Hau walked through the center of a wood-fenced area inside of an expansive cemetery with headstones of various shapes and sizes surrounding it. In this section, rows of grey obelisks stood with crudely carved images of men on them, the drawings more detailed and their outfits less traditional with each row in. Green grass occupied the otherwise empty half, save for another obelisk which stood proudly in the back between two small banyan trees.
The man carved on the obelisk was of rotund stature, sporting a coat similar to Hau's, hair tied back in a bun like Hau’s except for the spikey sideburns. A cloth was tied around his big belly with a fan held in it. In the defensive, yet offensive stance the icon of this man made, Hau couldn’t help but smile proudly as he stopped a few feet away.
“Hello, grandfather.” Hau gently sunk to his knees and put his palms together. “I’m pretty sure you’ve seen it all already, but I just want to thank you for the strength you have given me this past week. Oh, man. I do wish you were still alive to meet these new friends I’ve made. And I’m sure they’d love you all the same.”
Hau sighed and collected himself. “But… I fear it’s not all done quite yet, and that I still have a ways to go before this imbalance is restored. Even with the strength you have given me now, I humbly ask for even more strength through these coming days and nights.”
Hau slipped his fingers between each other and clasped them tight along with his eyes. He hoped to feel a sliver of his grandfather’s presence as he had managed to feel each time he came here and prayed. As such, the winds began to gently blow into Hau’s face, tickling his cheeks and brow. Breathing in, he looked up and slowly opened his eyes to the two trees and the leaves slowly and peacefully rustling on the branches.
His meditation was interrupted as he noticed a white leaf, completely unlike the uniformly green leaves on the tree, blow off and through the air where ventured down the graveyard before disappearing from sight and existence shortly after. Hau stood up and observed the odd sight as more white leaves began flying off the branches seemingly from nowhere before returning to nowhere after they caught the wind.
Hau began to notice as the leaves, now forming a wall with the intensity that they fell, curved in back toward the memorial grounds before forming a cyclone on the center of the path behind him. As more and more leaves joined in the flurry, they began to glow brighter as the twister widened, a human shape forming inside that Hau could not make out.
Then, with a blast in its center, the leaf tornado exploded out, revealing the person inside that Hau froze upon recognizing. He looked exactly like the man on the obelisk, but his coat, shirt shorts, and sandals were all a pristine white. Despite his stone-faced appearance, Hau could not withhold his smiles and tears to see Hala before him once again.
“Gramps!” Hau ran at him with his arms held out for an oncoming embrace.
Hala quickly grabbed the fan held by his sash and swung it up, causing Hau to crash into the wall of wind that he had created, shocking and disorienting him. “Spirits shall not make contact with the living!”
“Oh… okay… Sorry.” Hau took a step back, the magic of his reunion partially shattered.
However, Hala finally formed a proud, jolly smile. “Look at you, Hau, the fearsome Kahuna of Melemele Island. I can truly say that I’d never live to see the day…”
Hau mustered strength to laugh, happy to have his jovial grandfather back. “Thank you, Hala.”
“What? Are you suddenly too good to call me ‘Gramps’ again?”
Hau chuckled once more. “No, grandpa.”
“That’s better.”
“What are you even doing here?” Hau still felt compelled to step toward him. “H… How are you even here?”
“Ha! The Hau I knew would have chewed my ear off asking about the spirit world and such! My, how you’ve grown!”
“Gramps, I’m serious! Why did you come here?”
“Well, you asked for my help, didn’t you?”
“Well… yeah, but I didn’t expect you to actually come here from… now that you mention it, what is it like in the spirit world?”
Hala let out a booming belly laugh. “In due time, my boy, but you’re far too young to have to worry about such things. Come, follow me!”
Hala turned around and stepped out to the back of the memorial. Hau stood still for a few moments, savoring and appreciating his grandfather’s walk cycle that he hadn’t seen in years.
“Hau, hurry! I’m not getting any older!” Hau smiled and jogged to catch up with his grandfather's ghost.
Hala and Hau walked side by side toward an even larger banyan tree near the back of the cemetery, the leaves and branches like a titanic umbrella already beginning to provide shade for them thirty feet from the trunk. As they both got closer, Hau couldn’t help but notice a dirty burlap doll sitting against the tree’s base.
“What is this, grandpa?” Hau looked about his surroundings, unsure how lucid he was at the moment.
