Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Any questions?” my professor, Professor Willow, asked. 

One of my classmates held up her hand. “Can we leave? My next class is in 10 minutes.” 

Professor Willow chuckled as he put the cap back on his dry erase marker. “Yes, you may. As a reminder, your papers on this unit are due by midnight on Monday. They’re your exam for this unit, so put some effort into them. And check your emails! I sent out the full itinerary for our trip to Alola to start off the modern era!” 

I sighed, but closed my notebook and started packing up my supplies. It’s been almost 8 months since my journeys with Rayne ended. When Lee and I got back to Galar, Victor and Aunt Maya helped me move in with Lee, which ended up taking a week. We took a break for me to take the entrance exam for Wyndon University, and I passed with a perfect score. I’m the first person to do that in 19 years, early enrollment or not. They let me in right away, and I’m in my second semester now. 

Attending university has been… interesting though. Especially since I enrolled 3 years under the age limit, haven’t hit puberty yet, missed orientation and just showed up on the first day back, am best friends with the biggest celebrity in the world, saved Galar, have an older brother who runs the region, and was a finalist in the last Challenger Cup. I… wasn’t well received at first. Since I missed orientation, I didn’t get to meet my peers and get a chance to explain… well, anything. The first 2 weeks were… rough. 

College students and professors are tough. They expect everyone to be dedicated to their school work and college life. Everyone who spends their time on college was either never invested in Pokemon battles to begin with or just had a phase. The only Pokemon battles this school does is for the Metronome League Club, which is a school club that holds monthly tournaments with Pokemon that only know Metronome. It’s actually pretty cool. I went to a few matches. But when a former Gym Challenger who looked serious about battles in the public eye 4 months prior just popped up… They hated me. Turns out, no one except the Journalism kids care if you have connections. To them, if you have connections, you got in through those connections, and I have three giant ones. My first day alone was hell. Well, first day-s. I have some classes on Mondays and Wednesdays and others on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Fridays are sort of make-up days where students can visit a professor’s office to ask about a missed lecture or get help on assignments. Still, Monday and Tuesday were bad. All of my professors asked how I got an ID, since we use them for attendance and swipe them through card readers by the door. When I told them I was a student, they didn’t believe me and checked their role sheets. All of them did not like me. 

For those 2 weeks, no one thought I was there legitimately. They thought Leon or Rayne bought my way in or Professor Magnolia forced the headmaster to let me in. Everyone thought I was there as some kind of publicity stunt. To show that anyone could get in. Rumors spread, other students messed with me, professors singled me out, and no one would help me! Then outside of school, reporters tried swarming me with questions about Rayne’s new status as Pokemon Master. It got so bad that Leon had to start picking me up a week in so Charizard could scare the reporters away. That, and Rayne and I decided before I started classes that keeping our relationship a secret would be better. Personally, I don’t care if our relationship’s public, but she knows the media will hunt me down. News reporters are already chasing me down for knowing her. If they knew I was dating her, I’d never get a break. She didn’t want me to get any more unwanted attention, so I agreed. No matter how much I hate it. Then the literal cherry on top came in the form of Darkrai’s endless assault in nightmares. However, because Rayne wasn’t here to calm me down, they were so much worse. The nightmares that made me feel nothing left me feeling empty until noon. The ones that made me go crazy had me destroying my entire room out of pure panic and rage. The ones that made me break down in tears had me crying until nothing else came out. I could call Rayne all I wanted. It didn’t make the pain stop. And I felt more tired than ever. I just wanted to sleep, but I couldn’t stay asleep. It was driving me insane!  

All of it piled up by the 15th. I kept telling myself that Rayne would be here in 2 days, but I couldn’t take it. That nightmare made me hysterical too. I tore my room apart yet again, and all I could think was how this was my life now. Being swarmed by news reporters whenever I left the house, being called out by professors assuming I didn’t know anything, being belittled by people who were supposed to be my peers. How no one took me seriously. How I was just an information source, or some kid attending college as a joke. That I was a joke. So, I ran out of the house. I ran blindly around Wyndon before stopping in the middle of a street, fully planning to just get hit. And I would’ve gotten hit if one of my own classmates didn’t save me.

Xavier is an upperclassman I met in my Kanto History class. He’s a Med Major and a grade above me. While he’s never mocked me, he’s also never spoken to me. There was a seat next to him on the first day, and we said our hellos and nothing else. Based on what I heard around campus, he didn’t talk to anyone. He was just focused on getting his degree. So the fact that he had his Arcanine tackle me out of the way of an oncoming car… It made me break. I barely knew this guy, and he saved my life. I broke down in front of him, spilling my guts about how I couldn’t take the bullying or nightmares or being without Rayne. Which revealed to him that I’m dating her, but he didn’t say anything about it. He just took me to the hospital, since he was shadowing that night and making a coffee run. My doctor took it from there, and while Xavier actually got the coffee, my doctor called Leon. When he arrived, he told me to take a week off and relax, along with signing me up for therapy. I thought I could hold it together between the weeks Rayne wasn’t there, so I refused to get mental help, but that night was when our doctor made it mandatory. Ever since, I’ve gone to see a therapist once a week, and Victor comes up to spend weekends with us. He’s always been able to hold me up, so Leon forced the Battle Cafe he worked at to let him have weekends off.

That night was when Xavier and I started becoming friends. I first thought it was out of pity, but we’ve grown closer over the months. He promised not to tell anyone about my nightmares or Rayne, but did say that my personal doctor made him sign an NDA. League doctors can never be too safe with our medical information. It’s all good though. Xavier and I get coffee every morning, since I’m now addicted. 

After that night though, Rayne came over a day early. And that week she was here and that I took off, puberty hit us like a truck. At the exact same time. The night of the 16th, Ray got her period, kicking off our start to puberty. I got a giant growth spurt over the week and grew to be mere centimeters shorter than Leon (he checked), and felt like my voice dropped like five octaves even though it was probably like two. Rayne grew about a foot taller, but her growth came in the form of curves. She made a joke back in Paldea after I saw Owen’s Blue Hero painting that she saw the Red Hero painting, and joked about how she would get good boobs. That week we hit puberty made me realize she was not joking. The fact that she’s a foodie is a bit more obvious now too, but most of that weight went to muscle mass. It’s more obvious in her legs than anything else. She has to try to show off the muscle in her arms. It’s honestly impressive. Arceus, I love her body. And she loves mine. I quickly realized her crush on Julian came from appearance alone, and since I grew out my hair to be about shoulder length, I sort of match his appearance. Which she loves. She also loves how she’s shorter than me now. 

My doctor was concerned about our sudden growth, but his best explanation for this rapid-out of nowhere puberty was stress. Ray thinks it’s also tied to our soulmate bond and the fact that we’ve been stressed since April, which could be possible. Who knows? 

By the time she left though, I was ready to go back and face the hell at Wyndon U. Victor told me that in order to keep my mental health from going out the window again, something has to change. I can’t stop the media or Rayne’s job, so Wyndon U was my target. My first 2 weeks, I tried staying on the down low. Don’t show off, don’t upset people more. Just fit in. However, that didn’t work, so when I went back, I showed off. My first week back, I made sure my classmates knew how smart I really was. I solved the problems in my Intro To Math class as my professor was writing the first step, I corrected my two History and Intro To Pokemon Bio professors multiple times, and I solved and corrected every problem from my Intro To Engineering class. Some of my peers and professors hated me, but I didn’t care. If they tried pulling some smartass response, I just fired back by reminding them that I got a perfect score on the entrance exam. No one could stop me either. I got perfect scores on every assignment, asked what I could do better on assignments they clearly gave me less points on for no reason, and just shocked them. I went from being known as the kid with connections to the walking genius. People talked to me, asking for help on assignments, to complain about classwork, or to just test their own knowledge. When Xavier found out, he was so excited for me, and… It felt nice. He always checked on me too, but asked for help on a few Biology assignments. People or Pokemon Biology. He reminded me of Arven, in a way. Just… smarter. And Galarian. 

One of my Intro To Engineering classmates saw me help Xavier though, and begged for help. His name is Austin, and he’s an Engineering Major. Who sucks at math. It’s honestly hilarious. He first said he was scared to talk to me since I wasn’t afraid to prove professors wrong, but he was desperate since midterms were coming up, and he was a few points from failing his Math class. Since I only get about 3-5 hours of sleep and do nothing but schoolwork to prove my status, I agreed to tutor him, and we became good friends by the end of the semester. I did learn that Austin is more science smart but also pretty dense. He’s seen Xavier check in on me, but my poor mental health does not click with him. He figures I’m just a tired college student and that Xavier’s just being a Med Major and checking in on me. Neither of us have told him. I did eventually tell him I was dating Rayne though, and he was oddly calm about it. He was less shocked than Xavier. 

Austin and Xavier weren’t my only new friends though, but my last friendship started off heated. Alyssa was the first classmate I ever met. We both had Intro to Pokemon Biology as our first class on Mondays and Wednesdays last semester. She’s a fellow early entry, but tried getting in 2 years prior. She barely passed her third attempt with a 90. Because I was also an early entry, our professor stuck us together, and we were forced into being lab partners. In our Science classes, the first half is a lecture and the second half is a lab. I tried breaking the ice during our first lab, but Alyssa shut me down and told me to fill out the lab packet while she did the work, since she knew more about biology than me as a Biology Major. She then made a mistake and I corrected her, which pissed her off. When we left class, I tried apologizing, but she demanded that I tell her what score I got on the entrance exam. When I caved and told her, she blew up and yelled at me that she failed two times and has been working her whole life to get into this university. That I had a guaranteed spot as a league worker because of my performance at the league and because of my connections and had no reason to even be in college, yet I got in with a perfect score. She was so angry and disgusted by the fact that I was better than her by ‘not even trying’ that she refused to even look at me. Not going to lie; her rant did add to my pile of stress, but when I came back, I made her furious. 

She pulled me aside when our lab started on Monday and asked what the hell I was doing and called me out for making her do the last two labs alone. I apologized but said I was proving that I’m serious about this. She called me out, saying I was a wannabe and a cheater, so we did that lab alone and had our professor compare them. We got the same score, but she was oddly invested in our petty rivalry, so she had us do a pop quiz on the chalkboard in front of the whole class. Which I obviously got the better score on since I’m the genius child of Arceus himself. Alyssa’s pride crumbled in front of me, and she left early. On Wednesday when things had cooled down, I gave her a peace offering in the form of an oran berry scone from the school cafe. We both apologized for being so mean to each other and decided to be friends since we’re still the only early entries on campus. Call it our egos, but we think we’re better than the rest of our class. Alyssa knows the least about my personal life though. I haven’t even told her about Rayne because of… someone else in her life. 

Lexi Springs. The only person at Wyndon U that I actually hate. She’s part of Alyssa’s sorority (which she’s only in because her mom made her join a sorority [and the more I learn about Alyssa, the more I realize that her mom is borderline controlling her, but I digress]), and is a total bitch. She’s a Journalism Major and is obsessed with celebrities and gossip. She chased me down the second she knew I was on campus and asked for interviews with Leon and Rayne for the school newspaper. Then when I took a week off, she wrote a fake article about me saying I dropped out. Sonia found it, since she started checking it to see what’s going on while I’m there, and demanded that the article be taken down or else she’d get Leon involved. The newspaper team apologized to me and kicked Lexi off the team until next semester. She’s despised me ever since, but I don’t care. Posting fake articles about celebrities will get you blacklisted. Better learn that here and not from the real world. She’s why I haven’t told Alyssa about Rayne though. Alyssa will inevitably tell Lexi, she’ll spread the word, and Rayne will be upset about the media swarming me. These aren’t the reasons I hate Lexi though. I don’t even care about that article. Why I hate her is because she’s a colossal bitch to everyone. 

On Valentines Day (which was a week ago), their sorority went out to a club. Including Alyssa, who’s a minor. Lexi tried hooking her up with someone but called her a baby when she decided to leave. She asked Lexi to take her back to the sorority house, but Lexi refused and left her. Alyssa left her only Pokemon at the house and had no means of self defense, so she called me for help. Leon and I picked her up, scared some drunks away from her, and Lee actually let her stay at our place so she wouldn’t be alone in a sorority house on Valentines Day. Sonia claims if any of her sisters came back, they were coming back with someone and having sex. So, she stayed over and crashed on the couch. We were out before Rayne arrived, since her week off here started on the 15th. She and Leon have been doing league prep ever since. 

I stood up and slipped my messenger bag around my shoulder before heading down the steps of the lecture hall to the door. I’m taking Alolan History this semester, and while Professor Willow is more lively than my last History professors, his way of teaching us about modern Alola is to literally take us there. I’ve been dreading the trip ever since I saw it on the syllabus. I just hope he changed the time frame because I have not gone more than 3 weeks away from Rayne. The initial date from the syllabus said we’ll be there for the entire month of the league. If I don’t die of a heat stroke, I’ll die of insanity. 

I glanced down at Dubwool, making sure he was still beside me as we stepped into the hallway. “Do you want anything before we leave?” 

“Nah,” Dubwool replied before looking up at me. “Do you want more coffee though?”

“No. I am getting hungry though. I should’ve gotten a snack after that Engineering exam,” I replied before looking up in thought. “I wonder if he put the grades in.” 

“Wouldn’t Austin be blowing up your phone if he did?” Dubwool asked. 

“Yeah…” I breathed out before someone called my name. We looked behind us, seeing Alyssa running towards me. “Hey.” 

She slowed to our pace before waving at Dubwool, only to look back at me. “Lexi is taking the sorority out to dinner before midterms start and said we could invite a few mates. Penelope invited Austin, so since you know the bloke, do you wanna join us?” 

“Doesn’t Lexi hate me?” I asked. 

“She still holds that grudge, but said she’ll forgive you for helping me last week,” Alyssa replied as she reached down to pet Dubwool. Yeah, because I need forgiveness. “Are you up for it though?” 

“Thanks, but no thanks. It sounds like too many people for my liking. Plus, Sonia needs my help with Power Spot tests. Leon wants to get them done ASAP, and Sonia says she doesn’t trust herself to check them alone.” 

“Ah. So that’s why you’re in Engineering.” 

“Yeah. Totally not because it’s required for my degree.” 

Alyssa snorted. “At least it’s not a waste of time.” Her expression dropped to an annoyed look. “Unlike my required math credits. I’m going into biology! Why do I need to learn the quadratic formula!?” 

“Science and math are similar. Just like history and literature.” 

Alyssa rolled her eyes. “Whatever. You aren’t making that Power Spot thing up to avoid Lexi though, right?” 

“No, but I’ll happily avoid her,” I sweetly replied. I’m making this up so they don’t know Rayne’s here. Sonia and Lee are checking Power Spots over the weekend, and I’m staying home. The media has no idea when Rayne will get here, and she wants to make a grand entrance, so I can’t let anyone here know. They’ll post it and spread the word.  

Alyssa sighed at my comment. “It was one mistake. She’s not always that bad. She’s my roommate for Arceus’ sake. I think I’d know if she’s a wanker by now.” 

“If you say so,” I simply replied. 

Alyssa rolled her eyes as we turned to go down the stairs. “So what type did you draw for the Bio project?”  

“Grass. Again,” I complained, making Alyssa snort. “It’s not funny!” 

“Yes, it is.” 

“This is the third time I have to do a project on grass types. First was the final last semester over a non-Galarian Pokemon, then our presentation over the typical body structure of a certain type, and now this? A project over a grass type legendary?” Alyssa just threw her head back as she laughed. “I only have like… three options! Virizion, Tapu Bulu, and Wo-Chien!” 

“Oh my Arceus…” Alyssa laughed out.

I sighed, but smiled and shook my head. I guess getting a report over a legendary I don’t know is a good thing. Minus Wo-Chien. I can learn about them like my peers do. No one knows I’m the Hero of Blue because Galar is uncultured and because my four missions haven’t even started. Nothing has happened. No criminals, no gods in danger, nothing. It’s almost been a year. I know Suicune told me to take a break, but isn’t this a little much? 

Once Alyssa and I reached the Classroom Center lobby, I saw four girls from her sorority by the doors. Including Lexi. Other than Lexi, I have no idea who any of them are. I know a few names, but I haven’t matched them to faces. I couldn’t stop myself from glaring at Lexi when I saw her though. 

Lexi looked up from her phone and smiled. “Lyssa! Come on! The others already have a table!” She looked at me before her smile dropped. “Oh. Did you invite him?” 

“Yeah, but I’m busy,” I replied before waving to Alyssa and leading Dubwool to the doors. 

“With what?” Lexi asked. 

“League prep. My brother runs this place, remember?” 

“Oh! Does that mean you know when The Master will be arriving for the league!?” one of the other girls asked. 

“I thought you guys didn’t care about the league,” I reminded. 

“We don’t, but we do care about The Master,” Lexi replied. 

I stopped in my tracks and gave the four of them a confused look. “Why?” 

“Uh, because she’s like the biggest celeb ever? Rags to riches story, Champion of every region by age 15, all powerful trainer who destroys everyone in her way, but is also shy and adorable, literally nicknamed a queen. Like, she is a queen, and she’s so cute, and I love her. I need to meet her. So when will she be here?” Lexi sweetly asked. 

I couldn't help but snort as I gave her an amused look. “You’re funny.” 

“Oh, come on!” Lexi complained as I started walking again. “She’s your friend, isn’t she?” 

“What about it?” 

“So, you could introduce us.” I froze in my tracks again. “You know, since Alyssa is also your friend, and she’s our sister, so we’re basically your friends too-”

“Oh, so you want to be my friend now?” I asked as I shot her a bitter smile. “That’s so nice of you to let go of a grudge. Will you leave me at a bar too?” 

Her expression dropped to an annoyed look. “Let it go. That was last week, and Lyssa forgave me.” 

I rolled my eyes and turned away from her, aiming for the door once again. “Either way, I’m not your friend.” 

“So does that mean we can’t meet her?” another girl asked. 

“Not through me.” 

Lexi scoffed. “Come on, junior genius. It’s not like you can spend so much time with her. You’re going to Alola next week.” 

“So are you,” Alyssa reminded.  

I froze, my eyes widening in horror. She’s going too!? She’s in one of Professor Willow’s classes!? Oh, I am dying of insanity. Prepare my spot in the resting realm, Arceus. 

“Exactly. You guys will be leaving, so what if we threw a party this weekend?” one of the other girls offered. “We could send you guys off, and The Master can join us before league season kicks off. We can all meet her and just have a fun time before you lot leave.” 

I gripped onto the strap of my bag. “No.” 

“Excuse me?” Lexi asked. 

I turned to look at them. “This is the first time she’ll be home in a year. She’ll want to spend her time off with her friends and family. Not with more strangers.” 

As I turned around, Lexi scoffed. “Wow. Ok. Rude.” Oh, I’m so rude for not introducing strangers to my celebrity girlfriend on her time off. Arceus, strike me down for I am a sinner. “Just don’t forget to lend Zacian to Alyssa for her Bio project!” 

I froze once again, my eyes widening before I slowly turned around. “What?” 

Alyssa ran her hands over her face as Lexi nodded. “She has to choose a steel legendary, and you have one, so may as well be a good friend and lend the little pup to her.” 

“I told you I’m not doing Zacian!” Alyssa barked as she looked at Lexi. “Our professor doesn’t want Galar native legendaries. I’m doing Solgaleo.” 

“But he owns Zacian!” Lexi began, motioning to me. “He can just lend it to you and-” 

“No!” Alyssa yelled. 

I rolled my eyes and turned around. “Have fun at dinner.” 

“Hop,” Alyssa began, but I just pushed the doors open.  

I saw Leon waiting by the fountain as usual, Charizard by his side. My annoyed look rose to a smile before I picked up my pace. “Lee!” 

He looked up from the packet in his hands before smiling. “Hey, Hopscotch. Change of plans. I have a ton of paperwork to do, so Sonia’s picking up dinner and we’ll eat at home.” 

“Sweet. But why are you swamped with paperwork?” I asked as he stood up. 

“League’s in 2 weeks,” he began as we started walking. “Preparation started today, and Rayne’s kind of losing her mind over what team to use.” 

“Still?” I asked. She was doing that when I left. 

Leon nodded. “Either way, this is the first time in a decade where there’s been a new Chairman and Champion, so we need to make it big.” He gave me one of his usual cheeky smiles. “Maybe we’ll make it as grand as ‘93.”

“Even though neither of us know what happened?” I reminded, smiling with him. 

“All we know is that it was flashy and insane, so that’s what we’re aiming for! Rayne wants to pull out all four gimmicks but can’t figure out how to make a balanced team with it.”

Charizard nudged his snout against my shoulder. “She’ll need help from her genius partner.” 

My smile rose as I reached up to rub his head. “I’ll see what I can do.” 

“You’ll come up with something,” Leon began before patting my shoulder. “You always do.” 

~

My eyes widened the second I stepped into the house. There was a giant whiteboard with notes and papers scattered around it where the coffee table used to be. Rayne sat on the couch with her back to us, staring at the white board. Primarina laid on the other side of the couch while Gardevoir sat beside her. Blaziken stood beside Rayne, and Eevee was laying on her head as always. Well, at least she picked out four teammates. I guess the last two spots are giving her trouble. 

“Oh, little Champion,” Leon sang as he closed the door. “Boyfriend’s home.” 

Rayne snapped her head around before giving me a pleading look. Her arms snapped up as she flung her upper body back against the couch, causing Eevee to fall onto the floor as she reached for me. “Hoppy!” 

I chuckled at her actions as I approached her, taking off my bag. “What’s wrong, love?” 

“I need help,” she whined.

I put my bag down before grabbing her gloved hands. She’s gotten into a habit of wearing them every day, even when she doesn’t leave the house. I started lightly tugging them off as I looked at the board. The type chart and a few stat charts were printed out and pinned to the board, every type was listed in the center of the board and had a Pokemon to counter almost all of them, a bracket was written to the left with the four Pokemon currently here, and a list of names were on the right. 

“‘Meowscarada, Boltund, Donphan, Nidoqueen, Kilowattrel, Corviknight, Ampharos, any legendary really, Lucario, Lurantis, Serperior, Roserade, and Avia',” I read as I tossed her gloves aside to clasp our hands together, feeling her warm skin against mine. I looked down at her. “What’s this?” 

“A list of potential teammates,” she grumbled before looking back at the board. “I want to make an ultimate team since Blue won’t shut up about it. These four are already on it. Blaziken and Gardevoir for two different Megas, Eevee for the G-Max, and Primarina for the Z-Move. I still don’t know who to use for the Terastal stuff, and I have another slot open for like… coverage or something.” 

I looked back at the board, scanning over the coverage chart she made. “Well, you just need someone for electric and fairy.” 

“Yeah, which makes Nidoqueen the perfect option, but I don’t think her attitude will match well with these four. Eevee has enough sass for this,” Rayne began. 

“And I’m way better than her,” Eevee added. 

“That, and I learned electric types are a necessity back in Kalos, but I don’t know who to bring in. I love Boltund, but Kilowattrel also has a unique Tera Type, and she would give me a flying type too. She still doesn’t cover electric or fairy though, and I thought Donphan could do it since she knows Poison Jab, and maybe I could give her the Poison Tera Type for stab boost, but… I love her too, but it doesn't feel right for an ultimate team, and…” She groaned and shook our hands. “I just wanna add Boltund, but she doesn’t cover the types I need!” 

I scanned over the coverage chart. “Can Boltund learn a ground, poison, or steel move?” 

“Yeah. Dig. Why?” Leon asked. 

I lifted Ray’s hand and leaned down to kiss the back of it. “Teach Boltund Dig and give her the Ground Tera Type. Problem solved.” 

Rayne gasped as I let go of her hands, only for her to flail around just to face me and push herself up on her knees. She cupped my face and pulled me down into a kiss. “You genius. You’re a lifesaver!” 

I smiled as she let me go and rolled off the couch. “It’s what I’m here for.” 

“So, all that’s left is coverage for fairy?” Leon asked as Rayne grabbed a dry erase marker and started writing stuff down. 

“Yep. With Boltund, Blaziken’s got normal, grass, bug, ice, and steel, Gardevoir’s got fighting, dark, poison, and dragon, Primarina’s got fire, rock, and ground, Eevee can take care of psychic and ghost types, and Boltund’s got water, electric, and flying.” Rayne tapped her marker against ‘fairy’ on the coverage chart. “I just need a steel or poison type.” 

“But she also doesn’t want to use too many Pokemon from one team. She thinks it’s unfair,” Blaziken added. 

“Because it is! All of you have helped me so much, and Tinkaton alone will beat me up for not picking her. I honestly would if it wouldn’t put a third fairy type on this team, and I am not sacrificing Gardevoir or Primarina,” Rayne explained. 

“Sparkling Aria is too broken,” Eevee added. 

Rayne pointed at her. “Exactly.” She looked back at me. “What would you advise?” 

I looked back at her list of potential Pokemon. “I’d say Corviknight, honestly. Sure, he’d be a second Galar teammate, but he’s a strong steel type and would give you that flying coverage you mentioned with Kilowattrel.” 

She hummed, looking back at the list. “When considering coverage… He probably is the best option. I could whip out a legendary, but it would either be Solgaleo or Eternatus, and I’d rather not use Eternatus.” 

I smiled and patted her head. “You’ll figure it out. I need to check my email.” 

“Why?” Rayne asked as I picked up my bag. 

“My professor sent out the official schedule for that Alola trip. I’m hoping it won’t be for the entire league,” I replied before sitting where she once was. 

“Oh, yeah. I forgot you were going there,” she replied before scanning over the words on the white board. “You can visit Eleanor.” 

“Yeah, but I’ll have classmates around, so it’ll probably be in the middle of the night,” I replied as I took out my laptop. 

Silence fell between us as I signed onto my student account on the Wyndon U online portal. I went to my email, and once it loaded, I saw a few emails. Most of them were campus news and midterm prep, but Professor Willow’s email was there. I took a deep breath and opened the email. 

Attention Alola History students! As I’ve told you in class, we’ll spend the first part of our Modern Alola Unit in Alola. This trip is for all of you to immerse yourself in the culture and get to know this beautiful region we’ve been studying.

Attached below is the itinerary, role sheet, and recommended packing list. Read through them and see if you know anyone. To keep yourselves out of trouble, you’ll be put in teams of 5 that you can mutually agree on. If you don’t have a team by the time we arrive, you’ll be put in one. This trip will also have a 20+ page report about a topic of your choosing about your trip. Details are in one of the attached documents. I’ll see you Monday at the airport at 5:00 A.M SHARP! The plane leaves at 7 and will leave without you if you’re late. See you all soon! - Shawn Willow.

“Shoot…” I muttered before scrolling down and opening the itinerary. It started on Monday. February 29th. If the syllabus was right and this takes a month… 

Alola History, Course WDHT1007-5 and 9 Alola Trip! February 29th-March 29th.

“Are you fucking serious…” I breathed out. 

Rayne sat beside me to look at the screen. “Oh, shit.” 

“What?” Leon asked. 

“I’ll be in Alola for a whole month,” I said. 

“When I’m stuck here,” Rayne added, looking at Leon.

He stayed silent, so I looked over at him. He stared at us in horror and tried saying something, but nothing came out. He then took out his phone and started typing away as he turned for the kitchen. 

I sighed but looked back at my computer. I scrolled through the document, scanning the itinerary. We’d land by 2:30, meet Professor Kukui, then get a late lunch of our choosing in Hau’Oli City. We’d meet up at 5:00 by the Pokemon School, go to Professor Kukui’s lab, and get a starter of our choosing. We’d then visit Iki Town to meet Hala and officially form our groups before getting a late dinner and heading back to Hau’Oli to stay at the Pokemon Centers. The next day, our teams would split up and spend 5 days on each island, including Aether, with a tour guide, but also to do some group exploring. The order would be determined by Professor Willow the morning of March 1st. We’d spend the last 3 days having an actual vacation and doing what we want. Within legal limits, at least. As long as we were back at the Hau’Oli airport by 7:00 on the morning of the 29th. 

“At least it sounds fun?” Rayne asked as she read it with me. 

“I’m going to die…” I muttered before clicking out of the schedule. 

“Of a heat stroke, maybe. It’s hot there,” she replied before hugging my arm and shifting closer to me. “I know it’ll suck, and I would kill to go with you, but… Try to look on the bright side. You can get your Alola legendaries!” 

“Yeah, when I’m stuck in a group of five,” I muttered as I clicked on the roll sheet. I scanned over the names and perked up. Austin, Xavier, and Alyssa were all going. I forgot we all took Alolan History this semester. 

Ray rested her head on my shoulder. “Recognize some names?” 

I nodded. “All of my friends are going.” 

“That’s a good thing, right?” 

I nodded, scanning over the remaining names. We have to be in teams of five. If I team up with Austin, Xavier, and Alyssa, we’d still need one more person. Which Lexi would probably bring upon herself to be with Alyssa. Even if I opt out, I would be with two strangers. Maybe Austin knows some of these kids. I know Xavier doesn’t.

“Is one of them that Xavier kid?” Leon asked.

“Yeah,” I replied before we looked back at him. “Why do you ask?” 

Leon looked back at his phone as he leaned against the kitchen doorway. “I asked Dr. Rashtick what he would advise, and since Xavier is shadowing one of his coworkers, he said if you agree to it, Xavier can help monitor you.” He flicked his gaze back to mine. “You know, so you don’t run in front of a car again.” 

“Why?” I asked. 

“You’ll be missing 5 weeks of therapy and be away from that one,” he pointed to Ray, “for an entire month. You will need a doctor of some sort. So, unless you want the Alola League doctor to force you to stop by once a week, you may want to shoot your friend a text.” 

I rolled my eyes but looked back at my laptop. “Fine. He already knows most of my bullshit anyway.” 

“Do you want me to be there until the league officially starts?” Rayne softly asked. I turned my head, giving her a confused look. She lowered her gaze to my neck. “You’ll be away from people who can keep you stable for a month. The latter part of the trip will be hell either way, but…” She squeezed my arm. “I don’t want you to suffer too much.” 

My expression softened before I laid my head against hers. “Don’t say that like I’m the only one suffering here.” 

“We both may hate ourselves when we’re apart, but you also have nightmares. You have it worse, and we both know it.” 

I lowered my gaze as I laced our fingers together. “I just… need to keep you in mind. Knowing the second I see you again… The pain will stop. For both of us.” I squeezed her hand. “I’ll be ok. I’ll have some friends around. One of them knows about my issues too, so… I think I can manage. Plus, this is your first league as Champion. You need to stay focused.” 

She lightly scoffed. “Yeah, because my Dual Hero brain will stay focused when we’re apart. I’m as motivated as you are sane.” 

I pressed a kiss against her head. “I know…” 

“You can’t go even if you wanted to,” Leon said, making us look at him. He gave us an apologetic look. “Since most of her Master work is for the league, I need to teach her everything there is to it. As much as I want you two to stay sane, Rayne is a hands-on learner and won’t get another chance to properly learn this stuff for another year if she leaves.” 

I frowned as Rayne huffed. “You suck.” 

“I’m doing my job! The league is always cut short anyway, so we can go to Alola once it ends!” Leon defended. 

Rayne shot him an annoyed look, which only made me smile. “You two are ridiculous.”

“Your brother is more ridiculous than me,” Rayne grumbled. 

Leon rolled his eyes before someone started frantically knocking on the door. “Leon! Open the door!” 

“And there’s Sonia. Time for food!” Leon called before running to the front door. 

As he unlocked the door, Rayne squeezed my hand. “I hate this as much as you do, but… Try to enjoy it. Alola is really fun.” 

“Yeah, for someone who loves the heat,” I fired back as I closed my laptop. 

“It’s the home of your senior,” she reminded. “At the very least, you can get to know her better. I’m part of my Red Hero cult, but you’ve barely spoken to other Blue Heroes. Take this chance to get to know them.” 

My expression softened before I nodded. She smiled before leaning over to peck my lips before standing up and releasing my hand. I watched as she went back over to the white board and looked between the papers and words.

I’m going to a region I haven’t been to for a month without Rayne. My break is over. The second I land in Alola, my first solo mission begins.

Chapter Text

Flashes of a pitch-black city flickered through my mind. 

A yellow creature so bright, it looked white fell to its knees as black electricity snapped across its body. There was some kind of black rope or maybe chains around its body. The creature asked someone ‘what are you doing’ before a deeper voice spoke, but I couldn’t pick up on what they said. A portal opened behind the creature, and the creature looked back at it as it started sucking him in. 

He looked back at the other being, digging his four arms into the surface below him. “You’re a monster.”

A familiar roar came instead of a response. Solgaleo? 

A strong gust of wind pressed against the creature, forcing him to release the floor and fly into the portal. He growled as he grabbed the ends of the portal. “This isn’t over!” 

The roar returned, sending out another gust of wind to make the creature release the portal. He screamed out in frustration as the portal sucked him in, and he tried clawing along the walls of the portal. His body faded away, but one last sentence he screamed out made it through before the portal was zapped close. 

“You’ll regret this, Ink! You’ll regret all of this!”  

~

Warm arms wrapped around my bare shoulders, snapping me out of my daze. I was staring at the picture I drew on the paper that was on my wall. Leon installed a giant roll of loose poster paper along my ceiling so I could draw my hysteria-driven dream-visions and not have to paint my walls every 3 days. I only draw visions though, and I haven’t had a vision in months. Until now. It’s happening. Something happens in Alola with this… creature. 

“What is this?” Rayne softly asked. 

I drew that creature as they held onto the portal. I don’t get it though. What is this? It’s not a Pokemon we’re aware of, but is it even a Pokemon? It has to be, right? But the context… Solgaleo was there, and this… creature called someone named Ink a monster. Then Solgaleo opened the wormhole, probably on Ink’s command, to send this thing… somewhere. If he called Ink a monster and said he’ll regret his actions… Is this the trio master? Necrozma, was it? I haven’t read the journal since August, where I sort of binge-read the entire thing out of paranoia, but… Is he trying to get Solgaleo back? Is that why Ink banished him? But where are they? It looked too dark to be Alola, but then again, I’ve never been there. I need to keep an eye out when I get to Alola. Someone is taking gods to… probably use their power. But… If this is Necrozma, I get why he went after Solgaleo, but why would Ink take just Solgaleo? I can’t remember Necrozma’s entry, but… I think he creates the Cosmogs. I need to look through his entry again. But what is Ink doing?

Rayne ran her hand over my head. “Talk to me, baby blue.” 

“What… exactly did Lusamine want when you met her?” I quietly asked. 

“Uh… To find Ultra Beasts and tame them, I guess? Based on what Gladion and Lillie told me, their dad researched them, so it was either to fulfill his research goal or to find him, but considering she just stayed with the Nihilegos, I doubt she went after him. Why do you ask? Does she mess with wormholes again?” Rayne asked. 

“No, but… someone does. I think this is Necrozma; Solgaleo and Lunala’s trio master. I heard him tell someone named Ink that he’ll regret… everything. But I also heard Solgaleo.” Rayne’s breath hitched. “I’m not sure what… Whoever Ink is, I think he’s going after the Alola legendaries… Maybe for Ultra Beasts…?” 

Rayne stayed quiet, so I turned my head to look at her. She was staring at the picture. “It’s happening…” 

I nodded before I turned my head to look at the image. “I figured I’d have my first solo missions when I realized you’d be stuck here while I’m gone. This proves it. Someone is… opening wormholes. I don’t know why or where they are or how they even get Solgaleo, but… Someone tries to take the gods. And this is probably my sign that… I have to stop this person.” 

Rayne sighed before laying her head against mine. “It finally came back to bite us.”   

I nodded. “We can only live in peace for so long. A Dual Hero’s job is never done.” 

“And we will never not suffer,” she grumbled before kissing the side of my head. “Keep me updated. I won’t let anything keep me away from that final battle. Especially if my Pokemon’s involved.” 

“Considering this person forced… whatever this creature really is through a wormhole, I doubt I could win alone.” 

“Don’t say that. You put up a good fight. You stabbed Giovanni, remember?” I couldn’t help but smile at her comment as she tilted her head to look at the image. “Still. Whatever this is… You clearly have to solve something. Like Paldea on steroids.” 

“Or drugs,” I added.

Rayne giggled before pressing her lips against my neck. “Yeah…” 

My smile rose as she adjusted her grip around me to rub my shoulders. I’ve fallen into the habit of not wearing a shirt to bed, mainly since I learned Leon is like Rayne and prefers the heat. During winter, the heater never turns off. He’s given me fans, which is great for the day, but my Pokemon end up sleeping directly in front of them. By now, I don’t care. 

Rayne pressed a kiss against the base of my neck. “Don’t worry about it now. You have a few days, and it's one vision. Give it time, and don’t freak out. Please.” I just nodded, which only made her hum. “How about we get some air?” 

“I have to finish my Alolan History essay,” I reminded. 

“It’s due Sunday night. You can take a break with me,” she fired back before raking her fingers through my hair. “I doubt this will leave your head soon anyway, so take a breather.” 

I sighed and closed my eyes. “Fine. I’m sure my current team is waiting to go outside anyway.” 

“Not to the garden. To the park.” 

I looked over my shoulder to give her a confused look. “Why the park?” 

“For more room. And to get out of the house. This place is nice, but I want to get out.” 

“But what about the media? Aren’t you worried about paparazzi or something?” 

“I can disguise myself. Plus, Galar has no idea what I look like post-puberty and thinks I naturally have dark brown hair, and if you noticed, I’m dye free right now. I doubt they’d realize it’s me at first glance. As long as I don’t draw attention to myself, I’ll be fine.” She kissed my cheek. “Just act like we’re not madly in love.” 

“I know,” I replied before she let me go and sat up. 

“Now get up! And grab your current team!” 

“I know!” I repeated as I stood up. 

Since Lee’s place is already packed with his Pokemon, and since Sonia already had my Pokemon stay at her lab during our journey last year, I switch my team out once a week while the rest of my Pokemon stay with her. She had a conservatory built sometime between Sinnoh and Johto, and they all seem happy there. I always keep Dubwool with me, but my other five teammates are brought in when they ask or if I feel like it. I’ll only take Dubwool to Alola though, mainly because I expect to get another team. Plus, if I’m suffering from heat exhaustion, so is he. It’s part of our friendship. 

While I took a shower, Rayne put an inconspicuous outfit together. By the time I was ready, I found her in the kitchen eating toast. So, I made a breakfast sandwich and a berry-yogurt parfait to give her a more fitting breakfast. She tried stopping me, but I just told her to feed our Pokemon. 

As I put our sandwiches together, Leon entered the kitchen to get his usual coffee before heading to work. He then saw the breakfast I made, and I ended up giving him my sandwich so he could leave on time. He said he’d bring us lunch later as a thank you before leaving. 

We ate our breakfast with our Pokemon, and I fed the rest of Leon’s Pokemon while Ray cleaned up. I usually feed all of our Pokemon earlier, but this is the first time in months I haven’t left my room an hour after my nightmare. I leave to get out of my room and not feel confined, and since Lee’s living room is huge, I usually lounge on the couch with Dragapult and my dark or ghost Pokemon if I have one with me. Lee’s Pokemon were a little cranky from the late breakfast, but they’ll get over it. 

Before we left the house, I grabbed my current ‘nightmare journal’. I’ve stayed in the habit of writing or drawing out my nightmares. Only Rayne and Dubwool have seen what I’ve put in them. I’m on my fourth journal. 

Rayne and I gathered all our Pokemon before we left the house. Since we were in northern Galar at the end of February at 8:00 in the morning, it was pretty cold, so since I had Koraidon in my current team, he flew us to the park near Wyndon Stadium. When we landed, we sent out all our Pokemon before Rayne stretched her arms. 

“Ok!” She spun around to face our Pokemon. “Who wants to take a quick lap?” 

“Oh! Me, me, me!” Dawn cheered, snapping her paw up. 

“Only if I can race you! I’ve already proven my dominance to all of the other Eeveelutions, so you’re next!” Eevee called. 

“Yes, ma’am!” Dawn replied. 

I looked between my remaining Pokemon. Koraidon, Dubwool, Liberty, Feraligatr, and Torterra. “Anyone else?” 

“I’m going,” Feraligatr replied before looking at Blaziken. “You in?” 

“Obviously,” Blaziken replied. 

“Me too. It’ll help me warm up,” Boltund added. 

“I’ll fly around to make sure no one notices us,” Corviknight offered. 

Rayne nodded before turning to me. “Watch Gardevoir and Primarina?” 

“Yeah. I want to write some stuff down anyway,” I replied, lifting my journal. 

Rayne nodded again before she jogged backwards a bit. “Alright, guys. Let’s go!” She then spun around and started running, prompting our six Pokemon to run after her.

I couldn’t help but smile before I led the remaining six Pokemon over to the large tree near us to sit down. Koraidon sat by the trunk, letting me lay against him before the remaining Pokemon sat around us. Torterra and Primarina laid down to take a small nap, Gardevoir and Liberty started meditating, and Dubwool sat beside me and watched as I flipped to a new page in my journal. 

I wrote the vision down on a fresh page. Writing down what that creature said before I drew the image of him being sucked into that wormhole again. If this is Necrozma… I looked at the other side of the page and started writing. 

Who is Ink? How do they get Solgaleo? Is this Necrozma? What does Ink want?

I lowered my pen to stare at my journal. Whether or not it’s Necrozma… There were chains or rope around it that seemed to be electrocuting it. Did this… Ink had to have done this, but why? What are they doing? Why send this creature away and keep Solgaleo? How do they even get Solgaleo? Where did they send this creature? How did they send it? Wouldn’t Palkia be monitoring spatial travel like Dialga does for time travel? What’s going on?

Koraidon jumped up from behind me, making me flinch and jerk back. I looked up as I steadied myself, seeing he was clinging onto a tree branch. “What are you doing!?” 

“Get that demon away from me!” he shrieked, pointing down. 

I followed his hand, seeing an Alcremie frown as she stopped a couple yards away from us. Alyssa was running over to her. I winced and snapped my journal shut. Oh no. 

She slowed to a stop by Alcremie as she looked up at Koraidon. “Wow. For something so big, it sure moves fast.” She looked down at me. “Is it afraid of Alcremie?” 

“Uh, yeah. Only because he’s a fighting-dragon type,” I replied as I straightened up. I then looked back up at Koraidon. “You can come down. She’s harmless.” 

He whimpered, but slowly climbed down the tree. When he sat beside me, I reached up to rub his head. “He’s like this with all fairy types. They just need to show him they’re harmless.” 

“Uh huh,” Alyssa muttered. “What exactly… is that?” 

I looked up at her before turning to Koraidon. “A shiny Cyclizar.” 

“Cyclizar…?” she slowly asked. 

“He’s from Paldea,” I replied as I looked up at her. 

“You’ve been to Paldea?” 

“Yeah. So, uh… What are you doing out here so early?” 

“Uh… I take morning runs every Friday. There’s a wicked coffee stand in this park, and with all the people running around campus on Fridays, I come here to not stay in the lines until noon. What about you though? Why are you out?” 

I looked down at my journal and tapped the cover. “Procrastinating with Professor Willow’s essay.” 

“Fair.” She sat down across from me, letting her Alcremie climb into her lap. 

Alcremie is her only Pokemon, mainly because her parents never let her become a trainer so she’d focus on her studies. It was another detail of her life that made me think her parents, specifically her mother, are forcing her to do… well, everything involving university. 

“Why’d you come here of all places though?” Alyssa asked. 

I looked down at my journal. “To get out of the house.” I tapped my journal. “Get some air to try and focus.” 

“Is that for Intro to Drawing?” I nodded, lifting my gaze to hers as Koraidon laid down beside me again. “Ah. So you’re procrastinating in one class, yet working on another one?” 

“I procrastinate responsibility.” 

“Uh huh. So, what’s your procrastinated paper over?” 

“Going to steal my idea?” 

“No. I’m on the final draft of my own. I’m writing about how Alola’s historical sites were preserved after the global reset. Like the first 100 years. What about you?” 

I smiled. “The witch trials, and how it brought Alola back to their roots of witchcraft.” 

Alyssa rolled her eyes but smiled. “You will do anything to talk about Eleanor Saphlight.” 

“I’m not just mentioning Eleanor! It’s mainly about Marigold Lightrus!” Alyssa gave me a confused look. “Creator of the modern medicine system? She was accused of being a witch almost everywhere she went, but she found some way to prove her innocence every time?” 

Alyssa stared at me, confused. “Do you have sources for this?” 

“Lorekeepers, yeah. Professor Willow accepted them last time.” 

She tilted her head. “How did you… Where did you find lorekeepers?” 

“I’m related to Paldean lorekeepers, and I know a few more from Sinnoh and Kalos.” 

Alyssa stared at me. “You’re related to lorekeepers?” 

“My dad was one.” 

Alyssa’s jaw dropped, which only made me smile. A smile rose to her lips as she shook her head. “Seriously, why are you in college if your relatives can teach you more than Willow?” 

“Because then, I wouldn’t be able to live with Lee.” 

“Fair,” Alyssa began before her expression softened. “So… Did you see the professor’s email?” I nodded, lowering my gaze to my journal. “Is that why you’re out here?” 

“Kinda.” 

“Are you ok? I know you wanted to see The Master again, especially since it’s been so long.” I nodded. “Are you sure?” 

“Yeah. I was more annoyed than upset, really. Ray’s been trying to get me to see the good in this trip. We have some friends and family there, there’s some… legends and ruins that have caught my interest-” 

“You can learn more about your precious Eleanor?” 

“Shut up,” I scolded, lifting my gaze to hers. 

Alyssa smiled at my reaction before running her hands over Alcremie’s head. “So have you formed your team yet?” 

“I asked Xavier, and Austin asked later. We just… need two more people.” 

“Then… Can Lexi and I join?” My expression dropped. “I know you two don’t have the best relationship, but this could help! You can… move past the incidents that made you hate each other and-”

“She doesn’t think she’s at fault for lying about someone in a public article and abandoning a minor at a bar past sundown. Until she takes the blame and actually apologizes to those she messed with, I’m not forgiving her.” 

Alyssa frowned. “I’m not upset about that anymore.” 

“That’s not the point. She did something horrible to you and expects you to forgive her for being rightfully upset. That’s-” 

She placed her hand over mine. “It’s fine. It was one night, and we made up.” 

“Did you, or did she force you to?” 

“I know her better than you do.” She squeezed my hand. “Thank you for the concern, but it’s alright. Both of you are my friends, and I don’t want something like this to keep you from… forming some kind of friendship.”  

“I’d rather run in front of a car.” 

“Oh, come on. She can be really sweet if you just give her a chance.” 

“I did. Several. She harassed me in an attempt to get my loved one’s phone numbers, insulted me in the school newspaper, and left my friend alone at a bar. She’s not trying to get on my good side, so why should I?” 

Alyssa frowned as Alcremie cleared her throat. “Yeah, she’s going to have to try very hard to get on his good side.” 

I nodded as I saw Gardevoir turn her head in the corner of my eye. “Uh, maybe you should-” 

I turned my head, only for a plastic coffee cup to bump against my face. My face scrunched up as Rayne pulled the cup away, but she gave me a bitter smile. And her eyes… They looked darker. Crazed, even. What? 

“Medium iced espresso?” 

I gave her a confused look instead. “Are you ok?” 

“Is this your main order?” she asked me instead. 

“Uh, no? Just the first,” I replied as I moved my hand out from under Alyssa’s to grab the cup. “What’s going on?” 

Instead, Rayne looked at Alyssa as she cupped her drink with both hands. “Hi.” 

I looked at Alyssa, seeing she was staring at Rayne in utter horror. “Holy Arceus…” 

Rayne looked back at me, holding her look. “Who’s this?” 

“Alyssa…” I slowly replied, holding my concerned look. 

“Oh, yeah!” she replied before looking back at Alyssa. “You’re his Bio partner, right?” 

“U-uh, yeah! Yeah. You’re uh-” Alyssa cleared her throat. “You’re… here.” 

“Yeah, but keep it on the down low. The media doesn’t know I’m here yet,” Ray replied before taking a sip of her drink. She hates coffee, so it’s probably some kind of hot tea. 

“O-ok,” Alyssa squeaked before giving me a scared look. “I thought you said she wasn’t here yet.” 

“No, I just avoided Lexi’s question. She’s been here for a while,” I replied. 

“I drop in once a month. Just to check in,” Rayne sweetly hissed. 

Alyssa gave me a baffled look. “Once a month?” 

“It’s for her job. We don’t want anyone to bother her while she’s learning how to run the league with Lee,” I defended. 

“Yeah,” Rayne began before running her hand over my head to lightly play with my hair. “And Hoppy can’t escape me.” 

“Uh… yeah. Totally,” Alyssa replied as I just stared at Rayne. That look… I narrowed my eyes, but saw Alyssa look at me. “Did uh… Did I interrupt something?” 

“Oh, no. I just wanted to get out of the house,” Rayne replied before sitting beside me, but kept her arm around me. “Leon’s letting me take a day off, mainly since he has a bunch of paperwork. Chairman-exclusive paperwork.” She shrugged. “I don’t care.” 

“Uh huh…” Alyssa muttered. 

Rayne looked down at Alcremie before giving her one of her normal smiles. “Hi there.” She let me go to hold out her hand before flicking her gaze to Alyssa’s. “Can I pet her?” 

“Uh, if she’s ok with it,” Alyssa replied before looking down at Alcremie. She just smiled before leaning forward, letting Ray lightly stroke her head. 

“You’re such a pretty Alcremie. The oran berry candies match your color really well.” 

Alcremie smiled and placed her hands over her cheeks. “Thank you. I picked them out myself. Alyssa said white would fit best.” 

“You both have quite the eye,” Rayne said, making Alyssa perk up. 

“You… You can understand her?” 

“Yeah. I can understand all Pokemon,” Ray replied before pulling her arm away. “It’s one reason Hop and I get along. We can both understand every Pokemon we meet.” 

“Really?” Alyssa asked, looking at me. 

I nodded before looking at Rayne. “It’s how she has such powerful Pokemon.” 

“Oh, don’t flatter me,” she teased before reaching up to rub Eevee’s head. “They’re the ones who put in so much hard work.” 

“Wow…” Alyssa muttered before tilting her head. “Excuse me for asking, but… Have you always worn gloves?” 

“Nah. I’m just really bad in the cold. If it’s below 50, I feel like I’m dying of hypothermia,” Rayne teased. 

“Oh…” Alyssa muttered. 

I looked between them, seeing they were just staring at each other. While Alyssa looked nervous, Rayne… She gave Alyssa a calm smile, but her eyes were throwing me off. I’ve seen that look before. It’s how she looks at her enemies or people who have lost her respect. 

I cleared my throat. “So…” I looked back at Rayne. “Any advice for Alola?” 

“Uh… wear sunscreen, stay hydrated, Gladion is mean to everyone, Kukui is oblivious, do not run around in the rain, Lusamine is a little crazy, and… Don’t anger any gods or spirits. Just respect the land and it’ll respect you.” 

Alyssa slowly nodded. “Ok…” 

“Other than that, have fun! I love Alola!” Rayne turned to Primarina and rubbed her head. “Met this little lady there. And my best friend, Lillie. I made a lot of good memories there.” She looked at me and poked my cheek. “So have fun.” 

I just pushed her hand away before taking a sip of my coffee. How can I have fun when there’s a god-napper I need to stop alone? Or when I’ll be stuck with Lexi Springs of all people for a month? Or when there’s a high chance of all my normal friends figuring out exactly what I am? I never should’ve taken Professor Willow’s class. 

Alyssa cleared her throat. “I’ll… keep that in mind.” She stood up, picking up Alcremie as she did. “I should… probably get going. That paper won’t write itself, and I better catch the coffee stand before he goes to a different park.” 

“Ok,” I replied. 

Alcremie waved as Alyssa smiled. “I’ll see you Monday?” I nodded. “Ok…” She looked down at Rayne. “It was… an honor to meet you. Really.” 

Rayne waved her off. “Don’t make a big deal about it. Famous or not, I’m still a normal teen. I’m glad I got to meet one of Hop’s college friends though.” 

“Uh- Right,” Alyssa replied before giving me a quick wave. “Bye.” 

I held up my hand as a wave before she quickly walked off. Well, that was awkward. 

“She seems charming,” Rayne said as she watched Alyssa leave. 

“And lowkey scared of you,” Feraligatr replied. 

“As she should be,” Rayne sweetly hissed. 

“What did she do to you?” I asked as I turned to her. “You look like you want to stab her.” 

“I do not,” she defended as she looked back at me. 

“Girl, you saw her grab his hand, literally froze, and almost crushed both drinks. Yes, you do,” Eevee fired back. 

My jaw dropped as Rayne quickly looked away and took a sip of her drink. “Shut up.” 

“You’re jealous,” Primarina added. 

“Of what? She’s a random scholar in training. You’re a demi-god whose soul is linked with his. There is literally no competition,” Koraidon reminded. 

“I know that, but…” Rayne began before sighing and lowering her cup. 

“But what? She grabbed my hand. So what? You’re touchy with your guy friends,” I reminded. 

“That’s different.” 

“How?” 

“Because I see them as brothers or stupid friends.” I gave her a confused look. “You’ve been nothing but nice to this girl, and you just saved her from a vulnerable moment. That-” 

“So you think she had a crush on me?” 

“I- Yeah!” I couldn’t help but laugh as I fell back against Koraidon. She narrowed her eyes. “I’m serious!” 

“No, you’re paranoid,” I laughed out before lightly kicking her thigh. “And jealous.” 

“Oh, you have no room to talk. You got jealous of N!” 

“Yeah, but unlike you, I was right! He did try to take you away from me!” 

Rayne shoved my foot away before looking at Gardevoir. “Did you sense anything?” 

“I can sense emotional auras. Not read minds. Love is very complex and expressed in many emotions. For you, your main emotions are happiness, peace, and adoration, but Hop also feels a sense of relief. But from what I picked up on Leon and Sonia, there’s more excitement and desire between them than relief or peace,” Gardevoir explained. 

“Ok, then… What did you sense off her?” Rayne asked. 

“Before you came, there was some joy and curiosity, but she was more worried. Then when you showed up, her fear spiked up.” 

“See? She was happy to see a friend but worried because she knew I wanted to see you again, and also curious as to why I was out here. Then you scared the hell out of her,” I fired back. 

“Oh, she was nervous the entire time. It was just more noticeable when Rayne showed up,” Gardevoir added. 

Ray pointed at me. “HA!” 

“That doesn’t mean she has a crush on me,” I reminded as I pushed her hand away. 

Rayne shifted her hand around to lace her fingers through mine. “Still. You’re mine. If she tries anything-”

“She won’t.” I squeezed her hand. “You have nothing to worry about. With Alyssa, at least.” Rayne narrowed her eyes as I lifted our hands to kiss her wrist. “It’s you and me, little red. You know you can trust me.”

Her smile returned as I lowered our hands. “I trust you with my life.” 

I squeezed her hand. “So don’t worry. Nothing’s going on between her and me.” She started looking over her shoulder, but I grabbed her chin to pull her gaze back to mine. “I mean it. Stop worrying.” 

She sighed. “Fine. If we weren’t in public, I’d kiss you.” 

“Ditto.” 

She snorted and pushed my hand away. “Dork. But do you want to do anything else while we’re out? Or are you antsy to get that essay written too?” 

I lowered my gaze to my journal. “I think I just… want to go back home. Either distract myself from that vision or try to wrap my head around it.” I shrugged and looked back at her. “I don’t know.” 

She hummed, but looked me up and down. “Alright. Knowing you, you’ll probably come up with some kind of plan before you leave anyway.” She stood up and held out her free hand. “Let’s enjoy the few days we have left though, ok?” 

I couldn’t help but smile before I grabbed her hand. “Ok.” 

~

Dr. Rashtick: Xavier now has your medical files and told us he’d look over them tonight. He’ll keep us updated, but if you need anything, don’t be afraid to ask.

I stared at the message from last night before something warm bumped against my head. I flinched but looked beside me.

Rayne gave me a tired smile as she pulled her mug away. “Will you be ok?” 

“Yeah. Just…” I turned off my phone and slid it into my pocket. “Worried.” 

She slowly nodded before Sonia stepped into the kitchen, tying her hair up in her usual side-ponytail. “Alright, love birds. We gotta go or else he’ll be late, and trust me, Professor Willow is not one for excuses. Say your goodbyes now or forever hold your peace.” 

“Good morning to you too,” Rayne teased. 

“It’s 4:30 in the morning, and Leon kept me up with questions about the Power Spots. Now let’s go,” Sonia instructed as she went over to the coffee machine. 

Rayne held up her free hand in surrender before turning to me. “I guess this is it.” 

“Yeah…” I muttered. 

She put her cup down on the kitchen island to pull me into a hug. I frowned, but shifted around to wrap my arms around her. “Please be careful.” 

“I always am,” I assured. 

“Still.” She gripped onto my shirt. “Keep me updated, and if anything happens-”

“I’ll call you immediately. I know,” I assured before kissing the top of her head. “I don’t want to do this without you either. Don’t worry about me too much though. Have fun during the league. Victor said he was entering again.” 

“Yeah…” She looked up at me. “As long as you enjoy your trip.” 

“And write a good essay on it. You better pick your topic now,” Sonia added. 

“I’ll write it on Lunala or something,” I defended. 

Sonia perked up. “Oh! Thank you for reminding me!” She took out a Luxury Ball and tossed it to me. “Take your space blob. It’s been acting weird since Friday.” 

I leaned forward to catch the ball before examining it. Cosmog’s ball. She’s been at Sonia’s lab for a while. I guess it only makes sense for me to take her with me. I can evolve her, but I’d have to do it discreetly. 

“Wait, what do you mean weird?” I asked. 

Sonia shrugged. “It has way more energy than usual. Like it has not slept, and your other Pokemon got annoyed.” 

I gave her a confused look. “What?” 

“I don’t think that’s normal,” Rayne added. 

“Well, it’s your problem now. Now come on. If we don’t leave, Willow will leave without him,” Sonia said before picking up the cup of coffee she poured herself to twist the lid on. 

As she left the kitchen, I sighed before Ray cupped my face and pulled me down into a kiss. I closed my eyes and pulled her closer to me. Feeling her comforting warmth one more time before pulling away. 

She took a deep breath and lightly stroked my cheeks. “Go save Alola.” Her expression hardened. “And come back unharmed.” 

“That’s the plan,” I whispered before pecking her lips. “Kick some ass in the league.” 

She smiled. “That’s the plan…” 

I smiled back and leaned towards her again, only for Sonia to call my name. We froze before I sighed. “Coming!” 

Rayne lightly patted my cheeks. “Good luck.” 

“I’ll need it,” I muttered before giving her one last peck and begrudgingly let her go. I walked past her, leaning down to pick up my backpack and slip it on before clipping Cosmog’s pokeball to my belt. More energy and not sleeping… That is weird. I’ll ask Lillie about it. 

Rayne followed us to the front door, and just as I stepped through the doorway, I turned to her. She held her tired smile as she placed her hand over the door. “Call me when you can, ok?” I nodded before holding out my hand. Her smile widened before she took my hand. “Stay hydrated. It’s really hot over there.” 

“I’m aware,” I teased before pulling her hand towards my lips. I kissed her knuckles before kissing the back of her hand. “I love you.” 

She squeezed my fingers. “Love you more.” 

I smiled and pressed one last kiss to the back of her hand. “Loved you first.” 

Her smile rose from my words before I released her hand. She then perked up. “Wait! One more thing!” 

“You forgetful bird!” Sonia barked as Rayne ran back into the house and down the hall. “We’re on a time limit here!” 

“Just give me a minute!” Rayne screamed before I heard a door open. 

I turned to Sonia and shrugged, but she just shot me a glare. “If they’re already headed to security when we get there, I’m blaming her.” 

“It’ll take like an hour to get through anyway. I can take a light scolding,” I defended before looking back inside. “I’m his top student anyway. I’m sure he’ll give me some grace.” 

“If you say so,” Sonia grumbled. 

A few seconds passed before Rayne ran back over to us, holding the Dual Heroes journal. She slowed to a stop at the door before handing it to me. “Just in case you need some answers. Or some of Eleanor’s death songs.” 

I couldn’t help but smile before I took the journal. “Thank you.” 

“Can we go now?” Sonia asked. 

“Yes.” I leaned towards Rayne to give her one last kiss. “Bye.” 

“Bye,” she softly replied as I leaned away. 

I gave her one last smile before Sonia led me down the hall. Rayne smiled back and waved, so I waved back as I followed Sonia to the elevator.

Sonia took me to the airport and came into the lobby with me. My eyes scanned over the large room before finding a crowd of people, seeing Professor Willow by the front. I took a deep breath and made my way over to him. 

Professor Willow glanced over at me before he fully turned to me and smiled. “Good morning, Hop. Glad you made it on time. And hello, Sonia! It’s been a while.” 

“Indeed it has. I see you’re still teaching History,” Sonia teased. 

“I have a degree in it,” Professor Willow defended before handing me his clipboard. “Go ahead and sign in.” 

I took the clipboard as Professor Willow stepped past me to speak to Sonia. My eyes scanned over the list of names as I grabbed the pen before I found my own. As I signed the spot beside it, someone came up to me. 

“It’s your turn to get coffee.” I looked up, seeing Xavier in front of me. He smiled. “Airport coffee is hit-or-miss, so choose wisely, mate.” 

A small smile rose to my lips before I finished signing my name. I guess I was worried for nothing. Unless Xavier hasn’t read my file yet. Or unless he’s just trying to act like nothing’s different even though he knows everything now. He knows how long I’ve had my nightmares. When I faced Giovanni. That I’ve been brainwashed, shot, burned, kidnapped, that I’ve had depression since I was at least 9-

That I’m the Hero of Blue, 

and that Rayne is the Hero of Red, 

and that I’m psychic, 

and I never should’ve let this happen. 

I should’ve agreed to speak to the Alola league doctor. Xavier knows too much. He already knew too much. All I’m doing is putting him in danger. 

Xavier grabbed my arm, making me look up at him. He frowned. “Are you ok?” 

No. 

“Yeah,” I softly replied before lowering the clipboard. “Just… tired. Little anxious too, I guess. Especially for the heat. I might pass out.” 

Xavier’s smile returned. “I’ll make sure to carry plenty of water. For all of us.” 

“Yeah,” Austin began before he took the clipboard from me to sign in. “Alola is at least twice as hot as Galar.” 

“So, 160 on a hot day?” I teased. 

Austin shot me an annoyed look. “Shut it.” 

I gave him a sweet smile before he finished signing in and gave the clipboard to the student behind him. 

“Alright, everyone!” Professor Willow began, grabbing our attention. “For those who still need to sign it, the sign-in sheet is going around. Before we go through security, let me make a few things clear. This isn’t like the little field trips you took during daycare or whatever school you went to before this. We are going to a completely new region with its own culture and customs. Be polite and respectful to all the locals there. You are representing our university, so please do not upset the locals. Also, while this may be a vacation, you are still with your school. Whether you’re old enough or not, do not drink, do any drugs, or break any laws. If any of you break any laws or rules I’ve established here or in my emails, you will come back early, and I will dock 20 points off your paper. This includes the rule to stay with your teams when we split up. Does everyone understand?” 

“Yes, professor,” we all replied. 

Professor Willow looked between us before nodding. “Good. With that said, let’s get to security.” 

I looked at Sonia, and she smiled when our eyes met. “Have fun. Take some pictures and figure out how Ninetales became an ice type!” 

I smiled before giving her a teasing salute. “Yes, ma’am.” 

“Don’t get arrested!” Sonia called as she started walking backwards towards the door. 

“I know the law!” I fired back.

Sonia just waved before spinning around to leave. My smile fell before Austin linked his arm with mine to start pulling me away. 

My eyes scanned over my classmates, seeing Xavier beside me before my eyes landed on Alyssa and Lexi. They were talking, but Lexi clearly looked annoyed. I really don’t want to be stuck with her. I don’t want to be stuck in a team in general. Something involving the legendaries is going on. There’s a god-napper I have to stop. How am I going to complete a Dual Hero mission when no one here can know I’m a Dual Hero?

Chapter Text

Black electricity snapped across my vision as one of the Galar stadiums came to view. Black chains or rope wrapped around Rayne, who stood on the field with blonde hair with the tips dyed red. She winced from the black electricity snapping across her body, but grabbed the chains as she looked up, revealing her crazed, red eyes.   

“You think this can stop me? I’m not like your partner.” She ripped the chains off of her body. “I’m stronger than you. I’m more of a god than you. And you fucked with the wrong god!”

With that, she swung the material back and threw it towards my vision, revealing they were chains. The chains crashed into me, cutting off the image and sending a shock through my body. 

~

My eyes snapped open as I flinched from the electrical shock, or feeling of one. Just when my eyes opened, my skull started pounding. I scrunched up my face and slowly lowered my head. Did I fall asleep? Maybe. That felt more like… a vision than a nightmare though. But Rayne… What is she doing? ‘I’m more of a god than you’? And those chains… They were the ones used on that creature in my last vision. The ones Ink used. What are those chains? Why were we in Galar? And why does my head hurt? Visions never leave me with headaches. Only telekinesis does. 

A muffled voice asked me something, so I looked beside me. Xavier and Austin stared at me, Xavier concerned while Austin looked confused, but when we made eye contact, their eyes widened. 

I gulped, but took my earbud out. “Say again?” 

“Uh… We landed. Are you ok? Your nose is bleeding,” Austin asked. What?

I reached up, feeling a warm liquid under my nose. A nosebleed too? What is going on? 

“Hold on. Don’t touch anything,” Xavier began as he leaned down to pull his backpack out from under his seat. 

“Mate, are you ok?” Austin asked. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I just uh…” I began before taking a deep breath. “My head is killing me. For some reason.” 

“Well… You were out for about half an hour,” Xavier said before handing me a tissue. 

“Yeah, but don’t naps help you feel better?” Austin asked as I took the tissue to wipe the blood off my finger. 

“Not in my case,” I grumbled before wiping the blood off my face. 

“Do you want some aspirin?” Xavier asked as he took out a small bottle of hand sanitizer. 

“Probably,” I replied before picking up my phone from my lap. 2:39. At least I got a small nap in. And didn’t wake up screaming on a plane full of my peers. 

I tucked the tissue away before Xavier gave me some hand sanitizer, only to reach into his backpack again. He dug out the small bottle of aspirin as I turned my music off and put my earbuds away. While I slid the case in my pocket, Xavier opened the bottle and shook two small pills onto his hand and gave them to me. I thanked him before taking them. 

While we waited for the seatbelt sign to turn off, I took out my nightmare journal and wrote down the new… information(?) I got. The shocking device now being cleared up as a chain, and now Rayne being… Well, in crazy Red Hero mode. With blonde hair with the tips dyed red. She’s never had her hair like that. I would’ve remembered. That scene was more hot than concerning though. Darkrai wouldn’t give me something like that. Whatever that was… That was a vision. A warning for the ‘final battle’. It’s in Galar, and Rayne’s hair will be like that when it approaches. But why in Galar? What gets Rayne to act like that? Is it a simulation? Due to a wormhole? Considering this Ink person sent that light creature through a wormhole, it’s possible. Is all of this just… stopping Ink from opening wormholes? That’s technically what Rayne did with Aether. Maybe Ink is an ex-Aether employee, or… I need to talk to someone in Aether before jumping to conclusions. 

A few minutes passed before we were allowed to start leaving the plane. Upon Professor Willow’s request, all of us waited by the end of the gate. Professor Willow called roll when everyone was off to make sure all fifty of us were here before leading us out of the airport. And the second we stepped outside, heat slammed into me. 

I froze, my eyes widening as my head went light. The pounding in my head grew as white spots flashed across my vision, making me grab my hair. This can’t be just from heat. What is going on with my head? 

Xavier placed his hand on my shoulder. “What’s wrong?” 

I shook my head and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. “Nothing. I’m not used to this heat. That’s all.” 

“Alright. Do you need some water?” Xavier asked as Austin linked his arm with mine. I nodded, letting Austin lead me away from the doors. Dear sweet Arceus, why is it so hot!? Eleanor, you lived in this?

“Holy Arceus, are you ok?” Alyssa asked. 

I opened my eyes, seeing her and Lexi staring at us. Lexi looked disgusted. “Yeah. I have a low heat tolerance. Got it from my mom.” 

“Well, that’s convenient,” Lexi grumbled. I shot her a glare as she turned around to keep following the crowd, pulling Alyssa with her. “We’re going to get such good tans! Allison’s going to be so jealous.” 

“I don’t know. Blonde plus tan doesn’t seem too appealing,” Austin mocked as Xavier gave me a bottle of water. 

Lexi looked over her shoulder to give him an annoyed look. “Did I ask you?” 

Austin copied her look. “Oh, so you’re only nice to me when your mate is around?” 

“It’s called being a wing woman. Look it up,” Lexi replied, and I saw Alyssa nudge her elbow into Lexi’s ribs. 

I rolled my eyes as I unscrewed the water bottle cap to take a drink. But as I tilted my head back, I saw a white… line in the sky. And it was pulsing. I slowly lowered the water bottle as I narrowed my eyes. What is that? 

A collection of gasps made me look back at my classmates. At the end of the dock was Professor Kukui, Hau, and Elio. Both Elio and Hau looked older than I expected. Both of them were taller, Hau now opted to have his hair down and wore less bright clothes, and Elio ditched the hat and had shorter hair compared to when I last saw him. He had on looser clothes too. 

My peers whispered between each other, pointing to Elio and Hau. Whispering how Elio looked like Rayne and how Hau looked like me. 

Hau looked over at us before perking up. His arm snapped into the air as he started waving at us. “Alola, college students!” 

“Do any of you know Hop Morada!?” Elio demanded. 

I couldn’t help but smile as I held up my free hand. “Back here, guys!” 

The two boys snapped their heads towards me before gasping. They shot towards the crowd, Elio pushing people away. My expression dropped as Xavier looked between us. 

“Uh… do you know-” 

“HOP!” Hau screamed before tackling me into a hug. 

A wheeze was pushed out of my lungs as Austin was forced to let go of me. I stumbled back, trying to stay steady before Elio joined the hug. That’s when my legs gave out. The three of us fell to the ground, but Hau just laughed. 

“I see you have friends here,” Professor Willow teased as… well, everyone looked down at us. 

“More like family,” I choked out before patting Elio and Hau’s backs, lightly hitting Elio with my water bottle. “Please get off me. You’re crushing my lungs.” 

“Oh, sorry!” Hau called before jumping to my feet. 

“Are you ok?” Xavier asked as Elio pulled me up. 

“I think so,” I replied before looking at Elio. “I see you finally grew.” 

“Yeah. Our family is known for being late bloomers. We don’t hit full puberty until we’re halfway through 15. Chase hates it since he’s half my height,” Elio teased before he stepped back to get a better look at me. “You look good though. Less like Hau.” 

Hau grabbed my face. “Yeah, but he’s still my doppelganger.” He squished my cheeks, making me give him a confused look. “We even have the same jaw.” 

I pushed his hand away as Professor Willow approached us. “Uh… So how do you know these two, Hop?” He looked over his shoulder at Professor Kukui, who stepped into the crowd. “Or are Alolans more friendly than I remember?” 

“No, we’re his family!” Elio barked before hooking his arm around my shoulder. “He’s best friends with two of my cousins. And Hau is my best friend, so he’s friends with Hop by default.” 

“Does one of your cousins happen to be The Master?” one of my classmates asked. 

Elio gasped and cupped his face. “You noticed the genes? I know. We look so similar. Give her some black hair dye and we look like twins. We even fooled the professor.” 

“No way!” Lexi called before pushing the people in front of her aside so she could run over to Elio. “You’re actually related to her!?” 

“Yep,” Elio sweetly replied as I narrowed my eyes. 

“He’s not giving you an interview.” 

“I don’t want an interview from him,” Lexi spat before smiling at Elio. “Could you possibly get me in contact with The Master? I’ll be back on our university’s newspaper team next semester, and an article about her would be a wicked comeback, especially since league season will be over.”

Elio stared at her before looking at me. I shook my head. Elio sucked in a breath through his teeth before looking back at Lexi. “Sorry, but when her voice of reason says no, I gotta side with him.” 

Lexi’s expression dropped before she shifted her gaze to me. “Voice of reason?” 

“Yep,” I replied before giving her a sweet smile. “I know what’s best for her.” 

She narrowed her eyes. “What are you, her boyfriend?” 

“I don’t have to be,” I fired back. 

Lexi sharpened her glare, but I just glared back. Hau and Elio looked between us before Hau leaned towards my ear. “We don’t like her, do we?” 

“No,” I whispered. 

Lexi shook her head. “Tosser…” 

“Perra egoísta,” I hissed under my breath. 

“Alright, settle down,” Professor Willow said as he stepped in the middle of the circle we unconsciously made. “I’d like to introduce all of you to our three guests here.” He motioned to Professor Kukui. “This is Professor Kukui. He studies Z-Moves, and is the current stand-in Champion.” 

“Until someone takes his throne,” Elio teased. 

“It’s coming, old man,” Hau added. 

“Yeah, when I actually become old,” Professor Kukui fired back, but he smiled at the duo. 

“These two are Professor Kukui’s star pupils. Elio Collins and Hau Kahale,” Professor Willow continued. 

“They took on the Island Challenge with our Pokemon Master, and they know her pretty well,” Professor Kukui added. 

“I’m her Alola rival,” Hau bragged before bumping his elbow against my ribs. “So the Hop of Alola, if you catch my drift.” 

“Wow…” I heard Austin mutter as my classmates looked between each other. 

“But welcome to Alola!” Professor Kukui cheered before looking between all of us. “I’ll be one of the people helping you guys during your stay. Elio and Hau can help you as well. For today though, we’ll all stay together. I’ll let you guys go to explore the city and get something to eat. By 5:00 o’clock, meet us at the Trainers School so I can take you to my lab.” 

“Do not leave the city, and stay with someone. You can form your group early if you want, but be with at least one of your peers,” Professor Willow instructed before motioning to the end of the dock. “Now go! Be free for 2 and a half hours! Don’t do anything illegal!” 

“Yes, professor,” we replied before the crowd started dispersing. 

Hau linked his arm with mine. “We’re going to get you a malasada so you can experience their excellence.” 

“Not until we get some actual food,” Elio scolded. 

“Oh, come on! I need to know if he likes malasadas so I know he’s my real doppelganger!” Hau defended. 

“Uh, malasada?” Xavier asked. 

Hau turned to him, giving him a wide smile. “Only the biggest delicacy Alola has to offer! A soft pasty dusted in powdered sugar and filled with a jelly or cream of your choosing!” 

“So… a jelly donut?” Alyssa asked. 

Hau scoffed and turned to her. “Malasadas are much more than jelly donuts. They’re an art form. An icon of Alola’s culture.” Hau grabbed my arm again. “So we’re getting them!” 

“Well, have fun with that,” Lexi began before turning to Alyssa. “I read that the biggest mall in Alola is here, so let’s check it out before we’re put in our team.” 

“Uh, about that-” Alyssa began, but Lexi started walking away. Alyssa sighed, but looked at us and waved. “See you later.” 

“You too,” Austin replied as I frowned. 

As Alyssa spun around and ran after Lexi, Xavier turned to me. “They’re part of our team, aren’t they?” 

“They’re the only two without one,” I replied as I looked at him. “Alyssa said she asked a few people she knew, and Austin asked his mutual friends in your class. No one wanted to travel with Lexi.” 

“Well, duh. She’s only in university to build credibility. She stirs up drama just to get views. She just bit off more than she could chew with your article,” Austin explained. 

“She wrote an article about you?” Elio asked. 

“Yeah. A fake one saying I left 2 weeks in when I was really on a mental health break,” I replied. 

“She got kicked off the newspaper for that, but has a blog to keep posting pointless drama from campus,” Austin added before looking at me. “My sister found it. There’s nothing about you yet, but she pissed a lot of people off.” 

I rolled my eyes. “I swear…” 

“What a bitch,” Elio sweetly replied before squeezing my shoulder. “So who’s up for some lunch?” 

“Me! I’m starving!” Austin called. 

“Then to the malasada shop!” Hau called before running off. 

“Don’t worry. I’ll show you guys an actual restaurant. Since you’re first-timers, you gotta try the Alolan Plate. It has some smoked meat, greens, rice, traditional pudding. You’ll love it,” Elio explained as he led us after Hau. 

“As long as there’s air conditioning,” I replied before opening my water bottle again. 

“There is,” Elio replied before looking at me. “So did you bring your partner, or did you come solo?” 

“Oh, thanks for reminding me,” I said before I grabbed Dubwool’s pokeball. I sent him out, and the second he appeared, he frowned. I gave him a bitter smile. “If I suffer, so do you.” 

“I actually hate you,” he fired back. 

“Love you too,” I replied before taking a sip of water. Where my eyes locked with that pulsing line again. I pointed up at the line before lowering my water bottle. “So what’s that?” 

The four boys looked up before Hau and Elio gasped. “Wormhole!” 

“Wormhole?” Xavier asked as Elio quickly let me go to take off his backpack. 

“Yeah! Professor Kukui’s wife researches them,” Hau replied as Elio held up his giant Pokedex to take a picture of the wormhole. Hau looked up and smiled. “It isn’t open, and none of the spotted wormholes have opened in about a year, but that spot is like a weak point in the spatial continuum, according to Professor Burnet. If we’re lucky, it may open later, and something from a different dimension could fall through!” 

“Oh, yeah. Tristan did his paper on the anomalies in Ancient Alola,” Austin said. 

“I guess it’s still present,” Xavier replied before humming. “Maybe I should write my next paper on them…” 

“Either way, that’s wicked,” Austin replied before looking at me. “Should we tell Professor Willow about this?” 

I looked up at the wormhole before narrowing my eyes. That bright creature I saw was sucked into a portal. I thought the wormhole was from our end because Solgaleo was with Ink. I didn’t consider it being from another universe. What if… that creature was sucked into our world and this start of a portal is the other end? Does that mean it’s not Necrozma? Still, how does Ink have Solgaleo? Arceus, what did Necrozma’s entry say? Either way, if that’s the case, how did I see something from an entirely different world? Or is this something completely unrelated and proof I’m losing my mind?

“No,” I began. “Not unless it becomes serious.” 

“Yeah. Like Hau said, the last one that opened was practically forced open,” Elio replied before lowering his Pokedex. “I’ll still send this to Professor Burnet though.” 

I looked back at the wormhole. “Rotom, can you take a picture, please?” 

“Of course,” my Rotom phone replied before flying out and snapping a picture of the wormhole. 

I took my phone and approved the picture before going to my messages. I went to my message board with Rayne before sending the picture. 

Me: Barely an hour in and things are getting weird.

Elio turned to us as I put my phone away. “Enough of that though. Let’s get some lunch!”

Chapter Text

The restaurant Elio took us to was a more hole-in-the-wall sort of place, but still charming. The Alolan Plate he mentioned was really good though. There was a mix of flavors all around and didn’t have too much food despite how many different items were on the dish. As we ate though, Ray texted me back. It wasn’t the response I expected. 

Little Red <3: 0-o you gonna get a Nihilego too???

I could help but roll my eyes. I guess she doesn’t see this as serious. Maybe it isn’t. Elio did say wormholes like this show up pretty often and never open. Maybe that’s all it is. Maybe… Maybe I’m overthinking this. 

Me: Oh ha ha. You’re so funny.

Little Red <3: hehe :P. But dude, if that opens, tell me. It could be related to that vision you had a few days ago.

Little Red <3: OH THATS WHY YOURE TELLING ME THIS!!!!!!

Me: You don’t say.

Little Red <3: shut up. You know I’m stupid.

I glared at my phone, but kept reading the message. 

Little Red <3: But do you think that four-handed creature will come out of that?????

Me: Don’t call yourself stupid. But I have no idea, really. Whether it happens or not, it won’t answer any question I have. Maybe if he’s Necrozma, but that’s it.

Little Red <3: look at Necrozma’s entry then.

Me: I can’t. I’m with my teammate right now. And Elio and Hau, but I doubt they could give me a distraction. I’ll check when I have a moment of peace. Speaking of which, Elio and Hau said these wormhole-things appear all the time, yet never open. According to Professor Burnet, at least, so maybe this is completely unrelated???

Little Red <3: OH MY GOSH! Say hi to them for me! But just because Burnet says that doesn’t mean it’s true. Someone could be fucking with them. With my lion >:(

Me: If the creature comes through that portal… it wasn’t your Solgaleo. It would be coming from an alternate dimension, and last I checked, Solgaleo is in your backyard.

Little Red <3: weird… keep me updated.

Me: That’s the plan.

We finished lunch before Hau dragged us to the malasada shop. We all got one to try, and they were pretty good. I expected them to be much sweeter, but the one I got had a sort of tart filling, so it wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet. Hau was just happy I liked them. 

To kill our remaining hour and a half, Elio and Hau took us to the mall, mainly so we could get cooler clothes and some portable fans. Short sleeves were not cutting it. I bought some tank tops with Austin while Xavier bought some looser clothes. We got changed in the restrooms, and when Austin saw me, he grabbed my arm and asked every possible question about my tattoo. Then he noticed the bullet scar and asked every possible question about that. Xavier had to pull him away from me. 

Elio and Hau spent our remaining time giving us a tour of Hau’Oli. Pointing out the best restaurants, service centers of any kind, where the neighborhoods were, and even a small beachside. Our last stop was the Trainer’s School, where the two professors were already waiting with a few of our peers. 

Since we came back early, Professor Kukui took us to the Tourist Bureau to get Trainer Passports made. They would allow us to go across the islands and would also act as our proof of completion if we decided to do the Island Challenge. There were spots for stamps upon completing trials. This was also where Austin and Xavier learned about the Island Challenge, which has been straightened out by Mr. Tajiri and Rayne to fit into the Alola League. 

Trainers had to beat eight trials, collecting eight Z-Crystals in the process. Although there’s currently twelve trials across Alola, trainers only had to beat eight. Grand Trials don’t exist anymore either. All of them are now simply called trials based on their types like Gyms are and run pretty similarly. The challenger completes a puzzle or challenge before facing a Totem Pokemon. If they win, they get the Z-Crystal to act as a badge. According to Rayne, they’re relatively the same compared to what she challenged for the Alola League, except the Kahuna battles are the puzzle-challenge and there’s an additional Totem Pokemon fight inside the ruins. The Tapus now have Totem Pokemon guarding them. While trainers could decide what trials they could do, they had to beat the Kahunas, so to enter the league, they had to have the Fighting, Rock, Dark, and Ground Z-Crystals. They could choose four out of the remaining eight. Normal, grass, water, fire, ghost, electric, fairy, or dragon. Mina got an official trial, and someone was chosen to be the Dragon Trial Captain. 

Austin found it interesting, but Xavier opted to not take on the challenge. The trials always have caught my interest for how different they were, so I may do them. I would do all twelve though. That’s how Rayne did it, so if I do the trials, I’ll do them that way too.

By 5:00, everyone was at the Trainer’s School and had a passport, so Professor Kukui led us to his lab. Elio pointed to his house as we passed, and my honorary Aunt Braelyn greeted us from her porch swing. Unlike Elio, she’s gotten tan from her time here. How is Elio still pale after being here for a year? I get the Kane family from being cooped up inside Aether, but what’s Elio’s excuse?

Professor Kukui’s lab was more like a shack along the beach. I was more surprised that I didn’t expect this. Of course this would be Professor Kukui’s lab.

When all of us were on the beach, the professor turned to us and smiled. “Ok! You guys stay out here while I gather up all the starters. You can chat, check out the Pokemon over here, or… I don’t know. Post to your little social media pages.” 

“Follow me at ECAlola on PokeGram! It’s mildly interesting!” Elio called as Professor Kukui turned to his lab. 

“Speaking of social media, I’m going to make a group account on Chatter and send you a link to join tomorrow morning to post updates about your trip. I’ll even post daily challenges, and the best post per day- in my opinion, not by likes or views- will get their entire team a bonus point on their essay,” Professor Willow explained. 

I gave him a surprised look as a few of my classmates gasped. Including Austin. He grabbed my arms and started shaking me. 

“I need as many of those as I can get! Quick, what does the professor find charming!?” 

“How would I know?” I asked as I pushed him back. 

“Because you’re the top student,” Austin squeaked. 

“Yeah, because I know history. Not because I know what Professor Willow wants to hear. I correct him all the time.” 

Austin whined as Xavier looked over at the crowd of students. “Only one of us has to make a good post, so as long as one of us finds something rare or fascinating, we may be able to gather a few points. We have some competition though. One of our classmates is close to failing, but she’s a Photography Major. She needs those points, so she’ll go all out.” 

“Is there any other Photography Major we can steal? I can cover humor, but I can’t take pictures for the life of me,” Austin asked before looking at me. “Is there anyone in your class?” 

“I have no idea. Only like seven of us talk,” I replied. 

“All of our other classmates already picked their teams too,” Xavier reminded. 

Austin sighed as his head fell in defeat. “I’m never going to get above a B in this class…” 

I couldn’t help but smile before a sharp spike of pain dug into the side of my head. I sucked in a breath through my teeth and grabbed the side of my head, pressing the heel of my palm against the spot. 

Xavier and Austin grabbed my arms. “Mate, are you ok?” Austin asked, but his voice was… muffled. 

Ringing picked up in my ears, only to be followed by the sound of glass cracking. I squeezed my eyes shut as the cracking sound started spreading across my skull. The cracks ran across my field of vision as the pounding made a blurry figure flash across my mind. A yellow creature with four arms. The light creature… 

As the cracking and pounding and ringing went on, the creature leaned towards me. “Young one.” I slowly lifted my head, trying to open my eyes, but that made the scene disappear, so I kept my eyes closed. “Take your Light Bringer to deliver my prism to your Necrozma. Do not let any mortal touch it.” I lifted my head high enough to meet his gaze, and although his figure was still blurry, I saw him frown. “I apologize for putting this onto you, but I cannot stop my creation. Work with my fellow alphas and defeat that demon of darkness for good.” 

Before I could even begin to ask anything, the sound of glass shattering filled my skull. My eyes snapped open as I sucked in a breath, bringing me back to reality as my head went light. As Xavier and Austin steadied me, I heard one of my classmate's scream. 

All of us turned to her, seeing she was staring at the sky in horror. So, obviously, all of us looked up. My eyes widened in horror, seeing the light creature fall from the now opened wormhole and right for us. What!? 

“Holy Arceus…” Austin breathed out as I straightened up. 

“It opened!” Hau screamed. 

“Rotom!” I called, but heard Elio say it as well. As my phone flew out to start recording or taking pictures, I turned around to see Elio’s Pokedex floating beside him. Oh. His Pokedex has a Rotom in it. 

“Everyone, get back!” Professor Willow screamed as he ran to the students closest to the mountain. 

Most of my peers started running down the beach, and Professor Willow helped the ones frozen start moving. I just narrowed my eyes, watching as this giant creature fell closer to us. Ok, wait. Hold on. That’s not Necrozma. He told me to find Necrozma. For my… Light Bringer to deliver a prism of… What!? Ok, think. He came out of a wormhole. He’s from another dimension because Ink, probably this demon of darkness, had a Solgaleo, which only Rayne has, so… This thing is like an Arceus. He must’ve created Ink, and Ink turned on him for some reason, and now I have to work with the alphas, or gods of his world, to stop this guy. Because this Arceus-creature just… crashed into our world, and his fellow gods will probably come after him. Because Palkia has no control on the spatial continuum, I guess! And I need to find Necrozma to do it with this… Oh, this is Paldea on drugs. But I need to find that prism. Whatever it is, I need it. And I need to figure out what a Light Bringer is. 

I pulled my arms out of Austin and Xavier’s grip. “Stay back.” 

“Mate, are you insane!?” Austin demanded. 

“Very,” I replied before I started running towards the mountain, prompting Dubwool to run after me. 

“HOP!” Professor Willow screamed, but I kept running. 

However, the creature disappeared behind the mountain, only for an explosion to go off on the surface. I scrambled to a stop as I stared at the top of the mountain in horror. Smoke and pieces of the surface flew into the air, only for the debris to start falling towards us. I started to lift my arms before a brown blur crashed into the first falling piece. My arms froze as I gave it a confused look, only to see a blue and yellow figure push more debris away. The Beast Trio… 

Entei landed on the beach before looking at me. “Leave this to us! There’s been an unplanned breach in space!” 

“Meaning!?” Dubwool demanded. 

“We have some gods that travel between dimensions for personal reasons,” Suicune began before blasting an Aurora Beam at an incoming boulder, shattering it before turning back to me. “This wasn’t one of them.” So that’s how he got through… 

“Let us speak with Arceus, Palkia, and Hoopa before getting you involved. We’ll contact you tomorrow if Arceus puts you and R5 on this,” Raikou added before blasting a bolt of electricity at another falling boulder. 

“Oh, you have no idea,” I breathed out before shaking my head. I need to get up there and get that prism. And figure out what the hell is going on! 

Before I started running, however, someone grabbed my arm. “Have you lost your mind!?” I looked over my shoulder, seeing Professor Willow staring at me, more confused than mad. He was still mad though. When our gazes met though, his expression dropped. “Why is your nose bleeding?” 

I gave him a confused look before reaching up, feeling the warm liquid under my nose. What? Again? What is my body doing? Is this a wormhole thing, or… Wait. I heard glass shattering when the wormhole opened. On the plane, I heard electrical cracking, but it’s a similar sound. My head hurt both times, and now the matching nosebleed. Can… Can I tell when a wormhole opens? No. A wormhole didn’t open a few hours ago… Right?

I sighed and wiped the blood off with the back of my hand. “It’s the heat. I’m fine!” 

“Uh, no! You- Why are you running towards that thing?! I told you to stay back! And now the nosebleed, you-” Professor Willow began.  

“I was just-” I began. 

“You better catch that Cosmog before she comes face to face with that distortion!” Raikou called. 

I looked over at him, only for my eyes to widen in horror. Cosmog was flying right for the opening to the mountain. How did she break out?! When did she break out?! Why did she break out and start going towards a possible alien!?

Professor Willow tried pulling me back as I tried running after Cosmog, which only made us stop each other. “Hop, I mean it. Stay away from the mountain!” 

“Just trust me,” I begged, turning my head to look at him. 

His expression softened before he tightened his grip on my arm. “We don’t know what that thing was,” I clenched my hands into fists, “and I’m not letting one of my-”

I made a section of water by the shore burst up in a fake explosion, drawing Professor Willow’s attention away as he flinched. I shifted my gaze to his arm and focused on it before imagining his grip was gone. At my command, his hand was lifted off my arm. Professor Willow snapped his gaze back to his hand as I spun around and booked it. He called after me as Dubwool ran with me, but I just ran for the cave entrance, moving away from the boulders and attacks. 

The two of us slipped into the cave before we started looking around. “Cosmog!” I called. 

“Where did she go?” Dubwool asked. 

“Cos!” Cosmog called, making me sigh in relief. 

“There you are.” She clung to my leg and tugged on it, trying to pull me forward. Instead, I leaned down to pick her up and bring her to my eye level. “You can’t just break out like that. You could’ve gotten hurt.” 

“Cos Cosmog! Mog cos cos!” she whined, waving her little arms around. 

“Necrozma?” Dubwool asked. 

Cosmog nodded as my eyes widened. “Wait, is Necrozma already here?” 

“Cosmog mog! Cos cos,” she whined. 

“He’s the one who crashed…” Dubwool muttered. 

I gave Cosmog a confused look. “What? No. That thing told me to get Necrozma to stop… a demon of darkness. And get a Light Bringer to give Necrozma his prism?” 

Cosmog gasped as her pout rose to a smile. “Cos cos! Cosmog cos!” 

“You what?” Dubwool squeaked. 

“What?” I asked him. 

He slowly looked up at me. “She’s the Light Bringer. And she already has the prism.” 

I slowly looked at Cosmog, my expression growing more baffled. “Huh?” 

She nodded before holding up her hands. A cylinder of light that was longer than her started forming above her, and a multitude of colors flashed onto it before it materialized. It was a long, triangular crystal. 

“Cosmog!” 

I stared at the crystal, shocked. “Did you always have this?” She shook her head. “When did you get this?!” 

“Cosmog.” 

“A couple days ago,” Dubwool translated. 

“Cos Cosmog. Cos cos cos. Mog cos.” 

“She hasn’t slept since. It’s given her a lot of energy,” Dubwool replied. 

“So that’s what Sonia was talking about…” I breathed out before shaking my head. “Ok, so…” I pointed up. “That’s Necrozma? The thing that asked me to have you give this thing to Necrozma?” 

Cosmog nodded as she grabbed the crystal, turning it back into pure energy to absorb it. Somehow. What is this prism? Is it like… a Jewel of Life? 

“Cos cos… Cosmog mog mog cos. Mog cos Cosmog!” 

I looked down at Dubwool, seeing his eyes widen. “There’s multiple Necrozmas…” 

My eyes widened in return as realization dawned on me. That’s right! That was his entry! Necrozma is one of the few legendaries not made by Arceus! He’s from a pack of Necrozmas in another dimension! He was kicked out of his pack and came here before the Dual Heroes were created! He makes the Cosmogs like how Regigigas created the Regi Quintet. That's how Ink has a Solgaleo. So, if this is also Necrozma… Holy Arceus, the leader of the Necrozma pack just crashed into our dimension. The alpha. And if what he said was true, the other pack-heads in his world will come here to keep this prism safe. For… Wait.

I looked at Cosmog. “Is that prism… that Alpha Necrozma’s power?” Cosmog smiled and nodded. That prism is the Alpha Necrozma’s power. He gave it to Cosmog so she can give it to our Necrozma, probably because our Necrozma isn’t around right now. This must be how I saw his banishment. When the prism arrived, it must’ve somehow given me that vision as a sign it was here. It’s the only reason I can come up with. But now because Cosmog has it, someone will probably come after it. That’s why this Alpha Necrozma told me to not let anyone touch it. But he told me to defeat this demon of darkness. His creation. Did he create Ink? Did Ink attack him to get this prism? Is that why this Necrozma wants us to give this prism to our Necrozma? To keep it safe, and because he’s strong enough to do it? Does that mean this Ink guy or… creature will come here? What is Ink? Will the other alphas really come here too? Will Palkia allow this? What is- What am I getting myself into!? 

I stared at Cosmog, trying to wrap my head around this before Professor Willow’s voice made me flinch. 

“Hop!” I slowly turned around, giving him a scared look. Professor Willow marched over to me, Professor Kukui trailing after him. “Why in Arceus’ name did you-” He froze, his eyes widening in shock as he looked down at my chest. 

I followed his gaze, looking right at Cosmog. She gave Professor Willow a sweet smile and waved. I should just start running and never come back. 

“Is… is that a Cosmog?” Professor Willow quietly asked. 

“Maybe?” I squeaked, giving him a nervous smile. 

“Huh. I haven’t seen one in a while. My old assistant, Lillie, saved one that later traveled with her,” Professor Kukui said. 

“Seriously?” Professor Willow asked him. 

Professor Kukui nodded, keeping his eyes on Cosmog. “They’re very weak on their own, so she took hers to each of the ruins so our guardians could check on him. They have to visit each of our guardians before they can evolve into Solgaleo or Lunala.” A smile rose to Professor Kukui’s lips before he met my gaze. “What if you watched this one? It clearly isn’t scared of you since it’s letting you hold it, so why not help it evolve?” 

“Aren’t they supposed to be raised by chosen ones?” Professor Willow asked. 

“Ideally, yeah, but Lillie took care of the last one as a non-chosen one, and things worked out ok,” Professor Kukui replied before looking at me. “If both parties are ok with it, I don’t see why not.” 

I looked down at Cosmog, but she just held her smile. “Cosmog!” 

Professor Kukui chuckled. “I’ll take that as a yes!” 

“Well… If you want…” I muttered. Cosmog smiled at me before flying up to my eye level and pointing behind me. I frowned and grabbed her, pulling her back down. “No.” She whined, her arms slumping to her sides. 

“This doesn’t mean you’re off the hook,” Professor Willow began, making us look at him. He narrowed his eyes as he crossed his arms. “You could’ve gotten seriously hurt. This isn’t a trip to play hero. We’re here to learn about Alola’s culture in person. Not run around trying to solve mysteries. Leave… whatever that thing was to Aether and Professor Kukui’s wife.”

“I just saw Cosmog running in here and- I had to do something! She’s way more defenseless than I am,” I defended. 

“There are literal legendary Pokemon outside,” Professor Willow reminded. 

“For some reason,” Professor Kukui added as he looked back at the cave entrance. 

“They were stopping the debris. I was just trying to help,” I defended. 

“And that’s very kind of you, but don’t do it again,” Professor Willow began before looking down at Cosmog. “Raising a Cosmog can get you into a lot of trouble too. As interesting as a paper about Cosmog’s growth would be from you, it’s better if you leave it to the Tapus so they can give it to a Dual Hero.” He looked up at me. “When we get to Iki Town, go with the Kahuna to give Cosmog to the Tapu Guardian. It’s the best choice for both of you.” 

My expression dropped as he turned around, intending to lead us out. Cosmog whined in protest as I looked at Professor Kukui. He looked at Professor Willow before he turned to me and shrugged. My jaw dropped before I looked back at Professor Willow. 

“But- I’ve saved Galar! I earned Zacian’s trust! Why can’t I-” 

“Because this isn’t Galar,” Professor Willow interrupted as he turned to me. “The Cosmog line is completely different from Zacian. That’s an experienced warrior of several millennia. This is a baby god with unstable powers.” Cosmog scoffed, giving him an offended look. “No offense.” He looked back at me. “Plus, you had the help of two Champions and two gods then.” I narrowed my eyes. “Don’t give me that. You’re a good kid, Hop, but don’t risk your safety for something like this. It’s not worth it. Now come on.” He turned to Professor Kukui. “Are the starters ready?” 

“Uh, yeah,” Professor Kukui replied before giving me an apologetic smile. 

The two of them turned around to leave, and as they started walking out, I looked over my shoulder. He told me to get the prism to our Necrozma. We have it, so I could go ask him for details. At the very least, I could check on him. It could get me in more trouble though, and I don’t know anything about Necrozma, let alone a more powerful one. He could try to kill me for all I know. So, as much as I hated it, I looked ahead and followed the professors out.

Chapter Text

“Alright!” Professor Willow called, grabbing everyone’s attention. I could feel him smiling at the other students as I trailed behind him. The Beast Trio were gone, but boulders and debris still covered the shore. They either went to investigate Necrozma, speak to the other gods, or both. 

“First of all, is everyone ok?” Professor Willow asked. 

“Yeah,” a few students replied while a few others nodded. Austin and Xavier ran over to us though. 

“Is he-” Xavier began. 

“Yes. Hop’s fine. Just got a little ahead of himself,” Professor Willow replied. I couldn’t stop myself from rolling my eyes. 

“Is that a Cosmog?” one of my classmates asked, pointing at me. Angel. She’s one of the students who talks in my class.

“Yes, which he will be giving to the Tapu Guardian when we go to Iki Town,” Professor Willow replied before giving me a bitter smile. I gave him a forced one in return. 

“Please don’t crowd Cosmog for the time being. They’re very fickle creatures,” Professor Kukui said before looking at his lab. “Elio! Hau! Bring the starters out!” 

As Elio opened the door, letting Hau lead the crowd of starters out, my phone flew back over to me. I took it, seeing it first took a picture of Necrozma before recording him crashing into the mountain. 

“Thank you,” I whispered as I closed my camera to go to my messages. I sent the video to Rayne before typing a message. 

Me: So. This is a Necrozma. Not ours. One from another dimension. Our Necrozma came from a pack of them in an alternate dimension, and this one is like Arceus. He created this guy (or thing?) named Ink who attacked him for… reasons? He was the guy who sent Necrozma through the wormhole. So now, he gave my Cosmog his Jewel of Life knock-off and asked us to give it to our Necrozma, and he implied his fellow gods may come to help us, which may imply Ink will come here too. And they’re from an alternate dimension. Also, I’m pretty sure your Solgaleo is safe since Necrozma fell from another world, but that implies there’s multiple Solgaleos, but Necrozma makes the Cosmogs, so it’s possible??? I don’t know the context. All I know is that I have to get Cosmog to deliver this jewel-prism and keep it away from literally everyone.

I sent the message and lowered my phone, giving her some time to respond as I watched my peers look between the starters. This whole situation is so weird. Why would Ink even send Necrozma to a completely different world? Since his prism landed first, maybe Ink demanded that Necrozma get it back? But why would Ink attack a god figure? What even is he? Is he even human? Is he even a he? Did Necrozma even create him? He must’ve. Who else could be this ‘demon of darkness’? He uses dark chains, and has a name that relates to a dark color. But why would Necrozma create him? Why did Ink attack him? And what is this society? A non-god can just… create beings to produce light? Granted, it is a completely different dimension. I shouldn’t compare it to ours. This could be the world of all the Ultra Beasts. There could be more than what Rayne found. But still. This is some sci-fi level rubbish that sounds completely unreal. But it’s real, and I’m getting involved with… alien affairs solely because one of my bonded gods has connections to it. And ends in a fight in Galar between… ‘I’m more of a god than you’... Ink is a god and wields chains. Is he like a chain monster? Why would Necrozma make another god though? Is Ink a Necrozma too? Holy Arceus, he could be a Necrozma! He might want to become the alpha! But how does this end in Galar? Was that fight even real? It has to be. Darkrai would never make Rayne that hot. 

Ok, I need to get my thoughts straight. The Alpha Necrozma gave Cosmog this prism to give to our Necrozma. Ink may be after it, but their reason shouldn’t concern me. At least right now. All I have to do is get Cosmog to our Necrozma, maybe with the help of other Ultra Beast gods. Although Necrozma told me to defeat Ink, that’s a fight for later. Rayne will have blonde hair then for Arceus’ sake. I have time. Just focus on getting the prism to Necrozma. And finding out where Necrozma is. Maybe I can ask the alpha later. He was wounded, so he may hide in the mountain to rest.  

Someone placed their hand on my shoulder, snapping me out of my thoughts. I turned my head, seeing Xavier. He frowned, but held out a handkerchief. “You may need this.” Oh yeah. I still have blood on my face. 

“Thanks,” I softly replied as I took the piece of cloth, feeling it was damp before using it to wipe the blood under my nose. 

“Is everything ok?” Xavier softly asked. 

I sighed and looked down at Cosmog as I lowered the handkerchief. “Maybe? I… So much has been revealed to me, and I’m trying to make sense of it, but…” I looked at Professor Willow. “If I tell him or anyone else here, I’ll put myself at a bigger risk.” 

“Why can’t anyone know about… that?” Xavier asked. 

“If too many people know, they can sell me out. To save themselves, to get rid of me. Both.” I looked at Lexi. “Or to tell the media something personal. Then the whole world knows that I own gods. No one would treat me the same. They’d either worship me or try to kill me because I’m ‘too powerful’. How do you think every Dual Hero ended up with so many enemies? Normal people think this is unfair.” 

“Well… You have a point there, but… Professor Willow?” Xavier asked. 

I looked down at Cosmog. “I’m just being safe right now.” 

My phone buzzed in my hand, making me quickly lift it to open the message. 

Little Red <3: … what the fuck?

Little Red <3: what the actual fuck????

Little Red <3: what does any of that mean????????????

Me: That I’m getting involved with alien affairs, I guess????

Me: All I know is that I need to get Cosmog to Necrozma. Everything else makes no sense. Like I have no idea what Ink is anymore. All I know is that this god Necrozma made him, and he wants me to stop them.

Little Red <3: I’ll kick their ass.

Little Red <3: but you have some idea, right???

Me: They may be an Ultra Beast??? Another Necrozma, maybe???? Considering they banished an Arceus-level Necrozma, they have to be powerful.

Me: If he’s not a Necrozma, my guess is a chain monster.

Little Red <3: ew.

Little Red <3: that brings up a new question though. Should we help them? Ultra beasts are like Pokemon, and while some are nice, some are insane. How do we know godly ultra beasts can be trusted?

Me: True, but I think if I don’t do what the god Necrozma asked, they’ll destroy Alola, so… I’m kind of stuck.

Little Red <3: damn. Well… let me know when things start getting bad. If you’re fighting ultra beasts, you’ll need some help.

Me: Ok.

I sighed and lowered my phone. What am I going to do? Something isn’t right. I want to know what I’m getting myself into, especially if something will try to stop me. But does Ink or anyone in this alternate world know where we are? Is Ink really after this prism, or is it… something else entirely? Man, I’m really overthinking this. I need to talk to the alpha first. Get him to clear things up. 

“Are you two not interested in getting Pokemon?” Professor Willow asked as he approached us. “I understand if you’re not, but I kind of expected Hop to get one.” 

“Get one!” Austin called as he ran over to us, holding a Litten. “They’re so wicked!” 

Elio ran over to us and shoved a Rowlet in my face. “Pick Rowlet! Peer pressure!” 

“Row,” she cooed as I stepped back. 

I stared at her as Elio held his wide smile. Rowlet stared back, holding her blank look. Oddly enough… She kind of reminds me of Fuecoco. Empty eyes, but in a charming way. Like she doesn’t have a single thought. She’s just here. 

I couldn’t help but smile before I tucked the handkerchief away and reached up to pet Rowlet’s head. She cooed, tilting her head down to accept the pets. 

“Yes,” Elio squealed before moving Rowlet to sit on my shoulder. “She’s all yours!” Rowlet bumped her head against my cheek as Elio started jogging backwards. “Let me get her pokeball! Stay right there!” 

“Ok?” I asked before Austin grabbed Xavier’s arm. 

“Let’s get you a Pokemon!” 

“Wait- I already have a Pokemon!” Xavier called as Austin dragged him away. 

“Not an Alolan one!” Austin called. 

My smile rose as I watched them run before looking at Rowlet. “Welcome to the team.” 

She smiled as Cosmog waved. Rolwet looked down at her and waved back, making Cosmog giggle. 

“Don’t let it get attached to you, ok?” Professor Willow asked. I looked up at him as my smile fell. “It may come back and give you and your team more trouble.” 

I stared at him, debating how I should respond. Part of me was tempted to snap back and just tell him the truth, but that would cause a huge scene and only bring me more trouble. Plus, I don’t want to make him mad at me. I don’t know if he’ll even believe me. 

“Hop!” Elio called. 

I lightly nodded towards him. “I should… get that.” 

“I’m just trying to make sure you don’t get into any trouble while you’re here. You’re all under my care right now, so-” 

“I know,” I replied as I walked past him.

I’m going to get in trouble no matter what. I just need to keep everyone else out of trouble. Especially if the cops get involved. Oh no, the cops could get involved. 

When everyone who wanted a starter got one, Professor Kukui led us to Iki Town to meet Hala. Xavier and Austin caught up to me, revealing Xavier got a Rowlet too. Austin joked about how he tried peer pressuring Xavier to get a Popplio so we’d have the full trio, but Xavier quickly denied. 

We arrived at Iki Town after our short walk, and Hala greeted us at the gates. As he led us further into town, he told us about the town and its history. Apparently, there is or was a town built by all the island ruins to worship the Tapus, and Iki Town was the village that worshiped Tapu Koko first. The leaders of each village were the original Kahunas, and could actually communicate to the Tapus through telepathy so they could speak on behalf of the Tapus. This must’ve been before the Dual Heroes. Hala said there’s artwork in his house of the first recorded Melemele Kahuna though. 

“Does that mean Eleanor was the Kahuna of Ula’Ula?” I asked. 

“Here we go,” Beth, one of my talkative classmates, teased. 

“Can I not ask a question?” I fired back. 

“I thought you knew all about Eleanor,” Beth playfully mocked. 

“Not everything,” I replied as Hala chuckled. 

“Eleanor Saphlight had no connection to the Kahunas. She was… much more. You see, our legendaries, Solgaleo and Lunala, came to our land from seemingly nowhere and saved it from a meteor shower. Ever since, we’ve worshiped them on the islands they saved. We still don’t know much about them, but according to legend, they created Eleanor to be a bridge between them and us. She had the power of a god, but the body of a human. To the people of Ancient Alola, she was a goddess. The only one worthy to be our ruler. It’s why we refused to let someone else lead us since she passed. Sure, we became united with the world under the league, and the Kahunas have led their respective islands for centuries, but we never had a direct leader. Some say Eleanor’s spirit ensures that because her people were enslaved for so long, and she won’t allow a single person to lead all four islands.” 

“So hear our warning!” Elio yelled, making us flinch. I even gave him a surprised look. Elio narrowed his eyes as he started walking around us. “Alola is the home of Arceus’ most beloved daughter. This land is just as precious to him as Sinnoh. If you disturb it, the wrath of the Dual Heroes will be brought upon you.” 

“Yeah, because heroes from a fairytale are real,” Beth fired back. 

“Oh, they’re no fairytale,” Elio replied as he stepped towards her. “I’ve seen the strength of the Hero of Red with my own eyes. Witnessed the mind the Hero of Blue has. This land is sacred to every Dual Hero, so if you upset these islands, you upset your heroes. Trust me when I say you do not want to anger them.”  

“Sure,” Lexi simply replied. 

Elio shrugged. “Fine. Get your head ripped off by disturbing the land. I don’t care.”

I couldn’t help but smile as Professor Willow cleared his throat. “Well, uh… Speaking of gods.” He quickly turned to Hala and said something to him, and Hala nodded before Professor Willow turned to us again. “All of you get into your teams while Hala takes the Cosmog Hop found to the ruins. After that, I’ll talk about the rest of our trip.” 

“May I take Hop with me?” Hala asked before looking at me. “Cosmog seems comfortable with him, and our new Totem Pokemon may scare the little one away. I don’t want it to get lost,” he turned to Professor Willow, “so can I borrow him for just a few minutes to make sure it gets to Tapu Koko safely?”

“Oh,” Professor Willow began before he and literally all of my classmates looked at me. “Do you already have your team?” I nodded. “Ok… Well, if it’s alright with you, go ahead.” He turned to Hala. “Make sure he doesn’t do anything crazy.” 

“Please. Compared to his friends I know of, he’s quite sane,” Hala teased before turning to me. “Follow me, my boy.” 

I looked between the people in the crowd as I stepped out of it to follow Hala. Xavier gave me a pressed smile as some of my other peers glanced at me. Most of them got into their groups though. I met up with Hala by the wooden stage before he started leading me to the trail up ahead. 

“So…” I began before glancing back at the crowd. “What did he tell you?” 

“That you found a Cosmog and need to bring it to Tapu Koko,” Hala replied before looking at me. “You didn’t just find this little one on the beach, did you?” 

“No. I found her last year in Galar.” 

“That’s what I thought,” Hala began before slipping his hands into his pockets. “Cosmog’s never run towards danger unless they know someone they trust is around. They don’t even go to the Tapu Ruins alone, let alone towards a wormhole. If this little one wasn’t with you, they would’ve teleported away the second the wormhole opened.” 

“How do you know that?” I asked. 

“To become a Kahuna, we must learn about our region. Mainly our island, but there’s some things all of us know. Legendaries included.” 

“Huh…” I muttered before looking at Cosmog. “So are you going to make me leave her?” 

“Oh, no. She’s much safer with you,” Hala replied before looking at me. “Does your professor not want her to travel with you?”

“No. He thinks she’ll cause me more trouble.” 

“Does he not know you’re-” 

“No. It’s safer if no one knows. Plus, I doubt he’ll believe me.” 

“You say that as if you can’t prove it.” 

I tightened my grip around Cosmog, making her frown. “Still. If everyone knows…” I shook my head. “Galar would freak out and never leave me alone, and probably lure some psycho to me and… It’s better to keep my hero identity hidden. From Galar, at least.” 

Hala sighed. “You and Rayne sure make things complicated for the wrong reasons.” He’s not wrong. 

Hala led me up the trail before we reached a bridge. So this is where Rayne and Elio met Lillie. I looked around as Hala led me across the bridge and towards the ruins. Just as we reached the end of the bridge though, a large shadow flew over us. We looked up before my eyes widened, seeing Solgaleo jump over us. At least he’s ok. Why is he here though?

Cosmog cheered as Solgaleo landed in front of the ruin entrance before he spun around to face us and roared. I flinched, stepping back as a strong breeze blew past us. Rowlet flew off my shoulder, which only made me reach back and grab her small talons. She gripped onto my fingers, and I heard her whimper. 

Hala just laughed. “Well, hello to you too, Nebby!” 

“Hey, Hala!” Lillie called, pushing herself up from Solgaleo’s back. “Oh, Hop! Hi!” 

“Uh, hi? Why do you have Solgaleo?” I asked as I pulled Rowlet back over to me. She let go of my hand and flew back to my shoulder, but gripped onto the sleeve of my tank top as her small body trembled. 

“I have no idea,” Lillie replied before sliding off his back. As she did, I reached up and rubbed Rowlet’s head to calm her down a bit. “Rayne usually tells me when she sends him to visit, but he just showed up and stared at me until I got in his back. I asked Rayne, but she said she didn’t send him. He came here on his own.” My expression softened as Lillie looked at my Cosmog. “So when did you get that?” 

“Last year,” I began before looking at Solgaleo. “Did you sense that wormhole open?” He nodded. “Do you know what’s going on?” He shook his head. “You just came to investigate?” He nodded again. 

“Wormhole?” Lillie asked. 

“Oh, yes. One randomly opened not even half an hour ago. Something yellow came falling out and crashed into Ten Carat Hill,” Hala replied.

Solgaleo tilted his head. “Sol?” 

“Cos! Cos Cosmog mog cos!” Cosmog exclaimed.

“Row row,” Rowlet muttered. 

Solgaleo narrowed his eyes. “Sol solgal?” Cosmog eagerly nodded. Solgaleo looked at me. “Sol?” 

“Apparently. I honestly have no idea. He hasn’t said anything,” Dubwool replied. 

“What?” I asked, looking between them. 

“He’s asking if it was really the Alpha Necrozma. Whatever that is,” Dubwool replied. 

I looked back at Solgaleo. “Do you know about the Necrozma pack?” 

“The what?” Lillie asked as Solgaleo lifted his paw to give me a so-so motion. So he knows a little. Lillie stepped forward. “Hold on, wait. Necrozma pack!?”

“Who’s Necrozma!?” Dubwool demanded.

“A god. Hang on,” I began before letting go of Cosmog. She flew out of my arms to let me open my backpack and take out the Dual Hero journal. As I flipped through the pages, I glanced up at Lillie. “Our seniors left notes on every legendary and mythical, and if I remember correctly…” I stopped on the list of Alola gods and scanned over it for Necrozma’s entry. 

“Ok. ‘Necrozma. The Prism Pokemon. Legendary. Necrozma is a creature not from our own universe. His home world is an alternate dimension disconnected from our own. In his home world, he is part of a pack of Necrozma. Unlike the packs of Pokemon in our world, every Necrozma has a different role and power level. Much like our own society. Our Necrozma is one of the more powerful ones. His world has no natural light, so it was his job to create Cosmogs so they could evolve and produce light, which in turn powered his fellow Necrozmas and their home. He believed that since he created these beings, he was more powerful than the Alpha Necrozma, who is said to be as strong as Arceus. The two battled and were able to weaken each other, but the Necrozma we know was defeated and banished from their pack. Necrozma fled the universe and crashed into ours in Ancient Alola. The Tapus found him and presented him to Arceus. Necrozma pleaded his case, and Arceus allowed him to stay if he proved his power. He created the Cosmogs for the first Solgaleo and Lunala, and Arceus held Necrozma as the Tapus raised the young Cosmogs. When Arceus saw what the Cosmogs have become, he was amazed and allowed Necrozma to stay, along with blessing him to become a legendary Pokemon. Every generation, he creates two Cosmogs for the new Dual Heroes. Sometime after the 3rd Dual Hero generation, Necrozma was welcomed back to his pack, so he travels between the two universes’.”

“So you’re saying that creature who fell was the strongest Necrozma?” Hala asked. 

I nodded, scanning over the entry. So that’s how their world works. Each Necrozma has a different power level, and ours is responsible for making ‘Lighter Bringers’ so they can create light. That’s probably why the alpha wants him to have this prism. So… If I have my facts straight, Ink attacked this Necrozma, probably to get this Prism of Life-thing, but Necrozma sent the prism to our dimension after Ink betrayed him for some reason. Probably because he’s power hungry. Because of that, Ink had a Solgaleo send Necrozma into our dimension to either get rid of him and is making a plan to get the prism back, or to make Necrozma get it back. So I have to get Cosmog to our Necrozma and keep Ink from taking the prism, and the Alpha Necrozma will recruit the other alphas of his word to help us. Of course, this is pretty vague, but for now… I can work with this. Keep Cosmog from the evil alien and protect the prism. But how do I find Necrozma? 

I scanned over the entry before my eyes landed on the last paragraph. 

To summon Necrozma, you must first obtain and evolve your Cosmog into Solgaleo or Lunala. He will greet his bonded partner after their evolution at the Altar of the Sunne or Moone, and either aid in their current battle or challenge their hero to prove their worth.

I slowly lowered the book. “Bloody hell…” 

“What?” Lillie and Dubwool asked. 

I ran my hand through my hair as I closed the journal. “So… That Alpha Necrozma has a prism that contains some of his power that he gave Cosmog to deliver to our Necrozma. And I can’t even talk to our Necrozma until she evolves into a Lunala!” 

Solgaleo started laughing as Lillie narrowed her eyes. “Wh… Why are… Huh?” 

“Can I ask what Aether knows about the Ultra Beasts and their worlds?” I asked instead. 

Lillie glanced at Solgaleo as he laughed before clearing her throat. “Well, uh… From the data we have, Professor Burnet discovered they’re actually all from the same dimension.” I perked up. “We don’t know how many different species there are, but from the few translations Rayne gave us, we haven’t even seen half of them. She did say that according to Guzzlord, there’s only… like twelve packs. I can’t remember how many, but there’s nowhere near as many Ultra Beasts as there are Pokemon.” 

“Ok…” I muttered. Maybe I won’t be completely blind to this. If Ultra Beasts do come, I should know a few of them. 

“But what’s this about… a power prism?” Lillie asked. 

“I have no idea, honestly. That Alpha Necrozma sounds like an Arceus, so this prism may be like his Jewel of Life. Either way, he gave it to Cosmog, and we need to give it to our Necrozma. Which I can’t do until Cosmog becomes a Lunala, but if Necrozma was serious, he may send some Ultra Beast-gods here to help me. I don’t know how they’ll react though.”

Lillie’s eyes widened in horror as Solgaleo stopped laughing. “What?” I nodded as I gave her a pressed smile. “There’s… Ultra Beasts will be coming here?” 

“Maybe?” I nervously asked. 

Lillie blinked, pressing her lips together. “Would you like a Type: Null? Or to keep Nebby for the time being?” 

“I have to act like I’m a normal person because no one in my university can know I’m a Dual Hero,” I replied before giving her a forced smile. “So no. That would only out me.” 

“Why can’t they know?” 

“What did your mom do when she found out Rayne was a Dual Hero?” 

Lillie blinked. “Nevermind.”

I nodded as Hala hummed and looked up in thought. “So you need an excuse to keep Cosmog with you…” 

“Because they don’t listen to anyone,” Lillie added, which made Solgaleo give her an offended look. She pointed to him, but kept her gaze on me. “You know I’m right.” 

Solgaleo tried biting her hand, but Lillie just pulled her arm away as I looked at Hala. “I also want to check on Necrozma, and… ask him a few questions. I… saw him before he arrived, and he was being attacked, so at the very least, I want to make sure he’s ok.”

Hala hummed and looked back to the trail. “Well, after that, I doubt your professor will let you near Ten Carat Hill, so I can check on him. Hopefully he won’t run. Or attack. Once you all leave, and after I get some of my own work done, I’ll check it out.” 

“I can go. I have Nebby with me,” Lillie offered. 

“You can join me, but you’re not going alone. Lusamine will have my head if you get hurt by an Ultra Beast on my island,” Hala replied. Lillie rolled her eyes as Hala turned to me. “We’ll have him checked out by tomorrow morning at the latest.” 

My expression softened. “You don’t have to. I can figure something out.” 

“No, we can handle it. He crashed onto my island anyway, so I need to check it out,” Hala replied. 

“Plus, I owe you and Rayne my life, so you can’t stop me from helping,” Lillie added before taking out her phone. “Do you have my number?” 

