"Before you yell at me, I want you to know that I'm sorry," Hope said.

“I’m not going to yell at you,” I replied.

“No, no, I get it. I came in here saying things like ‘what could go wrong?’ and ‘what’s the worst that can happen?’” She sighed, leaning her back against a rocky wall. “I really should have known better by now.”

“...It’s alright,” I mumbled. “It’s not like we’re stuck in a cave.”

We were stuck in a cave.

This place wasn’t anything special. There was no magnificent cave system or a series of tunnels. The place we were in was literally just a small, darkened divot in a wall.

A few loose stones and boulders served as seats, and the rock walls were cracked and irregular—likely, a wild Pokémon had formed this place in the past. Occasionally, a gust of wind would send a small spiral of sand to dissipate along the coarse floor, but it was outside where the weather was its worst.

Quite literally, Haina Desert was under constant sandstorm. It didn’t cover all of the desert at once, but it was enough that we had to find frequent shelter whenever one blew past. The desert itself was made up of a series of ravines and canyons that provided a slight bit of cover from the harsh sunlight that bore down on us from above, but the very twisting nature of this space meant we could rarely tell when there was an incoming sandstorm until it was practically on us. What made it worse was that half the time, after hiding in one of the numerous shelters along the ravine’s walls, we’d emerge only to find that the current path we were following had somehow changed.

At least, Altaria had been a big help. His ability, Cloud Nine, gave him a minor control over the environment around him. That had meant he’d been able to reduce the effects of the weather wherever we traveled. Cold winds would blow instead of heated air from the sun slowly broiling us. The effects of the random sandstorms became tolerable during our mad dashes to shelter, too.

Somehow, Altaria was actually enjoying this. Even now, where he sat at the entrance of the cave, his eyes were closed and curved up in a smile, and he occasionally made short, quiet chirps to express the good mood he was in.

If I hadn’t known him so well, I would have been in even greater disbelief. After all, he was still up and ready to go after five long, grueling days of traveling through this desert.

It had been Five. Entire. Days. and we weren’t entirely sure if we were even approaching its end.

It had been five days of traveling through a canyon desert that wasn’t that large in the first place and being unable to find our way forward. We’d given ourselves a week to get through here, but like this, I was starting to have my doubts we could the Ruins of Abundance. Ryuki might not have been super pressing, as we could eventually find him back in his Gym, but Tapu Bulu would forever remain out of our reach if we didn’t figure out a way forward.

After several minutes of silence between us, with Hope and I having nothing to do other than listen to the sandstorm howl outside, Hope suddenly snapped her head upwards, and she spoke in a slow tone of realization.

“...I think I have an idea,” she said.

“Is it anything like the last one?”

“No, we’re not going to try to travel over this place.” She shivered at the memory. “No, Alex, have you noticed anyone here? Looked at everyone in the room? Between the four of us, which one of us do you think has been unaffected by the desert this entire time?”

I blinked and glanced around.

“Do you mean Altaria? He’s already doing his best to help us.”

He squawked happily in a horrific failure to imitate a musical note.

“No, no, no. You’re blind. There’s one other Pokémon out with us. Remember? Think about their Type.”

My eyes immediately locked onto the very Pokémon she mentioned. The rest of our teams were inside their Pokéballs to rest while we were waiting for this sandstorm to pass, but there was one Pokémon who wasn’t actually caught.

There, still floating over Hope’s shoulder was Kartana, as impassive as ever. For all the strength the Ultra Beast had, it rarely ever made a noise, and it didn’t even join us to eat, likely somehow sourcing its food from other, more unusual means.

(Probably photosynthesis, to be honest.)

Kartana tended to be so small and quiet, I forgot it was here half the time.

“Kartana’s a Steel Type,” I said as I stared at the Pokémon.

“Yup. And they slice through the air in a way where the wind doesn’t bother them.”

Hope stepped forward and tried to turn to Kartana, but the Ultra Beast passively remained floating behind her back. She frowned and turned even quicker, but Kartana continued to silently stay behind her back until finally after several, long, repeated failures to face the Pokémon, Hope put a hand on her face, and simply said, “Kartana?”

