A/N: So... uhh... it's been a while, huh?

Okay, so a little bit of backstory on what happened with this chapter and why it took so long. I had originally written this chapter in a certain way per what my outline said, but the more I looked at it the more I noticed some glaring mistakes and an overall lack of "identity" I guess. Part of the reason for this was the fact that there is a pretty major event that happens in this chapter that doesn't actually happen in the games, and I needed to create an original plot point to handle it. Since it's such a significant event it needed to be handled perfectly. Re-reading this chapter a few times, I realized that it was the farthest thing from perfect, or even good at all.

I kinda broke my head over what to do with this chapter especially since I already had the next two fully written (but not proofread). The whole thing just didn't feel "right" and as much as it killed me to do, I had to start it over. That meant re-writing not just this chapter, but the two chapters that follow this as well. Like, I re-wrote them all completely from scratch. Just 100% erased everything I had before and re-built it from the ground up. It really really stung to have to do that, but what I had before just simply didn't feel... organic.

As an author, I'm not really sure I should have said any of the above to my readers, but with such a long delay I felt like you all deserved an honest explanation. But here we are, and I've finally been able to write it in a way that I think does the characters justice :)

On another note, in the coming chapters, we'll start to see a few more Pokémon additions to the main characters' teams. Since that's coming soon, I figured this would be a good time to say that I have already decided on the final teams for each character and I'm not really taking any sort of requests. Just saying this in case someone drops a request the reviews or complains about a Pokémon that a character obtains (which I'm not expecting to happen, but I've seen it happen to a few fics already so I thought I'd just state this as a result).

Additionally: I recently ran through both Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon playing as both Ailey and Ray using their planned teams for this story. Wow were those two playthroughs some of the most fun I've had running through the Alola region! Ailey's team was very very fun to use and got strong really quickly (seriously, her team is the one that I'm most excited to finalize). Ray's team, on the other hand, was fun to use closer to the end of the game, but they were very hard to raise during the main story. And you will start to see that more as Ray develops farther into the story :)

Okay, that's more than enough of me rambling. Let's get on with the show!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokémon nor do I own any of their characters. This is merely a fan story written using the template Game Freak has provided with Pokémon.

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

CHAPTER FIVE

SNAGGING FROM SNAG

"So, which direction is the marina?"

Neither Hau nor Ilima paid any attention to Ailey's question as they walked in front of her through the beachfront streets of Hau'oli City, carefully looking side-to-side to spot any suspicious activity nearby. Samson Oak had told them that Team Skull was near the marina, but by now they could have easily dispersed into the large crowds of people. There was no way to know exactly where they were at this point, so if the trio wanted to spot them, they would have to look everywhere.

"Ahem..." the blonde girl cleared her throat loud enough for Hau and Ilima to hear through the loud sounds of the active city. Even Singe on her shoulder purred loudly to make the two trainers take notice of her. She was now getting worked up over the fact that the two boys ignored her earlier. "Once again... which direction is the marina?"

"Come on, Ailey. We were just near there earlier," Hau snapped at her without looking back, his cheerful demeanor now replaced with one of apprehension. The Rowlet on his shoulder looked back and reflected a similar expression of nervousness. "You don't remember?"

"Seriously, dude?" Ailey growled back. "This is literally my first time in the city without my mom. You think I'm really gonna remember where everything is?"

"Ah, so your name is Ailey?" Ilima asked. "Now that I think about it, I never did get either of your names."

Ailey looked towards pink-haired boy, who continued to look ahead without caring to look back at her. The boy vainly ran his fingers through his hair as he walked, showing no concern about Team Skull's presence.

This fool is really playing with his HAIR!? At a time like this?

"Yeah, I'm Ailey. And the other guy is Hau, you better not get on his bad side because he's the grandson of Kahuna Hala. And besides, why do you look so damn relaxed?" She asked the pretentious trial captain. Ilima didn't even seem to flinch at the mention of Hala's name, the kahuna of all people! She couldn't believe how self-absorbed the boy appeared to be. "You're not even moving with any urgency. Who knows what Team Skull could be doing with the stolen Pokémon?"

"Team Skull?" Ilima laughed at their mention and ran his fingers through his pink hair again. "They're nothing more than numbskull crooks. This isn't the first time I've encountered them, and it certainly won't be the last either."

"So? You could at least show some care towards the Pokémon that were stolen."

"Mrowr!" Singe purred in agreement.

"Oh please..." Ilima scoffed, waving his hand to dismiss Ailey's concerns. "Those fools can't train Pokémon if their lives depended on it. Samson's Pokémon are weak anyways, Team Skull will probably think they're useless. If we can't find them, they'll run crying back to him begging him to take his Pokémon back. There's nothing to be afraid of."

"Weak?" Ailey hissed at the nerve of Ilima to call a Pokémon weak. "What do you mean by 'weak'?"

"Mrowr..."

"They're young. Freshly trained." Ilima shrugged. "Team Skull possibly can't want anything to do with them. You don't need to get so fussy over them."

"What kind of a trial captain thinks of Pokémon as weak or strong?"

"The kind of trial captain that's in charge of making sure you pass your trial without error," Ilima stated flatly, finally turning back to meet the girl's ferocious gaze.

Instead of fighting back, Ailey grunted and kept her mouth shut. Ilima was right, if she wanted to take on his trial she would have to avoid drawing his ire. But that still didn't change the fact that she didn't think too kindly of him. If anything, his pretentious and lack of urgency made her hate him more.

Before Ailey had time to respond, she felt her arm lock into something from behind. In an instant, the city's scenery around her blurred and she was thrown forward into Hau and Ilima as the three trainers were knocked onto their butts.

"Oops!"

An unfamiliar male's voice shouted in apology as the trio tried to recollect themselves on the pavement. Rowlet and Singe were also knocked off their trainers' shoulders and onto the sidewalk next to them. Before Ailey could spot the person who had knocked her over and give them one of her signature beratements, he had already taken off.

"Who the hell did that guy think he was?" Ailey asked, helping Singe climb back onto her shoulder. She tried to get a good look on him as he ran further away from them, but the brightness of the afternoon sun reduced him into nothing more than a shrinking silhouette.

"Rude!" Ilima shouted in the direction of the running trainer as he finally stood up, wiping dirt from the pavement off of his clothes. He flipped his hair and quickly styled it with his fingers before snarling. "This outfit is expensive! And my hair takes hours to style! How dare you get me dirtied up?"

But there was no response as the dark silhouette of the trainer finally disappeared into the horizon.

