Languid, would be the way Calemine would describe life in Hau'oli City in the summer. Humid, of course, and hot, equally obvious. Even here, in the big city, little seemed to move more quickly than absolutely necessary. Only the tourist attractions seemed to have much vim and vigor at all in the afternoons, and that was a facade for the tourists they served.
The beach, of course, was a different matter. Tourists and locals alike lounged on the sand, splashed in the seaspray, or swam deeper in. The ocean was either a revered neighbor and friend, or the main attraction aside from the palm trees, Pokémonic and otherwise.
It took antsy, wanderlusting Calem a surprisingly long time to get irritated with the way of life, here. Part of that had to do with running here on a whim, and as she refused to become a trainer again, she had no funds and no claim to sleeping in a Pokémon Center, so finding someplace to sleep each night was an adventure in and of itself.
It wasn't like she'd planned on being homeless when she got here, of course. She just hadn't realized how badly she wouldn't want to train Pokémon, and her backup plan of calling the girl she'd met last Winter here, Marzanna, to maybe crash in her place for a while fizzled when Marzie didn't answer any of her texts. When Calem finally broke down and just called the number on her Holo Caster, it turned out that the number was no longer in service. So much for that, then.
But as long as she didn't draw attention from the authorities, sleeping under the stars was typically pleasant, and even nostalgic of previous Pokémon journeys in other regions. Balmier, here, than anywhere but maybe Hoenn, though Calem hadn't been old enough to challenge the League when she lived there.
"Yo," a voice startled Calem out of her snooze on a park bench near the outskirts of the city. "You doin' all right, bruv? I seen ya around here a lot… More than someone just enjoyin' the sights, I mean."
Calem sat up and stretched, appreciating the moment she had before she had to leave. She'd only been run off by an officer once, and he wasn't even rude, but it still wasn't a pleasant experience. Kinks out of her back, though, she now looked at her company: a young man, probably a teenager, with a white skullcap on-pun unintentional on Calem's part, but perhaps on the guy's, as she realized that the dark spots on the front resembles a skull's eye sockets. Black tank top, shorts, armband and even a handkerchief covering the lower half of his face, though the kid was lowering that as he sat down next to Calem.
Nicer than being run off, but… "I'm not sure how old you are, but answering questions like that sounds like a great way to get yourself screwed."
The kid's eyes widened for a moment, then he said, "Oy, sorry br- I mean… Didn't realize yer a girl. And for the other thing, I get'cha. Team Skull really did me a solid, though, I was homeless too after my folks kicked me out. Won't hear nothin' good about it from anyone else, ovs, but we treat our own right."
Calem squinted, and said, "Good to know, I guess." Not that she'd take that offer, of course- she'd seen news of other organized crime in other regions, taking after Team Rocket and garnering a certain kind of respect, or at least notoriety, by using the 'Team' moniker - not to mention, only a few months before she'd entirely too involved in the Team Flare incident/Day Of Hell On Earth for comfort.
"Well, aright," the dude said as he stood up. "I go by J. Pronounced like the bird, but it's just the one letter. If you ever need a hand, like… Skull's got folks doing shit everywhere, just like, ask y'know? If you look like a tourist some of us might try an' rob ya, but ask and I'm sure you'll be home sweet home in no time."
On the other hand, this kid sure didn't look or sound anything like any of the organized crime Calem had seen on the news, and was leagues away from even the lowest Team Flare member. "I'll think about it," Calem said. "See ya around…?"
The guy, J apparently got up and gave a sharp wave at Calem in lieu of goodbye, and walked off.
Well, if the lowlifes were starting to notice Calem as a fixture on park benches in Hau'oli, others would start noticing sooner rather than later. It was time to figure out something different.
After Calem managed to score a camera from the Tourist Bureau for free, she figured she'd take pictures. After years of Training, she was decently good at both avoiding attracting Pokémon attention when she wanted, and at getting it when she did. No professional, yet, but there were a number of spots around the city where she could get some really nice photos. Once, she ventured out of the city and into the cave on the cape, but without a Pokémon of her own- well, here, at least; her Trainer ID was probably still active, but Calem hadn't really had a passport when she decided to just stay here.
...Before she'd gotten on that tangent, though, Calem had been recalling that she'd tried to go into the cave of Ten Carat Hill, but without a Pokémon to defend her had been lucky to get out with her hide, let alone the blurry shot of a weird grey and gold… lizard… thing. A rock type Pokémon, probably, though with the gold accents probably a rare one.
Other than photos, a few of which she posted online and some of which she tried to sell to stock photo companies (to little avail), she tried to find odd jobs to do around the city. There was a Capture Contest one day, to catch (and release) as many Pokémon as possible within ten minutes; another just wanted to be reminded of the date, though the reward for that was only some Pretty Wings. Not even stat-boosting, just the kind that you could buy at a tourist shop, and that Calem had no use for at all.
With a provided Tauros to ride, Calem cleared all the rocks on the Mahalo Trail, and let her see the smaller, cozier Iki Town besides. Almost entirely devoid of tourists, it was cozy and homey and… not at all to Calem's tastes. Depressed as she'd been since the Flare incident, riding Tauros, directing it to rush headlong into rocks that it crushed like nothing, gave her a thrill like she hadn't felt in a while.
