To celebrate, we didn't go to any restaurant. Heck, we didn't even go to any businesses. Hope and I got our teams healed at the Pokémon Center before hastily going around and buying as many groceries as we could.

Then, a quick jaunt northwards and we found a nice, isolated beach where we wouldn't be disturbed. Once everyone was collected, we set up our plan:

A classic beach barbecue.

The sun was setting on the horizon, making the sky turn brilliant shades of oranges and reds. Opposite to that, night was coming in, adding a touch of purples and greys. Our Pokémon either splashed around in the water or rested in the sand. Hope's Grass Types ensured a campfire wouldn't spread, and I cooked the best I could.

Soy burgers, berries grilled just how Ninetales liked them, and something similar to hotdogs made out of something I could only call "tofurky." Our selection wasn't great, and Hope had to frequently step in to help, but, bad food be damned, eating together on a beach made everything taste that much better.

"I think I burned it," I said, eying the blackened lump I now had on a paper plate.

"Nah, the charcoal texture adds flavor. Just because it makes me nauseous doesn't mean it's bad!" Hope replied.

I sent her a look as she crunched down into her food, a strange combination of a grimace and an amused smile appearing on her face. Around us, our Pokémon were doing much better, as when it came to Pokémon food, I had enough practice at this point that I couldn't be beat.

(Actually, I could. My cooking was decent, but if someone like Brock ever stepped in, I knew which meal my Pokémon would prefer, and it wasn't mine.)

"Well I think it tastes great!" Lillie added, holding a hotdog with a bite taken right out of its center. When she continued to eat it like a piece of watermelon, I couldn't help but to laugh.

Our teams were around us, having the times of their life. Whimsicott and Florges were hanging out with Hope's Grass Types with Cutiefly flitting along around them. Tinkatuff was walking through the sand with a lodestone she found, searching for magnetic iron she could fold into her hammer. Meanwhile, Eevee and Togepi were in the process of building a sand castle, helped along by Hope's recently caught Tangela and Steenee. Lillie's Morelull as well as Nebby assisted, making the construction rather grand thanks to the number of participants chipping in.

A whine to my side, and I reached up to the grill to grab some properly cooked berries and toss one up into the air. Ninetales leaped and snapped it up, making satisfied chewing noises that were actually rather disgusting to hear.

"So, Alex," Hope started through another bite, "What're your plans for Sinnoh?"

I used this opportunity to set my plate of "food" aside, and I decided to pick something up for all of us later as I did.

"As it stands, a day or two of acclimation and preparation before having my first match. From there, the outcome of our matches will probably determine how long the trip will last."

"Oh, yeah," Hope said, her face scrunching up. "Your challenge ends early if you lose even once, right?"

My strategy was a bit unusual to take on the Elite Four so close together, but it had maximized my team's time to prepare and had given us a well-deserved break. Though so close to it, I knew a lot of my team members were now practicing on their own. Wanda had told me that their independent practice back home had led to new moves in development, and, even now, as we relaxed on the beach, I could see Azumarill training her strength by breaking the waves in the water (though, she was never one to sit idle).

"Yeah," I replied. "After Hala and Olivia, I give myself even odds. Tricks and plans edge things out more in my favor, but given my opponents have had months to plan, too, I say that just about evens it out."

Lillie suddenly looked offended at what I said, and she quickly forced down her last bite.

"No! Don't say that, Alex! Just because you aren't sure doesn't mean your opponents have a decent chance to win! Knowing you and knowing just how much you know, I give your chances to win to be at least eighty or ninety percent!"

She huffed, nodding to herself to affirm her own declaration, and I smiled at the show of support.

"Thanks, Lillie," I said, "but this is something else. Hala might have been a strong twelve stars, but I had the Type Advantage, and Sinnoh's Elite Four have their core teams frequently training and fighting at a high level. If you think about it, Hala has to battle newer trainers almost every day. He can only keep his team in so good of a shape."

"I hate it when you demean your own achievements like that," Lillie mumbled.

I could only shrug and take a sip of my fruit punch—a purchased drink.

"But enough about me. What about you two? I'll be gone for at least a week—more, if you calculate the odds."

"Training, exploration, trying to convince Kartana to fight me while also meeting back up with Mallow for Grass Type discussions," Hope said, biting into her blackened burger. "But what I really plan to do is whatever Lillie wants to do. It's your journey, Lillie. With my job on this island basically done, I'll just be along for the ride."