Hala seemingly ignored him and continued his way to the trunk, lightly picking the doll up under the arms with both hands. “I’m certain you wished I could see the fine, young Kahuna you’ve become, but the truth is, I’ve been watching over you like a Braviary watches his chicks ever since I passed on. I’ve watched every victory, every loss, and the way you’re going, I’m certain that you’ll be twice the Kahuna that I ever was by the time you're half my age.”
Hau felt a little awkward with the praise. “Thanks, Gramps, but what does this–”
“And yes, I’ve seen the way you’ve been handling this incident with these, what do they call themselves, ponies? Hoho, how delightful. I especially like that blue one with the colorful hair.”
“Uh, Rainbow Dash?”
“Aha, yes, that’s the one! You’re doing a splendid job of defending them.”
“So then what does this have to do with you being here? I just find it kind of odd that you come and see me all this way just to give me compliments.”
“Compliments?! Ohohoho! I do indeed miss your company, but you more than anyone should know I wouldn’t waste such a valuable meeting for that!”
Hau remained silent, hoping beyond hope that his grandfather would finally unveil his intentions.
“You asked for my strength,” he finally said, “and now I’m going to lend it to you; more than I’ve ever given.”
“What do you mean?”
Hala put the doll back onto the ground where he had found it, backing away from it to rejoin Hau’s side. “You are right to feel uneasy. There is a great calamity on the horizon, one that will eclipse the danger first set forth by the Ultra Beasts, perhaps even since Solgaleo and Lunala first came to these islands.”
“Gramps…” Hau walked around Hala and faced him. “What am I supposed to do? If whatever’s coming is as bad as you say it is, then... what could just my strength possibly do?”
“Hmph! Foolish boy! I do believe this is the third time I’ve said I’m lending you my strength as well.”
“Will that even be enough? For something on this level?”
“You won’t have to worry about that. Don’t forget, you have many friends that span this entire region that will fight on your side when the time comes. But, the power I’m lending you will further tip the scales in our favor. Are you ready to receive this power, my grandson?”
Hau looked to him, and then back to the tree, feeling a strong presence coming from the doll, egging him on to make the right decision. Finally, he turned back.
“Hala, I will accept this power.”
“Very good. Now, stand perfectly still, and don’t move, especially your feet.”
“What?”
Hala thrust his palm out toward the doll, the strength of the motion seemingly muting the ambience around them, petrifying Hau stiff.
“Warrior of the shadows,” Hala’s voice mysteriously echoed, “heed my command and lend our combined strength to my very blood in this dire time!”
The shade grew darker as if night had instantly begun to fall. At once, Hau’s feet felt as cold and frozen as they were motionless. Looking down, he saw as his shadow, once muted by the shade, had become pitch black as it unnaturally snaked out toward the doll. Seeing a second shadow stretching out to it, Hau looked over as Hala kept holding his hand out, straining to maintain his footing.
“Come forth, Marshadow!”
At once, both Hau and Hala’s shadows collided beneath the doll, forming a dark pool that bubbled and wisped with energy. The shadows began to cascade up over the doll until its body was completely enveloped in them. Hau continued to watch as small bumps on the wrists formed, as well as a wispy collar and headgear, the inner outlines forming a face. Hau looked into the face just as the creature’s eyes opened, revealing two vacant eyes with orange and yellow pupils.
“Grandpa…” Hau twisted his body to look to his father, who also turned to face him. “What is this? What is that thing?”
“I have bonded you with the legendary Pokémon Marshadow!” Hala grunted, struggling to maintain the ritual as an invisible wind threatened to blow him away. “You’re each others’ protectors now!”
“I don’t understand! What am I supposed to do?”
“Do what you must! Not just as a Kahuna, but as a trainer, as a friend!” Even in the intensity of the moment, Hau looked and felt weightless with the duty he was being bestowed with. At that moment, the shadows connecting Hau and Hala to Marshadow began to glow bright. “Now go! Save the ponies! Save Alola! Save the world! Yours and theirs!”
“Gramps!”
The light from the shadows bathed Hau’s vision in white before it quickly faded away. Hau once again found himself under the banyan tree, but any trace of Hala, Marshadow, or the doll had disappeared, leaving him alone.
“Grandpa!” Hau twisted and turned about, unable to find him. “Gramps!”
Turning back to the memorial site, Hau sprinted back over there, his sights locked on to Hala’s monument. Hopping the fence, he slid to a stop to face it, looking into the icon’s carved eyes as if he was standing there before him.
“Grandpa, please, come back! What’s coming? I need to know!” Hau listened intently, only to be met with the soft breeze blowing through the two trees.