“Uh, no, but you don’t have to-” 

“Sol!” Solgaleo barked, making my three Pokemon and me flinch. He narrowed his eyes as Lillie smiled. “Sol solgal.”

“Exactly,” Lillie replied before holding up her phone. “Contact info, please!” 

I stared at her, looking for the right words before I sighed. “Ok…” 

Lillie nodded before I took out my phone, letting it fly between us so our phones could transfer contact information. “I’ll call you when we get that thing on our good side, and you can ask him whatever you want.” 

“Thank you,” I simply said before our phones flew back to our pockets. 

“Of course,” Lillie replied as Hala smiled.  

“As for your Cosmog issue, I think Tapu Koko can give us a hand.” 

I narrowed my eyes. “How so?” 

Hala just held his smile as he turned to the ruins. “You’ll see.” 

~

“Are you sure we can do this?” I asked Hala as he led us back to town. 

“Tapu Koko approved,” Hala simply replied. 

“But are you sure?” 

“Would you rather tell them you’re a Dual Hero?” I frowned and shook my head. “Exactly. Tapu Koko is one for madness anyway. He doesn’t mind. In fact, I think he’s enjoying this.”

I just sighed and looked ahead. 

Hala took us to the ruins, and while the interior was beautiful, my awe was short lived. We got to meet the Totem that now lived there; Passimian. He was huge. Reminded me of a Titan. But, he took us to the worship room, and while Cosmog tapped the tiki statue Tapu Koko resided in to… do whatever Cosmogs do, Hala spoke with Tapu Koko about the situation. I think. He looked like he was meditating. But, he told me our cover-up story as we left. 

Since Lillie was allowed to take care of Nebby due to her saving him and nursing him back to health, I’ll get my own exemption. Because I protected Galar with Zacian, and because I’m a Morada, Tapu Koko believes I’m ‘worthy enough’ to protect Cosmog until she’s strong enough to be on her own. I just hope Professor Willow buys it. 

When we got back to Iki Town, I looked at the crowd. Everyone was split off into groups of five, and I scanned over them until I found Xavier, Austin, Alyssa, and Lexi together. Lexi looked ticked off, but she just typed away on her phone. Austin stared at his phone as well, Xavier was looking between our peers, and Alyssa was staring at the two pokeballs in her hands. 

A few of my classmates gasped, which brought my attention to them. One of the groups pointed behind me, probably at Solgaleo and Lillie. 

“Ah! Lillie! What a surprise!” Professor Kukui called before approaching her.

As he introduced her to everyone, Hala led me over to Professor Willow. He looked down at Cosmog and narrowed his eyes. “Why-”

“I know you think it’s better if he didn’t take care of Cosmog, but Tapu Koko has spoken. He thinks it would be better if Hop watched her,” Hala interrupted. 

“Why? I know he’s a responsible kid, but this is a baby god we’re talking about,” Professor Willow reminded. 

“I’m aware, but Tapu Koko saw his track record. He calmed Eternatus- albeit with help-, earned Zacian’s respect, is close with our own regional savior, and is part of a family of lorekeepers blessed by Eleanor herself. He’s quite capable of taking care of her and bringing her to all of the Tapu Guardians.”

Professor Willow turned to me. “Did you ask him?” 

“No! Cosmog just tapped the statue and he… said something to Hala through telepathy. Tapu Koko didn’t even appear,” I lied. 

“Kahuna’s secret,” Hala added before his expression softened. “Trust the kid, Shawn. Our own island deity chose him to watch her. They’ll be alright.” 

Professor Willow sighed. “Alright.” He turned to me. “This is serious. Taking care of a Cosmog won’t be easy, and you can’t keep it forever. And I understand that Tapu Koko himself trusted you to take care of Cosmog, but if it comes down to it, don’t prioritize Cosmog’s safety over your own. You’re still a kid, and Cosmog is still a god. It can defend itself. You can’t.” 

I couldn’t stop myself from sighing. “I know, and I know what I’m doing. Tapu Koko trusted me with her for a reason.” 

“Still. I don’t want you or your teammates getting into any unnecessary trouble because of it. Just… Be careful. Please.” 

I frowned and looked down at Cosmog. “Ok…” I need to keep my team away from this. Maybe Xavier can help me persuade Austin and Alyssa to not get involved. I doubt Lexi will try to get involved, so maybe she can help keep Alyssa out of my Dual Hero dilemmas too. 

Someone wrapped their arm around my shoulders, snapping me out of my thoughts. And unintentionally pushing Rowlet off my shoulder. I turned my head as Rowlet flew to my head, seeing Austin smile at me. “Are you really going to raise a Cosmog?” 

“Guess so,” I simply replied. 

“Sweet!” Austin cheered before looking at Cosmog. “Hi, little guy.” 

“Cos!” she greeted, waving. 

“Alright, everyone!” Professor Willow called as he made his way to the stage. “Does anyone not have a team?” 

“Come on,” Austin said before pulling me over to the rest of our team. 

All of my classmates either replied with ‘no’ or shook their heads as we walked. Austin and I stopped by Xavier, Alyssa, and Lexi as Professor Willow got on stage. 

“Good,” Professor Willow began before placing his hands on his hips. “As you read in the itinerary, you will spend a total of 25 days in your teams going between the five islands of Alola, spending 5 days on each. Two teams will be on each island at a time. You are free to explore as you please, but if you need any help, there will be a guide who greets you on each island. They’ll give you their contact information when you dock. You’ll split off tomorrow morning, and two teams will stay here. I’ll be going between the islands to check on everyone. While I’m sure you may not be close with all of your teammates, stay with one of them at all times.” My eyes widened in horror. “It’ll be safer that way. And, due to recent… circumstances, no one is to go near Ten Carat Hill until further notice.” 

“What!?” a few of my peers asked as I frowned. A few of my classmates complained about wanting to explore, or getting a Rockruff, but I just ran my hand over my face. I guess I do have to leave this to Lillie and Hala. Unless I can get there tonight. Depending on how Professor Willow divides us, I may not come back until the end of the month. If I can get myself together after my nightmare, I can check on Necrozma myself. It’ll be a hysteria nightmare though. 

“I know, but some otherworldly creature just crashed onto the mountain. For your own safety, stay away from the mountain,” Professor Willow explained. 

“There’s a Totem Pokemon there too, so we’ll get Tapu Koko to ensure she keeps you guys away,” Professor Kukui added. Oh, that’s fine. 

I looked between my classmates, seeing about half of them looked annoyed, but nothing else. Someone raised their hand and asked who the tour guides were, and Professor Willow said Professor Kukui would help the students on Melemele, Professor Burnet would help the ones on Akala, Guzma of all people would help out on Ula’Ula, someone named Samson would help us on Poni, and the Aether groups would be split between Wicke and Rose (what the fuck?), and the Aether guides would be with us the entire time. Mainly because it is the main building of a Pokemon protection organization. 

I looked at Lillie, giving her a shocked look as Professor Willow asked if we had any more questions. She gave me a forced smile before taking out her phone. My shocked look grew before my phone flew out of my pocket. 

Lillie: Let me explain.

Me: Rose? As in Chairman Rose??? As in the man who summoned Eternatus????? As in the man who tried to kill my brother?????????

Lillie: I get it, but he turned himself in to my mom after stealing the Type: Null files, and she was impressed he actually made another one, and she just fired Faba at that point because he was trying to take her job, and you know how crazy my mom is! She beat Ariana to death, remember?!

Me: Yeah, I know! I saw the body! But Rose?????????

Lillie: He’s kind of a genius?

Me: Well duh!!!! He invited the Dynamax Band, but also tried to destroy Galar! And kill my brother!!!!!!!!!

Lillie: I knoooooow, but he’s been really helpful to Aether, and isn’t looking for a position of power. He’s mellowed out and is helping the team protect Pokemon here. Some people change, and Rose is one of them.

I sighed and lowered my phone. I guess it does make sense. Eternatus’… scent, I guess, does drive people insane. In a way… I guess Rose is like Louis. Just… I don’t know. Raised wrong? Was slapped in the face by something and got his head on straight? It’s weird to think about though. Rose? In Aether? 

There weren't many questions, so Professor Willow wrapped up our little meeting by telling us about the group social media account. All of us followed the account, and Professor Willow gave us access to have our posts appear on the homepage as long as the post tagged the account. This would mainly be used for the challenges. Although Professor Willow would post updates, tips, and warnings, he’d post a challenge prompt every morning. Every student would get to post once a day using the ‘AlolaChallenge’ tag, along with tagging our group number (which we’d get tomorrow), giving each team five chances to win. Professor Willow would have our tour guides pick the top posts from each group, and he would pick the post he liked the most. The winner’s post would be reuploaded on the group account with a congratulations message and the next challenge. The challenges themselves would be decently different every day, but as Professor Willow said, each member of the winning team would get a bonus point on their essay. With that, we said our goodbyes to Hala, Lillie, and Professor Kukui before he started leading us back to Hau’Oli. Lillie told me over text she’d tell me when she and Hala went to Ten Carat Hill, so I told her I would try to talk to Necrozma later tonight after I woke up if they didn’t have time tonight. Lillie just told me to be careful. 

Alyssa poked my arm, and I quickly turned my phone off. I can’t have her telling Professor Willow I plan on running off. Especially so soon.

“When did you get that?”

I looked down at the tattoo on my arm. “Before classes started last semester. Lee and I found some sketches my dad left, so we got them.”

“Your dad drew this?” Alyssa asked.

I nodded. “Well, it was in a collection of drawings.”

“Huh…” Alyssa muttered before poking the bullet scar. “How did this happen?” 

“Yeah,” Austin began before leaning over to give me a sly grin. “How did it happen?” 

I rolled my eyes as Rowlet flew down to my shoulder. “It’s a long story.” 

Rowlet flapped her wings a bit, shooing Alyssa’s hand away. “Row.”

Alyssa pulled her hand away. “Ok. Feisty.” 

“So are you three actually going to put effort into those posts, because I need some bonus points,” Lexi asked. 

“Duh! I’m five points from failing!” Austin barked. 

“Good. I’m three points away,” Lexi replied before looking down at Cosmog. “We do have an adorable advantage though.” She tapped Cosmog’s face, which made her scrunch up her face and whine. “This little angel will bring something interesting to the table, and maybe draw in some good material.” 

“Wait, are you implying that you want Cosmog to have a power outburst and open a portal to bring in an alien?” Alyssa asked.

“It can do that?!” Austin demanded. 

“Were you not paying attention during the lesson over the legendaries?” Xavier asked. 

“No. It was really confusing,” Austin replied. 

“I’m not saying I want it to summon aliens, but it could lure out some freaks who want its power,” Lexi defended before looking back at her phone. “Either way, having a legendary with us can help us rack up huge points. Then with Alyssa’s mad photography skills, we should be able to win a few challenges.”

“You’re a Photography Major?!” Austin screeched. 

“No, but some of our classmates are,” Alyssa reminded before looking up at Lexi. “It’s just a hobby. Some of our classmates are making a career out of this, so please don’t rely on my amateur photography skills for this.” 

Lexi waved her off. “You’ve won several contests.” 

“Yeah, for tuition money! Just because-”

“Stop being so bashful. You’re a lovely photographer.” 

Alyssa didn’t respond and looked down at the trail instead. I think I’ve seen her take a few photos on campus. Not on a professional camera, but it is a hobby. Still, if she’s won contests, she must be at least decent at photography. 

“Either way, having a Cosmog in the squad could be fun,” Austin teased before leaning over for his head to be near Cosmog’s eye level. “Maybe even help me with my report.”

“What are you guys doing yours on, anyway?” Alyssa asked. 

“I’m not sure yet,” Xavier replied. 

“No clue,” Austin added before poking Cosmog. “Maybe the little nebula.” Cosmog giggled and pushed his hand away, which only made Austin poke her again. 

“What if we gave it a nickname?” Xavier asked. 

“Like what?” I asked. 

Lexi gasped as a smile rose to her lips. “Fwoofy!” All of us gave her a confused look. “What? It’s adorable.” 

Cosmog shook her head. “Cos cos.” 

“It doesn’t need a nickname. If you name it, you’ll get attached to it,” Alyssa reminded. 

I looked down at Cosmog, and she looked up at me before tilting her head. She’ll be a Lunala, so… “Selene.” 

“Selene?” Austin asked. 

I nodded. “Since the last Cosmog became Solgaleo, she’ll become a Lunala. Selene has origins to the moon, so I think it’ll suit her.” I held her up. “Do you like the name Selene?” 

She smiled and waved her arms around. “Cos! Cosmog!” 

“How are you so sure it’ll become a Lunala?” Alyssa asked.

“And how do you know it’s a girl?” Lexi asked. 

“I’m a natural with Pokemon,” I replied before pulling Selene back to my chest. “Things like this just come to me.” 

“So you know what gender every Pokemon is?” Lexi asked. 

“Or their preferred gender, yes,” I replied. 

Lexi rolled her eyes. “Whatever. So, do we all have to get dinner together, because I had my eye on a seaside cafe in Hau’Oli.” 

“Aw. Do you not want to sit with us?” Austin mocked. Lexi just gave him an annoyed look before turning back to her phone. Austin’s amused look fell. “Rude.” 

“Yeah, cause I’m rude,” Lexi grumbled. 

I couldn’t stop myself from rolling my eyes. She has a superiority complex too. It’s official. I’m going to die of insanity before I even get a heat stroke.

Chapter Text

“Ok,” Austin began before dropping his backpack. “Who’s sharing the bed?” 

We didn’t have to get dinner together, so Lexi ran off with Alyssa. Xavier, Austin, and I went to a traditional Alolan restaurant where most of the menu was cooked over a bonfire. Everything had a sort of smokey taste, but it was still good. Afterwards, Professor Willow sent out the rooms. All the boys would be in one Pokemon Center, and the girls would be in another because he doesn’t trust straight college kids. Even though not all of us are straight. So, with the amount of rooms we were given, Xavier, Austin, and I agreed to room together. Professor Willow also said for the teams with boys and girls, the genders would be separated whether they stayed at a hotel or Pokemon Center. The tour guide would ensure that. 

“I barely sleep, so I can share with one of you,” I offered. 

“Wait, seriously?” Austin began as he turned to me. “You’re an insomniac?” 

“Borderline,” I simply replied before looking between them. “The bit of sleep I do get is… restless, so whoever’s the heaviest sleeper would probably be better.” 

“Then I guess I’m bunking with you,” Austin teased before he knelt down to open his backpack. 

“Wait, seriously? How heavy of a sleeper are you to not even consider my argument?” Xavier asked. 

“I grew up right next to Stow-On-Side Stadium. I’ve gotten so used to sleeping through loud events that alarms don’t work. My sister, and now my roommate, has to pull me onto the floor to give my entire body a strong enough impact to wake me up,” Austin explained before lightly punching my leg. “This bloke could punch me in the jaw, and I’d just roll over.”

“Does that mean we have to pull you onto the floor every morning?” Xavier asked. 

“Yeah, but I’m used to it, so I won’t be upset,” Austin replied before pulling out a bundle of clothes. He jumped to his feet and gave us a cheeky grin. “Dibs on the shower!” 

“Wait!” Xavier called before the two of them ran for the restroom door. 

I couldn’t help but smile, watching as they tried to push each other away from the door. At least I won’t wake Austin up. I can sneak around him too. Xavier though… I need to be quiet. Or at least get a grip before he wakes up. I think I’ll freak them out if they see my hysteria-driven vision drawings on the walls. I need to focus on getting to Necrozma tonight. No matter what that nightmare makes me do. 

~

Light filled the darkness around me, revealing four people standing beside each other. Four ghostly pale people with brightly colored hair all in matching white and navy uniforms. Two men and two women. They lifted their heads and opened their eyes, revealing their bright irises that matched their hair color. But their eyes lit up, covering the abyss they were in with light. 

Orange light took over, only to fade to a jail cell. One of the girls stood outside of the cell. The one with orange hair tied into a braid. She frowned, gripping onto the bars. “I’m sorry…” A loud bang filled the jail, making her flinch and look to her right before she ran off. Pink light came from the direction she ran from, washing the scene away. 

The light faded, revealing the inside of a caving building. The man with magenta hair stood by a hole, trying to pull the first girl out of the hole before a deep roar rang through the halls. The building shook, making the man stumble forward before we looked to my right. A giant grey and green… thing could be seen from a hole in the wall before some sort of giant device or cannon flew in front of it. Yellow energy formed at the base of the weapon. I looked back at the man and ran for him as an explosion burst from my right. The man turned to me as white light filled my vision, cutting off the scene before I reached the man. 

The light dimmed, revealing a rainstorm in a park that would fit in Johto. The other woman with long purple hair stood in front of a floating sphere of bright blue light, but there was a feminine figure in the center. The pale woman stepped back as the one surrounded in blue light took a deep breath and screamed, releasing a giant wave of energy. The energy shoved everything back, raising the water and sending out what sounded like a loud bass. When the energy struck me, the bass stopped as purple light filled the scene. 

The light stayed, but dulled out to reveal a white structure filled with plants. The final man slid to a stop, giving me an enraged look as he held what looked like a thin bazooka. He yelled something, but his voice didn’t reach me. He aimed his weapon at me before black chains burst out and wrapped around me, sending shocks through my body and black electricity zapped the scene away. 

Ringing filled my ears as my eyes lulled open. I lifted my head, seeing one of the stadiums in Galar. Rayne was a few yards away, fighting a pale man with pitch black hair who was dressed in all black. But just as I lifted my head, the man looked at me, revealing his pitch black eyes. He gave me a sinister smirk before his arm was covered in black sludge. The sludge formed some kind of sickle before he swung it towards Rayne. She stepped aside, but he grabbed her shoulder, keeping her back to me before he shoved the sickle into her chest and through her back. 

Pain burst from my chest and back. I leaned forward, crying out from the pain as my eyes stayed locked on the two. Rayne’s body turned to black sludge and fell onto the turf, but the man just stared at me. He twisted his sickle-arm, making the pain in my chest move with it. Heat pulsed through my body, and something warm and metallic filled my mouth. 

The man smirked before his face shot in front of mine. “Know your place. You pathetic male hero!” With that, he sunk his sickle through my chin, making the blood burst from my mouth as the scene went black. 

~

“What in Arceus’ name?” a familiar voice breathed out.

My eyes fluttered open as I came to my senses. Everything hurt. My head was pounding, my chest ached and it hurt to breathe, my stomach was twisting, and I felt so hot. Sunlight was lighting the room though, so it’s morning. I gulped, feeling how dry my throat was. What was all of that? Who were those people? Why did it leave me in so much pain? 

“Cos?” Selene asked, making me slowly lower my gaze. She sat beside me, but was staring at me. She turned away and pointed in front of us. “Cosmog?” 

I followed her gaze before wincing at the sight. I hung the blanket I shared with Austin on the wall. Drew the five people I saw, but wrote a word over each of them. ‘Innocent’ for the first girl, ‘guardian’ for the first man, ‘controlled’ on the second woman, ‘master’ on the fourth man, and ‘monster’ on the final man. That’s Ink. He’s human. Or looks human. But who are these other four? His workers? They all have the same skin tone. Are they going to attack us for Necrozma’s… Necrozma. I was supposed to check on Necrozma. Lillie and Hala never got to it last night. 

I looked at Dubwool, but he just gave me a worried look. He tried to calm me down. He couldn’t. He never can. What do I do? What can I do? These people… They’re coming. I meet them. Necrozma is sending Ultra Beasts too. Ultra Beasts who will be mad at them.

All of them will be drawn to me because of the prism, Ink will find us, and there’s a chance Rayne could get another fatal injury. 

I might actually be sick. 

“What did you…” Xavier muttered as he stepped beside me. “Why did you…” 

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the mattress I was sitting against. “I’m sorry…” 

Xavier stayed quiet, and a few seconds passed before I felt his hand on my shoulder. I slowly opened my eyes, meeting his worried gaze. “Why is your nose bleeding? Why does- This is the third time. Is- Is this normal? This wasn’t in your file. I- Are you ok? Do you-” 

I shook my head and grabbed his wrist, making him shut up. “I’m fine.” 

“No, you’re not. Do you usually have nosebleeds?” 

I looked away. “No…” 

Xavier reached up and placed his finger against my left temple. A sharp sting ran through my head, making me twitch as I sucked in a breath. “A headache too… Is this normal?” 

“No, ok?! None of this is normal and I don’t know what’s going on with me!” I snapped. Xavier flinched and leaned back, making me wince before lowering my head. “I’m sorry. I just…” I slowly hugged my arms. “These have never brought me physical pain, but ever since I got here, I’ve been having headaches and nosebleeds, and…” I took a deep breath. “You had to see this…” I looked at the blanket. “Even when I don’t want to do it, I end up… doing this.” I’m going to have to apologize to Nurse Joy. 

Xavier took a deep breath and adjusted his position to sit in front of me. “Ok. Now, this may be because I don’t have your full medical file, but-” 

“What?” I asked, giving him a confused look. 

Xavier nodded. “I may have signed an NDA over your medical file, but it’s against the privacy law league doctors follow for me to have access to the entire thing. Only someone in Dr. Rashtick’s position can see your entire file. All I know is that… you’re in therapy for a history of depression, got shot in the shoulder, have a borderline third-degree burn on your neck, have a Darkrai curse that gives you constant nightmares, have PTSD from witnessing your dad die 10 years ago, that your body is prone to overheat, and the biggest wild card being the fact that you’re a Dual Hero, meaning you have inhuman aspects and need constant contact with your partner to stay sane. That’s it. I don’t know what makes you ‘inhuman’, I don’t know any details about anything, and… All I was given was a list of things that could affect your health here. Wound history and a basic report on your mental health.” 

I stared at him, thinking over his words. He doesn’t know I’m psychic. He doesn’t know I have visions. He doesn’t even know I went back in time. He thinks I just saw him die with my mom when I was 6. He doesn’t know… I saw it last year. That I caused it. That he was shot. That it’s still as fresh as ever. 

“So maybe…” Xavier began before looking back at the blanket. “You implied that this is normal, so…” Xavier looked at me. “Am I missing something? Something important?” I just looked away, which only made Xavier sigh. “I get why you don’t want me to know of… the madness that goes on in your head as your friend, but… Right now, I’m like your nurse. I have to know about the things that could damage your health. The headaches and nosebleeds are new, right?” I nodded. “Do you have… any idea what could’ve caused them?” I lightly shook my head. My only guess is visions, but they’ve never hurt me. Physically, at least. Xavier sighed, but stood up. “Ok. I’m going to ask Dr. Rashtick.”

I frowned, keeping my gaze on the floor as Selene placed her hands on my thigh. I just reached down to lightly rub her head before my phone flew towards me. I took it as the screen turned on, which only made my frown deepen.  

Lillie: Hey! Hala and I are going to check on Necrozma! Sorry…

Little Red <3: call me when you wake up. Please

Little Red <3: 2 Missed Calls

I gripped onto my phone. This always happens with hysteria nightmares. I’m so out of it that I don’t hear my phone go off, and she worries for hours until I’m finally sane enough to pick up. What time is it in Galar, anyway? 

I took a picture of the blanket before opening Lillie’s message, saying she and Hala were going to check on Necrozma, and apologized on Hala’s behalf for getting held up last night. He had some paperwork to do for the league. She texted me about 15 minutes ago, so they should be there soon. I told her it was ok before I slowly got up and went to the restroom, taking some clean clothes with me. I took a cold shower to cool myself off and clean up, and by the time I left the restroom, Xavier was taking the blanket down. So, I helped him take it down. 

“You could’ve told me you had visions,” Xavier softly said, making me freeze. “It makes sense, actually.” 

“I just… thought you wouldn’t believe me,” I… lied? I don’t know at this point. 

Xavier shrugged. “Either way, Dr. Rashtick’s only guess is that the headaches and nosebleeds are tied to it. And mixed with your low heat tolerance. You need to stay hydrated though.” He looked at me as I pulled the blanket down. “Do you need some aspirin?” 

I gave him a small smile. “Yeah…” 

Xavier copied my smile before he patted my arm. “It’s ok, mate. I mean it.” But is it?

Xavier got me some aspirin and said he’d wake Austin up. I told him I’d take the blanket to Nurse Joy and step out to call Rayne, so I left just as Xavier started pulling Austin out of bed. I told Nurse Joy what happened first, and even paid her for the ruined blanket (which she tried declining, but I insisted), then stepped out into Hau’Oli City to call Rayne. And get malasadas as an excuse in case anyone else asked where I went. 

As I took my three Pokemon to the malasada shop, I called Rayne and put my phone to my ear. The line rang a few times before clicking. 

“Hello?” she sleepily asked. 

I couldn’t help but wince. “Hi. Sorry I… didn’t answer.” 

“No. It’s… it’s ok. I know you…” she began before yawning. “It’s ok. How are you feeling?” 

I glanced around the street. “More embarrassed than anything. I wanted to check on Necrozma at Ten Carat Hill, but… The nightmare-vision I had was… a lot. I know who Ink is though. He looks human, but has some kind of… power? Maybe shapeshifting?” 

“How creepy is he?” Rayne softly asked. 

“Uh… based on appearance… Giovanni, but if he was hot.” 

Rayne hummed. “So Julian if someone stabbed Eleanor…” 

I looked up in thought. “Yeah, actually.” 

Rayne sleepily giggled. “But what else?” 

My expression softened as I looked down. “There’s four more people involved, and… I wrote words over them. I can send you the picture because… I drew on another blanket. And Xavier saw it.” 

“Ouch…” 

“Uh huh. If he didn’t think I was insane before, he does now.” 

“You’re not insane. Just traumatized. Like me.”  

I couldn’t help but smile. “Sure. I’m sorry I woke you up.” 

“It’s ok…” she muttered before she took a deep breath. “It’s only… 4:00 over here. I can still get more sleep…” 4:00… It’s 9:00 here, so there’s a 5 hour difference. That’s surprising, really. I thought the time zone difference would be worse. “But you know this nightmare was a vision? All of it?” 

“Yeah. Well, I think? There was too much for it to be a nightmare. It was just… jumbled nonsense that I can’t decipher. I know the people are important, but…” I looked down at my chest. “It was weird… I actually woke up in pain.” The pain stopped halfway through my shower, but still. 

“... Huh?” 

“Yeah. It… When the Ink part came up, he… impaled you, but I felt it, and I woke up with matching but minor pain, so… I don’t know if that’s a sign it’s real, because I didn’t wake up with my hands in pain from that vision I had of Giovanni stabbing your hands, so… I also got another headache and nosebleed, and I really don’t know what to think at this point.” 

Rayne sighed. “I don’t know. Julian did say these will test your knowledge like how mine tested my will or strength or… whatever. They’ll all be mysteries, but… I don’t know. Your only guess is that you can feel when wormholes open and the headache-nosebleeds are signs, but if that was true, then…” 

“Three would’ve opened by now, but only one has.” 

“Unless they opened somewhere else in Alola…” 

I narrowed my eyes. “What are you getting at?” 

“Well, based on our talk last night… Right now, we know this Arceus-level Necrozma got pretty injured and gave you his prism to give to our Necrozma to protect it or whatever, and that this Ink dude will probably come after it while Ultra Beasts come down to protect you. So maybe, some of them already arrived, but on another island. Maybe it’s your mind or even Eleanor telling you an alien is on Alola since you can’t see it.” 

I looked up in thought. “Maybe… I think I’d need to see another wormhole here to know if I can sense when a wormhole opens. Which is… insane when I think about it.” 

“I mean, we are demi-gods.” 

“Still. It was weird. And with how much I saw, and with what I drew… I think Ink has his own team, and maybe… Since the Ultra Beasts are probably coming to defend me… Ink may have his team try to keep them away while also trying to get the prism. I mean, I assume he wants it since it’s a god’s power. Everything is just so… vague.” 

“I know, but… you’ll figure it out. You always do.” 

“Yeah…” I muttered as I looked at Ten Carat Hill. “Still. They each had a word associated with him. Ink has ‘monster’, but Necrozma called him a monster, so that’s probably just my psychic-brain telling me that was him. And Necrozma- I need to check on him, or at least see what Hala and Lillie say. I do want to see if those chains are still on him though. See if I can find out exactly what they are. And maybe Ink’s connection to them. Or his team! One of them had this bazooka thing with them, and his word was ‘master’, so maybe he’s… the chain master? But one of the women had the word ‘controlled’, so would the man be her master? Then there’s the other two with ‘innocent’ and ‘guardian’, which… makes no sense.” 

“Mm hmm.” 

I frowned before pushing the malasada shop door open. “Sorry. I forgot you didn’t see it, and… I know you just wanted to check on me, so-” 

“No, no. I like hearing your thought process. It’s all just… confusing right now. Oh, but uh… I told Lillie and Kukui about… that video, and Lillie told me she’s checking it out.”

“Yeah, I know. She texted me about it earlier,” I replied as I stopped a good distance away from the customer ahead of me. “Did she tell you Rose is now working at Aether?” 

Rayne stayed quiet. “Like, Chairman Rose?” 

“Yeah.” 

“… What the fuck?”

“I know. She said he mellowed out and isn’t going after a position of power, so… I don’t know. It’s giving mad Tío Louis vibes.” 

Rayne sleepily giggled. “Spanish…” 

I couldn’t help but smile. “You’re so obsessed with the Spanish language.” But I said it in Spanish. 

She giggled again. “Pretty words…” 

My smile rose before I glanced up. There was only one customer in front of me. My smile fell. “I’m sorry again though. I’m ok. For now, at least. I'll let you get some sleep.” 

“M’kay…” 

“I love you.” 

“Love you more…” 

My smile reappeared. “Loved you first.” She giggled at my response, which made my smile rise. “Go to bed. You need it.” 

“I know, I know. Talk to you when I wake up…” 

“Alright. Goodnight.” 

“Night…” 

I pulled my phone away to hang up just as the customer in front of me took their bag and walked off. The employee behind the counter smiled at me. “Alola. How can I help you?” 

“Hi,” I began before glancing at the display case. “I have a big order.” 

~

“You are too nice to these people,” Dubwool complained. 

“And I feel bad. It’s a recipe for disaster on all fronts,” I fired back. 

I bought five dozen malasadas to cover all of my classmates, so I’ll have ten extra. Luckily, I can give some to Professor Willow, Professor Kukui, my three Pokemon, maybe Hala, and seconds to my teammates. Mainly as an apology to Xavier. Seriously, he probably thinks I’m out of my mind by now, and I ruined that relationship, and I just spent 1000 dollars on malasadas. And gave the cashier a 300 dollar tip because I felt bad. She figured I was part of the tour group and didn’t seem bothered, but I still felt bad. 

While I was talking to Rayne, Professor Willow sent out an announcement for everyone to meet up at the Pokemon Center the boys stayed at. That prompted Xavier to ask where I went, so I told him I was getting malasadas for everyone before I paid. By the time I got back to the Pokemon Center, everyone was already there. Including Professor Kukui. 

I pushed the doors open with my back as Professor Willow looked between the crowd. “Where’s Hop?” 

“Here,” I replied. 

He turned to me, confused. “Where did you go?” 

“To get breakfast for everyone. It was just down the street, and Xavier knew,” I replied as I stepped into the lobby. 

“Did you get fifty malasadas?” Xavier squeaked. 

“Sixty,” I corrected before putting the boxes down at one of the tables in the lobby. Rowlet flew off my shoulder to sit beside them, revealing the stack of boxes was taller than her. 

“Sixty!? Why!?” Alyssa demanded. 

“To get an even five dozen,” I replied. That only made her confused look grow. 

Austin wrapped his arms around me, pulling my side against his chest. “I love you. So, so much.” 

“How did you afford all of this?” Professor Willow asked. 

“You earn a lot of money by making it to the finals in a Galar League,” I replied. And when you face five leagues and get a bunch of reward money for stopping crime. No big deal. I totally don’t have a couple million dollars. Lee has more though from winning fees alone though. He can retire now if he wants to. I guess Rose forcing him to battle almost every day for 9 years paid off. I’m scared to ask how much money Rayne has. 

“No wonder league workers live such luxurious lives,” one of my classmates said. 

“Yeah. But no need to mourn our empty wallets! Donut time!” Austin called before letting me go to open the first box. 

“They’re not- Nevermind,” Professor Kukui replied as some of my classmates ran over to get a malasada. 

As my classmates each grabbed a malasada, Xavier slipped over to me, holding my backpack. “You could’ve told me before you left that you were getting these.” 

“It was a last minute decision,” I defended as I took my backpack. “I wanted to get some air too, and to make sure no one overheard me talking to little red.” 

“Little… Oh. Is that our codename for her? Because…” Xavier glanced at our classmates. “Red Hero?” I nodded as I slipped my backpack on. “Ok… Why did you get some for everyone though? I can’t imagine how expensive it was.” 

“I have enough money, and… I feel like I’ve already caused some issues here, so I wanted to make up for it in some way.” 

Xavier frowned. “You haven’t caused any issues.” 

“Professor Willow has lost faith in me because of this Cosmog dilemma, and you probably think I’m insane.” 

“Because you drew on a blanket? No. I’m a med student, mate. I’ve seen worse than nightmare-induced artwork. Birth alone is a more horrifying sight compared to what you drew.” 

That actually got a smile out of me. “You aren’t just throwing this together to make me feel better, right?” 

“Of course not. If drawing it out gets the nightmare out of your system, go ahead. Just… maybe don’t do it on a rented blanket and hang it on the wall.” 

I cleared my throat as I looked away. “Yeah. I… try not to, but… it’s a little difficult to get a grip sometimes.” 

“I see…” Xavier muttered before Alyssa approached us, holding a malasada.

“So how much did this cost?” 

“Doesn’t matter. I have enough to cover it,” I assured. 

“Are you sure? It’s been a year since-” Alyssa began. 

“I have more money than you think. Don’t worry about it,” I interrupted before looking at Rowlet. She was watching everyone take a malasada, and moving the empty boxes.

I smiled. “Are you our breakfast moderator?” 

She looked at me and nodded. “Row.” 

I smiled at her as Selene flew beside her. Rowlet chirped, which made Selene giggle before she turned to my classmates and motioned to the box. “Cos cos!” 

When everyone got a malasada, Xavier and I got ours before I told the professors they could have one. Professor Kukui took his, but Professor Willow said he would make his final announcement first. I gave my three Pokemon their malasadas in the meantime. As my Pokemon started eating, Professor Willow stepped onto one of the chairs to get an angle on us. 

“Alright, everyone! Now that we’re all here, and now that I know who’s in what team, I’ll assign the island you start on. All of you will go in the same path, meaning you’ll go from Melemele to Akala to Ula’Ula to Poni to Aether to Melemele. Wherever you start will depend on your team’s order.” He glanced at his clipboard. “Note that the person I say for your team isn’t an obligated leader. Make a mutual agreement on how you want your team to work. I’m just saying one name so we’re not here forever.” 

“Looking at you, Beth!” someone called. I could feel her roll her eyes. 

“Alright!” Professor Willow called, grabbing our attention again. “Marty’s team will be Team 1, Markus’ will be Team 2, McKayla’s will be Team 3, Oliver’s will be Team 4, Melissa’s will be Team 5, Alyssa’s will be Team 6, Yuka’s will be Team 7, Liz’s will be Team 8, Oscar’s will be Team 9, and Kylie’s will be Team 10. Teams 1 and 6 will stay on Melemele-” Thank Arceus! “teams 2 and 7 will go to Akala, teams 3 and 8 will go to Ula’Ula, teams 4 and 9 will go to Poni, and 5 and 10 will go to Aether.” Professor Willow lowered his clipboard. “As I’ve said before, stay with at least one of your teammates at all times. I will be going between islands to make sure all of you are with someone in your team. For our group account, I’ll post the first challenge in an hour. Everyone should be on their islands by then. As for when you arrive, your tour guide will give you their contact information, inform you about popular landmarks, and give you warnings of dangerous Pokemon or places. Stay safe, and please avoid getting in trouble.”

“Yes, professor,” we replied. 

“Good. Now thank Hop for breakfast!” Professor Willow added. 

“Thank you!” they called as Austin hugged me. 

A smile rose to my lips as Professor Willow turned to me. “Be careful with that Cosmog. One of you better write your report on it.” 

“Dibs!” Austin called, snapping his arm up. 

“As long as you don’t call her an it,” I replied as I lightly pushed him away. 

“Yes, sir,” he teased before looking at Selene. “We’re gonna be best mates, Selene.” 

“Cosmog!” she cheered, waving her little arms around. 

“Alright, everyone, let’s head to the dock! Professor Kukui, take care of these little troublemakers,” Professor Willow called before he led the rest of the students out of the Pokemon Center. 

As everyone else left the building, the remaining ten of us stepped towards Professor Kukui. He looked between us and smiled. “Ok! You’re my first batch of kids. First,” he took out his phone, “let me get your contact information.” 

He let go of his phone, letting it fly between us. All of us had our Rotom Phones fly out so they could transfer information between the professor’s phone. When the last number was transferred, Professor Kukui smiled as his phone flew back to his coat pocket. 

“Contact me whenever you need, or if you’re in the area, you can visit my lab. As for your stay here, you guys have a variety of destinations to choose from. You could take on the Island Challenge and challenge our Totem Pokemon to collect the Z-Crystals, or even beat the trials to challenge our league. Once the Galar League concludes, that is. Well, unless you want to challenge Rayne for her title of Pokemon Master, then I’d be happy to challenge you.” 

Rayne and Mr. Tajiri came to an agreement on how the league would work with Rayne as its leader. Even when Rayne becomes old enough to run the leagues by herself, the stand-in Champions will continue to watch over the region and league when she’s away. It’s mainly for safety purposes, but also to make sure the league workers are still doing their jobs. If a challenger wishes to become a stand-in Champion, they’ll take on the Gym or Island Challenge normally, challenge the Elite Four, then challenge Rayne with that league’s team. If they manage to beat her, they’ll get the role of stand-in. If they want her title as Master, they’ll do exactly what she did. Get every Gym Badge and required Z-Crystals, face every Elite Four, and beat all nine stand-in Champion’s before facing a team Rayne chooses, presumably her ultimate team. Galar and Alola are wild cards due to the fact that the Galar League happens annually, and the fact that Alola runs on trials, but Lee and Ray have been tweaking the Galar League for a few weeks. They just haven’t given me any details. I know Rayne wants to add an Elite Four, but that’s all I know. 

“However, I know not all of you will be interested in battling,” Professor Kukui continued as I heard the front door open. “So, let’s go over the sights of Alola with my perfectly timed guest,” he stepped aside and held out his arms, “Lillie!” 

Lillie stopped and gave him a confused look. “Excuse me?” 

“Kidding,” Professor Kukui replied before turning to us. “Lillie was just at Ten Carat Hill investigating our wormhole guest with Hala.” He turned back to Lillie. “Any news?” 

Lillie gave him a forced smile. “Yeah, but I can’t say. Other than it’s still closed off to you guys.” Two people in the other team groaned in annoyance as Lillie turned to us and scanned over the ten of us. “Is Ho-” Her gaze met mine before she pointed at me. “We need to talk.” 

An unnerving feeling drifted over me as I gave her a confused look. “Ok?”

“Why him?” Alyssa asked as Lillie approached me. 

“Champion’s orders,” Lillie simply replied before she grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the hall to the rentable rooms. 

“Wait, as in The Master?” Lexi asked. 

“Yep,” Lillie replied as my Pokemon followed us. 

“Wait, why does The Master-” Alyssa began. 

“Doesn’t matter!” Lillie barked as she continued pulling me away. 

I looked at my classmates before looking back at Lillie. “Uh… I know that’s a lie. Rayne is asleep. Why didn’t you text me?” 

Lillie stayed quiet as she walked. Her eyes scanned over the doors before she pulled me over to the family restroom door. She knocked, and when there was no reply, she opened the door and pulled me inside. I held my confused look as she turned the light on, closed the door, then locked it. 

She took a deep breath before turning to me. “Necrozma’s dead.” 

My eyes widened in horror. “What?” Lillie nodded. “How… No. He- He’s a god from an alternate dimension. He can’t… He can’t be dead.” 

“He is.” 

“No.” 

“He has no pulse-” 

“He may not need one!” 

“He’s not breathing!” 

“That doesn’t-”

“He’s stiff, he’s not moving, and his body is literally rotting from the sun. He is dead. So… What do we do?” 

I stared at her, processing her words before I let go of Selene and ran my hands through my hair. “No…” 

Necrozma is dead. Ink killed him with those chains. His own creation killed him with shocking chains! For what!? To get this power prism and… become a new god. That’s why Necrozma apologized. He couldn’t get his prism to our Necrozma, so he needs me to do it, and the easiest way to do that is to hide the prism in Cosmog. So he needs me to get this prism to our Necrozma so he can become the new alpha and keep this power away from Ink, but Ink will send his team here to get it, and these other Ultra Beast gods will also come to keep the prism away from them, but they’ll also be pissed because a fellow god was murdered by this guy, and will probably try to kill all of them, and Alola is about to become a battlefield, and I have to protect Cosmog from both sides long enough for her to evolve, which I can’t do for at least 10 days, but she also needs to visit all four Tapus to evolve, so I may not be able to evolve her for a month! I have to be at the heart of this war between god and creation for a month while also keeping my own classmates out of it while a shapeshifting demi-god and his team of aliens tries to kill me and a bunch of other gods for a power prism! And I have to do most of it without Rayne! Not to mention Eleanor’s spirit could be angered by this! What am I supposed to do!? How can I stop something like this!? 

Lillie grabbed my shoulders, snapping me out of my head. “Hop. Breathe. We will figure this out.” 

I shook my head, finally realizing how tight my chest was. “He was murdered. By his own creation.” I grabbed her arms. “He will come here with a team of… aliens while Necrozma’s fellow gods will come here to protect me and avenge him. Alola will become a war ground. And I have no idea how to stop it. I don’t think I can. I have a huge target on my back too. I have what they want!” 

“I know, but freaking out will do nothing!” Lillie snapped, making me flinch. She reached up to cup my face. “Do not let Rayne's absence get to you. Your absence got to her, and it only made things worse. You won’t be alone, and you will figure out how to beat this. You guys always have. If you need help, I’m here, Elio’s here, Hau’s here, and Gladion’s here. We will help you if you need it.”

“But I don’t-”

“I don’t care. You and Rayne helped and saved us. If you need anything, we’ll help you. I’m serious.” 

I stared at her, trying to come up with some kind of objection, but her determined look somehow told me otherwise. She’s helping whether I like it or not. If I keep her in the dark, Rayne will just tell her later. They’ll make sure I’m not alone in this. We really don’t deserve these people. 

I sighed and stepped back. “Ok…” 

Lillie nodded as she let me go and stepped back as well. “Think. Whatever this is about… What’s their goal? What do they want?” 

“An all powerful prism Selene absorbed,” I nervously replied. 

Lillie rolled her eyes. “It’s always the…” She took a deep breath. “It’s hidden though, right?” I nodded. “See? They don’t know you have it. As long as they don’t know you have a Cosmog, they won’t suspect you. Keep them off your trail.” 

“But what if they attack Alola? Ultra Beasts are coming.” 

“Leave them to us until you can fight safely,” Lillie replied before giving me a sweet smile. “I’m sure Lady Eleanor will be ok with it.” Eleanor… 

“Blue Harmonia…” a soft voice whispered, making me perk up. 

Ringing filled my ears as my senses dulled. I was… calm. More calm than I’ve ever felt. Lillie turned around as a blue tint covered my field of vision. For some reason… I turned to the mirror. Instead of my own reflection, I saw Eleanor, but she was wearing different clothing than usual. Instead of the female Inner Hero dress, she had on a different blue dress. A strapless one that matched the deep-blue color of the Inner Hero dress. From what I could see, at least. Silver moon-themed jewelry hung along her collar and ears, and a silver headdress with Arceus’ rings on the front sat on her head. Her lower face was covered by a light blue mask as well, but her eyes were practically glowing. She looked like… a goddess. 

I stared at her as she placed her hand against the mirror. The glass rippled as if it was water, and I couldn’t stop myself from approaching it. I lifted my hand and placed it against the glass, feeling the warmth of her hand against mine. 

Eleanor laced her fingers with mine. “I will not tolerate any sort of war on my islands. We may have an alliance with Megalion, but I will not allow them to fight their own war on my land. I cannot defend Havai, but you can. As a Morada, you have my blessing.” A blue light appeared on my wrist. “As my successor, you have an order: Protect my kingdom under any means necessary, and don’t allow anyone who isn’t of this world to touch your moon goddess.” The sound of glass cracking filled my mind as Eleanor squeezed my hand. “You will be alerted of their arrival, so act fast.” Her expression softened as the cracking grew. “I wish you well, baby blue. That is all.” 

Just as she released my hand, the glass cracking along my mind shattered. The glass of the mirror shattered and swirled around, creating a new scene. Professor Birch’s lab. 

I gave my pokedex a confused look before looking at the… weird red creature who was staring at me. His body was tense. “What is this?” 

Professor Birch looked at him and smiled. “Caught your eye, huh?” He patted the creature’s arm, which only made it flinch as a squeak slipped out. “This is an Ultra Beast. We’re still implementing their data, mainly since Rayne is our only way of getting information out of them. Legally, at least. I’ve tried asking the International Police, but no one answered. Since Rayne’s here though, I’ll ask a few questions.” 

I lowered my pokedex. “So… this is an alien?” 

“Sort of,” Professor Birch replied before motioning to the creature. “Meet the Swollen Pokemon; UB Absorption. Or, as Rayne calls them…” 

Dozens of these creatures flying through the skies of Melemele Island flashed through my mind before stopping on one. A slightly different form landed behind the stage in Iki Town. One with two more arms, multiple jagged wings, more legs, and more black accents along its body. As he lifted his head, Professor Birch’s voice returned. 

“Buzzwole.” 

The sound of glass shattering reappeared, taking the scene with it as I sucked in a breath and scrambled back. I stared at my reflection, watching as blood ran down my nose as Lillie ran to my side. 

What… What was that!? I was in a daze the entire time Eleanor was talking, and then that… Part of that was a memory. When Rayne was recovering from Team Rocket, I met the few Ultra Beasts she caught while Professor Birch was adding their dex entries. So this… What did Eleanor do? ‘Protect my kingdom’... I looked at my wrist before my eyes widened. There was a bracelet made entirely of the charms Mia and Isa have. I can call Eleanor whenever I want… ‘As a Morada, you have my blessing. As my successor, you have an order’. Protect Alola and get Selene to Necrozma. 

“Hop?” Lillie softly asked, snapping me out of my daze. I turned to her, meeting her worried look. “Are you ok?” 

I turned back to the mirror, staring at my own reflection. Eleanor said I’ll be ‘alerted of their arrival’. These… nosebleed-headaches with the sound of glass cracking are signs of wormholes. From… Megalion? Is that the name of this world? It has to be. And with this… four have opened. Necrozma was one of them, but what were the other three? The one that just opened had to be that Buzzwole. The Alpha Buzzwole. I need to find him before he does anything. But the other two… Were they Ink’s workers? Are they here?

“Hop?” Lillie asked again, lightly shaking my arm. 

I shook my head, pulling myself out of my head. “Yeah, yeah. I know what to do now.” I turned to Lillie. “Since I’ll get caught up with my team, I need a few favors. I need a sample of the chain that’s around that Necrozma. Can you get me a piece of it?” 

“Uh… I can try,” Lillie replied. 

“Thank you,” I replied before going over to the paper towel dispenser. “Other than that, get me Elio, Hau, and Gladion’s numbers, and keep an eye out for Ultra Beasts and very pale people. Like so pale, they’re blue.” 

When Lillie didn’t reply, I turned to her as I used a paper towel to wipe the blood off my face. She gave me a confused look. “Um… ok? What’s… Are you sure you’re alright?” 

I gave her a forced smile. “No. I’m just doing my job.”

Chapter Text

I cleaned myself up before Lillie led me out of the restroom. When we got back to the lobby, Professor Kukui was still there. His Decidueye was holding a map of Melemele Island as he pointed to a couple spots to explain their relevance. I think. 

Professor Kukui glanced at us before he stopped talking to look at us. “Oh, welcome back. Is everything ok?” 

“Peachy,” Lillie simply replied as my nine classmates turned to us. 

Professor Kukui shrugged as Decidueye folded the map up. “Well, with that said, have at it! Contact me if you need anything, or just stop by my lab. I’ll be checking in with you all tonight. Have fun, and don’t go to Ten Carat Hill!” 

“Yes, professor,” the ten of us replied before the other team here grouped up again. 

As the five of them left, Professor Kukui and my team approached Lillie and me. “So? What did Rayne say?” 

“We need to keep an eye out for Ultra Beasts. We think whatever fell is an Ultra Beast of sorts, and it’s dead, so… based on context I don’t understand, more Ultra Beasts could be on their way,” Lillie explained. 

“Ultra Beasts?” Alyssa asked. 

“Aliens that come through wormholes, basically. My wife researches them,” Professor Kukui began before turning to Lillie, “and I’ll let her know about this. I should probably give her a call though.” He turned around to face my classmates. “Leave this wormhole dilemma to us. This isn’t our first rodeo. All we ask is to stay clear of Ten Carat Hill.” 

“Right…” Xavier muttered as Professor Kukui turned around to face Lillie. 

“Are you coming with me?” 

“After I grab Gladion,” Lillie replied. 

Professor Kukui nodded before he said his goodbyes and left the Pokemon Center. 

“So…” Alyssa began before she looked between Lillie and me. “What was that about?” 

“Doesn’t matter. It’s between him and Rayne,” Lillie simply replied. 

“Uh, are you sure? It’s like 5:00 a.m. in Galar. She’s not even awake,” Lexi asked. 

I gave her a confused look. “How would you know that?” 

“I don’t, but who’s up that early?” Lexi asked. 

“... A lot of people?” I fired back. 

“Oh, so you know her sleep schedule?” 

“No, because she goes to different regions all the time. It changes all the time.” 

“Guys, she texted me last night. I’m just now telling him because you guys were already checked in for the night and I don’t have his phone number,” Lillie lied. 

“See? No big-” Xavier began, but Lexi held up her hand. 

“Ok, we get that you’re best friends with The Master, but you don’t have to be defensive of her all the time. You’re not the only person who knows her.” 

“You’ve never met her,” I dryly reminded. 

“Still! The general public knows about her, so don’t act like you’re better than us because you’re her friend,” Lexi replied. 

“I’m not. I just thought it was weird that you know her sleep schedule,” I replied. I can barely keep up with it, and I know everything about her. 

“I don’t, but what sane person wakes up at 5:00 a.m.?!” 

“You think she’s sane?”

“Ok!” Xavier interrupted as he stepped between us. “This… I am ending this. This is a pointless argument.” He turned to me. “Lexi follows news outlets.” He turned to Lexi. “Hop has known her since she was 5.” He looked between us. “There is no debate on who knows her better, and frankly, it does not matter. Stop.” 

“He started it,” Lexi grumbled as she crossed her arms and looked away. 

I narrowed my eyes as Xavier turned to her. “And I’m ending it. I get that… you two don’t really get along, but we’re stuck together for 25 days. How about we… go somewhere and… hang out for a bit? Ease the air, get to know each other?” 

“Yeah!” Austin called before yanking his phone out of his pocket. “I read an article last week about a regional sport called Mantine Surfing, and I really wanna try it out.” I perked up. Mantine Surfing? 

“Yeah. We can- What?” Xavier asked before turning to Austin. 

He nodded as he typed away on his phone. “There’s specific beaches for each team, and tourists are welcome to try it out.” He looked up and gave us a wide smile. “Do you guys wanna go!?” 

“I don’t know. Is it safe?” Alyssa asked. 

“Of course! I read all about it! They give you safety gear, and there’s lifeguards everywhere!” Austin assured. 

“The Mantines are trained to not take newbies too far as well,” Lillie added. “It’s a little scary at first, but it’s really fun. As long as you trust and communicate with your Mantine, you’ll be alright.” 

“Yeah! So can we go!?” Austin begged. 

“I’m in,” I replied as Alyssa hummed and looked down in thought. 

“I guess it could give me a chance to let Popplio swim around…” 

“And to wear my new cozzy…” Lexi began before smiling. “Alright then! I’m in!” 

“Yes!” Austin cheered as Lillie gave me a confused look. 

“Bathing suit,” I whispered. Because of course. 

“Oh,” Lillie breathed out as Austin turned to Xavier. 

“How ‘bout it, mate!? You in!?” 

“U-uh, I guess? I uh, I didn’t bring anything to swim in though,” Xavier nervously replied. 

“What? We’re in Alola. How did you not bring anything?” Lexi asked. 

“Because I don’t usually swim!” Xavier defended. 

“Then I guess we’re taking a trip to the mall!” Austin declared before linking his arm with Xavier’s. “Miss Springs, lead the way!” 

“Ooo. Another mall trip,” Lexi said before playfully pointing at Austin. “I like you.” She turned to me. “See? It’s not so hard to get on my good side.” Yeah. Forget my good side. The world revolves around you. “In fact, since you have so much money, how about you be a doll and buy me something nice while we’re out?” 

“Lexi!” Alyssa shrieked as I gave Lexi a bitter smile. 

“Really?” 

“Uh huh. You clearly have nothing better to spend it on,” Lexi replied. 

“Oh, yes I do. My Pokemon, tuition, textbooks, coffee, my family, people I actually care about. It’s nice of you to think I’m that generous though,” I sweetly replied. 

Lexi stared at me, and I could see her trying to come back with something, but she ended up sighing. “Whatever.” She turned to the door and started walking. “Come on, nerds.” 

Austin held up his hand as my smile rose, and I gave him a high-five as we started following Lexi. “You’re such an icon.” 

“Just please don’t get in the habit of arguing with her. It’s not worth it,” Xavier begged as he followed us. 

“It’s just so easy. She’s asking for a slap back,” I defended before glancing beside me. Dubwool was following me, and Rowlet sat on his head. 

“He has this thing called an ego that makes him want to be right all the time,” Lillie teased as she followed us. 

“I do not,” I fired back. 

“When it comes to logic, yes,” Lillie replied. 

I rolled my eyes, but saw Lexi look over her shoulder. “Are you coming with us?” 

“Only because my brother is already at the mall,” Lillie replied. 

I would be scared, but after planning the whole Team Rocket escape, Gladion… tolerates me? I still think he doesn’t like me, but the only people he does like are Wicke, Piers, Lillie, and Rayne. Wicke and Lillie because they’re his good family, Piers because they trauma bonded, and Rayne because she’s like a big sister to him. Even though he’s older. When I first met him, I honestly got a little jealous, but I was more scared of Gladion than anything since he literally threatened to kill me. Then I saved Lillie, and I earned his respect. I haven’t seen him since Rayne’s Master party, so maybe he despises me less? Maybe?

“Ooo. Is he cute?” Lexi asked.

“He hates everyone,” Lillie sweetly replied. 

“... but is he cute?” Lexi asked. 

I bit back a smile as I turned to Lillie, seeing she was giving Lexi a confused smile. “Cute or not, he will not find you charming. Or likeable, for that fact.” 

Austin had to physically stop himself from laughing as Lexi gave Lillie an offended look. “Excuse me!?” 

“She doesn’t mean that in an offensive way. Her brother literally hates everyone,” I replied. 

“Cos…” Selene muttered. 

Lexi rolled her eyes and turned her head to look forward. “Well, I have a way with blokes, so we’ll see.” 

Lillie turned to me, giving me the most bafflingly confused look I’ve ever seen. I just nodded as I pressed my lips together in a forced smile. Lillie tried saying something, but ended up sighing and looking ahead. “This girl…” 

“I’m trusting in Gladion to thoroughly humble her,” I softly replied. 

“Me too,” Lillie whispered. 

Since the mall was right next door, we walked in seconds after our conversation ended. And just past the entryway and in the middle of the mall, there was a crowd of people watching a Pokemon battle. I couldn’t see the trainers, but there was a Midnight Lycanroc on the right end, and an Alolan Sandslash on the left. 

“No way! Is that an Alolan Sandslash!?” Austin demanded. 

“Sure is,” Lillie replied. 

“Wow…” Alyssa muttered. 

I turned my attention back to the battle, seeing Lycanroc cover his arm in white energy. He rushed towards Sandslash and pulled his arm back, only to slam it into Sandslash’s chest. The Sandslash shrieked as she flew back and crashed into the ground, knocked out. 

The crowd cheered as a small smile rose to my lips. Sandslash’s trainer returned her as Lycanroc’s posture relaxed, only for Gladion to approach him. My smile rose as Gladion rubbed Lycanroc’s head, which only made him smile. 

We stood back as the other trainer approached Gladion and congratulated him, but Gladion just nodded before his opponent gave him the winning fee. With that, the crowd started to disperse as Lillie led us over to Gladion. 

His Lycanroc turned to us before bumping his head against Gladion’s arm. “Kid.” 

Gladion looked down at him, and Lycanroc nodded towards us. Gladion turned to us before his expression fell. “You were serious.” 

“Why would I lie?” Lillie sweetly asked before spinning around to face us. “Guys, this is my brother, Gladion!” She looked at Gladion and motioned to us. “These are some of the Wyndon University students from Galar. And you know Hop.” 

Gladion simply nodded before looking at me. “I found something I think you’ll like.” 

I raised a brow. “Being?” 

Gladion gave me a cocky grin before he slid his earnings in his back pocket. He then reached into his hoodie pocket and took out a mint green slab. He held it out, his grin becoming more amused. “I found it in the antique shop. Along with Kyogre’s orb.” 

A smile crept onto my lips as I took the plate and flipped it around, and Selene leaned up to look at it. There was text written in the language of the gods, but the message wasn’t comprehensible. It was just a jumble of letters. A knock-off Arceus plate.

My smile rose as I pulled the small plate to my chest. “Fake artifacts. You know me so well.” 

“I know,” Gladion teased before his smile fell. “But seriously, if you get rid of it, I’m ripping your head off. It cost way too much.” 

“Excuse me?” Alyssa asked as I shook my head and slipped my arm through my backpack strap. 

“I’m not getting rid of this. I’m keeping it. It’s funny.” 

Gladion’s small smile returned. “Good.” He looked down at Selene. “I see you weren’t joking about that either.” 

Lillie shook her head before turning to me. “Cosmog’s love candy, by the way.” 

“Noted…” I muttered as I slid the fake plate into my backpack. 

“I’m Lexi, by the way.” 

Gladion looked at her. “Did I ask?” 

“Well, it’s the polite thing to-”

“Did I ask?” Gladion asked again. 

I bit back a smile as I zipped up my backpack. The humbling has begun. Thank you, Gladion. Good to know he likes me enough to casually tease me though. I guess I really did earn his respect. 

“Wow, you were serious,” Xavier softly said. 

“Yeah. He hates everyone,” Lillie replied. 

“Not everyone. There’s some people I like,” Gladion defended. 

“But you’re mean to everyone who even tries to speak with you? No matter who they are?” Lexi asked. 

“Yeah. Why do you fucking care?” Gladion asked. 

“Because maybe I wanted to get to know you,” Lexi fired back. 

Gladion stared at her before bursting out into laughter. “Sweetheart… No, you don’t. You could not handle my bullshit.”  

My smile widened as I looked at Lexi, seeing her give him an offended look. “Do not call me sweetheart.” 

“Then don’t fucking talk to me,” Gladion sweetly fired back. 

Lexi narrowed her eyes as Austin chuckled. “So much for having an effect on blokes.” 

“Aw. Did you think I’d drop to my knees and worship the ground you walk in just because you’re mildly hot?” Gladion mocked. 

I pressed my lips together to suppress a laugh as Lexi gave him an offended look. “Excuse me? Mildly-”

“So Wicke mentioned a wormhole?” Gladion asked Lillie. 

“Oh, yeah! Let me show you. I may need your help with it,” Lillie replied before looking at me. “Be careful, and enjoy the Mantine Surfing.” 

I simply nodded as Gladion led her and his Lycanroc to the exit. Gladion glanced at my teammates before shoving his hands into his hoodie pocket. “You guys are in for a fun ride. Cosmog’s are known to cause trouble, and Hop is a danger magnet.” Gladion gave us a sly grin. “Get used to the peace while you still have it.” 

Lexi scoffed. “Yeah, because we’ll listen to the guy who’d probably insult The Master herself if he ever laid eyes on her.” 

“Oh, honey,” Gladion began before spinning around to walk backwards, only to hold out his arms. “I already did. And she loves me. Since you’re clearly obsessed with her, I'll tell her all about this. I’m sure she’d love to hear about a bitch who’s annoying people she’d kill for.” He gave her a sly smirk. “So watch your back. She knows how to work a gun.” 

“Bye, guys!” Lillie called as she waved

“What?” Lexi squeaked. 

“Uh huh,” I replied before giving her an amused grin. “Meet Gladion and Lillie. Some of Rayne’s closest friends.” 

Lexi’s face went pale as I turned back to Gladion. His smirk rose before he flipped her off and spun around, lowering his arm as he and Lillie left the building.

“She’s… friends… with…” 

“Mm hmm. Compared to my first encounter with him, you’re off to a good start,” I teased before turning to my teammates. “So what store do you want to stop by?” 

The four of them turned to me, all but Austin giving me a baffled look. Austin just gave me a wide smile before pointing at Gladion. “He’s mad, mate.” 

I nodded, giving him an amused smile before Alyssa cleared her throat. “Let’s uh…” She started walking away. “Follow me.” 

My smile rose as we started following her. Thank you, Gladion, for being an absolute tosser to everyone you meet. 

None of them asked any questions about Gladion, probably because they didn’t want to. Alyssa led us to a regional department store, and while Austin pulled Xavier away to pick something to swim in, I started looking around. Mainly for some kind of fan, or maybe one of those water bottles that also has a mist sprayer. I’ve seen them advertised in the various league magazines sent to Lee’s place. 

“You got a follower,” Dubwool softly said. 

I looked down at him before looking over my shoulder, seeing Alyssa approaching me. “Hey. Where’d Lexi go?” 

“To take a gander at the women’s section. I had to pull her out of here yesterday so we’d make it back on time,” Alyssa replied before slowing down when she was beside me. “So… that’s what she meant. By… Gladion hates everyone.” 

“Yep. Gladion is… something. Don’t take it personally though,” I replied. 

“Was he serious though? About… The Master knowing how to work a gun?” she asked. 

“Yeah. It’s for self defense. With the titles she has, she needs it,” I lied. Well, kinda. It is for self defense, but also in her nature.  

“I see…” Alyssa muttered. 

I glanced at her. “Did she… freak you out when you met?” 

“Uh, yeah. Yeah. She… She’s terrifying. And she can work a gun.” 

“Yeah, but… She kind of has to be. Personally, she’s really sweet. Chaotic, sure, but…” I should shut up before I address my undying love for her. 

“If you say so…” 

“I mean it. If you want, I could… let you properly talk to her when we get back to Galar. She really does want to meet you guys.” 

“Well… I know she’s important to you, so…” Alyssa looked up at me. “If you try to get along with Lexi, I’ll try to talk to The Master.” 

I rolled my eyes. “At least I can make Rayne be nice! Lexi will be annoying no matter what you say!” 

“Yeah, well she’s my mate, so if you want me to get along with your mates, you can try to get along with mine.” 

I rolled my eyes again as Dubwool chuckled. “Fine.”

Alyssa nodded before looking ahead. “So… Is there anything you’re looking for?” 

“At the very least, sunscreen. This probably isn’t the store for that though,” I replied. 

“Yeah. There’s a surf shop near the food court though, so maybe they’ll have some. The display window showed off a bunch of gear,” Alyssa offered. 

“I should probably see what they have,” I muttered. 

“Are you ok, by the way?” I gave her a confused look. “It’s just that almost every time I see you, you look like you’re about to pass out.” 

“Oh. Yeah, I’m fine. My heat tolerance is just… absolute rubbish. That, and I keep getting headaches, but… I’m ok. Really. It’ll blow over.” 

“Are you sure?” I nodded. “Ok… I’m just worried. You’ve never been this… on edge.” She can tell when I’m tense?

“You’ve been nothing but nice to this girl, and you just saved her from a vulnerable moment. That-” 

“So you think she had a crush on me?” 

“I- Yeah!”

My expression hardened. No. She can’t like me. She doesn’t know me that well. No one here does. She’s just worried. Get out of my head, paranoid Rayne. 

“I’m fine. Really.” 

“Hop-”

Our phones went off as they flew out in front of us to show a notification. We took our phones, and I saw it was an alert from the group account. I tapped the notification, letting it open Chatter to the group account. 

Day 1 Challenge! Alola is known for its vast ocean, so take a shot of some Pokemon (and maybe people) thriving in the water that surrounds this great region! Don’t forget to tag your post correctly, and put on some sunscreen!

“Thriving in water…” I muttered. 

“Good thing you’re going to the beach,” Dubwool teased. 

“Pop!” Alyssa’s Popplio cheered. 

Alcremie nodded before looking at Alyssa. “Maybe you can get a picture of the surfers and Mantines together.” 

“Maybe…” Alyssa muttered before looking up in thought. “If the waves are good, I could probably get some aerial shots. I’d need to include the water though.” 

“Get a sense of what you’re working with first,” I replied before bumping my fist against her shoulder. “Have some fun with the Mantines.” 

“And Popplio!” Alcremie cheered before looking down at Popplio. “With Mantine’s help, we can all swim together!” 

“Pop pop!” Popplio cheered. 

“Row row row,” Rowlet added. 

“Cos!” Selene replied as she held up her hands in delight. 

I smiled at her and rubbed her head. “Exactly.” I turned to Alyssa. “Is there anything you need here?” 

She shook her head. “I should probably find Lexi though.” 

“Alright. I’ll find the guys,” I replied before lowering my gaze to Dubwool. “Let’s go.” 

He nodded before I turned around and started taking him back to the bathing suit area. As we walked though, Dubwool looked back at Alyssa. “I think Rayne was right.” 

“She doesn’t have a crush on me,” I quietly hissed. 

“I think she does. She ditched her friend for you.” 

“Lexi ditches her all the time.” 

“Still.” 

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “It’s not like I’ll let anything happen. Alyssa may be pushy, but she’s not that pushy.” 

“And how do you know that?” 

“It doesn’t matter.” 

“Aka, you don’t know.” 

“Shut up.” 

“I’m just saying. With how bold she is with her school work, she may be aggressive with things she’s passionate about. She may make a physical confession, and I don’t think we want to learn what happens when someone else kisses you.” 

I cringed at the thought of her kissing me. The thought alone made my stomach curl. “Don’t put that thought in my head.” 

“I’m just saying!” 

“Shut up!” 

Rowlet and Selene giggled at our words, which only made me sigh. I couldn’t help but glance at Dubwool, seeing a cheeky grin rise to his lips. “The babies agree with me.” 

“Cos Cosmog,” Selene sang as she poked my chin. I just pushed her arm away. 

I found Austin and Xavier at one of the registers, and when they asked where the girls were, I told them Alyssa’s looking for Lexi. I thought we’d have to go find them, but just as the cashier gave Xavier his receipt, Lexi came running over to us with Alyssa trailing behind her. 

“You will not believe what I just found!” 

“A sale on hoodies!” Austin offered. 

Lexi gave him a confused look as she and Alyssa slowed to a stop. “What? No.” Her expression lit up again before she held out her phone. “Look!” 

The three of us got closer to her phone before Xavier took it. She took a picture of an ad for some Alolan fashion brand, but to my utter surprise, the models were Rayne and Primarina. And dear sweet Arceus, I almost started choking on air. 

They were on a beach at dusk, and it was back when Rayne dyed her hair black again, so this was done when she was here for her Champion lessons back in September. The outfit she was in was inspired by Primarina. A white bikini with a ruffled v down the center of the top like the frills on Primarina’s chest, and a long deep blue skirt with pink triangles to match the spikes on Prinarina’s tail. The skirt was open on the left, and let the skirt flow out against the wind. She didn’t have shoes on, but her hair was let down and blowing out with the skirt. Her glasses were off too. She was… breathtaking. Her expression was neutral, but the way she looked at the camera- The way she looked in general. She’s beautiful. Why didn’t she show me this?! She told me about this shoot, and said she’d show me the pictures when they were ready, but she never brought it up again! Granted, when she came back from Alola, she was mad at herself for not being able to help Professor Kukui properly set up the league. It was still messy when she left, and she was so mad at herself over it. I could tell she wasn’t telling me something either, but she said she didn’t want to talk about it. She seemed more frustrated about it, but whatever it was, she must’ve forgotten about it. With this photoshoot. Holy Arceus. 

“Woah. Hello,” Austin said before taking Lexi’s phone from Xavier. “This is The Master?!” 

“Uh huh,” Lexi sang as I slowly gave Austin a warning look. 

“Woah…” Austin muttered before squinting at the phone. “She really does look like Elio with black hair.” My posture and expression relaxed. Why was I worried? This is Austin. 

“Yeah, and she’s a total babe now!” Lexi called before taking her phone back. “She got hit with puberty hard. This is going to get so many thirst tweets.” 

My eyes widened in horror. “You posted it?!” 

“Uh, yeah? It’s free for the public to see. She doesn’t post pictures of herself anyway. She only posts about her Pokemon,” Lexi replied as she typed away on her phone. 

“Yeah, because she wanted to make a grand appearance at the Welcoming Ceremony!” I snapped, but that wasn’t the only reason. Rayne does want to surprise people with how different she looks solely for a wow factor, so added to the fact that she isn’t forced to stay active on social media like Lee was, she doesn’t post pictures of herself. This will probably annoy her at best, but the fact that it’s that picture being posted… I want to throw Lexi’s phone across the store and make her delete it. This will be just like after Leon’s hiatus! He built up the body he’s known for, and people have been thirsting for him ever since. Now that Rayne had that huge hit of puberty… People will be thirsting for her. My girlfriend. And no one knows because she doesn’t want the media to swarm me to death! And Lexi’s starting it with a picture like THAT! Only I can look at her like that because she’s mine and only mine and no one else-

Lexi shrugged at my response. “I guess I’m beating her to it.” 

I clenched my hands into fists. “Delete it.” 

“No way. It already has a ton of likes and comments,” Lexi replied as she turned around to leave the store. “Why do you care so much? It’s not like you’re dating her.” 

“Yeah, but she’s his childhood friend. That picture is asking for thirst tweets, and it’s a little weird to know that your own friend will get comments like ‘she could step on me and I’d thank her’. People already say that about his brother,” Alyssa defended as we went after Lexi. 

“Mate, I’d be so happy if you were thirsted over,” Lexi said. 

“And I’d block everyone if they thirsted for my sister. It’s different,” Austin fired back. 

I saw Lexi roll her eyes. “Whatever. I’m not taking it down. She’s hot, and the world deserves to know.” 

I tightened my fists and had to physically stop myself from grabbing the water in her body. Rowlet brushed her wing over my fist as Dubwool nudged his hoof against my leg. Telling me to chill out. Although I wanted to scream that she’s my girlfriend, all I did was take a deep breath. I can’t tell them I’m dating her because Lexi will post it and tell the world because ‘they deserve to know’. No, they don’t. They don’t even deserve Rayne. So I kept my mouth shut and followed my team out of the store.

Chapter Text

The others didn’t say anything, but Alyssa took us to the surf shop to get some sunscreen. I didn’t find anything that would help keep me cool, but I did find that water bottle with the mist spray, so I bought that. It also reminded Xavier to get some more water for the road, so he stocked up. With that, Alyssa asked if we needed to take any more stops, and when we said no, we left the mall. Austin found where the Melemele Mantine Surfing spot was, so he led us out of town. 

“It should be up ahead, right next to a motel,” Austin read before looking up from his phone. “Does anyone see a motel?” 

“No?” Alyssa asked. 

I lowered my gaze to Rowlet, who was still perched on Dubwool’s head. “Can you take a look from the air?” 

She gave me a teasing salute before she flew up to look around. She pointed one of her talons to the left. “Row row!” 

“She found it,” I said before Rowlet looked down at me. “Lead the way, Rowlet!” 

“Row,” she replied before she started flying past us. 

“Flying types are the best,” Austin said before he ran after her. “Wait up!” 

“I never thought he’d be so invested in something like Mantine Surfing,” Xavier said as we watched him run off. 

“He does like more sporty activities. He goes to every Metronome League battle. Maybe it’s because of his major,” Lexi offered. 

“Or because his sister is the team captain?” I offered. 

Lexi shrugged before hooking her arm around Alyssa’s shoulders. “Either way, this will be a great moment for the Gram! Oh, and we can probably get our challenge post done.” 

Alyssa nodded before looking at Xavier and me. “Maybe I can get all five of us on the Mantines. I’m sure Professor Willow would like to see a team doing something together.” 

“Uh, that sounds nice, but uh… I think I’ll sit out. I’m not the best in water,” Xavier nervously confessed. 

“What?” I asked. 

“Just take your glasses off,” Lexi replied. 

“It’s not because of my glasses. I just-” Xavier began. 

“Guys! I found it! Hurry up!” Austin called from the top of the hill. 

“Coming!” Lexi called before turning to Xavier. “Don’t be such a baby. You can suck it up so we can get a picture. It’s for extra credit, after all.” 

I couldn’t stop myself from glaring at her as she dragged Alyssa up the hill. “He’s not being a baby.” 

“It’s just some water. He can suck it up for us!” Lexi called as Alyssa looked back at us. 

I sharpened my glare as Xavier sighed. “Don’t start with her. I told you: It’s not worth it.” 

“But she-” 

“Wants us to get upset,” Xavier interrupted before giving me a small smile. “We’re only fueling her. She lives off reactions. If she thinks I’m being dramatic, that’s on her.” He bumped his fist against my shoulder. “Don’t let her get in your head.” 

“Easier said than done,” Dubwool said as I lowered my gaze to Selene. 

She tilted her head. “Cos?” 

“I don’t care what she thinks, but I don’t like it when others mess with those I care about,” I softly replied before looking up at Lexi. “I never cared about that article, but then she abandoned Alyssa, and now she’s bothering Rayne’s friends and family just to talk to her. And now this. So what if you don’t want to go surfing with us? She doesn’t have to attack you for it.” 

“And I don’t care that she is,” Xavier replied. “Thank you for caring though.” I just looked down at Selene. 

Xavier and I stayed quiet as we met up with the others in the motel parking lot. Austin led us down to the beach as Rowlet flew back to Dubwool’s head. As we walked down the slope though, I saw Elio and Hau stretching on the beach with a Decidueye and Alolan Raichu. 

“Hey! Elio! Hau!” Austin called.

The two boys looked over their shoulders before Hau’s expression lit up. “Hop and friends! Alola!” 

“Here for some Mantine Surfing?” Elio asked. 

“Yeah, as long as you don’t call us ‘Hop and friends’. We have names,” Lexi replied as we approached them. 

“Yeah, but Hop’s the only one we care about,” Elio mocked before looking at Austin and Xavier. “No offense.” 

“None taken,” Xavier replied. 

“From you,” Lexi began before giving Elio an annoyed look. “Is every guy in Alola a tosser?” 

“No. We’re just honest,” Elio sweetly replied. 

Lexi rolled her eyes and started walking away, pulling Alyssa with her. “Whatever…” 

Elio shrugged before turning to me. “Hau and I have gotten pretty good at Mantine Surfing, so we can show you the ropes if you want.” 

“That would be wicked!” Austin cheered before grabbing Xavier’s arm. “Come on!” 

“I- No thanks!” Xavier shrieked as he yanked his arm out of Austin’s grip. “I’m horrible at anything involving the water, so I’ll just sit this out.” 

“Aw. Are you afraid your precious glasses will get all wet and you’ll go terminally blind?” Austin mocked, grabbing the side of Xavier’s glasses. 

He slapped Austin’s hands away. “No! But it is a bad combination.” 

“So what’s the big deal? Are you scared of water types?” Austin asked before he gasped. “Can you even swim!?” 

“Of course I can! It’s just…” Xavier looked away. “I’ve had bad experiences with the water types I’ve encountered.”

Austin grinned. “You’re scared of water types.” 

“I am not afraid of water types!” 

“Are too!”

“Are not!” 

I couldn’t help but smile as they continued bickering before Elio wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “If you want, our local Pokemon whisperer can help you around the Mantines.” Austin and Xavier stopped bickering to look at us. “I mean, he’s holding a legendary. He can at least ensure that your Mantine will know you’re a little anxious.” 

Austin gave me a wide smile. “You can talk to Pokemon?” 

“Uh, yeah?” I asked. 

Austin’s smile widened. “Wicked!” He pushed Xavier towards me. “Get him to touch a water type! I’m gonna get changed!” He started running after Alyssa and Lexi. “Alyssa! Lexi! Wait up!” 

“I like him,” Hau happily said. 

“Yeah. He’s fun,” I replied before looking down at my Pokemon. “Stay here, ok?” 

“Row,” Rowlet replied as Dubwool nodded. 

Selene whined, so I lifted her up to my eye level. “Be good, ok? I need to show Xavier how friendly water types are.” 

“Cos Cosmog!” Selene whined before pouting. 

“But don’t you wanna stay with us?” Elio asked before leaning towards her. “Decidueye is a great play pal.” 

“We can play aerial tag,” Decidueye offered before patting Rowlet’s head. “This little one can join us too.” Rowlet smiled and pressed her head into Decidueye’s wing. 

Selene whined before looking up at me. “Cos Cosmog…” 

“She wants to meet the Mantines,” Dubwool translated. 

“Really?” I asked. 

Selene nodded before she gave me a pleading look. “Cos?” 

I dramatically sighed. “Alright! I give. Rowlet, have fun with Decidueye.” 

“Row row!” she cheered before flying off Dubwool’s head to fly beside Decidueye. 

“We’ll keep an eye on them,” Elio assured as Hau reached up to pet Rowlet.

I nodded as I pulled Selene back to my chest before turning to Xavier. “Follow me.” 

“No, it’s fine. I can just-” he began. 

“Trust me and start to overcome this fear,” I interrupted before grabbing his wrist. “Come on.” He gave me an unsure look, but didn’t stop me from pulling him to the shore. “You never mentioned a fear of water types.” 

“It’s not that I’m afraid of them. It’s just… I was chased by one in the river around Turffield and never saw water types the same. It’s-”

“A response to trauma,” I interrupted before I looked back at him. “You’re denying this to the wrong person, mate.” 

Xavier frowned and lowered his gaze. “Still. It’s stupid, especially compared to you-”

“Don’t compare yourself to me. Honestly, I’m glad you didn’t go through something like I did. And whatever this is about can be healed too. It was a bad experience in your childhood.” I turned to look at the three Mantine resting on the shore. “You can get over it, unlike me. I don’t have anything to give me closure.” 

My mom can tell me it wasn’t my fault for the rest of her life. Leon can tell me it wasn’t my fault until one of us dies. They don’t know the reality of the situation. They don’t understand that it really is my fault.  

The three Mantines resting there saw us and perked up. “Humans! Humans!” 

A small smile rose to my lips as Xavier froze in his tracks. I looked back at him, seeing he was giving the Mantines a scared look. I let go of his hand to step closer to the Mantines and knelt down in front of them. 

“Hey, big guys.” 

“Cosmog!” Selene cheered before flying out of my arms. I watched as she flew between the Mantines and tapped their heads, which only made their smiles rise. 

As Selene flew between them, I ran my hand over the middle Mantine’s head. “My friend over there is a little startled by water types.”

“But why?” the right Mantine asked. 

“We’re friendly,” the left Mantine added. 

“I know, but the last water types he met weren’t. So can you guys show him how friendly you can be?” I softly asked. 

“Yeah!” the three of them cheered as they flapped their flippers against the shoreline. 

I looked over my shoulder, seeing Xavier was still frozen in place. I held out my hand. Xavier gulped, but slowly stepped over to us and took my hand. I lowered my gaze to the Mantines as Xavier slowly knelt beside me. “Be patient with him, ok?” 

“Ok, ok, ok,” the three of them happily chanted. 

My smile rose before I gently pulled Xavier’s hand towards the middle Mantine. “Whenever you’re ready.” 

“Ok…” Xavier muttered as I let go of his hand. 

The Mantines stared at him in awe, and I couldn’t stop myself from petting the Mantine on the left. His smile rose as he pressed his head into my hand before I glanced at Xavier. He stared at the Mantine in the middle, who just happily stared at him. Waiting for his hand to move. The Mantine on the right stared at him too, but Selene sat on his back and bopped her hands against him. 

Xavier took a deep breath and lowered his hand. Mantine watched as Xavier brought his hand to his head. Mantine’s smile widened before Xavier slowly rubbed his head, which made Mantine flap his flippers again. 

“Human gives me pets!” 

Xavier and I smiled as the Mantine on the right cheered. 

I bumped my elbow against Xavier’s arm. “Not so bad, huh?” 

“Yeah…” Xavier muttered. 

“We’re nice!” the left Mantine cheered. 

“The nicest Mantines around,” I cooed as I rubbed his head. He giggled and happily waved his flippers. 

“Oh my gosh!” Lexi cheered from beside us. 

Xavier and I turned our heads, watching as Lexi leaned down to pet the Mantine on the right, now wearing a white bikini. While Mantine smiled, Selene pouted and flew back over to me, her arms slumped by her sides. 

Lexi frowned as she watched Selene fly over to me. “You don’t have to run.” 

“Cos Cosmog…” Selene grumbled before she stopped beside me and crossed her arms. 

Lexi pouted at her reaction before looking between Xavier and me. Xavier looked back at the Mantine in front of him, and I just gave Lexi an amused look. “I don’t think she likes you.”

Instead of answering, Lexi looked between us, confused.

I raised a brow. “What?”

Lexi looked down before looking back at us, still confused. Oh my Arceus, she’s trying to get a reaction from us. Ok. You want to play this game, Lexi? I’ll play.

“Seriously, what? Do you want a comment on the suit?”

Lexi blinked. “You two are boys.” 

“And you’re a girl.” 

“19 and 16 year old boys.” 

“Yeah, that’s how age works.” 

“Wait, did you want us to gawk at you?” Xavier asked as he looked up at her. 

“I didn’t want you to. I’m not interested in you, but I’m surprised at least Hop isn’t imploding at the sight of this.” 

“Of someone I don’t like in a bikini?” I asked. 

“Oh, come on! You were practically drooling over that pic of The Master, but this doesn’t even get a reaction? A real life woman standing in front of you?”

“I was not drooling. I was just surprised,” I defended. Maybe lied. “But nonetheless, Rayne is way more attractive than you. Physically, and personality wise.” 

“Burn!” Elio teased as he, Hau, Austin, and Alyssa approached us. “I think. Why are we calling my baby cousin hot?” 

“You know, other than stating facts,” Hau added. 

“Dude, that’s my cousin,” Elio reminded. 

“And she’s my friend. Both of you are hot. It’s clinically proven,” Hau teased.

That only made Elio smile and place his hands over his heart. “Bro…” 

“Were you trying to get a reaction out of them?” Alyssa asked Lexi. 

“I wasn’t trying! I was expecting it!” Lexi shrieked. 

“Well, good luck. Xavier’s ace and Hop is demi,” Austin replied. 

“Wait, seriously?” Alyssa asked as Lexi gave us a confused look. 

“Demi?” 

“Very selective in the romance department,” Elio replied before smiling at me. “He has to be very close with them.” 

I nodded. Demisexual is what Rayne and I have gone with for people who don’t know about us being soulmates, but it’s not entirely true. Rayne is attracted to literally anyone who is or looks like a former Dual Hero in some way. 

Lexi narrowed her eyes. “Of course…” 

“Why do you care who I’m attracted to?” I asked. 

“I don’t, but what a surprise that even your sexuality is complicated.” 

“Oh, boo hoo. Your skimpy suit won't get him hard. Get over yourself,” Austin mocked.

I snapped my head towards the Mantines, feeling heat rush to my face. “Austin, shut up.” 

I’ve caught onto that though. Barely anything turns me on. At least visuals. I see Ray naked all the time since we take baths together to calm down, but I don’t see it as a sexual thing. There’s nothing to hide between us, so I see it as more… pure and natural. I don’t know. Leon says I’m weird, but also lucky to not have to deal with ‘male sex hormones’. Maybe it’s a Blue Hero thing, cause I cannot imagine the other Red Heroes being like me. Maybe Zavier. The Blue Heroes though, yeah. I could see them being oblivious to anyone attempting to flirt with them. 

“Anyway,” Elio began, bringing my attention back to him, “we can get the captains to help everyone into some safety gear while you two go change.” 

“Do you need any?” Hau asked me. 

“Nah,” I replied as I stood up. “I’ll be fine.” 

“In an open ocean?” Alyssa asked. 

“Yeah. Mantine will keep me safe, and even so, I know the ways of the ocean,” I replied as I started walking away. Selene flew after me as I took my backpack off. 

“How? We don’t have public beaches in Galar!” Lexi reminded. 

“None of your business!” I called back as I went over to our Pokemon. Elio’s Decidueye was now watching all of our starters and Alyssa’s Alcremie. Some of them were playing tag while the others played in the sand. 

Dubwool looked at me before I put my backpack beside him. “Watch Selene, ok?” 

“Cos!” she whined. 

“I know, but I don’t want you getting lost in the ocean,” I replied before looking at Decidueye. “Can you make sure she doesn’t run off?” 

“Of course,” Decidueye replied before holding out his wings. “Come on, little Cosmog. Let’s play tag with the Rowlets.” 

Selene dramatically sighed, but flew over to Decidueye. 

I couldn’t help but smile as I knelt beside my backpack to open it. “If you play nice, I’ll buy you a treat.” Selene gasped and gave me an awed look as I looked at Decidueye. “Does she really eat candy?”

Decidueye shrugged as he looked at Selene. “That’s what Lillie gave Nebby, and there were no real consequences.” He narrowed his eyes. “What do you eat?” 

Selene shrugged. “Cos Cosmog.” 

I pointed at her. “Be nice and I’ll get you skittles.” 

“Cosmog!” Selene cheered before flying over to the two Rowlets. 

Dubwool and I smiled at her before I looked down at my clothes. I don’t think I need to change. Hell, I’d love to walk around in wet clothes in this heat. So, I let go of my backpack and simply pulled my shirt off. Dubwool gave me an amused look as I stood up and tossed my shirt against my backpack. 

I copied his look. “What?” 

“I think you’ll make someone red in the face,” he teased. 

My expression dropped. “Not funny.” 

“I’m hilarious!” he fired back as I spun around and went back over to the Mantines. 

“Watch the space blob!” 

I heard him laugh, which only made me smile. He’s such a pain. But he’s my pain. 

I went over to the three Mantines, making them smile at me. “Alright, you cuties. Who’s the most stable in the water?” 

“Me! Me! Me!” they all cheered as they jumped a bit. Oh my Arceus, they’re so adorable. 

I knelt down in front of the middle one. “Will you be my surfing partner?” 

“Yeah!” he cheered, hitting his flippers against the water. My smile rose before I rubbed his head. 

After two more ‘surfers’ came back, the workers Elio and Hau got for the others gathered all of us by the Mantines. They explained some basic safety precautions and rules. Don’t force your Mantine into battle, don’t pressure your Mantine to do anything, don’t go past the buoys stationed along the ocean, and if we lose our Mantine for any reason, call for help. The Mantines should swim back to us if we fall off, but on the rare occasion they get lost or knocked out, the guards on post will come to help. The Mantines we were using were also given yellow tags on their tails to tell the guards we were newbies and not skilled enough to travel between islands via Mantine. They then asked me again if I wanted any safety gear, but I declined. With that, the five of us stepped into the water to get onto our Mantines.  

I looked at Xavier, who looked a little scared. “You can do this, Xavier!” 

“I hope you’re right,” he nervously replied before pushing himself onto Mantine's back. As he did, I watched as Austin and Lexi rode off of their Mantines, heading to the bigger waves. 

“Surf time!” my Mantine called before he looked up at me. “How long can you stay underwater?” 

A smile rose to my lips. “I’m not like most humans. Stay down as long as you want.” 

He blinked but shrugged before he pushed himself off the shore and dove underwater. I tightened my grip on him as we shot through the water, but my eyes widened after mere seconds. I’ve been underwater before, but being under the ocean, even just the start of it… It was amazing. The water rushed past me as Mantine led me further in, letting me see coral reefs and small Pokemon that lived further out. I never realized being in such a large body of water would feel this way. So breathtaking, so beautiful, so… free. Feeling the rush of water around me, and knowing it would never end. Knowing no one could find me under here. I could control my surroundings, and no one could stop me. I was free. In the water… I’m free. 

Mantine pushed himself out of the water, revealing we were near a building wave. To my surprise, he started swimming up the wave. My smile rose as Mantine nudged his shoulder blade against my hand. “Stand, human! Stand!” 

I let out a breathy laugh. “Ok, ok. I’ll stand.” I slowly stood up, running my hand across the water of the wave. 

“Hop!” Austin called, bringing my attention down to him. He smiled at me. “How are you a natural at this!?” 

“I’m a natural when it comes to water!” I called back. 

“Well, stop rubbing it in!” Lexi barked as she very slowly tried to stand. 

A sly grin rose to my lips. “You’re just jealous.” 

“And you’re a bloody show off!” she barked. 

My grin fell as I narrowed my eyes. Maybe it’s because she’s been ridiculous today, but I’m feeling petty. So, I carefully sunk my hand under the wave so I could form a mini wave along the side. It started building up ahead of us before moving towards Lexi. Her Mantine noticed and quickly jerked down, which only made Lexi shriek and cling onto him. A small smirk rose to my lips before I flicked my fingers up under the wave, making the smaller wave I made jerk down and hit Lexi in the face. 

Austin burst out into laughter as Lexi was almost pushed off Mantine, but with her grip and his balance, she stayed on. I just bit back a smile and looked away. I’m so mean. 

I made the water stop before hearing Lexi suck in a breath. “What the hell?!” 

“Are you ok?” her Mantine asked as Austin continued laughing. 

“Stop laughing, you bloke! I could’ve died!” Lexi yelled. 

“It’s karma!” Austin laughed out. 

“For what?!”  

“I don’t know! It’s your karma!”

Lexi huffed as her Mantine swam up the wave. 

While Austin calmed down, I looked around, seeing Alyssa and Xavier were on the lower part of the wave. Alyssa was typing something on her phone while Xavier just stared at Mantine.  

“Can I do a trick?” Mantine asked. 

I nodded before he shot up the wave. I knelt down to clutch onto him before he jumped out of the water. He flipped his body around a few times, spinning through the air. I couldn’t help but laugh as I looked around. Seriously, this is amazing. If I was alone, I could bend the water to let Mantine ride funnels of water through the air or push him higher. I could swim along the waves myself, dive into deeper parts of the ocean, and just have fun. I could just… connect with the water and be one with it. No wonder Eleanor loves this place. 

Mantine landed on the wave with ease. My head was a little light from the spinning, but I didn't care. I pointed down to Alyssa and Xavier, so Mantine dove under the wave to swim down to them. He then pushed us out of the water, making Xavier and Alyssa look at me. 

“You guys won’t go any higher?” I asked as I pushed my wet hair back. 

“No. I’m not risking my life, thank you,” Alyssa replied. 

“You won’t die. It’s fun. Trust me,” I assured. 

Alyssa hummed and tilted her head. “Considering you actually look happy, you must be serious.” I rolled my eyes as Xavier chuckled. Alyssa smiled. “Alright, mr. show off. Let’s see if I can out surf you.” 

“Show off? Mantine wanted to do a trick,” I defended before patting his head. “Which was amazing.” 

“Thank you,” he replied. 

“You’re just scared I’ll kick your sorry ass at surfing,” Alyssa mocked. 

“I’m not scared of anything when it comes to the water,” I replied before looking out at the ocean. “It’s something that makes me feel in control.” 

“Even though it’s one of the most unpredictable forces in the world?” Alyssa asked.

I nodded before looking back at her. “But if you think you can beat me at my own game, go for it.” I turned to Xavier. “Do you want to play with us?” 

“Play what?” he asked. 

“The surfing game,” Austin replied as he and Lexi’s Mantines came down beside ours. “Whoever’s Mantine does the most tricks mid air without dropping us wins.” 

“Isn’t that dangerous though?” Xavier asked. 

“Come on, Xavier! Live a little!” Austin pushed. 

“Yeah! This is probably the only time you’ll get this much sun. And see a girl in a bikini,” Lexi teased. 

“And I’m ok with that,” Xavier dryly replied. 

Lexi gave him an annoyed look as Austin grabbed his arm. “But please? For me?” He laid his head against Xavier’s arm. “Your bestest mate ever?” 

“I only know you because of Hop,” Xavier reminded. 

“And we can have a beautiful friendship,” Austin squeaked before giving him Eevee eyes. “Pretty please?” 

Xavier sighed. “Ok. Fine. I’m not going to win though.” 

“Yay!” Austin cheered as he released Xavier to hold up his arms in victory. 

“That’s fine. I’d love to beat Hop at something,” Alyssa replied before giving me an arrogant smirk. “This is revenge for that Pokemon type presentation.” 

“Having a live model is very helpful, and I have grass types who have nothing better to do,” I defended. 

“Still,” Alyssa replied before pointing her phone at me. “I’m not losing.” 

“Me neither. I’m a master with water,” I replied before reaching into my pocket. “No one can beat me when it comes to this.” 

“Then I’m beating you just so you can eat your words,” Lexi began before she perked up. “And, if I beat you, you have to admit that you think I look hot!” 

“I’ve seen hotter guys,” I fired back as I took out my phone. It’s not a lie either. Jokes aside, Julian is hot. It’s a fact. 

We all set up our Rotom phones so they’d follow us and keep track of our stunts. Alyssa also had her Rotom take some photos of us when it could. When all of our counters were up, Alyssa told her Mantine to go to the very top. 

I shook my head. “Let’s go, Mantine!” 

He dove under the water and swam up the wave. Once we were above the water, I stood up as the wind rushed past me. I smiled before I saw Alyssa’s Mantine fly into the air and spin. I saw her flash me a cocky grin as her Mantine landed. 

I shook my head again and looked down at my Mantine. “Build up some momentum. We’re going big.” 

“Yes, sir!” he called before swimming down. 

I sat down on his back and held onto him, learning his up and down pattern before I made the water below him move with him, making him build up speed. I watched Austin and Lexi fly into the air, Austin crashing into the water. I smiled and shook my head before I saw Xavier’s Mantine fly into the air. They landed safely. Alyssa definitely went the highest and had the most flips though. 

A sly grin rose to my lips. “Alright, Mantine. Don’t hold back.” 

“Don’t hold back! Don’t hold back!” he cheered before I pulled one of my hands back. 

I clenched my hand into a fist, making the water of the wave flow up. Mantine picked up one last boost of speed before flying into the air. As he spun around, I released my control on the water. Once Mantine started flying back down, I held out my hand. The water slightly parted, creating a sort of ramp. Mantine landed on the make-shift ramp, sliding down to the bottom before I released my control on it. Did I cheat? Maybe, but there’s no rules on water alteration. I’m just using my born skills. 

Once Mantine reached the bottom of the wave, I saw my teammates giving me a shocked look. I grinned as Mantine stopped in front of them. 

“How… how did… What just happened is theoretically impossible! The wave changed directions, parted for a few seconds, and… How!?” Xavier demanded. 

I shrugged, holding my grin. “The water likes me, I guess.” 

Alyssa narrowed her eyes. “What did you do?” 

“What?” I asked. 

“Water doesn’t do that. Something was… controlling it. You had Mantine control it, didn’t you?!” she demanded. 

“I did not! That would be unfair!” my Mantine defended. 

“We only take control of the water to protect our riders,” Alyssa’s Mantine added. 

“They only alter water if their rider is in danger. Mantine didn’t do it,” I replied. 

“Then who did?!” Alyssa demanded. 

“Was it you? Are you a water bender?!” Austin demanded, giving me a wide smile. 

“That’s not possible,” Lexi reminded. 

“Nothing about this is possible. Considering it wasn’t a water type,” Xavier softly replied. 

Austin gasped and grabbed my arm. “Did you tell a water type underwater to do that with your mind?! Is that how you’re a Pokemon whisperer?!” 

“What? No. I wish I could though,” I replied. 

“Wait, Pokemon whisperer? Like you can talk to Pokemon?” Lexi asked. I nodded. “Seriously?” 

“Yeah. It’s a gift,” I replied. 

“A gift…” Lexi muttered before shaking her head. “You're so weird. You had to have used that to make some kind of water type help you not crash into the water though.” 

“I didn’t make a Pokemon do anything.”  

“Yeah right. I know you did something, you little cheater!” Alyssa complained. 

“Cheater? Wow. I think you’re just a sore loser,” I teased. 

Alyssa and Lexi narrowed their eyes. “Whatever,” Lexi hissed before Alyssa grabbed her phone from beside her. 

“Let’s check our scores.” 

“But only I’m out,” Austin reminded. Alyssa gave him a confused look. “I thought we were going until we crashed.” 

Alyssa slowly turned to me. 

“We probably should’ve set some rules,” Xavier added. 

Alyssa pointed at me. “We keep counting points until one of us crashes!” 

I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. “Alright. You’re on.” 

“Please be careful,” Xavier said as Alyssa patted her Mantine, signalling him to start swimming towards the wave. 

“I always am,” I assured before patting Mantine’s back. “Let’s go.” 

“Yes, sir!” Mantine cheered before he swam after Alyssa.

Chapter Text

We spent way too long Mantine Surfing. Alyssa lost the first surfing challenge by crashing, and challenged me to a rematch after we settled on the rules. We’d each take a turn having our Mantines jump off the wave and do a collection of tricks. Whoever crashed first lost, and whoever’s Mantine pulled off the most tricks would win. I beat Alyssa every single time. She eventually accepted defeat, and Austin challenged me afterwards. Xavier had to tell us to stop after an hour. 

“Bye bye!” Mantine called as we made our way over to the rest of our team. Austin and I waved before Austin ran towards the others, so I followed him. 

Alyssa and Xavier were looking through her phone as our Pokemon continued to run around. Do I want to know where Lexi went? 

Xavier lifted his gaze and gave us a small smile. “Come look at these.” 

“Have you posted any?” I asked as Austin ran up beside Alyssa to look at her phone. 

“No. I’m not sure which one to post,” she replied before glancing at me. “I can send some to you lot if you want to use them as your challenge attempts.” 

“Please. My photo skills are rubbish,” Austin begged. 

Alyssa nodded before her lips quirked up to a smile. Austin’s expression lit up as well as Xavier’s smile widened. Alyssa glanced between them, and they nodded before Alyssa looked at me. “Do I have your consent to post a picture of you?” 

I narrowed my eyes. “Depends.” 

Alyssa turned her phone around to show me the picture. I stepped closer to look at it better, and saw she got a picture of all of us but her when we were all by one of the waves. It was when Austin was challenging me, so our Mantines were racing up the waves while Lexi and Xavier watched us. It wasn’t blurry either. 

A smile rose to my lips. “You have my consent. That’s so good.” 

“Thank you,” Alyssa replied before pulling her phone away. 

“It really is,” Austin began as Alyssa looked down at the photo. “This is seriously just a hobby for you?” 

“Yeah. Bio’s my main thing. I can’t afford a professional camera anyway, so it’s not like I can get good shots,” Alyssa defended, but kept her eyes on her phone. 

“We can probably find a cheap or damaged one on sale somewhere, and I can fix it up for you. I have a little side business to repair tech for a decently cheap price depending on the damage. It’s how I pay for tuition,” Austin offered. 

Alyssa lifted her gaze to his. “Really?” 

Austin nodded. “I can’t be an Engineering Major without knowing the basics.”  

Alyssa stared at him before her smile returned. “Uh, ok. I’ll look into it.” 

Austin just gave her a sweet smile before looking between us. “So what’s the next stop after this? Do you want to keep surfing, grab some lunch, head somewhere else?” 

“I could eat,” I replied before turning to our Pokemon. Selene and the Rowlets were playing tag. “Plus, I owe Selene some skittles for behaving.” 

“Alright. Can we go to Iki Town then? I want to get some pictures of the Ruins of Conflict for my report,” Alyssa asked. 

“Sure,” I replied before looking back at our Pokemon. “Gather up, everyone! We’re about to leave!” 

Selene and the Rowlets frowned, but flew over to us as the two Littens (since Lexi got one too), Popplio, Alcremie, and Dubwool came over to us. Dubwool stopped beside me, letting me take my backpack off his back before I looked at Decidueye. 

“Tell Elio we said thank you!” 

He gave me a teasing salute before he flew further down the beach, probably to find his trainer. I wonder where he and Hau ran off to. Either way, I slid my shirt back on and slung my backpack over my shoulders. 

Selene flew towards my chest and smiled at me. “Cos cos?” 

I smiled back and wrapped my arms around her. “Someone has skittles in her future.” 

“Cosmog!” she cheered as Alyssa looked around. 

“Where’s Lexi?” 

“You don’t know?” Xavier asked as I gave her a confused look. 

“No? She said she was getting shaved ice, but that was…” Alyssa began before looking at her phone, “20 minutes ago.” 

“Well maybe there’s-” I began as I looked around, only for my expression to drop. By the variety of booths and stands along the cliffside, Lexi stood with a group of girls around some guy with noticeably bright pink hair. Well, it was bright compared to his tanned skin. I gave her an annoyed look. “A boy she has to flirt with.” 

I saw my teammates follow my gaze before Alyssa sighed. “For the love of- Lexi!” 

Lexi looked at us, which only made the guy and his posse turn to us. Lexi narrowed her eyes. “What?” 

“What are you doing!?” Alyssa demanded. 

“Making friends,” the guy replied. 

“He’s a Trail Captain!” Lexi added. 

I narrowed my eyes. “No, he’s not. I know all of them.” 

“Because you know The Master so well?” Lexi mocked. 

“No, because I made sure they’d never meet,” Elio hissed as he and Hau approached us. “Hey Ilima. I see your arm’s not broken.” 

“I see you finally got a haircut,” I guess Ilima spat back. 

I looked between them, confused. “Uh…” I turned to Elio. “Who is this guy?” 

“Ilima. The Normal Trial Captain. I’m assuming you know Rayne?” Ilima asked. 

“He’s her childhood friend,” Lexi replied. 

Ilima gave me an amused look. “Really?” 

“Uh… yeah,” I began before looking at Elio. “Why haven’t I met this guy? Or heard of him, for that fact?” 

“Oh, you know how obnoxious Elio is. He’s just overly paranoid and protective of his ‘little doppelganger’ and didn’t invite me to those little Champion parties,” Ilima replied. 

I narrowed my eyes. “He’d have a reason though. He’s not one to hate someone for no reason.” Ilimia shrugged as I looked him up and down. He has kind of a playboy vibe. I sharpened my glare. “What did you do?” 

“Depends. What exactly are you asking?” Ilima asked. 

“You know what, you creepy fucker,” Elio hissed. 

“Creepy? Now that’s just rude,” Ilima said before looking at me. “But, since you know our adorable little Champion,” my eye twitched at his word choice, “will you be doing the Island Challenge?” Did… did he just call Rayne adorable? 

I cleared my throat. “Planning to, yeah.” 

“Good. Go get a Z-Ring from Hala along with a trial charm, and find me in Verdant Cavern. My trial isn’t mandatory anymore, but it’s good for beginners. Let’s them know what they’re getting into.”

“Ok…” I muttered. 

“Well… We’re getting lunch, so let’s go, Lexi,” Alyssa said. 

Lexi sighed. “Fine.” 

“Bye, sweetie,” Ilima said, making Lexi shoot him a smile before she jogged over to us. I saw Ilima lower his gaze, smirk, then look at one of the other girls with him. 

My eyes widened at that simple action as it all clicked. He’s tried to get with Rayne. He’s looked at her like that, thought about her, probably called her pet names, called her adorable, and… Didn’t Elio say he had a broken arm? Did he touch her!? 

Tension built up in my arms as I slowly clenched my hands into fists. I turned to Elio as Lexi approached us and leaned towards his ear. “Did he touch her?” 

Elio nodded. “Several times.” I twitched as Elio looked over at Ilima. “That's why she broke his arm. Threatened to kill him too. He just won’t listen. I think he has a power fetish. Like… he loves how powerful she is, and wants to over-power her. I don’t know. It’s creepy, and he’s been eyeing her since he met her. It’s why I told her mom to not invite him to the Champion parties. He makes her uncomfortable. She hasn’t seen him since she became Alola Champion, then back in September when she was checking on the league. I don’t know what he did, but she stormed into my house pissed off.” He glanced at me. “And crying, but more angry-crying. She took a long shower though.” 

Something inside me snapped as I slowly turned to look back at Ilima. He touched her. A lot. He touched my girl. To a point where she broke his arm, felt like she needed to wash it off, and… never told me? That’s what she didn’t tell me when she got back from Alola in September. She was frustrated by it, but it still made her cry. For a second time, apparently. He made her cry. He touched my girl and made her cry. 

My fingernails dug into my palm as I gave this kid a crazed smile. “I’m going to kill him.” 

“You do that. Just not in public,” Elio sweetly replied. Public. Right. My classmates are here. I’m in public.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Don’t think about it and ask Rayne about it later. It’s ok. She’s ok. But this kid is dying. Only I can touch her. Arceus, I wish she was here. 

“Are you ok?” Alyssa asked, making me look at her. She gave me a concerned look with Xavier, but Austin was oblivious as ever. “You look like you want to stab him.” 

“I do,” I sweetly replied, smiling at her. 

“Why? Because he gave me attention and I don’t deserve it in your eyes?” Lexi mocked. 

“No. I have my reasons,” I simply replied before taking one more deep breath and turning to Elio. “So. Trial charm and Z-Ring?” 

“Oh! Yeah. Hala can hook you up,” Elio replied. 

“And don’t worry! You can skip Ilima’s trial now! He kind of doesn’t care anymore anyway. Rayne told him he was getting replaced when she takes over for Mr. Tajiri,” Hau added. Smiling as always. 

“Why?” Lexi asked. 

“Because she wanted him out after he did… whatever he did for her to break his arm, but the League Chairs didn’t believe her since they think she’s just a power-hungry child,” Elio explained. 

“...What?” Lexi quietly asked. 

“Wait, she broke his arm?” Alyssa squeaked. 

“With her bare hands,” Elio sweetly replied. 

Alyssa gave me a terrified look, but I just gave her a pressed smile before looking at Elio. “Can’t she hire and fire whoever she pleases though?” 

“Not until she’s 21, no. Until then, any decision has to be approved by the League Chairs and Mr. Tajiri. Since Ilima hasn’t given anyone else trouble, the remaining League Chairs thought she was bluffing and overrode her request. She told Ilima he was out the second she replaced the old Chairs with new ones,” Elio explained. 

The League Chairs are the original nine trainers who beat Mr. Tajiri and help him run the league and keep things balanced. They indirectly represent their region. They’re mainly used to decide court cases, but I guess all of Rayne’s choices on league workers will be treated as a court case. I guess Rayne will replace them with the stand-in Champions. Holy Arceus, Lee will be a League Chair. 

“That’s so stupid,” I said. 

Elio nodded. “But, Hau’s right. You can avoid Ilima. It’s not required for you to do his trial anymore, so you never have to speak with him again.” 

“Oh, I’m doing that trial,” I replied. So I can strangle him. 

“Then I guess we’re making a pit stop in Iki Town,” Hau said before he started running towards the slope to the parking lot. “To gramps we go!” 

“Then Alyssa can get her pictures, and we can get some food!” Austin cheered before running after Hau. 

Elio motioned for us to follow him before leading us off the beach. As we walked, Xavier grabbed my arm and leaned towards my ear. “Do not do anything crazy.” 

My expression hardened. “He touched my girlfriend.” I turned to him. “He’s not getting away with it.” 

“She broke his arm,” he whispered. 

“And I’m breaking his neck,” I whispered back. 

“Hop.” 

I just looked ahead, watching my classmates as we walked. 

By the time we reached Hau’Oli City, we made a pit stop at the Pokemon Center so I could get Selene her skittles. However, I also noticed this shop sold Quick Balls, so I bought a few. I paid the cashier and met back up with my team at the cafe inside the building, since Austin wanted a cold drink. Xavier got me an iced coffee. It was his turn, and we never got our coffee this morning. 

Just as I took a sip of coffee though, the corners of my vision started blurring. My eyes widened as a familiar ringing picked up in my ears, only for the sound of glass cracking to start seemingly right behind my left ear. 

The cup slipped from my hand as my vision whited out. The cracking sound spread across my mind, letting me hear someone’s voice. 

“Come to me, my followers! Protect your fallen king and leave those traitors to ME!”

The glass shattered, leaving a sharp pain in my head. I squeezed my eyes shut and suppressed a groan as I slowly reached up to grab my head. Another wormhole? But why? Didn’t Buzzwole… Buzzwole. I never found Buzzwole. He’s been here, and that… If that was him… ‘Come to me, my followers’… 

The quick vision of a bunch of Buzzwoles flying over Melemele Island flashed through my mind. 

My eyes snapped open as my posture relaxed, taking the lingering headache away and leaving me oddly… calm. The Buzzwole pack is here. I need to keep them from hurting Alola. 

“Hop?” Alyssa asked as I spun around and ran to the Pokemon Center doors. 

Elio and Hau ran after me as I pushed them open, only for my eyes to widen. A wormhole was open above Ten Carat Hill, and hundreds of Buzzwoles were flying out and onto the mountain. They really are here. But why bring the entire pack? The alpha said… ‘protect the fallen king and leave the traitors to me’. Traitors… Wait, is Ink here? No. He can’t… I sensed two other wormholes open, and didn’t figure out what they were. Ink is here. Or his workers. And Buzzwole is going after them. He saw Necrozma’s body and wants revenge. Seriously, why is Palkia not stopping this? 

“Oh no…” Hau muttered as he and Elio stopped beside me.

“Rotom,” Elio began. His Rotom Dex flew out in front of him, and he pointed to the wormhole. “What are those?” 

A camera popped up on Rotom’s screen before it zoomed in. The camera closed out and was replaced with a dex entry. “Buzzwole. The Swollen Pokemon. A bug and fighting type.” 

“Buzzwole?” Elio breathed out. 

“What’s going on?” Alyssa asked, and I heard them approach us. 

“Something bad,” Elio replied before looking at me. “What’s your call?” 

I stared at the incoming Buzzwoles, thinking through what I know right now. At the very least, someone who knows Ink is here. Some of these Buzzwoles will watch Necrozma, but the ‘traitors’ could be close behind. I can’t let them get near Selene, and I can’t let them do any permanent damage. I need to get to the alpha, so I need to get to the mountain. And get my classmates away from it

I reached up and wiped the blood off my nose. “Elio, go to Iki Town and ask Hala to go to Ten Carat Hill with Tapu Koko, and contact any strong trainer on the island. Send them to Ten Carat Hill to hold off the Buzzwoles. Hau, we’re going to the mountain. Lillie and Gladion should already be there, so you’ll help them while I go after the source.” 

“What?! Why are you going?! What even are those things!?” Alyssa demanded. 

“Ultra Beasts,” Hau simply replied before looking outside again. “We gotta contain them before they destroy anything. They’re kind of a threat to society.” 

“Ok, so why is Hop calling the shots and going with you?” Alyssa asked. 

“Because he’s an experienced trainer, smarter than us, and has dealt with worse than this,” Elio explained. 

“That, and Rayne asked me to defend Alola since she can’t be here,” I lied as I grabbed the three pokeballs on my belt. 

“What!? But… You’re not a Champion! I get that she trusts you, but she shouldn’t leave this in your hands! Professor Kukui is her Alola stand-in, and he lives right there! It’s his job to protect Alola, not yours!” Alyssa reminded. 

“And there’s these people called the cops,” Lexi added. 

“Yeah! Let them take care of it! We’re all staying here and hiding so none of us die!” Alyssa barked. 

“Don’t tell me what to do,” I calmly said as I returned my three Pokemon. 

“Don’t- You caught Cosmog!?” Alyssa demanded. 

“Yeah. It’s to keep her safe,” I lied as I clipped the pokeballs back onto my belt. I turned to Elio and Hau. “Ready?” 

Hau nodded as Elio gave me a confused look. “You are oddly calm about this.” 

I copied his look before lifting my gaze in thought. I am oddly calm about this. And lying to keep my cover seems… easy. Maybe this is a Blue Hero thing. Like how Rayne can push past her own paranoia and trauma when she needs to fight. Either way, I’ll take it.

Just as I led the boys outside, Alyssa grabbed my arm. “Hop, stop! This isn’t your issue!”

I calmly turned to her, seeing her expression drop when our eyes met. “I know what I’m doing. This isn’t my first catastrophe. Stay here and away from the Ultra Beasts. I’ll be back.” 

“Why are your pupils blue?” she softly asked instead. So it is a Blue Hero thing. 

I shrugged before pulling my arm out of her grip. With that, I led Elio and Hau off the Pokemon Center lot. 

Hau sent out a Tauros as Elio had Decidueye fly him over to Iki Town. Hau and I got on Tauros before Hau lightly kicked Tauros’ side, signalling him to start running.

My body jerked back, causing me to flinch before I clung onto Hau to not fall over. He laughed at my reaction. “Don’t worry! Tauros won’t let you fall!” I shot him a glare instead of responding. “So what’s really going on?” 

I looked back at the wormhole. “A god from another world died and crash landed here, and his fellow gods want revenge.” 

“Do they think we killed him?” Hau asked. 

“No, but people who work for the killer are here. Somehow. I have no idea why Palkia isn’t moderating this,” I replied. 

Hau shrugged. “Alright then. I didn’t know Buzzwoles were gods though.” 

“Only one is, and he’s the one I’m going after. Keep the normal ones from doing any damage,” I replied. 

“You got it,” Hau simply replied. 

We stayed quiet as Tauros ran us over to Ten Carat Hill. It didn’t take long, but when Tauros got to the fence along the end of the beach, he scrambled to a stop at the sight in front of us. Dozens of Pokemon were running out of the mountain. Raikou was ushering them out as Entei led them off the beach. Professor Kukui ran out of his lab just as we arrived, running towards the Pokemon. 

My eyes widened before I slid off Tauros’ back and ran onto the beach. “Entei!” 

Entei turned to me before his eyes widened. “Hop!” 

“How did this happen? Why isn’t Palkia stopping all these wormholes!?” I demanded as he ran over to me. 

“He tried!” Entei began before stopping in front of me. “The universe they’re coming from is one we have an alliance with. One of Alola’s gods is from there.” 

“Necrozma, I know. Why did he allow these?” I asked. 

“He didn’t,” Entei began. “He thought the first wormhole was Necrozma coming back, but realized he never left to begin with. Then that giant Necrozma who we don’t know showed up, and Palkia said some otherworldly force let it through.” The prism, maybe? “Palkia and Hoopa have been trying to figure it out, but then another wormhole was forced open by an outside party, and now this thing broke through the barrier and brought an entire pack of his kind. Palkia and Hoopa tried to stop him earlier, and they were at it for hours before Tapu Fini showed up to stop them. He said he was just here because his comrade fell through, so Tapu Fini let him go to get his friend, but that friend is the dead Necrozma sitting on the mountain! Now he’s freaking out and attacking Solgaleo! There’s other trainers trying to stop them, so they bought us some time to evacuate the Pokemon living here, but I don’t know how much longer they can hold these things off.”  

I looked up at the wormhole. So these gods are strong enough to break spatial barriers. Palkia couldn't stop them even if he tried. This isn’t like Dialga with time travel. Dialga can stop people from going through time because they’re within our dimension, but Palkia can’t stop outsiders because he’s confined to our dimension. Since the Alpha Necrozma told me to work with his fellow gods, he must’ve asked them for help before he died. To keep them from destroying everything, I need to let them know I’m on his side so we can work together and get this prism to our Necrozma, and also keep the prism from Ink. 

“Ok, this will sound insane-” I began before a gigantic Buzzwole and a few smaller ones shot off Ten Carat Hill and towards Iki Town. 

We snapped our heads in his direction before my eyes widened. That’s what I saw. They’re going to Iki Town! 

“I’ll explain later. We need to follow them.” 

Entei nodded and knelt down. “Get on.” 

I turned to Hau. “Help Lillie and Gladion on the mountain. We’re going after the alpha!” 

“The what?” Hau asked as I climbed onto Entei’s back. 

“I’ll explain later! Help hold off the Buzzwoles!” I called before Entei took off. 

He leapt up Route 1 to Iki Town, following the giant Buzzwole up to Iki Town. Entei could jump far, so we were right below the seven Buzzwoles when we reached the open field of Route 1. By being so close, the differences between all of them was more noticeable. The alpha had more arms, legs, different wings, and more black accents along his body, and looked like he was as big- if not bigger- than Regigigas. The other Buzzwoles were identical to Rayne’s Buzzwole, and while they varied in size, they were still bigger than me. 

A smaller Buzzwole glanced down before snapping his head in our direction. “Boss! We have a follower!” 

The alpha looked down before growling. “Defenders, stop them!” 

I narrowed my eyes as two of the larger Buzzwoles flying beside the alpha spun around and dove towards us. They’re bug-fighting types, so Entei’s attacks should do some decent damage. I need to check their stats. 

I gripped onto Entei’s fur. “What fire attacks do you know?” 

“Eruption and Fire Blast,” he replied. 

“Use Fire Blast,” I instructed. 

Entei nodded before he took a deep breath to form the fire. A fireball blasted out of his mouth and burst into a star shape, and while the Buzzwoles tried dodging it, one of them got hit and crashed into a smaller Buzzwole. The two of them crashed into the ground as the other ‘defender’ flew towards us, covering his fists in white energy.

I focused my attention on it before imagining it freezing in place. A spike of pain dug into the center of my forehead, but I kept my attention on Buzzwole. He froze in place. On my command, Buzzwole’s body was thrown behind us. I released my control on him and took a deep breath before looking up again. The alpha and his remaining three followers were almost to town.

I took out my Pokedex, but as I was looking for Buzzwole’s entry, a familiar screech made me look over my shoulder. The Buzzwole I threw got back up and was flying towards us once again. He pulled his fist back, coating it in white energy again. I narrowed my eyes before I held out my hand, coating it in water. The water spun around my palm before I blasted a funnel at the Buzzwole, shoving it back once again. As he crashed into the dirt, I looked back at my Pokedex before I continued scrolling until I found Buzzwole’s entry. 

Buzzwole: The Swollen Pokemon. Bug and fighting type. Although it’s alien to our world, it’s a common organism in another universe. According to the first owner of a Buzzwole, they live in a jungle environment as a pack and have an ordered society to protect their home. The fluid shown under their skin is a sort of liquified protein they use as blood. It keeps them alive, and gives them the strength they’re known for. Although they are physically very powerful, their special defenses are quite low.

I scrolled down to the stats before my eyes widened. Buzzwole has low special stats. Sure, Professor Birch has only researched one, but they’re all the same creature. Or is that not true? I need to talk to Rayne’s Ultra Beasts. Either way, it couldn’t hurt to try and exploit a possible weakness in these things. 

“We need to hit it with a special attack,” I began as I tucked my Pokedex away. “The one we have data on has a low special defense, so maybe they all do.” 

“It’s possible,” Entei began before looking over his shoulder. “The ones that attacked us aren’t getting back up.” 

I looked behind us, seeing the three Buzzwoles we hit were still knocked out on the route. I need to remember to clean that up later. 

Entei jumped over the steps leading into Iki Town before leaping far enough to land in front of the steps to the upper half of town. The Alpha Buzzwole stood behind the stage as his three followers flew beside him. Hala stood on the other end with his back to us and Crabominable by his side, but there were two people behind him. Two of Ink’s workers. The ones I labeled ‘innocent’ and ‘guardian’. And they set off the crazy meter, or at least one of them did. About at Cyrus’ level. They really are here.  

“Leave this village at once or else I’ll take you down myself,” Hala threatened. 

“Not until those villains behind you are in my hands,” the alpha hissed before pointing at the two people. “They’re followers of a murderer! Their leader killed our king!” He clenched his hand into a fist. “They deserve to suffer.” 

Crabominable turned to Hala and softly translated, giving me a chance to slide off Entei’s back and approach them. The three Buzzwoles flying around their leader snapped their heads towards me before holding out their fists. 

“Halt!” 

I froze in my tracks as everyone turned to me. The Alpha Buzzwole growled. “I thought my defenders got rid of you.” 

