Disclaimer: I do not claim to own Pokemon or any of its characters.
What we show
(Day)
The boat was an old-timer, a veteran of the waves. The deck smelled faintly of fish, echoing its former profession. The planks creaked under foot, like the cackle of thunder from a distant sea storm. Yet, she was worthy of the sea, strong enough to take the waves.
All that was visible from my window, was the rotted iron safety bars a few inches below the horizon. The glistening blue waterline stretched out as far as the eyes could see.
I turned mine back towards the computer screen, a popping icon bounced at the top right. After several days at sea, I was finally receiving a message. I pressed the activation key quickly, desperate for someone new to talk to. The screen flickered to life, refocusing on the tanned figure who fiddled with the camera. It was a face I had grown quite familiar with in passing weeks.
"Hang on now. Gimme just a sec." My uncle's voice spoke out, I held my voice, waiting for him to be ready. He started waving, I hesitantly waved back, unsure if he could see me. "Hey there! Good afternoon! So the day has finally come that you're moving to Alola!"
I laughed, my uncle had often joked about me moving here. Often quoting it was 'Destiny'. But to be honest, while excited for the plush beaches, exotic women, and nautical-blue seas - I was more scared than anything!
My skin was pale, and prone to burn. Living my whole life in northern Sinnoh didn't help either. The heat sweltered and made me sweat, my face was undoubtedly oily, and I'd started to break out around the fringe of my forehead. My extended family had assumed much about my sudden, and unexpected move.
"You can skip the introduction Uncle, my mom has briefed me plenty about the Island." I smiled, giving him a thumbs up, close to the camera so he could see.
"Yes! But did she tell you that the region is chock full of nothing but rare and exciting Pokemon! Nothing like you'd see back in Sinnoh!" He looked so enthusiastic, I felt the compulsion to indulge him.
"Really?! How so?" I asked with a less than legitimate curiosity.
To be honest, I found the idea of Pokemon to be a frightening concept. Creatures capable of reducing Mountains to dust; harness the power of flames and the earth to turn a city to dust. This was no theory, it was a reality.
"There is no shortage of cool Pokemon out here in Alola!" He held a Pokeball up to the camera. "Such mysterious creatures!" The Pokeball flashed to life, a red stream exploded from the epicenter and a small creature came out. "You find 'em all over. In the grass, in the caves, in the sky and sea." The Pokemon barked at the camera, giving me a slight jump. "Here in Alola we love our Pokemon, and we depend on them heaps, too."
"I heard! You're the region's leading professor on Pokemon research, right?" I asked, dreading the answer. The Pokemon barked a few more times, interrupting my Uncle.
"Rockruff! Can you wait until I'm done talkin' to play?!" The Pokemon barked in agreement, heading off camera, before my Uncle turned to look at me once again. "All right. I gotta ask you some questions about yourself so I can introduce you to everybody!"
"Okay, shoot." I straightened myself up, ready for whatever these questions were.
"So which photo should I use for your trainer passport?" He showed me a selection of 4 photos I had sent in earlier. My eyes were drawn to the one on the far left.
It was a portrait photo. It showed all of my features clearly, styled black hair, honey-brown eyes, incredibly pale skin. The locket hanging from my neck was visible, the little blue gem faintly glowing in the camera light. A small smile with my head slightly tilted down. To be honest, it was my favourite - I know, such a poser. But who wouldn't want to look good in their passport?
"The one on the top left." I spoke, with a certain overeagerness, hoping he wouldn't find my excitement confusing.
"You okay with the one you chose, yeah?" He asked once more, I nodded my head in assurance. "Alright then, I'll let you spell out your name. Wouldn't want any mistakes" He laughed, putting his hand behind his head. I was frankly shocked, my uncle didn't know how to spell my name?!
"M." I said the first letter. He nodded his head slowly, I decided to fuck with him. "U. F. F." I paused, letting those four letters sink in, hoping he'd get the joke.
"So, you go by Muff?" He asked, perplexed by what I can only assume he thought was a nickname.
"No, no! I still go by Marcus. M. A. R. C. U. S." I corrected myself quickly, my cheeks flushed, one part amused one part embarrassment. I coughed. "Sorry that was a bad joke. I said laughing it off.