The Pokémon stopped moving to let Hope properly face it.

“We need your help,” she said.

Kartana didn’t have an easy to read face, but it did have a rough, samurai-shaped body. Though its arms were paper katanas, it did have a folded paper head. Two antenna-like eyebrows twitched, and the Ultra Beast turned to the side as if to ask for Hope to continue.

“We can’t make it through the desert. The sandstorms keep pushing us to the side. We can’t even figure out if we’re making progress since the metals in the walls are messing with our compasses. Please will you help us? Can you lead us forward?”

The Pokémon made an indescribable, alien noise that gave no clues to whether or not it was agreeing to help. As Hope let out a sigh, I stood up. I had an idea I wanted to explain.

“You can sense Tapu Bulu, can’t you?” I asked.

Kartana shifted to face me, then it tilted forward and back in an imitation of a nod.

“Of course—you tried to search for Ultra Wormhole energy in the past. And since the Island Guardians have been fighting Ultra Beasts for years, they must be suffused in all that passive radiance. If you could cut your way into Professor Burnett’s lab, you could cut your way through the sandstorm. We’ve spent too long here already. Kartana, please. You’re our only way forward.”

It seemed to stare at me, as if still making up its mind. A long silence persisted that was interrupted by a loud clap, where Hope pressed her hands together.

“Please, Kartana?” she said, giving it the biggest, most puppy dog eyes she could conjure. “Won’t you do it for me?”

...There’s no way that’s going to work.

It worked; Kartana nodded its head.

A few seconds of pure exasperation later, Altaria let out a squawk that brought our attention back to the entrance. The sandstorm was still going on, but it was rapidly fading, finally passing by us just enough that Altaria could resume escorting us forward.

“Then, no point in waiting, let’s go!” Hope shouted. “Switch it up! Lead the way, Kartana!”

The Ultra Beast shifted forward in the air, pausing only briefly to turn to look at Hope. A bubble of lighter sand appeared outside our small cave, courtesy of Altaria, then all of us headed out to hopefully finally make our way forward.

Kartana led with ease, unaffected by the heat or any sand blasting through the air. Hope and I had both acquired robes for this trip, and we wore thick goggles to protect our eyes from what sand slipped by Altaria.

The desert was windy, in both definitions of the word. It both twisted and turned around, and sharp winds blew towards us to make travel difficult. With Altaria helping and Kartana busy doing its best to try to find out where Tapu Bulu rested, we still had to deal with wild Pokémon attacks here and there, but we had a perfect combination of Pokémon to protect us as we moved.

“Dartrix.”

“Tinkatuff.”

“Same strategy as last time,” we said.

Sandile had to be the most common Pokémon here, with the dirt crocodile attempting to jump out and ambush us if we got close. Trapinch had a similar method of attack, but it was usually more obvious with large sand pits that it would lay in wait in the center of.

Whenever we encountered a Pokémon jumping out at us, Tinkatuff was quick to move first. Fake Out was the perfect move for this situation, as the sudden lurch caused any opponents to flinch and pause their attacks.

Then, with Tinkatuff occupying our foe, the recently evolved Dartrix—previously Rowlet—was able to unleash its own attacks. As a Grass Type, most of its moves were super effective. All it took was a carefully timed Leafage or Razor Leaf to ward off any foes by making it clear we weren’t worth their time.

Rarely, an Alolan Diglett or Dugtrio would appear with its yellow strands of metal hair. Thankfully, none of those Pokémon would attack, merely watching us as we passed.

Ninetales and Sunflora were back with Lillie, who was challenging trainers back on Route 13 as she could. So close to the Ghost Type trial, she needed to practice, and I’d heard from her that the watchful Hapu had given her advice here and there.

With Ninetales only connected to us via the occasional Holo Caster call, our supplies were maintained by a different Pokémon instead. While she wasn’t interested in fighting Tapu Bulu (she thought her Sap Sipper ability would make the fight too easy), Azumarill had been subbed in for Dedenne, giving us a way to refill our water if needed.

