Moon

It was silent, save for the chirps and hums of bug pokemon who had come out for the night. The night was still young, and despite the relatively natural state of the area around the Aether House, visibility wasn’t much of an issue.

 

Pearl was mostly preoccupied by looking at her phone’s map, following the route to Po Town. The route led to an area split by water, though Pearl couldn’t see a bridge - which she found a tad odd.

 

Pearl eventually reached the beach’s edge, and figured she must’ve been directed to the ‘shortest’ route by her phone… which meant cutting through the ocean.

She just sighed, and called Azul out of his pokeball.

 

Pearl didn’t mind getting soaked too much, though her mind was distracted with other things.

She was upset with what Hau said… and thinking back, was worried that how she reacted in the moment proved him right.

But she had no choice but to shrug it off, at least for the moment. She had a place to go and a yungoos to rescue.

 

When Pearl made landfall on the other side of the watery stretch, she briefly aired out her clothing before noticing the difference in how the air felt.

It wasn’t quite humid like Alola normally was, it felt… more crisp, in a way. Almost as though it was about to rain.

 

The beach ascended into a gravelly hill, which turned into asphalt. The beach parking lot had a single vehicle in it, and when Pearl investigated hoping for clues, it appeared to just be an Aether foundation rental. Pearl wondered what Aether would be doing out here at this time, but soon found her answer, in the form of a mobile laboratory - similar to the one she saw on Akala island.

 

While the goal was technically Po Town, Pearl didn’t see the harm in checking in on the lab. Perhaps whoever was parked in the beach lot had seen the Skull grunts or had other information.

 

The blast of air conditioning and bright lights hit Pearl as she opened the door to the lab, finding the interior to look identical to the lab she’d visited previously.

There wasn’t anybody in the main lab space, though there was evidence that there was definitely someone else present in the form of active equipment.

 

Pearl took the opportunity to sit down on a couch and let the aggressive air conditioning dry off her clothes, but perked up when she heard some voices getting louder down a hallway.

 

“I told you! It’s late and you’re losing your mind, babe.”

 

“Maybe I am. But I swear I put it somewhere around here…”

 

The first voice, a woman’s, hit Pearl like a truck.

There was no way.

It couldn’t be…

 

“If we come back in the morning, I bet you’ll be able to find it after some rest.”

 

“That’s what I’m worried about! I don’t really… trust those Aether people. And with those ‘Team Skeleton’ people or whatever they call themselves now, too…”

 

It was Colress, and he was accompanied by a woman with short brown hair - a woman that Pearl could undeniably identify as Lune.

Pearl really didn’t need this right now - she had a goal. But… they mentioned Team Skull, perhaps the two of them knew something.

 

Lune turned around, and noticed Pearl, to Lune’s shock. She tapped her husband’s shoulder to get him to turn around as well, and gestured loosely towards Pearl - who was looking a bit bug-eyed at the two.

 

“Who the hell is this kid? Since when has she been here?” she said, though her tone was a bit surprising to Pearl.

 

Colress squinted for a second before recognizing Pearl, and promptly jabbing Lune lightly with his elbow.

 

“Lulu! Don’t be rude!”

 

“I think the last thing we both need right now is some kid snooping around.”

 

“This isn’t… Lune, this is that girl I keep running into. It was, uh, Pearl, right?”

 

Pearl didn’t say anything, but slowly nodded - she was still rather starstruck, if not confused at how different Lune seemed to act compared to what Pearl had seen prior.

 

Lune paused, before sliding her hands down her face and letting out a frustrated sigh.

 

“Fuuuuuuuuck, guess cover’s blown on this one, then.”

 

“LUNE!!”

 

“Hell, I’m surprised it took this long for me to break character in front of a fan.”

 

Colress just sighed and grabbed Lune by the hand, and whispered something Pearl couldn’t hear - though it made Lune snicker a little.

He re-adjusted his glasses, then turned back to Pearl.

