Looker vomited the moment we landed.

I mumbled frustrations under my breath, crossing my arms impatiently as Leilani smiled sympathetically at my sick partner. After staying hunched over the edge of the Paradise for far too long, Looker gathered himself, turned around, and shuffled shamefully towards us. His head hung limp, pallid face and dull eyes trained on the ground. The day where Alola was in grave danger. The day where thousands of innocent lives could be lost. The worst part was that I knew he was going to be like that all day.

I felt a twinge of guilt in even waiting for Looker when there was anything but time to waste. People were in the face of danger—people could die—yet I was standing idly at the base of the Aether Paradise. Looker's slowness was beginning to rub off on me. I couldn't let that happen.

The clock was ticking. I couldn't allow myself another slip-up.

The idea of teasing Looker played briefly through my mind, but I shoved it away quickly. I wasn't going to fall into Looker's trap. We had to go. I stayed silent. Leilani said nothing, sparing Looker the intensification of his embarrassment.

After taking too long to recover from the flight, Looker turned to Leilani and began joking with her. Of course, I thought bitterly. Of course he had to do this today.

Leilani gave into his trap, joking back and wasting precious seconds. They paid no mind to my tapping foot and growing irritation as they wasted precious seconds. I was beyond grateful to have the Champion on our team again, but I couldn't help but wish that she could be even half as dedicated as I was. I didn't want Leilani being influenced by Looker's bad etiquette.

Finally, their conversation fell flat and they grew quiet. I sighed audibly in relief, saying nothing to them. They both stared at me, waiting for directions. Finally.

Without another word, I pivoted on my heel and adopted a hurried pace towards the sleek white building dominating my vision. They followed silently behind me, struggling to keep up. I didn't care. That was their fault. We had to make up for lost time.

Once I knew that I was the one setting the pace, I began to move faster. By the time I reached the building's doors, I was basically running. I could feel a growing air of irritation radiating off of the other two, but that was their fault. If they hadn't wasted time, I wouldn't have to compensate for lost time. We could have walked comfortably if they didn't value stupid jokes over the lives of thousands.

I couldn't get over the shock of knowing how willing they were to waste time when Alola was in danger. They were both fully aware that the UB-04 Blaster was quickly closing in on Konikoni City—they both knew that they had no time to waste. But, did that matter to them? No. That terrified me.

I felt a fiery anger boiling in my stomach, my face flushing red as I remembered just how reckless those two were. The worst part was that it didn't even surprise me—not with Looker on the team.

I didn't know what was wrong with Looker. He was acting different. He was hiding something—something he valued over his duty. I didn't know what it was, but I had my suspicions. That was never an issue before Kalos. That never happened before the incident. Either that new Looker had a completely different personality than the Looker I knew, or he wanted to find what he lost in Kalos.

I didn't go on that mission with him, but I had heard enough from the International Police to piece together what had happened. The old Looker only valued serving the world. The new Looker... I didn't know what he valued.

Looker was still a kind man, and I appreciated his presence in my casual life. I couldn't ignore the fact, however, that he was growing less fit for his job with each passing day.

He couldn't leave us though—he had nothing. The International Police was his life whether he liked it or not, and I knew that. He would be nothing without us, and that was my burden to carry.

I came to a halt at the doors of the building, looking up to see just how microscopic I was compared to the Paradise. The building was almost tall enough to completely obscure the sky from my vision, attacking my eyes with a blinding white. Everything was white. Everything was the purest, most unsettling white I had ever laid eyes on.

The walls were white. The doors, locked shut like the doors of a prison cell, where white. The ground would be white if not for the stains of human filth littering it. Because of us, it was a murky off-white. It was impure.

Everything was white. I hated it. It was an odd, unnatural white, too clean for my eyes to comprehend. It made me feel uncomfortable, filthy.

"What business do you have with the Aether Paradise?" a middle-aged man piped up, eyeing us suspiciously from the guard post in front of the doors. He had an odd gaze, staring holes through me with his sharp, focused gaze. His eyes were a dull gray reminiscent of a void.

