Later that day

Acerola meets Sawyer just outside of master's tower wearing a beautiful evening gown while her boyfriend wears his usual attire.

"Sorry I didn't dress up for this. I don't have much when it comes to formal clothing since I wasn't expecting the banquet when I received my invitation to this tournament." He says. "That's okay. From what I hear this was the first time a banquet was held in master's league history.

"Where did you plan for us to go?" Acerola asks with a languid smile. "Well, the mood for a date struck me so suddenly that I didn't have time to make any reservations so I was thinking we could just have dinner at the restaurant near the library then take an evening stroll through Malie Garden. There were a few things I wanted to ask you if you don't mind that." Sawyer says. "A business date sounds wonderful. Ula'Ula island is my home and thanks to Kazuki participants in the league eat free on any of the islands. Let's go." Acerola says. 

Sawyer leads his girlfriend to the restaurant and they immediately get a table thanks to Acerola's position as a frontier brain along with her familiarity with the staff.

"So do you want to start business here or wait until our stroll through the garden?" Acerola unexpectedly asks. "Well I was thinking you'd want to enjoy dinner first." Sawyer says caught off guard. "No need for such formalities. This is a business date after all." Acerola says. "Alright, I guess." Sawyer says.

Flashback to earlier in the day

"Ash, Sawyer wants to have a date with me tonight." Acerola says. "Most likely to get information on us. Tell him everything he wants to know but if he asks for our teams exclude the legendaries, myththicals, and ultra beast." Ash says surprising everyone.

"Ash, are you sure that's a good idea?" Lillie asks. "We need to give the pretense that Acerola is hopelessly in love with Sawyer. This will get the traitors to drop their guard thinking they know our battle style in and out. Her giving them this information actually works more in our favor than in theirs. Most of our battle styles change on the fly anyway and for those who don't it makes them think they undoubtedly have us beat. The victory is all the sweeter that way. Make them believe they've got the upper hand then pull the rug out from under them when they least expect it." Ash explains. "Well put but keep in mind that they may predict this if they even slightly expect that she's trying to deceive them." Diantha says. "Already planned for. With Clemont out he'll be their master strategist behind their battles. This yet again works in our favor because that know-it-all will be looking for ways to undermine our strategy in which case since he's not in the battle he can't help them adapt when the plan takes an unexpected turn. We've banned all manner of communication devices excluding the nanodex which besides us no one knows about. In addition, Clemont will have to guess on which six Pokémon we might have on us when in reality will be his undoing because we have access to all of them." ash says with a malicious smirk.

"Well played, nephew. Very well played." Giovanni says. "So, we let her reveal our secrets then undermine those details in the heat of battle? Brilliant." Sato says.

"Sometime you two act so much alike I can't tell which of you was the leader of team rocket." Yellow says with a heavy sigh. "Well, I did make sure to have him nursed back to health and spent quite a bit of time with him in the process." Giovanni says. "I know. I just wish I had gotten to him sooner so he didn't have all these lingering ailments. My healing has its limits and time is one of them." Yellow says.

"You were in Almia and on a long mission that you couldn't just walk away from. If you weren't there nobody would've been able to get Cresselia's help in stopping that enraged Darkrai." Sato comforts. "I know that!" Yellow snaps before immediately apologizing.

Back to the present

"So first off I'd like to know all of your group's teams and strategies." Sawyer says pulling out a notebook. Acerola dreamily stares into his eyes as she gives a detailed synopsis of the information. Sawyer writes down every word like an expert transcriber.

"Next can you tell me more about Kazuki?" Sawyer asks. "Well like I told your friend Serena or whatever her name is I don't know much about him. He came to Alola five years ago and took the island challenge by storm to instate the Alola league then won to become its first champion. Shortly after that he sent a rather large group of us to take on Hoenn's battle frontier to add it to the league challenge." Acerola dutifully answers.

"What about his elites?" Sawyer asks. "I know more about them. Gary is in a committed relationship with the Kalos champion Diantha and she personally prepared him for his position as one of the elite four. I'd say he's just as strong as she is battle wise in addition to being an accomplished Pokémon researcher who helped professor Kukui, this region's Pokémon professor, perfect the Rotom Dex that all the Alola natives get when they start their journey.

"Bonnie and Max both trained under the direction of the Kalos and Hoenn gym leaders who often visit this region on some vacation or another. They do intense training alongside their Pokémon because they live by the rule of never asking a Pokémon to do something they themselves wouldn't. It was a surprise that they were allowed to share a single elite position but now no one questions it. In fact, everyone looks forward to facing them amongst any of the elite four. To beat them is an accomplishment in itself even if you don't beat Kazuki or the other elites.