 

“Erm… what are you doing here, anyways? Isn’t it a bit late? If you’re looking for a place to stay, the lab does have guest rooms…”

 

Pearl took a deep breath to try and collect her thoughts.

 

“I’m… I was on my way to Po Town. Some Team Skull grunt stole a kid’s pokemon and I’m going to rescue it. I guess I was wondering if anyone was here and if they knew anything.”

 

Colress’s expression shifted into one of concern.

 

“Hmm… I don’t mean to try and give unwanted advice, but…” he paused.

“I was told this lab location was a bit risky due to its location being near Po Town… we had a grunt stop in earlier to try and steal something, but…”

 

“But I kicked their ass, ha.” Lune butted in, nudging Colress playfully.

“Should’ve seen ‘em! Ran off crying.”

 

“...But I don’t think it’s a good idea for someone your age to be poking around with a gang.”

 

Colress seemed like he was about to say something else, but never did - so Pearl spoke up.

 

“I think I can handle it. I’m strong. And even if I can’t… I think I can get out safely.” she said, a bit bluntly - as she was tired of people trying to stop her, perceiving it as them doubting her abilities.

 

Colress awkwardly scratched the back of his head and grimaced a little, while Lune did a stretch.

 

“Ya know, I could tear that stupid town apart. Kid doesn’t have to do a thing, let me in there and I fuckin’ got it.” Lune said, a bit smugly.

 

“Yea, and then Interpol would be on your tail. We don’t need that.” Colress said, a bit annoyed.

“They have that place locked down pretty tightly.”

 

Pearl stood up, interrupting their bickering.

 

“You can’t stop me, but I appreciate the offer.”

 

Colress and Lune turned back to Pearl, though now Lune was also visibly concerned.

 

“Jeez, Col, can’t you do something to help her at least?” Lune said, her tone worried.

 

Colress paused to think.

 

“I think… I can do something. Only if she’s ok with it, though.”

 

“Hm?” Pearl hummed, stepping up to the lab counter that Lune and Colress were on the other side of.

 

“Just basic type battle item boosts. It’s… not illegal, just a temporary boost. Non-league battlers do it all the time.”

 

“Mm hmm…” Pearl nodded along. She was aware that casual pokemon battles often included approved ‘battle items’, though they were banned in the league for fairness sake.

“Sure, go ahead.” She replied, offering up her pokeballs to Colress.

 

As much as Pearl didn’t want to admit, everyone’s worries were starting to bring on self doubt over whether she could take on Po Town - so the offer of additional buffing was reassuring.

 

Colress smiled and took the pokeballs, stating he’d be just a second as he went to one of the back rooms.

 

It was just Pearl and Lune, and the two were just waiting in silence. Pearl found it to be a bit awkward, so she nervously asked Lune a question - because while she was a tad less starstruck since the idol showed her true colors, Pearl was still in awe.

 

“What… were you looking for…?”

 

“Oh, Col lost some research his friend did on… uh, something. It’s kind of sensitive so he’s freaking out over it.” Lune said with a sigh.

 

Pearl scanned the counters for something that looked confidential or out of the ordinary. She didn’t really know what something confidential would even look like, but she did take note of something odd - a transparent pouch with a pastel pink folder inside was sitting just behind Lune.

 

Pearl walked over to take a closer look, and the folder had hard to read Kantonian writing on it, which was in a purple glitter gel pen, of all things.

 

Pearl picked it up, just as Colress entered the main room again. However, upon seeing Pearl holding the folder, he stopped in his tracks and pointed.

 

“WHAT! HOW DID YOU FIND THAT?!” he yelled, looking both relieved, but also incredibly surprised and confused.

 

He ran up to Pearl and snatched the pouch containing the folder out Pearl’s hands, and quickly stowed it away in a bag.

 

“I told you, you were just tired and losing your mind.” Lune said with a laugh, grabbing her partner’s hand.

 

Colress collected himself, then turned to Pearl - offering her back her pokeballs.

 

“Uh, thank you for finding that, haha. Here’s your pokemon, the effect will last for about two hours.” he said formally.