Something about his demeanor was unnatural as well. He felt like an alien.

I cleared my throat, planning my words before speaking. I wasn't used to someone making me feel that vulnerable, but I wouldn't allow myself to show that weakness. "We need to speak with Wicke. She knows that we're coming," I explained bluntly. I stifled a sigh, relieved that my words had spilled out without any mistakes. As far as he knew, I was invulnerable.

The man said nothing, moving his arm stiffly to pull out a white phone. He dialed a number quickly then pressed the phone against his ear, waiting patiently for the person on the other end to pick up. I could faintly hear ringing, but it was soon cut off by the muffled sound of Wicke's voice.

The man cleared his voice, taking a moment before speaking. "Ma'am, there's a group of people here to see you. Uh, one—one of them has lavender hair, the other two brown. Yes, uh—two girls and a middle-aged man. Older than me middle-aged."

Looker gasped in disdain, dramatically pressing his hand against his chest. He glared at the security guard, holding the offended gaze only because the guard was focused on me. He pretended to punch him, mouthing words that I struggled to make out. "Left hook" with the swing of his left arm, "right hook" with the swing of his right, and "knockout" with a flurry of dramatic punches. I stifled a laugh, looking away from Looker so I wouldn't laugh out loud. His shenanigans weren't slowing us down, so I found no harm in letting him amuse me.

"Okay, thank you, ma'am." The man finally brought the conversation to an end, hanging up the phone and placing it delicately back into his pocket. Without a word, he pushed the doors open and moved out of the way. I nodded firmly as I walked past him, startling him. It was hard not to chuckle as I entered the Paradise. Dominance asserted.

Walking into the Paradise felt like walking into another world. The area was littered with shades of pure, ethereal whites—whites so pure I feared they would blind me. Everything was drenched in those sickly whites, and everyone I could see worked so perfectly and efficiently that I questioned their humanity. Nothing about that place felt nice—it was far from a paradise.

We walked forward, suffocated by the Paradise's ubiquitous silence, and stopped only for the elevator. The elevator was on our floor, waiting for us as if it anticipated our presence. When we were a few feet away from it, the elevator's low walls, only a couple feet high, lowered for us. We walked on, and were immediately trapped by the same walls that let us in.

In the corner stood the elevator operator, an elderly woman with a blank gaze. Her eyes stayed unfocused, glancing in our general direction as she spoke.

"Where to?" said a quiet voice, spilling like silk out of her lips. I shuddered, seeing her lips stay still as she spoke. I felt so uncomfortable that I thought I would vomit.

"Wicke's floor," Looker said for me, forcing a polite smile. "Thank you."

The woman nodded slowly, rotating stiffly to the button panel, pressing a button. The elevator immediately woke from its dormancy, collapsing to the floor below us. My shock forced a sharp inhale and I wrapped my hand around the wall, taken aback by the elevator's sheer speed. I was used to the elevators at International Police headquarters—elevators so slow that you couldn't tell if you were moving at all.

Before I could fully comprehend the drop, the elevator came to a screeching halt and resumed its dormancy. We had dropped one floor almost instantly, and I was amazed. I shook that away, though, wasting no time before hurrying off the elevator. We had to find Wicke as quickly as possible.

I said nothing to the robotic woman, hurrying away. To my surprise, Leilani and Looker set the pace for me, almost jogging ahead of me. I smiled as I hustled to catch up, feeling my chest loosen in relief. They had been silent since we entered the building, and I took comfort in the belief that they were finally taking the mission seriously. Maybe then, we would make up for lost time.

I still couldn't shake the fear of how far behind we were, though. We didn't know where the UB-04 Blaster was; for all we knew, it could already be in Konikoni City. That terrified me, and not even the relief I felt from Leilani and Looker's sudden dedication could ease that.

