige looked like they were going to accept that answer, but unfortunately, Lusamine was far more stubborn.

"I can always ask my daddy to let me borrow a Water-Type Pokémon," she said, a smug smile crossing her face. I blinked, noting the unusual expression for her. "I can also have my daddy write an exemption pass for us, so we won't be bothered by anyone else!"

"A what pass?" Kanu asked, thought Lusamine and I ignored him for the moment.

"Listen, this is gonna be really dangerous, so while I'd really appreciate if you'd lend me a Pokémon, I don't want you getting hurt," I argued. I expected her to push harder, but instead, Lusamine giggled and hid her face behind her hands. Uh...

"Oh, well, if you're going to be such a gentleman about it!" she tittered, all the while I shared a bewildered look with Kanu, who shrugged back at me. "Of course I can get my daddy to let you borrow a Pokémon! All you had to do was ask, Tai!"

"Uhh... yeah, thanks?" I had no idea how to feel about this crush that Lusamine seemed to be forming on me. On one hand, hell yeah, Lusamine as an adult is one sexy woman. On the other hand, we're both kids, and it'd been a long time since I really knew what it felt like to have a crush as a kid. Should I reciprocate? Should I just ignore it? Should I wait a while and see what happened? How do kids act when this kind of sh*t is going on!? And why the hell were Emmi and Paige glaring at me again, this wasn't my fault!

"Anyway," I decided to ignore Lusamine's giddy delusions as she talked to herself in favor of turning and speaking with Mohn and Kanu again. "I'll wait for you guys outside of school an hour after it lets out. You can get that Pokémon for me by then, right Lucy?"

"I absolutely can!" she said, a wide smile on her face. "You'll owe me for it, ok? This isn't something a member of the Balsam family does for just anyone." Okay, that's a trap if I've ever seen one, but given how my last excursion went, I'm pretty sure that accepting her offer was the less dangerous option.

"Of course," I agreed easily. "Anything you want, within reason, I owe you. Thanks a lot, Lucy. you're a good friend." The rich girl went into another fit of joy, and by this point even the girls were giving her weird looks. Why were all of my friends complete weirdos? Actually, Emmi was kinda normal. Wait, no, she was obsessed with equine boybands. Nevermind, I was surrounded by freaks.

"I can be here when you want," Kanu said, having calmed down from his earlier anger. "I'll make sure that Scratchy and Flappy are ready to fight! Man, I can't wait to see what kinds of Pokémon we're gonna fight!"

"I'll be here, too," Mohn added. "I'll bring a few poké balls, too. Uh, you can use a few if you want, Taiyo?" I shook my head after a few seconds of thinking.

"No, I'm working on making poké balls, and accepting that kind of gift would put to waste all the time and effort I've been putting into this," I told him. Maybe I should have accepted his offer, but I had a plan, and I sure as hell wanted to finish that plan. "Thank you, though. I appreciate it, Mohn." He seemed to accept my reasoning with a smile and a nod. "I'm probably going to skip on any battles during recess today so I'm not tired, later. I'd suggest you do the same Kanu."

"Hey, I'm not dumb," he shot back, looking offended. I chuckled, but blinked when I felt Lusamine poke my cheek with the last scoop of pudding on her spoon. I rolled my eyes and accepted the last of the treat before hearing the bell ring for recess. I grabbed the paper bag which I'd brought my lunch in and tossed it into the trashcan as I went out to the playground with the others. Miss Luka was already outside, reading a book and drinking some coffee with some of the other teachers while they all kept an eye on the kids.

While Kanu, Emmi, and Paige all went off to play with some of their other friends, Lusamine and I went to the side of the playground while she called her... butler, I think? She called someone from home to deliver a Pokémon directly to the school. It hadn't been what I was expecting, but I guessed it made sense for a rich girl like her to be used to getting what she wanted in a timely manner. While she was on the phone, Mohn and I hung around on the mankey-bars and just kinda chilled out. "So, where are ya from, dude?" I asked him, trying to make a bit of smalltalk. This was the first real time I'd really spent some time alone with him, after all.

"Oh, me? I'm from Unova, like Lucy," he replied, glancing over at the girl in question who stood tall and confident as she spoke to the person on the other side of the phone call. She noticed us looking at her, and shot us a beaming smile. Jeez, this girl was gonna be the death of me. "I used to live out in the sticks with my ma and pa, but pa got a job here working for Professor Akeakamai." I tried to run my brain through what I knew of that surname, but nothing came up.

"What's he study?" I asked, deciding to just go with it. Mohn seemed to brighten a bit, obviously happy to talk about his dad.

"Oh! Professor Akeakamai and pa study stuff about the potential of other worlds," he explained. Ah, interesting. So basically the Ultra Wormholes. I guess they haven't been proven just yet in this timeline. Actually, now that I thought about it, wasn't that Lusamine's thing? Or was I mistaking her for someone else? "I wanna grow up and be a professor too, so I'm learning as much as I can about weird and rare Pokémon! My Pokémon partner is a zorua, so I know I can help my pa with his research!"

"A Zorua, huh? That is pretty rare," I mumbled, sorting through the information in my head about that Pokémon. "I gotta say, I'm impressed, Mohn. Did you catch it, yourself?"

"I did!" he replied, hanging upside-down from the mankey-bars. "My pa helped, though, but I was the one who caught him! His name's Gladen, by the way. I thought it'd be a cool name."

"Definitely cool," I agreed, glancing over and seeing Lusamine walking towards us. "Looks like Lucy's done." I swung around the bars and flipped, landing on the ground on my feet. "So? How was it?" Given the scowl on her face, it seemed like not very well.

"Daddy forbid me form letting you use the lapras we have, and told Keith to tell me that you can only use the oshawott," Lusamine fumed, obviously not happy with the arrangement. I glanced to Mohn before turning my attention back to the blonde girl. "Can you believe him? I never ask him for anything, and this is how he treats me!?"

"Hey, no need to get worked up," I tried to calm her down, offering her a smile. "Anything works, really! As long as it's a Pokémon from you, I'm happy borrowing whatever. That's all that matters, right?" Lusamine's eyes widened and a flush spread across her cheeks.

"O-Of course! You should be grateful you can use a rare Pokémon like oshawott because of my family's generosity!" She exclaimed into the air, her angry mood melting into pride and self-assurance. A part of her still seemed upset, but this was far better. "So, you owe me, Tai! I'll have you train Petilil even more than before. In fact, on Sunday, I want you to come over to my mansion so you can show daddy just how amazing you've done." Uh...

"Y-Yeah, sure, you got it," I agreed. That didn't sound too bad, but I'd never been good at dealing with the rich and powerful. Well, I'd never been good at stroking the egos of people who lied and schemed with every breath they took. Lusamine was just naive enough that I could get away with it, but I was positive her dad was gonna be far worse. "Thanks, Lucy." Lusamine smiled, and joined Mohn and I on the mankey-bars. The rest of school passed quickly enough, and it was soon time for Kanu, Mohn and I to meet in front of school.

I'd changed my clothes at Emmi's place and come back, and I saw Lusamine already standing in front of the school building with an older gentleman wearing a suit. The man had greying hair, a bushy mustache, and a kindly face. In short, he looked perfectly like an old butler for the rich girl. In his hands was a briefcase where I imagined the poké ball containing oshawott was. "Alola, Lucy!" I shouted, waving as I approached the duo. Lusamine waved excitedly back, running towards me. She slammed into me, embracing me in an unexpected hug.

"Alola, Tai!" she exclaimed, giggling as the gentleman approached us. She pulled away to introduce us. "Tai, this is Victor, my one of my family's butlers. Victor, this is Tai, my inamorato." I blinked at the word, unfamiliar with it. She had a wide smile on her face, though and Victor seemed to choke on his own spit for a second, hiding it by coughing into his hand.

"A-Ah, I see. Well, a pleasure to meet you, young master," Victor greeted me politely, and I slowly began piecing together what the word Lusamine called me had meant. This f*cking girl... "I have here an oshawott that Master Balsam has approved for your usage. Please ensure the Pokémon's health, and do not think of not returning him to-"

"Ahem!" Lusamine interrupted her butler. the man had the decency to look sheepish under her glare. "Manners, Victor. Tai wouldn't ever think of stealing a Pokémon so lovingly lent to him by me!"

"Of course. Please excuse me, young mistress," Victor apologized, looking back towards me. "I apologize to you as well, young master, for questioning your character. The young mistress thinks quite highly of you."

"V-Victor!" Lusamine protested with a red face. I couldn't hold back my laughter at her embarrassment, and even Victor let loose a few chuckles. He kneeled before me and opened the briefcase, a single poké ball resting within.

"Please, accept this generous gift from the Balsam family," he said, and I very carefully reached in to take the large, iron ball. He closed the briefcase afterwards.

"Give my thanks to Master Balsam," I told Victor, enjoying the look of surprise on his face as I returned a bit of etiquette. "His generosity is appreciated, and I promise to return his Pokémon in good health." He gave me a curt nod, but a smile was now visible under his mustache.

"See to it that you do," he replied, his tone far lighter than it had been. Lusamine looked between the two of us, obviously happy with how things had gone. Once more, as she looked at me, there was a calculating expression on her face. "Well, Young Mistress, shall we be off? Your mother has arranged your piano practice within the hour, and we musn't keep your instructor waiting."

"Just one second, Victor," Lusamine approached me, a gentle smile on her face. "Come back safely, alright? You still need to come by on Sunday." She leaned forward and kissed my cheek, before turning away towards Victor. "Come along, Victor! We don't want to keep miss Ula waiting!"

"Of course, Young Mistress," Victor had a stupid grin on his face as he turned to look towards me. "Take care, Young Master. Be safe, for the Young Mistress' sake."

"Y-Yeah, sure," I found my voice and reached up to rest my hand where Lusamine had kissed my cheek. Sheesh, this girl was way too forward. I guess, though, I didn't really mind that. In fact, it made me... happy. I wondered when was the last time I'd really felt happy over something so small. "Seeya later, Lucy!" The girl waved back, a beaming smile on her face.

"Jeez, you look like an idiot," I heard Kanu speak from behind me. I spun around, facing the smirking boy and our plump, slightly uncomfortable friend. "Why's a girl got you so... like whatever you are right now, huh?" I shrugged, chuckling as I felt the last of my nerves return.

"Maybe you'll get it when you're older," I told him, letting out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. "So, you guys ready to head over to Akala? We can get malasadas first, if you want."

"Heck yeah, spicy chicken, here we come!" Kanu cheered, his mood shifting immediately. Even Mohn seemed to be in brighter spirits at the idea of food. "What's this place called, anyway?"

"Krispy Fried Combusken," I answered, loving the name. The other guys seemed to like it too, but probably for a different reason than I did. While the place was definitely a malasada place, it was in all over their advertising after all, they were mostly known for their spicy fried chicken. The three of us made our way down to the port near Station Square, and I knew from habit that the next ferry would be leaving around the time we got there, assuming we didn't get distracted.

On the way, we talked about stuff like TV shows we were watching, weird facts about Pokémon that we'd found, and even what our favorite Pokémon myths were. I listened closely as Kanu went into a rant about weird Pokémon that showed up around Alola sometimes, attacking ancient tribes that used to live on the islands. It sounded like the whole Ultra Beast phenomenon, but obviously it hadn't been discovered and documented scientifically, just yet. I noticed, though, that Mohn seemed very interested in listening to those stories, and Kanu was all too happy to share them.

I*A*C

Kanu munched on the last of his malasada while he fiddled with the little crystal on his bracelet, a pretty white gem that had been from his big sister. As he ate the last crumbs from the paper container it'd been in, he told himself that he'd get another before they left Akala Island. It was sweet, doughy, crunchy, and spicy; all of his favorite things all in one! The boy licked the remaining spices and sugar off his fingers, getting a better look around where he was. In front of him, Moan and Taiyo were talking about whatever weird Pokémon science stuff they always did. The two nerds definitely made him seem lame too, but Taiyo was really good at battling and Moan was... well, he was a complete loser, but Taiyo liked him enough, so Kanu guessed he was fine. Kanu wiped some sweat from his forehead. Man, this volcano was really freaking hot!

He looked up at the tall mountain, seeing smoke flow out from the top. The ground under their feet was crunchy and gravelly, and even the grass here was dry and pretty much dead. Kanu could see a few rivers of lava flowing down the mountain, with stone bridges built over them so people didn't just get stuck on one side. He could see Pokémon Rangers patrolling the area, and even though they got some weird looks from the adults, nobody really stopped them. He guessed it made sense. Both Moan and Taiyo looked completely unworried that it looked like they just belonged. Kanu jogged to join up with his friends.

"-so it's very likely that Alola was created during the initial confrontation between Kyogre and Groudon all those millennia ago. I mean, if you believe that they're real, that is," Taiyo finished saying as Kanu caught up with them. "Hey, finish your malasada already?" he asked Kanu once he'd realized the boy had gotten closer to them.

"Heck, yeah," Kanu grinned, already hungry for another one. "Hey, we can stop on the way back, right? I wanna get one for my little bro and my dad."

"Yeah, we can do that," Taiyo agreed, shaking his head with a smile like he was some kind of grown-up. Kanu knew all about grown-ups, and they never took kids seriously. Taiyo was like that sometimes, but he wasn't as much of a jerk as he used to be. "Alright guys, this looks like as good a place as any to get started. I'm gonna look around for flint if you guys wanna go battle some Pokémon and find a cubone for Mohn."

"Me and Kanu...?" Moan asked, seeming nervous for some reason. Kanu grinned and wrapped an arm around the fat kid's shoulder, pulling him close.

"What, you got a problem with that, nerd?" he asked, spitting onto the ground off to the side. He felt Moan shake under his arm.

"A-Ah, no way! Sounds fun!" Kanu grinned even more at Moan's answer. "I-I mean, we'll be really safe together, right!?"

"Heck yeah, we will!" Kanu yelled, looking back at Taiyo. "Hey, you're gonna be safe, right? No stupid stuff?"

"I can only promise to try," Taiyo said, grabbing the poké ball that Lucy had given him with her weird butler guy. "Okay, Oshawott, let's roll!" Out from the poké ball emerged a small blue otter Pokémon with a large, round, white head. In its paw it held a little shell that, from what Kanu had read, was razor sharp. "Hey there buddy, you and I will be working together today. I'm a friend of Lucy Balsam. How's that sound?" The little otter Pokémon chittered happily, saluting with its shell. Kanu was definitely not jealous that this kid could just... immediately get Pokémon to like him. Jeez, it even took Kanu a month and a half to get Flappy to listen to him!

"Just don't do anything stupid, okay?" Kanu repeated himself. Taiyo just waved, laughing as he ran off with the water otter. Kanu grumbled under his breath. that idiot was gonna get killed by being so stupid. It was a miracle he'd lived this long.

"Hey, he's gonna be ok," Moan spoke up, trying to reassure his friend. "He knows a whole lot about Pokémon, so I trust him to be safe."

"Yeah, well I don't," Kanu growled back, turning to face the fat blondie. "That idiot doesn't take Pokémon seriously at all! He's too nice to them, too good with them. He doesn't get that they're still wild, and will kill and eat him if they get the chance!" Moan didn't look like he knew what to say about that. "Let's get you a stupid Cubone and make sure that idiot doesn't die." Kanu marched past the blonde boy, shoulder checking him on the way.

"Owww..." Moan moaned, quickly following pace with the tanned Alolan native. Kanu kept the two of them near the actual roads of the park within the volcano, and he had no doubt that Taiyo had already run off the paths to climb the volcano itself if it meant finding what he wanted. The guy was stupidly determined like that.

The main problem with the paths were that wild Pokémon usually avoided them, but Kanu was fine with that. He'd rather be empty-handed but alive rather than dead like... He felt Moan bump into him from behind. "Hey, watch where you're going, fattie!" he yelled at the kid.

"B-But you stopped in the middle of the road!" Moan protested back, eyes wide with fear. Kanu just huffed and turned back around, continuing to walk. "Are you ok, Kanu?"

"Yeah, I'm freaking fine, nerd," Kanu spat back, actually spitting off the side of the mountain path after speaking. They were already climbing up stone stairways that had been carved from the volcano itself, and he could clearly see just how high it went. As they got further up, there'd be less people around. In fact, just across the outcrop they were on was the visitor center for the volcano's park. He'd been there once with his big sister last year before she'd gone on her Island Challenge. It was a cool place that even went inside the volcano, and you could see the lava inside the volcano through twenty-foot thick, heat resistant glass made from... something that didn't actually melt. He couldn't remember how they'd done it, just that it was there. Inside, you could actually see Pokémon like slugma and turtonator swimming in the lava. He smiled at the memory.

"Oh, hey, there's one!" Moan shouted from behind Kanu, and quickly ran off to the side towards the tall, dead grass where a lone Cubone had wandered out into the open road, probably by accident. Kanu looked around as the cubone began to cry, watching terrified as Moan ran towards it. Kanu could have sworn that a crying cubone was bad news, but why? He looked up, trying to think, as a large shadow began descending towards them. His eyes widened in alarm as he shoved Moan out of the way of the massive, black bird that had tried grabbing both the blonde and the cubone in its huge, sharp talons. The mandibuzz shrieked into the air in frustration, its call sounding like the cackle of an evil spirit.

"You idiot, you gotta be careful with a crying cubone!" Kanu yelled at the blonde nerd. "Their screams attract birds like mandibuzz, which eat them!" He stared at the massive vulture Pokémon as it circled above them in the air, his heart racing and fear starting to overtake him. It was just like last time... Kanu grabbed his first poké ball, and he saw in the corner of his eye as Moan did the same. "Come help us, Scratchy!" he shouted, bringing out his yungoos friend.

"I need you, Gladen!" Moan stammered beside him, bringing out a Pokémon that Kanu vaguely recognized from his cards. A Zorua, right? Kanu tried to remember everything he knew about mandibuzz, but all he could think of was the screaming and the fear from the year before. "S-Somebody is gonna come help us, right?" Moan asked, panic in his voice.

"I sure h-hope so!" Kanu tried to hide the tremor in his own voice as the mandibuzz began to dive towards the two of them. "Scratchy, use-" His order was interrupted as the mandibuzz glowed in a harsh light. In a few seconds, Kanu knew exactly what it was about to use. "Use Work Up and dodge that next attack! Moan, it's using Sky Attack! You can't take that!"

"O-Ok!" Moan nodded, ordering his own Pokémon. "Gladen, Use Scary Face when she attacks, then Sucker Punch into Counter." Kanu stared wide eyed at Moan and his Pokémon as the little zorua yipped back, sounding confident. What was he, stupid!? He didn't have time to yell at Moan before the bird above them dove towards the two humans and their Pokémon. Scratchy let out a rough roar as he rolled to the side, but Gladen stared town the bird, and even just looking at it, Kanu was stricken by fear. It must have been enough, because the mandibuzz's glow dimmed a bit before Gladen moved towards the Vulture Pokémon, spinning around and over her attack before slamming his own body down on top of the bird, knocking it to the ground. What the freak was that!?

"Great job, Gladen!" Mohn cheered, and Kanu couldn't help but stare at him. Was he some kind of battle freak like Taiyo was!? "Now Torment her, make sure she can't even think about using that same attack!" A dark aura spread across Gladen as it howled with laughter, making the mandibuzz squawk and stumble on the ground. Kanu regained his senses and turned to his yungoos.

"Scratchy, use Tackle!" His little Pokémon ran head-first into the vulture's chest, knocking it off balance again before it could regain its senses.

"Follow that Tackle up with Foul Play, Gladen!" Moan ordered, and Kanu had to wonder just who the heck Mohn was. Foul Play was a seriously powerful attack, if he remembered right. He watched as the zorua got all up in the mandibuzz's space, and the vulture tried hard to attack, but every time the little Pokémon used his hind legs to redirect that attack into the mandibuzz's own body. "Yeah, great job, Gladen!"

"Ok, Scratchy, get in there and use Tackle again!" Kanu shouted. The battle went like this for a few minutes, but as it went on, Kanu began to notice something weird about the mandibuzz. Every time it got hi, it was able to avoid more and more of their Pokémons' attacks. At first he thought it was because it was learning their patterns, but quickly came to a far more terrifying realization. "Mohn!" Kanu shouted to his friend. "Its ability is Weak Armor!"

"What's that!?" Mohn shouted back as their Pokémon were now struggling to land hits on the cackling mandibuzz.

"It means every time it gets hit, it gets faster!" Kanu shouted back. As if to cap off the fear he felt, he saw as the vulture spewed noxious ooze onto both of the little Pokémon fighting it. "We can't keep going like this!"

"It's alright, kids!" he heard a voice yell from their side, and saw one of the Pokémon Rangers running up the steps towards them. "Sorry it took so long, there's another kid that snuck into the Island Trial area that my guys have been trying to track down. I just got sent over from there to come help clean this up." The Ranger was a girl that was older than them, and she threw out a poké ball that released an electabuzz onto the field. "Alright, Buzzy, let's get this buzzard off these kids. Go ahead and call back your Pokémon, boys. Buzzy and I got this!" Kanu didn't need to be told twice, and immediately returned Scratchy to his poké ball as Mohn did the same.

"Man, that sucked," Kanu grumbled, watching as the Pokémon Ranger girl made quick work of the mandibuzz that they'd been struggling against. "Jeez, is that how strong a real Pokémon Trainer is? We barely made that thing flinch even with all the attacks we got on it, and now there it goes."

Mohn nodded as the two of them watched the mandibuzz fly away. "I didn't even get to catch the cubone," Moan grumbled, looking dejected. The Pokémon Ranger walked up to them, hands on her hips as she looked down at the two boys.

"So, what are you two kids doing up here?" she asked, sounding like all adults do when they're trying to act tough. "Are your parents around here, somewhere? Please tell me they are. We've already got one kid running loose around here, I don't need two more."

"Wait, what other kid?" Mohn asked, and Kanu realized just as he said it and felt a pit form in his stomach. The Ranger gave them both weird looks, but explained, anyway.

"About half an hour ago we had a kid climb up the side of the volcano. A few of the other Rangers and I tried to get him down, but he's a slippery guy," the woman said with a sigh at the end. "What, is he a friend of yours?" Mohn and Kanu shared a look. "I'm gonna take that as a yes?"

"That idiot," Kanu ground out. Of course Taiyo would sneak into a Trial area, accident or not. "Can you take us to where he's at? I think we could probably get him to come down or something." The Ranger looked hesitant, glancing at her electabuzz before turning back to the kids.

"How likely do you think you'd be able to do that?" she asked. Kanu wasn't sure, but this was his idiot friend. If he could keep that moron from getting himself killed, he would.

"Definitely likely," Kanu lied. The Ranger stared at him before giving up.

"Fine, but don't make me regret this, kid. And you two are gonna be right beside me the whole time, got it? No running off."

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" Moan answered for the two of them, and Kanu had to roll his eyes at how nervous the boy sounded. How could he face down a mandibuzz like that, but still be scared of some grownup? The three humans walked with the Ranger while she rummaged through her bag, handing the two boys a pair of pecha berries.

"Here, give these to your Pokémon," she said. "It'll take the edge off while we get towards the peak." Kanu and Moan did as she said, bringing their Pokémon out long enough to feed them before putting them back into their respective poké balls. "What was your friend thinking, taking off for the peak like that?"

"He's looking for flint," Kanu admitted to the Ranger. "He's trying to make poké balls, but needs good flint to do it. We came here so he could do that, and we could catch a cubone for him." Kanu pointed to Moan as he finished his sentence.

"Flint? Seriously? Ugh, Arceus, please tell me I wasn't this stupid when I was a kid," the Ranger grumbled under her breath. "Alright, ok, I can work with this. Hey, what're your kids' names?" There it was. Kanu could recognize that face smile and friendly tone anywhere. It made his stomach turn.

"My name's Kanu," he grumbled, suddenly feeling like he would rather be anywhere but here. Moan introduced himself, too, but all Kanu could focus on was that plastic smile on the Ranger's face.

"Well, my name's Amanda. Now, let's get your friend to safety, ok? Why didn't you guys just ask the Rangers for flint? We could've gotten some really easy," the Ranger, Amanda, asked. Honestly, Kanu hadn't even thought of that. Why didn't they just ask the Rangers?

"I dunno," he mumbled, watching as Amanda's smile cracked a little bit. "We just didn't think of it."

"Of course you didn't," Amanda mumbled, and Kanu got the feeling they weren't supposed to have heard him. "Well, it's too late now, I guess. At least your friend should be relatively safe. Most Pokémon avoid the peak of Wela Volcano since that's where our Totem Pokémon lives, and most Pokémon aren't dumb enough to disturb it. Hopefully, your friend hasn't either."

"How much trouble would he be in if he did?" Moan asked, sounding a bit less afraid. "I mean, Totem Pokémon are friendly to people, right? That's what the TV says."

"That's..." Amanda seemed to hesitate a bit. "Yeah, sure. That's fine. Your friend will be just fine. With any luck, your friend will be alright and already on his way down by the time we get there." Amanda pulled a small radio from a pouch on her belt. "Hey, Amanda checking in. got the two kids being attacked. How's our Signal 8?"

"Still out there, Amanda," a voice on the other side spoke. "Sal's checking Sector N while Terry and Blake are in Sector W. I'm with Bea and we're checking Sector P, just in case. something's got the Pokémon all riled up, but nothing extreme yet. Go ahead and take the kids to-" As the voice talked, the ground shook and Kanu saw as the volcano exploded. "Holy, sh*t! Did you see that!? sh*t! All Rangers, Code V, immediately! Abandon all nonessential requests and keep everyone safe! sh*t, Bea, you see those Pokémon rushing the peak? Let's get a move on!"

"Alright, kids, time to get inside," Amanda spoke up as she put her radio away. "Buzzy, blast any of those rocks that get close!"

"Wait, but what about Taiyo!?" Kanu shouted, looking wide-eyed between the Ranger and the falling, molten rocks that had been blasted out of the volcano. "He's still up there, somewhere!"

"Carl and Bea are going up to look for him," Amanda argued. "Right now, I need both of you to get inside the visitor's center while us Rangers handle this. Don't worry, your friend is gonna be alright!" She was lying. Just like the Kahuna did last year. He could just tell from the way she smiled.

"Come on, Kanu," Moan whined, tugging on his friend's t-shirt. "Let's just go. We can't do anything else right now."

"See? Listen to your friend, Kanu," Amanda urged him as the electabuzz unleashed a bolt of lightning at a falling boulder, blowing it up and letting the small pebbles rain down on the group. "Thanks, Buzzy. Ok, in you go! C'mon, kid!"

C'mon kid, it'll be ok.

She'll be done in just a few months, and then you guys can get all the malasadas you want.

She was attacked by a mandibuzz. It took her by surprise while she was calming down a crying cubone. There was nothing anyone could do.

She should have just gone inside! That cubone wasn't worth her life!

"Like heck I'm gonna leave him alone out there!" Kanu shouted, charging past the stunned Ranger and out of the loose grip of the fat, blonde nerd. He didn't look back as he charged up the volcano, ignoring the shouts from the Ranger and Moan for him to come back. He wasn't going to lose anyone else! He wasn't going to let his friend die up here because of a stupid wild Pokémon!

The climb hurt. The rocks were sharp and jagged, the dead grass poked into his skin even through his clothes, and the falling hot rocks made it really hard to focus while dirt and sweat got into his eyes. Still, he kept running and climbing to the peak, trying his best to not pass out from the heat assaulting him. He could see wild Pokémon going crazy, obviously upset about something, but he couldn't tell exactly what. He even saw some of the Pokémon Rangers fighting back the hordes of wild Pokémon to keep them away from where the paths were. People were running down them, scared and screaming. Kanu kept climbing.

"I'm gonna kill you, you idiot," the boy grumbled to himself, letting his anger keep pushing him to the top. "I'm gonna kill you, bring you back, and kill you over and over again until you get the hint that we don't want you to die you idiot!" Emmi. Paige. Lusamine. Even himself. Taiyo was their friend, and even if he'd started off as a complete jerk, he was a reasonable jerk! He'd talked town on Kanu like an adult did when they first met, but now Kanu looked forward to when they battled! Heck, Flappy and Scratchy had gotten so much stronger since they started battling against Pokémon that Taiyo used!

"Why can't you just get that we want you to stay safe!?" Kanu screamed into the air. Above him was a massive cliff, and looking around, he couldn't see any easier way up. So, he started climbing. His arms ached as he pulled himself up from handhold to handhold, and his sneakers kept struggling to find good spots for him to push himself up. "Every freaking time! Every time we try and warn you to not do something stupid, you go out and do something even dumber! 'Taiyo, don't touch the sandygast!' 'Taiyo, don't try and feed the persian!' 'Taiyo, don't climb up the stupid freaking volcano and tick off the Totem Pokémon!'"

As Kanu continued to climb, he heard a cackling shriek as a massive Pokémon flew by him, its talons scraping his back. He screamed in pain and forced himself to press against the stone cliff, looking to see the mandibuzz from before glaring at him out of the corner of its eyes. "And then there's this jerk!" The mandibuzz screeched in anger, and Kanu looked up to see he still had a long climb to go before reaching the cliff's top. He quickly reached down for one of his poké balls. No, Scratchy would be useless here, and was already hurt. Flappy would have to do. He grabbed the poké ball, his heart hammering in his ears. The ball slipped from his sweaty fingers, and his eyes opened wide as he did his best to catch it. He barely managed to tightly grip the ball's screw on top, rebalancing it onto his hand and slowly unscrewing the poké ball as the mandibuzz came in for another swipe at him. He threw the poké ball. "Flappy, I need you!" he screamed. "Use Supersonic!"

The tiny pikipek let out a shrill call into the air as it emerged from the poké ball. Kanu tried to catch the ball, but watched instead as it fell to the ground far below him. Thankfully, the Supersonic attack was unexpected enough that the mandibuzz flew right into it, losing its balance as it slammed face first into the cliffs beside Kanu. The boy struggled to keep his hold on the rocks as the force made the area shudder, and he continued to climb once he'd regained his balance. "Flappy, Rock Smash!" He shouted. He saw as the mandibuzz began to peel from the cliff face before his pikipek slammed into it, crushing the vulture against the stones once more.

Kanu focused on climbing as he heard the cackling screech of the mandibuzz below him as it fought his pikipek. His friend. "Echoed Voice, Flappy! Keep that jerk pinned!" He heard as his bird let out a shrill cry, the cliff rocks underneath him crumbling to the ground below. He hoped that none of them would crush Flappy's poké ball. Kanu searched frantically for any more handholds, and it took him a moment to find another. Too long. He screamed as pain raced across his back as the mandibuzz loomed over him, its talons digging into the rocks on either side of him and the tip of its beak pressed into his right shoulder. "Flappy! Echoed Voice again!"

He screamed in pain as the attack hit, catching him in the crossfire. The mandibuzz flew off of him as his ears rang, and he couldn't hear anything else. He felt his fingers slip from the rocks, and looked up. He was almost there! Just a few more feet! Adrenaline surged through his body as he forced himself to keep climbing. He turned around just before he made it to the top to see Flappy struggling to beat back the mandibuzz off of him, which renewed him to pull himself up quickly onto the clifftop. "Flappy, Echoed Voice again!" He was able to watch as Flappy let loose another shrill chirp, finally appreciating just how strong the move was after getting a few uses in. Better yet, it wasn't activating the vulture's ability, which was obviously frustrating the mandibuzz if its angry cackle was anything to note.

Still, Flappy couldn't last forever. Already, he was barely able to keep in the air, his left wing not quite broken, but it was obvious to Kanu that Flappy had to work twice as hard to use that wing to stay in the air. "Get over here, Flappy!" he shouted as the mandibuzz circled around them further out from the cliff, trying to get a better bearing on them. That Rock Smash earlier had giving it some extra speed, but not enough to make things too hard, yet.

The pikipek landed next to him, and he could see the little guy's chest heaving. "You alright, Flapster?" Kanu asked, getting a weak chirp in reply. "Yeah, I feel like collapsing, too. But we gotta get up there. Taiyo's up there, ya know? And he's in a lot of trouble with the Totem Pokémon. If we don't get up there soon, he might end up like Maia. Screw that, we might end up like Maia." Flappy chirped sadly, but didn't back down. "Hah, that's my best bird. Alright, ready for round two?" Kanu spat to the side, noting with a bit of happiness that there wasn't any blood in it. He didn't know if blood actually mixed with spit like it did on TV, but he was gonna take that as a good sign. "Alright, Flappy, let's keep up that Echoed Voice!"

Flappy once more took off into the skies as Kanu grimaced. This time, Flappy's attack missed as the mandibuz made a large barrel roll around the sound waves. Looks like he didn't have a choice. "Well, I was hoping to save this for Taiyo, but we can't afford to hold back! Flappy, use Flame Charge!" He commanded his bird to use the TM learned move. Flappy let out a shrill cry as he engulfed himself in flames that spewed out from his beak. The mandibuzz was visibly confused all the way up until the little bird slammed his flaming body into it. It cackled angrily, renewing its attacks. "Keep going, Flappy! If its speed that bird wants, it's speed will give her!"

Over and over the two Pokémon clashed midair, each strike faster than the last as the two Pokémon's movements became blurs to Kanu's naked eye. He could barely keep up with them. "Alright Flappy, this time give it your all! Use Supersonic into Flame Charge, then use Rock Smash!"

Flappy screeched as he unleashed a wave of sound at the mandibuzz. The vulture, moving too fast, was unable to avoid it and began to tumble as it lost control of its wings. Flappy dove after it, its body engulfed in a bright white light and flames as it descended onto the hapless vulture. The two birds collided onto the ground below the cliff Kanu was on, and he looked over the edge as dust was kicked up, trying to see anything through it. As the dirt and dust settled, he saw Flappy, his pikipek- no, his trumbeak, standing victoriously above the fainted mandibuzz. The Bugle Beak Pokémon shuffled his beak into the ground below for a few seconds before flying back up to Kanul, poké ball in his mouth.

"Hah! Great job, Flappy!" Kanu grinned and hugged the much larger bird before reattaching the ball to his belt loop. "We can celebrate later, Flapster. Let's go find where Taiyo is!" The Pokémon let out a warbling cry as the two of them raced further up the mountain, hell bent on finding their friend.

I*A*C

Ya know, I guess I kinda deserved this, didn't I? I returned Oshawott to his poké ball, offering the fainted otter a quiet apology as I stared down the Totem Pokémon before me at the lip of the volcano. Its slender body swayed seductively as its long tongue licked its lips. Oh yeah, I'm sure this salazzle was thinking of eating me alongside its posse of salandit, I just wasn't entirely sure in what way. My backpack was full of flint nodules, and I probably should have run when I had the chance, but... I just had to try and beat the Totem Pokémon. Yeah, no, that was a really dumb idea.

"S-So, uh," I chuckled, stammering a bit. "Any chance I could just turn around and leave?" The salazzle made a hissing sound as it slowly drew closer to me alongside the, what, seven salandit? Not great odds when I'm down my only Pokémon. At least I'd taken out ten of the others, but that was kind of a hollow win when I was on the cusp of losing. "Yeah," I replied to the Totem Pokémon. "I thought as much, but it never hurts to ask." Well, on the bright side, I'd already died once. Dying a second time couldn't be so bad, right?

"Flappy, use Rock Blast!" Someone shouted, and from behind the salazzle, a series of large stones pelted the salandits in the back of the head. a few of them stumbled over the edge into the volcano, but that still left three salandit and the salazzle which had avoided the stone that had been aimed at her. I saw as running up to us was Kanu and a trumbeak. Huh, so he evolved, then? Maybe I wasn't so f*cked. I was gonna get this kid as many malasadas as he wanted if we lived through this. "Break us a way through, Flappy! Echoed Voice!"

I braced myself as the shockwave of sound came through. Even caught at the very edge of it, I felt my ears ringing as Kanu ran up beside me, passing by the salazzle and her stunned gang. "Good to see you, Kanu," I laughed, relieved. "Oshawott fainted, so I thought I was done for."

"You're a freaking idiot!"

"Yeah, I know."

"You could have died!"

"Yeah. I know."

"You-"

"Ok, you can yell at me after, but now we're both stuck here. Got a plan?" I asked, snapping him back into focus. He grumbled, but relented for now.

"Flappy and I are gonna break us through again and take down that totem Pokémon. If she goes down, the rest follow," he said, reaching into his pocket and tossing me a yellowish crystal. "Listen, I only have one of those and I asked my dad if I could have it because I know how freaking stupid you are. Get your Pokémon up, and let's get out of here." I grinned, unscrewing the cap of Oshawott's poké ball.

"You got it, Kanu," I told him as I brought out my otter. I crushed the revive in my hand, rubbing the powder against the Pokémon's chest as the little otter suddenly leapt up, filled with revitalizing energy. "Alright, Oshawott. Round two, and now we've got some friends along! Ready to get your revenge!?" The little oshawott squeaked and chittered angrily, holding fast to his shell. "That's the spirit! Alright, buddy, let's start 'er off with a Focus Energy!" I watched as Oshawott pumped itself up, letting out a shrill little roar as he flexed his little muscles.