Lillie stared at the sand of the beach, clearly deep in thought. At her feet, a seal; Brionne was asleep, pressed against her legs.

"I don't think I'm ready to take on Olivia," Lillie eventually said. "She'd be my second fight against a Kahuna, and while she'd be using a weaker team, I still want to get everyone more trained up."

She glanced briefly over to Morelull, the mushroom Pokémon helping with the sand castle. Small spores had been placed into the walls to give the structure tiny, glowing lights.

Then, a shift, and all those Pokémon digging in the sand jumped. Nearby, Hope's Cherrim, their chaperone for this activity, snapped to attention. However, all it turned out to be was a wild Sandygast pushing up from the sand. The little mound with holes for eyes and a mouth popped up next to Togepi, who immediately smiled and began working on convincing the wild Ghost Type to help.

I shivered at the knowledge of that Pokémon's Typing. Hope saw that and shook her head.

"Really, Alex?" she asked, recognizing my displeasure for ghosts.

"Hey. You were there on Sea Mauville with me," I pointed out. "You should know just how creepy ghosts can be!"

Though we didn't really interact back then, she did pause before nodding her head.

"But, uh," Lillie spoke up to get our attention, continuing her description of her plans. "I do think I want to spend this time dedicated to training my team, but I also want to find my brother."

I blinked.

"Gladion?" I asked.

"Of course. I don't have any others," she easily replied.

Hope snorted, and Lillie giggled, too.

"Gladion left before me, and it's been over a year since I've last seen him. I mean! In person! I saw him at Royal Avenue recently, too!" she shouted. "But, he's family. And I hate that he's out on his own. I want to meet up with him and show that I'm okay while making sure he is, too."

I smiled.

"I'm glad you plan to meet up with family. I'm also glad you know what you want to do next," I said.

"Mhm! And it'll help train Nebby's psychic abilities, too!"

Behind Hope, Kartana shifted in the air a little bit, reacting slightly to Lillie's words. The Ultra Beast was easy to forget about with how small and relatively inorganic it looked, but I couldn't forget that it was with us because of Nebby. Any developments on his part meant it was that much closer to getting home.

As dusk settled into night, we ate our food, mostly relying on the pre-bought sides and the conversation itself to keep us fed and entertained. There was nothing hanging over our heads, nothing to be done immediately right now, just a relaxed time to appreciate how far we'd come. More and more of our Pokémon started to retire to go to sleep, our team of newer catches doing so especially, too.

In the end, that sand castle was a grand structure, filled with parapets and towers and little openings to look into empty rooms inside. The Sandygast that had shown up dug underground when the group finished. Then, the castle itself shifted, and its front opened up with a groan.

Somehow, the Sandygast possessed their sand castle, giving itself an opportunity to evolve into a Palossand in the process. At the sight of their creation moving, all of the assisting Pokémon cheered.

A tower bent over unnaturally in an imitation of an arm, and the freshly evolved Palossand spun in a circle to shake everyone's hand. Tangela offered a vine, Steenee very regally held out her palm, Togepi and Nebby excitedly shook it right back, and then Morelull and Eevee tapped a mushroom or paw against it respectively.

Then, finally, Palossand sunk into the ground, the group's creation disappearing forever. It was a bittersweet moment: the structure was gone, yet what they had built would last as long as Palossand kept it.

The group of small Pokémon returned to go to bed at that, all of them getting cleaned of sand before getting returned to their Pokéballs. Eevee was a little needy about it, begging to get groomed for the cleaning process as he hopped up into my lap. I had to take out two brushes as a result: one for him, and one for Ninetales. If I didn't do so, she would have gotten uncomfortably jealous.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Soon, the stars were out, and it was firmly night. We cleaned up what we had set up then packed up everything we had otherwise left.

But, I only helped put away most of it. Towards the end, Hope sent me a look, and I gave her a nod and a thankful smile before heading over to Lillie to start a conversation.

"Let's go for a walk," I said.

Lillie blinked at me in surprise. She had been a little sleepy, but at my words, she suddenly woke up, and she and I started to head down the beach in silence, just appreciating the night.

"So," I said.

"So," she replied, doing her best to imitate the tone and intonation of my voice. Doing so made her break out into giggles.

I smiled at that, but the smile didn't last long.

"I'll be heading out soon," I eventually said, "which isn't fair to you as a teacher."

