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Alex stood, leaning forward against the slightly weathered wooden planks of the patio fence, looking towards the ocean, the aroma of the salty ocean filling his senses. The gentle warm breeze blew against him, slightly making his hair flow as his eyes reflected the sparkling liquid crystal that lapped upon the shore in front of him. The Corsola hopped around excitedly, happy to be around his new trainer. Alex heard footsteps behind him, and soon a pair of hands rested on his shoulders. "Alex honey, breakfast is ready. Best you get a good meal in today. Who knows what you'll be doing today with the professor and those new kids down the way. C'mon now. It's your favorite, Miltank-milk pancakes with a Mago and Pecha Berry smoothie." Alex simply nodded.

"One more minute. The ocean is soothing. It begs for exploration, it calmly pulls me in. Do you feel it, the pull the ocean has on you?" His grandmother smiled sweetly and nodded, "Why yes I do. I've felt it for many years, and yet you know are the one who is explaining that feeling to me. But Alex dear, why watch the ocean, when you can explore it?" Alex turned to his grandmother and nodded, walking inside to eat breakfast. He didn't know which he liked more, the smell of the ocean, or the smell of food.

After he was done eating, he snuck a syrup cared pice of pancake under the table for Poprock to nibble on, and he went to his room to change. He wore a bright blue shirt, partially covered by a black zip-up hoodie, along with dark grey trousers, black fingerless gloves with a blue Pokéball on the top, and finishing it off with his headphones that rested around his neck just under his ears. His rushed downstairs to grab his backpack, and hugging Poprock before containing it in his Pokéball. "Goodbye grandma! See you later tonight after the festival!" He said, kissing her on the cheek. "Bye Alex dear, be saaaafe!" She yelled out as he sprinted down the sandy path away from their house.

Alex put his head phones on, shuffling the next random song he had on his phone, as he re-read the letter to himself, his beach house gradually getting smaller and smaller as he walked away from it. As the beach house was but a tiny speck on the horizon, Alex looked up at the sign before him.

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The smell of salt slowly subsided from her senses as she stepped off the Rider Sharpedo, and set foot on Mele Mele Island for the first time. Her hand ruffled through her hair in an attempt to get out the remains of water that had splashed up, as she looked up at the ferry terminal, and, eventually, let her gaze wander around the surroundings. It's so warm, she thought, and quickly slithered out of her leather jacket, revealing a black tank top and rather pale arms. Soley let out a sigh of relief as a gentle breeze brushed against her now uncovered skin, and cooled the Ore-native down a little bit. She carefully knotted the jacket's arms around her waist, kneeled down, pulled her bag in front of her, and pulled out a pair of headphones, and grinned happily. As the first notes of music hit her ears, she felt reenergized, and began to wander up the ramp, towards one of Hao'oli City's many shops and facilities. "Oh, right..." she mumbled, and tugged at her jacket. On the inside, a Pokeball waited for her. With a casual motion, she flicked her wrist and revealed her partner.

Ophelia, the Shuppet, squealed happily, as the ghost-type was free'd once more, though its expression changed quickly in the harsh sunlight. Ophelia scanned her new environment with squinted eyes, and began to circle Soley's head excitedly. "Calm down, you goof. This is Mele Mele island. We're finally gonna do it, you know?" The Shuppet had a confused expression on its face, tilting its head. The two made their way past a Malasada shop, which Ophelia eyed with great interest, but remained hovering close by Soley's side. "Alola has a Pokemon League. And trials. We're gonna finally beat some super strong trainers. And fight to become champions." Soley's face, previously neutral, if not vaguely grumpy, lit up, and a toothy smirk and wide eyes showed up. Ophelia smiled widely herself. For a while, the couple silently rode out the euphoria, making their way through Hao'oli City, towards the outskirts of the town.

"The Ride lady said new challengers should speak to the professor first, right?" she huffed after over an hour of exploration. The two had sprinted the streets up and down, and though Hao'oli City was a large town, the girl had expected the lab to be a prominent fixture."Shoot... Ahhh, I'm winded..." Soley mumbled, taking deep breaths. While physical excercise was no issue for her, the warmth made things a little more complicated than she had expected. She tumbled towards a grassy patch at the end of the city, and let herself collapse, leaning against the street sign. Ophelia descended, and hovered next to her trainer.

"Where is that darn lab?"

It was a long time coming but team rocket had finally arrived in the alola region to dominate it and make it their own..... Just kidding. Jade stood at the ramp of the marina. He looked around the city his black hat atop his head. The only thing that remained left of his rocket uniform. He looked down towards his feet and saw his partner sitting it's self at his feet. "Well buddy, we are finally here. The Alola region." Then one of the workers on the ferry walked by and saw the Vulix and smirked.
"Well look at that,... you must be a foreigner." The man said. Catching Jade's attention. He tilted his head and looked in the man's direction.
"How can you tell that just from my pokemon?" He asked. The man gestured to the Vulpix soon after.'
"Well you see, Vuplix in our region are a different color. Come to think of it... their a different type too." The man explained and gained a raised brow from Jade. Interesting.... Jade thought. This region has the same pokemon from his region but they look different. For once he will try to obtain pokemon here without stealing them... and getting to keep them to boot. Giovanni never really let us keep any of the pokemon we managed to steal. All went to the organization. What a load of bullshit now that he thought of it. He shook his and tipped his hat to the man. "Thanks,.. Anyhow you have any idea where the lab is? I want to register as a trainer for the Alola Region." He asked.
The man nodded and pointed him in the right direction. He looked in the direction and then back at the man nodding once more. "Thanks" He added and the man returned the nod. He bent down and lifted Vulpix off the ground and held him. He removed his hat and placed it on top of it's head. "Well let's get going..." He said. He walked off the dock and headed towards said lab. All he had to do is register. He didn't need a starter for all he knew he had his starter. He was half way towards the lab when he saw a interesting shop. It was a smoothie shop, what was odd was some of the flavors were new to him. Being from the Johto region he didn't see the exotic berries you would see here or even in the Hoenn region. He looked to his Vulpix and then back to the shop. He smiled and put the pokemon down and headed for the door. "Come on Rex, let's get us a smoothie to reward ourselves for getting this far..." The pokemon barked and followed after him......

