"Psychic!"
The command left Steven's lips the moment Metagross emerged from its Poké Ball. The Steel- and Psychic-type Pokémon's four eyes flared with pale blue light.
Metagross!
A shimmer of psychic energy swept across the chamber ceiling. There was a soft scraping sound, and then a small object — a miniature, spider-shaped robot — was torn free from where it had been clinging in the shadows. It floated down, wrapped in the glow of Psychic, and landed gently in Steven's outstretched hand.
"What's going on? Steven? Cynthia?"
Professor Carolina hurried back into the chamber, her eyes moving quickly between the two Champions.
"It looks like the Solaceon Ruins will need to be guarded from now on," Steven said, his voice even. He held up the tiny device for Professor Carolina to see.
Cynthia's brow furrowed. "Whatever it recorded has probably already been transmitted."
Professor Carolina's expression grew serious. "Then things are more complicated than we thought. Let's step outside."
The four of them moved quickly back through the winding passages and out into the open air of Solaceon Town.
Carolina came to a stop and turned to face them, her hands tucked into the pockets of her research coat. "Cynthia, Steven — Philiece and I need to return to our work and file a report on this. We still don't know who planted that device, but someone sneaking surveillance equipment into the ruins is certainly not acting with good intentions." She paused. "And this research needs to move faster now. If whoever is watching finds the stone tablets and places the wrong ones, the consequences could be serious."
She exhaled slowly, then looked at Cynthia with a fond, tired smile.
"You've been working hard for a while now, Cynthia. Please get some proper rest."
Then she turned to Steven. "And Steven — I'm trusting you to keep Cynthia safe."
"Of course, Professor Carolina! I'll protect Cynthia around the clock — not a moment away!"
Carolina's eye twitched.
"Nobody asked you to shadow her every second!"
After seeing Carolina and Philiece off to Solaceon Town, Steven and Cynthia made their way along the quiet path leading away from the ruins. The late afternoon light filtered through the trees, and the air smelled faintly of grass and earth.
"Steven," Cynthia said, her fingers looped around his arm, "who do you think planted that robot in there?"
"I'm not sure," he said. "But whoever it was isn't operating in the open, which doesn't speak well of their intentions."
He had a reasonable idea who was responsible — the information pointed clearly toward a certain group active in Sinnoh. But he couldn't say that aloud, not without raising more questions than he was prepared to answer.
"And what about what you said earlier, inside the ruins?" Cynthia asked, tilting her head to look up at him. There was a curious light in her eyes.
"About the Plates?" Steven considered it again. "I still think it's most likely those three. Dragon, Steel, and Water. I can't think of anything else that would fit."
"That's not what I was asking about," Cynthia said flatly.
"Ah? Which part, then?"
She let go of his arm without a word and walked ahead, her pace picking up.
"I'm not talking to you."
"Wait — why not?"
Steven lengthened his stride to keep up, genuinely confused.
"No reason."
"That's not an answer—"
"No reason!"
Whatever had annoyed her faded as quickly as it had come. By the time they reached the outskirts of the next town, Cynthia had taken his hand again, and the matter was apparently forgotten — or at least set aside. The two walked together the rest of the way to Hearthome City, and from there boarded a flight bound for the Alola Region.
Far to the south, across a wide stretch of open sea, on the sun-warmed shores of Melemele Island, a man in a white lab coat had just finished the last lesson of the day.
He hadn't even had a moment to stretch when his Pokégear buzzed.
"What?!" Professor Kukui nearly knocked his chair back. "The Hoenn Champion and the Sinnoh Champion are coming to Alola?!"
Several students, still filing out of the classroom, immediately froze at the word Champion and craned their necks back toward the door.
Kukui pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yeah — yeah, I got it. I'll head to the airport." He hung up and looked at the sea of expectant young faces staring at him.
"Don't get your hopes up," he said, with a helpless smile.
It wasn't as if the Champions were making the trip to sign autographs.
Alola was a popular destination even without the draw of famous visitors. The four islands — Melemele, Akala, Ula'ula, and Poni — drew countless tourists each year, especially during winter, when the warm climate and clear ocean air were hard to resist. The airport staff processed hundreds of passengers daily. But the names on this particular flight manifest were not the kind that went unnoticed.
By the time the news reached Kukui, his Pokégear had already rung twice more. The second call was from the Pokémon School's principal.
"Dr. Kukui! Are Steven and Cynthia really coming to Alola?! Do you think we could arrange a visit?!"
"Principal Oak — I'll ask them," Kukui said, rubbing his temple. "But please don't expect anything." He ended the call before the principal could respond.
The Principal Oak he referred to was not the renowned Professor Oak of Pallet Town in Kanto, though the two were cousins. This was Professor Oak's Alolan cousin, who ran the Pokémon School on Melemele Island and had dedicated his research to the regional variants found across the Alola Region.
"Lillie, could you come with me to the airport?"
The blonde girl in the white dress and wide-brimmed hat, who had been quietly organizing papers at the side of the room, looked up. "Of course, Dr. Kukui."
She trotted after him toward the door, and the rest of the class watched her go with undisguised envy.
Lillie glanced back at them and gave a small, apologetic smile. She was Kukui's assistant — there wasn't much she could do about it.
"Dr. Kukui," she said, falling into step beside him as they crossed the school grounds, "what are the Hoenn and Sinnoh Champions like?"
Kukui thought about it for a moment, hands in his pockets. "Both of them earned their titles in under a year of traveling. That alone puts them in a category most Trainers never reach." He exhaled. "As for what they're like as people — I really couldn't say. I've never met them."
He hoped they were the easy-going type.
"So this is Alola."
Cynthia stepped out of the airport restroom in a lighter outfit — a soft, off-shoulder long-sleeved top, her black stockings exchanged for something more suited to the island heat. She blinked in the bright sunshine, taking in the warm air and the distant sound of waves.
Steven had changed as well. He wore a loose blue floral shirt, his usual brooch tucked safely away rather than pinned to his chest. Sunglasses rested on his nose.
"Specifically, this is Melemele Island," he said, reaching for her hand. "Let me find a hotel first and get us checked in."
"Excuse me — are you two Steven and Cynthia?"
They both turned. A broad-shouldered man with dark skin and an easy smile was approaching them, a blonde girl in white close behind him.
"We are," Steven said. "And you are?"
"Professor Kukui. I teach at the Pokémon School here on Melemele." He raised a hand in greeting. "When I heard the Hoenn and Sinnoh Champions were on their way, I was asked to come meet you. Welcome to Alola."
The girl beside him dipped into a small bow. "Alola, Steven, Cynthia."
Cynthia leaned slightly toward Steven and murmured, "Alola — is that a greeting?"
"I think so," Steven said quietly.
"It is," Kukui confirmed with a grin. "It's how we say hello here. Welcome to the islands, both of you."
"We appreciate you coming all the way out here," Steven said. "Though we really are just here to rest — nothing official."
"Understood. That said — the principal of our Pokémon School would very much like to meet you, if you're willing. It doesn't have to be anything formal." Kukui's tone was easy, leaving the choice open.
Steven glanced at Cynthia.
"That's fine by us," she said, with a small smile. "Please, lead the way."
"Right this way, then."