We continued to travel, our team set up to handle the difficulties of the desert. It was less hard and more frustrating, to be honest, but we still needed to find out way to Tapu Bulu’s Ruins of Abundance eventually.

Kartana continued to lead, our team continued to fight, and then, eventually, Hope paused, and she gained a confused look on her face.

"Is that... singing?" Hope asked, completely bewildered.

The wild Sandile our Pokémon were fighting immediately dove into the ground. Tinkatuff let out a disappointed huff while Dartrix twisted its head around and looked at Hope questioningly.

“Wait, it actually is?” Hope asked again.

I closed my eyes to better listen in. In accordance with her words, the noise was faint, but I could just barely hear what almost sounded like either the singing or humming of a woman.

"Huh,” I said. “Hold on, I think I know that sound. It's a Flygon."

Hope snapped her head towards me.

"Wally and I fought one off back in Hoenn, though he ended up catching it. The way their wings vibrate when they fly over sound causes them to sound like a woman's singing.”

Hope frowned and tried to turn to point an ear to wherever the sound was coming from. I went quiet and did the same, trying even harder to listen in.

Flygon were a little notorious in Haina Desert, as their existence was half the reason sandstorms blew through these parts. Not only that, but the harsh winds that prevented flight above this place didn't prevent their flight, and many of them claimed territory in the upper reaches, which made air travel over the desert that much more dangerous.

(We found that out the hard way.)

"There's two of them," Hope mumbled as we listened. "And... they're fighting?"

I could just barely hear what she meant.

"Are they in the direction of Tapu Bulu?" I asked Kartana.

Kartana didn't respond.

"Are they in the direction of Tapu Bulu?" Hope repeated.

Kartana shook left and right to say no. Hope sent me a smug grin.

"Either there's a pair of Flygon fighting here, or there's a—"

"A trainer with a Flygon fighting another off," Hope interrupted, eyes wide. "Alex, I think that might be Ryuki."

"I was just about to say that. We should go," I said.

"Let's run."

We did as suggested, immediately moving forward at a much quicker pace than before. This wasn't the first time we found a trainer here—we had encountered a man walking alongside a Poliwrath once and an archaeological maniac looking for Baltoy—but it was enough of a maze that finding other people was rare unless someone was specifically searching one out.

Kartana was surprisingly helpful even without using Tapu Bulu's presence as a guide. Moving quickly, it was hard to determine which twist in the ravines to take, but Kartana's quick, slicing movements through the air ensured they could maintain a decent lead and keep an eye on what was ahead.

Altaria flew behind, and Dartrix and Tinkatuff were returned. Before too long, we reached where the battle was taking place, and, indeed, we found the man in question:

Ryuki.

He looked awful.

Ryuki's red outfit was covered in dirt, and his usual spiked, red-and-white hair was loose and hung down. He was panting as two Pokémon fought in the air in front of him—a pair of Flygon, just like we heard.

They differed in size, and the much larger one was grabbing onto a smaller Flygon. The bigger one held the small one in place while it breathed a Dragonbreath over its body. No matter how much the smaller one claws upwards, its shorter arm length meant that its Dragon Claw did nothing more than lightly scratch its foe.

"Ryuki!" I shouted. "Which one is yours?"

He turned his head, eyes widened at our presence.

"You two? Don't... Don't help! We have this in the bag!"

He tried to send us a reassuring grin, but it did nothing to make us feel better with his exhausted state. A sudden roar brought our attention back to the fight, and the larger Flygon threw the smaller right into the ground. A thump and a puff of sand hid the impact that followed, but it was clear that the smaller Flygon suffered greatly from the attack, and it didn’t have the energy to fight back any longer.

Ryuki winced, and, based on his pained expression, I could tell the smaller one was his.

"Altaria. Use Moonblast on the aggressor!" I ordered.

He didn't delay before creating a sphere of bright pink energy.