....... soon after with some money spent he walked out with two smoothies. One for him and one for Rex. He knelt down and let the Vulpix take a long drag from the straw before retracting and shaking its head. "Take it easy,... I know it's good but come on..." He said as his pokemon had gotten a brain freeze. He sipped into his own smoothie. It sure was refreshing. He stood up and they began walking towards the lab again. Every so often stopping so his pokemon can drink some more of the smoothie..... Suddenly he felt a bump and was almost nearly knocked over.....




Hotaru was just fixing up her choker trying to get it so it didn't look crooked. After a good solid minute of adjusting she turned to her bed. "Well what you think?" She asked as she held out her hands. Nephrite the houndour looked up from his spot on the bed and barked. She took that as a approving bark. Well it looked like it was one anyways. She walked over and patted him on the head. She then began to walk out of her room, the houndour hopped off and followed after her. They came down to the kitchen and she saw a note on the fridge as well as her breakfast already made. She walked over and looked at the note...
"Sorry for not greeting you in the morning hun, headed out to the lab early. Meet you there...." She sighed and looked to Nephrite. "Why do dad's have to take their job so seriously?..." She asked and the pokemon just tilted his head. She rolled her eyes and grabbed one of the slices of toast and tossed it to him. With a snap of it's jaws it caught it and began to chew some of it falling and hitting the floor. Nephrite of course couldn't let a crumb escape and began licking the floor for every bit. She sat down and began to eat her meal. She wondered if she would be the only one there starting their journey.... She shrugged and just figured either way it would be fun. She then looked at the time and her eyes went wide. "Oh no... we over slept." She said and began to eat fast. Once she was done she ran to her backpack which held her sketch pad and her camera. She fastened the tripod to it and then began to run out the door chugging down a glass of pineapple juice. She was out the door and running down the steps. She in such a hurry she bumped into someone nearly knocking them down....

.....She stopped and looked to him. He was wearing a combination of red and black with pink hair no doubt. How odd..."Sorry,... I was supposed to be at the lab an hour ago. Hope I didn't ruin anything..." She said. Jade looked up and sighed. "It's cool,... I managed to save what matters. Going to the lab huh?... why don't you apologize my walking with me to it then....Wow" He said as he looked up at the culprit who almost spilled his smoothie. He was holding back every nerve to start behaving like a team rocket grunt. However it all went away as he saw the person and heard her voice. "Your kinda cute,... are most girls in the Alola region like you?" He asked. Hotaru felt her cheeks go a little red to his words and then went away as he asked a question. She shrugged and looked to her skin.
"As you can tell from my skin I am not really from around here... I am native to Hoenn." Then again even most of the people there had a tanned skin. Her skin seemed real resistant to getting tans. No matter how much time she spent in the sun helping her father the only pigment it changed to was red if anything. His suggestion for her to walk with him came back to her head and she was thinking of declining but then again.... he did say she was cute and she did almost spill his smoothie.
"Okay, I'll walk with you..." She said giving in. Jade smiled and together they walked.

Together they head towards the exit to route 1... where Jade was told he could get registered. Well where the lab was anyways. Ikki town was the places name. He didn't know if the lab was afterwards so he hoped Hotaru knew more then he did.

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"You just head on up there and you'll hit Iki Town." An adult male said, pointing towards Route 1.

"Thank you very much!" Robyn Clark had been in the Alola region for a whopping total days of two. However, much unlike others, she didn't have any adult companions when she had headed to this region. It was painfully obvious that the girl had not known where to go. That was until a young couple noticed the lost girl and asked if they could help her. Such kind people, those two were, as when Robyn explain her dilemma, they had been willing to help. However, she had arrived earlier than planned so she had to wait for two more days. She had been planning to stay at an inn or a hotel or something, but the young couple offered her a roof to sleep under until she needed to go.

In those two days, she had helped out around the house. They had a small toddler inside and she had been told to watched over the young one while the couple worked. They had trusted the young girl whom they had just met for reasons unknown to her. Robyn listened to the stories that the couple had to offer in the two days that she stayed there. From what they said, there was a festival going on later in the week. When they launched into actually saying the names of the islands and the towns, Robyn's head began to spin. She was actually pretty good with memorizing stuff, but their dialect and the extremely unfamiliar names just got to her.

Now that the flashback was done, Robyn smiled at them and then waved. She should make a mental note to visit them again when she has the chance. They're such good people after all! "Take care Robyn." A woman said as she appeared from the doorway holding the baby.

"I will." Robyn gave them the brightest smile she could muster before raising the camera and then snapping a photo of the family who reacted just as quickly, managing to stand straight and smile once they saw the camera go up. "I'll see you guys some other time." She said before waving at them and then heading for the path Mr. Quincy pointed at earlier on.

