A/N: Hello! For those of you that don't recognize my username (which is likely gonna be all of you), I once wrote a few chapters of an Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon fanfic. Unfortunately, my story was brigaded by some group called Critics United (I think?) and I had over 1000 reviews from bots telling me to join some revolution or something. I didn't care enough to read through the same automated review over and over again. Anyways, I was forced to take down my story and I promised my few readers that I would re-upload the story when I felt the time was right.

That time is now, and I'm finally confident with re-writing the foundation of the story I once had. If you were one of the two people (lol) waiting anxiously for the day I re-uploaded this story, then wait no longer! I apologize for the long time it took for me to get back into writing this, but I realized that my last story wasn't up to par with what I wanted to put out. Thus, I took some time to re-do my entire outline and changed up not only the contents of my chapters, but the premise of the story. Basically, I re-wrote everything.

Anyways, without saying much more, I hope you guys enjoy the story! Leave a review or send me a private message if you liked it/hated it and have criticism or suggestions. I'm always open to that!

Side-note: Please do not drag me into any drama of PM me about any users you don't like that I should "look out for". I do not care.

Rated T for: Mild adult language, violence, and drug usage

PROLOGUE

OUT OF THE AETHER

One year and three months before present day

How long can I keep this up?

That was the only thought repeating through the boy's head as he sprinted as fast as he could through the halls of Aether Labs, swiping some light blond hair out of his eyes whenever it became a bother. His blood-red satchel was heavy and filled with various CDs, but he couldn't let that slow him down. The security alarms were blaring all throughout the facility notifying the entire building about a theft on the premises. He didn't have much time. His personal mission to break into his mother's secret labs and rescue all of his friends didn't go as well as he had planned, but he managed to save one of them at least. As he ran, he glanced at the shiny new Poké Ball in his hand, containing the only Type: Null prototype Pokémon that he was able to save.

Breaking into the secret labs at night wasn't hard to do as all of the scientists had gone to the sleeping quarters to rest for the next day. Additionally, his mother never suspected him of being a Pokémon thief and the only scientists that worked in and had access to the labs were the ones she trusted the most, so the security in the area was virtually nonexistent. He memorized the unlock code for one of the three Type: Null Poké Balls, but he was unable to guess the codes for the other two. His failure to enter the remaining two passwords set off the facility-wide alarm system, and he knew he had to give up on stealing the remaining two Type: Null Poké Balls and escape with the only one he could manage to save.

Type: Null was a mysterious Pokémon created from the parts of other deceased Pokémon. Its only purpose was to be a killing machine for a reason that the boy's mother never told him. When he first learned about its existence from a scientist that overstepped his confidentiality, he begged his mother to let him see it. She wouldn't allow him for the longest time, but finally, on his seventeenth birthday, she agreed to let him see it as a birthday gift. His curiosity turned to horror as he observed the experiments the various scientists performed on the three Type: Null prototypes, and his mission since that day was to release all of them so they would never have to suffer again.

He could never forget the agony in their eyes when they were forced into performing whatever useless experiments the scientists had for them.

I promise I'll rescue your brothers one day, but today is not that day, the boy thought to himself as he clipped Type: Null's Poké Ball to his belt and continued to run towards the Aether Paradise's dock system.

The Aether Paradise was a massive man-made island floating in the middle of the waters near the Alolan islands with the goal of improving Pokémon conservation practices. This meant the only way in and out of the facility was either by boat or by a Pokémon that could fly, and the boy didn't have any Pokémon that knew how to fly. Fortunately, he was raised from a young age by his father to learn how to control a boat. Life on an island mansion in the middle of the sea meant that his only way to the city was through a boat. It was one of the many things that interested his father before the... incident.

"Remember, son, if something doesn't give you that rush of excitement, then it's just not for you," his father reminded him as they sat together on one of the Aether Foundation's many boats, drifting out on the open sea. "But I can see it in your eyes, you love being out on the water."

The young blond boy laughed and babbled as he controlled the speed boat out on the tropical, clear blue sea. He would occasionally get too close to the powerful waves the speedboat created, but his father was able to help steer him away from them.

"Daddy, can I be a professional sailor when I grow up?" He asked his father, eyes filled with the wonder and harmony of being surrounded by the calm waters.

"You can be whatever you want, son," his father answered proudly, gently placing a hand on his son's shoulder. "As long as you're happy, I don't care what you want to be when you grow up. Remember that, just be happy."

His father's words to him when he sailed for the first time echoed through his head as he snuck his way into the Aether Paradise docks. Just be happy. At this point in life, he was certain he didn't have any interest in being a sailor anymore, but he was still thankful for the skills his father taught him. With the alarms still blaring and the emergency lock-in system activating within the next five minutes, the boy had more than enough time to escape out of the facility before the dock's gate was programmed to close.

Because that was his only way out of the Aether Paradise now.

He stealthily maneuvered to a small cluster of empty boats marked with the Aether Foundation's emblem. Those boats were the property of his family and the ones he sailed on as a child, so he knew the passwords to start any of them up. Still going undetected, he made a great leap onto the side of one of them and climbed his way up into the cockpit, his mind void of any thoughts besides escaping.

No turning back now.

