I would say Professor Burnet’s lab had a sort of grim silence to it, but the topmost floor was loud with the sounds of repairs. Every few seconds, a loud whirr or bang would ring out from the workers and Pokémon in the process of fixing Burnet’s wall and machines. As that meant the space was occupied, we instead stood in her basement, a blank room that only consisted of a table, some boxes, and a very lonely vending machine.

Hope sat on a box of old documents while Professor Burnet paced back and forth by the stairs. I stood near the center with Lillie a few feet away. She fidgeted nervously under our combined stare.

“B-before you say anything, I-I don’t want to stop my journey,” Lillie said, grabbing at the front of her dress.

Professor Burnet stopped pacing to close her eyes, her fingers rubbing her temples. “You might have to,” she said. “If training Nebby is causing him to emit more and more Ultra Space energy, he'll likely lure in another Ultra Beast before your team is strong enough to defend you."

“But Whimsicott—”

“Won’t be enough,” Burnet interrupted. “Ultra Beasts are on a level higher than most. A single elite-tier Pokémon won't be enough, unless Hope or Alex have more stealthy team members that can operate as your guards?"

Burnet sent us a pointed look, and Hope and I exchanged a glance. There was a reason we had Whimsicott be with Lillie and not any other Pokémon. There simply wasn’t anyone else on our teams that could stay out of sight as well as him.

“No,” Hope said, speaking for the pair of us.

“Then there’s nothing else we can really do,” Burnet said, giving Lillie an unhappy shrug. “You’ll still be able to work with Nebby and raise a team of Pokémon, but actually exploring the islands on your own is out of the picture. I can’t recommend going too far away from any settled location, outside of the fast intervention by any Island Guardian.”

Lillie squeezed her eyelids shut, and moisture condensed in the corner of her eyes. At her feet, Nebby made a sad noise and pushed forward to try to comfort her by leaning into her leg. At that, Lillie choked back a sob, but I could tell that she wouldn't be able to resist crying. I couldn’t blame her—I’d probably be feeling the same if I was told my dreams were impossible.

Good thing I had a solution in mind.

“Unless,” I started.

“Unless?” Hope asked, playing along.

“We could have Lillie travel with people that can fight against Ultra Beasts.”

Professor Burnet cocked her head to the side at that suggestion. “Where are you going to find people like that?” she asked.

It was our turn to send Professor Burnet a pointed look, and her face turned bright red.

"Lillie," I began, facing her as I spoke, "how would you like to travel with Hope and I?"

"What?! But your own journeys—"

"Won't be changed," I interrupted. "You're taking on the Island Challenge, and we're visiting each Trial Captains as part of our jobs searching for viable Gym Leaders. We have to visit each Trial site anyway, which means we'd frequently be traveling down the same routes even if you find a different group. We can protect you from Ultra Beasts, you can continue your journey with Nebby, and..."

I paused, briefly taking in a slight breath. While Hope and I had discussed the possibility of bringing Lillie with us, I hadn’t mentioned this one aspect of my plan. The thought had been bouncing around in my head since we started to walk back, and I couldn’t see a reason why not to offer something more.

The image of Lillie’s disappointment when I didn’t call on her during my lecture still felt fresh in my mind. I’d also noticed how Lillie hadn't added anyone else to her team. She seemed almost hesitant to, for some reason, but while my memory of the games had faded over the years, I did have a slight recollection that Lillie's future Pokémon were Fairy Types more often than not.

It lined up too well. I knew I could help her with this. After finally breathing out, I nodded my head, and I said my piece.

"How would you like to become my apprentice?" I said.

Almost in sync, everyone’s eyes snapped to lock with my own.

"You're kidding," Hope said.

"Not in the slightest."

Lillie's mouth opened and closed. She made nothing more than surprised choking noises.

