Chapter 1

Have you ever heard of Paradise? I'm sure you have. We've probably all dreamed of Paradise, a perfect place of beauty, peace, a place where we can relax and simply enjoy life. Well, they say that the Alola Islands are the typical definition of Paradise.

Four beautiful island - Melemele, Akala, Ula'ula, and Poni - along with a fifth, man-made island that specializes in the use of clean energy and is built as a Pokemon reserve where they take in sick or injured Pokemon and nurse them back to health were what made up the region. It's said that the islands were formed over thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of years of volcanic activity. The islands are said to be green, lush lands surrounded by beach on all sides and full of interesting new Pokemon I had never seen before.

Kukui, the local Pokemon Professor, had sent me and my mother a booklet featuring all sorts of information on the region. I had spent the last couple days looking through it, examining the different kinds of Pokemon, the varying places of the region, and more. It looked absolutely spectacular, and I couldn't wait to go. Still, I couldn't help but feel like I would miss my home here in Kanto.

I had gotten so used to the people here. I had made close friends, had a girlfriend for a short period of time, had my first break-up with said girlfriend when her parents disapproved of her dating another girl, dealt with my parents' divorce, lost the friends I had when they learned I liked girls... I rolled onto my side. Maybe I wouldn't miss this place so much after all.

My mother had taken both me and her out the other day to buy new clothes. Alola was a tropical region, after all. We were going to need clothes for a much warmer climate. Sure, I owned a number of skirts and tank tops, but I also owned a lot of long-sleeve shirts and pants and dresses, all clothes that would likely never need to be worn there. Besides, this gave me a chance to update my wardrobe a bit with a couple of cute halter tops and skirts and even a couple pairs of sandals.

Only one thing remained now, getting passports. Alola was on the complete opposite side of the world. Well, maybe not that far away, but it felt like it. We'd have to cross the date line to get to Alola, so while it was only a five hour time difference, it was simultaneously a nineteen hour time difference. Luckily, getting our passports wasn't a difficult task, and we were soon able to move.

The day of the move, I dressed in a white halter top that ended just above my stomach and a blue mini-skirt that wasn't quite knee-length. I tied a cute pink ribbon in my hair and donned my glasses, which had a rim around the lower half but not the upper half. I had brown hair that was shoulder-length and wavy. My eyes were heterochromatic, meaning my right eye was blue and my left eye was green.

We had several boxes we had packed up and had shipped off to our new house in Alola, so all we carried to the plane were a pair of suitcases. We sat down in our seats and I pulled out the booklet about Alola again. I was going over everything one last time.

Apparently, on the Alola Islands, there was this thing called an "Island Challenge". It was strange, because Alola didn't have a Pokemon League, which I found even stranger. Because of this, there weren't any gyms, there were "Trials" that involved fighting things called "Totem Pokemon". Defeating these trials earned you the ability to take on a "Grand Trial" against something called the "Island Kahuna". Apparently, it was the person in charge of of the island.

I was so excited for my arrival in Alola, so much so that it had made it hard to sleep the night before. Now on the plane, I could feel myself drift off into sleep.

-

"We're here, honey," my mom spoke with her sweet voice. I startled awake, realizing I had slept the whole trip there. "You must have been really tired."

I yawned rather loudly, much to my surprise. "I guess I was." I stood up from my seat and looked out of the plane window. My first glimpse of Alola, and already it was spectacular.

Alola didn't have it's own airport on any of the islands, so we had landed on the Aether Foundation Island, the man-made island I had told you about before. We would then be taking a ride by boat to Melemele Island where our new house was. Our first stop would be in Hau'oli City, as that's where the boat would drop us off at.

Seeing the crystal clear ocean around us made me grin something fiercely, and being able to see this sight every day was definitely going to be worth moving here. I sometimes wondered if the people who were born and raised here realized how lucky they were to live in such a gorgeous place.