Hau, beginning to pant stressfully, suddenly clasped his hands and opened his mouth to speak, only for a terrible, familiar sound to erupt in the sky. Turning around, he instinctually reached for his Poké Balls and ran through them, looking for the right one. His fingers suddenly came upon a sixth, unknown ball. Looking back down, he saw that among his five Ultra Balls, he indeed discovered a sixth among them with a green top, grey bottom, and an dark-orange ring around the diameter and the center button.
The sound above grew louder, and Hau gazed upwards again to see a wormhole form down above where Iki Town was on the other side of Ten Karat Hill. Hau looked once more at his new, strange Poké Ball and placed his hand on it.
“Okay, gramps.” Hau softly smiled, now understanding. “I got you. Thank you.”
With the portal fading away, Hau broke into another sprint and focused on nothing else but the path back home.
Hau ran through Iki Town as terrified townspeople slowly emerged from their homes, inspired only by the Kahuna’s safe return.
“Hau!” A middle-aged man emerged from his home, a patch on the side of his roof made of a lighter-colored wood than the rest of it. “Did you see the–”
“I know!” Hau zipped past fast enough that it was the only thing the man could hear.
Hau glanced left and right, searching for any signs of Team Prism or whatever could have appeared from the wormhole. Upon reaching the top of the town, he scanned the open area, finding nothing among the battle platform or around his home. He shifted his gaze to the forested path north, not hesitating to rush straight there.
Disappearing into the darkness of the trees, he saw the path take a hard turn where the forest ended. Running along the rock wall to keep his momentum in the turn, Hau climbed the log steps up the steep hill towards the ruins, twisting and turning and scaling each log in twos, fighting the burning in his lungs and the tingling he began to feel in his fingers and toes.
Reaching the top, he came to the river canyon separating him from the ruins, a long wooden bridge connecting the two points. He was forced to stop upon seeing three Prism grunts on the other side facing Luna, Thorax, and Trixie as they cornered them at the edge of the canyon to the right of the bridge. Between them, Tapu Koko shielded the Equestrians with its body as the grunts’ Metang, Kadabra, and Espeon cornered them. Hau watched as the three Pokémon attacked Tapu Koko at once, the strength of all three hits forcing it down to support itself by the shell on its arms.
“No, please!” Trixie groveled, falling to her stomach. “Spare us!”
Hau hissed through his teeth as he thrust forward and charged his way across the bridge. His sandals hitting the wood alerted the grunts, their Pokémon, and the Equestrians to his presence.
A brown-skinned grunt with cornrows clicked his mouth disdainfully at the Kahuna’s presence. “Him. Fine. Metang, bust the bridge up.”
Metang levitated itself high and began spinning its claws about as it tilted itself down at its end of the bridge, ready to rush through it. Hau gasped, already able to tell that he was still too far across to either make it or turn back. Just then, he felt his vision sharpen and his perception of time slowed down. What’s more, the pain in his legs was instantly soothed, allowing him to increase his speed despite neither the grunts, Pokémon, or Equestrians having moved at all since he felt this sensation.
“What…” Hau’s thoughts echoed in his head as if he was hearing them spoken to him inside a large cave. “What’s happening to me?”
“Don’t fret, Hau!” A young boy’s voice appeared to him from nowhere. “Just let it all happen!”
Metang began to shoot downwards at the bridge, and as if his own brain was suggesting it, Hau hopped up to the bridge’s railing and leapt at the Pokémon. Hau then seemed to ascertain what was happening around him, swinging his right leg out and aiming the back of his foot at the top of Metang’s body.
Time began to speed back up for Hau as he unexpectedly felt his body shoot out like a bullet over the canyon. Upon his kick connecting with the Metang’s head, a wispy purple aura like a flame burst out from under his foot, further blasting Metang into the side of the rock. The grunts all jumped back and yelped, completely caught off guard by the inhuman feat. Hau’s momentum continued until he was safely over the ground, landing several feet down between the grunts, their Pokémon, and Tapu Koko.
“Nice one!” the voice eagerly complimented.
“I’m not sure that was all me,” Hau huffed to himself.
As Tapu Koko pushed off the ground and began to float around Hau, he put his arm up, stopping him. “Thanks for covering for me,” Hau said. “I’ll take it from here.”
Understanding in its own silent way, the island guardian slipped back behind Hau, forming a second barrier to the Equestrians for the grunts to try and pass through. Luna, Trixie, and Thorax couldn’t help but stare slackjawed in awe at their newest savior. The cornrowed grunt returned his fainted Metang to its Poké Ball before he ran behind his two allies for safety.
