Hi everyone! It has been hectic for the last couple of months. Had a lot of things going on with my life. I have important news to share in the Author Notes section. (This news will also be on my profile page.)

Enjoy!

Chapter 13:

The afternoon sun shone through the windows and gave a reddish glare across the living room floor. Liam watched as his newly caught Rockruff played fought with Kukui's. The two little Pokémon immediately became fast friends and were now tumbling over each other as they tried to get the upper hand. They growled and snapped at each other lightheartedly. Rowlet napped next to Liam, giving little hoots in its sleep once every so often. The peaceful moment made it feel like the terrifying near-death experience that occurred several hours ago had never happened.

Liam sighed and laid down on the sofa. His arm dangled above him as he watched the Z-Ring glittered in the light. The crystal – Kahili called it a Flynium Z – shattered after its first use, leaving the slot in the ring empty again. It was pure luck that he managed to even use it in the first place apparently, but Kahili did say that completing the Alolan trials will help him master the move.

It was a strange power, Liam thought as he glanced over at Rowlet. He never thought his Pokémon could have so much power.

"LIAM?!" The front door slammed open.

"Mom?" Liam's mouth opened in shock as he sat up, "What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean, what am I doing here?! Professor Kukui called and told me what happened!" She immediately went into her 'mother-mode' and inspected her son all over. "Did you get hurt? Where did you get injured? What were you doing out there?"

"Mommmmmm," Liam groaned, embarrassed. He could feel the stares from Professor Kukui's Pokémon. The two Luvdisc in the aquarium seemed particularly interested in the scene unfolding before them. Meanwhile, Liam's Rockruff walked over in trepidation and sniffed at the new arrival.

"Hey, you're here, Mom!" Professor Kukui waved, climbing up the stairs from his downstairs lab. "Sorry for the wait." He had a handful of just-developed photographs in his hand, and Rotodex floated next to him. It puffed out its little screen chest proudly.

"I saved and looked at the photos Rotodex took and to be honest… I am baffled. I've never seen such a Pokémon before. I'm sending a copy to all the other professors to see if any of them can shed some light."

"What about Smoky?" Liam immediately asked.

"Smoky? Oh no, not that one either…" Professor Kukui paused when he came across the photo of the small two-legged smoke creature. "Are you sure that this little guy didn't come with the bigger one?" He held up the picture.

"No," Liam shook his head, "I found it just before this. And then… it just disappeared…" Liam remembered how he shouted himself hoarse for Smoky to come as he climbed into the helicopter. However, the little creature never came. It simply vanished, like it was never there in the first place.

"Where's Kahili?" Kukui said, looking around.

"Kahili?"

"She was the one who helped me," Liam explained to his mom before turning to Professor Kukui, "At the Pokémon Center. She went to check on Tauros. I think she went to talk to the other Kahunas about what happened. She has no idea what to make of this."

"Well, I think it is safe to say that none of us have experienced or witnessed something like this before," Professor Kukui said, frowning. For once, he didn't look so laid-back and cheerful. "The creature in this picture…" He went back to the photo of the menacing dark beetle. It filled up the whole frame, and its glittering gem eyes sent a chill down his spine. "It does not look like any Pokémon I have seen or heard of before. And you said that it came out of the sky?"

"Well, not the sky," Liam amended, "But like from a hole in the sky."

"A hole?"

"Yeah… like those you see in those sci-fi movies…" Liam looked up expectantly at Professor Kukui, but for once, the man was grimly silent.

"I need to talk with my wife."

"Your wife?" Gloria looked confused.

"Oh yeah, her name is Burnet. Professor Burnet," Professor Kukui explained.

"Oh yes! We met at that party a year ago," Gloria said.

"She specializes in the relationships between Pokémon and other dimensions," Professor Kukui explained, "I'm pretty sure she would make use of the information."

"Wait, there are other dimensions out there? Where other Pokémon can exist? Like that beetle?" Liam imagined powerful creatures like the one he encountered and wondered if he should've tried to catch it. Now that the shock had worn off, the prospect of visiting and seeing new worlds and new Pokémon excited him.

"That's the theory," Professor Kukui shrugged his shoulders. "She can probably explain it better than me, but I think it is best that you and Lillie go meet her."

"No." This time it was Liam's mother who spoke.

"What?"

"I'm not saying you can't go, Liam. Just, wait until I have an off day and we can make the trip."

"Why do you need to be there?" Liam felt the familiar prickling of anger inside.

"Because you almost got yourself killed!"

"Mom, I'm fine. You heard what Kukui said. I was able to handle the situation!"

"This time," Gloria said, "You were very lucky, Liam. Who knows what would happen the next time?" She sat down, looking weary. Liam's Rockruff hopped onto her lap. "When you went on this journey, I never expected something like this to happen. Maybe it's best if you stay home with me until we figure out what's going on."