“I’m hard to get rid of,” I defended. 

Buzzwole’s posture relaxed. “You can understand me…” 

I glanced at the two people. If I tell Buzzwole Necrozma sent me, they’ll know I’m involved and start hunting me, and I need to keep them away from me to protect Selene and my classmates yet somehow stop them all from fighting and- 

All I did was nod. 

Buzzwole lightly huffed. “So you’re the leader of humans here… Alright. Surrender the two humans and this will end smoothly.” 

“Why were you sent here?” I asked instead. 

“Why do you care!?” Buzzwole demanded. 

“Because you’re not authorized to be here, let alone bring your entire pack!” Entei barked as he stepped beside me. “Why do you think you were stopped at the Altar of the Sunne? You broke our spatial laws!” 

“Don’t play innocent! May I remind you that you forced a defender and harvester of mine into this world, and have yet to return that harvester! Not to mention half of the packs in Megalion lost members due to those wormholes YOUR world opened!” Buzzwole snapped. 

“We know, and we apologize. Someone… It’s a long story, but your… harvester is ok. All of the… Megalions who now live here are ok,” I began before glancing at Ink’s workers. They were just staring at me. I think. Their eyes were covered, unlike in my vision. “Are you here to take him back, or-” 

“NO!” Buzzwole screamed, making me flinch. “I came here because my now dead comrade asked for our assistance with something that does not concern a pathetic human like you; leader or not!” Buzzwole pointed at Ink’s workers. “Those two are part of the problem! You will surrender them or else I will have my pack destroy this mass of land!” 

“Ko krow!” a new voice called before a bolt of lightning flew towards us from the ruins. It struck the stage, creating a burst of smoke on the stage before it blew away, revealing Tapu Koko himself. He pointed his arm at Buzzwole. “Krow ko ko.” 

Buzzwole huffed. “So there’s another one? Are you the alphas of these islands?” 

Tapu Koko nodded. “Krow ko koko. Ko krow.” Electricity covered the tiki shells on his arms. “Ko ko.” 

Buzzwole snorted. “Alright, shrimp.” 

He punched his fists together, which let the red liquid flowing through his body turn purple. He dove towards Tapu Koko, but he simply pulled his body into his tiki shell and clamped it shut around him. With that, he shot up to avoid Buzzwole before stopping above him. Buzzwole snapped his head up as Tapu Koko opened his shell, only to release a bolt of electricity onto Buzzwole. His body was shoved into the stage, crushing the stage underneath him. As the electricity stopped, Tapu Koko looked at us before he perked up. 

“Krow ko!” He shot towards me and stopped mere inches in front of me. I scrambled back as his eyes lit up. “Krow krow. Koko ko!” 

“Uh…” I muttered before looking at Entei. 

He looked between us. “Uh… How can he help?” 

“Kok-” Tapu Koko began before sighing. I turned to him, seeing him looking down in disappointment. He took a deep breath before Buzzwole shot towards him, but he just held his arm towards Buzzwole and blasted some kind of pink energy at him. Buzzwole flew back and crashed into his followers as Tapu Koko tilted his head. “Krow ko ko.” He then hid himself in his tiki shell again before spinning around and flying up. 

I gave him a confused look before something black flew out of his shell and hit my forehead. I winced and stepped back, but held out my hand to catch it. A black Z-Ring. There was also a yellow Z-Crystal with what I could only describe as a frowning face as the symbol. What is that? 

“Krow ko ko!” Tapu Koko called as he flew back down to my eye level. “Krow krow koko!” He narrowed his eyes and swung his arm up. “Koko!” 

I looked at Entei, but he just stared at Tapu Koko. “I forgot how crazy you were.” Tapu Koko shrugged, which only made Entei sigh. “Necrozma gave Alola Z-Crystals as a thank you for letting him stay. The first ones he made were for the Tapus so their Kahunas could help them protect the island. Koko may not be bonded with you, but as a Dual Hero, you can use the Z-Move with him.” 

“Krow ko ko!” 

“To ‘crush this alien’,” Entei added. 

I gave Tapu Koko a baffled look, but his eyes just lit up as his sort of childish smile. I then saw Buzzwole and his followers fly up behind him. I narrowed my eyes before sliding the Z-Ring onto my left wrist as I returned my gaze to Tapu Koko. “What do I do?” 

He hummed before looking down, only to perk up. “Koko.” He tapped the bracelet Eleanor gave me before looking back at me. “Ko?” 

“Eleanor gave you a blessing?” Entei asked. 

I nodded. “I’m not sure what it means though.” 

Tapu Koko hummed again before turning around to face the Buzzwoles. “Krow ko.” 

“What do you mean ‘we’ll see’?” Entei nervously asked, which made me give Tapu Koko a confused look. 

“Ko krow!” Tapu Koko screamed. 

Light burst out of Eleanor’s bracelet, making all four Buzzwoles stop. My body relaxed as a soothing warmth ran through my veins. I lifted my wrist to tap the Z-Crystal, letting light burst out of it. My body moved on its own to perform a short dance. And when I struck the final pose, light surrounded Tapu Koko’s body. He closed his shell before shrieking. The ground started shaking, and while everyone around us scrambled away, I calmly stepped back. Cracks formed below Tapu Koko, letting light filter out and form a headless yellow body. One that towered over the Alpha Buzzwole. His posture slumped as Tapu Koko flew up and sat right where a head would be. And just seeing the madness of this got a smile out of me. 

I lifted my fist. “Guardian Of Alola!” 

The body made of energy lifted its fist before I swung my fist down. The body below Tapu Koko swung its fist down and slammed into Buzzwole, shoving it into the ground. Smoke and dirt burst out from the impact as the following Buzzwole gasped. 

The warmth from my body disappeared, and I let out a breath as Eleanor’s bracelet stopped glowing. I looked at the bracelet as my eyes widened. That’s her blessing. She’ll teach me the dances for the Z-Moves. At least the ones Trial Captains and Kahunas can’t. Wait, can she control me now? I mean, I was conscious, but my body felt… warm and floaty. I should stop thinking about this. 

The giant body disappeared before Tapu Koko flew down in front of me again. The following Buzzwoles flew down to their leader as he pushed himself up.

He shakily lifted his head to look at me. “That crystal… It’s from a creator. He gave it to you alphas. Where is he? I must find him!” 

“Creator?” I softly asked. 

“Krow ko ko. Koko ko!” Tapu Koko spat. 

Buzzwole growled before pushing himself back into the air. “Tell me where he is!” 

“Ko krow!” Tapu Koko barked as a chill ran down my spine. 

Buzzwole pulled his arm back. “You little-” 

Black chains flew out from behind us, which made me spin around. The man was holding what I could only describe as a thin bazooka that released the chains, and had the most deadpan look I’ve ever seen. The same kind of machine the worker labeled ‘master’ used in that vision. Buzzwole cried out, bringing my attention back to him. The chains wrapped around him and electrocuted him. Just like Ink did to Necrozma. 

My eyes widened as everything clicked. This isn’t just Ink wanting Necrozma’s power. He wants to be the only god. He’s killing every single god of his world. He just also wants Necrozma’s power so he can take it. And Necrozma made this our problem. So I have to stop someone made by a god who can at least shapeshift. I basically have to beat a Dual Hero and his team of followers. Great. 

“Sir!” the Buzzwoles around him called before flying towards him. They started grabbing at the chains and started pulling at them while the alpha started thrashing around in his restraints. He tried breaking them off, but the chains only dug into him and poked holes into him. The fluid inside his body started gushing out, which only made his movements slow. 

I spun around to look at Ink’s workers. “Let him go!” 

“We’re just doing business,” the man replied in such a monotone voice. He looked at the girl beside him. “Zossie.” 

She nodded before holding up what looked like a remote and pressed a button. A loud crack rang through my head, making me cry out and grab my head, but covered my ears from the sound. Tapu Koko grabbed my left arm in an attempt to steady me. I just turned to the Buzzwoles before my eyes widened. A wormhole formed behind him, and just as it opened, the sound of glass shattering burst through my mind. I winced, but forced my eyes to stay open. The wormhole released gusts of wind that tried pulling us in, but its main target was the alpha. The three followers tried holding him back as he clawed at the ground, but those chains kept weakening him. The fluid from his body continued pouring out of him too. That fluid gives him his strength. He’s going to be sucked in like Necrozma to who knows where. Leaving him to die in that wormhole. 

I narrowed my eyes before I broke out of Tapu Koko’s grip and ran towards Buzzwole. Water coated my arms at my command before I swung them up, sending spirals of water to Buzzwole. I wrapped them around him before stopping in my tracks to try to pull him back. 

“What are you doing!?” one of the smaller Buzzwoles demanded. 

“I’m not letting him get abducted,” I hissed through gritted teeth before my body started sliding forward. I dug my heels into the ground before Tapu Koko grabbed me and pulled me into the air, preventing me from getting pulled forward. Buzzwole’s body was still getting pulled back though. 

“Don’t give in, Buzzwole!” I begged before I started pulling my arms back to pull Buzzwole forward. 

“Why… are you helping me?” he choked out. 

I narrowed my eyes. “I have what you need to protect. And I have every intention of delivering it.” I sharpened my glare, using my telekinesis to grab his body to keep pulling him forward. “It’s my duty to protect this land, but I can’t do it alone. Instead of fighting me, I need you and your fellow alphas to fight with me. Or else that murderer will get away and take this power. So don’t give in!” 

Buzzwole’s posture relaxed as his grip on the ground loosened. His followers jerked closer to the wormhole because of it, but regained their grip on him to try and keep him out. However, their leader lightly tilted his head. 

“Necrozma gave you the prism? You have the Light Bringer who holds in?” I nodded as my eyes started watering. Don’t let him go. Get him out! “You truly want to stop his creation?” 

“Yes!” I yelled. 

Buzzwole straightened his head before he looked between his followers. “Spread the word to the alphas.” He looked at me. “This human is like Gleam.” Gleam? Who’s Gleam!? 

“But won’t you-” one of the followers began. 

“Spread the word and keep him and his Light Bringer away from Ink’s following,” Buzzwole ordered before turning to me. “Don’t underestimate that corrupted creature, and do not let him find the prism. With the path he’s on… If he gets that prism, he’ll become unstoppable. Stop him while you still can, and don’t let my sacrifice go to waste.” 

With that, Buzzwole pushed himself into the air and threw his head back. Purple light flashed across the needle-like appendage on his face before his head fell. The light shot towards me, making my eyes widen before it struck my chest. I expected a sharp sting, but whatever this was made me feel pins and needles on the spot it struck. However, that feeling spread through my body and made me lose my focus on Buzzwole. The water around him collapsed as I released my psychic control on him. Buzzwole then shoved his followers away as he was sucked into the wormhole. 

My expression dropped as Tapu Koko steadied me in the air, but I just watched as the portal sealed shut. He’s gone. That calm feeling that let me think straight washed away as a nervous feeling drifted over me, and it brought a headache with it. I don’t even know how to think of what just happened. This is real. A monstrous… Dual Hero knock-off is murdering gods and now infiltrating our world to get absolute power. And I have what he wants. 

What the hell have I gotten myself into?

Chapter Text

“And done!” the pale girl cheered, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Ultra Beast contained!” 

“You monster!” one of the following Buzzwoles yelled before the three of them shot towards the two foreigners. 

“Wait!” I called, making them freeze. 

The three of them looked up at me. “Why?” 

One of them pointed to the duo. “They took master!” 

I looked at Tapu Koko, making him roll his eyes, but fly down to put me back on the ground. I quietly thanked him before turning to the Buzzwoles. “Attacking them won’t do anything. Let me talk to them.” 

The three of them whined, but flew aside to let me step towards the duo. The guy held his blank look, but the girl’s expression lit up. “Hello! Or, as you people say, Alola!” She shot towards me, which made me flinch at first, but she just started circling around me. “Wowie. Your look is so dark. Dark skin, dark hair.” She gasped and pushed herself on her toes to look me dead in the eye. I think? Her glasses blocked her eyes. “Your eyes are so pretty! So golden and bright!” 

“Calm yourself, Zossie,” her partner dryly said as he approached us. 

“Oh, sorry,” I guess Zossie replied before taking a few steps back to stand beside him. “You’re just so different from the Kane family.” They know the Kane family!? “They’re pale like us, but you’re so different. So dark and pretty. Not to say the Kane’s aren’t pretty.” She cupped her face. “Oh, Miss Lusamine. So gorgeous. Reminds me of the late queen.” 

My expression dropped. “Queen?” There’s a queen? Was Ink married?

“Oh, yes! Very corrupt, but very beautiful,” Zossie replied. 

She was corrupt? What is going on!? Am I still wrong!? Is Ink hunting gods to revive his dead yet insane wife?! Did she have powers too!? Are they Dual Hero knock-offs!? Did Necrozma tell the alpha about us!? Did he create his own- He created his own Dual Heroes. Is that why Ink is going crazy? Did someone kill his partner? No, these guys work for Ink. They wouldn’t call her corrupt if he was crazy in love with her. Well, I know Rayne is out of her mind and I’m obsessed with her, so maybe not. Holy Arceus, what is going on? I thought I figured it out! Maybe I did! I don't know anything about this queen!

“Who are you strangers?” Hala asked as he approached us. 

“Oh, apologies, mister,” Zossie began before drawing a box with her hands. “I’m Zossie Amamo, and this is my partner, Dulse Esde. We’re part of the Ultra Recon Squad!” 

I blinked. “Excuse me?” 

Dulse sighed. “I apologize for her. She gets ahead of herself. We are travelers from an alternate world. Our squad is a protection force. Recently, a lot of beasts who live in our world have left their spatial barriers, so it is our job to contain them.” He lifted his head. “These Buzzwole are just the start of our problem.” 

“You see, we originally came here because a Creator took our light and threw it into another dimension, so we’ve been looking for it for quite a while. We’re seeing if it fell here, but then the entire Bulky Protector pack appeared, so we have to take care of that. We think all this universe hopping we’re doing is causing some rifts, so I guess we confused the Bulky Protectors. So, we’re cleaning up our mess! With the alpha home, the followers will follow!” Zossie explained. Ok, now I get why I called her innocent. She’s adorable. 

I blinked at her response though. “I’m sorry… He threw light into another dimension?” 

Zossie nodded as Dulse stepped forward. “In our world, Creators, or Necrozmas, produce light for everyone to use. The head of the Creators stores that power in a jewel known as the Prism of Infinity. The head Creator got upset at our king, so as a punishment, he opened a wormhole and threw the crystal into an alternate dimension.” 

“Uh huh…” I slowly replied. Well, at least I know what the prism is now, but… This doesn’t seem right.  

“Did your king provoke this creature?” Hala asked. 

“Nope! This head Creator is just super powerful, and actually created our king and late queen! It’s just some parental discipline,” Zossie replied. 

I blinked. They are knock-off Dual Heroes. And one is dead. Alright! Back to the drawing board of what the bloody hell am I doing! 

“Uh huh…” Hala muttered. 

“Don’t you worry though! We know how to contain them, and according to Miss Lusamine, you guys get a lot of our beasts, so we’ll send them back to our world! Our commander came here once he got our report too, so you’re in good hands!” Zossie assured. So they were the other two wormholes. Ok, all four workers should be here, but what now?

I shook my head. “Why are you containing these creatures?” 

Zossie’s smile fell. “Uh… to keep them out of your world? They’re kind of our responsibility. If some of your creatures crashed into our world, wouldn’t you come to retrieve them? I mean, considering you can bend liquid H20, you must be a leader of sorts. We heard there’s nine kingdoms in this world. Do you lead this kingdom?” 

I blinked. I need an excuse and fast. “Uh… no? I’m- I’m not a leader.” 

“But these creatures all like you. And listen to you,” Zossie asked before tilting her head. “How are you not a leader?” 

“I- Because our world doesn’t work like that. I’m just- I get along with the creatures of our world,” I defended. 

“Huh…” Zossie muttered before shrugging. “At least you don’t have to worry about arguments between leaders. Unlike us.” 

“Zossie,” Dulse hissed. She just gave him a cheeky grin. 

“Hop!” Alyssa called. Bloody hell! 

I slowly turned to the stairs, seeing my four classmates and Elio run up the steps. Lexi winced when her eyes landed on me, but Xavier and Alyssa held their worried looks while Austin gave me a wide smile. Only for Xavier’s expression to turn horrified. 

“What was that giant- Is that Entei?!” Austin demanded. 

“Is that Tapu Koko?” Xavier squeaked. 

“Yes,” Hala calmly replied. 

“What happened?” Elio asked me. 

“Don’t worry, Alolans. We contained the creature attacking your land,” Zossie assured before turning to the remaining Buzzwole. “Now if only his followers would leave.” 

“We are not retreating unless master says so!” one of them barked. 

“And master left this human in charge!” another added before placing her hand on my head. “We listen to him now!”

“You what?” I nervously asked. 

Entei and Tapu Koko sighed before Entei looked at me. “I can take them back to Ten Carat Hill and have Solgaleo send them home. They won’t bother us anymore.” Yeah, they won’t. There’s at least four more alphas coming. At least they won’t attack me. I hope. 

Elio turned to me. “Can you translate, please?” 

I stared at him, looking for the right words. How do I explain this? “A…” I motioned to the Buzzwoles. “Their leader dragged them here because of that light creature that crashed into Ten Carat Hill, and,” I motioned to Zossie and Dulse, “these two sucked him back into a wormhole to their home world.” 

“Ok…” Xavier muttered. 

I turned to the three Buzzwoles behind me. “Go with Entei to meet up with the rest of your pack so Solgaleo can send you home. And get your fallen teammates from the trail below.”

“Are you sure you don’t want some of us to stay and defend you?” one of them asked. 

“That one follower alone can beat master,” another one added. 

“I’m sure,” I dryly replied before pointing to Entei. “Follow him.” 

The three of them sighed, but flew over to Entei. He looked at me, nodded, then leapt away to take the Buzzwoles back to Ten Carat Hill.

I took a deep breath and ran my hands over my face. Ok! Look on the bright side! I have some information. I know what the prism is, I know Ink’s team is here and that they’re called the Ultra Recon Squad, and I know the Ultra Beasts won’t kill me as long as I show them I’m on their side. However, I now know there’s a queen and that she and Ink are possible Dual Hero knock-offs, and that one of them is dead. So now I have no idea who’s really innocent here. Ink somehow lost his soulmate! How do I know he’s not blinded by insanity, or trying to get her back? But Necrozma wouldn’t be asking me to destroy him if that was the case, right? Or would he so this can end for good, and this attempt of his to copy us can die with him? What is happening in this world!?

“Uh…” Xavier muttered, bringing my attention to him. He and my other classmates watched as Entei and the Ultra Beasts left before Xavier slowly turned to me. “Are you ok?” 

“What just happened?” Lexi slowly asked. 

“Who are these people?” Austin asked, pointing to Zossie and Dulse. 

I stared at them as Hala cleared his throat and stepped forward. “Students, these are… members of the Ultra Recon Squad. They’re… apparently here to contain Ultra Beasts.” 

“We apologize for the inconvenience,” Dulse began. “In our home, there is a dispute going on between our leaders. The leader of us humans has sent us to this world to see if something he lost ended up here.” 

“Does it have to do with the alien on Ten Carat Hill?” Austin asked as my eyes widened. Do they know Necrozma is dead? 

“Alien?” Zossie asked. 

“Yeah. This big yellow guy. He came flying out of a wormhole yesterday and crashed onto the mountain,” Austin replied. 

Dulse hummed and looked down in thought. “There may be a connection.” He lifted his gaze to Austin’s. “Thank you for this detail. We will investigate shortly.” Dulse then turned to me. “In the meantime, we would like to speak with the leader of your kingdom and apologize for the trouble the Bulky Protectors brought.”

“Well-” Hala began. 

“Krow ko ko!” Tapu Koko shrieked before flying towards the duo. Zossie flinched and stepped back, but Dulse stayed put as Tapu Koko shoved his hand into Dulse’s chest. “Krow koko ko krow ko! Koko ko ko!” 

“Easy, Tapu Koko,” Hala began as he approached them. Tapu Koko just growled, so Hala placed his hand on the side of his tiki shell. “No need to get so upset.” He looked back at Dulse. “Our world doesn’t run like yours. There’s no default leader. We have multiple people keeping order on different levels. I myself have the position to watch over this island with Tapu Koko here, but completely different people and Pokemon watch over the other islands.” 

Zossie tilted her head. “Pokemon?” 

“What we call our… creatures,” Hala began before shaking his head. “If you wish to apologize to anyone, it would be Tapu Koko and myself. That Buzzwole attacked our island, after all. Since the issue is resolved now, your apology is accepted.” 

“Koko!?” 

Hala shot Tapu Koko a warning look before returning his gaze to the duo. “Don’t let this happen again. The residents of Melemele were probably terrified, and a lot of beings living here could’ve gotten hurt.” 

“But we just came here to stop them! The Bulky Protectors-” Zossie began before Dulse held up his hand to silence her. 

“We will make sure none of them bother you. We will report to our squad leader and inform you if any more beasts from our world are reported to have left.” With that, he drew a box with his hands, prompting Zossie to quickly copy his actions before he turned around and led Zossie towards the town gates. I was about to tell them to wait, but just seeing my classmates look at me again made me stop myself. I guess I won’t ask about their world. I’d at least like to know how many Ultra Beast packs there are in case all of them come here. 

Hala sighed and ran his hands over his face. “For the love of Arceus…” He turned to the broken stage. “That was from a gift from a Dual Hero too…” 

I couldn’t help but wince. “Sorry…” 

Hala shook his head as he stepped towards the stage. “You didn’t break it.” 

“Ok, what happened?” Alyssa asked as Elio’s expression slowly lit up. 

“Did you work with Tapu Koko to defeat that giant Buzzwole?” 

“No. Well, yeah. Kinda? We didn’t beat him though. We just attacked him to try and calm him down, but then those people attacked him and sent him through a wormhole,” I replied before turning to Tapu Koko. I held up my wrist. “Do you want this back, by the way?” 

Tapu Koko shook his head and lightly pushed my arm down. “Koko.” 

“Wait, he gave you a Z-Ring?” Elio asked. 

I nodded as I turned to him. “And some exclusive Z-Crystal. That’s what that… body was. If you saw it.” 

Austin and Elio’s expressions lit up. “Wicked…” Austin breathed out. 

“You have to show Professor Kukui! Rayne has never used that!” 

“She has it?” Alyssa nervously asked. 

“Yeah. Tapu Koko gave it to her. She never used Z-Moves though. She’s only used them like… twice? Which is surprising because they’re broken,” Elio replied before shaking his head. “Either way, you gotta show the professor!” 

I turned to Tapu Koko. “Are you ok with that?” He snorted before waving and flying back to his ruins. My expression dropped as I watched him go. “Seriously!?” 

“Ok, wait, time out: Why did a legendary Pokemon give you their exclusive Z-Crystal?” Alyssa asked. 

“I really don’t know,” I replied as I turned to them. 

Elio shrugged. “Either way, you have a Z-Ring, so you can do the trials now.” He looked past me. “Hey, Hala! Can you get him a trial charm?” Hala just turned his head, giving Elio an annoyed look. Elio gave him a pressed smile. “We’ll ask Kukui.” 

“Uh huh,” Hala bitterly replied before he slowly knelt down by the broken stage. 

I went over to him. “I can help you.” 

Hala waved me off. “Don’t worry about it. This is your vacation.” He looked up at me. “Plus, I believe you have other things to worry about now.” 

A frown settled on my lips. “Alright…” 

“I’ll send Hau back to help, and whenever these guys get situated, I’ll come back to help you clean up,” Elio replied. 

Hala waved him off before picking up the piece of wood in front of him. I hesitantly stepped away, watching as he stood back up. When I saw him lift the wood onto his shoulder and start walking towards one of the houses, I turned around and went over to my classmates. Elio waited until I was close enough before he turned around and started leading us out of Iki Town.

“Seriously, are you ok?” Xavier asked. 

“Yeah. Just…” I began before hugging my arms. “I don’t know.” Worried? Creeped out? Answers or not, it was uncanny to see Zossie and Dulse exist. Seeing people I learn about through visions has always freaked me out, but… I feel just as confused as I did earlier. 

“At least you’re not oddly calm. That was freaky,” Austin added. 

“Sorry…” I muttered. 

Alyssa took a deep breath. “Just… Don’t do that again. Although those Recon people are weird, they can handle something like this if it happens again. It’s not your problem.” 

“You’re lucky we didn’t tell the professor,” Lexi complained before shooting me a glare. “We’re one day in, and you ditch us. Breaking his like, one rule.” 

“I didn’t ditch you! I was doing what Rayne told me to do!” I defended. 

“Then what’s more important to you? Your grade or keeping your friend happy?” Lexi mocked. I just looked away and tightened my grip on my arms. Arceus, I hate her! 

“Ok,” Xavier breathed out. “This… It was a lot, but it’s over now.” 

I heard Solgaleo’s roar in the distance, only to be followed by glass cracking in my head. I winced and squeezed my eyes shut, but just waited for the shattering. The Buzzwoles are going home. It’s ok. I just wish it didn’t hurt. But, a wormhole opened above Ten Carat Hill, and the Buzzwoles started flying back in. 

“See?” Xavier asked as he placed his hand on my shoulder. “Let’s take it easy for the rest of the day. We still have 4 days left on Melemele.” 

“Yeah,” Elio began before slipping beside me. “I can get Professor Kukui to drop off a trial charm, and Hau, Lillie, and I will clean things up and report to Rayne. We got this covered.” 

“Are you sure?” I asked. 

Elio nodded as he gave me a cheeky grin. “We got the boring stuff. Go clean up. Blood is covering your upper lip.” 

“And it’s disgusting,” Lexi added. 

“You’re disgusting,” Elio sweetly fired back. I bit down on my lip to stop myself from laughing as Lexi gave him an offended look. Elio’s smile rose before he skipped past us. “Have fun! See you later! Bye!” 

Austin chuckled as I took a deep breath to not laugh. Oh, Elio. Never change.

Chapter Text

By the time we reached Elio’s house, the wormhole had closed. All the Pokemon from the mountain were still waiting on the beach, and Raikou and Professor Kukui were at the front of the crowd. I guess they’re waiting for the others to come out and make sure it’s safe.

We went to the Pokemon Center so I could clean up, and Xavier bought me a new coffee before asking us what we wanted to do for the rest of the day. Since I couldn’t challenge Ilima without that charm, I was ok with anything. I want my head to stop hurting, and I want to figure out what’s really going on with Ink, but I can’t do either right now. I should just take the break and enjoy it. Lillie checked on Necrozma, Entei and Solgaleo got the Buzzwoles home, and Elio and Hau will give Rayne a butchered version of what happened earlier. At the very least, I need to talk to her. 

Since it was past noon, we decided to get some lunch. I found a restaurant that seemed promising online, but Lexi insisted we go to a seaside cafe she found. I had no energy to argue, so I just agreed. It wasn’t bad, but Austin didn’t like it. Then Lexi made me pay, and when she and Alyssa got in a petty argument over it, I found our waiter and gave her the money and an apology before Xavier dragged us out. 

To attempt to keep the peace, Xavier offered to start working on our papers, mainly since Alyssa was the only one in our group who knew what she was writing. At the very least, our goal was to know what our papers would be over. So, like any normal college kid during an Alolan vacation, we went to the library and started looking for ideas. 

“Hey,” Alyssa softly said. I turned my attention away from the bookshelf in front of me, meeting her gaze. “Are you doing ok?” 

I looked back at the shelf. “Yeah. Just tired.” 

“Ok…” Alyssa muttered as Selene flew over to me, holding a book. 

“Cosmog!” 

I turned to her, seeing her giving me a wide smile before she held out the book she chose. A picture book about Miniors.

A smile rose to my lips as I took the book and examined the cover. “I don’t know much about Miniors, so you have the right idea. Good job.” 

Her smile rose. “Cos!” 

“You aren’t mad at me, right?” Alyssa softly asked. My Pokemon and I turned to her as I gave her a confused look. She lowered her gaze to the book in her hands. “It’s just… I don’t want you to get in trouble. With Willow or in general.” She met my gaze again. “Just because The Master asked you to help doesn’t mean you have to. Don’t let her control you like this.” 

My eye twitched. That one phrase reminding me of when Arceus yelled at us in Sinnoh. Telling me the same bloody thing. ‘Stop letting her control you’. 

I looked back at the shelf and narrowed my eyes. “She’s not. She never has. I’m choosing to do this.” 

“Still. The locals can take care of it,” Alyssa softly reminded. 

I just reached up to grab a random book so I could pretend to read the back of it. “What’s your paper over?” 

“Uh… the relationship between Alolan Pokemon. I’ve heard that many species work together here, so… Yeah.” 

I nodded as I put the book back. “It’s a good topic, and does require you to look into part of Alola’s history we haven’t talked about to know where these bonds came from.” 

I saw Alyssa nod in the corner of my eye. “Do you… have any ideas yet?” 

“Vague ideas,” I replied as I scanned through the books. “I’m tempted to do a paper over wormholes, but this is supposed to be about Alola.” 

“So Eleanor’s biography isn’t in the works?” Alyssa teased, and I could hear her smile.

I couldn’t stop myself from smiling as I finally looked at her. “For your information, that’s already been written.” 

Her smile widened as she looked away to suppress a laugh. “Of course you know…”  

“And I’ve read it.” 

“Of course you have.”

I gave her a sweet smile before my phone buzzed and flew in front of me. I grabbed my phone and looked at the notification. Rayne sent me something. I tapped the notification to open it, seeing it was a screenshot of the post Lexi made about that ad of Rayne and Primarina from the mall. 

Little Red <3: WHO TF POSTED THIS?!?!?!?

A smile crept onto my lips and I started typing a reply. 

“Who texted?” Alyssa asked. 

“Rayne. She saw Lexi’s post.” 

“And?”

“Just wait.” 

Me: Remember the girl who ditched Alyssa at that bar?

Little Red <3: THAT BITCH!!!!

Little Red <3: SHE KILLED MY PLANNED HYPE!!!!!

Little Red <3: I was gonna show up on the field, and Galar would’ve lost their fucking minds over how hot I am like they are now, but NO! They’re losing their minds now and leaving thirst tweets over a photo from September! They’re not even creative! I’ve seen better on Leon’s feed! >:(

I bit back a smile and lowered my phone. She’s upset about them not being creative. Dear Arceus, I love her so much. 

“Oh Arceus, what did she say?” Alyssa asked, but gave me an amused look. 

“She’s complaining about the thirst tweets not being creative,” I replied as I lifted my phone to keep typing. 

“Oh my gosh…” Alyssa breathed out. “She’s… something.” 

“Yeah,” I simply replied as I continued typing. 

Me: I know, but it’s ok. You don’t have to wow them. This is your first league as Champion. You’ll amaze them by just being there.

Little Red <3: but I wannaaaaaaa. I gotta come up with something else now :( maybe I’ll dye my hair some crazy color. Red, maybe???

Me: Do not put that thought in my head.

Little Red <3: hehehehehehehe

Little Red <3: will it make you comment how you want me to crush you with my thighs too????

Me: They said that?!?!?!

Little Red <3: it’s the most common tweet. I didn’t know my thighs looked that good XD I could probably snap someone’s head clean off with my thighs though.

Little Red <3: might test that theory in the near future.

Me: Seriously. Stop. I’m in public.

Little Red <3: and I’m in your bed. In your clothes. Because I miss you. Fight me.

I stared at my phone, reading over that message again and again. She’s… she’s wearing my clothes? She’s never done that. It’s not like I told her no either. She’s never asked, and now… She is wearing my clothes. 

“You good?” Alyssa asked. 

“Yep,” I breathed out before turning off my phone. Alyssa gave me a confused look, but I just turned to Selene. “How about we check out the astronomy section?” 

She gasped. “Cosmog!”

With that, she flew off, prompting Dubwool and me to follow her as Rowlet flew off Dubwool’s head to fly after Selene. 

I let Selene show me a bunch of random astronomy books, mainly to not think of what Rayne could possibly be wearing. I just started not focusing on it before Leon unintentionally answered my question. 

Lee: Someone misses her baby ;)

I stared at the picture he sent me, feeling heat rush to my face. He took a picture of Rayne, since both of them were in the kitchen. She was sitting on the island with Eevee on her lap, and while she boredly stared at her phone… She was wearing the Wyndon U hoodie Austin got me for Christmas, since he said I missed the ‘orientation merch’. But that was it. She was probably wearing shorts, but it looked like she was just wearing the hoodie. 

I slowly lowered my phone as Dubwool lightly laughed at my reaction. I took a deep breath and lifted my phone to save the picture. “Shut it.” 

“You are obsessed with her,” Dubwool laughed out. 

“You don’t even know what the message was,” I reminded as I put my phone away and looked down at him. 

“I don’t have to,” Dubwool replied as Rowlet tilted her head. 

I shot him an annoyed look, which only made him give me a sweet smile before Selene bumped a book against my head. “Cosmog!” 

We spent another hour at the library, and while Xavier got his prompt, the rest of us still didn’t know what we’d write about. Professor Willow said it could be over anything from our trip, but I want to do something no one else can. I could always write about the Cosmog line, but my information on them can’t exactly be sourced or discussed. I wanted to stay longer to look for more ideas, but Lexi complained about being bored, so we left. 

“So… since I doubt any of you want to write an essay, how about we explore the island a bit more? Maybe it’ll give us some essay ideas!” Austin offered. 

“We have a lot of time to do that, and after what happened this morning, I don’t want Hop to push himself,” Xavier explained. 

“So let’s just walk around! Look at the scenery, get to know our new Pokemon, maybe catch some more,” Austin began before taking out his phone. “I looked up some Alola-native Pokemon earlier, and there’s this really wicked electric type called Vikavolk that I need, and its first stage can be found on this island! Let me see where.” 

I couldn’t help but smile. “You could’ve just said you wanted to get a Grubbin.” 

“Yeah, well I fully expected Lexi to disagree because Pokemon are ‘boring’,” Austin replied as he continued typing. 

“Only if catching them is all we’re going to do,” Lexi complained. 

“Come on, Lex. It could be fun to take a step back and enjoy nature. Plus, I could get some notes for my essay,” Alyssa offered. 

“Plus, Eleanor may curse you if you disrespect one of her islands,” I teased. 

Lexi rolled her eyes before she took out her phone. “Whatever.” 

“Route 1! Ok! Follow me!” Austin called before he started running down the street. 

We left Hau’Oli City so Austin could start looking for a Grubbin. He sent out his Litten so they could walk together, so the others did the same. Lexi just carried her Litten while Alyssa’s Popplio and Alcremie walked together. Xavier’s Rowlet sat on his Arcanine’s head as he walked, but all our Pokemon greeted each other as we left town. 

When we reached Elio’s house, I saw the quote unquote ‘Alola gang’ by the fence between the route and the beach. They had their main Pokemon beside them, along with Solgaleo and Suicune. I guess Raikou and Entei are still helping the other Pokemon who live in the mountain. I did see a Rockruff standing by Lillie though, who was sitting on the fence. 

Austin’s arm shot up to wave. “Hi, guys!” 

The four trainers turned to us before Hau’s expression lit up. “Hop and friends! Alola! Nice to see you’re alive!” 

“I told you to stop calling us that,” Lexi complained as Austin and his Litten ran over to them. 

“Oh well,” Gladion dryly replied as Austin stopped by the fence. 

“So any updates? Can we explore Ten Carat Hill now!?” 

“Sorry, but it’s still off limits,” Lillie began before looking over at me. “Professor Kukui is calling Professor Burnet as we speak though. Hopefully she can come over to investigate that creature for herself.” 

“But, it’s safe for the Pokemon to return, so everything is a-ok!” Hau added. 

“I guess that’s all that matters now,” Xavier softly said. 

“Yeah. There’s just a dead body up there. But what are you guys up to?” Elio asked. 

“Since this one,” Lexi began as she pointed to me, “had some sort of nosebleed episode, we can’t do anything interesting, so we’re just walking around.” 

“I’m getting a Grubbin!” Austin cheered as he held up his hand. 

Elio gasped as his expression lit up. “Yes! I have one too! Let me show you where they are! Come on, Decidueye!” 

“Wicked!” Austin called as Elio ran off the beach, making Austin and their Pokemon run after him. 

I smiled at them as Alyssa’s Popplio pointed to the beach. “Pop!” 

Alyssa looked down at her. “Do you want to swim?” Popplio nodded as she smiled up at Alyssa. She smiled back before kneeling down to pick Popplio up. “Alright. We just can’t go too far. I don’t want you to get lost.” 

“Pop pop!” Popplio assured as Alyssa stepped onto the beach, Alcremie following her. 

Lillie smiled at them as Lexi followed Alyssa before Lillie turned to me. “Are you feeling a bit better?” 

I nodded. “Did you manage to get a sample of those chains?” 

“We tried, but they wouldn’t break. Not even Silvally could break them,” Lillie replied. 

“Not even a scratch,” Silvally hissed, so Gladion reached up to rub Silvally’s neck.  

“Professor Burnet will probably have to examine it from the body,” Lillie began before she shifted a bit to face me better. “How did you know it had chains on it, anyway?” 

“Visions. I didn’t expect it to be so hard to break though. One of my visions was Rayne ripping them off,” I replied. 

“She can break them?” Gladion asked as Lillie tilted her head. 

“I guess?” I asked. 

“What visions have you had?” Lillie asked. 

“Mainly just… vague context? Like I see the people or beings involved before I meet them as a sort of warning. I think? It’s hard to explain,” I began before my expression softened. “One thing I did see was the Ultra Recon Squad, and when I met them earlier, they said they knew you guys. Who exactly are they?” 

Gladion and Lillie narrowed their eyes before Lillie shifted around on the fence to face me. “What did you see them do?” 

“It… was more of a montage of them, but… How do you know them?” I asked. 

Lillie looked at Gladion before turning to me again. “Well, we don’t really know them. They showed up yesterday morning at Aether, explaining how they’re from an alternate dimension and here because they lost an important prism and need to find it. Our mother let them stay since, you know, we research Ultra Beasts and they’re from the world of the Ultra Beasts. This morning, two more workers showed up, but they won’t tell our mother anything about this prism or why they need it. They’ve just given her information on the Ultra Beasts in exchange for hospitality.” 

That’s what the other two wormholes were. So my reaction on the plane was Zossie and Dulse, the one on the beach was Necrozma, my post-nightmare reaction was the other two workers, the one in the restroom was the Alpha Buzzwole, then the one by the cafe was Buzzwole’s pack. Ok. I know exactly what came here. 

“Lusamine has kept us out of Aether ever since though. Said she doesn’t trust them, so they must be sketchy if the local psycho thinks they’re up to something,” Gladion added. 

“Do you know what they’re up to?” Hau asked me. 

“Kinda. They work for the person who killed Necrozma, but I’m still trying to figure everything out. Every time I think I have it figured out, something else pops up and crushes the idea,” I replied.  

“Then stop overthinking it,” Lillie began as Xavier put his hand on my shoulder. “You don’t have to know the answer right now.” 

“I know, but I want to know what’s going on so I know what I’m getting myself into and how to stop it,” I replied. 

“You really don’t. Rayne was clueless the entire time, yet she still got the job done,” Gladion reminded. 

“Because she didn’t need to know anything!” I defended. 

“She didn’t need to know our mother was trying to use Nebby to force open wormholes so she could live in an alternate dimension and control them?” Lillie asked. 

I stared at her, trying to come up with a response. 

“Sure, she didn’t care, so she didn’t actively try to figure stuff out, but she needed to know so she knew what she was stopping. You of all people should know the solution to… whatever this is won’t come out until you get close to the end. You’ll only frustrate yourself if you try to learn everything at once. Relax, and unravel this as you go,” Lillie explained. 

“Yeah. Do what Rayne did,” Hau added.

Do what Rayne did… We aren’t supposed to be alone, but she made it work. I know what I’m supposed to do, so I shouldn’t worry about the details. I shouldn’t put things together when I don’t know the whole picture. Lillie’s right. Do what Rayne did. Piece together the mystery as I go. 

“Ok…” I muttered before lifting my gaze to Lillie’s. “Keep me updated though. This is still my responsibility, so-”

“Don’t even. You have to keep three college students from figuring out what you are so you’re not expelled while also saving the region from aliens. We’re helping whether you like it or not,” Lillie interrupted before frowning. “We owe it to you and Rayne, after all.” 

“Plus, I want to be even with you so I don’t feel obligated to be nice to you,” Gladion added. 

I gave him an amused smile. “Just admit that you like me.” 

“I despise you.”

“Then why did you give me such a lovely gift?” 

“Because it’s stupid and you deserved it.”

I gave him a flattered look and placed my hand over my heart. “Thank you.” 

Gladion rolled his eyes, but failed to hold back a smile. “I swear…” 

“But I mean it,” Lillie began, bringing my attention back to her. She gave me a gentle smile. “We’ll help you in any way you need. So what do you need us to do?” 

“Other than break that damn chain,” Silvally hissed. 

I looked between them as a smile rose to my lips. “You guys…” 

“Yeah. We’re the best,” Lillie’s Wigglytuff replied. 

Lillie nodded. “So?” 

I looked up at the mountain. “Tell me what Professor Burnet says.” I returned my gaze to Lillie’s. “It would also be helpful if I had some data on the Ultra Beasts. Two of the Recon workers already know about my powers and think I’m a leader, which isn’t a good thing. I think if I ask them about the Ultra Beasts, it would only draw more attention to myself, and I can’t let them figure out I have a Cosmog with the prism they want, so-” 

“Wait, you have the prism?” Gladion asked. 

I blinked as Selene smiled and nodded. “Uh huh.” 

Solgaleo snorted as Silvally sighed. “Those things cause so much trouble…” 

“This is why we need to help him. If the Recon Squad knows he has what they want, he’s screwed, and it’s kind of his Dual Hero mission to protect Alola,” Lillie replied. 

“Why does Cosmog even have it?” Xavier asked. 

“So she can deliver it to one of our gods who was in that dead Necrozma’s pack, presumably to become the new leader,” I explained. Xavier stared at me. “And the Recon Squad wants it because their leader killed Necrozma and wants his power, but the details of why are still fuzzy, so the dead Necrozma got his fellow leaders to come here and protect Selene from getting taken-”

“Cosmog,” Selene added. 

“-but they’re also furious over the fact that Necrozma is dead, so I have to make sure Alola isn’t destroyed because Eleanor Saphlight herself won’t tolerate her land being destroyed.” 

“All while making sure no one in your school finds out he’s a Dual Hero because your region is obsessed with news and gossip, and if news spreads to the general public, he could be kidnapped and experimented on,” Hau sweetly added. 

“Exactly. Which is why only Alola and Paldea know because they respect us,” I replied. 

“Oh my gosh…” Xavier muttered. 

“But you were saying?” Lillie asked me. 

“Oh, yeah! Can you ask Lusamine to get information on every Ultra Beast native to that dimension? Supposedly, every pack leader will come here, and you confirmed we don’t know all of the Ultra Beasts. I’d rather not face something like a godly Buzzwole without knowing its weaknesses. Especially if I have to stop them from destroying stuff,” I explained. 

“Got it,” Lillie replied before taking out her phone. 

“Sol solgal sol?” Solgaleo asked, making Suicune look at him before looking at me. 

“Are you sure you don’t want Solgaleo with you?” 

“Or at least one of my sibling’s help? You’ll fight disgusting beast leaders for the next what? Month? You may want a beast killer or more powerful Ultra Beast,” Silvally added. 

“Thanks, but no thanks. Having another Ultra Beast or a beast killer would only make me look suspicious to the Recon Squad, and I need to somehow make it look like I don’t have what they want,” I replied. 

“I don’t know. That Silvally you saved from Team Rocket seemed to like you. He’s so sad now too,” Lillie teased. 

“He misses his master,” Gladion mocked. 

“Plus, these guys seem to have no idea how this world works. They may think you’re a god, but we have a lot of gods. As long as they don’t find that prism, you can do whatever you want. Just say you’re the guardian of Alola. Not its ruler, but its protector. These Ultra Beasts are destroying stuff, so it’s believable,” Suicune explained. 

I stared at him. Why didn’t I think of that? These are literal aliens hunting a crystal. They don’t know how our world works, and as long as I keep Cosmog hidden from them, they’ll think the prism isn’t here and leave. But what will they think if they see the Alpha Necrozma? Dulse did say they would investigate. Could we possibly move the body? 

Gladion sighed, pulling me out of my thoughts. “We’ll get the Silvally and drop it off. These dumbasses don’t know what a Silvally is, so you’ll be fine. Plus, based on what Elio said, you can’t take these things. Add that with the fact that your only Pokemon are your overpowered sheep, a level 10-ish Rowlet, and a Cosmog, you’ll need the help of something like Silvally until your team gets stronger.” 

“We can keep him in Aether’s name too, so you can have a full team of six while keeping Cosmog,” Lillie added. 

I sighed. “Ok…” I can come up with an excuse for Alyssa, Lexi, and Austin when I get him. As much as I trust Austin, I do not trust him to keep his mouth shut about Dual Hero stuff.

“Ruff?” the Rockruff asked, which finally brought my attention to him. 

I looked down at him with my three Pokemon before smiling. “Hi there.” 

“This little one got pretty spooked, so Wigglytuff’s calming it down,” Hau said before he rubbed Wigglytuff’s head. 

She smiled and nodded before looking down at Rockruff. “Do you feel up to going back?” 

Rockruff looked between her and me before turning to Ten Carat Hill. “Ruff…” 

A gentle smile rose to my lips before I knelt down in front of him. “Your pack is probably worried about you.” Rockruff turned to me, but I nodded towards the mountain. “The Ultra Beasts are gone. You’ll be ok.” My smile widened. “If someone else attacks, we’ll keep you all safe again. I promise.” 

Rockruff stared at me before giving me a smile. “Ruff.” With that, he spun around and ran back towards the mountain. 

“Cute,” Hau breathed out as I stood up, watching as Rockruff ran. 

“GUYS!” Austin yelled, drawing our attention to the route. He held up a Grubbin as Elio stopped beside him. “I got it!” 

“It’s a bug!?” Lexi shrieked. 

“Yeah!” Austin called. 

I looked towards the shore, seeing Lexi give him a disgusted look. “I hate you.” 

“Aw. Don’t like bugs, sweetheart?” Gladion mocked. 

“Stop calling me that!” Lexi barked. 

“Make me!” Gladion fired back before turning to me. “I’m out of here though. I need to get that Silvally for you. What time will you be up?” 

“Early. I don’t sleep,” I replied. 

Gladion nodded before taking out his phone. “I’m going to regret this, but give me your number so I can find you.” 

“Oh! Me too! Let’s make a group chat! All five of us and Rayne!” Hau offered. 

“No,” Gladion complained as I took my phone out. 

“But it’ll keep Rayne in the loop and everyone on the same page,” Hau reminded. 

“I don’t do group chats. They’re stupid,” Gladion hissed. 

“And I’m making it,” Elio added as he and Austin approached us. 

Gladion shot him an annoyed look as our phones exchanged contact information. “You’re dead to me.” 

“Aw. Love you too, bestie,” Elio teased. 

Gladion sharpened his glare, which only made Lillie sigh. “Ignore him.” She looked between Austin, Xavier, and me. “We’ll let you guys get back to your trip. Be careful, ok?” 

“Alright. See you guys around,” I replied before Xavier led us to the beach. 

Hau and Elio waved with their Decidueye and Incineroar as Austin and I followed Xavier. Austin put his Grubbin on his head before he looked at me. “Do you want any Pokemon in the area?” 

I lowered my gaze to Dubwool, Rowlet, and Selene before I turned to Ten Carat Hill and hummed. “Nah. I’ll wait a bit.” I’m about to get a Silvally, after all. I need to make sure he’ll behave around Dubwool, Rowlet, and Selene before getting a new Pokemon.

Chapter Text

We left the so-called ‘Alola gang’ to talk with Professor Kukui while the rest of us left the small beach. Since we still had a couple hours of the day, I offered Alyssa to get that picture of Tapu Koko’s ruins, which she happily agreed to. So, we made our way back to Iki Town. When we arrived, I saw Hala got the broken stage mostly cleaned up. Alyssa said that Hala told them we have to get him to visit the ruins, so with some directions from locals, we stopped by his house and asked to visit the ruins. He led us up the trail and into the ruins, assured the Totem Passimian we were visitors, and we were allowed to explore. 

“So…” I began before looking at Passimian. “Are you guys like the Titans of Paldea?” 

Passimian hummed and looked up in thought. “Technically, yeah. All of us are guardians of our land chosen by Dual Heroes, but us Totems are descendants of the Z-Crystal guardians. The Tapunium-Zs were the original ones so the Kahunas could work with the Tapus to defend the islands, but once Eleanor and Julian were created, Necrozma made crystals for the eighteen types so they could use them, and chose our ancestors to guard them so no one else used them. Over time, a few more were made, and the last generation persuaded Necrozma to let locals use them. The Trial Captains worked with us to watch them, but after Rayne found all of them, she made sure a Totem Pokemon watched over each crystal again. Just so everyone who can use Z-Moves earns it. It’s why we’re so big though. It’s to identify us as Totems.” 

“Wow…” I muttered. She’s really making everyone fight to have some kind of power with battles. I mean, it’s understandable. She took down almost everything in her way with ease. I guess she wants to make sure any future league worker is powerful. Or to make sure she doesn’t lose her title for a while. Knowing her, it could be either or. 

The five of us explored the ruin for a little longer, letting Alyssa get her pictures before we left. Lexi then offered to go back to the mall, which I only agreed to after finding out there was a bookstore. Lexi dragged Alyssa away, so the guys followed me to the bookstore, where I bought a new series to read during our trip before Austin took us to a store that sold old technology. 

To get the other professors to agree to letting us come on this trip, Professor Willow allowed each of them to assign us a ‘special project’ to make up for the month of work we’d miss. For my classes, I had to draw something I saw every day for Intro to Drawing, write a paper over an Alolan form and how it differs from its more known form for Pokemon Biology, complete a packet for Algebra 1, and choose a device and make a presentation over its structure for Mechanical Engineering. That’s why Austin wanted to find a vintage piece of technology. I’m tempted to make my presentation over those chains that killed Necrozma, but I doubt I’d get a good grade on examining alien technology. Our professor probably wouldn’t believe it was real. I’ll probably do it over the Pokedex. 

Austin didn’t find anything for his project, but he did find a professional camera, so he went to the group chat Alyssa made for us to call her over. He ended up buying the camera, and just charged Alyssa the same price it was to fix it up for her, so she’s basically paying him back for buying it. She tried fighting to pay him double, but he refused and said letting him borrow her pictures for our daily challenge posts was payment enough. She eventually caved before we got dinner. 

Since the others are broke college kids, we ended up staying at the Pokemon Center again. The girls got their own room, and while Xavier started doing research for his paper for Professor Willow, Austin started working on that camera. I decided to do my daily drawing now, and just drew Selene. I called Rayne too, so Austin and Xavier got to officially meet her. We had to cut the call short though, since she and Lee had to go to a meeting. Professor Kukui stopped by to make sure we weren’t all sleeping in the same room too, and by 10:00, we started going to bed. Selene still wouldn’t sleep though, so I just gave her one of my books to read before going to bed. Mentally preparing myself to wake up in tears. 

~

The nightmare wasn’t anything new, but it still stung. 

It was a more graphic recreation of Rayne’s brief torture in the Team Rocket bunker. Something I’ve seen many variations of, and the end result always leaves her dead, but it always feels like a fresh memory when I wake up. Like it just happened. Like it’s what really happened. Giovanni cut her hands clean off, left a deeper cut on her throat, stabbed her ankles too, sliced her stomach open. I’ve seen it so many times in so many different ways… yet I always confuse it for the real memory. I can never tell if it was the real memory. 

Selene flew over to me the second she noticed I was awake and crying. I held onto her as I tried to force myself to calm down. Rayne called about 30 minutes after I woke up. She was able to calm me down enough to not be breaking down in sobs, but the tears didn’t stop. We stayed on the phone for about an hour, and when she fell asleep, I left the room to just get out of there. 

I sat on the steps of the Pokemon Center for a while. Selene sat with me to stare at the night sky together. Staring at the stars, discovering subtle differences between them. How some were small while others were big, how a few were noticeably brighter than others, and the variety of distance between each of them. How they all lit the sky, shaping it with patterns and pictures no one really understands. How they called for silence over the region for everyone here to rest. How they made this demanded silence noticeable. How their existence to us takes away the sun’s warmth. As much as I hate the heat, the cool night air reminded me of who I don’t have with me. Reminding me that I’m physically on my own. That this deep feeling of longing and dread is probably exactly what Rayne felt when she was alone. I have to lead the fight. I have to protect everyone. Without my shield. Without my fighter. Without my other half. Without my warmth. 

Without Rayne. 

Acknowledging she’s not with me brought a weight of dread to my chest. The tears came back and didn’t stop until the sun started outshining the stars. I held onto Selene. She held onto my hand. We sat there for hours, staring up as she let me cry. 

What am I doing here?

~

“Oh, shit,” a familiar voice said, which got me to open my eyes. 

It was brighter than I remember, but my eyes stung nonetheless. Selene looked up at me as I took a deep breath and reached up to rub my eyes. They felt dry as all hell, but I just accepted it. It’s nothing I’m not used to. At least I feel a little better, but Rayne’s absence is starting to hurt. I hope no one pries into why I look like a stereotypical depressed person. 

“I thought Rayne was a crybaby,” another familiar voice added. 

I finally lifted my head, seeing Gladion and his Silvally in front of the Pokemon Center. Gladion shot Silvally an annoyed look, but he just shot the look back. 

Gladion sighed before looking at me. “Are you good? You look like your sheep died.” 

I lowered my hands to my lap as I looked down at Selene. “I’m fine.” 

Gladion approached me before sitting beside me on the steps. “I’m going to regret asking this the second you start talking, but no you’re not. What’s up?” 

That actually got a smile out of me. “How nice of you to ask.” 

“I know. I have a heart of gold,” he dryly replied before bumping his elbow against my side. “So what’s going on?”

“Well, since you’re prying it out of me-”

“I can leave, you know. I’m only here to give you a charm and a pokeball. I’m just being nice when I have no reason to be.”

My smile widened a bit before I looked at Silvally. “Just admit you like me.” 

“I despise you.” 

I rolled my eyes as my expression softened. “It’s… just Dual Hero bullshit.” 

“Dual Hero bullshit…” Gladion muttered. “Did you find out more about those aliens?”

I shook my head. “I just…” I lowered my gaze to Selene. “I miss her.” 

Gladion snorted. “It’s been 2 days!” 

“Yeah, well you always have your entire soul with you, so shut it!” I fired back. 

Gladion just smiled and shook his head. “My god, you’re a simp.” 

“I’ve been told,” I grumbled. Raihan won’t stop calling me that. 

“Which just proves my point,” Gladion replied before he reached into his hoodie pocket. He pulled out the trial charm and a pokeball before holding them towards me. “Here’s these, by the way.” 

I took the items before looking at the pokeball. I guess I have a Silvally now. This is the one Team Rocket made though. Rayne told me that Silvally’s are made to kill whatever their creators want. The original three were made to kill Ultra Beasts, the one Rose made was for Eternatus, and this one was to hunt people. Whoever Giovanni wanted. He has been in Aether for almost a year, but… still. 

I took a deep breath and released Silvally. He appeared in front of me before lifting his head and opening his eyes. When our eyes locked, he perked up. What?

“You’re here!” he cheered before running towards me. My eyes widened as I leaned back on instinct, but he jumped onto me anyway. I choked on a breath as Selene quickly flew out of the way. My back dug into the steps below me, but Silvally just grabbed my shoulders and nuzzled his face against my cheek, holding me down. “Master’s back!” 

“What?” I breathed out. 

“I told you he missed his master,” Gladion mocked. 

“But I’m not his master,” I choked out. 

“You saved me though, and gave me a new home and family. I have siblings now!” Silvally cheered. 

“He went through… discipline training,” Gladion’s Silvally added. 

“Yep. He attacked everyone he saw, so Lusamine trapped him in a helmet and slowly got him to behave. Since you were the first one to show him kindness, he kind of declared you his new master,” Gladion explained. 

“Miss Lusamine promised me I’d see you again if I completed my training, so now I must be done! I’ve been cured of my cruel ways, and I’m a true Silvally! I only fight Ultra Beasts! I’m a good boy now!” my Silvally cheered.  

I couldn’t help but smile before I rubbed his neck. “Yes, you are. But you’re also crushing my ribs.” 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he said before crawling off me. 

I sat up as Selene flew beside me. “You don’t have to call me master though. Just call me Hop. It’s my real name.” 

“Hop…” Silvally muttered before smiling. “Understood. So what do you need me to do?” 

“Well,” I began as I rolled my shoulders, “for now, we just need to keep an eye out for Ultra Beasts.” 

“Oh.” Silvally tilted his head. “They’re returning? Sister said they haven’t been seen in a while.” He looked at Gladion’s Silvally. “So did you, brother.” 

“Well, they’re back. I’m not sure when the next one will show up, or if they’ll be hostile. There’s this… war, I guess, going on that we’ve been sucked into,” I began before I poked Selene, making her giggle. “She has something our enemies want, so we need to keep her away from them. Since my Pokemon aren’t that strong yet, you’ll keep us safe from hostile… enemies. The Ultra Beasts shouldn’t be against us, but if anyone tries to attack us, fight back. But only if they’re trying to hurt us.” 

Silvally held up his hand as a salute. “Yes, sir.” 

Gladion snorted, but gave Silvally an amused look. “Oh, he’s so cute…” 

“I am not!” Silvally barked as he lowered his arm.

Gladion turned to me, ignoring him. “In case you don’t know, Silvally can change types. Team Rocket only developed the ground and electric memory, and we only have three sets of memories. We gave the last one to your friend, so if you need a specific type, ask me. As long as you give them back. You can steal Rayne’s after Alola.” 

“Ok. Thank you,” I replied.

Gladion simply nodded before slipping his backpack off. “Speaking of Ultra Beasts though…” He pulled out a white folder with the Aether logo on it before handing it to me. “Lusamine got those Recon people to talk, and Lillie put this together.” 

My eyes widened before I took the folder and started flipping through it. There were a couple papers in the binds, and there were several paragraphs divided by titles. Those titles were the names of every creature from this alien world. Megalion, right? Lillie left little notes by them though, mainly personal reactions or advice. I went back to the first page and started reading over each section title. I’ll read their individual information later. 

From the data she was given, there’s twelve different species in Megalion. The Creators, which were Necrozmas, the Light Bringers, which is the Cosmog line, the Consumers, being Guzzlords, the Repeaters, who were Nihilegos, the Bulky Protectors, who I know are Buzzwoles, the Artificial Lights, being Xurkitrees, the Flying Slicers, who were Kartanas, and the last five we didn’t know, who were named the Slim Protectors, the Flying Towers, the Bursters, the Stackers, and the Paralyzers. I was expecting more, honestly, but this is fine. I can work with ten, but half of these we don’t know about. Plus, there could be an Alpha Solgaleo or Lunala, and… I am not ready for that. Our Necrozma created the Cosmogs though, so I doubt there would be an alpha. Or is that just wishful thinking? 

Gladion pushed himself to his feet. “Anyway, I should get out of here before your little ‘friends’ start looking for you.” He looked down at me as he slid his hands into his hoodie pocket. “Kukui and Burnet are investigating that body, so either Hau or Elio will check in with you guys instead. You have my number if you need me.” 

“Right. Thank you again,” I replied as he started walking off. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Gladion grumbled. His Silvally looked at me, nodded, then followed his trainer. 

I couldn’t help but smile before I took a deep breath and stood up. “Alright.” I looked at Silvally. “Let’s introduce you to everyone.” 

“Everyone?” he asked as I went up the steps. 

“Yep.” I looked back at him. “There’s a lot going on right now.” 

“Cos cos,” Cosmog added before flying towards the doors. 

I led Silvally inside before going over to the cafe stand. I told him the basics of what was going on before I ordered some coffee for Xavier and me, and as I waited, I hooked my trial charm on my backpack. About a minute passed before the barista gave me my coffee, so I thanked him before heading back to our room. When I walked in, Dubwool and Rowlet looked over at me before Dubwool gave me a concerned look. 

“Where did you go?”

“Outside,” I simply replied as I walked past the restroom door, seeing Xavier stretching his arms. His Rowlet was sitting beside him, copying his actions, while his Arcanine was still asleep on the other side of the bed. 

He looked at me, giving me a sleepy look. “You’re awake?” 

I nodded as I approached him before setting his coffee on the nightstand. “Got you coffee too.” 

“Thank you…” he muttered before pulling his blanket off. “Are you ok?” 

“Enough,” I replied before taking a sip of coffee. 

Silvally went over to Dubwool and Rowlet. “Hello. I am Silvally. I’ll be joining you to protect our trainer.” 

“Uh… nice to meet you then,” Dubwool replied. Rowlet cooed, waving to Silvally as Xavier slid his glasses on. 

“Doesn’t Gladion have one of those?” 

“Yeah. I saved this one from a mafia,” I replied before taking another sip of coffee. 

“You faced a mafia?” Xavier asked. 

“Yeah. Where do you think the scars came from?” 

Xavier glanced away. “Uh… Not from a mafia…” 

I shrugged before I felt something slip between my feet. I looked down, seeing Austin’s Litten was circling my legs before he turned to the bed Austin and his Grubbin were sprawled out on. “Nya.” 

A smile rose to my lips before I went over to the bed. I placed my coffee down on the nightstand before I grabbed Austin’s arm and yanked him off the bed. He groaned as he slowly rolled onto his back before he squinted up at me. 

“What time is it?” 

I looked at the clock. “8:56.”

“Too early…” Austin grumbled before rolling back into his side. He reached up, making a grabbing motion towards the bed. “Gimme the blanket…” 

“Nya,” his Litten replied before going over to him. He climbed onto Austin’s arm before poking his creek. “Nya nya.” 

“When the Pokemon start poking, you gotta wake up,” I teased. 

“They have very strict meal schedules,” Xavier added as he got out of bed. He lightly kicked Austin’s back. “Get up so we can feed them.”

“Fine…” Austin grumbled before pushing himself up. 

The three of us took turns getting ready before we left our room. We turned in our room keys before Austin led us to the dining hall for breakfast. Just as we sat down, the girls and their Pokemon came out. 

“Where did that come from?” Alyssa asked as she pointed to Silvally. 

“Originally Johto,” I simply replied before slipping an oran berry slice into my mouth. “Gladion dropped him off though.” 

“Hop saved me from my abusive creator,” Silvally sweetly said. 

“Your what?” Alcremie asked. 

“Look up Giovanni Sakaki,” Dubwool simply replied. 

“Do not do that,” I scolded. 

“Don’t do what?” Lexi asked. 

“Nothing,” I replied before shooting Dubwool a glare. “He’s being a pain.” 

“You love me,” Dubwool fired back. 

“Cosmog!” Selene cheered before she grabbed one of my berry slices. 

The girls stayed quiet, but I saw Alyssa look at Alcremie. She looked between Alyssa and my Pokemon. “I… guess we don’t want to know…” 

I gave Alcremie a pressed smile, but saw Lexi roll her eyes in the corner of my vision before she started walking away. “I’m getting breakfast. Come on, Lyssa.” 

“Right…” Alyssa muttered before she followed Lexi. 

Xavier and his two Pokemon watched them go before looking back at me. “Giovanni Sakaki?” Arcanine asked. 

Xavier’s eyes widened. “Sakaki?” 

“Huh?” Austin asked, looking up from his plate. 

“How do you know him?” I asked, ignoring Austin. 

“I’m a Med Major. How can I not know about the most modern psychopath to exist? And you met him?” Xavier hissed. 

“Rayne provoked him,” I simply replied. 

Xavier’s eyes widened in horror, but I just gave him a pressed smile. “Oh my Arceus…” 

“Mmhm.”

“That’s what you meant…” 

“Mmhm.” 

“What?” Austin asked as he looked between us. 

“Eat your pancakes,” I simply replied before picking up a berry slice. 

Xavier didn’t ask anything else, but when the girls came back, Alyssa asked if we wanted to do anything today. Since Gladion gave me the trial charm, I asked if we could go to Verdant Cavern so I could do Ilima’s trial. They all agreed, surprisingly. Xavier and Austin wanted to see what the trials were like, Alyssa wanted to look at the cavern as a habitat, and Lexi wanted to see Ilima again. 

Speaking of Ilima, during my first call with Rayne and Leon, I asked Rayne why she never mentioned Ilima, but she brushed over it and said she didn’t think it was a big deal. So, I asked again during my post-nightmare call, and she confessed that she didn’t want to think about it or make me freak out. At the time, she didn’t think I’d go to Alola when he was still Trial Captain, so she didn’t want me to freak out over something like this. But now I am here, and I did meet him. I asked Rayne everything I could. She admitted to being grossed out, that she cried solely out of frustration, and told me exactly where he touched her. 

That fucker’s not getting away with it. 

Before we left the Pokemon Center, Elio dropped by to check in for the professor before letting us head out. As we walked, our Pokemon ran around and talked to each other. Then we, as the great team we are, stayed dead quiet. Lexi just typed away on her phone, Alyssa and Xavier watched our Pokemon, and Austin ran around with his Pokemon. I just scanned over the route, looking for the trial gates. Elio said they look just like the trial charms. 

We passed by the motel on the route, and when we came across a lone Pokemon Center, I saw the gates across from it. Where Ilima stood, watching his Smeargle add a fresh coat of paint to the gates. Just seeing him made a familiar tension run through me. 

“Ilima!” Lexi called as she shot her arm up to wave. 

Ilima turned to us and smiled. “Hey, sweetie.” He looked between us. “And co.” 

“I think I like ‘Hop and friends’ better,” Austin softly said as Ilima approached us. 

I just narrowed my eyes as Ilima looked at me. “Considering you’re here, I’m assuming you decided to challenge my trial?” 

“Yeah,” I hissed. 

Ilima gave me an amused look. “Don’t tell me Elio got to your head.” 

“Wasn’t Elio,” I simply replied. 

Ilima shrugged before looking between my classmates. “Well, rules state only one person can enter for a trial, so if you want to explore the cavern, you’ll have to wait until he beats the Totem.” 

“Aw,” Lexi whined. 

“Can we not watch?” Austin asked. 

“Nope. I can’t risk you guys helping him. It’s considered cheating. But, Melemele Meadow is up ahead. If you want, you can visit and enjoy the meadow while you wait,” Ilima offered. 

Alyssa perked up. “Really?” Ilima nodded. Alyssa looked between us. “Can we please go? One of my favorite photographers made a collage of photos from all four meadows, and I want to make my own.” She held her hands together in a pleading motion. “Can we stop by so I can get some pictures?” 

“Yeah, and…” Austin began before he slung his backpack over his shoulder. He opened his backpack and dug around. “And… you can do it with…” He pulled out the camera case that came with the one he bought. “With your new camera!” 

Alyssa gasped and took the bag. “You already fixed it!?” 

“Yep. All it needed was a completely new lens. And to be recalibrated, and a new SD card, but I’ve fixed worse,” Austin explained before giving her a cheeky smile. “I fixed it instead of doing homework.” 

Alyssa’s expression slowly lit up as she took out the camera. “Oh my gosh…” She bounced on her heels before looking at Austin. “Thank you so much! You’re amazing!” 

Austin waved it off before Xavier turned to me. “We’ll see you in the meadow. Good luck.” He narrowed his eyes. “And don’t do anything.” 

I just gave him a sweet smile, which only made him sharpen his glare before Alyssa spun around and led everyone up the trail. 

“Shall we?” Ilima asked, motioning to the cavern. 

My expression dropped, but I nodded. He gave me a sly grin before he led me to the cavern. I narrowed my eyes, but returned my four Pokemon before I followed him. 

Ilima stopped by the entrance to the cavern and was about to say something before I grabbed the back of his neck and yanked him back. His head snapped around as he gave me a shocked look, but when he was beside me, I let go of his neck to grab his collar before I spun around to slam him into the wall of the cavern. 

He flinched, giving me a surprised look as I glared daggers into him. “Did you really think Rayne wouldn’t tell me what you did? And that I’d let you get away with it?”  

To my utter surprise, Ilima laughed. “I should’ve known!” I sharpened my glare as Ilima gave me an amused look. “You know, she mentioned a boyfriend, but I didn’t think she’d hook up with her childhood friend.” 

“It’s not a hookup! We’ve never been intimate like that because unlike YOU, I actually respect her boundaries! You are so lucky she only broke your arm, because if I was there, you wouldn’t be breathing anymore.” 

“Oh, my. I’m so scared.” 

My eye twitched. “You have some nerve…” 

Ilima shrugged. “I just know my position here. I’m a league worker, you’re a college student. If you hurt me, I’ll report you. Since our little angel doesn’t have absolute power, she can’t defend you, and you’ll get punished for your jealousy by the League Chairs. Plus, I’m sure your professor would love to hear about you beating up a Trial Captain.” 

I narrowed my eyes. “You still assaulted your Champion.” 

“She overreacted.” 

“No, she didn’t.” 

“Yes, she did. She has a stressful job-”

“And she doesn’t want your hands on her. I’m her boyfriend. If anyone is helping her relax, it’s me. Don’t you EVER touch her again. I can easily destroy you without even touching you.” 

Ilima shrugged. “Do whatever you want. I always have a witness.” 

I looked over, seeing his Smeargle staring at us. As much as I hate it, he has a point. There may be a few League Chairs who know me, but not enough to win another case against Ilima. I can get in trouble for this, and Ilima has many ways to come out innocent. If I do anything… No matter how much he deserves it… 

I huffed but let him go and stepped back. “Whatever…” 

“That’s more like it,” Ilima replied. I shot him another glare, but he just gave me a bitter smile before walking past me. “So, as I was going to say, this is Verdant Cavern. The trial is to defeat three wild Pokemon before taking on the Totem Pokemon to get the Z-Crystal. Don’t catch any Pokemon until you win.” He turned to me, holding his smile. “I hope you came prepared. You can’t leave until you beat the Totem.” I copied his bitter smile, so he shrugged before walking past me and out of the cavern. I rolled my eyes. Bloody tosser. 

I took a deep breath before grabbing all but Selene’s pokeball and sent my Pokemon out. They looked around before Dubwool narrowed his eyes. “Where’s Ilima?” 

“Doesn’t matter. He ditched me,” I replied before looking around the cavern. Seeing how beautiful and serene it was. I took a deep breath and looked back at my Pokemon. “To face the Totem, we need to beat three wild Pokemon. Since Rowlet’s the lowest leveled, we’ll let her take the lead so she can get some experience.” 

“Row,” Rowlet replied as she nodded. 

Selene’s pokeball then opened before she appeared in front of my Pokemon. “Cos!” 

I sighed. “I know you want to explore with us, but with the Recon Squad here and looking for that prism, I need to be extra careful. It’s one thing when we’re with the others since there’s more eyes, but when we’re on our own, I need you to stay hidden. I can’t risk you getting taken. Necrozma trusted you to get this prism to the one that created you.” I placed my hand on her head. “If you stay in your pokeball for this, I’ll get you more skittles.” 

Selene frowned. “Cos…” 

“I know, but it’s to keep you safe,” I replied. 

“Cosmog!” 

“Selene.” 

“Cos Cosmog!” 

I grabbed her pokeball, but when I held it towards her, she smacked it out of my hand. I took a deep breath and ran my hands over my face. “I mean it. The Recon Squad could be anywhere, and if they find that prism, it’s over.” 

Selene huffed and crossed her arms before turning her head away. “Cos cos.” 

Silvally hummed and looked up in thought. “Tell you what. If you stay in your pokeball, I’ll tell you any story you want.” Selene looked down at him, suddenly intrigued. Silvally smiled. “I have a lot of stories. About my creators, how Hop and his friends saved me, about your home world. Plus, Hop said he’d get you… sklittles?” 

“Skittles. Candy,” Dubwool replied. 

“See? Candy and a story,” Silvally said to Selene before holding his front paws together. “Please?” 

Selene sighed as her arms slumped to her sides. “Cos cos…” 

“Thank you!” Silvally cheered. 

I smiled before grabbing her pokeball and returning her. “Thank you.” 

Silvally nodded before Rowlet cooed, making us turn to her. She flew over to a den, prompting us to follow her before she poked her head inside. I knelt beside her and looked inside, seeing a Yungoos. He looked up at us and hissed before swatting at us. We flinched and jerked back before Rowlet huffed. 

I looked at her. “Razor Leaf.” 

She nodded before flapping her wings, sending leaves into the den. The Yungoos hissed before lunging forward and slashing its claws against Rowlet. She squawked before her beak lit up. She started pecking the Yungoos’ head, making it yelp and scurry away. 

An amused smile rose to my lips as Rowlet started screeching at the Yungoos. “Don’t worry. You showed him.” 

Rowlet looked at me and pouted. “Row.” 

“I know,” I said before giving her a sweet smile. “Wanna beat up more?” 

She looked out at the cavern before flapping her wings to fly towards another den. She was able to pull the second Yungoos out and scare it off with ease, but when we found the third one, it started running. Silvally wanted to chase after it, but I told him to let Rowlet take care of it. Although it took some circling and some quick directions from me, Rowlet caught up with Yungoos and started pecking it as much as she could. 

I watched them, trying to say anything, but ended up clamping my mouth shut. 

“For someone so quiet, she’s quite violent,” Silvally said. 

“I thought she’d be like Fuecoco,” Dubwool added. 

“Me too,” I replied. I guess Rowlet has some fight in her. That’ll come in handy. 

Just as Yungoos stopped squirming below her, Rowlet started glowing. The three of us perked up as she doubled in size. When the light around her burst away, she grabbed Yungoos with her talons and threw it back into a den. 

“Wow…” Silvally muttered as I took out my Pokedex to scan her new form. 

A smile rose to my lips. “Good job, Dartrix.” I lifted my gaze to hers. “I knew you could solo this.” 

She smiled at my reply. “Yay. I did good.” 

“You did great,” I corrected before looking around the cavern. My eyes landed on an opening in the back. That must be where the Totem is.

I pointed to the opening. “Let’s see if the Totem is there.” 

My three Pokemon nodded before I led them over to the opening. We stepped through it, revealing a secluded area. There was a podium in the middle, and a few cliffs along the walls. I approached the podium and saw a pile of tan crystals inside it. 

“Can we just… take it?” Dartrix asked as I looked around. 

“It can’t be that easy.” 

“Maybe trying to take it will lure out the Totem,” Dubwool offered. 

“No idea how, but it couldn’t hurt to try,” I replied before reaching into the podium. 

As if on cue, a loud roar rang through the cavern. I jerked my hand back as Silvally shoved his head against my chest, pushing me behind him before a giant Gunshoos landed on the podium. 

My eyes widened before I glanced at Dubwool, seeing he was copying my surprised look. Silvally started growling, but Dartrix simply tilted her head. “Huh.” She looked at Dubwool. “You were right. Good job!” 

“Uh huh…” Dubwool muttered. 

Gumshoos glared at me as he protectively lowered his body against the podium. “Back away from the crystals, human. You must prove yourself worthy of this gem before stealing it!” 

“Ok,” I began before pointing at him. “Razor Leaf!” 

Dartrix flew up and swung her wings towards him, firing leaves out of her feathers and at Gumshoos. The leaves pushed him back, but Gumshoos kept his grip on the podium before he shook the attack off. 

“Alright, bird.” He held out his arms as his claws jutted out. “You asked for it.” 

He lunged towards Dartrix, but she simply flew out of the way before turning her attention to me. “Can I just attack?” 

“Yeah. You don’t need my help. You got this,” I replied. 

She smiled at me before diving towards Gumshoos, covering her beak in blue energy. 

While she attacked Gumshoos, I went over to the podium to take a Z-Crystal. I examined it, seeing it had the normal-type symbol inside, before putting it on my Z-Ring. Just as I did, Eleanor’s bracelet lit up, and somehow… I knew what dance to do for the crystal. 

I placed my hand over the bracelet as it stopped glowing. “Thank you, Eleanor.”

With that, I took out my phone to start recording Dartrix, solely because Rayne had to see this. This is so precious and so weird at the same time. Dubwool looked at me, concerned. I just shook my head before looking back at the duo, seeing Dartrix pecking Gumshoos as he scratched her. She then blasted more leaves at him, making him curl up before Dartrix grabbed his fur and threw him onto the cliff above us, making Gumshoos crash into some rocks. 

I nodded before I stopped recording. “Good job.” 

Dartrix smiled, folding her wings to her side before I turned on cellular data. As I went to my messages with Rayne to send her whatever the hell just happened, a notification from Chatter popped up. I clicked on the link, seeing the daily post along with an attached photo. It was another group at some kind of lake with a shot of a bunch of Pokemon jumping off a waterfall. Three of the students were in the photo too, either reacting or posing. 

Congratulations Group 7, specifically @BreezyBrooke for the photo of their incredible find in Brooklet Hill!

Brooke… She’s a Photography Major, and about to graduate. She’s in my class, and doesn’t talk, but I’ve seen her photos displayed in the school gallery. She’s really good. We really do have a lot of competition.

Today’s a new day and another attempt to win a challenge! Day 2 Challenge! Due to the recent strange occurrences on Melemele Island, take a photo of an abnormal sight or location. Also, Teams 1 and 6, are you guys ok?

Almost everyone in Team 1 responded that they were ok and away from the Ultra Beasts, but only Austin replied from our group. He said other than me getting a bunch of nosebleeds, we were fine. I lied and said it was just my body rejecting the heat before leading my team out of the cavern. 

I sent the video to Rayne as we left, but just as I was typing a message, a familiar bad feeling crept up inside me just as Silvally started growling. I looked up, only for my eyes to widen. Zossie and Dulse were here. 

They looked at us before Zossie flinched. “Scary beast…” 

“They smell of Ultra Space,” Silvally hissed. 

I placed my hand on his neck as I turned off my phone. “Easy.” I turned to the two workers as he relaxed. “What are you doing here?” 

“Looking for the Prism of Infinity. Like we said,” Zossie replied. 

“We wished to investigate that creature your comrade mentioned, but one of your beasts forbade us from entering the mountain. We informed our supervisor, so he and another higher up are investigating as we speak,” Dulse explained. Uh oh. “In the meantime, our supervisor requested that we examine these… Z-Crystals. Based on what we have been told by the Aether Foundation, our supervisor believes the Prism of Infinity shattered into copies of these gems.” 

Huh. That’s actually an understandable theory. Necrozma made these crystals, so maybe the Recon Squad can confuse their power for the prism. This is perfect, and I need to make sure they believe this for as long as possible. 

I shrugged. “It’s possible. I don’t know much about the Z-Crystals, but they have been in Alola for a couple thousand years. If the prism did shatter into Z-Crystals… They’d blend in, but maybe have a little extra light.” 

Dulse hummed and lowered his head in thought. “Perhaps…” He lifted his gaze to mine. “We will start collecting these crystals. May we see what normal ones look like?” 

“Uh, sure,” I replied before holding out my arm to show them my Z-Ring. 

The two of them stepped closer to me to look at the two crystals I had. “Ooo. Pretty,” Zossie said before poking the Tapu Z-Crystal. “How many are there?” 

“Uh…” I began before looking up in thought. “At least eighteen.” 

“Eighteen…” Dulse began before nodding. “Understood. Thank you for your cooperation, and I apologize for disturbing you again. We will return to our work.” 

“May we know your name though? In case we run into each other again?” Zossie asked. 

I looked at Silvally, but he just glared at the duo. I cleared my throat and looked back at Zossie. “It’s Hop.” 

Zossie tilted her head. “Hop?” I nodded. Zossie smiled before she jumped. “Hop.” 

I couldn’t help but smile before Dulse placed his hand on her shoulder. “Calm yourself, Zossie.” He looked at me. “You have our thanks, Hop.” With that, the two of them drew a box with their hands before walking off. 

I sighed in relief. “Thank Arceus…” 

“You are unbelievably lucky,” Dubwool said as I quickly led my team out.

“I know, but I’m off their radar,” I replied before lifting my phone to continue typing my message to Rayne. “While it doesn’t answer any of my questions, they won’t hurt us.”

“Yet,” Dartrix reminded as she landed on Dubwool’s back. 

“Yeah,” I muttered. “Yet.”

Chapter Text

When we left the trial grounds, Ilima was nowhere to be found. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes, but I went over to the Pokemon Center anyway. I returned Dartrix so Nurse Joy could heal the bit of damage she lost and bought Selene some skittles as we waited. Once I got Dartrix back, I thanked Nurse Joy before I led my team out and to Melemele Meadow. 

It was a bit of a walk, but we soon found the entrance to the meadow. Where I was greeted by something I didn’t expect to see. A large Incineroar was standing at the edge of the slope near the back of the meadow. There was a Z-Crystal podium behind him, but Austin was clung onto his arm as his Litten was jumping on the other. Incineroar just smiled at them as he held them up. 

“What the hell?” I asked.

“He is so strange,” Silvally added before a pokeball on my belt opened. 

“Cosmog!” 

I couldn’t help but smile as Selene appeared beside us. “Hey, Selene.” 

“Look at me!” Dartrix cheered as she flew in front of Selene. “I’m a Dartrix now!” 

Selene cheered before she started flying around Dartrix’s head. She smiled as Silvally applauded them while I looked out at the meadow. Lexi and Alyssa were sitting in the field with their Pokemon beside them, but they were looking at something in Alyssa’s hand. Xavier was sitting on another smaller hill, smiling with his Arcanine as they watched his Rowlet fly around with an Oricorio. 

“Hop’s back!” a familiar voice called. I looked back at the girls, seeing them turn to me as Alcremie smiled at us. She held up her hand to wave. “Come join us and meet my new friend!” 

“Welcome back! I see Rowlet evolved,” Alyssa said. 

“Yep,” I replied as I led my team into the flowers

“Does that mean the trial went well?” Alyssa asked. 

I nodded, holding up my wrist to show her the new Z-Crystal. “Ilima ditched me after explaining the rules though.” 

“Why? Did you bore him to death?” Lexi mocked. 

“No, I called him out on his bullshit,” I calmly replied. 

The girls gave me a shocked look as Dubwool snorted. “Cussy today, aren’t you?” 

“I hate him,” I sweetly replied. 

“He’s getting fired anyway. I bet it'll be Rayne's birthday present to herself,” Dubwool reminded. 

“Still,” I replied. 

Alyssa cleared her throat as Alcremie and Popplio tilted their heads. “Anyway…” She held up her hand, revealing a small Pokemon that was hugging her pointer finger. “Meet Cutiefly.” 

“Her new baby,” Lexi cooed as she rubbed Cutiefly’s head. “The only bug type that’s adorable.” Cutiefly cooed, which only made Lexi smile. “Yes, you are.” 

“Cute,” I muttered before looking at Alyssa. “You’re building up a team of fairies though. Planning on taking Bede’s spot?” 

Alyssa snorted. “You wish.” She looked at Cutiefly. “I just coincidentally found three fairy types I like.” 

I shrugged. “Whatever you say. Did you get your pictures?” 

“Yep,” Alyssa replied as Xavier approached us. That Oricorio was sitting on his head too. 

“How’d the trial go?” 

I smiled at him as I placed my hand on Dartrix’s head. “This little lady solo-ed the whole thing. Even got to evolve.” 

“Good job. You deserve a treat,” Arcanine replied. 

Dartrix smiled and looked away as Selene flew closer to me. “Cos cos?” 

“Yes, I got your candy,” I replied. 

“And I’ll tell you all about the trial and how Dartrix kicked that Totem Gumshoos’ butt!” Silvally added. 

“Guys…” Dartrix muttered as she covered her face. 

“Aw,” Alcremie cooed. 

“HOP!” Austin screamed, making us flinch before we looked at him. He pointed to the Incineroar as Litten jumped onto his head. “This is a Totem! And Litten will evolve into it! I’m so psyched!” 

“Nya!” his Litten called as Incineroar chuckled. 

“Ew,” Lexi muttered. 

I shot her an annoyed look before turning to the Incineroar. “You’re a Totem?” 

“For the Incinium-Z,” he replied. Oh. He watches the crystal for Incineroar’s exclusive move. I guess Rayne found the Primarina Totem for hers. 

“Ok. Can I ask where Decidueye’s is?” I asked. 

“Poni Meadow. Primarina is on Ula’Ula,” Incineroar replied before he put Austin down. “Now go.” He took Litten off his head and put him down. 

I frowned. “Well, that sucks…” 

“What?” Alyssa asked. 

“I can’t get Decidueye’s Z-Crystal until we go to Poni Island,” I replied. 

“Ha ha,” Lexi mocked.

“Oh, hush,” I scolded, which made Silvally growl a bit. 

Lexi gave him a disgusted look as Austin ran over to us. The Oricorio on Xavier’s head flew over to him and landed on Austin’s head. 

He smiled before lowering his gaze to mine and pointing to Oricorio. “Look what I got.”

“You caught her?” I asked. 

Austin nodded as Litten jumped onto his free shoulder, since Grubbin was perched on his other shoulder. “Litten and Grubbin needed another friend.”

“Then when we get to Ula’Ula, you can turn it into a fire type. They’ll get along great when they have a type similarity,” Alyssa replied. 

Austin blinked. “They can change types?”

“Yeah. Depending on what nectar they eat, they can change form. I did a report on them for one of my finals last semester. The nectar on Melemele gives them this pom-pom form, the nectar on Akala gives them a hula form, the nectar on Ula’Ula is like a salsa dancer, and the one on Poni is… a traditional dance? I forget the actual names, but it’s interesting,” Alyssa explained.

Austin stared at her before he and Oricorio looked at each other. “You can change form when you eat nectar?” Oricorio nodded. A smile crept onto Austin’s lips. “Wicked…” 

“Is this an essay idea I sense?” Xavier teased. 

Austin gasped before he carefully grabbed Oricorio and brought her down to his eye level. “I can write my essay about you…” 

“Essay?” she asked, tilting her head. 

“It’s for their class. They have to write about anything in Alola. And Austin chose to write about you!” Alcremie cheered. 

Oricorio looked at her before turning to Austin and shrugging. “Alright.” 

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Austin replied before carefully putting Oricorio back on his head. 

“So what now? Lyssa got her pictures, and Hop did his league thing,” Lexi asked. 

“Lunch?” Austin asked, giving us a hopeful smile. 

Xavier checked his watch. “Well, it’s already past noon, so I don’t see why not.” 

“Yes! To Hau’Oli!” Austin cheered before running for the meadow entrance. 

“Lunch time!” Dartrix called before she and Silvally ran after him. 

I just smiled as the girls stood up. I love my Pokemon. I glanced behind me before following my Pokemon though, and we let Austin lead us back to town. 

~

We went to a local chain restaurant for lunch today, and while it wasn’t anything mind blowing, it was still good. When we arrived, Professor Kukui texted me and asked if I could possibly help him on Ten Carat Hill. When I asked why, he said some strange people calling themselves the Ultra Recon Squad were freaking the Totem Oricorio out. It must be those higher ups Dulse mentioned. So, I made a group chat with Elio, Hau, Lillie, and Gladion to ask them to check instead. Gladion snapped at me over the group chat existing, but they agreed. Then right after we paid for lunch, Hau asked for help. 

Me: Why?

Lillie: Because they won’t listen to us! Turns out they freaked Oricorio out because they’re trying to take Necrozma’s body!

Lillie: And Nebby is on Poni Island, so he can’t scare them away!

Me: They’re what!?

Me: Wait, why is Nebby on Poni!?

Lillie: He’s talking to Tapu Fini, apparently??? But these recon people got to the top of the hill, confessed that they’re trying to take Necrozma, and the professors have been trying to talk them out of it for like thirty minutes.

Hau: Gladion is like five minutes from snapping :)

Elio: so help pls

I still need a sample of those chains, so they can’t take that body. Plus, who knows what Ink could do to it! Why would they want Necrozma’s body though? To get rid of the evidence? No, it’s in another dimension. They shouldn’t care. The evidence is gone to the people who would care. Maybe they think they can use Necrozma’s body to track the prism. Oh, I hope to Arceus they can’t. I’d be screwed. 

I looked between my classmates. Professor Willow said I have to be with one of them, so maybe I can get Xavier to come with me. But then Austin would want to come, and Alyssa would ask me why all of us can’t go, and Lexi will be petty. Even if I say Professor Kukui asked for just me… I need to play this safe. 

I took a deep breath and typed a reply. 

Me: Ok, fine. I’ll be there in a couple minutes, but I need to try and keep my classmates out of this. I’m making the excuse that Professor Kukui asked for just me, but they may insist on joining me.

Elio: aight. Do what you gotta do.

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. He’s no help. I took a deep breath and stood up. “Professor Kukui just texted me. Something’s going on at Ten Carat Hill and he needs my help.” 

“What? Why?” Alyssa asked. 

“I don’t know. He was really vague, but asked me to go,” I replied as I picked up my bag. 

“Why you though? He’s the stand-in Champion. He should be able to handle this alone,” Lexi reminded. 

“I don’t know,” I simply replied. 

Alyssa narrowed her eyes. “Is this because The Master told you to help them?” 

I gave her an annoyed look. “Professor Kukui asked me. As far as I know, this has nothing to do with Rayne, but I don’t know why he asked me.”  

“Well, you don’t have to be such a wanker about it,” Lexi scolded as Alyssa sharpened her glare. 

“You’re the ones pushing me when I don’t know what he wants,” I defended, slipping my backpack on. 

Alyssa shot up from her seat to grab my arm. “Stop! Professor Willow told us to stay away from that mountain, so we’re not going.” 

“But I wanna go,” Austin said as I pulled my arm out of Alyssa’s grip. 

“I don’t care! An alien crashed onto that mountain, so we’re staying away!” Alyssa barked as she glared at him. 

“But there’s a Totem Oricorio there and I want them to meet mine!” Austin complained. 

“Then come with me,” I simply replied before I started heading for the exit. 

“Wicked! Come on, guys!” Austin called before I heard him jump up. 

“I’m going too. You may need a first aid kit,” Xavier added. 

“Are you serious?” Alyssa asked. 

“Yep. Totem Oricorio time!” Austin called. 

“Yay!” his Oricorio cheered. 

“If you go, we’ll tell Professor Willow!” Lexi threatened. 

“Then Professor Kukui will tell him he asked for me,” I fired back before pushing the door open, holding it open for my Pokemon to step out. 

Austin and Xavier followed me out, and I heard Alyssa call ‘wait up’ before the door closed. The two girls caught up to us, and I had to hold back a sigh. I guess they're all coming.  

I led the four of them to Ten Carat Hill, and told the ‘Alola gang’ we were on our way. Lillie assured me that Professor Kukui was in on my cover-up story, so at least Professor Willow won’t get too upset with me. As for my classmates… I don’t know. 

All of us stayed dead quiet as we walked. I simply led everyone to Ten Carat Hill. When we approached the mountain though, the silence was finally broken. 

“I can’t believe we’re actually doing this,” Alyssa said. 

“You don’t have to come. We only have to stay with one member of our team at all times,” I reminded. 

“Yeah, which is why I think we should just let these blokes go while we stay back and not risk dying,” Lexi replied. 

“But I don’t want them to risk their lives because our tour guide asked! We shouldn’t even be here!” Alyssa barked. 

“Maybe you,” Silvally dryly replied. 

“Ouch,” Oricorio replied. 

“She has a point though…” Alcremie muttered. 

“It’ll be fine! The worst we’ll see is a dead body,” Austin sweetly assured. 

“How is that supposed to reassure us?” Lexi asked. 

“Because it can’t hurt us?” Austin asked. 

“As long as we don’t get too close to it,” Xavier added. 

“See?” Austin asked as he and Oricorio motioned to Xavier. Lexi just gave him a disgusted look. 

“Seriously, you don’t have to be here,” I replied as we stepped into the mountain. 

“And neither do you,” Alyssa fired back. 

I rolled my eyes and was about to say something, but I saw Zossie and Dulse first. My eyes widened in horror as I stopped in my tracks just as the crazy meter went off. They were standing by a split path further in the cave. They haven’t noticed us, mainly since Dulse was watching Zossie as she slowly paced around and stared at the cave ceiling. Why are they here? I thought they were looking for Z-Crystals. 

I slowly reached for my belt and grabbed Selene’s pokeball. As I returned her, the others stopped beside me. 

“Oh, hey. It’s those weird people. I guess they came for that alien,” Austin said. 

“So why did Professor Kukui call you?” Alyssa asked, shooting me a suspicious look. 

“I told you that I don’t know,” I hissed, shooting a glare back at her as I put Selene’s pokeball away. Alyssa glared back, but I just sharpened my glare. 

I heard gasp. “Hop!” We looked over, seeing Zossie run over to me. “Hello! Or, Alola!” She stopped in front of me and gave me a wide smile. “Are you here to help with the fallen Necrozma!?” She frowned. “Some locals are being really mean to our squad leader…” 

“Calm yourself, Zossie,” Dulse began as he approached us. “Phyco instructed us to not allow any locals to pass.” 

“Oh, we apologize. We just came here on a whim,” Alyssa quickly said before grabbing my arm. “Let’s go.”

I pulled my arm out of her grip as I kept my gaze on Dulse. “My friends are up there and asked for my help.” 

“They are interfering with our work. We are simply trying to remove our creatures from your world, and-” Dulse began.

“And that Necrozma is on our turf now. If we don’t want him moved, you have no right to,” I interrupted. 

Dulse tilted his head as Zossie smiled. “You’re confusing.” 

“You… You would prefer if we left a dead body from our land on your island?” Dulse slowly asked. 

“Yes,” I simply replied. 

Dulse stared at me as he tried to say something. “… Why?” 

I shrugged. “Research. We’re very curious people.” 

“What ‘research’ could you possibly want from our fallen lord?” Dulse asked. 

“To learn about your world. Your creatures have been falling here for decades if I’m not mistaken. Why do you care anyway? He’s dead.” 

Dulse stared at me before Zossie placed her hand on his arm. “Come on, Dulsie. He’s like his highness. Phyco does enjoy talking to the leaders of other dimensions anyway. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind Hop and his alliance going up there.” Zossie gasped and looked at me. “Maybe you can help us find the prism shards! Oh, Phyco would be eternally grateful! Our king really needs that prism back so we can restore our light!” 

I stared at her, processing her words. How am I like Ink? Because of my powers? Why does Phyco like talking to leaders? Should I be listening to Suicune? 

“I’m… not a leader, but…” 

“Ok, what are you people even talking about? Hop isn’t a leader. He’s a normal university student,” Alyssa scolded. 

“Uni-what?” Zossie asked, tilting her head. 

“He’s investing his time in learning,” Lexi slowly replied before crossing her arms. “If anyone’s a leader, it’s The Master.” 

“Master?” Zossie asked as my eyes widened in horror. 

“Yeah. She runs everything. Or will when she’s old enough. She’s his friend,” Lexi complained as she looked at her nails. 

Zossie gasped as Dulse perked up. I’m going to strangle Lexi in her sleep. Zossie shot over to me and grabbed my hands. “You MUST tell Phyco about this master! If she’s your ultimate leader, she can help our king get the prism back and save our world! Can you bring her here?!” 

“Uh, not right now. She’s sort of-” I began. 

“Royal duties. We understand,” Dulse began before looking between my classmates and me. “We will let you pass as long as you get our commander in contact with this leader of yours. As Zossie has implied, his name is Phyco. He is speaking with your comrades on the mountain.” 

“Uh… right…” I muttered before Zossie let me go. The two workers stepped aside, so I quickly walked past him. 

“Well, that could’ve gone better,” Dartrix muttered. 

“Yep,” I breathed out as the others caught up to me. They know about Rayne now. Is this a bad thing? I guess I’ll know or at least have an assumption once I meet Phyco. He has to be the one labeled ‘master’ though. Oh, he’s going to be insane. Either way, I’m not telling him about Rayne. I guess I’ll have to hope Dulse and Zossie don’t mention her. 

Alyssa grabbed my arm, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Why do they think you’re a leader? Hell, how do they know your name?”

“They saw Selene, and I ran into them during Ilima’s trial. It’s not a big deal,” I lied. 

“Then why did you return Selene if they know about her?” Alyssa asked. I pressed my lips together. “Hop.” 

“It doesn’t matter,” I quickly replied before picking up my pace, which made Alyssa release my arm. 

“What did you do!?” Alyssa demanded. 

“I said it doesn’t matter!” I fired back. What can I say without outing myself!? That they saw me talking to gods!? I guess I could say they saw me working with Tapu Koko, but why would I have to lie about that? I really need to think my lies through! I need a solid cover-up story! How is Rayne so good at this!?

I had no clue where I was going, but I was somehow able to get us outside to the top of the mountain. A Z-Crystal podium stood at the edge, and the Totem Oricorio stood on the top. Like all Totems, she was bigger than the average Oricorio, but she was in the sensu form. Her back was to us, but she was staring down. 

Austin gasped. “Totem Oricorio!” 

“Huh?” she asked as she turned her head, only to flinch before glaring at us. She spun around and pointed at us. “You trainers shouldn’t be up here! This land is blocked off from tourists! Shoo!”

“But the professor-man called Hop,” Austin’s Oricorio said as she pointed at me. “Also, hi. It’s an honor to meet you, ma’am.”

The Totem Oricorio shot me an annoyed look. “Kukui sent you?” I nodded before a faint light pulsed around Eleanor’s bracelet. Oricorio looked at it before she perked up. “Is that…” She pointed at my wrist. “Let me see that.” 

I stepped closer to her and lifted my wrist, showing her the bracelet. She cupped my wrist and examined the bracelet as I heard Lexi gasp. “Where did you get that!?” 

“Lady Eleanor,” Oricorio replied before looking me in the eye. “You mean something to her. She’s trusting you to protect us, correct?” I simply nodded. Oricorio hummed before releasing my wrist. “Alright. You may pass.” She narrowed her eyes. “Just get those trespassers off my mountain.” 

I nodded, but just as I turned to the others, Lexi came up to me. I flinched and stepped back, but she just grabbed my wrist and yanked my arm up to get a better look at the bracelet. 

“Where did you get this? What even are these? Opals?” 

I pulled my arm out of her grip and grabbed my wrist to shield the bracelet from her. “Why do you care?” 

“Because it’s gorgeous and I want one! Where did you get it!?” Lexi demanded. 

“It’s a family heirloom! My aunt gave it to me!” I snapped back. 

Lexi gave me a confused look. “Why you?” 

I gave her an annoyed look. “Seriously?” 

Lexi rolled her eyes. “Just tell me where I can get one.” 

“You can’t. Their heirlooms,” I hissed. Lexi gave me an annoyed look, but I just turned around and went over to the edge of the cliff. I’m not dealing with her now. 

I looked down as my expression softened. Necrozma’s body stood out. He was laying near the back of the mountain, and his body faded to a solid white. His arms were detached from his body, but held close to his body by the black chains wrapped around him. In the center of the field though was Professor Kukui, Professor Burnet, Hau, Lillie, Gladion, and Elio in front of the other two Ultra Recon members. The ones I labeled ‘controlled’ and ‘master’. I could hear Professor Burnet’s voice, but couldn’t make out what she was saying. 

“Shall we go?” Silvally asked. 

“Yeah,” I softly replied before stepping off the cliff and leading my team down the slope. Dartrix flew past me as Dubwool rolled down, but Silvally stayed by my side until we reached the bottom. I ran over to the others as Dubwool and Dartrix came back to my side. Gladion was pacing behind the professors, Lillie, and Hau, and Elio and Gladion’s Silvally were trying to get him to stop. 

Gladion glanced at me before fully turning to me. Elio sighed in relief when he saw me, but Gladion marched over to me and grabbed my shoulders, giving me an enraged look. “So help me, if you don’t make them shut up, I will. With a knife.” 

My eyes widened in surprise. “Excuse me?” 

“What did they do to him?” my Silvally asked. 

“I have no idea,” Gladion’s Silvally replied. 

I gave Gladion a concerned look. “What is this-” 

“Make them shut up. They…” Gladion began before taking a deep breath and looking away. “I am not having this conversation with you, especially since Lillie doesn’t even know half of it, but…” He gripped onto my shoulders. “Just make him shut up.” 

My expression softened, realizing what was going on. I glanced over his shoulder before I gently placed my hands over his wrists. He flinched and quickly slipped his hands out from under mine, but that only made me frown. “Ok. I’ll take care of it. Focus on something else, ok?” 

Gladion stared at me before slowly nodding. I gave him a pressed smile before I stepped around him to approach the others. When I saw the two Recon workers, the crazy meter spiked up to an unnervingly familiar level. Close to Ghetsis. Not as bad, but close. But they work for Ink? This has to be coming from the man though. Would that make Ink a Gio- No. Do not go there. Maybe that’s why I called him ‘master’ though. Maybe… Could he be calling the shots? No, don’t jump to conclusions yet. We haven’t even spoken to him. 

As I approached the others, I picked up on the conversation. 

“Why? Why can’t you tell me? He crashed onto our island through a wormhole. We have every right to know how he ended up here, and how and why your squad is here, so talk,” Professor Burnet pushed. 

“It’s none of your business. Our lord crashed here, and we wish to retrieve him. What else is there to talk about!?” the man demanded. 

“Oh, I don’t know,” I began as I stepped beside the professor. “Why he’s dead, why you settled in Aether before he arrived, and the fact that you’re refusing to tell a professional the main reason you're here is that you want to find the Prism of Infinity.” 

The man and his partner stared at me. “How do you know of that?” the woman asked. 

“I met Zossie and Dulse,” I simply replied. 

The man sighed at my response before adjusting his glasses. Or mask. Goggles? “Those two… Alright! Yes, we are looking for our lord’s prism. He stole the light from our land. Are we done here?” 

“No. Why did he take your light? If you’re right and that’s a Necrozma, they have no reason to steal light when they can produce it,” Professor Burnet asked. 

“Why are you so concerned about it? Are you worried his dead body will steal your light?” the man asked. 

“No, but you're being very vague for no reason,” Professor Burnet fired back. 

The man sighed again and held up his hands in surrender. “Alright! Fine! I surrender.” He lowered his hands. “You want the truth so badly? Fine. In our world, that Necrozma ruled over all of us. He’s the most powerful being in our universe and created almost everything with the power of his prism. Including our king and late queen.” His expression softened. “The queen was our lord’s pride and joy. So much so that he casted our king into the shadows, and the queen ensured he stayed there. As the years passed, she grew sick of him. She hated how she was forced to be with him because our lord made them be together. She snapped and attacked him. They fought for weeks, but our king won. The queen would rather die than be spared by him, so she fell. Out of rage for his fallen daughter, Necrozma absorbed our land’s light in his prism and fled. Our king tried to bring him back by wrapping that chain around him, but he was able to escape.” The man turned to the upper field Necrozma was laying in. “I suppose all that time trapped in Ultra Space took its toll and killed him before sucking him here.” The man turned to us. “Ever since he escaped, our king has been trying to find the prism for our kingdom. The four of us and many others have traveled between dimensions, but we could never find it. Since Necrozma landed here, I believe his prism fell here as well. Based on my worker’s reports, we believe it shattered to copy the appearance of your ‘Z-Crystals’. I thought it was still in his body, but he’d be alive if he still possessed it. Either way, we would like his body back. He’s our lord. We apologize for bringing this issue to your land, but he still belongs to our dimension.” 

“I see…” Professor Burnet muttered as I looked away in thought. 

According to this guy, Ink is this innocent king whose wife was a power-hungry lunatic who tried to kill him. Ink won and ended up killing her. Necrozma then punished him by stealing the light and fleeing. It matches what Zossie and Dulse said, but not the visions. Not reality. Necrozma didn’t run, and Ink didn’t try to drag him back. He banished Necrozma. Yeah, Necrozma probably did absorb the light as a punishment, and it’s a great cover-up to say Ink just wants the light back, but this is a cover-up story nonetheless. Why are they covering up for us though? We have no connection to them, and they can overpower us. They may have no idea what we’re capable of, but they also have a chain that can kill an Arceus. What’s the point of lying to us? Why try to sway us to their side? So we’ll help them? Give them information? Hell, why would they give us information? What are their motives here?

“Who are you two, if I may ask?” Professor Kukui asked. 

The man cleared his throat. “I’m Phyco. Commander of the Ultra Recon Squad. I usually stay with our king, since he founded the team, but with Zossie and Dulse’s reports, we came here to assist them.” He motioned beside him. “This is Soliera. My partner.” 

“May I ask how you got past Zossie and Dulse?” Soliera calmly asked. 

“Uh… they sorta think I’m a leader, and Professor Kukui here asked me to-” I began. 

“Why would they think that?” Soliera asked. 

I stared at her, trying to come up with a response. What can I say? Either possible response blows one of my covers, so… 

“I…” I began before a familiar crack appeared at the top of my skull. My eyes widened in horror as the cracking sound ran down my head. Cracks of light ran across my field of vision, whiting out the scene in front of me to create a new one. 

Professor Burnet stared at a packet of paper as she paced in front of a projection of static, but we were indoors. “The Slim Protectors… Same genetic build as the Bulky Protectors, so they’re bug-fighting types like Buzzwoles. It says that they can destroy anything they touch, and can dodge almost any attack, but that if they’re hit by anything, they’re done for. It looks like they hit hard and fast, but have a very frail defense.” She looked up at the projection. “The IP calls it UB-Beauty, but their actual name…”

Dozens of white Ultra Beasts surrounded the perimeter of Ten Carat Hill before a larger one with a different appearance stood up. One with more arms, more antennas, and had what looked like a gown on. And while the scene stayed, Professor Burnet’s voice returned.  

“Pheromosa.”

The glass cracking along my skull shattered, snapping me out of my daze. I stumbled back as I sucked in a breath. Lillie caught my arm to steady me, but I just looked up. Another wormhole opened above us before dozens of those white Ultra Beasts came flying out. 

My body relaxed as any ache or pain I had washed away. That calm feeling from when I faced Buzzwole returned, and my head felt clear again. So these are the Slim Protectors. Pheromosa… I need to get my classmates away and stop these things from hurting Alola. 

“What the fuck?!” Gladion demanded. 

“What are those?!” Hau shrieked. 

“Pheromosa,” I calmly said before looking over at Hau. “Do you have any flying types?” 

“Uh, yeah. Why?” he squeaked. 

I looked between him, Gladion, and Elio. “Get your flying types and have them hold these guys off. They’re super weak to flying moves.” 

“How do you know that?” Professor Burnet asked as I fully turned around and ran over to my classmates. 

“Just a hunch,” I lied before stopping in front of my classmates. “Get out of here. I’ll be right behind you.” 

“No. You are not doing this again,” Alyssa scolded before looking over my shoulder. “Tell him he’s not doing this again!” 

“As your supervisor, I’d agree, but as the stand-in Champion…” Professor Kukui began before looking up. “Yeah, he’s staying. He knows what these are, and Rayne did tell me to let him help if-” 

“I don’t care what she said! He’s not the stand-in Champion! You are! He could get severely injured from this, or even die! She has no right to force him to do this!” Alyssa snapped. 

“She’s not,” I calmly said. 

“Yes, she is! You’re obeying her every command and ignoring the rules our supervisor put in place for our safety for what!? Because she’s your friend!? Friends don’t do this to each other! She’s openly disregarding your safety and telling you to risk your life for a region you have no connection to, and you’re doing it so she can stay in Galar and not do her job as Champion here! You’re not the Champion, and just because she is doesn’t mean you have to obey her! Now leave this to the actual professionals and… stop letting her control you!” 

I narrowed my eyes at her words, and when she grabbed my wrist, I broke my arm out of her grip. She tried protesting, but I stepped closer to her to look her dead in the eye. “Don’t you ever speak of her like that. If you knew anything about Rayne, you’d know that she would never put anyone she cares about in danger. I am doing this on my own free will. Not because she’s ‘forcing’ me to. Don’t assume things about her when you have no idea who she really is. And for your information, I do have a connection to this region. I have connections to every region! People I care about live here, and I’m not going to let a bunch of fucking aliens destroy it, so get out of here before they try to kill you!” 

Alyssa stared at me in shock, but I just stepped away from her and looked around. Pheromosas were already landing along the perimeter of the mountain. They’ll trap everyone in if we’re not quick. 

“Hop-” Alyssa quietly began. 

“Professors, get them out of here,” I instructed as I kept my eyes on the Pheromosas. 

“Alright. All of you, be careful!” Professor Kukui called, and I saw him and Professor Burnet run past me. 

“We always are!” Elio called. 

I couldn’t help but turn around to look at my classmates. Xavier had pulled Alyssa back as the professors approached them to usher them out. Austin was waiting near the cave entrance, but Lexi was already gone. Alyssa gave me a hurt look, but she followed the boys and all of their Pokemon. A few Pheromosas flew towards them, but the Decidueyes owned by Elio and Professor Kukui flew towards them, along with the Totem Oricorio. They kept the Pheromosas from reaching my classmates, and let them slip into the lower cave entrance with the professors. 

“What’s your order?” my Silvally asked as my three Pokemon looked at me. 

I scanned over the mountaintop, seeing the Pheromosas were either blocking all exits or trying to grab wild Pokemon or us. The others sent out a variety of Pokemon to try and stop them, but more kept coming to gang up on each of our Pokemon. 

“Dartix and Dubwool, help the others stop the ones trying to grab someone. Silvally, let’s get you a memory from Gladion.” 

My three Pokemon nodded before I looked up, only to see a giant Pheromosa fly out of the wormhole. One with six antennas, four arms, and had a longer ‘skirt’ compared to the others. She spun around and landed directly in front of me. I stepped back as Silvally started growling, but I stared at the alpha as she lifted her head to look at me right in the eye. 

Her eyes widened. “Golden eyes.” She looked around the mountain. “Darlings! Grab Necrozma and follow me!” She looked back at me. “I found the one Necrozma trusted.”

My eyes widened in horror as that calm feeling shattered, bringing a headache and sense of panic with it. And just as I was processing this, Pheromosa’s four arms shot towards me. She gripped onto my arms and waist, making me flinch before I grabbed the one on my left shoulder and right hip. I tried prying her off, but she was unphased and yanked me against her. 

“Master!” Silvally yelled before Pheromosa shot into the air. I looked down, seeing Silvally lunge towards us, but fall back to the ground as Pheromosa flew higher than he could reach. 

I gulped before looking back at Pheromosa. “What are you doing!?” 

“Taking you back to Megalion. Necrozma gave you his prism, so you will use it to destroy his creation and become our new leader,” she hissed. My eyes widened in horror as she tsked. “I have no idea why he trusted another human, but-” 

“I- No- Wait! That is not what happened! He gave his prism to my Cosmog! A- a Light Bringer! I’m watching her because he wants her to give the prism to the Necrozma who resides here,” I quickly interrupted. 

Pheromosa’s eyes widened in realization. “Of course. He creates Light Bringers.” Her expression hardened before she met my gaze. “Where is he?” 

“I- I don’t know, but-” 

Pheromosa tsked again and looked up. “Fine. You’ll stay in my domain while I get the Necrozma pack to come here and track him down.” 

“Wait, what!? No! I can’t go there!” 

“We will protect you from the king.” 

“No, I can’t leave! I- There’s too much I have to do here, and- Can we just talk about this? Civilly? 

“Civilly!? You think we can be civil!?” 

“Yes! Just put-”

Pheromosa stopped to yank me up to her eye level. “We cannot be civil about this anymore! All the queen did was be civil with him, and look where she is now! Look where that got Buzzwole! All of us will end up like them if we keep being civil! He won’t submit to anyone anymore! If we don’t destroy him for good, he’ll take everything from us! I refuse to let my darlings or fellow alphas become fuel for that creature!”  

I stared at her, feeling the weight of her words. Seeing that although her eyes had a burning rage that there was unmistakable pain behind it. She’s angry, but hurt. All of them are. All because… 

“What is Ink doing to you?”  

Pheromosa’s expression softened. Letting that rage wash away for a second. “He’s taking everything from us… From everyone…” 

“MA’AM!” a new voice screamed. 

We both looked down, seeing black chains flying towards us. Pheromosa jerked out of the way, dodging the chains with ease as she pulled me against her. Her ‘dress’ felt like steel, and it dug into whatever part of me they touched. I winced, but didn’t bother moving. 

Pheromosa’s body tensed as her frustration returned. She stopped to glare down at whoever fired the chains. “You have some nerve.” 

I looked down as Pheromosas six antennas flew in front of us. Phyco was holding a thin bazooka that released the chains. Red light started forming against Pheromosa’s antennas, snapping my attention to them before I looked around. Ok, I need to get away from her. I may already be involved in this, but I can’t go to Megalion now. I can’t face Ink now! We’re closer to the wormhole than the ground, so even though I could create water between us and push her off me and escape, nothing can catch me. Everyone else is focused on stopping the other Pheromosas. What can I do!? It would be really nice to have that calm-clear head thing! Why did it go away right when I needed it!? 

The light on Pheromosa’s antennas grew, and it reminded me of Focus Blast. Wait, is it Focus Blast!?

“Wait, stop! This doesn’t-” I began before a familiar roar cut me off. 

Pheromosa and I looked over, revealing Suicune flying towards us. He opened his mouth, forming what looked like Ice Beam before Pheromosa shot out of the way. I groaned as her steel-like body pressed against me again, but forced my eyes to stay open. Suicune’s here. If Suicune’s here-

“Let him go!” another voice called. Pheromosa and I looked down, and I saw Entei on the ground by my Silvally. He narrowed his eyes. “Or else.” 

Pheromosa laughed at his response. “Or else what!? What could you possibly do to stop us!?”

Entei sharpened his glare. “If you don’t let our creator’s child go, we will attack your land. That’s where that wormhole leads, isn’t it?” I looked at Pheromosa, seeing her glance up as her expression slowly dropped. “So drop him. Now.” 

Pheromosa scoffed. “You think you scare me? You think your threats mean anything? You’re outnumbered and flightless. I’d like to see you try to reach that wormhole.” 

Although he was far away, I could see the sly grin rise to Entei’s lips. “Ok. Boys!” 

Suicune and Raikou roared, making the two of us look around. Raikou and Suicune sat on opposite edges of the mountain and formed some kind of attack. Electricity burst out of Raikou’s body as Suicune fired an Ice Beam at the sky. Fire then ripped past us from Entei as all three attacks flew towards the wormhole. My eyes widened as the smaller Pheromosas started screaming. However, the alpha simply lifted one of her antennas to fire a small green orb. The orb shot past the attacks before bursting into some kind of net made of energy. It wrapped around the wormhole and stopped the attacks from hitting the portal. They burst upon impact though, filling the sky with smoke. 

The alpha scoffed as she looked down. “I will say, I am impressed, but I’m done messing around. He may be your creator’s child, but our creator trusted him, so he’s coming with us. Darlings, get rid of these mutts!” With that, she shot towards the wormhole. 

I looked down at the mountain, seeing the other Pheromosas shoot towards the Beast Trio. They’re too fast, and there’s too many. No one can hit the alpha either. She’s fast and heavily guarded. She won’t listen to any of us either, and I can’t escape! Even if I somehow break out of her grip, she’ll just grab me again! Unless I somehow teleport away from… Teleport… No. I can’t risk exposing Selene. But it’s either out myself or get sucked into an alternate dimension. 

Although I was against it, I reached for Selene’s pokeball. One of the other Pheromosas called for the alpha, so she swerved out of the way. I winced, feeling her ‘dress’ dig into my skin as black chains flew past us. We looked over as she stopped, revealing Soliera pointing the thin bazooka at us. 

“Did you really think-” Pheromosa began. 

“MA’AM!” several voices called. 

Pheromosa spun around, only for black chains to wrap around both of us. The second it touched me, the chains started sparking and burning any piece of skin they touched. A scream ripped out of me as hot chills ran through me. Pheromosa screeched against me as she tried prying the chains off, but that only made them tighten around us. 

I squirmed against Pheromosa, trying to get out of the chains as she started falling to the ground. The chains started digging into me. I couldn’t even focus on what I was doing. My entire body was burning and trying to get out. I tried pushing Pheromosa away, slip my body out of the chains, anything! But every movement brought more pain! My entire body felt like it was burning and wanted out! It wasn’t until a bunch of the other Pheromosas caught us and tried breaking the chains where I actually got my train of thought back. Selene. She can get me out. 

I grabbed her pokeball and sent her out. She appeared beside me, smiling as always, but it dropped the second she saw me. I grabbed her equivalent of a wrist. “Get me out!” 

She clamped her hands over mine before a weightless feeling ran through my body. Light burst from Selene’s body as all the pain vanished with us. Only to come back when we reappeared on the ground. My legs gave out, but Entei quickly came up beside me to help me stay up. I leaned against him, gripping onto his fur as I sucked in breaths. I felt so hot. My head was spinning as hot chills continued to surge through me. The chains burned every part of skin it touched and left circular marks in their wake. Some parts of the chains were able to break skin, and I could feel cuts from where my body dug into Pheromosa's. Whatever part of my body wasn’t covered in sweat, it had blood. What are those chains? They’re like the Red Chain, but worse! 

“Are you ok!?” Zossie called, making me look over. She and Dulse stood by the cave entrance, and Dulse was holding the bazooka. He attacked us. “We- We just wanted to stop her! We didn’t mean-” 

“Shut up!” Lillie screamed, drawing my attention to her. She ran over to me, Wigglytuff beside her. She looked me up and down as her expression grew more worried, but she slowed down to stop beside me. “What did that thing do?” 

I tried saying something, but nothing came out. All I could do was catch my breath as I leaned against Entei. Trying not to collapse as the heat started consuming me. My body’s going numb. Seriously, what did that chain do!? 

“Go to Suicune. You’re too hot,” Entei said before looking past me. “Suicune!” 

“What happened to him?” Wigglytuff asked, and oddly made me notice the explosions and bursting sounds around us. 

“I don’t know, but I can feel the heat coming off him. Red Heroes aren’t naturally this hot, so it affected his body heat,” Entei explained as Suicune stopped in front of us. 

Entei gently pushed me off him, letting me step towards Suicune. I stumbled forward, but Suicune stepped closer to me as the feelers flowing beside him helped steady me. His body was cooler than Entei’s. I leaned my head against the crest on his head as cold air started flowing out of his feelers. 

I couldn’t help but sigh in relief as the cold air started to soothe the collection of burns along my body, but a loud scream ended that relief. All of us looked up, seeing several Pheromosas holding their alpha up as all of them aimed their antennas at the four Recon workers. Soliera got more chains around the alpha. However, all of them started forming red or green attacks on their antennas. And the other Pheromosas around the mountain were doing the same. If these attacks are like Focus Blast… and if they land… The sheer impact of these attacks could destroy this entire mountain. 

Somehow, my body relaxed as the pain and heat surging through my body washed away. That familiar calm feeling came back and cleared my head. I straightened up and looked around. I need to stop the attack, or at least dull it, then end this. They’re only attacking because the alpha is restrained, so if we free her, they won’t attack anymore. I know Rayne can break the chains, so they’re not indestructible. They just need a strong enough force.  

I turned to Entei. “All three of you, counter as much of this attack as possible. Get some other Pokemon to help if you can.” Suicune nodded and ran off with Raikou, but Entei gave me an unsure look before running off as well. I lifted my gaze to scan over the mountaintop. “Oricorio!” She looked at me just as I found her. “Get me one of your Z-Crystals!” 

“Got it!” she called before shooting towards her podium. 

As she flew off, I looked back at the Pheromosas. They were mere seconds from firing their attacks. I can’t know for sure if the Beast Trio will be back in time, so I guess I’m putting matters into my own hands. 

Just as the Pheromosas released their attacks, I snapped my arms up to make my own. Rings of water appeared between the Recon workers and the Pheromosas, but just before the attacks collided with the water, several howls rang over the mountain. Rocks and spears of ice ripped out of the ground behind the water rings just as the attacks from the Ultra Beasts struck. Lightning struck a few of the spheres as well, and all the attacks exploded upon impact, filling the mountaintop with smoke and slight debris. 

I lowered my arms as smoke and chunks of rock and ice blew past me. Something nudged my leg, making me look down. A Rockruff stood beside me, and smiled when my gaze met his. Wait… This was the Rockruff Lillie’s Wigglytuff calmed down yesterday. 