"10-4, good buddy!" He put his hand behind his head, laughing some. "I'll let everybody out here know you're on your way!" He crossed his arms, two pokemon this time emerged on screen. That Rockruff and a Pokemon I'd never seen before. "Marcus! Yeah. That's a name that hits you like a thunderbolt out of the sky! Woo!" He jeered, shocking me some with his sudden enthusiasm. I could help but smile at my uncle's compliment. "Can't wait to see you in person cousin!" I was confused by term. He took quick note.
"In Alola, it's a part of our culture to call our close buddies cousin." He did this… odd gesture with his hands. I simply nodded to show I understood. He waved and ended the call.
I took a deep breath, my head lulling back to look out the window. The sun hung above in perfect form, its touch stung a little, but I was welcome to the new sensation. A knock came at my cabin door, a sailor poked his head through the door his hand gesturing for me to come follow. I exhaled and got up out of my seated position.
Following him through the door my skin was blessed with the Alolan sea air. I took in another breath, the salt air was refreshing, it swept through my body like a cleansing wave. I let out a smile as my eyes were treated to the Island I would soon call my home. The curvatures of the new land mass made my eyes widen, the trees, mountains, how the clouds clung to the sky. Was simply divine.
A few more minutes and the ship was pulling into the harbour, in the distance, I could see one face in particular. That of my mom, a truck parked behind her. She was smiling from ear-to-ear. Her skin a notable shade more tanned than my own, honey-brown hair that sailed straight down to her mid back. My eyes a poor reflection of hers.
"Alola Marcus!" She cupped her hands together and shouted out across the waves to me.
"Hey Mom!" I shouted back, leaning over the railings to wave at her. I could see her eyes watering some as we drew closer.
I heard yelling, booming out from the insides of the ship. Followed by a loud scuffle, the sounds of crashing pans and shattering glass.
"Kid, look out!" One of the sailors screeched, I turned quickly to see something flying towards my face. Without even thinking, my fist coiled and I punched the creature. My fist collided with something soft, knocking it off its flight path, and to the ground unconscious.
"What the f~! I jumped back startled, clutching my now aching wrist.
My eyes refocused and I saw what had almost attacked me. It was a Pokemon, one's name I actually knew.
"It's a Starly!" One of the sailors reacted.
"Must have stown away in the pantry." I said, chiming in, shaking the pain out of my knuckles.
"Damn things, like flying Bidoof I tell ya!" The sailor remarked taking the fainted bird in her arms.
"Marcus! Is there a problem?!" I heard my mom yell from somewhere behind me. I turned around quickly, the boat was mere meters away from the dock.
"Nothing mom! Just a Pokemon!" I yelled back. I could see her eyes perk up, that look caused me to grumble internally.
"Oh bring it ashore! I'd hate to see the poor thing hurt!"
"Ay ay Ma'am!" The sailor chortled, I cringed at the sailors over the top caricature. I shook my head as I went in doors to collect some boxes.
After I'd moved most of the boxes ashore, I paused to collect my breath, a year of smoking had done little to improve my physical fitness, not that I minded, never needed to trudge very far in the snowed in city of Snowpoint. I wiped some sweat from my brow and approached my mom. She hugged me rather suddenly, almost taking me off my feet with her overwhelming strength.
"I missed you so much!" She squeezed the life out of me, I wheezed as she finally let go.
"I-I missed you to." I kissed her cheek, she took my hands within her own and pinched them lovingly.
"We have so much to catch up on! Come, leave your things, the movers will have them in the house soon. You must be starving!"
She took me by the hand and led me towards the city. She stopped just shy of the road, and took out this small device. She firmly pressed the button. I could feel the ground begin to rumble, a Pokemon soon stormed out from across the trials, it was huge, twice my height at least. It reared its feet and stopped in front of my mother. It had a saddle and everything pre equipped.
"Woah, easy now Mudsdale!" My mom held out an apple, feeding the tremendous Pokemon. "Here in Alola, we work with Pokemon and nature more than you do in Sinnoh. We use Pokemon to help us get around." She mounted the regal Pokemon and held out her hand, helping me get on. With a flick of the wrist she whipped the reins, and the Pokemon thundered down the road.
Its speed startled me, I clutched my mom's waist as the Pokemon bucked and heaved its whole body. My eyes watched the docks fly by, and devolve into a country road, my ears garnered the harsh sounds of the Pokemon's might hooves trampling the dirt.
We road like that for ten minutes. The Islands size surprised me, I'd always heard that Alola was quite small. Soon we stopped outside what looked like a small collection of houses. We got off the giant Pokemon, and she escorted me too a cozy looking house. It was gated off with a simple wooden fence, with an old weathered mail box.