“Should be noted that there’s a slight ‘hangover’ effect, all it really does is make your pokemon a bit drowsy - but still worth noting.”

 

Pearl nodded and smiled.

 

“Alright, thank you! I’ll do my best.”

 

As Pearl headed for the door, she could hear the sound of heavy rain outside.

 

“Be safe.” Lune said as Pearl went out the door, her tone having switched to one of concern.

 

Pearl was a bit confused by this, but she was already outside and figured it would be odd to ask.

 

The paved road beyond the mobile lab seemed unkempt, as it was filled with cracks and potholes that were filled with water. Pearl passed a police station on her walk, and could see a large walled-off area in the distance.

 

Pearl approached the walled area, and realized the road was cut off by what appeared to be a road gate. There was a Team Skull grunt in the gate’s booth, who seemed to be boredly scrolling on their phone.

 

Pearl ran up, and took on her usual confident battle stance.

 

“Hey! You’re gonna me into Po Town, whether you like it or not!” she said, releasing Azul from his pokeball.

 

The grunt’s eyes shifted to Pearl for a second, before quickly returning to their phone.

 

“No-can-do. Boss said no yellow-bowed brats allowed.”

 

Pearl relaxed her stance a little, and let out a frustrated sigh.

 

“If you wanna go the hard way, we can go the hard way! Azul-”

 

“I don’t have any pokemon, kid. I’m just here cuz the world fuckin’ hates me. And this is where the world just happens to dump people it hates.”

 

Pearl dropped her stance completely, and just looked dumbfounded. She wasn’t expecting a grunt so… deadpan.

 

The grunt’s eyes moved away from their phone and to Pearl again, but this time, they grew wide, and the grunt put their phone down.

Pearl was confused by their sudden show of reaction, until she heard a gruff voice behind her.

 

“You’ll let the kid in, alright?”

 

Pearl turned around, and jumped a little when she saw an older, hunched over man - with a look about as deadpan as the grunt’s had previously been.

 

“Y-yes sir!! Right away!” the grunt said frantically, opening the front gate.

 

“And why don’t you scurry off to your bed or something, be extra nice for me?”

 

The grunt hastily nodded, before running off.

Pearl was just in shock.

 

“How- who- what?!” she said, scrambling her words.

 

The man just sighed.

 

“You’re making a mistake, kid. But if you really wanna get that yungoos back…” he said with a pause.

“Don’t make me pull your body out of there.”

 

Pearl wanted to say something, but she was just shocked. Without a word, the man left - and when he turned around, Pearl noticed the Interpol logo on his shirt.

 

‘Well… THAT’S reassuring…’ Pearl thought, as she nervously stepped through the open gate. But what did some Interpol guy have to say? Pearl had the well wishes of her favorite idol, so she felt like she’d be able to finish what she started.

 

Saying that Po Town was dreary would be an understatement. Aside from the stormy weather, the town was littered with overturned tash cans, broken cars, garbage, and graffiti. Few of the streetlights actually worked, which left Pearl a bit nervous - as darkness was setting in.

 

In addition to Azul, Pearl sent out Poppy to help guide her in the dark - though she also kept a tight grip on one of Poppy’s arms.

Pearl’s childhood was relatively sanitized - she’d never been to a place she’d ever considered ‘shady’. But this… was something else. That, and there was nobody around. It felt a bit like a scene in a disaster movie to Pearl - where the town had fallen into disrepair with nobody to be found.

 

Pearl turned a corner, and suddenly, a Skull grunt jumped out at her with a pokemon. Pearl screamed a lot louder than she’d like to admit at the surprise, but thankfully, Azul and Poppy weren’t too happy about the grunt scaring their trainer like that.

 

After a swift defeat, Pearl collected herself and was quite mad.

 

“Hey, what on earth was that for?! Couldn’t you just approach me like a normal person?!”

 

“Yo, sorry! Didn’t think I’d like, startle you so much. I also didn’t think you’d be a kid, boss made it sound like you were some big scary trainer…”

 

“What?”