Once Ailey, Hau, and Ilima finally stood up, they continued their slow walk down the Hau'oli City street. For all they knew, that boy could have been one of the Team Skull thugs who poached Oak's Pokémon and they just let him off the hook.

"Think that loser was from Team Skull?" Ailey asked, almost spitting the organization's name out of her mouth with disgust.

"Didn't sound like it," Hau shook his head and let Rowlet perch back onto his shoulder. "If that was a Team Skull person he would have laughed and started rapping in our faces. He was probably just some careless random trainer."

"Koo!"

"Well, if I ever find him again I'm going to beat him up into a pulp," Ailey muttered with clenched fists. "There's nobody - and I mean nobody - in this world that can just knock Ailey Selene to the ground and then run off without a fight."

"Mrowr!" Singe agreed on her shoulder.

She couldn't believe the utter audacity of a random person to rudely run into her and not stay back to apologize. Hadn't he learned any manners?

"Let's not get carried away you newcomers," Ilima scolded them. "We're near the marina. Let's keep going."

Ailey wanted to protest at Ilima's repeated reminder that they were just "newcomers". Every time he said it, it almost sounded like an insult. As if Ilima wasn't a "newcomer" at one point himself! She hadn't known him for more than a half hour but she already couldn't wait to pulverize his trial and never have to see him again.

Maybe Team Skull can knock some sense into that snobby, entitled, jerkface, pink-haired BRAT. Right after I rough them up first, of course... and maybe that rude, stupid trainer who ran me over also...

"So, once we get there, what do we do?" Ailey asked Ilima, trying her best to bury her frustration. "We need some sort of plan."

"Of course, Captain Ilima has just the plan for you!" Ilima nodded with a grin and shot her a thumbs-up. "The marina isn't very big. We can all split up and search around, one of us is bound to find a thief."

"So you're saying... whoever finds Team Skull first should battle them alone?" Ailey asked skeptically. Ilima couldn't have possibly expected a pair of newbies to be caught alone with Team Skull of all people. "Are you trying to get us killed or something?"

"Mrowr!" Singe angrily agreed.

"Got a better idea?" Ilima frowned at her skepticism.

"I..." Ailey sighed before shaking her head. "Not really, no..."

"Mrowr..."

"And besides, I never said we should take on Team Skull alone," Ilima corrected her. "If we go in as a group of three, especially with a well-known trial captain like me leading the charge, then it will raise some flags and Team Skull will flee. If we split up, then they won't know a group is looking for them. Whoever finds them first should give a shout and we'll all re-group. Sound fair to you?"

"I guess..." Ailey sighed in defeat. She hated having to agree with him, but what he said made sense.

Crossing her arms, Ailey just continued to trail the pair of boys through the city streets and towards the marina. Hopefully Ilima's "plan" didn't get any of them killed or anything. Her mom would be utterly devastated if something disastrous happened.

Especially after what happened to dad.

There was only one thought in Ray's head as he sprinted as fast as he could through the bustling streets of Hau'oli City: save Kukui's Popplio (and the other Pokémon, of course). He paid no attention to the city's residents or tourists that looked at the rushing teenager with puzzled eyes. The professor was generous enough to give him an island challenge amulet in addition to a PokéDex in return for his service as a courier, and he wanted to prove to the professor that he was more than capable for the task. Not to mention if he kept in the professor's good graces for enough time, then maybe the professor would even help him on his island challenge.

Additionally, Ray couldn't let that dastardly group Team Skull continue to cause trouble on his home island of Melemele. While he had never ran into them himself, he heard far too many stories of them stealing innocent trainers' Pokémon. Now was his chance to show them that if they continued their mischief, they'd meet the wrath of a sizzling Ember from Fafnir.

The bright afternoon sun hung high over Hau'oli City and pressed its vicious heat onto Ray. Thankfully, his light-blue tanktop gave his skin room to breathe and his red bucket hat prevented the sun from burning out his eyes. Still, he didn't let the boggy, humid air slow him down. He had been running as fast as he could through Melemele Island for over half-an-hour now. If he let the heat slow him down then he wouldn't make it to the marina in time to confront Team Skull.

"Can't... stop... now..." Ray panted to himself as he kept his speedy pace up. In the distance he spotted unmanned boats resting on the calm waters of Hau'oli City and he knew the marina was close by. "Almost... there..."

For a while he did a good job of avoiding slamming into innocent tourists and residents. However, in the distance he could spot a group of three trainers that seemed to just take up the entire sidewalk. A blonde girl in a straw hat was in the back trailing behind two boys and they were directly in his path. There was a black Pokémon on the shoulder of the blonde girl and a green one on the shoulder of one of the boys. He wouldn't be able to slow down in time to avoid running them over!

Why do these guys have to take up the entire damn sidewalk? Ray thought to himself. They're gonna get mowed over!

Ray braced for impact as he ran through the group. He was hoping to weave directly in between them but his elbow accidentally got caught with the girl who was in the back of the group. As he powered his legs forward, her elbow flew forward with him and he ended up inadvertently throwing her into the two boys that were in front of her.

"Oops!" Ray blurted as he ran through them, knocking all three of them to the ground.

Without saying another word, he continued to take off in the direction of the marina. He heard them shout things at him from the distance, but he was too far ahead of them to make out what they were saying. Nor did he really care what they thought. The only thing on his mind was saving the professor's Popplio.

Still bolting as fast as he could, he started to notice the blur of people he passed were no longer residents or tourists. All were burly men wearing white shirts and pants and Ray realized they were all sailors. Quickly glancing around as he ran, he realized that the crowded beachfront directly to his side was now replaced with an endless mass of docked boats and a large ferry terminal in the distance. He was at the marina.

CRASH!

Ray stumbled as he tried to stay on his feet but the momentum was far too great and he dove straight into the pavement. Groaning, he looked down at his arms and legs to see if he could spot any new cuts and bruises. There was a fresh cut on his right elbow that stung when he touched it.

I just cleaned my wounds from being dropped by Tapu Koko last night... now this?

"C'mon laddie..." a deep voice grumbled from near Ray. The boy tilted his head up and saw a man in a black outfit lying on the pavement next to him. "Ya ain't watchin' where yer runnin'?"

"Sorry... sir..." Ray panted as he stood up, now growing fatigued that his running momentum came to a halt. He extended an arm for the man to grab. "I just... I just... man am I tired..."

"Thanks, laddie," the man nodded and grabbed Ray's arm, propelling himself upwards. The man wiped some dust off of his outfit and glowered down at the boy.