"Then what's the point of me coming all the way out here if I'm just going to be locked up?! You should've just let me stay in Kanto if you are afraid!"

"Okay, you two," Professor Kukui butted into the argument, "I understand how you both feel, so let me make a proposal. Why don't we, for now, hold off that meeting with Professor Burnet and let Liam continue with the Melemele Trial?" The two stared at him with the same confused look.

"I'm sorry, but how does letting Liam do the Melemele trial resolve this?"

"You can think of it as a test to show how much stronger he has gotten through the journey. If he can beat the grand trial here, then he is capable of getting stronger and handling any tough situations out there. In the end, you can decide whether you want him to continue after his battle with Kahuna Hala."

"But-!"

"Liam, I understand your frustration, but the fact remains that you are not an experienced trainer yet. Yes, you survived, but I would prefer to increase your chances of survival to more than just mere luck. Meet up with Captain Ilima and take on the first trial. It will definitely help you gauge what level you are at and convince your mother that you are responsible enough to take care of yourself."

Liam pressed his lips tightly together. Professor Kukui was really trying to help him out here, but still, his mother had the last say in all of this, no matter what. Would she even allow it? And what if, after all of this, she still said 'no'?

"Don't worry," Professor Kukui added to Gloria. "I'll make sure he gets back to Hau'oli City safely. Captain Ilima will look over his trial before sending him back here for Kahuna Hala's Grand Trial."

After a long, agonizing minute of silence, Gloria said, "Okay."

Liam blinked in surprise. Gloria looked like she regretted her final decision. "Liam, I want you to make sure to not wander off. Can you promise me that?" He nodded enthusiastically, itching to head to the door.

"Okay, you can continue with the trials, BUT you still need to prove to me that you are capable of taking care of yourself."

"Yes, mom." Liam immediately hurried to the door and paused for a moment before turning to Professor Kukui. "I'll wait outside. I won't wander off." Jumping off of Gloria's lap, Rockruff took sleepy Rowlet by the head and then followed after Liam.

[Wait for me!] Rotodex quickly floated after them.

"He is just like his father." Gloria sighed as she watched her son leave.

"Really? If you ask me, I think he is just like you," Professor Kukui said. He pulled out another stack of photos from his lab coat, placed them in Gloria's hands, and gave a polite nod before following Liam. Gloria looked down and slowly flipped through the photos.

…

Hau'oli City...

"Oh yeah, where is Lillie?"

"She came here. She wanted to explore the area." Liam wondered what kind of professor Kukui was if he couldn't even keep track of his assistant.

"Well, I better go look for her then," Kukui said as he glanced around the city. The street lamps were already lit, lighting the paved roads. "I'm actually more worried about her. You'll be okay from here?"

"Of course."

"Well, Ilima said he would meet up with you at the marina," Professor Kukui said, pointing to said place's general direction. "Just follow that road, and you'll find him."

"Thanks, Professor Kukui," Liam said quickly before following the path.

"Good luck, Liam!" Professor Kukui called out, but he was already long gone.

[Bzzt. I wonder what sort of challenges are in store for us.] Rotodex asked himself out loud as he floated above Liam.

"Doesn't matter," Liam said calmly. "The important thing is to win."

[But you need to go in with a plan.]

"I'm pretty sure we'll be fine."

[I disagree.]

"Well, what would you suggest?" Liam said, raising an eyebrow.

[Bzzt… training of course!]

"Already did that. Remember?"

[Well… Bzzt…]

"Careful. Don't want your hardware to fry. Just relax and let me handle it."

Walking along the shoreline, Liam slowed down slightly as he watched where the horizon and the sea touched in the far distance. The sun was large as it slowly set into the ocean and cast a reddish hue across the water. He was just here earlier with Hau and Lillie as they watched Ally leave on her adventures. So much stuff had happened in the last couple of hours. He soon spotted the familiar pink-haired trainer in the distance.

"Hi Liam," Captain Ilima called out with his usual smile. "Good to see you again. I heard about your little adventure."

"Yeah..."

"Are you doing okay?" Ilima observed him carefully.

"Yeah, totally fine." Liam wondered if this was what he would have to go through with every single person. He could only imagine the look on his friends' faces when they heard the news. Hau would be shocked and confused, not understanding a single word; Ally would be excited and impressed, wanting every little detail; Lillie… well, Lillie would be horrified. Though now that he thought about it, the Potions she gave him did save his life. He needed to thank her the next time they met.

"Yo, yo, YO! CHECK IT!"

Liam almost jumped out of his skin from the sudden outburst from the docks' entrance. Before he could comprehend what was going on, Ilima and he were standing face-to-face with two thug-like characters, wearing baggy black clothes. They wore matching black bandanas to cover their mouths, so the only thing people could see on their faces were their bug eyes. The only expensive accessory that they wore were silver 'S' pendants that hung loosely around their necks.