Robyn adjusted the straps of her bag and then took a deep breath. Okay, this is officially the start of her adventure in Alola. She just can't wait to get it started! Ah, but first she had to actually go to the professor first! His name was... um... Professor Kuiki! Yeah, that. She had to meet him first because of his small invitation. She personally liked professors. They were the scholarly types who learned more about the Pokemon in the world. She had met Professor Juniper, and she was an awesome person! She was very nice and even offered to give her a pokemon, but Robyn declined since she already had abundance of them from her parents and other young trainers would be more deserving of them. Then there was Professor Oak whom she had met some time in her visit in Kanto region who was equally as awesome (though she preferred talking with Professor Juniper). She never got to know the Johto region professor though; for some reason, she just couldn't meet him no matter how hard she tried.

A bark from her Pokemon snapped her back from her thoughts and she looked down at the little Growlithe that was pacing around her. She let out a small laugh before kneeling down and then petting the Growlithe, "Sorry for spacing out like that Growlie. And thanks for snapping me out." She said earning another playful bark from him. She stood up and then she marched towards the entrance to Route 1, not really bothering to take pictures since she had been doing that for the past two days. She walked towards the entrance to Route 1 just in time to see another young person. Whoever he was, he was someone she probably hasn't met yet.

So what did she do? She approached him of course! She noticed that he had headphones on so she ran up to his side and then tapped his shoulder. Once she was sure that she got his attention, she would begin to speak, Growlie pacing near her. "Hiya, you heading to Iki town too?" She could have guessed that he was, considering that he was heading towards the entrance to the road leading to it. But hey! It might be that he was just looking for a place to train for a while - that could be a possibility!

No sooner had the Stormchaser docked and its captain declared their arrival than a blur of yellow and orange hurtled down the ship's boarding ramp and onto the solid ground of the Melemele ferry terminal. In her haste, she tripped over her own feet at the end of the ramp, tumbling head over tail for a few metres before she finally came to a stop.

"Kei! Kei, wait for me!" Ignoring the grins and chuckles from other passengers, Kazurai Tachimazu ran out ahead of the pack to catch up with his downed partner. Not for the first time, he wished Melemele Island - and by extension, the Alola region - had an airport. A SailFlight skyship would have been a much smoother journey. Regardless, they were here now, and Kazurai put his concerns about travel out of his mind as he knelt down and picked up his scuffed Torchic. She had been a handful on the ship, so he figured she was looking for any excuse to get back to dry land.

Kei was fussy about her feathers being ruffled, and so Kazurai brushed them into place with his free hand as he spoke. "You know you can't just run off without me. We're strangers here, you don't know anyone, you could get lost..." Kei seemed indifferent, picking dust out of her feathers for a few seconds before she settled down in his arm with a content "Tor." The Warrior just smiled. "Come on, you rascal. We need to get through Customs." The desk was just ahead: Kei's little escape attempt had gotten him to the front of the queue.

"Kazurai Tachimazu, of Sengun. Items to declare as detailed: rice, snacks for Pokémon, cash, no duty-free items. Pokémon to declare: one female Torchic, Trainer's companion." He presented his pack and satchel for inspection: the attendant on duty quickly cleared both. His passport and declaration form was next: thankfully, his father had provided funds to cover the costs of travel. Lastly, a quick examination of Kei - much to her disapproval at being told to sit still during it - and they were waved through. Kazurai quickly found himself outside the building, blinking in the sunlight.

"All right, Kei, here we are. An unfamiliar region, full of challenges. Now, where was that email I got..." He fumbled in his pocket for his PokéLink, and the email he'd received in response to his request for information. It seemed a little like an automated response, now that he reread it. Basics, mostly. Something about a festival and a Kahuna. A date and time, but no mention of a location.

Kazurai tapped out a quick message to his family back home as he moved further into the city. Hi all. Finally off the boat. Got here just in time, it seems. K

With the message sent, he closed the email app and pulled up a map he'd downloaded on the ferry. "Well, we got here on the right day for it. Now, where's this festival happening...? Kei, any ideas?"

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Mathew Delta

@WriterRaven

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The water bottle fell from the vending machine with a clattering thud and Mathew reached in to get it with his shinx; Speckles, eyeing it with great interest. The Alolan heat could be felt even inside the ferry terminal and while Mathew himself wasn’t too bothered by it he did worry about Speckles with all that fur, especially if she evolved at some point whilst they were here.

“Okie Dokie Speckles that’s two bottles of water, so just give me a shout if you need a drink.”

Speckles barked an affirmative and trotted alongside her trainer, weaving her way through the sea of legs belonging to the other ferry passengers in the terminal. It was a small wonder the pair didn’t get separated even with Mathew twirling occasionally midstride to make sure his Shinx was either beside or just behind him.

The sliding doors wheezed apart for them with a comfortably warm sea breeze which Mathew took a very deep breath of. His very first in a new region and he almost did a little dance right there with excitement.

“Oh Arceus this is so exciting! Are you ready Speckles?” From his feet, Speckles barked happily.

Mathew delved into his backpack for the (overpriced) guidebook he’d bought on the ferry, thumbing through it until he found the map, and began to walk on ahead with Speckles beside him looking over the scenery around her.

“Okay so.” Mathew began in a very matter of fact tone. “We’re to meet Professor Kukui and this Kahuna at the festival tonight. My guess is that we’re meeting Kahuna in Iki Town. Oh!”

Mathew had looked up from his guidebook to spot a familiar looking coat a few steps ahead of them, belonging to the man whose Torchic had caused some fuss over at the ferry terminal when they had arrived. Mathew had been one of those laughing. As they walked past he overheard the man’s question about the festivals whereabouts.

