[Agate Valyn]

"Sorry for calling you for such short notice, cousin, heh heh."

Despite his words, Agate doesn't seem to be all that guilty at calling Koa out of sudden, asking him to hang out in his secret base. He's one of the few people he ever brought to the secret base that he's so proud of... and hey, he really likes hanging with the Alolan born Ranger. They have that shared interest of communicating better with their Pokemons. Agate first asked to met Koa in Ash City, then together, the two of them ride Pokemons. Agate offered Koa chance to ride his Arcanine, Jasper, if he want. Meanwhile, he himself takes Fang the Luxray. Fang rarely had the chance of being ridden by Agate and is somehow quite happy that Agate gave her the chance to show off!

The human and Pokemons trekked closer to Fuji Town, only to slightly deviate from the route, going through a wood paved road, to what looked like a tall shrubbery. Agate gently patted Fang on top of her head to tell her to stop. "Right, here we are... we're close..."

Next, the boy simply combed through the shrubbery and they soon ended up in a huge open field! There are tons of Pokemons frolicking about. One in particular, a Tyrunt, spotted them first. She's carrying flowers on her mouth. The Tyrunt snorted playfully while wagging her tail. Immediately, she approached the duo.

"Churio! Have you been a good girl!? C'mmere you runt, ehehe~~"

Churio the Tyrunt snorted harder in excitement and licked Agate... but not before looking at Koa and offered him flower. A strange colored Bulbasaur poked the young man on his rib, almost like an attempt at tickling.

"Hey hey, don't be naughty, Rhodonite! How's the other? Oh hello Hauyne!" a Huge Aerodactyl approached, gently greeting the two. As more and more Pokemon noticed Agate's presence, they began flocking the duo. Agate was quickly pushed to the ground by a really affectionate Charmander, a Carvanha, and a Rockruff. But one of them...

"Marsh!"

There's someone who knows Koa it seems. Elazul the Marshtomp. The Jolly Marshtomp greeted Koa with a "hello, fancy to see you here, friend" greeting. He offered a handshake at the ranger.

Riku, having evolved to Lucario approached the two. The huge sized anubian Pokemon pulled Agate off the ground. "Hehehe, glad to see you guys too! Heh, how it's going, bro?"

Riku merely smirked and shrugged, as if saying 'same old'.

"Heh, that's fair. Alright, you can go back doing whatever you were doing! Have fun, everyone! Eeeh, Ragnard, you still want to be with me?"

The Charmander nodded. He really misses Agate it seems. "Heh, fair fair, alright, If you would follow me, cousin! Welcome to my secret base! Currently there are about 30 Pokemons in here."

---

Eggs:
Joltik: 1/3
Miltank: 1/3
Drillbur: 1/3
Delibird 1/3
Treecko 1/5
Piplup 1/5

[Koa Leilani]

Koa waved a hand "Ah it's no big deal, Agate, I'm happy to visit for a while." He said with a warm smile as he adjusted his glasses a bit. He climbed onto Jasper's back, a little anxious, but otherwise was excited to relax on such a fluffy Pokemon. As expected, the Arcanine's fur was warm to the touch, but not uncomfortably so. They must be great for traversing colder climates.

The path to Agate's secret base deviated slightly from Fuji Town. There was no clear pathway, so the route to get here was pretty difficult to spot if you weren't looking. A solid choice. Koa would have to think about where he'd want to set up shop, so to speak. As Koa and Jasper pushed through the shrubs, he was greeted with an absolutely amazing sight. A large, open field with Pokemon running free in a peaceful hidden valley of sorts. Did...all of them belong to Agate? The Tyrunt rushed forward and offered a flower, which Koa gladly accepted "Agate, this is...incredible. Are these all yours?"

He was slightly interrupted when a Bulbasaur started to tickle him "Hehe, hey what are you doing?" He said as he pat at the vine playfully. "Hey don't worry about it, she's just being playful." Though he was surprised when an Aerodactly arrived "You have...quite a few fossil Pokemon. Amazing..." There was nothing more he could say. He was just in awe. He watched as Agate is practically tackled to the ground by a group of very affectionate Pokemon.