Altaria’s Moonblast didn't hit; the wild Flygon saw the shining move coming and pushed back up into the air. Its eyes, underneath its natural, red goggles, narrowed when it noticed its new opponents. It lingered for a single moment before flying off and away.

I let out a sigh of relief; for all the competitiveness Dragon Types tended to have, one that big wouldn't have lasted this long in the wild without knowing when to run away. With us here, it was both outnumbered and outmatched. Staying to battle was a fool's choice.

Though, before anything else could occur, Hope was the next to leap into action. She rushed forward, releasing her Cherrim, and her starter Pokémon unfolded its petals to enter its sunshine form and use Heal Pulse on Ryuki's injured Pokémon.

"I—"

"If you're going to get upset that we helped you out, I'd advise you to not say anything," I interrupted Ryuki before he could speak.

He wisely shut his mouth and collapsed to his knees. Understanding how awful he looked, I walked over and handed him my thermos of water, which he greedily sucked down.

"T-thank you," he said, wiping his lips.

"What happened? I didn't expect you to ever look this defeated."

He opened his mouth, but his eyes fell. It took a moment to find the words to respond.

"We challenged Tapu Bulu," he said. "...It was stronger than we thought."

"So you lost."

"We didn't lose! We made a tactical retreat, and we found a cave to recover in."

"You hid?"

"It wasn't hiding. It was a tactical repositioning. I'm a very tactical man."

"Uh-huh," I said, looking over how weathered he looked.

Hope came back as Ryuki did his best to cross his arms in denial, and his Flygon followed Hope, slinking back at her side. While it was somewhat healed of its wounds, it still looked completely and utterly defeated, both physically and emotionally. On it, I could see bruises still in the process of healing as well as injuries from fights that weren't from its immediate, prior match. From what I could tell, they had been fighting for days, and the pair looked all the more worn from that effect.

"You've been in this desert for weeks," Hope said, speaking what we both observed out loud. "Why haven't you left?"

Despite being on his knees, Ryuki still seemed to inflate at the indignity of Hope's words. Puffed up, he somehow had more energy to him than before.

"We haven't been truly defeated. Not yet, at least. We still have our pride. After all, we came here to defeat Tapu Bulu, and we haven’t beat it just yet. We can’t leave, otherwise, what kind of trainer am I?"

“A dumb one,” Hope quipped.

He kind of seemed to deflate at that, though he tried to hide it. Between how he acted in the race, the general feel of his Gym, and now his words in this moment, it was clear he put a lot of value in his self worth. Confronted with failure, it seemed he wasn’t sure how to act.

"You know what I think?" Hope said.

Both of us looked at her.

"You're actually kind of pathetic."

I had to stop my mouth from dropping open. She really didn’t need to do that to him. Ryuki immediately glared at Hope, but his disheveled state just made him seem to fit Hope’s words even more.

"You failed to win a battle, but instead of stepping out and taking that time to train and recover like a smart person, you stubbornly stuck around to throw yourself at a wall you already know you can't pass. Sure, if you were in a controlled environment, I can see this as a way to train. But here, in the freakin' Haina desert? You know Haina means cruel in old Alolan, right?"

Ryuki scowled and did his best to push back up onto his feet.

"I don't need this. I don't need—"

"Flygon has fractures in both of her arms, and I noticed how quickly you sucked down Alex's water. We know you have a Kingdra on your team—that's how you won the race, after all. Why haven't you had them come out to help refresh your drinking supplies?"

A moment’s pause.

"...them behind," he mumbled.

"Excuse me?" Hope asked.

"I left them behind!" Ryuki shouted, throwing up his arms. "This was a training trip for Flygon, Garchomp, and I! Ground Types! Why would I bring a fish into a desert?"

Hope and I exchanged a silent look.

"Because it's a Water Type that can float over the sand and conjure fresh water for you to drink," I said.

Hope nodded in agreement.

Ryuki held up a finger as if to try to deny what we said, but his arm fell and he gained a depressed slump.

At that point, Altaria let loose a squawk, and Kartana made a high-pitched whine as its blade sliced through the air. We turned our heads toward down the canyon, and a chaotic whirl of sand was quickly coming our way.