“You looking for the festival as well?” He smiled up at the man. “I think it’s taking place in Iki Town, just up the road.”

Mathew held up the traveller’s guide and pointed to the town on the map and he had already circled around some of the ‘things to do’ on either side in black pen. Slipping the book into a side pocket of his backpack Mathew caught sight of the towering buildings just past the marina that set his eyes sparkling with wonder.

“I’m heading there myself actually, you coming?” It was more of a statement than a question. “Come on Speckles, stay close.” He patted his thigh as he set off towards Hau'oli City.

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"Screw. That. Boat."

There was no Alolan greeting coming out of the make-shift sailor whose ship came in on rather choppy waters. Whether it was the cramped accommodations that she spent the majority of her cash supply on, or the fact that her travelling partner ate most of the food that was squirreled away for said voyage, the blonde girl was not in a relaxed mood setting foot on the island wharf for the first time.

"Damn thieves."

Although saying that out loud, she instantly regretted it. Considering the circumstances, she couldn't have expected anything less. It was a hasty decision to board whichever ship was heading out of Olivine, and her roulette spin came up the other color. But at least it wasn't a 00. At least they got me here.

She looked up at the bright Alolan sun and wiped her forehead. "Dang, it's hot."

The Johtoan fished in the pocket of her satchel, among the rest of her Pokedollars and the change of clothes she remembered to bring, producing the lonely Pokeball that had been in there.

"You all right, Romano?" she asked no one as she clicked the button. "I mean, you started sleeping after you ate the last of my pretzels."

On the concrete ground, a small Pig Pokemon materialized. "Swi!" The Ice/Ground type looked around for a second before sniffing at the wharf. "Nubnubnub..."

"Don't know what you're expecting to find, Romano. No food around here." A gurgle in her tummy indicated the same was true of her stomach. "Ugh. Let's get through here so I can get us some."

She walked through the ferry terminal as she tried to remember the things she read on Alola back when she was deciding where she wanted to go. There's some festival or something they have...about...stuff...damn...can't remember. The decision to pawn her phone for more spending money was starting to look foolish.

Customs was actually pretty easy to go through. The agent waved her bag through and gave the Swinub the once over. "He's a little cutie," Agent "Rick" said as he checked the Pokemon's fur. "You should take him over to Ula'ula. Bet he'd love Mount Lanakila. Stick to the main route though. The Pokemon up there are tough."

The teenager handed over her passport. "I'll keep that in mind."

"All right Miss...Shilton."

She shivered. Don't call me that. Not anymore.

"Everything's all set. Enjoy your time on Melemele!"

"Thank you."

Sierra scooped up Romano into her arms and carried her lone Pokemon through the gate towards the exit. As the pair looked around the waterfront of Hau'oli City, it became clear...they had no idea where to go.

"Shoot. Has to be someone around here we can get to give us some directions."

Romano was content to ride along. He snorted a little as a bead of sweat ran down the Ice-type's face. "Swinubswi..."

As she looked around, she spotted someone nearby who had their phone out. Perfect. Either he's a local who loves tourists or a tourist who will help out a fellow traveler.

Sierra approached the man standing next to an orange fluffball she didn't recognize. "Excuse me. I couldn't use your phone to find the nearest Asagi Cafe spot, could I?"

"You looking for the festival as well? I think it's taking place in Iki Town, just up the road."

Kazurai looked round to find a younger kid with a traveller's guidebook in one hand. So the festival was apparently scheduled for Iki Town... interesting. Kazurai's research hadn't come up with any points of interest in the area.

"I'm heading there myself actually, you coming?" That gave Kazurai pause. The teenager's tone, specifically. It seemed less a tone of inquiry and more one of command. At the very least introduce yourself before using that sort of voice. He knew better than to say the words aloud, but he was sure thinking them. Well, if the kid and his Pokémon - Kazurai didn't recognise it - were heading to the festival as well, there was a likely chance they were going in the same direction, so he let the younger Trainer go off on his own. Instead, he took the time to mark Iki Town on his own map with a destination tracker.

A voice got Kazurai's attention. "Excuse me. I couldn't use your phone to find the nearest Asagi Cafe spot, could I?"

"Asagi Cafe? I'm not sure I've heard of it, sorry. Let me just run a quick search. Stay close, Kei." The last comment was aimed at his Torchic, as he set the little Pokémon on the ground at his feet and tapped in a search. The results blinked to life quickly. "Er... this says the cafe's in Olivine City, Johto?"

Sierra stared blankly at the phone. "Um...so it's not a chain or anything?" She looked down at the ground, view obscured by the still-sniffling Romano. "Shoot. I was one away from a free sandwich..." Looking back up at the other trainer, she shifted slightly on her feet. "So, there's nothing around here like that, huh?"

Kazurai double-checked the search results. "Hmm. Center Cafés? Apparently there's a café at every Pokémon Center in this region? That would mean the closest one is just up the road from here, if this map is right..." He looked up from his phone to search the rest of the road. "Ah, there it is, at the far end on the corner."

That intrigued Sierra. If the cafes were inside the Centers, that could mean that they are just as free as the healing services.

"Huh. All right I guess that's something. Thanks." She nodded and moved to head away from the marina.

In the interest of seeing the Pokémon Center for himself, Kazurai followed the same path. Out of common courtesy, he chose to keep his distance from the blonde girl. "Up for a short run, Kei? Just to the end of the road."

"Rrrr..."