As Melemele Island came into view, I could see the dormant volcano that was believed to be the cause of the island's creation. Settled next to it, I could see Hau'oli City, a small city if we're comparing it to Kanto's Saffron City, but then, you could fit the whole of Melemele Island inside of Saffron City and then some.

Hau'oli City stretched out across the entire length of the coast of the side of Melemele that we were on. The buildings weren't too tall, but the beach front was absolutely gorgeous. I could see a forest in the distance behind the city.

The smell of the clean ocean was spectacular, and I could feel the cool wind blowing against my body. It didn't take long before temptation overtook me and I slipped off my shirt. I didn't ever wear a bra and me wearing panties was questionable. I just didn't like clothes, they bothered my senses, so I wore as little of them as possible. Standing on the boat, my arms stretched out wide, wearing nothing but a skirt and sandals was a great feeling.

-

The boat soon arrived at Melemele Island, docking at the port of Hau'oli City. I had, of course, put my shirt back on when we arrived. We stepped off the boat with our luggage and my mom stretched. "That Alolan sun feels so good."

I giggled. "It does." I stretched as well.

"Well, honey, let's head to our new house."

"Ah!" a deep stern voice suddenly shouted. "Alola!"

Mom and I turned and my face turned deep red. There was a hot guy standing next to us. He couldn't have been much older than my mom, who was in her thirties. The man was buff, and I mean, he was really buff. He had tanned skin, which I assumed was his skin's natural color as I didn't see any tan lines. He wore a white labcoat with no shirt at all under her it along with a pair of stretch pants that ended at his knees. He had a pair of simple shoes on along with a hat with a visor. Lastly, a pair of sunglasses that looked much like a pair of tinted safety glasses sat on his face.

"Ah, Alola, Kukui." My mom gave a bow as she spoke those words.

"Now, now, you're in Alola now." Kukui smirked and put his hands out. He then pulled his hands apart in a sort of wave. "Alola!"

My mom smiled and repeated the gesture. "Alola!"

Kukui turned to me now. "Ah, this must be Mizuki." I quickly lifted my bag up and covered my face with it. I may have been open with my body, but I was also extremely shy. "Ah, the shy type, I see."

"This is Professor Kukui," Mom said to me. "Professor Kukui, this is my daughter, Mizuki. She's just turned sixteen yesterday. Well... today?"

Kukui chuckled. "Time zones are certainly a thing, aren't they? It's definitely past midnight back in Nihon at this point."

"Say hello to the Professor, dear," Mom spoke to me.

"H-hello," I spoke, only pulling my bag down a little. I think I'd have been less embarrassed if he had actually been wearing a shirt, but his hot body was out on display!

Kukui smiled at me. "Now, now, that's not how you greet someone in Alola. You have to do it right." Kukui did the hand motion again. "Alola!" I looked away without responding. "Come on, give it a try."

I sighed. I sat the bag down and made the hand gesture. "A-alola," I spoke quietly.

"Speak up a bit more, put all of your confidence into it." Kukui did the gesture again as he practically bellowed out, "Alola!"

I squeaked in response.

Kukui rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah, I'm sure you'll get it eventually." He turned back to my mother. "So, shall we head to your new house?"

"Certainly, though I must admit, I didn't expect to meet you here."

"Well, I wanted to be here when you arrived so that I could help you get around and even give you a tour if you needed."

"We appreciate it, actually." Mom smiled. "Come on, Mizuki."

"Lillie, we're going!" Kukui called out.

"Be right there!" a voice called out. Only a moment later, a girl came around the corner. She was absolutely stunning. She had long blonde hair that flowed down to her waist and was dressed in a pure white dress that was sleeveless and knee-length. She had a white hat with a large brim around it on her head and a pair of white sandals. A cylindrical bag sat at her side, held there by a strap that went around her chest and shoulder.

"This is my assistant, Lillie," Kukui spoke up. "Lillie, meet Mizuki and her mother, Anju."

"Alola," Lillie spoke and did the hand gesture. "Nice to meet you both."