 

“Yeaaaaah, this is kind of awkward. I don’t think any of us assumed they’d be fighting a teenager.”

 

Pearl was confused.

 

“I fight you guys all the time though, why is it a problem now?”

 

“Ok, so like…” the grunt said, pausing and motioning with their hands a bit.

“When you attack us, it’s ok. Kinda funny even, I know some grunts are kinda rooting for you. But attacking you ourselves… I dunno man. Feels wrong.”

 

“I’m 15, not some kind of baby!”

 

The grunt paused, and appeared as though they were trying not to laugh.

 

“Yea, ok sure.” the grunt replied, and though Pearl was a bit offended and wanted to rebut, the grunt continued.
“Like, I don’t know. I have no idea what the hell the boss is even doing by stealing some rando’s pokemon. Like hello, we steal signs, not pokemon! You know, he’s been actin’ weird lately, ever since that Aether lady… ugh, it’s WEIRD, man!”

 

Pearl was kind of lost on the grunt’s rant, but was instantly snapped back to reality when she heard the grunt mention an ‘Aether lady’.

 

Colress mentioned he was suspicious of Aether, didn’t he? 

 

“Aether lady? What’s the deal with that?”

 

“You know as well as I do, kid. I’m kind of under the assumption that she’s some rich and lonely old woman looking for someone to annoy her, but she kinda gives me bad vibes. Too much of a capitalist, I think.”

 

“Riiight, well, that, uh, helps a bit.” Pearl said, rapidly making a mental note that a woman, presumably Lusamine by description, was involved with Team Skull.

 

“Oh, that’s cool then. You know, maybe I get why those grunts root for you - you seem chill.” the grunt said with a stretch.

“Eh, I’ll just grab some of the good stuff and me and the gang can get blazed and not get in your way. Too much trouble for a yungoos, man. Nice meetin’ you!”

 

The grunt typed a message on their phone at an impressive speed, before hopping back through the bush - though they did shout from the other side.

 

“It’s the big house directly down the main street, by the way! Have fun!”

 

Pearl wasn’t quite sure what to make of the encounter, but was more glad than anything that she wouldn’t have to deal with being jumpscared by someone hiding in a bush again. And the information about Aether… Pearl wanted to text Hau about it, but her phone wasn’t getting any reception - it appeared the grunts used a private wi-fi network for messaging.

 

With a bit more confidence than before, Pearl held Poppy’s arm as she made her way down the main street that cut through the city. She had to teleport past a few chain-link fences and dodge lake-like potholes, but otherwise the walk went uninterrupted.

 

Pearl eventually made it to the ‘big house’, which was definitely an understatement - the place could easily qualify as a mansion. Pearl hopped a few concrete blockades, and slowly but cautiously opened the door to the mansion - which was thankfully unlocked.

 

The first thing Pearl noticed about the interior was the smell - it was almost too overwhelming. It smelled like garbage, chemicals, and sweat fighting to see who could be more pungent.
It was about as messy as the smell would entail. There was scattered garbage, debris, and empty aerosol bottles everywhere.

The best Pearl could do was cover her nose and press forwards.

 

Due to the size of the building, Pearl had no idea where to begin looking. She assumed that the yungoos was being kept with Guzma, but Pearl had no idea what a ‘Guzma’ living space would even look like.

 

So, Pearl started looking.

 

Through the graffiti covered hallways, Pearl checked every unlocked room. With nothing of interest on the first floor, Pearl made her way up to the second floor - though she had to move around a dirty mattress that was on the stairway.

 

There were plenty of uneventful rooms, until Pearl opened one door and was surprised to see it was well organized and pleasant-smelling.

Out of curiosity, Pearl entered the room behind her, making sure to close the door to preserve the good smell.

 

The room was small, but there was a neatly made bed with a bedside dresser. Opposite to the bed, there was a vanity with lots of makeup scattered about. As Pearl examined the dresser, she noticed a sticky note with a phone number on it. While Pearl couldn’t quite place it, since she had most of her contacts sorted by name; Pearl knew this number.