"Let's go, Flappy! Use Rock Blast and take out those little guys!" Kanu ordered, the trumbeak letting out a warbled squawk as he spat small stoned at blitzing speed at the three remaining salandit. The little lizards didn't know what hit them as they were pelted with rocks, but quickly learned as the large bird flew overhead of them. The little guys spat motes of fire after the trumbeak, one managing to clip his wing while the others missed.

Salazzle hadn't been still as all this happened. The Toxic Lizard Pokémon sped towards Oshawott with a devious grin on its face, and I knew he was about to be in a lot of trouble. "Stay frosty, Oshawott! Use Detect, then Aqua Cutter!" Oshawott avoided the approaching salazzle as she let out a thick, acrid haze, moving to the side with space to spare before forming a blade of water from his shell, swiping it across the unsuspecting Fire-Type. The lizard hissed in pain and anger, twisting her neck to take a bite at him with her venomous fangs.

"Flappy, Flame Charge and help Oshawott!" Kanu shouted, and I saw as a speeding bolt of fire slammed into the salazzle, knocking her away from Oshawott before she could get a good bite on him.

"You taught him Flame Charge?" I asked, surprised. "When were you gonna tell me, that?"

"When I got to use it against you," Kanu said back, a smirk on his face as he pointed at the salandit. "Rock Blast, Flappy! Keep them off of us!"

"Let's keep that salazzle moving, Oshawott. Give her an Encore!" I grinned as the little otter began applauding the larger lizard, and she seemed confused for a moment before licking her lips, obviously happy with what she was hearing. "Very nice! Now let's keep her at a distance! Water Gun, let's go!" Oshawott ducked and weaved as the salazzle kept trying to catch him in her venom-laden jaws, but would get blasted back every time she got too close with water to the face.

"Didn't know Oshawott learned Encore," Kanu laughed before giving another command to his tumbeak to Peck the salandit.

"TM move," I told him, laughing right beside him. "Discovered it by accident. Pretty handy in times like these. On your six."

"Flappy, behind you! Use Rock Blast!" The large Bugle Bird flipped upside-down in the air, unleashing a hailstorm of stones at the salandit that had tried sneaking up on him. "Nice shot, Flappy!" I glanced at his wrist, freezing as I saw what he had.

"Hey, is that a Z-Ring?" I asked, and he gave it a quick look. "Oshawott, Detect into Razor Shell!" He shrugged in return.

"Just one more, Flappy. Use Flame Charge!" He shouted at his Pokémon. "I dunno, it was a gift from my sister when she... it was a gift."

"Do you know the dance to use Z-Moves?" I asked him. "That one looks like a Normalium-Z."

"Uh, is that that stupid dance they use on the TV?"

"Detect, Oshawott! Now, Watergun and give her another Encore!" I glanced over to see Oshawott holding his own now that he didn't have to focus on multiple enemies at once. "Yeah, it's that stupid dance on TV. If you do that, you can use a super powerful attack. Oshawott, use Soak and get rid of that gas!"

"You sure about that? Flappy, take out that last salandit with a Peck!" Kanu glanced over at me, and I nodded. "If you say so, idiot." I watched as his trumbeak knocked the last salandit off the side of the mountain. It was two against one, now. The salazzle was at a disadvantage, and she knew it. She looked between the two of us, and then at out Pokémon, but stood her ground.

"Guess she's a Totem Pokémon for a reason, huh?" I asked, wiping some sweat from my brow. "End it here, Kanu. Oshawott and I have hit this bitch with one Water-Type Attack after another, and she's barely winded. Maybe a Z-Move will take her out."

"Ok, here goes," Kanu grumbled. He concentrated; his arms crossed at the wrists in front of him. "Alright Flappy, let's give her a beating that'll send that salazzle packing!" His movements were slow, but precise as he recreated the dance moves for Breakneck Blitz perfectly. I wondered how often he'd watched it and recreated it to get the moves down so well. "Charge on, Flappy! Breakneck Blitz!" I watched as Kanu glowed with a powerful aura before the light flowed to his Pokémon. Flappy let out a cry of rebellion as his entire body glowed with the same aura that Kanu had, before the bird f*cking moved.

I've seen moves like Extremespeed and Quick Attack in action, but nothing could compare to a full-powered Z-Move like this. The very air was charged with power as one moment, Flappy was in the air a good fifty feet away from Salazzle. Then, even without blinking, the ground had been torn up, and Flappy was fifty feet behind where Salazzle had been, and the Totem Pokémon a good thirty feet beyond even him, still tumbling across the ground.

I stared in shock at the sheer amount of power a Z-Move had. That was incredible! Kanu and I both watched, though the salazzle. She didn't get back up. "Heck yeah! Great job, Flappy!" Kanu cheered, and I let out a heavy breath as I felt myself relax. "We beat a freaking Totem Pokémon!"

"Nice job, Oshawott. Thanks for hanging in there," I returned the little otter to his ball, chuckling at Kanu continued to celebrate. I grinned and clapped the boy on the back, giving him a nod. "Nice job, Kanu. Thanks for helping me out. I would have died if it wasn't for you. I owe you one."

"You owe me four," Kanu smirked, punching me in the shoulder. I winced, and saw him wince as well. "Four malasadas to take home with me. Got it, idiot?"

"Hah, yeah, anything you want, man," I smiled, just happy we'd gotten out of that mess alive. I looked around, and sure enough the salazzle was gone. Instead on a totem near the lip of the volcano, rested a red shard. I walked over, waving at Kanu to do the same. "A Z-Crystal," I told him, noticing his confused look. "Like the one on your Z-Ring. Take it. You're the one who won this fight."

"Seriously?" he mumbled, glancing between the crystal and me. "You're seriously just letting me take it? I thought you were trying to be the best Pokémon Trainer ever?"

"And part of being the best is knowing when the victory is somebody else's," I told him, gently nudging him forward. I frowned, noticing his back was bleeding. "What the hell...? Hey, what happened to you, man?"

"Huh? Oh, Flappy and I got attacked by a mandibuzz," he said, grabbing the Firium-Z and shoving it into his pocket. "We beat it, though."

"We should probably get this looked at," I told him, not happy with how much blood there was. He wasn't still actively bleeding, but it still didn't look good. "Dude, we're in so much trouble."

"You're in so much trouble," Kanu corrected me. "All of this was your fault, you idiot!"

"Yeah..." I let out a sigh. "Yeah, I guess it was."

"Are you two done?" a feminine voice asked, and I looked behind us to see three very upset looking Pokémon Rangers, as well as Mohn standing behind them. "Which of you two would like to explain what you two were doing up here?" Ohhhhh boy this was not gonna be fun.

I*A*C

"Somehow I just keep ending up here, huh?" I asked mom as she laid in bed, gently rubbing the back of her hand. "I got into trouble again. Heh, maybe it's for the best you're not awake for all of this. You'd probably kill me. Or lock me in my room for the rest of my life." I smiled at the thought. I wouldn't mind hearing her yell at me if it meant she was awake. "This time it was... completely my fault. I went into an area I wasn't even supposed to not because I needed something there, but because I wanted to." I paused. "I already had the flint nodules. I could have just left. I didn't. My friend got hurt because of it. I almost died because of it." I stared down at her sleeping face, not sure what else to say.

I tried, anyway. "I can't keep bringing my friends on these things. First it was Cassie, and while that was an accident, I knew that she would be in danger. I could have waited for another day, but I didn't," I grumbled, feeling my heart sink as I went on. "Today it was Kanu and Mohn. They could have gotten really hurt, or died because of me. I brought them to be safe, but all I ended up doing was putting more people in danger." I gently squeezed her hand. "Maybe I should... maybe you were right. Maybe being a Pokémon Trainer is too dangerous. I mean, there's plenty of other jobs that work with Pokémon, right?" I stared at the opposite wall, wishing I could get some kind of answer. Unfortunately, none came.

"I'm going to finish the poké balls," I said, letting out a deep breath afterwards. "I'm going to catch a Pokémon. Alone. Then... depending on how it all goes, maybe I'll just... give up there." I let those words hang as I pondered them. Give up. Give up. I should just... give up. I heard someone clear their throat at the door.

"Kanu, are you-" I asked, but stopped short as the words died in my throat. The tall, bald man walked into the room, shades hiding his eyes behind them. He was dressed in a leather jacket and a floral print shirt underneath, wearing socks and sandals. He'd have looked ridiculous enough to laugh if the frown on his face wasn't so scathing. "Mister Kaukana. Is Kanu alright?"

"He'll be fine," the man said, his voice a low, throaty rumble. He stood over me as I sat in the chair beside my mom's bed, looking down on me. "He needed some stitches, but thankfully not large ones." I saw his fist clench as he looked at me. Silence.

"I'm sor-" my words were cut off as he lunged at me, his grip tightening around my throat as he lifted me out of the chair and against the wall.

"You're not sorry. Not yet," his voice was calm. Deathly so as he held me just tight enough to make breathing difficult, but not impossible. "You put my son in danger. In life-threatening danger. Because of your selfish actions. You are no longer welcome at my house. You are no longer welcome to be around my son except at your school. Even there, I forbid you from interacting with him. Am I understood?" I nodded, unable to speak. Kanu's dad dropped me, and I collapsed back onto the chair. He left without another word to me, pulling a cigar from his coat pocket and lighting it as he exited the room. I stared at my hands, watching as tears fell onto them.

I*A*C

Entry Four

I got the tumblestone. It wasn't worth it. Kanu got hurt, and now I'm not allowed to be his friend anymore. His dad threatened me. Or, rather, he just made the boundary clear. I'm sure he wanted to kill me, but held himself back. It wasn't worth it. I'm getting people I love hurt for my own selfish goal. No more. I'm not dragging anyone else into this. I have one more piece I need for my poké balls. After all of this is done... maybe I'll just live a normal life. Maybe it's impossible for me to be a good person. Maybe I've just been deluding myself.

Should I keep trying? I wish somebody had the answer to that for me. I simply just don't know any more. I have a... meeting? A date? A something with Lusamine and her dad tomorrow, and I don't know if I'm going to be able to pull myself together for it. Emmi won't talk to me. Mister and Missus Alahi are... not much better. It's fine. I deserved this. I'll try and make it up to them. Somehow.

I*A*C

Chapter 6: Capture, Part One

Chapter Text

I*A*C

Something was wrong. Lusamine could feel it as she pulled up to the Alahi household in her parent's Model 9 Devon ZC 10, being driven by Victor. Yes, deep down, she could feel that something was amiss. It couldn't possibly be her, right? Lusamine pulled out her pocket mirror and gave herself a brief look-over. Her platinum blonde hair was braided back and pulled over her left shoulder as a ponytail; not a single hair out of place. Her makeup wasn't too noticeable, but just enough to make her cheeks a light rosy on her alabaster skin and her peridot eyes pop. Her blouse was neatly pressed without a wrinkle in sight, and her skirt was just right as well; a light forest green in order to accentuate her white top. All in all, she looked as perfect as always. So what could possibly be wrong?

"Right here, Victor," she told the older man, unbuckling herself and opening the back door of the luxury car after they'd pulled in front of the quaint house. It was quiet, she realized. Too quiet for a place where both Emmi and Kanu lived across from one another. She closed the door behind her, brushed any stray lint from her skirt, and gently walked up to the front door. She briefly pondered between knocking on the door or ringing the doorbell. Ringing would be succinct, and elegant, yet knocking had a class of its own for the truly cultured. A good knock, after all, said a lot about one's character. Then, she thought better of it, realizing that no matter what she did, the ruffian that was her inamorato wouldn't understand the meaning behind either one.

She decided the easier route was best, and pressed the doorbell, hearing it ring inside. There was no stomping of feet. No eager yelling of greeting. In fact, she stood in front of the door for a good twenty seconds before she considered ringing the doorbell again. Thankfully, the decision was made for her as the door opened, and before her stood a lovely young woman would could have been mistaken for Emmi's older sister. Fortunately, Lusamine knew better.

"Good morning, missus Alahi," she greeted the woman, curtsying for her. "I'm here to pick up Tai. Is he awake?" She saw the woman's smile twitch at the mention of Tai's name. Had something happened?

"Oh, yes, he should be in his room. Please, come in and make yourself at home," the woman invited her. Lusamine gave Victor a glance over her shoulder and a nod, letting him know she'd be but a few moments. She entered the home and missus Alahi closed it behind her. "Taiyo, your friend is here!" the woman called, a bit more forcefully than Lusamine would have expected. There was a pitter-pattering of feet as Taiyo approached quickly, taking Lusamine's arm in his own that didn't hold his backpack.

"Thanks missus Alahi," he said quickly, opening the door and practically shoving Lusamine out with him. "I'll be back late."

"Take care," the woman said, closing the door behind them.

"E-Excuse me! Please let go of me, Tai! Why are you being so rough?" There was a desperation in his eyes as she turned to look at him, and for a moment, she'd thought he'd finally snapped. "Is... something the matter?"

"Let's just go," he replied, practically marching her to the car. She got in first as he opened the door for her, closing it after sliding into the seat next to her.

"A pleasure to see you once again, Young Master," Victor greeted Taiyo politely, but it seemed like even he could see that something was amiss if the wrinkles around his eyes were any sign.

"Y-Yeah, nice to see you too, V-Victor," Taiyo stammered. Stammered. He never spoke with anything except the utmost confidence since Lusamine had met him. No, something was very, very wrong. She looked out her car window, seeing the shades move in the front window of Kanu's house, the boy's face visible for only a brief moment before it vanished. Something had happened, and Lusamine hated not being in the know. "So, how've you guys been?" Lusamine looked over the bedraggled state of Taiyo, taking in the circles under his eyes, the messy state of his clothes, and his bird's nest of a hairstyle. No, she couldn't introduce this to her daddy.

"The Young Mistress has been well," Victor answered Taiyo since Lusamine had been quiet. Curses, she'd been too drawn up in her thoughts! "Yesterday, she and her precious Lily performed a lovely dance for the Master and Mistress. It was quite the sight to behold. In fact, I think I even have it recorded on my phone, if you'd like to see it for yourself."

"V-Victor! That's not appropriate!" Lusamine protested.

"Ah, but he is your inamorato, is he not?" Victor asked, an infuriatingly cheeky grin on his face. "A young man ought to know the particularities of his intended, after all!"

"Y-You...!" Lusamine felt her composure slipping, not sure what she could do to alleviate the embarrassment. "Victor! D-Daddy will hear of this!"

"Oh, and I'm positive that he will find his little girl's reaction equally as precious," Victor shot back, and Lusamine seethed. All her careful planning. All her social maneuvering. Every moment she'd put herself into Taiyo's good graces and make him indebted to her for her kindness, and it was being torn apart by this... this ruffian!? How could she make Taiyo take her seriously if he thought of her like some cutesy little girl!?

"V-Victor...!" she raged through grit teeth, feeling as all of her careful control fell to pieces. Then, the most wonderful sound filled the air. Laughter. She looked over to the seat beside her and Taiyo was laughing, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Er- uh..." She turned back to Victor, through the rear-view mirror, and though she couldn't see his mouth, his eyes betrayed his smile. Perhaps she could forgive him this time...

"T-Thanks," Taiyo's musical laughter petered out, and Lusamine couldn't help the smile on her face. "I really needed that. This weekend has been... rough." Lusamine kept quiet, expecting him to expand on the matter, but he offered no more information. Well, it's not like they didn't have all day for her to drag it out of him. "So, we're headed to your house, then?"

"W-Well, we don't need to go there immediately, right?" Lusamine asked, glancing between Taiyo and her butler. Victor didn't speak up to tell her otherwise, answering her in his own way. "Why don't we stop by Station Square for a little bit? We can get malasadas?"

"Uh... how about ice cream?" Taiyo asked, his smile seeming weak in Lusamine's eyes. "I'm a bit set on malasadas this week. No offense. I know you really like them."

"Oh! No, it's no trouble at all," Lusamine waved her hands, trying to reassure him. She reached over, taking his hand in hers. His expression changed to the one he usually had whenever she did things like this; it was complex, a mix of nervousness, happiness, and confusion. Lusamine smiled at the sight, enjoying the warm feeling it gave her. Yes, he was a ruffian, but he belonged to her, just us Marcel belonged to Kiana from her favorite TV show, Pokémon Rangers: Driftveil "We can do whatever you like this morning, Tai. My favor from you comes this evening when you meet my daddy." Taiyo just laughed nervously at that, something she found adorable. "Victor? Would you drive us to an ice cream parlor in Station Square?"

"Of course, Young Mistress," he replied, seemingly back to his polite, genial self. "Is there a particular venue that you would prefer?"

"Anywhere near the beach is fine, Victor," Lusamine replied flippantly, waving him off and turning back to her best friend. "Someplace we can see Pokémon, perhaps."

"As you desire, Young Mistress." Lusamine smiled, turning back to her best friend. "Young Master Taiyo, are you opposed to any of our arrangements, today?" What a silly question! Of course he wouldn't be!

"Uh, well..." he mumbled, scratching the back of his head as Lusamine finally was able to focus on him again. "I'm actually not super into sweets. Is there a place that has both ice cream and other food, too?" He didn't like sweets? But he went to get malasadas with her and the others every other day! How could he not like sweets!?

"Ah, erm, well," Victor stammered as he thought as the blonde girl stared incredulously at her friend. How could she not know this about him? What else didn't she know? No, this was unacceptable! "I believe I know of a place, Young Master, but it... well, it is perhaps not up to the standard of our Young Mistress, here?"

"No!" Lusamine shouted, frantically facing her butler's eyes in the rearview mirror, grasping desperately at anything she could wrap her mind around. "No need to be so, ah, picky about our destination, Victor! I'm perfectly happy going to wherever would suit Tai the best!"

"As you wish, Young Mistress," Victor replied, regaining his control. "Please relax and enjoy the drive, the both of you."

"Thank you, Victor," Lusamine replied, finally happy that all of that discussion over trivial things was behind them all.

"Uh, yeah, thanks Vic," Taiyo also replied, and Lusamine was sure the edges of her butler's mouth shifted ever-so-slightly upwards. Taiyo then turned his attention to her, a gentle smile resting on his face. "So, uh, what do you usually do when you're not at school or with us?" he asked her, still obviously distracted about whatever it was that was bothering him, but doing quite well at hiding it. However, Lusamine had learned from the best at picking out small things about a person that clued her in on how they felt and what they were thinking. The way his eyes shifted from her, to the window behind her, and to the rear window of the vehicle told her far more than words. The slight agitation to his breathing and the flushness of his skin may have been because she was holding his hand, still, but Tai was a calm person through and through, and he'd never reacted to her interest for this long in the past. Still, she could applaud the effort; any normal girl would have never noticed.

"Well, I have a very detailed schedule depending on the day," Lusamine replied, humoring her paramour with a normal response. It was a little game they played. Both of them pretended that the other was normal and mundane, but each knew that simply wasn't true. She was well aware of his abnormal control over Pokémon, as well as his extraordinary intellect and maturity. He was a prodigy through and through, and her daddy often told her to never let a valuable resource go to waste. Well, he told her that she should eat all of the food on her plate, but she understood his underlying message to her. As much as she loved her mother, the woman simply wasn't as clever as Lusamine and her daddy.

Now, she'd found a third person just as capable. Untapped, yes, but his intellect and keen senses were clearly there. It was how he knew to befriend her on her first day of school. Why he paid her particular attention among their friend group. Why he was so savvy when it came to deals and negotiations. Tai knew that Lusamine was incredible. Exceptional, even. He knew of her raw talent and charisma from the very moment he laid eyes on her. All amazing people could recognize another of their kind, after all! It was simply bad fortune that he'd been born to an ignorant, low-class nobody of a woman.

"I'm woken up at precisely seven in the morning," Lusamine continued her explanation, the thoughts swirling in her head making her smile. She giggled into her hand as Tai returned her smile, realizing the connection they had instantly. Perhaps to the common outsider it could be mistaken as kindness, but she knew better. "I'm presented a healthy breakfast of an omelet made of two eggs, diced tomatoes, onions, and-"

"Uh, I meant more of what you do for fun," Tai rudely interrupted her, but she could forgive him. Prodigy he may be, he was still just a common ruffian. "Like, do you play video games, read any books, watch TV?"

"Oh, well I'm well versed in Galarian, Kalosian and Kantonian due to various books," Lusamine explained, since this seemed to be what he was more interested in. This was exciting! She'd never been given a chance to have such a long, one-on-one conversation with him before! Normally they were always with the rest of their friends. Ah, associates, that was. "I've also watched a lot of nature documentaries on the wild natures of Pokémon in their natural habitats, though daddy won't let me go in person until I'm older. It's too dangerous, he says. Hmph! As if I'm not already skilled in Pokémon battling!"

"I guess I wouldn't really know," Tai said, much to her confusion and frustration. It must have shown on his face, because he waved his hands submissively and he tried to alleviate her. "I just mean, we've never battled before," he explained himself, "so I have no idea what your battling style is or what it's like!"

"But you've seen me battle plenty of times at school!" Lusamine protested, not understanding how he couldn't grasp her skill just by watching her. And he always watched her and Lily! "That must be enough, isn't it?"

"Well, you never really get to know how someone battles until you really get into the thick of it with them," Tai told her. Was this some kind of ruffian philosophy similar to what Lark from Go Go Pokemorphs spouted? Wasn't that just some cartoon trope? "I mean, think of it this way. Kanu is a really clever battler, but you'd never be able to tell just from watching." Kanu? That troublemaking rapscallion? But all he did was attack over and over! Was he saying that someone like Kanu was on the same level as himself or, Arceus forbid, her!?

"Explain yourself," Lusamine practically demanded, holding back her seething frustration at the unpleasant thought.

"Well, Kanu does specialize in force and speed when he trains his Pokémon," Tai admitted, likely knowing exactly what she was thinking. She was too frustrated to care at the moment, though. "However, what he's also good at is endurance and precision. Knowing when and how to strike an enemy is just as important as the force you use. For example, his Pokémon hold back a lot when they aren't sure they'll get a clear hit in, but he's trained them to recognize the same kinds of openings he has, as well as their natural instincts, to strike full force when given the chance."

"Isn't that just a disadvantage overall, though?" Lusamine asked, confused. "If you're not putting power behind every attack, would it not mean you're not wearing down your enemy?"

"That's true," Tai acknowledged, "but that same enemy usually isn't doing the same thing. While they waste their energy trying to put all of their power in every single attack, his Pokémon aren't." Lusamine's eyes widened as she began to put the pieces together and understand. "They're not as tired during long bouts, so as their enemy wears themself out, they can make the decisive attack as soon as they're open."

"I-I see," Lusamine muttered, seeing the other boy in a completely new light. "That is clever."

"Well, I'll admit I had some credit to it," Tai chuckled and leaned back in the car seat. He looked out the window on her side, staring at the ocean as they drove down through Station Square. "I pushed him so hard in our first battle that he had to adapt quickly. As much skill as I have coordinating other peoples' Pokémon, they aren't trained the same way Kanu's are. Even if I know each of his tricks, if the Pokémon aren't trained to recognize and adapt to them, I'm in for an uphill battle."

"Very wise of you to recognize as much, Young Master," Victor spoke up from the front of the vehicle. "I apologize for the interruption, but we're close to arriving at our lunch location. It's a simple place called Queen Vanilluxe; a place I've been quite often with some of the other servants during our days off here in Alola. While it may not be quite up to the standards your father might endorse, Young Mistress, I can assure you to its quality."

"Sounds good, Vic," Tai spoke for the two of them, smiling as he watched the people on the beach outside. "Thanks for taking care of us. Seriously, I appreciate it. I'm sure Lucy does too, right?"

"O-Of course!" The girl agreed quickly, seeing the value in his vocal appreciation. Of course! A satisfied servant is one who would move the heavens and earth for their master. "Thank you very much, Victor!"

"Oh-ho! Gratitude from the Young Mistress is quite the rare gift, indeed," the old man's eyes crinkled in delight at her praise, as expected. "You both are most welcome. When we arrive, I shall stop at the front doors to allow the two of you hasty entrance to the establishment while I secure a parking space for our vehicle. Is that amenable, Young Mistress? Young Master?"

"Of course, Victor."

"Yeah, sounds good, Vic."

It was mere moments later that the trio arrived at the restaurant in question. Well, it was more of an establishment, really. Before them, stuck neatly between two large hotels, was a single-storied building with a white roof and a large, gaudy image of a vanilluxe plastered across the large sign out front. 'Queen Vanilluxe, Grill and Chill' the signboard said in proud, pink lettering adorned with sparkles. The vanilluxe in question wore a silver tiara of sorts, adorned with blue and red gemstones. The building itself was decorated with paintings of palm trees, Alolan exeggutor, and a mixture of grookey, pansage, and passimian within the painted brush underneath. It was... quaint, as her mother would put it.

Lusamine closed the car door behind her, and Victor drove off down the block to find a parking space. Despite the relative rarity of motorized vehicles in Alola, the street was still filled with taxis, tour buses, and other vehicles that had likely brought tourists to the beachside. Behind where they stood, she could clearly make out the stone path and tropically decorated wall that separated the beach from the street. Already this early in the noontime, people were out lounging in chairs, under umbrellas, and generally enjoying their day under the Alolan sun.

"Nice, isn't it?" Tai asked, taking her hand in his. It was time for Lusamine to blush, her eyes wide as she tried to take in the fact that it was Tai making the move to hold her hand this time. "Sometimes I forget how peaceful Alola is, but when I see scenes like that..." His eyes weren't even on her, instead gazing out at the lively beach. Even still, her heart raced. She tried to stomp down the smile on her face, knowing he was merely holding her hand as some kind of retribution for holding his in the car, or because he knew it would get a reaction out of her. Such an untamed brute! "It's nice to see people so at ease. After everything that's happened in the last month or so, I think I needed to see this. So, thank you, Lucy."

"A-A-Any time, T-Tai!" Lucy tried to hold back her smile, but it simply wasn't possible. No, not like this. "Ahem! Should we enter and order something to eat? Thinking of the matter, did you eat anything today before meeting me, Tai?"

"Ahah, no, actually," he said, his laughter holding a nervous tilt to it. "I just, uh, wasn't that hungry this morning. But I'm starved now. I hope your pops has some deep pockets, 'cause I'm about to put a dent into the Balsam coffers!"

"Please, as if a single boy could do such a thing!" Lucy bragged, feeling some pride in her family's wealth. "I'll make sure that you're well fed, Tai! That's a promise from Lusamine Balsam, and the Balsam family doesn't break our promises."

"Heh, guess I'll put that to the test," Tai gently pulled her along into the Queen Vanilluxe. Lucy felt like a princess being led by some gallant knight from those old Galarian legends. The inside of the Queen Vanilluxe was equally as unimpressive as the outside, yet Lucy couldn't find it in herself to care all that much. The walls were painted a clear sky blue, and several boothed tables lined the inner and outer extremities. Directly in front of the front automatic sliding-glass doors was the countertop. On top of said counter were three registers, each one manned by a teenager in the establishment's uniform and an apron, happily taking orders from tourists dressed both for the beach and those in simple, casual clothing. In the back, though which orders were passed up through, Lucy could see both a growlithe and a vanillite hard at work alongside their human companions; the Fire-Type keeping a grill lit with a steady stream of flames every few minutes, while the vanillite helped keep ice cream cold in their display containers with its very presence.

The two children stood in line, and Lucy had the sense of mind to pull out the Credit card that her father lent to her for her own personal use before they ordered. She'd been expecting Victor to have arrived by the time they reached the front of the line, but there was no sign of him. Perhaps the streets were more crowded than he'd been expecting, and he'd had to park someplace further than intended. She couldn't rightfully fault him for that, she supposed.

"Is there anything you really want?" Tai asked, his eyes staring over the menu. "I'll probably just get a burger combo meal with fries and a cup of nomelade." Another peculiarity about Tai. He never seemed to drink any soda, just fruit juices and water. It was a good habit for an aspiring trainer, but he seemed more aware of it than most kids their age.

"Oh, uh, perhaps just a chocolate ice-cream cone and, uh, a hot dog?" She had no idea what a hot dog was, looking at the picture on the display, but it looked something like a big, pink sausage covered in a red sauce and a yellow sauce. Tai nodded approvingly, whatever it was, so it must have been a good choice. As they stepped up to the counter to make their order, she felt Tai's hand grip hers more tightly. "Tai?"

"Everyone, stick your hands up and get down on the floor!" A voice shouted from behind them, and Lucy turned to look at who'd done so. Standing at the door were seven adult men and two women, each one dressed in peculiar outfits. The men were all dressed in bright yellow business suits and wearing red masques not unlike those she would expect to see at a masquerade. His eyes were locked on to her. "You idiots hear me! Down on the ground! Now!"

"Hey, there, bud," one of the other adults walked forward from beside the counter, a friendly, if nervous, smile on his face. He reached out in a placating manner to the man. "Let's all calm down here, alright? What's got you in a-" One of the men behind the guy in front moved. In a flash of red, between the tourist and the strange men was a tall, red, metal creature. Its right arm was raised as if celebrating, and Lucy quickly realized that the Pokémon was a bisharp. Then, she realized that the tourist's hand was gone, blood instead flowing out of the stump where it'd once been.

The man screamed, then everyone screamed and began to do as the first man had said, dropping to the floor as the other members of this strange group began releasing their Pokémon in a show of force. "That's right, all of you just sit pretty and shut the f*ck up. You. Little girl. You're the Balsam heiress, aren't you?" Fear gripped Lucy's heart as he approached them, knocking down the feeble barriers that marked the queue area for the registers. She took a step back. She'd left Lily at home so she could rest. Even if she hadn't, could she even stand up to these... psychopaths!? "We've been watching you for a long time, girlie. The boss wants you for a nice little ransom, so you'll be coming with us!"

Lucy felt herself pushed back as Tai stood between her and the weird man, and the guy scowled at the boy in front of her. "Lay a hand on her and I'll rip your entrails from your swaying corpse," Tai snarled, one arm stretched protectively in front of her while hos other hand was balled into a fist.

"T-Tai, don't!"

"Listen to the girl, brat," the man grumbled, reaching to grab the sole poké ball on his belt. "Kids like you ought to know better than to get in the way of adults. Don't make me hurt you."

"Lucy's my friend," Tai insisted, his voice low. "If you want her, you'll have to go through me!" The man smirked, obviously not intimidated. Lucy couldn't believe what was happening. She'd known Tai was brave, but this was insane! How could he even stand against these monsters!?

"Looks like we got a little hero here, fellas," the man laughed as he spoke, ushering the rest to laugh as well. "Why don't we show him what we do to heroes, huh? Come and show us, Malamar!" A flash of red, and before them stood a squid-like creature with malicious eyes and a cruel smirk on its beak. Its tendrils waved in the air menacingly as it stared down at Tai. She heard his breath hitch, but couldn't see his face. "Aww, are you scared, little boy? Then you should have thought about that when you got in the way of Team Solar!"

"Please, he's just a kid!" some woman screamed from the booths to the side, but a Psychic-Type attack from one of the evil mens' Pokémon shut her up quickly. Lucy could hear people scream and cry as the woman collapsed onto the ground.

"Are you gonna cry now, kid?" the man taunted Tai as the malamar slowly shuffled closer to him and, by extension, her. Still, Tai never backed down or ran. "Malamar, use Psycho Cut!" The Pokémon's eyes glowed a sickly yellow as Lucy screamed.

"Tai!" her voice cracked as her best friend froze, lines crisscrossing his body before they opened. Tai screamed as various cuts opened up across his body. Blood, his blood, spilled onto the floor as he collapsed.

"Great job Malamar. Akeli, grab the girl. You," the man turned towards her as another man ran to grab her, hoisting her over his shoulder. "If you know what's good for you, girlie, you won't make a fuss. Let's go, guys! I want out of here yesterday!" As the man turned and ran with his peers, Lucy was left with the burning image of her best friend collapsed on the floor, blood pooling around his body. Then, a bag was thrown over her head before she was tossed into some kind of car.

"Step on it, Pete!"

I*A*C

My body was sore. Weak. I felt like I'd been tossed into a woodchipper and somehow come out the other side in one piece. Word of advice, that's a pretty agonizing feeling. I slowly took stock of my situation, trying to remember everything I could on how I got here. I'd gone on a date, and I'm fairly certain it was a date, with Lusamine to Queen Vanilluxe, some weird reflection of Dairy Queen back home. We'd hung out a bit and made it inside, then were about to order. Weird guys showed up wearing stupid outfits. They called themselves... Team Solar?

They attacked us, and the people around us. they specifically wanted Lusamine though, for a ransom. I tried to defend her, but of course that wasn't going to go well without a Pokémon. Still, I'd underestimated just how... wretched these kinds of people could be. I hadn't expected to be intentionally attacked with a Pokémon by another person. That had been foolish, but I hadn't been thinking straight. Now... they probably had Lusamine. So where did that leave me?

I opened my eyes slowly, taking in the room I was in. I was lying in a soft, comfortable bed. So likely I wasn't also being held hostage. I doubted an evil team like that would give me that kind of treatment. The room itself was rather large and grandiose, with warm earthy colors and a window overlooking a garden outside. No personal items, so likely some kind of guest room. So, I had to be a Lusamine's family mansion or something like it. How did I get here? Had Victor brought me here after the chaos? Some other rich family on the island? I slowly tried to sit up, feeling pain lance across my body as I did so. I grunted, gritting my teeth as I fought through the pain to sit up and turn myself so I could lean against the wall beside the bed.

"-so he should be out for another few- Young Master!" Victor's voice broke through the fog in my mind as I looked up, panting from the exertion of just sitting up. "Please, you musn't move until you're healed!"

"What's going on, Vic?" I asked, watching as he tried to help steady me on the bed. His left arm was in a cast, and there was a slightly bloodied bandage wrapped around his head. The older man also looked worn and tired. He'd clearly seen better days. "Where's Lucy! What happened to those f*ckers who attacked us?" I watched as Victor's expression fell, confirming what I already figured.

"I apologize, Young Master," the man spoke in a somber tone, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. "The brutes ambushed me just after I'd finished finding a suitable parking space for the car. I was lucky enough to be on the phone with one of the maids, Victoria, and she was able to rush the two of us to Master Balsam's abode whilst we recover. Young Mistress Lusamine, however..."

"I got it," I held up my hand, not wanting to force him to focus more on his perceived failure. "What's being done about it?"

"Regrettably, not nearly enough," Victor explained, keeping his composure as he wiped away the tears, his expression steeling as we looked over one another. He reached into his pocket as he spoke. "The Master Balsam has no leads to his daughter's whereabouts, and we know nothing of the assailants. I was unable to get a good look at them, as they came at me from behind and assaulted me just as quickly."

"They called themselves Team Solar," I offered as he pulled out a small silk handkerchief and opened it. Inside of it was a pristine sitrus berry. My eyes widened at the rare item. Sitrus berries were known for their incredible regenerative properties, able to regenerate lost blood, muscle, and even entire limbs when concentrated enough. However, the process used the eater's own vitality, so it would more effect on a young, healthy individual rather than someone slobbish and already unwell. "Uh, they were dressed in this bright get-up, too, like business suits. Is that for me?"

"It is, indeed, Young Master," Victor said, holding the berry out for me. I took it in my hand, in awe of the small, powerful item. I took it in my mouth and chewed, the flavor of lemon mixed with orange and pineapple flooded over my tastebuds, and I could already feel the cuts on my body from that Psycho Cut attack healing themselves. I felt a bit more tired, though. "You are simply our only hope, at the moment. Our...? I looked past Victor, and saw a tall man with platinum blonde hair that was slicked back stood at the doorway. He wore a white polo shirt, along with brown slacks and dress shoes. "May I introduce you to Master Aster Balsam, Young Mistress Lusamine's father."

The man stepped forward, his face aged with hidden worry and eyes far duller than what felt right. His gait was long and slow, as if the weight of the world were pressed down on his shoulders. Still, the man removed his right hand from his pocket and offered it to me. I stood as a sign of respect, taking his hand in mine and giving him as firm a shake as I could. "I've heard much about you, Taiyo Halui," the man spoke, his voice low and firm, like a stone boulder resting still in the middle of a stream. "My daughter has spoken at length about you. All of it positive, so no need to worry about wrong impressions. Thank you for speaking up for her on her first day of school."

"U-Uh, yes sir," I replied, not sure how I should talk to him. He was a businessman, through and through, but he was courteous and polite in a way that didn't remind me of some used car salesman. He seemed genuine. I then chided myself again for forgetting that this wasn't Earth. It should have been obvious that Regdon businessmen would be far more altruistic than Earth's. "So, could you explain to me what Vic means when he says I'm your guys' only hope?"

