As for their trainer, he had found the crowded beaches to be a bit much for him. He had thought that, having come from Castelia City, being surrounded by so many people wouldn’t have been an issue, but the atmosphere was quite different on the islands. Unlike in Castelia, where people bustled about lost in their own world, Jax could not count the number of times he had been greeted with a friendly Alola before being dragged into a tiresomely long conversation with a stranger.

The only solution for him was to hunt down the most remote beach he could find--which had been a task in it self. Every beach he had visited in the past two days had been crawling with tourists and locals alike, until finally, he came across the perfect spot. Secluded from the rest of Alola by way of a natural cave, Kala’e Bay was difficult to reach, but well worth it.

While his two Pokemon enjoyed a comfortable snooze on the otherwise empty beach, Jax walked knee-deep through the crystal clear ocean, searching for nothing in particular. On the sand beside a palm tree lay a small pile of treasures he had found, consisting of a few large, colorful shells and even a message in a bottle that he had not opened yet.

Seeing something glittering in the deeper water, his curiosity got the best of him. He dove into the water and swam to the bottom, reaching out to pick up the mysterious item. Upon closer inspection Jax recognized the small, silvery sphere as a rather large pearl, certainly the largest one he’d ever seen. Pleased with his find, he returned to the surface, only to spot someone on his no-longer-private beach.

"I wasn’t expecting to see anyone else here today,” he stated after sweeping his dripping hair away from his face with one hand. He approached the beach with the pearl loosely enclosed in his other hand. It stood to reason that she had come here for the same reason he had. “Sorry if you came here to be alone. I guess we might have had the same idea.”

Still, though the beach was small he was sure that the two of them could share it between them. Some distance away, his Aggron remained deep in slumber, occasionally breathing out a guttural snore. The tiny Joltik stayed hidden somewhere in the massive pokemon’s shadow.

Because of this unspoken understanding, Misty decided to pad over to Liah, taking a seat next to the young woman. Liah shot her a smile, but the Gym Leader–not one to mess around–immediately saw through the facade. “What’s wrong?”

Misty’s forwardness took Liah off guard, but she was appreciative nonetheless, a sad smile playing on her lips as she looked down into the rippling water. “I don’t mean to be a bother, but…I’m far from home,” she murmured simply, her tone laced with apology. “I-I miss it.”

“Johto, right?” Misty asked, grinning as Liah nodded. “I don’t blame you…it’s a beautiful place. Must be hard being away from your friends and family.”

“Yes…” the lady replied, a tear running down her temple before she could wipe it away. “…I miss them all dearly. But–even though it can be overwhelming–I enjoyed my time here. It was nice to think about all of this–and nice to watch such a skillful, beautiful Swimmer.”

Liah started smiling as she praised MIsty, and the Cerulean leader could tell that she meant every word. Filled with sudden determination, the swimmer made up her mind.

“C’mon,” she declared, standing up and offering the surprised Lady her hand. “You hungry? I know a good place--let’s pack up and head there.”