Meanwhile, he looked over to see a rather familiar Marshtomp. "Wait a minute...hey!" He beamed happily as he hopped off Jasper and instead of a handshake, Koa hugged him. "Whoa, I didn't expect to find you here of all places! Was Maggie doing okay the last time you saw her? I'm guessing Elliot traded you to Agate." He said. He was happy to see him, though also a little sad that this Marshtomp was no longer with Elliot and Maggie. But that was the nature of training and trading. Though this did mean the Agate and Elliot were acquainted so they would always have the chance to see each other.

He looked over at Riku and smiled "Riku! Wow, Lucario now, eh?" He raised a fist towards him for a fist bump "Good going, both of you." He said to Agate and Riku, knowing that friendship was the key to evolving Riolu.

He looked around at all of the Pokemon "30...wow. Well let's see if my team can have fun too. Come on out, everybody!" He released his Pokemon. Azura, Makoto, Toki, Sakuya, Kupuna, and Janus. They all frolicked and cheered at being let out all at once. Kupuna floats about, watching all of the younger Pokemon wander about with a cheerful, calm disposition. Makoto, Toki, and Sakuya greeted Elazul happily, having recognized him from before. Janus perched on a rock nearby and watched everyone else intently. Azura hopped up into Koa's arms happily as she waved to Agate.

[Agate Valyn]

Hehe, looks like Koa liked this! All is good, all is good! "Yeah, all thirty Pokemons are mine! There might be more at the base, but currently these are all that I have! Well for the meantime at least! Hehehe, what do you think, Cousin? Great Pokemons aren't they? I wanted to ask their help so they could help me in my explorations, but... at the same time I also listened to their request. Some of them just happy to hang around with me like Schera," he pointed at the Skarmory. "Some want to be a fighter like Blazewing," he pointed at the Fletchinder. "and some just mysteriously hangs out..." he pointed at Mithril the Arcielan Noctowl. "There are many Pokemons, each of them with their own goals and desires. If I may say we're sort in 'I'll follow what you want, and in turn please listen to my request' relationship, sorta! But with most of them we're great friends, right?"

Rutile the Rockruff looked away like a tsundere, as if saying "who are you calling great friend? ...I'll only accept best friend!"

Rhodonite the pink colored Bulbasaur still happily poking at Koa's sides, as if testing out the ranger's reaction, giggling all the while. Riku returned the fistbump, while Elazul the Marshtomp returned the hug.

"Oh, you knew about Elazul? A young man came here one day when I put up an ads about wanting a great home for some Hattenas.... they're... chasing me once, and I can't lose them. I caught four out of five just to escape. My team wasn't strong enough to deal with them because they're equipped with Life Dews... and... it was tough. In the end we just agree that we really can't win unless we captured all of them... and so... four goes to several people. One goes to a guy who traded Elazul and a Feebas that I traded to someone else... One goes an androgynous looking person with purple hair... apparently Fang's old owner, and they gave me a crate of berries for it... Another for some pen, and another finally for a Delibird and Phantump egg... sent the latter to my sister. I'm scared."

As Koa released his Pokemons from their Pokeball to let them play, Agate noticed the Popplio. "Oh, Azura! Long time no see! I hope you're well!"

Meanwhile, Elazul clapped happily at the Pokemons that he knew. Looks like he's happy! As for Churio, she snorted and attempted to chase Kupuna playfully. Looks like she just want to know what this Drampa is doing up there.

"Hold on a bit, I'll get us some drink. It's a bit hot in here!" Agate would say.