"Nice to meet you as well, Lillie."

I didn't respond. I was too busy burying my face behind my bag again. I could feel my face was burning hot, so I could only assume I was blushing.

Mother giggled. I think she understood how I was feeling. "Well, then, let's get home."

-

Our new home was a simple building. It had a single room that served as both the living room and kitchen, then had two doors that lead to individual bedrooms and bathrooms. On the side, we also had a small patio that could be reached by opening some sliding glass doors. "This is a cute home," Lillie responded.

"Come on in," Mom spoke as she and I walked in. Kukui and Lillie followed shortly after. "What do you think, Mizuki?"

"It's nice," I responded quietly with a smile.

"Your room is on the right if you want to put your things down."

I nodded and walked into my new bedroom. The moment I was inside, I closed the door and let out a relaxed sigh. In my room, I was alone. In my room, I had privacy. "She's so pretty..." I sighed as I thought about Lillie. "What kind of chance do I think someone like me has with someone like her? I bet she's straight anyway..." I took off my watermelon shaped bag and the little hat I had worn and put them on the coat-rack in my room.

My room was a quaint place. My computer and bed were here, along with an assortment of my other items. I stepped over to the desk and examined the trophy that was sitting on it. It was from when I had been just ten years old and had won a Pokemon competition. Life was so simple back then. I didn't have to worry about things like romance. I sighed. What even was "romance"?

I thought back on the girl I had dated before. We had been friends for a good year or two before we started dating, but even back then, we hugged and cuddled. She wasn't the only person I did that with, though. I hugged and cuddled with all of my friends. When I started dating, I tried kissing for the first time. I enjoyed it, but soon I realized I wanted to do it with my other friends as well. I just... didn't feel any different about the girl I was dating than I felt about my other friends.

"It doesn't matter. Alola is a new place, and I'm a new me," I told myself. I grabbed my shirt and threw it off. I got into my bag and pulled out the bikini I had packed and slipped the top of it on. I wanted to be myself, to let my body be free, but I knew Kukui and Lillie likely wouldn't want to see me naked. Still... if Kukui could walk around without a shirt on...

No! I shook my head to try and shake the thought out of my mind. Guys walking around without a shirt on was usually okay in a lot of cultures. Girls walking around topless, though, was usually frowned upon. I'd just have to deal with wearing clothes until they left. After all, Mom had no issue with me taking off my clothes.

I opened the door to my room and quietly stepped out. Kukui, Lillie, and my mom were all sitting at the table conversing. I heard Kukui say something and my mom began to laugh. I quietly walked over to the table to see what was going on.

"Ah, come to join us, Mizuki?" Kukui asked.

I nodded then sat down. I looked towards Lillie and noticed her face was beat red.

My mom turned to me. I think she realized why I had changed. "You're home now, hun. You don't have to stay dressed if you don't want to."

"B-but, I don't want to make Kukui and Lillie uncomfortable."

Kukui chuckled. "Nonsense! I walk around the house in my underwear half the time! Please, get comfortable, it's your house."

Lillie cleared her throat. "That's also because every time you put clothes on, you start fighting one of your Pokemon for research and your clothes end up all torn up."

Kukui rubbed the back of his neck. "W-well, yeah... I suppose that's true..."

"Not to mention the hole you put in the roof yesterday because you had Raichu use Hyper Beam inside the house."

Kukui chuckled nervously. He rubbed his neck quicker. I could see he was visibly sweating. "W-well... sometimes I get caught up in the moment, yeah?"

Lillie looked away. "A-anyway... the Professor is right. It's your house. You should be in whatever state is the most relaxing for you."

Well, I did want to take off my top, but I could see Lillie wasn't going to be comfortable with that. "U-umm... you can, too... i-if you want..."

Lillie turned beat red. "Wh-what are you talking about? I-I can't just take my clothes off like that!" She looked away. "I... I'm not... pretty enough..." She said that very quietly, but I just barely heard it.