“Alright,” a female grunt with longer purple hair shouted while pointing, “I don’t know how you did that, but you’re going to wish you didn’t!”
“Those are some pretty strong words coming from the three of you.” Hau began smiling at their faux bravado. “How quickly you guys forgot what happened the last time you tried raising hell on my island.”
“Yeah,” the remaining female grunt with ponytailed black hair spoke up, “and now Gladion isn’t here to cover for you and your Fighting-types.”
Her words were reinforced by the Kadabra and Espeon flexing their offensive stances, ready to fight. As Hau grimaced at her reminder, the Equestrians behind him looked amongst themselves.
“What are they talking about?” Thorax asked. “Who are these guys?”
Luna looked forward to the battle that was soon to begin. “All that should concern us right now is that the creature with the orange coat is protecting us.”
Hau detached a ball from his belt, ready to toss it out. Then, as if his hands still felt empty, he reached for the green and grey ball, holding it in his free hand.
The cornrowed grunt took notice. “Yo, what kind of Poké Ball is that?”
“I’ve never seen anything like it!” the ponytailed grunt exclaimed.
“Do it, Hau!” The voice encouraged. “Let’s show them what we’re made of!”
Hau, now feeling excited over this odd companion’s assistance, threw both balls out at once, the shadow of the green-and-grey ball pulling Hau’s shadow out so that the head stayed beneath it. “Go, Pangoro, Marshadow!”
“Marshadow?!” The grunts all shouted at once.
As Hau’s large black-and-white bear appeared from its ball, the green-and-grey Poké Ball exploded in a blast of grey dust that dove to the end of Hau’s shadow's head and formed a dark portal. Marshadow rose from the hole, staring at the grunts and their Pokémon. Pangoro glanced down at the new creature, bemused by its foreign appearance.
“Whoa!” Thorax shouted. “He summoned a bunch of creatures from those balls too!”
“But why did that doll-thingy come out so different?” Trixie questioned.
Luna stayed silent, wanting to judge her protector and his actions for herself.
The purple haired grunt scoffed. “He uses Fighting-types; chances are that thing’s a Fighting-type too. Kadabra!”
“Espeon!” The ponytailed grunt shouted.
“Dazzling Gleam!”
As Kadabra’s spoons and Espeon’s gem began to glow, Marshadow flexed its arms and legs before Hau could make a command. At this, Espeon’s shadow stretched out beneath Marshadow and splashed over it, turning its head and arm bulbs green as it absorbed its energy. Before Espeon’s gem could fully light up, Marshadow lunged forward, disappearing and appearing before Espeon in an instant before punching it in the head, throwing it into its trainer’s body and knocking both down and away from her comrades with painful grunts as she rolled off.
“Unbelievable!” Luna gasped. “What kind of spell was that?”
Kadabra continued its attack as its spoons cast light over the area, a stream of colored beams striking Marshadow and Pangoro simultaneously. Once the light faded away, Marshadow and Pangoro went down on their hands and knees, greatly weakened by the attack.
“Just as I thought,” the purple haired grunt giggled. “Still a Fighting-type.”
“Marshadow!” Hau looked to the Pokémon as it slowly got back up on its feet. “What was that you did to that Espeon?”
“It’s called Spectral Thief!” Marshadow threw its arms to the side, flinging the dirt on them off. “It’s my secret weapon.”
“Not so much a secret anymore,” Thorax said forlornly.
Hau then looked to see Pangoro get back to its feet as well. “Atta’ boy! Now, hit Kadabra with Payback!”
Clenching its fist and baring its fangs, Pangoro ran out at Kadabra, reeling back to punch.
“No!” The grunt threw her arm toward her Pokémon. “Kadabra, dodge it!”
With uncanny agility, Kadabra sidestepped and leaned back, allowing Pangoro’s attack to harmlessly whiz right by the end of its snout. Pangoro looked down on its foe, who sneered a smile back at it.
“That’s it! Kadabra, finish them off with another Dazzling Gleam!” The purple-haired grunt closed her fist with finality as Kadabra held one of its glowing spoons into Pangoro’s encroaching chest and the other one out at Hau and Marshadow.
“No, you don’t!” Hau thrust his hand out at Kadabra. “Marshadow! Take Kadabra out with Spectral Thief!”