---

Eggs:
Joltik: 2/3
Miltank: 2/3
Drillbur: 2/3
Delibird: 2/3
Treecko: 2/5
Piplup: 2/5

[Koa Leilani]

Koa just marveled at the sheer amount of Pokemon and wholeheartedly agreed with Agate. "They're all amazing, Agate." He said. It was a little overwhelming to be surrounded by so many personalities, all clambering for attention and expressing themselves in their own ways. He listened as Agate explained that he wanted them to assist him while he explored, but he also took time to consider their wants and needs. Their relationship was one of mutual assistance and support, not a one-sided deal. This was something that Koa really appreciated in Agate. "Friendship is built on support. To be there for each other and help them in their goals." He said as he picked up Azura "I took Azura to a Pokemon Center when she lost her mother during the Ultra Beast attacks. She may not look like it, but she's about six years old at least. Now she brightens my day every day and does her best to make everyone smile." He said as Azura barked happily.

He looked at Kupuna "Kupuna was given to me as a graduation gift from one of my instructors. He said she wanted to explore the world again, and said I seemed like the guy for the job. So here we are." He watched over her for a moment before going back to the conversation at hand. "It might be weird of me to say this, but thank you for remembering that Pokemon also have goals of their own."

He laughed slightly, both from Rhodonite's tickling and just from his joy of seeing Elazul again. He pat the Marshtomp's back slightly before he stepped away. He smiled as he realized who Agate was talking about "Oh, Elliot! I know him. He's a good friend." He said. Then...his smile quickly faded as he realized the implications of the Hattena trade. "Elliot has a Hattena now? Oh no Elliot has a Hattena now!" He paced around, hand to his mouth as he worried like a concerned sibling. "Elliot's the kind who wears his heart on his sleeve! A Hattena will be a nightmare and a half to care for! Oh man I hope he's doing okay..."

He took a deep breath and sighed "Okay...he's creative. He'll figure this out." At Agate's greeting, Azura waved and clapped her flippers upon seeing her friend again. Elazul found himself surrounded by his old friends, glad to see that he was doing well. Meanwhile, Kupuna lowered her neck to stare at the Tyrunt waddling towards her. Realizing he was playing and was chasing her, she grumbled happily and started to float around in circles to play. After a while she lied down and bend her neck to stare at Churio some more, happy to see the young pup of a dinosaur.

[Agate Valyn]

Oh, so Azura was a victim of Ultra Beast attack... Agate smiled sadly at that. "...See, I think both of us could relate to that. I didn't lost my family, but I sure lost a lot of our Pokemons when the Ultra Beast attacked. For days... no, weeks to came back then, we mourned. I remembered how hard it is for my father, my mother and my sister. We lost our home, my sister was in intensive care for her leg, about eighty percent of our farm Pokemons died... it was all a massive loss that... just left this huge, empty void in our heart.

I just remembered that I can't stomach all of those sadness. It's... so heavy. I ended up going to forest behind our town a lot... and there, I found Riku."

The Lucario sat beside Agate and gently patted his back. "I used the time when I was in the forest to cry once I know that I'm far enough from home. I had this... feeling that if I started crying, or if I started whining, it would be bad for the family... We're trying our best to not let the sadness get us. We have no time to grieve. I know that it's... not something that an eight years old should care about but... I guess I'm just sensitive... and it wasn't... a good image for an eight years old to see your sister's leg pinned under debris of your own house. So I knew if I started crying in front of them, it'll only become a downward slope.

...And well, I wasn't alone in the end. In that ravaged forest, we met each other. A Riolu who survived because he's tougher than his peers, but... he has lost his parents. The two of us met each other. At first we were bonding over berries, we played, we share each other's grief... I never captured him, but he always came whenever I came to play... until a year later when the town recovered enough. I asked if he wanted to come with me, be part of my family. He accepted, and even outright tossed Pokeball at himself."

Riku snorted while Agate smiled. "It was my very first Ultra Ball. I saved up my allowance to buy one, just to capture him. I wanted a Luxury Ball, but it was too expensive heh~ One Luxury Ball was like 50000 pen? It was way too much!"