"Ta-da!" She struck a pose outside the door, with her arms outstretched. "I know it doesn't look like much, and you're used to leaving in the 'big city'. But I think you'll love it, trust me. Now come, I've got someone I'd like you to meet!" She was so excited I couldn't help but grin idiotically. I slung my bag over my shoulders and followed her.
Walking through the door, the last thing I expected was to be tackled to the floor. A large grey Pokemon stood over me, lapping at my face with a rough tongue.
"Lyca!" My mom wailed, pulling the large and heavy Pokemon off of me. "I'm sorry I told her not to do that! She's been very excited to meet you." I shook my head, looking face to face with the large canid Pokemon. Its deep blue eyes were hauntingly beautiful, and its mouth hung ajar, panting happily as its tongue hung from its maw.
"Nice to meet you to!" I laughed, reaching out to touch the Pokemon's fur. I rubbed it, unexpectedly finding the fur to be rough and firm, yet silky to touch. It was well groomed, and looked beautiful, one of the more elegant Pokemon I'd ever seen.
"Lyca recently had puppies, so I hope you don't mind barking. I haven't been having much luck with finding homes for them." My mom helped me to my feet, quickly brushing me off.
"I'll get used to it. Don't worry about it! You forget Dad's Abomasnow is huge! I got used to that pretty quickly." I joked, smiling as I looked for a place to lay my bag down.
"Oh, I'll show you to your room! I saved the one with the best view for you!" My mom did a little eyebrow dance that earned a chuckle from me, she led me upstairs to a large bedroom with nothing more than a desk, bed, and airconditioner. But she was right. It had a hell of a view.
I shot right to the window. I had a whole view of the backyard and the sea. I watched in amazement as a few Pokemon played in the gated off yard, birds flew in the distance nesting in the giant palm trees.
"Did that one just move!?" I exclaimed, pointing to one palm tree in particular.
"Only if its exeggutor." My eyes widened.
"I remember someone saying they grew incredibly large out here! Is it true?"
"You'll have to find out for yourself." My mom teased ruffling my hair. "Welcome to Alola."
And what we don't
(Night)
"And that'll do it." I said, adding the final decoration to my bedroom. A painting my mum had made earlier that year. It was portait of Lyca, and one of her puppies. I thought it was adorable. I took a step back, to admire my new bedroom.
The bed had new sheets, embroidered with small silver snowflakes, I admit, it was quite girly. But my mother was so proud of her purchase, who was I to deny her that? We had installed a bookshelf, and I'd spent the better part of an hour arranging my various novella and collections of poetry.
I'd hung up some posters, mostly of the bands I liked. My computer was now on the desk, with a journal and a box of things my father had given to me when I left. I now had a bedside table with a novelty hula lamp on it. I loved the touristy vibe it gave off.
Most of my things were still in boxes downstairs, like clothes and my less personal belongings. All that was left were the things my mother had given to me, she placed a smaller bed at the side of my bed. For one of the many Rockruffs that inhabited our house. Last but not least, was the bird house that now hung outside my window. My mother had thought it a 'good' idea to adopt the Starly that snuck aboard the ship. She saw it as a cosmic metaphor for myself.
I heard the pitter patter of puppy coming up the stairs. I turned to see a little Pokemon, it seemed to be smiling at me. It barked, indicating it wanted me to go with it. I obediently followed the little Pokemon down the stairs. It led me to the terrace, where my mom was setting something up.
As I exited, I was stunned to find that it had already gotten dark outside.
"How long was I in the room?!" I stretched, taking in the sights of a darkened Alola.
"A few hours at least. Could you hand me the bandages?" My mum held out her hand, I looked around finding a small medical kit. Retrieving the bandage, I handed it to her. "You really did a number on this poor guy. Hurt his wing pretty bad."
"Well he shouldn't have flown directly at me! His own fault really." I guessed she was talking about the Starly.
"Oh Marcus. Say you're sorry." My mom joked, lightly punching my shoulder.
"I'll apologize when he does." I remarked with a hint of sarcasm.
"I set up the telescope. The one you brought with you."
"I can see that! Anything worth looking at around here?" I joked, moving my way towards the telescope.
"Right around… There. You might be able to see the Aether foundation. It's an artificial island. Beautiful white building in the center." I followed where she pointed with my eyes. I swiveled the telescope to the patch of sea she talked about. Faintly, I could see the lights from it with the naked eye.
