...well I can't believe I got chapter 2 of this story ready all ready...when I really should be working on MY OTHER STORIES! WHY ARE POKEMON SUN AND MOON SO DAMN GOOD?! I CAN'T HELP MYSELF! I WANT TO WRITE THIS WHOLE STORY ALREADY!
Ahem...but anyways, yeah. Chapter 2. Oh boy, you guys probably know what that means after Sun's failed attempt to catch Tapu Koko...JUST...WHICH...POKEMON...IS HE GOING TO PICK?! ANY GUESSES BEFORE YOU READ?! SUBMIT YOUR GUESS INTO A REVIEW AND LET THE WHOLE WORLD KNOW OF YOUR RIGHT/WRONG ANSWER! But yeah, if you guys know anything about my character by this time (other than his uncanny ability to continually smile forever), you would already have narrowed down your choices to 2 of the starter Pokémon. So, fifty-fifty chance. My only hint is that I picked the same starter...but that really isn't much of a hint because you guys don't know me! Haha!
But anyways. Thanks to all of you who read, reviewed, favorited, and followed. I greatly appreciate that you guys enjoyed this story enough to do one of those things. For all who reviewed talking about Sun's character, I'm seriously glad that you guys like it. After playing through the game almost completely blank-faced, I just had to write a story about it. Sure, the other protagonists in the other Pokémon games probably looked as blank as Sun and Moon but it's especially more prominent in these games than others. Makes you laugh like how some games allow you to wear the most ridiculous outfits during the most serious cutscenes...coughprozdcough. But anyways...to Gossu, I'm sorry but it just might take a while for Moon to come into the equation. She might not be as "psychopathic" as Sun, but she definitely has her own quirks coughshoppingtoomuchcough.
But anyways, I'm pretty sure you guys just want to get on with this story rather than hear my idiotic speech so I'll stop here. Hope you guys enjoy!
A Splashing Entrance
As the two kids silently walked down the slope, Sun's mind wandered back to the problem he had about finding the kahuna of Melemele Island. Returning to Iki Town without the person he was actually required to find made it seem like he failed the little task that Professor Kukui asked of him. Truthfully though, he didn't mind that he couldn't complete that request. He knew that eventually it would solve itself considering how Professor Kukui did say they were all planning to meet in town in the first place. Perhaps the kahuna had already returned and was simply waiting for Sun so that the boy could finally receive his first Alolan Pokémon. It was definitely possible. At least, Sun hoped that that was what happened.
Sun glanced over his left shoulder since his right one was occupied by Cloud. He could see that the girl was clutching her bag tightly with Nebby safely tucked away. Her mouth was sealed shut as she watched where she stepped on the dirt path. She seemed to have flinched slightly when she noticed Sun watching her. The boy's mouth twitched slightly in annoyance before he turned back to walk forward again. He had a feeling that the girl knew there was something weird with him. Not a lot of people could sense it, he knew. But somehow she managed to. Probably it was when he attempted to catch Tapu Koko. She did look at him weird then. Either way, she still didn't seem to be in the mood to talk. That was just fine with him.
The boy felt his pikachu shift on his shoulder. A small spark at his cheek alerted him that Cloud was trying to get his attention. He looked over to glance questioningly at the electric mouse Pokémon. "Pi…pika pika?" Cloud asked nervously. Sun sighed apologetically. He scratched underneath Cloud's chin, earning a hesitant chirp of appreciation.
"Don't worry, Cloud. I'm not mad at you," he whispered so the girl wouldn't hear.
"Chu, pi? Pikachu?"
"Oh, I'm still upset that I couldn't catch Tapu Koko, but there's nothing we could do about it now, could we? So let's just see where the chips fall as they may," Sun replied. He faced forward again to ensure that he wouldn't trip and break his neck. It was quite dark with only the stars and moon out to light their way through the trees' foliage, and even then it was still difficult to see. Thankfully the return trip took less time than the first walk. Sun attributed to them already knowing their destination and seeing the sights beforehand. Soon enough they broke free from the entrance of the forest. The darkness that shadowed their sight cleared away to reveal the town of Iki lit by multiple torches. From his position, Sun saw his taskmaster speaking with an old, white-moustache man wearing his white hair in a top-knot like ponytail. The newcomer wore a yellow robe with white patterns over a blue shirt and white pants and had a fan tucked in a white knotted belt. Even from this distance, Sun immediately knew that the old man was the kahuna. The professor was surprisingly right. He would know who the kahuna was just because he looked like one. Sun wondered whether that would be true for all the island kahunas.