“His pack helped set up the rocks,” Raikou said, making us look back at him. He smiled from behind me before nodding. “Now finish this.” 

I nodded before Oricorio flew towards me, holding a Z-Crystal. I took the light blue crystal before taking the Tapunium-Z off the top of my Z-Ring to put the new crystal in. Once both crystals were in their new spots, I tapped the Flying Z-Crystal. Eleanor’s bracelet lit up, sending a comforting warmth through my veins. I let my body move on its own to perform the short dance. With the last movement, Oricorio’s body was engulfed in blue energy. 

I narrowed my eyes. “Supersonic Skystrike!” 

Oricorio shot into the air, blowing the smoke away to reveal the cluster of Pheromosas. They all looked up, watching her fly closer to the wormhole before her body shot down, crashing into the alpha within seconds. 

The smaller Pheromosas were shoved back from the impact as the chains around the alpha shattered. A small smile rose to my lips as Oricorio flew back, revealing the alpha’s collapsed body. The mountain fell silent for mere seconds. 

The moment the other Pheromosas saw their leader, they started screaming. I couldn’t help but flinch as they started flying off in all different directions. Some towards the alpha, others towards the four Recon workers, but most of them towards Oricorio and me. 

The Beast Trio and my own Pokemon worked with Oricorio to keep them away from me. My body stayed frozen in place as I scanned over everyone. Dozens of Pokemon fighting, people trying not to get hit while also trying to stop the Pheromosas, Pokemon running, and nothing but pure chaos. I need to make the Pheromosas calm down, but they won’t calm down unless their leader is ok, but she’ll try to grab me if she’s ok, and the Recon workers will try to take her, and all of them are trying to take Necrozma when I still want to examine the body, and if I don’t do anything, the chaos will continue and the Pheromosas will overpower us eventually, and then they’ll try to take me or even kill me, and none of this will solve the overarching problem that Ink is trying to take an all-powerful prism to be a dictator. 

I need to stop them. 

I need to help the alpha. 

I need the Recon Squad to go away.

I need to stop everyone from fighting. 

I need to keep this mountain from being destroyed. 

I need to make sure the wild Pokemon still have a home. 

I need to make sure no one dies. 

I need-

“Cosmog!” Selene cried as she clung to my leg. 

I slowly lowered my gaze, seeing Selene clinging to me as she stared ahead in horror. Tears ran down her small face just as the Rockruff from earlier backed towards me. Looking between everyone before bumping into my leg. He flinched and looked up at me, revealing his own glossy eyes. 

I looked back at the chaos as a familiar headache started pounding into my skull. The alpha, the beasts, the squad, the Pokemon, the people. Everyone needs help. Everyone is fighting. Everything needs to calm down or else we’ll all go down. I need to stop this. I need to stop everything. I need to fix everything. 

I slowly reached up to grab my head. Think. Just think! How can I fix this? How can I stop the chaos?! How do I make the noise and madness end!? How do I fulfill my order!? Think, you idiot! You’re the smart one! Use your head for once in your life and just get everyone to- 

“STOP!”

Chapter Text

A wave of energy burst out of me and grabbed everyone, freezing them in place and forcing the mountain to fall silent. I let out a pained breath as a dull pain started building up in my head. “Stop it. All of you.” 

“How did you…” someone asked, but I didn’t care who. 

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Soaking in the silence and letting that calm feeling return. I opened my eyes again and turned to the Beast Trio. “Get the Ultra Recon Squad out of here.” 

I released my control on them, and while Raikou stumbled forward, Entei and Suicune simply straightened their posture and nodded. Entei shot towards Zossie and Dulse while Suicune ran towards Phyco and Soliera. Raikou followed Suicune as I turned to the alpha. As I stepped towards her, the pounding in my head kept getting worse. I glanced around and released my control on the ‘Alola gang’ along with our Pokemon and the wild ones. 

I stopped beside Pheromosa and knelt beside her. I don’t know if our medicine will work on Ultra Beasts, so I’ll need another tactic. I was about to take my backpack off before Eleanor’s bracelet lit up. The words to her Song of Healing came back to me. Not in English though. She wants me to sing it in Havaian. 

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, thinking back to when the alpha first arrived. How she moved, how she spoke. Any detail I could possibly need as a familiar bell melody started playing through my mind. I took one more deep breath and started quietly singing along with the melody. I couldn’t comprehend what I was singing, but I followed along with the familiar melody. About halfway through it, I could hear Eleanor’s voice, but I kept my eyes closed as I sang. 

When the song ended, the bell melody faded from my mind as a wave of heat ran through my body. With it, my injuries made themselves known again. I started to open my eyes, but that made my head spin before it started throbbing in pain. I closed my eyes again as I leaned back on instinct and sucked in a breath. Ok. Ow. Still, I took a deep breath and slowly let it out before carefully opening my eyes. I feel so sick. And hot. I need a cold shower and a doctor. And an entire bottle of aspirin. Bloody hell, my head is killing me. Wait, I’m not holding the Pheromosas anymore. 

The alpha had a blue aura around her that was fading, which drew her pack closer to her. I couldn’t help but look at her face, seeing her eyes scrunch before she slowly opened them. Her pack gasped before a few of them helped her sit up. She winced, but let them help before looking down at me. 

Her expression softened when her gaze met mine. “You saved me…” 

I shrugged and gripped onto my knees. “That chain almost killed Buzzwole. I didn’t want you to fall either. Plus, your pack kind of… went a little crazy, and…” I lightly shook my head. Which was a mistake. “I’m just… doing what I can to protect this land. Every part of it.” 

Pheromosa gave me a small smile before she looked around. “You scared off the workers too. How much did I miss?” 

“Not much…” I breathed out. Just focus on breathing. And don’t puke. We can’t lose any more fluids.

“He made us freeze, had his hounds take the humans away, then sang a pretty song to heal you, ma’am,” one of the Pheromosas explained. 

The alpha perked up. “Did he?”

The Pheromosa nodded before Raikou’s voice boomed across the mountain. “HEY!” We looked at him, seeing he and Suicune land back onto the mountain. Raikou gave them an offended look. “We are not hounds!” 

“Oh. Are you felines?” another smaller Pheromosa asked. 

“In what world are we felines?” Suicune asked as Raikou’s offended look grew. 

“I don’t know. Raikou looks pretty cat-like,” one of the Pokemon called. Gladion’s Silvally? 

“I’m not a cat!” Raikou barked. 

I couldn’t help but smile before someone knelt beside me and grabbed my shoulder. “Are you ok?” I turned my head, seeing Lillie. “Oh, who am I kidding?! How are you holding up? How urgently do you need a doctor?!” 

I stared at her, thinking of a response as waves of heat continued running through me, and as my stomach twisted, and as everything else continued to ache. “If I don’t throw up in the next 5 minutes, I’ll be fine.” 

Lillie sighed at my response. “Hop…” 

“Do you want us to heal him, ma’am?” one of the smaller Pheromosas asked. 

The alpha shook her head as I met her gaze. “His body probably wouldn’t accept it.” She tilted her head. “What exactly are you, human? You have the power of an alpha, but your… creatures called you your creator’s child.” 

“It’s… complicated,” I breathed out. 

“He’s like a mix of both. A god born from humans. A demi-god,” Entei replied.

“Demi-god…” Pheromosa muttered before her expression softened. “Well, I apologize for exposing your status to Ink’s following and causing you to be attacked by the God Calmer.” 

I gave her a confused look. “God Calmer?” 

She nodded. “The chain. We don’t know much about it, but we know it’s made from a godly essence and uses that… divine energy to attack other godly figures. It was originally made from Necrozma’s essence, but Ink must’ve found a replacement. Or he stole that much. It doesn’t hurt normal beings though.” The God Calmer… “I’m surprised you got it to break. Necrozma told us it was indestructible.” 

I slowly turned to Necrozma. These chains were made by a god’s energy and attacks gods to slowly kill them. That’s probably what Pheromosa meant earlier. About… Ink stealing power. About him taking everything. He’s sucking energy out of Necrozma and other gods to make this chain. He has access to other gods since his team is jumping between dimensions. They must be attacking them. They really are stealing everything to make a weapon. A weapon that can only be broken with a strong force. The impact of a Z-Move… or the strength of a Red Hero. Rayne… 

Pheromosa started speaking again, but it sounded muffled. My head was going between feeling heavy and light. I lowered my gaze to look between the various wounds on my body. Staring at them as heat wrapped around me. With every blink, my eyes stayed closed longer. I need to get these fixed. I need to check in with Rayne. She felt the attack. She’s worried.  

I reached for my pocket, but someone grabbed my wrist. I slowly lifted my head, seeing Lillie giving me a worried look. She asked something. My name. I could hear other voices, but I couldn’t comprehend any of them. Lillie stared at me, asking me more as her worried look grew. 

More sounds came. The sounds made my head hurt, which made my stomach hurt. I squeezed my eyes shut and turned away from her to slowly lower my upper body. Lillie wrapped her arms around my shoulders, holding me up as she told me not to throw up. I just stayed put, taking deep breaths as the voices continued. It’s so hot. So painful. So loud. Just be quiet. I want it to be quiet. To be peaceful. 

I just want to sleep. 

~

All I could see was darkness. I laid in a pool of inky water that lightly stained my skin. I lifted my hands to watch the water run down my fingers and arms. Watching the ink as it made my skin darker. As it blurred my fresh wounds. 

I stared at my hands as a sphere of light appeared above me. Yellow light that was so bright, it was practically white. I couldn’t stop staring at it. Watching as strands of color reflected across it, giving the dark domain color. I reached for it, only for a purple creature to fly through it. 

Selene. 

She smiled at me. “Come on, silly.” She held one of her hands towards me. “You gotta wake up. We gotta find Papa Crozma!” 

I stared at her, but stretched out my arm enough to take her blobby hand. Her body was engulfed in purple light before morphing into a large bat. Her hand formed a clawed hand attached to her wing. She gripped onto my hand before yanking me up and out of the water. 

My eyes widened as I was pulled to my feet before she pulled me towards her. She roared, but it sounded very different from her usual voice. Either way, she spread her wings and shot towards the light. My body was pulled with her, but as she pulled me up, I felt… something. Another presence. 

I looked over my shoulder, seeing a white figure standing in the pool of inky water. A ghostly pale woman with long white hair wearing a solid white dress stained by the water. Her eyes though were full of color. As if every color to exist was trapped in her eyes. And wrapped around her was a black chain. The God Calmer… 

She stared at me before slowly lifting her hand. Reaching for me as Selene took me away. For some reason… I held my hand towards her, but the light from above washed the scene away. A comforting warmth ran through my veins. Cracking glass built up at the back of my head and ran across my skull, but it didn’t hurt. I just closed my eyes as the warmth surrounded me before the glass shattered, taking everything away.  

~

The first thing I felt when I woke up was heat. I wasn’t as hot as before though. It was bearable. I could hear muffled voices around me though. What happened? I slowly opened my eyes as the voices got more clear, only to see Selene mere inches from my face. 

A smile rose to her face. “Cosmog!” 

I heard someone gasp as the voices stopped for a second. 

“He’s alive!” Elio called. 

Selene flew back as the ‘Alola squad’ looked down at me, which made me realize I was laying on my back. 

“Are you ok?” Lillie asked. 

I pushed myself up into a sitting position, and didn’t feel a single bit of pain. Besides my usual headache, but it was dull now. I looked down before my eyes widened. Although my clothes were still ripped from the Alpha Pheromosa, all of my injuries were gone. I slowly lifted my arms to stare at them in shock. 

“How… Was I literally hallucinating, or am I completely unharmed? Or am I still hallucinating?” 

“It was Cosmog! She healed you!” Hau exclaimed. 

“What?” I asked before giving Selene a confused look. “How? You know Splash and Teleport.” 

“Cos!” she cheered before holding out her hands. White energy coated them, but splotches of color danced across the light. The prism… 

“Necrozma had a lot of power,” a new voice said. I snapped my head around, only for my eyes to widen. A normal Pheromosa stood with the Beast Trio behind me. Pheromosa smiled at me. “The Prism of Infinity can do anything. Healing included.” 

“What…” I breathed out. 

“I’m leaving this defender with you,” another voice called, bringing my attention to my right. The Alpha Pheromosa stepped towards me, and I saw a bunch of other Pheromosas carrying Necrozma towards the wormhole. “I would prefer if you stayed with us, but your beasts have made their stance clear. You are to stay here. However, your survival is clearly important in our war. You are the one guarding the Prism of Infinity, and probably the only one strong enough to face Ink. You forced my pack to freeze, after all. At the very least, you match Ink’s strength, so you may be the one to defeat him.” 

“With his partner!” Raikou called. 

Pheromosa rolled her eyes. “Yes, yes. With the partner who isn’t here. I understood your lecture, pup!” 

“I’m not a dog!” Raikou barked. 

Pheromosa rolled her eyes again before settling her gaze back on me. “I agreed to this compromise though. As much as I want this to end as soon as possible, I’ll wait for you to train your own creatures and Light Bringer, along with bringing your Necrozma and your partner to the battle. Until then, us Ultra Beasts will help you keep the Ultra Recon Squad away from you. This defender will act as a messenger before helping you fight. She’ll send me a message, and I’ll alert another alpha to join the fight. I am curious though; do you know what happened to the beasts who stayed here? A couple packs lost members not too long ago.” 

“Uh, yeah. They’re with my partner,” I replied.

The alpha hummed. “Interesting.” She turned to the Pheromosa staying here. “If you enjoy your time here, you may stay with this young man. His world seems quite curious of ours.” 

“Of course, ma’am,” the Pheromosa replied. 

My expression softened. “Are you sure?” 

The alpha nodded. “I owe my life to you, after all. She will keep you safe with my fellow alphas.” She turned to the Pheromosa staying here. “You know when to alert me. Stay close to this young man, and stay alert.” 

“Yes, ma’am,” Pheromosa replied. 

“Can she get away with following us?” Dubwool softly asked. 

I shrugged as the alpha turned to me again. “We’ll be taking Necrozma home to lay him to rest, but there are fragments of the God Calmer left for you to examine.”

“Oh, uh… thank you,” I softly replied. 

The alpha nodded before she looked around. “Alright, darlings! Let’s get back to our territory!” 

“Yes, ma’am!” they called.

Pheromosa looked down at me one more time, nodded, then flew off with her pack. We simply watched as they all flew into the wormhole, taking Necrozma with them before it sealed shut. 

“Well, that was an experience,” my Silvally said. 

“Yeah…” I muttered before looking at Lillie. “Can you get a sample of that chain?” She nodded before standing up and running over to where I assume the remains of the chain were. 

“So,” Entei began as he, Raikou, Suicune, and I guess my Pheromosa stepped beside me. Entei glanced around as he looked for the right words. “Arceus called in our Necrozma after we reported… all of this to him. Necrozma was in shock, but gave us an explanation as to what’s going on. He told us when he was accepted back into his pack, the alpha was inspired by Eleanor and Julian and made his own godly humans.” 

“But as you know, the Dual Hero system is very complex. It requires input and cooperation between all of us, and has… so many details,” Raikou added. 

“Obviously, the Alpha Necrozma messed something up, and his creations have obviously gone rogue. They made a chain that killed him, after all. This could start an interdimensional war, so… Arceus wants you and R5 to put an end to it. So, figure out what happened, get that prism to Necrozma so he can take over, and have him and your partner team up to destroy these knock-off heroes once and for all,” Suicune explained. 

“Oh, the queen is already dead. It’s just the king now,” Pheromosa said before looking up in thought. “Not like she went rogue. That was all the king.” 

“Then have your partner destroy the king,” Entei said to me. 

“Ok, wait. Time out,” I began before looking at Pheromosa. “What is Ink doing?” 

“None of us really know. Necrozma told us that the king turned on him, killed the queen, and was planning on destroying all of us, but… that hasn’t really happened. Probably because Necrozma sent the Prism of Infinity here, which prompted the king to have his pack jump between dimensions to find it. I’m assuming if he gets the prism, he’ll use its power of destruction to wipe us all out.” 

I stared at her as the Beast Trio gave her a scared look. “Its what?” Raikou squeaked. 

Pheromosa nodded. “The Prism of Infinity is a physical manifestation of the power Necrozma had as the head alpha. He used it to create Megalion.” 

My jaw actually dropped at this as Entei scoffed. “Ok. That prism has the power of Primal Arceus but can be used by anyone, apparently.” 

“Primal Arceus?” I squeaked as I looked at him. 

“Yeah. Arceus before he divided his powers between… everyone. Think a fusion of… every regional legendary plus the Lake Guardians,” Suicune replied. My eyes widened in horror. “Yeah, it’s terrifying, and the baby has it all stored in her little body.” 

“Cosmog!” Selene cheered before she started rolling through the air. 

“And some knock-off wants to take it,” Raikou began before looking at me. “Is he like Julian-crazy where he just has a lot of power and anger issues, or is he Kesune’s creator-crazy where he’s just psychotic for the sake of being psychotic?” 

Suicune shuddered. “Kescune…” 

I stared at them, trying to say something before sighing. “I have no idea…” 

This… I need to get this all straight. The Alpha Necrozma is on Arceus' level of strength, and instead of dividing his power between weaker creations, he put it in a crystal. This world has thirteen groups of different creatures that seem to live in harmony, or at least not bother each other. At some point, our Necrozma challenged the alpha for his title, then got banished before being welcomed back in, probably to make more Cosmog’s since that line can clearly die unlike most legendaries. When he went back, he told the alpha about Arceus’ system, and he tried to copy it, but messed something up and it resulted in Ink craving power. He made these chains to kill gods for some reason and killed his partner for some reason. Necrozma punished him by stealing the light, and Ink bit back by banishing Necrozma to another dimension. At some point, Necrozma got rid of the prism and gave it to Selene, since the Necrozma who creates Cosmogs lives in this world now, and these Cosmogs can reach him and give the prism to him. Because of this, Ink made his team hunt for it to use its power, and to keep that from happening, Necrozma’s last order was for me to keep it from Ink and for the Ultra Beasts to team up to keep Ink away from me long enough for Selene to give our Necrozma this prism and let him become the new alpha. Then the Ultra Beasts and I guess Arceus want us to kill Ink to stop him for good. 

Of course, there’s still several unknowns here. Why did Ink kill his partner? Were they both corrupt and fighting for Necrozma’s prism, or did she try to stop him? Why did Ink originally make the God Calmer? If he’s based on Julian, how did he manage to make a device like that as the muscle of the duo? How much of the Dual Hero system do they follow? What are Ink’s powers? Why is the Recon Squad concerned with sending the Ultra Beasts back to Megalion? Why does Phyco care about other leaders? And who is that one person Buzzwole mentioned? Gleam, right? Then, when will Ink come here, and how do we end up in Galar? What did he do to the Ultra Beasts to upset them to this point, because this clearly isn’t just about him killing Necrozma. Or is it? What’s the relationship between them and Necrozma? 

I don’t need to know all of these answers, but I can’t help but wonder. At the very least, I want to know what Ink is capable of. That way I can prepare everyone involved as much as possible. He’ll find out I have the prism eventually, and he will fight me for it. I just need to keep him and his team off my trail to prepare for this fight long enough for Selene to evolve and contact our Necrozma. Infinity prism or not, I’d feel better about Selene fighting as a Lunala, and having Necrozma with us will give us a better chance at winning. I also need to keep Rayne a secret. She’s strong enough to break the God Calmer, and I cannot have Ink make something stronger to stop her. She’s my ultimate weapon, and to beat Ink, I need to keep everything about her hidden. So I really hope Zossie and Dulse don’t mention her. 

How do I learn about Ink while keeping a low profile though? The Ultra Recon Squad know I’m a god now, so I have their attention, but I can still salvage this. I need them to be on my good side. Right now, they think the prism shattered to copy the Z-Crystals, so maybe I can make them think I have one. Without Pheromosa’s context, it could be argued that she was trying to take me, so… Yeah. This can work! I can tell them I think I have a shard, say I’ll help them look for the shards, and they’ll give me information in exchange. They’re already telling Lusamine about the Ultra Beasts in exchange for hospitality, so who’s to say they won’t do some kind of exchange with me? The only thing I have to ensure is that the Ultra Beasts have to attack me too. If the Recon Squad sees them working with me, they’ll think I’m their enemy too. It’ll give me a chance to train my Pokemon too. Ok! I have a plan! A basic plan, but a plan nonetheless. 

I looked at Pheromosa. “This will sound… absurd, but I have an idea that might save us in the long run. To keep the Recon Squad away from Selene, I need to act like I’m on their side, so I need the Ultra Beasts to act like they’re against me.” 

Pheromosa tilted her head. “Why would you want that?” 

“Because if they see you siding with me, they’ll know I have the prism, and that can’t happen. Right now, they think the prism shattered and copied gems our Necrozma made, and I want them to keep thinking that, so act like you know I have a piece of the prism and are trying to get it back,” I explained before my expression softened. I looked at Silvally and lightly scratched his neck. “We can defend ourselves. The Pokemon who trust me to raise them are strong, and this one in particular was made to fight you guys.” 

Silvally smiled and nodded before looking at Pheromosa. “I’ll be nice though. As long as no one severely hurts him.” 

Pheromosa hummed. “A fake alliance… Are you sure this is what you want to do?” 

“Not really, but it’s the best option I have right now,” I replied. 

She hummed again. “Ok… If you believe it’ll help our mission, I’ll do what you asked. I’ll spread the word, but upon my mistress’ orders, I must watch over you.” 

“Can you watch from a distance?” Dubwool asked. 

Pheromosa nodded. “I’ll head out now to send the message in peace. I’ll see you soon, sir.” 

I nodded. “Be careful.”

She gave me a small smile before shooting into the air and flying off. I probably should’ve caught her. Oh well. 

The Rockruff from earlier came over to me. “Row row!” I looked down at him before he narrowed his eyes, but not in a threatening way. He seemed more… determined. “Row.” 

“He wants to join us,” Dartrix said. 

I perked up. “Wait, really?” 

Rockruff nodded before looking around. “Row row… row ruff row. Row!” 

Dartrix lightly laughed. “He’s always been scared, but I guess your statement gave him some kind of hope.” 

I couldn’t help but smile before I looked back at Rockruff. “Do you really want to join our team? You could get in a lot of trouble.” Rockruff nodded as he started wagging his tail. I shook my head, but held my smile before I took out a pokeball. “Ok.” I tapped the ball against his head, sucking him into the ball before it clicked. 

I sent him out before Entei stepped forward. “As for us, we must return to Johto. However, you have proven your strength as our bonded partner, so you may capture us.” 

I gave him a confused look. “You’ll just… let me catch you?” 

“Unless you want to chase us around Johto. I mean, we don’t mind if-” Raikou began. 

“No, no!” I defended as I held out my hands in defense. “I’ll take it!” 

The three beasts gave me an amused look, but stayed put as I took off my backpack to dig through my pokeball options. I grabbed three ultra balls and threw them at the beasts, catching all three of them. Someone applauded me before I sent the beasts out again. We said our goodbyes before they jumped off the mountain. I have no idea how they’ll get to Johto from here, but that’s their problem, I guess. 

“Ok…” Gladion began, making us turn to him. He stared at me and shook his head. “This has been the most confusing 5 minutes of my life. I’m done with this nonsense, so we’re leaving. You… Call your girlfriend.”

“Oh, yeah. Call Rayne. She was blowing up our phones,” Lillie added.  

I winced at her words, but pushed myself to my feet. “Right…” I need to fill her in on what just happened anyway. And send Sonia the Beast Trio’s pokeballs. And come up with a way for my classmates to not get involved with my fake Ultra Beast war. Or any of this, honestly. Arceus, what am I going to do!?

I pushed the thought away for us to leave the mountain. Before we left the top, Oricorio told me I could keep the Z-Crystal, and thanked us for the help. When we entered the cave of the mountain, I didn’t see my classmates, so we assumed they’re with the professors. Since they weren’t here though, the others asked if I wanted to stop by the Pokemon Center with them. I agreed before calling Rayne. 

“What happened?!” she demanded the second she picked up. 

I flinched at her tone before sighing. “I’m sorry, but I’m ok. Selene healed me.”

“Considering I- Wait, Selene? How did a Cosmog heal you? What was all of that?! I felt those… pins and needles everywhere before they vanished like 10 minutes later. What happened?” she asked. 

“It was those chains I told you about. And part of the Ultra Beast I just faced. They’re called God Calmers, and they’ll literally electrocute any god it touches, but I’m ok now!” 

“... I’m sorry, they do what now?” 

“Uh, electrocute us? Maybe alter body heat? I honestly have no idea, but it hurt. Really bad. They were on me for barely a minute, and they made me pass out for a bit.” 

“Hop!” 

“I’m ok though! Selene healed me!” 

“But how!? She’s a Cosmog!” 

My expression softened before I glanced between the other four trainers. “You may want to sit down for this.” 

~

I told Rayne exactly what happened with the Pheromosa pack, along with going through the list of Ultra Beasts Gladion gave me. I wrote Pheromosa’s name down by their paragraphs, and actually read it along with the other unknown Ultra Beasts to Rayne. Some of them sound horrifying. The Flying Towers were supposedly gigantic, the Paralyzers were very lethal poison types, and the Bursters had bombs for heads. I thought Pheromosa’s body of actual steel was creepy, but these? The only ones that seemed fine were the Stackers, but holy Arceus. Ultra Beasts are terrifying. 

This entire info-dump took long enough for us to get to the Pokemon Center. I sent the Beast Trio’s pokeballs to Sonia and got my current team healed. Rayne was very confused and was obviously trying to wrap her head around what I just told her, but talking to her oddly straightened my own thoughts out. I know exactly what to do now, and as long as I can keep my classmates out of this and the Recon Squad on my good side, everything will be ok. I just need to deliver the prism, keep my classmates from discovering I’m a god, keep the Recon Squad from attacking me while also prying answers out of them, and somehow get to Galar with Ink so Rayne can kill him. All while making sure I don’t get expelled for breaking all of Professor Willow’s rules. This is fine. 

The one thing Rayne did understand is that she would be fighting a knock-off Dual Hero with Necrozma, so she assured me she’d start training for this fight. It’s been almost a year since her last fist-fight, so she wants to be prepared. I’m glad, honestly. We told each other to be careful and said our goodbyes before I hung up.

I met up with Lillie, Hau, Elio, and Gladion before Elio led us to Professor Kukui’s lab, where my classmates and the two professors were waiting. 

“Oh, professor!” Elio called as he opened the door. “We’re back!” 

“And breathing!” Hau called. 

“That’s always a plus,” Professor Kukui replied as we walked in, which revealed that everyone was looking at us. Professor Burnet just stood in front of three white boards that were littered with notes and doodles. 

Xavier sighed in relief as Austin’s expression lit up. “You’re alive!” 

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” I asked as we all walked in. 

Austin shrugged as Xavier looked at me. “Are you ok? You… kinda freaked us out earlier.” 

“I know. I never thought I’d see Hop yell at someone. I’m so proud,” Gladion teased as he went over to the kitchen. “Do you have any alcohol, Kukui?” 

“Hey! What did we say about drinking!?” Lillie barked. 

“Do it?” Gladion asked. 

“No!” Lillie shrieked. 

“Oh, relax. I don’t have any here,” Professor Kukui replied. 

“You bitch,” Gladion simply said, but checked the fridge anyway. 

I saw Lexi roll her eyes as Xavier slowly turned to me. “So… Are you alright?” 

“Yeah,” I replied. 

“Great. Now tell me about those Ultra Beasts,” Professor Burnet began before bouncing on her heels. “How did you know what they were? Where are they from? Does the IP know about them? Did you catch one!?” 

I stared at her before scanning over the white boards around her. One of them had a rough drawing of a normal Pheromosa from memory, along with some questions about its identity and even genetics. As much as I’d love to talk to her about this to get actual professional input… I can’t. At least not now. 

“Uh…” I began before clearing my throat. “Shouldn’t you be heading back to Akala?”

Professor Burnet’s posture and expression dropped. “No. Professor Willow is covering for the rest of the day.” 

“Then maybe you should spend that time examining this,” Lillie offered before holding out the petri dish she bought to hold the God Calmer piece. 

Professor Burnet gasped before snatching it from Lillie’s hands. “You got the chains!?” 

“Yep. Hop teamed up with Oricorio, and Supersonic Skystrike was strong enough to break them! Lillie got a sample just for you!” Hau cheered. 

Professor Burnet squealed in delight. “This is perfect!” She looked at my classmates. “Thanks for listening to our Ultra Beast theory lecture, but I got some alien chains to examine! Have fun on your vacation! I’ll see you on Akala!” With that, she ran to the stairs and went down to the basement. 

I looked at Lillie and mouthed a ‘thank you’, and she nodded in response. 

Alyssa slowly turned to me. “Did you catch one of those things?” 

“No,” I replied. It’s not a lie. I haven't caught Pheromosa yet. 

“But we did get a Rockruff! Say hello!” Silvally cheered, making Rockruff yip. 

The other Pokemon said their hellos as Professor Kukui cleared his throat. “So, is Ten Carat Hill ok now?” 

“Yep. The Ultra Beasts that showed up took that Necrozma away, so aside from the leftover chain shards, it’s safe,” Elio replied. 

“Good, good,” Professor Kukui began before facing us. “Well, since this whole… situation seems to be over, you are free to continue your trip and look at Ten Carat Hill at your own pace. Sorry again for getting you kids involved.” 

“Sure,” Lexi replied before she picked up her Litten and went over to the door. 

“I guess we’re leaving,” Austin said before looking at Professor Kukui. “Thanks for the wicked lecture!” The professor smiled and nodded as Austin looked between our Pokemon. “Come on, guys. Let’s go!” 

His three Pokemon ran over to him and jumped back onto his shoulders and head before he ran over to us. Lexi stepped past me to leave as Austin and Xavier approached me, but Alyssa stayed behind them. I glanced at her, but followed Lexi out. 

When all of us got outside, I heard Xavier take a deep breath. “Ok…” All four of us turned to him as he lowered his head, clearly thinking through what to say. He lightly waved his hands before taking another deep breath and finally lifting his head to look between us. “A lot just happened, and a lot was… said. If we keep getting mad at each other, none of us will enjoy this trip or get our work done. I know we’re not the ideal team, but we are stuck with each other for a month. So let me put this huge argument between us to rest by making one thing very clear: The Champion’s orders are absolute. 

“Unlike all of you, I had to take law classes. Although the International Police love to make people think they’re at the top of the power chain, they’re not. Champions, and especially The President, can override any law they want as long as it keeps their region safe. Obviously, this leaves a lot of grey area with morals and power, but that doesn’t matter in this scenario. Actual aliens are attacking Alola. If Professor Kukui, the legal Champion of Alola, knows he cannot stop them by himself, he can ask whatever trainer he wants to help him regardless of the civilian interference law. It’s why trainers who get involved in things like this get paid by the International Police and not arrested. A Champion asked them to interfere, or are thankful for their interference and make sure they’re not charged. As long as that trainer wholeheartedly consents to helping, they can help. They can still disagree, because Champions forcing them to help is illegal and they’d get charged. Professor Kukui asked Hop to help because he’s a very experienced trainer who has literally tamed a god, and Hop agreed because he wants to help Alola to help the people he cares about here. We have no say in any of this, so do not fight him about it. Because if we try to persuade him to not help the Champion, we could be charged with civilian interference. It doesn’t matter if Professor Willow said no. The law is above him, and Professor Kukui is the law. Yes, Professor Willow can punish Hop on an academic level, but his vacation rules aren’t the end all be all. Fighting Hop about this will only drive us insane, so don’t. If he wants to fight for Alola, that’s his choice. Not ours. As his friend, I don’t want him to do this either, but-” 

“But he feels obligated to because of who he knows and what they mean to him. He’s younger than all of us, yet he’s risking his life because people he cares about asked?” Alyssa softly asked. 

My eye twitched before I took a deep breath. “I don’t feel obligated because people I know want me to do this. I’m doing this because…” Because it’s why I was born. It’s why I exist. I took another deep breath. “I have lost my own family in many ways. I have lost people I care about. I don’t want anyone else to feel that, so as an experienced trainer, I will do whatever I can to ensure that. And if you know me as well as you think you do, you’d know my self worth is absolute rubbish to a point that I’d rather risk getting shot than sit back and accept defeat.” I motioned to the bullet scar. “Which I did, by the way.” Alyssa and Lexi gave me a shocked look while Austin’s jaw dropped. I shrugged. “If you don’t like that, oh well. I can take Alolan History again. I can attend another university. I can intern with the Magnolia family. I can get my education in a million different ways, but if someone dies, there’s no reversing that. A life is worth more than a piece of paper saying I know how Pokemon work, and I will stick by that until I die. So when a Champion asks me for help, I’m helping. Nothing you do can change my mind.” 

The three of them stared at me, the girls shocked while Austin was in awe. Xavier looked between us before clearing his throat. “So don’t fight him. It’s better for all of us.” 

“So… What? That’s it? We’re just supposed to accept that and let you go behind Willow’s back to play hero?” Lexi asked. 

My expression hardened. “I don’t fucking care what you do. Just stay out of this. I may not like you, but I don’t want any of you to die because of an angry alien. This isn’t my first encounter with… chaos. If I tell you to leave, leave. It’s for your own safety.” 

“Wow…” Austin breathed out as Lexi glanced away, but stayed quiet. 

The five of us stayed quiet as our Pokemon looked between us. Xavier waited for someone to make a comeback, Lexi kept glancing at Alyssa, Alyssa tried saying something, and Austin’s smile slowly fell. About a minute passed before Austin cleared his throat to finally break the silence. 

“So… How about we ease the air with snow cones?”

Chapter Text

Austin must be the embodiment of peace because his idea actually worked. We left the beach to get snow cones in Hau’Oli City, and while it was awkward as hell at first, Austin was able to ease the air by simply changing the subject by asking Alyssa if she had any ideas for the daily challenge. We then started talking about what we could post, and while the Pheromosa event did come up again, it oddly led to us discussing how stupid some of the rules were for a college trip and ended up with us agreeing to let each other break a few rules and not tell the professor. Austin and Lexi would break the ‘no alcohol’ rule, since they wanted to try some Alola drinks, but Alyssa and Xavier weren’t risking anything. Then I was ignoring the ‘stay with your team’ rule. Obviously, we couldn’t break the rules whenever we wanted since Professor Willow has eyes everywhere, but I also have connections. At the very least, I can get away with protecting Alola while also knowing my teammates won’t sell me out. All I have to do is not tattle on their rule violations and not let them find out I’m an actual god, but that last one is mainly to not freak them out and not have Lexi tell the entire world. This is great though, and Austin is a saint for somehow getting this to happen. 

For the rest of the day, we decided to take it easy. Mainly since Xavier didn’t trust me when I said I was ok. Austin offered to check out the arcade in the mall, and while Lexi just followed Alyssa to cranes, Austin and I had way too much fun. Xavier had to make us stop, but when Austin saw there was a small battle tournament going on for a pretty decent cash prize, he begged me to enter so we could split the money. I didn’t care, so after seeing who was competing, I decided to enter with Dartrix. I wanted to give Rockruff a chance to train, but the other entrees seemed a little too strong for him. Dartrix did well but lost in the finals to a Salazzle. She was the most upset about losing, but I told her I was still proud that she made it to the finals. Austin was bummed about the money, but the second I mentioned the winning fee existed, he declared we were challenging trainers. So, we did that for about an hour. I caught Rockruff up to Dartrix, and Austin got his Litten and Grubbin to evolve. Alyssa even joined in so Popplio could evolve, but Alyssa’s Cutiefly didn’t get enough experience to become a Ribbombee. Xavier and Lexi sat out though, mainly because they didn’t want to evolve their starters. Xavier didn’t want another big Pokemon at the moment, and Lexi didn’t like Inceneroar. She did seem to think Torracat was cute though. Either way, Austin likes battling and would battle some trainers with me. Mainly for the winning fee, but I’ll take it. I need more friends who like battling. My only good friends who like battles are Victor and Cheren. 

My poor heat tolerance did get to me though, so we stopped training and went to a Pokemon Center so I could cool off in an air-conditioned building and not from Dartrix fanning me. While we waited for my body to cool off, we found a place to get dinner, and Alyssa also showed us some options for our daily challenge post. She got a picture of the wormhole when they were on the beach, a few videos and pictures of their Pokemon being cute or funny in the meadow, and Lexi had one of Silvally with us at breakfast. My favorite was the video of the Totem Incineroar dancing with Austin’s Oricorio and the two Littens, but Austin called dibs on posting it. We all claimed a post though, then left the Pokemon Center when I didn’t feel like I was being cooked alive. 

Our night ended on a good note. Dinner was good, and we decided to visit the beach at the end of town to swim for a bit, since none of us wanted to work on homework. It felt like an actual vacation. It made me think… everything was ok. Normal, even. Like I was back to my routine life with nothing to worry about but my nightmares. 

I never learn, do I?

When the sun started to go down, we decided to call it a night. We booked two rooms in the Pokemon Center at the east end of town, and the boys and I took turns taking showers. Professor Kukui dropped by to check on us, then wished us a good night. Xavier did some homework, Austin watched some kind of game show that was on tv, and I did my daily drawing for Intro to Drawing, today’s being a rough memory sketch of the Alpha Pheromosa and a few regular ones around her. Selene, of course, didn’t even try to sleep and just watched the game show with Austin. Rayne called me while we were still up, and we talked for a bit before she had to go to a meeting with an Elite Four candidate. 

Austin fell asleep first, then Xavier decided to go to bed. He turned off the lights, but we left the tv on to keep Selene entertained. When I finished the drawing, I watched the game show with Selene and let it send me to sleep. The nightmares that leave me feeling emotionally numb are always the tamest. They’re never visions and let me wake up in control. I look forward to them now, but that’s mainly because of my therapist. She told me to find something small to look forward to in my life. The nightmares that don’t leave me screaming ended up being that small thing. Even if they hurt, they’re better than the others.

~

“Alola,” Professor Kukui greeted, snapping me out of my daze. 

I turned my head as he approached me. “Hey.” 

“I didn’t expect you to be out here,” the professor said as he sat beside me at the cafe bar in the Pokemon Center. “Are you feeling ok?” 

I shrugged and looked back at my phone. Back at Leon’s newest post that I’ve been staring at for hours. Since the Galar League is starting, a bunch of teasers are on their way, but… His first post for league season doesn’t feel right. He took a picture of an older photo of the old Gym Leaders our dad worked with. The eighteen type specialists who were mostly fired by Rose. I’m not sure what year it’s from, but it had all eighteen Gym Leaders together in the locker room, probably before the placement cup. 

If you could bring one back, who would you choose? You guys know my pick lol. #66thAnnualGalarLeague #10Years

He circled our dad. 

He tagged it as if it’s for the league, and I can’t help but think the Elite Four will end up being four older Gym Leaders, but… Just seeing this post and… how he worded it… I can’t stop staring at it. Can’t stop searching for a deeper meaning. He posted this for a reason. It looks like it’s for the league, but he circled our dad, because of course he’d bring him back if he could, but he can’t because of me. I keep forgetting I did that to him, and every time I remember, I always expect Lee to be upset with me, but he’s not. The more time goes on, the more I wonder why they aren’t mad at me. I’m the reason he died. I’m the reason my mom lost her husband. I’m the reason my brother lost his dad. Yet they keep telling me it’s ok. 

Why aren’t they mad at me?  

Are they just… being passive aggressive about it? Is this Leon saying he’s upset but won’t say it to my face because he cares about me for reasons I still don’t understand? What have I done to make him care about me so much? Why does anyone give a damn about me when all I’ve ever done is wallow in my own pain because I disappoint everyone around me? I can’t do my job as a Dual Hero, I never reached Leon’s level, I never beat Rayne, I haven’t made some crazy development in society like all my seniors have, I’m failing Arceus, I’m the reason my own dad died, I can’t do anything right, and I’m just sitting here staring at my phone at a post my own brother made-

A cup of coffee was put in front of me, along with a packaged Lava Cookie. “Here you are, sir.” 

I turned off my phone and slowly put it down. “Thank you…” 

“Hop?” Professor Kukui softly asked. I shifted my gaze to his. He frowned. “Are you ok?” 

No. 

And it’s only been 3 days. 

“Cos?” Selene asked from beside me. 

I lowered my gaze, but grabbed the cookie and slid it towards her. “Here.” 

She frowned and placed her hands over mine. “Cosmog…” 

Professor Kukui wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me against him. I flinched at first, but closed my eyes and shifted around to lay my head against his shoulder. He felt similar to Leon. Warm, similar build, but he was a bit smaller than Lee, and had the scent of the ocean. It was comforting though, but… it made me long to be at home. Maybe that’s all this is. Homesickness. I’ve never gone a day without either my mom, Rayne, or Lee. So maybe… Maybe that’s all this is. 

Professor Kukui took a deep breath and started rubbing my arm. “I know it’s not easy. Whatever this is about, but… It’ll pass. It always does. Don’t let it consume you.” 

“Easier said than done,” Dubwool softly said. 

I just stayed quiet, but felt Rockruff nuzzle his head against my leg. I lightly nudged him back before Dartrix climbed into my lap and wrapped her wings around me. I opened my eyes, but just looked over the professor’s shoulder as I ran my free hand over Datrix’s head. Silvally then bumped his nose against my neck, but I stayed still. Selene holding my hand, Rockruff and Dubwool laying by my legs, Dartrix hugging me, and Silvally laying his head against my back. They’re worried, and I hate it. Because I don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve them. 

“Did you talk to Rayne?” Professor Kukui asked. I nodded. We talked about the league. I thought it would distract me, but Leon’s post sucked me back into my head. “Do you want me to get you away from your classmates? I can come up with something.” 

I wanted to say yes, but what’s the point? This will happen eight more times while I’m on this trip. My peers will see me like this eventually. 

Why do I look forward to these nightmares again?

I closed my eyes. “I don’t care…” 

The professor sighed but didn’t say anything. He just continued rubbing my arm as he ordered his own drink. We sat in silence, and I felt Selene let my hand go before hearing plastic crumpling. When Selene started whining, I looked at her, only to find her struggling to open the cookie package. I was about to help her, but the professor beat me to it. He reached over to open the package for her before he wrapped his arm around me again. Letting the silence return where the only sounds were of the barista making the professor’s drink and Selene eating her cookie. I let my mind just… stop. I let myself absorb reality. Focusing on what was real and trying to visualize that I was at home. Sitting with Lee as Sonia made breakfast. But I wasn’t at home. I won’t be home for a while. 

I don’t know how long we sat there, but the peace was eventually broken. 

“Hop?” Alyssa asked.

I opened my eyes as Professor Kukui turned his head, seeing Alyssa behind us. I felt my Pokemon look over as well.

Alyssa gave me a worried look. “What are… Are you ok?” 

“Yeah, he’s ok! Just a little homesick,” Professor Kukui assured before patting my back. “I figured I’d help him out. I see my pupils as my kids, and he’s close to them, so I see him as one of my kids.”

“Oh…” Alyssa muttered as I sat up. 

“You remind me of Lee too…” 

“I figured. Lance calls me Leon with a degree,” Professor Kukui teased. That actually got a small smile out of me. 

The professor smiled and flicked my chin up as Alyssa approached us. “Are you sure?” 

I nodded before looking down at Dartrix. “It may seem… childish, but I’ve always been with someone I consider family, so…” I shrugged as I ran my hands over Dartrix’s head. “I just miss them.” 

“Ok…” Alyssa muttered before clearing her throat. “I uh… I just came out to get drinks for Lexi and me, so…” 

I grabbed my drink, which felt like the ice had almost melted completely. “I should probably get ready.” Dartrix flew off my lap before I stood up. “Come on, guys.” 

I led my Pokemon back to my rented room as I finally started drinking my coffee. It was watered down, but I don’t care. Caffeine is caffeine. 

When we got back to the room, Xavier was out of bed and brushing his teeth in the restroom. We just nodded to each other before I pulled Austin out of bed. The three of us got ready before we left the room and checked out before meeting Lexi and Alyssa at the cafe with the professor. And Lexi looked hungover. 

Professor Kukui looked at us and smiled. “Alola.” He hitched his thumb towards Lexi. “She said you had a truce of silence, so do you or do I need to call Professor Willow?” 

“Yeah, we have a truce. Mainly because of me and this Ultra Beast thing,” I replied before finishing my watery coffee. 

Professor Kukui shrugged. “Ok.” 

“So you’re ok with this?” Alyssa asked. 

“Yeah. She’s legally an adult. As long as she’s responsible, I don’t care,” the professor replied before looking between us. “So, what’s the plan for today?” 

“I’ll probably challenge Hala, but other than that…” I began before shrugging. 

“Can we do it when my head isn’t pounding?” Lexi asked. 

“Yeah! You can teach something in the meantime!” Austin exclaimed. 

Xavier gave him a surprised look. “You want to learn something?” 

“Yeah. Professor Kukui’s wicked,” Austin replied. 

Professor Kukui gave him a flattered look. “Thank you.” He looked between us. “Are you guys ok with that though? I don’t mind, but I don’t want to bore you.”

I looked at my classmates, and while Lexi kept her head down, Xavier and Alyssa looked at each other. Austin smiled at them as Alyssa shrugged. “I don’t mind.” 

Xavier shifted his gaze between Austin and me. “Well… If they’re ok with it, I don’t see why not.” 

I turned my gaze back to Professor Kukui, seeing a smile creep onto his lips. “Alright.” He stood up. “Follow me.”

~

Professor Kukui took us back to his lab and gave us more of an exposition than a lecture on Z-Moves. He gave me another notebook to take notes, and Alyssa took a few notes on her phone. He went over the origins of Z-Moves and Totem Pokemon, then discussed the known Z-Crystals. There were twenty-nine. The eighteen types and eleven known for specific Pokemon. The three starters, the Tapus, Pikachu, Eevee (Rayne will lose her mind), Kommo-o, Mimikyu, Snorlax, Alolan Raichu, and Lycanroc. It was all really interesting. 

It was known by now that our Necrozma created the Z-Crystals as a thank you to Arceus and later the Dual Heroes. Only the Tapus had Z-Crystals, but once the eighteen types got one, Totems were selected by the Tapus to guard them. I wonder why he made the last eleven though. Professor Kukui figures Primarina got one since Eleanor’s ace was a Primarina, but what about the others? Julian and Eleanor only used six Pokemon each who weren’t legendaries since pokeballs didn’t exist yet (which probably inspired that set amount), so I wonder if the eleven Pokemon belonged to past Dual Heroes. The three starters got them since the original trio used them (Eleanor with Primarina, Julian with Incineroar, and Eliot with Decidueye), so the other seven must’ve been used by past Dual Heroes. Maybe. 

Either way, the lesson drew me in and helped me get my head on straight. By 11:00, Lexi felt better, and Professor Kukui had completed his lesson. He offered to make us lunch, but as he did, the five of us got a notification from the trip account. 

All five of us checked the notification before Lexi screamed in delight. “We got it!” 

“YES!” Austin called as a smile rose to my lips. 

Professor Willow chose Lexi’s post. The picture of Silvally next to me as we ate breakfast yesterday with the comment ‘found this with @HMorada with no context. Definitely a strange thing to wake up to’. 

Congratulations Group 6 for @SpringsMedia’s post on the strange appearance of a Silvally! But seriously, @HMorada, where did you get that?

I slowly lowered my phone. What can I say to get out of this? Can I just ignore him?

“I’m kind of surprised that one won,” Xavier said. 

“What’s that supposed to mean!?” Lexi demanded. 

“Because you’d think a Silvally would be normal here,” Xavier calmly replied. 

“Not really,” Professor Kukui began. “Only five exist, and only three of them had owners until now. They were kept in Aether, and locals don’t really know about them since they do come from unethical research. They’re literally made as killers, so we were honestly really confused when we saw that post since Gladion didn’t tell us he was giving you one.”

“Why did Gladion give you a Silvally, anyway?” Alyssa asked me. 

“To reunite us!” Silvally cheered as he stepped between us. He laid his head in my lap, since we were sitting by the bar separating the main room from the kitchen. “I was created by a meanie who told me to kill and torture humans, but Hop freed me before someone took me to Aether so I could learn chivalry.” He frowned. “Miss Lusamine is a strict lady. She trapped my head in a helmet for a couple months so I would be nice. It was hard to do anything with it, and it was really heavy.” His smile returned as I rubbed his neck. “She was really nice after that though! Gave me yummy food, let me talk with my sister, and was much gentler with lessons. And now I’m here!” 

Silence fell between us. My classmates looked between each other as our Pokemon stared at Silvally in utter horror. 

About 10 seconds passed before I cleared my throat. “So, uh… Austin. What’s today’s challenge?” 

“Uh…” Austin began before looking at his phone. “‘Since I had you looking for strange occurrences yesterday, today you will take a photo of a normal occurrence for Alola. Use your knowledge of the region to know what this looks like’.” 

“What about Hop’s trial? Those are battles that have been held as tradition for thousands of years,” Alyssa offered. 

“Yeah! You can’t get any more normal in Alola than a trial!” Professor Kukui replied. 

“Are we just going to ignore the fact that Silvally’s… explanation horrified our Pokemon?” Lexi asked. 

Silvally looked between our Pokemon before frowning and stepping away from me. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to.” 

“He won’t hurt us. Although Lusamine used… very questionable motives, he’s nice now. There’s no need to be scared,” Dubwool assured.

“Still…” Oricorio squeaked. 

“That’s awful,” Alcremie muttered. 

Alyssa gave me a confused look, but I just gave her a pressed smile before turning to the professor. “So… Hala’s trial?” 

Professor Kukui gave me an amused look. “It’s easy. Just a battle with him and Passimian. Dartrix should take care of it. Rayne solo-ed him with Brionne.” 

“Yeah, but that’s Rayne,” I reminded. 

“With a starter that has the same advantage yours does. You’ll do fine,” the professor assured before looking between us. “Now, does anyone want any sauce on their sandwich?” 

We ate our lunch and thanked the professor for the meal without Silvally’s traumatizing past coming up again. When we were done, Professor Kukui wished us luck before we left. Our trip to Iki Town was quiet, but a few of our Pokemon talked. Mainly Oricorio, Torracat, Brionne, Alcremie, Dartrix, and Silvally, but it was still nice to see them getting along. I noticed Grubbin and Cutiefly talking too. 

We arrived in Iki Town shortly. I led my classmates to the upper half of town and saw the stage was actually replaced. Or being replaced. Tapu Koko was slowly turning it over with the help of Elio's, Hau's, and Hala’s Pokemon. They must’ve just finished making it. 

“Everyone, be quiet for like 2 minutes,” Alyssa breathed out as she slowly reached for her camera case resting on her hip. 

“Do you want a picture of Tapu Koko?” Austin softly asked. Alyssa nodded as she slowly unzipped the case. “Wicked…” 

“Why is it here though? I thought the Tapus stayed at their shrines,” Lexi whispered. 

“I don’t know. I’ve heard Tapu Koko is weird. Compared to other legendaries, at least,” I softly replied. 

“Huh,” Austin muttered before Alyssa held up her camera. 

She snapped a few photos before Hau noticed us. His expression lit up before he snapped his arm up. “Hop and friends! Alola!” 

“Stop calling us that!” Lexi snapped, but I just waved back. 

Hau held his smile as Hala looked over his shoulder at us. “Ah, hello. I didn’t expect to see kids back here already.” 

“Well, Hop wants to do your trial,” Lexi grumbled. 

“I’m in no rush though,” I added before my expression softened. “I see you got the stage fixed. I apologize again for… what happened.” 

Hala waved it off. “All is forgiven. We had to get some extra wood, but Tapu Koko was able to request some of the wood from Zavier’s tree in Hoenn.” Hala turned to the stage as it was slowly put on the ground. “He’s the one who gave us this stage. The original design was lost, but I think our addition embraces our traditions and growth since his reign with Noelle.”

I looked at the stage just as it hit the ground. At first glance, it looked the same, but I noticed the details in the ring were different. Arceus’ rings were on the top and bottom of the ring. Alpha and omega symbols were on each side, and lined designs of fire and water swirling together ran down the rest of the ring until it reached the opening by the steps. That, and the bottom of the rings had every Dual Hero’s last name written in the language of the gods. Rubious, Dior, Daiya, Shadowwisp, and Senri were on the side away from the trail leading to Tapu Koko’s shrine, and Saphlight, Argent, Paru, Lightrus, and Morada were on the side closer to the trail. It was… honestly really impressive. 

“It took Elio and me like 5 hours to paint, but with Tapu Koko’s help, it got done before midnight! And now it’s done!” Hau cheered. 

“Yay!” Austin’s Oricorio cheered. 

Hala looked at me. “Don’t beat yourself up over this. It wasn’t your fault anyway.” He glanced over and leaned closer to me. “It was Tapu Koko who got carried away.” 

“Krow ko ko!” Tapu Koko whined. 

“I know, but you still broke it,” Hala reminded. 

Tapu Koko narrowed his eyes, but turned his head away in a huff. “Krow ko…” 

“Aw. It’s ok, Tapu Koko!” Hau called.  

“Yeah! We got to do an art project, and I doubt Zavier would be upset! Rayne said he’s the nicest Red Hero, so I doubt he cares!” Elio called. 

“Uh, what?” Alyssa asked. 

“Oh, yeah,” Elio began before he, Hau, and their Pokemon motioned to the stage. “This was given to Iki Town back in… 2000 years ago by Zavier Daiya, who was the third Hero of Red. It was his thank you for hospitality, and as a gift to Tapu Koko so he could watch the ceremonial battles held in his honor. Rayne has done research on the Dual Heroes, and with information passed down to Hala, we have a general idea of their personalities.” 

“Huh… That’s interesting,” Alyssa said. 

I nodded as Hala chuckled. “That’s what I keep saying. Their legacy is documented everywhere, but no one has stopped to learn their story. Even the basics is enough to truly remember them and the service they’ve done for us. They’ve given us independence, peace, answers, and leadership. So much of our society is built off their discoveries and impacts, and I wish more people acknowledged them more. That they aren’t brushed off as fairy tales.” 

I couldn’t help but smile before I shrugged. “Maybe one day they won’t be.” 

“I hope so,” Hala replied before clasping his hands together. “But, you’re here for a trial, correct?” I nodded. “Have you done Ilima’s trial, or is this your first trial?” 

“I did Ilima’s and currently have two Z-Crystals, but he didn’t explain anything. Because he needs to be fired,” I sweetly hissed. 

Hala frowned. “I’m aware. We already found a new trainer, but he’ll get what’s coming for his actions. I can promise you that.” He better. “But, let me explain the structure of most trials. There’s a mission and the Totem battle. The Trial Captain or Kahuna will explain the mission, and once you complete the mission, you’ll go to the Totem to battle for the crystal. During trials, you cannot catch any wild Pokemon or leave the grounds unless you forfeit. As for the Totem battles, they can summon allies to help them.” 

I nodded, but saw Alyssa perk up. “Do you know why Totems can do that?” 

“Yes, actually, but it can get quite lengthy if you don’t stop me from rambling. I can tell you after Hop’s trial though,” Hala replied. 

“Ok. Thank you. It would really help my report,” Alyssa replied. 

“Of course,” Hala replied before looking over his shoulder at Elio and Hau. “Is the stage ready, boys?” 

“Yep!” Hau called as Elio and Tapu Koko nodded. 

“Good!” Hala replied before turning to me. “If you’re ready, our trial can begin.” 

“Ok,” I replied before looking at my Pokemon. “Dubwool, you know the drill.” He nodded as I looked at Dartrix. “Since Rockruff and Silvally are weak to fighting types, you’ll be carrying this. Is that ok?” 

She nodded. “I’ll win this time.” 

“Row row?” Rockruff quietly asked. 

“When there’s a trial you’re not weak to, Hop will let you fight,” Dubwool assured. Rockruff perked up at his reply before his tail started wagging. Dubwool and I smiled before Dubwool looked at me. “Come on, Selene. Let’s find a spot to watch.” 

“Koko!” Tapu Koko called before waving them over. 

“Cos!” Selene cheered before she flew out of my arms and over to him. Dubwool followed her as Hala and I went over to each end of the stage. 

“Can I ask why Tapu Koko is here? Not that it’s a bad thing, but I thought they stayed within their shrines,” Xavier asked. 

“They do, but Tapu Koko broke the stage, so Hala peer pressured him to help us fix it,” Elio replied, which only made Tapu Koko give him an annoyed look. 

“And now a battle is happening! Like Tapu Koko would leave now!” Hau added, and that got Tapu Koko to perk up and nod. 

“So let’s give Tapu Koko a show,” Hala began before grabbing a pokeball from his belt. “You know how battles go, my boy. You can use a Z-Move whenever you want, but whenever one of us is out of Pokemon, the battle ends.” 

I smiled as Dartrix flew in front of me. “I remember, sir.”

A sly grin rose to Hala’s lips. “Then let the trial begin.” 

He threw his pokeball to release a Machop, so I looked down at Dartrix. “Pluck!” 

She nodded before spreading her wings and shooting towards Machop. Her beak lit up with blue energy before it grew out. She jammed her beam into Machop’s chest, causing him to skid back. Machop winced, but stopped himself and regained his stance. 

“Revenge!” Hala called.

I gave him a confused look as Machop charged towards Dartrix and pulled his fist back, covering it in white energy. Why is he using a fighting type move? I brushed it aside and watched as Machop punched Dartrix in the stomach, sending her flying back, but she caught herself mid air and flew back to us. 

I had Dartrix use Pluck again, and it was able to knock out Machop before Hala switched him out for a Crabrawler. I called for Pluck again, but Hala tapped his Z-Crystal before Dartrix could move. 

Energy flared around the crystal before Hala started doing the dance. Dartrix shot towards Crabrawler, coating her beak in blue energy for it to jut out. She dug her beak into Crabrawler as Hala struck the last pose. Crabrawler flew back, but orange energy surrounded him. He spun around and landed in front of Hala. 

“All-Out Pummeling!” 

Crabrawler leapt into the air before aiming his arms and legs down. Giant fist prints and footprints formed in front of him. Dartrix’s posture slumped before the prints shot towards her. She slowly turned her head to give me a scared look before the energy crashed into her and shoved her into the stage. 

I winced for her with Rockruff and Silvally, since they were beside me. Ok. Z-Moves are kind of horrifying when you’re on the receiving end. I should’ve asked Gladion for the flying memory. 

I cleared my throat as Crabrawler landed in front of Hala. “Dartrix. Are you ok?” 

She slowly pushed herself up. “Yeah…” 

“Are you sure?” Silvally asked. 

Dartrix shakily nodded as she stood up. “I want to win this…” She looked over her shoulder to give me a determined look. “So let’s win this.” 

A smile rose to my lips. “Yes, ma’am.”

I lifted my hand and tapped the Flying Z-Crystal, making it flare to life with energy. I performed the short dance before Dartrix was covered in blue energy. Hala gave me an intrigued look, but Crabrawler’s eyes widened in horror. 

My smile rose to a cocky grin. “Supersonic Skystrike!” 

Dartrix shot into the air, prompting us to look up at her before she dove back down. The energy around her grew from the built-up momentum before she crashed into Crabrawler. Smoke burst from the impact as Dartrix flew back to land in front of me. The smoke drifted off the stage, revealing a fainted Crabrawler. 

A smile rose to Hala’s lips before he nodded. “Good.” I couldn’t help but smile back as he returned his fainted Pokemon. “You aren’t done yet though.” 

“I know,” I simply replied before I slung my backpack off my shoulder. “Come here, Dartrix. You’re still our best bet against that Totem.” 

“Right,” she breathed out before stepping towards me. 

While I healed Dartrix, Tapu Koko flew off to his ruins. I returned Dartrix when she was healed before Hala took us to the ruins. I also returned my other Pokemon so it wouldn’t get too crammed in the ruins. Selene refused to go in her pokeball though, so Elio and Hau would watch her. 

The second all of us were in the ruins, Passimian crawled out of his nest. “Oh, these kids again. Are they here to visit Koko again?” 

“Nope,” Hala began before pointing to me. “He’s your next challenger.” 

“Ah. So you’re actually doing the trials. Respect,” Passimian began before looking between everyone. “Alright, humans. Get back. This could get messy.” 

Hala had everyone step away from us as I simply backed up. Passimian stretched his arms as I grabbed Dartrix’s pokeball. I sent her out, but the second she appeared, Passimian roared. Both of us gave him a confused look before a collection of screeches made us turn around. What I saw made my eyes widen in shock. Dozens of Mankeys flooded the ruins and surrounded us. 

I turned to Hala. “Is this allowed?!” 

He gave me an amused look. “Yeah.” My jaw dropped. “You only have to beat Passimian though.” 

“Oh, this is so rigged…” I breathed out. 

“I thought you liked a challenge!” Elio mocked. 

“Not like this!” I fired back before looking at Dartrix. “Are you up for this?” 

She nodded, and before I could call anything, she spread her wings and took off. She dove towards Passimian, coating her beak in blue energy for it to grow out. He smirked before pulling his fist back, covering it in white energy. What is he using? 

Just as Dartrix got close to him, Passimian rammed his fist into her stomach. I heard her choke on a breath before her body was shoved back, but she caught herself mid-air. I called for Pluck, so she dove towards Passimian again as she prepared the attack. The Mankeys lunged towards her as she flew. She was able to avoid a few, but after she struck Passimian, two of the Mankeys grabbed her and pushed her onto the ground. 

Dartrix squirmed under the Mankeys enough to kick them off before she flew back into the air. As she did though, Passimian got up before charging towards Dartrix. Just as she started flying, Passimian tackled her down. Both of them winced when they crashed into the ground, so that must’ve been Take Down. I think. 

“Pluck!” I called. 

Dartrix covered her beak in blue energy for it to jut out again before jerking her head up. Her beak dug into Passimian’s nose, making him yelp and scramble off her. He cupped his face as Dartrix flew up, but the Mankeys lunged towards her again. She swerved out of the way to avoid them, but I saw Passimian cover his fists in white energy. 

I narrowed my eyes. “Use Razor Leaf to push the Mankeys away before using Pluck on Passimian!” 

Dartrix nodded before thrusting her wings down. Leaves blasted out of her feathers and flew towards the Mankeys, shoving them back before she dove towards Passimian. I saw a sly grin rise to his lips as he pulled his fist back. He thrusted his fist up, striking Dartrix’s head and creating a small explosion between them. Dartrix flew back before she crashed into the pavement, knocked out. 

I frowned, but returned her. I squeezed her pokeball as I lifted it to my eye level. “You did good. Get some rest.” I shrunk her ball down before switching it with Silvally’s. I sent him out and realized I never checked his moveset. I took out my Pokedex as Silvally appeared to see his moveset, only for my eyes to widen. He knows Multi Attack, Aerial Ace, Poison Fang, and Fire Fang. If this was Giovanni’s chosen moveset, that is horrifying. If this was Gladion’s… he’s a saint. I’m going to assume Gladion chose it to not freak myself out. 

“Aerial Ace on Passimian!” I called as I put my Pokedex away. 

Silvally nodded before the Mankeys lunged towards him. He narrowed his eyes, a low growl slipping past him before the spikes on his head were covered in blue energy. He shot towards Passimian, dodging all of the Mankeys with ease before ducking his head. When he was close enough, he jerked his head up so the spikes would slice across Passimian’s torso. Passimian choked on a breath as his body was pushed into the air. I watched as he flew up before crashing behind Silvally and staying down. 

I stared at him with the Mankeys. “Hey, Silvally?” 

“Yeah?” he sweetly asked as he turned to me. 

“What level are you?” 

“Uh… 78?” 

My eyes widened in shock, but I gave Passimian’s fainted body a forced smile. “Ok. You are not doing any more trials unless I’m desperate.” 

“Ok!” Silvally cheered before running back over to me. “Can I still fight Ultra Beasts? I’m good at that.” 

I couldn’t help but smile at him before I reached up to rub his head. “Of course you can.” 

“Yay!” he cheered as Hala approached me. 

“Good job, my boy.” He motioned to the doorway at the back. “Go get your Fightinium-Z.” 

I nodded before looking between my classmates. “I’ll see you outside?” 

“Yeah. We’ll figure out what to do afterwards,” Xavier replied. 

I nodded before heading over to Tapu Koko’s worship room. Silvally followed me as Hala trailed behind us. We entered the room before I went over to the Z-Crystal podium under the upper level. I took a crystal before clipping it onto my Z-Ring. Four crystals down. As far as I know, I’m done in Melemele. It’s only been 3 days, but a lot has happened. Dear sweet Arceus, this is just the first island.

Chapter Text

Hala led me out of the ruins before I met up with my class again, along with Elio and Hau. Hala asked if we needed anything from him, but we said no before Xavier offered to head back to Hau’Oli so I could heal Dartrix and to make a game plan for the rest of our stay on Melemele. We all agreed and said our goodbyes to the Alolan trainers before leaving Iki Town. 

We stopped by the Pokemon Center on the east end of town before I gave Dartrix to Nurse Joy. While we waited, we came up with some ideas on how to spend our last two days on Melemele. We’d try to do whatever related to the daily challenge, Alyssa wanted all of us to have a report idea before we left the island, and Austin wanted to go Mantine Surfing again. As I was looking for ideas online though, I saw the first teaser for the Galar Elite Four from the official league Chatter account. It was the silhouette of someone with the question ‘what’s her type?’ 

I narrowed my eyes, trying to figure out if I knew her before Nurse Joy called me over. She gave me Dartrix’s pokeball, and I thanked her before meeting up with my class again. I sent Dartrix out, and as she appeared, Silvally approached her. 

“We won!” 

Dartrix looked at him before looking around. Her expression slowly fell before she looked up at me. “You… you guys won?” 

I nodded. “Silvally was able to finish off Passimian.” 

“Row row…” Rockruff added. 

“Yeah. He’ll be sitting out with me for a while. He’s a little too strong,” Dubwool added. 

“It was still a cool battle! You guys are really strong!” Oricorio cheered. 

“Cu cu,” Cutiefly added, which made Brionne and Alcremie nod in agreement. 

“I am so confused,” Alyssa breathed out. 

“Welcome to living with Pokemon,” Xavier replied before Dartrix started crying. 

Worry spiked up inside me before I knelt beside her. “Hey.” I placed my hand on her head as she covered her face. “What’s wrong?” 

“I- I wanted to be the one to beat Passimian! I’m s-strong against… against fighting types, and- and I want to be strong! I want to help you f-fight the Ultra Beasts and- and the Totems, and- I don’t… I don’t want to disappoint you by losing!” she cried out. 

“You’re not disappointing me,” I softly assured before gently turning her to face me. “It’s ok to lose. You’re still growing. Don’t beat yourself up because you can’t beat someone.” She lowered her wings to look at me. I gave her a gentle smile. “You’re doing great. You beat Ilima’s trial by yourself, and you beat Hala. Those are still big victories.” 

“But I still-” Dartrix squeaked. 

“You still beat someone, and I’m proud of you. Don’t overlook your victories because someone stronger than you beat you. Use it to learn and grow stronger.” I cupped her face. “You aren’t a Decidueye yet. You still have a lot of room to grow.” Dartrix smiled at my words before I lowered my hands. “You’re a strong Pokemon. Trust me.” 

“The losses in your weaker stages don’t define how strong you are,” Dubwool said, making us look at him. He nodded towards me. “He’s a prime example.” 

I couldn’t help but smile. “Shut up.” 

“You know I’m right!” he snapped. 

My smile widened as I rolled my eyes, but Dartrix lightly laughed. I returned my gaze to hers before I ruffled the feathers on her head. “Don’t beat yourself up. It’s ok.” She smiled and pushed my hand away. “The next trial is water, and I know you’ll kick that Wishiwashi’s butt.” 

“Yeah! And we’ll cheer you on for the entire battle!” Oricorio cheered. 

“Row row row!” Rockruff replied before his expression dropped. “Ruff row row…” 

“Don’t worry. There’s a fire trial on Akala you can do,” Dubwool assured. That got Rockruff’s face to light up, and Dubwool smiled as he started wagging his tail. 

“Ok, this is cute and all, but what's going on?” Lexi asked. 

I held my smile as I stood up. “Nothing.” 

“He’s just being a good trainer,” Xavier said. I turned to him, but he just smiled at me before looking at the others. “So, what now?” 

~

The rest of our stay on Melemele Island was uneventful, and I was so thankful for it. After I beat Hala, we went back to the library to get essay ideas. Which reminded us that Alyssa wanted to talk to Hala about wild Pokemon helping Totems in trials, so we went back to Iki Town first. We all got an idea for our report though. Alyssa would write about the relationships between Alolan Pokemon, Austin would do his over Oricorio and why they have different forms for each island, Xavier would do his over the relationship between the Kahunas and the Tapus, Lexi’s writing hers on the history of the Trial Captains, and I decided to my essay over the existence of wormholes in Alola. I really hope I can find some sources for this. 

We ended our day by getting dinner before renting two more rooms in the Pokemon Center. Lexi and Austin went out, so Alyssa hung out with Xavier and me to get some school work done. I did my daily drawing and started my math homework. Since Alyssa was with us, I told Rayne I’d call her when she leaves. Professor Kukui checked on us around 10:00, which Alyssa took as her sign to go to bed. I called Rayne after she left, and Xavier and I stayed up until Austin came back. He was surprisingly only a little tipsy. We were proud of him for being responsible. They fell asleep before I did, and I fell asleep around 1:00 a.m.. 

The nightmare I had was… weird. 

I saw Marigold, Bennett, and Jebediah in Malie Garden, yelling at a man to stop before he released a catapult. A cannonball flew across the garden and struck the large tower. The top half was blown clean off, but instead of an explosion, a loud bass sound rang through the garden. A harsh wind blew past everyone, and shoved the attacker down as the hero trio covered their heads. The fire on the tower turned blue before a ball of it rose up. Containing the spirit of Eleanor herself. 

Her outfit wasn’t her usual Inner Hero dress. She wore a blue tube top and a blue skirt that went down to her ankles, but had a slit down the side. A silver headdress sat on her head, and silver jewelry, mainly sun or moon themed, hung on her body. On her sides were black tattoos of the symbols from the Sun and Moon Flutes. The Moone symbol on her right side and the Sunne symbol on her left. There was also a tattoo of a four-sided star on her stomach. Her eyes, however, were completely blue. 

She glared down at the attacker. “You bloody sinner! You dare disrupt my grave!? You dare attack MY island!? MY garden!? MY KINGDOM!?” 

“Lady Eleanor, wait-” Marigold began. 

“SIOKI!” Eleanor screamed, her voice echoing as the scream sent out a soundwave. Everyone covered their ears as Eleanor sharpened her glare, but I saw tears run down her face. “I have had enough of this monster destroying Havai. She does not need to be ‘fixed’. I will not allow you or ANYONE to destroy her!” 

Silence fell over the garden, and I couldn’t help but look at the attacker. He stared at her, shocked, before narrowing his eyes. He pushed himself to his feet and took a pokeball out of his pocket. “Go back to hell, you ancient witch!” 

Marigold and Jebediah screamed to him to stop as the man released a Wishiwashi. He ordered her to attack the tower, but just as she fired what looked like Hydro Pump at Eleanor, a large red fireball appeared between them to block the attack. The collision created an explosion between the two forces, but someone fell from the collision. Julian landed on the ground in a crouch before lifting his head, revealing his completely red eyes. 

He stood up, glaring at the man. “El. Sing.” 

I lifted my gaze to Eleanor, seeing her posture relax as her expression softened. She took a deep breath before screaming, but it came out as a loud bass. As she screamed, the fire turned red before she started singing.

“From a tender age, he was cursed with rage. Always banging his fists against the bars of his cage. Called a child of the devil and pushed to the bottom of a lake. But the son of Almighty he was.”

The scene burned away to a black void with fire covering the floor. Julian’s silhouette appeared in the flames before he lifted his head to open his eyes, revealing they were completely red before a wave of fire took the scene away again. Julian now stood in front of the attacker, who was on his knees, staring at Julian in utter horror as Julian cupped his face. Eleanor stayed up in the air, singing as Julian stared down at the man, completely unphased. 

“Oh, Hero of Red, my partner of evil. Your spite will be brought upon those who made my heart scream. Oh, Hero of Red, show them no mercy. For they hurt me, so make this sinner believe. Their blood will be seen.” 

Julian slowly placed his head against the man’s. “You hurt my queen.” The man flickered to Soliera. “You made one of the only beings in my life that I care about upset.” The man came back. “You deserve to suffer.” Soliera flickered back into the man’s spot. “Anyone who harms my darling sapphire will be haunted by their vile actions until their last breath.” 

The scene turned black, but Eleanor’s soft voice sang one last line. 

“We were never seen again, but the rage of red only grew.”

Her voice faded out, but the second it stopped, the darkness started to clear. I don’t know where I was, but it was a room full of technology. A lab, maybe? But in the center of the room in front of the door was Rayne with her head down. Her hair was dyed brunette again, but her natural color was coming back from the roots. She was noticeably thinner, paler, and her clothes were filthy, but she had the Sun Sword in her hand. She slowly lifted her head, revealing her completely red eyes. 

She gave me a crazed smile before tilting her head. A giggle slipped past her lips, but in a mere second, she shot towards me and screamed, covering her sword in fire before striking me. The second the sword made contact, the scene went black. 

“Is this just something you do?” Xavier softly asked. 

I narrowed my eyes, staring at the image I drew on the blankets. Julian cupping his victim’s face, and that victim was a mix of the man from this… memory and Soliera. I saw Eleanor scream at Soliera in my first vision of her, and that scream sounded like a bass. This is like the Kravgí tis Havaí nightmare from Paldea. I was shown the event when she first used the song as a warning that someone else would use it. But this… Eleanor made this song in the last generation, and since Soliera flashed over the original attacker… 

Soliera disrupts Eleanor’s grave, and Julian curses her. 

“Do you just… draw on blankets?” Xavier asked. 

“Julian is more evil than I give him credit for…” I softly said. 

What about that last part though? The one with Rayne. Was that real? It better not be. She looked horrible. It may have been a sign. Julian is clearly very powerful, but that line…‘The rage of red only grew’... Is this saying that the new Red Heroes are more angry and aggressive than the last? Or does Rayne have the strength of Julian in ways Zavier and Bennett didn’t? Was that vision just… showing how unhinged Rayne can be if driven to the limit? It must be, right? I’d never let Rayne get that disheveled. But why tell me this? Why warn me of Soliera being cursed? Does it sway the battle in my favor? Is this a hint that Rayne will go to Julian levels of psycho because they upset me? Why is this important?

“Uh, hello? Earth to Hop?” Xavier asked before waving his hand in front of my face. I shifted my gaze to his, which only made him frown. “Are you ok?”

I took a deep breath and stood up. “I’ll take it down.” 

Besides that, our last 2 days were uneventful, which was nice. We spent the first half of our fourth day exploring a cave that led to a secluded beach, and stayed out until lunch. After we ate, we helped Alyssa get some pictures for our daily challenge, since we lost yesterday’s, got a sample of the nectar from Melemele Meadow for Austin’s report, then went to Iki Town so Lexi and Xavier could talk to Hala about the Kahunas and Trial Captains. 

On the league side, every Elite Four member was teased before I went to bed. I only instantly recognized one of them, and I should’ve expected it. Kacia, the former Dragon Type Gym Leader and my godmother. She was the most popular Gym Leader and was one of my dad’s closest friends. She was fired in 2007 when Leon and Raihan’s rivalry got more serious, and Raihan took over. There were riots. Of course Leon brought her back! I only knew it was her because her silhouette showed her iconic long braid and Noivern-wing shawl. Victor called me seconds after it was posted, screaming over how he was going to see Kacia again since he literally fell in love with her when he met her at one of Lee’s birthday parties when he was 4. We haven’t seen her in years. She checked on us a lot after dad died, but when she was fired, she was so mad, she left the region, and Lee and I haven’t heard from her since. She and mom still talk, and she’s sent us birthday and Christmas presents, but that’s it. But Leon actually got her back. Oh my Arceus. 

Since the Welcoming Ceremony was that night, Rayne didn’t call me, but she did text me to tell me goodnight. I wished her luck, but Austin, Xavier, and I stayed up to watch the Welcoming Ceremony. And that’s when I realized why Rayne didn’t call me. 

The Welcoming Ceremony started a little differently. Leon welcomed the crowd, obviously, then introduced the trainers based on their title. The challengers were welcomed first, and the big names were Victor, Melony’s oldest daughter, and surprisingly Peonia. The Gym Leaders were brought out next, and this year’s line up was Gordie, Nessa, Bea, Klara, Kabu, Marnie, Bede, and obviously Raihan. Then the Elite Four were properly introduced. First was Keira, the former Bug Type Gym Leader, second was Vince, the former Electric Type Gym Leader, third was Peony, and fourth was Kacia. Four huge names who were the first ones out of the old league. Peony threw the Champion match to get away from Rose, Kacia was fired for Raihan, Vince was fired because of his slump, and Keira was fired because of her type specialty. I was so happy for them. But then Rayne came out. 

For her entrance, she had a wave of fire run along the field. She had Blaziken beside her, but when the smoke cleared, I saw her hair was now blonde with red tips. The same style she had in my vision. I should’ve expected this, but… Dear sweet Arceus, it’s hot. Austin started mocking me, which only encouraged Rockruff and Selene to do it too. Xavier made them stop so we could watch the rest of the ceremony. 

The only addition to the league was that there would be three cups instead of two. The Challenger’s Cup, the Leader’s Cup, and the Champion’s Cup. The Champion’s Cup was less of a cup since it’s the winner of the Leader’s Cup facing the Elite Four and Rayne in their respective order, but if the challenger lost, the Elite Four members would face each other so Rayne would battle someone. That, and Leon said he’d have the league channel interview challengers on the road so they could build up a fanbase based on their individual skill and not who endorsed them. He mentioned that before I left, and I’m glad he figured it out. 

I called Rayne after my nightmare, and after I calmed down enough, she asked if I liked the hair. I said I did, but kept the vision to myself. She doesn’t need to worry about fighting Ink right now. Especially since I still have no idea how we end up in Galar. That, and she clearly liked the idea that she surprised me. I didn't want to spoil her fun. 

Our last day on Melemele was nice though. We went shopping one last time, got some homework done, tried to get a good picture for our daily challenge since we lost again, and just hung out. It was unsettling how peaceful it was though. Our first 2 days here were full of chaos and Ultra Beasts because of the Recon Squad, but it’s now been 3 days of silence. As much as I want things to be peaceful, this is getting concerning. I haven’t seen the Recon Squad in 3 days. What are they doing? 

I didn’t worry about it during the day, mainly because we kept ourselves busy, but that night… My nightmare was about the Ultra Recon Squad. They were stalking us, taking our Pokemon one by one and hurting them as blackmail for Selene, finding Rayne and… 

I don’t know how long I was staring at the ceiling after I woke up. My mind was racing as it tried figuring out what the Recon Squad could be doing. They could simply be on another island gathering Z-Crystals, they could easily be in areas of Melemele we didn’t go to, they could be at Aether making their own plan, they could be telling Ink all about me, they could be doing research on Rayne and me, they could figure out every possible detail about us because if they find out how the internet works, they could figure out how to stop us and easily kill me and if they find out how to hack-

I don’t know when I stopped feeling emotionally numb and started panicking, but I couldn’t stay in that room. I need some air. 

~

Dubwool gave me a disapproving look as I shakily pulled my shirt over my head. I glared at him, trying to focus on breathing. “Don’t even.” Dubwool just sighed as I put my shirt down beside him. 

Selene woke Dubwool up whenever she realized I was awake, and they followed me out. At first, I tried sitting on the steps of the Pokemon Center and writing in my journal, but that made me more panicked, so I threw my journal back into our rented room and started running through Hau’Oli. I was still stuck in my head though. When I stopped running due to my burning lungs, I was by the motel outside of town, so I went down to the beach. Writing it out didn’t help, going outside didn’t help, and distracting my body didn’t help. Water is the only other thing that can distract me, and I need to get out of my head. I need to be underwater. 

I ran towards the shore, and when I was far enough, I dove underwater. I swam further down, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness before I took a deep breath. Submerging myself underwater helps me calm down. It’s never failed either. My guess as to why would have to be because of my water powers. I’ll take it though. 

I took more deep breaths, feeling the familiar pressure of breathing underwater. It was like breathing with some kind of weight on my chest. It wasn’t comfortable, but it wasn’t unbearable either. The cold water around me felt nice though. 

As my body calmed down, I started seeing the coral reefs below me, seeing all the small, sleeping water types. I gently smiled before I looked up, seeing the moon through the water. I closed my eyes as I took one last deep breath. Focus on everything around you. The cold water, the pressure on my chest, how weird it feels to breathe in water, the weightless feeling of my body, someone grabbing me from my underarms. Wait, what?

My eyes snapped open as whoever grabbed me pulled us up. Whenever we reached the surface, we both took a deep breath. I turned around, seeing Alyssa pushing her hair out of her face as she caught her breath. 

“What are you doing!?” I demanded. 

“I should be asking you that!” she yelled before she grabbed my shoulders. “Why did you do that!? Why are you out here so late at night!? Did you… were you-” 

I sighed and grabbed her hands. “I wasn’t trying to drown myself.” 

“Then why didn’t you come back up!?”  

“Because I didn’t need to!”  

“Hop, you were down there for over a minute! You could’ve drowned!” 

“I wasn’t going to drown! I can last a long time underwater!”

“No one can stay conscious that long without oxygen! Why did you-” 

I released her hands and swam back a bit to get away from her. “It doesn’t matter why I’m out here! Why did you follow me!?” 

Alyssa’s expression softened. “Alcremie kept waking up to someone leaving in the middle of the night. Since it happened more than once, I knew it was one of you, so I wanted to check, and I saw you sprinting out. You didn’t respond when I called for you, so yeah! I ran after my friend who was running for his life down the streets of Hau’Oli at 4:00 in the morning!” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes as I looked away. “No, don’t give me that! You’re running out super late at night and not getting any sleep, and- and you always look horrible in the morning, and… Have you… What are you-” 

“It doesn’t matter,” I hissed, finally cutting her off as I gave her an annoyed look. 

“It does if you’re doing this every night!” 

“Well, I’m not, so drop it. Dubwool and Selene were here, and they weren’t panicking, were they?” 

“I… No, but it’s Dubwool! He-” 

“You seriously think Dubwool would let me hurt myself?” 

“I don’t know!”

I shook my head and started swimming over to the shore. “Just let it go, Alyssa. This isn’t your business anyway.” 

“It is if you’re trying to kill yourself!” Alyssa yelled. 

“I’m not trying to kill myself!” I snapped back as I stepped onto the shore. 

“Then what were you doing underwater for so long!?”

“It doesn’t matter!” I yelled, shooting her a glare. She gave me a hurt look, making me look away and pick up my shirt. 

“Relax. She’s just worried,” Dubwool muttered as Selene frowned. I stayed quiet as I pulled my shirt over my head. 

I heard Alyssa get out of the water. “Hop, please just tell me!” 

“There’s nothing to tell you,” I replied as I started making my way off the shore. Dubwool stood up and started following me as Selene stayed on his head, but I heard Alyssa follow me as well. 

“Yes, there is! I don’t care if you… have lungs of steel or whatever. You’re still my friend, and I don’t want to find your dead body floating in the ocean!” 

I froze in place, her word choice making… the car accident flash through my mind. I gulped, the image of his body flooding my mind. The glass shattering… the blood running down his head… the tires skidding… how his head laid against the steering wheel… the collision… 

My mom’s heartbroken look… 

My fault… 

His dead body… just sitting there… 

My fault, my fault, my fault. 

Soft wool nudged my leg, making me quickly start walking again as I clamped my hands over my ears. Silently begging for those sounds to stop. Trying to think of anything but his dead body sitting there. 

Get out, get out, get out, get out! 

“Hop!” someone yelled. A mix of voices. A mix of tones. Mom, Leon, dad, Giovanni, Rayne. They kept calling my name. I keep seeing his body, I keep hearing the glass and tires and collisions, and even when I close my eyes, it won’t go away. 

I gripped onto my ears. “Shut up!” 

Someone grabbed my shoulder. 

My eyes snapped open as my body froze. I focused on the person’s hand and forced it off me before shoving them back without moving an inch. Alyssa screamed, making me flinch as I was finally brought back to reality. I was in a parking lot. The pavement around me was cracked like it was glass, and my entire body was shaking. My lungs were burning, and my throat felt tight. And I just used my psychic powers on my friend. 

I slowly turned around, seeing Alyssa steady herself, but she was tense. She slowly lifted her head, giving me a terrified look. Rayne giving me the same look flashed across my vision, making me wince. Rayne… I need Rayne. 

“What was that?” Alyssa squeaked. 

I shook my head and turned around. “It doesn’t matter! Leave me alone!” 

“What’s wrong!?” she demanded the second I started walking. 

“It doesn’t matter! Stop prying into my life!”  

“How is asking what’s wrong and what this is prying!? All I want to know is what’s wrong so I can help you!”  

“Well, stop! I don’t need your help!” I snapped before my phone flew out of my pocket. I froze in place before I saw the message. 

Little Red <3: are you ok?

I could feel my heart twist as tears clouded my vision. She can sense this. We always sense each other’s pain, whether physical or mental. I need to call her. Need to hear her voice. Need her here. 

I grabbed my phone, but before I did anything, I felt Dubwool step behind me. 

“Leave him alone.” 

I looked over my shoulder, seeing Alyssa look down at him. “Dubwool, what are you-”

“Leave him alone. He doesn’t want you here, so leave him be,” Dubwool interrupted as he glared at her. 

My gaze shifted back to Alyssa, seeing her give Dubwool a confused look before she met my gaze again. She stepped towards me, but that only made Dubwool step closer to her and started growling. He never growls. 

Alyssa quickly stepped back as I looked down at Dubwool, only for my eyes to widen. A faint pink aura was coating his wool, and his eyes were pink. He only gets a pink aura when using Zen Headbutt, which I taught him back in June for the Team Rocket escape just in case, but only his horns turn pink. What is this? How is he doing this? 

“Leave him alone,” Dubwool hissed. 

Alyssa’s eyes widened in shock, but I saw her gulp. “O-ok…” She glanced at me, giving me a worried yet hurt look, before quickly stepping around us and walking away. She understood Dubwool. How did she understand him? 

Dubwool turned to me, his expression falling to a worried look as the pink aura around him disappeared. “Are you ok?” 

I stared at him, letting reality soak in as I caught my breath. I was standing in a parking lot in the middle of the night, soaking wet, and just yelled at my classmate, used my psychic powers on her, and Dubwool got so upset over the fact that she wouldn’t listen to me that… he was able to speak to her. And activated a pink aura. Was that like… Hidden Power? Dubwool doesn’t know it though. How did… How is it… 

I slowly knelt in front of him before cupping his face. “How… how did you do that?” 

Dubwool gave me a confused look. “Do what?” 

“That… The pink aura, and… She understood you. How?” 

Dubwool held his confused look before he looked up. “Did you do this?”

“Cos cos,” Selene replied as she shook her head. 

“Huh…” Dubwool muttered before my phone started buzzing in my hand.

I lifted my phone, seeing Rayne was calling me. I frowned, but sat down in front of Dubwool before hitting reply and putting the phone to my ear. “Hey.” 

“Hey. Are you ok? You never answered,” she asked. 

I took a deep breath and ran my free hand over my face. “I don’t know… A lot just happened, and I think… I just fucked everything up.” 

“Oh, shit… What… How? What’s going on?” Rayne asked. 

I frowned, feeling tears well up in my eyes as I gripped onto my hair. “I woke up and started… overthinking so much that… the numb feeling went away, so I… I tried writing it out, distracting my body, and… I ran to a beach, so I went underwater, and it was actually working, but… Alyssa followed me and started yelling at me since she thought I was trying to drown myself, and I can’t tell her I’m a Dual Hero, so I tried telling her to just… leave me alone, but she kept… picking at me, and… What she said made me think back to seeing my dad get shot, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and my brain… made the road crack and pushed her away from me, and… If Dubwool didn’t step in, she’d probably still be pestering me about it, and… it…” I took a deep breath. “I don’t know what happened with Dubwool, and Alyssa saw me use my psychic powers and also saw me have a panic attack, which Xavier hasn’t even seen, and…” I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath. “I fucked up…” 

“Hop,” Rayne softly said. I opened my eyes, seeing Dubwool and Selene staring at me through my tears. “Look at Dubwool.” I sniffled, but wiped my eyes as I met Dubwool’s gaze. “He’s ok, right?” 

“Yeah…” I muttered. 

“He’s right next to you, isn’t he?” 

I reached forward to scratch behind Dubwool’s horn. “Yeah…” 

“See? No matter where you go or what you get yourself into, Dubwool will be there. Whenever I’m not there, or even Leon, just sit with Dubwool and breathe. He’s not going anywhere.” 

My expression softened before I lowered my hand to Dubwool’s neck. I sunk my fingers into the dark wool, focusing on how soft and fluffy it was. How familiar it was. I took a deep breath and laid my forehead against his. He’s right here. He’s been here for… 10 years. Lee caught him to keep me company after he left for his journey, and he’s been by my side ever since. He’s been by my side since I was smaller than him. He’s been with me at my lowest and at my best. We grew up together, and he’ll be by my side through these solo missions. No matter what, we’re in it together. 

I clutched onto his wool as I took a deep breath before Dubwool nudged his snout against my nose. “I’m right here, kid.” 

A smile rose to my lips before I lightly pushed against his neck. “Right here.” 

He smiled back as Rayne let out a breathy laugh. “Glad to have you back, Hoppy.” 

“Now you know how I feel when this happens to you,” I teased. 

“Oh, hush,” she fired back. My smile widened as she took a deep breath. “So what happened? None of what you said made sense.” 

My expression softened as I lightly kneaded Dubwool’s wool. “I woke up to a nightmare about the Ultra Recon Squad planning some… trap or something. I woke up numb, but the more I thought about it, the more panicked I became. I tried to write my thoughts out, but that didn’t work, so I ran around Hau’Oli in an attempt to calm down, but that didn’t work either, so since I stopped at a beach, I went into the ocean. It was actually calming me down, but Alyssa followed me and pulled me out. She started yelling at me and demanding to know what I was doing, and… What she said made me remember the day of the crash, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I tried getting away from her, but I was so stuck in my head that I accidentally made the pavement of the parking lot outside the beach crack, and Alyssa tried to grab me to stop me, so I unconsciously used my psychic abilities to push her away. She tried to get me to explain that, but Dubwool stepped in and told her to go away. Somehow, he got… a pink aura around him, and Alyssa understood him? It wasn’t Zen Headbutt either. It covered his entire body, and… I don’t know. Selene says she didn’t do it, but-”

“Cos!” Selene whined as she gave me an offended look. 

“Ok, she didn’t do it, but I’m confused.” 

“Huh… That sounds like a Sonia question,” Rayne began. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “As for Alyssa… That’s not ok. You don’t poke at someone mid-panic attack.”

“I know, but-”

“You need to set your boundaries with her,” Rayne interrupted. “She doesn’t need to know about your life and trauma, so make that clear to her.” 

“I want to, but…” I began before sighing. “She’s a very fact-driven person and insanely pushy, so… I’d end up telling her something just to get her off my back. I’m lucky she’s letting this Ultra Beast thing go, but that’s because Xavier went on a power rant. I get that she’s a paranoid friend, but come on! The public knows we stopped Eternatus and that I own Zacian! Why does she think I’m incompetent!?” 

“I doubt she thinks that.” 

“Then what is she thinking, oh fellow female?” 

Rayne sighed. “I think she’s in love with you, doesn’t want her pretty boy crush to get hurt, and wants to know how his very complex mind works.” 

I narrowed my eyes. “She doesn’t have a crush on me.” 

“She wants to know about you, keep you out of danger, and help you with a panic attack. I want to do all of that shit. This girl is in love with you.” 

I groaned as I threw my head back. Dubwool let out a breathy laugh, which only made me sigh before I lowered my head. “Well, it’s not like I can tell her I’m dating you. She’ll tell Lexi, and the whole world will know, and…” I sighed and hid my face against Dubwool. “Why does everyone I care about have to be famous?” 

Rayne stayed quiet for a second before sighing. “I’m sorry, but… I’m already getting a lot more attention than I thought. I may joke about it, but… it’s a little unsettling. Especially since someone is always mad about any choice I publicly make. I just… I don’t want you to experience that just because you’re dating me. If you’re pissing people off online, it should be from your research being stupidly good!” I couldn’t help but laugh, which got a small laugh out of her. “But… I’d rather have people know you for your accomplishments than as just my boyfriend. You had to bend over backwards for people in your university to stop seeing you as just Leon’s brother, so… I’m making this an issue because of my title, so I’m sorry. I really am.”  

My expression softened. “Hey, don’t apologize for pursuing your dream. It’s ok. I just… don’t want to upset you.” 

“You’re not. She is.” 

I rolled my eyes at her response. “Then let me talk to her. After this…” I shook my head. “This shit’s getting old.” 

“It must be. You’re swearing,” Ray teased. I couldn’t help but smile. “I trust you though. Do what you gotta do. How are you feeling though?” 

I looked up at the starry sky. “Better, honestly. Thank you.” 

“Of course. I’m always here when you need me. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, ok?” 

“Ok. Night, little red.” 

“Goodnight, baby blue. Get some rest.” 

“Ditto,” I breathed out before pulling my phone away from my ear. 

I ended the call before taking a deep breath and lowering my phone. I looked around the parking lot, scanning over the cracks along the pavement. I sighed, threw my head back, and ran my hands over my face. How the hell am I going to explain this?

Chapter Text

I stared at my phone, scanning over the message I received minutes ago.  

Unknown: Hi Hop! This is Professor Burnet! I have some data on the alien chain, and I think it’ll help your dual hero thing! Meet me at my lab when you get to Akala. I’m having Olivia pick you guys up.

She has information. Is it information I already know, or will it reveal more answers? I want to know, but I’m also worried. What if things somehow get worse? 

Someone sat down across from me, snapping me out of my thoughts. I looked up from my phone, seeing Xavier giving me a blank look, but he didn’t say anything when our eyes met.

I glanced away. “Uh… Can I help you?” 

“What happened between you and Alyssa last night?” he asked. 

I gave him a confused look. “How do you-”

“Lexi. Alyssa told her everything when she woke up. How Alcremie woke her up to you running out at what? 4:00 in the morning? That she followed you to the Mantine Surfing spot, saw you go underwater, and thought you were trying to drown yourself. Then you tried running away, but made the parking lot of the motel crack before Dubwool literally told her to go away?” I let go of my phone to run my hands over my face. “So, naturally, Lexi started banging on our door until I woke up and demanded I go find you and- her words not mine- ‘do my job as a doctor and stop you from being a suicidal dumbass’. I wasn’t even going to explain how incorrect her ‘request’ was.” Xavier folded his hands together. “So what happened?”

I took a deep breath and lowered my hands. “Before I explain everything…” I sighed before leaning closer to him. “I’m a Dual Hero.” Xavier nodded. “I’m a child of Arceus. I have supernatural abilities, one being the ability to control water and breathe underwater.” Realization dawned over Xavier. “As a being who has a connection to water, it calms me down. So, when I was panicking from a nightmare, I went to the water to calm down. Alyssa followed me, made me freak out, and my psychic brain did what it does best. I have no idea what Dubwool did. He doesn’t either, but I was not trying to drown myself. That’s literally impossible for me to do. But she doesn’t know that because she’ll tell the queen of gossip, and the world will know I’m a demi-god-” 

“And experiment on you. Yeah, I… Bloody hell…” Xavier muttered before leaning back. He looked away, processing… what I just told him before meeting my gaze again. “What else can you do?” 

I looked up in thought. “Other than talking to Pokemon, that’s kind of it.” 

“Besides god form,” Dubwool added. 

I waved him off as Xavier took a deep breath. “Ok… Why did you run from her though?” 

I lowered my gaze to my phone that was still floating in front of me. “She kept pushing me to talk when it’s none of her business. Then she kept going on about… seeing me dead that… it brought back bad memories, and…”

“You… had some kind of trauma meltdown?” Xavier asked. I nodded. “I see… And she still wouldn’t stop trying to get you to talk?” 

I nodded. “I was… literally mid-panic attack and she was trying to stop me. While the ground was cracking. I ended up… pushing her away, which may have exposed my psychic abilities, but… Dubwool got her to leave. I called Rayne, she helped me calm down, and… I’m fine. Really.” 

Xavier slowly nodded. “Ok… Let me talk to her. I know you don’t want us to know about your trauma and abilities, but if she is starting attacks like this, she needs to know.” 

“No, let me do it. You can’t tell anyone you have my medical file, and she’ll pry it out of you. Let me handle this.” 

“I’m a doctor, Hop. She may know biology, but she doesn’t know mental health. Let me work my magic,” Xavier replied before he stood up. “Get something to eat. I’ll be back.” 

I frowned at his response as he started walking away. “I’m sorry!” He waved me off. “I’ll get your coffee today!” He just waved me off again, this time more aggressively. I sighed, but grabbed my phone and stood up. 

I got our coffee and breakfast from the cafe, and as I paid, Austin came out and ordered his own breakfast. We waited for his order as he told me about Lexi’s wake up call. While he didn’t wake up, it scared Torracat to a point where he set a pillow on fire. The reminder made him embarrassed, but Oricorio and Silvally told him it was ok. Austin said Lexi was lucky Xavier knew how to contain the fire. She could’ve been sued.

“Why did she do that, anyway?” Austin asked before taking a sip of orange juice. 

“Doesn’t matter,” I replied as I picked up my cup of coffee. However, someone ripped it out of my hand.

I looked up, seeing Lexi rip the lid off before dunking the coffee on my head! I flinched, feeling the cold liquid run down my face. “What the fuck!?”

Lexi slammed the cup against the table. “Just because you can’t handle a stupid nightmare, you try to kill yourself and be a tosser to Alyssa!?” 

“What?” Austin asked. 

“I wasn’t trying to kill myself! And she was the one pushing me to tell her what was going through my fucked up head!” I barked. 

Lexi rolled her eyes before throwing the cup at my head. “You are such a fucking baby!”

I gave her an annoyed look as she stormed away. That stuck up little-

“Mate, what did you-” Austin began. 

“Doesn’t matter,” I hissed as I stood up and stormed out of the dinning hall. 

I ended up taking another shower to get the coffee out of my hair, so after getting changed, I went back to the dinning hall. When I got back, I saw Lexi, Xavier, and Alyssa were at the table Austin and I grabbed. 

Alyssa glanced at me before she quickly stood up. “Are you ok?” 

“Yeah,” I dryly replied, sitting down beside Austin. 

“I literally told you what happened,” Xavier replied. 

“Which was…” Austin began, motioning for Xavier to elaborate. 

“That Hop had a nightmare and left to get some air and go for a swim. Alyssa followed him, and she freaked out when he didn’t come up for air. He then had a trauma flashback from her pressuring him to talk, and we think Selene did something to make her leave him alone, including understanding Dubwool. How he calmed down isn’t our business,” Xavier explained. He didn’t tell her I’m psychic. He blamed it on Selene. 

I looked at my Pokemon, seeing Selene give Xavier an annoyed look, but she didn’t object. She just turned away and shoved a berry into her mouth. Silvally patted her head in response, but she just huffed. 

“Yeah, because a normal human being would run to the ocean because of a nightmare and freak out to someone offering to help,” Lexi grumbled. 

My eye twitched at her response. “She wasn’t offering help. She was trying to force me to talk.” 

“Because I-” Alyssa began. 

“I wasn’t trying to kill myself. Just…” I began before taking a deep breath. “Just don’t talk about death. Please.” 

“Aw, why? Because your dad died?” Lexi mocked. 

I twitched before glaring at her. “Shut up.” 

Lexi’s eyes widened before she put her fork down. “Oh my Arceus. You’re actually hung up on that?” 

“Lexi,” Xavier hissed. 

“It was 10 years ago. My own brother died 5 years ago, and you don’t see me being triggered by death,” Lexi spat. 

I stared at her. The sight of Leon crashing by the stairs of the Hammerlocke Stadium's roof flashing through my mind. How he looked at me in utter horror when I was brainwashed by Ghetsis. How he looked at the lowest point in his life not even 5 years ago. I gulped, but looked down at Dubwool. He was staring at me while our other Pokemon ate, and frowned when our gazes met. 

“Yeah. You’re not the only one with dead relatives,” Lexi hissed. 

Dubwool shot her a glare, and I heard a faint growl come from him as Xavier took a deep breath. “Lexi. Stop.” 

“Why? He’s being a baby,” Lexi asked. 

“Everyone reacts to traumatic events differently. He’s younger than you. He experienced these things at a younger age. Do not insult him for how he reacts to death,” Xavier hissed. 

“Plus, he was shot by a crazy person at age 15 or younger,” Austin added. 

“Exactly. You don’t know what he went through, so don’t make him feel bad for having genuine emotions,” Xavier scolded. 

I lifted my gaze, seeing Lexi roll her eyes. “Fine. Whatever. Blame it on trauma. He’s the one putting himself in these situations.” 

My eyes widened as something inside me… snapped. Putting myself in… “You think I want this? That I’m doing this because I can?! You seriously think I’m choosing to do this on my own free will!? That I’m getting something out of this!?” 

“Hop-” Xavier began. 

“Mind your fucking business! You don’t get to dictate what matters in everyone’s life! You have no idea what happened that day, so you have no right to insult me about it!” I snapped. 

Before anyone could say anything, the tea in Lexi’s to-go cup exploded onto her face. We all flinched and leaned away as Lexi dropped the cup and wiped her face. I pressed my lips together as my rage instantly turned to guilt. Bloody hell. How did I even do that?!

“What the fuck?” Austin breathed out. 

Alyssa grabbed a few napkins from the table and helped Lexi wipe the tea off her face. “Are you ok?” 

“I’m fine,” she grumbled as she snatched the napkins from Alyssa. She glared down at our Pokemon as she wiped her face. “Who did it?!” 

They all looked at her before looking between each other, confused. 

“Uh… Why are you blaming us?” Brionne asked. 

“We didn’t do anything,” Dartrix added. 

Lexi huffed before she looked at her soaked shirt. “This was new too.” She shot me a glare as she stood up. “There’s something wrong with you.” 

“You don’t say,” I fired back. 

She just scoffed and stormed off. “Come on, Alyssa!” 

Alyssa tried saying something as she looked between us before sighing. With that, she got up and followed Lexi. Her Pokemon ran after her, but I just sighed and ran my hands over my face before letting my head fall against the table. I’m already snapping. On day 6. Technically 8, but still. 

“Just tell Professor Willow I broke every rule so I can go home…”  

Xavier placed his hand on my upper back. “Are you ok?” 

“I just screamed at her over my trauma,” I began before turning my head to look at him. “What do you think?” 

Xavier frowned before the front door opened. We looked over our shoulders, seeing Professor Kukui walk in. He turned to us and smiled. “Alola! How is everyone?” 

“I want to jump into the ocean and never come out,” I replied. 

“So the usual?” Professor Kukui asked. I gave him an annoyed look before turning my head to look ahead. “Alright. Not in the mood for jokes. So where’s the rest of your team?” 

“Cleaning up. We had a… tea incident,” Xavier replied. 

“Uh huh…” the professor muttered before clearing his throat. “Well, I don’t know if you got my text, but we’re meeting at the marina so you guys can head over to Akala Island. Make sure you have everything and be there by 10:00, ok?” 

“Got it,” Austin replied. 

Professor Kukui didn’t say anything, so he probably nodded before I saw him walk by. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Akala is a new island. There’ll be more to do, and I’m sure the Ultra Recon Squad will keep me busy. Arceus, I hope so. Their silence is unnerving. 

I went back to our room to gather my belongings before going back to the lobby. The five of us regrouped, didn’t say a single word to each other, and followed Professor Kukui to the marina. The other team was already there when we arrived. I’m surprised we never ran into them while we were here. We still said a quick hello before the professor led us inside to get our tickets for the boat. 

“Alright,” Professor Kukui began. “This is sadly where we say our goodbyes. I hope you enjoyed your stays on Melemele, and may the rest of Alola treat you well. When you dock, Akala’s Kahuna, Olivia, will greet you instead of my wife. She got caught up with some work, but Olivia will take you to her lab so you all can meet her and get her contact information. Other than that, have fun, stay safe, and learn something.” 

I couldn’t help but smile as the others replied with ‘yes professor’. He smiled at them, winked at me, then walked off. At least this chaperone thing will be easier for him. No more Ultra Beasts will bother Melemele. At least, I hope not. 

While we waited for the boat, Professor Willow posted the next challenge. Since we were changing islands, he told us to post some kind of boat story. And we lost yesterday’s challenge, but I honestly don’t care at this point. 

Our boat arrived by 10:30, and we all got on. I led my Pokemon over to the front deck to look out at the water. Dartrix sat beside me on the railing as Silvally and Rockruff poked their heads through the bars. Dubwool just stood beside me as Selene stared ahead from her spot in my arms. I smiled at my team before the boat started moving. 

I watched the water as we sailed. Taking deep breaths as the sound of the boat cutting through the water surrounded me. A nice breeze blew past us, and a collection of water types caught my eye as they swam by. I didn’t think about anything. I just let myself calm down. Let myself focus on the one thing I had control of. 

A few minutes passed before Alyssa’s Brionne leapt onto the railing beside me. “Hello.” 

I looked at her before lowering my gaze back to the Mantyke below us. “Hi.” 

“So… Alyssa sent me,” she said. 

“I figured,” I replied. 

“So can you tell me why you’re being so mean to her?” 

My expression softened. I have been yelling at her a lot. It may be annoying, but she is worried.

I took a deep breath and looked up. “I get that… she’s worried, but her constantly picking at me isn’t helping either.” I turned to Brionne. “She overreacted though. We told her exactly what happened. I wasn’t trying to end it. The water… It's like my safe space. Especially at night when everyone’s asleep. It’s so quiet and peaceful that… it calms me down.” 

“But don’t you humans need oxygen at all times?” Brionne asked. 

I glanced behind us, seeing Alyssa was watching us as she held Alcremie. Said Alcremie was watching Cutiefly fly around.

I leaned towards Brionne. “Can you keep a secret?” She nodded. A smile rose to my lips before I rubbed her head. “I’m like you. I can breathe underwater.” 

Her eyes widened in surprise. “Really?” I nodded. “Can other humans do that?” 

I chuckled and shook my head. “Just me. It’s why the water’s my escape. No one can touch me there.” 

“Wow…” Brionne muttered before realization dawned across her face. “Wait, are you like Miss Eleanor?!”  

“Yep,” I simply replied as I leaned away. “How do you know about her connection to water though?” 

“Back when I lived underwater with my mama, she took us to Miss Eleanor’s Primarina.” My expression dropped. “She’s a sea spirit who watches over the oceans of Alola. She told us all about her journeys with her owner and her friends, along with the legend of Arceus’ humans. Are you a new one?” 

“Uh… yeah. Wait… Eleanor’s most trusted Pokemon didn’t…” I began before stopping myself. She wouldn’t know. But does Eleanor’s Primarina not reside in the resting realm with her, or… can she travel between realms? She has to. This is Eleanor’s main Pokemon. Arceus wouldn’t pull them apart. Right?

“I can call her here,” Brionne offered. 

I gave her a confused look. “Excuse me?” 

“Primarina. Since you’re like Miss Eleanor, I’m sure she’d love to meet you. Only our evolutionary line can call her, so would you like to meet her?”

“Uh… Yeah. Sure. As long as it’s no trouble.”  

Brionne smiled before clearing her throat. She faced the water and closed her eyes. She started singing a melody with no words. Her voice was different from Rayne’s Primarina, obviously, but it was still very pretty. Higher pitched, but strong. 

Lexi gasped. “Oh my gosh! She’s singing!” 

“She is the Popstar Pokemon,” one of the other students replied. Marty. He knows Austin. 

“Someone start recording! This could be our post!” another student, Mira, called. We were partners for a daily assignment once. 

“Oh, hell no! That’s Alyssa’s Brionne! This is our post!” Austin barked. 

I couldn’t help but smile as Alyssa came up beside me. “I read about the Primarina line a few days ago. About how beautiful their voices are, and how they use that voice to fight or lift others up. I just… I can’t believe I’m finally hearing it.” 

My smile widened as I watched Brionne sing. “Then be prepared to hear this voice more often. They love singing.” 

Alyssa smiled at her Pokemon. “Good to know.” 

Brionne stopped for a second. That second she did, pink energy ran across the water, giving the blue waves a pink hue. My eyes widened in awe. 

“Woah!” Austin called as Brionne continued singing. “Are you lot seeing this!?” 

“Yeah! It’s like the water is reacting to Brionne’s voice!” Mira called. 

“How is that possible?” Irene, Mira’s twin, asked as Alyssa took her camera out.  

“Mate, this is the same region that’s known for wormholes and a spiritually active queen. You’re seriously questioning it?” Austin asked. 

A smile rose to my lips as Brionne stopped singing. “Eleanor’s not the only spirit active.” 

“Why do you say that?” Alyssa asked. 

I looked at Brionne, making her smile at me. “She’s coming. Don’t worry.” 

“Can you sing that again? I wanna record it and post it,” Austin asked. 

I turned to him. “Start recording now.” 

“Why?” Lexi asked as Austin clicked something on his phone. 

“Ha ha ha ha,” a soft voice sang, making the air fall silent. It was gentle, but around the same range as Rayne’s Primarina. Maybe a little higher. My smile widened as the others looked around, looking for the source. “Ha ha ha ha.” 

“What is that?” Lexi breathed out. 

“Primarina,” Brionne whispered. 

“All color has become transparent,” the voice began. “You have lost that harmony and strength with the colors that are fading away from us. It’s become a beautiful blank slate. But it’s that special color that gives this world its beauty. The beauty of a blooming rose.” 

My smile fell at her words. A sense of… ease ran through me as she sang. As if her voice was erasing my worries.  

“Oh sun, shine on us. Give them the light. Let the colors shine.” 

A Primarina flew out of the waves, making the others gasp. My smile returned as she spun around. She looked like the Primarinas we saw in Area Zero last year. Her body was much thinner, her hair was in a singular high ponytail and had strands flowing down the sides of her face. The white pearl crown on her head was now icy blue, and only had three pearls. Instead of the transparent blue material on her chest, she had small, icy blue wings on her back, and the frill starting her blue tail was now similar to icicles. Her tail had spikes of ice on it instead of spikes of pink, and the end of her tail smoothly transitioned to a fin made of icicles. I could see how slightly transparent her body was, indicating her status as a ghost. 

“The words you say shine a brilliant light,” she sang. “The warmth you give holds a gentle hue. Your voice brings a bright smile. Your love ties us all together.” 

Primarina flew back into the water, making me look back at the others. They stared at where she was in shock, Austin holding his phone towards where she was. 

“What?” Xavier whispered. 

“What was that?” Alyssa squeaked. 

“Was… was that an ancient Primarina?” Irene asked. 

I just smiled as Primarina’s voice returned. “If you hold me close to your warmth, color blooms. Even if it’s lost in the grey, we will find it with our hearts. Reach for me, and I’ll guide you through the dark. Even if it brings you pain, the colors will rise and ease it all. 

“The dark will fade. The colors will clash. Peace will return.” 

Primarina’s body rose from the water before she started flying around the boat. “My heart pleads for you to return. That voice of yours never leaves my mind. Your blessed melody rings through the sea. Your memory will live through me.” 

Primarina stopped in front of me and rested her arms against the railing. “My dear hero. My dear partner. Because of you. I can sing forever.” She looked up. “Wherever you lie. I will be by you. I will sing for you.” She looked down and pressed her forehead against mine. “My Hero of Blue.” 

My expression dropped. She doesn’t live in the resting realm. She remains here, guarding the seas to protect Alola. Maybe they both chose this, but… Her words made my heart ache. I have no idea if they’ve seen each other since they passed, which means I have no idea if any of my seniors have seen their Pokemon since they passed. I know they have some of their Pokemon with them, but some of Marigold’s Pokemon are still alive in Paldea. Some of their Pokemon don’t go with them. They stay behind to help the next generation and the region. It’s a choice they make, but still. It’s… heartbreaking. 

Primarina gave me a gentle smile before she placed her flipper over my hand, covering Eleanor’s bracelet as well. “Your departure may bring tears to my eyes. But I will sing on to bring a smile to others. Your name will live on through me. Your songs won’t fall into the darkness that traps us in. They’ll bring the light.” 

She lifted her other flipper to wipe away a tear I didn’t realize slipped out. “The color you two bloomed through your blood. It shall grow on from the coast to the sky.” She cupped my face, making me smile through the bittersweet feeling. “Those that follow you will see it. They’ll cherish it.” She looked over and patted Brionne’s head. “Forever on, they’ll see you.” She looked at me and brushed her nose against mine. “They’ll see the color of red and blue.” 

A smile rose to my lips as Primarina flew up and back into the sea, disappearing into the water as the pink hue rippled away. She misses Eleanor, but she chose to stay here. Eleanor took care of her for years, so she’s letting Eleanor rest by protecting Alola for her. That I know. I guess Arceus gives our Pokemon the chance to stay here and protect the land for us. It’s just… hard to know my Pokemon will make that choice one day. And if Eleanor’s closest partner chose to stay…

I looked at Dubwool, which made him look at me. 

“Holy Arceus…” Xavier muttered. 

“That was so beautiful! What kind of Primarina was that!?” Lexi demanded. 

“I think a dead one,” Alyssa squeaked. 

“Well, yeah! Those Primarinas haven’t been seen since the B.C. era!” Mira cheered before looking at her team. “Please tell me one of you got that!”

“Our post!” Austin barked. 

“It’s a free region, Henderson!” Jacob, who’s Marty’s roommate if I remember, yelled. 

Austin grabbed Charjabug from his shoulder and threw him at Jacob. He screamed and scrambled away, which only made his team laugh as the final member, Darius, caught Charjabug and went over to Austin to return the bug. 

I couldn’t help but smile at them as Alyssa turned to me. “Are you ok?” 

I nodded as I looked out at the ocean. “I guess I just… The song felt bittersweet, so…” I shrugged, not knowing what else to say. 

“Ok…” Alyssa muttered before clearing her throat. “About last night, I… I’m sorry I overreacted. I was just worried! I’ve never seen you like that, and… with what’s been going on for the last 5 days, I… You didn’t have to be a wanker about it!” 

I sighed. “Ok, yeah. I was mean about it, but only because I don’t like when people overreact. It…” I sighed and looked at the water. 

“It what?” Alyssa asked. 

“Nothing…” I muttered, making Rockruff nuzzle his head against my leg. I gently smiled. “Overreacting only leads to more pain. I’ve… overreacted in several situations and… only made things worse.” 

Alyssa stepped beside me. “How so?” 

I chuckled. “You always want answers, don’t you?” 

“Yeah. My mind craves them,” she teased, smiling at me. 

I gently smiled back before looking down at the water. “It doesn’t matter. It’s in the past.” My expression dropped. “A past I don’t want to repeat.” I looked at Alyssa. “I am sorry for… how I acted. I don’t like being so… aggressive. It’s just… the trauma has kind of made me an insomniac, and that has kind of made it easy for me to be ticked off. It’s why I go out and drink so much coffee. It mellows me out.” 

Alyssa hummed, but looked at the sea. “You could’ve told me.” 

I looked ahead. “Yeah, but…” I smiled. “My communication skills suck.” 

Alyssa lightly laughed. “I think you need to take Speech next semester then.” 

“Maybe. Just… Please don’t try to get me to talk about it. I’m… I don’t want to, and… Don’t mention dead bodies, please.” 

“Ok…” Alyssa muttered. “I’m sorry I upset you.” 

I took a deep breath and looked up to see Akala Island in the distance. “It’s fine.”

Chapter Text

The boat docked around an hour after we left Melemele Island. When the ten of us stepped into the port, I scanned over the small lobby before seeing Olivia sitting on a bench beside a fountain. She was on her phone and had her Lycanroc laying beside her. 

“Row row!” Rockruff cheered before running over to them. 

“Be careful!” Dartrix called as Olivia looked at Rockruff. 

She gasped as Lycanroc perked up. “Hi there!” 

“Row row!” Rockruff yipped as he stopped in front of Lycanroc. “Row!” 

Lycanroc smiled and sat up before patting Rockruff’s head. “Hello, little one.” 

I smiled at them as Olivia looked up. “There you guys are!” She gasped and jumped to her feet. “Hop!?” 

“Hey. Long time no see,” I replied. 

A smile rose to Olivia’s lips before she ran over to us. To my surprise, she pulled me into a hug. “It’s been so long!” She pulled away to look me in the eye. “How are you, hun? Has Alola been treating you well?” 

“Uh, yeah. A little chaotic, but…” I glanced down at Selene, who was just smiling at Olivia. “I’ve had some help.” 

Olivia glanced down as well before looking at Selene. “Hello there.” She cupped Selene’s face. “I knew I felt something else. Hi, sweetie pie!” 

“Cos!” Selene cheered as she tapped Olivia’s hands. 

Olivia giggled at Selene’s reaction before she let her go and stepped back. Her expression softened to a gentle smile as she looked between my classmates. “Welcome to Akala Island, everyone. I’m Olivia, the Kahuna of this island and a member of our Elite Four. Professor Burnet would’ve met you here, but she got caught up with a new piece of…” Olivia cleared her throat, “research.” She clasped her hands together. “So I’ll be taking you kiddos over to her lab. Is everyone here? Are all your items secure?” 

My classmates nodded or responded with ‘yes’ as I scanned over the Pokemon that were out to do a headcount. Selene in my arms, Dartrix on Dubwool’s back beside me, Silvally at my other side, and Rockruff by Lycanroc. Everyone’s here. 

“Good,” Olivia began before turning around. “Follow me, then.” 

The ten of us followed her out of the port, and as we made our way down the street, Olivia looked over her shoulder. “So are any of you doing the Island Challenge?” 

“Hop is,” Austin replied. 

“So is Darius,” Mira added. 

“Oh, good! More than one!” Olivia replied, and I saw her frown. “None of the students from the last group cared.” Her smile reappeared. “Well, Akala has four trials you can challenge, but mine is the only mandatory one. There’s the Water Trial at Brooklet Hill, the Fire Trial at Wela Volcano Park, the Grass Trial in Lush Jungle, and my Rock Trial outside the Ruins of Life.” 

“You can do the Water Trial!” Silvally cheered as he looked at Dartrix. She smiled and nodded. 

“But, Akala has a lot to offer for the rest of you,” Olivia began. “I doubt Burnet will explain much. She’s been cooped up in her lab for the last 4 days, so she’ll probably end up telling you about her research. Anyway, Akala has a lot to offer. We have more towns than Melemele, and there’s some lovely scenic locations like the trial grounds. Our Mantine Surfing team can be found over on Heahea Beach if you’re interested. We’re the best team in Alola, but I digress. Oh, there’s some internships you can do at the offices here, at Hano Grand Resort, Paniola Ranch, the Aether huts, and even my shop in Konikoni City. I run a jewelry shop, so if any of you are interested in personal items or a gift for a special someone, stop by.” 

“Yeah, Jacob,” Marty teased as I perked up. Jewelry store?

Olivia giggled at his response as I looked back at the other team, seeing Jacob ram his elbow into Marty’s side, but his face was pink. “Shut it, mate!” 

“Come on, mate! You can get Addy a ring and finally propose!” Mira pushed. 

Austin gasped. “You wanna propose to Addy!?” 

“That… is none of your business,” Jacob replied, but his face said otherwise. 

“Scoop!” Lexi called as I smiled at him. 

“Ah, young love,” Olivia began before looking ahead with a bitter smile. “Wouldn’t know what that feels like.” 

“Don’t say that! You’re a lovely lady! Anyone would be lucky to date you! You’ll find the right one soon!” Austin assured.

Olivia smiled at him. “Thank you, hun.” She looked over at Jacob. “I can help you find the right ring though.” 

I looked back at Jacob, seeing him look away, but Irene patted his shoulder and gave him an encouraging smile. I couldn’t help but smile before I looked ahead. A ring doesn’t sound too bad. 