"I'll give you a bite to eat if you race me?" That got her attention. The two of them broke into a jog for a few metres, then a proper run. Kazurai kept up with his quick partner despite the weight he carried... until she put on an extra boost and dashed ahead to the corner, looking thoroughly pleased with herself. True to his word, once Kazurai caught up, he produced a small cube of food from his satchel and held it out. The young Pokémon scarfed it down in three bites.

"All right, we have some time to spend. Let's have a look inside the Center, shall we?" Kazurai led the way, partly curious about the Pokémon Center itself, and partly hoping there was a local inside who could give him some concrete information.

@Polaris North@AbysmalDemon

Jade continued to walk with his new companion. However he doubted whether she knew where to go or not. Finally he decided to ask the one question whose answer he really didn't want to hear. "You know where this lab is right? In Ikki town that is?" He asked. She looked over to her and scratched the back of her head. He sighed and rolled his eyes and turned his head to a couple that looked like they were from around here. As he continued watch them he began to change his assumptions. Only one of them looks like a local. He looked to Hotaru and then back to them. "Hey, lets go see if those two wouldn't mind us joining them. I do not want to get lost on this island okay..." Although.... getting lost on a island with a beautiful girl does sound appealing to me. He lead her over to Alex and Robyn and he started to listen in to the one who he pointed out as not the local ask if she could travel with him.

"It wouldn't be too much to ask if we could be included on this journey. We just arrived here and we don't know exactly where the lab is. I know its in the location of Ikki town I just don't know if its in the town or outside the town." He explained. Rex stopped and sat himself right beside its train and looked two the other two. Rex then looked to Jade and barked. When Jade looked down he saw the look the pokemon was giving him and he went a little wide eyed as he looked back to them. "So sorry, where are my manners. My name is Jade, I come from Johto,... this is... what was your name again?" He asked recalling that they had never actually exchanged names which made him a little bit more embarrassed.

Hotaru looked to Jade and then to the other two and smiled. "I am Hotaru Saturn... pleasure to meet you. I am going to go see my father who works in the lab."She answered and received a raised brow from Jade. "You know where your father works but not the places location?.... your a odd one aren't you." He commented. He then looked to the other two to see what their answers where.

Katherine Wesson was nothing if not patient. So, despite being fairly behind schedule, she arrived in the Hau'oli City ferry terminal with a soft smile on her face. She could taste the salt in the wind, something that she'd grown to be very familiar with. Kat stretched her arms out before resting them on the handrails along the edge of the boat she was on, humming a song to herself as the boat finally stopped. Today was a bittersweet sort of day, wasn't it? Here she was, about to set off on a grand adventure, and also about to bid farewell to the parents that she's loved so dearly for her entire life. It was too ironic, she realized, seeing as she'd gone for so long missing them, but now she was about to bid them farewell for an indeterminate amount of time. Her parents, both being sailors, brought her here themselves. Kat was thankful for that, though she had a feeling it'd make the whole parting process a bit harder.

Kat glanced down at Aria, her Eevee, who always seemed to know how her trainer felt. She couldn't help but smile a bit wider at that; she was actually able to call herself a real trainer now. "Come on, darling. We've...got to go," she said softly as she gently picked Aria up. Aria rested on Kat's left shoulder, staying balanced as best she could. Kat made her way down onto the marina, turning to say goodbye to her parents with the same soft smile she always seemed to have.

"Katherine, are you sure about this?" her mother asked, placing a hand on Kat's right shoulder.
"We just want to make sure you're safe. After all that chaos with the Aether Foundation, we're worried that you might run into trouble along the way," added her father, concern evident on his face.

Kat nodded, taking a moment to think about how to respond. It was true, the Aether Foundation fell only recently, and the Ultra Beasts they released were of no laughing matter. But the Aether Foundation still fell, didn't it? And Team Skull hadn't been up to much either these days; Alola was as safe a region as any. "Mom, Dad, it'll be fine, I assure you. The Aether Foundation is nothing more than an unpleasant memory at this point. I also have Aria to protect me, along with all the new Pokemon that I plan on catching while I'm here. You can rest easy, I promise." Her unwavering optimism had been put to the test before, and she didn't plan on letting it falter now.

"Alright, but...do you really need the guitar?" her mother replied, laughing a bit as she spoke.

Kat couldn't help but laugh along, shrugging her shoulders. "Of course I do. I couldn't bear the thought of falling out of practice." It was true; while lugging a guitar around during her journey may be impractical, that guitar was her prized possession. She couldn't just stop practicing when she'd been playing it every night for so many years, it was habitual at this point.

"Katherine, let me just say that I'm so, so proud of you for this, okay? And I speak for both of us when I say that we're going to miss you more than anything in the world. And Aria," her father paused to look at the Eevee, "you take care of my daughter, okay?" "Eev, eevee!" Kat took that to be a yes, giving her friend a pet on the head in response. Both of her parents engulfed her in tight hugs, with her mother reminding her to take care of herself one last time. Kat waved goodbye to her parents as they went back into the boat and pulled away from the marina, sailing off back to Hoenn. She stood there for a long time, watching as the boat turned small, smaller, then almost too small to see before disappearing along the horizon. Kat let out a small sigh before finally turning away, heading into the heart of the city. For a moment, she pondered where to go. She knew she had to attend that festival, seeing as the Professor himself would be there. But...which way, exactly, was the town it was being held in?