The first thing Ray noticed was just how tall this man was. He appeared like he was at least a good foot taller than Ray. As Ray met his gaze, he saw that the man's face was covered by a black bandana facemask with a shadow from his black hood darkening everything else. In fact, the man was dressed entirely in black from head to toe; from his black boots to his black pants to his black hoodie. The only part of him that Ray could see clearly was his blazing red eyes.

And then, Ray saw it on his chest...

...The S-shaped skull.

"You're... you're..." Ray panted. "Whoo that run took out my energy..." he muttered to himself, trying to catch his breath. "You're from Team Skull!"

"Ya got a problem with that, laddie?" The man asked in a low, intimidating voice, realizing that Ray saw him as trouble.

"I have... have a lot of problems... problems with that..." Ray wheezed at the man and unclipped Fafnir's Poké Ball from his trainer belt.

The man spotted the Poké Ball in Ray's hand. "Ah, so ya want a battle?"

"More... more than a battle..." Ray answered in broken words. There was a distinct lack of confidence in his voice, however. He knew the only way to get Charmander back was through battle, but he still hadn't been in a real one before. Much less one against Team Skull. "You stole... multiple Pokémon. I want those... those Pokémon back. Popplio... and the others..."

"Well, I don't recall stealin' a Pokémon from ya," the man shrugged. "Ya ain't Kukui and ya sure as hell ain't Samson. Why would I give ya any o' the Pokémon I stole if ya ain't the original trainer?"

"So... so you did steal... the Pokémon."

"And? What're ya goin' ta do 'bout it?"

"I work for one of the original trainer's." Ray stated sternly, finally able to finish a sentence without having to wheeze in between words. "I'm Professor Kukui's courier and your thievery got in the way of my first delivery. I'm going to take those Pokémon back!"

The man couldn't hold back his laughter and it sounded like Ray had told him the funniest thing he'd heard in his entire life. "Yer a delivery man!? Oh no, I am soooo scared, laddie! Har-har-har!"

"What's so funny? I'll have you know I'm on my island challenge!"

Ray hoped that mentioning the island challenge would intimidate the Team Skull member a little. After all, island challengers grew to be some of the most fearsome trainers in Alola. That would have made the thief step back, right?"

Wrong. Ray saw the slightest hint of a frown on the tall man's face.

"Island challenge!? Yer nothin' but a wimpy landlubber," the man growled, his blood-red eyes shining with rage. "The name's Snag, I'm the most ruthless thief in the history o' Team Skull. Ain't a single weakling on their island challenge that can take me. Ya don't want ta get on my bad side, ya hear?"

"Well, you're on my bad side."

"If it's a battle ya want..." Snag grumbled and pulled a Poké Ball out of his pant pocket. "Then it's a battle ya got!"

"Fafnir, come on out!" Ray shouted and launched his Bagon's Poké Ball in the air. There was a bright flash of turquoise and the small blue Dragon-type landed on the ground in front of his trainer.

"Grr..."

Snag went back to his deep laughter at the sight of Ray's small Pokémon. The Bagon could hardly stand on its stubby legs, and its stubby arms were far from intimidating. Even though its eyes were slanted in a frown, it looked more funny than scary. This was the Pokémon Ray was going to use to rough up one of Team Skull's premier thieves?

"Ah, a wee lil' Bagon, eh?" Snag jeered at Ray's small Pokémon. "He don't scare me!"

"He's more than 'little'..." Ray stomped his foot at that. Fafnir was his most loyal companion. "He's my partner and he's far stronger than you think."

"Well, we'll see 'bout that, laddie!" The man exclaimed and threw his Poké Ball in the air. "Charmander, show this landlubber what ya got!"

There was another bright flash and a small orange Pokémon with a flame on its tail took form across from Fafnir. It appeared to be almost the same size as Fafnir, but the fierce glare in its eyes proved that it had been trained more. It growled apprehensively in front of Snag.

"Charmander..." Ray said under his breath. He had never seen anything like it in his life, but for some reason its name sounded familiar...

Where have I heard the name "Charmander" before?

Ray grabbed the PokéDex from his shorts pocket and pulled it out, hoping to get a clue. Quickly, he let the device scan the Pokémon Snag had sent out.

"Scanned! Charmander the Lizard Pokémon. Type: Fire. The flame that burns at the tip of its tail is an indication of its emotions. The flame wavers when Charmander is enjoying itself. If the Pokémon becomes enraged, the flame burns fiercely. It has a preference for hot things. When it rains, steam is said to spout from the tip of its tail. Charmander must be registered before additional information can be processed."

Ray stowed his PokéDex back into his pocket when Dexter was finished spitting out Charmander's analysis. He looked to the flame on Charmander's tail and noticed the ember was burning ferociously. If Dexter's analysis was accurate, then that Charmander was angry. Furious, even!

"Wait a minute..." Ray muttered to himself. Kukui had mentioned Charmander's name before!

"Well, he brought three of his cousin's Pokémon to raise in Alola. And I mean his actual cousin," Kukui sighed. There was a sympathetic look on his face. "Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle, yeah. But that nasty Team Skull mugged him yesterday and poached the Fire-type Charmander and the Water-type Squirtle, thankfully he managed to save Bulbasaur."

Ray grimaced as the memory from earlier finished playing in his head. He was looking directly at one of the stolen Pokémon.

"That's the Pokémon you stole from Professor Oak!" Ray shouted at the Team Skull thief.

Snag just laughed it off.

"The lil' rascal's already grown trustin' of me," the thief sniggered. "I don't think it wants to go back to that scallywag Oak anymore!"

"So you have Popplio and Squirtle too, then?"

"Ahh, sorry to burst ya bubble, landlubber," Snag teasingly shrugged. "Those Pokémon are long gone. Given away fer the boss to deal with, ya know!"

"I need that Popplio back!" Ray growled behind clenched teeth. "And you're gonna tell me where it is!"

"Har-har-har!" Snag laughed deeply, clutching his stomach to keep his breath. "Ya ain't intimidatin' in the least, laddie! Ya sure as hell ain't strong enough ta take good ol' Charmander from me. What makes ya think ya can take the rest of 'em?"

Ray growled to himself at Snag's words. Maybe Snag was right, Ray had only just began his island challenge not more than an hour ago, he wasn't as seasoned of a trainer as he believed himself to be. Much less one that could take on the treachery of Team Skull.

And as much as it pained him to realize, that Charmander already looked ready to protect its new thief of a trainer. The flame on its tail burned viciously in the bright sunlight. It looked like it could pack a serious punch.

But he wasn't going to give up. He had a job to do and a generous professor to repay. Even if it burned him to the bone, he was going to bring the Charmander back.