Outside of the Pokémon Center one night, Calem was struck by the sight of a young woman, all in white, leaning forward on the fencing at the edge of the gardens, staring out at the sky. She reminded Calem of a Kirlia, almost, though her hair was blonde, not green, and the broad-brimmed hat was certainly an addition.
She hugged a duffel bag to her side, and said, "It's so beautiful, I wish I could share it with you."
Approaching from behind the girl, Calem took a spot beside her on the fence and said, "Who is it you're missing?"
The girl jumped visibly, turning toward the source of the sound and drawing into herself. "O-oh! I'm sorry, I didn't… see you there."
With a grin, our hero put a hand out and said, "Name's Calem, cutie. What's yours?"
Looking between the hand and Calem's face, the girl finally said, "I-I'm Lillie." At no point did she reach out to shake the offered hand, or even definitely reject it; she just kept her arms close to herself in a defensive gesture.
Shrugging, Calem turned to look at the stars herself. "If you don't want to talk, that's fine. Beautiful night, though."
Lillie nodded. "Yeah, it is."
The bag Lillie was holding seemed to… squirm? At least it looked like it moved in a way that wasn't just due to Lillie's shifting movements.
"Is, uh… that gonna be okay?" Calem asked, gesturing towards the movement.
Lillie smiled weakly at Calem, before turning to face her bag and said in a too-loud whisper, "Please stop, I can't-" The bag definitely wiggled now, and Lillie stepped back from the railing. "U-um, I, you know Professor Kukui is helping me take care of my Pokémon, and I- I think I need to go now." Without so much as a wave, Lillie was off.
It was good to know that the Professor apparently was okay with… whatever that was. As antsy as Calem was becoming, treading and retreading the same streets day in and day out, maybe a Pokémon Journey would really be what she needed. No Flare, no Lysandre, no Kalos, no stupid sexy Professor to remind her of All That Business. Just a happy jaunt across Alola with… whatever the Grass-type Starter here was.
"Oh my god, Marzanna!" Calem shouted, as she noticed the girl sitting in the ferry station across a few aisles. "Marzie, that's you, isn't it?"
The brunette looked up in surprise. "Oh, you can s-?" She then shook her head, starting again, "Yeah, Calem, it's me."
Calem went to hug the other girl, but she backed away. "No, don't touch me, I'm definitely sick," she said, putting her arms in front of herself in an X. "Not like, so contagious I don't want to go out, but don't want to sniffle on you or something."
Laughing, Calem said, "Fair, fair. Still, what the hell happened to you? I tried to call you to say I'd be in town, but your number's down."
Marzanna blinked, then bit her lip and looked off to the side. "Sorry, I've just been super busy with… School and whatever, you know? I took a nasty spill off the ferry when I came here at the end of the semester, and I lost… my phone, among other things. Never got around to getting a new one."
Calem nodded. "Well it's good to see you. Do you have a landline I could call? I know most people don't these days, but… Or, if you don't mind, what's your address so I can just like, hang out?"
Shaking her head, Marzanna said, "No, I was just… kind of staying wherever was easy for a little while, but today I'm- I'm actually going to take the ferry. After last time I'm kind of scared, but I really want to see my parents again… Would you mind waiting here with me?"
"Of course I don't mind!" Calem said, perhaps a little too loudly. "I know we've mostly talked via text, but I dunno, I'm just… really glad you're okay. I got a little worried when I couldn't reach you."
"R-really?" Again Marzanna blinked, and her eyes seemed extra shiny.
"Yeah…?" Calem answered. "You're my friend, right?"
Although Marzanna was smiling, she sounded a little choked up when she said, "That's… good to hear. Thank you, Calem."
For about an hour more, the two girls talked, and the ferry station emptied of people. Finally, at about sunset, the last public ferry was boarding.
"Well, I guess that's my cue," Marzanna said. "Thank you… I think- I'm ready to go now. I can't wait to meet my parents again, too! I'm actually excited, not afraid."
"Yeah you are!" Calem said. "Go on, you'll be fine, Marzie. Here, let me write down my number for y-"
Marzanna shook her head. "Don't bother, Calem, but thank you. Just… take this to remember me by, if you would?" Marzie stuck a hand into her pocket and scrunched up her eyes like she was concentrating hard on something; after a moment, though, she took her hand out, and held- a Comet Shard almost identical to the one she'd given Calem last winter at the Observatory.
When Marzanna pressed it into Calem's hand, the latter shivered at the former's cold hands. Still, it was kind of rough, being brushed off like that, when they seemed to be at least decent friends. "You sure? Not even a heat pack for your hands with my number on?"
Laughing, Marzanna said, "Thanks, I really do appreciate it… but I have to go." She smiled and waved at Calem, then turned to run through the turnstile towards the ferry.
Very quietly, somehow, even though Calemine had heard the machinery clank for every other passenger for the past hour. By the time Calem had had that thought, though, she was gone.