Kat finally settled on just walking into the Pokemon Center for a bit. Her mother, who grew up in Alola, told her they usually have cafes inside, as well as plenty of friendly trainers and locals who'd help her find her way. With that settled, she wandered inside, her eyes widening at how different it was compared to the Pokemon Centers in Hoenn. For one thing, they seemed to have a Pokemart inside the center, whereas the one in Slateport City was an entirely separate building. In addition, the cafe off to the side was another missing feature from Hoenn Pokemon Centers. Kat found that she rather liked the whole setup; the Pokemart was convenient for traveling trainers, and the cafe gave them a chance to take a break along their journey. "What do you think, Aria? Does this place feel familiar to you?" Aria gave a sharp, happy cry in response; Aria was originally her mother's Pokemon, after all. She grew up in Alola...in fact, she grew up right here in Hau'Oli City with her mother. Kat figured that seeing her home was a good thing for the little Eevee. Now who could she ask for directions, she wondered, looking totally lost.

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Mathew Delta

@Sunbather

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Hau'oli City certainly lived up to its name; the sun-drenched streets rose up the mountain further back from the fancy villas enjoying the view from the shore. Mathew wandered through the crowded streets with Speckles in his arms, having nearly been stood on several times, as he gazed with fascination through the shop windows and all the things they sold.

“A battle Buffet! Oh I have got to try that. Ah.” Mathew’s ecstatic smile quickly fell. “It’s closed because of the festival this evening as all the staff are waiting the event. Shame really, guess we’ll have to come back tomorrow.”

He wondered away from the big Mall, it’s notice board proclaiming all the shops and services it offered, and continued to follow the lamp-post signs towards ‘Route 1’. One thing that surprised Mathew about Hau'oli City was the number of green spaces it had which far surpassed that of Jubilife City and each with a neat bordering fence.

The further away from the city centre they got the larger and luscious these green spaces became until it became too much for Speckles. As they passed by another one bordered by fragrant flowerbeds the little shinx squirmed and demanded to be let loose.

“Whoah, hey there, okay okay I’ll put you down.” Mathew chuckled and carefully let his partner down.

Finally let loose (free to spread her terror across the globe) Speckles sped merrily across the grass, charging through patches of longer grass and running circles around other visiting Pokémon with Mathew jogging not far behind to keep an eye on her. So much fun was she having that Speckles careened straight into another trainer and went head over heels next to them.

“Oh my goodness. I am so sorry.” Mathew apologised to the trainer, casting a fascinated look at their shuppet hovering nearby. “She just gets a bit too excited sometimes, are you okay?”

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Alex began to hum to the song as he walked down the path. He hadn't seen anything past the rock arch to the sandy peninsula of his Grandparent's Beach house, besides the Hau'oli city airport, and the glimpses of people and buildings as the car drove down Main Street until now. The thick foliage was overgrown onto the path, the many colorful flowers popping out of the green of the grass.

Alex kept walking until he jumped at a tap on his shoulder. "Dear Arceus!" He exclaimed, taking off his headphones and putting them around his neck. [color=Lightblue]"Yeah, actually I am. I got a note from the professor telling me to tonight. I'm guessing you did too?"/color] He said while putting his headphones at a higher volume so that he could hear the music while talking. "My name is Alex, by the way." He extended his hand out to the girl to shake.

After introducing him self to the Robyn, two others approached them. He chuckled at the clueless girl in front of him. "Well, if you're looking for the lab you're going the completely opposite direction. But, if you got a note from the professor you're going the right way, and I can take you to the lab after the festival!" Alex smiled to the girl.

Dirk blocked out the glaring sun with his hand as he stepped off the boat, slugging his dufflebag over his shoulder. He checked his watch for the time. He had slept straight for eight hours, and groaned as he adjusted his neck. He felt something brush against his leg. He looked down and saw Fang staring impatiently up at him. "Don't give me that stink-eye," he chuckled. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a fan of Pokedollars. He handed 500 to the captain, and waved him goodbye.
Dirk reached into his dufflebag and pulled out the map on his Pokedex. It didn't seem like the town was too far from here, and the festival wasn't until 5:00 pm, plenty of time to get down there and find Kukui's lab. He decided to check the Pokemon Center, first. If this place was like Unova, there'd be a Pokemart inside, and he could use some items for the road.

Dirk walked through the automated doors of the Pokemon Center, Fang trotting beside him. There were a few trainers and pokemon idling around. Dirk saw the Mart was smaller than the ones in Unova. In Unova, Pokemarts were small shops attached to Pokemon Centers; Here, they were just plain counters. He did see plenty of potions and heals behind the clerks, which was all he really needed.

"Excuse me, how much for... 10 potions, and... What's the most common condition caused by wild pokemon around here?" He asked. The clerk put his hand to his chin, and shrugged. "I'd say Poison. Plenty of Spinaraks around here. But then again Drowzee's aren't that rare. If you're not careful they'll hypnotize you."

"So... How about 3 antidotes, and 3 awakenings?"

The cashier chuckled, "I think you'd need more than just three antidotes. If you're heading to Iki village like the other people for the festival tonight, there are more Spinaraks that way. You'd need about ten."

"Ten? I can't afford that much. What if I bought 3 Full Heals?"

"Ooh. Those are a bit limited around here. You'd need to take the Island Challenge for those."

"Yknow, I'll just buy 3 Antidotes. It shouldn't be too dangerous..."