Olivia led us into an office building before we went up to the second floor to Professor Burnet’s lab. As we walked in, I scanned over the room. It was smaller than most of the labs I’ve been to, but was very organized. It reminded me of Professor Juniper’s lab. 

“Welcome, everyone, to the lab of Burnet,” Olivia began before looking around. “Where is that wacky professor, anyway?” 

“Cooped up in her office,” one of the workers began as he pointed to a door on the other side of the room. “Whatever she’s researching, she’s deep into it.”  

“Huh…” Olivia muttered. 

“I can check on her if you want. She’s pretty close with Sonia, so I think I can pull her out,” I offered. 

Olivia turned to me, looked me up and down, then shrugged. “Alright. Good luck.” 

I nodded before I went over to the door. I knocked first, but when there wasn’t an answer, I opened the door. The room was dark, but there was a blue light illuminating the room. I didn’t see Professor Burnet though. 

“Uh, professor?” I began as I cautiously stepped in, my Pokemon sneaking in behind me. 

“Oh, Hop! Perfect timing! Come here!” she called. 

I looked to my right, seeing the professor standing behind her desk but in front of a large monitor. The screen was full of images. A slowly spinning DNA-like strand was in the center of the screen, text was under the animation, a small image of a black creature with a large head was in the right corner with text below it, and a collection of photos were on the left. They were headshots put in pairs, but had text below them and were slowly moving up to reveal more images. I recognized all of them. They were all Rayne’s friends. 

“Cosmog!” Selene cheered as she pointed at the image of the black creature.

“Uh… What is this?” I asked as I approached the professor. 

Professor Burnet glanced at me. “All the data from this chain thing. It’s packed with energy and different types of DNA.” 

“DNA? What kind?” I asked as I stopped beside her. 

“I don’t know, but this thing has a genetic structure. It’s built like a diamond, but has DNA from twenty-three different organisms. Twenty-two of them are unknown, but are close to these guys on screen,” she explained, motioning to the array of pictures. “The only complete match is to Necrozma.” She pointed to the black creature. 

I stared at the screen, processing her words. “How… Ok, I get that we don’t know who the people are since it’s from another universe, and I can only assume they’re alternate versions of these guys, but-” 

“Yeah, that’s what I thought, but how is their DNA in this chain? And look at this,” Professor Burnet began before grabbing her mouse and clicking something. 

A smaller screen appeared over the DNA strand animation, showing a headshot of Rayne with seven different lines of letters and numbers in the space beside the picture, all with different percentages. They each spelled out a name with ten numbers after them. MAY0311022002 at a twenty-seven percent match, DAWN0409282006 at an eight percent match, HILDA0509182011 at an eleven percent match, SERENA0610122013 at a twenty-six percent match, SELENE0711182016 at a fifteen percent match, GLORIA0811152019 at a thirty-two percent match, and JULIANA0911182019 at a nine percent match. 

I gave the screen a confused look. “What is this?” 

“Ok, so this will sound insane, but I think these… name-number combinations are like our universal ID numbers. They have our first names, four extra numbers, and our universal code as the last six digits. Usually when I examine DNA samples, it gives me the name or names of the species I’m identifying. When examining creatures from alternate worlds, however, it spits out codes like this. All of the Ultra Beasts had them at first. It’s how we learned their names before Rayne told the IP, and how we know they’re all from the same dimension. The last six numbers were all the same, and the codes gave us their name. So, we assume this is some kind of ID number. 

“Although these twenty-two humans have similar DNA to existing people, these codes are proof they don’t exist in our world. That, and unlike the Ultra Beasts, the last six digits are all different.” She used her mouse to circle the seven codes on screen. “These seven girls are all alternate versions of Rayne, some more similar to her than others.” The professor turned to me. “Seven alternate versions who are from different dimensions.” 

I turned my gaze back to the screen. “How is that… possible?” 

“How do you think this is here? The Ultra Recon Squad can travel between universes, so they must’ve taken samples from the last nine worlds they went to!” Professor Burnet reminded before closing the smaller screen. “I looked through all the codes, and found out all of these people come from nine separate universes. Ten including Necrozma, but he’s from the Ultra Beast world. Not to mention it’s packed with energy.” My eyes widened in horror as she turned to me. “What can this thing do, exactly?” 

“It… attacks gods…” I muttered before narrowing my eyes. “This… I was told it was made from Necrozma. Not…” My eyes widened as realization slammed into me. “They’re all gods…” That’s why Phyco likes ‘talking to leaders’! These people are gods! And if they’re from nine different dimensions… 

“Pardon?” Professor Burnet asked as I looked between all the images. 

I nodded. “From what I know, this chain was made from DNA from their Necrozma to attack other gods. Necrozma died and crashed here, so to keep making it, the Recon Squad got more material.” I pointed to the array of headshots. “If these twenty-two people came from nine dimensions, there should be at least two from each dimension, right?” 

“Yeah. Only three had more than two,” Professor Burnet said before realization dawned on her. “Holy shit.” 

I nodded. “These are alternate Dual Heroes. They’re gods.” I turned back to the screen. “The Ultra Recon Squad are jumping between dimensions to find Necrozma’s prism, but… They’re doing something to other Dual Heroes.” 

“Killing them to take their god DNA for their death chains?” Professor Burnet asked before looking back at the screen. “But why do they need more death chains if the people they’re using them on have the materials for the death chains?”

I leaned back against her desk as I stared at the screen. “The Ultra Recon Squad is jumping between dimensions to find Necrozma’s prism. They probably think it’s possible for another god to be guarding it, so they’re making these chains to kill any god who could have it, or at least torture them to get what they want.” 

“Then they stole their organs or whatever to make more chains because they have magical god powers,” Professor Burnet added before humming. “It could work, but…” She motioned to the screen. “If this chain can be made from any god’s… essence or whatever, why just take the energy from the humans? Why not an otherworldly Arceus, or Cosmog, or… something? Why kill or capture the humans and book it?” 

I tilted my head. “I don’t know…” 

This chain can work on legendary Pokemon. It worked on the Alpha Buzzwole and Pheromosa, so it should work on other legendaries or even mythicals. If there really are alternate worlds with some variant of Dual Heroes, why didn’t the Ultra Recon Squad attack their equivalent to Arceus, or even minor gods? If other heroes are like us, the minor gods would have the same strength as them, so it can’t be a strength thing. It would make sense if the DNA was split between chains, but these are humans and Necrozma from ten alternate worlds. The DNA part is clearly mixed together. Why would they take twenty-two humans, yet no variations of Pokemon? What do these guys have to offer compared to any other god? Does Ink have some kind of ulterior motive?

“Either way, you need to keep these people away from you,” Dubwool said. 

My eyes widened in horror. They’re taking Dual Heroes. They know I have powers. They’re going to take me. Or kill me. Or both. I shouldn’t have listened to Suicune. Bloody hell. 

“If they’re taking these Dual Hero equivalents… Are they trying to destroy any kind of god throughout the multiverse?” the professor asked. 

“Maybe, but what’s the point?” I softly asked. 

“Power?” Professor Burnet and Dubwool offered. 

I gulped and looked back at the screen. “Maybe, but… Still. Why just take the humans? What’s the point of using their DNA specifically for this chain? What about the other gods?” 

Professor Burnet hummed. “It may be to ensure they don’t threaten them again. Maybe these guys discovered this team’s true intentions, and they… took or killed them to keep them quiet. But then that would bring up more questions. Why aren’t their gods seeking revenge or trying to get them back? Why would they need to stay quiet? Why…” She sighed and threw her head back. “This makes no sense! They could be doing literally anything!” She lowered her head to scan over the screen. “This… There has to be a reason… Why purposefully take just humans to harness god energy for a death chain?” 

“Honestly…” I breathed out. 

What’s the point? What is Ink getting from just taking alternate heroes? If this was about just taking energy from gods, why just the humans? The gods have more to offer than we do. We’re the bodyguards. No one wants our powers. Unless… Ink wants them. No. Ink can’t… The ability to take powers isn’t unheard of, so… Oh, he better not. It’s the only thing that makes sense though! Why take twenty-two people just to make a chain? Why not take all… twenty-two of their abilities- Dear sweet Arceus, he could have access to twenty-two different powers. But if he gets his hands on Rayne and me… There’s four more. Assuming he doesn’t already have access to fire, water, super strength, and telekinesis. That has to be the reason. We have the powers of gods, but we’re smaller, less experienced, and weaker than the main gods we protect, so we’re easier to take. We’re easier to harm as humans too. It makes more sense why he wants the prism as well. So he can absorb it and become the god of gods, and I have to stop this man from doing that by keeping my space baby away from him while also making sure they don’t take me so Ink can take my powers! Then use my organs or blood or whatever to make more chains to kill anyone who tries to stop him! 

“Hop?” Professor Burnet asked as she placed her hand on my arm. “Are you ok? You’re… pale.” 

I let out a nervous laugh. “I’m going to die.” 

“What?” Silvally squeaked. 

“Ok, calm down. You can find a way to avoid being taken,” Dubwool began. 

“No, no, no. That’s not it,” I began as I gave him a forced smile. “Ink can steal powers.” Dubwool’s expression dropped as I motioned to the screen. “He has twenty-two already.” I pointed to Selene. “And I have what he wants. And two more powers.” 

“These people may have more than one too,” Dartrix added. My eyes widened even more, and she flinched at… I guess my crazed look. “I’m not making this any better…” 

“Maybe, but you bring up another stance: There could be repeated powers. We don’t know what these guys have, but they can’t all have unique powers, right?” Dubwool asked. 

“Yeah, but do you know that?” Silvally nervously asked. 

“No, but this entire fight is speculation,” Dubwool replied. 

“Why would you take twenty-two gods just to steal their energy to make a chain!?” I demanded. 

“Because they’re aliens!?” Dubwool offered. 

“My question is how you got from ‘purposefully kidnapping gods’ to ‘some dude can steal powers’. Like… How?” Professor Burnet asked. 

I took a deep breath and ran my hands over my face. They’re right. I don’t know. Maybe Ink is just doing this for the hell of it. Maybe this chain needs that much energy, or he wants to mass produce it to stop any god from taking the prism once he finds it. Maybe the fact that Dual Heroes are easier to grab than major gods is why he chose to capture just humans. We don’t know anything about this world. It won’t match ours. Stop trying to get answers from things you don’t understand. Saying Ink can steal powers isn’t off the table though. I’ll keep it in mind, but… 

I looked up at the screen. This is a lot. I should talk to Rayne about this, but… I don’t want to freak her out. Hell, I don’t want her involved now. Either way, this team will be hunting us down. If she knows, she’ll ditch Galar and stay pinned to my side. I can’t have that happen. I can’t have them take her! As long as I keep Rayne out of the picture, the Recon Squad won’t know she’s my partner, and she’ll be safe. I need her to stay safe. 

“Forget what I said,” I softly said. 

“But-” Professor Burnet began before a scream from outside cut her off. 

Both of us snapped our heads to the door before running over to it. We ran out of the office, only to scramble to a stop at the sight in front of us. There was a Xurkitree in the corner of the ceiling.  

Professor Burnet sighed. “I told you not to let him out!” 

“We didn’t touch it!” a worker called. 

“Lexi did it!” Austin shrieked. 

“What is that?!” Lexi demanded as she backed into Alyssa. 

“My Xurkitree. The International Police gave him to me for research, and now he gives us clean power, but he has a very strict sleep schedule. Why did you wake him?” Professor Burnet asked. 

“I just saw its weird pokeball and it opened when I picked it up!” Lexi defended. 

Professor Burnet shook her head before going into the room. She picked up a Beast Ball from the floor before holding it towards Xurkitree. “Alright, honey. Back to bed. I’m sorry we woke you.” Xurkitree hissed, but the professor simply returned him before turning to Lexi. “Don’t touch my stuff.” 

Lexi held up her hands in surrender as Xavier turned to the professor. “Was that another Ultra Beast?” 

“Ultra Beast?” Mira asked. 

Professor Burnet nodded as she put the pokeball on a desk. “Xurkitree. They’re electric types.” 

“Wicked…” Austin breathed out. 

“Ok, time out: What are Ultra Beasts?” Mira asked. 

“It’s… They’re a lot. Uh, let me get some caffeine in me and I’ll give you the rundown. We’ll talk upstairs where more of their data is,” Professor Burnet began before turning to Olivia. “Thank you for bringing them here.” Olivia nodded as the professor turned to me. “I’ll keep what you said in mind, but don’t freak out. We don’t know anything, and you managed to confuse me, so… chill!” 

I gave her a forced smile as all nine of my classmates gave me a confused look. Marty looked back at the professor as she spun around and started walking away. “What did he say?” 

“Things. Come on!” Professor Burnet called. 

The other team looked at me, but followed her as Olivia waved. As they walked off, Olivia turned to us. “Are you kids not going?”

“No. I’m done with Ultra Beasts,” Lexi complained before shuddering. “They’re so gross!” 

“And scary,” Oricorio squeaked. Charjabug and Torracat quickly nodded in agreement. 

Xavier slowly turned to me. “So… Is everything ok?” 

“Uh, yeah. No. Kinda. I don’t know. It’s a lot,” I quickly replied before clearing my throat. “How about we… make a plan for our time here so we stay busy and distracted and not thinking about our looming fate of a horrible death?” Because I have to avoid being kidnapped and being murdered because Selene just has to be-

My classmates and Pokemon stared at me. Alyssa and Xavier glanced at each other before Xavier cleared his throat. “Um… That… Are you sure everything’s ok?” 

“Yeah. You sound like you’re having an existential crisis. At age 16,” Lexi added. 

“What did the professor say to you?” Alyssa asked. 

“Nothing that concerns you, so let’s do something. Please,” I sweetly begged. 

The four of them looked at each other, but Austin just shrugged. I saw Lexi roll her eyes. “Alright. Whatever. You’re acting really dodgy today.”

“Yeah…” Alyssa muttered. 

I quickly turned to Xavier. “Let’s make a game plan.” 

“Uh, ok,” he replied before looking between the others. “Let’s… Let’s go to the Pokemon Center to get a map and figure something out.” 

“Ok!” Austin replied before running over to the elevator. 

I quickly went after him, prompting my Pokemon to follow me. Selene flew back to my chest, so I wrapped my arms around her while Dubwool nudged my leg. I kept my eyes locked on the elevator though. 

The five of us left the building and made our way to the closest Pokemon Center. I bought a map of the island as quickly as I could and laid it out on a table for us to look at. My eyes scanned over the paper, not even paying attention to the numbers or words. Just stop thinking about it. Look at the map and don’t worry about the Recon Squad spending 4 days plotting my capture, or Ink’s possible ability, or whatever fate I have in store for simply being a child of Arceus, or the fact that I don’t want to tell my own soulmate this bullshit-

My phone flew in front of me as the notification alert went off. My eyes snapped up to look at the screen, and the notification made me aware of how uncomfortable I felt in my own skin right now. 

Little Red <3: are you ok?

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Calm down. Breathe and think about this logically. The Ultra Recon Squad wants to take me, but I am always with someone. Selene can teleport naturally and has a prism that can do seemingly anything. Eleanor’s blessing is on my wrist. Pheromosa is following us and will bring in an entire pack of Ultra Beasts if I’m being attacked. I will be ok. They cannot take me with this many forces behind me. And Rayne… I need to tell her. She won’t insist on coming and refuse to leave my side. We’re not amateurs anymore. She’ll listen to what I say, and honestly, keeping her on the other side of the globe is safer. Based on the context Professor Burnet gave me, all of the captured heroes had some kind of counterpart or even team. None of them were alone. The Recon Squad will be trying to find Rayne. They’ll either wait for us to be together or try to take us out separately. I just have to wait it out and let Rayne know. 

I opened my eyes and grabbed my phone. I unlocked my phone and went to my messages before typing a reply. 

Me: I’m not sure. I spoke with Professor Burnet, and we figured something out, but it’s a lot. I’ll tell you later.

“So what are we doing?” Austin asked. 

“Well… What do you lot want to do while we’re here?” Xavier asked us. 

“Just the trials, really,” I softly said. 

“Well, I want to get some shots of the ruins along with the native flowers and some trial grounds, but the internships sounded interesting,” Alyssa replied. 

“Yeah! The Aether huts specifically help Pokemon who were injured out in the wild, and I wanted to visit one, but we can intern at one, so…” Xavier began before shaking his head. “We can uh… stop by one.” 

I couldn’t help but smile at his little rant, but I saw Lexi roll her eyes. “There’s new shops here, so we’re checking those out.” 

“Can we go Mantine Surfing too? If Akala has the best team, we gotta meet their Mantines!” Austin begged. 

“Yeah. We have time. So…” Xavier began before slinging his backpack off. We watched as he dug around and took out a black marker. He knelt beside the table and uncapped the marker before he wrote the date in the top corner. “Let’s make a proper plan for Akala.”

Chapter Text

Xavier mapped out how the next five days would go with all of our input. Today, we’d go Mantine Surfing until lunch, head over to Brooklet Hill for my trial, then come back to Heahea for dinner and so Lexi could go shopping. Tomorrow, we’d go to Royal Avenue so Alyssa could get her picture of the flowers and so Oricorio could change into the hula form. We’d stay for lunch before heading to Wela Volcano Park for the trial. We’d then go to the Aether Hut and stay at the Pokemon Center outside Lush Jungle. We’d probably have some extra time, but Xavier said we could catch up on our assignments. On the 8th, we’d go to Lush Jungle so I could do that trial before heading over to Heahea again for lunch and to check out the internships there before heading to Konikoni City for the night. On the 9th, we’d explore the city before I took on Olivia's trial, and we’d spend the last day and a half doing whatever. 

This plan seemed pretty good, and I’m glad we had one, but… I’m worried about the 8th. It’s the official 10 year mark of my dad dying. Leon and I have said it’s been 10 years for the last 3 years, but in 2 days, it will be exactly 10 years since he died. Since he was shot. Because of me. Every year, I’ve been with my mom, and Leon has spent the day with us for the last 4 years. This will be the first year I’m not there. The one year I should be there, I’m not. Arceus, I’m a horrible son. 

Either way, we all agreed to the plan and made our way to Heahea Beach. We got our Mantines and spent about 2 hours surfing before getting lunch. We also booked two rooms at the Sea Tide Hotel because Lexi was sick of staying in Pokemon Centers. I ended up paying for both rooms. Lexi tried pressuring us to stay in Heahea longer for her to go shopping too, but Xavier kept telling her she could later tonight. She stopped when the four of us started leaving town without her. 

Our walk to the first town, Paniola, was surprisingly quiet. Lexi typed away on her phone, Alyssa took some pictures of the scenery, and Xavier, Austin, and I watched our flying types play tag. Selene wanted to join, but I told her no. After hearing that about the Ultra Recon Squad, she’s not leaving my side. For now, at least. I saw a few of our Pokemon chat with each other too. Charjabug and Cutiefly were chatting, Silvally was telling Rockruff, Litten, and Torracat a story, Alcremie and Brionne talked, and Arcanine and Dubwool were mainly commenting on the game of tag. I think I need moments like this. Where everything is calm and I can watch our Pokemon interact. It would’ve been great if I wasn’t overheating. 

We arrived in Paniola Town, and Lexi was instantly disgusted by the fact that it was a farm town. Because Arceus forbid Alola has one. So, we made a quick stop at the Pokemon Center so Alyssa, Austin, and I could heal our teams from the trainer battles we did and left the second we got them back because of Lexi. Austin offered to check out the ranch outside of town, but Lexi strongly disagreed and continued walking. 

“Why are you so against a ranch? The Miltanks can’t hurt you!” Austin reminded as we followed Lexi. 

“The Tauros probably can,” Dubwool added. 

“I hope they do,” Arcanine grumbled. 

I bit back a smile as Lexi gave Austin an annoyed look. “Because this place is disgusting. There’s dirt everywhere, it smells like a dirty loo, and it’s disgusting!” 

Austin rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “There’s far worse things than a ranch.” 

“Maybe to you. You’re attending this university to spend your life covered in oil and grime,” Lexi complained. 

Austin’s jaw dropped as I gave Lexi an offended look. “Seriously?” 

“Uh, first of all, it is so much more than that, and second of all, I may go home filthy, but at least I’ll be well off and not bothering celebrities trying to mind their own bloody business! Hell, celebrities will actually like me because we fix all their rubbish!” Austin snapped. 

“Oh, yeah? At least I’ll be known for my own work and not as a random construction worker!” Lexi fired back. 

“Yeah, well at least people won’t hate me for my work!” 

“Excuse me!?” 

“Yeah! You already managed to piss off the most powerful person in the world by writing a fake article about her childhood friend!” 

“You did what!?” Elio demanded.

I flinched as the five of us stopped to look at him. He, Hau, and Gladion stood further ahead on the route, and they were staring at us. There was a Zorua peeking out from Gladion’s hood too. 

Gladion’s face lit up with pure joy as Elio gave Lexi a shocked look. “You wrote… a fake article about Hop Morada?” 

“Yes,” Austin replied. 

Gladion’s smile grew. “You’re so fucking stupid…” 

“Oh, because it’s so unbelievable that the 15 year old trainer would drop out of college when he saw how hard it was?” Lexi asked.

“Have you met him?” Elio asked as he motioned to me.

“Not back then, no. Which is another reason you shouldn’t have written the article, but again: I don’t care. Can you get over it? You made a mistake and these are the consequences,” I said to Lexi. 

She rolled her eyes in response and turned to the boys. “What do you blokes want?” 

“Oh, we’re just enjoying the show. This is public land, so we have every right to be here,” Gladion sweetly fired back. 

“Yeah. What do you want?” Elio added before crossing his arms. 

“To not be here?” Lexi offered. 

“We’re going to Brooklet Hill for my trial,” I replied. 

“Oh, uh… About that. Lana closed the gates because two Totems are having a turf war,” Hau began before he and Elio pointed behind them. “The hill is almost flooded from the rain.” 

I looked up, seeing storm clouds in the distance. I gave the clouds a confused look before lowering my gaze back to the boys. “Why? What other Totem is over there?” 

“The Bug Totem,” Gladion began, and I saw Lexi shudder in the corner of my eye. “Guzma returned all the Z-Crystals he had Team Skull steal, and the Totem has been looking for a trial ground ever since. It got comfortable on Brooklet Hill, and Wishiwashi is not happy about it. They’ve been at it for…” he took out his phone to check the time, “about 7 hours.” 

“7 hours?” Alyssa asked as my eyes widened. 

“They’ve been fighting and keeping that rain up for 7 hours?” 

“Yep. Lana’s doing what she can, but that’s why we’re here. Olivia contacted the league, and Kukui sent us to help. We were heading over there until we heard you,” Elio replied. 

I looked past them to see what I could of Brooklet Hill. The area should be evacuated, but a Totem turf war… This could severely damage Brooklet Hill. I looked down at my wrist before lifting my gaze to the boys. “I’m going with you.” 

“Are you serious?” Lexi asked. 

“Yes. Two powerful Pokemon are trying to kill each other over territory,” I replied as I went over to the boys. 

“Plus, calming Pokemon is kind of his thing, so he’s coming,” Elio replied before turning to me. “Return all your Pokemon. Trust me when I say it’s not pretty over there.” 

I nodded before I let go of Selene to grab everyone’s pokeballs. She whined when she saw what I was doing, so I met her gaze. “You could get hurt.” 

“Cosmog!” she whined. 

“I mean it. This is a turf war. I know you want to help, but-” 

“Cos Cosmog!” she screamed before spinning around and flying towards the hill. 

“Selene!” I yelled before running after her while returning my other Pokemon. 

“Don’t you love Cosmogs?” Hau asked. 

“No!” I yelled back as I put everyone’s pokeball back on my belt. I then held out Selene’s pokeball and tried returning her, but she teleported away! I slowed to a stop as I looked around. “Selene, please! This is for your own safety! I’ll get you whatever candy you want, but please just stay in your pokeball!” 

Silence. 

I sighed and ran my free hand over my face. Why does she always do this!? 

“Chill. It’ll come back,” Gladion said as he and the others approached me. 

My arm fell to my side as I turned to Gladion. “She went to Brooklet Hill to help those two calm down, so we need to go before she-” 

A loud crash cut me off and made all of us jump before I spun around. A bolt of lightning crashed onto Brooklet Hill, and it was strong enough to leave a trail of smoke. I slowly turned back to the others, seeing all seven of them were staring ahead in shock. Hau and Austin were in awe though. As always. 

I motioned behind us. “Before she does that!” 

“Yeah, we should go,” Elio nervously replied before he started running towards the hill. Hau ran after him, and Gladion followed him, but shoved me forward when he was beside me. I stumbled a bit, but ran after them anyway. 

“Why is there another Totem living over there anyway? Isn’t Brooklet Hill only suitable for water types?” Alyssa asked as we ran. 

“Yeah, but the other Totem is an Araquanid. A water-bug type,” Elio replied. 

“Then where has it been before now?” Lexi asked. 

“I don’t know. We don’t live on this island,” Elio fired back. 

“Probably in another body of water,” Gladion added as he shot Lexi an annoyed look. How do I know she’s rolling her eyes?

We ran over to Brooklet Hill, and we reached the rain when we got to the Pokemon Center. It was so nice. Elio and Hau took my classmates inside the Pokemon Center to get something for the rain, so Gladion and I went ahead. He returned Zorua and pulled his hood up as well. 

I looked around the entrance of Brooklet Hill, seeing the water had risen over the bridge. The bridge was still visible, but it was practically submerged underwater. The water was almost to the gates too. I can only imagine what the rest of this place looks like. Lana stood on the other side of the pool of water though, a blue rain poncho covering most of her body as she stared out at the lower levels of the hill. 

“Hey, Lana!” Gladion called, making her turn around. 

Her eyes widened, and I saw her say something before she cupped her hands over her mouth. “What are you doing here, Hop!?” 

“I’m on a school trip!” I called back. 

“Kukui sent me here with Elio and Hau, but we ran into his class. His Dual Hero ass insisted on helping, so the other two are getting his class clothes suitable for this,” Gladion explained. 

“No! Don’t bring more people!” Lana began before another bolt of lightning burst out of the clouds and onto a lower level off the hill. Lana yelped as she scrambled back, only to sigh. She turned to us again as she motioned behind her. “That could kill someone! I need as few people as possible!” She pointed at me. “You, stay! Gladion, tell the others I told them to stay away, and one of you come back with your strongest grass, electric, and/or flying type!” 

“I’m coming back with Silvally then. No way in hell am I babysitting college kids,” Gladion replied before shoving me forward. “Don’t die.” 

“That’s the plan,” I replied. He simply nodded before spinning around and running off. 

I ran over to Lana, and she turned around to look out at the hill. When I was beside her, I saw what she was watching. Although it was far, I could see the Totem Wishiwashi firing some kind of attack at something. I saw Selene fly out of the way too before holding out her hands. A sphere of light formed between her hands before a beam blasted out of it, and hit something hard enough to cause an explosion. 

“I have no idea how that Cosmog is doing that, but we need to calm all three of them down,” Lana began before she looked up at me. “Do you have a ride pager?” 

“A what?” I asked, looking down at her. 

She sighed before looking away. “Of course.” She took out a pokeball before leading me to the next set of gates. “Lapras can carry us across the pools.” 

“I can swim on my own,” I reminded as I followed her. 

“In this weather?” 

“I’m the Hero of Blue, Lana. I can control and create water.” 

Lana stopped in her tracks before sighing. “I am so uncultured.” I couldn’t help but smile at her comment as she shook her head. “Be careful though. I’ll stay close by, but be prepared for something to attack.” 

I simply nodded as she led me down the muddy slope to the next pool. I could hear crashes and cries from the Totems and Selene mixed in with the rain, so at least I know she’s still up. When we reached the pool, I saw the rain was pelting against the water, but it was splashing too hard for it to be just rain. It’s probably just wild Pokemon. 

Lana sent out her Lapras as I asked her to hold onto my backpack. She agreed, and I thanked her before stepping into the water. I started swimming to the other end of the pool as Lana got on Lapras’ back. I tried to avoid the bigger splashes, but the ones making them didn’t have the same idea. 

“PIDER!” something screamed. 

I flinched and looked beside me, only to see something fly out from one of the splashing spots and cling onto my face! My body jerked back, but I regained my balance before grabbing the Pokemon and prying it off my face. His legs squirmed around, but I couldn’t help but adjust my grip to look at him. He was a bug with a bubble on his head. When he met my gaze though, he glared at me before blasting a beam of water at my face. My upper body jerked back, but I dropped the Pokemon. 

I steadied myself in the water, but I heard Lapras and Lana hold back a laugh. I gave them an annoyed look, which made them turn away to avoid eye contact. I rolled my eyes before the Pokemon clung onto my arm underwater and bit me. 

“Ow!” I yelled before snapping my arm up. “Stop it!” 

“Pider!” he screeched before biting my arm again. 

I flinched before grabbing him and yanking him off my arm. “I mean it! I don’t want any trouble, so just let me-” 

A Wishiwashi hit the side of my head, cutting me off. 

I flinched and clamped my mouth shut, not even trying as the Pokemon in my hands started screeching and squirming around in my grip. I simply released him, letting him chase after the Wishiwashi. So that’s what these splashes are. The Wishiwashi are having a hill-wide turf war with the Araquanid line. These must be pre-evolutions. 

“Aren’t Dual Heroes supposed to be naturals with Pokemon?” Lana teased. 

“Shush,” I scolded before turning around to continue swimming. 

“Aw. Did the Dewpider bite you too hard?” Lapras sweetly mocked. 

“Shut it!” I yelled, which only made her and Lana laugh. I rolled my eyes. “Come on! We need to get to Selene before-” 

A loud explosion cut me off. I flinched and froze in place, but looked up to see smoke rising up from further ahead while the hill shook a bit. My posture slumped as a nervous feeling slammed into me. What was…

I lifted my hands to cup around my ears, trying to hear… anything, but all I heard was the water. What did Selene do? Did she hurt herself? Or was that from the Totems? It had to have been her. The hill was shaking! What happened and why did everyone go silent?! 

“Well, that didn’t sound good,” Lana said. 

“You don’t say!” I snapped before looking out at the hill. The crashes returned, but I didn’t hear Selene. Did they hurt her, or did she use too much of the prism’s power? If she overdid it… How injured could she have gotten from overusing it? I need to get over there. I need to get Selene out of here! 

I clenched my hands into fists, making the water around me spin around to start a funnel. “Let me take care of this.” 

“Hop-” Lana began, but I ignored her. 

I had the water wrap around me entirely before using it to push myself into the air. The jet of water I made flew up, letting me see the entire hill. I looked down, seeing the bottom pool was the source of the smoke, but Wishiwashi and I guess Araquanid were still fighting. I couldn’t see any sign of Selene. 

I narrowed my eyes before directing the water jet down towards the final pool. I dove down, and when I was close enough, the two of them looked up at me.

I sharpened my glare. “Enough!” 

I crashed into the water between them, creating a wave before holding out my arms to boost the force. The waves grew enough to push both Totems to each end of the pool as I pushed my upper body out of the water. My hair stuck to my face and neck, but I ignored it as I looked between the Totems. 

“Where is Cosmog?” 

“Wouldn’t you like to know, you filthy human!” Araquanid yelled before firing a stream of bubbles at me. 

I held my glare as I held out my hand, forcing the bubbles to disperse when they got too close. I saw Araquanid’s posture slump as I had the water push me up to where only my ankles were underwater. 

“Yes. I would like to know. That’s why I asked, so I’ll ask one more time.” I clenched my hand into a fist, grabbing the water on his body before jerking my arm up to force him into the air. “Where is Cosmog?!” 

“W-Wishiwashi has it!” Araquanid nervously replied. 

I snapped my head around, only to see Wishiwashi flinch. “What!? No, I don’t! You- I just want my hill back from this insect!” 

“Then what happened to her if both of you are clueless?” I hissed. 

“We don’t know!” Wishiwashi replied. 

“This is over territory, and that little blob was intervening! It exploded-” Araquanid began. 

“And I wanted to find it, but you kept attacking me!” Wishiwashi barked. 

“Because I set up my nest here, and you’re trying to throw me out!” 

“Because this is my trial ground! Go back to your own!” 

“I can’t! That human who stole my Z-Crystals destroyed it!” 

“That doesn’t mean-” 

I swung my arms down, grabbing the water in Wishiwashi’s body to shove both of them underwater. They struggled against me, but I held them underwater for a few seconds before pulling them back up. 

“Stop it. Both of you.” I turned to Araquanid. “Where was your old trial ground?” 

“Black Sand Beach on Ula’Ula Island. There was a structure built on the water that held the trial, but that mad man had his tamed Pokemon destroy the entire thing. We stayed in the rubble because we had no power to leave, but once I got my crystals back, we found a new home here.” 

“Yeah, in my territory! My school has been here for decades!” Wishiwashi screeched. 

“And my nest has been on a completely separate island for decades! I didn’t know any Totem resided here! You sure didn’t make your presence known!” Araquanid fired back. 

“Neither did you! You just sent your Dewpiders in! We’re fine with new Pokemon coming in, but Totems? Stay on your damned island!” 

“If any island is damned, it’s this one!”

I shoved both of them back into the water to make them shut up. And I though Koraidon was petty. I took a deep breath before pulling them back up. “Both of you didn’t communicate. Both of you are at fault. Stop trying to one-up each other and come to a compromise.” I looked at Araquanid. “I can get someone to repair your old trial grounds, so once it’s fixed, you and your ‘nest’ can go back to your real trial ground.” He glared at me as I turned to Wishwashi. “Until then, he can stay here, where you two will tolerate each other.” 

Wishiwashi narrowed his eyes. “My hill isn’t to be shared.” 

“And I don’t want a human-made territory,” Araquanid added. 

“Then find a new territory,” I hissed, shooting him a glare. 

He scoffed at my reply. “You think I have to listen to you? You’re a young human. What can you do!?” 

“I’m literally controlling your body,” I reminded. 

“Oh, yeah?” he asked before firing another stream of bubbles at me. I just stared at him as I made the stream split and run past me instead of hitting me. 

Araquanid growled before I heard another burst of water. I looked over my shoulder, only to see a giant beam of water flying towards me. My eyes widened before I spun around, intending to redirect the water, but it was too close. The second I moved my arm, the water slammed into me and knocked me off balance. I crashed into the pool, only to groan in frustration before I grabbed Dartrix’s pokeball. 

“Razor Leaf!” 

I threw her ball up through the water and saw her appear above me. As I swam to the surface, I saw her look around before she started flying in a circle. Leaves flew out of her wings to strike both Totems before I pushed myself out of the water. I pushed my wet hair off my face before looking around. Still no sign of Selene. Where is she? 

“Hop!?” Lana called. 

I snapped my head around, seeing her and Gladion at the edge of the pool. Gladion had his Silvally beside him, and I saw the spikes on his head were bright yellow. He has the electric memory.  

I pointed at Silvally. “Can you find Selene’s scent?” 

“Uh, yeah? She’s a Cosmog. She reeks of Ultra Space,” Silvally replied. 

“Find her. Please,” I asked. 

“What did you do?” Gladion asked as Silvally started sniffing the air. 

“I didn’t do anything,” I began before pointing to the Totems. “They did.” 

“Yeah, because they made a god baby attack them,” Gladion grumbled before grabbing one of the pokeballs from his pocket. He sent out a Crobat before pointing to Araquanid. “Hold that thing off.” 

“Did you try talking to them?” Lana asked. 

“Yes! I offered a compromise, but they didn’t want it!” I yelled. 

“Because I’m not sharing my land with that thing!” Wishiwashi yelled, which only made Dartrix blast more leaves at him. 

“And I won’t live in a human-made nest!” Araquanid yelled, only to be shoved back by Crobat crashing into him. 

Lana sighed before stepping towards the water and holding out her hand. “Get over here, Hop.” 

“No,” Silvally began before he stepped into the water. “Stay.” 

“Silvally?” Gladion asked, but Silvally just swam over to me. 

“That Cosmog is close,” Silvally said before sniffing air again. He sighed and lowered his gaze to swat the water. “This damn water is blocking the scent!” 

“How could it-” I began before a loud screech cut me off. 

I turned around, only for my eyes to widen in horror. Dozens of Dewpiders and smaller Wishiwashis came down the waterfall. Most of them shot towards their Totem’s enemy, but some lunged towards us. 

“Bloody hell…” I breathed out. 

“Multi Attack!” Gladion called. 

“We’ll find her after we take care of these things,” Silvally said before the spikes on his head lit up. 

“But-” I began, but he lunged out of the water and away from me. I sighed before looking around. Dartrix shoved Wishiwashi underwater with Pluck, and I saw his school form disappear. The smaller Wishiwashi’s swam off, but I saw the Totem start swimming away as well. 

“I beat him!” Dartrix cheered. 

I couldn’t help but smile at her. “I knew you could. Help Gladion’s team with Araquanid!” 

Dartrix gave me a salute in response before flying towards Araquanid. As she flew, I dove underwater to chase after Wishiwashi. I can’t have him flee. If he does, this will start up again in at least a few hours. I need to drag him out so he and Araquanid can end this!

I swam after Wishiwashi, quickly catching up with him before a quick flash of white light appeared in the corner of my eye. I turned my head, only to freeze. Selene was laying on the ground of the pool, face down with the prism beside her. Oh no. 

I dove towards her while having the water push her and the prism up. I quickly wrapped my arms around her and pulled her towards me before taking the prism and swimming back up. She’s been down here for too long. She could be dead! Why did the prism leave her body!? Did the… force of the attack knock it out!? Why didn’t she just listen to me!? Why didn’t I do something to make her listen?! Why did I stop looking for her!? Arceus, I’m so stupid!

Just when I got near the surface, Dartrix crashed into the water. Araquanid beat her. My heart twisted, but I continued swimming up as I watched her body float back to the surface. I pushed myself out of the water, grabbed Dartrix’s pokeball, and returned her. I looked around the pool, only to flinch at the sight. Araquanid and dozens of Dewpiders were fighting the remaining Wishiwashis and Gladion’s Pokemon. It was chaos. 

I gulped and looked down at Dartrix’s pokeball before looking at Selene. How did Rayne do this? It’s like every battle I have, my Pokemon get hurt. Why can’t I be a better trainer for them? Why can’t I guide them better? I’m supposed to be a natural with them, yet I can’t lead them!? I can’t help them grow enough to fight without me!? How does Rayne do this!? 

Why can’t I do it? 

I gripped onto Dartrix’s pokeball before lifting it to my mouth. “Thank you…” I squeezed my eyes shut. “I’m sorry I can’t be a better trainer…” 

A bright light appeared in front of me, making me open my eyes. The prism was glowing. My eyes widened as the prism started heating up, and that heat instantly made my hand go numb. I quickly put Dartrix’s pokeball away as I let go of the prism, but it stuck to my hand. I gave the gem a scared look before it started sinking into my hand! 

“No, no, no…” I squeaked as I grabbed the other end of the prism to try and pull it out, but it was no use. 

Light ran down my arm, lighting my veins as adrenaline surged through me. The energy started at my arm and spread through my body within seconds, and although it was warm at first, it left a soothing chill that kept my body cold. This rush left me on high alert though. For the first time in months, I was wide awake, but I could feel almost every part of my body shaking. There was so much… energy in my system that it felt electric. The sounds around me enhanced, leaving my ears pounding with each crash of water or burst from the various attacks being fired. My breaths felt like sandpaper against my throat, but my lungs felt compressed. My heart felt like it was going to break my ribs with how fast and hard it was beating. And my head. The headache this gave me left my head pounding so much, it felt heavy. My head didn’t feel like it was attached to my body, but I felt every shock of pain this prism gave me. The sounds and sights and movements around me didn’t help. My body was screaming at me to move, but the thought of moving made my stomach start twisting, but staying still only made the zaps of pain and energy more noticeable. I want to get out of my own skin. I want everyone to shut up. I want all of this to stop!

I lifted my shaking hands to grab my wet hair as I squeezed my eyes shut. “STOP!” 

Some kind of energy burst out of me. It stayed around me, and just hearing it snap across my skin and water told me exactly what it was. I slowly opened my eyes, watching as the electricity I unintentionally released shot across the water and struck everything in its path. Knocking out the Wishiwashis, Dewpiders, and even Araquanid instantly. I saw Gladion grab Lana and spin around so his back was to the attack, and I didn’t process that they were still here fast enough. I held out my hand, trying to stop it, but the electricity hit Gladion and shoved him and Lana down. 

Just as he was pushed down, the electricity snapping around me popped right by my ears, making me wince. I clamped my hands over my ears as I squeezed my eyes shut, but that didn’t make the snaps quieter. How do I make it stop?! I wanted silence, but I made it worse! The electricity was snapping against my skin, popping by my ears, and making the pain surging through me hurt even more. Everything hurts, and I don’t know how much longer I can take it, but I have no idea how to make it stop! How do I get this thing out of me?! 

A soothing warmth appeared on my right wrist. I slowly opened my eyes, only to see a dark void around me. Someone stood in front of me on the now inky water. Someone wearing a white dress stained by the water. I slowly lifted my head, seeing the ghostly pale woman wrapped in the God Calmer chains. She looked down at me with a blank look before holding her hand towards me. I shakily removed my hand from my head and reached for her, only to see Eleanor’s bracelet was glowing. Either way, the electricity snapping around me made my body feel stiff. The woman stayed still though. Patiently waiting as I reached for her. But when I grabbed my hand, the electricity around me started burning. 

I cried out as I tried ripping my hand out of her grip, but she only clutched onto my hand. No matter how hard pulled, she stayed still as the burning took over my entire body. Tears streamed down my face as I tried yanking my arm free, but she just stared down at me with the most empty look I’ve ever seen. Just as the heat started whiting out my vision though, she knelt down in front of me. 

“I’m sorry. I don’t want to hurt you. But if you can withstand Necrozma’s power for even a little… You’re the only one who stands a chance against him.” 

“Who!? Necrozma’s dead!” I choked out as I grabbed my arm and tried to pull it free from her vise-like grip. 

“Ink. My partner,” the woman softly replied. 

My eyes widened, but before I could say anything, the colors swirling around her iris’ became a blinding white. I squeezed my eyes shut, but the light from her eyes flooded my vision as heat surged through my body and made everything fade away.   

~

I woke up somewhere I’ve never been. It was dark, but the ground below me had lines of light. However… I wasn’t in control. The shocks running through my body stayed, but my skin was ghostly white and I used some kind of silver scepter to stay up. Whatever this is… I’m seeing this through her eyes. 

She shakily lifted her head, revealing Ink and Phyco standing in front of her. Phyco was holding one of those thin bazookas that held the God Calmers. 

“What is going on with you, Ink?! We’re supposed to be a team! Why are you fighting me?! Why are you turning on me?! On Megalion?!” 

Ink scoffed and shook his head before stepping towards her. “We were never a team. Necrozma only wanted you. He only made me to match a blueprint. I’m done being cast aside for you. Megalion is MINE! I will be its sole leader, and I don’t need a spineless wench trying to act as my equal.” He stopped in front of the woman. “I’m done with you, and Necrozma can’t do anything to stop me from getting rid of you forever. After all, this kingdom already hates you.” 

“Because you made them think I’m a monster. You made them think everything threatening your status is a monster when it’s you-”

“Shut up,” Ink hissed. “You have no room to even speak to me.” 

The woman gripped onto her scepter. “You won’t get away with this.” 

Ink gave her an amused look. “Oh, my sweet little Gleam.” He grabbed her chin and yanked her forward to give her a deadly glare. “I already have.” 

With that, he threw her back, causing her to plummet down, revealing they were on the roof of a tower. Gleam held her scepter up, revealing it was actually a spear. The blade of the spear looked like a pink diamond, and there were three more of those spear heads at the base of the main one that were aimed down. However, when she held out her spear, the three attached to the base burst off, revealing silver chains holding them down. The spearheads shot towards the tower and dug into the edge of the roof. Gleam gripped onto her spear as she stopped falling, but as the chains started to retract and pulled her up, Phyco and Ink stepped towards the edge of the roof. Phyco pointed his weapon at her before firing more black chains at her. The chains clung onto her and sent more shocks onto us. 

She cried out as Ink knelt down to rip the spearheads off the roof. When he took the last one out, he stood up with it in his hands. “You’ll never beat me, Gleam. No one will. This world is mine, and once I have the Prism of Infinity, no one will ever defy me again.” 

He released the spearhead, sending her back down. This time, however, she didn’t try to save herself. The shocks from the chains had almost numbed everything, but I could feel something burning in her chest. 

Before she hit the ground, Gleam held out her hand. White light formed against her palm, and that light made every light around us twist. 

“The truth of what you did will come out. You can live in the dark all you want, but the light will always come back. And when it does, I will be there to set things right. You will not get away with this!” 

With that, her body hit the ground, and the light in her hand shattered away. 

~

Electricity coursed through me and clouded my vision with light. Although light was snapping across my vision, I saw Eleanor’s spirit gripping onto my hand as she pulled me forward, but my body wasn’t moving. The energy inside me was. It was running to my arm, causing my veins to pulse with light while my arm throbbed. 

Eleanor’s gaze met mine before she gave me a tight smile. “Hi, sweetie. Just relax. We’ll get this out and back into your little goddess.” 

I could only stare at her through the tears, electricity, and rain as she yanked my arm forward, but my body didn’t move. Every last bit of energy flooded to my arm, numbing it out as the entire limb was coated in light. The pain in the rest of my body somehow got worse though. I squeezed my eyes shut as a pained groan slipped out, but didn’t fight against it. Eleanor kept pulling, and I saw the light grow. I could feel the prism forming on my palm though. 

Although I couldn’t see her, I could feel Eleanor grab the prism and start to pull it out. Her attempt made an unbearable heat engulf my arm as the throbbing and twisting across my body grew. My eyes snapped open before a scream ripped out of my throat. I clutched onto the prism as Eleanor pulled, trying to make the pain stop, but she kept pulling. She was saying something. What was she saying? All I could hear was the electricity around me. So much was happening to my body, and I just wanted it to stop! 

But then it did. Eleanor pulled the prism out, sucking all of the energy out of my body. The light faded from my vision as hot spikes of pain ran through my body. It was so bad, my body went numb. All I felt was the weight of my head as my vision went black. My body fell back, but when I hit the water, I was out.

Chapter Text

Ringing filled my ears as my senses slowly started returning. There were voices around me, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. The rain was gone though. I forced my eyes open, seeing Gladion and Lana beside me, but Selene was floating above me. She’s ok… 

My eyes snapped open as Selene perked up. “Cos!” 

Lana and Gladion looked down at me before Lana sighed in relief. Gladion, however, glared at me before he grabbed my collar and yanked me up. “Are you out of your goddamn mind!?” I winced as his voice seemingly dug into my head. That, and him pulling me up made my head rattle. “Why did- What the hell was that!?” 

“Gladion, calm down!” Lana begged as she gently grabbed his arm. 

He yanked his arm out of her grip, releasing part of my collar in the process. “Don’t touch me!” His gaze snapped back to mine as he grabbed my soaked shirt again. “I thought Rayne was reckless, but THIS!?” 

I winced at his tone again. “It would help if I knew what you were talking about!” 

“Oh, so you don’t remember going all god form on a fucking Araquanid!? How did you even get thunder powers!?” 

“From that bloody prism! It somehow left Selene and went into me!” My expression softened before I looked at Selene. “How did you-”

“Lady Eleanor,” Lana said before looking past me. “She… appeared. She ripped it out of you and gave it back to Cosmog. She then pulled you out of the water and sang some sort of… ancient song. Cosmog woke up by then, and Lady Eleanor left.” 

“She thanked them for helping you and ‘little red’ too,” Silvally added. 

I stared at them, processing their words and what I remembered. Eleanor healed the damage the prism left, so that’s why it's only my usual headache that's still here, but… There was another woman before her. Gleam. Ink’s partner. The fallen queen of Megalion who the Ultra Beasts like. And… She showed me how she died. She was the first one Ink used the chains on, and he killed her because he hated how Necrozma favored her. Because he followed Eleanor and Julian’s blueprint. A seemingly pure and innocent woman who’s loved by her kingdom, and a seemingly cruel and heartless man who’s hated by his kingdom. That’s not who Eleanor and Julian are though. Eleanor isn’t a saint who can do no wrong. She’s a loving person, yes, but she was only ‘innocent’ because she couldn’t speak until she met Julian because of Arceus, so no one could listen to her unless she sang. Julian is only heartless because he was abused by his family because of the huge temper Arceus gave him. He only had faith in good people existing because Eliot cared about him. Which is why Eliot is so important. He kept Julian from becoming a heartless demon. Julian had something to fight for, which is what made him so dangerous. He didn’t give a damn about anyone except Eleanor, Eliot, and later his daughter. That’s where Necrozma screwed up. 

He made a Julian without an Eliot or Eleanor.

“Pider!” something screeched, snapping me out of my thoughts before something clung to the back of my head. 

I jerked forward as Gladion released me, but I reached back to grab whatever was clung onto my head. A Dewpider. Wait… This is the one that attacked my face earlier! 

Dewpider glared at me and crossed his front legs. “Pider pi pider. Pi pider pider pi.” He held out his legs and made a sort of grabbing motion. “Pi pi!” 

Silvally snorted. “He wants to go with you.” 

I gave Silvally a confused look before bringing it to Dewpider. “Excuse me?” 

He lowered his legs and nodded. “Pider pider dewpi pider. Dew dew pider pi.” 

“He said he doesn’t like that you beat up his leader, but likes that you’re a strong human, so he wants to train with you,” Silvally translated as he tried not to laugh. 

My expression dropped. “Are you serious?” 

“Pider!” he yelled before swinging himself out of my grip and back onto my face. 

I flinched, but sighed. “Ok?” If that’s what he wants? I think it’s best if I just go with this. It’s the least absurd thing I’ve witnessed today. 

I pulled him off my face before taking my backpack from Lana. I caught Dewpider, and once I put his pokeball away, I stood up and looked around. The rain stopped, and to my surprise, Wishiwashi and Araquanid were talking. 

I gave them a confused look. “How long was I out?!” 

The two Totems looked at me before Araquanid cleared his throat. “I… see you’re up.” 

“Uh… yeah. I… Sorry,” I awkwardly replied. 

Araquanid shook his head. “It’s fine.” 

“But… We did what you asked,” Wishiwashi began. “He’ll move his nest back to Ula’Ula as long as you get your human folk to rebuild the original trial grounds, and I will let him stay here until it’s done.” 

I looked between them, my expression growing more confused. “I… You… Not that I’m complaining, but… Why?” 

“Our queen is fond of you,” Araquanid simply replied. 

“That, and she yelled at them,” a smaller Wishiwashi sweetly added, causing the two Totems to look away. 

I looked between them before a smile crept onto my lips. Yeah. That adds up.  

Gladion grabbed my shoulder and forced me to face him. I flinched as he sharpened his glare. “Whatever the hell you just did, never do it again.” 

“It’s not like I plan this. Why do you care anyway? You don’t like me,” I reminded. 

“Yeah, well Rayne and Lillie do, so don’t pull this shit!” Gladion barked before shoving me back. He tried saying something else, but ended up sighing and shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets. “I’m out of here. Get your Z-Crystal or whatever.” 

I frowned, but didn’t stop him as he and Silvally made their way to the destroyed gates. I don’t know much about him, but I know he’s still dealing with a lot of unresolved trauma. I guess what happened triggered something. I have no right to assume or judge his pace of recovery, but I’m starting to think it wasn’t just Lusamine who hurt him. Especially since he’s working, or interning, at Aether. It’s not my place to ask though. He’s Rayne’s friend, not mine.   

Lana cleared her throat, bringing my attention back to her. “Well, uh… Your Dartrix did beat my Totem, and you sort of saved Brooklet Hill with only minor damage, so…” Lana held up her hand, showing me a Water Z-Crystal. “Here you go, I guess.” 

My frown deepened. “Are you sure?” 

Lana nodded. “You’re an Island Challenger, entered the actual trial grounds, didn’t break any rules, and had your Pokemon fight the Totem. That’s all the requirements I need to give this to you.” 

I stared at the crystal before hesitantly taking it. “Thank you…” 

Lana nodded as she lowered her hand. “The dance is kinda silly, but it’s easy.” 

I lifted my gaze to her, and she showed me the dance for it. It was kinda cheesy, but Z-Move dances were all silly. I can’t embarrass myself more than I already have. 

Lana turned to the broken gates as I put the Z-Crystal on my Z-Ring. “I’ll have to call Kukui to get new gates, but it’s fine.” 

“I can ask him. I have to call him about Araquanid’s trial ground anyway,” I replied before looking at her. “Do you need any help cleaning up?” 

“I got it. You got them to calm down and stop the rain. Thank you, really, but enjoy your school trip. I can cover this. But, if you’re already calling Kukui, go ahead and ask him to send me a new gate,” Lana explained.

My expression fell. “Ok…” 

I don’t want to go back though. Alyssa will demand to know if I’m ok, Lexi will call me a tosser or a baby, and… I want to help Lana. I’m the one who broke the gate just like I caused the stage in Iki Town to break. Why is everyone here insisting that I don’t need to help when I want to fix the damage I caused? 

I turned around though and made my way to the broken gates. As I walked back up to the top of the hill, I took out my phone and went to Professor Kukui’s number. Which also made me realize Professor Burnet didn’t give us her contact information. Either way, I clicked ‘call’ before putting the phone to my ear. 

The line rang twice before it clicked. “Hey, Hop. Is something wrong?” 

“No, but…” I began before looking back at the gates. “I need a few favors.” 

~

Professor Kukui agreed to help out after I told him about both situations brought up in Brooklet Hill. He’d get a new trail gate made and delivered for Lana, and send someone to rebuild the Bug Trial spot on Ula’Ula Island. I thanked him, but he just thanked me for telling him. Knowing this would get fixed did make me feel better though. Although my head still hurt and my arm had the faint feeling of pins and needles, I had a feeling everything would get better. 

When I got back to the Pokemon Center, the others (minus Lexi) were relieved I wasn’t dead, and when Alyssa started demanding if I was out of my mind, I went over to Nurse Joy to get my Pokemon healed. I got them back within a couple minutes, and I let them out to meet Dewpider. Who immediately started chasing Rockruff. 

I sighed in defeat after failing to stop either of them before Silvally joined the chase. Selene flew after them, which made Dubwool lightly laugh, but I noticed Dartrix wasn’t joining the chaos. She’s usually all for it. 

I looked over my shoulder, seeing Dubwool watching the others, but Dartrix was still standing beside him with her head down. I gave her a worried look before crouching in front of her. “Hey.” I placed my hand on her head. “What’s wrong?” 

She whined and swatted my hand away. “You know what! I can’t do anything right!” 

Worry spiked up inside me as she turned around and tried marching off. I picked her up before she could, which made her whine again as she started squirming around in my grip. I just shifted around to sit down and put her in my lap. “Hey.” I gently cupped her face so she’d look at me, and I saw tears were running down her face. I frowned and wiped a few of them away. “What are you talking about?” 

“The stupid Totems! I can’t beat them!” she choked out before hiding her face against her wings. “I can’t even beat a water-bug type… I’m the worst battler imaginable!” 

My frown deepened before I gently pulled her wings away from her face. “No, you’re not. You’re still new, and you beat Wishiwashi. The actual Totem. That, and you’re weak to bug types, remember?” 

“But I have moves strong against them! I should’ve been able to beat him!” Dartrix snapped. 

“And I have coverage for fighting types, but that doesn’t mean I won’t faint to a Close Combat,” Dubwool reminded. 

Dartrix frowned before lowering her head. “Still… I can’t beat anyone, so I’m not battling anymore! All I do is lose anyway.” 

I felt my heart twist at her words, but I lifted my hand to stroke her head. “Is that what you want?” 

She nodded as she laid her head against my chest. “I don’t want to disappoint you…” 

“You aren’t. I’ll always see you for your accomplishments and not your losses. We all screw up. I won’t see you any differently just because you lost. I’m the one who isn’t leading you properly, so-”

“No!” Dartrix whined before looking up at me. “You didn’t do anything! I’m the one who can’t battle!” 

My frown deepened, which made her copy my look before she stepped closer to me to hug me. I sighed, but hugged her back. “I know you’re frustrated, but blaming yourself won’t fix anything. We can find a way to get better, but if you don’t want to battle anymore, I won’t force you to.” 

Dartrix didn’t say anything, but tightened her grip around me. I took a deep breath, but didn’t say anything else. I’ll do what she asks, but I know she wants to battle. She’s just in a slump. I’ll let her clear her head before we find a way for her to win. It may be evolution, it may be a new strategy. We’ll figure it out when she’s ready. 

The rest of the day was luckily uneventful. We made it back to Heahea City before nightfall, did some shopping for Lexi, then grabbed dinner before heading to the hotel. I may have bought more books upon impulse, but Austin bought a bunch of toys and snacks for his Pokemon on impulse, so I didn’t feel as bad. Dewpider did force me to buy him a ball though. By continuously throwing it at me until I bought it. He and Rockruff started playing with it for the rest of the night, and a few other Pokemon joined in. Plus, Lexi’s dislike of bugs got her to stay away from Dewpider and me, so that made the night better. 

After dinner, the boys and I did our usual night routine. Austin did comment that the hotel was exactly the same as the Pokemon Center, and I’m glad he agrees. What a waste of two grand. Our Pokemon did like the extra space though, and we still went to bed at a decent time. Well, Xavier and Austin did. I stayed up until around midnight before falling asleep. Where my nightmare took me though…  

I remember this room.

The room in Area Zero where Professor Turo made the time machine. Except now, both he and Professor Sada laid on the floor, ripped apart and covered in crystals. They’re both robots here. 

Two kids stood between the broken robots as someone in dark clothes stepped towards them. A boy and a girl. The boy was in the Naruva uniform, but the girl had on an orange variant. They stepped back, the girl nervously glancing at the boy as he stared their opponent down. 

The man in dark clothes chuckled. Ink. “No need to be scared. I did you a favor.” He held out his arms. “Your enemy is gone because of me.” 

“Y-you killed them,” the girl squeaked. 

“They were already dead. These robots allowed them to cheat death. If you cannot fulfill your desires before you die, you’ve lost your chance. It’s better this way,” Ink explained. 

The girl quickly shook her head as tears ran down her face. “They… No! We could’ve saved them! We know what happened to them now, and- and we could’ve… We were going to save them!” 

Ink snorted. “Save them? They transferred their own minds to robots. You were never going to save them.” He hitched his thumb behind him. “Especially with that.”  

The girl clenched her hands into fists. “You have no right to insult their work. You’re not even supposed to be here, and I’ll make sure you never see us again!” 

“How? You think you can rewind the clock with that pathetic excuse of a machine?” 

“I don’t need a machine. We know what happens now, and I’ll prevent all of this. With my own abilities.” 

Ink’s posture relaxed as the color drained from the boy’s face. “Don’t use it…” 

“Time travel…” Ink breathed out. 

The girl’s body was engulfed by a red aura, but before she could do anything, the boy shot towards her. “DON’T USE IT!” 

The girl turned towards the boy as the red aura faded, but just as she did, Ink snapped his arm up as black electricity snapped across his hand. 

“Stay out of this!” 

Electricity shot past his fingertips and struck the boy. The bolts snapped across the room, sending streaks of light across my field of vision before one of them hit me. The scene went black, only for a figure of light to appear in the center of the darkness.

Gleam.

She was like an embodiment of light. She lifted her head to meet my gaze before holding out her hand. “Please.” The light coating her hand grew. “He mustn’t get away with this.” 

For some reason, I reached for her hand, but when I got closer to grabbing that light, it grew into a blinding light. Before I could even take her hand, the light washed the scene away. 

Why does she always reach for me? 

I’ve seen Gleam three times now, and every time, she’s reached for me. The one time I actually grabbed her hand, she electrocuted me and showed me how she died. Does she want to show me more, or is she trying to do something? She’s clearly asking me to stop Ink, and claims she doesn’t want to hurt me, but… she still did. What is she getting from this? Why is she doing this? How is she even doing this? She’s from an alternate dimension. How is she contacting me?! 

“What are you doing on the floor?” Xavier sleepily asked.

I narrowed my eyes as I stared at the fan above us. Specifically the lightbulb attached to it. “How can a dead being from an alternate dimension contact me?” 

“What?” Dubwool softly asked. 

“Cosmog,” Selene added. 

Xavier poked his head into my field of vision, giving me the most confused look I’ve seen from him. “Are you high?” 

“At least he didn’t draw on the wall,” Arcanine grumbled from somewhere. 

“Yeah. That’s why this is concerning,” Xavier said. 

I turned my head to the wall, seeing it was just as we left it. No blanket, no furniture moved. Nothing. Well, that’s a first. Was this not important then? No, it must’ve been. This was something with Ink. Whoever those kids were… They’re two of his victims. But why did I see it?How did I see it? And why did the boy tell the girl to not use her time travel abilities? Can Ink actually steal powers? No. There’s no way Ink would let them get away, so they must be two of the people he stole DNA from. If he had the ability to take powers, he’d take that girl’s time travel powers, and our world would cease to exist if he had those. 

Oh, I’m screwed, aren’t I? 

Still, this has to be telling me something. I wouldn’t see it if it wasn’t important. Right!? Maybe the kids are important. The girl has the ability to travel through time, so… I need to talk to Professor Burnet. 

I sat up and pushed myself to my feet. “I’m running a quick errand. I’ll be back.” 

“Uh, ok? Where are you-” Xavier began. 

“Professor Burnet’s lab. I’ll be right down the street. I just have a few questions,” I quickly replied as I grabbed my backpack and slung it over my shoulder. “Come on, guys.” 

“Cosmog!” Selene cheered before flying past me. 

“Are you sure you-” Xavier began. 

“Yep!” I called before pushing the door open. 

My team and I ran through the halls of the hotel on my lead. We ran down the street to the complex Professor Burnet’s lab was in. I shoved the front door open before we rushed up the stairs to the second floor. 

I grabbed the doorknob and swung it open. “Where’s the professor!?”

A couple workers flinched while Professor Burnet’s entire staff turned to me. Xurkitree hissed at me from the ceiling, but Professor Burnet poked her head out from behind the wall separating the lab from the small entryway. 

“What happened? Did someone die?” 

“No, but I need to ask you a few things regarding that chain and the beings tied to it,” I replied as I walked in, prompting my Pokemon to follow me. 

Xurkitree screeched before scrambling to the corner of the room, which made all the workers flinch and quickly get away from him. I gave him a confused look, and heard Rockruff yelp behind me, but when I heard Silvally huff, it clicked. 

I rolled my eyes. “Silvally won’t hurt you, Xurkitree.” 

“The last one did!” Xurkitree shrieked. 

“This one won’t,” I replied as Professor Burnet approached me. 

“Ignore him. What’s up?” 

“Can you see what region those people were from?” I asked.

Professor Burnet stared at me before giving me an annoyed look. “Yeah, I’ll just pull it up with their mother’s maiden name and banking information. No, I can’t see what region they’re from!” I threw my head back. “They’re from alternate dimensions! Our regions may not even exist in their home worlds!” 

“Ok, but we have a counterpart for all of them, right?” I asked as I met her gaze again. 

“All but one, yeah,” she replied.

I gave her a confused look. “Who?” 

“I don’t know. Some kid named… Flounder?” 

“Florian!” a worker called. 

“Yeah. That kid. He was from the same dimension as the last Rayne clone. Juliana, I think? World 182019?” the professor asked. She remembers the number, but not the actual names? 

But Juliana and Florian… Every Dual Hero variant who isn’t a copy of Rayne in some way is someone we know. The color quartet, Gold, Kris, Silver, Brendan, Lucas, Hilbert, N, Calem, Elio, and Victor. There’s someone from every region except Paldea. If they were people captured, which they should be since I saw them, they should be Juliana and Florian since they’re clearly from Paldea. But why does this matter? Why should these two matter to me? Sure, I know these names now, but what else? Florian freaked out about Juliana using her powers, and Ink seemed frustrated that Florian stopped him, but… If Ink can steal powers, why didn’t he take them? Does the power have to be used for him to take it? Is that what this vision was telling me?

“Hop!” Professor Burnet yelled, making me flinch. I snapped my gaze back to hers, seeing her sigh as she stepped closer to me. “Ok, whatever this is about is clearly confusing as hell and has no clear answer. You know what I say to things that are confusing and have no answer?” I slowly shook my head. Professor Burnet grabbed my face and pulled me down to her eye level. “They aren’t worth freaking out over!” I flinched at her tone, but didn’t dare say anything back. “If you cannot find an answer or another clue, don’t think about it. There’s a lot going on in your little world, so keep your Ducklets in a row and relax.”

“What did you discover to prompt this reaction anyway?” another worker asked. 

“It… It’s hard to explain,” I simply replied. 

Professor Burnet stepped back and let me go, letting me relax as she slipped her hands into her coat pockets. “Well…” She turned her head to her left before meeting my gaze. “Did you catch that Ultra Beast from Ten Carat Hill?” 

“Uh, no, but she’s following me,” I replied. 

Professor Burnet tilted her head as she gave me a suspicious look. “Why?” 

“To alert other Ultra Beasts to help me if I’m in trouble,” I replied. 

The professor’s expression slowly lit up before she gave me a wide smile. “Hop Morada, you mad man…” I couldn’t help but smile as she crossed her arms. “Bring her in then. I want to examine her before you run off.” 

“Ok?” I asked as Selene flew over to the window. 

I turned around to watch her push the window open before she flew out a bit. “Cosmog!” 

Pheromosa flew down to Selene from probably the roof. “Yes?” 

Selene motioned inside. “Cos cos!” 

Pheromosa looked inside before tilting her head. “What is this?” 

“They want to know a bit about you. Can you come in?” I asked. 

Pheromosa scanned over the room before she slowly flew inside. “I suppose…” She landed in front of me as Selene flew after her. She looked up. “Why is there a Xurkitree here?” 

“To steal my energy! But their recharging methods are outstanding!” Xurkitree yelled. 

“Oh, my. How so?” Pheromosa asked as Professor Burnet started circling Pheromosa. 

Xurkitree climbed across the ceiling to be above us, grabbing something on his way over, and leaned down to Pheromosa’s eye level. He held the object towards her, revealing his Beast Ball. “They contain me in this tiny orb, but it has a small nest inside. They put this orb on one of their machineries, and that sends electricity to me.”

“Woah…” Pheromosa muttered before gently touching the ball. “Immaculate…” 

“There’s also physicalized formulas for the other beasts and creatures of this world, but I cannot consume them. These people are much wiser than the head Creator’s creatures,” Xurkitree added. 

“What are they saying?” Professor Burnet asked me. 

“That we’re more advanced than the people in their world?” I guessed. 

Xurkitree looked at the professor before turning back to Pheromosa. “She’s a strange one though.” 

Pheromosa nodded as Professor Burnet turned to her workers. “Bryant, are there any files on the Kane experiment that are close to this one?” 

“I’ll look,” I assume Bryant replied before spinning around in his chair to face the giant screen at the back of the room. 

I gave Professor Burnet a confused look. “Kane experiment?” 

She nodded as she watched Bryant open some kind of program. “In 2005, Professor Kane, who was Lusamine’s husband, was able to open a wormhole on his own for the first time. This messed with Ultra Space though, and sucked a few Ultra Beasts onto Poni Island. Professor Kane and his partner were able to get data on most of them, but the IP contained the beasts and forced them to sign NDAs over their existence to prevent hysteria. After Aether’s secret lab was shut down last year, the IP allowed Aether to share the files with us, but we only have texts of data. No images were produced of the other Ultra Beasts they found that Rayne didn’t contain.” 

My eyes widened. “Wait, so you have data on the rest of the unknown Ultra Beasts?” 

“On the ones Kane and Rayne found, yeah,” Professor Burnet replied. 

A smile rose to my lips before I slung my backpack around my shoulder to unzip it. “You are amazing.” 

“I know, but you’ll have to be more specific.” 

“Pheromosa here was assigned to… in short, alert other Ultra Beasts to help me if I’m in trouble. Any one of them could show up, so Lusamine got the Ultra Recon Squad to talk.” I pulled out the folder with the Ultra Beast data and handed it to Professor Burnet. “I went through it, and only five of them are unknown to Lillie.” 

Professor Burnet’s jaw dropped before she carefully took the folder. “You are the best person to ever exist.” I gave her an amused look as she hugged the folder and met my gaze. “Can I keep this?” 

“No, but you can make a copy,” I replied. 

Professor Burnet squealed in delight before taking her phone out of her pocket. 

Just as she opened the folder though, Bryant looked at us. “I think I have a match.” 

“Read it off,” Professor Burnet instructed as she started taking pictures of the pages. 

“UB-02 Beauty. Code Pheromosa95172017,” Bryant began. “It was the first Ultra Beast contained in the 2005 cleanse. The one that was found was outside Vast Poni Canyon, and was able to break part of it to attack Professor Kane and Professor Achroma, so it was physically very strong. It was notably fast too. However, it’s reported that UB-Beauty’s defense seemed low considering it was knocked out with a single fire type move. The physical description is very similar to this Ultra Beast. White, unnervingly thin body, transparent hair. I think this is our beast.” 

Professor Burnet stepped closer to the computer before looking at the folder. I watched as she flipped through it and started pacing behind Bryant. “The Slim Protectors… Same genetic build as the Bulky Protectors, so they’re bug-fighting types like Buzzwoles. It says that they can destroy anything they touch, and can dodge almost any attack, but that if they’re hit by anything, they’re done for. It looks like they hit hard and fast, but have a very frail defense.” 

“Sounds like a match,” Bryant added as the deja vu clicked. I’ve heard this already. 

Professor Burnet looked up at the projection. “The IP calls it UB-Beauty, but their actual name… Pheromosa…” She looked back at the folder. “Fascinating…” 

“For once, I agree with the Ultra Beast: You are strange,” Silvally said. I bit back a smile as Dewpider voiced his agreement. 

“This probably isn’t news to you though,” Professor Burnet began before closing the folder. “Let me make a copy of this, and we’ll run through the data.” 

“I’d love to,” I began before my phone went off and flew in front of me. I looked at the screen and winced, seeing a message from Xavier. “But I kinda told my class I was running a quick errand, and-”

“You can’t be left alone. I know,” Professor Burnet complained before narrowing her eyes. “Willow made that very clear in his emails. Ok, uh… Can I get a DNA sample from Pheromosa before you go?” 

Pheromosa and I looked at each other before she lifted her gaze to Xurkitree. “Can I trust her with my DNA?” 

“Yeah. It’s for examination. They haven’t used it against us yet, so I simply accepted it,” Xurkitree replied before crawling back to the center of the ceiling.  

“Alright,” Pheromosa replied. 

I turned to the professor. “She agrees.”

Professor Burnet smiled. “Great.” She pointed the folder at me. “I’ll tell you if I find any connections though. I know for a fact Pheromosa isn’t our only unknown Ultra Beast.” 

A gentle smile rose to my lips. “Thank you, professor.”

Chapter Text

Although I didn’t want to leave, I led my Pokemon out of Professor Burnet’s lab once she returned Pheromosa and the Aether files to me. Rockruff ran out the second I opened the door, and I had to run after him to catch him and ask what was wrong. He didn’t tell me, but let me carry him back to calm him down. I think Xurkitree scared him. 

I don’t like how I didn’t get any answers regarding that vision, but I should listen to Professor Burnet. If I come to a dead end with visions, I shouldn’t assume anything. I just have a feeling those two are Juliana and Florian, and that their vision was trying to tell me something. At least I learned a bit about Aether, but what’s an event from 2005 going to tell me? And speaking of the IP, why hasn’t someone gotten in contact with me? You’d think two major Ultra Beast appearances would garner their attention, and I know those phone stalkers know I’m here. Are they purposefully avoiding me? Does Zero hate me that much? Probably. I did indirectly call him stupid.  

When I got back to the hotel, I actually got ready for the day before the three of us met the girls in the dining hall. Rockruff had calmed down by then as well, so he settled on walking with my other Pokemon. 

“Isn’t this much nicer?” Lexi asked once she and Alyssa sat down at the table Austin, Xavier, and I were at with our Pokemon.  

“It’s the same as a Pokemon Center. It just costs money,” Austin replied. 

“The room’s are bigger though,” Brionne reminded. 

“We still huddled around the bundle of warmth named Dubwool,” Torracat replied. 

“Pider,” Dewpider cooed before leaning against Dubwool. Rockruff copied his actions, which made Dubwool smile. I saw Dartrix give them a small smile too. 

Lexi rolled her eyes at Austin’s comment though. “Of course you’d say that…” 

“Oh, I’m so sorry I have no standards as a broke college kid. May I remind you that Hop paid for the entire thing?” Austin asked. 

“Guys, don’t. I don’t care, and it’s too early for this,” I replied. 

“Yeah. We tried it, and a majority of us don’t see a difference other than money, so let’s just stay at Pokemon Centers. It won’t kill us,” Xavier added. 

Lexi gave him an annoyed look. “Seriously?” 

“They have a point. There really isn’t a difference, and… I feel bad for making Hop pay,” Alyssa added. 

“Don’t. I’m close with two of the wealthiest people alive. It’s ok,” I assured. 

“Yeah, so he can pay for a hotel every-” Lexi began. 

“No. I still prefer Pokemon Centers,” I interrupted before holding up my coffee. “The coffee is better there too.” Lexi gave me an annoyed look, but didn’t fight back. 

Other than that failed argument, the first half of our day went pretty well. After we checked out, we made our way to Royal Avenue. I kept my focus on Dewpider to make sure he was getting along with the others. He tried chasing Rockruff again, so Silvally had to catch him to keep the peace. I saw Dartrix start to move from Dubwool’s back when he first started chasing Rockruff, but she stopped. I know what she’s thinking, but I can’t help but be worried. When I took Dewpider from Silvally and put him on my shoulder as a sort of time out, I ran my hand over Dartrix’s head. She flinched a bit, but didn’t push me away.  

When we got to Royal Avenue, Alyssa made a beeline for the small flower display. The four of us were surprised with how small it was, but Alyssa expected it and got a close up photo of some wild Cutieflys with the flowers. 

As Alyssa took her pictures, Austin looked at Oricorio. “Ready to get a new form?” 

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” she replied before flying off his shoulder. 

We watched as she flew towards the flowers before dipping her beak into one of them. Within seconds, her body was coated in white light and morphed into a new form. The light burst away, revealing her now pink and white feathers. 

“Aw. She’s so cute now,” Lexi cooed as Oricorio examined her new form. 

She shrugged. “I like my Pom Pom form better.” She flew back to Austin’s shoulder and sat down. “Pa’u will do though.” 

“Pa’u?” I asked. 

“Yeah. That’s the official name of that form,” Alyssa replied, motioning her camera towards Oricorio. 

“The forms are Pom Pom, Pa’u, Baile, and… Sensu, right?” Austin asked Oricorio. She nodded. “Yes! I remember!” 

“Wait, have you actually been working on your report?” Xavier asked. 

Austin snorted, giving him an amused look. “No.” 

“He knows the form names. There’s some progress,” I teased. 

“Yeah!” Austin added before looking at the flowers. “I should get a jar of this stuff though.” He looked at Alyssa. “Do you have another one I can borrow?” 

“No, but you can probably buy one at the Pokemon Center,” Alyssa replied before looking over. “Or at that shop.” The four of us followed her gaze, seeing a store at the end of town. Thrifty Mart. 

“Ooo. Let’s check it out,” Austin said. 

“Sure. Why not?” Lexi asked before she started walking. 

I looked at my Pokemon as the others started following her, only to see Dartrix staring at something. I followed her gaze seeing she was staring at some kind of stadium. The Battle Royal, if I remember correctly. Rayne mentioned it.  

I looked at Dartrix. “Do you want to enter?” 

She flinched and looked at me. “What?” 

I nodded towards the stadium. “The Battle Royal.” 

Dubwool looked over at the stadium as Dartrix glanced at it. “N-no.” 

I gave her an amused look. “Are you sure?” 

“Yes,” she replied before turning her head away from me. “We already have plans, and… It’ll just be a waste of time. I don’t want to battle anyway.” 

I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t let go of my smile as I turned away to follow my classmates. “Ok. If that’s what you want. Come on, guys.” 

We spent a couple minutes in the Thrifty Mart. It was a typical convenience store, but I still bought some snacks for the road. Even bribery for Selene whenever it was needed. Austin found a jar for the nectar though, along with Alolan Eggecutor pens. He bought twenty because they were on sale for 50 dollars. Lexi called him stupid, so Xavier and I each took five to back him up. Even Alyssa took one. 

With our shopping done though, we went back to the flowers so Austin could get some nectar, and I asked Dartrix one more time if she was sure about not wanting to challenge the Battle Royal. She was sticking to her answer, but refused to look at me. I surrendered and told the others we could leave. Since it was still early, we decided to head to Wela Volcano Park, then get lunch after I beat the trial.

“So can we actually watch your trial this time? I want to see what traditional ones are like,” Austin asked as we left town. 

“If Kiawe allows it. I don’t know him that well, but he should,” I replied. 

“As long as it doesn’t take too long,” Lexi grumbled. 

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes as Silvally lifted his head a bit. “I smell an Ultra Beast.” 

“Row?” Rockruff squeaked as I gave him a confused look. 

“What?” Silvally nodded as his eyes scanned over the route. “How? I would’ve-” I stopped myself when I remembered where I was. 

Silvally shrugged as he continued sniffing the air. He picked up his pace to walk ahead of us, and I heard the other Pokemon whisper between themselves. I glanced down at them, and saw Rockruff hiding behind Dubwool. Dewpider was quietly mocking him, but Rockruff didn’t even look at him. I frowned before hearing Silvally sigh. 

“It’s just the Recon people.” 

“What?” I quickly asked, snapping my head around. Just as he said, Zossie and Dulse stood in front of a sign on the route. They’re here. They’re actually here. They’re here, and know I’m a Dual Hero, and I’m with my class so I have to deny no matter what they try to say, and-

Ok, now I’m screwed. 

I grabbed Selene’s pokeball anyway, which made her whine, but she didn’t protest as I returned her. Especially when she knows she’ll get to try the gummy stars I bought her if she cooperates. 

“Oh. Them,” Lexi dryly said. 

“Why are you hiding Selene from them again?” Alyssa asked. 

“Doesn’t matter,” I quickly replied. 

Before she could push, something poked its head out from between Zossie and Dulse. It was a floating pink and purple creature with a large head but glowing blue eyes. It was… oddly cute? That must be the Ultra Beast Silvally smelled though. How did it get here? Why is it with Zossie and Dulse? I thought the Ultra Beasts hated them. 

The creature’s expression lit up before it waved to us. “Poi poi!” 

Dulse and Zossie turned to us before Zossie’s expression lit up. “Hop!” She snapped her arm up to wave. “Alola! Long time no see!” She lowered her arm and gave me a worried look. “Are you doing alright? The God Calmer got you pretty good.” 

“The what?” Alyssa asked, but I just cleared my throat. 

“Yeah. I’m fine. Took a nap, and… We’re all good.” 

Dulse tilted his head, and I could feel his eyes scanning over me. “How… You appear completely unharmed. How is that? It is rare when the God Calmer does not leave permanent damage.” 

“Ok, time out. What is the God Calmer?” Alyssa asked. 

“What uh, what are you two doing here?” I asked instead. 

“Why are you avoiding my questions?” Dulse calmly fired back. 

“Why are you avoiding my questions?” Alyssa asked. 

Zossie tilted her head as Dulse seemingly looked between my peers. “Do they not-” 

“What’s that?” I asked, pointing to the Ultra Beast. 

“Poi,” it began before flipping upside down. “Poi Poipole!” 

“This is Poipole! The first stage of The Paralyzers. Our squad leader told our king about our recent findings, and he sent us two Poipoles to help us collect the prism shards from your island trials!” Zossie cheered. 

“The what?” Alyssa asked as my eyes widened in horror. Ink knows about me. He knows the prism is here too. Bloody fucking hell.

“Um… so uh…” I began, looking for something to keep this conversation away from Ink. “Poipole evolves, huh?” 

Zossie looked at Poipole and tilted her head. “Kinda.” She looked at me. “The Paralyzers are born as Poipole, and the stronger ones metamorphose into Naganadels, and are the only Ultra Beasts aside from the Light Bringers who change form, so… I suppose ‘evolve’ could be another term for it.” 

“Uh huh… And you guys are… on good terms with them?” I asked. 

Zossie shrugged. “I assume so since he hasn’t attacked us.” 

“Ok, what are you people talking about?!” Alyssa demanded. 

“Poipole!” Poipole cheered as he flew over to us, spinning upright. Silvally stepped closer to me as Poipole stopped in front of me and pointed behind him. “Poi poi.” 

I tilted my head to look past him, but only saw the Recon workers. Zossie’s smile returned before she motioned to her left. “He wants Poke Beans! We just don’t have your currency to purchase any.” 

Every Pokemon we caught here gasped. “There’s Poke Beans for sale?!” Oricorio demanded. 

“Row row!” Rockruff cheered. 

“Can we please get some?!” Brionne begged as she looked up at Alyssa. 

“What are Poke Beans?” Silvally nervously asked. 

“Only the best things to ever exist! They’re nature’s candy!” Torracat exclaimed before pushing himself up onto his hind legs to lean against Austin. “Give us the beans!” 

“What is happening?” Austin nervously asked, glancing at me. 

“They want Poke Beans,” I replied. 

“Can you get some for Poipole too?!” Zossie begged, which made Poipole give me a pleading look. 

“Uh, sure?” I asked.

“Poi poi!” Poipole cheered as he spun upside down again and started spinning around. 

I couldn’t help but smile at him before Zossie grabbed my hand and pulled me towards Dulse. “Poke Bean time! Oh, Mister Mohn! You have customers!” 

“I heard,” I assume Mohn replied. 

I looked ahead, seeing there was a salescart parked by the entrance to Wela Volcano Park. The cart was a basic white cart with ‘Poke Pelago Exclusive Poke Beans’ written on it. A bunch of colorful beans decorated the sign, and there were several small pouches probably full of the beans on display. The man running the stand looked to be middle aged, but still had bright blond hair mostly covered by a straw hat. He looked like an older Gladion. If Gladion had a soul. Wait a minute… 

“So what can I get you?” Mohn asked. 

“Uh…” I muttered before looking at the small sign on the cart. He was selling packs of ten for 100 dollars each. That’s not bad.

I looked back at our Pokemon. “Any preference?” 

“No. They’re all delicious,” Torracat replied. 

“How do you even know that?” Arcanine asked. 

“I’m sorry, were you born in Alola?” Torracat fired back. 

I scanned over all the Pokemon as they started a Poke Bean debate, doing a headcount. Seventeen, eighteen including Selene. I turned to Mohn as I dug out my wallet. “Give me eighteen random packs.” 

Mohn smiled. “Alright That’ll be 1800 dollars.”

I simply nodded as I pulled out some cash. 

“What exactly are these beans, anyway?” Xavier asked as he came up beside me. 

“They’re an Alolan delicacy. They’re grown exclusively on an island north of Ula’Ula, and Pokemon love them. They have the same nutrients and health benefits as normal beans, but they supposedly taste like candy. To Pokemon, at least,” Mohn explained as I counted out the money, then handed it to him. 

“Do you live on that island?” I asked as he took the money. 

He nodded as he counted the money out to himself, then gathered it up again. “A couple years ago, I washed up on shore there and set up camp. The wild Pokemon didn’t mind.” I gave him a confused look, which only made him smile. “I don’t know either. I arrived there with amnesia, and still have no idea who I was before arriving on Poke Pelago.” 

My eyes widened. “Are you serious?” 

Mohn nodded as he put the money away. “It’s been a few years though, so I’ve come to peace with it.” 

“That’s… awful. How… Your family didn’t even look for you?” Alyssa asked. 

“If they did, they didn’t find me,” Mohn replied before looking up in thought. “It is a strange place to end up at though.” 

I stared at him, taking his features in again. Tanned but white skin, bright blond hair, green eyes, similar facial structure to Gladion, and… has amnesia. Professor Kane was sucked into a wormhole and never seen again, so who’s to say it didn’t spit him back out in Alola? No. Don’t get ahead of yourself. Find the proof. 

“Uh… this will sound weird, but… do you happen to remember your last name?” I asked. 

Mohn shook his head as he opened the cart. “I didn’t remember anything. The only thing I had with me was a scuffed up badge, and only my first name was legible.” 

“Did… the badge happen to have a company name or logo?” I softly asked. 

“If it did, it was too damaged to see,” Mohn replied as he started taking out pouches. His hand then froze before he met my gaze. “Why?” 

I glanced away. “You just… You look like someone I know, so… I thought there was a connection, but I don’t want to give anyone false hope.” 

Mohn stared at me before shrugging. “Alright.” 

I quietly sighed as I watched him take out eighteen packs of Poke Beans. As much as he looks like Gladion, I don’t want to make the Kane family believe I found their lost dad/husband. Lusamine could get obsessed with finding him again, and it could open an emotional wound for Gladion and Lillie. I can ask Wicke when we get to Aether what Professor Kane’s first name was, but until then, I shouldn’t tell either Mohn or the Kanes about this possible connection. It’s not my place either. 

“So why are you set up by the park entrance?” Austin asked as we started giving our Pokemon the beans. 

“Oh, well I was selling them to tourists and trial go-ers before Kiawe told us there was an issue with the Totem, but asked me to guard the entrance since I’ve been selling Poke Beans here for the last few months. He asked me to keep everyone out until further notice.” 

I gave him a worried look. “What’s going on?” 

“None of your business because you’re not solving a Totem problem again,” Alyssa hissed. I gave her an annoyed look, but she shot it back. “Especially for a Fire Trial.”  

“But he’s good at calming creatures,” Zossie said as she fed Poipole the beans. 

“He’s bad with heat though. He downs like five bottles of water a day,” Austin teased. 

I cleared my throat and shot him a warning look. “That is none of their business.” 

“Oh, boo hoo. You’re human and have weaknesses,” Lexi mocked. Yeah, but people who are HUNTING ME are right behind us. 

“I see,” Dulse said, causing me to wince. “Well, since we cannot retrieve this prism shard, we shall go elsewhere. Let us go, Zossie.” 

“Okie dokie! Bye, Alolans!” Zossie cheered before turning to me. “I’m glad you’re alright, Hop. Sorry again about the God Calmer!” 

“It’s… fine,” I softly said as Zossie and Poipole chased after Dulse. At least they didn’t try to kidnap me? That’s more weird than assuring though.

I sighed before kneeling in front of Dubwool and opening the last pouch in my hand. “Here, bud.” 

“So… The God Calmer?” Alyssa asked. 

“That… thing Lillie gave Professor Burnet. It’s a long story,” I softly replied as I watched Dubwool sniff the pouch. 

“The chains?” Alyssa asked. I nodded. “Wait, did those people hurt you?” 

“It doesn’t matter. I’m ok now, so who cares?” I asked as I looked up at her. 

Alyssa’s jaw dropped. “Holy Arceus, they hurt you.” 

“And I’m fine!” I defended before looking at Xavier. “Isn’t the Aether Hut nearby?” 

“Uh, yeah,” Xavier replied. 

“No, don’t try to-” Alyssa began. 

“Since the park is closed, let’s go there first. I can probably challenge Mallow afterwards,” I interrupted before looking at Dubwool, who was now eating the beans. “Good?” He lifted his gaze to mine and nodded. 

“Can never go wrong with Poke Beans,” Dartrix added before tossing another one in her mouth. Rockruff and Dewpider nodded in agreement. 

“Selene will adore these,” Silvally added. 

I couldn’t help but smile at them. “I hope so. I can bribe her with them.”

“So… you’re seriously not going to explain anything about your sudden connection with those alien people or how they hurt you? Or, I don’t know, why you’re hiding Selene from them?!” Alyssa asked. 

My smile fell as annoyance replaced the small joy I got from my Pokemon. Why won’t she just drop it? It’s none of her damn business! Dubwool frowned at my reaction and stepped forward to bump his snout against my cheek. I gently smiled and rubbed his head. 

Lexi scoffed. “Ok. Silent treatment. Real mature.” 

My smile dropped again. “I’m being quiet because it’s none of your goddamn business.” 

“Oh no. Swearing and secrets. Look, smartass, we may be flexible with Willow’s rules, but if you want to be some mysterious angsty teen, we deserve some context to make sure you don’t die and get us in trouble,” Lexi complained. 

“I’m so sorry my life is a risk to your grade,” I spat as I gave her an annoyed look. 

Lexi rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “I’m just saying. Alyssa is genuinely concerned, so maybe instead of being a stuck-up tosser all the time, you could actually tell her what you’re getting yourself into while we’re here.” 

I stared at her, feeling my eye twitch as I got more annoyed. I stood up and went over to her, stopping mere inches from her. “I’m not saying anything because it’s none of your business. Stop acting like you have a right to know about everything I do.”  

“I sort of do. I’m a journalist, sweetheart. There’s no law saying I can’t know what you’re up to,” Lexi fired back. 

I clenched my jaw as my eye twitched again, and realized my hands started shaking just as I clenched them into fists. I want to choke her out. It wasn’t until she gave me a confused look that I snapped out of it. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and stepped back as I forced myself to relax. “Let’s get to the Aether Hut.” 

“How the hell did your eyes do that?” Lexi asked. 

“Do what?” Alyssa asked as I turned away and started heading for the tunnel up ahead. 

“They turned blue,” Lexi said. 

“What?!” Alyssa demanded as I clenched my hands and jaw again. Just shut up. 

“It doesn’t matter!” Xavier called before I felt him gently grab my arm. “Are you ok?” 

“No. They won’t stop trying to force me to talk when I need you guys to stay out of this,” I whispered before glancing at Xavier. “I have what they want, and… I don’t know anything for sure, but I know they’re hunting Rayne and me, but they’re probably waiting for Rayne to show up. I… I just need you guys to not get involved so you don’t die.” 

Xavier squeezed my arm. “This is a lot more serious than I thought…” 

“Yeah…” I breathed out. 

He took a deep breath. “Ok… We can come up with an excuse. Let’s just… move their focus away from this enough for them to stop asking.” I just nodded. 

The others caught up with us, and I released Selene to distract myself. I gave her the Poke Beans instead of the gummies as her bribery, and she was in love. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched her fly around the tunnel in pure joy. Although she causes a lot of trouble, I’m glad she’s here. Her chaotic nature is amusing when it’s not detrimental. 

No one spoke as we walked, but luckily, the Aether Hut was right by the end of the tunnel. Xavier led us over to the hut before opening the door. He stepped aside to let us in, and I stepped in first, only to freeze in my tracks as the crazy meter shot up to Ghetsis levels. 

A blond man stood in the hut with two Aether workers. His back was to us, so I only saw his lab coat and legs of his glasses, and couldn't help but notice the blue... circle around his head that could be hair, but… Holy Arceus, this man is dangerous. Worse than the Recon Squad. Why… Why is he here!? Is he connected to them? Are there two issues I need to solve here? Who is this man!? 

“It’s such a big lab too,” the man continued, not even noticing us as the Aether workers kept their gazes on him. “They cleaned it out too, so whatever they were doing, they made sure to scrub the place clean.” He shrugged. “I don’t mind, honestly. They sold it to me for a low price, and there’s nothing left of… whatever that man was doing. Either way, I’m renovating the place. It should be done by the end of the month, so if you two ever visit Unova, stop by! I’d love to show you around.” 

“Well, thanks for the offer, but our vacations aren’t for a while, and I plan to visit some family in Johto,” the female worker replied. 

“Alright. No hard feelings. I’m just glad I got to see you two, and to hear that Aether has gotten better since I left,” the man replied. 

“Same to you, sir,” the male worker replied before glancing at us. He perked up. “Oh, hi there. Sorry we didn’t see you.” 

The man turned around and smiled at us. “Hello! Don’t mind me.” He motioned to the workers. “I used to be one of their bosses, so I was just catching up.” 

“You worked at Aether?” Alyssa asked as everyone started to step in. Xavier and I returned Arcanine and Silvally since they were too big. Selene flew behind me too. Like… she was hiding. 

“Yes. I was Professor Kane’s partner before he disappeared,” the man replied. My eyes widened. “My professional name is Professor Achroma, but you can call me Colress. I specialize in Pokemon Biology and Engineering.” 

Austin gasped. “Shut it! I’m an engineer!” 

Colress gave him an intrigued look. “Really?” 

Austin nodded. “Well, I’m studying to be one.” 

“Oh! Are you some of the Wyndon University students?” the female worker asked. 

“Uh, yeah. We stopped by to… possibly intern for a bit?” Alyssa asked. 

“Oh, of course. Uh, let me see what you can help us with,” the male worker said before going over to one of the shelves. 

Colress smiled at him before returning his gaze to ours. “I’m actually opening my own research facility in Unova, and I could use a few interns. Your university does summer internships, correct?” 

“Yeah,” Alyssa replied. 

“I’ll reach out to your school then. If any of you are interested, look for my name on the sign up sheet, ok?” Colress asked. 

“Ok!” Austin cheered. 

Colress’ smile widened before he turned to the workers. “I’ll let you two get back to work. It was nice seeing you guys, and give Lusamine my best.” 

“You too, sir, and good luck!” the female worker called. 

“Same to you,” Colress replied before he slipped past us and walked out of the hut. 

“Cosmog,” Selene said as she poked out from behind me. 

I turned to the Aether workers. “Uh… So what happened to him?” 

“Oh, Colress? Well, uh… After Professor Kane disappeared, he helped the president in any way he could. With their research, her kids, directing us, and eventually her spiraling into insanity. When Gladion took a Type: Null though, Colress was blamed and immediately fired. We don’t know why he was blamed, but we didn’t even know the Type: Nulls existed before she confronted him in the lobby that morning,” the female worker explained. 

“Type: Null was Lusamine’s project though. Colress has no connection to it,” the male worker added as he looked through some files. “Just goes to show how crazy she was.” 

“That’s awful,” Alyssa said as Xavier looked down in thought. 

“There’s definitely more to the story though…” 

There is. Colress is as bad as Ghetsis. Either Lusamine really pissed him off, or… he did something. From what I know about Aether, the Ultra Beasts were Professor Kane’s thing, so since Colress was his partner, it makes sense if he was the one who got Lusamine involved. No one knew about Type: Null, but if they were made to hunt Ultra Beasts, Colress would know. Right? Is that why he was blamed? Did Lusamine think Gladion found them through him? He sets off the crazy meter too, so… Did he slowly manipulate Lusamine and use her grief to make her go insane? I shook my head. No. Do not dive into another psycho case. Focus on Ink and Megalion. I cannot afford to worry about him. I’ll write a reminder of this event, then look back at it when I’m not in the middle of a god crisis.

“Anyway,” the male worker began before taking out a file, “I think you can help us with this. Lusamine wants an updated list of the Pokemon living on the route so we know if anyone’s endangered. We won’t ask you to count all of them, but you can go out and observe the wild Pokemon.” 

“Alright,” Xavier replied as Selene started flying around the hut. The two workers smiled at her as my other Pokemon started wandering around. 

“Guys-” I began. 

“It’s ok. They can roam,” the female worker assures as she watched Rockruff sniff around the room. 

“So what’s up with Lusamine?” Lexi asked. 

“Her husband disappeared, she went clinically insane, and Rayne snapped her out of it,” I briefly explained as I started following my Pokemon. 

“Seriously?” Xavier asked.

“More or less, yeah,” the female worker replied. 

“She’s getting help though. Don’t worry,” I assured before looking at Dartrix, who was flying in front of the door to the only other room in here. “What did you find?” 

“There’s a Vulpix in here,” Dartrix replied. 

“Vulpix?” I asked as I went over to her. 

The workers gasped. “She came out?!” the female worker asked. 

“Yeah. She’s eating,” Dartrix said as I stepped behind her. Sure enough, there was an Alolan Vulpix standing in the dimly lit room. The room reminded me of a small Pokemon Daycare. There were food and water bowls against the wall, a few toys, and a little house in the back corner. 

The two workers looked inside the room before the girl sighed in relief. “Thank goodness she’s eating.” 

“Cosmog!” Selene cheered before smacking her entire body into the window to look at the Vulpix. 

The three of us flinched before I looked back into the little room. Vulpix flinched and bolted for the house, sliding inside to hide again. 

Selene whined and flew back as the female worker sighed. “Dang it!” 

“It’s ok. At least she ate something,” the male worker assured as he placed a hand on her shoulder. 

“Yeah…” the female worker muttered. 

“Can I ask what she’s doing here?” I asked them. 

“About a week ago, one of the field workers found her abandoned on Heahea beach. She was trying to stay in the shade, but was practically melting to death. He took her to the Pokemon Center first, and Nurse Joy had her on life support for a couple hours before transferring her to us,” the male worker explained before patting the window. “Nurse Joy can only keep temperatures so low in the Pokemon Center, but we can adjust the temperature in this room all we want, so when Vulpix was healthy enough to leave, we let her stay in here.” 

“She doesn’t like humans though. The second she woke up, she ran from us. We tried helping her, but she won’t come out. That’s why I left food out, and I’m glad she’s eating, but she’s very jumpy,” the female worker replied before looking at me. “Based on her behavior and condition, we know her trainer abandoned her, but we also think she was either traumatized or abused. Considering her condition when she was found, it could be either or.” 

I slowly looked back into the room, feeling my heart ache. I hate seeing Pokemon go through stuff like this. Part of me wonders how people can be so heartless to them, but the reason we exist is to stop people who do this to Pokemon. Who the hell leaves an ice type on a beach though? They practically sent her to death for what? Because they didn’t want her? Why catch a Pokemon if you don’t want them?

I narrowed my eyes and unconsciously clenched my hands into fists. I turned to the workers. “Can I try to get her out?” 

“Yeah! He’s a natural with Pokemon!” Austin added. 

The workers looked between each other before the girl gave me a crooked smile. “We appreciate it, but her recovery needs to be slow.” 

“Please,” I breathed out. 

The workers looked at each other again before the man shrugged. “Considering he has a Cosmog, I’d say he has a shot at getting Vulpix to open up.” 

His coworker sighed, but opened one of the pockets on her leg to dig out some keys. “Fine.” She came over to me to unlock the door before slowly pushing it open. “Be careful, and let us know if you get too cold.” 

I simply nodded before she stepped aside, letting me slip into the room, where I was immediately greeted by cold air. I couldn’t help but sigh in delight as a smile rose to my lips. This feels so nice. I could live here. I shook the thought off before stepping closer to the house. I knelt down and lowered my head to peak into the opening, seeing her bright white fur and blue eyes in the dim light. She was staring me down. 

I gave her a gentle smile before I sat down. “Hey. It’s alright. I’m not here to hurt you.” I saw her relax a bit, but she stayed put. “I’m sorry my Cosmog scared you. She doesn’t mean any harm. She’s just… really curious.” Vulpix stayed put. “Alright.” I leaned over to pick up her food bowl before putting it closer to her little house. “You should eat though. You’ll feel better.” 

Vulpix kept her eyes locked on me, but slowly crept out of her house. My smile rose, but I felt my heart twist when I saw how small she was. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a Vulpix, but I remember my Ninetales having more weight as a Vulpix. This one looked frail. She really hasn’t eaten in a while. 

Vulpix stopped in front of her bowl and slowly broke eye contact to look at it. She glanced up at me a few times, but cautiously leaned down to continue eating. I sat there, letting her eat and get used to my presence, and partially to enjoy the cold. It’ll be a while until I can feel this temperature again, so I’m savoring it. 

A few minutes passed before she finished eating. Vulpix lifted her head as she finished chewing to look at me. I just smiled at her. She stared at me for a second before standing up. I watched as she slowly stepped over the bowl to approach me. She kept her eyes locked with mine as she crawled into my lap. 

My smile grew before I gently placed my hand on her back to rub her soft fur. She flinched, but relaxed against me before pressing her head against my stomach. “That’s it. I’m not that bad, right?” Vulpix nodded as she laid down, quickly getting comfortable. I let out a breathy laugh as I continued petting her. “You’re so cute…” 

“Vul,” she cooed as she smiled up at me. 

I moved my free hand to lightly scratch behind her ear. “You can get this comfortable around the people here. They’re here to help you.” She frowned and lowered her gaze to stare at my stomach. I bit the inside of my cheek. “Unless… You want to stay with me?” Her smile returned before she nuzzled her cheek against my thigh. I chuckled at the slight tickling feeling. “I’ll take that as a yes.” She nodded as I hummed. “I already have a Ninetales, so… How about we give you a nickname?” 

Vulpix looked up at me as she sat up. “Vul.”  

I lowered my hands and scanned over her, trying to think of a name. “Snowball?” She scrunched up her face and shook her head. “Flurry?” She shook her head again. I hummed and looked around the room. It was a plain room that looked blue. It oddly reminded me of a winter night. Winter… 

I smiled and rubbed Vulpix’s head. “How about Winter?” Her expression lit up, which made my smile return. “Do you like it?” 

She nodded as her tails started wagging. “Vul vul!” 

“Alright,” I began before gently picking her up and pushing myself to my feet. “Well, Winter, let’s introduce you to the others.” I stroked her cheek with my thumb. “I’ll be right here.” 

She nodded before I went over to the door and left the room. The Aether workers, Xavier, and my Pokemon turned to me before Xavier smiled. “I swear…” 

“Where’s the others?” I asked as Winter pressed herself closer to my chest. 

“Doing the survey. Are you taking the Vulpix?” Xavier asked. 

“Her name is Winter,” I began before looking at the workers, “and only if you think she’ll be ok.” 

The workers looked at Winter before the girl took a deep breath. “Well, she’s clearly very comfortable with you, so as long as you take care of her, she can go.” 

“Vul!” Winter cheered as I smiled. 

“Thank you. I promise she’s in good hands.” 

“Cosmog!” Selene called before flying towards us. She gave Winter an apologetic look as her arms slumped. “Cos cos…” 

Winter looked away, so I stroked her cheek. “Give her some time to get used to everything.” I looked at Selene. “I can’t carry you anymore, so please behave.” 

Selene gave me a sly grin before she flew towards Winter’s tails. She wiggled between my arm and Winter, but just as she started to jerk away, cold air seeped out of Selene. My eyes widened in shock as Winter froze. 

Selene looked at her and smiled. “Cos cos Cosmog.” She tapped my arm. “Cos cos.” 

To my surprise, Winter smiled and shifted around to lay her head against Selene. I adjusted my grip on them as Winter looked at Selene. “Vul vul.” 

Selene nodded before I gave her an annoyed look. “So you could do this the entire time?” Selene giggled and nodded, so I sighed. “I actually hate you.” 

Selene and Winter smiled at me as Xavier chuckled. “Only you, Hop.” 

“So we have a new sister?” Dartrix asked as she, Dubwool, Rockruff, and Dewpider stepped towards me. 

I nodded. “Just be gentle with her. She’s been through a lot.” 

“Row row,” Rockruff replied before looking at Dewpider. “Row…” 

Dewpider snickered, so I shot him a warning look. “I mean it. If you do anything, you’re staying in your pokeball.” 

Dewpider shrugged, so I narrowed my eyes before looking at Xavier. “Can you get a pokeball out of my backpack for her?” 

Xavier nodded before stepping behind me. I lowered my gaze to Winter, seeing she was watching Xavier. I felt him open my backpack and dig around before giving me a pokeball. I thanked him and took the ball before tapping it against Winter’s head. She was sucked in before the ball clicked in my hand. I smiled and squeezed the ball. My official sixth Pokemon from Alola. I’ll take care of you. You’ll get better, and grow into a beautiful Ninetales.

Chapter Text

Xavier and I left the Aether Hut to find the others after I caught Winter. They didn’t go far, so we regrouped to continue the survey. I kept Winter out to let her get used to others being around her, but had to make it very clear to the others to not touch her. Either way, we finished our little survey, and since it was around noon, we decided to get lunch. We got packaged meals at the Pokemon Center since we weren’t close to any town, which Lexi vocally complained about, but it was fine.

However, as we ate, I heard a crack behind my ear. My entire body froze as the cracking spread across my skull. I dropped my sandwich as my vision blurred to white, changing the view of my classmates to something else. A memory.

I yelped and scrambled back from the small… thing that darted past me. Brendan laughed at my reaction as Professor Birch chuckled, but watched the creature. My eyes followed it as it zipped across Professor Birch’s lab, catching my breath from the sudden jumpscare. 

“What is that?” 

“What do you think? Another Ultra Beast. You wanted to see them,” Brendan reminded. 

“I know, but…” I began as the creature flew around Buzzwole, making him clap a bit. “What is it?” 

“Well, its ‘confidential’ name is UB: Blade, but it’s actual name…” Professor Birch began.

The scene morphed from a white lab to a dim forest. Dozens of Kartanas ranging in size surrounded the three people standing in one of the open areas. Mallow, Zossie, and Dulse. Mallow scrambled back, only to fall over as Dulse pulled a Beast Ball from his pocket. However, before he could do anything, a Kartana bigger than him landed in front of the three of them. While his arms and yellow… extensions were longer, the main difference was his body, which was covered by what looked like an orange and white samurai uniform. Just as the Kartana stepped closer to the others, Professor Birch’s voice returned. 

“Kartana.” 

The vision shattered away as I flinched from the sound. However, my body relaxed as I came back to reality, soothing my ever-present headache. Pheromosa called the Kartana pack, so Zossie and Dulse did something. And if Mallow is there, they’re in Lush Jungle and about to get into a huge fight. Mallow could get hurt, all the Pokemon in the forest could get hurt, and the forest itself could get destroyed. I need to get over there. 

“Are you ok?” Xavier asked. 

I stood up, picking Winter up from my lap in the process. “Stay here.” 

“Why?” Alyssa asked as I stepped away from the table. 

“Just-” I began before there was a loud explosion outside. One strong enough to shake the building.

Lexi and Alyssa yelped in surprise while everyone else flinched, but I simply turned to the windows to look at Lush Jungle. I can’t see anything from here. I need to get over there. 

“You wizard…” Austin breathed out as I grabbed Winter’s pokeball. 

“Wait, are you seriously going over to… wherever the hell that sound just came from?!” Alyssa demanded while I returned Winter. 

“Yep. Stay here,” I simply replied before I put Winter’s pokeball up. 

“Cosmog!” Selene cheered before flying towards the doors. 

I let her fly off as I grabbed everyone else’s pokeball to return them, including Selene’s. Since her back was to me, she wasn’t able to notice me returning her to teleport away. With that, I clipped everyone’s pokeballs back onto my belt as I made my way to the doors. 

“Hop, don’t! This isn’t worth it!” Alyssa called. 

“It’s his choice!” Xavier reminded. 

“Yep. My life, my choice. Stay here,” I simply replied before pushing the doors open and running towards Lush Jungle. Once I take care of this, I need to set some guidelines for Pheromosa on when to summon an Ultra Beast pack because she clearly didn’t understand that we only need to call them if Selene’s in trouble. 

I ran over to the gates of Lush Jungle, hearing a few more explosions and crashes. When I actually entered the forest, my eyes widened at what I saw. Dozens of Kartanas were flying around as wild Pokemon ran in all different directions. The Kartanas were slicing every plant they saw with ease. And these things are supposed to be on our side? 

My gaze darted between all the Kartanas I could see, and I was about to grab each of them in a psychic hold before a black blur swung in front of me, knocking several Kartanas off balance. My posture relaxed as the creature landed, revealing a large monkey-like Pokemon. 

He turned to me and narrowed his eyes. “What are you doing here?! Can’t you see we’re in no condition for a trial?! Leave!” 

“I’m not here for a trial. I’m here to help,” I replied. 

The Pokemon relaxed as a few of the Kartanas looked at me. They perked up. “There you are! The human with golden eyes!” 

“They’re here for you?!” the Pokemon asked as the Kartanas flew towards me. 

“Technically,” I replied before the Kartanas stopped inches from my face. 

“Are you alright, human sir?” 

“Master said we’d be called if you were in peril,” another Kartana asked.

“Yes. I’m ok. Why was your pack summoned? We weren’t in danger,” I asked. 

The Kartanas looked between each other before looking back at me. “You and the prism are not in trouble?” 

“No. I’m only here because you guys are trying to destroy the forest,” I replied. 

“But master told us to search every inch for you to ensure that you were safe and not taken hostage by the evil humans of our land,” one of the Kartanas replied. 

“Well, they clearly didn’t take him, so tell your ‘master’ to stop beating up Lurantis and get out!” the Pokemon barked. 

The Kartanas snapped around to face him. “She started attacking him!” 

“Because he ordered you to destroy her land!” the Pokemon yelled back. 

“Do not start fighting!” I yelled, causing the Kartanas to turn to me again. I looked past them to look at the Pokemon. “Did you see what happened?” 

He nodded. “I was doing my monthly check-in. I’m Zarude. The mythical who watches over the many forests of this planet.” 

I perked up. I remember reading about him. He was one of the Pokemon blessed in the third generation after Yveltal’s mass extinction. His pack was killed, but he was strong enough to be blessed by Arceus. The same thing happened to Shaymin and whoever Ogerpon is. 

“These strange pale people were asking the Trial Captain for a ‘prism shard’,” Zarude continued. “She had no clue what they were talking about, but before they could say anything, they saw this white creature and had their weird purple thing try to attack it. Then these guys showed up and started destroying everything.” 

So Zossie and Dulse asked Mallow for a Z-Crystal before spotting Pheromosa, who must’ve followed them in to watch them. They had Poipole try to attack her, so she panicked and summoned the Kartana pack. They were told they’d only be summoned if I was in trouble, so now they’re looking for me. 

I sighed before running my hands over my face. “I know what happened…” I lowered my hands and looked back at the Kartana directly in front of me. “Take me to your leader. I’ll talk to him.” I hope Zossie and Dulse are gone. I’m not in the mood to act like I’m on both sides. I turned to Zarude. “Tell the other Kartanas that I’m ok and to go back to their leader.” 

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Zarude grumbled before he leapt off. 

The Kartanas led me through the forest, and I made sure all the other Kartanas we passed stopped attacking the forest. I still heard crashes though. I wanted to check on the Pokemon, but I focused on getting to this alpha. Zarude will take care of the wild Pokemon. 

Within minutes, we reached the clearing I saw. The crazy meter spiked up, so the Ultra Recon Squad was here somewhere. A giant Lurantis was fighting the Alpha Kartana though, but he was clearly beating her. He was faster, dodged her attacks easily, and clearly did more damage with his strikes. I broke my gaze away from them to look for Mallow, Zossie, and Dulse, and while I didn’t see the Recon workers, I saw Mallow in a tree, clinging to the trunk as she knelt on the branch she was on. At least she’s alright. 

A loud thud made me snap my gaze back to Lurantis and the alpha, seeing Kartana slam his right blade-arm, which had a green aura around it, into Lurantis’ stomach, sending her flying back. She crashed into the grass as Kartana straightened up. 

“Master!” the five Kartanas around me called. 

The alpha turned to us before his posture relaxed. “Ah. There you are.” 

“Yeah,” I hissed as I stepped closer to him. “Did you seriously have to do this?” 

“Oh, I apologize, your human highness. Madam Pheromosa informed us that if her little defender called us, it was because your large body was in danger. Since you were not here, of course I assumed those parasites got you. Excuse me for trying to find you!” he snapped. 

I sighed. “I understand that, but it was a mistake. You didn’t have to try and destroy the place. Dozens of our creatures live here-” 

“I was told to protect you! If you’re so concerned with the safety of this pack, maybe you should’ve been here to protect them with that poor excuse of an alpha!” Kartana barked. 

I stared at him, annoyed but still… calm. How am I calm? This situation is calling for panic… yet I’m calm. Focus on the mission. Keep the forest safe. 

I opened my mouth to say something, only for black chains to burst out from behind a few trees to the right. Kartana and I turned to look at the chains, only for the chains to grab Kartana and shove him down. 

The second the alpha cried out, his followers started screaming. All the Kartanas shot towards their leader before every single one of them tried to slice the chain off. I couldn’t help but step back as I stared at them in shock, but when I saw some Kartanas flying towards the source of the chains, my gaze followed them. Dulse was holding the weapon that fired them, and Zossie was hiding behind him. 

I narrowed my eyes and ran over to them. “Let him go!” 

Zossie looked at me, but Dulse ignored me as he sent out Poipole and aimed his weapon at the beasts. Before they could attack, chains flew out of Dulse’s weapon and started moving in a zig-zag to hit all of them. 

I sharpened my glare on him and grabbed the middle of the weapon when I was close enough. “I mean it. Let him go. They’ll destroy everything.” 

“No, they will not,” Dulse calmly said. “Our job is to extract these beasts from your world, after all.” He finally looked at me. “Release my God Calmer Control, and leave this to us.” 

“Release the alpha, and leave this to me,” I corrected.  

Dulse let out a quiet huff. “Alright then.” He looked over his shoulder. “Zossie. Now.” 

“Ok…” Zossie breathed out. 

I shifted my gaze to her, seeing her hold out a small black remote. My eyes widened as it clicked. “Zossie, don’t-”

She hit the button. 

Glass shattered around my skull, making me cry out and grab my head as pain exploded behind my eyes. I stumbled back, only to feel a strong wind on my left. I turned my head and forced my eyes open, only for my expression to drop. There was a wormhole open behind the alpha, and it was sucking all of the smaller Kartanas in. 

What can I do here? The Ultra Beasts are protecting me, so I can’t misplace their trust by getting an alpha killed. I need to break him out. I’m on a trial ground, so there’s a Z-Crystal nearby. Z-Moves break the chains. Lurantis is weak, but Zarude is also a grass type. He can break it. Then when Zossie and Dulse ask why the hell I did this, I’ll just tell them that this is my world. The protection of this land is my responsibility. 

I lowered my arms and ran towards the tree Mallow was in. “Mallow!” She looked down at me. “Give me your Grassium-Z!” 

“Ok!” she called before grabbing the crystal off her Z-Ring. 

As she took it off, I lifted my hand to my mouth as Eleanor’s bracelet lit up. As if she knew what I was doing. I whistled, and the bracelet helped raise its frequency. Just as I lowered my hand, I saw Zarude jumping between the trees to reach me. I pointed to Mallow, and Zarude nodded before jumping towards her tree. He clung onto the trunk before picking Mallow up from the waist. She yelped, but clung onto him before he jumped down to land in front of me. He put Mallow down, and while she wobbled a bit, she regained her balance and gave me the crystal. 

I took the crystal and clipped it onto my Z-Ring. “We need to break the chains around the big one. It might knock him out, but just do it.” 

“Got it,” Zarude replied before I looked at Mallow. 

“The dance?” 

She shakily nodded before showing me the short performance. “It’s called Bloom Doom.” 

I nodded as Zarude slipped past us to be directly in front of the Kartanas from our angle. I turned to him and tapped the Z-Crystal, coating it in energy before I performed the dance. Green energy absorbed Zarude as flowers filled the ground below us. 

I took a deep breath. “Bloom Doom.” 

Zarude held his hands towards the alpha before a beam of light formed around him. When Zarude swung his arms down, the light burst and forced the chains off his body. Shards scattered across the forest as the flowers faded away, but I just sighed in relief. Alright. Now to close the wormhole. 

I took off the Z-Crystal and gave it back to Mallow as Zarude held out his arms again to release some vines. I assume he grabbed the alpha, but then I heard a familiar pop. Just as Mallow took her crystal back, I turned around. Dulse was aiming his weapon at us, and chains were flying out. 

My eyes widened, and I felt time slow down as the chains flew towards Zarude. He’s a god. He’s going to get electrocuted. Panic surged through me as I shot towards him and held out my hand. I forced the chains to freeze in place, but having this thing under a psychic grasp wasn’t like holding something else. The chains fought against my hold, which I’m used to, but it was stronger than any living organism I’ve faced. That, and the second I made it stop, little needles of pain started sparking under my skin and into my skull. I stumbled to a stop, forcing my eyes to stay open as I bit back any sound. White dots started forming across my vision as my body started shaking. I could feel blood run down my nose again. I didn’t let it go though. 

“Blue, let it go,” Zarude hissed. 

I slowly shook my head. “It’ll… hurt… you…” 

“I faced Dialga and Kyogre for Zavier and Marigold. If I can survive those battles, I can take this,” Zarude assured. 

“It was… designed to…” I choked out. 

“We’re supposed to help each other, Blue. Just let it go.” 

I shook my head again as I squeezed my eyes shut. Don’t let it go. Don’t let it grab Zarude. I won’t cave before Dulse does! 

Something kicked my side, forcing me to lose my focus. My eyes snapped open as the prickles of pain disappeared. I turned my head, seeing Zarude lower his leg as my body flew away from his. No… 

I crashed into the ground, wincing from the impact, but pushed myself up to run over to Zarude. The chains wrapped around him, electrocuting him the second they made contact. He screamed in pain, and immediately retracted his vines back into his wrists. The alpha was released, and I saw his body fly back, but I didn’t care. 

Zarude fell to his knees just as I got to him, and I grabbed the chains to pry them off. Electricity snapped against my hands, engulfing them in heat, but I didn’t care. I kept pulling and trying to use water or my rubbish psychic powers to try and push them off, but it only got tighter. Someone grabbed me and tried pulling me off, but I stayed put. 

I snapped my gaze up to Dulse’s as I kept pulling, and finally realized there were tears running down my face that were blurring my vision. “Let him go!” 

“I’m sorry, but we-” Zossie began. 

“NO! You have no reason to attack one of our gods! He didn’t do anything to you! Let him go!” I demanded. 

Dulse quickly hit something on his stupid machine, but the chains retracted and went back into the weapon. Zarude slumped forward and started sucking in breaths as I quickly wrapped my arms around him and tightly hugged him. I pressed my face against his back as I squeezed my eyes shut. 

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know- They weren’t-” 

Zarude placed his hand over mine. “It’s ok, Blue… I told you I could take it…” 

I clenched my hands into fists, only to feel a surge of pain across my palms. I groaned from the feeling, but stayed put. The person behind me had already let me go, but started to rub my back. The calm feeling that lingered inside me was gone though, leaving me overwhelmed for a lack of better words. Everyone stayed quiet though. Until Zossie broke it. 

“We’re so sorry, but we had to do that. We had to send the Flying Slicers home, and-” 

“Why in Necrozma’s name did you free him?” Dulse asked. I slowly lifted my head, seeing him marching towards us. “He was attacking your forest. We were sent here to send them back to our universe. This-” 

“Yeah, well these things have been coming here for decades, so why the fuck did you just now show up!?” I snapped. The two workers flinched as I let go of Zarude to straighten up. “If it’s your bloody job to stop these things, where were you in 2005? Where were you last March? Where were you when a Necrozma first showed up 4000 years ago!?” 

“This is not the only dimension they have infiltrated. They are invading several universes. We are simply doing our jobs,” Dulse explained. 

“Yeah, well so am I. We all know I’m a god here, so leave the issues in my kingdom to me! We didn’t need your help over the last 20 years, and we don’t need you now,” I spat. 

“Hop, calm down. It’s ok,” Mallow softly said from behind me. 

“We- We understand you’re upset, but- They’re from our world. We- we saw a Slim Protector, and we tried sending it home, but it called the Flying Slicers instead. We tried getting rid of them as quickly as possible, and- and we didn’t want to hurt any natives or you, but you tried freeing the alpha, and- and- We need your help to find the prism, but the Ultra Beasts don’t want us to have it, and we- We weren’t-” 

“Calm yourself, Zossie,” Dulse softly said before crossing his arms. “I apologize that you and this creature were harmed, but you were freeing the one attacking this territory.” 

“I was stopping you from killing him. You don’t have to try and murder everyone who tries to stop you!” I snapped. 

“We are not. We are ensuring that they do not attack us,” Dulse replied. 

“By hurting them!” I yelled before motioning to Zarude. “Look what that did to him!” I showed them my still burning hands. “What it did to me!” I lowered my arms. “You claim that you need my help to find the damn prism, yet you attack me. Attacking others will only make them upset, so why is that your first instinct!?” 

“Because that is what our king has ordered us to do. Just like he has ordered us to keep you safe. The fate of our kingdom resides in us finding the shards of the Prism of Infinity. Shards I believe you have started collecting.” I glanced down at my Z-Ring, but kept my gaze on Dulse. “Our squad leader believes you are collecting them for your own reason. We do not know if it is to help us, the Ultra Beasts, or yourself, but whatever reason it is, we need you to return the prism to us. Necrozma created our king to rule over Megalion, and now that he has fallen, our king is the next suitable being to wield the prism. Please stop protecting the beings trying to overthrow us. An entire kingdom will fall if you do.” 