"Vic...?" he mumbled under his breath, sending a slightly amused glance towards the butler before returning to the moment and focusing on me. "Right. When my family and I moved to Alola in pursuit of a new market, I was forced to leave many of my assets back in Unova, where we came from," he explained, shifting his head to indicate I was to follow him. I obeyed, walking out the door with him into a hallway. It was decorated with dark wooden pillars and baseboards, a bright red carpet floor, various flowers and trimmed shrubs not native to Alola, and various pictures and paintings of what I assumed to be the entire Balsam family. There was one that caught my attention in particular; a family portrait of Aster standing beside a wooden chair resembling a throne, Lusamine standing diligently in front of him, and a gorgeous woman with brunette hair and green eyes sitting beatifically on the chair. His wife, probably. Aster's hands rested on both his wife and daughter's shoulders.

"Among those assets were Pokémon Trainers under my employ and sponsorship," Aster continued, paying no mind to my curiously swiveling head. Vic, however, seemed to be taking a subtle delight in my awe of the place. "Leaving us with Vic, my oldest and most treasured associate."

"You are far too kind, Master Balsam," Vic replied, but waved it off with a good humor about him. Still, his shoulders remained tense. "I merely fulfill my duties for you as I had for your father, and I shall continue to do so for Young Mistress Lusamine."

"Of course," Aster replied easily. "Vic was a league challenger in Unova's Championship Circuit some time ago and was sponsored by my grandfather at the time. After succeeding in the finals, yet failing to best the Elite Four at the time, he took employment from my grandfather as a servant of the family. He's been with us ever since."

"It has been a pleasure, Master Balsam," Vic added, and I looked upon the man in a new light. So this guy was crazy skilled, then? "Yes, I had made it all the way up to the third member of the Elite Four, Kenith Lincoln, before his Fighting-Types overwhelmed my team."

"He's been our personal guard ever since as well," Aster added as we entered a new room. A large arena in the form of a Pokémon battle court. "He's been our foremost battler, but unfortunately, he's beginning to show his age, and so are his Pokémon." We walked into the arena, and Aster turned to face me at the very center. "That, along with his injury, he is unfit to rescue my daughter once we've located where those Team Solar thugs took her. I wouldn't risk a sitrus berry on him, given his advanced age, and unfortunately the other trainers I'd normally rely on are days away from us, even by flight. Not nearly enough time for us to make our move." I could see where this was going, and I wasn't sure how to feel about it. I felt a pit open up on my stomach, actually.

"Sir-"

"My daughter has spoken highly of your ability to battle and train her Lily," Aster continued, interrupting. "I'd like to see your prowess for myself and, should you pass my criteria, I'd like to ask you to rescue my daughter." He knelt down in front of me, facing me at my own height, and rested his hand on my shoulder. "If you succeed, then I would be happy to sponsor you as a trainer once you've graduated from your trainer school." I felt my heart race. I was being offered a sponsorship in exchange for something I would, frankly, have done for free. Not only that, I was being given express permission to do so. I mean, assuming I passed whatever test he had set up. "Just from seeing how you walk and talked to Vic tells me you're a solid boy with conviction. Will you please consider my offer?"

"Sir, I'm not sure I can," I told him honestly, the hole in my heart not receding. "I'm not sure how much good I'd be in the face of these people, and I don't have any Pokémon to use, either. Even if I did..." I clenched my fists. "Listen, I cause trouble wherever I go. I just... I can't help it! First I got my mom's friend in trouble for sneaking into Kukui Ana Cavern, and just the other day I almost got my friends killed because I tried screwing around with the Totem Pokémon on Wela Volcano! How can you know I won't just screw it up again!?" I felt tears drip down my cheeks as I shouted, feeling my control over my emotions slip. Was this really what I'd become? "My friends hate me, Aster! I'm nothing but trouble and I've gotten so many people hurt!"

I fell to my knees, the realization of what I'd done finally sinking in fully. The palms of my hands slammed against the ground as I stared at Aster's shoes. "What good am I to Lucy if I can't- I'm just- I can't! If I go, then what if she gets hurt too!? Or dies!?" I held back my sobs, but couldn't stop the tears as they fell to the ground. How many people got hurt and died because I challenged that Totem Pokémon? That volcano exploded and those Pokémon went crazy because of the salazzle. How much blood was on my hands because of my actions?

"Then you'll have to decide if the risk is worth it," Aster spoke firmly. I continued to stare at his feet, but listened. "Just as I've decided that I'll risk trusting you. We can't allow our past failures to determine our futures, Taiyo. We might stumble and fall, but it's on us to pick ourselves back up and brush off the dust." I clenched my hands into fists. Could I really afford to try again? I'd already done so much damage... "Taiyo, let me tell you some advice that's been passed down among the Balsam men," he said after a few more moments of silence.

His hand squeezed my shoulder reassuringly. "My great-grandfather created my family's company after failure upon failure. He was a construction worker, you see, and it was his dream to one day provide enough money for his wife and newborn son to live comfortably." I listened, feeling my arms grow weak as they held me up, but I refused to fall as Aster spoke to me. "He created idea after idea, each one driving him further into debt. In fact, at one point, he couldn't pay his wife's hospital bills after she'd given birth. So he sacrificed his lunch and dinner every day in order to pay those." Aster reached down with his other hand and pressed it up against my chest, pulling me up to kneel instead of bowing my head to the ground. His eyes shone with a fatherly warmth. "This continued for years as he continued to try and fail. One day, his son, my grandfather, finally asked him why. Why would he keep pushing when all it led to was debt and failure? Do you know what he said, son?" I shook my head.

"It is the right of any man to change his lot in life. To fight tooth and nail to improve his life, and the lives of those he loves. Failure may be our consequence, but success will be our reward."

I stared at the man in front of me as he helped me to my feet. "You might fail, time and again like my great-grandfather, but I believe you'll succeed one day with enough time and effort. All you need to do is take that first step after you've stumbled," Aster gently patted my back. "Even so, you don't need to stand alone. You have people who appreciate you, after all. So, Taiyo. Will you stand with us?" I looked between the solid and firm smile of Aster, and the gentle and warm grin of Vic to our side. Was this even a question any more? How could I possibly say no after being told all that?

"For Lucy," I nodded, wiving away my tears as I stood between the two men. "What do I need to do, sir?"

"Hah! No need to call me sir, Taiyo," Aster chuckled and gave me a firm nod. "No, my daughter has taken quite a liking to you. So I'd appreciate if you'd call me 'dad'."

"Uh..." I blinked, taken by surprise a bit. Aster chuckled before erupting into laughter.

"You're right, Vic! He's quite fun to tease," Aster told his butler. "No, son, no need to call me that just yet. Give it a few more years. I think you'd appreciate just calling me by my name, though?"

"Y-Yes, sir- I mean, sure, Aster," I agreed, not sure where this jolliness came from. His expression focused on seriousness just as easily as he'd erupted into laughter. I guess I found out where Lucy's rapid mood swings came from...

"That's a good lad," Aster said, moving to the side of the room. "Well, then. Let's begin your test, shall we? I'll provide you with three quite capable Pokémon that you may choose from a pool of ten. Then, I'll have Vic battle you. You needn't defeat him, but I will be watching for certain qualities I think are important in a trainer. Vic will be doing the same. Afterwards, we'll let you know what we think." Aster pressed a few buttons on a keypad on the wall that I'd missed before. In fact, I really hadn't given the room itself much thought.

The wall beside the pad opened, and ten poké balls rolled neatly onto a tray that was built into the wall itself. In a screen above the tray, the images of ten Pokémon were lined up. From left to right, I looked over them.

"As a courtesy, I am a specialist of Normal-Type Pokémon," Vic offered. So, no inherent advantages, but very few disadvantages either. Sounded like a skilled trainer. I didn't know a lot of Pokémon from Unova, but having Vic be a professional trainer meant I'd be in for a world of hurt if I didn't take him seriously.

Boldore. Krokorok. Gothorita. Galvantula. Klang. Lampent. Durant. Mienfoo. Tranquill. Herdier. These were my ten choices. I could only pick three. My mind raced to try and put together a solid team. Thankfully, both Aster and Vic were patient. I rested my hand on Mienfoo's pokeball first. It was the obvious choice, but I decided against it for now. No, a first-stage evolution wouldn't stand any kind of chance against a trainer like Vic, type advantage or not. Durant was my first pick. Tough, sturdy, and could take a beating as I figured out what exactly Vic was capable of. I was tempted to use Klang instead for the extra defense against special moves, but decided against it. Most Normal-Types prioritized physical moves, after all. As for that...

Lampent was my second choice. Immune to Normal-Type attacks, it would force Vic to focus on moves like Bite or Crunch, which I was certain he'd be prepared with. Still, it was a Fire-Type, and a good burn could negate some of the power behind those strikes if and when they hit. That, and I was a Fire-Type specialist in my previous life. Lampent would suit me well.

Lastly, I chose Galvantula. It was the only fully-evolved Pokémon on the list aside from the single-evolution Durant, which I was already using. It was a speedy bug, capable of pressuring any Flying-Types that Vic my use, as many of them seconded as Normal-Types. It also was decently strong on average, so I'd get a good use of its abilities.

Speaking of which, in order, the Pokémon I chose had Hustle, for Durant, Infiltrator for Lampent, and Compound Eyes for Galvantula. I glanced over each Pokémon's moveseat. Unlike in the games and TV show, the Pokémon in this world weren't limited to learning four moves, forgetting another as a consequence. No, a move learned was a move memorized, so long as they had trained it. Pokémon could be taught strange moves using strange methods of training, but it was considered so difficult that most trainers figured it was simpler to just use what a Pokémon specialized in naturally and use TMs. It seemed like Aster was one such person.

"Are you ready?" he asked as I attached Lampent's and Galvantula's balls to my belt and tossed Durant's ball in my hand, feeling its weight. "Vic will also be using only three of his Pokémon. They're old and experienced, and while the Pokémon you've been lent are capable, they're typically used for emergencies only and don't have much battle experience outside of training."

"I understand," I told him, moving to one side of the area. I stood across from where Vic stood, the elderly man waiting patiently with a smile on his face. "I'm ready when you are, old timer."

"Bah, when I was a boy, my grand-pappy would have beat me for such disrespect!" Vic laughed as he spoke, unscrewing the cap of his first poké ball with his good hand while his other held it. "Since the nature of this battle is to test you, I'll take no substitutions. However, aside from that, don't expect us to hold back much, Young Master!"

"I'd be disappointed if you did, gramps!" I grinned, feeling adrenaline fill my body. Excitement. Nervousness. This would be my first real Pokémon battle. I couldn't count those playground brawls or those scraps to survive against the Totem Pokémon. No, this was my first taste of real battle. What a real trainer was capable of.

"This will be a three-on-three match between Victor Strife from Unova and the challenger, Taiyo Halui from Akala Island!" Aster called out, spreading his arms out wide. I guess he was trying to hype me up and make me feel less nervous by treating this like an official match. "The challenger may substitute his Pokémon, while Victor may not. Let the battle... begin!" Vic and I both threw our poké ball out at the signal.

"Let's rock, Durant!"

"Stand by for battle, Wanderlust!" Vic commanded. I winced a bit as the small Iron Ant Pokémon stood against a massive buffalo Pokémon with an afro. Bouffalant. I remembered that bouffalant were- "Wander, let's open the gates with Flare Blitz!" My eyes widened as I scrambled to call out to Durant.

"Agility, then Dig, Durant!" I shouted, my voice frantic as the massive buffalo charged at my Pokémon, its body catching fire and sparks snapping in the air. Durant glowed with a faint pink aura before digging into the ground at a rapid pace, the bouffalant barely missing my Pokémon by a hair.

"Hah! First rule of battle, Taiyo. There's no time to think!" Vic shouted as he continued to laugh. "Alright Wanderlust, let's shake the bug out with a Stomp! Let him know exactly where you are!" My throat dropped into my stomach as I knew exactly what he was aiming for. What to do, what to do!?

"Durant, Use Sand-Attack when you surface!" I shouted.

"Oh, no you don't, lad!" Vic shouted. "Wander, Scary Face!" The ground cracked and crumbled under the bouffalant, and while Durant originally seemed keep to slap some of the loose dirt and gravel into the buffalo's face, he hesitated with fear, instead. Just long enough for Vic to get the upper hand. "Horn Attack!"

The bouffalant mood with fury as he slammed his left horn into the iron ant, the metal bug screeching in pain and surprise as he was torn across the battlefield's floor. That could work...

"Durant, Screech!" I commanded. The bug continued to wiggle, but an ear-blastingly loud shriek shot through the room, driving all three of us humans to cover our ears as well. It must've been hell for Bouffalant, because he'd stopped dragging Durant across the ground. "Bug Bite, Durant!" The little bug crawled all over the larger Pokémon, leaving bites hin his wake as the buffalo bucked and kicked, trying to get it off. I watched as Durant emerged from Wanderlust's afro triumphantly, an oran berry in his pincers before the little guy devoured it wholeheartedly. "Cheeky old geezer," I laughed.

"Enough messing around," Vic called. "Wander, Head Charge!" The buffalo groaned loudly, racing towards the wall of the arena.

"Durant, get out of there!" I shouted, but realized too late that the bucking hadn't been to get Durant off. It'd been to tangle him into the Bouffalant's hair! Durant was helpless as he was smashed into the wall. Bouffalant shook his head, tossing the Iron Ant Pokémon to the ground, unable to battle further. "A good effort, Durant," I said, calling him back to his poké ball. I mumbled against the iron, "You put in a lot of work and got me some good data. Thanks for that." I nodded, clipping the ball to my belt.

"So, you're down one," Vic called over, a wry smile present on his face. "Now you know how intense these battles can get, Young Master. What will you do, now?"

"I'll get back up and try again," I announced, grabbing my next poké ball. "Let's do this, Lampent!" The hovering Lamp Pokémon emerged with a flash of red light, and it drifted from side to side as it stared down its opponent.

"Ho ho! Very interesting choice, Young Master. Come then, show me what you're made of!" Vic grinned, obviously excited. "Wanderlust, let's greet our new friend with a Throat Chop!" The buffalo mooed loudly, charging at Lampent straight-on.

"Float up and use Will-O-Wisp, Lampent!" I instructed, the Pokémon obeying seamlessly. Pale blue fire formed between its two limbs, spiraling and hurling itself at the bouffalant on the ground.

"Jump, Wander!" Vic called, and I once more was taken by surprise as the old buffalo leapt into the air after Lampent, his head drawing to the side as his right horn glowed a sinister black.

"Minimize, the Curse!" I shouted. The lampent became smaller as it swirled and twisted in the air, Wanderlust's Throat Chop soaring above my Pokémon. A hollow, echoing sound expelled itself from Lampent, and the bouffalant fell to the ground, falling face first into the arena's floor.

"Wander! Get up, Wanderlust!" Vic called out, concern etched in his voice. The bouffalant stood, shaky and panting, and glaring at my Ghost-Type lamp. "Very cute, Young Master. However, a measly curse won't be enough to stop us! Wander, time for a Rock Tomb!"

"Cover the arena in Smog, Lampent!" I commanded. Both Pokémon made their plays as the bouffalant dug his horn into the ground, sending chunks of the arena at Lampent, who expelled a poisonous fog onto the field. The rocks piled on top of Lampent, who couldn't get out of the way. However, the Smog persisted, and it was obviously beginning to affect the bouffalant. I recalled Lampent, the lamp unstable as he floated up after that attack. "I'm substituting."

"An interesting decision," Vic pointed out aloud. He said nothing more as I threw my last poké ball.

"Let's rock, Galvantula! String Shot and hold fast to the ceiling!" As soon as the Pokémon appeared in a flash of red, a sticky string attached to the ceiling and my Pokémon pulled itself up, hanging upside-down above the poisonous, smog-covered field. I heard Aster hum with curiosity. "Let's start off strong, use Electroweb and keep your enemy pinned!"

"No need to stay still, Wander, get moving with Flare Blitz!" Vic shouted in reply. The buffalo charged as Galvantula rained Electrowebs down on it from above.

"Keep up the pressure, use Thunder Wave!" I shouted.

"Wander, keep running!" Vic instructed. Every attack we made kept him moving, but none hit. "Is that all you've got, Young Master? I'm disappointe- Wander! What's wrong, Wander!?" I grinned.

"Should've cleared up that Smog, Vic," I told him. "I'll tell you what, Flare Blitz had me worried, but it wasn't doing nearly enough to make the Smog dissipate."

"You... trapped the field with an attack," Vic realized slowly. His expression tightened. "I see. I was foolish to have Wanderlust run around so much, forcing him to inhale more and more of that gunk. Combined that with his old age... Very well." Wanderlust finally collapsed from exhaustion. "Come back, Wander. You've earned a good rest."

I watched closely as Vic pulled out his next poké ball. I was going to lose, just as we all expected, but I wouldn't go out without a good showing. "Winder, clear the air with Air Cutter!" From the poké ball was released a gorgeous Pokémon with colorful plumage, flying proudly above the smog as it dissipated the poisonous area with its attack.

"Quickly, take advantage and use Electroweb!" I told Galvantula.

"Dodge it with Quick Attack!"

"Then use Sucker Punch into Discharge!"

"Winder, look out! Detect!"

It happened in mere moments. The web shot past the unfezant as expected as it glowed with a white aura, but Galvantula was ready, a dark aura covering his body as he lunged at the bird, the bird disappearing as it avoided the incoming Sucker Punch, but unprepared for the sheer amount of electricity Galvantula exuded as his body went flying past, bathing the room in a golden electric glow. The unfezant squawked in pain as he plummeted to the ground in a much less controlled manner as Galvantula.

"Before he can recover! Bug Bite!" I crossed my fingers as the EleSpider Pokémon git into his downed prey, eventually finding a small berry resembling a tiny cactus before eating it. A salac berry. Not what I was hoping for, but I could work with that.

"Get up, Winder! Use Swagger!"

"Infestation, Galvantula!" I commanded. The extra boost in speed was just what I needed, and as Galvantual unleashed tiny bugs from his jaws, they crawled over and onto Winder as the unfezant tried his best to puff up his chest and show off. Unfortunately, the infestation of little bugs was too distracting for him to pull it off, and it began trying to pluck and peck the insects off of himself. "Great job! Let's bring 'im home with Electro Ball!"

"Winder, get in the air and use Detect!" Vic commanded. The bird took off, still obviously bothered by Infestation but obeying anyways. Galvantula shot off his Electro Ball, and the bird avoided it perfectly in a fit of speed. I smirked.

"Thunder!"

"Winder, Detect!"

Galvantula unleashed a massive bolt of lightning from his abdomen, and it was too late for the unfezant. Winder squealed and squawked in pain as he fell to the ground, unable to battle. "Hmph, impressive," Vic complimented me as he recalled his unfezant. "However, this will be your defeat. Let's teach this young man some manners, Reval!"

From the ball came a massive beast of a dog Pokémon. A stoutland. He let out a ferocious bark and a growl, he and the galvantula sizing each other up. "Galvantula, use-"

"Retaliate!"

"Agility!" Galvantula dodged and weaved to the side as the stoutland pursued him, hunting him down like a dog on a mission. Unfortunately for the stoutland, he just couldn't keep pace. "Get on the ceiling, Galvantula!"

"Hyper Beam, Reval!"

"Wait, Hyper What!?" The stoutland opened his mouth as Galvantuala shot string to attach to the ceiling. "Galvantula, abort and use-" I was too late, as the massive dog unleashed a massive beam of energy at poor Galvantula. I didn't even need to see the Pokémon to know he was unfit for battle. I recalled the EleSpider Pokémon and sent out Lampent. "Ok Lampent, you're up," I narrowed my eyes at the dog. It seemed to be smirking at Lampent, even as it panted from exertion. "Let's go, Will-O-Wisp!"

"Out of the way, Reval!" Vic shouted. However, the stoutland was still recovering from the Hyper Beam, and took the swirling blue flames head on. It growled lowly, obviously feeling the pain of the ghostly flames.

"Lampent, use Dark Pulse!"

"Giga Impact!" Wait, wouldn't that not hit because Lampent's a Ghost-Type? What was he planni- SCRAPPY!

"Lampent, move!" I shouted. "Minimize!" It was too late, though. By the time Lampent had realized what was happening and reacted, the massive dog was already upon him, charging straight into the lamp. Lampent fell to the ground, unable to battle.

I recalled Lampent into his ball, disheartened, but not surprised. I walked over towards him as Vic approached me from across the field, and offered him my hand. "It was a good fight," I told him. "I would have loved to see you all in your prime."

"You've got guts and brains, Young Master," Vic said in return. "Once you got in the groove, you were quite the fun fight. However, you must be more decisive when faced with overwhelming force. You doubted yourself once Reval was on the field, and it cost you precious seconds."

"Ah, well, I wasn't expecting a Hyper Beam," I admitted as Aster came to join us at the center of the rather messed up arena. "I wasn't expecting your stoutland to have the Scrappy Ability, either. Honestly, unfezant was probably the easiest to handle, and I chose Galvantula specifically to handle a potential Flying-Type since I know a lot of them share Normal-Typeings as well."

"A good plan, and it paid off due to your creative thinking," Vic smiled and glanced over towards Aster. "Well, Master Balsam? Did you see what you wished?"

"I did," he said, looking down towards me. "You're a bold battler, Taiyo, and once you get into the swing of things, you catch up quickly. However..." Vic nodded, obviously seeing the same failings as Aster did. "You do need time to actually get used to how your enemy battles, which can eat up precious seconds as you adjust. Also, when you lose control of the battle or are taken off guard, you're slow to adjust then, as well."

"Yes, you remind me of many trainers I fought when I was younger," Vic added. "Certainly, you have much skill and knowledge compared to them, as well as keen instincts, but that knowledge makes you co*cky in your self-assuredness. You believe because something works in your head, it will equate to an actual battle. Sometimes it does, but sometimes you'll be taken off guard, and those problems Master Balsam has already explained."

"I understand," I nodded, listening to their criticism and trying not to take it personally.

"I'm curious, what was it that drove you to pass over Mienfoo and build your team?" Aster asked, taking the poké balls from me that I'd borrowed and returning them to their tray on the wall. I explained my thought process to them all the while, and Vic seemed intrigued while Aster chuckled after I'd finished. "Well, it seems like you underestimated your enemy," Aster finally said after listening to me. "I do believe passing over Mienfoo was a good choice, and attempting to stall out Vic would have been a good plan if he wasn't... well, Vic. However, you couldn't have known just how much his Pokémon would outclass yours. I think I've seen enough. Please, would you join me in my study? I'll have refreshments brought. I'm sure you're both quite tired after such an intense battle."

Now that he said it, I realized just how right he was. My body and mind felt worn, and it was all I could do to not stumble after him. I managed to keep walking, though, but was a little hunched all the while. We walked through the halls again, this time to a large room with what seemed like a massive library's worth of books adorning shelf after shelf. In the far wall of the room was a leather couch, two chairs, and a coffee table between them. Opposite of the couch, against the far wall, was an unlit fireplace. Aster directed me to the leather chair across from his, while Victor took his leave to instruct a maid to bring us some food and drinks.

"So then," Aster leaned forward, his expression once more serious and focused. "You said it was a Team Solar who stole my daughter, and that they plan to keep her for ransom?" I had to remind myself that he'd been at the door when I'd told that stuff to Vic. I nodded, though, to confirm what he'd asked. "I see. Then I expect to hear from them within a day or so. I'll inform my secretary to forward any calls from them to me. I'll also have them bring me a rotom from our collection. If used correctly, we can have it move through the telephone system and pinpoint their location. Worst-case scenario, we'll be a block or two off. That's when we'll send you."

"Uh, sir, I don't have any Pokémon of my own," I reminded him, getting a wry chuckle in response.

"That's no issue," he told me, a smirk resting on his face. "I'll loan you a couple of Pokémon we have here in our collection. Three of them, to be precise. Any more, and I fear you may have some trouble controlling them all. Skilled you might be, and naturally able to command Pokémon as well, I wouldn't want to overwhelm you."

"I appreciate that, Aster," I agreed, taking a deep breath before letting out a sigh. "I hope they're not hurting her," I said, feeling my fists clench on my lap. "If they are..."

"You and I both, son," Aster growled, and I looked up to see the wrath of an angry and concerned father in his eyes. "Those bastards will pay in blood for taking my little girl from me. I'll make sure of it." There was a knock on the door, and the tension within the room dissipated slightly. Vic entered the room with a pretty young woman with bright red hair and freckles. She smiled at the two of us while setting down a tray of nomelade and what smelled like freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. "My, Gretchen, these smell amazing! Are you trying a new recipe?" The woman shook her head, an amused yet stressed smile set across her face.

"No, the Mistress has been in the kitchen to take her mind off of today's events," Gretchen explained, her eye twitching just slightly as she spoke. "She's been an absolute delight, Master Balsam."

"Hah! Say that when you can tell me with a straight face, my dear," the man teased the maid, and her frustration spread across her face like wildfire. "She's been an absolute menace, hasn't she?"

"She's taken over the place like a weed who refuses to be pulled!" Gretchen caved easily, complaining to her boss about his wife. I glanced at Vic while the two talked, a bit confused.

"Ah, Master Balsam enjoys a casual lifestyle when not putting on airs, as they say," Vic explained, chuckling at my evident bewilderment. "Though we servants of the Balsam family are expected to maintain a certain decorum, we are considered but the extended family of the Balsams. A view passed down through the Balsam men to this very day."

"And yet, you're still as stiff as a board, Vic," Aster chuckled as he interjected, giving the old man a wry smile.

"Someone must be," Vic retorted. "After all, I'm certain that you would walk out of these doors with mismatched socks and an unpressed shirt should you be allowed to dress yourself and no one was to remain on top of the domestic affairs." Aster merely hummed and nodded his agreement, turning back to me.

"We will wait until this Team Solar contacts us," he told me, his voice remaining calm despite the anger in his eyes. "Then, I will keep them distracted to give you time to strike. Get some rest in the meantime. You'll likely need it."

"Right, yeah, good idea," I replied, already feeling the exhaustion settling in. First the sitrus berry, then the battle against Vic, and now these admittedly delicious cookies? Yeah, I was feeling tired. I slowly stood up, finishing the last of my cookie. "Thank you for your hospitality, Aster," I gave him a slight bow of respect.

"Think nothing of it," the man replied easily, waving me off. Vic made a sweeping motion with his arm, bidding me to follow him. "My daughter spoke highly of you, as I said before. Having met you, I'm confident that she spoke the truth."

I nodded back, not feeling it in myself to respond verbally. It's incredible how someone can not feel the effects of exhaustion until it's brought up. I followed Vic to the guest room I'd been in before, climbed into bed after a word of thanks to him, and passed out, readying myself for what would certainly be a tough fight.

I*A*C

Chapter 7: Capture, Part Two

Chapter Text

I*A*C

I woke up some four hours later, according to the clock on the wall. It was coming on evening, evident from the very slightly darker sky outside casting the room into a shaded hue of its normal colors. I felt... better. Well-rested and able to move without hurting. I wondered, briefly, how long it'd taken for me to wake up alert and awake. In my previous life I normally woke groggy and slow, still tired even after being awake for several hours. Was it an effect of being born into this world? Or was it because, despite all the danger I've been in the last few weeks, I was simply more fulfilled, active, and less stressed than I had been before? Whatever the case, I was awake, and I needed to know what had changed since I'd been asleep. I slipped my feet off to the side of the bed, sliding on my sandals before leaving the room. The hallway outside was empty, and devoid of sound. I had expected that perhaps there might be maids or butlers scurrying about their duties, but there was no one.

I decided to explore a bit in search of someone else, hoping to find where Vic or Aster had gone. Did we already find where Lusamine was? Had we been contacted at all? Were we still waiting? These questions clouded my mind, among others, as I wandered the long hallways of the mansion. About ten minutes in, I heard muffled voices coming from down the hall. I walked hastily, keeping as silent as I could, but still keeping a decent pace up. As I got closer, I could start to make out specific words.

"-I'll have the everything ready by tomorrow," it was Aster who spoke, and I could hear the anger in his voice. The was a pause as I approached the door the voice came from. "You know my policy, Calen. You'll get everything. Not a single credit spared." After another moment, I heard the sound of a phone being set down, then that of a heavy sigh.

"Is she alright, darling?" a woman spoke, who I had to assume was Aster's wife. "Is she safe?"

"As safe as can be, if terrified," Aster replied, and I took the moment to turn the doorknob and enter. Inside was what I assumed was Aster's office. It was a relatively small room, no larger than the guest bedroom I'd stayed in, with a large window on the back wall overlooking a pond and a desk resting just before it. On either side of the room were drawers and bookshelves, as well as several paintings of various men that I assumed to be the ancestral patriarchs of the Balsam family. Sitting at his desk was Aster, a single landline telephone set in front of him. To his side was a woman dressed in a lovely sky-blue sundress, her chestnut hair curling and cascading over her shoulders as she turned to face me with curious, teary emerald eyes. Standing to the side was Vic, his expression grim as his gaze lingered on me. "Taiyo. You're just in time. I was about to have Vic go and wake you."

"I take it that was Team Solar?" I asked, my eyes glancing to the phone for a moment before returning to Aster's face. I walked into the room fully, closing the door behind me. In response to my question, Aster gave me a firm nod. "Do we have a location?"

"It's being triangulated as we speak by Rotom," Aster told me. "Once he figures out where it is, he'll return. It shouldn't take long. Please, take a seat," he motioned to the two office chairs set in front of his desk. I obliged, picking the chair to my right side and sitting in front of him.

"Is this Lucy's...?" the woman asked, and Aster nodded, giving her a gentle smile before turning back to face me.

"Taiyo, I'd like to introduce you to my lovely wife, Calli," he said, and in moments I drew the distinction between her name and my mom's. "Spelled C-A-L-L-I, unlike your mother's," he specified, a chuckle on his lips. "Calli, this is Lucy's best friend, Taiyo. I wish you two could meet under more pleasant circ*mstances."

"You'll be the one we're sending to rescue her...?" she asked, sounding uncertain. She looked to her husband as if to confirm the fact.

"Yes, dear," he answered her, and the woman, Calli, moved around his desk to approach me. I leaned back a bit as she leaned over me, looking for something as her eyes roamed over my form. Her gaze was piercing. If standing under Aster's watchful eye was somewhat unsettling, then being looked over by this woman made me feel downright naked. She was the true power between the two of them, I was sure of it. "Well, darling?"

"I suppose if he's the best we can work with," Calli muttered under her breath, sounding a bit underwhelmed by whatever she saw. I couldn't help but find myself vaguely offended, but kept my stupid mouth shut. I'd gotten into trouble by speaking without thinking ahead before, I wasn't about to make a fool of myself in front of Lusamine's mother of all people. "However, are we truly at the point we're sending out a child to do our work for us?"

"I assure you that I'm more than capable, Mrs. Balsam," I spoke up, the adults in the room turning to look at me when I did so. "Please entrust the safety of your daughter to me. I swear on my life that I'll get her out of there unharmed. I never break my promises." I stared at the woman, her steely expression never changing. Finally, after what seemed like hours, she sighed, closing her eyes, slouching, and relenting. "I can't give you a resume. I can't do anything to prove to you I'm more capable than I appear aside from conjecture. However, I ask that you trust me anyway. Whether or not you actually do is, of course, your decision."

"No need to talk yourself up any more than you just have," Calli spoke, her tone and body language both expressing exhaustion. "Just bring my little girl back home safely. That's all I ask." I stood up, resting a hand on her shoulder. It was... a bit awkward, since I had to reach up to do so.

"Consider it done," I told her, turning to face my host. He looked impressed, if impressed were in the form of a focused, serious expression. "What Pokémon will I be using?"

"I'll organize them from our collection once Rotom-" As he spoke of the devil, the rotom appeared from the phone with a ringing sound. It zipped around the room before finally resting before the regional map hung against the left side of the room. It penetrated the paper map, one electrical tip zapping away at a particular point on Ula'Ula Island. I knew that area...

"That's Po Town," Vic said what we were all thinking. "I couldn't tell you which building, but it appears to be in the northern areas around the docks. There are also various corporate buildings for local businesses that border it."

"Could it be..." I heard Aster mumble under his breath, "that Team Solar is local to this region...? But I'd thought..."

"Does that surprise you?" I asked. Vic, Aster, and Calli all shared a look. Ah, so I'd been kept out of the loop about something.

"The Balsam Family have had run-ins with Team Solar in the past," Vic explained. So, that explained a lot to me. "They first emerged in Unova some five years ago, and have been hounding after Young Mistress Lusamine for their entire tenure there. We had thought that they were local to Unova, and eventually sought refuge here in Alola due to its remote position."

"You see, most corporate entities outside of Alola don't bother coming here," Aster explained further. "In fact, the only people of note who arrive in Alola are rich tourists, researchers, historians, and thrill-seekers. Alola, otherwise, is... well, most general world maps don't even bother including this place."

"The perfect sanctuary," I mumbled, earning nods from the adults. "How long have you all been in Alola?" I asked.

"Some two months," Aster said. That wasn't long at all, in the grand scheme of things. No, these guys operated far too efficiently for having just set up a base here. I told them my observation. "Yes," Aster agreed with my thought. "In fact, having worked against them for several years in Unova, I can safely say that they wouldn't have had the resources to set up base so quickly within Alola, much less track us down."

"I can speak with utmost certainty that none of our staff have been compromised," Vic added. "This afternoon I held strict interrogations, and all of our staff came on the other side clean as a whistle." I nodded in acknowledgement. That was good to know.

"Well, let's get you prepared for your assignment," Aster stood as he spoke, motioning for me to follow him as he passed Calli and myself. "I'll take you out to the gardens to take your pick of the Pokémon we have available within our collections. You'll find these Pokémon to be slightly stronger than the ones you pitted against Vic."

"You had him battle Vic?" Calli asked. I saw Aster hitch a bit on his next step. "How long have you been planning this, Aster?"

"Er, for the last several hours," the man admitted, turning to face his wife. She was pouting, and I had to admit it was pretty cute to see, even on a thirty-something year old woman. Man, was this what Lusamine was gonna be like when she was older? Well, seeing it on a screen was one thing, but now I knew what I could look forward to in around twelve years or so. "Forgive me later?"

"Only if you do that thing where you-"

"Ahem," Vic cleared his throat. The married couple had the decency to look sheepish. "Mistress Calli, I will escort you wherever you'd like for the time being to ensure that the men are able to focus on their responsibilities."

"Ah, yes, of course," Calli laughed nervously, her face beet red. "Good luck, my darling. You as well, Taiyo." Vic walked off as he followed Calli, l who had a sway to her step the entire while. I couldn't help but stare.

"You're a lucky bastard," I told Aster. He blinked in surprise, before nodding, watching as Calli and Victor turned the corner down the hall.

"Language aside, that I am," he agreed. We continued through the building in silence as he led me out to the gardens behind the house. As he opened the door at the end of one of the halls, I was hit by the tropical air of Alola once more. It was refreshing, and helped wake me up just a little bit more. "Welcome to the garden. We're hoping to dig a bit more into the side of the mountain to expand it, but for now, this is it." He spoke as if it were a small garden with a white picket fence, but that couldn't have been further from the truth. No, what he called a garden was an entire little valley between the mansion and the mountainside that acted as a natural border. On each side leading back were tall, brick walls that each stood around fifteen feet high. I could see no less than fifty Pokémon back here, from caterpie, to zigzagoon, and there was even a single blastoise lumbering through the large pond I'd seen through the window from my room; though it'd be more accurate to call it a small lake.

"This is... incredible," I mumbled, getting an approving grunt from the man standing beside me. He had his hands in his pockets, a look of admiration on his face as he looked over what I assumed was his pride and joy. "Er, do you have a list of Pokémon that are found here?"

"I do, actually," he moved to the side of the veranda that we'd stepped onto when we left the main building. There was a small screen and a keypad on the mansion wall. I had to take a second to marvel at the technological disparity of Regdon. Cars, airplanes, and even advanced electronics systems were common knowledge, and medical tech was far beyond what Earth had, bordering on science fiction. However, firearms, commercial computing devices, and commercial recording devices were considered brand new tech or low-functionality. The best humans had to defend themselves with were flintlock firearms and bladed weapons. It was such a world of difference compared to what I'd known for so long.

"Here," Aster motioned to the screen, allowing me to take a look at the list of Pokémon on it. He'd thankfully shortened the list to only the Pokémon I might find useful. As niche as they could be, caterpie and zigzagoon weren't on the list. Even with those weaker Pokémon filtered out, the list was about twenty Pokémon long. "Just three of them, for now," he reminded me. "The more Pokémon a trainer has, the harder they can be to control and care for. Numbers aren't everything, after all. It's why so few trainers keep more than three." I nodded, letting him know I'd heard and understood what he'd said.

I picked my three. Weavile. Ribombee. Aggron. There was concern on Aster's face as he looked over my three chosen Pokémon. Honestly, I was just surprised that he had access to weavile and aggron.

"Are you sure, son?" he asked, looking at those two in particular. "Both Weavile and Aggron are very hard to control. In fact, most professionals even have trouble keeping those two in line. I'll admit your ability to control and direct Pokémon you've never met is incredible, but..." He frowned, but shook his head and then offered me a weary smile. "Alright, I'll trust you in this. But only if you can have them return to their poké balls." I see, so that's what he wanted to see. I agreed, and he handed me three poké balls, telling me which one belonged to who.

