Moon took a deep breath. She had recently moved to Alola and would be starting her first day at Hau'oli City Junior High School. Sporting her school uniform which consisted of a light blue button down shirt, red striped tie, grey pleated skirt and matching grey blazer, she adjusted her book bag hanging on her shoulders before entering the front door. The school was impressive, with early 1900s European style architecture that reminded her of the pictures she had seen of Lumiose City in Kalos. The halls were crowded with other students, and there was the general morning chatter and buzz as students went to their lockers to organize their belongings. Moon located the school office and headed inside.
The secretary sat at a desk not to far from the entrance. She had poofy purple hair and green eyes, and sported pink glasses that reminded Moon of the 60s. Seeing Moon, she smiled. Moon noticed a metal nameplate engraved with "Wicke" on her desk.
"May I help you?" Wicke asked.
"Um, yes. My name is Moon, and this is my first day. I was told to stop in the school office to get my schedule." Moon replied shyly.
"Ah, yes. Nice to meet you, Moon. Here it is." Wicke grabbed a sheet of paper from a pile on the side. "Your homeroom is two zero one. It is on the second floor. Go up the stairs and take a right. Your locker is four hundred eighty-five. It should be not too far from your homeroom."
"Thank you!" Moon took the sheet of paper and headed out. She found the stairs that were in the exact center of the school and walked up to the second floor. After locating her locker and testing the combination, Moon organized her notebooks and then headed to room 201. She entered to find the room mostly full of students. Most were in engaged in conversations. The exception was a pretty girl with long blonde hair and green eyes staring out the window her desk was next to. Moon found an empty desk in the middle back of the room and placed her bookbag on top.
"Hi!" Moon turned around to find a medium skinned, dark haired boy smiling at her. "You're new, right? I'm Hau!"
Moon couldn't help but feel at ease upon seeing Hau's friendly expression. "I'm Moon."
"Moon, huh? That's a nice name!" Hau grinned widely, placing his hands behind his head. "Are you new to Hau'oli City?"
"Yes. Actually, I'm new to Alola as well. I moved from Kanto."
"Oh, wow! That's pretty far away. Where in Kanto did you live?" Hau asked.
"A small town called Pallet Town."
"Cool! I live in Iki Town. It's just outside of Hau'oli City and also pretty small, but this school is much better so I go here. Do you live in the city?" Hau asked.
"I live in the Hau'oli Outskirts. Mom wanted a quiet place by the ocean." Moon explained.
Hau nodded. "Yeah, Hau'oli City is pretty busy and loud so I can understand why some people would rather live outside the city. I'm happy to help you out if you need anything. Better yet, why don't we become friends?"
Moon couldn't help but giggle a bit. She liked this Hau. He was so nice and open. "Sure! Thank you!"
The teacher then walked in. "Okay, everyone to their seats." The students scattered to their desks. "I'm happy to announce we have a new student join us today who moved all the way from Kanto. Please welcome Moon."
Everyone looked at Moon. She felt herself blush at the attention. She waved awkwardly. "Hi."
"I'm Mr. Ilima, Moon. I also teach English and literature. Please let me know if you need anything. I'm sure it will take a few days to get adjusted."
Moon nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Mr. Ilima."
After the morning announcements on the PA system, the first bell rang.
"We don't have the same first period together, but we do have the same lunch period. I'll be sure to look for you!" Hau grinned before running off.
Moon looked at her schedule. She had math first period. She located room 101, and found a desk to sit at. A few students noticed her arrival. A boy with dark shaggy hair and blue eyes was looking at her curiously. Moon smiled back uncertainly.
After class, the dark haired boy approached her. "Hi, I'm Sun. I'm guessing you're a new student."
"Yep. I'm Moon." Moon introduced herself.
"Moon, huh?" Sun smiled. "Like day and night, huh? Our names that is. I don't think I ever met someone in person with grey eyes. They're really pretty."
Moon blushed. "Thank you."
"What class do you have next?" Sun asked as they walked down out of the classroom and into the hallway.
Moon glanced at her schedule. "Um, history."
"Cool! Me too. Room 204?" Sun looked pleased.
"Yep!" Moon confirmed on her schedule.
As they walked up the stairs, Sun asked, "What period do you have lunch?"
"Fifth," Moon replied. "You?"
"Hey, same! You should sit at my table!"
"Oh, do you know Hau? I met him in homeroom. I agreed to sit with him at lunch."
Sun grinned. "Hau's one of my best friends. He's great, isn't he?"
Moon was relieved the two were friends, and she wouldn't have to choose between them. "Yes, he was really friendly and helpful."
As they reached room 204, Sun motioned for Moon to sit in front of him. "Hau's the friendliest kid in this school. I've known him since we were in preschool. Oh, Mayor Hala is his grandfather, by the way."
The warning bell rang and Moon turned to face the front of the room.
The rest of the morning flew by. Soon, it was lunchtime. Moon headed to the cafeteria and located Hau, who was waiting at the entrance. "Moon, how was your morning?"