I stared at him, thinking over how to respond. Ink thinks I’m collecting the shards. He knows what I am, and whether or not he knows I’m onto him… He won’t risk taking me out. Not now. If he takes me now, he’ll have no idea where to find the ‘prism shards’. He needs me, but… He’d be stupid to assume I wasn’t onto him, or maybe that the Ultra Beasts might tell me the truth. That, and if he knows what dimension this is, he knows we’re his blueprint, so he should think he’s based on me. If that’s the case, he should see me as a threat. That’s why he didn’t show up mere hours after Phyco discovered I’m a god to take me. He needs me, but he could also be preparing for me. For now, he’ll have his team suck up to me so I can give him the shards before he tries to destroy me. It’s smart, but he doesn’t realize what he’s up against. But now I know his plan. He’s having his team keep the Ultra Beasts away from me to prevent them from revealing the truth of what’s going on while waiting for me to collect every single Z-Crystal. When Phyco learns I have all of them, he’ll summon Ink, and he’ll stab me in the back to take them. 

I took a deep breath and looked at Zarude. I need to let this play out. I know exactly when Ink will show up, so I’m fine when it comes to… anything involving this ‘final battle’, but until then… I’ll tell Pheromosa what’s going on, and we’ll make a plan. If these guys believe the Ultra Beasts are trying to sway me to their side, they need to keep showing up, but I can’t have them hurt Alola. I don’t want them getting hurt either. They’re coming here to protect Selene, so… Selene. I’ll tell Pheromosa to bring a pack in if the Ultra Recon Squad gets close to finding Selene. The Ultra Beasts will be a distraction for me to hide her. I need to make sure none of them go home with the God Calmer though. Kartana went home without them, so I need to make sure all of them go home that way. 

I returned my gaze to Dulse. “As long as you don’t use that chain on any more alphas or gods from my world, I’ll give you the shards when I have them all.” 

“If we do not use the God Calmer on the alphas-” Dulse began. 

“I can get them to listen and go home. All you have to do is open the wormhole. Do we have an agreement?” I asked. 

Zossie looked up at Dulse, and he turned his head enough to glance at her before sighing. “Alright. We will speak to our squad leader about your… request. We apologize again for the damage.” 

“It’s… fine,” Mallow muttered. 

Dulse drew a box with his hands, prompting Zossie to quickly copy his actions before Dulse led her to the forest exit. I glared at him as he walked by, but Zossie mouthed ‘sorry’ as she passed me. My expression softened at her action, but I said nothing as they left. 

Mallow took a deep breath and clasped her hands together. “Ok.” She turned to me. “Are you alright?” 

I looked at my burnt palms before turning to Zarude. “How are you holding up?” 

He kept his head down, but was clearly looking between his arms. “What was that thing?” 

“A chain designed to kill gods,” I simply replied. 

Zarude huffed before sitting up. “I’ll be fine. I’ll wake up Lurantis, and she can fix me up.” He met my gaze. “What about you?” 

“Fine. I’ve felt worse,” I simply replied before reaching up to wipe the blood off my face. Zarude gave me a disapproving look, but I just grabbed Selene’s pokeball. “I caused you to get hurt though, so let me help you out.” 

“It’s alright. Lurantis can heal me,” Zarude replied. I released Selene anyway.

She appeared in front of me, giving me an annoyed look before it faded to a worried one. “Cosmog?” 

“Can you heal Zarude, please?” I softly asked. Selene flew towards me instead and tapped my lips. I stepped back as she frowned, making me sigh before I lightly pushed her back. “Please, Selene.” 

“If you’re healing anyone, heal your bonded partner,” Zarude replied before he started going over to Lurantis. 

“I’m fine,” I hissed. 

“Say that to your hands,” Zarude replied. 

I clenched my hands into fists on instinct, only to wince from the pain. Selene frowned and held out her hands. “Cos cos.” 

I sighed, but surrendered my hands. Her frown deepened before she placed her blobby hands against mine. Her hands lit up with white energy that sent out a soothing chill to cool the heat pulsing across my palms. My body relaxed at the feeling, and I felt those chills run across my face. Within seconds, the pain was gone. Selene moved her hands, revealing my healed palms. 

I clenched and unclenched my hands. “Thank you…” 

“Cos cos,” she replied before spinning around and shooting towards Zarude. “COSMOG!” 

He flinched and spun around, only for Selene to crash into his face. I bit back a laugh as Zarude’s body was shoved to the ground, but broke when Selene started laughing. 

Mallow let out a breathy laugh before she looked at me. “Are you sure you’re ok though?” 

I nodded as I took a deep breath to calm down. “Just… a little overwhelmed.” 

“Understandable. I almost peed myself,” Mallow replied. I cleared my throat at her comment before she nudged my arm. “Thank you though. I owe you one.” 

“Don’t mention it. I’m just doing my job,” I softly replied. 

“Still. If you ever want a free meal, stop by my little cafe in Paniola Town,” Mallow replied before crossing her arms. “Do you want to take on my trial?” I nodded. “Then come back tomorrow. I want Lurantis to take the rest of the day off, and make sure everyone here is doing alright.” 

“Ok…” I breathed out. At least she’s not giving me the Z-Crystal as a thank you. My Pokemon didn’t do anything. Wow, I didn’t need my Pokemon for this. 

“Anyway, you’re free to go. Thank you again,” Mallow replied. 

I simply nodded as Zarude came over to us, holding Selene. He held her towards me. “Take the baby.” 

“Cosmog!” Selene cheered before tapping his fingers and flying over to me.

I smiled at her. “Are all of your patients feeling better?” She nodded as she stopped above my shoulder. I reached up and patted her head. “Thank you. I’ll get you more Poke Beans.” 

She gasped. “Cosmog!” 

Mallow and Zarude lightly laughed at her reaction before Zarude reached up to pat my head. “You did good, Blue.” 

I couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you. My name is Hop though.” 

He nodded as he lowered his arm. “You have a good heart though. Reminds me of Marigold. I’ll allow you to catch me though.” 

My smile fell. “Are you sure?”

He nodded. “You care for every Pokemon, whether they hurt you or not. That makes you a worthy hero in my book.” 

I couldn’t stop my smile from returning. “Alright.” I slipped my backpack off and took out a pokeball. I tapped it against Zarude’s head, sucking him in before the ball clicked. Mallow applauded me as I sent Zarude back out. He bowed his head and thanked me one more time before he leapt off, probably to check on the wild Pokemon. 

Mallow led me to the exit of Lush Jungle, and we wished each other luck before going our separate ways. I went back to the Pokemon Center, and my classmates were still at the table I left them at. 

Austin saw me first before smiling. “Welcome back!” The other three looked at me before Alyssa sighed in relief. “So what happened? Did you save the day again?” 

“It was just another Ultra Beast. I just helped out,” I replied as I went over to them. 

“Wicked…” Austin muttered before sliding a packaged piece of cake towards me. “Anyway, here’s a treat! You deserve it!” 

“Are you ok though? You look a little pale,” Alyssa asked.

I nodded as I sat down. “Just hot.” Wasn’t a lie either. 

“So can you like… sense Ultra Beasts, because this is the third time you went unsettlingly still as your nose started bleeding,” Lexi asked. 

“Your pupils turn blue too,” Alyssa added.

“You start acting really calm too. It’s weird,” Austin chimed in before putting another forkful of cake into his mouth.  

“I… I guess,” I muttered before releasing my team. It is weird for that calm feeling to just… appear when an Ultra Beast shows up. 

Austin and Lexi shrugged as Winter jumped into my lap. “Whatever. It’s bloody creepy though. It’s like you’re being possessed,” Lexi said. 

“Or brainwashed,” Austin added. Brainwashed… 

I only get calm when an Ultra Beast shows up, and I’m hyper-focused on making sure they don’t destroy Alola. I’m also oddly efficient at hiding Selene. Wasn’t that… the two things Eleanor told me to do? What did she say when I saw her in that vision in the restroom? ‘As a Morada, you have my blessing. As my successor, you have an order. Keep my kingdom safe and protect your moon goddess’. I have an order… Wait… 

She called me Blue Harmonia.

Every time Alola is under attack, I go into that hyper-focused-calm mode. I keep Selene hidden, and I know exactly what to do to keep Alola safe. Eleanor gave me an order using Blue Harmonia. When I was in Unova and took my oath, she didn’t break Ghetsis’ control over me. She added her voice to override his orders and make me go back to normal. It’s what my dad did with his parental blessing. He overrode Ghetsis’ order. They don’t have enough power to break it. 

I’m still brainwashed. 

Ghetsis can still control me. 

Ghetsis escaped with his most loyal followers.

And I have three missions left.

Chapter Text

“Hop?” Xavier asked before his hand landed on my shoulder. “Are you ok?” 

I don’t know how long I was in a daze, but my hand is clamped over my mouth, and I feel like I’m about to vomit. Ghetsis is out there, and if he ever sees me again, he can just say “Blue Harmonia”, and I’ll be his little puppet again. If he comes back… I’m screwed. I’m actually screwed. 

“Ok, how about we take a quick walk?” Xavier softly offered before standing up. “You and me, ok?” 

I shakily nodded before slowly lowering my hand. Walk. Get out of your head. Call Rayne. Talk to Rayne. She could be affected by this. Holy shit, she could be affected if Ghetsis gets me. 

I felt Winter press her head against my stomach. I wrapped my shaking arms around her before standing up. I heard my other classmates say something, but I blocked it out as my eyes scanned over my Pokemon. The five of them came to my side, Dubwool nudging his horn against my hip. I reached down to grip onto his wool as Xavier lightly pushed my back, cuing me to start walking. 

We stayed quiet as we left the Pokemon Center. All I could think about was the fact that Ghetsis can take me and control me, and I can’t do anything to stop it! 

“What’s going on?” Dubwool asked. 

“I’m still brainwashed,” I squeaked, keeping my gaze ahead. 

Dubwool froze in his tracks, making me stop with him as Xavier gripped onto my shoulder. “I’m sorry…” Xavier began before grabbing my other shoulder to turn me to him. “Still brainwashed? You’re brainwashed?” 

I shakily nodded. “When- When we went to Unova, we had to stop this cult, and the one time Rayne and I were apart, the leader got me and brainwashed me because he found out I was a Dual Hero, and their plan was to awaken Reshiram and Zekrom to have a king use them and rule over Unova for absolute power, and it was originally my friend N, but they figured out I’m a god, so I was brainwashed to be his little puppet, and I thought Eleanor broke me out of it, but she didn’t and has been using that brainwashed state to make me protect Alola, which is why I go into that hyper-calm state sometimes. It’s me being brainwashed, but if this cult leader finds me, which he will since he escaped and I have to do three more of these, it’s over. He can make me do anything, and Rayne cannot beat me. I don’t even think she has it in her to fight me again.” I let go of Dubwool and held out my arm. “So yeah. I’m screwed whether I survive the Ultra Recon Squad or not.” 

Xavier stared at me, trying to come up with a response before he sighed in defeat and let me go. “That…” He ran his hands through his hair. “I have no idea what that means…” 

“You hopefully never will,” Dubwool said, making me look at him. He shifted his gaze to mine and frowned. “Are you sure this is… the brainwashed state and not simply something Eleanor can do?” 

“She called me Blue Harmonia. She’s using the brainwashed state,” I replied. 

“But why would she?” Dubwool asked. 

“I don’t know! To… So I can think straight! I…” I sighed before taking out my phone. “I’m calling Rayne.” 

“Uh, ok,” Xavier muttered as I continued walking. 

I went to Rayne’s number as our Pokemon followed us, and I hit her number before putting the phone to my ear. The line rang three times before clicking. 

“Hey. Are you alright? My hands felt more weird than normal for a couple minutes, but Leon told me not to call you in case you were mid-battle.” 

“Uh, no. No. I’m uh- I just found out I’m still brainwashed,” I quickly replied. 

Rayne stayed quiet for a couple seconds. “No, you’re not. Eleanor broke you out of it.” 

“No, I mean that ‘Blue Harmonia’ still affects me. Eleanor didn’t remove it. She added her voice to it. That’s why I get goosebumps when someone says it. I’m still brainwashed.”

“… Shit.”

“Yeah,” I breathed out before I looked up. “And Ghetsis got away.”

“Yeah, but… showing up would be a death wish. He- He ran a cult, abused three kids, kidnapped people, and- He has no idea you’re still brainwashed. We all figured Eleanor freed you, so why would he assume otherwise? He- He can’t and won’t show up. The cops are on his ass, and he has no clue you’re still under his control. You’re fine.” 

“Yeah, but he still has the Shadow Triad. He can build up another cult. He can get his power back. Team Rocket was loyal to Giovanni for 10 years. Who’s to say at least some of Team Plasma isn’t loyal to Ghetsis?” 

Rayne stayed quiet for a few seconds, making me realize what I just said. I compared this to Giovanni. I compared the man who brainwashed me to an actual murderer. She’s not as bothered by Giovanni as she used to be, but it’s still a touchy subject for her. She still hides her hands and neck all the time because of him. Ghetsis didn’t lay a finger on me, but Giovanni gave her irreversible wounds. Mental and physical. I know better than to bring him up. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t-”

“Do not apologize,” she softly scolded. I clamped my mouth shut as she took a deep breath. “He is your Giovanni. He hurt you in ways I don’t fully understand. Do not apologize for using a comparison to help me understand. I don’t care. I just… didn’t realize how much he bothered you.” I lowered my gaze as she took another deep breath. “I get why you’re scared. Ghetsis is still out there and can honestly do anything, but he’s not our problem right now. It’s very unlikely he’ll show up, but if he does, we’ll be ready because you’ll be warned. You knew Giovanni was coming back, right?” 

“Yeah…” 

“You saw Ink before you even knew who he was too. Nightmare or not, you will be warned, and when you are, we will make a plan. For now, focus on this. Ok?” 

I took a deep breath. “Ok…” 

“One catastrophe at a time, remember?” 

I nodded. “One catastrophe at a time. I am sorry though. I didn’t mean to bring him up, and if it-”

“Hop, it’s ok. You didn’t bring anything back. I was… processing. It’s nothing. I’m just overthinking. Probably like you are.” I couldn’t help but smile as Rayne took a deep breath. “But, that’s good to know. What’s Eleanor making you do though?” 

“Protect Alola and Selene. Any time they’re in danger, I’m… hyper-focused on keeping the peace, which is… actually really nice. A little unnerving, but nice.”

“Huh… I didn’t know Eleanor was allowed to do that.” 

“Me too. For beings who aren’t supposed to get involved, they sure help us a lot.” 

“Yeah… I’m starting to think Emily and Owen’s salt about everyone helping us is justified. This is getting ridiculous.” Emily and Owen… 

“Of course you’d say that, you privileged pain in the ass.” 

“Why did I have to follow you? You’re like… the most impossible standard to live up to.”

I think that salt was directed more towards me. Owen… clearly hates me, and Emily made it very clear she’s intimidated and frustrated with me. She didn’t seem to hate me, but… still. How annoying do I become if my own juniors are sick of me? 

“Anyway,” Rayne began, snapping me out of my thoughts, “what happened earlier?” 

“Uh… the Ultra Recon Squad saw Pheromosa and tried grabbing her, so she brought in the Kartana pack. I was notified, so I ran over to Lush Jungle, since they were there for a Z-Crystal. I met Zarude, and he helped me out, but… The Recon Squad still sent Kartana home, and… the forest got a little damaged. Zarude and I tried to help Kartana, but Zarude got wrapped in the chains for a minute. I tried breaking him out, but… I can’t do that. I made a sort of… deal with the Recon Squad though. They think the Z-Crystals are the prism shards, and think that I’m collecting them, so… I’ll probably end up giving them up, but they still don’t know about Selene or the real prism, and they don’t know I know basically everything at this point. That deal did uh, confirm Ink won’t show up until I have all the Z-Crystals, so we have at least a few more days until then. As long as they don’t find Selene or the prism… We should be ok for now. Selene healed me though, so… I’m physically fine.”  

“I see… You’re still processing this, huh?” 

“Yeah…” 

Rayne took a deep breath. “Well… Ok. It’s good to know we won’t have to worry about this psycho-Julian knock off for a while, but… Be careful. Ok?” 

I couldn’t help but smile. “I always am.” I glanced at Xavier. “I’ll talk to you later, alright?” 

“Ok. Now clear your head! Distract yourself! Touch some grass!” 

I rolled my eyes, but held my smile. “Alright!” 

“Good. I love you, and tell me if anything happens.” 

“I will, and I love you too.” 

“I mean it. Don’t think about… that. One catastrophe at a time.” 

My expression softened, but I nodded. “One catastrophe at a time.” 

We said our goodbyes, and as I put my phone up, Xavier cleared his throat. “So… How about we get the others and check on Kiawe’s trial?” 

“Sounds good,” I quickly replied before we turned around and went back to the Pokemon Center. 

~

We grabbed the others and made our way back to Wela Volcano Park. Alyssa kept asking what happened and if I was ok, and no matter how many times I tried to avoid her question, she kept asking. I was hoping to slip into Kiawe’s trial and get her to stop, but it was still closed. Mohn was gone too. At this rate, I was getting concerned, but Alyssa told me it wasn’t my problem before Austin broke the tension by offering to see a Battle Royal. Xavier and I agreed, and since the majority won, we went. We let our Pokemon watch, and although Dartrix was clearly interested, she refused to enter. 

After the Battle Royal ended, the five of us debated on where to go from here. Lexi offered to start heading to Konikoni City, but I wanted to stay near Lush Jungle so I could get Mallow’s trial out of the way tomorrow morning, along with praying to Arceus that the trial distracts me from the reminder that my dad is dead because of me and I’m not with my family when I should be. I didn’t tell them the second half, obviously, but the other three agreed with my point. Because of the trial though, all but Lexi agreed to stay at the Pokemon Center next to Lush Jungle so I could get it out of the way, but that still didn’t answer the question of what to do today. So, we went to the internet. We still haven’t done our daily challenge, which was to find something flashy, so we first started looking for something to photograph for it. We spent about an hour looking, but I don’t think we found anything good. Selene lit her hands up and did a few silly poses to try and help, and Alyssa took some pictures before sending them in our group chat in case anyone wanted to use them. Austin called dibs. 

Since we came up empty handed on the challenge post though, we continued looking for things to do on this side of Akala Island. Luckily, Austin, our local savior, found a fossil digging site outside Lush Jungle, and since the majority of us agreed to check it out, we went. It was a small site, but the man who ran it knew what he was doing. We helped him dig up a few fossils, and while none of them could be revived, we found pieces of ancient Pokemon. Alyssa and I found it more interesting than the others, but Austin and Xavier found some joy in it. So did our Pokemon. Arcanine, Rockruff, and surprisingly Torracat had a blast digging up the fossils, Winter started getting more comfortable around Alcremie and Cutiefly with the help of Selene, and everyone else played tag. Except Dubwool. He was following Winter to make sure she’d be ok. It felt like… everything was normal again.

We left the site to get some dinner. We stopped by Royal Avenue again, and when I found out the malasada shop also served actual food, we decided to try it out. Their normal food wasn’t bad, but we got some malasadas for dessert to end the day on a high note. But just as we finished eating, and as Xavier started talking about our plan for tomorrow… It made me feel worried. Panicked, even. The sun was starting to set, and when it rises again… it’ll be the 10-year mark. I won’t be with my mom. I won’t be with Lee. I’ll be with my classmates who have no idea what really happened. I couldn’t stop fidgeting, and my stomach felt like it was twisting. These… feelings reminded me too much of how I felt after Team Rocket fell. When we got to the hospital, and Rayne was whisked away by the doctors. When I was left alone for maybe 5 minutes, and everything came crashing down. That day was the worst day of my life. What I felt that day… I can’t even describe it. I don’t… want to feel that again. But I will. Tomorrow I’ll be reminded of what I did over and over again, and Rayne won’t be there. No one will. I’m stuck here without anyone who understands, and I have to act like I’m fine because they’ll only make fun of me for being upset by something that happened 10 years ago.

I’m not ready for that to happen yet. This night needs to go on for as long as humanly possible. 

I asked if we could check on Wela Volcano Park one last time, and although Lexi was visibly annoyed, everyone agreed. We left Royal Avenue and made our way to the park, and because it’s just my luck, the park was still closed off. 

“Wow. If this has been going on all day, I hope the Totem’s ok,” Austin said as I stared at the wooden gates blocking anyone from entering the park. Staring at the trial design as the weight of my situation started to settle. 

I’ll be alone on the reminder of the worst day of my life. Rayne won’t be there. She hasn’t been here. This whole… Megalion situation has somehow distracted me for a few days, but that longing for her is coming back. A familiar weight started forming on my chest. A familiar pain in general started forming. I need her here. I don’t want to keep doing this alone. 

“Doesn’t matter. It’s not our issue,” Alyssa began before looking up at the now orange sky. “We should probably call it a night though.” 

My eye twitched at her words as the weight on my chest grew, but I kept my eyes on the gate. “There has to be something…” 

“Uh… are you ok? You’ve been a little off since dinner,” Xavier asked. 

I forced myself to nod before taking a deep breath. Keep it together. It’s not even the 8th yet. “I just…” I need her. I need to see her, feel her, hear her. I need her by my side, fighting with me because I don’t know how much longer I can do this. I’m sick of hiding, I’m sick of holding it together, I’m sick of Alyssa and Lexi picking at me and just taking it because I can’t tell them anything, I’m sick of it. I can’t go through tomorrow without her, but I’ll have to, and I’m not ready for that. I need to do something to stop thinking about it because if I keep thinking about it-

“Vul?” Winter softly asked as I felt Selene tap my cheek. 

I flinched, feeling something wet smear against my cheek from Selene touching it. And I’m crying. For the love of Arceus… 

“Oh my Arceus…” I heard Lexi mutter as I reached up to wipe the tears away. 

“What’s wrong?” Dartrix softly asked as she brushed her wing against my side. 

“It’s nothing. I’m fine,” I breathed out, but reached down to gently hold her wing. 

“No, you’re not. You-” Alyssa softly began. 

“It doesn’t matter,” I interrupted. 

Alyssa narrowed her eyes. “Ok, what is going on with you?” Annoyance spiked up inside me as I turned away from her. “Ever since we got here, you-” 

A loud explosion cut Alyssa off and made all of us flinch. I snapped my gaze up towards the park, seeing smoke rising up from the top of the small mountain.

“Stay here,” I said before grabbing the gate and jumping over it. 

“Hop!” Alyssa yelled as my Pokemon walking on their own followed me. 

“Are you out of your bloody mind!?” Lexi demanded. 

“Duh,” I heard Austin reply as I started running towards the mountain. 

Whatever this is, I can fix it. Issues like this can distract me. I can help Kiawe and stop thinking and get away from my classmates and get out of my head. Focus on helping Kiawe. Focus on getting there. Focus on anything else but Rayne and the fact that I won’t see her for another 20 days even though I need her now. I don’t know how much longer I can keep fighting on my own, but I have to if I want to stop thinking about everything wrong in my life! Tomorrow can’t come. Not yet. 

By the time I reached the trial gates, I almost fell over from the lack of feeling in my legs. I stayed up though, but leaned against the gates as I caught my breath and tried not to collapse. 

“What’s going on?” Dubwool asked as Silvally looked past the trial gates. 

I shook my head. “Doesn’t… Salazzle is…” 

“Salazzle has Kiawe’s help. What’s going on?” Dubwool asked. 

“Uh, if Kiawe is the dark muscular man, he may need some more help,” Silvally said. 

Dubwool and I turned to him, seeing he was looking past the gates with Rockruff and Dartrix. Dewpider jumped off my shoulder to look for himself as Selene flew after him. I pushed myself towards the gate opening, Dubwool trailing beside me. Dubwool and I poked our heads in to see what I assume to be the trial grounds with Winter. 

There was only another incline past the gates to the top of the hill. At the center was a giant Salazzle and Alolan Marowak. Salazzle was being held back by Kiawe while three smaller Marowaks held the Totem back. The two Totems were screaming at each other to a point where it was incomprehensible. 

“Uh… How is there a Totem Marowak if both of its types already have a Totem?” Dubwool asked. 

“I have no idea…” I muttered. Is this another turf war? It can’t be. Salazzle is the fire Totem, and Mimikyu is supposed to be the ghost Totem. How is there a Marowak Totem unless… Did the Totems change? Can that happen?   

“Dewpi!” Dewpider called before shooting towards the battle.  

“Dewpider!” I called as Rockruff ran after him. I tried saying something to stop Rockruff, but ended up sighing. Ok! I took a deep breath and forced myself off the gate. I ran into the trial grounds, ignoring the pain in my legs and lungs. “Guys!” 

For some reason, Kiawe was the only one to look at me. He perked up when he saw me though. “Hop! Can you please help me?!” 

“As long as my own Pokemon don’t make this worse!” I yelled before Dewpider blasted a stream of bubbles at the Totem Marowak. My eyes widened in horror. “Dewpider, no!” 

“Marowak, get out of-” Kiawe began, but it was too late. 

The bubbles hit Marowak’s face, causing his head to jerk to the side as he crashed into the smaller Marowak on his right, pulling the ones on his left and behind him down with him. I slowed to a stop as the four Marowaks fell over, catching my breath again as I stared at the scene. Dewpider then turned to Salazzle and used Bubble Beam on her. 

I shot over to Dewpider and grabbed him as Kiawe pulled Salazzle out of the way. Dewpider whined, but I just lifted him up to my eye level. “What are you thinking?! Why did you attack them?!” 

“Row row row!” Rockruff barked. 

“Dewpi pi!” Dewpider fired back. 

“Menace or not, you have a trainer now! Do not attack anyone unless Hop tells you to!” Dubwool scolded. 

Dewpider crossed his front arms as Marowak huffed. I turned around, seeing the four of them sitting up. “Just get over yourself, Salazzle. This is my trial ground now. Go to Ula’Ula.” 

“No! My pack has been here for decades, and we’ve watched over this park and the Firium-Z! I’m not changing my crystal and captain!” Salazzle snapped. 

“The Tapus approved it! What else do you want?! Lady Eleanor’s approval!” Marowak demanded. 

“No! They can find someone else to become the Poison Totem! I’m staying here!” Salazzle screamed. 

“Ok, what’s going on?!” I demanded. 

“Rayne asked for every Z-Crystal to be guarded by a Totem and is working to get Trial Captains for all of them. The captain part is taking a while, but all the Totems have been assigned. Salazzle is supposed to be guarding the Poison Z-Crystal from now on while Marowak becomes my new Totem. I agreed to it since he and his brothers have been working with this Salazzle line for years,” Kiawe explained. 

“But he became a Totem artificially through Poke Beans and not through a bloodline!” Salazzle snapped. Those things can turn Pokemon into Totems? 

“They’ve been fighting all day,” Kiawe added. 

I looked between the two Totems before sighing. “Ok, enough, you two. Salazzle, I get why you’re upset-” 

“Seriously?! You’re on his side?!” Salazzle demanded. 

“I’m not picking sides. If this is what the Tapus decided, you need to listen to them,” I explained. 

Salazzle slowly shook her head as she gave me a disgusted look. “I cannot believe you.” 

“Well, it’s our reality now. Suck it up and go to Ula’Ula,” Marowak spat. 

“No! I’m not leaving Akala until Lele herself tells me to!” Salazzle snapped before lunging towards Marowak. 

“Salazzle!” Kiawe yelled, but Salazzle ignored him to tackle Marowak down. 

I flinched while the smaller Marowaks tried to pry her off, but the second they were able to lift her body, she blasted a ball of fire at the Totem’s face. Marowak flinched, but jerked his arm up to slam his bone into Salazzle’s face to knock her away from him. Salazzle crashed into the ground, but quickly pushed herself up to lunge back towards Marowak. A bunch of Salandits then came out of the burrows along the walls to join the fight. 

“Bloody hell…” I breathed out as the small Pokemon started to swarm the four Marowaks. Well, I did say I wanted a distraction.

Winter pressed herself closer to me as I glanced at Kiawe, seeing him release a Turtinator. “Ok, uh…” I looked between my other Pokemon. “I don’t have a memory for Silvally, so… Rockruff, Dewpider, I’m going to need you two to help out.”

“Pider!” Dewpider cheered while Rockruff nodded. 

While the two of them ran towards the pile of fire types, I returned everyone else. Besides Selene because she flew after Dewpider and Rockruff to help. When everyone’s pokeballs were clipped back onto my belt, I chased after my Pokemon. 

“Use Rock Tomb and Bubble Beam to split them up! Once they’re apart, Rockruff, focus on Salazzle, and Dewpider, take care of Marowak!” 

“Dewpi!” Dewpider called as Rockruff nodded. 

“Cosmog?” Selene asked as she turned to me. 

“No,” I began, which made Selene pout. I stopped and turned to Kiawe instead. “Can your team keep the Salandits and other Marowaks away?” 

“Yeah. Holler if you need any help!” Kiawe called before looking at the cluster of Pokemon. “Turtonator, take care of the little ones!” 

“Got it!” he called before my two Pokemon fired their attacks. 

The water and rocks crashed into the Pokemon. Some of them shrieked and scurried away, but the ones who stayed turned to look at my two Pokemon.

The Totem Marowak scoffed before he picked up his bone and spun it around in his grip. “What side are you on, kid?” 

“Neither. Now!” I called. 

Rockruff lunged towards Salazzle while Dewpider scurried towards Marowak. The two Totems growled before they both shot towards my Pokemon, which made their followers do the same. If they didn’t follow their Totems, they started firing attacks at my Pokemon. While Rockruff focused on dodging attacks, Dewpider made a beeline for Marowak before jumping up and clinging to his face. 

“Cos Cosmog!” Selene whined as the Totem Marowak fell over. 

“Ok, ok,” I began before looking back at the array of Pokemon. “Help Kiawe’s Pokemon, but be careful.” 

“Cosmog!” Selene cheered before flying over to the fight. 

“Be careful!” I reminded before returning my attention to Rockruff and Dewpider. 

Dewpider was clinging to Marowak’s face as he tried to pry him off, but Rockruff was dodging Salazzle’s every move. When I saw his face, I saw how worried he looked. I don’t think he’s battled on his own before. He probably doesn’t know what the best move would be. 

“Rockruff!” I called. He glanced back at me before quickly dodging the fire Salazzle blasted at him. “Don’t overthink it! She’s only weak to water, rock, psychic, and ground! Use your rock type moves!” 

“Cosmog!” Selene cheered before a small rock appeared on her glowing hand. She threw it at Salazzle, and the rock hit the back of her head. 

Salazzle flinched before spinning around. “Hey!” 

I couldn’t help but smile before I looked down at Rockruff. He turned his head to look at me, and I nodded. “See? You got this. Trust your instinct. I’m right here.” 

Rockruff smiled back as his tail started wagging. He turned back to Salazzle before rocks formed around his tail. He leaned his upper body down before the rocks shot towards Salazzle, striking her in the back. Salazzle’s body jerked forward, but she regained her balance and spun around. 

I kept my eye on them to make sure Rockruff would be ok. He still dodged Salazzle with ease, but was able to get his own attacks in. When he got a third attack in, I scanned over the crowd for Dewpider. Marowak got him off his face and was trying to attack with his bone, but Dewpider dodged every swing. When he wasn’t moving, he was blasting water or bubbles at the Totem. Marowak swung his bone down, but Dewpider jumped up before using Bubble Beam one last time, striking Marowak right between the eyes. He jerked back before falling over, and as Dewpider landed, the Totem stayed down. 

Selene cheered as everyone else stopped moving to look at Marowak and Dewpider. Dewpider turned around, only to be engulfed by a white light. A smile rose to my lips as he grew into an Araquanid, and when the light burst away, he started to stretch his legs. 

“That’s more like it.” He looked between the remaining three Marowaks. “Now, do you wanna end up like your boss, or will you calm down?” The three of them held up their hands in surrender and stepped away from the horde of Salandits. 

Araquanid nodded as Salazzle laughed and pointed at the fainted Marowak. “See!?” She turned to Kiawe. “I’m the superior Totem! I deserve to stay here!” 

Kiawe sighed. “Salazzle, I already told you. This is what the Tapus decided. It’s not up to me. Rayne wanted every Z-Crystal to be guarded, and the Tapus agreed. Since the one training to be your Trial Captain lives on Ula’Ula, they want you to move there. I know you don’t want this to change, but this is to keep the crystals safe. You have to go.”

Salazzle clenched her hand into a fist as she gave Kiawe a nasty look. “Why do I have to move?! Why couldn’t the Tapus have selected another poison type instead of replacing me?!” 

“I don’t know, but it’s not up to us. The land is open and ready for you and your Salandits to settle, and the Z-Crystals are already there. You have to go.” 

“Or else what? The Tapus will remove my status? They can’t exactly reverse it.” 

“I-I don’t know, but this fight has gone on long enough.” 

Salazzle shook her head as her glare sharpened. “No. I’m the Fire Totem. If Bulu wants me that badly, he’ll have to drag me off this island.” She looked between the Salandits scattered around the hilltop. “Boys, take the Marowaks away!” 

“Salazzle!” Kiawe barked as I looked between my two Pokemon. 

“Araquanid, Rockruff-”

“Already on it!” Araquanid called as he started charging towards Salazzle. 

“Boys!” she called before pointing to Araquanid. 

The Salandits charged towards Araquanid as Salazzle shot towards the four Marowaks. Kiawe ordered his Pokemon to stop Salazzle, but as he did, I looked at Rockruff. He was frozen in place, staring ahead in horror. 

I narrowed my eyes. “Rockruff!” He turned to me, and I smiled at him. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. You’re strong against Salazzle, but even if you lose, it’s ok. This is just a Totem battle. I know you’re a strong Pokemon. You brought your entire pack to help us against Pheromosa, remember? You joined our team to get stronger. You trust us, right?” Rockruff slowly nodded. “So trust me when I say it’s ok to get hurt. Even if you go down, I’ll make sure you get back up. I know you’re stronger than you think. I trust you, so you should trust yourself too.” I pointed to Salazzle. “Take her out. I know you can do it.” 

Rockruff stared at me, his eyes glossing over before he smiled. He nodded before he spun around and shot towards Salazzle. My smile softened as I watched him run. There’s the brave little guy I saw on Ten Carat Hill. He just needs a little push.  

When Rockruff was close enough, he jumped up to Salazzle’s eye level as she turned to him. The second she turned around though, Rockruff’s body was coated in light. My eyes widened before I looked up. The sun was going down, so will he evolve into midday or midnight form? The sun is technically still up, so probably midday. 

Rockruff’s body grew twice in size, and when the light burst away, my jaw actually dropped. His fur was orange. He looked similar to a midday Lycanroc, but the fur on his neck seemed fluffier and… he had orange fur! 

Lycanroc spun around just as rocks surrounded his tail before slamming his tail and the rocks into Salazzle’s head. She winced from the attack as Lycanroc landed before falling over. Lycanroc straightened his posture before he turned to me and smiled, revealing his now bright green eyes. 

I gave him a wide smile in return as Araquanid laughed. “Now that’s what I’m talking about! Baby pup can kick some ass!” 

“I’m not a baby!” Lycanroc barked as I approached him. 

“Cos cos!” Selene cheered, which only made Lycanroc roll his eyes. 

I ruffled the fur on his head, which made him look up at me. My smile softened. “See? No need to be scared.” 

He smiled back at me. “Yeah…” 

I knelt down to get a closer look at him. “What form is this though?” I ran my fingers through the fur on his neck, and it felt the same as Rayne’s Lycanroc. “You look like midday form, but your eyes and fur are very different.” 

“It’s the dusk form,” Kiawe began, making me look up at him. He approached me with his own Marowak. “They’re very rare since they only evolve in the few minutes the sun rises and sets. You got lucky though, so congrats. Thank you as well, and,” he reached down to pet Lycanroc, “this little one at your Araquanid technically beat the Totems, so you have every right to take one of my Z-Crystals.” 

My expression fell. “Are you sure? We didn’t even do a trial.” 

Kiawe waved me off as he continued to pet Lycanroc, who happily accepted them. “These two have been at it for hours. Stopping them is enough of a trial for me.” 

I lowered my hand from Lycanroc. “Ok…” 

Lycanroc bumped his head against my arm as I stood up. Kiawe held out a red Z-Crystal, so I took it from him before he stepped back. “The move is called Inferno Overdrive.” He then showed me the short dance before his posture relaxed. “Thank you though. Really.” 

I nodded as I slipped the Z-Crystal in my pocket, since I was out of room on my Z-Ring. “Do you… need any more help?” 

“Nah. I got it from here. I will have to shut my trial down for the time being since I clearly need to get Tapu Lele to talk to Salazzle. I’ll take care of it though. I’ll let you enjoy your trip, and not stay up too late dragging Salazzle over to the Ruins of Life.” 

My expression fell as a familiar nervous feeling started to build up again. After this… we’ll go to the Pokemon Center and go to sleep. The 8th can’t be that soon. It can’t… I can’t… 

“Cosmog!” Selene called as she flew towards me. I shifted my gaze to her, seeing Araquanid behind her, but when she got close enough, she started flying around me. “Cos Cosmog! Mog cos!” 

“Yeah. Big and strong,” Araquanid replied before stopping in front of us. “So can I fire a web at that blonde chick, or is that going too far?” 

“Do it. She’s annoying,” Lycanroc calmly replied. 

“Cosmog!” Selene cheered, lighting her hands up to probably create spider webs as I gave Lycanroc a disapproving look. 

“What? I’ve been swatting dirt on her legs for the past week. All she does is complain, especially about how ‘disgusting’ Charjabug and Araquanid are. Araquanid may be a menace, but he’s not gross,” Lycanroc defended. 

Araquanid gasped as he lifted his front legs as if to cover his mouth in shock. “That is the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me!” 

Lycanroc shrugged as I sighed. “I know she’s… annoying as all hell, but if you attack her, she’ll complain more. Please just… behave.” My two Pokemon hummed and narrowed their eyes as Selene started firing webs everywhere. “You too, Selene!” 

“Cosmog!” she cheered as Lycanroc leaned towards Araquanid. 

“Just attack her discreetly like I do.” 

“Lycanroc!” I scolded. 

“Run!” Lycanroc called before he ran past me, prompting Araquanid and Selene to follow him. I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t help but smile before I spun around to run after them. At least they’re not fighting anymore.

Chapter Text

I chased my Pokemon back to the park entrance, where my classmates were still waiting. While Lexi was typing away on her phone, the others were talking. I slowed to a walk while my Pokemon continued running towards the gate. 

“Let’s freak this girl out!” Araquanid called. 

“Cosmog!” Selene cheered as my classmates turned to us. 

Lexi screamed as she scrambled away from the gates and behind Alyssa, who flinched with Xavier at the sight of my Pokemon while Austin’s expression lit up. 

“They evolved! That’s so wicked!” 

“Hell yeah it is!” Araquanid called before he and Lycanroc jumped over the gate. The two of them slid to a stop before they straightened up as Selene flew around them, letting the spider webs still stuck to her hands fly around.

Araquanid tilted his head to look at the girls. “Hey, blondie.” 

“Hop, put that thing away now! It’s a million times worse than before!” Lexi shrieked. 

“How?” Austin asked as I climbed over the gate. 

“Because it’s huge and has giant legs and- Just get rid of it!” Lexi screamed before hiding her face against Alyssa’s back. 

“Wow. Not even a please,” Lycanroc mocked as I approached my Pokemon. 

“I’m not getting rid of him,” I said as I stopped between my Pokemon. “He trusted me enough to train him, so he’s staying.” 

“Then put it in its pokeball! It’s so creepy and I don’t want to be anywhere near it!” Lexi demanded. 

“Then stay away from me,” Araquanid replied. 

When I didn’t budge, Alyssa sighed. “Come on, Hop. He creeps her out, and he’s been messing with our Pokemon since you caught him. Just keep him in his pokeball.” 

“He has not!” Charjabug defended. 

“Yeah! And I find his chaotic nature charming,” Oricorio added. 

“He hasn’t hurt anyone either. It’s harmless fun,” Arcanine replied. 

“Yeah. Cutiefly likes him too,” Alcremie added as she looked up at Alyssa. 

“Cu cutie,” Cutiefly muttered, and Brionne nodded with Xavier’s Rowlet. 

Alyssa looked between all our Pokemon, her expression growing conflicted before Lexi shook Alyssa’s shoulders. “I don’t care! I hate it, so get rid of it!” 

“What did he do to you!?” I demanded. 

“He’s a bloody gigantic disgusting bug!” Lexi shrieked as she shot me an annoyed but scared look. 

“Then don’t get near him! I’m not-”

“If you do not put that thing in its pokeball, I’m telling Willow you’re leaving us to fight Ultra Beasts!” Lexi threatened. 

My expression dropped before Xavier stepped between the girls and me. “Ok, calm down. Don’t make this a bigger deal than it needs to be. This is an Araquanid we’re talking about.” 

“And bugs like it are disgusting and creepy and-” Lexi began. 

“Ok, fine!” Araquanid barked, making us look at him. “I thought I’d have more fun after evolving, but you’re even more annoying. I’ll stay in my pokeball if that means I won’t have to deal with your screaming.” 

“No, this is ridiculous. You shouldn’t have to be excluded because she doesn’t like you,” I defended as he stepped towards me. 

“Excluded!? It’s a bloody spider that could kill us!” Lexi snapped. 

“He won’t kill us!” Charjabug scolded. 

“Yeah, but her complaining might kill me,” Araquanid grumbled before tapping his pokeball on my belt, which sucked him back in. 

I sighed in defeat as Lexi sighed in relief. “Thank Arceus.” 

I clenched my jaw and hands into fists as my eye twitched. “He literally did nothing to you, yet you insult him?” 

“He’s a Pokemon,” Lexi fired back. 

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean you have a right to treat them like they’re below us! They’re living, breathing creatures who could overthrow us if they wanted to! They choose to work with us, and this is how you treat one!? Call him disgusting and creepy just because you hate bug types!?” I snapped. 

“Oh, so Xavier’s fear of water types is treated like a normal thing, but my fear of bug types is a nuisance to you!?” Lexi barked. 

“YES! Because unlike you, Xavier doesn’t demand that we keep Brionne and Araquanid away from him! He keeps his distance and is actually trying to overcome his fear to feel more comfortable with them! You yell at bug types to leave you alone and insult them to their faces when they’re minding their own damn business! There’s no logical reason for you to be this insensitive to creatures who did nothing to you!” 

“Yeah, well there’s no reason for you to be an overdramatic tosser about literally everything! It’s like one thing goes wrong in your life and you explode!” 

“Oh, I’m overdramatic? Says the girl who couldn’t stop screaming because a bug type was within five feet of her.” 

“Oh, yeah. Turn this on me. The one with a psychological fear of bugs!” 

I shook my head. “Do not bring mental rubbish into this. Not even two days ago, you were calling me a baby for being affected by traumatic events, so you have no right to use your mental issues to defend your actions.” 

“I have a psychological fear of bugs. You can’t move on from something that happened 10 years ago. People die, Hop. If I can get over it, so can you!” 

“Ok, guys-” Xavier began as I felt my body start trembling. 

“Shut your fucking mouth, you insensitive little bitch!” The girls flinched as my fingernails dug into my palms. “You have no idea what happened that day, so you have no right to insult me and expect me to give you sympathy for your own mental issues. I’m sorry bug types scare you, but there’s better ways to handle it than to scream at them. Get over yourself and stop being such a fucking hypocrite!” 

With that, I marched towards the tunnel. I kept my mouth shut as I sucked in breaths to keep myself from crying. But all I could think about now was my dad. The few memories I had of him as a kid, my last conversation with him, all the pictures and stories I’ve seen and heard. The gifts he left me for Fiesta de Violeta. How Lee and mom always have a bittersweet smile when talking about him. All of it. 

Tomorrow marks 10 years since he died. Since Giovanni shot him. And I have to act like everything is fine when all I want to do is go down to the bottom of the ocean and stay there for the rest of my life. I won’t hurt anyone down there, and no one will hurt me. But no. Not when I’m Arceus’ creation. 

I hate being a Dual Hero. 

I hate everything about my life right now. 

Let me be with my girlfriend, let me spend time with my family on the one day it matters, let me not have to fight someone every 5 minutes, let me rest for just one day, Arceus, and please. Please let me sleep. 

~

I went straight to the Pokemon Center and booked a room. I apologized to Araquanid, and although he said he really didn’t care, I still hated how Lexi treated him. I know she won’t apologize though. She’s probably calling me every insult in the book right now. Xavier and Austin showed up after I talked to Araquanid though, and they told me Alyssa got a room for her and Lexi for the night. 

Xavier knelt beside me, but I kept my eyes on Araquanid. “Are you ok?” 

I couldn’t help but scoff. “What do you think?” 

“He was screaming and swearing. He’s pissed,” Austin replied from the bed he claimed. “I mean, as he should be. You don’t just insult someone’s Pokemon like that, but still. This trip is the first time I’ve heard him swear. And raise his voice. It’s lowkey terrifying. I get how he can handle The Master though. He’s just as intimidating. It’s kinda wicked now that I think about it.” 

I clenched my hand into a fist as Xavier sighed. “That… This isn’t a good thing, Austin.” 

“I never said it was. I just said it’s wicked.”

“Yeah, but his patience is thinning. We…” Xavier took a deep breath before he turned his attention to me again. “I don’t want you to do something you regret. She isn’t worth it.” 

“I’d happily choke her out if I got the chance,” I grumbled, still avoiding eye contact. 

“Hop.” 

“I would too!” Austin chimed in. 

“Stop encouraging this!” Xavier called as my phone flew out in front of me. Rayne. 

I felt the tension in my body fade away at the sight of her name before I took my phone and answered the FaceTime call. “Hey.” 

She gave me a pressed smile. “Hey. How are you holding up?” 

“He yelled AND swore at our classmate!” Austin called. 

Rayne visibly winced at his comment. “That bad, huh?” 

“She yelled at my Pokemon and tried using mental issues to defend herself when she mocked me for still being traumatized, so yeah. I called her an insensitive bitch.” 

“Wait, what? What Pokemon?” Rayne asked. 

“Araquanid,” I dryly replied. 

“Because I’m big and scary,” Araquanid mocked. 

“Oh, I’ll show her big and scary. No one mocks any Pokemon on my watch. Good thing I’ll be there tomorrow,” Rayne replied. 

I perked up. “Huh?” 

“Yeah. Lee and I got tickets for us, your mom, auntie, and Victor. We’re leaving later tonight so we’ll be there tomorrow morning. We’ll only be there for the day, but Leon was able to get us the day off.” 

I stared at my phone, processing her words. My family will… be here? 

Rayne gave me a confused look. “Wait, did you seriously think we wouldn’t visit?” 

“I… Yeah…” I muttered. 

Her expression dropped. “Hop…” 

I looked away. “I… I’m in another region! I wasn’t-”

“Hop, your family always spends the 8th together. After what happened last year, there’s no way in hell they wouldn’t be with you.” I gripped onto my shorts. “Does it… bother you that-”

I shook my head and squeezed my eyes shut. “No, no. I…” I took a deep breath and opened my eyes, but kept my gaze locked on my legs. “Can we… not talk about this? Please?” 

“... Ok. Yeah. Uh… Shit, what can I talk about?” 

“Hop got an orange Lycanroc!” Austin called. That actually got a smile out of me. 

“Huh?” Rayne asked as Lycanroc ran towards me. 

“Yeah!” He shoved his face into my phone, forcing it to fly back. “I’m orange!” 

Rayne gasped. “Dude! I didn’t know there was a third form!” 

“Yep! Dusk form. I also beat up a Salazzle,” Lycanroc replied. 

“I beat up a Totem Marowak!” Araquanid cheered. 

“They were fighting!” Silvally chimed in. 

Rayne sighed. “Salazzle still won’t leave Akala?” 

I shook my head. “But uh… Kiawe said he’d take her to Tapu Lele, so hopefully she’ll move soon.” 

“Good. So help me, I’ll move her myself,” Rayne replied. I couldn’t help but smile at her, which got a smile out of her. “There’s my boy…” 

My smile rose at her words before I looked away again. She’ll be here tomorrow. She’ll be with me in a couple hours. I can be with her and my family. I swear to Arceus, if I have to hide anything tomorrow, I’ll actually lose my mind. 

~

I don’t know when I started screaming. All I knew was that I was outside on the small shore in the middle of a storm that could start a tsunami, screaming in pure agony as I grabbed at the rocks, my hair, anything really. 

Darkrai’s nightmare was a vivid memory of the crash. 

I woke up in tears to the sound of thunder and heavy rain. I don’t know how much time passed before I ran outside and just… collapsed in on myself. The image of his dead body wouldn’t leave my head, the sound of that single gunshot rang through my mind, and the sounds around me made it worse. At some point, I pushed myself into the ocean. The world around me became calm and cold, but that only let my mind continue to replay that day over and over and over and over and over again. 

My dad’s last words to me. His body in the car. My mom’s heartbroken look. The bullet wound in his skull. Leon’s reaction to seeing me at the hospital. Both him and mom telling me it wasn’t my fault. 

But it was. 

He’s dead because of me. Giovanni shot him because of me. My mom lost the love of her life because of me. Leon was suffering for years because of me. The only reason they aren’t blaming me is because they care about me too much. 

Because I’m the last piece of him they have. 

Overwhelming guilt weighed me down, and all I could do was sit at the bottom of the ocean and curl in on myself. Make myself as small as possible as I cried into the endless void of water around me. Until something slipped under my arms and yanked me up. 

My eyes snapped open as cold water rushed past me. Within seconds, I was brought back to the surface, and heard a sharp intake of breath behind me within the heavy rain. Whatever was holding me let me go as I spun around, seeing Rayne behind me on Latias. 

She pushed her blonde hair off her face, revealing her glasses her gone. Rayne forced her eyes open as she caught her breath, but met my gaze once her eyes were open. Just seeing her in front of me… The ache in my heart grew as my breath caught in my throat. Everything inside me told me to cling onto her and never let her go. So when she frowned and held out her arms, I pushed myself towards her and wrapped my arms around her. 

Latias swam out from between us, letting me pull Rayne as close to me as possible. I hid my head against her shoulder as I choked on my own sobs, but she gripped onto me and told me to let it out. That she wasn’t going anywhere. That she’s right here. 

That familiar safe feeling drifted over me as I clung onto her. I forced myself to focus on her and her alone. How her hands, ungloved and warm as ever, ran over my skin and lightly kneaded against the back of my neck to help me relax. How her wet clothes clung onto me under the water but didn’t keep her warmth away from me. How her legs hooked around mine to keep us up. How her natural scent still clung onto her, letting me breathe her in. How she whispered soothing words to me with her unnatural voice I’ve grown to love. 

How she let me know she’s real. 

I lifted my head to capture her lips with mine. She jumped a bit, but let me go to cup my face to pull me a little closer. I pulled her body closer to mine in response, and she stroked my cheeks before breaking the kiss. 

We opened our eyes, and her silver eyes oddly fit in perfectly with the darkness around us. She kept her hands on my face though, and wiped away a few water droplets. 

“Hey, Hoppy.” 

I stared at her, not knowing what to say. I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. All I could do was stare at her and focus on the sheer feeling of her. My partner. My best friend. The love of my life. My everything. 

Rayne frowned at my silence, but tapped her thumbs against my cheeks. “Let’s go inside, ok? I got us a separate room, and Xavier helped me move your stuff over.” She glanced away. “The others are on Melemele because of this storm, but Latias helped me get here.” 

“Shwa,” Latias cooed as she poked her head out from behind Rayne. 

Rayne smiled and looked back at her as I reached up to pet Latias’ head. She smiled and pressed her head against my hand. “Thank you…” 

“Shwa-a,” she replied before leaning away. I lowered my hand as Latias ducked down to push her head against Rayne’s upper back. 

Her smile widened as she was pushed against me. “Ok, ok!” She met my gaze again as her smile softened. “Come on.” 

I nodded, but as she let me go, I wrapped my arms around her waist to keep her close before taking us to the shore. Rayne didn’t fight, and simply wrapped her arms around my shoulders and her legs around my waist. Even when we got to the rocky shore, I continued carrying her. She started shaking from the cold almost immediately after we left the water though. I need to get her warmed up. 

Latias followed us as I carried Rayne back up to the motel lot and took her into the Pokemon Center. Nurse Joy sighed in relief once she saw us and came over to us with some towels as Rayne signalled me to put her down. I saw Latias shake the water off herself while Nurse Joy gave us the towels, but I just wrapped mine around Rayne. She gave me a gentle smile and thanked Nurse Joy before she took my hand and led me to the room she got. 

My Pokemon were waiting in the room with Rayne’s remaining Pokemon, but it wasn’t the team she put together. It was her Alola team, minus Zygarde. Latias must’ve taken his spot. Winter and Selene rushed over to me though. I knelt down and held out my arms to catch Winter before pulling her into a hug. She nuzzled her head against my neck as Selene hugged my arm. My other Pokemon came over to me, and Dartrix hugged my other arm as Silvally and Lycanroc laid beside me. Araquanid stayed close by while Dubwool laid his head on my shoulder. I laid my head against Dubwool’s before I heard a faucet turn on. 

My heart twisted as guilt drifted over me again. Tears ran down my face, but I kept my grip on Winter as Primarina’s soft humming gave me something to focus on. I didn’t recognize the melody, but found the slow beat as she hummed. 

Rayne’s warm hands landed on my shoulders. “Are you up for a bath?” I nodded, and felt her kiss the top of my head. “Then let’s go.” 

I nodded again before slowly letting go of Winter to put her down. She gave me a worried look, but let me stand up as Dartrix and Selene let me go. Rayne weaved her fingers through mine and pulled me to the restroom. 

She let me go to close the door, and I went over to the bathtub, which was being filled with water. I sat on the edge to check how warm it was before reaching over to the faucet to make the water warmer. 

“Don’t make it too hot because of me,” Rayne said. 

“I don’t want you getting sick,” I quietly replied as I stuck my hand under the faucet. 

“I won’t. I know how to avoid getting sick from rain,” she defended. 

“Still…” I muttered before moving my hand. 

She sighed. “Alright.” 

Silence fell between us, even once we got in the bath. I just laid against Rayne, soaking in her familiar warmth as the safe feeling drifted over me. We learned we feel the safest with each other with direct skin contact, probably because it’s the closest we’ll physically get. It helped me feel less guilty, but the weight was still there. It was easier to… not think about it with her here though. I couldn’t stop myself from feeling bad, but focusing on her blocked out the memories. I focused on the sound of her heartbeat beneath me, the feeling of her hands as one played with my hair while the other ran over my back, shoulders, and upper arm, and how she started humming the lullaby her mom and auntie always sung to us to break the silence. 

A few seconds after she stopped humming, she took a deep breath. “So… Do you wanna talk?” 

I stared at the tile along the wall before shaking my head. “Not about… today, at least.” 

“Ok…” she breathed out before placing a gentle kiss on my forehead. 

“I like your hair,” I muttered. 

I felt her smile. “You must, since you’ve told me twice now. I never knew you were into blondes. Are you finally crushing on Eleanor?” 

I shook my head as I reached up to catch a few strands of her red tips. “It just looks good on you. The red makes it better.” 

Rayne hummed. “Well, thank you. For once, you actually like my dyed hair.” 

“I never said I didn’t like your hair, dyed or not. I just prefer your natural hair. This… It’s different, but… I like it.” The first vision I had of her breaking the God Calmer off flashed through my mind. When I first saw her with this hair. “It’s… pretty hot, honestly.”

She playfully gasped before lightly pinching my shoulder. “Hop Morada.” 

A small grin snuck onto my lips before I ducked my head back to kiss below her ear. “What? It is.” 

She dramatically sighed, but weaved her fingers through my hair to keep my head beside hers. “I’m glad you like it then.” 

“Love it,” I murmured as I started pressing kisses along her jaw. “Love you… Love everything about you…” 

She hummed as her body relaxed beneath me. “I missed you…” 

“Me too…” I muttered before placing a kiss against her cheek. “I don’t know how you held it together on your own. I feel like I’m running in circles here.” 

“I never said I did,” she softly replied before she turned her head to look me in the eye. “I just… took it one day at a time.” I lowered my gaze, but nodded. She slid her hand down to my face to stroke her thumb against my cheek. “You’re doing better than me though.” 

“How?" I softly asked. 

“You already know what your enemy is doing, and I think we have a solid plan. It’s more than what I had at any point.” 

I looked away from her. “It’s only because I’m being shown this stuff through visions.” 

Rayne pulled my gaze back to hers. “We both know it’s not just the visions.” She lifted her hand to tap my head. “You’re piecing their plans together based on hints they leave. That’s something I couldn’t do.” 

“Yeah, but-” 

“And because you know, we can make an effective plan instead of running in completely blind. You struggle with fights, I struggle with planning. That’s why we need each other. We’ll only get hurt if we go in alone.”

I lowered my gaze again. I have gotten hurt, but nowhere near as badly as she has. Yet here she is, insisting on working with me even though I made her work alone. She won’t let me experience the pain she did, and… while I can’t help but feel bad about this not being fair, it makes me admire her more. She went through so much suffering on her own, yet when Arceus tells us it’s my turn, she steps in to do her part. She’ll endure more pain to ensure I don’t go through what she did. She really is my shield. She’s the strongest person I know, and I’m the luckiest person alive to share a soul with her. It’s why I want to do more for her. She does so much for not only me, but the world. I want to do better. I want to make her proud. 

“Hoppy?” Rayne softly asked. I lifted my gaze to hers, seeing her worried look. 

I pushed myself up enough to be at her eye level. “I love you.” She smiled as I brushed my nose against hers. “I love you more than anything.” 

“Love you more, baby blue.” 

I reached up to cup her face. “Loved you first, little red.” 

Her smile rose before she lightly pushed me into a kiss. I closed my eyes and tilted my head, letting her take control and lead this. Letting her cloud my mind with nothing but her. Her warmth, her touch, her scent, all of it. My mind was on her and her alone. I held her as close to me as I could as her free ran along my upper back and chest. Her movements were slow and gentle in an attempt to keep me calm and with her. And it worked. 

A notification chime brought us back to reality. We broke apart and opened our eyes, meeting each other’s gaze as we caught our breaths. Rayne’s phone flew over to us, so she tore her gaze away from mine to grab it. I laid my head on her shoulder, letting her stroke my hair again as we both looked at her phone. I saw a notification banner on her lock screen before she unlocked it and went to her messages to open her message board with Leon. 

“The storm finally calmed down, so the others are on their way.” Rayne looked down at me and smiled. “We should probably get dressed before the moms think we did something.” 

My expression softened. “Yeah…” 

I pushed myself off her before we both got out and got changed into some dry clothes Rayne brought in earlier. We went back into the main room and sat on one of the beds, where she finally put her glasses on. I put her in my lap so I could braid her hair while she looked through the few channels the Pokemon Center offered. Most of our Pokemon joined us on the bed, and after Rayne settled on a cooking show, she started playing with Winter and Selene. I just smiled as I finished her braid, and once I patted her shoulders to signal it was done, she tilted her head back to smile at me. One of her wide, sweet smiles that always made me smile back. 

She climbed off my lap and sat beside me before patting the space between her legs. “Come here. Let me do your hair.” 

I rolled my eyes, but pushed myself around to lay between her legs with my back against her chest. She got a little more comfortable as I turned my attention to the tv while she pulled my hair back. 

“Alright, boys. What hairstyle shall I give him today?” 

“A braid crown. He’ll look beautiful,” her Arcanine teased. 

“Nah. Pigtails,” Araquanid replied. 

I shot him a warning look while my Lycanroc burst out into laughter. I saw Arcanine nod in agreement, but my attention was drawn to Rayne’s Lurantis. She was digging through her backpack before taking something out and coming over to us. I watched as she pushed herself onto the bed and held the item towards Rayne, yet kept it hidden from me. 

“You forgot to give him this.” 

Rayne gasped and let go of my hair to take it. “Thank you. I did forget.” 

“Forget what?” I asked as I tilted my head back. 

“The present I got you,” Rayne replied as Lurantis slid off the bed. 

“Present?” I asked. 

She nodded. “I was going to give it to you when you came back, but… I think you could use it now and… for the rest of your trip.” I gave her a confused look before her hand snuck around me to show me the item. My eyes widened when I saw the small velvet box in her hand. 

I slowly took the box from her before carefully pulling the lid up. Resting in the small box was a golden ring with what looked like red glass running along the middle. It may have been made from opals or another gem, but I really couldn’t tell. It was… beautiful though. 

“Do you like it?” Rayne softly asked. 

“Do I… Of course I like it. This is…” I began before I took the ring out of the box to look at closely. 

This wasn’t a normal ring. This is a wedding band. She got me a wedding ring? How long has she had this? Why is she giving this to me now? It feels like real gold, and whatever material is in the red part is just as smooth. It was light, but it did feel heavier than the other rings I’ve held. How much did she spend on this?! I then saw something carved on the inside. I tilted the ring to see what it was before my eyes widened. 

March 12th, 2006

The day we met… 

“I know your color is blue, but… Sonia pressured me to make it red so you’d wear my color or… something, and… I kinda had to make it gold with how obsessed I am with your eyes, so… Yeah.” I stared at the ring as my vision started to blur. “And this isn’t like a marriage proposal or anything! It’s- I mean, we will get married eventually, but- It’s a promise ring. I’ve wanted to get you one for a while, and I was out shopping with Sonia, and she got Leon this custom bracelet to give him this exclusive Dynamax Band, so she told me to get you a ring while we were there, and- It’s cheesy, I know. We haven’t even been dating for a year, and-”

I turned around to grab her chin and pull her into a kiss. Her words stopped, and when I pulled away, I gave her a teary smile. “I love it.” She smiled back as I looked down at the ring. “I just wish I had one for you…” 

Rayne took the ring from me. “Surprise me with one later then.” I met her gaze again, which made her smile widen before she held out her free hand. I placed my left hand in hers, and she slid the ring on my ring finger before pulling my hand up to kiss my fingers. My eyes widened at her actions before she squeezed my fingers. “You’re my everything, Hop. I’ll always need you, and I will never stop loving you.” I pressed my lips together as tears started to sting in my eyes again. Rayne leaned forward to place a gentle kiss against my nose. “It’s you and me, baby blue. I’m not going anywhere. Nothing can take us down as long as we’re together.” 

I squeezed my eyes shut and nodded before sniffling. “You and me…” 

Rayne wrapped her arms around my shoulders, prompting me to circle mine around her waist as she leaned back to lay against the pillows and headboard. I nuzzled my head against her shoulder, letting a few tears fall as I was consumed by her warmth. A warmth I want to stay in forever. One I want to wake up in and fall asleep to. One I want to keep to myself and let no one else touch. She’s mine, and I’m hers. She’s my everything, and I will do everything I can to keep her with me. Without her… I’m nothing. She gives me the strength to keep going, and I want to give her that too. I want to make her an untouchable warrior. I want to give her everything she wants and more. 

Silence fell between us again, leaving the cooking show as the only noise. Rayne started messing with my hair again and pulling it back into different styles. I could hear our Pokemon talking, but it came out as white noise. I just focused on Rayne as my gaze stayed on Dubwool, who was laying beside us and watching the cooking show. My eyes even started to lull close, and I probably would’ve fallen asleep if a frantic knocking on the door didn’t appear. 

Rayne and I flinched before she sighed. “Auntie, I swear… Can one of you get that?” 

“Yes,” Lurantis calmly said before she went over to the door, Selene flying after her. 

I pushed myself off Rayne and shifted around into a more comfortable position as she sat up and stretched her arms. I heard the door open and heard Aunt Maya say hello to Lurantis. I leaned over to see her walk in with Victor, Lee, and my mom. 

Auntie smiled and held out her arms, which made the bag on her arm start swinging. “Hello, my mourning Morada!” 

Victor groaned in annoyance as he threw his head back. “Mom! Stop saying that!” 

“She says it every year,” my mom reminded. 

“And you all love it,” Maya fired back before looking at me. “You look horrible.” 

“You don’t say,” Victor said as my mom sat beside me. 

She reached up and stroked my cheek, and I couldn’t help but lean against her hand. “How are you doing, baby?” 

I took a deep breath. “Better. Compared to when I woke up, at least.” 

“Told you I’d calm him down,” Rayne added. 

My mom smiled at her reply as she lowered her hand. “I never said you wouldn’t.” 

Rayne shrugged as I lowered my gaze. “You guys didn’t have to come out here for me.” 

“Yes, we did,” Leon replied before he sat beside me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders to pull me into a hug. He laid his head against mine and lowered his voice. “You did nothing wrong, Hopscotch.” I gripped onto the comforter under me. “Don’t keep telling yourself you deserve to suffer for what happened. None of us are mad at you. It’s ok. Let yourself heal.” 

I pressed my lips together, feeling a fresh wave of tears coming before I took a deep breath. How can I do that when all of this is my fault? 

“Leon, if you make him cry again, I will choke-slam you through that window,” Rayne threatened. Leon snorted and leaned away from me as I let out a breathy laugh. “I’m serious, dipshit. I will.” 

“I know you will,” Leon replied as he let me go. “I mean it though.” 

My expression dropped as I kept my gaze on the mattress below me. My mom reached over to place my hand on my knee, giving it a gentle squeeze. I just stayed quiet. 

“Alright then! Who’s up for our annual breakfast sandwiches?!” Maya asked in a very forced happy tone. 

“Me!” Rayne called as her arm shot up. “I’ve been wanting to try them since I saw them!” 

“Then the glutton shall be fed,” Victor teased. 

I bit back a smile as Rayne grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. Victor caught it before rushing over to Rayne, making her scream and scramble off the bed to avoid Victor’s wrath. 

“No, no, no, you little shit! I’m not Leon! I fight back!” Victor barked as he climbed across the bed to chase after her. 

“I don’t because it’s not worth it,” Leon said as we watched Victor chase after Rayne. 

“Well, it’s worth it to me!” Victor called before tackling her onto the other bed. Rayne screamed again and tried to squirm out from under him, but he held her down and started hitting her with the pillow. She covered her face in a failed attempt to block the attack, but I saw her smiling as she suppressed a laugh. 

I stared at them, a smile slowly rising to my lips as my mom told them to knock it off. Rayne pushed Victor away, but he got one more whack in before she shoved him off her completely. Just seeing her smile out of pure joy and amusement made the crippling guilt inside me fade just enough. I looked down at my hand, my eyes landing on the red and gold ring before I looked at Rayne again. My little angel who would burn the world down to keep me safe. I don’t deserve her, but we’re in this together. I’m going to marry her and give her everything she could ever desire. I’ll make sure of it. She deserves the world and more.

Chapter Text

The day got better. Having my family with me helped more than I thought it would. We usually did things to remember my dad on this day, but since we were in Alola on a rainy day, we couldn’t really do that, so we just spent time together. We ate, talked about the league, and embarrassed Victor by watching all of his matches so far. He already had four badges. Leon also told us that based on how well the challengers were doing, he may reschedule the Challengers Cup to the 15th, so the league would be wrapped up by the 18th. I’d be wrapping up my visit to Poni Island, which got me to think about how this final battle with Ink would pan out. I’m certain he’ll show up after I get all the Z-Crystals, or at least most of them, which would be after we left Poni. I won’t get all twenty-nine since I missed Incineroar’s crystal, but I told the Recon Squad there’s at least eighteen, so I only need that much. Since Aether Paradise doesn’t have any Z-Crystals… we should fight Ink around the 20th. 

After watching Victor’s matches, each of us told a bunch of random stories. Which led to auntie prying out everything that’s happened in Alola so far. Most of it was me projecting my theories about this entire situation, and while our moms and Leon were thoroughly confused, Victor was invested and was offended I wasn’t keeping him in the loop. When I reminded him he’s not involved with this, he fired back with “I’m your best friend. I deserve to know”. I gave up before my mom told me to tell them about my actual trip here besides the Megalion dilemma. I told them the good parts and not the arguing, drama, and Lexi entirely. Leon must’ve caught on to the fact that I didn’t mention her at all even though I’ve complained to him since he stayed dead quiet but gave me an unsure look as I spoke. The moms bought it though, and my mom said she was glad I was enjoying the trip itself. I honestly was. Alola’s a beautiful region, and I love the Pokemon I’ve met here, but… I wish I was with people I knew better. 

Since my class was on my mind though, I checked the group account on Chatter and saw our team actually won yesterday’s challenge with the picture of Selene’s glowing hands. The challenge today was to post a picture related to rainy days since Professor Willow told everyone on Akala to stay indoors due to the storm. Alyssa posted a scenic picture of the now calmer storm, and Austin posted a picture of Xavier on his laptop with the window in the background. I decided to get a picture of Selene, Winter, and Dartrix playing for my post, and made sure everyone else was out of the picture. 

By the time dinner was rolling around, all of us either focused on the tv, our phones, or another simple activity, but Rayne eventually got up to look at my Z-Ring. 

“Didn’t you say Mallow would let you challenge her today?” Rayne asked after a while. 

I looked at her, seeing she was still examining my Z-Ring before she met my gaze. “Uh… yeah, but-”

“The rain died down, so do you wanna do it?” Rayne asked. 

I glanced at the window, seeing the grey sky and the faint sound of rain hitting the building. “Won’t it… be closed due to weather though?” 

“Not Mallow’s trial, no. Unless the forest is flooded. I mean, we can always ask, but…” Rayne began before looking back at my Z-Ring. “It’s just an idea.” 

I stared at her, processing her words before looking over at my Pokemon. Dartrix and Dubwool were waiting for an answer, but the others were still distracted. 

“I think you should,” Victor said, making us look at him. He shrugged and looked back at his phone. “A battle could distract you, and the rain always makes you feel better, so if it’s open, I don’t see why not. It could be fun.” 

“As long as you’re prepared for Synthesis,” Rayne’s Toucannon added. 

I looked between everyone, and while Maya shrugged, my mom smiled. “Go ahead and get some fresh air. If you guys are leaving, My and I can get some actual food for dinner.” My expression fell as she turned to Lee. “Do you want to join them or tag along with us?” 

“I’ll tag along so you don’t get in trouble,” Leon replied before he stood up. 

“As long as you make sure he doesn’t get lost,” Victor teased. 

Leon shot him an annoyed look, but Victor just winked as Rayne jumped to her feet. “Then let’s go!” She turned to my Pokemon. “Who’s up to beat up a Lurantis?!” 

“Me!” Araquanid called, snapping his arm up.

“I would if it wouldn’t destroy me,” Lycanroc sweetly added. 

I scanned between my Pokemon and frowned. Lycanroc is weak to grass types, and I don’t want to use Dubwool or Silvally due to how overleveled they are. That leaves Winter and Dartrix, but Winter is in no condition to fight, and Dartrix doesn’t want to. I’m not forcing either of them to do this, but… Can Araquanid beat Lurantis on his own? He’s not weak to grass, but he just evolved. I need to see what bug type moves he can learn. 

“Um…” Dartrix muttered, bringing my attention to her. She was standing by the bed and avoiding eye contact. “I can… I can help. If you want.” 

My expression softened. “If you don’t want to battle-” 

She shook her head. “You’re upset today, and… If this trial will make you feel better, I wanna help.” 

“Are… are you sure?” I softly asked. She nodded. I couldn’t help but smile before I reached down to rub her head. “Thank you.” 

She finally looked up at me and smiled. “I’ll do my best.” 

“I know you will,” I softly replied before Rayne grabbed my arm. 

“Let’s go!” 

“Ok, ok!” I scolded as she yanked me up. 

I returned Lycanroc and Dubwool, since they weren’t fond of the rain, before we all put on our shoes and jackets to leave. Rayne gave Leon a spare key, and we went our separate ways once we got outside. The storm had died down to a decent shower, but I kept Rayne close to me as she led us to Lush Jungle. It’s odd that this storm just randomly appeared without any warning, but auntie said the airport employees claim it was Eleanor’s doing. That she got upset with something on Akala Island and created this as a punishment. I doubt she’d ever punish Alola, but this could be her doing. Her spirit is active, and she knows what happened today, so… Was this her way of giving me a break? 

As we walked, I looked through the moves Araquanid could learn. I settled on teaching him X-Scissor since Victor had a bunch of TMs on him from his current Gym Challenge. Rayne looked up his level-up moveset when she saw what I was doing, and showed me what he’d learn after a few levels, then did the same for the rest of my team. 

When we arrived in Lush Jungle, the trees blocked most of the rain, so I let go of Rayne to look around. There was no one by the gates, but Rayne kept walking as she took off her glasses to wipe the raindrops off them. “She’s around. She would’ve closed the gates if she wasn’t here.” 

“Are you sure?” Victor asked as we looked around. 

Rayne nodded, slipping her glasses back on. “It’s league policy. We might have to search for her though.” 

“No need, Champion,” Mallow said, making us turn to the left. Mallow smiled at us as she and a Stoutland approached us. They both had on green rain ponchos with a flower pattern, which was honestly adorable. “Nice to see you guys again, or nice to meet you,” she motioned to Victor, “in your case.” I glanced at Victor, seeing him nod as Mallow smiled at me. “Thanks again for helping us yesterday. I have absolutely no idea what happened, but… Thank you.” 

“It’s no big deal. I’m just doing my job,” I softly replied. 

“Still. I don’t know why they wanted a Z-Crystal or where those Ultra Beasts came from, but this place would’ve gone up in flames if you weren’t here. Like I was having a whole panic attack in that tree while Lurantis was fighting. So thank you. I still owe you a meal.” 

I looked away as my heart twisted for some reason. It’s technically my fault the Kartanas were summoned. Pheromosa is only still here to keep Selene and me safe, and the Recon Squad only attacked when they saw her. I just cleaned up my own mess. Wait, I still haven't talked to Pheromosa. I need to find her. 

Rayne placed her hand on my arm and gently squeezed it as Mallow cleared her throat. “Anyway, uh… I didn’t expect to see you, Rayne, for a couple of months. What are you doing back in Alola?” 

“We’re spending the day with Hop’s family. It’s an important day, and I wanted to be here,” Rayne replied. 

“Well, you sure showed up at a wild time,” Mallow began before looking up. “This is a record-breaking storm. Lady Eleanor must be pissed.” 

“Nah. She’s just giving us a day off in the weirdest way possible,” Rayne replied before patting my back. “But, since we’re here, can he take on your trial?” 

“Of course! This place is thriving from this rain, so you guys are in for a treat,” Mallow replied before turning to me. “My trial is a cooking mission.” She pulled out a yellow drawstring bag from her overalls. I think I’ve seen one in Rayne’s room. Mallow handed me the bag. “You’ll collect ingredients from around the forest and store them in here. Once you have them all, we’ll make a special lure to bring out Lurantis. She’s feeling much better, by the way. Zarude helped her out. Anyway, all you need to get is a mago berry, some honey, and a big root.” I took the pouch as Mallow looked between Rayne and Victor. “Lana and Kiawe are kinda held up today, so can you guys get a bowl, fresh water, and a thick club? I should have some at my restaurant over in Paniola.” 

“Sure,” Rayne replied before turning to me. “You got this.” 

“We’ll be back in a few,” Victor added as Rayne started to lead him out. 

I simply waved before turning back to Mallow, who motioned to Stoutland. “Stoutland here will help you look for the ingredients. Do you have a ride pager, by any chance?” 

“What even is that?” I asked. 

Mallow stared at me before her smile returned. “I guess I’m going with you then.” I gave her a confused look as she turned to Stoutland. “Let’s get to work, big guy.” He nodded, and as he knelt down, Mallow turned to me and motioned to Stoutland again. I guess I’ll be on his back for this. 

I climbed onto Stoutland’s back, keeping Winter in my arms, before Mallow led us to a corner of the forest. The corner was lined with bushes with an array of berries growing on them. I saw some little Pokemon run off into hiding as we got closer, which made Mallow giggle. 

“The little Fomantis' are so jumpy. Anyway, there’s a bunch of mago berries here, but some of the Fomantis' are a little possessive of their berry bushes, so choose carefully.” 

I nodded as she stepped back. I looked between all the berry bushes as Stoutland lifted his head to look at me. Which one...

I turned to Mallow. “Do Fomantis have a flavor preference?” 

She smiled and nodded. “They have the biggest sweet tooth.” 

I nodded before looking down at Stoutland. “Can you look for the least sweet berry?” 

“It’s what I’m here for,” Stoutland replied before he stepped towards the bushes. 

“Vul vul?” Winter asked, tilting her head up at me. 

“Do you want to help?” I asked. She nodded. I couldn’t help but smile before I rubbed her head, which got a smile out of her. “Look at you. Being all brave.” 

“Vul va-vul…” she muttered as she looked away. 

“We’re still proud of you for stepping out of your comfort zone to help him,” Silvally said. 

“Vul…” Winter muttered before pushing herself out of my grip. Selene flew towards her and lifted her body with psychic energy to safely put her on the ground. Winter ran towards one of the bushes, prompting Selene to fly after her as Silvally followed them from a distance. 

“Look for the least sweet ones!” I called. 

Silvally turned to me and nodded as Stoutland went over to a different bush. I watched as he sniffed the bushes in front of him before nudging one of the berries with his snout. 

“This one is the least sweet.” 

“Ok…” I muttered before I pet his head and turned to my three Pokemon. Araquanid and Dartrix joined them in their search. “Did you guys find any?” 

“Maybe?” Dartrix asked as Winter continued to sniff the berries. 

She cringed after sniffing one before bumping her nose against it. “Vulpix vul…” 

Silvally reached up to pick the berry before turning to me. “This is her pick!” 

Stoutland went over to them, and Silvally met us halfway so Stoutland could sniff it. He cringed as well and stepped back. “Wow. That is a sour berry.” 

I gently smiled. “Which means it’s perfect.” 

I put the berry in the bag before Selene helped Vulpix back into my arms. Mallow led us to different parts of the forest, one where we collected honey from flowers and a big root from a small tree hidden within a group of Sudowoodo. The Pokemon I had out helped us collect the honey and with finding the real tree amongst the Sudowoodo. After I put the last ingredient in the pouch, Mallow led us back to the entrance, where Rayne and Victor were waiting. 

“Wow. You guys are fast,” Mallow said, making the two of them turn to us. 

Rayne shrugged as I slid off Stoutland’s back. “You guys got everything, right?” 

“Yep,” Mallow replied as I held up the pouch. “Did you guys get the stuff?” Victor held up the bone and water while Rayne lifted the bowl she grabbed. Mallow applauded them. “Thank you! Now let’s set up.” 

We gathered by the entrance sign as Mallow placed her own bag down to pull out a solid purple picnic blanket. She laid it down before Rayne set the bowl down. Victor placed his items beside the bowl as I took my three ingredients out of the pouch to put them on the blanket. 

“Alright,” Mallow began as she straightened up. “Let’s get to work. Rayne, do you remember how this goes?” 

“Of course I don’t. I did this a year ago,” Rayne teased. 

Mallow tsked and shook her head. “For shame, Champion.”

Rayne gave her a confused look, which made Victor snort as I smiled. 

Mallow walked us through the steps for the lure. I put the ingredients I gathered into the bowl before we added the water, and I mixed it together with the thick club. Mallow then added her own secret ingredient, which almost immediately sent out a very strong, sweet aroma. 

I couldn’t help but wince from the scent, but my Pokemon sighed in delight before Winter reached for the pot. Selene floated over to the bowl, so I quickly grabbed one of arms and pulled her towards me. She just smiled and reached for the bowl. 

Mallow giggled at her reaction as Rayne and Victor smiled, only for her and Victor to look behind me as the ground started to shake. My eyes widened before I slowly turned around, seeing the Totem Lurantis approach us. She was… way bigger up close. 

To my surprise though, she smiled and waved at me. “Hello. Thank you for the help yesterday. Oh, and Zarude says he’s still patrolling the forests, but he'll be summoned to his pokeball if you need his assistance." 

“Ok. Thanks, and uh… you’re welcome,” I quickly replied. 

“Of course,” she sweetly replied before glaring at me. “Now give me the lure!” 

I flinched at her sudden shift in attitude and felt Selene and Winter jump as well before Araquanid slid between us. “I’m on it!” 

“X-Scissor!” I called as I stepped back. 

Araquanid shot towards Lurantis as his front legs were covered in green energy. He sliced his arms against Lurantis, but she just stumbled back. She shook the attack off before she held up her arm, revealing what looked like a power herb. My eyes widened before she crushed the herb, sending light down her arm before it grew out into a blade. 

“Solar Blade…” I muttered. 

Lurantis swung her arm down onto Araquanid, slamming him into the ground before the blade faded away. She then cried out to grab the attention of two nearby Kecleons. 

Victor whistled. “Wow. This is unfair.” 

“That’s the point,” Rayne added. 

“We pride ourselves on traditional battles where anything went,” Mallow replied. 

“Still,” Victor said as I watched the two Kecleons set up Sunny Day. 

I narrowed my eyes and looked between the three Pokemon. All we have to do is beat Lurantis, but it has Synthesis. Depending on what moves these Kecleons know, they can easily take out Araquanid while Lurantis gets herself back to full HP. I still have Dartrix though. I glanced at my Z-Ring, my eye catching the Flyinium-Z. I don’t want those Kecleons staying in for too long though. 

“Hit each Kecleon with Bubble Beam once, then keep using X-Scissor on Lurantis.” 

“Got it!” Araquanid called before lunging towards Lurantis again. 

“Mate…” Victor breathed out. 

“Chip damage won’t work. She has Synthesis,” Rayne reminded. I turned to her, seeing her annoyed look. “I only won because I had a priority move on Brionne, but the fact that I sent her out says enough.” 

“It was funny,” Mallow added, which only made Rayne shoot her a glare. 

I gently smiled at her. “I have a plan. Unlike you, I’ve learned a thing or two here.” 

Rayne gave me an offended look as Victor started laughing. Mallow covered her mouth to not laugh as Rayne slowly shook her head. “You did not just say that to me, you asshole. I did learn something here!” 

“Like what?” I asked as I turned to them, ignoring the battle behind me. 

Rayne stared at me for a second. “Dual Hero stuff. And to let people help me.” 

“Uh huh. So was Galar where you learned to exploit the battle gimmicks?” I teased. 

Rayne’s eyes widened, realizing what I was going at before she gave me a proud smile. “You sly little boy…” 

I winked before turning around, seeing Lurantis healing herself while the two Kecleons pushed Araquanid back. He held his ground as he slid back, and charged towards Lurantis once again as he prepared X-Scissor. 

This back and forth went on for a while. Araquanid would attack, Lurantis would heal, and the Kecleons would attack Araquanid. He held on, but eventually collapsed. I returned him and quietly thanked him before turning to Dartrix. 

She gulped and looked over at Lurantis, so I reached over to pet her head. “You can do this. I know you can.” She simply nodded before flying in front of me, but I could see how tense she was. My expression softened as I turned to our opponents. “Razor Leaf.” 

Lurantis’ expression dropped before she looked between her Kecleons. “What type are you right now?” 

“Water,” they replied. 

Lurantis’ posture tensed as Dartrix flew up and swung her wings down, firing dozens of leaves at the trio. Lurantis blocked her face and the leaves sliced against them, which shoved the Kecleons down to finish them off. 

I couldn’t help but smile as Lurantis looked between her fainted helpers, only to glare at Dartrix. “Alright, little bird. I’ll play your game.” 

Lurantis coated her arms in green energy before she shot towards Dartrix. She tried swerving out of the way, but Lurantis still sliced her arms against Dartrix in an X-shape. Dartrix’s body was shoved back, but she caught herself mid-air before she turned her head to look at me. 

My smile rose a bit. “Do you trust me?” Dartrix nodded. I held up my Z-Ring and tapped the flying crystal, causing it to flare to life with energy. “Then let’s finish this.” 

Dartrix smiled at me before she turned to Lurantis again. I performed the short dance and called the attack before blue energy surrounded Dartrix. She shot into the air, building up momentum before diving towards Lurantis and crashing into her. Energy exploded between them, and while I shielded Winter, I kept my eye on the smoke the impact created. It took a few seconds to clear, but revealed Dartrix standing in front of a collapsed Lurantis. 

My smile returned as my other three Pokemon cheered and ran over to Dartrix. She stayed frozen in place until Silvally scooped her up into a hug. She flinched as Silvally squeezed her, but looked at me as Selene joined the hug. 

I approached my Pokemon, holding my smile before I ran my hand over Dartrix’s head. “I told you you could do it.” 

She gave me a wide smile before flying out of Silvally’s grip to hug me. I stumbled back, but regained my balance as I hugged her back. She pressed her head against my shoulder. “Thank you…” 

My smile softened before I gently rubbed her back. “You’re a strong Pokemon, Dartrix. You just need to grow a bit more.” 

“Does this mean you’ll help us fight again?” Silvally asked as he, Selene, and Winter approached us. 

“Maybe,” Dartrix replied before looking over at Lurantis. “I don’t know if I’ll be much help against the Ultra Beasts.” 

“Well, based on what Hop's told me, you still have to face Xurkitree, Guzzlord, Nihilego, and who knows what else, so at the very least, you can take care of Nihilego,” Rayne said as she approached us. Dartrix turned to her, which only made Rayne smile at her and ruffle the feathers on her head. “You're an important asset to this team whether you believe it or not.” Her hand stilled as her gaze met mine. “You guys are keeping him safe in my place, after all.” 

I gave her a gentle smile as a sense of… ease ran through me. She copied my smile before Silvally poked his head beside Rayne. “We’ll do our best!” 

“I know you will!” Rayne called before cupping his face with her free hand. “If you have to, maul a Recon Worker.” He nodded as she leaned closer to him. “But Ink is mine. Got it?” 

“Got it!” Silvally cheered. 

Rayne released him to turn back to Dartrix. “And you! Evolve into a Decidueye and kick some ass!” 

“Y-yes ma’am,” she squeaked. 

Rayne smiled at her, patted her head, then lowered her hands as she straightened up to look me in the eye again. “You did good though. Better than my team did.” She cupped my face. “I’m proud of you. You’re doing good.” 

“Thank you,” I softly replied. 

She nodded before I leaned down to peck her lips, which only made her smile widen. I couldn’t help but smile back as I heard Dartrix giggle. 

“You two are disgusting,” Victor sweetly spat, bringing our attention to him. He and Mallow approached us, both looking amused. 

“We can be more disgusting,” Rayne calmly offered. 

I felt heat rush to my face as Victor faked a gag. “My point exactly…” 

Rayne snickered as I cleared my throat and stepped away from her. “Anyway, uh…” I turned to Mallow as Dartrix let me go. “The Z-Crystal?” 

“Right, right,” Mallow replied before slipping her hand into her pocket. She took out a green Z-Crystal and held it towards me. “Here you are! The Grassium-Z, which lets you use Bloom Doom.” 

“Bloom Doom?” Victor asked as I took the crystal. 

“The fairy move is Twinkle Tackle,” Rayne added. 

Victor gave her a confused look as I met Mallow’s gaze. “Thank you.” 

“Of course!” she cheered before she lifted the yellow pouch she gave me earlier. “You can keep this, by the way. I have plenty.” 

“Yeah. You can store your Z-Crystals in it too,” Rayne added. I turned to her, and she winked. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes as I turned back to Mallow and took the pouch. 

“Oh, and before you go, do you guys want some Mallow special for the road?” 

“Yes!” Silvally and Dartrix called as Winter and Selene cheered. 

Mallow laughed at their reactions as I smiled at them. “That’s what I like to hear! Follow me, guys! I’ll give you as much as you want!”

“Yay!” Silvally cheered as Mallow ran back over to the lure, prompting my four Pokemon to follow her. 

I watched them go before Rayne placed her hand on my shoulder. “I mean it though. You’re doing really well.” I turned to her, and she gave me a gentle smile as Victor stepped closer to us. “If Leon actually does shorten the league, I’ll be back shortly. Just hold down the fort until I get back, ok?” 

My expression softened. “That’s the plan.”

Chapter Text

The rest of the day was easy. When we got back to the Pokemon Center, the moms and Leon were waiting in our room with dinner. As we ate, Araquanid dramatically retold our trial to Dubwool and Lycanroc, and Silvally explained what happened when Dartrix came out. They were both really proud of her for fighting again. After we ate though, we stayed inside and watched some movies playing on tv. I didn’t run into any of my classmates, but after checking my phone, I saw Alyssa texted me that morning to ask if I was ok in our group chat, but someone used my phone to reply ‘peachy’. I think it was Rayne. Leon wouldn’t reply, and Victor doesn’t know my password. I didn’t push though, but my mom did tell me she, Maya, and Leon ran into my classmates getting dinner at the cafe here. Leon said Lexi literally screamed and asked him a million questions, and that he only got her to stop by telling her he’d sue her for attempting to gain private information of a league worker, which is apparently something people can be sued for. It’s another reason Lee has so much money. The people who leaked some of his private information over the years got sued. Either way, that got Lexi to back off. Rayne found it hilarious. 

Rayne and Lee rented two more rooms for the moms, Vic, and Lee to stay in for the night. They had to leave really early, but being able to fall asleep with Rayne was worth it. Even if I woke up from twisted memories of Rose. 

The nightmare was a collection of ‘scenes’ of Rose back when he was Chairman. This style isn’t anything new to me. Half of my nightmares are structured as short scenes that glitch into each other, but these… They felt too familiar to be fake, but too unsettling to be real. My mind ran through almost all of my encounters with Rose, but there was something off about them. It was always night, or the sky was always red. He looked at me with an unsettling smile, spoke with an oddly silky tone, and his overall presence radiated… power. He was intimidating, but… I don’t remember him like that. And when Lee was around him… I could’ve sworn Leon shot him dirty looks, muttered borderline threats under his breath, and seemed generally pissed around him, but this… He was scared. He was jumpy, stuttered when Rose was around, and never looked him in the eye. I don’t… remember that, but it felt real.

Was Leon afraid of Rose, or is this Darkrai’s influence? 

I’ve had similar nightmares like this about other bad people I’ve met, but… they always leave me wondering if they’re the real memories. If these people have… always been that way. 

Rayne woke up before the sun came up, and she helped me get my thoughts straight. Leon was never afraid of Rose because compared to other people we’ve faced, he was nothing. Just a man corrupted by a legendary who happened to mentally torment my brother for years. He got away with it too. Instead of going to jail, he turns himself in, flees the region, and gets a new job at a Pokemon protection organization. 

I thought karma was a bitch. 

Rayne stayed up with me though, and we talked for a while. She told me how worried she was about how I’m doing here, and that she’s even losing sleep due to her own training for this Ink fight. I apologized and asked if I could help in any way, but she just told me to be careful. I told her I would, and made her promise to at least try to get some decent sleep before this final battle. She did, but with that on topic, she asked me if I’ve had any visions on it. I confessed about it ending up in Galar, but I have no clue how we get there. Rayne assumes it’s through a wormhole since we’re dealing with alternate dimensions, but… what would prompt us to take a wormhole from Alola to Galar? Do we go to Megalion? 

After a couple minutes of our discussion, Rayne ended it by saying her brain hurt, so we turned the tv on and watched what was on before the others woke up. My family left before sunrise, and I hugged each of them goodbye before they left. Rayne wanted to stay a little longer, but Leon reminded her of everything they had to do, so she surrendered and left with them. I stayed in the lobby of the Pokemon Center with the rest of my team for the next few hours, doing homework to distract myself as I waited for my classmates to wake up. 

“He’s alive!” Austin cheered, which brought my attention to him. He and Xavier were entering the lobby with their Pokemon, but Austin ran towards me and hugged me. I flinched as he laid his head against mine. “I was so bored yesterday! Xavier is so boring!” 

“We were stormed in! What else were we supposed to do?!” Xavier demanded as he approached us. 

“Not homework?” Austin squeaked as he looked at Xavier. 

Xavier rolled his eyes before he looked at me. His expression softened as Arcanine stopped beside him. “How are you feeling?”

I lowered my gaze to my laptop as Austin let me go and stepped back. “Uh… Better. Having my family here helped, but…” I closed my laptop. “Being on my own again is… weird.” 

I saw Xavier nod as Oricorio, Charjabug, Torracat, and Rowlet poked their heads out from the end of the table I was at. I turned to them, seeing they were all giving me worried looks. I gave them a gentle smile and gently rubbed Torracat’s head, since he was the closest to me. He smiled at me, and while Oricorio smiled as well, Charjabug and Rowlet held their looks. 

“Have you eaten yet?” Xavier softly asked. I shook my head as I looked up at him. “Alright.” He patted Austin’s shoulder. “Let’s get something to eat.” 

“Yay! Breakfast!” Silvally cheered as he stood up, causing the rest of my team to do the same to follow the boys. I packed up the bit of supplies I had out before I got up to follow them. 

We got breakfast for us and our Pokemon, but the second we sat down, Alyssa and Lexi came into the lobby. I didn’t notice until Lexi opened her mouth though. 

“Oh, look. The baby is showing his face again,” Lexi mocked. 

I froze as Xavier took a deep breath. “Please do not start. We were stormed in, and his family just so happened to be here to spend a sensitive day with him. It doesn’t matter.” 

“No, this is so stupid. He dragged his family here and hid from us for an entire day,” Lexi spat. 

“I didn’t make them come here. I didn’t even know they were visiting,” I softly defended. 

“Still. It was stupid, and you’re just proving my point that you’re an overdramatic baby,” Lexi replied. 

I gripped onto my spoon and looked away from her as Austin shook his head. “You’re only spitting this rubbish because you’re mad that Leon told you to piss off. Get over yourself.” 

“I am not!” Lexi screeched. 

“Yeah, you are. You practically threw a tantrum about it,” Austin mocked. 

I tried so hard to hold back a smile as Lexi scoffed and probably shook her head. “I swear… Did you tell Leon about me or something? He’s never that rude.” 

“Uh, yeah? Because he’s my brother,” I replied before looking at her. “And how would you know? You’ve never met him. You have no idea what he’s like off camera.” 

“Oh, you’re pulling this again? Galar knows everything about him. I know he doesn’t treat people with that level of disrespect!” Lexi snapped. 

“Oh, yeah? If Galar knows everything about Lee, what’s his sexuality? When did he lose his virginity? Who’s his current significant other? How many people has he been with? Does he have any mental illnesses? Does he have a history with mental illnesses? What’s his biggest fear? What’s the most important thing to him?” I challenged. Lexi stared at me, clearly looking for an answer. “Leon is a trained celebrity. He knows how to act in every social situation. You were trying to force him to give you an interview when he was off the clock. Of course he’s going to do what he can to make you leave him alone. He wasn’t here for publicity, and you don’t know him. Get over it.” 

Lexi slowly gave me the most enraged look I’ve seen from her as she clenched her hands into fists, but that didn’t stop her body from shaking. I watched her, waiting to see if she’d do anything, but all she did was huff and march away. “Come on, Alyssa!” 

I rolled my eyes as Alyssa looked between us. “But I-” 

“Alyssa!” 

“She doesn’t have to follow you around like a Yamper!” Austin called. 

“Mind your bloody business!” Lexi yelled. 

“I am!” Austin yelled back. 

“Stop,” Xavier dryly scolded as he picked at his food. 

“She started it,” Austin grumbled before picking up his fork. 

I shifted my gaze to Alyssa, seeing she was still looking between us before she gulped and went after Lexi. Austin sighed as I frowned, but I didn’t stop her. Instead, I turned to Xavier. 

“Are you ok?” 

“I should be asking you that,” he dryly replied, but kept his eyes on his plate. 

“Your emotions are just as justified as mine are. What’s up?” I asked before picking up my cup. 

Xavier sighed and put his fork down. “I don’t…” He ran his hand over his face, but stopped at the bridge of his nose to rub his eyes under his glasses. “I’m so sick of her rubbish…” He lowered his hand to look over at the girls. “She finds everything we do unbearable, starts arguments whenever she can, and… I thought I could ignore it, but she’s literally giving me headaches now. I have no idea how Alyssa stands her.” 

“I don’t either. Alyssa’s so sweet. How are they even friends?” Austin asked before taking another bite of his pancakes. 

“I don’t know…” Xavier breathed out before picking up his fork again. “Her drama is getting insufferable though. I don’t know if you saw Leon right after we ran into them, but… Mate, your mom asked her to leave them alone, but she wouldn’t. Leon was only mean to her because she told your mom to back off.” My eyes widened at his words. 

“Oh, yeah. She literally told your mom that she wasn’t talking to her, and when she got all mom mode or whatever, Lexi told her to back off. Leon instantly went one-eighty and threatened to sue her. It was beautiful,” Austin replied, smiling at the memory. 

I blinked, unintentionally clenching my hands into fists. “She said what to my mom?” 

Xavier actually smiled at my comment as Austin laughed and clapped me on the back. “This is what makes you good men! You respect and defend your mother!” 

“Well, duh! She’s my mom! Of course I respect her,” I replied as I dug out my phone. “I can’t believe she didn’t mention that.” 

“She probably didn’t care. She had more important things to worry about yesterday,” Xavier reminded as I scrolled through my contacts. 

I froze as his words sunk in. She did have bigger things to worry about. When they told us what happened… Mom looked amused. She didn’t care. Leon took care of it, and she laughed it off. Man, why can't I be more like her? I keep forgetting how tough she is. 

Austin shrugged as he took his hand off my back. “Just goes to show how mad Lexi is when it comes to celebrities.” 

“And how self-centered she is,” I began as I put my phone up. “She was rude to my mom, yet still blamed me for Leon’s justified response.” 

“I bet an entire pouch of Poke Beans she writes an article on her little blog about Leon’s ‘true personality’.” Dubwool teased. 

“I kind of hope she does. She’ll get blacklisted immediately,” I dryly replied. 

“Huh?” Xavier asked. 

“Nothing,” I replied, giving him a sweet smile. 

He gave me a suspicious look, but simply nudged my arm with his elbow. “Eat. We have a lot to do today.”  

My expression softened. “Right. We have 2 days worth of plans to do.” 

“Yeah,” Xavier muttered as he continued picking at his food. “Alyssa came by our room last night, and the three of us worked through a game plan. We’ll get your trial out of the way and head straight for Konikoni City. We had to sacrifice the internship at Hano Grand Resort, but I don’t think it would’ve done anything for us. Lexi, maybe, but only Alolan celebrities stay there, so I doubt she’d care. But, Konikoni has something for all of us. Shops, Olivia’s trial, the ruins. If we manage our time right, we should be able to do everything we wanted to do today.” 

“Oh. Ok. I uh, already beat Mallow’s trial though,” I replied. 

Xavier looked up at me. “You what?” 

I nodded. “Rayne offered to go last night, so…” I shrugged before picking up my fork to start eating. 

Xavier sighed before he took his glasses off to run his free hand completely over his face. “Hop…” 

“Sorry…” I muttered before glancing at the cafe. “We can tell the girls Leon took me though. It’s no big deal.” 

“Professor Willow told us to stay in,” Xavier reminded as he lowered his hand. 

“Yeah, but no one saw me. And look on the bright side. We have more time today.” 

Xavier just sighed in response before he slid his glasses back on. I frowned at his silence, but turned to my plate and started eating. 

The girls came back shortly, and while Lexi ignored us, Alyssa quietly asked me if Xavier told me the plan for the day. I just nodded, but Xavier told her I did Mallow’s trial already. I lied and said Leon wanted to see one, and that my mom only encouraged us to go and get some air. Lexi rolled her eyes at my response, but Alyssa bought it before she adjusted our plan. We’d go to Konikoni City after breakfast, grab lunch there, then explore the city before visiting the Ruins of Life. We’d spend whatever time we’d have left in the day working on our reports since only Alyssa and Xavier have started theirs. 

We left the Pokemon Center after we finished eating and made our way to Konikoni City. I watched our Pokemon as we walked in silence, but it was… different. Lexi demanded that Araquanid stay in his pokeball, and Lycanroc and Charajabug stayed dead quiet because of it. Our other Pokemon still talked or played though, and I kept my eye on them. 

Our trip back to Heahea was uneventful, but when we entered Diglett’s Cave, a few trainers made us battle them. Austin called dibs for the winning fee alone, but Xavier got some practice healing Pokemon in the wild. Austin even got Alyssa to do a trainer battle, which got Cutiefly to evolve into Ribombee. That evolution got Charjabug to cheer up, and they talked with a few of our other Pokemon for the rest of our trip through the cave. At least some of our Pokemon are happy. 

It didn’t take long to reach the end of the cave though. Outside, there was a police station and two paths further up ahead. I looked between the paths as we continued walking, seeing the right path had red arch gates. 

“Ok,” Xavier began as he scrolled through his phone. “Konikoni City should be to the right, so after we grab lunch, we can check out whatever shops and stops we want before heading over to the Ruins of Life. We should probably go over before nightfall though. There’s a graveyard outside the ruins we have to walk through, and ghost types are known to wander around after dark.” 

Austin let out a nervous laugh. “Yeah, we probably should.” 

Lexi gasped and looked up from her phone. “Shut. Up!” 

“What?” Austin squeaked. 

Lexi gave him a cynical grin and poked her phone against his arm. “You’re afraid of ghost types.” 

“I am not!” Austin shrieked. 

“Uh huh. I should’ve known. Being afraid of ghost types is so predictable,” Lexi mocked. 

“So is being afraid of bugs,” I fired back. 

Lexi shot me an annoyed look. “It is not.” 

“Yes, it is. The fear of ghost types, bug types, and dark types are the most common Pokemon fears,” I replied before giving her a sly grin. “If he’s basic, so are you. And you’re proving my point.” Winter and Selene copied my grin as I leaned over and poked Lexi’s shoulder. “You’re a hypocrite.” 

“Don’t touch me,” she hissed. 

“Then don’t mock us,” I replied as I leaned away. 

Lexi sharpened her glare as the police station door opened. To my utter surprise, Looker came out. My expression softened before he met my gaze, and the second our eyes locked, he gave me a forced smile and started walking towards us. 

My expression dropped. “Oh no…” This can’t be good. 

“Oh no?” Alyssa asked before my four peers turned around. 

Austin gasped. “A detective!” He held up his hand to wave. “Hello, sir!” 

“Hello, travelers,” Looker calmly said before shifting his gaze to me. “Hop.” 

“You know him?” Xavier asked as he and the others turned to me. 

“Uh- I mean, kinda. It’s…” I began before turning back to Looker, giving him an unsure look. What can I say? I didn’t sign an NDA, but this is the International Police. 

He held his smile as he stopped beside us. “We met through the Champion. I’ve worked with her on a few protection cases.” 

“Oh,” Alyssa replied. 

Looker turned his attention back to me. “I would like to speak with you though. Privately.” 

“Uh… ok…” I muttered. 

Looker’s smile grew more forced before he turned around and started walking back towards the station. 

“What did you do?” Alyssa asked.  

“I have no idea,” I nervously replied before I started following Looker. 

“Uh, ok… Meet us in Konikoni!” Xavier called. 

I shot him a nervous smile before facing Looker again. What does he want? I’m doing my job as a Dual Hero, and he never seemed upset with Rayne for doing that. I expected this from Zero, but Looker? He didn’t even contact me beforehand, so why is he… Wait, was I supposed to contact him if I… 

I was supposed to contact him if I ran into trouble. 

I gulped, but took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down. This is fine. I don’t have Looker’s contact information, and they’re the ones who waited this long to contact me, so I shouldn’t be in too much trouble. Hopefully. 

Looker opened the station door and held it open for me. I gave him a crooked smile as I led my Pokemon inside. There was another agent at the desk, and she was typing away at her computer. There was also an Arcanine asleep behind her desk. 

Selene cheered as Silvally stepped in front of me, making me stop. He glared at the agent, and I heard a faint growl. “She smells of Ultra Space.” 

I gave him a confused look. “How?” 

“Oh, Alola! That was fast,” the agent said. 

I turned to her as Looker closed the door. “He was right outside, and he’s nowhere near as defensive as Rayne is.” 

“Uh, yeah. Who is this?” I asked him, pointing to the other agent. 

“And why does she smell of Ultra Space!?” Silvally demanded. 

“This is Agent Future. The new head of the Alola Division. We’ve worked with Rayne before,” Looker said as he went over to the desk. 

“I could’ve sworn we met,” Future added. 

“He was passed out from heat exhaustion,” Looker reminded. 

“Oh, yeah…” Future muttered before she smiled at us. “It’s nice to meet you though. You can call me Anabel though.” 

“Talk about good-cop, bad-cop,” Lycanroc muttered as I looked between them. 

“Uh huh…” 

Looker crossed his arms as he gave me an annoyed look. “What did we tell you to do if you ran into trouble?” 

“... To contact you,” I quietly replied. 

“To contact me!” Looker snapped. 

“Oh, relax. It’s not a big deal,” Anabel replied as she turned back to her computer. She grabbed the mouse and clicked something. “He contained three swarms of Ultra Beasts, and the only people who have gotten involved were league officials, Aether workers, and people training to be league officials.” Anabel turned to Looker. “He’s actually following our guidelines, unlike Rayne.” 

“Good to know he won’t be put on the watch list,” Looker grumbled before turning to me again. “Still. You should’ve contacted us. Ultra Beasts are a serious issue.” 

“If that’s the case, why does your boss smell like one!?” Silvally demanded as he stepped closer to Looker.

“Silvally, relax,” I hissed as I grabbed one of the spikes on his head.  

Looker and Anabel looked at him before Looker sighed. “It smells Ultra Space on Anabel, doesn’t it?” 

“Uh, yeah? How did you-” I began. 

“Anabel’s a Faller,” Looker replied as he hitched his thumb towards her. “She fell from an alternate dimension around 11 years ago.” 

Everything inside me dropped as Silvally relaxed. “You came from an alternate dimension?” 

“Yep,” Anabel replied. 

“She was pulled due to Professor Kane’s experiment, but we never figured out why. She isn’t from the Ultra Beast’s world,” Looker explained. 

“Not like I can help them either,” Anabel replied as she lightly spun in her chair. “I only remembered my name and probable job description. Looker’s team found me, and Zero took me in. Long story short, I’m an agent now.” 

I stared at her before slowly tilting my head. “So you came from an alternate world that’s not… Megalion, and… you’re the only Faller from… not Megalion?” 

“Huh. You know more than I thought. But yes and no. She’s not the only Faller that doesn’t originate in ‘Megalion’, but she’s the only one who’s lasted this long. We tried helping the others, but they always went rogue and ended up dead somewhere,” Looker replied before turning to Anabel. “You were the one with the fewest memories, so the boss thinks that’s why you’re the only stable one. You don’t remember anything you’re desperately trying to return to.” 

Anabel shrugged as I looked between them. “Ok, wait… You said this happened during Professor Kane's experiment, right? The one that caused a bunch of wormholes to open, or is-”

“Oh, no. Wormholes open every couple months from alternate worlds. Most of the time, random things fall in, but sometimes, living beings come through,” Looker replied before glancing at Anabel. “Ones who are… close counterparts to already existing people.” 

My eyes widened as Anabel gave me a wide smile. “I have a twin I’m never allowed to interact with!” 

“Wait, so… Anabel is an alternate version of our world’s Anabel?” I quietly asked. 

“A very close copy, but not the same. The Anabel who lives here used to be a Hoenn Frontier Brain before it shut down. Now, she’s Phoebe’s personal Pokemon trainer. She’s never met this Anabel though, and Zero ensures that by keeping them apart. Seeing an alternate version of yourself could make you go insane. Happened to one of our Fallers.” Looker glanced away. “And agents.” 

I stared at them before turning to Looker. “This will sound like a crazy question, but… Do you happen to have the universal codes of all the Fallers not from Megalion?”

“Uh… Yeah. How do… How much did Professor Burnet tell you?” Looker asked. 

“Too much. How many Fallers were there?” I asked. 

“Four including me,” Anabel replied. 

“Is there a way I can look at their four files and get Professor Burnet’s data on the God Calmer shard?” I asked. 

Looker stared at me before clearing his throat. “I need to keep a closer eye on you. You know way too much.” 

“Uh, yeah, because I’m doing your job!” I snapped. 

“Which is why I brought you here,” Looker replied before turning to Anabel. “Pull up the files, and grab Burnet’s files on that chain.” Anabel nodded and turned back to her computer as Looker brought his attention to me again. “I’ll look past the lack of communication on your end and put you on this case. Luckily, your job is simple. All you have to do is contain the Ultra Beasts and not get civilians involved. I don’t care how, but if you catch any, keep it between you and Professor Aspen.” 

“It’s easy because you’re already doing it,” Anabel teased. 

“Yeah, but the hard part is stopping the one behind this,” I began before looking at her computer. “If these events are connected though, we can probably stop the wormholes altogether. It would also tell me how long they’ve been at this.” 

“Wait, so this Ultra Recon Squad that’s freeloading in Aether is behind this?” Looker asked. I nodded. “I knew it.” 

“We’ve tried interrogating them, but they won’t tell us anything besides their current mission of finding a prism,” Anabel added before glaring at her screen. “They’re being very suspicious, but they’re not from our world, so we’re not really allowed to do anything without Mr. Tajiri’s approval, and Zero has a feeling The President wants you and Rayne to handle it, so he sent us after you.” Anabel shot me a grin. “Between us, he wants to prove you wrong.” 

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “Of course he does.” 

“What do you know about this squad though?” Looker asked. 

My expression softened. “They’re from Megalion, and have been chasing after this prism for a while. It used to belong to this Arceus-level Necrozma, but the king he created killed his wife because he’s a power-hungry lunatic, and Necrozma punished him by throwing the prism into Ultra Space. The king, Ink, is using the Recon Squad to jump between dimensions to look for it, and as you phone stalkers should know,” I motioned to Selene, “she has the prism, and I have to get it to our Necrozma. The Ultra Beasts are helping me protect it in their own weird way.” 

I turned to Anabel. “Professor Burnet found traces of DNA from nine different dimensions in that chain though. That chain was made by the blood of a god to attack gods. The shard we have has DNA that belongs to several sets of people who are almost all alternate versions of people in our world. Seven of them are alternate versions of Rayne, and based on what we know about the God Calmer, we believe they’re alternate Dual heroes.” 

Looker stared at me, processing my words as Anabel leaned back in her seat. “And you think the Fallers were brought here due to all these dimensional travels…” 

I nodded. “One of the Recon members thought all their dimension jumping caused the Buzzwoles to come here, so maybe that theory has some merit to it.” 

“Oh, it does,” Anabel muttered. My eyes widened as Looker leaned over to look at the screen. Anabel pointed to it. “The first Faller had the same six-digit universal code as the codes for the supposed copies of Gold, Silver, and Krystal. My universal code matches May and Brenden, the third Faller matched Hilda, Hilbert, and N, and the fourth matched Serena and Calem. A wormhole opened here in reaction to the Recon Squad traveling there. But why?” 

“Some wacked-up physics, probably,” Looker replied. Or the prism. Pheromosa said it can do anything, so who’s to say it’s not the force behind the wormholes? I doubt I’ll ever know. Looker turned to me though. “If these were caused by the Recon Squad though, we can probably say all the wormhole incidents throughout time, besides the two times Aether did it, were caused by Megalion opening their own wormholes. It’s possible since Professor Burnet claims Necrozma travels between universes all the time.” 

“Since they became more prominent during Professor Kane’s day, it’s safe to say these aliens have been hunting this prism for over a decade,” Anabel added. 

“So, if we stop them from traveling, we stop the unwanted wormholes,” Looker replied before going around the desk. “Knowing you and Rayne, you’ll aim to stop this Ink man, but you’re only required to keep the Ultra Beasts away from anyone not associated with the league or Aether to fulfill your mission and become an actual agent.” 

“A fate you must accept if you don’t want us to contain you,” Anabel added. 

“Gee thanks,” I replied as Looker started looking through filing cabinets. 

“But, if this does stop the unwanted wormholes entirely without collateral damage, Zero should lift his own grudge and hopefully trust you enough to assign yourself and Rayne to missions when you’re in the area.” Looker shot me a glare. “As long as you tell us the second you decide that.” 

I held up my hand in surrender before wrapping it around Selene again. “I didn’t know agents were allowed to assign themselves though.” 

“Only higher-ups are as long as they properly report it. When you get your badge, we’ll fill you in. Rayne will get one too as long as she does something. We do have to look at the credentials for Rayne though. Since she is a threat to humanity, she may not be allowed to go above a basic agent, but I doubt she’d care,” Anabel explained. 

I nodded before Looker pulled out a familiar looking case from one of the filing cabinets and approached me. “Still. We know next to nothing about this Ink figure, but considering we have pieces of evidence that imply he’s kidnapped or killed…” He leaned over to look at the computer screen. 

“Twenty-two,” Anabel said. 

Looker straightened up and continued to approach me. “Considering he may have kidnapped or killed twenty-two people who may be demi-gods like yourself, he’s a huge threat. Under no circumstances can he enter our dimension, so he must be destroyed for good. I expect Rayne to take care of things, but just in case she can’t,” he held up the case, “here.”

I put Winter down to take the case, prompting Selene to fly back a bit as well. I flicked the latches open before lifting the lid, revealing a gun.

My eyes widened in horror as Looker crossed his arms. “You’re going to tell your classmates this discussion is over your involvement with the Ultra Beasts. We decided to allow you to help, and any other detail is confidential. If they see this, say I gave it to you for self defense. It has a chip in it to tell ship security it’s International Police weaponry, so they won’t remove it or question you. If Ink somehow does come here though, you are to tell me immediately so we can put the region on lockdown. I’ll send you a message later so you have my number.” 

“Ok…” I breathed out before closing the case. 

I saw Looker’s expression soften as I knelt down to put the case down and take my backpack off. “You are doing well though. I’m only upset that you didn’t contact us, but knowing you and Rayne, I should’ve expected it.” I looked up at him, which only made him smile. “Rayne was right to trust you. Honestly, I think you’re better than her at this.” 

I looked away, but couldn’t stop myself from smiling. “Maybe not at defeating villains, but… planning is my job in our duo, so ensuring who is and isn’t involved is easy.” 

“Which makes you the perfect duo,” Anabel replied. I turned to her, and she winked at me. “You’ll beat this guy, kid. You always do.” 

My smile rose a bit. “Thank you. I’ll do my best.” 

Looker and Anabel glanced at each other before Looker walked around the desk. “We know you will.”

Chapter Text

When I left the police station, I asked the group chat where they were. Xavier told me they were at Olivia’s shop, so I led my Pokemon over there. The bell rang as I pushed the door open, and all but Lexi turned away from the display they were looking at to look at me. 

“So?” Xavier asked as I approached them. 

“It’s just about the Ultra Beasts,” I began. “They were a little upset at first, but told me they’d let me keep helping out. It was just… a lot.” 

“Well, duh. It’s the cops,” Austin replied. 

“Are you in any trouble though?” Alyssa asked as Lexi finally turned to me. 

“No,” I replied. 

Alyssa sighed in relief, but Lexi scoffed and turned back to the display. “Figures…” 

I rolled my eyes as Xavier cleared his throat. “Since he’s back though, we can get what we want here and grab some lunch. Is everyone ok with that?” 

“Yep!” Austin cheered as Alyssa and I nodded. 

“Ok…” Xavier breathed out before I looked at the display of necklaces beside us. I wonder if Olivia’s around. 

We split up to look around on our own, but Austin followed me since he didn’t care for jewelry. He already looked at everything while I was gone since Oricorio was interested, but only because everything was shiny. So, he followed me around as I looked for some rings, which ended up being at the front counter. 

“Ooo. Gonna get a ring for your lady?” Austin softly asked. 

I nodded, looking between the array of rings. “She got me one, so-”

“Wait, she did?” Austin asked. I nodded, lifting my left hand to show him. His eyes widened in awe with Oricorio’s. “Shiny…” Oricorio breathed out. 

“Are you like… engaged now?” Austin asked. 

I looked at the ring and tilted my head. “I don’t know. We’re soulmates, so… It’s kind of a given we’d…” I looked away and curled my hand into a light fist. Ok, maybe it isn’t much of a given to think that. Of course I see Rayne as… well, my everything, but it’s… different to even think about marrying her or… calling her my wife. 

My wife… 

I couldn’t help but smile as I looked back at my hand, my eye catching the ring again before someone placed their hands on the counter. “Have a certain someone on your mind?” I turned my head, seeing Olivia smiling at me from behind the counter. 

“Maybe,” I muttered as I lowered my hand. 

Olivia giggled at my response before tapping the glass case. “So does anything catch your eye, or do you want something more… custom?”

I looked down at my ring. Gold for my eyes, red for Rayne, and the day we met on the inside. Maybe I can do something similar. Silver and blue, but what date? And should I do a band, or… something different? 

I glanced down, seeing the small bump from the mystic water tucked under my collar. I reached up and pulled the necklace out from my shirt and stared at the small raindrop. 

“You’ll see, raindrop,” Julian teased.

“Raindrop?” Rayne softly asked. 

A smile crept onto my lips before I wrapped my fingers around the mystic water. I lifted my gaze to Olivia’s. “Yeah, actually. I do want something custom.” 

~

When all of us were done at Olivia’s shop, we left to get some lunch. I gave Olivia a ring design, and she told me she’d send me a text when it was done, and swore she’d get it done before we left Akala. I told her to not rush herself, but she insisted and proceeded to lock herself in her office. She told me to call her when I wanted to challenge her though, and promised she’d challenge me whenever I was ready. She is… surprisingly intimidating. 

After we got lunch, we started exploring town. We checked out the other shops and local attractions. I got to spoil my team with massages, and because Winter didn’t like strangers touching her, I learned part of their massage technique so she could still get one. The worker helping me said I was too gentle, but still did well for my first attempt. Winter was happy though, so that’s all that matters. I also got Dartrix and Winter an incense burner since they wanted one. We also stopped by a boutique for the girls, an herb shop for Xavier, and a photo club for Alyssa and Austin, since they both wanted to look at the array of cameras. They also took a bunch of pictures of our Pokemon, which was more wholesome than I thought it would be. 

Our tour lasted a few hours before Alyssa asked if we could visit the ruins so she could get her pictures. We agreed before leaving town and heading over to the cemetery. Austin was trying to hide his nerves when we first entered, but relaxed when he realized there were no ghost types around yet. We got through it within a few minutes though, and followed the trail up to the Ruins of Life. When we arrived, however, I saw someone I never thought I’d see again. 

At the entrance of the ruins was Olivia with Phyco, Soliera, and Rose. He was in an Aether uniform, and while he looked noticeably thinner, he looked the same. He didn’t set off the crazy meter though. He’s… not dangerous anymore, but… 

“I want to be here for you, I want to see you grow up, and I want to just… hang out with you. But I can’t. All because I’m the fucking Champion and have to be Rose’s stupid puppet!”

My eye twitched at the memory. 

Leon gripped onto his hood, keeping his face shielded from my sight. “I can’t do this anymore… I can’t go back. All he’ll do…” He shook his head and hid his face against his knees. 

I pressed my lips together and forced myself to take a deep breath as I just stared at Rose. Watching as he listened to whatever rubbish Phyco was spitting out this time. 

Leon snorted before he looked at the menu in front of him. “Wow. You already want to get rid of me.” His expression darkened. “Not surprised…” 

Stop thinking about it! 

I forced everything to stay down as I stared at Leon’s unconscious body on the hospital bed. He lost almost two pints of blood because Rose made him throw it up. Rose drugged him and literally tortured him to catch Eternatus. As if the mental torment wasn’t enough. Leon’s fought back for years, so why not just kill him and replace him with his own adopted child? Why didn’t I do more? Why didn’t I help him? Why didn’t I confront Rose!? Why did Rayne have to do it!? Why did I listen to them and stay out of it!? 

“Hop,” my mom softly said. I turned my head to look at her. Although she was crying, she reached up to stroke my cheek. “It’s ok. You did everything you could.” 

No, I didn’t. But if I ever see Rose again… I’ll make him regret everything he did Leon. 

Arceus, why do I have such a vivid memory? 

“Holy Arceus,” Xavier said, snapping me out of my head. 

“Is… Is that actually Rose? Like… Chairman Rose?” Alyssa nervously asked. 

“Wasn’t he arrested?” Austin asked. 

“No. He confessed to his crimes and fled the region,” Lexi replied before crossing her arms. “I guess having to start over in a different region is punishment enough for the IP.” 