"Oh, Professor! Professor!" the girl behind Sun suddenly cried out, surprising the boy. She rushed past him, making sure that she didn't push him aside. Hearing the abrupt call, both the professor and assuming kahuna looked up. Professor Kukui smiled and waved once he recognized who was calling him.
"Hey there, Lillie, Sun!" Kukui shouted back. "Come on over! I've got somebody special here, yeah!" The right side of Sun's smile twitched slightly as he also made his way over there. He noticed that there were a couple more people around seeing how the kahuna was now present. Walking around the raised platform in the middle, he finally reached the small group consisting of the professor, the kahuna, and the girl. Lillie. He mentally stored that away for future usage. Hopefully she also took notice of his own name when Kukui called back. Otherwise he'd have to reintroduce himself to her. That wouldn't exactly be a bad thing since they needed proper introductions anyways. The professor then gestured to the older man beside him. "Sun, this is the kahuna of our island, Hala. Hala, this here is Nova's boy, Sun."
"Pleased to meet you, sir," Sun said as he extended his hand. When Hala took his hand, Sun's eyebrow went up slightly in surprise at the unexpected strength of the old man. He quickly recomposed himself to smile brightly at the kahuna.
"It's a pleasure to meet you too, my boy. And just call me Hala. No need for those polite sirs. I'm sorry for not being here earlier. As kahuna of Melemele Island, I have to resolve any problems here." Sun quickly waved away the apology, making Hala's smile widen. The kahuna then spread his arms out in a grandiose gesture. "Welcome to Alola! How are you liking it so far?"
"It's really beautiful. I think I'm going to enjoy my time here very much." Sun's smile twitched slightly on its left. From the corner of his eye, he could see Lillie staring at the kahuna as if she wanted to say something. After some hesitation, she finally managed to gather the courage to say:
"Oh, um…Kahuna Hala?"
"Yes, Lillie. What is it?"
"Nebby was being attacked by Spearow on Plank Bridge when…Sun helped it get away." Sun could tell from the pause that Lillie tried to recall his name from the professor's greeting. She continued, "But the bridge collapsed, and I thought both of them might fall to the bottom of the ravine. And that was when the island's guardian swooped in to save them!" It looked like Lillie wanted to say something else, but she sealed her lips tightly into a smile.
Almost immediately the whole crowd was swarmed with shocked murmurs. Both men's face mirrored the same surprise that everybody else had. Professor Kukui placed both hands on his hips as he leaned forward slightly. He shook his head, the smile and shock clear in his voice, "Woo! That's something you don't hear every day!"
"Ho! So that was why I saw Tapu Koko flying!" Hala agreed. "Although it is said to protect us, our Tapu Koko is a rather fickle creature. Yet our guardian was moved to save you." Upon hearing that, Sun's smile faded slightly. He wondered what about him could merit saving from the legendary Pokémon. As far as he knew, Tapu Koko would have been in a better position if it didn't save him from the danger he put himself in. The island guardian wouldn't have somebody crazy hunting him down. At least Sun appreciated how Lillie seemed to have remembered her promise about not telling the others about his capture failure. The boy mentally shook his thoughts away to refocus on what old Hala was saying. "Kukui, my boy, I think we have cause to celebrate! Even though he already has his own Pokémon, I think I should still entrust this brave and kind young boy with a Pokémon as a gift of thanks. We'll make a fine trainer out of him."
The kahuna then turned to the raised platform. Sun could feel a sense of anticipation from the surrounding crowd. Cloud quivered on his shoulder as the excitement was also getting to the pikachu. He knew that they were going to get a new teammate soon. Although he was excited like everybody else, Cloud was also very nervous. He felt a comforting finger curl underneath his chin. He squeaked in delight at the reassurance from his trainer. Though his nervousness was justified, Cloud rubbed his cheek against Sun's with a light jolt to let his trainer know that he wasn't as anxious as before.
"Come, my Pokémon! Let's have a look at you!" Hala threw three pokeballs in the air. Sun watched each of them intently, wondering to himself exactly what kind of Pokémon the kahuna had in store for him.