"Good!" Moon answered. "Oh, I met Sun. We have math and history together."
"Nice!" Hau grinned as he led Moon through the cafeteria. "Sun and I are great buds." They reached a table. "Here we are."
Soon, other students sat around the table, including Sun. Moon sat in between Sun and Hau. At one point, she glanced around, and saw the blonde girl from her classroom sitting at a table by herself.
"Hey, Hau? Who's that blonde girl that's also in our homeroom?" Moon asked.
"Oh, that's Lillie. She pretty new. She started here a couple of months ago." Hau frowned a bit. "I introduced myself and suggested we be friends, but she tends to keep to herself. I don't really see her interacting with anyone. I'm not sure if she is just super shy or standoffish"
"We nicknamed her the ice beauty." Another kid piped up. "She kinda gives an impression that she's better than us. I mean, well, she is pretty, but just in how she keeps a distance from everyone."
"And Hau has the biggest crush on her!" Another kid grinned.
Hau turned beet red. "Shut up!" He pretended to mock strangle the kid. Everyone laughed.
"Hmm." Moon looked curiously at Lillie before being distracted by Sun.
"I think Moon is pretty too." He smiled at her, a slight pink tint showing on his cheeks.
Moon blushed. Hau looked curiously at his best friend and his newest friend. He took a bite of his malasada looking thoughtful.
"Oh, do we have access to the roof here?" Moon asked.
Hau looked surprised. "The roof?" He asked after swallowing. "I mean, I guess, but why?"
"I was thinking it would be a cool place to take some pictures from, given the school is four stories." Moon explained.
"Oh, are you into photography?" Sun asked.
Moon nodded. "I have an Instagram account I post my photography to."
"Oh, talking about Instagram...what's your cell so we can text? I couldn't ask you earlier since the school is pretty strict about no cell phones out during classes." Sun asked.
"Hey, me too!" Hau whined.
Moon laughed and exchanged numbers with her two new friends.
The rest of the day went smoothly. Moon liked all of her teachers. Her art teacher, Ms. Mina, was quirky, which Moon liked for an art instructor. After the final bell rang, Moon headed to her locker and packed her bag. She then headed to the fourth floor and located the stairs to the roof. She headed to the edge where there was a short barrier up along the ledge to get a better view. She could see most of Hau'oli City, including the coastline. People walked below. The ocean sparkled a bright blue color, and the sky was pure blue without a cloud in sight. Umbrellas peppered the beach, and there were swimmers in the ocean not far from the shore. A gentle breeze that smelled like salt water ruffled Moon's dark chin length hair gently. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again.
"This is great!" Moon exclaimed out loud.
"Would you be quiet? I was sleeping." A bored voice spoke. Moon turned around to see a blonde haired boy with a choppy hair cut covering one half of his face lying along a wall. His shirt was unbuttoned at the top and his tie was loose around his neck. He had black leather studded bracelets around his right wrist and his left ear had multiple piercings. He was inspecting her warily with piercing light green eyes. "You're too loud."
Moon gulped. By the looks of it, this boy likely fell into the category of "trouble kids" as her mom put it. "I-I'm sorry. I was just interested in the view. I didn't know anyone else was here."
The boy stretched and sat up. "Well, I sleep up here regularly, so now you know."
Moon pursed her lips. Something about this boy was rubbing her the wrong way. "It's not like you own this roof. It's school property, so I can come up here if I please." She was feeling defiant.
"I know that." The boy snapped, glaring at her. "Why did you want to see the view anyway?"
"To see if it was good for photography," Moon said quietly, cowering a bit under the boy's scrutinizing look.
The boy's cell buzzed. He glanced at it and sighed. Standing up, he said, without looking at Moon, "As long as you do it quietly, I don't care." He walked towards the roof exit.
"Thank you!" Moon called after him, smiling. He glanced back at her briefly before heading indoors.
Moon took one last look at the beach and ocean. She was worried she would have trouble with that boy, but he wasn't as bad as she thought. Moon headed indoors herself and downstairs to the first floor. She saw she had texts from Sun and Hau.
We should do something this weekend! Hau and I can show you the cool places in Hau'oli City. Sun had texted. Moon smiled at the text.
Absolutely! She replied. She then read Hau's text.
Hey, how was the roof?
Moon texted back.
It was amazing. Everything I was hoping for. But there was this weird boy on the roof, kinda mean.
Hau almost immediately texted back.
He didn't hurt you, did he?
Moon replied back. No, just kinda glared at me. Maybe verbally picked on me a bit. Who is he?
That's Gladion. He's a year older than us, in eighth grade, but he hangs out with this high school gang who calls themselves Team Skull. They cause trouble in Alola. Though I guess Gladion hasn't caused trouble himself yet. But he skips classes a lot. He's scary.
Moon thought back to Gladion. Well, I'll be careful to avoid him, she replied.
Moon headed home on the bus that went to the stop at the Hau'oli Outskirts.
"Hi, Moon. How was your day?" Moon's mom was preparing dinner.