I clenched my hands into fists at her statement. No, it’s not. I still can’t believe Lusamine even hired him just because he made a Type: Null. He gave the files to Team Rocket to drug Leon too! He found the shipping information in Rose’s old files! How has he not been arrested, or at least charged for… any of this!? He manipulated and controlled almost everything in the Galar league for 10 years, tried to murder the Champion, and brought the apocalypse! He should be punished! Joining Aether isn’t a punishment! 

Olivia’s annoyed sigh brought my attention back to them. “Ok, ok! I get that you ‘need’ a Rockium-Z, but there are rules. You have to earn it by beating me and the Totem Lycanroc. You didn’t beat any of my Pokemon, so you cannot have one. There is literally no exception. All I can tell you is to try again when you’re more prepared.” 

Phyco huffed and crossed his arms. “You can do much more, and we all know it. We’re on a very important mission, and our king requires these shards, so if you’d stop being so stubborn-”

“If you’d stop being so stubborn, we could end this stupid argument! I have an important order at my shop and have a strict deadline myself, so give it up, train or catch more Pokemon, and find me when you actually have a chance at defeating me. Ok?” Olivia spat. 

“Give it up!? We cannot afford to give it up when we’re so-” Phyco began. 

“I’m done,” Olivia interrupted before she started to walk away. “Rose, take them back to Aether. I have a ring to make.” 

“Uh, I didn’t bring them here,” Rose replied as the three of them watched her walk off. 

“And we do not follow their orders,” Soliera calmly added.

“I don’t care. I’m done talking about this,” Olivia complained before her eyes met mine. She gave me a tired smile. “Hey, Hoppy. If you’re here for a trial, I’ll need to stop by the Pokemon Center first.” 

“Uh, i-it’s ok. We uh, we just wanted to visit the ruins,” I softly replied as Selene slowly leaned over to look past Olivia. I quickly pulled her towards Winter as I grabbed her pokeball. “No.” She whined before I returned her. I’m not risking the Recon Squad seeing her. 

“Do you need to accompany us to visit Tapu Lele’s shrine?” Alyssa asked. 

“Yeah. Lycanroc won’t let you through without me,” Olivia replied before shooting the Recon workers a dirty look. “I’ll take you once these buffoons stop bothering me.” 

“Excuse me!?” Phyco demanded before snapping his head in my direction. “Sir, do you seriously allow your disciples to behave this way to visitors?!” 

“Disciples?” Olivia asked, giving me a confused look. 

I felt heat rush to my face from the sheer embarrassment of that statement as I shot Phyco a glare. “I told you, I’m not a leader! I don’t have any authority!” 

“But at the mountain-” Soliera began. 

“That…” I began before taking a deep breath. “That wasn’t what you thought. I’m not in charge of anything.” Phyco huffed at my response. “But, I made an agreement with Zossie and Dulse. Go talk to them and leave Olivia alone.” 

Phyco relaxed. “I’m aware. They informed us last night. While I’m not… fond of the idea, if it keeps you on our side, we’ll listen to your commands. We simply want to… help out, in a way. This is for our prism, so it would only be fair if we collected a few of the shards, correct?” 

I glanced down at Dubwool. “Uh… I mean… sure?” 

“How many shards are there, by the way?” Soliera asked. 

“Eighteen,” I replied. I’m not going to be able to get all twenty-nine. 

Phyco nodded. “How many do you have?” 

“Seven.” 

Phyco and Soliera nodded at my response before Phyco placed his hands on his hips. “Well, we were going to handle this one, but this woman won’t let us near the crystals!” 

“Because we all have to follow the rules!” Olivia snapped back. 

“We’re collecting them for a completely separate purpose! We have no desire to partake in your… silly little battles!” Phyco scolded. 

Olivia groaned in annoyance before Rose stepped beside Phyco. “May I ask why you want the crystals then?” 

“We don’t want your crystals. We want the shards of our kingdom’s prism that has shattered and transformed into lookalikes of your crystals,” Phyco corrected before pointing at me. “That young man already has a few shards, and… we would like to stay on his good side.” 

Rose turned to me. “How did you get involved with this?” 

“Why do you care? Are you going to join them?” I spat. 

His expression fell. “Hop, it’s been almost a year. Maybe we-”

“Yeah, well you tormented my brother for 10 years and tried to kill him, so I won’t exactly let it go after just a year, especially since you disappeared after we fixed everything you caused.” Rose stared at me as silence fell between us. He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped. “How did you get away with it, anyway? You almost destroy Galar then run to Alola and get off scot free?” 

“I didn’t run here. I came to apologize to Lusamine, and-” he began. 

“And she gave you a job because you made a Type: Null and sold the files to Team Rocket?” I asked. Rose’s eyes widened. “Yeah, I know.” I pointed to Silvally. “How do you think I ended up with him? He was made by Team Rocket.”

“I know…” Rose muttered. 

“Who’s Team Rocket?” Austin whispered. 

“A dead mafia,” Xavier whispered back. 

“How did you end up with a mafia’s creation?” Alyssa softly asked. 

I held out my free arm, keeping my eyes on Rose as I ignored Alyssa. “How did you get away with this?” My arm fell to my side as I clenched my hand into a fist. “How did you get away with ANY of this?!” 

“I didn’t,” Rose replied before glancing at the Recon Squad. “And I’d rather not have this conversation here.” 

“Why?! Why does it matter?! Your own boss is a murderer! Why do you still care about your precious ego?!” I snapped. 

The two workers gave me a surprised look as Rose visibly winced at my comment. I narrowed my eyes, only to realize how heavy my breaths have gotten. I heard Winter whimper something before Olivia placed her hand on my shoulder. 

“Calm down, hun. It’s ok.” 

I shook my head and stepped back, making her let me go. “No, it’s not! He spent years torturing my brother, and he didn’t even apologize for it! He got away with it and is living without a single regret! He almost destroyed Galar, and he ends up as a higher up in a protection program?!” 

“I do regret it, and I am sorry. I didn’t-” Rose began. 

“For what? What are you sorry for!? WHAT do you regret from the last 10 years!?” 

“Hop, calm down,” Alyssa begged. 

“Yeah. It’s not a big deal,” Lexi added. 

I snapped my head around to look at her. “Not a big deal? He almost destroyed our home! He tried to kill our Champion! How is that not a big deal?!” 

“Because he didn’t, and he’s no longer in Galar?” Lexi offered. 

My eye twitched as I tightened my fists, and when Winter squeaked, I realized I was digging my arm into my stomach. I looked down at her as I loosened my grip on her, but she just gave me a worried look. 

I took a deep breath, forcing my body to relax before running my hand over Winter’s head. “Can we get the pictures later, Alyssa?” 

“Uh… y-yeah. Yeah. We uh, have plenty of time,” she softly replied. 

“Are you serious?” Lexi asked as I turned to my classmates to start walking away. 

“Lexi-” Xavier began. 

“Will you get over yourself?!” Lexi demanded. I froze in my tracks, but kept my eyes on Winter. “People will screw you over and get away with it. If you cared as much as you claim to, you would’ve known that he was literally banned from Galar. He’s not allowed in the region anymore. He’s away from you and your precious little family, so why do you care how he spends his life? Stop hanging on to rubbish that doesn’t matter!” 

I bit the inside of my cheek as I forced myself to hold it together. I should’ve just walked away the second I saw him because of course she’d pull this. I can’t let it go though. Not after seeing what he did to Leon for a decade. Leon may not care anymore, mom may not care anymore, but I do. I hate when people mess with my family, and I hate it even more when they get away with it. So what if Rose was banned from Galar? He only lost his job, control, and maybe Oleana. That’s it. How did he do it? Did he blame it all on Eternatus’ influence? 

Lexi scoffed at my silence. “Wow. After all of that, you go silent on me? Too ashamed to admit I’m right?” 

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, keeping the tears in and emotions down. Don’t give in. That’s what she wants. Instead, I opened my eyes and continued walking towards the trail back to town. 

“Wait, sir! Could you tell the guardian-lady to let us get the prism shard?!” Phyco called. 

“I’ll get it later. Leave Olivia alone,” I replied as I continued walking. 

“Ok, what’s going on with you and these people?!” Lexi demanded. 

I stopped and turned around to give Lexi an annoyed look. “Why do you care?” 

“Uh, because it’s dodgy as hell!? They’re aliens, and… and you’re helping them!?” I rolled my eyes and continued walking away. “Don’t you dare walk away! Why are you working with them!?” 

“Why do you care?” I fired back. 

“Because for all we know, they could be trying to kill us!” Lexi screamed. 

“I think they’ve made it pretty clear they just want their light prism back,” Alyssa replied. 

“Yeah, but he clearly knows these alien freaks more than he lets on! He just admitted they made a deal! After everything he’s done on this trip alone, how do we know he’s not plotting against us!?” Lexi demanded. 

I stopped in my tracks as I clenched my jaw. Can she mind her own business for 5 bloody minutes?! I tightened my grip on Winter before spinning around and marching over to them. I saw Xavier about to say something, but I cut him off. “If I wanted to destroy you or whatever, I would’ve done it already!”

“Oh, so you admit you want me gone!” Lexi snapped. 

“No, I want nothing to do with you. I’m just putting up with you because you’re Alyssa’s friend! If I really wanted you gone that badly, I would’ve dragged you over to that giant Buzzwole on our first day!” 

“Yet you still want me dead since you’ve clearly considered it!” 

“No, I don’t! I’m doing the exact opposite! I've kept you away from Ultra Beasts! I’ve kept you away from the Ultra Recon Squad! I am trying to keep all of you unharmed, so maybe instead of insisting I want you dead, you should stop questioning and assuming things that you’re not part of!” 

“That I’m not part of, huh? News flash, wise guy: We’re stuck in a team together! Your business here is just as much ours, so instead of running off without telling us anything and playing hero, you could get over your god complex, stop risking our grades, and let the actual professionals handle this!” 

“The professionals won’t do anything!” I motioned to Rose. “Why do you think I had to stop him?! The only league worker who tried was Leon, and he was bleeding to death!”

“You didn’t do anything! The Master did it all!” I clenched my hands into fists before Lexi stepped closer to me. “All you’re doing is trying to be like her when you’re not. Just because two legendaries like you doesn’t mean you can do anything about this.” She shoved her finger into my collar, making me take a step back. “You lost the league. Your own Pokemon can barely beat Totems. You changed your career to research because you could never beat The Master and meet Leon’s expectations. All you’re doing is trying to prove that you’re not a failure!” 

I couldn’t stop myself from wincing as her words hit. A familiar sense of doubt and… dread started building up. 

Bede’s sly grin rose at my silence. “The own Champion’s brother, losing so easily to a novice trainer. How pathetic. You’re making him look incompetent with your failures.” 

“And there goes the little brother’s last Pokemon,” the announcer called as Boltund collapsed in front of me. Melony’s Lapras straightened up, and Melony frowned at me as I clenched my hands into fists, but stayed quiet as the last bit of hail continued to pelt against me. 

My fingernails dug into my palms as Dubwool started growling. He stepped forward, but Winter pushed herself closer to Lexi. “Vulpix vul!” 

“Oh, shut it!” Lexi spat. Winter flinched and cowered against me again. “You just met him! You know nothing about him!” 

My eye twitched at her words as Winter whimpered, my doubt instantly snapping to anger. Lycanroc and Silvally started growling with Dubwool, but I let go of any self control I had left and grabbed Lexi’s collar to yank her forward. 

“Don’t you EVER speak to my Pokemon like that!” 

Lexi shoved me back. “Don’t touch me!” 

“My Pokemon have done nothing to you, so you have no right to yell at them! Especially if they’ve been hurt by other people!” 

“If it was so hurt, it wouldn’t have gone off with a stranger. It’s not a big deal. Stop getting so defensive over wild animals!” 

My eyes widened at her statement as something inside me snapped. That’s it. I clenched my hand into a fist and started stepping towards her until the sound of glass cracking spread across my skull. I froze as the cracks ran across my vision, whiting it out to take me away from reality and into a memory. 

“Now this guy,” Professor Birch began before holding up a beast ball, “is my personal favorite.” 

“Oh, Arceus…” I muttered. That didn’t make me feel any better. Why did I ask to see the Ultra Beasts again? 

Brendan snorted at my reaction as his dad smiled. “Relax. He’s harmless. Very shy, actually.” The professor looked at the pokeball. “They’re my favorite because of their ability. They produce so much electricity and require very little energy to do so.” 

“They’re literally living light bulbs. It’s so cool,” Brendan added. 

Professor Birch tossed the pokeball to release the Ultra Beast. “Hop…” 

The scene changed back to reality, but it didn’t feel… real. Lexi and I looked up, seeing dozens of Xurkitrees flying out of a wormhole that opened right above us. While most of them flew off towards the sides, a bigger one with a different appearance dove right for us. It had four strands of wire coming out of its neck, each with another spikey ball of light on the end. The rest of its body was a single bundle of wires that split off to form eight legs. As it dove towards us though, the smaller ‘heads’ opened to reveal spiky pincers with electricity snapping between the spikes. Xurkitree swung the left two towards us as Professor Birch’s voice returned. 

“Meet Xurkitree.” 

The second the pincers made contact, the glass shattered across my mind and washed the scene back to reality. I sucked in a breath and stumbled back, but couldn’t help but sigh. Seriously? Now?! 

“Are you serious?” Lexi hissed. 

I snapped my gaze to hers to glare at her. “It’s not like I-” 

A collection of familiar screeches made us flinch and look up. Above us was the wormhole releasing all the Xurkitrees, and just as I looked up, the alpha flew out and dove right for us. His four smaller heads opened, revealing the electricity inside before two of them shot towards us. 

My eyes widened in horror before I ducked down, dropping Winter as I shot towards Lexi. “Get out of the way!” 

Lexi stayed frozen in place, staring up in utter horror before I grabbed her waist and tackled her down. She screamed “hey” in response, but I ignored him as I pulled her towards me and spun around so my back would hit the dirt. I winced as we slid back, but looked past her to find Xurkitree. His two claws crashed into the spot we were just in, sending a wave of dirt and pebbles across the field. I ducked my head, blocking the small debris before I felt Lexi’s hands on my chest. 

“Get off me!” She shoved me back, making me choke on a breath as she sat up. “I swear to Arceus, if you got blood on me-” 

“You can wash it off!” I snapped back as I sat up. Lexi gave me an annoyed look, but I just looked up at Rose. “Get her out of here.” 

I turned away before I could see his response before standing up. As I did, the Alpha Xurkitree straightened up before he and the rest of his pack turned to us. I gulped, feeling my lingering headache was still present along with the mix of lingering anger and rising anxiety. Blue Harmonia hasn’t kicked in, which… is a good and bad thing right now. I could really use a clear head right now, Eleanor! 

The Alpha Xurkitree’s four extra heads swayed beside him, but his main head tilted down before going back up. “So, you’re the human we’re assisting. Is the prism alright?” 

I glanced over, seeing Rose helping Lexi up before I nodded. 

Xurkitree hummed before tilting his head back. “I see our enemies are here… Are they giving you trouble, sir? Are those other humans with them trying to help them?” 

“No! No. This- Nothing’s going on,” I nervously assured as I held out my hands. 

“Then why was I called here?” Xurkitree asked. Because Pheromosa called them for some reason! 

I looked past the swarm of Xurkitrees, seeing Olivia leading my classmates away from the ruins. This made Xurkitree spin his main head around. “Where do you think you’re going!?” 

“Wait, they’re not-” I began as I started running towards him. 

“No one is to leave this land until I know everything's under control!” the alpha called before the four head-pincers shot towards Olivia and my classmates. 

“Stop!” I yelled, and I was about to grab one of his legs before a pink light shot out from behind me and stopped in front of the pincers. 

Tapu Lele appeared from the pink light before swinging her arms up. “Lele!” Pink light absorbed the four pincers to make the freeze, but I saw them shaking as they tried to break free. Xurkitree grunted and stepped back as he tried pulling his pincers free, but Lele simply looked over her shoulder. “Lele lay.” 

Olivia nodded before grabbing Alyssa and Austin’s shoulders, since they were right beside her. “Run. All of you.” 

I saw Alyssa shakily nod as Austin reached over to grab her arm, but just as they started running with Xavier, Xurkitree growled. “Boys! Stop those humans this instant!” 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” a new voice hissed. 

I looked over my shoulder, seeing a large dusk Lycanroc on top of the ruins with other midday and midnight Lycanrocs and Rockruffs beside her. She glared down at Xurkitree. “Unless you want your little bundles of wires to get destroyed by my pack.” 

Xurkitree scoffed as my eyes widened. “Your pack, huh? What can some mutts do against my army!?” 

“We’ll show you if you’re so desperate to know, but unless you want to make this messier than it should be, you should relax and listen to the humans,” Lycanroc spat. 

Xurkitree growled, but the Lycanroc pack growled back in response. I heard Silvally and my Lycanroc growl as well, which made me scan the field to find my Pokemon. They were all together, but Dartrix and Dubwool were shielding Winter while Silvally and Lycanroc stood in defensive stances in front of all three of them. 

“Lele lay,” Tapu Lele hissed before narrowing her eyes. “Lele.” 

Xurkitree sighed in annoyance. “Fine!” Tapu Lele huffed, but waited for Rose and Lexi to pass her and leave the field before releasing Xurkitree. He pulled his pincers back before turning around to face me. “Why are we here?” 

I glanced over at the Recon workers before stepping back. “It… It must’ve been a mistake. Everything’s ok. You guys can go home.” I turned to the Recon workers. “You can send them home, right?” 

“Uh… that is correct,” Soliera softly replied. 

Xurkitree hummed, making me turn back to him. His head was tilted down, but his four pincers flew towards me. I stepped back, but I heard them sniff me somehow. I scrambled back, but they followed me to keep sniffing me. How is that possible? What is he doing!? 

“You are nervous,” Xurkitree softly said before one of his pincers nudged my arm. “I can feel the currents running through your system. Unlike our humans, you have a tiny bit of electricity inside you, so I can feel your emotions.” His pincers floated around me as he stepped closer to me. “Why are you afraid, human?” 

“Yeah? Aren’t we on your side?” another Xurkitree asked. 

I glanced back as I gulped. “I-I’m not. It’s-” I glanced back. “You’re just-”

“Them,” Xurkitree hissed as he stepped forward. “Madam Pheromosa told us your plan, but they’re clearly making things difficult. Have they threatened you, sir?” 

“No! Everything’s ok!” I began as I stepped forward to grab the leg closest to me. “I can handle this. You guys can go home.” 

Xurkitree tilted his head down as his pincers flew back to my sides. I looked between them as they sniffed me before one of them nudged my cheek. I flinched at the small spark of electricity that formed from the contact, but the pincer flew back a bit as Xurkitree knelt down in front of me. “You are on edge, sir. What’s upsetting you?” 

I looked away from him, and ended up looking at my Pokemon. Dubwool was staring at me as Winter peaked out from behind him, but the others kept their eyes on the other Xurkitrees. I should’ve returned them before the Xurkitrees landed. Winter is probably scared half to death right now, and these things can easily destroy Dartrix. Why did Rose have to be here? Why did Lexi have to start another argument?! Why did Phyco have to be so stubborn about these bloody crystals!? Can there just be a day where everything doesn’t go wrong?! 

I took a deep breath and clenched my hands into fists. “I just want this to stop…” 

“I see,” Xurkitree softly replied before he stood up again. “This is your island, correct?” 

I looked up, seeing Xurkitree’s head was tilted back. I leaned over, seeing Tapu Lele look up at him, glance away, then nod. “Lele.” 

“Is it alright if I remove the… unwanted guests?” Xurkitree asked before using one of his pincers to motion to me. “They’re upsetting the human we’re helping.” 

Tapu Lele leaned over to look at me. “Lele?” 

I looked between her and Xurkitree before sighing. “I’m just… I don’t want to do this right now. Everything is alright, and I…” I gulped, only to feel a lump in my throat. “I’m ok…” 

“Lele…” Tapu Lele muttered. 

Xurkitree knelt down again as one of his pincers flew down to gently push my chin up. I flinched from the shock it caused, but I didn’t look away. 

“The prism is safe, correct?” I nodded. “Are you safe, sir?” My eyes widened at his question. “I’m aware that you have one of the Pheromosa defenders, but…” He lifted his head. “Necrozma trusted you to protect his prism. If they did anything to you…” He took a deep breath (I think? It sounded like he did) and looked down at me again. I think. “We are here to keep you and the prism safe. I don’t want you to end up like Selene and Elio.” 

My eyes widened in shock. Those were two of the heroes tied to the chains! “You… You knew them?” 

He perked up. “You know of them?” 

“I- Kinda. How do you-” I began. 

“One of their own opened a portal to the Necrozma pack, and they chased after her,” Xurkitree interrupted. “The king found them and chased them through Megalion. They hid in a few territories, including ours.” Xurkitree turned to another member of the pack. “Even befriended one of our healers.” The Xurkitree he was turned to lowered his head as the alpha turned back to me. “They were like you. They both had their own unique abilities, and told us they watched over a land known as Alola. They even had their own Light Bringers who were fresh from metamorphosis. They also had another human with them who helped them chase after the one who came here. Apparently, the one who opened the portal was her mother, but she sacrificed herself to Ink so they could get away.” Were they… alternate versions of Lusamine and Lillie? “They were trying to return home, but Ink tarnished their Light Bringers’ sense of smell, so they couldn’t find their home world. They hoped one of us could cure them, but only other Necrozmas can. Every time one of us called a Necrozma over to help, Ink followed and caused the children to flee. Buzzwole and I teamed up to go straight to the Necrozma territory and send a Necrozma over so we could distract Ink, but… He was able to get past us. He captured Elio and Selene, and killed their friend.” I sucked in a breath as Xurkitree turned his head away. “I’m not sure if they’re alive or not, but… If Ink spared them, he must have a purpose for them. They were good humans though.” He turned back to me. “If Necrozma himself put his trust in you, I know you’re a good human too. I don’t know why Ink captured them, but I don’t want you to find out the hard way. Do you need us to do anything, or do you want one of my defenders to assist your Pheromosa?” 

I stared at him, processing this new information. Ink is keeping them alive. He killed the mortal with them and took them back to his home. Why kill the normal one but spare the heroes? I know he used their DNA to make God Calmers, but… If Ink didn’t harvest their bodies or whatever, they could still be alive. But why keep them alive? What is Ink doing?! 

A chill ran down my spine as something clicked behind me. “That’s quite enough out of you,” Phyco hissed. 

I spun around, seeing Phyco pointing the God Calmer weapon at Xurkitree. “I don’t know what you’re telling him, but I know they’re lies to sway him to your side. That prism belongs to us, and we need him to find the shards!” 

“That prism belongs to a Creator!” Xurkitree snapped as he shot up. “Just because that demon is a creation of our fallen alpha doesn’t mean he’s suitable to bear it! Necrozma himself told us to keep it away from him, and as his dying wish, we will ensure his corrupt hands never touch it!” 

Phyco huffed. “I can’t even understand you. Why make an argument I won’t hear?” 

Xurkitree growled, and I heard electricity snap around him. “Boys! Take these two out of our sight!” 

“Xurkitree, wait!” I called as I spun around to face him, but the smaller Xurkitrees were already lunging towards Phyco. In response, I heard the weapon in his hands pop. I spun back around, seeing God Calmer chains flying out and towards Xurkitree. My eyes widened in horror before I pushed myself forward. “No!” 

Just before I could even try to stop it, Tapu Lele zapped between us and held out her arms in defense. “Lele!” 

My eyes widened. “Tapu Lele, get out of the-”

The chains slammed into her, wrapping her up as black electricity started cracking around her. She cried out and tried to pry the chains off, but they didn’t budge. 

Everything inside me dropped as I stumbled to a stop. I heard Xurkitree call something as ringing started picking up in my ears. 

They attacked Tapu Lele. 

They ignored my one request to not attack our gods. 

I shifted my gaze towards Phyco, seeing he wasn’t showing any sign of releasing her. In fact, he was trying to pull her back. Probably to swing her out of the way so he could attack Xurkitree when she’s too weak to help. 

My entire body tensed up as Eleanor’s bracelet was engulfed in light. I lost… any sense of control as I clenched my hands into fists. 

“Phyco!” He snapped his head towards me. “Let her go!” 

“Sir-” he began. 

“Let her go or else I’ll use that Arceus-forsaken chain to choke both of you out!” I snapped, but heard another voice mixed with mine. Eleanor. 

Soliera gulped, but Phyco scoffed at my response. “No god can break these chains, sir. We told you we’re here to contain these beasts, and this one is in the way.” 

“And I told you to not attack any more gods, especially mine, if you wanted my help,” I spat before stepping closer to him. “So let her go.” Phyco didn’t budge, and as each second passed, I grew more annoyed. “Fine.” 

I snapped my head towards Lele and lifted my arms in front of me. I clenched my hands into fists as I grabbed the chains in a psychic restraint. Spikes of pain dug into my skull as it fought against me, but I just tightened my fists as I put all my focus on that damn chain. I took a deep before swinging my arms down, forcing the chains to burst off Lele. 

The spikes digging into my head burst into splotches of pain. I winced and squeezed my eyes shut as my head went light, but held my ground as I heard the chains hit the ground. I heard some kind of shuffling and what sounded like zipping before there was a thud beside me. I forced my eyes open and looked up, seeing the Alpha Xurkitree’s ‘arms’ extended to catch Lele. She was hidden in her tiki shell, but there were still burns along the shell. 

I narrowed my eyes and clenched my hands into fists before turning to Phyco and Soliera, who stood frozen in shock. Phyco’s weapon slipped from his hands, and as it hit the ground, he slowly lifted his shaking hand to point at me. “How… How did you do that?” 

I sharpened my glare on them and grabbed each of them with psychic energy. Their bodies tensed under my hold, but I just snapped my arm up to thrust them into the air. Soliera yelped, but neither of them fought against me. 

“I told you to not use that bloody chain on anyone else if you wanted me to get this prism for you. Zossie and Dulse told you of this very simple request, yet you still ignored me.” 

“We- We apologize, sir! We did not- We were worried Xurkitree-” Soliera stuttered. 

“Stop being so concerned with the damn Ultra Beasts!” I snapped, which made her flinch. “If you were so concerned about staying on my good side, you’d listen to the ONE thing I asked you to do!” I clenched my hand into a fist to tighten my grip on them, which made them wince, but the light coming off Eleanor’s bracelet pulsed in the process. “But you didn’t.” I scoffed as a crazed grin rose to my lips. “I should just get rid of you two. End this here and now. All you people have done is cause me trouble, so why don’t I show you and your precious king what I’m capable of?” 

“Hop, don’t!” Dubwool called, but I ignored him. I twisted my fist as I started to force their throats close, but vines wrapped around my wrist and pulled it back. 

I snapped my head around as the two workers sucked in a breath, seeing Dartrix behind me with vines coming out of her wings. She narrowed her eyes and gripped onto her vines. “Stop it. You don’t hurt people.” 

I stared at her before clenching my jaw. I was about to pull my arm back to make her let go before a voice made me freeze.

“Lady Eleanor…” I looked over my shoulder, seeing Tapu Lele poking her head out of her shell. “Stop… You’re hurting him…” 

I flinched, somehow snapping out of… that as I released Phyco and Soliera. I heard Soliera scream as Dartrix released me, but I just stumbled back as the tension across my body drained away, leaving a throbbing pain in its wake. What was that? Why did… I slowly looked down at Eleanor’s bracelet as I caught my breath, seeing it was no longer glowing. Was she… possessing me? Heightening my frustration? Both?! I understood Tapu Lele, but… Eleanor shouldn’t have been bonded with her. She was bonded to legendaries with a cool color scheme, and Tapu Lele is pink. She was bonded to Julian, so… What just happened!?

“Are you ok?” Dubwool asked as he and my Pokemon ran over to me. 

“There’s… a lot of blood happening,” Lycanroc nervously added. 

My eyes widened at his words before I reached up to touch under my nose. I felt the warm liquid against my fingers before I felt a warm drop on my shoulder. I turned my head, only to see a drop of blood on my shoulder. I quickly reached under my ear, only to feel more blood. Ok. Yeah. That’s bad. I overdid it. Or maybe Eleanor did. I don’t know at this point. 

I felt Winter nudge my leg as I caught my breath, feeling my head get lighter with each breath. Dubwool bumped his horn against my hip, so I reached down to grab his horn before Tapu Lele flew down to my eye level. 

She cupped my face and started turning my head to seemingly examine every part of my face. “Lele lay… lay…” 

I couldn’t help but give her a confused look before she turned my head towards the Recon workers. They were both sitting up now, but while Soliera stared at us in shock, Phyco was trying to grab the God Calmer weapon. 

I narrowed my eyes. “Dartrix!” 

“On it!” she called before firing vines out of her wings again. They wrapped around the bazooka just before Phyco could grab it, causing him to flinch before Dartrix pulled it towards her. As she wrapped her wings around it, I gently pushed Tapu Lele’s hands away before I took Dubwool’s horn again so he could lead me over to them. I’m done messing around. I need to make sure they listen so this goes as planned. Plus, my head hurts too much for me to care about playing nice right now. 

“I told you to not attack them.” Phyco stared up at me before I stopped in front of him. “You are the foreigners here, and if you really want this prism, you will listen to what I say. Without me, you cannot find those shards. I don’t want to cause any unneeded conflict, so I don’t want you to bring your war onto my land. But because I’m nice, I will give you one more chance. If you attack anyone else while you’re here, I will put that prism together myself and use it to destroy Ink.” Phyco and Soliera flinched when I said his name. “Do I make myself clear?” 

Soliera turned to Phyco, waiting for his response as he stared at me. His expression softened before he reached up to take his mask off, revealing his pale blue eyes. “How did you…” He narrowed his eyes and slowly rose to his feet. “What are you?” 

“Exactly what Ink is,” I began before glaring back. “A child of god. Where do you think Necrozma got the idea from?” Phyco’s eyes widened as I took a deep breath. “Do not attack any more gods or else. I mean it.” 

Phyco stared at me as I looked down at Soliera. “Help Xurkitree get home.” 

“Don’t bother,” the alpha said, making me turn to him. “I can get us back on my own. You may want to speak with your Pheromosa though.” I simply nodded before Xurkitree looked between his followers. “Let’s go, boys. We were never needed here.” 

 “Sir!” they called before the alpha lifted his pincers. 

They opened up and screeched, sending out waves of electricity into the sky. I winced as the sound of glass shattering ran across my skull, but I kept my eyes open as I watched the wormhole open. The smaller Xurkitrees went first, and when the alpha jumped up to follow them, he turned to me and waved. I held up my hand, but saw Silvally wave back before the alpha flew into the wormhole and sealed it shut. 

I sighed in relief before I heard Dartrix huff. I looked at her, seeing her glaring at the workers as she hugged the bazooka. “I’m keeping this.” 

I gently smiled at her before Phyco cleared his throat. I turned to him, seeing him slip his mask back on as Soliera rose to her feet. “I… apologize again, sir. We don’t know why the Ultra Beasts are coming here, but we do want to keep them away from Alola.”

“And I’ll take care of it,” I calmly replied. 

“Right…” Phyco muttered before taking a deep breath. “We’ll… be on our way now.” He held his hand towards Dartrix. “May I have-”

“NO!” she screamed as she pulled it away from him. 

Phyco and Soliera flinched, and I couldn’t stop my amused smile from rising before I turned to Phyco. “I’ll be holding onto it. To ensure no one else gets hurt.” 

“Um… right…” Phyco muttered before gently grabbing Soliera’s arm. “Come. We must report to the king.” 

My smile dropped as he started leading her away from the ruins, but I turned around to watch them leave. “You’re in contact with him?” 

They stopped before turning to me. “That is correct,” Soliera softly replied. 

I narrowed my eyes. “Make sure he knows who I am, and that it would be a mistake to cross me.” 

Soliera gulped, but Phyco slowly nodded. “Understood, sir.” I nodded back before they turned around and walked off. 

The second they were out of sight, I dropped the facade and sighed as I reached up to lightly rub my temple. My head was throbbing, but also felt light? Either way, I felt dizzy, and if Dubwool wasn’t keeping me up, I probably would’ve fallen over by now. 

“Wow,” Olivia said after a few seconds. I snapped my eyes open, seeing she was staring at me in awe from the ruins. A scared smile rose to her lips. “And I thought Rayne was evil…”

I cleared my throat as Tapu Lele flew up beside us. “You’re still here.” 

“Yeah,” she replied before the Totem Lycanroc landed beside her. 

“We are too.” She looked away, but narrowed her eyes. “So much for needing help…”

“Sorry…” I muttered before Pheromosa landed between Olivia and me. 

“I am so sorry! I-I just saw you yelling at that girl, and I-”

“Don’t,” I began, holding out my free hand to stop her before pulling it back to my head. “It’s fine. I can work with this. Just…” I took a deep breath and brought my gaze back to hers. “Don’t call an alpha unless the Ultra Recon Squad is close to discovering Selene or tries to take a Z-Crystal. I cannot have them finding out they aren’t prism shards, and… After this stunt, I wouldn’t be surprised if they start actively trying to find them without my help.” 

Pheromosa shakily nodded. “Understood…” 

I frowned at her reaction. “Hey, it’s ok. I’m not mad at you.” 

“But I called two packs for no reason, and-” Pheromosa began. 

“And you kept the Recon Squad away from the Z-Crystals, which keeps them from finding Selene,” I assured before giving her a small smile. “It’s ok.” 

“Yeah. Screw ups happen,” Dartrix began. I turned my head towards her, and she grinned at me. “We just need to learn from them.” 

My smile rose a bit before I slowly nodded. She frowned at my reaction before Tapu Lele placed her small hand on my arm. “Lele?” 

“Yeah, are you ok? You’re… literally bleeding from your ears,” Olivia asked. 

I slowly nodded as my eyes fell close. “I’ll be alright. I just…” I took a deep breath as the weight in my head grew. “I just need to rest for a bit… Clean up, get some water…” I leaned against Dubwool. “Not puke…” 

“Ok, hun,” Olivia began, but her voice sounded a bit muffled. I felt her hands land on my arms, but I just scrunched up my face from how warm they were. I could feel sweat starting to coat my face as the heat started pressing against me. “Let’s get you out of here, ok?” 

I slowly nodded as my head fell forward. “Ok…” My head landed on her collar, and I heard her tell Tapu Lele to do something, but I just focused on breathing. There was something cold rubbing against my leg, but other sources of heat drew closer to me. I lightly groaned from the feeling before my hand slipped off Dubwool’s horn, and I collapsed against Olivia.

Chapter Text

The next time I opened my eyes, my vision was blurred and ringing filled my ears. Something came into my field of vision and asked something though. My name, I think. I blinked a few times to clear my vision, seeing Alyssa and Xavier hovering over me. I also felt something on my stomach, and the question of what was answered when Winter poked her head into my field of vision. 

Xavier and Alyssa sighed in relief before Xavier leaned back. “Give him some space.” 

Alyssa leaned back, allowing me to slowly sit up. Winter slid into my lap, but I ran my hand over her back as I looked around. Austin was with us, but we were in someone’s bedroom. There were… a lot of Stufful plushies in here. 

I narrowed my eyes as Alyssa leaned forward to look me in the eye. “Are you ok? Olivia said you passed out from heat exhaustion.” 

“Uh… yeah. Where are we?” I asked. 

“Olivia’s room above her shop,” Xavier replied before he placed the back of his hand against my cheek. “Your temperature feels normal. At least for Alola.” He lowered his hand. “Are you sure you feel ok though? Considering how long you were out…” 

My expression softened. “Yeah, I’m ok. I just have my usual headache, and… do feel a little lightheaded, but nothing serious.” I looked down at Winter. “This was bound to happen eventually though. I told you my heat tolerance is absolute rubbish.” 

“Yeah, but we could’ve prevented this. That's why half of my bag is full of water!” Xavier reminded before looking at Winter. “Coat his face in ice if you have to.” 

Winter giggled and gave him a teasing salute, and I rolled my eyes in response. “How long was I out?” 

“At least 20 minutes,” Austin replied before turning to our Pokemon, who were all around the bed. “How long did it take Olivia to get him here?” 

“20 more minutes, only because she stopped by the police station to clean up the blood,” Dubwool replied before turning to me. “Looker and Anabel took the… chain releaser, and Looker was testing it while Anabel cleaned you up. She also gave you some donor blood she just… had in the office, since you keep bleeding.” 

“He can’t control it,” Silvally reminded. 

“What’s causing him to bleed so much, anyway?” Brionne asked. 

“His brain,” Arcanine dryly replied. That only made Alyssa’s Pokemon give him confused looks. “He’s psychic.”

“But very inexperienced,” Dubwool added. 

“Oh,” Alyssa’s team replied before Alcremie turned to me. 

“That actually makes a lot of sense.” 

“What?” Alyssa asked. 

“Nothing important,” I quickly replied before looking between my classmates. “So… Should I ask where Lexi is?” 

“In the shop,” Alyssa replied before lowering her head. “Thank you for… for saving her. I know she’s given… all three of you trouble here, but-” 

“It’s no big deal,” I interrupted, bringing her attention back to me. I shrugged as I started petting Winter, who happily accepted. “She was about to get hit, so I pushed her out of the way.” 

“But it is a big deal. You two practically fight every day now, and… and I know she hasn’t been nice to you or even your family, but…” Alyssa began before her expression fell. “Why did you save her after everything she’s done to you?” 

I looked down at Winter. “I’ve seen what happens to people when they lose someone important to them. Hell, I’m… still going through it. Someone cares for Lexi and would be devastated if she died from something like that.” I looked back at Alyssa. “I don’t want to put someone through that, and… I believe every life is important. Unless they’ve proved again and again that they're an irredeemable monster who only wants to hurt people… I don’t want anyone to die at someone else’s hands. If I can stop it, I will.” 

The three of them stared at me, so I lowered my gaze back to Winter. I used to believe no one deserved to be murdered by anything, and that everyone had the ability to change. While I do mostly believe that now, it was Giovanni who showed me that… some people have to go. If they stay, they’ll only cause more harm than good. It’s the only murder Rayne committed that I agree with. Yeah, the Team Flare massacre wasn’t a conscious decision, but… she still did it, and some of those workers may have just been traumatized or manipulated to join. I shouldn’t dwell on it though. What’s done is done. As much as I hate to admit it though, Ink has to die. He’s trying to destroy his entire world for crying out loud. I just hope we can pull it off. 

Xavier cleared his throat, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Either way, uh… They’re both ok. That’s… all that matters, really.” 

“Right…” Alyssa muttered before Austin leaned over to smile at me. 

“So what happened with those Recon people? Are you actually working with them?” 

I sighed. “No, I’m trying to get them to leave. There’s… something off about them, and… It’s complicated, but I’m not working with them.” 

“Does it…” Xavier began before glancing away, “have to do with why the International Police pulled you aside earlier?” 

“… Yes,” I lied. Maybe? It does have to do with my mission, so… “I can’t say anything. It’s classified information.” 

Austin held up his hands in surrender, but Alyssa gave me a suspicious look. “If you say so.” Her expression softened. “Still. Thank you.” 

I nodded before Xavier pushed himself up to sit beside me on the bed. “Olivia said you can challenge her tonight if you want, but let me check on you first to make sure you’re… ok.” 

I couldn’t help but sigh. “Fine.” 

“Excuse us for wanting to make sure you don’t die here,” Austin scolded. 

“He’s not going to die,” Alyssa replied before turning to me again. “You should be more careful though.”

“Especially in this heat,” Xavier added as he started opening his bag. 

I let Xavier do his check-up on me, and once he saw I was fine, he let me get up. We left Olivia’s room, and her Probopass took us downstairs since he was waiting in the hall. When we were back in the store, Probopass went off to probably find Olivia while we looked for Lexi. She didn’t say anything to me, thankfully, but when Xavier told her I was going to do Olivia’s trial, she rolled her eyes, but didn’t verbally object. Olivia came out of her office shortly after though, and led us to the Ruins of Life again. 

Since the sun was going down, a few ghost types were roaming the graveyard. Austin was visibly creeped out, but tried to hide it. He did stay close to me though, and clutched onto the side of my shirt the entire walk through the graveyard. Winter seemed creeped out too, but my other Pokemon didn’t mind. In fact, Dartrix and Silvally greeted almost every ghost type we saw. I guess because Silvally can become a ghost type, and because Dartrix will evolve into one, but it was still interesting. In a strange way. The ghost types seemed happy by the greetings though. 

When we reached the ruins, Olivia spun around to face us. “Alright, students. Ready to watch a trial?” 

“No, but it’s not like we have a choice,” Lexi replied. 

I rolled my eyes at her response as Austin scoffed. “Well, I am.” He looked down at my Pokemon with a wide grin. “Kick some butt, guys!” 

“Get that rock crystal!” Oricorio cheered. 

“You can do it!” Torracat added. 

Silvally grabbed Dartrix’s wings and held them up. “Go Dartrix! We believe in you!” 

“Uh, yeah! I got this!” Dartrix cheered before looking away. “At least some of her team.” 

I smiled and rubbed her head. “Don’t worry too much. Araquanid’s helping too.” 

“Cos cos!” Selene cheered before poking Winter. 

She gave Selene a scared look before looking up at me. “Vul?!”

“No, you’re not fighting,” I assured before giving her a light squeeze. “I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to. Plus, you’re only level 22. Olivia’s team will destroy you.” 

“Aw. Thank you. This team’s only level 27 and 28 though,” Olivia replied. 

“Wait, really?” I asked. I was expecting them to be higher, especially since everyone besides Winter is level 28 or higher. I shouldn’t let their higher levels get to my head though. She’s still a Kahuna. 

Olivia nodded before looking between my classmates. “Stand back, everyone, and enjoy the show!” 

With that, she spun around and ran back while my classmates stepped aside. I knelt down to put Winter and Selene down before straightening up. Olivia turned around from the spot she ran to before she took a pokeball off her belt and expanded it. 

“You know how these battles work, hun. If you win, you can face the Totem Lycanroc for the Rockium-Z, and another crystal as a thank you from Tapu Lele.” I perked up as she pulled her arm back. “You’ll see when we get there though.” She threw the ball in her hand, releasing an Anorith. 

I grabbed Araquanid’s pokeball and sent him out. “Bubble Beam!” 

“Bug Bite!” Olivia called. 

Anorith scurried towards Araquanid as he took a deep breath, and slipped under him before Bubble Beam was formed. Araquanid ducked his head down, only for Anorith’s pincers to clamp down on Araquanid’s leg. He yelped, but jerked his leg up and blasted a stream of bubbles at Anorith to blast him off. 

“Smack Down!” Olivia called just as Anorith crashed into the dirt. 

He flipped around before shaking the water off and charging towards Araquanid again. He coated his claws in white energy before jumping up and above Araquanid. 

“Bubble Beam!” I called.

Araquanid nodded before Anorith dove towards him and dug his claws into the water bubble around Araquanid’s head. His claws struck Araquanid’s head, forcing his head into the ground before he was blasted out by another stream of bubbles. 

“Ugh,” Araquanid complained as he lifted his head. “No wonder my Totem hated when we jumped into his bubble. That is the most unsettling feeling ever.” 

I tilted my head. “Huh. Good to know. Again!” 

Although Anorith got in another Smack Down, he went down to the next Bubble Beam. Olivia nodded to herself before switching Anorith for a Lileep. Araquanid is still my best bet. 

“X-Scissor!” I called. 

“Ancient Power!” Olivia called back. 

Araquanid shot towards Lileep as she spread out her… tentacles? Green energy coated Araquanid’s front legs as rocks formed around Lileep. Right as the stones formed, Araquanid sliced his arms across Lileep’s head in an X shape. Lileep’s head jerked back, but she swung tentacles down to fire the rocks at Araquanid. They swerved around his head and slammed into his legs and back, and while he winced, he shook the attack off. 

Araquanid got in one more X-Scissor before fainting from another Ancient Power. I returned him, quietly thanked him, then turned to Dartrix. She took a deep breath and flew in front of me. 

“You can do this, Dartrix!” Silvally cheered. 

“I can do this,” she repeated. 

I nodded. “Use Pluck.” 

She nodded before spreading her wings and shooting towards Lileep. Olivia called for Ancient Power, but just as Lileep started to form the attack, Dartrix’s beak was coated in blue energy before it jutted out. She dug her beak into Lileep’s head, forcing her head back. The rocks forming around her crumbled away before she fell back and collapsed in front of Olivia. 

My team cheered for Dartrix as Olivia returned Lileep. Dartrix shyly turned to us, and I smiled at her as my team kept cheering. Dartrix smiled back before Olivia threw her next pokeball, sending out a midnight Lycanroc. 

My smile dropped as Olivia placed her hands on her hips. “Ready for a show, boys?” 

“Oh no…” Dartrix breathed out as her posture slumped. 

“It’s ok,” I quietly assured, bringing her attention back to me. I glanced at her, but kept my eyes on Olivia. “You’re weak to rock. Don’t beat yourself up if this takes you down.” Olivia tapped the crystal on her Z-Ring, coating it in brown energy. “Z-Moves are really powerful, and we’re lucky if they don’t one-shot. I know you want to beat everyone, but there are types you’re weak to. Lycanroc knows Brick Break, so he can take over. Stalling out the Z-Move is enough for me.” 

Dartrix frowned. “But I want to beat her…” 

“I know, but it’s ok if you can’t,” I assured. 

Dartrix’s frown disappeared as she stared at me with a seemingly blank look, only for us to look back at Olivia when we heard energy burst around Lycanroc. 

Olivia already struck the final pose of the Rock Z-Move dance and gave us a sly grin when we turned to her. “Continental Crush!” 

I stared at Lycanroc as he snapped his arms up, letting the energy around him slip off and fly above him to form a giant boulder. The rock drifted over to Dartrix, and when it was directly above her, Lycanroc swung his arms down for it to drop on top of Dartrix. I couldn’t stop myself from flinching when the rock landed, but it started crumbling into energy mere seconds after it landed. 

“Is she ok?!” Brionne called from the sidelines. 

“If not now, she will be after a trip to the Pokemon Center,” my Lycanroc replied. 

I took out Dartrix’s pokeball, and I was about to return her before she shakily rose out of the pile of disintegrating rocks. My eyes widened as she shook the rubble off her, but I saw her body twitch as she caught her breath. 

Olivia’s Lycanroc tilted his head while Olivia herself smiled. “Well, I’ll be. That’s one tough bird you got there.” 

I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. “Yeah. She is.” I looked down at Dartrix as she slowly turned her head to look at me. “Can you still fight?” 

She shakily nodded. “I want… to beat her.” 

My smile rose before I slipped my backpack off. “Then let’s beat her.” 

“Oh?” Olivia asked as I knelt down to open my backpack. 

I grabbed the pouch Mallow gave me and switched the Normal Z-Crystal for the grass one on my Z-Ring. I put the pouch away and slipped my backpack on again before rearranging my Z-Crystals so the grass one was in the main slot. With the crystal in place, I tapped the gem to coat it in green energy. Dartrix turned back to Lycanroc as I performed the short dance, and I heard Austin hold back a laugh. 

I rolled my eyes but focused on the battlefield as flowers covered the ground below us. “Bloom Doom!” 

Green energy surrounded Dartrix, coating her feathers in green light before she lifted her wings. The flowers below Lycanroc lit up before Dartrix swung her wings down, letting a beam of green energy burst out from below Lycanroc. Within seconds, the energy and flowers faded away, but when the beam stopped, Lycanroc fell over and stayed down. 

My eyes widened with Olivia’s as my Pokemon, besides Dubwool, cheered and ran towards Dartrix. She stayed put, probably staring at Lycanroc in shock before Silvally scooped her up to spin her around. She flinched in his grasp, but just looked at him as he squeezed her. 

“I knew you could do it! Down in one hit too!” 

“Vul! Vul!” Winter cheered as Selene flew around them, waving her glowing hands around as she cheered. 

“I was not expecting that to one-shot,” I quietly said. 

Dubwool let out a breathy laugh. “Looks like traveling with Rayne rubbed off on you.” 

I smiled but rolled my eyes before Olivia approached us. “Very good. Your Pokemon are strong.” She gave me a sweet smile. “You may give Rayne a run for her money one day.”  

“I doubt it, but thank you,” I replied. 

Olivia shrugged as her expression softened. “Heal up your team and follow me. Lycanroc is waiting.” 

I nodded, and while she turned around to head over to the ruins, I approached my team as I slipped off my backpack. My classmates approached me as I healed Dartrix and Araquanid before I quickly packed up and followed Olivia. 

The Ruins of Life looked almost identical to the Ruins of Conflict. Only the floor was different. It was still beautiful though. It’s crazy to think these are thousands of years old and still standing. I know they pre-date the Dual Heroes, but I don’t think their actual construction date was recorded. 

“Oh, Lycanroc!” Olivia called before stopping in front of the first pit in the ground. “You have a challenger.” 

The Totem Lycanroc poked her head out of the pit, giving Olivia a tired look. “Trial’s closed. I’m tired.” 

“Too bad. He already beat me,” Olivia began before nudging her foot against Lycanroc’s top tuft of fur, “so you gotta do your job.” 

Lycanroc groaned in annoyance, but she stood up anyway. “Fine.” Olivia stepped aside, letting Lycanroc crawl out and look between us. She perked up when she saw me though. “Oh. It’s you. I didn’t expect you to be back so soon.” 

“He fainted, Ly. He didn’t go into cardiac arrest,” Olivia teased.

“Well, I never know with you humans!” Lycanroc defended before turning to me again. “I assume you’re ready for my part of the trial though, right?” 

“Yep,” I replied. 

“Cool,” Lycanroc replied before turning around. “Follow me.” 

Lycanroc led us into the worship room, and I looked around as I heard Alyssa start taking pictures. Yep. Looks just like Tapu Koko’s. 

Lycanroc knelt down to stretch her back legs. “Livy, make the humans move. Challenger, put up your first partner.”

I turned to Araquanid, and he gave me a smug grin before rushing in front of me. Olivia led my classmates to the side, and when Lycanroc finished stretching, I looked at Araquanid. 

“Bubble Beam.” 

Just as Araquanid started to prepare the attack, Lycanroc shot towards him and opened her mouth. White light flashed across her fangs before she ducked her head down and bit his leg. Araquanid flinched, stopping his attack as Lycanroc ran back to her end. If the move made him flinch, that was Bite.  

“Try again,” I instructed. 

“Yeah. Try,” Lycanroc mocked before lowering her upper body. Rocks formed around her tail before she swung it down, firing the stones at Araquanid. 

Araquanid tried swerving out of the way to dodge the rocks, and was able to avoid most of them, but ended up getting hit by the last three. He shook the attacks off though and blasted a beam of bubbles at her. The bubbles pushed Lycanroc back, but she simply shook the attack off before slamming her front paws on the ground. Sharp rocks ripped out in front of her and towards Araquanid. My eyes widened in shock. She already knows Stone Edge?! Olivia must’ve taught her because she can’t know that yet!

While Araquanid tried to move out of the way, the trail of stones followed him before the last one burst out under him and struck his stomach. Araquanid flew into the air, but I saw him create bubbles within the one over his head before he used Bubble Beam again. The bubbles shot towards Lycanroc and slammed into her head, but they only pushed her back again. 

As Lycanroc shook the bubbles off, Araquanid landed with ease before turning his head to look at me. “What’s the plan here?” 

“Keep using Bubble Beam until one of you falls,” I simply replied. 

Araquanid stared at me before giving me an offended look. “You have no faith in me.” 

“Yes, I do! What are you talking about?!” I demanded, but he just turned away and prepared another Bubble Beam. 

“He knows Dartrix will take over if he goes down,” Dubwool replied. 

“And probably will, since he’s weak to rock,” my Lycanroc mocked. 

“Shut up! I can kick your ass!” Araquanid scolded. 

“And I can kick yours,” Lycanroc fired back before the Totem knelt down to form rocks around her tail again. 

I heard Araquanid huff before both of them released their attacks. Araquanid tried to dodge again, but still got hit before Lycanroc was shoved back by the water. While Lycanroc shook the water off again, Araquanid collapsed under the rocks he failed to dodge. 

“Ha ha,” my Lycanroc mocked as I grabbed Araquanid’s pokeball. 

“Don’t,” I simply said before returning Araquanid. I squeezed his ball. “Thank you.” I then shrunk the ball down, and as I put it back on my belt, I turned to Dartrix. “Do you think you can beat her?” 

She took a deep breath and nodded. “I got this.” 

“Yes, you do!” Silvally cheered, followed by Selene and Winter cheering. 

Dartrix flew in front of me while I turned to Lycanroc. She’s taken three super effective hits, but I know Araquanid is more defensive. At the very least, she’s at half health. Man, I really need whatever app Rayne has on her PokeNav to check HP.   

“Razor Leaf!” I called. 

“Not so fast, kid,” Lycanroc replied before slamming her front paws against the ground. 

Rocks ripped out of the pavement from Stone Edge again, but unlike Araquanid, Dartrix shot into the air to dodge the attack before swinging her wings down, firing leaves down at Lycanroc. The leaves sliced against her, causing her to duck her head as she winced from the attack. When the leaves stopped though, Lycanroc shook the attack off and formed stones around her tails. 

“Finish her with Razor Leaf!” I called. 

“Not unless I take you out first!” Lycanroc called before blasting the rocks at Dartrix. 

I lifted my gaze to Dartrix, watching as she flew away from the stones before one of them hit her. She was pushed to the ground as the last few rocks toppled onto her. Thankfully, she pushed the rocks off and shot back into the air. She swung her wings down, firing another swarm of leaves down to Lycanroc. The leaves sliced against her and pushed her to the ground, finishing her off. 

A smile rose to my lips as my other five Pokemon cheered and ran over to Dartrix. She spun around this time, a wide smile glued to her face as she accepted Silvally’s hug. My classmate’s Pokemon even ran or flew over to them to join the celebration. 

Olivia clapped her hands as she approached me. “Good job, hun.” I turned to Olivia, and while she stopped beside me, she nodded towards the actual shrine. “Go get those crystals.” 

I nodded before looking back at the Pokemon. “Hey, Selene!” 

“Cos?” she asked as she flew up to look at me. 

“Go get Tapu Lele,” I said. 

“Cosmog!” she cheered before flying up to the tiki statue. 

She tapped the head of the statue before pink mist swirled around it. The mist spun above the statue before Tapu Lele burst out of it. I frowned, seeing she still had burn marks along her body, but they didn’t look as bad. Or maybe that’s wishful thinking. Selene obviously noticed, since she whined as Tapu Lele stretched her arms. 

Tapu Lele looked at Selene before perking up and scooping her into a hug. “Lele!” 

Selene giggled and accepted the hug, but coated her hands in white energy. Tapu Lele’s eyes widened before she let go of Selene, but Selene took Tapu Lele’s hands again. White light ran over Tapu Lele’s burns, and she watched as the light washed the wounds away. 

I couldn’t help but smile, but heard someone gasp. I watched as Selene healed Tapu Lele though, and once the wounds and light were gone, Tapu Lele squealed before tightly hugging Selene. She just hugged Tapu Lele back. 

“Cosmog’s can do that?” Austin quietly asked. 

“No,” Alyssa muttered. 

I turned to them, holding my smile. “Selene’s special.”

“You don’t say,” Lexi grumbled before I saw something move in the corner of my eye. 

I turned back to the shrine, seeing Tapu Lele and Selene fly down to me before Tapu Lele held out her hands, revealing a brown Z-Crystal. “Lele lay lay.” 

My smile returned before I took the crystal. “Thank you.” 

Tapu Lele nodded before Olivia stepped beside her. “That crystal lets you use Continental Crush. Do you need to see the dance one more time?” 

I shook my head. “Thank you, though.” 

Olivia simply nodded as Tapu Lele reached into the hat part of her tiki shell. “Lele…” She pulled out another brown Z-Crystal and handed it to me. “Lele!” 

“That’s the Lycanium-Z,” Olivia began as I took the crystal. “When your Lycanroc learns Stone Edge, they can use Splintered Stormshard. The dance is the same.” 

“Uh, yeah, speaking of which, how does the Totem know Stone Edge?” I asked as I gave Olivia a questioning look. 

“Uh, because their levels fluctuate? We move them, their levels drop from less battle experience, we keep them at certain levels. How do you not know this?” Olivia asked. I stared at her, but felt a familiar heat of embarrassment creep up to my face. Olivia just smiled at my reaction before reaching up to ruffle my hair. “It’s ok, Hoppy. This is Rayne’s job, not yours.” 

I pushed her hand away and stepped back. “Please never do that again.” 

Olivia just gave me a cheeky grin while Tapu Lele giggled. “Alright, alright.” Her expression softened before she turned to my classmates. “Do you kids want to do anything else here, or are you ready to head back?” 

“Um, may I get some pictures of Tapu Lele?” Alyssa shyly asked. 

Tapu Lele gasped before cupping her face. “Lele?” Alyssa slowly nodded, which made Tapu Lele squeal in delight before she flew towards her shrine. 

“I’d take that as a yes,” Xavier said. 

“Ok…” Alyssa breathed out before lifting her camera. 

I smiled at her as she ran towards the center of the room to get a better angle. As she started snapping pictures, I looked at our crowd of Pokemon, and saw they were all chatting away. My smile softened before I took a deep breath. Just one more day on Akala. I think we’ll be ok though. After all… what could go wrong by now? 

I just jinxed myself, didn’t I?

Chapter Text

We spent a few more minutes in the Ruins of Life before Olivia took us back to town. The sun was down, so I let Austin use me as a human shield to hide from the ghost types. Alyssa helped distract him by showing him the photos she got, and the ones from the shoot Tapu Lele allowed were adorable. When we got back to town, Olivia went back to her shop while we got some dinner at a local restaurant, and it was a nice meal. None of us really talked, but we’ve had worse meals. 

We went back to the Pokemon Center afterwards to call it a night. Xavier and I did homework while Austin procrastinated again, and they fell asleep before I did. It took a while for me to fall asleep though. This nightmare would make me go hysterical and probably draw on the walls again, but I have no idea what I’ll see. This vision could make or break everything, and there's a chance it won't be a vision. I didn’t want to throw another wrench into this, so I was more worried about what I would see than the nightmare itself. There’s still answers I want, but I doubt this will give them to me. It’ll only give me more questions. I was tempted to text… anyone, really, but I stopped myself. I’m just freaking out and worrying about the inevitable. No need to bother anyone with it. 

My exhaustion overtook my worries though. I’m lucky compared to most insomniacs. My body still forces me to sleep each night no matter what I’m feeling. I didn’t fall asleep until after 1:00 though, but by the time I did, the upcoming nightmare was the furthest from my mind. 

~

Zossie’s high-pitched scream was practically buried in the sound of the ground below her collapsing in. Dulse screamed her name as he charged for her, but three strands of silver chains with pink spikes on the ends shot after her. The chains wrapped around her, stopping her from falling into the bright ravine below her. The chains pulled her back to the edge, and just as the chains released her, Dulse took her arms and pulled her into a tight hug. Zossie clung onto him, hiding her face against him as he backed away from the edge. 

“Are you two alright?” a soft voice asked as a woman in all white approached them, holding a silver scepter that was retracting the chains. 

The duo turned to her, revealing the tears running down their faces before Zossie’s expression shattered. “Gleam!” She let go of Dulse and ran towards her late queen. Gleam held out her arms to accept the hug.

"There, there,” Gleam whispered as she stroked Zossie’s hair with her free hand. “It’s alright, little one. You’re alright.” 

The scene whited out, only to fade to Gleam leading Zossie and Dulse through a jungle. Zossie looked around in awe as Dulse tilted his head. “Your majesty, if I may ask… How does that weapon of yours work?” 

Gleam looked at her scepter and smiled. “It was a gift from the head Creator. Both Ink and I have one. He calls them familiars. They’re based on magical creatures of another world that attach to one’s skin, but can become real and obeys whoever bears them. Look.” She slid her arm behind her, and when the tip of her scepter touched her back, it was engulfed in light and disappeared. The head of the spear appeared between her shoulder blades, and chains could be seen running over her shoulders. “See?” 

“Wowie…” Zossie breathed out before she gave the queen a wide smile. “That’s so amazing! I want a familiar!”

Gleam let out a small laugh as she took her spear off her back again. “They are, but Necrozma made them just for us. Only Ink and I can bear them.” 

Zossie pouted, which only made Dulse smile at her. “Fooey.” 

Gleam smiled back before looking at her scepter. “Anyone can use it in theory, but the chains activate on my command.” The three spikes below the main spearhead rose off the scepter, staying connected to the staff by chains. 

“Wow…” Dulse muttered. 

Gleam nodded as the spikes retreated to the staff and fell into place again. “Unless I transfer my familiar to someone else, it’ll only obey me.”

Light flashed across the scene, taking it away. Gleam’s dead body laying at the bottom of the tower replaced the light. The color literally faded from her eyes as passing citizens screamed at the sight of her. The scepter laying by her hand slowly broke down into specs of light and ran down her arm and up her sleeve, probably to return to its spot on her back. 

The angle changed to Ink and Phyco staring down at her before Ink turned around to leave, only to stop as a white spearhead stopped a mere inch from his neck. Dulse stood in front of him, finally in his Recon uniform as he caught his breath. His helmet and glasses were off, his uniform was torn, and cuts littered his face. Pale blue blood was running down his face, but he just clenched his jaw at the sight of Ink. 

“What did you do?” 

“What needed to be done,” Ink calmly said. 

“She was innocent! She’d never hurt any of us! She’s saved us! How could you do such a thing to her!?” 

“If you know what’s good for you-” Phyco began. 

“No, no,” Ink began before giving Dulse a sick smile. “I do find your ruthlessness charming. Gleam was wise to pick you as her head warrior.” Ink’s hand shot up to grab the base of the spearhead. “However, your infatuation for that runt makes you weak.” 

Dulse gripped onto his spear. “Don’t you dare-”

“If you do anything to me, I’ll make sure that girl is beheaded,” Ink sweetly spat. Dulse flinched as Ink’s smile grew. “Zossie, was it?” 

Dulse stared at him, only for his stance to return. “Lay a hand on her-”

“And you’ll regret your own actions,” Ink said before tilting his head. “I think you need an attitude adjustment.” His expression fell. “All of you do.” 

Dulse’s eyes widened in horror before two masked Recon workers grabbed his arms and pulled them back, forcing him to release the spear. He looked between them as the spear clattered against the floor, fighting against their grip as they forced his arms behind his back. 

Dulse snapped his head around to look at Ink and started screaming at him. How he couldn’t do this, but a crazed grin slowly rose to Ink’s lips as Dulse’s cries were swallowed up by an incoming silence. 

The next time I opened my eyes, Gleam stood in front of me in the dark realm I was all too familiar with. I laid in the inky water as she blankly stared down at me. This time, however, I could feel heat pulsing off her body.  

Gleam closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I was made to be like Eleanor.” She opened her eyes. “He was made to be like Julian. But our creator didn’t understand what he was copying.” 

A warm hand gently grabbed the back of my head. A small shot of Julian standing in an abyss of fire flashed across my visions. When it disappeared though, the corners of my vision were blacked out. All I could see was Gleam. 

Two cool fingers landed at the center of my forehead. Gleam flickered away to show Eleanor screaming into another woman’s face, forcing blood to burst out from every opening as her eyes burst. As the woman fell back, the scene disappeared, bringing me back to my own tunnel vision. 

Gleam frowned but held out her hand. “I apologize for the pain I’ve given you, but he needs to be stopped. Let me give you this to help you.” 

“Let all of us help you,” a familiar voice said. Eleanor… 

My arm rose from the water to slowly reach for Gleam before I took her hand. Heat engulfed my arm as my muscles strained, forcing me to cry out and try to break my arm free. Gleam only tightened her grip as the hand holding my head clutched onto my hair. 

“Breathe, Hop,” Eleanor began. “You cannot endure this if you do not breathe.” 

I just groaned from the heat before grabbing my trapped arm, trying to pull it free, but my body froze when the fingers against my skull pressed down. It felt as if they broke past my skin and skull to send solid ice into my body. My vision whited out as my jaw dropped to scream, but nothing happened. Cold energy formed at my head and started to run down my entire body as heat engulfed my arm, leaving what felt like a straight line of fire on my inner arm as three other lines swirled around my arm and stopped on my back. The lines felt like they were burning my skin off while the ice froze everything inside me. Just as the ice reached my toes, the hand holding my hand yanked me back, pulling me into the inky water as Gleam finally released me. 

~

The second I was conscious enough to feel anything, I felt nothing but pain. My head was throbbing, my stomach was twisting as my throat fought to keep everything down, and my right arm was completely numb and heavy. Heat was pressing into me, but my body felt sticky from probably sweat. There were muffled voices around me, and while I recognized them, I couldn’t figure out who they belonged to. I forced my eyes open, but it made spikes of pain dig into the front of my head, and that made the swirling in my stomach worse. 

I squeezed my eyes shut and gulped, taking a deep breath in an attempt to not puke. Breathe. Eleanor told you to breathe, so breathe. Why was Eleanor there, anyway? Why am I listening to her? What was she talking about? 

Someone placed the back of their hand on my cheek before they said… something. Who is that? I took another slow breath before trying to open my eyes again. While it still hurt, I was able to keep them open and let my vision adjust to the light change. It was dark, but I could see the ceiling of the Pokemon Center above me. I could feel the bedsheets below me, I could feel the hot air around me, and I could feel the fabric around me sticking to my skin. Ok, wow. I am covered in sweat.  

“Cosmog?” Selene squeaked as she flew up to my eye level. I winced from how… colorful she was. Was she- Am I going insane? 

“Hop?” Xavier asked. I slowly turned my head, seeing he was sitting beside me, staring at me in utter horror. “You- You’re freezing, but also sweating profusely, and your eyes- Selene- and your arm-”

“Xavier, breathe,” his Arcanine interrupted. 

Xavier flinched before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. “What is going on?” 

I stared at him, wanting to do something, but the idea of speaking made me think I was going to throw up on him instead, and I knew if I nodded, my head would hurt even more. 

Xavier opened his eyes to give me a scared look at my silence before Lycanroc poked his head out from behind the mattress. “Español?” 

“No…” I breathed out. 

Xavier’s scared look grew, but I saw Austin come out of the restroom, holding a washcloth. “Is he conscious?” 

“I think?” Xavier squeaked. 

“Works for me,” Austin replied before stepping around the bed. Watching him got me to finally look at my arm, and what I saw made my eyes widen in absolute horror. 

Gleam’s scepter was tattooed to my arm. 

The spear itself was on my inner arm from my wrist to just below my underarm, but the head was at my wrist so the three chains could run around my arm and probably to the right side of my upper back since that felt numb too. How do… How do I have this? How do I have this!? If- If what I saw was real, this thing is her familiar-thing! It only works for her… unless she gives it to someone else. She gave it to me so I could use it, but why? And why did I hear Eleanor? Why did… How… 

I winced from the pounding in my head as Austin chuckled and sat beside my numb arm. “I think he’s just as clueless as us, mate.” 

“That’s not good,” Xavier squeaked. 

“What…” I forced out, only to stop myself and close my mouth from the pressure building up in my throat. A small grunt slipped out though. 

“Oh, are you about to puke? Xavier, why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve gotten the waste bin,” Austin calmly scolded. As if this was normal! 

“Because I don’t know what’s going on,” Xavier shakily defended. 

“Well, freaking out about it won’t do anything,” Austin replied as he stood up again, putting the cloth on the mattress. “Give me a sec.” 

“You are oddly calm about this,” I heard Lycanroc say as Austin jogged back over to the restroom. 

“Is this a normal human experience?” Silvally asked. 

“Cos…” Selene muttered before looking at her hands. She frowned, tears welling up in her eyes before her arms fell to her side. “Cos cos…” 

I frowned and tried to sit up, but not only was my right arm useless, but that small movement made the contents of my stomach rock and somehow go straight up. I couldn’t stop myself from gagging as I tried so hard to hold it down, but luckily Austin came running back in with the small trash bin from the restroom. The second he stopped beside me, I used all the will I had to roll over, grab the bin, and throw up into it. 

“There, there,” Austin said before patting the back of my head. “Let it out.” 

I slowly looked up at him as I caught my breath, giving him the most baffled look I could manage. He just gave me a gentle smile as he pulled his arm back. I swear to Arceus, this bloke is only calm in situations that beg for shock. Which I guess is a good thing in this scenario. I really don’t give Austin enough credit. 

“Feel better?” Austin sweetly asked. 

I stared at him before slowly leaning away. “Kinda…” 

Austin nodded and put the bin down before sitting beside me again. “So,” he picked up the washcloth to start wiping the sweat off my face, “this is weird, right? Xavier thinks you’re somehow experiencing hypothermia since you’re cold but sweating, but it’s not even cold, so he’s wrong. So much for being a Med Major.”

“This isn’t normal though!” Xavier defended. 

“Well, duh. We all woke up to lights coming out of his body,” Austin replied. Again, as if it was normal!

I gave him a confused look. “What?” 

“Yeah. Your eyes were like wide open and solid blue, and there were like… ancient symbols all over your body that were also blue. Taught me I can wake up to bright lights, so you can shine a flashlight in my face instead of pulling me out of bed. Oh, and Selene’s hands were glowing and stuck to your arm, and it formed that tattoo, which is honestly wicked,” Austin explained before grabbing my arm to get a better look at it. “I kinda want one.” He looked up at Xavier. “This arm is warm. That’s progress, right?” He looked down at me. “Your body is like an ice cube by the way.” 

I stared at him, trying to wrap my head around… what he said. Ok, Gleam was able to give me her scepter through the prism, and in turn through Selene. That’s why she’s upset and why my arm is hot and numb. That adds up. Why is my body temperature so low though? If that dream… Something else was going on while Gleam was giving me her familiar-weapon. Someone made me cold. I heard Eleanor, so… was it her? I’m ‘enduring’ something right now, so… What did she do? 

My phone flew over my face as it started ringing. I cringed from the light but kept my eyes open to see the name. Leon. Why is he calling me?

I grabbed it with my good arm before answering the call and putting the phone to my ear. “Why are you calling me?” 

“Hello to you too, smartass,” Leon fired back. I rolled my eyes, but I heard someone in the background. “So, uh… something happened. Something… possibly bad.”

My expression dropped. “What happened?” 

“So, we got home earlier and we’re watching a movie to, you know, chill out. Rayne fell asleep like 20 minutes in, and when Sonia and I were in the kitchen to get a snack, the Pokemon screamed, so we obviously went to investigate, and… Do you remember what Rayne looked like when fused with the Red Orb?” 

“Yeah?” I nervously asked. 

“Yeah, well she looked like that.” 

My eyes widened in horror. The same thing happened to her. Out of habit, I started to push myself up, only for my head and stomach to protest. I winced, but stayed down. “Is- is she ok? Is she awake?”

“Yeah. She’s awake. She threw up though, and says she feels sore.” 

“Headache!” Rayne called from somewhere. 

“And she has a headache. Anything else?” I heard Rayne’s voice again, but didn’t pick up on what she said. “Yeah, that’s it. She’s a little loopy though.” I couldn’t help but sigh as I threw my head back, only to regret it. Curse you, headache. “Gardevoir did some kind of… psychic scan or whatever, and said there was some kind of divine energy running through her blood when she was lit up. Sonia thinks Arceus did something.” 

“Arceus…” I muttered. If the hands I felt were Eleanor, she did something. Was it Arceus’ order though? The others clearly break his rules all the time to help us, but… If Rayne had the same physical reaction as I did… “Can you go on speaker?” 

“Yeah,” Lee began before I heard the audio shift. “On speaker. Say hi, Rayne.” 

“Hi,” Rayne sleepily said. 

“Hey. Did you have a… weird dream before waking up?” I asked. 

“Mmhmm. Something was… chasing me through the dark water, but then some red… person appeared. Like they were literally made of red energy. Anyway, they made the thing chasing me go away. A cold hand grabbed the back of my head too, and I think I saw Eleanor, but the red person… held my face and turned into Julian? He told me something. I can’t remember what. Something about breathing and my head, but he like… stabbed my head with his fingers, which was creepy as hell. It made my body go stiff though, and I was pulled into the water before waking up. I feel the same as I did when he stabbed me, but I also have a headache. And my stomach hurts, which is oddly giving me PTSD flashbacks to Giovanni, but I’m trying to not think about that. It was weird though.” 

She saw something similar. Julian did exactly what Eleanor did. They did something to us, but what? Why? And Gleam’s presence… Wait. She told me she was giving me her scepter to help me, and that Ink had to be stopped. She gave me her scepter to help me fight Ink, then Eleanor said… let us all help you. Let us give you more of an advantage. Ink is a corrupt Dual Hero. He’s defeated nine other versions of Dual Heroes, and he’s been at it for at least a decade. Defeating him is nearly impossible, which is why… 

“They gave us more powers,” I breathed out. 

“Huh?” Rayne asked. 

“They- they gave us more powers. We- We’re going against an evil Julian. He’s- He’s taken out dozens of- of gods. We can’t kill him, so Arceus gave us a new ability. Eleanor and Julian just- just did it for him.” 

The others fell silent before Austin slowly leaned into my field of vision. “You have superpowers?” He doesn’t know. I forgot he doesn’t know. 

I stared at him before giving him a forced smile. “Don’t tell the girls.” 

Austin stared at me with his jaw dropped. “Are you a god?”

“... Kinda.” 

“He’s… a Dual Hero,” Xavier breathed out. 

Austin held his shocked look, and to my utter surprise, a smile crept onto his lips. “Are you serious?” I slowly nodded, my expression slowly growing confused. Austin’s expression lit up before he reached forward to gently cup my face. “You are the most wicked person alive. You know that, right?” 

“Ok, time out,” Leon began. I pulled my phone back to put him on speaker as Austin let me go. “You think… Arceus gave you more powers to kill this alien god? Based on her dream?” 

“It- It makes the most sense! We both saw the- the first gen, and- and they left us like this! Eleanor told me ‘let us help you’, and Julian may have told Rayne to- to keep her head. To not- To be careful since-”

“New powers give us a chance to go crazy all over again,” Rayne interrupted. 

“Y-yeah…” I breathed out. 

“Hop, are you ok?” Leon asked.

“Did you have a similar dream, or… something different?” Sonia asked. 

I stared at the ceiling, catching my breath as my head and arm throbbed. Bloody hell, it’s hot. “Uh, yeah. Yeah. It’s…” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “It’s a lot and my head hurts, so… Look, I know it sounds insane, but if Gardevoir is right about this being divine energy, what else could it be?” 

“He has a point. You both had a similar dream of dead people injecting you with… painful energy, you woke up in pain, and got your… holy symbols while it was happening or… whatever,” Sonia reminded before sighing. “I swear, the more I learn about the Dual Heroes, the more confused I get.” 

“Honestly,” Rayne replied. 

“Yeah, but why would Arceus give you more powers 16 years into your lifespan? Isn’t he stupidly stubborn about things like this?” Leon asked. 

“Yeah, but he also has the thickest ego imaginable and deems us so perfect, he refuses to let us lose. It’s why the Inner Hero exists, or why we can access it. It makes sure we don’t die until he wants us to,” I explained. 

“Wait, seriously?” Xavier asked. I nodded. He just gave me a baffled look in response.  

“And considering how he treats us… Him testing our limits isn’t too out there when you think about it. We are AZ and Arya’s do-overs, so… Who’s to say Arceus doesn’t want to be proven wrong, so he’d literally risk ripping our bodies apart just to stay right in the ‘male reds and female blues only’ debate? Julian made it clear he only did a gender-swap again because Eleanor made him, and Arceus clearly hates being wrong,” Rayne explained. 

“That, or he’s so determined to make sure we don’t lose that he’s resorted to shoving more power down our throats. Or a mix of both,” I offered. 

“Probably that,” Rayne replied. 

“Ok, but would Arceus actually do that? Can he actually do that? I mean, I may know the absolute bare minimum about this… Dual Hero thing, but… Leon has a point. You guys have been alive for 16 years. Why add more powers now?” Xavier asked. 

“First of all, Arceus is our literal god, and our souls were made directly by him. He can do whatever he wants to us. Second of all… I don’t know. Arceus is weird. He put all but like five percent of his brain into Uxie,” Rayne reminded. 

“Third of all…” I began before frowning. “We’re facing a copy of the first Hero of Red. The only one who was able to tame Giratina; someone Arceus couldn’t even subdue. He knows how deadly any variant of Julian is, so he could be giving us a better chance.” And why he allowed Gleam to give me a weapon. So I can be on a more even playing field compared to Rayne and Ink. 

“Maybe… What powers could he have given us though?” Rayne asked. 

“A variant of your current abilities?” Sonia offered. 

“Maybe…” I muttered. But what? Ice? My skin feels like ice, so that’s the most likely option, but… what about Rayne? What would make her feel stiff? 

I shook the thought away. “Either way, we need to be careful. Whenever we discover them, we need to take it easy.” 

“I know, but we didn’t discover our normal ones until someone told us. How will we figure this out without someone directly telling us?” 

“I… I don’t know. I…” I sighed and squeezed my eyes shut. “Let’s… Let’s wait for this… sickness to pass before trying anything. We won’t get anywhere like this, and my head hurts way too much to try and reason something else out. We’re lucky I even figured this out.” 

“Ok… Just call me when you feel better. I’m sure at least you can figure out what we have,” Rayne said. 

“Get some sleep. If you’re in the same condition as Rayne, staying up for another 12 plus hours won’t help you,” Leon added. 

“I know, I know. I’ll try. Just make sure Rayne goes to bed.” 

“As long as your sorry ass-”

“I will, Leon!” 

“Good!” 

I rolled my eyes as Sonia laughed. “Bye!” 

“Goodnight! I love you!” Rayne called. 

“Love you too,” I replied before ending the call. My brother, I swear. 

Austin leaned forward, giving me an awed look. “I understood absolutely nothing, but I’m super invested. Tell me everything.” 

I sighed and dropped my phone on the mattress. “Later. At least not when my head is pounding.” 

“Ok!” Austin cheered, which only made me wince. 

“Don’t be so loud,” Xavier scolded before looking down at me. “Leon’s right though. Try to get some rest. If you really think this is Arceus’ doing… I’ll see if you’re better in the morning, but…” He stood up and went over to our bags. “Let me check a few things to make a comparison later.” 

“Ok…” I muttered before Winter took his spot on the mattress. She whimpered, so I gave her a small smile and rubbed her head. “I’ll be alright, Winter. Don’t worry.” 

She smiled back before nuzzling her head into my hand before stepping closer to me. I watched as she bumped her head against my arm before snuggling up against my side. “Vul.” 

My smile rose a bit before Austin poked my numb arm. “So how are we going to explain this to the girls?” 

I lowered my gaze to my arm and tilted my shoulder forward to see the design on my back. Since each chain had another spearhead at the end, there were three of them that looked like they were dug into my back. I winced at the mere sight of it. “I have no idea…”

Chapter Text

I was able to fall asleep for a couple more hours. I saw Gleam’s death again, but I actually woke up at dawn, so I consider that a win. My headache was still there, and my arm was throbbing, but the pain wasn’t as bad. Xavier gave me some medicine before I fell asleep, so it could be that, but I’ll take what I can get. As for my body temperature, it was still dangerously low, but it had gone up, so maybe the body temperature is just temporary. I really hope it is. Alola is hot enough, and I was burning up when the sun was down. I’m going to actually pass out from heat exhaustion today. I’m calling it now. 

Since I could actually think straight though, I got the chance to think through what happened last night. Gleam gave me her scepter and showed me the basics of it through her memories, which she probably transferred through the prism because what can’t that thing do at this point? She did say Ink had one though, so… yay. Another thing he can do. I did see that Dulse and Zossie worked for Gleam though, and that Ink most likely brainwashed them. Considering how… robotic Dulse is now, he probably wiped a lot. He seemed so much more… alive with Gleam, and… Why is Ink letting him stay with Zossie even though he’s annoyed by their relationship? Do they have a bond so deep that they’ll fall apart without each other? Is it that, but one-sided for Dulse? Zossie behaves the same as she did with Gleam, so… This is such a mess. 

But, Rayne and I got new powers. That’s the big one. My low body temperature pointed to me having ice powers. I tried to create a little bit, but nothing happened. Austin thinks it’s because the ability is still ‘installing’ since my skin is like ice, and that I have to wait for my body temperature to return to normal. The explanation was questionable, but the logic was there. He might be onto something though. As for Rayne… I have no idea what she’d have. I texted her to tell her I most likely had ice powers, but decided to not drive myself insane trying to figure out what she had. We’ll figure it out when she’s in the right headspace. And awake. 

After Xavier checked on me, we went to the lobby to get some breakfast at the cafe. While we ate, we started to brainstorm ideas for a cover-up story as to why Gleam’s scepter was on my arm. I explained what it was to the boys, and while Austin just wanted me to take it off to see it, Xavier didn’t buy the real story because he doesn’t understand how I could’ve gotten it. I can only say ‘this prism can do anything’ so many times. Either way, we started bouncing a few ideas off each other. Austin offered to say it just appeared from Selene, but I knew Alyssa wouldn’t buy it. Xavier started to propose I lost a bet to get it, but stopped to say he and Austin wouldn’t do that, and that we have no idea where the closest tattoo parlor is, let alone if one was open that late. I liked the idea that it wasn’t a conscious decision though, so I offered to have lost a bet with Victor. 

“Yeah, but what kind of bet?” Xavier asked. 

I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came to mind. What would Victor and I bet on? We haven’t made a bet since we were 13. What could be big enough to bet a whole tattoo over? A battle? No, I haven’t lost a battle here. An Ultra Beast thing? Maybe, but what exactly? The amount showing up? The amount of times I almost die? 

I put my cup down. “If I fainted one more time because of an Ultra Beast, I had to get a tattoo. I called my family last night, Victor reminded me, and Olivia directed me to the nearest tattoo shop along with accompanying me since I have to have an adult with me to get one under the age of 18.” 

Austin and Xavier looked at each other before a smile crept onto Austin’s lips. “Sounds good to me.” 

“Are you sure they’ll buy it though?” Xavier asked as they turned to me. 

“As long as we tell Victor and Olivia the plan,” I replied. 

“Right…” Xavier muttered. “Still, if that thing is like a real tattoo, we should treat it like one.” He stood up. “I’ll be back.” 

“Ok!” Austin cheered as I took out my phone.

I sent our cover-up story to Olivia and Victor, and while Victor didn’t answer because he’s asleep, Olivia sent me a thumbs up. She also told me that if she goes undisturbed today, she should have the ring done tonight. I thanked her but told her not to rush herself. She ignored me. 

While I was texting Olivia, Xavier bought some lotion for tattoos and the bandages for them, which I was surprised the Pokemon Center sold. Either way, we put them on my arm. I don’t know if it’ll do anything, but the healing process for my actual tattoo was… gross, so I’d rather not relive that for one that covered my entire arm. 

Just when we finished wrapping my arm, the front doors opened. The three of us turned to the doors as Gladion and Lillie walked in. 

“Oh. Hey, guys!” Austin called, bringing their attention to us. 

Lillie’s expression lit up. “You’re here! Perfect!” 

“What happened to your arm?” Gladion asked as they approached us. 

“Long story. What’s up?” I asked. 

Lillie gave me a forced smile. “You’re not going to like this, but-”

“Rose wants to talk to you,” Gladion interrupted as they stopped. 

I narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms. “No.” 

“Please?” Lillie begged as she held her hands together. “He really wants to talk, and after all that’s happened, I think-”

“No,” I hissed. “I want nothing to do with that manipulative asshole.” 

Gladion sighed. “Look, I get your personal shit with him. Trust me, I do. But, Rose says it’s important, so you’re coming with us.” 

“Wait, to Aether? No, he can’t leave! We’re not even supposed to go off on our own! If Professor Willow finds out-” Xavier began. 

“Oh, chill out. He’s on Ula’Ula. He won’t find out,” Gladion assured. 

“Yeah, but we have two other classmates who kinda don’t know Hop’s a god and needs to talk to our dodgy ex-Chairman, and would totally sell him out for leaving,” Austin added. 

“Then make sure they don’t know. Come on,” Gladion said before heading for the door. 

“Wait, so I don’t even get a say? I could get sent home by doing this! If he’s so desperate to talk to me, he can come here. I’m not risking my grade, let alone the entire multiverse, just to talk to him,” I reminded. 

“Yeah, well those alien freaks kinda live with us, so if you want to save the ‘multiverse’, you may want to hear him out,” Gladion fired back. 

Everything inside me dropped. “Wait, this is about the Ultra Recon Squad?” 

“I don’t know, but considering that fucker woke up Galar’s legendary alien, he might know something.” 

I tried to object or even ask something else, but I couldn’t think of anything. Eterantus didn’t come from an alternate dimension, but Gladion has a point. If Rose found Eternatus, he probably did some alien research. Hell, he made a Type: Null! What more do I need to know though? Everything seems to make sense. Even my vision last night was self-explanatory. That doesn’t- What could Rose tell me?! Why did Gladion have to say it like that!? 

I sighed in defeat. “Fine! Only because I’m way too curious now.” 

“Are you serious?” Xavier asked as I picked up Winter and my bag. “What about-”

“Tell them Professor Burnet took me away for… some Ultra Beast thing. I don’t know! Make something up if you have to. I’ll be back in a few hours at most,” I replied before chasing after Gladion. 

Lillie smiled at me, and while my team followed me, Xavier sighed. “Ok! Just stay hydrated! And be careful!” 

I gave him a thumbs-up in response before Gladion pushed the doors open and led us out of the Pokemon Center. 

~

To get to Aether faster, Gladion and Lillie had their flying types take us. Gladion had Crobat take him while Lillie got her Altaria to carry us. Lillie also asked why I was so cold, but I just said it was a long story. She must be used to our vagueness since she didn’t even seem concerned. We arrived at Aether within a couple minutes though, and Gladion led us straight to the elevator. 

I looked around as Gladion scanned his keycard. “So… Where is he?” 

“No clue. Lusamine has him and Wicke do rounds every morning before doing their tour-guide bullshit. We have to look around,” Gladion replied before gates rose up around the elevator. “Shouldn’t take long though. They have to report to the lobby in 30 minutes anyway.” 

“Ok…” I muttered before the elevator went down. 

“Look on the bright side! We’re going to the labs first, so Silvally can see his sister!” Lillie cheered before she leaned closer to me. “And we can update the Ultra Beast files.” I smiled at her comment and nodded. 

The elevator stopped in an empty hall with three doors. Gladion led us to one of the doors, and after asking Lillie if it was ok, I sent my team out to look around. 

Silvally’s expression lit up before he turned to my other Pokemon. “Look, everyone! It’s my home! Or my second home. This is where I learned chivalry!” 

“Wow. It’s… just as disturbing as your story about it,” Lycanroc replied. 

“You can say that again,” Araquanid muttered as my team looked around. 

“So this is where Lusamine made the Type: Nulls?” I asked. 

“And where all the other sketchy shit happened,” Gladion replied before opening the door. “They’re mostly used for system crap and file storage now though.” 

My expression fell. “About that… I know it’s not exactly my place to ask, but… Can I ask what really happened to your dad’s old partner?” 

I saw Gladion’s shoulders twitch, but he stayed silent before Lillie turned to me with a more conflicted look. “You know about him?” I slowly nodded. “How… Who told you?” 

I glanced down at Dubwool. “I just… heard stories from Professor Burnet and the IP. Mainly about the Ultra Beast ‘cleanse’ they did, but… Why Lusamine fired him… came up.” 

“How much of it?” Gladion softly asked as he looked back at me. 

“Uh, just that he was blamed for you stealing Silvally,” I replied. 

Gladion stopped so he could slowly turn to face me. We all stopped to stare back at him, watching as he looked for the right words. He took a deep breath and turned to the first door in the hall. He bumped his fist against the door, keeping his eyes away from us. “This…” He shook his head. “He got away with it…”

“He got away with it,” Lillie breathed out before turning to me. “I… hope you never have to meet…” she glanced at Gladion, “our dad’s old partner, but… He was the reason things got bad. The… catalyst to our mother’s spiral and…” she motioned around her, “this. Not to say she’s the victim here, but… Firing him was… the only sane thing she did during those years.” 

I frowned at her words. “The other workers don’t know… Do they?” 

Lillie shook her head. “Wicke thought it would be best. To prevent an organization-wide panic. Gladion just disappeared, so…” She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter now anyway. He’s gone.” Her expression dropped as she turned her head away from my sight. “I just hope he’s not hurting anyone else…”

I couldn't help but gulp at the thought of this. If Colress caused Aether’s chaos and still sets off the crazy meter… and if he really does have his own lab… Ok, I need to investigate later. Hopefully he was serious about letting Wyndon U students intern. I can ask for a summer internship with him to see what’s going on. I shouldn’t bring these two into it though. He’s stationed in Unova now, and far away from their family. I want to keep it that way. 

Gladion took a deep breath and opened the first door, looked inside, then closed it. “Come on.” 

Lillie, my Pokemon, and I followed Gladion to the second door before he opened it. He stepped aside, letting Lillie and me in as Lusamine stepped out from behind one of the walls. She smiled when she saw us. “Hop! What a surprise! I see Rose’s proposal got through to you.” 

“Yeah,” I simply replied before N stepped out from behind Lusamine. 

“Hop?” 

I gave him a confused look. “N? What are you doing here?” 

“I uh-” he glanced at Lusamine before clearing his throat, “M-Miss Lusamine here realized Magearna was never hooked up to Aether’s system, so uh- Rayne sort of uh,” he glanced at Lusamine again, “asked me to take Magearna here. To uh… get… yeah.” 

“Gearna!” I assume Magearna called from behind the wall. 

“Uh… Ok. Are you doing ok?” I asked. 

“Yeah! Yeah, totally! Awesome!” N shrieked as he gave me a scared smile. 

My concerned look only grew as Gladion stepped beside me. “Lusamine still freaks you out, doesn’t she?” 

“What?! No! No.” N snapped his head towards Lusamine. “I would never.” 

Lusamine gave him a small smile. “It’s ok, hun.” She turned to us. “Rose should be on the first floor giving the biome-dependent Pokemon their breakfast. You can take Noah with you so he’ll be more comfortable.” 

“Alright,” I replied as N walked as fast as he could over to us. 

“Your name is Noah?” Gladion asked. 

“It is now. I changed it last year,” N replied before taking a deep breath and ending it with a smile. “Hi.” 

“Hey,” I simply replied. 

“Cosmog!” Selene cheered as she and Winter waved. 

N smiled at them. “Hello, little ones.” He reached up to pet them, and when Winter leaned away, N’s smile softened. He still ran his hand over Selene’s head, but held out his hand for Winter. She shifted her gaze between his and his hand before slowly leaning forward to bump her nose against his finger. A small smile rose to her lips before she laid her head in his hand, letting him pet her. 

I smiled at her before rubbing my thumb against her side. “There you go. Not everyone is scary, right?” 

“Vul,” she simply replied before Silvally nudged N’s side. 

“You’re Hop’s friend. I must say hello.” 

N let out a small laugh before reaching down to rub right below Silvally’s spikes. “Alright. You’re a Silvally, right?” He nodded as he leaned against N’s hand. “Wow…” N turned to me as he stopped petting Winter. “The amount of man-made Pokemon is… fascinating. Especially how diverse they are.” He looked back at Silvally as he moved his hand to scratch under his chin. “Team Plasma actually made one to be my bodyguard. His name was Genesect.” 

I perked up. I know that name. Arceus blessed him! “Do you know where he is?” 

N shook his head. “I met him while he was still in development, but he escaped just as his code was finalized. Unless Ghetsis shut him down, he’s still roaming around somewhere.” N turned to me again. “Why do you ask?” 

I glanced away. “No reason… Just curious.” 

N tilted his head as Gladion grabbed my backpack to pull me back. “Let’s go, nerds!” 

“Ok, ok!” I snapped as he pulled me out of the lab. 

N and my Pokemon caught up to us as Gladion and Lillie led us back to the elevator. I kept glancing at N as he said hello to my other Pokemon. Until Dubwool nudged my side, making me sigh. 

“So… Any updates on Ghetsis?” 

N shook his head. “Still missing. Same goes for the Shadow Triad. Wherever they are, they’re together.” 

I frowned. “Do you… think they’re planning something?” 

N hummed and looked up in thought. “I’m not sure, honestly. Knowing Ghetsis though…” 

“Probably,” Dubwool replied. 

I sighed and ran my hands over my face. “Why did he have to get away…” 

“Don’t worry,” N began before placing his hand on my shoulder. “We-” he jerked his hand back, “wow, you’re sweaty.” 

“Don’t remind me,” I grumbled as I lowered my arms. I'm just happy the temperature in here is lower than the mainland. 

“Right…” N began before clearing his throat. “We shouldn’t worry about them though. Mr. Looker said if Ghetsis was ever spotted, he’d be arrested on the spot. It would be foolish for them to try anything.” Yeah, but the IP isn’t really the best at stopping the people on their most wanted list, let alone a basic watch list. I shouldn’t freak N out though. He’s still getting used to how the real world works, so saying Ghetsis could come back and… do who knows what… Yeah, I should keep this to myself. 

“Right,” I breathed out before my phone flew out of my pocket. I grabbed it, only to wince at the notification. 

Alyssa: Where are you?

I turned my phone off and shoved it back into my pocket. I’ll deal with that later.  

Gladion took us back up to the lobby, and while N went back to talking to my Pokemon, I showed Lillie the updated notes I had on the Ultra Beasts. I had to stop holding Winter and Selene, but they didn’t seem to mind. Lillie took photos of the notes before the elevator stopped. 

“There he is,” Gladion said as the gates fell. 

All of us looked at him as he pointed ahead. Rose was walking through the hall, another worker beside him as they talked about something.

I narrowed my eyes and closed the Ultra Beast files before I stepped off the elevator. “Rose!” 

Rose and the worker turned to me before Rose gave me a small smile. “You actually came.”

“Yeah. What do you want?” I asked before stopping, but kept my distance. 

Rose’s smile fell. “I know you’re upset, and you were right last night. The punishment I got doesn’t suffice for what I did. I want to apologize to you, your mother, and especially Leon.” 

“So that’s why you called me out here, making me risk my grade? You couldn’t wait to simply say that?” 

“No. If this was just about an apology, I would’ve waited for you to come here with your classmates. I just wanted to start with that since you’re upset about it.” 

“Then what do you want!?” 

“The Ultra Recon Squad told their leader what you are, and he’s preparing something.” I clenched my jaw. “Lusamine told us to keep an eye on them, and last night was my turn. Phyco called their leader once we got back and told him you’re just as powerful as him. His leader said it doesn’t matter because he’ll find your weakness, and that someone named Dande can’t be too different from you.”

My expression dropped. It… felt like everything dropped. They… no. They… They have an alternate version of Victor. They have alternate versions of almost all of Rayne’s friends and cousins. They’ve killed an alternate version of Lillie and Lusamine. Who’s to say they didn’t find an alternate version of me and spare him for some reason?

“Shit…” I breathed out. 

Rose slowly nodded. “I’m… not the most informed on alternate dimensions, but…” 

“They have an alternate version of you,” Lillie softly said. 

“An almost identical version,” I breathed out. 

This isn’t like Rayne’s seven copies. If Ink really did say that… This ‘Dande’ guy is an almost exact copy of me. Our names may be different, but… No. Keep your head on straight. I know what Ink’s doing, so I need to do my own preparation. I have his soulmate’s familiar. I have a new ability to stop him. I have Eleanor at my wrist, ready to take control of my mind if she wants. I can’t let Ink’s newfound knowledge of me scare me away. So what if he knows about me? Giovanni knew all about Rayne in the end, and that didn’t stop her from beating him. I just need to stay focused. We still have a chance. He still doesn’t know about Rayne. Considering none of them have asked about her since Lexi mentioned her, Zossie and Dulse must’ve forgotten to tell Phyco or Ink. That, or they’re not worried about her. After all, female heroes are usually the weaker ones. Still, I’d rather have them underestimate her than prepare for her.

I opened my mouth to start to thank Rose, but stopped and looked down at Dubwool. He frowned as I cleared my throat. “I’ll… keep that in mind.” 

In the corner of my eye, I saw Rose frown. “Look… I know your opinion on me is more based on what I did to Leon, but… that still hurt you. I kept him away from you for years, and… and I am so sorry for doing that to you.” My eye twitched at his words, but kept my gaze on Dubwool. “I know I can’t change what happened. If I had to see my brother in that state…” I clenched my hands into fists as he shook his head. “I’m sorry, Hop.” 

Is he? His relationship with Peony is the exact opposite of my relationship with Leon. And this isn’t about me! So what if I had to see my brother depressed? That was about Leon and how he was feeling. Not me! Those months were never about me, so Rose has no reason to apologize to me. I just want him to apologize to Leon and my mom! I’m not forgiving him until they do! 

I felt someone place their hand on my shoulder before pulling away. “Wow, you are sweaty,” Lillie muttered. “But… cold?” 

I stayed quiet, only for a sudden ringing filled my ears. The sound of glass cracking appeared behind my ear before running across my skull. Cracks of light ran across my eyes and whited the lobby out, and took me to something different. 

Poipole poked its head out from between Zossie and Dulse before its expression lit up and it waved at us. “Poi poi!”

The scene blacked out, but Zossie’s voice appeared as flashes of Poipoles flying around the Aether conservatory flashed across my vision. 

“This is Poipole! The first stage of The Paralyzers. Our squad leader told our king about our recent findings, and he sent us two Poipoles to help us collect the prism shards from your island trials!” 

The ‘camera’ cut to a giant and very different purple creature in the conservatory turning to me. Similar creatures floated beside it, but this one had four arms, four eyes, bigger wings, and longer stingers compared to the ones beside it. 

It narrowed its eyes before leaning forward. “Who am I? I am the leader of this pack! Lady Naganadel!” She lifted her upper arm to point at something. “And their corrupt king stole my children!” 

The scene shattered away with the sound of breaking glass. I flinched and sucked in a breath, but kept my eyes on Dubwool as cold blood ran down my nose. Another pack is here in the conservatory. Why are they here? If Ink stole those Poipoles, why is the leader here and not attacking him and showing up… Phyco gave one to Dulse and Zossie. 

I sighed and squeezed my eyes shut. “For the love of Arceus…” 

Someone grabbed my arm. “What happened? Are you ok?” N squeaked. 

I lifted my head just as an alarm went off. N flinched as we all looked up just as the overhead speaker clicked on. “Attention. This is a Code White alert in level: conservatory. Please follow your directed protocol.” 

“Code White?” N nervously asked as the message repeated. 

“Wormhole,” Lillie simply replied before looking at me. “Which beast is it?” 

I gave her a forced smile. “The Paralyzers.”

Chapter Text

“The what?” N squeaked as Lillie’s eyes widened in shock. 

“No…” I nodded while wiping the blood off my face. “The Paralyzers? As in… the ones whose venom can knock someone out for 3 days?” N and Gladion’s expressions dropped at her words. “They’re just… hanging out in our conservatory?” 

I stared at her before nodding. “Yeah.” 

Lillie’s jaw dropped at my reply as Dartrix slowly leaned forward to look at me. “Poipoles can do that?” I nodded. “But the one with Zossie and Dulse was so nice.”

“Not everyone is what they seem to be,” Dubwool reminded as Gladion turned to Rose and the worker beside him. 

“Follow your directed protocol. We’ll take care of this.” 

“Uh, a-alright, sir,” the worker quickly replied before rushing off.

Rose watched her go as Gladion marched over to the elevator. Lillie followed him, and N and I started to follow them before Rose said my name. I stopped and turned to him as he frowned. “Be careful. With… everything involving this.” 

I narrowed my eyes. “I know what I’m doing. This isn’t the first or last time I’ll deal with a power-hungry lunatic.” 

Rose’s frown deepened as I turned around and went over to the elevator. N and my team silently followed me, and the Kane siblings simply watched as we stepped onto the platform. Gladion looked me up and down, smiled, then scanned his keycard and hit a button on the elevator panel. The gates rose around us before the elevator started going up. 

As we went up, I returned Winter and Selene, but asked the others if they wanted to stay out. They surprisingly agreed, even though Dartrix was weak to poison types. I guess she wants her own go at the Ultra Beasts.

“Your teen angst is hilarious,” Gladion said as I put Selene and Winter’s pokeballs up. 

“Oh, like you're not the embodiment of angst,” I fired back. 

“Ouch. That kinda stung,” he mocked. I narrowed my eyes, but his smile just grew. “Dude, just stop. You’re too adorable to scare anyone. You’re like an angry Growlithe.” 

I clenched my hands into fists, but looked away as my face was engulfed in heat. That, and the sweat still sticking to my body became more noticeable. It’s not like I was trying. I’m just… mad at Rose. Do I look that… pathetic though? 

“I always found you a little intimidating,” N muttered. 

“Because you’ve seen him when he’s actually pissed,” Dubwool replied. I looked down at him, making him look up at me. “Don’t listen to him. You can be threatening if you want to be. I’ve seen it. Gladion’s just being… Gladion.” 

I shifted my gaze to the ground. “Right…” 

N cleared his throat. “So, uh… What exactly is going on?”

“Uh… Long story short, my Cosmog got an all-powerful prism from an alternate world because the god that carried it was murdered by his own creation, so I’ve been tasked to stop them, which includes dragging an entire pack of Ultra Beasts here to protect me, or in this case, get their own revenge.” 

N stared at me as Lillie tilted her head. “Well… That definitely is ‘long story short’.” 

I gave them a crooked smile before Pheromosa appeared in front of me. N yelped and scrambled back as Pheromosa gave me a scared look. “I did not call them! I swear on the madam’s life! I have no idea why they’re here!” 

“I know. It’s ok,” I replied before looking up. “Ink took some Poipoles, and the lady wants them back.” 

“This dude is seriously named Ink?” Gladion asked. 

I nodded as N slowly pointed at Pheromosa. “What is that?” 

“Pheromosa, right?” Lillie asked. 

“Yep,” I replied as Pheromosa turned to them. 

“Um,” she bowed her head, “hello.” 

N slowly waved before the elevator stopped, causing us to look around. Seemingly hundreds of Poipoles surrounded the conservatory. Aether workers were keeping the Pokemon away from the beasts, but the Poipoles didn’t try to attack them. Instead, they just stared at the tree at the back of the conservatory. Just as I turned to it, the wormhole floating above the tree sealed shut as the last evolved Poipole flew beside the alpha. Naganadel, if they share the alpha’s name. Speaking of the alpha, she was screaming at the four Recon workers who stood in front of her. Phyco stood directly in front of her, aiming another God Calmer weapon at her, but not using it. Soliera and Dulse stood beside him, and Zossie was hiding behind Dulse. 

Before I could do anything, something in front of the elevator burst open. I jerked back and snapped my gaze up, seeing Magearna’s giant pokeball-like body fly out of a large circular vent below her. As the vent closed, Magearna popped her upper body and legs out and landed with ease. 

She turned to us, smiled, and waved. “Gearna!” 

“Huh,” Lillie began as my posture relaxed. “Good to know the transport system works.”

“Yeah…” N muttered as I knelt down to Magearna’s eye level. 

“Are you sure you want to help us? I know you’re immune to these guys, but… you haven’t done any battles, so-”

“Gearna na,” Magearna assured before stepping closer to me. “Gear gearna.” 

“She says she’ll be fine, and has seen Rayne’s Pokemon fight,” Dubwool translated. 

My expression softened. “Alright.” I reached up to pat Magearna’s head. “Don’t attack unless you have to. I want to keep this as peaceful as possible.” I looked past her and narrowed my eyes at the workers. “Especially knowing them.” How many of those weapons do they have, anyway? I guess it makes sense they have at least two, but still. 

Magearna nodded. “Gearna na.” 

“So what’s the plan, wise guy?” Gladion asked. 

I stood up as I lifted my gaze to Naganadel. “Calm her down.” I turned to the others. “Keep your strongest Pokemon on standby, but don’t attack unless you have to. They’re on our side, and I don’t want to hurt them.” 

Gladion held up his hands in surrender as Lillie nodded. N just looked between everyone as Gladion sent out his Silvally while Lillie released a Snorlax. She has a Snorlax? I shook the thought away as I turned around to lead the others to the alpha. As we got closer, I could make out what the alpha was yelling. 

“This is your last warning! Return my children now or else my defenders will give your entire team a slow and painful death!”

“Return to your territory before I send you back myself!” I heard Phyco yell. 

Naganadel narrowed her eyes. “Fine.” She held out her arms. “Boys, get your brothers away from these blind humans!” 

The four Naganadel’s beside her screeched before shooting towards the workers. Zossie screamed as Phyco lifted the bazooka. I narrowed my eyes and pointed at them. The two Silvallys shot towards two of the Naganadels and tackled them down while Magearna and Snorlax stepped beside me and held out their hands. They both formed spheres of pink energy in front of their palms, and while Snorlax’s burst into waves, a beam shot out of Magearna’s orb. Both attacks flew towards the other two Naganadels and slammed into them, shoving them away from the workers. 

While Zossie looked over Dulse’s shoulder, everyone else turned to us as the two Pokemon beside me lowered their arms.

Phyco flinched and lowered his weapon. “You…” 

Dartrix slipped between Snorlax and me before snapping her wings up. Vines burst out of her feathers and shot towards Phyco. He yelped and tried backing away, but Dartrix had her vines wrap around his weapon and yank it out of his hands. 

“Hey! Give that back!” Phyco yelled. 

“No,” Dartrix scolded as she wrapped her wings around the weapon. 

I crossed my arms. “Do I need to remind you of our agreement?” 

Phyco’s posture relaxed. “No. You made it very clear.” 

I pointed to the weapon. “Then why the hell are you still using this?” 

“Did you not see those things charge at us!? The God Calmer is for self defense! It’s why our king gave them to us!” Phyco barked. 

“So that’s why you use them the second you see an Ultra Beast? For ‘self defense’?” 

“I- Yes! They’re very dangerous creatures!” 

“I have to side with the lunatic here. These things can knock us out for 3 days,” Gladion reminded. 

“Yeah, but look around,” I began before looking between the Poipoles and Naganadels around the conservatory. “They aren’t attacking anyone.” 

“Because unlike these imbeciles, we save our biggest weapon until we actually need it,” the Alpha Naganadel spat. 

“And… we thank you for that, Miss… I’m sorry, but who are you?” N asked.  

Naganadel narrowed her eyes before leaning forward. “Who am I? I am the leader of this pack! Lady Naganadel!” She lifted her upper arm to point at the workers. “And their corrupt king stole my children!” 

I looked at Phyco. “She’s only here because you stole her children. She’s being civil about it too, and only attacked because you threatened her at least once, and they were only going to take the Poipoles back! Not paralyze you!” 

“I was. They made our human friends run away,” one of the Naganadel’s replied. 

“Well, how were we supposed to know!? We can’t understand them!” Phyco defended.

“Considering these things are your natural enemies and Ink just casually gave you one, you should’ve guessed the leader wanted them back!” Phyco opened his mouth to object, but ended up slowly looking away. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. “How many times do I need to tell you this?” I opened my eyes to glare at him. “If you want your prism, you will listen to me. Stop using those bloody chains and leave the Ultra Beasts to me. I can calm them down myself.” Dulse and Zossie turned to Phyco as I looked back at the alpha. “How many Poipoles are you missing?” 

Naganadel’s posture relaxed. “Twenty. Two were reportedly brought here.” So Phyco and Soliera have one too. 

I lowered my gaze to Phyco. “Return the two Poipoles you have and she’ll leave. Simple as that.” 

“We don’t have them anymore!” Phyco began as a different Poipole flew behind them. “We sent them back to Megalion, so-” 

Soliera yelped and jumped away as a pokeball opened behind her. The Poipole who snuck behind her gave her a sly grin as another one appeared beside him. The new one turned to the other one and smiled. “Poi!” 

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes as the alpha crossed her arms. “You were saying?” 

“How long are you going to lie to me?” I asked instead. 

“I’m not-” Phyco began. 

“Really? I’m not an idiot, Phyco. Almost everything you’ve said to me has been a lie, so cut the rubbish and surrender the Poipoles. Not like they’re helping you anyway.” 

Phyco’s three workers turned to him as he looked for the right words. As he stared at me, the free Poipole released the one Dulse had on him, but only Zossie looked at it. Phyco clenched his hands into fists as the second one was freed before turning back to me. 

“Why are you defending our enemy so much? You should want them gone. They’re destroying your land, so-”

“Naganadel hasn’t done anything to me,” I reminded. “She hasn’t even attacked this building. Hell, I stopped her followers from attacking you. I’ve made it clear that I don’t want you to attack them because every time you do, it makes things worse. I know violence can’t be avoided in some situations, but this isn’t one of them! She just wants her children back! The children your leader took! She hasn’t resorted to violence until now, and it’s understandable because you’re in the wrong for kidnapping her children! So yeah. I don’t want you attacking the victim here.” 

The Recon workers stared at me with the three Poipoles before the one that freed the others smiled at me. “Poi poi.” He turned to the alpha and pointed at me. “Poi poi poi?” 

“I mean, we already have a Pheromosa following us,” my Silvally added. 

“Where'd that thing go, anyway?” Gladion’s Silvally asked as he looked around. 

Phyco sighed. “Fine! We had her Poipoles, so she can take them back.” He turned to his employees. “Destroy the capsules. There’s no point in trying to resist.” 

“Um… alright, sir,” Dulse muttered before he and Soliera each took a Beast Ball off their belts. They dropped the balls and crushed them under their boots as Phyco turned to the alpha. 

“Are we done here?” 

“No! I’m missing eighteen more Poipoles!” she snapped before turning to me. “Tell him to make Ink return them to my territory unharmed, or else I’ll have my babies give each of his buffoons here a slow and painful demise.” 

I turned to Phyco. “Have Ink meet her to return the eighteen other Poipoles he took or else she’ll poison you to death.” Zossie flinched at my words as I narrowed my eyes. “And he better not attack her like he did to the other alphas who had what he wanted.” 

Phyco’s posture stiffened. “How do…” 

“Please. Ink doesn’t scare me,” the alpha Naganadel replied before crossing her arms. “I’m the reason Elio, Selene, and Lillie got away. He may have that chain, but that won’t stop my defenders from paralyzing him.”  

My expression fell. “Do you… know what happened to them?” 

Naganadel frowned and nodded. “Xurky told me…” Her expression softened. “I’m glad her spirit lives on here though.” 

“How do you know about that?” Phyco breathed out. 

I lowered my gaze to his as I narrowed my eyes. “I know a lot more than you think.” 

Phyco stared at me as Dulse turned to him. “Sir, what are you speaking of?” 

Phyco ignored him and slowly shook his head. “No…” A crazed smile rose to his lips. “We’re not giving the Poipoles back.”

“What?” Naganadel hissed. 

“Why?” I asked. 

“We need them, and I think it would be wise if you stopped sticking your nose in our business. You may be waving our prism in front of us, but we know your weaknesses. More than you think.” 

Although warm chills ran through me at the thought, I simply looked Phyco up and down. “Are you seriously threatening me?” 

“Yes,” Phyco began before lifting his arm and hovered his hand over… something on his arm. “We may be in your world, but this is our fight. I think it would be best to keep you and your little friends out of it.” Phyco’s smile rose. “Unless you want them to end up like the ones from dimension 182016.” 

My expression dropped as Phyco tapped the thing on his arm. In the blink of an eye, God Calmer chains burst out of his pockets and shot towards me. Everything inside me dropped, and while chills ran through my body, I couldn’t react in time. The chains wrapped around me, sending bursts of hot electricity against my skin. I screamed from the burning pain it brought, but this… this was worse. The shocks felt like they were burning my skin off, but my entire right arm started pounding. I grabbed it out of instinct as the chains burned through the bandages. The spear pushed against my skin, begging to be freed, but I just tightened my grip on my arm to hold it down. I can’t take it off. They’ll recognize it! 

A collection of cries brought my attention back to the Recon Workers. While the chains stopped flying out of Phyco’s pockets, all five of my released Pokemon charged towards the workers, and Dartrix threw the bazooka down in the process. The Alpha Naganadel screamed, causing every member of her pack to shoot towards the Recon workers. I opened my mouth to tell them to stop, but Lillie and N grabbing the chains cut me off. 

N yelped as the chains shocked his hands before scrambling back and looking at his palms. His eyes widened in horror. “What in…” 

“They attack gods!” Lillie yelled as she slid her hands under the chains to pull. 

“Yeah, but why did it attack him!? He’s not a god!” Gladion reminded before I felt him grab the chains on my back. 

“He… was made by Xerneas! Powers or- or not, he… he has the soul of a god,” I forced out before pushing Lillie back. “And pulling only makes it worse!” 

She winced at my tone. “Sorry…” 

“Then how do we get it off!?” Gladion demanded. 

“Just…” I began before looking at my Pokemon. 

God Calmers were flying all over the place, restraining every single Pokemon that got near the workers. All four workers had chains in their uniforms. The Alpha Naganadel stayed back to not get hit, so that was the one relief here. Lycanroc and Araquanid were firing attacks however they could though, and Silvally was seconds from breaking free. The Poipoles struggled to break free, but the Naganadels were getting close. It was madness though. The alpha was one wrong move away from getting hit, and I can’t let that happen! 

“Let him go!” Dubwool screamed as a pink aura started to coat his wool. 

My eyes widened at the sight, but when he was ignored, Dubwool and Dartrix growled. While Dubwool’s eyes were covered in pink energy, Dartrix screamed before her body was engulfed in white light. Her body doubled in size, and the burst of energy from her evolution was enough to shatter the chains around her. At the same time, the energy around Dubwool pushed the chains off him. The two of them charged for Phyco, and the energy radiating off Dubwool freed the other Pokemon. They all froze and stared at my two Pokemon as they ran though. 

“Guys, stop it!” I called, but they ignored me. 

Dubwool rammed his head into Phyco’s stomach, shoving him into Silvally and knocking them back. The Naganadels flew out of the way as Silvally spun around and pinned Phyco down. While Dubwool stopped behind them, Decidueye flew over them and held out her wing. An arrow rose out of her feathers before she grabbed it and aimed it down at Phyco. 

“Release our trainer or else she shoots,” Dubwool threatened. 

The other three Recon workers gave him a scared look as Lillie stepped back beside me. “He… Did you guys understand him too?” 

“Uh huh,” Gladion muttered. 

My eyes widened. They understood him. Just like Alyssa did the last time this happened. How is… Now is not the time!

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Although it sent spikes of pain to my skull, I focused my attention on the chain and grabbed them. They fought against my psychic hold, but I simply clenched my hands into fists before swinging my arms down to force the chains off. As the chains shattered, the pain in my skull burst to spread across my head before it went light. I sucked in a breath and stumbled forward, but N and Lillie caught my arms to keep me up. I felt cold blood run down my nose and ears again, but I focused on catching my breath to hopefully not pass out. Again. 

I heard Silvally yelp, so I slowly lifted my head to look up. Silvally stumbled away from Phyco as he sat up. As he did, Dubwool and Decidueye turned to me as the pink aura faded from Dubwool’s body. Seriously, how does he do that? 

I pushed that question aside as I glared at Phyco. “What the hell is wrong with you?” 

“We’re doing our jobs. We’re here to find our kingdom’s prism and remove the Ultra Beasts, and you’re getting in our way,” Phyco spat. 

“I’m collecting the shards for you! I’m helping you, and you pull this?!” 

“You’re getting too concerned about our issue. For Necrozma’s sake, you’re causing these beasts to attack us! I understand this is your land, but our kingdom’s current dilemma isn’t any of your concern. I’m simply keeping it that way.” 

“Yeah, by trying to kill him! How would that fix anything?!” Lillie demanded. 

“It keeps his nose out of our business,” Phyco replied before crossing his arms. “You may have the prism shards, but we can easily defeat you. Don’t forget that.” 

I narrowed my eyes. “So can I. Those chains may hurt me, but I can break them, and I can easily take you out.” 

Phyco hummed. “I suppose you can. I’m not the one you should be worried about though.” 

I sharpened my glare and was about to say something back before a voice made me freeze in utter horror. 

“Hop?” Professor Willow asked. 

Dubwool and Decidueye winced for me as I slowly looked over my shoulder. Professor Willow and Lusamine stood on the elevator, Lusamine giving me an apologetic look while Professor Willow stared at me in complete shock. 

“I’m sorry. I tried to keep him downstairs, but-” Lusamine began. 

“Wait, you knew about this?” Professor Willow asked her. 

“I mean- It was my employee who called for him, so-” 

“So you knew about this? Even though I told you I don’t want them jumping between islands, especially on their own?” 

“I- Yeah, but this is different.” 

“How?!” Professor Willow motioned to me. “Look at him! He looks like he was in a gang fight!” He turned to me. “What is… How did this happen?! And your arm, it… What are you doing, Hop?” 

I stared at him, trying to think of… anything. How do I explain this? How do I get out of this?! How can I get out of this?! He… Will he listen to me? Will he even believe me? 

“Uh… who is that?” Lycanroc asked. 

“His teacher,” Decidueye squeaked. 

“Oh no…” Araquanid muttered. 

“Oh no indeed,” Silvally added. 

I glanced back at them, but my silence only made Professor Willow sigh before he started approaching me. “Come on.” 

I flinched and stepped back, lightly pulling N and Lillie with me. Lillie looked between us as she tightened her grip on my arm. “Wh- What are you going to do?” 

“What I said I’d do if they broke the rules,” Professor Willow replied. 

My eyes widened in horror as panic surged through me. No. No, I can’t go home now! Not when- I still have to get Selene to Necrozma! I have to get the other Z-Crystals! I need to talk to Eleanor! I can’t leave! 

I quickly backed away, forcing N and Lillie to let me go. “Wait, let me explain! This- I didn’t-” 

“I gave all of you very simple rules to follow,” Professor Willow began as he stopped. “Don’t break the law and don’t leave your teams. It’s for your general safety. You left your team and the island entirely, and there are consequences to that.” 

“I was the one who asked him to come here!” Lusamine lied. 

“I don’t care,” Professor Willow replied while turning to her. “I told him what the rules were, and he’s here for my class. He shouldn’t have come here.” 

“Yeah, but he’s doing this under Rayne’s request. This is over regional safety, and-” Lillie began. 

“And as Champion, she should handle it or have the stand-in Champion handle it. Like regional safety laws state,” Professor Willow interrupted before looking back at me. “Come on. I’m getting you to a doctor first, but then you’re going home.” 

“But-” I began as he stepped closer. 

Before I could even finish my sentence, something yanked me back before Pheromosa appeared in front of me. Professor Willow stumbled back, giving her a startled look as she held out her arms in defense. 

“Hands off.”

“Poi poi!” one of the Poipoles yelled as he flew behind Professor Willow. That was the one that freed the Poipoles the Recon Squad had. 

“Sir, who is this other human?” the Alpha Naganadel asked. 

I looked back at her, seeing the Ultra Recon Squad was staring at me with probably the entire Naganadel pack. And Pheromosa is protecting me. Bloody hell, I really blew it. They know I’m not on their side, and Ink is forcing an alternate version of me to talk, and I’m being forced to go home, and something is wrong with Dubwool, and I still have no idea how to use these new powers, and-

“Hop,” Lillie began before placing her hand on my arm again. “Breathe. It’s ok. We’ll figure this out.” 

“Yeah. We- We’ll keep an eye on things, and tell you what’s going on, and… We’ll figure something out,” N shakily replied. 

I looked between them as I became aware of my physical state. Not only was my skin burning, not only was my right arm throbbing, not only was my head pounding and light, but I was practically hyperventilating, I was still sweating like crazy, and I’m ninety percent sure I’m on the verge of tears. I gulped before forcing myself to take a deep breath. Calm down. Keep your head. Be a Blue Hero. I may be screwed school wise, but I have a job to do. Figure something else out. You can do this. 

I stepped forward, forcing myself to breathe. “Don’t.” Pheromosa turned to me. “I know him. It’s ok.” She frowned, but stepped aside as Poipole flew away from Professor Willow. I avoided his gaze and looked over at Lusamine. “Make sure the Ultra Beasts get back safely.”