"Now, I can't say I'm an especially experienced trainer; I've only been with my team for going on three years at this point," Hope snorted at my words, "but my knowledge of Pokémon is a bit more advanced than most. An apprenticeship is closer to what Fighting Type specialists do, but think of this as an offer to become something like a personal student under me. I'll make sure you learn whatever you need to know to become one of the best trainers out there."

Lillie stayed silent, her inability to speak turning into a hesitancy to speak. She blinked several times in rapid succession as she took in what I just said. However, that expression of surprise turned into a thoughtful look on her face, with her brow slightly furrowed. The tension built and built, and it seemed like Lillie was about to respond, but I held up a hand to interrupt her before she could give me an answer.

"A few things to note, before you say anything in response. First off, I can get you a sponsorship so you don’t need to rely on your mother’s funds or stress yourself when it comes to earning money through battles. I can also provide a small space for you to stable your Pokémon at my home in Hoenn, but likely not too many. Also, soon, I’ll have to temporarily leave the region. I have the right to challenge the Sinnoh Elite Four, which I can't let expire."

I was actually planning to issue my challenge today, but then everything with the wild Kartana happened. Lillie would have the choice to either go to Sinnoh with me or stay here in Alola when the time came, that is, if she accepted.

"That's a lot to think about," Lillie mumbled.

"I wouldn't blame you if you said you needed a few days."

"No! No, it's not that. It's just..." Lillie bit her lip. She fidgeted in place for a moment. "If I accept, do I need to only use Fairy Types in the future?"

I blinked, then I laughed. "What? No, your team is yours to grow," I said, chuckling. "While my specialty is with the Fairy Type, I’m not going to force that onto you. Your Pokémon are your friends and your companions. Choose who you want to choose. I’ll share any tips and tricks I have to make sure you can train them well, even if they aren't the Fairy Type."

"Oh," Lillie said. She almost seemed... disappointed?

That’s weird.

Regardless, after a few more seconds of thought, she nodded her head, agreeing with a determined glint in her eyes.

"Okay. I'll do it,” Lillie declared. “I’ll join you and become your student.”

I smiled, and Lillie smiled back.

“I promise—”

"Lillie!" Burnet interrupted. "This is a big decision. You can’t just accept that easily. Are you sure you want to accept just like that?"

"I'm sure. Thank you for caring, Miss Burnet, but I think this is the best decision for me and Nebby.” Lillie bowed her head. “With the Ultra Beasts and Team Skull and... and my mom, I think I won't get a better option even if I look. This is a chance for me to get stronger and continue on my journey. I... I promised Nebby I’d protect him. It’s not the same if we just sit around in a town and hide from everyone on our own.”

When she brought her head back up, there was not a single sign of worry on her face. Her expression was one of pure determination, one of knowledge of where she wanted to go.

In response, Burnet sighed, and she rested a palm on her chest.

“Well, I can’t really say no to a declaration like that,” the researcher said.

“Yes!” Lillie cheered, pumping her fist and bringin Nebby up into a spinning hug. The pair laughed excitedly, with Lillie immediately falling into a near-unintelligible rant about how bright their future looked.

"I didn't see this going like that," Hope mumbled, letting out an exasperated sigh.

I laughed. "Yeah. I probably should have talked about my idea sooner."

She met my smile with a roll of her eyes, but I didn’t stop grinning. This would be a new experience for me and a new experience for Lillie. Not only Lillie could continue her journey safely without any outside interference, but I’d be able to help her reach even taller heights as a trainer. Teaching her would not only benefit her, but it would help to solidify my basics, and it just plain sounded fun. I was looking forward to this almost as much as Lillie was, but my celebration just consisted of a glad grin rather than laughter and spinning.

With the basics of our roles established, I went more in depth about what I could offer, and Professor Burnet made sure the deal wasn’t against Lillie’s favor. The Professor was a harsh negotiator, but she easily took on the role of an experienced adult looking out for a minor. After all, Burnet was the one to find and care for Lillie when Lillie ran away from home.

Once the specifics were established and Lillie’s apprenticeship was secured, Hope and I exchanged a single look, and we silently agreed on an very important next step.