"What?!" Lillie paused where she was walking briefly and looked at me. "No, it's fine! You've already helped so much! I never thought I'd get this far, and if it wasn't for you—"

"No, Lillie, you definitely would have been a great trainer without me, I just helped speed up the process," I said, shaking my head and receiving the reply of a blush. "No, I wanted to talk because I wanted to give you something. It harkens back to the very start of my own journey, too."

"Harkens?" she whispered.

"Don't ruin the moment," I shot back, though not really being too serious about my words.

I paused, kneeling down, and I placed my backpack on the ground to start to reach in. Lillie stopped where she was walking to stare, giving me a chance to say my piece.

"First, this: a Moonstone, straight from my own 'collection.' Steven initially gave it to me in a trade in exchange for a Mega Stone I happened to stumble upon. It'd be great for a Clefairy or Jigglypuff, which I wouldn't mind befriending, but with my current team, I doubt it’ll ever happen. You'll get far more use out of it than me, so feel free to decide when to use it if I linger too long when I'm gone."

I reached into my backpack to pull out a gray shard, a fragment of the celestial body currently shining down on us from above.

"Wow," Lillie breathed. "Are you sure I can..."

"Yes. I've had it for a long time, and since you're with Clefairy now, I trust in you to know when it's appropriate for her to evolve."

Lillie nodded, eyes wide, and she clutched it close to her chest. Then, I reached into my backpack and paused, memories flashing through my head when the next item brushed my hand.

"When I first started my journey..." my words carried off, my heart being filled with nostalgia as I spoke. "Well, I wouldn't have been able to do it alone. You know I'm from a world without Pokémon, so training creatures was a little out of my playbook."

"But you said Marty helped, right? And Mr. Old Man, too?"

I snorted at that.

"Old Man Harvey, you mean? Yes, he was a big help."

To punctuate that sentence, I pulled out the item in question, and Lillie audibly gasped. What excitement she had turned to disbelief, and I sensed the slightest bit of panic.

I pushed on. I had my own reasoning for this, after all.

"When I first started out, I didn't know what to do, but I had a resource I had received as a gift to help guide me along. Old Man Harvey gave me his journal to help out, and since I'm going to be heading out—"

"But that's your journal! You used that a bunch when starting out!"

I smiled. Truthfully, I hadn't done much with it recently, but at the start of Hoenn, I had bought this journal and filled it out while training my team. It was filled with notes of their developments and tidbits from my adventures. While it lacked anything too advanced, for a trainer still starting out like Lillie, it would contain incredibly useful insights for the development of her Pokémon.

"Here," I said, handing it forward. "I want you to have it."

"But— I— You—"

"I trust you, Lillie, and I want you to become the very best trainer you can be."

In that moment, I couldn't say anything else, as Lillie ran forward and brought me into a hug. Shocked, I froze at the touch, but after a moment, I did hug her back.

"Be careful when I'm gone, alright?" I said softly. "Make sure to rely on Hope as much as you can. If you need anything, don't hesitate to give me a call. I'll drop everything if I need to."

"You don't have to do that," Lillie said, holding back a sob.

"I do. Even if I'm gone, don't forget: I'm proud of you."

When she pulled back, I ignored the wet spot on my arm. It was a strange time for sudden rain. She wiped her nose with the back of her hand, and I stood up and put my pack back on.

"Come on. Let's go back. We still have some cleaning up to do, yeah?"

Lillie nodded. "Yeah," she choked out. Now, both my old journal and the Moonstone were clutched close to her chest.

----------------------------------------

I left the next day, taking a boat to Melemele to reach a major airport. I had a chance to retrieve Dedenne right now, but I decided to wait to give him as much time with Tapu Koko as I could. Hala would be able to send him to me once I was in Sinnoh.

Before I left, I made sure to say goodbye to Hope and Lillie as the boat disembarked. It was a very basic goodbye, ignoring all the sobs.

The airport was small, and the flight was uneventful and boring, but it wasn't the longest flight I'd been on. Time passed, and the timezone changed. With how things lined out, I would actually be arriving in Sinnoh at the same time of day as when I left Alola. In the plane, I watched the waters of the ocean change below us, the colors going from a bright blue to a deep azure.

Then we arrived, and I was in Sinnoh.

Upon leaving the plane, the cold hit me at first. It was nostalgic, yet, after the humid Alola, it was deeply uncomfortable. Ninetales released herself from her Premier Ball and took a deep, happy breath. It might not have been a mountain, but as it was the start of February, the cold winter day was exactly the temperature she liked.