It was a bit unsettling, so Pearl took the sticky note and put it in her bag - and made a mental note to call the number when she has time.

 

Pearl spent a bit more time in the room, just to detox from the awful-smelling mansion. She left the room wondering who it belonged to.

The second floor was more open-air, and didn’t have as many hallways as the first floor. Thankfully, though, Pearl wouldn’t need to play any more guessing games.

 

As Pearl moved towards the east side of the mansion, she could start to hear muffled, but audible booming of loud music. She followed the sound, and found the source's door. But when Pearl attempted to open it, she found it was locked. Pearl let out a frustrated sigh, before Poppy tugged her arm towards an open window.

 

Pearl peered out the window, to find that there was a walkable ledge on the side of the building - and after leaning out a bit further, noticed that the locked room was accessible through a blown-out window.

 

Carefully, Pearl stepped out onto the ledge and made her way over to the broken window, where the music was blasting so loud Pearl felt her soul rattle to the beat.

She sneakily peered inside the room, to see Guzma sitting in a sloppy position on an almost throne-like living chair. He was on his phone, and next to his chair was a large pokemon carrier containing what Pearl presumed to be the stolen yungoos.

 

Pearl carefully climbed through the window, and shouted to try and get Guzma’s attention - only for her voice to be completely overpowered by the music. 

Frustrated, Pearl scanned the room for the source of the music - and among the room’s mess, spotted a fancy-looking stereo.

 

Guzma had noticed Pearl at this point, but didn’t move. He simply watched as she walked over to the stereo, and turned it off.

There were a few seconds of silence after that, until Guzma finally reacted.

 

“Hey, what the hell, dude?! I was vibi-” Guzma started to say, his tone clearly indicating that he was somehow inebriated. But he cut himself off as he took a good look at Pearl, squinting his eyes.

“W-w-w…wait a fuckin’ second!! You’re the kid! Shit!”

 

Pearl wasn’t sure how to react. It was almost a bit uncomfortable seeing the boss in this state, but most of all, Pearl was confused.

Why was he drunk? Wasn’t he expecting Pearl, as evidenced by the hiding grunt? Pearl was almost concerned by the level of disorganization that was going on, but she tried to let it not get to her. After all, yungoos was right there.

 

“I’m… just here to take this little guy back, if that’s alright…” Pearl said, slowly sidestepping towards the carrier yungoos was in. She hoped Guzma was too drunk to stop her, but…

 

“Hey! I’m not gonna let you just do that!” he yelled, chucking what must’ve been the stereo’s remote in Pearl’s direction - though his aim was way off, and it ended up hitting the wall instead.

“At least prove you can kick my ass first, huh?!”

 

Guzma got up from his ‘throne’, though stumbled a bit. He felt around in his oversized pockets for something, and his hand returned with two pokeballs.

 

Pearl really didn’t want to battle here - the room was small and a mess. But she just sighed, as she expected she’d have to battle Guzma again to get the yungoos back from that start.

She sent out Azul, and Guzma sent out his golisopod.

 

The battle went relatively similarly to their first - though because of the buffing Colress gave, Azul was able to sweep both of Guzma’s pokemon.

 

Upon defeat, Guzma just let out a loud, angry sigh.

 

“Take the fuckin’ weasel, kid. But you haven’t won, mark my words.”

 

He shoved the pokeballs back into his pocket, and stormed out of the room.

 

Pearl was still for a second in confusion, but decided she shouldn’t waste any more time.

She unlocked the crate that the yungoos was in, and while the pokemon seemed fearful, some speaking to it in a soft and reassuring voice made it calm down.

 

The yungoos curled up comfortably in Pearl’s bag, and Pearl looked out the window.

It was pitch black now, and Pearl was nervous about going back to the Aether house like this. She could always tru using her powers, but her thoughts were too messy to focus enough. 

But Poppy nudged her a little, and floated just beyond the ledge.

 

“Can you fly me back in this weather? I won’t be too much of a problem?” Pearl asked.