Using my telescope, I got a closer look. The glass was blurred, but it soon focused. A large white, and brightly lit construct filled the lens. From our angle on the cliff, we were well above the roof of the Aether foundation. I could see through it, into the glass roof. The faint outline of what looked like trees and bushes poked into view. That area was dark and hard to see through.
"Yea! I think I see it. Want to look?" I took a step back, offering the telescope to my mother, she took a step forward and pressed her eye against the scope.
"That's it. Aether foundation. I always wanted to visit their menagerie. It's where they rehabilitate Pokemon." My mother added. I tried peering at it with the naked eye, but it was nothing but a distant speck in a vast black ocean.
"Hey, is it alright if I take a walk? I'm gonna go see that beach you emailed me about." I asked, rather suddenly, hoping it wouldn't come across as too bizarre.
"Honey, it's nearly 8'oclock! We can go to the beach tomorrow morning." My mother chuckled, not looking out from the scope, as she turned it towards the cosmos.
"I know, but… I really wanted to see how beautiful it as night. Plus, it's on my Alolan bucket list. 1. Spent first night sleeping on the beach. If you deny me that, I'm afraid it will have deadly and dangerous consequences for you in the future." I joked playfully, leaning in to whisper all of that into her ear.
I heard her sigh, which meant she was only seconds away from saying yes.
"Fine. But be home early tomorrow. And take the Starly with you. Its injured so it can't fly away, but you two should probably bond, I mean, you are the reason it's hurt." This time it was my turn to sigh. I turned to the pest Pokemon, it tilted its head at me with dry curiosity.
"Got it. But if it gets eaten by some, larger, more terrifying sea monster. Don't blame me," I stuck my tongue out at it, it's eyes widened in fear, not picking up on my sarcasm. "I'm just gonna go upstairs and get my bag!"
Quickly, and without pause, I ran upstairs and opened my bag. I darted towards my bedside table, and took out a medium sized metal container. I made sure it was closed properly before shoving it in my bag. Zipping it up, I made like a zubat out of hell for the door.
"Stop! You're forgetting something!" My mother said, making me slowly turn towards her. The Starly sat on her shoulder. "I'm not letting you go out there without protection. While he's not much… Neither are you." She teased, but nonetheless, the joke somewhat hurt my ego. She walked over to me and the bird hopped onto my shoulder. It was surprisingly light weight, and it didn't offset me too much.
"Have fun!" My mother said beaming from ear to ear.
"Don't worry, I will! Thanks mom!"
I walked along the beach, my heels digging into the sand with each step. I searched for a secluded spot, my eyes scanning for a quiet, private area. I noticed, a high reaching palm tree that gave just enough cover to be invisible from the houses on the upper cliffs. I ran to the spot and slung the bag off my shoulder, the Starly sitting on my shoulder yelped and hopped off, landing in the sand next to me. I didn't waste anytime in opening the bag, and taking out my small metal case.
I looked over my shoulder, making sure nobody was out on a late night stroll. Once I was sure, that I was truly and completely alone. I clicked open the lock, thumbing the combination through memory. Inside was my treasure trove, my stash. Taking a pre-rolled joint from the case, I quickly closed it and relocked it. With an addict's fervor, I put the rolled joint in my mouth. I dug around my pockets finding the matches I'd taken from home.
I struck one, and held the burning flame to the tip of my special cigarette. I took in a light breath, remembering the feel of its burning tickle on my throat. I rejoiced in the familiarity, letting the closeness of it all absorb me. I leaned back against the palm tree, and sank to my ass, sitting in the sand, eyes stressed on the sea and smoke.
Inhale. Exhale. Like a wave, the feeling of tranquility passed through me. I pressed the joint against my lips once more. Striking another match, holding it up to the tip once more. Inhale - a little deeper this time. I closed my eyes, tasting the cinders as they rolled across my throat, and into my lungs. I opened my eyes, the stars looked as if they'd blown out, twisted and become misshapen, moving slowly in a cosmic war that was much too enormous for my human brain to comprehend. My head pulsed and my body began to disconnect. I could feel every inch of flesh, my skin was cold, and my skeleton tingled. I let out a jittering breath as my spine shivered, sending a pulsar of pleasure through my being.