"Brock is a licensed Pokémon doctor and an elite trained by his now fiancée Cynthia. He's said to be the second strongest elite only topped by Lillie herself. To be honest he would make an excellent frontier brain. He splits his time between Kanto, Sinnoh, and here to maximize his family time.

"Finally is Lillie who has been with Kazuki as along as anyone can remember. He trained her personally which is part of the reason she's hailed as the strongest elite in the world. She is both fit and beautiful. So much so that many men have tried to steal her away from the champion. All have failed because she only has eyes for him. Few have ever beaten her and those who have say that she could be the champion if Kazuki ever retired. Her team is so diverse, as I've already told you, that no two trainers have ever said they battled her the same. Rumor has it that she plans to marry the champion after the league is over and they'll have an extravagant ceremony televised across Alola. If there was still an aristocracy here they'd be the king and queen.

"Lillie has battled every champion on at least one occasion and with the exception of her boyfriend she's beaten them all. No one but Kazuki has seen her go all out in a battle and it's common knowledge that she's as cool as a glacier in battle never once losing her cool even when the battle takes an unexpected turn in her opponent's favor. Her nickname throughout the region is the snow goddess." Acerola explains while once again staring lovingly into his preoccupied eyes.

"And the frontier brains?" Sawyer inquires. "With the exception of me they're all personal friends with the champion and although they're strong none of them, save Mallow and Lana, were trained by Kazuki." Acerola says.

"Why exclude yourself from getting to know Kazuki and why were Lana and Mallow trained by the champion?" Sawyer asks confused. "I never got to know Kazuki on the level the others did for two reasons. The first is that save Marcus and Stanley, they were all classmates at the school on Melemele island. Marcus grew close to Kazuki after a total loss to him and Stanley got to know him because he's dating Dawn. 

"The second reason I excluded myself is because Lillie and Lana scare the hell out of me. Lana on a bad day is like the sea in a vicious storm. Don't even get me started on how scary Lillie can be when she's mad. The short version is even Ursarings are scared to approach her even in their aggressive mating season." Acerola says with an involuntary shiver. "Wow.

"What were you doing before becoming a frontier brain?" Sawyer says. "Well like Kiawe, Lana, Mallow, and Sophocles I was a trial captain. I managed the ghost type trial down on the southern beach here on Ula'Ula. That trial is among the creepiest from what challenge goers say because it's in an abandoned thrift mart full of ghost types like Gengar and Banette. As I'm sure you know by now the totem Pokémon there is a Mimikyu."  Acerola says.

The two break to enjoy a meal together before taking their stroll.

" Are there any extraordinary Pokémon here?" Sawyer asks. "Define extraordinary?" Acerola says. "For instance in my home region of Kalos we have the legendary Pokémon Xerneas and Yveltal and the mythical Pokémon Diancie." Sawyer says. "Hmm. I suppose the island guardians count as extraordinary." Acerola says.

"Island guardians?" Sawyer asks once again confused. "The island guardians are a quartet of Pokémon that guard each of the islands. Melemele has Tapu Koko, Akala has Tapu Lele, Ula'Ula has Tapu Bulu, and Poni island has Tapu Fini. 

"They rarely appear to trainers but each has a shrine dedicated to them on their respective islands." Acerola elaborates.

"Has anyone tried to catch one?" Sawyer asks. "Oh there have been plenty but those who have actually seen them have failed miserably. Some have even gotten seriously hurt when going after Tapu Lele or Tapu Bulu since those two are known to be quite aggressive." Acerola says.

The two spend another few hours talking over every question Sawyer asks. Like a lovestruck puppy Acerola readily answers and even gives him the goo-goo eyes every now and then. Once Acerola begins to get tired he walks her back to her room and makes a b-line for Misty's where his entire group is waiting. He lets them read over his notes as he contemplates how he selfishly manipulated his girlfriend.

"This is great. We have everything we need to know to take them down when we face them. Sawyer, tomorrow make copies of this so we all have them on hand to study between rounds." Misty says. "Sure thing." Sawyer says but his mind proves to be elsewhere.

"Dude, you need to stop worrying. She gave this up willingly. No one forced her to tell you anything." Tierno says guessing where his friend's mind is at. Sawyer simply nods before heading back to his room only to find his girlfriend waiting on the bed with a smile on her face.

Stay classy, Nightfuries