"Another sandstorm," I groaned.

"Do you have shelter?" Hope asked.

Ryuki looked like he had bitten into something sour, but he still nodded his head.

"It's this way. Garchomp is guarding the place right now."

“Lead the way,” I said.

Ryuki wordlessly marched ahead.

Unlike most of the shelters Hope and I had located before, this one was actually of decent size. Fresh rubble sat in piles outside, disguising the entrance, and a deep purple Garchomp leaned against the wall. When we walked into the room, the Garchomp stood as if to defend the place, but Ryuki held up a hand and shook his head. Garchomp slumped back down, ignoring the way Altaria was staring at it, almost in challenge.

We said nothing as Hope and I set up a fire. Her Grass Types could easily create plant material to burn, and it took only the slightest lick of fire from Altaria to set it ablaze. The light and heat filled the room as the Sandstorm screeched outside. We were protected, for now. All we had to do was wait for the weather to pass once more as we sat and recovered.

"So, Ryuki,” I started, seeing the chance. “What do you think makes a good Gym Leader?"

He puffed up and gained a slight smile.

"Strength, of course. Gym Leaders stand above the rest," he said as if it were obvious.

I shook my head. Hope simply let out a sigh. Neither of our expressions were great.

"That's... wrong," Hope said.

"What?"

"Let me explain,” I said.

I leaned back on my rock and took a moment to consider just how I would need to explain this. Ryuki was set in his ways, but I could let him down easily or come out and explicitly crush his dreams, like Hope had already begun. Considering he was already living up to the stereotype of an overly proud Dragon Type specialist...

Maybe Hope was right to be blunt after all?

"Gym Leaders need to be wise," I stated. Ryuki’s frown deepened at my words. "They're Gym Leaders, not Gym Fighters. Sure, they need to be strong, but their most important requirement is the capability to lead."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Look, just take what you did here in this desert, as an example. Was it smart to stay behind and attack?" I asked.

He winced as an answer, and I nodded my head. I didn't need him to verbalize his acknowledgement; he had already silently accepted it.

"Gym Leaders work on all levels, they’re not solely Elite battlers. They protect cities but also help guide trainers under them to become stronger, both in rationale and physical strength. While I can't deny you have the power to perform at a high level, you just don't have the proper mindset. If a trainer entered your Gym seeking guidance, you'd mostly tell them to gain battle prowess—strength—and not knowledge or strategy, right?"

Once again, his lack of response confirmed my words. He faced the ground in thought.

Hope frowned before speaking next.

"Do you know who we are?"

"You were fellow competitors in the Surf Rush and are currently aspirants for Tapu Bulu’s challenge?" he offered.

"We're members of the Pokémon League's Wandering Elite, assigned by Professor Kukui to go around and test potential Gym Leaders."

Ryuki's eyes widened, and he gained a sharp grin at the realization. However, he only needed a single second to put two-and-two together, which caused him to slump once more and a blank look to return to his face.

"Oh," he said.

I didn't think he could say anything else.

"There's a reason why we’re bringing this up. Not just anyone can be a Gym Leader. It isn't an isolated position, it's a position that reflects both the region and League as a whole. It comes with responsibility that warrants the respect inherent in the role. With what you’ve shown us so far, well...” I paused. “Unless we’re missing something, you’re a little too headstrong to be of good consideration.”

I’d never seen a man look as crushed as Ryuki did right now. I knew after the Surf Rush he had practically announced his dream to the world. Yet, here Hope and I were, the very people who could make that dream possible, and we had found him while he was at his lowest of the low, and then we had brought him down even more.

I watched as his hands clenched and unclenched. His Flygon was resting in its Pokéball, but his Garchomp was still out. It was outright glaring at us, understanding just how crushing our words had been to Ryuki. Though, while protective of its trainer, it made no aggressive movements.

Ryuki simply stared into the room’s central fire for a long time, not speaking any words.

“I... I’ve been going at this entirely wrong, haven’t I?” he mumbled.