Shopping.

A few hours later, Hope handed me a nice and crisp, fresh ten-dollar bill.

"Should have known better than to make a bet with someone who knows the future,” she grumbled.

"Ah, but it isn't the future! It's a set of likely probabilities, a history that has passed without passing, a story written in stone, now written in—"

Hope elbowed me in the side to stop my flowery bragging, interrupting my overly dramatic speech and forcing me to rub my “injury” in pain. I laughed at Hope’s unhappy expression and made a purposeful show of pocketing my winnings. It wasn’t every day I was presented with a bet I knew I could win. When it came to what clothes Lillie would buy, I already knew what she’d choose next.

Just like the games, Lillie changed her outfit, originally designed by her mother, to one that she picked out herself. No longer was she wearing a white dress and wide-brimmed hat, but she now wore a comfortable skirt and a top themed like a sailor's uniform. She got rid of her hat, too. Her long hair was now tied up into a raised ponytail rather than being kept loose.

With her new clothes purchased, Lillie ran up to us, a smile wide on her face. "I never really thought about how uncomfortable my old clothes were until I changed them. I like these a lot more," she said.

"They're cute. You did a good job," Hope said, trying to hide her grumpiness.

Lillie responded with a happy spin. She wasn’t carrying Nebby in a gym bag at her side, but the Pokémon sat in a red backpack on her back. The tiny Legendary Pokémon giggled as he spun.

When it came to what else we bought outside of her outfit, I also went through and talked about key supplies I wanted to make sure she had. All of the little things were important: a thermos for water, a supply of emergency potions and status healing items, berries that were useful for both meals and medicinal properties, as well as tents and sleeping bags that could fold up far more than they normally should. I also mentioned some luxuries like portable cooking pots, foldable chairs, and tools like rubber balls and metal rods to help with Pokémon training. The most important item I encouraged her to get was an Escape Rope. While I never personally used the item that frequently, it was extremely important to have for emergencies.

With the sponsorship I mentioned being worked out, Lillie actually had money to spare. However, she still had to be careful with what she bought, so my encouragement was focused on helping her choose. It hurt me when I saw she’d been buying low-quality Pokémon food because it was cheap. I managed to steer her to a slightly more expensive brand that actually contained the nutrients her Pokémon would need.

"Well, if there's nothing else we have to buy, let's head back to the Pokémon Center for now. Lillie, great job today. I feel like you’re more prepared than ever,” I said.

The girl preened over the praise, puffing up her chest and causing Hope to let out a snort of amusement. She sent out Popplio as we walked, picking up the Pokémon in her arms. Walking down the road, Lillie now had Nebby sticking out of her pack and Popplio in front of her chest. She was a one-man transporter of her team, and her Pokémon looked around as if they’d never seen this town before.

"It's strange how much she's changed. When I first met Lillie, I would have never pictured her with this level of confidence," Hope whispered as we walked.

"I know, and it's only been two months. I'm excited to see just how great of a trainer she'll be by the end of the season,” I replied.

Above, a few bird Pokémon squawked, and a man riding a Tauros ran down the road. The beach was unblocked by any buildings to our south, allowing the sounds of people and their Pokémon enjoying the water to echo out over the town.

"Have you found out what Akala's Kahuna challenge is, by the way?" I asked Hope as we continued to walk forward.

Hope's face contorted up slightly.

"Yeah. Capture the Rock, it's called,” she groaned.

"Capture the Rock," I repeated.

Hope reluctantly nodded her head. "Akala's Kahuna, Olivia, will only battle people who bring her a certain type of stone. You have to get them from Route 8, on the northernmost tip of the island. That means you have to carry them all the way across Akala to reach Konikoni City, and you aren’t allowed to fly or teleport, either. Carrying the rock means you have to accept any challenges sent your way, too.”

"And let me guess: if you lose a match, you give up the rock?" I asked.