 

Poppy nodded in reply, and used its arms to form a seat for Pearl.

Pearl sat down, and it was almost like a swing. The two set off into the night, as Pearl watched the world below her grow smaller and smaller.

 

Pearl and Poppy arrived at the Aether house, and almost as soon as she got close enough to connect to the house’s wi-fi, her phone started blowing up. She assumed it was all the messages she missed while in the dead zone of Po Town, but the amount of buzzing she was feeling from her bag was concerning.

 

Pearl landed, and recalled Poppy to its pokeball. She took a deep breath and tried to put on a happy expression, despite how tired she was.

 

“I got yungoos back!” she said merrily as she burst through the front door, carrying yungoos.

 

Pearl was met with silence and shock, and as she looked over the scene, a feeling of dread started setting in.

Acerola was busy attempting to calm the children, who were crying. Hau looked shocked to see Pearl, but his eyes looked exhausted and it was evident he had been crying as well.

 

The yungoos squirmed out of Pearl’s grip, and ran over to the child happily. The child hugged it tight, which gave Acerola a bit of a break.

 

“Pearl…” Acerola said, her tone worried.

 

“What… what happened while I was gone?” Pearl asked, looking more around the main room. After a thorough scan, she noticed Lillie wasn’t there.

“Is Lillie asleep?”

 

Hau’s face fell into his hands and he groaned loudly.

 

“She’s gone.” he said, sounding defeated.

“It was a trap, a distraction, Pearl - to get you away from us. A strong woman from Skull kidnapped Lillie and I couldn’t stop her…”

 

Pearl’s heart sank.

 

“Wh… what?”

 

“I guess it’s what you wanted, right? You got recognized as strong. Strong, but…” Hau responded, his tone exhausted and upset.

 

Pearl interrupted him before he could finish. Pearl didn’t want to hear him finish.

 

“Are you saying this is my fault?!” she cried out, running over to Hau.

 

The children were crying louder now, and Acerola was unsure if she wanted to intervene between Hau and Pearl or continue trying to calm down the children.

 

Thankfully, she wouldn’t have to.

 

A familiar figure exited the hallway which led to the house's dormitories, rubbing a palm on his temple.

 

“Alright, I think the pain meds are kicking in and making this headache go away…” Gladion said, followed by Type Null. He noticed the situation, and groaned.

“Alright, what the hell’s going on? Pearl’s finally back?”

 

“That Team Skull enforcer?! Why is he here? You know we can’t trust these guys, right?!”

 

“Pearl, no! He’s on our side, if you’d listen-!”

 

The two friend’s bickering eventually started layering over each other, drowning itself out into nonsense.

 

Gladion sighed, and commanded Type Null to butt in between the two.

 

“Alright, here’s the goddamn deal!” he said, his tone assertive.

“Someone who may or may not be considered to be my mother has an obsession with other worlds, and I think she thinks that… creature Lillie was carrying with her is the key.”

 

“Nebby?” Pearl asked, cocking her head.

“They took Nebby too?!”

 

“Who’s Nebby?” Hau interjected, about equally as confused.

 

“Please, let me talk.” Gladion said with a bit of a growl.

“Look, I don’t know what she’s going to do, but she made a deal with Team Skull to act as bodyguards for the event - that’s when I fucked outta there. All I know is that my sister isn’t safe.”

 

He paused.

 

“But everyone here is tired and frustrated and turning on each other. I’ll be going to rescue Lillie alone.”

 

“NO WAY!” Pearl and Hau said, almost at the same time in a shocked reaction.

 

“Gladion, I’m not sure if it’s just because I’m a second pair of eyes, but hearing you talk about Aether stuff was freaky - I don’t think it’s safe for you to take on something this heavy alone-!” Hau said, standing up from the couch.

 

“Hey, I care about Lillie too!! At least let me help!” Pearl joined in.

 

Gladion’s expression didn’t change, he simply huffed. He opened his mouth to speak, but Acerola spoke over him.