"There you are!"

Ray turned around at the sound of a intense female's voice accompanied by hurried footsteps coming from behind him. Watching her run as fast as she could, he instantly recognized her.

It was the blonde girl he accidentally ran over earlier. And the black Pokémon on her shoulder was none other than a Litten.

Wait... Professor Kukui's Litten? She's one of the new island challengers!

There was a look of pure anger on her face.

Oh great, she followed me because I mowed her down. Now I'm outnumbered two-to-one...

"I recognize that Pokémon!" the blonde-haired girl shouted and stood next to Ray, her eyes focused on Charmander instead. "That's Charmander!"

He couldn't help but notice that the blonde girl had an island challenge amulet tied to her satchel. His thoughts were correct, this was one of the trainers that Professor Kukui sent on an island challenge. Much to his relief, it seemed like she came to the marina for Charmander instead of him.

Phew... Ray relaxed his tension. I really thought for a second that she was here to kick my ass...

Snag stared at the two trainers in panic. "Arrgh... so I'm outnumbered now..." he grumbled to himself.

Ray couldn't believe his luck. At first it appeared like he would be getting the butt-kicking of the century by taking on a Team Skull member as his first trainer battle, but now there was additional island challenger on his side. Snag was definitely on the wrong side of the battle.

All he could hope for now was that she forgot him running her over earlier...

"You're looking for Charmander, too?" Ray asked the girl, who seemed to completely ignore him in favor of saving Charmander. Professor Kukui had mentioned that Professor Oak's Pokémon were taken too, so it made sense that other people were looking for them.

"Not just me." The girl shook her head after answering. "There's a group of us looking for Team Skull."

Oh, those other two trainers I accidentally ran over...

"The name's Ailey," she introduced herself abruptly, still focused on the thief. "If we're going to fight on the same side, might as well get to know each other."

"I'm Ray and I'm Professor Kukui's courier," Ray responded with a nod. "I'm here because his Popplio was also stolen."

"Popplio was taken too!?" Ailey asked in a frenzy as she turned to Ray in disbelief. Ray noticed her blue eyes were filled with a demonic anger before she turned around again to face Snag. "You've definitely messed with the wrong people now!" she barked at him.

Even though this was her first encounter with Team Skull, she couldn't hold back her boiling rage. Just seeing how there was another trainer wanting to give Team Skull chase for the same crime was all she needed to know for confirmation that they were nothing but trouble. And now Professor Kukui's own Pokémon was caught up in this. The same one that had gone unpicked by her and Hau!

Still though, for some reason Ray's voice was eerily familiar to Ailey...

"Yer never gonna get me Charmander! I'm expectin' a nice pay-day fer it!" Snag growled and held up his fists in a fighting stance. "I'll take the both of ya!"

"You don't look all that tough. Singe, get him!" Ailey commanded her Pokémon as it hopped off her shoulder and in front of her. Team Skull didn't scare her, and the fact that this particular thief was using Samson's Charmander made him even less intimidating.

"You really think you can take us on now?" Ray asked as both trainers stood opposite of Snag, their Pokémon in front of them. "It's two against one. You can't win."

Snag looked nervously at the two trainers who now stood confidently across the pavement from him. Bagon would have been easy to take on by himself, but now there was a Litten to deal with. He hadn't spent enough time with Charmander to take on two Pokémon just yet.

"Charmander, Ember!" Snag commanded. "Hit all three of 'em!"

Ray and Ailey both nodded confidently at each other before looking to their Pokémon.

Ray looked towards Fafnir apprehensively. He was glad he wouldn't have to fight Team Skull on his own, but he didn't want to appear weak in front of this other trainer. Especially since she had an island challenge amulet of her own.

He wasn't sure what move to use first. His PokéDex told him Fafnir knew Bite, Ember, Rage, and Leer, but none of those options would have been the greatest against a Fire-type like Charmander. He didn't want Fafnir to use Bite and get in close range with a Pokémon that could burn him, he didn't want to use Leer if Charmander's attention wasn't fixed on Fafnir, and Ember was definitely going to be useless against a Fire-type.

"Fafnir, build up your Rage!" Ray shouted after realizing it was his only option. With a Rage built up, Fafnir would be able to gain power with every second that passed. But it wouldn't be of much use immediately.

He once again glanced at Ailey and saw a fiery confidence in her expression. It was evident that the presence of Team Skull only flared up her desire to grow stronger. Unlike him, it looked like she already knew what moves she was going to use.

"Singe, latch onto Charmander with Bite! Don't let it get away!" Ailey instructed her Litten.

Charmander swung its tail in front of it from side-to-side and unleashed a storm of small fireballs from its flame at Fafnir and Singe. Singe was able to dodge through the fireballs and scurry towards Charmander, even managing to take some of them directly. Fafnir began growling in place as he built up his anger, glowing a fiery red with building power as the fireballs peppered his hide.

Singe lunged towards Charmander and hooked his powerful fangs on the fire lizard's arm, bringing it down to the ground with a loud thud. Singe's powerful Bite attack bought Fafnir some time to continue gaining power from the blazes of Charmander's Ember.

"Charmander, get up!" Snag shouted as he watched his new Pokémon tumble with Singe on top of it, still clutching its Poké Ball in his hand.

Ailey shook her head with a smirk. "Singe, keep Charmander in place!"

Singe purred with his teeth still buried deeply into Charmander's arm. The fire lizard tried to flail its arm around and smash it into the pavement but it still couldn't manage to shake the Litten off.

Ray watched in awe as Ailey and Snag quickly exchanged commands to their Pokémon. In one second, Snag would have Charmander shake off Litten with an Ember from its tail and in the next Ailey would command Litten to use Bite and latch back on. Their Pokémon wasted no time in following what they would say.

That was the true mark of a good Pokémon trainer. One that was naturally in sync with his or her Pokémon.

Ray looked to Fafnir who was still patiently trying to charge up its Rage. With Charmander distracted by Ailey's Litten, Fafnir's Rage served no purpose as there was nothing to bring it to its anger point.

Using Rage was a pointless strategy.

Realizing that neither him nor Fafnir were being useful, he quickly glanced at the girl next to him again. The first thing he noticed was the same distinct flash of fire in her eyes that he could tell was lacking in his. A desire within herself to go headfirst on the offense, no matter the cost, while Ray chose the cautious route instead.

And her Pokémon was fighting for her as well. Whenever Ailey's Litten latched onto Charmander, it did its best to stay clamped, resilient to not let go. It was confident in its trainer, and Ray needed Fafnir to be confident in him as well. If she truly was one of the new trainers that Kukui gave an island challenge amulet too, then she far surpassed any of the other new trainers that wandered near Ray's house over the cliffs of Kala'e Bay.