"Yup," Hope replied. "I asked around and apparently a bunch of trainers have set up a sort of barricade around Konikoni City as a way to snatch up any stones by beleaguered trainers at the end of their trip. Olivia actually hasn't had many challenges with how many trainers are holding back from pushing south. Most trainers with the stones have been lingering up north rather than taking their chances to the south."

I hummed, considering how we might tackle that difficulty, but that was a problem for the future. Ahead, we finally reached the Pokémon Center, and the glass doors automatically opened up to allow us in. Lillie ran inside, all the way up to the front counter, where she started to chat animatedly with the local nurse. Hope chuckled as we stood off to the side, keeping an eye on Lillie while a few other trainers sat around in the seating area and sipped drinks purchased from the built-in café.

“Can you keep an eye on Lillie?” I asked.

“Going to make your call?”

“Yup. I’ve waited long enough. It’s time for me to make my challenge.”

I bid Hope a temporary farewell and waved to Lillie as she passed her Pokemon to the nurse to get healed. A row of video phones were attached to the wall, but there were private spaces to make important calls in the back.

After finding my seat, I got comfortable and plugged in the number I knew by heart. I didn’t have to wait very long at all—Cynthia picked up almost immediately.

"Alex! We've been waiting!"

Her sharp grin almost reminded me of a shark-toothed smile straight from a Garchomp.

"Hi, Cynthia. I'm finally going to make my challenge," I said.

"Wonderful, just wonderful. Now, let's discuss how exactly this is going to go."

Getting to and from Sinnoh wasn't a challenge—I could take a plane, after all. The real problem was timing everything out. Essentially, it was currently the very end of December, and Sinnoh's League started at the beginning of March. I had January and February to fight the Elite Four, with the battles taking place one-by-one. The problem was that as I had delayed, I wouldn't be able to take them on slow. Battles had to be declared a month in advance, so for my strategy, I’d be scheduling them all at once.

"Three days apart, private matches, only publicize any battles if I get to the third," I said. I had to do it this way because if I lost even a single match, my challenge would end, and I would need to win a Conference again if I wanted to have official matches with the Elite Four.

"Oh?" Cynthia raised an eyebrow. "You're that confident you'll get that far along?"

"Cynthia, while my attention has been divided these past few months, I haven't been completely slacking off. My team is as strong as ever, we've been practicing new moves and strategies, and my current region is giving me plenty of opportunities to test my strength."

Not to mention my secret weapon: Z-Moves. They’ll probably be predicted, but that’s still a lever I didn’t have before.

Outside of the Kahunas, the upcoming three Island Captains on Akala were likely to be strong and serve as decent practice, too. Also, by traveling with Lillie, I would be getting another, hidden benefit: the chance to battle against any Ultra Beasts lured nearby. My team had grown, we'd adopted new strategies, and we’d been able to practice our Z-Moves as well.

"Very well, Alex. I'll inform everyone of your decision. We'll get back to you with a specific date, and until then, I hope your training goes well."

I nodded, satisfied this was finally done. The call was hung up, I sat back in my booth, and I let out a long sigh.

Time was always a limiting factor. I was happy to make this challenge, but facing Sinnoh’s Elite Four would be a tougher test than Tobias and Ash. As of right now, not only did I still have Pokémon that needed to be trained up, but I needed to ensure the rest of my team was in peak condition, too. I’d also just taken on Lillie as a personal student, and then there was everything involving Alola’s Pokémon League that I'd need to handle over the next month.

"A speed run through Akala, maybe? No, I don't want to rush Lillie," I mumbled. "I'll have to talk to everyone about what they want to do when time comes up. Otherwise, it'll mostly just be planning."

For now, I'd focus on training. I'd probably need to have a few long nights to squeeze all my Pokemon in while we traveled. Our immediate goal was Lush Jungle and the Grass Type Island Trial, purposefully chosen to allow Hope a chance to expand her team. I hoped I'd be able to help Lillie get more team members, too, but I needed to talk about what Types and species she wanted before dedicating any effort on this topic.