 

“Well, I think there’d be power in numbers at least. Gladion, I know you’re familiar with Aether’s base, but… backup for something like this seems like a necessity.” she said, patting the child on the head before joining the group near the couch.

“This sounds kind of like one of these cool spy movies, if I’m being honest! Uncle Nanu has a lot of those, haha.”

 

Acerola’s joke fell on flat ears, but she did prompt Gladion to think.

 

“I guess you’re right. I’m just worried more people than needed will get hurt.”

 

“I’ve seen what Pearl can do - not just battling-wise. She has a real trick up her sleeve.” Acerola said with a wink, nodding towards Pearl.

 

It took Pearl a second, but she realized Acerola was likely referring to her powers.

 

“Anyways…” Gladion continued.

“We can use the Team Skull motorboat docked in Malie City to enter the Aether paradise without issue, since they’re working with them. I still have keys to it. The problem that comes to mind would be how we’d get to Malie in a timely manner…”

 

There was some silence, before Acerola spoke up.

 

“Well, I wouldn’t mind helping a little bit, if it means saving Lillie.” Acerola said.

“But you all have to promise to keep what you’re about to see verrrrrrrry secret, ok? I think I can trust you all.”

 

Gladion and Hau seemed a bit confused, while Pearl knew what Acerola was about to do. The trio nodded, and Acerola directed them to stand back.

 

Through a swirl of shadows, Acerola summoned a large golden ring, and oriented it like a portal.

Hau looked like his mind was blown, though oddly, Gladion didn’t seem too phased.

 

“WHAT?! WHAT!!” Hau blurted out, trying to comprehend what Acerola had just done.

 

“I doubt this is going to be the weirdest thing we’ll see tonight, trust me.” Galdion replied.

 

“WHAT DOES THAT MEAN??”

 

Acerola waved her hands in an attempt to get the two to stop bickering.

 

“Hey, hey! We can talk about it later, ‘kay? Right now Lillie needs help, and this portal will take you guys directly to Malie’s port! Go, go, go!”

 

Hau rubbed his face and sighed, before putting on a more serious expression and turning to Pearl.

 

“Right, let’s go.” he said, grabbing Pearl’s hand.

“...I’m sorry I’ve been a dick tonight, but we can deal with that when this is over.”

 

Pearl nodded in understanding, and she led a slightly hesitant Hau through the ring-portal - followed by Gladion and Type Null.

 

Just as Acerola had promised, the three were at the port of Malie, conveniently in front of the Skull motorboat.

 

With no time to waste, the three made their way to the motorboat.

But a familiar gruff voice called out.

 

“Oi.” was all it took to get the group’s attention, and when they turned around, Pearl could recognize the person as the older man from Po Town.

 

“Why… are you here? Who are you, anyways?” Pearl asked.

 

“Suppose I never introduced myself. You can call me Nanu, I am… the Kahuna of this island. I guess this is bad timing though, isn’t it? Acerola told me about everything you’ve done, and I wanted to-”

 

Nanu was cut of by Gladion.

 

“We’re in a bit of a rush.”

 

“Slow down. I don’t want to battle any of you now. I was just going to offer to drive that boat for you - I doubt any of you kids have a license.”

 

That made sense. Pearl was about to speak, but Hau managed to speak up sooner.

 

“Sure thing, Uncle Nanu!” Hau said with a smile, though it was a bit of a weak one.

 

“Don’t call me that.” Nanu replied. He then turned to Pearl and pointed.

“You. I have something for you.”

 

Nanu took off his necklace and tossed it to Pearl.

 

“Is this… some kind of old person ambulance calling necklace?” Pearl said, not really realizing how rude she sounded as she examined the necklace.

 

“No.” Nanu replied in an annoyed tone.

“It’s an emergency alert caller for Interpol. Only use it if things go dangerously wrong.”

 

Pearl nodded, and the three fully boarded the boat, joined by Nanu at the driver’s seat.

 

And as the boat was off, Pearl looked to the stars, hoping with all her heart that Lillie would be ok.