My hands felt the slight vibrations, as if an electric pulse was running through me. I slunk deeper into the sand, my fingers running through the grains of sand, my arms outstretching as if for miles, I groaned into the sensation, my toes curling at the slight thrill. I moved slowly, like I was drifting through the sea, watching the stars dance and intermingle. That sense of eternity, intensity of colour, the surreal detachment from the world. I felt time as it paused and weaved through the fabric of my reality. It felt so terribly absurd; a crazy sensation that only I could feel.
I felt a peck at my cheek, it was that Starly.
"What? You want some?" It's eyes widened, I wanted to dive into them. To swim in the maroon ocean and experience flight. I held up the still burning roll to its beak. It looked confused but nevertheless took it within its beak. "Breath it in, feel it in your chest, in your throat. Then let it go. Just keep doing that, until you forget what you were doing in the first place." I instructed. My hand fell back into the sand, like it was four seconds behind my brain.
I dug my nails into the sugary sand, begging for it to envelope me within its blanket. To hold me through the night. The wind felt like it was calling me; extending a velvet glove for mt to grasp. I wanted to dance with the porcelain queen of the sea, dance to the song of the minute. Starly lost its footing, and slumped against my head. Its feathers felt cold to my deadened nerves, I reached out, slowly touching and stroking. The softness of its down was intoxicating.
"How you feeling? Good shit right?" I laughed, and action reverberated through me, making my whole body raise to savour the sensation. It chirped silently in return, too spaced to understand. Too spaced in the feeling of warmth, and love. "I'm just gonna sleep here for a bit. You cool with that?" I turned my head to the Pokemon, it was already snoring. Made me giggle. I clenched my sides, trying to stop myself from laughing. "That's good shit you wasted." I scolded, lightly flicking its nose. I sat up, looking out to sea. I clutched the bird, taking it into my arms.
Looking out across the sea… I felt like shell on the bay, as I inhaled and exhaled the wind of the ocean calmly and surely swept through me. On the horizon, I could see a bright flash of blue, intensify and expand, like the moon had become a supernova. It collapsed on itself, I sat there watching the empty space. A few seconds later, an audible sound blew through me, like a clap of thunder. It jolted the Starly awake.
"You see that?" I asked it, looking at me with bloodshot eyes, blinking twice before swaying its head from side to side. My face contorted in confusion. "Must have been spiked with LSD. Tell me if you see anything out of place." I looked back down at the Pokemon. It was still blinking, looking up at me in complete wonder. It triggered me into a fit of giggling. "Oh yeah! You're a Pokemon! You can't tell me!" I collapsed back into the sand, closing my eyes for a few seconds.
When I opened them. The tingling sensation I craved had vanished, my mouth was incredibly dry, and my mind had dulled. I moved to rub my eyes, but the veins of sudden sunlight surprised me. I looked out across the ocean, the sun was beginning to rise. I could see thin wisps of cloud being stabbed by spears of golden light. The sea became tainted; no longer a void of black, brackish waters, it lay calm and still. Like a perfect mirror, it reflected the royal sky, with the twisting sun setting the seas a fire.
Its orange hues kissed the ripples of white clouds, they binded with its warmth turning into a pale red colour. I was left dumbstruck by the intense beauty of sunrise. I blinked some, trying to figure out if what I was seeing was real. I leaned forward, on my knees, in a religion that praised the purity of the sun.
A/N
As you've probably guessed, I've changed a few things so as to give a new backstory/twist to the formula you're already familiar with. Mature and impure is how'd I'd phrase it.
The fun stuff first. I'll be creating Alolan forms of Pokemon that were not lucky enough to get them in the Sun and Moon games. And I'm offering you, the readers, to create them with me. There will be a template on my profile where you can start creating the Alolan Pokemon of your dreams!
Now to the more serious... This story is going to be a mature reimagining of Pokemon Sun and Moon, with a tad more content and new story lines. There will be substance abuse, mature language, very adult themes, and smut. I do apologise if that's not your thing. So if that's not what you're interested in, do not read this. You have been warned.
Don't know if anyone else has tried this yet. But the tags for all the Sun and Moon characters except Moon and Solgaleo are up. Couldn't tag Sun, Hao and Lillie yet. When that becomes available I will set up the tags, but for now, the key characters are Marcus (Sun, male player character), and Lillie. Don't worry they are older. Both for this story they will be around 17-18.
I'm not aiming for this story to be darker than the original Pokemon, it's more a story about growing up and the trials that come with it, I hope it has a similar up beat tone and will be a fun journey. Albeit a more mature slightly trippy one intended for adult audiences. So kick back, and I hope you'll be reading in the future!