Chloe leaned against the railing, watching the water rush by as Melemele Island grew nearer. Gladion stood by her side, gazing out at the island ahead. Salazzle and Gladion's Midnight Form Lycanroc were with them, enjoying the ocean breeze with their trainers. Though with Salazzle's behavior, she constantly sent flirty grins and winks at Lycanroc, who blushed and turned his head away every time.

"I've been meaning to ask," Gladion said, breaking the silence and earning the girl's attention, "what happened at Aether to make you hate it so much? You weren't present months ago when the Ultra Beasts were all over."

Chloe kept a neutral expression as she replied, "That doesn't really concern you." Her attitude was back, that was for sure. "But I guess I'll tell you. It was years ago, my...father...brought me to Aether to meet Lusamine. I saw for myself how she truly was, and she wanted to utilize my ability for her own selfish ambition. That's when I began to hate Aether."

The blond hummed, thinking over her words. "I see. Did your father work for Aether? I'd assume he'd have to in order to bring you to see my mother."

Chloe looked down at the water, watching a school of Luvdisc pass by. "Not exactly..." She didn't like talking about Guzma because of what he did, and even though she didn't agree with his ways, he was still the only father figure she'd ever known. "I don't really like talking about him. We had a...disagreement back around the time this happened. I haven't been home since."

Gladion could hardly believe that. How was this girl so much like him? She had a rough exterior but loved and cared for pokemon, she had a disagreement with a parent, she ran away from home because of it---she was like him. He shook the strange thought away.

"I understand. I never liked what my mother had become. I stole one of the Type: Nulls she'd created and ran away. Now she's learned her lesson and is off in Kanto with my little sister. Despite what you might think, you and I are a lot alike when it comes to family issues."

Chloe couldn't help but smile at that. She was still wary of placing her full trust in him, but she could tell he was a good person who, like her, was willing to abandon family for the good of pokemon. The boy suddenly looked back, seeing her Salazzle practically smothering his Lycanroc.

His eyes were wide as he stared at them. "Um... What is going on?"

Chloe followed his gaze, giggling at her partner, who caressed the male pokemon's arm and nuzzled his cheek. "Salazzle, stop messing around, would you? You're gonna give Lycanroc the wrong impression."

Salazzle hesitantly pulled away from the wolf pokemon, who was a blushing mess. "I know Salazzle is a pokemon that normally forms a reverse harem of Salandit," Gladion summarized, "but is yours always like that?"

The redhead shrugged. "Sometimes. Depends on her mood." Her partner seemed to snicker while Lycanroc moved to his trainer's side to stay away from her. "So, are Lycanroc and Silvally your only pokemon?"

The blond shook his head. "No, my first partner is actually Umbreon. Back when I was younger, I helped an injured Eevee and took her in. She eventually evolved into Umbreon. And I have a Zoroark that once belonged to my father." Chloe nodded, showing her interest. "What about your team? You said you got Tyrantrum at a fossil restoration lab, but what about the others?"

Chloe remembered perfectly how she got each and every one of her pokemon. "Well, the first pokemon I got to pick out was Salandit, who is now Salazzle. I ran into an Eevee on my travels that had abandoned her previous trainers. She chose me and ended up evolving into Espeon. Braviary was once a tiny little Rufflet, and because of his odd coloration, he was abandoned by his flock, so I took him with me. And once when I was exploring Mount Lanakila, I came across a timid little Vulpix who was being trampled on by a pack of Sneasel. I trained with her to get stronger and build a little more confidence, I even found an Ice Stone just so she could evolve. She stood up to the Sneasel pack and defeated them in battle, but then she decided to come with me." She smiled at all those fond memories.

Gladion smiled, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Sounds like you've had quite a few adventures. Seems you've made some incredible bonds with your pokemon."

Chloe nodded, looking at him. "Yeah, I have." She suddenly cleared her throat, her smile fading as she brushed his hand off. "Anyway, we're about to reach Melemele."

Chloe didn't want to admit it, but she was starting to enjoy Gladion's company. She was on the verge of already considering him a friend, and she didn't really have any human friends. She had never liked people, as she'd witnessed so many of them treat their pokemon like tools. But Gladion was different, she could tell. He truly cared about his team, and other pokemon as well. Maybe there were some people out there that cared about pokemon.