Sighing deeply, Ray gazed across the "battlefield" when his eyes suddenly locked onto the Poké Ball in Snag's hand. His jaw dropped as a thought struck his mind, but he would need the other trainer to cooperate.

Charmander... stolen... PokéDex... registration... Poké Ball...

If his thoughts were correct, then the duo wouldn't even need to defeat Charmander. All they would need to do was...

"Hold on..." he muttered quietly, barely loud enough for Ailey beside him to hear. "Fafnir, cool down your Rage!"

Fafnir nodded and dissolved the red glow surrounding its hide.

Ailey turned her head to the side and saw that Ray's gaze was fixated on the Poké Ball in Snag's hand.

"What's on your mind, dude?" Ailey asked her battling partner, forgetting he was even there for an instant.

"You have an island challenge amulet like me."

Damn, that felt good to say.

"Which means you've probably received a PokéDex, right?"

"Yep." Ailey nodded in response.

"And you're familiar with the registration feature, right?"

Ailey nodded once again, this time silently trying to piece together Ray's idea.

"This guy isn't on his island challenge and he probably isn't on friendly terms with Professor Kukui." Ray's eyes were still locked onto Charmander's Poké Ball. "There's no way he has a PokéDex, which means he couldn't have registered that Charmander to his fingerprint."

"I think I get what you're saying!" Ailey stated as her mind reached an epiphany. She was impressed, this new guy was quick with his wit. If Charmander wasn't registered to Snag, then all they needed to get was... "They're both distracted by Singe. We don't have to defeat Charmander, we just need to get that Poké Ball out of his hands!"

"And then we can call it back and return it to Oak," Ray continued once he was sure Ailey understood his plan. "You in?"

Ailey silently nodded with a smirk and glanced towards Singe who was still latched onto Charmander's arm. Ray actually had a good idea, and she was all for it.

"Ya bilge rats ain't never gonna nab me Charmander!" Snag snapped at the pair of teenagers. They were foolish to speak loud enough for him to hear. "It's gonna get me a nice sum o' booty from the boss, ya hear!"

"We don't care, you thief!" Ailey spat at the Team Skull thug. "That Pokémon belongs to someone else. It isn't yours!"

"Fafnir, use Ember!" Ray commanded his Bagon.

"Yer really goin' ta use Ember on a Charmander, laddie?"

Ray smirked at this. "But this time don't aim for Charmander, aim for the Poké Ball in that thief's hand."

"Wait... yer goin' ta attack me!?" Snag bellowed, although his voice was filled with more fear than anger. "Are ya crazy, laddie!? There are laws against doin' that!"

"Oh yeah, and what's a Team Skull thief gonna do about that?" Ailey pressed Snag. "Gonna go running to the cops? They'll just apprehend you."

Fafnir growled and spat a flurry of small fireballs towards Charmander's Poké Ball. Snag grunted as he realized where the flames were headed and tried stashing the Poké Ball in his pants pocket, but he wasn't quick enough as Fafnir's fireballs pelted at his hand and sent Charmander's Poké Ball flying to the ground. He groaned in pain as he noticed small burns on his hand from the Ember attack.

"Arrgh, not the Poké Ball!" Snag cried out, watching the Poké Ball slowly roll away in horror. Feeling the pain from the small burns on his hand, he quickly fell to his knees and clutched his burnt hand. Not wanting to lose the Poké Ball, he attempted to lunge at it as it continued to roll away.

"Singe, let go of Charmander and get in front of the Poké Ball!" Ailey shouted to her Litten.

Singe nodded and released Charmander from its grip. He leapt in between Snag and Charmander's Poké Ball, turning towards Snag with an angry purr.

"Now! Grab it!"

Singe leapt backwards and on top of the Poké Ball. Carefully, with his gaze still fixed on the shocked Team Skull thief, he wrapped his tail around Charmander's Poké Ball and flung it in the direction of his trainer.

"Nice one, Singe!" Ailey cheered as she grabbed Charmander's Poké Ball from the air. "Charmander, come back!"

Ailey pressed onto the Poké Ball and a bright turquoise beam flew towards the fire lizard. Right before the light struck Charmander and sucked it into the Poké Ball, Ailey could momentarily see its eyes wide with horror. She looked at the Poké Ball curiously when Charmander was fully absorbed inside of it.

That look on your face just now... did you not want to be saved?

Realizing the job was finished, Fafnir blew smoke out of his mouth to cool down the Ember attack and Singe once again hopped in front of his trainer; both of them standing proudly in front of their trainers again.

"Where's Squirtle!?" Ailey asked angrily when the thoughts of Charmander's loyalty finally left her mind. "And Popplio too!"

"Ya scurvy landlubbers!" Snag shouted out once he realized he had nothing else to defend himself with. He stood up and glared towards the two teenagers that foiled his plans. "Ya may have nabbed me Charmander, but Popplio and Squirtle are still out there. They've already been taken away ta the boss. Yer all gonna pay for this one day, ya hear! If that boy didn't have ta borrow me trusty Skarmory..."

"Beat it, chump," Ailey snickered and held her hands to her hips. "You lost. Go back and cry to your boss if it's such a bother. We'll take on all of you."

Snag grumbled something under his breath and stomped the ground angrily with his foot. Those two trainers got the best of him, but he wasn't the type of person to forget easily. He'd be back, and they'd pay dearly for getting in his way. And the boss surely wouldn't yell at him for losing to them either, as he was able to successfully steal Popplio and Squirtle without a hitch.

Yes... the mission isn't a total failure. We still managed to steal Popplio and Squirtle. Charmander is just the gravy.

With a deep sigh after recognizing his defeat, Snag turned around and took off in the distance towards the ferry terminal.

"Phew..." Ray panted once Snag was completely out of sight. He wanted to rush behind Snag, but it definitely didn't look like he had any other Pokémon besides Charmander on him. He'd just be wasting his energy by chasing him down.

Ray curiously gazed at the new trainer that rushed to help him with thankful eyes. He was eternally grateful for her help, but this marked the second time that he was about to get into a battle with Fafnir and they ended up being helped out instead: first with Tapu Koko on Mahalo Trail, and now with Ailey coming to his aid.

On top of that, during the battle his mind instantly went to a strategy that didn't even require defeating the opposing Pokémon. Why did a strategy like that come to his head? Why wasn't his first thought directed towards defeating Charmander?