From the first pokeball, a flash of white revealed a round owl. It flapped its little, brown wings quickly to land safely on the platform. It stared at Sun almost as soullessly as the stare the boy was giving it. It had a small green bowtie that Sun recognized as leaves. While it was mostly brown, some under feathers were white like its face.
The second pokeball released a black catlike Pokémon. Sun's mouth immediately twitched slightly at the sight of a creature similar in appearance to his mother's meowth. On each of its legs it had two red stripes while its head had a vertical one with two horizontal stripes through it. It also had a large tuft of red fur on either side of its cheeks and a tuft at the end of its tail. It glared at Sun lazily with its yellow eyes. The boy heard it hissing slightly at him, and he guessed correctly that it returned the same animosity.
For the last pokeball, a blue Pokémon landed on its two tail fins with its two flippers in posed in the air before it rested on the platform. The sea lion smiled at Sun with a happy grin and large eyes. A long white snout, black whiskers, and round pink nose completed the Pokémon's face. It also had a light blue ruff like a clown's extending past its shoulders.
"Pika…" Cloud muttered as he also examined the new Pokémon with his trainer. He already knew that one of those starters was out of the question, so he wondered which of the remaining two Sun would choose. Though it seemed like the owl looked to be an optimal choice, the sea lion was also cute in its own right. Cloud wasn't sure about Sun's choice. His trainer could be quite unpredictable at times.
Hala began introducing the boy to the starters. "First is the grass-type Pokémon, Rowlet!" At its name, the rowlet spun in a circle with a light "koo!" Sun saw that its tail also represented a leaf, making the right side of his smile move a bit. "Next is the fire-type Pokémon, Litten!" The litten begrudgingly meowed at Sun. The boy's smile twitched slightly, and the litten took a small step back, its nonchalant expression flickering a bit. Nobody seemed to notice the fire cat Pokémon's unease as they focused on the last introduction. "And last is the water-type Pokémon, Popplio!" Said Pokémon responded with a "bwark?" and clapped excitedly with its tail fins. It smiled again at Sun. The boy couldn't help but widen his smile a bit in return. Then he heard Hala ask, "Which Pokémon will you choose?"
At the question, it seemed as if everybody agreed to hold their breath in expectancy. The simple yet meaningful question plagued all their minds. They watched the new boy cross his arms, close his eyes, and tilt his head in thought. Lillie gripped her bag tightly while Kukui and Hala watched calmly, only their eyes speaking volumes of the enjoyment they were experiencing. Sun's mouth moved in a small whisper, and Cloud responded with his own quiet squeak. Then Sun opened his eyes, his smile widening. He walked forward. And pointed to the popplio.
The popplio blinked with its eyes wide in surprise, its gaze never wavering from the trainer since it first appeared. Then it giggled excitedly when it realized that this nice, smiling boy picked it. "Bwark! Bwark!" it cried joyfully. Everybody cheered along with it. Sun held out both hands towards the water starter. At the prompt the popplio leapt happily from the platform into Sun's arms. The boy immediately petted its head, earning barks of contentment. Cloud waved a paw in greeting at the newest member in their team. The popplio responded to the welcome with a happy bark of its own. Sun's smile widened at the immediate friendship Cloud struck. He heard Hala laughing behind him. The laugh sounded like something for an inside joke, making him turn around in question.
"Ho! We usually see if the starter Pokémon also chooses the trainer since it's only then that you can truly call each other partners, but I think we don't need to do that with how attached Popplio is to you now!" the old man boomed. He returned the other two starters and handed Sun the popplio's pokeball. A few people went to congratulate Sun, causing his smile to twitch slightly, before both Kukui and Lillie were able to come up to him.
"I'm sure you two would make a great team together!" Lillie smiled.
"That's right! I can't wait to see the different moves you guys can perform together, yeah!" Professor Kukui laughed. "So are you going to give a nickname to him?" The older man gestured to the now-clapping popplio still in Sun's arms. Sun nodded in answer. He gently lifted the popplio away to make him face the boy. He smiled brightly.
"Hello there, Blue Doll! Welcome to our team!"
"Pikachu!" Cloud also smiled.
"Bwark!" Blue Doll cheered.
"Nice to meet you, Blue Doll," Lillie smiled. Professor Kukui also added his greeting as he waved to the popplio. Blue Doll turned to both of them and clapped in their direction. "I think you chose a wonderful Pokémon. Please take good care of it," Lillie continued.