We had touched down in Jubilife, but the city wasn't our destination. Instead, after an hour of waiting, a much smaller plane took us elsewhere:

Lily of the Valley Island. In other words, the island where Sinnoh's League Headquarters were located.

Here, my team had beaten Tobias, had beaten Ash, and they had won the Conference overall in the end. Being in Sinnoh filled my mind with fond memories, and as we touched down at the edge of the island's port town, I couldn't help but grin.

Walking through it, it was busier than I expected, which made sense given I had arrived so late in the season. March was a full month away, but people were still setting up for this year's Conference.

When I reached the main road that was once filled with vendors and crowds, that same archway from before was still there. I took in the familiar images of all of Sinnoh's major Legendaries, and I thought back to my experience at the top of Mount Coronet, which seemed more like a dream than a memory at this point.

The main path was empty, though there were still large buildings set up on the sides. I saw the arenas, the massive Pokémon Center, but, most importantly, I saw the headquarters itself on the cliffs above the valley.

I climbed up to it—not literally, there were paths to take on foot. Experience told me to keep an eye out, and, as a result, I could see flocks of Staraptor flying high in the sky, doing the same.

I arrived soon enough, and the building was essentially a big box. The Sinnoh League Headquarters could only be described as an office building mixed with a stone and metal fortress. It had thick, heavy metal walls, but it had layers of glass all the same. All the inner workings of Sinnoh's Pokémon League happened here, so a lot of effort was put into its protection.

When I stepped inside, two different Kadabra suddenly flashed in front of me, fear wide in their eyes. They held up spoons like weapons, ready to react if I turned out to be a threat.

A tense pause; seconds passed. Soon, a familiar voice rang out, saving me from confrontation.

"Alex. Good to see you.”

The two Kadabra stiffened, briefly looked sheepish, then the pair of Psychic Types hurriedly teleported away.

"Cynthia?" I asked, blinking my eyes. "The Champion herself decided to meet me here?"

She chucked slightly.

"Of course. Why wouldn't it be the Champion's duty to meet with a Wandering Elite, and a potential challenger at that? Sorry about the Kadabra, by the way. With your mental protection, I imagine they panicked when they couldn't detect you walking in."

I had to shake my head, amused at that. I hadn't been expecting either of these meetings, but I couldn't help but to feel glad.

"That makes sense, but I am curious how many silent alarms they might have triggered. Those are what brought you here, right?"

"Yes," she said, smiling slightly. "You triggered at least three. But, it was a good test for our security in the end, and it let me properly greet you. Now, please follow me. We can catch up as I bring you to the rest."

How many people can say they had the Champion of a region as a guide?

I followed along as Cynthia walked deeper into the building, chatting as we went. I talked about my adventures in Hoenn and Alola while she talked about developments in Sinnoh. With Team Galactic gone, things had been peaceful, but the League was currently bracing itself for the organization's potential replacement.

"Crime has been up, as expected, though, it's no fault of ours. Cyrus had a larger stranglehold on the criminal underworld than we thought, and two years later, his absence is still making waves. Petty crimes have been up, but there might be things going on in the background, too, thanks to that vacuum. Considering the relative importance of Sinnoh's Legendaries, we always have to be on guard."

I nodded. There was no telling what, if any, criminal organization would form in their wake. An entity like Galactic didn't break up and not have some kind of aftermath.

But, as selfish as this thought might be, any going ons in Sinnoh didn't concern me. Cynthia had a clear handle on it, and my focus was on the potential troubles Alola might experience soon, instead.

"Just through here. Everyone's waiting inside," Cynthia said, gesturing forward.

We walked down a featureless hallway to reach a meeting room, which, upon entering, I could immediately feel the pressure.

Four people sat at the sides of a long table, and four people looked me in the eye. Each of them, an Elite, and someone I'd have to battle in the coming days.

First, there was Aaron, a Bug Type specialist sitting on the left. He wore a dark tank top and had bright green hair, staring at me with a focused expression on his face.

Next, Bertha, the member of the Elite Four who had helped train me as an Ace Trainer. Normally, she was a kindly old woman, but the harshness of that dedicated month still haunted my dreams. She looked physically cold, with how she was bundled up in a thick, white coat and scarf, but, even with that appearance, her expertise with the Ground Type made her a threat that couldn't be ignored.