"Fafnir and I aren't going to get much stronger if we keep getting helped out. But still, thanks for your help." Ray reiterated. He knew he would eventually get to engage in a full-on battle with Fafnir, but he was patient enough to wait for that moment.

"No problem, buddy boy!" Ailey shot the new boy a thumbs-up. She quickly noticed the island challenge amulet strung around his backpack strap. "Anything for a fellow island challenger, I suppose!"

"I just got my amulet today from Professor Kukui, so I'm still kind of a rookie. He hired me as his courier to make up for it. But even though we're new, Fafnir and I aren't going to be taken lightly! Isn't that right, bud?" Ray grinned and chuckled at his Bagon.

"Grr!" the Dragon-type growled, nodding confidently.

"I just got my island challenge amulet yesterday, so I guess you could say I'm a rookie too. But Singe and I have already been in some serious battles ourselves. We're gonna show Alola that we're the toughest pair around!"

"Mrowr!"

So she really was one of the new trainers that Professor Kukui gave an amulet to!

Clap-clap-clap!

Ailey and Ray thoughtlessly spun around at the sound of clapping coming from behind them. Two trainers were rushing towards them with relief on their faces.

"Nice of you two to show up when we've already chased Team Skull off!" Ailey teased Hau and Ilima when she recognized them.

"Sorry, Ailey!" Hau cheered in between claps as he ran to his friend. "I heard you shout and came running to help, but it looks like you already chased off the thief before I could get to you."

Hau looked to the unfamiliar brown-haired boy. "And it looks like you had some help, too!"

"Yes, I too heard your shouts," Ilima added. "You didn't even need the help of a brilliant trial captain like me."

"Wait... you're a trial captain?" Ray asked in shock. With his dazzling pink-hair and neatly picked clothing he looked less like a traditional Alolan and more like another rich kid. "There's only one captain on Melemele... so you're Ilima?"

"Unfortunately..." Ailey grumbled under her breath.

"Hm, what was that?" Ilima frowned at the blonde girl.

"Nothing," Ailey sighed with a shrug. She would at least have to tolerate his terrible attitude until she finished his trial.

"Yes, I am Ilima, the trial captain of Melemele Island," Ilima answered Ray with heavy pretentiousness in his words.

"I-I'm Ray!" Ray stammered and stuck his hand out for Ilima to shake. "I just got my island challenge amulet today. Guess I'm going to be taking your trial first, huh?"

The pink-haired boy gave Ray a suspicious glare, but ultimately returned the handshake. "Yes, you will most certainly be attempting my trial first. I hope you've been doing some training, because my trial will be difficult for a newcomer like you."

Hearing Ilima's infamous signature word sent Ailey's anger to a boiling point again. What was with him and calling everyone a "newcomer"? Especially three promising trainers like Ray, Hau, and herself.

"Newcomer?" Ray tilted his head. What did Ilima mean by that?

"The three of you have undoubtedly just began training your Pokémon," Ilima smugly informed them and peered at the small blue Pokémon standing next to Ray. "That's a Bagon, yes? Your Pokémon looks like it hasn't seen a serious battle yet. And the island trials are difficult for even the most fearsome ace trainers. It'll take you some more training before you can even take on your first trials."

Ray wanted to say something, but he wasn't sure what to respond with. Instead, he narrowed his eyes in vexation. Yes, it was true that he hadn't been in a serious battle yet, but who was Ilima to be the judge of that? By the time he took on Ilima's trial, he would surely have enough experience to run right through it.

"Well, isn't that why we're all here?" Ailey once again took offense to Ilima's words. "We're here to bond with our Pokémon and learn independence. That's the entire point of the island challenge, no? And besides, Ray and I just took on Team Skull. That's pretty impressive for a pair of 'newcomers', wouldn't you say?"

"Oh, please..." Ilima scoffed. "I've seen a trainer defeat a Team Skull thug with a mere Magikarp using nothing but Tackle. I hardly expected them to pose any sort of threat to you. And besides, I need to see the strength of the trainers taking on my trial. I need to see if you newcomers really are good enough."

"Well I certainly think all three of us are good enough. I've seen that firsthand," Ailey told him confidently. "I'm sure you agree."

"I'm with you, Ailey," Hau interjected. "And I've never even met this Ray guy before, but if he was brave enough to take on Team Skull, then he's for sure good enough!"

"I admire the confidence, that may just get you far," Ilima admitted to Ailey and held his chin in thought. "To be quite honest with you, I look forward to the day you take on my trial, if you can go through with your island challenge that is."

Ailey was prepared to shout at Ilima for pissing her off again, but she was taken aback by what he said. He looked forward to seeing her and the others take on his island challenge? In the short time she'd known him, she definitely didn't expect to hear him admit something like that.

"However, we need to get back to Samson," Ilima suddenly stated with a frown. "He's probably worried about his Pokémon."

"Oh, that's right!" Ailey facepalmed and looked at Charmander's Poké Ball in her hand. It felt so much like it could have been Singe or even her newly caught Buzz in her palm that she forgot Charmander actually wasn't hers. "But what about Squirtle? Shouldn't we be out looking for Squirtle too?"

"Don't forget about Popplio." Ray reminded them, remembering Professor Kukui's first task for him. "Popplio was stolen, too."

"We have no idea where they could be, unfortunately," Ilima told them. "Remember, the only reason we came to the marina was because Samson saw a news report that Team Skull was here bothering some waterside Pokémon. By the time we got here, there was only one Team Skull thief left."

"So you're saying they could already be gone far away?" Hau asked.

"Unfortunately, that seems to be the case," Ilima answered and shook his head. "We can't spend all day looking for something when we don't have any sort of lead. It was pure luck that we managed to come across Charmander. We're going to need more information before we decide to find the other stolen Pokémon."

"You're right..." Ailey reluctantly admitted, watching the ocean. Ilima was right, the Alolan islands were vast with an endless ocean in between them. Squirtle and Popplio could have been anywhere. "We have no idea where to even begin searching. At least we got Charmander, I'm sure Professor Oak would be glad to see it again."

"And besides, I need to thank him for making the PokéDex," Ray added.

"So what do you say?" Ilima asked the trio with a smirk. "Should we head back?"

The three trainers silently nodded and watched as Ilima began to slowly walk away from the marina. Realizing they didn't have much of a choice, they begrudgingly followed him.