Ribombee was the first one I went to find. I expected to find her flitting about in the flowers, and wasn't disappointed in my expectations. Aster spoke up as we walked that way, "So, tell me why you want to bring Ribombee."

"From what I saw, Team Solar mainly uses Psychic, Ghost, and Steel-Type Pokémon," I told him, seeing him nod. "Ribombee is a good counter to Psychic-Types, and while their Steel-Types will be a problem, those are typically Pokémon you bring out to fight. That's not my mission at the moment. My job is to get your daughter out of there, preferably unseen. Ribombee will make a good scout for me; she's small, is a native Pokémon to Alola, and can easily escape if things get hairy."

"You know, you could have just asked what Pokémon Team Solar use," Aster told me. I chuckled nervously as we approached the little Pokémon. "We've been at odds with them for almost six years, now."

"Ah, well, I kind of forgot about that," I admitted, noticing Aster frown at the admission. "Sorry, I'll try and be more diligent about that kind of thing going forward."

"My daughter's life is on the line, Taiyo," he reminded me. "This isn't some little training exercise. You'll want to go in with as much information as possible." I nodded, accepting the criticism as it was. "Team Solar do indeed use those types of Pokémon, so your choice is sound. I don't know all of what they're capable of, but be wary. They tend to keep several nocturnal Pokémon as well to keep watch during the night, even if they don't share the typing as their main battlers." I nodded in response.

The Bee Fly Pokémon was flitting from one flower to another near the lake, presumably gathering pollen for some reason. I couldn't remember what its pokédex entry from the games said, but it was always in the flower areas. "Alola, Ribombee," I called out to the little Pokémon, taking her by surprise. The Pokémon buzzed and squeaked and flitted around in a panic as soon as she'd noticed I'd gotten close. "Whoa, whoa, calm down! I'm here with Master Balsam," I told her, hoping the familiar term might calm her mind a bit. She did, but the little Pokémon still looked at me with suspicion. I continued, "Do you know Lusamine? Master Balsam's daughter? Some really, really bad people have taken her, and I want your help to get her back."

"He speaks the truth," Aster took a few steps forward, speaking on my behalf. I was thankful, since I wasn't sure anything but his ringing endorsem*nt would get rid of that suspicion the ribombee had. "But the choice is yours."

The Pokémon gave it some thought, before giving me a determined nod. I smiled. "Thanks, Ribombee," I told her, holding out her poké ball and returning it her. "Okay. that's the easier member done... Next, the big guy. I looked towards the mountain's cliffside, seeing the reflective armor of the aggron, clear as day. He was large and bulky, and stood about ten feet tall.

"Now, why don't you explain to me the plan with Aggron," Aster asked as we walked towards the iron behemoth. "Just so you know, he won't respond to mine or my daughter's name the same way Ribombee did. He largely keeps to himself, so be aware of that."

"Noted. Thank you," I told him before delving into my thought process for the man. "Aggron is for when sh*t hits the fan," I explained. "He's tough, bulky, and has immense physical strength that can outperform nearly any Pokémon that Team Solar might have. He might not have the Type Advantage over their Pokémon, but they won't have any average advantages over him, either. Honestly, I hope I won't have to use Aggron. Given my track record, though..." Aster seemed to accept my words, if his nod was anything to go by.

We arrived by the cliffs in short order, and it didn't take long for the large, territorial Pokémon to notice us. There was a low, rumbling sound as he squared up. Aster kept a few paces behind me, but looked coiled like a snake in case he needed to grab me and run. So, this Aggron was like that, huh? "Alola, Aggron," I greeted it, standing tall and puffing my chest a bit. It seemed confused, bewildered even, at the tiny human trying to look tough against it. It even seemed to look at Aster as if asking what exactly I was doing. "My name is Taiyo, and I've come to challenge you. If you win, then I'll leave without any fuss. If I win, then I want you to obey my orders in a rescue operation to save Lusamine Balsam from evil people." To my joy and nervousness, the Iron Armor Pokémon seemed to take the challenge seriously.

"Son, what are you doing?" Aster asked quietly as the Pokémon thought. "I thought you might have a plan, but this is suicidal!"

"Just trust me," I whispered back as the aggron came to a decision and nodded, agreeing with my proposal. "Alright. Because I can't physically overwhelm you, I challenge you to a match of endurance and perseverance. Master Balsam will time our match for ten minutes. If, by the end, you have not incapacitated me or pinned me so I can no longer move, then it will be my victory. This will be a physical match only; no special attacks from you. Are we in agreement?" The aggron huffed, nodding again. "Do I have it on your honor?" Once more the aggron nodded. I grinned, my bet paying off. "Master Balsam?"

"Er, of course," the man hesitated for a moment before pulling out his phone. I focused on my foe, his glowing red eyes doing the same. This creature towered above me at nearly three times my height. "Ready?" I gently tapped the toes of my sandals against the ground, ensuring they were tight against my feet. I really should have worn actual shoes for this. "Begin!" Aggron shot forward like a cannon. The massive Pokémon wasn't fast like Galvantula, but his massive f*cking size and small area for me to maneuver in kinda made that irrelevant. I dashed to the side, keeping my eyes on the massive beast of a Pokémon as he tracked me and adjusted his path to try and intercept me. I had to avoid him as long as possible, but I knew I wasn't going to out-endure him. I had to get tricky.

I ran around towards the cliff face, watching as the massive aggron barreled down on me. I hopped between my two feet, watching the beast's eyes try and use them to track where I intended to go. At the last moment as he was only a few feet away, I skipped to my opposite foot and weaved to the side, letting the charging Pokémon slam into the cliff. He growled, taking a few steps back as he shook off the headache he likely had. Not a bad one, but enough to keep him still for a few more valuable seconds. "Come on, big guy. I thought this was gonna be tough!" I taunted the aggron. He roared in frustration, obviously not expecting this to have taken this long, even as short as it'd been.

This time around, the aggron didn't charge straight at me. He instead moved slowly and methodically, trying to pin me against the wall for an easy grab. His arms were spread wide, trying to take up as much of an area with his body as he could. He'd lunge to my side whenever I led myself to an open area, trying to force me back against the walls. This was fine by me. The more methodical he was, the longer it would take. He seemed to realize this a few minutes in, because he became far more aggressive.

"Aww, not sure how to tag a small foe on a timer?" I asked him, trying to get him riled up again. The aggron kept focus, lunging at me as I jumped back. I blinked as my back touched brick. Whoops. I ducked down and rolled under between his legs as he tried to grab me. I narrowly avoided his tail, taking off running across the stone ground to the other end of the garden. "Almost got me!" Aggron bellowed, and I heard him charging behind me like a freight train. I lunged to the side as I heard him get close, seeing him pass by me and come to a slow stop, turning to once more face me. I could see his jaw grit with irritation.

"Two minutes remain!" Aster called from the side. Both Aggron and I side-eyed the man before focusing on each other again. He knew he needed to change his strategy, but he wasn't coming up with anything off the top of his head. Instead, he ran straight for me with his arms spread. I crouched down a bit, lunging under his right arm as he got close. He tried to bring his arm down, but I was just small enough to slip through. I reached out, grabbing one of the plates on his back and wrapping myself around his back grabbing the other side of the same plate with my other hand. Aggron tried his best to grab at me, but his arms were just too short, unable to reach the spot I was hanging from. He thrashed and flailed, but I refused to let go of his back. His tail prevented him from slamming me up against the cliff wall, so I rode the Iron Armor Pokémon until Aster's voice called out again.

"That's time!" he shouted, and the aggron let out an angry, frustrated roar into the open air. A few pikipek flew out of the garden, frightened by the bellow. "The victor is Taiyo!" I carefully got down off of the aggron's back, backing away from him to ensure he didn't try to crush me from frustration. I stared down the Pokémon.

"So," I began, "will you uphold your end of the deal?" The aggron glared at me, but he finally snorted, lowering his head in submission. I smiled at the sign. "Thank you. I hope we won't need your help, but I appreciate having you along." I took his poké ball and returned him to it. Aster approached me after I'd done so, letting out a heavy breath.

"I don't know," he started to speak as he looked down at me, concern etched across his features, "whether to consider you brave, foolish, or insane. What drove you to take such a risk, son?"

"Aggron are territorial, but they share a lot of similarities as old samurai from Johto," I explained to the man, catching my breath now that the ten minutes were up. My legs and arms felt weak, and I collapsed back onto my ass to try and take a break. "Which means they're honorable most times when dealt with up front. In fact, many samurai were inspired by aggron in both their looks, techniques, and mannerisms. I just... I figured one that had been trained to be around humans would be more amicable than those in the wild. Glad to see I was right." I chuckled weakly as I saw Aster's incredulous expression. He merely shook his head, though, opting to keep silent. I got the distinct feeling that he was beginning to question endorsing me being involved with his daughter.

"So," I continued after the moment had passed, "back to work? We've got one last Pokémon to recruit."

"Are you sure you're ready?" he asked. "You can take a few more minutes. Your job begins tonight, so you have a few hours to spare if you need to." I chuckled and shook my head, realizing I'd been dumb and was pushing myself too hard.

"Ah, then I'll just take a few minutes," I accepted his offer, leaning back on my hands as I sat. "So, let me guess. You want to know why I chose Weavile, right?" The man nodded, opting to remain standing instead of sitting won with me. I couldn't blame him, he was wearing a nice outfit while I was in more casual clothing. "Well," I began to explain, "Weavile are known for being ruthless, stealthy, and conniving. As sneasel, they're known to work in pairs to steal Pokémon eggs for food. I figure that a weavile will be just as good when it comes to stealing things; like a person, for instance. Once Ribombee has found where she is, Weavile and I can work together to get Lucy out of there."

Aster gave my reasoning some thought, before agreeing with me. However... "Not to step on your toes, son, but are you certain Ribombee will be the best choice?" He asked. I tilted my head, urging him to continue. "Her Fairy-Typing puts her at a distinct disadvantage with Team Solar. I may not be an expert on the matter, nor wholly knowledgeable like you or Vic, but I do have one alternative you may want to consider. Furret."

"Furret? Why?"

"Consider this," he began. "You intend for little Ribombee to be a scout, but Furret can do the same without being potentially cornered if things end up going badly. The furret we have here has the Run Away ability, and he can fit into small and tight cracks and cervices to escape should the need arise." I considered his words, nodding slowly in agreement.

"That makes sense," I mumbled, comparing the two options in my head. "The problem is that I already convinced Ribombee to come with me. Can I really just drop her so easily?" The poké ball containing Ribombee shuddered and shook, and I unscrewed the cap to let her out. The little bug had a smile on her face as she drifted over to me. Her tiny hand poked the tip of my nose before she flew off back to the lake.

"I guess you have your answer," Aster chuckled under his breath, giving me an amused look. "I won't force you to convince Furret. A word from me and he'll be ready to go. However, Weavile will be a problem." His levity fell. "The Pokémon doesn't even listen to Vic or myself. For all intents and purposes, he's still a wild Pokémon, just less likely to rip your throat out when he first sees you. Even I'm not certain I could get away unscathed if it came down to it."

"Hm, and there's no easy strategy to deal with a Pokémon like Weavile," I noted out aloud. "Alright. If you could point me in his direction while you get Furret ready?" Aster seemed concerned at my suggestion, but after witnessing me basically face down an aggron with relatively little issue, it was only a moment of hesitation before he pointed me over to the largest tree in the garden.

"He should be resting over there," Aster told me. "That's where he's always been since we came to Alola." I nodded, and the two of us parted ways for the moment. I went to the tree as directed, already able to see the dark Pokémon's plumage as he sat on the lowest branch. As I got closer, I could make out that he was laying on his stomach, and his expression was one of discomfort. It was... painfully obvious as to why. The very reason I was enjoying the Alolan sun was likely the same reason this weavile was so difficult. I watched him from the bottom of the tree, seeing as he panted, staring straight ahead with little care for me being within twenty feet of him. He did growl a bit when he finally noticed me, but it was weaker than I'd have expected. threatening, but more bark than bite.

I saw as Aster made his way towards me after a few minutes. He looked surprised that I wasn't already interacting with Weavile in some way. I waved him over, accepting the poké ball that he offered to me and clipping it to my belt loop. "Hey, Aster," I began after Furret's poké ball had been secured to my person. "Has Weavile always been like this? You guys came from Unova, so was he more energetic while you lived there?"

"Ah, come to think of it, I do remember him being less lethargic at our mansion there," Aster acknowledged, glancing up at the Sharp Claw Pokémon. "He's growled a few times when we got close while we've been Alola, and I believe the maids leave his food by the base of the tree, nowadays. Why do you ask?"

"Weavile is an Ice-Type Pokémon," I told him. His eyes narrowed in confusion towards my words, before he turned to face the Pokémon in question again.

"Is he? He looks like a Dark-Type," Aster stated. "What part of him is supposed to be ice?"

"Well, it's more that they're native to cold climates," I told him. "Admittedly, I don't know what makes them an Ice-Type, just that they are. Huh. Something to look into." I wish I had some kind of notebook on me to write this all down. Now that I thought about it, hadn't I brought my backpack from Emmi's house? I hadn't seen it during my entire time at the mansion. I wondered if it got left behind at the Queen Vanilluxe. "Regardless, I have an idea. Just follow my lead." I approached the tree, looking up at the weavile that glared down at me once I'd gotten close enough. He snarled at me, baring his fangs. "Hey, Weavile! I need your help with a rescue mission of Master Balsam's daughter!" He snarled more, obviously not liking the man standing behind me.

"It won't be for free, obviously," I told the Pokémon. His eyes narrowed with suspicion. "I can tell that you're suffering out here in the tropical heat. You picked the highest and shadiest place you could find to cool off, right? Well, if I convince Master Balsam to build you a cool place to live in out here, would you be willing to work with me?" That got the Pokémon's attention. Weavile looked between me and the man behind me, probably wondering if my words could be trusted. I turned to face Aster, myself. "Can I get you to verbally promise to have a cold place for Weavile to live out here?" I asked him.

"O-Oh, of course!" Aster spoke up, turning to address the Pokémon. "I apologize for not realizing sooner that you prefer colder climates, Weavile!" The man called up to the Pokémon, spreading his arms wide in an attempt to seem sincere. "If I'd have known that, I would never have brought you here, to Alola! I can assure you, that if you help save my daughter, I will have a building out here created just for you so you can live comfortably!" The weavile's eyes glistened with interest, but it seemed like he wasn't on board just yet.

"I'll personally ensure that the work is done and designed," I offered. "Please, Weavile. I'm sure you're already aware that I've convinced Aggron to help me. It's not like he was being particularly quiet about it. However, you are the most important Pokémon for this mission! Everything we need hinges on you! Please, help us!" I saw the gears turning on Weavile's face, as well as a very pleased smile on his lips. He rolled off the tree branch from above us, lazily standing before me. The Pokémon offered me his claws, and I made to shake it, before he scratched my hand, drawing blood. I grunted, pulling my hand away as I looked between the sharp cut he'd left on me and the Pokémon, himself.

Weavile stared at his bloody claw, licked it clean, and smirked, crossing his arms. "Was that a kind of blood pact?" I asked, unsure. Weavile nodded, and I let out a sigh of relief. I looked to Aster, who looked ready to lunge at the Pokémon, me, or somewhere in between us. "Then it's a deal. Good to have you on board, Weavile." I grabbed his poké ball and returned him to it before looking down at my bleeding hand. "Any chance I could get this bandaged, Aster?"

"R-Right!" the man stammered, obviously taken by surprise. I walked back to the porch as Aster jogged to the door that we'd left the mansion from, heading inside. I sat down on one of the wooden rocking chairs that overlooked the garden, keeping my hand open to avoid it hurting too much. It was nice out. A good time to relax. Unfortunately, I'd be going into the fire come nighttime. I looked out over the garden, seeing how peaceful it was. Yet, underneath it all there were still problems, like Weavile's inability to take the heat. Regdon seemed like it was turning out to be the same way; pretty and safe on the surface, but with twisted evil and villainy underneath it all. I'd severely underestimated just how dangerous this world could be, and now everyone I knew was paying the price for it due to my own pride, or for reasons outside of my understanding.

My eyes narrowed as I gazed out over the garden, the shadow of clouds passing over the sun darkening the view a bit. Aster was right. I couldn't just stand idly by when I stumbled and fell. However, my attempts in being heroic weren't panning out, either. I was still a bad friend. A... not a bad person, but not a good one either. I just couldn't be someone that I'm not. But now I knew I wasn't the only person who was capable of bad things just by my very nature. Maybe that's something I'd forgotten. After all, Team Rocket would eventually be a thing, and I couldn't say that every member only joined because of some tragic backstory. Team Solar was a thing now, and the look in the eyes of that man who commanded the malamar was nothing short of vile. There was no mercy, no regret, just the desire to hurt people.

I frowned, stopping my thoughts before they got too dark. That wouldn't help anyone. I needed to focus. Unfortunately, my focus was broken as something gently nudged against my leg. I looked down, seeing a poké ball resting against my foot, and a familiar green Pokémon standing just behind it. "Alola to you, Lily," I mumbled, reaching down to gently pet the little Pokémon's head. "Let me guess, you want to join me, huh?" The Petilil nodded her comparatively massive head, a determined look in her eyes. "Mm," I hummed, considering the options. Petilil was still a bit weak compared to the other Pokémon, and I didn't want her to get hurt. I knew she'd want to get involved in person, but such would just be a detriment. And yet... was it not her right as Lucy's Pokémon to save her? It was probably a bad idea, but I took the poké ball and returned Lily to it, clipping it to my belt and tucking it slightly under my shirt.

"Ah, there you are," Aster spotted me quickly as he arrived with Vic, bandages in hand. "Here, let's get that wrapped up for you, son." I let the two men at my hand as they wrapped it up, ensuring that the injury would be protected from the outside elements. "How do you feel?"

"Angry," I spoke honestly, which seemed to catch the two men off guard. "Those guys, Team Solar. They hurt people. Innocent people, just to get at Lucy. I'm going to make them pay for it in blood." I was surprised at how calm I felt admitting that, as if talking about how it would rain the next day or that the Heahea Tiders had lost five to seven against the Hau'oli Strikers. I'd always tried to pass myself off as a good kid for my mom. Someone redeemable. Someone considerate, and willing to do the right thing for the right reasons. Now, I was just going to be myself again. Damn the consequences. Trying to be completely selfless hadn't worked, it just made my selfish actions worse. I refused to become completely selfish, that way lay madness and loneliness. No, I was just going to be... me.

"I see," Aster replied, sounding unsure of how to respond to a seven-year-old child swearing revenge on a faction of evil grownups. "Then... be careful about it."

"Of course," I agreed without hesitation. "The mission is to retrieve Lusamine. that's more important than anything else." That got the two adults to relax, at least. "What next?"

"Next, we come up with an actual plan of action," Vic said, his expression serious. "As well as gather whatever resources you'll need and want for your operation." I nodded, taking a deep breath before letting it out.

"Alright. Where do we start?"

I*A*C

Victor stood silently as they watched the small, rented boat leave port at a quarter-after-nine, its only passenger being its captain, and a young child and his loaned Pokémon. Aster stood beside him, eyes following the ship's outline in the dark, night sky. Victor removed the cast on his arm, giving it a few stretches as he once more allowed it full movement. "It was rather cruel, Master Balsam, to lie to him like that," Victor told the man. Aster was silent, though his answer was clear to the older man. "What would Mrs. Balsam's father say if he were to hear and see what you've and your wife done?"

"I imagine he would have patted me on the back," Aster replied, his voice dull and hollow. "Told me I'd done well to ensure that our line continues." Silence reigned between the two men for a few terse minutes. "I know you would have punched him in the face for it. I'm surprised you haven't already lunged at me."

"That boy is simple and pure," Victor growled, distaste in his mouth for playing the part expected of him. "Perhaps not wholly good, but he wears his intentions on his sleeve. Unlike you and Mistress Calli's father. The man whose family I swore to serve would be appalled." Aster grunted in reply, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. That was fine. Victor knew it obviously affected the current Balsam patriarch. The butler crossed his arms. "You wish to bring that boy into this family, but send him into the pyroar's den! Lie to him about his own mother's condition!"

"Omission is not a lie, Victor," Aster shot back, a snarl on his lips. "She's just being kept under for a few more weeks, that's all. Long enough for him to achieve his dream and move on to the next. Better for us if that dream involves my little girl." Victor could respect the motive, but not the means. To endanger one's own child for such a thing was unthinkable to him. "The end of their summer break. That'll be as long as we'll keep her under for. Any longer and I fear she might suffer permanent brain damage."

"I don't believe for a second that it matters to you," Victor spat.

"I'm not a monster," the man replied, a dangerous edge to his tone. "Despite what you might think, I don't take pleasure in lying to a child this way. However, what Team Solar wants can't be allowed to fall into their hands. Taiyo is smart, resourceful, determined, and can connect to Pokémon in a way that the rest of us could only dream of! If I didn't know any better, then I'd say he was a Pokémon, himself!"

"That's no reason to drag him in the way you have, Master Balsam!" Victor shouted back at the man. His cheek stung as Aster's hand crossed his face, steel in the younger man's eyes. "You cannot justify this!" Victor fought on anyway.

"I can and I have!" Aster yelled back. "If it was the wrong decision, then may I burn in the afterlife, but I'm doing the best that I can! Do you think I like using my own daughter as a chess piece!?" Victor remained silent, eyes looking over his master's face for any signs of deceit. "I don't. Yet, Calli's will is law. What she wants, she gets." Aster visibly deflated, gazing back out to the ocean. The ship was now just a speck against the starry night sky. "I don't know how to get through to her, Vic. Any time I try arguing with her she threatens to leave! How can I argue with someone like that? Despite everything, I still love her."

Victor remained silent. He couldn't argue with the man, knowing what he knew. The moment the responsibility of that Pokémon was laid on Calli's, and by extension Aster's, laps, the little girl he'd raised with tender care and the man she'd married had changed. When little Lusamine had been kidnapped, for the briefest moment, Victor saw that lovely young woman return; not the cold beast who had taken her place. The two men remained silent for just a bit longer.

"The cycle ends with me," Aster finally spoke up again. "Lusamine, while she might be a bit much, is still a good girl at heart. I know someone like Taiyo will keep her from making the same mistakes that her mother and I have." He chuckled bitterly to the salty sea. "If nothing else, I know you'll do better with them than you did with us, Vic." Victor let out a long sigh, his mind contemplating the long, agonizing efforts it would take. Yet, somehow, he felt like he could believe those words that Aster spoke.

"I suppose I will have to, Master Balsam," Victor finally relented, the ship no longer visible to them. "I suppose I will have to."

I*A*C

Aster, Victor and I stared down at the town map of Po Town on Ula'Ula Island that had been spread across Aster's desk. It was a small town, consisting of about 10,000 people, and a good majority of them worked at the ports, warehouses, and offices on the north-western side. There was a single mansion located by the water as well, belonging to the Kahuna of the island, Maku Taha, who specialized in Poison-Type Pokémon. Maku was a boisterous and friendly fellow in his mid-fifties, which made it unlikely that he knew about Team Solar operating in his town. Of course, while Aster and Vic were convinced, I wasn't. Pokémon Types have a habit of reflecting someone's personality, and I wasn't about to discount Kahuna Maku just yet. I kept quiet about my suspicions, though. Just until I could get solid proof.

"Rotom was able to narrow down their base of operations to these three buildings," Aster said, and I glanced over at the little Pokémon buzzing about the room, probably happy to just be out of his poké ball. "At least one of them will probably have Lusamine within it. We can't discount the option that they might be using even more of these warehouses. Rotom was only able to get the general location of the phone call, after all."

"It could even be under a shell company's name," I added, getting a nod from Aster. "We also can't discount that there might be underground tunnels we don't know of. Hell, Lucy might not even be in any of these buildings. I'll have Weavile and Furret scout through them all while I keep watch. If they find anything, then we're in luck. If not, then I'll move for personal extraction."

"I can't allow that," Aster disagreed, firmly setting his hand on the map. "No, Lusamine is too valuable to me. She's my daughter. If you can't find her there, at least find out where they've taken her." I nodded, that was fine by me. "However, I can't imagine they won't keep her someplace they've got a lot of eyes. These guys are superstitious, and there's an old Ula'Ula tale about children disappearing when they're not watched."

"Wait, there's a story like that?" I asked. Aster waved his hand.

"For another time," he replied. Ok, yeah, that was fair. I hummed, getting the attention of the two men. "Something else caught your eye?"

"Not that, but you said they were superstitious," I repeated, a plan slowly forming in my mind. Aster nodded, leveling a concerned look on me as my smile slowly began to grow. "Tell me, how many myths and legends are they likely to believe in?"

I checked my things one last time as I stared back at myself in the ship's very small mirror. The captain of the vessel, Briney, his eyes met mine every couple of seconds. Each time, I would hear him mumble under his breath how trainers got younger each and every year. He sounded annoyed at the fact. Still, Aster had paid him well for his silence, so he wasn't about to complain to me. I glanced back at my own outfit.

It was a simple ensemble consisting of a dark blue bodysuit, covered in several pieces of disconnected black armor: tare, sode, suneatte, a breastplate-like do, and a kabuto helmet. They were armor pieces originating in Johto's ancient past used by samurai, but my armor was much lighter due to just how much I'd left off. These pieces covered my shins, my arms, the sides of my neck, my head, and my chest. Most importantly, though, they were reminiscent of an ancient legend known in Johto as The Black Samurai, a ghost story passed on by the ancient warriors of a deadly samurai who would roam Mount Silver and cut down any who would trespass upon it. The legend grew over the centuries as sightings supposedly spread across the world of various figures resembling The Black Samurai appeared. Alola actually had its own version known as The Shadow Man, who was supposedly a long-dead Kahuna who would descend from Mount Lanakila to dispense unholy justice against wrongdoers. While The Shadow Man and The Black Samurai were two different legends, they both shared a common theme; a blood-red aggron under their control that would have terrified people back in the ancient times.

Suffice it to say, Aggron now had a new paint scheme. Additionally, he hadn't been very happy about the matter. It had taken nearly an hour to bribe him with a cavern all his own in the garden to get him to agree; a small price to pay for Lusamine's safety. My plan was simple. Invoke terror among Team Solar with superstitions coming to haunt them for their crimes. This helmet did more than protect my head; it was an artifact passed down in Sinnoh, then Hisui, to protect against Psychic-Type mental attacks from Pokémon like bronzong. I didn't know why Aster had such a thing in his collection, but I chalked it up to weird rich people bullsh*t.

"Are you ready, kid?" Briney asked me, drawing me from my thoughts. I pulled my balaclava down over my face and the kabuto on my head before tossing on the black backpack full of things I'd asked for the mission.

"As ready as I'll ever be, sir," I told him, figuring it never hurt to be respectful. The older man seemed unconvinced, but didn't stop me from disembarking his ship once we made it to the docks. I looked over the town, seeing about where my target was. "Thanks for the ride, old man. Go take the rest of the night off. Consider your dock fees paid."

"Cheeky brat," he grumbled in return, moving to tie his ship to the dock itself. I took off into the night, tightening the backpack to my person with the straps, and tying the extra strap length to wrap around my stomach. The equipment inside shook less and made less noise as I did so, and the weight of the backpack became almost indistinguishable from my own. I ran for what had to be around twenty minutes, and while my breathing was a bit heavier, I was thankful I'd kept up a somewhat consistent cardio regimen in this world. I'd had asthma on Earth, but was no longer held back by that here in Regdon. Thank God for small blessings.

The warehouse I arrived at first was a good two buildings away from my closest target, but that was fine. It was dilapidated and out-of-use, probably empty on the inside. I had a hunch that Team Solar had rented out all of the warehouses around their hideout for emergency use, as well as to keep prying eyes from getting too close without looking suspicious. I didn't see any signs of patrols just yet, but it was better to be safe than sorry. I found a few loose crates and hid behind them, using the cover to shield as much of the red flash as I could while releasing Furret and Weavile from their poké balls.

"You guys know the plan," I whispered to them, getting a nod from the two Pokémon. Furret seemed to be at attention as I spoke, while Weavile had a co*cky grin on his face. One might even call it malicious. "Stay frosty, Weavile. This isn't a game, and I'll need you to take this seriously. Stay out of sight, and Furret, act natural if you're spotted. Flee over anything else and only engage if you have to." I turned my attention to the now frowning Weavile. "Weavile... You have permission to kill if, and only if there's no other option. We want to get in and out fast with Lusamine, got it?"

Weavile growled, but nodded begrudgingly. "Hey, none of that," I chuckled under my breath. "Just think; once this is over, you'll soon have a nice, cold building all to yourself." The smirk returned on his face. "Alright, I'll be on the rooftops scouting the area from above. If you don't find me up there, then I'll be right here. If you don't find me here, meet me outside town on the eastern side for our extraction. Wait for me until morning if I'm not already there. If I don't show up... assume I've been captured or killed." The two Pokémon nodded, Weavile sobering up at my words. "Good. Now break." The three of us took off in different directions. Furret headed into the building, and would move through the sewer systems to get inside and move into the ventilation. Weavile would take the more direct approach, using his natural speed and dark fur to cover him. While his red feathers might cause issues, I trusted him to not get caught regardless of them. I, on the other hand, pulled by backpack off for a moment before sifting through it. I felt my way through the various things inside, not trusting myself to use the flashlight.

"A grappling hook, some fishing wire, and leather gloves," I told Aster as he wrote the items down into a notebook. I noticed his curious gaze at the items. "The grappling hook is self explanatory. No launcher, by the way. That would make too much noise. I can use fishing line as a good tripwire or emergency rope if I need to. If worse comes to worst, I can use it as a garrot."

"What in the world is a garrot?" Aster asked, Vic's nod implying he also had no clue what it was.

"An assassination weapon used to choke individuals to death, or unconscious if need be," I explained, watching the two men pale at the thought. Or maybe it was because a child was suggesting such so easily. "Either way, I can use that in emergencies. The gloves are also pretty explanatory."

"Why does it sound like you're prepared for all of this?" Aster asked, sounding just as disturbed as he appeared. I leveled a flat look at him.

"Do you really want to know?" I asked. The man thought about it for a moment before shaking his head. I left it at that.

"Let's hope this works," I muttered under my breath as I pulled out the small grappling hook and thin rope. It was made of hemp, and the hook itself had three hooked prongs on it. It hadn't been painted, so it would obviously glint in the moonlight, but that was fine. I wouldn't need it for long. I looked around, checking last-minute for a visible fire escape, and when I saw none, I began spinning the hook around in a large circle, looking up at the warehouse's roof. The roofs of these buildings were flat, and I assumed they'd have skylights near their interiors. Either way, I tossed the hook up over the edge of the roof and gave it a good pull. It was slack for a little bit, before I felt it catch on something. I gave the rope some experimental tugs for a couple of seconds before, having determined it would hold my weight, I began walking up the side of the building while pulling myself up with the rope. It took me a minute, but I did eventually get to the top, peering over the roof's edge before pulling myself all the way up. So far there weren't any scouts or patrols or Pokémon on watch. I crouched low anyways, pulling the rope up and placing my grapple back into my backpack. I was in no rush, as far as I knew. Alright, time to do a bit of reconnaissance. I pulled out the night-vision binoculars from my bag as I crouch-walked over to the western edge of the building, closer to my first target. I set the bag down beside me and pulled up the binoculars, sweeping the area ahead of me for anything out of place or strange.

It was frustrating when nothing made itself apparent immediately. I'd expected more security, but so far, I was largely disappointed. I was expecting some Pokémon like xatu, noctowl, or even a sableye or something. I guess I was setting myself up for disappointment. I frowned and let out a sigh, doing one last scan of the rooftops. I guess Team Solar was all brawn and no brains. Disappointed, I put down the night vision binoculars, only to find myself face-to-face with a skull face with a single, glowing orb pulsating behind it.

"f*ck."

I*A*C

Chapter 8: Capture, Part Three

Chapter Text

I*A*C

Blood on the ground. Blood on her clothes. Blood on her face. Why was there so much blood everywhere. A body, slumped and bleeding in front of her. He'd tried to protect her, and now he was dead. Team Solar. Now she remembered them, as they shoved her into the car and drove off. They were the bad guys that her daddy and mother talked about sometimes, when she was supposed to be asleep. They were the reason her family was in Alola. It was their fault that Taiyo was dead.

Lusamine woke with a start, her eyes and brain barely processing what was around her. Slowly, though, she came to her senses. She was in a small room without any windows, and a single door on the opposite side of her. There was a single table next to the door, and two adults were sitting at it, talking with each other about... sports? The big thing, though, was the massive, dark Pokémon standing in front of her, staring at her with its singular, glaring red eye. She didn't recognize the Pokémon at all, though maybe that was her terrified mind trying not to.

"Hey, the little brat's awake," one of the adults, a man, spoke up from the table. Her eyes darted to him before focusing back on the Pokémon in front of her. He was wearing that same yellow suit, while the woman on the other side of the table was wearing a dark purple suit. "Nice to see you join the land of the living, sunshine. How was your nap?"

"D-Daddy says not to talk to strangers..." Lusamine said, trying not to let her fear and tears drip out. The woman rolled her eyes.

"You idiot, of course your dusclops is scaring her," she grumbled. "At the very least put him in his poké ball. We don't need him right now." The man grumbled under his own breath, presumably weighing his options, before sighing and returning the Pokémon to its poké ball. Lusamine felt her breathing relax a bit, a heavy pressure lifted from her shoulders. "There we go. See, kid? We can be reasonable. Just sit tight and once your daddy gives us what we want, you can go home and pretend like all of this didn't happen."

"You killed him..." Lusamine felt the pit grow in her stomach. Now that she could think a bit more clearly, she could remember what she'd seen before she'd been taken away. The woman seemed confused.

"Him? Who's him?" she asked her partner, who shrugged. "Do we kill people? I thought we just roughed them up a little."

"Ah, you know how Malik gets," the man replied. How could they be so calm about this!? "Probably one of her butlers or something. I bet he tried fighting back."

"You killed my best friend!" Lusamine screamed, struggling against the ropes that bound her. The two adults seemed shocked at that. How could they!? How could they not know what they did!? "He's dead! How could you!?"

"Calm down brat!" the man snarled at her, standing up and marching over to her before kicking her chair, knocking her to the side.

"Kev!"

"Nah, you gotta show these little sh*ts who's boss sometimes," the man snarled, picking her up by the collar of her blouse and slamming her back against the wall, setting her upright again. Lusamine trembled, trying to keep her tears in. "You're gonna sit there, shut up, and look pretty, got it you little brat?" She nodded, feeling her lip quiver. A good girl doesn't cry. A good girl doesn't let others scare her. A good girl is always in control of her emotions.

Lusamine felt tears running down her cheeks, her breaths heaving in her chest as the man sat back down, a scowl on his face and a glare in his eyes. Her mother taught her all about how to be a good girl. How to be liked by other people. If that was all true... then what was she right now...?

"That was uncalled for," the woman said, glaring at her partner. The man spat to his side, rolling his eyes. Lusamine stared at them, breathing heavily. Her head felt light. Her body felt numb. What was happening to her? "She's just a kid, Kev. Besides, did Malik actually kill some brat just to get to her?"

"What does it matter if he did or not?" the man asked, sounding annoyed. "The little sh*t probably tried playing hero. You know how he gets. What's one less little crotch goblin in the world?"

"Yeah, you keep saying that until it's Lizzy on the chopping block," the woman said. The man scowled even more. Lusamine's eyes felt heavy. She looked up, praying to Arceus that she'd be let go soon. That somehow, her best friend would be ok.

Please, she prayed, I just want him to be ok. I'll never sneak out sweets from the kitchen or watch TV past my bedtime again. Please just let him be ok. Please let someone find me! Through blurry eyes, she looked at the wall at the air grate. She could have sworn that she saw a pair of eyes looking back at her through the grate before they moved away.

I*A*C

Weavile was never the most agreeable Pokémon. that was fine by him. Most days, he spent alone trying to get comfortable in the warmer temperatures. It always failed, but he wasn't going to give up on it. It was bad enough when they were still in Unova, but here in this hellscape called Alola? Yeah, those humans could f*ck right off with that. The trainer who'd caught him, Lestor, was a prick who didn't know left from right. He'd promised to make Weavile stronger, but it may as well have been a lie for how incompetent he was. It was just luck that allowed the little idiot to catch him, and it'd been skill that allowed the then Sneasel to slit his throat in his sleep. Unfortunately for Weavile, he'd done it in a town and the little sh*t had been able to get help.