I looked to Hope. It seemed she was about to make a sharp comment, but I shook my head to stop her before she did.

“I can’t really become a good Gym Leader if I don’t know how to lead. I mean, look at where I brought my Pokémon. They’re supposed to be my closest companions, but I’ve forced us into an exhausted shape. If we had lingered in the desert for just another day or two...” he let loose a single, sharp laugh. “It’s a good thing you found us. I’ve... I’ve been a fool.”

Leaning forward, he used both of his hands to run through his hair in nervous thought. His eyes flicked up for a second to look at us, and then he let out a sigh as he glanced over to both Flygon’s Pokéball at his waist and Garchomp off to the side.

“I should start with at least one good decision,” he said with a grim chuckle. “Garchomp, we’re going to leave the desert.”

His Pokémon let out an unhappy growl, but Ryuki held up a hand to get it to stop.

“Look. Tapu Bulu accepts challengers every year. We can try again another time. We won’t be able to try again if we keep throwing ourselves in danger like this. These two are right. We should have left after the first few attempts. Staying out here is stupid, and we’ve only suffered from my poor choices as a result.”

Garchomp still looked upset, but it showed its loyalty by staying silent as Ryuki kept his hand up.

“But, saying that...” He gained a small grin as he turned my and Hope’s way. “I’ll lead you two to Tapu Bulu. There’s actually a trick to finding your way forward. If you look at the grooves the sand makes in the stone, there’s a difference between Pokémon-made ones and the ones that were naturally formed. The wild Pokémon here don’t change the path to Tapu Bulu’s home. I’ll show you what I mean—the walls are a lot different when you get close.”

Hope smiled, and I let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank you. I’m looking forward to actually making our way forward.”

“And if I can’t beat the Tapu, I’ll at least feel better seeing others be unable to do the same,” he replied.

Hope let out a quick laugh before covering her mouth. Ryuki seemed confused at that reaction.

I mean, why wouldn’t he? He was vastly underestimating our strength.

“Once the sandstorm is over, let’s head out and make this quick. Flygon needs to be healed soon, but Garchomp should be okay for a little bit,” Hope replied.

He nodded, returning to stare into the fire. Before much more time passed, the sandstorm moved on, and we left the cave. This time, Ryuki took the lead, and Kartana only needed to provide a small amount of assistance.

A cave in a canyon wall. Painted totems set up on its side. An old, dusty curtain hung out in its front, and a wide space lacked any signs of frequent sandstorms.

We approached with the confidence of the Elite—Hope, Kartana, and I. Ryuki, as he wasn’t going to participate, waited in the crack that served as the entrance to this clearing. Hope and I moved to the front.

“Tapu Bulu!” I yelled.

“We challenge you!” Hope continued.

There were no signs of movement for what felt like a long time. Both of us stared at the curtain sealing off the cave and waited for a response.

Then, a flash. A glint of an eye. Before us, ahead, the curtain parted.

From within, a closed, totemic bull’s head, complete with a pair of horns, floated out. It moved up into the air to hover across from itself, soon opening itself up to reveal the beefy form of Tapu Bulu.

We stood off against it, ready to take it on. Tapu Bulu had a white nose ring, which bounced when it let loose a snort. Hope and I both had our hands lingering over our waists to send out Pokémon at the first sign of the match. First, though, we needed to know the rules the Legendary would put forth.

“A double battle? Or a single?” I asked. Hope and I were prepared to work together or take it on one at a time.

It snorted again, and it looked between us. It seemed ready to begin to gesture, but then it suddenly froze.

Tapu Bulu’s eyes turned hard, staring right at the space between us with an unerring glare. It took me a moment to realize it was neither looking at Hope or me. In fact, it wasn’t looking at Ryuki, either. Instead, it was looking at something else altogether as its eyes almost seemed to turn red with rage.

We turned around.

Kartana still floated in the air, and Tapu Bulu, a Pokémon who had spent its entire life battling against Ultra Beasts, was unable to tear its gaze away.

“Oh, no,” I whispered.

And then Tapu Bulu charged.