The right side of Sun's smile twitched slightly. "Oh, you can be sure that Blue Doll is in good hands. Right, Cloud?" The pikachu nodded confirmation.
Professor Kukui then stepped forward with something red in his hands. When Sun looked at it curiously the professor held it out to him. The boy took it gingerly, as if he might break it if he wasn't too careful. "Here. I'm sure you'll find this gift useful on your journey, Sun." Initially rectangular in shape, its top gave way to a more oval shape while its bottom had two half circles as if to serve as feet. The screen was also supposed to be rectangular but also at the top shaped into two ovals that could only be described as eyelike. Sun realized that the professor had just given him a pokedex, a slightly weird shaped one at that. He had seen pokedexes before, but this one looked nothing like the old ones. Did technology evolve this far to be this stupid-looking? Sun wasn't sure. At least the blocky thing was barely small enough to put into his pocket still.
"Thank you," he said politely.
"That pokedex would be able to scan all kinds of Pokémon in Alola, yeah. Blue Doll is already even registered! And this is a Trainer Passport that I had put together for you." The professor also gave him a small booklet. "You'll need it for the Island Challenge." Sun nodded. He placed Blue Doll on the ground before taking the passport. Cloud immediately jumped off his shoulder to converse with the popplio. Sun's smile twitched slightly on its right side when he understood what his first Pokémon was telling his starter as he stored the trainer passport deep with his wallet and his first passport. Sun shouldered his backpack back on. Then he picked up Blue Doll again. He noticed how Cloud sighed in resignation while the pikachu climbed to his usual spot of Sun's shoulder. Blue Doll had apparently listened to Cloud's warnings with a blank face. He didn't really understand what the pikachu was trying to say about their trainer. Something about don't get him mad or something. But Blue Doll was sure everything would be okay with the obviously nice Sun.
"I'm going to go on ahead home to show Mom my new Pokémon," Sun said to Kukui in a slightly raised voice to let people know that he was leaving. The professor nodded in agreement.
"I'm sure your mom would be ecstatic when she sees Blue Doll."
"Oh she would be," Sun agreed before he started walking down the hill. The people parted the way to let the boy with a popplio in his arms and a pikachu on his shoulders through while still congratulating him on both the Tapu Koko save and popplio receiving. For a brief moment Sun thought he might suffocate with all the people crowded around him. Soon though he stepped clear of the swarms to head back home. He inhaled sharply, for once not taking in the odor of human bodies surrounding him. He couldn't wait to get home and introduce his mother to Blue Doll. His smile widened slightly as he thought about his newest Pokemon. Overwhelmed with affection for the little guy, Sun scratched Blue Doll's chin. He was only slightly distracted so he heard the sprinting sound coming for him. He looked up to see who was fast approaching him. A boy about his age stopped a few feet away from Sun.
The newcomer's mouth widened brightly, his grin almost a mirror image of Sun's own smile. He wore his hair in a similar fashion as Hala while he had on a black T-shirt with orange shorts. Sun could see the straps of an orange backpack behind the boy. "Hey! You and me! Let's have a Pokémon battle!" the stranger shouted eagerly. Sun's smile twitched slightly at the boy's behavior. Cloud felt his trainer already loosening his shoulders slightly, a sign that the boy was about ready to retire for the day. The pikachu could tell that Sun was annoyed by this unforeseen battle. If only he could refuse the battle request…
"Dahahaha! Where's the fire, boy?" Sun heard the kahuna ask behind him. When he glanced over his shoulder, he saw said man walking with Professor Kukui and Lillie. "And what kind of a Pokémon battle would that be where you don't even give a name first, eh?" The boy's smile turned slightly sheepish at the slight scolding.
"Fair enough," he conceded. He turned back towards Sun, linking his hands behind his head. "Then I'm Hau. And my partners are Pichu and Litten!" Upon hearing that one familiar name, Sun's smile twitched slightly again. Cloud's ears flicked forward when he heard the name of his pre evolution. "Your pikachu and popplio look really cool, too!"
"Oh. Thanks." Sun tightened his hug around the little Pokémon. "My name's Sun. I'm sure you'll be able to get a pikachu soon. But it won't be anything like mine." Only Cloud heard the last quiet statement, and although he appreciated the praise, he hoped that Sun wouldn't make a nasty habit of subtly putting everybody down like that. At least nobody would really notice, hopefully.