We headed down a hallway to the left of the elevator, making fast progress down the ever-dimming hall. My vision grew more obscured with every step I took, and then, before I knew it, I could hardly see a thing at all. I put all my faith in hoping that the hallway was completely straight and didn't end with a wall.

"Guys, over here!" I tensed up, squeezing my eyes shut as the void was suddenly drowned with bright fluorescent light. I swung my head to the left, my eyes burning as I tried to open them and see who brought that light with them. My eyes met with the source of the light: Wicke, the bubbly personality that would provide us the only tool strong enough to resist the Ultra Beasts. She stood in the doorway of a room I hadn't previously noticed, waving us eagerly over.

We passed by her and walked into the small room behind her, shaking her had as we entered. She was the type of person that wraps both of her hands around yours when greeting you. That odd greeting felt strangely intimate to me, but left me feeling more welcome in her presence.

Wicke's pudgy face was filled with a hopeful gleam, her amethyst eyes sending a slow wave of calmness over me. Somehow, just her presence was enough to calm me, even in situations as dire as our mission. I loved being around Wicke.

"It's lovely to see you again," I whispered gently, meeting her soft gaze briefly before passing her and taking a seat in the small fluorescent room. The room felt cramped with all four of us in, but the nail in the coffin was when the heavy to slammed shut. I felt trapped, as if two cold hands had wrapped themselves around my throat. I thought I would suffocate.

The room, as expected, felt unnaturally clean. I didn't have any other way to describe it that otherworldly and unnatural. They had to have some intense procedure to keep the Paradise in that condition, and I hated it. I didn't belong in there. I was too dull, too dirty, too imperfect to put my grubby hands on anything. Even in hating the cleanliness of the Paradise, I couldn't bring myself to soil it.

"What's the plan, Stan?" Wicke said cheerfully, a picture-perfect smile plastered forcefully on her face. I couldn't tell if she was trying to lighten the mood, or if she really didn't care about Alola's imminent danger. I could only hope for the first.

"As I'm sure you've heard, the Ultra Beasts have reappeared," I started bluntly. "There's no nice way to put it. At least one UB-04 Blaster is rampaging heading directly towards Konikoni City. Its rampage, as far as we know, has yet to harm anyone, but that could change at any moment. There were more Ultra Beast sightings across Alola, but this one needs our immediate attention. We need at least ten Beast Balls in order to account for the possibility of multiple UB-04 Blasters."

Wicke nodded thoughtfully. "Alright-y I understand! Luckily, I still have some Beast Balls left over from the last time they appeared. I can give you those for now, and I will work to manufacture more before your return." She walked towards the corner of the room, bumping into me as she squeezed through us. She mumbled an apology as she pulled a small brass key out of her pocket, unlocking a small drawer and pulling out a handful of of Beast Balls. She immediately closed and locked the drawer, shoving the key back in her pocket with her one free hand before heading towards Leilani.

The balls were small, being in their shrunken state, so they were easy for Leilani to store in her small bag. Leilani mumbled a thank you to Wicke, zipping her bag up once she confirmed that the Beast Balls were hidden safely away.

"Alright, we need to go now. There's no time to waste," I ordered, letting Leilani and Looker head out ahead of me. I followed behind them,but stopped before I reached the door. I turned to Wicke, smiling gratefully.

Wicke wrapped her hands around mine, smiling sadly at me. "Stay safe, okay?"

I closed my eyes for a moment, nodding slowly. "I will."

I smiled at her once more, hesitating. I sighed, knowing I had to go. I pulled my hands back, turning to face the door. As I walked out of the door, I looked over my shoulder. "See you soon."

And then I was gone, catching up with my partners and rushing back towards the elevator. My heart was fluttering—I didn't know if I was worried or flustered, or a combination of both. I slowed my breathing, calming myself down as I stepped back onto the chilling elevator.

I crossed my arms as the elevator wordlessly rose to the main floor, tapping my foot impatiently. Years passed between Wicke's floor and the main floor, and I felt like a new person by the time we reached the ground floor. I couldn't tell if I was impatient, if the world was against my hurry, or if the elevator rose slower than it sank.