Thank you for remembering that Pokemon have goal of their own huh? "...Riku taught me that. He always made sure that I understand that Pokemon have their own desires. A lot want to get stronger, sure... but sometimes that is not just everything to them." he looked at his Fennekin. "Flamel for example, that guy want to evolve quicker to Braixen so he could do contests. Asty the Turtwig just want to chill, and being together with so many friends like this makes her happy. Azalea wanted to fight against a lot of different trainers to learn their strategy. Vorpal," he paused when the Alolan Sandshrew approached him asking for headpats. "Just want to be close to me, the same way Ragnard the Charmander does. They're cuddlebugs."

Then he sighed. "I still have a lot to learn myself, but everyone here gave me hands. They will tell me anything I missed about their friends. Everyone is a hard worker, and I wouldn't even trade the world for them."

...Wait, the guy who wanted Hatenna somehow wears his heart on his sleeves? "...Man, I thought I was bad because apparently I'm 'emotionally loud' for the hats, so I thought someone who's less like me would want them the most, but..." Agate winced. "...Um, please tell your friend good luck..."

Churio is happy to just chase Kupuna around. the Tyrunt tripped suddenly, alerting Agate. "Oops, are you OK there girl?"

Beside being dizzy, it looked like she's fine. She licked his cheek, earning few giggles from her trainer. "Oh Churio, you dork... Anyway, be back!"

...Agate would indeed return few minutes later with some sour berry juice with ice cubes on a pitcher. "I heard sour juices are the best when it comes to hot days like this... Oh, right, here... It might not be much, but I also made some SLT sandwich. The S stands for steak."

---

Joltik: 3/3
Miltank: 3/3
Drillbur: 3/3
Delibird: 3/3
Treecko: 3/5
Piplup; 3/5

[Koa Leilani]

He listened to Agate's story and took off his glasses for this more somber moment. He looked away and hugged Azura a little tighter, and Azura seemed to understand what Agate was saying. Koa looked at him "That must have been awful to go through. I'm sorry." He knew that other people likely suffered more losses at the attack. He personally didn't lose family or friends. Azura losing her mother was the biggest impact the attacks had on his life. Though was that really the case? It drove him to want to be a protector. To save people in case something like this happened again. "Thank you for sharing this story, Agate. I hope your family is recovering well, but losing so many loved and valuable Pokemon and some of your family even being injured...there isn't much I can say other than sorry. Those are the kinds of hardships that leave long lasting scars."

Then he started to talk about how it was all a lot to handle. Agate looked to be in his early teens, so when the Ultra Beasts attacked he must have been just a little kid. That made the whole story sting even more, but there was a moment of happiness in there. Still, he didn't really think it was right to have to bottle up the sorrow and grief. Yes, it was important to pick yourself back up, but not having the time to grieve just seemed like a terrible thing to go through for everyone in his family. Still, with the need to rebuild after a disaster, he could see both sides of the story. It seemed like Riku was somewhat of a kindred spirit for Agate in those trying times.

Koa smiled softly when he talked about how he eventually captured Riku "50,000 Pen for a single Luxury Ball? I can't imagine." He said, a little shocked at that "I'm glad that you were able to meet someone so important to you in the end...we share that in common." He booped Azura's nose as she wiggled in his arms happily.

Riku taught him that important lesson of being mindful of a Pokemon's goals and personalities. It was a good lesson to learn. It taught open-mindedness and empathy. There could be more to a Pokemon's life than trying to get stronger, after all. He pat Agate's shoulder "You may have a lot to learn, but you've got a lot of time to learn it." He said with a smile.

He laughed nervously "Trust me, if anyone will be okay with a Hattena, it would be Elliot. That guy doesn't give up for anything. It's kind of incredible. I'm just worried because it's going to be a hard adjustment for both him and that Hattena."

Kupuna helped Churio stand back up after his fall, grumbling a little worriedly but seemed happy he was okay. As Agate returned with the pitcher of juice and some sandwiches, Koa smiled "Aw, thanks! That's more than enough, let's eat!"

[Agate Valyn]

It was belated, but after Agate nommed some of the steak sandwich, he began answering.