"You're plenty pretty!" I shouted out. "You're the most beautiful girl I've met!"

There was heavy silence between all of us as both Lillie and I became deep crimson.

I quickly turned away and buried my face in my hands. "F-forget I said that."

After a moment, I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked up to see Lillie smiling, her face still red. "Thank you."

"Oh, Kukui, when did you get Lillie as your assistant?" Mom asked. "I don't remember you ever mentioning her before."

"Ah, it was about a month ago," Kukui responded. "My wife found Lillie lying on the beach one morning. We don't know where she came from or anything. All she had with her was that bag she carries."

Lillie turned red again. "Y-you don't need to tell them that part!" she suddenly exclaimed.

"Wait... when you say that was all she had... you mean..." Mom paused and I saw Kukui nod which only made Lillie turn as red as she had been a moment ago. "Good heavens, I'm sorry to hear that, Lillie. At least the Professor was kind enough to buy you some clothes."

"Lillie refused, actually. Those are the clothes she had in her bag. She won't let either me or my wife buy her any other outfits."

"Why not dear?" Mom asked.

"I-I just..." Lillie looked away. "I don't... look good in anything..."

"You were plenty cute in many of those outfits Burnett wanted to buy you, though," Kukui responded.

"Thank you, Professor, but... I don't really think so..." Lillie rubbed the back of her neck.

"Well, surely you have more than just that one outfit, right?" Mom questioned.

Lillie shook her head. "I hide in the lounge whenever Burnett does laundry. Otherwise, this is all I have to wear."

"She's a stubborn one," Kukui folded his arms. "But, ah well. She's sixteen and I'm not her parent or even legal guardian. There's nothing I can do."

"Where are your parents?" Mom questioned. Lillie looked away with a saddened expression. "Oh... I'm sorry..."

"I-it's not what you think," Lillie suddenly spoke up as she waved her arms. "We're just... separate... so I doubt they've even realized I've gone missing."

"That's why Burnett offered to let her stay with us," Kukui spoke up. "No one's coming looking for her, there's no missing persons reports on her, nothing. So, until she wants to go back, she's free to stay."

"You can stay with us if you want!" I suddenly spoke up. Even I was surprised by that.

"Ah, thanks, but... I don't want to be a burden to anyone else," Lillie smiled, but I could tell it was a fake one. "I'd rather just live out on my own than be a burden."

"Which is exactly what Burnett refuses to let you do," Kukui spoke with a nod. Suddenly, I heard something begin to beep. Kukui looked down at his watch and pressed on it. "Ah, sorry to cut this short, but a package I've been waiting on is arriving at the lab in a few minutes. I have to go get it." Kukui stood to his feet. "Lillie, you can stay here as long as you want."

"Ah! I'm going to go back with you," Lillie responded. "You might need my help since Professor Burnett is out of town."

Kukui sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, if you're sure. I just thought you might enjoy spending more time with your new friend."

"W-well, I'm sure Mizuki would like to get out of her clothes, so if I come with you, she doesn't have to worry about me being uncomfortable."

"I suppose." Kukui turned back to my mom. "Well, Anju, I'll see you around, yeah?"

"Of course. You're free to stop by any time, Kukui," Mother responded with a smile.

"Alola, Anju. Alola, Mizuki." Kukui did the gesture again before he and Lillie walked out of the house.

Mom smiled at me. "So, you seemed to like her."

I turned red and looked down. "She was beautiful."

Mom chuckled as stepped over to me and out her hand on my shoulder. "I think she liked you, too. Now come on, I'm sure you want to get out of your clothes, right?" I didn't protest that at all. My clothes were tossed off in an instant. "Hungry? I'll make us some dinner." She put her hand to her chin. "Or... lunch? Time zones make things so complicated."

I chuckled. Alola was definitely going to be a different experience, and I couldn't wait to see how things changed from here.

"Oh bother... I'm going to have to unpack these boxes..." Mom sighed. "I'll do that later. Time to make some food!"