Bells sang across the clearing, and the young woman paused her incessant poking of the spitting fish. Her white-knuckled grip loosened for a moment before beginning anew, stifling her sobs as more tears came down.
"You know-" she choked off.
"I didn't want to kill the fish. It's something I've down before; catching a big one, one hit it's down and having a nice dinner with my family" The young woman lowered her rock and rubbed her nose.
"But this was different. When I caught it- no him, he looked up at me with intelligent eyes when I held the rock above him knowing what I was going to do. He knew and I did it, again and again, because despite how quick and painless I wanted for it to at least go he just wouldn't go down. He was in pain and neither of us could help it. I couldn't help being hungry, I didn't know what was edible in this strange place and he couldn't help being a tough little bugger."
Dropping the stick she wearily looked at her scraped up hands.
"Is this what a confession feels like?"
Finally looking up at the arrival she gave a small hum.
"Even if you didn't do anything special, thanks for listening."
The Bell chimed and the spirit left.
++
"A tent was up deep in the forest, away from the sea.
The young woman was looking up at the different constellations when the bell rang.
Startled she looked up at the spirit and rubbed her hair when she saw who it was.
"I should have known, your bell is quite distinctive" she gave them an appraising look.
"Although the creatures of this place are so different from what I know you take the cake, a spirit from the west perhaps. Maybe a guardian or a spirit animal, they both seem likely"
Reaching into her bag she brought up a big plump
"I've never seen anything like this" she started. "But from what I've seen many of the creatures around seem to like it, so you might too."
Frowning she put her fingers to her chin, "but if you don't like it, I hope you at least don't mind much"
She gave the spirit a considering look before lightly chucking the berry towards them.
Faster than her eyes could see, the hooves easily caught the berry in its grooves and the spirit gave it a once over before
She gave a smile.
Nodding towards the young woman, the spirit left once more
++
Massaging her feet, being careful of the blisters on them a bell echoed throughout the field of flowers.
Glancing at the giant encased in mist for a moment before turning back to her feet, she considered her words for a moment.
"The flower's here are uncanny from a red hibiscus and there is so much of them" pausing for a moment she continued on, "But I've never seen so many of them in nature. I usually see them in tourist spots."
Eyes reflecting the fogginess of the meadow the young woman struggled to gather her words.
"When the end of the year started to roll around, my family and I weren't in that winter cheer, but one of summer. Beaches and barbeques, whole families getting together and beautiful red flowers blooming on trees that grew everywhere."
Hitching her breath a little she looked at the wreath of flowers she made on her lap.
"It's so beautiful. But I can't help but feel fake, watching it all by myself. This world is so different but so similar and I'm just teetering on the edge of looking at an uncanny valley."
A small pressure bore down on her back and she looked up at the spirit closer than ever before giving a gentle pat.
Tearing up the young woman gave the spirit a heartfelt smile and took the wreath off her lap.
"I made this earlier, and It is a bit too big for me," she held it up towards the spirit "So it's a good gift for you. It makes me feel a little homesick"
"The red flowers hung over their golden hoof and they blinked.
"Thank you, for you know- listening to me."
Sitting back on her hands she looked towards the flower
A small bud curled around her toes, startling her, and she looked back towards the spirit only to find them
Lifting her other foot up the young woman marveled that the blisters were gone.
"You truly are a kind" she
Putting on her socks and shoes, she plucked a red hibiscus and put it between her ear.
She didn't have an excuse to stay.
++
The young woman sat on a large stone, watching the waves of seafoam smashing against the protecting boulders and the sunrise beginning to illuminate the ocean in orange, pinks, and reds. The clear sound of a bell tolled and the small marsupial on her back stirred before nuzzling and going back to sleep.
"This world is so much like my own but it's not. Beaches, Fauna, Hot-springs and the snow-capped mountains. It's like it was all scrunched together into this one beautiful island."
Moving her shoulder she gestured to the sleeping marsupial.
"This little guy helps, taking care of his needs while he's growing up and just being my friend. I'm glad that unlike his idiot counterparts that he's already pretty intelligent"
"Worked up she heartedly continued, "Cool, my ass. Evolving just to eat leaves that slowly poison them, what a joke."
Sighing she looked towards the tiny bear, his ears tickling her nose.
"When I helped him you know, he was even smaller stuck up on a tree, with hoarders below waiting for the next fruit to drop. Don't know if they were predators but I chased them off and now I take care of him"
Slowly stroking his head she looks at the spirit beside her.
They sat together in silence looking at the sun as it rose higher. The first beam of sunlight hit her feet, rising higher and she opened her mouth to talk again.
"I'm going to travel, you know. Explore this new world, perhaps find a way home."
"Steadily meeting the eyes of the spirit she said,
"I'll be able to handle it, I've gotten better. Hopefully, I'll find some more familiar food overseas. Perhaps some buffalo cheese!"
She whirled around facing the sunset again as it slowly traveled up her torso.
"Even if it's not the same as back home, I can at least say I visited Hawaii!"
When the sunlight almost engulfed her completely she looked back at the spirit slowly leaving and yelled, waking up the baby on her back.
"Thank you for having me!- ah sorry! Calm down I got some berries in my bag for breakfast before we leave"
The spirit glanced back at the young woman flailing around and then disappeared.
++
A woman's boots crunched on the sand and stopped at the entrance to the ruins.
"Thank you for your help Flygon"
A red light enveloped her traveling companion and she tucked her Pokeball away in her knapsack.
When she entered the ruins, Komala's hands gripped her hair tighter.
"Ah don't worry, even if you haven't probably met them I'd like to think of us as friends at least. They did take care of me in a roundabout way you know" she smiled.
Her footsteps echoed throughout the ruins, and the bells tied in her hair chimed as she steadily made her way to the deepest room, being careful of the alcoves full of sinking sand.
Entering the room, her nose was immediately hit with the powerful aroma of flowers, red hibiscus, peonies, and a few splashes of other colours. Her eyes immediately looking up at the wooden throne platform, giant leaves encasing it with a wreath of hibiscus that had taken root in it.
The legendary silently regarded her from atop his flowery throne.
Stamens of red littered the floor, fallen from the blooming evergreen tree and the woman swept some aside as she put a cushion down to sit down.
Then she talked, of the people and pokemon she met overseas, the friends she's made, the search she's had for a way home and the possible leads she'd taken.
How welcome she was to be with these strangers from another world that has helped her.
She came back, she told them because wormholes have been opening up that used to be so rare have been becoming more common- how creatures, objects and all sorts of goods have been dropping into Alola.
"I want to help people who might accidentally drop in this world as I did," she said. "Despite what a wonderful world this is, it can be I don't want anyone to feel as lonely as I did. Perhaps I'll find my way home, or my family might stumble here if they're still looking for me. I know I am."
The woman gave them a wide grin that almost hurt, her eyes shining.
"Thank you Tapu Bulu, for being my guardian spirit"
She left the ruins, hair full of red flowers, a sleepy Komala and the sound of bells tolling behind her.