"Yeah! So let's battle! After I heard that a new person moved in, I've been looking all over for you! I couldn't wait for the chance to meet you! So let's battle!" Hau repeated.
"Um…" Hearing the soft hesitation, Sun turned around to look at Lillie. Her hands were wringing the strap of Nebby's bag. If she held it any more tightly, then she would have to get a new strap to replace her torn one. "I don't really like to see Pokémon battles where Pokémon can get hurt…but I'll watch for you."
"You know you don't have to," Sun said, the smile still on his face. "We're not forcing you to." Lillie shook her head even before Sun finished his sentence.
"I'll be fine. I really want to see how you bond with your Pokémon."
"Oh yeah, your first battle in Alola already! Let's see what kind of moves you got, Sun! Woo!" Kukui cheered. The right side of Sun's smile moved a bit in amusement. Except this would actually be my second battle if you count my attempt to capture Tapu Koko to be my first…he thought to himself. He noticed how the townspeople were starting to gather around them again in anticipation for a Pokémon battle. It looked like Sun didn't have a choice in the matter anymore. It was as if Hau had tricked him into having this battle by having so many witnesses to his challenge. It irritated Sun slightly but not enough to upset him. Sun jumped slightly when he felt a warm hand clasp his shoulder. He looked up to see old Hala grinning at him.
"I appreciate you being willing to take on my grandson here. I expect a good, one on one, no-holds-barred battle from the both of you!"
Sun nodded in understanding before facing Hau again. The boy took multiple steps back in order to make ample room for the fighting Pokémon. Once he judged the distance to be about enough, he waved to his opponent.
"You ready, Sun?"
"Oh, I'm ready," Sun said, the right side of his smile twitching slightly.
"All right! This is gonna be great!" Hau grabbed a pokeball from his belt and threw it into the air. "Litten, I choose you!" In a flash of white, the fire cat Pokémon appeared, landing on all fours gracefully. It meowed once before it licked its paw clean. Sun couldn't help his smile from twitching at the sight of the litten. However he kept his composure as he set Blue Doll down.
"Bwark?" the popplio asked curiously. He turned around to face his trainer with a grin, only to have Sun lift him gently and make him face the litten.
"That way, Blue Doll. We're going to have a battle." At the word, Blue Doll's confusion cleared to be replaced with determination. He didn't realize that he would have a chance to prove that Sun didn't make a mistake picking him so soon. He nodded before moving himself forward slightly to be in a better position for the battle. The popplio smiled and clapped his hind fins when he heard his other new friend, Cloud, cheering for him from behind. Sun secretly took out his pokedex to scan Hau's Litten:
Litten, the fire cat Pokemon. It prefers solitude and doesn't allow its emotions to be easily seen. While grooming itself, it builds up fur inside its stomach to set alight for fiery attacks.
Sun nodded slightly to himself when he heard the information. Looking through the entries so far, he saw that he also had Blue Doll and the rowlet from before registered. After taking a quick look at the popplio entry, he made a mental note to read them in full detail at home before going to sleep. He tucked the pokedex away and looked up to signal that he was more than ready now.
Hala looked to see whether both sides were ready. Once he saw that they indeed were, he raised one hand in the air. "You may begin!"
"Litten, use Ember!" Hau immediately commanded. His Pokémon responded swiftly to the words. The hairs on its back stood straight up, revealing red tips, as it spat a flaming ball of fur at Blue Doll.
"Water Gun," Sun countered. Blue Doll inhaled deeply. Once the ember attack got close, he opened his mouth to spray a shot of water to extinguish the small flame. The popplio didn't stop there and Water Gun ended up hitting Litten straight on. The catlike Pokémon cried out in pain at the super effective move. Sun pointed at Litten, not giving Hau a chance to react. "Now use Pound."
"Bwark!" Blue Doll leapt forward. He struck out a flipper in order to swat Litten away. The normal-type move hit Litten square in the face, causing the fire-type Pokémon to leap backwards while rubbing its pained face. Sun's smile widened slightly at the red flipper print Litten now had.
"Try a Scratch, Litten!"