Marshadow grinned cockily as Kadabra’s shadow raced over beneath it and bathed it in its energy before the color returned to its head and arms. With another warp, Marshadow appeared above Kadabra, its arm already reeled back. Just as Kadabra registered it above itself, Marshadow thrust down, striking Kadabra into the ground and leaving a small crater where it stood.
Pangoro caught Marshadow in its paw and leapt back with it to Hau’s side. With the grunts and their Pokémon all defeated, the ponytailed grunt and the purple-haired grunt both took out their Poké Balls and returned their Pokémon inside.
The cornrowed grunt lead the retreat as he and his allies ran back across the bridge. “Nice little Pokémon you got there! I’m sure our bosses will love check it out!”
“Good!” Hau loudly retorted. “I invite them to!”
With their threat deflated, the grunts kept their heads forward as they ran away, leaving Hau and his Pokémon safe and alone with Tapu Koko and the still stunned Equestrians.
“Nice work, Pangoro.” Hau stroked and massaged his Pokémon’s shoulder, making the corner of its mouth twitch in pleasure.
Marshadow leapt off Pangoro’s paw and stepped up to face Hau. “That was pretty impressive. I can see why Hala had so much faith in you.”
“You!” Trixie’s shout forced all eyes to turn to her, revealing a confused, flustered mess staring at Hau and his Pokemon. “You’re one of the apes that took our friends and sent us here! Who are you, where in Equestria are we, and where are our friends, you monster?!”
Marshadow and Pangoro went into defensive stances as Trixie attempted to charge her horn, only for her to strain futilely as no magic would come out. Hau sighed sympathetically as his Pokémon relaxed themselves once more, Trixie quickly giving up as she wheezed exhaustingly.
“Looks like those Prism jerks used their Psychic Pokémon on you,” he calmly surmised.
“Wait, you know those guys?” Thorax wondered. “What do they want from us?”
“I don’t fully know, but I want you guys to know that you can trust me.”
“Trust you!?” Trixie huffed. “What makes you think we–”
“Trixie, please, that’s enough.” Luna then walked up to Hau, his Pokémon slightly tensing back up. “Thank you very much for saving us. I don’t suppose you have seen ponies like us in this vicinity, have you?”
“Like you? Sure I have! In fact, I can safely say that some of them are close friends of mine too!”
“Ha!” Trixie haughtly flipped her hair up. “Do you think we’re going to believe the likes of–”
“I’ve already met with Starlight, Fluttershy, Rainbow–”
“Starlight?!” Thorax and Trixie both shouted.
“Is she okay?” Thorax whined. “She’s not hurt, is she?”
Hau lightly shrugged. “Not since the last time I saw her.”
“So she is hurt then!” Trixie reeled back to rush him, only for Thorax to hold her back.
“Where is she now?” Luna asked.
“The last time I saw them, she and Fluttershy were traveling with a pair of trainers to look for the others.”
“And where are they?”
“On the other islands, I assume. One of my friends was looking for them with Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, but they left a couple days ago as well.”
Luna sighed with relief. “So they’re in good hands. Thank you again, sir. May I ask your name?”
“My name? I’m Hau! I’m the Kahuna of this island. That means I protect the people and Pokémon on it.”
“And where exactly are we?” Thorax asked. “We just got sucked into this portal thing and ended up here.”
“I know. Your other friends are in the same boat. I can explain as much as I know back home.”
Hau detached Pangoro’s ball and returned it inside of it, shocking the Equestrians once again. Marshadow then sunk back into Hau’s shadow, which receded back to its normal shape before the green-and-grey Poké Ball materialized back onto the empty slot of Hau’s belt in a wisp of smoke.
“How are you even doing that?” Trixie curtly asked. “You aren’t hurting them, are you?”
“Listen, I get it, you have a lot of questions for me, and I’ll answer them at my place. Just please follow me.”
Hau walked to the bridge, the Equestrians warily passing by Tapu Koko as it floated where it was, keeping its ever-watchful eye over them, Luna giving it a gracious nod.
As Hau began walking across the bridge, Trixie stopped herself. “Hold on! That’s where those mean apes ran off to!”
“Yep.” Hau stopped on the bridge and turned back to her. “But don’t worry. They aren’t in any shape to do anything more today, but I do appreciate that I’m no longer one of the ‘mean apes’ in your eyes.”
Trixie, feeling a bit embarrassed and beaten, finally went across the bridge with flushed cheeks, following Luna and Thorax across. Hau, nodding in approval over the trust he earned in them, continued to walk.
“Also,” he said, “our kind are called humans, and those creatures that fought for us are called Pokémon.”