"It's alright... Granted, I'm not sure if we could ever forgot that day due to how... it played out but... in the end, we have to move on, while keep reminding ourselves that things like that can happen again, and will if we don't learn from the past. At least that's what I think, and well..." Agate chuckling mirthlessly. "...it happened, again, Ultra Beasts. Have you felt the headache back then? It was so sudden that I got knocked out and had this local nurse, Sid-sensei to look after me..."

Then, his eyes looked resolute. "...I have no idea if they're still around... or if they already returned, but I have seen quite number of strange happenstances around Eastern Arciel. I'm not sure either if they're related and there are... strange aura on the air. I can see it... But still, I have no idea what they are. I still have yet truly met any of those Ultra Beasts so far... But... at the same time I'm wondering if the legendaries are around too... I get that they can't really leave their region because some legendaries are strongly tied to the place they're stationed... but... either way, one of my plan is to get strong enough to at least travel confidently..."

Confidently?

"That sounded weird huh? I told you before but I'm an explorer. I wanted to see if there is any legendary in Arciel that could possibly help us. At this point I would even make a pact with Hoopa to ensure that no one will have to relieve that sort of feeling again...."

...But that sounded a bit too demure huh. "...Mmmm, actually, nevermind that! I'm probably just feeling a bit strange! This isn't like me the eternally cheerful Route Ravager, heh!"

Agate shoved the rest of the sandwich to his mouth and swallowed it after munching on it some. "Yosh! Want to have a little tour? Or perhaps a little chatting session with my Pokemons? They're all good boys and girls!"

Churio makes several chomping sounds at Agate, as if asking "what about me?"

"Yep, Churio is a cute girl too!"

It's at this time that the Onix that hangs around the entrance of Agate's cave base suddenly seem to be more alerted. What's going on?

---

Joltik: Hatched
Miltank: Hatched
Drilbur: Hatched
Delibird: Hatched
Treecko: 4/5
Piplup: 4/5

[Koa Leilani]

Koa nodded. Move on, he said...that's right. As difficult as it was, sometimes that's all you could really do in the face of hardship. Move on and try to make the most of things. Though something Agate had said bothered him. Earlier he had dealt with a strange headache that left him completely debilitated and confined to the local Ranger barracks for a time. At first, he didn't know what that could have meant, but the news broadcasts that soon followed confirmed what the cause might have been.

He remained quiet for a time, and a bit of worry crossed his Pokemons' features as they all stopped to look over at him. He sat down nearby and ran a hand through his hair "Yeah...yeah I felt it. I'm...frustrated. So frustrated. At this point, I don't stand a chance against them. I don't think I'd even be able to think straight if I had to fight them. I'd just get angry. Angry at the damage they could cause...but what would that make me? I try to love and respect all life, but every time I think of Ultra Beasts I just get so angry that all I can think of is driving them back. That must be so pathetic of me." He said with a weak laugh.

He looked up at the mention of Sid "Sid? Sid Ridley? I know them!" He said happily, already starting to feel a little better. Still, the air was still heavy at the implications of the Ultra Beasts returning. "Just...we should both take care and not do anything too reckless, you know? I'm glad we're both okay overall and had people around us to look after us when the headaches hit, but that just means we need to steel our minds and bodies more for what's to come. I'm a Ranger and you're an Explorer. We're going to be in the thick of things, more than likely."

"Yeah let's not think about making any dangerous pacts right now, yeah? We can get through this." He said with a smile. He pat his shoulder "Come on, let's just relax and enjoy the day." He said. Koa beamed at the suggestion to take a bit of a tour and meet his Pokemon "Of course! That sounds like a ton of fun." He looked over at Churio before he knelt down to gently rub her snout "You're a big sweetheart, aren't you?" He said.

He looked over at the Onix for a moment "Hey, your Onix is looking a little concerned about something. Is something going on, or did it just wake up?"