As soon as the boat docked, they stepped onto land, and Chloe looked at Gladion with her hands on her hips. "So, where are we going? We going search Melemele Meadow for clues?"

"No," the boy responded. "I'm sure Nihilego has already fled that area. It would be a waste of time looking there. Perhaps we should pay Kahuna Hala a visit in Iki Town. If anyone would have information for us, it would be him."

Chloe nodded. "Fair enough." She brought out Braviary. "We'll fly there. It's starting to get dark and I don't want to be wondering about in the middle of the night."

She returned her partner and climbed onto the bird pokemon, motioning for the boy to get on behind her. Gladion put Lycanroc back in his pokeball, then got on behind Chloe. Fortunately, Braviary was strong, easily able to carry a couple of people. The redhead gripped the handles of the saddle, glancing over her shoulder at Gladion.

"You might want to hold on." The blond silently nodded, hesitantly wrapping his arms around her stomach. "To Iki Town, Braviary."

"Bravi brav!"

The flying type took off, soaring along the orange-tinted sky. Gladion couldn't stop a faint blush from forming on his cheeks. He hadn't thought much about it before when they rode Silvally, but now that he was the one in the back holding on, he realized how weird it felt. He was so close to the girl, her red hair blowing back, some of it lightly tickling his face. Her scent wafted through the air, filling his nose with the scent of the ocean and a variety of pokemon. It wasn't at all a bad smell, it actually kinda drew him in for its reminiscence of nature. The closeness didn't help any either, as the warmth of her body amidst the cool breeze felt rather nice. A small smile broke out on his face as he enjoyed the flight.

The trip was short, and in no more than ten minutes, Braviary touched down in the center of Iki Town. The pair climbed off his back, and Chloe gave the pokemon a pat on the head as thanks before returning him. They set their gazes on the large house where Hala lived, approaching the door. Gladion gave a few knocks, and to his surprise, a familiar green-haired boy answered.

"Oh, hey, it's Gladion! Alola!" Hau greeted with a big smile. "Been a long time, buddy! What brings you to Iki Town?"

Gladion kept his cool in the presence of the excitable boy. "We're here to speak with Kahuna Hala about something important. I'm surprised to see you here instead of out training."

Hau laughed lightly. "Well I dropped by to help out Gramps. Unfortunately, he's not here at the moment. But since you're here, you're welcome to stay for the night." He stepped aside and let them in.

"Thanks," Gladion replied. "By the way, this is Chloe. She's helping me out with my current task."

Hau immediately stretched a hand out to her, smiling cheerfully. "Alola, nice to meet ya! I'm Hau, the grandson of the Kahuna!"

Chloe hesitantly took his hand and shook it, not at all liking his loudmouth nature. "Alola." She also spied the Z-Ring on his wrist, meaning he'd done the Island Challenge.

"Do you know when Kahuna Hala will be back?" Gladion asked.

Hau shook his head. "No, he's often out like this, at least ever since Team Skull disbanded." Chloe's eyes widened ever so slightly. "Their boss, Guzma, is basically Gramps' student now. He comes by pretty often for training and stuff to get stronger."

Chloe nervously twirled a few strands of hair around her finger. "Oh...really?"

Hau rested his hands on his hips. "Yeah, I know. Hard to believe, right? So anyway, what's this 'something' you gotta talk about with Gramps?"

Gladion gave him a serious look. "An Ultra Beast has reappeared. Nihilego is back."

Hau gasped. "No way! I thought we fixed all that with the wormholes months ago!"

"So did I," the blond replied. "But for some reason, a few are opening again. That's why Chloe's here, to help me send back the Ultra Beasts and figure out why this is happening."

"So, this is a big deal, huh?" Hau looked at the girl. "You must be pretty strong to be on a big mission like this! Come on, let's battle!"

Chloe blinked in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"Let's do it!" the boy urged. "The best way to make friends and get to know someone is through pokemon battles!"

Chloe looked to Gladion in a silent plea for help, but he only sighed. "You might as well battle him. He won't leave you alone until you do, trust me."

Chloe groaned in annoyance. "Fine. Let's get this over with."