Now, he was forced to live with the brat's 'sponsor' or whatever, and he wasn't allowed to go with any other trainers to get stronger. With this brat, though... It might have been a mix of desperation and boredom that made Weavile agree to this little brat's desperate pleas for help. A chance to show off his skills, and get a nice, cold place all to himself to boot? Yeah, even if the little brat was lying, it was worth the risk. Hell, he'd even managed to force the bastard of a 'sponsor' to agree to it! Not only that, but even after just a few moments, the kid had the insight to know Weavile was suffering in the heat. He'd been the first to actually realize what was wrong.

So yeah, Weavile would give the little kid a chance. That chance came in the form of finding the 'sponsor's' little brat. He couldn't care less about the blonde terror who played with Furret and her little petilil, but if it got him what he wanted, he'd drag the girl kicking and screaming if he had to.

Weavile darted to the side of the building, letting the patrolling gastly pass by him before lunging in with a Night Slash, a move passed down by his parents, the wretched bastards. It was the only gift they'd left him with. The ghost Pokémon went down easily, and a sad*stic smile crossed his face as he continued to attack the injured Pokémon, putting it down permanently. He proc'd Agility once more, then Hone Claws, before darting through the dilapidated building once more. Weavile's ear twitched as a nearby knocking sound caught his attention, just low enough for his sensitive hearing to pick it up. The Pokémon rolled his eyes, approaching the ventilation grate.

"You smell like sh*t," he growled, seeing the fuzzy tube staring back at him from the other side. "This better be important, c*msock."

"I found Lusamine," the Furret replied, sounding offended. "And for your information, you smell like blood."

"I know," Weavile said with a grin on his face. He could see the little fuzzy thing roll his eyes. "Where is she? I'll drag her out, myself."

"Two floors down, under the buildings," Furret replied, calming down once more. "I couldn't tell you exactly where, but I can show you. Think you can get this grate off the wall?"

"Not without making a sh*t ton of noise," Weavile admitted, feeling bitter about that fact. He'd have to use Metal Claw to pry it open, and that would obviously attract attention. He'd be all too happy to lay the beat down on some of these weaklings, but to get that freezer building, he had to rescue the kid. Ugh. Humans and their parental love. Why couldn't they just imprint their instincts on their children and let them grow up alone like sneasel did? "Of course this couldn't be easy. How the f*ck did you get in there, anyway?"

Furret slid through one of the grates with a bit of effort, giving Weavile a pleasant smile. He scowled. Despite being so tall, Furret was deceptively thin. Mostly fur, even. Guess that's how they came up with their name. "Show off," the Sharp Claw Pokémon snarled, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms. Furret slipped back into the vent, taking noticeably longer this time. "Ugh, this place is crawling with ghosts, too. I can kill them without any problems, but it'll be f*cking annoying trying to ambush all of them. I wish the human had planned a distraction." Weavile did not jump as a loud siren wailed through the building. He looked around quickly. Nothing seemed to be approaching them, which meant...

"You were saying?" Furret practically purred, snickering. "I guess that human was already five steps ahead of you, Weavie!"

"This doesn't prove anything!" the Dark-Type growled back. "The dumb f*cker must have gotten caught. Come on, let's get moving while their attention is focused somewhere else and hope he doesn't cross our path." Furret took off into the vents while Weavile darted from corner to corner, looking for any signs that might indicate that there were stairs behind any doors.

"f*cking human signs. Why can't they just use carved symbols like we do? Their stupid language is impossible to read!" Weavile snarled as he came across a door that looked different from the others. There weren't any signs, but his feathers weren't detecting any kind of air current coming from it. He readied a Slash and tore through the door's bottom enough for him to poke his head in. Even before he did, he could see light on the other side. Humans liked light, didn't they?

"Looks like I found my way in," the Pokémon smirked at the knowledge. He used another Hone Claws and began to Fury Swipes at the door, dashing through the small entrance he'd made with a Quick Attack before taking off down the stairs behind the door. He moved quickly, using the walls like springboards as he bounded down the stairway. Down two floors, right?

A duskull moved through a wall, catching Weavile in its lone, pulsating eye. Not quite fast enough, though. Weavile smirked, charging up a Night Slash mid-leap down a set of stairs and, as soon as his feet hit the ground, he bounced off back onto the opposite wall to then lunged at the Ghost-Type. It barely had time to shriek before his claw pierced the Pokémon's face, shattering it and impaling the glowing red orb behind it; the duskull's eye and core. The Pokémon fell immediately, instantly killed by the super-effective attack. Weavile landed on the railing of the next set of stairs, looking back at his victim for a moment before moving on. How much longer would he be forced to fight weaklings like this?

Down the next set of stairs he went, taking him only moments with his speed and reflexes. The door to his destination opened as several humans wearing yellow and purple clothes rushed through. "Let's go! There's an intruder- wait, who's weavile is- Agck!" The man's annoying voice was cut off as Weavile Slash'd his throat as he rushed past him, grabbing the next human's outstretched arm as a pole to spin himself around and launch himself over their heads. He grinned, a Nasty Plot forming in his head as he flew above them.

"Die, scumbags!" Weavile screamed as he unleashed an Icy Wind on the humans. All of them screamed, shivering as his power washed over them. The Pokémon landed behind the group, unleashing a Fury Swipes on them all before finishing each one with Slash in quick succession. Weavile took a minute to look over his bloody handiwork before moving on, trying to find an air vent to meet up with Furret again. Alarms openly blared within the deep recesses of the building, telling Weavile that the humans knew something was happening.

"I just f*cking wish I knew what was going on!" The Pokémon thought to himself. He slid to a stop, hearing footsteps running his way. The Pokémon snuck into a nearby open room, keeping close to the wall and letting out a breath of air, not letting so much as a strand of his fur twitch. Several heavy footsteps ran past him, and he watched distracted Ghost-Types float through the floor into the ceiling, paying him no mind. He smirked, tempted to ruin their days, but thought better of it. The human he came with obviously had a plan, so he'd trust that the boy could handle a few more eyes on him. Even if he couldn't, it was his own fault for being dumb enough to set off alarms. Except... ugh, the boy had to live for him to get his nice freezer room. It always came back to that f*cking cold air.

Once the humans had passed, Weavile once more ran down the halls. He kept an ear out for Furret, hoping he hadn't passed the noodly rodent. These halls all looked the same, and he still couldn't f*cking read any of the signs! Weavile snarled as he finally came across a group of humans running along him with their Pokémon. A mismagius, a bisharp, and a drowzee. Easy pickings.

"What the- whose Weavile is that!?" one of the humans yelled.

"Who are you?" The bisharp, who stood at the lead, asked. Weavile smirked, imagining all the ways he could kill these puny Pokémon and their human masters with a Nasty Plot.

"H-He's using a move!" the drowzee explained. He turned to his master. "A-Alan, he's not one of ours!"

"I don't know, do you, Kale?" the second human, Alan, asked their only female companion.

"Kerse, what do we do?" the bisharp asked his human. Weavile used Hone Claws, then burst forward with Agility before any of the humans could react in time.

"You f*ckers are breathing my air!" Weavile screamed, a nasty smile carved across his face. He lunged at the drowzee, who desperately tried to stop him with a wave of his hands. He felt a stab of pain in the back of his head, his Agility coming to an end. Disable. Figures the f*cker would be annoying just before dying. Weavile didn't stop, using Night Slash on his claws as he tore through the obese Pokémon. He turned, finishing with a second blow through the back of the neck while the other creatures were stunned.

"D-Drowzee!" the human master cried, panic rising in his voice. "K-Kale, Kerse, do something!"

"Mismagius, Thunder Wave!" Weavile tracked the Ghost-Type as she burst with a wave of Electric-Type energy. The wave of electricity was dense. Not dense enough.

"Take this, your wretch!" the Pokémon screamed as her attack went off. Weavile smirked. So much for a worthy fight. Weavile twisted his body, passing through the narrow gap that was afforded to him by his enemy's inexperience. How dare these idiots waste his time.

"sh*t, this Pokémon is insane!" the girl shouted to her friends as Weavile leapt towards Mismagius with a Quick Attack. The Magical Pokémon smirked, obviously only seeing that Quick Attack was just the first part. His claws glowed with a pitch black hue as she realized too late what awaited her. Weavile had no such hesitations or distractions as he cut through the Ghost-Type with ease. She screamed in agony before falling to the floor, writhing in pain. Weavile landed shortly after, charging up another Night Slash to finish-

"Bisharp, Metal Claw!" He was interrupted by the third nuisance. Weavile scowled before leaping out of the way of the bisharp's attack. "You two, take your Pokémon and go! Bisharp and I will take care of this thing!"

"M-My Drowzee... He's not..."

"Go!" the human shouted. Mismagius was returned to her poké ball and the two other humans ran, the last one crying as he left his dead drowzee behind.

"You've slaughtered one too many of my compatriots, fiend," Bisharp grumbled to his enemy. Weavile chuckled under his breath as the trainer barked another order. Weavile's eyes narrowed with glee. Agility was back. He used the move, easily evading the bisharp's predictable and slow strikes. "Do you find the death of dutiful Pokémon amusing, distorted one!?"

"Yes!" Weavile admitted, laughing as he led along the frustrated bisharp. "All of your friends were so weak! They're pathetic! The human who brought me here thought you'd be some kind of serious threat, but all I see are weaklings!" The bisharp roared with anger as he tried to catch the Weavile, but he got no closer. "I was told that my strength would be needed, but instead I find nothing that the stupid plant who snuck along couldn't handle!"

"Speak sense, you wretch!" Bisharp howled. "I may not be strong, but you've yet to face the full might of Team Solar! You wouldn't stand a chance against Malik and his Malamar!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Weavile grinned. "Then maybe I'll kill you quickly, then seek him out!"

"I will be enough to defeat you," the bisharp snarled. Weavile had had enough. It was fun at first, but making this Pokémon chase him around was now getting dull. It was time to end this.

"Now die," he hissed, charging up his Night Slash. He ran forward, striking the bisharp at center mass. Except his attack didn't slice through like he'd been expecting. No, the bisharp stopped it. "What!?"

"Did your trainer never teach you?" the bisharp chuckled as he spoke. "I am a Steel-Type. Your moves have little effect on me!" Weavile... his trainer had been an idiot... of course he hadn't... Weavile yanked his claw back, but the bisharp trapped his claw between his own arm and the blades protruding from his torso. Weavile winced in pain as they cut into his skin. Bisharp grabbed his arm with a single... appendage and pulled him close.

"Great work, Bisharp!" the human squealed with delight, and Weavile felt his stomach drop. "Now, use Iron Head!" Bisharp's protruding axe head glowed an iron grey as he slammed his head down onto Weavile's. The Sharp Claw Pokémon howled in pain as he felt like his head was being split open. The Sword Blade Pokémon didn't let go, repeatedly slamming his Iron Head attack into the slowly dying Weavile. How!? How could someone be this much stronger than him!? Weavile felt his legs weaken as the bisharp continued to bash his head in. He was going to die here...

I*A*C

"The f*ck is going on out there?" the man in the yellow suit growled, staring at the lone door in the room. Lusamine was exhausted. She'd since cried herself out, and all she felt now was nub. The eyes in the vents had left, and now she was all alone. She was going to die here... "Arrrrgh, I wish I f*cking knew what the hell that was!"

"Oh, for the love of Arceus, just go check!" the woman growled at her partner. "You've been griping for, like, ten minutes!"

"What, and leave the kid here alone?"

"She'll be with me you moron!" The man paused at those words, thinking it over for a bit before shrugging. "Are you finally gonna go check?"

"Ugh, I'll be right back," the man grunted, standing up and leaving through the door. It was silent, save for the wailing alarm. Still, Lusamine didn't dare to hope. It couldn't be for her. She'd been a bad girl.

"Hey, kid," the woman spoke, her voice gentler than it had been before. "Look at me, kid." Lusamine obeyed, not knowing what compelled her. The woman's eyes were hidden by a domino mask, but there was a frown on her face. Had she... made her upset, somehow? "Are you alright? Kevin was pretty rough with you." Lusamine stared at the woman, who offered her some kind of smile. She couldn't tell whether it was kind or cruel. "Hey, you alright?"

"Why...?"

"Hm?"

"Why do you care...?" Lusamine asked, her numbness giving way a bit to confusion. "You kidnapped me... You killed my best friend... Why do you care...?" The woman sighed, shaking her head and reaching up to grip her violet hair. There was silence as the woman thought of an answer. A lie. Lusamine had been a bad girl, but this was an evil woman.

"Listen, I didn't sign up for the whole 'kidnapping' and 'child murdering' thing," the woman lied. "Here, if it helps, I'll tell you my name? My name's Akani," the woman lied. "What's your name?" Lusamine kept quiet. "Yeah, I get it. I wouldn't want to tell someone my name if they tied me up like that, either. Once your daddy gives us the Prince of the Stars, then you'll be sent right back to him. I promise." She was lying. There was no such thing as some Prince of the Stars. Nothing could survive on a star, it was too hot.

"Ugh, c'mon, kid, just work with me," the woman grumbled, frustrated. Lusamine hid a smirk. At least she could get back at them like this. "Fine. If it helps any, I'm sorry we killed your little friend. Nobody was supposed to die in any of this. Ugh, it's not like Team Solar can really do anything except keep itself floating until we get our hands on that Pokémon." What Pokémon was she talking about...?

No, that wasn't important. What would Taiyo do in this situation? Well, he wouldn't sit around and cry, that's for sure. He'd find some kind of way out, using the weaknesses that others gave him. Lusamine stared hard at the floor, slowly coming up with a plan in her mind while she ignored the wailing of the alarms.

I*A*C

"f*ck."

Yeah, that word just about described my situation as I leapt back from the duskull that had been inches away from my face. I tried to remember what duskull- no! No thoughts, just action! "Lily, I need you!" I grabbed her poké ball and quickly unscrewed the top, tossing it out into the air in front of me as the duskull gave chase. I glanced around, looking for a way out as the duskull's shadow seemed to get longer. No, it was stretching. Shadow Sneaky bastard. "Charm, Lily!"

In a flash of light, Lily stood between myself and Duskull. She wiggled cutely, and the Shadow Sneak attack paused just long enough for me to get my bearings. "Sleep Powder!" Lily whipped her head towards the briefly stunned duskull, a purple powder washing over it as it slowly began to drift to the ground, the red eye dulling for a moment. I had to take this thing out.

"A taser, a dagger, and pepper spray," I told Aster as he added things to the list. He raised a brow at the first item, but wrote the others.

"What in the world is a taser?" he asked, obviously confused. Damn. I guess an easy 'elemental' attack was out of the picture.

"An electrical weapon that focuses a current through whatever it hits," I told him. Even if it didn't exist yet, I could at least give him the idea. Warfare for humans might have been stuck in the 1700s, but not for me. "Don't worry about it. I'll make do. Just the dagger is really necessary." Vic and Aster shared a look before the two of them seemed to relent. Aster's earlier question seemed to return in full force, given the look on his face, but to his credit, he didn't ask it again.

"If you say so," Aster mumbled under his breath.

"Are you truly intending to kill, Young Master?" Vic asked, concern etched in his shaky voice. "You need not-"

"If I have to, I will," I told him

"I'm not about to let anyone stop me," I growled as the lingering thought passed through my mind. I walked past the sleeping duskull, reaching into my bag that I'd left by the roof's edge and grabbing the dagger within it. It was wrapped in a black leather sheathe to keep it from reflecting and to keep me from cutting myself by accident. As I pulled the weapon out, I strapped the actual sheath to my leg, ensuring it was nice and tight. In mere moments, I stood over the duskull. I'd never actually killed anyone or anything before. Not like this. Not in this life or my previous one.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, feeling my heart begin to pound. I ignored the feeling of vitriol beginning to cloud my mind, picking up Lily from the rooftop and setting her on my shoulder. The little Bulb Pokémon nuzzled my cheek to comfort me. My hand gripped the hilt of my blade. "You're in my way. I have no other choice." I knelt down in front of the small, lightly snoring Pokémon. My eye twitched. My hand trembled. No. I had to do this! I-

Pain and sound echoed across the rooftop all at once. I shuddered as it washed over me before I looked frantically at where the sound was coming from. Behind me flew a magneton as it unleashed a Screech attack. I snarled as I moved to the side and behind the cover of an air conditioning unit, seeing duskull wake up in light of the loud noise. It gave me a baleful glare before descending quickly under the roof.

"Well, double f*ck me in the ass," I growled under my breath. Okay, quiet option was out. I was really hoping that sh*t wouldn't hit the fan this fast. I knew it was inevitable, but this was ridiculous! "Aggron! It's time to go loud!" I roared as I unleashed Aggron on the roof. The massive Iron Armor Pokémon emerged with a roar. Then he dropped. The roof crumbled under his weight, and I leapt after him, landing on his back as we fell. Aggron landed hard on the ground below. It hadn't hurt him any, but I could feel his annoyance rolling off of him in waves as he turned his head, his blue eye staring me down. "Sorry about that, buddy. I forgot about your weight." Aggron growled lowly, but turned his head as I pointed at the floating magneton. "No time. Let's test out your new moves, Aggron! Brick Break, and hold nothing back!" I grinned as Aggron's right hand glowed white, and he lunged at the magneton. Without a trainer, the Pokémon was a sitting duck. Aggron roared, slicing clean through the Magnet Pokémon. At least, he would have, if the three magnemite making up magneton's body hadn't separated, causing the attack to pass right through them.

The Magnet Pokémon buzzed and whirred, and I watched as it began charging up some kind of electrical attack. While that attack might not do a lot to Aggron... Warning sirens went off both in my head and throughout the building, and the momentary distraction forced me to take a second to refocus. "Protect!" Aggron let out a roar as I heard Magneton's attack go off. No painful electrical shocks, so I assumed that Protect went off without a hitch. "Return fire with Sand Tomb!" Aggron stomped on the ground, turning the floor to sand and dust as energy poured out from him. With a swipe of his hand, the debris swirled around Magneton, making it hard for the Pokémon to float and keep balance. "Brick Break!"

Distracted by trying to keep its balance, the magneton was only barely able to separate as Aggron attacked once more. "Lily, Helping Hand!" The little petilil squeaked, reaching over to touch Aggron. Vines spread across his body towards his left hand before it jerked, glowing the same white aura that his right hand was. The vines twitched, slamming his left hand against one of the magnemite making up magneton's body. It hissed and sparked, falling to the ground as the other two followed suit. Aggron growled at the downed Pokémon, stomping in it and crushing the Magnet Pokémon into pieces.

I let out a sigh, trying to calm my racing heart. "Come back, Aggron. Thanks for the help." I returned the aggron to his poké ball, mumbling against it. "I'll let you know if I need your help again." I looked around, grabbing my bag from where it had fallen to the ground from the roof and pulling it back onto myself. "Ok. Quiet way is botched. Time to go loud." I sighed, glancing at Lily. Time to see if my experiment would work. "Lily, Sunny Day. Keep it localized." Lily squeaked eagerly, creating a miniature ball of light. I gently touched the bright ball, feeling a steady warmth emanating from it. "Can you move it with us?" The petilil nodded, seeming invigorated. "Ok. Entrainment." The petilil danced, glowing a soft, white aura. I watched her dance on my shoulder, and I felt myself compelled to follow her movements. After a few seconds, I felt... good. Like energy was flowing through my body through the Sunny Day.

Well, that was interesting. Lily had the ability Chlorophyll, and the fact that I could be affected by a move that gave me her same ability... Something to think about later. I smirked and took off running towards the buildings further into the area. I looked at various signs as I burst through the doors of the first warehouse, but I needn't have bothered. A small hole at the bottom of a door shone with light. Weavile was in. I'd have to follow his lead, then. I ran towards the door before several Ghost-Types flew up through the floor, looking around before facing me and glaring at my direction. I should've kept Aggron out of his ball.

"Cover me, Lily. Use Stun Spore!" Lily leapt to the ground from my shoulder as I grabbed Aggron's poké ball again. "Sorry buddy, thought we'd at least get closer to where we needed to be before I brought you out again." His ball shook annoyedly as a yellow wave of spores washed over the Ghost-Types in front of me. A few of them tried using some attacks, but Lily knew better than to stay still, using the recoil from her spore attacks to burst and move out of the way of incoming attacks. It didn't add a lot of distance, but it was enough to keep her from taking the full brunt of the damage and catch the other Pokémon off-guard with her sudden speed. "Let's go, Aggron!"

In a flash of red light, the giant, crimson Iron Armor Pokémon emerged once more from his poké ball, roaring menacingly out of frustration. He glared at me for a moment before turning his attention to the Pokémon who were trying to pin down Lily. "Lily, Synthesis and get back here! Aggron, show them no mercy with Brutal Swing!" Lily quickly shot herself back towards me with a quick burst of Stun Spore, glowing in midair as she used the Sunny Day to help her heal herself from the minor injuries the Ghost-Types had inflicted on her. Aggron, in the meantime, twisted his body as he charged at the other Pokémon, spinning just before crashing into them and slamming his tail into the group with Dark-Type energy coursing through it. The Pokémon went flying back against the wall, passing through the concrete since they couldn't maintain their corporeal forms. Just in time, as the door I'd been eyeing was shoved open as several Team Solar members filtered out to see their Pokémon get knocked out.

"Wha-What the hell is that!?" one of them yelled. I smirked, hopping onto Aggron's back.

"A crimson aggron and a man in black armor... They're supposed to just be legends!"

"You can't be serious, there's no way they actually exist!"

"B-But they're right there!" I smirked under my mask, mumbling just loud enough for Aggron to hear my voice.

"Let's make these idiots wet themselves, Aggron," I told him, hearing him rumble lowly in amusem*nt. "Lily, use Entrainment on Aggron. Can you move that Sunny Day behind us?" Lily began to dance in my palm, and Aggron repeated the motions, his Sturdy Ability turning into Chlorophyll. It was definitely a downgrade, but it didn't matter when the point was to make him seem unnatural. The little glowing ball shone behind us, silhouetting us against its light.

"W-What's it doing!?" One of the Team Solar members yelled. "W-Wait, go, Kadabra!" There was a flash of red as the grunt let out their Pokémon to face us. "Use Psychic!"

"Sandstorm, then Protect," I tucked Lily into a small pouch in my backpack as Aggron let out a feral roar, whipping up sand and dust from the ground in what I knew would be a typhoon of dirt and sediment. The other Pokémon tried to get their attacks in while they could still see us, but Aggron's Protect ensured we wouldn't be bothered. "Time for another new move, Aggron. Substitute." The three of us shifted, and I could see the shadow of a large aggron back where we'd just moved from. I could hear the Team Solar grunts coughing through the Sandstorm.

"Where did it go!?" one of them shouted. "Woobat, find it!"

"Sand Tomb all of them. Rock Tomb the rest. This will be their graves," I told Aggron, who was all too happy to oblige. "Show them your power." The crimson Iron Armor Pokémon let out a loud bellow, shifting as he grabbed pieces of concrete and threw them at our enemies. I couldn't see anything through the sand, but I could hear the screams of both humans and Pokémon coming from in front of us. I unzipped my bag slightly, searching for what I needed. It probably would have been smart to grab these first, but desperate times and all. That, and I'd been too focused on just not thinking to keep our enemies on their toes.

"A pair of goggles," I had Aster add to the list. He let out a sigh, having had to flip to the next page of his tiny little notebook. "You think this might be extensive, but it's all in preparation for the worst. You'll know why, if sh*t does hit the fan." He gave me a disapproving stare at my language.

"Is that because of the new moves you had us teach Aggron through TMs?" Vic asked, his voice weary and tired. I guess I was wearing the two men down with all of my preparations.

"Right on the money, Vic," I told him, chuckling under my breath. "I still might not be able to see much through Sandstorm, but it's better than having to keep my eyes shut the entire time. Got that, Aster?"

"Is there anything else?" he asked, his patience obviously having been run thin by now. I thought for a moment, then shook my head. He groaned softly.

"One last thing," I said, steeling my expression. "This is a big one, too." Aster straightened up, a frown on his face as he prepared to write. "I know this might be extreme, but I want to be prepared for anything. You're not gonna like it."

I slipped the goggles onto my face after finding them in the special pouch I'd dedicated to them. I ensured there was as little sand in them as I could while putting them on before I opened my eyes, seeing nothing but swirling sand around us. The lenses were a deep red, and the straps pitch black like my balaclava. For all intents and purposes, it should look like I have glowing, red eyes. It was silent save for the alarms going off and the sand itself hitting things. "Can you see through the sand, Aggron?" I asked, getting an affirmative nod from the beast. "Is everything dead?" Another nod.

"Good. It's your turn again, Lily. Sunny Day." Lily squeaked, and the sandstorm dissipated, once more returning that little glowing ball of light behind us. "Thatta girl, Lily. Keep it up." I already felt rejuvenated under the little mote, and could tell that Aggron felt the same way. "Alright, Aggron. Let's bust through that wall over there, then start heading down the stairs. We're going in loud." I saw the edge of Aggron's mouth twitch into a grin as he let out a loud roar, charging at the wall. I hid myself fully on his back, feeling the wall crumble as he slammed through it and down into the stairwell.

I*A*C

How!? How could someone be this much stronger than him!? Weavile felt his legs weaken as the bisharp continued to bash his head in. He was going to die here...

"Get your hands off of him!" Weavile heard a scream before fwoom! A rush of heat, and the bisharp screamed in pain before letting him go. "Weavile! Talk to me, are you okay?"

"Tch, what the f*ck happened?" the Sharp Claw Pokémon growled, spitting out blood as he looked towards his rescuer. Concerned eyes stared back at him from a brown and tan tube. Furret. "You."

"Me," Furret turned to look back at the bisharp. "I can lead you to where miss Lusamine is, but we gotta take care of this guy, first."

"I f*cking had him, you little sock puppet," Weavile snarled. Furret gave him a sidelong glance before refocusing on the bisharp.

"Clearly."

"Where'd a weakling like you learn a Fire-Type move, anyway," Weavile asked, looking back towards the bisharp as he shook off the attack.

"Where the f*ck did that one come from?" the human asked, sounding uncertain of himself.

"You dare attack me on behalf of this unscrupulous knave?" Bisharp snarled, readying himself for battle once more. "I'll have your head! Kerse, your orders?"

"Heh, Victor taught me a few things before retiring me," Furret replied to Weavile's question. "You ready? You go high, I'll go low."

"Like hell I'll listen to you!"

"Break!" Furret took off with that word towards the enemy without giving Weavile a chance to think of another plan. The Dark-Type growled and leapt into the air at his enemy. The human finally seemed to catch on, barking an order.

"Bisharp, Iron Defense!" The human yelled. Bisharp momentarily glowed an iron grey as Weavile readied up a Hone Claws into a Slash attack. Looking down, Furret's left paw caught fire as he readied a Fire Punch attack. "Use Night Slash on the Furret!"

"Take this, you knave!" the bisharp yelled, his right claw-thing glowing a dark aura. Weavile used Quick Attack, boosting himself towards his enemy.

"Your enemy is me!" Weavile snarled, aiming for the burnt spot on Bisharp's torso. He attacked Bisharp with Assurance, hearing the Pokémon scream in pain as he attacked the injured spot. "You die now!"

"Bisharp!"

"This is for miss Lusamine!" Furret yelled, striking Bisharp center-mass with his Fire Punch. The Sword Blade Pokémon staggered back, feeling the pain but not out. Furret winced and looked back to Weavile. "I have a move to take him out, but you need to keep him distracted while I focus!"

"With pleasure," Weavile grinned, coming up with a Nasty Plot.

"Bisharp, use Iron Defense again!"

"What, are you and your master scared of losing!?" Weavile Taunted the Pokémon as he prepared to obey his human's orders. "Aren't you supposed to be the powerful and feared Team Solar!? You're pathetic!" Bisharp growled, charging at Weavile.

"Bisharp, what the f*ck are you doing!?"

"I am putting down this creature like the beast he is!" Bisharp screamed back, his left arm glowing a gleaming metallic grey. "Die, you impudent knave!" Weavile raised his claw, forming an Ice Shard with Ice-Type energy before throwing it at the Bisharp. It was easily knocked to the side as the weasel Pokémon activated Agility, weaving under Bisharp's arm as he swiped at him with Metal Claw.

"Bisharp, stop ignoring me and use Scary Face!" Bisharp paused for a moment before leveling a glare at Weavile.

"You're so weak!" Weavile Taunted again, laughing. "When I'm done with you, I'll slice your precious human's throat out! He has such an annoying, stupid f*cking voice!"

"Silence, you cur!" Bisharp screamed, running at him again, once more ignoring his human's orders. "I'll dice you into ribbons!"

"Weavile!" The weasel Pokémon grinned.

"You'll die trying." A tube leapt over the weasel, right paw glowing with an incredible aura.

"Focus Punch!" the furret screamed, striking the bisharp as his eyes widened in shock. His body shook and cracked before giving way. Even Weavile was taken by surprise when Furret dove through the bisharp, emerging through the other side from the hole he'd punctured through the Pokémon's chest. Bisharp staggered, before finally falling to his knees.

"Bisharp!" the human screamed. Bisharp looked up at hit human as Weavile used Quick attack.

"K-Kerse!" the dying Pokémon screamed, moments before Weavile Slashed through the human''s neck. The two fell to the ground together, the human's stupid head rolling across the ground towards his Pokémon. Man and monster stared at one another as the light faded from both of their eyes. Weavile licked his claws clean of the human blood.

"Time to keep moving," Weavile turned to the brown cum-sock. "Where's the girl, ferret?" Furret trotted over to him, giving the two bodies a final look of distaste before turning his attention back to Weavile. He used Agility, and Weavile did the same.

"They're down this way," Furret said, taking off running. "Follow Me!" Weavile's senses focused on his temporary partner as the two of them ran down the halls. They ran across other groups of humans and Pokémon on the way, but none of them were nearly as challenging as Bisharp had been. All of them died within moments of crossing the duo. Weavile continued to watch Furret's tail. Maybe he wasn't as useless as he first seemed. All because of a trainer? Maybe there was something to having a trainer who knew what the f*ck he was doing.

Weavile kept his eyes peeled as they ran, skidding to a stop as they passed an open door. He backtracked while Furret stopped as well, noticing the weasel Pokémon had stopped. "What's wrong? We're almost there!"

"Take a look at that," Weavile pointed into the open room. It had nice looking carpets, and several stands full of very shiny and fancy looking items on them. The lights were turned off, but he could easily pick out some very shiny things with his ability to see in the dark. "Hey, we should grab some of this sh*t."

"What!? That's a waste of time, let's keep going, Weavile!" The Dark-Type scowled.

"Hey, the more we screw over this team, the better we'll end up being, right? Just a few things, that's all. It'll only take a minute." Furret glanced at the variety of items spread out in the dark room, letting out a sigh.

"Fine, but just a few things. Make sure you grab those two things," the furret raised his paw at a pair of objects in particular, some wrist-band looking thing as well as a dark, oval diamond-like item with each end capped by a small square diamond shape.

"What, are those useful?" Weavile asked, and Furret nodded.

"Very," the other Pokémon told him. "They're ancient items from Alola's past. That gem in particular is said to have belonged to a celestial queen." There was obviously more that the furret was hiding, but Weavile frankly didn't give a sh*t. Those were gonna be his! The Dark-Type leapt onto the first altar, swiping the two items before grabbing a few others, including some chunks of gold, some red band that looked interesting, as well as a pair of prismatic gems that looked very pretty. One was like a small marble with a helix shape inside of it, and the other was a deep red with twisting stripes of gold and silver in the center.

"Here, take these," Weavile told Furret, shoving the items into the Long Body Pokémon's fur. Furret sputtered, only resisting briefly before groaning and relenting to the impromptu storage.

"I am not your carrying bag!" the ferret growled as he gave in. "Whatever. Are you ready, you kleptomaniac?" Weavile grinned, patting the furret's back as he walked back out into the hall. A loud roar echoes through the hall itself, sounding vaguely familiar. "Sounds like Taiyo and Aggron have made it in. Go back and lead them here. Do you remember the way?"

"Of course I f*cking do!" Weavile snarled, offended. His species was dependent on memorizing twisting routes by second nature. "You better not leave any of my sh*t behind!"

"I'd never dream of it," Furret replied, rolling his eyes as he stepped back into the shadows of the room. "Now go!"

Weavile took off back down the hall the way they'd come, eager and giddy after securing some very shiny loot. The more he could bring back, the fancier his freezer room could be! He could hardly wait!

Weavile ran back down the twists and turns of the base, heading for the stairwell. It didn't take him long to do so, but once he got there, he rolled his eyes and groaned. The door was smashed outwards, and sand and dirt covered the floor in front of it. He peered through, seeing the completely demolished staircase leading several floors below the one he was on. two, to be exact. Ugh. He hopped down the staircase, following the path of destruction. Maybe he'd underestimated just how much the human he'd come with wanted to save the bastard's daughter...

"Just what the f*ck did he feed that aggron?" Weavile thought to himself as he landed at the bottom of the stairwell, the floor cracked and fissured. The door that led deeper into the base no longer remained, only a massive hole where Aggron must have charged through. The lights flickered in the hallways, the ceiling ripped open from what Weavile assumed must have been Aggron's horns. He heard the massive Pokémon roar from within, and the entire earth quaked. The foundations of the entire place buckled and cracked, and Weavile was, for the second time during this mission, concerned.

"Oh, you absolute little f*cking sh*t!" he growled, dashing into the ruined halls. "You better not bring this place down on us, you little f*cker!"

I*A*C

"Nice work, Aggron," I patted the Pokémon's side after we'd landed at the bottom of the stairwell. "I'm gonna try looking for Lusamine. Feel free to wreak as much havoc as you want. The more you destroy, the less people I'll have on me." Lily squeaked, staring at me from my bag. I chuckled and too her out, placing her on Aggron's knee. The larger Pokémon picked her up, setting the little petilil on his shoulder. "Stay with him and help him wherever he needs, Lily. Next time we see each other, Lusamine should be with me." I grinned, jumping onto a ruined railing. "Get going, you two! Keep each other safe! If you're in too much danger, get out of here and meet me on the east side of town, outside the actual town, itself!" I waved them off as Aggron let out a loud roar, crashing through the halls of the bottom floor.

I looked back up the stairwell, weighing my options. If this were a videogame, Lusamine would obviously be on the bottom floor, but Team Solar wasn't going to keep her somewhere so deep. They needed her to be watched, but easy to access if something happened. Chances are, they might have even moved her by now. My eyes locked onto the second floor up, right in the middle. It was as good a place to start as any. I reached int my bag and grabbed the grapple, giving it a few spins before throwing it up, seeing it catch on one of the railings on that floor. I gave it a few tugs before pulling myself up. It took me a few minutes longer than it had climbing up the side of the warehouse, but that was because I was actually pulling my way up the rope this time and didn't have a wall to make things easier.

When I finally reached the floor I wanted to be on, I packed the grapple back into my bag and reached down to draw the dagger strapped to my leg before taking off down the hallway. Just in time, too, since I heard the pattering of footsteps running a bit further down the hall. I felt the ground shudder as I ran, and it took me a second to regain my balance before continuing. The lights flickered, and I knew that Aggron was doing as much as he could to cause havoc on the bottom floor. I read the signs I passed them, not quite sprinting, instead jogging slow enough that I could actually catch some key words on them.

Most of them were inconsequential, things like barrack blocks and cafeterias. Even an in-base store, which was kind of interesting. However, the one that got my attention was a sign pointing the direction of meeting rooms and offices. If there was ever a place they'd keep Lusamine, it'd be around there. I took off running, following the signs. There weren't any signs of life aside from some dead bodies, so I assumed that Weavile had already been through here. There was even a headless man lying next to a bisharp as I rounded to a T-junction. I ignored them, following the sign as it pointed left, deeper into the tunnels. I must have made a big loop from the stairs, which were down to my right at the junction.

As I traveled, the clear signs of Weavile were here. Carved out throats and deep gashes in the walls. There were also burn marks and signs of blunt force, with was probably Furret. They must have met up at some point.

I stopped at a closed door before I passed it, seeing a sign that read 'Meeting Room'. I debated moving by it, but I wasn't about to pass up key information that Team Solar might have. I cracked open the door, ensuring nobody was inside before walking in. Several papers were left scattered on the table, and the light had been left on. The door closed on its own, which told me why it was closed in the first place. I looked over the papers, picking out key information as I skimmed through them. Financial reports. Data packs. Critical information to run a large-scale organization. I glanced at the bolded names. Alola. Unova. Hoenn. Kanto. Kalos. Paldea. Galar. My eyes narrowed. This organization wasn't just massive. It was world-spanning! Orre. Fiore. Almia. Even Ransei was mentioned, but it seemed like Team Solar was having problems getting in due to the constant warfare spanning the region.

I glanced at the financial data, feeling my heart drop. Aster had said that this group appeared out of nowhere five years ago, but this information was dating back decades! There's no way they wanted money of all things. Hell, if these numbers were right, they probably had enough cash to buy out entire regions if they wanted!