"Interesting. I made some friends, Sun and Moon. There's also this really pretty girl named Lillie, but she's kinda a loner, I think." Moon decided to leave her encounter with Gladion out.
Mom nodded. "Good, I'm glad to hear you are making friends."
Moon went back to her bedroom to drop off her bag and change into a pair of shorts and a plain v-neck tee. She worked on her homework until Mom told her dinner was ready. The two ate together, and Moon helped wash the dishes. She went back to her room to finish the bit of homework she had left. Once that was done, she glanced at her cell. Seven o'clock. Too early for bed. Moon mused. She exited her room, and found her mom watching TV in the living room.
"Mom, do you mind if I take a walk?" Moon asked.
Mom nodded in approval. "Go ahead, honey. Just take your cell phone with you."
"I will." Moon rushed back to her room to grab her cell phone and put on her sandals before heading out. The sun had just set, and dusk was settling in. She walked along the sidewalk, admiring the flowers and greenery. Even with the darkening sky, the colors of everything were so much more vibrant here than in Kanto. As she headed along a path than led to Iki Town, Moon spotted Lillie sitting by herself on a bench.
"Hi! I recognize you from homeroom. I'm Moon," Moon introduced herself.
Lillie seemed to take a moment to judge Moon before deciding whether to respond or not. She then smiled shyly. "I'm Lillie."
Moon motioned to the empty space next to Lillie on the bench. "Do you mind if I join you for a moment?"
Lillie shook her head. "Go ahead."
Moon sat down. "Have you lived long in Alola?" Moon asked.
Lillie nodded. "I was born and raised here. But I lived on a different island until recently."
"I see." That made sense. Moon wondered how much the islands differed. Lillie reminded her of some of the popular idols that came from the Kalos region with her lighter hair and eyes. Even her clothes seemed high end. Maybe her parents moved from that area at some point? Moon mused.
"So you're from Kanto?" Lillie asked. "What is Kanto like?"
"Hmm," Moon looked thoughtful. "It is a mix of bigger cities and smaller towns. There's a large mountain range to the west that separates Kanto from Johto, and there is an watery area to the south. It's pretty populated, and more modern than Johto is. It can get cool in the winter, but not so cold that we get snow."
Lillie nodded, looking interested. "I haven't traveled ever out of Alola, so I love hearing about other areas of the world."
"I think you'll like it," Moon nodded. "I want to be able to travel to Kalos and Unova some day. Both are super big countries and contain pretty unique architecture. Both would be great to sightsee."
"Hey, Moon?" Lillie began.
"Hmm?" Moon waited.
"Do you pick out your own clothes?"
"Huh?" Moon was surprised by the odd question. "I guess so? I mean, my mom won't let be buy anything that could be to risque, but otherwise, yeah."
"Hmm." Lillie looked lost in thought.
Moon glanced at Lillie. Maybe she had one of those helicopter parents, Moon thought. There were a few kids she knew back at her old school that dealt with those. The parents dictated everything they did, from what after school activities they participated in to what clothes they wear. That would make sense then as to why Lillie keeps to herself.
Moon's phone buzzed. It was a text from Sun with a link. This is the place Hau and I usually like to go to for lunch. It has lots of options. Hope it looks good to you.
Moon quickly texted back. I'm not picky. I'm sure it will be fine.
Moon noticed Lillie watching her. "It's good you have made friends already."
"Um, thanks," Moon replied. "What about you?" She couldn't help but ask, remembering Lillie by herself during homeroom and lunch.
Lillie shook her head and stood up. "It's getting late. I should head home."
"Um, okay, I guess I will too. Nice talking to you." Moon said.
Lillie smiled politely before walking off.
Strange girl, Moon couldn't help but think to herself. As she walked home, she was blocked by two teenagers dressed head to toe in black. There was a skull logo on their tanks."
"Give us your money." One said.
That must be Team Skull. Moon just walked around them, ignoring them.
"Hey," One reached out for her arm, stopping her. "Are you deaf or something?"
Moon glared at him and shrugged his hand off. "I don't have any money on me."
"Then give us your cell phone." The other said, pulling out a small knife.
"Hey!" A familiar voice yelled. Moon looked to see Gladion walking toward them. He was dressed in black ripped pants, a black hoodie that had some rips in the arms, and red sneakers. "Are you two stupid? How much money do you think a kid has on them? Not worth your time."
"Oh, it's Gladion." One smirked. "Not a true Team Skull member. Guzma only let you join because he likes you for some reason."
Gladion glared at them. "Back off. Attacking kids is low."
The one Team Skull member glared at him. "Whatever. It's not worth arguing with you." He turned to his comrade. "C'mon, let's go find some other targets." His comrade nodded and the two headed off.
Gladion sighed and started to walk off.
"Thanks!" Moon called after him. Moon could swear his ears turned pink, but in the dark it was hard to tell for certain. A small smile played on her lips. She watched his retreating figure for a few seconds before turning around and heading home.
This is a repost from my account at Wattpad. After some debate, I decided to also post it here as well. I had issues with Doc Manager, so if by chance you read the ugly formatted version, I do apologize.