Cloud squeaked at the thought of the painful attack. Even Sun cringed slightly when he saw the fire cat Pokémon rake Blue Doll's face with its three claws. He wasn't going to let that cat get away with hurting his Pokémon like that. He thought back to the move set Blue Doll knew currently. "Growl!" The popplio responded to the order by opening his mouth to let out a high, piercing cry that distorted the air around them. The litten growled lowly in irritation as it batted its ears to futilely stop itself from listening.
"Use your own Growl, Litten!"
"One more time, Blue Doll!"
Both Alolan starters took a deep breath before releasing similar growls that lowered the other's physical attack power. However Sun knew he benefitted from this more than Hau since his Blue Doll specialized in special attacks more than physical. Scratch was also the only attack doing work on Hau's side considering how water-types resisted fire-type moves. He felt that he had dragged this battle long enough. He wanted to get home quickly to show off the popplio before returning to a dreamless sleep.
"Time to end this." Cloud shivered when he heard that quiet voice spoke. Sun pointed to the tired yet determined litten and raised his voice so everybody could hear, "Blue Doll, Water Gun."
"Bwark!" Blue Doll cried as he opened his mouth to shoot the super effective move at his opponent.
"Dodge it!" Sun could hear the panic in Hau's voice. However he knew that it was over. Litten was too exhausted to react and the attack hit it right in the face again. It hissed slightly before falling on its side, swirls in its eyes. The right side of Sun's smile twitched slightly when he saw the boy smile good-naturedly. Hau held out a pokeball, firing the red laser to return the fainted litten. "You did great, Litten," the boy said to the pokeball.
Hala held up his right hand to indicate the winner. "This match goes to Sun and his popplio!" At the official result, the townspeople cheered much louder than when Sun received Blue Doll. The cheering got to Blue Doll as he leaned forward to clap his hind fins joyfully. The sight of his victorious popplio made Sun's smile widen slightly as he walked over to pick up Blue Doll.
"Great job, Blue Doll," Sun cooed to the Pokémon. Said Pokémon giggled happily at the praise. He barked his thanks towards Cloud when the pikachu gave his congratulations as well.
"Hoo-ee! That gave me chicken skin! Your popplio was awesome!" Hau laughed as he jumped up and down in giddiness. Sun looked over to Hau with a small smile.
"Thanks. Your…litten, did pretty good too." Sun patted his popplio one last time before grabbing a potion from his backpack. The boy gently sprayed the wounds on Blue Doll, stopping and soothing the Pokémon whenever he cried out from the stings. Once he was done with healing Blue Doll, he grabbed another potion to hand to Hau. Sun smiled back at Hau when the boy grinned in gratitude. Sun then said, "Thanks for the battle and everything, but I want to head on home to rest."
"Well that settles it! I'll be sure to go all out tomorrow! You are coming to the festival, right?"
Hearing that word made Sun tilt his head to the side in curiosity. "Festival?"
"It's to give thanks to Tapu Koko for remaining by our side. There's going to be a great battle and everything! You are coming, right?"
The left side of Sun's mouth twitched slightly as he thought about it. Perhaps he should participate in this festival before exploring the other islands. While Blue Doll did well in this battle, he was nowhere near Cloud's level. The potential battle would give the popplio some much needed experience. Besides, participating in the festival would also allow them to relax just a little bit more. Sun would see the other traditions Melemele Island had and gather other information, which would be useful when exploring this particular island. With that in mind, he nodded in confirmation.
Hau grinned back. "Great! I'll battle you again tomorrow! And we'll win then!"
"Don't be too sure of that," Sun muttered to himself before waving good-bye to them. "I'll see you all tomorrow then!" He attempted to head down the hill again. Unfortunately for him, Hala saw something that merit questioning.
"Hmm? Sun…" When Sun turned to look at the kahuna in question, Hala pointed to his pocket. Sun followed the direction of his finger and saw that he was pointing at the sparkling stone in Sun's pocket. To be honest, he almost forgot about it. Now that it caught Hala's attention, Sun wondered whether the shining stone was worth picking up since it was keeping him from going home. The poor boy just wanted to go home. "Would you be so kind as to give me a look at that sparkling stone you have there?"
"Of course," Sun replied. He took the stone from his pocket and placed it carefully in Hala's open hand. Blue Doll also looked at it curiously as he tried to sniff the stone's identity. The kahuna examined it closely, his eyes almost blazing a hole in the strange object.