"So what is it they actually want?" I asked myself, eyes narrowed through my goggles. "Come on, there has to be something here," I mumbled out aloud, shifting through the papers. The data packets held a lot of information, but how much of it was useful? I caught some key names. AZ, the former king of Kalos three thousand years back. Still at large. Lysandre, the most recently born heir. Names of the Camelurn royal family of Galar. Lists of descendants of King Kahele, the first formally recognized king of Alola. They were all records of the royal families across Regdon, as well as their most recent descendants.

"The Draconid Tribe have legends passed down of a Prince of the Stars," I internally read one report on the ancient Alolan monarchy. "According to their records as well as Alolan genealogy records, the current heirs are of the Kauhane family living in Po Town. What luck, as one of our satellite bases is located within the town itself. A group should be sent to seduce or eliminate any members of the family. However, records of the Prince of the Stars, commonly seen as a sign of the right to rule Alola, state that this line gifted the Pokémon to the Balsam family some two-hundred years go." I stared at the paper, rereading that line a few times before it sank in. It wasn't money that Team Solar wanted. It was the right to rule over the world through imperial lineages. And this 'Prince of the Stars' wasn't exactly hard to figure out, either. Cosmog. Team Solar wanted Cosmog, and Lusamine's family had it last.

I felt the papers crinkle in my hands as I clenched my fists. If Aster had been hiding that from me, then what else was he hiding? Did Lusamine know? No, she couldn't. She was clever and tricky, but she was laughably easy to read for anyone who knew basic body language signs. Ugh, I'd have to worry about that later. Right now, I needed to take this information with me. I grabbed as much paper as I could, stuffing it all into my backpack. I tightened it around me like I had before once I was finished. I moved towards the door, which opened as I reached for the handle.

"-we can grab the documents before we evacuate." The person who opened the door stopped talking as our eyes met. Staring back at me was a woman in a purple suit and a domino mask, with several other Seam Solar members behind her. I didn't even think. I lunged at her and swung my arm, my dagger in hand, across the woman's throat. She stumbled back, neck bleeding as I stared wide eyed at my bloody blade.

"I-Is that the Black Samurai!?" someone screamed.

"Oh, sweet Arceus above, that Crimson Aggron downstairs is his! He's come to bring down unholy judgement on us!" another cried out, paying more attention to the bleeding woman than me. I slowly walked forward, the group of grunts fleeing for their lives as fear took over any rationality. If they'd looked closer or had clearer heads, they'd have noticed that I was half their size. I walked towards the dying woman choking on her own blood. She stared up at me with wide eyes, fear in her gaze. From the acrid smell, I'd say she'd just soiled herself.

"Rest in peace," I told her. "Maybe you're just as evil as the rest. Maybe not. But your struggle is over, now." I knelt down in front of her, and took the dagger in my hand to slowly bury it into her neck, finishing the job. I felt like I needed to puke, but held it back. Her struggling ceased. I took a couple of deep breaths despite the smell and removed her mask, burning the image of her face into my mind. I had a feeling that she wouldn't be the first. I stood up once more, walking down the way I'd been going before I had stopped into the meeting room. Anger. Sickness. Disgust. A mix of emotions overwhelmed me as I quickened my pace to a jog.

I focused on what was in front of me. Dull, empty eyes. I had a mission to finish. A girl to find. Teeth stained with blood. Lusamine needed me. I was the only one who could rescue her right now. Terror, then acceptance. I ran down the hall, steadying my breathing to prevent myself from hyperventilating. I had to finish the mission. Murderer.

A squeaky bark nudged me from my thoughts as I passed an open door, and out popped the head of Furret from within. "Ah, hey, buddy!" I swallowed before greeting the little tubular Pokémon. "I saw your handiwork earlier. Do you know where Lusamine is?" The furret seemed confused for a second. He chirped, but eventually nodded. "That's great!" He turned into the room, and shook himself, various trinkets and items falling from his furry body. "Holy..." It was a treasure trove of stuff. I glanced at everything, and there was easily enough gold here to buy a fancy yacht. There was even a Z-Power Ring and a Z-Crystal. I had no idea what kind, yet, but I wasn't about to leave this stuff behind. "Great job, buddy! Man, you sure you don't have the Pickup Ability?" I chuckled as Furret preened, packing the things into my backpack. I gave the room another once over. It seemed like a trophy room of some kind, given the stands inside of it. Why wasn't this place locked up?"

There were some things already missing; more spots than the amount of stuff I'd put into the bag. Had someone else come in here to loot the place before we got here? "Did you see anyone else come through here, Furret?" The Pokémon tilted his head before shaking it. Huh. "I guess that's not important right now. Have you seen Weavile anywhere? I would'a thought he'd have been with you." Furret gave me another confused head tilt before squeaking again, looking out the way I'd come from through the door. "sh*t, I guess we must have passed by each other. That's fine, we all know to meet up on the east side of Po Town, so we'll see him there." I lowered my arm, petting Furret's side. "Can you take me to Lusamine?" Furret nodded, and ran out the door. I quickly followed him, wishing I had that Sunny Day speed boost right about now. That was another thing I'd have to research once this was all done. We took off down the halls, and it didn't take us long to meet opposition. He stood in front of us, arms crossed as he blocked the hallway behind him. In front of him stood a dusclops, who stared at Furret and I with a single, hateful eye.

"I knew that whoever was causing that racket would find us here eventually," the man growled, a smirk on his face. "You're here for the little girl, aren't you?" I didn't have time for this. I couldn't allow myself to get caught up by another grunt. Dull eyes. Terror, then acceptance. "Well? Aren't you gonna answer me, Black Samurai? Tch, you're just a little kid." The lights flickered as the ground shook. I glanced at Furret.

"Furret," I mumbled, smirking under my mask. Furret was one of Vic's old Pokémon he'd retired some time ago. Which meant Vic knew Ghost-Types would be some trouble. Which meant Vic knew he'd have to come up with a counter-play. "Rain Dance, then Shadow Claw." Furret's paws glowed an ethereal grey before he charged at the dusclops, water beginning to pour from the ceiling in a heavy rain. I slowly walked around the fighting Pokémon as the Team Solar guy barked orders. Furret had gotten this far, which meant he knew how to fight even without commands. Vic had trained him well. This man, however, was too focused on the battle. He nitpicked his Pokémon. He wasn't paying attention to the kid who should have been on the opposite side of the hall from him. I gripped my knife tightly as the lights continued to flicker, the rain itself clouding visibility. By the time he noticed I wasn't where I was supposed to be, it was too late. I buried my dagger into the man's leg, sending him to his hands and knees. I then shoved the weapon into the back of his neck, grabbing Dusclops' poké ball.

"Return," I commanded as the dusclops was once more trapped in his poké ball. Oh, I'm sure with some effort he'd be able to escape, but I was hoping to be long gone by then. I tossed the ball onto the man's bleeding corpse as the rain diluted the blood on the ground. "Let's get moving, Furret," I called out, the Long Body Pokémon once more taking off down the hall. I jogged after, sheathing my dagger. I didn't want to have to use it a third time.

We finally came to a stop in front of a door. Furret motioned his head towards it. I opened the door, staring at Lusamine. She was tied to a metal folding chair. She looked up at me with terrified eyes. Terror, then acceptance. "Oh, thank Arceus you're- you're not Kev," a woman was inside, and she looked stunned to see someone other than who she was expecting.

"Furret, Fire Punch," I told the Pokémon. His paw caught flame as the woman tried to grab her poké ball, but it was far too late for her. Her body cracked against the wall as Furret attacked her, and she slumped to the ground. She struggled to look up at me, pain in her eyes.

"P-Please," she begged, her voice weak. "I didn't know we were killing people... I-I just filled out a job application on the PC! Please, don't kill me!" Tears spilled down the woman's cheeks from her cerulean eyes. Dull eyes. Furret turned his head to the side, giving me a side-long glance as he kept his focus on the woman in front of him. He towered over her. The woman trembled. "Please..."

"She's an evil woman," Lusamine spoke, her voice soft and hollow. The woman turned to her, staring at her with wide, betrayed eyes. Lusamine was fearfully looking at me. "You're the Shadow Man, aren't you? Coming to judge these people." The lights flickered. "She's evil. She's with the people who killed my best friend." Tears welled up in Lusamine's eyes again, and I turned away to face the woman. She looked like she wanted to lash out. Scream, yell, whatever. Even strangle Lusamine, if she were able. Instead, she looked at me. More tears fell down her cheeks as she closed her eyes, accepting what she presumed would be her fate. I met Furret's eyes and sighed.

"Grab her," I told the Pokémon. "She'll come with us. We'll decide her fate once we're in the clear." Hope spread across the woman's face as she realized that she wasn't about to die. At least, not yet.

"W-What!?" Lusamine shouted, protesting. "B-But she and her friends killed Taiyo!"

"If that's what you think, then I'm a bit disappointed," I told Lusamine, pulling up my goggles and the bottom of my balaclava, exposing my face to her. Her eyes widened in disbelief, then relief, then finally, tears spilled from her face as she began to sob. I moved over to cut her hands free from the chair.

"Tai!" Lusamine cried, hugging me as soon as she was free. She squeezed me tightly, mumbling my name over and over as she took in the fact that I wasn't really dead. "Tai, you're alive! I saw you die!"

"I'm not easy to kill," I told her, chuckling a bit as I let her have her moment. The woman seemed to be looking anywhere but in our direction as Furret helped her stand. "I'll always be around to protect you if you need it. I promise. We can save this for later, though. We need to get out, first." Lusamine didn't let go, or even back away. She just kept hugging me. Oh, boy... I hope this didn't form a complex in her. Ugh, who was I kidding? "Lucy, we need to go." I gently pushed her away. She looked like she was about to start crying again, but managed to hold the tears back.

I turned to the woman who was leaning on Furret. "You, what Pokémon do you have?"

"M-Me? Oh, uh, I have a steelix," she said. I stared at her. She looked around as I stared at her, probably not sure what she'd done to earn such. "Uh, is everything ok?"

"You have a steelix," I repeated. She nodded. "And they kept you in here with Lucy." She nodded again. I narrowed my eyes at her, making her flinch. "And why is that?"

"Oh! Uh, he, um... doesn't really listen to me..." the woman said, laughing nervously after admitting such. I let out a sigh.

"Give me your steelix," I told her. She blinked, but after a brief moment of hesitation, she picked up the poké ball she'd dropped when Furret had attacked her and handed it to me. I walked out into the hallway, giving the area a once over before tossing out the poké ball. "Steelix, come on out!"

"What are you doing!?" The woman screamed as my vision was filled with steel. The emergence of Steelix from his poké ball forced the hall to expand, and he was very obviously not happy, given all I could see was his very angry face. The lights flickered, before finally shutting off. His body must have cut off the electrical lines in this area. "You're gonna get us all killed!"

"Alola, Steelix," I greeted the Pokémon, pulling my bag from my shoulders and digging through it for my flashlight. It was an easy find, and I turned it on, shining it on the ground in front of Steelix's massive head. The shadows it cast gave him a threatening look. The steelix snorted, snarling at me as his body shifted, trying to get closer to me. Presumably to eat me. "Now, now, just wait a moment before you kill us. I have a deal for you." The Pokémon's eyes narrowed in confusion, looking between myself and Furret. The Long Body Pokémon chirped and tittered, obviously saying something to the massive creature. Steelix growled in response, his sounds akin to shifting metal across metal, or like a chair being dragged against a tile floor. Just much louder. Furret squeaked and chittered in response, before the steelix turned his gaze back on me, rumbling with annoyance, but not as outright hostile as before. I opened my bag again and pulled out one of the couple gold chunks from it. Steelix's eyes zeroed in on the gold.

"Ah, that got your attention, huh?" I asked, chuckling. "Tell me, this is quite the treat for you, isn't it? Steelix and onix love precious metals, right?" The Pokémon moved. It was subtle, but he did nod. I think. "Well, if you help us out, I've got a few more of these in my bag, here, weighing me down. First, I need to find out where my other Pokémon are. They should be making quite a lot of tremors. Can you feel them?" Steelix's eyes focused straight ahead, and I felt the ground shake a bit as his body moved again. Finally, the Iron Snake Pokémon nodded again. "Great! I'll give you this chunk if you burrow to them so we can meet up. I've got more, too, so as long as you keep helping and I don't run out, do we have a deal?"

Steelix growled, nodding one last time. "Perfect!" I tossed the chunk of gold into the Pokémon's mouth, and he accepted it happily, crunching on it before moving his head and opening his jaws. Steelix bit into the floor, beginning to tunnel towards where Aggron and Lily, and hopefully Weavile, were. I glanced at my companions. While Lusamine seemed all too happy to hug me again after Steelix had moved, the woman's mouth was agape in shock and disbelief.

"I-I've had Steelix for two years, and... Arceus above, that was... that was ten-thousand Credits worth of gold! You have more!? You're just going to feed it to him!?" She shouted, obviously on the verge of losing her mind. I chuckled and slung my bag back over my shoulder, looking down into the tunnel that Steelix had begun digging.

"Yeah, sounds about right," I told her, pulling my balaclava back up my face and my goggles back down. "Keep up, Slowpokes! The sooner we're out of here, the sooner I can take a goddamn nap!" I slid down into the hole, taking off on a light jog through the tunnels.

I*A*C

Many Minutes Before

Aggron was having a blast going wild! As annoying as it was having a human who didn't know exactly what he was doing, he'll give the kid credit. Letting Aggron go on a rampage, with the little petilil to boot, was the best idea he'd had all night! "Come on, you cowards!" Aggron roared, watching as the humans ran away from him along with their Pokémon as he tore through the halls of the base he was in. "Fight me! Are all of you really so weak!? Face me! I want a challenge, like I was promised!" Aggron laughed, having never felt so alive since he had been a lairon.

"Calm down, Uncle Aggron," Lily whispered in his ear from his shoulder. "We can't bring this place down, ok? Mama and papa are still here." Aggron rolled his eyes and growled, but curbed his rampage just a little bit.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, brat," the Iron Armor Pokémon grumbled in response. "I'll tone it down. Just keep that Sunny Day and Helping Hand coming."

"Yes, sir!" the petilil cheered happily, making the big tank of a Pokémon smile. petilil was a cute kid, and he couldn't help but love her enthusiasm for violence and battle. She'd taken him by surprise when she'd unleashed Stun Spores and Leech Seeds at the Pokémon who'd had the stones to fight him, before, but maybe the two of them had done a little too well. No, nobody would face them in straight up fights. It also didn't help that the lights kept flickering because of his destruction, which the humans obviously had a problem with. Whatever. He was here to cause a distraction, so he'd continue to break things.

"Someone come and face me!" he roared, marching into an open room that looked like some kind of cafeteria. Ancestors, he could go for a snack right about now. He marched over to the machine with human snacks in it, grabbing it between his claws and shaking it. "Urgh, how the hell do these things open? I can see the food inside!"

"Why don't you break the glass?" the petilil asked, making him pause. He smirked, shoving his hand through the front and reaching in to grab some snacks. "Oh, oh, there's a Rage Manju Ball in there! Can I have that?"

"Heh, sure thing, brat," Aggron grinned, grabbing the square packaging that Lily had pointed at with her roots. Once he grabbed it, the roots traveled down his arm and wrapped around the manju, slowly dragging it back to the little Pokémon. Ancestors, that was creepy, but he'd live with it. The larger Pokémon looked at his bounty, licking the inside of his lips as he recognized a few of the images on the packaging. He hadn't seen some of these since he'd been an Aron!

"Oh, this is a good one," he picked out the small sticks of meat with the litleo packaging. Spicy meat sticks were great! "Hey brat, want anything else from in here while we're at it?"

"Mmm-mmm," the petilil mumbled, mouth full of rice and chestnut deliciousness. "I'm good!" Aggron tore open the packaging of his own snacks, tossing them into his mouth with glee. Ahh, they were just as good as he remembered!

"Tch, so you're the f*ckers who've been tearing up our base," a human voice growled behind them. Aggron turned around, facing the human. He wore a yellow suit, just like all the others. In front of him, though stood a Pokémon he hadn't seen in a really long time. A malamar. "Guess Aster decided he wanted to try and take his brat by force. Jokes on you, though, you're on the wrong f*cking floor! Hah!" The human and malamar both laughed as Aggron continued to munch on his cheese dust covered tortilla chips.

"Are you quite finished?" Malamar asked, noticing Aggron's lack of reaction. "You're about to die, nimrod!" Aggron's eyes narrowed as he stuffed another clawful of chips into his mouth, chewing a bit more slowly as he tried to gauge the other Pokémon's power. He wasn't getting much. Then again, malamar were tricky bastards.

"Not like you were gonna eat 'em," Aggron shot back, smirking. He looked down at the bag, noticing it was almost empty, before pouring the rest of the chips into his mouth and tossing the bag off to the side. "So, we gonna fight, or what?"

"Is he ignoring us!?" the human shouted. "That's f*cking it! Malamar, use Hypnosis!" Malamar grinned cruelly as his eyes glowed, and his body began to change colors. Aggron tried to look away, taking a step back, but those colors were so... they were... he felt his consciousness slow before he felt a pop in his back, and he was jolted back awake. Had he fallen asleep? Was his cot back at home tidy? Oh sh*t, were the walls already cracking? Could he even fight without bringing this place down on itself? "What the hell!? Why isn't he asleep!?" the human yelled.

"I-I don't know, sir!" the Malamar replied, just as confused.

"Don't worry, Uncle Aggron, Lily's got ya!" the petilil cheered from his shoulder If she had a mouth, Aggron was sure she'd be smiling. Oh, ancestors, why didn't she have a mouth!? How the hell did she eat that manju!? She began dancing, and Aggron felt himself compelled to follow her movements. Once more, he felt invigorated as she used Sunny Day, his worries fading from his mind.

"Urgh, whatever. Malamar, Foul Play!" the human yelled. Aggron squared himself up as Malamar rushed towards him. He sent all of his Type-Energy forward, using Protect. However, the Pokémon before him slid past the now solid barrier, grabbing his arms with his tendrils before slamming his claws into his own face.

"How!?" Aggron roared internally as his own strength was turned against him. "How did you get past my Protect!?" Malamar simply laughed as he continued to use his arms to wail on himself. He felt his arms stop, though, as he watched vines move down them and keep them from moving. Instead, they wrapped around his joints, forcing his appendages to grab the tendrils that Malamar had wrapped around his wrists.

"W-What!?" the Overturning Pokémon screeched, eyes darting across Aggron's upper limbs. "How!?" Then, the Pokémon's eyes locked on to Aggron's shoulder. "You! You're the one helping him! Master, there's another Pokémon, here!"

"What the f*ck is wrong with you, Malamar!? Keep attacking him!" the human was none the wiser as Malamar screamed angrily. Aggron grinned.

"Nice work, brat," he growled, eyes glowing. He stared down at the trapped upside-down squid, who looked back at him with terror. He shoved Steel-Type Energy into his body, activating Iron Defense. "Now, time to make some calamari."

"Malamar, use Swagger, then Topsy-Turvy!" The malamar grinned back up at him as orders were given, huffing with pride. Just what the f*ck was this Pokémon's problem!? Aggron tried to shake off his irritation and confusion, but why was the thing so confident in himself!?

"Aaargh, I'm gonna smash you into bits!" Aggron snarled again, using another Iron Defense on himself. He reeled a claw back, intent on carving this Pokémon's beak out with a Metal Claw, but suddenly something snapped as he looked into Malamar's eyes.

He felt... weaker. Something was wrong. what happened to him. His armor felt more brittle. Much more brittle. His strength even felt drained, along with his will to fight. "What-" Aggron coughed, struggling to stand up. "What did you do to me!?"

"I flipped your pathetic world upside-down, bitch," the malamar purred, grinning cruelly.

"Malamar, Superpower!" the human shouted and the squid Pokémon marched over to Aggron as he tried to catch his own breath.

"Uncle Aggron!" Lily cried out. "Please, you need to do something! After You!" Energy revitalized Aggron. Not power, but it was enough to act.

"You bastaaaaard!" Aggron screamed, raising his arms up and slamming them full force down onto the malamar. The Pokémon buckled under his weight, but still stood. How!? The malamar's tendrils trapped his arms once more before he let out a mighty scream.

It was slow, but Aggron felt himself being lifted up. He panicked, struggling and flailing as best as he could as he was lifted in the air by the Overturning Pokémon. "Face the wrath of Team Solar!" the malamar screeched, slamming Aggron back onto the ground. The large Pokémon felt the wind knocked out of him as he hit the ground, the entire earth quaking as it cracked underneath him. He... couldn't move. He felt weak. "Know your place, you pathetic worm! The might of Team Solar knows no equal."

"S-Screw you," Aggron growled through gritted teeth. Malamar snarled back at him.

"Finish him off, Malamar," the human commanded. "Night Slash." Aggron looked over at his side, and Lily lay just a few feet away from him, staring in horror as Malamar's long left tentacle glowed a sickening black.

"L-Look away, brat," Aggron pleaded with the little petilil. "Don't watch."

"Uncle... Aggron...!" the little Pokémon began to cry. Malamar smirked as he looked over the two downed Pokémon, before cackling.

"It's time for you to die!" he jeered, raising his tentacle into the air. "The mighty Crimson Aggron, slain by the most powerful malamar in Team- why can't I feel my tentacle?" The three Pokémon looked at the raised appendage. The raised nub. Malamar's tentacle was gone.

"W-What!?" Malamar screamed. "What happened to my tentacle!?"

"Malamar!" the human shouted, concern now evident in his voice.

"Tch, you're really going to die to this weakling?" a snide voice called from across the room. Aggron looked over, spying a face he hadn't wanted to see in years, but was glad he could look upon it now. "Come on. I thought you were supposed to be tough, f*cker."

"Late as always, Weavile," Aggron growled with good humor, feeling like he could breathe easy again. "Would it have killed you to be quicker? Oh, let me guess, it was 'too hot', right?"

"Shut your stupid f*cking ass, Aggron," Weavile shot back. "Oh wait, that's your face. I'm sorry, I got the two completely mixed up!"

"Y-You!" Malamar screamed at the new arrival. "I will mount your head where my tentacle used to be!"

"Tch, whatever," Weavile spat to the side. "Get your ass up, steel nuts. What're we working with?" Aggron slowly got to his feet, reaching down to bring Lily back onto his shoulder. The little bulb restored the Sunny Day and used Synthesis, restoring her own heath. Ancestors, he wished he could do that, right about now.

"He's a slippery one," Aggron told Weavile. "Good strength, almost comparable to mine. He can reverse buffing moves, so watch out for that. Can you give me a few seconds while I get my armor back up to snuff?"

"Please, I'll take this walking dild* down before you even get the chance," Weavile replied, readying a Night Slash. "Hey, your enemy is me, now! Turn your eyes over here and get ready to f*cking die!"

"Malik! Orders!" Malamar screamed.

"Lunge, Malamar!" the human shouted, pointing at Weavile. The weasel Pokémon grimace, only barely familiar with that move. Malamar grinned, covering himself in a forest-green aura before he leapt at Weavile. The weasel used Quick Attack to avoid the hit, dashing backwards as the squid Pokémon pursued him. "Annoying- Malamar, use Hypnosis!" Aggron focused himself as he used Iron Defense for a second time since Weavile had begun fighting Malamar, feeling back up to 100% again. Ok, no overbuffing himself with moves. His strength still felt weak, but there wasn't much he could do about that besides... His eyes turned to the trainer.

"Uncle Aggron? What are you thinking?" Lily asked as she followed his gaze. Aggron smirked.

"Taking care of the problem," he rumbled. the human turned his attention back to Aggron, his eyes narrowing. His hand went down to the poké balls on his waist. Aggron was not about to give him that opportunity. The massive Iron Armor Pokémon charged at the human, roaring.

"Malik!" Malamar immediately rushed to the defense of his human instead of attacking the sleeping weavile.

"Malamar, Scary Face!" the human yelled as he pulled his second poké ball. Aggron tried looking away from the malamar, but it was too late, and he felt himself stumble as a flesh of red then filled his vision. Aggron blinked, clearing his sight as he tried to renew his speed at the human.

"Claydol, Teleport!" the human shouted as the large, bulky Pokémon stopped Aggron in his tracks. A flash of red, and Malamar was gone. Another flash of... something, and the human was gone along with the claydol.

"Ancestors, damn him!" Aggron roared, punching a nearby support column. It barely left a crack. "I swear to my ancestors buried beneath the earth, I'll crush him!"

"Tch, get in line, pal," Weavile grumbled, walking up next to the massive Pokémon. "I get a feeling that the human we came with is gonna consistently want to stop these guys. On the bright side, they got a lot of nice trinkets with them. We could go steal a few more before finding the human and the girl." Aggron made to answer, but stopped short as he felt the ground trembling. "What? Shiny things not your deal? I'm sure we could- whoa, what the f*ck is that?" The ground shook as the wall on the far side of the room fell inward, a massive metal head emerging from it. It stared at them, and they stared back at it.

"Yo," the massive Pokémon greeted them, slowly moving into the cafeteria room. Aggron readied himself for another fight. The head alone of this Pokémon rested on the floor, and yet still scraped through the ceiling, just like Aggron did as he stood up. His body, ancestors, his body, it just never ended as it twisted and spun into the ground, propelling this Pokémon forward.

"The f*ck are you?" Weavile, ever so eloquent, demanded. The massive Pokémon growled, making even the weasel take a step back.

"Bitch, I could literally turn you into a flapjack," the massive Pokémon replied. "Don't even try it. Your human friend told me to come find you."

"You gotta be f*cking kidding me," Weavile muttered under his breath. Aggron was equally shocked. The human had befriended this massive behemoth of a Pokémon? How!?

"What's a flapjack?" Lily asked. Aggron tried to come up with an answer for the little petilil, but his brain was currently nonfunctioning as he tried to figure out how exactly the human found a massive Pokémon like this, much less convince it to help him!

"Hey, there they are!" he heard a voice shout from the tunnel that the big Pokémon had dug out. "Ah, is everyone safe? Nobody's hurt?" Aggron raised his claw, still shaking a little from the fight. "Ah, sh*t, ok. I'll look you over in a sec, Aggron." The little human, Taiyo, emerged from the tunnel and ran over to the big Pokémon, eager and with a smile. This human... did he have no fear?

"Thanks a lot for the help, Steelix," Taiyo told the massive snake, reaching into his bag and pulling out gold!?

"Hey! That sh*t's mine!" Weavile protested, marching up to Taiyo before a glare from Steelix had him stepping back in fear. "Er... I mean, I found that sh*t! What the f*ck are you planning to do with it!?"

"Hah! Serves you right!" another voice echoed from the tunnel as Furret emerged with... one of the Team Solar women. Aggron shot a glare at Taiyo, but he didn't seem to notice. Ugh. If he brought her, then there must be a reason.

"Mama!" Lily squealed as she hopped off of his shoulder, running to the last human to come from the tunnel. A little girl about Taiyo's age, and who Aggron had often seen from a distance back at the garden. The two embraced as they began to cry, and Aggron couldn't help the smile forming across his face.

"Here's your reward for helping us," Taiyo told Steelix, tossing the gold into his mouth. the Steelix seemed satisfied if the low groans were anything to make of it. "Alright, there's more where that came from if you can tunnel us out of here to the eastern side of town?"

"Wait, that gold is mine!" Weavile protested.

"Eat sh*t, little bug," Steelix replied. Weavile growled, but wasn't about to get close. Taiyo smiled at Weavile and Aggron, obviously having no clue as to why Weavile was upset.

"Thanks, both of you," he said, grabbing two poké balls from his belt. Finally. "Get some nice rest. The two of you deserve it."

"I'll rip off your hea-!"

I*A*C

After returning Aggron and Weavile to their poké balls, I pulled out my final item from my bag. It was small, but I knew better than to mess with it. A condensed explosive, created to contain Fire-Type Energy and release it alongside Dark-Type Energy, effectively creating a miniature, temporary black hole. It would destroy everything within ten city blocks. "All of you, get on Steelix," I told the others, planting the explosive against one of the support columns. Lusamine looked like she wanted to ask what I was doing, but I shot her a look that stopped her questions before they began. I gave us a ten-minute window and waited for everyone to get on the Iron Snake Pokémon before activating it. I ran towards the massive snake, climbing on top of his back behind his head. "Get going, Steelix, double time! We don't want to get caught in that blast!"

The big lug let out a panicked groan as he began tunneling with haste towards the the east. Or at least I hoped it was east, or we'd all be getting very wet very fast. I kept my head low to his body, and I lost track of the time as we tunneled. Thankfully we didn't hit water, which meant we were going the right way. About ten minutes later and some change, I heard a loud explosion echo through the tunnel, as well as a wave of hot air pass over us. Steelix groaned uncomfortably, but kept on digging.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, we began tunneling up towards the surface. We broke ground not long later, and I took a look around to get a bearing on our surroundings. We were about a third of a mile outside of Po Town, and I could even see it in the distance. We were safe.

"Nice job, Steelix," I complimented the large beast, reaching into my bag and pulling out two of the three chunks of gold within. I tossed them both to the large creature, and he ate them happily. "Thanks for your help. We would have been screwed, without you." The large Pokémon rumbled happily, probably feeling proud. "Now... what to do with you," I turned to the woman, who shivered under my gaze.

"I promise I'll find new work!" she immediately said. "After all this, I... Arceus, I just wanna curl up in bed." I chuckled rolling my eyes, but nodding. Ok, so she was just a woman in over her head. I frowned, wondering how many others like her I'd just killed. Dull eyes. Terror, then acceptance. I shivered. I had to do it. They'd taken Lusamine, I did what was necessary. My bag felt heavier on my back, despite having given Steelix almost a pound-and-a-half's worth of gold in the last hour.

"Can you call anyone to pick you up?" I asked her, and she nodded, pulling out her phone. Why hadn't I taken that from her? Whatever, no use thinking about it, now. "Lusamine and I are heading off, then. Steelix, can you keep your... trainer safe?"

"Actually... why don't you take him with you?" the woman asked, sounding sheepish. "I've had Steelix for two years, yet he's never listened to a thing I've said. Maybe it's best if you kept him." I frowned, glancing at Lusamine. She had been hugging my arm ever since I'd fed Steelix his gold. I pulled out Steelix's poké ball and shook my head. He couldn't come to the garden, and I certainly couldn't keep him. Welp, there was only one thing I could do about that if the woman didn't want him. I dropped the ball onto the ground, lifted my foot up, and crushed it under my heel. It sparked and buzzed, before dying out.

Steelix, the woman, and Lusamine all stared at me like I was an idiot. "Go on, Steelix," I told the massive snake. "You're free, now. Go enjoy your life." The steelix was the first to realize what had happened. He let out a bellow that I assume was happy, and began tunneling back into the ground, disappearing after mere moments.

"You-" the woman was still in shock. "You have the fate of a steelix, an incredibly powerful Pokémon, in your hands... one that respects you, and you just... let him go?" I chuckled nodding.

"Yep, that about sums things up," I told her walking away as I gave the woman a wave. "Take care, lady."

"Y-Yeah... Arceus, he's insane," she mumbled as I led Lusamine away, chuckling. I reached into my bag, grabbing the sole flare inside of it. the sparse trees became even sparser, and I could see the silhouette of Mount Lanakila through the moonlight. I smiled, cracking the flare and tossing it onto the ground, waiting for the chopper to arrive.

"You're always ten steps ahead, aren't you, Tai?" Lusamine asked, looking at me with hearts in her eyes. At least, she may as well have been. She held me close to her. "You smart and amazing... Now I know you're more incredible than even I knew!" I chuckled and rolled my eyes. Was that really how she saw me...? "I knew I saw greatness in you when we first met. Just like how you could see how amazing I was on that day." I blinked. Uh...

"N-Not really," I chuckled, shaking my head. She gazed up at me, confusion settling on her features. "Listen, you just looked super helpless back then, so I did it to be nice." Her fingers gripped my bodysuit sleeve more tightly.

"N-No, that can't be it," Lusamine stammered. "You have to have seen I was exceptional, right? I-I mean, who just defends someone out of kindness? That's... stupid!"

"I, uh, guess I'm stupid, then?" I chuckled again, giving her an amused smile. "Like I said, you just seemed helpless and cute, so I helped. I was just being nice, honest."

"B-But you helped train Lily!" she protested. "And you were nice to her! And you were polite to Victor! surely to get in his good graces, right!?" She was practically yelling, now. Something in her eyes told me that I was shattering the way she looked at me. Maybe even how she saw the world. "E-Even tonight, you rescued me because I'm valuable! R-Right...!?"

"I rescued you because you're my best friend," I told her. Her grip on my sleeve loosened, and she took a ginger step back from me. Her breathing was heavy as she looked at me as if I was a stranger.

"Y-You can't..." Lusamine mumbled as her gaze fell to the ground. "I- You- Ah-"

"Lucy," I whispered, making her look back up at me. "Not everything has to be a give and take. Some people just... like helping because it's the right thing to do."

"No, that can't be," she denied. "Things like that only exist in historical dramas and TV shows!" I gave her a gentle smile, pulling her into a hug. I felt her tense up. Her shoulders began to shake as her entire body trembled, and Lusamine began to sob. "You're lying! You're lying! Nobody is like that! You're a liar! A big, fat, liar, Tai!"

I gently rubbed her back as she cried, her blouse ruffled and dirty and sweaty from the events of the day. God, it'd only been a single day, but it felt like it'd been a week. "You're my best friend, Lucy," I told her. "You're nice, and you're fun to be around, and even when you're trying to pretend like you're superior, you still think about what I want and how I feel. I'm so happy you're my friend." Lusamine cried harder into my shoulder.

"I want to be your friend, Lucy," I told her. "Not because you're rich, or you have something to owe me, or even because I want something from you. I just wanna be your friend because it's something I wanna do. I don't know how smart you think I am, or whatever... but I never really planned any of this." Lusamine buried her face into my shoulder, her sobbing having quieted down over the minutes she'd cried for.

"I-I have an anime collection," Lusamine said, her voice muffled by my bodysuit and my shoulder. I just listened as she spoke. "I like pressing flowers, and playing with the P-Pokémon in the garden. Ribombee is my favorite, and she's so nice to me! I-I've never played any video games because my mother doesn't want me to try any, but I-I've always wanted to try!" Her voice grew louder and more frantic as she spoke, her breath hitching every now and again. Despite the tears that still fell down her cheeks, I could hear the smile on her face. "I've red a lot of b-books, but I've always wanted to re-ead about super heroes because Kanu ma-makes them sound so cool! I like watching TV shows from Unova, bu-but I like Reality TV the most!" I laughed at the last one, and felt her beat on my back with her fist.

"D-Don't laugh at me!" she cried, laughter pouring out from her as well. I laughed even harder as Lucy began beating on my chest with her fists as we both broke down, crying and laughing with each other as the events of the day finally caught up with us. All the while, the sound of a helicopter came closer and closer. I hugged the girl to my chest, realizing I'd do anything to keep her safe. Lucy was my best friend, and I never want that to change.

I*A*C

Chapter 9: Capture, Finale

Chapter Text

I*A*C

I stood before Aster as he sat at his desk, arms crossed as I glared at him. The papers I'd found within Team Solar's base laid bare on his table for all to see. Victor stood by the door, his arm still in his cast. Lucy had been taken to bed by her mother. To let the men talk. I would have to get a word with her, later; to get a better read on the woman who was hosting me. It was still dark outside, obviously, since Aster had all but asked for my presence once we'd landed in the helicopter. I hadn't even been given time to change out of my bodysuit. "Were you aware of how long they've been active, and what they were looking for?" I asked, glaring at the man. To his credit, he didn't flinch or turn away from me, instead meeting my eyes when I spoke to him. Curse my seven-year-old body.

"I couldn't be sure if-"

"That's not what I asked, Mister Balsam," I stressed. "Did you know that Team Solar was after Cosmog, and that they have been active for the last five thousand years!?" At this, Aster shrunk slightly before regaining his posture.

"I was not aware they'd been active for that long, no," he answered diplomatically. "Additionally, how do you know about the Prince of the Stars?"

"That's not important to-"

"That's incredibly important," Aster stressed, cutting me off. "The knowledge of the Prince of the Stars is known to very few select individuals, and even then, never has it been referred to with the name... Cosmog," he sounded out the word slowly. "So, I'll ask again, young man, how do you know about it?"

"Because I'm a dimensionally traveling adult from a world without Pokémon where Pokémon was used as children's entertainment for nearly forty years because of a man's love for bug catching," I replied, staring at the man before me. If the explanation threw him off, he did a damn good job of hiding it. After a few moments, Aster let out a sigh.

"If you're going to lie, at least make it something more believable," Aster told me, and while a part of me was relieved he didn't believe me... Another part was a bit saddened. "A world without Pokémon. How absurd." Wouldn't that make it more believable, though? Maybe just for certain people. "However you came across this information, and however much you know, I assume you already know that it must be kept secret?" I nodded at the question. "Good. At least you have your head on straight regarding that." Huh, Aster was a lot snippier now than he was when I'd left. Did something happen, or was the information I knew just that secret? I could imagine why... anyone with open ties to royal families would be both the most hated and revered people in the world. Some might want them dead, and others might want them to rule again. That alone could upset a lot of governments and large corporations.