I was already walking towards the edge of the elevator before it came to a full stop. "Leilani, call Charizard now. We can't waste anymore time."

Leilani silently complied. I sighed in slight relief, rushing towards the door. I could see the sun's shine from the elevator, so hopeful and orange that it almost felt scary against the bland Paradise. Still, the orange couldn't help but seem dim against the forest of fluorescent white. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust when we got outside.

The sky was growing obscured by clouds—it seemed like a storm was looming. I prayed that it was a different case in Konikoni City, banking my hope on the distance between the Paradise and Konikoni City.

Before I finished observing the weather, my thoughts were interrupted by the loud thud of Charizard slamming into the ground a few feet to my left. I mentally thanked Leilani for making him so fast—he took a minute tops to fly from who-knows-where to our exact location. He was infinitely useful in a mission like ours.

"He's here!" Leilani proclaimed, finally eager to get going. I nodded contently, hurriedly hopping behind Leilani onto Charizard's back. Leilani and I got comfortable, then turned to watch as Looker took his time crawling onto the Pokémon.

"Hurry up, Looker," I ordered.

"Sorry," he grunted, "I'm just not looking forward to throwing up again."

I rolled my eyes at his excuse, grabbing him by the waist and attempting to hoist him up. He was too heavy for me to lift on my own, but my action prompted him to move faster. He groaned, pushing me away from Leilani and sandwiching himself between us. I sighed, wrapping my arms around his waist as I prepared for the flight. Looker clung to Leilani, already paling.

"To the south entrance of Konikoni City, please," I heard Leilani request as she rubbed the Ride Pokémon's head gratefully. The Pokémon nodded, immediately rocketing away from the Paradise. It felt like a weight the size of Alola was lifted off of my shoulders as we left that cursed place.

Even over the scream of the wind, I could her Looker's nervous groans. I blocked the noise out, focusing on devising a strategy for the mission. By the time we landed, I had devised a few different plans that I would solidify once we knew the Ultra Beast's location.

The flight there was short, and I was sliding off of Charizard before I knew it. Looker didn't throw up this time, but he looked lightheaded. I prayed he wouldn't pass out.

I glanced around curiously, taking in what information I could. The first thing I noticed was that the area was silent, unnaturally so. Silence outside a city known for its rowdy citizens was never good. Konikoni City was never quiet—not even in the deepest hours of the night. Something wasn't right.

"This doesn't feel right," Leilani murmured, as if reading my mind. "This place is never quiet. There's always music blasting, if anything."

She was right. The lively city's silence terrified me. Beyond that, no one seemed to be outside; Konikoni was known for being a crowded city. Had the Ultra Beasts already driven them out? No, that couldn't be the case. It couldn't be. I didn't know what I would do if it was. The International Police promised to tell us when they reached the city. All I could hope was that they had evacuated as a precaution.

"Hey, help!" I flinched at the voice, withholding a yelp as I searched for the source. Finally, I found it: a small boy poking his head timidly out of a shop just beyond the entrance. He couldn't have been over seven years old.

I walked up to him swiftly, smiling reassuringly. "Hey, sweetie. Do you know where everyone is?"

The boy nodded meekly, gesturing feebly all around the town. "They're hiding. Some monsters came in the town. My big brother said they weren't registering on his Pokédex. I don't know where they are now. Are they evil?" He was shaking.

I patted his head gently. "Yes, they're the bad guys. But don't worry, you won't be hurt. You've got someone very special fighting them for you. The Champion has come to scare off the monsters for you! You're safe here."

The boy's eyes came to life, fired up with an innocent hope. He jumped up and down, clenching his fists and bobbing his head in excitement. "The Champion! The Champion will save me! Thank you, miss!" he cheered happily before retreating to the back of the shop.

I sighed, dropping the comforting façade glancing fearfully at Leilani and Looker. The situation was so much worse than I had hoped.