I arrived at Melemele Island the other day. Finally, a chance to explore new places and try new things, and I'm gonna be the best at all of them! I got a video call from Professor Kukui as I arrived that welcoming me and telling me to meet up with him, so as soon as I finished unpacking I sped out of the house and to the north, as that was the closest nearby tow that wasn't blocked off. I didn't get far, however, as my path was blocked by a wild Yungoos. I had left my assistant Pokemon in Unova on the request of Bianca, who was concerned that my departure with all of my Pokemon would disrupt the research at Juniper's Lab, so I was about to turn and run when three Pokemon, a Popplio, Litten, and Rowlet, jumped in to my rescue. With them came Professor Kukui, who allowed me to select one of the Pokemon to be my assistant until I could catch Pokemon of my own to use. I chose the Popplio, thanking him profusely for his kindness, and proceeded on my way. Having accomplished all I meant to do that night, I decided to explore a little and, after an encounter with a boy named Hau, the son of the Island's Kahuna (the leader of the island?) Hala who the Popplio defeated in a battle without much trouble, I arrived at Iki town. There I learned of a nearby set of ruins, which peaked my interest, so I traveled to the ruins. There I met a mysterious girl named Lillie. She was preoccupied with the bridge, on which sat a Pokemon I had never seen or heard of previously. She was concerned for it and I was interested in what it was, so I began approaching it and, after a few encounters with some pesky Spearow, reached it. It was at that point that the Pokemon cried out and the bridge broke. There was a flash of yellow light and an unfamiliar Pokemon, then I was next to Lillie with the Pokemon in tow and a strange crystal. Upon returning to Iki Town, I learned that this was apparently a big deal, with the professor and the Kahuna Hala, who had arrived there shortly before us, urging me to take the island challenge, a series of challenges for stones that involved a variety of activities. Thinking it'd be an interesting experience, I accepted the challenge, agreeing to meet with Professor Kukui before leaving to start and returning home.
The next day, I received Pokeballs and was urged to catch a Pokemon. I didn't, as I had an idea of the kind of Pokemon that I wanted to have as assistants. I was challenged by Hau again and won easily (his Pichu used charm on my Popplio), then went south to the Professor's lab, where I received a Pokedex outfitted with its own Rotom. From there I was urged to go to the Pokemon school (which I took exception to), so I traveled there and, while I was already there, decided to do some experiments. However, despite my pleading, I was barred access to the lab for not being a student, so I went to the back of the building, where I came across a rainbow colored puddle. I approached this puddle curiously. Upon getting close, the puddle rippled a bit, then congealed into what appeared to be a Grimer. The colors didn't match, so I inspected it with the Pokedex. The dex informed me that these Grimer changed both color and type because they consumed an excessive amount of trash, which I found curious. It didn't make sense to me why all Grimer would undergo both a color and type change from merely consuming trash. I mean, Trubbish are made of trash, but none were Dark type. However, I had some notions as to what this Alolan Grimer was composed of, so I decided to capture it to test said theories, naming it Cyan, to reference both her colorful appearance and the polyatomic ion. I went to Professor Kukui to tell him of the Grimer, and he congratulated me on the successful capture, but allowed me to keep the Popplio, telling me to treat her with care.
Upon reaching Hau'oli City, I rushed to the docks to see if I could travel to Akala, only to be stopped by Hau, who was arguing with a pair of thugs called themselves Team Skull. I didn't like the look of them, so I ran them off with Cyan's help. One of the onlookers, a young man named Ilima, approached me after the fight. He introduced himself as a trial captain and challenged me to a battle. With the help of Cyan and a noble sacrifice by the Popplio (the first of many, the professor will not be pleased), I defeated Ilima, who congratulated me and instructed me to follow him to the north to take on his trial. I acquiesced and followed him to the Verdant Cavern, where I completed the trial (with the unwitting help of the thugs from earlier) and confronted the boss of the cave, an enlarged "Totem" Gumshoos. I bested the Gumshoos (though not without another noble sacrifice from the Popplio), took the crystal, and traveled east. There I had yet another encounter Hau, whose Pokemon were no match for Cyan, and, after searching for Lillie's mysterious Pokemon in a meadow of yellow flowers, I returned to Iki Town and, after several failed attempts and yet another heroic sacrifice from Popplio, who was thrown at Hala's Z move (poor Popplio), I defeated Hala and earned my second crystal. This was the last part of the challenge left on Melemele Island, so, after grabbing the Flynium Z, I went to the docks, only to find that the ships were all out at sea for some reason. Irritated, I decided to make run a lap around the island to let out my frustration. As I crossed Route 2, I noticed a beach crowded with people, and decided to investigate. I went to the booths first, asking them if I could cross to Akala Island from here. They confirmed that I could, but only by surfing a Mantine across. I had not previously heard of Mantine Surfing and it caught my interest, so I inquired further. The clerk revealed that there was a competition for who could be the best surfer and that each beach had their own course and scoreboard. Not being one to back down from a challenge, I decided I would crush all the people who had surfed before me, setting a goal of 50,000 points on every course for myself. Eager both to start working towards this goal and to reach Akala, I went to the section of the beach where the Mantines were situated, only to find those selfsame thugs harassing them. Cyan sent them packing once again, and I set off for Akala on a Mantine. Once on the open water, I quickly learned that I was not very adept at controlling the Mantine. I only knew what tricks I had pried from the clerk earlier, and I wasn't particularly skilled even at those. I arrived at Akala Island with a grand total of about 11,500 points. I have a LONG way to go.