"Could it be?!"
Hau turned to his grandpa with the same look of surprise. "Tutu, isn't that…?" Hala nodded at the incomplete question. He looked up straight into Sun's eyes.
"You were rescued by Tapu Koko at the bridge—isn't that what I heard, Sun?"
Sun nodded.
"So it even deigned to give you a stone…"
Actually…I think I stole it, but okay. Sure, Tapu Koko gave me that.
"Perhaps you are here in Alola, Sun, because this where you are meant to be. Allow me to borrow this stone for now. Fret not!" Hala laughed a bit when he saw the uncertain look in Sun's eyes. "I'll return it to you tomorrow evening at the festival. It would seem that you have the makings of a fine trainer. I'll see you then!"
Still Sun hesitated a bit. Although he knew he could trust Hala, he still wished that he could take the stone home since it was "his" to begin with. However that didn't seem to be an option. At least he was going to get it back tomorrow. Despite the urge to simply take the stone back, Sun nodded in agreement. Retaining his smile he waved good-bye to them once again. He actually paused for a bit to see if anybody else wanted to stop him. Seeing that no such volunteer did, he started down the road. That was when he heard somebody say:
"Here, Sun. I'll take you back home."
The boy's smile twitched slightly in annoyance at the third interruption. Luckily he got his expression under control when Professor Kukui walked to his side. At least the professor didn't stop him completely for something long like the battle and stone. Sun nodded his gratitude before the two started down the trail together. Taking the same path as before, the pair walked while conversing with each other. The professor praised Sun on his battling once again, to which Sun simply waved away. However Kukui knew that the boy appreciated the input. He noticed how Sun hadn't put his popplio back into his pokeball since he received it. Even now the boy still hugged Blue Doll in the same manner as pikachu on their first trip to Iki Town. Cloud stayed at his spot on Sun's shoulder, looking satisfied as could be.
The trip back didn't take long, thank goodness. Once they reached Sun's house, Sun exchanged farewells with the professor before entering his home sweet home. His smile moved a bit when he saw his mom's meowth standing in front of the door. Meowth screeched at Sun's appearance and scurried to hide behind Nova. She looked up from the counter and smiled when she took notice of her son. She quickly patted the meowth's head to calm him down. She walked around the counter over to Sun, the expectancy in her eyes shining.
"Welcome back, Sun! So! What kind of Pokémon did you get? Don't keep me waiting!"
Sun's smile widened as he held out Blue Doll. "Ta-da! This is my popplio! Say hello, Blue Doll!"
"Arf!" Blue Doll grinned widely. He held his flippers into the air in a happy poise. Nova giggled at the enthusiasm the starter showed. She tickled his chin to make him laugh. She could tell that Blue Doll was oblivious to his trainer's other side. However she predicted that the sea lion Pokémon would probably never see that darker half due to his naïve nature. Sun probably wouldn't want to show the young Pokémon that side either. That was obviously a good thing in her mind. The less people and Pokémon who knew about it, the better.
"So I'm guessing you picked the water starter. What were the others?"
"A grass-type owl and," Sun made a face before he continued, "a fire-type cat." At that dreaded word, his mother couldn't help but laugh. She knew of Sun's unexplainable disdain for cats. It was unfortunate that he lived with her meowth for most of his life but there was nothing he could do about it. She put her hands on her hips and teased:
"You should have picked the cat! We could use another one!"
Sun's smile twitched wildly on its left side. "Never," he hissed as he tightened his hug on Blue Doll. He felt Cloud shift nervously on his shoulder with a frightened squeak. The pikachu wished that Nova didn't make that joke. It put his trainer in a terrible mood, and things never bode well whenever Sun was in that state of mind. Blue Doll glanced over his shoulder to stare curiously at his trainer. When Sun saw the movement, his smile stopped twitching. He loosened his hold to not squeeze the popplio too hard. To calm himself down, he patted Blue Doll, earning a joyful bark. His emotions under control once again, Sun started for his room. "It's been a long day. I'm going to sleep."
"All right, Sun," Nova smirked. "Good night."