"So, for what reason does the Balsam Family have Cosmog?" I asked, having a glare leveled at me for asking. "What? I may as well know the full picture, right? That way no unnecessary complications arise out of it."

"That is a discussion for another time," Aster shook his head, standing up from his chair. "I still don't know just what to make of you, son. However, you saved my daughter, so for now, you have my thanks, and I'll leave it at that." I frowned at his words. There was no way he expected me to let him just drop the matter like that, did he? I watched his expression as he walked around his desk to stand beside me. It was that of a tired man, and now that I thought of it...

The two of us yawned simultaneously, and I understood. Sort of. This wasn't a talk he wanted to have when both of us were tired, I supposed. That was fine. I'd get the answer out of him soon enough. I had years to do so, after all, and I'm sure Lucy would be more than happy to help me snoop around, if I asked her. I immediately nixed the thought. I wasn't about to use Aster's own daughter against him like that. No, I could figure it all out on my own in my own time.

"I suppose it is late," I agree with him, slowly closing my eyes and admitting my defeat. This time. "Maybe another time, then. But don't think this is me trusting you, Aster. You lied to me, and I'm going to remember that." I unclipped the poké balls I had with me, handing them to the man. "Thanks for the Pokémon. Make sure Weavile gets his cold building as soon as possible, and both he and Aggron need to get healed whenever possible. The two of them took quite a lot of damage, it seems." Weavile's ball shook indignantly in my hand, but I ignored it. Aster took the poké balls from me.

"I'll see to it," he told me, ushering me off. "Vic, if you would escort Taiyo to his room, please?" Vic nodded, leading me out of the room. We walked in silence as we went, passing several maids who were dusting various items that were on display in the hall, and a few even using roller vacuums on the floors. The electrical vacuum hadn't been invented yet, so this was the best they had.

"You've done a good thing, Young Master," Vic told me as we walked together. "I know that Master Balsam has his secrets, and I am privy to some of them. However, I ask that you come to forgive him. There are many things about this family that you don't know the truth of, and some of them are best left to die with him."

"Have I gotten involved with some super corrupt underground crime family, Vic?" I asked. The man's eyes widened as he sputtered and coughed for a moment.

"No, no, nothing of the sort," the man laughed, but there was a tinge of nervousness in the way his smile twitched. I nodded, pretending I hadn't seen that. "I do believe you and the Young Mistress have school tomorrow. We can have your school clothes brought to you, if you so please. I noticed that you were quite eager to leave the Alahi residence, yesterday." sh*t, was it really that late? I guess so; as we passed a clock on the wall, I could see it was around five in the morning.

"Any chance Lucy and I could skip school, today?" I asked Vic. "I think she might need it, and since it starts in about four hours, there's no way either of us are going to be ready. Emotionally prepared or otherwise." Vic thought the matter over for a moment, before finally nodding as we arrived at my door.

"I suppose that can be arranged," he told me, agreeing with me. "Though, for the sake of your own safety, you'll be required to stay within the confines of the mansion. The school has enough staff with Pokémon Trainers among them to properly protect the two of you should something happen, but I can't imagine Team Solar would take such a defeat lying down."

"There'll be enough time for them to lick their wounds," I argued lightly. "An organization like that won't rush in headfirst without a plan. Honestly, yesterday felt like a rushed job from some grunts and a leader who wanted to prove himself. There are even some members who have no idea what they're actually doing, just working for the group for a paycheck."

"Hm, that is concerning," Vic mumbled, rubbing his chin as he thought. "I can imagine that they're operating under a shell company name for that, only filling in relevant details once they've already recruited or hired someone. Though that leaves the question of how they are funding their operation..." I didn't mention the one single gold chunk remaining in my backpack. It probably wouldn't have been helpful, anyway. If they had some kind of gold extraction mine or something similar, I'm sure the little nuggets of gold they had wouldn't have been in a trophy room. Heh, I wondered if these were some super old relics of the Alolan monarchy, and I'd just fed three of them to a steelix.

"Something to think about, later," I told the man, who agreed wordlessly. "Gnight, Vic. You sleep well, alright? Hope your arm heals up soon." The man nodded and bid me goodnight, and I closed the door behind me. I listened to him walk away, and then locked the door. I moved over to the window of the room, pulling the curtains shut before sitting on the guest room's bed, setting my backpack down beside me. Alright, time to see what we got...

I emptied the bag on my bed, staring at the collection of items. The dagger, the grapple, and the flashlight I set aside, and I instead stared at the various items Furret had looted from the trophy room. There was the Z-Power Ring on my wrist, obviously, as well as that Z-Crystal I'd picked up. I didn't recognize it, but it'd been over ten years since I'd last played the Sun and Moon games. Given that it held a different shape, though, I was inclined to believe it was more important than normal Z-Crystals. It was clearly a dark purple color, and embedded within its center was a particular shape similar to Pokémon Moon's box symbol.

I stared at the item, my heart beating faster as I began to realize what exactly I was holding in my hands. His was a Z-Crystal related to Lunala. That had to be it. I hadn't thought about it in so long, but I could at least put those pieces together. The thought of having such a Pokémon was... well, the thought itself was quite intoxicating. With that kind of power... I snapped myself from those thoughts and placed the Z-Crystal back into the bag. No, nothing good would come of megalomania. Besides, what were the actual chances of me getting my hands on a Lunala of all things? I probably wouldn't even get my hands on Cosmog without making an enemy of the Balsam family, and I wasn't willing to do that. I'd already lost Emmi and Kanu. I couldn't lose Lucy, too.

The next item was the small gold chunk worth about ten-thousand credits. A part of me was tempted to sell the little precious metal nugget, but another part of me rationalized that it could come in handy if I needed to deal with another Pokémon like Steelix. I'd hold on to it for now, even though I really could have used the money. Well, I'm sure there were other ways to get capture devices for my poké balls. Aster owed me, after all. Maybe I could use that.

After the gold nugget were a pair of very familiar gems, the first and smaller of which I knew immediately. A Key Stone. Which meant the second had to be a Mega Stone; though I couldn't recognize what kind it was. That was fine; I'd find out another time. Still, I couldn't use this right now, so I put the two stones into a special pouch in my bag.

The last item was a red sash tied into a tight knot. At first, I was confused, but realized it was a Focus Sash after a few moments. Wait, now that I thought about it, how did held items work in this world? I frowned, placing it back into the bag. That was everything. I couldn't use most of it, but that was fine. I'm sure I could find uses for everything later on. I made sure everything was put away before unlocking the door, turning off the light, and lying down in bed. Sleep took me easily, as the exhaustion from the day claimed me without a fight. I dreamed of dull eyes, and terror turning to acceptance.

The next day was slow, which I was appreciative of. Lucy and I were both woken up for breakfast, and we met each other in the hallway to the dining room. The mansion was alive and buzzing with activity as maids and butlers went about their business. I wondered what had happened to them the day before...?

Lucy was quiet the whole way, but held my hand like she was afraid of losing me. I humored her, following her lead as we walked together. It was nice. I hoped against hope that today would be far more peaceful than it had been yesterday, and I had to remind myself that Team Solar probably wouldn't dare attack us for a while. I had destroyed their base in Po Town, as well as several city blocks worth of warehouses. Even if they weren't sure if I was The Black Samurai or just a kid, they knew now that they weren't welcome in Alola. I just wish I knew where their actual base was, since those documents stated that Po Town was just a satellite base.

Still, the team would be busy licking their wounds, which meant I had time to plan for their next move. I just wish I knew what that move that was. Urgh, it wasn't worth thinking about right now. I'd let Aster and Vic handle that.

Speaking of which, Aster and his wife were sitting at the dinner table, already eating when Lucy and I arrived. The man was reading the paper as he ate what looked to be eggs, bacon, and a glass of orange juice, while Calli happily ate something like oatmeal along with a side of sausage patties. "Good morning," I greeted them, Lucy following my greeting with her own.

"Ah, just the boy I wanted to see," Aster folded his newspaper as Lucy and I sat across from her parents, and he handed it to Vic, who dutifully stood behind the head of the house. Vic walked over and set the paper in front of me. "You made quite a stir over in Po Town." I looked down at the headline in front of me. Massive Explosion Rocks Po Town Seaside District. Lailani Corp Exposed As Multiple Underground Tunnels Revealed To Public. "It seems that our friends in Team Solar have lost face with one of their companies."

I skimmed through the article, but there was no mention of Team Solar within it. "They're not named," I pointed out. "Did they pay off the media, or do they not know, still?" Aster shrugged, smiling good-naturedly.

"Who can say," he suggested. It wasn't a satisfying answer, but I had the idea that he didn't know, either. "Still, you've set them back by a fair degree, son. You've rescued my precious little girl, and returned her safely home. How can I ever repay you?"

"You mentioned being my sponsor," I reminded him, getting the man to nod in response. "I take it you mean aside from all of that?" Aster nodded again, pleasantly eating his breakfast. I looked between him and his wife. "Capture devices. I'm making poké balls from apricorns, and I need about twenty of them. Can you provide those for me?"

"All too easy, son," Aster replied, "what else?" What else? Did I really need anything else? I thought for a moment. Was this some kind of test? I looked between Aster and his wife, trying to pick up any clues, but the two of them were infuriatingly calm about all of this. What the hell was expected of me, here?

"Make sure you work on Weavile's cold room as soon as possible," I told him. Aster seemed taken by surprise by that, but regained his bearings within a second or two.

"Naturally," he replied. "I already have someone drawing up plans for it. You didn't expect me to go back on my word about that, did you?" Honestly, a part of me had. After discovering he'd lied to me about Team Solar, I wasn't sure what was truthful or not coming from him. My silence must have spoken volumes, because his easygoing smile slipped for the briefest of moments.

"Of course not," I lied, glancing at Lucy, who seemed just so happy to see her best friend and daddy talking. Speaking of which, I had to talk to her about... what we were, now. I honestly had no clue, and yesterday had probably changed what we were. I just didn't know how. "I know you're a man of your word," I finished. He and I both knew that I was lying, but for the sake of Lucy, I'd continue to do so. "So, aside from that... I guess... would you be willing to let me stay here? I'm not exactly welcome in the Alahi household right now." Aster nodded, seeming pleased with the answer. I realized that he probably already knew that I'd ask something along those lines, and that was what he was expecting. I wondered what else he knew about me...

"Oh, it'll be so wonderful to have you as a part of our family!" the brunette woman spoke happily, looking at me with her piercing eyes. I did my best not to fidget. "I'm sure my daughter will be so happy to have you around!"

"It'll be a pleasure," I replied diplomatically. My eyes refused to meet hers. "I'd also like to set up a workshop in the garden," I told Aster. "So I can make my poké balls out where it's nice instead of staying inside all day. Maybe near the mountain, where Aggron is?" Aster nodded slowly, seeming surprised that I'd want to be that far out, but agreeing, nonetheless. In the meantime, a butler asked what Lucy and I wanted for breakfast. I asked for an omelet with some sausage and toast on the side, and Lucy asked for the same once she'd heard what I'd asked for.

"Next off," Aster spoke up once we'd asked for our food, "about your sponsorship. Do you know everything it entails?" I shook my head and waited for him to continue. "Mm, well, in essence, I will cover your expenses when it comes to food, housing, and the like when it comes to traveling as a trainer. Of course, you'll need to finish trainer school first, but that seems to be a given due to your track record." I was able to follow him so far and gave him a nod to continue. "In return, you will be representing me, and the companies and holdings I own. Your equipment will have to be purchased from stores under the brands I own, and you'll need to sign an Anti-Disparagement Agreement among other things. I can't stop you from making your own things or purchasing items we can't provide from competitors, but just keep that in mind. I'll give you a list of brands and items when you get older."

"Do I have to do the same thing if I become a trainer, daddy?" Lucy asked. Aster smiled, shaking his head.

"Of course not, sweetie! You can do whatever you want, alright? The only reason all of this is necessary for Taiyo is because he'll be signing a contract, that's all." I had a feeling there was more to that statement than he was telling me, but I couldn't prove it. It was just a hunch. Aster continued, focusing back on me, "Anyway, that's the long and short of it. We'll get into more details once you're older and become an officially licensed trainer. Do you have any questions?"

"None right now," I told him, shaking my head. I looked back over at Lucy, who just seemed happy to have me around. She still hadn't let go of my hand since we'd sat down. "Lucy's told me that she's never played any video games, by the way," I mentioned, looking back to her parents. "Well, I'm kind of a fan of them, myself. Since we're staying here, today, could we get a console and a few games?"

"I don't know if that's entirely conductive to a-" Calli began, but a look from Aster and myself stopped her short. "Well, perhaps something educa-" She stopped again, noticing the sad look spread across Lucy's face. She finally let out a sigh, closing her eyes and slouching in her chair. "Fine. Perhaps a handful of video games will be acceptable." Her eyes narrowed at her daughter. "But no more than an hour every day, and only once your homework is finished." She looked over to Vic, who bowed and moved to speak to one of the maids standing attentively to the side.

"Thank you," I told her, hoping to ease her concerns a bit. Calli refused to look at me, and I wasn't sure how I should feel about that. "I know you want your daughter to be well prepared for the world, but kids need time to relax and just be kids, too." Calli looked like she wanted to argue with me, but she kept herself quiet. I wonder what she wanted to say...

"Ah, while you're at it, Vic," Aster spoke up as he stood, thanking the maids for the breakfast before continuing, "could you get young Taiyo here a phone? One of the newer models, if you would. I'm aware that you don't own one, correct?" He directed the question to me.

"Oh, uh, no, I don't. Oh, could you grab my stuff from the Alahi's residence while you're getting a console for Lucy, Vic? Just the tumblestones and apricorns are strictly needed." Vic nodded.

"We'll provide a phone for you," Aster continued once I'd finished my request. "After all, it would be immensely useful for you to be able to contact any of us at a moment's notice. Especially with Team Solar still out there, and apparently far more dangerous than any of us could imagine."

"Five thousand years," Calli mumbled, still processing that information. "It's hard to believe how long they've been around." I had to agree with that. I wondered if Team Solar had kept their name over the centuries, or if it'd changed. Hell, maybe some notable historical organizations had operated under their banner...

"There are some things that will always survive the test of time. Changed and malformed, sometimes, but alive," I told them as Lucy and I received our food. I gave the maid my thanks, and Lucy did the same, after me. I continued, "I'm sure that if we were to look closely, we'd see their influence on the world. Perhaps Team Solar isn't even their real name, and are just a large shell organization." Aster's eyes narrowed with concern.

"You think that someone like them are a front?" he asked, adjusting his tie. "Hm. Something we discuss another time. I need to get to the office." He leaned over to kiss his wife before Lucy peeled her hand away from mine, going to hug her dad as he left for work. "The two of you take care today. Be a good girl, alright, Lucy?"

"I will, daddy," the girl replied, hugging him tightly. "Be safe?"

"Of course, sweetheart," Aster smiled as he responded, giving me a final nod before leaving the dining room. Lucy and I finished our breakfast quickly, and Calli had gone out to do... whatever it was she did. I asked Lucy if she knew, but the girl had no idea.

The two of us decided to spend time in the garden while we waited for the men Vic had sent out to return. It was full of lively Pokémon, as expected, and I could already see Aggron resting by the mountainside, staring at the actual garden itself. His gaze met mine, and though it was hard to perceive from this distance, I saw him nod. Looking around, I also saw Furret over by some of the flowers, playing with a few of the combee. Weavile was, as expected, resting up in his tree, looking miserable.

"Let's go say hi to Weavile and Aggron," I told Lucy, gently tugging her hand to get her to follow me. "They're the ones who helped me rescue you, after all."

"Do we... have to?" she asked, looking nervous. "They're always mean when I try to say hi to them."

"Don't worry, I'll protect you," I told her, and she finally moved to follow me. I led her to the big tree, first. Now that I was getting a better look at it, I recognized it as a banyan tree. It had relatively low branches compared to other trees, but this one was still massive; its lowest branch about ten feet off the ground. Lucy let go of my hand as we got closer, her coming to a stop around fifteen feet away while I stood under where Weavile was laying. He looked down at me with a single red eye. "Hey there, Weavile. I talked with Aster, and he says he already has someone working on designs for your cold room." The Pokémon smirked, pointing a sharp claw to the corner of the garden where several men wearing construction equipment measured the flat, slightly elevated ground over by the left wall and the mountain's cliff.

"Hey, that's great!" I grinned looking up at the weavile. "Soon enough you'll be nice and comfortable, right? I bet that'll be really nice." Weavile barked, smirking down at me from his perch. I looked back to Lucy, who still looked nervous. "Hey, this is Lucy," I introduced her, gently waving her forward. She took small steps as Weavile watched her, hardly paying her any mind. "She wanted to say thanks for rescuing her. Right, Lucy?"

"U-Oh, yes!" Lucy nodded, looking up at the weasel Pokémon. Weavile looked amused at her fear. "Thank you very much for helping me, Weavile!" The weavile seemed to chuckle under his breath, turning away. Lucy let out a breath, relief flooding over her.

"Guess that's as good of a 'you're welcome' as you're gonna get," I told her. I waved to the Pokémon in the tree. "Have a good one, Weavile. I'll be living here for the foreseeable future, so let's do some actual training, sometime." I saw the Pokémon give me the side-eye, but he said nothing to show me if the thought interested him or not. I led Lucy back to where Aggron was, giving the construction guys a wave as we passed by them. I noticed they had machop and timburr with them, helping flatten out the ground when needed.

As we reached Aggron, Lucy seemed a little more open to getting close, but still wilted under his gaze when he opened his eyes to look at us. His attention shifted between us and the construction workers. "Ah, not too happy with them around huh?" I asked, and the large Pokémon huffed. "Sorry about that. You probably already know that they're getting things ready for Weavile's new cooler room. Are you gonna be alright with that?" Aggron huffed again, but shrugged his shoulders as he leaned back against the cliff wall.

"How do you feel?" I asked him. Again, Aggron shrugged and let out a metallic groan. "That bad, huh? Well, hopefully we won't have to take you out fighting again any time soon. Oh, I was actually thinking of having a workshop out here, somewhere." His eyes narrowed at that. "I'm going to be living here for a while, and I'm hoping to make some hand-made poké balls. You've probably noticed I don't have any Pokémon of my own, right?"

Aggron was quiet for a moment as he seemed to take it all in before he nodded. "Well," I continued, "I want to make poké balls so I can go out and catch some. They're crazy expensive, and..." And now I was basically being sponsored by the Balsam family. I trailed off, staring at the right-side wall. I was sure the man would be happy to practically just give me poké balls at this point. I looked to Lucy and Aggron, and they both stared at me. Lucy with more visible concern, of course. "I know I could probably ask for some. Hell, Aster would probably shower me in them, if he could. But... I don't know, I guess since I'm this far in, I just wanna see it through. Besides, everyone uses the newest poké balls and they all look the same." I smiled, thinking of the little apricorn balls. "I guess I want something to stand out, too."

"Tai...?" Lucy mumbled, not sure what to say. Aggron grumbled, before laughing. It sounded like a deep, grinding sound. Lucy took a step back as he stood up, taking a fighting position and roaring into the sky before laughing again.

"A showman," I muttered, getting the idea behind his actions. "Yeah, I guess I am. A flair for the dramatic and incredible is always a part of being a Pokémon Trainer, right? If I have poké balls that are- that stand out, then people will remember me and my team. Heh, I knew you'd understand! You said it even better than I could!" Aggron laughed again, a smirk on his face.

"Anyway, I wanted to ask you about my workshop," I told the aggron before he could sit back down. "Is there any place out of the way over here that you wouldn't mind me setting up? I'm thinking it'll probably be pretty small, like a shack, but give me enough space to make it bigger if I have to." Aggron seemed to think for a moment, looking over his rocky territory. Finally, he began moving towards an area along the right side of the garden's wall, where the stony ground bled into the flower garden itself.

Aggron slammed his tail right near the border of the patchy grass, giving me a snort and a grunt. "Right here, huh?" I asked, getting a nod from the Iron Armor Pokémon. I gave it a little look over, smiling. "Sounds good. It'll probably be little more than a tent to start with, but maybe I'll set down some foundations when I get the chance." The Pokémon grunted, nodding with approval before turning his attention to Lucy, who squeaked under his gaze.

"Oh, right, Lucy, don't you have something to say to Aggron?"

"T-Thank you for helping rescue me!" she shouted, her voice high. Aggron chuckled, reaching over and ruffling her hair, much to her terror. She stared at me as Aggron went back to his spot by the cliffs. I gently took Lucy's hand, leading her back into the glower garden.

"See? They aren't so bad," I spoke softly, sitting her down on one of the stone benches by the lake. I watched as a yanma drank some of the water before moving on. Lucy still looked shaken from being touched by the massive Pokémon, and I held her in a hug until she stopped shivering. "You feel a bit better, Lucy?" The girl nodded, though she obviously wasn't. I reached over and rubbed her back even though I wasn't hugging her anymore. We stayed like that for a little while, watching the Pokémon around us as they went about their days. A zigzagoon gently rubbed against her leg as he passed us by, letting us both pet his fur before he ran off into the shrubbery.

"Did you really come save me because you wanted to?" she asked, staring at the stone pack of the garden. A weedle crawled onto the stone bench, took one look at us, then fell back into the foliage. Lucy smiled as she watched it do that.

"Of course I did," I told her. "Didn't I say so, last night?" She nodded, her fingers fiddling with each other. She was silent for a bit longer before speaking once more.

"Mother said that people who do things like that are naive, and only the intelligent and powerful know to do things both that make them look good, and serve their own purposes," she replied. God f*cking dammit, Calli. Lucy's eyes met mine for a moment, before she looked back down at the path. "She says that's why you actually did it."

"Do you believe her?" I asked, wanting to get her thoughts before I said anything more. Lucy shook her head before she shrugged.

"I don't know," was her answer. Well, at least she wasn't instantly jumping back on board with that dumb ideology. I could work with that. "I don't... I kept thinking about it last night in bed. Why would you rescue me?" I kept silent, letting her sort her thoughts out loud. "I thought... When you faced everyone when I arrived at school... I thought that you saw me as valuable. Of course I am. I'm Lusamine Balsam, I'm amazing!" She smiled for a moment before looking back down over the lake. "Right?" She looked over at me, confusion evident on her face.

"I mean, your mom isn't wrong that people can decide to do the right thing, and also think about the benefits behind it," I admitted to Lucy. Frustratingly, she looked even more confused before. Ugh, how do I explain nuance to a kid? "But that doesn't have to be the case every time. I mean, I've done it before. Like when we went to get malasadas for the first time. I wanted to become better friends with everyone, but I also just... wanted to get malasadas."

"Or like the time you asked Kanu and Mohn to come with you to get tumblestones?" Lucy asked. I winced, nodding.

"Yeah," I mumbled, "like that." She stared at me, looking over my face. I let out a sigh. "The thing is, you can go about life in a lot of different ways. It's just, some people do things certain ways more than they do others. Maybe your parents like to see every advantage they can before committing to something. They like knowing they'll get something out of it in the end. I just... that's just a really lonely way to live, you know?" Judging from her expression, she didn't, but she was trying to understand. "I think people should just do what they want, and do their best to help others in the process," I told her.

"Like living on a farm out in the countryside," I told her. "Small town people are more likely to help each other when things get tough, because they know that their friends and neighbors will help them when they need it and it's the right thing to do. Kindness begets kindness, right?" Lucy seemed lost. I sighed again, trying to think of a way to simplify it. "Just... it's never wrong to want to help someone. You can always make a mistake doing things as some kind of deal, but doing the right thing... even if someone takes advantage of it, you'll know that you tried to do the right thing." I blinked. "Do you know what integrity is, Lucy?"

"Mother says that's what idiots use to justify being dumb," Lucy replied. I winced. "Uh, I don't know what it means, though." She offered me a sheepish smile, obviously seeing that her comment had upset me.

"Integrity is doing the right thing or keeping a promise, even when the only person who will ever know is yourself," I told her. "It's the thing that makes heroes what they are. What everyone should strive to have." I stared at the lake, a wry smile on my face. "Even if you're not exactly a good person, if you have integrity, people will trust you and be willing to follow you for what you believe in." Lucy nodded, seeming to wrap her mind around my words.

"Is that why you wanted to rescue me? To be my friend?" she asked. "Because of integrity?" I chuckled, patting her back before moving my arm back to my side.

"Partly," I told her. "Again, it just... comes down to being a good person, I guess? I wanted to be your friend because I wanted to. No ulterior motives. I rescued you because you're my friend and I care about you. No other reason." Lucy nodded, once more staring out over the lake.

"I don't think I completely understand," she said, a smile on her face as she watched a buizel riding on Blastoise's shell. "But I want to."

"Then that's all you need," I told her. "No matter what happens; even if the world turns against you, I'll be your friend. I promise that, Lucy."

"Is that... all you want to be?" Lucy asked, looking at me from the corner of her eyes. Oh, boy. Here we go. I figured this was coming. The girl leaned against me, her head resting on my shoulder. "Surely you're not so dense... to misunderstand that I like you. I... think I do, at least. You're kind, and you're warm, and you're a complete ruffian, but you're still nice to me and the people I like."

"I'm... not sure what I want us to be, honestly," I told her, but I didn't push her away. "Trust me, I'm well aware. Kinda hard to misinterpret a kiss on the cheek like you gave me, before." She nodded, and I spied a light flush to her cheeks. "Still... I just think we're a bit young to really make any decisions like that, you know?"

"I guess," Lucy mumbled, sounding a little disheartened.

"I mean, that doesn't mean I don't like you too," I told her. "I do. Honestly, I really like you. You're cute, and you're driven, and you're scary smart when you want to be. I just- We're seven, Lucy. Most kids our age aren't even aware about deeper feelings, much less thinking about them. Let's just give it some time, ok?" Lucy was silent, and for a moment I was afraid I'd upset her. "I mean... why don't we get promise rings?"

"Promise rings?" she asked, her voice soft.

"Yeah. A ring for each of use that we can wear to remind ourselves of each other," I told her. "They can symbolize our close friendship, and remind us that, when we're older, we can sit down and talk about what we want our relationship to be. No dodging the matter, and you can always know I'll be thinking about you when I look at mine. Would that be okay?" Lucy looked up at me, staring at my eyes while she thought about what I'd said. She finally nodded after a minute of thinking.

"I like that idea," Lucy said, sounding far happier than she'd been. "I'll even make you another promise. I promise that I won't be useless, and that I won't have to rely on you all the time to rescue me. I promise that I'll do whatever I can to make things earier for you, alright?"

"Sounds like a deal," I told her, chuckling. "Even though you're not useless at all, okay?" I thought for a moment, then spoke up again, "Well, if you're doing extra, then so will I. I promise that I'll always be your best friend, even if we decide not to get into a relationship when we get older. I promise I'll consider it seriously, though." Lucy nodded, a smile on her face as she looked up at me. I wrapped my arm around her, hugging her close. Maybe things would work out.

The two of us stayed like that for a while. We didn't talk about much, instead taking time to decompress and let the emotions of the last twenty-four hours to flow out of us. I told her some dumb jokes whenever they came to mind, and she told me about her favorite TV shows from Unova and even Johto. I'd heard that Johto was beginning its foray into modern entertainment and culture, including manga and anime. Apparently, Lucy had a thing for romance anime and manga. I shouldn't have been as surprised as I was.

"So then Kenji and Elise are stuck together in the closet!" Lucy squealed excitedly; her former melancholy long forgotten as the mood had been lifted over time. "I can't wait until the next volume! I bet they kiss! Oh, I can't wait!"

"Wait, but didn't you say Elise and Koga are dating?" I asked, trying to keep up with the entire synopsis of a fifty-book manga Lucy had been reading. Lucy nodded eagerly, rolling her eyes all the while.

"Well yeah," she replied easily. "But Kenji and Elise are way cuter together. They're the childhood friends, remember?" I was beginning to see where Lucy was getting her ideas about romance from. "Besides, Koga's really sleazy." I wasn't sure if she actually knew what that word meant, but continued on as if she did.

"I mean, you shouldn't be cheering on someone cheating on another person," I told her. Lucy rolled her eyes again.

"I'm not!" she protested. "If they break up, then Kenji will be there to mend her broken heart!" What a way to look at relationships, sheesh... If we ended up dating, I hoped she wouldn't expect our relationship to be full of drama, too. I was not going to deal with that.

"I hope you don't expect our relationship to end up like that," I told her, deciding to get that out of the way as soon as I could. "I'm not exactly keen on dealing with drama." Lucy giggled, hugging my arm.

"Of course not!" she assured me, shaking her head. "Our relationship will be pure and simple, because I like you, and you like me! And nobody else will interfere in it." I let out a sigh, chuckling. Well, that was a relief.

"Sounds good to me," I told her, earning a smile in return. At that moment, Vic stepped out from the mansion, taking a brief look around before his eyes landed on us, and he walked over in our direction, followed closely by a pair of butlers.

"Young Mistress, Young Master," the man greeted us. "We've returned with the items you've requested, Young Master Taiyo."

"Thanks a lot, Vic," I told him, Lucy echoing my gratitude. "You guys can put my apricorns and stuff over there, see, by the edge of the grass-line? If you could set up a few tables, a chair, and a tent up, I'd be really appreciative of that, too. In the meantime..." I glanced at the big box that the second butler held, a big Porystation 3 logo plastered across it. There were also a couple game titles balanced on top of it. "Want to play some games, Lucy?"

"Yeah!" she exclaimed, her eyes shining as she looked at the brand new console. I chuckled, same with Vic and the other butler. "Can we? Please!?"

"I'll arrange for a structure to be built for your workshop, Young Master Taiyo," Vic told me, a smile on his face. "We shall also deliver this game console to the in-house theater and have it set up. Sebastian, are you confident in your ability to set everything up?"

"Yes, sir," the younger butler replied. He was probably in his late twenties, with an oriental face and brown hair that told me he was probably from Kanto or Johto. "Please, Young Mistress, Young Master, feel free to follow me inside. We'll have you both comfortable and playing in just a few moments."

"Hey, feel free to invite whoever you like and join us," I told him. "Pretty sure there's four controllers, so Lucy and I will need some competition. I'm pretty sure I see 'Ferrum Smash: War for Galar' in that stack of games. We can do some team matches."

"Heh, I'm an old hand at the Smash games, you know," Sebastian bragged, a grin spreading across his face. "I accept your challenge, Young Master!" I grinned right back at him as we all headed inside. We walked through the halls to a set of stairs that led downward into the foyer, than down a side hall that led to a room on the front end of the house which was blacked out, a massive screen at the front of the room, a snack bar at the back, and two rows of prime theater seats.

"Damn, this really is a theater," I muttered, getting a smile from Lucy who'd heard me. "Alright! I'm getting fired up, ya know!? Let's get this going and I'll kick all of your asses!"

"Heh, you might be some hotshot Pokémon prodigy, but the gaming world is my area of expertise, Young Master," Sebastian told me. "Pokémon battles are way more different than video games."

"I'll be rooting for you, Tai!" Lucy cheered as Sebastian went to get the console hooked up.

"Huh? You're not gonna play?"

"Oh, uh, I want to watch you, first," she admitted. "Only a true suitor of the Balsam family is capable of defeating others in F-Ferrum Smash? Yes, Ferrum Smash! Only once you've defeated Sebastian will I permit you to hold my affections!" I raised a brow at that, a smile slowly forming on my face. This goof...

"Well then, if that's how it is," I let out a breath of air in a huff, pointing to Sebastian as he finished setting everything up. Sheesh, he really knew what he was doing. "Ser Sebastian! I challenge thee to a battle of honour for Lady Lusamine of the Balsam family's heart!" I stepped my left foot onto the back of one of the theater chairs, striking a gallant pose for Lucy. Sabastian, picking up what I was putting down, replied with a faux-evil grin as he mirrored my pose, standing ramrod straight and pointing back at me, his head tilted in an evil and unsettling manner.

"You'll never defeat me, young Kricketot!" he shouted back amidst the giggles of Lucy. The door to the room opened mid-speech as several other servants filtered in, a mixture of confusion and amusem*nt on their faces as they saw what was happening. "I shall have the Lady Lusamine's hand, and nothing shall stop me! Muhahahaha!" Sebastian cackled evilly.

"Vile fiend!" I snarled, shaking my fist threateningly. "How dare you treat her as if she were but a prize to be won!? The fair Lady is a strong and courageous young woman!"

"Wait, isn't that what you did?" Sebastian asked, breaking character.

"Just go with it, it's romcom bullsh*t," I replied as Lucy burst into laughter. "Answer me, vile cretin!" I shouted, back in character.

"Oh, uh, I shall defeat you, and send you packing home in disgrace!" Sebastian replied, turning the console on and tossing me a controller. "Have at thee!"

"En garde!" I replied as the console booted up and the game started. I leapt over the theater seats, landing on the floor at the front and taking one of the center chairs. Sebastian sat next to me, controller at the ready as we waited for the game to start.

"Go, Ser Taiyo!" Lucy cheered from the back, looking between us, the screen, and the snack bar as the servants began popping some popcorn and grabbing drinks. "My heart yearns for your, uh... Your..." One of the maids leaned down to whisper into her ear. Lucy's face lit up, excitement and embarrassment crossing her expression. f*cking- Don't put weird sh*t in her head, woman! "My heart yearns for your loving embrace, my gallant knight!" She quickly turned to the maid. "What does that mean!? That sounds really weird!" I felt my own cheeks burn as the servants laughed at our expense. Oh my God, I was surrounded by weirdos.

"Just ignore them, Lucy," I called up to her as Sebastian and I pulled up the character select screen. Of course there weren't many characters due to it being a fresh game, and I didn't recognize any of them. There was one dressed like a knight named Ser Alfred, though, so I picked him. "I'll explain it when you're older."

"It's nothing dirty, I swear!" I heard the maid protest as her friends teased her. "What!? Wait, it really means that!? I just got that from Gone with the Wingull!" Ok, less weird and just stupid. That was marginally better. Sebastian picked a character called Malfuccito, who looked like some kind of easygoing guy with ninja or assassin clothes. I was guessing his playstyle would be similar to Greninja or Shiek from Smash Bros on Earth.

"Are you ready, Young Master?" Sebastian asked, back to business, I guess. I smirked, nodding as I got comfortable with the controller. It was pretty similar to Playstation controllers from Earth. "I'll let you figure out the controls before we start. That fair?"

"Yeah, thanks," I told him. the stage loaded up, and I gave some experimental commands with Alfred for a minute before giving him the all clear. Our battle started as the maids, the butlers, and Lucy cheered in the back.

I gotta say, as good as I used to be, I really hadn't played a fighting game in about ten years or so, and it showed. My first stock, Sebastian absolutely devastated me, taking me from zero to death in less than a minute. He laughed as Lucy boo'd him, and I narrowed my eyes for a moment, focusing up. Ok, Ser Alfred wasn't much different from Ike, so I could use that. I'd main'd the guy in Brawl, after all. Heavy, slow, but packs a powerful punch. He even had a counter move.

The second bout was similar to the first, but this time I lasted longer, using platforms to my advantage as I began countering, punishing any mistakes that Sabastian made trying to pin me down. As expected, he had a quick character, but Malfuccito was mid-ranged, and many of his attacks had a poison debuff to them. I could work with that. As the match went on, I finally began pulling it back with my third and final stock, knocking him down to one with me. I had 195% damage on me when he was taken down to his last.

"Perish, vile fiend!" I brought back the ham, shooting him a wink from a brief sideways glance. "Lady Lusamine, this strike is for you!"

"Curse you, Ser Taiyo!" Sebastian shouted back as I 'caught' him in a combo, charging up a Smash Attack to end the match. "Gah! Curses!"

"Yeah, you did it!" Lucy cheered, running around to the front of the theater and giving me a hug. "My hero!" I laughed, giving Sebastian a thumbs up while Lucy wasn't looking, which he returned.

"Hah, I think I'm tuckered out with that," I said, offering Sebastian my hand, which he shook. "Good fight. Thanks for that."

"Hey, it's all good, Young Master," the butler replied. "Want a hot dog or something? I bet you're starved. I know I am." I nodded, carrying Lucy back like a princess to the snack bar with the butler as some of the other servants picked up the controllers and continued where we left off. The next couple of hours were spent in the home theater, playing various games with the servants who rotated their shifts. I eventually got to know most of their names, but I was probably going to forget them sooner or later if I didn't go out of my way to greet them. That was fine, though. I was all too happy to thank and help the servants that made our lives easier.

Evening came all too soon, and it was time for supper. It was a simple affair, since Aster wouldn't be back until later, and Calli was very quiet. I hadn't seen her all day, and when I asked, she brushed the question off. It seemed like I wouldn't be getting anything from her, today. Once supper was finished, I decided to head back into the garden, Lucy following me. The tent was set up where my workshop would be, and I headed in that direction. Aggron was checking out the area the construction workers had flattened out, and gave me a wave as we caught his eye. Lucy hastened her steps at that.