Ray and Ailey returned their Pokémon into their Poké Balls and accompanied Hau and Ilima to the Hau'oli City mall where Samson Oak was waiting for them. Even though there was a nice breeze snaking through the buildings of Hau'oli City, the afternoon heat beat down hard on Melemele Island and the streets were relatively empty with most residents happily taking shelter indoors. The walk was relaxing enough for Ray, Ailey, and their Pokémon to recover from their battle, and Ray was able to finally catch his breath after his long run under the hot sun.

Entering the air conditioned atmosphere of the unsurprisingly crowded mall, Ray walked behind the trio as he still had no idea who any of them were. Ailey and Hau had just began their island challenges like him and Ilima was a trial captain, but how did they all know each other? Were they all friends? Or were they completely unfamiliar with each other, just like Ray? He noticed Ailey and Hau were talking quietly amongst themselves while Ilima silently led the charge into the Hau'oli City Mall; it was becoming more clear that Ailey and Hau were friends whereas Ilima was more of an acquaintance.

Either way, Ray didn't want to relive the awkwardness of his encounter with Lillie all over again. If he wanted to make allies and take on the island challenge with strength, he would have to make friends with all of the different challengers he came across. Awkward silences weren't going to get him anywhere.

"So... who exactly are you guys?" Ray asked as they ascended an escalator. Up until that point, he hadn't uttered a single word to them.

Hau and Ailey stopped their conversation and turned back to face him quizzically. It hadn't occurred to them that they completely ignored Ray's existence on the walk back.

"Well, I'm from Kanto," Ailey answered first, taking off her straw hat to pat down her frazzled strawberry-blonde hair and wipe some sweat off her forehead. Carefully, she put it back it on her head and adjusted it properly. "I just moved here about a week ago with my mom. Still need to get used to the heat!"

Ray looked at Ailey curiously. From the way she talked when he first met her, he could instantly tell she wasn't from Alola. But Kanto of all places? The holy land of Pokémon training? She must have had it in her blood to be a formidable trainer!

"And I've lived in Iki Town my whole life," Hau followed up with a grin. "I'm trying to get stronger and become a kahuna like my tutu! Oh, I'm Hau by the way!"

"Kahuna? Tutu?" Ray asked, squinting his eyes. Those words meant... "Wait a minute... are you Kahuna Hala's grandson?"

Hau grinned brightly and nodded. "Yep! That's my gramps!"

"Wait... your name is Hau... now I remember!" Ray exclaimed, stepping off the escalator behind the trio as it finally reached the top floor. He followed Ilima alongside Ailey and Hau. "I graduated from Hau'oli's Trainers' School so lots of people used to talk about the kahuna's grandson. I guess that was you. That explains how you're on familiar terms with the trial captain, then."

"On the contrary, it was pure chance that we met," Ilima interjected with a wink. "I'm just showing these newcomers the ropes. I think they could use a little bit of help here and there."

"Well two of these newcomers are the ones who did all the work..." Ailey grumbled in response to Ilima. It was like every word he said added to the pool of anger inside of her. "And besides, I'm the one who has Charmander. I could easily tell Professor Oak that you did nothing to help."

"Go ahead, tell him," Ilima probed the irritated girl and nodded to a man in a blue button-down shirt in the distance. "Samson is right there."

Ailey initially raised her finger to scold Ilima for calling Professor Oak by his first name, but she frowned and put her finger down when she realized it wasn't worth the effort. Ilima was probably stuck in his ways at this point and it would only make both of them angrier.

"Hello there, children!" Oak greeted the group as he happily walked over to them. He motioned for them to move away from in front of the escalator and in front of a clothing store instead. "Did you find Team Skull?"

Ailey reached into her pocket and pulled out Charmander's Poké Ball and held it out in front of the professor. "We couldn't find Squirtle, professor, but this is Charmander's Poké Ball."

"You all found Charmander?" Oak asked in surprise.

Oak carefully took the Poké Ball out of Ailey's hand and examined it with his fingers. The feeling of the Poké Ball in his hands was familiar; like Ailey had told him, it was undoubtedly Charmander's ball.

"To be fair, it was all Ailey and Ray," Hau chirped. "They were the ones who took on that Team Skull member headfirst! Ilima and I rushed in at the last minute when he was already gone."

Oak looked between Ray and Ailey appreciatively. "Ah, you two were the brave trainers to get Charmander back! But as you said, Squirtle is still out there..." he sighed glumly.

"By the time I got there, there was only one Team Skull member at the marina," Ray informed the professor. He noticed the professor eye him curiously. "Oh, sorry, my name is Ray and I'm Professor Kukui's courier. I was sent to the marina to look for Team Skull because Popplio was stolen."

"Samson Oak," the professor nodded and shook Ray's hand. "Any friend of Kukui's is a friend of mine. You're saying Popplio was stolen too?"

"Yes," Ray nodded nervously. "And just like Squirtle, we weren't able to find it. The Team Skull member we found only had Charmander and said that Popplio and Squirtle had already been sent to the boss. We don't know where they are."

"That's disappointing..." Oak sighed.

"I wish I could do more to help," Ray admitted as he gazed downwards in defeat. "But we really don't know where they are. They could already be with the boss as we speak."

Oak quietly nodded and turned his head away from the group. His cousin Samuel wouldn't be happy to hear about his prized Squirtle being lost, especially since he was initially worried about his starter Pokémon being raised so far away from Kanto. He would have to go through great troubles to request a new set of starter Pokémon for Kanto trainers, and that was never an easy task.

Oak would have to abandon training his cousin's starter Pokémon as the full set was broken apart by Team Skull. Knowing he would likely not see the full set for a long time, it would probably just have been better to give the Pokémon in his possession away. They would be better off in the hands of capable trainers.

"I want to reward you four," Oak stated as he turned back to the group. "But I'm afraid I don't have something that can be divided by all four of you."

"Don't worry about it," Hau responded with a shake of his head. "It's just the job of an island challenger."

"And a trial captain as well," Ilima added.

"And besides, Ailey was the one who did all the work," Ray told the professor, giving the blonde a thumbs-up. "If it weren't for her and her Litten, then we wouldn't have even been able to get Charmander's Poké Ball back. She deserves whatever reward you've got more than any of us."

"In that case..." Samson turned back and looked at the blonde girl. Her blue eyes were locked onto his with apprehension. "You there, Ailey. You did me a favor by keeping Charmander with you."

Ailey was just about to voice her agreement with not needing a reward for helping the professor out, but it seemed she wasn't quick enough. Despite that, she was still curious to see what the professor had to offer. Was it a stack of Poké Dollars? Maybe some cool items?

Or maybe even a Pokémon?

"I... thank you..." she nodded politely, her mind still racing at the thought of what Professor Oak would gift her. "But I just held its Poké Ball. It's not like I took it out and tried to train it or anything. Any of us could have held its Poké Ball."

