1. Ash's Story (Part 9: Alola)

Chapter 32

The winter vacation has arrived, granting us a month-long break from school. Nate, Rosa, Trenor, Selene, Lillie, Hau, and I are embarking on a boat journey to Ula'ula Island. Our goal is to complete the Island Challenge and potentially intervene in whatever might be brewing.

As our boat docks at Malie City, the architecture instantly reminds us of the Johto region. Hau exclaims, "Land ahoy! All right! Terra firma under foot again!"

"Isn't that enthusiasm a bit much?" Trenor remarks with a sigh, gazing at the colossal tower ahead. Selene interjects, "Despite the Johto resemblance, this is still Ula'ula Island..."

"Ula'ula Island is, like, another totally different place than Melemele or Akala, huh!" Hau remarks. "We're supposed to meet up with the professor, right? Where was it? Malie Garden? Why'd he want us to go to a garden? Guess we'll find out when we get there, right?"

As we step onto Ula'ula Island, our Pokédexes receive updates, introducing new Pokémon for us to catch in this area. Continuing our journey, we make our way to the Pokémon Center to heal our Pokémon. Hau suddenly suggests, "I had a great idea, Ash! Come on, let's have a battle!"

"A battle, here and now?" I respond, slightly taken aback. However, I flash my usual smirk and reply, "Challenge accepted."

"All right! Then let's go full powered on this one!" Hau cheers enthusiastically. He sends out five Pokémon: Alolan Raichu, Vaporeon, Tauros, Noibat, and Dartrix. As our battle unfolds, a crowd gathers to watch the intense showdown. Hau pulls off a stunning Z-Move, Bloom Doom, which defeats my Brionne. However, I manage to make a comeback, ultimately defeating his Dartrix using Lycanroc's Continental Crush.

"Bwah! I had my breath held that whole battle!" Hau mutters, recalling his Pokémon. "You know what, Ash? You should take this Lycanium Z, too! It came as a set with those Big Malasadas that Ms. Wicke gave me, but I don't plan on adding any Lycanroc to my team or anything."

Receiving the Lycanium Z, I can't help but feel excited. "That's awesome! I'm thrilled to have another new Z Crystal in my collection."

"You and your Pokémon looked like you were having a blast, Ash! I guess it's like my gramps said... Go beyond winning and losing, and learn to find joy in any battle...then you'll find that you're getting strong before you even know it!" Hau remarks.

Although Dartrix appears upset with Hau, he doesn't seem to notice and continues, "What? You mad that I still don't seem to be getting all that much stronger? I sure hope not! Me and my partner oughta be, like, totally in sync with one another! We'll get there, buddy. Now I guess we should go try to track down Professor Kukui in Malie Garden, right?"

As we arrive at Malie Garden in our quest to find Professor Kukui, Nate chimes in, "I heard there's a place around here that serves tea... I bet it tastes amazing."

"Focus, Nate. We're here to find Professor Kukui first. Tea can wait," Rosa responds with a sigh.

Hau takes the initiative, saying, "I'll start my search from the bridge here. Why don't you start around the edge of the garden?" With that, he swiftly rushes off to start his search.

As we locate Professor Kukui at the tea store, Hau calls out, "Ho! Professor Kukui!"

The professor warmly greets us, saying, "Hey there! And long time no see, Hau. What's going on with you? Your eyes are shining extra bright today. Did something big happen?"

"Professor! Professor! You gotta hear this! An Ultra Wormhole opened up, like, right in front of us, and there really are Ultra Beasts in there! And aliens from other worlds, too! You've gotta tell Professor Burnet, too!" Hau eagerly shares. We realize that he hadn't met Professor Kukui immediately after our visit to Aether Paradise that day. It seems the Professor's involvement with the vacation to Kanto and other tasks must have kept him occupied.