I pulled aside the tent flaps and went inside the white structure, taking a look around. There were three long folding tables inside, each one against one of the three remaining sides of the rather sizeable tent, as well as a pair of metal folding chairs. My bag was set carefully on the center table, set beside it were various tools for carving the apricorns, as well as chiseling the flint. Set on the opposite side was a small bag of capture devices, as well as Dr. Laventon's memoir book. I smiled, sitting down at the table and pulling up a chair. "Want to help?" I asked Lucy. She nodded eagerly, and I began teaching her what we'd need to do. This would take a while, but I had all the time in the world. I could worry about all the lies and doubletalk within the Balsam family at my own leisure, and I would, but right now I just wanted to spend time with Lucy.

I*A*C

Chapter 10: Schoolyard Troubles

Chapter Text

I*A*C

It was inevitable that the events of the past would catch up with them after they made it to school on Tuesday. Tai had been upset all morning, even though he tried his best to hide it. Silly boy; Lusamine knew him well enough to know when he was unhappy about something, even if she didn't know exactly what. He might think himself a stone wall of emotion, but the girl knew better. He still hadn't told her what had happened to make him so upset Sunday morning, as well as why he wasn't welcome in the Alahi household, but Lusamine was certain that it involved Emmi, or Kanu, or both of them. Maybe even his trip to Wela Volcano on Friday. Yes, that seemed like the most likely scenario in her head. Something had happened on the volcano and Tai had been unjustly cast out for it. Well, she wasn't about to let Kanu bully him for whatever happened!

It had all started so nicely, too. Lusamine had been woken up, and she waited for Tai to wake up too so they could go to the dining room table together. They ate a nice, delicious breakfast, talked about the games they played the day before, and then Tai realized they had to go to school. His mood had soured after that, despite trying to hide it behind a smile. Even when Victor had helped them pick out promise rings on the way to school, Tai had been oddly quiet. Lusamine slowly pieced everything together over the course of the car ride from there, getting angrier and angrier the more she thought about it.

So, by the time they had begun walking into the school building, Lusamine was fuming mad, which seemed to make Tai's mood even worse. The girl stormed through the hallways, dragging her best friend with her as people got out of her way, realizing that an angry Lusamine was not someone they wanted to mess with. Tai trained her Lily, and they knew it, and that set her apart from almost everyone else.

Lusamine slammed the door open to Class D1, scanning the room of shocked faces for two in particular. Her eyes narrowed as she found them. "Emmi Alahi and Kanu Kaukana, I challenge the both of you to a Pokémon battle!" Tai's hand squeezed hers.

"Lucy, what the heck are you doing?" he hissed, dragging her closer to him. She turned to look at the boy. "What's gotten into you?"

"Something happened on Friday to make you upset, and I bet they had something to do with it!" Lusamine told him, confused as to why he was upset at her for this. "I'm going to battle them and make them apologize for it!"

"Apologize?" Kanu growled, attracting Lusamine's attention. He stood up from his desk, same as Emmi behind him. "He almost got me killed! The volcano blew up because of him! He almost died, too!"

"Yeah, he's been nothing but mean and selfish the entire time we've known him!" Emmi added. Lusamine felt Tai's grip slacken in her hand as he gently pulled away, shrinking back into the hallway. That made her even angrier.

"So what!?" Lusamine shouted back, getting up in Kanu's face. He looked surprised to be stood up to by a girl, but quickly regained his own anger. "You're alive, so that's all that matters! Some people aren't so lucky!"

"Yeah, well it shouldn't be that way anyway!" Kanu shot back. "He shouldn't be a trainer! He's too dangerous to be around!

"Lucy, please," Tai grumbled, trying to keep a straight face, but having trouble. "You don't have to do this. All this gets you is a fight, and it's not worth it."

"It's worth it to me," Lusamine nearly hissed back, glaring at her best friend. "You kept telling me about wanting to do things because you feel like it, well I feel like doing this fight right now!" The blonde girl turned and shoved Kanu, pushing him back into his chair as Emmi tried catching him to keep the boy from getting hurt. Kids around the classroom began to whisper and talk among themselves as the two most noticeable students in their class started fighting.

"Hey, who do you think you are, pushing Kanu like that!?" Emmi shouted at Lusamine, glaring at the girl. "We're not the ones who're putting others in danger! That's your boyfriend doing it! You should tell him to quit before he hurts anyone else!"

"Hey, th' lot of you need ta shut up an' stop this!" Paige had made her way from her desk in the back of the classroom, aiming to stop her friends from getting into a fight. Lusamine was certain the girl had no idea what was going on. "Just what th' bloody hell are you two fightin' about, anyway?"

"Guys, seriously, it's not worth it," Tai kept trying to argue, getting between Kanu and Lusamine and pushing them both away from each other. "Lucy, let's just head to our seats."

"I still challenge you," she ignored him, glaring at the two kids she used to call friends.

"What, are you gonna let a girl fight for you?" Kanu glared at the other boy. "I knew you were stupid and dangerous, but I didn't think you were chicken, too!"

"Shut up, Kanu," Tai growled, finally getting some fire in his belly. He stared at the other kid. "You don't want this fight."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I do, chicken," Kanu shot back, getting up in Tai's face. "You almost got us killed on the volcano. Me and Moan. You almost got killed! Don't you care about anything!? You didn't even apologize!" Tai growled, clenching his fists.

"I wanted to!" Tai argued back. "But your dad-"

"Keep my pops outta this!" Kanu yelled.

"Yeah, stop blaming other people because you're a bad friend!" Emmi backed up Kanu, moving around the boy and shoving Tai back. Tai obviously hadn't expected that, because he stumbled back and fell onto his butt. "You didn't even try to make excuses after everything when you got back to my house! You ran away!"

"H-Hey, everyone...!" Paige desperately tried to calm everyone down, but quickly found that she had no control over the situation. "Let's all jus' calm down and-"

"How dare you push Tai like that!?" Lusamine shouted back at Emmi, pushing the girl flat on her rear end as well. "I oughta-"

"Enough." A strict voice silenced the classroom as Miss Luka stood in front of the class' door. Anger stretched across her face as she looked over the offending children in front of her. "Never in my time as a teacher have I ever been so disappointed in my students. All of you, sit down." Lusamine scrambled to her desk, watching as Paige and Emmi did the same. Kanu glared at Tai as he passed him by, with Tai giving the boy a sad look before walking to his desk. The very thought of Tai taking pity on Kanu made Lusamine fume internally. Even after all that, how could Kanu ever be in the right!? It was just wrong!

"I will be having words with each of your parents over the course of the next week about your behavior, today," Miss Luka scolded them, before taking a deep breath and letting out a sigh. "Now, alola, class." The classroom answered with a very somber and muted greeting in return, and that was the entire atmosphere of the classroom for the rest of the day.

Lusamine did her best to try and focus on her coursework, and her anger faded as time went on, but any time she looked up and saw Kanu and Emmi, her blood boiled. Even looking over at Tai didn't help, but he seemed to be a lot more composed than her as he looked through that book written by the late Professor Laventon. He seemed to be completely unbothered by the events at the beginning of class.

A part of Lusamine thought that he must be faking it, that obviously he was planning his grand and intricate revenge, but after talking with him over the last couple of days... was he, really? Could it be that he really just didn't care, or that he'd already moved on beyond the arguments? He genuinely seemed to have moved past them, deciding to focus his attention on something else. Lusamine stared at him and, for a moment, his eyes met hers. Tai gave her a small hint of a smile before going back to his book. Lusamine decided to follow his lead, focusing totally on the work in front of her. She could always deal with the two little traitors later.

It wasn't long until lunch came along. Lusamine and Tai sat together, obviously, while Emmi and Kanu sat together at another table. Paige was with them, while Mohn had decided to sit with Lusamine and Tai. Mohn was a... strange boy, from what Lusamine knew of him. He was also from Unova, and seemed to have something of a crush on her, if her manga was right. It was such a shame, too. If only Tai wasn't a factor in her life.

"I mean, I get it," Mohn interrupted her thoughts as he talked with Tai. "You did kinda risk all our lives... I mean, I wouldn't be here if... uh, you know, you weren't such a decent guy?" His glance at Lusamine did little to hide his true thoughts.

"Hm, I'm well aware of that, and I am sorry," Tai replied, picking at his lunch. "I was being stupid, and I know that. It's not gonna happen again. I've already decided I won't risk my friends' lives over something like that ever again."

"What about your own?" Lusamine asked, staring at her best friend. "You still want to go out and catch a Pokémon, right? Are you just going to go alone?"

"If I have to," Tai answered simply. It wasn't the answer she wanted to hear. "What's it matter if something bad happens when it's just me, ya know?"

"You'd be breaking your promise to me," Lusamine pointed out, taking a small amount of pleasure in the way her best friend grimaced at the fact. Mohn looked between them, utterly confused.

"Promise? What promise?" he asked. "Did somethin' happen?" Tai gave the other boy a sympathetic look. Seemed like he knew about Mohn's crush, too. His eyes met hers for a moment, and she gave him a nod.

"Ah, well, Lusamine and I made a promise to consider dating when we got older," her best friend admitted, pulling the bandage off all at once. The poor blonde boy looked heartbroken, and a part of Lusamine felt bad. "Sorry, buddy. I know that if I didn't exist, you definitely would have had a shot. Can we all still be friends?" Tai offered the boy his hand, and Lusamine was certain that Mohn would turn away from them. It left her surprised when the chubby boy reached over and clasped Tai's hand with his own.

"Yeah, still friends," Mohn replied, offering them a weak smile. "I mean, I never really had a chance, right? It was kind of obvious..."

"Yeah, kinda," Lusamine admitted, giving him a smile in return. "I'm glad you're ok, though. I'm sure there's plenty of girls who'd be interested in you. I'm just not one of them." Mohn nodded, sitting back down after letting go of Tai's hand. "We should decide what to do about Kanu and Emmi," she changed topic, glancing between her two friends.

"I'm guessing you're not dropping the who Pokémon challenge, thing," Tai mumbled, and Lusamine shook her head in reply. "Great. As strong as Lily is, she still isn't going to stand a chance against Kanu's Pokémon. His pikipek evolved into a trumbeak a few days ago, and he has a pair of Z-Crystals, to boot. Who knows what other tricks he's gotten over the last couple of days?"

"You think he's been trainin' the whole time?" Mohn asked.

"No doubt about it," Tai replied easily, glancing at the other table. Lusamine followed his gaze, catching Kanu looking away from them. "He was looking for a fight, today. Just like you, Lucy." The girl had the decency to blush when he called her out on that. "I'm certain he'll want to battle me as well, just to prove a point. He came to rescue me on Friday, so I'm sure he doesn't hate me, but I'm almost positive his dad stoked the fires, a bit."

"His dad?" Lusamine asked, not sure where exactly he came into play on all of this. Tai nodded, a frown marring his lips.

"I wanted to see Kanu on Friday after the incident. His dad got to me first. Demanded I stay away from his son and threatened me. On one hand I understand, but on the other," Tai grumbled a bit under his breath. "I'm certain he gave the Alahi family the worst possible version of the story, too. I was never given a chance to see Kanu, and by the time I returned to the Alahi residence, they'd already made up their minds about me." Lusamine felt anger spike in her again as Tai talked. How dare they!?

"That sounds really unfair," Mohn mumbled, shaking his head softly in disbelief. "They didn't hear your side of the story at all?"

"No, but again, it was my fault. I accept that," Tai replied easily. "So, all that being said, would it be alright if I borrowed your Pokémon to battle, Mohn?" Mohn was hesitant, and didn't answer for a little bit. "I understand if you don't want to-"

"Uh, no, it's not that," Mohn replied, laughing nervously. "It's just that Gladen's kinda picky about... well, everythin'. I know you've got a thing for getting along easily with Pokémon, but I think Gladen might be kind of an exception?"

"It's alright," Tai responded, not seeming bothered at all. "I can't expect every Pokémon to like me right off the bat, and you know yours better than I do. I'll figure something else out."

"I could have Victor bring you one of the Pokémon you've used before?" Lusamine offered, pulling her phone from her bag. Tai shook his head.

"Unfortunately, I don't think I'll beat any sense into Kanu by using an immensely powerful Pokémon against him," Tai argued gently. "It just wouldn't be fair."

"So what?" Lusamine argued back. "Who cares if it's fair? He's being a jerk, so you should just beat him! It's not like anything you do is gonna change his mind, anyway." Tai did seem to take her words seriously, giving them some thought. She could see some kind of plan formulating behind those beautiful grey eyes of his. Finally, like the good friend he was, he agreed with her with a nod.

"Tell Vic to bring Aggron," he finally told her. Her surprise was evident, and he laughed a bit. "If we're going to do this, we're going to do it all the way. No half-assing this curbstomp. Are you in?" He put his hand down on the table.

"To the end," Lusamine told him, resting her hand on top of his.

"Well, I guess if we're doing this," Mohn added, resting his on top of hers. "Please just don't take it too far, guys?" Tai and Lusamine shared a look, and the boy smirked.

"Tis a fine day to beat down the rabble," Tai spoke with a posh voice and accent, chuckling. "Let us show this knave what it means to be of an inferior breed."

"Ah, yes!" Lusamine joined in, a smile crossing her face. "Sh-Shall we, uh... Uhm... I can't think of anything."

"Or, and listen to me, here, I could just fight along with Lusamine?" Mohn offered, probably realizing trouble brewing when he saw it. Tai blinked, obviously not expecting the gesture. "I mean, Gladen and I are really strong too! So Lusamine and me can fight for you. W-Would that be ok, I mean?" Tai frowned, shaking his head as he sat back down on his seat.

"I really think it should be me battling," Tai insisted, giving Mohn an appreciative smile, regardless. "Thanks for offering, but this really isn't your fight."

"I was there too, you know!" Mohn protested still, taking both Lusamine and Tai by surprise. "I was on the volcano and... and when everything went wrong, I froze and wanted to hide! If I'd gone, maybe Kanu wouldn't have gotten hurt!" Mohn clenched his fists, shaking his head in frustration. "If I'd just been braver... If I'd just been better...! No, I will bebetter! I'm gonna battle for you, ok? So just sit there and accept it!"

"S-Same with me!" Lusamine chimed in, standing in her seat. "I told you before that I want to do this! I... I don't exactly know why, but I want to do this for you. Because I l-like you! So you better not complain!" Tai blinked, looking between Mohn and Lusamine before a smile spread across his face. He closed his eyes, letting out a happy sigh.

"I guess when my two best friends are so driven to fight on my behalf, then I can't refuse," he admitted, and Lusamine and Mohn shared a smile at that. "Thanks, both of you. I'm glad I have friends like you."

"You're darn right you are!" Lusamine crossed her arms, a confident smile on her face. "Maybe Lily won't stand a chance on her own, but her and Mohn's Pokémon will definitely put up a good fight!"

"Gladen's been with me since I left Unova," Mohn added, "and we've been trainin' ever since Friday, and even before that! I promise you, we won't lose!" Tai grinned, resting his hand at the center of the table. "I'll show you that you can both rely on me," Mohn continued, resting his hand on top of Tai's.

"And I'll prove that even if we're not the strongest, Lily and I can hold our own just fine!" Lusamine rounded off, resting her hand on Mohn's. She looked at the two boys. "Uh, should we have a team name, or something?" The trio looked at one another before Tai spoke up.

"Let's save that for another time and focus on getting you guys a win," he told them, getting nods in agreement. "Alright, there's a few things you both should know about the way Kanu and Emmi like to battle," he told them, "and I don't know how strong they might have gotten over the weekend, so let's assume they're as strong as they can possibly be. First..." As Tai went about his plan, both Lusamine and Mohn paid extra attention to what he said. After all, if they were going to represent him in a battle, then they were going to do their absolute best.

The remaining fifteen minutes of their lunch was filled with discussion and strategizing between the three children as they got ready for the coming battle. Once the lunch bell rang, Lusamine figured she and Mohn were about as ready as they'd ever be. The trio stepped foot onto the playground.

A part of her wished that the kids that had already run outside would have lined up on either side on the way to the field they used for battle, like in her manga, but there was no such fanfare or tension. Instead, it was just Kanu, Emmi, and Paige waiting for them at the field, as well as a handful of other kids. Lusamine suddenly felt the pressure of having so many eyes on her. Sure, she'd battled before, but it was all for fun, those times. This time, she was battling for Tai's sake. If she lost, it would be like he lost. She couldn't lose here.

Lusamine met Mohn's eyes as she took up their place on the field, opposite of Kanu and Emmi. Paige stood on the sidelines, opposite of Tai. Just a few days ago, they'd all been such good friends... She clenched her fists, giving the blonde boy a nod, which he returned.

"Wait, aren't you gonna fight, you jerk!?" Kanu shouted at Tai, pointing his finger aggressively at the boy as he stood at the sidelines. "I thought I was gonna fight you and prove to you that you shouldn't be a trainer!"

"Then that was your mistake," Tai replied, giving Kanu a somber expression. "Mohn and Lusamine have offered to fight for me, and I couldn't possibly say 'no' to such good friends who've stuck by my side even after everything. I owe them so much, and I'm glad to call them my friends." Lusamine beat down the rising glee in her chest. It was so romantic and cool! He was just like the protagonist from 'Le Voyage Du Héros'! She focused back on Kanu, and he looked... sad...? It only lasted for a second, so she couldn't get a good read on him.

Was there more to this than she realized, though? If there was, Tai was surely aware of it. She gripped Lily's poké ball, getting ready for the battle. It could start at any moment.

"Whatever, you chicken," Kanu shot back. "I bet you're just scared because you knew you'd lose! Whatever, me and Emmi will just beat your friends, instead!"

"Like we'd ever lose to you two!" Lusamine shouted back. Mohn nodded in agreement as Lusamine threw out her poké ball. "Let's teach them a lesson, Lily!"

"As Taiyo's friends, we'll stand by him no matter what!" the boy added, throwing his own. "Gladen, it's time to battle!"

Shiny petilil and zorua arrived on the battlefield together in a flash of red, each one looking as fierce as they could.

"Tch, whatever. Your weak Pokémon won't stand a chance," Kanu grumbled, throwing his first poké ball out. "Let's show them how bad they're gonna get beat, Scratchy!" From Kanu's ball emerged not a yungoos, but a gumshoos. Lusamine frowned, seeing the fully evolved Pokémon before her. Tai had considered that it was possible, and had given them strategies based on that assumption, but Lusamine had dared to hope...

"Chiipii and I were able to evolve without your help," Emmi stated, last in line. "Maybe you were holding us back, you jerk!" Lusamine saw Tai's face twitch as he tried to stay calm, but she could tell that comment had hurt. "Let's show them, Chiipii!" Emmi sent out her butterfree, and Lusamine tried to ignore the grief in Tai's eyes at the sight. She knew he was proud of Chiipii and the progress that they'd made. Knowing they were so close...

"Lily, use After You on Gladen!" Lusamine didn't wait another second, wanting to put these stupid jerks in their places for daring to hurt her best friend. "Then use Sunny Day!"

"Gladen, let's go with Taunt on that butterfree!" Mohn shouted immediately after.

"Chiipii, Poisonpowder, go!"

"Scratchy, time to Work Up!"

As the gumshoos began to flex and growl, hyping himself up, the butterfree began to fly over the two enemy Pokémon, readying the poisonous attack. However, before she could, Lily waved her little nubs at Gladen, who moved with a speed that Lusamine could barely track out of the way of the falling powder, barking and growling at the butterfree. Chiipii seemed to get enraged at whatever was said, canceling her attack immediately and attempting to dive-bomb the little zorua.

"Chiipii, no! Don't get close to the ground!"

"Lily, use Leech Seed!" Lusamine took advantage of the opening, and Lily expertly fired off her seeds at the descending Pokémon. The little sprouts wrapped around Chiipii, limiting her movements as well as sapping her vitality. "Great job, Lily!"

"Scratchy, use Fire Fang on the Petilil!" Kanu shouted, and the gumshoos obeyed, moving hastily along the ground towards Lusamine's precious Pokémon.

"Lily, get out of the way!"

"Gladen, Scary Face him!" The little zorua faced the charging gumshoos, and whatever he did, it made the bigger Pokémon hesitate long enough for Lily to get out of the way. "I got you, Lusamine!"

"Thanks, Mohn!" she smiled, giving him a thumbs up. "Ok, Lily. Let's counter with Sleep Powder!" Lily let out a happy squeak, puffing purple powder into the wat of the stumbling gumshoos as he passed her. The big Pokémon shook his head before collapsing face-down on the ground.

"No! Scratchy, come on, wake up!" Kanu shouted at his Pokémon.

"Chiipii, help him out and use Confusion on the little dog!" Emmi shouted. Lusamine blinked in confusion. Didn't Emmi know what type a zorua was? Evidently not, because Chiipii's eyes glowed, but nothing changed as Mohn ordered his Pokémon, and Lusamine did the same.

"Gladen, Hone Claws, then Fury Swipes on gumshoos!"

"Lily, Leaf Storm!"

Lily squealed with glee, unleashing a flurry of razor sharp leaves around the field as the little zorua swiped his claws together, then relentlessly clawed at the still sleeping gumshoos.

"Chiipii!"

"Scratchy, wake up, please!"

It was no use. Both Pokémon were completely overwhelmed by Lily and Gladen's combined power, and were unable to remain conscious. "Yeah, we did it!" Lusamine cheered, leaping up with joy and giving Mohn a high-five, which he returned eagerly. "You better give up, Kanu! It's about to be a two-on-one!"

"Don't count me out yet!" Emmi shouted back, pulling out a second poké ball. Wait, they hadn't planned for this! "Come back, Chiipii! You're up, Ruffy!" Her second poké ball released a small, red dog onto the field; a growlithe. This wasn't good... At the sight of the growlithe, both Lily and Gladen seemed to take a tentative step back, and even Lusamine felt an unnatural chill run down her back as the Puppy Pokémon growled in their direction.

"Get some rest, Scratchy! Let's go, Flappy!" Kanu threw out his second Pokémon as well, and Lusamine looked over him with a critical eye, trying to see if he had any extra poké balls or weird tricks up his sleeve as the trumbeak arrived on the field, letting out a triumphant sound like a war horn. This was it...

"Lily, use Leaf Storm again!" Lusamine shouted. She knew Lily wasn't about to get in another good hit, since her precious little petilil looked exhausted from that first leaf storm, but she wasn't about to go out without a fight. She turned to Mohn. "Get the growlithe!" she shouted at him.

"Right!" Mohn nodded, pointing at the little fire puppy, but Emmi beat him to it.

"Nuh-uh! Ruffy, use Flame Wheel on the petilil!" Emmi commanded as leaves began once again swirling around the battlefield, buffeting the trumbeak and growlithe. While some of them struck zorua, it wasn't nearly as many as it could have been. Still, the growlithe charged at little Lily, his mouth ablaze as he began to spin through the leaves.

"Gladen, Extrasensory the dog!" Mohn shouted, and the zorua obeyed without a second of hesitation, his little indigo eyes glowing brightly. The growlithe stopped in his tracks, held up by the Psychic-Type attack before he was... The best way Lusamine could describe it was shifted in a way that was completely unnatural, like a fresh painting that was smeared across the canvas. The growlithe howled in pain before falling to the ground, unconscious.

"Ruffy, no!" Emmi screamed, calling back her Pokémon.

"Hey, who said you could do that!?" Kanu snarled, and Lusamine realized she'd accidentally ignored him in favor of trying to make things a two-on-one. "Flappy, use Heat Wave!" The silhouette of the bird flew from behind where the trumbeak seemed to be, the one she saw first crumbling to the ground like sand. It'd used Substitute!

"Lily!" Lusamine cried out, panicking as she struggled to find a way to avoid the Heat Wave.

"Gladen, use Sucker Punch!" Gladen burst forward as the trumbeak reached the apex of his height and began beating forth hot flames and air towards the duo on the ground. It was enough to cause damage, but with Mohn's quick thinking, trumbeak was forced to end the attack early as the zorua slammed himself against the bird. "Now Fury Swipes!"

"Flappy, Rock Smash!" Kanu shouted after Mohn. The little zorua was only able to get a few good hits in before the trumbeak grabbed in his talons, plummeting to the ground.

"Lily, use Leech Seed!" Lusamine took the opportunity for what is was, internally apologizing to Mohn for not instead trying to break Gladen's fall. The little bulb once more shot out her seeds expertly, landing them onto the bird right after he'd slammed the zorua onto the ground, leaving him unable to battle. Mohn withdrew Gladen, leaving Lusamine and Lily against Kanu and his trumbeak. Despite that earlier Heat Wave ending early, Lily still had taken a beating, and now she was in big trouble with her little Pokémon so exhausted.

"Let's finish this!" Kanu yelled, the band on his left wrist shining a bright red. He crossed his arms in front of his body. "You were never gonna win from the start!" He moved his arms around, waving them upwards like a rising flame as heat and power began flowing off of him. Lusamine stood, stunned. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't do a single thing as she stood paralyzed under the massive amount of pressure resting on her shoulders. The overwhelming power gathering in front of her. "Flappy, use Inferno Overdrive!"

The light and power flowed from Kanu, enveloping his Pokémon as the trumbeak screeched with pride and authority. Lusamine had always heard of the power behind Z-Moves, but this was far beyond what she could have ever thought possible! Flames licked at the bird's beak as he charged forth, enveloping himself in a massive ball of fire straight at her little Lily. Her precious Petilil that her daddy had bought for her, and that Tai had helped her train.

Lusamine snapped out of her awe, grabbing Lily's poké ball. "Lily, come back!" she cried, returning the little bulb before the move could destroy her. The trumbeak stopped on the ground, waves of hot air rushing past Lusamine as the attack tried to find a place to go. She felt her skin singe as the power flowed beyond her and across the fields behind her. After the attack ended, she looked up. Kanu had a frown on his face. "I give up," Lusamine mumbled, realizing slowly that she'd lost. She and Mohn had lost. "You win. Please..."

The kids on Emmi and Kanu's side of the field cheered and congratulated the boy as Emmi made a face at her. Kanu wouldn't stop frowning at her. Lusamine's legs felt weak. She'd lost. She'd let Tai down. She stared at the ground, flinching when she felt a hand rest on her shoulder.

"Hey," Tai's voice, sweet and calm, sounded like the chimes of death to her. "It's alright. We'll just-" Lusamine ran before he could finish talking, trying her best not to cry as she moved towards the doors of the school. "Hey! Lucy! Wait, come back!" She couldn't. She couldn't even dare to look him in the eyes. He'd done so much for her, and now when he needed her, she'd failed him.

I*A*C

Things were quiet at the Balsam house that day. When recess had ended, I'd learned that Lucy had gone home early. Frustration filled me at the thought. At her. At me. At Kanu. Things had been going so well, so of course things had to go to sh*t not long after. A part of me understood, of course. Lucy was embarrassed. She'd gone out of her way to help me, promising to win, and she'd instead lost. Mohn was equally devastated, but after a bit of a pep talk, he promised me he'd get stronger so he wouldn't lose the next time. The guy was simple like that, which I could appreciate. Lucy, however...

She'd locked herself in her room as soon as she'd gotten home, Vic had said. She didn't even come out for supper that evening, and one of the maids, Ashu I think her name was, had taken supper to Lucy's room. If Aster blamed me, then he was silent about it. He simply told me to give Lucy some time to sort out her feelings. So, I sat down outside of her bedroom door.

It's funny, despite being here, I'd never actually been in her room. Even yesterday, we'd spent most of the day in the theater, and then the rest of it out in the garden. I wondered what her bedroom looked like. Would it be pure white and clean, with a silken sheet bed and a tidy floor? Or would it be covered wall-to-wall with manga, and an unkempt bed covered in Pokémon plushes?

I watched as the butlers and maids passed me by as I sat down at the wall to the left of Lucy's door, giving them each a small wave as they did. I didn't want them to think I was depressed, as well. No, I would just sit here until Lucy decided she wanted some company, and I'd be here for her. I spent the time reading the last of Dr. Laventon's memoirs, then figuring out how my new phone worked. I really hadn't taken the time to mess with it since it had been left for me with a note on my bed, last night. It was a phone, pure and simple, with a voice recording function, text messaging. No fancy apps quite yet; the only one of note was an app for SmearTube, Regdon's equivalent of Youtube. The website was still in its 'cute cat videos' stage, with shaky, amateur cams, most videos being funny moments with household pets, or recordings of adventurers and trainers going out and exploring.

At some point as I sat in the hallway, I felt the wall shift behind me, gently pressing back against my weight. I smiled, leaning my head back against the wall when I'd felt it. "I'm here whenever you want me," I told the girl sitting on the other side of the wall. I heard a soft, yet sharp, gasp from the other side of the door. "I don't know what's got you so upset, but I promise you that you didn't do anything wrong. I hope I haven't done anything wrong, either." Yet, even saying those words, I knew I had. I don't know if it was what Lucy was upset about, but the lingering thoughts annoyed me.

Even if they'd volunteered for it, Lucy and Mohn had been forced to fight on my behalf for a battle that was aimed at me. They and their Pokémon had taken the blows meant for me. Yet I'd seen the emotions in Kanu's eyes. His frustration, his sadness, his anger. All of it was directed at me. I knew he didn't hate me. Emmi might, but Kanu was a good kid, despite his rough edges. He'd never turn his back on a friend, and his reaction to what I'd said only confirmed that for me. Despite it all, I think he still considered me his friend. God, I hoped...

I needed to be better. I had to get my own Pokémon soon, and make sure nobody else had to fight my battles. Not only that, but Kanu was right when he said I'd put everyone at risk at the volcano. Maybe if I'd been able to get away sooner, or even fight my way past the Totem Pokémon, there would have been less risk and people wouldn't have gotten as hurt. I looked down at the phone in my hands. Well, there was definitely a way I could do the latter. With the former...

Summer break. That was about a week from now, so it was plenty of time to prepare. I'd have my first Pokémon by the end of summer break. Invigorated, I looked up exercise guides on SmearTube, trying to find something coherent and that wouldn't completely murder me given my age and stature. Even if it wasn't ideal, I could always change the regimen to match my physique. It wasn't like I was unfit, since I'd made it a point in this life to actually do some cardio once I was able, but I could do even better. It took me a bit, but I found a series of videos made by someone called Lieutenant Burg, who apparently lived in Sinnoh in Snowpoint City. It reminded me that the regions all had militaries... Something I'd have to look into, later.

"Lucy," I spoke again after what must have been over an hour of silence. "I'm going to get stronger. So you don't have to keep fighting my battles like you did, today. I promised I would protect you, but I can't do that if I'm still this weak." I smiled, feeling the wall shift from the other side. "You're my best friend, you know that? So don't feel like you have to burden yourself for me. We'll keep each other safe, and hold each other high, got it?" I slowly stood up, brushing off my pants. "I'll be here whenever you need me. All you have to do is call." With those words, I made my way out to the garden. I'd spent the last five to six years honing my mind, it was now time to hone my body.

Lucy sat against the wall of her bedroom, on the right side of her door. The room was dark, since the sun had set a long time ago. She stared straight ahead into her dark room, the massive window on the far side leading to a balcony, where she could see the full moon hanging in the sky. Dried tears stained her cheeks, and the same words kept repeating themselves in her mind. Useless rich girl, they'd called her. Dumb blondie with cooties, they'd say when she tried to talk to them. Weirdo with a weird Pokémon, they'd whispered behind her back when her daddy gifted her Lily, and she'd showed it off to the rest of them. Those words, among many others, reverberated within her skull. All because she was different. Because she loved Johtonian manga and art and music. Because she didn't like the same things her peers did. Because of stupid Unovian pride.

The other kids all liked rock and jazz and pop, and Lusamine loved idol shows, Johtonian folk music, and foreign animation. The other kids liked to wait for the biggest movies to come out in theaters, while Lusamine loved sitting down and playing the piano; admiring the sharp, yet gentle sounds could create a plethora of different pieces of music. Lusamine loved the open countryside, while the other kids loved the crowded, cramped streets of Castelia City. She just didn't belong.

Alola had been a breath of fresh air for her, a chance for a new start. She loved the bright sunshine and the lush trees and grass of the region. When she and her family had sailed in, the first thing she did was play in the garden, discovering all sorts of new Pokémon friends to play with! When she realized she'd be going to a new school, she had been determined to make a good impression. She'd planned out every word, every action, and she knew she'd be the most popular girl in class, just like Haruka from School Life! My Runaway Romance in Trainer School.

Though, of course, no plan lasts first contact. She'd humiliated herself first thing, and all her careful work went out the window because she'd just been nervous. But then, some boy in the back of class had stood up for her, defending her. She didn't know who he was, or why he'd done it, but all she knew was that he had to be hers. If she was Haruka, then he had to be her Muken. The cute boy who skipped classes, caused trouble, and had the eye of every girl in school. He certainly looked like he fit the bill at the time. His school shirt had been messy, his hair was all over the place, and out of all of his friends, he only had one boy among them!

As time went on, she got to know him. He was serious, but had a sense of humor that only appeared when he was really comfortable. He was reliable, and was a great battler, even if he for some reason didn't have a Pokémon of his own. He was friendly, but only to people who went out of their way to talk to him. He was scarily defensive of his friends, and even faced down a group of evil people to rescue her when she needed him most.

And now, she'd let him down. The one and only time he really accepted her help without any other excuses, and she'd failed him. She was weak. Just some useless rich girl who thought she could be something more. Yet, even as she heard him walk away from outside her room, a part of her doubted those thoughts. Sure, she wasn't very strong. She'd panicked, and given up when Lily was about to get hurt. But he didn't blame her. He didn't hate her. He didn't tell her they weren't friends anymore. Instead, he just... let her know he cared. That he was going to get stronger so she wouldn't have to.

"But, if you do that..." Lusamine whispered, not sure if she should smile or cry. "What will I do?" What if he didn't need her anymore? What if he realized she was too much of a hastle, and just left her? What if he began to think she was just some useless, weird girl with more money than skill or brains?

No, she couldn't accept that! That thought was more terrifying than even being kept captive by Team Solar! If Tai was going to improve himself for her sake, then she'd have to do the same for him! Even if it took everything she had, she couldn't just give up and let him leave her behind! Lusamine stood, clutching her hands in front of her as her mind raced for ways that she could be useful. To not be left behind in the wake of people like Mohn and Tai.

Her mind drew blanks. She couldn't think of anything. Slowly, Lusamine leaned back against her bedroom wall. What could she do...?

The blonde girl gently opened her door, peeking to see if anyone else was around in the hallway. Seeing nobody, she gently tiptoed her way down the hall to the garden, where she always went to relax and take some time for herself. Maybe the fresh air and smell of flowers would help her think. It only took her a minute to reach the garden door, and she walked through to feel the cool air of Alola's nighttime. Wind gently swept at her crystal-blue nightgown, the little plastic gemstones sparkling under the moonlit sky. She wandered over to the lake, seeing many of the garden's residents sleeping peacefully with one another. Even Blastoise was curled up in his shell on the shore of the lake.

As she made her way over, she heard the sound of someone shouting. It wasn't loud, and as she got closer, she realized it was coming from a pair of speakers, and from Tai's workshop tent. Lusamine deviated from her walk towards the lake, instead skirting it to head over to the tent where she heard the noises coming from. Moving ever closer, she realized that the shouting was that of a man, counting up every couple of seconds. She peered inside, seeing Tai on the ground and doing pushups as the man on his phone shouted.

"-And eighteen! And nineteen! And twenty! Now get your ass up and take ten, maggot!" The man on the phone shouted. He was dressed in white and blue military clothing, and had a buzz cut kind of hairstyle. "Remember to drink plenty of water, cadet! You've got five seconds, so make them count!"

"Yes, sir!" Tai shouted back, even though the man couldn't hear him at all.

"Now we're gonna work on four reps of jumping jacks, with ten jacks each! I don't want to see your feet on the Arceus-damned ground, cadet! Now jump! Jump! Jump! And one! Two! Three! Four!" The man kept yelling, and Lusamine did her best not to laugh as Tai responded as if he were right there in front of him. "That's the first rep done! Let me just take a moment to remind you to eat healthy while you're taking part in the Lieutenant Burg fitness school cadet! I better not hear of you snacking on any fried foods or chips!"

"Yes, sir!" Tai replied, taking a breather after the rep. Lusamine gently put the tent's flap back in place, taking a few steps back. So this was how Tai was going to improve himself? She smiled, imagining him ten years in the future with a fit body like Nomen. If this was how he was gonna do it, then he was gonna need a good diet. The stuff that they normally ate just wouldn't cut it!

That guy on the phone said something similar, right? Well, even if Lusamine couldn't be great at battling, or anything else, Tai was going to need someone to cook for him. The girl gently skipped to the door. Yes, that was a great idea! She could start with cooking and learning how to put together healthy meals for him, and then surely the rest would just slide into place. If he was going to work so hard for her sake, then she would do the exact same! Now... if only she knew how to cook... As Lusamine returned to her bedroom, she sent Vic a text to wake her up an hour early the next day.

I*A*C