I sighed again.

Overall, these next few months would be difficult, and while I was stressed, there was something about this situation that filled me with excitement as well. A month dedicated to planning, practicing, and training would test my limits, and it sounded pretty fun, too.

The following day, we left Heahea City to start towards the next town in Akala. Our destination, Paniola Town, wasn't too far away as it was a major producer of Alola’s Pokémon products (mostly milk and cheeses) and needed to be close to properly ship everything out. I expected to get there within a handful of days.

Despite the Elite Four challenge and everything else hanging over my head, I wasn't in a rush. Akala was large, but the island's three Trial Captains were all relatively next to one another. Brooklet Hill, Lush Jungle, and Wela Volcano Park were all basically next to each other. While it would have made more sense to visit Brooklet Hill on the western coast first, Hope had her preferences, and neither Lillie nor I objected.

During our trip, we paused our travels three times a day: once in the mornings, once for lunch, and then one last time for dinner and to set up camp. Those three periods were used for training, and since Lillie had joined us, I decided to focus these first few days on her and the newer Pokémon of our growing group to get everyone on the same level.

That meant we had Lillie, Popplio, Cosmog, Cutiefly, Eevee, and Hope's Rowlet all lined up and ready to train. It felt like a lot when I saw everyone in a row.

"So," I said, pacing back and forth and taking on a purposeful, drill-instructor-like demeanor. "You all wish to get stronger, hm?"

Lillie gave me a sharp nod while the rest of the Pokémon made sounds of excitement. I grinned and pushed my feet together, purposefully playing up my role.

“Then, listen up, here’s the—”

“What are you doing, Alex?”

I looked over to Hope, who was watching with her hands on her hips.

“Excuse me?”

“This act where you’re lining everyone up. You pretending to be a coach of sorts?”

“I-I guess. More of a drill instructor?” I offered.

Hope smirked and gestured for me to move out of the way.

“Now watch closely. If you want to pretend to be a drill instructor, you do it like this,” she said.

I should have taken Rowlet suddenly covering his ears more seriously.

"NOW LOOK HERE, YOU WIMPY-ASS BOOTLICKERS!"

Practically everyone here was sent reeling, and I took several steps back from the sheer volume of Hope’s voice. Lillie went stock-still, Eevee’s hair stood on end, and Cutiefly dropped a full foot towards. Hope took on the stance of a tried-and-true military veteran, complete with a ramrod straight back and feet pressed so close there wasn’t even a gap. Even though I wasn’t part of the group training, I found myself unconsciously standing at attention. No one escaped from Hope’s pretend wrath.

"WHEN I LOOK AT YOU, DO YOU KNOW WHAT I SEE? WIMPS. COWARDS. LOSERS. EACH ONE OF YOU IS LACKING IN ONE SPECIFIC WAY THAT WILL BE FIXED HERE TODAY.” Hope breathed in. “ROWLET!"

The little owl snapped its wings down and puffed up its chest. Hope leered down at the Pokémon’s motionless form.

"YOUR FLIGHT IS PATHETIC. UNTIL YOU MANAGE TO STAY IN THE AIR FOR AT LEAST THIRTY SECONDS, I DON’T WANT TO SEE YOU TAKING ANY UNNECESSARY BREAKS!"

I’d never seen a beak grimace before. It was interesting to see the hard material contort and curve. Rowlet at least recognized Hope wasn’t being entirely serious, but the explicit orders did cause his usually blank eyes to stare unerringly forward.

"CUTIEFLY!” Hope snapped, now turning to my Pokémon. “YOUR MOVES LACK OOMPH, BUT YOU DON’T LACK POTENTIAL! AS A SOLUTION, PRACTICE FAIRY WIND UNTIL YOU CAN MAINTAIN A CLOUD FOR MULTIPLE MINUTES ON END! I EXPECT YOU TO DO SO UNTIL YOU DROP, SOLDIER!"