Samson waved her admission off. "Right now that's irrelevant. I'm going to have to train Charmander again regardless, so I'm just glad to have it back with me."

The four teenagers watched in curiosity as Oak dug into the deep pockets of his white cargo shorts. He fidgeted around in his pockets until it looked like he finally found what he was searching for. With a wide grin, he pulled out a plain Poké Ball from his pocket.

Ailey's eyes went wide at the sudden realization.

That's... a Poké Ball! He's going to give me a Pokémon!

"Samuel won't have much use for his Pokémon without the full set on hand," Oak began. He held out the Poké Ball for Ailey to take.

"What... are you serious?" Ailey asked, her voice full of wonder as she took the Poké Ball from Oak.

"That Poké Ball contains Bulbasaur, Samuel's favorite Grass-type Pokémon," Oak explained with a grin. "You already have the Fire-type Litten with you, so why not train a Grass-type as well?"

Ray, Hau, and Ilima quietly watched the scene unfold before them in shock. They just expected Ailey would get some sort of cool item. They never thought Oak would reward her with an actual Pokémon of her own to raise!

"Bulbasaur..." Ailey muttered as she held its Poké Ball in her hand. She couldn't believe that Oak was so quick to give her a brand new Pokémon.

But... do I really deserve it?

"I think you'll raise it well." Oak nodded when he saw the doubt in Ailey's eyes. "You went and took on Team Skull for me. A trainer of your caliber should never doubt herself."

"Th-thank you," the grateful girl stammered with a curtsy bow. If Oak was insistent on giving her Bulbasaur, then she would have to accept. "I'll make sure to care for it really well."

She looked at the Poké Ball in awe. Growing up, she always dreamed of traveling through Kanto with either Squirtle, Charmander, or Bulbasaur. And now she had one of them on hand. She would make sure to train it really well.

"I'm sure Bulbasaur would love to help you out on your island challenge," Oak told her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Give it the experience that only a true Pokémon trainer can give it. There's nothing that little Bulbasaur wants more than a good adventure."

"I don't know what to say." Ailey shook her head. She carefully placed Bulbasaur's Poké Ball in her satchel. "Don't worry, it'll be the most powerful Bulbasaur you've ever seen once we get training together! It'll come with me all around Alola. And when we're done with our journey, you can show your cousin in Kanto just how powerful it's become!"

"Speaking of training." Oak cleared his throat and caught the glance of the pink-haired trial captain. "Don't you think you should be taking these trainers to the location of your trial now?"

"Fine, fine..." Ilima exhaled with a head-shake. He made sure all three of the newcomers were paying attention. "If you're ready to head to the location of my trial please come with me."

Ailey, Ray, and Hau all glanced at each other quickly. They wanted to get started on their island challenges quickly, but they didn't want to rush into anything too fast. Each of them had some training they wanted to do before even attempting the trial.

"I'll come along with you," Ailey answered the trial captain. "But I'm mostly just going to be training on the way there. I still need some time to see what Singe and Buzz are capable of, and I need to start getting familiar with Oak's Bulbasaur."

"Your Bulbasaur," Oak corrected the girl with a bright smile. "It's not mine anymore!"

"In that case, I'll come along too!" Hau pumped his fist. He couldn't let Ailey get ahead of him! "I still need to do some training myself. And besides, Ailey's now got three Pokémon to my two, I need to catch up! Maybe I can find a cool new Pokémon pal for myself on the way there to keep Rowlet and Pikipek company."

Ailey looked towards Ray, who seemed like he was deep in thought.

"Wanna come along with us, Ray?" she asked the boy.

Ray initially opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it and shook his head. The thought of taking on the island challenge with a group of new friends sounded amazing, but he still had some things of his own that he needed to take care of.

Finally, he answered. "Actually, I think I'm going to stay back in Hau'oli City for some time. I still need to get some training done with Fafnir and I need to tell Professor Kukui about Popplio."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, positive." Ray nodded. "Professor Kukui isn't going to be happy to find out that Popplio is still out there, so I should probably tell him in person. After all, he hired me for a reason."

Ilima shrugged and began to head towards the escalators. With a wave of his hand he motioned for Ailey and Hau to follow him. It didn't seem like he wanted to spend any more time chit-chatting with Ray and Samson.

"Alrighty then, see you later buckaroo! Can't wait to run into you again!" Ailey waved at Ray, who returned the gesture. Finally turning her back to Ray, she followed Ilima towards the escalator out of the mall.

"Fair enough, bud!" Hau exclaimed to Ray as he carefully walked backwards towards the escalators. "But don't get caught too far behind us! We'll definitely meet again soon, so promise me we can have a full-strength battle when we do! Seeee yaaaaaa!"

"Oh for sure I can promise that!" Ray laughed. "See ya!"

And with that, Ray and Oak watched as Ailey and Hau headed off for their first trial with Ilima. They had long roads ahead of them, but Ray was sure they would be just fine.

Don't worry, Fafnir and I will be right behind you guys. And we'll have an awesome battle next time. Heh... maybe I can even take on both of you?

A/N: Whew, this ended up being a mildly long one, but that's a wrap for Chapter 5! Like I said earlier, a big event happened in this chapter: the two playable main characters finally met! This doesn't happen in the games, so I had to make a completely original scene for their meeting point, which is why the chapter took so long to write, touch-up, and upload. You know what they say: your worst critic is yourself! Once again, I truly apologize for the delay, but I didn't want to rush out a chapter just for the sake of uploading something.

As I've stated before, I've included the character bios for the main characters only on my main profile. However, since I can't overcrowd my main profile with all the characters met in the story, I've also created a main hub on the Pokémon Fanon wiki (pokemonfanon. wikia .com). The hub page is called "Pokemon - The Darkness of Alola" with no accent on the "e" and each character has the "(TDoA)" suffix. So for example, if you wanted to look up Ailey's profile, you would have to type in "Ailey (TDoA)" into the search bar. I'll include character bios of every character that appears in the series there in addition to short chapter summaries (if possible). I'll try to put a reminder of the wiki page's existence in my author's note at the end of every chapter just in case you get lost or forget something.

Thanks so much for reading, you have no idea how much I appreciate the support. Don't be afraid to leave me feedback in the form of a review or a PM, I always appreciate it whether it's good or bad!

Next up, we'll see Ailey get familiar with her new Pokémon! What do you guys think will happen to Charmander, Squirtle, and Popplio?

#BulbasaurMasterRace

Translations:

Tutu - Grandparent