Hau'oli City is one of the largest cities in the Alola region, without question. It is located on Melemele Island, and in the harbor district there are ferries constantly traveling back and forth between the other three islands. After resting for one night at the Hano Grand Resort, Silas and his family took a ferry arranged by the resort and arrived in this city.
"Mom, Serena, I'll come find you later," Silas said.
He took Minccino from Serena's hands and placed it on his shoulder. His mother and the others were heading to the commercial district to shop, while he planned to take the Alolan Meowth back to have a look at its old home. They were going toward the outskirts of the city, so they weren't taking the same route.
"Min!"
Finally freed from Serena's "devilish claws," Minccino happily waved goodbye to Morpeko and Serena. Its fluffy tail swished back and forth, making it look especially delighted.
Passing through the harbor and then the bustling commercial streets, the further they walked outward, the more clearly Silas could feel the unique customs and atmosphere of the Alola region. Everyone wore smiles as bright as the sun, and whenever people met, they would cheerfully greet each other with a shout of "Alola!"
"Meowth, we didn't walk in the wrong direction, right?" Silas asked.
"Meow~"
After quite a while, Alolan Meowth finally responded, withdrawing its gaze from the surroundings that felt both familiar and unfamiliar. Since boarding the cruise ship and leaving its homeland, nearly a year had passed. Saying it didn't miss home would be a lie, but now it had new pursuits and many companions. The past was no longer something worth clinging to. This return was more like a final farewell.
A few minutes later, they stopped in front of a building on the outskirts of Hau'oli City. Looking inside, it was a Pokémon School. It was also the place where the Alolan Meowth had lived in the past.
"Meow~!"
Alolan Meowth vigorously waved its paw toward the Pokémon dancing above the school's main gate.
"Ori?"
Three Oricorio in a Pom-Pom style looked over in confusion. They first glanced at Silas and the others, whom they didn't recognize, and then turned their attention to Alolan Meowth.
"Ori~"
The Oricorio landed and surrounded Alolan Meowth, asking where it had disappeared to for an entire year. Everyone had even searched for it together back then, but they hadn't been able to find it.
"Meow~"
Surrounded and showered with concern, Alolan Meowth smiled as it explained. The commotion by the gate also drew the attention of other Pokémon living at the school, as well as the school's principal. Numerous Alolan Exeggutor with long, slender necks curiously approached and craned their heads toward Alolan Meowth. On one of the Alolan Exeggutor, a stream of water slid down its elongated neck—it was a Vaporeon. In an instant, Alolan Meowth was completely encircled by Pokémon.
They all asked about Meowth's current situation with concern. Even after a year had passed, they still remembered Meowth and continued to care about it.
"It's Meowth—you're back!"
A deep, resonant voice came from within the school. The Pokémon gathered around Alolan Meowth all turned to look, and Silas did the same.
"Professor Oak!?" Silas blurted out when he saw the man's appearance.
He looked so similar—almost identical to the Professor Oak in Silas's memories. The only difference was that this "Professor Oak" had healthy bronze-colored skin, the typical complexion of people from the Alola region.
"Alola! Welcome to the Pokémon School, Meowth's Trainer, rock!" the man greeted, even making a Sunflora-like gesture.
"Ahaha~ everyone says I look just like him," the man said as he extended his hand. "I'm Samuel's cousin, Samson Oak."
Silas shook his hand and introduced himself as well. "I'm a Trainer from the Kalos region, Silas. This here is Minccino."
"Min!"
Minccino cheerfully waved its tiny paws, greeting him enthusiastically.
"Ohhh! Such a cute Pokémon!" Samson exclaimed, even mimicking a Trapinch-like welcoming expression.
No wonder he and Professor Oak were cousins—one loved Pokémon, the other loved Pokémon cold jokes. In their own way, they were surprisingly alike.
Samson invited Silas to tour the Pokémon School, and Silas gladly accepted, following him inside. Just as they were leaving, a yellow figure flashed past from the direction of the forest.
"Min?"
Minccino turned its head back—it had just sensed a strange gaze.
"What's wrong, Minccino?" Silas asked as he held it in his arms.
Minccino explained that it had noticed an unfamiliar Pokémon secretly watching it just now, though it might have been mistaken. This little episode was quickly forgotten.
Once inside the Pokémon School, Samson enthusiastically introduced the school's facilities. On the track, students were racing while riding Tauros. On the grassy field, students were chasing and playing with Grass-type Pokémon. Not far away, a crowd had gathered around a basketball match—Team Machamp versus Team Primeape.
The game was incredibly intense, and in the end, Team Machamp sealed the victory with a devastating slam dunk. Primeape, furious over the loss, bounced around angrily, its rage shooting straight to the top of its head—almost as if it were about to get so angry it would evolve into Annihilape.
"Alola~ Principal Samson."
An adult man walked over from not far away to greet them.
"Alola~ Kukui," Samson replied. "This here is a 'Meowth,' you know. He comes from Zygarde."
Here, "Meowth" referred to a Trainer, and "Zygarde" referred to Kalos. Pokémon cold jokes really were hard not to laugh at.
"Hello, Kukui. Just call me Silas," Silas said.
The three chatted as they walked. During the conversation, Samson and Kukui learned that Silas had studied at Blueberry Academy before, which made them even more enthusiastic. They asked him to compare it with Blueberry Academy and offer suggestions so they could make improvements.
In this way, the group arrived at the battle field provided by the Pokémon School for student battles. Kukui looked at Silas and said seriously, "Silas, you're also a Trainer. How about a Pokémon battle?"
Meeting Kukui's gaze and facing his invitation, Silas nodded. "Sure! It's been a long time since I last battled another Trainer."
If he remembered correctly, Kukui had once challenged Lance in order to establish the Alola League. Even though he lost, Kukui was at least on the level of a regional Elite Four.
Very soon, news that Professor Kukui was going to battle a foreignTrainer spread throughout the school. By the time Silas stepped onto one side of the battlefield, the surroundings were already packed with people.
"Senior Ilima, do you know the Trainer on the other side?" a young girl asked, moving a little closer to Ilima.
Asking the question was just an excuse—getting closer to Ilima was the real goal. Ilima was no ordinary person either. Among the students, he was admired and adored as the "Prince of the Pokémon School."
Hearing the question, Ilima pondered seriously, his brows furrowing. "Hard to say. That visiting Trainer is from Kalos, he might have mastered that mysterious power."
"You mean Mega Evolution, similar to our Alolan Z-Moves?"
"That's right! Unlike Z-Moves, which can only be used on the islands, Mega Evolution can be activated in any region."
At the same time, Silas stood on his side of the battlefield.
"Min!"
Minccino volunteered eagerly, wanting to go first.
Silas rubbed the little one's head and smiled. "Minccino has something more important to do."
"Min?"
"You'll cheer for us from the sidelines. With Minccino cheering, we're sure to win."
"Min Min?"
(Will we win?)
"Of course we will."
At that moment, atop the highest point of the Pokémon School, a golden Pokémon suddenly appeared.
(End of Chapter)