Sun's PoV:

Hearing the scream, I lept to my feet and sprinted to where I heard it. Seeing the girl with the blue hair standing before a trio of Trainers, I froze.

"The hell's going on?"

She looked at me. "They've got Popplio!"

I glared at the thieves. "Who the hell do you think you are?!?" Star flipped off my shoulder and stood before me, ready.

One of the black-clad punks stepped forwards, procuring two Pokeballs. "Team Skull, that's who!"

The three of them sent out a total of six Pokemon and I quickly accessed the situation. Two Zubat, two Salandit, two Garbodor. Star gave me a nod and I clambered up a building and stood on a ledge, surveying the battlefield.

"*Star, flank the Zubat!*"

Star heard and flanked left, causing the Zubat to line up.

"*Move in and take them out!*"

Star swiftly took out the Zubats, then watched as three of the remaining foes circled him. A Salandit slithered its way up to the Popplio and stood up, casting an intimidating shadow over the water-type.

"*Popplio!*"

It looked at me, understanding.

"*Bubble Beam!*"

Popplio drenched the Salandit with bubbles, causing it to faint. The remaining Pokemon began to close in on Star and soon, he'd have no way out and will get triple-teamed.

"*Star! Group up with Popplio!*"

Star narrowly dodged a Flamethrower attack and Ran over to Popplio. My foes turned around and foolishly got into lines, one in front of Star and two before Popplio. Smirking, I made the final move.

"*Star! Aura Sphere on your opponent! Popplio! Bubble Beam, now!*"

The two attacked simultaneously and fainted all three of the remaining foes. Shocked, the Team Skull grunts returned their Pokemon to their balls and gazed up at me.

"How'd ya win?!? That wasn't supposed ta happen!"

I flipped off my ledge and landed with a roll, springing to my feet. "Simple. I'm a Warrior."

The lead grunt growled. "This ain't over, p-!"

I raised my left arm to show off my Z-Ring. "Recognise this?"

Their eyes grew wide. "Scram!"

Watching them get on their bikes and bolt off with a smile, I tossed Star a piece of Ransei candy and he broke it into two, giving Popplio one half while keeping the other. The water-type ate it with a smile and looked at me with big eyes. Laughing, I gave it another piece and it slowly nibbled away at it.

The girl with blue hair (have yet to learn her name!) smiled. "Thank you."

I nodded, tipping my cap down a tad. "Just doing a Warrior's duty."

She tilted her head. "There's that word again. 'Warrior'. Why does it carry so much significance?"

"Hm? Oh, right. Back in Ransei, if you're able to create a Link with a Pokemon, then it means you're destined for greatness. A Link is a sort of bond between human and Pokemon."

"Uh, what?"

I sighed. "Think of it this way. You have a bond with your Popplio, right?"

She nodded.

"Well, multiply that bond you have by like, five, and you get the minimum you need to say that you've linked with a Pokemon. Linked Pokemon behave just like Pokemon caught in Pokeballs, minus the ability to go into a ball. I've linked with Star and don't need a ball to give him commands."

"But... why Link?"

I smirked. "Tradition, convenience, a variety of reasons. But, the real reason why we Link and instead of Catch? It's because like Pokemon, us Warriors can Evolve, if you will. When a Warrior first Links with their Partner, you can think of them as being in 'Stage One'. Then, after getting a strong Link with their Partner and/or through another cause, they get surrounded in a brilliant glow and once they emerge, their clothes have changed, as well as their Warrior Skill, or so I'm told. Then, they can progress to Stage Three, where they become even stronger."

She gazed at me. "What stage are you?"

"One. I have yet to find my Warrior Skill, and that's kinda important to evolve."

The girl nodded. "Oh. Can Warrior Skills be inherited from your parents?"

I crossed my arms, gazing off in the direction of Hoenn. "Yep. My sister, Luna, inherited our mother's skill, which is a song that revitalizes any Pokemon on our side who can hear. Of course, last I checked, her skill pales in comparison to our mother's."

"Let me guess, Stage One versus Stage Three?"

"Bingo."

She giggled and a strange silence came upon us.

"Hey, I never got your name."

"Oh! It's Lana!" She held out her hand.

I shook it. "Call me Sun."

Lana flashed me a smile and picked up her Popplio. "Thank you for saving Popplio. See you soon!"

I nodded and watched her go. Suddenly, my phone began to buzz. Digging it out, I saw it was a number not registered in my contacts, and picking up, I heard Professor Kukui's voice.

"Hey there, Sun! I heard from Principle Oak that you want to join my class! That true?"

"Yep."

I heard him chuckle. "Alright, then! You can come today or tomorrow. Your call."

Looking down at Star, I saw him with our trademark grin plastered on his lips. "I'm coming over, but keep it a surprise, alright?"

Kukui laughed nervously. "The students'll wonder why there's an extra desk, but I won't say anything. Just come soon."

"Alrighty, I'll be there ASAP. Hey, is there any policy about flying in Alola?"

"Not really, why?"

I smirked. "Just checking. Thanks bye!"

I hung up and put my phone in my bag, along with any loose items. Pulling out a special flute from my bag, I put it to my lips and played a handful of notes rapidly. Lowering the flute, I looked to the skies and saw Latias swooping down to me. Smirking, I put my flute in my bag and hopped on, grasping the Eon Pokemon's fur tightly.

"*Please bring me to the gates of the Pokemon School.*"

Latias chirped in confirmation and flipped over, causing my head to go all wonky. Righting us, Latias let off a huge burst of speed and flew as fast as it could to the school. It accidentally overshot and I was flung off, hitting the ground. Not wanting to lose my lunch, I planted myself and skid to a stop. Standing up, Star and I rubbed our palms and knees, wincing.

"*We're gunna feel that in the morning...*"

Star nodded in agreement. Latias floated down before me, an apologetic look on its face.

I simply smiled. "*Our fault. We didn't hold on tight enough. But thank you, you can go now.*"

Latias nodded and shot into the skies, revealing a stunned Kukui and Principle Oak. Kukui looked up at the now empty sky, then down at me, face full of confusion.

"What-?"

I rubbed my neck, embarrassed. "Yeah... I can summon Latias to fly around." I pulled out the flute as proof.

Oak gazed at the instrument. "Hold on, that's the Eon Flute from Hoenn! How did you get this?"

"Actually, this is a recreation my sister made. My sister, Luna, owns the original."

Kukui's eyes widened. "Wait, Luna as in CHampion Luna of the Hoenn Region???"

I nodded. "Yep. She's a big deal back in Ransei, being the first Ransei citizen to affect the whole world."

The two chuckled. Kukui led me to his classroom and showed me around. It would be an hour before school started.