Cutiefly glanced my way, desperately looking for help. I gave him a shrug, silently saying “what can you do?” He looked depressed, and I tried to silently signal that it wouldn’t be that bad. I’d personally help him with it, after all.

"AND YOU, MISSY!"

Lillie, somehow, was reacting best to this out of them all. She was doing her best to act like the ideal soldier, keeping her back straight and playing along. For some reason, she also seemed to be holding back giggles.

"WHAT'S THE LONGEST YOU'VE RUN?"

“Sir! I don’t know, sir!”

I blinked at how well she was playing along.

"WELL, YOU'LL FIND OUT TODAY.” Hope grinned. “THE REST OF YOU, JOIN HER!"

Lillie began to run, and Popplio followed. The rest of the Pokémon, Nebby included, stood there and stared, still processing what was going on. Hope sighed, momentarily breaking character, but then that instructor returned with an even louder than before “GO!”

That was enough to snap them out of it, and everyone who had stayed behind took off into a sprint.

And with that, Hope sighed, breaking character and returning to her usual demeanor. She looked a little sheepish and her face was now tinted red. However, everyone was running down the route like we asked, except for Cutiefly, who was staying next to us and using Fairy Wind like ordered.

"So, uh," I cleared my throat. "Don't you think that was a little much?"

Hope's face turned an even brighter red.

"Um. Yeah, probably,” she said quietly. “I didn’t need to go that hard, but it was fun to get into a role, you know?”

“I get it,” I replied.

“Thanks, Robin,” Hope said with a laugh. “But I do think this is a good team building exercise, in a way. Intimidated by me, they’ll support each other to make sure they get in shape and not let one another down."

Lillie, not used to running, was already flagging where she ran. Cosmog, the boundless ball of energy, pushed against her back and helped her stay with the rest. Rowlet continued to fly in the air, though it was more like a chain of leaping glides than anything else. The best of the bunch was by far Eevee. We’d already worked on his stamina by practicing Quick Attack together in the past.

"I can see it working already," I commented. “Where exactly did you learn that?”

"Ramos.” A grimace appeared on Hope’s face. “He was my group's instructor for Ace Trainer training back in Kalos."

The idea of the kindly old man acting as such an aggressive drill instructor did not match up at all with the image I had of him in my mind.

Our training continued over the next few days. Lillie worked on getting in better shape while her Pokémon now had two options of being assisted by an Elite-level team. Helping in such a way refreshed my team’s basics. Florges had a mastery over Fairy Wind, and she helped Cutiefly gain the same.

When Hope and I weren't working with our Pokémon, I spent time sharing what information I had with Lillie. I could identify most species' Types, and I gave her hints about how to identify a Pokémon’s capabilities. As the daughter of Lusamine, the Aether Foundation President, Lillie already had a strong basis to work with. I mostly had to fill in the gaps and provide her specific information she had yet to learn.

"And as for how most Fairy Type species like their foods..." I started.

"Most have individual preferences, like always, but Fairy Types thrive on a higher sugar diet and should have every meal be supported by at least one type of berry,” Lillie easily replied.

I smiled at how well she remembered that.

"Got it in one,” I said.

Lillie wasn’t here to have Hope and I directly train her team—it was more about setting up a baseline to give her something to work with. I taught her what moves her Pokémon could potentially learn, then Lillie went and decided on what and how she wanted to train. I also gave her tips and tricks and corrected mistakes when I saw them, and if she ever struggled on something, I stepped in to help. It would help her in the long run to teach her how to make good decisions rather than just cramming her head with niche knowledge.

Her Pokémon practiced moves like Water Gun, Disarming Voice, and Teleport. Lillie trained them physically but also helped their special moves, too. As Hope and I watched, we traveled down the route, and with our relatively slow pace, we soon reached the ranch town we aimed for.

However, this idyllic training period did not last. Upon approaching the town, we saw something none of us liked. A trio of Team Skull grunts stood on an empty street, and it seemed that they were in the process of harassing a strangely out of place, wild Alolan Vulpix.