He located the boat's start-up keypad and entered in the correct password. The boat fired up almost immediately and he took control of the wheel. With no time for second guessing his actions, he instantly throttled it straight towards the closing gate and out of the facility.

He was free. Type: Null was free.

Three months before present day

The frail blonde-girl could feel the spirit of her brother taking over her mind as she sprinted as fast as she possibly could. She couldn't believe what she was doing. Just a year after her brother had been branded a traitor and enemy to the Aether Foundation for stealing one of their prized Type: Null prototypes and escaping the facility by boat, she was performing the same heist. She approached a corner and adjusted her hat, pulled down her pearly white dress, and tightly zipped her large bag up. Her semi-formal clothes made it hard for her to run as fast as she wanted, but she had no choice but to make do with what she had.

There was only one thought on her mind: escape. Unlike her brother, she didn't know how to steer a boat. She didn't know how to fly on a Pokémon. She had never done any of those things in her life, and she wished that just once in her past she could have taken an interest in the outside world. Because she needed those skills now more than ever, she didn't know the way in and out of the Aether Paradise.

She didn't know how to break free of the walls she grew up in.

"I heard her coming this way!" She heard a coarse male voice shout.

"Let's get that spoiled bratty princess, then!" A loud female's voice responded.

Oh no, I'm toast, she thought to herself as she cowered on the metal floor. The instant those researchers found her, she knew she'd receive nothing short of a horrifying punishment. What's going to happen to me? Am I going to be locked inside the mansion until the day I die? She knew there was a small prison system kept to rehabilitate any of the unruly Pokémon, and she most definitely did not want to be locked in there.

"I wish I knew how to get out of here..." she sobbed into her bag. "But I just don't know how..."

"There she is! I found her!" The male's voice exclaimed in triumph when he spotted the girl crouched in a corner. "You're gonna be in a world of pain when your mother finds you, princess."

"No! Please!" The girl pleaded as she looked to the male scientist, the female catching up behind him. "I just want to help..."

"I bet that's what your brother thought too, huh?" The female jeered at the girl, who had now broken down into loud crying. "Who would have thought? Brother and sister, both spineless Pokémon theives."

Pokémon thieves. Those words rang harshly in the girl's head. Was she truly a Pokémon thief? For wanting to escape her home for the sake of saving the life of a Pokémon?

But before the girl could respond, there was a high-pitched cry and a powerful light exploded from her bag.

In the blink of an eye, she was gone.

PROLOGUE

TRADITIONS

Three months before present day

"I'm telling you Kukui, I'm not sure if we're gonna have the funding to do this," Molayne sighed as he sat across the table from his old friend, Alolan Professor Kukui. It wasn't everyday that Kukui would make the trek from his home island of Melemele to climb up to Molayne's Hokulani Observatory, but whenever he did it usually meant important business. "I mean we have the money, yeah, but we've wanted to take on some new endeavors at the observatory."

Kukui didn't respond immediately. Instead, he took the opportunity to remove his lightly-tinted sunglasses, adjust his white hat, and stroke his small black beard in thought. He looked deep into Molayne's grey eyes, hidden behind his wide-rimmed glasses and shaggy blond hair.

"Do you know what I see, cousin?" Kukui finally asked in his signature deep, suave voice.

"You see... me?" Molayne responded, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

"Besides just you. Do you know what I see?"

"You see... a lot of doubt about your great new idea."

"Oh cousin, I see an insurmountable measure of doubt coming from you," Kukui stated. "But I see more than just doubt, yeah. I also see a small hint of excitement, woo! I've known you for over ten years Molayne, I know you've been dying for this kind of opportunity to come to our beautiful Alola. Our motherland. Let's show some real Alolan pride, right cousin?"

"And you have the blessing of the four Guardian Deities?"

"I've only received the blessing of Tapu Koko so far..." Kukui muttered and stroked his beard again in thought. "But I have no doubt that the others would give me their blessings as well."

"In that case, I can't lie," Molayne shrugged. "The thought of bringing a Pokémon League to our very own Alola is an interesting idea."

"So let's make it happen, cousin! Can you just imagine all the curious, wide-eyed Alolan teenagers who now not only have their Island Trials to look forward to, but also the title of the 'Alola Region Champion'?"

"Truth be told, if we were on our Trials again and we had the opportunity to take on a Pokémon League, I think we would have finished them in half the time." Molayne admitted with a slight smirk. Whenever Kukui had some new brilliant idea, no matter how dangerous or stupid it was, he would always present it like the greatest idea in the world. This time was different, however. This time, his idea actually seemed like it would change the Alola region for the better. "Seems like it would be a hit with the kids now."

"So you're in?"

"I'm not sure if I'm personally in at the moment, but I can definitely allocate some funding from the Hokulani Observatory to help start construction on Mt. Lanakila."

"Yeah?"

"You've definitely convinced me, old friend."

A/N: So there it is guys! Sorry about the prologue(s) being a little on the "short" side, but the last thing any writer wants to do is to add too much information into their prologue :)

Like I said, leave behind a review or send me a private message letting me know what you thought! I'd love to listen to your feedback! I already have a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that I didn't write the prologue up to my standards, so please let me know if you felt confused or bored at any point and I'll go back and fix it in an instant. Thanks for reading!