"Whenever, wherever we meet you, Team Skull don't even greet you! So, Cap, just give up the Pokémon, yo." The two threatened with their rhymes and changed their pose every two seconds like fashion models in front of the camera flash. If they thought it made them more menacing, it was failing quite badly.

Wait, Team Skull…? Are these people part of an evil organization?! Liam couldn't believe what he was hearing. He never suspected colorful and sunny Alola to have one. He remembered the horrors Team Rocket had caused back in Kanto, and the destruction they laid in two regions. Great… now his mom would definitely never leave him out of the house ever again.

"So, Liam, are you ready for your trial? We can get started right away if you want," Ilima continued as if he was never interrupted.

"What, what?!" The two Skull grunts were as stunned as Liam by Ilima's response, or rather his lack of response. "Why you trying to act so hard when we're already hard as bone out here, homie?"

I cannot understand a single word these idiots are saying, Liam thought.

[Bzzt. What an idiot.]

"HUH?! What did you call me, you little brat?!" One of the Skull grunts glared at him.

"What? No! That's not me! It's the Rotodex!" Liam glared at the red device, wishing more than ever for that mute button.

[Bzzt. But that's what you were thinking too.]

"Just because I was thinking about it does not mean I should say it! You need to be considerate of other people's feelings and not blurt everything out!"

"So, you DO think I am an idiot."

Oh, snap… Liam realized what his big mouth had led to.

"Hahaha," Ilima couldn't help but laugh. "That does describe your current level of mannerism and attitude."

"GRRRR! That's it! I'll show you, Mr. Trial Captain. And you too, brat! I'll take all of your Pokémon!"

"Oh, my… How terrifying…" Ilima shook his head pityingly. "Well, we are on a tight schedule, I'm afraid. Liam, take care of that one" - Ilima pointed to the grunt that Liam and Rotodex insulted - "I'll get rid of the other one. I know you'll do great!"

"But-!"

"Yo, check how I change the game with my mad Pokemon skills," the Skull grunt said with his Poké Ball already in hand. Before Liam could try to protest again, the Skull grunt had already sent out his Zubat. "Now pick up the pace son, so I can steal your Pokémon!"

Why me? Liam felt like crying now. Why is it that he kept getting himself thrust into situations like these?

…

Mount Hokulani was colder than she expected as she zipped up her jacket. Nothing but brown grass grew here. Her breath turned into mist before being carried off by the sharp and freezing wind. She needed to hurry and finish the job before the sun settled, and the path became too dark to see. A sharp ringing sound punctured through the howling wind, and when she picked up her Pokégear, she smiled at the number.

"Hey, Professor! How are you?"

"Quite well. How is your daughter doing?"

"Ally? She's fine. Adjusting rather well. And she made some new friends. She just called and told me that she finished the Water Trial and will be taking on the Fire one tomorrow. But I'm assuming that you didn't call specifically about my daughter." There was a long pause on the other end, and she knew she hit the mark.

"Actually, I'm here about a job." She sighed. No surprise there. Her jobs have been increasing in number ever since she moved here to Alola in search for unique Pokémon.

"Well, shoot me an email, and I'll fit you in my schedule."

"It's not that simple. This job… well…" He explained it as carefully as possible.

"You don't know if it is a Pokémon?"

"I don't know what it is. I've sent pictures to you, but all of us agreed that we should keep this as quiet as we can." There was a rush of static before he continued, "We don't want to stir up unnecessary fright. A young trainer was almost killed. I'd prefer if you kept an eye out and if you hear or see anything…"

"Right," she said, not needing him to finish, "Don't worry. I'll take care of it."

Author's Notes

AHHH! Ally's mom! How exciting! :D

Hope everyone is having a good summer. I have some important news to share about my current writing status.

To be honest, during the past few months (actually this may have started even before then), I lost my motivation to write. Writing became more of a chore than something fun that I wanted to do. As I mentioned earlier, so many things were happening in my life that required me to change my path. I was letting my readers down in doing so, especially when I am in this sort of limbo. Realizing this, I had to take a step back and decide if I wanted to continue writing at all. Should I just call quits?

After some time thinking and pursuing other hobbies for a while, I decided that I do want to write, but I definitely cannot write at a definite pace like I used to. I'm moving to a more 'sporadic' form of updates. This means that stories may update but the date is unknown. Updates will be even slower than usual. I know that this will be frustrating, but please understand that with everything that has been going on with me, I am moving through another chapter of my life, and although writing is something I still want to do, it isn't something that I have the time to do. I want to continue to write quality works.

Thank you all who understand.

-JapanDreamer