Fang sat impatiently as Dirk droned on with the clerk, bored out of his mind. He got up and wandered off around the Pokemon Center while Dirk continued arguing with the clerk over... Potions now, he thought? Even the rest of the Center was too boring. Everybody was just sitting around, with their pokemon. Fang suddenly felt a pang of irritation as he felt sound at a very high frequency hit his ears. He saw a girl holding a guitar and an overjoyed-looking Eevee. He started barking loudly at the Eevee, even if his small size did make his ferocious, territorial snarling come out as an adorable growl.

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As Soley turned her head towards the outskirts, where sand fizzled into the lush green of the environment, she suddenly felt something small bump into her with quite a bit of force. "What the-" she gulped out, before the momentum of the little Pokemon tipped her exhausted body over. Lying on her back, she rubbed her temples and stared up at the little Shinx, which vigorously moved around. Soley wondered what kind of Pokemon that was, as she put her flat hands on the ground and propped herself into a seating position again. "Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, it's okay." she assured the incoming trainer, who appeared concerned, which made Soley assume the Pokemon tackling her belonged to him. "That's a pretty energetic Pokemon, huh?" she asked, perhaps a little grumpier-sounding than she intended, as her eyes scanned the little blue creature.

Ophelia cackled in the background, hovering around Soley, as if make to sure she noticed the little ghost. Deciding to ignore the Shuppet's attempts to tease her, Soley instead eyed the trainer and his Shinx. "What kind of Pokemon is that? I've never seen one like that before", she asked, and carefully extended her hand, trying to stroke the Pokemon's back.

@Polaris North@AbysmalDemon

Jade reached out and rubbed his forehead. This girl had lead him completely the wrong way. The boy then mentioned something about a note from the professor. A note,... Did I even get a note. He thought and then checked his pockets and then remembered something and removed his hat and saw it sitting in place. It was the note of course... one of the real reasons he picked this region of all places to get away from the infamous Team Rocket. He smiled and looked to Hotaru. "Your father must have gotten you the same note too. I mean it would make sense for the professor to just give it to him." He asked. He looked back to Alex who mentioned a festival. That might be interesting. Finally a event he could enter without having to rob it. It's almost going to be completely strange going to events like these without being the bad guys that ruin said event. He shrugged and noticed their outfits compared to his. He was very overdressed for this situation but eh. He shrugged and placed his Vuplix smoothie on the floor for him to drink. "Remember you dolt,... don't sip it down so fast or you will get a brain freeze. Again." He said. He then looked to the person beside him. She wasn't too bad looking either. A bit more enthusiastic then Hotaru here it would seem.

Hotaru looked to Alex and then to Jade... she wasn't sure if she had gotten a note. She read the note on the fridge.... unless that was part of the note. She then checked her pockets for her poke nav and she saw a message had been sent to her. She noticed it was sent by the professor and not her father... mostly do to how formal it was. Her father wasn't always like that. She wondered if her father would be at the festival then too. Or would he be too taken into his studies to care. She sighed and nodded to Alex. "Well we will travel with you then." She then noticed the camera on Robyn and pointed to it. "Hey, are you trying to capture pokemon too? I am doing it for my father for his research. I am hoping to catch some rare pokemon in their natural habitat like my father did in the Hoenn region." She said. Their purpose was mostly research though,... perhaps this person was doing it for the same reason.

Hau'oli City|Pokemon Center

Kotone blinked as she tried to adjust to the bright glare of the sun. Already stepping out of the airport and she couldnt help but blink at the sheer livelihood of the city. It was different from the excited aura that was Nimbasa or the crowded streets of Castelia that was certain. She giggled softly as Aoide flew around her head chirping happily. She supposed it was just happy to get out of her pokeball since she wasnt in one most of the time. Perhaps this was going to be helpful after all. She wanted more so perhaps this time she would try actually catching pokemon and doing whatever Alola did in place of gyms. First than she would have to stop by the pokemon center buy some potions as it was.

Apparently she had some time before the festival so figuring now was as good of a time as any she to stock up she headed toward the pokemon center. Seemingly it followed the same tradition as the ones in Unova and Kalos did with the shops located inside as well. Seeing as someone was at the stall she decided to take wait for a bit noticing a poochyena barking at a girl with a eevee probably thinking she was intruding on its "territory" or something. "Someone might want to round up their poochyena a bit" She said her voice having a slight musical tint to it. All the while her swablu was resting on her head adding another fluffy layer to head while looking around.

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His reaction was priceless, but then again, it was understandable. But still it was a little funny. She let out a short giggle and then nodded at his question. "That I did. Though I honestly have no idea where it is or where I'm going. Just got some basic instructions and I thought I should wing it from there." She said before chuckling nervously. Well, at lease she found a person she could go with now and can be assured that she wouldn't get lose for any reason.

"Robyn, nice to meet you Alex. This here's Growlie!" She said with a wide smile as she gestured to the Growlithe who had been excitedly pacing around the place since earlier on. She would have offered a handshake if not for the fact that another two people approached them. She turned her attention to them and let Alex interact as she simply looked between them as they spoke and rocking on her heels. So these are also people who were called by the professor! Cool! There were so many of them. Were there others? Oh she's so excited to see them!

She then looked towards Hotaru who had asked about what she was doing. "It's not for anything big like research but I do plan on taking pictures of every single Pokemon in the world!" She said, sharing her dream with the three others who were present. She didn't care how ridiculous it sounded for them. She will accomplish this goal even if it takes years for her to get it! "Alola has some pretty nice Pokemon too and some of them look different than in the other regions so this is certainly a treasure trove for me." She continued with a small grin.