[Agate Valyn]

"...I mean...." Agate began, then stopped to pick his words. How... does he even feel about it? "..." for a moment he clicked his tongue at the lack of words that he's having at the moment... it took him about three minutes to say what he have in mind finally. "...Admittedly, let me ask something... Let's say... let's just say... a Pokemon, of any species, caused any havoc that caused you to lost your family and loved ones... say that it suddenly appeared in your settlement... you don't know what's the background behind it, it just... that it appeared right there, at unfortunate time, unfortunate moment, and it unfortunately caused death of many people and Pokemons you hold dear.

...Isn't your basic instinct to hate it? Like... I feel the nature of human is to... dislike what they felt to be 'alien'. And... well... when thing goes out of your control, won't you... hate it? It feels unfair isn't it?" it sounded as if he talking about himself. "...I... I love all sort of nature and all sort of Pokemons too, but... I can't help but to hate Ultra Beast either, because.. they caused so many destruction. Like... why is it so unfair? Alright, let's make a case that for some reason they're not here voluntarily... More like they're tossed out from their dimension and suddenly they become so confused at the new things happening around them, they only can lash out as response...

...In that case, should we forgive them? But at the same time I can't deny how much I hated them because how many of my precious Pokemon friends are killed in their rampage.... It's just unfair, you know? They said don't hate catastrophe because it's something out of your control... but even then, can't we do something to it? Are our power really that small that we can't even make a ripple? Are we... really that insignificant?"

Agate sighed. This just gotten a bit too real for his taste. "Yeah, actually, let's tone it down back and let's just enjoy the day. Which one would you like to go first? There are several places over here, for example... that secret base of mi---"

...Ferum looked very restless indeed... and the reason soon reveals themselves. A Miltank came out from the den, followed by a Delibird who had no idea what to make of the current situation... and then a Joltik, huge for his species... and finally... coming out from the ground is a Drilbur.

"...Ah, these are the pokemons from eggs in my secret den actually! I did not expect for them to hatch that soon! ...And looks like some more are coming."

[Koa Leilani]

There was a bit of a heavy atmosphere at the moment. Koa looked away, feeling guilty and slightly responsible for it...but he did his best to listen and say what he felt that he had to. He looked up at the sky "I don't think it's right to hate something because they're 'alien' and different. That's not why I have my...opinions about them. They came to our world and attacked innocent people. Anything that attacks innocent people unprovoked needs to be stopped. That goes for anything...people, Pokemon, the Ultra Beasts...if they hurt people, something needs to be done to stop them. What I don't understand and what I hoped was out there was more information on the Ultra Beasts. What do they want? Are all of them like that? Is even considering that a waste? I don't want to believe that..." He said with a heavy sigh. Azura pressed against him to cuddle and to comfort Koa.

He looked at Agate, expression serious as he tries his best to give his opinion on the matter "Forgiveness...that's a hard thing to talk about. But I'll do my best to view Ultra Beasts the same way I do everyone else. As individuals. There were individuals who destroyed things and hurt people...but they're not representative of them as a whole. At least...that's what I hope. As for the ones who did cause all that destruction..? I...don't know. I want to say no, but...I just don't know." He ran a hand through his hair.

Koa sighed a bit and smiled at Agate "There are some things we just can't control no matter how much we want to. That doesn't mean we should just sit back and not do anything when there really are things we can do. The Ultra Beasts are things we can stop. They're different from an earthquake, a tsunami, or a tornado. They'r living beings just like the rest of us, and so they're not unstoppable. Unpredictable maybe, but not unstoppable. We are not insignificant. Never have been, never will be. We exist, therefore we're important."

He laughed a bit, realizing that this conversation had run its course. He hoped what he said was at least a little comforting as Agate guided him around the base. Though before they could continue the tour, Ferum the Onix looked worried about something, but then a small crowd of Pokemon started to rush out of the cave. "Oh...oh they're all babies..." He said in slight adoration. "Aw they must be so confused and worried. Let's help them calm down a bit, okay? Everyone!" He called to his team. Koa's team gathered around and tried to help ease the situation, each of them going to a Pokemon that appeared to greet them. "Be extra sure to keep an eye on Joltik!" He called out. Even if this one was pretty big, they were still relatively small Pokemon, so he didn't want them to get hurt.