Her expression softened before she nodded. “Alright. I’ll… take care of things. Thank you, and…” she glanced at Professor Willow, “I’m sorry. I didn’t-” 

“It’s fine,” I replied before reaching up to wipe the blood from under my nose. I turned around to face my team. “Come on.” 

The five of them frowned, but came over to me. Silvally and Lycanroc growled at the Recon Squad one more time though. I grabbed everyone’s pokeballs and returned all but Dubwool before looking at N. 

“Can you come with us to the lobby?” 

“Uh, yeah,” he muttered. 

I muttered a thank you before turning to Professor Willow. Although he frowned, he turned around and led us to the elevator. The Poipole from earlier flew onto my shoulder as Naganadel told me he’d stay with me to help, but I just stayed quiet. I should say something back, but… I didn’t know what. 

Lusamine scanned her keycard so we’d be able to use the elevator, and while it went down, I knelt in front of Dubwool. He looked at me as I cupped his face. “Are you ok?” 

“I should be asking you that,” he replied. 

“That pink energy came back,” I reminded before lightly scratching under his horn. “It’s like… you gain some kind of power, and- and others can understand you. How… What is it?”  

He shrugged. “It feels like adrenaline, but… stronger? I’m not sure. It only happened when I was frustrated, and… that’s only when people mess with you.” 

“Yeah, but…” N began before I assume he looked at Professor Willow. “That didn’t happen in Unova. As far as I know, at least.” 

“That was different. Yeah, I was upset that people were saying bad things to you, but you didn’t care. Now… First was Alyssa causing that panic attack, and now because you were directly attacked. It’s… You’re getting hurt, and… I don’t know.” 

I hummed and narrowed my eyes. “It’s your way of defending me…” But what is this energy? It looks like psychic energy, but the only psychic move he knows is Zen Headbutt, and this isn’t that. It could be Hidden Power, but Hidden Power isn’t this powerful. I wish I had the time or resources to look into it. This could be dangerous or hurt him later. 

“Ok, as… curious as I am about… what this is about…” Professor Willow began. I slowly looked up at him, seeing he was looking for the right words. And kept looking at N. He ended up sighing. “We’ll talk later.” 

I frowned, but stood up and grabbed Selene’s pokeball. “I don’t need a doctor. This isn’t the first time they attacked me.” 

“What are- Ok, why are they attacking you? Who is? How are they-”

“It’s a long story,” I quietly replied as I released Selene. She smiled at me, only for it to drop to a worried look. I nodded towards N. “Can you heal his hands first?” 

Selene slowly nodded before flying over to N. I watched as he lifted his hands, letting her place her blobby hands on his before they lit up. N’s eyes widened in awe as Selene healed his burns, and while he looked at his healed hands, Selene flew over to me. She placed her hands against the sides of my head, and I simply closed my eyes as she sent soothing energy through my body. Cold waves ran over my skin, cooling the burns and taking them away. When the energy stopped, Selene flew back as I opened my eyes and reached up to wipe the remaining blood off my face. 

“... I know for a fact that Cosmogs cannot do that, and I will bet my career on it,” Professor Willow said. 

“Yeah, she’s… Like I said. Long story,” I quietly replied. 

Professor Willow sighed as the elevator stopped at the docks. “Hop…” I turned to him, waiting for a further comment that never came. All he did was shake his head and step off the elevator to lead me to the boats. 

I sighed, but turned to N. “Thank you, and… keep me updated, ok? I’ll be back as soon as I can.” 

“Ok…” N muttered. 

I held up my hand as a wave before stepping off the platform and following Professor Willow. Dubwool followed me, staying by my side as the silence returned.

Chapter Text

Professor Willow got an Aether employee to take us back to Akala, and the first 5 minutes were painfully awkward. We just sat in silence. I took out my phone to text Rayne about what just happened, but seeing her nickname on my phone… It made me realize how much I messed up. The Ultra Recon Squad are completely against me because of this. I didn’t keep my head on straight, but how can I? I’m doing her job too. I’m fighting these things off mostly by myself, and I can’t focus on… anything! I can’t do one thing right, and… and that’s the point. To doubt myself and get myself hurt just like Rayne did. I want to make this fair to her though. If she suffered, I will too. If she messed up, I will too. But this… I need her. I can’t keep doing this alone, and… and I don’t know how I can! The Ultra Recon Squad will attack me any chance they get now! I need her strength. I need her confidence. I need her… I need her to tell me I can do this and make me believe it. 

I need her here. 

Eventually, Professor Willow took a deep breath. “Why?” I slowly lifted my gaze to his, but it took him a second to break his own gaze away from the window. “You are… by far the best student I’ve had in years. You’re always on time, get every assignment done before the due date, and… You literally correct me all the time. Sometimes I don’t think I can teach you anything, but… I know you’re not full of yourself. You know a lot, but you’re… very obedient, for a lack of better words.” 

“Compliant, probably,” I muttered. 

“My point exactly,” he began before leaning forward. “Why’d you do this? Are you just… someone who prefers to be alone or… is this really because of Rayne?” 

“It’s… a bit of both, but not… Rayne’s not forcing me to do this. It’s just…” I lowered my gaze to stare at Eleanor’s bracelet. “This is just as much my responsibility as it is hers. It…” I clasped my hands together. “It’s hard to explain.” 

Professor Willow stayed quiet before taking another deep breath. “You’re protecting the region again. Aren’t you?” I slowly nodded. He sighed, and I saw him run his hands over his face. “Hop… You don’t have to do this. You’re here for my class. The league and even Aether can take care of… whatever this is about. Ultra Beasts? That’s Aether’s whole thing. Let them handle it.” I stayed silent as I kept my gaze on Eleanor’s bracelet. Professor Willow sighed at my silence. “I know… you may feel obligated since Rayne is busy and you two are close, but… This is hurting you. This isn’t like the Darkest Day where you got out unharmed. You admitted this has hurt you multiple times, so… I think it’s better for you to go home and stay there.” My eye twitched at his words. “Not only because you broke one of the bigger rules, but also for your safety. I don’t want you risking your life for something someone else can handle.” 

But no one else can handle this. The Ultra Beasts won’t listen to anyone but me because of Necrozma, and going home won’t stop Ink from trying to take me. Not only does he think I have around half of the prism now, but he’s kidnapping heroes to… at least prevent us from stopping him. Man, I need to figure out why he’s taking us. He’s clearly not killing us, so… he could be harnessing our blood to constantly make more chains, but there’s also a chance he’s stealing our powers. Or both. Both is definitely an option. If I go back to Galar though… Yeah, it would buy me time since Ink and the Recon Squad won’t be able to find me, but I’d leave this whole dilemma to Aether and probably N. N can’t fight! He may be a god by blood, but he barely understands how phones work. Ink will demolish him. So what do I do? Go behind Professor Willow’s back more, or… trust Rayne’s friends and Aether?

We stayed quiet for the rest of the boat ride. Dubwool left the small cabin to check on the Ultra Beasts outside, and I realized I left the God Calmer weapon, so… unless someone grabbed it, Phyco still has it. Dubwool came back before we docked though, and said Poipole would join Pheromosa in watching out from the Recon Squad, but would actually protect us and not be a sort of alarm. If they tried attacking me again, Poipole would poison them. Assuming I’ll be here after today. Either way, I have a new Ultra Beast for Sonia to add to the dex. 

When the boat docked, Professor Willow thanked the worker before we left the boat. Pheromosa and Poipole were gone, but I knew they were around. I didn’t send my team out though. I just stepped onto the dock with Professor Willow with Dubwool at my side. The heat was much worse now though, so I sent out Selene. I guess the mere sight of me told her everything because she simply flew to my chest and started letting out cold air. To my surprise though, Looker and Anabel were standing at the top of the stairs that led into town. 

My eyes widened when I saw them before Anabel glanced at us. She smiled as she fully turned to us, making Looker turn to us as well. “Alola, you two.” 

Professor Willow stopped, prompting me to do the same. “Uh… Alola? Can we… help you two?” 

“Yes, actually,” Looker began before both of them approached us and held up their badges. “We’re Agent Looker and Agent Future of the International Police. We got word from Lusamine that you plan on sending Hop here back to Galar.” 

“Uh… yeah. Is- Is there a problem with that?” Professor Willow asked.

“Yes,” Anabel simply said as they lowered their badges. “You see, Hop here is a sort of agent in training. This is his big test to become an agent, and having you cut it short won’t do.” 

Professor Willow stared at them. “I’m sorry, what?” 

Looker nodded. “We put him on the case after the… yellow Ultra Beast fell. He has a history of containing dangerous Pokemon, so we knew we could count on him to contain these beasts and keep non-league and Aether figures out of it. He’s done exactly that, and we need him to keep doing that.” 

I turned to Professor Willow, seeing he was staring at the two agents. “I’m sorry, you… you put a 16 year old on an Ultra Beast containment case… while he’s here for a school trip?” 

“Yes. He’s helped us in less convenient situations,” Anabel replied. 

“That doesn’t- He’s a kid! He’s only helped our Champion and his brother stop our former Chairman from destroying Galar! Don’t you have trained agents to do this sort of work?! Or, I don’t know, the league?!” 

“Well, yeah, but Rayne is kinda busy right now,” Looker replied. 

“And Hop is perfectly qualified to help us. He’s done much more than you’ve seen,” Anabel replied before taking out her phone. “According to his file, he assisted in stopping not only The Darkest Day, but terminating Team Plasma, terminating Team Galactic, terminating Team Rocket, stopping a time machine, tamed twenty-two legendaries-” 

“Twenty-four if you count Cosmog and a man-made Suicune clone,” Looker added. 

“Cos!” Selene cheered. 

“Tamed four mythicals, and calmed four- now five- packs of rampaging Ultra Beasts,” Anabel finished before lowering her phone. “And is the reason the former most wanted man alive is dead. So yeah. We asked this ‘16 year old’ to help us.” 

Professor Willow slowly turned his head to look at me. He stayed quiet until I met his gaze. “Are… Is this real? This isn’t some… some prank, right?” 

“I mean, they may be exaggerating a bit, but-” 

“No, we’re not,” Anabel replied before giving Professor Willow a sweet smile. “I understand you want him to stay safe. I find it admirable, honestly. However, we need him to stay here. Only Rayne is qualified enough to take care of the Ultra Beasts, and we can get in trouble if we take her away from league duties. You know, since the only people above us are the Champions and the President.” 

I shifted my gaze back to Professor Willow’s, seeing he was just staring at them. 

“I mean, you have every right to remove him from your trip, but we need him here. He doesn’t have to be your responsibility anymore, if you’d prefer that,” Looker added. 

I looked between my professor and the agents before Professor Willow took a deep breath. “It wouldn’t be fair if I exempt Hop from the rules of this trip… but…” I perked up as he sighed and ran his hands over his face. “This is… so situational…” As he lowered his hands, he turned to me. “You’ve been keeping everyone out of this, right?” I quickly nodded. “No one else has gotten hurt?” I shook my head. Professor Willow took another deep breath and looked at the agents. The three of us stood in silence, waiting for his reply before he sighed one last time and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I saw none of this…” 

Relief flooded my system as I stepped back and ran my hands over my head. “Oh my Arceus…” 

“I saw none of this!” Professor Willow repeated before pointing to me. “That doesn’t mean you can do it again!” 

I held up my hands in surrender. “I won’t. I’ll- I’ll stay with at least one of my classmates. I- Thank you. Thank you so much.” 

Professor Willow stepped closer to me, giving me a stern look. “You are writing your essay on Ultra Beasts. Understand?” 

I quickly nodded as I wrapped my arms around Selene again. “Yes. Understood.” 

Professor Willow stared at me before his expression softened. “Be careful. Please.” 

“I-I will. Sel- Cosmog can heal me-” 

“For classified reasons,” Looker added. 

“-and I’ve kept the others away from the Ultra Beasts. Rayne will come and help me as soon as the league’s over, so- I’ve got it under control. I promise.” 

Professor Willow held his stare before he stepped back. “Ok. I’m serious though. Don’t… Don’t be reckless. And seriously, be careful.” 

I nodded. “I will.” 

Professor Willow nodded back before Anabel smiled at us. “We’ll take our leave now. Good luck, Hop.” 

I just nodded in response as she and Looker walked off. 

“They were only here to defend you, weren’t they?” Dubwool asked. 

“Probably…” I breathed out. I’ll take it though. 

I took a deep breath and was about to turn to Professor Willow again before my phone flew out of my pocket. I grabbed it, seeing a message from Xavier from about 30 minutes ago that finally sent. The message made my eyes widen though. 

Xavier: Alyssa’s making us go back to Heahea City to prove you’re with Professor Burnet. Hurry.

“Oh no…” I muttered. 

“What?” Professor Willow asked. 

“I… may have told Xavier to cover for me by saying Professor Burnet dragged me away, and… they’re kinda coming here because Alyssa doesn’t believe him, so I should go,” I replied before putting my phone up. “Thank you though. Really.” 

He slowly nodded. “Why didn’t you just… tell me though? Does your team even know?” 

“Well, Xavier and now Austin know, but… It’s technically classified information, and I could get fined or… contained if I say anything, so-” 

“Ok. The cops are more brutal than I thought.” 

“Yeah…” I breathed out as we both looked away. 

“If something like this comes up again, you can tell me though.” I turned to him, seeing he was looking out at the city. “Considering your major, I’ll teach at least a few more of your history classes. While I doubt I’ll take another trip like this since… the amount of paperwork it brings isn’t worth it on my end…” He shrugged as he turned to me. “If it stops you from coming to class, I’ll understand. What you do… I thought you just stopped Rose. I didn’t…” He smiled at me. “Kid, you’re amazing. You know that, right?” 

I looked away, but couldn’t help but smile. “I’m just… doing my job.” 

“A job you really don’t have to do. Still, it… If you need anything university wise, you can talk to me. Sonia made a good choice in picking you to be her partner.” 

My smile rose, which made Selene and Dubwool smile at me. “Thank you, professor.” 

“Anytime, Hop. Just… do me a favor and don’t join the History Club. At least until next semester.” I had to bite back a smile at his comment. “I know I shouldn’t push students away, but I’m taking them on a trip at the end of the semester, and I’d rather not… I don’t think I could handle another version of this.” 

I nodded, but kept my gaze down. “Yeah, that’s fair enough.” 

“On another note, I doubt you’ll make it to Professor Burnet in time. Your classmates are already here.” 

“What?!” My head snapped towards Diglett’s Cave, only for my eyes to widen. Just as he said, my four classmates stepped out of the cave and into town. Alyssa was leading them right to Professor Burnet’s lab as Austin looked around. 

“Shit,” I hissed before taking out my phone again. “Uh, bye profes-”

Before I could finish, Professor Willow grabbed my arm and started dragging me over to them. “Don’t worry. I got it.” 

“Huh?” 

He nodded before glancing at me. “Should I ask why your arm is sweaty yet freezing?” 

“… It’s a side effect from Cosmog,” I lied. 

“Cos,” Selene added as she slowly nodded. 

“Huh… Is it really classified how it can heal wounds like… whatever you had?” 

“Yes.” 

“Alright then.” 

Professor Willow let me go to walk normally, and I just stayed quiet as we approached my classmates. I have no idea where this will go, but I don’t think I have a choice other than to go with it. 

When we got close enough, Professor Willow held up his hand. “Guys!” 

My four classmates stopped and turned to us before Xavier’s eyes widened in utter horror. “Professor?” 

“Sorry I held him up. Professor Burnet told me about his visit, and when I saw him leave, I couldn’t help but ask about it. We didn’t realize how much time had passed.” 

The four of them stared at us before Alyssa gave us a baffled look. “I’m sorry, what?” 

Professor Willow gave them a confused look in return. “Did he not tell you Professor Burnet asked for him?” 

“He- he told us. Austin and me, that is, but… We didn’t… Huh?” Xavier asked. 

“You said to not leave our groups. He left the group,” Lexi reminded. 

“Yeah, but I approved it,” Professor Willow lied. That only made Xavier, Lexi, and Alyssa give him equally baffled looks as Austin simply tilted his head. “I… get it’s a little unfair, but it was for research. Professor Burnet had some data on Ultra Beasts she wanted to show him, so she asked me first, and since she is the tour guide, I allowed it. I knew it wouldn’t take long, and he only got held up because of me. The Ultra Beasts are just… fascinating.” He patted my shoulder. “I kinda swayed him into writing his report on them too.” 

“With how much Professor Burnet has told me, I’ll have a lot of material,” I replied, but could hear the nervous pitch in my voice. 

Professor Willow just smiled at me before looking back at my classmates. “You guys are doing ok, right? No major issues?“ 

“Uh, yeah! Yeah, we- we’re doing just fine,” Xavier nervously replied. 

“Uh, actually, no. We’re not. Are you serious?” Lexi asked. 

“Lexi-” Alyssa began. 

“He literally ditched us to go talk to a professor we could’ve gone to together, and just because she’s the tour guide, he gets a pass? That woman has barely even spoken to us! She’s been in her lab for the past 5 days staring at aliens!” Lexi snapped. 

“If you’re going to talk shit on me, at least make sure I’m not in the area,” Professor Burnet replied as she casually approached us with a malasada. My four classmates looked over their shoulders as Professor Burnet stopped beside them. “You made it clear you want nothing to do with my research, and with how many wormholes are opening, my research can’t wait. Excuse me for asking our Kahuna to help me with your little trip while I’m exchanging info with Aether.” She turned to us. “Oh, hey Willow. What’s up?” 

“Uh…” Professor Willow began before clearing his throat. “Nothing. Just uh… checking on my students.” 

Professor Burnet nodded. “Sorry for not being much help here, by the way.” 

Professor Willow waved her off. “It’s no big deal. Like you said, Olivia was able to take over, so I don’t mind.” 

“She’ll probably have to take over for the next two groups. Lillie just texted me and said Lusamine emailed me some data on a new species that just invaded Aether.” 

Xavier gave me a scared look as Professor Willow nodded. “I understand. I’ll get in contact with her. Good luck with the research.” 

“Thanks,” Professor Burnet replied before she started walking again. She waved to us before taking a bite of her malasada. 

We all watched her leave before Professor Willow turned to my classmates. “So… Everything’s ok?” 

“Yep!” Austin cheered as Xavier slowly nodded. Lexi just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms while Alyssa stared at us, confused. 

“Well, if you guys are alright, I’ll be on my way to check on the others.” Professor Willow then waved and walked off. 

All five of us watched him leave before they all looked at me. “You are seriously unbelievable,” Lexi spat. 

“Why didn’t you just tell us?” Alyssa softly asked. 

“Because he’s unbelievable,” Lexi replied before narrowing her eyes. “You seriously sweet talked the professors just to get away from us? To break the biggest rule and get away with it?” 

“It was for research. He’s been stopping these Ultra Beasts since we got here, so-” Alyssa began. 

“He shouldn’t even be doing that!” Lexi snapped before looking back at me. “I don’t know what you’re trying to do by playing hero, but this is getting ridiculous. You aren’t some special little kid who can ignore the rules. We’re stuck with each other, so if I can’t ditch you blokes, you can’t either.” 

My eye twitched as I clenched my hands into fists. Dubwool bumped his horn against my side, making me take a deep breath to calm myself down. “I get it. You hate us. That fact isn’t going to stop me. Tell Professor Willow whatever you want. I’ll just tell him about the rules you broke.” Lexi gave me an offended look. “You’re stuck with me, so if I go down, so do you.” 

“You wouldn’t,” she hissed. 

“I would. We’re only stuck with each other for 15 more days, so suck it up. I’m sorry you’d rather spend your trip with people who tolerate you, but not everything goes your way.” 

“Says the bloke who gets everything he wants!” 

“Who said I wanted this?!” 

“Oh, here we go again. Your life is so hard. Living in a borderline mansion with your Chairman brother and hanging out with your Champion mate all the time. Arceus forbid you have to live like us commoners for 5 minutes.” 

“Yeah, because having connections solves all my problems! Not like I’m constantly compared to people and expected to do what prodigies have done!” 

“Oh, boo hoo. People expect things from you. Grow up, Hop!” 

“If anyone needs to grow up-” 

“Stop it!” Xavier yelled before taking a deep breath. “Stop. This… This is stupid. All of this is stupid.” 

“Thank you!” Lexi barked. 

“I’m not on your side,” Xavier began before turning to her. “Professor Willow’s reaction to this confuses the hell out of me, but what’s the point now? He got away with going to a different town. Who cares?” 

“I do, because if I did this-” Lexi began. 

“It doesn’t matter. He risked his grade and that’s that. He didn’t get us involved. If you want to risk your grade, go ahead. Why are you so obsessed with what he does?” 

“Obsessed? I don’t care what he does! He-”

“Then stop fighting with him over his decisions!” Xavier turned to me. “And stop fighting back! These never go anywhere and they're getting old!” 

The four of us stared at him as my annoyance faded to guilt. “I… I’m sorry, I didn’t-”

“Don’t… Don’t apologize. You…” Xavier began before looking at the girls. He took a deep breath and met my gaze again. “Don’t do this again. Please.” 

I quickly nodded as Lexi scoffed. “Yeah, because that’ll stop him.” 

“It will because he actually gives a bloody damn about what I say,” Xavier spat. 

Lexi rolled her eyes, but thankfully stayed quiet as I looked down at Selene. She frowned, but patted my arm before Austin cleared his throat. 

“So… since we’re back together… How about we get some lunch?”

Chapter Text

The rest of our time on Akala was thankfully uneventful. While Lexi and I didn’t say a word to each other, we kept the peace. We got lunch, and Decidueye got to properly show off her evolution. Although she evolved at a bad time, she was really happy to be a Decidueye. I was proud of her, and so were our other Pokemon. Alyssa asked how she evolved though, so that was a fun lie to come up with. Speaking of lies, I made a group chat with Austin and Xavier to tell them exactly what happened. While Austin was unphased as always, Xavier stared at his phone in shock for a solid minute before telling me I’m the luckiest person alive. 

Since we had the rest of the day to kill though, we decided to do the internship at Hano Grand Resort. We mainly helped with cleaning across the resort, but we did get to help set up and see a presentation from a professor stationed in Pasio; a small region owned by Unova. She presented a theory over the bonds between people and Pokemon, and discussed that there’s an untapped potential in Pokemon that can only be unlocked if there’s a strong bond between them and their trainer. While Lexi wasn’t interested, the rest of us got invested. It made me wonder if that’s what’s going on with Dubwool though. I mean, it’s possible for Pokemon to just do things to help their trainers. Rayne’s Gardevoir Mega Evolved without a Mega Stone when she faced Archie, her Eevee sort of created Veevee Volley to beat Red, and both of our Pokemon endure attacks so we can win all the time. Who’s to say Dubwool isn’t unintentionally doing… something to keep me safe? I don’t know. I took a lot of notes. 

Rayne finally texted me back though, and she said me having ice powers now was so obvious. While we’re not entirely sure what she has, she did remind me that Owen could control magma, and that Professor Turo’s Battle Bot could create rocks with Rayne’s code, so we think she has rock powers. I guess it makes sense since I have frozen water, so having solidified or ‘frozen’ fire would keep things balanced, and Owen using magma could make sense since it’s melted rock, so… It’s a weird choice. We figured she at least has magma since Owen did, but… It’s all a big theory right now. 

I filled her in on what happened at Aether though. While she was pissed that Phyco attacked me, she’s glad it ended well. She told me to be prepared for a fight at any moment though. Now that the Ultra Recon Squad knows Pheromosa is actively protecting me, it would be wishful thinking to assume they’ll still suck up to me. I still have at least two more islands to go through, so I need to be prepared for anything. I really should’ve thanked Naganadel for leaving Poipole with me. 

The rest of the day went smoothly though. We stayed at the resort for the rest of the day, grabbed some dinner at one of the local cafes, and stayed at the Pokemon Center since we refused to cave to Lexi’s begging to stay at the hotel. I did my daily assignments while Xavier worked on his report, and to our surprise, Austin worked on his report too. Rayne said she was proud of him during our call. 

I woke up in the middle of the night to my usual nightmare, but was actually able to distract the crippling dread it left me with by the fact that my arm was only sore and the fact that I wasn’t sweating profusely anymore. I was still burning up, but I’ll take it. Since Xavier asked me to stay in our room though, I spent the next few hours reading to keep myself distracted until Xavier woke up. He checked on my physical state before we woke Austin up and got ready. 

The three of us took our Pokemon to the cafe to get some breakfast, and while we waited at the bar, someone came up beside me. I looked up, seeing Olivia smiling down at me with her hands behind her back. 

“Uh… hi?” I asked. 

Olivia’s smile rose before she pulled her hands out from behind her to reveal a small, velvet box. “Tada!” 

My eyes widened before I met her gaze again. “You got it done?” 

Olivia nodded. “Just like I said.”

A smile rose to my lips before I took the box and opened it. The exact ring I asked for 2 days ago was resting in the case. A raindrop-shaped lapis gem on a thin silver band that had detailed fire designs around the gem. 

“Woah…” Austin breathed out as he looked over my shoulder. 

“Shiny,” Oricorio added as I took the ring out. I turned the ring around to see the inside and smiled at the text. 

March 12th, 2022

I went between a few dates, but settled on this one. When I showed my family the ring she got me, Rayne joked about our wedding being on March 12, but when Vic asked what year, she just shrugged. So I decided. While we can get legally married when we turn 18, I know we both want an actual ceremony so we can celebrate it with our friends and family. I want us to get settled into our long-term jobs first so we’re not overwhelmed though. Since I graduate in spring of 2019 and Rayne takes over for Satoshi in April of 2021, getting married in 2022 gives us that time. Yeah, being a researcher is nowhere near as stressful as running the world, but if Satoshi’s plan works out, he’ll shadow her for her last year while she does everything, so she’ll technically have 2 years of experience. It may be 6 years away, but we have time. Plus, I have three more missions after this that can span from now to… who knows when. Arceus gave me a year off, so… I’m not going to think about that. 

“Is this what you wanted?” Olivia asked. 

I nodded and put the ring back before looking up at her. “Thank you. Really. This… I can’t believe you got it made so fast.”

Olivia waved me off. “It’s no big deal. You helped Lele, so it’s the least I could do.” 

“Still. Thank you,” I replied as my Pokemon stepped closer to me to look at the ring. 

I tilted the box down for them to see as Olivia shrugged. “Anyway, I’m also here to let you kids know I’ll be sending you off to Ula’Ula. Meet me at the docks by 9:00, and don’t forget anything. I don’t want to have to chase you down on our biggest island.” 

“We will,” Xavier assured. 

Olivia simply nodded before the barista put our orders down. We thanked him before Olivia pulled him aside to order something. 

Olivia left before the girls woke up, so we told them what she told us. After we all finished breakfast, we checked out and made our way to the docks to wait for the others. The other team arrived with Olivia before 9:00, and the boys in that group caught up with Austin while we waited. 

The boat ride was thankfully uneventful. I watched the water types again with Winter and Selene, and this time, Brionne and Araquanid jumped in to swim around with the other team’s water types. Decidueye flew around with Rowlet, Ribombee, and Oricorio, and our other Pokemon played around the deck. Marty asked about my tattoo-familiar, but I just lied and said I lost a bet. Irene gave me a disapproving look, but Mira and the boys on their team found it funny. 

When we docked, the ten of us left the boat with our Pokemon. I kept my Pokemon out so they could look around, and while Lexi gave me annoyed looks, she didn’t say anything. Probably because the other team was with us, but I’ll take it. 

Guzma and Plumeria were waiting back the steps at the end of the dock. Oh yeah. Guzma’s our guide here. When he saw me though, he perked up and pointed at me. “You!” 

I smiled and held out the arm around Selene. “Me.” 

He and Plumeria smiled at me before Guzma stood up and led Plumeria over to us. “What are you doing here, man? Don’t tell me your smartass is actually in school.” 

“We all have something to learn,” I defended. 

Guzma rolled his eyes, but held his smile. “You are such a nerd.” 

“You don’t say?” 

“Uh, who are you and how do you know Hop?” Alyssa asked. 

“I’m ya boy Guzma, this pretty lady is Plumeria, and we all have a mutual friend.” 

Plumeria bumped her fist against his shoulder. “He’s also your tour guide.” 

“Only because that pretty professor is paying me. I don’t do college kids,” Guzma replied before lightly punching my shoulder. “Except you. You’re cool.” 

“How?” Lexi asked. 

“If you had taste, you’d know,” Guzma fired back. 

I had to force myself to not laugh as I looked away, but Austin and the boys from the other team laughed anyway. I didn’t think Guzma found me cool. He only talked to me during Rayne’s Master party, and it was to say the plan I gave Leon for the Team Rocket escape was ‘insane’ and that he hasn’t had that much fun in years. Which I found surprising since it was a mafia raid, but ok. I guess that plan made a lot of good impressions. The entire Kanto League told me they’re indebted to me, which I found a bit excessive. I just gave Leon a map and told him what to do to break everyone out. It wasn’t a big deal. Everyone held off grunts or helped the kidnapped trainers out while Rayne took care of Giovanni, so I shouldn’t get all the praise. I just made the plan. 

“Anyway,” Guzma began before holding out his arms, “welcome to Ula’Ula Island! The biggest island of Alola!” 

“And the island you’re more likely to get cursed on,” Plumeria added. 

“Wait, what?” Jacob asked. 

“Yeah, so there’s a few extra rules you gotta follow here. We’ll explain on the way,” Guzma replied before motioning for us to follow him. 

My peers and I looked between each other as Guzma and Plumeria led us to the stairs. I started following them though, prompting the others to follow me. 

“So, as you smartasses should know, Ula’Ula Island is where our queen is buried,” Guzma began. “Her spirit lives on, and she’s very protective of her precious islands. Since her body is here, she can get her mystical little hands on you. If you damage or disrespect anything here, she’ll curse you. Trust me. My entire crew has been cursed, but she likes us now, so we’re all good.” 

I couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, because you aren’t vandalizing the island anymore.” 

“I’ll take it though. I’ve had enough shit spontaneously combust,” Plumeria replied. 

“So… if we upset this dead lady, she’ll light us on fire?” Lexi asked. 

“Not you specifically. Unless you really piss her off, but that hasn’t happened as far as I know. She’ll just light your belongings on fire at the most unexpected time,” Plumeria replied. 

“I think this is more of Julian terrorizing those who upset his wife,” Dubwool said. 

“Probably,” I muttered. 

“Just don’t break her shit and you’ll be fine,” Guzma said before they stopped and turned to us. We stopped as well before they turned to their left. “Your first test is here.” We all looked over, seeing the gates of Malie Garden. “You’ll greet her spirit in her garden.” 

“Are you serious?” Lexi asked. 

“Yeah. It’s usually reserved for trial goers, but your little professor wants you to do it to respect our queen,” Plumeria sweetly spat before motioning to the garden. “Complain all you want, sugar pop. See where it gets you.” 

I turned to Lexi as our two guides led us into the garden, seeing her roll her eyes. “Whatever.” 

We entered Malie Garden, and saying it was beautiful would be an understatement. The vision/nightmare I had of it didn’t do it justice. Everything was so well kept, from the plants to the structures. The gold along the structures glowed under the sun, the air felt so fresh, and the view itself was gorgeous. 

Guzma and Plumeria took us to the little booth set up near the back of the garden so we could each buy a blue candle stick. Plumeria said they were called blessing candles, and that we’d take them to Eleanor’s shrine to pay our respects. If she accepted, she’d light the candle, and we’d let the smoke it created go past her shrine before putting them out in the water. They then led us to Eleanor’s shrine, which looked identical to Julian’s, only hers had a blue roof instead of a red roof. That, and it sat on a small patch of land surrounded by water. 

The ten of us stopped by the edge of the small mot before kneeling down. I put Winter down as Selene flew up to my shoulder. While my Pokemon sat around me, I put the candle between my hands and closed my eyes. I don’t think I’ve thanked Eleanor for her help yet. As unsettling as it is, I am thankful she’s used Blue Harmonia to help me. So thank you, Eleanor. I’ll do everything I can to keep Alola safe. 

While the candlestick grew warm in my hands, something that felt like arms made of cotton wrapped around my shoulders. “Thank you,” Eleanor whispered. I couldn’t help but smile before she squeezed my shoulders. “I’m sorry for everything that’s happened, but you’re doing well. Just hold on for a little longer. You can do this. Talk to Acerola to enter my shrine, alright? I’ll tell you whatever you want.” I simply nodded before the feeling of her arms disappeared. I opened my eyes, seeing my candlestick turned purple. 

My smile rose a bit before Lexi’s scream made it drop. All of us turned to her as she dropped her candlestick, which was covered in fire, into the mot and scurried back. I forced down the laugh threatening to come out as I turned my head away. Thank you for that, Eleanor. Or Julian. Or both of them. 

Austin, however, laughed along with Guzma, Plumeria, and most of the other team. I couldn’t stop myself from looking at Lexi, and while she glared at us, blood rushed to her face. “It’s not funny!” 

“Yes, it is,” Plumeria laughed out. 

“How did you already piss her off?” Guzma asked. 

“I didn’t do anything!” Lexi shrieked. 

A harsh wind blew by, blowing her hair into her face as the flames on the rest of our candles were blown out. Austin’s laughter grew as he fell back while Lexi angrily fixed her hair. 

“I think you did,” Plumeria teased.  

Lexi shot her an annoyed look, but focused on fixing her hair as Guzma took a deep breath. “Well, besides that one, our queen seems to like you guys.” Guzma turned to the shrine. “Don’t castrate anyone, your highness!” A breeze blew over the water, and Guzma stared at the water for a second before shrugging. “I’ll take that as a yes.” 

I shook my head, but held my smile before I picked up Winter and stood up. “So are you going to show us around or ditch us, oh humble tour guide?” 

“Did you not hear me when I said I’m only doing this for money?” Guzma asked. 

“I did, but I want to see how far you’ll go for money,” I replied as everyone else got up. 

Guzma rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “Look, I don’t care what you nerds do. Just don’t die or get caught doing anything illegal. That’s all I care about.” 

“So you won’t check in on us?” Mira asked. 

“Ew. No,” Guzma replied. 

“Just… Don’t go to Po Town. That’s all we ask,” Plumeria began before lightly punching Guzma’s shoulder. “This guy and I were chosen to be Trial Captains, but we’re still training.” Oh, yeah. Rayne mentioned that last year. “Po Town will be my trial grounds, and my Totem finally moved her stubborn ass in, so don’t bother them.” 

“Kiawe actually got Salazzle to move?” I asked. 

“Yeah. Now I’m stuck with her,” Plumeria complained. 

“Huh,” I muttered before looking at Guzma. “Does that mean Araquanid’s your Totem?” 

“Yeah,” Guzma grumbled. 

“Hey! Treat the boss with respect!” Araquanid barked. 

“The trials aren’t open though, are they?” Darius asked as Lycanroc patted one of Araquanid’s legs. 

“Nah. We’re still training. Tapu Bulu has to approve us before we can take the titles. Speaking of which, don’t bother Tapu Bulu unless you’re with Nanu. He hates everyone. Nanu does too, but Bulu will actually stab you,” Plumeria warned.

“Is everything on this island going to try to kill us?” Jacob asked. 

“Yes,” Plumeria simply replied. 

“The food won’t though! My boys started a food truck, so if you see them around, give them some funds. Their cooking won’t disappoint. Kept the squad fed for months while we were still causing chaos on the islands,” Guzma replied. 

“Chaos? Wait, were you criminals?” Alyssa asked. 

“Yeah, but they just wanted money. No one took them seriously either,” I replied. 

“That is… completely true, but seeing that president get possessed and sliced open told me crime was not the life I wanted. That, and Gladion told me to stop, and I’d rather not defy that kid,” Guzma replied. 

I couldn’t stop myself from smiling, but no one else spoke up. They just stared at him, probably processing what he just said. Guzma stared back before Plumeria broke the silence.

“Just follow the rules and don’t piss anyone off. You’ll be fine. We’re crashing at the trailer park outside Haina Desert, but we’ll either be at our trial grounds or with Tapu Bulufrom 9:00a.m to 8:00p.m. If that’s inconvenient for you, get over it. Talk to a local if you need help that badly.” 

“What if we get caught up in one of the many threats here?” Marty asked. 

“Call the cops like a normal person? The Kahuna’s a cop, dude,” Plumeria replied. I glanced at the other team, seeing they were giving her a confused look before she approached me. “But, Gladion told us about what’s going on, so here.” She handed me a slip of paper. “If I see anything, I’ll call you so we can take care of the situation. Do not contact me unless it’s an emergency. I hate giving out my number.” 

I nodded as I took the piece of paper. “Thank you.” 

“Wait, seriously? He gets your contact info!? What about us!?” Mira demanded. 

“Uh, I’m not a tour guide, gumdrop,” Plumeria reminded. 

“And I don’t give kids I don’t know my number. I’m not into that shit,” Guzma added. 

“You’ll be fine as long as you behave. It’s not a big deal. None of the other teams cared, so get over yourselves and don’t die. Ok? Ok.” 

“Good luck!” Guzma added before the two of them walked off. 

“Wow,” Irene said as we watched them leave. 

“Some guides,” Alyssa added. 

“I didn’t think anyone could top Burnet,” Decidueye added. 

“Me neither,” Lycanroc replied. 

Marty sighed. “I guess we’re on our own now.” He looked at our team. “Are you lot gonna stick around and explore the garden?” 

“Considering the dead lady tried to burn my hands off, I’d rather not,” Lexi complained as she crossed her arms. 

“Don’t let the dead lady hear you,” Austin mocked. She kicked his leg in response, but Torracat swatted her leg in response. 

While they kept arguing, Xavier turned to Alyssa and me. “Do you two want to explore?” 

I turned to Eleanor’s shrine. “I mainly wanted to see this, but I don’t mind.” I turned back to him. “We’ll come back to Malie later on anyway, so it doesn’t really matter.” 

“Well, considering ‘Lady Eleanor’ is Hop’s true love, we’ll let him have some time with her,” Mira teased. I gave her an annoyed look, but she just turned to her sister. “We can get your Komala and come back after.” 

Irene’s expression lit up. “Ok!” 

“I guess we’re off then,” Jacob replied before looking at us. “Good luck.” 

“You too,” Xavier replied. 

Jacob gave us a crooked smile before his team started to leave. Marty yelled bye to Austin, which got him and Lexi to stop bickering so he could say goodbye. 

I turned back to Eleanor’s shrine. She told me to talk to Acerola, so I guess entering her shrine won’t be as easy as Julian’s. I’m not surprised, knowing her, but still. Will I have to get Acerola every time I want to enter her shrine, or is it like… Does she give me a key? 

“So can we go in the shrine?” Austin asked. 

“No. It’s locked and there’s no known key. Professor Willow went over this in our lecture,” Xavier reminded. 

“We both know I don’t pay attention in that class,” Austin replied. 

Xavier rolled his eyes as Alyssa took out her phone and held it towards the shrine. I leaned over her shoulder, seeing her zoom her camera in on the door handles. 

“What are you doing?” I asked. 

“The textbook says there’s ancient text written on the door handles. It’s supposedly the same language on all known worship grounds,” she replied before taking a picture. “I want to see if some of the symbols match up. Maybe we can figure out a connection.” 

“To what? It’s a lost language,” I reminded. 

She shrugged before pulling up the picture. She zoomed in on the symbols, which let me actually read them. 

Find the journal's gatekeeper and prove your knowledge.

Gatekeeper… So that’s why Eleanor told me to find Acerola. She needs to test me, and she’ll probably give me… something to open the shrine. 

Austin leaned his head over Alyssa’s shoulder. “Huh. No one can read that?” 

Alyssa shook her head. “I took Kalos History last semester with Professor Pine, and she thinks the people who spoke this language were wiped out in Yveltal’s global reset that started the A.C era, but ruins in Sinnoh say otherwise. I think most of the speakers of this language were wiped out, and they failed to keep it alive in our current era. It makes more sense than all these speakers being conveniently killed off.” 

“Yeah…” I muttered before looking at Eleanor’s shrine.  

“If it’s written on worship grounds… maybe it’s a language used by lorekeepers to keep the messages between them,” Xavier offered. 

Alyssa’s eyes widened before she snapped her head towards me. “Didn’t you say your dad was a lorekeeper?” 

“Uh, yeah, but he didn’t teach us anything. Plus, my tío took over,” I replied. 

“Your what?” Lexi asked. 

Alyssa frowned before looking down at the picture. “Dang it…” 

I frowned at her reaction. “But uh… This is where Eleanor was buried, so maybe there’s some information or documents on this language.” 

“Maybe…” Alyssa muttered before looking at the shrine. “Professor Willow did say Malie had a huge library.” 

“Then let’s check it out!” Austin offered. 

“And make our game plan for Ula’Ula. Besides a few… hiccups, I’d say Akala went pretty well,” Xavier added. 

“Then let’s go to the Pokemon Center, grab a map, and make our plan! Then we can check out the library and the rest of Malie!” Austin offered. 

“Uh, yeah! If you guys want to,” Alyssa replied before looking between us. 

“Yeah,” I replied as Xavier nodded. Lexi shrugged, but stayed quiet. 

Austin turned to the shrine and waved. “Bye, Miss Eleanor! Please give us a safe trip through your island!” 

Lexi scoffed as she started walking away. “Yeah, like she’ll listen.” 

“Well, she likes us, unlike you,” Austin teased as he and Alyssa followed Lexi. 

I turned to Eleanor’s shrine, hearing Lexi’s voice as a breeze blew by. If anything, Eleanor, please help me keep them safe.

Chapter Text

Like on Akala, we bought a map of the island to make our plan for the next 5 days here. Today, we’d visit the library before getting lunch and exploring the rest of the city. Since there was a trial on Mount Hokulani, we’d go up there after we were done in Malie for me to challenge Sophocles. We’d then explore the rest of the observatory, then come back to Malie for dinner. Tomorrow, we’d make our way to Tapu Village to explore the ruins, along with the other stops along the way. We’d grab lunch in town, then grab Acerola from the Aether House so she could take us to Nanu to visit the Ruins of Abundance, then call it a night. On the 13th, I’d challenge Acerola after breakfast, then we’d take a break at the beach since I fully expect to get creeped out in the trial. Rayne said the ghost types are ‘getting more creative’, so I’m not looking forward to that. Anyway, we’d get lunch afterwards then visit Ula’Ula Meadow and the Altar of the Moone. I may challenge the Totem Primarina there just to ensure I have eighteen Z-Crystals by the end of Poni Island. We’d head back to Tapu Village and stay the night again, then we’d spend our last 2 days exploring, doing research, and doing anything else we missed. Mantine Surfing including. 

With our plan made, Xavier put our map away and led us to the library. Lexi made me return Araquanid, so Lycanroc tapped out too, but the rest of our Pokemon stayed out. We passed by the various shops lining the main street, including something that claims to be a replica of a Kanto Gym. Austin joked about me challenge it, but I declined. I’d rather challenge the real Gyms. Especially since Blue kicked my butt. We all got an idea of where we wanted to go after the library though. 

When we entered the library, I couldn’t help but smile. It was around the same size as the Hau’Oli library, but it felt cozier here. I love it. 

Austin whistled as we all walked in. “This place is nice.” 

“Thank you,” a familiar voice said. All of us turned to the front desk, seeing Acerola smiling at us. “I do my best to keep this place nice.” 

“Well, you do a great job. Are you the owner?” Alyssa asked as Selene waved at Acerola. 

“Nah. My dad is, but he’s always away looking for more documents,” Acerola replied, but waved back at Selene. 

“Oh…” Alyssa muttered. 

“Yeah,” Acerola began before looking at me. “So what are you doing here? Come to visit Lady Eleanor?” 

“Not specifically. We’re here on a school trip,” I began before looking at my classmates. “This is Acerola. She’s a Trial Captain and member of the Elite Four.” 

“Nice to meet’cha,” Acerola added. 

“Uh, you too,” Alyssa began before stepping towards the desk and taking out her phone. “Since your dad’s the owner though, do you know if there’s anything on this language?” 

Alyssa put her phone on the front desk, making Acerola lean forward a bit to look at it. “Oh, the language of the gods? Sadly, no.” 

“Language of the gods? Does that mean gods can read it?” Austin asked as Acerola slid Alyssa’s phone back towards her. 

“Yeah. It’s for gods. No normal human can learn it because… well, why would gods teach us their language?” Acerola replied. 

“So that’s why it’s on every worship site…” Alyssa muttered before taking her phone back. “So… There’s really no data on it? Not even from… I don’t know, thousands of years ago? No one has tried to figure it out?” 

“Oh, a lot of people across time have tried to figure it out, but no one’s been able to. The only humans who can understand it are the Dual Heroes, but it’s supposedly their first language, so no translation guide exists. If there are notes on it, it’s kept with one of the lorekeepers between generations, but they wouldn’t show it to the general public.” 

“Why? Isn’t that their job as lorekeepers?” Lexi asked. 

“No. The job of lorekeeper is to inform the Dual Heroes about the world’s lore. Even we can’t know it all. There’s uh…” Acerola looked up and counted on her fingers, “three groups of lorekeepers. The Gatekeepers, who hold the lore of the gods, the Moradas, who hold the lore of the Dual Heroes, and the Draconids, who hold the lore of the universe and history. A lot of data intertwines, but none of us know everything.”  

“Wait, ‘us’? Are you a lorekeeper?” Alyssa asked. 

Acerola smiled and nodded. “I’m a Gatekeeper. A descendant of Sir Julian and Lady Eleanor themselves.” 

“Woah…” Alyssa breathed out as I smiled. 

“Yet you know nothing about the god language?” Lexi asked. 

“No. Again, there’s next to no notes on it. It’s not for us,” Acerola replied before looking between the rest of us. “If you guys are interested though, we have some books over the gods and mythology in our history section.” 

“Why can’t you tell us since you know so much?” Lexi asked. 

Acerola narrowed her eyes. “My knowledge isn’t for you, knave.” 

I bit back a laugh, and while Austin snorted, Winter, Decidueye, and Selene giggled. I couldn’t help but turn to Lexi, seeing her copy Acerola’s glare. “I don’t want your knowledge anyway. It’s useless to me.” 

“Sure it is,” Acerola hissed before she looked between the rest of us, her smile returning. “Like I was saying though, we have a lot of pieces about the legendaries and Dual Heroes. We just got an organized transcript of Marigold Lightrus’ medical journal from 900 years ago.” 

I saw Xavier perk up. “Medical journal?” 

Acerola nodded. “She created the modern medicine system. We also have the notes Noelle Paru left for-”

Xavier slammed his hands on the counter, cutting her off. “I’m sorry, a Dual Hero created modern medicine?!” 

“You didn’t know that?” I asked. 

Xavier snapped his head around to look at me. “You knew!?” 

“Yeah?” 

“And didn’t tell me!?” 

“I thought you knew! You’re a Med Major!” 

“Well, I didn’t!” 

“But now you do!” Acerola cheered, bringing our attention back to her. “Every Blue Hero has created something major in society. Architecture, historical decoding, medicine, and possibly modern weaponry, but that’s still being debated.”

“One of them invented architecture?” Austin softly asked. 

“Yep!” Acerola cheered. 

Austin grabbed Xavier’s arm. “We’re finding those books!” 

“They’ll be upstairs!” Acerola called as Austin yanked Xavier away from the desk, but he quickly started following Austin. “Look for Marigold Lightrus and Eleanor Saphlight!” 

“Wait, Eleanor invented architecture?” Alyssa asked as Austin and Xavier’s Pokemon ran after them. 

Acerola nodded, holding her smile. “At least the basis for modern architecture. She figured out how to keep structures grounded.” 

“Of course she did,” Lexi grumbled. 

“What? Don’t believe it?” Acerola sweetly hissed. 

“That one person figured out something like architecture while also being queen of a formerly enslaved island district? Yeah, no. You people can worship her all you want, but claiming she invented this rubbish is pushing it,” Lexi replied. 

Acerola hummed, her smile growing forced. “Well, we’re going off documented proof, but you believe what you want. Just don’t start crying when Lady Eleanor lights that pretty skirt on fire in 2 days.” 

I pressed my lips together to hold back a laugh, but I heard Dubwool let out a breathy chuckle as Selene failed to hold back her own giggles. Ok, I like the Ula’Ula Trial Captains. 

Lexi scoffed. “Whatever.” She stepped away from the desk. “I’m going to see if there’s anything here for my paper. Come on, Lyssa.” 

“Oh, but I kinda wanted to-” Alyssa began. 

“You can do that later!” Lexi interrupted. 

Alyssa flinched but sighed. “Fine…” 

I glared at Lexi as Alyssa leaned down to pick up Alcremie. “What did you want to see?” 

“Uh, just the historical decoding. I mean, compared to the transcript of a medical encyclopedia, it’s pretty boring, but-” Alyssa began. 

“No, it’s not. I want to look at all of them. I’ll find it and show you part of it later,” I began before turning to Acerola. “Assuming Noelle’s book is here too?” 

Acerola nodded. “All three of them are here. All we’re missing is Axzol’s notes for the Ultimate Weapon, but my dad has no traces to where they could be. They were last seen in the Morada family during the 11th century, but when my dad asked, your uncle was clueless.” She pointed at me as her smile grew. “Theory goes that a second gen hater stole them, but we have no idea where they could be by now.” 

“Huh…” I muttered before looking up in thought. 

Rayne said Lysandre claimed to be related to AZ or possibly his brother, so if that’s true… I’m related to a psycho. Fun. It would explain how he knew about the weapon though. Rayne learned next to nothing about her enemies’ motives, so most of her stories left me with several questions. I asked Archie and Lusamine what they were doing to get the full story, and they actually had thought out plans. Then Giovanni’s was self-explanatory, but Miraidon’s exposition helped. Lysandre though… What Rayne knew about him made no sense, but she tries not to think about Team Flare, so I don’t push. Still… If AZ’s blueprints were passed through his family, his knowledge on the weapon would make sense if his ancestor stole the data on it from mine, related or not. I wish there was a way for me to figure out what he was doing though.

“Anyway,” Acerola began, bringing my attention back to her. “Whenever you want to learn about the Dual Heroes,” she winked, “stop by before noon. I work morning shifts.” 

I smiled, realizing her real ‘message’ before nodding. “Alright. Thanks, Acerola.” 

“Anytime! Oh, and if you’re doing my trial, I’ll be over there in the latter half of the day.” 

“I thought so,” I replied before looking at Alyssa. “Good luck with the she-beast.” 

She gave me a crooked smile. “Thanks.” 

“We’ll need it,” Ribbombee added before Alyssa turned around and went after Lexi. Her three Pokemon waved to us before Ribbombee and Brionne went after their trainer. My team waved back as I frowned. 

“That blonde girl is mean,” Acerola sweetly said. 

“Tell me about it,” I softly replied before I led my team to the stairs. 

~

We stayed at the library longer than I expected. Xavier and Austin wanted to read everything Marigold and Eleanor wrote, and I read a few pages with them. Marigold’s work was way more fascinating, but also made me wonder how she figured a good ninety percent of the medical system out. And how messy her original journal was, because this was packed with information. Eleanor’s journal made sense for her though. Her main inspiration for practically inventing the basics of architecture were to help rebuild more run down, poor, and abandoned areas, Alola included. Her notes and data made more sense too, probably because her whole process was a bunch of trial and error. For the time though, I could see how revolutionary it was. 

I started looking for Noelle’s book after looking at the other two, and actually read it when I found it. Noelle and Zavier’s whole mission was apparently to reintroduce destroyed lore into society, so Noelle figuring out how to decode surviving text and new ruins makes more sense. Most of the journal was her presenting an ancient ruin and providing the translation, but there were a few guides on how to translate different languages, calligraphy, and monuments that are more recent. It was still impressive though. Arceus, these women were geniuses. Now AZ being able to make the Ultimate Weapon and even Emily being able to make Miraidon makes more sense. This is the standard. How am I going to live up to that? What can I even do? I have no idea what I’ll contribute to society, and my seniors and even my successor figured it out before they knew they were Dual Heroes. Then again, Emily did say making Miraidon was nothing impressive for her time’s standard, but still. She made a god. By herself. As a child! How am I going to live up to these people? 

“Don’t tell me you lot are still looking at those things,” Lexi complained as she and Alyssa approached us. 

“Uh, yeah. We are,” Austin replied. 

Lexi groaned in annoyance as Alyssa came over to me. “Did you find it?” 

I nodded before putting the book down in front of her. “It’s basically a guide on how to decode any ruin from the beginning of the A.C era. Ones dating before and after Yveltal’s reset.” 

“Wow…” she breathed out before she picked up the book. 

“Seriously? You too? Why do you care so much about these things?” Lexi asked. 

“Uh, hello?” Austin asked before holding up his book. “Creator of architecture? This is like half my career.” 

“This is my career,” Xavier said, but didn’t look away from his book. 

“And we think it’s interesting. Excuse us for actually enjoying research,” Alyssa complained, but kept her eyes on her book. 

My eyes widened as Lexi’s jaw dropped. “Seriously? You’re on their side?” 

“It’s not a side. You’re just being dramatic. I know you want to go shopping, but this isn’t just your trip. We want to look at this, so you can wait,” Alyssa replied, but still didn’t look at Lexi. When I saw her lift her hand to turn the page though, I saw her hand was shaking. Ribbombee bumped her head against Alyssa’s cheek, so I looked down at Alcremie and Brionne. While Alcremie patted Alyssa’s leg, Brionne leaned her head against Alyssa’s other leg. 

“Yeah, but we’ve been here for almost an hour. We can come back later. You keep telling me that,” Lexi reminded. 

“Yeah, because the rest of us don’t want to spend the day shopping,” Austin fired back. 

“Oh, but you’ll stay cooped up in a library looking at books?” 

“Mate.” Austin held up his book again and shook it. “Career!” 

“Plus, we won’t find these anywhere else. The data in these is thousands of years old,” Xavier reminded before tapping the page he was on. “And this is the creator of the medical system! The Arceus to medicine! The medical bible! I would keep this if I could.” 

“Marigold’s grave is in Circhester, so I can take you on our next break if you want,” I offered. 

Xavier snapped his head towards me. “She was buried in Galar?” 

“She was born in Galar.” 

Xavier’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious?” I nodded. He leaned back to run his hands through his hair. “My life has been a lie…” 

I couldn’t help but smile at his comment as Lexi scoffed. “You lot are unbelievable.” 

“Just get over it. We’ll leave when we’re ready to,” I replied. 

“Yeah. If you’re so bored, work on your assignments,” Xavier offered as he looked back at his book. 

“No. This- We just got here! We’ve been here for over an hour, and we have better things to do than stare at books!” 

“Like what? Stare at clothes?” Austin fired back. 

Lexi shot him a glare. “Don’t start.” 

Austin held up his hands in surrender as Torracat growled at her, but I rolled my eyes at her comment. “Why do you care? If you’re so desperate to go shopping, go ahead. We’re not leaving because you said so.” 

“Oh sure. I’ll just risk getting kicked off the trip. Great idea, junior genius. I’ll just tell Professor Willow it’s for research and he’ll instantly forgive me!” 

“Why are you still hung up on that?! It doesn’t even matter!” 

“Guys, we’re in a library,” Xavier reminded. 

“Because it’s stupid! You broke the biggest rule and got away with it because you want to play hero and do ‘research’ on aliens you shouldn’t even be interacting with! Willow should’ve sent your ass home because why in Arceus’ name is he letting you fight Ultra Beasts?!” 

“He’s not! Professor Burnet only called me over to show me research on Ultra Beasts!” 

“Guys-” Xavier hissed. 

“Yeah, so you can fight them!” 

“No! I’ve been interested in them before I came here! Rayne owns several of them! Can I not ask a professional about alien Pokemon while also defending Alola?!” 

“Defending? You’re doing a job you shouldn’t be just because the sad excuse for a Champion here didn’t want to.” 

“No, I’m not!” 

“Then why are you doing this?! Because The Master made you? To feel important because you’re not special like Leon or The Master? Oh, let me guess: To resolve your crippling daddy issues that practically control you?” 

I flinched at her words, but felt my heart twist as… his body flashed through my mind. I bit the inside of my cheek as I forced myself to take a deep breath to not tear up. Stay in control. Don’t let her get to you. It’s just a petty fight. Stop thinking about it.  

“I’m going to shoot her,” Decidueye calmly said. 

“I’m going to maul her,” Silvally added. 

“Cosmog,” Selene added as she crossed her arms. 

“Are you serious?” Alyssa asked. 

Lexi held out her arms in defense. “Am I wrong?!” 

“Yes! You are!” Alyssa barked before throwing her book on the table. “What the hell is wrong with you?!” 

“Excuse me?!” 

“Ex- Are you serious? You have the audacity to mock him over something like this and expect me to be on your side? He’s my friend, he’s trying to break out of Leon and Rayne’s shadows, and the 10 year anniversary of his dad dying was 2 days ago! Why in Arceus’ name would I be on your side?” 

The four of us stared at her before Lexi narrowed her eyes and stepped towards the table. “Because I’m your friend. You’re best friend. You hated him for weeks, but the second he gets hot, you’re all over him. And you call me ridiculous? Excuse me for trying to keep my friend out of la la land while some bloke tries to destroy her relationships!” 

My expression dropped at her words as Alyssa scoffed “Seriously? You think I became his friend because of his looks? Do you seriously think I’m that shallow?”

“Considering you’re siding with him over me, yeah. I guess I do.” 

“Are you serious!? Just because I tell you everything doesn’t mean I’ll always side with you! You and our other sisters aren’t my only friends!” 

“Well, you’re acting like HE is!” 

“No, I’m not! I wanted you two to get along, and I wanted you two to come out of this as friends, but you keep doing this!” 

“Calling him out on his bullshit!?” 

“No! Fighting over literally nothing! What’s the point!? Why can’t you just get along!? Both of you are my friends!” 

“Because I’m not a controlling tosser like he is!” 

Silence finally fell between us as I stared at Lexi. I want to think she’s wrong, but… Before this trip, Alyssa and Lexi got along great. She’s told me countless times how Lexi feels like her sister, but… Ever since Valentine's Day… Am I really destroying their friendship because I’m mad at Lexi? I didn’t see the apology. My opinion of that shouldn’t matter, yet… I’m constantly showing Alyssa I hate her best friend. What kind of friend am I to do that? I can hate Lexi all I want because she’s a horrible person, but Alyssa still cares about her. It’s as if Arven constantly fought with Victor. I care about both of them, and it would hurt seeing them fight, especially over me, so… What am I doing? Why didn’t I notice this sooner?

Xavier started to say something, but I didn’t listen as I picked up Winter from my lap to stand up. She gave me a worried look, but I just adjusted my grip on her and stepped around Alyssa. My Pokemon followed me as I led them to the stairs. 

“Are you ok?” Dubwool softly asked as he came to my side. 

I nodded. “Just… need some air.” Because I’m a horrible friend. No wonder all my friends started as Rayne’s. I always mess something up with friends I make by myself. I’m freaking Xavier out with my bullshit just like I freaked out Arven, I’m the reason Alyssa’s fighting with her friends, Victor got mad at Rayne because I’m so obsessed with her, and… who knows what I’ll do to Austin. 

“Where are you going!?” Lexi demanded. 

“Away from this. So I won't ruin anything else,” I replied. 

“Hop-” Xavier began, but Lexi cut him off. 

“Wow. Now you’re running away? Real mature, kid.” 

I tightened my grip around Winter, but stayed quiet as I went downstairs. This isn’t my fight. This is about their friendship. I’ll let them figure it out. I have no say anyway. I can call Lexi a horrible person all I want. She’s still Alyssa’s friend, and I shouldn’t tell my friends who they can be friends with. I need to talk to Eleanor anyway.

Chapter Text

“Why is everyone yelling?” Acerola asked me as I reached the bottom of the steps. 

“Because I’m a cryptic jerk. Can I take Eleanor’s test?” I asked before stopping in front of the front desk. 

Acerola gave me a conflicted look. “Uh… I didn’t think you could be either of those things, but ok. As long as they stop yelling.” She ducked down to look under the desk. “I was about to send Sableye up to throw rocks at you guys.” 

I looked down at my Pokemon. “Sorry…” 

“Nah, it’s cool. A different student from the last round spilled their coffee on a translated copy of uh… a journal from a Kalos royal from the A.C era, so I’ve dealt with worse college kids.” She straightened up, now holding a small notebook. “We should do this in a more secluded area though. In case one of them comes down.” 

I turned to the stairs. “Yeah…” 

“Follow me,” Acerola said before jumping off whatever she was standing on behind the counter and walking around the desk. I followed her as she made her way through the first floor, and when she sat down at one of the tables in the back, I sat across from her. 

“Alrighty,” she began before opening the small journal. “Lady Eleanor left five questions for you. They should be easy for Blue Heroes, but I honestly have no idea.” I nodded as she flipped through the pages. “Ok. Question one: Who are the former Dual Heroes?” 

“Julian Rubious, Eleanor Saphlight, Axzol Argent, Arya Dior, Noelle Paru, Zavier Daiya, Bennett Shadowwisp, and Marigold Lightrus,” I listed. 

Acerola nodded. “Question two: Who were Z-Moves originally for?” 

“The Tapus and, in turn, the Kahunas.” 

Acerola nodded again. “Question three: Who was Lady Eleanor’s most trusted partner?” 

“Primarina.” 

“Wow, these are easy for you.” I smiled at her comment before she went on. “Question four: What do you have to do before Arceus’ final test?” 

“Catch all my bonded legendaries and mythicals and collect Arceus’ eighteen plates.” 

Acerola smiled. “Final question.” She looked up at me. “What are Celebi’s warnings on time travel?” 

I gave her a confused look. “Don’t do it?” 

“But if you do travel through time, what rules do you need to follow?” 

I looked up in thought. Celebi only told me once while panicking, so she rushed it. There were… four? Five rules? 

“Uh… Don’t break anything. Don’t look at your past or future self, don’t talk to anyone you know in your current timeline… Uh…” I looked at Acerola again. “Is there more?” 

“Is there?” she asked, giving me a cheeky smile. 

I sighed and ran my hands over my face. Why is this a question, Eleanor? Why do we need to know the rules of time travel when I’m probably the only one who’s done it? 

“Um… Don’t break anything, don’t talk to anyone I know, don’t look at my past self… what…” I perked up. “Don’t reveal my real identity to anyone.” 

“Ding ding ding. We have a winner,” Acerola sang before turning the page in her book. “The key to opening Eleanor’s shrine is to simply say the Blue Hero guidance.” 

I gave her a confused look as she closed the book. “Excuse me?” 

She shrugged. “That’s what’s written. Did any of them give you any guidance?” 

“No. How could…” I began before realization dawned on me. Marigold left a letter for me and told me to learn. That’s the answer. Learn. 

Acerola faked a gasp. “The Blue Hero forgot. I never thought I’d see the day.” 

I couldn’t help but smile before I stood up. “A lot’s going on. I can’t help it. Thank you though. I know what to do.” 

“You’re welcome! Say hi to Lady Eleanor for me!” Acerola cheered as I quickly made my way to the exit. 

I led my Pokemon back to Malie Garden and made a beeline for Eleanor’s shrine. I made the water part so my Pokemon could cross, which also reminded me to let out Araquanid and Lycanroc again, before stopping in front of the door. I took a deep breath before grabbing the door handle and placing my forehead against the wooden door. 

“Learn.” 

A lock clicked, and I couldn’t help but smile before I pulled the door open. I stepped inside, and while my Pokemon trickled in, I looked around. There was a portrait of Eleanor on the back wall hanging over a coffin, but the coffin was covered in a variety of items. Incenses, journals, wooden figures, all sorts of jewelry, and flowers. I tilted my head just as blue fire appeared in the golden dishes hanging on the walls. Winter flinched in my arms as the smoke flew towards the coffin and formed Eleanor’s spirit above it. 

She opened her eyes and gave me a small smile. “Hello, dear.” 

I gave her a pressed smile. “Hey.” 

“Cosmog!” Selene cheered before flying towards her. 

Eleanor’s smile widened before she held out her arms to accept Selene’s hug. Eleanor squeezed Selene before letting her go, and while Selene flew down to her lap, Eleanor looked back at me. She took a deep breath before resting her arms against her knees. “What do you want to start with?” 

I looked down at Winter, which made her tilt her head. My gaze trailed from Eleanor’s bracelet to my arm. “Blue Harmonia.” I lifted my gaze to hers. “How is it still there? And- and why are you using it? Why-”

Eleanor held up her hand, so I stopped. “That…” She lowered her arm and looked down at Selene. “I didn’t want to. Arceus has made it so that us gods cannot control one another. Only Giratina has the ability to corrupt us. This… When Ghetsis did it, we had to get creative. Only Arceus himself can get rid of it, but he wants to stay as uninvolved as possible, so… The best I could do was override his control on you by adding my voice to the command. When Arceus saw what happened with the Alpha Necrozma and… after hearing from our Necrozma…” She clenched her hands into fists. “I’m sorry, dear.” 

I narrowed my eyes, but felt my throat get tight. “So Arceus has that little faith in me? He told you to control me because I can’t do this on my own!?” 

“No! I… Maybe! I don’t know,” Eleanor began before looking at me. “If anything, he has faith in you, but you aren’t supposed to work alone. This…” Eleanor looked down again. “When Little Red worked alone, her mind held her back from fighting until it was absolutely necessary. It made Julian and Arceus so frustrated, but it’s the consequence of working alone. When Arceus saw that Necrozma and asked ours what was going on…” She shook her head. “We can’t afford you getting in your own head. I’m going along with it not only because I don’t have a choice, but so you can learn from it and to keep Havai safe.” 

“But learn what?” I breathed out as Dubwool nudged my hip. 

“When you need to be focused and ignore your heart,” Eleanor replied before looking at me. “Until Marigold, we didn’t fight. Yes, I defended Havai, and yes, Axzol ended the… Kalos war, but that was it. Julian fought all our battles. Zavier fought all their battles. If any of us wielded weapons, it was for defense and strategizing. We assisted by giving them a plan or being the ones who brought peace to the fight. That’s how Arceus designed us at first. Marigold, however, was raised by and with trained warriors. She’s always been tough, or… ‘had a spine’, in the fallen Gatekeeper’s words.” She looked over. “Forgive me for mentioning him.” She returned her gaze to mine. “She insisted on helping Bennett fight though, and while she’s nowhere near as powerful as him, she’s very skilled. Unless Bennett or sometimes Jebediah were in trouble, she didn’t let her emotions control her. She fought with logic, not with impulse. Red Heroes are powerful because of how… unhinged they are, but we aren’t designed like that. If we fight, it has to be with logic because we’ll only hurt ourselves if we fight like them. So pay attention to how my order makes you feel and think, and keep those experiences with you for your next missions and even against Ink. You won’t be a perfect fighter, but you don’t need to be. You just need to be good enough to hold your ground until Little Red can take over.” 

I stared at her before slowly looking down at my Pokemon. The ones who weren’t looking at me turned to look up at me, probably waiting for a response. When we’re alone… we get in our own heads. Arceus may have made Eleanor use Blue Harmonia to not get annoyed with me, but Eleanor’s showing me how I need to think while in battle. I shouldn’t be upset about this. Yeah, it’s a bit insulting, but I can’t do anything about it. I should accept it and take something from it. Eleanor’s right. I can’t afford to get in my own head at this point. 

I took a deep breath and nodded. “Right.” I lifted my gaze to Eleanor’s. “Do you… know anything about Gleam, Megalion, or… anything about this that I should know?” 

Eleanor looked up in thought. “Well… I’d say we know everything we need to. For you… We don’t know how much you really know, since we don’t see your dreams. From what we do know though… Gleam’s soul was residing in the prism until I pulled her out when you absorbed it. We got her to tell us everything we wanted to know, and she’s temporarily staying in our realm. Arceus let her give you that scepter too.” Eleanor frowned and lowered her gaze to her hands. “She told us… exactly what Ink’s doing, and… She’s the reason Arceus gave you more abilities. He was saving those additional powers for the next generation, but… After all she said, Arceus believes you’ll need as many advantages as possible. He doesn’t seem too worried about Ink though. Arceus may be… difficult, but he knows how to protect his world. If push comes to shove, he’ll take care of Ink. Only if you two can’t take care of him though.” 

I frowned and looked down, so Winter patted my wrist in response. I should’ve expected that, really. Of course Arceus has multiple backup plans, but I hate how he’ll give up on us first. 

I reached up to lightly scratch under Winter’s chin as Lycanroc stepped beside me. “Ok, but what powers did Arceus give them? They’re clueless about Rayne.” 

Eleanor and I smiled at his question before she lifted her finger to her lips. “That’s not my secret to tell.” 

“Aw. Come on, Lady Eleanor!” Decidueye teased. 

“We won’t tell,” Araquanid added. 

“Sure you won’t,” Eleanor teased before looking at me. “Arceus wants you to figure it out yourself. Not just this, but everything. You’ll see what he gave you though, and I’m sure you’ll come up with a way to beat Ink.” 

“I should’ve expected that…” I muttered before taking a deep breath. “If AZ can make a death machine, surely I can do this.” 

Eleanor laughed at my comment. “I mean, your minds are similar, but in no way are those situations!” 

“How is my mind similar to Axzol Argent’s?” I asked. 

“Because Arceus said so,” Eleanor teased before leaning back. “You just don’t trust yourself enough to see it.” I rolled my eyes. “Ah! Don’t give me that!” 

“What will you do to stop me?” I mocked. 

“Cosmog cos cos!” Selene threatened, but smiled at me. 

Eleanor laughed at her response. “Yeah, I doubt papa would do that though.” 

I gave her a confused look as Selene shrugged. “Wait… What? Papa? Like… Papa Crozma? Necrozma?” 

Eleanor nodded. “I was created by Necrozma.” My jaw dropped. “You didn’t know?” 

“No! How did- Why were- Huh?!” 

Eleanor smiled at my response. “Arceus’ initial vision of the Dual Heroes was much different back then. He wanted us to represent the connection between humans and Pokemon, so he originally had one of us be created by Pokemon while the other by humans. While designing the second generation though, he said it would ultimately lead to unnecessary favoritism. That’s why he changed it so we’d be in rivaling lands to unite everyone, which later translated to social class.” 

Dubwool hummed as I stared at Eleanor. “Considering he still prefers Blue Heroes, I’d say that reasoning is a lie, but the choice was… better. Feels less strange.” 

“So… You… You’re a Pokemon?” I asked. 

Eleanor looked up in thought as she tapped her fingers against Selene. “In theory, yeah.” She returned her gaze to mine. “But in theory, all ten of us are Pokemon, given our souls were made by Arceus and not by other humans to make us gods.” 

While I gave her a baffled look, Lycanroc laughed. “She made it more weird!” 

“But she has a point. I was made by humans, so am I a human?” Silvally asked. 

“No. That…” I motioned to Silvally. “See what you did, Eleanor?!” 

Eleanor and Selene laughed at my response. “That’s your sign to not question it! Pokemon can create humans, humans can create Pokemon. It’s not as black and white as you think. It’s what N preaches.”

“Then… Why did Arceus stop letting Necrozma make us!? He lets the Eliots be made by Xerneas and still has favorites!” 

Eleanor shrugged. “Since I was made to have godly abilities unlike the Eliots, my DNA is different than normal humans, so Julian thinks it’s because Arceus saw what’s created between us if one of us is created by a god and doesn’t want the world to be ‘infested’ by watered down demi-gods, but Arceus keeps denying it.” 

My expression softened. “Wait… Did your daughter get her own supernatural abilities?” 

“Yes. Madeline was the first psychic. I spent years studying her abilities. Safely, of course. I’d never hurt my little Madeline, and she was very curious about them as well. We only called it psychic because it’s very similar to the psychic type, but it’s not the same. Psychic types create energy and project it while human psychics manipulate energy. It’s also how some psychics have visions while psychic types don’t unless that’s their duty like Celebi. Human psychics can, or could, manipulate any type of energy they want, including time. 

“Madeline could control everything around her. She could’ve recreated the world if she wanted to, but we made sure she’d never do something like that. The gene has been watered down, and now it’s recessive and isn’t nearly as powerful. Now, psychics can only manipulate time through visions, manipulate gravity and matter through what we called telekinesis, manipulate color and even thought through illusions, or all of the above. It’s why we believe Arceus stopped the Pokemon-created hero though. He was lucky to avoid a power-hungry psychic as strong as her, and he won’t risk such a person being created. Even when it comes to his own creations. As we’ve seen through you and Emily, the Blue Heroes must have another power to balance out the Red Hero super strength. We think it’s why the last two generations failed their final tests, but we have no idea if you or your successors pass. But, male blues will be psychic from here on out. Arceus won’t say how powerful you are though. At first, we thought you were the only psychic not related to us since Arceus supposedly gave them to you, but since your father had the gene, you actually are. Very distantly, of course. Any blood relation is gone by now, but we know you can do all a normal psychic can. You just need to practice.” 

I stared at her in shock. “Then… How come the Eliots aren’t the same way?” 

“Because Xerneas doesn’t give them godly abilities. That, or because Necrozma can’t make normal humans. He claims to be the Xerneas of his world, but who knows?” She smiled at me. “But now you know the history of psychics!” 

I looked down in thought. At least it makes sense. Humans getting psychic abilities from godly genes makes more sense than them just appearing in specific people through genetic mutation. It’s just weird to think about. Is that how Aura started too? Eleanor passing it down? 

“Humans are so fascinating,” Silvally said. 

“Yeah…” Dubwool muttered. 

“Can we stop talking about what happens from crossbreeding?” Lycanroc sweetly asked. 

“Yes, yes. I apologize,” Eleanor began, bringing my attention back to her. Her expression softened. “Is there anything else you want to know?” 

I frowned. “Will Arceus let you tell me anything else?” 

“Probably not, if I’m being honest.” 

I sighed, but when I looked at the scepter tattoo, I looked back at Eleanor. “In one of my dreams, Gleam explained that the Alpha Necrozma gave her and Ink familiars. Did she tell you what his was?” 

“Oh, Necrozma removed his weapon the second he realized Gleam was dead. He doesn’t have any weapons besides those chains.” 

Relief ran through me as I unconsciously threw my head back. “Ok…” Eleanor lightly laughed as a smile rose to my lips. “That makes me feel so much better.” 

“One less thing to worry about,” Dubwool added. 

“Yeah…” I breathed out before taking a deep breath. He doesn’t have a familiar. I don’t know what his powers are, but he doesn’t have a weapon. I can handle the God Calmer. “Ok…” 

“Is that all you wish to know?” Eleanor asked. 

I looked at Winter and rubbed my thumb against her stomach. “I think so. All I’m sure you can tell me, at least.” 

“Right…” Eleanor muttered. I lifted my head to look at her, seeing she and Selene were staring at each other. After a few seconds of silence, Eleanor lifted her head. “Are you alright?” 

I gave her a confused look. “Uh… yeah? Why do you ask?” 

“Well… You left your classmates to take my test. You don’t… actually believe what that girl said, do you?” 

I looked back at Winter. “It’s… You don’t get it.” 

“Sweetie, we see everything.” I looked back at her as she ran her hands over Selene’s head, making her giggle. “While we give you two privacy when needed, we see everything you do when conscious. I’ve seen everything you have with that girl. She’s manipulating your friend.” 

“That… We don’t know their relationship though. I have no right to keep telling Alyssa I hate Lexi if-”

“She keeps telling Alyssa she hates you and that you’re a horrible person. Now, I know we aren’t saints, but… This isn’t a Dual Hero situation. Both of you are doing the same thing, and neither of you know about your relationship with this mutual friend. If you’re in the wrong, so is she.” 

I stared at her before I sighed and ran my hand over my face. “Eleanor-”

“I’m not telling you to confront these girls. I’m telling you to not take all the blame.” 

“Yeah. This girl sucks anyway,” Lycanroc replied. 

“And I don’t want to think about this!” I snapped before lowering my hand and looking between everyone. “I left to get away from that fight. Can we not talk about it?” 

Decidueye and Silvally frowned at my words as Lycanroc and Araquanid looked away. “Sorry…” Lyrancorc muttered. 

I frowned at his reaction as Eleanor sighed. “Alright, dear. If that’s what you want.” I turned to her, seeing she was staring at Selene. “I wouldn’t suggest going back to them in that state though. You need a distraction.” 

“Like what?” Araquanid asked. 

Eleanor stayed quiet for a minute before she smiled and lifted her head. “Go challenge the Electric Trial. If you’re really Little Red’s soulmate, a good battle should clear your head.” 

I couldn’t help but smile at her comment before I shook my head. “Fine, fine.” 

“Don’t ‘fine’ me,” Eleanor fired back. I held up my hand in surrender as she picked up Selene to look her in the eye. “You behave yourself, little goddess.”

“Cosmog,” she replied, giving Eleanor a teasing salute. 

Eleanor smiled and kissed the top of her head before letting her go. Selene giggled before flying down to me. As she did, Eleanor lowered her hands to her lap. “Stop by if you need anything. Even if it’s a simple distraction. I have a lot of answers to a lot of questions.” 

“Don’t tempt him,” Dubwool scolded. 

Eleanor shrugged as I smiled at her. “Thank you, Eleanor.” 

She smiled back. “Of course, Baby Blue. Be careful, alright? I can’t promise Arceus will let us intervene.” 

“I always am,” I replied before turning to my team. “Let’s go face Sophocles. Lycanroc, you’re leading this.” 

“Yes!” he cheered before I led them to the doors. 

“I’m not a flying type anymore, so I can help!” Decidueye offered. 

“We’ll see,” I teased. 

“Hop!” she whined before grabbing my arm to shake it. “Let me battle!” 

I chuckled at her response before pulling my arm free. “You’ll have plenty more trials to carry. Let your teammates do some.” 

“Yeah,” Lycanroc mocked before I grabbed the door handle. 

While Decidueye shot him an annoyed look, Eleanor called my name. I turned to her, seeing her give me a gentle smile. “You can do this. We all know you can.” 

I copied her smile. “Thank you. I’ll do my best.” 

Her smile widened. “I know you will.”

Chapter Text

Since I didn’t want to risk getting exposed for ditching my team again, I asked Austin if he wanted to tag along to the Electric Trial since Sophocles is an engineer. I think. I never really talked to him, so I actually have no idea. Austin said he would though, and he met up with me outside the Pokemon Center by Malie Garden with Xavier. 

“Should I ask where the girls went?” I asked as they approached me. 

“Well, after Austin declared he was going to watch your trial, Lexi called you ‘unbelievable’ and dragged Alyssa away,” Xavier replied. 

“We were also kicked out of the library for yelling,” Austin added. 

“Because the blondie just had to make us know she’s not obsessed with your every decision and that you’re a horrible person trying to control her ‘bestie’,” Torracat complained. 

“If anything, she’s controlling,” Oricorio grumbled as she laid on Austin’s shoulder. Charjabug nodded in agreement from his other shoulder. 

I frowned at their words. “Yikes…” 

“Yeah…” Xavier breathed out before running his hands over his face and under his glasses. “This… I’m so tired of this.” 

Austin hooked his arm around Xavier’s shoulders as Xavier lowered his arms. “So let’s distract you with a trial!” He smiled at me. “Does his trial involve engineering stuff?” 

“As far as I know, yeah,” I replied. 

“Wicked!” Austin cheered before letting Xavier go. “Come on! Let’s meet a fellow nerd!” 

I smiled at his words as he spun around and started running to the other end of town. As Torracat ran after him, Xavier and I started leading our Pokemon after them. 

“Did you get to see at least most of Marigold’s book?” I asked him. 

Xavier nodded. “It… It’s literally the medical bible. Almost every single disease, disorder, and remedy known today is listed. Even mental disorders! And no one listened to her for hundreds of years! They probably called her insane!” 

“They called her a witch,” I replied. 

“Exactly! We could’ve found cures and accommodations to so many diseases and disorders hundreds of years earlier if people just listened to her because she was right! She… she figured out the basics of most mental disorders, the differences between common illnesses, how wrong some practices were, and… almost everything we know now a thousand years ago. She…” Xavier grabbed my shoulder and lightly shook me. “That woman is the smartest person to ever live!” 

I smiled at his words. “I bet she thanks you for that statement.” 

“I’m serious,” Xavier began before letting me go. “Modern doctors didn’t ‘discover’ most of what she did until long after she passed. If we’d listened to her… Even now…” 

My expression softened before I looked at Winter. “I know.” Winter looked up at me. “What they did was… amazing. I’m… still learning about all they did, and… I don’t know. They were just…” I looked up at the sky. “Heroes. In every sense of the word, I guess.” 

“Oh… I… I can’t imagine how difficult it is to live up to these women. I-I though Leon was a lot, but the- the inventor of modern medicine-” 

I couldn’t help but smile. “I know.” I lowered my head to look at him. “They’re a lot like Lee though. At least Eleanor is.” I hummed and looked down in thought.

Now that I think about it, I barely know Marigold and Noelle. I barely know any of them. I’ve only spoken to Noelle when she joined Marigold and Eleanor in Paldea, and other than that, I’ve only seen Marigold after she gave us our Wishing Stars. Then there’s Rayne, who’s spoken to Julian multiple times, visited all but Noelle and Eleanor’s shrines multiple times, and has probably spoken to these people a lot. Then here I am, only having spoken to Bennett and Noelle once and Marigold and Eleanor two or so times. Wow, Rayne was right. I need to get to know these people. 

I shook the thought away as Xavier looked ahead again. “Either way… that’s a lot to live up to.” 

“Yeah…” I muttered before taking a deep breath. “But, I don’t need to worry about that now. I have other things to worry about.” I looked at Austin up ahead. “I should enjoy the peace while it’s still here.” 

“Yeah. I don’t think the alien people will be nice to us anymore,” Silvally added. 

Dubwool snorted. “After what we did, it would be concerning if they were nice.” 

“Should we even ask?” Arcanine asked. 

“No,” my team replied as Silvally gave him a sweet smile. 

Arcanine sighed at their response as Xavier slowly gave me a suspicious look. “Hop.” 

“I’ll take care of it,” I quickly replied before grabbing his arm. “Come on. We need to make sure Austin doesn’t get lost.” 

“If you die, I’m reviving you just to kill you again,” Xavier threatened as I pulled him towards Austin. 

“I’ll take my chances.” 

“Hop!” 

I shot him a quick yet forced grin as Lycanroc and Araquanid laughed at his comment. 

“What wicked conversation am I missing out on?!” Austin called. 

“Nothing!” I called before picking up my pace, pulling Xavier with me. 

We caught up with Austin within a few seconds and left town together. We followed the trail to the bus stop, and while we waited, we tried coming up with ideas for the daily challenge. Today was to photograph something exclusive to the new island we were on, and while Austin offered Sophocles’ trial, the trials seemed too easy. Yeah, each trial was exclusive to their island, but it’s so predictable. Xavier offered Malie Garden, which also felt like low hanging fruit, but we didn’t plan to go anywhere else on the island until tomorrow, so it’s probably our best bet. 

When the bus arrived, Xavier and I returned most of our Pokemon so we could get on. I kept Selene and Winter out while Xavier kept Rowlet out, but Austin had all three of his Pokemon out. Everyone behaved though, and the bus ride was mostly quiet. The second the doors opened though, Austin shot up and raced for the doors. 

“Austin!” Xavier called as we got up. 

“Hurry up, Slowpokes!” Austin called as he jumped off the final step. 

“More like slow down, you barmy bloke,” Xavier complained, but chased after him anyway. I smiled at his comment as I slid my backpack on before running after them. 

Luckily, Austin didn’t go far. He stopped a few steps away from the bus to look around the mountain top. As Xavier and I stepped off, I looked around as well. It was cooler up here, but still hot as ever. Besides that… It was kinda dull. The only thing of note up here was the observatory itself. There was a nice view of Mount Lanakila though. 

Austin pointed at the front of the observatory, where Molayne and Sophocles were talking. “Is one of those blokes the captain?” 

“Yeah,” I replied as I stepped beside him. “The shorter one.” 

“Wicked,” Austin began before linking his arm with mine. “Let’s meet some nerds.” 

I smiled as he started pulling me towards the trainers. “Ok.” 

Xavier caught up to us after he released Arcanine, so I released my team as we walked. When we got close enough, Austin shot his free hand up. 

“Alola, trainer people!” 

The two trainers turned to us before they smiled. “Alola,” Molayne added. 

Sophocles pointed at me. “You’re Hop, right? Rayne’s partner?” I nodded. “I thought I recognized you. What are you doing here without our champ?” 

“I’m on a school trip,” I replied as Austin let me go. 

“Oh, you’re all on that Wyndon U trip?” Molyane asked. 

“Yep!” Austin replied as Xavier nodded. 

“Huh. I thought you were put in teams of five,” Molayne replied. 

“We are, but… the other two weren’t… It’s a long story,” Xavier said. 

Sophocles and Molayne stared at us, seemingly waiting for us to go on, but when the silence went on, Sophocles looked at Molayne as Molayne cleared his throat. “Um… alright then. Uh, anyway, I’m Molayne, and this,” he motioned to Sophocles, “is Sophocles. He’s the Trial Captain.” 

“And Mo here is a member of the Elite Four,” Sophocles added. 

“Oh, yeah. You took over for Hala, right?” I asked. 

Molayne let out an awkward laugh as he looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. “Y-yeah, yeah. Rayne uh… asked if I could replace him. Only because he uh, he was… already busy as Kahuna and League Chair, so… yeah. I’m uh… I’m the Steel Elite Four member.”

“Yeah, but if The Master herself chose you, you must be a bloody powerful trainer. After all, she picked four wicked trainers for our Elite Four,” Austin replied before giving him a thumbs up. “I bet you’re doing great.” 

While Molayne’s face started turning pink, he smiled at the comments. “Thank you…” 

Sophocles smiled at him and nudged his hip. “Told ya, Mo. You’re a great trainer.” Molayne’s smile rose as Sophocles turned to us. “Which is also why I decided to turn this trial into a joint trial!” 

I gave him a confused look. “Excuse me?” 

“Is that allowed?” Oricorio asked. 

Sophocles nodded. “While Rayne hasn’t approved since… I’m still testing it, I want to turn the trial here into an Electric  and Steel Trial, and have Mo also be a Trial Captain.” 

“Yeah, but Bulu has to approve of that before Rayne does,” Molayne reminded. 

“But, since both of the Totems are here, it’s possible,” Sophocles replied before looking at me. “Since you’re Rayne’s partner, you can be my first test subject.” 

“Only if you want to!” Molayne quickly added before giving Sophocles a warning look. “We can’t force people to do this, remember?” 

Sophocles shrugged as I looked down at my Pokemon. “Do you guys want to?” 

“Duh,” Lycanroc replied. 

“Does that mean I can fight?” Decidueye asked, giving me a wide smile. 

“Does that mean I’m still excluded because my type sucks?” Araquanid asked. 

“Don’t say that. Your type is lovely,” Silvally replied. 

“Yeah. Your stats suck,” Lycanroc fired back, giving Araquanid a sly grin. 

“Hey,” I began as Araquanid glared back. “Stats aren’t-”

Before I could finish that statement, Araquanid blasted a beam of bubbles at Lycanroc, shoving him back. While he crashed into the pavement at the end of the observatory, he just laughed as he rolled onto his side. 

“Everything…” I finished before sighing. “Ok then…” While Selene giggled, I turned to Sophocles. “We’ll test the trial. I’m assuming I’ll be facing two Totems at once though, right?” 

Sophocles nodded as Molayne looked between us. “Would you guys like to see anything else while you’re here though? We have some exclusive research on outer space, Minior, and computer-like stuff.” 

Austin gasped and pointed at Molayne. “That! Computer-like stuff is my thing!” 

“Then you’ll love what I’ve thrown together for my trial,” Sophocles replied. 

Austin squealed in delight as I looked over at Lycanroc, seeing him run back over to us. “This is the best part of this trip!” 

“Then come on in,” Sophocles replied before he and Molayne turned around to take us inside the observatory. 

We followed the trainers inside, and Sophocles told Molayne to show us around while he prepared his trial. While he left, Molayne took us on a tour. He showed us the research they had on outer space and the technology they used for that research. While Austin was more interested in the tech, Xavier and I enjoyed the research and even some theories Molayne had. While there’s only a few Pokemon species known to be from outer space, it’s living proof there’s life outside our planet. Molayne thinks there’s whole worlds full of these alien Pokemon, and even believes legendaries and mythicals that were born from meteors, being Deoxys, Jirachi, Eternatus, and Terapagos, aren’t the only ones of their species. If they came from meteors, they may have come from distant worlds full of their species. Since there was a more powerful Necrozma than the one Arceus blessed, I guess it could be possible, but Eternatus is terrifying on his own, so the idea of there being more… No. It was fascinating research though, and made my current dilemma feel more real. All sorts of Pokemon come from outer space, so beings from alternate dimensions aren’t so strange. Or at least shouldn’t be. Right? 

Our tour ended when Sophocles texted Molayne that the trial was ready. Molayne led us to the room with trial-gate doors and scanned a key card to open them. We stepped inside, and my eyes widened at the sight. It was a lab, but in the center of the room was a large grey and white machine with buttons on each corner. There were two strands of cords coming out of the machine that hooked up to a Vikavolt robot hanging from the ceiling in the back of the room. This… looks nothing like Rayne described. Did Sophocles change his trial mission? 

Sophocles held out his arms and smiled. “Welcome to the trial!” 

“Woah!” Austin cheered before shooting towards the machine to start examining it at different angles. “Did you make this?” 

“Yep, and you get to see its first public test run,” Sophocles replied. 

“Wicked…” Austin breathed out before kneeling down to examine the base, turned to the Vikavolt bot, then looked back at the machine. “Is this a sort of generator for the Vikavolt bot?” 

“More of a power collector,” Sophocles replied before patting the machine. “A simple name for this is a roller. We roll some Charjabugs onto the surface, the roller collects their electricity, and that electricity is transferred to the Vikavolt pinger to power it up and send a signal to our Totems.” 

“And I help contain the electricity!” a new voice cheered. I looked down, seeing a Togedemaru beside Sophocles. She smiled at us. “At least, I did in the test runs.” 

Austin stood up, only to lean over to see Togedemaru. “Aw. The Alola Pikachu clone. Cute.” He patted the roller. “Now show us how this works, Trial Captains!” 

“Yes, sir!” Sophocles teased before clapping his hands. While Austin stepped back, nine Charjabugs hopped over from the corner of the room to the roller. “Onejabug, Twojabug, and Threejabug, hop onto the roller please.” 

“Aw. They’re named after numbers,” Austin cooed as we watched three of the Charjabugs jump onto one of the nine squares of the roller. 

Molayne showed us how the machine, and in turn the trial, would work. Each button on the machine rotated four of the nine squares counterclockwise, and I’d use them to get the Charjabugs in a certain line. The first part of the test would be to line them up on the bottom, the second would be to line them up on the top, and the third would be to get them in a diagonal line so they’d form a Z all together. 

I kept Winter and Selene in my arms as I scanned over the nine squares. If each button rotates four squares counterclockwise, and the three Charjabugs are in the top middle, top right, and middle right… I need to hit the top left then top right button. 

I hit the buttons, setting the three bugs in a line before the squares below them lit up with green light. A short celebratory jingle played, making me smile as the roller tilted the three squares up, sending the three Charjabugs onto the surface between the top two buttons. With that, electricity coated the three of them, lighting the cords up and sending electricity to the Vikavolt bot. 

“Woah…” Austin breathed out. 

“Shiny,” Oricorio cooed as Selene cheered. 

“Yep,” Sophocles replied before pointing to the dial on the pinger. “We still need more power to call the Totems, so let’s keep going.” 

I turned to the doors as Sophocles called the next three Charjabugs over, but the doors stayed shut. “Don’t wild Pokemon come in and challenge me?” 

“Oh, yeah. Normally, at least. To keep this experiment as controlled as possible, I’m keeping them out,” Sophocles replied. 

“Huh…” I muttered. 

“How convenient,” Lycanroc added. 

I nodded in agreement before turning back to the roller. The next three Charjabugs jumped onto the middle left, middle right, and lower center square. I stared at the three bugs, running through the rotations in my head. This is… more complicated, but if I want to get them on the bottom row… 

I stepped forward and hit the bottom on the bottom left before stepping over to hit the bottom-right button twice. The panels below the Charjabugs lit up before tilting up to slide them between the bottom buttons. Just like last time, electricity surrounded the three Charjabugs to send more power to the pinger. The bot started shaking a bit, so I tilted my head to see electricity snapping between the bot’s pincers. 

“Uh… Are you sure that thing is stable?” Xavier asked. 

“Yeah. We’ve done tons of test runs,” Sophocles replied before looking at the bot. “We just need it to blast electricity into our holographic dome, and it’ll send a signal to our Totems.” Sophocles turned to me. “Just one more puzzle. Remember, this last one will be in a diagonal line.” He turned to the four Pokemon beside him. “Alright Sevenjabug, Eightjabug, and Ninejabug. In position!” 

“Sir!” they cheered before jumping onto the roller. 

I watched as they stopped on the top left, the middle left, and right middle square. To get them in a diagonal line… I need to hit the top right button to get the one on the right to the top corner, but the last two… Oh. The button left once, then the top left twice. Easy. 

I hit the buttons in the order I came out with, which set the three Charjabugs in a diagonal line and formed a Z between the nine of them. The panels lit up before electricity flew between all nine bugs, sending more power to the pinger. All of us turned to the robot, and just as the extra boost of power entered it, sparks started running across the metal surface. 

“Ok, that… should not happen, right?” Austin asked before looking at Sophocles. “The point is to contain the electricity within the machine and only have it between the pincers. Right!?” 

“No, that’s how it works. Even if it wasn’t, Togemaru would make sure the power’s contained,” Sophocles replied. 

“I'm very good at my job,” Togedemaru replied as Sophocles turned to me and pointed to the yellow button that sat on a podium beside the pinger. 

“Just hit this, and the pinger will send out its signal.” 

“Are you sure it won’t explode in the process?” I asked as I approached him. 

“Yes, I’m sure! I’ve done this countless times!” Sophocles defended before crossing his arms. “Rayne said she’d demote me from Trial Captain if anything else blew up in front of a challenger, so I’ve been very careful.” 

“Yeah, but she can’t do that until she’s 21,” I replied before narrowing my eyes. “It’s why Ilima is still here.” 

“Yeah, but unlike Ilima, I have a paper trail of complaints, so the league might side with her,” Sophocles complained before looking up at me. “Just hit the button.” 

I held up my hand in surrender before hitting the button. The sparks running across the pinger flew towards the pinger’s pincers, charging it up for a second before blasting a beam of electricity into the holographic dome in front of it. The dome changed from pink to a bright yellow before two beams of light shot out of it and towards the ceiling. I looked up with the others, seeing each beam hit a different vent. Within seconds, I heard some kind of rumbling above us. Winter whimpered as she pressed herself closer to me before a giant Vikavolt and Togedemaru burst out of the vents and landed on opposite ends of the roller. 

Winter yelped as my eyes widened in awe. There’s a Totem Togedemaru now? I guess it makes sense, especially for Molayne as a steel type user who’s invested in technology. 

“Big,” Oricorio breathed out as she pointed to the Totem Togedemaru. 

“Introducing our Electric Totem, Vikavolt, and our Steel Totem, Togedemaru!” Sophocles cheered, motioning to the duo. 

Austin squealed before pointing at Vikavolt and looking at his Grubbin. “You’re gonna evolve into one of those!” 

“Yay!” Grubbin cheered before he and Austin looked at me. 

“How do I get one?” 

“Train him in Vast Poni Canyon,” I replied. Austin’s expression instantly dropped to a frown as I turned to my Pokemon. “Lycanroc, Decidueye, you’re up.” 

“You got it!” Lycanroc cheered before lunging towards Vikavolt while Decidueye flew towards Togedemaru. 

I looked between the two matchups and hummed. Togedemaru has three weaknesses while Vikavolt has two. Lycanroc can take care of both of them, but Vikavolt is more of a threat. 

I turned to Decidueye. “Do what you see as necessary right now.” Decidueye nodded and turned to Togedemaru as I gave Lycanroc my attention. “Rock Slide!” 

He nodded before kneeling down. Rocks flew out of the fur on his neck and clumped together as they flew above Vikavolt. He looked up and tried to fly out from under them, but Lycanroc barked to send the rocks onto Vikavolt. He was pushed to the ground, but as the rocks crumbled away, he flew out and shook the debris off. Then Vikavolt instantly proved my worries wrong by using Thunderbolt. Oh, yeah. Bug-electric type with pretty bad level-up moves. The worst he can do is Thunderbolt. 

While he was bulky, Lycanroc was able to endure any attack Vikavolt threw at him and took him out with four Rock Slides. Technically six since two missed, but four nonetheless. I looked back at Decidueye every turn, seeing she and Togedemaru stayed in an even match. Once Vikavolt went down, I had Lycanroc join Decidueye. 

With the damage Decidueye got off, I had Lycanroc start with Rock Slide to bait out Togedemaru’s Spiky Shield. The second it went down, I smiled at my Pokemon. 

“Finish this with a Spirit Shackle-Brick Break combo!” 

“Ooo. Now we’re getting fancy,” Lycanroc teased before coating his tail in white energy. As he did, Decidueye held her wing out and had purple energy surround three of her feathers. She grabbed the ends of them with her free wing, and the second Lycanroc shot for Togedemaru, Decidueye fired the arrows. The arrows flew above Lycanroc before he jumped up, taking the arrows with him before he spun around and slammed his tail into Togedemaru’s head. He winced before the arrows slammed into him, creating an explosion before Lycanroc jumped back and landed besides Decidueye. We stayed quiet as the smoke cleared, but once it did, a fainted Togedemaru was revealed. 

“Let’s go!” Austin cheered as he and Xavier applauded my team. “Now that’s the kid who made it to the finals last year.” 

I couldn’t help but smile at his comment. “It wasn’t that impressive.” 

“On our standards, it was,” Lycanroc replied before Decidueye hugged my arm. 

“Take the compliment, silly.” 

“Cosmog!” Selene added as she waved up at me, prompting Winter to do the same. 

“Yeah!” Silvally added. 

“What she said!” Araquanid added. 

Dubwool smiled at his response, but rolled his eyes. “This is Hop, guys. He doesn’t care about battling.”

“Exactly,” I replied as I pointed at Dubwool. 

“You still did good. It was cool,” Torracat replied before Molayne and Sophocles stepped in front of me. 

“Congrats, man. Based on that performance, I may have to amp up the difficulty. Either way, thanks for the help, and here you go,” Sophocles explained before both of them handed me their Z-Crystals. “The Electrium-Z and Steelium-Z.” 

“They let you use Gigavolt Havoc and Corkscrew Crash respectively,” Molayne added. 

I nodded as I took the crystals, and once I had both, each of them showed me the dances for the moves. While I heard Austin hold back a laugh, I thanked the two trainers and asked Decidueye to put the crystals in the pouch. 

While she put the pouch away, Austin stepped beside Sophocles. “So… Are there any internships here?” 

“No. We haven’t been authorized to. We just have tours,” Molayne replied. 

Austin frowned. “Dang it.” 

I reached over to pat his shoulder and Xavier approached us. “We should probably go anyway. It’s well past lunch time, so we should get something to eat before finding the girls.” 

“Aw. Do we have to?” Oricorio complained. 

“Yeah. I don’t wanna go back in my pokeball,” Araquanid added. 

I frowned as I wrapped my arm around Selene. “We can’t stay away from them forever.” 

Almost all of our Pokemon groaned in annoyance, which made Sophocles and Molayne give us concerned looks. “Uh… Is everything going ok for you guys?” Sophocles asked. 

“I can talk to Professor Willow for you guys if you want. We did a research project together a couple years back and have become decently close,” Molayne offered. 

“No, it’s fine. We’ll handle it,” Xavier replied before giving them a pressed smile. “Only 15 more days, after all.” 

“A lot can happen in 15 days,” Sophocles reminded. 

“We’ll be fine,” Xavier quickly assured before looking at me. “Come on.” 

“Right…” I muttered as he turned around. I looked back at Molayne and Sophocles as Austin followed Xavier. “Thank you.” 

“Ditto…” Sophocles muttered as I stepped past them to follow my friends. Just 15 more days. We’ll be fine. Just like Xavier said.

Chapter Text

The bus ride back to Malie was painfully silent. None of us spoke, but the mere sight of Austin blankly staring out the window and Xavier’s leg bouncing told me enough about how they felt. Eleanor was right about that trial being a distraction, but we can’t avoid our current reality forever. I just hope Lexi calmed down enough to not start a fight the second she sees us. Now that I think about it though… What did she say to Xavier and Austin? What did they say to her? If Xavier’s getting nervous, it couldn’t have been good. 

When the bus arrived at the base of the mountain, we got off with the rest of the tourists and made our way back to Malie. The walk there was just as silent, but I looked up the restaurants in town to get a lunch idea. The most popular and well received place was a sushi restaurant, so I asked everyone if they were ok with it, and they were, so we made our way over to the restaurant. When we walked in, however, Lexi and Alyssa were standing by the front counter, Alyssa handing the employee her card and probably their check. 

“Bloody hell…” I heard Austin whisper as Lexi glanced at us from her phone, only to fully glare at us. 

“Well, look who it is.” Alyssa turned to us as Lexi lowered her phone. “Have fun, junior genius?” 

I narrowed my eyes back. “Yeah, actually. We did. Got a problem with it?” 

Alyssa sighed just as Lexi opened her mouth. “Please just… stop. Both of you. This fighting is going nowhere.” 

“Yeah, well when he keeps pulling rubbish like this-” Lexi began. 

“Like what? Professor Willow said we had to stay with one person at all times,” I interrupted before motioning to Austin and Xavier. “I brought them with me.” 

“Yeah, after running away from us to not ‘ruin anything else’.” 

“Oh, so you want me to stay and make situations like these worse? Excuse me for wanting the fight to end.” 

Lexi rolled her eyes. “You are unbelievable.” 

I gave her a baffled look as Xavier stepped beside me. “Do you have to do this here?” 

“Yeah. You’re going to get us kicked off the island at this rate,” Austin hissed. 

“That wasn’t my fault. You lot started yelling in a library,” Lexi fired back. 

“Because you-” Austin began before stopping himself to take a deep breath. “It doesn’t matter. You are starting these fights, so-”

“And I’m ending it because you blokes are wrong,” Lexi began before she started walking towards the door. “Come on, Lyssa.” 

“I didn’t get my card-” Alyssa began, pointing to the employee. 

“Come on!” 

Alyssa flinched before the employee gave Alyssa her card back. “Here. I only need to confirm the amount. If you don’t want your receipt, you’re good to go.” 

Alyssa sighed and took her card. “I guess I don’t. Thank you.” The employee nodded as Alyssa tucked her card away while going after Lexi. “I wish I could’ve joined you earlier. A trial sounds way more fun than the rubbish I dealt with.” 

I saw Austin wince as we watched her leave. “Sorry…” 

“It’s fine. Get something to eat. I’ll text you if she gets out of this mood,” Alyssa replied, keeping her back to us. 

“Good luck,” I simply replied. Alyssa just waved us off before leaving the restaurant. 

“Yikes…” Lycanroc muttered. 

“I’m gonna buy her some cake,” Austin said. 

“I’m buying her an entire self-care kit when we get back to Galar,” Xavier replied before shaking his head. “I feel bad. She’s clearly just as sick of this as we are.” 

“Yeah…” I muttered before I looked at the employee, who was staring at us. “So… Can we get a table for three, please?” 

The employee cleared his throat and reached down to grab some menus. “Yep.”  

~

Since Lexi wanted to avoid us at all costs, we didn’t do much after lunch. To be fair, our plans for today did end after Sophocles’ trial, but still. We went back to the library to do some research for personal work and assignments before leaving to check out the shops. I even caved to Austin’s peer pressure and challenged the mock Gym here, which is actually being used as a Trial Captain training ground to give them experience in battling, facility management, and leadership. First the new Dragon Captain, Ryuki, used it, and now, Ilima’s replacement, Nora, is training. She reminds me of Acerola. She looks younger than me but is actually Xavier’s age and comes from the family who runs the Malasada shops. She has a lot of energy but is really sweet. She still has some training to do since my team easily beat hers, but she wasn’t bummed about it. Either way, she’s way better than Ilima and I got a fake Kanto badge, so I’ll consider that stop a win. 

We got dinner after I beat Nora, and with no word from the girls, we simply rented a room in the Pokemon Center. I called Rayne as we worked on assignments or relaxed for the evening, and all three of us told her what happened with Lexi today. Turns out she’s escalated to attacking Austin and Xavier over pointless rubbish too simply because they’re taking my side and getting sick of her nonsense. To her, Austin’s a hypocrite and Xavier’s bipolar. Apparently, not hating me for breaking rules when he’s done it one time with Lexi is what a hypocrite is, and Xavier slowly snapping at this nonsense is him being bipolar. 

“What the fuck?” Rayne asked by the end of our explanation. 

“I know! Does this bird even know what a hypocrite is!?” Austin demanded as he continued writing on his tablet while staring at Oriocio. He was working on his report again. I’m so proud of him. 

“Dude, even I know what a hypocrite is, and I don’t know shit!” Rayne fired back. 

“What did I say about calling yourself stupid?” I asked. 

Rayne sighed. “Don’t do it. Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” I glared at my phone out of habit as Xavier chuckled before Rayne went on. “I’m glad you had some time away from her though. I feel bad for Alyssa too, which I never thought I would.” 

“What? Why? She’s so nice,” Austin asked. 

“Because she’s jealous,” I teased as I focused on my daily drawing. I’m trying to draw Eleanor’s shrine from memory. 

“I am not jealous! I’m right!” Rayne fired back. 

“No, you’re not,” I replied. 

“Right about what?” Xavier asked. 

“That girl being in love with him,” Rayne replied. 

“She’s not in love with me,” I said. 

“No, you’re just too in love with me to realize someone else likes you.” 

“And she’s right,” Dubwool replied. 

“HA! See!? Your sheep agrees!” 

I rolled my eyes. “Either way, you feel sympathy for her now, so I’ll take it.” 

“Yeah, because her friend is getting bitchy-er by the day.” 

“What if both of them like you?” Xavier teased. 

I couldn’t help but gag at the sheer thought of Lexi liking me. “Never say that again.” 

“I mean, she’s started to get a little obsessed with every decision you make, so who’s to say she-” Austin began. 

“Austin, shut up,” I interrupted, which only made him start laughing. I sighed and ran my hands over my face. “You blokes will be the death of me.” 

“If that bitch has a crush on you, I’m crushing her skull,” Rayne calmly said. 

“Right now, I’m not against that,” I replied before lowering my hands and looking back at my journal. “I think she just wants to keep me away from Alyssa at this point.” 

“Yeah. She’s… really controlling of Alyssa,” Austin softly said. I looked at him, seeing him frown. “She doesn’t even ask Alyssa what she wants. She only cares about herself.” 

“Yeah, but Alyssa still sees Lexi as her best friend, so…” I looked back at my journal. “It’s not our place to tell her who she should be friends with. We’d be doing the same thing Lexi is.” 

“I see where you’re coming from, but if it’s a toxic relationship, it’s better to pull the victim out of it,” Xavier replied before lightly tapping his fingers against his laptop keys. “Based on what I’m seeing… Lexi is controlling Alyssa in some way, and there’s some gaslighting, and…” Xavier sighed and ran his hands over his face. “So many red flags are going off, but… I don’t know if I have a right to intervene. I’m not a therapist, and I barely know them.” His hands landed back on the keyboard as he sighed again. “This is… It’s complicated. Stupid, but complicated.” 

“Agreed,” I muttered before someone knocked on the door. 

All of us looked at the door before I looked at the boys. Xavier narrowed his eyes before Austin put his tablet down. “I’ll get it.” 

“I’ll be the weapon in case it’s an attacker,” Oricorio said as she flew to Austin’s shoulder. 

I couldn’t help but smile at her comment as Austin jogged over to the door. I saw most of my team, since Winter and Dubwool were laying beside me, lean over to look at the door as Austin unlocked it. The second I heard the door open though, he gasped. 

“What happened?” 

I put my journal down on instinct and started to get up. Just as I stood up, I heard Alyssa’s voice.

“Lexi. Lexi happened.” 

I froze at her tone before I grabbed my phone that flew after me. “I’ll call you back.” 

“Uh, ok. I’ll… talk to you later then,” Rayne softly replied. 

I frowned, but when I heard the door close, I quietly told her ‘bye’ before hanging up. As I tossed my phone onto the bed, Austin led Alyssa into the room. I turned to them, seeing tears running down Alyssa’s face, which was a little flushed, but she was holding it together. She looked at anything but us though as she wiped the tears off her face. Her Pokemon trailed behind her too. 

“What did she do?” I asked. 

Alyssa opened her mouth to say something, but ended up sighing as her arms fell to her sides. “It’s what she’s been doing and… this…” She sighed before turning to the first bed I was by and falling face-first onto the mattress. I frowned as she groaned in frustration. 

Ribombee flew above her as Alcremie and Brionne jumped beside her. Austin sat beside Alcremie as I sat back down, but Xavier got up to stand beside the mattress. Alcremie gently rubbed Alyssa’s arm as we gave her some time to collect herself. 

About a minute passed before she rolled on her side to face Alcremie. “After we had dinner, we came here, and she said she was going out. She’s been going out almost every night to whatever bar she finds, and she usually stays responsible, but after today, I knew she planned to get wasted, so I politely asked her not to come back drunk because I hate when she does that, but that made her more upset, and we got in a pointless fight because she thinks I’m just like you lot now and attacking her for every choice she makes, and…” She sighed and rolled onto her back, prompting Brionne to scoot back before placing her flippers on Alyssa’s arm. “Ever since Hop went off to do Kiawe’s trial, she will not stop complaining about him. Before that, she complained about being annoyed with him breaking the rules, which I get. I was too, but after that night…” Alcremie placed her hand on Alyssa’s as Ribombee sat behind her head. I saw Alyssa lightly squeeze Alcremie’s hand as she took a deep breath. “She’s antagonizing everything you do now, and most of what she’s complaining about aren’t even problems. And it’s so… annoying! She thinks she knows everything about everyone who’s ever been a celebrity, but she doesn’t! She’s been making stuff up about Hop since day one, and I’m getting so sick of it! She doesn’t even know him, and she’s assuming our entire relationship based on what she believes!” 

I winced at her words and looked away.

“Exposed Hop a bit there,” Austin teased. 

I saw Alyssa tilt her head back. “What?” 

“Well… I’m sort of doing the same thing, aren’t I?” I softly asked as I looked back at her. 

She gave me a confused look. “No? Every complaint you’ve had about her is justified.” 

I perked up. “Really?” 

Alyssa nodded before lowering her gaze back to Alcremie. “She’s attacking all of us for no reason now, after all. I didn’t help her attitude towards you though. She only started to dislike you because I kept complaining. Back when I thought you were at Wyndon U for publicity and how… jealous I was that you passed the entrance exam so easily. While I never told her to write that article, I’m sure I unconsciously encouraged her to. After she got in trouble for it, she blamed you entirely and still hasn’t owned up to lying about someone on a public news site. Then after everything else that’s happened…” She sighed and ran her hands over her face. “I’m really sorry, Hop…” 

My expression fell at her words. “Don’t apologize for her. Your feelings may have started this, but she’s only gotten this bitter because she made a bad choice and can’t own up to it.” 

Alyssa lowered her hands to rest on her stomach. “Still… I hate seeing all of you fight, especially when she’s starting it and saying some really messed up stuff. She doesn’t even listen when I tell her how messed up it is though! She gets all defensive and keeps insisting I’m in the wrong and being ‘controlled’ by at least one of you because it’s ok for her to insult a 16 year old about their trauma and identity crisis! She’s always right, isn’t she!? I’m just being manipulated by an egotistical teenager and need to be brought back to reality, and…” She groaned and covered her face. “I need a break from her rubbish!” 

“I think we all do,” I softly said as Xavier sat by Brionne. “Too bad one of us has to stay with her at all times, and she won’t agree to stay with anyone but you at this point. If we abandon her, she'll tell Professor Willow, and all of us will get in trouble.” 

“Will we though?” Austin asked as he looked at me. “She’s broken the rules too, so we can just tell Willow and he’ll take care of it.” 

“Yeah, but you broke rules too. She’ll rat you out, and you’ll get ‘taken care of’ too,” I reminded. 

Austin shrugged. “If it gets her away from you, I can take one for the team.” 

“No,” all of us replied before Alyssa sat up. 

“You’re not ‘taking one for the team’. This trip is a huge part of our grade. If you get kicked off, you'll fail the class,” Alyssa reminded. Austin waved it off. “Don’t make this look like no big deal! I’m not making you destroy your grade just so I can get a break from her! She…” Alyssa looked down. “Telling Professor Willow won’t fix anything. She’ll just hold another grudge against all of us.” 

“Yeah, and she’ll get removed from the trip. She’s broken the alcohol and team rule multiple times,” Austin reminded. 

“You broke the alcohol rule too! She’ll take you down with her! And- Even if she’s taken off and the next 2 weeks get better, I’ll still have to face her when I get back. We’re roommates, sorority sisters, and…” Alyssa looked at Alcremie and ran her hand over her partner’s head. “I’ll just ask her to give me some time alone. She’s gotten in these moods before, and we just needed some silence before we got over it. I-”

“Wait, wait, time out,” Xavier began, drawing our attention to him. “What do you mean by that? How often does she behave like this?” 

“Anytime someone defies her beliefs, really,” Alyssa began before turning back to Alcremie. “Usually, I don’t have any opinion, and she does get… a little upset with me for not really caring or if I disagree with her, but… I give her time to calm down and we drop the incident. This is… the first time it’s gotten this far only because she’s attacking my friends now.” 

I stared at her, processing her words as Xavier leaned forward in an attempt to look her in the eye. “Has she ever apologized for getting upset at you for… any reason?” 

Alyssa stayed quiet, but when she stopped petting Alcremie, I couldn’t help but narrow my eyes. “Did she even apologize for leaving you at that bar?” 

Alyssa stared at Alcremie for a few seconds. “She… She said she didn’t mean to say those things to me or leave and that she was already drunk and… and asked me to forgive her.” 

“She never even said sorry,” Alcremie softly added. 

My expression dropped. Lexi never apologized. She made Alyssa forgive her without even apologizing. 

Are you fucking serious?

“That… That’s not ok. You… You need to talk to her about this,” Xavier said. 

Alyssa lightly scoffed, but I saw more tears well up in her eyes. “And risk having her complain about Hop ‘pushing his grudge onto me’ when ‘I’ve already forgiven her’? No thanks.” 

I couldn’t help but look at the boys as sheer disbelief ran through me. This is unbelievable. How is Alyssa still friends with Lexi if she’s constantly pulling this!? 

While Xavier narrowed his eyes and looked away, Austin took a deep breath and placed his hand on Alyssa’s shoulder. “Let’s do something fun tomorrow. Just the four of us.” 

“But-” Alyssa asked. 

“But nothing. You deserve a break from her negativity, and if she goes to Professor Willow with all the rules Hop and I broke, we’ll tell him what she did and get her off this trip. Worst case scenario, you’re stuck with Xavier for 2 weeks.” He looked at Xavier. “No offense.” 

“None taken,” Xavier simply replied before looking at Alyssa. “If they’re ok with getting taken off the trip to do this, I say we do it.” 

“Yeah, but I don’t want them to get in trouble because of my friend. It’s not fair to them,” Alyssa reminded. 

“We’re the ones making the decision,” Austin replied, bringing her attention back to him. He shrugged. “We’re adults. We’re in charge of our choices. If we break a rule of any kind, we’ll deal with the consequences. I can afford to retake a class. I only need two History credits anyway unlike you and Hop, who need all nine. I can take the hit.” 

“But you-” Alyssa began. 

“It’s ok!” Austin assured as he lightly shook her. “I mean it. After everything that’s happened today alone, we deserve some distance from her. If we get caught, we get caught. There’s no point in being scared of the unknown unless it’s mad creepy.” 

I couldn’t help but smile as Alyssa stared at him. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. 

Xavier chuckled as the silence went on. “As odd as it is, he’s right in a way.” We turned to him as he stood up again. “We’ll take the risk. It’s no big deal.” 

“But it is…” Alyssa muttered. 

Austin squeezed her shoulder. “It’s really not.” 

Alyssa looked away as Xavier turned to the clock. “We should get some rest though.” He turned back to Alyssa. “Will you be alright on your own?” 

Alyssa took a deep breath and nodded before she rose to her feet. “Yeah. I’ll be alright. Just… wake me up when you’re getting ready, alright?” 

“You got it!” Austin cheered as he gave her a teasing salute. 

Alyssa smiled at him before picking up Alcremie, waved to Xavier and me, and led her Pokemon to the door. We waved back before Austin stood up and went after her to probably get the door for her. We stayed quiet as I heard the door open and close, but when it did close, Xavier sighed. 

“Well…” He looked at me. “This is going to end horribly.” 

“Yep,” I simply replied before looking at my Pokemon. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day. Worse case scenario though… I won’t have to worry about getting my classmates involved with aliens anymore.

Chapter Text

The boys went to bed shortly after Alyssa left. At least Austin did. Xavier was more restless than usual. I kept glancing at him as I read to try and tire myself out, but we both stayed quiet until he eventually fell asleep. I fell asleep about an hour after he did, and woke up around 3:00 to my regularly scheduled nightmare: A fucked up rendition of the Team Plasma fight where Ghetsis wasn’t taken away and made his team kill everyone while I couldn’t do anything about it. I stepped out after a few minutes to call Rayne, and she asked me what happened with Alyssa to get my mind off that. Talking about what Alyssa told us last night didn’t make me feel better, but I’d rather be annoyed than creeped out. 

I stayed on the phone with Rayne for a while though, and we just talked about random stuff to clear my head. Even after I felt calmer and when she was clearly getting tired, she insisted on staying on the phone. 

“Why? You’re clearly tired, and it’s getting late over there,” I reminded after she refused to hang up. 

“Because I wanna stay up until midnight,” she softly replied. 

“Why?” I asked. 

“Look at what day it is, stupid.” 

I rolled my eyes, which made her smile before I left the FaceTime app to check the date. Just as it turned 5:00, I saw what day it was. March 12th. A smile rose to my lips before my phone cut back to the call. 

Rayne smiled at my reaction. “Happy 10 year anniversary.” 

“Happy 10 years of knowing each other,” I softly replied, but felt my heart ache. I wish I could be with her. Today would be the perfect day to give her the ring, but I can’t. It’s ok though. Enjoy what this day stands for. Don’t mourn what we don’t have. 

We stayed on the phone for a few more minutes before I told Rayne to go to bed and hung up to make sure she’d do it. She texted me right after to tell me I suck, but went to bed. I stayed in the lobby until 6:45 before going back to the rented room to wake the boys up and get ready. While they got ready, I woke Alyssa up and went back to the lobby to get some coffee for Xavier and me. When all four of us were in the lobby, we grabbed any last-minute necessities and left without sending a single message to Lexi. 

Alyssa took a deep breath as we made our way to Route 11. “I’m so nervous.” 

“About what?” Xavier asked, keeping his eyes on the map. 

Alyssa shrugged. “Getting caught by anyone from campus, I guess.” 

“Don’t be. We’ll have fun,” Austin assured before looking over Xavier’s shoulder. “So what’s the plan?” 

“Well, we decided to explore Tapu Village today and bother Acerola and the Kahuna to visit the Ruins of Abundance,” Xavier replied before tilting the map towards Austin. “Since we left it vague, we can visit the Power Plant here for you to do… engineering things.” 

Austin gasped and grabbed the map to get a better look. “No way… A Geothermal Power Plant!? Mate, we are going! I need to see that place.” 

“Ok. So we can go there, get a late breakfast at Tapu Village, then start exploring,” Xavier replied before looking at me. “Do you want to challenge Acerola while we’re here or wait until tomorrow like planned?” 

I shrugged. “Depends on if we have time, really.” 

“Can we try though?” Decidueye asked, holding her wings together in a pleading motion. “It’s ghost type, right?” 

“Yeah, and you’re the only one good against it,” I reminded. 

“Hey, you’re the one refusing to use half your team,” Lycanroc replied. 

“Because Silvally and Dubwool are overpowered, Winter doesn’t want to fight, and Selene is basically a bomb,” I fired back. 

“Cosmog!” Selene cheered, holding up her arms in delight.