"Good night," Sun replied as he opened the door to his room. Though it looked like Sun regained his composure after petting Blue Doll, Nova cringed at the loud slam of the closing door. It was clear that any mentioning of catlike Pokémon bothered Sun to no end. It was amazing that he was able to live with her meowth for so long. After all, Meowth had been with Nova even longer than Sun. Even Cloud eventually learned to tolerate Meowth, and the meowth reciprocated. She shook her head ruefully at her son's behavior before heading into her own room.
Sun placed Blue Doll on the floor, prompting Cloud to jump from his shoulder. The pikachu avoided looking at his trainer because he knew from the door slam that Sun was still pissed at his mother's joke. Instead Cloud started to show Blue Doll around like a tour guide. The sight of his two Pokémon getting along appeased Sun even more to make his smile widen a bit. He walked over to his bed to lay down. Remembering one of his mental notes, he took out his pokedex. He quickly clicked into the popplio entry and read it:
Popplio, the sea lion Pokémon. It practices diligently so it can learn to make and control big, water bubbles. It snorts body fluids from its nose to make these balloons, which could be used for both attacking, defending, and acrobatics.
Sun liked the sound of that. Blue Doll would need that characteristic to work hard in battle and reach Cloud's level. Speaking of Cloud, the trainer waved the pikachu over. Cloud had just finished showing Blue Doll the empty insides of Sun's closet when he noticed Sun gesturing for him. He swiftly scurried over, prompting Blue Doll to also pull himself over to the bed as fast as he could. Cloud leapt onto the bed and tilted his head to the side in question. "Pika?"
"Here's Blue Doll's pokedex entry," Sun said as he pointed to the screen. "And here's yours."
Pikachu, the mouse Pokemon. It's in its nature to store electricity, a quality that makes it a good Pokemon to work at an electric power plant. It feels stressed now and then if it is unable to discharge the stored electricity.
"Pikachu." Cloud nodded in agreement with what Sun read out loud. This earned him a tickle underneath his chin that made him laugh. At that point Blue Doll had finally reached the bed but couldn't get up. He barked to get his new friends' attention. Sun grunted from the exertion of sitting up. He gently picked up the popplio to place on his bed next to Cloud. Then he let himself fall back onto the pillow. Blue Doll waddled over to look at Cloud's pokedex entry curiously. Sun scrolled back to Blue Doll's entry. His smile widened a bit when he heard an excited "arf!" from the popplio. He was probably reacting more to the picture of his species than the pokedex entry. Then Sun scrolled up again to look at the last description:
Rowlet, the grass quill Pokémon. It is able to surprise its targets with its silent flight and vicious kicks. This wary Pokémon uses photosynthesis to rest during the day before becoming more active at night.
Just as Sun wondered whether he would be able to see a rowlet in battle, his eyes closed into a yawn. Cloud and Blue Doll caught the contagious yawn as well, signaling to all of them that it was probably best for them to rest. Sun sat up again to put his pokedex and pokeballs onto the table.
"Pika, kachu," Cloud said to Blue Doll. He crawled over to the pillow to pat it, signaling Blue Doll to sleep there. However Sun grabbed both of them before they could react. He yawned once again as he lay back onto the pillow. Cloud and Blue Doll moved slightly to get into a more comfortable position in Sun's arms. Then, after the long and exhausting day, they all fell asleep.
So who guess Popplio?! WHOEVER DID, CONGRATULATIONS! VIRTUAL COOKIES! WHOEVER DIDN'T...WELL TOO BAD! VIRTUAL COOKIES! SO VIRTUAL COOKIES FOR EVERYBODY! HAHAHA!
But anyways. I initially planned to make Sun pick Popplio. Then as I was organizing his team, I realized that he would have two of the same types on his team. Not like his team was perfectly balanced anyways, but I never liked having double typing. Then I realized that no matter who I picked, I would still have double typing. So I stayed with Popplio. I was tempted to let him have Rowlet. However I think that Popplio's personality would be better suited for this story since, as Nova mentioned, Popplio probably would not see Sun's darker side. So no RIP Blue Doll's innocence. So yeah. I also picked Popplio in my own game, and yes, I also named him Blue Doll. That is actually a reference to somebody else in another story of mine. Hasn't been brought up yet in that particular story, but it will be. Also the pokedex entries are a mixture of Sun's and Moon's.
Oh yeah, anybody decoded his smile movement yet?
But anyways, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you guys next time. And Happy New Year's! AAAAAAHHHHHHH! NEW YEAR'S!