Third, sitting at the far right of the table, was Flint, a red-afro'd man leaning back with a casual smirk on his face. He had a Pokéball he tossed up and down in one hand, catching and throwing it in a way not too dissimilar to how someone might toss a coin.

And, finally, there was Lucian, the most professional of the bunch. He wore a burgundy suit, sitting at attention in his chair. When he saw me, he adjusted his glasses and gave me an amused smile.

Lucian's a Psychic Type specialist, which means he's probably the one responsible for training the Pokémon defending this building. I wonder if those Kadabra telepathically informed him of my arrival, and if he was the one to tell Cynthia.

As I stood there, facing off against Sinnoh's Elite Four, Cynthia strode into the room to sit at the head of the table, the pressure building before finally vanishing with a snap the moment she sat down.

Though, her words made it return ten times as powerful when she next spoke.

"You have finally issued your challenge," Cynthia declared, assuming the role of Sinnoh's Champion, "and we have appropriately cleared our schedules as a result. Given what you displayed during the Conference, we have been waiting patiently, and it's time to set up a match.

"With how it stands, all of us are available, and all of us are free to fight. So, Alex, who will it be? Which one of us will you challenge first?"

Cynthia leaned back in her chair, her hands crossed over one another as she did. The rest of the Elite Four stared at me, carefully analyzing even the smallest of my movements, and I suddenly felt as if the world itself was pressing down on my head.

Weighing my options, I went through the bunch, thinking about which I'd prefer to fight first. Aaron was the classic first choice, of course, but his team of Bug Types were powerful, melee threats. My team had its strength, but I felt as though his style would press onto my team's weaknesses. I wasn't sure if he was the best choice.

Alternatively, I could choose Bertha, against whom my team would have an advantage. Fairy wasn't especially good against Ground, but my Pokémon knew enough Grass and Water Type to weigh the odds in their favor.

But, she was the oldest Elite Four member here, and that meant she had the experience. She wasn't necessarily the strongest, but she was the most skilled. I wasn't sure if I'd choose her to battle, either.

At first, I thought of Flint as no-go, since Fire Type Pokémon would resist my team's Fairy Type attacks. They'd also be good against the Grass Type, which my team tended to favor.

However. he was cocky, and challenging him first could take advantage of that. For similar reasons, I could also challenge Lucian, the most powerful of Sinnoh's Elite Four, as battling him first would give him the least amount of time to prepare for my team.

But, as I stood there, thinking about who I should choose, I thought back to Cynthia's words, and a realization settled in my mind.

Why was I facing the Elite Four? For what reason did I want to win these battles?

Bragging rights and proof of strength, of course, but beating every member of the Elite Four would grant me and my team a right few ever obtained. That was my objective, and battling through all four members of the Elite Four was what would grant it to me in the end.

My goal was to win, but it was also to push my team to even greater heights. When I next spoke, my words came out slowly and thoughtfully, a plan slowly coming into form. Did I want to do this? No, but if I was going to be presented with the opportunity, I would be a complete fool to pass it up.

"Cynthia. You said I can challenge anyone I want, yeah?"

She smiled, and to the side, quiet chuckles from Lucian rang out. Her head tilted forward ever so slightly.

"When you spoke," I continued, "your words were a little strange. For winning the Pokémon League, I obtained the right to challenge the Elite Four, but I wasn't a member of the Wandering Elite back then."

My words caused Bertha to hum.

"So, before I say anything I might regret, let me confirm this: when you said to make a challenge, you said I had to choose from you all. Us. You included yourself in that group. You didn't specify just the Elite Four, you specified all of you here. Us. Am. I. Correct?"

Cynthia said nothing, and the room was completely silent. The only sound I could hear was my breathing as well as the thundering of my heart echoing in my chest.

Then, a movement. Cynthia finally replied. She didn't speak, but she nodded, and my dreaded suspicions were confirmed.

This was it.

"Cynthia," I said, "Champion of Sinnoh. I, Alex, winner of last year's Lily of the Valley Conference and member of the Pokémon League's Wandering Elite, challenge you to a Pokémon battle. Do you accept?"

At that, the room erupted into movement. Aaron laughed. Bertha let out an amused sigh. In his seat, Flint slumped, and he passed over a few bills into Lucian's awaiting hand.

But Cynthia didn't react much. Instead, she just gave me a small, simple smile. Still in her chair, she leaned forward, and only two words left her mouth. Two, terrifying, horrifying, amazing, incredible, absolute words.

"I accept."