The Hau'oli Pokémon Center was quite like the Centers back home. Spacious, populated, Poké Mart taking up a section of the floorspace. Sure enough, the café was inside the Center, tucked away in one corner much like the Poké Mart on the opposite side. With Kei on his heels, however, Kazurai had two questions to ask someone. The nurse on duty seemed to be waiting for someone to help, so he approached the desk. "Er, pardon me, ma'am, but we've just arrived in Alola and have a couple of questions to ask..." he began.

"We?" inquired the nurse. Kazurai paused a moment, then kicked himself: she couldn't see Kei. So he bent down and scooped up his partner to show the nurse. "I need to ask: are the Pokémon Centers in Alola able to care for Pokémon that don't have Poké Balls?"

She nodded. "Of course. It will just take more time than normal, you understand. Does your Pokémon need a pick-me-up?"

That was a relief. If Kei got hurt and Kazurai couldn't care for her - a troubling thought - then at least he had a backup plan. "Not right now, but thank you. Second question, I was told there was a festival happening tonight, but I'm not sure where it is..."

"That would be over in Iki Town. It's not far from here, but you will want to take care on the routes all the same."

"I see. It's good to have a place where you can ask questions that seem like they have obvious answers. My thanks." Kazurai gave a short bow and set Kei back on the ground. "All right, now - "

A series of short, but loud, barks and growls behind him interrupted him. Kazurai spun on his heel to find a Poochyena barking at someone. Another girl, this one with an Eevee and a guitar case. If the Poochyena belonged to someone else, they weren't paying attention. Kei hopped forward as if to challenge the Dark-type, but Kazurai intervened, picking her up again before she could start a fight in the Pokémon Center. She wriggled in his arms in protest, but Kazurai held on. "Kei, not now. This isn't a Dojo."

He raised his voice. "Does this Poochyena belong to anyone?"

Dirk finally settled on purchasing 5 Antidotes and 8 Potions, still not sure if he was being tricked into overspending or wasn't actually buying enough. He just shrugged. It wasn't too far of a walk to Iki town. He placed his items in a bag, and paid the clerk.

He finally noticed that Fang wasn't standing right next to his leg, but heard a girl shout "Someone might want to round up their poochyena a bit", followed by "Does this Poochyena belong to anyone?". He saw Fang standing in the middle of three people with their pokemon. One was a girl with an Eevee, who must have been the one who set Fang off, as the Poochyena was standing directly in front of her, growling. Next to her was a red-haired girl that had a shiny Swablu floating alongside her head. The third trainer was a muscular looking guy wearing a blue jacket standing behind Fang that was holding back a Torchic.

Dirk sighed as he walked over. "Fang! Cmon, we talked about this!" he said. He squated down and wrapped his arms around Fang's body and pulled him towards him. He looked up at the girl with the Eevee, and said "I'm sorry, he's a bit sensitive to loud noises. He's *mostly* harmless though."

Almost on cue, Fang decided to Bite Dirk's hand. "Ow!" Dirk cried. He stood up and clutched his hand in the other, lettning Fang dash towards the Eevee and leap off the ground, intending to Tackle his "opponent".

Katherine, at first, had decided that buying some supplies would be a good idea to start off. As she began to approach the Pokemart, she heard a loud snarl come from nearby. She looked around briefly before setting her eyes on a Poochyena, who was growling at Aria. Kat could tell he was on edge, but he was so small that she found it rather adorable, to be honest. In any case, she didn't make a big deal out of it; after all, it wasn't like he'd attack Aria or anything. So, she just kept moving closer, trying to make her way to the counter. It was at that moment that she heard someone behind her, their voice almost sounding a bit sing-song: "Someone might want to round up their Poochyena a bit." Kat turned to face Kotone, a calm half-smile on her face. "Ah, I'm sure it's okay. It might just be the crowd and the noise," she said before turning back around.

Then, it seemed the Poochyena's aggression was drawing more attention. Someone up front near the nurse this time, Kat noticed. "Does this Poochyena belong to anyone?" Oh dear. All she wanted was to buy some supplies to start off with; her parents had given her a fair amount of money just for that, anyway. But finding the Pokemon's trainer seemed to be a good idea. It was at this point that Aria began to get nervous, her fur bristling all along her spine. "Really, it's fine," Kat said to Kazurai before looking back at the Poochyena. Its unwavering aggression was only growing, which was definitely setting Aria off. The Eevee leaped down from Kat's shoulder and onto the ground, stepping in front of her trainer and adopting a protective stance. "Aria, please, let's not do this right now..." Kat sighed, her voice calm yet laced with desperation. A fight breaking out wasn't quite the way she wanted her journey to begin.

She let out a sigh of relief when the Poochyena's trainer finally turned his attention to his Pokemon. Even Aria seemed to relax a bit as he pulled his Pokemon closer to his body. Kat's nervous expression melted back into a polite smile as Dirk apologized. "Don't worry, I understand. Crowds and noises can be generally, um...unpleasing," she replied, laughing a bit. Though, she did catch the "mostly" at the end, giving her cause to wonder just what he meant. She'd also caught the Pokemon's nickname, Fang. That was fitting, Kat thought, her smile widening slightly. It was at that point that the Poochyena suddenly bit his trainer, causing several other people around them to jump away. Kat didn't have time to react as Fang sprinted toward Aria, using Tackle. Aria was sent flying several feet back, landing painfully on her side. She immediately stood back up, fury evident in her eyes as she used Swift and sent it toward Fang. "Aria, please! Calm down!" Kat howled. Aria was ordinarily such a sweet Pokemon, but her protectiveness was always quick to override that fact. At this rate, the whole Pokemon Center was going to be destroyed!